#days chapter 217 scans

[duckprintspress]

Created Works Round-Up: June 2024

Duck Prints Press’s monthly “created works round-ups” are our opportunity to spotlight some of the amazing work that people working with us have done that ISN’T linked to their work with Duck Prints Press. We include fanworks, outside publications, and anything else that creators feel like sharing with y’all. Inclusion is voluntary and includes anything that they decided “hey, I want to put this on the created work’s round-up!”

Check out what they’ve shared with us this month…

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The Making of a Work of Fanart: Relating to a Couch, Part 1 by EliotQueliot

video || the magicians (tv) || platonic or familial, m/m || quentin coldwater/eliot waugh || general audiences || no major warnings apply || 00:08:11 || complete

summary: I created a video using my phone photos and scans to show the process of making the illustration for Chapter 4, “Relating to a Couch, Part 1,” for my Queliot fic The First Duty of All Magicians Is to Save Their Friends (on Archive of Our Own, https://archiveofourown.org/works/44312533). I added a little commentary. The scene is AU for The Magicians 3×05, “A Life in the Day.”

TUMBLR – AO3 – YOUTUBE

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Paintings for Mosaic Haiku, Chapter 2 by EliotQueliot

art || the magicians (tv) || m/m || quentin coldwater/eliot waugh || general audiences || creator chose not to use warnings || complete

summary: I’ve created watercolor paintings for all six scenes in Chapter 2. I try to add a little something to each scene that might be different than the original–something in keeping with the totality of what we know and believe about Queliot in our hearts. It might just be a chance to see some details more clearly, with more detail, color, or light; it might be slightly more interaction between the characters, such as a hand on a shoulder, which was placed there later in the same scene; or it might be a chance to glimpse a little more of their faces than is shown in any one shot (because on the show we get the full range of motion and their tone of voice to add clues, as well as what we know about them; so a moment is always more than just a single frozen image, and I’ve tried to reflect that where I can).

AO3

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Mosaic Haiku, Chapter 12 by eliotqueliot

fiction || the magicians (tv) || m/m || quentin coldwater/eliot waugh || general audiences || creator chose not to use warnings || 217 (it’s poetry) || complete

summary: Exploring the lives of Eliot and Quentin at the Mosaic in Fillory, through a series of haiku that delve into their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and the impact their love continues to have on them even after the time loop is over. Please note that the AO3 chapters are slowly being updated with watercolor paintings, while the mirror Tumblr chapters have the still shots from the show that will later be painted.

TUMBLR – AO3

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…Baby One More Time, Chapter 2 by EliotQueliot

fiction || the magicians (tv) || m/m || quentin coldwater/eliot waugh || mature || creator chose not to use warnings || 2,001 || complete

summary: In this fic, Eliot takes his knowledge of Horomancy to the Time Witch Jane Chatwin in an effort to save Quentin. In this chapter, Eliot revisits the Mosaic; though changes are hinted, the chapter focuses on his reunion with Quentin.

TUMBLR – AO3

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you want it darker? || dark king eliot, Chapter 4: Quentin by EliotQueliot

fiction || the magicians (tv) || m/m || quentin coldwater/eliot waugh || explicit || creator chose not to use warnings || 10,217 || complete

summary: Quentin takes his mission as Eliot’s guardian angel very seriously. Exploring the Underworld together, Quentin and his father Ted search for ways to get Q back home to El.

other tags: Special warnings for: Grief/Mourning, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt

AO3

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Silver by Zel Howland

art || black sails || no ships || mature || graphic depictions of violence || complete

TUMBLR

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mend what has been broken (repeat as needed) by corduroyserpent

fiction || the scum villain’s self-saving system || platonic or familial || tianlang-jun & zhuzhi-lang || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 1,892 || complete

summary: The ritual that returns Zhuzhi-Lang to life is not without its flaws. Tianlang-Jun cares for his nephew in the aftermath.

other tags: Post-Canon, Zhuzhi-Lang lives, Hurt/Comfort, Blood & Injury, Non-Sexual Intimacy

TUMBLR – AO3 – TWITTER

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Soft Whispers by Smehur

art || harry potter || m/m || draco malfoy/harry potter || general audiences || no major warnings apply || complete

TUMBLR

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Phalar Aluve by Smehur

fiction || baldur’s gate 3 || m/m || astarion/tav || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 1,453 || complete

summary: Tav makes a blood sacrifice to the goddess of the dancing lights, and Astarion refuses to let it go to waste.

other tags: Developing Relationship, Fluff, Blood Drinking, Drow Tav

AO3

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Meus ex Machina by edupunkn00b

fiction || sanders sides || platonic or familial, m/m || logan/remus, janus/oc orange side(lucas) || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 55,619 || complete

summary: Last century, the first Powered child was born. A frail, squalling infant with skin that burned to the touch and eyes that seemed to read your every thought, it was abandoned at the hospital.

