#cause I’d have to leave my job and I’ve got it good at the moment

[cinewhore]

Starting taking online courses (because i actually miss school and realize that I only truly learn in an academic environment of sorts) and I’m lowkey having so much fun lol

Currently taking a course on the anthropology of social media. Only have completed week one which covers the basics but I’m so thrilled to dive a bit deeper.

Signing up for a course on Victorian film history.

Keeping my eye on the royal fashion class.

Fun fun fun

[iamnotoriginalphil]

Royal Duty (Agatha Harkness x f!Reader)

Synopsis: Apparently princesses aren't meant to fall in love with their lady's maids. If only someone had told you that. If only you weren't meant to be marrying someone else. If only you had a way out of it.

Words: 4.1k

Warnings: Possessiveness, oral (R receiving), fingering (R receiving), marking, semi-public sex, teasing, jealousy

Tags: @sasheemo @buttercandy16 @chlondykebar @midnight-lestrange @babybeeelle @dontsblameme@grilledcheeseandguavajelly

“I can’t believe they’re doing this.”

You watched Agatha pacing in front of the fire she’d stoked not moments before. Lounging on your bed, having given up undressing when it became clear Agatha wasn’t going to be any help, you were watching her fume. She was stomping, teeth gritted, hair flying from where you’d let it down with deft fingers.

“Sweetheart,” you said, wondering if it would be possible to distract her before she really got going.

“It’s barbaric,” she growled, “don’t pretend as if you’re okay with this.”

“It’s not about being okay with it,” you said.

“And I’ve seen that so called princess. She’s puny. She can barely hold a sword. No one will ever find her intimidating,” she said, flinging the words out.

“Do we want her to be intimidating?” you mused, lying back to stare at the canopy above your bed.

“And you’re kidding yourself if you think her people will ever respect her. That advisor of hers is going to walk all over her until before you know it he holds all the power and you’re nothing but a puppet,” she continued.

“I’ll happily be a puppet if it’s your hand going up my skirt,” you said.

She paused, slow to spin towards you. You stretched your arms over your head, arching your spine, displaying yourself for her.

“Stop trying to distract me,” she said.

“Oh, you’re more than welcome to keep going.” Your fingers plucked at the strings of your dress, “but you’ll have to help me slip out of this while you do. I’d like to take my bath before the sun rises.”

“You’re playing dirty, pet,” she growled.

She advanced on you, blue eyes flashing. You grinned, raising your foot to press against her shoulder. Her fingers curled around your ankle, sliding it over her shoulder as she crawled towards you. Pushing the skirt up, her lips ghosted along the skin of your leg.

“It’s not dirty if you get what you want from it,” you sighed.

Her teeth nipped at the soft skin of your inner thigh. The noise you made only caused her to sink her teeth in deeper, most likely leaving a bruise. You loved when she got all possessive.

“If I was getting what I wanted, you wouldn’t be about to marry some idiot princess from the next kingdom over,” she said.

“Alright, you’re getting the second thing you want,” you laughed.

“Which would be?” She raised an eyebrow at you.

The heel of your foot pressed between her shoulder blades, guiding her towards where you wanted her most. The heat of her mouth on your most intimate parts was exactly what you were looking for. Fingers tangling in her hair, you kept her pressed against you. You’d always said she had one of the most talented tongues in the kingdom, and she was doing a good job at proving it.

You huffed when she pulled away, the throbbing between your legs demanding to be seen to. She dragged the back of her hand across her chin and climbed off the bed. You pushed up onto your elbows, staring at her as she stared down at you, eyes smouldering as she took in your sprawled form.

“Time for your bath, my lady,” she said.

You took her offered hand, letting her pull you off the bed. The fire in your veins made you unsteady on your feet, and as her nimble fingers unlaced you from your dress, taking the opportunity to ghost over your skin, you wondered if this was payback for not putting up more of a fuss about your upcoming nuptials. Your lips parted, watching her undress you, watching as her eyes darkened with each inch of bare skin she revealed.

She helped you into the tub behind the privacy screen. You settled in the warm water, leaning back against the side, head tipping back as you sighed. Her hands were gentle as they poured water over your shoulders. You closed your eyes, muscles relaxing under her care.

It was when they started wandering further down your body that you squinted them back open, watching her face. She wasn’t looking at you, focusing on your body. Hands stroked over your breasts, avoiding where you wanted her touch most. You arched towards her, offering yourself to her, urging her on.

She took her time, teasing you until you were begging her. Her hand slid down her body, finding the throbbing she’d left unsatisfied. Your head fell back, finding her shoulder as her finger began to circle your bundle of nerves. Her name was a soft sigh on your lips. Your legs fell open and she chuckled against your ear.

“Looks like you’re not getting any less dirty, my lady,” she murmured, “I suppose I’ll just have to try harder.”

Her thumb ground against your clit and your breath turned stuttering. You didn’t notice your door opening until you heard your mother’s voice ring out in your bedchamber.

“Darling, we have to discuss arrangements for tomorrow.”

You started, sitting up straighter, water sloshing over the side of the bath. Agatha grinned, her thumb pressing down. You grasped her wrist under the water, trying to tell her to stop. Her mouth attached itself to your throat, tongue running over your skin. Her thumb was making your thoughts turn hazy.

“Your fiancée will be arriving tomorrow morning.”

Agatha’s finger slid into you as her teeth sunk into you. You pressed your lips together, stifling the moan that wanted to break free. Your mother kept droning on about the preparation for your fiancée’s arrival and the wedding. In one week you’d be a blushing bride.

“And of course I have the seamstress coming to to fit you for your wedding dress,” your mother said.

Another finger joined the first and you couldn’t help your legs falling open again to Agatha. She was sucking at your skin, purposefully leaving a bruise to be found later. You were trying to keep your breathing under control. Her free hand tweaked your nipple, pinching, rolling it between thumb and forefinger.

“You will of course be retiring here for your wedding night,” she said.

Agatha’s palm ground against your bundle of nerves as her fingers curled within you. You gasped, making a small noise before you could stop yourself. It was hard to care when you felt on fire.

“Are you alright in there, darling?” your mother asked.

“Yes,” you gasped, “I’m fine.”

“Only fine?” Agatha murmured to quiet for your mother to hear, her lips brushing the shell of your ear, “clearly I should start doing a better job.”

You whimpered, just the thought of it making your head spin. Her thrusts turned slow, each one drawn out, barely brushing your clit. You’d been close, worked up and on the edge. This was torture. Just enough to keep you panting, but not enough to be satisfying. That encapsulated Agatha perfectly; a tease.

“Now, darling, I’m afraid I have to tell you about the wedding night,” she said.

Agatha growled. Her fingers began to increase in pace, twisting and curling. The way her thumb was stroking over your clit had your hips meeting her thrust for thrust. The water was slopping over the edge of the tub, soaking the floor, but you couldn’t care. The heat was climbing in your veins, the coil tightening again.

“That’s really not necessary,” you gasped.

“No, no, I can’t let you be unprepared,” she said, “now, once you’ve retired for the night, it will be expected that you perform for your new wife.”

“Mother, I promise I know what’s expected of me,” you said before a soft moan passed your lips.

“And you’re rather good at meeting expectations,” Agatha whispered in your ear.

“You might know the theory but in practice it can be very different,” she said,

Agatha’s fingers kept hitting that spot within you that melted your tension away. Her mouth was back on your skin, sucking bruises, marking you as hers for the world to see. Her thumb was back to grinding against your clit. You were breathless, going mad, trying not to cum with your mother in the room. But Agatha was so skilled and you were losing control.

“I don’t want you to feel anxious,” she said, and you realised she was going to be there for the long haul.

“Mother, that is the last thing I’m anxious about,” you managed to say, breathless and desperate, “I promise.”

“Oh good, because if I’m being honest, this topic was making me rather uncomfortable,” she said, “now about your journey back to Eastview…”

“Can’t we discuss this tomorrow, Mother? I’m rather tired and would like to retire so I’m well rested for tomorrow,” you said.

“Of course, darling.”

You waited until you heard the door close again before a filthy moan passed over your lips. Agatha was laughing softly under her breath, fingers working you harder.

“Are you sure you don’t want your mother to explain how to please your wife?” she asked, “or do you think you’ve had enough practical experience?”

“Keep going and I’ll let you know if I need more hands on experience,” you replied.

When your orgasm crashed over you, you weren’t keeping quiet. Her name rang around your chambers, echoing as she brought you to the height of pleasure. Reaching up, you curled your hand around the nape of her neck, pulling her into a kiss. Her tongue was in your mouth, muffling your moans as you began to relax again.

Her hand retracted from between your legs, focusing on kissing you. Boneless and tired, you realised the water had cooled to a chilled temperature. Her lips brushed your temple.

“Shall we get you into bed?” she suggested.

“Are you going to be staying?” you asked, looking up into her sparkling eyes.

“Whatever you want, my lady,” she replied.

“Not quite whatever,” you muttered.

She helped you stand from the water, eyes sliding over your body with obvious appreciation. Holding out a towel, you let her pat you dry, enjoying the way it felt to be touched by her. You caught her face in both your hands, pulling her in for a lingering kiss.

She shucked her dress off, leaving her gloriously naked as she climbed into bed beside you. You curled up against her, cheek resting on her chest, arm thrown over her waist. Her fingers were stroking through your hair, untangling the knots left over from your long day.

“I wish it could be like this forever,” you said.

“I do too, pet,” she replied.

The next morning, sitting in the throne room, you were doing your best not to squirm as you thought about how Agatha had woken you up that morning. You’d been waiting longer than you thought you should have been. The contingency from Eastview was late. That was the only explanation. And while waiting, your mind wandered to the only woman who owned you body and soul.

You sighed, chin resting in your palm as you slouched in your throne. Your father’s advisor kept shooting worried glances at the door, his weight shifting from foot to foot. He snuck a look at your father who was looking more and more thunderous with every passing second.

A trumpet sounded, loud and jarring. You jerked up, straightening your spine, turning towards the door. They swung open, a large contingency of people entering. Leading the way, bright red hair and pale skin, Princess Wanda was looking furious. At her side, her brother strode, straight backed and regal looking in a way that you had never quite managed to capture. From the looks of things, neither had Wanda.

You were rushed through the introductions before you were thrown out to take a turn about the garden, chaperoned by Prince Pietro. Walking by Wanda’s side, neither one of you seemed capable of coming up with a conversation starter. The silence had settled over you and you weren’t sure how to break it. If it was any indication of how your future marriage would go, the years were going to be long.

You took a seat on a stone bench overlooking the lake. You’d spent plenty of summer days immersed in the cool water, hidden away from the windows of the castle. Long drawn out days with Agatha in the sun, being as lazy as possible.

“Your grounds are lovely,” Wanda said.

“Thank you,” you replied.

Silence reigned.

“It’s wonderful to see how much chemistry the two of you have,” Pietro said.

You shared an embarrassed glance with her before staring out at the water again.

Dinner wasn’t much better and by the time you went to bed you were certain you were in for the quietest marriage of all times. Luckily, crawling into bed beside Agatha, you could drown your despair in the way she gasped your mind and praised you. At the very least, you knew you were wonderful at one aspect of marriage.

The next day wasn’t much better. You went from fitting to fitting, getting ready for the big day with your mother, Agatha trailing along behind. You made meaningless decisions about the menu and the decorations and the guest list. None of it mattered to you. But the way Agatha’s eyes darkened when she saw you in your wedding dress did.

By the time dinner came around you were exhausted and desperate to soak in the tub again. Ideally with a naked Agatha in your lap. Instead, you were sitting beside Wanda, wondering if you might manage to string two sentences together. Only she was staring into her plate like it had personally offended her. You decided to leave it be.

The rest of the week followed the same pattern. The two of you were chaperoned everywhere you went together. You made preparations. You stopped caring, just trying to get through the day until it was you and Agatha alone together at night. The comfort you drew from those hours you spent with her was immeasurable. You wouldn’t trade them for anything.

Except the night before the wedding you couldn’t sleep. Despite Agatha’s arm thrown over your waist and the hours you’d spent tiring yourself out, you couldn’t manage to quiet the thoughts in your head. As you wriggled, trying to find a comfortable position, Agatha grumbled in her sleep, arm tightening around you. You stilled, burying your nose in her hair, breathing in the scent of her. You’d miss this. The quiet moments with Agatha were the ones you felt safest.

Slipping out of the bed, you tucked the covers around her before throwing on a robe and sneaking out of your bedchamber. The castle was quiet, not quite early enough for the servants to have begun preparing for the day, but not so late they were still retiring for the night. You let your feet lead you through the halls. The air was cool against your skin and the shadows were dark. The quiet was all encompassing, a shroud around your shoulders as you wandered the halls.

The library doors were already open when you arrived. You slipped inside, keeping them from creaking. On the chaise longue, a book open in her lap but her gaze staring out the window, your future wife had already made herself at home. You paused, watching her for a moment.

“I see you’re just as excited for tomorrow as I am.”

She jumped, whipping around to look at you. You offered her a strained smile, moving further into the room. Sinking down into one of the armchairs, plush and comfortable, you tried to work out what to say to her.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she said eventually, her shoulders relaxing when you made no further move towards her.

“Dreading the morning?” you asked.

“Why would you assume that?”

You shook your head, pressing your lips together to hide your smile. She wasn’t asking with anger, more confusion. As if she couldn’t understand why this marriage may not be the wonderful event your parents had even framing it as.

“I suppose because I think this is the most we’ve spoken to each other all week,” you said.

She stared at you for a moment before she slumped back.

“You won’t tell your father, will you?” she asked.

“It’s not as if I’ve been showing you my best, either,” you replied, “and I don’t need another lecture about royal duty and what it means to serve the people.”

“I don’t want you to think it’s because of you,” she said.

“Oh, I take none of it personally,” you said, “it’s not like it’s the ideal situation for me, either. Although I’m sure you’re lovely.”

“It’s not?”

“Wanda, I don’t know you. I certainly don’t love you. And the person I do love I can’t marry,” you said.

“You love someone else?” she asked.

You blinked at her. Clearly the conversation was not about what you thought it was about. The love sick look of despair as she’d gazed out the window had seemed cut and dry. You’d thought you were in the same position here.

“Don’t you?” you asked in return.

“Well, yes, but I thought I was the only one,” she replied.

“Who is it for you?” you asked, leaning towards her.

“My personal guard, Sir Vision,” she said.

“He’s very tall,” you said, nodding along, “I can understand why you’d be drawn to him. I bet he’s strong too.”

“Very,” she said.

“I’m sure he swept you off your feet,” you sighed.

“He did,” she said.

“Why didn’t he offer you his hand in marriage?” you asked, “a knight and a princess? That’s an acceptable match.”

“He did,” she replied.

“You didn’t say no, did you?” you asked.

“Of course not,” she said, sounding offended at the implication.

“So you have two fiancees?” you asked, straightening up. You felt on the edge of working out the issue but you needed one more puzzle piece to fall into place.

“Of course not. What do you take me for?” she demanded, “I have a husband and a fiancee.”

You stared at her, your mouth falling open. Her eyes widened and she clapped a hand over her mouth. The silence stretched and stretched. Hope bloomed in your chest and you felt breathless.

There it was, the final puzzle piece.

“You can’t tell anyone,” she said, surging forward.

Falling to her knees in front of you, she grasped both of your hands in a vice like grip. You tried to tug out of her hold but she tightened her hands. You made a small noise, your circulation being cut off from how tight her grip was.

“Unhand her.”

You weren’t expecting the doors to crash open or the loud voice ringing out in the library. Wanda fell back, landing on her butt as a half feral Agatha rushed at her. Rising, you caught her around the waist, intercepting her before her nails could drag over the skin of the princess’s face. She snarled over your shoulder at the other woman.

“Agatha, stop,” you said, forcing her back a step.

“I won’t. You might have accepted that you’re going to be married off like some object to help ease into a political alliance, but I haven’t,” she growled, “she will never make you as happy as I can.”

“I know,” you said.

“You keep your hands off her. She’s mine,” she snarled.

“Of course I am,” you said.

“You can’t have her. I’m putting my foot down. She can’t have you,” she told you, finally looking at you again.

“Sweetheart, I’m beginning to think you might be a bit jealous.” You pushed her wild hair back from her face.

“Damn right I am,” she said.

“Well then, it’s good I’ve just found out some information that might lead to all of us being very happy,” you said.

“You… what?” You loved whenever you could surprise her into speechlessness.

“Yes, Wanda and I were just sharing secrets and it turns out any marriage between her and I may not be legal,” you said.

“You’re related?” she asked, eyes widening as she stared at your face.

“Better. She’s married,” you replied.

“Oh.” Blue eyes swept over Wanda, considering her with interest for the first time, “we can work with that.”

“You’ll do no such thing. No one can know,” Wanda said, straightening up as she glared at your lover.

“Wanda,” you soothed, letting Agatha go to approach her on slow feet, aiming not to scare her, “surely you don’t want to do this. You know neither of us will be happy.”

“It’s not about being happy,” she said.

“But imagine if it could be. We both have the means to be happy. We just need to work out how to have it without starting a war,” you said, gently taking her hands.

“I don’t see how,” she said.

“I do. We let the king know she’s already hitched and then you don’t have to marry her,” Agatha said, flinging herself down into the chair you’d vacated to keep her from scratching out the other woman’s eyes out and starting a war all by herself.

“Or, we all just disappear into the night and no one knows any better,” you said.

“Oh, when I suggest it you couldn’t possibly do it, but when you suggest it suddenly it’s a great idea,” Agatha grumbled and you just knew she was crossing her arms and pouting.

“I’m just saying, with the four of us we have a better chance of surviving and not being found,” you said, “he comes with a big sword.”

“You’ve never complained about my sword,” she muttered.

“I have an idea…” Wanda said, gazing out the window again, “but it might make everyone very angry.”

The next day, you were beyond nervous. If only one thing went wrong, then it would all be over. You were quiet as you were dressed, and you kept catching Agatha’s eye in the mirror. Her grin was entirely too predatory and you were certain she was going to give the game away, but your mother didn’t seem to notice anything. Not even when she slipped away

Walking down the aisle, you stared at the vision in white at the end. Large dress and veil obscuring her face, your stomach clenched. You held your breath, coming to stand across from her, wishing you could see the face underneath.

You did your best to get through the vows. The weight of so many eyes was making you feel twitchy. You grasped the hands of your bride, the callouses scraping against the palm of your hands. It helped settle you as you repeated your vows, squeezing her hands.

You tensed as she began to recite her vows, certain this was going to be the moment it all fell apart. But then it had passed and the end of the ceremony was approaching. When the priest told you to kiss the bride you held your breath.

Throwing the veil back, Agatha grinned at you. Swooping in, she dipped you, kissing you deeply, and despite your anxiety, you melted against her. You always did. Something about her had ruined you for anyone else.

Straightening, you heard the outcry from your parents, from Wanda’s parents, from all the people surrounding the two families. Agatha’s arm tightened around your waist, hauling you against her body. You stared into your father’s thunderous face.

“Sorry, Father,” you said.

“This… this…” He didn’t have the words to express how angry he was.

“I love her,” you said.

“What have you done with my daughter?” King Maximoff demanded.

“Sent her off on her honeymoon with Sir Vision,” Agatha replied, grinning at him.

The roar of voices shouting was loud. You flinched back. Agatha held you tighter as you did your best not to look like you were trembling.

“This is our cue to exit,” she whispered, lips against your ear.

You nodded. She grabbed your hand and then you were flying back down the aisle, leaving the madness behind. Agatha was laughing and you couldn’t help but join in. In the distance, you saw two figures on horses, making their way towards the road to the next kingdom over where a very nice inn was awaiting their arrival.

“Come, wife,” Agatha said, waving to the couple, “time to consummate this marriage.”

When your family finally thought to check your bedchamber for you, it was far too late to annul the marriage.

[yelenasdiary]

for the a widows sunshine series what about when y/n’s school is having like one of those parent days where the kids parents come to the school to do fun activities and natasha has to tell her that she can’t make it because of work or something like that and y/n is really sad about that.

so instead wanda surprises her by showing up for her which makes y/n really excited. i didn’t have a specific age in mind but maybe this could be for the 5-10 age range.

Afternoon Tea Party

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Daughter! Reader, Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Summary: When your mom can’t get out of work for a kindergarten event, Wanda takes it upon herself to surprise you. 

Tiny Angst, Comfort

Warnings: None | 0.9K

AC: Thank you for sending this! Reader is 5 in this, perfect for just before they call Wanda ‘mama’ at age 6! I hope you enjoy this! x 

A Widow’s Sunshine Masterlist

“Rough night?” Wanda asked Natasha while the red head poured herself a mug of coffee. “Nah, I just dropped Y/n off at kindergarten and spend 20 minutes in the parking lot to get her to stop crying before I walked her in” Natasha replied, sipping her coffee. 

“Is she okay?” Wanda asked.

“She has this afternoon tea thing, and I can’t get out of training the new recruits so I can’t go. She was really excited about it” Natasha explains, sighing to herself knowing she had let her daughter down. “Why don’t I go? I mean, only if you’re okay with it” Wanda suggested, causing a soft smile to tug at Nat’s lips. 

“You would do that?” She asked. 

“Of course, I’d love too” the brunette smiled. Nat kissed her softly, “you are a life saver, thank you! It starts at 1pm, take my credit card and buy a fruit salad or something to take” she replied. 

“Don’t stress, I’ve got this. You on the other hand, don’t need this” Wanda said, taking the coffee from Nat’s hand, “you only drink more than one cup of coffee when you’re stressed, have some juice or water and leave the rest up to me!” She added. 

----

You, along with your other classmates helped the teacher set up the family event by placing a spread of snacks on the table for guests to help themselves too. You wished your teacher would let you sit in her office to draw while everybody else had fun but your teacher said no and encouraged you to take part in the event. 

As parents started to arrive, you only got sadder knowing that you’d be one of the only students without your parent showing up. It was moments like these that you hated your mother’s job and didn’t understand why she couldn’t come. 

Quietly, you snuck off to the corner of the classroom where the books were and made yourself comfortable on one of the beanbags and looked at the picture book in hopes of ignoring the event taking place around you. 

“What are you reading there?” A familiar voice made you look up from the picture book. 

“Wanda!!” You jumped up, dropping the book and instantly giving her a tight hug, “are you here for afternoon tea?” You asked, looking up at her. 

“I sure am! I even brought some apple and orange slices; can you show me where I can put them?” Wanda asked with a soft smile. You took her free hand and took her to the snack table where she placed the fruit slices down. “Over here we have drinks you can help yourself too! Do you want a drink?” You asked, full of happiness. 

