#but he's so busy doubting everything and generally being a nuisance to himself that he barely even notices | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

eremiie · 4 years ago

Note

Fic where y/n has a threesome with Levi and eren😗

can you finish these papers?

❥ 8k words | nsfw | levi x reader x eren

❥ you have some work to finish but you also have somewhere to be, so what’s the harm in handing it off to eren? only, eren ends up needing help with your work, and both eren and levi decide to help you out.

❥ content: threesome, double penetration (vaginal/anal), choking, lowkey cuckolding but not really, slight praise kink, semi-public sex

❥ note: i actually made one back in december so i will simply give that to you now, enjoy <3

"eren!" you called for the brunette, watching his body turn around just before he rounded the corner of the complex, a small smile gracing his face at your figure. you ran up to him, his arms wrapping around your small frame before you could topple over him.

"hey, slow down." the fabric of his button up crinkled the stack of papers in your hand in the slightest before you picked yourself up. he took it upon himself to draw you in closer engaging you in a brief hug before letting you go, causing you to smile at the small gesture. "why are you running?"

"oh, i wanted to catch you before you went to the cubicles." you bit your bottom lip, slightly embarrassed at the fact that you in fact we're running around an office complex to catch him. "i needed you to sign off these papers, and then finish up the rest for me, some of them aren't in my field but i was given them anyways." you held up the papers to your chest and dropped them, eren's eyes following. he took in your appearance; you were wearing a blazer one piece, as if it was a skirt and a blazer warped into one in the bright shade of white, the fabric coming down to a little more than above your knee. trailing down your legs you had a medium handbag in your left hand in a black color that matched your heels.

you were so gorgeous, is what he thought to himself. you never failed to dress to impress at your job, and he never failed to miss greeting you in the morning's when you would come into the building, your normal routine was you and him making coffee together, and on the days you were late he'd make yours for you, cold brew with caramel flavored creamer and a teaspoon of sugar every time. he liked you, but he didn't realize it until one day armin pointed it out to him.

you were seated with him at a meeting, and eren couldn't stop staring at you, the only person seeming to realize being armin, the intelligent coworker of yours that you seemed to only see time to time, and mikasa who was very observant in general; especially with eren.

"you like her!" armin squealed at eren after the meeting during your break. mikasa didn't fail to give a disapproving look at eren, during the ordeal.

"you do. but i'm not surprised. you don't even know her. you only like her for her looks, eren." she added on to armin's comment, eren furrowing his eyebrows at his coworker.

"i don't like her, i just think she's nice guys, and i actually have talked to her, multiple times, so i don't just like her for her looks, mikasa." he crossed his arms and mentally waved the two off. "you don't even know if we talk or not, you're in the complex over." his irritation was clear and he was beginning to walk off, mikasa hesitant to follow.

"eren if you like her that's okay! i'm all for it, and if you want a," armin nudged eren's shoulder playfully with a joyful smile. "wingman i can help you out."

eren grimaced at armin and pushed his arm down with a shake of his head. "armin stop, i don't need a wingman, i don't like her, and i don't need you trying to watch who i talk to mikasa." eren's voice raised in the slightest causing mikasa to step forward in front of armin. she looked down at her watch on her wrist and looked back up to eren with a motherly expression. "break is over in five minutes. let's go."

eren muttered something inaudible under his breath but let mikasa push him forward by the small of his back with armin trailing behind so they could leave the small break area.

so yes, he did like you, and only realized and admitted it to himself after that day, yet he would never admit it to his friends. mikasa would constantly be on his ass about every little thing and armin would try to gain intel on the relationship in retrospect. seeing you genuinely made his heart warm, and he was never afraid to be more than touchy with you, yet he didn't know exactly what move to make.

"yeah, i can do that. do you need them by a specific time?" he grabbed the papers from your hand, letting his brush against your dainty fingers for a slight moment, and he loved the way you grinned at him.

"no, no take your time, bring them by whenever. i have something to do anyways so please, take your time." he nodded his head at you.

"no additional information i need to know? nobody specific to give these to or anything?"

you didn't really think about your response, just wanting to get the papers off your chest. "nope, it's all in the papers, do whatever you want or whatever it says, you're the man."

he chuckled and held the papers up to confirm to you that he'll get everything done for you, despite his own workload. "alright, see you later then?"

"yes, of course, i'll see you later, eren, thank you so much!" and you were off as quick as you met up with him, heading over to the elevator, him watching you leave.

eren couldn't stop smiling to himself on his way to his own office, it was on the same floor as yours, yet the two of you weren't walking together. he assumed like you told him, you had something important to do and that's why you left some of your papers off to him, as the two of you were in the same business field in general compared to others like armin, mikasa, who were in the building next door.

finally, eren was sat at his desk skimming through the papers you gave him. he made two piles, one of papers he simply needed to sign off and transmit to someone above him, most likely the line manager, maybe the director or counselor, and another with work you actually left him to complete for you. mostly phone calls, documents to file and appointments to schedule. he sighed to himself and decided to just sign off the papers to pass on quickly, maybe he'd even be able to stop by your office on the way back to let you know he did some of the work and spark up a conversation.

meanwhile, you were making your own way to another office. you knocked on the door a few times, a small smirk on your face already.

"come in." the voice like silk answered and you wasted no time opening the wooden door.

"levi, hello." you hummed with the same grin you gave eren, just earlier. you closed the door behind you and watched levi study you briefly, rolling his chair out from underneath his desk. his eyes glanced from his desk to you and then back to his desk, getting up and grabbing miscellaneous items, going over to place them on a shelf so it was clearer. "always the clean freak." you scoffed stepping closer until you were right in-front of the plain desk, your fingertips brushing the surface that you've been fucked over countless times. you bent down and placed your purse onto the floor beside his desk. "did you miss me?"

levi went back to sitting down, giving you a one over, taking in your appearance as well. if you were to say so yourself, you were proud of your attire as well, it was giving you a confidence boost, and you got compliments when you wore it almost every time, not to say you wore it a lot.

"heichou? why are you ignoring me?" your voice was flirty. he still hadn't spoke a word to you, yet you knew he was fine with you being here, more than fine. you weren't genuinely being a nuisance, you just wanted to rile him up a bit. you and levi were always like this, not many people spoke to him, as a matter of fact you can't recall much people being willingly enough to talk to him. he was more threatening then the manager, erwin. yet your curiosity didn't fail you when you took a shot at him. both you and hange didn't let his sly remarks, or his little choice of words scare you away, or the death glare he'd shoot in your directions make you shy away from him, and maybe he enjoyed that a little bit.

but the difference between you and hange was your relation to him. an amazing friend you were to him, he even willingly gave you his number when you asked. you nor him were one hundred percent positive on how the situation came to be but you could remember (and you were sure he could too) the first time it happened.

after the first time, every once in a while you and levi would participate in sultry endeavors. you had him wrapped around your finger and you might've been the first girl to at that, although he had you wrapped around his too. not to mention the couple times the two of you didn't fail to fuck at work, levi always feeling more guilty than you after. it was a way to relieve stress for the two of you, and even if you wanted to, you doubt levi would allow you to get any closer to him than you were, not that it bothered you. he was like an onion, lots of hard layers to try and cut through, even after being so close with each other. you never asked why either, his feelings seeming to deep to dive in, and a little much for your carefree self to handle.

"the nicknames not working either?" you strode over and slowly placed yourself in his lap, making sure there were no signs of rejection or anything that would indicate he wasn't in the mood. your legs now were swung over either side of him and your head was leveled with his. "can i?" small fingers brushed up the side of his face, and he involuntarily stiffened in the slightest, even after so many sessions.

he locked his eyes with you and let you lean in to connect both of your lips, a sweet taste of his earlier tea still on his tongue, and only then did he finally place his hands on your lower back, bringing you forward and letting your hips meet his fervently. you tasted of coffee and it blended in perfectly with the herbal taste of his mouth that you swallowed up. moving your hands from his face to his neck, your arms hung over the back of the chair. you pulled back to catch your breath.

"so you're just playing hard to get today?" you smirked, placing your hands over levi's own hands. "do you want to make this quick? i'm not really busy today but how about you?"

finally, levi spoke to you for the first time that evening; "just a meeting with erwin near the end of the work day, in a couple hours."

"you couldn't go a couple hours if we wanted to." your playful remark didn't go unnoticed, and neither did the way he pinched your sides harshly, a yelp coming from your mouth as he picked you up and sat you on his desk.

"only because your shitty ass would be passed out after a few rounds." his eyes gleamed slightly at your charming expression after his joke that made you laugh. you threw your hands back around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss, happy with the way he kissed you more excitingly this time. your tongues and lips danced in a hungry manner and he could feel the happiness radiating off of you. after all it has been a while since you last got to have time with the man.

you trailed your kisses downwards, letting them meet his sharp jawline and then even further until you pecked his adam's apple, it bobbing under your warm lips, and then further once again until they were met with his collarbone. his hand flew to your hair as you continued your administrations, biting and sucking at the thin skin surrounding his collarbone, him holding back his groans, although you could imagine his expression; eyebrows pinched together and his mouth hanging open in the slightest.

deciding to help him out a bit, his suit jacket was thrown off his shoulders onto his chair earning a hard glare from you and you quickly unbuttoned the rest of his white button up until his chest was revealed, giving you the opportunity to run your fingers around it. "hm, pretty."

his smell was distinctive, his signature cologne which you remember asking him the name for but you couldn't recall. it was a french name, something along the lines of 'de chanel', but your mind was becoming foggy and you didn't have time to remember the name at the moment.

"slow down." levi's muttered. "take off that thing." a look of amusement crossd your face, your upper lip perking up and your eyebrows raising. you slowly began to unbutton your buttons one after the other, fully aware you didn't have a bra on underneath your selected outfit; of course not for any particular reason. you just thought it looked simply better without it.

"what? the blazer dress?" and levi held his stern look with you, clearly he could care less about what the piece was called, and he helped you unbutton the remaining buttons letting it fall from your front and rest on your shoulders. he admired your figure, letting his hands ghost over you soft breasts before running his hand down your abdomen and resting them on your hips. his fingers dipped under the band of your underwear, the material nothing special, probably a cotton blend, then he let the pads of his index fingers rub against your hips before pulling them down and folding them to place on his chair. you rolled your eyes. "was folding them really necessary?"

"be lucky i'm even about to bend you over this desk and not making you clean up the mess you're gonna make."

you held your hands up in mock defense, eyelids raising in fake surprise at his comeback, but soon after your eyelids rose in real shock at the feeling of one of his fingers entering you, slowly becoming two. doing it yourself never hit as much as his fingers felt, they fit so effortlessly and made you feel squeamish. you lifted your head up in the slightest to watch him pump the digits in and out your cunt slowly, and clearly on purpose.

you laid back down completely groaning in response at the way his fingers seemed to itch at every right spot inside of you, yet it wasn't enough when you knew that you could have more, that you were going to get more out of him. you lifted your legs up as far back as you could without scooting your upper body off of the desk. you were laying the opposite way the desk was turned so your head hung off slightly, but you didn't mind with the sensation surrounding you.

"fuck, can you go faster maybe?"

"be patient, brat." levi spit back at you quickly, causing you to roll your eyes, but he didn't take that as an answer, curling his slender fingers up until they hit a soft spot, you sucking in a breath. you spread your legs a little more and began to grind down on levi's hands as much as possible to try and create more friction between the two of you, specifically for your own pleasure. you wondered if he was enjoying watching you sprawled out on his desk like this.

of course he was.

you didn't even realize how much he was enjoying it until you opened your eyes to watch the way his bottom lip was trapped between his teeth, and the way his freehand was palming at his self. he was watching you such a lewd expression that you would never catch any other time, and it only grew when you fluttered your eyes at him and let out another moan to draw him in more. in fact, he was so caught up in the moment that his brain was on autopilot, whenever someone knocked on his door his response was always for them to 'come in', and that's how the next moment played out; his brain moving on its own while his fingers were working inside of you.

"sir?" a low voice startled you, but not so much levi as he was so caught up in the moment.

"come in." he said, just like he said to you when you first walked in, but he realized his mistake soon after, yet it was too late. "wait,"

the door was already opening, and heavy footsteps entered the office. "sir, i have pap-"

green eyes locked with yours first thing, and the way your face was contorted in pure pleasure and how your eyes were framed on his sent shivers as well as shock down his spine. surprisingly, you weren't as embarrassed as you thought you were supposed to be because it was him, although you were in an awkward position and levi was clearly flustered and angered at the same time.

"eren..." you mumbled, he appeared upside down from the way your head was looking off the desk, eren in front of you but a distance away.

eren stood there an unreadable expression on his face, but you could see anger through his movements, translated through the way he gripped the papers in his hand a little harder than usual, the paper folding under his hands. or maybe by the way his left eyebrows would twitch, hm, or maybe the slight glare that you couldn't tell who it was directed at.

levi on the other hands anger was way more evident, his face red from either the activity at hand or at how flustered he was. his fingers were stilled in you but they were still curved and rested against your g-spot a little harshly while his other hand stabilized him on the table. "jaeger,"

"i had some papers to drop by." he slightly cut levi off, which wasn't usual... why wasn't he leaving as soon as he witnessed what was going on? as a matter of fact, you were slightly worried on why you were the calmest one in the room although it was you who was upside down on with your tits hanging out and a finger between your lips.

"get out." levi hissed, nails digging into his palm as his fist sat on his desk, beside your phone. but that wasn't the only thing painful, not to mention his dick straining against his dress pants.

eren attempted swallowinh down his slight irritation and frustration, instead letting his gaze flicker down back to your body. he struggled with watching your chest heave up and down, clearly aching for this to be over so levi could keep going. the way the white fabric of your dress was draped across your shoulders yet revealing of everything in between, and the faint scent of sex lingered in the room. your finger playing with your lip and your legs spread open for... levi, was simply a sight.

he wished that was him.

he couldn't be mad at his line manager, he was the one who dictated how well he was doing to the actual boss, he was the head of the branch that you and eren were under.

"why are you still standing there brat? get out." levi's eyes were dark yet he refused to make eye contact with eren, who huffed in a breath and turned towards the door.

he thought for a minute.

"i'll tell."

you and levi's eyes slightly widened, you raising your eyebrow at his sudden demeanor. his voice was a bit lower and he was still facing the door, a bit spacey if you asked yourself.

"ere-"

"let me join."

you snickered in amusement. of course you'd be the one taking the biggest toll but if you were being honest it didn't bother you that much. you liked the thrill and anticipation of the possibility of being caught, and eren was cute, always a sweetheart to you and looking out for you and your work. he was the reason you could divide your work load. why not reward him? in all honesty, if he were to make a move on you independently you probably wouldn't have been one to say no. levi on the other hand...

"i'll tell erwin that you're in here fucking a staff member." this was light for eren, he really wanted to yell at levi for being the one to have you a mess under him, and wanted to be angry at you because you were allowing it to happen, his jealousy was definitely getting the best of him, and he was sure levi would probably beat his ass later for even making the proposition. he felt like a little kid, and felt even worse for the subtle blackmail. it felt stupid to even be asking for such a request, i mean he would never really tell, he just wanted to get a feel of you, feel you around him any which way.

"eren." levi's head lowered further. "i'm going to kill you."

eren's lips creeped up into a small smile. he took that as acceptance and he closed the door, this time locking it for levi and walking forward towards the desk. his smile was slightly reciprocated by you, feeling excitement rush through your body. sure you've been with a lot of people and were slightly know for being an overly friendly person, but a threesome? never.

despite levi's stiff form, still still fingers, and the annoyance seeping off of him eren wasted no time unbuckling his belt in front of your face. the hem of his black button up falling out of his pants as they dropped to the floor, his boxers going along with them.

"doesn't really matter to me if i can feel her pretty lips around my mouth."

oh, how bold of him.

you clenched. yup, yes you did, and you were sure levi felt it, your walls fluttering around his fingers at eren's choice of words. he was hung right in your face and you strained your neck a little bit to push back on the table so you could get a better position for him. he looked down at you still seemingly irritated but a little excited. he caressed his fingers under your jaw, his thumb pulling down on your bottom lip.

"can you open up for me, please?"

your smile was evident now. levi wasn't very vocal during sex as far as you knew, so the exchange and opposition in personalities was a new experience for you. levi began to move his fingers again as you hummed in response and opened your mouth for eren. he slipped his dick into your mouth flawlessly and the angle helped your throat open up much more, not that you had trouble with that anyways.

eren's groans were so pretty, the feeling of your mouth circling him was heaven sent and he had to support himself with the table while he settled in your heat. "fuck," he moaned out while trying to reach the back of your throat only for a split second before letting you do your thing.

"you're gonna have to shut the fuck up. i'm not getting caught because of your shitty ass." levi's pumps were slower now, and you continued your grinding to get him to speed up while trying to cater to eren who was too in bliss to even care about levi's remark.

"mm," was eren's response and it made you laugh around him sending small vibrations up his cock, causing him to gasp and his hand to fly back up to your jaw, massaging your chin unconsciously. you were having slight trouble breathing and all you could see from your angle was the floor and the inside of eren's thighs, his skin a pretty tan, but in all you decided to close your eyes to enhance your pleasure and eren's.

levi began to quicken his pace in a rough manner, adding a third finger and continuing his administration's, using his freehand to fumble with his own pants and belt until they collapsed from around his waist while he abused the sweet spot inside of you. more moans continued to spill from you and eren began his own pace inside your mouth simultaneously while levi pushed to make you cum.

eren's free hand snaked from your jawline to your throat and he essentially used it as leverage while he slipped in and out your mouth, almost slipping out completely then pushing as far as he could every time. spit dribbled down the side of your face from your position and his assault and you silently prayed it didn't get in your eye. "this shit feels so good," eren groaned, his eyes closed as he basked in the pleasure you were giving him, using you as he pleased. "this is what i was missing out on? this is what he got to do?" he rambled on and levi glared at him while his words barely processed in your head as you focused on trying to breathe.

"shut up, you're gonna turn me off." levi continued to go faster and you could feel the warm sensation building up in your lower stomach, your legs aching from their position, continuously open as far as they can go so you could feel his nimble fingers inside you as deep as possible. you knew your legs would be cramped and feel like jelly later.

a whimper elicited from you while eren used your throat, and eren laughed at levi, yet he couldn't tell if he was being serious or not.

your legs were beginning to shake and you used your free hand to rub your clit but levi's hand grabbed your wrist before you could help yourself to an orgasm. "no. you really think i'd let you get off that fast?" you whined but it was slightly covered by the gags eliciting from your throat as eren got rougher, hand closing in around your neck and you could feel his fingertips tightening around it. he also seemed to relish in the feeling of your throat bulging the deeper he went, causing a mantra of curses to leave his own throat.

once you calmed down a little on levi's end he continued to go faster again, this time your wrist to your side pinned by his hand. he was doing it on purpose, hitting that sacred spot inside of you repeatedly while watching your actions to determine whether or not you were close, by the way your legs would push further out, or the way you would arch your back, or even the feeling of you tightening around him in anticipation for something bigger, then he would pull out and relished in the whine that would leave your mouth every time.

"ev... ah..." his name sounded so distorted coming from your mouth when you had eren filling your mouth up.

"he can't hear you like that, sweetheart." eren taunts, pulling out and and rubbing the head of his dick against your swollen lips. "what is it?"

"i can't, i need to cum." you pleaded, raising your head up so that you could see levi's fingers inside of you preparing to get you close to your high for the umpteenth time. eren stared in admiration at you and at your begging expression.

"tch, help him finish first so i can fuck you." levi was relaxing now that he was in too deep, and you could tell. he seemed to be enjoying putting you right on the edge, or maybe he was punishing you for eren's arrival, but that was in no way your fault. you sighed impatiently and laid your head back down so eren could slip back in.

"you want me to make this quick for you?" eren's hand was on your cheek now with a look you'd give to a crying newborn baby, almost as if he was in awe, maybe pity, or maybe he was patronizing you. you weren't used to being so submissive to one, let alone two people, so you were surprised at how rapidly your responded, a fast nod to the head. "'m gonna use that pretty throat of yours for a few more minutes, alright?" another hum in response to eren and you closed your eyes again in anticipation, deciding to ignore the spit and lewd noises while levi added a fourth finger but went pretty slow.

eren pushed into your throat again and stayed as deep as possible for a couple seconds. "shit," he furrowed his eyebrows before pulling out and then repeating the process. "i'm close, i'm so fucking close." you helped push eren over the edge by attempting to swirl your tongue around his dick and hollowing your cheeks. the last time he pulled out you chased him, your lips puckering around his head and sucking. he went in once more and you licked up a specific vein that lined the side of his cock and then he spilled in your mouth. "oh, fuck, fuck!"

you sat up as he pulled back and propped yourself up on your elbows, forcing yourself to swallow his seed, as you were at work and didn't want too much of a mess to clean up. plus levi would've probably killed you, already seeming upset. although, levi kept to his word, he clicked his tongue and pumped his fingers in and out of you hard and fast again to build that pressure back up, letting go of your wrist to rub at your clit and not forgetting the spot that made your eyes rolls back and your stomach curdle until you yourself were coming as well with a too loud moan, that you prayed the others in the building didn't hear. "levi!" you called out, his name leaving your lips flawlessly causing his lips to part with a sigh and your juices coating his fingers. he pulled his fingers out from you and your and eren were both mesmerized by the amount of slick that gave his fingers a shine.

although the site in front of him was beautiful, eren was jealous that that wasn't his name coming from your lips like that.

and levi was irritated he was still untouched.

"my turn." levi grumbled, as you sat up your chest heaving up and down. you were sure you looked a mess, dry saliva and cum all over your face, and your throat left dry and abused, not to mention you didn't even want to know what your hair looked like. you lifted yourself off the counter and threw the dress blazer that was under you onto the floor, and swore you saw levi twitch, probably contemplating whether or not to ruin the moment by folding it or something.

"awe, heichou was being patient. that's a first." you joked, and eren came around and sat up onto levi's desk in your previous spot letting you lean back onto him while he was trying to catch his own breath after such an intense orgasm. he was slightly confused by the nickname but it gave him the impression that this has clearly been going on for a long time. "so what do you want me to do, boss?"

with another click of his tongue levi opted to show you instead of tell you. you turned around as levi lined himself up while you stood facing eren for support as he sat in front of you stroking himself and deciding to just watch for now, still surprised he was even getting to have an experience with you.

"then i'm gonna fuck you." you gasped as you felt levi rub against your folds and then enter you bottoming out at once. he's been inside you so many times yet every time still felt somewhat new and refreshing. he fit so perfectly inside of you like a glove and you loved the way it felt every time. you sighed in relief when you felt him buried to the hilt and eren's hand tightened around himself at the noises coming from you. he was studying your expressions well, knowing that he'd embed in his mind the noises and faces you were making for later.

eren brought his hands up to your face and pulled you in for a kiss to swallow up your sounds. "you know you did so good?" he praised you using his thumbs to rub your ears before kissing down to your neck. "that's the best head i've gotten in a while."

your mouth dropped open and you let out the quietest "eren," as he pulled you closer and levi fucked you harder; he wanted to hear 'levi' not 'eren'. eren relished in this though and sucked at your neck, sandwiching you between the two boys, you using eren to hold onto, and levi drilling you.

"yeah, i like when you say my name like that." you couldn't help but notice how expressive he was, and you loved it. his lips formed those words against your skin and you grasped onto his black button up to hold yourself up some more. eren let go of your face now having a free hand to go back to stroking himself. he watched as your eyes fluttered and struggled to stay open, and levi loved the way instead of your eyes, your cunt fluttered around him. his grip on your hips was strong and his fingertips were going to leave some type of imprint in your skin. the sound of skin slapping against each other was so apparent and a turn on for eren.

"hey," eren let go of himself and connected your lips once more before leaning in towards your ear. "you think you can take two people?" his voice was low, almost like a whisper but loud enough that levi heard it too, causing him to stutter in his movements at the thought and you to have a mini double take as well.

"oh fuck," you sighed resting your elbows on eren's knees while your chin rested against his shirt and you opened your eyes to look up at him.

"if you can't let me know, no pressure." his smile was warm, too much like the same grin he gave you earlier when you handed him those papers. one of his hands pat the top of your head before raking the rest through your locks and then tugging on your ponytail slightly. "i'm just curious to know how much you can take. you've been such a slut today... i didn't know you were like this." your head was jerked to look more up at him causing a strain on your neck and you let out a small mewl in response.

levi looked up at you trying to determine what your response meant while eren caressed your jaw again, something he seemed to really enjoy. it made it feel more intimate for him and gave him the slightest hope that he could have a little more of you another time.

"how?" you mumbled against him. eren's hands cascaded down your back until his ring finger prodded at your hole causing it to clench slightly making him chuckle.

"well i'll be here," and then his hand groped your ass before bringing it back up and kissing you once more. "and he'll be there."

"i... i can try?" your audible response was more of a question and it was mainly the result of the way eren stared down at you. gosh were his eyes absolutely gorgeous, the closer you were to him the better they were to look at even through the blur of your eyes from the sensations around you. emerald green rimmed by a jade with flecks of the ocean littering his eyes. as a matter of fact his whole face was gorgeous, his brown hair swept back into a half assed bun with strands of hair sticking to his forehead was still attractive to you somehow even though it looked like he didn't try at all.

"hm, sir?" eren looked up, his 'sir' coming off as more mockingly and levi's infamous glare wasn't afraid to look at eren again. "it's what she wants."

"are you sure this isn't for your own fucking fantasy?" you assumed levi's comment was a joke but his tone was too serious to tell, so eren brushed it off as well as you. "come here." levi pulled out and hesitantly sat back in his own chair. "get on top of me." you obliged and crawled into his lap, lining the two of you up again and having him bury into you all the way again.

"you don't have... anything, right? to help her?" eren asked reluctantly but he wanted to assure no harm would be done to you. levi shook his head and gave eren a look that screamed 'why would i carry lube at work?' yet it was a stupid look considering he was in the process of fucking his coworker at work as well.

eren came up behind you rubbing your shoulders and neck chastely, speaking again in a low tone; "we're gonna take this slow." he turned your head towards him as you leaned more against levi so eren could get a better angle and kissed you softly before collecting precum from his tip and smearing it on your entrance then letting his spit beside it before slipping one finger into you. you tensed up in the slightest and pulled away from eren's lips. eren could feel the added pressure from you and pouted. "you have to relax or this won't work." you were sure his response was trying to be reassuring but it came off as more angry.

