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Random Comic Panel of the Week #117
Random Comic Panel of the Week #117: Danger and Other Unknown Risks (2023, Penguin Workshop) by Erica Henderson and Ryan North
Danger and Other Unknown Risks (2023, Penguin Workshop) by Erica Henderson and Ryan North

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Around the Tubes
Comic news and reviews from around the web to start the day #comics #comicbooks
It’s a new week and we’ve got a lot coming at you! While you start your Monday, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web to start the day. CBR – Was a Marvel Comic Canceled After Being Seized at the USA/Canada Border – Hadn’t heard this one before. ICv2 – Viz to Raise Manga Prices in 2024 – Ruh Roh Raggy. Reviews Atomic Junk Shop – Black Phoenix Vol. 1CBR – Captain America: Cold…

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#black phoenix#captain america: cold war#comic books#Comics#danger and other unknown risks#derborence: when the mountain fell#manga#marvel#marvel voices: pride#spider-man: india#the joker#viz media
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Principles and Laws of Magic for Fantasy Writers
Fundamental Laws
1. Law of Conservation of Magic- Magic cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.
3. Law of Equivalent Exchange- To gain something, an equal value must be given.
5. Law of Magical Exhaustion- Using magic drains the user’s energy or life force.
Interaction and Interference
4. Law of Magical Interference- Magic can interfere with other magical effects.
6. Law of Magical Contamination- Magic can have unintended side effects.
8. Law of Magical Inertia- Magical effects continue until stopped by an equal or greater force.
Resonance and Conditions
7. Law of Magical Resonance- Magic resonates with certain materials, places, or times.
9. Law of Magical Secrecy- Magic must be kept secret from the non-magical world.
11. Law of Magical Hierarchy- Different types of magic have different levels of power and difficulty.
Balance and Consequences
10. Law of Magical Balance- Every positive magical effect has a negative consequence.
12. Law of Magical Limitation- Magic has limits and cannot solve every problem.
14. Law of Magical Rebound- Misused magic can backfire on the user.
Special Conditions
13. Law of Magical Conduits- Certain objects or beings can channel magic more effectively.
15. Law of Magical Cycles- Magic may be stronger or weaker depending on cycles (e.g., lunar phases).
17. Law of Magical Awareness- Some beings are more attuned to magic and can sense its presence.
Ethical and Moral Laws
16. Law of Magical Ethics- Magic should be used responsibly and ethically.
18. Law of Magical Consent- Magic should not be used on others without their consent.
20. Law of Magical Oaths- Magical promises or oaths are binding and have severe consequences if broken.
Advanced and Rare Laws
19. Law of Magical Evolution- Magic can evolve and change over time.
20. Law of Magical Singularities- Unique, one-of-a-kind magical phenomena exist and are unpredictable.
Unique and Imaginative Magical Laws
- Law of Temporal Magic- Magic can manipulate time, but with severe consequences. Altering the past can create paradoxes, and using time magic ages the caster rapidly.
- Law of Emotional Resonance- Magic is amplified or diminished by the caster’s emotions. Strong emotions like love or anger can make spells more powerful but harder to control.
- Law of Elemental Harmony- Magic is tied to natural elements (fire, water, earth, air). Using one element excessively can disrupt the balance and cause natural disasters.
- Law of Dream Magic- Magic can be accessed through dreams. Dreamwalkers can enter others’ dreams, but they risk getting trapped in the dream world.
- Law of Ancestral Magic- Magic is inherited through bloodlines. The strength and type of magic depend on the caster’s ancestry, and ancient family feuds can influence magical abilities.
- Law of Symbiotic Magic- Magic requires a symbiotic relationship with magical creatures. The caster and creature share power, but harming one affects the other.
- Law of Forgotten Magic- Ancient spells and rituals are lost to time. Discovering and using forgotten magic can yield great power but also unknown dangers.
- Law of Magical Echoes- Spells leave behind echoes that can be sensed or traced. Powerful spells create stronger echoes that linger longer.
- Law of Arcane Geometry- Magic follows geometric patterns. Spells must be cast within specific shapes or alignments to work correctly.
- Law of Celestial Magic- Magic is influenced by celestial bodies. Spells are stronger during certain astronomical events like eclipses or planetary alignments.
- Law of Sentient Magic- Magic has a will of its own. It can choose to aid or hinder the caster based on its own mysterious motives.
- Law of Shadow Magic- Magic can manipulate shadows and darkness. Shadowcasters can travel through shadows but are vulnerable to light.
- Law of Sympathetic Magic- Magic works through connections. A spell cast on a representation of a person (like a doll or portrait) affects the actual person.
- Law of Magical Artifacts- Certain objects hold immense magical power. These artifacts can only be used by those deemed worthy or who possess specific traits.
- Law of Arcane Paradoxes- Some spells create paradoxes that defy logic. These paradoxes can have unpredictable and often dangerous outcomes.
- Law of Elemental Fusion- Combining different elemental magics creates new, hybrid spells with unique properties and effects.
- Law of Ethereal Magic- Magic can interact with the spirit world. Ethereal mages can communicate with spirits, but prolonged contact can blur the line between life and death.
- Law of Arcane Symbiosis- Magic can bond with technology, creating magical machines or enchanted devices with extraordinary capabilities.
- Law of Dimensional Magic- Magic can open portals to other dimensions. Dimensional travelers can explore alternate realities but risk getting lost or encountering hostile beings.
- Law of Arcane Sacrifice- Powerful spells require a sacrifice, such as a cherished memory, a personal item, or even a part of the caster’s soul.
#writer#writing#writer things#writerblr#writerscorner#writing inspiration#writing tips#author#writers and poets#ao3 writer#writeblr#fantasy writer#sci fi and fantasy#writing inspo#writing resources#dnd campaign#dnd character#character development#original character#amwriting#writers community#writer stuff#writing blog#writers block#writerscommunity#worldbuilding#world building#fantasy series
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time flies...
when captain jenna assigns you to infiltrate an intel hub disguised as a jazz club in the N109 zone, you make one simple request to the universe: don’t let me run into my ex. that prayer goes unanswered. but others? you might just get lucky.
pairing: exbf!sylus x female reader warnings: MDNI, explicit sexual content, porn w plot, porn w feelings, exes w unresolved tension, possessive behavior / mild jealousy, loooots of banter, thigh rubbing build up, dirty talk, like filthy, bratty!mc, sylus wants you so bad, walk him like a dog sis, oral (m & f), eating from the back, fingering, unprotected sex, rough sex, mating press, cumming inside a/n: wrote this with one hand!!!!! i need this man so bad!!!!!!!! wc: 5.9k

"....located in the N109 zone. any questions?"
and then she shot you. captain jenna—your fierce and until approximately five seconds ago, loyally trusted commander—had just fired her pistol at you within point-blank range.
you swallowed the bullet lodged in your throat before responding, reaching deep within yourself to appear as neutral as possible.
"no, captain!"
damn it all. of course your previous experience in the N109 zone would put you at the top of the list for this mission. unknown to your captain though, you'd rather chew on knives than risk a chance encounter with your ex boyfriend.
but since the intel she's assigned you to look into involves a new strain of protocore tech that mimics wanderer signatures, making it nearly undetectable and dangerous for all factions, it was high priority. and unfortunately for you, the same thought was likely running through his mind.
it'd been months since your messy breakup, months since you've spoken to each other. he wouldn't dare try anything again, especially in a compromised place like a covert jazz club.
when it came to sylus, however, you knew better.
you run through the briefing details once more in your head. this intel hub operates like most others in the N109 zone: secretive and precise. a surefire way to get yourself killed in places like these is by looking confused or unsure.
your orders are to tell the bouncer you're searching for a man wearing green inside, the color being code for the information category. according to association intel, green signifies everything related to protocores. once inside, you're to head to the bar and order an emerald isle, the contents being a gin and mint martini. the mint serving as a tip-off that you're looking for fresh, new information.
from there, you're basically on your own. the guise of a jazz club is intentional, patrons are to fraternize with their drinks visible in hand, searching for people with similar colored ones. once you find someone, you relay what drink you ordered, and if they have information on such a topic, they'll take a sip from your drink.
the catch? no refills allowed. if the person has irrelevant information, you've wasted part of your opportunity.
you saunter up to the entrance of the club, your black maxi dress shaping your body perfectly and almost causing you to disappear into the low lighting, exactly as planned. if the situation were to get threatening, your dress wouldn't be a risk.
however, this mission required you to look enticing while eyes were on you. the low, fishtail back and thin straps were sure to prompt onlookers to approach you and chat. you'd keep them in line, if not with words then with your loaded gun strapped firmly to your thigh.
you smile sweetly at the bouncer, saying everything required and getting inside without breaking a sweat. the club is busy, but not overwhelmingly so. you do a full room scan and mentally note that there are around 8 people with green drinks in hand—all at different levels of fullness. after you order the emerald isle, you make your way to the floor.
time to hunt.
the moment you walked in, sylus choked on his drink.
of course you'd be the one sent here. of course the same woman who hadn’t so much as looked at him in months would stroll back into his life with a drink coded for protocore intel.
the very thing that blew everything apart.
you hadn’t changed a bit. still walked like you owned the room. still wore danger like perfume. and those straps clinging to your body? a challenge written in silk. that dress wasn’t for him, he knew that, but he couldn’t help but wonder if some part of you knew he’d be here. if some part of you wanted him to look.
hell, he was looking. couldn’t stop, actually.
he leaned back in his seat on the second-floor balcony, his eyes locked on your every move through the dim haze and low lights. moments ago, he’d been halfway through a trade with the scrawny male seated across from him. but now, the man might as well be invisible. sylus couldn’t care less about anything that didn’t involve looking at you.
he watched you flash that fake, pretty smile—the one you wore while you were on missions. no one else would know the difference. but he did.
when he saw the color of your drink, he almost laughed. no doubt you were here for information surrounding the new wanderer mimicking tech. the irony twisted like a blade between his ribs.
you hated him for hiding his connections to protocore manufacturing. said it was betrayal. said you couldn't trust someone who kept secrets like that. but you never saw the full picture. he was protecting you from yourself.
you didn’t understand, maybe you still don't, but he hadn’t been lying to hurt you. he knew what getting you involved would cost. he knew you, and the second you found out the truth about what exactly onychinus was sponsoring, it'd drag you into the depths of the mystery surrounding your aether core. he knew you wouldn't be able to stop pursuing it all, no matter what it did to you.
and now, here you were. wading waist-deep into the same fire he lost you to.
sylus clenched his jaw, his fingers tightening around his glass. he should look away. should let you do what you came here to do.
but then some lowlife in a tacky rust-colored suit slithered up to you, requesting a dance. he was too close. acted too familiar. sylus watched your smile shift into something tight and forced. the kind you used when you were baiting someone.
no.
he wasn’t going to just sit back. not when you were back in his orbit, whether you meant to be or not. and not when he still wanted you just as badly as the day you walked away.
this had to be some sort of punishment. you must’ve pissed off the universe in a past life to end up pressed against a man wearing the ugliest rust-colored suit known to mankind. he smelled like sweat masked with cheap cologne. every inch of him screamed sleaze. yet, here you were, letting him touch you. because, of course, the filthiest bastard in the room had the most valuable intel so far. and with your drink nearly empty, you couldn’t afford to cut the dance short.
his grimy left hand rested on your waist—drifting lower with each passing second—while his other clung to his green drink like he planned to propose to it before the night was over.
"...only sold to the 1%, then trickling downwards to whoever can afford those prices. say darling, you oughta come home with me tonight. there's a lot more i can tell ya, you know, in private." his voice dripped like oil, and as he leaned in to whisper the last part, his fingers slid beneath the open hem of your back.
you resisted the overwhelming urge to pull out your pistol and really show him something private.
instead, you forced a breath and put on a tight smile. a smile that was nowhere near reaching your eyes, barely a curl on your lips. then you steered him back to the reason you were even still breathing the same air. “who are they buying from? is there no logo? no trace of manufacturing?”
“not a thing,” he said, grinning like he thought he was clever. “but I did hear some old abandoned buildings around the N109 zone have been lighting up lately. enough space to test high risk tech in those.”
you could barely hold back your eye roll. the way he spoke, like you owed him something just for opening his mouth, grated on every nerve in your body. and he looked at you like he planned to collect on that imagined debt in full.
“where’s the closest one?” your tone had a sharp edge now. his fingers kept wandering, and your patience was running thin. you needed this conversation over. and this man dead.
"hmm? not far from here. i'd say about—”
he didn’t get to finish.
a tall figure stepped between you and the creep, sliding a hand onto your waist in place of the one you'd been seconds from snapping in half. you didn’t need to look. didn’t need to double check.
you could recognize sylus by touch alone.
“mind if I cut in?” he said smoothly, his voice low and razor-sharp. “this man appears to be more thirsty than classy.”
you sighed. worst timing possible.
"no, thank you. that’s the idea,” you replied coolly, but it didn’t matter.
sylus had already made his move. the shorter man stumbled back, face ghost-white, mumbling something that sounded like an apology—or maybe a prayer—before scurrying off as if sylus had just rearranged his face with a look alone.
then, he turned to you.
he didn’t speak at first, only stared. like he couldn’t breathe, like he couldn’t believe you were real. his gaze swept over you, slow and starving, as if he were trying to memorize every inch before you vanished again. not a trace of a smirk, just a man who’d been sucker punched by the sight of you.
but eventually, sylus flipped the mental switch. he stepped closer, hand outstretched, voice as smooth as sin, "this place was dangerous before you walked in. now, it doesn’t stand a chance.”
you stared at him, unblinking, letting the silence hang just long enough to make your point. the theatrics didn’t impress you, but the corner of your mouth twitched anyway, a reflex you hated. with another sigh you stepped forward, your hand sliding into his like muscle memory.
before you could get a word in, sylus reached for the drink still in your hand. his fingers brushed yours, unhurried and deliberate, as he took it from you without asking to silently relieve the burden.
his other hand found your waist and you let yours rest on his shoulders, the familiar feel of him under your fingertips sending a shiver through you.
it was dangerous how easy it was. how quickly your steps matched the rhythm. how naturally your body leaned into his, like the time apart had never happened. the jazz music swelled around you and you both moved with it like something practiced in another life.
then his mouth was near your ear, voice dipping low as the air between you tightened. “careful. you dance like someone who remembers exactly how I feel.”
“i dance like someone who can’t wait for this song to end," you shot back, your tone sharp enough to cut.
"no," he said, like he knew something you didn't. "you dance like someone pretending the space between us isn't pulling you in.”
a tense beat passed.
"poetic. a bit too drab for my taste, unfortunately."
“you used to like the way I spoke when it was your name in my mouth.” his voice danced down your spine like a dirty promise, hot enough to make your stomach twist.
you hated it. hated that he still had this hold on you. that months later, you still reacted.
you bit back, voice steady and full of edge. “and you used to listen when I said no.”
“you never said no when it was just the two of us.”
his tone was so unbothered, so undeniably sylus. you hated how your chest ached at that. you'd buried that version of you with him a long time ago. or at least you thought you had.
you glared at him, trying to telepathically communicate how badly you wanted him to burn.
the song then faded into a slower, darker tune. like even the music knew how deadly this was becoming.
you stepped back, but only a hair. not enough to give him the satisfaction. just enough to remind yourself you still could.
his gaze followed the retreat like it hurt him to let you go. “how did you find out about this hub? did you come alone?”
you didn’t answer. instead, you turned from him. a clean, intentional break. you were done letting him circle you like he still had the right.
but his fingers caught your wrist before you could fully disappear from him again, placing your hand back on his shoulder.
“an emerald isle,” he murmured. “what intel are you here for?”
you looked him dead in the eyes, annoyance painting your features. “sooo many questions. do you always get this chatty when you're trying not to look desperate?"
god, he missed you. missed when you got like this with him. he loved nothing more than when you challenged him, rough and biting.
“just concerned, sweetie. especially if what you know brought you here…" his smile curled as he spoke. "…looking like this.”
“that's too bad. you don’t get to play protective anymore. that role expired." your voice came out flat and cold, like you had rehearsed the indifference.
“mmm. but it seems your feelings for me haven’t, kitten.”
“funny. i don’t remember ever admitting I had them.”
“no? then why are your thighs tensing like they remember everything?”
your breath hitched. not loud, but enough to make you furious with yourself. heat flushed up your throat, mortification and memory colliding in the worst possible way. you hated that he noticed. hated more that he was right. that your body reacted before your mind could catch up.
you didn’t let the silence stretch. couldn’t let it stretch.
"you're in my way."
sylus tilted his head, the smirk on his lips making your blood boil. “and you’re in my thoughts. every day. every night. doesn’t feel fair, does it?”
“what’s not fair is how your ego somehow survived our breakup.” you spoke through gritted teeth, still recovering from his last blow.
“you don’t have to say it," he was grinning now—the bastard. "i can feel it.”
“what, your neediness?” you practically spit back, the tension between you thick enough to choke on.
“yours, actually. you’re shaking, kitten."
“it’s rage.”
“mmm. is that what we’re calling want these days?”
before you could fire off something scathing, sylus wrapped his fingers around your wrist again and this time he pulls. not hard, just enough to close the last of the distance. chest brushing chest, breath mingling in the small space in between your lips.
“you think I don’t know that look in your eyes? that tilt in your hips when you dance near me? you want distance, yet your body keeps inching closer," his voice was low, fever laced into every syllable. "what am I to believe?”
“i'm working, sylus. this—” you gestured between your bodies, the closeness, the feelings, all of it. “—can’t happen again."
his smirk fades, but not into hurt. into hunger. “then tell me to stop.”
you don't.
his fingers trace the underside of your jaw, measured and daring.
“say it." he murmurs. "say stop.”
but you don't. you can’t. your lips part, but not for protest. then—
“is there a problem here?” a voice cuts through from behind, snapping the spell. a man steps between you and sylus, eyes flickering between your faces. “doesn’t look like you want to be with him, sweetheart. just say the word.”
“step back,” sylus says before you can even breathe, his tone icy. possessive. “you’re in her space. that’s the problem.”
the man falters, visibly unsettled by the sharp gleam of red in sylus’ eye. “i’m sure she’d prefer someone who doesn’t drag her around the dance floor.”
sylus smirks at him, deadly calm. “she’s exactly where she wants to be.”
it seems the man recognizes onychinus' leader, because that’s all it takes. the man backs off without another word.
you let the silence settle, pulse still fluttering from both the interruption and everything before it.
“jealousy doesn’t suit you,” you tease, turning your head just enough to draw his eyes back to your mouth.
“neither does watching you pretend you don’t miss me,” he shoots back, matching your quip as he always excelled at doing.
“i don’t.”
he smirks. “liar.”
your voice sharpens. “we’re broken up, sylus. don’t you recall?”
his gaze doesn’t waver. “i remember everything. your laugh. your skin. the way you used to—”
“don’t,” you cut in, voice like a blade. “you don’t get to say those things anymore.”
he leans in anyway, close enough that you can taste the desire radiating off him.
“then stop looking at me like that.”
“like what?” you hiss.
his mouth curved with mischief and warning. “like you want me to follow you upstairs.”
you blinked, heart slamming so hard it hurt. and for one breath, you let yourself feel it, all the pain he left behind.
then you swallowed it whole, and drowned in him.
as you both slipped out of sight from the crowded dance floor, sylus tugged you closer, kissing you like he’d been starved. your bodies stumbled up the stairs, hands tangled and desperate, a hunger between you that neither could deny. he pressed you against the wall at the top of the stairs, his lips trailing down your neck, each kiss an act of claiming. you felt his eagerness press against you and your head swirled deliciously.
“i can feel how badly you want me,” you taunt, chest rising as you fight for composure. “want me so bad you’d drop to your knees if I told you to, wouldn’t you?”
"you could make me beg for you. and more." he pressed into you, harder now. his body solid against yours as the air became thick with want. “but we both know you want to be the one on your knees."
you pull off him with a smirk of your own, opening the closest door and leading him inside. “you think you’re the only one who knows how to play this game?”
once you both stepped into the room, you shove sylus back onto the bed. his handsome face tipped up at you from where he landed, eyes cocky and smug despite being beneath you.
"i’m the one who taught you how to play, sweetie.”
you lock the door behind you with a click, leaving him on the bed to watch every calculated move you made.
you turn to face him. your steps unhurried, hips swaying like a predator with a plan. his gaze devours you as you reach the center of the room and spin your back to him.
the low hem of your dress dips scandalously, held up only by two delicate straps. you slide one down, then the other. the fabric sinks down your body, every inch a show for the man breathing heavier by the second.
the fabric hits the floor and you step out of it and cross the room. sylus sits on the edge of the bed, legs spread like he's trying not to burst at the sight of you.
you drop to your knees before him, fingers ghosting up his thighs.
you undo his belt like it’s second nature, because it is, but this time there's no soft glances or whispered promises. only tension, sweat, and the sharp edge of something darker.
you shift him out of his underwear and he's already leaking, throbbing for you. you pull him out slow, eyes locked on his like a dare. despite taking him plenty of times before, his huge length still intimidated you. and made your mouth water.
then, with his hard cock still in your hands, you tilt your head back and loll your tongue out with a dirty smile.
“fuck,” he breathes, before leaning forward and spitting directly into your open mouth.
you swirl it around with your tongue, exaggerated and filthy, before letting it drip from your lips straight onto the tip of his cock. you stroke him with it, twisting your wrist just right, watching him twitch and strain in your grasp as you spread the mess down him.
sylus manages a breathless smirk. “has our time apart made you dirtier?” his voice is wrecked. “or have you missed me this much?”
you drag your tongue up his length, lingering on his sensitive vein, then pull back with a wet pop. the action drives him wild, and he has to bite his lip to stop himself from groaning.
your eyes gleam with something wicked. “you’re so much more attractive when you’re moaning for me instead of talking.”
your lips part again, this time to take him in painfully slow. you twirl your tongue around his tip, the taste so familiar it makes your eyes roll back. the mix of fluids slick his cock all the way down to the base, your lips shiny and swollen around him.
then you sink lower and he can’t stop staring. can’t stop twitching in your mouth like he’s about to blow from just the sound of your gag. his hips jerk when the tip hits the back of your throat, and you pull off again with a sinful smirk.
“you always get so twitchy when i barely touch you,” you purr, stroking him with lazy precision. “what happened to that control you're so proud of?”
his jaw tightens at your jab, hands gripping the edge of the bed so hard his knuckles go white. while he did enjoy you challenging him, you were working his last nerve.
you lean in once more, smiling with satisfaction at his reaction. your movement light on his aching cock, suckling and teasing, never committing. your hands move unhurried, your mouth even slower, and his whole body is trembling from restraint.
sylus lets out a low, ruined growl. “keep teasing me and you'll regret it, kitten.”
“is that a threat or a promise?” you whisper, licking along the underside of his shaft. “because it sounds a lot like begging to me.”
his hands tremor like he wants to grab you, but you stay in control. for now.
you now take him with vigor, enough to make him moan, then stop. again. and again. always just a little more, never enough. he's throbbing in your grip, leaking like he could cum from this alone.
“fuck,” he mutters. “you’re gonna drive me insane.”
you pout with faux innocence. “what, this?” you give him a long, slow lick, eyes full of mockery. “close already?”
and then he snaps.
in a blur of motion, sylus grabs you by the hair, pulls you up, and throws you onto the bed, flat on your back.
you barely have time to gasp before he's on you, all passion and vengeance. he slides between your thighs, yanking your panties off like they personally committed your aggravating acts.
“you wanna tease?” he snarls, breath hot against your inner thigh. “then fucking take it.”
his mouth hovers just above your dripping cunt, teasing you now. his turn to play. he breathes against your folds, lips barely brushing, just enough to make you whimper.
“what’s wrong, sweetie?” he taunts, voice thick with revenge and lust. “thought you liked going slow.”
you reach down and twist your fingers in his hair, yanking his face into you with a growl of your own.
“eat. or i will ride your face and make you regret waiting.”
sylus keens at your words, tongue diving in like a man starved. he loved when you got rough with him, turning him on like no other.
you moan right back at the feeling of him, legs already starting to shake. there's no more teasing in his movements, he’s messy, frantic, seemingly obsessed. his mouth is somehow everywhere at once, like he’s trying to drown in your taste.
you writhe under him, losing every ounce of control you once held. and he doesn’t stop. not even when your thighs close around his head. not even when you scream his name.
there’s no finesse, just open mouthed hunger, his tongue and lips on a mission to touch every part of you. then he adds two fingers, slipping in deep and curling them just right, hitting that spot you never could on your own. you gush around them, soaking his hand, and he groans like the mess is a gift.
you clutch the sheets below you, the sensation too much and not enough. every time his nose nudges your clit, every hit of his perfectly angled fingers, your body jolts. the bed creaks below you as he pushes you closer and closer to that high you've been chasing for months. but nothing, nothing, ever touched you like this.
your orgasm starts barreling toward you and right when you're on the cusp of mind numbing pleasure—
he slows down.
right as your toes curl and your thighs tense, he pulls back. you whine, strung out and soaked.
you’re about to beg when you notice the bed is still shaking. not just from you.
sylus is grinding against the mattress. hard and desperate.
you let out a breathless, evil little laugh. “you’re humping the bed? i’m the one getting eaten alive, and you’re the one falling apart?”
you should’ve stopped there. you really should’ve.
but you smirk, lift your hips so you can meet his eyes, and whisper, “what, couldn’t wait your turn?”
his face changes at that, deep and pissed, then he grabs your hips and flips you onto all fours like you weigh nothing.
“should’ve filled your throat with cum to shut that mouth,” he hisses into your ear.
before you can reply, his hands are spreading you open and his mouth is back on you. from behind.
his tongue laps at your entrance, filthy and unrelenting, while his fingers sneak down to bully your clit in ruthless circles. your arms give out at the same time as your legs begin to buckle, but he doesn’t let you fall. one strong arm wraps around your waist whilst the other pleasures you without mercy.
you greedily grind your ass into his face and he groans at the action like he wants to live between your thighs. you clench around his tongue, fluids mixing together, and the mess just spurs you on further. spurs him on further. the building liquids slide down your legs, coating his face and all he wants is more.
you’re about to fall apart all over again when he pulls away in one fluid motion.
your body collapses onto the bed, shaking from the sudden change. you roll onto your back, dazed and desperate.
sylus wipes his mouth on the back of his hand, not even trying to be subtle, and spreads your legs wide. his eyes drink in the sight, as if your glistening pussy was some divine offering.
you pout, fingers drifting toward your clit, desperate to finish what he stole. but sylus grabs your wrist, pins it above your head, and lines himself up with you. his neglected cock dripping with precum as he slides it between your folds.
you bite your lip at how heavy and huge he is. the head alone makes your thighs tremble.
then he leans down, mouth right against your ear.
