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so-long-soldier-writes · 1 year ago

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One of Those Days

poly!mikaelsons x reader | request

summary: between the constant fighting and city clamor, you're overstimulated from the minute you wake up. you try to isolate until you feel better, but sometimes, that only makes things worse. luckily, your loving vampire partners are always there for you.

tags: sensory issues, mental health, overstimulation, arguing, mild emotional hurt / comfort

word count: ~2.6k

a/n: requested by @asexualaromosafezone - i am SO SORRY this took me literal months to complete. a couple days ago, i suddenly remembered i never filled it and finished it asap. i hope you like it, and again, so many apologies!

Sometimes, you wake up, and can immediately tell it’ll be a hard day. The sun has barely risen, yet there’s already a million noises coming through your window. Chatters of people having their morning walks, car horns from those too impatient to let them cross, the distant clang of a dropped pot, and-

“REBEKAHHH!”

-Klaus, yelling for his sister. At seven in the morning.

“What the bloody hell are you shouting for?! I’m right here!”

You sigh, glad that mystery solved quickly.

There’s probably a few more minutes until your alarm rings, so instead of getting up a little earlier, you opt to enjoy your last minutes of peace. Though you soon realize that’s impossible, given your circumstances. On top of the city sounds, there’s a bird right outside your window, and when you try to turn away from it, the tag on your blanket itches the inside of your thigh.

“Ugh!” You toss the blanket off.

Your alarm sounds not a second later.

With a slap to your phone and then another to your forehead, you decide to just get ready for the day. Luckily, not much is planned. Marcel still has control over the city, and with you being human, your Mikaelson hosts don’t want you outside at all.

See, you live with the family of original vampires. You used to be a Mystic Falls’ resident, but then after developing a close connection with the siblings, decided to move to New Orleans with them and get a fresh start. You were tired of the small town life, and while the big city can be overwhelming at times, you’ll never get sick of the culture it has to offer. Besides, living with the most powerful family makes you happier than you ever believed you could be.

As much as you love them, though, they can be a pain. Like when Klaus can’t find his sister, but forgets a whisper would summon her just as effectively. Instead, he has to wake up the whole quarter, and inconvenience you with a headache. When you reach the dining room that day, you slump your head on the table.

“Everything alright, darling?” Kol’s voice floats over your head, making you aware of his presence.

“Tired.”

“Is your bed comfortable enough? Do you need more blankets?”

You haven’t been in the city long, and his consideration warms your heart.

“Oh, I’m okay. I’m very comfy. Just haven’t gotten used to the city yet.”

“Ah, I understand.”

His attention drifts to his sister. You busy yourself with a plate of food and ignore how tired you feel. When Elijah sits beside you, you offer a smile, but don’t say anything. The man, polite as ever, does the same. Though while two of the siblings are quiet, the other two aren’t. Klaus and Rebekah are still on the same topic from earlier. They bounce off each other quickly, childish banter turning into an argument.

You try to eat in peace and ignore them, but it’s difficult. And it doesn’t help that you’ve been feeling down lately, anyway. It’s rather unexplainable, the way you feel. Some days you’d rather stay in bed all day than face the world. Your whole body could be begging for you to get up and get things done, but you just can’t. No matter how hard you fight your own mind, sometimes there’s no winning the raging war.

To make matters worse, you’re always hypersensitive when you find yourself in these low moods. Every little thing is overstimulating and there’s no pause button. This morning, you didn’t even get a chance to wake up before the sounds started. (Thanks, Klaus.) You roll your eyes in your head, annoyed.

“Hey.” A poke to your shoulder startles you, making you jump. “You okay?”

“Ooh, you caught me off guard.”

“Sorry,” Kol smiles, “you in deep thought, or rolling your eyes at Klaus’ statement?”

“Uh…” You bite your lip. You were rolling your eyes about Klaus, but missed whatever statement it was that he just made. “What did he say?”

“That he was on his way to have a little chat with Marcel. That will go swimmingly.”

“Oh.” You snort and decide to joke. “Both.”

Kol grins at you, but then, thankfully, leaves you alone again.

After breakfast, you retreat back into your room, not in the mood to face the day. If Klaus is really going to start shit with Marcel, it’ll be an intense day. You’ve never met the current king of the French Quarter, but Elijah’s told stories. Marcel and the family used to be close, but then, like all their other relationships, ties ended drastically.

“But not with you, of course,” he had promised. “You’re our girl.”

You were skeptical for a moment. Who wouldn’t be, knowing the Mikaelsons? But then Klaus approached you from behind with a kiss to your hair and confirmed his brother’s words,

“As long as we have your loyalty, you’ll always have ours.”

You could see the truth in his statement. Everyone who ended up on their bad side had betrayed them in some way. So, as long as you didn’t repeat others’ mistakes; as long as you kept your trust in the family, you would be considered family. And ever since the day you first grew close, you have been their family.

You’re close with all of the siblings. Elijah, first, when you couldn’t take your eyes off him at Damon’s dinner party. Then Rebekah, and then Kol, when he undaggered. Even Finn, before his untimely death - thanks to Matt, your good friend now worst enemy. Klaus took the longest to trust you, and you can’t blame him for having trust issues, but once he realized how much his siblings adored you, he was quick to accept your place with them.

Now, the five of you live together, nine hundred miles from your hometown. It’s certainly a change, but every day with them is an adventure.

Like today, you suddenly think, overhearing Elijah’s footsteps in the hallway. Today has definitely been one of those days.

“Y/N?” He stops outside your door.

“Mhm?”

“Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

Elijah opens the door, but doesn’t fully enter your room. He looks you up and down before smiling. “I just thought you seemed sad earlier and wanted to check on you. Is everything okay?”

“Oh!” You put on a brave face to mask the tiredness you feel internally. “Yeah, I’m just out of sorts today. It’s nothing.”

“Are you sure? Because if someone’s bothering you, that’s something we can take care of.”

“No, no, I promise. It’s all just me. Just having a day.”

“You’re positive?” He asks for confirmation again.

“Have I ever lied to you, ‘Lijah?”

He looks down at his shoes, embarrassed. “No, you haven’t. I apologize for doubting you.”

“It’s okay,” you step closer to him, resting against the door frame. “No need to apologize. But I swear, I just… woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something. New Orleans is a loud city. I’m still adjusting.”

“Okay. Well, call if you need anything. Even the smallest thing.”

“I will.”

“Oh, and be careful in the off-chance that Marcel storms in here. There’s a fight brewing in the quarter.”

“I’ll keep an eye out.”

“Better yet, stay inside for the day. So you’re not in harm’s way at all.”

“Okay, ‘Lijah.”

He smiles at you, then kisses your hand. “Now, I need to neutralize my brother. But I needed to make sure our girl was okay first.”

“She’s okay. Go deal with him.”

Elijah straightens his collar before speeding off to no doubt defend his brother in a fight. You love Klaus, but man, does he get angry. And then from anger, comes pure rage, then absolute chaos. Once situations escalate that far, the whole block better hide if they want to keep their hearts in their chest.

You sigh, thinking of the carnage that may come. You’re not sure you can deal with his anger issues today, especially not coupled with those of Marcel. Of all the days they have to fight, it’s the one that you might snap, too, if he raises his voice one more time.

Suddenly, your bed looks like the perfect oasis away from the mess behind your door. A good pillow over the ears might prevent an impending meltdown. You crawl into it at once and let your body melt into the mattress.

You hadn’t lied to Elijah, though you hadn’t given him the full truth, either. Yes, you are, in general, okay. Not necessarily today, but at that moment, you were. Also yes, you’re not feeling great today, partly because of all the city noise. And, finally, yes, most of it is just you and your body not in the mood to be awake. Though Klaus is contributing, just a little bit, to your mental distress today. Elijah would understand, of course, but then he’d have a talk with his brother about it, and you really didn’t want to burden either of them in that way, so you put on a smile and didn’t mention it. You’d bet Elijah knows the full truth, and knows why you won’t admit it, but he respects you if you don’t want to talk about it. That’s one of the reasons you love him so much.

You get a couple hours of rest until your slumber is interrupted by a new knock on your door. It’s not soft, like Elijah’s, so it must be one of the younger two.

“Oh no,” you mutter, wondering what it must be now.

“Y/N?” Rebekah’s voice comes from the other side. “Are you awake?”

“I am now.”

She opens the door as you reply. “Oh what the bloody hell are you still doing in bed?”

“Sleeping.”

“Obviously! Come watch a movie with Kol and I! We’d love your company.”

“An actual movie, or the public display of violence happening outside in the quarter?”

“We haven’t decided yet!” She grabs your hand. “Come on!”

You yawn. “I’m gonna pass today, I’m not up for it.”

“Awh, Y/N! It won’t be as fun without you!”

“I have a headache, Bex,” you fib.

“Do you want some blood for that?”

“Does that even work like that?”

She shrugs, “not sure.”

You cuddle into your pillow. “Another time, okay?”

The girl smiles, then leans forward to kiss your head. “Okay. If you change your mind, come find us.”

“I will. Thank you.”

“Dinner’s at seven. Will you be there?”

“Yeah,” you promise, “I should be better by then.”

You are not, in fact, better by then. If anything, your foul mood progressed into an actual headache within thirty minutes of Rebekah leaving. Shouts throughout the city managed to penetrate the thin glass of your windows, and you could hear almost everything as Klaus heckled the current king. For hours, it went on, until the sun went down and they assumedly put it off for another day. By seven o’clock, you were able to sneak in another nap, but you still felt way overstimulated from the day’s events.

Not to mention the fact that you spent all day in bed. Sometimes, you’re overstimulated by too much going on, but today you partly did it to yourself by hiding away all day. The guilt of avoiding everyone weighs on your chest. Rebekah had invited you to a movie; Elijah went out of his way to check up on you, and you had more or less dismissed them both. A bitter taste sits in your mouth when you think about it. Water doesn’t wash it out.

Hopefully dinner will.

For the first ten minutes, the night passes peacefully. Most of the conversation is focused between the meal and the movie the two had watched. The events of the day, seemingly, are left in the past.

But then, of course, Kol has to make a comment on something he overheard that he thought was funny. And that set Klaus off into a spewing of anger. He’s pissed at Marcel, but now, also, at Kol for bringing it up. Elijah puts his face in his hands, and Rebekah sends both a huge eye roll.

What was a moment of much-appreciated silence is now a yelling match. After five minutes, you reach your breaking point.

“Why do you feel the need to comment on that, Kol? It was so insignificant, but you’ve felt the need to bring it up, and now I’m reminded of how much Marcel has done to piss me off!”

“I didn’t mean to make you upset, bloody hell! I thought it was funny!”

“It wasn’t funny to me when he was spitting in my face! I-”

“Oh my god! Are you ever not arguing?!” You suddenly shout.

The table goes silent and all eyes are on you. A needle could be dropped and it would be heard across the quarter.

“I’m sorry,” you apologize quickly, embarrassed.

“Love,” Elijah puts a hand on your shoulder, “are you alright?”

At his touch, you flinch. He retracts his hand quickly, but doesn’t move his body away from its proximity to yours.

Klaus, although upset at the interruption, notices this and calms a little. “Everything okay, Y/N?”

“I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

“That little outburst didn’t sound like nothing.”

“I’m just stressed.”

“Darling, what’s got you all upset? Tell us and we’ll sort it out now.”

“It’s no one, Kol, I’m just not feeling well.”

“Still have a headache, sweetheart?” Rebekah asks.

“You have a headache?” Klaus butts in.

The assortment of questions makes you drop your head. It nearly hits the table, but Elijah grabs your frame before you can fall. Tears form in your eyes, visibly.

“I’m just really overstimulated today. I woke up weird and this city is loud, and then there was all the fighting all day long, and then I hid in my room all day, but then I felt bad about hiding, and now I’m making you all worried because I can’t get my shit under control!”

“And that’s your fault, how?” Elijah asks, “you cannot blame yourself for the way you feel.”

“But I need to handle my emotions better. I’m sorry.”

“No apologies necessary, love,” Klaus adds, “I certainly haven’t helped, fighting with children all day.”

“Niklaus,” Elijah warns, but Klaus doesn’t argue with him this time.

“I should’ve stayed with you when you said you had a headache.”

“Don’t blame yourself either, Bex. It’s not your fault.”

“But we could’ve cuddled,” she frowns.

“It’s okay. I got a nap, and it helped a little. I just need to get used to my life being different now. None of you are at fault.”

“Nor are you,” the eldest reminds, “it’s been quite a day for us all.”

Kol clears his throat, “say, after dinner, if you feel up to it, we could all watch a movie and cuddle around you? I think some comfort is much needed.”

“Sure,” you agree, “but I might fall asleep during it.”

“That’s quite alright,” he smiles. He then stands up to hug you, but when his arms wrap around your neck, you freeze.

“Not yet, please. I’m still a bit stressed.”

He gives you a wink. “Of course, darling. Let me know when you’re ready.”

Klaus flicks his napkin across the table. He’s folded it into the shape of a heart. “We love you. You know that, right?”

You take the heart, kiss it, and put it in your pocket. “I do. I love you all, too. Thanks for understanding.”

#poly!mikaelsons x reader #poly!mikaelsons #elijah mikaelson x reader #kol mikaelson x reader #rebekah mikealson x reader #klaus mikaelson x reader #tw mental health #i feel so bad for taking so long on this

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mxtxfanatic · 1 month ago

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Thank you for your thoughts on Xie Lian and low self -esteem/self -harm tendencies. My question kinda piggybacks of that.

In the novel, Hua Cheng has concerns about Xie Lian's pain and willingness to withstand it or ignore it in favor of getting a solution.

Land of Tender was pretty extreme and I think Xie Lian genuinely considered not having any other option before doing what he did.

But there's the time when Xie Lian planned to jump in the pit to help those thrown in and brushed aside his own potential injury from such a fall. (But was naturally worried when Hua Cheng jumped instead)

And also the time Xie Lian took a blow from eming to stop the fight between Hua Cheng and Lan Qingqui(sp?).

And withstanding the needle in his foot and forgetting about it until Hua Cheng took it out.

Or being willing to swallow a sword to capture the fetus spirit.

Or in the Mt. Tonglu arc, where he picks up something that has poison on it. He's had it happen so often, it didn't bother him.

I can see this is not Xie Lian self-harminhg, but it does seem like a low amount of concern for his pain/safety.

He even makes a promise to Hua Cheng (they promise each other) not to touch anything weird/dangerous without telling the other first so the other can handle it.

And when Hua Cheng took a hit from Xie Lian (who had to obey because he was wearing the brocade immortal) - Xie Lian took issue with that and Hua Cheng called him out on that.

----

"Xie Lian hadn’t expected him to ask that. “Maybe…it was to remind myself of some things.” He then quickly said, “San Lang, don’t…don’t change the subject. What kind of bad habits have you developed? That situation just now—you could have just restrained me. Why did you stand there and take the blow?”

“So you do know that it’s a bad habit, gege?” Hua Cheng replied. “You have no right to lecture me when it comes to taking beatings, you know.”

“Oh, really?” Xie Lian said, but he felt guilty the moment the words left his mouth—after all, he’d almost swallowed a sword back when he fought the fetus spirit in the water, and Hua Cheng had caught him red-handed.

“Yes, really. ‘Why use other methods if I can solve the problem by taking a beating?’ That’s your bad influence on me,” Hua Cheng replied.

Xie Lian waved him off. “Never mind, San Lang, let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s look at these robes.” "

TGCF volume 7, chapter 117, page 200

-------

From all this, would it be accurate to say Xie Lian has low regard for his pain/safety if it means finding a solution to a problem...and potentially even going for that route faster/ or finding that easier before thoroughly considering other options?

Or is perhaps Hua Cheng being too overprotective?

Or is it secret option number three? 😅

I leaned towards the first thought. It seemed that Xie Lian maybe stopped concerning himself about his own pain until he realized someone else cared about him very much and so he decided to be more careful.

Again, not saying Xie Lian is reckless. Or that he wouldn't tend to his own injuries. Just that perhaps he was setring aside his own pain/potential injury in favor of getting a quick solution.

I hope I explained that well. Thank you for your thoughts! 👍🏾

Idk how long this is gonna be, so I will start off by saying that Xie Lian's actions exist in line with two realities: 1) he has built up an extremely high pain tolerance from just living life for 800 years and experiencing The Horrors against his will. I do not think that having a high pain tolerance and therefore being alright with experiencing injury because the pain means nothing to you is the same as having a low regard for your pain or safety at all. Xie Lian does not seek out situations to harm him, and he doesn't disregard his safety in situations he puts himself in (emphasizing the "he" because there are a lot of situations he is forced into, where him experiencing The Horrors is the point and thus unavoidable). 2) He literally cannot die (also as part of experiencing The Horrors, but he's learned to weaponize it to his advantage). So let's get into these examples:

Land of the Tender: he was drugged and vulnerable with the only thing between him and potential death was a barrier and a child. He quite literally had no options that weren't "assault/kill Hong'er" or "lose your cultivation and get you and Hong'er killed." He stabs himself to relieve the poison and maintain a semblance of mental clarity because the only other cure to the drug outside of sexual intercourse was physical violence. The moment Mu Qing and Feng Xin show up to help, he stops stabbing himself.

Banyue Arc: He is the god who was sent to clean up the mess, he was going to have to go down there eventually anyways. There is no "injury from the fall" (unless due to his own bad luck, but it doesn't happen in when he actually goes down, so...) because he is a god who jumps up and down these heights all the time. This the same dude who has to jump down from the heavens to do work. Why should he have allowed San-lang or, god forbid, an actual human to go down there first in his stead when 1) he knows he can handle the task but has no evidence that they can and 2) he knows that even if he can't somehow handle it, there's still Mu Qing and Feng Xin and he, himself, cannot die?