Wanda loved seeing how happy and excited you were for her to be here, “Sure! I could do with a drink” she replied before you rushed over to the drinks table and waited for Wanda to help you pour some juice for the two of you. 

After you and Wanda enjoyed your juice, you took Wanda to the wall where plenty of artwork was hanging, you showed her the painting of the beach you had painted a few days ago before showing her the robot you made from boxes which you named uncle tony. 

“And this is a folder is all about me!” You said, giving her the folder with your name on the front that you had proudly decorated. Just as Wanda started to have a good look through the folder, one of your teachers had announced that it was time to take your family member or family friend to one of the activity tables to take part in. You had your eyes set on the paper puppet making table and quickly grabbed Wanda’s hand before rushing over to the table. 

You grabbed a piece of green A4 paper while Wanda grabbed a pink piece of paper. “I’m going to make a frog!” You beamed as you reached for a piece of red paper. Wanda smiled softly before she had a quick look over the instructions sheet, once she had an idea of how to make a paper puppets, she offered to fold your green paper as shown in the instructions.

“What are you going to make Wanda?” You asked, using the kid friendly scissors to begin cutting out the shape of your frog’s tongue. 

“I think I might make a little bunny” Wanda replied as she finished up folding the green paper for your frog. “I like bunnies! I wish I could have one as a pet, but mommy says we can’t have pets in our new home” you replied.

“An apartment is no place for a bunny, maybe you could ask to keep one at your uncle Clint’s house” the brunette suggested. You face lit up at the idea, “I’m going to ask her when I go home today!!” You smiled before reaching for the glue. 

Wanda helped you glue some extra pieces of paper on the head for the eyes and even helped you cut out some white and black circles to make the eyes, once satisfied with your frog, you wrote your name on the back and placed the crafty frog on your hand. 

“I’m going to name her Miss Hoppies!” You smiled at Wanda. 

“Miss Hoppies looks awesome! Do you think she will like being friends with Cupcake?” Wanda replied, placing the bunny puppet on her hand. You chuckled at the name Wanda had picked for her puppet, “that’s a funny name for a bunny” you said, “but I like it!” You added. 

The two of you then played with the puppets together, having Wanda surprise you made you forget the reason why your mother couldn’t come. Although you were still sad that you couldn’t do this with her, you couldn’t wait to show her the puppets you and Wanda had made.

Taglist: @koinsss | @liloandstitchstan | @marcia-maximoff | @skittlebum | @katethewritersblog | @taliiiaasteria | @nova-kyle | @daddipantherr | @riyaexee | @sgm616 | @elle161989 | @alphalesbianwolffoxdragontribrid | @mathxa | @sxlfishbrokenheart | @noturlondonboy | @lovelyy-moonlight | @ghxst-guts | 

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[thenerdykneazle]

Marry You

Summary: Garreth proclaims to anyone and everyone, including you, that he is going to marry you one day – despite the fact that you haven’t even agreed to court him (not that he's asked). Set during 5th year. It was supposed to be a bunch of short drabbles. One of them got out of hand (oops).

Garreth Weasley x Gryffindor F!MC

A/N: I added Garreth to DADA b/c in the game he only has like 2 classes with MC. It’s a crime that they didn’t give him the same schedule as Leander, honestly. You know those idiots would be besties and take all the same classes.

Warnings: none, pure fluff for a change, pining, *slight* Seb bashing if you squint but really he's just his moody self

Word Count: 6330

To Imelda

Garreth was elated when you handed him the fwooper feather. “Brilliant! This is going to take a moment to brew. You should get back to brewing your Edurus Potion, and I’ll tell you when this concoction’s finished.”

“Don’t keep me waiting too long,” you replied before leaving to work on your own potion. Garreth watched you walk away with stars in his eyes.

Imelda came up beside him. “Causing trouble again, Weasley?” she asked.

Garreth jumped at the girl suddenly so close to him. “Just getting started. I think I’ve got a partner in crime now,” he said.

“Oh?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Dragging that new fifth-year into your schemes, are you?”

He gave her a cheeky smile. “I may be dragging her into my schemes, but I’d let her drag me anywhere,” he said.

Imelda scrunched up her face in disgust at the mushy proclamation. “Ugh! Down boy,” she said. “You’ve only just met the poor girl.”

He sighed dreamily as he watched you work across the room. You seemed to have a knack for potions like he did. “Maybe, but I’m gonna marry her one day,” he said, imaging a future running a shop in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley with you.

Imelda rolled her eyes at the dramatic boy. “Whatever you say, Gryffindor,” she said before walking off.

When his potion sparked out wild fireworks, he caught your eye in the chaos. You looked thoroughly amused, and he couldn’t help but feel that the potion had been a resounding success if it got you to smile that way. He did feel a bit guilty that he had gotten you in hot water with Sharp, but the ex-auror didn’t seem too fussed about things.

To Sebastian

Garreth was enamoured when you knocked Sebastian on his ass. Again. You were all duelling in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and Professor Hecat seemed to enjoy seeing the Slytherin knocked down a peg as much as Leander did since she paired you and Sebastian together a second time. Garreth cheered even louder than Leander for you, and you gave the dorky pair a little salute.

Personally, though, Garreth had never had an issue with his fellow freckled classmate. He was friendly, had a good sense of humour, and enjoyed helping other students with their studies – or, at least, he used to before his sister was cursed. They had even teamed up on a prank here and there over the years. So, when Garreth saw the way the brunet looked at you, he had one thought as he smirked to himself: Game on.

You helped Sebastian back to his feet. “Nice job,” he said. “All your extra practice is paying off.”

You shrugged. “I suppose so,” you agreed. “You’ve been improving, as well, though.”

“I’d like a fair fight sometime. Get to use all my tricks,” he said. “Though, I could show you one or two beforehand if you’d like.”

You smiled slightly. “I might be interested,” you replied.

“I’ll be in touch, then,” Sebastian said with a smirk. He brushed himself off as he walked back to Ominis.

You walked back to your fellow Gryffindors. “Godric himself would be proud,” Leander said as Garreth gave you a congratulatory hug.

From across the room, Sebastian eyed the redhead as he embraced you. Garreth caught him watching and sent him a wink and a cheeky grin.

“That was bloody brilliant!” Garreth said as he let go of you.

“Thanks,” you said, beaming at him.

Leander resisted the urge to roll his eyes as his curly-haired friend seemed to dominate your attention and vice versa. He busied himself talking to Andrew. You and Garreth started talking about your recent encounter with a kneazle den out in the forest, barely noticing your friend’s absence. Soon, though, Professor Hecat stole you away to talk about an extra assignment.

Garreth took the opportunity to saunter over to the Slytherins. “You put up a good fight,” he said to Sebastian.

“Thanks,” he replied before cutting to the chase. “So, you and MC seem pretty cozy.” Sebastian had always been the jealous type.

“I should hope so,” Garreth replied. “I am going to marry her, after all.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at that. Weasleys were a known pure-blood family, but most of them weren’t those kinds of pure-bloods that had their children pledged to suitors from a young age.

Ominis gave the Gryffindor a pitying expression, though Garreth didn’t notice as Sebastian spoke up at the same time. “Didn’t realize your family was into that sort of thing. Arranged betrothals and whatnot,” he said.

“Oh, no, we’ll marry for love,” Garreth said confidently.

“Wait, so are you even engaged?” Ominis asked.

Garreth laughed. “No, of course not! We’re fifteen,” he replied. “Well, I’ll be sixteen next month.”

“So, are you courting?” Sebastian asked.

“Not yet,” Garreth said simply.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at the ginger. “So, what you’re saying is, you have no actual claim to her,” he said.

Garreth shrugged, looking unbothered. “I may not have any official title yet, but I wanted to give you fair warning not to fall too hard for her.”

Sebastian laughed. “Yeah, thanks, mate,” he said sarcastically. “What makes you so certain she’d choose you, anyway?”

Garreth smirked at him. “I just am.”

He let that be his final word, as he saw you walking away from Professor Hecat. Sebastian just gaped at the overconfident boy as he left. “Gryffindors,” he grumbled.

“You do realize that includes MC,” Ominis pointed out.

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “Oh, shut it.”

To Leander

Garreth overheard you telling Professor Shah that you didn’t have a telescope. He was disappointed when she paired you with Amit before he could offer. He felt a pang of jealousy when Amit offered his old telescope to you. He tried to refocus on the stargazing he was supposed to be doing. Leander was struggling to find Sirius. He helped his best friend before they hurried downstairs, seeking the warmth of the castle.

On the way down, he overheard Amit asking you to go out to an astronomy table with him. The small pang of jealousy he felt earlier bloomed into anguish. Was Amit really trying to earn your affections? He expected to have to compete with Sallow, but he felt bad at the idea of stealing you away from the good-natured Ravenclaw. Not bad enough to back off, of course, but still.

He and Leander walked all the way back to the Gryffindor common room. Garreth flopped into an armchair with a huff.

Leander raised an eyebrow at him. “What’s got you so worked up?” he asked.

“Amit’s trying to flirt with my future wife,” Garreth grumbled.

“Oh, not this again,” Leander muttered to himself.

“Yes, this again,” Garreth replied firmly. “I’m serious, Lee. She’s the one.”

Leander just shook his head in amusement. “Yes, you’ve made that very clear,” he said. “And why is it you think Amit is trying to steal her affections?”

“You didn’t hear him?” Garreth practically yelled. He jumped to his feet and started pacing. “First, he was all, ‘Oh, let me adjust the telescope for you.’ Then he just gave her his old telescope. And then, he invited her out exploring the grounds to go find an astronomy table.”

“He might as well have proposed right then,” Leander replied nonchalantly, still reclining lazily on the couch and biting back a smirk.

“I know! I–” Garreth started, but he paused, spinning around to face Leander. He glared at the taller boy. “You’re mocking me.”

Leander let the smile break onto his face. “A bit,” he admitted. “Gar, Amit is just friendly. He’d give an Ashwinder the shirt off his back if they said they were cold. You’re reading too much into it.”

“Am I?” Garreth asked seriously, putting a hand on his hip as he eyed his friend.

“Yes,” Leander replied equally seriously. “And, with all due respect to your undying love, you barely know MC. What if you’re not compatible? What if she wants to move to Peru or something when she graduates? What if she doesn’t want kids?”

Garreth shrugged. “I don’t need kids,” he said.

Leander rolled his eyes. “Have you met your family?” he asked. “And you practically knocked me into the Black Lake jumping into my arms when you got the owl saying your brother and his wife are having a baby.”

Garreth blushed at the memory. “Okay, but they’re out snuggling up in the cold to go look at the stars,” he whined.

“Your brother and his pregnant wife?” Leander asked.

Garreth let out a frustrated groan. “No, MC and Amit! Keep up, Lee! There’s no chance he’s not trying to woo her in such a romantic setting. They’ll probably be out all night, knowing MC. They’ll cozy up as they watch the sunrise and kiss just as the sun peaks out over the horizon.”

“Ah, you’re back to the whole Amit thing,” Leander observed.

“He’s probably got his arms around her right now to ‘help’ her focus the telescope,” Garreth said. “Maybe I should go out there and–”

Garreth fell silent at the sound of the portrait creaking open. He was glad he did when he saw you stepping into the common room. “You’re home early!” he said. He had meant to say it in a cool, casual tone but ended up shouting it in excitement, instead.

“Am I?” you asked, giving him a confused look. “I didn’t know I had an appointment.”

“Well, I just heard Amit invite you out stargazing and figured you’d be gone a while,” Garreth blurted out. Leander smacked a hand over his face as he shook his head at his moronic friend.

“Oh,” you said. You shrugged. “The table was just on the castle wall. It didn’t take long to find.”

“Do you want kids?” Garreth asked, stunning both you and Leander.

You looked at him with wide eyes. “Right now?” you asked. “Because I’ll have to pass, thanks.”

Garreth’s face flamed with embarrassment. “Merlin, no, that’s not what I…Not now, just…in the future. Possibly. I mean, do you like kids?” he corrected.

“Oh. Yeah, one day. I love kids,” you replied.

“Great!” he said before he could stop himself. “Because, um, my brother is having a baby soon, and I’ll have to do a lot of babysitting. I might need a hand, and Lee here is useless with kids, so…”

Leander glared at him, and Garreth just gave him an apologetic smile.

“That sounds fun!” you replied.

Garreth’s eyes lit up. “Brilliant! I’ll reach out if I need assistance, then,” he said with a dopey grin.

“Sounds good,” you said as you made your way toward the stairs up to the girls’ dormitories. “Good night, you two.”

They both wished you a good night. Once your back was turned, Garreth smiled wildly at Leander and mouthed ‘I told you’ rather aggressively at him. Leander just rolled his eyes.

To Poppy

Garreth sprinted down the corridors to reach the faculty tower. He took the stairs up it three at a time, grabbing the handrail to whip sharply around the landings. His legs were on fire by the time he reached the infirmary. He was too out of breath to form a proper sentence when he’d met Nurse Blainey at the entrance.

“Where…How…MC?” he managed between pants as his lungs heaved to get the oxygen his body so desperately needed.

“She’s okay, so just take a moment–” she said, holding up her hands to try to get the boy to pause and catch his breath.

“I need to see her. Please,” he urged.

He looked as if he might burst into tears at any moment, and the mediwitch took pity on the boy. She led him to your bedside. “She’s stable but hasn’t woken up yet. I gave her a sedative so I could change the dressing over a rather painful wound on her leg. It should heal completely in time, though,” she explained as she walked him over.

She held the curtain around your bed back, so Garreth could step inside of it. He gasped when he saw the cuts and bruises on your face and arms. The rest of you was hidden under the blanket, and he could only imagine how much worse it got. Poppy was sitting in a chair on the far side of the bed. Garreth sat down opposite her, pulling the chair closer to the bed while turning it around so he could face the head of the it. He held your hand gently in both of his.

You were a force to be reckoned with, but right now you looked so…fragile.

“What happened?” he rasped, looking over to Poppy.

“We…It happened so fast,” she said, head bowed in shame. “We were fighting a camp of poachers, and a manticore sprang out of their tent. It had a collar of goblin metal they used to control it. It attached her, scratching her, and biting her leg.” She dropped her face into her hands. “Merlin, her scream.” Poppy winced at the memory.

“A manticore?” Garreth repeated in disbelief. “Godric’s heart, I’m glad it didn’t sting her!”

“It almost did, but I cast depulso and knocked it off of her,” she said. “I just wish I’d reacted sooner.”

“Hey,” Garreth said gently as he held a hand out to her across the bed. She sheepishly took it as she finally raised her eyes to look at him. “You saved her life. I can’t thank you enough for that.” He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and smiled gently at her.

“O-oh. Are you two…? I mean, I didn’t realize you were more than friends,” she said, pulling her hand out of his grasp and linking it with the other one in her lap. She trained her gaze on her hands rather than the boy sat across from her.

“We’re not. Not yet, anyway,” Garreth said as he looked at you with a fond smile on his face. He turned back to Poppy with a devilish grin. “Make no mistake, though, I’m gonna make her my wife one day.”

“Wow. That’s, um, wonderful,” she said, giving him a pained smile.

Garreth chuckled. “I know everyone thinks I’m crazy for saying it, but I really do believe it. She’s captured my heart and soul, this one,” he said.

“She’s a lucky girl,” Poppy said sincerely.

“I hope so,” Garreth replied with a grateful smile. He looked back at you. “I know she hasn’t been here very long, but I don’t know what I’d do if I ever really lost her. I’d have to find a new supplier for all my potion ingredients and everything!” He spoke sincerely until the last sentence.

You let out a groan as you rubbed your head with the hand Garreth wasn’t holding. “I think I’m gonna have to close shop for a week or two,” you croaked out.

Garreth chuckled. “All the cute things I said, and you wake up for that part?” he teased.

You gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Gar,” you said. “I’ll try to time it better next time.”

The sincerity in your voice nearly broke his heart. He reached a hand up to stroke your cheek. “Hey, no, I was just joking,” he said sweetly. “But there better not be a ‘next time,’ and I’m very serious about that. No more close calls like this.”

You nodded your head slowly. Your eyes were half closed. “That sounds good to me,” you said.

He managed a small smile. He’d been a nervous wreck when he heard you were in the infirmary with serious injuries. It was a relief just to talk to you. “Get some rest now, okay? We’ll be here,” he said.

“M’kay,” you agreed with a soft sigh. Your eyes were already closing again, heavy with exhaustion.

Garreth stroked the back of your hand as he carefully watched the bruises on your face fade. It was slow – barely noticeable as it happened – but after a few hours the dark, angry purple marks had shrunk with the remaining areas turned faded hues of yellow and green. He delicately brushed the hair back from your face. Your cuts were now thin lines of new flesh, pink and tender-looking. Garreth traced some of the lines on your arm carefully with his left index finger. His right hand continued to hold yours.

Curfew came before you roused again. Nurse Blainey came to dismiss the students still by your bedside. Poppy stood to leave, but Garreth requested to stay.

“I assure your she’s in capable hands, Mr. Weasley,” the mediwitch said. “I’m afraid visiting hours are over for today. You may come back when they begin tomorrow. After breakfast.”

He had skipped dinner, though he didn’t know how Nurse Blainey had known. The meal had just begun when he got the news of your injury.

Garreth trudged out alongside Poppy. “I’m glad she has someone who cares so deeply for her,” the mousy girl said as they left the hospital wing. “She’s my best friend – and only friend, really – and I want her to be happy.”

Garreth nodded with a pensive look on his face. “Thank you, Poppy,” he said. “I’m glad she’s got you to watch her back out there.”

She gave him a tight smile and a nod. She still felt responsible.

They parted once they left the faculty tower, heading to their separate common rooms. Garreth had a fitful night sleep before getting out of bed before the sun was up. He ate a rushed breakfast before returning to the hospital wing. You were sat up in the bed, eating your own breakfast from a tray set over your lap. You smiled when you saw him approaching.

“If it isn’t my favourite customer,” you said with a smirk.

Garreth rolled his eyes playfully. “How is it that was the only thing you got from my visit yesterday?” he asked.

You chuckled. “I was heavily medicated,” you replied with a shrug. You shifted to sit toward the left side of the bed, grimacing as you pulled your right leg over.

Garreth lunged forward to help when he saw your pained expression, but it was gone in an instant. You patted the newly open spot on the bed next to you. He carefully sat down, keeping an eye on your leg so he didn’t bump it.

“So, what else did you say when you came to visit?” you asked. “I have it on good authority it was quite cute.”

Garreth’s cheeks flushed. “Just, um, that I was very relieved you were okay and wouldn’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Yes, well, it would put a damper on our marriage if I was dead before it began,” you joked.

Garreth just gave you a shy smile.

You had known for a while how Garreth liked to tell people he was going to marry you one day. You thought it was funny and would join in on the joke from time to time. You took it as a compliment. He usually tied it to some praise of your skill, whether in combat, on a broom, or brewing potions. He had a flare for the dramatic, so you didn’t read too much into it. You’d heard him tell Leander he could kiss him when the taller boy had bought him a set of rare potion ingredients for his birthday.

Garreth was warm and affectionate, but he didn’t show signs that there was real weight to his jests. There were no intense stares or lingering touches like there were with a certain Slytherin. He was affectionate with you but not in an intimate way. He would give big bear hugs and would sometimes grab your wrist to drag you somewhere exciting. However, he never rested his hand on your lower back as he led you somewhere nor held your hand. Well, last night was an exception. You were fairly certain that when you had awoken last night, he had been holding your right hand, while Poppy had held your left.

Poppy. You two had become fast friends. She was the reason you wouldn’t entertain his affections even if you had thought them genuine. She had quite the crush on the kind-hearted ginger. She’d fallen for him shortly after you introduced them. She gushed about him constantly. You could never hurt her like it would if you started courting Garreth. She would be devastated.

“How are you feeling?” Garreth asked. His brow was furrowed with worry.

“As well as can be expected. The bastard took a nice chunk out of my calf,” you explained. “Human face but wicked sharp teeth, apparently.”

He looked at you with sad eyes. “Nurse Blainey said you’d recover fully. It that still true?”

You nodded. “Far as I know.”

“Good.” He bit his cheek as his hands fidgeted with the edge of the blanket. He put on a brave face before looking back at you. “And until you’re 100%, I’ll be by your side. Whatever you need.”

You couldn’t help but smile. He really was the sweetest boy you’d ever met. “I think I’ll be more than taken care of between you and Poppy,” you said fondly. “Speaking of, it’s cute that you two stayed with me together last night.”

Garreth gave you a puzzled look. “Cute?” he asked.

You gave a noncommittal shrug and forced your smile to broaden into a playful grin. “Yeah, I mean, I think it’s sweet. You two are just cute together.”

Garreth was really baffled now. Together? he thought. He and Poppy had hardly been ‘together.’ They sat on opposite sides of your bed, tending to you. Did you think he fancied Poppy? He was confused how you could. He thought he’d been rather obvious in his affections for you, while always trying to be respectful.

“Oh,” was all he managed to say.

You couldn’t tell if he didn’t like Poppy back or was just being shy about his feelings. So, you decided to probe a bit. “Have you ever thought about asking her out?” you said, attempting nonchalance.

“Erm, no. I can’t say I have,” he replied honestly. He swallowed a lump in his throat. He didn’t claim to know much about girls, but he was fairly certain they didn’t try to set up boys they fancied with their friends. “Do you…think I should?”

You blinked rapidly. You didn’t know what you thought. He and Poppy seemed a good fit. They were both so bubbly. You couldn’t imagine they’d be anything but happy together. But the imagine made you curiously sombre. “Well…” you started, unsure how you would finish the sentence.

Nurse Blainey pulled back the curtain. She scowled at Garreth sitting in your bed.

“Mr. Weasley,” she said sternly. “If you could step out, I need to examine my patient.”

He quickly did as told. Blainey changed your bandages on your leg, and he could tell two things from the stifled noises you made. The first was that you were in more pain than you let on. The second was that you were trying to hide it for his sake. That was only further confirmed when Blainey let him back in. You were smiling wide, but your knuckles blanched with how hard you were gripping the sheets.

“Has she had anything for pain today?” Garreth asked the mediwitch timidly.

“No, she’s refused the pain potion since she woke up,” Nurse Blainey replied.

He shot you a stern look. “She’s obviously in pain.”

She arched a brow at him. “She’s perfectly capable of requesting the potion herself.”

���I don’t like the potion. It makes me feel foggy,” you told him.