“you’re not cumming,” he murmurs, slow and cruel, “unless it’s on my cock.”
your breath stutters. it’s been months since you took him, months since your body was trained for that stretch. he was so big, it hurt. you swallow hard, pride burning at your own words.
"just… not too fast,” you say, trying to stay steady. “okay?”
he tilts his head, mocking you with that fake-soft voice. “of course, sweetie. whatever you need.”
he kissed your forehead like the lover he once was.
then slammed his full length inside you.
your mouth opens in a silent scream. he’s thick, obscene, and the sudden stretch makes your vision fade out. you claw at his biceps, nails digging in, but he doesn't care.
“you thought that bratty little attitude was gonna earn you favors?” he grits out, voice strained and dark with desire.
he pulls out almost completely, then drives back in deeper. harder.
“be good and take it.”
your mind is reeling, your body even worse. you're clenching around him like a vice, almost trying to force him to slow down. he doesn't.
in fact, he lets go of the hand pinning yours above your head and grabs your hips instead, tilting them up and fucking into you faster. he’d force you to take it. you always liked it rough.
"just needed some dick to shut you up, hmm?" he stated, each word hitting with the rhythm of his thrusts.
you almost choke. he was drilling so deep it felt like he was aiming for your throat. his hand then slid over your stomach and pressed down, and he grinned above you like the smug devil he is when he felt himself moving inside you.
"shut up—nghh—'n fuck me harder." you manage out, your tone not matching the challenge in your voice even slightly.
your body remembered him now. that stretch, that angle. you were soaking him, walls practically begging for him. his cock slipped in and out like he owned it. because he does.
sylus realizes it too, because he leans in, pushing impossibly deeper before gloating in your face. "this pussy missed me. she’s crying for it."
you try to snap something back, something sharp, anything to bite into his smugness. but it dies on your tongue the second his hips grind into yours. his cock drags deep and slow, just once, and your whole body locks up. the stretch is somehow overwhelming and perfect. like you were made for him.
your fingers scramble over his back, clinging to him for stability, but all you can manage is a strangled, “fuck, sylus—”
his rhythm falters, just for a second, but you feel it. his gaze snaps to yours, suddenly serious. his body stills then, cock twitching inside you. it seemed like he was searching for something in you that he was too scared to name.
he leans in once more, but this time not to hit deeper. to look at you, really look. his breath fanned your lips, your cheeks, your throat.
"you missed me too," he says. no question in it.
you want to lie. bite back with something petty and proud. but your pussy clenches around him like it’s answering for you, loud and shameless.
your chest heaves as you stare up at him. your throat aches from holding back all the things you swore you’d never say.
and still, you whisper it.
“yours.”
sylus goes rigid at your confession.
you feel a shudder pass through his entire body. he clenched his jaw while his hands trembled against your waist, grip tightening. then something breaks. he manhandles your thighs up and wide, body looming over yours.
“say it again.” he demands in between guttural grunts. “say you’re mine.”
you wail at the change in position, tears prickling at the corners of your eyes and pleasure twisting in your belly like a storm. “'m yours. fuck—sylus, i’m yours.”
his chest pins your thighs to your torso, folding you nearly in half. the angle makes your head dizzy, an entirely new world of bliss. you’re split open, completely at his mercy, and your cunt pulses around him like it knows it’s where it belongs.
“fucking say it while I ruin you.” his voice cracks, hips pistoning forward again and again. he’s completely unraveling, thrusts messier now, more desperate.
you chant it like a mantra. “yours, yours, yours—”
“look at you,” he grunts, sweat dripping from his jaw onto your chest. “taking me so good now. tight little pussy just needed a reminder.”
his pace is brutal and unrelenting. your thighs shake, pinned wide open, helpless to do anything but feel every inch of him. be filled by him.
his eyes don’t leave yours. there’s hunger there, but you also notice something raw too. that longing feeling you thought only you felt.
sylus dips down, lips brushing yours, and murmurs against your mouth. “you really gonna go back out there like this?”
you blink at him, dazed. “huh?”
“full of me,” he snarls, hitting deep enough to knock the breath from your lungs. “my cum soaking your thighs while you try to finish your mission. think you can keep it in?”
you moan loudly at his filthy words and he grins against your cheek.
“say you want it. say you want me to fill you up.”
you don’t even hesitate.
“yes please! sylus, want it!”
“say it right.” he commands, snapping his hips so hard the bed frame groans. “tell me who you belong to.”
“you! ’m yours—fuck—please cum inside me!”
he loses it.
his grip tightens bruisingly on your hips, dragging you down to meet every savage thrust. the drag of his cock is erratic, his body shuddering above yours.
“gonna fill you up,” he pants, “make you mine all over again—shit!—you’re gonna leak for me, kitten. gonna walk outta here with my cum dripping down your thighs and everyone knowing you let me claim you.”
the possessiveness in his voice sends you spiraling. your pussy clenches tight, fluttering around him like your body’s already begging for it. the tension in your belly coils impossibly tight. every hard, brutal thrust inside you making your vision blur.
“sylus,” you gasp, pitch high and breathless, “close, please—”
“you wanna cum on my cock?” he asked, slamming into you with the full force of his weight. “wanna milk me while I fill this cunt up?”
you nod frantically, tears spilling down your cheeks. “yes, yes! please, wanna cum with you, wanna feel you!”
sylus drops his head to your shoulder, teeth scraping your skin. "go on, then. show me how bad you want me."
and you do.
you shatter with a loud cry, your orgasm hitting like a wave that floods your senses. you clench tight around him in spasms that make your back arch off the bed and your fingers dig into his back to anchor yourself. you sob his name as your pussy pulses around him, your entire body wrung out and shaking.
“that’s it,” he moans deeply, his rhythm stuttering as your walls clamp down. “so tight—”
and he’s right there with you.
with a sharp groan, he drives himself deep to bury every inch inside. his hips jerk and his cock twitches as he spills into you, hot and thick. his voice breaks as he utters your name out like a prayer. one hand squeezes your thigh tight while the other trembles on your waist, trying to hold himself together while he fills you up.
you’re shaking, panting into his shoulder, pulling him close as his warmth spills into you. he doesn’t pull out. not yet. just stays there, breathing ragged against your skin, forehead pressed to yours.
your body trembles with aftershocks, cunt fluttering weakly around his cock, milking every drop from him like your body refuses to let him go.
“fuck,” he whispers, voice almost gentle. “you were made for me.”
you’re still dazed, your brain lagging behind the high. you can feel him dripping out of you already, warm and slick between your thighs.
he leans in, brushing a kiss to your temple, like the lover he is.
“you better squeeze those legs shut when you leave,” he murmurs, cocky smirk creeping back in. “i don’t want anyone seeing what’s mine.”
a/n(2): first time writing sylus, hope i did him justice >_< likes and reblogs r super appreciated, lmk your thoughts on this!!!
@mcdepressed290 here is your tag friend as requested. hope u enjoy!!!
#love and deepspace#love and deepspace sylus#sylus#lnds sylus#lnds#lnds smut#lads sylus#lads smut#lads sylus smut#love and deepspace sylus smut#l&ds sylus#l&ds smut#sylus smut#l&ds sylus smut#sylus qin#lnd smut#sylus x mc#sylus x reader#sylus x you#lads#lads mc#lads x reader#lnds x you#lnds mc#lnds sylus smut#l&ds#l&ds x you#l&ds x reader#l&ds mc#smut
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Some Notes on Mydei's Characterization (Part 1)

I'm already tired of seeing Mydei slander (if I have to read "He's a brawn over brains berserker who just cares about fighting" one more time, I might actually die), so I thought I'd put together some quick notes on what canon has to say about Mydei's character. Please note this post contains only my own interpretations of canon material; not everyone will interpret scenes in the same manner.
Starting with some of the most off-base stuff I've seen first:
1. Being Capable of Violence is Not the Same as Being Violent
Mydei's trailer and his role in the story both confirm that he is capable of extreme acts of violence. When it comes to battle, multiple people--Eurypon and Phainon, for example--refer to Mydei specifically as a "beast," rather than a person. In his character stories, we're told that he was such a ferocious predator in the Sea of Souls that even monsters stopped coming near him, and in another of his character stories, he's described as tearing the throat out of an opposing enemy who had an army a thousand men strong. It is a basic and unavoidable fact of Mydei's character that he is capable not only of killing but of killing in egregiously brutal ways, literally tearing his enemies apart with his bare hands.
Mydei will fight, he will cause harm, and he will kill--whenever it is necessary to do so.
But there is an extreme world of difference between being capable of violence and actually being a violent person, and Mydei has shown, in both word and deed, that he is an inherently gentle character who, if given the option, would prefer to choose the path of least harm.
Over and over, the devs hit us players with the idea that Mydei's actual nature is one that abhors needless violence. We see this from his first character story, where Mydei--despite being thrown into the Sea of Souls as an infant, despite fighting every single day of his childhood just to survive--is described as saving drowning fishermen with no reward. Even the author of the legend points out the incongruity of this choice, saying "Why would a Kremnoan ever bother to save others?"
Remember that this is a Mydei who has had literally no human contact. He has no frame of reference for even the concept of generosity. If we take his story seriously, then despite being effectively feral at this point in time, his innate reaction to seeing others in danger was simply to provide aid. Even when his own survival was the only thing he had experience with, he still chose to selflessly save others, with no motivation other than the fact that benevolence appears to be his core nature.
Reinforcing this idea that Mydei is an inherently gentle person, there's the memory in Castrum Kremnos where an unknown someone asks Mydei what his dream is, with the only acceptable options being different combat roles. But Mydei's answers are charmingly abstract instead--young Mydei doesn't want to be a soldier and bring harm to others, he wants to be a wanderer or even a "beam of light."
(Saw some interesting talk linking this "beam of light" with Kephale recently too. I'm very interested to see whether the upcoming patches will tie these connections together or if we're all just reading too much into things lolol.)
3.0's plot hammered this home as well, with Mydei continually disputing Aglaea's mission requests; Aglaea says that sending too many Chrysos Heirs to fight Nikador would be a waste (in case they end up dying), to which Mydei responds that there's no point in needlessly risking people's lives.
Even the 3.0 side quests repeat this message, with one Kremnoan NPC, Aelius, noting that an assassin tried to murder him on his first day in Okhema. Instead of responding with force, as might be justified by the severity of the crime, Mydei--brand-new to Okhema and their ways himself!--still chose diplomacy, and went to the Council of Okhema to legally ensure the Kremnoan people's safety, instead of directly seeking vengeance.
Even a small scene in Kremnos's ruins gives the devs an opportunity to show that Mydei prefers to exhibit aggression only when threatened first: As the Trailblazer and Co. wander through the Soul-Forging Zone, the group meets a half-crazed titankin. Obviously it poses a danger and could become a more serious threat in an instant, but Mydei doesn't offer it any resistance. It isn't violent with him, so he has no reason or motivation to be violent with it... as opposed to Phainon, whose first reaction is immediately to attack.
(If you choose to kill it, by the way, Mydei scolds Phainon and the Trailblazer, effectively calling them bloodthirsty executioners...)
When Krateros attempts to manipulate Mydei using Mydei's mother's wishes, urging him to continue the cycle of domination in Kremnos, Mydei stops him cold by pointing out that (like Mydei who inherited her beliefs) he knows Gorgo was opposed to violence for violence's sake:
Then, of course, there's the entire deal about refusing the crown of Kremnos, breaking his people's endless cycle of violent lives and even more violent deaths and repeatedly refusing Nikador's power because Mydei had no desire to become Strife. Despite revering his people's god for what Nikador was supposed to be--the guardian who sacrificed everything to protect Amphoreus--the game repeatedly tells us that Mydei sees Kremnos's cultural tradition of conquest as a meaningless waste of life, glorifying cruelty for no reason and bringing nothing but harm to the Kremnoans and Amphoreus as a whole.
Mydei fought hard to not become the demigod of Strife. At every turn, he was pressured and manipulated by others against his expressly stated wishes, and ultimately was left with no choice but to accept the destiny forced upon him despite clearly longing for a different, gentler life. Although I'll talk more about this later, the fact that Mydei even went so far as to change his name among the Chrysos Heirs shows us just how intensely he was trying to separate himself from his own past and from Kremnos's bloody history. Mydei wanted to be a person, yet in the end, he was forced back into being a beast, into becoming the symbol of violence, the very thing that took everything good from his life.
(This isn't a shipping post, but Phainon's efforts to take on Nikador's coreflame can be read to at least some extent as a rescue attempt--despite himself believing that Mydei was the better fit for Strife, Phainon saw how sincerely Mydei did not want to take the coreflame trial, and at least in small part, Phainon did take on the trial to spare Mydei from that inevitability. Personally, I think this failure will eventually be one of the linchpins that brings Amphoreus crumbling down, because Phainon was supposed to be everyone's hero, but just like Cyrene, he failed to save Mydei.)
I've seen some people debating this idea that Mydei is not a violent person by pointing out that Phainon calls him "reckless when he gets the urge to kill." In 3.0, Phainon implies that Mydei could even hurt other people with his recklessness in battle. But... we have never seen Mydei ever bring any harm in battle to someone he didn't intend to hurt. No one innocent ever gets injured in-game by Mydei (at least so far...), and we have no indications at any point that Mydei would intentionally endanger others out of recklessness. In fact, even in their first scene, it's Mydei who scolds Phainon for being careless during battle.
For example, Mydei's first reaction to confronting Nikador was to immediately remove Phainon and the Trailblazer from the fight so that they wouldn't come to harm. Even inside the coreflame trial, while the power of Strife was driving Phainon mad, Mydei was still level-headed enough to rally the Trailblazer and Dan Heng and get Phainon out safe. Mydei was still rational enough to even recognize the Okhemans inside the illusion and say "This isn't who these people really are; they're being twisted by Nikador."
Is this really the behavior of a reckless person who loses his sense of reason in battle?
To be honest, players should take most of what Phainon actually says about Mydei with a grain of salt. Phainon, especially during 3.0, doesn't actually know Mydei's whole story (for one, he has a foot in mouth moment in 3.0 where he tells Mydei to make more friends, only to then find out in 3.1 that Mydei had more friends; they just all died), and we know that Phainon often exaggerates Mydei in many ways when talking to others. Mydei may be reckless in battle--but his recklessness almost certainly centers on himself, being willing to risk his own life, rather than others'. This is echoed again in his "Keeping Up With Star Rail" video, where Phainon comments on Mydei's complete lack of self-defense once he enters battle. While Phainon might think Mydei's lack of attention to his own pain is worth calling out, it isn't a sign that Mydei is genuinely a mindless berserker.
I've also seen people debating this point by saying that Mydei appears to go "crazy" in battle and starts grinning when he gets a battle high. But as for Mydei's smiling in battle, we really only see it three times: 1) When Phainon first returns to Okhema, 2) When Mydei finally engages in solo combat with Nikador, and 3) When engaged in solo combat after all his allies in the coreflame trial already "died."
Again, this isn't a shipping post, so write the first smile for Phainon off as you choose--maybe Mydei's just excited to have the opportunity to flex in front of his "rival." The other two smiles are admittedly a bit unhinged, but I'd argue that neither of these moments represents actual enjoyment of battle. Instead, both of these smiles occur only inside the overwhelming pall of Nikador's power, which we're told canonically infects the mind with a desire for bloodshed. More importantly, both of these instances also take place when Mydei is only fighting titankin, not human opponents, and only after Mydei has been left entirely alone, when he is certain that the only person at risk in the fight is himself. When Mydei can confirm that there's no one left to defend (or left for him to lose!), then and only then does he give in to Nikador's violence for violence's sake and engage in battle whole-heartedly.
tl;dr: Mydei was the crowned leader of a culture that glorified cruelty, death, and mindless brutality. He was forced into a life of violence where he had to fight tooth and nail for survival from virtually the moment of his birth. Everyone he ever loved died worshiping a god that used their souls as nothing but fodder for further meaningless destruction. Yet Mydei was doing everything he could to rise above that life, and to help others also rise above that life. Of course he fights when he must, but reveling in it? I don't really see the evidence.
My man did not tear down a dynasty, breaking a thousand years' cycle of pointless strife, to get hit with the "He's a battle junkie" allegations. I swear to god I will bite the next person who says it--
2. His Reputation as Quick-Tempered is a Front
While it's typically not Mydei's fans going around saying Mydei's just another "battle-obsessed manly man," there is a different stereotype I actually do see being perpetrated by self-proclaimed Mydei fans: It seems to be a common trend in fanfics and fanarts to write Mydei with a strong temper, showing him becoming very aggressive when annoyed and suggesting that his first resort in difficult situations is brute force.
To be fair, I think this is influenced by a number of factors, not the least of which is the game itself playing with this idea as a joke. In Mydei's "Keeping Up With Star Rail" video, Phainon playfully reduces Mydei to the quick-tempered brute stereotype, saying things like:
Phainon also brings this up at other points, such as suggesting that Mydei would only need one try to solve the puzzle in Janusopolis because his method of solving it would be... to just punch his way through.
But again, please take the things Phainon says about Mydei with a grain of salt. Roasting your friends for fun is simply a given, and I think that Phainon's comments about Mydei are meant to be understood as playful banter about his "rival," not serious analysis of Mydei's temperament (which really doesn't align with the stereotype of a hot-head at all).
Complicating this whole situation is the English voiceover, where it is clear the voice director encouraged Mydei's English VA to portray Mydei as particularly gruff and worked up in many of his lines. I have nothing against the English VA at all, but the voice direction of the English version clearly missed the mark on Mydei's character and went for a more aggressive vibe than any of the game's other languages. (The whole thing reminds of me Ray Chase not being given proper direction on Neuvillette's character at first and dramatically changing his voice acting over the course of Fontaine's patches.) I don't mean that English Mydei is never gentle, but that many of the lines are delivered with a level of vitriol that is not suited to the scene at all nor present in other languages. (Compare this line delivery in English with the same line in Chinese, for just one example.) The English interpretation of the character is strongly colored by this strange directing decision ("Mydei should be actively angry in many of his scenes"), unfortunately.
Complicating the whole situation even further is fandom's habit of reducing characters to flat caricatures because making funny meme art and exaggerating character traits for comedic effect is so common. (And enjoyable, don't get me wrong lol.) There is a well-loved relationship dynamic of "the grumpy one with the sunshine one," and I think unfortunately Mydei and Phainon are getting this treatment in fandom quite a bit: Phainon is depicted as the exuberant, happy puppy, while Mydei is the angry, bristling cat. It just makes sense when we consider cliches, right? The muscle-bound warrior dude will obviously be a cranky, easily angered hot-head, no? To a certain extent, I understand why fans jump to that conclusion and take that route in their fanworks; it's definitely easier to depict the characters with these kinds of shorthand tropes than to encompass their complicated personalities in every art or fic.
But the problem is... in-game Mydei is really not much like fanon Mydei, at least where tempers are concerned.
Repeatedly, the game tells us that Mydei keeps a level head even in situations of extreme pressure, and that he prefers to use communication, rather than force, to try to resolve the conflicts he encounters. Going back to some examples I've already mentioned: In the ruins of Kremnos, he's the first to suggest communicating with the titankin and the first to suggest that there's no reason to use violence against them. In 3.0, a scene lots of people say shows Mydei's "bloodlust," where he confronts Nikador and claims he has an intent to kill, actually starts with the line: "All that anger and regret I feel right now, I've learned to control them".
In Okhema, when the Kremnoans were facing assassination attempts, Mydei handled the situation legally, within the confines of Okhema's clearly ridiculous bureaucracy, to ensure that the Kremnoan people would be able to live within the city. In 3.1, when Krateros wants to lose the Okheman guards that are trailing them, Mydei defers to Krateros's lead, asking him if they should use force on the guards and only complying when he says yes.
In fanarts, it's common to draw Phainon doing something silly, with a 💢grumpy Mydei💢 barely tolerating it. But... in game, Mydei actually tends to weather Phainon's teasing without that much issue, often playing along readily and teasing back or simply not rising to the bait at all, sometimes giving him a flat response that actually irritates Phainon instead.
Even when Phainon lobbies some of his snappiest jests (the line about Mydei not being able to write comes to mind), Mydei's strongest reaction is usually "Why are you stupid?" and then he moves on. He's not out here roaring like an angry lion or flipping a table every time someone is a bit obnoxious in his general vicinity. Mydei's mostly chill with the silliness, guys. He's sometimes silly back.
And even in the moments where he should be his angriest, such as the day he avenged his mother by killing his father, Mydei tends to respond to pressure and even cruel provocation with level-headed answers, coldly telling Eurypon just how pointless the entire crown of Kremnos was. Krateros insults Mydei specifically for choosing communication as his conflict resolution strategy. Like, how did people decide Mydei would be an easily provoked hot-head when his own mentor insults him for trying to solve Kremnos's problems using words instead of action?
Perhaps one of the only occasions in the game where we actually see Mydei genuinely lash out in anger is the moment with Tribbie, where she tells him not to worry for Phainon. Mydei responds harshly--but then immediately walks his words back, explicitly notes that his single sharp answer was rude, and apologizes.
But what I haven't seen anyone discuss is that fact that Mydei had every right to be angry at Tribbie here. In the prior scene, Aglaea literally belittled and pressured him into taking on the Strife coreflame following Phainon's failure, and Mydei knew in this scene that Tribbie was fully aware of Aglaea's plan to manipulate Mydei using Phainon.
Again, not a shipping post, but Tribbie daring to go "Aw, don't be worried" rightttt after that concern for his friend was weaponized against Mydei to deny him his agency? A direct slap in the face. Aglaea--with Tribbie as her willing accomplice--knowingly put Phainon's very life at risk to entrap Mydei and force him to take on a role he was rejecting with every fiber of his being. After deliberately using Phainon--and Mydei's concern for Phainon!--as a tool, for Tribbie to have the audacity to say "You shouldn't worry about him" was actually pretty vile.
And yet it's Mydei who apologizes. It's Mydei who reins in any hint of frustration and tries to approach the situation politely, as if the person he is talking to hadn't literally just doomed him to an entire future of misery by using the safety of one of his only remaining friends as leverage. The achievement you get just before this moment, "Sing, O Goddess, of His Rage," suggests that Mydei truly is rightfully furious about this situation--but in the end, Mydei still forgives both Tribbie and Aglaea without hesitation, because he knows the importance of the Flame-Chase Journey and of following the prophecy at all cost.
Does this really strike us as someone who flies off the handle at minor annoyances, someone who is brash or easily riled up, someone who resorts to punching his way through all his problems?
Despite appearances, I think it would be more accurate to say that Mydei's temper runs pretty even and that he is actually difficult to provoke to genuine anger. There are times where we see him truly furious (when he confronts Nikador about the honorless scheme to attack Okhema, when he confronts his father, etc.), but in every situation where Mydei is angry, it's because the anger is absolutely justified, because something truly unforgivable is happening to him or those he's sworn to protect.
Mydei's suffered just about every manner of injustice it is possible for a person to suffer, and yet he soldiers on without making his suffering other people's concern. He apologizes for even minor outbursts, despite his feelings of outrage clearly being righteous. In some cases, we might even read him as a little passive aggressive instead--the fact that Phainon's food is nasty whenever he really annoys Mydei and yet he has no idea why the food is bad is a hilarious hint that Mydei's definitely more of a "revenge is a dish best served cold" kind of person than a hot-head.
So what about that moment early on, where Mydei uses the threat of violence to silence Verax Leo?
Well, no Verax Leos were harmed, so? Ha, being serious, I actually think this moment should be better understood as the player's first real insight into Mydei's character, separate from Phainon's colorful commentary.
This moment tells us one thing really clearly about Mydei: He's self-aware. Mydei knows the Verax Leos are literally cowardly lions, and he knows they think he's scary. He's aware of his own reputation as a "beast," and he isn't above utilizing that reputation to achieve a goal if doing so will produce a greater good for others. Without even needing to resort to any actual attack, Mydei is able to silence the Verax Leo's rumor-mongering using just the threat of his capacity for violence.
This suggests to the player that Mydei is actually discerning, straight to the point but intelligent enough to tailor his actions to the level of response that is appropriate for a given situation. He's not a "go in fists blazing right from the start" kind of guy when that's not what's needed. He could easily just punch the lion off the wall--but he doesn't. He lets his words doing the threatening, instead of his fists. (The fact that this particular Verax Leo was apparently helping to slander Kremnoans the week before and still lived to spread rumors about March tells us how disinclined Mydei is to solve his daily problems with actual violence.)
The takeaway is that Mydei's angry reputation among Okhemans, but hell, also among players(!), is largely fueled by stereotypes more than by any real actions on Mydei's part. People expect him to a quick-tempered brute, so that's what they see, even when Mydei's real actions don't lend themselves to that cliche much.
Yet Mydei is also self-aware enough to know that same crude reputation is a powerful tool. It benefits him for certain groups to be very afraid of him, and this leads to an interesting conflict in the character: On the one hand, Mydei wants to distance himself from Kremnos's violence. He renames himself, swears allegiance to Aglaea's cause of hope, and spends his free time in Okhema doing gentle things like taking part in cooking competitions, playing house with kids, and judging drama festivals. More on this in a bit, but I think it's very interesting that not a single one of his marketing or promotional materials--nor any of his scenes in the game itself--show him willingly spending his free time on martial pursuits. (The animation they gave us was Mydei playing with children, not sparring with Phainon or even training with his dedicated warrior brothers-in-arms.) Mydei clearly wants to be seen and relate to others as a person separate from his bloodstained past.
