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ryin-silverfish · 1 year ago

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A Guide to the Chinese Underworld (and what it isn't)

As many FSYY and fox posts as there were on my blog, I am actually a huge fan of the Chinese Underworld mythos. Mostly because I was once a morbid little kid that loved reading about the excavations of ancient tombs, and found the statues depicting hellish torture in the Haw Par Villa "super cool".

Apart from the aesthetics, the history of its evolution is also fascinating. Most of us, Chinese or not, only know the most popular version of the Underworld——the "Ten Kings" system, yet that isn't always the case. So today, I'll start off with a short summary of that.

In pre-Qin era, there was already this generic idea of a "Realm of the Dead" called the Yellow Spring, Youdu, or Youming, but we know very little about it.

Then, in the Han dynasty, two ideas start to emerge: 1) the Underworld is a bureaucracy, 2) the God of Mt. Tai ruled over the dead.

This early bureaucracy might not function as an agent of punishment; the main focus was on keeping the dead segregated from the living so they wouldn't bring diseases and misfortune to the latter, as well as using those ghosts to enforce collective punishments upon people for their lineage's wrongdoings while they were still alive.

Post-Han, after Buddhism entered China and took root, its idea of karmic punishments and reincarnation and the figure of King Yama was merged with folk and Daoist ideas of the Underworld bureaucracy, and, came Tang dynasty, resulted in the "Ten Kings" system that first appeared in Dunhuang manuscripts.

It was very rudimentary and far from well-established, as seen in Tang legends, with some adopting the Ten Kings system, some sticking to the Lord of Mt. Tai and some favoring King Yama, and overall little agreements on who's in charge of the Underworld.

But the "Ten Kings" system would become the mainstream version from then onwards, used in Ming vernacular novels and made even more popular by folk religion scrolls like the Jade Records (Yuli Baochao).

As such, most points in the following sections will be based on the fully matured "Ten Kings" system of the Underworld, as seen in the Jade Records and JTTW.

What happens when you die?

(This is a fictionalized walkthrough of the posthumous fate of souls under the "Ten Kings" system. I try to stick to the very broad progression outlined in the Jade Records, but many creative liberties are taken on the details.)

Let's say there's a guy named Xiao Ming, and he had just died of a heart attack. Bummers. What now?

Well, the first thing he saw would be the ghost cops.

There isn't really an unanimous agreement on who these ghost cops are: they may be a pair of ghosts in white and black robes, wearing tall hats (Heibai Wuchang), they may have the heads of farm animals (Ox-Head and Horse-Face), or they can just be generic ghost bureaucrats. For convenience's sake, let's say it was the first scenario.

"Who are you guys and where are you taking me?"

"Glad you asked!" The taller ghost cop, being the cheerful one of the pair, replied. It wasn't very reassuring, considering that his tongue was dangling out of his mouth way further than it should. "I'm the White Impermanence, my sour-looking colleague here is the Black Impermanence, and we are taking you to the City God's office."

This City God, a.k.a. Chenghuang, is just like how it sounds: the divine guardian of a city, who also pulls double duty as the head of the local Dead People Customs Office. They are usually virtuous officials deified posthumously, and in JTTW, they fall under the category of "Ghostly immortals", together with the Earth Gods a.k.a. Tudi.

So Xiao Ming went with the two ghost cops——not like he had much of a choice, made his way through the long queue at the City God's office, and was now standing in front of a gruff old magistrate in traditional robes.

"Name?"

"Wang Xiao Ming."

"Age and birth dates?"

"21, April 16 2003…"

After he was done asking questions, the City God flipped through his ledger, then picked up a brush, ticked off Xiao Ming's name, and told him to go get his pass in the next room. More waiting in a queue. Wonderful.

"I never heard anything about needing a pass to get to the Underworld," the girl in front of Xiao Ming asked the ghost cops, who were standing guard nearby. "Is this a new policy or something?"

"Yeah. In the old days, we'd just drag y'all straight to the Ghost Gate." The ghost cop in black said, then muttered to himself, "Fuckin' paperworks and overpopulation, man…"

(This "Dead People Passport" thing was popularized in the middle-to-late Ming dynasty, as shown by the discovery of such documents inside tombs in southern China. )

(It might have evolved from similar passes to the Western Pure Land in lay Buddhism that recorded their acts of merits. Which, in turn, might be traced back to the "Dead People Belongings List" of Han dynasty, to be shown to Underworld bureaucrats so that no one would take away the dead's private property down there or something.)

Anyways, after he received his pass, Xiao Ming departed together with the rest of the bunch, to be led to the Ghost Gate. It was like the world's most depressing tourist group, where instead of tour guides, you got two ghost cops in funny hats, and the only scenery in sight was the desolation of the Yellow Spring Road.

They weren't the only travellers on the road, though. Xiao Ming noticed other groups moving in the far distance, behind the fog and the flickering ghostfire, led by similar figures in black and white.

It made a lot of sense; realistically, there was no way two ghost cops could fetch hundreds of thousands of dead people all by themselves.

(SEA Tang-ki mediums believed there were multiple Tua Di Ya Peks——Hokkien name for the Black and White Impermanences, working for different Underworld Courts.)

At last, the Ghost Gate stood in front of Xiao Ming, guarded by two towering figures. Normally, they'd be Ox-Head and Horse-Face, like what you see at Haw Par Villa's Underworld entrance.

However, older Han dynasty works like Wang Chong's 论衡·订鬼 also mentioned two gods, Shenshu and Yulei, as guardians of the Ghost Gate, who would use reed ropes to capture malicious ghosts and feed them to tigers, making them possibly the earliest incarnation of "Gate Gods".

So here, they were what Xiao Ming sees, standing side by side like proper doormen, silently watching herds of ghosts being funneled through the entrance.

The place was more crowded than a train station during the CNY Spring Rush; the ghost cops had already said their quick goodbye and left to fetch the next group of dead people, leaving the resident officials of the Underworld proper to maintain order and quell any would-be riots.

Now you started seeing the Ox-Head and Horse-Face guys, poking at unruly ghosts with their pitchforks and dragging away the violent ones in chains. Among their ranks were other monstrous beings, blue-faced yakshas and imps, but also regular dead humans who look 100% done with their jobs, like the lady who stamped Xiao Ming's pass when it was finally his turn.

After this point, Xiao Ming had entered the Underworld proper, and his next destination would be the First Court, led by King Qin'guang. Here, his fate should be decided by what is revealed in the King's magical mirror.

If Xiao Ming was a good guy, or someone who had done an equal amount of good and bad things in life, he'd be sent straight to the Tenth Court for reincarnation. However, if the mirror, while replaying his life events, had displayed more evil deeds than good ones, he'd be sent to one of the 2nd-9th Courts for judgment and then punished inside the Eighteen Hells.

Each of the Ten Kings was also assisted by ghostly judges. Many of them were righteous and just officials in life who had been recruited into the Ten Courts posthumously——Cui Jue from JTTW is one such example, while others were living people working part-time for the Underworld, like how Wei Zheng, Taizong's minister, works part-time for the Celestial Bureaucracy in JTTW.

We decide to be nice to Xiao Ming, so, after reliving some embarrassing childhood incidents and cringy teenage phases in front of a bunch of dead bureaucrats, he was found innocent and sent to the Tenth Court.

The queue here was almost as long as the First Court's, stretching on and on alongside of the banks of the Nai River. King of the Turning Wheel made his judgment without even lifting his head when it was Xiao Ming's turn:

"Path of Humans, male, healthy in body and mind, ordinary family. Next!"

Exiting the Tenth Court building, Xiao Ming saw the Terrace of Forgetfulness, standing tall before six bridges, made of gold, silver, jade, stone, wood, and…some unidentified material. Before he could get a good look at them and the little dots moving across those bridges, he was hurried into the Terrace by the ghostly officials.

Now, both JTTW and the Jade Records mention multiple bridges across the Nai River. In the former, there is 3, and the latter, 6. The bridges made of precious materials are for people who will reincarnate into better lives, as the wealthy, the fortunate, and the divine, while the Naihe Bridge is either the common option or the terribad shitty option.

However, the Naihe Bridge proved to be so iconic, it became THE bridge you walk across to reincarnate in popular legends.

Anyways, back to Xiao Ming. He found himself standing in a giant soup kitchen of sorts, with an old lady at the counter, scooping soup out of her steaming pot and into one cup after another.

This is Mengpo, the amnesia soup granny; according to the Jade Records, she was born in the Western Han era, and a pious cultivator who thought of neither the past nor the future, only knowing that her surname was Meng.

Made into an Underworld god by the Jade Emperor, she cooks a soup of five flavors that will wipe the memory of the dead, making sure they do not remember any of their past lives once they reincarnate.

It tastes awful. Like what you get after pouring corn syrup, coffee, chilli sauce, lemon juice and seawater into the same cup.

Such was Xiao Ming's last thought, as he gulped down the soup, and then he knew no more.

Things you should know about the Chinese Underworld:

1. It's not the Christian Hell.

Rather, the Chinese Underworld functions somewhat like the Purgatory, in that there are a lot of torment, but the torment's not eternal, however long the duration may be. Once you finish your sentence, you get reincarnated as something else, though that "something else" is not a guaranteed good birth.

Other people can also speed up the process via transferring of merits: hiring a priest/monk to chant sutras and perform rituals, for example, or performing good deeds in life in dedication to the dead, or they can pray to a Daoist/Buddhist deity to save their loved ones from a dreadful fate.

Interestingly enough, a thesis paper I read mentions that, whereas Buddhist salvation from the Hells was based on transference of merits——you give monks offerings and pay them to chant sutras, so they can cancel out the sinners' bad karma with good ones, Daoist ideas of salvation tend to involve the priest going down there, sorting it out with the Underworld officials, and taking the dead out of the Hells themselves.

(The paper also stops at the Northern-Southern and Tang dynasties, so the above is likely period-specific.)

2. Nor is it run by evil demons.

Underworld officials are not nice guys and look pretty monstrous and torture the sinful dead, but they are not the embodiment of evil. Rather, the faction as a whole is what I'd call Lawful Neutral, who function on this "An Eye for An Eye" logic, where every harm the sinner caused in life must be returned to them, in order for their karmic debts to be cleansed and move on to their next life.

They can absolutely be corrupt and incompetent and take bribes——Tang dynasty Zhiguai tales and Qing folklore compendiums featured plenty of such cases, but that's a very mundane and human kind of evil, not a cosmic/innate one.

This is just my personal opinion, but if you want to do an "evil" Chinese Underworld? It should be a very bureaucratic evil, whose leaders are bootlickers to the higher-ups, slavedrivers to their rank-and-file workers, and bullies who abuse their power over regular dead people.

Not, y'know, Satan and his infernal legions or conspiring Cthulu cultists.

3. The Ten Kings are not Hades.

Make no mistake, they still have a lot of power over your average dead mortal. But in the grand scheme of things? They are the backwater department of the pantheon, who only show up in JTTW to get pushed around and revive the occasional dead people.

When Taizong made his trip to the Underworld, the Ten Kings greeted him as equals——kings of ghosts to the king of the living. If they see themselves as equal in status to a mortal emperor, then, like any mortal emperors, they are subordinate to the Celestial Host, and the balance of power is not even remotely equal or in their favor.

Also, it isn't said outright, but under the Zhong-Lv classification of immortals JTTW is using, Underworld officials will likely be considered Ghostly immortals, the lowest and weakest of the five types, much like Tudis and Chenghuangs.

Essentially: they are ghosts that are powerful enough to not reincarnate and linger on and on, spirits of pure Yin as opposed to true immortals, who are beings of pure Yang.

It's pretty much the shittiest form of immortality, the result you get when you try to speedrun cultivation (the Zhong-Lv text also made a dig at Buddhist meditation here), and if they don't reincarnate or regain a physical body, there is no chance of progressing any further.

Oh, and fun fact? In the Song dynasty, commoners and literati elites alike believed that virtuous officials in life would get appointed as ghostly officials in death.

However, the latter viewed it as a punishment. Which was strange, considering how they still held the same position and the same amount of authority, just over dead people instead of living ones, so there should be no big losses, right?

Well...it was precisely the "dead people" part that made it a punishment. See, a lot of the power and prestige they had as officials came from the benefits they could bring to their families and kins and native places, as well as the potential wealth and reputation bonuses for themselves.

A job in the Dead People Supreme Court would give them the same workload, but with none of those benefits. Since all the dead people had to reincarnate eventually, they couldn't have a fixed group as their power base, or keep their old familial ties and connections. At most, they could help out an occasional dead relative or two.

Like, working for the Underworld Courts was the kind of deadend (no pun intended) job not even living officials wanted for themselves in the afterlife. That's how hilariously sad and pathetic they are.

4. In JTTW at least, they aren't even the highest authorities of the Underworld.

That would be Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, who is technically their boss, though he seems to be more of a spiritual leader than someone who is actually involved in running the bureaucracy.

Which makes sense, since he has sworn an oath to not attain Buddhahood until all Hells are empty, and his role is to offer relief and salvation to the suffering souls, not judging and punishing them.

Now, historically...even though Ksitigarbha in early Tang legends was still the savior of the dead, he seemed to be unable to interfere with the judicial process of the Underworld, merely showing up to take people away before they were judged by King Yama.

However, in the mid-Tang apocryphal "Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha" (地藏菩萨经), he had evolved into the equal of King Yama, with the power of supervision over his judgements. By the time the Scripture on the Ten Kings came out, in artistic depictions, the Ten Kings had become fully subservient to him.

5. Diyu usually refers to the prison-torture chamber part, not the courthouse, nor is it the entirety of the Underworld.

And for the majority of souls that haven't committed crimes, they'll only see the courthouse part before they are sent to reincarnation. That's why I personally don't like, or use the name Diyu for the Chinese Underworld: I prefer the term Difu ("Earth Mansions"), which encompasses the whole realm better.

Also: even though historical sources like the Scripture on the Ten Kings and Jade Records seem to suggest that the dead were just funneled through this Courthouse-Prison-Reincarnation pipeline with no breaks in between, in practice, that isn't the case.

According to popular folk beliefs, after the dead were done with their trials/sentences, they stayed in the Underworld for a period of time and led regular lives, while functioning as ancestor spirits and receiving offerings.

Which would imply that the Underworld had a civilian district of sorts, populated by regular ghosts, making the whole realm even less of a direct Hell/Purgatory equivalent.

6. It is located in a different realm, but still part of the Six Paths and doesn't exist outside of reality.

In Buddhist cosmology, like the Celestial Realm, the Underworld is part of the Realm of Desires and thus subject to all the woes of samsara.

The pain and misery of the Path of Hell may be the worst and most obvious, but becoming a celestial being isn't the goal of serious Buddhists either: despite all the pleasures and near-infinite lifespan they enjoy, they are not free from samsara and will eventually have to reincarnate.

So if, say, the world is being destroyed at the end of a kalpa, all beings of the Six Paths will perish alongside it, leaving behind a clean slate for the cycle to start anew. The dead won't all end up in the Underworld and face eternal damnation.

7. The Black and White Impermanences would not appear in the Underworld pantheon formally until the Qing dynasty.

The concept that when you die, you get fetched to the Underworld by petty ghost bureaucrats is already well-established in Tang legends, but these were just generic ghost bureaucrats in all sorts of colorful official robes, with yellow being the most common color.

The idea of there being two specific psychopomps in black and white would only become popular in the Qing dynasty. Mengpo is kinda similar: although she existed before the Ming-Qing era as a goddess of wind, venerated by boatmen, her "amnesia soup granny" incarnation came from the Jade Records.

#chinese mythology #chinese folklore #chinese underworld #diyu #chinese religion #cw: death #hell #underworld #journey to the west #I'm lazy so if you want a “work cited” list #just dm me

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sfznyxio · 3 months ago

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-ˋˏ GOTTA CATCH 'EM ALL! ˎˊ

SYNOPSIS. do you have what it takes to be a pokemon master? step right up; start your adventure to become the greatest pokemon master of all time!