Fight between Hua Cheng and Lang Qianqiu: Xie Lian had tried to stealth and de-escelate, but Lang Qianqiu was the one who charged forward in reckless anger. Xie Lian, seeing that Hua Cheng's blow would kill him if it connected, absorbed the blow, instead, because he knew he could, only injuring an arm. Was Xie Lian supposed to let his former student die in front of him just because to save his life would injure him in a way that he would heal from fairly quickly?

The needle and the fetus spirit: I analyze the needle scene here (and will return to this analysis at the end), actually, but as for him doing whatever it took to capture the fetus spirit, once again, this was a matter of life or death, and Xie Lian had a choice between temporary pain or sacrificing someone else's life so that he wouldn't be injured. What kind of cultivator would he be, exactly, to let civilians die for his comfort? A cultivator who was asked to save lives, mind you. He could have chosen to avoid the needle and let the fetus spirit escape to kill again, but he didn't.

Now, I'll give you another example of Xie Lian choosing "pain": during the Birthday extra, Xie Lian is experiencing pain so badly that it makes him blackout. He hides it because celebrating Hua Cheng's birthday with him for the first time is more important. After it's discovered, Mu Qing and Feng Xin realize that the pain seems to be worse around Hua Cheng and theorize that putting some distance between the two would give Xie Lian reprieve enough to figure out what's going on. Hua Cheng leaves immediately, no questions asked, because his priority is Xie Lian's wellbeing. Xie Lian, on the other hand, panics, because while physical pain is something Hua Cheng cannot tolerate him experiencing even if Xie Lian can handle it, the emotional pain Xie Lian derives from feeling abandoned is something he cannot handle. He immediately sends himself back to his husband's side. While Xie Lian can tolerate pain, he only tolerates what he wants to and never seeks out pain for himself.

As for Hua Cheng, a loved one being upset at your experiencing of pain for whatever reason is not evidence of self-harming tendencies or a lack of self-care on your part. The thing about Hua Cheng's responses to Xie Lian allowing himself to be injured/pushing into danger is that Hua Cheng knows Xie Lian's history. He was there for the land of tender and saw Xie Lian mutilate himself to keep him safe. He was there in the temple when Xie Lian was mutilated against his will for the sake of others. He was there when Xie Lian was utterly abandoned by everyone he knew and loved and acting out in self-destructive ways. All of Xie Lian's worst moments, he's experienced, and his whole goal of amassing power was to be able to protect his beloved. Even when he wasn't there, he was collecting information and stories on his whereabouts and experiences. But Xie Lian doesn't know this when they first meet.

Xie Lian has spent 800 years as a lone wanderer with no long-term companions and no one who even knew of his existence. He could only rely on himself from his early 20s on. Not even his friends were dependable, and that is the mentality that Xie Lian has at the start of the story. "I cannot ask others to do right because they are unreliable, so I will do it, myself, without asking." Hua Cheng is upset at this mentality not because he believes that there is something wrong about Xie Lian but because he knows that this belief has sprung from the truth that Xie Lian really didn't have someone to depend on, and even though Hua Cheng's 's back again and ready to be that someone, the fact that Xie Lian is still risking himself instinctively without even considering that Hua Cheng can help him means that he has not proven to his beloved that he is dependable and is here to stay.

So for your conjecture, it's not that Hua Cheng is being overprotective, but he wants Xie Lian to see him as the pillar of support that he is and realize that he no longer has to fight anything alone. And it's not that Xie Lian stopped caring about his own hurts until someone else started caring for him, it's that he hasn't had the luxury to care and tend to his own hurts, because no one was gonna do the things that needed to be done while he took a rest. Others may have had him, but he only had himself. Until Hua Cheng, of course.

#tgcf asks #silver-cyn

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bunbun-mochi · 3 months ago

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Soothing to Sleep

Caleb x MC (in a relationship)

Warning: Fluff, lots of fluff.

Word Count: 2019, no proofreading

Preview: Caleb had been tired from all the work he'd been doing as a Colonel. You can tell the dark circle under his eyes so you decided to pamper him and help him sleep.

Note: Wrote this instead of studying. Gonna ace that exam. Colonel Caleb, send me luck. Lots of it.

Tagging: @madam8, @gavin3469

Caleb scowled as he read the reports. The more reports he read, the more ridiculous it gets. Ever since he came back from the deepspace tunnel routine yesterday, the work just seems neverending. As soon as he finishes one stack of paperwork, Liam just walks in with another stack of paperwork to finish. To make matters worse, his subordinates don't seem to behave. Every now and then, Liam would report in trouble from the lower ranks. In most cases, they could've solved the problem if they had done their job. As if on cue, Liam called in.

"Colonel," Liam's voice rang in Caleb's earpiece. "The captain of the 8th squadron asked for your presence. He said there had been a problem among the soldiers."

"What sort of problem?" Caleb asked. It sounded more of a frustration than a question.

"I'm not sure. He said a fight had happened." Liam answered.

"I'll be right there," Caleb said before ending the call. He sighed loudly before walking out of his office. This better be good.

Caleb's eyes twitched slightly when he walked to the so-called problem. Four soldiers were in a fistfight, taunting each other, while the other soldiers cheered. He glared at the captain of this group, "I'm pretty sure your job specifically says that you take care of any fights within your squadron?"

The captain hung his head as if feeling shameful, "I tried, but I don't have the capabilities-"

"No capabilities to stop a fight?" Caleb clicked his tongue. He walked toward the fight.

"Stop fighting this instant." A cold voice sliced through the air, and many soldiers who were cheering immediately stopped to turn to see that the colonel himself had arrived at the scene. The crowd near Caleb slowly moved away, either trying to allow the colonel to walk toward the fight or moving away from him to prevent repercussions.

Even with the colonel's orders and the silence of the crowd, the four soldiers did not back down from the fight. Caleb's scowl deepened. In a matter of seconds, the four soldiers are either on their backs or their knees with the colonel looking down at them. The soldiers around them dropped their jaws to see their own colonel just singlehandedly stopped a fight.

"You five," Caleb looked at the four soldiers on the ground then to the captain, "Office. Now."

Without another word, Caleb left the scene to go back into his office, leaving the lingering coldness of his presence on the scene.

Caleb glowered at the five people present in his office.

"If I see you four in another fight-"

"Sir, he attacked-" One of the soldiers tried to defend himself.

"Do not interrupt me." Although his face looked calm, his voice sounded extremely threatening and the whole room felt like it had dropped several degrees. "I expect you four to be on your best behavior. I better not get any reports about you four. Do you understand?"

The soldiers quickly nodded their heads. They didn't know which was better, being yelled at by a superior or being disciplined by this colonel who looked like he would skin them all before murdering them.

"You're dismissed." The soldiers scrambled out the door. When the captain made an attempt to leave, Caleb called out, "You stay."

The captain gulped before standing straight before the colonel.

"The next time you decide to call me to solve this type of issue for you, I expect your badge on my desk promptly."

"Yes, sir."

"Get out."

The captain didn't need to be told twice as he left the office as soon as Caleb told him to leave. Caleb sighed and rubbed his temple. The workload had been ridiculous. As the time ticked on, the entire building slowly turned quiet. All the soldiers and officers had already left work. Caleb checked the time to see it had been nearly midnight. He sighed before heading out of his office to call it a day.

Caleb wasn't particularly excited to go back home. Whenever you weren't in Skyhaven, his house felt empty and lonely. However, today, the house seemed a bit more lively than usual. Several lamps were turned on and he heard a voice and movement inside one of the bedrooms.

"Ugh, I swear I brought some over!" Caleb immediately recognized that voice belonged to you.

He quickly shut the door before calling out to her, "MC?" He quickly stripped out of his uniform that his lover disliked so much.

Without missing a single beat, you ran out of your bedroom and hugged him, "Caleb! Welcome home!"

"I didn't know you were staying." He hugged you back, tightly. "I would've prepared dinner."

You gasped, "Ooo, that does sound good. It's okay, Caleb. I didn't even know I was getting a few days off. Captain Jenna told me to take the weekends off since there have been way too many people to call in for the shift this weekend. So I thought to spend my weekend with you!"

All the fatigue Caleb felt back in the office immediately left him. He felt anew and recharged. You leaned in closer and narrowed your eyes. It was hard to see, but you could see a faint dark circle under his eyes, it's hard to tell without getting very close.

"Caleb?" you frowned, "are you alright?"

Caleb raised an eyebrow, "Yes. Why?"

"Well," You gently caressed the skin under his eyes. "You look tired."

Caleb sighed, "When did you become this observant."

"If I'm not that observant then what kind of hunter would I be."

Caleb chuckled as you used a similar quote he had used before. "Alright, fine, fine. The paperwork was a handful, but don't worry. I'm fiiiiine."

You narrowed her eyes, slightly suspicious, "I don't believe you."

"What should I do to make you believe me?"

You beamed, "I have something in mind."

"I'm all ears."

"No explaining, just listen to my instructions."

"Yes, colonel." Caleb teased.

"Pipsqueak. When you said you had something in mind, this is not what I'm expecting." Caleb nervously chuckled.

You squeezed a bottle of shampoo onto your hand, "shush. Let me take care of you." You lathered the shampoo onto his hair and gently massaged his scalp. "You took care of me many times before, let me do it at least once." You poked his cheek, "Lay down, I can't reach you."

Caleb obediently did what you asked and lay his head back. "I never thought there would be a day where I get pampered instead of the one doing the pampering."

You chuckled, "Well, expect more pampering in the future. Close your eyes."

You inwardly chuckled when Caleb once again obediently did what you asked, like a cute little puppy. "Alright, I'm done with your hair. Finish washing yourself, and I'll wait for you outside."

Caleb smiled, "What else do you have in store for me?"

"You'll see," You said before closing the door.

It didn't take long for Caleb to finish washing. In fact, it wasn't even three minutes, and he was already done, already dressed in his pajamas.

"Caleb, what the fuck? I was just in there."

"Yes, and I'm out here now."

"In three minutes?"

Caleb looked at you in confusion. "Yes?"

"How?"

Caleb shrugged, "Sometimes things happen in the fleet, so I gotta shower quickly, or else my subordinates would see me doing drills naked."

You blinked, trying to process it before laughing at the idea of naked Caleb barking orders.

Caleb playfully narrowed his eyes, "I see your imagination is going wild."

You wiped my tears while gesturing him to sit down, "I'll dry your hair."

Caleb sat down and looked at you questionably. "I think you're trying to start something."

You grabbed the hair dryer and turned it on, "You're overthinking it." While drying his hair, you tried to fluff up his hair as much as possible, trying to give him a new hairstyle. The most ridiculous style you can ever think of.

"What are you doing?" Caleb asked, clearly knowing what your intentions are.

You giggled, "Nothing, just trying to make you fluffy."

"I'm not a dog." The way Caleb acted, he might as well be born in the year of the dog.

It didn't take long for his hair to dry. Sadly, his hair did not fluff up the way you wanted it to be. Guess his hair is just as stubborn as their owner.

You tossed the air dryer to the side and pushed Caleb toward you. "Lean on me, let me massage your shoulders." You pressed down on his shoulder, kneeling around his tense muscles. You can feel Caleb feeling relaxed because he's starting to put his entire weight on you. After several minutes, you feel like he's going to nod off, so you poke his cheek, "Let's do your face."

"What's wrong with my face?" Caleb sounded slightly sleepy.

You rolled your eyes, "Nothing, but it'll feel nice. I promise."

Caleb slowly stood up, "Sure sure. You're the boss."

You dragged Caleb into his bedroom, and made sure he was nice and comfortable under the blanket before putting on the face mask.

"You know, I remember when you forced me to wear face masks while we were in high school. You even used me as a guinea pig for your skincare and makeup."

"Do you not like them?"

"No, I like them."

"Good, now close your eyes. Perhaps you'll achieve what all women wanted: a glass skin."

"If I have that, I'd lose respect from all my subordinates."

"Good," You sat next to him. "Maybe you won't appear that scary under that uniform." You grabbed a book that he was reading and started to hum a tune.

The book Caleb is reading is a lot different than what you would read. It's all about the different models of a plane. Most of which you don't even understand.

"Caleb, what would your next career plan be if you didn't become a pilot?" Would he be an engineer instead? You waited for an answer but no response from Caleb. "Caleb?" You looked over at him to see him fast asleep. His eyes are closed and his breaths are even.

You smiled at his innocent sleeping face as you slowly peeled the mask from his face. "I wish I had your skin. One face mask and you look several years younger."

You quietly and slowly slid out of the bed to turn off all the lights before sliding back under the blanket with him. "Good night."

The first thing that stirred Caleb awake was the smell. The smell smelled... delicious. He can smell the egg, the butter, and the meat. Then he heard a tune, the same tune he heard last night before he passed out. He slowly blinked awake, allowing his eyes to adjust to the morning light.

He slowly left his bed and followed the smell and the music that led him toward the kitchen. He smiled as he watched you doing small dances as you placed the food onto the plate. He wrapped his arms around you and kissed your cheeks which made you jump.

"Caleb! You scared me!"

Caleb chucked, "Good morning, love."

"Good morning. Slept well?"

Caleb nodded. He slept very well last night. The first time where he didn't wake himself up from nightmares.

"I made breakfast. I also made your lunch, if you're interested. If not, I'll just eat it my-"

"Thank you, I'll take them all."

You smiled, "Want me to make dinner tonight?"

Caleb hummed, "Yes, please."

Caleb felt like he was living in paradise. No matter how much work he needed to do, as long as he know that you'll be the one welcoming him home, work doesn't sound as bad.

Boy, was he wrong. The moment he got into his office, he was ready to murder every single person in this building. Because the first damn thing that happened as soon as he went to work, an emergency happened. Because someone can't read a fucking manual, causing a domino effect which then made it into an emergency.

Dividers, headers, banners, and templates used on this post are from @uzmacchiato

#love and deepspace #caleb love and deepspace #caleb fic #caleb #lads caleb #lnds caleb #lads #lnds

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hidden-poet · 1 year ago

Text

Commander Snow; chapter 6

Commander Snow

Summary; Under the advice of Dr Gaul Coriolanus returns back to district 12 where without blinding light of lucy-grey he could see you.

Warnings; dead dove to do not eat, stalking, unrequited love, breeding kink, violence, possessive!Snow, unco/dubco, sexual content, she/her pronouns, explicit, violence, death.

Editor: @hotline-to-hell

chapter one

Chapter two

Chapter three

Chapter four

Chapter five

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Being Commander of District 12 meant that Coriolanus couldn’t just whisk you away to the forest to face his fears. He had a whole army dependent on him. It meant that while you were held up in his apartment, he was held up in his office.

It annoyed him to no end. To have you so close and yet still out of reach.

Despite you living with him for a week, you’ve only shared one meal together.

His overtime meant that you were asleep by the time he got home.

You had left a clean pair of his pajamas on the end of the bed. He had a habit of just stripping down to his underwear to join you.

You left dinner for him in the fridge and he sat at the dinner table eating it alone.

On the odd occasion, there was time to spend together, the mood was often tense from Coriolanus stress.

He tried not to take his frustration out on you but his answers were often short.

After a long day filled with complaints and issues that could have been easily solved without him, Coriolanus decided that he would not return to his office after supervising drill training and instead remain with you.

He was beyond tired from his day, but it was too early to suggest bed. You lay with him on the couch, propped up by a throw pillow against the arm of the couch while he lay in front of you. He threw your arm around his shoulder and held it tight under his chin.

The TV played a music talent show that neither you nor Coriolanus could care about but the tv only picked up two channels; the news or the entertainment channel that the Hunger Games were shown on. Coriolanus couldn’t bear to hear any more politics for the day so you watched people dressed in irregular costumes perform ballads out of their range.

His eyes droop as he fights the upcoming sleep. It was the first time since the fight with Edmund that he got you to sit down. The little he was here you spent avoiding him. For the first few days, he was angry too and avoidance stopped the fight he wanted to have with you.

But a week had passed and his temper cooled.

You were with him now. Playing housewife to the Commander.

He felt better now that he was coming home to something, rather than just the cold. When he looked in the fridge there was food for him. His clothes were washed and prepared for him. His bed was warm at night. He made him feel less homesick.

The talk from the TV turned from the judges to Lucky the presenter.

“Now ladies and gentlemen. We have a surprise for you tonight. We have a certain special guest gracing us. And we have given him the power to save one of your favorites from elimination! Mr Augustus Bloom won’t you please come out!”

Coriolanus shot up from your hold to watch him.

Augustus Bloom walked on screen wearing an expensive suit. His brown hair was slicked back and a small gold earring dangled from his ear.

The crowd cheered for him.

Coriolanus was stuck in District 12 dealing with half-wits and scum, while Augustus was charming the Capitol on live tv.

He shakes hands with Lucky.

“Mr. Bloom, a privilege to have you here tonight!”

“A privilege to be here amongst you and away from my office.”

Lucky turns to the crowd and laughs.

“Look at you. You good-looking man! You should be out on the town, breaking hearts!”

Augustus laughs along with the crowd.

“I am too busy preparing my business for when I am president of Panem. I’ll worry about women after that.”

Coriolanus clenches his fist.

“Oh,” Lucky turned serious to the crowd, “I think Coriolanus Snow might have something to say about that!”

The crowd murmurs amongst themselves giving Coriolanus an air of confidence.

A picture from his Academy days flashes up on the screen, you look at it with curiosity. He was once a young boy with soft curls, he now sat nearly unrecognizable.

“He’s looking like a strong contender. Isn’t he handsome ladies!” He points out to the crowd, “And some gentleman.”

