#but also my heels are cracked and the only way to get rid of that is to moisturise as much as possible

[starryarles]

ranting/yapping in the tags post abt showering bc i feel like typing

[a-very-well-made-mask]

I also love shoving my Tourette’s shit onto toby it’s so fun playing with my Barbie dolls YIPPEE!!!

So here are some ‘headcanons’ or general ideas I have for his Tourette’s/tics, based (BASED??) on my own. I don’t like when people get rid of his Tourette’s and tics or ignore the factors that bring them out.

-When he’s in a proxy state he’s going to be ticcing heavily, stuttering badly, clicking and groaning and jerking around which is going to unnerve and scare his victim more. Toby obviously hates it which makes his tics worse, he can barely talk because his jaw is clenched so badly. He just grunts and moans and goes after his victim, straight up animal (Just like me fr)

-A few tics of his are the ‘general’ head twitching/snapping from side to side, blinking/winking, grimacing, cracking joints or slapping self, rocking on his heels or crouching/jumping up, but some others (that I don’t see people mention) are his vocal tics like groaning, coughing, yawning, yelping. Physical also include rocking on heels, biting his hands, kicking, this is usually when he’s working up to a tic attack. He’s liable to hurt himself so Clockwork knows what’s going on and sits with him and lets him squeeze her hand. #1 Tourette’s supporter I KNOW SHED TREAT ME RIGHT…

-Another tic of his is stuttering or saying Clocky’s name, like ‘Clock-Clock-Clock’ or ‘Natty/Nat’, she actually thinks it’s oddly sweet in a morbid Tourettic way and they have inside jokes about it

-Tic attacks are made worse or started by being in proxy state, but that’s not always what starts them off. A lot of stress, anger, negativity, large fires, flashing lights/strobe/large crowds, being out too late at night, or too much excitement also set off tic attacks or seizures

-He goes non-verbal from tics sometimes, he can sign a little in ASL but that’s useless when your hands are cramping up and flapping, but Clocky’s spent so much time with him she usually knows what he’s trying to say and helps guide him to say certain things or talks for him

-Toby used to take various meds for his Tourette’s, like antipsychotics and shit like Risperdal, but he hated the way they made him feel and stopped taking them. Im just speculating here, but it might have been that the meds were in a sense ‘blocking off’ Slender Man’s access to him, so a little bit of Toby’s decision to toss the meds may not entirely have been his decision

-When he gets exhausted after a tic attack, he likes laying with or near Clockwork. She just calms him down in a way nothing else can <3

-He’ll only let Clocky call him ‘Ticci’ (I FUUUCKINGGGG HATE THAT NAME SORRY FELLOW DICKSUCKERS)

[lilly-onthevalley]

Guide to Basics: My Current

I mentioned that I got rid of atleast 60% of my clothes a year and a half ago and it's been the best thing I've ever done for my wardrobe. My choices are easier and I can't remember the last time I've ever sat and cracked my head about an outfit. That's the way I like it. My life has a million other stresses and I mainly care about 2 things. Consistency and Presentabiltity.

Over consumption has been normalised, and honestly, no one needs to be doing allat (😂). If you try and follow every trend and phase, you'll find yourself disappointed and having a fair amount of confusion and dread whenever you open your closet.

Me

Let me start off by saying that my environment has influenced me A LOT when it comes to how I dress and put myself forward. I navigate certain countries that have a very stereotypical style for certain groups. It's made things easy for me. I love my squads, and I love how I can maintain who I am by the way I dress and have been shown to dress by the girlies around me.

It works, it's trusted and that's what I care about.

Jeans. I only wear white or cream jeans made of mostly denim. It's just what works for me and my location. I physically cannot get a taste for blue jeans, I'm trying so hard, but they just don't suit me or brighten me the way a pair of flared whites would. The same goes for shorts. I wear white shorts of every cut because you'll need a different type of short for the beach vs. the court. My golf skirts follow the same law. Linen pants are also some of my favourites for casual days, I implore everyone to give them a try! I love how they flow when the wind blows and they are the pants I've gotten the most compliments on.

I'm still going through my crop top phase and will continue to do so till I cannot. I love a solid coloured cropped top, deep blues are my favourite because they enhance my skin in such a beautiful way. I'm someone who is lollypop shaped, so slightly cropped tops break the illusion from my pants and accentuate the top. I love to keep the colours plain and cool toned as that is what suits me best.

I also wear full shirts a lot in white, black, blue and green. When it comes to these, I make sure they fit like a dream and are preferably purely cotton without any unnecessarily thick stitches at the neckline. A neckline can make or break a silhouette. Find which one works for you, I can not work a deep V cut and like softer and rounder necklines. I like a bit of room for my silver/white gold jewellery to sparkle against the dark of my skin before being consumed by the shirt.

I go crazy when it comes to dresses and skirts. That's what I love and what those around me love too. Stripes, florals, swirls, beading, crotchet, anything. I love a Zimmerman look, it's very feminine and fun for lunches and events where moods are high and hands are going even higher.

For shoes I'm basic. Birkinstocks, gold sandals, nude, black and white pumps, and any platform white sneaker. I'm fairly short, I need the height on a normal day. For adventures, I go for the Birkinstocks. For a lunch, I go for my gold sandals, sometimes heeled sometimes not. For formals, I fold and take the pumps for a spin. And for everyday I keep my assortment of white platforms. It's a simple, trustable rotation. Of course, there will be rainy or cold days where you need to get the Wellingtons out or some old Timberlands/Uggs, but that's not most of the time.

When it comes to jewellery, I adore pearls and everything they stand for. For my 15th, I got my first pair of real pearls, and I haven't gone back since. Whenever I go to a port city, I always snake my way through the local pop-ups to find a jeweller who uses fresh water pearls on silver chain. I wear either pearl earrings or a hanging gem stone. I have multiple piercings on each ear. First hole is for a basic tiny gold stud. Middle for a dangle gemstone or pearl. Last for a diamond or zirconia of sorts. It looks almost religious how beautiful they are. I always thought pearls were for old ladies. My mother wore black pearls with shiny stone bottoms, and it always peaked my interest. I think of Venus coming out of the clam every single time I pop them in, and it makes me feel divine.

Shades are optional for most people, but where I am, you NEED to have them. I am a RayBan girl. My first pair was thick with a blackish purple polarisation. Second, where polarised green for my society ( incredibly iconic time when I think of it 🤣.) Now I have a pair of black ones that make sense for my face and everyday wear. I'm moving onto chunky Pradas. They're yet to come in since I wanted a specific type of lense on the frame. As I get older, I get more chunky, but right now I'm loving my thin black. I love the privacy, I love how others love them too. We exchange sometimes for different occasions.

I am a big fan of community, and having one is very important to me. Likewise, I wear logos from schools, societies, bands, productions, and companies I've been a part of. Don't do this if you're a crash out, you'd be putting the brand in disrepute, but if you're new in a place maybe some community gear for a certain cause you're interested in would be a good conversation starter. I have been privileged to be a part of many big communities that connect as far as from the dips of South Africa to the Ivy Leagues and big banks. I wear them with pride as I have earned them, fought tooth and nail to be rewarded them, and done my time. I worked for a lot of my branded gear, and it's recognised. Most of my jackets, hoodies, gym shirts, suit accessories, and stationery come from little things like that. It's my number one favourite thing to wear.

I love fashion, I love looks and can't wait to see what future me will have a taste for.

⭐️

[insom-nom-nom-niatic]

...Redheads...

Fandom: Vox Machina (Critical Role)

Pairing: Vaxleth

Rating: E (if you are in the fandom of CR... this is like child's play let's be honest)

AN: I have a thing of not liking to go very much over 500 words, so this little drabble is a 2 part thing. It's also my first time getting back in the writing saddle for a very very very long time so... it is what it is. I also am a redhead, we all know what I mean when I say... what I say.

“Oh sweet Percy, do tell these folks of our last trip to Whitestone.” Vex’ahlia wrapped her fingers tightly around the snowy-haired man beside her. Glancing quickly towards Vax with an all-knowing nod. He quickly turns on his heels, headed for the door, and grabs Keyleths hand on the way. “Oh me too?!” She gasps as she gets whipped from the group. 

Green shoes make the slightest thuds against the hard wood floor panels, sending vibrations through Vax’s knee like an un-rhythmatic massage to the joints while he continued his work on what had to be the grandest lock he’d ever seen.  

“I'm not used to going on the super stealth missions.”

“No? Really?” Vax whispered with a smirk. It was pure luck for both of them that the guard dogs had all been preoccupied with the abundance of guests and Grogs loud belly laughs downstairs. 

“Yeah! Don’t know why though, this is kinda fun.” Vax just smirks at the redhead’s ideals of a ‘joyous’ time. 

2 minutes pass: Keylth is leaning on the door, her forehead rubbing back and forth on the cold wood whilst her eyes roll back and forth. Her red locks covering her features but Vax can tell her ‘joy’ was shortly lived.  

“Vaaaaaaaaaaaax. Hurry uuuuuuuuuuup. This is so boring.”

“Kiki-“

“I know I know,” she stands to mock his posture and accent in a low tone; “if it was easy, there would be no need for locks.”

Vax slowly cocks his head to meet the woman beside him. His brown eyes glaring up at her green ones peering back, causing slightest giggle echoing in her chest making his heart skip a beat. 

Footsteps begin pounding on the ground down the hall. Only a heartbeat later, the footsteps stop. Keyleth’s eyes widen as she every so slowly takes a step back, peering down the hall at 2 heavily armed guards looking directly her, They move their heads down and back up as they take in the strangers frame. “Uh, hello there.” Keyleth’s fingers fiddle with the side of her dress. 

“Get rid of them,” Vax murmurs. His eyes never leaving the lock he has sworn is ‘almost there’ for over 5 songs now. A small pink nub of tongue peeking through the side of hi lips a another tumbler of the lock settles. 

“How do I do that?” Keyleth wasn;t sure how loud she had spoken. But given how the guards’ faces contourted in confusion made her assume it wasn;t as ‘stealthy’ as she hoped. The guard further to the left gripped the sword tied to his hip a bit more. She could feel a small ball of sweat roll down the back of her neck when both guards began stalking forwards. 

“I don’t know! Do what you red heads do best!” Vax couldn’t help the grin that arose to the corner of his mouth at the words. She was innocent of course, but there was something in that woman that was much more than what she thought she was. 

But as Keyleth stood still, fright taking over her body as she stared at the guards inching closer by the heartbeat, Vax’s words replayed in her mind. She was sure she didn’t understand the meaning of what he had mumbled.  

Then instinct kicked in. 

Keyleth brought her 2 hands together with clenched eyes and a small gasp at what was going to happen. Simultaneously,  2 vines sprung from the floorboards, cracking through the wood and snapping both men together with a quick clash. Both men lay unconscious, possibly dead, in the middle of the hallway. Beside them, the 2 large vines slithered back into the holes they had left gaping on the floor. 

Vax arose to his feet. His mouth hung partially open trying to catch his breath as he stared at the, once formidable foes that are now at their feet, That definitely wasn’t what he meant… but it works he supposed. 

Keyleth stepped back quietly, heals carefully laying flat on the small area rug directly behind. Her ever green eyes still wide as they caught a look at Elven rogue beside her, the glimpse of a smile pulling at his lips caused a knot to begin growing in her stomach, before his smile infectiously rose to her own features.  

She did good?

She did good.

[lowkeyclueless5137]

More crappy memes

Unpublished au flavored tho :v

I decided to just introduce these obscure aus by just yeeting a summary and a meme :'3

Honestly it sounds like a dumb idea, but I really enjoyed myself doing these as a breather so :v

Ok, we have 8 aus to see :3

Smol note: why is Idia so memeable?!

More under ✨️le cut✨️

Magical girl Idia au:

This au is crack, mostly since Idia is just hit with all the tropes of your usual magical girl story. His only motivation is born from the fact that the main antagonist(which is literally named 'evil overlord') cursed ortho to be a smol pocket kitty. The plot armour is so ridiculous and obvious that Idia himself goes to LENGTHS to just get rid of it(spoiler: he fails). Add to it the fact that NRC collectively thinks a pretty girl in a sparkly skirt and high heels saves them, cue Idia just trying his darn best to survive this school year.

Surveillance duty(horror au):

This one was in the drafts for SOOO much... like I didn't know if I should make just 1 oneshot or a full lil series... but the premise is that Riddle, a teacher at a high-school, offers to vouce one night of camera duty for the guard. From there a series of shenanigans and actual horrors make Riddle to realize that there is more to the school than the eye lets on. Also that the elderich monster is kinda hot

Ps: my fave part is the unholy abomination of energy drinks and coffee Riddle brews. Yes, this is the au that started that bandwagon

Addams Deuce au:

As the title says... Deuce's an Addams, which in twst actually has them be vampires. :v It's mostly a rom-com type of crack, Deuce trying to adapt to nrc and also nrc trying to adapt to Deuce. Doesn't help that he has a venomous snake as a pet.

Matt Hatter au:

I also like this one :v. Basically, the grandfather on the father's side of the zibvolt family leaves as inheritance a cinema. Sevek discovers the truth about the movies the zibvolt family once made along with the parallel world they created. So Sebek has to embark on an adventure to restore and maintain peace in the movie world, while also attending his guard and student duties.

Monster high au:

You had to expect it from me. This one, surprisingly, has a pretty interesting plot, following a timeline made out of the mh movies, starting with Why do ghouls fall in love, ending with an eah movie: way to wonderland.(It's my way of making parallels). You have everything in there! From ghosts and a shy boogieman, to forest monsters and Demons who accidentally blow up things. Most of them actually have pretty angsty stoties, so it's not all that happy. :v

Wild magic au:

In which wild magic is like in s7 of winx. The source of that dark magic is guarded by the nrc Dormheads and some students. Rsa is a school for fairies, which tries to defeat the 'misterious wild magic mages'. The teachers at nrc, nor the Rsa or anyone else knows that some of the nrc students actually got wild magic and they would rather keep it like that. They are petty, they don't like to share :v

Shazam! Au

In which poor, sweet, innocent Ortho is thunderstruck with God powers and now has to juggle school life and 'superhero' life all while he and Idia try to fit in with their new adoptive family. Ace clearly hypes him up, Sebek's the voice of ration and the rest? Well the rest shouldn't really know for now. Apparently since the supposed to be mentor dipped, the heir of Hades's powers, which so happens to be idia, is now tutoring Ortho.

Over the garden wall au(another horror au):

In which Idia and ortho venture into the forest, but only ortho gets out. Being cursed to take place of a monster that ruled that place, idia lurks through there and tries to control his new powers and not led madness consume him. Also he has some fear-hate relationship with butterflies :v.

And those are all :3

For now >:3

Yep, those are chaotic and I couldn't focus one bit on them without having someone to egg me on or ask me about it.

Ironically, they are all(minus addams deuce and Matt hatter aus) fully fleshed out with a lot of details. They can get wild at times, but hey! That's the charm :D

So go on... theorise or ask on why do I think these memes are hilarious /hj

Because really, there is sum insane mental gymnastics there.

Hope you enjoyed another silly round of crappy memes!

Until next time! Buh bye!

[stories-poetry4all]

"Sir, we've found the girl who saved you, but she is getting married today!"

"Take me to her immediately. I need to stop the wedding!"

=== ===

#Chapter1 Revenge

"Miss Edwards, I need your signature on this consent form for artificial insemination surgery," said the lawyer as he presented the document to Ariana Edwards.

Ariana gripped the pen, her knuckles turning white as she stared at the consent form.

The surgery was scheduled for tomorrow, and today was her wedding.

The donor of the sperm was none other than Theodore Anderson, the eldest son of the wealthy Anderson family, and also her groom.

But fate had dealt a cruel hand. Theodore had been in a horrific car accident three months prior and was now comatose, unlikely to ever recover. His life hung by a thread, and it was uncertain how long he would last.

The Anderson family, known for their fixation on succession and legacy, was desperate to ensure Theodore's bloodline would continue. So his father, Darian Anderson, took it upon himself to get his son a wife. The sperm that Theodore froze years ago was going to be inseminated into the bride's womb before he died.

As Ariana looked down at the consent form in front of her, her complexion was ashen, and her eyes betrayed a subtle sense of panic.

"Please, can you give me some space to collect my thoughts? I need to read through it carefully," she said to the lawyer, her voice trembling with emotion.

After a few seconds of silence, the lawyer nodded and left the room.

The lawyer's departure left the room in an eerie silence. Ariana immediately placed the consent form on the table. She had to call Jasper Anderson, her secret boyfriend, for help.

As fate would have it, Jasper, Theodore's half-brother, was the mastermind behind this wedding.

Ariana's life had been turned upside down by the recent passing of her father, and the ruthlessness of her stepmother, Glenda Edwards. Ariana was left with nothing, not even her deceased mother's belongings which were also taken away.

Just when Ariana felt cornered, Jasper came to her with a proposition: she would pretend to marry Theodore, and they would find a way to sabotage the surgery. After Theodore's death, Jasper would become the sole heir of the Anderson family, and in return, he promised to marry Ariana and help her reclaim her mother's belongings.

Ariana, under Jasper's spell, initially agreed to the plan. However, as the wedding drew closer, she realized that she couldn't go through with it.

Desperately seeking Jasper's comfort and counsel, Ariana tried calling him, but to no avail.

In a state of anxiety, she sneaked out to look for him. She took off her high heels, held them in her hands, and walked down the corridor, her heart racing with fear and anticipation.

Ariana's footsteps came to a sudden halt as she approached the last lounge at the end of the corridor.

A faint noise could be heard coming from the slightly open door. It was the sound of a familiar giggle.

Through the crack, she heard a familiar voice. "Stay with me for a little longer, Jasper. Ariana doesn't have time to look for you now."

Her heart sank, and she inched closer to the door, peering inside through the small opening. She saw Brielle Edwards, her half-sister, and Jasper on the sofa.

Jasper spoke impatiently as he pushed Brielle away to get up. "I need to keep an eye on her. I'm afraid she will have cold feet about the wedding."

But Brielle, carelessly dismissing the concern, got close to him and said, "Oh, stop worrying so much. She always listens to you. Besides, we have her mother's belongings with us. She wouldn't dare to run away."

Jasper seemed relieved. "You're right. Thank you, baby. I will get rid of her when I finish the plan. I only want you..."

Ariana watched in horror as they talked about their scheme against her.

The reality of the situation hit her hard, and she was left reeling, struggling to maintain her balance as she stumbled backward.

The betrayal was too much for Ariana to bear. Her heart shattered into a million pieces as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Fury surged through her veins, and she balled her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. She listened to them with a mix of disgust and rage.

But Ariana was not defeated. She had to take action. She would not let Jasper and Brielle get away with their treachery.

With newfound determination, she wiped away her tears, slipped on her high heels, and strode back to the room. Without a moment's hesitation, she signed the consent form, determined to become the true daughter-in-law of the Anderson family.

And she would make sure that Jasper and Brielle would pay for their betrayal, no matter what it took.

* At night, the Anderson family's residence was illuminated by bright lights, casting a glow over the extravagant surroundings.

Ariana was escorted to Theodore's room by the housekeeper, just after the wedding.

This was the first time she was meeting her so-called husband.

According to Jasper, Theodore was a man with a terrible temper, a bad character, and a cruel personality. He was even cold to his own family. Jasper used every insulting word to describe Theodore, even "ugly."

Ariana had believed Jasper's words and was mentally prepared to face a husband who was anything but handsome. However, when she saw Theodore for the first time, even though he was ill, she couldn't help but notice his inherent nobility and incredibly handsome appearance.

Ariana stood motionless beside the bed, admiring Theodore's stunning features, and began to doubt everything Jasper had told her.

At that moment, Jasper pushed the door open and swaggered into the room, speaking loudly and with no regard for Theodore's condition.

"I'm sorry, Aria. I was too preoccupied today, and I regret not answering your call," Jasper uttered, feigning remorse.