“So?” Garreth asked, a bit irritated by your stubbornness. “You’re recovering. And it’s Sunday. You should be resting, anyway.”

He looked to Blainey for support. “Are you in pain, dear?” she asked you kindly.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” you replied genially, though you gave Garreth a hard glare.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “If you grit your teeth any harder, you’ll shatter them,” he argued. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“I don’t want to sleep all day. I’d rather be able to hang out with you,” you said.

“Well, I don’t want to see you suffer!” he shot back, his voice cracking. He winced at his own volume.

“Mr. Weasley!” Nurse Blainey hissed. “I will not tolerate you yelling at my patient.”

“I’m sorry,” he said earnestly. He sank into the chair beside you, not wanting to draw further ire from Blainey by getting back in your bed. “Please, MC. I don’t like seeing you in pain. I’ll read to you or something while you rest.”

“You wouldn’t be bored?” you asked.

He rolled his eyes as a slight smirk came to his lips. “With you around? Never,” he replied.

“Could I maybe just do a half dose?” you said to Nurse Blainey. “My leg is starting to ache pretty badly.”

Garreth resisted the urge to insist you take a full dose. It was a start, at least.

The mediwitch nodded and fetched the potion.

“Thank you,” he murmured after you downed the liquid.

“Thank you,” you replied. “I should’ve taken it sooner. I was…being stubborn.”

He scoffed. “Yeah, you have a habit of that,” he teased.

You gave him a playful glare.

The sounds of hurried footsteps announced the arrival of a certain two Slytherins. “MC!” Sebastian said. “I just heard what happened. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” you assured him. “Blainey said I should make a full recovery.”

Garreth saw you wince as Sebastian wrapped you in a big hug. “Be careful!” the Gryffindor hissed.

Sebastian ignored him. He held your face in both of his hands when he pulled back. For a brief, terrifying moment, Garreth thought the Slytherin was about to kiss you. “No more taking on poachers alone,” the brunette ordered.

“I wasn’t alone,” you argued.

Sebastian side-eyed Garreth before looking back at you. “You still didn’t have proper help. You need to tell me when you’re going to do something dangerous,” he said, still holding your face. “Promise me.”

“Poppy is proper help,” you said defensively. “We’ve been fine every other time. Fought dozens of poachers. The manticore just caught us by surprise. I don’t need you to babysit me, Sebastian.”

Sebastian’s hands dropped to his sides. “You were with Poppy?” he asked.

You nodded.

“Well, I can still help keep you safe. Obviously these poachers are getting more dangerous animals,” he said. “Let me help you.”

“You can’t come running off with us every time. You’ve got Anne to think about. You should stay focused on helping her,” you argued.

Sebastian tensed. “Then stay and help me,” he asked.

You chewed your lip “I…I can’t just stop. Anne’s got you, but no one is stopping these poachers. Poppy and I are the only ones saving those creatures.”

Sebastian’s jaw clenched. “So, you care more about those beasts than Anne?” he growled.

“That’s not what I’m saying!” you insisted.

Sebastian scowled. “That seems like it’s exactly what you’re saying.” Without another word, he stormed out of the hospital wing.

“Sebastian!” Ominis called after him. He sighed when his friend didn’t stop. He rested a hand on your shoulder. “Feel better, MC.”

Ominis pressed a kiss to the top of your head before leaving, as well.

Garreth was seething until he saw the tears slipping down your cheeks and grief gripped him. “Hey,” he said gently, sliding into the bed next to you. He wrapped his arms around you in a gentle embrace. “He’s being an idiot. He’s probably just scared. I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”

You shook your head. “No, he did. He’s always getting upset with us about not doing more for Anne.” You sighed. “I mean, we’ve tried. I just…I don’t know what else to do.”

Garreth was shocked at the treatment from your supposed friend. He had half a mind to track the Slytherin down and try to shake some sense into him. But he knew it was better to stay with you, so he did. You leaned into him as the potion’s effects took hold and the drowsiness set in.

Garreth stayed with you the whole day. Poppy came by later that morning. Leander brought him lunch and a book to read to you. Natty and the other Gryffindors came to visit you in the afternoon. Even Imelda stopped by before dinner. Sebastian came back and apologized late in the evening. He seemed less than pleased to see Garreth cuddled up to you, but he didn’t comment on it.

Garreth helped rush visits along when you would start to get tired and drift off. Blainey was in and out of the curtained-off space throughout the day. She kicked Garreth out when she needed to do dressing changes. She didn’t say anything about Garreth sitting with you in your bed, though. Nor did she kick him out when you both fell asleep to him reading the book Leander had brought.

Blainey released you the next day. Garreth thought it was too soon, but you were eager to get out. He convinced the teachers to let him follow your schedule so he could carry your things for you.

“I could’ve levitated them,” you said.

“You shouldn’t exert your magic, either,” he argued. “Besides, I told you I’d be by your side until you’re all better.”

You blushed at the thought. You had always hoped to find a way to spend more time with him. This wasn’t exactly how you would have chosen to go about it, but you would take it.

To You

The manticore incident had brought you and Garreth closer than ever. Shortly after, Poppy told you she no longer had a crush on the outgoing Gryffindor. No longer holding yourself back, your own feelings for him bloomed. Frustratingly, you felt that you constantly got mixed signals from him. He still had a running joke where he would assert to others that he would marry you one day. However, he never asked you out. Though, on rare occasions, he did hold your hand – grabbing it to drag you off to see his newest brew or to comfort you when you were upset.

Unbeknownst to you, Garreth’s own feelings had grown similarly. He was head over heels for you. But he was scared. The stronger his feelings became, the more terrified he felt that you wouldn’t return them. Leander had to practically shake sense into him that he had better ask you out before someone else did. The taller boy even threatened to ask you out himself if Garreth didn’t soon. The threat almost started a brawl between the best friends until Leander explained that he wasn’t actually interested in you – just trying to motivate Garreth to get his head out of his arse.

So, Garreth came up with a plan. He went to Honeydukes on the next Hogsmeade trip, buying all your favourite sweets. He even added a bottle of his newly-perfected Fizzing Whizzbeer that you’d raved about after trying. He arranged it all in a decorative box and tied a nice ribbon around it.

He brought it to you at dinner. He hadn’t even sat down when he handed it over.

“Thank you,” you said, surprised and a bit confused as you took the present. You were elated, if a bit puzzled, when you saw the contents. “What’s all this for?”

Garreth cleared his throat. “Well, everyone knows we’re going to be married one day. And, mark my words, we will be,” he started. You rolled your eyes at his theatrics but couldn’t help smiling. Everyone else just nodded along, having heard his proclamation many times. Natty was the only one who looked shocked by the news.

“They are betrothed?” she whispered to Leander.

He rolled his eyes. “No, but it’s a long story,” he replied.

She just shrugged.

“So, I figured it was about time I started the formal process. I’d like to court you, MC, if you’ll have me,” Garreth said. He looked exceptionally nervous.

You set the box down on the bench before springing to your feet. You threw your arms around Garreth’s neck. “Of course!” you said.

“Really?” Garreth asked, dumbstruck.

“Definitely!” you assured him.

He wrapped his arms around your waist, lifting you up as he spun around. “Brilliant! Will you go to dinner with me this Saturday?”

You beamed at him as your feet returned to solid ground. “That sounds lovely.”

Natty gave Leander a confused look. “I thought they started courting months ago,” she said.

“Yeah, you would think, wouldn’t you?” he replied with a chuckle.

To Your Dad

Garreth shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously. He checked his hair in the glass of the tavern window for the eight time. It wasn’t the first time he was meeting your father. They first met three years ago when Garreth visited you over the summer between fifth and sixth years. When the door to the establishment opened and he spotted the familiar broad shoulders and greying hair, Garreth immediately stood up.

“Garreth, my boy, good to see you,” your father greeted genially.

Garreth shook his hand. “You, as well, sir,” he said. “I’m glad you were able to meet today.”

“So, what brings you out to my neck of the woods?” your father asked as he took his seat.

Garreth could feel the heat rising in his collar, and your dad had to hold back a smile. He had strong suspicions on why the young man had reached out.

“Well, sir, I wanted to discuss some things with you about the future,” he said. “Of course, I asked you to join me for dinner. I don’t want to get too bogged down in the details on empty stomachs.”

“Oh, nonsense,” your father replied, waving him off. “Let’s hear these plans.”

“Right,” Garreth said, a bit shellshocked. “Well, sir, I’ve just finished my apprenticeship with J. Pippin. I took a job with a potioneering company in London, where I intend to stay until I’ve saved enough to start my own shop. I’ve just purchased a home in Marylebone, where I hope to settle down, you see.”

“London’s a far way from Plymouth,” your father interjected gravely, unable to help himself.

Garreth swallowed thickly. “It is,” he agreed. “Though, it’s within floo range.”

“Quite right,” your dad agreed with a slight smile. “Sorry to interrupt, lad. You were saying about settling down.”

“Your daughter and I have been discussing our plans. We’d quite like to settle down together. That is to say, we intend to marry–”

“Do you, now?” you father interjected again. His brow was arched.

Garreth nodded, steeling his nerves. “I haven’t proposed yet, of course,” he continued, and your father visibly relaxed. “But, like I said, we’ve discussed it, and I feel quite certain she would say yes. I wanted to meet today to ask for your blessing.”

Your father smiled. “Yes, I thought that might be the case,” he said. “My daughter, my only child, is quite an exceptional young woman, as you’re aware.”

“I am,” Garreth agreed as worry began to set in.

“Not just for her rare magic. She has many talents. And she’s quite driven.” He levelled Garreth with a rather frighteningly intense gaze. “I have very high standards for the man with whom she endeavours to spend her life.”

“Of course, sir,” Garreth said, trying not to feel crestfallen.

“I dare say she’ll need a man of equal ambition to keep up with her,” he said. “Though, he must still put his family first. I would never condemn her to a marriage with someone less than madly in love with her. And, indeed, I would do everything I could to prevent such an unfit union. I assure you, I am not an adversary to be taken lightly.”

Garreth had prepared himself for the possibility that your father would not give his blessing, but he had not foreseen him actively trying to prevent your marriage.

“I don’t think any man fully capable of deserving my daughter, though I am aware that I am biased on the matter,” your dad continued without giving Garreth a chance to speak. “However, I don’t think I could have hand-picked a better partner for her than she has chosen for herself.”

“I’m sure I can’t fault you for feeling that way, sir. I–” Garreth broke off as the meaning of the sternly spoken words sunk in. He gaped at your father briefly before collecting himself.

A grin broke out on the older man’s face. “I’d be honoured to have you in the family, son.”

Garreth stood, shaking your father’s hand again. He pulled his future son-in-law into a hug. “Thank you, sir. I know it’ll mean a lot to MC to have your blessing,” Garreth said.

Your dad clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Well, it means a lot to me that you care for her so deeply,” he replied. “You’re a good man, Garreth. Even if you were a bit of a scamp at school.” He winked.

Garreth’s cheeks flushed. “Yes, well, I’ve come to have a certain respect for the rules these days.”

Your dad chuckled. “That’s good to hear,” he said. “I got into my fair share of trouble at Hogwarts back in my day. And I know my daughter took after me.”

Garreth laughed. “She certainly has an adventurous spirit.”

Your dad shared some stories about the hijinks he’d gotten up to in school as they shared a meal. Garreth was glad he’d gotten the asking done before eating, as his stomach settled considerably. He couldn’t wait to tell you that your dad gave his blessing. More than that, he couldn’t wait to propose. But, most of all, he couldn’t wait to finally make you his wife like he swore he would years ago.

[slutz4fanfic]

Okay lately I’ve been in a Joel miller kick. Idk why but here we are. I’ve been thinking of writing a short little thing about Joel miller, main character’d dad is Joel’s best friend. A slow burn, angst, a more quieter main character, age gap, smut, all the goods. Here’s what I got so far…thoughts ??

The cicada hummed in the heavy Texas heat as I’m sitting on the front porch swing, my bare feet grazing the worn wood beneath me.

It’s late summer in Austin, the air is thick, carrying the scent of wildflowers and the faint tang of barbecue smoke from the cookout my father had earlier today. I can hear my father’s laughter boomed as he drinks and jokes with his oldest friend, Joel…Joel Miller.

Joel has been a constant presence in my life for as long as I can remember. Him and his daughter Sarah. He’s my dad’s best friend, partner in bad jokes and long-winded stories, Joel always had a way of commanding a room. Joel carries himself quietly, assured, rugged in a way that felt effortless. Him and dad are not only best friends but they’re business partners together. They work together doing construction/contractor type jobs.

“Honey why don’t you come inside?” My mom sticks her head out of the house calling me. “I will, Im just enjoying the late August breeze” I smile at her.

My mom has soft blonde hair, bright blue eyes, always a calming energy. My mother and I look nothing a like. I have my father’s dark curly hair, his dark brown eyes, and tan skin. But people say I have the same calming energy that my mother has. At least I got something from my mother, my mother is the most beautiful woman on this earth…but I guess I’m a bit biased.

“Alright honey don’t stay out here too late” she says before closing the front door.

I don’t only want to enjoy the late August weather, but frankly being around Joel makes my head spin. The past year I’ve developed this stupid, stupid, school girl crush on the man. I know I shouldn’t, I know how wrong it is. He’s 20 years older than me, my dad’s best friend, practically family. But it seems every time he comes around, I found myself drawn to him, my heart fluttering leaving me breathless.

His strong jawline dusted with salt and pepper scruff, his dark hair kissed by streaks of some silver. Then his voice, slow and smooth with that subtle Texas drawl that just stays in my stupid head long after he’s spoken.

The screen door creaks open causing me to glance up. Joel stepped out, a beer in hand, his worn flannel shirt rolled to his elbows. His sharp dark eyes catches mine darker ones. I can see the tired under his eyes, but he has a small lopsided grin.

“Thought I’d find you out here darlin” his voice low and warm. He leaned against the porch railing, faintest hint of a drawl curling around his words. “You always were one for the quiet”

His words make my stomach jump, the idea that Joel knows me. Knows how I think, what I like and don’t like.

Get it together Violet. It’s Joel, of course he fucking knows you. I’d tag along with him and my dad with everything since I was 7. Rides in Joel’s old pickup truck, fishing trips out by the lake, even just watching them fix whatever needed fixin’ . “Guess I like the way it feels out here” I murmur my voice soft.

Joel tipped his head a bit, his gaze feels like it’s studying me. “Can’t blame you for that. Feels like the rest of worlds a thousand miles away, doesn’t it” he sips his beer.

I nod my head, fingers curling around the edge of the swing. His intense gaze lingers and the weight of it sends a slow flush creeping up my neck.

He sank onto the swing beside me, the wood creaking under his weight. For a moment neither of us spoke, the stillness between us only filled by the cicadas.

"You're real quiet tonight" Joel's voice low. "Something on your mind?"

I glance at him,my teeth can't help catch my bottom lip thinking of my response. "Not really. Just...thinking"

"About?"

I hesitate, my fingers tracing the edge of the swing "nothing important"

I can feel him studying me again. Something he does often. He eyebrows furrowing in the process. He didn't push it, but the look in his eyes wasn't buying it. "You know you can talk to me, right kid?"

I feel my heart squeeze at his words, at the gentleness in his tone. I want to tell him everything- that I've been thinking about him for longer than I cared to admit, that my chest ached every time he smiled at me lately. But that's crazy talk, and I'd drop dead before I even think of doing such thing. 

Instead, I simply respond quietly "I know”.

Joel nodded, leaning back on the swing. I know he can feel this tension coming off me. He knows me.

"Violet" he says after a long pause, his voice softer now. "You sure you okay?"

I know he means well, he's genuinely concerned. He's like a second father to me for Christ sake. It's not his fault the past few weeks I've been keeping my distance from my dad and him. I mean I used to hang with my dad and Joel all the time, just enjoying their presence, joking with them every weekend- even if it was getting them beers and watching the rangers game.

"Yes just been workin lot" I murmur finally glancing up at him. That’s not a full lie, I’ve been working a lot at the bakery saving up to move out my parents. "Hmm" he huffs eyeing me down softly. "Well leave all that workin like a damn dog to your dad and me" he gently places his calloused hand on my knee. I tense slightly at the action not expecting it. I feel the air suck out of my lungs. I hope he didn’t hear me.

His hand gently rubbing my knee in a calming manner but it feels like my skin is on fire just from his touch.

"Okay" I breathe out in a breathless whisper. "Good girl" my bottom lip naturally finds my teeth again as my gaze instantly looks down at his praise.

"Joel! Get in here! I need someone to back me up on this !" My dad's voice booms shattering whatever the hell this moment is. I feel his gaze still on me for a beat longer before he squeezes my knee and stands to his feet "better go save him from himself" I can hear the chuckle laced in his voice. “Don’t stay out here too late, it’s getting chilly”

I smile to myself at his comment, it's known my dad usually will put his foot in his mouth especially with my mama. I watch as he goes back in the house.

I let out a shaky breath, I set my hand on my chest feeling it beat fast against it, hoping it’ll help settle my erratic heart. Good girl. His deep, southern draw still rings in my head.

"Get it together Violet. It's just Joel" I mumble to myself taking another deep breath. I shake off the nerves standing to my feet. My bare feet making the boards creak from underneath me and I open the screen door.

The smell of my mom's candles going and the voices of all three them going on about something stupid im sure my dad said.

"There's my girl" my dad's smiles, his eyes catching on mine. I look at the trio in the living room, my mom sipping on some wine sitting against my daddy. Joel sitting in his usual spot when he comes over, on the small love seat across them.

"Got a little chilly out there" I say softly. "Well get out that dress of yours and join us kid" my dad's says before turning his attention back to Joel. I glance at Joel really quick trying to steal a look but it seems his eyes are already on mine. I move my gaze quick and go up the stairs with a blush dancing on my cheeks.

This is just a quick draft of the first chapter..but id love feedback and/or ideas from you guys :)

Skylar xx

[wlw-imagines]

A Hunter By Trade - Ruby Lucas/Reader (Once Upon a Time)

prompt: "Could I request a Ruby(from OUAT) x reader one shot where R is a werewolf hunter and doesn't know Ruby is a werewolf and when R finds out Ruby is terrified that she'll leave her or kill her but instead the reader quits being a hunter and becomes a cop with Emma and David? Some fluff in the end?" - anon

a/n: these are from my old tumblr thefandomwritings from back in 2018 ! re-vamped and re-purposed!! hope u enjoy and forgive the 2018 me style writing 

Having just finished your shift in the forest, hunting under Mr Gold's insistence, you were happy to finally be off work for another month and back with your girlfriend at Granny's Diner. Ruby's long hours of working there often meant you're schedules of night shifts and hers of day shifts would clash but for the next month you were free to spend time with her,

"Morning Y/N." Emma gave you a small wave as you walked into the Diner like you did every morning after work.

You sent Emma and Henry a tired smile, "Morning you two. Hot chocolate and waffles before school, Henry?" You asked the young boy who smiled cheekily and nodded, stuffing a forkful of his breakfast into his mouth.

You were going to stop for a chat before you realised you still had your hunting weapons on you and you should probably get rid of them. Your knife still strapped to your thigh and your silver gun still in its holster at your hip. Emma seemed to notice at the same time and was about to speak but was fortunately cut off by your girlfriend.

"Y/N! Good morning, how was work?" Ruby asked, wrapping her arms around you in a warm hug.

In an attempt to make your working life sound normal you simply shrugged and mumbled, "Quiet", which wasn't too far from the truth. You had never actually told Ruby exactly what your job entailed. All she really knew was that you had to work night shifts. However, she seemed content enough with your answer and pressed a light kiss to your lips.

Smiling, you pulled her close to you. You missed her when you were out working, you enjoyed the warmth and comfort just being in her arms caused you. Then that little moment was ruined by Emma inevitably speaking up.

"Need a gun for work, Y/N?" You turned to see her raising an eyebrow, looking at you intensely over her own steaming drink.

You rolled your eyes, "It's perfectly legal Swan." Justifying your actions as you sensed her legal conscience was starting to make an appearance.

Ruby's grip on you slowly loosened and you noticed her frown slightly, "You have a gun? How didn't I know you have a gun?"

"It's nothing Ruby. It was my mother's before she died," You smiled softly but Ruby still seemed unconvinced, "Mr Gold kindly made sure I got it a couple of weeks ago. Just before the spell broke."

Ruby shifted slightly, looking more uneasy by the minute, "But what's it for? Why do you even need it?" She protested.

"Originally it was just in memory of my mother but then Gold needed a favour so I thought I'd help him out and so more recently I've just been using it to keep the town safe, I guess. That's all he asked me to do. It's kind of in my blood to do it." You smiled proudly, now knowing that your mother and your mother's mother had both been Hunter's and now, in your own little way, you were honouring that.

"Keeping the town safe, isn't that my job?" Emma now joined in the inquisition, making your head spin slightly, "And you’re doing work for Gold?"

"Just as a favour, I patrol the woods at night, but I-" You stopped and took a deep breath, deciding that if they could just see how harmless your gun truly was then they'd give you a break. "I've never shot a person with it." You said, meekly as you carefully placed the gun down on the table.

"A silver gun?" You heard Ruby ask in an unusually quiet voice.

You were about to respond when Henry's cutlery clattered onto his plate, "You hunt werewolves? You're a Hunter? How didn't I see this before?" He asked incredulously, putting two and two together. "But-" He looked at Ruby but before he could continue you interrupted him in order to defend yourself.

"Woah, kid, no one said anything about werewolves." You shook your head, whilst having found out recently that that was in your blood, there were things that you couldn't bring yourself to do. Killing another human, in any form, was one of them. "I’d never- Look, Gold hired me to make sure that the wolves- that any animals don't create havoc or ruin his land o-or affect farmland." You clicked your gun back into its holster as it clearly wasn't being any use in calming anyone down. In fact, you were just getting more and more flustered as more questions were fired at you.

"Sure, that's what he told you." Henry got increasingly agitated, "You know you shouldn't kill anything. Don't you know who Ruby-" Emma quickly stood up and spoke over Henry.

"Okay, okay, enough chit-chat. Henry, let's get you to school." She gave him a look and left enough money to cover the food and drink on the table.

"But-"

"Henry, now." She clicked her fingers and Henry sighed in defeat before picking his bag up. He gave Ruby an apologetic look and just looked at you, contemplating what to say as he walked past. Whatever it was got interrupted by his mother as she practically pulled him out of the now empty Diner, "Faster, Henry."