On the other hand, his reputation as a terrifying warrior is one of the only things allowing him to live his current life. It's only as the to-be "blood-crowned" king of Kremnos that the Kremnoans willingly follow him and respect what he has to say. His ability to decide their futures hinges on them continuing to perceive him as Mydeimos, their undying lion of conquest. His only use to Aglaea and the Flame-Chase Journey is as the future manifestation of Strife or as an expendable resource that can be thrown single-handedly at enemies because he's the only one that can take their punishment and keep kicking. His place in Okhema is only secure so long as the Okhemans continue to fear his might, their discrimination kept at bay only by the knowledge that none of them can come close to defeating the Kremnoans if it came to blows. His reputation in Okhema is secure only so long as he can continue to cow the Verax Leos into silence with threats of retaliation.
Mydei doesn't have any attachment to his image as a monster--and yet his situation will not allow him to let it go. As much as he would like to live a different life, the view that others have of him--that he is an angry, savage person who is barely restraining an innate violent nature--is a shield locked in his hand, protecting him and making it possible to keep going--even when all he really wants to do is stop.
So, long story longer: I don't think Mydei has an especially hot temper at all; he's lived an incredibly hard life and had every one of his hopes and dreams systemically stripped away from him. He's under constant and immense pressure and feels entirely alone in bearing his burdens. His frustration occasionally bubbling to the surface--for which he apologizes--is not only justified but honestly still shockingly under-stated. If I was in his situation, a whole lot more heads would have rolled.
And now, a few less important notes to round this post out because I can already tell I'm going to hit tumblr's image limit before I run out of things to say about Mydei, so:
3. He's Not a Dumb Jock or Actually that Fitness Obsessed
This one is kind of annoying because Mydei's marketing materials like to play with the "dumb jock" trope as a joke. As mentioned before, we have Phainon's humorous "If you want wisdom, he's got might" line, Mydei being terrible at math (to the point even the Trailblazer assumes they'd be better at math than Mydei), the implication that Mydei is so straightforward he would miss deceptions from those speaking in ill faith (like during the Verax Leo's riddles), and of course, the overwhelmingly common stereotype of gym bros caring more about their muscles than their brains...
But the game also goes out of its way, repeatedly, to emphasize that just as Mydei doesn't fit the stereotype of the savage warrior, he also doesn't fit the stereotype of brawn over brains, of focusing more on physical prowess than thought.
Mydei being bad at math is played for laughs, sure, but in the same breath we're also told that he's a better student of history than Phainon is (which loops back into ironic when you remember that Phainon loves history and clearly wants to be good at it).
Mydei is one of the game's only confirmed bilingual characters outside of the Genius Society, despite the fact that, if his backstory is to be believed, he would have spent the most formative years of his childhood entirely language-less, and even after leaving the Sea of Souls, would likely not have attended any form of formal schooling until he went to the Grove as an adult. He's capable not only of speaking and reading in multiple languages, but also of translating even archaic variations of his native tongue, enough so that (according to his marketing), being an archaic Kremnoan language mentor is one of his official titles.
He's also one of the characters most strongly associated with reading in the entire game, via the library, his canonically stated ability to interpret poetry, his character stories all being texts... All the other characters associated as strongly with reading as Mydei in the game are regarded as "nerds": Ratio, Dan Heng, Pela... Somehow critical portions of Mydei's character can be oriented around literature and he still gets hit with the dumb jock label???
He's also an accomplished military strategist capable of commanding the respect of seasoned veterans as well as waging effective war campaigns against enemy nations with a marginal, aging army and virtually no resources... He's capable of playing Aglaea's and Okhema's political games, despite having obvious disdain for such things... In fact, in Mydei's goodbye to Aglaea, he speaks to her as one nation's leader to another, remarking on how he's learned valuable lessons in managing his people from her, and specifically highlighting that her trait he most admires--what is missing from his own people's history--is her ability to instill genuine hope in others.
But yeah, Mydei is dumb muscle because it's funny, I guess.
What makes the whole "jock" thing loop around into doubly ironic (and also sad) is that although Mydei's character does involve a strong emphasis on health and fitness, the way it's framed in his marketing versus his actual in-game character is extremely different. Mydei's marketing is all about combat, how he's a "fitness ambassador," and "performance enhancers aren't in the Kremnoan language."
But in game Mydei...?
He doesn't have anything particularly unique to teach Phainon. There isn't any special "extreme Mydei training regimen" above what the other Kremnoan soldiers do, a fact we can confirm with the bath NPC Peleus, who tells us that Mydei has taught him his training regimen, and it's just the "Kremnoan traditional exercises" (the high-altitude shuttle run, firewalking, etc.). This idea that Mydei isn't devoting himself to constantly improving his ~super special combat capability~ is also reiterated in Mydei's marketing when someone tries to scam Okhemans by selling a secret "Mydei combat move" and Mydei is just like "There's no such thing..."
Yes, this is me telling you that the fanon thing where Mydei is all about hitting the arena to beat the crap out of challengers every single day is probably not that lore accurate. Yes, of course Mydei spars and keeps up with his strict exercise routine, but combat training doesn't actually seem to be his favorite hobby. In the game, Phainon is definitely worked up about wanting to spar and practice together, but Mydei's attitude to the idea of training with Phainon seems closer to "Please... be more chill..."
Just as an example, at possibly the most plot relevant time ever to suggest a spirit-raising spar with his "bro," the ideas that instead come to Mydei's mind for working out Phainon's disappointment are...
All gentle socializing.
In fact, although Mydei's marketing hyper-emphasized the "fitness" shtick, we never actually see Mydei sparring or training with anyone in any of his mainstream marketing materials or in game. (I'd say we don't even see him fitness training at all, but hey, they did add one chat sticker where he has a weight lol.)
Although we're informed repeatedly that Mydei's a fitness junkie, what his marketing and in-game free time scenes actually show us are, uhhhh *checks notes* sleeping in, taking long baths, eating pancakes, singing around the campfire with his band of bros, people watching, and babysitting? It's the life he truly deserves.
Again, this isn't to say Mydei doesn't train (obviously you don't look like that without putting in massive effort!), but both promotional materials and the scenes chosen for characters in game are deliberately designed to highlight the most integral aspects of characters' personalities. Mydei surely is exercising hard to keep up his health off-screen--but by de-emphasizing that in what the game actually visually shows us players, the only obvious conclusion is that other things (food, playing with children, spending time with comrades) are much more important to Mydei than just getting swole. Out of the "warrior" type characters we have in Star Rail, Mydei is one of the least pumped up about sparring that we've seen. From what we're actually given in game, Yanqing is infinitely more gung-ho about combat training than Mydei is.
In fact, rather than exercise itself, I'd say more of Mydei's "fitness" focus in game comes from his connection to food, and--perhaps this is me reading into things a bit too much (but that's my job, you know)--I'd argue that Mydei's repeated emphasis on eating healthy is actually a thinly-veiled trauma response to his childhood experiences with starvation.
We're told that, in the Sea of Souls, he fed on the raw flesh and bone of the abyssal monsters he fought--literally eat or be eaten--and could really only hold off the feeling of starving on the rare times that the tides were low and he could catch live shrimp instead. He also closely associates the Kremnoan Detachment, his only refuge, with the notion of comfort food.
And every time food is discussed, he's quick to tell others, even the Trailblazer, exactly what to add in order to make sure they're not only full but also eating a balanced meal that will keep them hale and whole. More than a gym bro, I think Mydei missed his calling as a nutritionist.
Long story longer, Mydei has never had a time where he could go without fighting. For virtually all of his life, at least until he reached Okhema, fighting was all he ever knew. Would he even really need much extra fitness training when his entire existence is a constant stream of battles, of pushing his body to its limits over and over again? He's been "working out" since he was literally an infant, with no down time, and even in relatively peaceful Okhema, a Chrysos Heir's duty to battle never ends.
This is just my personal take on it, but I'm inclined to think that when he finds rare moments of peace, Mydei would probably prefer to do things other than fight, especially if it's something that allows him to provide for himself and others, helping his friends stay well, such as through cooking.
I think the in-game material does a great job of emphasizing that Mydei's definition of "fitness" doesn't necessarily focus foremost on being a gym bro/jock who hits the training field every five minutes--his definition of "health" and "wellness" have a lot to do with nourishing the spirit at the same time.
4. Mydei is Significantly Less Impulsive than Phainon
Okay, I can hear you--if Mydei's not a brute, and he's not a fiery temper, and he's not much of an actual gym bro, what is he?
Well, unfortunately I'm just here to tell you another thing he's not: He's not actually that proactive of a rival either.
Aglaea is quick to call Mydei and Phainon "impulsive youths," putting them on the same level in terms of childishness, but actuallyyy...
Despite the fact that Phainon likes to claim Mydei "taunts him every time they meet", every single actual competition we've ever seen between Mydei and Phainon was initiated 100% by Phainon, with Mydei just sort of getting swept up in Phainon's antics.
In their joint lightcone, it's Phainon who calls for the contest of speed. In Kremnos, it's Phainon who proposes the titankin killing competition. After the coreflame trial, it's Phainon who demands the hot bath challenge (and then lies and blames Mydei lol), and it's even Phainon who turns taking home the other affected bath patrons into a competition too, one in which Mydei flat out claims he wasn't even competing:
We're given several hints, particularly throughout 3.0, that Mydei and Phainon's prior missions were largely characterized by Phainon coming up with ridiculous plans, and Mydei mostly going "Welp, that sounds like it's going to get us killed, but okay I guess."
While Phainon is ready to go "Fuck it, we ball" and fight a titan to the death all by himself, Mydei spends the entire first part of 3.0 going "Hey, so, like, fighting Nikador without an army is a really dumbass decision, and we should probably not be attempting this."
(This moment is kind of less funny in retrospect when you rewatch it with the knowledge that Mydei knew they couldn't handle the fight, but Phainon was like "No, we totally got this, trust me bro!" Spoiler Alert: They did not have it. Literally all of Mydei's deaths in 3.0 happened because of his crippling inability to say no to Phainon. But this is not a shipping post. I promise.)
Anyway, in one of the only examples we have of Mydei possibly being impulsive on his own, the note from the bath manager that reports someone charging into the baths to ask who the strongest warrior in Okhema is, the actual implication is that Mydei had no idea how poorly the Okhemans would take that (nor their obsession with debate which would be sparked), and his faux pas comes less from being immature and more from the cultural discrepancy between Okhema and Kremnos, as the Kremnoan in the note finds Mydei's behavior perfectly normal.
In fact, instead of being an unruly youth, Mydei is criticized by other characters several times in the story specifically for choosing to hold back and think things through before committing himself to a decision. If anything, he's closer to indecisive (or at least slow to decide) than he is to impulsive.
Now, don't get me wrong. The game tells us repeatedly that Mydei does get competitive as hell once Phainon actually manages to convince him to join in on the shenanigans. Of course Mydei likes to win. But the notion that Mydei is Phainon's equally impulsive rival, actively issuing his own challenges, goading his frenemy into new contests, and particularly motivated to keep one-upping Phainon? It's really more of an informed trait and a fandom cliche (red and blue rivals, the people cannot resist) than anything actually shown in the game.
At the risk of perhaps inserting too much of my own interpretation here, I'm inclined to say that Mydei's willingness to engage in Phainon's dumb competitions is less brash rivalry and much closer to "Guy who never had the chance to be an impulsive youth cautiously allowing himself the privilege of feeling carefree for ten minutes or so."
It's not that Mydei is actually that driven to assert his dominance or is particularly impetuous when left to his own devices--it's that he never before had a long enough period of peace where he was safe enough to act childish. If he ever had competitions in his past, they almost certainly would have been like "Who can murder the most enemy soldiers with their bare hands today?" In Okhema, Mydei can participate in sauna-offs.
Mydei isn't as (deliberately performatively) silly as Phainon. He's nowhere near as impulsive as Phainon is. He's not really that fixated on being a rival. But he is a pretty great partner in crime. He does allow himself to be drawn into Phainon's schemes over and over, because well... they're obviously fun for him. He gets into the competitions once they're motion, even if he complains about them at the start. Mydei's life has been criminally devoid of light-hearted joys and normalcy, and being led into trouble that doesn't result in people literally dying on him--harmless trouble--is probably an extreme novelty for Mydei. Basically what I'm saying is, he isn't going to propose the Jackass competition, but he is going to fold like paper the moment said competition is suggested.
Case in point: In 3.0, there's a second where you can actually hear him regretting his life choices, trying so hard to convince himself that he is above Phainon's weird antics, but... in the end, he can't help himself. When Phainon starts LARPing with the Trailblazer during the titankin competition, Mydei's first reaction is essentially "Oh my god, this is so cringe," but just two lines later... look who joins the LARPing.
This nerddddd.
When left alone, Mydei withdraws from the world. Trailblazer typically finds him locked in silent contemplation, rejecting visitors, up on his own private corner of the rooftops. On his own, Mydei is significantly less likely to seek out trouble, cause public disturbances, or become a (usually accidental) nuisance compared to half the other Chrysos Heirs.
But when the company around him makes him feel comfortable, he is willing to engage with life in the childish ways he was never free to before. His "rivalry" with Phainon is better understood not as a macho dude-bro need to assert superiority, but as just one of the most obvious manifestations of Mydei's desire to experience the life he never got to live, to let himself be the kind of person who can just do silly things and cause dumb messes.
Mydei isn't a particularly impulsive person--but sometimes he lets himself try it out. As a treat.
Okay, last note for now:
5. Mind Your Manners
While it might be tempting to see Phainon and Mydei's competitions as the peak of Mydei's comedic contribution in the story, I think the actual funniest aspect of Mydei's character is the game's running gag about his manners.
Yes, Castrum Kremnos is a savage nation that revels in death and is rumored to drink the blood of their enemies--but they still keep it classy, damn it! Sure Mydei might have grown up as a half-feral sea beast and then a homeless, wandering exile subsisting off the land, but sometimes he literally can't help it--the aristocracy just jumps right out of him.
No, I'm not joking. Mydei really does have the prim and proper manners of a blue-blooded royal.
We see this from his first appearance in the game. A character's first scene is generally their establishing moment, the devs' chance to give players a strong starting impression--which makes it so telling that one of the first things out of Mydei's mouth is a insult to Phainon's manners.
This is a direct and pointed critique, suggesting Phainon has neglected his duties as a host by relying on his "guests" as back up in the battle. In the context of Amphoreus's historical inspirations, this is actually a very serious scolding: hospitality was a big, big deal in ancient Greece, and the idea of forcing foreign guests into serving you before affording them proper welcome and rest, let alone actively endangering them, would literally be considered an affront to the gods.
With this one short line, the devs are impressing the extreme difference in social status between Mydei and Phainon: Phainon is effectively a "country bumpkin," a member of a lower class who doesn't know how to (or perhaps just doesn't care to?) properly practice the civil gestures of the upper rungs of Amphorean society. Mydei, on the other hand, not only knows the proper rituals of etiquette but expects those rituals to be upheld by others. He's basically calling Phainon a mannerless peasant in one of his first lines of dialogue, which is why Phainon gets so grumpy for the rest of the conversation lol.
We see Mydei's inclination towards proper decorum in several other places as well. As a prince, he's entitled to respect and deference, and while we might be inclined to say "Mydei isn't the type to enforce his royal status over others," the game itself shows us that... Mydei kind of does expect people to treat him differently.
Just as one small starting example, I know it's somewhat popular to have Mydei deny his royal status in fanfics, such as telling people not to call him by his titles or acting as if he has no connection to the upper class, but this doesn't actually happen in the game. Mydei introduces himself to the Trailblazer from the start as Castrum Kremnos's crown prince, consistently thinks of himself (such as in mission journal text) as a prince, and is largely referred to as "the crown prince" or "your highness" by everyone outside the Chrysos Heirs, including all of the Okhemans:
In fact, I'd go so far as to argue that Mydei takes his role as a prince very seriously and does not remotely deny the responsibility he bears toward his people. It's important to him to fulfill his duty to the Kremnoans, so rather than downplaying his role as their prince, he seems to acknowledge it freely, working to serve as a principled leader as best he can.
In short, Mydei is aware of his status--and he expects everyone else will be aware of it too.
I don't mean this in a bad way at all; he's not rude or pompous about it--rather, I think this is a subconscious aspect of his character. Mydei has spent many of his formative years with his people putting him on a ridiculously tall pedestal. He's spent at least a decade as the leader of a group that basically worships the ground he walks on; the Kremnoans obviously aggressively follow the social protocols of their very traditional culture, which seems to include somewhat blind adoration of their kings. Even if Mydei wanted the Kremnoans to treat him as "just another one of the people," there's almost zero chance they would do so. It would likely go against their nature to even ask that of them. Ergo, Mydei's almost certainly spent his entire adult life as the recipient of his people's extreme respect--and their strict adherence to proper social protocols around their prince.
Because of this, Mydei does have specific (if likely subconscious) expectations for "how people will behave around me," and we players get to see several humorous moments where other characters in the story violate Mydei's understanding of how princes should be treated:
In a particularly infamous memory crystal, we see one of Phainon and Mydei's early interactions, with Phainon inserting himself in Mydei's presence and starting up a conversation Mydei obviously did not expect. This is such a faux pas that only someone like Phainon could have had the audacity to thoughtlessly do it; he basically hop-skip-jumped about twelve rungs on the social ladder to waylay a royal without seeking an audience--and Mydei is clearly taken aback to be approached so casually and without preamble. Although Mydei doesn't actually say it (because doing so would be rude, of course), Phainon himself awkwardly ends up acknowledging that Mydei is trying hard to end their conversation:
It's not because Mydei dislikes Phainon already, but because the act of walking up on a stranger--especially a stranger who is a prince!--and assuming such a degree of familiarity as to comment on his body of all things would be so beyond the pale of appropriate social behavior that even Mydei hardly seems to know how to respond at first.
We see this same completely (or perhaps willfully) oblivious to social protocol behavior from Phainon numerous times throughout the 3.0 and 3.1 quests, and Mydei's affronted reactions are always pretty priceless. You can almost hear him thinking "The audacity!"
The exact same face my conservative grandma makes when I accidentally drop an F bomb in front of her.
Blatantly asking a prince to praise you? Scandalous.
But Phainon isn't the only person who can provoke these offended responses from Mydei while pushing the prince's boundaries with bad manners. Trailblazer hilariously earns themself a few critiques about their lack of courtesy too:
And even Aglaea triggers a haughty response???
(Sure, we could give Mydei the benefit of the doubt here and say he's talking about himself and Phainon, but honestly? I think this English translation at least could lend itself to a different take as well: Bro got so embarrassed over being caught acting a fool that THE ROYAL "WE" just burst straight out of him lmaoooo.)
In another humorous example, in the animation where Mydei plays with children, the "princess" in the play criticizes Mydei for not being very good at princely behaviors like Okheman waltzing, which immediately results in... Mydei seeking dance lessons from Tribbie so he can improve himself. Princes can't be caught slacking!
(But hilariously enough, as a sidenote, Mydei's dance ability seems to be another case of culture gap: One of the other children in Okhema, the one who was taught about Kremnoan traditions by Mydei, is actually quick to inform us that Mydei may not be familiar with Okheman dances--but he does know all about Anastenaria dancing!)
(Mydei might not fit the standards for an Okheman prince, but he's killing it as a Kremnoan one!)
Anyway, being serious again: Although it's quite funny the dev team insists so much that Mydei, despite being prince of a nation of savage warriors, is nonetheless a prince, with all the trappings of prim and proper etiquette, I think it also says a lot about Mydei's character that he does try to follow social protocols so closely. He apologizes for rudeness. He minds how he speaks to others. He is precise and forthright and always honors his word. Hell, he even politely makes prior arrangements if he knows he's going to be late to an event.
Mydei is self-aware enough to know his status. He knows the weight of that status, and he knows what his status means to his people. He takes the responsibility seriously and bears the role to the best of his ability, striving to meet the Kremnoans' expectations of a "crown prince" even as he can't bring himself to truly align with their core beliefs. He is trying his best to carry himself as a leader should, complete with his commitment to honor the traditional expectations and social class systems of both Kremnos and Okhema.
Despite his rough start in life, Mydei has accepted his people's intense respect and adapted himself to become someone worthy of commanding that respect. Social graces may not have come naturally to him after a childhood completely outside of humanity's reach, but Mydei nevertheless has worked hard to become a cultured person who embodies the demeanor and decorum of a sole surviving prince.
Although it's played for laughs, it's also played quite straight throughout Amphoreus's story: Manners matter to Mydei--both in himself and in others.
Anyway, since I still have more notes I jotted down about Mydei's characterization, here is some other stuff:
Part 2, over here ->
#honkai star rail#mydei#mydeimos#hsr meta#character analysis#this post is kinda still#phaidei#coded even though I tried to tone it down#tagging ship mostly so people who have phaidei blocked won't have to see it#I will eat the next person who tells me Mydei is an aggressive battle junkie#it's been a long time since I've seen a character whose actual story is so overt#like the game could not hit you harder over the head with the idea#that Mydei longs for a gentler kinder world where violence isn't necessary#but who still somehow gets slapped with so many obvious stereotypes#apparently if you take a male character's shirt off#he becomes contractually obligated to be a tempermental dude bro#I also think Mydei is a fantastic case in point#for fandoms (or readers/players/viewers in general) having extreme difficulty#with grasping characters who have contradictory personality traits#on the one hand we have Mydei's blood-soaked SUPER MANLY trailer#on the other hand... we have his animation playing pretend with elementary schoolers#rather than being able to accept that Mydei embodies both of those extreme poles#fandom just sort of picks one side and runs with it#he can rip Nikador's head off AND want to never fight again in his life#I PROMISE#Mydei is really a refreshing example of a character that DOESN'T fit common tropes/character cliches#but alas#I'm not sure all his fans have actually embraced that#I'm proud of this one so I'm gonna pin it!
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Hi Miss Thorn.
I was recently reading through your trans writes article about you choosing not to do PR for the NHS. In one line you mention that the medical system "exaggerates or wholly confabulates" certain medical risks, and I was wondering if you could give more of an explanation or some examples about that stuff. I tried looking it up on my own but I didn't really know what keywords to search for, and I don't want to fall into some weird anti-science conspiracy theory rabbithole (especially at a kind of vulnerable part of my transition where I'm finally giving "doing hormones" more serious thought as a Thing I Would Actually Do rather than an idle fantasy where the results magically "fix" me (or a kind of anxiety where it doesn't do anything of value at all :< )
Thank you regardless for your great videos over the years,
A Very Nervous Enby
Sure! So, I would argue that the Cass Review is a prime example of this phenomenon. It concluded that puberty blockers have caused zero documented cases of harm as long as they've been used in Britain, but they might cause some unknown kind of harm in the future, somehow; a harm that hasn't been detected in any of the other countries who have used them, whose evidence - by the way - was discarded.
So we have no evidence of past harm, no idea what a future mystery harm might be, when it might happen, the mechanism for it, or why it would only show up here, now, and not in any of the other countries who have given trans kids blockers previously...
This is clearly making shit up!
And yet the Cass Review was used to justify a ban on blockers.
The only way this makes sense is if by "harm" they mean "being trans." Cass expressed particular concern that most kids who start on blockers go on to medically transition, which - yeah duh? But whereas a normal person views this as a neutral fact about the world, transphobes see it as bad - they see being trans as a bad or dangerous thing to be - and so they want to make people "avoid it" as much as possible.
This is what I mean when I say pathologization exaggerates or in some cases outright fabricates risks of medical transition to justify restricting our bodily autonomy under the guise of "care."
#cass review#trans#this is of course consistent with the fact that medical transition does involve some actual risks
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Hi can I’m have a platonic request of the ancients cookies x child reader who posses the soul jam it called the light of innocence reader it a huge cheerful adorable ball of sunshine that see the all positive in earthbread reader cuteness it so much not even the monsters have courage to attack them istead they protect reader from the cookies of darkness and dark enchantress cookie too they smile bright anyone day anytime at all headcanons please
𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐱 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐣𝐚𝐦 (𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬)
"The impact this child has on everyone needs to seriously be studied.."

⋆。˚♡���ᴗ• There was only five soul jams, the five that did more than enough to protect earthbread and the cookies that lived within it. Yet, the secret of another lying around in an unknown cookies possession was exposed.
⋆。˚♡•ᴗ• Pure vanilla was one of the few who was anxious at the thought of a cookie that they didn't know was holding a soul jam. The possibility of it being used for evil was the biggest worry, though the name "Light of Innocence" sounds heroic. If placed in the wrong hands, it could lead to terrifying dangers.
⋆。˚♡•ᴗ• Though that was the past, now pure vanilla is babysitting the soul jams holder. The Light of Innocence landed on the brightest child there is, pure vanilla was the first to be smittened by the ball of sunshine. You radiated this positivity around yourself that affected everyone near by, or at least that's what it felt like.
⋆。˚♡•ᴗ• The fact that nothing is willing to hurt you is very shocking. He gets it of course but even animals and cookies of darkness such as dark enchantress cookie herself wouldn't dare to touch you with any negative attachments in mind. His reaction to seeing you, a small wee child, hugging and petting a huge beast like it was a house pet for the first time. He almost had a heart attack
⋆。˚♡•ᴗ• Pure vanilla would open his eyes often when around you due to knowing that you like his heterochromia eyes. He loves seeing you giggle at his pretty eyes, he doesn't understand why you laugh but as long as you're happy he doesn't mind. You're such a ray of hope in pure vanillas perspective, always looking in the good in times of fear and danger.
⋆。˚♡•ᴗ• Loves to take you to his garden, he swears that every time you walk past the flowers, they begin to rise and glow at your presence. At times it looks like the flowers are trying to reach you with the way they lean towards the direction you're in. When you're in the garden the plants look their best, the most alive they've ever looked.
⋆。˚♡•ᴗ• As if pure vanilla didn't shine his own light, when the two of you are together its like a second sun on earth. It's even joked by other cookies that nobody can look directly at you both because it's too bright! Cookies know if the duo are making their way towards them because the infamous glow gradually gets larger. It's so cute!
⋆。˚♡•ᴗ• He protects you with everything hes got, though pure vanilla is a healer and never fights, he still will use every bit of his dough to shield you from any risks. Which means check ups are fairly common, of course he knows you're okay every time since nothing ever wants to hurt you. But it's better to be safe than sorry!
⋆。˚♡•ᴗ• Walks with pure vanilla are common too, he likes to do a quick stroll in the kingdom with you to lighten the air. The flowers stand at your attendance, the grass's green pops, clouds that hid the sun backs off and the wind refreshes all in a hitch. Pure vanillas walks are always made the better when having you by his side. You can also save the trouble of everyone dealing with your morning hyper by having the walk cooling you off.
