#but if I don’t do this there’ll be tension between us

[herawell]

.

[seventeenreasonswhy]

Same Team! A YJH Office Romance Pt. 3

Idol!Jeonghan x ProductionStaff!Reader

You’re serious about your job, but not as serious as Yoon Jeonghan is about flirting.

~1.4k words

Read Part 1 and Part 2

Series Content: slooowwwwww burn, fluff!, cute flirting!, will-they-won’t-they vibes!, tension!!, office crushes, office romance, appearances by all of the members, reader is shy and gets flustered easily!, jeonghan is jeonghan-ing!

My Masterlist

Author’s Note: Thank you all for reading! I’m having so much fun writing this. MC is so shy, and Jeonghan is so direct! My favorite dynamic!! Also, Jiyeon and Daein are completely fictional/not based on any idols! Jiyeon is kind of a stock mean-girl character, sorry! I’m looking forward to writing steamier interactions between Jeonghan and MC soon! <3

Taglist: @yeoberryx (lmk if you want to be added to my taglist!)

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+

“Y/N-shi.” One of the producers in the room said your name, bringing you out of your daydreaming.

You were in a scheduling meeting to arrange staff for several of the members’ upcoming overseas commitments. You were hopeful that you’d get to travel, though you doubted it. You weren’t exactly experienced, but you did have the fluent-in-English thing going for you. You’d mentioned that you could get by with pretty decent French and Italian, too. So, of course, you were imagining a... business trip with Jeonghan...

“Yes!” you said quickly.

“How do you feel about traveling?”

“Traveling where?”

“Paris.”

“I feel good about it!” You answered politely—and super eagerly, eliciting some chuckles from the room.

“She’s so cute,” Daein said. You and Daein had gotten to know each other better, and when she wasn’t around Jiyeon she was much nicer to you. Still, you felt embarrassed for being overly eager.

“We wanted someone who could speak English and French well,” the producer added, “It’s Fashion Week.”

“Who’s attending this year?” someone asked.

“Mingyu-shi, Jun-shi, Joshua-shi,” another producer at the other end of the room looked through her list, “and Jeonghan-shi.”

You felt your face start to flush immediately.

“Mingyu-shi, Joshua-shi, and Jeonghan-shi will be booked on the same flight,” someone said, your heart pounding harder each time his name was mentioned, “Jun-shi will fly separately, directly from China.”

As the staff continued to fill you in on details... where you’d meet, what time you needed to be there, what to expect from CARATs gathered at the airport...

“The talent will have their own security,” another staff member assured you, “There’ll be a separate security check for us—to get to the gate faster. Most of the fans are perfectly respectful, but don’t hesitate to alert security if anything rings alarms or makes you uncomfortable.”

“Thank you,” you replied politely. “I’ll do my best.”

It had only taken a couple of months working with SEVENTEEN to really hit home that being famous was actually quite difficult. Everywhere they went, their fans seemed to be waiting. Even shoot locations that you knew weren’t made public—a few of them would show up no matter what. The members seemed to handle it graciously. At least, more graciously than you would have been in their position. Some of the fans were pretty intense, and didn’t seem to respect the members’ privacy. But it was a very small number. You’d only seen or heard any of the members get slightly annoyed at most, and only a handful of times.

But if Mingyu was on your flight, you knew the airport was going to be chaotic. He was very popular. And you understood why. He was extremely tall, gorgeous, not to mention very personable. He was easy to talk to, even though you were slightly intimidated at first. He enjoyed speaking English with you, which was nice.

“Y/N-shi,” the head coordinator was assigning details to each member, “you’ll be with Jeonghan-shi.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’ll be on his team of staff—each member will have their manager with them, two other staff for extra footage or vlog shooting, and their own security. You’ll be with Jeonghan-ah’s crew. Understood?”

“Yes!”

...What the hell? Was this really happening? Had you performed some saintly act in a past life? Why were you being bestowed with this kind of luck!?

“Great, we’ll send a car to pick you up at 4:00 AM that Thursday,” the coordinator in charge continued, “be sure you have your passport and at least two cocktail dresses—you’ll be attending the Yves Saint Laurent opening event on Friday, plus the runway show and afterparty on Saturday, so you’ll need appropriate attire. We can offer you a stipend to rent something when you get there if you don’t have anything.”

“Thank you!” and you bowed deeply. The other staff in the room chuckled.

“We’re counting on you,” the coordinator smiled at you.

-

The weeks seemed to drag on. You were so anxious and excited about the trip to Paris that you could hardly concentrate on anything else. You carried out your tasks with your usual efficiency, but your colleagues could tell you were just excited about getting to go to Fashion Week.

“I can’t understand why someone with such poor taste is going on this trip,” Jiyeon sneered as you were packing up equipment in the practice room. The members were gathering their things, sweaty from filming a dance practice video. Some of them were off in various corners doing other TikTok challenges. You were amazed at how quickly they could pick up choreography. You’d worked in entertainment for a long time, but it never stopped amazing you how fast good dancers were at that kind of thing. You hardly took notice of Jiyeon’s tone; you were so busy fantasizing about getting to spend so much time with Jeonghan.

“Hey!” she raised her voice just enough to get your attention, but not so much that it registered with the other staff or the members. You turned to her, trying to focus on whatever it is she needed to say, but still unable to contain your giddiness.

“Ugh,” she said, giving you a disgusted look, “don’t let Jeonghan-shi see you being so weird about this.”

“I don’t think she’s being weird.”

There he was, standing right behind Jiyeon. How had he gotten over here? Were you seriously so wrapped up in your own thoughts you hadn’t even seen him walk over to where you and Jiyeon were packing up?

Jiyeon looked like she was about to pass out, and you froze on the spot. Jeonghan was looking right at you, as always. His gaze never wavered when he was looking at you. You always loved it, even though it flustered you, but right now you were so ecstatic that he’d overheard her that it felt like you were floating above the ground.

“Ah! Jeonghan-shi!” Jiyeon put on her best smile, laughing off his remark. “Y/N-shi is always a little weird, we were just joking! Right, Y/N-shi?” You noted that it was the first time she’d bothered using honorifics with you. You didn’t really care, since honorifics weren’t really a thing at the companies you’d worked for in the past, and just not a huge deal in the U.S. at all. But you knew that her dropping them was technically a slight toward you.

“Right,” you said, putting on your best polite smile. You didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. Jiyeon was rude, but she wasn’t anything you couldn’t handle. Also, maybe you were being too weird about this trip. It was purely business... you were probably getting a little carried away. You couldn’t help but look down, worried now that you would creep him out.

“I’d never want to work with someone who wasn’t at least as weird as nuna,” Jeonghan said straightforwardly.

Your heart jumped into your throat.

“Ah, that’s Jeonghan-shi for you!” Jiyeon let out a strained laugh and went back to helping move the equipment, being sure to send you a pointed glare on her way toward the door.

You were left standing there with Jeonghan. You paused, and then bowed toward him.

“Thank you for saying that,” you said in the most formal voice possible. You were so flustered; you didn’t know what to say.

“What are you doing after this?” he asked. His voice was low and direct. 

“What?”

“Are you free right now?”

“...What?”

“I thought your Korean was supposed to be good, nuna.”

You stared at him. He was smiling softly. His gaze was gentle, but there was something mischievous in it. You felt as if your brain had force quit on you.

“Sorry, I... I don’t...” you were lost for words.

“Well, if you’re free after this, Joshua, Dino, and I are going to get some dinner,” he said, running a hand through his long hair. You imagined what it would feel like to run your own hand through it. While peeking up to look at his hair up close—a thing you rarely did, even though you’d had plenty of opportunities by now—your eyes met for a second, and for some reason you steeled yourself and held his gaze.

“Do you want to come?”

“Yes.” You said it without thinking, but the smile on his face nearly knocked you out.

“Good.”

[dollwrites]

𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞 — 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢 𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧

𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 ∣ smut ( minors dni ), fem!cadet!reader, masturbation ( him ), handjob, oral sex, facial, all characters featured are 18+

𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 ∣ originally posted on 10.11.2022 do not repost or translate. please reblog && leave feedback. not proofread so there’s probably mistakes. thanks for reading <3

𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 ∣ fingertips by kita klane

you weren’t supposed to see this.

just turn around, go back to bed, and pretend you didn’t see your captain touching himself.

the words kept repeating themselves in your mind, over and over, but your legs refused to move— your feet refused to carry you away from the cracked door you hid behind, and your eyes refused to look away.

if he catches you watching him, there’ll be hell to pay. but even that, the probability of your notoriously calloused captain doling out a punishment so wicked that you would rather be eaten by a titan, was not enough to spur you to stop watching when Levi moaned. thin brows knit tight together, he was leaned against the wall, his uniform trousers shoved down around his thighs, the hem of his shirt bunched up and clenched in his teeth, and even in the pale moonlight, you can make out each and every pad of strong muscle underneath his ivory skin as it contracts when he breathes, or when his hips jut forward to meet his furious pumping. his eyes are closed, but his countenance isn’t soft— it’s contorted in pleasure, and there’s a rosy tint to his cheeks. “Fuck.” he hisses against his teeth, and your face is aflame.

he must have thought that he was the only one awake.

clenching your thighs in a feeble attempt to ease the tension building in your lower half, your eyes are wide and unblinking. they scour every inch of him as if he were placed on display just for you. his fist gliding up and down, kissing his base briefly only to careen upwards and massage the swollen tip. he’s thicker than you expected, nested in a bed of thick, dark hair and etched in bulging veins. you drink in the visage— every throbbing inch, up to the reddened, plump head. he was gorgeous. sinfully so.

your own fingertips gripped the door when his thumb ran over his slit and his head dropped back against the wall with a snort of air through his flared nostrils. you had to wonder if he was always so rough with himself, fucking his own hand at a velocity that made you dizzy ( and incredibly jealous of his palm ). the brutal self treatment seemingly stemmed from a habit of needing to finish quick, and you could imagine he’s very rarely able to savor it. you’re suddenly longing to give him all the slow, skillful worship he deserves, with your tongue sliding over your lower lip, you imagine the way he might taste upon it, and your core soaks through.

another muffled groan, and this time your fingers twitch— wanting desperately to delve into your panties and tease yourself to his rapid pace. it was so, so wrong. you knew that, but you rub your thighs together to ease the nerves between them and bite down hard on your lip.

he was driving you mad without even touching you.

you could watch his hips work, rocking to a quick, consistent rhythm, fucking his fist, all night long. if only you hadn’t forgotten you were leaning against an old, wooden door, that moaned when you pressed yourself into it harder to get a closer look, and his eyes opened, sharp, and cut to the doorway.

you were made before you even fully registered that you’d given yourself away.

“Spying on me, cadet?” he asks, his voice still thick with lust. you hadn’t even noticed his shirt was no longer gripped between his lips, but hanging in a wrinkled slump against his solid abdomen.

“No!” you answered, maybe a bit too quickly, stumbling against the door, but you grip it tight, hoping to use it as a barrier between you and a very angry Levi. “I mean… I mean no, sir, captain.. Levi… sir…”

his expression doesn’t change. “Don’t lie to me again.” he warns, “Were you watching me?”

your cheeks were on fire, and you so desperately wanted to look away, but Levi hadn’t bothered to pull his pants back into place, or even cover his manhood. instead, he kept his grip at the base. you nod, bashful, and stutter, “I’m so— so sorry, I knew I shouldn’t have, and I didn’t mean to, I just heard something so I came to make sure you were ok—“

“Did you like it?”

your mouth hangs open, unsure if you’d heard him correctly. surely, you hadn’t. surely, he hadn’t asked that. “W—what?”

your eyes were glued to his cock, and you watched his thumb slowly, gingerly caress a pesky vein near the head.

“Watching me.” he elaborated, his countenance expressionless, eyes as cold as ever, but they were glaring right through you. expecting an answer. “Did you like it?”

“I…” you’re hopelessly distracted by the gentle stroke of his thumb, and the way he twitched with each swipe. “Y—yes, sir…” it was hardly a whisper, but you were much too humiliated to speak any louder. finally, you force your gaze to avert, and you stare at your bare feet and shaking knees. “I’m so sorry, I won’t… I never meant to—“

“Are you going to stand all the way over there while I finish or are you going to get in here and help me with this?” he was asking through his teeth, teasing the sensitive head with his thumb like you’d watched him do only moments before, and your stomach did a cartwheel— knots bundling up within your gut. your eyes flicker upwards, nervous to see if he was just testing you, but he was leaned back again, shoulders resting against the wall, and his fist curled tight around his base and dragged upwards, stroking himself hard and slow. when he sees the perplexity plastered on your features, he answers for you. “Come in and close the door.”

it was almost impressive how swiftly your feet carried you into the room, and you push yourself back against the door until you heard a low whine and a solid thunk, but you were still just staring, wide eyed, at the scene before you. this was a dream. it had to be.

“Come over here.” he murmurs, sucking in a breath. his lids looked heavier than normal, his pupils blown out so his slate gems appeared abysmal. you do as instructed, and stop just a few inches in front of him. you open your mouth to speak, but he beats you to it. “On your knees for me.”

“Yes sir.” if you would’ve dropped any faster, you might’ve hurt yourself. your knees find the hard, dirty floor and plant themselves against it. you stare up at him, your view of his face obstructed by his cock standing at attention, demanding to be taken care of. you’re completely entranced by it, both hands coming up, more than willing to take over for his, and he lets you, eliciting a soft sigh when you wrap them around his base.

you stroke slow at first, both fists working at the same pace in opposite directions over the slick, pulsating muscle. and you wanted to watch his face because you could hear him huffing and puffing like a starved animal, but you couldn’t take your eyes off the cock in your hands. you could feel it throbbing under your fingertips, you could see the tip leaking precum in lazy dribbles, and when you gave the swollen tip special attention with teasing, butterfly strokes with your digit tips, he jerked and squirmed. “Like this, captain?” you ask, but your eyes never leave his sex, your tongue flicking impatiently at the seal of your lips. you kept leaning closer, inhaling the rawest scent of him, and with each intake of his smell, you grew more and more tempted to gather the warm pre cum with your tongue just to know what it tasted like.

Levi’s jaw was practically sewn together, grinding, and he stares down the length of his torso at you. “Just like that.” he moaned in approval, and your pace picked up, boasting an inflated ego. you could tell by the way he twitched and squirmed that he was right on the edge. “Fuck, just like that.” you thought about asking him how often he did this, had his underlings get him off, but you could tell this wasn’t the usual. if he had been in this position at all before now, it would’ve shocked you. Levi Ackerman was a man that took care of himself, and you knew that by how sensitive he was to your touch— he wasn’t accustomed to anyone else.

but he caught you staring; he must’ve seen the hungry look in your eyes, or the way you licked your lips, because he shifted, one hand dropping to hold your chin, urging you to meet his hazy gaze. “You want to suck it, don’t you?” he asked, and the husk in his baritone struck straight to your core. there was a very obvious damp patch in your panties, threatening to soak through your trousers, but even your quivering cunt was not enough of a distraction to take one ounce of concentration from pleasing your superior.

you nod, practically pleading with a puppy dog pout alone. “Can I… please, sir? Please let me suck your cock. I need to taste you.”

you could watch how his muscles tightened, teeth grinding when you begged. a hardly audible groan dies on his tongue, and his thumb eases between the seal of your couplet and urges it open, before he nods. “Open up, cadet.” you do as instructed, allowing his calloused fingers to prod inside your mouth and test your gag reflex, whilst you put both arms behind your back. your tongue hangs out of your mouth, dribbling saliva, but it isn’t long before his thumb and forefinger, now wet, grip your jaw to line himself up with your mouth.

the very moment his cock touched your tastebuds, your eyelids flutter in content— Levi’s taste was so damn addictive. with a slow rock of his hips, he nests in your cavern, and the first couple of inches glide in easily. your lips stretch around his thickness, and you moan. you’d never felt such carnal pleasure simply from sucking cock before now.

“Huh…” it’s a stuttered, raspy moan you never thought you’d ever hear from Humanity’s Strongest, and your eyes widen, staring up at him. “That’s it,” he hisses, falling into a steady rhythm that you were all too eager to lean into and meet. “‘S good…” bobbing your head to welcome as much as him as you could take without gagging, you wiggle the tongue pinned to the floor of your mouth against his most prominent vein, and you watch his head drop back again as he grunts in ecstasy. his hands blindly find the top of your head, and both rest there, guiding you into his quick tempo.

Levi’s pace was a difficult one to keep up with, and you found yourself whimpering and clucking every time his broad tip battered the back of your throat, but you noticed that he never once pushed you down— never forced you to take more than what you were willing to, and his hold was gentle enough that you felt like you could pull away if you needed to.

but you wouldn’t dare.

not until you were satiated.

when his cock twitched against your tongue, and he hummed, “I’m ready,” it was breathless and needy, but he was petting the top of your head, pumping himself into your mouth, “how do you want it?”

reluctantly, you lean back, letting his cock slip from your swollen lips with a vulgar pop, but your hands are back on him in a fraction of a second, pumping fervently, and you lean close, swirling your tongue around the tip as you pant, and look up at him, “Cum on my face, captain.” you urge, squeezing him. he moans, hips stuttering, “Paint me… Claim me—“

Levi grabs your face again, whilst the other grips himself at the base and he comes apart, letting you milk the orgasm out of him until streamers of his release hit your chin first, then your lips, and your cheeks. you squint to avoid getting any in your eyes, but you’re smiling, elated to be given exactly what you asked for, and your tongue scoops some of the warmth from your lips and draws it into your mouth. you moan in utter delight, and only let go of him when he pries your hands off and steps back, breathing ragged, but you can’t be too upset, you’re savoring all he’s given you.