CHARACTERS. albedo, arataki itto, childe, diluc, gorou, hu tao, kaedehara kazuha, kaeya, kamisato ayaka, kujou sara, raiden shogun, sangonomiya kokomi, scaramouche, thoma, traveler (aether & lumine), venti, yae miko, yoimiya, zhongli

CONTENT. gn!reader. pokemon au. comedy, fluff. 2.1k wc. rewrite of gotta catch ‘em all! at my old main blog @/verxsyon. original was written before wanderer’s release, hence why he’s referred to as scaramouche. mentions of accidental arson by a pokemon (yoimiya).

VERA. oh, lookie. another pokemon au with another fandom. best memory with this song is when i went to amber liu’s concert in 2020 and it was at the end of her set list. my friend and i are huge pokemon fans, and we screamed out the entire song to the point we lost our voices the next day. fun times ten out of ten.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. ALBEDO

an artist whose paintings are framed in numerous museums around the nation. albedo has trouble finding a subject for his next piece to place in the cathedral. while searching for mondstadt’s gym leader, his smeargle asks you on his behalf to help him out. you’re the nearest person around the area, and the pokemon exposes his hesitancy to ask you because he’s stunned by your appearance. you’re confused, but with your permission, you become his inspiration. as thanks, he acts as your tour guide.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. ARATAKI ITTO

more or less your rival. he’s always the first trainer to challenge you to a battle as soon as you earn a gym badge, and he does it very annoyingly - one might add. itto thinks he’s all that, bragging that he’ll crush the elite four and the champion in one go with his best buddy, tauros. while he’s at it, he bets he can crush you too. but his arrogance gets the best of him when you won. the next time the two of you battle again, he swears that he won’t go easy on you.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. DILUC

a guide and bartender from the flying-type gym. diluc is assigned by the leader to serve drinks to challengers - as well as the gym leader himself. his talonflame is his best friend, but unfortunately he can’t help due to being used for the gym challenge. he’d rather battle someone instead of being behind the counter all day, so you suggest being his opponent. he doesn’t expect you to be so mischievous, similar to the leader, devising a plan to kidnap his partner. to your surprise, he agrees with it.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. GOROU

a trainer who frequently hikes the mountains to train with his lycanroc (dusk form). you meet the duo when your partner smells curry from his campsite. gorou is very kind to let you stay for the night, seeing that it’s getting dark and no town in sight. before departing in the morning, he warns you about the dangers you’ll face en route and says you and your partner are welcome to hang out with him anytime. when you earn the electric-type badge, you’ll celebrate with a feast full of curry.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. HU TAO

a trainer raised by mediums and fascinated with urban legends. hu tao is investigating the truth of those legends with her chandelure. seeing that you got lost in the totally not haunted forest that leads to the next gym, she proposes to join her investigation on the rumors of ghosts in the area. in return, she will give you tips on how to beat the gym leader. she habitually pranks people for fun, so you have a hard time believing that whatever she says is the truth.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. KAEDEHARA KAZUHA

a transfer student and your classmate at the pokemon academy. you feel sorry for kaedehara kazuha because he has to deal with you copying his notes every single day. that’s what you get for sleeping a lot in class. for someone who sits at the back of the class, his sawsbuck (autumn) is an attention seeker, annoying the poor guy with its antlers until he sends it back into its poké ball. apparently it doesn’t like you because his partner spends more time watching you sleep with hearts in his eyes.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. KAEYA

a famous pokemon coordinator. everyone expects kaeya to participate in the biggest pokemon contest of the year, with a purpose to celebrate his victory against the city’s gym leader. he thrives off excitement, so upon hearing that you, the future champion, is among the crowd, he wants to make sure the whole world knows you’re the real deal. at the peak of the competition, he sends his weavile to invite you onstage and challenges you in a battle as an excuse to flirt with you in front of millions.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. KAMISATO AYAKA

co-heir of the kamisato hotel chain. her older brother rarely stays at the penthouse due to business trips, so kamisato ayaka manages logistics in his stead. she’s rarely outside, but when she does, she’s with her glaceon at the boutiques shopping for new clothes. you happen to be at the same boutique as her, having a hunch that she’s a prominent figure in society. the two of you accidentally switch bags when passing by each other, but luckily it’s a minor issue. once it’s resolved, she quickly leaves.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. KUJOU SARA

the daughter of a flying taxi pilot who was captured by the fatui with his pokemon. kujou sara is in the business with her corviknight. she wants to thank you for rescuing her family by giving you free access to the taxi anytime, anywhere. however, you feel embarrassed for contacting her on a daily basis because you never learned how to ride a bike. but the thing is, she already knows your secret, picking up on it very early. you did her a huge favor, so she doesn’t mind teaching you.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. RAIDEN SHOGUN

the electric-type gym leader and mayor of the “city of eternity”. married to her work, the raiden shogun is out of touch with the modern world. her gym staff, especially her morpeko, are concerned that she never has time for herself, so they ask you to keep her away from her office for the day. she’s confused, but agrees to go on a date with you. dango and light novels surprise you about her character - the sweetest person you’ll ever meet on the inside.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. SANGONOMIYA KOKOMI

a trainer who you first encounter at victory road. sangonomiya kokomi is sightseeing there and appears more than happy to accompany you until her destination. with her and her sylveon, double battles aren’t difficult to breeze through. at the exit of the cave, she asks for a battle to test out your strength. one hell of a strategist, however you’re quick to target her weak spots and win. she says that next time, she won't go easy on you at the league. that’s what a member of the elite four would say.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. SCARAMOUCHE

a random trainer who you accidentally hit when catching pokemon. the boy named scaramouche roasts your terrible aim and exaggerates that he could’ve gotten a brain injury. you’re a relatively new trainer, so he does pity you and demonstrates how to throw properly. he then offers you to spar with his gengar because the pokemon ahead are super strong and your team should be fully prepared by then, but he won’t admit that to save himself the hassle for the future.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. TARTAGLIA

a commander of an evil organization, tasked to handle overseas matters with his wailord. the men in his division steal pokemon from trainers to discourage them from continuing on with their journey. his lax nature is what makes him struggle to get everything under control. luckily, you’re there to save the day. impressed by your heroism, tartaglia wants to hire you as his assistant, but of course, you outright refuse. he says the offer still stands, but you turn him down every single time.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. THOMA

the director of housekeeping in the kamisato hotel chain and bodyguard of the kamisato family with his arcanine. you heard that the hotels offer trainers to work as attendants for handsome pay, so you desperately go there to make your wallet thick again. you’re assigned to room service, being taught the basics of vacuuming floors and fixing beds. sometimes thoma goes off tangent, talking about his boss and his habit of feeding him odd dishes, which is quite concerning.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. TRAVELER

the professor’s assistant who assists you in completing the pokèdex. the first meeting with the traveler starts off with you showing how you use your pokemon partner for battle, who then realizes that it’s from the lab and accuses you for robbery and trespassing. the argument gets heated to the point where the professor had to step in and let you explain. after consulting with the professor, they become your travel buddy along with their minun (aether) or plusle (lumine) to help you on your journey.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. VENTI

a flying-type gym leader stationed in mondstadt and classical musician. as a hobby, venti plays windtrace with the citizens, which influenced the layout of his challenge. to battle against him, you have to avoid getting caught by his altaria. barely anyone passes because he's known to fool people constantly, so they never know what tricks he has up his sleeve. when you manage to win both the game and the battle, he shows up at your hotel that night, serenading you for good luck.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. XIAO

a trainer who works for the rock-type gym leader. loyal to a fault, xiao is determined to not let anyone get past him. staying true to his word, his tyranitar is very difficult to defeat, but you won’t let that stop you from getting the badge. his partner knocks out your team in one hit, sending you out for a rematch. on the way back to the gym, he got ambushed by “treasure hoarders”, a group who steals badges for a living, and you beat them up. from that moment, you earn his respect.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. YAE MIKO

the owner of the city’s publishing house and a friend of the electric-type gym leader. her guilty pleasure is teasing young trainers that she knows their deepest, darkest secrets. they become terrified, never to be seen in the city again. you agree that yae miko is terrifying because of how both she and her delphox carry themselves. it seems that you’re an exception, having the guts to charm her with your crappy flirting skills in hopes of her not scaring you out of her domain.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. YOIMIYA

the current owner of the naganohara daycare center which she inherited from her grandparents. yoimiya is very popular with children and young pokemon, entertaining them with fireworks. due to the lack of staff, you sign up to be a volunteer. one day, she and her grandparents find an egg in the playpen, and she asks for your help to hatch it together. don’t let it come near her flareon. it almost cooked the egg alive with its flames as well as almost burned the center down.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. ZHONGLI

a rock-type gym leader stationed in liyue and a historian. zhongli enjoys drinking tea and myths of legendary pokemon. challenging gyms can be fun, but hunger and hydration sure aren’t. entering his gym, he notices how deprived you are from food and water, so he orders his garchomp and staff to arrange you a meal. the food must’ve cost a fortune, though his knowledge of every bit of history you can name shocks you more. he rambles so much that he forgets about your gym challenge that day.

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lolana101 · 7 months ago

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hello sweets! I love your work! And if I may request Ekko and reader trying for a baby?😭❤️, only if you want! Ty!

𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑

⤷ EKKO: BABY MAKING

⤷ feat. ekko (arcane league of legends)

cw: 18+ , begging, rough sex, sloppy sex, saliva, dirty talk, creampies, marking, biting

he’s pumping into you slowly, huffing softly his eyes trained onto your expression. a still wrapped condom hangs from his lips on which he promised to put on sooner, he’s only going so slow because this is the first time he’s felt your wet walls around him with no barrier.

“..fuck your so- so beautiful, so good.”

he shook out, leaning down to lick around your ear gently, a moan rising out of you. the condom sits beside your head now, it useless as he starts to pul faster, his hands sinking around your wrist and pushing up to guide your fingers between his.

his brows pinch in pleasure, his gaze trailing down to the bounce of your tits responding to the snap of his hips like a wave.

“wanna get you pregnant… badly.”

“..wha- mmnf.”

you can’t even get the words out to respond to his ridiculous statement.. question. demand? his tip is pressing too sweetly against your cervix, peppering it with his love.

“…after everything’s that’s happened. don’t we deserve to have- make something that makes us happy?”

he spoke quietly, his pace never stopping. this was a long time coming, a month ago he remembered asking you to get off birth control due to the worry of your hormones becoming poisonous… some stupid article he read.

his thumb dips between you two’s burning body’s, to softly rub on your puffy nerves as his hips snap at times to punctuate his words. he’s close, his cock twitching softly as his hips stutter slowly stopping.

“please? i’ve been thinking about this. you’d be so cute with a big bel-“

you kissed him gently, slowly rocking your body sloppily down onto him your teeth bumping against his own. it was sloppily, and you were hard to read. but the way your pussy clenched around his aching shaft, waiting for release said it all. you wanted this too.

he moans softly, grinding into you before his hips snap violently against your aching walls, his thumb rubbing your clit wanting to bring you to your orgasm. he read that’ll open up your cervix some more, maybe helping you get pregnant faster.

he’s lingers soft kisses up and down your neck, whispering sweet words of encouragement as his thumb working on your twitching clit, your thighs shaking. you were ready, he was ready. why not?

he’s hot seed spills deep inside of you, his moans sorts gasps and whispers of how warm you are, his thumb pressing against the bundle of nerves, your walls twitching as you feel your walls coat in his sticky love.

he burrows deep inside you, whispering something into your ear.

“we need to do that more do get you… pregnant.”

“i know. take me to the bath first…”

you hum, feeling him try to scoop you up with him still on his dick, he wants to make sure his love never leaves you, so a new love can grow inside of you. a love he’ll be sure to cherish.

thank you for being my first ever request yay!!! i tried to tie in the end with the first ekko fic i wrote :) i hope you enjoyed it!!

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tinysunshine · 6 months ago

Text

━━━━━ ✧˖° 𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑

‎ ‎ [ 𝗸𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗸𝗮𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘅 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 ] 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭/𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐤

female reader, inclusive language. minors dni.

kinks: priest/religious kink, spanking, punishment, oral sex, corruption kink, degradation, dirty talk, guided masturbation, light dom/sub, sex obviously

warnings and triggers: mentions of past sexual assault, abuse (not by klaus), blood play, literal blasphemy, death and violence, hint of stalking, this is more of a horror story than romance

word count: 12.7k

plot with porn, alternate universe. fic visual.

there’s a legend whispered among the people of your town, about a fallen angel named klaus, who resides in an abandoned gothic church, buried deep within the forest. it’s said that if a sinner is brave enough to make the journey, to admit their sins in a confessional to the supernatural entity and offer up a sacrifice of their blood, they would be absolved of all their sins.

when your name becomes disgraced in town and your parents turn their back on you, you’re out of options and decide to make the trek to the church in the forest. every sunday, you sit in the confessional booth, admit to your sins, while klaus orders you to do things for him so you can be forgiven. dirty things. sinful things. he tells you to come back every week until he deems your soul completely clean.

klaus might be supernatural, but he’s far from an angel. He feeds on the unlucky sinners dumb enough to take his legend for word, and with each passing week, each confessed sin, all the time you spend in god’s forgotten house of worship, worshipping the wrong vessel, you come to realize: that although god may have turned his back on you - at least he left you klaus.

“Why are you here?” He asks, and suddenly the fact that you’re staring into the eyes of a supernatural creature isn’t as scary as the fact that this creature is a man. A man is what got you into this mess, the reason you’re here.

He’s got no wings. No horns. No halo. He looks like the average man in your town, although much more handsome. It’s sort of a let down and a nice surprise all at the same time.

You don’t answer. You can’t. Your mouth opens and closes like you’re a fish out of water, and you must look ridiculous.

He grabs your chin suddenly, as if he can’t wait any longer to know the reason you’re here. You thought there’d be a confession booth for this, so you wouldn’t have to look into someone else’s eyes to admit the worst thing that's ever happened to you.

The worst thing you’ve ever done.

“Tell me why you’re here,” he orders, locking eyes with you - and you can’t stop it. It’s like you’re in a trance, and the words spill out. It feels natural, even though it’s not. It’s wrong, it’s scary, and you have no control over it.

“I’m here to be cleansed of my sins,” you say, words spilling out of your mouth like vomit, but the guilt that’s been festering for weeks goes away with the release of the words. You don’t understand how it’s happening, what sorcery you’re experiencing that’s letting you share so easily.

“What have you done, little sinner?” He asks, curiosity evident in his voice. You’re almost glad to be in this trance, because it proves something to you - that this ‘man’ is the legend you’ve been chasing, and as scary as it is, you’re going to come out of this situation pure again.

It’s all you want.

“I’ve lost my purity,” you say, and then he drops your chin and stops making eye contact. Stands back from you and looks you over, like he’s inspecting an object. Your entire body heats up, and a random headache comes on so strong that you shut your eyes for a second.

When you open them, he’s looking at your face again. He’s wearing a sinister smirk that only highlights how handsome he is, and you grab onto the cross on your neck, scared. It’s a nervous tick. You’d never guess that being under the scrutiny of an angel would feel so…sinful?

“Do you know what I am?” He asks, crossing his arms. His shirt is black and long sleeved, and in the dark lighting of the church it’s hard to see anything, but it’s like he glows. Skin pale, sculpted face. You nod.

“You’re an angel,” you reply simply, and he actually lets out a little laugh. You wonder why.

“Call me Klaus,” he says casually, and the change in his demeanor is confusing to you. He takes a step back and his eyes trail over your body one more time, from your feet up to your face, although his eyes linger on the cross necklace you’re still firmly grasping in your hand. You quickly let it go, and he chuckles lightly one more time.

“You’re going to be fun.”

────

You walk into the church and head straight to the altar, palm throbbing in anticipation. There’s an offering dish waiting for you, the bowl gold and gleaming, and you swallow hard with anxiety.

This is your third visit, and you know what to do. Step into the church and walk straight to the altar, where a bowl sits, ready for your offering. Klaus explained it to you during your first visit. Handed you a small pocket knife and told you to give him your blood.

Your heart races just thinking about it, the sting of the blade, the way his face looked when he heard the drip of your life essence into the offering dish. His nostrils flared as you squeezed your palm, watching your blood slowly cover the bottom of the bowl. “Enough,” he snapped after a few more seconds, directing you to the confessional booth on the other side of the church. You didn’t look behind you as you followed his directions, but you could hear him drinking from the bowl.