⋆。˚♡•ᴗ• Pure vanilla cookie takes great care of you, he protects you, looks out for you plus spoils you in every way he can whilst teaching you important life lessons and morals. This grandpa's heart is big enough to fit you in it, but sometimes it feels as if you took up too much space with how worrisome he can be when he knows nothing happens. He's your main babysitter for a reason! He loves you!
⋆˚ ౨ৎ ˙˖° Brace yourself for a hug cause it's coming in hot! Hollyberry cookie is very affectionate towards you, how could she not?? Just look at your cute lil face! The holder of the unseen soul jam was like family in holleyberrys eyes. Unlike pure vanilla cookie who was more in the role of your babysitter, she was like a mother figure to you. As she was to all cookies
⋆˚ ౨ৎ ˙˖° Mother hollyberry cookie here laughed her head off when she saw a small lamb being a soul jam holder! Oh how the worries of it being in the wrong hands was nothing but a joke now, a frail fresh cookie was protecting the gem with their newly baked life. Hollyberry cookie applauses your bravery,, you've been under her protection ever since.
⋆˚ ౨ৎ ˙˖° She likes to tell you her stories with extra exaggeration to see your reactions, she'll even give you sweets and a warm drink to go along with these tales. Of course she's a busy cookie herself so she can't always spend every moment with you, but that's why she always has to treat it with specialty being with you.
⋆˚ ౨ৎ ˙˖° She tells wildberry cookie to keep an eye on you whenever he gets the chance, he too is as much as your guard as he is hollyberry cookies. He's an observer for your soul jam, making sure it's always in your possession in case you get too distracted with fun. Hollyberry cookie can't help but smile at the sight of "big scary wildberry" towering over the happy go lucky child for safety measures.
⋆˚ ౨ৎ ˙˖° She thinks your wonderful for anyone to be around! You can be a shield yourself you know, with how loving everyone automatically gets when it comes to you, nothing can get passed you. Oh how she loves to pick you up and show your glimmer self to her kingdom, making any stops you wish to make then meeting all kinds of faces.
⋆˚ ౨ৎ ˙˖° Hollyberry cookie likes to hand you popular children's drinks from her kingdom, if you like a specific type expect her to toss mountains of it on you to drink no not literally ouch. The same goes for sweet delights, she'll suggest her personal favorites when she was your age!
⋆˚ ౨ৎ ˙˖° This queen can read you like a book! You think she's not paying attention when you're off picking some berries when she's conversating with another cookie, till one day she hands you a basket filled with berries. Remarking when she saw you trying to gather berries but due to your size you couldn't get many. Next time just ask her for some berries!
⋆˚ ౨ৎ ˙˖° Being with hollyberry cookie is basically you doing whatever you want, she's so laid back and free spirited if anything she'd support your ideas and actions. However that doesn't stop how she can get protective of you. Yes she knows even the wildest of beast will roll over for your touch, but she will hold you back if you start feeling obliviously bold.
⋆˚ ౨ৎ ˙˖° She shields you from many things, always making sure you don't have your mind cluttered up with any negativity. Her words of encouragement are always smoothing, you don't understand it now due to age but soon you'll realize why she always wanted you to just be yourself.
˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡⟢ His face never showed how truly worried he was to knowing there was a secret soul jam, as well as how shocked he was to know who you were. You were in the very last of his expectations, dark cacao sighed away whatever thoughts he had before meeting you and introduced himself along with his friends.
˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡⟢ Seeing such an optimistic holder that felt nothing but positivity and was so free of doubt, to be fair yes you are a child but even children are aware of the evil creeping up on earthbread. He's not complaining, not anymore no.
˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡⟢ Before all the ancient cookies decided to protect you, dark cacao had a heartwarming moment with you. Or that's what his heart felt like, he was watching you pick at the buttercup flowers since nobody was around to do it instead. Making sure your safe from any soul jam robbers.
˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡⟢ You called over to him and asked a question that made him show no reaction but he had little interest, "you know if you put a buttercup under your chin it'll glow? But,, it only works on some cookies!" No he didn't know, so when he saw you call him down to your level he followed. He knelt down and you hovered the flower under his chin, it didn't work, the small cookie laughed then showed him how it works on them not in a teasing way
˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡⟢ While you were speaking he noticed how his soul jam started glowing, the purple illuminating in a way he's only seen once before. You noticed it too, so you went closer with curiosity til you noticed how bright it got when you did. Dark cacao cookie looked vaguely surprised, however when he saw you getting all giggly he finally noticed that you had this radiation of positivity, a glow. No wonder the soul jam beamed at your presence, he couldn't help but smile.
˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡⟢ Pure vanilla the babysitter, hollyberry the mother figure and now dark cacao the personal guard. He clearly has a soft spot for you, when the ancient cookies were thinking of protecting you instead, the others could tell you were already working on dark cacao. He was all agree than disagree which was not the way he was before.
˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡⟢ You seem to have grown an interest in what dark cacao thinks of things before you act upon it. You know how kids get when they look up to you and wanna see if you like something they like as a form of confirmation? Same with the new holder and dark cacao cookie, of course he knows this. He could be peacefully walking behind you then you point out how pretty the sky is later turning to him and ask what he thinks.
˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡⟢ He'll either agree with you or just quietly say whatever he thinks, he knows you care about what he thinks, even so, dark cacao is a humble man. He feels a bit idolized that you look up to him and in a way he sometimes cares about what you think too. He doesn't wanna scare you off or seem crude, he lays off his stoic face a bit and tries to be careful with his words to not sound harsh.
˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡⟢ If you take interest in his hair, wishing to play with it, he probably won't know what to do. Will he allow it? Just for a bit, if it gets too much he'll softly end hair play. If you take interest in his kingdoms snacks/foods he'll give you a warning to its bitterness or lack of taste before you choose to take a bite.
˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡⟢ He truly does care about you, you just need to be a bit patient with the old man, he's not good with showing emotions. He's a kind man at heart, we all know it, towards you he'll especially try his best to be more forward as well as safeguard you. Whether beasts protect you or not he's on standby for anything that comes your way.
ִ ࣪𖤐 What could one of the things be missing.. Hmm.. Oh duh, the rich aunt! When she saw you she laughed alongside hollyberry cookie, the kinda laugh, if done to a child, couldn't tell if they were being made fun of or they really were just joking around. Rest assured you found out very quickly that's just how her radiance is.
ִ ࣪𖤐 When your tiny eyes followed up and down her appearance, you paid extra attention to her wings. Your eyes are in awe at its beauty that you hadn't realized you just grabbed it with no announcement! She turned a bit offended but mostly shocked with how brash you were. But when she saw you smiling in admiration, she knew, she was going to love you.
ִ ࣪𖤐 Have all the cheese your little heart desires, she'll give you finest she has in store. The face you made when you took your first bite fills golden cheese cookie with pride and joy, well of course she knows it good I mean cmon now, what really sold her was your eagerness for wanting more. You were so stuffy by the end, pure vanilla had to remind her that sometimes too much care can be, well,, too much..
ִ ࣪𖤐 Fancy her gold? If you stare too long wanting a closer look at the gleaming golds and treasures she holds, she'll let you take a closer look. Like the shining necklace in that shop? Well lets go in she'll let you observe and take in all the bling! Though she will keep an eye out if she spots any fakes around, your eyes deserve the finest, realest jewels there is! Greed is a good thing in her kingdom after all.
ִ ࣪𖤐 A secret that the both of you share, is one nobody can find out, not like she cares, she just doesn't wanna deal with defending herself in future disagreements. The secret being golden cheese cookie flights! It started off small for awhile, tosses in the air slowly getting higher and higher. Slowly beginning to fly off land a bit further, till of course cookies told her not to for safety reasons, that broke your little heart.
ִ ࣪𖤐 But why would it be a secret if you guys stopped? Because you didn't, sure you were sad for like a second till you found good within it like always and yet she remembered how much you laughed. It's not like shes not careful no, your treasure to her, that's why she trusts both herself and you to keep flying, just keep it under wraps yeah?
ִ ࣪𖤐 She knows whenever it gets too hot out cookies feel discomfort, melting under the sun ain't exactly the most pleasant experience. That's why when she knows it's feeling a bit much out, she'll shade you using her wings, no way is some heat going to disrupt your enjoyment.
ִ ࣪𖤐 The cheesebirds love you too! Sometimes you find yourself carried away accompanying them rather than golden cheese cookie, they're just too cute not to talk to. Birds your size that can talk, bonus being that they love talking to you, sometimes golden cheese cookie has to remind you that you're hanging with your aunt today.
ִ ࣪𖤐 I have a sneaky feeling shes not as chill as the other ancients (aside from pv) when it comes to beasts getting close to you. Pure vanilla tries to avoid beast interactions, hollyberry cookie laughs knowing nothing will happen and dark cacao is always on standby. Golden cheese cookie,, she either does one or two things, tries to get your own beast army as a joke or tells you to stay away.
ִ ࣪𖤐 Golden cheese cookie loves your innocence, you have no idea how much power you hold in your mini hands, but she will teach you how to rule the cookies. How to be a monarch yourself in the future, till then, she has a lot of playtime with you before you reach that age.
⋆˚✿˖° Her shock to you wasn't really much of a shock, it was more like a long pause. The repeated question flooded her head like a broken record, "how did you find the soul jam?". She also questioned if you ever knew how to use it, these thoughts were never her doubting you, okay but who wouldn't.. from what it seemed to look like, you knew what it could do.
⋆˚✿˖° The soul jam fitted you perfectly in her mind, the light of innocence held by the personification of light with a mind of innocence. It seemed like fate in her eyes, so if it was, she has nothing to worry about. Her body mellowed while she softy and ever so quietly laughs along with hollyberry cookie and golden cheese cookie.
⋆˚✿˖° You were just the cutest surprise, after the decision was made to look over you, white lily cookie was like an older sister. Shes always quiet and determined to find any peace left in earthbread. Because of this, in your childs mind, she's a little scary. Not in the intimidating way no, you looked up to her.
⋆˚✿˖° She was like your older sister in a way because of this if you ignore the sibling fights n all that stuff, you were the little sibling that wanted to have your big sis's attention and her love. Though she didn't push you away, she always caught you staring at her at times in a shy way. She really wanted to talk to you, the way the other ancients did.
⋆˚✿˖° Yes you're the cookie that sees good in everything, not a single negative trait was in your heart or dough. So why was it you felt shy towards her? Cause you loved her! The whole time while she was thinking of reasons for your actions, you were secretly planning the perfect first impression! No where near shy as she thought you were no, you were just hoping to make less appearances to make "the first meeting" perfect!
⋆˚✿˖° You surprised her by having other cookies your age pretend to attack her, of course she didn't feel threatened, they were using toys as weapons and their acting was goofy. It didn't take long to find out why the cookies were messing around with her, you jumped in with dramatic flare, showing off your soul jam to the "evil cookies" and warning them to back off.
⋆˚✿˖° Ever since you "saved" white lily cookie the two of you have been the cutest duo! You love to try and braid her hair the way she does it, she taught you how to braid hair when you caught her doing her own hair. It was a bit tricky for your youthful brain, although, once you got a hang of it, you never let go. Always asking white lily to let you braid her hair when it's already been braided. It warms her heart.
⋆˚✿˖° If white lily cookie noticed you liked her staff, you can get the privilege of holding it for a bit. She admires your innocence, how was it not even once did you ponder knowing more? It was like you were living life on easy mode, no thought behind those eyes unless it's joyful thinking.
⋆˚✿˖° One day, a cookie taught you how to make flower crowns, so you asked white lily cookie to let you into her garden. You told her your plan of making her a white lily flower crown, it did hurt a little seeing the flowers getting picked but she was happy with the end result. She wore it for a bit after that.
⋆˚✿˖° White lily cookie can't do much but she tries to keep an eye out on you, her heart would break into millions of pieces if she were to ever find out something bad happened to you. She'll give you loads of words of wisdom so nothing like that can come of sort.
I hope you enjoyed these, I think I passed out like two times while writing but I'm glad it turned out just fine. If you're thinking of rolling again you're welcomed back anytime!
#cookie run x reader#cookie run kingdom x reader#pure vanilla cookie x reader#hollyberry cookie x reader#dark cacao cookie x reader#golden cheese cookie x reader#white lily cookie x reader#headcanons#fluff#I keep overdoing thingsaaaahhhhh#gn reader#crk x reader#platonic#reader insert#x reader#x you
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Mars ♂ in Houses
Mars in 1st House
You are bold, combative and impatient by nature. You can tend to act first and think later, or jump to conclusions too quickly. Not content with just watching life from the side-lines, you need to have direct experiences. Equally, you can be headstrong and inconsiderate; wanting things your own way or not at all. Physically, you should enjoy good stamina and body strength. However, with your tendency to impulsiveness, there may be accidents and injuries.
Mars in 2nd House
Impulse buying is not unknown to you! A certain amount of your energy and drive is directed at making or spending money. On occasion, you may be prepared to take financial and business risks. You can get a rush from wheeling and dealing. Less positively, there can be conflicts over money or possessions.
Mars in 3rd House
Your thinking is quick and sharp and you like to participate in active discussions and debates. At times, your verbal manner can be too abrupt or cutting for others. Arguments and disputes with neighbors or siblings are possible. Some care is necessary when driving or undertaking short journeys.
Mars in 4th House
A fine line exists between your home being a place of high activity or a battlefield. You like to dominate your domestic scene and in extreme cases can come across to your family as a hothead or bully. Equally, a dominant parent can cause friction within the family. You have to watch how you express your physical energies around your home, as accidents are possible.
Mars in 5th House
A born romantic, you are ardent, passionate and enthusiastic about pursuing the object of your affection. Likewise, suitors can be just as ardent and determined in their pursuit of your affections. You have a competitive spirit and may excel in a sport or recreational activity. There can be a tendency to take risky gambles.
Mars in 6th House
You are an energetic and industrious worker. If you employ others, you need to be aware of potential conflicts and losses through staff. There can be accidents at work and danger to your health through impatience or impulsiveness. You may be susceptible to burns, bruises and fevers.
Mars in 7th House
You are drawn to energetic and enthusiastic people. Direct and competitive in your relationships, you need a partner that you can spar with. Quarrels and disagreements are frequent in your personal unions. Other people can annoy or irritate you if they interfere in your life. Partnerships tend to be made and broken quickly and impulsively.
Mars in 8th House
You have strong survival instincts and react quickly to threatening or risky situations. You can act recklessly and defiantly, yet you instinctively know how far to take things. Facing perilous situations can give you an adrenalin rush. You are prone to arguments over money and shared resources with personal or professional partners. Problems or disputes may arise over legacies and inheritances.
Mars in 9th House
You have an enthusiasm for learning and acquiring knowledge. However, you are not a person who just sits back and accepts what you're told or taught; you tend to challenge ideas and outlooks. Travel interests you and can broaden your horizons, however, you may need to take care physically when overseas. Legal conflicts are possible.
Mars in 10th House
You have high ambition, coupled with a strong desire and drive to do the best you can professionally. You are motivated by the urge to achieve goals and vocational aspirations. Competitive and energetic, you may do well in careers associated with the military, engineering, sport or corporate management. Be aware, that an over-estimation of yourself or the misuse of your energy can damage your reputation. You may experience conflicts with authority figures.
Mars in 11th House
You are motivated to make friends and to join clubs or societies. Your friends tend to be boisterous and energetic. Arguments and conflicts are likely between you and your friends. You need to be careful with regard to the company you keep, as others can lead you into trouble. Consequently, some of your friendships are frequently tested or deemed to be more demanding than they are worth.
Mars in 12th House
You may find it difficult to keep motivated or to take action when required. You can benefit from taking time out to recharge your batteries. Secretive behavior can create difficulties. Be aware that there is a danger of being exploited or undermined by others.
For Readings DM
#astrology#astrology observations#zodiac#zodiac signs#astro community#astro observations#vedic astro notes#vedic astrology#astrology community#astro notes#mars in capricorn#mars in houses#mars in signs
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ZEPHYR | joaquin torres x reader | PART ONE
warnings: mostly angst, gun shot wound, revenge, hearing dark/obsessive voices, this part is mostly to set up the story & most of the juicy bits will be in part two
summary: joaquin never wanted you to get hurt. after failing to protect you from a terrorist targeting him & sam, his behavior grows desperately possessive and controlling to prevent it from ever happening again. but as your relationship suffers and his nightmares increase, he starts to risk losing you instead.
part one approx 1.1K words
PART ONE | PART TWO

⋆⭒˚.⋆
You were never supposed to get hurt.
That was the one condition he set for himself that had been non-negotiable. He could handle the risks, the danger, and the missions that came with being apart of Captain America’s team, but you? You were never supposed to be involved, it was all to stay far away from his life with you.
And yet, he failed.
The memory claws within the caverns his mind, seeing that photo of you in your favorite coffee shop. Taken from afar moments before two bullet ripped through the muscles of your arm. Moments before his heart had nearly stopped, his phone screen displaying your image with a discrete message from that unknown number.
unknown: perhaps we’ll call it even.
He must have watched the CCTV footage over a thousand times. Calculating the trajectory of the bullet, the seconds between the message and the gunshot. The spilled coffee soaking your hair in a dark mixture of espresso and blood. A security camera outside spotting the glare of a sniper rifle in the distance.
By the time he got to you, the ambulance was already mid-route to the hospital. Without updates from your doctors for hours as they worked on your injury.
All he could see was the image burned into his mind of you: being rushed out of the ambulance bay, pale and incapacitated.
Covered in blood.
⋆⭒˚.⋆
Two days later, in the bright light of your hospital room, he sat with his hands clasped between his knees. You were asleep in your bed, your arm freshly bandaged, your breathing steady. He should be next to you, holding your hand and reassuring himself that everything would be okay.
But guilt racked him deeply.
That photo could’ve been the last image of you alive that he had ever seen. They had known where you were. They had been watching him, and he led them directly home to you. And he hadn’t been able to stop them.
His fists clenched. His body shook with uncontrollable rage and disappointment with himself.
Sam had attempted to talk him down earlier. Had told him to let the military handle it, that they’d find out which one of their enemies was behind the hit. But Joaquin wasn’t interested in waiting or following the proper channels to bring justice to whoever did this to you.
They wouldn’t do what needs to be done.
He stands abruptly, barely aware of his own movements, his pulse hammering in his skull. His suit is still in the car. His comms are still on the counter. He could be out that door in minutes, tracking them down, making sure no one ever lays a hand on you again—
“Joaquin?”
Fuck.
Your voice is soft, cracked with exhaustion, but it stops him in his tracks.
He turns quickly, his breath skipping full inhalations as he takes your eyes in. You’re leaning against your upright pillow, one arm clutches the bars of the hospital bed while the other lays motionless in stiffly wrapped gauze. There’s concern in your eyes for him.
Something was wrong, you could feel it.
“Where were you going?”
His jaw locks. “I need to go start fixing this —.”
“No.”
It’s quiet, and weak. But it’s not a plea or a request. A command.
Your gaze doesn’t waver as you move the blanket off your body, exposing your hospital gown underneath as you start to move closer to the edge of your bed. “You aren’t going to fix this by hunting them down for revenge.”
“They nearly killed you, cariño.” His voice is hoarse, shaking with the weight of everything he hasn’t told you yet. His hands tried lightly guiding you back to laying down.
They could have taken you from me. It would have been my fault, my mistake, my failure to protect you…
You reach over with your good arm, resisting the light force, and curling your fingers around his palm. “I know.” A shaky breath. “But I need you here, baby. Not a solider, not the vengeance. Just you.”
He exhales sharply, and for a moment he can’t move. The voices in his head battling between his guilt, sadness, and anger. His fingers tighten around yours, his breathing ragged, but his mind is already somewhere else — chasing demons.
You feel it before you see it. The way his body tenses beneath your touch. The way his jaw clenches, muscles flexing like he’s trying to restrain himself from crashing.
My sweet girl, my light, my life, my weakness.
He isn’t calming down. He’s caving in.
“Joaquin,” you whisper, pleading now. “Please stay here with me, you don’t have to do this.”
You look for anything, a crack in his expression. Something that says he’ll listen to you, that he’ll stay instead of seeking out revenge and destroying his own morals.
My responsibility.
But it isn’t there. And his fingers slip from yours, the warmth draining from your hands.
“I can’t sit here.” He shakes his head, looking away as though he might break if he looks into your eyes for too long. “I need to be out there making sure this never happens again.”
You can hear it bleeding into his voice now, the desperation. Guilt. Self-destruction. He isn’t thinking straight.
You try again. “They want you to do this. They want you reckless and vulnerable.”
They wanted you dead.
“I don’t care.”
The sharpness of his tone makes you flinch, and for the first time, Joaquin notices. His expression shifts, something shattered flashing in his eyes, but it’s too late. The damage is done.
He exhales, steps back.
“I’ll be back when this is over,” he says, and it sounds like he isn’t sure of the statement himself.
And then the soldier is gone.
LINK TO PART TWO (coming soon)
comment to be tagged for part two <3
#joaquin torres#captain america brave new world#joaquin torres x reader#joaquin torres fanfic#joaquin torres fanfiction#marvel fic#marvel#marvel x reader#danny ramirez
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thots: bodyguard!nanami
♡ note: omg hi........i haven't written anything ns/fw in actual ages. pls be nice, im rusty <3 i hope you like it tho
♡ pairing: nanami kento x gn reader
♡ word count: 2.7k
♡ tags: bodyguard!au, gender neutral reader, violence / situation where reader's life is in danger (but nothing happens), reader's a tease, fingering (reader receiving)
♡ bodyguard!nanami makes a strong first impression when your father introduces him to you. you’ve had bodyguards in the past- a necessity your father insisted due to his line of work- but none quite as handsome as nanami. he’s even more alluring when he speaks, first to your father and then to you, promising to keep you safe as he gives you a short bow.
♡ bodyguard!nanami, you quickly realize takes his job very seriously. maybe, even too seriously. (definitely, too seriously.) he’s handsome, you’ll give him that, but you do find it mildly irritating how he’s always hovering and how he never indulges in your attempts at making conversation, citing that his number one priority is making sure that you are safe not making idle chit chat. what a buzzkill.
♡ bodyguard!nanami who you're nearly at your wits end with. the constant hovering but no speaking is making you feel suffocated in a way that you haven't felt with your bodyguards in the past, and you can feel your patience slipping. you're just about to lose your temper and blow up at nanami until a situation takes place where your life becomes endangered. your blood runs cold and fear fills your veins when the venue you're in randomly bursts into chaos. the mayhem causes you to become disoriented, but nanami is quick to be at your side, placing himself between you and what he perceives to be the threat in the room. his hand is steady against your lower back as he urges you forward in the direction of the nearest exit. you allow him to lead you, mind still muddled and confused, until you're forcibly stopped in your tracks when some unknown assailant attacks you. your heart seizes in your chest.
♡ bodyguard!nanami seamlessly moves from your side to your front, grunting as he takes the blow that was meant for you. you stagger backwards, wanting to put space between you and the fight happening before your eyes. you feel stuck, both figuratively and literally, as if you're unable to do anything but watch as nanami exchanges blows with the man who attempted to hit you. (who attempted to kill you, your mind helpfully supplies.) you flinch every time you hear contact being made, but your body eases the slightest bit when it's nanami's fist connecting with the attacker's body and not the other way around. you jump when the man finally drops to the floor after nanami knocks him unconscious with one final strike to the jaw.
♡ bodyguard!nanami brings you back down to earth and out of your dazed state when he places a hand on your shoulder. he lifts his hand to hover over your shoulder when he sees you flinch from the touch. "we need to go,” he states, guiding you once more in the direction of the exit. this time, there is no one who blocks your path.
♡ bodyguard!nanami ensures that the area he's led you to is completely safe before informing you that you are no longer in danger. he rushes to your side when you suddenly crumple to the floor. you gasp for air and grip at your chest, emotion overwhelming you now that you’re out of that godforsaken room. although you’ve had a bodyguard ever since you were a child, it was just as a precaution. you’ve never been in a such a frightening situation where your life was at risk. “i could have died,” you manage to say between your quickening breaths for air. “i could have died,” you repeat, the severity of the situation sinking in. you twist your body to face nanami, desperately gripping at his arm like a lifeline.
♡ bodyguard!nanami regards you calmly but not unkindly. “yes, you could have died,” he acknowledges. your breath quickens more. “but,” he continues, gently laying a hand over the back of your own. you’re too strung up to be taken aback by the unexpected gesture. “you did not. you are safe now,” nanami says. “the men who aimed to harm you will be arrested and punished accordingly. they cannot and will not hurt you. you are safe now,” nanami repeats once more. upon hearing nanami’s reassurance, the tension around your heart eases a bit and your breathing slows to a more regular pace. as you start to calm, you become all too aware of how you’re still holding onto nanami’s arm and how he’s rubbing gentle circles into the back of your hand. hastily, you draw your hand back and rush to stand up once more. you’re unable to look at nanami as you thank him (for comforting you or for saving you? both, you suppose). he only replies that he was doing his job. you don’t know why your heart sinks a little upon hearing that.
♡ bodyguard!nanami whom you begin to develop a bit of crush on from that point forward. you’ve considered him attractive since your first meeting, but now you take more notice of him. yes, you once regarded him as a slight nuisance before, but you are incredibly thankful for his presence (and slight hovering) because it provides you the perfect opportunity to ogle him. your eyes frequently rove over his body, trying to commit everything to memory. your eyes may linger a bit too long on his hands, wondering to yourself how skilled he may be with them. you do your best to be discreet when you’re checking him out, but you might have a bit of a staring problem and a difficulty with turning your head away fast enough to not get completely caught. you shrug it off, hoping that nanami didn’t see you blatantly staring at him, but then again, it’s not your fault that he’s hot, so really, you’re not to blame.
♡ bodyguard!nanami whom you try to flirt with after you decide that staring isn’t getting you anywhere. too bad, talking to nanami is like talking to a brick wall. he hasn’t changed much in the time he’s been assigned as your bodyguard, always prioritizing your safety over making conversation. it’s annoying when you’re trying to get to know the man, but at the same time, it’s comforting for you to know that he takes your well-being seriously. you just wish he would loosen up a little.