Augustus had the wind knocked out of his sail. He fidgeted on stage and took a step back almost as if he was going to run away. Dr. Gaul's criticism ran through Coriolanus’ head, “a soft-bellied rich boy, not fit for the presidency.”

Now the whole audience knew it too.

“Snow isn’t here” he gritted through a smile. He wasn’t going down with a fight.

“No. He’s in District 12, keeping us here in the Capitol safe. A round of applause for Commander Snow!”

The crowd cheered causing Coriolanus to smile.

“So am I!” Augustus interrupted like a child.

“Yes, right. I am sure one day you will!” Lucky claps him on the back and returns to the audience with an excited demeanor.

“But of course, that’s a while yet! We are wishing our President Ravenstill all the good health in the world. Now let’s get on with the show!”

Coriolanus switches the TV off and rests his arms on his knees. He couldn’t help but smile at Augustus' national failure. He made Coriolanus look so strong, so mysterious, and focused. He would send Lucky a fruit basket in thanks tomorrow. He would also send one to Augustus.

“You had curls.” The young boyish figure had shocked you.

“Yes,” he pats your knee affectionately, “When we are back in the Capitol and I am president of Panem, I’ll grow them back again.”

==================

Coriolanus has the nightmare that night. He woke up with the tune of ‘Hanging Tree’ stuck in his head. The first thing he does is reach out to where you should have been lying only to find the space cold. Panic rushes through him. His feet thump against the floorboards as he runs from the room into the hall. Your sleeping body can be seen on the couch and he instantly relaxes.

His body tells him he should be angry; fists clenched, shoulders up and tense, his face hot. But he couldn’t manage it. His mind was too hazy to comprehend anything but his own panic.

Instead, he sits down on the floor beside you and tries to control his breathing. The tune hums in the back of his mind and he tries to force it out.

“You had the nightmare again?” Your voice halts the tune. He looks over his shoulder at you with wide eyes. You finally saw the resemblance between the schoolboy with the curls.

He gets up and pushes himself on the couch next to you. You feel his hands slide up your back, trying to hold you close but you wiggle free from his grasp.

You would not comfort the man who kidnapped you.

He tried to bring you back down to his chest as you crawl over him but his tired state left room for error.

You tumble down to the floor as you escape.

He sighs disappointed, bringing his hands up to his face.

“Was there something wrong with the bed?” he asks.

“I prefer the couch.” You sit on the ground next to him.

“You prefer the bed built by Edmund.” He spat his name like it was poison.

You look up at him warily, “I never told you that Edmund built my bed.”

Coriolanus is silent for a minute, he sucks his teeth and sits up.

“You didn’t have to. The wood from your door and bed match.’’

He feels settled as you sit by his feet. The panic subsides, but his anger bubbles up from it.

“Can you make me a cup of tea?” he asks.

With him on your bed, you couldn’t go back to sleep anyway so you rose and went to the kitchen to put the kettle on.

He watches you while sitting on the couch. He liked how you moved so comfortably in the space. You were treating it like your home. No hesitation about where things were, you used things liberally.

“What do you dream?” You ask him.

“When I wake up it’s gone,” he lies.

You know he carries it around with him.

“Whatever it is, it scares you.”

The kettle whistles and you pour it over the tea bag.

He worried that he now looks weak in front of you. The man who was supposed to be protecting you was scared of a dream like a child. He could continue with his lie but you already knew.

Instead he tries a half-truth.

“I dream that I am killed like my father was.”

This peaked your interest causing him to sit up straighter under your attention.

“How did he die?”.

He takes the cup from you but you don’t scurry away like you usually do. You stand in front of him eager to listen to him. The attention moved his mouth,

“Here. In District 12. A trap out in the forest during the war. He was a governor”.

“Is that why you wanted to come back?”

“I didn’t want to come back” he admits. He reaches up with his spare hand to lightly touch yours, “But I am glad I did.”

“What did you do?” you feel his thumb brush over the back of your hand, “I mean, to get you sent here?”

He takes a sip of his tea before answering, “I had an enemy in the Capitol. He disliked my father and took it out on my family”.

“He sent you back as Commander?”

“No. He died. Gaul sent me back for my presidential run. It looks better to be serving my country.”

You tear your hand from him, “And when they find out you brought me back to the Capitol. How will that look?”

He places the cup on the floor and stands up to your height.

“I’ll keep you safe, okay?” he presses his forehead against yours, “In the district and in the Capitol”.

“Safe from danger you put me in.”

Coriolanus shakes his head as you pull away from him. “You’re safe. You’ve always been safe.”

He tried to pull you close again but you stretched out your arms to keep him at distance.

“I wanna go home, Coriolanus.”

“Home to Edmund, perhaps?” he bites. His calm and soft features harden.

A shiver shoots up your spine at the mention of Edmund.

“Home to my family. The same as you.”

He sighs, “You won’t be alone in the Capitol as you are here. You just have to put up with it just a little bit longer. We’ll be back home soon”

The Capitol was not your home nor would it ever be.

But you knew anymore talk of home would lead to more talk of Edmund.

“Come on. Let’s go back to bed.” You rip your elbow from his grasp as he walks past you.

“I’m fine on the couch.”

He rubs a hand over his mouth before bending down and picking up his tea cup. He splashes the remains on the couch and hands you the empty cup.

“Enjoy it then.”

—————-

The next day he comes home around lunch time. It catches you by surprise.

“Come on,” he says, nodding his head backwards.

You follow him without a word to the van below where officials stood around. Upon seeing him they take their place. You see Smiley by the passenger side door and he calls out for his Commander.

Coriolanus tell Smiley to take the seat and climbs in the tray of the truck.

He pulls you up into the van amongst the Peacekeepers. He sits on the end of the bench with you between his legs on the floor. Like a seatbelt he keeps you in place by taking a hold on your upper arms and pulling them back up on his knees.

You can feel the glances of his officers but they look away as soon as you try to meet their eyes.

Halfway they try to break the tension with idle chatter.

“Will the recruits be as bad as last year?”

“That’s couldn’t be possible.”

The talk soon turns to anecdotes about their youthful days as Peacekeeper grunts.

None of them try to include Coriolanus in their jests. They all willfully ignored the couple on the end.

You don’t try to talk to him either.

As you pass through the district the people look at the Peacekeeper van causing you to turn your head in embarrassment. You could still feel the harsh judgements from your community as you sat between the Commander's legs. How would you ever rebuild your reputation?

The van stops in front of the tunnel to the train station. The people part in the crowd to let the van through.

Coriolanus releases you to unhook the bolts from the backn of the truck. None of the other Peacekeepers move until he does. He jumps down from the bed of the truck and turns back around to help you down. They all wait until you are down and out of the way before they follow.

It’s busy, too busy for a normal docking of fresh recruits. All of the road and tunnel leading to the train station were overrun by bodies.

District people flood the space, all chatting loudly in a panic. They part as the line of Peacekeepers march through.

Normally on orientation day, the newcomers to District 12 were given a wide berth. People had better things to do then get a glimpse of the faces that would soon be terrorizing them.

You wondered what peaked their excitement today. What had Coriolanus done that both you and the district people had to see?

Coriolanus drags you down the dark tunnel into the light of the train station. The talk quitened but didn’t stop altogether.

You screamed upon seeing the commotion.

Edmund.

He was badly beaten and tied to a sturdy metal pole that kept the roof up. A bulls-eye was spray painted an inch above his head.

Blood soaked his face to the point you almost didn’t recognize him.

Large black bruises covered his exposed skin.

You turn to Coriolanus who was already looking at you and beg him to release Edmund.

“Please, Coriolanus. Let him go.”

“He threw the first punch.”

You knew it had less to do with causing Coriolanus physical harm than it did with damaging his ego and need for control. Your neighbors were shown that the Commander bleeds like any other man.

“He learnt his lesson.” you promise.

“Have you learnt yours?”

Only ten young boys disembark from the train. They were all thin with a badly-shaved buzzcut and carrying a Capitol issued duffle bag.

You wanted to run over to Edmund. Protect him somehow. But you couldn’t, it was your protection that got him here in the first place.

“Gentlemen, welcome to District 12.”

Coriolanus stood by your side while another officer went in front of the line of boys.

“This is Edmund Flare,” he gestures to Edmund at the post, “A known rebel sympathizer, and a troubled citizen of District 12.”

Another Peacekeeper runs over and passes the man a gun. You grab Coriolanus' arm in protest.

“More likely than not, you will have to shoot Edmund one day in service of your country. We figured today we would give you the opportunity to save yourself the trouble in the future.”

The first young boy is given the gun.

“You get one shot before you have to wait for that day to naturally come.’’

Edmund holds his head up high to show he is not afraid. But you were. You were terrified. A strong urge to go over and rip the gun out of the young boys hands presented itself but you knew you would be pulled back before you could even stand close enough to touch him,

The boy checks the gun for the trigger, earning a laugh from everyone but you and Coriolanus.

Eventually he finds it, and he takes aim.

The shot misses by a mile.

“Coriolanus please.” He remains emotionless, watching the scene before him. He stood as if it was a street performance, hands clasped behind his back and perfect posture to get a good view.

“Wait! Wait!” you call out but the men continue. Another boy steps up and takes the gun.

He takes less time to examine the gun before firing a shot. Edmund flinches as it wizzes past his shoulder.

‘‘Coriolanus! Stop this. Just please stop, untie hi-”

The next shot is fired causing you to spin around to ensure that Edmund was still standing. He was tall and stupidly proud.

“I’ll never forgive you if one of them hurt him!” you threaten but it doesn’t even earn you a glance.

“Do you love him?”

“No” you answered firmly and fast, “No, Coriolanus. Please stop.”

Another shot is taken.

“Because if you loved him now would be the time to tell me, because I would hate to break apart lovers.”

The third shot lands next to Edmunds boot. You felt physically sick watching the scene. Your legs shook and would soon give way.

The men start to whoop and cheer the young recruits on. It gives the next young boy confidence to take a step closer to take his shot but it misses all the same.

You can’t tear your eyes off Edmund as the next recruit takes aim. They look each other in the eyes. Never spoken a word and already enemies.

The shot is taken but wizzes past Edmunds head.

You shake your head no. You knew telling him that you loved Edmund would sign his death certificate.

“He’s my brother's friend, Coriolanus. We grew up together.”

The next shot hit the pole but not the target, causing you to yelp.

Loud cheering snapped you out of your daze. Begging would get you nowhere.

Instead you take his shoulders into your arms and turn him towards you.

“He looked after me before you. I would have been dead long before you got to me if it wasn’t for him”.

Coriolanus throws his eyes back to Edmund which was not the desired effect.

You change positions, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling his attention back down to you.

“I didn’t tell him that you’d taken his role. The other night he was just trying to protect me as you would’ve.”

He finally looks down at you.

“Please, don’t kill him, Coriolanus. I could never forgive myself.” Your voice begins to shake. You were so nervous for Edmunds safety. Your knees buckled and tears threatened to spill from your eyes.

He takes the side of your face into his hands.

“Do you love him?”

You shake your head feverishly, “No, Coriolanus.”

“Do you love him?” You feel his fingers tighten on your face.

“Yes.” you admit.

“Do you love me?”

Through gritted teeth a ‘yes’ resounds.

“More than him?”

A shot whizzed into the crowd as the new recruit lost control of the gun and Coriolanus pulled his body over yours.

The officers scold the boy. Taking the waving gun away. The shot landed into the train station wall but it was a close call for those standing in front of it.

He removes your arms from him and you watch him walk over to the officer holding the gun.

He takes it and aims at Edmund who stood straight and tall.

You shrink as the gun fires. Unable to look, you cover your face with your hands.

The cheering made no impact on your confidence. You couldn’t hear Edmund from their excitement. So you reluctantly open your eyes to see him still standing.

The bullet had made it straight to the middle of the painted target.

Coriolanus stood taking aim still, as if he was still considering firing another shot.

Edmund stared back, almost daring him.

“Commander.” you call. You don’t call him by his name, not in front of people.

Coriolanus lowers the gun but keeps his eyes on Edmund as he speaks,

“Load them up and head back to the compound.” he passes the gun to the closest officer and turns back to where you stood.

“Cut him loose.” he calls back.

When he tosses his arm around you and pulls you back to the truck, you turn back to see Edmund surrounded by Peacekeepers.

People mummer as you walk past but your ears buzzed too loudly to hear a word.

You felt so weak as you walked. You thought you were going to collapse before you could make it to the van. But with Coriolanus’s strong hold on you, you made it back.

He climbs in first and reaches down to pull you up. He sits you on his knee instead of on the ground and you watch as the peacekeepers, old and new, return to the truck.

You don’t even have it in you to feel embarrassed as eyes locked into you.

No one said anything to Coriolanus on the way back.

As soon as the truck opens back in the compound, you are the first to jump out. You hear Coriolanus footsteps as he followed you back to the apartment.

You immediately take a seat at the kitchen table and Coriolanus gets you a cup of water. You stare at it in front of you.

“Edmund died today, as far as you are concerned.”

Closing your eyes to the image of him, you nod your head.

He could hear Coriolanus moving around the apartment but you couldn’t care what he was doing.

When he slams something down in front of you, you open your eyes to see a piece of paper and a pen.

“I want you to write to your brother and tell him about us.”

You couldn’t. Your brother was hot headed, and powerless. He would cause only problems for himself trying to get back.

“What would be the point? He is over in District 8.”

“My family are in the Capitol, yet they know about you.”

Shock strikes you knowing that his family knew of Coriolanus’s actions.

“Write to him,” he pushes, “tell him that we are together. How you feel.”

You pen a half-hearted letter about how you met a man. Coriolanus, you called him, Not Commander Snow. You tell him how you miss him, and that your mother is okay. That Coriolanus is ensuring that your basic needs are met. Don’t worry, you tell him, you’re perfectly safe.

Coriolanus reads it after you are done before folding it and placing it in his pocket.

He slides another piece of paper over in front of you.

“Now write to Tigris and my grandmother. Tigris suggested it would make you feel better, already knowing someone in the Capitol.”

You pick up the pen and write again, but your mind remains on the image of Edmund being used as target practice. You make yourself a promise that you would never meet his cousin or his grandmother. Their letters are as close as they will get before you could escape.

—------

Coriolanus amped up his work schedule even more. Eager to break free from his responsibilities and solve the mystery of Lucy Gray.

You were left alone at night which was preferable to his company but you felt yourself going crazy with only your own company.

You tried to keep a routine to fill the day. It was mostly taken up by cleaning tasks.

After dinner you would wash and dry the dishes, wipe the countertops and table and sweep and mop the floor. Then you would retire to the living room with your sewing or polishing work until it was time for bed.

There is a quiet tapping on the window disturbing you from securing the buttons on Coriolanus’s shirt.

No fear ran through you wondering who it could be. They couldn’t get in to harm you anyway. So you peer out from the window.

“Edmund” you gasp.

His left eye was blackened, a large bruise formed around the bloodshot vessels. A purple bruise marked his cheek and there was a cut on his right eyebrow.

“How did you get in?”

He hold a pair of wire cutters up to the window.

“Are you okay? God I was so worried about you.”

“Ah,” Edmund smiles and replaces the wire cutters with a small knife from his pocket, “Takes more than that.”

“What are you doing?” you hiss. If Coriolanus found him, there was no way Edmund would escape death a second time.

“Getting you out of here.”

“You can’t be here. He’ll be home soon.”

“I know. I’ve been here every night since i’ve been well enough. I told you, you’re not alone.”

“The Peacekeepers-’’

“There’s a fifteen minute window where this section is blind.” The lock wiggles but resists being opened under pressure, “And he just entered the infantry to wish our poor peacekeepers a speedy recovery. We have time.”

The door was determined to chew most of it up, however.

“Edmund, what did he do to you?” his face was swollen from the bruising, and you could see large black and purple spots peeking out from under his shirt.

“The day after he took you, he sent Peacekeepers to my home. They took me back to the compound and showed me some ‘hospitality’”.

“Edmund,I am so sorry,” you begin to cry, “I never should have taken the oat bars to the jail.”

You remembered the day at the market that set off the chain of events.

You remember seeing the man, he stood out amongst the crowd. Dirty, torn clothes. An arm missing, no doubt from the district's mining work. There wasn’t much work for men outside of it.

A sense of pity overwhelmed you, so when he swiped a loaf of bread off the table, you looked the other way. Unfortunately a watchful Peacekeeper did not.

The man's plea echoed through your mind as he was taken away; “Please, I am so hungry.”

It led you to making the oat bars not only for him, but for all the others punished for their hunger.

You remembered a rumor that there was a hole at the west end of the jail for the Peacekeepers to sneak out from, and women of the night to sneak in. You were surprised to find out it was actually true.

“This is not your fault, okay. I am going to get you outta here, and we’ll go to the mountains okay? Where it’s safe. Like planned.”

You nod your head.

The door jingles as Edmund tries to force it open with his knife. It doesn’t bulge.

“Edmund, my mother, is she okay?”

“She’s okay. She’s already up the mountains.”

“How? She could barely walk?”

“I carried her.”

The guilt came crashing down on you. Edmund had his own family to look after. They wouldn’t survive without him.

“Edmund. Stop. I can get the key,” you weren’t sure if you actually could, “You need to go. Just tell me where you cut the hole.”

He stops trying to wedge the door with the knife so you could hear him clearly.

“There’s three big bins out by the back,” he points to the direction, “I cut a hole behind the middle one. It’ll take you to the south forest. I’ll wait there.”

“No,” you interject, “No. Wait for me in the mountains.”

He rolls his eyes and picks up his work of jamming his knife in the door.

“You’ll never make it up the mountain by yourself.”

“At home then! Just stay away from here.”

The plea was for both you and him.

“You can get the key and get out?” He asks in a serious tone, looking at you once more.

“Yes.” you confirm.