The light ding when he set it back down on the table. The moan it sounded like he made it when he was done drinking your offering. A shiver ran down your spine.

You know the routine now. You walk into the church and to the table in the front of the room, the pocket knife waiting for you. You cut open your palm with your eyes closed - it hurts more than the first time because your skin is trying to heal itself, not given a chance to scab over, bright pink. You drop some blood into the dish, and make your way to the confessional booth.

You don’t know where Klaus waits, but he’s always somewhere, because he always arrives at the confessional booth after you. You always hear him.

Silent until he clears his throat, the sound of his chair screeching against the floor. “Little sinner,” he says, like he’s surprised you come back every single time. You don’t know why - you’re coming back until he says you’re clean. Your palm burns and you press it against your pants to stop the bleeding, letting out a hiss at the rough fabric of your jeans against it.

“Forgive me, for I have sinned,” you say through clenched teeth. You swear you can hear him smirking on the other side of the booth, although you’re not sure why or how you’d know that. Why he would think any of this is funny. Maybe human pain is silly as an angel, when nobody or nothing can harm them.

“Forgive you,” he says, humming like this is a casual conversation. Like he’s contemplating if you deserve forgiveness. “What have you done now?”

You’re not sure how to answer that. “I’m still impure,” you start, speech rehearsed in your head. You try to get all of it out as quickly as possible, not wanting to carry the weight of all your wrongdoings. You wonder how any one else survives on this planet without sinning so horribly, because a week can’t even go by without you fucking up.

You don’t let this thought hit you, but it’s definitely there. Ever since you stepped foot in this church, you can’t go a week, a day, an hour without thinking about Klaus and the possibility of a gleaming clean soul.

“I’ve upset my parents. Again. I’ve upset my…suitor.” You don’t want to go into details. Maybe if Klaus doesn’t ask, you won’t have to tell him all the ways you fucked up this week.

That you didn’t remember to recite your prayers after a long day, that your shirt was too low cut and almost gave your mother a heart attack. That you fed yourself first before serving your brother, and that you’ve been ignoring Peter, your suitor’s, apologizes that are, in your father’s words, not necessary.

You don’t understand how he did the same thing as you and his reputation isn’t tarnished. Just yours, but you’re used to life being unfair.

Klaus doesn’t answer for a second. You wonder if he wants you to continue. His reply is sudden and sharp. “Yes, well,” you hear him standing up, and you get ready to follow him, because it goes without saying that you’re supposed to go with him to the altar. “You shouldn’t be argumentative,” is his response. You want to say I’m not, but you don’t. You just nod, forgetting he can’t see you.

“Yes,” you reply, voice caught in your throat.

“Come,” he orders, and you know he means to meet him at the altar. He goes a different way than you, but you follow him all the same. When you get there, you lose your breath, take in what he’s wearing and sit down on the stairs of the stage while he makes sure your offering is in order.

Klaus is in a short sleeve grey shirt, and when he lifts the bowl to his mouth to drink your blood, a few drops splatter on the material. You wince, because you know how hard blood stains are to take out - you look down at your jeans and know they’re probably done for, thanks to your bloody palm.

Klaus finishes his drink and sets the bowl down, looks down at you from the step above with a poker face expression. “You’re still bleeding,” he comments, and you nod, thinking he’s going to offer you a bandage or something, but he doesn’t. Instead, he walks down the steps, past you, to the pew that’s right in front of you. He leans back in the seat and looks at you like you’re on stage to perform.

“You said suitor,” Klaus says, and you furrow your brows, wondering why he’s honing in on that. He knows about Peter. But does he know something you don’t? Can he read your mind, find out about the truth of your unholiness?

The thought makes your heart rate pick up, anxiety knotting in your gut. You feel like you’ll start sweating, wondering if the truth about what happened will come out. You’d rather have Klaus believe that you chose to debase yourself - not that you tempted someone into sex. That’s even worse, isn’t it? Being so sinful you’re not even aware of it. Like there’s so much bad in your body that it’s just seeping out of your pores.

You grip your necklace in nervousness, and Klaus notices. He sits up, leans his hands on his knees, and fixes you with a look that makes you look away. You’re scared - of him, and of him doing that weird sorcery thing he did the first time you were here.

“Take your clothes off,” he says instead, lighting your entire body on fire. You work up the courage to look at him, and you find yourself obeying. Standing up to kick your shoes off, your jeans, your shirt off too. When you’re left in your underwear and panties, you hear him let out a low whistle, the kind you hear whenever you walk around in town with one of the shirts your mother hates.

You’re not sure why it doesn’t bother you when he makes the same noise as when other men do. Or why Klaus saying, “Beautiful, every inch,” makes you want to show him more, slip the straps of your bra down your shoulders and let him have a show. “So perfect, it’s a shame you’re a filthy sinner,” he’s smirking as he says it, but you don’t see the playfulness because you’re avoiding his eyes.

“Stop,” he says suddenly, voice low, speeding over to you with a swiftness you know isn’t human. He grabs your hand that’s at your side, and as he does, his knuckles skim over your stomach. You feel your entire body scream with want. Lit up, like fireworks. You’ve never felt anything like it before. Have never met a man who’s gotten this reaction out of you.

Although, you suppose, you’ve never been this close with a man in this state of undress - aside from Peter. But this feels different.

“I can smell your blood from here,” he says, picking up your hand and looking it over. It looks disgusting, torn up and scabbing, fresh blood coming out of the half closed up wound - and it’s embarrassing that he can smell it.

“Who told you to come here?” He finally asks, and you don’t know how to reply. You weren’t expecting that. “My father,” you answer honestly, confusion evident in your tone. Klaus nods, before pressing his thumb into the wound on your hand. You let out a cry, and you swear that for a second you see a dark satisfaction grace his face.

“Father,” he murmurs, with more weight on his tongue than the word should carry. He’s silent, looking at you, gazing over your body while putting pressure on the wound. His gaze lingers a little too hard at the bruise on your hip, one that came from Peter the other day, shoving by you while you ran into him when buying groceries in town. He’s so rough since you refused to forgive him, always looking for excuses to be cruel to you.

“Did your father give you that bruise?”

You don’t answer. You look away, once again afraid of the truth spilling out. Because you don’t know Klaus, or anything about him - but you’re frightened that he, someone heavenly, might deem you too imperfect if he knew the truth. You don’t want to answer.

Klaus is impatient. When he lets go of your hand, he storms out of the room for a quick second, only to enter again with his own wrist all bloody. He grabs the back of your head before you even know what’s happening, and shoves his wrist in your mouth, tells you to suck.

“You say you want to be cleansed,” he accuses, venom in his voice. “But you won’t talk. You won’t open up and tell the truth,” the taste of his blood in your mouth makes you want to puke, and you wonder if he’s trying to kill you or harm you. You can’t tell, but you cry out against him. It’s hard to breathe.

“Withholding the truth is just as bad as the sin itself, you know.” He pulls his wrist away from your mouth and focuses on your reaction, but all you can do is look down at your hand. It tingles because the wound heals on its own, so fast you’re suddenly very aware of the fact that you’re in front of a being that's literally magical. You almost start shaking.

You wonder why he doesn’t just use sorcery again to get the truth out of you. But you begin to understand.

He wants you to stutter. To slip up with your words and make a fool of yourself, so that he’ll have an excuse to punish you. You recall what Klaus said the last time you were there - the more blood, the more pain, the more bruises - the cleaner the soul. You gulp at the reality that you’re about to hurt.

Klaus sits on the steps of the stage and pulls you over his lap. He manhandles you like you weigh nothing, spanks your ass red and raw, grips your wrists and your hips and your thighs to keep you in place until they’re almost purple with bruises. “How’s this for purity?” He asks, fingers pressing into the cotton of your panties that covers your core. You’re aroused, and if he can smell your blood, you know that he can smell that. Your entire body heats up in shame.

Euphoria too. You’ll never understand how what Peter did to you makes you unholy, but this, with Klaus, somehow makes you pure again.

But with religion, you’ve learned to not ask questions.

This moment with Klaus tells you that you’re in the right place - because what kind of person gets turned on, feels arousal, when being punished?

When he’s done beating your behind, he pulls up your panties and practically shoves you to your feet. You’re shaky as you stand and put your clothes on, tears falling down your cheeks. Less from the pain of the punishment - more for the pain in your soul.

Klaus shakes his head, almost talking to himself. “It’s dark now. You should go. Come here again, next week.” You nod, and try not to show just how scared you are of walking home in the dark again. Whenever you leave the church, you practically run the whole way, wanting to get home fast, the sounds of all the animals at night absolutely terrifying to you.

You slip on your sweater, your other jacket (you learned your lesson after the first visit, how cold it gets), and your pants slowly, all while Klaus watches you for reasons you’re not sure of. You wonder, now that your body is bruised and hurting, if he’ll give you some of his blood again to heal you up. But he doesn’t.

When he walks away, cold and cruel, you leave the church and begin to walk back home. You’re only halfway home, the moon as your only light, when you see it.

A massive looking wolf halfway behind a tree, loud as it steps on crunchy leaves and twigs. You freeze, but to your relief, the wolf just walks the other direction.

You consider yourself lucky, although the rest of the walk home, you swear you hear the sound of something following you. Maybe you’re just paranoid. You spend the rest of your walk home replaying how it felt to be over Klaus’ lap like that - how arousal pools deep in your belly at the feeling of pain. It’s different than when you’re hurt without expecting it. You knew the smacks were coming, and maybe, just maybe -

You can enjoy that you will be free of sin soon. How nice it feels, just to put yourself in Klaus’ hands and not worry about the future of your soul.

You make it home and sneak in through the window. Your parents know you left, but it’s not like they care. They just seem surprised to see you every morning when you join them for breakfast. Maybe because they can’t believe you’re taking this soul cleansing thing so seriously. You’re not sure.

You’re quiet as you change into your pajamas. As you look in the mirror and gaze, although with a wince, at your bruises - you realize that Klaus healed you of the bruise Peter made so he didn’t have to see anyone else’s harm on your body.

So the mark of his pain would be the only thing on your skin.

You’re flush red at the thought and turn away from the mirror, walking to your bed. You’re just about to turn out the lights when you catch a glimpse of something moving outside your window. It’s a little ways away, but it’s clear what it is.

The wolf from the forest followed you home.

When you shut off your lights, it walks away.

────

You stand in front of the altar, wondering where Klaus is. You wait for him to call you from a pew, to appear out of nowhere. Maybe he knows you’re expecting him now, know his little tricks, and is coming up with another one. You walk to the confessional booth, the church feeling unusually dark, but then again - you’re here at a later time than usual.

You’re in the hall that leads to the confessional when you see Klaus. Only -

He’s not waiting for you.

Klaus stands against the wall, just a few feet away from the confessional booth. You only see the side of him, but you can tell that he’s smiling, the same kind of grin he gives you when he finally gets you to confess or beg him for some mercy. You think back to your last visit, when he had you over his knee, counting out loud as he spanked you for the sin of lying to one of your friends. For the sin of being impure.

For the sin of getting aroused while he punished you.

Something negative stirs in your chest at the thought of Klaus doing that to another woman like you. That he might use his corrective powers to make another woman pure again. To touch her body and look her over, to lick her blood from the offering bowl.

Only now, you take yourself out of your thoughts and look down to Klaus’ feet. There’s a man on his knees, quietly sobbing, and you realize you know him. He’s a baker from your village, a man that has constantly picked fun at you for years. You remember times you were a few pennies short, or when he just wanted to fuck with you - would tell you he’ll give you bread for your family if you’d just flash him in the baking room.

You wonder why he’s here. What he could’ve done worse than harassing women to show their breasts for bread. But it seems pretty bad.

Something inside of you feels pleasure, at the fact that this man that you hate, who’s caused you so much discomfort, is actually hurting. You wonder what Klaus is going to do to him - if he’ll ever be granted salvation. Surely Klaus isn’t going to spank him?

“Too late for redemption. Pathetic. Up,” Klaus says, voice much louder than necessary. The man stands on shaky legs and wipes his face. It happens so fast, you can hardly make sense of it. Klaus grabs the man by the shoulder and brings him close, lunges for his neck while the man screams. There’s a grotesque sound, one you’ve never heard before, but it’s predatory, the grip Klaus has on him.

It all clicks, just as the wheels turning in your mind tell you that you need to go. You run, fast, out of the church.

Klaus drinks blood. He drinks your blood. He drinks blood from the neck of the people begging for his forgiveness.

Panic surges through you as you run through the church. Klaus is not an angel, you realize, and your body breaks out in goosebumps as you run through the forest away from the church.

The man thats’s been touching you, hurting you, drinking your blood - he’s no angel. He’s not from Heaven at all.

Whatever Klaus Mikaelson is - it can’t be good.

The moon makes the graveyard you’re running through look like sharp fucking teeth. You have a feeling that’s similar to the one you felt after the…incident. After your suitor touched you. The reason you’re here in the first place. Because it’s one thing if Klaus is an angel, but taking advantage of you the way he did?

Why don’t you care more?

He’s touched your body. He’s seen you naked. He’s -

Right behind you.

You can feel him. He must’ve finished with the baker and is now following you. You want to keep running but your body freezes in fear. You stop, because he’s closing in. There’s no way you can outrun him, so you decide to hide instead. Make it to a tree and stop there.

You try to control you breathing, because you’re really scared. Klaus never gave an inkling that he’d kill you, but there’s no way the other man survived that...feed. Maybe Klaus was just waiting for the right moment to hurt you, harm you.

There’s a crack of something stepping on a twig.

You close your eyes as he rounds the tree, but when your eyes open after a second it’s not Klaus. Unless…no. It’s a wolf - large, predatory, its eyes glowing in the night.

You take off running, your mind reeling with the fact that it’s the same wolf you saw outside of your window weeks ago. You run until you hear the wolf growl, stupidly going in the opposite direction of your home, but as long as you get away from the wolf you’re fine. Maybe you can make it up a tree, hideout for the night -

But then you fall, over a log, your body shaking with fear and adrenaline. “Why are you following me?” You cry out. “I didn’t see anything, I,” you realize how dumb that sounds. You obviously saw something to act the way you just did.

Slowly, the wolf walks towards you. Big, tawny paws, eyes so scary you shut yours. You wait for it to pounce but it never does. Instead, it stops a few feet in front of you. Looks at you, as if contemplating you.

You look away, but the sound of bones cracking, the horrible sound of muscle rearranging, has you looking again. The wolf’s shape contorts, shrinking, morphing back into the angel you thought you knew.

Klaus.

He looks normal again, although - he’s completely naked. You don’t know if your heart is racing from his perfect, naked body - the first fully naked man you’ve ever seen, or the fact that he’s no longer a wolf looking to kill you.

"What are you?" you whisper, barely able to form the words. Klaus is just looking at you laying on the ground, cupping his…package like you haven’t felt it rubbing against you all the those times you were over his lap.

But if he’s a wolf that means….he was the one following you home?

“Not an angel, love. That much I’m sure,” he says, like this is funny. Like it’s a joke to you. He steps forward, eyes softening in a way that seems almost affectionate. It makes no sense to you.

"I'm a hybrid," he answers, voice smooth.

“Hybrid?”

────

You stand at the entrance to the church again, trying to work up the courage to walk inside. It’s funny, how this time your hesitation is not because you’re scared - it’s because you feel pathetic.

Seeing Klaus as he truly is - not an angel - it should make you run. It should make you never come to this church again, should have you knocking on every door of your village at home, warning everyone of the danger that lives so close to home. You don’t know how long this legend has gone on, you don’t know how long Klaus has been making the perfect trap for the people of your village. Like easy food.

You know now, that Klaus doesn’t have the ability to heal your soul of anything. That the things you did with him - maybe they’re just as bad as the things Peter did to you. You wonder, if that’s the case - why it feels so different then.

After what happened with Peter…you felt ashamed. Wanted to cover your body up. Wanted to hide from the world. But being around Klaus - you kind of feel the opposite. Sometimes you even linger in your window, hoping he’s there in his wolf form, slipping your clothes off and taking too long to put on your pajama top, hoping he sees. You don’t know if he does.