“Thank you, captain.” you purr, sitting back on your calves. your knees were much too weak to try and stand up right now and you knew that. “Should I—“

“Get cleaned up and get some rest, cadet.” Levi said, and you were amazed at how steady his voice was; his breathing had already evened out. “We only have a few hours left before we have to move out.”

you pout, mildly disappointed, but nibble on your lip, and wait until he looks back at you with an arched brow.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I can’t sleep in here with you?”

his expression changed, for a split second Levi Ackerman looked surprised, then he scoffed. “Cute, but no.” you’re forcing yourself to your feet, using your finger to guide the rest of his essence into your mouth, and he’s watching, dressing himself, before he looks away and mutters, “But… maybe you can sneak away from the squad every now and then.” he could see your eyes light up even in the dim glow of the dusky room, and he added quick. “Don’t make it a habit.”

you beamed as you skipped over to the door, determined to do the exact opposite.

[jadehaven]

A summary of the thoughts as I slowly realized that #Elrondriel would indeed become a thing in the show:

(for context, ROP was my first introduction to LOTR, so this was my perspective as a viewer with no concept of the lore)

Season 1:

Who is this guy? Is he her friend? More? Oh she touched his face, maybe it’s like, unrequited? Am confused.

Is this how elves flirt? What’s the history here? Oh well, she’s leaving anyway.

*Enter Halbrand* HOT DIGGITY DAWG now THATS what I call a love interest 😏😏😏

*Eating up all the enemies to lovers tropes and swooning over Halbrand*

*Elrond and Galadriel scenes* Me: Nah get this nice guy OUTTA HERE where is HOT HALBRAND? (future me is aghast that I would overlook the literal loml Elrond, Gal and I are the same ig)

Halbrand: *Is Sauron* Me: What!?? Nooo! No no no no no this can’t be happening oh noooo

*Elrond saves Galadriel*

Me: Wait

*Forehead touch, tears, deep breaths*

Me: Waaaiiittt

*Gasps* Omg. Of course, he loves her!! They’re going to fall in love! It’s perfect contrast to the enemies to lovers story— a *slow burn, best friends, it’s always been you* kind of love? Right? RIGHT!? That makes so much sense! I’m 1000% calling it for Season 2.

*Sometime between season 1 and season 2, discovers the heartbreaking truth* LOL what?? She’s his WHAT??! 😭😭😭

*Still holding out hope, clutching my suspicions like they’re my grandmas pearls*

Season 2:

Holy sheet he’s mad. Ofc he’s mad. But he’s her best friend :c?? Pls don’t make me sad like this, you’re supposed to love each other!

“You were my friend!!” Mhm yknow they tend to use this word a lot

That’s… that’s a lot of hand holding there…

omg she put her hand on his CHEST OMGSJHDHFBF

“It was entirely of your choosing, the lost king blah blah” Ok but this is literally him saying he knows her type?

Hollldd up, I see what’s happening. Tension. There’s negative tension. I’ll bet if they stick to the trope, there’ll be a *moment* between them at the end that breaks the tension. There has to be.

*Galadriel gets caught by the Barrow-Wights* Wait for it babe, Elronds going to rescue her oh— yep, there he is. Saving her again. Because he’s the love interest.

“Promise you will put defeating Sauron over saving my life” Pfft hahaha miss Galady, our boy has it bad, there’s no way he’ll stay true to that promise. (For real though this sentence just showed us what the most important thing in the world is to him, it’s her y’all)

*Galadriel gets captured and brought out to the battle field* Ooooh yup. Look at his FACE when he sees her, the slow mo and everything wow. That’s his whole life right there. He can’t sacrifice her, he can’t do it.

Dang he’s gonna do it???

“Let me bid her farewell” Omg please kiss her goodbye haha but no they wouldn—

0/////o!!???

O/////O!!!!!!!

I CALLED IT I FKING CALLED IT ARE YOU KIDDING ME I AM SCREAMING

THIS IS THE MOMENT THAT BROKE THE TENSION.

Everyone online: iT wASNt RoManTIC

😐

Sigh. Of course it “wasn’t romantic”. THATS THE WHOLE POINT. That’s how this whole “forced to kiss” trope works. They don’t have feelings for each other yet, that they’re aware of anyway. It’s supposed to be an awakening. This is only the beginning.

*Continues to get gaslit by everyone and their mother including the actors and writers themselves*

Ok ok fine. Maybe I’m delusional about the whole thing. But every scene so far has been classic romantic arc set up. If they have a scene next episode where Elrond saves Galadriel again and maybe like, puts the ring on her finger all proposal style, then I’ll know. That would seal it for me.

*Episode 8*

*Speechless*

LITERALLY SPEECHLESS.

That’s it yall. If you didn’t pick up on that, then I’ll see you next season for all the slow burn tropes. I can see them already. LFG. #Elrondriel for life.

[pastelpinkkadan]

My theories/predictions of what will happen in Elain’s/Elriel’s book:

Whether for the Dead Troves (the harp, specifically) or for Vassa, Elain and Azriel will leave the Night Court and go to the Fae Realms on the Continent .

I do believe Lucien will go as well. This will set up tons of tension between Elain, Azriel, and Lucien.

Elain and Azriel will have many moments of nearly kissing or getting too close, but trying not too since Lucien is with them. Eventually they won’t be able to resist each other and will be intimate, but I don’t foresee this book being as horny as ACOSF was. Like they’ll for SURE have sexy times, but not where it’s half the book.

Elain will be working on her spying abilities, and will use them in some way while they’re investigating the Troves and/or Koschei. Like sneaking into courts, getting information, spying on certain important people or the human Queens. She’ll be honing her abilities with the Spymaster, obvi.

Elain’s seer abilities will lead them to the Troves or whatever is the answer to freeing Vassa. She has connections to both (she’s the one that led Lucien to Vassa, after all), so her powers could easily be useful in these plot points. Once again, Azriel would probably have the most knowledge with strange powers/abilities, so if Elain needs any help harnessing and improving these powers it’ll be with him.

I also predict Elain will, in turn, help Azriel understand his Shadows more or learn to use them in a different way. Whether from their love or Elain gaining insight from her Seer powers. More of Azriel’s past with his mother might also be revealed.

Speaking of past, we’ll get Elain’s POV on how she’s felt like she’s been held back by Nesta, her parents, and others. How she was coddled, but also never given the chance to do anything greater. And how she accepted that role because everyone was pleased when she did. This book will definitely be about Elain learning to put her wants and needs first, not being a people pleaser, and making her own choices.

Which brings me to the next big plot point.

Somehow, some way, Lucien is going to catch Azriel and Elain in a romantic moment. Could be a kiss, almost kiss, or the ending of some intimate times. Regardless, Lucien WILL call for a Blood Duel, which Azriel will accept.

During the Blood Duel, there’ll be lots of verbal back and forth between the two. Mostly Lucien with “she’s my mate” vs Azriel’s “she’s doesn’t belong to you. You don’t appreciate, see, or love her and you’ve never even tried”.

But at the end, it’s ELAIN who stops the Blood Duel before either can strike a killing blow. Elain proclaims she’s her own person, and the bond doesn’t mean Lucien has any claim on her. She’s going to make her own choices, with her seer powers, spy role, and the male she actually loves.

As for the “mate bond”, I 10000% think it’s somehow corrupted or faked. They will find out there’s something wrong with it and break it. I would prefer Elain and Lucien break it together, but I could also see Elain doing it by herself.

Now when this happens, I’m torn on if it’ll be revealed Azriel is Elain’s real mate, or if they’ll still choose each other despite not being mates. Either is fine with me.

I also have this idea that Azriel and Elain will actually CREATE their own mating bond. Like, it’ll be some sort of magic that they both have to consent to and choose.

Lastly, Vassa and Lucien will have a romantic moment, and Elain will give him her blessing to go after Vassa. I can see Lucien bowing to her or kissing her hand one last time and calling her “my lady” or something, before him leaving to go to Vassa and that being Lucien’s last scene in this book.

Side note, there will be some scenes with Feyre, Rhysand, Cassian, and Nesta. But I think the majority of these scenes will be at the beginning of the book before Elain and Azriel leave the Night Court, and then one or two when they come back.

I also think many of these plot points could still happen even if Elain and Azriel don’t leave the Night Court, I just think SJM is leading us to the Continent to explore that area a little more.

As for Gwyn, I don’t think she’ll be in the book much if at all. She was a side character made to be Nesta’s friend, and doesn’t have any connection to either the Troves or Koschei. I can kind of see there maybe being a revealed scene when Elain and Azriel return that Clotho is actually not the Night Court’s ally, and that she’s been using the priestesses’ and Gwyn’s Lightsinger powers to help either Koschei or the human Queens. But if there’s no scene like that, then yeah, I don’t see any valid reason for Gwyn to make an appearance in Elain’s book.

There’s more little things here and there, but those are my major predictions. Here’s hoping we get the next book soon! 😭

[dustedmagazine]

Bilders - Dustbin of Empathy (Sophomore Lounge)

The latest album under Bill Direen’s Bilders moniker, Dustbin of Empathy, is elegant and grizzled, both haunted and empowered by forward motion. The sound is open if often tense, with considered tempos rarely rising above the middle and songs that tend to fade out quickly. The guitars are picked clean or resolutely strummed —  a fiery exception is “Anvil Dark,” which throbs and reels and features a fuzzy, slicing lead. An organ, when present, is soft and round, a bright partner for the buoying murmurs of bass. It makes sense that members of Lambchop provide the pensive sprawl behind the directness of Direen’s travelogs.

The opener, “Citizens of Nowhere,” marches over kilometers and through generations — from eastern Europe to Turkey to Paris and parts in-between, from the narrator’s grandfather on down. Its protagonists are cosmopolitans of necessity, driven out by violence not wanderlust. The line “my Dad was born/both legs in order/good for crossing the border” is representative. This state of constant flight, if never escape, from crisis resounds and in a way resolves in track 13, “The Third War.” The song’s bare chords gather power from repetition and periodic whirls of amplifier feedback, as a weary Direen lays out his brief history of war: the beginning (“some time after the first words”) to its mythological justification (“it was the will of the gods…[the men] had invented”) to its dire endpoint (“when the third war ends there’ll be no one left to view it”). He has culprits in mind.

One of them is surely the sinister figure at the center of “The Weevil” —  a song delivered grandiose, dogged and wry like Leonard Cohen’s “First We Take Manhattan” with the vocal relish of Tim Curry’s Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Direen plots the shadowy entrepreneur’s rise from hustling in Bangkok to filling “certain orders too requested to refuse [for] a discriminating market stretched from Rome to Santa Cruz.” It’s a closer look at the dead-eyed merchants whose “unshackled greed for gain” provokes a snarl on the bridge of “The Third War.” Aggression well-earned, but that song’s opening gambit, “alright, a little song for peace,” may say more about the singer’s intentions. It’s a plea that implicates not just the practitioners of “butchery” and “blood-laced manipulation” but the listener and everyone being manipulated, “pricked on by sibling rivalry,” too. The pronoun in “we didn’t see it coming,” is crucial. All the same, you don’t write little songs for peace without some sun in your periphery.

As bleak as Dustbin of Empathy gets, there are stretches when the tension cracks, showing paths through the ruins. A wandering slide guitar and sweet ooze of organ lead us deeper into Direen’s consciousness on “Scaribus.” The vocals are mixed up close and he uses that intimacy to play: to test his high end, roll guttural “hmm”s and whistle. The song seems to reflect a mind drifting with the music. We snatch references to “the hands of the corrupt” encountered elsewhere on the album, but also “what a happy couple [gets] up to,” encountered less frequently. It’s not revelatory to note that “going for a ride on the scaribus [pronounced ‘scary bus’]” sounds a lot like a metaphor for life, man, but in Direen’s seasoned rasp, embraced by the lovely, twinkling conversation of guitars, it’s quite profound. On “Comrades,” the interplay between a gliding fiddle and dipping bass evokes a dappled, comforting light. It reminds me of The Mekons’ meadowland folk on Natural. And while Direen begins the song “some voices, I will never hear again/did not live as long as I do,” he continues, “but their songs, we remember them well…song of many/lives longer than the man.” It’s a rich, resonant sentiment: not a mourning of loss, but a celebration of the memory and of the singers keeping it alive, carrying it forward.

Alex Johnson

[kachikirby]

Kirby: Mysterious Incident on the Pupupu Train! - Chapter 6: The Unlikely Culprit

Previous Chapter

With help from Kirby and Bandana, Chef Kawasaki was able to finish making breakfast. There was ham and eggs, salad, soup, and other delicious foods, but of course, none of them were enough to make up for the lack of sweets. Everyone was quiet, as if the fun trip up until now had been a lie. Even Wheelie and Capsule J2, who were always unable to stay calm, were quiet. Kirby was carrying plates to the table of Meta Knight and his crew.

Looking at them, Kirby said.

“Huh? Captain Vul isn’t here. What’s wrong?”

“He didn’t want to eat breakfast. Recently he hasn’t been doing well.” Axe Knight answered.

“That’s how it seems to be.”

Kirby remembered how different Vul was from his usual self. “I wonder why. Maybe he has a tummy ache?”

“Well, we thought he would be fine since his body is pretty sturdy.”

“If you say so, then...”

Kirby returned to the kitchen car and talked to Bandana, who was washing dishes.

“Hey, Waddle Dee. Captain Vul doesn’t seem to be doing well. He didn’t even come for breakfast.”

Bandana turned to look at him.

“Huh? Really? I wonder why.”

“I was thinking about going to see him.”

“Is that so? I’ll go, too.”

“I'll make something that he can eat even if he’s not feeling well so you can take it with you. Some soft rice porridge would be good.” Chef Kawasaki said.

“Ok! Thanks, Chef Kawasaki!”

Kirby and Bandana took the rice porridge made by Kawasaki on a tray and headed towards Meta Knight’s room. Bandana knocked on the door and a gloomy voice replied from inside.

“...who is it?”

“Kirby and Waddle Dee.”

“What do you want?”

“We’ve come to see you. Are you sick, Captain Vul?” Kirby said.

 The door opened slowly. Vul had a hollow expression and his sluggish expression showed that he definitely wasn’t well.

“...I’m not sick. I don’t need a visit.”

“We brought you some rice porridge.”

“Even if you don’t have an appetite, you should eat something!”

At Kirby and Bandana’s pleading, Vul accepted the rice porridge with a frown and said. “...yeah. Thanks for it.”

At that moment, he tried to close the door, but then Kirby said.

“...there’ll be a tea party this afternoon. If you’re feeling better, you should come.”

“...no thanks, sweets and so on I can’t...”

“There won’t be any sweet cake because we don’t have any sugar.”

As Kirby said that, Vul flinched.

“Sugar...”

“Yeah. Someone went to the kitchen car and took the sugar. Because of that, we can’t make any cake. Chef Kawasaki has to think of a lot of new recipes and everyone’s disappointed!”

“But Chef Kawasaki said he can manage. He’ll use fruit and chocolate to make yummy desserts.” Bandana said.

“So you should come, too! If you eat some sweets, you’ll surely feel better!”

Vul was silent.

“Well, see you!”

“Take care!”

Kirby and Bandana waved at him and left.