Three years later, another was born. Then another. And another. Within a generation, most hospitals delivered more Powered children than powerless. The world turned on its head and the circuits were filled with advertisements for augmentation or that one weird trick to ensure your child was born gifted.

But veneration turned to fear and those powered children who were not cast out were raised to serve the needs of the strongest voices in their communities, whether corporate or military.

Four Powereds said ‘no more’ and broke away to find their own way to serve—and maybe even save—the world.

Until one day, a Powerless dropped down into their midst, scarred and broken, but armed with steel and hungry for vengeance. Was there a place for him in the world they sought to build?

And did he have the power to save one of their own?

other tags: Superpower AU, Human AU

TUMBLR – AO3

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Spaced by edupunkn00b

fiction || sanders sides || no ships, platonic or familial || general audiences || no major warnings apply || 1,419 || complete

summary: Happy Birthday to Roman Sanders. The moment I saw the video explaining Roman’s birthday celebration would be late, I couldn’t get this out of my head, so, here we go…

Logan’s Photoshoot

Thomas’ video about June and how he ‘spaced.’

other tags: Canonverse with OC Orange Side (Lucas)

TUMBLR – AO3

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the old stars are of no importance by enchantedsleeper

fiction || the strange case of starship iris || platonic or familial || general audiences || no major warnings apply || 2,493 || complete

summary: In which RJ McCabe has more emotions about listening to a drunken group singalong than they’d expected. Spans season 1 episodes 9 & 10 and the aftermath of episode 10.

other tags: Post-season 1, Found family feels, Missing scene(s)

TUMBLR – AO3

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Intimate Understanding by Shadaras

fiction || quanzhi gaoshou | the king’s avatar || f/f || sun xiang/tang rou || explicit || no major warnings apply || 3,585 || complete

summary: Tang Rou gave Sun Xiang a once-over, head to toe, as their paths crossed in the Hangzhou arena’s halls. “Looking good,” Tang Rou said, grinning. “If you want to catch up after the match, shoot me a text—your hotel can’t be that far away.”

“Yeah, alright,” Sun Xiang said automatically. She watched Tang Rou stroll off, hips swaying cockily, and then shook her head. Weird. She and Tang Rou weren’t friends—what could there be to catch up about?

(The answer is: Sun Xiang’s transition, via the medium of sex.)

other tags: Trans For Trans, PWP, Clothed Sex, Oral Sex

AO3

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Dandelion Seeds by Shadaras

fiction || star wars || platonic or familial, f/f || reva sevander + ahsoka tano || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 15,364 || complete

summary: A Mirialian collector has a Jedi Holocron stored safely in her vault, and rumours of its existence have reached multiple organizations. Crimson Dawn orders Reva to retrieve this holocron through any means necessary, while the Rebellion asks Ahsoka to acquire it through the most legal means possible.

When Reva and Ahsoka encounter each other at the vault door, they choose not to bring the holocron to either organization, but instead to listen to the Force and work together to learn what the holocron can teach them—and discover what they can learn from each other.

other tags: Pre-Relationship, Jedi Philosophy, Canon-Typical Violence, Jedi Holocron, Set Between Kenobi and Rebels

AO3

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like clay in his hands by Shadaras

fiction || kaiju no 8 (manga) || m/m || hibino kafka/hoshina soshiro || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 1,400 || complete

summary: Soshiro gives Kafka private training in hand-to-hand combat, which brings feelings they’ve been been suppressing right up to the surface.

other tags: Fighting as Flirting, First Kiss, Dom/sub Undertones, Mild Breathplay Vibes

AO3

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On Beauty by Shadaras

fiction || original work || f/f || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 1,391 || complete

summary: “You want to be beautiful,” Matty says, matter-of-factly, because she knows Vae can’t argue that point.