He sighs as he pockets his knife, “When?”

The Commander kept his keys by the night stand. You think you could remember which one opened the door.

“Soon.”

“A week. I’ll give you a week before I come back with something stronger.”

You nod your head in agreement.

“Thank you, Edmund.”

“You’re my girl.” he remarks as it was an obvious motivation for his work.

You shiver at his words.

————

You don’t sleep well at night so you have taken to having naps while Coriolanus is at work. He is home more often now. He had got ahead of a considerable amount of work which meant nights were spent together.

Most nights he would take you walking around the compound for fresh air after dinner. You tried to memorize the key he used to unlock the door but there were so many that all looked the same. You wondered how he even knew.

He is anxious now that he found out you were sleeping in the living room and has taken to chaining you together as you slept. He cuffed one of his wrists and one of yours, making sleep impossible as he basically slept on top of you now.

It was only three days after Edmunds promise, that you woke from your nap with the sight of Coriolanus packing your clothes into a bag.

“What are you doing?” you ask.

Was he moving you to your own apartment?

He drops the bag and comes over to sit next to you on the bed.

“Hey,” he greets “You need to get up now. We are going to go away for the weekend.”

You sit up away from him, “Where are we going?”

Vacations were not a thing in District 12.

“The Capitol?” you guessed.

“No, not the Capitol.”

You sigh in relief. Still he had not answered your question.

“Where then?”

He gets up from the bed and zips the bag up.

“Do you not trust me?”

You get up from the bed to see he had laid a dress on the end of the bed for you.

‘‘I just want to know where we are going.”

“You took me to a special place, and now I want to take you somewhere, okay?”

Throwing the duffle bag filled with spare clothes for you and him, over his shoulder he exits the room.

You change and his way out to the living room. There would be no point in fighting. You were going to find out where he was taking you at some point.

The living room was empty, but the door swung wide.

With the door being left open for you, you took the stairs down to where Coriolanus was loading the back of a patrolling truck.

You saw a small cooler of food, one of the old pans, bedding and pillows, a small bag of toiletries and the clothes bag. He had packed in a hurry. The bags were thrown in without care. They were far apart from each other and more items than not were upside down.

“We’re not coming back?” you ask.

“We’ll stay a night or two.” Or however long it takes to find Lucy Gray’s body.

He holds open the door and you follow his silent command to get in. You spot the rifle tucked between the seat and the console. It makes you rethink your decision of complacency.

“My special place didn’t need a gun.”

He takes your arm and gently pushes you forward into the car, but you tug back against him.

“It’s nothing. Just a precaution.”

He gently pushes you again to move.

“Get in.” he barks.

“No.”

He takes a harsh grip this time on your arm and leads you back to the cage where Peacekeepers kept people who disturbed the peace.

He pushed you into the small space amongst the bags.

It was big enough that you could sit with your back against the wall but it would only leave an inch of space between your head and the roof. The back was caged in so the rebels couldn’t reach the officers in front, and the length was long enough to fit three or four rebels at one time. Albeit a tad uncomfortably.

You bang on the metal divide as he slams the door shut and begins to drive.

“Coriolanus, you don’t have to do this. I could just go home.”

He drives through the middle of the district to the out of bounds forest, where Peacekeepers were waiting armed and ready by the electric fence line. They buzz the parting gate open and seal it shut again once the car passes.

Past the gate, it was just you and him. What would he want to take you to a secluded forest for. A million reasons run through your mind and they all end with you dead.

“How are you doing back there?” he calls from the front. The car as it powers through the harsh conditions almost drowns him out.

“Where are you taking me?” you demand to know, “What’s out past the boundary line that you set up?”

Was he hiding something out there? Was that the reason he set up the fence? Not to keep people contained but to hide something.

“There’s a cabin I know of. There’s a lake too. I think you’ll like it.”

You watch from the front window, looking out for landmarks that could lead you back home. The dark clouds that roll fourth threaten to destroy anything you can remember.

The path to the cabin is ingrained in his mind since he walked back a different man. He weaved through the gaps in the forest without looking at his father’s compass.

“Did Lucy Gray like it?”

He ignores your comment and you don’t speak again.

—---

When you reach the cabin it is old and run down. Vines cover the walls of the house, patching up the rotten wood.

Coriolanus seemed nervous to be there. His hand flexes as it reaches for you.

The door had been sealed shut with moisture and it took three hard shoulder charges from Coriolanus to get it open. He invites you in with a hand on your shoulder, shutting the door behind you before retaking your hand in his.

You could smell the dust as you stood in the small living room. The cabin was small and colorless. Mostly everything was made from wood. From the small kitchen table and chairs to the bed you could see in the adjacent room. The only thing that was metal was an old fire stove, and a few decorative pieces.

Leaves had blown in from holes in the roof scattering the floor. The place looked like it hadn’t been touched in years. You would have thought the place was abandoned since its creation if there weren’t bags upon the floor. Despite its appearance, someone had been here before you and Coriolanus.

He lets go of you to rush over to the bags. He unzips one and pulls out a colorful dress. The way he lets out a laughy breath sends shivers down your spine.

“Lucy Gray’s?” you ask but you already know the answer. He had taken her here to kill her, maybe under the guise of running away together, and now he has taken you here to kill you.

Coriolanus shrugs as if he doesn’t know and shoves the dress back in the bag.

“Whoever it belongs to is long gone.”

He continues to look through the bags for anything missing while you glance at the door.

You think about making a run for it. Surely you would have a better chance in the forest then against him. You feel your feet slowly turning in the direction of the door when his speaking interrupts you.

“I’ll take this junk outside.” he gathers the bags, slinging one over his shoulder and carrying the other two in his hands.

You don’t speak as he comes over to you.

“Are you okay?” he asks, noticing your uptight demeanor.

“Fine. You?” Was he being driven to a quiet rage with thoughts of Lucy Gray?

“Perfect.”

He places a quick kiss to your lips before carrying the bags outside.

You look at the gun on the floor. If you ran now while he was busy outside it would give you a head start. Surely he would need to come back to get the gun before chasing you. He couldn’t do it with his bare hands.

You could feel his hands around your throat and knew he could.

You bolt through the door and down the old steps but run into him as he comes back up.

He had only taken to throwing the old bags by the side of the house, planning to sink them alongside of the guns in the lake at a later point.

“Whoa” he stops you with his hands, “Where are you going?”

“The bags. To get the bags out of the car.”

He looks out to the forest as if he had heard something.

“Get back inside. I’ll get them.”

You watch him from the window bring the items in. He was cautious and kept glancing at the forest.

You did not want to end up a ghost among the forest with Lucy Gray. You wanted to live. To go up to the mountains with Edmund and be shielded in his arms.

As Coriolanus finished his second trip with the bags, he used an old chair still there and pinned it under the door handle to prevent it from opening.

You promised yourself that you would make it to the mountains. Coriolanus would not kill you and bury your body next to Lucy Gray.

You felt as if you were in the Hunger Games.

You were going to be the victor.

Coriolanus looked unbothered by these thoughts as he tried to light a fire in the old stove.

He gets it going and as he puts his matches back in, he notices you still in a tense form.

“It’s only for tonight. We’ll go home tomorrow afternoon.”

“Will we?” you spat. “Why are we here anyway?”

‘To kill me. Say it, you coward’, you thought.

“It’s quiet,’’ he suggests, “Some place quiet where we can be alone.”

“Is this where you took Lucy Gray?”

He slams a pan down on top of the hot surface.

“I didn’t know Lucy Gray. I’ve told you.” He opens a pack of sausages and throws them down without care before tossing the leftover garlic potatoes you cooked the night before in as well.

“Did you bury her out here?” you push.

He ignores you. Pushing around a sausage with the knife he used to cut open the packet.

“Are you going to bury me out here?”

“I have never hurt you.”

“You starved me, hit me, nearly killed my mother. You call that not hurting me?”

You felt your blood boiling. It was one thing to make your life a living hell, it was another to deny he did it.

He drops the knife and turns to face you.

“Have you starved under me? Has your mother?” he hits his chest with his next words, “You eat because of me. You sleep in a bed that I paid for. I provide for you. Me.”

He stalks towards you causing you to stumble back. You hit a wall but feel a rusted piece of metal under your fingertips. You grab it from the desk but keep it low from his sight.

“Everything has happened to you because you strayed, and you want me to apologize for it?”

“I want you to admit to what you did.” What you are about to do, so I don’t feel guilty.

He grabs hold of the bar and pulls it from you.

“I did not kill Lucy Gray,” he said earnestly. But he wished he had.

He throws the rusted object across the room and it lands with a heavy clang.

“And I am not going to kill you. You don’t think you’ve done enough already to get yourself hanged? I protected you from that. Not Edmund.”

Your breath hitches as you hear his name.

The smell of burning and sounds of angry popping infiltrates the room. Coriolanus leaves you to deal with it. The sausages were charred on one side but raw on the other. After a quick flip, Coriolanus returned his attention to you.

“Sit on the ground, by my boots.’’

You eye your weapon on the other side of the room but he was stronger, faster, you would never get it and wield it in time. Night time would be the best chance of escape. The cabin had no lock on it, and you were sure you could make it to the mountains from here. But first you had to get Coriolanus off his guard. He still carried his cuffs with him. Escape would be impossible if you were locked in place.

So you sit on the ground and wrap yourself around his leg as he cooks.

He liked the feeling of you anchoring him. It made him feel secure.

He cooks in silence, tossing the items in the pan so they wouldn’t burn. Cutting a sausage in half, he could see it was done, but he had forgotten plates.

Instead he takes the pan off the stove and carefully sits down across from you on the floor. The pan sizzles as it is placed between you on the floor. It didn’t matter if it burnt the wooden floor. The cabin was so run down, it hardly made a difference. Coriolanus pokes a potato with his knife and brings it up to you.

He wouldn’t give you the knife after the pipe incident. You bite the hot potato off and Coriolanus had his turn.

You could tell the rocky temper was still floating around in him. He had calmed but his face still spoke of his annoyance. His necklace overlaid his shirt, your ring called out to you.

“Give me your dog tag.”

“What?” he responds.

“If you’re not going to kill me, then let me wear your necklace. I’ll give it back at the compound, but if you do kill me, you’ll be forced to wear your guilt around your neck.”

You wanted your ring back before you left him forever.

“I am not going to kill you.” he sighs, taking a bite of sausage.

“Then give me the necklace.”

You hold your hand out for it, which Coriolanus eyes.

Dropping the knife into the pan, he maneuvers the tag of his neck, bypassing your hand and dropping it over your head.

You felt the ring scratch you as it landed.

“Happy now? Will you stop acting crazy?”

You hold the pendants in your hand and nod in agreement

The rest of the night was uneventful. He sets up lamps as it darkens and teaches you a card game. You lost every round, even the ones he tried to let you win. It was a strategy game and you didn’t have the head for it.

The game only lasted an hour before you were helping Coriolanus set up the bed. He had brought along air beds from the Capitol that inflated and deflated by a push of a button. He pushes them together and you made a bed out of the queen sized bedwear from the apartment.

As he went to sleep with you wrapped safely in his arm, he thought about how he was going to get you to stay inside while he went searching the woods.

He couldn’t tell you what he was looking for or who he was looking for. Nor could he take you with him under the guise of a leisurely walk. If Lucy Gray was out there he didn’t want you anywhere near her. He knew there were four more other cabins in these woods. Just because she hadn’t come back for her mother’s dress, didn’t mean she wasn’t out there. If anything, if she was alive it would be the last place she went back to. She was smart, she would have known that Coriolanus would one day come back to find the mystery of Lucy Gray. She was probably trying to throw him off her scent.

You wiggle, pulling the blanket higher over you and it brings his attention closer to home.

Maybe he could lock you in the back of the car while he searched.

He decided he was going to do something nice for you after this. For putting you through it all. Get your measurements and commission Tigris for a new dress, perhaps. Or buy you a necklace of your own.

Maybe both. He had the money for it for the first time in his life. And he did owe you an apology and a thank you for being here with him tonight.

He could see how scared you were thinking that your protector was turning against you. After yesterday, he perhaps should have waited a day or two before taking you away. He at least should have been more gentle in the approach, so you didn’t think he would harm you for his anger towards Edmund.

Coriolanus understood him in a way that saved him from being shot. He was just looking out for you, the same way Coriolanus would have. He and Edmund both wanted to take care of you but your heart only had place for one. And that spot rightfully, and wholly belonged to Coriolanus Snow. Edmund did his job of keeping you alive for Coriolanus and he was rewarded when the bullet went behind him and not into his skull. But now it was Coriolanus’s turn and both Edmund and you needed to learn that.

Coriolanus mind slowed as you stilled beneath him.

You will yourself to be still. You count your breaths out to mime sleeping. Coriolanus’s hold on your shoulder falls as he sleeps but you don’t make a move just yet. Half-scared that he would wake when you got up.

It wasn’t until it started to pour rain that you decided to stop stalling and make a move.

Carefully you rose, and the chains of his arms fell off you. The rain pelting down covered the sound of the air mattress as you moved off it.

The rain, as it turns out, was a blessing and not a punishment.

You had left your boots and dress next to you for easy access. Stripping yourself of your nightdress, you quickly change and tie up your boots.

Coriolanus had taken to sleeping in his underpants, now that you weren’t in a position to indirectly persuade him to dress in his nightwear. He liked the feeling of skin to skin with you but you beg him to keep his t-shirt on. You hated the feeling of his skin pressed against yours. He obliged.

Your boots squeak against the old floor boards as you walk across it to the door. Causing you to wince at every step, but you do manage to reach the door without waking him.

You try to gently tug the chair from under the door but it was jammed. Turning back to see him still sleeping, you tug a bit harder, but only the door knob jiggles. You cringe as he moves slightly on his back. You would have a harder time escaping the compound than here. There were no armed guards or sniffing dogs. Just you and him, and you had a head start. You had to pluck up the courage now.

The chair scraps against the floor but you manage to get it free.

There is a second where nothing moves or makes sound. You almost think you got away scot-free.

“What are you doing?” You hear his voice and turn to see him sitting up dazed.

Your answer is the throwing open of the door and running out. You hear him jump up as you do.

He yanks on his Commander’s pants and boots, leaving the laces untied.

It was too late by the time he got out you were nowhere to be seen.

He felt his heart jump from his chest. This couldn’t be happening. It was just a bad dream that he would wake from. But the icy water pouring down on him told him that it was true. You had betrayed him like Lucy Gray.

Lucy Gray. What if she was out in the woods where you ran? She was the victor of the hunger games, you were a lost lamb. You wouldn’t stand a chance against her. She would tear you to shreds if she thought she could get back at Coriolanus.

He thinks about returning to the cabin and retrieving his gun but you were already too far out of reach.

He yells out for you.

The rain poured down soaking you to the bone, but covered your tracks as you ran.

“Y/N!” he screams. You battle the rain as you ran through the forest. Pushing yourself to go faster.

“Hey, it’s dangerous out here. Lets go back to the cabin. Talk about this.”

His wild eyes scan the area for any sign of movement. The rain hindered his vision but he could hear the faint sound of branches snapping under your foot.

“Do you honestly think you can run from me? That I won’t find you?”

You don’t answer and he screams out some more

“Y/N! Come out now! This isn’t funny!”

You stumble as your dress caught on a tree, it grazes your arm as you pull, leaving a nasty cut.

He screams loudly out of frustration. The rain seemed to slow down to a trickle as he did, as if it was also scared.

“You stupid, little girl” you can hear him as he walks, he was catching up. You couldn’t outrun him so you slowed your pace, focusing your efforts on hiding.

“When I catch you…” he doesn’t finish his sentence.

You press yourself against the tree. Your arm stung from the cut and your lungs burned from your efforts.

“Hey, who do you think will reach your mother first?” he taunts.

You knew it wouldn’t be him. She was safe in the mountains and soon you would be too.

“Y/N. That’s enough.”

You slink to the next tree and focus on quieting your breathing. His footsteps got louder as he gained ground.

“Y/N, I said that’s enough!” He picks up a large tree branch and walks forward with it.

“You’re going to get lost in the forest. There’s worse things than me out there.”

He imagined you wandering, lost amongst the trees. Lucy Gray, savage and wild, following you. You wouldn’t see her as a threat when she introduced herself. You were too sweet. You would willingly follow her back to wherever she was hiding and by the time you sense the danger of her, it would be too late.

He needed to find you. To make sure you were alright. That Lucy Gray hadn’t got her hands on the only pure thing in his life.

“Look it’s not too late. We can just forget this happened. Go back to the compound.” he offers but you knew it wasn’t true.

You hold your brother's ring in your hand and make an attempt to move forward.

You made it to the next tree but hear Coriolanus stop walking.

With the rain slowing, it was harder not to make a noise.

A loud banging spooked you as he threw the wood against the tree you were hiding behind. You knew you should have stayed still, he was only testing, but your feet took off before your mind could command them not too.

He felt better seeing you run off. You ran uninjured and with no one following you.

He takes off after you, determined not to lose sight again.

Both of you run through the forest and rain. You felt as though he might eat you alive if he caught you, but he was faster. All too soon, you feel hands on your waist, pulling you down. You scream as you sink into the mud, trashing under his weight.

He sits on your thighs and keeps your hands pinned against the dirt floor.

“What were you thinking?” He spat. You had never seen him look so upset. His face scrunched, eyebrows furrowed, his eyes looked down at you in a crazy panic.

“How could you be so stupid?”

You toss under him, screaming at him to release you.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?”

You kick your feet in an attempt to buck him off, but he was too heavy.

“Shut up,” he grabs your jaw and stills it in his direction, “You stupid, stubborn, fool of a girl. What was your plan? Huh? Wander around the forest and hope you make it back to District 12?”