You don’t know what’s wrong with you. Why the monster masquerading as a angel doesn’t have you screaming and locking yourself away in your room for good.

All you know, is that the guilt you felt the first day you came to this church, lessens every single time you see Klaus - and you don’t want that feeling to go away. So you’re here, at night, because you weren’t scared this time to walk here. The greatest threat in these forests has walked you home to ensure you safety before. Has had ample opportunity to kill you - and hasn’t.

You push open the church door. Even though you’re choosing to be here, you can’t help but feel like you’re walking into the mouth of the beast. You take a deep breath, pushing the door open, and step inside.

There, standing at the altar, is Klaus. His arms are crossed, and he’s looking right at you, which is different than the usual times you’ve arrived. Normally, Klaus lets you linger before making his presence known.

You’ve never been one interested danger - you’re a good girl through and through. Or, you were, before the incident. But there’s something about Klaus - something dangerous that calls to you in a way you don’t understand. Maybe it’s the fact that this legend being a sham opens up a world of other possibilities.

Maybe the world as you’ve always known it - a world with god - is a sham as well. You know that should make you scared, but all the thought does is send a crazy relief throughout your body.

You’re going to burn in hell.

But Klaus might be there.

“What are you doing here?” His voice is soft, but there’s a meanness in it as well. His tone is an odd mix of surprise and something that could almost be considered a warning.

You step forward, ignoring the rush of anxiety in your chest, the voice that tells you to leave, dummy. But you don’t listen. You don’t want to.

“I wanted to come back,” you say, voice wavering only slightly.

Klaus exhales sharply, shaking his head and doing a laugh you can tell is one that comes from anger. “Why?” he repeats, his voice suddenly booming. “You know what I am. You saw me. And yet you come back, after all of that? Are you stupid, or just more naive than I took you for?”

You take another step. The pull toward him is like a magnetic force that’s impossible to run from. “I don’t care,” you say, though the words are barely audible. “I don’t care what you are. I just...please don’t make me leave.”

Fuck, why are you so pathetic? It’s embrassing, that you came back here. It’s embarrassing, that you hold onto this beast’s every word like gospel.

Why am I not scared? You scream to yourself. As you get closer, a little voice pipes in from the back of your head.

You are, it reminds you, and you like it.

You think that Klaus is going to ask you why. You think that he’s going to kick you out - although, judging by the way he looks at you, with irritation someone only has for something they don’t despise, you know that’s just your anxiety talking.

A sudden burst of confidence explodes in your chest, and you let it carry you. “I feel…light around you,” you try to explain. Klaus won’t even look at you. Whatever dynamic you two have is insane. It’s cold. There’s no warmness from him, and it’s not like you lead anything to even feel like a part of an equation. Klaus is on a pedestal, literally - and you like it that way. You can’t explain why, but you do.

And he might not be an angel, but he’s powerful enough for it to mean something. Supernatural - and maybe it’s not a gift from the heavens, but one from hell, but you’re not even sure if that matters. Magic is magic. Special is special.

And Klaus is the closest thing you’ve ever come to something extraordinary.

You’re standing by the altar now, on the opposite side from Klaus. He looks at you, with something like pity in his eyes. “Light. You know what that feeling is, don’t you?” he asks. You shake your head. “It’s adrenaline.” You’re still at a loss, not understanding what he means.

“You’re scared of me,” he clarifies.

“I want to, can I - can you,” you cannot believe you’re saying this. “Show me more. Please.” You grip your necklace again, a move that you swear makes Klaus almost roll his eyes, but then you think about what your teacher used to say - at least attitude means youn feel comfortable around me. You wonder if that’s how Klaus feels.

He probably thinks you’re so naive. You play into that.

You worry that he’s going to ask you to say more. Describe in detail what you want him to show you - and even though you’re feeling bold today, you’re not that bold.

He doesn’t.

“Have you ever made a man cum with your mouth?” He asks blunty, stepping around the altar and into your space. Your body heats up, your heart speeds up so fast you’re sure you’re going to pass out. He smells woodsy, warm, like the trees outside - and you wonder if that lingers from his wolf form, or is just what he smells like as a person. You breathe him in, feel his strong hands on your hips pushing you against the altar so you’re trapped.

All these weeks, and you haven’t seen his dick, haven’t felt him in a sexual way beyond the feeling of his hard bulge under your thighs when he has you over his lap, or his fingers teasing you about your wetness through your panties. Little touches, but you’ve memorized them. Think about them whenever you have the chance, to be honest.

You shake your head in response to his question.

Klaus lips curl into a dangerous smile. He’s so handsome, it’s unfair. Like the devil knew looks meant something in this world, and sent his prettiest soldier. “Present your offering to me,” he says, you furrow your brows, confused. Weren’t you just talking about giving head?

You look for the bowl, but Klaus grabs you gently by the chin and chuckles. He lets go. “Your mouth can be the offering today,” and fuck. He pushes you to your knees, and you go easy, looking up at him in all his glory.

He really is glorious. Sculpted abs, pale, perfect skin without an imperfection. It makes sense, if his blood that can heal is running through his veins. You’re a little jealous, of what that level of untouchable means.

“You’ve never done this,” he says, and you can’t tell if it’s a question or not. You nod, confirming. “Shame,” he says, “With lips like that it seems like the first thing a girl like you would learn.”

You blush. Again, you’re reminded about how weird it feels to enjoy what he’s saying - because when Peter talked to you like this, all you felt was disgust. But when Klaus says it, you know that wetness is probably pooling in your panties, your knees jello from how turned on, overwhelmed, you are in this situation.

You open your mouth and look up at him, and then Klaus unzips his pants. He’s hard already, and you can’t deny the thought that you’ve been thinking about this ever since you saw him naked in the forest. It’s primal almost, the strength of this man - it makes sense why you, someone weak and totally human, is on your knees in front of him.

You lick your lips, and Klaus wears that delicious smirk again. He pumps his hard cock in his hands a few times, before running the tip all over your lips. His precum wets them like lipgloss, and you wonder what’s got him so aroused since you just walked in.

Another sinner? A woman, that he plays with like a cat with a mouse? The thought makes jealousy and something in you stirs to be better than her. If she even exists.

But then you see his hands. You didn’t notice the blood at first, but his nails are stained red. It only takes a second for you to realize, and then you get it -

Klaus is hard because he killed someone before you arrived.

“Like what you see?” He asks, looking down at you. You widen your eyes, and he teases you by shoving his cock halfway in your mouth, and then pulling it away. His dick grazes the side of your cheek and he chuckles, and the way you feel on the ground is so utterly degraded.

But it’s controlled, if that makes sense. You know it’s happening. It doesn’t feel like you did, walking through your village with your clothes ripped up after dealing with Peter. It’s - safe? in a way.

Klaus takes a step back to look down at you, thumb and pointer finger running over the smooth head of his cock. He looks like he wants to moan at the feeling, but restrains himself, if only for a minute.

He fucks your mouth after that. Lets you suckle on his dick as he gently pushes it between your lips, so you get used to the feeling. Your mouth stretches, and when he hits the back of your throat you nearly panic.

Klaus grips your hair and reminds you to breathe. “That’s it, love,” he says, voice a coo - almost mocking. He cups your face when he gets a little rougher, slips his finger into the side of your mouth to stretch it even more. Like you’re a toy he’s playing with. He licks over his lips.

“Your eyes,” he murmurs, and you open them wider as he says that. “Like an angel.” It’s not a dirty comment - it’s actually kind of sweet, and that takes you off guard. You sputter around his cock because you forget to relax, and then Klaus lets go of your hair.

He leans against the altar and puts his hands on the back of his neck, arms bent at the elbow like he’s stretching. As you look up at him, gagging around his cock in your mouth, you notice that he’s standing in front of the cross on the wall. He’s a ways away from it, but in this position, it makes it look like he’s meant to be there. Perfectly in the center, his hands and arm position like wings on either side of his shoulder.

He said you look like an angel - but you could say the same about him.

────

“I’ve been too easy on you,” Klaus says the next week, when you’re sitting at the confessional booth. You don’t know why sometimes he chooses to have you talk in the booth all proper, and why sometimes he wants you somewhere else in the church. Nothing with Klaus makes sense - in fact, nothing about this situation makes sense.

And you’re not the only one who thinks so. Everyone in town has been acting weird around you. Avoiding you still, yes, but more so than usual. After your first visit with Klaus, when you came through the door early the next morning, your father literally jumped up from the kitchen table where your mother was serving breakfast. Spilled his coffee all over his newspaper and exclaimed, “What on earth are you - doing back so early?”

You didn’t answer. Just walked to your room and closed the door, ate after the rest of your family left the kitchen.

“Easy on me?” You ask, because you have no idea what Klaus means. Nothing he’s told you to do has been easy. You think about it now, squeezing your knees together as you sit on the other side of the booth from him. The spankings, the blowjob that ended in him cumming all over your necklace.

“Playing naive doesn’t make you holy again. Being meek doesn’t make you immune to sin. You need to learn that,” and for the first time, you actually laugh a little. Because what does Klaus actually know about sinning? He admitted the truth of what he was to you. He knows you come here not to be holy again - but to feel free.

“I know,” you reply, and it’s like something in him snaps. When he speaks again, his tone is mean.

“You know? Well, by all means, show me just how confident you are.” You’re confused. You don’t know what he means by that, and luckily, you don’t have to worry about, because he tells you.

“Tell me what you want. I can smell your arousal from here.”

Woah. That takes you off guard. It’s like your body is trained, to be aroused the minute you walk into this church. To crave the feeling of Klaus’ hands all over your body, to crave the feeling of the pain he brings. The feelings he brings out in you, although not right, are more holy and healing than anything you’ve ever experienced before.

It’s addicting, the feeling of slight freedom you get when you come here. Addicting and appealing enough that you’re able to ignore the different faces of god on the walls of the church as you walk inside.

“I don’t know what you mean, Klaus,” you say shyly, squeezing your thighs together for some relief. It’s warmer out today, so you’re wearing a skirt - maybe that’s why you’re so obvious. Klaus chuckles.

“You step foot in this church and immediately are turned on, little sinner. Practically cum all over yourself when I get close to you. You’re not the shy, inexperienced girl you were when you came in. At least - your throat isn’t. Tell. Me. What. You. Want.”

He punctuates it for effect. Your mind begins reeling, but maybe super religious people are right - not being able to see his face, sitting in your own part of the confessional - it gives your confidence you wouldn’t have face to face.

“I want,” but he cuts you off again.

“Tell me what you think about when you’re under the covers of your bed at home,” he urges, voice low. He’s turned on too. “You really should turn your lamp off at night, by the way. Anyone from the window can see you through the mirror.”

And fuck.

Has he been - ?

“I imagine a mouth,” you admit, cheeks red. Looking down at your hands that you’re playing with in your lap.

“A mouth?” Klaus asks, clicking his tongue. “Or mine?”

“Yours.”

Klaus hums. He’s pleased with your answer.

“Tell me more.”

Your face burns. “I can’t, I, I’ve never done that before. Your…dick in my mouth made me think about what it’d be like…” you trail off.

It’s silent for a moment. You never expressed your desires before, and you feel fucking embrassed. But it’s also empowering. A little spark inside of you burning up the anxiety you always feel about your own needs. You rarely speak your truth. Maybe the shallowness of expressing your desires can be the catalyst for expressing yourself in other ways.

“You want me to lick your pussy, is that it?” Klaus asks, so vulgar you actually choke on some spit. You cough, and can’t see him but you know he’s smirking.

“Don’t be shy, little sinner. You are a sinner, aren’t you? Bad girls ask for what they want, isn’t that right? Haven’t you been raised to be good?” He’s not wrong. “So do the opposite of what you think you should do. Tell me how badly you want me to push that little skirt up and lick you to an orgasm. It’ll be better than your fingers.”

Oh my god. Like a dirty sermon, the words spill out of his mouth. But he’s right.

“I want,” you can’t get it out. Klaus sighs, frustrated.

“You say the words, and I’ll leave my side of the booth and drop to my knees in front of you. I’ve always wondered how you’d taste. Being the first to bring you to the brink of pleasure with my mouth - I’ll never forget it.”

You want this so bad. You sigh, bite your lip, squeeze you legs together again.

“Klaus, I. Please - will you lick me?” God, how fucking embarrassing. How fucking shameless. Your parents would literally dig their own graves if they ever knew you were saying this. You came home with ripped clothes and bruises all over your body after Peter tore your innocence from you even when you said no - and they hate you for it. Imagine how they’d feel now, looking at you begging a creature straight from hell to lick your cunt.

“Good girl,” Klaus says casually, and you feel proud. Nobody has ever said that to you before. You expect to hear the chair squeak, for him to move, to give you what you want now that you did what he said.

Instead, he’s still talking. “Lift up your dress and feel yourself over your panties, sweetheart,” he orders. You do what he says, fingers pressing hard over your pussy through your cotton underwear. It’s painful in a good way, and you’re wet. Probably have a wet spot.

“Tell me. How wet are you? Just from my voice, no?” He’s teasing. Such a cocky, confident bastard. But you nod, and then he reminds you. “Words. Can’t see you.”

“Yes,” you spit out. “Your voice. This place, I,” you rub yourself.

“Take the panties off and touch yourself. How you do at home, with your hands under your covers in your panties and your hand over your mouth.” You open your mouth to ask how he knows this, but you fall short. You do what he says, stand and up to take your panties off, wanting to hear another good girl. After a life without praise, you want that hit of it again.

You sit back down and flip your skirt up, rubbing your clit gently while little moans leave your mouth. “A finger inside. Have you done that? I want you to. For me.”

You’ve never done that. Never tired, but you do what Klaus says and slip a finger inside of yourself. After so much time so pent up, you’re close already. Really. Just a few minutes rubbing your clit, that’s how backed up you are. Klaus must sense it. Because your pussy clenches around your measly finger like it’s hungry and then there’s a slam and he does that speed thing that lands him in front of you.

Your legs are vulgarly spread wide, and Klaus is on his knees in front of you. It feels wrong, him in a position of worship to someone like you. You almost want to tell him to get up, but you’re not that selfless. Not when his necklace hits your leg as he dives between your legs, his hands spreading your knees even further apart. He looks hungry - similar to how he looks when he drinks your blood from the dish.

“Shame you’re not on your cycle,” he says grossly. “That’d be an offering all in itself.”

Klaus licks between your legs and laps up your slick, his warm, skilled tongue feeling like what you imagine heaven feels like. He moves his tongue from your clit down to your aching core. You don’t know why it aches - have never had more than one person inside of you, but god do you want Klaus.

He makes you cum right there in that confessional booth. Three times. Once, on his tongue, and the next two with his fingers buried inside of you. He says you taste sweet, that you could convince a good man to take a deal of eternal damnation for a taste of you, that he’s never seen a pussy so perfect, and all you can do is whine and moan and call out to god.

Klaus pulls away when you do, handsome face covered in your wetness. Smelling like you. Your heart races as he licks his lips. “Call me Klaus.”

────

You stumble backward as Peter shoves you, his hand pressing sharply against your shoulder. The force of it catches you off guard, and you try to regain your balance, but the ground feels slippery beneath your feet. His laugh rings out, harsh and mocking, and you fall backwards, your hands scrambling for purchase. You can’t believe this is happening in town, with people around you watching this - not giving a shit.

Your knees hit the pavement with a sickening scrape, the rough concrete cutting into your skin before you even have a chance to break your fall. A sharp sting bursts across your knee, one ten times worse than the feeling of the pocket knife you use for your offering. You bite your lip, trying to hold back the tears that sting your eyes. The pain is immediate and raw, the kind of sting that burns and throbs all at once.

"Oops," Peter sneers, his voice dripping with amusement. He says he cares about you, that he still wants you, yet he can’t stop tormenting you whenever he sees you. Boys will be boys your mother keeps saying, but surely this can’t be what someone does when they want you? You start to cry, trying to sniffle back the tears.