"okay," you relaxed your body and levi pulled you closer to him not even recognizing the fact that he pecked you a kiss instead. "someone's jealous." you joked as eren slipped a second finger beside the first, levi tensing up himself at the strange feeling of eren's fingers being felt through the thin tissue that separated your two holes. you stiffened yourself in the slightest at being pushed to your limit. levi grumbled something inaudible and peered down at the site, slightly intrigued but doing a good job at hiding the fact.

"can i add a third one?" eren asked after you were more calm. he spit again so it wasn't dry. you hesitated for a minute before nodding your head and anticipating the new stretch. you weren't gonna lie, it slightly burned but it was a good burn, a sexual pain. eren slipped in his third finger even slower than the first two and marveled at the way you were taking up so much, rubbing your back encouragingly and pecking various upper body parts to keep you calm while levi himself was struggling with the added pressure, just holding you in his lap and trying not to thrust into you.

slowly eren pumped his fingers and he ached for it to be his dick instead. maybe another time he'd be able to get you by yourself and get to fuck you properly, he could only hope.

"i think i can do another one." your tone was shy as you cradled against levi's chest, quite flustered.

"oh? okay." eren responded before repeating his process of spitting and adding another finger slowly so you could adjust. one thing eren and levi could agree on was how well you were doing. his fingers pumped inside you again and you groaned at the newfound feeling, lip quivering and eyes getting teary. this time, without much hesitance after you adjusted again eren removed his fingers and placed his tip at your entrance turning you to face him. "you're so fucking good," eren brought your lips to his again before he slid into you slowly, swallowing all your gasps and he could've sworn he could've heard one elicit from levi at the pressure that was building up. he didn't begin to move until you gave him the okay and he spit hastily once more and began moving slowly, levi's pace much faster.

you felt overwhelmed but in a good way, the thrill was running through your body and your adrenaline was pumping, cheeks warm and body hot, and you could feel tears pricking at your eyes. "this... feels so fucking... good!" you struggled to get you words out but they heard you. in response eren grabbed your breast, rolling your nipple in between his warm fingers and placing his forehead against the top of your head.

"yeah, it does, this is amazing, ____, you're amazing, fuck." you could've sworn that was the first time eren had said your name all night and you loved the way it rolled off of his tongue so well, it made your heart flutter how he said it so passionately and rich while he fucked you.

levi still was adamant on not making much noise but you could tell he was feeling it too by the way his grip on your lower back was impeccably tight, and the soft curses under his breath. normally you'd be asking the other party to go faster but you didn't want to push yourself too much and relished in the pleasure given currently. you were gonna come soon anyways with an added push later.

"you're taking us so well, shit," eren cursed eyes squeezed so tightly he was seeing stars in his vision while he palmed at your breast, seemingly for his own leverage not really your own, and you probably would've laughed at this if you weren't so in the moment yourself.

"eren, levi," you panted bouncing down onto both of them hoping your efforts were working with them. "please, i'm gonna come,"

ugh, there names again went straight to both of their heads, especially eren, his hand snaking up to your neck from your boob and choking you slightly before going to your jaw and slipping his thumb into your mouth, holding it open. "are you asking permission?" eren asked while levi followed in eren's footsteps unconsciously and this time actually choked you, his hand wrapping around your neck and bringing you closer to him, yet his eyes were closed.

"i..." you couldn't even respond to eren's question, too much going on and quicker than you could even process or realize you came squeezing both of them tight, but levi could feel it straight on and stopped for a second in efforts not to come yet. he would never admit it but the feeling was perfectly strange in the weirdest way. as long as levi's lower stomach didn't rub against your clit the oversensitivity didn't bother you too much.

"you what? speak up." eren patronized you knowing you couldn't speak well with his thumb in your mouth or a hand around your throat, nevertheless filled both ways with two dicks.

levi loosened his grip and you sucked in as much air as possible and whined. "please, can i come?"

yes, you definitely needed someone like eren in your sex life.

he took his hand out your mouth and used his wet thumb to rub circles around your clit until that same pressure built up earlier and toppled you over the edge, you coming for the third time that day, holding in your screams as you twitched on both of their dicks squeezing them tight. "lev-, ere-," you breathed heavy and collapsed on levi again while both of them quickened their pace, eren coming first for the second time and spilling into you causing levi to let out a loud groan and reciprocate.

levi pushed forwards causing you to fall back into eren who took you into his arms and turned you around so no cum got on levi's desk. while he caught his breath he used the arm that wasn't holding you up to spread your left cheek and watch you push out both of their fluid, eren biting his lip and sighing. "you did really good." he murmured in your ear while levi fixed himself up right away. talk about post-sex guilt, or maybe that was his cleanly side acting up.

usually after sex the two of you would get dressed together and you would help him clean his office but this was too much, you were tired and needed to help yourself.

levi clearly felt disgusted with himself, and you found it amusing even through your haze. "i have some cleaning to do, get your shit together and get out." was the nicest way for him put it. you didn't take this as rude considering you knew levi personally, and as did eren yet he still was slightly offended. levi pulled out a box off tissues from the shelf which he placed them on and handed it to you. "get yourself a little cleaned up with these, get your clothes on, and you too jaeger."

you rolled your eyes yet you and eren obliged while levi febreezed the room before getting started on his cleaning.

"good thing i don't have calls today. we're on break now so i'm making myself another cup of coffee to get through this last hour." you spoke mainly to yourself but still the two heard as you placed your phone back into your purse which you picked up after spraying yourself (and eren) with perfume and fixing yourself up, face cleaned up and all.

"we don't talk about this, ever. this isn't happening again, and if i even hear you utter a word about it, it's gonna be your neck, brats." levi muttered while wiping off his desk profusely. "get out." he huffed, wanting to take a hot shower, then again all three of you couldn't wait to get home and do just that.

✽ ✽ ✽

"so..." eren sipped from his coffee as did you, him deciding to follow you during the last ten minutes of your break.

"so? don't make this awkward, eren." you half joked with a small smile. "levi said not to talk about it!" you repeated levi's words mockingly, of course you cared less what levi thought.

"i just feel like this makes us closer." he chirped at your playful tone. "we should hang out or something sometime and i wanna know you and... everything." eren seemed bolder with his words after your adventure.

"you blackmailing me and levi into having sex with you counts as us getting closer?" it seemed as if eren became a little more sullen with another one of his infamous irritated looks, causing you to chuckle. "i'm just joking, eren. you have my number if you need it."

eren's eyes lit up and he smiled with a small huff of accomplishment. "alright cool..." his gaze darted towards the clock in the corner of the room. "breaks over so i'll see you, _____." there was your name again.

he began to walk off desperately wanting to leave you with a hug or a kiss but he was back into his awkward complex, nevertheless he did not know what terms the two of you stood on after that.

"did you ever finish those papers?" you asked curiously looking towards eren before he could round the corner. eren gave you an apologetic look shaking his head until his brain sparked. he smirked and looked back at you with those same aqua eyes.

"i finished in something else instead." and you swore you saw his eyes darken before he turned that stupid sharp corner and disappeared for good.

#eren jaeger #eren jaeger x reader #eren x reader #eren yeager x reader #attack on titan #eren jaeger smut #levi ackerman smut #levi ackerman x reader #levi x reader #eren x levi

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bottoms-movie · 4 years ago

Text

SAMBUCKY FIC RECS

so a lot of people seemed interested this so here it is! if ya’ll like this, i can make more parts! this is split into three categories: based on tfatws, canon divergence, and au. all fics are on ao3. all of the fics are complete. some fics do include smut, but i included the ratings, so make sure to check for that based on preferences!

also, feel free to send me asks on your thoughts on any fics or if you’re interested in another sambucky fic rec post!

BASED ON TFATWS

Fill the Hole in my Heart | Not Rated | 4,848 words

Bucky dives into the world of online dating. The girls are nice, but there seems to be something missing. When he goes to Louisiana to meet Sam and his family, he realizes what that something was.

Skip, Reverse | Explicit | 7,945 words

Sam stood in the middle of their local Target with a throw pillow in each hand. The one in his left hand was butter-soft and matched the drapes in the living room, but Bucky had walked by five seconds ago and declared the one on the right “absolutely fucking hideous,” and so now Sam kind of wanted it more than he had ever wanted anything.

Sometimes romance is just bickering with your superhero partner/roommate at several different Target locations.

just won’t do right | General | 7,524 words

Sam's eyebrows go up, impressed, and he reaches over to squeeze Torres' shoulder, "This is amazing, kid. Thanks, really."

Bucky sits and watches in utter horror as the pink darkens on Torres' cheeks.

Oh, he realizes. Oh. Fuck.

body language will do the trick | Explicit | 12,598 words

“There’s no way you’re going to win this,” Bucky tells Sam. “I am going to love language the shit out of you.”

Sam gives him a considering look. “You do seem like you’d be really good at that.”

Bucky’s cheeks flush with heat. “Thanks, pal, I—”

Sam smirks, and Bucky’s eyes narrow. He shoves his elbow into Sam’s side and stalks off, leaving Sam cackling behind him.

“Your ass looks great today!” Sam yells.

Bucky reaches up to flip Sam the bird, and he definitely does not feel grateful that he wore his good jeans today. Bucky’s ass looks great every day.

checklist | General | 4,716 words

Bucky Barnes keeps a mental checklist of things he knows to be true at any given moment. Sometimes the checklist changes, because he's learned something else about himself. It changes, for example, when he starts realizing that maybe he would like to kiss Sam Wilson. Maybe.

best laid plans | 3 parts | 26,808 words

part 1: baby you’re the wave and I’m ready for the crash | Explicit | 6,616 words

Nah, my plan’s better,” Sam declares, before clapping Bucky on the shoulder.

“I’m sorry, what plan? Was that a plan? It didn’t sound like a plan to me, it sounded like a vague intention,” says Bucky, still scowling, and Sam grins.

“We’re winging it, the plan is a work in progress! Now c’mon, we gotta make some wardrobe adjustments if we’re gonna get into that club.”

Sam and Bucky have some unorthodox methods of going undercover in a club.

He Doesn’t Deserve You! | Teen | 5,154 words

Sam and Bucky have an argument that results in Bucky being left at the bar. A group of drunk strangers assumes Bucky just got dumped and quickly adopt him for the night to make him feel better.

Reconstitution | Not Rated | 10,228 words

“I didn’t back Steve on the Sokovia Accords,” Sam says unprompted one day. They’re so close to apprehending the Flagsmashers and wrapping up this ridiculous saga.

“I don’t follow,” Bucky says.

“I was the one who refused to sign it first. Not Steve.”

Sam says it so softly that Bucky has to strain to hear him. Sam is loud and chatty and half the time he keeps up a constant stream of chatter just to get on Bucky’s nerves, but Bucky’s coming to realize that when he really wants to make himself heard, he’s soft spoken and mild. Bucky doesn’t entirely follow his train of thought, though.

Or: a breaking down, remaking, and coming back stronger than ever before

Stuck On You (You Suez, You Luez) | Explicit | 10,136 words

Sam and Bucky’s mission was simple: stowaway on a ship suspected of weapons-smuggling in the Suez, gather enough intel to report back, and hop off again in Port Said. Something gets in the way, and a day-long recon session turns into a week of chess, bickering, semi-successful movie references, and trying not to go slowly insane.

His Touch | Mature | 1,006 words

When Baron Zemo touched Bucky’s face, Sam Wilson saw red.

Bucky just wants Sam to comfort him.

rusted | Teen | 2,358 words

Bucky doesn’t grace him with a sound of acknowledgement. He’s been quiet, ever since that night with Zemo. Well. Quieter. It’s almost like. Every time he opens his mouth, he’s half-expecting the Winter Soldier to come out.

He hasn’t, yet. Won’t, ever again. Not unbidden. Sam’s sure of that. Bucky, not so much.

‘You busy?’

‘’m scouring the—’

‘Good,’ Sam cuts the idiot off, ‘I need you to help me shave.’

advanced therapy methods for large adult men | 2 parts | 11,717 words

part 1: The Gottman Method for Dealing with Conflict | Mature | 4,187 words

Bucky and Dr. Raynor have a follow-up session and two entirely different conversations about his relationship status.

Or: Let's do more couples therapy, James.

it’s always Bucky’s Fault | 3 parts | 20,089 words

part 1: Did you see it? | Explicit | 3,905 words

In which there's supposedly a viral video of the Winter Soldier on his knees sucking off Captain America.

Everything is, like always, completely Bucky's fault.

CANON DIVERGENCE

Even in the Present (I Am Living in the Past) | Teen | 16,977 words

Sometimes Sam still questions everything about his ability to shoulder the 80-year legacy he now bears. His history, and the history of his loss, sticks with him and even in healing he doubts whether or not he is able to fulfil his purpose, and whether he may find lasting peace and happiness.

Told in fluid-fragments, the story moves between his therapy sessions after his return from active duty and the post-Endgame present.

You never forget your first | Teen | 3,650 words

The story of Bucky and Sam getting together in a series of firsts.

leftovers | Mature | 19,249 words

With the New Avengers up and running, Sam finally has time to start dating again. Unfortunately, it's not going as well as he'd hoped.

Partners | Explicit | 7,235 words

Sam's not sure if he can be Captain America. He's not a supersoldier. He can't throw the shield. He's just a dude.

And Bucky Barnes is just a nuisance, albeit a pretty good-looking one.

I’ll explain everything to the geese | Explicit | 50,949 words

Bucky is so competent that it hurts my feelings is not a rational complaint to have about a person, and yet, after a year of being Captain America and partnering up with Bucky for the new and improved, post-Blip Avengers, that’s kinda how Sam’s feeling.

It’s not great. It maybe leads to Sam making some rash, ill-advised decisions like claiming he has a previously undisclosed superpower, and then getting caught in a web of lies when he ends up actually developing that surprisingly inconvenient superpower. Talking to birds had seemed like a harmless superpower, but it turns out that birds have a lot of opinions, and they don’t hesitate to tell Sam about them, especially when it comes to his supposedly subpar courting skills. Which is ridiculous, because Sam isn’t courting Bucky. Right?

Night Swimming | Teen | 2,056 words

“Come on. The princess has a new arm for you and I gotta see if there’s a barber around here willing to tackle your…” Sam waved a hand at Bucky’s face.

“I don’t want a new arm,” Bucky immediately bit out.

And then -

“I can cut my own damn hair.”

Sam just raised both eyebrows. Crossed his arms over his chest again.

Dared Bucky to prove him wrong.

Cpvert Coffee & Flirtation Specialist | General | 5,542 words

The reporter says "—for Captain America to—"

And Bucky rolls his eyes. "Oh, here we go."

Sam looks at him then tips his head sideways, got a weird grin on his face. "Not a fan?"

"Not that. Just… the guy seems too good to be true, right? Wings and a shield?? Come on."

"Uh, is that why your eyes are like glued to the screen whenever he's on?" Kate says. "Is that why you call him Captain Tight Ass?"

"He's a goddamn show-off, and you know it. Tight ass or not."

Just then Sam snorts, real loud, grabs his coffee and suffers a horribly controlled laugh on his way out the door.

Stolen Moments | Teen | 98,767 words

“No,” Sam said, chuckling. “I don’t cheat,” he swept his gaze up and down James’ body, “even with guys who look like you. But, I’m bored and a little pissed, so if you wanna sit here and shoot the shit ‘til my man shows back up, I’m game.”

Never one to back to back down from a challenge - especially a challenge who looked like Sam Wilson - Bucky took another swig from his bottle and replied, “Sure, doll. I’ve got nothing but time.”

Steve has Sam. Bucky wants Sam. Sam wasn’t expecting any of this.

Such a Whirlwind Since I Saw You | Teen | 10,871 words

The Men of Letters turned Bucky Barnes into a weapon. Hunters Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanov are determined to save him, but they're going to need Sam Wilson's help.

“So you want me to ditch work, drive across America with you until you find your friend, who you thought was dead - all while avoiding some high-tech hunters who are out for blood?” Sam is asking.

Steve shrugs a shoulder, looking a little sheepish. Natasha almost laughs at the dry tone of Sam’s voice, but he's not wrong.

You Got What I Need? | Explicit | 37,588 words

Sam and Bucky are both in a bind, professionally. Nat points out a solution that neither men like. To save their careers they play along or rather, stop playing all together.

#marvel #sam wilson #bucky barnes #tfatws #sambucky #sambucky fanfiction #sambucky fic recs #fic recs #usermarcy #usersof #tusernini #tusersammy #usersmile #usersamanne #usercross #sambucky fanfic #my fic recs

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hualianff · 4 years ago

Text

Thinking about XL who used to be an heir to one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the world, “Xianle Tech.” When his family’s business was still thriving, XL attended a lot of charity events to meet with clients and cultivate important connections he would have to uphold as future CEO.

Everything seemed to be going according to plan, XL developing a respectable name for himself as he began business school. Once he graduated, XL shadowed his father at work, learning the ropes of how to run a successful company that competed with the best in the world.

However, the success was never meant to last.

Only three years down the road, XianLe Tech suffered a major setback when reports spread that their new product line caused harmful explosions after little use. After paying millions in indemnification for the damage customers experienced, another scandal revealed XianLe Tech had been profiting off of unpaid labor.

Within one month, the world XL had grown up to know crumbled all around him. And he could do nothing about it. All the “friends” XL had disappeared within a blink of an eye. No one wanted to be associated with the family who had resorted to dirty practices for their advantage, which is incredibly ironic considering the business industry is all about networking and using others as stepping stones to achieve selfish goals.

Nevertheless, XL understood that it had been wrong, that he and his parents were wrong to disregard the roots of their manufacturing process. XL wasn’t aware of his privilege up until now, but he sure as hell would learn how to combat this systematic inequity, somehow salvaging what he had left along the way.

XL becomes a social worker who is a Youtuber on the side, educating his viewers about class injustices, homelessness, poverty, and the same exploitation of lower-class resources that led to XianLe Tech’s downfall. He also incites them to engage in random acts of kindness whenever they can. He doesn’t have a huge subscriber following, doesn’t make money off of his videos. XL is just glad that some people watch his videos. He hopes he can make a positive impact on their lives, no matter how small.

After all, XL is a firm believer that despite the world being a scary and lonely place, having at least one person let you know you are cared for is enough to make a difference–is enough to save a life.

***

“I am sorry, but we cannot serve you at this moment.”

“But we talked on the phone a few hours ago. I have a reservation,” XL says calmly. He holds up his phone with the confirmation page pulled up. The waiter doesn’t even glance at the screen, sniffing as if XL is nothing but a nuisance.

“Still, we don’t serve people like you,” he says, eyeing XL’s outfit with distaste.

Ah, so it was an appearance issue. XL quickly looks around at the seated guests, catching sight of wrists adorned with miraculous jewels and pricey wristwatches, bodies clothed with expensive fabrics no doubt imported from overseas. The same aura of practiced prestige and sophistication lingers in the air.

XL doesn’t even have to glance down at his ripped jeans, cream-colored sweater, and flimsy white jacket to know he sticks out like a sore thumb. He internally sighs, slightly regretting taking SQX up on their recommendation to try out The Red Thread. If XL knew he would’ve been barred from in-dining eating, he would not have placed a reservation in the first place.

But XL doesn’t want to give up just yet. He still has a lot to learn about class discrimination and prejudices; if XL were to walk away now with his tail between his legs, it would be giving power to those who claimed superiority and unjust treatment in the first place. Instead of allowing this waiter to brush him to the side like a pest, XL stands his ground, adjusting his beige handbag on his shoulder.

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean. Could you please elaborate?” XL asks in a breezy tone. A sense of amusement bubbles in his gut when the waiter looks visibly annoyed.

“Sir, we don’t mean to be unaccommodating. However, there are standards in place that were set by the CEO himself. We are simply abiding by his standards,” the waiter says, presenting the matter like he had no choice but to turn XL away.

“Is it a money problem? Because I assure you I can pay for my meal, if that’s what you’re worried about,” XL tries again. The waiter narrows his eyes, making XL gulp nervously. He unconsciously twists the hair not pulled back in his half-bun.

A few more waiters gather around them, ready to jump in if things get too heated.

“Oh, I’m certain the former heir to XianLe Tech can afford our service,” the main waiter sneers unkindly. XL’s breath catches in his throat upon being recognized. The probing eyes suffocate him, probably taking into account how renowned he was years ago and thinking how far he has fallen to come to a Michelin-starred restaurant dressed like this.

XL feels himself losing steam.

“But we are asking you to leave. It’s up to you whether or not force will be necessary.”

“It’s not right to refuse service when there is no valid reason in doing so,” XL says, more desperate this time.

“You do not pass the dress code,” another waiter pipes up. “You are not fit to be here.”

The main waiter now walks towards XL, a grim expression on his face.

“Wait, I’d like to speak to your manager, if they’re here–”

“I am the manager. Don’t make things harder for yourself,” the manager replies brusquely. He stands tall in front of XL, an intimidation tactic used to make XL back down. XL’s face heats up as he realizes he’s caught the attention of other customers as well. He’s like a trapped animal being told to scram in the presence of merciless predators.

It’s not a nice feeling, not at all.

Humiliation seeps into XL’s bones. It’s been a while since he was last scrutinized by the general public, and while this is only a handful of elite gathered in a medium-sized building, the burden weighing down on XL feels like that of the weight of the world. He needs to escape. He needs to breathe. Because only then can XL continue saving himself.

Right as XL decides it might be time to let the reins go, he hears the whooshing sound of the doors opening. He doesn’t turn to see who has entered, but the surrounding staff who were observing the exchange go deathly silent. Their faces automatically mold into a mask of obedience, posture tightening up.

***

He is one of the oldest orphans in the orphanage. His age alone makes him fit for this task, and if he does it right, he can earn money as well as the good graces of his caretakers. He can do it.

He must. He must survive.

But there are so many people. So many plates and tables and silverware. Everyone is so tall, so big, so important. It’s been three hours, and his feet have developed blisters. The bruises from a couple days ago still throb. When he smells all the rich aromas coming from the kitchen, from the plates he carries upon both hands, his stomach growls.

He feels light-headed. Too many people, he thinks. Too much talking and boisterous laughter. He wants to leave but he can’t. He won’t be paid until the end of the night, after clean-up.

He continues to work.

And then it happens. It’s too fast. He wasn’t looking where he was going, just staring at the floor as he rushed to the kitchen. But he has bumped into another person, and judging by the clothes he wears and his pleasant scent, this person is very important.

He can only stare at the mess he’s made. There are gasps of shock and horror around him. He can’t breathe. He wants to disappear. To die, just freaking die already. He will never make it out if he can’t even complete mundane work like this.

As he’s ushered into the kitchens by the older male, he prepares for the yelling, and possibly the hits. They never come. Instead, he’s cleaned up by the older male, who asks a couple questions.

He answers them willingly.

“What is your name?”

“It’s nice to meet you, Xiao Hong-er. I’m Xie Lian, you can call me gege, okay?”

“Everyone makes mistakes, Xiao Hong-er. But they will never define you. As long as you remain true to yourself, you can achieve anything you set your heart to. Do you understand?”

“I believe in you.”

When gege left through the kitchen doors, back to the adult world, back to being important, another older male walks in. The other male frowns, then says one word.

“Fired.”

***

“What is going on here?” An authoritative voice demands, sending powerful vibrations through the air. The hairs on the back of XL’s neck stand up as the new person comes up from behind him. This must be an important figure.

The manager answers that a customer–who isn’t even dressed according to the standards–has been causing trouble. Already beyond mortified at the turn of events but refusing to let it show, XL slowly meets the newcomer’s eyes as he is acknowledged.

The man is tall, at least a head taller than XL. He’s broader too, dressed to the nines just like the other waiters and customers in the restaurant. His skin is hauntingly pale, slivers of ink peeking out from underneath the dress shirt he wears, top three buttons open. XL does not allow his gaze to waver as he instantly labels this guy one of the most handsome men he’s laid eyes upon, and it makes his heart stutter.

XL shoves down these uncalled for thoughts and refrains from giving any of his emotions away.

The most peculiar thing is the eyepatch settled upon the other man’s right eye. XL makes it a point not to stare too much. The eye left uncovered regards XL with interest. XL feels shivers run down his spine at that, steeling himself for the harsh words that will be directed towards him once more.

So XL finally bows his head and lowers his eyes.

“Never mind. I was just leaving. Sorry to be a disturbance.”

An awkward silence follows. The staff doesn’t say anything, but their faces are victorious at the prospect that XL has finally caved in. On the other hand, the taller man’s eye widens, and he only regards XL for ten more seconds before anger becomes noticeable in his gaze.

XL feels his stomach drop.

He goes to make his exit, except a large hand on his shoulder prevents him from turning around. XL looks at the taller man with confusion. The eye-patched man says only one word, expression solemn.

“Stay.”

As XL processes this with raised eyebrows, the taller man now glares holes into the manager who had spoken in the first place. With a click of his tongue, loud and clear, all the staff rushes back to their places, getting back to work. This includes the manager, who ducks his head to avoid the hostile energy of who XL now assumes is his boss.

“Sir?” XL addresses quietly as all the eyes that were once staring at him go back to their own business. The taller man now fully turns to face XL, hand slipping off XL’s shoulder.

“Sorry about that. I didn’t realize such standards were put into place since my departure. I’ll ensure there are consequences for the staff that has disrespected you tonight,” he says firmly, never breaking eye contact. This makes XL’s skin crawl, makes him feel alive. The other man holds his hand out, seemingly shrinking himself to fit XL’s comfort. “I’m the owner of this establishment, by the way. You can call me San Lang.”

XL is utterly speechless for a second, automatically taking SL’s hand and shaking while simultaneously admiring his undeniable attractiveness.

“M-many thanks, San Lang. I didn’t mean to cause such a commotion...” XL feels himself blush as he takes note that their hands have been intertwined for an absurd amount of time considering they’re strangers.

“I tried telling them I had a reservation, but they wouldn’t seat me—“

“They rejected your reservation?” SL questions sharply, dropping XL’s hand and curling his own into a fist.

XL bites his lip, nodding. He can practically feel the waves of irritation rolling off of the owner. “But I suppose I didn’t realize how high-scale this restaurant is. I mean, I’ve heard many great things about the food...”

When SL doesn’t say anything, the corner of his lips turned downwards, XL quickly backtracks in panic, realizing what he said must’ve been offensive.