You don’t answer and he tightens his hold.

“It was foolish. What if something got you in the forest?’’

What if Lucy Gray got you in the forest.

“Do you have any idea what that would have done to me?”

“I don’t care,” you cry.

“You don’t care?” he says, astonished.

He sits back off you and pulls you up by your arms.

“When you were hungry, I cared.” he pulled you along back to the cabin.

“When you didn’t have money for rent, I cared.” You wriggle your arm, but his hold was too tight.

“Clothes for the winter, medicine for your mother. I cared. And what do I get for it?”

You latch yourself onto a tree. It grounds you as he tries to tug you off it.

“All I ever wanted from you was for you to care.”

He yanks you off the tree and shoves you forward.

“You would think after everything, I would be entitled to it.”

“Coriolanus, please let go of me.” you buck against him.

He tightens his hold, wrapping his arms around you and lifting you off the ground.

He throws you across the floor as you reenter the cabin, going to get his cuffs from his bag. You scramble away from him as he gets closer but he stands over you, trapping your wrist in the cuff and hooking it around the leg of the oven and then trapping your wrists.

He stood back over you.

“Look at you,” he spat, “You wouldn’t have lasted the night out there.”

The cut on your arm bleed down, your hair was tangled with twigs and mud. You looked pitiful.

“Let me go, Coriolanus. I won’t tell anyone.”

He lowers himself down to the ground, placing his knees either side of you. He places the weight of him on your legs. You hated the feeling, as now you were fully immobilized.

He speaks slowly and dangerously with your face in his hands.

“If you ever try to leave me again, there will be nothing you could do that would save Edmund”.

Do you understand?”

You nod, but it seemed to anger him.

“I asked if you understood,” he yells.

“Yes. Yes. I understand.”

“How stupid could you be? So worried about me killing you, you decide to do it yourself.”

“I wasn’t thinking,” you just wanted him to get off you. His weight was crushing.

“I doubt you’ve ever thought something useful in your life. Use to everybody else doing it for you.”

His hands tangle in your hair forcing you to keep still.

“I’ll do your thinking for you from now on. Your next independent thought, I’ll smash from your skull, understand?”

“Yes.” you cry. The night proved too much for you. The hope of getting away now crushed under his foot.

Your chest heaves with sobs. The panic of being a sitting duck waiting to be killed courses through you, it was a choking sensation.

He takes his wet form off of you and towards the door.

The night was getting to him too. He felt as if history was repeating itself. Back in the forest with little control.

He goes to the side of the house where the bags layed and stuffed them with as many heavy rocks as he could find.

They were heavy as he picked them back up and takes the old boat out to the middle of the lake. The bags sink easily with the rocks, and join the guns at the bottom. His past was officially buried. He now only had the future to look forward to. A future with him as President of Panem, and you by his side.

He rows the boat back to shore. The rain soaked him again and his shirt clung uncomfortably on his skin. It sticks the cold to his chest and his mind floats back to you inside. You were sure to catch a cold if he didn’t move fast.

Entering the house, he could see he was correct from the way your body shivered.

Wiping off the water from his face with his soaked shirt, he goes to his bag and pulls out a fresh shirt for himself. He could still hear you crying as he changed into dry shirt and underpants.

He takes one of his long sleeve off-duty button ups and a towel he wanted to be used from swimming in the lake and brings them over to you.

He had brought you a spare change of clothes but after tonight he felt like he needed the extra security and you needed a extra reminder.

You flinch as he drops down on his knees.

“I am going to uncuff you so you can change.”

You sniffle and he takes it as confirmation to move. With your hands unlocked, you battle with Coriolanus over your clothes. He grasps the end of your dress, beginning to hike it up but you push down the fabric.

“I can-” you manage.

“I do the thinking for you, remember.”

You don’t fight as he yanks the wet dress over you, throwing it behind him carelessly. He keeps his eyes as forward as he can as he slides the sleeves up your arms. Only looking down as he does up the buttons. It was oddly gentlemanly and you wonder if he did it for his sake or yours.

“Stop,” you beg, as you feel his fingers hook over the elastic of your underwear. He doesn’t, going as far as to help you put on a fresh pair. He cuffs you once more to the oven before bringing one of the blankets and pillows back over.

He lays the blanket over you without a word and props the pillow under your head before returning to makeshift bed.

He lays on his side away from you, but you gather he doesn’t sleep, as an hour or so later he brings his pillow and blanket and curls up against your side.

He gets his rest, but you are left in a state of shock that hinders your sleep.

————-

Early the next morning you woke from the sound of Coriolanus stomping in the kitchen. He was eating beef jerky for breakfast. You wake with the sight of him leaning back against the wood counter, towards you. You try to sit up as much as you can while being tied down.

Looking at the food, your stomach grumbles.

“Hungry?” he asks.

You nod in hope that mercy would be given to you.

None was.

“Imagine how hungry you would be lost in the woods.”

“I would have made it back.” you contend.

He strips off another piece as he answers, “You would be dead if I didn’t find you.”

He throws the packet on the counter. It sits unbalanced on the side.

“Are we going home?” You saw the bags were neatly packed in a pile and you thought calling the compound ‘home’ might earn you some beef jerky.

“I have something I have to do. We’ll be back by this afternoon.”

“What do you have to do?”

“None of your business.” he snaps.

The conversation ended as he walks over to the bags and picked up his gun that was resting against them.

You watch him, dressed down in his white t-shirt and army pants, as he swings his rifle over his shoulder.

“I’ll be back soon.” he comments, half way out the door.

He walks through the forest at a slow pace. Careful not to miss the smallest bit of detail.

Retracing the steps of that day, he makes it to where he was bitten by the snake.

Time had overtaken the hunting ground. There was now grass where the earth once was.The branches and trees had healed from the damage done.

He eyes the place where he attempted to shoot Lucy Gray and aims his gun like he did.

He half-expected to see her in the space waiting for him, but it was just ground again. No clues were left for him to find.

There was no rotten smell overtaking his nose. No scrap of clothing left for him to find, or anything to indicate human life had been moving through the forest.

He continues to walk through.

The mockingjays squawk above him. If he was a better shot, he would have taken the time to kill at least some of them. But you would hear the gunfire and panic.

With no sign of Lucy Gray, he continues his way up to the other cabins. He searches each one but they look untouched and run down. The heat of the sun beats down on him as he makes his way back. It was early afternoon by the time he had satisfied himself that Lucy Gray was nowhere in the woods. She could have made it back to District 12, but it was unlikely. He kept tabs on the Covey for months after he got back. He surely would have known if they were hiding her. She must have gone north like planned. He wondered if she made it, or if her body is now one with the earth.

Either way, she was gone and Coriolanus could shake her from his memory.

When he returned back to the cabin, you were busy yanking on your chains.

He presses the point of the gun into your ankle, pinning it against the floor. You don’t try moving under threat. He slides the gun slowly up your leg, over your calf, over your knee, inching up to the middle of your thigh under his shirt. You pulled against your chains, but don't verbally acknowledge you were scared.

“Open your legs wider.” he demands. Instead you squeeze your thighs tighter together.

He pushes the gun with more force against you.

“I am in a very good mood. You would hate to ruin that wouldn’t you?”

Deciding you would, you separate your legs. He nestles himself between you, pulling you closer by your thighs so your legs are past his hips.

Thankfully the gun settles on the floor.

“I think we should talk about last night.”

You shake your head no and he gives you a serious look.

“Every time I give you an inch, you take a mile.”

“I thought you were going to kill me.”

“I have been nothing but patient and kind to you.”

You wanted to laugh at him but forced it down. It was not too late for you to end up dead in the forest.

��I know, Coriolanus. And I am sorry. It’s just no one has ever cared for me like this before”.

He laughs gently at you, “You’re trying at least.”

“It scared me. But if you give me another chance, I promise I won’t disappoint you.”

He lays his body down on yours, keeping his weight off you by planking on his elbows.

“You can have as many chances as it takes.” he promises, softly.

“Just one more.” you return in the same small voice.

He kisses you as if you had earnestly promised to live up to his expectations.

But really what you promised is that you would allow yourself one more chance of escape before he made good on his promise to kill your mother and Edmund. If you lead to their death, then you would follow them shortly after.

---------------------------

NEXT CHAPTER

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346 notes · View notes

embryoed · 5 months ago

Text

I’m so sorry but my ass will NEVER shut up about how the writers came up with an honestly GOOD conflict with the Binary Bros in Part One, only to immediately drop everything that made it interesting in Part Two :-:

Putting my rant under the cut bc idk who’s gonna wanna hear this yapfest

Like, my biggest gripe is how they had Demetri bring up The Arm during his and Hawk’s fight for the flag, only to never mention it again. When he brought it up, a lot of people, including myself, thought that Part Two would probably explore that repressed hurt a little more. Because surely the writers wouldn’t write that into the script if they had no use for it!! Right? RIGHT???? (they did, in fact, end up not using it)

They could’ve used their conflict to make them have a very needed conversation about everything that happened between them in Seasons 2 and 3, because it’s very clear that they never properly addressed that, but they didn’t. Instead, their conflict was handled in what was probably the worst way it could’ve been.

They kept adding on all these new arguments for them to have, all of which were petty as shit and I could not care less for. The cheating plot especially gets me pissed because though I’m a firm believer that Demetri and Yasmine are both raging faggots, the writers aren’t and have been writing Demetri as genuinely being all over her, and that Demetri would NEVER cheat on her (he literally calls her his goddess like nuh uh he’s not a cheater on my soul).

And not only that, but everything they did had NO VALUE!!! All their “arguments” had no substance, especially since they weren’t even really fighting!! Wdym Demetri was supposedly extremely pissed at Hawk, but then they’re sitting together like normal at the bar? Wdym they’re suddenly ganging up on Kenny together?? IT MAKES NO SENSE!!!

Speaking of the Kenny thing, it directly contradicts Demetri’s character for him to be suspicious of Kenny. He was suspicious of him because he immediately forgave Devon for the laxatives, but he did that EXACT SAME THING in Season 3!! And his was worse!! He immediately forgave Hawk for months of torment and for BREAKING HIS ARM!!!! I mean, the writers COULD HAVE used that as an opportunity to have him actually reflect on that and ask himself why he decided to be so forgiving if he’s suspicious of Kenny for doing so, but guess what? THEY DIDN’T!!!!!

Hawk’s line to Demetri telling him to not do shitty things if he didn’t wanna face consequences is also extremely contradictory, considering the fact that he’s done some of the most shitty things out of all the teens on the show!! ESPECIALLY TO THE GUY HE WAS SAYING THAT LINE TO!!!!! Hawk did a bunch of shitty things to Demetri, but he never faced any consequences for them! He faced consequences for betraying Cobra Kai mid-house-fight through them shaving his mohawk, and he faced consequences for being a general asshole through him being an outcast in the beginning of Season 4, but he never faced any consequences SPECIFICALLY for what he put Demetri through. Again, the writers COULD HAVE used it for some reflection, BUT THEY DIDN’T!!!! GOSH!!!!!

Their conflict this season was SOLELY a plot device to make them uncoordinated and therefore bad at fighting because the writers knew that if they were coordinated then they would’ve been slamming all those other wack ass dojos from the beginning. That was it. Both characters came out largely unchanged, if not worse, than before.

The locker room make-up scene was good, but it irks me when I remember that none of their REAL problems were solved by it. I start tweaking out when I remember that they’re still never gonna be able to actually talk about their issues. Like wdym it’s canon that Demetri still has some kind of repressed hurt over having his arm broken but is never gonna actually address it :(( the dick CANNOT be that good for him to keep forgiving and forgetting im begging 😭🙏

TLDR: I’m tweaking out way too much over fictional gay people

#I’m still tweaking out about this #this probably doesn’t even make any sense but I don’t care #WHY bring up the arm if they aren’t gonna bring it up again like what was the point genuinely #it feels like them in Part One and them in Part Two were written by entirely different people #hashbrown let demetri get mad at hawk/eli for everything he did to him 2024 #hashbrown let him have trauma over the time his bestie held him down and snapped his arm in half 2024 #binary boyfriends #hawkmetri #demetri alexopoulos #eli moskowitz #cobra kai #ck

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constantfragmentation · 5 months ago

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Arcane S2 Thoughts

I've had a week to digest this season and well, I guess I have the unpopular opinion of being very disappointed. After the initial flash of gorgeous animation and some ooo's and awe's.... I was left with a bitter aftertaste. I can rewatch S1 loads of time. I don't think I can watch S2 again.

I'm happy for the fans that loved it and got what they wanted or the shippers that got what they wanted. I'm happy for you. Do your thing.

Me? Not so much. Even as a Silco fan (and I admit to squeeing for any footage of him at first), I'm not pleased. Yeah, my young Silco is a nerd, man-bun hottie, but that's where it ended for me. His entire characterization was nothing like the character I fell head over heels for in S1.

Vander's Flashback: I honestly don't find Felicia's inclusion necessary at all. In fact, I think it waters down everything between Silco and Vander. Their knowing her and the kids creates more questions, plotholes, and problems than it supposedly solves.

Why is Vander only in those memories with the kids? It's before the fallout with Silco. Why don't the kids know or remember nice Silco? Why do they only fear him (obv that's from Vander and Benzo, yes?)?

Why doesn't Silco seem to know Powder at Vander's dead body? Why would he kill Felicia's kids? None of it makes any fucking sense if he cared about Felicia. He hates Vander so much, he hates the kids too because he adopted them?

How the hell does S2 Young Silco turn into S1 Silco? Riot really messed this one up. Vander's attempted murder didn't change his entire personality.

It was a rebellion battle. People were going to get hurt and killed. They had to know this. So, whether Silco accidentally killed Felicia (as some fans are debating) or she died, is so damn dumb for Vander to solely blame Silco. Takes the kids, becomes a pacifist FIRST and then decides to (shave and grow younger) kill his brother for the greater good. Doesn't make one lick of sense narratively.

The narrative, characterization and animation inconsistencies don't help from S1 either. The drowning scene doesn't fit the S2 explanation. They're too young. Vander had a beard and appears much older on the bridge. Hell, S2 Young!Silco looks older than S1 Young!Silco. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. If people want to kiss Riot's ass, fine, but there was too much that was straight up lazy writing.

Silco's death is just glossed over considering how important he is. Silco did what Vander couldn't. Even without Shimmer, the Underground was thriving. Cait's mother's death/burial/statue gets more screen time and Silco gets dumped in the river. No one seems to question his death or what happened? Yeah, ok.

I'll use this moment to complain about the excessive music video montages this season too. I watched S1 again and the writing and use of music worked in unison and enhanced scenes. S2 felt like scenes in between music videos and it was irritating.

There was so much screentime wasted that could have been good dialogue heavy scenes that S1 was great at. Instead, time wasted on poorly executed plotlines that needed way more time to flesh out (Mel, Ekko and Viktor) and we have slowmo music videos and MCU fight scenes. Hermie's guitar song and Mission Impossible jokster crap was laughable and not in a good way.

Riot tried to pack too much into one season, and it was a mess. This season felt like watching a Marvel movie. Cool action sequences with little to no substance. All the nuance and grit from last season were gone in favor of the 'good vs. bad' trope. All the political-societal issues in S1 were abandoned that were far more fascinating to explore.

Mel has superpowers now? It feels all out of place. Her, Ambessa, and the Black Rose plot have zero time to make it interesting and plausible. She was introduced as this master manipulator/politician and her sage persona feels so forced.

Jesus Demigod Viktor was too much. I was excited for the Machine Herald and the psychedelic Arcane magical multiverse took me out. Making him to be the big baddie and timeloop it around to Jayce felt like a big cop out. Viktor deserved better. Hell, Jayce deserved better.

So much was sacrificed to make the whole Arcane magic THE point of the series when it was one of the least interesting aspects of the show. Hextech for weapons and the continuing problems between Piltover and Zaun was RIPE for storytelling. It seems each act needed several episodes to cover.

Ekko sure as fuck deserved better than that half assed time warp with Hermie. The AU really bothered me. Everything felt wrong. EVERYTHING. Nothing was explained well at all. It felt like complete fan service at the expense of the characters. Before people rip me saying "well duh! It was an AU!". You don't assassinate characters and plot to have a happy ending that insults your viewers.

They turned Zaun (its own cool character) into the bargain basement of Piltover. How is it sunny and pretty? Really? Mirror tricks? Everyone just forgave Piltover after years of oppression?

You're telling me Vi's death saved humanity? Fuck that shit right now. Piltover just stopped because a kid died? Suddenly everything became better? What happened to Jayce? Viktor? Hell, Hermie after decades didn't give two shits about Zaun, so what changed with the Council? Where's Singed? I don't buy it.

I don't buy Jinx/Powder being super normal smart girl. I LOVE JInx, but I believe she had mental issues prior breaking into Jayce's apartment. I don't think Vi's death made that go away (as I don't believe Silco's death did either). As someone who battles with mental health, this is insulting to me as a viewer.

I hated AU Silco. There. I said it. He just forgave Vander? Really? Bullshit. The reason Vander tried to kill him is stupid. A simple letter changed Silco? That fluffy-haired softy is not Silco. I can't imagine that Silco being the one who fought a rebellion. He probably would not have become a mob boss peddling drugs but this AU softboi dad feels so wrong. I never would have stanned AU Silco. Not in a million years.

S1 Silco's traits didn't magically appear because Vander betrayed him. The young S1 Silco had to be similar in many ways to older S1 Silco. Drive, ambition, ruthlessness, willing to die for a cause. I don't see Felicia's death changing that. I certainly don't see Vi's death changing that.