Ariana had to play along with Jasper's scheme for the time being, so she replied, "It's alright. Don't worry about it."

Jasper's smug grin widened. "I knew you would forgive me; you love me too much," he said confidently.

Ariana clenched her fists, containing her fury. "It's late now. We can talk about whatever you wanted to discuss tomorrow."

Jasper locked the door, plunging the room into darkness, and slowly approached her.

Ariana retreated nervously, questioning him, "Jasper, what do you want from me?"

With a wicked smirk, Jasper pounced on her, saying, "We shouldn't waste time. If you carry my child, our child will become an Anderson heir."

Jasper didn't take Theodore seriously. How dare he want to do that right in front of his brother!

Ariana fought back, shouting, "Let me go!"

Jasper abruptly halted, and Ariana gazed up at him, dazed. She saw his expression shift to one of pure terror, as if he had seen a ghost behind her.

In a trembling voice, Jasper muttered, "Theodore..."

#Chapter2 Artificial Insemination Operation

Jasper immediately took to his heels.

Ariana was confused. What was wrong with him? Did Theodore wake up?

She quickly turned around, but she didn't notice anything odd. Theodore was still lying on the bed, and his breath was as steady and quiet as before.

The only difference was that one of his hands was out of the quilt.

Ariana tilted her head and studied the hand for a while. It looked limp, so she felt that it probably fell out when she bumped into the bedframe while trying to dodge Jasper.

"Theodore?" Ariana called tentatively.

There was no response.

She leaned forward and called out more firmly, "Hey, Theodore!"

Still, she got no response.

Ariana swallowed hard and slowly walked to the bedside. She carefully took hold of his hand and put it back under the quilt. Theodore still didn't move a muscle during the process. This eased her mind greatly. It turned out he was still in a deep coma.

Perhaps Jasper had hallucinated.

Ariana breathed a sigh of relief.

The room returned to its usual quietness again. Ariana's heart was still beating fast. For some unknown reason, she feared that Theodore would suddenly open his eyes. She sat on the edge of the bed and stared at him closely. A while later, she dozed off due to tiredness.

The next day, Ariana woke up to find herself lying on the edge of the bed. She quickly turned her head to look at Theodore. To her relief, he didn't seem to have moved an inch the whole night. Ariana felt the weight of uncertainty drop off her shoulders now.

She finally ruled out the possibility that Jasper had really seen Theodore move last night.

Ariana went to the bathroom to wash up. While she was brushing her teeth, her eyes fell on a red mark on her neck. It wasn't there before. It looked like someone had pinched her there recently.

When Ariana remembered the struggle with Jasper last night, she reasoned that the red mark was his doing.

Disgust surged inside her at the thought of that betrayer.

Ariana set down her toothbrush and went back into the bedroom. She put on a turtleneck top to cover the mark.

When she was all dressed up, she went downstairs.

She had just gotten to the bottom stair when Jasper appeared out of nowhere and pulled her into a cubicle nearby.

"Did Theodore wake up last night?" he whispered into her ear, fearing that someone would hear them.

Ariana felt sick to her stomach at the sight of Jasper. She took two steps back and replied expressionlessly, "No, he didn't."

"That's good to know. My eyes tricked me last night. For a second, I thought Theodore opened his eyes and stared daggers at me. Thank goodness it was just an illusion." Jasper took a deep breath, feeling relieved. He flashed his usual sunny smile.

This smile used to send excitement through Ariana's body in the past. But now, she hated it. She lowered her eyes so he wouldn't see the resentment in her eyes.

Oblivious to the real reason, Jasper felt that she was unhappy because of what happened last night. He apologized softly. "I'm sorry about what happened, Aria. I didn't mean to be rough with you."

Ariana forced a smile. "Okay, it's fine."

She then made up an excuse so she could leave the cubicle immediately.

When she got to the dining room, she saw that Darian was already seated at the table. He was a serious man who rarely smiled. After Ariana greeted him, he only nodded slightly. He exuded a cold and uncaring aura.

On the other hand, Sharon, Theodore's stepmother, was enthusiastic. She was Jasper's biological mother, so she probably knew about his plan. It was the only logical explanation for her excessive warmth and friendliness.

Ariana felt uncomfortable throughout breakfast.

Once they were done eating, Darian took her to the private hospital owned by the Anderson family.

Jasper came along. When Ariana was being ushered into the operating room, he gave her a knowing look.

Ariana took the hint.

She smiled to assure him that she hadn't forgotten the plan. But the moment she turned around, her smile vanished. She walked into the operating room with a cold face.

Fear slowly crept into her heart at this time. But when she remembered how Jasper had betrayed her, she gritted her teeth and balled her fists. She was hell-bent on getting revenge and taking back what rightfully belonged to her.

The insemination took about an hour. Ariana, whose face was pale, was wheeled out in a wheelchair. The doctor took off his mask and said to Darian, "Everything went well, Mr. Anderson. Now, we have to wait for about a month to confirm if it is successful."

Jasper's face darkened as soon as he heard this.

In contrast, Darian's usually cold face lit up with a smile. Even a blind man could see that he was pleased with the news. He looked at Ariana with an expression of satisfaction. Afterward, he ordered one of his drivers to drive her and Jasper back home.

On the way, Jasper's face was red with anger. Several green veins became visible on his forehead and temples, but he didn't utter a word.

Ariana didn't bother speaking to him. She looked out of the window, lost in thought.

Once they got out of the car, Jasper flipped out. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to the garden to give her a piece of his mind.

"Ariana! I thought we agreed that you would ruin the operation. Why didn't you do so?" Jasper growled.

As far as Ariana was concerned, she didn't owe this backstabber an explanation. He disgusted her. She shook off his hand and said coldly, "Mind the way you speak to me, Jasper. I'm your sister-in-law now!"

Jasper held his head and let out an angry laugh. He kicked the tree nearby. "What did you just say? Are you kidding me?"

Ariana's heart skipped a beat when she saw his bloodshot eyes. She spun on her heels, but Jasper pulled her back.

"Did I tell you to leave? Don't even dare walk out on me, Ariana! I'm not done speaking to you!" Sparks of fury burned in Jasper's eyes.

Ariana was both scared and annoyed. She tried to break free while glaring at him. "Let go of me!"

Jasper grabbed her with both hands and leaned over. "This wasn't what we agreed on. Are you trying to pull a fast one on me now that you are married to Theodore? Just so you know, you can't get rid of me. There's no telling that you would get pregnant. Even if you do, Theodore won't be able to protect you and your baby."

"Bah! How are you so sure about that? Theodore is still alive, isn't he?" Ariana sneered. "No matter what happens, I'm still your sister-in-law. You better come to terms with it now!"

This comment drove Jasper nuts. He raised his hand to slap her.

But before that could happen, a servant rushed out of the house and shouted, "Ma'am! Mr. Theodore Anderson just woke up. He wants to see you!"

[animalsmealbuzz]

Why Dogs Like To Roll In The Grass

Let’s talk about our furry companions, the ones who bring endless smiles and curiosity to our lives with their quirky ways. Have you ever observed your pup in the act of performing a joyful somersault on the grass and wondered, “What in the doggone world are they up to?” Fret not, for we’re here to demystify the art of this playful pup pastime and uncover the hidden treasures behind it. Cracking the Case of the Grass-Rolling Mystery: Unveiling the Canine Joie de Vivre Our canine pals are the true champions of unexpected delights, and their penchant for grass-rolling is no exception. Although it may leave us humans raising an eyebrow or two, there’s a method to the madness, and it’s pawsitively logical. Javier Peribanez / Shutterstock 1. The Wild Instinct: A Game of Scent Camouflage Imagine a scene from the ancient wilderness where wild dogs and wolves roamed freely. Research suggests that our modern-day doggos have inherited a quirky habit from their untamed ancestors. By diving into peculiar and fragrant patches of nature, they’re essentially pulling a sneaky trick on their scent. It’s all about survival, my friends! What’s more, dogs converse through a language of scents and pheromones. So, when your pooch takes a roll in the grass, they’re not only masking their own scent but also sending coded messages to fellow canines and critters. 2. The Sensational Journey: A Splash of Feel-Good Vibes Now, sometimes our canine chums take a twirl in the grass simply because it feels oh-so-fantastic. The delightful mix of textures and scents tickles their senses, and it might even release a cascade of those happiness-inducing endorphins. It’s like their version of a spa day, complete with natural cucumber eye masks, no less. And here’s a quirky twist – if your furball is rolling in the grass, they might be using it as a DIY back-scratcher to reach those pesky itchy spots they can’t quite get to, like the back or neck. Grass is the ultimate itch-buster, and our furry friends are in on the secret! 3. Territory Tidbits: Claiming the Green Kingdom When your dog turns into a grass-rolling champ, it can also be their way of saying, “This territory is mine!” By sprinkling their scent across the blades, they’re essentially planting a flag that reads, “No Trespassing – Reserved for Yours Truly.” Dr. Jeff Smith, the veterinary maestro at Danville Family Vet, tells us that dogs love to roll in grass to leave their scent and mark their own little piece of the world. 4. Joyful Frolic and Stress Relief: Let the Good Times Roll Occasionally, dogs embark on a merry roll just for the sheer fun of it. It’s their way of letting loose, kicking up their heels, and celebrating life. Moreover, rolling in the grass can be a stress-busting ritual for our furry pals. Similar to how humans dabble in yoga or meditation to unwind, dogs opt for grassy rolls to release pent-up tension. It’s their way of saying, “Life is grand, and I’m loving every moment!” 5. Pest Purge: Flea and Tick-Be-Gone Adventure Here’s a plot twist – rolling in the grass can be your dog’s way of getting rid of unwanted hitchhikers. Sometimes, they roll to dislodge those pesky fleas, ticks, and other critters that might have clung to their fur. It’s a bit like their DIY pest-control routine, keeping their coat itch-free and critter-resistant. Austin Chaney / Shutterstock Curbing the Roll: Managing the Grassy Escapades While watching your dog roll in the grass can bring joy to your heart, there are times when it’s not the most convenient scenario, especially if you’re dealing with allergies or striving to keep your pup spotless. So, here are a few tricks to help curb the urge: - Redirect the Fun: If you’d rather your dog not engage in grassy frolics, try redirecting their attention to more suitable activities. Engage them in a game of fetch or offer them a fun toy to play with. - A Lesson or Two: Basic obedience training can go a long way in modifying your dog’s behavior. Teach them commands like “leave it” or “stay” to guide them away from rolling when the moment arises. Positive reinforcement in the form of treats or praise is a great way to reinforce good behavior. - Hygiene is Key: Keep your pup well-groomed and give them regular baths to minimize the need for grass-rolling as a cleanliness ritual. - Seek Professional Advice: If your dog’s rolling tendencies become excessive, it might be a good idea to consult a veterinarian. They can evaluate your dog’s overall health and offer guidance on addressing any underlying medical issues. Javier Peribanez / Shutterstock In a nutshell, the sight of your dog in the midst of a grassy twirl is a delightful reminder of their unique instincts and their heartwarming personalities. So, even if we don’t fully understand the “whys” behind their antics, one thing is for certain – our furry companions will always find ways to keep us entertained with their charming quirks. Read the full article

[reaperintheroses]

The meeting

~Next Part

@psychshawnjuleshanluke requested a drabble series with rooster x mavericks daughter who's also a pilot. Here's the first part. (Also friendly little disclaimer regardless of how much I shit on the navy please realize that it's very similar to a sibling rivalry. Many people in the different branches of the military do things that other branches couldn't even fathom let alone want to do. That being said, army is the best). As previously stated I made the divider myself, you are more than welcome to use it please just give me credit Warnings: swearing like once I think. I didn't actually look and check but knowing me it's possible. Also before you get confused, according to google Phoenix's first name is Natasha. I don't think they ever actually say it in the movie but you tend to not refer to yourself as your own callsign soooo.

When you were invited to attend Top Gun, you had a very fast realization after the initial excitement ran its course. Regardless of your parentage and your last name, you were going to have to work equally as hard to be respected. You had thirteen weeks. Thirteen weeks to make your mark on this school and build your reputation as a Naval Aviator. It was likely that you would be the only woman in your class. Regardless of what your colleagues liked to sneer at you, you definitely weren't there to find love, just to become a better pilot. Your father had warned you about the type of pilots that frequented Top Guns halls, and regardless of the undying love you had for him, you also knew that you were the result of a one night stand with a girl whose name your father didn't remember till a year later, when you were suddenly dropped into his life. Top Gun was for the best of the best. The top one percent. You just had to be better.

Top Gun: Week Two

As your wheels made connections with the landing strip, you felt like you could finally breathe again. For the third time in a row, you were the only one who had been able to defeat Warlock in long distance dogfight training.

You had felt a distinct satisfaction at pressing that red button and announcing "That's a shot," into your radio. As you sat back and let your plane be taxied and placed in the correct spot, you grinned under your mask. You climbed out of your plane and climbed down the ladder. Unclipping your chin strap on your helmet, you placed it on the ground next to you as you nodded to the landing attendant. You cracked your bones into place before beginning basic maintenance on your plane. The longer you could spend outside and avoid the hostile stares of your peers, the better. Especially Hangman. You worked until the sun had already begun to disappear below the horizon. You wiped your hand across your forehead to rid yourself of the sweat that had begun to gather there. You bent down and picked up your helmet before giving your plane one last glance. You nodded, pleased with your work before turning around on your heel and making your way back inside the base. As you opened the door you looked quickly to your left and right before walking inside. You made sure to keep your steps light in case anyone was hanging out in the breakroom. You made your way to the dorms making fast work of opening your door. You smiled in the relief that the air conditioning provided. You raised your eyebrows at the distinct lack of your roommate when you spotted a yellow sticky note on your lamp shade. Walking over you picked it up and chuckled at the message.

"Hey, I went to grab a bite to eat with that cute bartender we met last weekend. If I play my cards right I shouldn't be back until tomorrow morning. XOXO- Natasha."

Phoenix had spent all night talking to that girl, so you were glad that she was able to get her number. You unzipped your fly suit and let it drop to the ground, stepping out of it before kicking it to the corner of your room. You grabbed a random pair of sweatpants that were lying on your floor before reaching under your bed for the extra storage that you had placed there containing some towels and your shower caddy. You placed both items on your bed as you bent back down and switched to the other bin containing various items of non-uniform clothing. You grabbed a sweatshirt advertising your old Navy base and a pair of gym shorts. You tucked those along with your towel underneath your arm before using your other hand to grab your caddy.

You felt so much better after your shower. Regardless of the fact that you had grown up in the sky, you still felt disgusting after multiple hours spent in your heavy flight suit under the hot sun. You glanced at your reflection in the mirror as you combed your hair, making sure to smooth out the various knots that had accumulated from the sweat and helmet hair. You tucked your hair behind your ears as you dropped your comb into your shower caddy. You quickly tied up your hair into a braid to keep it out of your face as you slept before gathering all of your belongings. You opened the locker room door and looked out into the hall before making the walk back to the dorm hall. You reached out your hand to your doorknob when someone behind you cleared their throat. You turned around with curiosity before smiling.

Rooster smiled back at you as you turned back around to retire to your dorm for the night. "Hey good work up there, Vixen, you have to teach me that maneuver sometime." You reached a hand up to your face to tuck your hair behind your ears before quickly dropping it again when you realized it was pulled too far back from your face. "Thanks, that- uh that means a lot." You rolled your lip between your teeth as he raised his eyebrows at you. "Well anyway, have a goodnight." You nodded before turning back around to your door. "You too, Bradley," you only realized a moment too late that he had already shut his door.

"It's just awkward because we grew up together, and then my dad pulled his papers from the academy and he just stopped talking to me." You hugged your pillow to your chest as you looked across the room to where Phoenix was trying to catch a piece of popcorn in her mouth. It had been three days since Rooster had complimented you and you couldn't get his face out of your head. "Well you guys seem to get along fine everytime I see you interact." You rolled your eyes at the statement. "Well sure, but that's more just him being polite. You should've seen how close we were in highschool."

She raised an eyebrow at you from her place on her bed. "When you say close do you mean," she trailed off at the end of her sentence. "Nothing other than close, we were just really good friends." She raised her eyebrows at you, "How bad was your crush on him?" You snorted, "I had it so bad for him, lasted from eighth grade until I went to the academy and he didn't." She threw more popcorn in her mouth. "Well what's so wrong with liking him now," you leveled a glare at her. "Besides the fact that we aren't seventeen anymore," you fell down on your side before rolling onto your back, "he hates my dad and by extension hates me, falling for him wouldn't get me anywhere." Phoenix huffed before tilting the popcorn bag up to dump more in her mouth. "You have no way of proving that he hates you unless you ask him. You'll never know his true feelings until you ask." You huffed at the statement before reaching to your desk to shut off your lamp. "Just think about it, I'm not telling you to actively thirst after him at every waking moment but don't deny feelings based on a non-credible hunch. Sleep well." You sighed at her words before twisting off the lamp. You shut your eyes to try and get some sleep before your five AM wake-up call, but instead all you saw was his face and all you heard was his warm laugh.

Top Gun: Week Four

Every waking moment that wasn't spent thinking about flying or actually flying was spent thinking about Rooster. Anything about him. Did he still use the old spice body wash? What did he do while you were at the academy? Did he think about you like this too? You missed being around him; you missed breathing the same air as him. As the weeks went on and your crush on Bradley intensified, you knew that you were done for. You knew that this was going to end in someone getting heart broken.

You looked over to the sink counter where your phone rested while you were getting ready. You had twenty more minutes until you had to leave to make it to your dad's house on time for dinner. Regardless of where you went or what the Navy threw in your face, your dad always found some way to follow you, and Top Gun was no different. You looked up in the mirror, deeming your makeup exceptional enough. You pushed your hair past your shoulders before packing up your toiletries. You put them back in your locker before shutting it. You turned to give yourself one final once over before walking out of the locker room and making your way to the parking lot.

"So, how's class going?" You look up from your plate at your fathers words. "Um it's going good, I'm doing pretty well." He nodded as he scooped up some salad onto his fork. You took a sip of wine as you waited for the inevitable question. "Nothing too difficult?" You shook your head as you raised your eyebrows at him. He opened his mouth and you rolled your eyes at him. "Bradley's fine, dad." His shoulders sagged slightly. "I invited him to come eat with us again, he didn't even open the message." You tilted your head as you continued to eat. "Can you really blame him? You set him back years in his career." He shut his eyes as you continued to eat. "He hasn't been shot out of the sky, he's an adult and he's not your responsibility anymore." Your dad looked at you with raw emotions in his eyes. You'd only seen him look at you like that at other times in your life. When he told you the true story of your mother and when news reached him of Carol's death. Under the surface you knew how your father was feeling. You wanted nothing more than for everything to go back to how it was in high school. When Bradley would go watch sports in the basement with your dad while Carol would teach you how to grill. Your dad looked back down to his empty plate fighting the tears that you were sure crowded his waterline. You put your fork down on your napkin and reached across the table to grab his hand. "Who knows, he'll probably come around one day. You've been in his life too long for him not to." Your father turned a smile towards you as you drained the rest of your wine glass. "I'll clean up in here, why don't you pick a movie for us to watch before I have to go back."

Top Gun: Week Five

Today's training exercise was a repeat of the past few weeks. You knew that today was going to be another late night to avoid your peers and their leering words whispered behind your back. Right as you had opened the maintenance panel and begun to assess what needed extra work, you heard a set of footsteps approaching you. Great, they had figured out your hiding spot. You heard someone clear their throat behind you. You turned around with your wrench in hand, hoping to convey that you were busy and wanted to be left alone.

"Hey Vixen, that was some great work up there." You raised your eyebrows at Bradley's kind words. He's been complimenting you and reaching out to you more in the last two weeks. You knew it wasn't nearly the same as it had been, but it was a step in the right direction. "Thanks, it definitely pays off that I was basically raised in the cockpit." he chuckled at your words as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Hey so listen, I had a question for you." You nodded before placing the wrench on the ground to show him he had your full attention. "Sure, what's up?" His tongue darted out to lick his lips, he almost seemed to be stalling.