“I’m sure your restaurant still holds true to its reputation, haha! I suppose...maybe I should’ve thought to dress more formally so this wouldn’t have happened,” XL says.

However, SL is already shaking his head. When he speaks, his voice is hushed, words tumbling out in a smooth baritone voice that XL could listen to for hours.

“No. None of this is your fault. Please don’t take whatever my staff has said to heart. They are the ones mistaken and they will be held accountable. Forgive me for disappointing you...?” He trails off.

“Xie Lian,” XL offers helpfully, offering a small smile.

“Xie Lian...” SL says slowly, as if testing the name out and decidedly liking the way it sounds. He whispers something else under his breath that XL can’t quite make out. XL chuckles at that, now wondering how old SL is. He doesn’t look any older than XL himself, perhaps even younger. Just the mere fact that SL is this young and so successful, XL is the one in awe.

They stand at the entrance of the restaurant in a brief silence, just staring at each other. XL assumes it’s time for him to take his leave. His reservation doesn’t matter much anymore, not like he wanted to dine and be served by the same people who looked down on him because of his underdressed self.

But before he can, once again, announce his exit, SL steps a little closer, a curious look in his eye.

“Say, Xie Lian, seeing as this was such a disservice for your night, would you be interested in going somewhere else? I know a few places that have just as delicious food,” SL offers, tilting his head innocently. His long hair is tied into a low ponytail, but his side bangs fall gracefully across his face.

“Wouldn’t that be showing me your competition?” XL asks good-naturedly. SL smirks at that.

“Competition doesn’t matter when the food in question is high quality,” he answers, holding his hands up while shrugging. “You came here for a satisfactory meal, and I’m saying I know a place or two that will be just as pleasing. If you’re up to try it, just say the word,” SL continues casually, arms now crossed in a way that makes the fabric of his long-sleeved dress shirt bulge.

XL is flattered by such an offer. He looks one last time at the inside dining room, the fancy tablecloths and expensive-looking candles, and the lavishly dressed customers who sit with their backs rod-straight, fingers pointing here and there.

It’s honestly a no-brainer. XL allows himself to smile graciously, nodding. “I would greatly appreciate it. I’m merely looking for dinner. Anywhere is fine.”

SL returns the smile, one eye crinkling at the corner. He seems relieved at XL’s response, and promptly goes to grab his coat that he had thrown at a waiter upon entering.

XL’s eyes widen at the bold, maple-red long coat SL puts on, accentuating board shoulders and his slim figure. XL puts aside his self-conscious thoughts of his ratty, second-hand clothes. SL gestures for XL to walk out the doors first, typing away at his phone, most likely making a last-minute call for a reservation.

XL thinks that for once in his life, luck seems to be on his side. What could’ve been a night of total humiliation and shame turned into a nice meal with a new friend. XL pushes the doors open with a newfound sense of happiness, completely missing the way HC makes a neck-slicing motion at the staff on his way out.

(HC)

(How To Piss Off Your Boss)

#TGCF #heaven official's blessing #hualian #xielian #huacheng #shiqingxuan #muqing #cerdrabbles #hualianau #hua cheng was beaten then thrown out of the orphanage after coming back from the charity even with no money #he was taken in by an older restaurant owner who taught him a lot of the basics of cooking #hua cheng has many scars from abuse including the loss of his right eye #he covers his scars up with tattoos #you best bet hua cheng is like gordon ramsay #you best bet xie lian and hua cheng go on many dates

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wrenhyperfixates · 4 years ago

Text

The Gift

Pairing: Loki x reader Summary: Tony says no pets in the Tower, but since when has Loki ever listened to him? Warnings: like one curse word A/N: Any Tom Hiddleston stans out there should get the Easter egg in this one :)

Disclaimer: Picture not mine

“Oh, come on, Tony! Please,” you whined for the fifth time that week. “Not even just a little one?”

“Absolutely not. It’d make a mess of the place. Not to mention that this isn’t exactly the safest place for a pet.”

“So it gets into a lab accident and we have a super dog. Not the worst thing ever,” you said, half joking, though Tony actually seemed kind of intrigued now. You changed your tactic before he got any ideas. “Besides, it won’t make a mess. I’ll train it. And not all dogs shed.”

“I guess, but someone might be allergic,” Tony countered, thinking he delivered a winning argument.

“We can get a hypoallergenic dog,” you shot back, though you’d already checked with almost everyone and no one said they were.

Tony grumbled, running out of excuses to give as to why you couldn’t get the pet you’ve been pleading for the past few months. Tony had become somewhat of a father figure to you during your time in the Tower, and you’d been pretty sure you could use that to your advantage. Sadly, though, nothing had been working. In fact, that relationship had been more of a detriment to you than anything else as you didn’t want to make him upset with you. Otherwise, you might just go out and buy the pet of your choosing. Maybe even more than one. Although, to be fair, it was Tony’s building, and he was allowing you to live here rent free, so you should probably just drop it. But you really wanted a pet, and you knew you weren’t the only one.

“Sorry, but still no.”

“Fine,” you relented with an overdramatic sigh. “For now, anyway.”

“Thank you,” he said, going back to whatever he was tinkering with before you came in.

You pouted in the lab for a bit, hoping he might change his mind, but to no avail. Eventually you slinked out and went into one of the common rooms, plopping on the couch between Peter and Bucky.

“So, how’d it go?” Peter asked after popping a handful of Skittles into his mouth.

“No luck," you responded sourly, stealing some of the colorful candy from him. “None of my strategies are working.”

“What if we tried for something smaller?” Bucky offered. “Like a gerbil.”

“I guess,” you grumbled as you flopped back in exasperation. “But we’ve had our eye on that Cocker Spaniel for a while. A gerbil just wouldn’t be the same.”

“Yeah, I know.”

You all sat in silence for a bit and watched as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck argued about what hunting season it is, mulling over the situation. Admitting defeat seemed to be the most likely option at the moment, but you hated to just give up when you were sure there was a way to get what you wanted and not have Tony be upset with you.

“I’ve got it!” Peter suddenly shouted, bubbling with excitement. “We go and adopt it and then tell Mr. Stark that it just followed us home!”

“Except he wouldn’t let us keep it even then,” you stated, having already thought of that yourself.

“So we hide it. Simple,” Bucky chimed in. “By the time he notices, Peter will be so emotionally bonded to it, Tony wouldn’t dare take it away.”

“Great idea, Mr. Bucky,” Peter said, high-fiving him.

“Yeah, if only there weren’t cameras everywhere. Not to mention a home system that tells him everything,” you added, growing more upset at the lack of options by the minute.

You pushed up from the couch as the episode’s end was heralded by Porky Pig’s “Th-th-that’s all folks.” After waving bye to your friends, you headed to your room to brainstorm in silence. The figure lurking in the shadows didn’t even register in your mind, so you had no idea that a certain god heard your whole conversation. Not only that, he was about to fix all your problems.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mr. Loki, where are we going?” Peter inquired as he and Bucky were led into the city by the trickster god.

“All will be revealed, spiderling. I assure you.”

Bucky just shrugged when Peter looked at him, and so they continued following Loki through the busy New York streets. After hearing about your plight, he had hatched a plan to get you what you wanted. All it took was a bit of research on that infernal computer device, and he was pretty sure he’d found the right shelter. It was a far walk from the Tower, and since neither he nor his travel companions could drive, he resorted to taking the subway, an experience he’d rather not have again. Finally, they arrived at the destination, and Peter was about to burst with excitement.

“Mr. Loki!” he gasped. “This is exactly where we were looking for dogs!”

“But I have a feeling you knew that already,” Bucky said.

“Indeed,” Loki replied. “I must confess that I overheard your conversation in the common room yesterday.”

“Oh I get it now. You’re doing this for-”

“No time for speculation, we are here to get me a pet,” Loki interrupted, “Go on. After you, spiderling.”

Peter, still blissfully unaware of Loki’s true intentions, led the way into the shelter. They were greeted with the sound of happy barking and the distinct smell of dog treats. Loki had to admit, he wasn’t the biggest fan of animals. He found some to be more agreeable than others, such as a good steed, but overall he thought them to be more of a nuisance than anything else. Thor had bought a cat for Jane once, and it tore up half of his capes before he presented it to her. Loki was glad his brother kept it away from him and his belongings. Not to mention he didn’t appreciate the sheer number of similarities people said he had with felines. Dogs, however, he was fine with, so long as they were trained properly.

“Hello, how may I help...” the girl behind the front desk trailed off, her eyes going wide with excitement upon realizing who the trio was. “Y-you’re... Oh my gosh. My friends are never going to believe this! But, uh, how may I help you?”

None of the heroes were particularly comfortable with the attention and star struck gaze of the girl, so it took them a minute to get over their sheepishness. Loki looked at both his companions before realizing he would have to do the talking. He sighed but knew the look on your face would be worth it. You’d look at him the same way you had so many times before, whenever he did little things for you, whether it be rubbing your shoulders after a stressful day or brewing you a cup of tea on a chilly morning. The two of you weren’t dating, exactly, but you weren’t exactly not dating, either. Loki found himself incapable of asking you to make it official, lest it ruin what you currently had. He didn’t know what he’d do if you no longer casually held his hand or rested your head on his lap while reading in the evenings. Even though he was fairly certain you felt the same way, that last bit of doubt wouldn’t leave him alone. Besides, despite usually being quite a great thinker, he couldn’t come up with a good way to confess. He supposed that kissing you would do the trick, but he wasn’t brave enough for that, so getting you a dog would have to suffice for now.

“My friends here were looking at some of your dogs recently, and there is one that they are quite smitten with. We are here to adopt it.”

“That’s right! A Cocker Spaniel named Bobby,” Peter offered. “He hasn’t already been adopted, has he?”

“Nope!” the girl responded in a perky voice. “He’s all yours as soon as you fill out the proper paperwork.”

“Mr. Loki, are you sure about this. Mr. Stark told me I couldn’t get a dog.”

“Exactly. He told you, not me,” Loki replied, picking up a pen.

“Well, yeah, but I don’t really think he meant it just for me. I think it was more of a general kind of thing.” Loki and Bucky looked at him in exasperation for a second, wondering how he could still be so innocent, before he caught on. “Oh, ok. I get it now. Carry on.”

The three boys huddled around the page as Loki filled it out, providing Tony’s credit card as payment when the time came. It seemed appropriate, Loki thought, that Stark should have to pay for making you upset, and taking that in the most literal sense was the only somewhat acceptable way, it seemed. No longer could The God of Mischief go around stabbing those who hurt the ones he cared about. In a way, he missed the good old days, as he referred to them, but his new life led him to you, which made the rest of it fine with him, he decided, as he finished his signature with a flourish.

“There,” he declared, admiring the loop of his fancy, cursive L. “Finished.”

The girl disappeared into the back, only to return with Bobby a moment later. After giving the paperwork a quick once over, she handed the leash over to Bucky, who couldn’t stop the smile from growing on his face. Peter immediately bent down to scratch the dark brown dog behind his ears.

“Who’s a good boy? You are! You’re a good boy!” he cooed.

“Spiderling, he hasn’t even done anything yet,” Loki said, somewhat perplexed, as Bobby rolled over onto his back, stopping at the god’s feet. “Though, I do suppose he is a rather good boy,” he added, an inexplicable smile tugging at his lips.

One stop at the pet store and a taxi ride later, both unknowingly paid for by Tony, they arrived back at the Tower with the newest member of their family. It wasn’t even ten minutes later that Tony strolled into the room where they were playing with Bobby. He stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed the dog, happily playing tug of war with Bucky.

“What is that?” he asked, pointing at the Cocker Spaniel.

“A dog,” Loki deadpanned.

“Yeah, no shit. I mean what is it doing here?”

“I adopted it. Really Stark, for a supposed genius you ask a lot of obvious questions.”

“Don’t get snippy with me, Rock of Ages,” Tony quipped back, gritting his teeth a little. “This is my Tower and I say no pets, except for maybe a goldfish.”

“Yes, this is your Tower, but it is our home, is it not? As thus, we should be allowed the simple pleasures of life, such as having a pet. After all, studies show that having a dog can reduce stress, something I’d say is rather important for people in our position.”

Tony glared for a minute, not really having a good response to that. Then he called your name, certain you were behind this.

“No, Mr. Stark,” Peter said. “They had nothing to do with this. Don’t blame them.”

“That’s right,” Bucky also defended you. “It was all us.”

It was already too late, though, and you appeared in the doorway. Loki had been planning on presenting your gift to you in some cute or clever way, but all he had time to do was a magic up a bow on the pup’s head, a green one, of course. Bobby started happily yapping at your arrival and trotted over to you, looking for a scratch behind the ear.

“Oh. My. Gosh. He’s adorable!” you exclaimed as he rolled over for belly rubs. “You finally got a dog for me, Tony? Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Sorry, but I can’t take credit for this,” he said, turning down the hug you were offering him by putting a hand up. Then he pointed at the mischievous trio whose doing it was.

“Well actually, it was mainly Loki,” Bucky said, nudging the god in the ribs.

“But Mr. Bucky, we all- Oh wait. Awwww,” Peter gushed as he realized what Loki was feeling.

“Oh. In that case, thank you Loki!” you shouted, throwing your arms around him in a hug.

Without a second’s hesitation, he wrapped his arms around you, too, returning the embrace. “You are quite welcome, my darling.”

You nuzzled into the spot where his shoulder met his neck. In turn, he put his head on your own and breathed in your scent, forgetting the others in the room for a minute. It seemed you had, too, because you looked equally startled when Tony cleared his throat.

“Ok, fine. He can stay,” Tony conceded, “but only if he doesn’t wreck the place. And keep him out of the lab.”

You all chorused your thanks and, despite his harsh tone, could tell that Tony had already taken to Bobby, who was now the center of attention again. After playing with him for a bit, Bucky made some excuse about having to leave and took Peter with him, both of them wanting to give you some alone time with Loki.

“This really is very sweet, Loki,” you told him after a few minutes.

“Think nothing of it. It is my gift to you.”

“I feel bad, though. I don’t have anything for you,” you said, biting your lip. “Well, actually, I do have one thing that I can give you.”

“Oh? What would that be, my darling?”

The end of his sentence was nearly cut off by your lips crashing into his. The kiss was a little sloppy, but filled with so much love and desire that neither one of you cared. After gathering his wits, Loki kissed you back, cupping your cheeks as you grabbed his shoulders, still a little unsteady from surging forward.

“That,” you breathlessly whispered, pulling away as Bobby began barking again.

Later that night, Tony found you and Loki passed out on the couch, Bobby sprawled out across both your laps.

“Huh,” he mumbled, draping a blanket over your shoulders. “I guess it’s a good thing they got that dog, after all.”

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noszkass · 3 years ago

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ashley tempest winthrope.

thirty six. defense attorney. jai courtney.

“You're supposed to grow out of your horridness, aren't you? I don't think I ever grew out of mine. Sometimes I think it's still inside me, like something nasty I swallowed, that got stuck...”

content warning: mentions toxic, co-dependent relationships; abuse; death of a peer/family member (via murder).

dominant traits. logical, charismatic, gentleman, stoic, focused, patient, selectively affectionate, charming, observant, cautious, possessive, unpredictable, self-preserving, forceful, obsessive, demanding, melancholic, aggressive, irritable, distrusting, unrelenting, loyal, easily jealous, less hair-trigger more berserk button, no-nonsense, quick thinking, dishonest.

fictional parallels. elijah mikaelson (the originals); geralt of rivia (the witcher); henry winter (the secret history); pope cody (animal kingdom); richie gecko (fdtd the series).

○ born into the winthorpe family; known for their successful generational family law practice, as councilmen from neighboring townships, and good for nothin' criminals who latched onto the teat of a community that's long-since given up on them like leaches─depending on what side of miriam's well it is you live in. ashley's particular branch is the former. estate house in rosebush hill drive, debutant turned matron belle mother who just can't seem to find her way around or out of other people's business (including, if not almost invariably, that of all three of her children), and a certain amount of respectability he was brought up to live by.

○ on the surface ashley winthorpe is a deliciously handsome man. wealthy and put together. takes pride in his appearance and family name. he's also well-mannered and polite, and thoughtful in such infinitesimal ways that you never really think much of until after the fact. and there is something so very not right about him. he has a kind smile that never quite reaches the edges of his eyes and though it doesn't necessarily look disingenuous, there's something about it that doesn't exactly leave you with a sense of ease. like an unfamiliar gesture that's been practiced over and over, so many times that it's lost meaning. like it takes the muscles in his face a moment to pull before they settle in the correct spots. he'll have a conversation with you and while at times it seems he's looking right through you, others will have his attention so intensely undivided it feels as if you've been bared naked and left in a cold room. like you've just been caught lying about something and he knows. somehow, he's known all along. because he listens intently when you speak to him and you suspect somehow he never forgets a single thing he's heard.

○ there's no mistaking his booming voice, jarring, even at a whisper sending shockwaves through your core that has you on high alert. even when it's soft and lulling (in an attempt to offer comfort or catching him melt into the woman he's declared the love of his goddamn life from the corner of your eye through the crack in his office door), there's something threatening that looms. less like hard blunt force and more like a living, breathing fog that blankets you with strong arms, settles deep into your gut, coils itself around your innards, and wrings you dry. the confusing part? you know, without a doubt, he would protect you with no hesitation and ask for nothing in return. and, most of the time, you'd be right. because ashley winthorpe is a good man. no matter how your instincts thrash, screaming at you otherwise.

plot hooks.

i apologize, some of these are all very specific to a singular plot and i could've just included them in a legit request 😬🙃

○ sandbox love never dies. a very specific and imperfect friend group cast in the roles of bastard, bleeding heart, damaged, golden, grim, ingénue, temptress, and wild card. they've been together since any of them can remember. spent their whole lives dreaming about trying to get out of miriam's well, but instead only found tragedies that bind them to each other. tragedies, usually, of their own making. you'll be able to read a little more about these characters in the sandbox love request, which i promise is coming!! there is a doc in the works with more information + a plot server, so expect to be part of those things if you take one of these babes!

○ his secretary. in the past he's helped her out with something legally and she's kind of in his debt, though he insists time and time again she owes him nothing of the sort. i figured it'd be something along the lines of strong holding an ex-boyfriend or husband who wouldn't leave her alone (making her miserable, or something like refusing to pay child support he'd been ordered to pay, dragging her name through the mud, etc. general nuisances to nip in the bud/bad behavior in need of correcting before they became worse as they usually do. you get the idea), because that's notoriously right up his alley. likely using non-legal means to get there; intimidation is sort of his thing. and while he may not be the type of boss or co-worker who meets you for drinks after you clock out, he does have an affection for every single one of his employees and seeing as how she works with him the most, she'd be near the top of that list. maybe she was intimidated by him in the beginning and now she knows he's not everything he appears to be. and they have an understanding.

○ the weight of his guilt. [cw: murder. this will come much later in the plot!] the winthorpes are a family on two very extremes of a type of people. [the bastard] is his cousin on his father's side, a wayward little sister who got knocked up by someone unbefitting of the family and then marrying someone worse by their standards when the father got himself put away over an affair or something just as unbecoming. ashley was always raised closely with [the bastard], his father's hope to sway the boy of many wasted talents to the right side of the family, to make something of himself. but he's a product of his lineage. and only ever finds situations for ash to get him out of. eventually, [the bastard] who he will murder, cold and bloody and bury at the base of an old oak tree will disappear. and ashley's guilt will cause him to reach out. as far as anyone knew, they were the best of friends. always together (even if that relationship was practically handwrought by his father, and he had little-to-no patience for his cousin's antics). it'll be only natural that he come by every now and again to check on them, show care, help fix up things around the house that [the bastard] would have if he were still around. because it'll ultimately be ash's fault he's gone. partially. [the bastard] will deserve what he gets and no one who'll know will be able to convince him anything otherwise, but his family didn't deserve the fallout that came after. maybe a parent or sibling or someone [the bastard] claimed to love while making his way through the female population of miriam's well.

○ the other two winthrope children. they're expected to be upstanding citizens to combat the trash reputation the other winthrope side creates. father is one of a long line of lawyers (with a main practice just outside of town, ashley's secondary office in mw because he prefers it here) and mother is a homemaker whose extracurriculars might as well be solid, paying jobs. they have three children together; ashley (being the oldest son), a daughter magnolia (and the only girl -- taken by sage), and the youngest son, credence (who is very likely expected to join the family business, like ashley). i don't expect anyone to make the parents even though that would be incredible? but they all still have rooms at their home in rosebush hill drive to use at their leisure. it wouldn't at all be out of the question that some of the children still live there -- especially the daughter if she's unwed. they're very old fashioned southern that way. they do these big family events where everyone is expected to participate, go on vacations and holidays together, and church on sundays regardless of your personal beliefs on the matter (that you had very well better keep to yourself if they don't align, ashley has learned). their grandfather also lives in the family house after losing grandma a few years back.

#halfmoonrp #type: blurb #ch: ashley winthrope

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not-from-the-absence-of-violence · 4 years ago

Text

For we rise and we fall, and we crash on the coastlines (Only our love will last 'til the end); Chapter 1

thank you to @drowninginstarlights for editing! Heads up for Travis’ and Gable’s terrible dad’s and mom death!

the journey of a selkie, a cursed fisher, a lighthousekeeper, her aprentice and a very confused mortal as their lives intertwine and the magic around them grows.

or a selkie au with general folklore themes!

In the end, Uriel doesn’t even remember what happened. All they have are pieces of their memories, flashes of knowledge. They remember being afraid of the sea, ever since they were young. They grew up in a big coastal city, where the sea was as much your enemy as your only source of income. They remember their father, a deeply unpleasant man. They remember anger. They remember a fire, and a boat sinking, and they don’t think they’ll ever be sure what actually caused it, but that doesn’t matter. There was no doubt in their father’s mind that it was caused by them.

They remember, before that, being in school and being taught not to curse people, not even as a joke, and certainly not on the sea. Magic is finicky business. It doesn’t take much for things to get out of hand.

So here’s the thing. They remember their father spitting his last words at them, but they can never remember the exact phrasing. Must have been something like “may you dwell upon the sea forever,” or “may you never stray far from the sea.” It must have been, because they remember thinking Odd words for a dying man .

There is power in the last words of a dying man, they did not think.

After that, they couldn’t drown. They remember not being able to drown. They don’t remember the months after, the ones they must have spent on some shore somewhere, slowly realising something in their father’s wording must have made it so they couldn’t die. So they couldn’t ever leave.

They stared out to the vast expanse of the ocean, now both their prison and only companion.

William’s father hated magic. He was a wealthy man whose money made money, and he’d never seen any point in such frilly business as magic.

William’s mother, however, had loved magic. Not only that, she’d respected it, and believed that it was important to teach it, as much as any of the other fundamental truths about the universe. There were even whispers that her own mother had come from the sea itself.

Like anything his father hated and his mother loved, William adored magic. He’d stand and stare with great intent whenever his mother had shown him even the most basic of protection charms. But then she’d fallen ill, and then suddenly she was gone. Really gone, gone as in there was no trace of her left in the house, not even her body. It hadn’t taken long for Father to get rid of all her possessions too.

“She’s gone back to the sea,” William would tell people. They’d look at him uncomfortably, clearly thinking this was just a child struggling to process grief, but he always knew better. The only thing he always wondered is why she hadn’t taken him with her.

Years later, his father was on a trip and William was alone. He had grown up attempting to forget about his mother, about everything, but he couldn’t. He’d grown up to enjoy being left alone in his vast house where he never felt at home, spending the downtime between his father’s presence nursing his wounds.

He stared out of the window of the penthouse, dreading his father’s return, hoping with every inch of him that his father’s ship wouldn’t make it to port.

Eventually, he couldn’t stand there any longer, so he turned inwards. There wasn’t much left of his mother’s teachings in the house, his own memories turned fuzzy with time, but he had managed to snatch a single grimoire from the library. Bargains were easy, he imagined, and especially so for him. He too, in some way, belonged to the sea.

So in the middle of a dark, cold night, while the full moon hung heavy in the sky, he went to plead to the waters.

“I am not, I must admit, entirely sure what this whole deal is,” he said, the moonlight shining off the sand around him, “But you took my mother from me.”

He looked at the lapping edges of the water. The sea remained just the sea. The waves came and went.

“I get that you won’t just drown my father for me, and I don’t particularly have much to offer but-” he shuddered a bit, knowing what he was about to do was cruel and very dangerous, “You can take me, William.”

As he spoke his name, the wind picked up suddenly. It smelt of salt and distant rainfall.

“You can take me like you took my mother,” he continued, “And in exchange, I want you to make sure his ship doesn’t get here.”

The sea seemed to agitate, the waves picking up, dark even in the moonlight.

“Did you hear me?” he yelled, raising his voice over the rushing wind, “You just need to drown-”

As he spoke his father’s true name, the world went black.

He hadn’t expected to wake up, after that. It seemed fair enough, a life for a life. Maybe he would get to be a cool water spirit, scaring tourists. Or maybe a fish, with no memories at all. He did not expect to wake up and find himself a seal.

He knew about selkies, sure, but waking up and being a seal was still a shock. He stared at this new body, his new completely different body, attempting to rationalize what he knew was true - that it was him.

The other thing he did not expect was to wake up looking onto the ocean, and seeing a storm raging. There was a ship, tossing up and down with the waves, a very familiar ship. It was so close to port, but he knew that it couldn’t make it. It was sinking. His father’s ship was sinking.

He knew it was the sea showing him their deal was signed. He hadn’t known, not truly, the enormity of his choice until he stared at it, burning in front of him. He didn’t know how to feel as he stared into the sinking ship.

How many people had he just killed? What was he supposed to do?

He stayed there for a long time, looking on until the ship fully disappeared under the waves. Eventually, when there was nothing but dark wreckage on the surface, he dove down into the water. Time to learn how to be a seal.

At least now he didn’t have to be human anymore. At least then he could swim far away, see where the ocean currents take him.

It’s not like there was anyone at home missing him anyway.

Eventually, Uriel got their hands on two things: a small living, and a fishing boat. The boat was just a little too small for them, but it was cozy. She was old enough that her boards creaked in the wind, ropes faded and fraying, and the paint was so worn that her original name was entirely illegible.

Uriel couldn’t die, and they couldn’t leave the waters for too long,or they got antsy. They’d never gone away for long enough to test the ocean's patience, but it wasn’t hard to imagine the consequences. So living on the water was their only option, and as they still enjoyed food and food cost money, fishing it was.