If Vander needed to kill Silco to stop the violence, etc, it's because he saw Silco as a threat to him or society as a whole. S1 Vander is known as The Hound. So, he seems to be violent as well. He takes credit for building the Underground when Felicia credits both 'bozos' for it. So Vander being upset she died and blaming Silco to the point of murder is a slap in the face to fans' intelligence.

I do hate that by Vi's death, everything is magically better. I can't express how much I hate that. AU Powder was irritating and was nothing like my Jinx that I love. Again so much wasted time that could have been better spent on good character driven scenes that actually advance the plot.

Pointless characters. Introduce Isha (who I adored). Make her seem important to Jinx. Kill her and never mention her again. So what was the point of her inclusion this season? Just to make Jinx suicidal? I hated that also. Again WASTED SCREENTIME.

Oh, and Caitvi was a disgrace. I think shippers deserved better here, too. Caitlyn goes crazy dictator because of guilt over her mom. Granted, Caitvi only knew each other for a week-ish? Not a lot of time to make their relationship serious past an infatuation. Cait turns from all her good points last season to Ambessa's padawan.

Don't get me started on that side piece Maddie. Really? Cait you were that hard up? And that long awaited sex scene was a big eye roll. Vi goes to her sister, and shit goes to hell, and a few minutes later, she's fucking Cait in the same cell. Vi was reduced to shit this season.

I mean, these characters just got shafted in every way for a high speed train wreck ending that we've seen a million times in Disneyfied stories. Action sequences were more important than actual character development and plot.

You can't make me believe that one speech from Jayce 'seeing a possible future' suddenly got Zaun to work with and dress up as Piltover soldiers? Really?

I had high hopes for Sevika, and the girl got shit nothing to do except in two episodes. Her seat on the Council feels like a last-minute decision and not worthy enough to expand on.

What made S1 so great was the class divide between Zaun and Piltover and how it affected the characters. S2 decided to scrap that and go with the easy good vs evil trope instead. Even the parallels didn't have the same hit as last season.

I did like Jinx talking to her 'ghost' Silco in the jail cell. He was calming to her in contrast to Milo/Claggor except the implication that she should die (that's what I got out of that).

We didn't even get much from Singed. Yeah, he got his daughter back (in some form) but his story was so blah. We didn't get nearly enough of him and Warwick and what made Warwick.

I guessed a few years ago it was going to be Vander but I didn't like how it was handled.

Too many plotlines all rushed together without getting any decent screentime and explanations that don't confuse or insult viewers intelligence. OR you have to be a LOL fan/player to understand. I never played LOL before S1 and wasn't confused as to the main plot.

I loved all the characters in S1 and felt they were pretty much watered down or assassinated in S2 for an apocalyptical Demigod villain vs humanity battle done to death finale.

The Zaun/Piltover political-societal problems, parallels, corruption, science going wrong, pathway to hell paved with good intentions themes from S1 was so much better in every single aspect.

I'm still a fan of S1 and the characters and frankly, I'm going to ignore 95% of S2.

#arcane season 2 #silco #jinx #vi #viktor #jayce #mel #ambessa #sevika

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randomness-is-my-order · 4 months ago

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jiang cheng time travel au but make it return by death (re:zero) style (time loop with a set checkpoint) wherein he is killed five years after wei wuxian’s death after one of the demonic cultivators he tortures to death curses him in return and he dies and goes all the way back to when wei wuxian rescued the wen remnants and has just started living in the burial mounds. but jiang cheng is extremely hateful towards wei wuxian, still too lost in his grief from his previous life and has undergone zero development and healing and so he pounces at this opportunity to prevent zixuan and yanli’s deaths by doubling down on his opposition of wei wuxian, projecting his five-plus years of boiling resentment into this already sensitive situation from canon. he pushes wei wuxian harder, is even more prejudiced against the wens, is even more rigid in his opinions. still just as easily manipulated by the sect leaders and incapable of viewing things rationally. this results in an even bigger fallout between him and wei wuxian and this time jiang cheng pushes the sects to rally against wei wuxian even faster before the qiongqi path ambush can take place. the siege is pushed up, wei wuxian and the wens are caught off-guard, jiang yanli and zixuan are horrified at what’s going on, lan wangji stands up for wei wuxian like in canon but this time it’s even less effective because jiang cheng, the only person to have seen the people occupying the burial mounds, is relentless in his efforts to persecute them and wei wuxian. this time, a fight of a much greater magnitude takes place in the burial mounds (the nightless city massacre doesn’t happen) and wei wuxian fights with all he’s got but in the end, he and the wens all die and guess what? jiang cheng dies with them–caught in the collateral.

he wakes up, back to the same checkpoint as before. wei wuxian is in the burial mounds with the wens and now, he has to figure out a way to kill wei wuxian and the wens without him dying along. he goes through some more iterations of this, trying to get rid of wwx before the “main” tragedies can happen and by the fifth or sixth trial, he’s so fucking exhausted with himself. he can’t understand what he’s doing wrong, where he’s lacking. so, this time, he decides to simply convince wei wuxian to give up the wens once more. this is back his canon actions, just with added hatred for wwx which is still carried over–just worn out now. wei wuxian refuses, reminds him of his debts to the wens, and it’s back to square one. he’s missing something, he doesn’t know what, but brute forcing his way didn’t work, massacring people didn’t work and now he needs to do something different. he goes to yanli and asks her how he can convince wei wuxian and yanli, ofc, tells him that that is impossible. wei wuxian won’t budge. the wens’ lives are important to him. he’s doing the right thing.

and at this point, jiang cheng needs to reckon with the fact that his violence hasn’t solved one issue, has only caused more problems, has only exacerbated the wounds. if there is something that needs to be fixed, it has to start with his own self. all these lives of hatred that dictated his actions have to catch up to him, there has to be some guilt that is finally sparking after each life he spent betraying wei wuxian from the get-go, spearheading the siege without ever listening to wei wuxian or his opinions and forcing his will to make things better, the way he saw fit.

after this, his focus would shift to making wei wuxian give up the “demonic” path instead of making him give up the wens. it would take some more tries but i see jiang cheng actually learning something from all the lives he wasted and somehow learning about the golden core after going through the grating process of actually talking to wei wuxian without being a massive prick. in some lives, he gets to talk to yanli some more, in some others, wen qing rips him a new one and collectively, he begins to have a slow shift in perspective. and wei wuxian, being wei wuxian, is even able to offer him some empathy for all the memories he carries from his past lives.

idk how this would end. if jiang cheng would earnestly apologise and come to realise all of his wrongdoings and finally provide political support to wei wuxian–by speaking up when lan wangji and mianmian do (which would still not solve the issue, but it would be a start). or if return by death ends at some point and he is reverted back to his original circumstances, just this time with the full understanding of why he messed up and that he can’t live on with such a resentful mindset anymore.

see, i’m not against a jiang cheng redemption fic but it needs to feel very very earned and the impetus has to be about jiang cheng taking accountability in a major way. and i also LOVE time travel au in other fandoms but in mdzs i think sometimes it can come across as... oh, wei wuxian could have just done this one thing and everything would be fine, he wasn’t smart/strong/capable enough and that doesn’t work for me. so for jiang cheng to realise just how difficult it is to save two people and to realise the lengths wei wuxian would go to protect the wens and to have him take all these lives to finally gets some semblance of a better result than canon–and only when he can respect wei wuxian’s cause and join him in finding a solution rather than singlehandedly wandwaving the complex net of issues away–is very very appealing.

#canon jiang cheng #wei wuxian #lan wangji #jiang yanli #mdzs fanfiction #mdzs #mdzs meta #alternate universe #time travel au #rimo ideas

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resident-idiot-simp · 2 months ago

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Jester and Knight AU

Ft: @orcadork4ever

I need Logan to be head knight of (I guess it would be Xaviers) and Wade the court Jester everyone hates.

I need them to be together but no one knows and even if it is probably obvious no one believes it because duh.

Od: Wade was a knight in another court (or not, maybe he was a mercenary who took up jobs for the crown). But he was hurt *bad*. Took ages to recover and even then it was hard to move without his scars pulling and he has a limited range of motion and can’t fight like he used to. (This is assuming no powers)

Logan who couldn't help but be charmed and amused by the jester. They've come quick friends and then something more. Neither of them hide it the are always close and talking to one another. The other knights realize that Logan is covered in hickeys and ask where he got it from. He just shrugs and says his partner. People don't put it together that well that's Wade

Od: Laura knows. Other knights, pages, and squires ask but she just scoffs and smirks and tells them to “open your eyes and you’ll see it yourselves”

Everyone really confused and mad because wtf you mean he's taken? In particular Lady Jean and Sir Summers both want Logan so bad, but he's revolted at the mere idea. Both see the perfect head knight and decide they want him.

Jester Wade who sees so much he shouldn't because people assume wrongly that he's an idiot in a fool. He tells Logan everything and everyone is a very confused when Logan just seems near omniscient with being able to solve issues before they even appear.

Wade slinking up to Logan throwing his arms around the other man.

"Oohhhhh LoLo~"

Logan sighed out, "What darling?" He asked wearily that tone of Wade's never signified good things.

"You won't believe who's planning to overthrow the crown." Wade said like he was sharing this like gossip to a child.

Logan peaked up, "Oh?" Logan asked intrigued.

"Yep bet you know who." Wade muttered into the others neck

Logan sighed he did, Victor must be back

Logan on a day off cuddling with Wade in his personal quarters. People are searching for him because he's usually at a bar or something and being really confused when they can't find him.

People are also looking for Wade cuz he's usually also on the town causing ruckus and mayhem.

In reality they're being adorable kissing, cuddling, and getting caught up on sleep

Od: They ask everyone except Laura where he is and she's like, "he's being gross with his partner, you don't even want to find him."

Everyone trying to find the hidden partner. What if instead everyone just assumes he's sleeping with someone new every night because he's a whore. So people are more surprised that Laura is like no he has a partner

Foreign visitors come and a lot of the nobles that are staying in the castle or trying to hit on Logan. Wade isn't to please in keep making half-handed comments.

The visiting nobles are waiting for him to be punished for his hubris but it's not happening. (Logan won't let it)

A day off and they are at the spring. Logan and Wade are being obnoxiously in love. Logan is in his lap being held to Wades chest as they make out.

(tbc whenever more strikes me or fits with the specific idea I have. Also yes there is a fic series of pretty much this premise, however I would like to say that I thought of this before it was posted and that series has only inspired me more)

#deadclaws #deadclaw #deadpool and wolverine #deadpool & wolverine #deadpool 3 #deadpool x wolverine #deadpool #wade wilson #wade x logan #logan howlett #wolverine #poolverine #medieval au

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aromantic-ace · 5 months ago

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Humans Are Weird/SpaceOrcs: Human Skin

Imagine if, as opposed to many creatures on earth, aliens don't have skins, worse the average alien doesnt even know it can exist, now I imagine most alien would have scales or some kind of exoskeleton (or just a suit holding themselves in for maybe an ultra ultra tech specie that lost its shell after so many years not needing it). And then here come the humans, with all those weird fact about their skin (its regenerative effect, its stripes, patern on the hand etc).

Injuries were always something Po'Rox's specie was dreading, they were renowed for their shell and exoskeleton almost unbreakable that was extremely usefull in fights but when a Naaric shell finally breaks it take multiple cycle to heal the outside injury alone, bleeding wasn't a scary factor since a compress could solve that issue, no what was their doom were infections, a simple infection could nail a Naaric to bed for weeks and that was if the wound was correctly treated. It was kind of ironic how a specie that dreaded wounds so much ended up as one of the best fighter specie in the known universe.

And then the Humans arrive and the whole universe is shocked, not only does they have a fleshy shell but it apparently is incredibly resistant AND regenerate itself and Po'Rox couldn't believe it, luckily one of those humans were on the ship the Naaric was on so the multi shelled being decided to talk to the one concerned instead of trusting the rumors.

Walking toward the quarter of the interesting specimen, the titan reminded himself of what he knew about the human, it was a female named Kaete or Kayte he didn't know exactly, human name are hard to pronounce and remember. She also was a scientist, those that do science and not fights, Po'Rox knew they were usefull and not to be depreciated be he was raised to think with a gun or another weapon, not with words or science so he didn't know how to start the conversation with the scientist or how to not look like the brutes his people were described as.. he would do as usual and just ask the question probably.

Now was the time, he knocked on the door with a bit more stress than he wanted, was he the protector of the ship and experienced soldier being stressed ? I mean.. it was expectable after all, he was about to bluntly ask a question to a member of the specie that could become the deadliest and toughest warriors of the known universe, it was something to be cautious about. And then the door opened and he couldnt believe what he was seeing, she was small, like half the size of the walking shield and he wasn't himself part of the tallest of his specie, she had no scales nor did she have any exoskeleton, it really was just some kind of red or white colored shell if he has to use humans words. She only had two eyes one of which was covered by some kind of protective keratine based plant that was way overgrown and apparently black when he himself had three pairs of eyes allowing him to see in multiple direction. No visible claws and when she showed her teeth (maybe in some kind of greetings or warning message) she barely had any potentially dangerous ones.. was she really part of some apex predator specie that could be the fiercest fighters ? It was hard to believe but he had to admit that at leash she had the flesh shell so it wasn't a li-

Kate: Hello ? Can i help you ?

Right ! He was about to talk to her, luckily his translator worked and he only looked stupid for a brief moment before answering while trying to look smart.

Po'Rox: Hello ! Human Kaet. I come with question about this.

He pointed with one of its non clawed hands (as to not offend or looking threatening) the face of the human which.. simply showed more of her teeth (was it a good thing ?) Before correcting him.

Kate: it's Kate, and uhm.. are you asking about my nose ?

Po'Rox: No, no, i mean what is on your face, your shell, the red thing.

Kate: Oh ! You mean my skin right ? What about it ?

Po'Rox: Well.. is it true ? Can you regenerate wounds in less than a day ? How ? To have such speed it should be incredibly weak yet you arent dissolving or leaking flesh.

Kate: I mean.. yeah ? Is it that much of a big deal ? Of course it depend of the gravity of the wound but most go away in a day or two and it isnt that resistant a knife can easily wound us but at the same time its a quick recovery.

Po'Rox: Oh i understand, but what about the pain, and the infection, us Naarig have almost no pain sense but i heard it wasn't the case for you.

Kate: The pain ? We just forget it.

Po'Rox: ...sorry what ?

Kate: In situation of fear or danger our body produce a drug that make us forget about pain and sometime allow us to go beyond our bodies limitation so... we just forget about pain, our brain even sometime decide to make us forget about pain without that drug for as long as we aren't in a safe place.

Po'Rox:... Are humans the product of a geneticly engineered super specie ?

Kate: Nope, all natural.

Po'Rox: You.. you people are.. i can't even describe what you are..

Kate: Oh it's not all, you see i know a bit about our skin, if the right condition are there it can grow on things that arent part of our bodies and make a whole new organ, a nose for exemple. It is constantly regenerating itself that's why we heal quickly, the skin is made of multiple layer of cell that just amass themselves in a specific formation and slowly get exposed on the outside, just by rubbing somewhere im withdrawing thousands of dead cell while exposing the fresh one, of course everything isnt dead on the surface, a lot of still active cell get away if we do that and it cause a minor wound that heal within minutes.

Po'Rox: I.. i need to lay down, i'm not even sure i wanna ask question anymore, you humans are really terrifying..

Po'Rox spent the next days realising how much weird the humans were, and how screwed they would be if they ever decided to declare war, if their scientist had this kind of body, he didnt even want to look at what their warrior looked like, for the first time in a long, long time past childhood he had felt fear, and the source wasn't an enemy.

#human are weird #human are space orcs #humans are space orc #humans are space orcs #humans are weird #writers on tumblr #writing

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harukamitsuki · 10 months ago

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man. spinner and shoji were two characters that i really enjoyed and wanted to see more of... until i did get to see more of them and horikoshi stomped on my dreams...

spinner goes from being one of the best characters to being ridiculously one-dimensional. the heroes don't do jack shit, until it's revealed at the last second that they did, meaning that everything the 'bad guys' did was ultimately useless. kurogiri being in a hospital made no sense; the guy is a high-ranking villain who is far too useful to the villains to give up, he should be in a highly secure location like tartarus. shoji goes from being someone who i really enjoyed to being someone with ignorant beliefs, despite him accusing his friends of being such people.

seriously, shoji's rant on how the 'people from the city' wouldn't understand because they 'had it easy'. NEWSFLASH: discrimination happens everywhere. yes, it's a lot more rampant outside of cities, but it still exists within a city. heck, i had someone scream racial slurs at me while i was walking home, and i live in a big city. to say that someone had it easy just because you had it worse is a horrible thing to say, especially when it's coming from someone who is supposed to be empathetic.

this is not shoji's beliefs. this is horikoshi's beliefs. he could have easily had shoji say something like 'you have had it hard. that being said, people are more willing to turn to extremes outside of the city'.

also, shoji's whole 'violence to get what you want never works out!!' is wrong. i'm not saying from a moral standpoint - that's perfectly fine. but it's historically wrong. yes, there are such a thing as peaceful protests, but they have never worked out as well as those that fight violence with violence. blm riots, for example, were the thing to force the government to take a closer look at why people were rioting and do things to prevent more property damage.

another thing i found troubling was how the mutants became enraged at a person of colour, specifically black, for trying to intervene and empathise with them, screaming that he could not understand. it's supposed to imply that racism wasn't a concern after quirks emerged, as people found other things to discriminate.

which is... very idealistic. if that were something people would really do, then racism wouldn't be a thing after sexism came to light. and neither of them would exist after the lgbt or the neurodivergent. but that's not what happened.

if someone else arises that people could discriminate upon, people would just add that to the list of things to discriminate on.

horikoshi could have drawn anyone for the mutants to yell at. he chose to use a person of colour. it comes off as very tone-deaf and it was just another sign that the mini-arc would screw up.

spinner losing his mind was bad. as in bad-bad. as in, there were so many ways to write this fight, and he chose this? instead of being a battle of ideaologies, it's shoji convincing the rest to step down, then trying to beat a mind-less spinner.

it could have been one of the best fights, with shoji's belief that using violence to solve your issues will only make it worse, and spinner arguing that using violence is the only way to do it with the state of their society.

no matter who won, in that case, it would be ultimately up to the readers to decide who truly won. who had the stronger argument, who made the more sense, all that jazz...

instead, shoji yells at a bunch of people about how 'destroying property isn't good' and 'violence is never the answer', all the while using violence to subdue him.

that could have been could, if it was commented on. if there were some sort of self-awareness.

but it's not and there is none. it went from being an arc i was really looking forward to reading, to something i can no longer stand.

shoji. spinner. you were both done so dirty

#mha critical #bnha critical #shoji critical #spinner critical #horikoshi critical #analysis #idealism vs realism #except the idealism is cranked up to eleven #because horikoshi doesn't know his history #japan had it's own blm-esque thing so there isn't an excuse #i'm talking about the mass-killing spree of koreans and the chinese in japan btw #honestly thinking of rewriting mha just to satisfy me

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teleit · 7 months ago

Text

Who would be the best ruler of Westeros? Me, I have the desire to do good deeds, even when others beg for mercy

Jokes aside, but really - who? The show actively tells me that Rhaenyra is the only possible option, because this woman glows in the dark from all the blessings received from every god in existence and shits wisdom and greatness.