Vae wants to, of course, but she wants even more to deny Matty the ease of knowing her.

other tags: Butch/Femme, Clothing Porn, Established Relationship

AO3

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​Phase Shift by Terra P. Waters

fiction || original work || platonic or familial, f/m || teen & up || graphic depictions of violence || 99,000 || complete

summary: When self-professed science geek, Camilla Mitchell is dragged into a dimension full of hostile telepathic creatures, her loved ones only know she’s missing. Cam’s friends, her brother, Oliver, and her mother, Kathryn, work furiously to solve her disappearance and bring her home. Other members of their small Minnesota town disappear, one after the other, including Lizzy Becker’s best friend, who is ripped from her arms. Lizzy badgers loner Oliver into working with her to rescue their missing loved ones. They discover a bridge between the two worlds—a bridge that allows the hostile creatures from Cam’s newly-discovered dimension into ours. If there’s a bridge, there’s a way to rescue the people taken. Right?

LINK

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Charity Pins and Stickers [Honkai: Star Rail] by Saro / Legendaerie

physical product || honkai: star rail || m/m || dr. ratio/aventurine || general audiences || no major warnings apply || complete

summary: Featuring Dr. Ratio’s letter in both EN and CN from Trailblazer Mission: Cat Among Pigeons and the Sigonia’s Knot of Cyclicality relic. All profits are split between Doctors Without Borders and The Trevor Project.

[thesullengrrrl]

the one where rosie is late at his own date

hello friends, this is a deleted short scene from chapter 3, where rosie and elaine see each other again in hammersmith palais. this has been sitting in my drive for some time and i hope you all enjoy it!

Rosie did not plan to fall asleep moments after he arrived at his hotel room. After changing his clothes and putting his things in the wardrobe, he laid in his bed and told himself he’s only going to rest his eyes before going to the Palais.

If it wasn’t for a man who kept on rapping on his door and calling a woman named Nancy, he wouldn’t have woken up. He can still remember the man’s face when he realized that no Nancy was in room 217, but instead only a half-asleep man in an army uniform.

“I’m not Nancy and there’s no Nancy here, sir,” Rosie immediately answered when he opened the door.  

The man in front of him turned pale.

“Oh god,” the man apologized, finally his mistake dawning on him. “I’m so sorry. I must have gotten the wrong room. We’re supposed to meet at 6, and it’s 6:30 now—” 

His eyes widened. “It’s 6:30?!” 

“Yes, sir, why?” 

Oh no no no.

“I have to go!”

Rosie quickly closed the door. He’s late and he hasn’t even taken a shower yet! Quickly fetching his towel, he hopped into the shower to do his ablutions. As he scrubbed and washed, he thought about the possible scenarios that could happen. If Elaine showed up, he would apologize for making her wait an hour. If she doesn’t show up, maybe he could ask the hotel about her. Would they give him her information?

When he finished, he wore the first item that he easily grabbed, put it on and went straight on combing his hair. His hair. His bird nest of hair which miraculously decided to be obedient. After smoothing the stray hairs, he took his scarf and rushed out. 

The Hammersmith Palais is only a few blocks from Brooke Green and he was immediately let in by the door man. The atmosphere was festive and filled with people who seemingly wanted to forget about the horrors and death surrounding Hammersmith. They are all either dancing and drinking and Rosie could not blame them. 

He scanned the area for the face he was looking for, the one he was anticipating for a week now.

At a distance, he saw Bucky. 

He watched his fellow officer cut the rug enthusiastically with a woman in a dark dress.

They twirled and swirled as if there was no tomorrow, while laughing at themselves, too. Her hair moved rhythmically with her body, while Bucky moved smoothly with her. They extended their arms with the rhythm of music, only for the woman to return to his arms.

Of course, Bucky has a girl.

A bit of envy filled his chest at this scene, thinking about Elaine. If they met on a normal night, would they be dancing together like that? Will she step on his toes and he would politely deny that it hurts? Would they get drunk and he’ll take her home? Will they laugh at how drunk they are and then say good night?

Will they see each other tonight or all those days of anticipating for her will be all for nothing? She did not reach out, and if he's being perfectly honest, waiting for her tonight seemed like blind hope.

He found an empty seat and gazed at the scenery before him. He scanned the room, with hopes of seeing her. Where is she? Did she get tired of waiting for him? After all, he was late! That was unacceptable. 