It was a lonely existence, but they discover you can get used to even the loneliest things. They had eternity in front of them to learn how to do their job, and do it well.

They settled in a small town by the name of Safe Harbour. Uriel knew painfully little of magic to understand the how or why, but the town was protected somehow and the magic was strong. Everyone was perfectly content to buy Uriel’s fish, and never talk to them unless they spoke first.

Routine took over and life was almost pleasant. Uriel wasn’t exactly happy, but they imagined this is as happy as people like them got to be, so they pressed on. There was always more fish to be caught.

William met Uriel the only good way of meeting people, which is while robbing them. By now, he was perfectly capable of hunting for his own food, but it was such a chore, and a boring one at that. Other seals could tell he was different, that the sea owned him in a different way, and anway, he couldn’t actually talk to them. He didn’t have to be a seal, all the time. But it wasn’t like he could really talk to the humans either, and the vulnerability of being human once again always set him on edge. So he stayed a seal, and passed back and forth through towns, being a general nuisance.

The only consistent thing about his life these days was stealing, and that was practically second nature. So he didn’t think anything of it when he swam up to a small fishing vessel to get his lunch for the day.

He managed to climb up on the deck, and was about to flop back into the sea, triumphant with a fish in his mouth, when he heard a loud voice.

“Hey!” they shouted.

He froze, turning to look at the irate fisher. He wasn’t the type to be afraid, not anymore, but this person was incredibly tall with long, flowing hair that was almost stark white tied haphazardly back. They had the look of someone who had been on sea for years, but they also didn’t look older than maybe their late twenties. They were also holding a harpoon, pointed menacingly at him.

He wasn’t the type to be afraid, but he was, perhaps, a little nervous.

“I swear those damn seals get smarter every time,” they muttered.

He dropped the fish out of his mouth and sighed. “I have always been this smart, I'll have you know.”

This made them pause, looking at him baffled for a second before they let out a cry and charged at him with the harpoon.

“Whoa, okay no need to be rude,” he said, attempting to quickly move out of the way. But he was, in fact, a seal, and seals aren’t made for quick motions on land, to his dismay.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. He transformed into a man.

The stranger stopped again, the harpoon dangerously close to his body.

“Who are you? And what are you doing on my boat?” they say.

Travis couldn’t help but grin as he held up his hand, with his fish clutched in it. “I feel like it’s rather obvious.”

Uriel didn’t know how to feel. There was a man on their boat. That’s an undeniable fact. First there had been a seal, and now there was a very annoying silver haired stranger, wearing a ridiculous coat and actively stealing their fish with his bare hands.

They could deal with seals. They could deal with other sea creatures. They weren’t in any way prepared to deal with this.

“Asking for names, just like that?” he said, “How rude of you.”

They could feel more annoyance bubbling up inside them. “I wasn't asking for your name!”

The stranger smirked at them again, clearly enjoying getting them riled up. They should have harpooned him to death then and there. They’ll never know why they didn’t.

“Well, you may call me Travis Matagot anyway,” he said magnanimously, dropping the fish and extending a hand.

They stared at it incredulously, before deciding that their life was already so weird, this might as well happen. They shook it.

“You can call me, uh…” they said. It had been so long since they had to give out names like this. “Gable,” they settled on eventually.

“Like the roof thing,” he said, deadpan.

Gable felt their cheeks heating up. “Shut up!” they said, still holding a lowered harpoon in their other hand, “You were stealing from me, what makes you think-”

“I was hungry,” he said, shrugging. He seemed harmless, if very annoying, so they cautiously put the harpoon down.

“Can’t you fish? You are a seal part of the time, apparently.”

Travis visibly relaxed a little once they’re no longer armed. “Now, why would I, when I can have others do it for me?”

“You could have just asked me,” they said.

Now it was Travis’ turn to be taken aback. He stared at them. “What?” he said.

“I have a lot of fish soup,” Gable said, knowing what they were saying is surreal but being certain that by now they were far too late to stop this trainwreck of a conversation.

“Like in general?” he seemed almost amused.

“I always make too much,” they admit.

That's how Travis ended up in their painfully crowded combined kitchen and living room, his coat draped over the back of the chair he was sitting on, staring at a hot bowl of fish soup.

He almost wondered if he ought to accept food at all, but although he didn’t know what to make of Gable yet, they certainly didn’t seem the type to trap him eternally by feeding him.

Gable stared at him, almost self consciously. He almost wanted to pretend he didn’t like it, just to see how they’d react, but regrettably he was hungrier than he thought, and the soup was surprisingly good.

“You liked it,” they said, grinning.

“It was fine,” he said, stopping himself just short of asking for seconds.

“I have spent a lot of time perfecting that soup, Travis.”

He laughed. Time had been something of a laughable concept for a while now. “Well, can’t have been that long. How old are you, twenty five?”

That made his companion pause. They looked down and, honest to god, started counting on their fingers. “Probably forty by now,” they said, looking at him sheepishly. “No clue what that is in seal-man years, or whatever.”

He stared at them, somewhat intrigued at last. But not enough to pry, certainly. “First of all, you must have heard of selkies before,” he said. They gave him a blank stare that meant they honestly probably hadn’t. “And I don’t know either, we don’t age, exactly.”

Gable shrugged. “Sure, did you want more soup?”

“Well if you insist,” he said, passing his bowl to them.

They fell into this new routine together easily. Travis would come and try and steal things or otherwise be an annoyance. Gable would threaten him with increasingly odd weapons or just bodily throw him off the side.

And sometimes Travis stayed, and ate Gable’s repertoire of fish based dishes, or mucked about in the small space of the boat. They both occasionally went to town, although mostly separately, as Gable had the reputation of a gentle constant and Travis was rather more of a trickster cryptid.

They never talked about the pasts that plagued them or the curses on their heads, and they were both entirely too stubborn to admit this is the happiest they had been in a very, very long time.

There wasn’t a single moment that they realised they had become friends, and certainly not one they acknowledged. There was only a night, and a tipsy Travis falling asleep on the couch, his silver gray coat left behind, still slung over the chair he usually ate at. There was only a morning Gable spent staring at it wistfully, telling themselves they shouldn’t read into it.

There was him waking up, not for a second doubting his coat would still be there, safe and untouched.

And so in the fragile silence of their friendship, time pressed on.

#skyjacks #campaign podcast #campaign skyjacks #travis matagot #gable skyjacks #trable #selkie au

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laceymorganwrites · 4 years ago

Text

Exile

Word count: 1,135

Pairing: former Kenma x reader

Warnings: swearing maybe, a bunch of heartbreak, yelling

Song: Exile - Taylor Swift, Bon Iver

A/N: I´ve had this idea for so long now, I finally got my ass up to write it.

Taglist: @babythotshq (send in an ask to be added to my general taglist or to my fandom specific ones, you can also ask to be tagged in works for a certain character)

I can see you standin', honey With his arms around your body Laughin' but the joke's not funny at all And it took you five whole minutes To pack us up and leave me with it Holdin' all this love out here in the hall

Kenma didn´t expect to see you so soon after your break up. Well, it´s been months, but still, the wound was more than fresh for him. He thought too much whether or not he should approach you, but as soon as he saw another pair of arms wrap around you, his heart sunk.

So you had already moved on…

On the one hand he wished he could too, but then again, he would never be able to forget you, stop loving you even less.

His eyes went wide at the sound of your laughter, he never thought he´d hear it again, it was one of his favorite sounds in the world and he regretted nothing more than telling you to shut up because he couldn´t concentrate.

He should´ve made you laugh more. I think I've seen this film before And I didn't like the ending You're not my homeland anymore So what am I defendin' now? You were my town Now I'm in exile seein' you out I think I've seen this film before

Kenma knew it was a mistake to get into a relationship with you. And yet he couldn´t stop himself.

Why should he? He loved you after all.

Or so he thought.

He never questioned anything, that was why it didn´t work out. Kenma took everything about you for granted and never once reflected on himself.

Now he knew what a big mistake that was, but then he had more important things to do.

Oh how he hated himself for thinking that way.

But now everything was too late. He let you go just like that and didn´t even watch you walk out.

Regret was all he felt and yet he didn´t have the guts to do anything about it. All he did was think, about how badly he fucked up, about how you were much happier now, about how he wanted to be the one to make you happy. Hoo, hoo-ooh Hoo, hoo-ooh Hoo, hoo-ooh I can see you starin', honey Like he's just your understudy Like you'd get your knuckles bloody for me Second, third, and hundredth chances Balancin' on breaking branches Those eyes add insult to injury

You were too busy laughing at the joke of your boyfriend to notice Kenma staring at you. Well he never was one to stand out in the crowd.

And yet when you looked at your boyfriend, your smile still adamant and your eyes bright, you caught a glimpse of him and everything around you went dark.

It felt like gravity was pulling you to the ground, punching you in the face and kicking your guts at the same time.

Kenma still had that uncaring look on his face, it was something you grew to hate over time, something that always frustrated you so much.

You were still mad at him for letting you walk out like that, no, you were mad at yourself for not being more persistent.

But then again, you were doing your best. Your best to be there for him, to spend time with him.

And every one of your attempts was blocked by him, belittled and he would always roll his eyes at you, telling you not to overreact like that.

But with someone who didn´t react at all, that was the natural reaction. I think I've seen this film before And I didn't like the ending I'm not your problem anymore So who am I offending now? You were my crown Now I'm in exile seein' you out I think I've seen this film before So I'm leavin' out the side door

Everything came back to you all at once, the way he was always so distant, so annoyed with you, the way he yelled at you that day…

But it wasn´t all his fault.

You shouldn´t have been that clingy, you should have supported him. With Kenma, you never were sure what you were going to get.

Some days he was really cuddly and affectionate and wanted to spend a lot of time with you, but even more days he was distant and didn´t want you anywhere close to him.

On those days you felt more than unwanted, like a bother and nuisance.

So step right out There is no amount Of cryin' I can do for you

Kenma never meant to push you away like that, you were his first relationship, he didn´t know what to do and was too ashamed to ask.

He wanted to be perfect and every time he wasn´t, he got so frustrated and mad at himself.

Never did he mean to take his anger out on you, never did he mean to close up the way he did.

But he couldn´t change time. And the worst thing was that he couldn´t even make it better.

It wasn´t his place anymore, you´ve already found someone to mend your broken heart. All this time We always walked a very thin line You didn't even hear me out (You didn't even hear me out) You never gave a warning sign (I gave so many signs)

You fought for him until the very last second. Every time he closed the door on you, you kept knocking and brought him water and food. You always made sure to take care of him even though he didn´t want to see you.

Whenever he was having those bad days of doubt and sadness, you were always there, waiting for him to open up and tell you what was wrong.

He never did.

Communication has always been your biggest problem.

Kenma overall didn´t talk and you just stopped trying at some point.

You never should´ve given up on you. Maybe all of this could´ve been resolved if Kenma told you what he wanted, lacked, needed.

All this time I never learned to read your mind (Never learned to read my mind) I couldn't turn things around (You never turned things around) 'Cause you never gave a warning sign (I gave so many signs) So many signs So many signs (You didn't even see the signs) Kenma decided to go home instead of staring at you and your boyfriend any longer. It was no use anyway.

He could never make up for the way he treated you, he didn´t have the right to.

Neither did he have the right to intrude in your new love and happiness.

If only he noticed the longing look you had on your face when he walked away the same way you once did, without saying a single word.

#haikyuu #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu songfic #haikyuu oneshot #haikyuu scenario #haikyuu kenma #kenma kozume #kenma x reader #kenma imagine #kenma oneshot #kenma scenario #kenma songfic #hq #hq imagine #hq oneshot #hq songfic #hq scenario #hq kenma

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galleryfake · 4 years ago

Text

answering every question from muse things - !

❄ — all striked answers are things that do not apply to him, and even if they do, he has no opinion/doesn’t find it relevant. three of the sections have been omitted entirely due to their lack of relevance to his thought process.

SELF + HEALTH

how do they see themselves? — as a part of the spider, nothing more or less. without it, he’d be just another person living uselessly until death.

how do they want to be seen by others? — he hopes he can be useful & that he can bring even the most fleeting, temporary meaning to his loved ones’ existences. he also, secretly, wishes to be loved, and to have it expressed to him in any of its forms.

what is their life motto?

would they rather lead or follow? —follow.

what motivates them? — working as part of a group, & discovering hidden or sealed away knowledge.

are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue? — his tongue, as he dislikes physical fighting as anything other than a means to an end. he only fights to kill and doesn’t like to spar.

do they have any pet peeves? — acts of pure emotion that have no thought or planning put behind them, that end up deconstructing something that could’ve been handled more sensibly. so basically... most things done by enhancers, in general. looking at you, phinks & uvo.

what do they most regret? —not many things, in general. when things get screwed up despite him having thought he had made the best judgement at the time, it will keep him up for a few nights, but he’ll eventually forgive himself and move past it. paku’s death, for example.

what achievement are they most proud of? — being the troupe’s only #12, yet to have been killed and replaced.

what would they like to improve on? —nen is a very versatile pool of energy to work with, he will always be tweaking with his abilities one way or the other. see: his ice transmutation.

do they have any scars? —several very tiny blips on the expanse of his skin that tell of countless IV insertions and things strapped to him when he was younger. a fair amount of battle scars, mostly centered around his hands and arms. #justconjurerthings

do they have a disability? — anxiety disorder & ptsd, both which he quietly shoves down and rarely ever discusses their symptoms - as both are essentially a given, considering their line of work.

do they have any allergies or food intolerances? —mildly allergic to pollen, VERY allergic to latex. the latter is the reason he doesn’t ever wear disposable gloves even though he prefers to keep his hands clean.

do they have any long-term illnesses or injuries? —being a clearly very premature infant having inhaled the toxins of meteor city’s trash, he spent his infanthood all the way up to his early double digits extremely ill and practically on the verge of death. his body went into sepsis several times due to a weak immune system, and complications with his blood vessels left him with acrocyanosis well into adulthood after being on and off a (cheap) ventilator for years at a time. nowadays he’s mostly fine, though, just very small and very purple in the hands.

PERSONALITY

describe their personality in one word. — cryptic.

their predominant emotion? —contemplative.

someone wrongs them. do they respond with revenge or forgiveness? — calculative neutrality, then, depending on which conclusion he draws, either forgiveness or cautious distrust, but never revenge.

do they make snap judgments or take time to consider? — almost always takes time to consider, except in rare cases where his emotions run high and cloud his reason.

are they a glass half-full or a glass half-empty kind of person? — depends on the situation, he will assess it accordingly.

do they express themselves through words or deeds? — a combination of both, most likely a deed followed by a bit of helpful explanation.

how often do they lie? — not often, unless it’s to conceal his own weakness or to deceive someone on orders from chrollo.

do they listen to their head or their heart while making a decision? — his head, but sometimes his head and his heart war with eachother, and his heart wins in tense split-second decisions.

HABITS

how organized/disorganized are they? — quite organized. organizing is a small hobby of his, and he’ll often do it without even thinking as he busies himself in thought.

do they have any routines? — his life is a bit too hectic for that, but he does have a specific way of washing + caring for his hair out of a shower and right before bed, to avoid tangles.

talk about their mannerisms. — gesturing with his hands. making small noises to himself. flicking his head to either side to adjust his hair-to-vision ratio.

is there an item they take with them wherever they go? — his cellphone, for obvious reasons, and often a small weapon he can clone for traceless murders, such as a knife or a handgun.

good habits and bad habits. — good habits: cleanliness and organization. bad habits: repressing his feelings and keeping himself up at night with anxious scenarios and telling no one.

THOUGHTS

their views on formal education vs self-education?

what are their thoughts on animals? — sees them as no different than humans, selfish survivalists staying alive by whims and instinct. this is not a good thing. he kills them as effortlessly as he kills humans, if needed.

how much do they care what people think about them? — when it comes to the troupe: he cares a lot more than he lets on. anyone else? strictly 0.

do they enjoy being the center of attention? why or why not? — he typically doesn’t, he gives himself performance anxiety by holding himself to a high standard, even though he typically accomplishes whatever he sets out to do with a high success rate.

how do they feel about learning? — one of his favorite hobbies, and the easiest way to bond with him.

which do they value more: creativity or practicality? — they go hand-in-hand, he’d say. they are both tools to be utilized at their proper times.

thoughts on material possessions? — he doesn’t keep many himself, but somewhat understands the need to have them and assign them value. under no circumstances should anyone be deluded into thinking anything can be owned, though. even objects.

would they rather win an argument or avoid conflict? — avoid conflict, though purely intellectual arguments thrill him and he actively seeks them out on occasion.

views on people in general? — food for the spider’s web.

what qualities do they admire in other people? — confidence in one’s actions, clear sets of boundaries that they follow, and the sense that someone knows what they’re doing beyond a shadow of a doubt.

how do they feel about fun?

what do they want written on their tombstone? — nothing. he’d much prefer to have no trace of himself left behind.

what would an ideal day, in their mind, be like? — discovering something new to revel in for a while, and then ending his day in the warm presence of someone he loves.

thoughts on privacy? (are they private or are they “tmi”?) — most people assume him to be very secretive and locked away, but he’s actually rather honest about things when asked directly - he just doesn’t divulge them on a whim. like with most things, he never speaks first, but this doesn’t mean he never speaks at all.

thoughts on superstitions or the occult? (do they believe, not believe, etc.)

what are their religious views? — none. as far as he’s concerned, everything is put into motion by someone’s individual will. if some god doesn’t exist, he’s not particularly concerned about it.

THE PAST

where did they grow up? — meteor city.

how would they describe their family? — the spider.

what was their childhood like? —plagued by illness.

what did they want to be when they grew up? — alive to see it.

as a child, what were they most likely to be found doing? — struggling to breathe in a medical cot somewhere in meteor city.

the worst thing that has ever happened to them. — first running away from the city by himself and experiencing withdrawal from being taken out of intensive care for his weak body.

the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to them. — whenever he’s called out for his emotional weakness for the troupe. he just loves them, okay.

the best thing that has ever happened to them. — a little bit after being recruited, the first time he felt truly acclimated with them. like he had a family for the first time.

which memory stands out most clearly? — meeting chrollo, and getting close to shal and fei. those memories still visit his pleasant dreams once in a while.

TOUGH STUFF

do they have any phobias? — medical rooms or establishments such as hospitals. they make him instantly claustrophobic and if he absolutely HAS to be inside of one, he will make an effort to complete his task there as quickly as possible while still doing exactly what he needs to do.

do they get nightmares? — sometimes, but they’re never violent, mainly just sad and vaguely hollow and empty. from these, he wakes up feeling like he didn’t even sleep at all.

what kind of person are they? — one you would likely be much worse off for meeting, if you’re not a spider.

would they let someone take the blame for something they did? — sure. it was their choice to do so, after all.

what are they insecure about? — his own emotional weaknesses. they’re a nuisance to his thoughts and strategies and no one should be bothered with them.

what is one way to earn their trust? — simply make plans and follow through with them. display confidence and the skill with which to back it up.

what is one way to lose their trust? — be an enhancer. *COUGH* i mean, be primarily emotionally driven and cause destruction as a result. such a bringer of chaos would no doubt be a headache to have around regularly.

one thing they would hate anyone to know about them. — that he’s very soft and with simple desires. he’ll verbally deny being slightly clingy and affection-starved, but his actions will say otherwise.

they have to pick one: to be loved, to be feared, or to be admired. — to be loved. no question.

have they ever been bullied or teased? — due to his size, typically, but he doesn’t really care. there’s no impact to his life if people think he looks weird due to his appearance, or his voice or his powers. they’ll simply have to live with it.

FUN STUFF

what is their character archetype? — the quiet but deadly one.

what are they confident about? — he is confident in his efficiency and ability to carry out tasks and speak truthfully.

talk about their moral alignment. — true neutral. pretty self-explanatory.

describe them in three words. — helpful. devoted. curious.

describe their aesthetic. — ancient libraries covered in dust. a snowstorm in the night. an iced-over lake reflecting an overcast sky.

what will make them laugh? — seeing his loved ones happily goofing off and being relaxed, as well as any number of empathetic reactions shared by the happiness of ones close to him.

what makes them feel safe? — simply being near the others, or being somewhere very far-off and secluded from largely populated areas.

favorite color and the reason for it. — blue, simply because his hair and eyes all fall in line with its palettes and it looks good on him.

favorite book genre? — informational textbooks of a certain field of expertise, or, in the case of fiction, mystery &/or crime solving.

favorite movie genre? — psychological thriller. also may or may not have a thing for hallmark movies with cheesy happy endings.

favorite type of muse?

if they could have a superpower, what would they choose?

do they have a role model? — definitely chrollo, and also, to a certain extent, feitan.

what is their personal kryptonite? — choosing things/planning for things that involve the life or death of someone in the spider. in that moment, his emotions cloud his judgement and he can only find himself reaching the conclusion most likely to keep them alive. he can hardly bear to lose any of them.

how do they entertain themselves? — organizing things, studying a particular topic, or playing a boardgame/doing puzzles.

#✧ headcanons — illusionary spider #; stealing an entire ask meme to fill it out completely again? yes that's me and i will do it again

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blackhakumen · 4 years ago

Text

Mini Fanfic #536: We Love You, Ren! (Super Smash Bros Ultimate)

2:00a a.m. at Smash Mansion's Living Room.......

Ren: (Sitting on the Living Room's Sofa, Looking Down on the Floor in a Sad, Tired Manner) ('Sighs Heavily')..........

?????: Renny?

In a matter of seconds, Ren quickly looks up, turns around and see that the person who called his name was none other than one of his now official adopted mothers, Bayonetta, who is staring at her with concern in her eyes.

Ren: Oh! Uh....Hey, mom. What are you doing up so late?

Bayonetta: Wondering why the living room's light was on. What's wrong, sweetheart? Why are you up this late as well?

Ren: I was just uhh.... Enjoying the atmosphere so far. ('Heh') Pretty.... normal so far......

Bayonetta: (Crosses her Arms) Renny, please be honest with me, dear. I know something is wrong with you the moment I stepped down those stairs. Now tell me.... Did you had a bad dream tonight?

Ren: ('Sighs in Defeat') Yeah....I did....It was.... Pretty bad to say the least..... B-But I'm pretty sure it was stupid anyways.

Bayonetta: It doesn't matter to me if this dream of yours was stupid or not. (Made her way to the Sofa and Sat Right Next to Ren) What's important to me now is that dream in particular is bothering my baby boy to the point of waking up in the middle of the night.....And all I really want to do right now, as a mother, is to listen and help you the best way I can, but only if you talk to me about this. Please....

Ren: (Took a Deep Breath Before Speaking Again) Okay. So....I don't wanna go into too much detail the dream, but.....long story short, I....dreamt that.....you, other mom, Pit, Pitto, all of my friends from Shiyuba, and.....even everyone here......hates me.....That....you all said that....I was a nuisance......that I was in everyone's way.......a waste of space.....(Tears Start Falling Down on his Face) that you don't want anything to do with me anymore.....('Sniff') and then after that.....you all vanished...... leaving me.....('Sniff') in the dark..... alone.....

Bayonetta: (Immediately Hugs Ren in a Loving Matter) Oh my poor baby, I'm so sorry.....

Ren: (Chuckles Lightly....and Sadly) See? ('Sniff') I told you....('Sniff') The dream was stupid.

Bayonetta: Renny, no. It wasn't stupid at all. It is worrying me to no end now because what everyone of us said to you in that dream of yours is very FAR from the truth. We do not think of you a nuisance, a waste of space, or any other terrible things that version of us told you. You are our everything, Ren Amamiya!......And we love you...(Tears Fell Down Her Face) ('Sniff') We love you so so very much everyday......

Ren: (Immediately Hugs Bayonetta Back) H-Hey! Mom, don't cry! I believe you guys one hundred percent. I promise.

Bayonetta: I know you do, sweetheart, and I never doubted you for a second. ('Sniff') I just wanted to tell you that from the bottom of my heart.

Ren: And it definitely shows. It just that..... Honestly.... I'm not even sure what that dream came from. It's like....it just came out of nowhere and everything, you know?

Bayonetta: I can believe that. Dreams does work in mysterious ways after all. But if you ask me, I really want you to try your hardest not to let it get to you. (Gently Holds Ren's Hands) Because at the end of the day, no matter how many people would try and say otherwise, you, Ren Amimaya, mean so much to each and everyone of us in this mansion and in Shiyuba. Promise me you'll do your best to remember that for as long as you live.....(Kiss the Top of One of Ren's Hands) Okay?

Ren: (Smiles Softly While Using his Other Hand to Wipe the Tears Away) Yeah.......('Sniff') I promise. (Chuckles Lightly) Sorry you had to see me like that. Usually whenever I cry, it... mostly have to deal with me getting pulled to the edge. Emotionally speaking. Plus....I know you used to be annoyed with seeing people cry in general, so....

Bayonetta: "Annoyed" (Giggles Softly) Oho, sweetheart, trust me, I am way past being annoyed with it now. You seem to forget that your mother and I cry almost all the time nowadays. It's a miracle I don't have that much masscara on tonight. My face would be a complete mess.

Ren: Are you kidding? With and without any masscara or make-up, you and goddess mom would always be beautiful to me. Inside and out.

Bayonetta: (Heart Begins to Melt Happily as She Gives Ren a Big Kiss on the Cheek) I love you so much, Renny. I know I may have technically already told you this a lot tonight, but it's the honest truth.

Ren: (Smiles Softly) I know. And I love you and everyone in my life too, mom. Always.

Bayonetta: (Smiles Softly as She Got Up from the Sofa) So, you are going to be okay now, my dear?

Ren: I going to be okay now that you were here to talk to me. I appreciate it a lot.

Bayonetta: Well, if that's the case......(Picks Ren Up From the Couch, Holding him in a Bridal Carry)

Ren: (Confused) Huh?

Bayonetta: I believe it's high time we head ourselves back to bed, no? (Head Upstairs While Holding Ren in her Arms)

Ren: Yeah, but.....You do know that I can just walk up to my room on my own, right?

Bayonetta: True. But right now, you are going to sleep with your two mommies for the rest of the night.

Ren: (A bit Surprised) Seriously? Are you....sure you want me to sleep with you guys for the night

Bayonetta: (Smiles Softly) Of course I'm sure, my little ray of sunshine. I wanna make absolute sure you have a peaceful sleep tonight. And if it means having you sleep right beside your mother and I, then so be it.