But is she? Let's hear my useless opinion.

First, where are we looking - at canon (the book), or at the screened fanfic (the show)?

In terms of canon, I think Jacaerys was the best option, but only because the other candidates were complete failures. The way Martin described this boy, even through the lens of the biased Black and Green sources, sounds promising. Yes, 90% of his decisions ended up being failures - he suggested recruiting more dragonriders from dragon seeds, and got Hugh and Ulf; he suggested sending Aegon III and Viserys to Pentos, and they were captured by the Triarchy; he went to rescue his brothers with a bunch of newbies who could barely stay on their dragons, and he ended up getting killed.

If it weren't for the circumstances of his birth, which would inevitably lead to a rebellion by the lords outraged by a bastard on the throne, Jacaerys might have been a good king. He just needed time to grow up.

But on the show? No one. No one at all. None of these people, they are all absolutely terrible.

Rhaenyra? That woman wouldn't know the word "responsibility" if it ambushed her in a parking lot and beat the crap out of her. She doesn't understand what ruling is even twenty years after being named heir, and she asks helplessly "what should I do?", wringing her hands at every difficulty. She does one stupid thing after another, driven by anything but common sense. If she were queen, we'd have another crisis in ten years or so.

Daemon? Lmao. No. That dude lived, fucked and died for shits and giggles, he can't be trusted with snow in the winter.

Jacaerys? That's the boy who solves problems with violence (pulling out a dagger when insulted, punching his uncle in the face when insulted, need I go on?), and loses every fight he starts. He doesn't speak Valyrian, constantly whines and cries to his fiancée and mother that he doesn't know what to do or how to be, and is practically useless during wartime (because his smart decisions were given to Rhaenyra, but that's another story).

Lucerys? Yeah, sure, how can you forget how he handled himself so perfectly at dinner when he should have just kept his mouth shut, but instead he decided that laughing at the crazy uncle he maimed and never apologized for was the height of comedy, better only fart jokes. That boy had one brain cell, and it was on permanent sick leave for the entire season.

Rhaenys? A woman who talks about the slavery of the patriarchy and submits to the decisions of her ambitious to the point of stupidity husband. Marrying her little daughter to her forty year old cousin? Why not. Losing two children because of Rhaenyra and Daemon, and continuing to serve their interests, even though they use her as they please, because Corlys hopes that someday it will pay off? Excellent solution, let's also scold husband for not loving his own bastards enough, and then die ingloriously and uselessly. Yes, the queen we deserve, Rhaenys the Spineless.

Aegon? He can only be a good king if a miracle happens and he stops listening to the idiots around him, gets rid of his mommy and daddy issues, and starts using his head for more than just pouring wine into mouth. Which won't happen, because the writers HATE this man. He'll be pathetic and useless, and then he'll die, because gods forbid there should be an equal fight between a woman and a man for the throne, a woman needs to kick a body sprawled on the ground, disarmed and incapacitated, so that everyone understands that she is superior to him in everything.

Aemond? Season 1 - maybe after a couple of years of therapy, Season 2 - no, he literally doesn't have a single thought in his head except "blood revenge hate aaarrrgghhh", and only occasionally do we see glimpses of a complex character, thanks to Ewan's insane talent.

Helaena? Poor girl, who was just like Aemond crippled by the script so much that even Martin couldn't stand it (Helaena will die just because, for no reason… wow, such deep character development…), give her her bugs and leave her alone.

In canon, the dance of the dragons is the result of well-intentioned stupidity of several generations, in the show - a parable of why incest is bad, just look at how much the mental capacity of people whose family tree looks like a wreath has suffered.

Ps. Still not native speaker and dgaf about mistakes, english can suck my imaginary dick

#anti hotd #anti ryan condal #hotd critical #anti team black #anti rhaenyra targaryen

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razorblade180-heated · 2 months ago

Text

Roommates

[Nsfw, you first and last warning]

It finally happened. After months of immense sacrifice and brutal struggle, Caelus had taken down his toughest opponent yet. Procrastination. The final box opened alongside the completion of their room renovations. The days of couch and box sleeping were gone at last. Not them or Stelle cared much, but Pom Pom was probably elated.

Satisfied with his hard work, Caelus took another look at the massive room before falling backwards onto his bed in relief. At the same time, Stelle walked through the door covered in mechanical oil.

“Oh hey, you finished. Good job.”

“No thanks to you.” He sat up, seeing the state she was in. “What the heck happened to you?”

“Since a certain someone was too busy renovating to pick up their phone, I was called to help deal with and decide a maintenance issue on our ship! I now know every inch of our engine!”

“Sounds like perfect karma to me. We’ve really expanded our quality of life.”

“No kidding.” Stelle glanced over at the massive computer. “You even got the game area running. How’d you manage that?”

“Actually, the moment I plugged in the PC, Silver Wolf appeared and immediately started setting it up for us.”

“Like…the exact moment it was plugged in?”

Caelus nodded. “Yeah. Either she has a good script or The Express is simply hacked.” He looked at the PC to see the girl’s logo placed on the bottom of the monitor. “Definitely hacked.”

“Sounds like a problem for another day. Welp, I’m gonna take a bath. Let’s hope oil washes out easily.”

“Hold on!” He stands up. “I was just about to bathe. I’ve been moving stuff all day.”

“Caelus, I think we need to take a moment and consider how an airship was fixed with my help instead of exploding. That deserves first dibs on our bath.”

“You mean the bath I put together?” He was not letting that go anytime soon. “Regardless, you can’t bathe immediately anyways. You’ll ruin the tub. You’re better off in the shower.”

“Shower?” Stelle tilted her head. They were separate? The newbie mechanic walked into the bathroom to see vast space, literally and figuratively. It was much bigger on the inside. Cool tiles lead up the biggest tub she’s ever seen, while to her left was a shower head over a drain; complete with its own rack and curtain. “You went all out.”

“It was Himeko’s idea. Apparently it helps with cleanliness.” He said, quoting her as he walked in. “We do get filthy after all.”

“I meant in general. This tub is huge! I thought the space would be cramped. With this much room, you’re picking a fight for nothing. Let’s just bathe together.” She nodded, liking her own idea.

Stelle looked at Caelus to see his face growing a little pink, despite the fact this wouldn’t be the craziest thing they’ve done together. “What? You choose now of all times to be modest?”

“No! I’m a little surprised that you’re the one to bring up the idea.”

Annoyingly, he had a point. Once upon a time, the thought of her offering would’ve felt foreign. Things like booking inns together like the ones at Belobog were his ideas. As for certain…encounters in the Captain’s Quarters on the airship, those were always a bit more spontaneous. In truth, they’ve gotten fairly lucky how often they found alone time in their chaotic environment. Perhaps she was feeling on edge again? No, not really. Maybe things finally felt normal this way? It would be strange if it hadn’t honestly.

Stelle rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed by her suggestion. “From this day forward, we’re proper roommates living in the same space. We’ll be changing, eating, and sleeping, around each other all the time now. It’s only natural to get comfortable quickly. I don’t mind if you don’t.”

“If that’s the case, then I guess the problem is solved, hehe.” Was it odd to feel a little happy? He wasn’t sure. Caelus walked over to the tub and started filling it. “After you wash off the major grime, feel free to soak the day away. Looks like you had a long one.”

“I just might take you up on that offer. Man I wish Serval appeared out of nowhere like Silver Wolf does for games!”

“Ha! That would definitely make our lives easier.” He turned around. “We-”

“…We, what?” Stelle asked, removing the last of her soiled clothes. She glanced over at Caelus to see him watching the water. Even through the growing stream, she could see his ears growing red. “Hehehe. You alright over there?”

“Yeah. Nearly burned myself is all.”

A nice recovery. Stelle couldn’t really fault him over the situation. Even after countless moments, tension always got the better of them. At least it was never as stressful together compared to speaking to Firefly alone, or Jing Yuan. Stelle’s personal track record of flirting was probably why Nanook gazed at her to begin with. Stelle shook away the embarrassing memories and turned on the shower. Whether it be the new experience or the hard day's work, the instant satisfaction that hit with hot water was heavenly!

“Oh my god this rules!” Stelle sighed in relief, her muscles thanking her for this experience. “Five stars! This bathroom is legendary!”

Caelus was in his own slice of heaven as his body lowered into the giant bubble bath he made. His eyes closed while he drifted into peace. “I’m gonna have to agree~”

“Wow, where’d you get the bubbles?”

“Ratio has his redeeming qualities~” Caelus opened his eyes and spotted a new look of happiness on Stelle’s face as she scrubbed her scalp.

Intentional or not, she didn’t bother with the shower curtain. Soap suds ran down her arms like a river that narrowed at her chest and widened around her abs before breaking into multiple trails. Caelus did his best not to stare, but it couldn’t be understated how beautiful Stelle always manages to look. Even if she’s filthy or bruised up from a fight she won, her smile and eyes maintained a certain beauty that never faded.

Rinsing her hair spared her the pain of soap in her eyes when she opened them again. “Ah, so you can look at me now?” She smirked.

“You make it difficult not to.” He chuckled sheepishly.

Stelle playfully rolled her eyes and turned off the shower, making her way to the tub.

“Don’t slip.” He warned.

“Don’t jinx me. Last thing we need is a Stelleron disaster because I slipped and broke something.”

“You’ve been smacked by Phantylia.”

“And yet for some reason, I still think wet tile could take me out.” Stelle made it to the tub where Caelus so kindly offered a hand to hold as she stepped in. “Thanks.”

“What are roommates for?” He smiled. He had expected her to make way towards the back wall or neck of the tub, but Stelle chose the corner with her legs lightly floating on top of his. “All this room and you choose to invade my bubble.”

“I like corner spaces. You know this. So combative today. All this room prep has riled you up.”

“Does that mean you’ll trade chores with me and I can go material hunting while you do upkeep?”

“Pfft, we both know if I’m the one dealing with relations too long, it’ll turn into another battlefield. It’s why people call you for Skott and call me for abundance removal.” She grinned with joy. “Scrappy is my middle name.”

“My social battery really isn’t that much bigger than yours. The work just has to get done! It’s tiring always thinking, and I’m not even doing the grand stuff like Welt or Himeko!”

“You’re doing fine. Better than me at least. I always fumble delicate matters.”

Caelus shook his head, flicking bubbles her way. “No you don’t. You have a big heart and don’t mix words. You speak passionately because the situation was delicate to begin with. It shows how much you care and how seriously you take things; like when you testified with Dan Heng.”

A flutter in her chest made Stelle blink twice before sinking lower into the water. “Th-Thanks I guess.”

“Although you probably need to work on your poker face. A single compliment and you’re an open book.” His words were meant with a splash to the face.

“Shut up! I’m only open cause it’s you! I know how to bluff. It’s not my favorite thing to do though. Too much energy.”

“Yeah I don’t know how people like Aventurine live.”

“Sadly.” She said bluntly. “They live sadly. That I’m sure of.”

“You think his income could fit in our room?”

“Not if his ego is in there too.” Stelle took her legs off of Caelus and moved closer, until they were shoulder to shoulder. “Is that really what you want to be talking about right now?”

“I was giving you peace. Working on the engine couldn’t have been easy.”

“And being an amateur carpenter mechanic sounds dreadful. You seem a bit more comfortable now. Looks like I lead a situation better than I thought.”

“Oh?” He indulged her antics.

“Offering to bathe together, not bothering with the shower curtain, physical touch; I’d say I’ve gotten you to loosen up pretty well.”

“Really? I think after a day of messages meant for me, and having to step in, you missed me and wanted quality time.”

“Two things can be true at once.” She countered, smiling cheekily. Stelle could feel Caelus wrap his arm around her lower back. She had no problems looking directly in his eyes, her hand resting on his chest as she pressed her body against his. “Are roommates supposed to be this close?”

“Dunno, but I’m not complaining.” He couldn’t stop leaning in closer.

“Looks like we’re agreeing again…” she moved her hand up to his face, pulling it closer until they finally kissed. Caelus’s hold on her coiled like a separate, his strength made known as she deepened the kiss.

If she wanted things to remain innocent, Stelle would be lying. The second his tongue grazed her lips, she opened wider to personally invite it in with hers. Ripples in the water moved steadily as they both kept each other closer. Stelle draped her arms over Caelus’s shoulders while his hands grew greedy. His left cupped her breast, making her quiver as rough hands kneaded it. Stelle broke the hungry kiss and attacked his neck to listen to a symphony of panting as she bit him.

“Stelle~” her tongue lapped around his Adam's Apple while her right hand fell into his lap, capturing his hidden erection.

The gray haired girl looked up at Caelus with a smug grin as she slowly ran her fingers up and down his shaft. It’s not often she got the upper hand; she doubted she’d keep it for long. Better to enjoy it while she can. “Someone’s sensitive today.”

“It’s been awhile…”

“Renovations had you that busy?”

“And other things. We live a crazy life. Besides, it’s not as nice without you.”

“I’m already naked. You don’t have to sweet talk me into fooling around.” She blushed heavily. “Sit on the edge of the tub.”

Caelus sat right where the tub bends, his body on full display. It was a bit frustrating that despite that she fought more, Caelus could still rival her muscle definition. He didn’t need to look hot! Stelle ignored his abs and focused on the somehow less annoying erection staring at her. A quick splash cleared away any remaining bubbles before she held it gently as she psyched herself up.

Caelus couldn’t help but chuckle at her determined expression. “You always make the same face before you start.”

“You try dealing with seven inches.” Stelle bit the bullet and swallowed him halfway, feeling him pulse and his fingers burning back her hair as she gave him a taste.

Caelus closed his eyes from the warmth. He had nothing but quiet gasps for Stelle as her tongue traced down his shaft and played with his tip. “Nngh, yes~”

Her jaw hung open the best it could while she bobbed her head. Thankfully he kept still. It made it so easy to control how deep he touched her throat. Stelle looked up to see the boy’s eyes shut, his body enraptured by her efforts. More. She wanted more of that face. Gently, her hands wrapped around the base of his cock while her lips closed firmly around him; his grip became tighter the moment Stelle dared to suck on him like a straw.

“H-Hey…” he huffed. Stelle’s tongue slowly dragged its way up to the tip. “What’s with the extra effort!?”

Containing her laughter was a struggle. She made her gasps more breathy, shrouding his length in a fog of warmth until his taste became more potent; his flavor spilling into her mouth. Stelle was anything but a quitter, making sure to keep her lips sealed tightly until she swallowed every drop. Satisfied with her performance, she looked up at her flustered partner while she slowly removed herself from him with newfound confidence.

“Hmm.” Stelle wiped her lips with a single finger. “I think that was easily my best attempt.”

Caelus was buzzing with emotion. It felt as if she was still on him. “What the heck got into you in the first place!?”

“I didn’t want cum in the bath.” She said bluntly, lightly splashing him again. “Or on myself. I just showered.”

“So we’re not having sex in the tub?”

She’d be lying if she wasn’t tempted, but somehow Stelle was certain most of the water would end up outside the tub. Not to mention bubbles in the eyes would be dreadful. Instead, she stood up and got out to grab a towel.

“Don’t you think it’s steamy enough in here already?” She said, focusing on drying her hair before wrapping the towel on her. “Let’s-”

The towel fell, its place taken by Caelus’s arms again. His left wrapped around her toned torso while his right slipped between her cleavage and turned her chin over her right shoulder to receive an intense kiss that robbed her air alongside her tongue again. Unbelievable. Her mouth eagerly opened wider without thinking.

Caelus’s weight pressed against her back with his persistent erection rubbing against her butt. The shift in balance grew to the point Stelle reached out for the shower wall in front of her so they wouldn’t fall. The unexpected kiss left her. What seemed like a moment to breathe was interrupted as strong hands took her hips, and a clever foot placed between her feet pushed out to spread her legs wider.

“I like it steamy.” Caelus rubbed the head of his cock against wet lips, poking and prodding the entrance.

Stelle remained quiet, fearing her voice would tremble like her knees. So much for the upper hand. Her head hung low as her eyes watched Caelus’s shadow merge with hers, a new heat piercing her body and scratching an itch she could never reach alone.