Vul lowered his head and murmured. “I... I... what in the world...!”

~~~~~~~~

By the time Kirby and Bandana returned to the dining car, the passengers seemed to have already finished their meals. However, even if their plates were empty, everyone was reluctant to leave their seat. Between the sleeping staff members and the missing sugar, tension was high and made everyone too nervous to return to their rooms.

“The dessert melon was delicious.”

“Yeah... but of course...”

“I wanted to eat cake.”

Their discussions weren’t very exciting either. Meta Knight stood up.

“I’ll be returning to my room.”

“Well, us, too...”

His subordinates also stood up. And at that moment, the door to the dining car opened and there stood Captain Vul. The Meta Knights raised their voices.

“Oh, it’s Captain Vul.”

“You feeling any better?”

“Then how about you have some breakfa...”

“...no.” Vul said with a weak voice. “I’ve come to apologize to everyone.”

“...huh?”

“Everyone, please forgive me!” Vul shouted as he bowed his head. “I was the one who hid the sugar! I’m sorry... I offer my greatest apologies!”

“...HUUUUHH!?”

The passengers were so surprised that they looked like they would fall over. The ones who were especially shocked were the Meta Knights.

“It was Captain Vul!? But that’s-!”

“No way... that’s a lie!”

“It’s true...”

Vul said to Meta Knight with tears forming in his eyes.

“I’ve humiliated the name of the Battleship Halberd’s captain. I’ll fully accept being fired... I’m extremely sorry, Lord Meta Knight!”

Meta Knight stared at him and said. “There has to be a reason for it. Be honest and tell me everything, Captain Vul.”

“Yes, sir...”

Vul began to speak with a wilted look.

“What happened was...” He raised his head. “A diet.”

“A diet...?”

“Yeah. Everyone might not believe it... but... I’ve... gotten a bit too fat!”

Upon hearing that, the Meta Knights unanimously spoke.

“Yeah, I thought so.”

“I did, too.”

“Your clothes looked a bit tight recently.”

“...kuku!” Vul wiped his tears with his fist.  “How could everyone have noticed it? Yes, it was my clothes. Just before we boarded the Pupupu Train. I ripped my pants suddenly due to my movement. I was so shocked...”

Vul held his head.

“And above that, it was the precious captain’s uniform that I had received from Lord Meta Knight! While putting on a new pair of pants, I swore to myself that I would lose weight! And... never again would I rip my uniform!”

“So then, you didn’t eat much.” Javelin Knight said.

“I thought it was strange. Captain Vul can’t keep his hands off desserts.” Trident Knight said.

“I endured!”

Vul’s voice trembled.

“With my strong mental fortitude, I held back the urge to eat them! And yet, all of you! With your pudding and blueberry ice cream, it made it difficult...!”

He clenched his fist.

“And moreover, that damn Chef Kawasaki and his horrible proposal for a tea party! How much do you want me to suffer...!”

The harsh tone made Chef Kawasaki recoil.

“Huh?! That’s not possible!”

“...I understand. Now I can think calmly.”

Vul once again hung his head.

“But I was too hungry to make a sensible decision. I couldn’t let the tea party happen...! With that single thought... in the dead of night, I snuck into the kitchen car while everyone was sound asleep and stole the bag of sugar...”

“Where did you hide the sugar then? It wasn’t in our room, was it?” Axe Knight asked.

“Obviously not. If I hid it in the room, you would’ve easily found it. That’s why I hid it in the freight car.”

The freight car was the vehicle at the back part of the Pupupu Train. It was for luggage that couldn’t fit in the passenger’s rooms. Such as Dedede’s parasol and boat. During the trip, no one went there because there was no need to go there.

“It was packed with boxes and there was no room to hide the sugar. So I moved one of the boxes out and hid the sugar in its place...”

“Wait a minute.” Meta Knight suddenly cut him off. “What happened to the box you removed?”

“Huh? Uh...I properly put it in the kitchen car.”

“...as I thought.”

Meta Knight put a hand on his mask as if he was having a headache.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“The box you moved had slumbercumbers in it.”

“...wha? Huh?” Vul replied with a face that didn’t comprehend was he was told.

“The box you moved into the kitchen had slumbercumbers in it. Chef Kawasaki mistook them for regular cucumbers and made sandwiches with them and that caused the driver and the others to fall asleep.”

Upon swallowing this truth, Vul jumped and raised his voice.

“HUUUHHHHH?! Th-then the crew members falling asleep... was my fault!?”

“That’s right.”

“I-I-I’M SO VERY SORRY!!” Vul staggered. “It wasn’t just the sugar, but the crew falling asleep was my fault! AHHHHHHHHHH! How am I gonna apologize for this...!?”

“Before that, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

“...what is it...” Vul asked, hunched over and completely disappointed.

“You said that the freight car was packed tightly with wooden crates, right?”

“Huh...”

“Mr. York, I’d like you to tell me about the wooden crates.”

Meta Knight looked at York, who was sitting in the corner. York raised his face as if he was determined.

“In those tightly packed boxes... were all of them slumbercumbers?”

“...”

“If so, you, the person in charge of the train, should have known. The slumbercumbers, on your orders...”

“HOLD IT!” A voice shouted.

Before anyone knew it, the door to the dining hall slammed open and in walked King Dedede. He leaned with one hand against the wall and said coolly.

“I’ve heard the whole thing.”

“Ah! So, you eavesdropped!” Kirby said.

“What about driving the train? Isn’t it dangerous for no one to be in the cab?” Knuckle Joe said.

“I’ve left it to the Waddle Dees! It has a self-driving device, they can handle it for the time being! Chef Kawasaki, get me my breakfast! I want three large bowls of donburi! And don’t forget the chunky steak and a heaping pile of potato salad!”

“Yes, yes, coming right up.”

Chef Kawasaki quickly returned to the kitchen car. Dedede stepped into the dining car casually and glared at York.

“I’ve seen through your horrid plan! There’s no way you’re running away, York!”

York looked away with a blank expression.

“Slumbercumbers are a rare vegetable that can only be grown in the southern part of Dream Land! Until now, no one has looked at it as something that shouldn’t be eaten! But you saw it!”

“...”

“It’s a vegetable that’ll surely put you to sleep for days! If exploited, it’d have disastrous consequences!”

“Exploited...you say?”

“That’s right! For example... if you put the Waddle Dees to sleep in the Castle Dedede kitchen, you can have as much snacks as you want!”

Mace Knight rammed him. “That’s useless!”

“But it would be a particularly big problem if abused...” Axe Knight said.

King Dedede continued. “Anyway, you were smuggling slumbercumbers to make a fortune off them!”

“Smuggling...?”

“Yeah! You’re secretly transporting the slumbercumbers and selling them to thugs! If you do that, you’ll get a ton of wealth!”

“I knew it...!”

Bandana Waddle Dee shouted out with a trembling voice. He stood by King Dedede and glared at York.

“That was your plan from the beginning! The Pupupu Train wasn’t made to entertain us, it was made to transport the slumbercumbers...!”

York looked around at everyone with sharp eyes before speaking. “Yes, that’s right. I tried to transport the slumbercumbers. But that’s...”

At that moment, the door to the dining car opened and the Waddle Dees jumped inside.

“Your highness, we’re in danger!”

“Huh? What is it?! I’m busy right now!”

“W-we-we’re in real danger!”

The Waddle Dees were now crying.

“The red light on the driver’s seat is shining!”

“...a red light? Isn’t that the one that reports an emergency?”

“That’s right! And a voice that said “Shooting Star Approaching, Please use caution” came out!”

“At this rate, this train will collide with a shooting star!”

~~~~~~

Next Chapter

Table of Contents

[leaderoffestivals]

CROSS FIRE: Fist and Fist Ch 1

Madara: Hmmm~. So, they’re training as a pair, huh? They look like they’re having fun, aren’t they? 

Jun: —And, why’re you looking at me?

Scenario Writer: Kino Seitarou (with Akira) Season: Summer Characters: Kiryu Kuro, Mikejima Madara, Nagumo Tetora, Sazanami Jun, Otogari Adonis  Proofed by: @ryuseipuka, Skyress

Madara: Well then, Kuro-san. I’d like to clearly establish the details of our match one last time. 

The match will be held four days from now, in the afternoon.

This activity will be part of the events lined up to promote BUTOUKAI, so there’ll be some filming on-site, but other than that, the rules will follow those of the actual CROSS FIRE bouts. 

The use of weapons is prohibited. Attacks to the back of the head and vital areas are prohibited. Biting and scratching are prohibited too, but other than that, anything goes. 

The player who KO's his opponent in 10 rounds wins—Do you have objections to any of that?

Kuro: Nope, I’m down with all that. Ya better take good care of yerself so you don’t get hurt, you hear? 

Madara: Hahaha! That’s my line, you knowww!

You would have a slight advantage if it were just martial arts, Kuro-san. However, this is Mixed Martial Arts. Any technique is allowed… … so that means my chances of winning will be pretty high too!

Do be careful not to let your guard down!

Jun: Woah~. The air between the both of them’s just crackling with tension, isn’t it~?

I didn’t expect everything would turn out as Nagumo-kun had hoped for, but I’m really looking forward to the actual showdown!

Adonis: Fufu~. It looks like there’s a storm of sparks flying between them, but they do seem to be enjoying themselves too. 

I never thought the two of them would have such a connection arising from the Dragon King Competition from way back then. Watching them carry out that historic battle once again will certainly be a highlight among the events.

Tetora: My thoughts exactly~!

Everyone will have three days to prepare. How you spend your time starting from today is up to you, which means that the battle has already begun!

And that’s why, Taisho! If there’s anything you’d like me to help out with in training, please don’t hesitate to approach me to be your partner!

This is a real big match that’ll affect the prestige of the Karate Club after all, so I’ll do my very best to support you! 

Kuro: I really appreciate that. Then, I wanna practise some chokehold and ground techniques. Would ya mind being my partner fer those?

I’m no good at applying those skills. If I’m unable to execute ‘em properly, I won’t be able to fight in an MMA battle, right?  

Tetora: Ossu! If that’s what you wanna do, Taisho, I don’t mind undergoing a little hardship!

Kuro: Here I go then. Let’s go all out, Tetsu… …! HAA—!

Tetora: OWAH!—Ow-OW-OW! Give, GIVE! (1)

Madara: Hmmm~. So, they’re training as a pair, huh? They look like they’re having fun, aren’t they? 

Jun: —And, why’re you looking at me?

Madara: Fufu~n! Isn’t it obvious? Since the Karate duo are practising together, I’m gonna have to find practice partners of my own too~. 

However, all that’s left here are inexperienced hands. There’s just no way I can force Adonis-san to take on all the burden of training with me alone—

You do understand what I’m getting at, don’t you~?

Jun: Nope. You do know no one will recklessly go along with you just because you tell them to, don’t you~?

Wouldn’t it be better to train with someone you’re already familiar with? Plus, I think it would be a good idea to have the Track and Field Team be the ones going up against the Karate Club, don’t you?

Madara: If that’s the case, the Track and Field Team wouldn't stand a chance. Fighting isn't our speciality, after all?

We would need more manpower to gain the upper hand over our opponents. I’d be very grateful if you could help out with that!

Adonis: I agree with Senpai, too. 

If Mikejima-senpai and I were to form a two-man team by ourselves, that means Sazanami would be left all alone. 

We’re muscle-training buddies, aren’t we? I don’t want you to be the only one left on your own. 

Jun: Haa~. I’m real sorry to have caused you to worry about me like that. Since you’ve gone and put it that way, I guess there’s no choice but for me to help out, after all!

Madara: Yes! It’ll really be a big help me too, Jun-san. 

Jun-san’s an avid manga reader, so you’d have a wealth of knowledge from fighting and delinquent manga. It’ll be very reassuring to receive all sorts of advice from you~ ♪ 

Jun: No, no way. I don’t think my knowledge of manga will be of any help in your situation, you know~? They’re just unrealistic techniques and theories that are probably nowhere near legit at all—

But then again~, this is for the sake of our much-anticipated Shuffle Unit after all, so why not pull out all the stops?  

It’d be such a let-down if Kiryu-senpai were to one-sidedly dominate the match. If we could add some colour to liven up that practice match of BUTOUKAI’s, we can probably expect the viewership ratings to increase, won’t we? 

Haha~! To think I’m actually using words like ‘increase viewership ratings’ when I’m really clueless about how to go about doing it. If Ibara—who’s an expert in that field—were to hear me, he’d probably burst out laughing, huh~?

Madara: Nope. They may be amateur ideas, but even so, that is the work that’s expected of us. 

We’ll make up for that lack with enthusiasm! Let’s get started with training right away, Inexperienced Trio! 

Jun: EH~! Is that really what we’re calling our trio?!

Well, whatever. It doesn’t matter what we call ourselves; I’ll get to watch a red-hot battle either way. 

There’s really no telling how all of this will turn out—the success of this Shuffle Project is riding on us! 

Let’s show our opponents everything we’ve got~, Mikejima-senpai! Otogari-san!

Madara / Adonis: Yeah! 

—————-To be continued——————-

Chapter 7  /  Chapter 9

Translator’s Note:  

In wrestling sports, a player will say 'give’ (short for ‘I give up’) to surrender to his opponent when unable to escape from submission holds, chokes and armbars.

[kithtaehyung]

waitttt ok ok ok

so i’m gonna throw a theory following the pictures from the teaser AND the little spoilers you gave us a few months ago

i think one of the spoilers was « and you don’t think you ever screamed this loud » or something like that sorry i have a terrible memory

my main thought was « ofc this is a snippet from a smut scene » but now i’m not so sure anymore because everything is about explode…

i think this spoiler would be during a basketball match ? and because of bro being a bit suspicious about yoongi and reader there’ll be some tension and BAM everything is a mess ��

maybe a little fight between bro and yoongi ? or bro and someone else ? 👁️👁️

again it would depend on the convo between bro and reader (this damn cliffhanger 😒) but this isn’t a situation that can be resolved after one talk…

and don’t worry i remember a lot from the little spoilers because i read them again and again and again 🤣🤣🤣 this is so pathetic

bye 💋

-📀

oh ho ho!!! and the theories are starting👀 of course I cannot confirm nor deny, but I love how you’re piecing things together based on the other spoilers aHHhhHhh that’s amazing! i don’t think that’s pathetic at all what🤣 it makes me happy as a writer that you do that!

[where-theres-smoak-2]

Shadow and Bone 2x05 Review

Ok going to be honest this might be the episode where they lost me. The first 4 episode I thought were pretty solid and I enjoyed them but this one I don’t know why but I just didn’t enjoy it as much. It felt rushed but also felt like it dragged which I know is a bit of a oxymoron but there we go. I also feel like not a lot really happened. But anyway best to get into it, there will spoilers any book spoilers will be between two *. 

The Crows 

The crows whole mission this episode was getting the sword in shu han. However there was also alot of tension between them all, last episode Kaz kicked Inej out of the crew so there is the fallout from that. He also doesn’t tell her about the new job, I did think it was funny though when Nina says that Kaz would rather push Inej away than admit he feels anything for her and then questions whether she was supposed to say that out loud. Then Jesper puts his foot in his mouth with Wylan when its revealed he can’t read and this is clearly something he feels ashamed off, Jesper spends most of the episode trying to mend that yet somehow keeps making it worse. I did like the scene where Wylan calls Jesper out for trying to tell him how to feel about his shame whilst he himself is hiding that he is grisha. 

I did like the conversation between Nina and Zoya. It’s clear Zoya believes that Nina has abandoned her country and has dome resentment towards her for that. What is interesting is the line about Fjerdans burning grisha and how ‘you can’t unlearn that kind of hatred.’ I do think you could apply this to ravka and otkazat’sya views of grisha, at the moment Nikolai and Alina have this whole lets unite otkazat’sya and grisha and that once the fold is gone there’ll be no reason to hate the grisha but they have forgotten that unlearning the hatred otkazat’sya have for grisha is not going to be easy. I don’t really agree with Zoya’s statement that hate can’t be unlearnt, I think it can, as nina and matthais showed, but I think it is incredibly difficult especially if you’re talking about a mass group of people. It’s going to be easy to turn one persons opinion but very difficult to turn an entire nations. But this scene did make me feel really bad for Nina especially when she is talking about her and matthias choosing each other and choosing to be free together but then Zoya pointing out that now Matthias is in hellgate and nina has abandoned her country and asking if it was worth it, seeing that tear come down Nina’s face was really sad.  

We also learn where Kaz gets his touch aversion from and it makes perfect sense, I too would never want to be touched again my life if I had gone through that trauma. That scene in the teashop when Kaz starts to have the panic attack and Nina unknowingly touches his hand was really intense, but I do love that Inej saves him and gets him out of the situation and says that she couldn’t leave him. I mean Kaz and Inej are having some really great scenes this season. 

Darklina 

I feel like both Alina and Aleks become more unhinged in this episode. Alina in particular is starting to spiral a bit. She can’t find mal, she is seeing the aftermath of Aleks’ attack and poor Adrik does lose his arm, she is reunited with Genya and Baghra and has learnt what Aleks has done to them and all of this is clearly having a deep effect on Alina who is starting to act erratic. Meanwhile Aleks finds out that Baghra and Genya have escaped and that all the experiments were destroyed so that hasn’t put him in the best of moods. But what’s interesting is again like when he had an angry outburst after finding out the journal was missing, when he feels his anger rising here he once again reaches through their connection so he can see Alina, I really do think that he is using her as a sort of anchor to reign in these feelings of anger, she is what calms him and helps him regain control.

Then we have the mind palace scene between them where Alina is looking to sever the link between them. This scene was really intriguing to me because its kind of like the tables have turned and here we have Alina manipulating Aleks, I mean it was clear the she was manipulating him and honestly I think he did know that and you can see his wariness, her change of mind came too quickly for it to be real and he knows that. But I think at the same time she is saying all the things he has ever wanted to hear from her. Also I do think whilst she is trying to manipulate him what she is saying is true, its all the things she has denied up until now and I do think most of what she says is how she really feels. Like when she tells him he was the first person to see who she really was, what she was truly capable of. She was telling the truth here and she confirms as much later when she is talking with Baghra and says that he was the first one to show her that she wasn’t just a weak stick from Keramzin, that he showed her she was meant for more and honestly that scene she has with Baghra was heartbreaking because it really did highlight all the insecurities she had about herself before meeting Aleks and how he made her feel special and like she could be something but also how him then betraying her had such a deep effect on her and how she is struggling with that. 

Another thing she says that I think is true and something she has been in denial about is how mal doesn’t understand the power that is growing within her, this is shown in their argument right after this scene where he admits that she’s just been barrelling towards her goal of saving ravka and hunting the amplifiers and he’s just been trying to keep up. 

Alina does change tactics during the scene when she says its not all about power, she turns from talking about how a like they are to full on seduction mode. It once again reminded me of just how much chemistry these guys have, like you could feel the want between them. We also got Aleks saying the ‘wanting makes us weak’ line. The way when she stroked his cheek he leant into her touch and closed his eyes. I think a part of him was still wary that this was a manipulation but also he couldn’t help but react to her touch. 