Ren: (Smiles Softly Again) You know, I know said this before, but...you guys really are good moms.

And with that, Bayonetta begins to lovingly gives Ren a bunch of kisses, all while making their way to her and Palutena's room.

Bayonetta and Palutena's Room...

Palutena: (Already Fast Asleep) 'Zzzzzzzzz'

Bayonetta: (Whispers into Palutena's Ear) Pauuuuliiie~

Palutena: (Slowly and Tiredly Begins to Walk) Bayo..... what's- (Turns to see Bayonetta Carry-on Ren in her Arms) Ren? What's going on here?

Bayonetta: Well, as you see, our baby boy here has gotten himself a terrible dream. So I figured that he would be sleeping with us for the rest of the night. (Gently Places Ren on the Bed Right Beside Palutena)

Ren: But only if you're okay with this.

Palutena: (Gives Ren a Tired Yet Soft Smiles) Renny, of course I'm okay with this you sleeping here tonight. (Hugs Ren Lovingly) You are our son now and we would do anything in our power to be there for you no matter.

Bayonetta: (Whispers to Ren with a Smirk on her Face While She Lays Down on her Side of the Bed) Told you so~

Ren: (Chuckles Lightly) I know. I know. But really, other mom, thanks. (Gives Palutena a Kiss on Top of her Forehead) I love you.

Palutena: (Gives Ren a Big Kiss on the Cheek) I love you too, Renny.

???: Moms?

Bayonetta: (Turns to see Pit and Dark Pit Standing Besides Her and Palutena's Doorway) Pit? Pitto? What's wrong, our darlings?

Pit: We were just looking for- (Eyes Widened as He Sees his New Big Brother is Already on the Bed with Palutena and Bayonetta) Ren!

Ren: (Waves at Pit and Dark Pit) Hey, guys. What's up?

Dark Pit: Dude, we were looking for you all night.

Pit: (Frowns Worryingly) You wasn't at your bed at the time. So we got up and look for you just so we can try and help.

Dark Pit: (Frowns a Little) You had a bad dream again?

Ren: Yeah, but I'll be fine. Witch mom helped me through it.

Bayonetta: (Proudly Nodded)

Dark Pit: Huh. Well, if that's the case then-

Pit: Can we sleep with you guys for the night? We wanna make sure our big bro is okay.

Dark Pit: (Turns to Pit) Dude, he just said that he's-

Palutena: (Smiles Softly) Of course, sweetie. You two are always welcome to sleep here.

Bayonetta: (Giggles Softly) The more the merrier.

Pit: (Smiles Brightly) Sweet! (Happily Makes his Way to his Mothers' Bed) Make room for us.

Dark Pit: (Sighs in Defeat as He Follows Along) Whatever.

Pit: (Lays Next to Ren and Palutena on His Side) Goodnight, Ren.

Dark Pit: (Lays Next to Ren and Bayonetta on his Side) Try to rest easy, alright? Highly doubt that any of us are ain't anywhere out if this bed.....

Ren: (Chuckles Lightly) Sure thing, man. I love you guys.

Pit: We love you too, bro.

And with that, the entire family peaceful went back to sleep together.

Bonus

Next Morning.......

Ren was busy watching television in the living room, when suddenly......

'Doorbell Rang'

Ren: (Made his Way to the Door)

'Door Opens'

Makoto: (Standing in the Doorway with a Very Worried Look on Her Face).....

Ren: (Smiles Softly at Makoto) Hey. You're finally here-

Makoto: Oh, Ren....(Immediately Hugs Ren Lovingly) I got your message and I am so sorry you had to go through with that last night.

Ren: Makoto.

Makoto: I understand that dreams in general can be terrifying most of the time, but it isn't something you could let it get the better of you. No matter how traumatizing it may be at times.

Ren: Makooooto.

Makoto: ('Sniff') And I know I already told you this before and everything, but I wholeheartedly mean it when I say that each and everyone of us loves you with all of our-

Ren: (Gently Pulls Away From Makoto's Embrace while Having his Hands on Both of her Shoulders) Makoto, honey, I'm gonna be fine. Don't worry.

Makoto: (A Little Bit Skeptical and Worried) Are you absolutely sure?

Ren: (Smiles Softly) Yeah. (Kiss the top of Makoto's Forehead) I promise. Mom helped me through it last night.

Makoto: Witch or Goddess?

Ren: Witch. (Chuckles Lightly) Ironically enough, dhe almost said the exact same thing you were about to say to me last night

Makoto: (Blushes a Little) W-Well, it's the honest truth! We love you so much, Ren Amimaya. You mean the world us and I'll be more than happy to tell you that every single day if I have to.

Ren: (Chuckles Lightly) Wouldn't mind that for second. Cause I love you guys too. (Hugs Makoto Again) Thanks for coming by here and keeping me company.

Makoto: (Happily Hugs Ren Back) You don't need to thank me, Ren-Ren. I'm always here for you, now matter what. Remember?

Ren: Clearly. So uhh.....You wanna go to the living, binge watch some anime shows, and cuddle the entire day away.

Makoto: (Giggles Softly) I'd love that.

@keyenuta

@cyber-wildcat

@princeoflions123

@ma-lemons

@albion-93

@26shann

@chompycroc

@italian-love-cake

@shumakoweek

#super smash ultimate #ren amimaya #bayonetta #palutena #pit #datk pit #makoto nijima #angst #hurt/comfort #emotional fluff #sweet family moment #bayonetta is best mom #palutena is best mom #shumako #makoto is best girlfriend #ren amimaya is loved #have to edited it again to make it perfect. sorry about that

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sad-af1121 · 5 years ago

Text

A Nuisance (One-shot)

Summary: Everyone has their bad days and unfortunately yours was a mixture of exhaustion and being sick. Steve and Bucky made it their goal to make your day a little better by spoiling you the best they can but how could they help when every ounce of physical love annoyed you? | Marvel AU | Pairings: Stucky x Reader Word Count: 2.4k Warnings: language, some angst? (idk if you count a pouty steve as angst but sure) fluff, comedy and cute-ness overload

A/N: i’m sorry in advance if it seems rushed but i really did try to make it comedic and cute. It’s been a rough two weeks and i really wanted to get this done before the deadline for @babylevines writing challenge! Congrats on the 4k follower's babe! I hope you enjoy :3 Prompt: “Touch me with your cold feet one more time and see what happens.” | Thanking @isaxhorror for giving this a look through! Feedback is welcomed 💜

“They didn’t have any fresh lemons at the store so I got generic lemon juice,” Bucky informed Steve, shutting the front door of their shared apartment. He set the grocery bags on the kitchen island before pulling the contents out from the bags.

Steve turned away from the stove, his eyes scanning the counter. “Buck, why are there so many ice cream flavors? I asked you to get what Y/N likes.”

Bucky sighed, “I didn’t get one flavor of ice cream because I figured if I got the ones she likes, she can pick based off her mood when she gets back home.” He shrugged and walked to the fridge. Steve hummed to Bucky’s remark since he did have a point.

You were called in to work in the early hours of the day, the sun wasn’t even shining through the dull grey-blue skies yet and on top of that, you were fighting a small cold. If it wasn’t for your stubbornness and your passion to work, Steve and Bucky wouldn’t have let you leave, let alone leave the bed. They constantly checked on you, knowing you were going to end up very cranky and exhausted for the rest of the day. After they both came back home from work, they decided to pamper you for the night.

The house chores and dinner would be done by the time you got home. All you would have to do was rest and enjoy the evening and the following weekend with your boys. However, they were hoping that their plan would work and brighten up your mood, but that would be something they’d have to wait and see.

“Buck-”

“She’s parking the car,” Bucky smirked, looking up from his phone screen. “I’ve been texting Babygirl all day. Chill dude, worst-case scenario, she throws a pillow at you for treating her like some fragile pup.”

“Ha, ha. Shut up,” Steve swallowed, throwing a kitchen towel over his shoulder. He was only this way when you weren’t feeling your best. If the world came crumbling down, Steve would make sure to be your shield, protecting you from any harm because you meant everything to him. Both you and Bucky kept the flame of life burning in his chest.

The sound of keys jingling and the doorknob turning caught both of Bucky and Steve’s attention as they prepared themselves for you. Door swinging open, you trudged into your apartment, shutting the door behind you before slumping against the hard flat surface.

Nose slightly discolored with droopy eyelids, you sniffled, sighing in what sounded like a tinge of satisfaction, “I’m hoooome!” You strained, voice raspy and heavy due to your sinus acting up again. Steve involuntarily pouted, his heart aching to see the sight of you so sick and tired. Bucky clenched his jaw and took a deep breath, steadying himself from the anger that was bubbling from within. He craved nothing more than to call your bosses and tell them a thing or two about a proper workplace and how to respectfully treat employees who were under the weather.

Who else calls someone in to work and put others in jeopardy for getting them sick? It’s diabolical.

Giggling at yourself, you move away from the door and set your things to the side, stepping into the kitchen, “What’s all this?” Eyes roaming across the stove then to the dining table, you saw dinner had been made and set for you. The corners of your lips twitched into a lopsided smirk as you looked up at Steve.

“You didn’t have to do all this, baby. We could have ordered take out. I know how hard work can be on you two,” you turned and looked at Bucky who was already standing behind you with a smirk to mirror yours.

“We wanted to do this for you, doll. You work so hard too, ‘n hell, if we want to spoil you, we will. Periodt.”

You squeezed your eyes shut, cringing. “I get your trying to stay hip and modern but PLEASE don’t say that word around me again,” you chuckled as did the boys.

Both Bucky and Steve began to walk toward you and your gut knew they wanted a kiss, but you stopped them the minute they got close, placing a hand on their chests. “I’m sick remember? I don’t think you guys want to get close to me.”

“We’ll be fine. We’re super-”

“Yeah, yeah, super soldiers but I’m not risking it, Steve. Once I’m feeling better, I’ll repay you guys in so many kisses that you’ll be sick of me. But as of right now, I don’t want to be touched,” you sighed, looking between Bucky and Steve.

Bucky nodded and looked at Steve who seemed to be having a hard time dealing with your mood. You saw how his jaw clenched, his heart feeling the slight sting from how forward you were with your emotions and it wasn’t like Steve was against it. He needed to adjust. There was no doubt that Steve didn’t respect your wishes and so he stepped away, clearing his throat before busying himself in washing the dishes from cooking. You swallowed thickly, a small pout forming along your lips.

“Hey, America’s ass.”

Steve turned and you blew him a kiss, hoping it would warm his heart and silently tell him you loved him. When he smiled back, a twinkle forming in his eyes, you knew he was okay. The feelings of content and relief washing over you. It was Bucky’s turn now and you did the same, blowing a kiss, then giggling right after.

His lips bloomed into a toothy grin, his eyes sparkling with admiration and bashfulness. You found this incredibly adorable and you couldn’t help but ruffle his hair. After that, you headed to the bedroom to change into your pj’s.

Once you disappeared into your room, Steve stepped away from the kitchen and joined Bucky on the couch who was playing a game on his phone.

“Don’t mess with Y/N, okay? I think she’d find your annoyance anything but cute today. You saw how she’s acting. Wouldn’t want to ruin her night if you two end up arguing,” Steve warned with a sigh, reminding his lover. On your usual days, you’d find Bucky’s teasing hilarious and downright appealing. However, when you suffered through a rough day like today, for example, you and Bucky would get into a banter that neither parties like to endure. It wasn’t severely serious or anything of that sort and always ended up in kisses and hugs but Steve wanted to avoid that at all costs.

Maybe he was treating you like a small puppy dog after all.

***

“Ugh, baby. You’re the fucking beeeest,” you groaned into your food, your eyes practically rolling inside your head. Your taste buds pranced with happiness, the flavors bringing waves of satisfaction and desire for more. The heat from your supper opened your pores and sinus which allowed some of your tasting senses to come alive.

Steve grinned brightly, looking over at Bucky who chuckled at the blonde for his victory smile. “Had to make my girl happy.”

“You mean our girl, jerk,” Bucky corrected, playfully glaring into Steve’s eyes whilst ripping a piece of baguette with his teeth, chomping on the bread. Steve’s face twisted with disgust and you barked out a laugh, your cheeks warming to how possessive they were getting over you.

“Okay, okay, chillax dudes. I don’t want any bloodshed over dinner. Y’all can wait till after I’m done,” you snorted as Bucky threw a piece of bread at you. You threw one in return which started a mini food war.

“No. Nooope,” Steve got up from the table and opted to eat on the kitchen island. “Totally unnecessary,” he whispered under his breath and it became unfortunate for him because you and Bucky ended up throwing food at him instead.

After dinner, the three of you decided to watch a movie since it was a Friday and none of you had to wake up early the next day. Bucky was picking out a movie, trying to connect his phone to the TV since he found a site that posted movies online without having to leave the comfort of your home and going to the movie theatre.

You quietly sat on the couch with a blanket wrapped around your body, waiting for Bucky. Technology wasn’t his thing but you gave him some room to try before you helped. It was the only way he was going to learn and you loved when he figured it out himself, his charming yet victorious smile blossoming across his face when he succeeded.

Steve had filled three bowls of popcorn since everyone ate theirs differently. Bucky didn’t like too much butter but you did and Steve was just in the middle with added caramel popcorn in the mix so it wasn’t unusual when you guys had your own popcorn rather than share it. He strolled into the living room, setting the bowls on the coffee table before deciding to take a seat next to you.

In Steve’s mind, he thought since dinner was successful and you seemed to be in a better mood, you wouldn't mind if he cuddled, missing the warmth of your body and the touch he just craved so often. It relaxed his every sense, any contact sending an electrifying current throughout his body and sparking something in his heart. You felt like home and being touch-starved by you today wasn’t sitting so nicely with Steve.

Throwing his arm over your shoulder, Steve adjusted himself on the couch before feeling his arm being lifted off your shoulders and into his lap.

“Steve, c’ mon babe. I’m really not in the mood. I’m sorry,” you huffed, a tinge of annoyance lacing your words. “I warned you earlier about getting yourself sick.” You scooted away from him, hoping your soft eyes would make up for it but Steve just growled, getting up and fetching his sketchbook from the shelf by the television.

Not only did he sit away from you but he ignored your attention, frustration weighing on his shoulders. He flipped through the pages of his book in search for a clean page to draw his emotions on and you mentally kicked yourself in the ass because you pushed Steve’s limit.

Huffing in remorse, you snuggled against your blanket, cozying up with the soft material that smelled of lavender. Bucky had finally gotten the movie to play, rushed to the couch and decided to sit with you since Steve was sulking on the other couch.

About 45 minutes into the movie, Bucky had his legs spread out, his head resting on the armrest while his body laid straight, his feet almost touching you. Lost in the plot of the film, you hadn’t noticed he pushed his sockless, icy cold feet under your blanket, the warmth wrapping itself around them. It brought a sort of relief that he wanted more warmth. More from you.

So that was when he touched his feet against your heated thighs, his toes digging in and out of your skin as if he was trying to massage you like a cat would knead a pillow. Instantly, you withdrew a breath, your senses coming into reality. The cold shook you like a bolt of lightning, your nerves screaming for an escape. You allow a few minutes to go by, assuming he’d halt his actions. But the longer you waited, the more he thought it was an invitation to continue.

The only solution you knew at the time was to take deep steady breaths, ignoring the fact that his freezing cold feet were touching your hot skin which brought a shiver throughout your body. You already had the chills due to your sickness and Bucky wasn’t making things any better for you now. What was up with your boyfriends today?

“Holy shit,” Bucky laughed at the television, pulling his legs back. You nipped your lips in happiness, doing a small victory dance in your head. Just as you’re getting comfortable again, Bucky placed his feet back in its previous position, causing you to huff out loud.

“Touch me with your cold feet one more time, and see what happens.”

Both Bucky and Steve whipped their heads towards you, their brows knitting together in confusion. You stare back at them, widening your eyes then signaling down with your eyes to show them the issue.

Inhaling deeply, Bucky paused the movie, “Jesus, really? You could’ve just asked me baby before threatening me.”

Those words alone brought a lump of guilt in your throat. You were very snappy today and it wasn’t like you to get this annoyed.

“Fuck, sorry,” you pouted. “I think I should just get to bed and leave you guys alone. I promise to be better tomorrow,” you whined quietly, your eyes darting between the two.

Bucky silently gnawed on his lower lip before turning his attention to Steve and winking at the old soul. Steve himself was utterly confused but he knew that mischievous smirk in Bucky’s eyes which gave him everything he needed to know.

As you were ready to leave the couch, Bucky leaped towards you, trapping your body underneath his as he playfully growled against your neck and jaw. You had no time to react differently, only the sounds of laughter breaking past your lips. Then came his fingers digging in your sides, the familiar zaps of delight coursing through your nerves. Tickling made your body turn into putty because once someone started, it was harder for you to escape their hold than it was to take it all in and not laugh.

Steve took this time to record a video of the events unfolding in front of his eyes, using a filter that made voices very high pitched. It was one of his favorites when he made videos and he couldn’t get over the fact it made people sound like they were on helium.

“Steve! St-stop recording and save m-meee!” you exclaimed, trying to catch your breath.

Your shrieks of bliss and neediness were enough for Steve to toss his book to the side and pull Bucky off your body, throwing the brunette to the ground with a loud thud.

“What the fuck, Steve!”

“Save it punk. Meet us in the room,” he breathed out a chuckle, sweeping you off the couch and carrying you to your bedroom. You buried your face into his chest in attempts to hide the growing smile that ached your cheeks even more. But you knew he already saw it and now he was going to make sure he gets all the kisses and cuddles he wants.

Even if that meant getting sick because Steve and Bucky would risk everything for you.

__________

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voldemorthatesnose96 · 5 years ago

Text

belle âme

It got yeeted so I reposted it again. Sorry everyone

Robbe is a kindergarten teacher where Sander’s brother named Noah is a new student there

If you can find the easter egg, please comment!😂

For most people, children is such a nuisance. Their never-end chattering, yelling, screaming, breaking things, crying unnecessarily, throwing tantrums—well, you all know the rest. Being a parent to children is one thing, but being their teacher is a whole new level of stress. Especially when you’re working at the kindergarten school.

Almost all teachers here are complaining about the same thing every single day, and to be honest, for Robbe IJzermans; the first youngest teacher since this school was opened in 2001, feel like their useless talking is way more annoying than the child’s tantrum.

As usual, he’s the first person coming at school and minding his own business while eating sandwiches when not long after, a couple of another teachers are entering the room and groaning in unison about what kind of disaster they’ll get today. Robbe only give them a reluctant smile when he’s being asked about how annoying some students are.

Why don’t you just quit then?, he swears internally.

Robbe quickly sigh in relief when the clock strike at 7.25 AM, which means that the class is going to start in 5 minutes. After saying goodbye to other teachers, he swiftly making his way to the class.

Robbe is always have doubts in his mind, but one thing for sure and also something that he’ll always be proud of, is the fact that his students love and respect him. Robbe doesn’t know how it happens and never in his life, he ever think that these students will get along him like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Not gonna lie, he always cries when his one of his student gives him a simple note after the class’s end—a very innocent note like “thankssss yuuuuu for todayyyy mr IJzermanzzz! We lovvvessss yuuu SO MUCH!” with a doodle underneath it. So far, the notes he’s getting is more than 20 now and they’re all safe inside his desk at home.

Robbe IJzermans love children and will always be. It might be weird for some people, but it’s true. Every word of it.

“Good morning, everyone!” Robbe greet them with a smile as bright as the sun.

“Good morning, mr IJzermans!” The students greets back in unison, way louder than it should be but Robbe never mind it.

Robbe puts down the textbooks on his desk and says, “we have a great news today! Anyone can guess?”

In an instant, this class is filled with students’ noise. Robbe has to calm them down for a while before they can actually answer.

“New game?” Moyo Makadi raise his hand and jumping excitedly.

“Tour?” Zoe Loockx’s eyes widen at this thought but try hard not to get too ahead of herself.

“Story-telling?” Aaron Jacobs suggest. His curly hair is looking even more curly for these past days; Wonder why.

The other boy who sits beside him rolls his eyes. Senne de Smet is always be the brain in the class and also the most composed, “you is very dumb.”

“Senne, you can’t say that.” Robbe gently remind him. “Say sorry, please?”

“Sorry.” Senne immediately obey.

“And what should we say, then?” Robbe asks the whole class.

“IT IS OKAY, SENNE!”

Robbe grins widely, feeling proud, “good job, everyone!” then he pulls out a piece of paper from his files. “Because none of you guess it right, I will reveal the answer. Drum rolls, please!”

Robbe and his students are tapping the desks together for few seconds before Robbe’s voice stop them.

“We are going to have a new friend!” He announces happily.

When his students are just looking at him in bewilderment, Robbe can’t help but feel confuse and also have this weird urge to laugh because of the faces they’re making right now; it’s like he just said something peculiar and shocking.

“What’s wrong?”

There’s only one student who’s brave enough to raise their hand.

“Yes, Jens?”

“Mr IJzermans, are you going to like this new friend more than us?”

This is WHY Robbe love children so much. Besides their tantrums and everything, but their innocence is the one that not so many people can appreciate.

Robbe examine every single face of his students and they all showing the same concern. So he says, “I will like him as much as I like you all. This is a promise. Please, don’t worry anymore. Okay, class?”

The effect of his words is gradually seen from the children’s expression.

“OKAY, MR IJZERMANS!”

“Please stay calm while I’m gone to meet him. Thank you!”

Robbe thought the new student (Robbe remembers his name is Noah Driesen) will be waiting in front of the office like other kid usually do but no; Noah is already waiting beside his classroom, looking frightened until his grips on his backpack strap is too tight.

Robbe kneeling in front of him until his height is almost the same like Noah’s, looking at his nervous green eyes and says, “you must be Noah Driesen, right?”

The little kid doesn’t answer, still too scared to say anything.

Robbe offers his hand, “hello, Noah. My name is Robbe IJzermans, your new teacher.”

But Noah still not giving any reaction.

This isn’t the first time since Robbe has been working as a teacher, dealing with something like this. So as a gentle yet careful approach, he places his hand on top of Noah’s handgrip.

“Okay, you don’t need to shake my hand but can I ask you few questions? You just need to nod or shake your head, okay?”

Even though Noah is clearly worried but he give Robbe’s request a nod. Robbe see this as a chance.

“Very good,” he smiles kindly. “The first question is, if I ask you to look at me, would you do it?”

Noah take a few second to think about it, then ever so slowly, he lifts his eyes to looks at Robbe’s warm chocolate eyes.

“It’s easy, isn’t it?” Noah smile nervously, while Robbe is trying to loosen the grip without him noticing. “The second question is, would you be my friend, Noah?”

Once again, the little kid nods but more confident this time. This make Robbe feel genuinely happy and content.

“Last question is, are you still afraid? Now that I’m your friend?”

For the first time ever, Noah finally speak, “no, mr IJzermans.”

Robbe ruffle Noah’s brunette hair, get up from the kneeling position (his legs are a bit numb) and offer his hand again.

“Shall we go to class now?”

Noah take his hand and hold it tightly, “yes, please!”

What an adorable kid, Robbe thought with awe.

It’s a huge relief that the whole class seems to be welcoming and warming up to Noah immediately. Jens even offering the seat beside him once Noah’s done introducing himself.

The class is officially starting at 8.30 AM and most of them are pleading to draw instead of doing basic mathematic. Of course, Robbe can’t refuse. Rules be damned.

“Alright, take out your crayons and drawing book, make everything that you want! Have fun!”

“YAAAAAAY!”

Suddenly Noah raise his hand, “mr IJzermans, I don’t bring anything to draw.”

A curly-haired girl wearing glasses named Luca is walking towards him immediately while bringing her crayons and colored pencils with her.

“Here! We can share!”

Robbe also give Noah his new drawing book. He always bring one or two in case one of his student is forget to bring it here.

“For you. Use it well.”

“THANK YOU, LUCA!” Noah beams. “THANK YOU, MR IJZERMANS!”

After few shouting from the students and flying crayons in the air later, they’re all finally finished with their drawings. Noah is the last kid to hand his work. But before he leaves, he asks Robbe to kneel again.

“Yes?”

“Mr IJzermans, can Noah marry you?”

This isn’t the first time Robbe is being asked for something like this from the other girl students before, but considering it comes from a boy he just teached today, Robbe can’t help but feel a bit surprised, but also happy. The determination on Noah’s face is incredible; it makes Robbe want to pinch his cheeks.

“You don’t mind that I’m also a boy?”

Noah shakes his head strongly, “no. Noah do not mind!”

Robbe place his hand on Noah’s head and softly says, “then, I’ll gladly marry you.”

“Really?!”

“Really really!”

Noah hold his yelp then plead, “can I tell my big brother too, mr IJzermans? Will you meet him later?”

How could Robbe said no that face? Or any children’s face, in general? Naaaah...

“I’d love to.”

“YAY!”

And without saying another word, Noah skipping happily to his seat while Robbe watching him in awe. Why does kids are super adorable? It hurts sometimes.

The rest of today’s lesson is going well. Even though, there’s one student named Britt Ingelbrecht, who cry because Jana Ackerman accidentally hit her head with a ruler before the class end. Robbe has to calm them both for nearly twenty minutes and being grateful that they’re finally okay.

After saying goodbye to each of the students by doing a high-five on their way out, Noah is now offering his hand, pouting slightly—perhaps thinking that Robbe is forgetting that he’s supposed to mee his older brother after school.

Robbe is grinning widely as he take Noah’s little hand and walking side by side.

“Mr IJzermans will looooove big brother as much as Noah do!”

“Is that so?” Robbe replies calmly.

Noah is skipping now, “YES!”

But then when they’re about to exit the building, Noah is pointing his finger at a boy around Robbe’s age with hair as white as freshly fallen snow, wearing black everything; making him as a living depiction of Yin and Yang itself because of the contrast between his hair and the clothes he’s wearing. The first thought that comes to Robbe’s mind about this boy is ‘alluring’, and Robbe can’t look away from him.

“That’s Noah’s big brother, mr IJzermans.”

“Oh...okay...”

Robbe stutters as Noah pull his hand to walk towards his brother, who’s now smiling brightly of seeing Noah before his eyes lands on Robbe. The same green eyes like Noah’s, but a bit darker and probably hide many deep emotions there. Robbe gulp at the thought.