♡ bodyguard!nanami who you think isn’t getting the fucking hint, so you decide to escalate things a little more. you begin wearing shorter, tighter clothing that hugs you in all the right ways and shows a bit more skin than usual. you begin having to bend over more right in front of nanami because you accidentally dropped something or you need to grab something from a low shelf. if your underwear happens to peak through from your clothing, that’s entirely by coincidence and has nothing to do with you.
♡ bodyguard!nanami knows what you’re doing because he would have to be an idiot not to. you’re not very discreet when you check him out and your current antics are an obvious ploy at trying to provoke him into action. he can’t lie and say that he doesn’t find you very attractive, but it would be wrong of him to do anything as your bodyguard, someone tasked with the mission of ensuring your safety. however, you have admittedly been tempting nanami very much recently that he’s felt the need to jack off during his showers to try and relieve himself and pull himself together. unfortunately, it’s not working very well for him when all he thinks about is you and your pretty face when he spills into his hand. fuck.
♡ bodyguard!nanami who thinks it’s going to be another normal night he spends stationed outside of your bedroom until he begins to hear noises coming from behind your bedroom door. he’s mildly concerned until he listens more closely and realizes that the noises are sounds of pleasure— stifled moans and mewls that are more than audible in the quiet of the night. nanami clears his throat, trying to not let the newfound knowledge that you’re touching yourself only a door away affect him. he quickly rearranges himself in his slacks, hoping that nobody comes across the hall to see the way he’s growing hard. it would be very unbecoming of him.
♡ bodyguard!nanami who finally gives into temptation when he hears you moan his name. he thinks it's a mistake at first- perhaps, he imagined it- but when he hears you repeat his name once more, he decides that he can't resist the siren's call any longer.
♡ bodyguard!nanami's hand hovers over the doorknob of your bedroom door as he wrestles with his conscience, debating on whether or not he should really go through with this. it only takes hearing another moan falling from your lips to compel nanami to turn the doorknob and push your door ajar. you don't even notice him at first, too caught up in pleasuring yourself to realize that you have an audience. it's only when nanami closes the door, making sure to lock it behind him so no one will disturb you two, and moves closer to your bedside that you finally take notice that you have company. “n-nanami?” you stutter, hastily trying to cover yourself as you move to sit up. “what are you doing in here?”
♡ bodyguard!nanami prevents you from doing so, reaching out and circling your wrist with a loose grip. shock overcomes you at nanami’s sudden action causing your hand to go slack and the light blanket in your grasp to fall and pool around your waist. nanami sharply inhales when your bare form is revealed to him. he averts his gaze from your body to settle on your face, but not before catching the wetness gathered between your thighs and the stickiness collected on your fingertips. his hardness is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. he clears his throat. “you called for me, did you not?”
♡ bodyguard!nanami who raises a brow when you laugh nervously. you are well aware of how loud you were just moments ago, purposefully not holding back your reactions since you knew nanami was within ear shot. as much as you hoped you would spur him into action by saying his name while masturbating, you didn’t think it would actually work with how unbearably stubborn he’s proven himself to be.
♡ bodyguard!nanami sighs, releasing his grip on your wrist at your lack of a proper response. this was a lapse of judgment for him, rushing into your room like some sort of mad man. “i apologize, i shouldn’t have barged in here. i’ll leave you be,” he stiffly says, readying himself to return to his post outside your bedroom door. the growing hardness in his pants may prove to be a problem, but he hopes he can will it away sooner rather than later.
♡ bodyguard!nanami does not manage to get far, only able to pivot on foot to take his leave before you're reaching across and tugging on his wrist. he can feel the tackiness of your arousal on your fingertips, leaving an imprint on his skin. "don't go," you blurt out, now sitting up on your knees. in your scramble, the light blanket that once preserved some of your modesty has fallen completely away. you visibly fluster when nanami turns his attention fully onto you. the intensity of his gaze makes you squeeze your thighs together, which doesn't go unnoticed by him. it feels like nothing does. you continue on. "i want you," you breathe out. "i want you so bad." the last threads of nanami's restraint unravels completely upon hearing those words.
♡ bodyguard!nanami uses both of his hands to cup your face as he engulfs your lips with his own. he swallows down the noise of surprise you initially make and the moan that quickly follows after. now that nanami's gotten a taste of you, he's unsure that he'll be able to maintain the professional boundaries between you that he once strictly enforced. he's already trampled all over those boundaries at this point. his knees hit the mattress as he guides you to lie back down on your mound of pillows. he groans into your mouth when you nip at his bottom lip and slip your tongue inside. you tangle your hands in his hair, loosening blond strands from the neat part that nanami usually styles them into. your hands don't stay in one place for long, and nanami's abs tighten when you run your palms over the front of his button down shirt.
♡ bodyguard!nanami grunts when you suddenly cup his bulge, giving it a firm squeeze over his slacks that are bordering on painfully tight. nanami leans back slightly, planting his hands on the bed beside your face to support himself up. your breaths mingle in the space between you, and your chest heaves in a way that nanami finds incredibly alluring. "how do you want me?" nanami asks, voice rough with desire.
♡ bodyguard!nanami easily allows you to take one of his hands and guide it to the space between your thighs. "want you here," you breathily say, eyes lidded. pre leaks from nanami's cock when he feels the sheer amount of wetness that's gathered there. a little kissing has you all worked up? nanami can't say anything. it's not like he's faring any better. "you're dripping," he murmurs, collecting your arousal on his fingers. your hips lift on their own accord, instinctively seeking out his touch and the pleasure that it could bring you. "you like my hands, don't you? you like to think you're discreet, but i've seen the way your eyes linger. you've probably imagined what i could do with them." he presses his fingers against your entrance, watching intently as it clenches around nothing. "what i could do to you."
♡ bodyguard!nanami is mesmerized by the way his fingers slip inside of you. one right after another until he's three fingers deep. it's a tight fit at first, your hole stretching and struggling to accommodate the thickness of his fingers, but after a few shallow thrusts, your body relaxes, going pliant. your arousal allows for the easy glide of nanami's fingers in and out of you as he builds up to a steady rhythm. "fuck, that feels so good, nanami," you whine, pushing yourself further down on his fingers.
♡ bodyguard!nanami presses his palm down onto your stomach, preventing you from squirming too much. "just relax," he tells you, "let me do all the work." he waits until you settle back against the mattress before resuming. instead of the steady rhythm that nanami had built up to before, he quickens his pace, beginning to fuck you on his fingers in earnest. the change in speed has you moaning loudly, and the sound has blood rushing to nanami's cock.
♡ bodyguard!nanami is painfully hard at this point, but he ignores it in favor of the captivating sight laid out before him. you're writhing against the bed, fingers continuously twisting in the sheets as you fail to keep still like nanami asked. your kiss-bitten lips lay parted as soft hiccups and mewls escape you over and over again. the wet squelching sounds of nanami's fingers moving in and out of you fill the air, accompanying the sounds of your pleasure.
♡ bodyguard!nanami can tell when you're nearly on the verge of cumming. a slight change in the positioning of his fingers draws a ragged gasp from you. sensing that you're close, nanami fucks you fast and deep on his fingers, intent on seeing you come apart for him. you fist the sheets, burying the side of your face into your pillow. a line of drool leaks from the corner of your mouth. your back arches off the bed beautifully when you cum, your hole tightening around nanami's fingers and greedily sucking him in. he fucks you through your orgasm with shallow thrusts of his fingers, guiding you through the waves of pleasure that curl and crest over you. once you're whining from overstimulation, nanami removes his fingers from your hole with a lewd wet pop as you attempt to catch your breath and regain your bearings.
♡ bodyguard!nanami cannot help the huff of laughter that forces itself past his lips when you give him a dazed look and a syrupy smile and say "fuck, i knew you would be good with your hands."
#jujutsu kaisen x reader#jjk x reader#jujutsu kaisen smut#jjk smut#nanami x reader#nanami kento x reader#nanami smut#nanami kento smut#sin too much#holy.hymns#shrine.jujutsu kaisen#saint.nanami kento
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Hospital Beds - a Hawks x fem!doctor!reader One Shot
Summary: Hawks heals more than his wings after the Paranormal Liberation War attacks [wc: 4.6k].
Warnings: mentions of mental health struggles, mentions of character death, descriptions of wounds, swearing, angst, fluff, comfort, potentially unpopular Hawks opinions. characters slightly aged up.
a/n: started writing thinking this was gonna be cute and flirty, ended up taking a kind of serious turn (still otherwise cute and flirty with happy-ish ending). might do a spicier part 2 at some point. as always, don’t be a ghost reader pls and ty <3
Hawks’ eyes were focused on the window, lost in thought. There was a crowd gathered outside Central Hospital. From the muffled voices through the glass, it didn’t sound like they were there for support. He felt the span of his back against the hospital bed, a sensation both foreign and grounding. The space where his wings once were stung slightly at the contact, despite the heavy nerve blockers he assumed were administered earlier.
“Back again so soon?”
You broke him from his trance as you shut the door behind you. Your eyes immediately scanned his monitors, a pleasant smile never leaving your face.
“At some point, we really do have to get your heart rate checked out.”
He didn’t actually have a high heart rate. But the machines he was hooked up to always went crazy whenever he got sight of you. He was too embarrassed to say anything, though he wondered if you noticed why his charts never reflected any underlying conditions when his vitals were checked by others.
“You’re not a very good patient, you know. Though now that you can’t talk, perhaps you’ll actually listen.”
He tried to respond, but quickly remembered he couldn’t open his jaw, not very much at least. No sound came out of the small gap between his lips.
You had treated Hawks on several occasions now, usually after incidents involving fire. Most were minor. He’d come in and joke that he’d done it on purpose to see you. You’d roll your eyes, every now and then you’d even dignify him with an actual response: ‘nice try’. But his injuries now were unlike anything you’d ever seen. You knew it was bad when he didn’t try flirting with you. Then again, it’s not like he could even if he wanted to.
Your tone was light and breezy, but the furrow in your brow betrayed your façade.
“I’m only joking, of course. But in all seriousness, your trachea was severely damaged from the smoke inhalation during the attack. Fortunately you narrowly avoided respiratory failure, but you won’t be able to use your voice for a couple of weeks. Lucky for you, technology has advanced enough that you won’t have to carry around a notepad everywhere you go. We recommend using the voice app on your phone.”
You handed him his cell phone, when Hawks noticed a plastic bag of personal items behind you with unknown origins. You followed his eyes to see what was distracting him.
“Oh yes, a young man named Tokoyami brought you a change of clothes and some other things you may need while you were out. Said he was your mentee.” You paused, searching for some kind of reaction. You thought it might brighten his spirits. His eyes widened somewhat, but there was still no smile. “It’s clear you’ve had a big impact on him.”
Tokoyami. His mentee. A child. More memories of the battlefield came flooding back. Twice. Dabi. He knew you hoped that bringing up his pupil would put him at ease. But Hawks was suddenly overwhelmed with guilt that he had put the student is such a dangerous situation.
“I also spoke with Dermatology. They informed me that sixteen percent of your body is covered with third degree burns, another twenty percent second degree, and twenty-two percent first degree. Given the severity and location of the burns, you’re also at risk of developing contractures that could compress your airways in the future so we’ll need to keep a close eye on that. Once your wraps come off, they’ve prescribed you a topical treatment that you’re to use three times a day until everything is healed. You’ll also be started on an oral antibiotic immediately, which you’re to take for three weeks.”
He attempted to use his new voice.
“What about wings?” You took a deep breath. Not good.
“I’m getting to that. I’m going to adjust your bed a little first. Are you able to lean forward?” He nodded as the bed rose up and the angle of his back moved more upright. He winced, unable to hide his discomfort but did as you instructed.
“I’m sorry, I know this is painful for you. I’m going as quickly as I can.” You talked through how you were examining his dressings, that his biggest risk at the moment was that the wounds would get infected, and that the dressings would need to be changed again before the end of the day.
“I think they will grow back. But it will be painful and it will be slow. You must be patient during this time and you’ll have to stay out of the field for a while. I’d recommend taking a well-deserved break until they’re fully healed.”
Bedrest sounded like Hawks’ personal hell. He only nodded his head. He didn’t have the energy to protest.
“You’ll also need to go through a psychiatric evaluation before rejoining field.”
Hawks let out a muffled groan. You let out an exasperated laugh.
“Really, you didn’t make a peep when I was examining your open wounds but you draw the line at psych eval?” You watched as he typed out his next thought.
“Waste of time.” Your eyes softened.
“First of all, this is standard procedure. Endeavor, Mirko, Eraserhead, all those UA students are going to have to get one too. Second, even if it wasn’t, what you – what you’ve all gone through would cause even the strongest soldier some kind of stress. We want to make sure that you’re all in the right headspace so that you’re the most prepared you can be going against whatever this enemy is. You have to take care of yourself first before you can take care of others.”
Hawks sat there a moment in silence, absorbing your words. Wondering whether you would be so sympathetic and kind if you knew the truth. He began typing.
“I killed someone,” the unnatural voice said. It came from him, but it didn’t feel like him. It echoed against the walls of the sterile room, void of emotion.
You pulled a chair next to his bed so that you were slightly below his eye level.
“I heard. That must be a lot to carry.”
“You hate me.”
“I don’t.”
“I’m a bad person.”
“You’re not.” You paused, choosing your next words carefully for the fragile hero. “I don’t know what your world is like. I wasn’t there so I don’t know exactly what happened. But I do know that we are both in the business of saving lives, albeit in different ways. My guess is you made a split second decision on what was in the mission’s best interest to save the lives of your colleagues and ultimately the lives of civilians. Nobody has a crystal ball to know whether that was the best or right choice. But it was a life or death situation, and you did the best you could in the moment. It’s natural to feel remorse and guilt, but you can’t let it debilitate you for the rest of your life either.”
What right did you have to comment on such things?
“You’ve never killed someone,” he countered.
“I have. In my OR. There are some people that can’t be saved, no matter how hard you try.”
“I think he was a good person,” he typed, wondering if that negated everything you just said.
“Good people do bad things all the time. It doesn’t make them bad people.” He sighed, swallowing the searing pain as harsh air passed through his lungs. You watched closely as the hero studied his bandaged hands, refusing to make eye contact. “For now, the best thing you can do for yourself and Japan is rest. We need you.”
He sat with your words. It didn’t dawn on him until long after you left the room that you weren’t just talking about Twice.
-
As you warned, the days passed at a glacial pace. He didn’t enjoy how quickly he acclimated to talking through his phone. He had growing pains from the nubs of his wings that began to poke through his skin. Each day brought a revolving door of doctors and healers and other specialists, by whom he was constantly poked and prodded and observed. Hawks hated every minute of it. Almost every minute.
You came in daily to monitor the progress of his wings. It was the most painful part of his recovery. But you entered his room with a smile and sunny disposition, like you weren’t about to inflict torture on him for thirty minutes. The air hurt his exposed back when you removed the old bandages. It stung when you applied antiseptic to cleanse the area. It felt like he was going to pass out when you ran your gloved fingers along the growth that was coming in. He felt all the more pathetic laying on his stomach as you did your work.
But you did your best to distract him with bad jokes and hospital gossip. Not that you had to put in that much effort. Your presence was distracting enough.
On the fourth day after the battle, you finally got a chuckle out him. What’s black and white and black and white and black and white? He shrugged as you applied ointment. A penguin falling down the stairs. You quickly realized that your methods may have been faulty as his laugh devolved into a coughing fit, his lungs still weak.
“Shit, I’m sorry. Try to remember your box breathing.”
He held his breath at the top of his inhale. Four, three, two, one. Exhale. Four, three, two, one. He repeated this for a minute before his breath finally returned to normal. He gave a thumbs up. I’m ok.
Relief washed over your face. “I’m sorry I made you choke on air. But glad to see you in better spirits today.” He began typing.
“I’m always in good spirits when you’re around.” You bit back a smile no one could see as you started redressing the incoming wings.
“Ah, there he is. Yeah, you’re definitely starting to feel better.”
“Can’t you tell? I’m the pinnacle of health.” The gallows humor was hard to miss despite the monotone robotic voice, the statement in stark contrast to his fully bandaged and hospitalized body.
“You will be, soon enough.” You finished applying new bandages. “That’s it for me today, unless there’s anything else you want to share.”
“Capricorn. 27. Single –“
“Yeah, yeah, very funny.” You pulled off your disposable gloves, turning to hide the blush creeping up your neck. “I already knew that from your chart. Nice try,” you teased.
“Didn’t know you were stalking me.”
“Goodbye Hawks, I’ll see you tomorrow.” You knew your faux sternness was hardly believable, as you caught him wink before you closed the door.
-
Two days later you bumped into Hawks and Best Jeanist in the hallway. You broke into a wide grin when you noticed the two heroes, pleasantly surprised to see just how much progress your patient had made in such a short time.
“Good morning gentlemen.”
“Good morning Dr. y/l/n,” Best Jeanist said with a small bow. Hawks was visibly confused about his formality.
“Please, there’s no need for that. It’s just good to see you back in the land of the living.” Best Jeanist helped fill in the gaps for his perplexed cohort.
“Hawks, Dr. y/l/n was part of the team who developed the drugs to put me in a temporary death-like state to convince Dabi that you’d killed me. We can thank her for setting us up for success to get you undercover.” Hawks knew he missed out on a lot during his covert mission, but had no idea how many parties were involved outside the ordinary network of hero agencies and the Commission. You blushed at the praise.
“It was nothing, really. You guys are the ones doing all the hard work.”
“Truly, we are in your debt,” Best Jeanist piled on. You weren’t used to so much flattery and you had a job to do so you tried to end the conversation.
“Anyways, I have to get to my next patient. Jeanist, keep an eye on your partner. It’s good for him to walk around a little bit but make sure he doesn’t overdo it.”
“I won’t let him out of my sight.” He gave another bow.
“I’m right here,” Hawks typed, unamused by the turn of the exchange.
“I’ll see you in a few hours, Hawks,” you yelled over your shoulder before disappearing down the next corridor.
The session later that day was nothing out of the ordinary. The nubs sprouting from his back had formed into tiny but well-defined wings and he was able to sit up during exams as opposed to lying face down on the hospital bed. All signs of positive progress.
He watched wistfully as you documented your observations, swaying his legs off the side of the bed like a child.
“They’re coming in quite nicely, I’m really happy with where you’re at.”
“Great what do I need to sign to get out of here?”
“Ahhh not so fast. You have to stay at least another two days and even once you’re discharged, you most certainly are not ready to return to active duty.” He pouted underneath his respirator mask.
“You’re no fun.”
“Sorry, just doing my job.” You proceeded to check his other vitals before heading out. First you took off his mask to check his lymph nodes, pressing your fingers firmly against the outer side of his jaw, moving down his neck. He was acutely aware of the lone thin layer of latex that separated you. He couldn’t stop the warmth that crept up his face, thankful that most of it was still covered. His flushed cheeks may have been under wraps, but he couldn’t hide his quickened pulse from you. You put on your stethoscope and instructed him to breathe deeply a few times, the cold metal circle moving from his upper back, to lower back, to his chest.
Your brow furrowed in confusion. “Your lungs are sounding better but your heart’s beating like crazy.”
He feigned surprise, which was much easier when he didn’t have to control his own voice. “Really? That’s odd, no one else’s said anything.”
You pulled up his chart again to check the inputs of all the other practitioners who’ve treated the hero since his arrival at Central Hospital. All values normal.
“On a scale from one to ten, how much pain are you in at this point?”
“Two or three.”
“Are you feeling nervous about anything?” He chewed his lower lip trying to think of a way to get out of this, knowing that if he said no you would run more tests which would be unnecessary and prolong his stay.
“Yes,” he lied. Kind of. He actually was a little nervous, though definitely not for the reason you likely thought. You brought your chair next to his bed again.
“Do you want to talk about it?” A loaded question.
“No.” The good thing about talking through his phone and the mask was that he could get away with saying less. Sympathetic people tended to not ask follow up questions.
“Okay. Well, you know I’m always here if you ever want to talk.” You spoke slowly, your reassuring voice laced with uncertainty. It was difficult to get a read on him when you couldn’t hear the tone of his voice or see his face. “Do you have any questions?” He nodded.
“Will you go on a date with me?” You almost choked on your own saliva. You blushed, but forced yourself to remain stoic.
“I’m very flattered, but there are strict protocols against physician-patient relationships.” Your stern message was undercut by your stammering, high pitched squeak.
“What if I promise to never get hurt again?” You tried not to smile, knowing it would only egg him on. You were failing.
“You shouldn’t be making promises you can’t keep.”
“What if I find a different doc?”
“You’ve gotten awfully good at talking through your phone,” you muttered under your breath.
“Can’t hear you.” Despite his mostly covered face, you could tell from the crinkle around his eyes that he was enjoying every moment of this interrogation.
“I-I’d have to take it up with the Board of Ethics.”
“That’s not a no.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“Can I say one more thing?” You sighed, bracing yourself for whatever nonsense he was about to spew.
“I’d rather you didn’t but legally I think I have to say yes.” You watched as his thumbs frantically moved over the keyboard.
“Thank you for taking care of Best Jeanist. This operation wouldn’t’ve gotten so far without him or you.”
“Oh.” Your felt your heartbeat in your throat. “Again, just doing my job. Glad I could help.” You fiddled with some papers. “Let’s try this one more time. Do you have any other questions… about your health.”
Hawks shook his head, looking exceptionally pleased with himself. Despite the fact that you wanted to scold him for the bizarre interaction, you were reassured by his pleasant disposition, one you hadn’t seen since he arrived.
“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
-
Tomorrow rolled around but you entered an empty sterile room, bed ready for a new patient. After a few seconds your confusion passed and you saw red.
You stormed down the hall in search for any hospital staff, until a poor resident had the unfortunate luck of being in your path.
“Where the hell is my patient?”
“I-I’m sorry?”
“Room 3409. Yesterday my patient was there and today the room is empty. He wasn’t ready to be discharged so where is he?”
“I-I-I don’t know ma’am, I’m sorry.”
“Dr. y/l/n, this is a hospital, not wrestlemania if you could keep it down please. And stop traumatizing the junior residents.” Hawks’ pulmonologist emerged from his office and tried to placate you. You glowered at the first young doctor as he silently excused himself from the conversation that was definitely beyond his paygrade.
“Please tell me he got moved to a different wing.”
“I’m afraid not.” He spoke again before you could let out another outburst. “I warned him of the risks of a premature discharge, to which he insisted he was feeling fine and that those were risks he was willing to take. I had him fill out some paper work and a consent form and he left this morning.” Your nostrils flared as you silently seethed.
“I’m gonna kill him.”
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that so I don’t have to report you. Oh, and one more thing…” The doctor took a deep breath before proceeding, worried he may end up the subject of your wrath. “This is probably terrible timing, but – he requested to take you off his care team,” your eyes widened “…and should he be re-hospitalized that you not be involved.”
“WHAT?” You continued mumbling a string of profanities under your breath. The doctor continued slowly and calmly.
“He made it very clear it had nothing to do with the quality of care he received from you. But he uh, mentioned something about a potential conflict of interest.” He took a step back as you burned an imaginary hole through his head with your retinas. “I cannot emphasize enough how much I do not want to know any more information about this.”
“There is no more information about it because it doesn’t exist!” You wanted to scream. “Fuck him. Fuck you. Fuck this hospital. I’msosorryItakethoselasttwoback.” You stomped your foot down like a petulant child before storming off. “FUCK!”
-
By the next day you had cooled off, that is, until you saw Hawks loitering outside Endeavor’s room as you were making your rounds.
“YOU!” you boomed. Hawks’ excitement to see you was quickly replaced with fear as you approached and you were close enough that he could see the rage steaming off you.
“Hey doc,” he said sheepishly.
“Don’t you ‘hey doc’ me.” You were very close to his face. He was sure he would’ve felt your breath if he didn’t have the stupid respirator mask on. For a split second he thought about taking it off but realized that would only further enrage you. “What the hell were you thinking?”
He began typing but you swatted his hand before he could answer. “Ow.”
“And you –“ Best Jeanist would be the next recipient of your verbal lashings. “You said you would keep an eye on him. Liar.”
Hawks had never seen his colleague scared before, but there was a first for everything.
“He just wanted to come for a ride-along, I promise he stayed in the car the whole time!”
“I have never been more disappointed,” you said in a low voice. Best Jeanists bowed.
“I am very ashamed and deeply regret my actions. I am sorry.” That seemed to pacify you momentarily. You returned your wrath to Hawks.
“I told you you’re not ready to return to the field. And now I hear you’re refusing to receive treatment from me? I cannot explain to you how embarrassed and insulted I am.” You allowed him time to type this time as Best Jeanist stood there as witness, desperately wishing for the floor to open below and swallow him whole.
“You’re right. I’m not ready. But this enemy is moving too quickly, time is of the essence. I’m in good enough shape that I can help off the field. I’m sorry I went against your professional judgement.” You continued to glare at him with pursed lips.
“And?”
“And I was being proactive. I’m taking you on that date.” Your face flushed immediately while the avian hero somehow remained shameless. You did your best to maintain your composure.
“Is that a threat?”
“It’s a promise.” You crossed your arms defensively.
“After a stunt like this, I wouldn’t be so sure. Plus, since you’ve already taken it upon yourself to be discharged I’m not sure why you’re even here.”
“Now that we know about the Todoroki family connection to Dabi, we need to gather intel. Also need to consolidate info from those at the Jaku Hospital attack. Off-field work, if you will.” Your eyes narrowed, only to be met with undeterred playful golden irises.
“Fine, I’ll allow it. But I feel the need to make it known that I’m not happy about it.” The injured hero smiled again.
“Thanks, doc.”
“Again, our sincerest apologies for the mishap.” Best Jeanist did his best to make up for his companion’s clear lack of repentance.
You only gave the heroes a parting glare as you walked away.
The rest of the day passed, otherwise uneventful but long and exhausting. You kept a professional and pleasant face for the benefit of your patients, but it was getting hard to maintain after all you’d seen in the last seven days since the attacks. Yes, there were cases of miraculous recoveries in the face of overwhelming trauma. But far more frequent were lives that were forever altered by all that had transpired, not just for patients themselves but all the other souls connected to those individuals. The hospital was at capacity, and each bed represented not just one person but a web of lives that now had to face a new crippling reality. If you thought about it too much you could cry – which you did, in the nearest break room or supply closet if had even just two minutes between appointments. Thus, your favorite part of the day became doing paperwork in your office at the end of your shift. It was methodical and soothing, and allowed you to disassociate.