"So I know I've been distant for a few years and it wasn't fair to you at all-" you nodded along to his words, not denying the statement- "I would totally understand because of all of that if you wanted to say no but would you want to go out with me sometime?" You blinked at him, allowing your mind a moment to catch up to his words. He went from barely speaking to you to asking you out within the span of five weeks. "Yes! I mean, that would be great. I can give you my number." He raised his eyebrows at you. "Has it changed?" You shook your head; your emotions were still reeling. "No, that's right you probably still have it. No, my number hasn't changed. Text me when you have availability?" He nodded before running a hand through his hair. "I'll do that, have a good night if I don't see you." Your fingers started twitching from their place at your sides. "Yeah, you too." Did that really just happen? You had to go home. You had to figure out what you were going to wear and- oh God, what would your dad say?

[descendantofthesparrow]

Wishful thinking - Walter Deville x reader - Oneshot smut request

requested by  Hufflepuff1701 on wattpad~!

Walter Deville x reader. Walter ends up in our world & reader takes care of him despite having seen the movie because she is like every other girl who watched the movie & would’ve been all for being the third bride. Spicy please!! My damn vampire kink…lol

Warning; mention of suicide, description of suicide. bloodplay, intended manipulation, manipulation, sex. MINORS DNI FOR UR OWN GOOD, U DONT NEED TO BE READING SMUT MY GODS(good lord knows i didn't need to) also practice safe sex even if ur with a immortal dude whos infertile, still good to practice safe sex my guys

Fem reader; she/her used. 

=

The gardens were ready, the art studio was set up, and the Alexander suite was furnished and decorated accordingly. Walter smirked to himself, rolling his neck with a satisfying crack. In just less than a week, Evelyn Alexander and he would be wed, and once more he would be at full power.

It had only been a few years since Emmaline, his most recent Alexander bride; had chosen to depart from this world.

-A piano wire around the neck, and a short drop from the 2nd floor. She had beheaded herself, a sight; not even he had been immune to.-

And yet-in such a small amount of time(at least to the immortal beings of the estate)-he and everyone else within the three families had felt the stain of the third bride's absence. He felt weaker, if only just so-but neither Viktoria nor Lucy were allowed to leave the grounds, in fear of any remaining vampire hunters. He feared with them not being complete-not being at full power-none of them would have the ability to survive an encounter with someone who knew exactly how to kill them

Though they were only seen as myths, legend, nowadays; vampires. Hunters were only seen in books, or made to be a legend as well; even around all hallows eve, some mortals would dress up as hunters, and some as vampires.

They looked like those ones in the black and white movies Lucy had shown him so many years ago, dorky and cheap. Though some, of the new modern age; looked-quite interesting, gothic and bloody.  Walter sighed at the thought, running his hands through his slicked-back hair, and wandering through the darkened halls of his manor.

Thunder and lightning decorated the grounds, rain crashing against the blue tiles of the roof and windows. Walter let out a slow breath, rubbing his hands on his pants as he made his way downstairs towards his study, pausing as his vision flashed a blinding white, thunder immediately following the flash.

“Never seen it this intense before,” Walter said to himself, even the night of Emmaline’s death hadn’t been this-stormy. More lightning coursed across his vision, and he swore he saw things within the white.

Another blinding flash of white and Walter had to close his eyes to protect his vision, thunder crowding his hearing as he clenched his jaw, his entire body humming painfully.

“Fuck” Walter panted as the white finally faded, and suddenly, rain began to soak his form. “What?” he opened his eyes, gasping at what he saw. He was no longer in his manor, but in a random alleyway, rain crashing down on him and the same thunder rumbling above. “how did i-” Walter flinched at the rolling cry of thunder and he shook his head, his hair already soaked along with his clothes.”…get here?”

If he was human, he would’ve been freezing, but even then he felt the nip of the cold rain at his fingertips. No matter, he needed to get somewhere dry, and hopefully warm. He didn’t feel the cold but he didn’t really like it either, at least in this way.

He let out a harsh breath as a car flew past as he stumbled out of the alleyway, hitting a large puddle and soaking Walter even further to the bone “…fucking cars” Walter groaned, flicking his hands about in a futile way to rid them of water; he cringed at the mess on his shirt, half of that water was fucking mud, and now he was filthy.

“Where the fuck am I?” he asked himself, turning on his heels for any sign of where he was, he didn’t see anything so far, but he wasn’t in Whitby that was for sure. He attempted to find the main road or something because as far as he could tell, he was on some sort of back road or closed neighborhood or…something.

Walter sighed, for once-he wished he had some sort of-device, that would allow him to pin-point his location. Oliver time and time again had attempted to convince him ‘phones’ weren’t all that bad, but time and time again, Walter refused; he hated technology. (though he did have to admit, movies were fun)

But now-damn a phone would’ve been useful.

Finally, after what felt like forever, he found the main road, and he was in some sort of city, surrounded by tall buildings and hundreds of screens and lights.

….

How in the hell did he get to New York city?!?!?!

Walter groaned, rubbing his head, rain still falling like there was no tomorrow. He was in fucking New York city, how he got there? He had no clue. How he was going to get home? That he also didn’t know.

He didn’t have any money, or his passport, or anything else on him. (yes he had a passport, even as a vampire he did still have to be a visible ‘human’ otherwise someone would get suspicious). He was fucked to put it plainly.

Walter grunted as someone pushed into his back, sending him slightly towards the busy road. “hey-“ he snapped, forgetting his manners since-it was likely no one would know him here…though Evelyn Alexander did live within new York city, so he should probably be a bit careful in how he acted.

He glared at the passing stranger, their hands above their head in an attempt to protect themselves from the weather; they probably didn’t even realize he was there. Walter huffed, shaking his head again and brushing his hair back out of his eyes, squinting as he tried to look around through the sheets of rain.

He knew some of the extended family of the 3 great families lived in New York, he could possibly get in contact with one of them, most likely the Alexander’s at best. But also he knew the Alexander’s here weren't really involved with the pact-they knew about it and kept quiet, but they weren’t…into it to say the least.

But still, it would be the best option. He just had to figure out where the hell to go to find one.

He went to turn and find some sort of-map, when he was shoved again, this time very harshly as a hand attempted to sneak his non-existent wallet off him. Walter fell back towards the road, his eyes widening as fear stuck into his chest-two large beams of light was heading right for him, and while he had incredible speed and reaction times-he really had no time to react.

Walter snapped his eyes shut, he knew he would survive the hit, but damn it wouldn’t hurt any less. Time seemed to slow down as he fell towards the street and a truck sped towards him, honking all the while as people passing by gasped in fright.

He felt a hand grab his soaked button-up and tug him back towards the sidewalk, he could feel the rush of air as the truck zoomed by-just moments after his head passed the threshold. “holy shit!” whoever it was grabbed him yelped, having used so much force he and the voice stumbled back to the ground, Walter ending up on top. “WATCH WHERE YOU PUSH YOU FUCKER!” the voice yelled, and Walter winced as it cracked through the pouring rain, he looked up, seeing whoever had pushed him was booking it down the street-though they did trip and face plant thanks to the rain.

Walter pushed himself off whoever had saved him, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. “Are-are you okay?” The voice asked, resting their hand on his shoulder, the rain suddenly no longer crashing on his head. He looked up, an umbrella, he looked at the voice, seeing a pair of striking (e/c) eyes staring back at him, concerned and….surprised? as if they didn’t expect to see…him. specifically.

“I’m fine, thank you” he muttered, slowly standing up with the girl as she grasped his arm and helped him up, keeping the umbrella over the both of them. “you don’t look, fine” the girl muttered, scanning over his soaked visage “you got somewhere to stay? I assume you do but-“ she shrugged, pursing her lips slightly.

Walter huffed, slicking back his hair again. He did have a plan, but-with how this rain was-he wouldn’t be able to execute it until it stopped “no-no I don’t, are you offering?” Walter laughed, he knew he had a-charm to him, and was quite the vision-but for a random girl to invite him into her home? Just because he was soaking wet and almost ‘died’?

“yes, I’m just downtown-I called an uber actually. Promise you’re not a serial killer?” the girl joked, laughing as Walter nodded, holding up his hands to show he had no weapons. He didn’t know why, but he felt such-ease-at acting so human with this girl, it gave him hope that he could easily fool Evelyn when the time came. “Awesome, shit-there it is, let's go” she grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the black car that had pulled up to the curb, the driver inside calling out the girl's name.

“For (y/n)!?” the male called, his dark brows furrowing as he squinted through the rain “yep! Joseph I presume?” the girl, (y/n), called back, nodding as the driver nodded and unlocked the door. (y/n) tugged Walter into the car with her and closed the umbrella before they settled in, towels lining the leather seats. “Thank you so much”

Joseph nodded, keeping his eyes peeled as he attempted to move back into the main road, sighing as a car sped right by him. Walter sighed at the warmth of the car, grabbing a dry towel from the middle seat and rubbing his hair with it, noting there was a little sign on the back of the seats to tell the riders to toss the towels in the back after being used.

“you just let a complete stranger into your-” Walter struggled to remember the word this, (y/n), had used a moment before “uber, and planning to let him into your house” he turned to her, furrowing his brows as (y/n) just snorted “how do you know I wasn’t lying about being a serial killer?”

(y/n) grinned, leaning towards him “I like to believe in people, plus; what are the chances that we're both, serial killers” Walter couldn’t help it, he laughed, his nose scrunching as (y/n) nodded, happy she had eased the slight tension as Joseph finally pulled out into the road and began making his way downtown.

“I’m (y/n), by the way” (y/n) introduced herself, holding out her hand to Walter, he nodded with a polite smile and a tense jaw; reminding himself that he needed to keep calm as (y/n)’s scent floated towards him. “I’m Walter, Walter Deville.”

Surprise flooded (y/n)’s eyes, and her hand twitched in his “As in-Lord Deville?” (y/n) asked, her voice quiet, but calm. Walter nodded, so it did seem he was a bit more…known, than he thought he was. “yes, that would be me.” (y/n) stared at him for a moment, then nodded; squeezing his hand lightly before pulling back “Nice to meet you, Walter.”

“Same to you, (y/n).” Walter muttered back, keeping his eyes on (y/n) as she huddled in her corner of the car, a slight flush growing on her cheeks. He could hear her heart speed up, her blood flowing rapidly to her face and…oh~oh well, this was interesting ~

-

Walter slid off his shoes as he stepped into (y/n)’s apartment, sniffing as he glanced around the two-bedroom apartment. “it’s not much I know, but-pretty much the best a college dropout can afford on a three-job paycheck” Walter hummed, taking the towel (y/n) handed him and starting to dry off, keeping near the doorway as (y/n) went about turning on her heating and starting a small pot of water.

(y/n) sighed, clapping her hands together then taking off her large coat and shoving it in her closet “Well uh, make yourself at home, if you need to call anyone, I do have a landline” Walter hummed again, whatever the hell a landline was. “I dunno how you clean your clothes but I do have a washer n dryer set in the other room, so-if you need to, you can get your stuff dry”

Walter nodded again, shaking his head as he pulled the towel away from his head; sighing as he watched (y/n) move about her apartment, pulling out the couch until it was a full bed “uh, you can take my bed for the night, if you want-I’ll just” she gestured to the bed, and Walter felt a bit…honored? Yes he was a lord and she apparently knew who he was, but she still offered her actual bed over just having him sleep on the couch.

“Thank you, I’ll take you up on that offer,” Walter said with a smooth smile, showing his teeth slightly. He heard (y/n)’s heart rate speed up again and he had to hold back a chuckle, watching as (y/n) turned away from his eyes, her hands tight at her side as she practically rushed back to the kitchen; taking off the top from her pot of now boiling water and tossing in some pasta she had pre-prepared.

“Are you hungry at all? I-I haven’t gone grocery shopping in a bit, but-I do have” she pulled open her fridge, clicking her tongue “…food?” it sounded like a question, as if whatever was in her fridge wasn’t actually food. Walter hummed taking off his button-up and setting it on the towel he had laid out on the edge of the couch. (y/n) glanced back at him, and he heard her breath catch as her eyes caught onto his now exposed arms, a tank top covering his torso. “I could eat”

Which yes, yes he very much could.

“c-cool, uh, is spaghetti and garlic bread okay?” Walter had to hold back a snort at the mention of garlic bread, to this day-he still didn’t know who had started that ‘vampires are deathly allergic to garlic’ thing, in fact-it was one of the few human foods he genuinely enjoyed nowadays.

But still-he nodded to her stuttered question, taking off his belt and setting it with his shirt “do you have any extra clothes I could borrow? I’d rather not stand in a towel for an hour while my clothes dry” Walter hummed out, very much enjoying the flush that appeared on (y/n)’s ears as her shoulders tensed at the idea of him being in nothing but a towel.

“I uh-yes-yes I do, I’ll be right back-could-could you stir the pasta while I do that? Thanks!” she ran to her bedroom before Walter could answer and Walter hummed, walking into the kitchen and stirring the pot of boiling water and spaghetti. He heard a small squeal from (y/n)’s room, to him almost sounding as if it had come from right behind him, chuckling to himself as he heard (y/n) fumble and trip over whatever was in her room-most likely cleaning it up and gathering clothes.

Soon the timer went up and Walter turned the stove off, his hands on his hips as he waited, and hoped, (y/n) would be back out soon and do whatever she needed to do with the pasta. A minute went by, and Walter huffed, taking the pot and pouring it into a strainer, leaving the pasta in the strainer as he went to lean against the kitchen doorway.

“Okay! Okay, took me a minute but-here” (y/n) finally came bounding back into the room, huffing slightly from whatever effort she had put into cleaning her room and finding some clothes; handing him a pair of black sweat pants, and a black t-shirt, along with an unopened pack of boxers. “uh, hopefully, those fit, you-you can either change in the bathroom or the bedroom” (y/n) danced around him and finished up making her pasta, taking the garlic bread out of the oven and starting the sauce.

Walter watched her for a moment, then smirked, he could easily use her little…interest in him, to his advantage. But first, he should change. He went into the bedroom like (y/n) offered, taking off his tank top and pants, sniffing as he peeled the soaked fabric away from his legs. He noticed a towel sitting on the end of the bed and grabbed it, quickly drying his skin before he put the offered clothes on.

As he shoved on the t-shirt, his eyes caught onto a large plastic picture that sat on the inside of (y/n)’s door, and…it…it was-him?? but it wasn’t him, but that was clearly him. “What the fuck?” Walter grumbled, studying the picture closer, narrowing his eyes at the branding in the corner of the picture.

BTB

His eyes drew back up to his face. That was him, or at least-someone who looked exactly like him. something told him, he wasn’t supposed to see this right now; that (y/n) had meant to hide this. His eyes narrowed, (y/n) knew more than she let on; he was going to find out what exactly she knew.

And he knew exactly how he could do that; her attraction was going to be very…helpful, to him.

-

It had been a week since Walter’s arrival, and-you still didn’t know how to explain to yourself; how he got here. Because-in all realities, he shouldn’t. He was a fictional fucking character, played by your favorite male actor Thomas Doherty. Who was in fucking Cincinnati at the moment, and had a beard.

So-Walter fucking Deville, was in your apartment, and you had a feeling; he was onto you knowing more than what you told him. He had been non-stop watching you for the past week, like a hungry tiger waiting for its meal to grow tired, waiting for you to weaken.

Like a vampire waiting for its meal to just-give up.

And it both made you want to shiver in fear, and want. It was no secret to any of your friends, online or otherwise; that you had it bad for the Scottish actor and his characters, and damn there was something about the sadisticness of Walter Deville that Thomas had portrayed, that just made you want to-fuck there your mind went again, right into the gutter.

You sighed, rubbing the back of your head, you had tried to play it cool this last week, attempting to help Walter find the non-existent families that resided in New York. In his world, they probably did very much exist, but here? he was nothing but a character on a screen, with his actor several states away. But the further along he waited for any Alexander, Billington, or Klopstock-to help him get back to England; the more impatient he got. It had only been a week and yet you could see the demon within slowly begin to creep out, his eyes getting darker and darker by the day.

Should you be scared for your life? Probably. Were you? No. were you horny as all fuckin hell for the actual blood-sucking vampire that was taking residence in your apartment? Yes, yes you were, and you were lowkey beating yourself up over it.

You just hoped he hadn’t seen that one Thomas Doherty poster you had forgotten to take down when cleaning up your room; you really only had two others than that one-sexy-ass black-and-white one. Both of them being Harry Hook since-I mean why the hell not?

You sighed, cracking your neck and rolling your shoulders, unlocking the door to your apartment and stepping inside “Walter?” you called out gently, a hint of nervousness seeping into your voice at the darkness that had taken over your living room “I’m home, I brought dinner”

You kneeled down to take off your shoes, setting down your takeout on the couch as you did. When you stood up, there he was, eyes gleaming like the devil. You gasped, choking a bit as his clawed hand took your throat and pushed you against the door.

“W-Walt-“ your voice was cut off at the press of his palm, his fangs gleaming in the dim light that came from your dropped phone. “You,” Walter started, his voice smooth and alluring, but no longer hiding the danger that lurked within “are going to tell me, everything. I’ve gotten tired of playing this little-game, of yours. Now,” he squeezed your throat and you coughed, grabbing his wrist; hoping he would let you go just a little bit. “Talk.”

You just stared at him, his palm still pressed against your throat, keeping your voice from presenting itself. You then patted his hand twice as he glared at you, he sighed “right, you mortals need air” Walter grumbled out, removing his palm but not his hand, keeping his eyes on yours.

You cleared your throat, taking a deep breath before you sighed “what-what exactly do you want to know?” Walter almost looked surprised you were willing to talk, enough to take his hand off your neck and move it to simply press against your collarbone. “you know who I am, How?”

You pursed your lips, how in the fuck were you going to explain multi-dimensional travel to someone who was from the 15th century at the best? When you didn’t know how to even explain it to yourself? “I….you had the ask the toughest question first?” you groaned, letting your head drop slightly, your chin grazing against his hand.

Walter blinked, how would that be the toughest question? “could-could you let me go for a second, I need to grab something” you muttered, and Walter narrowed his eyes, but did as asked, watching you like…well like a hungry vampire as you walked further into the living room and grabbed a particular movie case.

You walked back over to Walter and handed him the case, sighing as he slowly took it; his eyes going wide. “The Invitation?” he muttered, looking down at Evelyn Alexander's face, and his own; two fingers resting against his lips as Evie looked to be mid-transformation, dressed in her soon-to-be wedding attire. “you-you’re from a movie, for me at least” you jumped into explanation, tapping the case, and then going down to the starring description, where his actor’s name sat with Evie’s. “a character from a fictional story inspired by Dracula ‘n all that. It's why you can't find any of the families, they don’t exist here…you’re technically not supposed to exist.”

You pulled out your phone, taking the chance of Walter’s shocked form to look up Thomas Doherty’s Instagram, showing Walter his own actor, and he recognized him as the man from the black and white poster he saw earlier that week before you took it down. “nothing but a character eh?” Walter muttered, looking back down at the movie case, flipping it over in his hands a few times “well….fuck”

His claws and fangs retracted, for once-he felt…helpless, he wasn’t just in New York, he was in a separate dimension from his own; New York. But his questions now changed, because now he knew how you knew him…but the question now was; “Why did you let me into your home? You know what I am” he took a step closer to you, nearly trapping you against the couch, lifting the case into your vision, both sets of his eyes dark “Why would you take such a risk? Hmm?” he knew exactly why you did it now, but he wanted to hear it from your lips.