“Noah, who is this?” The boy asks.

“Big brother, this is Noah’s new teacher, Mr IJzermans! He helped Noah today with drawing and ma... mathmmmatical...”

“Mathematics.” Robbe corrects little Noah slowly.

“Yes yes, numbers. Noah do not like.”

His older brother doesn’t say anything but he gives Robbe a smirk, and his heart beats fast in the matter of seconds.

“Guess what... guess what, big brother! Come on! Guess!”

“What is it, little brother?”

“Mr IJzermans agreed to marry Noah!!!!”

Noah’s brother instantly pierce his stare at Robbe again. Though, it looks like he’s more curious and somewhat amused rather than feeling weird about it.

“Is that true?”

Feel like Robbe’s tongue is tied in a knot, so he just nods once. Sincerely hoping his cheeks and his neck aren’t turning red right now.

“Noah?”

“Yes, big brother?”

“What if I marry your teacher first?”

How dare this stranger asks such question in front of his own little brother?! And most importantly, his tone is as light as a feather and very devil-may-cry like; as if this question is something he’s been asking a lot of times before?

But why why why does Robbe’s feel butterflies in his stomach?! Is this normal for everybody?!

“Sir, you can’t...”

“Sander,” he cuts Robbe quickly. “Don’t call me sir. I feel old.”

Robbe’s taking a deep breath and mildly scolding Sander, “okay, Sander, you can’t say something like that in front of a child.”

“What was your name again?”

“Robbe IJzermans.”

“Okay, Robbe,” Sander mimic Robbe’s tone earlier, also his smirk is still clearly visible. “My brother is way mature than he looks. Don’t worry too much. Right, little brother?”

Noah nods excitedly, “Noah do not mind if you marry mr IJzermans too.”

This need to stop, Robbe thought.

“Just messing around with you,” Sander assures him. “You seemed tense earlier.”

Before Robbe can make a comment, Sander speak again.

“Well, we gotta go now. The traffic’s crazy,” he takes Noah’s hand in his. “Say goodbye to your teacher, Noah.”

Little Noah let go of his brother’s hand and hug Robbe’s waist before wave his hand and say, “See you tomorrow, mr IJzermans!”

“See you tomorrow.”

Much to Robbe’s surprise, Sander suddenly asks his brother to say goodbye to his other friends, which Noah happily obey. Now, there’s just the two of them talking, face to face.

“thanks for taking care of my brother,” the bleached hair guy say so very gently. “It means a lot to me.”

“Don’t be. I’m his teacher after all,” Robbe smiles reassuringly. “He’s very good at drawing. Just so you know.”

Sander looks like he’s contemplating. But when he opens his mouth to say something, he immediately closes it again, and instead, gives Robbe a thankful smile and says, “thanks nonetheless. I’ll see you around, then? Maybe?”

Robbe nods, “sure, Sander.”

Sander

Instead of turning his body to walk towards the building, Robbe’s feet somehow glued to where he’s standing, watching these brothers genuinely care for each other really warm his heart. Though one thing for sure, the bleached hair boy, Sander Driesen, will fill up Robbe’s mind for the rest of the day.

And he doesn’t mind it. At all.

#wtfock #wtfam #fanfic #IT GOT YEETED

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ertrunkenerwassergeist · 5 years ago

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Born Into the Wilds - 07. Moot

I just remembered that I didn’t put the latest chapter here on tumblr. So here it is and also a Link to AO3. Thank you @lightsaberwieldingdalek for your help!

In which Nyx parkours aound Little Galahd and old people debate while everybody else watches.

Featuring: hunting reporters, Nyx' recklessnes, politics, old people with agendas, family drama in the background, Ulric clan history, Nyx' lack of self worth, magic, and did I mention politics?

Warnings: mentions of war, flight and death

Foreign words:

sinehär gisdrauht = Elder Storyteller cünaniu = a moot, basically a publilc gathering to debate stuff. Held by selected Elders and has to be an odd number druhm = edible root that looks like a black carrot and tastes a bit like hazelnut and is sweet like beetroot, can be used in teas, be roasted or cooked maneth = mother, stepmother; affectionate term oirkar = chief, clan head; lit.: leading person; a title Galahkari = people of Galahd ahtri = spirit; umbrella term for everything from actual nature spirits to the presence of their ancestors makti-oir = war chief, commander-in-chief, warlord; lit.: leading hunter kohna = swearword; along the lines of shit buhgil = term of endearment for children; lit.: sprout (noun)

Nyx scaled the outer wall of the concrete building with all the grace of a disgruntled cat. Muttering obscene curses under his breath, he swung himself over the railing and landed on the flat roof in a crouch with nary a sound.

The day had started so well. Considering the circumstances, that is.

It had been an absolute disaster.

After being thrown out of bed by Libertus and swinging by Pelna's place to find out what the realms of Pitioss was going on, sinehär gisdrauht Istoria Patientia had come by personally to 'invite' him to a cünaniu that was to happen this afternoon. It had been shortly after lunch, Pelna, Libertus, Luche and Axis had to attend a spontaneous training exercise and so hadn't been there. Nyx himself was still on medical leave and so Tethys had invited him to stay.

Greetings had been exchanged. Istoria sat at the table, a steaming cup of the traditional tea of welcome in front of her. The smell of druhm roots, pepper, cardamom, liquorice and honey made Nyx think back to his sister's first tries that had been overly strong and sweet. Barely eight, she had been so proud of her achievement that neither his mother nor him had uttered anything but compliments. That day had been full of Selena's bright laughter.

Istoria took a sip and hummed in appreciation. “You have a skilled hand for brewing tea, Tethys of Clan Najad.”

“Thank you, Sinehär Patientia. My maneth taught me; her teas were said to be the best,” demurred Tethys, her own cup between her hands and a sad smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

The short exchange startled Nyx out of his childhood reverie. Silently reprimanding himself for his lapse in attention, he forced the image of a smiling and laughing Selena from his mind. The painful stab of regret he felt in his heart every time he thought of her, had never gotten easier to bear over the years.

“For which occasion do you honour my family with your visit, sinehär?” asked the younger woman.

“To my regret it's not a member of your family I came to meet,” Istoria said. Her eyes were firmly set on Nyx who dearly wished he could vanish into the ground at that very moment. “A cünaniu has been called for this afternoon and Oirkar Ulric has been invited to speak among us.”

Her body language, the set of her jaw and the tone of her voice made it clear what kind of invitation it was. Should he not show up at the gathering he would lose what standing he had within the Galahkari of Insomnia. Loathe as he was to admit it, if he didn't have his standing as the head of an old and respected clan, much of the shit he did get himself into wouldn't end as well as it normally did.

Beneath the sharp eyes of both women in the room, Istoria's giving nothing away and Tethys' silently promising to get an explanation out of him, he bowed his head in acceptance.

“I will be there, to speak and to listen,” he said.

“Good,” nodded the old woman. “Now, I don't care how you do it, but get those reporters out of Little Galahd as fast as you can. They're more of a nuisance than evergrow weed.”

“Of course, sinehär,” muttered Nyx, internally wincing. He'd had to turn off his phone after the ninth call from one reporter or other. He knew it wouldn't help any in the long run, but for now he could actually talk to someone without being interrupted every five minutes. Maybe he should invest into a new number. Though he had no idea how to do what the Elder had asked of him.

“The cünaniu will be held by the community fire at exactly 4pm. I trust you know the etiquette of an invited speaker?”

Nyx nodded again. All Clan Heads had to know; they were most likely the ones to be invited, if someone was. Speak clearly and only when prompted. Any other time an invited speaker wanted to say something they had to take a step forward and wait until they were acknowledged. The surrounding crowd, if there was one, wasn't to be addressed ever. Since this was a formal event the proper titles had to be observed.

They drank the rest of their tea largely in silence, only interrupted by the spare bits of small talk Tethys and Istoria engaged in.

This was not going to be any kind of fun. At all.

Now he crept over the flat roof of an apartment complex in the middle of Little Galahd not too far from the courtyard the Galahkari had chosen as their speaking grounds, with little time remaining and on the run from those damned reporters.

Carefully, he crept over the roof between damp bed sheets that had been hung out to dry. They made his way into a labyrinth that his him quite well and made him feel marginally safer. It was childish, but he couldn't quite help it. He still didn't dare to stand up properly.

If he ever found out who had blabbed, he was getting Luche to do a blood eagle for him. And damn the consequences. The longer he thought about it, the more he was convinced that it must have been the lab technician who talked. He doubted that either King Regis, Shield Amicitia or General Leonis would sabotage the situation like that. Nyx had known from the start that it was a bad idea to consent to a private audience.

At the reminder of that private office and that awful portrait he snarled at the bed sheets drying in the warm air and spit out in an impulsive show of disdain. Ozone burned in his nose and when his fingers brushed one of the sheets the spot started to sizzle.

He bit his tongue so hard he could taste blood. No, now was not the time to be upset about a portrait depicting the Conqueror King, as justified as it may be. It was just a portrait for ahtrihn sake. The man himself was long dead. It was a cold comfort.

He reached the other end of the roof and glanced down at the street five storeys below him. Not a reporter in sight. Just a few Galahkari making their way to and fro, easily recognizable by the patterns of their clothes.

Thank Enías for making me lose them.

It would have been so embarrassing, if those reporters had managed to follow him all the way here. Nyx had probably lost them somewhere around the the narrow streets around the marketplace, where they had made such a ruckus that some pedestrians had looked close to causing bodily harm. Well, most Lucians had a talent for that, so it wasn't anything new. The point was he had finally lost them.

Furrowing his brow in consideration he glanced down at the street again. It wasn't far towards the court yard where the community fire was, now. Should he risk it?

Scoffing at himself – he wasn't scared of a few reporters, damn it – he made his way down, jumping from windowsill to windowsill as if they were the branches of a tree made out of concrete.

Somebody yelped in surprise and Nyx winked at a woman standing by the windowsill he was using as a temporary perch, a wide and playful grin on his face. He jumped the last two storeys down followed by a slew of obscene curses. People turned around to see what was going on, but as soon as they recognized him they nodded in greeting and went back to their own business.

Heh, he still got it.

His grin transformed into a satisfied one as he flounced off towards the community fire.

The spark in his bones rumbled like a giant satisfied cat.

After running all over Little Galahd – technically it was just the market place and a few streets, but there wasn't anybody present to refute his claim, so there – he was nearly late. There were more people present in the courtyard than he had expected. Then again, considering the topic to be discussed it honestly wasn't too surprising.

Nyx saw quite a few friends and closer acquaintances in the mingling crown, but didn't have the time for more than a nod in greeting. Luche, Axis, Pelna, Crowe and Libertus were part of the training exercise the Glaive was scheduled to do today, Tredd and Sonitus were there, however, along with Pelna's eldest niece Ker. Here and there he could see other members of the Glaive that were on leave. Then there were Ariadne and Archyll so close to the fire barrel, it was nearly inappropriate.

Nyx made a face and acted as if he hadn't seen them, a longing tug in his gut. He tried to shake it off. Both of them had made it quite clear when he had joined the Kingsglaive that he wasn't welcome with them any longer.

Straight backed and head held high he stepped into the space the sinehäri had left for him. Right between Istoria and Eriq. The old willowy man stared at him with icy eyes. His remaining hair was carefully braided into a neat braid full of colourful beads, that reached his chest.

Nyx crossed his wrists next to his left hip in greeting deference. He didn't say a word, as it wasn't his place to speak first. The five sinehäri in the circle touched their chests, right over the heart, with the back of their hands in the acknowledgement.

All around them the crowd grew silent.

Istoria was the first to speak, as she was the oldest if the five.

“Welcome to the open fire. May the flames be witness to what is spoken and keep the knowledge until the ashes of the world are washed away.” She spoke the traditional greeting in the oldest tongue they remembered. Then she turned to him. “Be welcome as a guest in our midst, Nyx, Oirkar of Clan Ulric, that you may speak and be heard.”

“May the flames be witness to my words and prove them to be true,” Nyx replied, the old words heavy on his tongue, his accent a heavy drawl.

It didn't happen all too often that one not an elder or a clan head involved in the governing of the Galahkari was invited to speak in a cünaniu.

“We have gathered here today,” Istoria continued in modern Hadnissa, “ to deliberate on the recent development concerning Nyx, Oirkar of Clan Ulric and King Regis of the Lucis Caelum line.”

She used the Lucian word for 'king' since technically Hadnissa didn't have an equivalent word for the title. There were a few that came close, but like all titles in Galahd they had to be earned and the Lucian king most certainly hadn't done that.

“Now tell us in detail what led to the articles this morning and those Lucians crawling all over the place,” commanded Eriq more terse than necessary.

Istoria cast the man a stern glance. Nyx kept his face carefully neutral as all eyes trained on him.

He started his tale with what he could tell of his last mission without going against the King's orders. It was moments like these Nyx hated the careful balancing act he had to practice due to his debt to the man.

The sinehäri kept their silence until his tale ended, even if Eriq and Elenia looked like they dearly wanted to interrupt him more than once. The only thing holding them back was the fact that one wasn't to interrupt a speaking party, if one didn't want to be excluded. After Nyx had finished his recounting, having made it as detailed as he could manage, the silence hung heavily between them for a few heartbeats.

“This is an opportunity we cannot let go to waste.”

All eyes turned towards Leonid. The man was the youngest member of the cünaniu, having reached the appropriate age only three years ago. All other remaining members had been a part of it since before Galahd had fallen.

“What do you propose we do, Sinehär Leonid of the Colophon?” asked Elenia, her voice cold and sharp.

The lower right side of her face looked like the skin had melted and formed into into a misshapen mass. The mark travelled down her throat in sprinkles and vanished under one of the colourful scarves she always wore. Sometimes her right arm twitched without her permission. Those were souvenirs the Nifs had left her with during the initial attack. Since then she was against anything to do with Lucis or Niflheim.

The youngest of the five Elders returned her gaze evenly. “I propose we play into their expectations. Lucis doesn't recognize a country or ethnic group without them having a clear leader to negotiate with. I think we will all agree when I say that's not something we have. We could make Oirkar Ulric our representative, so to speak.”

“So he would be what? Our... king?” Eriq practically spat the Lucian word in front of his feet like it was a curse.

Nyx suppressed a flinch. His fingernails dug painfully into the palms of his hands. He swallowed down the words burning on his tongue and reminded himself not to speak. From where he stood he could see parts of the crowd. It was utterly silent for a crowd this big. He could make out worried faces, angry ones, neutral and confused ones. It was a pretty mixed bag. Ker had moved into the first row of the spectators and grinned at him when she saw him looking.

“I'm saying that, if we were recognized as an autonomous people, we would have rights. Family members of dead Kingsglaives wouldn't lose their homes, we would have the right to open our own schools to educate our children in our ways, just to name a few. Or traditions exist because they saved our lives, now it's time we add to them.”

Elenia stared at Leonid with distaste burning in her eyes. “I won't consent to changing our traditions because Lucis demands it!”

“Traditions have been altered or added to before. Lucians have been the catalyst of that for many times. As a people it is our most sacred duty to remember what others forget. It is a lapse in our duty that it took us so long to realize the true depths of Lucian ignorance.” Here Istoria nodded towards Nyx in reference to his tale about the private audience. “We cannot let ourselves be dragged down into the same pit of forgetfulness. For that we need to teach and to be able to teach, we need the Lucians cooperation while we reside in their city.”

“You want to teach Lucians?” Elenia's scandalized cry caused a wave of silent unrest within the crowd.

“No,” said Istoria decidedly.

Her hard tone took Nyx aback. Eriq snorted and muttered something under his breath Nyx couldn't quite make out.

“You know how difficult it has been to take the children on their First Hunts, Sinehär Elenia of Clan Dala. It will only get even more so as time goes on. Something needs to happen,” intervened Demetri Arra. Until now the man had been silent, listening carefully. “Oirkar Nyx of Clan Ulric, please tell us your opinion on why exactly the Lucians are convinced of you being of higher blood.”

Nyx didn't roll his eyes, but it was a near thing. Hadn't he already done that at the beginning? Nonetheless he he opened his mouth without complaint and told them again.

“It's my ability as a mage, sinehäri. The Lucians are convinced that independent magic is only possible within two family lines in this world. The Lucis Caelums of Lucis and the Fleurets of Tenebrae. Everybody else showing magic that hasn't been gifted by them, must therefore be either of their blood or a line of higher blood blessed by their Astrals.”

All five Elders around him made various faces of distaste. Elenia's looked like a mask made out of wax due to her scar.

“What do you think they expect from you, Oirkar?” asked Demetri before anybody else could say anything. It was probably better that way.

Nyx had to pause for a second. A sense of anticipation built in the air, he didn't want to ponder. He swallowed dryly and started slowly: “I... I think the King doesn't really know, himself. For him it appears to be mainly about family. Beyond that... This has gone into a direction that cannot be predicted in its entirety. If I had to guess, I would at least be a more specific target than a whole ethnic group.”

“I think we should work with that,” reiterated Leonid into the thoughtful silence.

“I won't accept a king!” bellowed Eriq again.

“We are talking in circles,” stated Istoria in a brisk voice that brooked no argument. “The Oirkar has been put into Lucian focus. We cannot do anything about it - it has happened. What we can do, is use the situation to get what we want. Are we all in agreement about that?”

They all nodded, even if Eriq looked like he had swallowed old seaweed and Elenia like she would rather gut herself. Nyx looked at them, resigned about what he knew was the loss of his relative anonymity. He sighed soundlessly and stepped forward, waiting to be acknowledged. In for the meat, in for the kill.

Istoria looked at him, her expression one of careful consideration. She nodded.

“What about the position of makti-oir?”

Demetri made a sound like he had been punched in the gut. Leonid looked vaguely smug and Istoria had a satisfied tilt to her head. It was like that was what she had wanted to happen all along, thought Nyx.

Damn that woman.

The eyes of Elenia looked like they would fall out of her head and Eriq opened his mouth to say something – not polite, no doubt – before shutting it again with a clicking noise. A thoughtful expression made its way onto his face.

“Sinehär gisdrauht, how many members of Clan Ulric have held that position?” he asked, tugging at his beaded braid. His eyes never left Nyx who was silently cursing himself for suggesting this.

The eldest in this circle smiled. “The first was Nikon of Clan Ulric, daughter of Adrastea of Clan Ulric. She became makti-oir in the conflict that drove off the poachers. After her was Oirkar Perses of Clan Ulric, who became makti-oir the day the black sails first clouded the sky. He was the first of three to hold the position during the War of the Black Ships.”

Nyx unwittingly stood a little bit straighter as the woman listed name after name. He could feel hundreds of eyes resting on him. Those were members of his clan. His. For the first time in a long while he could truly appreciate it. His clan. His history. All those stories that had been carefully preserved and told again and again.

Elenia's gaze was still full of that raging fury he had never seen her without, but now there was also a quiet respect. Hers was not the only one.

Demetri nodded thoughtfully after Istoria had ended her impromptu narration. “Does Oirkar Nyx of Clan Ulric fulfil the requirements?”

Nyx dearly wanted to say no, but he knew that wasn't an option he had left. His people had left. If this was his chance to make things right, to atone for his failures, then he would gladly dedicate his life and his death to it. His people deserved nothing less. Selena and his mother would have deserved nothing less. All the people he had failed.

It was Istoria who spoke again: “On his First Hunt Nyx, then of no name, was blessed by the Queen of the Jungle, Lady of Beasts, the Great Coeurl herself, and now he strides in her shadow. He fed four Clans during the last winter before the war came and led twelve hunting parties through it once it was there, the second to last group to leave Galahd was the one he helped protect and since coming here he has fought to regain our homes, never leaving anyone behind, living or dead.”

The subject of such praise could barely bring himself to listen. This wasn't something he wanted to hear. It wasn't him. Where were his failures? All the people he hadn't been able to save? Those that had starved during that horrible long winter, those the Nifs had killed while he had been right there and not being able to do anything. And so many more. Those that had drowned because they had fallen off the boats during their escape, those the daemons had gotten on their miserable track across the mainland. The hunger and the sickness. All the comrades he had lost while fighting for a nation that didn't want to appreciate their sacrifices.

Nyx blinked as he noticed that the old woman had stopped talking. What had he missed. Kohna, why had he spaced out?

Eriq huffed in irritation. “Do you accept the position as makti-oir?”

Steeling himself, Nyx gazed into the crowd. A tension covered the whole courtyard like a smothering blanket. The air was stifling and hot. Hadn't there been less people when he had last looked? He couldn't say for certain.

He tried to read their faces. Would these people accept him in this position? Would his fellow hunters follow him and trust in his decisions? A heaviness settled around him he wasn't sure he could bear. His eyes caught Tredd's. The redhead stood near the edge next to Sonitus, his face an unreadable mask. For barely a heartbeat they stared at each other and then an expression flitted across Tredd's face. It was gone so fast that Nyx couldn't say what it had been, but the other man raised his chin, having come to a decision, and nodded.

Nyx turned his attention back towards the five sinehäri who were waiting for his decision with varying expressions of patience.

“I accept,” he said loud and clear.

Within seconds the tension in the air evaporated. The crowd surged, waiting for the cünaniu to end so that they could celebrate. They had come one step closer towards leaving this city and going home. Everybody knew hit.

But it wasn't over.

“What shall we do about the Lucians?” asked Leonid, looking pleased and exhausted. “I have said it before, we need someone to press for our interests. With Oirkar Nyx of Clan Ulric we have somebody who can do it.”

Elenia looked ready to murder the man. “We will not collaborate with the Lucians! Not after everything they did.”

“We won't collaborate with the Lucians,” Leonid shot back. “Think of it as taking what we're due.”

Elenia huffed but didn't say anything else. Nyx was thankful for it. He had honestly enough of old people arguing. Not that he would ever say that out loud; he didn't want to die that badly.

Demetri sighed tiredly. Even now at age 84 he was nearly a head taller then Nyx. With that and the tattoos and scars he had collected over his life, he cut an formidable figure. He spoke little outside of his duties, but his voice was like a booming bass, loud and imposing. “The Lucians should come to us first, if we do this. We must be prepared for it, but we cannot be the ones to ask for an audience with the Lucian King. It would press us into a weaker position than we already have.”

No one seemed overly happy at his last words. But they were true and everybody in the courtyard knew it.

“Are we all in agreement of this?” asked Istoria looking at her peers.

One after the other nodded. Her gaze settled on Nyx who realized that now that he was makti-oir, his voice had true weight within this circle. He nodded also.

“Then we will leave it here.” She raised her voice so that it echoed loud and clear over the heads of the listening crowd. “Let it be known that after Oizys of Clan Pontos who fell as Niflheim covered our land in death and flames, we name Oirkar Nyx of Clan Ulric as makti-oir. He has been found capable of this responsibility and has accepted it with the fire bearing witness to his words.

We will enter negotiations with the Lucian crown to fight for our tradition and way of life, as we should have done from the beginning. Let this be a lesson for us to not place our pride over our needs. The Astrals couldn't make us bend. A human king won't manage what the false Gods couldn't do. We won't let him.

May the fires bear witness to our words, to what has been said and done today. In the name of the Wooden Throne that seats only Galahd itself, I close this cünaniu.”

For one eternal second the words seemed to fill every space in the courtyard and beyond. The wandering shadows deepened and a cool breeze that carried the sound of rustling leaves and the crashing of the sea against Galahdian shores. A shiver of anticipation travelled down Nyx' spine.

Something was coming.

The fire cracked and sparks flew high, dancing in the air and brining the smell of home. It sounded like the distant roar of a coeurl.

“The hunts are on!”

The cry thundered through the air and broke the spell. The crowd roared, the sound deafening.

Nyx didn't move, too busy trying to come to grips with what had just happened. Then Ker was there, a huge grin on her face. The girl was barely old enough to remember what her home had been like. She hugged him. The force of it pressed the air out of his lungs and teased an airy laugh out of him.

Her face pressed into his shoulder and her body started to shake. She was crying. Worried, he slung his arms around her muscular form and asked: “What's wrong, buhgil?”

Ker shook her head, hiccuped and looked up at him. Her cheeks were covered in tear tracks and a dusty red. She was still smiling, positively brimming with happiness. Nyx barely understood her over the roar of the celebrating crowd.

“Thank you, Nyx. Thank you.”

#ffxv #born into the wilds #nyx ulric #ulric clan #so much worldbuilding in this one #nyx has no idea what he got himself into #people have no idea what they got themselves into #politics #cultural differences #traditions vs the need to change #my fics #the spirit writes #I should probably tone down the language thing...#oh well

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 5 years ago

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Psycho Analysis: Adrian Toomes

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Not content with simply ruining his own life by creating enemies, Tony somehow managed to ruin the life of Peter Parker by creating both enemies he has faced so far. The first of these? Adrian Toomes, AKA Vulture.

Going in you wouldn’t be expecting much from this guy; in the comics, he’s just some crazy, bald geezer in a skintight suit wreaking havoc on the city and generally being a nuisance. In other words, Comic!Vulture kind of sucks. But Movie!Vulture, he demonstrably does not suck. He has an awesome suit salvaged from alien tech from the Battle of New York, he’s a good boss towards his men with one notable exception, and best of all, he’s an actual three-dimensional character who is not just being evil for the sake of the movie having a villain. In a lot of ways, Toomes is actually sympathetic, and almost all of this is owed to his brilliant actor.

Actor: That brilliant actor, by the way, is none other than Batman himself, Michael Keaton. Keaton has always been an excellent actor being able to bring his characters to life, and of course this is no exception; he turns one of Spidey’s most one-dimensional and simplistic foes into one of the MCU’s most engaging villains, with every scene of his completely stealing the show. Hell, Keaton doesn’t even need to speak to kill it with his performance; watch the scene where he’s in the car with Peter, that extended moment where it’s just his face acting as he pieces everything together… Keaton truly is something else.

Motivation/Goals: Toomes was once just a blue collar head of a salvaging company until Tony Stark’s Damage Control edged him out of the business after the Battle of New York. To be able to support his family and let them live comfortably, he turned to crime, stealing tech salvaged from superhero fights and selling it on the black market. What’s interesting to note here is that while it would be easy to write off his self-described motivation as a load of hogwash he tells to deflect blame from himself, he even makes this argument with people he would otherwise need no reason to lie to. It can thus be assumed that, yes, despite his shady methods, he does have a somewhat honorable goal. He’s been compared to other anti-villain criminals like Walter White or noble scoundrels like Robin Hood, and it is certainly an apt comparison on many levels.