You watched them leave in confusion before turning to Ruby, "Babe, I-"

"I don't want to talk right now." She turned away from you, clearing Emma and Henry's table. You frowned and reached out to your girlfriend's side, pulling her gently to you. She swatted you away and you swore she almost let out a small growl, "Y/N, just leave me alone!"

You shook your head, "I don't understand, I practically do the same job as Emma but just with animals rather than people. I found something I'm actually good at Ruby! Why can't you be happy for me, I-"

"Was your Mother a werewolf hunter? Back in the Enchanted Forest. Was she a Hunter?" She interrupted you, her voice increasing in volume before she slammed the plates down behind the counter. "Did she hunt animals?"

You hesitated before finally nodding, "Yes." You admitted and Ruby scoffed.

"So it's 'in your blood' to kill animals, is it? To kill-"

"No! I mean... yeah. But-"

"Then why do you need a gun, a silver gun? With silver bullets? Used to kill werewolves. Why do you need weapons if you don't kill?"

"Okay, well, on the odd occasion, I've had to-"

"Great!" She let out a loud sarcastic laugh and shook her head.

"But only when it's really necessary. And I told you I don't kill people! Okay? Whatever form they're in, I will not kill a person, okay? I'm not my mother, Ruby-"

She shook her head and clenched her teeth, "It turns out there is still a lot I don't know about you Y/N." She whispered, looking you dead in the eye as she spoke.

"No, that's not fair. There are things about you that I don't know too. There are still things about everyone I thought I knew that I don't know because of this stupid curse but we're working it out!" You reasoned, willing yourself not to think the worse about this situation. There was a horrible silence as you waited for her to say something. Anything. And when she finally did, it wasn't what you had expected at all.

"I don't think I feel safe around you, Y/N." She backed away from you ever so slightly and refused to look you in the eye. For the first time you've known Ruby, she genuinely looked frightened. Of you.

Your stomach dropped at her confession and you shut your eyes for a few moments and took a second to breath. "If this is about the gun then I only have it to protect you, Ruby. It's to protect everyone. I love you. I would never, ever do anything to hurt you. I just want to protect you."

"From what?"

You clenched your fists and slammed a hand on the counter, tired from repeating the same thing. If Ruby had been wanting your answer to change each time to something she would rather hear then she was out of luck, "From rabid animals." You cried out, getting angry at such a stupid fight over such a tiny thing.

"What? Animals like me, you mean?" She asked, contrasting your loud anger with a quiet fear. Whilst her eyes looked terrified she attempted to make herself look brave and confrontational by jutting her chin up slightly and staring you down but you knew her too well.

The anger inside of you quickly dissipated and you slowly approached her, treating her like one would a spooked horse or a trapped rabbit. "What do you mean by that?"

"Y-You said that there were things you don't know about me and that's true." You watched as she began to crumble, her eyes starting to become tearful. "I'm a werewolf. Your kind hunt me and my kind." She finally croaked out.

You both stood and stared at each other over the counter for a few minutes, not quite knowing what to do. There was a part of you that couldn't believe you didn't know, that she hadn't told you. A whole other part started to recognise the little signs that you had slowly picked up on but stubbornly ignored.

The tiny bell at the top of the door to Granny's rung, knocking you out of your thoughts and back into reality. Now that the diner was no longer empty you couldn't stay there any longer. You need an explanation but it couldn't be done there and besides, there was something more important you had to do first, "I have to go." You finally spoke up, not quite daring to look into Ruby's tear soaked eyes and instead keeping your head down and walking out the door.

Driving around for hours to clear your head eventually led you to the Sheriff's department, knowing Emma would be there by now. You ran in, throwing your gun on the table and crossing your arms as you stared down at the blonde woman. "How long did you know who my girlfriend was?"

Emma sighed and grimaced slightly, "She told you?"

"Mhmm." You flopped down in the chair opposite Emma and started chewing your lip. There was a long pause between the two of you, seeing as you were completely absorbed with your own thoughts.

Emma took a deep breath, eventually choosing to cut off the silence, "What are you going to do?" You shook your head slightly.

"I was born to be a Hunter, Emma." You noticed her raise an eyebrow slightly and so you hastened to add, "But I love Ruby. So much." You'd never do anything to hurt her, that much you knew.

"You're going to return the gun to Gold?"

"No." You shrugged, "I'll lock it up someone safe, I suppose. So no one can make use of it."

Emma put her hand on your shoulder and smiled fondly, "You made the right decision."

You sat in silence for a bit, Emma leafing through some paperwork as you tried to get your brain to absorb everything that had happened in the last few hours, "I won't miss the long nights, that's for sure." You eventually said, only just realising you were technically now out of a job. "Anyway, I should go. Thanks Em, for helping me figure out what's right."

Just before you made your way out of the door, Emma stopped you in your tracks by shouting after you, "Hey, Y/N, if you need a job we might just have an opening here for you. Can't guarantee you'll never work a night shift again, but you can keep on protecting Ruby and the town. You can just do it a bit more legally." You slowly turned back to your friend and smiled, shooting her a quick nod.

"You're on, Swan."

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

It was gone noon once you were finished at the police station and you knew Ruby would have finished her shift by now so you swung by your shared apartment, hoping that she would be there.

You were torn between knocking and just walking straight in but ultimately chose the latter option, scared that if you were to knock then she wouldn't answer to you.

"Ruby?"

"I don't want to talk to you." A voice drifted from your left. You hesitantly licked your lips and followed her voice.

"Ruby-" You turned the corner to see her curled up on the sofa beneath a heavy red blanket.

She shook her head and you knew well enough to stop talking. "I just... I cannot believe you'd do this! That you would do something so stupid and so--" 

"I quit." You shrugged and took a step closer to your girlfriend.

"What?" She asked, head turning to the side slightly. You clenched your jaw at the pain you had caused within her.

You paused, formulating what you wanted to say before plunging into it. "I'm not a hunter anymore. I quit. I want nothing but to keep you safe and if you don't feel that way with me then I'll change."

Ruby stood up and shook her head, "I don't understand."

"I'd do anything for you. I love you." You finally wrapped your arms around Ruby's waist and pulled her into you, hovering your lips close to hers, "I'm sorry."

The smile on her face grew as she gazed into your eyes and her hands hovered over your hips. She begun to place a trail of kisses from your jaw down your neck. Ready to take it further, you pushed her slightly towards the sofa and tugged slightly at her red shorts. However, before you had the chance, Ruby pulled away and took a deep breath.

"What?" You asked, fearing you had done something wrong.

"What are you going to do now?" She asked, and you could still sense a dash of emotion reappearing from earlier. You pushed to do anything to clear her doubt about you.

You hooked your fingers in the belt loop holes of her shorts and winked, "What do you think about me in uniform?"

Ruby bit her lip and smirked, pushing you down on the sofa, "I think I could get used to the idea."

[rebouks]

Previous // Next

Wyatt: You’re not staying here again tonight-.. in fact, I don’t even want you in this country. Kian: Wha-… [Kian spluttered over his tea for a moment before regaining his composure and setting it down] Kian: What on earth do you expect me to do? Wyatt: I really don’t care-.. whatever you were doing before you arrived? Kian: Well, I spent most of my probation languishing at the penthouse, but it didn’t feel right. [Wyatt squinted, perhaps Kian had learned something-..] Kian: You know, like it wouldn’t be the same until we got everyone back together-.. eh, almost everyone. Wyatt: [scoffs] That’s what you want to do? Kian: Don’t you? Wyatt: All that time wasting away in prison and you want to jump straight back into the lifestyle that led you there? Kian: We would’ve been just fine if it weren’t for that traitorous redhead… [Kian trailed off and held Wyatt’s gaze expectantly, as though it were a given that his brother would agree. Wyatt wondered if Kian had conveniently forgotten his own involvement in the downfall of their father-.. and Ashton’s, not that he really knew about that part, or whether he was too brain dead to have noticed amongst the chaos] Kian: Aren’t you tired of playing house out here? It’s all but forgotten, we could go back and-… Wyatt: You are not my family. Kian: But we’re brothers-.. you’re literally the only family I’ve got left. [Wyatt laughed dismissively; he could’ve vomited at the sight of Kian’s hurt expression] Wyatt: If you’re suddenly so compelled to act like my brother, then leave-.. get as far away from here as possible and don’t come back, and don’t you dare mention my whereabouts to anyone who bothers asking. Kian: Where do you suppose I ought to go from here then? Wyatt: Really? You finally have complete freedom and you’re asking me what to do with your life? Honestly, I’d love to suggest suicide but I doubt you’d have the wherewithal, nor the guts. Kian: There’s no need for that, my god-.. what’s the matter with you? Father would-… Wyatt: Father this, father that, he’s been dead for over a decade, Kian; get over it or go and fucking join him. [Kian scoffed, shaking his head with such similar derision to their father that Wyatt wanted to choke him senseless] Kian: I should’ve expected no less than your typical hostility-.. ten years and you haven’t changed a bit. Wyatt: That makes two of us. Kian: I suppose I’ll be the bigger man as usual and do as you’ve asked, shall I? Wyatt: [tightly] Mhm, do that. Kian: It’s a good job I didn’t finish unpacking. Wyatt: Perhaps you aren’t completely lacking in forethought after all. [Wyatt clenched his fist around the handle of his mug, fighting the urge to launch it at his brother’s giant, disgusting head-.. he definitely wasn’t worth the mess though, and the tea within was nowhere near hot enough to cause satisfactory damage]

[girlwithadragonheart]

Chapter 2 - A Mourning Crow

This story contains major spoilers for Dragon Age the Veilguard. Read at your own discretion!!

Rook x Lucanis

Summary: Lucanis invites Rook for coffee ;3. Arrangements for Caterina's funeral are made. Lucanis and Rook share feelings over cookies.

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: Spoilers, cursing, mentions of death

A/N: A shorter one for some bonding <3

Chapter 1 DATV Masterlist Chapter 3

Meeting with the Shadow Dragons didn’t go quite as horribly as I’d expected. Tarquin looked more surprised to see me than anything. “Welcome home, Rook. Try not to get yourself run out of the city again,” he said.

“No promises,” I told him with a smirk.

We set off to take care of the relic that had fallen into the Venatori’s hands. Lucanis and Neve trailed me as we made our way through Dock town.

“You didn’t tell me you were a Shadow Dragon, Rook,” Lucanis said.

“It was only a couple years. Just long enough to have to leave,” I glanced at him over my shoulder. “They didn’t want to risk taking out a slavery ring, so Varric and I did it ourselves. Every magister in Minrathous was hot on my tail after that,” I chuckled. “It was the first job I ever did with Varric, and it was the day I joined him.”

“The day he picked you up off the streets, more like,” Neve teased.

“It sounds like he means a lot to you,” Lucanis said thoughtfully.

“Of course he does,” I said simply. “He saved me.”

“You. Saved. Us!” Spite’s voice hissed through Lucanis’s lips.

I shrugged. “I had help.”

Neve grinned. “Shadow Dragons stick together,” she said simply.

After trekking all over Dock Town and fighting a Tevinter Magister asshole who got off the hook cause his daddy’s got money, we were back at the lighthouse. I was exhausted but I also did not want to see Solas. That was something Lucanis and I had in common, not wanting to sleep and unwanted tenants in our heads. 

I went across the courtyard to the dining room. The table was now set for the whole team. Next to the fireplace was a hanging grocery list in Lucanis’s handwriting. The assassin had tucked himself in the pantry behind the dining room.

I suppose it would be odd to expect him to adapt so quickly to being out in the open after spending a year in the prison. I just hoped he was comfortable.

I knocked on the door and he opened it, cup of coffee in hand. He smiled a bit when he saw me. “Rook, Illario sent word. He’s got intel on Zara. He wants to meet up. Fancy a trip to Treviso?” He asked.

“Sounds like fun,” I smiled. “We can head out soon.”

It was hard to know what time it was in the Fade. The sky never really changed and there was no indication of the sun. When we left Minrathous the sun was setting. I wasn’t disappointed about getting to see Treviso at night. The barest piece I had seen when we met Teia had captivated me more than Minrathous ever could.

Lucanis and I stepped through the eluvian together into the Cantori Diamond. He led me through the tower and down the spiral staircase. There was a zip line across to another rooftop that I clung to while we swung across. I jumped down to the lower roof beside it before sliding down the lattice. If I remembered right this was the same way Teia had taken us on the way in.

Instead of going across the bridge, Lucanis veered to the right and took us down an alleyway leading to the market.

“Illario will meet us at Cafe Pietra, it’s not that far from here. We have time before he arrives, I wouldn’t mind looking around a while,” Lucanis told me.

“I wouldn’t either. I’m sure Treviso has lots of sights to see. What I’ve seen of your city is beautiful,” I answered. Something in this place sung to my soul.

“The markets are open… good. I have some things I need to get,” he said. “Treviso… I barely had time to look around after the Ossuary.”

“Has it changed much?” I asked curiously as we browsed the stalls.

“In some ways more than I expected. But then… perhaps it’s me.” We wandered for a moment before Lucanis made a stop in front of a stall.

“A potted plant?” I asked.

“For Harding’s garden. Spearmint is supposed to calm bad dreams. It’s good in desserts too.” I nodded thoughtfully. He led me to another stall. “Bellara mentioned a danish seafood recipe she wants to make,” he said.

“The Demon of Vyrantium is grocery shopping for the team,” I said with amusement.

“Have you seen what they eat? It’s a miracle you didn’t all starve before you hired me,” he said exasperated, leading me to a produce stall. “Fresh fruit,” he sighed. “Neve only eats fried fish. You’d think a detective would have discovered scurvy by now.”

I laughed. “Is that everything on the list?”

“Yes, and Illario should be here by now. Let’s go meet him before he gets himself into some kind of trouble.”

I hummed, walking back through the market. “Just one last thing,” I said, approaching the blacksmithing stall. My eyes roved over the selection before a tossed some gold at the trader, picking up my gift.

I smiled, handing it to Lucanis. “You can’t buy something for everyone but yourself. Here this is for you.”

“A wyvern-tooth dagger?” His eyes went wide when I handed it to him. “I loved wyverns as a boy. Caterina would never let me have one of these, though.”

I just smiled at him before he led us to the cafe to meet Illario.

When we entered, the air was warm and thick with the scent of coffee. It was enough to make my mouth water. I sat down across from Illario and Lucanis sat to my left between us. 

“Finally! I thought you might leave me here all by my lonesome,” Illario said as we sat down. I shifted in my seat, keeping my gaze on Lucanis. The presence he put off made me feel calmer.

“Please,” Lucanis said. “You think I’d ever pass up Cafe Pietra’s coffee?”

“You see, Rook? My cousin is all stomach and no heart,” Illario said.

Lucanis grinned, looking over at me. “Don’t mind him. Illario cannot appreciate anything but himself.” There was a light in his eyes that made him seem younger. A light that likely disappeared in the Ossuary. “They serve a specialty roast here: Andoral’s Breath. Bitter and sweet like a kiss goodbye. You should try it,” he told me.

“Bitter’s good. Chocolate is better,” I said with a grin.

“They have cioccolata calda. It was my favorite drink as a child,” Lucanis said, amused.

“I think you’re shaming me, but I’m ordering the choco-chico thing,” I crossed my arms. Lucanis tipped his head back and laughed. “Two Crows and a Shadow Dragon walk into a cafe. It sounds like the beginning of a very bad joke.” Even Illario cracked a smile with that one. “To business?”

“Our final listener left when Lucanis started making out with the idea of coffee,” Illario crossed his arms, shifting in his seat.

Lucanis grinned. “What can I say? I take it very seriously. So. You have something?” he asked, leaning forward with his elbows braced on the table.

My eyes trailed the leanness of his body, built for agility and precision, unlike me. My body was a conduit for my power despite my preference of a dagger in combat.

“The Crows I sent after Zara have picked up her trail. They say she’s gone to Vyrantium,” Illario said.

My eyes flicked over his face. “If she was here in Treviso to kill Caterina, she can’t be in Vyrantium already.” I glanced at Lucanis, and the corners of his lips twitched.

“Rook’s right. Zara’s given you a false lead, cousin.”

“You have better information?” Illario questioned.

“We’re compromised,” Lucanis said simply. “There’s no other way Zara could even touch Caterina. You need your eyes here. In Antiva.”

“Zara would never be foolish enough to stay. Not with you out for blood,” Illario said.

Lucanis put his hands together. “Of course she would. If the Crows protecting her are here.”

Illario looked to me. “Rook, reason with him, would you? He’s being paranoid.” Something about the way he purred that made me uncomfortable.

“I am not paranoid! She came after me. She came after Caterina. She will come for you, too,” Lucanis pushed.

Illario scowled. “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll clean house, all right? Leave this to me.” He stood and left the room. 

I walked him out, leaving Lucanis to think. He looked at me, nodded and shook my hand before heading off. As I walked back into the cafe, I wiped my hand on my leathers. “He’s gone,” I said as I sat down next to Lucanis.

“Of course he is. Illario always caves under pressure,” Lucanis scowled.

“Your cousin only seems to hear about one word in ten,” I said, picking up my chocolate drink that Lucanis had ordered for me while I was out.

“He’s always been this way. He hears what he wants to hear.” Lucanis swirled his cup, bringing it to his lips and taking a deep inhale of the brew, sighing. He took a sip, eyes closed in contentment as he savored the drink. He looked more relaxed than I’d ever seen him.

I grinned. “Bitter and sweet, you called that blend. Like a kiss goodbye. So what would a first kiss be?” I asked thoughtfully.

“Honey and lavender cream. Sweet, intriguing…” He said smoothly. “And you? How would you describe it?” He asked.

“Oh, I wouldn’t know,” I said. “I’ve never had one. There’s just never been… well…” What was I even going to say? A person? No. An opportunity? A choice? 

Lucanis smiled softly. “In matters of the heart, one must be discerning.”

“When it’s right, you know,” I said.

“I’ve always thought that to live truly is to live fully. But even before I was captured, my life was not really my own. So much had been determined for me,” he told me.

“You must have found time for a little trouble along the way. And if you didn’t, I can find you some now,” I smiled.

“We’ll see. You don’t know how much trouble I can handle yet. How’s your cioccolata calda?” He asked.

“Just sweet enough to intrigue me.” I took another sip, sitting back and letting my shoulders drop. I felt Lucanis’s eyes on me. “Thank you for this,” I said. “For getting me out of the Lighthouse. And for the drink.”

“Anytime, Rook,” he said. “I mean that.” And I believed him.

“Ready to head back?” I asked.

“In a while,” he said, looking off into the distance, swirling his coffee. “Do we have a minute?” He asked, looking back at me.

My brow furrowed. “Of course. Is something wrong?”

“Teia wants to meet,” Lucanis said.

“I’d never pass up the chance.”

“She wants to plan Caterina’s funeral,” he said darkly, looking into his drink.

“Oh,” my face fell. “Right.”

“If you don’t mind, I… could use some backup. In case Spite gets out of hand,” he said carefully.

“Of course, Lucanis. Let’s not keep her waiting.” I stood, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder. His muscles were taut, and I pulled away. “Sorry.”

“No,” he said. “It’s alright.” He looked up at me and stood. “Thank you.”

—-------------------------------------

Illario and Teia met us at the Cantori Diamond.

“Good! You’re here,” she said upon seeing us.

“Thank you for making the arrangements, Teia,” Lucanis said.

“For Caterina… how could I do otherwise?” She said with a frown. “I’m so sorry, Lucanis. This must be such a blow.” She looked over at me with a smile. “Rook, thank you for coming with him. I need one Dellamorte to plan this. His cousin has been no help at all.” She put her hands on her hips.

“I’m sorry, Teia. This is just… too much right now,” Illario said.

“If there’s anything I can do, just say the word,” I told them.

“You’re such a dear. I hope these two are paying attention,” Teia smiled at me.

“Teia. Don’t flirt with my… colleague,” Lucanis said, looking wounded.

“Jealous?” She smirked. “Fine, to business then. There’s a lot to plan. But first, I need the ashes.”

“Ashes?” Illario asked, dumbfounded.

“Maker help us, yes, the ashes! Caterina’s ashes. From the cremation?” Teia asked.

“Oh. Yes. Of course. I’ll get them to you right away,” he said.

“Illario… what happened?” Lucanis asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Caterina. How…? How did the Venatori get to her? When? Where? In the estate? In the city? How did they get past our people? What did they use? Poison? Blades? I need to know,” Lucanis questioned. 

“Cousin, stop,” Illario chided. “You can’t dwell on this. It’ll drive you mad.”

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit, that pissed me off. Illario couldn’t dictate how people handle grief, and Lucanis had perfectly good reasons for needing to know those things.

“I’m not dwelling,” Lucanis argued. “Zara killed the First Talon. I have to know how if I’m going to stop her.”

“I told you, I’m handling it.” I glanced sidelong at Illario, trying to gauge if it was just me getting annoyed or not. This wasn’t even my group of people and he was pissing me off. It felt dismissive. Lucanis had earned more respect than that, even from his cousin.

“Boys!” Teia said. “Enough of this. We have other things to discuss.”

“My apologies, Andarateia. Continue without me. I’ll… get you the ashes,” Illario excused himself.

Lucanis had a scowl on his face when I looked at him. “How are you holding up?” I asked.

“I’ll be fine. Better, once we kill Zara Renata. It’s him I’m worried about,” he told me.

“Illario can be a handful, but this… the only time I’ve seen him like this was when Lucanis died,” Teia told me. She looked over at Lucanis. “You’re worrying, aren’t you? What will people say if they hear the Demon of Vyrantium has a big soft heart?”

“He’s been careless at times, but never when his own life was on the line. Zara took down the First Talon. Anyone could be next. And my cousin doesn’t want to think about it,” Lucanis said, frustrated.

“You have a point,” Teia said. “It’s not like Illario to ignore a knife coming at him.”

“What do you need from me for the funeral?” Lucanis asked.

“I’ve already handled everything, I just wanted to run it by you,” she smiled sadly.

“Our house owes you for handling all of this,” Lucanis told her.

“Caterina was family. Can you imagine what she’d say if she saw us all like this?” Teia questioned.

“She’d be furious. Especially at Illario. As usual,” Lucanis grinned.

“I barely know your cousin, and he already seems like trouble to me,” I told him.

“Oh, he is,” Lucanis nodded. “I’ve lost count of the times I’ve had to pull him out of the fire on the job.”

“He’s a good assassin. Most jobs don’t have as many fires as yours do. I’ll have my people keep an eye on him for you,” Teia assured him.

“Thank you, Teia,” Lucanis said. The grief he carried was evident in his voice.

“Go on,” she said to us. “I’ll let you know if something comes up.”