So as I said I do think that Alina was being truthful in this scene, but its interesting because its essentially a tactic she learnt from Aleks, its the same thing he did to her in season 1, manipulate not with lies but with the truth. Alina hides her true intentions behind that truth she is telling him. 

*One scene I did hate though was when Aleks says the line ‘the whole world will hear it when I make her scream.’ The reason I hate it is because its nearly identical to a line from the second book that the Darkling says to Mal. Only hear they have completely changed the meaning and tone of it. In the books it is very much an innuendo and it happens right after Mal reacts with jealously to seeing the darkling saving Alina from tripping. LB even confirmed that it was an innuendo in an interview she did. But here they’ve twisted it into something violent and hateful. Which as a darklina and a book reader who found humour in that scene, as you were supposed to, I am really disappointed the added the line but in this way. I would have preferred they had left it out.* 

Genya and David

 Oh poor Genya she really had an emotional episode. I hated that she felt the need to hide from david. But I did like the scene where she confronted the Queen and told her how she was able to poison the King. I also liked how Nikolai took his mother to task and held her accountable for the part she played in what happened to Genya. As Nikolai said Genya was under the Queen’s protection and the Queen turned a blind eye and even thought it was acceptable because he was her king and genya was just a servant. But the Queen was supposed to mother to all ravkans and yet she failed in that task. 

 I loved the speech david gave to genya though about how her beauty is her armour and how it was fragile and for show but what was inside her was steel. Which is unbreakable and doesn’t need fixing. Just the whole speech was beautiful. And then Genya saying that she was able to find them because she sort out familiar heartbeats was the cherry on top. Honestly the whole scene I am not ashamed to admit brought tears to my eyes.   

So this was one of my shorter reviews but honestly I feel like this episode was just pairs of characters having conversations and not a whole lot really happened. So on to the next episode. 

Favourite Lines 

‘...because no one is this bloody band of broken dolls can confab worth a damn.’ 

‘Your beauty is your armour. It’s fragile stuff, all show, really. But what’s inside you, that’s steel. It’s brave and unbreakable and it doesn’t need fixing.’ 

[imperfectskeleton]

There’s something in the way I write that comes off as pretentious

Years and years of practice but I don’t try to prevent this

Ev’ry sentence poetry when I feel the weight

Not really trying, just a sense that is innate

I work in metaphors, allegories and pedantics

Enjoy the arguments with basis in semantics

I’m lying on the roof and dreaming in the day

The person who I love the most 4000 miles away

I tried and failed to say goodbye, did it over twice

When in truth we both knew a hug would suffice

Still I am insulted when the way I talk (write)’s mentioned

Because while I edit little I think I have a penchant

For thoughts and words unraveled, feelings communicated

Telling people time again, they’re not the ones I hated

This is nonsense, rhythm, rhymes

In truth just a distraction

Thinking of the gone by times

When I should have took action

Im waiting for the sun to set so I can see the sky fall

Perhaps that’s why I couldn’t leave, beyond his hypnotise pull

It’s getting dark, my shoulder aches, and yet I am afraid

To think the thoughts that chase me round and have for now three days

My instinct, introducing him’s to say he is my brother

With this assessment some agree, including my own mother

But in the last few days, in light, we’ve been brought into question

Insistence we’re a couple in spite of my discretion

I’ve always written easily, as I am doing now

The cause of struggle within me is the thoughts I must put down

To say I’m not in love with him may be a bald faced lie

But saying there’s no romance at least sets the bar less high

My mind was made up years ago, I want him in my life

But why must this lead into me wanting to be his wife

I can love him gently, loudly, full of life and laughs

I can indeed put effort in to intertwine our paths

But I don’t want to tie him down I’m sure he does not want me

And I’m not good for romance so we’re both better off free

I didn’t used to want him and don’t think that I do now

But everyone else sees it so maybe I should allow

The thought that it’s romantic, though it cannot be so

Maybe in the game of life my feelings are my foe

I’ve loved this boy for years, but some types of love are dang’rous

There are times when I write him down, make memories more flav’rous

I’m not finding a conclusion, these thoughts may have no end

But determined I have been for months, these feelings to forfend

I think that those around us must harbour no objection

But guessing at unconcerned minds has long been my deflection

How do I discern between affection and attraction

If I guess wrong how damaging’s the action

To guess wrong may damage us forever

If I hurt him bad enough there’ll be no better weather

I do not want to love like this, but I fear I still do

“But of course you guys are dating, I mean just look at you”

I know we seem in close, I don’t hide myself round others

But that doesn’t mean their views can override my druthers

While arranged as we are now, nothing can amount

From any romantic tensions others feel there is about

I admit that our arrangement in one I’m eager to change

But for my own sense of adventure do I wish to rearrange

Perhaps I’m in denial, I know I have no fear

Of a friendship interrupted from how it was here

I love him, yes. I miss him? No. I simply am confused

From having my own feelings on the matter be abused.

[anatee]

Bloody Skywalker | Pt. 2 | Anakin x Reader

Part 1 Part 3 Part 4

Summary: Obi-Wan knew that putting two young people together would result in too many emotions to handle, yet he just stood there and watched it all unfold for years. The most interesting things, however, are happening right where he can’t see the bloody Skywalker.

Content: Anakin x Female!Padawan!reader, bits of angst, fluff, no mature content (yet 😏), Revenge of the Sith references

Word count: 3.2K

There’ll be a part 3! Tagging as requested @50svibes​  @ssophiebirkas​

Time was flowing agonisingly slowly while she was anticipating that meeting. She had her own obligations to focus on, yet found herself constantly thinking about the upcoming event. Every time she and Anakin met on the roof, they could talk heart-to-heart, and these were the conversations that partly made her fall for him. They stopped them when he got together with Padme, even before Y/N knew about it, which only confirmed it was something really intimate.

When the time came, she felt extremely nervous yet excited at the same time. She thought she was early, but Anakin was already there - standing by the barrier and enjoying the view. She had to take a deep breath before getting his attention, but he had already sensed her - and turned to face her first.

"Hi." He beamed, standing there without the robe, but just in the outfit he always wore underneath it. With his hair a bit ruffled by the wind, and his toned body leaning against the railing, he was as dreamy as he could, making her weak in her knees.

"Hi," she replied, taking another deep breath. "I suppose neither of us wanted to be late, huh?" she added, hoping to release the tension.

"We're both in time for the night views. Come, take a look."

She approached him and leaned against the barrier, too, making sure she didn't touch him in the process. He seemed to notice it, but didn't comment, keeping that few inches long distance between them.

For a moment, they stood there in silence, enjoying the views, but the atmosphere was definitely tense, and they could both feel it. When it became too much to handle, Y/N spoke:

"You know, I miss Naboo at times. The landscapes, I mean. But... Coruscant at night is breathtaking, too. Certainly has some..." She turned to glance at him. "Views to enjoy," she added, then quickly looked away, realising what she'd said.

"We can agree on this," he replied, also looking at her. A shiver went down her spine, and she wasn't sure if he noticed.

"You're so cheesy I can't stand you." She rolled her eyes, smacking him on the arm.

"You started!" he argued, and they both started laughing as they smacked and poked each other teasingly, as if they were just kids again. As the laughter started dying down, Anakin suddenly grabbed her wrists gently to stand opposite her and look into her eyes, causing her to stiffen.

"Y/N, there are no words to express how much I've missed you," he admitted, still breathing heavily. "And all of this."

"Me too," she replied before she could think about it, but it was the truth. "But you know... I didn't want to... Make things awkward. I mean, if I had a boyfriend like you..."

"What do you mean like me?"

At this point Y/N thought that it would be best if someone just severed her tongue before she talked to Anakin at all.

"I'm not going to compliment you because I won't hear the end of it," she said, freeing her wrists from his hands. "The point is, I wouldn't want some random girl hanging out with my boyfriend so much."

"You're not a random girl. You've never been," he replied, making her heart skip a beat yet again. "But I understand what you're saying."

Y/N turned away from him once again to be able to calm down.

"While we're at it... Has anything changed? How are you feeling?" she asked, not looking at him.

"I haven't been better in a long time. And you? Tell me you don't want to leave the Order anymore."

She took another deep breath. "No, I don't."

"I'm so glad," he admitted, still looking at her while she was trying to avoid his gaze. "I was so scared. This place wouldn't be the same without you."

She didn't comment, afraid she might embarrass herself even further. Instead, she really focused on the view, the sparkling lights of the night reflecting in Anakin's eyes she tried not to look at.

"You know, I almost forgot how beautiful it can be around here."

"That's why I hope we can come back to meeting here."

"Because of the view?" she asked just to say something, not expecting his answer at all.

"Because of you."

Y/N turned her head to look at him, more confused than ever. These weren't even jokes anymore and she didn't know how to react. What was he saying?

They were standing opposite each other again, closer than before. A small, almost shy smile didn't disappear from Anakin's face as he carefully put his hands on her shoulders, sending shivers through her body.

"You look beautiful," he admitted, and she closed her eyes as if in pain.

"Oh, why did you have to say that..."

"I'm sorry. That's just what I see," he replied, unaware of what exactly he was apologising for. "I know I've never told you this before, but I have always thought that."

At that moment, Y/N didn't even know what to think anymore. Her heart was racing, but she tried to stay conscious and not miss anything he was saying. The Force was tingling inside her as if hinting that something was about to happen.

"Oh, I just remembered... That guy... The one you fell in love with..." Anakin began suddenly, lowering his head.

"Anakin, he doesn't exist," she cut him off, panicking. "No, I mean, he does, but... Oh, can we just pretend like I've never said that?"

Anakin could sense even through the Force how nervous and clearly embarrassed she was. He wasn't sure whether to drop the subject or try to help her...

"Y/N, if something's wrong, you can always talk to me..."

"Nothing's wrong," she whispered, but it was a lie, and she couldn't even look into his eyes as she said that.

"But you know I can sense it, right?" he said with sincere concern. "Oh, Y/N, just come here," he added as he opened his arms to envelope her with them, causing her to hold her breath.

They've never hugged. Not like this.

It was so warm and comforting, and of course she didn't want it to end, but at the same time she was panicking. This embrace wasn't helping her case, if anything, it was worsening it, making her wish he would hug her like this more often.

"Better?" he asked quietly as he pulled her even closer, so close she could hear his heartbeat, and if that wasn't only making her fall harder...

"Better. Thank you," she replied, sighing. "But we should stop, someone might see us," she added quickly, taking a step back that clearly took him by surprise.

"We're not doing anything wrong," he said, and she could swear she saw something gleam in his eyes when he did, sounding a bit darker than usual.

Well, if I weren't falling in love with you as we went, then yes, we wouldn't be.

"You're not exactly the one to trust when it comes to rules," she said with a chuckle, once again trying to relieve the tension.

"Oi, don't act like you've never broken them," he retorted and she sighed again.

I'm breaking them every time I see you.

"Obi-Wan says it's you who demoralised me," she said truthfully, leaning herself against the barrier again.

"He didn't stop me, though," Anakin said proudly, and they both laughed again.

"And you don't seem ashamed at all!"

"Hey, but what did I do? Only made you race with me once or twice..."

"Or twenty times." She nudged him with her elbow.

"It's not like I put a lightsaber to your throat, you agreed to it."

"But if you weren't there, I would have never even thought of such races."

"But you enjoyed them!" he argued teasingly, and both of them were unbelievably happy that the atmosphere changed to such a relaxed one. "And now we don't race because you know you can't defeat me."

Y/N smacked him in the head with no hesitation.

"Hey!" he yelled in surprise.

"Not everyone was piloting aircrafts from the moment they were born!" She smacked him again, leaving him flabbergasted. "I only wanted to grow plants and stuff!"

A cocky smile quickly appeared on his face.

"But if you stayed on Naboo growing plants, you wouldn't be here with me now.... And isn't now a better option?"

Her first instinct was to say yes immediately, but then she realised...

If she had stayed on Naboo, at least she would have never fallen in love with him. But then, when they were there together, laughing, teasing each other, relaxed...

"Maybe it is," she admitted. "And maybe I just like you too much, bloody Skywalker," she added quietly, avoiding his gaze again. It was somehow therapeutic to tell him this without him knowing what she actually meant.

The cockiness on Anakin's face turned into sincere happiness as he grabbed her hand again, making sure to use his real hand instead of the metal one.

"Me too," he replied, and before she could melt into a puddle right then and there, she cackled, crossing her arms.

"Oh, yes, you definitely like yourself too much."

"Hey, you know that's not what I meant!" 

They began laughing again, hysterically at that, not having felt this relaxed for ages - and they would be doing this for much longer if it weren't for a familiar voice that interrupted.

"There you are."

They immediately composed themselves and looked to their side - Obi-Wan was approaching them with a small smile on his face.

"Oh," Y/N cackled one last time, then took a deep breath to calm down. "Hello, Master."

"It's nice to see you two in high spirits," he said, then looked pointedly at Y/N, as if asking how things were. She replied with a face that clearly said everything was alright, even if it wasn't.

"Nice to see you too, Master," Anakin replied with exaggerated happiness.

"I have news. Anakin, it was decided that we'll be trying to rescue the Chancellor in a few days."

"Finally," he said eagerly.

"And am I going?" Y/N asked, and Obi-Wan frowned.

"I'm sorry, Y/N. We're taking the best at piloting."

"Oh, of course." She laughed, then patted Anakin on his shoulder. "And here we have the best pilot of the Galaxy."

"At least you're admitting that now," he said proudly and she shook her head.

"Shut up or I'll use the Force to do it."

"You two are still kids, aren't you?" Obi-Wan shook his head, too. "I want to leave you to yourselves, but who knows? Maybe you'll blow up the temple if I leave?"

"Oh, Master Kenobi. You know I am responsible," Y/N claimed, giggling.

"But are you responsible enough to handle him?"

"Are you both against me?" Anakin asked, pretending to be outraged. This was when Y/N seized the opportunity and walked a little to stand next to Obi-Wan.

"What do you say, Master Kenobi?"

"I can't believe this." Anakin stared at both of them, then sent Y/N a look that made her want to shout at him for doing it next to Kenobi. No matter what his intentions were, his gaze was so suggestive it made her feel hotter. Obi-Wan, however, seemed to have missed it.

Soon they returned to the temple and all in all, that evening turned out to be much nicer than Y/N anticipated. Her nerves were gone and she was eager to meet with Anakin yet again, this time ready to talk to him, even if her feelings were still devouring her from the inside.

However, on the night before Anakin's departure, things went downhill. Fear filled up her heart and the scariest visions - mostly those of Anakin dying - began to haunt her. This was when she began wondering... If she were to never see him again, maybe she should confess to him?

Would it haunt her forever if she didn't?

Unexplainable were the feelings that led her to his bedroom that night. The moment she saw his door, however, reality washed over her. It was ridiculous.

Little did she know Anakin wasn't asleep, either. He was staring into the ceiling above his bed, thinking about the upcoming mission, when suddenly something disturb his thoughts.

A familiar voice, echoing in his head... It didn't take him much to realise it was Y/N's voice.

Her thoughts were so full of fear and so loud he could hear them through the Force even without intending it. She was close, and he really wanted to know why.

"No, I can't go to him, this is so stupid... Why did I even come here? Why would I even tell him? I can't tell him the truth..."

These words ignited his curiosity even more. He left his bed quickly, then walked to the door even faster as he could feel she began walking away.

"Y/N," he said, causing her to stop dead in her tracks.

"Anakin?" She gulped, turning to see him, and then she immediately gulped again when she realised he was shirtless. "Oh, what are you doing here?" she asked as if she didn't expect him to be there at all.

"I sensed you. And I know you came to see me."

Her heart dropped. He couldn't have heard, could he?

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you. You have the mission tomorrow, so I'll just go back to bed now, good night."

Anakin wasn't going to let it go and he used the Force to pull her back towards himself, causing her to gasp.

"Y/N, tell me why you came." He put his hands on her shoulders as she tried not to stare at his bare chest. "You know I would never... I don't know, do anything to harm you in any way. Why are you scared?"

She didn't have any response to this. Looking down, she just hoped it could just pass...

"Come inside, let's talk." He gestured towards his room, then let her in before closing the door.

Another silence enveloped them, one that Anakin wasn't going to endure.

"After our meeting on the roof, I thought we were okay again?" he asked and she just gave up.

"Kriff, I'm just scared for you, okay?" she said eventually, dropping her hands. "I'm devastated by the thought that you might die during this mission. And now more than ever I regret all these moments when I was avoiding you. That's it."

That was not it, of course, it was just part of the truth, but already more than she had intended to tell him.

Anakin's expression softened immediately. His heart fluttered at these words, and he thought it was high time he stopped lying to himself, too.

He moved closer to her. "Oh, Y/N..."

"I know I should be used to this as a Jedi, but..."

"Shhh," he whispered, then suddenly cupped her face to make her look at him. Warmth filled her up immediately; she didn't expect that of him, but at this point it was only between them and the darkness around... 

"I understand. I will be scared for you, too," he admitted. "But I will come back safe. And with the Chancellor. I assure you."

"Promise me?" she asked before she could stop herself and he nodded, smiling softly.