Every time he would see new people arrive, he hoped for his brunette to come in, take a look and catch his eyes. She would smile at him and sit in front of him. They would get the most filling food and dance the night away. 

Minutes passed and no Elaine came in the door. 

Rosie slowly grew antsy. The live band was great, but it wasn’t Minton’s. Sighing, he put down his half-empty glass. Where is she? Did she even arrive in England? Should I expect she’s coming?

Little did he know, in the middle of his sour mood, Bucky spots him. He led his partner near to his fellow airman’s table and sat on the empty chairs in front of him. 

Rosie did not even notice them until he heard someone scream his name. “Rosie! You came!”

The voice did not register all too well in his head, until he heard the scraping of the chair in front of him. When another chair scraped, he lifted his head and saw Bucky first. He slowly turned to the one he was sitting with, and she was there. 

Of course Bucky gets the girl. 

He did not realize his mouth slightly parted until Bucky placed his index finger on his chin to shut it. John let out a laugh at his reaction. “You didn’t tell me your girl’s coming!” 

“I didn’t…”

Elaine gave him a quick look then turned to Bucky. “I wanted to surprise him actually.” 

Rosie only nodded and downed the remaining amber liquid from his glass. She wanted to surprise him?

Job well done, Elaine, he thought. You never really knew how to say when.

[takenyoomies]

Aight- it's that day of the week-

TR Prediction Bingo time!!

How to play:

Mark what you think will happen, then come back when the leak video drops/the scans drop later today and I’ll reblog a copy of what went down in the chapter C:

Here's to 217!

Why do I feel like there is no hope after that last chapter RIP

[mercurryblack]

Chapter 2: Rudyard

Following a shocking bit of news, Rudyard makes a rendezvous with his old leader.

❃❃❃

Sardion had ended the call with a request; that Rudyard come immediately to the Second Precinct, where he was with the detective leading the investigation.

As Rudyard ran, he felt intense guilt seep into his thoughts. Two of his old teammates were dead and he wasn’t there to save them. He was a Huntsman— to him, it should have been his duty to save them. How could this happen? He kept mentally repeating over and over on the way.

Almost too soon enough, he was leaning outside of the detective’s office, bent over in exhaustion with one hand propping him against the door. Through the window, Sardion had already been speaking to the detective when they saw Rudyard doubled over outside. The detective, a dark-skinned woman who he failed to recognize, hurried outside to help him up.

“Sir Millard, are you alright? Let’s get you up.” she motioned for Sardion to help her with Rudyard.

“Wha— what happened? How—? They can’t be gone. Please tell me this is just a bad joke, Sardion.” Rudyard held on to Sardion’s arm, his voice wavering with a mixture of exertion and emotion as he tried to catch his breath.

Sardion couldn’t bear to look Rudyard in the eye. He was silently struggling to maintain his own composure. Yaara and Berilo had not only been his friends, but his family. The moment they had become a team, all those years ago, had made them feel inseparable. Now, that  very same moment felt like a cruel trick decades in the making.

“Damn it, you two, just tell me—! I need to know what happened!” Rudyard snapped, having managed to finally catch his breath.

The detective glanced over at the Huntsman, who had sunken down onto a small couch by the wall. “I know you must be devastated by this news, Sir Millard, but unfortunately, a lot of this case isn’t clear yet.” She sat down on her office chair and grabbed a file from her desk.

Rudyard spared a glance up at her desk— near its front was a nameplate, on which Det. Agave Yuen, Royal Mistral Police was embossed in brass. He quietly took note of this, as it meant he didn’t have to keep mentally referring to her as “the detective” any longer.

Detective Yuen cleared her throat, before beginning to speak to the two Huntsmen. “Yaara Dailan and Berilo Gaspar were found dead this morning in their respective homes. Both of the deaths appear to have occurred within 24 hours, according to medical scans of their core body temperatures. In Miss Dailan’s body, there was a single gaping wound, which we suspect to be from a sword. On the other hand, Mister Gaspar received several smaller wounds of a similar nature, two of which severed arteries. In Miss Dailan’s case, there were signs of a struggle.” She paused, pursing her lips momentarily before continuing.. “We’ve got the when and where, but the who, why, and how of this case is still unclear. As of now, the forensics team hasn’t yet confirmed if they were in fact murdered or not, and there’s also—”

“Of COURSE they were murdered!” Rudyard shouted suddenly, rising to his feet. “How can you possibly be unsure of that?! Those two could kill droves of Grimm by themselves — to say nothing of when we were a team — and they’re not the kind of people someone could get the drop on! Whoever did this was clearly prepared for—!”