—-----------------------------------

Flour coated my hands and clothes as I mixed the dough between my hands for the cookies I was making. I couldn’t sleep, or at the least didn’t want to, and I had my thoughts to myself while my hands were busy. 

Soon enough, I had them baking. Lucanis eased out of the pantry, squinting into the dim glow of the kitchen. The sweet, buttery smell of baking cookies was unmistakable. I smiled at him from where I leaned against the counter. 

“Perfect timing,” I said as I set the fresh batch in front of me. “Midnight snack?”

“You bake?” He asked, coming over to eye my handy work. “You never cease to surprise me.” His eyes trailed over the cookies, leaning against the counter beside me, gaze lingering on me as I worked.

“I’d hate to become boring,” I said with a smile. “I don’t really like sleeping these days,” I told him. “I… I can’t seem to escape Solas when I do. He invades my dreams. It’s like I’m trapped in them, and nothing feels real when I wake up.”

He studied me for a moment. “We are more similar than I anticipated.”

He reached for a cookie, and my eyes went wide, “Careful–!”

He picked it up with a smirk. “I can handle it,” he said, taking a bite. “This is delicious.” His eyes slipped closed and I laughed.

I brought the tray of cookies to the dining table. Lucanis sat across from me. “How are you feeling about everything?” I asked him.

He looked thoughtful for a moment. “I don’t know. After the Ossuary, nothing feels real.”

“What about Caterina?” I asked. “What was she like?”

“Caterina was… strong,” he said slowly. “She was fierce and never backed down from anything, sometimes to our detriment. She never stopped. Not until she was forced to,” he told me.

“She seemed like someone who could calm storms or raise them,” I said to him. “I could’ve used someone like her in my corner.”

Lucanis’s gaze softened, and his fingers twitched as though he fought the urge to reach out. “She would have liked you,” he said quietly. “I think she would’ve seen something in you, something… worth protecting.”

“Varric used to say that. Do you know what he said when I asked why he chose me?” I couldn’t help but smile thinking about my friend and mentor. “He said, “There’s a reason I brought you into this mess. You’re clever. Adaptable. And you don’t know when to quit”. He said it was my best and worst quality.”

“He was right in that regard,” Lucanis said with a smirk, and I rolled my eyes.

The quiet stretched between us, and the sound of Spite’s voice filled the space before his aspect appeared in the chair beside Lucanis. “How sweet. Two poor souls, drowning their feelings over cookies.”

“Okay, but, have you tried one?” I picked a cookie up, reaching to hand it to Spite.

“Rook—” Lucanis began.

“Smells like. Chocolate. And Rook.” Spite sniffed the cookie.

“Yes, I made them. Try it,” I urged with a grin.

I watched Spite try a tiny piece before shoving the whole cookie in his mouth. “More.”

I laughed. “By all means, Mischief,” I said, pushing the tray toward him. “There are plenty to share.”

“Spite doesn’t scare you?” Lucanis asked, watching the encounter play out curiously.

“We’re up against gods. No, Spite doesn’t scare me. And you two didn’t deserve what you went through in the prison. I can’t fault him for being angry any more than I can fault you.”

Lucanis studied me, his gaze softening with a touch of admiration. “You’re far more understanding than most. I think it’s why Spite has taken a strange liking to you.”

I shrugged, popping another cookie into my mouth, scoring the sweet warmth as Spite continued to wolf down more. “I don’t know about that.”

Lucanis’s eyes lingered on me as I leaned back in my chair, and for a moment, the weight of the silence between us wasn’t uncomfortable. It felt… familiar, like the calm before the storm, or the soft hum of a connection that was only beginning to form.

“You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?” he asked quietly, his voice carrying the weight of understanding that so often showed in me.

I paused, unsure of how to answer. It felt easier to just nod. “A lot more than I ever wanted to, and yet… here I am. I think I’ve gotten used to it. Surviving. Trying not to let the nightmares take over.”

Lucanis leaned forward, his elbows on the table. His gaze was intense, but not in a way that made me feel cornered. It was as if he was searching, but not with a sense of urgency. He wasn’t probing; he was simply trying to see. “I know what it’s like to carry that weight,” he said quietly, his voice lowering. “The fear. The doubt. The need to keep moving, even when it feels like it would be easier to just stop.”

“I know,” I said quietly. “You’re not alone in this.”

“I’m not alone, ever,” he said with a pointed glance at Spite who just grinned menacingly.

“You know what I mean.” I reached over, taking his hand on the table and rubbing my thumb over his knuckles. “We aren’t alone. Any of us. Something to think about,” I said before standing. “Thank you for tonight.”

“You know I’m a sucker for good food,” Lucanis smirked slightly. “Even when the world outside is a bit chaotic.”

“More than I bit,” I laughed. 

But for now, the cookies were still warm, and the night, however fleeting, was ours to share.

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

A/N: I'm so tired ;-;

Let me know if you wanna be added to a tag list!

[atrueneutral]

Why, Who, What, Where, When, and How - FWB Raphael x Tav

The saga continues...

[The First Prompt][The Prequel]

---

“Have you seen your companions lately?”

Tav’s brow twitched, but she did not open her eyes from where her head reclined upon the edge of the bath.

It was a new development to their routine, one that transpired a few visits ago; after engaging in pleasurable activities, rather than excuse herself from the Devil’s Den in a rough state of undress, she’d managed to add in a bath before her departure.

At the time of announcing her intentions and drawing her initial bath, Tav had fully expected her fiend-with-benefits to be the first to leave; their business was concluded, and he had other affairs to attend to - more lives to ruin. But, under the guise of not trusting her to remain in the room unattended, Raphael instead summoned his business to him with a snap of his fingers.

‘Business’ took the form of letters, and the devil took to quietly executing his plans at the nearby writing desk.

And so it was that Tav came to be soaking in her bath of steaming, floral-scented water while listening to the sounds of a quill scratching parchment. It was during these periods of companionship where there would be what she had taken to calling the Occasionals: the occasional watching of his profile while he worked, the occasional feeling of eyes on her skin as she washed her hair and cleaned body, and the occasional question (from her or him) to disrupt what she deemed to be comfortable silence.

“My friends?” Tav asked, frowning somewhat. “Why do you ask?”

“Do you not like conversation, Little Mouse?”

An eye opened to peek at the devil. Raphael looked no different than he had when she checked minutes ago; he was partially leaned forward, hovering over desk and letters both. The movements of his writing hand were fluid and graceful as he scrawled sharp words with a sharp quillpoint.

“I do,” she answered, slightly suspicious - it’s not like she could help it. “Forgive me for being wary that a devil wants to know how my friends are doing.”

“You are insinuating too much,” Raphael admonished with a glance. “I simply asked if you’d seen them recently.”

“Fair enough.” Tav appraised him for a moment longer but felt appeased enough to close her dubious eye. ”I saw Wyll the other day - got dinner together at the Elfsong. I don’t think he likes his job as duke very much.” She snickered. “He’s hoping I can come up with a convincing idea for sick leave so we can possibly adventure together again. Strangely, he didn’t seem keen on any of my brilliant ideas. Mind you, they were ideas that would actually make him ill…”

“He had feelings for you at one time, did he not?”

Two dubious eyes opened, and her head slowly lifted away from the bath’s edge. “How did you know that?”

The corner of Raphael’s mouth that she could see briefly curved upwards, and Tav could not tell if it was a smile or a smirk.

“I have my ways,” he said, a response that hardened her stare. “Anyone else? The cleric? The Harper?”

“Shadowheart wrote me a letter saying she would be visiting the city in a month’s time, and Jaheira’s been gone a while to rebuild the Harpers. Her whole family chased after her.”

Raphael appeared to only be half listening. “The druid? Have you seen him recently at all?”

There was enough of an edge to the way he said ‘druid’ that caused Tav to wonder if…

“Halsin?” she asked, softening her expression in preparation for an impromptu performance.

“Mm.”

“I wish!” Tav breathed wistfully as she plucked a flower petal that floated nearby. She brought the stray red petal to tickle the tip of her nose. “He’s good company - I’d love to catch up and learn all that’s happened since our victory. Last I knew, he’s helping orphans.”

Her brows raised as if struck by a thought. “Actually, Raphael, I’m curious - in all your years, have you ever seen such an elf? I’ve never before crossed paths with an elf so handsome, tall and strong!”

Though she couldn’t discern smirk from smile, Tav could identify the sneer overtaking his profile. It was also easy to read that Raphael’s writing hand was moving less gracefully and marginally more… aggressively.

Tav turned around to show him her back as she crossed her arms on the bath’s edge. Her cheek came to rest upon the pillow of her wet skin. “Seeing as how you knew about Wyll, I’m sure you also know about Halsin’s interest in me as well.”

Halsin’s proposition never led anywhere; she’d gently turned him down and he’d taken her rejection in stride. When bringing up his offer to Astarion later in the night, the pale elf laughed and gave him her blessing to experience the escapade regardless.

How Raphael would have reacted was increasingly apparent.

What was definitely a smile tugged her lips. “As for Lae’zel, I haven’t-”

“Did you take advantage of his interest, my dear?” There was a distinct note of jealousy flavoring the devil’s voice. Writing had paused, and Tav could feel his eyes burning into her back. “Were you to meet again, would you find yourself in his arms or in his bedroll made of twigs, fur and leaves?”

“I wouldn’t, no. He’s not my type.”

“And what is your type? Not-as-tall, not-as-strong elves? How is your beloved vampire spawn?”

Nettled by his callous delivery and mention of Astarion, Tav spun around in the water to see Raphael halfway twisted in his seat to regard her - his face full of disdain.

“I wouldn’t know, Raphael,” she said, dropping her act of airy ambivalence and favoring irritation as she waded over to leave the bath. She carefully stepped out, and her hand snatched a plush red (cherry perfumed) towel that was waiting for her on the top step. “We parted ways after our victory.”

“Why?”

“Because he could tell I was interested in someone else,” she retorted while hastily wiping herself down.

Before the towel was thrown over her head to dry her face and damp hair, she caught Raphael’s sneer deepening, as if he’d already decided that ‘someone else’ was someone so horrid as The Emperor - who was (by all accounts) dead. 

“Oh? Who?” 

After some seconds, Tav yanked the towel down to glower at the devil. “You, you ass.”

She dropped the cloth, uncaring of lingering droplets, and moved to go collect her clothes from where they were scattered around the room - beginning with her small clothes that weren’t too far from the writing desk. From there, the trail of her attire led to the exit.

“To answer your question of ‘what’ - I said, I’m interested in you,” Tav groused whilst furiously putting pants on. “I think, per the question of ‘where’, that’s fairly obvious. ‘When?’ Unfortunately, I’d have to say moments after our supposedly fated introduction… ‘How?’” Once her tunic was thrown over her head, she paused to think on it. “Well, I have no answer to the ‘how’ aside from me being an absolute idiot.”

Her boots were being pulled on when Raphael’s chair scooted across the floor. She glanced at where he stood to see mild amusement around his eyes.

“Then is it correct of me to assume you do not have arrangements with any other?” he asked.

She should have turned and left; it wasn’t his business whether or not she did have arrangements with anyone else. What the two of them had was strictly for pleasure (and company), and it was that idiotic fancy of hers that fantasied a future where they were anything more.

His jealousy didn’t often bother her - per say; envy was nothing but a byproduct of his fiendish nature, however it served as a reminder that Raphael only cared about her past and possibly-present dalliances because he liked to possess people and things.

Which is what she was.

Just another soul he was entertaining himself with…

“That is correct,” Tav said haughtily. “And if I knew what was good for me, I would rethink this arrangement.”

“If it comes to that, don’t hurt your pretty little head thinking about it too hard.” At the face she made, Raphael chuckled. “Should I expect to see you in a few days’ time for our next appointment?”

Tav raised her chin. “Probably. Because we’ve already established that I’m an idiot.”

“Will you stop calling yourself that, my dear?”

“No promises,” she muttered, her stomach fluttering on her way to the door. “Until next time, Raphael, and just know that, after tonight, you’re definitely not invited to the reunion...”

Snap!

The door magically locked itself as her hand reached for the handle, and Tav’s head snapped to glare at the devil who smiled wickedly.

“Reunion you say?”

Fuck.

[How the Reunion Would Go]

[lieutenant-teach]

After soooo much time of thinking and weighting pros and cons – I at last got my hands on The Bad Batch! Didn’t make myself watch everything – only chosen episodes that seemed interesting from the Wikipedia description.

To begin with, I didn’t like TBB since their episodes in TCW – specifically them being stereotypical, arrogant and shallow, treating ‘regs’ as shit. I knew exactly what I was getting into, but – watching with my own eyes is different from reading reviews. The first episode almost cost me my love for ‘regs’ – the moment where clones call TBB bad words like ‘sad batch’. Logically speaking – why would they treat TBB like this just because they’re different, especially a kid? Isn’t it against all they narratively stand for – valuing variety and difference of personalities and appearances? A lame attempt to make the audience empathize with them, but I’ve seen how they act in s7 + later episodes. I bet TBB started being asses first (not all ‘regs’ hate on them, whereas TBB hates automatically on almost all ‘regs’ upon seeing).

Moving to the main cast – and I’ll be fair: the supporting characters were miles better as personalities, miles more interesting and relatable.

Tech is fucking annoying – he has unpleasant voice (I usually like guys with clear lofty pronunciation, like C-3PO my beloved) and he’s unlikable as a person. I know about fans reading him as ‘autistic-coded’, and I’ll tell you what – I have autist traits myself, and having these traits/disorder has nothing to do with just being an insensitive uncaring ass.

Wrecker mostly works as a comic relief. The moment I started kinda like TBB (they had their funny cute moments, ok?), he says ‘We don’t like regs, but I like that one [Rex]’. Thanks for reminding why I disliked you all since your 1st appearance. He wasn’t interesting.

Hunter is the least annoying, but a coward. I’d understand his desire to keep his ‘family’ safe, thus taking some unsavory jobs and not engaging into political narrative (like Din Djarin, for example) – if he was just some random guy, like Din, surrounded by mundane people/bounty hunters/criminals without higher calling. But Hunter has his counterparts – other clones, who really show heroism and give everything to the bigger cause. How can I, as a viewer, see Hunter as a hero on par with the Rebels like Hera or Rex or even Howzer (who showed more hero traits in a couple of episodes being a supporting character than Hunter being one of the main ones)? The phrase he said to Echo who’d just returned from helping other clones ‘When will it be enough?’ – and the creatives seriously suppose he’s a heroic character?

Crosshair switches loyalties when it affects him personally. ‘Which side are you on?’ – he asked Ventress, and I snorted aloud – who’s speaking! He’s not really interesting for me and takes too much screentime. Also why is being nice to a kid = a good person? The same stupidity as ‘animals like only good people’.

Rex is better than all of TBB together (except probably Echo, but he doesn’t have much to do). In all, background characters from TCW are more interesting to follow than TBB – then the show starts being actually fun. I really liked Howzer, was happy to see Cody and Wolffe, even Ventress with her new cool hairstyle, actually squealed while Bail Organa cameo.

Speaking about Echo – why does he say ‘If I wasn’t saved by TBB I’d still be on Skako Minor or worse’ – as if his brothers would hate him? According to Filoni and Co, yes, personally I think – no, they were actually quite chill about him in TCW s7. Very happy for him finally leaving these assholes behind and joining Rex and putting on a white trooper armour. He deserves living with his real brothers.

Now to the point I touched upon while talking about Hunter – they’re not the heroes creators want us to see as. Hunter always speaks about keeping his ‘family’ safe, but they could’ve helped the Rebellion + keep Omega safe with other Rebels. The argument is broken easily – the notion of ‘safety’ cannot be applied to anyone in the galaxy at this time, they are endangered anywhere. I don’t know why Rex of all people would be understanding about them refusing to help. It’s clear why TBB never formed brotherhood with other clones – but what was the point of making them clones then? They could’ve been just some random guys, nothing would change, but there’d be no clone-shitting.

Flaunting being defective (read: superior) is annoying. Almost in every episode there’s a least a small allusion on how exclusive they are. ‘We are not like other clones’ said with pride, my ass. No, you’re not like other clones, you’re right. You’re just selfish arrogant douches.

But there were genuinely nice moments! Really liked the episode about Wookies. Clone conspiracy episodes were very good, esp when lacking TBB. Also was immensely pleased when Ventress wiped the floor with TBB – serves them right. Unfairly cool credit melody, I liked it – it deserved a better show.

And some small tidbits I picked up while watching:

Why call clone cadets ‘regs’? Quite derogatory! And a couple of lines later ‘We’re clones, same as you’ – kinda hypocritical, no? It looks like shameless twisting of their clone heritage as they see it fit according to the situation. Doesn’t make them look better, really.

Clone cadets don’t look like Boba. Different faces, different hair colour. Same as Emerie – she isn’t similar to Omega.

Twi’lek senator Orn Free Taa has 4 lekku? Not 2?

Why does the Zillo beast suddenly feed on energy?

Why villains talk with British accent?

Did Rex tell Echo about Fives’ sacrifice? It’d be such a good moment, real connection, emotions the fans expected… Not snotting over Crosshair being ‘uwu poor baby’ over and over.

Why do we need Emerie as another female clone – isn’t Omega supposed to be special because she’s the only female? Which one is older? Why not more female clones?

Hunter look really good as old man – Rex was definitely older-looking in Rebels.

What upset me most – it was Lucas’ idea of special/better-than-usual clones. It was a shitty idea, and of course, it was realized badly.

[serraphinm]

➹Chapter 5 - The war➹

WC: 9k

Warning: Blood, gore, and some NSFW stuff. Proceed with caution.

Taglist: @bready101

A whole moon has passed since Raul declared war... and things weren’t looking good. His armies had moved south towards us at an alarming speed. I also wasn’t well versed in war, and General Roe could only help so much. The Prime Minister decided to help take over some of my work so I could focus on the war efforts, but he wasn’t doing an excellent job. Who could blame him, though? He wasn’t exactly supposed to run the country. 

Ellie had healed a substantial amount and was already walking around helping wherever she could. I insisted she rest, but she would brush me off every time and say, “you should too,” and that until I rest, she won’t either. 

Why’d I have to fall in love with the most stubborn woman I could find?

Alas, I couldn’t get on her case too much since I didn’t have the time. She knew of my disapproval either way and just decided to do her own thing. Which I could respect.

Joel had decided to aid me in the war, which was surprising, but I guess Ellie had something to do with it. Currently, Jackson and Midiri were both at war with the Mortican Empire. Joel declared war two days after Raul did, which shocked even him. 

General Roe is droning on and on about where I should send troops and what strategies I should use, but I can’t help but worry about all the innocent lives that will be lost while I hide in my palace of ice.

“I’m going to the battlefield.” I declare to the whole board meeting. Their heads snap to me in utter shock. 

“-absolutely not!”

“Your Majesty, you can’t-”

“Midiri needs you!” 

Shouts overlap each other, but I’ve heard enough.

“There are many people who can take over for me while I am on the battlefield. I refuse to sit around and let Raul take over my kingdom. I want to fight for my people, so I shall.”  Standing on my declaration, the room erupts in complaints again—in one ear and out the other.

Pushing my chair back as I stand to my full height, the room gets quiet, and I pay attention with bated breath.

“This is not up for discussion.” My cold voice snaps throughout the room. Members of my council flinch as I make my way to the door.

“Your Majesty, please, think this through.” The Prime Minister’s voice reaches my ears.

I hesitate.

“There’s nothing I hate more in this world than having the power to change things and doing nothing about it. “A bit softer this time, “I will not think about it when I have already made my decision.” 

Staring at the door handle, I reach out, take it, walk out of the room, and slam it behind me. 

My little temper tantrum with the council caused an uproar of gossip. According to the nobles, I had become a Mad Queen undeserving of the throne. So, I may have upped their taxes in retaliation. Not my most mature moment, but I needed more money for the war anyway, and all they were doing was buying gems and clothes anyway. Rumors got worse, and I was leaving for the battlefield before I had time to fix them. The past month, Ellie had been teaching me all she had learned from Joel on fighting, so I was a little better. But I still mostly sucked. I was mostly heading to the battlefield to help commanders with troops and help in any way I could.

I was much better at controlling the darkness affinity but had no time to work on the weird exploding one. Using it came easy but controlling it did not. So, for now, darkness was yet again my best friend. Ellie helped me work on my sneaking skills, so now I could make a large area dark and stealth kill a bunch of people all at once. Well, at least that was the hope, as I’d never really tried it before. 

I had yet to tell Ellie about my plans but figured the night before I left would have to be good enough. She didn’t take it well…

“You’re going where?? Without me??” Grabbing my face, she shakes it a little.

“Is that brain of yours working right?” Her voice is concerned, and I can sense she’s hoping I’m joking.

“Ellie.. I’m not joking. You need to stay here.” My voice is barely above a whisper.

“Y/n, you will die out there if you go… tell me this is a joke..”

My eyes don’t reach hers as I stare at her cheek. 

“I can’t just sit back and do nothing… we lose if I stay… but if I try to fight by their side, maybe I can save some of them.” 

“That’s bullshit, and you know it; what makes their life so much more important than yours, huh? And what? You seriously expect me to stay here while you’re out there fighting?? To do the exact thing you don’t want to do??” Her tone is harsh as I finally meet her face.

“I don’t expect you to understand-”

“I do understand! You need to listen to me... Some people are better help sitting at a desk than they are putting their life in danger!” She argues.

“That may be, but I refuse to be the person sitting at a desk! I can fight Ellie!! I’m not some weak, helpless Queen!”

“No one said you were!!” 

“Raul believes that! I would rather die on the battlefield protecting my home than at a desk watching the numbers of my troops dwindle!” 

I watch as her anger subsides a little, understanding creeping in.

“I’m sorry, Ellie… but I refuse to be known as a Queen who watched her people die. I may die on the battlefield, yes… but I will for sure die behind a desk as Raul celebrates his victory.”

Her breaths are uneven, and I watch her contemplate something for a few moments before she says, “Fine.”

I beam a smile up at her. “But, I want to come with... And we go to Jacksons front lines. I’m sure Joel will happily fight alongside us.” She sends me a small smile, and I can’t help but agree to her terms.

“Great.. We leave tomorrow morning.” My voice was quieter now that we were no longer arguing.

“Good.. I’ll uh see you at bedtime then...?” She fiddles with her fingers and looks me up and down, hopefully.

“Yea.. you will…”

Ellie grins.

That went relatively well.

The battlefield was nothing like I was expecting. Most of it was trying to figure out how to give everyone rations and take care of the injured. As of now, there was little fighting. Joel had taken charge of the troops like a pro and was giving out orders. 