“Don’t let me fall.” She moaned in one breath. His grip on hips tightened and took weight off her legs; her body clung to his fleeing flesh before accepting him again with a single thrust. “Ah fuck…”

He didn’t go easy on her. Stelle stood as proudly as she could while Caelus broke down her ego and let it run down her thighs. Her body kept betraying her; pushing itself up against the man to meet his thrusts so they’d grind her core to mush. Each impact between them was wet and eager like animals running on instinct. Her mouth may have gotten used to his size, but she feared her body itself never would. To be this big and overbearing, it should’ve felt horrible. So why in the known universe did it give her chills down her spine?

“H-Harder.” She panted. Why the hell did this have to be one of her favorite positions?! “You can go harder!”

Stelle didn’t need to repeat herself. Caelus made sure to drive his hips in deep, making her walls grab him in desperation each time he threatened to leave before plowing forward again. Each breath their lungs grabbed grew smaller and smaller, straining their muscles with care.

A little longer and they might legitimately face blacking out, but thankfully, the end they chased came sooner. Stelle felt her head buzzing as Caelus pressed up against her womb, causing her body to surrender to the pleasure. Her knees gave out the moment the fullness inside slipped out. As she attempted to breathe, Stelle could feel heat paint her lower back in spurts, causing her cheeks to burn.

“All that washing, down the drain…” She huffed, her head resting against the cool tile wall. Caelus was way too good at catering to her needs. Her nerves tingle all over.

Stelle felt another hot jolt to the system as rushing water rained down onto her. She dared to look up to see her partner in crime look down at her while his hand rested on the faucet. Her eyes narrowed at his mischief.

“You’re a real piece of work. I hope you know that.”

Caelus smiled with satisfaction. “Can’t say I didn’t plan ahead. And you wanted to leave the bathroom.”

“Hardy har. Okay wise guy, I hope washing my back was in your plan.” Stelle didn’t have to wait a moment longer before he squatted down and scrubbed gently. “I guess your plan has its merits.”

“That’s the spirit.”

xxxxxxx

It didn’t take long at all to wash off again. All things considered, Caelus had solid points and Stelle was pleased he acted on his plan. Still, that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to milk the pampering he was giving. The bathroom door slid open with her being carried in his arms, their bodies draped in black bathrobes.

“This might be the nicest thing you’ve ever done for me.” Stelle said with a whimsical smile in her voice.

“I literally take all the requests you don’t want to do. I ran a museum, promoted a community, and helped form a college band.”

“And that’s why you got into the business track with ease! On the job experience.”

Caelus rolled his eyes playfully before walking over to her bed, which was closest to the door and bathroom. Even now he was thinking of her needs. “Here we are.” He tossed her lightly before walking to the other side of the room.

Stelle was lucky he didn’t put a spin on that toss. She plopped onto a firm but soft mattress that took her by surprise. She hadn’t realized this was here. “You got us separate beds?”

“I’m good at haggling. In other words, yes, on the job training helped quite a bit.” Caelus laid down on fresh lemon scented sheets. “Fridge is stocked by the way.”

“Already going to bed? Someone is getting old.”

“Is someone looking for another round?”

“Not what I said in the slightest!” Her voice quivered.

“Ah, then maybe you wanted to cuddle?” Caelus jokes, chuckling at himself. It would be true if it was the other way around. He waited for her laughter to join. It never did. “Stelle?” He sat back up.

She had gotten up to turn the lights off. Before she did, Caelus caught a glimpse of bright red ears. Was he not far off? No way, right? Stelle crawled back into her bed and curled up under the covers.

“Night.” She said, a hint of annoyance leaking out.

“We can cuddle if-”

“I said goodnight, Caelus.”

“…My bed is open if you change your mind. Night.” He rested his head once again, his face burning red.

Stelle didn’t bother giving a response. Her brain was too busy being frustrated with herself. It was the stupidest thing! Why were things always so complicated and painfully simple with him specifically!? With Tingyun, she was bumbling and awkward. Same with Firefly or Jing Yuan! March could make a scrapbook of all embarrassing moments Stelle put herself through.

Not with Caelus though. Sure they were a little embarrassing too, but comfortable. It was cheesy to think about but it wouldn’t be crazy to say they were kinda made for each other in certain aspects. In public they always kept things pretty under the table; defining their relationship always felt like a headache. Figuring things out alone felt good. Really good. Now they were in a place designed to hold their private moments. No hotel room payment or assignment excuse. Stelle could let her guard down here, so why did it feel challenging?

She laid still, her heart pounding. To think they would get their own beds. Realistically, it was for the best. Between schedules or any other wacky nonsense, it would be helpful to have their own space in the shared space. Perhaps the hotels and captain’s quarters had gotten her too used to sharing a bed or couch? It was the only time they were ever that close before, during, and after any urges. Despite his cheekiness, it was nice, the feeling of warmth Caelus gave in those moments. It would seem she herself has fallen victim to his softer side. How perfect…

For at least an hour, Stelle’s thoughts kept her company. “…tsk.”

On the other side, Caelus found moderate success in getting rest. He drifted between sleep and consciousness casually like it was nothing. His ears detected movement from the other side of the room. The sound of a shifting mattress followed by soft footsteps. Not long after, he felt his own mattress sink beside him and bring new warmth. Caelus opened his eyes to see a pair staring back at him with a yearnful expression mixed with slight guilt.

“Hey there stranger.” He put his arms around Stelle and her hands immediately went to his chest. “Credit for your thoughts.”

“Not many to think about.” She played off with a shrug. “I guess…I just…” her voice trailed off, embarrassed to finish her feelings. Stelle readied herself for the verbal teasing, but was granted a chaste kiss instead.

“I’ve missed you too.” Caelus confessed quietly. Stelle blinked at him silently for a couple seconds before moving her hands around his neck.

“Then we’re in the same boat. Just like always.” Stelle kissed him brazenly, awarding her with his left hand pulling her over his body. Not willing to wait anymore, she shifted her weight over until he was properly straddled.

Words failed both of them. As Caelus occupied his time with opening up her bathrobe, Stelle was quick to grab the firm, heated length that poked her butt. She raised her hips up, sliding herself along its underside before slipping it inside. The sudden jolt caused both to sigh, their bodies cutting through tension that tensed muscles. Stelle put her hands back on Caelus’s chest and closed her eyes. She didn’t want to fight these desires anymore. She wanted to slowly ride them out until her hips couldn’t anymore.

Caelus couldn’t believe it. Even in darkness, he could see her body flex with each buck; her chest bouncing to the rhythm of her choice. Ignoring her body only led to staring at a beautiful shade of red on a panting woman he absolutely adored.

Still filt a familiar tingle up her spine. “Nngh, why are you getting harder?”

“Why are you so beautiful?”

“Shut up, hehe~” Stelle bucked harder, making sure he slid all the way inside before grinding him up to the tip. “This is harder than it looks.”

“Me, or riding?” His comment got her to open her eyes with judgement. Caelus smiled gently. “I can take over.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m not tired.”

“I know. I just like spoiling you.” He reached up and cupped her boobs, pulling on two pale pink, and puffy nipples. Her walls approved, even if her face tried to hide it. “Let me spoil you.”

“I’m not a selfish lover y’know?” She fought through the pleasure with every measured breath. “I hate when it’s so one sided.”

“Nobody’s calling you selfish. Just like with everything, always the first to step up to the plate. Ever considered I like my turn; that my favorite position is the one that you love so much?”

“Lies~”

“Oh yeah? Get in it and find out.” He rasped.

His words held an eagerness that tempted her thoughts. Stelle could tell by the way his eyes remained fixated on hers that he was serious. He didn’t even make a move on her hips or tried to roll her off. Caelus was practically daring her to put her money where her mouth was. Stelle moved her hips slower and slower until finally stopping all together. The strength to get off of his lap was nearly impossible to find. Since when does she of all people get cold feet!? This room really was getting to her.

“Don’t complain if you start getting tired.” She quipped, turning around while pulling all her hair behind her shoulders. “I should really invest in a clip.”

Caelus sat up. “Allow me.”

“Hehe, this your excuse to pull my hair?” Stelle felt his hands bundle it all into his left hand.

“I didn’t know I needed one.”

A gentle tug brought her head tilting up as a joke. Stelle had half a mind to elbow Caelus’s ribs, then all thoughts faded away completely as she felt an intoxicating fullness once again. The kind that only scratched the deepest itch she had when Caelus was behind her. Her legs were already a little twitchy but she didn’t care. Stelle leaned forward, getting onto her hands and needs carefully. She only shut her eyes for a moment before opening them again to find a pillow being slid where her face was. There wasn’t anytime to process why before she met it. Caelus had pressed down her upper back so suddenly that her arms buckled instantly, making her entire upper body fall.

Stelle yelped into the pillow. “Mmph!?” Her head turned to the right to gasp for breath. “Hey! Th- aaahh~” air rushed into her lungs as her waist was pulled back until the back of her womb was kissed.

Caelus remained accommodating, but he could never understand why so many people were quick to assume it all selfless on his part. He had just as much to gain from her pleasure as she did, and he was going to show her that.

“Don’t wake anyone up, kay?”

Stelle felt his cock scrap it’s way out before digging in so quickly that Caelus’s waist smacked into her. Not a thought came to mind. Only the instinct to grip the pillow and sink her teeth in it. Again, he pulled out and rushed back in like a flood. Only this time, Stelle wasn’t given a brief grace period. She was given attention more intensely than when they were in the shower.

“Ca-agh! Aaangh!” It was like she was being played with. Since when could he get this serious!? Her hips inadvertently tried to pull away and was met with swift punishment when he pulled them back. “Mmph!”

“No running.” His grip tightened, not that her pussy dared to let him go. It pulled, held, and begged for him as much as the greedy girl it was attached to. “You’re going to feel everything tonight.”

Her core was melting with every thrust, each one churning her body and sanity. There was no escape from the heat. Each time he buried himself inside, her hips weakened and opened up to receive his strength until all of hers began coating him. There wasn’t a bath to excuse her wet thighs or drown out the lustful sound of her body taking a pounding. Stelle could feel every vein, every single inch of Caelus mold her walls into something she’d remember forever. It was strange but this aggression felt somewhat familiar to her. The weight of his body came down on her, making her go prone. Stelle could see the visible strain of Caelus’s foreman as he slipped his fingers between her hand to squeeze.

“I really pushed his buttons this time.” The bed might have well been their sparring sessions at this point. It was the only other time he was this serious with her.

“Stelle, let’s go all night.”

His voice was way too close. Her heart nearly stopped. “Y-You’re crazy~” Stelle felt her body was about to betray her again… “Caelus, I give! Okay!? I'll take back what I said!”

“And? Like I said, having you like this is my favorite too.” He felt her body crave him, urging to remain right where he is. “Stelle, look at me…”

She had no defense for his plea. Stelle dared to turn her head right, barely finding the power to look over her shoulder. Caelus helped guide her by the chin until their lips met again. At this point it was impossible to care about anything more than a few seconds ahead. Stelle gave no playful defiance when his tongue slipped in. In fact, she welcomed it, completely admitting her pride's defeat. Her hips took the chance to relax, sealing her fate again. An immense weight pressed down on her womb and set her daydreaming as she felt full, only to immediately get a real sense of it when it rushed into her. Each twitch only marked her further as her walls took everything Caelus had. Eventually both their heads fell in exhaustion as their bodies tried to function.

Stelle’s grip couldn’t relax even as the boy pulled out of her. The immediate emptiness felt wrong and like a cruel tease. She would’ve remained in this stupor if it wasn’t for the cause turning her over. Now she had no choice but to look at Caelus’s sweaty, panting face and carnal gaze.

She held her arms up, seeking his return. “You’re so lucky I’m in love.” Was all it took to get him in her grasp, fingers immediately running through his hair as they kissed hungrily. Their stomachs tightened and their throats held guttural swears as he found his way back inside her.

Caelus ended the kiss and looked her in the eyes. “I’m serious. I don’t want to sleep tonight.”

“I can tell.” To think he was still so hard for her. It did help negate how much of a mess she currently felt. “Looks like you’re a fan of missionary as well.”

“Let’s be honest, I’m a fan of you.” He stole her lips again.

Stelle wasn’t sure if her heart was fluttering or failing at this point. His hands held hers again, bringing them above her head to keep there. Still locked her legs around his thrusting hips to make sure his pace was kept. Their kisses got shorter but the affection grew bolder as the man settled on worshiping the crook of neck while she moaned in his ear.

“ Caelus, more. I want more. I want everything. I…I want you. I missed you! There, I said it. I-”

Her words were silenced. He was getting really good at that. Stelle felt his hands free hers and she immediately took the chance to hug him tight, nails meeting his back just rough enough to feel it. Every gasp was a whimper fueled by pleasure and yearning. Stelle got chills feeling his tip rub against the roof of her soaked hole. The pressure wasn’t as commanding as when he took her from behind, and yet it was every bit as alluring as she got to hear his grunts in great detail; to feel his weight again while fully getting absorbed into a kiss that seemed never ending. Just the thought of his hips sinking deep into her all night made her thighs quiver.

Caelus felt it all. “Getting close again?”

“Shut up. Just don’t stop.”

“I love you.”

“I said shut up!” She held him tighter.

“And I said I love you. Your strength. Your heart. Your weakness.” He felt his own orgasm returning. “Stelle… Stelle~” His hips moved all on their own.

Tonight was going to be long, and Stelle already knew they were both going to be an absolute mess. Another strong but less intense orgasm took hold of her before claiming his. The strength they possessed plummeted dramatically, their chests pushing on each other as they caught their breath. Finally a little clarity snuck its way into their heads.

“Can you please get me some water?” Stelle groaned, feeling her head spin a bit. She didn’t even notice when Caelus got off her. Her thoughts remained scattered until her cheek felt frigid plastic against it, causing her to snap back to reality.

Caelus snorted, shaking the water bottle again. “Don’t die on me now.”

“Don’t try to kill me.” Stelle took the water and sat up. “Thanks…” She took a quick sip to cool her fuming thoughts.

The bed sank from Caelus putting his weight on it again, his spot of choice being right behind her. How could she not take the opportunity to lean back. It’s only fair that he supports her weight now. His fingers were much gentler this time as he combed through her matted hair. She didn’t want to say anything, but Caelus might’ve fucked some of the attitude out of her. Or maybe he had outright stolen it?

“I really got under your skin, didn’t I?” She said softly, getting lost in the way he scratched her scalp carefully. “You were definitely a bit mad.”

“Who wouldn’t be? You think it doesn’t take a ton of effort and energy to put myself out there? All your yapping and spoiling you and not myself. It’s like you try to mess with me.” He huffed, feigning more anger than he actually had. He didn’t expect Stelle to respond with a warm kiss to the cheek.

“Sorry.”

“It’s not that big of a deal.” He said instantly.

“Pfft haha! And I thought I was the fickle one.” Stelle retested her head against his body. Her fingers ran down his left hand and began fiddling with his digits. “I suppose…the stress of everything has gotten to me.”

“You think you’re the only one? Penacony was anything but a vacation. Then we go back to deal with literal people monkeying around.”

“Heh, and before all that a Wardance almost became an actual war. Man, seeing and saying goodbye to Tingyun was strange too. It’s been so��heavy. The most consistent thing in my life is you. Before I noticed, I was already relying on you to keep my feet on the ground.”

Caelus couldn’t believe his ears. It wasn’t often Stelle was this frank. The last time she had a little too much Soulglad, and the time before that was Firefly’s untimely end, or so they thought.

“I rely on you too. Not only do you grit your teeth and dig into anything you put your mind to, but life would be far less interesting without you. Dumpster diving alone sounds dreadful.”

“A real modern day tragedy.” Stelle smiled softly as she turned around to look at him. “I’m happy we’re properly living like this now. I think closeness like this was something I’ve been lacking or putting off for a long time. This is nice.”

“Maybe this will motivate you to not fumble so badly next time you meet somebody cute.” He watched her eyes squint at him with the intensity he adored.

“Wow, low blow. Right for the jugular.”

“It’s fortunate Firefly is head over heels for us and Tingyun adores your awkwardness. You fail tasks successfully.”

“And you asked to be closer to me! Clearly my charm is on levels beyond your comprehension.” She crossed her arms in confidence, only for it to get ruined with a forehead kiss.

“Yeah. You’re pretty awesome.” He was given another quick stare before receiving a kiss on the cheek that made him chuckle. Then, the kiss got lower. Way lower. “St-Stelle?”

She said nothing as she scooted herself back before putting her head down in his lap, brushing her hair back as she swallowed him like earlier. His body immediately flinched, pleasing her self satisfaction while she got familiar with the taste of herself on him. A ghastly sigh leaves his lips as her tongue coils around him until his body responds. It wasn’t long until her jaw dropped wide to fit his new erection.

Satisfied with her work, Stelle removed her lips before she got carried away. “Let’s try this again.” She climbed onto his lap, angling her hips carefully before sinking down right onto him. “Nng, never getting used to this~”

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders while he went to her waist. Both entered another staring contest Caelus quickly lost the moment Stelle slowly moved her hips forward.

A sultry smile crept onto her face. “Hey, if you give up this early then we’re not making it all night.”

“What happened to that being crazy? Hmm?”

“It’s a little less insane if you behave and go at my pace. Do us both a favor and don’t turn us over this time.” Stelle hugged him tightly, resting her head on his shoulder as she focused on her movements.

“Alright, alright. I can play nice.” He leaned into her ear. “We both know how that final round ends though.” Caelus smirked as he felt the reaction his words caused. “Hehehe.”

He truly was a piece of work, but so was she. Stelle played it off like a joke. “Pfft, we’ll cross that line when the marathon ends. Now focus on right now. We have a long night ahead of us.”

#honkai star rail #honkai stelle #honkai caelus #hsr stelle #hsr caelus #caestelle

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