“Rudd, please. Calm down. Let Detective Yuen do her work.” said Sardion.

Rudyard wheeled around to face Sardion. “How can you stay calm, knowing two of our teammates are dead and we weren’t there for them?!” he retaliated.

Sardion flinched slightly at the indirect accusation, before letting out a deep, pained sigh. “Believe me, Rudd, I’m hurting as much as you are. The news wasn’t at all easy for me either, but you of all people should know that situations like this shouldn’t be met with an attitude like that.” Sardion did his best to maintain a civil attitude as he spoke, holding his palms out in a gesture of placation.

The resulting silence was deafening. Both Rudyard and Sardion were having trouble connecting the dots that led them to this moment — it all seemed too sudden, too soon. One second, they had been fresh graduates of Haven taking on their first real mission together, and the next they were mourning the deaths of half their team.

Agave, however, was stuck in between a rock and a hard place. If she continued, she felt like she’d upset Rudyard even more. But if she remained silent, Sardion would feel like their time was being wasted.

When she was approached by the Mistral Police about the deaths of Yaara and Berilo, the detective knew that she wasn’t dealing with a regular case. She was handling that of people from SYBR, the top team of the Haven graduating class of 58 AV. They had been the champions of the 28th Vytal Festival.

At any rate, she had to be prepared for anything in this case.

The silence was broken by Sardion speaking up. “Please continue, Detective Yuen.”

“Are you sure? If it’s too distressing for Sir Millard, he can catch up with the investigation on a later date.” Yuen replied, subtly gesturing with a hand towards Rudyard.

Sardion shook his head. “The longer we sit here grieving, the longer whoever did this is still roaming the streets. We don’t know who they might come for next, or if we’re already being targeted.” He glanced over at Rudyard. “You calmed down?”

“Mmm.” Rudyard responded with an ambiguous murmur, taking a deep breath.

Yuen nodded as she returned to the topic of the investigation. “Well, as I was saying right now, the majority of the case is still left unanswered. That’s why we asked you to come here. You two were the ones who knew the victims best. You could help them—” 

“Too late for that. We weren’t there to help them then, and I don’t see what good it’ll do now.” Rudyard quietly muttered.

Yuen coughed awkwardly at Rudyard’s interruption. “…Be that as it may, I plan on getting to the bottom of this, so if not for them, at least help me out.” She turned to her computer momentarily, typing in a command for a new document before turning back to Sardion and Rudyard “I’m going to ask you some questions that might guide us toward the right path to take. Shall we start?”

“Go ahead, detective.” Sardion motioned to Yuen, as she began typing into the document with one hand.

“Where were both of you yesterday evening, and did you have any contact with Yaara Dailan or Berilo Gaspar during that period of time?”

Rudyard looked up, a slightly appalled expression on his face “...You can’t be implying we had something to do with—” He stopped as Sardion rested a hand on his shoulder.

“Easy, Rudd. It’s just the regular police line of questioning, we’re not being interrogated.” He turned back towards Yuen before responding. “I was at home with Asagi, myself. We called it an early night.”

Yuen typed into the computer for a moment. “Asagi… as in Asagi Sarikaya, your daughter?”

“That’s right.” Sardion answered.

Yuen typed a bit more. “And the home… you live in the Saku District, House 217, is that correct?”

“Correct.”

“Right, then.” Yuen clicked her mouse twice. “And you, Sir Millard?”

Rudyard let out a sigh before looking up to face Yuen. “I was heading home from… from the Gardens of Remembrance, over in the Yoake District.”

Sardion’s eyes widened slightly, and he inhaled sharply. Now it was no wonder Rudyard had been taking this so hard— this tragedy was following right on the heels of the anniversary of another one. 

Noticing Sardion’s response, Yuen raised an eyebrow as she turned to her computer screen and typed again, pulling up Rudyard’s personal record.

A pause.

“…Ah. Yes, I see. I’m very sorry about that.” Yuen said, wincing to herself as she looked over Rudyard’s file.

The red-clad Huntsman shrugged. “I considered hitting up the Blackbird, that bar a few blocks down from my house, but I figured that could wait until this evening.” Rudyard continued. “Then I got the call, and… well, here we are now.”