Currently, I was spooning some porridge to a wounded knight whose arms had been broken and who needed help eating.

“You’re a saint, miss.” His voice is scratchy as if he were parched, so I reach for the water.

“Thank you.. Just Y/n is fine. Thank you for your service,” I say, helping him drink from the glass.

He finishes drinking and signals with a nod. “That’s real kind of you; your husband is one lucky man.”

“Oh no, I’m not married. My girlfriend and I haven’t been dating long enough for either of us to propose anyway,” I say, my face flushed.

The knight raises a brow. “Well, you two better hurry then, don’t know how much more time you have left to be waiting.”

In a perfect world, his words would never ring so true or hit so close to home.

“Yea.. I know..”

Suddenly, sirens sound, and I stand up quickly. Setting his porridge down next to him, I call over a nurse to finish helping him.

“I must go help the others… but thank you for the lovely conversation.. “

He smiles at me, nods, and bids me farewell before I run out of the tent flaps. Once outside, I search for Joel and Ellie to see what is happening. They stand next to each other, looking over a map of the whole continent. The map is massive, with intricate details and figurines. There’s even a tiny me next to a tiny Joel and Ellie.

A soft drizzle soaks everything, including the map, but no one seems to care.

“This is where they’re coming from,” Joel says gruffly, his voice reaching the ears of all his commanders. 

Approaching the table set up in the middle of the open field we are on, I give the map a once over. Raul seemed to be coming in from the north while spreading his troops to the southern parts of the Mortican Empire. Closer to Midiri. It seemed Raul was attacking both of us at once instead of focusing on one. 

He was an idiot. 

This caused us only two problems: one, it would be harder to spread rations out, and two, it would be more difficult to go offensive. 

Other than that, we were doing well.

“Why don’t we force them to go through the mountains?” I ask, looking the map over once more. If we could hold them back like a wall and force them to take a risk through the mountains, we could gain an advantage. The people and troops of Jackson can maneuver through the mountains just fine, but only ’cause they know what they’re doing.

“If we can push them back enough, they’ll be forced to go through the mountains, giving us an advantage.”

Joel looks down at the map in thought. I can tell he’s thinking about something but is unsure how to execute it. 

“How many men have they sent our way?” Ellie asks one of the scouts we sent out. The scout stands taller at the sudden acknowledgment. 

“Around 2,000 men, Prince Ellie.” His voice is meek.

“Alright, Let’s take our troops up and block them. We’ll use Y/n’s idea and drive them into the mountains,” Joel says, leaning onto the table, his dark, wet hair dripping onto the map.

“I’ll go with them,” I say, gaining their attention.

“Fine, but then so are Dina and Jesse,” He doesn’t fight me.

Ellie speaks next, “If Y/n’s going, then so am I.”

Joel sighs but says, “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Yea, yea, you got it, old man.”

I smile at their banter before getting ready to go. Jesse and Dina meet the two of us by the main tent, fully geared up. Opening the green flaps of the tent, Tess comes out in full uniform with an AN-94 strapped to her back. 

“I’m coming with you,” The way she said meant it wasn’t up for discussion. 

“Dina, Jesse, you guys never told me your affinities,” I say with a grin.

Dina grins back before flexing her muscles playfully and saying, “I have a strength affinity while Jesse has a glitter affinity.”

“It’s not a glitter affinity! It’s electricity manipulation!” he argues, crossing his arms. “At least mine does something other than enhance physical abilities.” 

His voice is full of contempt as we all chuckle.

“Alright guys, enough messing around, we gotta get going, “Tess breaks up the conversation, effectively reminding us of the current situation.

“You think the Wolves will be there?” Dina asks as we begin walking to the stables.

“I’m not sure.. They could be heading to Midiri instead..” Ellie says lowly. The Wolves were an elite team of knights Abby was leading. Their members consisted of a few well-known names, including Owen, Mel, Nora, Jordan, Leah, and a few other bastards. None of them were too noteworthy, though, so I wasn’t too worried. 

“I hope they’re with this group... I’d love to wipe their smug faces off with my knife,” Ellie mutters darkly. All of us turned to look at her, and she shrugged nonchalantly. 

“Well, alright then…” Dina says in response to that before grabbing Japan’s reigns. Ellie hops up on Shimmer and makes room for me. I get up on the block and hop on, swinging my leg over.

“Jesse, just ride with Dina,” Tess says impatiently as Jesse begins looking for his horse.

“But-”

“Jesse.” 

Tess was not having it.

Jesse gets on Japan.

We ride north for a few hours before we reach the front lines. People are screaming so loud I wonder how my ears aren’t bleeding. The battlefield sprawled across a commanding expanse of vibrant green, its lush grass covering the valley floor like a rich carpet. Towering hills flanked the field, their slopes punctuated by wildflowers that swayed defiantly in the breeze. Riding straight into battle, Tess starts firing her gun like mad. Knights drop like leaves in the fall. Ellie moves the earth from underneath hundreds of men and slams it back on top of them. Blood gushes from under the rock like a waterfall as I gape in horror. Dina hops off Japan and pulls her sword out of its sheath before running into battle. Jesse takes over Japan with ease and shifts so he’s no longer running into battle. That’s when I hear Ellie start to swear. I hold on tight to her waist and ask, “What is it?”

“The Wolves, they’re here,” Her voice is cold, and she hops off Shimmer.

“Stay here,” She orders. Not in the mood to fight, I decided to be of some use. Hopping off Shimmer and hiding her away, I move into the battle and follow Ellie. Watching her fight is mesmerizing. She knows she could use her affinity, yet she chooses to be brutal. Tossing a rock in someone’s face, she charges at them with her switchblade before hitting them with the machete she got from Joel. I wince and decide to stop watching. Running up behind her, I cast darkness over a small section and used my daggers on a few knights who were getting too close to her. 

“I thought I told you to stay with Shimmer?!” Ellie yells at me through the sounds of screams.

“We both knew I wasn’t going to listen!” I yell back, kicking a knight.

She rolls her eyes as she makes the ground shake and cave underneath a bunch of knights. 

Gunfire sounds, and I look to see Tess shooting men down.

“Does Tess not have an affinity?!” I yell.

“No! She was born a commoner!” Ellie digs the machete into a man’s chest before pulling it out and kicking his dead body to the floor. 

“So she’s just a badass then!?” I ask as a sword grazes my arm. Seething in pain, Ellie glances at me and gets cut on the thigh.

“Yea! Pretty much!!” She says through the pain.

“Focus on your own fight! I’m fine!!” 

I hear Ellie huff, but she thankfully listens.

“Oh yea! Ellie, one last thing!” I yell as I fight off a knight with a hammer.

I meet her eyes as she asks, “Yea!?” 

“If we make it out of this, I wanna marry you!” Dropping that out of nowhere, I stab my dagger into the knight’s temple. His eyes roll back, and he falls to the floor. I bend down and pull the dagger out of his head before flicking some of the blood off it in a downward motion.

Elle just stares at me for a moment before she finishes off the person she’s fighting and walks over to me. I look up at her in confusion before she grins and licks her dry lips.

“Deal… but I get to propose...” She doesn’t yell this time, but I can somehow still hear the nervousness in her voice.

I look behind her and shove her out of the way as a man swings. Rage consumes me, and I let both affinities come forth. I don’t know how it happens, but I snap his neck with a thought as darkness creates a protective dome around Ellie and me. Everything gets quiet, and I step closer to Ellie since I know she can’t see me.

“How did you-”

“I don’t know!!”

“I thought you exploded things?!” She asks with a panicked voice.

“So did I!!” I respond equally as panicked.

She pokes the darkness dome. “What now??” I ask, still letting the energy flow freely.

“Release it, try and use the other affinity again, but try and make someone fly.” She says as if she’s figured it out.

“You think it’s telekinesis?” I ask, letting the darkness return to my body.

The loud environment returns, and I feel slightly overstimulated.

“I guess we’ll find out, babe!” She says, jumping back into action. Taking a deep breath, I let the other affinity reach my fingertips before I use it to lift a knight coming my way. I twist and turn him in all sorts of directions before I send him flying across the battlefield, his screams disappearing along with his body.

“Guess that solves that mystery!!” I yelled to Ellie.

She grins and uses vines to hold the surrounding men down.

“No more messing around, I’ll go after Abby. Think you can handle these guys?” 

“Yea, I got them!” I say before she nods and rushes off to find Abby. With no time to watch after her, I focus on the knights she so kindly left for me and use my darkness to show them mercy. Suffocating them with it, I move on to a different tactic. Covering the entire battlefield in darkness takes me a little while, but I manage it. I grin as I watch my allies pull on their night vision goggles.

Dina turns and sends me a thumbs-up before she starts attacking relentlessly. I wasn’t sure how long I could hold this, but if it gave my allies an advantage, I’d hold it for eternity.

Thankfully, the land is flat and covered in grass as the rain pelts down, which allows me to see everyone in the radius of the darkness. I watch as Ellie begins full-on attacking Abby. However, upon looking at her, I realized Ellie wasn’t wearing the night vision goggles. She’s attempting to fight Abby one-on-one. Swearing, I glance at my surroundings before I spot a sharp rock. Checking back in on them, I notice Abby saying something to Ellie, causing her to get riled up... and sloppy. Abby may not be able to see right now, but neither could Ellie. I needed to act fast before she got hurt. Using all the energy I have left, I lift the sharp rock off the ground and send it flying straight towards Abby.

If I hadn’t been paying attention, it would’ve hit Ellie from how sporadic her fighting is. The rock ebbs itself in Abby’s side. She screams and pulls it out before throwing it on the ground. 

“I thought you said no more messing around?! Put the damn goggles on!!” I scream from across the battlefield. It’s almost as if she hears be because she pulls them down and flicks them on before grinning. Just as she does so, the darkness comes back to me despite my best efforts to keep it up. I had to hold out a little longer, so I closed my eyes and dug up the dregs of energy I had left.

The world is quiet in the darkness. Someone taps my shoulder, and in a panic, I turn around, holding up my hands. Jesse stands there, looking concerned, holding his hands up.

“Woah!! It’s just me!”

I let out a breath and glared at him, “Don’t sneak up on people like that! I could’ve killed you!”

His eyes roll, and I detect some sass in his tone. “Dina has already tried it. Now come on, the Wolves are the only guys left.”

He starts running off towards Abby and Ellie, so I follow. Letting the darkness return to me as I run, I feel some energy come back. Dina and Tess meet up with us, and we head over to Ellie, who is still fighting an injured Abby.

“Just give up, Abby! You can’t win this!” Ellie’s voice is drained, and I can tell she’s reaching her limit.

“Not until that motherfucker dies!!” Abby swings at Ellie, seemingly having lost her weapons.

Ellie dodges and kicks Abby in the stomach. She falls onto her back with a choked noise.

“Raul will kill all you fools- you may have won this battle, but I swear on my father’s life-”

“Can’t really do that now that he’s dead, can you?” Ellie quips.

Abby screams in outrage and tries tackling Ellie, but I hold her in mid-air.

“Sorry Els. Know you wanna fight fair, but I’m afraid I won’t allow her to hurt you.”

Ellie glances at me, gives me an understanding look and smiles. Dina walks over to Abby in mid-air and pokes her.

“So how does this work exactly?” She asks as Abby practically growls at her.

“Put me down!”

“No.. I don’t think so,” I say, moving her to be upright.

“What do we want to do with her?” Jesse asks, walking over to Ellie as well. Tess stands next to me and crosses her arms.

“I think we should kill her.”

All heads turn to Tess without an ounce of shock.

“We could keep her and torture her for information?” I suggest. Heads snap to me, this time covered in confusion.

“I’ll never tell you anything!” Abby says, spitting in my direction. Doing my best not to chuckle, I address her, “It wasn’t a suggestion for you, Anderson, more of an idea.” She gives me a pointed look, and I grin.

“Where are the rest of the Wolves?” Jesse asks, surveying the battlefield. Despite having their leader held up like a pinata, no one had attacked us yet. I supposed that was why.

“They ran into the mountains along with the remaining troops,” Tess informs.

We all look at each other, silently communicating that we should bring Abby to Joel. Nodding to Ellie, she summons vines to contain Abby so I can finally set her down. 

“I’ll bring the horses around,” Jesse says with a sigh before walking off, “Unless someone wants to help me..?” I follow his gaze to see him staring at Dina with puppy dog eyes. Dina rolls her eyes and walks after him. “Watch my ass as I walk away, guys. It's a great view, I promise,” She winks and saunters off with Jesse. Tess rolls her eyes as Ellie and I laugh.

Finally, walking up to Ellie, I match her post-giggle grin. “You ok?” Looking her up and down a few times. Tess walks over and shoves Abby away from the two of us.

“Yes, light, I’m fine; however, you-” She points to a cut on my arm that is bleeding down to my hand, “Are not.”

Currently, there is no pain, so I don’t mind it. “Tis but a scratch, a mere flesh wound, Milady. I swear I am perfectly well.” My tease causes her to roll her eyes so hard I’m surprised they don’t fall out.

Grabbing my arm, she pulls me closer, and I hiss in pain.

“Now look who’s the liar,” she says lowly. I watch as she moves the tattered fabric to take a closer look at the cut. “It’s not that bad, Ellie. I wasn’t lying.” 

In my defense, it wasn’t that deep of a gash. Letting go of my arm, she holds her hands out and grows a small thing of Aloe Vera. She grabs one and flicks her switchblade open, slicing it along the side. 

“El, I don’t need-”

“Don’t worry, I’ll use some on myself too..” 

She gives me an expectant look, so I huff and hold the fabric out of the way so she can rub the aloe vera on the gash. It hurts for a moment, and I wrinkle my nose at the feeling before a cooling effect settles in. 

Ellie pulls out a med kit and wraps the gash securely before treating her leg. After helping her out a bit, I do the wrapping part for her.

“Are you ok to walk?” Glancing at the wrapped bandage as blood soaks it a little, I meet her eyes once more. “I was just fighting on it; I’ll be alright.”

“Yea, but that was with adrenaline. You should sit—” I looked around, and there was nowhere for her to sit except on the grass. “Uhhh, on the grass.” It sounded like a question, and I couldn’t tell if it was or who I was asking.

“Never mind, I’ll just carry you. We need to get back to Tess anyway,” I say, bringing her arm over my shoulder. She rolls her eyes with a smile but doesn’t complain. 

Joel didn’t seem surprised at all to know Abby wanted to kill him. In fact, he seemed more surprised by the fact we all made it out of that battle alive. Ellie and I had gotten our injuries healed as soon as we returned to camp. The pain now was non-existent. Joel had determined that- as soon as we could- we’d head back down to Midiri to finish off the rest of Raul’s army. 

Things were looking good as I went to bed in a cot set up next to Ellie’s. The blankets were thin, and I half-debated, joining Ellie in hers. Tossing and turning for a while, I ended up not being able to sleep. My thoughts were so loud—too loud. 

Throwing the blanket over Ellie, I walked out of the tent and went for a little walk. The stars were shining brightly tonight. A fresh breeze guided the scent of wildflowers to my nose, so I inhaled. Everything out here was so much simpler...

Footsteps sound from behind me, and I see Ellie half awake, wrapped in our blankets.

“El- what are you doing out here awake?” I asked, walking over to her. I saw that her eyes were a little darker than usual. 

“Why are you up, hm?” Her voice is groggy and low.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she says, taking a step closer. “That’s all,” I give her a small smile. That one stubborn hair of hers falls into her face, and she blows it out of her eyes.

“Hm.. wanna watch the stars with me instead then?” Her voice is low and soft.

“Sure, but only if you tell me what I’m looking at.”

She grins and lays the blankets down on the grass. “Deal,” she says, seeming excited. I lay down on the blanket, getting comfortable with her next to me. She starts talking about the stars and whether they are part of a constellation. I try to follow where she’s pointing but end up confused every time. 

“- and that is Hydrus..” She points to a random spot in the sky yet again. Scanning my eyes, I try to remember where it is from the books I’ve read in the past, but it’s all lost to me. 

“Got it,” Lie. I have no idea where she’s pointing, but if it makes her smile, then I’d do anything. “You know we’ve been to the moon 12 times?” she asks, looking at me now. Huh... interesting.” It really was. 

“I’m boring you to death, huh?” A chuckle. An inhale. 

“No, and that isn’t a lie. I like listening to you talk,” a glance at her mouth,” a lot..” She smiles before reaching over and messing with my hair.

Laughing, I swat her hand away. “Knock it off, you goof,” I tease. Ellie blushes like mad as I lean in closer. “So about our wedding… I was thinking we should hold it in the Midiri palace gardens…” My voice is softer than the breeze. She looks into my eyes before glancing at my lips and leans closer.

“Thinking about our wedding already light?” She whispers as her nose touches mine. “It’s only fair. I need something to look forward to.” A hum and another glance.” I haven’t even proposed yet.” Her face is red. With a small smile, I turn so my whole body is facing her. “Are you going to? Or will you get too nervous?” My tease affronts her. She glares at me before dragging her thumb across my lips.

“I can be bold when I want..” She whispers before kissing me softly. I kiss back as she wraps a hand around my waist to pull me closer. Leaning to be on top of her, I make a noise as she bites on my lower lip. Her fingers trail up my back before she pulls me wholly on top of her. It’s clumsy and messy, but we don’t stop; instead, her other hand finds its way under my shirt. She almost gets it off before screams reach our ears. We both stop and turn to see a fire spreading through camp. I get off her stand with such speed my mind spins. 

“Ellie?!” 

“Yea, I see it babe! Get behind me!” She yells over the screams. I help her get up before we start looking for our friends and family.

“How did they get past the guards!?” I ask, looking around for any troops. Dead bodies litter the floor, and I get my answer. Ellie says nothing as she leads me through the camp. We reach the central area of the fire when Raul himself comes along with a smug grin. Swearing, Ellie grabs me, and we hide behind a supply crate.

“Find the bitch. I know she’s here somewhere..” His voice is excited, and it sickens me to the core.

‘Yes sirs’ ring out as a response before Ellie makes a run for it. I do a double-take before rushing to follow her.

“I’m guessing I’m the bitch..” I whisper to her. She huffs. “You’re not a bitch so don’t listen to him,” Her voice is dripping with rage. I huff. “I wasn’t going to Moth,” My voice is barely above a whisper. All she says is good before she sneaks into the main tent at camp.

“Keep an eye out for knights; I’m gonna look for Joel,” Ellie walks further into the tent while I guard the door. A few minutes later, she comes back over and shakes her head. We keep moving. The fire continues to spread as screams come from every direction. Ellie grabs my hand and crouches through some tall grass with me in tow.  We manage to hear a short conversation between two knights on Raul’s side.

“They’re still looking for the Queen; I think I saw some group near the north end of the camp, though.”

“Think she’s with them?”

“Don’t know. Just keep looking.”

They both nod and start walking around the area. Glancing at Ellie, I noticed she was gone and sneaked up behind one of them before killing them quietly. I follow her lead, sneaking up behind the other knight and taking him out. We meet back in the middle of the area, and she whispers, “We gotta head north... seems like that’s where the others are.” Her breath tickles my face.

“Alright.. lead on.”

We managed to find the others despite all the chaos. Joel and a bunch of knights had fled towards the north but were sticking around to find me. Raul’s army had attacked with numbers we’d never seen before. Things were not looking good, and we couldn’t even determine how many of his men had been sent to Midiri. Joel had managed to secure a small section of camp. However, Raul’s men were making their way here while we had barely any defense. We all stood around a small table lit by torches at the edge of our secured space.

“How far away are Raul and his troops?” My eyes meet many familiar faces, and each one is more concerned than the last. This was it. Our final stand…

“Twenty minutes out..” Maria says lowly. 20 minutes till we fight to the death.

 Was there seriously nothing we could do?

We debated what to do, like rapid fire, but nothing sticks. Either we all die and lose, or we let Raul take over our homes with the hope he lets us live. Neither option sounded pleasant. Ellie stands closer to me, her face hollow. Looking back to the group, I notice everyone but Joel sporting grim faces. He just seemed mad. Tommy sets his gun on the table, and we all look at him.

“This is bullshit. I say we fight till our last breath,” His voice is strong as if he’s decided that’s how he wants to go. Dina yells out her agreement before Maria follows.

“I’d rather die than submit to that bastard,” Ellie says, grabbing my hand and intertwining our fingers. 

I look at each and every one of them and make my own choice as well. Dying by their side is much more worth it than living a lie. 

“Then let’s take a stand here… as one, regardless of how cheesy that sounds,” My voice is as light as I can make it, and I feel Ellie squeeze my hand.

Tonight, we’d fight to the death.

The battle rages on for hours to the point I can no longer feel my arms. Somehow, we’ve managed to last this long despite the large amount of men attacking. None of them seemed to have affinities, so we were killing them off like flies. I hoped Oren and Nakir were ok. I had left them in charge of Midiri. As I’m fighting, a knight manages to get the upper hand and grabs me by the hair. I scream as he drags me off, but no one else can help me. They’re all fighting their own battles. The knight throws me into a field as I try and wield my affinity. Nothing. I’m weaponless against this bastard, and he knows it. He saunters forward and pulls me up by my hair again.

“Where’s your little affinity?” He gives me a fake pout, “All out of energy?” He slaps me across the face, and I grunt. Tilting my chin up, I smiled at him.

“What are you smiling about bitch? Huh?” He pulls on my hair harder and grins, so I spit in his face. Disgust covers his face, and he wipes it off before rearing back and punching me in the stomach. I cough up a bit of blood, tasting it on my tongue. Swishing the rest of it in my mouth, I spit it out as he lets go of my hair.

“You bitch.. I’m gonna make you regret that..” He grabs a dagger, and just as he goes to stab me, I roll out of the way. The dagger grazes my side, and I scream in pain. My hand flies to the cut, and warm blood seeps onto it. Wincing, I look up to the knight, who is grinning down at me. I wanted to cry. To scream. To do anything. But the pain was blinding, and I was losing blood fast.

“I’ll bring your head to Raul all pretty, don’t you worry,” He spits out as he leans down to me. But before he can make another move, an arrow flies straight into his temple. The knight flops to the side as blood sprays out. I scream and back away from him. Looking around, I spot a woman with blonde hair and a warm smile.

Lady Isabella.

She walks over to me and helps me up.

“I was afraid I hadn’t made it in time. Seems like I barely have,” Her voice is soft as she helps me stand straight... My hand is covering the wound with as much pressure as I can muster. 