"I could promise you this and much more."

Everything was getting warmer - her body, the atmosphere, the air in the smallest gap between them, the hands that were still holding her face. They were both looking into each other's eyes with their hearts racing, the Force tingling them as if trying to foreshadow that something was about to happen.

"I trust you, Skywalker."

"And I'm... So happy to hear that." Anakin's gaze suddenly wandered to her lips... And they have never been closer.

"Y/N, maybe before I go..." he began quietly. "Maybe I should do something I should've done much earlier."

"What is it?" she asked, almost shivering under his touch.

His eyes wandered to her lips again, and then it happened so suddenly she didn't have time to stop him: he kissed her, full on the lips, bringing her as close to himself as possible.

And at that point, nothing else mattered as she responded to the kiss, deepening it immediately when she put her hands on his bare chest for support. Her heart was racing faster than ever, even though her mind hadn't registered what was happening yet. Her body seemed to be acting on its own, knowing that the only thing it wanted was him. It was electrifying; they were lost in each other, and neither of them cared about anything else other than the person before them.

But when Y/N’s back hit the door under the pressure of his kiss, she woke up.

"Anakin, we can't," she almost cried, pushing him away from her with as much force as she could.

"Did you not want that?" he asked in disbelief, his heart shattering just a little when he saw the look on his face.

He had realised how he really felt about her a long time ago and wanted to prepare her for it a bit more delicately, but since the opportunity came... He just could not let it go.

"It's not about what I want, it's... We can't." She was saying all of this with a knot in her heart, knowing very well how much she wanted to stay with him right then and there, and give into the night. "I'm sorry, I... Have a safe mission," she added and before he could stop her, left the room as quickly as possible.

Anakin stood in the same place for the moment, as if glued to the ground, then plopped onto his bed with his head hung low.

He knew they weren't supposed to do this. But if so... Then why did it feel so right when their lips met mere minutes ago?

Now he knew the mission was the least of his concerns.

Y/N was walking as fast as she could back to her bedroom, running almost, holding back tears of frustration. That kiss, that few seconds were the most blissful seconds of her entire life, the happiest she's been in months, maybe years even... And yet, she wasn't allowed to feel this ever again.

Maybe the Jedi weren't as perfect as she had perceived them... If they didn't even allow happiness.

Eventually, she couldn't hold it back anymore - she stopped in one of the corridors and let the tears flow, her sobs echoing in the sleeping Jedi temple. With her face covered, she didn't even notice she had company.

"No need to cry there is."

Y/N almost jumped at Yoda's voice. She looked up and wiped her tears at once, composing herself.

"Oh, Master Yoda." She bowed slightly. "I didn't expect you here."

Yoda gazed at her searchingly.

"Conflicted you are, I sense."

She knew there was no use in lying.

"Yes. A lot," she whispered, not looking at him, and he fell silent for a moment.

"Take a break you should," he said eventually. "So many bad emotions the way to the dark side are."

She nodded, bowing again and thinking that a break might really help her.

"I will, Master."

[pudding-parade]

So, I’ve decided to give the Random Legacy Challenge a go. I’m not sure if you’re supposed to do a roll for the founding generation, but I wanted to, so here we are. The pic might be too small to read, so here’s what I got and some other stuff about this...

My founding family structure is to be a single parent with “help.” I’ve decided I’m going to create two siblings (my RNG decided on a brother and sister), and then one of them has to have a kid. I only have to have one kid in this generation, so there’ll be zero “tension” about who gets to be the first heir, but that’s fine.

One sibling gets the Military career, the other gets Law Enforcement. I kind of like the Law Enforcement career, and I can’t  remember if I’ve ever played the Military career, so that’s all fine.

I did a separate roll to determine the type of party to throw for the generational goal, and got “Event Party.” I honestly can’t remember if I’ve ever thrown a party in TS3. I have a mod that turns off the endless invitations to parties because I find them annoying, so my Sims don’t generally attend them, but I can’t remember if I’ve thrown one. I did in TS2 on occasion, but it wasn’t something I was big on. Maybe it’ll be different for TS3. I’m thinking a birthday party for the kid, maybe. 

And “Runs in the Family” is just having the kids (in this case only one) inherit a parent’s trait. Which is something that I sometimes do in my regular playing anyway, so nothing new there.

So there’s that. I think it’ll be fun to have siblings instead of a couple, and the rest is fine. Hopefully it’ll be fun. I do plan to bump up the possibility of alien abduction/pregnancy in this save via the Abductor mod, so hopefully that will add some randomness. And maybe it’ll mean that the brother in the founding pair will be the one to birth a kid. We’ll see.

I’ve decided to use Meadow Glen for my world, partly because it has all the rabbitholes for the careers in it, but mostly because it’s my favorite pre-built world. (I was going to use Storybrook County, but then I remembered how much I dislike playing in high rise buildings and apartments in general, if for no other reason than that NPCs constantly get stuck in them.) I’m currently editing a copy of Meadow Glen a bit to get rid of houses that won’t be useful (like larger ones with only one bedroom) and replacing them with others, adding a couple houseboats, adding stuff to the festival lot, doing some general tweaks to the community lots, etc.. I’m also getting rid of all the palm trees in the world because it’s going to have a climate that wouldn’t support palm trees. In fact, I’m making a brand-new Tempest preset for it. (Which I’ll share, of course.) 

I’m going to use 15-day seasons (broken out in Tempest into three five-day-long “months” each), and a life span based on four Sim-days per year with realistically-proportioned life stage lengths. Those lengths are:

Baby = 4 days. Toddler = 12 days. Child = 36 days. Teen = 24 days. YA = 68 days. Adult = 120 days. Elder = 68 days

This is much longer than recommended for the challenge, but it’s the lifespan I typically use in my playing unless I’m using a much longer one. (It’s the same lifespan I’m using in the “Clueless Jaime” save.) It gives time for kids to be kids and for adults to reach their goals and such without me feeling rushed. I use NRaas Relativity to slow down the rate of skilling to match, things like that. So, it’ll move slowly, but that’s what I like.

All that said, if you’re interested in seeing what I do with this, there’ll be posts soonish, once I finish the world-editing, finish the Tempest preset, and make the founders. I’m still going to be playing Clueless Jaime and the “tribal” save, too. I like to hop between saves because it makes it more likely that I’ll stick with all of them. This one will just be added to the mix.

[phoeebsbuffay]

Imagine “Star Wars” special edition: Jane Eyre.

Sweet desires.

Imagine you just left a school for girls in Coruscant as a governess. You are then hired by Mr Vader to teach his twins, Leia and Luke. What happens next? Part II.

Warnings: drama. Another part is going because I carried away again.

Recommendations: “St Jude” by Florence + the Machine.

***

Your POV.

It’s early. The sun hasn’t risen yet, but you are too restless for your bed. You dress a yellow gown and let your hair loose; since it is early, you suppose all in the household are asleep. Thus, you don’t think there’ll be no trouble to leave like that. It’s a risk, but the energy in you is too much to hold it back such an unusual want.

You hold a candle and then leave your quarters. Like a ghost, you almost float through the stairs, going outside in order to breathe the clean air. The shock between the cool temperature outside and the warmth environment you left is inevitable, giving you chills.

But you step into the mist, imperceptible, invisible. How strange that being there makes you feel like home. The silence, however, does not last long; you are taken aback when a male voice interrupts the serenity of your thoughts.

“Isn’t it not too early for you, Miss Y/N? What business I wonder brings you here in such an hour?”

The awkwardness upon which you are discovered by the man who intrigues you and whose aura you hardly have the time to contemplate entirely in a moment where you believed not to disturb anyone, makes you turn around. However, you don’t see him. The mist hides him away from your eyes, but you feel his presence nonetheless.

“Sir, do forgive me, I did not intend to…”

“There is little use to excuse your actions.” He cuts you, and the blush in your face deepens. You begin to try to tangle your long hair as the mist starts to low down and the man in black cape appears before your sight at long last. “These gardens are for your use as well.”

You don’t know what to say. You lower your eyes, heart racing as Mr Vader moves from one side to another, never too far from you. Your chest is heavy with an inexplicable tension.

“I… I thought I’d not…” you choke with words, they never seem so useless to you as they are now.

You hear his chuckle.

“You strike me like a bird who for a very long time was caged and now looks beyond the horizons for a chance to fly.” Mr Vader turns at you. You are sent chills by his closeness. “Am I mistaken in perceiving you so?”

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” You raise your head, slowly turning it to seek for his eyes. For a moment you believe to have perceived a pair of yellow irises staring at you, but how fast the gaze breaks makes you doubt of what you see.

“Oh, so it appears I have entertained a different idea in regards to you, of who you are.” Mr Vader laughs quietly.

He still surrounds you, and you detest to feel like you are a prey about to fall in the traps of a hunter. However, to deny the abrupt spark that seems to ignite each time in your heart is to incur in foolishness. But your pride and your inexperience in such matters can mislead you.

“What that would be, sir?” You tangle one hand to the other. “If your expectations remain the same of when we first met, then I lament to disappoint you.”

The man in dark cape stands behind you. You swallow, but for some reason you don’t fear him.

“How so?”

“You will not get anything celestial of me, any more than I shall get it of you: which I do not at all anticipate.” You turn abruptly to search for his eyes. There they are, the very same yellow ones you spotted minutes before. “And yet it is I who should wonder who you are. The idea I have of you does not let me sleep at night.”

“Is it so? You are such a rare individuality, Miss Y/N. There is good and bad in you.” Mr Vader leans to whisper in your ear. “Though I hardly believe you are a child of the Sith.”

Your cheeks burn.

“You’ve entered my mind. Mr Vader, I must protest.”

“Would you have willingly given me the truth when asked?”

As you tut to answer, he chuckles.

“I needed to know whether you are reliable or not.”

You understand what is not spoken: for the safety of his children. Would you be the best judge of that? Certainly not. You would’ve done the same had you been in his shoes.

“Well, I pray I am worthy of your trust.”

You think you see him smirk, but you don’t know.

“You are, indeed, too pure for this world, Y/N. We live in a planet ruled by the Sith and your concern is my trust.”

“You should not disdain of my perceptions about life, Sir. I am trying to survive.”

You detect an irony taking a shape in his thoughts, ready to booster in his tongue, perhaps aiming to hurt you.

“You see yourself as a bad man, but are you, sir? If it is the case that you are perceived as such, if all the world hated you and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved of you and absolved you from guilt, you would not be without friends.”

There is silence that stands in between them again. You slowly move forward to where he is, shortening the distance between you two. You stand your hand, ready to touch his cape and remove it to spot his identity. However, he grips your wrist and holds it.

“Your innocence blinds you, Y/N. Maybe ignorance is a blessing for you.”

And just like that he drops your wrist and walks off, leaving you behind feeling cold for the very first time.

***

Mr Vader’s POV.

He continues watching you. And interfering only he is impelled to. Mr. Vader’s got used to you, your merry presence that seems to dissipate each day the shadows of a longing gloom that grips onto his manor.

The man’s yellow eyes are exceedingly attentive to the impact you have in his twins: how Leia follows you everywhere, seeing you as the mother she never had; trying to reproduce your mannerisms, from your hairstyle to your vesture code. Luke too is always aiming to please you, showing you what he’s learnt from your lessons, acquiring too by extent not only your sharp wit but your sweet disposition.

He once heard the following conversation.

“My dad is a good man, Miss Y/N. He’s been often misunderstood.” Luke was telling you.

“I sense that too. I do not believe that people are entirely bad that no good can come out from someone. And even if they are, they are misleading.”

“You know what I think?” Leia meddled in the conversation. “That he needs you in his life, miss Y/N.”

“Yes!” Luke exclaimed excitedly. “Leia, you gave us a brilliant idea!”

“I am often the master mind behind our plans, brother dear.” She said with a smug on his face.

Vader sensed your embarrassment. You were about to protest, vehemently so, when he walked in. Then the room fell silent.

*

He knows you’ve been prompted to wake earlier, an habit he soon takes part. That is how he befriends you. But even if Mr Vader does trust in you, you have not yet seen his face.

“I sense the Force in you.” Mr Vader says one day.

“You, sir, are wrong.” The words come out so naturally that you don’t even realize. “I never possessed such a thing in me.”

He moves to where you stand and says:

“I rarely make mistakes, Y/N. You should have been trained as a Jedi instead of a governess. How powerful wouldn’t you become?”

You lift your head to see the pair of yellow irises meeting the y/c that paints yours.

“I care very little to naught when it comes to power. Where it is true I aim freedom, to see beyond the horizon so often limited to women like me, I do however content myself with who I’ve become.” You smile at him. “Do you not miss the simplicity of things, sir? I know you are not entirely bad as you like to present yourself.”

“You speak what you do not know.” Mr Vader shakes his head. “To many I am either lost or dead, Y/N.”

You are about to respond him otherwise when Mr Vader is summoned by Mrs H/N, claiming there is a letter for you. There is some awkwardness since both of you seem to have missed the breakfast and Mrs H/N is clearly wondering why you are at Mr Vader’s presence when he stated otherwise.

“Leave her be, Mrs H/N.” Says he. “I’ve summoned her to discuss some purposes that go beyond your understanding.”

The letter is given to you and Vader’s attention draws back to you. Reading your expressions and your thoughts, he is taken by an immediate concern.

“What is it, Y/N? You look troubled.”

You lower the letter after ending it and say:

“My aunt requests my presence. She is dying. May I have your permission to visit her?”

“I am surprised that after all she’s done to you, you consider attending her wishes.” He says.

You smile at him, so candid doing so.

“Sir, I’ve long forgiven her for her doings.”

Mr Vader sighs.

“Do you intend to go back?”

It’s right when you take his hand and he does not let go. For the first in a very long time, Vader allows you doing so. A sensation that is so good, so blissful, to feel your warm against his cold skin. That particular day, there are no gloves to impede him to reach out for you.

Curiously, Mr Vader is not letting go of your hand. He wants more of you, a strange and mostly unwelcoming urge that seems to resist reason.

“Yes, sir. Of course.”

You give him a squeeze in his gentle. A gesture that, simple as it may be, provides the comfort he is in need.

“I’m always coming back for you.” You assure him.

***

Your POV.

The moment you depart the manor and go back to your aunt’s household—the very same place you swore never to return—you feel an inexplicable misery take possess of your heart. You miss him.

How could it be explained this sensation so similar to grief? You haven’t seen his face for the last two years, but somehow you feel already… attached. To who he is, to the good you sense in him beneath the tons of melancholy and angst that are use to mask it.

I better expurge this sentiment off me.

Not only it is far from ethical to let whatever this is to develop towards your employer, but it is not typical of you to, uh, nurture an affection to a Sith Lord.

Yes, now you come to realize it. As you take your luggage from the carriage and start going to the house that never felt like a home to you, you start to pick up the pieces.

Yet, you stand by what you believe. What did you tell Luke the other day? That no one is that bad that can not find a spark of good inside. It makes you smile because of the countless moments you’ve witnessed him being such a good and tender father to the children you’ve grown to love.

Why am I thinking about them? Concentrate, Y/N. You must not harbor any kind of romantic feeling for the man. Specially a Sith Lord.

You sigh. Decided to bury deep inside such sentiments of affection, you now occupy yourself in meeting the woman who’ve always been more like an enemy than a family.

*

It is at least unique to you that you experience your own drama in the midst of bigger events that are shaking Coruscant. Nonetheless, no Sith Lord, no Emperor or whatever good force that is out there to resist the dark forces can help you now.

As your aunt lies close to dying, new truths come out to you. Your cousin joined the Sith in your absence, much to his mother’s consternation, and died serving the cause to the emperor when prosecuting the rebels. His sisters were married away, but, by a misfortune, one died in childbirth and the other is in a far away galaxy. All leads rather reluctantly to you. Because you’re the closest relative.

“Aunt.” You address her, pitying her poor state. You are half heartily expecting to her her regrets about those years where she treated you unkindly.

“Y/N.” Even close to death she remains proud. “What have you become? You creature of the Sith should’ve been sent to them.”

The accusation still hurts you.

“Why’d you say such a thing?” You cannot help but wonder.

“Your father was a vile man. It’s from him you’ve inherited all of this…” she coughs. “But since you are here, it’s still in you. It is only by law I am commanded to give you this inheritance.”

“If I recall, this was all you got by marriage to my uncle.” You remind her bitterly. “Hence why I am here.”

“You insolent girl.”

You try to sympathize with her, but admittedly the offenses attributed to you only hurt you more. In the end, though, as she comes to give her last breath you say:

“You know what, aunt? I frankly wish you well. Because when you get to the other side, a miserable conscience is all you will have. I pray the Maker you are in good terms with yourself. I shall not get myself to the same level as you are. But what you gave me… You are giving it back.”

One last agonizing look at you and she chokes. Where before there was life in her eyes, now there is no more. You put your hands around your face and weep.

Not because of her death, but what she did in life to you. Forced to deal with your demons, it seems you are surrounded by every sort of misery. The agent of Empire watches you emotionless, obliged to witness everything before acknowledging the transference of the credits and all else to you.

“Looks like you are rich now, Miss Y/LN.”

You don’t pay him attention until the door is open and a cold breeze steps inside. It’s when you simply know it’s him. But your spirits are too shaken to associate his presence to the fact he may have followed you. Or that the agent of the Empire had contacted him for purposes beyond your knowledge.