Agave nodded, and kept on typing on her computer. Half a minute later, she faced Rudyard and Sardion again and proceeded to continue the line of questioning. “Do you know anyone who might have done this to them? Anyone who might have a motive?”

“Everyone they’ve met, they treated well. They were professionals, but always friendly to others. I don’t know anyone who could be so angry at those two to the point of murder.” Sardion answered.

“No old enemies, looking to settle scores? No connections that might have considered them ‘loose ends’?”

Sardion shook his head, but Rudyard paused for a moment. He knew that Yaara and Berilo had been embroiled in some secretive missions, and there was always the off chance that the murders could have been a cleanup job.

After a moment spent contemplating, he responded, “…Not that I was ever aware of, no.”

❃❃❃

After an hour of questioning the two Huntsmen, Detective Yuen was finally satisfied with the report she had on file. “Thank you, gentlemen. That’s all I need to know for now.” she said, snapping the lid of her computer shut. The three stood up from where they were sitting. As Rudyard and Sardion were about to head out the door, Yuen stopped them. “I know this may be asking a lot, especially considering that it’s already been one bad day, but do you mind helping us catch whoever did this in other ways?”

“Absolutely.” Rudyard said without hesitation.

“Same h— wait, what do you mean by ‘other ways’?” Sardion asked.

Yuen exhaled heavily through her nostrils before responding. “Despite the prep for the Festival, we’re not short of the police force overall, and I also have my subordinates doing some groundwork. However, I think a little more help wouldn’t hurt. For one thing, you two knew the victims better than anyone, and your input and added skills as Huntsmen should be a boon.” she explained.

Sardion looked at Rudyard. “Are you sure you’re up for this, Rudyard?” he inquired.

Rudyard nodded. “Yes. Anything I can do to help, just say the word.”

“And what about you, Sir Sarikaya?” Agave inquired. “It’s on your record that you have a daughter at home, so if you’re concerned for your own safety…”

Sardion took a moment to consider his response. He had chosen to lie low of his Huntsman duties since his daughter Asagi had been born, in favor of raising her.  Ever since then, all he could think about was spending time with her— her mother had passed on when Asagi was very young, and he had made plenty of money from missions before her birth to retire from missions. Being the champion of the 28th Vytal Festival hadn’t hurt his socioeconomic prospects, either, and his domestic life had been a comfortable one.

But now, things were different. Asagi was already sixteen and preparing to apply as a Huntress herself— she wouldn’t be at home for much longer. And despite the decline of his skills with age, he’d kept up his training well enough to handle himself in a fight should one come along.

It was time to get back to his duties as a leader once again, and avenge his comrades.

“Of course. I wouldn’t be able to sleep anyways, knowing that their killers are still on the loose.” he answered firmly.

[demo-wise]

7-11 - Part 3

Summary: Guess what? Paul’s a dick.

Pairing: Roger x fem!Reader, Queen x fem!Reader

Warnings: None really, just like, nightmares?

Word Count: 2.4k+

A/N: Hey y’all, I come weilding gifts, also known as a shitty fanfiction. So I hope you enjoy this little chapter of 7-11, and please if you have any questions, feel free to ask and request anything anytime! Feedback is always appreciated and I hope you have a lovely day!

It was early Saturday morning, and you were just putting a few more things in your bag when you heard a startling honk from outside. You rushed out your door to see Roger and the boys in a large van, clearly waiting on you, you slipped your shoes on and rushed up to them, climbing in the shotgun seat and turning to Roger.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you’d be coming here, I thought I would meet you at the hotel or something,” you apologized profusely, but Roger reached out a hand to rest on your shoulder, “It’s fine, I figured we’d save you the ride,” he said in a soft tone, despite his eyes being deadpanned and focused on driving. You looked back at Freddie who beamed at you. “Hello darling! How was your morning?” He asked, looking wide-eyed and bushy-tailed despite it being before 6:30 in the morning.

“Not as great as yours clearly,” you commented, causing the rest to laugh.

You met Paul at the hotel and were introduced as ‘the loveliest voice besides mine, y/n y/l/n’, by Freddie, making you laugh. He shook your hand with a smile you saw right through, and turned back to the boys, explaining the situation. “I’ve already checked us in, but I didn’t know the, uh, lady, would be joining us so she’ll have to share with someone,” he explained, glancing over at you as he regarded you in a tone you didn’t appreciate, and you decided you weren’t alone, by the way even Deaky looked at him. Though the uneasy feeling wasn’t gone for long, because you just caught the last point he made, she’ll have to share with someone, your eyes went wide as you glanced around at the band, rambling and apologizing.