You glance up, gritting your teeth against the pain, and you meet his eyes. Peter’s smirk widens, and there's no apology in sight - only the cruel satisfaction of someone enjoying the sight of your discomfort. He was bad before the incident, but after it, he’s so much worse. You wish he’d just leave you alone. You can’t believe you ever thought he was handsome - that you were ever excited when he’d come pick you up, or take you out. He’s ugly to you now that you know who he is on the inside.

"Get up," he snaps, his tone cold and dismissive as if this is some sort of game to him. You try to push yourself up, wincing as your scraped knee protests, but your legs feel unsteady, and there's a humiliated heat creeping up your neck.

"Come on, you're not gonna stay down there forever, are you? Oh, well - maybe you are. Spend enough time on your knees at that church, don’t you?" His voice drips with sarcasm. What he says stings more than the wound on your knee - because you’re only going to the church because of what he did to you.

On the flip side, you only know Klaus because of him, so maybe things do happen for a reason.

You want to say something, to snap back at him, but the sting of the scrape and the weight of his presence presses down on you, leaving you feeling small, and it’s hard to muster the energy to fight back. He reaches down for your necklace, and for reasons you don’t understand, rips it off of you.

You look down until he waks away - you don’t want to let him see you cry.

────

“What happened to you?”

His voice makes you jump, and you almost stumble over a gravestone that’s half toppled over. You catch yourself and stand steady, but your heart is beating at an alarming rate at your surprise. This is the first time, in all the weeks you’ve been coming to repent, that Klaus is standing outside of the church.

You’re almost to the front door, but not quite, about to open the door to the broken, barbed gate that was once a protection for the church, but now sits as a reminder of how long it’s been since this place of worship was properly used. Every time you walk past it, you feel something like sorrow in your chest, looking at the locks different couples throughout the years have clasped on the broken fence when it wasn’t so decrepit.

They probably thought their love would last, you think, something like bile rising in your throat at the thought. It’s pathetic and sad, that anyone could ever think that love or another person could save them. That’s the angry, negative part of your brain. The other part of you, the one that wants to believe in good so bad you can almost taste traces of it when the moment is right - well, it can’t even make the locks romantic. Can’t even turn love that’s frozen in time into something sweet.

Maybe the couples who put these locks on the fence are still together, your brain reasons, trying to think on the bright side, but your thoughts quickly tumble to the negative as they always do. It doesn’t really matter though, does it? Those couples, even if they stayed together, are dead now anyway.

So much for a bright sunny day.

You grip the gate with one hand and lean against it, hoping it doesn’t topple over - but you need something to support you to be in the presence of Klaus this close. He’s in a black, long sleeved shirt, a rosary around his neck, and he looks so angry you worry about your safety.

“What?” You ask dumbly, so lost in his eyes and the symbol of devotion around the neck of such a monster you don’t even remember what he said when you first walked up to him. You swallow hard when he sighs, obviously irritated, before crouching down and pulling your knee high sock down to your ankle.

You blush, at Klaus on the ground in front of you. His hair is almost golden where the sun hits it, hands strangely soft where they touch your skin. You think about a story your father used to tell you, about the devil; how he’s not a man with red horns and skin, but a beautiful angel that turned rotten.

You think that’s accurate, looking down at Klaus. His beauty. When he looks up at you, still frustrated at your lack of response, you finally realize what he’s talking about.

The white of your sock has a red stained circle where you knee is, some dirt covering it. Your exposed knee burns, now that you focus on it, from when you fell down.

When you were pushed.

You try to push those thoughts out of your head, because you’re here now, and it’s time for you to repent and move past it all. Isn’t that what your father told you to do, after the fight you had with Peter again? Confess. Repent. Get over it.

“What happened to you?” Klaus asks again, his patience wearing thin. You’re no vampire, er, hybrid, but you swear you can hear his breathing. Heavy, like he’s angry, like he’s upset, and then he locks his jaw and looks up at you and you realize what he’s really mad at.

You really can’t go one day without fucking everything up, can you? You made Peter mad today, and now you’re making Klaus mad. Both have the ability to hurt you, one worse than the other. You feel unwanted tears start to burn in your eyes, and you wish more than anything that you’d had a chance to breathe and change your clothes after you fell into the trap that is Peter.

“I fell,” you say meekly, hating yourself for being mousy, average, annoying. Quiet. So utterly ordinary and useless it makes you want to rip your skin off just to start fresh. Be someone, anyone, new.

“You wouldn’t skin your knee this bad if you just fell. Someone pushed you,” Klaus replies, hand still on your thigh. You try to focus on that feeling, his hand steadying you, anything to keep you grounded so you don’t cry. It works a little bit, because you don’t even hear the concern in Klaus’ voice. “Tell me who pushed you.”

You shake your head and try to pull your leg out of his grasp. “I fell, Klaus, I swear,” you lie, and you hate yourself even more, if that’s possible. You feel bad, after the vulnerability you’ve shown Klaus before, that you’re acting like this now. Why should you protect Peter? It’s so wrong. You’re just scared to admit how badly you fucked up today, how you made Peter mad again, when you’re supposed to be getting better. That’s what Klaus has been helping you with, hasn’t he?

You’re such a failure.

Klaus doesn’t reply. Instead, he leans forward and licks at the bloody wound on your leg. It’s disgusting, and you hold you breath, the feeling of his wet, warm tongue on the owie on your leg such a horrible sensation…

Until it’s not.

He cleans off your knee with his mouth, in broad daylight, before standing up. He looks at you all disappointed, because he can see right through you. Knows you’re lying, knows you’re a screw up, and him looking at you with that expression is just too much.

Your eyes water. You instinctively go to grip the cross on your neck, a nervous tick - only to be reminded that you’re not wearing your necklace. Klaus’ eyes follow the movement. He clicks his tongue, disappointed.

Not like the amusement he usually has when he makes that noise. The fun he gets, out of making you confess.

“Come, little sinner,” he orders, a hand on your shoulder to direct you past the run down gate, into the even more worse for wear church. You follow, doing your best not to stumble, wound on your leg still burning despite the way he licked it clean.

You ignore the other burning you feel, always feel, around Klaus. In this church. Burning of your cheeks, burning of arousal in your core, burning with want in every inch of your body he touches and doesn’t.

When you’re inside the church, Klaus leads you to the altar and orders you to strip and kneel.

“But my knee,” you say before thinking it through, another sin for not just obeying. A woman is supposed to obey, you hear your mother’s voice in your head.

God, you ask, and not as a curse - it’s a genuine plea. A genuine question. Why can I never do anything right?

“When you tell me the truth about what happened to your knee, you’re free to go. Already got my offering,” he reminds you, referring to the blood he lapped up off of your knee. Klaus is sitting a few pews down to watch as you get your shoes off, pull your socks off, something dark in his eyes that you’re not sure is desire or frustration or something else entirely.

He looks too beautiful to be watching you be so useless, the sun shining through the stained glass window casting his pale, handsome face in a mosaics of bright colors. What you wouldn’t give, to look like that. Painted by the sun itself. Instead you’re dreary, dumb, a punching bag who can never get anything fucking right.

You do what Klaus says, get on your knees and stay there until you can’t take it anymore. It hurts, putting all your weight on the wound, but the position is uncomfortable anyway. And Klaus just watches, in the third pew from the stage, while you cry, trying to come up with the words to say what happened without admitting the whole truth to him.

I made Peter mad, you want to say. You want to cry out. I asked him to apologize for what he did to me, and I should’ve left it alone. That’s why he pushed me. Please, just clean my soul of this.

Nothing comes out.

Klaus sends you home an hour and a half later, knees bruised, cheeks wet with tears. He brushes them away roughly when he helps you stand, pulls your socks back up your knees and helps you out the door.

“You waste my time when you lie to me,” he reminds, which you know. “How can I help you if you won’t tell me what what’s wrong?” You don’t hear the pleading in his voice.

All you hear is how big of a disappointment you are.

────

“Here,” Klaus hands you a box just as you pick up the pocket knife from the altar. He comes out of nowhere, behind you, and you can’t help but think that he chose to make himself known that way so he could press himself against you. Your body burns where he touches you, and you find it funny that he put a nice looking box on the altar where you slit your hand open for him.

“A gift?” You ask. You can count on one hand, the number of gifts you’ve received. Your parents don’t belive in shit like that, but you’re excited nonetheless. You don’t wait to open it, and your surprise when you see what’s inside must show on your face. Klaus does a shy smile, an expression you’ve never seen him wear before.

It’s a necklace. Like the one Peter broke. It’s gold, heavy - the same material as your cross one. Only -

There’s no cross on this one.

Just a K.

For Klaus.

It’s a weird gift. You don’t know what to say to it, because Klaus expects you to wear this? An initial of his name? You’re not sure what’s happening here, only that you feel like this is…serious. Sensitive. What?

He must see your face again. But you don’t want to disappoint him. You grab the necklace and hand it to him, turning around and moving your hair out of the way so he can clip it on you. His hands linger, and then cup the sides of your throat. For a split second you wonder if he’s going to snap your neck, but he doesn’t.

“I want you to wear it, when you’re here,” he says, like an order he knows you’ll obey. “But if you ever wise up and choose to…get out of this town, you could probably sell it for a pretty penny.”

You furrow your brows and then to face him. “Leave? What else is there? More shitty towns?” Klaus looks at you like you’re crazy.

“You’ve got no idea what’s out there, do you?” You shake your head, confused. “It’s part of your appeal, little sinner, that naivety - but there’s so much more out there. Art. Music. Beautiful places, and cities. Places where men don’t,” he pauses, and your breath hitches. You wonder what he’s going to say. “Nevermind.”

“You talk like you’re going to leave,” you say, insecurity showing in your voice. Because you’re not sure what you and Klaus are. Aren’t stupid enough to even think that you’re something. But the thought of him leaving when he’s the only thing in your mind, the only decent thing in your life, is just too much to handle. What’s wrong with you? One man shows you a lick of kindness and suddenly you’re worshipping at his altar?

Klaus steps closer to you, grabs your waist. “I’m not leaving.”

You open your mouth but Klaus cuts you off. Looks at the necklace on your neck, his initial, like a brand. “I want to fuck you,” he says suddenly. Your body responds, you feel your nipples harden and your stomach tighten, turned on with just those few words.

You look down, shake your head. You want Klaus to fuck you - of course you do, but it doesn’t change the fact that the thought of sex makes you freeze up. You’ve done everything else, naughty things with Klaus, yet -

You can’t run from your past.

“Klaus,” you want to explain yourself. You’re ready this time, to tell him what happened to you. Why you come here. You want to share. “There was this man. My suitor. He pushed me and he hurt me and -“

“I’m not going to force you.”

You’re frozen after that. He knows. Even better, he seems to understand what happened to you by the hands of Peter, and he doesn’t seem to blame you.

Klaus bends to his knees and runs his hands down leg. It’s gentle, for no reason other than the fact that he wants to touch you.

“What are you doing?” You whisper, and he doesn’t say anything. Just kisses the scar on your knee, up your thigh, and then pulls your panties down your legs. He stands, gets his own pants off, and when he bends you over the altar and stuffs his cock inside of you, you realize that sex was never the issue at all.

Peter was.

“Beautiful girl,” Klaus murmurs. “You’ve got no idea the power you have.” He grabs your hand as he puts his weight on your back, using the altar to to support you while he fucks into you with slow thrusts. You think he’s just going to hold your hand, but instead he bites into it, takes his own offering while he claims your body. He feels so fucking good, stretching you out. Going slow, tender. You never imagined someone like Klaus would fuck you like he actually has a soul.

When you cum around his cock, you keep your eyes open, locked on the cross in front of you at the back of the room in the center of the wall.

“Klaus,” you call out like a prayer.

────

You walk into the forest with Peter, his friends trailing behind you - and you wish you hadn’t come. When he showed up at your place a few hours ago, your father and mother all but shoved you out the door with him. You don’t understand how or why they’re still pushing you into his arms, but you know they just want to get rid of you. It hurts.

Their laughter echoes off the trees. They’re all drunk, except for you, and it’s insufferable. Peter keeps pulling on your wrist, trying to grab your hand, and eventually you won’t be able to fight him off.

His hand isn’t Klaus’. And you wish you weren’t such a pushover - wish you stood your ground and never let your parents tell you, a grown woman, what to do and with whom. You don't want to be here. Not with Peter, and not close to the area where you walk through the forest to see Klaus. You don’t want those memories, the only thing positive in your life, tainted by Peter.

You zone out, breathing in to try to calm down. If you just get through whatever campfire they want to go to, then you can go home. The air is thick with the smell of pine and earth, and for a moment, it almost feels peaceful. But then, Peter’s voice cuts through the calm, teasing.

Mean.

“You really went to that church again this Sunday? This is a far walk from home,” he says, his tone dripping with mockery. The others chuckle, and you feel your face heat up. He’s not asking because he cares. He’as asking to make fun of you.

You bite your lip, trying to ignore them. You’ve heard it before, the constant jabs, but it still stings every time.

“I don’t see what’s so funny,” you reply, your voice a little sharper than you intended. You don't know where it comes from, when you’re shaking from being so bold. “It’s important to me.” You want to scarem that he's the reason you have to go, but you refrain. Because these days - he’s not. Not anymore.

You hate him so fucking much.

You should just run back home, but the only thing stopping you is the fact that Peter’s holding the only flashlight. You should have brought your own.

Peter snorts. “Yeah, I get it. You want to be cleansed. You’re all about that holy stuff,” he mutters, and then one of his friends chimes in. “Weren’t so holy when you let Peter pop your cherry though, were you?

His friends laugh again, and you can feel the heat rise in your face, but you try to hold it together. You don’t want to give them the satisfaction of watching you cry.

You say nothing. Peter tries to wrap an arm around your shoulders, but you’re seething so hard you pull out of his grip. Stupid, maybe, because in retaliation, he shoves you, just a little too hard.

Your feet slip on the uneven ground, and you lose your balance. It’s a rough part of the woods, and you twist your ankle. The world tilts as you fall back, your hands shooting out to catch yourself, but there’s nothing to stop you. You hit the dirt, your head on a rock, with a sickening thud, the breath knocked out of you.

For a moment, everything is still. Your heart races, panic spreading in your chest. Peter doesn’t move, just watches, face unreadable.

His friends are silent now, their laughter gone, replaced with something else. Something you can't quite read.

You slowly push yourself up, your hands shaking, dusting off your knees. But even as you rise, the hurt from the fall doesn’t compare to the sinking feeling in your stomach. This is more than just a push. You can’t stand up. You can’t move. Everything feels hazy, and then you hear the urgent voices of his friends. You’re not sure how you missed it before, but now, it’s undeniable. Something’s wrong.

And then everything goes black.

────

You wake up on the hard, cold ground of the forest. Your head is aching something fierce - you’ve never experienced this level of pain before. The minute your eyes are fully open, you let out a cry, laying your head back down on the dirty grass underneath your body.

“Fuck,” you mutter, covering your eyes with your arm. You breathe in, coughing immediately. You sit up with another cry, your body stiff and heavy feeling, every nerve on edge.

That’s when you realize the smoke. There’s a fire at a distance, that much you can tell. You smell the charred odor, along with something earthy - but the scariest smell is the smell of something metallic. Sour.

It’s blood. Coherent enough to look around now, you notice that even in the dark, it’s clear that wherever you’re lying is a crime scene. There’s blood everywhere - but strangely enough, not a lot on your clothes. You know you should stand, but you can’t bring yourself to. The air is too thick, too choking, and your head and your limbs just feel too heavy and -

“You’re up. Fantastic,” you hear, along with the crunching of leaves that tells you someone is walking towards you. You know that voice anywhere, but you’re not sure why it’s here.

Klaus.

The last thing you remember is Peter, and his friends, and walking into the forest together for that stupid bonfire. So how are you here, with Klaus right now? How - what?

Klaus crouches down next to you.

“There’s enough blood here for a baptization,” he says, voice a little too cheery for this eerie situation. You ignore him, even as he touches the back of your head, like he’s checking something.

That’s when you realize - the back of your head is covered in blood, hair matted against your sclap. No wonder you’ve got a headache, but even scarier - with this much blood loss, how are you even awake?