What you are thankful for is that he’s there for you. Before Mr Vader takes a seat by your side, you hold him close.

“I’m here, dear one. I wouldn’t let you go through this by yourself.” He rubs your back.

“She does seem to think I’m a Sith somehow.” You sob. “Whatever have I done for being treated as such?!”

“If you were one, I don’t think we’d be in this place”, he muses it; you can feel the side smirk on his lips, picturing the sarcasm in his tongue matching in his yellow eyes. “She is dead now, though. She cannot hold power over you anymore. Let her go.”

By saying so, he senses the anger building inside you. He does neither encourage or discourage you, rather comforting you. In fact, Mr Vader comes to realize that to see you distressed makes his heart ache.

You cling onto him as you weep. But eventually, when you raise, his hood had fallen—and perhaps he’d not even notice.

What you see scares and amazes you at the same time. Slowly, you touch his face, your fingertips stroking his cheek. Your eyes linger at his golden curls, the scar over his left eye and a few others under his neck.

“You see me.”

You smile, acknowledging him at last.

“Yes, Mr. Vader, I see you.”

“You don’t fear me?” He inquires you, perplexed.

“No.”

You hold his hand tightly as your eyes lock. His chest goes up and down in tension, but you lean your head against him.

“I don’t think I’ve ever feared you, Mr. Vader.”

(To be continue)

[salazarslytherin]

midnight rendezvous (b.w x y/n)

requested: yes! by @weasleyswizardwheezes1 [i love you arms your writing so uh anything w bill weasley. either smut, angst, fluff, etc. is fine, but could it be on the longer side. please and thank you, no pressure btw :)] send in your own request here

summary: where you and bill have a penchant for meeting in the night

part two here

🃛 masterlist

cw/tw: angst, smut AND fluff babes fem!reader, bill's kind of a dick for a part. sexual tension to the MAX doll. age difference (~6-7 years?) reader IS 18! jic anyone was worried. also i imply reader is short-ish? but in my mind bill is like 6’3-6’5 so he’s massive and like most people would be shorter than him

word count: 5.25k (so i heard u say ‘on the longer side’ and interpreted it as ‘i want a short novel’. hope this satisfies u doll, there'll be one or two?? more parts coming!!)

a/n: requested by @weasleyswizardwheezes1 . hope you like it! pls leave a comment, like or reblog to help boost if you did xx

☯︎ join tag list here

Being the best friend of the Weasley twins definitely had its perks. Spending summers at the Burrow, having a second family that was closer to you than your own, friendly banter that came along with the family.

However, there was an unexpected drawback that came with this.

A drawback by the name of Bill Weasley.

⚔︎

Although in the same year as the twins, you were a year older than Fred and George, meaning you had always felt a little more mature than the two pranksters.

Thus, you felt like you noticed things that the two of them never really noticed. Girls having crushes on them, boys being envious of them, the ways rumours would fly around about the three of you.

The main thing, however, that you felt the two of them didn't notice, was the way Bill treated you.

It wasn't that he'd always been like this. The first few years you'd known the man, he was very nice to you – familial and brotherly, much like the rest of the family had been to you.

However, sometime in fifth year, things changed.

⚔︎

You arrived at the Burrow with the twins for Christmas, ready to be welcomed by the family you'd come to call your own, but was left feeling hurt, weirdly hollow.

Every Weasley had welcomed you with open arms, except Bill. Harry, the only other non-Weasley around, was embraced heartily by the curse-breaker, but you were given a sharp nod, and nothing more.

Confused, you shook it off, moving to sit next to George, his arm wrapped around your waist as you snuggled into him. Fred landed on your other side, passing you a mug of hot cocoa as he landed a kiss on the top of your head, arm enveloping your shoulders with a tight squeeze.

Surrounded by the younger Weasleys as you watched Ginny, Ron and Harry play a game of Exploding Snap, you felt an intense gaze on you, looking up to see the four oldest Weasleys sat around the dining table, watching all of you.

You caught Bill's eyes, sending him a familiar smile, but was ignored as the man took a sip of his coffee, turning to look out the window instead.

Your hurt was short-lived as Fred leaned into whisper a soft quip into your ear, letting out a laugh, turning to relay the same quip to George.

The rest of the trip went similarly – every time you attempted to catch Bill's eye, to hold a proper conversation, he'd ignore you, or brush you off, pretending that he had something else to do.

The day all of you left the Burrow to go back to Hogwarts, Bill had even left the group before you could say goodbye to him, and you could only be left wondering, what did you do?

⚔︎

Now that you've graduated, you were relishing in the last summer you could spend in the Burrow as a teenager without the pressure of work hovering over you.

Determined to have the best time you possibly could with your 'family', your days were consumed by pranks with the twins, quidditch with the family, and helping Molly bake.

Yet, you still felt empty; a hole in the warm pit created by familial love, a hole marked with the name 'Bill Weasley'.

The cursebreaker was still actively avoiding you, for no known reason, and you stopped seeking out why a year ago. Instead, you sought to live your life with one less brother, one less family member to love.

Tossing and turning, you found yourself particularly restless one night. Not wanting to wake Fred, who was sleeping soundly in bed next to you, you got up, tiptoeing down to the kitchen to have a nice cool sip of water.

You'd taken to sleeping in the twins' room since the first holiday you were at the Burrow. Molly was against the idea at first of course, but was incapable of stopping the pranksters who managed to sneak you in night after night, insistent on having 'sleepovers' with you.

After the third night, Molly gave up, only giving you three a strict 'no funny business!' warning, before trudging back off to bed.

⚔︎

The dim lamplight from the kitchen illuminated just about enough for you to see your surroundings, having been around the Weasleys' long enough to know which boards to avoid so as to not have them creak and wake the family up.

However, what you hadn't taken into account was a body on the ground, hitting your foot into a blanketed torso, making you elicit a shriek, the unknown body on the ground letting out a muffled groan.

"What the fuck?"

You muttered a quick 'Lumos', pointing your wand at the person under the quilt, only for the fabric to be thrown aside, revealing a tousled Bill Weasley, sleep clouding his narrowed eyes as he massaged his abdominal with one hand, ruffling his hair with the other.

"Oh."

Realising that the man on the floor was, in fact, a Weasley, and not some thief who'd stolen into the house in the middle of the night, you dismissed the charm, lowering your wand and shifting awkwardly on your feet.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were there."

Throwing a curt apology at Bill, you moved off towards the kitchen, grabbing a mug from the cupboard above and wordlessly filling it up, intent on finishing your business as quickly as possible before heading back up to the twins.

"Pour me a cup?"

The deep voice startled you for a moment. At some point Bill had gotten up from his mound of pillows and now found himself stood behind you, his hand holding out a mug that had a 'B' painted on it, gesturing at the water jug you were holding.

Nodding curtly, you poured him his water, Bill thanking you before moving to lean against a counter, watching you from behind the rim of his mug.

"'m surprised you're down here."

Furrowing your brows, you looked up at the man in confusion.

"What'd you mean?"

He shrugged, downing the rest of his water before placing the mug down on the counter with a tad bit more strength than he needed. He stretched for a moment, arms pulled over his head to pull the sleep out of his eyes, shirt moving up with the movement to show off a slither of his toned stomach.

"You're always around the twins, never see you without 'em. Expected you to be, in their beds or something I don't know."

A protest spluttered from your throat, choking slightly on the water that you'd been drinking.

"I–what?"

The man lifted an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side.

"Am I wrong? You've been in and out both their beds since you were firsties. I mean, it's not hard to guess what you're doing in there with 'em."

You huffed at the implications of Bill's words, putting your mug down with much of the same vigour as he had just now.

"First off, I'm an adult, and I can do what I please."

You were fuming, steam practically coming out your ears, and hearing the muttered 'clearly been an adult for a while' from Bill's lips didn't help.

"Second, even if I was sleeping with your brothers, which I am not, I don't understand why it'd be any of your business. It's not like we're friends or anything."

An odd, emotionless laugh came from Bill's lips, pushing off the counter to come stand over you. His tall stature forced you to stumble backwards, pressed against the wooden cabinets as he glared down at you.

"First off," Bill's deep voice was modulated up an octave, mocking your previous rebuttal.

"I am not saying your life is part of my concern. I'm concerned for my brothers."

A hand landed next to your head, pushing against the cabinet harshly.

"But second, you're practically a Weasley. It's my duty to look after you guys."

You laughed indignantly, looking away from the intense man to focus on his arm instead, as if studying the tattoos that covered his tanned frame.

"I'm sorry. It's your duty to look after me?"

You pushed him off of you, moving away with a huff, grabbing the two abandoned mugs to wash them with far too much tenacity, water splashing everywhere.

"Yes, that's what I said. I've known you since you were eleven – of course I have to watch over you. You're like family."

You rolled your eyes, giving up the facade of placidity as you left the mugs clattering in the sink, whipping around to face Bill.

"I'm like family? That's rich, William, truly rich."

Now it was your turn to advance towards the man, causing him to back up as your anger fueled you with energy, stomping dangerously close to his feet.

"If how you treat me is how you treat your family, I pity Molly for having you as a son."

Incoherent words left Bill's mouth in an attempt to argue further with you, but you didn't listen. Turning on your heel, you left the man in the kitchen, no longer concerning yourself with which steps to avoid as you stomped back to the twins' room, leaving Bill accompanied only by the dim light from the lamp, and the creaks coming from the floorboards.

⚔︎

After that infuriating night, it was no longer a 'hidden' fact that something was off between you and Bill.

While it had seemed that Bill used to be the one avidly avoiding you, the tables had quickly turned – you were now the prey ardently avoiding any encounters with your predator.

Any time Bill came into the room, you'd either leave, or place yourself as far away as humanly possible. During meals, you'd move yourself to sit next to Ginny, as opposed to in between the twins as you'd been sat for years, just so you no longer sat across from Bill. Even during quidditch, one of your favourite things to do with the whole family, you opted to sit out and stay in the twins' room or help Molly with the dishes, just to make sure you never had to interact with Bill.

Honestly, you weren't quite certain why the conversation with Bill had ticked you off so much. Maybe it was because he accused you of sleeping with your best friends, as if that was all you were good for. Maybe, it was because he had no right to insert himself in your life like that, to pretend like he cared about you in the first place.

It was clear he no longer wanted to be a part of your life when you were sixteen. You had no desire to welcome the curse-breaker back into your life now.

⚔︎

Three days after the midnight meeting with Bill, you found yourself restless again, unable to sleep.

George shifted slightly as you moved out of his bed, turning to cuddle with your now abandoned pillow as you slipped out of his grasp.

You decided to go for a quick midnight broom ride, hoping that the adrenaline rush and energy that you'd burn while flying would tire you out so you could finally fall asleep. A lot of the time you'd spent avoiding Bill turned into naps, which meant you were increasingly unable to fall asleep at night, disrupting your sleep schedule massively.

Cursing Bill under your breath, you creeped down the stairs, hoping that he wouldn't be down there again. You didn't want to have to deal with the eldest Weasley again.

Thanking your lucky stars, you landed on the final step, noting that the first floor was empty. Hoping that the door wouldn't creak when you opened it, you ran towards the small shed out back, grabbing a random broom from it and got ready to fly.

"Y/N?"

You were already mounted on the broom and ready to kick off as that dreaded baritone resounded from the door.

You should have known you weren't that lucky.

Yelling a quick "Nope!", you kicked off and flew out towards the countryside, only looking behind you to see Bill standing in his sleeping pants, hands gesturing out at you in exasperation.

"Now how's that for some good ol' avoidance?"

⚔︎

Though you'd initially planned on flying only for a little bit, seeing Bill at the door really put a damper on your plans, making you decide to fly to a nearby watering hole the Weasleys used to bring you to.

Illuminated by the moonlight, you descended upon the grassy area, smiling at the way the water rippled in the soft night breeze.

Tranquility was what the scene spelt.

In a moment motivated by something you'd come to dub as 'Weasley Whims', i.e the reason the twins had gotten the three of you in trouble constantly, you decided to strip down to your underwear to take a dip in the cool water, abandoning your clothes and wand on a mossy rock nearby.

Taking a running leap, you threw yourself into the water, feeling, for the first time in three days, free. A laugh rippled the waters as you broke through the surface, swimming back over to the edge, only for the laugh to be stolen away as you noticed a shadowed figure land next to your broom.

Bill Weasley was here to ruin your night, yet again.

You let out a strangled scream of frustration as the man alighted from his broom, feet and torso bared to the moonlight.

Clearly, he, like you, had not bothered to dress properly for the impromptu flight.

"Why are you following me."

Your question held no semblance of curiosity, only frustration as you demanded an answer from the man. His answer did not come, only moving towards the water to kneel in front of it, looking down at you.

"Why are you running away from me?"

Wisps of his ginger hair fell forward, covering bits of his handsome face as the rest was carelessly thrown up into a short ponytail, clearly done to prevent his hair from falling into his face during the flight, a precaution that you'd forgotten to take.

"I could ask you the same. Only, it must be a bit harder to hide from someone when they're already hiding from you in the first place, hmm?"

You turned away from the man, diving back down into the depths of the watering hole to kick yourself over to the other side, wanting to do nothing more than swim away from the ginger, or maybe, have him leave you alone and fly back to the burrow, alone.

But of course, fate never let you have your way.

You turned around only to see the man had sat himself down cross-legged, body illuminated by the moonlight as it highlighted the tattoos decorating his forearm, the several scars that littered his chest a sharp white juxtaposing his tanned skin.

"I never ran away from you."

Your head fell back as you tread the water lightly, looking up instead to admire the stars that embellished the night sky, recalling fondly the astronomy classes you'd taken in the past two years as you focused on constellation after constellation, intent on ignoring the man in front of you, hoping your disregard would drive him away.

"Y/N, I'm talking to you."

The words drew a monotone chuckle from you, your eyes snapping to meet Bill's.

"Well that's a first."

Bill moved to stand up, and your heart jumped for a moment. Maybe he would finally leave you alone.

But yet again, luck never did seem to favour Y/N Y/L/N.

Instead of moving further away as you'd thought he would, Bill moved closer, stepping into the shallow of the watering hole, the water soaking the bottom of his pants.

Your eyes darted at the ripple of his abs with every movement, swallowing as your eyes darted to look anywhere else you could. You were not about to find this man attractive.

You could see him coming towards you in your peripherals, and moved back to face him, his pecs the only part of his torso above the water.

"You haven't spoken to me for almost two years, and now you've just got so much to say to me, huh?

Bill looked down into the water, nibbling on his lip as he looked back into your eyes, almost sheepish as he tried to answer.

"I–"

"You know how much that hurt?"

You swam closer towards him, your feet finding ground as you stood next to him, your shoulders bared to the world as you were no longer submerged.

"You were like family to me for almost five years, and then one day. You just fucking stopped. Stopped talking to me. Stopped joking around with me. For a while, you didn't even look at me!"

Your hands came up out of the water, gesturing wildly as you basically screamed at the man, Bill flinching slightly as the water splashed into his face, looking back down at the water again.

Ashamed.

"D'you know how fucked up that was? I had no clue what happened, why one of the people I considered family, one of my favourite people in the world, just fucking despised me all of a sudden."

Bill looked up at you in surprise at your words.

"And you know the worst fucking part?"

Your voice suddenly fell to a hush, almost a whisper as a tear welled in your eye, prompting you to shut them as your head tilted down, urging your breath to slow down.

"The worst part, the worst part was that I thought it was my fault, that it was something I'd done to drive you away. I blamed myself for ages, didn't know what I said, didn't know why you hated me."

"Didn't know why you'd never like me back."

The last part was said in a true whisper, barely audible despite the silent night.

Yet Bill still heard it, and his breath hitched in his throat, eyes searching your face as a tear escaped you, rolling down your cheek.

Unable to restrain himself, Bill's hand darted forward out, cooled by the waters you two found yourself in, a blatant contrast to the warm tear as the pad of his thumb wiped it away.

You flinched away from Bill, feeling vulnerable for the first time that night, coming to the sudden realisation that you were clad only in your underwear, your unintended confession drawing heat to your cheeks as you moved away from the man.

"I, I was afraid."

Bill's own confession halted your movements, making you turn back around to look up at him, confused.

"I–, how do I say this. I was ashamed of myself."

It was now Bill's turn to feel vulnerable, his unease making him shift in the water, the water rippling around the two of you at his movements.

"That winter when you came back here, when you turned sixteen, I started seeing you as more than family. I– I found you attractive, and I felt disgusted with myself."

You huffed, disbelieving of the words you were hearing.

"I'm being serious Y/N. You just, grew up over those few months, and just came back different, somehow. I felt like a predator, I was twenty-three! You were still a kid, and I, I just didn't know what to do anymore."

"I wasn't a kid!"

"Of course you were! You were still in school, I'd been working for five years, I couldn't live with myself feeling like that. I didn't know what to do, so I just, distanced myself. Hoped that the feelings would go away eventually, then I'd just, go back to being normal."

Your eyes scanned the ginger's face, searching for a speck of a lie, a pinch of deception but only found uncertainty, attraction and lust dusting the man's face.

"But you never stopped..."

Your breath stopped for a moment as your eyes met.

"Are you being serious?"