“You know what, I’m-uh-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be an inconvenience to you, uh, if I could just be driven bac-no actually I can walk ba—”

Freddie cut you off by waving his hands in the air. “Nonsense, my dear, just share one with one of us, you are no inconvenience I swear. Any volunteers?”

Roger raised his hand lazily, “She can stay with me, I don’t mind a little time alone with the lady,” he winked, causing you to roll your eyes and nod, taking your things and following with everyone to the elevato-I-I mean the lift.

Paul went over everyone’s room numbers and such on the ride up and you were relieved when the the elevator dinged, signaling your ride was over, you were tired of Paul referring to you as ‘the girl’, even though you and everyone else knew damn well that he knew your name. You followed Roger down the hall and stopped in front of a door with an engraved, 217 on it. He slid the key-card in the lock and you both walked in, surveying the room. You noticed there was a mini-fridge, a television, a sofa, and one bed. Just one. Greeeeat. He set his bags down on the floor next to the bed and looked back at you, smirking a little. “So I guess we’ll have to share a bed, doll, hope you don’t mind,” he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. You shook your head and laughed, pointing over at the couch which you assumed, you hoped was a pull out.

“Uh, yeah no, as much as I’m sure you’d enjoy that, I’m gonna stay on the pull-out couch over there, so I uh, wouldn’t get your hopes up,” you said, placing your luggage next to the couch and scanning it for any hooks or levers that would pull out the cushions. “And you’re absolutely sure it’s a pull-out, ‘cause it seems to me like you’re not having much luck there, sweetheart,” Roger retorted, seeing your struggle to find something on the couch become more and more desperate as nothing was coming up. You rolled your eyes and continued looking, “Well, if I can’t find anything I’ll just sleep on the floor or something, or just the regular couch, I wouldn’t want to disturb your ‘beautyrest’” you teased, using finger quotes at ‘beautyrest’. He laughed and shook his head.

You smiled with triumph as you finally found a switch, pulled it and jumping back as the pull out practically collapsed at your feet. Roger came up beside you to observe your situation, and let out a loud laugh. “Wow, Paul really had to pick out a shit hotel, didn’t he? You sure you don’t just wanna share the bed, sweetheart?” he asked mockingly, smirking over at you. But you wouldn’t let him win that easily. You shook your head and glanced back at the couch momentarily before folding it back up and turning to him once again. “I’ll be fine on the regular couch, thank you very much,” you countered. Roger shrugged and walked away, checking out the rest of the room before their first gig of the tour later.

You sighed and sat on the couch, hoping the nights to come on this tour wouldn’t be as bad as you’d anticipated.

—

That night, after the gig, which you decided against going to - you wanted to rehearse more before actually singing and you were scared you wouldn’t be able to keep your eyes from a certain someone- Roger came home sweaty and slightly tipsy, making a ton of extra noise and waking you from your doze. You turned on the lamp beside the couch and looked over at him as he basically slammed the door. “Jesus Christ Roger, could you be any louder?” you asked, a little more than a little mad at him for disturbing your sleep, not that it was super peaceful anyway, you couldn’t stop thinking about how the gig went, how the music sounded, if the crowd liked it, if Roger had much to drink, if any groupies were hanging off him yet, if he—

You had to stop yourself from thinking about it any further, so you just read parts of your book haphazardly, knowing in reality you weren’t comprehending any of the words in your mind. Your mind was preoccupied with other things. But then he stumbled slightly in, thankfully without a groupie under his arm, you didn’t think you could deal with the noise all night. Yes, it’s about the noise, you told yourself, nothing else. You sighed and closed your eyes as he sent you a quick apology, walking to the bathroom to do God knows what.

When he emerged, he had showered, and had a towel wrapped around his waist, you averted your eyes so he could change and he soon settled into his bed with a notebook, maybe looking over song lyrics and he was softly humming every once in a while. You admired his features, your eyes raking over his face and lips and down his body, then back up. You didn’t realize how long you’d been staring until Roger glanced over at you, smirking slightly.