It was at that moment when you were enjoying your oasis that an intern rushed into your office, disturbing your peace.
“There’s an emergency on the top floor, you need to come quick.” You immediately got up and followed her down the hall and up the elevator, asking clarifying questions about the situation.
But when you entered the room in question, all you saw was a picnic blanket on the hospital bed, two champagne flutes, a bottle, and the number two hero. The intern shrank in the doorway.
“I’m really sorry, he said he would send me a bunch of merch if I could get you here.”
“You’ve got to be joking.” You rubbed your temples, hoping it would transport you to another dimension where you never went to medical school and thus would not be here. “You are not to accept a single thing from him, do you understand?” The intern nodded aggressively. “Now go, I’m sure you have better places to be, ideally with a patient who actually needs help.” The intern scurried away without another word.
“And you,” now turning to Hawks. “Bribing medical professionals? Super illegal.”
“Sorry.” His mischievous eyes said otherwise, clearly undeterred by your scolding. You scoffed.
“No you’re not.” He shrugged. You took a closer look at the set up. “Seems kinda wasteful, doesn’t it? You can’t even drink.”
He turned the bottle to show the label. Sparkling nonalcoholic cider. The corners of your lips tugged upwards, threatening to betray your steely exterior.
Any semblance of a smile quickly vanished, however, when he removed his respirator mask.
“What are you –“ He spoke before you could protest or before he lost his nerves.
“I’m going to be gone for a really long time after today. I don’t know when I’ll be back. Or if I’ll be back.” He cautiously grabbed your hands. “Regardless of which it is, I really want to make sure I don’t break any promises.”
You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding in when he paused. You suddenly found it hard to keep eye contact.
“This is a hospital, not the Make A Wish Foundation.” Despite your icy response, you made no effort to pull your hands away from him. He gently rolled his thumb over your knuckles, trying to memorize every ridge and crease.
Most of his face was still covered in bandages, but you liked that you could now see how his lips curved into a lopsided smirk, punctuated by laugh lines that formed around the corners of his mouth. You liked knowing that you were responsible for it. Your mind concocted imaginary circumstances of other things you could do to get him to make the same perfect expression. Your eyes lifted to meet his when you were done daydreaming.
“I thought they were one in the same.” He was insufferable. His arms fell to his sides when you separated yourself from him. For a moment he almost looked like the defeated shell of himself that was in your care a week ago. But it was quickly washed with relief when he saw you grab the bottle.
“You are the worst patient I’ve ever had.” A satisfying *pop* echoed in the room. He knew your words were hallow, as your acquiescence was rewarded with the hero’s bright eyes and heartfelt smile that made your heart beat in time with the little bubbles that evaporated around you. You handed him a glass of cider, his fingers ghosting over yours as he took the flute from you that sent a shiver down your spine.
“Then it’s a good thing I’m not your patient anymore.”
#hawks#mha hawks#mha fanfiction#my hero academia#bnha keigo#hawks imagines#keigo takami#mha takami keigo#mha x reader#bnha x reader#my hero acedamia#my hero acadamy#my hero academy fanfiction#soft hawks#bnha hawks#hawks x reader#takami keigo#keigo x reader#boku no hero academia#hawks x you#hawks mha#hawks bnha#pro hero hawks#hawks fanfiction#my hero academia x reader#hawks fluff#fluff#hawks angst
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I have come to say
🔫
TAKE A BREAK AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.
Does decorating the Decepticon house, drinking wine, and planting flowers count?

Needs and Wants Pt 4
Misfire x Reader, Tarn x Reader, Wheeljack x Reader, Ratchet x Reader, Bluestreak x Reader, Soundwave x Reader
• Grabbing a shoe as the door opens and your host lets himself in, you brandish it. Because whatever this is? It’s not what you signed up for. Alien robots? How can one of them be your soul mate? It’s like a terrible, cruel joke. “What is this? What are they?” And he holds up his hands, palm out. ‘Your matches. They’re waiting to meet you,’ he says, tone coaxing like you’re the one being unreasonable. Heart racing you risk a glance at the open door. One of them is right there, and he lifts a hand in greeting, door wings flicking.
• Hearing Ratchet venting as he waves at the little human, Bluestreak offers a small smile, but you just stare. Why a human? You’re not what any of them expected, sure, but he doesn’t mind. Can feel the pull to get closer, his spark and biofield responding to you. And he’s at your door before he can think better of it because you’re already spooked. “Hi, I’m Bluestreak,” he says since you’re backing away like you think he’s going to grab for you. “Don’t worry, I’m not coming in. Can we talk if I stay right here?” Can feel the weight of the others’s stares, plating crawling at having three Decepticons behind him. Especially that one.
• Testing his bound wrists, Tarn turns his attention on his fellow Decepticons. Taking stock. Those three don’t look like the most formidable Autobots. No real threats among them. Soundwave is a decent tactician and fighter. A valuable ally. The Seeker, though? That one’s a wild card and an unknown. Though since he doesn’t know him, he doubts he’s going to be that useful in a fight. Optics wandering the space, he looks for a way to free himself. Needs his hands loose and that dampener off. Mostly, though he’s trying to avoid looking at you. Had met your frightened eyes for barely a klik and it had jolted through him. He’d rocked forward a step without meaning to. Without wanting to. You’re dangerous.
• Still laughing, Misfire drapes an arm across Soundwave’s shoulder and the communications officer rumbles a warning, pointedly pushing his hand away. “Hey, we’re on the same side here,” he mutters, studying his competition. Though the prize itself? Pretty underwhelming. Clearing his vents with a huff as he glances at you and that yearning pull sinks into him, startling and unwanted. Urging him to touch you, hear you speak. Wings flicking, he tears his optics away from you.
• Tense as he keeps an optic on Tarn, that psychopath is looking around with predatory interest. Turning that one loose with a helpless little human? With them? What is Maccadam thinking? Trying to ignore that sweet, pull sinking into him, Ratchet nudges Wheeljack and the scientist’s vocal indicators blink sheepishly. Staring fixedly at you, obviously feeling it, too. Primus, what is this?
• Are all humans like this or is it just you? Aware of you in a way that’s almost uncomfortable, Wheeljack keeps sneaking looks at you. And you’re so small even though he’s mass shifted. His hands could wrap around your middle and his servos would overlap. He’s moving toward that door, toward you almost against his will. Joining Bluestreak trying to coax you into coming out.
• This is a problem. Aware of you, your biofield and just you pulling at him, your fear sinking into Soundwave’s processor. Almost overwhelming his telepathy. Can’t shut you out at all, doesn’t want to. Unwanted fascination sinking into him to twisted about his spark. To become need. You’re just a human, but you’re all he can think about. Are you as soft as you look? Wants to soothe you, calm the chaos of your emotions. Would you let him?
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#transformers x reader#soundwave x reader#misfire x reader#idw bluestreak#ratchet x reader#wheeljack x reader#tarn x reader#mtmte tarn#idw ratchet#wheeljack#bluestreak x reader#soundwave#idw misfire
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Clover lore 🍀
Someone asked me questions so I get to talk

1. Clover sections his existence by time of day, but he's most aware of the changing of the seasons and the cycles of the moon. It was always a fun thing to point out as a child when the moon was new or full, and when he was alone, surviving the passing of winter was excruciating. Winter was long and he would learn to count the full moons before life began to creep back into the forest. Knowing he only had a few left before the frosts arrived again was also excruciating. Although he's tried, he isn't completely consistent; sometimes other things take priority. He'd only started marking moon cycles as he got a little older, so there were some dark periods. You might be able to guess his age by looking through the journal he keeps with him.
2. Clover doesn't talk much. In a way he does dislike his voice-- making noise has always been risk for him. He's really only spoken with intent when he's spellcasting, which was usually in a kill-or-be-killed or other stressful situation, so he long associated speaking with those feelings. He feels safest when he's quiet.
How well Halsin can read him depends on where they are in their relationship. Halsin's had to learn Clover's behavior and I think he's an emotionally-sensitive person. In the beginning it could be quite hard! Clover's cerebral and often unknown even to himself since it's second-nature for him to immediately push away his own needs and vulnerability. It's disorienting when his brain is still reading those situations as danger and the expected danger just doesn't come. It gets easier as they spend more time together and Halsin becomes more in tune to Clover's wants and quirks, body language, little signs he teaches Clover, etc.
3. Clover is completely nomadic, the only shelter he uses is one he can find in nature like hollow trees, caves, empty dens. It's dangerous to stay in one place and equally dangerous to leave a trail.
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it was all by design 🌟
"what if i told you none of it was accidental?"

summary: hunter!reader starts to realize their feelings for xavier, but he's felt this way the whole time...
song: mastermind by taylor swift
word count: 2.1k
author's note: my first l&ds fic everyone cheer! / mostly fluff / workplace romance (i mean this is canon) / im new to this game don't judge / cheeky makeout sesh / he falls first and hard / sarcastic smug xavier (he's a freak) / sweet talk - nothing too spicy / barely proof read oops
It was simple day at the arcade. You and Xavier decided to take the day off from missions and relax with some fun at the colorful arcade machines. You had won more stuffed plushies than you could feasibly carry in your arms, so Xavier held one in his hand delicately, as if he knew how much those little stuffed creatures meant to you.
“Well I better call it a day, I don’t think I can carry any more of these little guys.” You chuckled as your arms began to grow sore, even with the stuffed creatures’ light weight.
“Yeah, you’re supposed to be resting your muscles and instead here you are.” He gestured towards your arms filled with plushes. You laughed to yourself, refusing to admit he was right.
The two of you walked back to your car and you dumped all of the plushes in the backseat. As you looked at all of the adorable creatures, a realization hit you. You had no more room at your desk in the office for all of these plushes to fit.
“What are you thinking about? Or are you just admiring your growing collection?” Xavier spoke from beside me. I turned to look at him for a few moments. The Xavier during missions was so different yet the same as the Xavier outside of work. You had come to know him as a close friend, and even shared some flirtatious moments. Most of the time, you pushed those moments aside and decided to see him only as a coworker. But flirtatious fantasies sometimes danced through your mind.
You envisioned his desk at the office. Completely barren; no pictures, no decorations. A piece of furniture completely devoid of any color or personality. You grabbed one of your plushes. This one was a particularly round tomato plush. “Here,” you started, “this won’t fit on my desk, so you can have it.”
Xavier took the plush in his hand and examined it for a moment, “What am I supposed to do with it?”
You shrugged your shoulders, “I dunno, it’s up to you.”
~
For some unknown reason, after the day at the arcade you spent the entire next day thinking about Xavier. During random moments of the day, memories between the two of you kept flashing back into your mind. You would be folding laundry and suddenly think back to his arms brushing against yours like they did during a mission in the forest. You both had heard and felt fluctuations and were on guard. He held your wrist in a swift movement to keep you close. You snapped out of it and finished folding your clothes.
Another memory flashed while you were cleaning dishes. It was a particularly risky mission, and Xavier’s Evol was dwindling. His life was at risk, but he was still willing to put himself in the face of danger in order to keep you safe. When you tried to resonate with him, at first he hesitated. He wouldn’t dare you spend any of your energy or power on him. But in the end, your decision to resonate saved his life. You both thought you’d end up losing the other that day, and the silent air of the aftermath sat heavy. You held each other close, your heavy breathing mixing together.
After your days off were over, and you thought you had finally gotten over yourself, you walked into the office prepared for whatever mission Jenna was going to send you on. But then, you saw Xavier across the room. He was standing talking to another hunter, and you just about lost your mind. He was standing with his arms crossed, clad in his hunter uniform, his head cocked slightly as he listened to whatever his coworker was jabbering about. God, he looked amazing, you thought. Why were you thinking of him in this way all of the sudden?
You had gone over every small interaction, every side conversation, every slight touch that the two of you had ever shared. Was there really something between the two of you, or had you actually gone mad this time. You walked over to your desk, placing one of your newest plushes on the shelf to complete your set.
Your eyes glanced over at Xavier’s desk, not expecting anything to have changed. You did a double take when you noticed something new. A small tomato plush sat next to his computer. That wasn’t the only thing either. A square photo was stuck to the hang wall that every worker had.
Trying to be inconspicuous, you squinted at the photo. It was one the two of you had taken before one of your most recent missions. You were both dressed in your uniforms, and he had his arm around your shoulder as you held bunny ears behind his head. He was smiling, and you were sticking your tongue out. It was the only photo the two of you had ever taken together.
Your head was reeling. This couldn’t be real. You were convinced you were trapped in some Protocore induced dream. “Do you like the new decorations?” Your body jolted as Xavier spoke next to you. You turned to see a smug smile on his face, his arms still crossed.
You were too shocked to speak, but finally decided to say something as Xavier waited for an answer. “Yeah, yeah…it’s nice.” Your voice sounded more exasperated than you’d like. Xavier seemed to read you like a book. Did he know the realizations that you were having?
“Are you alright?” He asked with a slight smile. He didn’t actually seem too concerned.
“Yeah- no, yeah, I’m fine.” You stumbled over your words, refusing to make eye contact with him. You saw a slight twitch in his bicep as he adjusted his stance by his desk. Your entire face went hot. “I think Jenna wanted me to look at something in the Archive room, I’ll um…be right back.” You hurried through your excuse to leave the main office.
Your breath had quickened, but you found solace in the empty archive room. Only tech workers were really needed back here to retrieve old files on specific Protocores or important history of Linkon. Thankfully the room was empty, the only sound being your heavy breathing. You sat yourself on one of the empty counters, the space usually used for examining documents. You put your head in your hands, get it together.
You heard the handle of the door slide open, and your heart sank. In walked Xavier, still appearing smug and moving like he rehearsed all of this. “Are you following me now?” You huffed, just needing some time alone to sort through your thoughts.
“Are you done lying to me?” He retorted, moving closer to you, now standing only a few feet away.
“What are you talking about?” You scoffed in a hushed laugh.
“You’re clearly not fine. What’s going on?” He still held that dumb smile on his face, and your brows furrowed.
“Are you actually concerned for me? Because you’re smiling. Do you know you’re smiling right now?” You asked in a rushed tone; you’ve never seen him behave this way.
He let out a deep sigh, his eyes rolling in exasperation. "Do I have to explain everything to you?" He took a step closer, his body now towering over you as you sat perched on the counter. He leaned down, his hands planted firmly on either side of your legs. Your faces were mere inches apart, and the intensity of his gaze sent shivers down your spine. “Do I have to explain why your face flushes when I get close like this?”
Gently, he reaches out and places his warm hand on your knee, caressing it with gentle strokes. With a slow and deliberate movement, he begins to trace a path up your thigh, his fingertips leaving a tingling sensation in their wake. Gradually, his touch becomes more confident and sure, sending waves of desire rippling through your body. “Do I have to explain how your breath quickens when I do this?”
He leans in, his breath warm on your neck as he speaks in a soft whisper only meant for you. You can feel the heat radiating from his lips, and the gentle brush of his words sends shivers down your spine. His breath carries the scent of mint and musk, enveloping you in a cloud of desire. The closeness between you is palpable, and every nerve in your body is electrified by his presence. “Or can you put the pieces together yourself?”
“Xavier…” Is all you can think to say. Your breathing was quickening, and your face was flushed.
He sighed, his lips just barely grazing the start of your jaw, “I’ve waited and waited for you to finally feel what I’ve felt for so long.” You take your hands and slightly push his chest away.
You analyze his face and his brows furrow ever so slightly. “You mean- you’ve felt this way about me all this time and never told me?” You brought one of your hands up to the side of his face, your thumb lightly tracing around his cheek.
“Of course, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I knew you didn’t feel the same way- if you would never feel this way…” He starts, and before he can continue, you speak up.
“But now you know…”
A smile tugs at the corner of his lips, “Exactly.” He brings a hand up to your jaw and slowly moves it to the back of your neck. “Can I kiss you now?” Your eyes felt dazed as you gazed down at his lips. He brushed a thumb over the bottom of your lip, waiting. “Please, your eyes are saying yes but I need to hear it from your mouth.”
You nodded, snapping out of the haze you were in. “Yes, yes, please.” As soon as the last word was uttered Xavier brought his lips onto yours. He started slow, his soft lips moving in rhythm with yours. He was still leaning on his hands, but he moved them to wrap around your lower back. You never thought he would feel this good on your lips. You let out a slight whimper, and that sent Xavier spiraling. Like a man starved, he quickened his pace and kissed you as if he’d never get the chance again.
“Wait- we can’t do this here.” You took a moment in between kisses to center yourself and remember you were at work.
“Ugh, I don’t care,” Xavier breathed out and went back to kissing you again. Once his lips found yours for the second time you didn’t care anymore either. You wanted this feeling, this burning desire for him to last forever.
You smiled into the next kiss, “Okay,” You moved your hands into his hair, your fingers tugging on the strands slightly. He moaned lightly into your kiss, causing your back to arch.
You almost missed the door handle opening again, and you immediately pushed Xavier off of you. He stumbled back, partially in shock until he realized why. Andrew walked in, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment from walking in on the two of you. “Um- Jenna is looking for you. The mission assignments are about to be handed out.” He cleared his throat and walked out of the room.
Your own face was flush pink, and once Andrew left the room you put your head in your hands. “Oh my god.”
“Okay, you were right. Maybe we shouldn’t have done that here.” Xavier laughed to himself. You had no choice but to laugh, really.
You hopped off of the counter, your legs feeling weak. You couldn’t even think about going on a mission right now, nonetheless with Xavier. “Well,” You straightened out your uniform, “I guess we should head back.”
“Yeah,” Xavier chuckled to himself, “until next time.”
Your face flushed at his words, because you knew there would be a next time.
#love and deepspace#love and deepspace xavier#lads xavier#xavier lads#xavier love and deepspace#lads#lads sylus#lads zayne#lads rafayel#love and deep space#love and deepspace sylus#lads mc#lnds xavier#l&ds xavier#xavier x reader#xavier x mc#lnds xavier x reader#lads xavier x reader#lads x reader#lads x you#l&ds#l&ds sylus#l&ds zayne#l&ds rafayel#lnds sylus#sylus#l&ds x reader#l&ds xavier x reader#l&ds x you
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Strawberry tarts
Rhysand x reader Living in the Autumn court isn't nice, especially if you are female. Arranged marriages are common, so it wasn't surprising it also happened to you. What of course caught you off guard is that your future husband is Rhysand, High lord of the Night court, who is probably the most dangerous man alive. You heard horror stories about him and his court, but are these stories true? Warnings: misogyny, arranged marriage Word count: 8690 (oops)
Being the daughter of a nobleman in Autumn court wasn't something you would wish for. Truth to be told, it is quite the opposite actually. It is a common knowledge that when a female is born in this court, her only purpose in life is to be wed, often at a very young age. She is raised to dance, sing, entertain and obey her husband. She should do anything he wants, be his perfect little wife and of course, birth as many children, preferably boys, as possible. This is how your mother was raised and therefore, how you were raised. Your parents didn't love each other, a very few people in Autumn court loved their partners. And you knew.. maybe one? Two? It is maybe not that surprising that you no longer believed in love. It was better not to. So you could prevent being disappointed. The only thing you were slightly hoping for is for your husband to be at least a little kind to you and leave no marks on your body, unlike Beron, your High lord, did on his wife.
The feeling of accomplishment couldn't possibly miss your mother. In the end, she was marrying you off to Rhysand, High lord of the Night court. You still weren't sure how that happened. Your father was Beron's close friend, a very important member of his court. From what you were told, you understood that the High lord of night wanted to secure a peace between courts. In the past one engagement already happened, but wasn't successfully sealed in marriage. You heard stories about Morrigan and Eris, Beron's oldest son, an heir. Their story happened many years before you were even born and there still was some tension. Not wanting to risk another female from the Night court to change her mind, they probably decided to try it the opposite way and provide a female from the Autumn court from a man from the Night. And that man happened to be the High lord himself.
Your wedding gown was modest. A little bit wider skirt, plain without anything to make it more interesting. Neckline up to the neck. White, symbol of purity. This dress was making you anxious. They were suffocating you, or maybe was it the thing they represented? Marriage. Today, you are going to marry probably the most dangerous man in Prythian. You are going to be his wife. His property. You were terrified of the unknown. If you were to be wed to some lord from your court, you would at least know how cruel they were, but about him.. You knew nothing other than his title and name. And that many people feared him. But was he really that bad? Were they telling you these stories because they wanted to warn you or just scared you into submission? Maybe he was secretly kind? You didn't know the answers to your question and you certainly weren't going to get them before you two would be married.
As you stood before the doors that were going to open in a matter of minutes and lead you to the new chapter of your life, you put a mask on your face. You were determined to not let them see your fear. “Don't mess anything up.” Your father hissed into your ear, as he stood beside you, ready to walk you down the aisle. “I won't”, you replied, trying to convince him and also yourself. You didn't have the chance to say anything more, not that you actually had something to say to your father, before the doors finally opened.
There were many guests, who were trying to get a better look at you and, while they stood on both sides as you walked down the aisle. Your heart was pounding fast in your chest and your head was ringing, but you forced yourself to walk forward. You avoided looking at your future husband until the last second, however, when your father finally let go of you and placed your hand into the other, warm one, you looked up and then.. your heart practically stopped. He was gorgeous. His purple eyes, shining like stars in the sky, were looking at you with kindness, as if they were trying to convince you that everything will be better from now on. And you really really wanted to believe them.
The rest of the ceremony went quiet quickly. You said your vows and exchanged a kiss, well only on a cheek, which was a little bit disappointing but at the same time, it was a relief, because at the end, you didn't want to have your first real kiss in front of this massive audience. Now it was time for a party and that was actually nice. The attention of the guests turned from you to drinks, food, music and dance. You could breathe calmly for the first time today, even when your new husband was sitting next to you. He was so close you could feel his warmth, his scent and power that was radiating from him. Surprisingly, it wasn't scaring you at all. You should be scared of it, of him, that is for sure, but still.. you weren't and ironically, that was something that was scaring you a little bit. “You should eat something”, a velvet voice came from your husband, as you turned to look at him. “Are you not hungry? It is.. a long time since breakfast and of course the ceremony.. Or if you don't like this, I Can arrange something else for you. Whatever you would like.” Looking down on your untouched plate, touched by his kind offer, you decided to speak to him, for the first time. Wel.. for the first time since the ceremony, during which you promised him our loyalty and obedience. “No, but thank you, this.. will do.” You smiled, feeling a little bit shy, as you took your first bite. Citrus roasted duck with crispy potatoes, it wasn't that bad and it was true you should eat, as Rhys said, but your appetite was greatly affected by your nerves. You ate about a third of your plate, before putting your fork and knife down again, still feeling his eyes on you. “That is all?” he sounded surprised, but you only shrugged in response. “I am not that hungry today”, meeting his eyes. There was a hint of understanding. “Perhaps tomorrow I can take you to some restaurant in Velaris. To.. try something new, eat properly. Don't worry, I know what is good” as he flashed his smile at you, you were a little bit confused. “Velaris? What is that?” You never heard of it. Was it some restaurant? He replied simply, “Your new home.”
After hearing those awful things about your husband, you never expected his home to be so.. beautiful. No, magical is actually a better word. You heard about some place called Hewn city. It was described like a dark unwelcoming place, but this was quite the opposite. This city, Velaris, seemed peaceful, full of the happiness of its citizens. After winnowing, Rhysand, as he insisted you to call him, instead of My lord, brought you to this room. Your new room in your new home. It was.. strange to not be in your family's house. Knowing that if you were to go down into the living room, they wouldn't be there. Instead, there would be a bunch of a little bit scary and tall,well.. except Amren, people you knew almost nothing about. As Rhysand told you, many of them were not actually living there, but sometimes it looked like they did and since you didn't know what to think about it, you decided simply not to. Instead, you took a bath, with bubbles in it. Know you smelled like lavenders, while you brushed your hair, looking in the mirror and waiting for Rhysand. As your mother told you the night before, he was supposed to come and make you a women, whatever that meant. Your lack of knowledge wasn't helping to calm down your nerves, as you waited for him. But he never came that night. When you woke up the next day, the sun was already in the sky and birds were singing outside your window. It seemed like a nice morning, calm, until you heard someone almost shouting down in the gardens. To cover yourself up, you took a prepared robe, lying on a chair next to your king sized bet. Maybe you should not have been so curious, but wanting to know what was happening, brought you to a smaller balcony, which was connected to your room. Leaning to a railing, so you could see what was going on, you saw two mens and one woman. Now, actually sawing them, you recognized them immediately. They were at the wedding yesterday, High lords closest friends, his Inner circle. “I am deeply sorry if they woke you up, I told them to wait repeatedly, but.. they are too stubborn.” That velvet voice once again, like music to your ears, brought your attention to the left, where you saw another small balcony. There was a table, two chairs, one currently occupied by the High lord himself. He was drinking coffee, looking at you with a little smile. “It is okay. It's time to wake up anyways.” You didn't mind. “Maybe, but I wanted you to sleep in a little bit. Yesterday was a big day. Only if someone would listen to me for once and not ignore everything I say in my own court.” He raised his words at the end of his sentence, clearly talking to the group below. “Oh common Rhysie, this isn't fair. We only wanted to finally meet your beautiful wife, since you decided yesterday to only keep her for yourself.” The general's voice was provocative, which was new for you. Beron wouldn't tolerate it, however innocently it sounded. “Yeah, that wasn't very nice, Rhys.” That female, Morrigan, said with a grin on her face. The third one, Azriel, turned his attention immediately towards you, ignoring how his friends were taunting your husband.. “It is a pleasure to meet you.” He said with a hint of encouraging smile in his eyes. “The pleasure is all mine. It is nice to meet you. All of you.” You smiled politely, looking from Azriel, to Morrigan and lastly Cassian.
After freshening your face and dressing up in a nice and elegant dress, you decided to be brave and go downstairs to eat breakfast. You were quite hungry, understandably, since you didn't eat that much yesterday. And you also wanted to get to know the others a little bit more. After your earlier encounter, it was more than clear that they weren't leaving, until they had the chance to speak to you first.