“What? Klaus, I,” he cuts you off. “You’ll feel better once you eat something, little sinner.” He stands up and walks away from you, and you watch him, heart beating too loud and too fast in your chest. You could gag at the smell around you, and your head pounds at every step Klaus takes. Why is it so fucking loud? Why are you feeling so much?

What happened?

Klaus returns with a bloody paper bag. You don’t understand. “What’s going on? Why are you here? Where’s Peter?” But you don’t finish again. Klaus shoves the bag at you, and you open it, a cream threatening to escape your throat when you see what's inside.

“Now,” Klaus starts, crouching back down. “I would never force you to do anything, but in a few hours, you're going to be feeling worse than you’ve ever felt in your entire life. Hunger, like you’ve never known. I would suggest, love, that you take a bite out of the heart, just to keep your appetite at bay while we find you some clean clothes,” the immediate reaction in your body is to hurl.

You want to throw the paper bag with a heart inside of it, but instead your own beats faster. It's like your veins throb, your stomach growls, so hungry for this organ that you can barely contain it. What the fuck is happening to you? And why is Klaus so calm?

“Klaus, explain, please,” you look at him, noticing only now that he’s entirely drenched in blood. Up to his elbows almost, so thick it looks like he’s wearing gloves. Your head spins, making you dizzy, and you stand up because you don’t know what else to do.

Klaus looks at you like you’re crazy. “That’s a heart. You’ve never seen one before?” As if you've seen an actual heart outside of a body before. You lean your back against a tree, your own heart about to leap out of your chest at the disgust you now feel for yourself - because that heart - why does it smell so good?

“Why?” you manage to get out, and Klaus actually laughs. He’s having fun, you realize. This is the first time in all you’ve known him, that Klaus is actually fucking smiling.

“That suitor of yours. He pushed you, although I do wonder what you were doing in the woods with him and the others, without your necklace on,” you want to tell him that you keep your necklace somewhere safe, as to not draw suspicion from people in town. But he just keeps talking, on a high that only death can give him, apparently.

“I tried at first to get him to cut his heart out of his own chest, but as you know - people don’t like to be forced to do things. Even him. So I did it for him. Kind of me, I know.”

Peter is dead. Klaus found you in the forest with him and he killed Peter and the others.

But more than that - you can’t breathe. Can’t think. Klaus takes a step closer to you and places a bloody hand on your shoulder. You’re full on crying now.

“Don’t cry,” Klaus says, as if that helps. “He deserved it. Think about what happened. What you last remember. After we were intimate, before you left - I fed you my blood to heal the wound on your hand,” and you remember that. So why does Klaus sound…desperate for you to understand?

But then everything comes back, and it only takes a second for it to all come together.

Peter - he pushed you. You had Klaus' blood in your system , and all the vampire facts he told you after you found out he was a hybrid came flooding back. Peter -

He killed you. You must’ve hit your head when you tumbled down the hill. And because Klaus’ blood was in your body you -

You turned. You're a -

“No,” you shout, pushing past Klaus. The fear in your body is enough to push past the pain and stand up. “I can’t be this. I’m going to hell, Klaus.” You've never felt an emotion this devastating. This is horrible. You’ve experienced self hatred before, but nothing quite like this. You have an eternity to accept this disgusting, disgusting truth.

Klaus actually looks offended. But he doesn’t get it. How could he? You’ve been trying to be someone new, but the beliefs that have been drilled into your head since you were a child are strong. And you’re scared.

You drop to your knees and plop on your ass, holding your legs to your chest. Klaus comes to you, but not to comfort you. To twist the knife deeper.

“Look around,” he says, voice loud. You don't want to. To see what - blood, smoke? “You’re already in hell. Your father let that man around you. He told you to come to me. You don’t think he knew what I’d do to you?”

You don’t understand what he’s saying. Your father - ?

“He was hoping I’d kill you. Don’t you see?” You don’t know what to say to that. But it’s all clicking, and you’re going to be sick. Your father sent you here to die. It makes sense why he was surprised every time you came home. You cry even harder, body shaking with sobs.

“But don’t worry. I took care of it. You’re holy now, you understand?. Safe. Untouchable.” You look in the direction of the smoke and realize it’s coming from your town. Did he - burn the town down? And maybe supernatural sense are even crazier than you thought, because you focus on the scent of char and pinpoint that the scent is coming off of Klaus’ fingertips.

He grabs the paper bag and sits beside you. You shift away from him. This is too much. You can tell he’s upset by your reaction, but what did he expect? He moves closer to you. “Leave your faith and follow me, and I’ll show you things the Bible never taught you.” But he still drops something on your lap.

It’s your old cross necklace. All bloody. He must’ve got it from Peter. It’s a thought you’ll have to go back to later, to understand - Klaus, giving you back a piece of yourself. Even one he doesn’t agree with.

“I’m going to hell,” you repeat, frozen. You’re looking forward, unsure if you’re even blinking. You can’t process this. You will never, ever get over this.

Klaus waits a moment, before he opens the bag and hands you the heart. It looks smaller than you imagined, but softer. The smell is so vile it’s good and your stomach rumbles.

“Welcome to the club, little sinner,” he says, and without looking at him, you grab the heart and bite into it.

Klaus grabs your free hand and gives it a squeeze.

this fic is a gift for @myklaus ♥︎ thank you for the yaps, the laughs, and the idea!

#klaus mikaelson ㅤ♡#klaus mikaelson #the originals #the vampire diaries #vampire diaries #tvdu #klaus mikaelson x reader #klaus mikaelson smut #klaus mikaelson imagine #tvd #the vampire diaries imagine #the originals imagine #klaus x reader #klaus mikaelson imagines #klaus mikaelson fic #klaus mikaelson x you #klaus mikaelson x y/n #klaus mikaelson one shot

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myfictionalromance · 10 days ago

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A Ghost at Gotham University Pt.2

DP x DC | Danny Fenton x Tim Drake | Masterlist

The espresso machine roared as Danny pushed open the door to the café. The low lighting was warm and gave the space a cozy atmosphere. It was a quiet little spot on a well-lit street, not too far from campus, and right next to the business district—which meant it was plenty busy during the day but stayed open late as a haven for night owls like himself. Danny was hoping it would be a good study spot from now on.

Not that he couldn’t study in his dorm—but he couldn't study in his dorm. There were plenty of ghosts haunting the historic dorm he was privileged enough to stay in—thanks to the Wayne Scholarship. Specifically, the ghost that haunted his small room—a frat guy from the ’80s named Brock—did not take well to Danny encroaching on his haunt.

“Bro, you cannot be serious—this is my dorm. My dad paid for me to not have a roommate!”

“BRO—” Danny countered exasperatedly, “You’re literally a ghost. Your dad hasn’t paid for anything since your Hell Week incident.”

“Hazing is all a part of the brotherhood, lil’ man. I have no regrets—my final keg stand was the stuff of legends!”

Danny facepalmed. It took promising that he’d swing by a frat party soon—and the fact that Danny had literally nowhere else to stay—to convince Brock.

“Alright, bruh. You go to a party, become my honorary brother—you can hang. The brotherhood doesn’t turn down their bros who need to couch surf!”

“This is my assigned dorm room. I’m using the bed,” Danny replied flatly.

And that was how Danny ended up getting his first college roommate. It seemed to go well the first few nights. Brock made himself scarce—usually visiting the frat house or other communal haunts around campus. Until Danny sat down to crack open his biology book, and Brock appeared in a flash—moaning about how studying harshed the vibe of his haunt, and refusing to let Danny ruin that while he stayed there. This was apparently some ghostly trigger, it seemed—so Danny couldn’t fault him too much. But it didn’t stop him from grumbling as he hauled his heavy backpack down the street.

Walking the dark streets of Gotham just to study wasn’t his best choice, but he had a pop quiz tomorrow! It wasn’t his fault he’d procrastinated all day under the false assumption he’d be able to study in his dorm. Then, like a lighthouse guiding him home—the neon sign for Gotham Grounds caught his eye. Hark! He was saved!

Now, as he made his way through the café, with only a few patrons sprawled about, he decided to take a whole table in the front for himself. Perfect! Now he could spread out a bit, grab a little coffee, and dig into his assignments. He was determined to make Jazz proud this time around—get the best grades he could, prioritize school, so he could have a strong career in whatever he ended up wanting to do (he still wasn’t sure yet…). After all, college isn’t cheap—and if he wanted to keep his scholarship, he’d have to be way more committed to his studies than he was in high school.

As he walked up to the counter to place his order, he came to an abrupt stop when a new patron came speeding through the door. The guy in question—tall, dark-haired, wearing a stunning suit—would’ve been handsome if he didn’t look so utterly sleep-deprived. His eyes, framed by dark circles, popped wide open when he realized his hurried and abrupt entry made him cut Danny off in line. He let out a brief, “Oh, sorry—you go!” and ushered Danny forward to order first.

“Thanks—” Danny’s soft reply hitched in his throat when they caught eyes. Mr. Handsome Stranger smirked a bit before Danny shook his head and turned his focus back to what was important right now—caffeine! He wrestled through the bi-panic to remember his coffee order.

“Uhhh, I’ll have a medium red-eye.” The barista looked aghast, and Danny at least had the self-awareness to look a bit sheepish.

“A red-eye at 8 p.m.? Are you sure? That stuff’ll wake the dead…”

Danny mused that it was nice the barista seemed to care enough for his well-being to double-check.

“Oh yeah,” he quickly tried to laugh it off. “Lots of studying to do tonight, and it really doesn’t hit me that bad.” The barista reluctantly rang him up and gestured to Mr. Handsome behind Danny.

“What about you, sir?”

Sleepy Beauty blinked slowly and yawned out, “I’ll take a black-eye…”

“A black-eye? Geez, what’s with all these hardcore coffee orders this late?” The slack-jawed employee was absolutely peeved as he rang up the next order. “You want that to-go as usual, Mr. Drake?”

The guy—Mr. Drake, apparently—glanced at Danny, who quickly looked away.

“I’ll take it for here, actually. I’ve got some work to do as well.”

“All right—two death-by-coffee’s coming up… you freaks.” The surly man chuckled as he fired up the espresso machine and got to work.

Danny was already back at his table—staring very intently at that biology book that had seemed so important ten minutes ago.

“Sorry Jazz, I’m weak,” he thought to himself.

If this was the rate he was going at, he might not make it through the semester. He noticed this Drake guy had picked a table adjacent to his at the front. Danny could see him out of the corner of his eye as he pulled a sleek laptop from his bag.

After a moment, the barista sauntered over to their tables with their orders. Danny looked up at Mr. Drake and chuckled.

“That’s so funny we both got pretty much the same order—that guy thought we were nuts.”

“Hey, it’s always good to meet someone with superior taste in coffee,” he laughed back. “I’m Tim, by the way.”

“Danny!” he replied with a crooked smile.

They raised their mugs to each other in solidarity before hunkering down to their respective tasks.

And from then on, they worked in comfortable silence. Only the sound of soft jazz pouring through the radio, the espresso machine, and the murmur of the few other patrons filled the air. The night eventually wore on, and about an hour later, Tim left. Danny’s eyes trailed him on the way out.

“It was nice to finally meet someone who wasn’t a ghost,” he mused. “I wonder if I’ll see him around?”

Unbeknownst to Danny, Tim was hurrying back to the Nest to suit up for the night. He couldn’t believe he’d wasted a whole hour of patrol over coffee and a brief moment of bi-panic! But then again, it had been nice to take a moment to breathe. A busy day at the office followed up by what was sure to be a long night out—he couldn’t fault himself for wanting to stop for a minute.

He was going to be thinking about those blue eyes all night…

#danny phantom #danny fenton #dpxdc #dc x dp #tim drake #danny fenton x tim drake #fanfic #a ghost at gotham university #batfam

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maple-the-awesome · 5 months ago

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Another Link Crushes On You || Part 2/3

Part 1 ||

Pairings: Legend, Twilight, Wind x GN Reader

Overview: You've known Link for years - Well, a version of Link. Neither of you have seen yourselves as being anything more than friends, although it seems not all Link's think the same, in fact when you're introduced to the Chain, one of the boys falls pretty hard for you. I spun a wheel to let fate decide upon random pairs this time. Needless to say, I had a lot of fun with some of them😁

Zelda Masterlist 💚 Fandom Masterlist

Legend isn't a big fan of Skyloft which is something he decided rather quickly upon arrival - and no, it has nothing to do with the cold, thin air or hair-raising heights, although he’s also not a big fan of either. His problem lies solely on the cheerful atmosphere created by this village’s inhabitants. It’s all too easy going and mundane to fit an adventurer’s heart. Too familiar and painful, to boot.

The others may think of him as aloof and, quite frankly, Sky might be a little offended, but Legend has no interest in exploring these islands or making friends with the locals. Never again. Instead of joining any guided tours or trading stories with inquisitive knights, he sinks into his own isolation, finding a quiet place to sit amongst the shore of Skyloft’s only large water source.

All by his lonesome, he’s free to find a good boulder to hide behind and tear away at his hair in a desperate attempt at calming his unsteady anxiety…That is, until he hears a sound - No, not a sound, a voice. A beautiful voice that doesn’t speak, but rather hums a delicate melody he’s certain he’s heard before, probably from Sky who has a habit of mumbling certain songs to himself while plucking his harp.

…And there you are, blissfully unaware of anyone else's presence by the lake as you approach the water's edge. Dropping a laundry basket in the sand, you carefully roll up your pant legs and kick off your boots, prepared to step into the cold water until you suddenly halt.

As if having developed some sort of sixth sense, you glance over your shoulder, quickly spotting the pink haired boy peeking at you from beside a boulder. The sight understandably startles you, yet despite how awkward this situation might look without context - what, to catch a total stranger apparently 'spying' from afar - you give him a kind, that be it nervous smile. People in Skyloft truly are too trusting for their own good.

"Oh hello there! …So sorry, I don't think we’ve met yet."

Legend sighs, realizing it would be creepier if he were to just ignore you. With his place of solace now ruined, he stands and dusts the sand off his tunic, "...That's because I'm not from around here."

"Oh?" You tilt your head cutely, likely confused as to what he could possibly mean, after all, where else would he have come from if not Skyloft? Looking him over, you take notice of his outfit, “Are you a knight? I see you have the uniform of one.”

The angel on Legend's shoulder begs him to be honest, after all there's no reason not to be. Naturally, Sky seems to be pretty well known around Skyloft, so maybe you wouldn't be too surprised to learn your local hero has become ensnared in another adventure, bringing home a handful of other heroes. You might even find Legend more interesting if he were truthfully, awed by the rare chance to meet someone outside of your own timeline...yet staying true to his own bad habits, he decides to dig his own grave instead:

"...Yeah, I’m a knight. I'm just usually really busy, so that's probably why you haven't seen me around, you know,” He explains boldly.

You furrow your eyebrows while finally stepping into the water, taking a handful of clothing items with you, "...Huh...I still could've sworn I knew everyone here, what, with the island being so small and all."

Legend cringes. He can't tell if you're simply speaking on your confusion or slyly catching him in a lie, although the uncertainty isn't enough to deter him, "W-Well, I don't live 'here' exactly. I live on one of the...outer islands - And I spend a lot of time there instead of here which would make it easy to miss me."

You give him a strange look that feels as if it could burn right through him, however you fortunately turn away before his heart can ignite, "...May I ask your name?"

"My...name?" He blinks as if that’s the strangest question you could’ve asked.

"I just feel a bit rude for never having noticed you before, but if I were to learn a name to put to the face, I doubt I'll ever walk past you again without a smile," And oh, how deadly your smile is, flashed over your shoulder so innocently, yet those eyes - They hold mischief behind them.

"My name is Li - Ravio. That's my name," Another needless lie...

"Li Ravio?" You repeat, not looking very convinced, "That's certainly...a name, alright."

"W-Well, I didn't pick it!" Yes, yes he did...

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean any offense. It's a unique name, that's all, but that will make it easier to remember," You laugh at his misery, your eyes crinkling with the action. You then introduce yourself, your name sounding vaguely familiar, although Legend's in too much of a daze to think of why, "It's nice to meet you, Li Ravio."