“Isabella.. You came!” My hopes lift. She smiles and looks out to the battlefield a little ways away. A massive army begins attacking Raul’s troops along with Midiri’s and Jackson’s. Lady Isabella and I had been exchanging letters ever since we met at my coronation ball. She’s become a wonderful friend of mine.

“It’s actually Queen Isabella now," She says shyly. The ring on her finger is more prominent now, and I smile at her.

“That’s wonderful..but why did you come? You owe me nothing?”

“Because I want peace. Ruling during a war is no fun for me or my people. It affects all of us. And besides… you’re a dear friend.”

My heart warms. I wasn’t the perfect Queen, that’s for sure, but I had made changes that impacted my life. “Thank you, Queen Isabella… now let’s win this thing…” My body is growing weaker, and by the look on Isabella’s face, I’m fading fast. She catches me before I fall to the ground.

“Queen Y/n? Oh my…”

I flutter in and out of consciousness before my lovely darkness overtakes me, and I close my eyes.

My head hurt. A lot. 

I crack my eyes open a bit and feel silk beneath my fingertips. Looking around, I notice I’m back in Midiri palace… and in my room. Taking a deep breath, I hiss in pain from the gash in my side and attempt to sit up. The sun is streaming into the room in a breathtaking manner. My room looks the exact same as I left it. My maids are here right now as well, cleaning away.

“I wonder when Her Majesty will wake up,” Anais says, dusting my desk. I blink. Once. Twice. Assumed they were too busy to notice I was awake.

“Prince Ellie should be coming by soon, right? She always does around this time of day..” Mariah is working in my closet.

A knock at the door has me fighting to pretend I’m still asleep. I clear my throat and say, “Come in!” All four of my maids snap their attention to me with various shouts of surprise. The person outside the door slams it open, and Ellie stands there with a few flowers in hand.

“You’re awake!?” She rushes to my side before setting the flowers down on my nightstand.

All my maids rush over and begin asking me millions of questions. How was I? Did I want water? Pain meds? Food? “How long have I been out?” My voice is groggy, and I stretch a little.

Ellie glances at the maids before saying, in a grim tone, “Four years.” Her voice is so serious that I almost believe it.

“Knock it off Moth. How long, really?” She huffs before pouting, “I thought that was pretty convincing…” I watch as she adjusts to sitting on my bed, her button-down wrinkling under the change, “Don’t worry, just a few days. Doctors said you’ll be fine in a month, so take it easy.

“You weren’t, but nice try. What’s been going on while I was out,” I say, removing the covers and trying to get out of bed. Ellie grips me so harshly that I feel a bruise forming already. She pulls me back down into bed, and my maids chuckle.

“Honestly, miss, give yourself a second,” Ivone scolds. Man, I missed these girls.

“If you think I’m just going to let you walk around while you’re still bleeding, you’re dead wrong light,” Ellie says sternly. I huff and lay back on my pillow, flicking her arm. “Fine, but I still want to know what’s happening..”

I watch her eyes soften. “Alright… but no getting up, or I swear I will carry you back to bed myself.” Her tone is playful, but I know she’s not joking. “Ok, ok, I get it!” Putting my hands up in defense, Ellie finally seems satisfied. 

She takes a deep breath as she begins to recall the events of the past few days. According to her, Queen Isabella and King Alwyn have decided to ally themselves with us. Fortunately for us, they also have a large army due to the funds they get from trading. Our combined forces drove Raul to flee for now. Jackson is safe, and the knights who ran into the mountains have been dealt with as well. All was well—for now, at least.

“Well… I guess it’s a good thing we’re back home. We can do more from here for now since there’s no active fighting.” I still felt the need to be useful despite actively bleeding, but hey, I did that once a month—nothing I couldn’t handle.

“By the way, where’s Jane?” I ask the other maids. She was usually the happiest to see me.

“Jane felt sick this morning, so she opted to stay in and rest,” Ivone’s soothing voice said. 

Which was odd because even when she wasn’t feeling the greatest, Jane would be by my side. I guess she really wasn’t feeling well. “Well, alright then.”

Ellie studies me momentarily, and I shrink a little under her gaze. “When we need things, we use our words, Ellie,” I tease. But her expression doesn’t change. My smile falters. 

“Girls, why don’t you give us a moment?” My eyes don’t leave hers as I dismiss my maids. They curtsy and close the door behind them. 

“Are you ok, El?” I say lowly. She looks away from me, suddenly wiping her eyes. That’s when I realized Ellie was crying. I’d never seen her cry before. She’s always been private about showing people her emotional side. Shifting so I’m in her lap, I wipe her tears and kiss where the streaks remain.

“Oh, Ellie… talk to me.. What’s going on?” My voice is as soothing as I can make it. She meets my eyes, and my heart breaks. Puffy eyes, red nose, and a tear-streaked face.

“I thought… you were going to die..” she whispers before looking back down, “When Queen Isabella brought you back to us in such a condition.. There was so much blood… I just didn’t know if I’d ever see you again and-” Ellie starts to ramble before I can even comfort her,

“-Ellie, you need to breathe-”

“-and for days, I wondered if you would ever wake up-” My lips slam onto hers, and I cup her face. I feel her relax as she wraps an arm around my back, the other running her fingers through my hair. Pushing my tongue into her mouth, I hear her moan lightly. She moves a hand to my chest and the other slowly down my right side when she grazes my cut, and I wince in pain. She pulls away immediately and apologizes profusely. Shutting her up again, I kiss her before moving both hands to her hair and pulling on it gently. She moans. Alright, so Ellie has a hair-pulling kink. Grinning into the kiss, I continue kissing her while gently tugging her hair. I pull back to assess my work to see her breathless and puffy-lipped.

“Better now babe?” I whisper against her lips. She nods and bites her own before pressing her mouth to mine again. Moving me gently with her hands, she lays me on my back, careful not to aggravate my injury. Stupid right side. I moan into her mouth as she cups one of my breasts through my shirt and flicks the nipple. 

“Mmmm, Ellie-” I start but she shushes me. “Not while you’re injured my light..” Her voice is low, and I want to argue, but I know better. Damn, how well has this bitch trained me. “Fine..” I’m breathless and puffy-lipped, too, and can feel my growing arousal. Oh, how she tortures me so..

“Promise I’ll fuck you so well someday..” She whispers against her lips. The sincerity in her voice takes me by surprise, and my legs clamp shut. I wiggle underneath her as she trails her finger along my jaw.

“Kiss me again, Ellie... Kiss me till I can’t breathe...” I beg so quietly that I wonder if she hears. It seems she does as she smashes her lips back to mine. 

We spend the rest of the day in each other’s company.

A few weeks later, I’m doing much better. Ellie finally stopped following me around the palace, so I can actually get some work done. Walking into the Prime Minister’s office, I see he’s at his desk reading over some paperwork. He smiles when he sees me before standing to bow.

“Your Majesty, what a pleasant surprise!” His voice is cheerful and warm. I can’t help but smile. “Give me one moment, Your Majesty. I am just sending off some important information.” He writes a quick letter before walking over to a Peregrine falcon. Gently folding the letter, he hands it to the beautiful bird and opens the window. The Prime minister watches him go before turning to me with a smile.

“What can I help you with today, Your Majesty?” He asks, closing the window and walking over to me. 

“I just came to let you know I can resume my duties now. If you want to have the work sent to my office, I’d be more than happy to take it off your hands,” Truthfully, I didn’t want him doing the work anymore anyway.

“Ah, I see… I shall have it sent over immediately…” His tone has changed. I watch his face for a different expression... but he’s still smiling. My brows furrow a little, and I feel my gut screaming at me.

“Right... well, I’ll be going now…” Deciding not to ignore it, I head towards the door when he’s suddenly in front of it. With a beaming smile, he closes the door and locks it with a key. Tucking the key into his pant pocket, he pats the spot as if mocking me.

“Perhaps it’s best you stay…” 

Ok, now I was really freaked out. Maybe the Prime Minister had been replaced by a shapeshifter? But nothing seemed different about him physically. 

“What is the meaning of this Prime Minister... Let me out this instant.” My tone is demanding but wavers a little. He hears it, too.

“I don’t think so. You still don’t get it, do you..?” His smile was pissing me off now.

“Don’t get what? You are mental if you think this is ok-”

He sighs and rubs his temples. “I was hoping you’d figure it out before I revealed myself. But alas, here we are.”

“Figure what out? I don’t understand?” I’m beginning to panic. There was a high chance he was going to kill me if I didn’t get out of this room. I glance at the window, but it’s too high a drop. 

“I suppose I better start from the beginning. With Barrow..” My eyebrows furrow again. What did this have to do with the previous Duke?

“Barrow was working for Raul,”

“But that doesn’t make any sense-”

“Doesn’t it? Just as soon as he was no longer useful, you got the very thing you needed to get rid of him…” The Prime Minister’s words run chills down my spine, and I begin to question everything. Pieces of the puzzle were still missing.

“The late Duke Haleson was trying to hand Midiri over to Emperor Raul.. in exchange for the blackmail he had on him... His birth certificate.”

The very thing that destroyed him was what he coveted all along. My kingdom was the price. How fucking dare he… I clench my hands into fists and feel darkness swirl around them. The Prime Minister continues while I continue looking for a way out.

“Barrow knew that under Emperor Raul’s reign, he’d still get to live the life of a Duke.. he had nothing to lose and everything to gain!!” 

“I thought you said you two were friends!” My voice cuts him off. The Prime Minister seethes, “That was until that bastard forced me onto his side!! I was loyal to your parents. They were the best king and Queen there had ever been.. but Barrow couldn’t hand the kingdom over to Emperor Raul without them dead.. so Raul had them assassinated and you kidnapped.” All this new information was hitting me like a brick. 

“Why are you telling me all this?” My voice wavers once more, and I curse myself internally.

“Because now I’m going to kill you,” He says so simply as if it were about the weather.

I did a double-take to make sure I heard him correctly. Then it all made sense. Raul had something on him—something Barrow gave to him.

“Listen to me. Whatever it is Barrow gave him, we can get back…”

The Prime Minister looks so defeated, “There’s nothing you can do except die Your Majesty..”

Scanning the room once more, I realized I needed more time. So I started asking questions, “Why not have me killed like my parents?”

“If you were dead, so was the royal bloodline, and Emperor Raul couldn’t have that.”

“Why not? What is so important about me he’d rather have me live.”

“He wanted to marry you when the time was right. Your bloodline is the most powerful in the world, but you just wouldn’t marry him! You had to go and fall in love with that prince!”

The Prime Minister starts getting more and more upset as my heart begins to race.

“So he knew where I was the whole time? You knew, too?”

“Yes.. we knew everything about you..” Shivers run down my spine once again before I feel rage. Suddenly, another question pops into my head, so I ask it before I forget.

“What about Rose then? Was she working for you too?” 

He huffs before giving me a pitiful look, “Rose never betrayed you; it was Jane. The assassins Raul sent were supposed to bring you back to him, but Jane tried to have you killed... It was foolish of her, really. I ordered her to have you kidnapped and brought to Raul of your own violation..” Where was Jane now then? Was she even really sick? So many questions swirled my head, but I knew I had to be smart about this if I wanted to get the most out of him.

“Why did she want me killed..?” My heart breaks. Rose was wrongly accused and sent to death, all because I was too foolish to see what was really going on.

“If you were gone, Emperor Raul would have been mad, yes, but he would’ve moved on.” His voice is oddly calm now. It almost sounds like…

“The man in the hallway... with Barrow... That was you! You were the one defending me in the halls!” The conversation I overheard ages ago suddenly makes more sense now. They were talking about Raul and me. 

“Huh.. so it was you who overheard that… I did wonder who it was for the longest time.. But no matter, I still have to kill you now. Emperor Raul doesn’t want you any longer.. I’m sorry.”

His voice is low and a little menacing as he approaches me slowly. I back away from him, not wanting to kill him.

“Bennet, please..I don’t want to kill you. What do they have on you..?”

He doesn’t answer and pulls out a long, thin dagger. Deciding I can’t be kind anymore, I pull the dagger from his grip with my telekinesis. Before it reaches my hand, though, he swipes it from the air with a speed I’ve only seen from speed affinities. Suddenly, he came at me at a speed I couldn’t handle. Wrapping darkness around myself, I manage to avoid getting cut by the dagger. But the blunt force of his blows still hurt. Grimacing, I focus on his heart and slow it down with my telekinesis. He begins to slow down and coughs up blood. While he’s down, I kick him over and take the dagger from him. 

“Bennet… I’m sorry they took whatever is dear to you.. Just talk to me..” He rolls onto his side and props himself up.

“I can’t.. He’ll know if I do..” More blood drips down his chin before he wipes it with his pure white-gloved hand. I lean down to him as he slowly dies.

“You’re going to die, Bennet… you might as well tell me anyway…” Moreover, my curiosity was getting the better of me. 

“My daughter…” He whispers as tears fall down his cheeks. Dread fills my entire being as I realize what Bennet is implying. If he doesn’t cooperate.. His daughter dies.

Well, shit. 

No wonder he hates Barrow… I couldn’t imagine the rage I’d feel. My eyes soften, and I ease up on his heart. 

Bennet lays his head on the hardwood floor and blinks blearily up at the ceiling. My emotions overwhelm me a little, and I tear up alongside him.

“Save her..please..” His voice is fading, and I can tell he’s barely holding on. “Do what I couldn’t do.. And save my daughter.. please… “I start to cry and sit down on the floor next to him.

Oh, to be loved so much, you’re their dying thought. 

“I’ll try..” I whisper. He nods slowly, understanding I might fail. 

“If you don’t. I hope to be worthy of meeting her again in the afterlife. My precious daughter..Annabelle..” 

His last breath flows from his lips, and I close my eyes. So much made sense now. The photo of them on his desk was a constant reminder, not of what he had, but of what he was fighting for. The grief he must’ve had looking at that photo brings more tears to my eyes. Reaching over and closing his eyes for him, I stand and grab the portrait. Setting it on his dead body and grabbing the key, I unlock the door before closing it behind me. Somehow, I was not covered in blood, but my heart was bleeding. 

I was going to save his daughter… Not for him, but for the innocent life he left behind. Because, for some reason, I had to prove that I was the better person.

Besides... I had a plan. 

And it was going to end this war.

[ozimagines]

Do you have any head cannons for if Miguel had been paroled at the end of season 5? Thank you

Ooooooh this is interesting. Like, everyone knew he wouldn’t get paroled, but what if Ruiz took pity on him. Saw a little of himself in this lost barrio boy.

Miguel Alvarez Gets Paroled (S5)…

“You’re so fucking beautiful when you’re angry…”

He’s seething. His parole might be in danger. Maritza might be in danger.

(Poor boy doesn’t know about Ronaldo yet💔)

When he gets in front of the parole board, he’s jittery

He’s thought about every question ahead of time and gives his answers

He can see on their face that they don’t believe it

“What the fuck makes you think you should go free, you little prick?”

He feels it… the anger. The red in his eyes that wanted to hurt Ruiz. That tingle in his hands before he hit someone. 🔥

He took a deep breath.

“I really believe I’m rehabil…”

He can’t even make himself say the words😢

He was going to spend the rest of his life in Oz

So he opted for the truth

“I don’t know if I’m rehabilitated. I know I want to be different. I know I want a life. I know I don’t want to hurt people anymore. Feel their blood on my hands. Their voices in my head forever. I don’t know if rehabilitation is possible… but I hope it is. I hope it is because it’s my last shot. My last shot at having something to hold onto.”

“…and if you were free?” -Ruiz ⁉️

“I’d hug my mother, because I know she tried. I’d tell my sisters I love them and I’m sorry I went away where I couldn’t protect them. I’d get a job and complain about it but I’d love every minute of it. I’d join community theatre. O’Reily’s mom was really nice and I think I found something I care about. I’d try. I really would.”

The board is silent for a moment. Ruiz beckons the lady next to him to lean in to a whisper.

“Thank you, Mr. Alvarez. We’ll get back to you.”

He leaves, not feeling good about his chances. He tears off the suit with an anger, waiting in Sister Pete’s office.

“I’m gonna stay here, Sister. Those motherfuckers ain’t ever gonna let me free.”

A woman in a suit entered, reading something off a form. He didn’t listen to any of the words except the last three:

“They voted yes.”

His heart stopped in his chest.

Was he going free❓❓❓❓❓

He released a long breath that he had been holding onto since he got to Oz. He’d be free. Maybe not fully safe, Chico wasn’t gonna let him get away that easy, but he was free.

He signed all the forms, collected all of his belongings, and said goodbye to the one prisoner he’d miss.

Rebadow congratulated him, giving him a word of warning before he left:

“Hold onto life, Miguel. Hold on with both hands.”🙌

He mulled over those words, unsure of what they meant completely.

He knocks on Mukada’s door, whose sad eyes trail up towards him. Even he wasn’t sure if Miguel was safe to put on the streets.

They’re silent for a moment, Miguel dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt, a leather jacket over it. No cuffs in sight.

“I’m sorry for all the shit I’ve caused.” -Miguel says after a moment.

Mukada thinks for a moment.

“Then don’t cause shit, Miguel.”

Those were the last words they spoke to each other for a month.

The sun is bright, and Miguel realizes how much he’s missed being outside.

His sister, Jimena, drives him.

He stares out the window the entire way, watching the blank fields turn to houses turn to buildings.

She asks if he had any friends to invite to his parole party

“No” -he says a little too quickly.

The party is small. His mom and sisters and cousins who cared to show up.

Honestly, after being in solitary for years, all the people were a little much for him

He goes for a walk afterwards, walking through his old neighborhood. Nothing changed and everything did at the same time.

He visits Maritza, who refuses to let him inside… when he sees Ronaldo’s hat on the chair.

There it is again… the anger. The seeing red. He wanted to drag them both across the floor.

But he didn’t. ❤️

“Yeah… this… this is done. You too, Ronaldo.”

He throws himself a pity party for the night, downing Michelada after Michelada. 🍺🌶️

He made good on his word and joined e community theatre the next day🎭

It was… strange.

He’d been used to inmates who hated acting and were playing it like a joke… and now everyone was so serious.

He starts off in lighting and sound, teaching him all the tech spots one by one

He makes friends, real friends, who invite him out after shows.

They tell crazy stories, and though he knows his stories could beat them all, he stays silent and just listens, laughing along with everyone.

He gets a job as a mechanic at first. He hated it but went every day and stayed clean.

A few weeks later, after jawing with one of his clients, he offers Miguel a job at a video game studio.

He stays quiet and takes notes at meetings, trying to show everyone he belongs there

He wears a suit to work, getting teased (friendly) as everyone else was wearing whatever they please

But he likes his suit, so he still wears it🕴️

As he’s walking one day, he meets Ronaldo on the street, who looked instantly afraid of him.

Miguel rolls his eyes and tells him that Miguel died in solitary confinement

Ronaldo, not reading the situation, offers Miguel a bump of his coke and says he has a job that’ll get Miguel back into El Norte

He thinks about it for a second, but declines both

Ronaldo calls him a pussy and even though he’s seeing red again, he walks away.

He gets a therapist and stays on his meds this time💊

He binges shows he missed and judges them on their technical prowess

He stays away from trouble, and even when others try to start some, he stays out of it.

Chico tries shit from Oz, sending people to mess with Miguel.

Miguel keeps his head down and does what he does best… survive.

After a while Oz starts to fade away into Fourth of July BBQs and oily popcorn fingers at the movies.

He hangs out with his sisters’ kids. They think he’s the best uncle.

Miguel doesn’t know how to talk to kids but they’re just drawn to him. Feel protected by him.

He hangs up every card they make him.🎨

He stays in that community theatre, working his way up to stage manager.

It’s years later but he’s finally in charge again.

He plays basketball and soccer and even beer pong if you catch him in the right mood

He even buys himself a sketchbook and starts drawing (very much keeps it to himself)

Miguel starts to understand Rebadow’s words.

He reaches out to Mukada when he’s feeling no feisty or violent. After seeing Mukada at one of his plays unannounced, the two had become closer. He realized Miguel was serious about getting his life together.

They chat at a coffee shop the next day.

Miguel is… surprisingly calm for losing his girlfriend and being released into nothing.

“Y’think… maybe… God’s listening to me again, Father?”

“He never stopped, Miguel.”

Years later, years and years, as Miguel is sitting on the couch with his family, and his kids are playing on the floor, his significant other just watching, happily… Miguel realizes he did exactly what Rebadow told him.

Bonus: his kids were baptized by Mukada. He wouldn’t have it done by anyone else.

[beloveddawn-blog]

for @minnieposting Noel is her character I just got a thought in my head that wouldn't leave. One brief misgendering by a character that hasn't met Noel before and a gender-neutral usage of 'dude' because I feel Donovan is that sort of person.

Enjoy!

Noel lit up as Donovan sauntered into the arcade. They quickly shook their head, however, and then sprawled elegantly and insolently over the counter. Or at least attempted to. They actually looked a bit like a golden retriever looking for pets, but Donovan refrained from commenting on it. As cute as Noel looked when they were all fired up, that wasn’t the point of this visit. “There’s my favourite sidekick!” He exclaimed, throwing in a wink. “Whadda ya say we cause some trouble?”

“I’m still at work.” They replied thoughtlessly, then went bright red and started waving their hands in front of their face. “I… I… I… I mean, maybe. Depends on what you have in mind. I’ll see if I can pencil you in somewhere.” It was a valiant attempt to regain some dignity, but unfortunately Donovan knew better. As did Luis, who groaned dramatically in the background. 

“Dunno.” Donovan replied slyly. “What’re ya in the mood for? Quick run through the woods? Explore the deepest levels of the sewers? Steal something out of the Prince’s room? Heckle Xyla? There’s all sorts of things to do around here.” His grin grew as he went on, the list getting steadily more dangerous as he continued. Noel was starting to turn faintly green, their skin shifting to match their hair as their distress bled through their own unique abilities.

Still, though, Noel was never one to back down. Donovan would have gotten bored if they had been. They slouched back against the counter behind them, hands causally tucked into their hoodie pocket to hide their shaking. Their grin shook just as much, but they offered it anyway. “That’s it? Sounds like you’ve got nothing but boring pla-AHNS.” Their voice cracked in the middle of the word, likely from fear, and Donovan felt bad for just a moment… Before entirely forgetting it happened as he surged forward, hands outstretched in an attempt to catch Noel. Noel, who had startled themselves with their own voice, slipped on the spider plushie behind them… And accidentally slid the entire collection of stuffed animals you could win at the arcade off of the counter, before falling themself and knocking over a lamp. Which then hit a vending machine. Which swayed ominously before Donovan pivoted and pushed it back into place, determined to protect Noel after his little bit of teasing had gone very wrong.