“i-i-um” you stuttered, your face heating up as Walter got closer, dropping the case as he did so, his arms caging your sides. Walter smirked, tilting his head, his fangs starting to peek out. You stared into his eyes, that ocean blue nearly overtaken by a void of black. You looked away, tucking your chin into your shoulder; your breath shuddering as his clawed fingers took your jaw and gently pulled you back to look you in the eyes “Could it be?” Walter purred, getting even closer, enough to where you could feel his breath on your face “That you have some-feelings, for me? Feelings one shouldn’t have for someone like…me”

He smirked, his fangs fully visible now, he could hear the blood rushing through your body, accumulating in your face and between your thighs. He stuck his knee between your legs, his thigh pressing against your pulsing core. Walter chuckled, tilting his head the other way as he watched your breath stutter and your eyes flicker to his lips “I suppose I should thank you, for giving me such hospitality; taking me in when you knew exactly what I have done, or will do” he leaned even closer, his lips moving towards your ear, fangs grazing your skin.

You huffed, hands reaching up to grab his biceps, squeaking as he rubbed his thigh against you. “Fuck” you huffed, letting your head fall back as Walter trailed his lips against your jaw and upper neck. His teeth grazed your skin and you whimpered, clutching onto his arms. He smirked against you, and hummed before his fangs punctured your skin; his arms wrapping around you as your blood flooded into his mouth, his body humming wonderfully as he ate for the first time since before his arrival.

He could tell you were enjoying this, your body humming with painful pleasure, your hips rocking against his thigh as he drank your blood, satisfying his own need while giving you a taste of your darkest desires. “you like this, you want this, don’t you?” Walter huffed as he pulled away from your neck, everything within him screaming to dive back in, to give you what you both wanted.

You just huffed, eyes closed as your head lugged to the side, a small bit of drool accumulating in the corner of your lips. Walter smirked, releasing your body and stepping back, watching as you caught yourself on the couch. “wh-wha-“ you couldn’t think of any words, your mind a haze of lust and confusion.

Walter just smirked, reaching forward and delicately taking your chin, rubbing his thumb against your skin “just say the words, and I’ll do as you wish~” you huffed, looking into his eyes, and he smirked at yours; fully dilated. You lunged forward, grabbing his collar and pulling him towards you, stopping just before his lips could meet yours “fuck me up, please”

Walter chuckled darkly and kissed you, hard. You could feel his fangs against your bottom lip, gasping as he bit into it gently and pulled, slowly pushing you away from the couch and towards your bedroom. You gasped as he picked you up and tossed you on your bed, on top of you within a blink, his hands exploring your body as his mouth went on your neck, drawing more of your blood into his mouth.

He groaned at the taste; it was nothing like he had before; it felt like when he had tried a raspberry Danish for the first time. Delightful and full of sin, begging him to devour every last morsel. Your hands twitched around his shoulders, wanting to run your fingers through his soft-looking hair; gasping as his hips pressed into yours, a hardness making itself known in his pants.

Gods, it felt like you were dreaming, you were going to fuck one of your fictional crushes, who was a vampire; who was feeding off your blood as he felt you up.

It felt like one of your fanfictions come to life, which-to you-fuck yeah.

Watler pulled away from your neck, getting to work on taking off his top, smirking as you rushed to take off yours, getting caught on your earrings for a moment before it joined Walter's button-up on the floor.

Walter licked his lips, wiping his chin clean of your blood and smearing it on the skin of your breasts, leaning down and sucking the stained skin into his mouth, rolling his hips into yours. He smirked as you moaned softly, his hands easily sneaking around your back and slipping off your bra.

He took a nipple into his mouth, closing his eyes and biting the hardened nub softly, his hands explored your thighs, unbuttoning your pants and pulling them down, his mouth attached to your breasts all the while.

“you’re fucking delicious” Walter grumbled, his mind starting to haze over with lust and bloodlust, for you. He wouldn’t deny himself; he had been attracted to you upon your sudden introduction; and he was all too happy to oblige to his desires when they met yours all too easily.

“Good to know” you huffed back, finally giving in to that voice in the back of your head and threading your fingers through Walter's hair. Your breath stuttered as he smeared more of your blood on your breasts and lower tummy, sucking and licking it clean as he stuck his clean hand into your underwear, his finger teasing your clit; chuckling as he felt how soaked you already were.

“So fucking wet for me, how long have you imagined this? Imagined me taking you, drinking your blood as I fucked you” his hand stained with your blood closed around your neck, pressing just enough for you to feel it but not to cut off your airflow. You stared up at him, your face feeling hotter than it ever had with any other dude or woman you had been with. “With how warm your body is, how fast your heart is, with each catch of your breath” his hand trailed down your body, the other still playing with your clit, slowly dragging down till they mean your dripping entrance. “you’ve been wanting this since you first saw me~ am I right? Naughty girl~”

You scrunched your face a bit, covering it with your arm and holding back a scream of cringe. It definitely sent butterflies through your tummy but also-damn did that sound so fucking weird. Walter couldn’t help but chuckle at your reaction, he noted that you had less of a wanted reaction to that and more of a ‘please never say that again’ reaction.

Walter took your now bare leg, leaning down and kissing your thigh, pressing his lips against it, his fangs grazing your skin before he bit in; moaning as your taste flooded his mouth again. You groaned, sparks of pained pleasure running down your spine. “fuck” you grumbled, leaning up on your elbows as you watched Walter indulge himself on you with half-lidded eyes.

He pulled away with a near struggled gasp, licking your new wound clean and then kissing the curve of your knee, grinning down at you as you watched him with blown pupils. Faster than you could blink, he was on your cunt, taking your clit into his mouth and sucking hard; you bucked your hips with a loud curse, your legs locking around his back as his fingers slipped inside with no resistance. His nails were normal thank the gods, the pads of his fingers finding that spot and curling into it as he dutifully licked and sucked your clit, sending shocks through your navel and spine.

You tried to cover your mouth to hide the noises that were coming from you, but Walter grabbed your wrist and moved it back to his hair; pulling away from your clit to growl out a few words “no hiding” he huffed out, chin and mouth soaked with you.

His hands grabbed your hips, diving back into your cunt and eating you out as if you were going to be his final meal. You let your moans flow freely now, your hands threading through Walter's dark hair as if he was your anchor; feeling that coil in your gut tighten with each flick on your clit, every press against your g-spot, warmth flooding your body and face until everything snapped.

Your stomach contracted, legs pressing against either side of Walter’s head as you came; vision going white and hearing going out. “FUCK!” you breathed out loudly, panting as Walter gave a final few flicks on your clit with his tongue to guide you through your orgasm, sitting up with a proud smirk.

Your legs were moved to sit on either side of his hips as he moved up your body, his hands tracing your sides as he snuck up to your face, kissing your neck bite before he kissed you, forcing you to taste your cum and blood.

A bit gross, but gods with how fucked your head was right now, it was hot. You watched through half-lidded eyes as Walter stripped his pants, choking on your breath as his long and thick cock made itself known, a bead of precum trailing down the veined shaft. He chuckled at your reaction, stroking himself as he enjoyed your eyes trailing every bit of his body.

He sat back on his heels as you reached back towards your nightstand, pulling the drawer out with some difficulty and grabbing a handful of condoms “i-uh-size?” you squeaked out, holding up several different sizes of condoms; Walter chuckled, he had become infertile upon his transformation but it was better safe than sorry. He took the appropriate condom and ripped the packaging open with his teeth, sliding the condom on and then grabbing your legs.

“Let's get into the good stuff, shall we?” Walter purred, his fangs and lips stained with your blood. You huffed, biting your lip as Walter took himself and aligned his cock with your cunt, groaning as he pushed into your heated and soaking entrance. “Fuck!“ you gasped, your hands reaching out and grabbing his shoulders, cheeks blazing hot as Walter slowly pulled back out, chuckling as your cunt clenched tightly around him; as if trying to keep him inside.

“Fuck, you’re so warm” Walter grumbled, setting one hand on your hip and the other on your tummy, beginning a slow and sensual pace, his hips meeting yours every few seconds. You gasped and moaned with each push and pull of his hips, he felt so big inside you; another painful pleasure that soon bleed into wonderful pleasure.

His pace picked up slightly, his eyes on your chest as it bounced with his hips, your blood had dried along your skin by now, though it shimmered with his spit and your sweat. Your hands grabbed his wrist that connected to his hand on your tummy, your body so warm underneath him. “ah-ah-fuck-shit-fuck-ah-ahhh!”

Walter hummed, a low growl in his voice, leaning down to press his body against yours, taking your earlier bite wound in his mouth and sucking hard, reopening the marks and letting your sinfully delicious blood into his mouth. You moaned loudly, clearly enjoying the feeling of being fucked and fed on at the same time. Walter chuckled, rutting his hips into you, licking his lips as he pulled away from your neck.

“so fucking warm, and wet-so fucking delicious,” Walter growled, his claws pressing into your soft skin, not puncturing but it would leave a mark. “I think I’ll keep you,” Walter muttered, enjoying the whimper that came from your lips as he gave a particularly hard thrust. “doll you up, make you my little plaything, give you all you desire~” he was rambling now, just letting his mouth(more like his dick) speak its mind.

He took your breast into his mouth, his fangs breaking the skin and allowing more of your blood to flow into his mouth. You felt that coil snap, a loud and broken moan spilling from your lips as you came from his words and bite; clenching down on his cock as you did. Walter groaned at the feeling, his hips stuttering as he felt himself get to that peak, your hands running through his hair and scratching his scalp sending him over the edge.

His hips pressed firmly into yours, coming into the condom, a small string of old-world curse words spilling from his lips that were still attached to your bloodied breast. You both laid there for a few moments, one breathing heavily as the other took a few deep breaths then sat themselves up, Walter chuckling at the mess he made; with not just your blood, but of you in general.

You were covered in blood and bite marks, your legs twitching as you came down from your high. “Fuck” you croaked out, slowly reaching up to your face to rub it as Walter pulled out, taking off the condom, tying it, and tossing it in the trash.

“So what do you say?” Walter asked gently, leaning down to clean the wounds he had made, his fangs and claws still fully visible. You furrowed your brows, opening your eyes to see Walter licking your chest clean, his eyes dark as a midnight ocean. You wondered what he meant before you remember his small ramble from only moments before; ‘I think I’ll keep you, doll you up, make you my little plaything, give you all you desire~’

“You-you were serious?” you asked quietly, feeling so very tired; most likely from him feeding, but also from the tiring activity. Walter hummed with a nod, cleaning your neck next, kissing the set of puncture wounds before he made his way down to your thigh. “why-why me? I mean-you-you’re probably waiting for-for Evie, right? I-“ Walter’s eyes flashed up to you, flickering dangerously.

You watched him for a moment, licking your swollen lips; before sighing “I’m just…some girl from New York, I don’t have special blood or anything I just….I’m just-normal-not special.” Walter laughed, as if you said something so preposterous! His head was thrown back, his fangs gleaming in the dim light of your room, your blood dripping down his chin and neck.

“not special?” Walter cooed, leaning down and softly biting your jaw, his hands curling up your arms; gently squeezing you “oh darling, you are far from that-foolish yes, you took in a man you knew to be a monster-but you are far from normal, for that same reason. And you must know; I do have a fondness for exquisite art pieces” Walter finished with a hum, leaning over you with enchanting eyes, hoping his words would sway you to accept his proposal.

He knew it wasn’t love, he hadn’t had the ability to since before his turn; but he did want to keep you, to give you pretty dresses, keep you fed, happy, warm, like a precious art piece to be admired and kept well. “You will be protected, you will never have to worry for anything ever again, food, money, anything; all you have to do-is say yes” Walter whispered, his breath fanning across your face.

You stared back at him, chest rising heavily as you took in his dark ocean eyes. “and-and what will you get in return?” you whispered, looking at his bloodstained lips for a moment, taking a sharp breath as Walter smirked dangerously “simple, you will keep me fed, and I get to fuck you as I wish-of course-when you are feeling the same; even demons need consent”

You swallowed hard, your eyes flickering about your room; were you actually going to do this? Abandon your life to become a prized possession of the Walter Deville? A man named for the devil? A vampire?

“if I say yes” you whispered, feeling his lips brush against yours as you looked back at him “how-how are we even going to get back to your world?” Walter just hummed, he just-had a feeling-once you gave your answer, he would soon be returned home.

Something told him that’s why he had been sent there in the first place, a lesson of sorts-for what? he didn’t know, but he didn’t care. he just wanted you.

You pouted a bit at his non-answer, letting your head fall back into your pillow as Walter’s mouth explored your jaw and neck. You would be leaving behind…a lot, you would think. Three jobs, your nice coworkers that had become friends, your few family members you were still in contact with, the apartment you had worked so hard for; and your potential future.

…eh-fuck it-this world was going to shit anyway-might as well enjoy it with a devilishly handsome vampire who was gonna treat you like a fancy feast to enjoy over a long period of time. “okay” you finally whispered, smiling as Walter sat up quickly, his eyes almost surprised “I accept”

Walter grinned, dangerous yet excited, and kissed you; his hands cradling your jaw as he did. You huffed slightly as he pulled away, watching as he stood and nearly skipped into your bathroom, grabbing a few washcloths and getting them damp with warm water; returning with that same grin. You smiled back, letting him clean you up and attend to your multiple bite marks.

You had a feeling that this aftercare was only a preview for how you were to be treated within New Carfax Abbey. You swayed slightly as the blood loss started rearing its ugly head, watching with slightly blurred vision as Walter put his underwear and pants back on; leaving your room only to return with some apple juice and your takeout.

“drink, eat” he whispered, looking human once more as you obeyed his soft command. After you ate and drank, you felt much better-still tired-but better. “sleep, I’ll be here in the morning” Walter said, not a command-simply a suggestion, moving to lie next to you in your full bed, pulling you to lie halfway on his chest, his arm going under your pillow.

For a man who couldn’t feel love, he knew how to give illusion to it.

You hummed against him, letting your body relax and fall into the void of sleep. You wondered what would happen to your stuff when you went to leave this world with him.

Walter gazed down at you, his fingers caressing your cheek and jaw; he wondered how such a human-like you had somehow cracked his dead heart open and made her own little spot inside. Again, he knew he wasn’t in love, but in lust-but, he felt such a fondness for you. One he hadn’t felt since he was human.

His mind wandered back to that thought he had earlier, of him being in this world was a lesson for something. Maybe this was that lesson, learning to be human again. He smirked at the thought-why would he want to be human, when the human in his arms was happy enough with a monster?

As Walter closed his eyes to join you in sleep, thunder and lightning rolled in from the night sky, a flash of lightning overtaking his vision before everything faded out.

-

Your eyes opened to a much large bed; the spot next to you a faded warmth. You sat up, rubbing your eyes as the morning sun beamed through the almost closed curtains of the grand room. You were in the manor, you had to be-this room was nearly as big as your apartment kitchen and living room combined.

“He kept his word” you yawned out, stretching slightly, your arms plopping over your head as you noticed the very familiar items that sat around the room. All of which being items that had been in your room back in your apartment. “Cool” you muttered, so you got to keep your stuff, that was very much a plus.

You perked up as the door opened, Walter stepping in as quietly as he could, a silver tray in his hands. He smirked when he saw you were awake, his fangs visible. “Good morning, and before you ask; no, I don’t know how we got back or how your stuff is here, but, I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth” Walter chuckled, walking over to your side of the queen-sized bed and resting the tray filled with breakfast food on the nightstand.

You hummed in agreement, looking up as his fingers grazed your chin, closing your eyes to accept his kiss “Eat, I will not feed from you again until you have regained what I have taken” you hummed in acknowledgment, waiting for Walter to step back slightly before eagerly digging into the food he had brought you.

“I have told Viktoria and Lucy about you, just so they don’t go after you thinking you’re a regular…feeder” Walter muttered, voice suddenly all business as he stood and went about making sure the suite you had ended up in was good enough. You hummed, pursing your lips at the thought of Viktoria. Lucy? Gods, you would be ecstatic to meet her. But Viktoria very much seemed like a woman who did not want to share, and even with a warning from Walter- she would kill you the first chance she got for you taking just a bit of Walter's time from her.

“If Viktoria does try anything, tell me immediately, she's been” Walter struggled to find the word, walking back over to you and taking your cheek, his eyes off into a random corner as his thumb caressed your skin. You looked up at him, still happily eating the food you had been given. “Getting too comfortable being defiant towards me. She has yet to realize she's easily replaceable compared to the Alexander brides, I’m pretty sure several of the Klopstock girls have offered their hand.”

You snorted at the thought, couching as a bit of food went down your windpipe but you easily cleared it as Walter glanced down at you “Don’t die on me now, you just got here” you laughed at his almost not a joke, making Walter smile as you shook your head and said; “don’t plan to, I’ll be here as long as you allow me”

Walter looked very happy at the notion and kissed the top of your head “Wonderful, now; what style of dress do you like?”

-end-

Okay-I had-so much fun with this request????? Like-I thought I was gonna have some trouble with it but DAMN the words just flowed after I got past the first quarter, im very happy with the spice and the after bit as well~~~~ onto the next one!

 taglist????? again-i dunno who wants to be perm tagged for smut-yall like-gotta tell me this shit okay?? not a mind reader

but @crazy4books1​ 

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

Twin!AU Part 3:

Hunith and Uther alike have to face the consequences of their actions, Merlin (and everyone, really) decides that family doesn’t end in blood.

Part 1   Part 2

TW: Suicidal ideation (mostly past, but it sort of... flairs up a little here I guess)

Hunith’s face falls and she physically recoils at Merlin’s harsh declaration.

His hard gaze doesn’t leave her, even as she glances at Arthur, a little behind Merlin and to his side. The blonde has his gaze fixed on Hunith, but he looks away the moment they make eye contact, unable to stand the confused pain in her expression:

“Merlin? What happened?”

Lancelot and Percival approach slowly after handing the horses off to a couple of stablehands, and Gwaine puts his hand on Merlin’s shoulder, not that The Warlock notices; he clenches his jaw tightly before speaking, but continues resisting the urge to look away:

“You lied to me. About everything.”

Hunith’s eyes go wide and she gulps, opening her mouth and shutting it again as she struggles to think of a response. It’s then that Merlin finally looks away, gazing over the top of her head at the empty courtyard. Arthur quietly intervenes, his authoritative voice full of warring emotions despite it’s low volume:

“We should take this somewhere more private.”

Merlin doesn’t even nod, just turns around and walks back towards the castle, hands clenched tightly at his side before he pushes the doors open and stalks in without looking back. Gwaine and Arthur share a concerned look before the older knight rushes after him. Arthur gestures for Hunith to go first, but not without stopping her with a hand on her shoulder, and a muttered, almost teary:

“You had no right.”

Her face falls even further, but The Regent steps back and looks away before she can reply, and she timidly hurries through the door after Merlin and Gwaine. Arthur gives Lancelot and Percival a pointed look:

“I imagine we’ll be in my chambers, make sure we are undisturbed. I don’t want anyone interrupting unless the world is about to end. Let Leon and Morgana know that they can take charge of any meetings today.”

They both nod, but Lancelot jogs up the steps to stop Arthur before he can leave:

“I... know what she did was wrong, but don’t let Merlin be too harsh. He’s always been close to his mother, he’ll regret it later if he pushes her away completely.”

Arthur almost snaps out something about how Hunith isn’t Merlin’s mother, but he keeps it to himself, sighing and nodding:

“Yeah, I know, but she... she needs to know what this has done to him, how much he’s suffered needlessly because of this. There isn’t... I know she probably just did what she thought was right but... she needs to know. Merlin deserves an apology, and he certainly deserves the truth.”

Lancelot nods hesitatingly, but doesn’t say anything else, stepping aside to allow The Regent through. He catches up to the others just as Merlin slams the door open to his chambers, continuing to not look back as he heads over to the large dining table, leaning his hand against the back of one of the chairs and staring towards the window.

Gwaine and Arthur approach slowly, standing either side of him but not touching him as they wait in suspense for someone to start the conversation. Hunith already has tears in her eyes as she stands on the other side of the table, trying and failing to get Merlin to look at her. The harsh glare he laid on her before was horrific, but this... him being unable to look at her at all, that is worse:

“Merlin, please, I only did what-”

She’s cut off by Merlin’s harsh instruction:

“Sit.”