He bites back a grumble, already regretting his life choices up until this point. Seriously, if he was going to give himself a cover name and story, couldn't he have picked something a little better? You probably think he's a weirdo, just showing up out of the blue with some half-assed backstory that sounds totally fake - Wait, what does he even care? It's not like he knows you! You're a random civilian from a timeline that comes generations before his own. If he wanted, he could march off and never see or think about you again...but does he want to?

Despite his previous desire for isolation, Legend remains standing there dumbly in the sand, entranced by the song you go back to humming while carefully scrubbing away at your laundry. You take no shame in your singing - which is good, because there's no reason to be. You sound nothing short of holy, and quite honestly, you match the look, practically glowing in the beams of sunlight. Even your movements are graceful, so much so that as you wade out of the water, you hardly disturb the water lilies around you.

"Where'd you learn to sing like that?" The question slips before Legend can help it, but there's no taking it back. You stop mid-step onto the sand, eyes quickly darting up to look at him in surprise. It's as if no one's ever been smart enough to give you that compliment before...or perhaps no one has ever sounded quite so astonished while saying it.

"My cousin and I sing every evening at the Lumpy Pumpkin," You explain, bashfully tucking a strand of hair behind your ear after dropping your laundry back into its basket and picking it up, "You should come by sometime. It’s on an island south east of here - Very cozy, and a great place to get to know new people, too.”

"I'll, um...think about it,” Legend answers awkwardly with a cough. Will they even be staying in Skyloft that long? How would he even get to another island, especially without anyone else following - Wait, why is he even considering this?!

You seem to have lost some of your cheer. Perhaps that wasn’t the exact answer you were hoping to hear, however Legend, once again, has no way of taking it back.

“...Well, I, um, should get going. These clothes won’t dry themselves,” You mumble, gesturing to the basket you keep against your hip. Without waiting for any goodbye, you make your way up the shoreline, only stopping temporarily to shout over your shoulder, “Oh, and Li Ravio? I should probably tell you that Link was looking for you earlier! He wanted to make sure all you boys knew not to get too close to any edges! It’s quite the fall!”

Legend doesn’t respond, too stunned to form words as you chuckle to yourself before skipping off on your merry way. So you were aware of his lies the entire time!

Faced with tired bones and a sinking sun that plummets the world into night, the Chain has no choice but to call it a day (not that they have any objections towards rest). They practically collapse where they stand, taking a few greedy minutes to catch their breaths before picking up the work once again.

Setting up bedrolls, sparking a fire, organizing supplies, and chopping vegetables, the heroes are kept active for a decent hour or two until they can take another breather. Gathered around a wonky circle, their conversation is light and mostly focused upon their hunger which is only fueled by the pleasant smell of soup until it can be dished out.

About half the boys have bowls in their hands before a sudden snap of a twig causes them to trade their meals for weapons, senses on heightened alert especially when a stranger soon steps out of the shadows. At such a distance, the fire's light only barely outlines their silhouette, but that’s apparently all it takes for someone in their group to realize this is no actual stranger who's stumbled across them.

Hyrule's face lights up as he exclaims your name. Your own reaction is quite similar, switching from caution to excitement within the same second that you remove the hood from your head. The way you both move to greet each other, holding the other's arms with bright smiles and disbelief is quick to calm the other heroes. If you're a friend of the wary traveler's, then you'll be a friend to them.

"I thought it was your voice I heard from the trail, but then again, I haven't heard you in ages! And to find you in such a large group of companions? Never before! Where have you been for all this time, old friend?" You seem to go through several emotions all at once - a steady flow from relief, confusion, sorrow, and joy. Hyrule is hardly any better.

"It's a long story, but I haven't exactly been around to be seen," When you give him a bewildered look, he’s quick to brush it off, "I'll tell you all about it some other time - Hey, why don't you join us for dinner? There's plenty to go around!”

Your eyes instantly widen as you wave your hands in front of yourself, your smile suddenly strained, "Oh, no - no thanks! That's a kind offer, really, but I, um, ate not too long ago -"

"- Pss! He's not the one who does the cooking here," Someone whispers. At that, your shoulders visibly relax.

"...Oh...Well, uh, now that I think about it, it was really more of a light snack earlier. I suppose I could stand to eat something more."

Hyrule beams at this, clearly happy to have someone he knows so well stick around even if only for a night. It's then that he finally introduces you to the group, explaining that you're a fellow traveler he often crossed paths with during his own adventures. Seeing how dangerous this time can be, you had a habit of sharing supplies, camps, and stories to feel less alone in the world, so it's no wonder that you'd be so relieved to see each other safe again.

"Mind if I sit by you, stranger?" You ask, peeking around at Twilight while Hyrule grabs you a bowl of soup. Despite your tired eyes and worn expression, you still manage a friendly smile that causes the rancher to nearly choke on his spoon.

With a cough and blush, he scoots to the side, probably making far more room than you actually need, "...Not one bit."

"Thanks!" Fortunately, you don't seem to think anything of his reaction as you gratefully take a seat nor do you take any notice of the way he steals another curious glance at you.

Seeing as you're a new face within the group, it's only natural that you become the center of attention. Questions are thrown your way left and right, many interested to know your story which you modestly tell with little fanfare. Apparently, you've been a traveler for the last few years, wandering from place to place while making a living off trading the resources you collect throughout your journey. Before then, though, you used to live at your family's ranch.

"You grew up on a ranch?" Twilight asks a bit too eagerly once the topic's mentioned, earning himself a lot of strange looks including one from yourself, although you at least seem more forgiving than his friends, quickly letting your confusion go with a gentle nod.

"I did - For most my life, actually," That's all you say before going back to stirring your soup which you're thankful not to find any bone fragments in.

"What made you move on from that life?" Perhaps it's an out-of-line question a gentleman shouldn't be asking, after all he's no more than a stranger to you, but learning a pretty thing such as yourself may have a similar background to himself makes him forget all manners.

"...It was destroyed by monsters some time back," You answer simply while taking a bite.

Twilight bows his head, shame burning inside, "...Oh. I'm real sorry to hear that."

Despite his fears of having caused offense, you merely shrug off any discomfort, “My family made it out alright and we make do with what we have now. Can't go complaining about that."

"...I'm from a farming village myself - From Ordon,” He goes on to tell in a quiet ramble, “I’ve worked there as a ranch hand practically all my life, overseeing the goats we’re famous for. It’s quaint, and about as far from the big towns as you can get, but homely. And the people there - Why, I don’t think you’ll find anyone more kind and welcoming. Like livin’ in one big family.”

Once again, this probably isn't something he should be saying. If it were him, he'd be beyond distraught to lose the ranch to the point that any reminders would send him spiraling, yet to his continued good fortune, you take his story for what it's meant to be, setting down your spoon with a comforted smile.

"I'd love to see that…" Orondian, how you enchant him with such a soft gaze, taking him hostage in the sea of your sparkling eyes. If Hyrule's tales are any indication for the horrors of this broken world, you must be a true diamond in the rough to be from a place so cruel. Any less personal control and Twilight wouldn't hesitate to ask you to join them - to come along on this adventure and see how beautiful life will someday be. He could take you to Ordon and show you all he’s come to adore - let you breathe the fresh air scented like hay and pine while overlooking the familiar green fields you’ve dearly missed. Who knows? Maybe you’d even ask to stay.

“I’d love to show you…”

"...Is this still a group conversation ooor?" Wild pipes in awkwardly from Twilight’s side, seeming to speak on everyone else’s discomfort as the poor, stricken young man loses himself to this yearning in his heart. This might be a long night and an even longer day tomorrow if they get stuck listening to him fawning over you...

You’re starting to doubt this shift will ever end…

It feels like you’ve been stuck in here for hours with nothing to do aside from sit at the counter and beg the sun to set just a little faster. You've already restocked inventory twice, organized stock to perfection, and swept the floor until your broom broke…If this keeps up, your sanity might just break, too.

Ringing from the front door’s bell gives you at least something to do as you sigh your typical greeting: "Welcome to Gia's General Store, where we have all your - LINK?!"

With a complete shift in mood, you happily leap up from your stool and race around the corner to meet your friend halfway in a tight embrace that you've both gone far too long without, "It's been ages! How have you been? Where have you been?"

Four chuckles at your eager questioning, "It hasn't been that long."

"Really? Because I swear five years have passed from this shift alone…" You groan dramatically before breaking away from the hug to get a solid look at him. Despite the months that have passed, he looks no different than when he had first set out. Good. You like him just the way he is anyway.

"Please tell me you're planning on sticking around for a bit. I’ve been dying for something interesting to happen around here and your stories are just the salvation I need! I only have an hour to go until I can close up, though I'm afraid I might stab myself with a fire arrow before then. It’s been terribly boring!”

That, Four doesn’t doubt. Your home village is as serene as they come which isn’t always a favorable trait in the judgement of two teenagers with more energy coursing through their bones than they know what to do with. Of course, he’s probably done no good helping matters by always filling your head with envious dreams of adventure and mystery.

“We’ll probably be spending the night in town,” He tells you, much to your relief, “In the meantime, we have quite the list of supplies that we need to restock on, if you don’t mind.”

"We?" Somehow you only just notice the group of young men who managed to sneak into the store after Four. A few of them are already looking around at the items you have to offer, while others wait patiently with the hope that they'll be introduced to...Well, whoever you are to their dear friend.

"I would introduce everyone, but we all share the same name."

"All of you?" You look at Four in shock, yet he nods as if it's the most normal thing in the world to him...Then again, it probably is at this rate. Honestly you shouldn't be that surprised yourself. This is Link you're talking to.

"...Huh...Well, feel free to have a look around, I guess, and let me know if you need anything in particular. Arrows are buy one get two free right now, and fully in stock, too, since Link - Er, this Link, hasn't been in town to buy us out,” You explain to the group, jutting a thumb towards Four who rolls his eyes.

Now, usually you become a bit overwhelmed whenever large groups enter your shop, but seeing as these guys are Four's friends, you feel comfortable letting them wander freely. It helps that they seem to know exactly what they're looking for, too, making your job all the easier.

For the most part, the group allows Four and you privacy to catch up, only interrupting your conversation occasionally whenever they have questions about your prices or the quality of your goods, however you aren’t blind to the curious glances they spare you even in silence. No doubt they’re wondering how deep your relationship with Four goes, finding it endearing how at peace the young hero has become in your simple presence.

Most of these glances are quick enough, although you can’t help noticing that one of the boys seems to lack the same subtlety as his friends. Each time you steal a peek through the corners of your eyes, you spot him staring in your direction with an awed look overtaking his face. Whenever someone else nudges him to ask a question, he blinks rapidly with a stammer before bashfully looking away.

‘Cute…’ You’re tempted to think, but then you take notice of how young the boy seems to be. He must be at least a few years younger than Four and you - still a just child, at least by your standards which is an upsetting thought since context clues point to him being a hero, too. If that’s true, that must mean he was as young as Four was when he first set out on all this hero business himself, if not even younger. Poor kid…

Soon enough, Four confirms your suspicions about his traveling companions’ identities, telling you all about the strange portals they’ve traveled through and the journey they’ve been on up until this point. It was mere hours ago that they found themselves this close to home and, well, he couldn’t bear to pass by without seeing you or his uncle.

“Smart. I would’ve been livid had I found out you were in the area and didn’t stop by,” You elbow Four who pushes you back with his shoulder playfully before suddenly glancing behind you. Following his attention, you find the youngest hero standing there shyly, a minish feather necklace in one hand and a small pouch of rupees in the other.

Wind startles, seeming to have not expected your turn, “I, uh, wanted to know how much this was - um, is…So that I can buy it, if I may - for my little sister!”

You notice Four hiding his smirk behind his hand, yet you elect to ignore him for now, instead giving the younger boy your full focus with a kind smile, “How sweet of you. Consider it on the house, kid.”

“R - Really?” He brightens with possibly the widest eyes you’ve ever seen.

“‘course. Think of it as payment for helping my friend here find his way home safely.”

“Wow, thank you miss!” Oh goddesses above, his smile is adorable! He reminds you of the village children who often come here seeking sweet treats, such a simple delight to create lasting joy in their hearts. How you wish you could return to those days yourself - to no longer bear the weight of the world and its troubles in your thoughts. Alas, you could never so skillfully rewind time, but at least you can help protect that same innocence in others, even if only for a moment.

And protect it you do. Even late into the evening, Wind still cherishes that necklace in hand, carefully inspecting its details while kicking his feet giddily in memory of you, the pretty shopkeeper from Four’s Hyrule.

Sure, it probably isn’t that big of a deal. You gave the entire Chain a rather generous discount on their supplies despite their protests, but he was the only one who received your kindness personally without having to share. No one else aside from Four had the joy of seeing your beautiful smile directed his way, your expression soft and comforting like a warm breeze on the summer’s beach.

He hadn’t lied. He does plan on giving the necklace to Aryll once this journey is over, but until then, he’ll probably admire it a little longer, at least until this crush of his settles within his heart.

#x reader #reader insert #linked universe x reader #link x reader #linked universe #legend of zelda #lu legend x reader #lu twilight x reader #lu wind x reader

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aleksatia · 28 days ago

Text

Unnatural Terrain for a Natural Thing

CW/TW: emotional birth content, graphic childbirth (natural/emergency), blood, pain, implied nudity, medical stress, fear of complications, strong emotional reactions, vulnerability, soft!Xavier, forest birth, wilderness setting, temporary communication loss, pregnancy in danger, protective partner, trauma-adjacent intensity, one (1) terrified man doing his best. Pairing: Xavier x Pregnant!You (established relationship) Genre: Emotional intensity meets survival-mode devotion. A birth story set far from sterile walls, where instinct, love, and sheer will carry the moment. Hurt/comfort turned reverent awe. Domesticity cracked open under pressure. Summary: You said you'd stay home. But you didn’t. Now Xavier’s running through the forest, chasing a signal that won’t answer and praying he’s not too late. He’s trained for every scenario — except the one where you’re bleeding and breathless and still managing to smirk at him through the worst pain of your life. A story about trust, blood, one white shirt, and the moment love becomes something holy. Word Count: 3.6K More: same birth scenario (give or take), different men, drabble-style.

You kissed him that morning. Just a brush of lips above the collarbone, warm and lazy. He hadn’t looked up from the monitor—too focused on the glitch in the west perimeter readings. You told him you were staying in. That you’d rest. That you’d be good.

He believed you.

He even smiled a little, hand trailing across your swollen belly in silent promise. His world, right there. Home, heart, purpose.

And then you were gone.

He found out from Simone. She cornered him outside Ops, biting her lip so hard she bled.

“She said it was nothing—just to check a reading—I didn’t think she’d—Xavier, please—”

But he was already moving. His blood had gone cold.

The coordinates were dead. No signal. No comms. No teleportation. The anomaly had killed everything.

He couldn’t reach you.

And so he ran. Boots pounding the moss and root-laced dirt, trees slicing past in green and gold. He hadn’t been through this forest in years — but his feet knew the shape of it. Memory blurred into instinct. He expected to find you lost. Angry. Turned around. But nothing—nothing—prepared him for what he found.

You were curled at the base of a tree, half-collapsed. Pale. Breathless. One hand white-knuckled in the soil, the other clenched over your belly.

And blood. A dark line streaked down your thighs.

His breath stopped.

He had studied birth.

He had read every godsforsaken guide. Natural deliveries, complication charts, premature signs, maternal distress indexes. All of it. He knew, on paper, exactly what to do. Timing contractions. Supporting the perineum. Assessing dilation.

But this—this was you.

You, gasping. You, crying out. You, blinking up at him through pain so deep it cracked something in his ribs.

He dropped to his knees beside you.

Not Lumière. Not legend. Not even soldier. Just a man—your man—terrified out of his mind.

“Gods,” he whispered, throat tight. “No—no, no, no—”

You tried to sit up. Another contraction slammed through you, and you bent double, screaming. He caught you. Arms around your body, shielding you from the world.

He’d studied the graphs. He’d watched the tutorial videos. He could recite the stages of labour in six languages. But none of them mentioned what it would feel like to see you in this kind of pain. None of them told him what to do with the way his heart was breaking open in his chest.

Still—he moved. He had to.

He pulled off his coat, laid it down. Positioned you on your side, cradling your head in one hand, the other stroking your spine in the slow, anchoring rhythm he'd read about. You were shivering. Muttering broken syllables.