Luis groaned long, loud, and dramatically before slamming his face into the counter. “Just go.” He begged. “I’d rather deal with customers all day myself than watch one more moment of this disaster kid and their disaster flirting. Just go enjoy the carnival. ANYTHING but staying here and making my day even worse.”

Noel looked like they were about to cry, and Donovan was having none of that. Not when he’d actually come here to sweep Noel away for a little date. “Perfect, Luis, thanks. You’re a real pal.” He replied, reaching over the counter to haul Noel up by one arm. Then he used both hands to grab Noel further in the armpits and bodily haul them over the counter only to tuck them under one arm. “See ya around!” Then he turned on his heel and steered Noel right out of the arcade, ignoring how they flushed some odd magenta-violet colour rather than a normal red. Once outside he steered them off to the side and grabbed them a cotton candy. “Good job ditching work.” He commented, choosing to act like Noel had done it on purpose to make Luis be the one to kick him out. Plausible deniability and all that. “I’ve heard Luis make some pretty good ‘done with people’ sounds before, but this one really took the cake. You’ve got a real talent there.”

Noel blushed and hid their face with the cotton candy. Donovan wisely chose not to tell them they’d gotten it on their forehead.

*

Okay, look, Donvan knew Noel thought he was the coolest thing to ever call Withergate home. He knew that. It didn’t mean he didn’t want to show off for them sometimes, though. It was one thing to just feel that adoring gaze on him, but another thing entirely to turn towards it in triumph and bask in it. He wasn’t really going to take Noel into the forest, though. Or the depths of the sewers. Mortal peril wasn’t actually date material, exhilarating as it could be. And Donvan trusted himself to keep them both safe, but it would still stress Noel out a bit. So, on to the next best thing: the carnival! He could show off to his heart’s content in a safe environment and bask in Noel’s delight, feed them and send them home with a smile on their face. It was a great plan!

*

Donovan stepped back as P.A.M. lit up in delight and announced his score for the whole carnival to hear. He hadn’t quite unseated the High Score (and where a farmer of all things had learned to fight like that…) but it had been impressive nonetheless. He’d even impressed himself, he’d been so focussed on showing off. Riding high on his victory and the starstruck awe in Noel’s eyes, Donovan made the mistake that would set the tone for the night. “Whadda ya say, Noel? Wanna give it a try?”

“Sure!” They chirped, stepping gamely up to the machine. Donovan could see the slight tremors of nerves in their shoulders, but Noel had more guts than most and never backed down. They looked at the machine for a moment before shifting their hands to match Donovan’s claws (and watching flesh flow like that was always going to be just as freaky as it was freaking awesome, he loved this strange little dude so much) and settled into a poor imitation of a fighting stance. Before he could correct them, however, the dummy appeared.

Noel startled, took a swipe, overbalanced because their hands were now a different shape than expected, fell forward, and smashed their face into the dummy.

Donovan shot forward to get a hold of them, ignoring P.A.M. shutting down the game and informing him he’d gotten Noel disqualified. There was blood on Noel’s face.

Oh, not a lot, which was a great thing to discover, but enough that Donovan could smell it, and it was distressing. He’d never actually smelled anything like it before and even though it wasn’t unpleasant he never wanted to smell it again because it meant Noel’s blood was outside of their body!

Noel, for their part, just looked up at him dazedly, then gave a soft, “Oh,” and shifted their nose around a bit to heal it. Which was super cool to know, but also not what you wanted to have happen on a date. And shapeshifting couldn’t deal with the little goose egg forming on Noel’s hairline. They shook their head decisively, however, when Donovan suggested he just walk them home. “I still wanna hang out with you,” they insisted. “We had plans.”

Which… they sort of didn’t. This had been a whim. Still, Donovan was totally wrapped around Noel’s fingers and also still wanted to hang out, so they did.

It did not improve from there.

*

“So, chap, what’s your guess? Was it 21, 27, or 39?”

Noel blinked slowly at Chauncy, obviously trying to parse the question. “35,” they replied decisively.

Now it was Chauncy’s turn to blink. “Thirty… five. That’s… not an option, kid.”

Noel nodded seriously. “And a half.”

*

Benny laid the cards out in front of them. They were playing as a team, so Donovan pointed to one and Noel pointed to a second. The cards didn’t match, so Noel looked seriously back at the ghost before saying, “Go fish.”

*

They didn’t even get to try the hat game. The critter appeared and Noel squeaked in delight before turning themselves into one, chittering back and forth with it animatedly.

Jet banned them. Donovan couldn’t stop laughing.

*

The ferris wheel was the pinnacle achievement of the celebrated architect Xyla and by far the most interesting part of the Withergate skyline… And Donovan really should have noted that Noel never mentioned it themselves. They didn’t tell Donovan they were afraid of heights until the second rotation, and on the third one the whole ride had to be shut down for cleaning. Donovan didn't wait for the operator to “assist them in safely disembarking”, he simply talked Noel into shifting back into a critter, tucked them in his shirt, and took off.

The last thing Noel needed after puking on the ride was to walk through the gauntlet of people also affected. Especially the ones in the splash zone.

*

Dugan’s Deadeye was another unmitigated disaster. Neither Noel nor Donovan owned their own crossbow, so Donovan sweet-talked Dugan into letting them borrow his crossbow to give it a try. He made a respectable showing of himself, but not enough to win. He shrugged philosophically, as he never really used a crossbow and as such, reasonably, wasn’t great at them. 

Then it was Noel’s turn.

Three shots in, of course, and the string snapped. Noel yelped and flinched, and that honestly probably saved their pretty face. Nothing could save their arm, however, and the welt the string raised looked even worse than the goose egg from before. It was probably only thanks to Noel’s big sad eyes and sad whimpering that Dugan dropped his complaints so quickly. They hightailed it out of there pretty quickly too.

*

That was how they found themselves back in the arcade. Luis was still ignoring them completely, but that was just fine by Donovan. They were just having a calm, chill time with Donovan teaching Noel how to properly play pool (and no, it’s not just poking the ball with the stick, there is a technique to it) when Noel managed to mess up a shot badly by scooping it, causing the ball to fly off like it was trying to skip town, only to be stopped short with a loud THWACK!

Right.

Into.

The.

Prince’s.

Hand.

Prince Darius blinked slowly, taking in the scene in front of him. Donovan didn’t really hold with authority figures, but there was no denying the amount of power the other man held. And while Donovan could withstand some royal tantruming with ease, Noel was a more sensitive soul.

The Prince’s gaze shifted between the two of them for a moment before he raised one eyebrow at Donovan imperiously. Good, he thought, fiercely glad Noel wasn’t going to be taking the heat for this. They hadn’t done anything wrong, it was an accident and the Prince hadn’t even been inside when it happened, but both King Minos and Dynus ruled with iron-fisted whims. Prince Darius wasn’t usually too bad, but every now and then seemed to feel he had something to prove.

“Even for a hustle, this is awfully unfair.” He commented, his red eyes glinting with judgement. “Look at him, he can barely hold a cue!”

Donovan squared up by slouching down, fixing his own harsh gaze on his ruler. “They’re just learning,” he replied, taking care to keep the comment light. It wasn’t really unreasonable to assume he was attempting to hustle Noel, Prince Darius had seen him do similar things before, but there was something about the thought of that happening to Noel that had the wolf in him snarling. “Nothing like that’s happening here.”

Prince Darius took a closer look at Noel, and Donovan could see his features hardening as he took in the small lump on their forehead, the remnants of blood around their nose, and the edge of the red mark from the welt peeking through the loose neck of their hoodie. “Yes.” He replied, voice clipped and brittle. “I can see you’ve been taking very good care of them already today.”

Donovan drew up in affront and opened his mouth to deny it when he was beaten to his own defence by a tremulous voice he hadn’t expected would have the courage to speak at all in royalty’s presence.

“Don’t you speak to Donovan like that!” Noel insisted, coming forward to stand between them. They were easily the shortest of the three, and it was almost comical how far back they had to tilt their head to match that narrowed red gaze. “It’s absolutely not his fault that I’ve been a disaster of a person today, I just… I just didn’t sleep well. He’s been great about it, even when I messed up all his plans. And I really don’t get why you’re being mean to him when I was the one that bounced the ball up like that. That’s really unfair.”

For one full, breathless moment, Noel stood steady under Prince Darius’s flinty gaze. Donovan raised a hand towards Noel’s shoulder, intending to offer support, when the Prince softened. He still carried his arrogance like a cape, and his eyes still held their keen edge of assessment, but the defensive aggression he had set his shoulders in left, seamlessly flowing back into casual confidence. The smile he gave Noel was both smug and lazy, but there was something there that had Donovan’s hackles rising.

“I’m not judging his character, I’m judging his teaching.” He replied, speaking to Noel directly for the first time. “Come. I shall assist you with this match. You’ll need all the help you can get to stand a chance against this punk. He spends far too much time here, and it shows in his skill.”

“Excuse me?” Donovan spat out, knowing his own laughter showed in his voice, “You’re in here every single afternoon, you don’t get to judge me for my habits.”

Prince Darius raised an imperious eyebrow. “And yet I still manage to actually accomplish things in my day. It really makes one question your abilities.”

Donovan snatched his cue back up from where he had left it leaning against the table. “You go right ahead and do that,Your Highness. I’ll make sure you regret it.”

*

*

*

“... And I really don’t know what he was trying to accomplish with this, but he was actually nice for the rest of the game! And don’t tell him this, but he really is a good teacher. Noel improved dramatically as soon as they calmed down from their little bravery high.” Donovan griped, flopped lengthwise across his couch as he recounted the day to his friend.

Teleri hummed in acknowledgement before lifting the sword she was sharpening up to the light to check the edge. Seemingly satisfied, she set it aside and started polishing her gauntlets. “Darius trusts your judgement.” She commented offhandedly, then paused. “Well, no, ‘judgement’ is the wrong word there. As is ‘trust’. You know what, just throw that whole comment out, it doesn’t make sense.” She set her glove down on the table and pinned Donovan with an intense gaze. He ignored it. She ignored him ignoring it. “Darius doesn’t have the time to get to know all of his subjects individually. He takes his duties far too seriously for that. And he cannot be obviously invested in newcomers, it’ll make people talk and ruin what he’s planning. You have a true knack for finding the interesting ones, however, and you quickly get bored of monotony. So even if someone is interesting, if they wish to blend in and settle down you’ll get bored of them. And unlike Xyla, who has similar people skills, you’re not actually connected to Darius in any way. You don’t pay taxes, you swindle officials, and I think Cordelia would like to have you hung, but all of those are actually bonuses in Darius’s eyes. You are an excellent source of unusual skill sets and fascinating perspectives for him.”

Donovan narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

“Proud he trusts you, angry he’s using you, and uncertain about making his life simpler in this way if it has the potential to make other lives harder, probably.” Teleri replied off-handedly, going back to her gauntlets. She ignored both his sulk and his irritation, knowing she was right. “If it was King Minos I’d agree with you, nothing good is going to come of it. But Darius wants what’s best for his people. He wants Withergate to flourish. And he’s as concerned about Dynus’s influence as I am. Plus, you help him keep a finger on the pulse of who is unhappy here, so he can do things like clear out sections of the sewers or put a lock on rising housing prices.”

He digested that for a moment, before coming back to the biggest concern for him. “What does that mean for Noel?” He asked, aware that they were now firmly in the Prince’s attention.

“Probably nothing.” Teleri replied, frowning at a stubborn scoff. “He knows now that they are unique, talented, brave, and so very loyal, and he wants them loyal to him, but unless it comes to all out war between the cities, which it will not because I will never let it, he doesn't actually need Noel for anything. It goes both ways, though. If things go that thoroughly badly, he’ll be looking out for Noel just as much…because he’ll know they’re irreplaceable.”

Donovan blinked at her. “I’m not sure if that makes me feel better or not.” He admitted.

Teleri nodded at her gauntlet, seemingly satisfied. “Yeah, life’s like that. Never simple and never easy, but worth it anyway.”

[merinsedai]

More bingo snippets

for the @dreamlingbingo

snippet 1/4

Square/Prompt:E3- Bad Pick Up Lines

Title: Robert Gadling's Diary

Rating: T

Ship(s): Dream of the Endless/Hob Gadling

Warnings: n/a

Additional Tags: Bridget Jones' Diary au, general silliness,

It's me again, filling some more prompts with this silly AU of Bridget Jones. But Merin, you cry, will you ever write something where you haven't transposed the characters into a different story? To which I reply.... no? Well, maybe. That can be a 2025 goal. For now, have more au silliness. I have.... 4.... of these I think.

“You know my Robert, don’t you?” she trills. “He used to run around your lawn with no clothes on, remember?”

Fucking hell,  Hob really wishes he’d had the balls to say no to the turkey curry buffet for once. Then he’d have been at home with his head down the toilet, same as all normal people in this Twixmas week instead of being subject to the mortifying ordeal that is his mother’s bizarre attempt at setting him up with an (admittedly handsome) stranger.

Said handsome stranger certainly looks as if he wished that Hob had stayed at home as well, despite the fact they’ve not exchanged a single word. His sharp blue-eyed gaze sweeps over Hob once before settling back on his face, managing to convey an expression of supreme and haughty disdain with just the slight curl of his lip. It is actually quite impressive.

“Not as such, no,” Morpheus says in a surprisingly deep and measured voice. Dammit, nice face. Nice voice. Why couldn’t he have the nice personality too? Holy Trinity, that. Not that Hob is adverse to nasty bastards per se. Especially pretty ones… maybe his mother had chosen well for once?

“Well, I’ll leave you to it!” Hob’s mother says brightly. “Una’s been on the gravy and it’ll need sieving, mark my words! Have fun, darlings!” And she sashays away, taking the plate of gherkins with her. Hob didn’t even get the opportunity to ask if Morpheus wanted one. That would have given him something to say at least. 

There is a long moment of awkward silence, which Morpheus doesn’t seem inclined to break, so Hob does.

“So, are you staying with your parents for Christmas?” he asks.

“Yes.”

Hob waits a moment to see if there will be any elaboration to this statement but there isn’t.

“I’ve just arrived today. Been down in London, partying, y’know. Killer hangover but, “ he waggles the glass in his hand, half-full and still glistening with condensation, “hair of the dog, n’ all!”

“I see.”

“Got any plans for New Year?”

“No.”

Bloody hell, this bloke is hard work. Hob’s not been subject to monosyllables since high school. Still, he’s not one to back away from a challenge. He’s good at making people laugh, at forging a connection through humour. Maybe some silly pick lines will help break the ice and loosen this guy up.

“Is your dad a boxer?” he asks and Morpheus’s eyebrows draw down in confusion at the non sequitur .

“What?”

“‘Cause you’re a knockout.” Hob says with a wink. “Or maybe you’re an artist?”

“I am a lawyer,” Morpheus frowns, showing not one bit of recognition of these ridiculous lines. 

“Oh? ‘Cause you’re doing a really good job of drawing me in!”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Look, my mother’s trying to set us up,” Hob says cheerfully, reaching out and poking Morpheus in the chest in what he hopes is a conspiratorial manner. Luckily he remembers to do this with the hand holding his champagne flute and not the one holding his burning cigarette. Things probably can’t get that much worse, but burning a hole in a suit jacket that looks like it cost more than Hob’s yearly rent would definitely make it so.  “And you’re much better looking than her usual picks, so I thought I’d give it my best shot!”

“And that was your best shot?” Morpheus says, managing to combine flatness and incredulity in one measured tone. “Corny puns about my possible profession?”

“Ah well, I thought so. Shall I try a different one? Hm..” Hob takes a pull on his cigarette, humming thoughtfully. “Ok, how about: ‘do you have WiFi, because I think we have a connection,” he laughs at the faintly repulsed look on Morpheus’s face. “No? What about ‘are you a camera? Because every time I look at you, I smile!”

“And this normally works for you, does it?” Morpheus asks before Hob can go on. “When you are… ‘Picking someone up”? He laces the words with derision and Hob huffs a laugh. Blimey, this guy is uptight. Not the hint of a smile from him. Not even an indulgent eye-roll.

“Yeah, sometimes,” he admits with a shrug. “Makes people laugh at least, starts the conversation going. It’s just a bit of lighthearted cheesiness. And hey, apparently there’s even been research about it. The things people will research nowadays, eh?”

“I see,” Morpheus’s tone is clipped. Unimpressed and dismissive.  “Well. As… illustrative as this conversation has been, I believe it is time to. Eat.” he nods his head in dismissal. “Good evening.”

[nearen]

Prompt #11: Surrogate

“There’s something I have to tell you,” they told him.

Osric let them guide him to one of the CETEA’s quiet nooks, away from the traffic and the noise of the ship’s maintenance, far from the comings and goings of the Unsung.

“I’m going back to Eorzea.”

“What, like—we’re headin’ back?”

“-No,” they clarified hesitantly. “Just me.”

“…how? You’re- catchin’ another ship?”

“I’ll use the aetheryte in Kugane to take me back to one in the Shroud.”

“Awright. So, er, is this part o’ th’ mission?”

“I’m not going to be taking any further part in the mission.” Cillenne’s eyes fled his.

“Wh.” Osric let a nervous laugh bubble up and out of him, scratching his cheek. “Why’s that? No one knows this shite better’n you.” His eyes narrowed. “They not lettin’ you? ‘Cause if—”

They raised their hands when he bristled.

“No, Os. It was my decision.”

“Huh. Well… Why? What ‘bout Charlette. Y’can’t leave her t’ do this on her own, right?”

“She’s not on her own, Osric. She has all of the Castaways, all of the Unsung behind her.”

Frustration and bewilderment warred in his creased features as he visibly struggled to decide where to start.

“She’d want you with her. Wouldn’t she?”

“…she does. But I can’t be.”

“Why?” he demanded, volume rising.

“I’m only putting her in danger if I stay here. You’ll all be in danger.”

“So? I dun get it. This whole business is nothin’ but danger. We can’t jus’ give up an’ head home ‘cause someone might get hurt. Folk will get hurt. We could lose someone. Less chance o’ that if we got an illusionist on our side, right?”

“Osric… You don’t- mh. I’m sorry. I’m not doing a good job of explaining what I mean.”

“No, yer fucken not.”

“I’ve been assessing the CETEA’s arrivals to ensure that our thief doesn’t make it aboard again. But who’s going to be able to tell if I leave the ship and come back?”

“I… Charlette, I guess? Aren’t you helpin’ her an’ Adra with that gadget what’s s’posed t’ be able t’ tell?”

“I am, but we don’t know what our adversary is capable of. If they’re able to steal the very essence of who we are, it might not work. And if it fails, how would you know I’m me? Would you be able to tell?”

Osric’s face soured.

“I’ve told you my secrets. I’ve heard yers. If it came to it, I’d know, Lenne.”

“Can you afford to doubt yourself, even for a moment? If I’m not there, and you see a vision of me, you’ll know it can’t be me, and you’ll know what to do when that time comes.”

“Wh- this is… Lenne, hells! Any one o’ us could have their face stolen. I’d never know if Imogen, or Red, Celica, or th’ rest got replaced. How’s it different fer you? If anythin’, yer th’ only one I could tell. Are you sayin’ I don’t know you?”

“No. No, it isn’t that I’m doubting you. I’m saying that even a moment’s hesitation could cost us everything. And it isn’t only that. While the CETEA was en route, we found a trap left by our adversary.”

Osric rubbed his eyes. “Whaddya mean, a trap? Are y’okay? Was anyone hurt?”

“Cain was caught up in the aetheric detonation. He doesn’t seem to have suffered any lasting effects. Charlette was with him,” they told him, prompting a nod of relief.

“I was able to repel the direct effects. But the trap was for me, Osric. We think they set it to prevent me from helping you stop them if I’d gotten free. It responded to my magic. No one else could have set it off. Now they have the tome in their possession, who’s to say what they could do? They could set an even worse trap, and I—”

“Stop. Stop. I get what this is,” Osric scoffed. “Y’jus’ don’t want t’ bear th’ weight on yer shoulders o’ someone gettin’ hurt, right? But it’s on all our shoulders, if we stick together. No one blames you fer what happened. No one’ll blame you if this don’t end well. We’re in this together, like before.”

“They do blame me, some of them. And I can’t fault them for it. I can see it in their eyes, Osric. It’s better for everyone—”

“It’s not better fer ME!” Osric snapped, so loud he almost startled himself. He stood there trembling, both of them too stunned to speak for a beat.

“I need you. You said you’d stay.” He heard his own voice crack. “This, all o’ this, it’s ‘bo shite an’ you know it! Not knowin’ who you are, traps… all a load o’ shite. All ‘cause yer afraid. Yer a fucken coward.”

They reached for him, and he ran.

[honorarysimp]

i’m so suspicious of everyone. WHAT ARE THEY ALL HIDING. WHAT ARE *YOU* HIDING? who’s in rooks head who’s in their house? i liked the creo moment. wish i could speak to crows how awesome would that be? i know i said rooks needed to run and i valued my soul over a pretty girl but i fear that’s changed. the last bit got to me i won’t lie. pretty girl with big brown eyes will never have to argue with me. whatever you say beautiful. lesbianism first, common sense and safety second. i cant help but think about everyone else’s involvement because they HAVE to be involved it’s just a matter of who knows and is actively participating. maxxxine and bobby-lynne are obviously in on it and i’d expect the others to be aware and.. supportive of their endeavors but how invested are THEY. loraine must know as well there’s no doubt about it. even if you are trying to clear her name… i’ve got my eye on her and not in the appreciative way! this never happens i absolutely need rooks out.. sorry to lorraine but rooks needs to just leave and mail her a ticket out and offer her a place (assuming they’re sorted out themselves. now i’m wondering what their life looks like away from their hometown. what could they have built for themselves. my guess is not much but i’m hoping they’ve made a friend or two and have a fun job. and now i’m wondering what they’d work as and what their daily life looks like) this is a dangerous slope cause now i must know everything. anyways not that i think mailing a ticket is ideal or would even work but it’s better than anyone being aware that she’s leaving even herself. what do you call a kidnapping in good faith? surely she’d understand (i’m having many doubts about everything i need to be in this universe and study them all) -pip(almost sent this off without the sign off again)

PIP!!!! Oh my god what a perfect way to start my morning, blessed with your conspiring rant🥹

I’ve got a backstory for what Rooks has been up to the last five years in my head, of course. All in due time, maybe, depending on which way you go at the fork in the road up ahead.