She glances to Arthur once more, but he just nods wordlessly at the chair in front of her; the only sounds in the room are the scraping of the chair on the stone floor and Merlin’s laboured breathing. He was evidently trying very hard to hold his anger in, and when he says nothing more once she’s sat down, Gwaine puts his hand back on his shoulder. He shrugs it off, finally turning to face Hunith but remaining unable to look in her eyes:

“Why?”

A tears slips loose from her eye and she sniffles, taking a deep, shaky breath and fiddling with her hands on the table. Arthur absent-mindedly wonders if Merlin would still do that too if he’d been raised with his actual family, if it was natural, or if he’d picked it up from her:

“Please, Merlin, I’m so sorry, I didn’t-”

Merlin takes in a sharp breath, tightening his gip on the chair in a way that looks painful, shaking his head:

“No. No apologies, no excuses. I want to know exactly why you lied to me, why you took this from me.”

His voice is deadly in a quiet kind of way, like he could snap clean in two and set the world alight at any moment. Gwaine looks worriedly between the other two men, clearly thinking on the same lines as Lancelot, but neither of them notice, Merlin’s gaze stuck to the table and Arthur’s stuck on Hunith:

“I would have told you one day, Merlin, you-”

Merlin finally looks up at her, the blazing fury in his eyes contrasting in a rather horrific manner with the steady stream of tears on his cheeks:

“One day when? Arthur’s known about my magic for ages. I’ve been in Camelot for years, you have had every opportunity.”

Hunith lets out a low sob, but doesn’t look away:

“I didn’t think you were ready, Mer-”

Merlin bites his lip and turns away, running his hands through his hair harshly before turning around again, quick as lightening, and pointing an accusing finger at her:

“No, you weren’t ready! You weren’t ready to face the fact that you lied to me about who I am, because you knew you had no right, because you knew I would be angry!”

Hunith stands, but doesn’t make any moves to approach Merlin at Arthur’s harsh glare and Gwaine’s worried gesture. He doesn’t think Merlin or Arthur would hurt her, he’d never even consider the idea, but he knows that his partner needs space to be angry:

“I didn’t want you to be upset,-”

Merlin scoffs and lets out a sob of his own, wiping his face harshly before responding loudly:

“Gods, I wonder why I would be upset! Maybe because you lied to me about everything?!-”

Hunith shakes her head desperately, but Merlin carries on without pause:

“-You had no right to keep this from me! I grew up alone, with no one but you to rely on because you made me think I was some kind of beast! Keeping me from Camelot, I understand, keeping it from me as I child even, I understand. But you’ve had years of opportunity, you are selfish, a hypocrite and a coward.-”

Hunith looks horrified at his admission, mainly the sudden reveal at how her treatment of Merlin had effected him independently of the lie:

“-I hated myself, I was terrified, I didn’t want to exist, because of you! You made me think I was some kind of unnatural monster and then you sent me to Gaius under the guise of teaching me control, so he could carry on the lie for you! He promised me I wasn’t a monster, that I wasn’t born evil, over and over, but he’s lied to me from the moment I met him, how am I supposed to trust anything he says?! How am I supposed to trust anything you say when I was just some unwanted, throwaway thing that you never asked for, and got rid of at the earliest opportunity?!-”

Gwaine and Arthur stare at Merlin with matching heartbreak in their expressions; it seems that Merlin is upset at more than just the base lie. The New Prince doesn’t even try to stop the tears, his breathing quick and ragged, and after a few moments of thick silence, he takes a deep breath and quietly continues:

“-I didn’t have to be so alone, that was all you, and Gaius, and Kilgharrah, and everyone else who lied to me. When I had nothing, I had you, and you lied to me.-”

Merlin’s voice cracks, his breathing shaky and his face pale as his entire world seemingly crumbles down around him:

“-You took my brother from me and you had no right. You’re not my mother, you’re just as bad as Uther.”

With those last words, he storms from the room, Gwaine hot on his heels. Arthur stays however, feeling the need to comfort the crying woman, but also feeling, maybe slightly cruelly, that she deserves this. He sighs, pushing the though from his mind and moving around to put a hand on her shoulder as she buries her face in her hands, sobbing:

“I... you did your best, I think he knows that, but that doesn’t change what you took from him, from both of us. He needs time.”

She just about manages a nod, and Arthur sighs again, standing awkwardly for a few minutes before he realises she isn’t going to stop any time soon. He gently pushes her to sit back in the chair before heading to the door, following Gwaine and Merlin.

They’re not in the corridor when he shuts the door behind him, but he’s not surprised at that. Merlin has always been private about his true emotions, always kept them close to his chest, he wouldn’t want anyone to see him having a breakdown in the middle of the hall. Months ago, Arthur would have thought it was left over fear of his magic being discovered, but now he bitterly thinks that it probably has more to do with the way he was raised.

He runs a hand through his hair, sparing a glance to the—previously unnoticed—worried looking guards. Thankfully, they were two of the men that had been trusted with the truth (Arthur reminds himself to thank Leon later for paying attention to who was stationed where), so Arthur isn’t too worried at the fact that they had likely overheard the one-sided yelling match. He fixes them with a commanding stare and clears his throat:

“Escort the Lady Hunith to the physician’s chambers when she emerges, leave her with Gaius, but don’t rush her.-”

They bow briefly in acknowledgement of his orders, and his question comes out quietly:

“-Do you know where they went?”

They needn’t ask who, and one of the guards answers lowly, matching Arthur’s volume:

“I think they headed to Sir Gwaine’s chambers, Sire.” 

He nods and mutters a quiet thank you, slowly heading in that direction, knowing he had to go see them but also wanting to give them few extra minutes of privacy. They still had a lot to take care of, they’d missed several council meetings over the last few days, and whilst Arthur trusts Leon and Morgana to keep things rolling, he really should be making regular appearances. That, and they still haven’t dealt with Uther; to be perfectly honest, Arthur is surprised that rumours haven’t started spreading about The King’s disappearance and Arthur’s sudden growth of responsibilities, but he’s grateful. Don’t look a gift Griffin in the mouth or... something.

He finally stops outside the knight’s room—nodding at Lance who wordlessly stands guard in the corridor—before flinching at the quiet crying he can hear from inside. He knocks a few times softly before entering, shutting the door behind him and approaching the bed. Gwaine sits leant against the headboard, tears in his eyes as he holds a shaking Merlin in his arms. The Warlock lays besides Gwaine, in the middle of the bed, his face buried in the knight’s chest and his hands twisted into the fabric of his tunic.

Arthur lets out a deep, mournful breath at the sight of his brother so distraught, and he moves around to the other side of the bed, raising his eyebrow in question at Gwaine and settling next to Merlin at his singular nod. Merlin doesn’t seem to notice his presence, not until Arthur settles a hand on his back and whispers his name. He instantly calms a little, and Gwaine mentally scolds himself for the slight flair of jealousy; Merlin had discovered he has a brother, that his best friend is his brother, it’s no surprise that he calms easier in his presence, especially considering the reveal unburied so much hidden trauma.

After a few more minutes, Merlin turns to be laying on his back, though he makes sure to stay in Gwaine’s embrace. The knight leans down to press a kiss to the top of his head, and though he can’t see it, he can almost feel the slight smile on The Warlock’s face. Arthur moves his hand back to his lap, looking at the two of them out of the corner of his eye; he sees nothing but worry and utter adoration on Gwaine’s face, and he wonders just how he hadn’t approved of their relationship. Gwaine’s whispered words just solidify Arthur’s newfound belief in the man:

“I love you, Merls, no matter what.”

Merlin lets out a quiet, choked laugh, and Gwaine considers that a win, even more so when Merlin responds in kind:

“I love you.”

Despite their relationship not being a particularly new thing, Arthur hadn’t even considered the possibility that they’d reached that far, that their partnership was that solid; perhaps that had something to do with their general lack of PDA, which he had always wondered how Gwaine had put up with. He grimaces with a quiet realisation, but it catches Merlin’s gaze and he raises a questioning eyebrow, his tears thankfully dried. Arthur glances up at Gwaine, who smirks at him knowingly, before looking back down to his brother:

“Making you Crown Prince is something I’m actually quite looking forward to, but I’m going to have to crown Gwaine as well.”

Gwaine snorts in amusement but Merlin turns pink and coughs slightly:

“Well.. we haven’t really discussed marriage, Arthur.”

Arthur looks to him with an apologetic expression:

“Merlin, royals have different courting rules. Royal partnerships tend to be incredibly short before a marriage has to happen. Back when me and Gwen were courting, we hid not only because Uther wouldn’t have approved, but also because we didn’t want to rush things. I’m especially glad we did now, otherwise we would have had to be married by now. The whole kingdom know that you two have been together for at least a year, the moment you’re crowned...”

His voice trails off as he comes to a second, horrifying realisation. He stands from the bed and stares at Gwaine with wide eyes and a pale face:

“Oh my God. Oh my God. If neither me, you, or Morgana have children... once you two have been married... Gwaine will officially be third in line for the throne. Oh... fuck.”

Merlin and Gwaine freeze for just a moment before they burst into loud laughter, and Arthur shakes his head, pacing slightly and not paying attention to the knocking at the door. Lancelot walks in slowly, an amused smile of his face despite his confusion:

“Do I even want to ask?”

Arthur fixes him with an almost distraught gaze before glaring half-heartedly at Merlin:

“Why? Why couldn’t it have been Leon, or Lancelot?? Elyan or Percival?? Hell, I would have been happier with fucking George.”

Gwaine’s laughter gets even louder but Merlin calmly wipes the tears (of laughter, thankfully) from his face and looks to Lancelot with bitten lips and held in hysterics:

“Arthur just realised that once all the crowning ceremonies happen, Gwaine will be third in line for the throne, if I’m the last one to die and there aren’t any children.”

Lance’s eyes go wide and he clamps a hand over his moth in a poor attempt to hold in his laughter. He fails miserably, bursting just like Gwaine and Merlin had moments earlier. Arthur fixes an annoyed glare on him and waves a desperate hand:

“This is not funny.”

Gwaine just shakes his head as he finally manages to calm himself, wiping his face clean and sitting up straight, one hand still on Merlin’s shoulder:

“It’s hilarious, Princess. God imagine Geoffrey’s face. Imagine the council.”

Arthur just takes a deep breath and looks to the ceiling again:

“Fuck. Ok, alright, whatever. That is a problem for another time.-”

He looks back down to Merlin with an apologetic smile, after shooting one last withering glare at a still-smirking Gwaine:

“-You feeling up to council? I’ve missed a fair few, and I think it might be a good idea for you two to start making appearances as well. That and... as much as we’ve told them you have magic, it might be worth showing it off a little.-”

At Merlin’s wide, fearful eyes, Arthur holds his hands out placatingly and hurries to continue:

“-You don’t have to, but they're working on the ban repeal. Obviously not anything huge, but passing jugs or paper or whatever with magic might help desensitise them to the idea. Plus, now that you’re semi-officially royalty, and you have Gwaine or Leon trailing you almost everywhere, no one would dare attack you. And if they do, you have every right to defend yourself in whatever capacity you deem necessary.”

At Merlin’s still nervous face, Lancelot quickly tacks on:

“And they all know that Arthur would go ape-shit if anything were to happen to you.”

Arthur gestures at the knight and nods in agreement, nodding further at Gwaine’s quiet “He’s not the only one.” . Merlin takes a deep breath and shuffles off the bed, standing and straightening his clothes out with unsteady hands:

“Let’s go. You’re right, I’m going to have to get used to stupid council meetings at some point if you’re insisting on crowning me, might as well be now.”

Arthur and Lancelot smile proudly and Gwaine moves to stand at his side, straightening his own clothes before running his hands through Merlin’s hair, flattening and neatening it. Merlin stands still and lets himself be assessed and fixed with a soft smile on his face, and Arthur feels almost as if he were intruding on something personal and domestic, even more so than when they were professing their love for each other; he looks away awkwardly and Lancelot raises an amused eyebrow at him.

The four of them finally exit the room, Arthur and Merlin falling into step besides each other, Gwaine slightly behind them, and Lancelot trailing the three of them with his face pulled into a blank mask and his hand on his sword.

This time, there is no hesitation before they enter the council room, and no raised eyebrows when Merlin takes his rightful place alongside Arthur at the head of the table. Flanked by Morgana, Leon, Lancelot, and Gwaine, Arthur effortlessly takes control of the meeting, hurrying things along with a proud confidence and an easy authority that was slowly but surely being taken on by his brother, at his side.

~

The council session lasts for the remainder of the day, and though at least half of the councilmen yelp, Gaius obviously not included, when Merlin first starts floating things about or magically highlighting words or moving the room’s lighting around with a flick of his wrist, most of them are used to it by the time the sun touches the horizon.

Arthur finally calls an end to the meeting when it gets dark. Though he was in a slightly manic mood and desperate to get as much work done as possible now that he was actually free to attend meetings, he could see that the others, Merlin especially, were flagging. He knew it would happen eventually, he can’t imagine The Warlock has been sleeping much, and he definitely came to some sort of private, horrifying conclusion around half a candle-mark ago. The hitch in Merlin’s breath, the widening of his eyes, and the slight, tiny flair of every candle in the room thankfully went unnoticed by everyone bar Arthur, Gwaine, and Lancelot.

When the room empties of councilmen, Merlin stands and paces away from the table, hands fiddling roughly with his sleeves. Arthur waves Morgana and Leon away, thanking them briefly before nodding pointedly at the door. Lancelot follows shortly, and Arthur has half a mind to send Gwaine away as well, but he knows that would be somewhat selfish as the other man approaches his partner’s turned back:

“Merlin? Something wrong? I thought that went remarkably well.”

Merlin’s head turns quickly, his furrowed brows confused:

“What? What went well?”

Gwaine raises an eyebrow, glancing briefly at the neatly stacked paperwork on the table:

“The meeting? About planning your coronation and the legalisation of magic? That we’ve been in all afternoon?”

Merlin untenses slightly, turning around properly and using one hand to rub at his eyes tiredly:

“Oh, yeah right. It did go well. They didn’t freak out too much at my evil sorcery, did they?”

He tries to go for a joking smirk, but it falls flat, and Arthur walks towards him to put a hand on his brother’s shoulder:

“What’s on your mind?”

Merlin sags even more and Arthur quickly steps forward, gathering the suddenly distraught man in a tight hug. Merlin easily accepts, burying his face in Arthur’s neck and clutching the back of his tunic with shaking hands:

“I compared my mother to Uther. I told her it was her fault that I didn’t want to be alive. She’s never going to forgive me.”

Arthur shuts his eyes, stroking a hand through Merlin’s hair and muttering a quiet:

“Oh, Merlin, she loves you more than anything in this world, there’s nothing to forgive.”

Merlin doesn’t look up, but shakes his head roughly; before he can argue, Gwaine steps around the two of them, pressing a kiss to the nape of Merlin’s neck before stepping back and stroking a soft hand over his back:

“What she did was wrong, Merls, you’re allowed to be angry. And now you’re not so angry anymore you can go sit down with her and talk it out, ok? There was no way that first conversation was going to be anything other than difficult and heartbreaking, but you got through it, and now you can sort it out properly.”

Merlin relaxes just a touch, and Arthur gets the disturbing feeling swelling in his gut that Gwaine knew of Merlin’s (hopefully, former) despairs before the whole... twin thing. When The Warlock finally pulls away, he thankfully looks a little more confident, despite the drying tears on his cheeks; Arthur gives him a soft smile and nods towards the door:

“Tonight, or tomorrow?”

Merlin takes a deep, fortifying breath, and walks towards the door purposefully, wiping his face clean before taking Gwaine’s offered hand in his own:

“Tonight, now. I should... I need to talk to Gaius as well. I’ve been unfairly punishing him for long enough, I think.”

Gwaine smiles understandingly, though Arthur, who rushes to catch up and walk on Merlin’s other side, shakes his head with a frown:

“Not unfairly, Merlin. It would be well within your rights to cut them out of your life for the foreseeable future for this. But I also understand wanting to forgive them so you have more... support. They may not be blood, Merlin, but... they are family, and that’s ok.”

Gwaine gives him an annoyed look at his first words, over Merlin’s shoulder, but doesn’t say anything. Merlin stops in the middle of the hallway, suddenly and without warning, and Gwaine grunts slightly when his arm is pulled back. The Warlock spares him an apologetic smile before turning his gaze to Arthur. Arthur raises an eyebrow, but Merlin tilts his head and frowns:

“Arthur you do know that... I consider you family above all others, right? you’re right, family doesn’t have to be blood,-”

He squeezes Gwaine’s hand, almost subconsciously, and receives a gentle squeeze back:

“-but after what we’ve found out, after all of this, all that we’re doing to... fix it, to fix what was done to us... you’re everything, you’re my brother. Me forgiving Hu... my mother, and Gaius, doesn’t change that I trust you above them, I consider you before them. They’re family, but you’re family first.”

Arthur’s eyes widen slightly at Merlin’s stern assertion, but he wills the tears in his eyes to disappear as he nods once, his jaw clenched with emotion. Merlin smirks slightly and rolls his eyes, muttering something about an “emotionally repressed idiot” before pulling him into an eagerly returned hug. Gwaine just snorts at both of them, happily leaning against the wall with crossed arms as he waits. They pull away fairly quickly, hyper aware of the fact that they were in the middle of the corridor, and whilst basically the whole citadel had picked up on the fact that something had changed, is changing, they didn’t want to let on too much until official public announcements were made.

They hurry in their journey to the Physician’s chambers, it was getting late and they wanted to sort this out as soon as possible; Gods know Merlin isn’t going to sleep a wink until he's spoken to his mother again.

They pause momentarily outside the door, taking deep breaths as they attempt to block out the hushed conversations coming from inside, not wanting to eavesdrop. Merlin turns to Gwaine with a nervous frown:

“Would you mind... waiting out here? Just for a minute?”

Gwaine gives him a soft smile and nods, pressing a kiss to his forehead and muttering “Call for me when you want me to come in, alright? I’m not going anywhere.” before giving Arthur an encouraging clap on the shoulder and stepping back to lean against the opposite wall.

Arthur sends a grateful smile the knight’s way, receiving a respectful nod in return, before he turns to the door. After a nod from Merlin, he raises a hand that shakes only slightly, and knocks. The murmured conversations stop immediately, and Gaius’ voice calls out:

“Enter.”

With one last look to each other, the brothers open the door and walk in together, shutting it gently behind them and turning to face the shocked pair. Hunith stares at Merlin with tears in her hopeful eyes, but Gaius quickly clears his throat and stands straight:

“How can I help, My Lords?”

Arthur sighs and Merlin shakes his head at the Physician’s formal address of them, rubbing a tired hand over his eyes before taking a small step forward :

“Don’t... I’m not... just Merlin, please.-”

His voice is quiet and tired, and the pleading tone it takes on deepens Arthur’s frown. He lets out a shaky breath, biting his lip before looking up to Hunith and continuing:

“-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled. And I didn’t have any right to say those things; you’re... you’re nothing like Uther, and you did your best in a terrifying situation. You didn’t know any better, I shouldn’t blame you for how I turned out.”

Hunith’s tears overflow once again, and she takes in a shuddering breath as she steps hesitatingly towards the Warlock:

“Oh, my boy, you were right. I wasn’t ready to lose you, and I let that fear overcloud my judgement of what I knew to be right. I’m so sorry sweetheart, I should have told you who you were a long time ago, and it wasn’t fair of me to expect Gaius to carry on the lie, especially when you met Arthur, and especially when he found out about your magic.”