Personality: Toomes may very well be one of the nicest, most principled, and most honorable villains in the entire MCU. While he definitely makes it clear how dangerous he is and outright tells Peter he will kill him if he has to, he is still courteous and grateful to Peter, thankful he saved his daughter’s life and expressing it in no uncertain terms that even if he won’t hold back if it comes to it, he really doesn’t want to kill Peter. And, most importantly, when Mac Gargan asks him at the end of the film if he knows Spider-Man’s identity, Toomes lies to protect Peter. He may have been too greedy for his own good in the end, but damn if he wasn’t an honorable man even at his lowest point.

Final Fate: Spider-Man ends up saving his life in the final battle and webs him up so he can be sent to jail, leaving Toomes free to return in any potential sequels.

Best Scene: Without a doubt, the car scene. It’s just such a brilliant moment, perhaps one of the best in all of the MCU if not superhero cinema as a whole. It’s so absolutely tense and uncomfortable you can feel the weight of what’s happening on your shoulders.

Best Quote: At the end of the car ride, Toomes has this to say to Peter: "And don't you ever, ever interfere with my business again, 'Cause if you do, I'll kill you, and everyone that you love. I'll kill you dead. That's what I'll do to protect my family. Pete, you understand?" The perfect capstone to an utterly tense and chilling scene.

Final Thoughts & Score: Toomes is not just an amazing villain; he’s a powerful statement. With custody of Spidey finally being joint between Marvel and Sony, Marvel could easily have utilized one of the more prominent and well-known foes of Spider-Man, such as Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, or Venom. Instead, Homecoming took one of Spider-Man’s most laughable and uninteresting foes, gave him a fresh coat of paint, and threw him out there to show that no, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was not a fluke, they are dead set on giving emotionally compelling and complex, three-dimensional villains to the audience. Toomes really set the bar high in terms of complexity, and while Ragnarok didn’t surpass it in an emotional sense (it’s villains are definitely the good kind of fun), Black Panther managed to, showing Marvel is willing to push its villains to new heights now more than ever. And don’t even get me started on Thanos!

Toomes is easily a 10/10, and is one of the best foes Tony inadvertently created. Seeing as he’s sandwiched between the extremely well-done villains Ego and Killmonger as well as the fun, campy villains Hela and Grandmaster, it’s astounding that Toomes can still find a leg to stand on to stand out in the crowd, but boy does he ever. Even now, with so many great villains added into the MCU, I’d still say Toomes rests in the top 5 or 10 greatest, and that’s so amazing considering this is the cinematic version of someone’s grandpa donning spandex and a feather boa to commit crime. This is the sort of character we’d expect to be Raimi!Venom, and instead we got Raimi!Doc Ock.

#Psycho Analysis #Vulture #Michael Keaton #Spider-Man #Homecoming #MCU #adrian toomes

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writerman · 5 years ago

Note

Bard is quite famous, and is staying at an equally famous hotel owned my Thranduil. Thran is a huge fan of Bard, so he "accidentally" bumped into Bard, since he just happens to now witch floor he's on.

Hugo, my darling little brother.

This is 11,410 words of romance, angst, comedy and a smidge of smut.

I truly hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I am so thankful that you continue to send in prompts and are so patient with how long it takes for me to fill them.

You are the best little brother ever.

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Thranduil climbed out of his car with a tired huff.

He had received several frantic messages from his management team regarding an important guest that would be arriving that evening. Mostly garbled OMG’s and I can’t believe it’s along with the sound of house staff cleaning frantically in the background.

The Greenwood was a prestigious hotel and Spa situated in the countryside of West Sussex, an hour outside of London. It was Thranduil’s pride and joy-- he had rescued the place when it went up for auctions when he was a younger man.

His father had not been all too pleased, especially when Thranduil had arrived home the same evening, and, enthusiastically, announced that he would be fixing up the Elizabethan manor house throughout the summer to open it as a hotel.

But all in all his family had been supportive and offered their help when Thranduil would allow it, the rest was history.

When he entered the lobby he was immediately accosted by his, rather harried looking, hotel manager. Galion was generally a reserved sort of man but today there was no sign of that person as he jittered nervously around Thranduil.

“Is everything alright? Your messages didn’t seem to make any sense.” Thranduil’s tone one full of concern as he leads Galion to the main office and forces him into a seat. Immediately the man sprang back to his feet exclaiming that there was no time to be sitting around!

“Sir, we have a very important guest arriving and we’re down several staff as it is and… I genuinely do not believe we are prepared for this. We’ve never had a situation wherein our security was questioned.”

Thranduil was beginning to wonder if the anxiety coming off Galion in waves was also some excitement. From what he could tell this important guest was likely a celebrity…

“Galion, calm down, we’ve had celebrities here before-” He was cut off by Galion’s incredulous look and for a moment he believed he’d offended the man with his words.

“Sir, this is not some talk show host here with his mistress. This is a Hollywood star, Bard Bowman, the period actor is on his way!” Ah, well, a world-famous star was quite different and it was clear now why security had been a high factor.

While he would not admit it aloud, he did find Bard Bowman very attractive and always found time to watch his latest movies when they came out, Legolas thought it was embarrassing but he still always went with him to the cinema.

Having someone like that show up at his hotel would be amazing for business, but he also knew that people came to the hotel and spa to relax and forget the world outside- if he wanted someone like Bard Bowman to consider returning he would have to make the experience as comfortable as possible.

Obviously, he would offer as much help as he could to the star, he was the owner of the place it would only be fitting that he be there for the man’s arrival.

“Where were you thinking of putting him?” Thranduil asks calmly, hoping his relaxed demeanour would rub off on his manager somewhat.

“Ah, actually, I considered the feature suite. It is larger than the other rooms and his management did mention he would be staying with us for a few days, possibly up to a week.” Galion seemed to have come down from whatever height he had been at with his stress and excitement, and was now merely gently buzzing.

“Perfect, so if this has all been arranged and everything is in hand, why are you so…” He made lifted his hands to gesture to all of Galion as though to say ‘ like this?’.

“Sir, it is Bard Bowman. THE Bard Bowman, you’ve seen him in his newest film, the one where he takes his shirt off, yes?”

Of course, he had! He’d had his eyes glued to the screen the entire time and Legolas threatened to leave the cinema because of it… not that Galion had to know this.

“Hmm, yes, vaguely recall such a scene.” He lied.

“Need I say more, sir?”

Rolling his eyes Thranduil moved toward the door with the intention of leaving the office, before he did so he turned to Galion. “Try to behave, and please let me know when he is arriving, I would like to greet him.”

As difficult as it was to remain professional, Thranduil couldn’t help but feel true excitement to meet this man face to face. He had always seemed so kind and gentle in interviews and he wondered if he were truly like that.

Galion appeared at his side almost exactly an hour later while Thranduil spoke to one of the gardeners, the manager was practically vibrating as he hurried across the perfectly manicured lawn toward him.

“Sir, our guest has arrived. Shall we head back to the lobby to greet him?”

Thranduil smoothed a hand over his hair ensuring he looked his best before he nodded and followed Galion back toward the hotel.

When Bard climbed out of the car Thranduil felt his heart thud in his chest. As ridiculous as it was he knew he absolutely had a crush on this man, and it irritated him that at his age someone could still ruffle his feathers without trying.

The blond didn’t date mainly because he preferred to work without someone telling him he worked too much, that and for the most part he never found anyone that piqued his interest… except for this one Hollywood actor which was completely out of the question.

After mentally giving himself a talking to he approached Bard with a confident and welcoming smile and offered his hand to the man who shook it without hesitation.

“Mr Bowman, a pleasure to have you here at The Greenwood for the first time. My name is Thranduil Oropherion and I am the owner of this establishment. This is Galion Oakland, the manager that runs the place in my stead. I do hope you enjoy your time here.” Thankfully his tone remained even and he came across as professional rather than fanatical, Legolas would be proud of him. Thranduil was quite proud of himself, to be honest.

“Thanks so much, Thranduil. I can’t wait to relax, I’ve been meaning to try this place out for some time, but busy schedules throw me for a loop and after filming I don’t even know what day it most of the time.” Bard laughed, he took in the blond’s appearance, well dressed, beautiful hair… drop dead gorgeous… ah- oh no.

Bard looked away momentarily and cleared his throat, this was not what was supposed to be happening, he was here to relax not potentially romance the person that owned the place, but he couldn’t help himself… Thranduil was in a league of his own.

“Ah, yes, the live of a film star, it must play havoc on your personal life.” Thranduil surmised and he gestured for Bard to follow, Galion moved towards the car and greeted, who Thranduil could only assume was, the man’s manager.

“Let me show you to your room. I truly hope it is to your liking.” They made idle chit chat as they walked, Thranduil pointed out the gardens and the spa across the lawns, an old barn had been converted into the spa area which had become quite popular with his guests.

Thranduil unlocked the door and held it open for the man, he handed Bard the key card that would grant him access to his room and several other amenities throughout his stay.

He noticed that Bard only carried an overnight bag.

“Do you have luggage that needs to be brought up to your room?”

“Oh, yes, but my manager will have that sorted out. Thank you for giving me such a warm welcome, Thranduil. I think I will enjoy my stay.”

“Ah, that is wonderful news. Should you need anything please use the phone on the bedside table, or if you see a member of staff wandering by feel free to grab them.” With that, he left the man to get comfortable and he moved down the hall hoping to find Galion on his way back to the office.

Gideon was still in deep conversation with Bard’s manager, so was left to tie up any loose ends with that one.

Meanwhile, Legolas had appeared in the lobby and approached his father with a knowing look, Thranduil could only imagine what he was about to say.

“Ada, how’s it going, I saw a really fancy car outside that wasn’t yours,” The young blond began, he had a look of mischief on his face as he spoke. “I heard a rumour… Galiontextmeandtoldme, that a Hollywood star was staying here for a few days. None other than your favourite actor to ogle at.” The teasing had begun and Thranduil could only pinch the bridge of his nose and sigh.

“Legolas, please. While he is here we must remain professional. Please ensure you do the same if you plan on hanging around here.” The pleading tone in his voice was nothing unusual when it came to his son. The teen was a teasing trickster that took great delight in winding up his father with jokes and the like, regardless of who was there to witness such.

The young blond shrugged and sauntered off in the direction of the spa, his friend Tauriel would be there finishing up a yoga class, and no doubt they would spend the afternoon making a nuisance of themselves.

It wouldn’t be until the next morning that Thranduil would see Bard again. He was crossing the lawn to meet with the gardener again when he heard laughter and excited chatter, he glanced over to where the noise was coming from and found Legolas having a very animated conversation with the star.

Thankfully, it seemed to be about an activity as Legolas had set up a space to teach archery, and both men held bows as they laughed and joked about something. A childish as it was, Thranduil could not help but be somewhat jealous, but it seemed his son was being responsible and he couldn’t ask for more than that.

He was not given a chance to meet the gardener as Legolas called his father over to the archery range, Bard was stood in the shade of a large oak tree away from the glare of the hot summer sun, while Legolas waved his father over seemingly unable to stand still.

"Ada, I was telling Bard that we saw his latest film and how much you enjoyed it."

Of course, he had, and Thranduil was hoping the ground would take this opportunity to swallow him up and spit him out in a location thousands of miles from this situation.

When he glanced over to where Bard stood the man merely offered an amused smile, though made no move to come to his aid in any way.

"Yes, well, I have a fondness for period style dramas." Gods, he could feel his cheeks going pink, though thankfully could use the sun as an excuse this time.

"Shouldn't you be teaching an archery class, Legolas?" Hopefully, this would shift the focus from himself.

His son had the decency to look sheepish as he nodded, with a swift turn Legolas trotted back to Bard who was still enjoying the shade of the large oak.

"Right, your class. Sorry about that. I just wanted you to know how much we like your work, Mr Bowman." He was given an easy smile in response from the actor.

"It's always nice to hear from people who enjoy the work I do." A standard practised answer, he'd likely spoken to thousands the same way but at least he was polite enough to respond.

Thranduil took this chance to leave, he gave Bard a nod before he returned to his earlier task of seeking out the gardener.

Bard watched the blond walk away for a few moments before looking back to his instructor.

"Your father is a fan of the kinds of movies I'm in?" He asks trying to sound as casual as possible in his questioning.

Legolas snorted.

"I think he likes the you in the kinds of movies you're in." If the young man had noticed anything out of the ordinary he didn't give anything away, he was checking over his bow as he spoke. "He definitely thinks you're handsome. I've heard him say it but here he is a professional, and you're a guest. He won't talk to you like you are friends, everything will be just so to ensure your stay is a pleasant one.

But honestly, he thinks you're fit as fu- ah... Hell. If you were serious about chasing him you'd have to make the first move." When the blond finally looks up from his bow he offers a genuine smile and moves straight into instructor mode without realising the information he had so easily revealed.

The majority of Thranduil’s time for the rest of the day was divided between avoiding his famous guest and helping Galion with a monstrous amount of paperwork that had somehow piled up in his absence.

It wasn’t until both he and Galion were yawning that they realised the hour and just how long they had been working in silence-- it was late. The sun was long gone and with it Thranduil’s energy.

Rather than drive home at such an hour only to return early the next day he decided to stay in one of the empty rooms for the night. He could have his clothes dry cleaned by the staff in the morning if he needed to.

The hotel was quiet at this time of night, most guests slept soundly in their beds at this hour, and Thranduil revelled in the peace it gave him-- until a door opened to his left and out stepped the man he had been avoiding at all costs all day.

Sleep still clung to the brunet, but thankfully he was dressed, when he spotted Thranduil he gave an embarrassed smile running a hand through his hair to smooth the wild strands into something that resembled neat.

“I uh fell asleep after archery with your son. Didn’t think it would tire me out that much but I think I’ve missed dinner.” As he spoke his stomach rumbled and he placed a hand over his stomach as though trying to muffle the noise.

“Let me show you to the kitchen, I am sure we can find you something to eat.” At first, Bard seemed hesitant to follow him but his stomach growled again and he was urged by this to move as Thranduil turned on his heel and led him towards the dining room.

Once in the kitchen, Thranduil grabbed an apron and threw it on all the while pulling out ingredients from a large refrigerator. He was limited in what he could cook but he’d try, he knew the man was starving.

“Are you going to cook for me?” Bard asks suddenly breaking the silence, he moves towards the counter that Thranduil was stood at, it was an island counter in the centre of the kitchen, both men stood across from one another under a buzzing strip light. “People are usually terrified of cooking for an actor.” There was a hint of amusement in his voice and when he offered a lopsided smile to ease Thran’s worry it near killed the blond.

“You’re the most accommodating hotel owner I’ve ever met. You know, it’s nice to have someone that is kind because that’s just who they are and not because of who I am… Thank you, Mr Oropherion.”

It was all too much for him.

“Stop that, stop it.” Thranduil scolded as a flush crawled up his neck to his cheeks.

Bard’s brown knit together in a confused frown. “Stop what?”

“You’re being kind and handsome and extremely likeable. Can’t you make it easier for me to dislike you and be rude just for a moment? And for God's sake call me Thranduil!”

The genuine laughter that escaped Bard paralyzed Thranduil, he was rooted to the spot as the man before him delighted in his words. Thranduil knew this was more than a crush and, damn the Gods, it was ridiculous that it got out of hand so quickly.

If it had just been awe of his celebrity status Thranduil would have been far happier, but it wasn't that easy-- no this man had to be kind, and sweet and down to earth, all handsome with his wavy hair and dark eyes.

What an idiot.

He truly hated him. Kind of.

“There’s no one like you in Hollywood if there was I’d be married.” Bard had finally stopped laughing and now he was moving around the counter to stand beside Thranduil. “I have to say though, I have some issues with my stay… mainly that whenever you’re around I forget what I’m doing, I have to stop and look at you walk by. My other complaint is that I don’t see enough of you. Is there a service that has the owner wander around a little more or is that something I might have to request is added for my next stay?” Bard was stood close enough that Thranduil could almost feel him and for a long moment he didn't look at the actor, he didn't dare but that decision was taken out of his hands when Bard lifted a hand to Thranduil's cheek and pulled him round to face him and into a soft kiss.

Was this really happening?!

Thranduil let himself be pushed backwards until his back met with the refrigerator, Bard's hands slid down the blond's sides until his hands were gripping his hips to roughly pull him in.

The kiss deepened. Thranduil slid a hand over Bard's shoulder to the back of his neck tangling his fingers in the soft strands of his hair, while his other hand gripped at the actor's t-shirt.

It was easy to let Bard do whatever he wanted when being kissed so deeply felt so good.

It was cut off all too quickly and Thranduil, to his surprise, bit back a noise that likely would have sounded like a whine.

"Shit- I'm so sorry! I… damn it--! I shouldn't have just kissed you like that." Bard dragged a hand through his hair as he turned away from the blond with a huff of frustration directed at himself.

Thranduil's heart was beating far too fast for him to be able to concentrate and all he could hear was the blood roaring in his ears.

After taking a moment to compose himself Thranduil moved toward the actor and put a hand to his shoulder. He wasn't all too sure what he would say to the man but he did want to reassure him that all was well between them.

Wasn't this the dream of thousands of others?

To be pressed up against a hard surface and kissed by their favourite celebrity with such a passion the room span?

"Do you really regret it that much?" He asks quietly, there was no doubt in his mind that nothing more would come of this, regardless of how much he liked the man.

This kind of thing just didn't happen to normal people, this was Rom Com movie fodder at its finest and it could never last.

Whatever it was…

They knew nothing about each other, they likely had very little in common. While the kiss had blown him away it was time to come back down to earth and put it behind them as quickly as possible.

"You look like you regret it more than I do."

"I don't regret it but I know nothing more can come of it. I regret that it happened because it won't happen again, that is all."

There was nothing more they could say on the matter and so without any further conversation Thranduil turned back to the ingredients he had all but abandoned earlier and started whipping up an egg white omelette complete with veggies.

Food was eaten without a conversation and with only the occasional clink of cutlery against the plates to break the silence between them.

Plates were washed and put away by the blond who now steadfastly refused to acknowledge Bard, he had no words for him only clawing mortification, it crawled over his skin at the fact he had so easily allowed himself to believe that the kiss meant anything.

Why he had expected such a thing even briefly? It would torture him for days to come he was sure, possibly longer.

His shoulders feel tense and when he turns to leave the kitchen Bard is hovering by the door looking oddly perplexed.

"You should return to your room and sleep, Mr Bowman. I am glad I was able to be of service tonight, should you need anything please do not hesitate to come to me again." It was a cruel thing to do, to revert back to such a cool and professional façade without warning, but it would save them both any further awkwardness.

"Hey-! You… you don't get to… fuck it-" Bard rushed the blond hoisting him up so he was now on the counter. Hands scrabbling to pull open Thranduil's shirt and in a fit of passion he tore it open, buttons popping off and skittering across the floor.

He wasted no time in placing his lips on the now revealed skin of Thranduil's chest, soft and warm and, oh-!, he could have spent hours worshipping Thranduil's throat and collarbone with kisses.

The blond let out a cry of surprise as his shirt was torn open, this was an experience he'd never have imagined happening to him. The telltale hammering of his heart gave away just how much it excited him.

Feeling brave he pulls Bard into a kiss, his legs at either side of the actor pulling him in and effectively trapping him against him.

The moan he was rewarded with sent a shiver down his spine and his breath hitched in his throat. When they parted from the kiss Bard looked dazed with rosy kiss bitten lips and wild hair.

Debauched.

That was it and it was stunning to look upon.

"Oh, you're good. Really good…" Bard was breathless but he managed a smirk, brushing his hair from his eyes he took in the site of Thranduil on the countertop with his chest exposed, his braid coming loose from its tie and his startling blue eyes dark with lust.

Slowly, and carefully Bard slid a shaking hand up Thranduil's chest smoothing over the soft skin, while the blond watched through his lashes he gasps as Bard gives a light pinch to one of his nipples.

They'd gone too far now to turn back and Thranduil would have killed Bard if he had left him in the state he was.

Gently, Thranduil pushed Bard back so he could slide off the counter. His legs felt weak as his feet touched the ground. Leaning in he whispered to the brunet,

"Let us go somewhere a little more private."

They both ended up in Bard's room, clothes were thrown off and tossed away without a care as they slid into the large bed.

"I can't lie, I didn't think I'd get you like this but, Gods, I'm a lucky man that I have." Bard's voice was a shaking whisper as they lay side by side. "You're so beautiful I can't stop looking at you." As he says this he brings a hand to Thranduil's cheek stroking the heated skin, Thranduil gives a huff of a laugh in response brushing Bard's hand away.

"You're being romantic now?"

"Is that not allowed?" Bard asks, he doesn't wait for an answer as he shuffles closer to the blond the hand that had been knocked away now sliding down Thran's back to grab his perfect backside.

"You make me want to say ludicrously sweet things that could potentially embarrass the both of us," Bard admitted between kisses, he smiles when Thranduil scoffs at him but nothing more is said.

No words passed between them as they stayed locked in a kiss, Bard's tongue sliding over Thranduil's as he raked a hand through the glorious blond hair tugging gently and earning a surprised moan in return.

Breaking the kiss Bard regretfully let go of Thranduil's perfect backside but only to push the man onto his back in the centre of the bed.

Crawling between Thranduil's legs, Bard pressed soft kisses to all the available exposed skin trailing down from his chest, making sure to graze his teeth over the blond's nipple while a free hand tweaked the other, down to his hip bone leaving love bites on the sensitive skin- the decadent moans he was gifted with after each action thrilled him and urged him to continue his ministrations with more intensity than before.

Every inch of him was on fire as Bard continued to torture him, Thranduil felt every single touch as though he was being branded, each press of the brunet's lips to the fingers gripping his hip was a heat that threatened to burn him alive.

In a fit of passion and frustration Thranduil threaded his hands into Bard's hair and tugged hard, the other's actions stuttered to a halt for a second and he received a grunt in appreciation from the rough treatment.

Bard brought his head up from Thranduil's thighs smirking as his heated gaze met Thranduil's, the blond looked wrecked already and it suited him so damn well.

"I like this look on you." The response he got was the roll of eyes but it didn't deter him from his goal of completely undoing the hotelier to the point of no return, which he seemed to be well on the way to achieving.

Taking a moment to really study the blond, Bard is hit with the realisation that he wants more of this, he wants to spend more time with Thranduil to truly get to know him. It did not matter to him how long they had known one another, Bard absolutely, without a doubt, wanted more.

Meanwhile, Thranduil was glaring daggers at the actor who was now sat motionless staring at him instead of touching him and it drove him wild.

“Are you going to leave me waiting like this all night?” Thranduil snapped, though, the whine in his voice removed any harshness that might have come through in his words, and it made Bard grin as he leaned over to lick a stripe up the blond’s chest as if to further tease and taunt.

“What’s the matter, do you need me to fuck you?”

Oh, it was lewd, and to hear such a thing come from the period actor’s mouth! Whatever purity he had on screen he had well and truly destroyed in person but it made Thranduil’s blood race to hear Bard speak like that to him.

“Well, I need an answer, Thranduil,” Bard purred his hands smoothing over the other’s thighs before grabbing them in a bruising grip and pushing them apart, all the while his gaze never moving from Thranduil’s. “You can lie there silently all night blushing and glaring at me, but until you tell me you want it I am not moving a single muscle.” With a waggle of his brows, Bard sat back resting on his heels watching the blond huff and puff before they finally spoke.

“It occurs to me that we don’t have any…” He trailed off, would this ruin the mood between them? Would Bard think him frigid for not wanting to continue because there was no mention of protection?

Thranduil bit his lip as he looked away from the gloriously nude man before him, this was not a situation he thought he would find himself in. Who would ever think they would be in a situation where a celebrity wants to sleep with them and you have to say no because there’s not a single condom nearby?!

“OH shi- We don’t… I mean I don’t have… I don’t have anything with me. I didn’t really come here thinking I would be sleeping with anyone.” Bard looked sheepish when Thranduil managed to find the courage to look back at him, and the expression calmed him more than he imagined it would.

“That doesn’t mean we can’t do other things.” As Thranduil said this he sat up so he and Bard were now face to face, and with a slight tilt of his head and a wicked gleam in his eyes he reached out and wrapped his hand around Bard’s length.

“Oh… oh yes, I like where this is going. This is why you’re a businessman and I am not. You think far more logically than I.” Bard praised, he shifted so he was fully on his knees which prompted Thranduil to do the same.

There no chance for Bard to say anything else as Thranduil began slowly stroking the length in his hand. He made to tease and, gods, did it work, Bard was a mess as he groaned into Thranduil’s shoulder. Bard had slung an arm around Thranduil’s neck with his hand buried in the soft blond hair, while the other arm was around his waist his hand desperately trying to find purchase on the smooth sweat-damp skin of blond’s back as pleasure slowly built up in the pit of his stomach.

“Fuck-... You’re going to make me come so fast.” Breathless and desperate Bard pushed his hips forward silently begging for more and his wish was answered when Thranduil pulled him to him so that their hips bumped and he took both lengths in one hand.

“I want you to come, I want to hear that indecent noise you make when something feels good, let me hear it.” Thranduil had no idea where this confidence had come from. It had been a long time since he had been with anyone in such a capacity and yet it felt completely natural to be this way with the actor.

Bard threw his head back to take a gasping breath moving back slightly to reveal flushed cheeks and blown pupils.

Magnificent… Thranduil thought to himself.

With that thought in mind, he leaned forward and captured Bard’s mouth in a hot and bruising kiss unable to contain a moan as both lengths, slick with precome, slide together in his hand.

It was hard to contain himself, but when Thranduil slid his tongue into Bard’s mouth that was it, he was done for this man had wrecked him and he could feel himself getting harder in the blond’s hand, he broke the kiss and for a second was too dazed to speak but when he did Thranduil’s eyes widen in confusion at what he’d said.

“Bite me, please, just bite me.” It didn’t matter to him that he was begging for it, he just needed it, he wanted it, to feel Thranduil’s teeth near break his skin- it was startling how much he wanted to be marked by this man.

“I- alright.” His strokes sped up, the request had his heart racing he was intrigued by it and ridiculously turned on by it at the same time.