His breath fanned your face as both of you instinctively moved closer towards each other, more of your body exposed to the world as you came further out of the water.

"As serious as I could be Y/N."

Your breath was taken away as Bill leaned in, ghosting his lips over yours, strands of ginger hair falling to tickle your face.

"Can I kiss you?"

A breathless whisper fell from Bill's lips, prompting you to nod in assent, the man falling to capture your lips before you even finished the move.

Sparks flew in that moment, the man's lips gliding over yours as he stole your breath away. You pulled apart after a second, before your lips fell back together again, insatiable in your desire to taste each other.

Bill's tongue teased you, mouth falling open for his teeth to graze at your lower lip, making you gasp such that your lips fell open in the same way, his hand moving to cup your jaw. Taking advantage of your momentary shock, the ginger slipped his tongue into your mouth, exploring every nook and cranny of you as you moaned into his lips, pressing your chest against his.

The water waded around you as Bill's left hand moved down your body, fitting snugly under your ass as he muttered a soft 'jump', which you obliged.

Your legs wrapped around the man's hips, Bill walking the two of you onto the soft grass, muttering a charm against your lips before placing you down.

Instead of feeling prickly blades of grass on your skin, a soft blanket had appeared, making you smile, pulling away from the man.

"Quite the romantic, Mr Weasley. Know how to treat a girl right don't you?"

A deep chuckle sounded from the man who hovered above you on his hands and knees, biting his lower lip at the sight of you.

"Only the best for my girl."

Your heart leapt at Bill’s words; were you his now?

Not wanting to dwell on it, to overthink this moment of passion, you pulled his lips back down onto yours.

His girl.

⚔︎

The moon hung high in the night sky as both your hands explored each other, frantic, as if it was your last day on Earth and you only had here and now to envelop yourselves in each other.

The pure animalistic need that pulsed through the two of you allowed no time for foreplay, fingers hooking into the soaking fabrics that clung to both of you.

“Can I?”

Bill fingered the waistband of your underwear, thumb brushing your hip bone with motions feather light, wildly disparate from the way his lips devoured yours hungrily.

One act designed to ruin you, the other almost afraid he’d break you.

“Yes, I need you.”

You deigned to show him just how much by hooking your own fingers into his waistband, soaked pajama pants pulled away to reveal his boxers, clinging to his muscular frame.

Bill responded by undressing you with much of the same vigour, moving to pull your underwear down to your ankles, his pants in very much the same state, gazing down at your soaked private with lust clouding his vision.

“Next time,” he breathed out onto your glistening lips, “I’ll make you cum with just my tongue.”

Your breath hitched at his words, no, his promise, of a next time as Bill made his way back up your body, peppering kisses on your exposed skin, his hard-on grinding against your leg as he moved up.

The cursebreaker’s deft hands unhooked your bra expertly, sucking in a breath as your pert nipples were revealed to him.

“Beautiful.” He mumbled, almost as if he was speaking to himself.

Bill moved to unclothe himself fully, before you stopped his movements, his hands already pulling at the waistband around his hips.

“May, may I?”

He nodded as you sat up, eyes glazed as he studied your body, memorising the way your breasts glistened in the moonlight. He would make it his mission to mark them, to show anyone who came near you that you were no one’s, but his.

You hooked your fingers into his boxers, pulling them down to his thighs at an almost agonising pace as every part of Bill was unveiled to you, standing proudly in the light.

“Are you... a virgin?”

The man above you asked as it dawned upon him. He was really about to have the girl he’d been craving for.

“No, I’m not.”

His jaw clenched at your admission, the thought of someone else’s hands on you ticking him off, before pushing it away.

It didn’t matter. You were with him now.

He nodded, coming back down to kiss you as one hand braced him by your head, the other reaching down to pump himself slowly.

Your hands wrapped around his neck, eyes falling closed as you immerse yourself in him.

Bill’s knee nudged your thighs apart, moving himself so he was lined up against you, hand brushing his cock up and down your lips, causing both of you to shudder.

His head dipped into you, your tight heat causing him to hiss, pausing for a moment to savour the feeling before pushing himself in fully, stopping only once he’d bottomed out.

“Are y’okay?”

You bit your lower lip as Bill moved away from you to scan your face for discomfort or pain. His girth, while not quite painful was definitely bordering on pain, your walls stretching as he filled you entirely.

“Yes, just, one second.”

Your hands gripped his neck, lacing your fingers through the tresses of his hair as you adjusted around him. As the pain receded, you nodded, a silent signal for the man to move.

He carefully pulled out of you, then pushed back in slowly, hands landing by your head to brace himself, testing the waters whilst both of you moaned at the feeling.

“Faster.”

Bill obliged, moving to thrust in and out of you at increasing speeds with each movement. His hips snapped against yours at a speed that could only be described as vicious, eliciting sounds that defiled the tranquil nature you were surrounded by.

You were breathless as the man thrusted in and out of you, his movements only capable of drawing pants and whimpers from your mouth, the activity rendering you a simpleton who knew only two words - ‘Bill’ and ‘please’.

Your climax soon drew close, a coil tightening with his every sound and every move, your body notifying the man above you by the clench of your walls around him, the motion drawing him closer to his own orgasm.

“Are you close baby?”

A nod was all you managed as you threw your head back, Bill’s tip brushing against your g-spot edging you even closer to your precipice.

One of Bill’s hands moved down your body, landing on the bundle of nerves above where the two of you met, rubbing figure eights onto you, making you let out a gasp of surprise as the older man helped you move closer to your orgasm.

His movements didn’t falter as your moans grew louder, seeming instead encouraged by the promise of your climax, your moans growing loud and unabashed.

Each pant of his name made the man groan in return, moving both his fingers and his hips so ferociously that your breasts bounced with each thrust, your back sure to be red and chafed in the morning from the friction against the blanket.

But you didn’t care - the only thoughts you were capable of manifesting was how good it felt to have Bill inside you, how this was the one thing you’d ever needed to feel full, how he never stopped in his stimulation, the way his mouth felt on your nipples - sucking on the skin of your breasts, a reminder that would last of this fleeting night.

As Bill stimulated you with his cock, his fingers, his mouth, you couldn’t hold it in any longer - and you could tell Bill was reaching his breaking point as well - you let out a moan that would awaken the sleeping birds in the tree nearby, a scream of “Bill” that would leave the twins wondering why your voice was hoarse in the morning left you, legs trembling as you released around the man.

Yet he still never relented.

As you rode out your orgasm, your cunt throbbing, Bill never faltered in his actions, hips thrusting into you as he bit into your neck softly, intent on marking you for all to see as his cock twitched inside of you.

With a moan that you could only describe as sinful, yet angelic, a sound that would haunt your dreams and bless your nightmares, teeth grazing your sensitive skin, Bill came into you. Hot stripes of white liquid coating your walls while his thrusts slowed to a stop.

Getting up on trembling hands, Bill hovered above you, exiting you in a slow movement that had you whimpering at the sudden emptiness, your eyes still shut from your post-orgasmic bliss.

Lips pressed onto your forehead, as if Bill was savouring something he didn’t want to lose.

Something you didn’t want to lose either.

⚔︎

The flight back to the Burrow was silent, the two of you side by side as you flew through the wilderness of Ottery St. Catchpole.

When you landed, you looked out onto the nature around you, Bill landing almost immediately after you.

In the distance, you could see the sun readying to rise in the East, colours bleeding into the sky that had been pitch dark save for the spattered stars hours ago.

“Did you regret that?”

The man standing beside you asked after a moment of silence, not daring to meet your eyes as he appeared vulnerable, afraid, feigning an interest in the rising sun.

His muscular arm was what you were faced with as you turned towards him, his tall stature casting a shadow over you. You eyed the red marks you’d left on him, the little reminders scattered on his shoulders and back.

“No. Did you?”

The cursebreaker turned to face you, an unreadable expression on his face as he watched you, scanning your face for the umpteenth time that night.

“Of course not.”

You crossed your arms over your chest, drawing Bill’s gaze down towards them, a small smile telling you he was admiring the slowly darkening marks he’d left on you.

“Then why’d you assume I would’ve?”

He caught his lower lip between his teeth, gnawing on it absentmindedly as he shrugged.

“I dunno. Just assumed you wouldn’t have wanted that with an older man or somethin’, I s’just worried, s’all.”

You inhaled deeply, letting out a long sigh as you reached out towards the man, cupping a hand on either side of his chiseled jaw, making him look into your eyes.

“Bill, that was my decision to make. If I didn’t want to have sex with you, I wouldn’t’ve done it. It’s not your place to decide for me whether I wanted it.”

You leaned in to capture his lips in yours; this time deepening the kiss on your terms, slipping your tongue into his mouth and savouring his taste.

Cinnamon, with a hint of mint and tobacco.

You pulled away, tracing your lips to the sweet spot under his ear, sucking softly before turning to whisper in his ear.

“I wanted it, and I’ve wanted you for longer than you could have known.”

part two out now x

[rent-a-bat]

In the end, no

Drabble #5

Promt: #87 “Don't be scared, I’m right here”

Pairing: Jason Todd x Reader

Requested by: Anonymous

A/N: Thank you all who waited to see this one posted! and thanks to the one who requested it, im sorry it took this long but I had a serious case of procrastination. Hope you guys enjoy!

tw: character death

To say you were tired wasn't even close to how you felt.

You were exhausted. Mind, body and everything in between. You had been working nonstop for too long, you were starting to burn out. But as things started to ease out, you finally had time to relax. Today was the first time you'll be going home early and you no longer had to be the first one in the office to begin the day, which meant you'll finally enjoy your free time.

The trek from work to your home was long enough to allow you to list all the things you've stopped doing so far.

You haven't watched your favorite show, too tired at night to even look for it. You haven't read your book, started since the beginning of the year, and six months later still not even half finished. You haven't felt your bed, your body too tired to even feel how comfortable it was before sleeping. You haven't enjoyed your home, barely basked in its warmth and felt its love.

You haven't seen him.

That's what you missed the most. You would arrive too late to see him off before patrol, and your work was too early to say goodbye in the morning when he just came back.

A hand on your shoulder took you out of your trance. You jumped, your mind still somewhere in your thoughts. Your first reaction was to move away, but that only made them hold you closer, their grip on you too strong to break. Before you could panic, a laugh behind you made you react.

“Jason!” You shouted, getting out of his grasp as relief washed over you.

He smiled, clearly amused at your reaction.

“Hello, y/n.” His lips warmed you as he kissed your forehead. You rolled your eyes, not letting him get away with it.

Your fist collided with his arm as you scolded him. “Don't do that again.”

He laughed, holding you once more. Your body relaxing almost instantly.

“I won't do it again… maybe.”

“Hmm.” You answered, your arms circling his waist, pressing yourself more to him. It was an awkward position to walk, but you didn't care, it's been ages since you've been like this, and you weren't passing on the opportunity.

You walked for a few blocks in silence, taking your usual shortcut through the alley, Jason's presence enough to make you feel safe even in Gotham, before you talked again. “Hey, Jay?”

He made a questioning sound. “What?”

“Dick called.” You braced yourself for his reaction. Seeing as he was waiting for you to continue, you did. “He wants us to come for dinner tomorrow night.”

“He does now.” was his answer. You pushed yourself away to look at him, not leaving his arms.

“Yeah. He said, and I quote, ‘He misses his baby bird and wants to see him now that he's in town’” You said, your smile growing with his reaction.

He huffed, shaking his head, looking up at your building.

“Come on. Let's go for a little while and then we leave.” You tried to plead as you went inside.

“Are you sure?” He asked, already walking up the stairs, you followed him behind as he took the lead.

“Yeah. Besides, I like Dick.” He brushed against the walls as he turned to look at you, the hallway to your apartment barely wide enough for the two.

“Of course you do.” He gave you a smile that made you think he wasn't talking about his brother.

You turned away, not wanting to let him see you blush. ”And..., I want to say hi to Alfred”

You stopped at the open door, Jason moving aside to let you go first.

“I’ll think about it.” He finally said, your smile widening at his answer. With a kiss on his cheek you let the door close as you both were finally home.

Tomorrow came faster than you thought.

It was a nice dinner, even if Jason would rather eat his words than accept it.

You arrived at quarter past six, 15 minutes before you agreed, the nerves not letting you stay calm. Dick was already there before you could even knock, Alfred waiting by the door, as he came forward to hug you. You returned it just as earnestly, it had been a while since you last saw him and he definitely was your favorite of the brothers. Letting you go with a smile, he took you to the dining room, taking Jason with him by the shoulder in a half hug. Fighting to hold back your laughter, you followed, hugging Alfred as you passed him.

It was a surprise once you arrived, not expecting Bruce or Tim to be there as well, the two of them receiving you just as warmly.

Everything was great. Once in a while you would sneak a glance at Jason, the way he smiled and how he laughed told you he too liked these little moments with his family, when everything is simple, easy, and you loved seeing him like this, your heart a little warmer at the thought.

Bruce and Tim left after dinner, not waiting for dessert, saying they had business to attend to. Dick followed not long after, asking Jason to go with him. Which left you alone with Alfred, the two of you chatting over a cup of tea before cleaning up.

You helped Alfred wash the dishes and clear out the dinner before heading down to the cave.

You could hear a fight going on as you made your way down, shouts getting louder the closer you got. Jason was pacing as he talked, screamed, at Dick who remained silent, arms crossed while he looked at Jason, his troubled expression the only sign of his emotions.

"How's everything going, guys?" You asked as soon as you stepped out of the elevator, brow raised knowingly at them.

“It's going great” Jason's smile as he came towards you showing it was anything but. “Come on y/n, we're leaving”

“Jay, please, just think about it.”

“I said, no, Dick.” Jason said, taking your hand as he walked towards the elevator.

“What is he talking about?” you asked, pulling back to stop him.

“Nothing.” His answer was short, not looking at you.

"How is it nothing? I wouldn't ask you, beg you, if it were nothing." Dick sighed, pulling at his hair as he looked down, almost defeated.

"What is it?" You asked Dick, his head shooting up to look at you.

"It's this case we've been working on..."

"Don't tell her! She does-"

"No," You cut him off, "I want to know. What is it Dick?"

He shot a glance at Jason before he answered.

"We've been tracking an organization that's been involved in drugs for the most part, but as of lately, they've moved to weapons and human trafficking." He shook his head. "Guess they found a better way to make money."

"Those bastards." Jason said under his breath, huffing behind you.

"We've been following them in Gotham and Bludhaven for a while, but never got to the source." He looked at Jason, "that is, until Jason's last report."

You suck a breath. If they found the source then it means they could take them down forever. They could free not only Gotham and Bludhaven, but any other place they could have a base.

"We are going to the location. Take them by surprise, before they leave." Dick finished, crossing his arms.

You grabbed Jason's hand, feeling the heat of his body behind you. This was big, too important to let it pass and he knew too.

“When are they leaving?” you asked Dick, ignoring the look Jason was surely giving you.

“Right now.” he grimaced, “Bruce and Tim just left, they are on their way to the airport.”

You looked back at Jason, his eyes already on you. You could tell what he was thinking, you just got your time back, and now he was leaving, but you could also tell how much he wanted to help. That's why you knew what to say next.

“You should go, Jason.” The surprise on his face as you answered was one for the books.

“Y/n…” He began to say, still confused. You smiled in reassurance, taking his hand in yours.

“Even I know this is your best chance at getting them.” you squeezed his hand. “So, go.”

He stared at you for a while before he asked, “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Go.” You patted his arm, giving him a little push towards his bike.

He stumbled back a few steps, his eyes never leaving you. He looked like a kicked puppy, and you couldn't help laughing a little.

“I’ll be fine , Jason." You fought for your smile to reach your eyes. "I'll be here when you get back."

“Okay.” was all he said after a long pause, barely a whisper, his eyes never leaving yours until he moved. He got into his bike, sending a quick message to Bruce to tell them he was going.

"I love you." He said before putting on the helmet, starting his bike before he left.

The sound of the engine almost covering your answer. "I love you too."

You watched him leave with Dick at your side, the cave suddenly too quiet for the two of you. Now that he had left you couldn't hold onto the smile anymore. You sighed, rubbing at your eyes to keep the tears threatening to come out at bay.

You paced the cave for a while, not wanting to stay still, too afraid of what would happen if you did until you finally stopped, letting your mind do the pacing.

You felt Dick at your side a moment after, his hand rubbing your shoulder to comfort you.

“Don't worry y/n. I'll stay here to monitor if there's any movement in Gotham”, his hand on you a comfortable weight, “I’ll also be in contact with them 24/7. If anything happens, you'll be the first to know.”

You sighed again, something you've been doing lately, tension leaving your body at his words. At least there'll be someone taking care of him.

“Thank you, Dick.” He flashed you a smile, offering his arm to you

“No problem. Come on, I'll take you home.” You smiled in response, taking his arm in yours.

Like that, hours became days, days became weeks, and before you knew it, 2 months had passed. Two months since he left. Two months since you've been alone. No. You weren't alone, he was still out there, working hard, saving people, and yet, you couldn't help feeling that way.

Dick was true to his word, letting you know everything as it happened, day by day, he would call to update you on the mission. Even when there was nothing to report he'd still call you, sometimes to talk, sometimes to listen, you knew he was trying to cheer you up, and you were grateful for that.