With that, Merlin pulls her into a tight hug, height difference be damned as he buries his face in her neck and shakes. Arthur gulps as he looks upon the scene, sharing a small, mournful smile with Gaius, the Physician understanding The Regent’s forgiveness in the small nod of his head. The hug doesn’t last quite as long as Arthur was expecting, though he supposes that forgiveness is more than just saying it aloud, and Merlin still has a great deal of self-worth related issues to get over, thanks to Hunith’s overly cautious raising of the boy. The Warlock clears his throat, his hands still on his mother’s shoulders as he gives her a weak smile:

“Igraine says thank you, by the way, for raising me with so much love.”

Hunith lets out a small chuckle, wiping away Merlin’s tears with soft hands:

“It was my honour,  I’m glad that your... mother, is pleased.”

Merlin’s frown is brief, and he responds quickly:

“You’re my mother.”

Hunith’s smile grows, as does Merlin’s and she nods shakily, almost whispering:

“Ok... I... ok.”

Merlin lets go hesitatingly, but turns to Gaius after a moment or two. The Physician quickly interrupts anything the younger man could have said with a shake of his head and a soft smile, pulling him into a hug as he softly speaks:

“It’s alright, my boy. You were well within your rights to be angry, we had no right to lie to you in such a way.”

With Gaius and Merlin’s soft conversation happening to the side of the room, Hunith turns to Arthur with a hopeful smile on her face. He returns it faintly, and she pulls him into his own hug. He stiffens in her hold, wide eyes darting around the room as he clenches his hands at his side. It only takes her stroking a hand through his knotted hair for him to relax and hug her back:

“I’m honoured to have been able to raise your brother, Arthur, and I am sorry for keeping him from you for so long, it was selfish of me. I didn’t consider what you were losing, in not knowing that you weren’t alone, only what I would lose should I tell the truth.”

Arthur gulps and nods, but tightens his hold on her as the tears come to his eyes:

“It’s... ok. I understand, I think. The danger you put yourself in to raise and protect him was immense, I just wished I’d known sooner, so I could have done all of this sooner.”

They pull back, but Hunith keeps a tight hold on Arthur’s shoulders, an assessing frown on her face as she raises a hand to cup his cheek. Arthur leans into it, blushing slightly under her motherly gaze:

“I know. But you’re doing wonderfully, Arthur. You and Merlin will be the saviours of this Kingdom, I’m sure of it. Your mother would be so proud of you.”

A tear slips loose from Arthur’s eye as he harshly bites his lip. His voice comes out small and unsure, and Hunith has to resist the urge to pull him into another hug:

“You think?”

She just smiles and nods instead:

“I’m sure.”

Merlin and Gaius look upon the scene fondly, and Arthur’s blush deepens when he catches them staring. He steps back from Hunith who smirks at him knowingly as he frowns at Merlin:

“Shut up, Merlin.”

He just laughs and shakes his head:

“I always knew you had a soft spot for my mum.”

The Regent shakes his head and rolls his eyes, ignoring Merlin’s continued laughter:

“Either of you eaten? I’m starved.”

Gaius and Hunith’s smiles come a lot easier at that, and they shake their heads. Arthur leads the way out of the chambers, smiling and nodding at Gwaine’s raised eyebrow. The knight returns the smile, quickly sidling up to Merlin and re-taking his hand as Arthur speaks:

“I’ll let the kitchens know to have five meals sent up to my chambers, I’ll see you there in a moment.”

They part ways in the corridor, all of them with easy smiles and lighter hearts, especially when Gwaine eagerly regales his interpretation of Arthur’s reaction to having to crown him.

~

The next morning was once again tense. Arthur’s assertion late last night that he intended to finally deal with Uther weighs heavy in everyone’s minds.

Hunith and Gaius are once again tucked safely into the Physician’s chambers, and all of the King’s most trusted knights are called to stand guard in the corridor. Merlin and Arthur wear their smart clothes (a suggestion by Morgana that Gwaine thought was funny enough that he begged and begged until Merlin gave in), and they take in with them Leon and Morgana. 

Uther looks manic, his hair unkept, his face unshaven. His clothes are clean at least, but they’re rumpled, likely due to the near constant pacing of the former King. The room is dark, the curtains obviously haven’t been opened in several days, but the dim candles highlight the mess throughout the room. Uther may still be being passed meals by the guards, but out of concern for the staff’s safety, no servants were granted access to tidy or otherwise serve. 

His head whips around when the door opens, his enraged face turning red at the four people stood smartly by his door. He storms towards them, but Morgana, no longer scared of the consequences, holds a hand out and mutters a few golden words, halting him in his tracks. He apparently hasn’t lost his voice though, as he turns to Merlin:

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY DAUGHTER?! YOU-”

Merlin rolls his eyes and clicks his fingers, his eyes also turning golden as Uther’s mouth shuts with a clack. Leon manages to hold his smirk in, just stands still as the perfect guard, his hand on the hilt of his sword, but Morgana doesn’t even try, smiling openly. Merlin holds Uther’s furious gaze for a few more moments before looking to Arthur at his side, tilting his head in question. The Regent nods at him before stepping forward, his back straight and his face and voice Kingly:

“You will listen, and you will listen well, because I will not repeat myself. You are the only abomination in this room, and you will live with that for the rest of your days. How long that is, is up to you. I am Regent, soon enough I will be King, Myrddin will be Crown Prince, and Morgana will be Princess; when that happens, magic will finally be fully legalised, and the public will be made aware of your crimes. I will not hide things from my people, not like you have. No matter what you deserve, I struggle to bring myself to sentence you to execution, and you’ll be humiliated to learn, I imagine, that Merlin argued in favour of letting you keep your head when I brought it up.-”

Uther glances angrily at Merlin, but looks back to Arthur when he realises that he’s still incapable of speaking:

“-Therefor your options are as follows: You may go to the summer home on the coast, where you will be under constant guard, but will otherwise have a semi-free life. You will stay in Camelot, but live out the remainder of your days in this room only. Or me and Merlin will take a week long trip away to, say, Nemeth, whilst Princess Morgana and Sir Leon announce, organise, and undergo your execution. You have today to decide, we’ll be back this evening.”

Arthur doesn’t bother waiting for a reaction, turning his back on Uther and gesturing the others to lead the way through the door. He pauses momentarily, one hand on the door frame as he turns back, a mournful frown on his face as he quietly speaks:

“If you had just told the truth, if you had just owned up to making a mistake, you, me, Myrddin, Morgana, we... we could have been a family. You’re the one that ruined that, you’re the one that tore us apart, and I swear to you now, that whatever option you pick, I will never forgive you.”

That only seems to enrage Uther more, but Arthur isn’t quite sure why he bothered to hope for another reaction. He shuts the door behind him, waving at Merlin to reset the magical locks as he sighs and rubs tired hands over his face:

“Well at least that’s over and done with.”

Leon pats him on the shoulder consolingly, and Elyan raises an eyebrow, glancing around at the others and sighing when he realises no one else is going to ask:

“He didn’t take it well then, I’m guessing?”

Arthur takes a deep breath and stands straight, shaking his head. Morgana is the one to answer however, and Arthur appreciates the way she makes a genuine attempt to keep the humour out of her voice:

“No, he wasn’t best pleased, but I think he’s accepted that he has well and truly lost this battle. Something he’s not entirely used to, I suppose.”

The knights nod in understanding, and Merlin lets out a deep breath, tilting his head slightly:

“Weird to think that he’s my... dad... ugh.”

They all chuckle at that, even Arthur, though they all stop with concerned frowns when Merlin suddenly straightens up with wide eyes and an open mouth:

“Oh... my God... how did I...- What?!”

Arthur puts a hand on his shoulder, his frown deepening:

“Merls?”

The Warlock just ignores him, turning to Morgana with still wide eyes:

“You’re my sister! I’ve been focusing so much on how Arthur’s my brother that I didn’t even consider the fact that you’re my sister!”

Morgana takes in a sudden breath, and all bar Leon (who just raises an eyebrow and then rolls his eyes when he realises that he’s the only one unsurprised by this) stare at the two of them in shock. Morgana slowly pulls Merlin into a hug, and the two of them clutch each other tightly as a grin grows on Arthur’s face. Leon gives him another clap on the back, this one more congratulatory (if a little confused. Honestly, how did they miss that?), and the others cheer just as Gwen turns the corner into the corridor. She smiles confusedly at Merlin and Morgana, still hugging, as she sidles up to Leon, whispering:

“What’s the occasion? They find Uther dead?”

Leon laughs but shakes his head, leaning down to mutter his response:

“They only just now figured out that they’re siblings.”

She looks up to him quickly with a disbelieving raise of the eyebrows:

“Wait, just now as in, just now?-”

Leon smirks and nods firmly, and Gwen shakes her head as she laughs:

“-It’s been almost a week.”

Leon laughs as well leaning against the wall as the others chatter excitedly among themselves:

“Yeah, apparently you and I are the only ones who had considered the idea. These are all the smartest people I’ve ever come across...”

He trails off, but Gwen looks up at him with a teasing smirk:

“And yet sometimes...?”

They both laugh quietly, shaking their heads when Percival catches their eyes and tilts his head in question.

The group walks away soon enough, heading to one of the smaller dining rooms for an early lunch and a chance to discuss their intentions for this afternoon’s council meeting. Morgana, Merlin, and Arthur walk together, and conversation flows between all bar Gwaine, who stares at the back of his now betrothed’s head with the quiet adoration and lowly simmering excitement of someone that knew the man he loves is finally getting all that he deserves.

~

END of Part 3!!!

Part 4 will be VERY short. Will be just about post coronation and public announcement, will probably contain Merwaine’s wedding, some casual magic, some more family bonding.

I hope y’all enjoyed this!!! I wrote it surprisingly quickly once I set my mind to it

[mylifeisactuallyamess]

A/N: So don’t lynch me! I wrote a little one shot for Ivar the Boneless from Vikings. I’m going through a little phase. Just another little fucked up meow meow to add to my collection.

Flana: to act hastily or carelessly.

Warnings: it’s Ivar but this is pretty tame. Hint of smut though, and some trees get harmed in the making of this fic. Also RC has braids but that’s the only description. 18+ minors DNI.

Your horse puffed loudly, his sides billowing as you charged him up the hill. Usually you wouldn’t work him so hard but today, you were blinded by rage. Tears marked your cheeks and your fathers words rang in your mind so loudly even the sound of your horses hooves couldn’t banish them. You hated him, hated what he had just done without consulting you at all! Pulling your horse to a stop you slipped from the saddle, allowing him to stand and catch his breath. Yanking your shield from it’s fastening in one movement you spun, heaving the shield with a scream to watch it bounce off the tree truck, leaving a deep gash in the bark. Striding back to your horse, you pulled your axe free. You twirled it a few times, the muscles contracting in your arm as another scream of rage erupted from you. The nearest tree got the brunt of your anger, chunks flew away from the trunk with each swing until your arms tired and you threw the axe hearing the satisfying thunk as it embedded itself into another tree. You thought about going for your sword next and seeing what else you could destroy but all the strength left your body.

You could feel the soft earth beneath your fingers, cool and fresh. Stones and twigs dug into your knees but you didn’t care as the tears streamed down your face. The distinct rumble of Thor’s hammer cracked from the clouds, hiding the god from your view as you lifted your head to look beyond the stark branches of the tall trees that surrounded you. You didn’t want to marry the oldest brother, he had his visions of travelling not settling to marry and have children. He had no desire to be a good husband, plus…your heart belonged to someone else. It always had, ever since you were young.

You held your breath at a soft rustle behind you, not daring to move as they approached, your heart pounding loudly knowing that your sword and shield were just out of reach. Inhaling sharply as pain blossomed from your scalp, his fingers entwined roughly in your braids, his custom dagger pressed firmly against your throat.

“What are you doing? Praying to the Gods?” His deceptively sing-song tone whispered past your ear. “Casting a spell?” He asked, dragging the flat of the blade against the exposed column of your throat. “Why are you out here?”

“What business is it of yours?” His grip tightened making your lips lift in a snarl.

“Don’t be rude to your Prince. I was only asking a question.” He roughly released your hair, the knife was removed as you fell forward, your hands barely catching you in time to stop your face smashing into the ground. Spinning to face him you almost hated the smug way he looked at you, his icy blue eyes dragging over you suggestively. “Don’t want to marry my brother huh?”

“You know the answer to that,” you replied.

“Maybe, maybe not,” he turned away, lifting a finger to pick at the bark on the tree he was now leaning against. Using the back of your hand you dragged it over your cheek, ridding yourself of the wetness that sat on your skin. Another rumble rolled across the sky, you could smell the rain approaching, the petrichor rich and earthy as it filled the air.

“Why did you come out here to find me, Ivar?” He shrugged nonchalantly in response to your question, suddenly refusing to look at you.

“I was bored. I wondered where you were.” His dark hair was pulled back into tight braids revealing the close shaved sides of his head. “I thought we could play a game, like we used to do.”

“What game did you have in mind?” You asked, crawling closer to him, sitting back on your heels beside him, close enough to touch him. Your breath caught as you eyed his armour, knowing the strength that he possessed in his arms and upper body made up for the lack of strength in his legs. He popped out his bottom lip trying to appear unaffected by your closeness but you could see him looking at you from the corner of his eye. “Because I can think of a new one.” You continued huskily, making his eyes flick to meet your gaze. He swallowed nervously, his throat flexing betraying his feelings. The cocky prince, the one who had an answer for everything was suddenly speechless before you. His chest heaved as you moved, carefully straddling his lap placing a hand on his armoured chest.

“We shouldn’t…” he murmured but you hushed him, pressing a finger against his plush lips.

“Surely it’s why you followed me? You wanted to see what I was doing. You always watch me, Ivar,” you breathed, tipping forward, your hips rolled in his lap and he tensed up underneath you. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed,” you whispered, your tongue flicking out to suck on the soft, tender lobe of his ear.

“I—we—”

“Suddenly so innocent Ivar.” Your hand trailed down his chest, feeling each bump and ridge of his chest plate. “Don’t you remember my favourite game?” His breath expelled in a rush when your hand found his weakness. He felt warm against you, his skin smooth and you slipped your hand under his armour. Your back flexed as his hand travelled slowly up your spine to the base of your neck. His fingers dug into your delicate skin, pulling you abruptly away from him.

“The rules have changed.” Before you could react the ground met your back, a gasp falling from you as he loomed above you. The grey light from the sky made him a silhouette to your eyes, his body a welcome weight between your legs. Lightning flickered through the clouds followed by the smashing of Mjölnir and you felt the vibration of the Gods in your very bones. Your body reacted to the hungry way he looked at you, his blue eyes dragging slowly over your body, his thick arms caging you to the ground. His eyes blazed angrily and you weren’t prepared for the loudness of his shout. “You are not mine to play with anymore!” His voice echoed through the trees, his teeth bared as he yelled right in your face, your heart stopping at the pain in his tone. With a sigh, his head bowed, slowly coming to rest below your ribcage and you dared to touch him. Walking your hands across his shoulders to finally trail a finger along the ridge of his braids and he groaned softly against you.

“I wish you would claim me Ivar,” you whined softly. “I don’t want anyone else.” Taking advantage of his lack of movement you pressed your hands against his cheeks, pulling him towards you until he was close enough to kiss. “I don’t want him…”

“I know, I know,” he moaned.

“Please…” you quietly begged. He paused, his bottom lip slowly dragged through his teeth as he contemplated his next move.

The hiss of the rain sounded on the ground, it washed over you both, loud as it pummelled into the ground. Sheets of water fell, hiding everything from view except Ivar as he stayed clutched in your grip. Water seeped into your clothes, creating a chill but you barely noticed as Ivar leaned forward. His lips were warm and soft against your own, revealing that gentle side to him that you always knew was there. Your hands pulled him tightly to you and your entire body exhaled with relief when his hands cupped your face. Ivar screwed up his face, as though kissing you physically pained him. He mumbled against your lips, trying to pull away but you desperately clung onto him.

“No!” He repeated firmly. He moved away from you, letting the rain reach the areas of your body it couldn’t before and you knew he had gone. Sucking your lips into your mouth you let the rain soak you, wishing everything was different and wondering how you could get what you wanted without angering the Gods.

[bumbleklee]

philocaly (kaeya x reader)

masterlist | 1k prompt masterlist | discord server

★ ironically this came to me in a dream last night lol. it’s also 4 in the morning so please excuse anything that makes no sense <3

★ summary: you have the worst nightmare of your life but thankfully kaeya is there to calm you down

★ content warning: there’s a very quick, very vague sex scene that isn’t detailed at all but just so everyone knows. major angst but also major comfort so do with that what you will. also reader was written as female but its pretty vague so feel free to imagine them as whoever you want

philocaly

(n) the love of beauty 

The first thing you noticed when you opened your eyes was the intoxicating smell of gasoline that surrounded you. Your body felt sticky and wet and it didn’t take long for you to realize you were drenched in petroleum. You felt dazed and when you tried to look around, your eyesight blurred and you stared into a cloudy abyss.

A voice began speaking and you jolted up, trying to find the source only to find absolutely nothing. You didn’t even know if you were sitting in a chair.

“So naive…”

Your breath caught in your throat when you recognized the voice as Kaeya’s. But your mouth wasn’t moving. You thrashed around but it was like your arms were being held down by invisible bonds.

“Don’t panic, pretty,” Kaeya said. His voice echoed around the room and finally the clouds started to dissipate. Your beloved boyfriend stood feet away from you, wearing a brilliant white tuxedo. “We’re just going to talk. For now.”

Out of thin air, Kaeya pulled a chair in front of you. He sat down in it backwards, leaning his head on his arms. He had his signature smile on his face but his eyes were dull and emotionless. Suddenly your feet hit something hard and you glanced down, seeing a polished wooden floor beneath your shoes.

“Tell me, Y/N,” Kaeya purred, looking at you in a way that made you shiver, “Do you really think you amount to anything in this world?”

His words stunned you. What was going on? You gaped your mouth to speak but no words came out. You didn’t know what to say.

“It would solve a lot of problems if we just got rid of you right now, don’t you think? I would finally be free to find someone worth my time and the rest of Mondstadt would be happy to have such a burden lifted.”

You felt like your throat was on fire. You couldn’t believe Kaeya was saying these things to you but he really was. Tears streamed down your face and you sharply inhaled, your chest aching in pain. You prayed that this was some sick joke.

The gasoline that was poured on your head before started to run down your face, sliding between your eyes and burning your nostrils when you breathed.

“You’re crying now? How pathetic,” Kaeya laughed. He shoved his hand into the pocket of the tuxedo jacket and pulled out a pack of matches. Your eyes widened and you felt yourself stop breathing momentarily. He hummed casually and stood up from the chair, “I can’t wait to find someone so much better.”

You tried to scream, defend yourself, but no sounds came out. It was like your voice box had been ripped away. Your eyesight was blurry again from your tears but you couldn’t even wipe them away. A gloved hand reached out and gripped your jaw, pulling your face upwards. Kaeya was in front of you now, his eyes even more sadistic than before. He cocked his head at you and rubbed his thumb along your bottom lip.

“You always had such an ugly face.”

And with that, Kaeya ripped his hand away and lit a match. He threw it at you carelessly and turned on his heel. As soon as the tiny flame touched the gasoline, it was like an explosion. The flames crawled up your legs and surrounded your body. You had never felt this kind of pain before and it was unbearable. Once again, you tried to scream but only silent heaves escaped your throat. The last thing you saw was Kaeya’s long ponytail being thrown over his shoulder before the flames consumed you.

You shot up in bed, your hands clutching your nightgown like never before. You heaved and erratically inhaled, trying to catch your breath. While you couldn’t feel the flames anymore, in that moment they felt so real. Never before had you had such a horrendous nightmare and you didn’t know how to handle it.

Kaeya’s words rang through your head over and over again. You couldn’t stop the tears falling from your eyes, only this time you could reach up and wipe them away. Hands crawled up your shoulders and Kaeya, the real one, rubbed them slowly.

“You’re drenched in sweat, Princess,” He mumbled, “What happened?”