Walking in the hall and to the dining room was easy, thanks to the cauldron and you also had time to look around a house a little bit more. It was elegant here, the furniture looked really expensive. There were some portraits hanging. On the first one you saw, there was a whole Inner circle, then Rhysand with a crown on his head, you suspected it was painted on the day or day after he became High lord, and next to you, there was a portrait of two women. One looked solder, barely off age and the other one was clearly her mother. Although you never met them and couldn't remember their names, you recognized some similarities in their faces and Rhysand's. “My mother and sister..” Rhysand appeared next to you in a second you were absently looking at the two womens. “It is a pity they aren't here to meet you. My sister always wanted another sister, so they could make fun of me together and I am sure my mother would love you as if you were her actual daughter.” A little bit surprised at his statement, you looked at his handsome face. “How can you know? We barely.. know each other and those are some strong words.” There was a hint of mistrust in your voice. “I just know..”
The breakfast was delicious and others seemed really nice and friendly, which caught you off guard once again. Cassian, however scary he could appear, was one of the funniest people in the world, telling jokes and stories about everyone in the room and what they experienced together in all those centuries. Morrigan was the person who matched his personality perfectly. Although you didn't expect them to be like this, you were actually having a nice time. It was so different from the breakfast you usually had at home. Azriel along with Amren were a little bit quieter, but still friendly towards you and they tried to make you feel welcome. And Rhysand.. Actually you weren't sure what to think of him. After your little chat in the hall, you came to breakfast together and he helped you sit by pushing your chair. He was behaving like a true gentleman, completely opposite to what they told you in Autumn court. You were pulled to reality from thinking by Morrigan. “Y/N you simply must come with me today. I plan to go shopping. I need some new dress and you definitely too, because females just can not have enough dresses. And after that we can maybe go to this little bakery, they have the best sweets.” She was trying to persuade you to accompany her. You smiled at her, touched that she wanted to spend more time with you. Maybe she was going to be your first friend here? Well officially. Unofficially you started liking them all. “Well, I would like to join you,” you said truthfully, “If it's okay, of course?” You added as you looked over your husband, whose purple eyes were watching you. “Of course it is okay. You are free to do whatever your heart decides. Buy everything you need or simply want.” He smiled at you, looking over at Morrigan. “I am sure my cousin will more than happily be at your assistance, especially, I will be paying.”
“Morrigan, I just do not need so many things. This is getting really absurd.” You said after trying on maybe ten dresses. And many skirts and pants before. Yes, you could wear pants here. Another shock for you, since this was unacceptable in your home court. “Oh my dear friend, we barely started. I know you have many dresses from Autumn court, but now you are in the Night court. You need to look like it and more importantly, you need to feel comfortable. So now hush and tell me the truth. Do you really like to wear something like this? Or you simply were taught you have to wear clothes like this, although you do not like how it looks or how comfortable it is?” You knew from her face that lying wasn't the opportunity, so you sighed. “It.. doesn't really feel like me and.. it is not comfortable that much.” However simple it sounded, this was a big step for you, since you were always taught to not complain about anything, not having your own opinion. And something in Morrigan's face told you, she was having the same thoughts as you.
Leaving with three bags in each hand, you finally left the store. The amount of money you left there was enormous, but Morrigan was assuring you, Rhysnad wouldn't mind, so you decided to believe her and relax a little bit. Well, you surely made the owner happy and your closet fuller. You went to the bakery and bought a delicious strawberry tart, your favorite treat, and now you were just walking around the city, enjoying the sunny day and your new blossoming friendship. “It was an amazing day Morrigan, I am very thankful for you. It means a lot that you are so .. friendly to me.” You said a little bit shyly. “Oh Y/N.. It's been my pleasure. You are Rhysand's wife, one of us. My new friend. But don't you dare to think this day is over, we have one more shop we need to visit.” Her eyes sparkled in mischief. Only if you knew what was coming.
“Oh you can not mean this seriously!” You gasped, horrified, while looking at the next shop your friend picked. It was highly inappropriate for you to visit a place like this. “Oh, but I mean. Don't worry, you will be thanking me one day.”
Your day with Morrigan was fun, but the next day, you wanted nothing more than to stay in bed. Your feets were hurting, your head was hurting. You felt like she talked the hole in it. But inside you knew, you would be very happy if she would take you out soon again. And you also knew that if you really were to stay in your bed all day, you would be bored out of your mind after an hour. You need something to focus on, something to do. And then you remembered the strawberry tarts you had yesterday. Not wanting to go to the city, you decided to bake them on your own today. Fortunately, you knew the receipt already by your heart and in the kitchen was everything you needed. Nuala and Cerridwen, twins you met for the first time today, offered to bake that treat for you, but after some persuading, they agreed to only help you a little bit and let you roam in the kitchen mostly as you pleased.
The two females, who were accompanying you, were quiet and shy, choosing their words wisely. THe time you spent with them was like a silent dance, but not uncomfortable. It was rather peaceful and warm, almost like in home you never had but dreamed about having, when you were little. You were actually finishing the last one, when you heard a loud and funny voice that belonged to no one else than Cassian. “You are a lucky one Rhys. What would I do to have a beautiful wife like you, who also cooks, so the whole house smells nicely.” You blushed at his comment, not meeting any of their eyes. “For that complement, I think you deserve to have the first one to try it.” You said, taking the plate and placing the tart on it, along with a small spoon and handing it to him. You made enough tarts for all of them, wanting to only kill the time, but also make something nice, since they welcomed you with open arms. While Rhys said nothing, he was smiling at you, eyes shining adoringly, which caused you to blushed even more than before. “It is delicious, can I have one or two more?” Too busy looking at your husband, you didn't even notice that Cassian already managed to eat his first portion.
Instead of one or two more strawberry tarts, Cassian ate five in a few minutes. Looking at him surprised with Rhysand standing next to you, almost brushing his arm on you, he said “Cassian has a great appetite. I believe he would eat everything you made today, if he was allowed”, sounding amused. You giggled at this comment, meeting his gaze. “Are you speaking from personal experience?” He chuckled “I already spent many centuries with him.. Believe me when I say that feeding Cassian is pricey.” Cassian, not able to speak while having mouth full, gave his friend a middle finger. During your conversation with Rhysand, you took another plate and placed another tart there, offering it to Rhysand. “If that is the case, I think you should try it before Cassian eats it.” You saw the hesitation in his eyes, that went from your face to the plate and back. You chuckled a little bit nervously and your smile fell instantly, when he shook his head. “No, thank you. I.. don't have time. Perhaps some other day. I have to go now.” And with that, he simply vanished into the darkness.
Rhysand's sudden departure left you hurt and sad. Was something you said wrong? Was he not a fan of sweets? Was he allergic and you offended him because you didn't know? You blinked once, twice, before putting the plate on the kitchen counter. “That was.. weird.” Cassian spoke suddenly. You did not reply to him, thinking only about your conversation with Rhysand and blaming yourself for doing something wrong, although you didn't know what. But you were sure that your mother would be disappointed by this. You could almost hear her voice. “ Y/N?” You turned to Cassian. “You did nothing wrong, trust me. I don't really know what happened, but I promise you, he will come to his senses and apologize. Hopefully really soon.” You still weren't so sure about that and your mood wasn't so much better, but you offered him a smile, thankful for his kind words. “Here, take this plate too..”
You spent the previous day in the kitchen, cleaning, although Nuala and Cerridwenn insisted they would do it by themselves, you wanted to help. Cassian kept you company for the rest of the day, taking you to the gardens, telling you more stories about everyone in the inner circle, before taking you to your bedroom. He did manage to lighten your mood a little bit, so when you went to bed, no sad thoughts about Rhysand came, only sweet dreams.
The second time in a row, there was a present on your bedside table, when you woke up. Yesterday, you thought that Morrigan left there for you a beautiful necklace with a moonstone in it, you saw through the glass in one jewelry store which you based on on your walk. Morrigan was trying to persuade you to buy it, but it seemed so pricey that you decided not to. You already spent so much of Rhysands money.. But now you suspected that perhaps you were wrong by guessing it was her, who bought it. No, you knew you were wrong, since today you found a plate with different delicious looking sweets on your table, alongside with a note.
“I know this apology isn't enough and that you also deserve an explanation, why did I leave yesterday so suddenly, but I can not give you that yet. I hope you understand and I promise you.. You did nothing wrong. - yours Rhys ”
After reading that note from Rhysand and eating what he sent you, you felt a little bit better. You were not angry at him, rather at yourself, still not knowing what you did was frustrating. Nuala and Cerridwen were busy and since you couldn't find anyone else, you just wandered around a house, trying to find something to do. You were not in the mood to bake like yesterday, you did not have any work you could do. There was only you and your thoughts. About how your life changed, surprisingly to the better, about your new friends.. about Rhysand. You were thinking especially about him and your friends, Cassian and Morrigan. Did they report your conversation to him? After reading that note for the second time, you saw a similar formulation of words like Cassian used the previous day. It was weird. You were dying to know what that meant, but you were too shy and embarrassed to ask anyone. Another reason why you needed to find something to do. Otherwise, you would probably go crazy because of these thoughts that plague your mind.
After another few minutes, you found a small library. At first, you hesitated a little bit, but since the doors were unlocked, you went inside. There were mainly books about the history of Prythian, courts, High lords of current and past time, books on wars and tactics, but in the small corner, you found a small shelf with maybe ten or twenty romance books. Your mother did not allow you to read them. The only ones you were allowed to read were about good behavior, what it takes to be a good wife and similar topics and after some time, when you slowly began realizing that true love will probably never be something you are going to have, you stopped begging her to let you read at least one of them, so you could see how it looks between man and women who love each other truly. But now, with your new freedom and with a new glimmer of hope inside your chest, you picked the first one, sat in the chair that was standing next to a window and began to read.
The time was passing rather quickly. You were almost in the middle of the story and not paying attention to your surroundings, when you heard someone unintentionally hitting the table and then cursing slightly. You turned quickly, shocked by this interruption, to find Azriel. “Are you okay?” You asked worriedly, as he turned his attention to you. “Yeah, ehm.. Don't worry. I am fine.” You raised your eyebrow, not quite believing him, since he was Spymaster, known for being stealthy and composed.. Nothing like now. That is when you realize he is holding something in his hands. Book. He sees where your eyes are and smiles slightly. “I guess there is no hiding anymore. I am.. returning this.” He says, coming to the shelf where you took the book and placing it on its right place. You giggle a little. “If it helps you to feel better, you are the last one I would suspect of reading romantic books. I guess you should never really judge the book by its cover.” He nods, sitting on the next free chair in front of you. “I think very few people would dare to even think that I like reading these. But sometimes..” He fell silent and you smiled knowingly. “It is nice to read about true love and dream that maybe someday it will also come to you.”
It did not surprise you, when the next day when you woke up, you found a brand new book on your bedside table, alongside with a note.
“I hope you will like this one, although I am not an expert in this field, it's apparently very popular. I would also like to take you to dinner tonight, of course only if you want to and will not be in too much exciting part of your book. - yours Rhys”
Of course you did say yes to his invitation. It would be rude if not and also against everything your mother taught you. And what is more important, you wanted to go. After all, he was your husband, you wanted to get to know him better. What did you even know about him? That he was Hugh lord, lived in Velaris, he loves his friends and is kind. And maybe does not like strawberry tarts, but that is everything You wanted to know more. What he liked, what he did not like, his hobbies.. Everything. Anything. Anything he was willing to share with you.
Your mind was once again full of him. Not being able to concentrate and not sure what to even wear, you were more than happy to meet Morrigan at the breakfast. It was only the two of you, a perfect opportunity to ask her to help you prepare for tonight. She agreed, happy, that you asked her and was currently styling your hair. “Don't you think it is too much?” You asked hesitantly. She made you wear a purple dress, a color that matched your husband's eyes perfectly. And it also went really well with that necklace he gave you a couple of days ago. “Not at all, I think you look perfect. Rhys will not be able to take his eyes off you.” There was a slight hint of provocation in her voice, which made your cheeks turn bright red. “Anddd, I am done. You look stunning Y/N!” As you looked in the mirror, you started to believe her.
You were waiting in your room, talking with Morrigan, when you heard a knock on your door. Not wasting any time, you went to open them to relieve Rhys standing here, dressed in a suit that matched your dress and with a bouquet of colorful flowers in his hands.”Hello, Y/N darling.” There was a smirk on his face, so significant for him. “Hello.” You answered, looking down at the flowers he handed to you. “For you. Their beauty is nothing compared to yours, but I still hope you will find them at least a little beautiful.” You blushed at his comment, starting to hate how easily he can affect you. “Thank you, they are really beautiful. Perfect.” You took them, smelling their sweet scent, before Morrian came closer and offered to put them in a vase, before turning to face Rhys with a grin on her face. “Make sure she is home before midnight.”
Still chuckling a little bit at Morrigan's last comment, you took Rhysand's hand he offered you and stepped outside your beautiful home into the night. It was perfect. The weather was amazing and the streets you walked through smelled of lemon, sea and mystery. “After everything you have done for me, especially for those gifts.. I think that I should be the one inviting you tonight.” You said, starting a quick conversation before you would get too nervous or better say aroused due to how close he was. You could feel his warmth and smell his undoubtedly expensive cologne. He chuckled slightly, “Oh my darling, don't you ever think about that. You deserve those things. You deserve everything you could possibly want and I will spend my life ensuring that, as I promised you at our wedding.” He reminded you and you shook your head, not understanding, how could anyone think of him as a cruel person. “You.. exaggerate. Not wanting to give up so easily, you decided to speak. “I will be honest.. Before we got married, I was worried. However, after you took me here and I had a chance to get to know you better and of course, your friends too.. I think.. I think I really like it here. You made me feel welcome and happy more than I was ever before in my life.” You said, looking at the ground. Maybe a little bit ashamed. After all, your mother said that no perfect woman would ever complain and although you didn't directly, you indicated it quite clearly. “So, what I wanted to tell you is that I am really grateful. For your gifts, for.. everything” You looked him in the eyes, smiling slightly. At first, he didn't say anything, there was a pity in his eyes and what you didn't see was that inside he was fuming and wanted to punish everyone in the Autumn court. But not to scare you, he simply took your hand and kissed it gently. “You are welcome, my darling.”
When you came to the restaurant, after a short walk through the city, which you enjoyed, you found the place completely empty, well except for people who worked here, of course. Giving Rhysand a questioning look, he answered immediately “I wanted us to have privacy.” He shrugged, as if it was nothing and you blinked at him. “Try to tell me ever again, that you do not exaggerate.” You mumbled to yourself quietly.
You were full. After the appetizer, soup and main course, you felt like moving wasn't an option for you anymore. When the waiter asked, if you wanted a dessert, you looked over at Rhys. In your eyes, there was an obvious answer to this question - no. But he chuckled. “Yes please, bring us two pieces of your lemon and lavender cake.” Taking a sip of your wine, you sighed. “A new information for me.. You don't understand signals very well.” He simply leaned back on a chair with a smirk on his handsome face. “Oh, but I do. What I however can not do is leave this restaurant without you trying their best dessert. Everyone loves it.” You raised your eyebrow. “You do too?” He nodded, now leaning a little bit closer to you. “About that day when I.. left so suddenly.” He paused, unsure what to say, but you didn't pressure and gave him time. “It is okay, if you don't want to share it with me. I understand.” There was a hesitant smile on your face and in your mind, you were screaming the opposite words that left your mouth. He shook his head. “I do. I want to share it with you, but.. I think that for a while it is better not to. You are still new here and are only settling in your new home. I don't want to overwhelm you.” You nodded, trying to be as understanding as possible, before the waiter came and handed you your piece of cake.
“Are you full?” Rhys asked for about a second time since you left the restaurant and you just laughed. “Yes, I am full, don't worry.“ You assured him, squeezing his hand a little bit. You had a great time with him and it was sad that your night was coming to an end. During this time, you also became more relaxed around him. Someone who wouldn't know you and saw you walking with him in the streets right now, wouldn't probably guess the situation you were in. It seemed real. This.. something, what became growing between you. “I'm just making sure.” He shrugged, at the same time as you thought something about mother hen. “Do you want to go flying?” He asked suddenly, catching you off guard. “Flying?” You asked. He smiled and within seconds, large wings appeared on his back. You gasped in astonishment. “They are beautiful..” Your voice was low. Wanting to feel them underneath your fingers, you reached out to them, but he stopped you. Gently taking your hand in his bigger one. “Ehm.. They are quite sensitive.” He tried to explain. “Oh, I am sorry, I didn't want to hurt you!” Your eyes widened, apologizing. “No, you wouldn't hurt me. It is only when something touches Illyrian wings.. That person can become aroused.” At this moment, you wanted to sink into the ground more than ever before.
Although you were embarrassed, you still agreed to fly, wanting to see the city from above. As your husband took you in his arms, your heart started beating faster than usual. You wanted to sink into his touch. Smell his perfume, do something you never did before. You weren't sure what it was. This feeling was new for you. But you were enjoying it. “Hold on tight.” Rhys said, moments before he finally took you in the sky. His sudden movement makes you close your eyes, but his movement becomes steady, you open them, taking in the beauty of the city below. It was perfect. This night, Rhysand. Everything. This night was everything.
You spent the next few days with your husband. From that night he took you to dinner, you found yourself yearning for his company. At first, you were a little hesitant, not wanting to disturb him with your presence. After all, he was High lord with responsibilities. But he seemed to enjoy your company as much as you did his, so when he one day took you to his office, there was a new set of comfortable sofa and armchair, next to a window. Perfect place for reading you began to enjoy. From that day, you went to his after breakfast regularly. Sometimes you two were talking, other days on the other hand, you spent this time in a comfortable silence. Eating lunch together also became some sort of habit of yours. Slightly different were evenings. You once again went shopping with Morrigan, who was very curious about your relationship with her cousin. Sometimes you spend your evenings with Cassian or the whole Inner circle, sitting, talking and drinking Rhysands expensive old wine, while sitting close to him. This was also your plan for this evening, until Morrigan decided that it is time for you to visit Rita's.
Since Morrigan did a really good job by picking your dress for your dinner date with Rhys, you decided to trust her also this time, but seeing what she prepared for you to wear, you began asking her sanity. This dress were.. interesting. They were black and like the night sky they sparkled. As if there were tiny little stars. And they also were very short, which was new for you. Although you did started dressing differently than in the Autumn court, you even tried pants and really liked them, but.. The only thing that was calming you down was that she was wearing a dress of similar length, only in red and with a deeper neckline. “If you were not Rhys's wife, I can guarantee you Y/N, that I would do anything to take you home with me tonight.” You blushed and laughed and the same time. “I mean it, you look sexy! Where were you hiding that ass, girl?” You shook your head. “Morrigan, tell me the truth. Are you drunk already?” You raised your eyebrow at her and she grinned in response. “Me? Drunk? Always.”
The plan was to get ready with Morr and meet guys and Amren at Rita's. You were shocked that Amren even agreed on going. Although you were in Velaris a couple of weeks already, you barely spoke to her. But Morrigan assured you, that is how Amren simply is and so you never questioned it again. When you arrived, the place was full. There was a body on body, people were dancing, drinking and singing, alongside with a singer on a little stage. If you were not holding Morrigan's hand for your dear life, you would probably get lost and never be found again. Luckily, you managed to find the others rather quickly. They were sitting at the table in the corner, not so far away from the dance floor, already with some drinks. “Look who finally decided to show up.” Cassian greeted you with a sneering remark on which Morrigan replied by giving him a middle finger, which was normal for them, as you found out some time ago. “Oh shut up, Cass. Maybe you should sometimes be late and at least try to take care of your appearance.” You began ignoring these two, since their bickering would probably last all night. You rather said hello to the other three people who were sitting here, Amren, Azriel and lastly Rhysand. You felt his eyes on you from the second you showed up here and you knew that you would be staring at him all night probably too. He was wearing black. The buttons of his shirt were open, so you could see part of his muscular chest. “Hello darling, you look ravishing.” He smirked at you hungrily.
You were having your third drink. Normally you would take one, beautiful you were to survive this night, you needed more. It was just too much. People were almost having sex right on the floor, music was so sensual and Rhys.. His normal gentleman's behavior probably stayed at home today. His large warm hand was on your exposed thigh, striking it gently, each time going a little bit more up. As the time passed by, Morrigan went dancing with some girl she met at the bar, when she was going for her second glass of wine. Cassian disappeared to the dance floor and Amren was having a conversation with Azriel. That left you and Rhysand practically alone, not that you were complaining. You were only still rather shy for this. The band started playing some slow music, giving the dancers an opportunity to slow down their rhythm and enjoy each other's touches more intensely. That is when Rhysand leaned closer to you, whispering in your ear. “Would you like to dance?” The way his breath brushed lightly against your neck gave you goosebumps, but you still nodded slowly.
When you took Rhysand's hand, he led you on a dance floor. Some people around you probably recognized him, since they tried to give you more space, but there still were many people around you, not that you were paying them any attention. No. You had eyes for only one person and that person was your husband, who was holding you close. His arms were around your waist as you moved slowly on the floor, grinding at each other like fools. If you would look back on your table, you would be able to see that both Cassian and Morrigan returned and all of your new friends were currently toasting, pleased with how things had turned out between the two of you, perhaps thanks to their efforts.
Not being able to hold back anymore, you looked from Rhysand's eyes on his lips, biting yours. It was a simple invitation for him. The one he gladly accepted, as he firstly gently stroked your lip with his thumb, before slowly leaning to you, giving you time to change your mind, before he finally brought your lips together in a slow, long wanted kiss. It lasted maybe a couple of seconds, but it was enough for the mating bond to snap for you. Like a golden thread it led straight to Rhysand and when you looked him surprised in the eyes, you knew, you felt, that this wasn't something new for him.
As the first hint of hurt and sadness appeared in your eyes, the sudden wave of darkness surrounded you and carried the two of you home. The first thing you did was to take a step back, trying to get away from him. “Why? Why didn't you tell me this before?” He sighed, looking down at the floor. “I didn't want to overwhelm you or scare you. I thought it was better to not tell you anything for some time. “ He started, not so good. “How long did you know?” You asked quietly, wanting to know something more before deciding what to say to him. “A little bit more than. Almost two years.” You gasped. Hurt by him sat on the chair, refusing to look at him. “All my life, someone.. Someone else always decided what was good for me. What I should know, what not. When we were getting married, I thought that.. It will be the same with you, but during these last weeks you were.. So kind to me that I really started believing I can trust you, but now? I.. I don't know. You knew you were my mate for so long and you did not tell me? Why? What did I do to offend you so much? Am I not good enough?” He began shaking his head rapidly, kneeling before you and taking your hands in his. “No, no that's not it. You are perfect, believe me. You are everything I ever wanted, what I dreamed of.” Releasing breath, with teary eyes, you looked at him. “Then tell me.. How exactly did you find out, so you decided it was better for me to not know?”
The room was silenced, as Rhys poured himself a drink. He offered you one, but you refused it. You already had enough today and you wanted to concentrate on what is he saying. He took a deep breath before beginning. “I was in the Autumn court, trying to sort out some problems Beron had at that time. He held a ball, where I was invited, maybe you remember it.” You nodded, only for confirmation that you did. “The ball was just beginning, when I saw you enter with your parents by your side. I remember our eyes met, only for a brief moment, but in that moment, the bond snapped for me, but clearly not for you.. That same night I began to plan. I asked Azriel if he could find out as many information about you and your family as he could and in the morning, he already handed me a whole file about you. I learned your name and about your situation. Considering how many people in Autumn court behave, for me it was not surprising that your parents were not so.. good people. You were so young, you are still young and your father was already trying to find a partner for you, so he could marry you off for his gain. I knew that I could not let that happen. Not only because of my personal interest, but because most males in Autumn court abuse their partners and see their wifes only as breeding mare.” There was a disgust in his voice. “So I immediately came to Beron and proposed the idea of marriage between our two courts. Trying to win him on my side, I said I wanted to fix how last time something like this was about to happen but it did not, affected relationship between our courts. I told him he could even pick a list of some suitable girls, hoping you would be there, since Beron was close to your father. Well he agreed and also luckily for me, included you on that list. I tried to not be too eager to marry you, because I did not want to cause any suspicion. So I waited a few weeks before choosing. Then some paper work was needed and it took time before the wedding planning could finally began. I wanted nothing more than to go to your house and just took you with me to get you out of that place, but I was worried that I would put you in danger. Beron is awful, I believe I don't have to explain it to you.That is also why I didn't tell you before. Why didn't I engage in anything.” You nodded, understanding what he did and you were thankful to him, but it still hurt a little. “But why didn't you tell me anything after I came here?” You dared to ask. He swallowed nervously. “You were so young and you were already going through a lot. I knew you were probably scared of me, scared of this place at first. Maybe my decision wasn't so right as I thought it was, but please believe me that I did it with only the best intentions.”
You knew Rhysand probably really didn't mean to do anything bad by his decisions, but you still had a right to be hurt and disappointed. It's been two days since the revelation and you spent them in your room. Nuala and Cerridwen brought you each food. Morrigan, Cassian and Azriel also visited you, telling you that they understand why you are angry with Rhysand. You also found out that although you thought otherwise, they didn't know about the bond. They suspected it, yes, but he didn't tell them anything. They found out after you didn't show up at breakfast the day after you went together to Rita's. They of course saw you disappear with Rhys, but thought it was for other purposes. You thanked them for their words of support and their visits and also begged them not to tell Rhysand anything, which they promised. You deep inside knew that you would forgive him and move on. He was not only your mate, but also your husband. Husband you began to love, which you realized after your argument.
Your love for him is also one of the factors that drove you mad. You stopped believing that love existed. You felt like a fool that you, after everything that you have been taught, after what you saw, after everything you have been through.. You did in fact fell in love. You were so confused, about your feelings, what you thought you should feel, what happened.. That you welcomed knocking on your door gratefully.
You would never suspect that behind the door, there would be Amren standing, asking if she could come inside to talk to you. You of course led her, closing the door behind her, gesturing on chairs where she can sit, while you returned to your soft bed. “Girl, I am probably not the person to tell you this, but I think you need to pull yourself together.” You would lie if you would say that her words did not shock you a little bit. She wasn't even trying to chat a little before dropping this on you. “I know and understand that you are hurt by what Rhys did, he is an idiot sometimes, but be honest with yourself. By this, you are only punishing both of you and why?” She shook her head. “I have been alive for.. a couple of thousands years. I saw many people get together and then break up. But I do not think this is what either of you want, am I right?” You sighed and nodded. You will not leave Rhysand because of this. You knew that, however you weren't sure what she was trying to tell you by this. “So.. If that is not the case, why are you doing this? Why waste time by being angry at each other.I think you both went through a lot to be this stupid.” And in that moment, you understood.