Other days you would go to the mansion, spending time with Alfred, letting him guide you through the mansion, telling you stories about Jason and the rest when they were young or chatting through a cup of tea, and with Dick down in the cave, as the two of you checked on them, how they were doing, if they were okay. It had become sort of a routine as you waited.

You were making your way home when your phone went off, your boss sending you home earlier and giving you the next day free after spending the last weeks working overtime, threatening to fire you if you came back without resting. You checked the id before answering, smiling when Dick's name showed on the screen.

"Hey Dick! How’s everything going?" You answered cheerfully, your good mood coming out.

"Hey y/n"

"I just saw Bruce giving an interview. Why didn't you tell me they were back?"

"Y/n…"

“And why hasn't my boy called to tell me? I swear if he tries another of his surprises…” you stopped mid sentence, Dick unusually quiet for a call like this. Anxiety building up inside you before you asked, ” Hey… what is it Dick?”

"Y/n…"

"What?"

"Is Jason.."

"What happened?" you said, dread gnawing on your insides

"I think it'll be better if you come to the mansion."

"I don't see how going there would be any different from telling me now."

“…” His silence became unbearable, your patience thinning with every second that passed.

The last of it breaking as you shouted, "Dick! Tell me!", worry more than clear in your voice.

He heaved a sigh before speaking. "They managed to get most of the men, but their leader managed to escape. He and another guy got into a plane and Jason followed them."

You breathed in sharply.

"He got onto the plane. It was loaded with weapons, mostly explosives. It took off before they could go with him"

No.

"A fight broke and there was a shooting"

No.

“A missing bullet must've hit one of those crates and” he took a deep breath, “the plane exploded.”

No!

"It fell into the sea"

You held onto the wall, your legs giving out, making you slide down to the floor

"Where is he?"

"They've been looking all through the ocean nonstop. So far, they've found two bodies. They’re still looking for hi.., him."

“Don't you have a way of knowing this!? A signal, something?” You were shouting, not caring for the looks people were giving you as they passed.

"The tracker was on his helmet, we believe it got destroyed in the explosion, that's why they haven't been able to find him yet."

It couldn't be. This isn't happening. Not- not again. Not to him.

“Y/n-”

“I'm going there” you cut him out, ending the call.

The next thing felt like a blur, each of his words ringing over and over inside your mind.

The plane exploded.

They are still looking for him.

There's still a chance.

You took a cab to the mansion, barely paying attention to the ride. You jumped out once you reached Wayne Manor, running as fast as you could to the entrance, Alfred already there before you could reach the door, so you went straight down to the cave, Dick waiting for you at the elevator.

“Hey y/n…”

“Please Dick. Tell me it isn't true” you shook him by the shoulders, trying to to stop yourself from crying. “Please tell me it isn't”, eyes burning as you pleaded

“I wish it was” he grabbed your wrists, rubbing circles, trying to comfort you as much as he could.

You shook your head, casting down your eyes, not wanting to see the truth you'd find in his. You didn't want to believe it.

“Please, please please please….” You could feel yourself falling down, your legs no longer holding you for a second time this day.

Dick hugged you, keeping you from reaching the floor. “I'm sorry y/n”

“No!” Tears blurred your vision. Your arms rounding his neck as you hug him back, his hold on you tightening.

It was your fault.

Maybe if you hadn't told him. If you had stopped him before he left, maybe then he'd still be here, still with you. Still alive.

No.

You wouldn't have changed a thing.

You knew Jason, you knew he thought the same. He wanted to help, that's all he's ever wanted. To give a meaning to his actions. He wanted to help those in need, to be useful, to be good. That's why he went, your words only helping to ease the worry of leaving you alone. That's why you said it, and you'd never regret it, and neither would he.

It wasn't your fault.

A sound from behind made you look back. Batman turned from the computer, taking a few steps before removing his cowl. He looked tired, defeated. So different from the looks he had for the cameras not long ago.

You ignored the way he looked, anger rising like a fire making you move away from Dick.

“It was you!” You shouted across the cave. Tears sliding down your cheeks as you made your way to Bruce

“You did this!” you hit him on the chest, your fists colliding with his armor. His face was tired, eyes filled with sadness. He had failed him again.

“You had to look out for him!” Another punch.

“You had to save him!” you said through your tears, your fists losing force.

“Why didn't you save him?” you finally sobed, pressing your forehead against him. The fire burning away, leaving only ashes, your body suddenly cold.

“I’m sorry” was all he said as he held your shaking body while you cried. His warmth and the feel of his arms on your back a comfort around you, but not the one you wanted, the one you may never have again.

You stayed at the mansion after that. Once you had calmed down Dick took you to one of the rooms, giving you a little briefing of what was going on. Tim had stayed on the island, looking over the search in case they found him. Meanwhile Bruce tried looking with the satellites, see if any of the old trackers in his body were still active. If what you knew was true, there was no point on doing that. Jason had taken them all out long ago, not wanting any of them keeping checks on him. Still, it was something, better than nothing.

You felt empty, and yet, hope remained in you, like embers of a fire not quite out, waiting for any kind of fuel to light up again.

You stayed for a week before deciding it was time to go back, those days barely spent doing the bare minimum, crying yourself to sleep every night, trying to console yourself as much as you could, after all you only had so much time off work, you still had to live your life, try to move on and wait.

So you did.

You kept working, doing as much to keep your mind from spiraling that way, from staying as far from your apartment as you could. Still your home but one that's grown colder with every passing day. It was hard, sadness and despair threatening to keep you from doing anything every day, and yet you pushed. For him. Moping around was not something he'd like for you, even if he wasn't here, but he could, if they haven't found a body yet you could still hope, you could still wait.

Hope was slipping down like water through your fingers. You tried to hold on to as much as you could, as long as there was even the tiniest possibility, you would, you could still believe he was coming back, coming home, coming to you.

What else was left?

The sound of your phone woke you up. You checked the clock on your stand. Not yet time for you to wake up, and barely one hour sleeping. Another night of tossing around, unable to sleep, the thoughts in your head too loud to let you rest.

You grabbed your phone, the name on the screen no longer making you smile. You sat up, moving your covers aside, letting your feet touch the floor, the coldness of it waking you up.

You took a deep a deep breath, steeling yourself before answering, getting ready for whatever was going to happen.

But nothing in the world could have prepared you for what was going to happen next.

"Hello Dick." You said, breathing deeply through your nose.

"Hello y/n. How are you?"

"What is it?" You ignored his question, going straight to the point. Whatever it was, you could take it.

You could hear Dick pacing around, almost hear the gears in his head trying to think a way of telling you the news

You could take it.

"There's been news on Jason"

You could.

"They found him"

You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding, a wave of relief washing over you.

"You did!?" you shouted, "How is he? Is he- ?" You tried to ask everything at once, barely able to contain yourself before he stopped you.

"We don't know, y/n. The body-"

Your heart went still.

"It's been too long. "

The body.

"We are waiting for it to arrive. Run some tests, dental records, DNA.."

Not him.

"Due to his legal status we can't let them know it's him. We have to wait until he's back with us in Gotham"

"You're sure it's him?" you felt yourself asking, no longer connected to your body.

"There was no one else on that plane they hadn't found"

The last ember of hope went off inside you, leaving smoke to fill its place.

"Y/n?"

"I have to go."

"Wait, y/n! Let me come get you-"

"Goodbye Dick."

You ended the call.

Your phone hitting the floor at the same time you did, hugging you legs tight to your chest, tears burning your eyes, wetting your cheeks. The lump in your throat making it hard to swallow.

And just like that, as if a switch had turned inside you.

You screamed.

Screamed with every fiber of your being, your body shaking every time you did. Your tears falling down like rivers you wanted to drown in. You weren't crying, crying meant sadness, sometimes even happiness, an emotion so big it couldn't be contained inside, whose only way out is like that. This was so much more.

It was pain, full, raw, unbounded. It was despair and sadness, all coming out at once. It was your soul breaking, its shards leaving you with every scream, with every tear, making your face wet, your eyes burn, leaving your throat raw and hurting.

You did it until the smoke inside you left, leaving you hollow. You had to calm down, sobbing thickly, your vision blurry with drying tears.

You tried to breath, the air suddenly becoming too thick, making you dizzy. You could feel the walls pressing on you, too tight, too cold.

You were breaking, your chest hurt, like it would collapse any time now, taking your heart with it.

You needed to leave.

You left your apartment, not bothering to take a coat, welcoming the freezing air, letting it's bite bring you alive.

The streets were empty, fitting for the occasion, like they knew you needed to be alone. You closed your eyes, letting your head fall back as you took a deep breath, and began to walk.

You didn't know how long you were out. Walking aimlessly around letting the pain take you whole, your mind no longer there, trying to escape the grief that consumed you.

You felt hollow, empty, and yet, so full at the same time. Full of fear, of sadness, of anger. Jason was gone, and you didn't know how you'll fill the hole he left inside you. You weren't sure you could. You could only hope you'd learn to live with it, learn to ignore the pain and maybe one day, heal. Just not today, right now you would mourn, let everything out, even if there was nothing left inside.

Your feet were hurting, cold biting your skin, making you shiver before you decided to head back home, taking your usual shortcut through the alley.

Your head was still somewhere else, not even stopping to think about the dangers of your actions. It was Gotham after all, and Jason was no longer here to protect you.

By the time you realized what you’d done, it was too late.

With your head down you made your way to your apartment, less of a home now that he was no longer here, hugging yourself tightly, trying to keep the warmth from leaving. The sole of your shoes echoed through the alley with every step, digging into your flesh, making it hard to walk. The sky rumbled in the distance, which meant you had to hurry if you didn't want to get caught in the rain.

A sound ahead of you took you out of your musings, a second pair of steps joining yours making you look up. A man appeared right at the entrance of the alley, hood up and hands tucked inside his pockets, he walked confidently, like the biggest fish in the pond. The faint light of a nearby post lighting up his face, you could see his eyes fixed on you, his mouth turning to a smirk, whistling as he looked at you.

“Hey pretty, what got you out so late at night?”

You lowered back your head, still moving forward.

“I have to say, I wasn't expecting such a beauty to be roaming here when I came to to see who’s coming, but am I glad it is” he kept talking, almost too close now, making you slow down a fraction as you tried to get out.

“Haha, what is it? Cat got your tongue?” you could fill him right in front of you, making you stop before you could collide with him.

“Is it because we're alone? You don't feel comfortable talking with me? Is it the street? Maybe you need to warm up a little, the street is too cold to be out like that. Don’t worry sugar, we can fix that right away.”

You began to panic. One you could take out, outrun him and lose him, but if he was bringing more. You tried to stay calm.

“Hey, boys! Why don’t we help them feel more comfortable.” You raised your head, fear almost taking over at his words.

From the same place the first one came, two other men joined him, each of them flanking you on either side, both just as big, and the three of them smiling, their eyes roaming your body like they could see what's underneath your clothes.

“Leave me alone.” you said, trying to sound as confident as you could.

“Heh, looks like you're not a mute after all.” He laughed, taking a hold of your arm in a vice grip

“Don't touch me.” he laughed again, turning to look at the others, both doing the same.

“Let me go!” you shouted, pulling at your arm, trying to hit him, kick him, anything to get you free.

“Feisty, we're gonna need to fix that. Can't have you misbehaving like that, can we?” He let you go with a push, making you fall to the ground, the three of them laughing down at you.

You shook yourself, wincing as you stood, your left foot probably hurt. Your mind was running a mile per hour, adrenaline pumping through your veins with every breath, trying to come up with a wayout, a way to escape. You tried to look at your surroundings, taking deep breaths to calm you down, nothing good comes out from being anxious.

You were surrounded by residential buildings, maybe you could scream, ask for help, but screaming in Gotham did the opposite, people ignoring it for the sake of remaining safe.

You could bolt it, turn around and run as fast as you could, go back to the street and hopefully they'll avoid going after you. The guy on your left seemed to think the same, his hand going for the gun on his hip.

You could try calling Dick, or Bruce, but something told you he'd shot you the moment you even tried to pull out your cell phone. Maybe they were already on their way, looking for you, seeing how distressed you were by the news, but maybe not, maybe they were trying to give you space, let you sort things out. Alone.

You were trapped.

“Don't worry, we’ll be leaving soon. Ride's almost here.” the man on your right said, his smirk getting wider.

So much for being calm. You began to panic, breaths coming short as the men in front of you laughed, snickering between them, watching you crumble.

The sound of tires screeching behind you had you covering your ears, the echoing almost deafening, freezing you on the spot.

No. Not like this. They can't take you away.

You closed your eyes, as if it could somehow block out the world, make it turn into a dream, a nightmare you would wake up from. The pounding of your heart too loud on your ears to hear anything else, almost missing the presence behind you.

Your body moved on its own, going backwards like you could escape from it. The sound of someone coming closer hitting like a bullet with every step. They walked with confidence, fast, like an animal who had caught its prey, sure they couldn't escape.

You could feel your heart fall as you collided with a body, stopping you from moving any further, making your eyes burn as you tried not to cry, not in front of them. You jumped as he held you, his chest shaking behind you as he laughed.

The way he laughed sent shivers down your spine, the hands on you too hot. Too wrong. He squeezed your shoulders once before you felt the air on your back, freezing you as he moved away, his hands sliding down your arms as he bent down, his face getting closer to your ear.

“Don't be scared” his breath felt hot, making you whimper, no longer able to hold it in, letting your tears fall freely as you cried. Closing your eyes tighter, not letting them open.

You could feel him move in front of you, his face still close, nuzzling your neck as he whispered, “I'm right here.” You let out a sob, the force of it bringing you down.

It had to be a dream, it had to. There was no way this could be real, for he voice that spoke just moments ago was supposed to be dead.

Your love.

Jason.

The men that held you captive went silent. Holding their breaths at the sight of him, the Red Hood. The deadliest vigilante in all of Gotham crouching in front of you.

He raised his hand to brush away your tears, kissing your forehead before he stood up

“Keep your eyes closed.” he said. You let out a huff, only he could sound amused in a situation like this.

The whole thing was over in seconds. The sound of flesh hitting flesh, bones cracking, the smell of gunpowder flooding your nose with each shot fired, all of it filling the silence. One by one, they all went down, their screams stopping as they each fell. Only when the last of the bodies hit the ground were you able to relax. Your eyes still closed for another reason entirely, now wishing it’d be anything but a dream.

How could you live if it turned out to be just that, if you opened your eyes just find yourself back at your apartment, your tears still fresh and Jason still gone, dead once more.

“Y/n.” You heard him call your name, his voice ever so soft, cautious not to scare you.

You heard him shuffle, crouching once more in front of you. His body blocking the cold air of the night.

“Y/n… Look at me.” he held your face like you were precious, delicate, capable of breaking at the slightest movement, the pads of his thumbs brushing your lashes, trying to coax your eyes to open.

You shook your head, feeling tears fall again, the hands on you catching them before they fell to the floor.

“Please.” he pleaded, his voice full of want, of longing, as he whispered the word, his forehead warm against yours as his hands fell to your neck, rubbing your chin and behind your ears trying to get you to open, to see.

You took in a couple of breaths, steeling yourself before opening your eyes, the faint lights blinding you after having them closed for so long.

The moment you could focus on the person in front of you making you sob. The sight of him threatening to make you cry for the third time this night. He looked just like the last time you saw him, a couple of scratches here and there, but the same nonetheless. The same face, the same smile, the same pair eyes full of warmth, full of love as they looked at you.

You raised your hand to his face, slowly, careful, still not believing this was real.

“Is it really you?” you asked, voice shaking as you looked into his eyes.

“It's me.” a faint smile drawing on his face as he answered, placing his hand over yours, keeping it in place.

You cast down down your eyes, head hanging low as you shook it, not sure if shaking away the tears or something else.

His other hand came up, his fingers hooking up under chin, warm and gentle as he made you stop, tilting up your head, guiding you to look at him.

“It's me.” he said again, his eyes filling up with tears as he held your stare.

You grabbed his hand, placing it against you like he did with yours as you let out a laugh, happiness bubbling inside you before exploding, flinging yourself to hug him. Your arms tight around him, trying to bring him as close as you could. The force of your hug almost made him fall back, losing his balance before he recovered, putting his arms around you as he returned the hug just as fiercely, careful not to hurt you.

“It's you.” you said it over and over like a prayer.

You stayed like that for a while, basking in each other's presence, finally together. You weren't sure how much it had passed before you both let go, a thunder rumbling in the distance reminded you of your situation. You had to hurry if you didn't want to get caught in the rain, and yet, none of you made the effort to move.

A thought came to you as you looked at him, a memory of a conversation that now feels from too long ago.

“You promised you wouldn't do it again.” You said, your fist colliding with his arm.

His hand went to the spot you hit, feigning hurt as he laughed. “I said maybe.”

You couldn’t help but laugh too, too happy to stay mad at him. Not when he was here, when this wasn’t a dream.

With that thought you held him again, nuzzling your face to his chest, inhaling his scent, his hands rubbing up and down your back before settling on your waist, drawing you closer to him.

“Thank you for coming back.” you whispered softly, not sure he would hear you.

“Thank you for waiting.” he said in the same way.

You kissed as you both embraced, your arms around his neck, pressing your bodies tight against each other, the warmth between the two enough to ignore the cold as it began to rain.

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