Your blood grew cold as your dream replayed. You choked back a sob and managed to twist your body so you were facing Kaeya. “I’m okay,” You lied, your voice hoarse and quiet, “I’m just a little shaken up.” Kaeya raised an eyebrow at you. He had seen you shaken up before and it was never this extreme. He opened his mouth to speak but you surged forward, pressing your lips against his. “I want to do it. Right now.”

“What?” Kaeya mumbled between desperate, rough kisses. Normally he wouldn’t be opposed to a spontaneous midnight session but you were clearly in distress.

“Please,” Your voice cracked. You needed to be intimate with Kaeya right now, you needed to feel his body flush against yours. You needed to know that he still wanted you.

Kaeya only nodded and let you push him back onto the bed. You inhaled sharply again and rubbed your cheeks. You slung a leg over Kaeya and wasted no time in kissing down his neck. You placed wet kisses on his skin and Kaeya’s hands grazed your hips. If this was going to make you feel better right now, then he would do anything you wanted.

You inched backwards so your crotch was over Kaeya’s and you pulled down his pants quickly. He was still soft but you didn’t care, lifting up your nightgown and lowering yourself onto Kaeya. He didn’t make his usual sound of pleasure when he entered you but you paid no mind, placing your hands flat on Kaeya’s stomach so you could move your hips and back forth. Your movement was erratic and, honestly, didn’t feel good at all but you needed this intimacy now.

When you and Kaeya made love, it was gentle and sensual. He treated you like glass and his touches made you feel like you were on cloud nine. But this didn’t feel right. You weren’t feeling loved and beautiful this time. You could only think about what Kaeya said in your dream and maybe he was right.

You started crying again and Kaeya’s heart ached. He hated seeing you like this and he knew that having sex wasn’t what you needed right now.

“Alright, we’re done,” Kaeya said softly. His hands tried to lift you off of him but you only ground your hips down and let out a sob.

“No!” You cried, “We have to finish. We have to.”

“No, we don’t,” Kaeya countered. He suddenly overpowered you, lifting your hips off his and moving you beside him in bed. He pulled his pants back up and pulled your nightgown back down. This time, Kaeya leaned over you and boxed your head in with his arms so you couldn’t roll away. “Tell me what happened.”

At this, your cries turned into uncontrollable sobs. You couldn’t breathe and inaudible words floated out of your mouth. You tried to explain your dream but your wails only drowned it out. Kaeya waited patiently for you to stop crying. He hated seeing you cry but knew you needed this and wasn’t going to push you to stop anytime soon.

He stayed perfectly still until your sobs eventually died out. You were still a teary, sniffling mess but at least you could form coherent sentences now. You shakily explained your dream, repeating what was said to you by the love of your life. Kaeya listened and felt sick. His nose brushed against yours.

“None of that is true,” Kaeya said firmly. His eyes stared intensely into yours and your bottom lip quivered again, “You know that, right?”

“I’m so in love with you,” You started, “So in love that a nightmare about you not loving me is more painful than getting stabbed fifty times. I want to be enough for you.”

“You are enough for me.”

Kaeya’s hands brushed through your hair gently, his thumbs rubbing circles in your temple. Your eyes felt heavy and stung from your hysteria. You snaked your arms around Kaeya’s waist and managed to maneuver your bodies so you were both lying on your sides. Kaeya pulled you close to him and you found solace in the crook of his neck. Kaeya pressed soft, warm kisses all over your face and kissed away the rest of your tears.

“I love you, too,” He whispered.

Your eyes fluttered closed and Kaeya waited until your breathing was normal again to close his own. His hand found yours and laced your fingers together and in that moment you realized that this was the intimacy you were longing for so deeply. Your dream that night would haunt you probably for the rest of your life but as long as you could bring yourself back to reality, back to Kaeya, you would be okay.

Kaeya pressed a final kiss to your temple and spoke one last time before sleep overcame you both. Quoting your favorite book Kaeya said, “I’m in love with you, and I know that love in just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we’re all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we’ll ever have, and I am in love with you.”

a/n: did i just quote tfios? yes <3

[dreamwritesimagines]

Burn The Witch 1 - Decoy [Bucky Barnes x Reader]

A.N: Here we go my loves, the first chapter! ❤ I hope you like it, and please let me know what you think! ❤ Thank you! ❤❤❤

As always, I don’t own anything.

Word Count: 2200

Warnings: Mentions of blood, violence, death, manipulation, language.

Summary: Trouble has a way of following certain people.

Sometimes you wondered whether you would run away screaming when you were a child if you knew what kind of a person you would turn into.

It wasn’t exactly your fault though. For years and years, several people had put the blame on several different things. Eventually they would reach the same conclusion though; the psychiatrists, your superiors, the very few people you could call your family, they all agreed on one thing.

It wasn’t you, it was the abandonment.

The abandonment you went through when you were a teenager had somehow started this domino, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop this constant fall, not even you.

But as you would figure out soon, you were lucky. Instead of being consumed by your anger, you could direct it somewhere else. You were recruited and trained from a very young age, and somewhere along the way, you realized that if you wanted to survive you were going to have to sacrifice certain things.

Forgiveness was the first one to disappear. Guilt was another.

Then fear.

Then, love.

Ah well. Worse things happen in the world every day.

If anything it made your job easier.

You cracked your neck and opened the door to your apartment, the key sticking to your fingers because of the blood on your hands for a moment and you made a face as you shut the door, leaning back.

A very long shower and a bottle of wine sounded like a good idea.

You placed your gun on the table, took the dagger strapped to your thigh out of its holster and got the knives out of the heels of your shoes before flinging yourself onto your couch and turning the TV on.

“Also called Sokovia Accords 2.0 by the critics—“

“What the superheroes think about this remains a mystery—“

“The first time caused a huge rift between Captain America and Iron Man but nobody knows the new Captain America Sam Wilson’s comment on it—“

You didn’t get to change the channel again when your phone started vibrating in your pocket, making you sit up straight. You muted the TV, and checked the caller I.D before you answered.

“Hey there.”

“Hi, how’s Paris?” the cheerful voice of your best friend reached you, “Had enough croissants yet?”

A small smile pulled at your lips. After your only parental figure had left you to go God knew where, General had decided to adopt you and raise you like a daughter. His actual daughter Chloe had welcomed you with open arms, and you had been best friends since then.

Her being the top analyst of the division didn’t hurt either.

“Mm hm, because that’s all I’m doing. Eating croissants, visiting museums—”

“Killing and maiming targets...” she mused, finishing your sentence for you and you heaved a sigh.

“Somehow that last one isn’t included in the city guide,” you pointed out. “Chloe, you know this is a line for—“

“Official contact from General, yeah yeah,” she said, “In my defense, you didn’t pick up the phone an hour ago when I called you from my phone.”

“Do you know how hard it is to use touch screen when your hands are covered in blood?”

“What happened to your sniper rifle, did it fall into Seine?”

“It required close combat,” you said, “And the target swallowed the chip before I could get it, so I had to perform a spontaneous autopsy.”

“Just so you know, whenever you talk about your job I have to watch like a hundred cute videos after I hang up.”

“Happens.” you said, “How’s everything?”

“You missed us already?”

You grinned, “Maybe.”

“Good, because dad wants you back. He’ll contact you any day now.”

Your head snapped up and you stood up from the couch, “Really?”

“Duh. Have you seen how negotiations for these new Accords are going? It’s going to be a mess and we need you here.”

“The second one hasn’t passed officially.”

“Well no, but you know how my father thinks.” she said and you tilted your head.

“Are we sure it’s General who wants me there and not you?”

“Okay, that was one prank ages ago and I didn’t hear the end of it!” she protested, “Don’t you trust me at all?”

“Nope.”

“You know, I’m being the perfect friend and calling you to give you some good news but if you’re going to be like this, my news can wait until you get here.”

You pulled your brows together, “What news?”

“What do I get in return?”

“My endless gratitude,” you deadpanned, “Come on. What news?”

“You can’t tell anyone yet but I think you’re getting a promotion.”

Your breath got caught in your throat, “You’re joking.”

“Don’t forget about me when you become a handler, you hear me?” She let out a laugh, I need friends in high places.”

“Your dad runs the division Chloe. It doesn’t get any higher than that.”

“That doesn’t count!”  

You pressed a hand over your chest, “Just— what kind of a promotion are we talking about?”

“I mean I snooped around his files and casually committed treason.” she said, “But even I don’t know yet. They must be still making the adjustments.”

You opened your mouth to reply but then your phone vibrated again and you lowered it to check the message on the screen.

It was simple but again, all his texts were simple and to the point.

From: General

Time to come back. Jet leaves in 2 hours.

Here goes my shower and wine night.

“Chloe?” you said, walking to the sink to wash your hands so that you could start packing, “You want anything from here? I’m coming home.”

                                              ***

The best thing about being on the move all the time was that you could pack in minutes and the division would take care of the things you had left behind.

Apartments, belongings-

Not that you carried any belongings with you, or bought any more than necessary. It would’ve made you form a bond, which was less than ideal for any spy.

You suppressed the yawn splitting your face and made your way to General’s office. This jet-lag was going to make your life pretty difficult in the following 24 hours, and you were painfully aware of it, but it wasn’t like you could just ask for some time to rest.

That could wait. Your job was more important.

“General?” you knocked on the half open door and he raised his head to look at you before motioning you to enter the room.

“Y/N,” he said, “Close the door please. It’s good to have you back.”

“Thank you sir.”

“Take a seat,” he said and you cleared your throat, then perched on the edge of the chair.

“I’ve heard you eliminated the threat and got rid of our target quite fast,” he said, “And we have the chip now.”

You nodded silently, pushing your hair behind your ear.

“Well, that shows me you’re ready for the next step,” he said “No reason to beat around the bush, you’re getting a promotion.”

Pride burst through your system but you tried to control your expression to stop the grin threatening to pull at your lips.

“Thank you sir.”

“Here are the details for your next mission,” he said, handing you a file that was stamped as Top Secret and you flipped the page to find information about your next identity.

Alias: Shrike

“Shrike,” you murmured to yourself, turning the pages, “Like the bird?”

“Mm hm. I assume you’ve heard about the Accords issue?”

You looked up, “Only a little,” you said, “The first one was a disaster and the government had to drop it after The Blip due to the public’s reaction, resurrected people insisted that the superheroes were the ones who saved them, not the government. Then the government said they would go over the details and change it in a way that would benefit both the public and the superheroes, but I haven’t seen the new version.”

“There were some adjustments but to be honest with you, it’s the same deal. We can’t have superheroes running wild with no orders,” he said, “I need you on both fronts, one with terminating specific targets, and one with….well, you’ll see.”

You flipped the page and blinked a couple of times, your stomach dropping.

You were good, but you weren’t that good.

“You- you’re sending me after Captain America, sir?”

“Ah no,” he said, “Don’t worry. Wilson doesn’t have a past we can use against him, and trust me, we checked. The guy is an actual hero but we need a bad guy.”

You turned the page and shut your eyes for a moment.

Bucky Barnes.

Right. You should’ve known.

The government wanted and needed Captain America on their side, but Bucky Barnes could fall for all they cared.

“Sir I appreciate your trust in my abilities but not even an army could take down the Winter Soldier the last time—” you started but General shook his head.

“Y/N, you’re not going to kill him,” he said, “That’s the second front I was talking about. We need you to get close to him, to form a personal bond and gather intel we can use in the future.”

You gawked at him, “I’m sorry?”

“Barnes is the perfect candidate. He can help us with necessary information to prove to the public that superheroes need to answer to someone; us. Besides if it all goes bad, we can just say he was a threat. With that kind of past no one would think he was innocent to begin with.”

Your head was spinning. Scratch that, the whole room was spinning.

You were good at finding and terminating targets, not forming personal bonds or playing this

“When you say get close to him….” You trailed off, your voice way too weak and he smiled slightly.

“You’re an attractive woman, I’m sure you’ll have no problem with that.”

That. That was your promotion.

Not an operations officer, not a handler, but a lover who also happened to kill people.

They were going to use you as a honey trap for him.

“Sir, I don’t think-“ you started, but he held up a hand.

“Before you say no,” he said, “Let me remind you that this will benefit your career greatly, and you will have your own team. Show us you can handle it, and the position you want will be within your reach, you have my word. You want to be a handler, don’t you?”

You dragged your fingernails on the file, deep in thought.

“Barnes is one of the many dangerous people we may need to stop one day, and the only way to do it is to keep him under control and learn everything he knows until we’re ready to take him in.”

“But if these new Accords don’t pass—“ you started but he shook his head.

“Even if they don’t, and that’s a big if,” he said, “He’s still a valuable asset to have. We all have to perform certain missions, Y/N. Even if we don’t particularly like them. You will thank me in the future, when your career flourishes.”

Your blinked a couple of times, a bitterness appearing in your mouth.

“Of course,” you managed to say, “You’re— you’re right sir. It’s a good plan. I accept the position.”

“Great!” he clapped his hands together, “We have a target for you for tomorrow night, there’s this gallery opening. He needs to be eliminated, I think you can handle that? Start planning how it will go with Barnes as well, we can’t lose any time.”

You pursed your lips together and closed the file, “Of course.”

“Congratulations.” he leaned in slightly, “Your dad would be so proud of you if he could see you now.”

You tried to swallow the lump in your throat, but it felt like it was getting bigger and bigger.

“I don’t need his approval,” you rasped out and walked to the door, but stopped when you heard him speak.

“Shrike,” he used your alias for the first time and you looked over your shoulder.

“Yes?”

“I don’t have to remind you that this mission is top secret. If he figures out who you are, or what you’re up to…” he clicked his tongue, “Kill him.”

You paused for a moment, then tilted your head and smiled at him.

“As you wish, sir.” you managed to say, then walked out of his office as if someone was chasing you. You made your way straight to the bathroom and slammed the file on the marble counter, then pulled out the small picture sticking out from the corner. It was an old black and white picture of him with Steve Rogers, probably taken in the 40s, both of them smiling. 

When you lowered the picture to attach it back to the paper, your eyes caught the tiny print under his aliases.

Confirmed Kills: Exact number unknown (Credited with 100+ assassinations)

You were in way, way over your head now.

“Oh, fuck.”

                                  Chapter 2

[stories-poetry4all]

"Sir, we've found the girl who saved you, but she is getting married today!"

"Take me to her immediately. I need to stop the wedding!"

=== ===

#Chapter1 Revenge

"Miss Edwards, I need your signature on this consent form for artificial insemination surgery," said the lawyer as he presented the document to Ariana Edwards.

Ariana gripped the pen, her knuckles turning white as she stared at the consent form.

The surgery was scheduled for tomorrow, and today was her wedding.

The donor of the sperm was none other than Theodore Anderson, the eldest son of the wealthy Anderson family, and also her groom.

But fate had dealt a cruel hand. Theodore had been in a horrific car accident three months prior and was now comatose, unlikely to ever recover. His life hung by a thread, and it was uncertain how long he would last.

The Anderson family, known for their fixation on succession and legacy, was desperate to ensure Theodore's bloodline would continue. So his father, Darian Anderson, took it upon himself to get his son a wife. The sperm that Theodore froze years ago was going to be inseminated into the bride's womb before he died.

As Ariana looked down at the consent form in front of her, her complexion was ashen, and her eyes betrayed a subtle sense of panic.

"Please, can you give me some space to collect my thoughts? I need to read through it carefully," she said to the lawyer, her voice trembling with emotion.

After a few seconds of silence, the lawyer nodded and left the room.

The lawyer's departure left the room in an eerie silence. Ariana immediately placed the consent form on the table. She had to call Jasper Anderson, her secret boyfriend, for help.

As fate would have it, Jasper, Theodore's half-brother, was the mastermind behind this wedding.

Ariana's life had been turned upside down by the recent passing of her father, and the ruthlessness of her stepmother, Glenda Edwards. Ariana was left with nothing, not even her deceased mother's belongings which were also taken away.

Just when Ariana felt cornered, Jasper came to her with a proposition: she would pretend to marry Theodore, and they would find a way to sabotage the surgery. After Theodore's death, Jasper would become the sole heir of the Anderson family, and in return, he promised to marry Ariana and help her reclaim her mother's belongings.

Ariana, under Jasper's spell, initially agreed to the plan. However, as the wedding drew closer, she realized that she couldn't go through with it.

Desperately seeking Jasper's comfort and counsel, Ariana tried calling him, but to no avail.

In a state of anxiety, she sneaked out to look for him. She took off her high heels, held them in her hands, and walked down the corridor, her heart racing with fear and anticipation.

Ariana's footsteps came to a sudden halt as she approached the last lounge at the end of the corridor.

A faint noise could be heard coming from the slightly open door. It was the sound of a familiar giggle.

Through the crack, she heard a familiar voice. "Stay with me for a little longer, Jasper. Ariana doesn't have time to look for you now."

Her heart sank, and she inched closer to the door, peering inside through the small opening. She saw Brielle Edwards, her half-sister, and Jasper on the sofa.

Jasper spoke impatiently as he pushed Brielle away to get up. "I need to keep an eye on her. I'm afraid she will have cold feet about the wedding."

But Brielle, carelessly dismissing the concern, got close to him and said, "Oh, stop worrying so much. She always listens to you. Besides, we have her mother's belongings with us. She wouldn't dare to run away."

Jasper seemed relieved. "You're right. Thank you, baby. I will get rid of her when I finish the plan. I only want you..."

Ariana watched in horror as they talked about their scheme against her.

The reality of the situation hit her hard, and she was left reeling, struggling to maintain her balance as she stumbled backward.

The betrayal was too much for Ariana to bear. Her heart shattered into a million pieces as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Fury surged through her veins, and she balled her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. She listened to them with a mix of disgust and rage.

But Ariana was not defeated. She had to take action. She would not let Jasper and Brielle get away with their treachery.

With newfound determination, she wiped away her tears, slipped on her high heels, and strode back to the room. Without a moment's hesitation, she signed the consent form, determined to become the true daughter-in-law of the Anderson family.

And she would make sure that Jasper and Brielle would pay for their betrayal, no matter what it took.

* At night, the Anderson family's residence was illuminated by bright lights, casting a glow over the extravagant surroundings.

Ariana was escorted to Theodore's room by the housekeeper, just after the wedding.

This was the first time she was meeting her so-called husband.

According to Jasper, Theodore was a man with a terrible temper, a bad character, and a cruel personality. He was even cold to his own family. Jasper used every insulting word to describe Theodore, even "ugly."

Ariana had believed Jasper's words and was mentally prepared to face a husband who was anything but handsome. However, when she saw Theodore for the first time, even though he was ill, she couldn't help but notice his inherent nobility and incredibly handsome appearance.

Ariana stood motionless beside the bed, admiring Theodore's stunning features, and began to doubt everything Jasper had told her.

At that moment, Jasper pushed the door open and swaggered into the room, speaking loudly and with no regard for Theodore's condition.

"I'm sorry, Aria. I was too preoccupied today, and I regret not answering your call," Jasper uttered, feigning remorse.

Ariana had to play along with Jasper's scheme for the time being, so she replied, "It's alright. Don't worry about it."

Jasper's smug grin widened. "I knew you would forgive me; you love me too much," he said confidently.

Ariana clenched her fists, containing her fury. "It's late now. We can talk about whatever you wanted to discuss tomorrow."

Jasper locked the door, plunging the room into darkness, and slowly approached her.

Ariana retreated nervously, questioning him, "Jasper, what do you want from me?"

With a wicked smirk, Jasper pounced on her, saying, "We shouldn't waste time. If you carry my child, our child will become an Anderson heir."

Jasper didn't take Theodore seriously. How dare he want to do that right in front of his brother!

Ariana fought back, shouting, "Let me go!"

Jasper abruptly halted, and Ariana gazed up at him, dazed. She saw his expression shift to one of pure terror, as if he had seen a ghost behind her.

In a trembling voice, Jasper muttered, "Theodore..."

#Chapter2 Artificial Insemination Operation

Jasper immediately took to his heels.

Ariana was confused. What was wrong with him? Did Theodore wake up?