“You’re doing fine,” he told you. It was a lie. You were doing the impossible. “You’re safe. I’ve got you. I’m here.”

His voice shook. He bit down on it. Hard.

You looked up at him. Your face was wet with sweat, eyes glassy, but you were still there—you. Breathing. Thinking. Glaring, even. Gods, how were you still glaring?

And somehow—smirking.

That undid him more than any of the blood.

“I’ve read everything,” he murmured, brushing your hair off your forehead with a hand that definitely wasn’t trembling. “Everything. Diagrams. Protocols. Tactical field delivery guides. But I’ve never—” He hesitated. “Not with you. Not like this.”

You hissed as another contraction flared, teeth gritted. “Cats do this in bushes.”

He blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

“Cats,” you repeated, voice cracking around the pain. “No gloves. No comms. No Evol.” You sucked in a breath, eyes narrowing. “So you can—damn well manage.”

His mouth twitched. Gods. Of course you’d throw zoology at him during labour. Of course you would.

“Right,” he said. “Noted. Next time we’re in crisis, I’ll consult a tabby.”

You didn’t laugh. Not really. But something in your chest hitched, and your hand found his shirt, bunched it in your fist.

His heart was pounding. Not from the running. Not from the forest.

From this—you, in pain, clutching at him like he was the only fixed point in a world gone to chaos.

He lowered his head slightly, resting his cheek against your temple for just a moment. You were so warm. Too warm.

“Alright,” he murmured. “We’re okay. You’re okay. We’ve got time.”

You gave a weak, disbelieving snort. “Feels like being stabbed every four minutes.”

He gave a breath of something almost like a laugh. “Yes, well. We… expected that.”

Sheer understatement. The books had used words like waves, pressure, discomfort. None of them had mentioned the way your whole body convulsed like it was trying to tear itself in half.

Another tremor passed through you. Short. Not a full contraction. But enough.

He adjusted behind you, sitting straighter, bringing you with him so your back rested fully against his chest. You sagged into him.

His arms tightened around you instinctively. Shielding. Anchoring.

“You don’t need to push yet,” he said gently. “Right now, you just breathe. That’s your only job.”

Your fingers gripped his wrist. “How do I know when it’s time?”

His throat worked before he answered. That part wasn’t in the books. Not really.

He cleared his throat. “Technically, you’ll feel pressure. Downward. Like—like you need to use the toilet.”

You were silent a moment. Then: “That’s deeply undignified.”

He exhaled, half amused, half wrecked. “You’re telling me?”

He paused, swallowed hard. Then, softly:

“Before that… I should check for dilation.”

There. It was out. Clean. Clinical. But it still landed like something heavy.

You stiffened almost immediately. He felt it in the way your back straightened, in the way your fingers stilled on his forearm.

“No.”

His heart pulled.

“Love,” he said gently, “I won’t—not unless you say yes. But if you think we’re getting close—”

“No,” you said again, voice shaking now. “You’re not going to see me like that.”

And that—that landed like a blade. Not because you said no. But because of why. Because underneath the pain, underneath the fear, there was shame.

You, who’d walked through fire with him. Slept under broken skies. Faced Wanderers with a pulse of steel and a half-loaded blaster. You were ashamed to be seen—by him—like this.

It gutted him. But his voice didn’t shake. It couldn’t. Not for your sake.

“Alright,” he said softly, pressing a kiss to your temple. “Alright. Then we wait.”

No judgement. No pressure. Just quiet, certain presence.

He settled back again, supporting you more fully now, your spine curved into him, your breath ragged.

His fingers traced calming patterns along your arm, light as wind. He focused on the rhythm of your breathing, trying to sync his own with yours. Trying to lend you his steadiness.

“You’re doing everything right,” he murmured. “You’re breathing. You’re listening to your body. That’s what matters.”

You let out a noise between a groan and a whisper. “What if we don’t make it? What if I can’t do it? What if something’s wrong and we don’t know because you’re not allowed to look—”

“Hey. Hey—” He turned your face gently toward his. His forehead touched yours, grounding you. “Look at me.”

You did.

“We had the scan last week,” he said. “Head down. Perfect alignment. No signs of complications. No warning flags. And you—” his voice caught, but he steadied it, “you are doing this exactly as you should. She’s just taking her time.”

“She?”

He blinked. “I didn’t mean—just… the baby. Sorry.”

But you didn’t protest. You were too tired.

He kissed your cheek again. “I will be here for every breath. Every second. You don’t have to do any of this alone.”

There was a pause. Then—quiet, small:

“If… if it gets worse. If I feel like I need to push. Will you…”

“I’ll help,” he said instantly. “Only then. Only if you want me to. We’ll take it one step at a time.”

You nodded. Once. He felt it.

And then you sagged into him again. Not surrender—just trust.

He held you tighter, but gently, as if afraid you might shatter.

Inside, his mind kept running—measuring minutes between contractions, tracking signs, remembering every medical note, every diagram, every scenario from those long, sleepless nights when he studied for this moment and prayed he’d never have to use any of it in the middle of a godsdamned forest.

But outside?

Outside, he was steady as the roots beneath you. Because you needed him to be.

The next contraction hit like a thunderclap—violent, full-bodied, and merciless.

You twisted against him with a sound that wasn’t a scream, wasn’t even human—just raw, desperate pressure breaking free.

He held you as you arched, gritted his teeth as you clawed at his arm.

Your voice came in fragments now. Shattered glass.

“Xav… it’s… Gods— it’s too much—I can’t— I can’t—”

“You can,” he said, though his own breath was starting to shake. “You are.”

You slumped forward. Your body had no more room for words. Just breath. Just heat. Just fire from the inside out.

Then you whispered—so small, so hoarse it barely registered:

“Pushing. Want to—push—can’t stop—”

His entire body went still.

That was it.

That was transition.

He closed his eyes for half a second. Felt the cold edge of panic knock once—just once—on the door of his chest.

He didn’t let it in.

But when he opened his eyes again, they burned.

“I need to check,” he said quietly. “Just once. Then we’ll know.”

You didn’t answer. Another spasm wracked you. You doubled over with a broken sob. And then—your hand weakly gripped his wrist.

“Okay,” you rasped. “Do it. Just—don’t say anything. Don’t react. Just—do it.”

His throat was dry. He nodded.

“I won’t see you,” he promised, voice stripped down to the core. “Not like that. I’ll see what needs seeing. Nothing else.”

He moved quickly, precisely, laying you back just enough, bracing your hips with one arm, reaching with the other—slow, clinical, careful.

He had to separate it. You—the woman he loved—

And this: the medical necessity. Function. Anatomy. Nothing more.

His fingers found you. Not clumsy. Not invasive. Just precise. Controlled.

He had no clinical experience. Only theory. Diagrams burned into memory. Models. Sketches. Silhouettes.

He remembered the spacing—two fingers across, then three. The depth. The softness of the rim when it was ready. The slight give under pressure.

He measured with his own hand, adjusting, confirming what he hoped he already knew—

And what your body had already told him. Pressure low. The baby was descending.

And then—

No rim.

His breath caught.

You were fully dilated. Ten. Complete. The cervix had disappeared under his touch. It was just you now—you and the child between.

And the next contraction came on like a thunderclap. He was barely back behind you before you surged forward with a sob.

“Push— I have to push—”

His arm wrapped around your waist, catching you, steadying.

“It’s time,” he whispered, breath hitching. “You’re ready. She’s ready.”

He didn’t let you see the way his eyes burned. He didn’t let you hear the part of him that was shaking, not from fear—no.

From awe.

From the unbearable, quiet truth that the woman he loved was about to bring his child into the world. Right here. In his arms. And all he could do was catch her. Hold her. Witness you become divine.

Your cry tore through the trees.

It wasn’t loud—not really. But it was final. Elemental. A sound ripped from the deepest part of you.

Xavier braced you gently, one hand supporting your thigh, the other steady at your lower back, guiding your body as it arched into the next wave.

“Push,” he said, voice low, calm, anchored. “Now. With the contraction. Just this one.”

You bore down with a guttural sob, and he felt it — all of it. The power. The resistance. The moment everything began to give way.

Then silence. A breath.

And it was starting.

He shifted slightly on his knees, closer, reverent. The forest around you didn’t exist anymore. Time didn’t exist. There was only this clearing, this woman, this child — and him.

He needed something clean.

His gaze flicked to the ground—his coat. Already beneath you, soaked through with dirt, sweat, and blood. It wouldn’t do. Couldn’t.

He cursed under his breath.

Then—his hands went to his collar.

The shirt. White. Crisp. Still dry. It would have to be enough.

He stripped it without hesitation, fumbling only once with the buttons, skin prickling with cold as he peeled it off. The air hit his back like ice, but he didn’t care. He folded the shirt quickly, then spread it across his lap—his thighs just beneath where your body rested against him.

That’s where she’ll land, he thought. She deserves something clean.

His hands moved before his mind could catch up. He reached for his belt—unfastened the sheathed knife he always carried. A weapon, once. Now, a tool.

The blade caught what little light there was. Forest-dark steel.

He flicked the lighter open, held the flame to the edge of the knife until it hissed, glowed dull orange. His palm burned from the heat, but he held it steady. The acrid scent of scorched metal twisted into the night air—earth and sweat and blood and fire.

Once done, he laid the knife on the clean white fabric beside him, far from you but within reach. Handle turned just so. Ready.

Only then did he look up at you. And everything else disappeared.

You cried out — a sound pulled from the centre of the earth. Your body curled forward, shaking. He reached — one hand bracing your thigh, the other steady beneath to guide.

You pushed.

And the world cracked open.

A slick weight slipped into his hands.

She was here.

He caught her. Gently. As if she might fall through the world if he wasn’t careful.

She was warm. Heavy. Unbelievably small.

For a moment he couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t speak.

She let out a wail that startled birds from the trees.

High. Piercing. Demanding.

Alive.

His lips parted, but no words came—just a choked sound, part laugh, part sob.

He turned her slightly in his hands, instinct leading action: checking her chest—rising. Good. Legs flexing. Strong. The cry—forceful. No retraction, no dusky colour, no silence.

She’s breathing. She’s breathing on her own.

He pressed her to his chest, skin to skin, the heat of her sinking into him like something sacred.

Then, with trained precision, he laid her down briefly on the shirt across his thighs. His hands moved without hesitation: found the cord, still pulsing faintly. He tied it carefully with a strip of thread from his own seam—double-knot, firm but not tight. Just as the manual had said. Two fingers from the belly.

He reached for the sterilised knife. No shaking now. Only purpose.

A clean slice. The cord slackened. She was fully in the world now.

He scooped her back up, bundled her gently in the folds of his shirt, and turned to you.

You were half-conscious, panting, eyes glassy—but they locked with his the moment you heard her.

“She’s here,” he whispered. His voice broke. “She’s alright. You did it. Gods, you did it.”

Your hand found his wrist. Weak. Wet with sweat. But real.

He returned to you immediately, settling behind you once more, your back folding into his chest, his arms wrapping around you both. Warmth. Shelter. The world narrowed to the circle of his embrace.

He moved gently, reverently, unbuttoning your blouse with one hand, baring the curve of your chest. You didn’t stop him. Didn’t need to.

He laid the baby on your skin. And everything fell silent.

Her cries softened. Her mouth turned instinctively, nuzzling, searching. You curled your arm around her—slow, protective, shaking.

Xavier stared.

Not at the blood. Not at the mess. At you. And her. And what you had both become in this moment.

And then you groaned again.

His whole body tensed.

“What is it? What’s—”

“Still,” you managed. “One more…”

Of course. The placenta.

“Okay,” he said quickly, his arms tightening around you, helping you lean forward just enough. “It’s alright. Let it happen. Don’t fight it. Just breathe.”

You pushed once—twice—and then the soft, wet mass slid free. Heavy. Intact.

He gave a ragged exhale. It was over.

You collapsed back into him, hollowed out but whole.

The baby shifted on your chest. Still now. Warm. Real.

And for the first time, Xavier let go—just a little. He pressed his forehead to the side of your head, eyes closed, breath catching in his throat.

You were safe. She was alive. And he—

He was undone.

The forest had never been this quiet.

You were limp in his arms, the baby bundled tight against your chest beneath the folds of his ruined coat and his dirt-streaked shirt. He’d covered your hips as best he could—your legs, trembling and bare, now wrapped in everything warm he had left. His body heat did the rest.

He looked down once—just once.

You. Her. Breathing in the same rhythm. Your cheek against her forehead.

His family.

“I’m carrying you,” he said softly. “We need to get you to a hospital. I’ll run if I have to.”

You didn’t answer. Just stirred faintly. Trusted him.

Of course you did.

He gathered you both into his arms and stood—slowly, carefully, making sure her head was cradled between you, that your spine aligned with his chest. One step. Another. The weight didn’t matter.

He’d carry you to the end of the world.

But he didn’t have to.

Light glinted through the trees. Voices. Boots. Flashlights cutting through the fog.

Medics.

Simone had sent them. He knew it instantly. They rushed forward—soft chaos, hands outstretched, voices sharp and gentle at once.

He didn’t speak. Just surrendered you both into capable arms with a kind of silent reverence. He stayed close. Never let you out of his line of sight. Never let her out of his hands.

The hospital was white. Quiet. Sterile in a way that made the memory of forest moss and blood feel like a fever dream.

You lay on a low cot, pale but stable, a drip in your arm, your heartbeat steady under layers of warm linen. Antibiotics. Fluids. Everything under control.

“She’s perfect,” the doctor said after checking her over. “Strong lungs. No sign of distress. You did everything right.”

Xavier hadn’t sat down since they brought you in.

He paced. Slowly. Back and forth. The baby in his arms, bundled in the softest blanket they could find. She was sleeping now, one hand curled like a tiny fist near her mouth.

He looked down at her like she was made of glass.

Or starlight.

He had seen her come into this world. Had felt the weight of her as life began. Had watched blood turn into breath, watched pain become existence. Nothing—nothing—had prepared him for that.

She stirred, and he stopped pacing.

You were awake now, watching him through half-lidded eyes, drug-heavy but calm.

He came to your side. Sat carefully on the edge of the bed.

“She’s yours,” he said, and there was something cracked in his voice he didn’t bother to hide.

He placed her gently into your arms, guiding your hands with his, still beneath hers. You cradled her awkwardly—your arm stiff from the IV line.

“She wants to feed,” you murmured. “I can’t… not yet.”

He shook his head. “She’s fine. Just hold her. That’s all she needs.”

You both watched her sleep.

So small. So utterly here.

Her hair—soft and pale, almost silver-gold—shone faintly under the hospital light.

You smiled. “She has your eyes.”

Xavier was quiet a long time. Then—his voice, low, fragile, certain:

“I didn’t know I could love you more than I already did.”

You turned your head. He was still looking at the baby.

“But I watched you carry her. For months. Every discomfort. Every fear. Every impossible day.”

He swallowed hard.

“And then I saw you bring her into the world. With your body. With your pain. With your strength.”

His eyes flicked to yours, and for a moment, they were sea-glass clear.

“And I realised,” he said, almost a whisper, “I’ve only ever loved the surface of you.”

Your breath caught.

“Everything deeper,” he said, “everything you never let me see until tonight—that’s where the real love lives.”

The baby stirred.

Just a small twitch—her fingers unfurling like petals, her lips parting in a dream. She shifted closer against your chest, seeking warmth she already knew by heart.

The monitors hummed softly. Footsteps passed far down the hall. But here—in this corner of sterile light and borrowed linen—everything was still.

Xavier's hand found yours, fingers threading together without thought, without effort.

You turned your head, your voice barely a breath.

“I want another.”

He blinked, startled.

“A boy,” you added, eyes never leaving the baby’s face. “Next time.”

He stared at you a moment. And then—he smiled. Quiet. Wrecked. Entirely in love.

“Yes,” he said. “Next time. And I’ll be with you again. From the very start to the very end. Always.”

#lads #love and deepspace #lads fanfic #lads fandom #xavier love and deepspace #lads xavier #xavier x reader #caleb x reader #xavier x you #sylus x you #storytelling #fanfic

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