With his free hand, Thranduil brushed Bard’s dark hair from his neck holding the strands tightly in his hand as he leaned in. He heard Bard whine a plea again and he pressed a kiss to the spot he wished to place a bite, perhaps an apology in advance or even a thank you, at this point, Thranduil knew he was too far gone to understand his own actions at that moment.

“Thranduil… please, I’m so close!”

It truly blew his mind how much he adored hearing Bard like this, he had the control now and he had no plans of letting it go, with that, he bit down into the skin between Bard’s shoulder and neck and the brunet howled from the mix of pain and pleasure his hips bucking wildly as he came hard over Thranduil’s hand.

The reaction was all Thranduil needed for his own release and he too came, his face buried in Bard’s now bruised shoulder as he shuddered through the pleasure.

Before Thranduil could say anything, Bard was up and off the bed padding away to another room, and for a split second, he panicked.

Had regret set in almost instantly?

When Bard returned with a damp washcloth he relaxed and accepted the item with a thankful smile. Once cleaned up Thranduil made to find his clothes but Bard had other ideas and pulled him down onto the bed.

"Stay here tonight, please?" They both knew it was probably a bad idea but still, Thranduil agreed and did not resist when Bard slung an arm over him and pulled him closer.

The buzzing of his phone on the wood of the bedside table jolted Thranduil from his sleep, and groggily he turned over to grab it and without looking to see who it was he answered.

"Sir, where are you?! I've been calling for an hour, Legolas said you didn't go home last night and you're not in the empty room here at the hotel!

Also, the chef came in this morning saying there were buttons all over the floor of the kitchen.

Is everything alright?" Thranduil bolted into the seating position disturbing the man sleeping next to him, thankfully Bard just mumbled sleepily about an extra 5 minutes and rolled over and fell right back to sleep.

"I'll be with you in a moment- ah… perhaps longer. I apologize for being unreachable. I appear to have slept in." There was no way he would actually explain what had happened, as much as he trusted his manager he wasn't going to start giving him information on his love life.

But he did need a new shirt…

"Let me call you back." He hung up the phone and called Legolas hoping the boy hadn't left home for the day.

When a relieved voice answered the phone Thranduil immediately apologised for worrying him. His behaviour was out of character and it likely shook the teen a little leaving him to worry about the whereabouts of his father.

"I need you to bring me a shirt to the hotel. Leave it in the office, just… please don't question me on where I was last night."

"Dad- wait… did you stay over at someone's place last night?" The playful tone crept into Legolas' voice slowly but Thranduil had heard it all the same and he sighed heavily pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Legolas, just bring me a shirt. I will speak to you when you get to the hotel.” Legolas agreed and the call ended there. When Thranduil looked back to Bard the man was awake and watching him with half-lidded eyes still trying to rid himself of the sleep that clung to his features.

“Are you going to tell anyone about us?” The tone sounded neutral to Thranduil’s ears, but his stomach twisted uncomfortably at the words as though the man had spoken with a warning in his voice.

“No, what good would come from it to tell the world that we spent the night together?” As he spoke he moved his gaze to his hands still holding his phone, but now it felt as though he was clutching it to ground himself. “There isn’t really an us, Bard.”

He felt the bed shift beside him as Bard sat up, a hand wrapped gently around his wrist and, finally, he looked back to the actor who seemed more concerned than anything else. The grim expression Thranduil thought he’d have was actually a soft yet sad smile as though he perfectly understood the situation.

“You can tell your son, he probably already has an idea of what’s going on anyway.”

Thranduil left Bard soon after that, he pulled on his clothes and hid the buttonless shirt under his suit jacket, thankfully, no one saw him or stopped him on the way to his office. When he walked in Legolas was sat on the Thranduil’s desk holding up the shirt smirking as his father snatched it away from him.

“So….” Legolas began, he stayed seated on the desk as Thranduil shrugged out of the suit jacket and disposed of the ruined shirt. Ever the eagle-eyed boy he noticed right away what was wrong with it and crowed with delight, arms crossed over his belly as he laughed.

“SOMEONE RIPPED OPEN YOUR SHIRT, ADA!" The youth could scarcely contain himself, the glee on his face as his father pulled on the new shirt, mischief was abound!

"Who was this passionate and ruthless curr that dared destroy one of your favourite McKenzie shirts?!"

"Please keep your voice down, I do not want Galion coming in here to ask what the fuss is all about." Thranduil chided softly. The laughter and joy radiating from his son soothed his worries and once he was dressed he seated himself at his desk and motioned for Legolas to get down.

It really didn’t seem normal to speak to his son about this, he didn’t want to tell his son anything, no details but he did deserve to know why he wasn’t at home that night….

First thing first, he needed coffee, he was not going to be able to get through the day without caffeine to distract him.

“I need coffee and I have paperwork to do, perhaps, you should be off looking for something to do yourself?” Unhappy at being brushed off like that Legolas frowned and pulled up a chair to sit opposite his dad.

“Come on, who did you stay with last night, I don’t need details, because that is therapy I just don’t need. You can tell me who it was at least?” It occurred to Thranduil that his son might want to know because he cared about him and needed to know he was happy.

Resigning himself to this thought, Thranduil took a deep breath and sat back in his seat before exhaling, he would tell him but he must promise to keep it quiet.

“I was with Bard.” There was a beat of silence wherein Thranduil watched Legolas try in vain to keep his expression one of indifference but just as he managed, a bright smile erupted and he let out a tiny whoop of excitement.

“I totally knew he was into you, I just knew, he kept asking about you when we were doing archery yesterday. Are you going to see him again?” While the excitement was adorable it was extremely misplaced, surely it would have come to his attention that a Hollywood star like Bard could not date a nobody like his father?

“I will very likely never see him again.” It was said firmly enough that his son genuinely looked concerned, instead of arguing he simply got up and left the office without another word.

Greatly concerned about this Thranduil stood to follow, as he did Galion wandered in looking extremely relieved to see him there.

“Glad I could catch you here, we have a lot to go over!”

Rather than arguing Thranduil retook his seat and gestured for Galion to take the seat his son had just exited.

“I saw Legolas on my way in, he looked…” Galion paused as he tried to find the right words to describe the youth, “Determined, I’d say. Did you two... argue?” It was put delicately because both blonds did occasionally clash but it was what happened between a parent and child at times, this time, at least they hadn’t argued. Though, Thranduil was not entirely sure what had actually happened.

“I’ve no idea what is going through his head, but for now let us drop that and pick up on where we left off yesterday with this paperwork.”

It didn’t take Legolas to find Bard.

The actor was sat nursing a cup of coffee in the dining room trying to remain casual at the fact people were whispering about him and likely hoping for autographs and photo ops.

Navigating his way through the sea of tables and chairs, Legolas approached the man and pulled up a chair to sit with him, one of the waiters passed by and handed Legolas a cup of tea with a wink.

He had to admit, Bard looked positively woeful, and made no effort to hide it even when he looked up to see Legolas sat across from him sipping tea, and looking very much like a younger version of his father.

“You look like you need a pick me up, why don’t you come practise archery with me again today, we can talk, yeah?” It wasn’t an invitation more of an order but Bard agreed readily, anything to get away from the curious eyes of the occupants in the dining room.

While he was used to being in the public eye, it didn’t feel right when he was feeling so vulnerable, not that they knew but still it wasn’t nice.

Once outside Legolas turned to Bard and put his hands on his hips, it looked odd for the young man to look so stern but he kind of guessed what was coming… this was definitely about Thranduil.

“Try and hit that target.” Another order but Bard grabbed a bow and took an arrow offered from the quiver Legolas had originally had on his back which was now in his hand.

There was silence as Bard nocked the arrow, just as he was about to loose it Legolas spoke.

“So you’re going to spend the night with my dad and probably never see him again, huh?” Bard flinched and the arrow sailed high into the air and landed in the upper branches of the tree in front of them.

“You are really going to talk so boldly about your dad’s love life?” The bow was discarded as Bard turned to face the youth, his heart was pounding hard in his chest he wasn’t if it was from sheer mortification or anger.

“Ahah, calm down. At your age high blood pressure is an issue, right?” Honestly, riling up the actor had not been his initial plan but, man, it was fun to do. “Even if you’re a famous Hollywood darling with all the best healthcare you can still be susceptible.”

“Why are you doing this to me?”

Maybe he was being unfair to Bard, it was very highly likely that his dad had been the one to brush Bard off and end things before they began. It had always been like that, no one was allowed to get close to the Oropherion family.

“I just want to know why you’d spend the night with him knowing full well nothing more could come of it, seems pretty selfish to me.” All this was said so airily that to anyone wandering by they would assume it was nothing but a normal conversation and not a young man verbally eviscerating a celebrity to his face.

“You’re a celebrity, shouldn’t you be, I dunno, sticking to banging your own kind?” It was vulgar and uncalled for but Legolas truly wanted to push the man to the edge. Perhaps it appeared sadistic to see Bard squirm and enjoy it but it wasn’t as though this was all for fun, the torture, believe it or not, had a purpose.

“After all, my ada is a good and kind man, he was probably excited to meet the person he admired from the big screen and you… you know?” Legolas made a motion as if he was tossing something aside and watched as Bard grew pale.

Eventually, Bard had enough and he clenched his fists several times as he tried to conjure words to his tongue to defend himself.

Nothing came.

Nothing of substance in his eyes.

“I wasn’t looking for a fling.” Bard croaked, it took all he had in him to look Legolas in the eye as he spoke. “I wasn’t looking to do anything like that… you make it seem so sordid but- he isn’t a dirty little secret!” He hadn’t felt ashamed of their night together until now. He had been lamenting over the fact that Thranduil hadn’t seemed interested in trying to make something of them when his son had appeared in the dining hall, all high and mighty ready to fell the beast that had dared dig his claws into his father.

“I don’t know why you’re doing this, other than maybe you’re protective of your dad, I get that but do you really have to tear me to shreds like this?” He gave a huff of frustration and turned to face the target nailed to the tree beside them. A moment was needed to collect himself before he completely forgot what composure was in front of knife tongued teenager.

Though, he had to admit that the 19-year-old was quick and had no qualms about loosing such venomous speech on unsuspecting mortals like himself. It was rather impressive and Bard knew that if Legolas was like this that his father must have been much worse.

Oddly, thinking such a thing gave him a thrill that stuttered down his spine.

“I shouldn’t really be getting involved. I knew you were interested in him the way you spoke yesterday and I should have tried to stop you then. You can’t be together so why would you even try?” Whatever harsh tone had been in Legolas’ voice earlier was gone now and he sounded very sorrowful. This was a boy that would grieve his father’s pain and try to protect him from any further sadness if he could.

“I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“You needn’t say anything.” Thranduil’s voice cut in suddenly, and both Legolas and Bard turned to face him as he walked towards both of them with Galion in tow looking mightily confused but trying to get Thranduil back into the office to do further paperwork.

He failed.

“Legolas, you do not need to get involved in this, see to it that you find something else to do this instant. Mr Bowman, I apologise that you were terrorised by my son, he is usually more well behaved than this.” With a side eye at his son, he watched the youth slink off leaving the bows and quiver of arrows discarded by Bard’s feet.

“Galion can you ensure he finds something constructive to do?” The manager nodded and turned on his heel hurrying after the young man as he dragged his feet in the direction of the hotel dining hall.

“Back to the Mr Bowman thing again?”

“How would you have me address you?”

Oh, Bard didn’t like this, he did not like this at all. The coolness in Thranduil’s voice and the haughty expression was a far cry from the heated and needy gaze of the night before. It left Bard feeling chilled from the inside out at how easy it had been for the blond to ice him out like that.

So be it, if this was how he wanted to play it then let the theatrics carry on.

“Yes, well. Kids these days can be so excitable around a celebrity. I am sure he meant no harm. Could you direct me to the spa, I seem to have gotten myself turned around and I have no idea where I am.” There it was, the way their interactions should have been from the start.

Thranduil nodded and led Bard to the spa across the lawn. They were greeted by the head masseuse and Thranduil left the two of them to get acquainted.

For the rest of the day, he remained in his office with Galion tiptoeing around and trying his best not to mention Bard. While he had no idea what had happened between them he knew something was wrong and hoped not to further upset his boss by bringing up the actor.

The hour was late again when they finished for the evening, and Thranduil moved to make his way to the empty guest room to sleep, thinking better of it he turned back to the lobby and headed out into the night.

Rain clouds had rolled in in the afternoon looming over the hotel and grounds ominously matching Thranduil’s mood with ease.

Driving home is better, safer especially after what happened the night before. He thought to himself as he walked across the empty forecourt and over to the dimly lit carpark.

When Thranduil approached his car he realised there was a figure stood nearby smoking in the dark, they flicked the cigarette away when they notice Thranduil walking towards them, they step under one of the lights in the car park revealing themselves.

Bard.

“I figured you’d not make the same mistake twice…”

“Please, don’t say anything else, I can’t bear it.” Thranduil groaned as Bard slipped his hands around his waist his lips finding Thranduil’s neck placing kisses where he could. They were alone in the dark together again and any resistance Thranduil had melted away when Bard’s lips met his in a soft kiss.

There was no doubt about it, he wanted this.

“I can’t stop thinking about you,” Bard whispered against his lips, his hands moving now to tug Thranduil’s shirt up, careful this time when he began to unbutton it ensuring he did not pop any buttons off this time around. “Tell me honestly, do you want this… us?”

A sight he must have been his shirt open wide leaning heavily against the side of his car while Bard stared down at him hungrily, a wolf pinning down his prey with just a look.

Rain began to fall spattering them with icy water. A great relief to Thranduil’s already heated skin, his chest heaved as he tried to put his racing thoughts in order. It would be easy to say he wanted this, he did, Bard made him feel so alive they were both interested in more that much was obvious but…

It wouldn’t work-- Thranduil was needed here and Bard was forever under the scrutiny of the public of tabloids, it was no world to live in, he needed to be around the world on location for the most part.

Who even knew if what they had could last, it could be just physical attraction, no one had mentioned love… it was too early to think of such a thing anyway, right?

“Of course I want there to be an us.”

“There’s a but coming, I can feel it.” Bard gave Thranduil a lopsided smile but his eyes spoke of barely concealed pain knowing full well what was coming. It didn’t stop him from being hopeful as much of a waste of time it would be regardless.

“I want you, Bard… but it has been 24 hours and we’re acting as though we’ve been lovers for years. Isn’t this moving too fast for two people our age?” He wondered if it sounded like he was clutching at straws trying to scrabble around for excuses to banish him from his life, that’s what it felt like.

“Is that so wrong, to feel intensely for someone they have only known a day?”

“This isn’t one of your period dramas, Bard. We’re real people living real lives that don’t fit in any way. Stop playing around fooling yourself into thinking we can be anything but a fling, I don’t know what this feeling inside me but it can’t be left to grow.

You’ll leave this place and I will remain here everything about you still so vivid while all of this becomes a memory to you.”

Bard made to move back toward Thranduil. The blond threw his arm out to stop him.

“No, leave me alone. Don’t come near me… just leave me be.” He fumbled in his pockets for his car keys, his hands were numb from the cold rain and he struggled to unlock the door.

Finally, the lock clicked and was pulled open, without a single second of hesitation Thranduil threw himself into the driver’s seat and fired up the engine.

The tires screeched as the car roared out of the car park and out into the darkness of the British countryside.

Thranduil did not return to the hotel for the remainder of Bard’s stay. Legolas could not coax him out of the house and Galion had to bring any paperwork that needed signing off on to the house.

Bard left the hotel the next day and headed home.

Time passed by and Thranduil eventually moved on and let Bard go from his memories. He returned to work after a well-deserved break away from the hotel, life carried on and the world continued to turn as it always had.

A year passed by and the hotel thrived.

Summer had come and the gardens were in full bloom, Galion found Thranduil sat among the blooms enjoying the warm afternoon.

“Sir, there’s a large team here, I believe they’re from the production team we spoke to last month. We offered accommodation to them while they were shooting in the nearby village, the producer wanted to speak to you.” Thranduil nodded and rose to his feet from the bench he had been reclining on. He hadn’t really been the same since that actor had been around, but Galion couldn’t get his boss to actually reveal what happened between them.

Whatever it had been had changed Thranduil and he became a quieter and more reclusive version of who he had once been. Secretly Galion believed they had been in love with one another, but it had been too much too soon for the both them and the fallout was emotional warfare.

Thranduil greeted the producer, an American man with buckets of charisma, an ex-actor, Thranduil recalled a film or two he had seen in him from the past. They chatted about the rooms, how long they would need and if he was able to offer on-site catering.

Once this was all agreed and arranged the producer insisted he meets the director and a few of the cast members. Regardless of how politely he declined Thranduil was led to a group of men and woman stood around a large bus with tinted windows, most of them turned to greet him and smiled brightly as he introduced himself.

“Ah, you gotta meet the star of the show, you’ve probably heard of him ahaha.” The joke only grated on Thranduil as the crowd parted and he was stood face to face with none other than Bard Bowman.

Both men took mere seconds to recover from their shock and greeted one another as though they had never met. As soon as he was able Thranduil excused himself and returned to the hotel with every intention of grabbing his keys from his office and running away home.

In the cool dark of the office Thranduil took a second to breathe and push the images of Bard’s surprised face from his mind, how could he have been shocked to see him, he knew the hotel was his…

Biting his lip hard he paced the office hoping the thumping of his heart would subside before he got behind the wheel of his car. Fate was playing a cruel trick on him to bring Bard back into this life when he had been doing fine without seeing his infuriatingly handsome face for 12 months!

Legolas burst into the room with concern etched into his youthful face, he slammed the door shut behind him and loped over to his dad practically vibrating with worry.

“Ada, I saw him here.” When he spoke his voice was small and sad, it hadn’t taken him long to realise, after Bard had left the hotel last year, that both men had very much been in love with one another. Though he’d not dare say such a thing aloud when his dad was in earshot.

“All is well, my son.” This was all Thranduil said before he grabbed his keys from the desk and left the office with every intention of heading home to stay there until the cast and production team left for good.

Galion headed him off at the lobby doors and walked alongside him babbling about how he really needed Thranduil for moral support and, of course, authority.

“Should the team run amok, how would they react to me telling them to stop, I think I’d have them rolling on the floor laughing. I need you here to put the fear of the Gods into them!” His longtime friend made an excellent point, it's just… he knew he wasn’t strong enough to face Bard on a daily basis.

But this was his hotel, why did he have to run away with his tail between his legs. Bard ought to be the one that felt shame stepping foot in this place again!

His resolve hardened and his grip tightened around his keys to the point they near cut into his skin.

“You’re right, Galion. I am needed here. It is unacceptable for me to think I can leave this on your shoulders alone.” He put his free hand on his friend’s shoulder and have it a reassuring squeeze and he watched the man give a relieved sigh.

“The chef needed to see you as did the new yoga instructor. I am heading out with Legolas to the market to collect more honey, and we need fresh flowers for the rooms. I will be 3 hours at the most if you need me I am a phone call away.” Galion turned on his heel and gestured for Legolas to follow him, the boy trudged past his dad without looking at him clearly lost in thought but it didn’t make Thranduil worry any less for him.

There was no mistaking the worry his son had shown him when he realised Bard was there with the production team. He had run into the office with every intention of protecting him from… himself? From Bard?

There was no way of knowing now.

With a sigh he made his way down to the kitchen, the chef was nowhere to be found. Typical. Muttering under his breath about disappearing staff he walked back to the lobby where he found himself quite alone with the one man he had hoped to avoid.

“Why is it just when everything seems better you show up?” The outburst surprised him, his mouth had taken a leap and left his brain stumbling to catch up as he mouthed off at the man he had been so sure he loved 12 months ago.

To his credit, Bard took it on the chin and merely offered a shrug in response. Taking a closer look Thranduil saw black bags under his eyes, a life on location was bound to catch up with him eventually but it didn’t make Thranduil happy to see him like that.

Something odd bloomed in his stomach and he twisted to turn away but thought better of it and approached the actor.

“Are you alright?” The sincerity in his voice must have moved something in Bard because he shook his head and softly said.

“No, I’m not ok. I’m the very definition of not ok.”

Anxiety wriggled in his chest, but pushing it aside Thranduil led Bard into his office and offered him a seat.

He declined.

There were so many things he wanted to ask the actor, but everything that came to mind just felt so accusatory and while he had been so angry that he dared show up at the hotel again… he couldn’t help but notice the flutter in his heart when their eyes met for the first time again.

“I’m sorry, Thranduil. I should have asked them to find another place to stay, but I thought that if I pretended to be ignorant of the place as though I had never been here before... I would get a chance to see you again.”

Bard’s phone rang suddenly and both of them jumped at the sudden noise. It was the director trying to locate their star for a makeup test and scene read through. Shoving the phone in his pocket Bard said a hurried goodbye to Thranduil and left without looking back.

They wouldn’t see each other alone again for two days.

The sun was cracking the pavement when Thranduil climbed out of his car, Legolas hopped out of the passenger seat and made a beeline for the yoga studio to find his friend, leaving Thranduil to walk through the deserted car park alone.

The hotel only held the production crew for the moment and the majority of them were on location in the village filming filler scenes with the random extras and supporting cast. Leaving the stars of the show to relax and enjoy the benefits of the spa for the day.

The blond took this time to wander the halls to ensure all was well, so far he had not encountered anyone and he enjoyed the relative peace that came with a full and yet strangely empty hotel. He rearranged flowers in the hallway and straightened out a few paintings, but all in all, everything was, dare he say, perfect?

With time on his side, he decided that a walk in the gardens wouldn’t be such a bad idea, it would give him time to collect his thoughts and plan out the rest of his day. Legolas has expressed an interest in a local restaurant, he and Tauriel were going to try it out for dinner which left himself with no plans.

The evening was his and so far he was at a loss on how to fill his time.

Flopping down onto the closest bench he ran a hand through his hair and let his mind wander for a moment allowing himself to actually waste time and idle in the sunshine. His peace was disturbed rather quickly by a woman in a pretty floral dress and sunhat, she sat beside him without invitation.

Thranduil smiles broadly as he looks over to his ex-wife, she looked smug but not overtly so. She pinned him with her grey gaze and spoke the words he had been expecting to hear for quite some time.

“Our son tells me you’re having issues with your love life.” There it was, she came to meddle and while most would believe having an ex-wife intrude on your love life was odd, Thranduil couldn’t think of a better time for her to appear before him with answers or advice.

“He does like to get chatty about my problems... “

“Well, the boy has more sense than you do. So, a Hollywood celebrity has captured your heart, broken it and now has come to what? Do the same again only 12 months later?” Although her tone was breezy Thranduil knew she was seething with rage which was absolutely directed at Bard. They were a lucky couple to have ended on such good terms, to still have love for one another to be able to rely on each other’s help…

Thranduil was thankful for that.

“Amaris, please. Do not be so harsh, you know as well as I do that part of the reason it ended so damned badly was due to my… my wonderful ability to be completely and utterly emotionally repressed at the wrong time.” Her delighted laugh held a wicked edge as she laughed in agreement, she placed a hand on his knee and shook her at how hopeless he was.

“I don’t remember you being this terrible at the dating game when we were first getting together,” Amaris recalled, she was right but back then he was confident because he had been a stone cold idiot head over heels in love with a woman who knew exactly what she was doing. Thranduil had never been in control in that situation but Amaris had led him to believe he had been, that’s how it had worked out so well before they ended up parting ways.

“In any case, this is not the same and you and I. Bard is just as clueless about feelings as I am. We’re old and inexperienced.”

“You’re 39.”

“Exactly, old and inexperienced.”

“I truly despair of you, Thran. I really do. I know you want my advice, and here it is, just tell him you love him. If he can tear your heart in two after just one day there’s something there worth keeping or at least trying to build.

You don’t even realise how your face lights up when you talk about him, even if it is the least flattering thing you can say about the man you supposedly love.

If you keep running away eventually he is going to stop chasing and then you’re both alone and unhappy.” Legolas appeared at the edge of the garden looking overjoyed to see both of his parents together, there was not a moment where he believed his parents would get back together but he did like seeing them like this.

Jogging over Legolas hugged his mother in greeting.

“This is my cue to leave, my love. Though a short visit, a lovely one nonetheless. Please update me on how this goes because if you do not our son absolutely will and he may embellish the story wildly.” Thranduil watched them leave feeling lighter than he had before, and now he knew what he had to do but it didn’t make it any easier to put into action.

At least he didn’t need to spend time searching for the brunet as he walked into the garden as Amaris and Legolas were leaving. His son pointed out the man to his mother without thought of how conspicuous he was being in doing so.

He stayed seated as Bard strode over, not entirely sure of the other man’s mood, regardless of what it was, he hoped he would be amicable and be, at least, open to conversation, even just casual light small talk.

Thankfully, he took a seat beside him, their legs almost touching.

“Is that… your wife?” The words tumbled from Bard’s mouth without prompting and Thranduil felt his stomach wind up into knots. He did not like the idea that Bard clearly assumed he was still married even after they’d spent the night together doing things men married to a woman did not do with other men.

“Well, she was once.” It was better not answer as simply as possible, Bard already looked tightly wound and exhausted from work, he didn’t need any added unnecessary stress from him playing ridiculous games. “We remained close friends for Legolas and because we realised that we do love each other just not in the way married people usually are.”

Bard glanced back at the woman, she and Legolas were still visible and were stood at the side of her car chatting happily, a redheaded girl joined them and the conversation continued this time merrier than before.

“Right, well… I’m glad I found you because I really need to speak with you.” Thranduil nodded for Bard to continue even as he felt his insides freeze up with anxiety and fear. “I want to be with you… even after 12 months of us being apart I couldn’t stop thinking about you. The sheer amount of times I’ve considered coming here to tell you- Thranduil, I love you and I don’t think I can stop, even if you ask me to… even if you demand it and even if you send me away I’ll love you.”

There it was.

The both of them surrounded by summer blooms under the hot afternoon sun-- words of love expressed by someone Thranduil thought he would never see again, never get the chance to hold or learn more about.

The blond raised a hand and tangled his fingers in the soft strands of Bard’s hair pulling him close and pressing a kiss to his lips, he could feel him smiling into the kiss. Bard’s shoulders sag and the tension he had held there for days dissipated in seconds.

“How lucky I am to hear such words, it just so happens that I love you. A matching pair and now we must always be together.”

#Barduil #Thranduil #Bard the Bowman #The Hobbit #Writing Prompt #Prompt #Long post #11k words #mypackpride

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