She quickly turned around, but she didn't notice anything odd. Theodore was still lying on the bed, and his breath was as steady and quiet as before.

The only difference was that one of his hands was out of the quilt.

Ariana tilted her head and studied the hand for a while. It looked limp, so she felt that it probably fell out when she bumped into the bedframe while trying to dodge Jasper.

"Theodore?" Ariana called tentatively.

There was no response.

She leaned forward and called out more firmly, "Hey, Theodore!"

Still, she got no response.

Ariana swallowed hard and slowly walked to the bedside. She carefully took hold of his hand and put it back under the quilt. Theodore still didn't move a muscle during the process. This eased her mind greatly. It turned out he was still in a deep coma.

Perhaps Jasper had hallucinated.

Ariana breathed a sigh of relief.

The room returned to its usual quietness again. Ariana's heart was still beating fast. For some unknown reason, she feared that Theodore would suddenly open his eyes. She sat on the edge of the bed and stared at him closely. A while later, she dozed off due to tiredness.

The next day, Ariana woke up to find herself lying on the edge of the bed. She quickly turned her head to look at Theodore. To her relief, he didn't seem to have moved an inch the whole night. Ariana felt the weight of uncertainty drop off her shoulders now.

She finally ruled out the possibility that Jasper had really seen Theodore move last night.

Ariana went to the bathroom to wash up. While she was brushing her teeth, her eyes fell on a red mark on her neck. It wasn't there before. It looked like someone had pinched her there recently.

When Ariana remembered the struggle with Jasper last night, she reasoned that the red mark was his doing.

Disgust surged inside her at the thought of that betrayer.

Ariana set down her toothbrush and went back into the bedroom. She put on a turtleneck top to cover the mark.

When she was all dressed up, she went downstairs.

She had just gotten to the bottom stair when Jasper appeared out of nowhere and pulled her into a cubicle nearby.

"Did Theodore wake up last night?" he whispered into her ear, fearing that someone would hear them.

Ariana felt sick to her stomach at the sight of Jasper. She took two steps back and replied expressionlessly, "No, he didn't."

"That's good to know. My eyes tricked me last night. For a second, I thought Theodore opened his eyes and stared daggers at me. Thank goodness it was just an illusion." Jasper took a deep breath, feeling relieved. He flashed his usual sunny smile.

This smile used to send excitement through Ariana's body in the past. But now, she hated it. She lowered her eyes so he wouldn't see the resentment in her eyes.

Oblivious to the real reason, Jasper felt that she was unhappy because of what happened last night. He apologized softly. "I'm sorry about what happened, Aria. I didn't mean to be rough with you."

Ariana forced a smile. "Okay, it's fine."

She then made up an excuse so she could leave the cubicle immediately.

When she got to the dining room, she saw that Darian was already seated at the table. He was a serious man who rarely smiled. After Ariana greeted him, he only nodded slightly. He exuded a cold and uncaring aura.

On the other hand, Sharon, Theodore's stepmother, was enthusiastic. She was Jasper's biological mother, so she probably knew about his plan. It was the only logical explanation for her excessive warmth and friendliness.

Ariana felt uncomfortable throughout breakfast.

Once they were done eating, Darian took her to the private hospital owned by the Anderson family.

Jasper came along. When Ariana was being ushered into the operating room, he gave her a knowing look.

Ariana took the hint.

She smiled to assure him that she hadn't forgotten the plan. But the moment she turned around, her smile vanished. She walked into the operating room with a cold face.

Fear slowly crept into her heart at this time. But when she remembered how Jasper had betrayed her, she gritted her teeth and balled her fists. She was hell-bent on getting revenge and taking back what rightfully belonged to her.

The insemination took about an hour. Ariana, whose face was pale, was wheeled out in a wheelchair. The doctor took off his mask and said to Darian, "Everything went well, Mr. Anderson. Now, we have to wait for about a month to confirm if it is successful."

Jasper's face darkened as soon as he heard this.

In contrast, Darian's usually cold face lit up with a smile. Even a blind man could see that he was pleased with the news. He looked at Ariana with an expression of satisfaction. Afterward, he ordered one of his drivers to drive her and Jasper back home.

On the way, Jasper's face was red with anger. Several green veins became visible on his forehead and temples, but he didn't utter a word.

Ariana didn't bother speaking to him. She looked out of the window, lost in thought.

Once they got out of the car, Jasper flipped out. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to the garden to give her a piece of his mind.

"Ariana! I thought we agreed that you would ruin the operation. Why didn't you do so?" Jasper growled.

As far as Ariana was concerned, she didn't owe this backstabber an explanation. He disgusted her. She shook off his hand and said coldly, "Mind the way you speak to me, Jasper. I'm your sister-in-law now!"

Jasper held his head and let out an angry laugh. He kicked the tree nearby. "What did you just say? Are you kidding me?"

Ariana's heart skipped a beat when she saw his bloodshot eyes. She spun on her heels, but Jasper pulled her back.

"Did I tell you to leave? Don't even dare walk out on me, Ariana! I'm not done speaking to you!" Sparks of fury burned in Jasper's eyes.

Ariana was both scared and annoyed. She tried to break free while glaring at him. "Let go of me!"

Jasper grabbed her with both hands and leaned over. "This wasn't what we agreed on. Are you trying to pull a fast one on me now that you are married to Theodore? Just so you know, you can't get rid of me. There's no telling that you would get pregnant. Even if you do, Theodore won't be able to protect you and your baby."

"Bah! How are you so sure about that? Theodore is still alive, isn't he?" Ariana sneered. "No matter what happens, I'm still your sister-in-law. You better come to terms with it now!"

This comment drove Jasper nuts. He raised his hand to slap her.

But before that could happen, a servant rushed out of the house and shouted, "Ma'am! Mr. Theodore Anderson just woke up. He wants to see you!"

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Yay rqs are open! My hc request is for the Diasomnia boys’ reaction when feMc shows up to their first date in a rlly nice dress, makeup, and heels. Like it’s their first time seeing her wearing a skirt or a specisl outfit in general? I hope you can do that 🎀

Curiouser and Curiouser...

Malleus maintains a relatively reserved look, but there are a few subtle cues that clue you in on how pleased he is. His widened eyes, the slight smile on his lips, how his eyelids fold over...

Seeing you all dressed up puts him in a really good mood, but he doesn’t express it in over-the-top ways--as a prince, he has to maintain a certain sense of decorum, especially in public. Just know that he’s internally squealing and probably will continue raving about it later to Lilia and co.

He gives you a bow, as though addressing fellow noble, once you stand before him. “Attire as fine as this deserves the royal treatment,” he jokes dryly, taking the back of your hand and planting a quick kiss upon it.

Malleus will want to remember this moment forever: your first date, and his first time seeing you in a special outfit, so he’ll fumble with the camera on his phone to try and take a picture with you. He insists that the photo doesn’t need any filters or other editing once it is taken--he thinks you, and by extension, the picture, looks perfect as is.

Malleus is always courteous, but he’s extra courteous to you since you’ve taken such painstaking efforts to look nice for the date. He volunteers his jacket to keep dust and debris off your outfit, and asks every so often if you’d like to stop and give your feet a rest from the heels.

He assists you with light touch-ups throughout the day, like adjusting stray strands of hair that fall across your face, or wiping up a little lip makeup that smears when you bite into your food. Malleus has the most tender of smiles as he does so, savoring those small, casual moments of intimacy.

Lilia’s eyes light up when he sees you! He’s so excited to see you up close that he just skips right over. Taking your hands in his, he spins you around adoringly while gushing about how adorable you are~

He has an appreciation for cute things, so he’ll want to see your look from different angles! Lilia releases your hands and requests for you to curtsey and twirl so your hair bounces, and your skirt feathers out like flower petals. He claps adoringly all the while, as though cheering you on at a sporting event.

As much as Lilia dotes on you, he also takes every chance he can get to mess with you! Of course, he loves that you put all this effort into your appearance for him, but he wants to see how cute you look after a busy date with him, too!

He’ll tug you along at a frantic pace, sweeping wind into your hair, or challenge you to a race to see who can make it to a designated location first. If you can’t run in heels, no problem! Lilia will sweep you up into his arms and run as fast as he can with you!

Lilia will also boop your nose or nuzzle his face against yours, which smudges your makeup a bit. Oh, and don’t forget the head pats! He’ll mess your hair up really well with those!

Fussing over yourself draws only a chuckle from Lilia. “There is no need to fret, my dear. Even this imperfect look of yours has its own kind of charm. No matter how neat or disheveled your appearance, my feelings for you will remain forever unchanged.”

Silver blinks several times and rubs at his eyes. He thinks, for a moment, that he must be dreaming—so he needs to get rid of whatever drowsiness remains in him!

“Ah... I thought you looked too ethereal to be real for a second there... But I guess it’s not a dream after all. You’re not a dream,” he mutters, smiling softly at you. “Good. I didn’t want to wake up from it if it was.”

He hears it is painful to walk in heels (it’s an experience like walking on a bed of swords, according to his sources), so Silver offers you the crook of his arm to hold onto. It helps anchor you, and no matter how skilled (or unskilled) you may be with walking in heels, just knowing that Silver supports you fills your heart with warmth.

He can’t help but sneak shy peeks at your made up face and cute outfit throughout the date! Silver’s not great at fully articulating his thoughts—the most he can say is a short compliment like “you look nice”, or “that’s pretty”—but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t appreciate them!

Silver’s very patient! If you need to go to the restroom to fix your appearance, he’s fine with waiting for however long it may take to do so (though he does doze off a bit if you take a while in there).

His animal friends come to say hello during your date. A few of the woodland critters bring small flowers, which Silver weaves into your hair, adding to your special look for the day.

Sebek looks completely aghast when he sees you in all your finery. In fact, he’s so shocked that his face goes bright pink, which is a nice contrast to the mint green of his hair.

He fights the blush taking over his face, coughs into his hand, and gives you a lecture about how impractical your manner of dress is. How are you meant to maneuver with those toothpick thin sticks on your shoes? And that flowy fabric offers little to no protection from the elements!

“Love is war!! And you are ill-equipped for that battle field!” Sebek declares with a huff, looking quite proud of himself. “Given this docile, flowery appearance you have adopted... It would be better suited for an act of espionage in enemy territory than as a suit of armor for combat!”

You look confused, so he proceeds to explain that he studied (VERY) old (war) strategy books from the Diasomnia library (recommended by Lilia) to prepare for this momentous day—aren’t you proud of him for being so diligent? Sebek looks to you with sparkling eyes, like a puppy eager for praise!

His expression falters when you let him in on the secret: you didn’t dress up to march off to battle, you dressed up to surprise him! Sebek’s blush deepens as he realizes his mistake and frantically apologizes for it.

He buries his head in his hands in shame, refusing to gaze upon you again (as self-inflicted punishment for his foolishness). After some coaxing from your end, Sebek slowly peeks through the cracks between his fingers and mumbles, “... Y-You... You look nice, human.” And yup, his face is now a bright red instead of pink.

[adorerdraco]

I’m Here ✧ Draco x Reader

Request: Hi, so I’m not sure if you’re taking these kinds of fics for Draco, but I’ve been feeling really down lately, and I was wondering if you could write a one shot or a scenario where the reader has been having a really bad day/week and Draco comforts them? And maybe Draco lays the reader on his chest and he hums a small tune to make the reader feel better? You can ignore this if it’s an issue, but I’d really appreciate it. I love all of your fics btw! They make me really happy <3

Warnings: none bc mostly fluff, some tears, super soft!draco

Words: 1.9K

A/N: i saw this and had to do it effective immediately bc i am feeling the exact same wayyy so this was really nice to think about ;( thank you so much for requesting this and for reading my stuff and i’m so glad i can help in a way <3 i’m sending you nothing but peace, love, and light !!! but i really hope this is gooood <3 do not own gif

Life was punishing you, you thought. It had to be. Because there was no way how in the span of a week everything in your day-to-day life had gone from okay to borderline catastrophic. It was as if every situation you were in was taking its form in the worst case possible scenario and all you could do was watch hopelessly as things continuously got worse sprinkled with small misfortunes in between.

It started on a regular Monday morning, sitting down for breakfast in the Great Hall with blissful ignorance. Halfway through eating your toast, your owl had come in through the open large glass windows and dropped a letter onto your plate from home that left you some very unfortunate news and had set forth a ripple effect that began making everything else go downhill as your days progressed. By the end of the school week, you had managed to blow up a potion, lose house points because of said potion when it splashed onto some people and had some physically altering effects, tripped over your footing and fell in the middle of a crowded corridor, failed a surprise quiz, forgot to turn in an essay, got into an argument with a friend, accidentally slept in and missed a morning class, and took a trip to the hospital wing for a migraine that didn’t want to leave you alone. You could’ve sworn you had somehow been thrown into purgatory, or limbo, or something outer-worldly. 

“Are you alright?” Draco had asked you right after breakfast that Monday morning as he was walking you to your first class. “What was in the letter your owl gave you? You look worried.”

“It was nothing,” you dismissed quickly, trying to put on a half-hearted smile while you spoke to make it more convincing. “I’m fine, just tired.”

It was the beginning of the week, and he did keep you up late the night before when you were sneaking around together, so he just shook his head up and down and took your excuse even though he felt like there was more to it than you were letting on. But as the days went on, he was becoming more observant of the way you were acting and even looking. He didn’t like that every morning he saw the shadows under your eyes get deeper and darker, and he didn’t like how you would close your eyes in pain when you would groan about your headache. He also didn’t like the way he hadn’t seen you truly smile or laugh all week even when he tried countless times to amuse you or cheer you up. But what he didn’t like most of all was that he felt like there was nothing he could do. 

On Wednesday afternoon, he tried asking you again. You were sitting in the Quad with him on a bench and he was telling you a story from earlier in the day about how he had ‘accidentally’ tripped this Gryffindor boy and got Snape to take away house points from him that he thought for sure would you make laugh or perhaps give him a disapproving redirection, but when he glanced up to see your reaction, he noticed you weren’t even listening, to begin with. You had been staring down at your shoes and the way they lined up against the cracks in the pavement, kicking around some gravel as your mind was running a million thoughts per second.

“Love?” He said to you softly. You looked up at him swiftly with a quiet questioning hum, e/c eyes widened slightly from being ripped away from your thoughts suddenly. “You know if something’s bothering you, you can talk to me.”

“I know,” you nodded warmly. “I’m okay, Dray. I’m honestly just tired.”

And you were telling the truth, in a sense. You really were tired; physically, mentally, emotionally.

He frowned, dissatisfied with your answer. “Right, well if anything at all comes up, I’m here.”

From then on, Draco took it upon himself to try and increase his affections and compliments. He would hug you a little tighter, kiss you a little longer, whisper sweet little nothings into your ear before he left you for class. You felt a little bad lying to him, withholding the truth from him, and you saw the concern in his light gray’s when you’d meet him in the mornings and for the rest of the day, but it only made you feel a tad bit worse. You were starting to feel guilty for the way he was worrying, feeling like you were dragging him down into the dumps with you and raining on his usual carefree parades.

On Friday morning, you didn’t meet him for breakfast and you were out of the Great Hall faster than he could catch you. He felt like a stalker when he walked by your class, peeking his head in to see if you were there and well. He spotted you sitting at your desk, hunched over your unopened books with a grimace on your face and your head in your hands. He wanted to go in and whisk you away to somewhere far and quiet, but the Professor had caught him by the door and sent him on his way before he could even think of doing anything of the sort.

You felt the day had gone by extremely slow, relative to how the week was moving and also impossibly dismal. You were counting down the minutes until the end of the school day, ready to run to your dorm right after your last class and bury yourself deep into your duvet and pillows for the rest of the weekend.

Head still pounding, you trudged over to your final class, stopping outside the doors when you saw a small group of your housemates standing around with unnerved expressions as they passed each other papers and spoke in hushed tensed tones.

“I studied all night but my friend took the test earlier and she told me during lunch that it had stuff on it that wasn’t even in the reading!” You heard one exclaim in distress.

“We have a test?” You accidentally said aloud and a pair of eyes turned to look at you confusingly.

“Yeah? Professor’s been telling us all week.”

A scoff of disbelief escaped your lips, an overwhelming sense of defeat washing over you as you turned briskly on your heel and in the opposite direction of your classroom. Tears started pricking at your eyes, you felt the stinging of them wanting to be released but you refused to let them all out in the open and especially in front of people who were still taking their time to head to their classes. 

You were making a beeline towards your common room, blinking rapidly to try and clear your vision that was quickly pooling with unshed tears while trying to steady your breathing in another failed attempt to calm yourself. You were nearly there, you could tell by the paintings and doors that you passed by and the black stain splattered on the floor you saw every day on your way to the dorms from someone’s dropped ink bottle that Filch hasn’t been able to get rid of. 

Almost there, you kept repeatedly reminding yourself.

All hope of solace was gone when you didn’t notice the body you had unknowingly crashed into. All you felt were strong hands around your biceps, holding you in place from toppling backward and the very familiar scent of expensive cologne and mint.

“Y/N? Why aren’t you in class?” You looked up at the platinum blond sadly, his worried eyes searching yours with such care that it pushed you over the edge.

You didn’t answer him and instead wrapped your arms tightly around Draco’s middle, burying your face deep into his robes and letting out quiet and frail weeps that broke his heart. He held you tightly, pressing kisses to the top of your head and muttering soft “I’m here’s” into your hair. You stayed in his embrace for a few minutes, letting your tears freely fall into his vest with a sense of relief that only he was able to give you at this point in time.

“I’m sorry I cried on you,” you choked out when you pulled away from him, desperately wiping away at your eyes with the back of your sleeve.

“You don’t ever have to apologize for that,” he said quickly. He brought his hand up to your face, his thumb swiping delicately over a stray tear that was sitting on your jaw while you closed your eyes in comfort. “Do you want to go back to my room? I can set you up really nicely and we can talk if you’d like?”

“Yes please, I’d like that a lot.”

Draco interlocked your fingers with his, bringing the pair up to his lips with a warm kiss on the back of your hand before walking the two of you over to the entrance of the Slytherin common room. It was empty when you walked in, not a soul in sight since everyone was still in class and it made it much easier for him to sneak you into his singular Prefect room you were now extremely grateful he had. He watched contently when you shed off your robes and kicked off your shoes and immediately slipped into one of his dark green jumpers that fit you big. 

You were perched on the edge of his bed, his scent from his sweater engulfing you and doing a much better job of calming you down than you wanted to admit. He followed in your footsteps and changed into something comfier and when he finally sat beside you with his hand falling over yours as an encouragement to talk - you did. You vented to him all about the letter from home, the migraine, your classes, the argument between you and your friend, and everything else that came to mind.

“And I feel bad for ignoring you and not telling you all this before but I didn’t want to burden you,” you finished with sniffles, gazing up at him with a gloomy expression. 

“Y/N, I love you, and nothing you say to me is a burden,” he frowned slightly, “when I tell you I’m here, I mean it, for anything. You’re so important to me and it kills me to see you upset.”

In a careful movement, he had scooted towards you and affectionately cupped your face before placing a loving kiss on your forehead and murmured to you, “don’t ever hesitate to come to me.”

You let him pull you under his covers, draping his large duvet over your entangled bodies with your head resting right above his chest, the steady beatings of his heart instantly sending you into a much-needed peace. His chin was rested right atop your head and you felt his fingers run up and down your arm soothingly while he thought.

“Is there anything else I can do to make you feel better?” He asked quietly.

“Can you help me fall asleep?” you muttered, closing your eyes gently when his hand smoothed over the back of your hair. You felt him nod against your head and after a small moment silence, you heard him begin to hum the faint tune of your favorite song.

You lied there in bliss, enjoying the way his chest was vibrating against your ear and the way his fingers were playing with the ends of your hair, curling the strands around his fingers and then moving upwards to massage your scalp. And for a minute, everything was finally okay again as you drifted off into a peaceful sleep, a full heart and with your love calmly lulling you away with a soft and now distant humming.