Not wasting any time, you quickly hugged Amren and before she could even react, you started running to the kitchen. She was right after all. Your life wasn't easy, so why are you making yourself miserable even more? Rhys made a mistake, but that happens. But what you realized is that you love him enough to forgive him. You loved him. That warm feeling spreads throughout your whole body. And thanks to that, it all seemed so simple.
At first, you simply wanted to grab something quick and go straight to Rhysand's office, but when you saw strawberries lying on the kitchen counter, you couldn't help yourself. Knowing the receipt by your heart paid off, when you were finishing the first strawberry tart, placing it on the plate and storming out of the kitchen with it, completely ignoring unfinished ones. You were sure Cassian would gladly eat them even now. You rushed to your room, to freshen up yourself and to change, before, with a plate in your hand, finally knock on your husband's office. “Come in.”
Before you opened the massive doors, you took a deep breath. Although you were absolutely sure about this, like anything before in your life, you were also still nervous. When you came in, you saw Rhys sitting behind the table, which was full of papers. To be honest, he looked like he didn't get too much sleep and that made your heart hurt. He looked up, meeting your eyes. His face lit up a little bit, in a small hope, when he saw what you were carrying in your hands. He watched your steps, before you were finally standing right in front of him, placing the plate on his table. “I made this, just for you.” You announced, biting your lip. “Are you.. sure?” His voice was hesitant. It was clear he wanted nothing more than to devour that tart and then you, but even now he was giving you a chance to change your mind. You walked around the table, he turned himself in his chair to face you, which you took as an opportunity to sit on his lap. His hand instinctively found your hip, holding you close so you wouldn't fall down, as you took the spoon, scooped up a little part of that tart and brought it to his lips. After he looked into your eyes once again, he ate the food you offered him, groaning at its taste. That sound was so beautiful, so sinful.. It made you thank Morrigan that on your first shopping spree together, she took you in that one certain shop, where you bought matching sexy underwear you were currently hiding under your dress.
#acotar#acotar fanfiction#acotar imagine#acotar series#rhysand x reader#rhys x reader#cassian x reader#azriel x reader#morrigan x reader#amren x reader#inner circle x reader#amren#azriel#cassian#rhysand#morrigan#Autumn court#Night court#inner circle#a court of thorns and roses
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No Man's Land |14|
Pairing: Sam Carpenter x Reader
Summary: Sam can’t help but be drawn to the cute stranger from her gym, even if everything about them makes them the perfect suspect, just when Ghostface has returned.
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence, Fighting, Shooting, Guns, Stabbing, Blood, Killing, Murder, Death
Word Count: 5.2k+
Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15
“Remember, travel in public,” you heard Bailey say through the phone as you and Sam walked over to the group. “The more people around you, the less likely he is to try something.”
Sam flicked a glance at you, but you didn’t say anything. Traveling in public was useful at times, using the crowd to hide yourself and make your way to a target, or spy on them without them knowing. It could also be dangerous, you had a lot less control when traveling in public, never knowing what or who you might run into. Depending on the place, there was also the high probability of getting separated or losing sight of your target.
Ghostface had already attacked in public many times. You saw the news report of the lady killed by her student; you knew this psycho wasn’t that guy, but he stabbed her in an alley with people actively walking past it. Not to mention when Ghostface first went after Sam, it was when she was at the gym, sure it was late, but it was clearly not planned out, they had no idea if she’d be alone or how many people would be there. Then most importantly, when he attacked at the bodega, sure he came at you guys from of the shadows, but he had no problem running into a public space and shooting anyone who got in his way.
You weren’t sure what the better option was, the subway was cramped and upped the risk of getting separated. The crowd could also work against you, it was Halloween weekend, people were always dressed in costumes. You had plenty of assignments that involved you subtly taking someone out, just as they were simply walking down the street, only for them to stumble forward after you were long gone and collapse. A cab was no better, you didn’t have the risk of being around a crowd but there was no way all of you would fit in a cab, separating was the biggest risk you could take. Then there was walking, the shrine wasn’t close, and anything could happen between Gale’s apartment and there, if Ghostface came out of the shadows again he could force you into a public space, hurting more innocent people, or force you into an unknown location.
“What are you thinking?” Sam asked.
You crossed your arms as you silently debated with yourself. You went over every option, now you just had to determine which was the best course. “The subway,” you settled on. “Just make sure to stick together,” you looked at each of them. “Don’t let go or lose sight of each other.” When everyone nodded, they all made their way out of the building and towards the subway.
You pushed past people, everyone bumping shoulders as you forced your way down into the subway tunnel. Just as you expected, it was overly crowded, as usual, and half the people were wearing costumes or a mask of some sort. Once all of you reached the platform the doors to the subway opened and everyone began shoving each other to get in while others shoved to get out.
You heard someone screaming to wait but you couldn’t make out their voice. You kept your eyes on Sam, she was leading the group and shoving her way onto the subway. Tara was between you and Sam, but she started to fall behind when more people started to shove themselves between them. You instinctively reached out and caught Tara by the shoulders when she bumped into you. You felt her tense, probably at feeling someone touching her but as soon as she looked at you, you felt her relax in your grasp. You gave her a reassuring smile and continued forward, making sure Tara stayed in front of you and didn’t get pushed back again.
Once you were safely on the subway with Tara and Sam you looked back to see Chad in the doorway reaching back for Mindy. It was no use, people kept shoving Chad into the car and Mindy further away until the doors finally closed, separating them. You furrowed your brow when you saw Ethan a couple paces behind Mindy, but while she was still reaching and slamming her hand against the closed doors, Ethan remained still, as if he wasn’t even trying to get on the subway.
“Oh my god,” Tara whispered. You looked up, your eyes widening slightly at the sight of a handful of people dressed like Ghostface.
You understood the appeal of Halloween; you had dressed up plenty of times. What you didn’t understand was the appeal of dressing up like a serial killer. Jason, Freddy Krueger, you got it, they were iconic villains from classic horror movies. You also knew Stab was a movie, but it was based on real events, a real person dressed up like Ghostface and terrorized his classmates. Dressing up like Ghostface seemed rather tasteless, it wasn’t like most people were going around dressing up like Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy.
“Stay together,” you mumbled. Tara was already pressed into her sister’s side and you put your hand high on the pole Sam was next to, making sure, in a way, you had a protective arm around both of them, with Chad between you and Sam but behind Tara.
“Mindy said she and Ethan will get the next one,” Chad said. He didn’t bother looking up from his phone as he continued to text his sister.
“Tell her to keep her guard up.” Chad looked up at you and nodded before typing away on his phone again. You learned Mindy was naturally a suspicious person, you still didn’t want her to take chances. You didn’t trust Ethan and you didn’t like that Mindy was completely alone with him, even if they were surrounded by people, there was a risk.
The four of you rode in silence, your eyes flicking from each person in a Ghostface costume and back. All three of them could be standing in the same car with you and you wouldn’t even know it until one made a move. They could easily make a move, they would just need to get close enough, then once the car jostled, like always, someone could take a knife to the gut, and Ghostface could slip back into the crowd, with everyone none the wiser.
You were silently counting the stops as they happened, with each one, more people cleared out, but just as many got on. You clocked ever person entering and exiting the car, even if Ghostface wasn’t currently in the same car, it didn’t mean he couldn’t hop on at one of the stops. The stop before yours was when one of the Ghostface’s started moving. You effortlessly slipped around behind the others to get on the other side of Sam and turned so you were facing her but bocking her from any potential attack, your hand still gripped the pole, just above her head.
“Hey,” you whispered.
You could see Sam fighting a smile, but her eyes quickly shifted back to the figure over your shoulder. You used the reflection in the glass to track the Ghostface’s movements and turned your head just as they exited the subway.
“That was smooth,” Sam said, giving you a small smile. You just shrugged but didn’t bother moving, opting to stay right where you were, close, and face to face with Sam until your stop.
The four of you were the first ones out the door as soon as they opened. You followed closely behind the others as you made your way down the dark street towards the shrine. You still hadn’t heard from Mindy as far as you knew, you didn’t know if she was safe and, on her way, or if something had happened. Ghostface had appeared out of the shadows more than once and you weren’t putting it past him to do it again, you were sure he knew you were planning on taking him out tonight.
“Hey,” Kirby greeted once you were outside the shrine. “I just got done clearing the place.”
“Great,” Sam said. “Any word from Mindy?” she looked at Chad.
Chad shook his head and held up his phone as if that would make a text from Mindy magically appear. “I’m going to try calling,” he mumbled.
“Do you want us to wait for you?”
“No,” Chad waved her off. “I’ll meet you inside.”
Sam seemed reluctant but she nodded and followed Kirby into the shrine, with Tara right behind them. You moved to follow as well when you turned and looked back at Chad, frowning at his phone as he still tried to get ahold of Mindy. “Hey,” you called out, making him look up at you. “Be careful.” Chad glanced around, seeming to realize he would be standing on the side of the street at night, right outside of the Ghostface shrine, alone. “Want me to wait?”
Your offer seemed to shake Chad out of his daze as he quickly shook his head. “Nah, they need you more,” he nodded towards where Sam and Tara disappeared to.
You nodded quickly jogged to catch up with the girls. You didn’t feel right about leaving Chad outside alone, he was a perfect target for Ghostface. Ghostface could quickly take out Chad before making his way into the shrine and none of you would ever know.
“This is the only way in or out,” Kirby said, as you walked up behind them, slipping through the door before she closed it. “He comes in, the doors lock, and he’s trapped.” You hummed, it wasn’t a bad plan. “Our own little kill box.”
“Weapons?” Sam asked.
“One gun.” You and Kirby shared a knowing look, silently agreeing to still keep your gun quite. “And I have it.” Sam didn’t seem happy about only one of you having a weapon, but Kirby was quick to remind her she was the only one with a badge. You didn’t point out that a badge didn’t matter if you weren’t actually arresting Ghostface, if anything holding a badge just made things more difficult.
The four of you walked around, glancing at the display cases again. Your eyes scanned over the area, before you had been looking for threats and taking everything in, now you were scoping out spots to hide and what could be used to take someone out. If you had your gear, you could knock out all the lights, propel down and take out each Ghostface before they even knew what hit them. You could take out the lights still, but it would be less fun since you couldn’t propel down from the ceiling, and there was no window to break through.
“I’m going to check the perimeter,” Kirby said. You nodded and watched as she left the main room and through one of the side doors. The place wasn’t overly big, but there were still too many places you could be snuck up on.
Sam pulled out her phone and brought it to her ear. You watched her with a furrowed brow. “What?” she shouted into the phone, clearly shocked by whatever the other person said. You looked back at the cage; Chad still hadn’t entered the building yet. When you looked back at Sam she was making her way across the stage, until she was standing in front of Billy Loomis’s display case. You didn’t question her as she opened the display case and took out the still bloody knife that was inside.
You approached Sam slowly, glancing down as she tucked the knife in her jeans, but you still opted not to say anything. “Everything okay?” you asked. Almost as soon as the words left your mouth the lights flickered, several of them going out as if someone flipped the switches for them.
Sam turned to you, her eyes searching your face for you weren’t sure what. You opened your mouth to ask what was wrong when a scream interrupted you. Sam whipped around and your head snapped up towards the door to the side of the room. Neither of you hesitate to run through the door, not even caring what would be on the other side.
You burst through the door and saw Tara on the ground, her shoulder bleeding, and Ghostface standing over her. You didn’t even hesitate to grab Ghostface by his cloak and slam him into the side of the counter that was next to him. Sam took the opportunity to pull her sister to safety while you faced Ghostface.
Ghostface pushed off the counter and swung his knife at you. You effortlessly dodged it, trying to keep him distracted from Sam and Tara. You barely ducked in time as the door to your right burst open and a knife was swung at your head. You whipped around to see there was now two Ghostface.
“Go!” you shouted. You slowly backed away until you heard the door open, telling you Sam and Tara had listened. You made your way towards the door and pushed an old popcorn machine over to buy you some time as you ran down the hall after Sam and Tara.
You quickly caught up with the sisters and the three of you burst through the door that led back out into the main room. “How the hell did they get in?” you asked as the three of you stood in a circle.
“Because it’s Kirby,” Sam said. You stopped in your tracks and looked at Sam cautiously, never once did it seem like she suspected Kirby. “Bailey said she was fired from the FBI,” she gave you a curious look.
“Forgive me for not taking Bailey’s word for it,” you said.
Before anything else could be said Kirby stumbled into the room, a trail of blood dripping down the side of her head. “We know it’s you Kirby,” Sam whipped around, holding up the knife she stole from the display.
“Wha-No,” Kirby said confused, shaking her head. “Someone knocked me out.”
“Get away from them Kirby!” Bailey called out, coming down the center aisle. You narrowed your eyes at Bailey, unsure of when he arrived and how he got in without anyone hearing him. “We know it’s you!”
“He’s lying!”
“You two aren’t going to get away with this!” You furrowed your brow at the word two but then your eyes widened when you realized he was looking at you. You scoffed and shook your head, now you knew he was killer.
Sam gave you a confused look and took the slightest step away from you. “He’s lying,” you said calmly. “He’s clearly behind this.”
Bailey let out a humorless chuckle. “My own daughter died because of you!” You glared at Bailey, it was obvious he was behind all of this, but you didn’t think he’d actually kill his own daughter, something was off. “It’s been you two since the beginning,” he gestured between you and Kirby with his gun.”
“No,” Sam said, shaking her head. “It can’t be.” Her eyebrows were scrunched together as she tried to make sense of everything.
“Who was the one with the file on Y/N?” You glared at Bailey, that was a thin argument at best, Kirby was FBI, she would be able to get your file. “Who’s been sneaking off and conspiring in corners?” You rolled your eyes, you and Kirby never snuck off, you just whispered quietly away from the others. It seemed to be enough to make Sam look at you differently though.
“Come on,” you said calmly. “Sam, you know me,” you held up your hands to show you weren’t a threat.
“But I don’t,” she said more to herself than you.
“Sam.” She looked up at you, but you could see her trust wavering, you could practically see her questioning whether last year was happening all over again. “Remember what I told you.” You gave her a knowing look and mouthed the word ‘Three’ even if you and Kirby were behind everything, there was still a third person out there. Sam saw you in the gym when two other Ghostface attacked her, she knew this.
“I-”
“Look out!” Kirby shouted, interrupting all of you.
You all turned to see a Ghostface running up behind Bailey, with his knife raised. Bailey raised his hand and shot at Kirby before any of you had time to react. The Ghostface slowed to a stop right beside Bailey and the second one appeared on Bailey’s other side. “Good work you two,” Bailey said with a smile.
“You?” Sam said, slightly confused and disbelieving.
“Me,” Bailey shrugged, clearly proud of himself. “The only one to figure it out,” he waved a finger at you. “What gave it away?”
“I clocked all three of you the second I met you,” you said. “Isn’t that right, Ethan?” you raised an eyebrow.
The Ghostface on Bailey’s left took off his mask, revealing Ethan was in fact underneath. “Still don’t know how you figured me out,” he said confused.
“But then who…” Sam started, turning her attention to the Ghostface that was still masked. “Mindy?” her voice cracked as if she truly couldn’t believe her friend might behind all this.
“No,” you said with a shake of your head. Mindy got separated with Ethan, so it made sense for Sam’s mind to go to her first. “Right, Quinn?” You felt Sam and Tara both snap their heads towards you, but you kept your eyes on the Ghostface as they slowly took off the mask, revealing Quinn.
“Surprise,” Quinn said, holding up the mask. “You’re good,” she chuckled.
“You were all painfully obvious.”
“But you died!” Tara said. “We saw you die!”
“But I didn’t,” Quinn snarked. “It’s quite easy to fake your death when your dad’s a cop. Got me off the suspect list,” she shrugged. “And gave me the perfect opportunity to attack Gale, then Mindy on the subway.” You heard one of the sisters suck in a breath, you just had to hope Mindy would survive, though you now knew why she wasn’t answering Chad.
“But why?” Sam asked. “Why do any of this?”
“So, everyone would see you for the killer you truly are,” Bailey said.
“But I’m not,” Sam shook her head. “Those posts are lies! I didn’t kill anyone.”
“No!” Quinn cut in, her voice rising with emotion. “You killed our brother!”
“Your brother?” Tara asked confused.
“You’re Richie’s family,” Sam said, seeming to put it together before you or Tara. Your eyes widened, you didn’t know anything about Richie, but it was clear his entire family was psychotic.
“Yeah,” Bailey sighed, his eyes filled with the sadness at the mention of his dead son. “Now it’s time to die,” his voice became devoid of any emotion.
Bailey pointed his gun at Sam, but you moved quicker, whipping out the gun you had concealed. You didn’t point it at Bailey though, you pointed the gun higher and fired at the light above them. All three of them flinched at the sound of the gun but then were forced to cover their heads as the light shattered above them and glass rained down. You grabbed Sam and Tara and pulled them to safety before Bailey could start firing again.
“Go,” you said, nodding to one of the doors to the right of you. Sam looked at you then looked down at your gun, if you survived this you were sure you’d be hearing about this. You reached down and rested a hand on top of Sam’s, forcing her to look at you. “Go.”
Sam seemed reluctant to leave your side but eventually she relented. You watched as her and Tara got into position to run across the room. You gave Sam a nod and as soon as they took off you stood up and provided cover fire, forcing Bailey to duck out of the way and not shoot at them. Ethan swiped his knife at you, forcing you to dodge him and not shoot at Quinn as she made for the door on the other side. You figured Sam and Tara could hold off Quinn long enough for you to deal with Bailey and Ethan though.
Ethan raised his knife and lunged at you again. You effortlessly caught his hand holding the knife with your own, holding it high in the air. You used your other hand that held the gun and fired, shooting Ethan in the knee. Ethan howled out in pain but as he fell forward, you twisted the arm that was in your grasp, keeping him standing up right.
You drove his own knife into his back and as soon as he released his grip your hand took his place, giving the knife a sickening twist before ripping it upwards. Ethan screamed out in pain again.
“No!” Bailey yelled. You turned around, making Ethan turn with you to use him as a shield. “You sick bastard.” Bailey pointed his gun at you but didn’t fire, he couldn’t unless he was willing to kill his own son.
You couldn’t help but give a small smile, that probably looked rather sadistic to anyone else. You ripped out the knife and wrapped your arms around Ethan’s neck, effectively putting him in a headlock. You stared Bailey straight in the eye as you twisted your hands, the sound of Ethan’s neck snapping instantly filling the room. Bailey’s eyes didn’t even have time to widen in horror before you pushed Ethan’s body towards him, using it as cover as you dove behind the seats.
Bailey’s screams of horror filled the room, as he began shooting blindly into the seats. You stayed low, army crawling and rolling under the rows of seats as you made your escape. “Where are you?” Bailey screamed. You peaked your head over one of the chairs to see Bailey spinning around in circles, his gun raised as he searched for you. “Come out and face me!”
You watched Bailey, making sure to duck when he started to turn in your direction. When he wasn’t facing you, you took your chance and did a somersault across the floor, so you were now behind one of the displays. When you peaked around the display you got the perfect view of the balcony where you saw Sam and Tara facing off against Quinn.
Sam had one arm around Tara, trying to keep her as far away from Quinn as possible while her other arm was stretched out, the knife she took from the case raised. You could see Quinn smile and hop around as if she were having the time of her life. They were evenly matched, but Sam had Tara to worry about, putting her at an extreme disadvantage. Quinn knew that and was just toying with them, she just needed to keep them occupied long enough for Bailey to join her, then they’d easily take out the sisters.
You looked over as Bailey slowly made his way down the aisle, whipping his gun side to side as he continued to search for you. You slowly continued up the aisle, making sure to keep your eye on Bailey with each move you made. You made your way behind the back of the seats and did a somersault when you had to pass the main aisle. When you got to the end of the seating, you looked up, seeing Tara and Sam back against the wall. Sam stabbed the knife at Quinn, it was the only thing she could do to keep Quinn at bay.
You raised your gun over the seats and fired a few rounds next to Bailey, breaking several of the display cases in the process. Bailey covered his head as he ran for cover, he raised his gun and tried to blindly shoot once again. You took the opportunity to run to the staircase that led up to the level Sam and Tara were on.
When you got up to the top level you slipped through the door as quietly as possible. You stayed low as you made your way towards Sam and Tara, weaving in between the rows of seats as you did so. It didn’t seem either of the sisters had seen you yet, which you were fine with, you didn’t want them to react anyway. You were crouched down as you stepped down on the main pathway and slowly stood up. You tucked the gun away in the holster once again when you were directly behind Quinn.
You caught Sam’s eyes widen as she finally saw you, but you didn’t pay her much attention. Just like you did with Ethan you put Quinn in a headlock but instead of snapping her neck you drove the knife into it, then dragged it across her throat. You held the knife down at your side, not even paying attention to the small pool of blood it began forming on the ground.
You stepped back as Quinn turned around, a hand to her neck as blood gushed between her fingers. She opened her mouth but only spit up more blood. She reached out towards you as she stepped forward, but you stepped to the side. You stared emotionlessly as she stumbled forward, eventually going to far to the side and tumbling over the balcony.
Bailey let out another cry as soon as his daughter’s body crashed into the displays below. He seemed to forget about the three of you up top as he ran to Quinn’s side. You looked over the balcony, seeing Quinn’s lifeless eyes staring up at you. You let out a hum, even if she wasn’t dead yet she soon would be, you cut her neck deep enough that she would certainly bleed out in seconds.
“Let’s go,” you said and nodded towards the door.
Tara gave you a look but did as you asked. You could feel Sam’s eyes on you so you turned to her and just saw her staring at you, though you couldn’t place the emotion on her face. She just watched you slit a girl’s throat and watch her walk off a balcony, all as if it were a completely normal task for you. Even though Quinn was trying to kill her you probably most certainly scared Sam away, especially if she caught what you did to Ethan.
You led the way down the staircase back to the first floor. You peaked around the corner to see Bailey still sobbing over Quinn. “What about him?” Tara asked.
“We take him out,” Sam said before you could answer.
“Got a plan?” you asked.
Sam nodded. “First, we need to hit the lights.”
The three of you moved, sneaking around Bailey and making your way through another door. Once you were free of Bailey’s gaze the three of you began searching until you finally found the electrical room. “Stay here,” Sam ordered her sister. “I’ll send a text when it’s time to hit the lights.” Tara seemed reluctant but nodded anyway. “Ready?” she asked, looking at you, which you gave her a firm nod to.
You left the electrical room, making sure to close the door as quietly as possible behind you. You and Sam gave each other an understanding nod before splitting up. Sam went around the side so she could get up on the stage without Bailey seeing her and you peaked out the little window of the door, making sure Bailey wasn’t looking as you slipped back out into the main room. You pressed yourself against the side of the stage as you waited for the signal to make your move.
“Come on!” Bailey yelled, shooting to his feet and spinning around in a circle with his gun raised. “Show me what kind of killer you really are!”
A moment later the lights shut off, throwing all of you into darkness. You smiled as you started moving, using the edge of the stage to guide you. Right on cue the giant screen clicked on, playing more of those home movie’s Bailey originally had going.
“What’s the plan Sam?” Bailey yelled as he predictably began making his way towards the stage.
You kept yourself low, blending into the shadows of the stage as Bailey got closer. Your hiding was made easier by Bailey not expecting you, he was too focused on the screen, waiting for someone to pop out somewhere up on stage. As soon as his foot got to the second one from the top you sliced your knife across his right heel.
Bailey let out a pained hiss as he tried to hold in his scream. He immediately stumbled forward, needing to lean all his weight on his left leg so he remained upright. You looked over the side of the stage to see Bailey, as predicted, hadn’t made it far, so you sliced your knife across his left heel, sending him crumbling to the floor.
You hopped up on the stage in one effortless move. Bailey raised his gun, trying to shoot behind himself but you grabbed his hand and arm, and brought your knee up, snapping the bone at his elbow. Bailey sobbed as he brought his arm to his chest, his gun falling to the floor as he was no longer able to hold it. You walked around to the front of him, kicking his gun across the stage so he didn’t get any ideas.
You crouched down so you were eye level with Bailey and tilted your head at his broken state. “I was right about you,” Bailey said through gritted teeth, tears streaming down his face from the pain he was in. “You’re just a trained killer.” You tilted your head to the other side then stood up without a word, backing away as you made way for Sam.
Sam came out from behind the screen, which was still playing the home movies. She was dressed in her father’s Ghostface costume as she walked towards Bailey. She crouched down, twisting the knife in her hands as she stared at Bailey through the mask.
“You can’t do this to me,” Bailey seethed. Sam stood up and took a small step back. “You can’t do this to me!” Sam ripped the mask off, letting it fall to her side. “You can’t do this,” Bailey shook his head. “I’m a decorated officer, you can’t-” he was cut off by Sam shoving a knife through his eye.
You gave a nod of approval as Bailey fell backwards, his body unmoving. Sam looked back at you, and it was like you could visibly see the relief of this all being over in her eyes. She looked past you and you turned, following her line of sight as Tara joined the two of you on stage.
“Are you okay?” Sam asked, looking at her sister.
“No,” Tara admitted. “I’m going to get so much therapy after this.” Which made Sam chuckle.
You smiled but quickly winces when you moved to stand next to the sisters, all the adrenal quickly wearing off. “I’m going to an ambulance,” you said. “I’m pretty sure I tore all my stitches.” Both sisters laughed and you couldn’t help but join in as the three of you made your way off the stage.
Taglist: @thatshyboy1998 @artrizzler19 @btay3115 @acutenobody @godamnityess
@luvwanda @rqizzu @riyaexee @bella423 @rayisaknight
@assgradiangod @canyonyodeler @marsyay78
#sam carpenter#sam carpenter x reader#sam carpenter x you#sam carpenter imagine#samantha carpenter#samantha carpenter x reader#melissa barrera#scream#scream vi#scream 6#no man's land
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