“Enjoying the show, darling?” he asked cheekily, and your face flushed red, instantly turning away and tugging the thin throw blanket over you.

“Goodnight Roger,” you mumbled weakly.

“Goodnight love,”

—

Roger was awaken in the middle of the night to a short scream, followed by a series of groans and shifting around. He glanced over at your figure dowsily, but after seeing you were the source of these sounds, he jumped right to his feet and rushed over to you, leaning next to the couch to inspect the damage. You wouldn’t stop moving around, and your groans and screams were absolutely terrified. He figured you were having night terrors, and so he did what he only knew to do, besides panic, and he lifted you up and wrapped his arms around you, successfully stopping your movements and holding you in place, but not waking you up. You continued to whine and Roger noticed a few tears slide down your cheeks. He sat back and pulled you gently off the couch, into his lap, holding you to him and trying to comfort you. He tried copying things he had seen on TV and read in books.

“Uh-shhh, it’s uh, it’s gonna be okay, I promise, just a nightmare darling. Don’t worry, I’ve got you love, it’s gonna be fine, just fine,” he murmured into your ear. He started rocking back and forth in his arms and clutching you tighter to him. “Shh, it’s gonna be just fine. I’ve got you, you’re safe with me, nothing to worry about, darling. Shh,” he continued, and suddenly there was a startling gasp from you as you woke up in his arms, figuring out what had happened. You looked over at Roger, and then how his arms were wrapped around you.

“Oh shit,” you said, getting up and taking a few steps back, putting some distance between the two of you. “I-I’m so sorry, did I-uh, did I wake you up?” you asked, tripping over your words. He shook his head at you, stepping toward you a little.

“No, it’s alright, love,” he said softly, “You were just having a—”

“Night terror, I know,” you said, rubbing a hand over your face, “I didn’t mean to cause such a fuss,” you said, but Roger shook his head again and held a hand up to you. “Please, don’t worry about it, I’m happy I could help,” he said, watching as you slowly walked over to the couch and sat down, pulling the blanket over your lap and getting lost in thought.

“Hey,” Roger started, walking back toward the hotel bed and patting the mattress, “Would you sleep easier on the mattress?” he asked, but you rapidly shook your head, the mere idea of sharing a bed with him making your stomach queasy. Roger shrugged and walked back over to you, pulling you up to stand and wrapping his arms around you in a hug, which took your by surprise, but you didn’t object, after your terrible dream, his arms felt secure and warm around you. He rested his chin on your head and you let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding in, sinking your damp face into his shirt and letting a few small tears escape from your eyes, praying that Roger didn’t notice, you’d already made enough of a fool out of yourself in front of him. You didn’t pick up on it, but while engulfed in the hug Roger had noticed the slight wetness in his shirt, and lightly pressed his lips to the crown of your head, and letting go of you. You retreated back to the couch and sat down again, Roger watching your movements carefully all the while.

“And you’re sure you don’t want to share the mattress? I really wouldn’t mind…” Roger trailed, geturing back and reaching to take your hand gently. You shook your head lightly, and Roger frowned a little but said nothing, going back to the bed and situating himself, glancing over at you once and then closing his eyes and drifting again. Or so you thought. You couldn’t stop picturing it, this entity chasing you in your dreams, the most terrifying thing you’d ever seen, and on top of that embarrassing yourself in front of someone that you deeply admire and maybe even have grown to like as a person. You broke. You put your head in your hands and let out what you had been holding in for hours. You felt hopeless, you felt like you couldn’t do anything right and you would for surely end up alone because of it. You cried and cried, letting your emotions pour out of you with the occasional sob. You hoped and prayed that Roger really was asleep, because you knew you could never cry in front of him, you didn’t want him to see you in such a weak state, more than he already had.

Those hopes and prays were soon forgotten and ignored when you felt the space next to you on the couch sink and a warm hand settle on your back. You jumped at the contact, a startled gasp and sob combination coming from you and you peeked through your fingers to see Roger sitting next you, rubbing your back in comforting strokes and looking at you with worry lacing his features. You put your head back down and sobbed even louder, now not really caring that he was seeing you like this, the damage had already been done. There was nothing you could do. Hopeless, you thought. He then wrapped his arm around your waist and under your arms, the one that had been rubbing your back and slowly lifted you off the couch. He stood there for a minute, eyes running over your broken and beaten down face, his hand lightly caressing your cheek, then, without warning, he leaned down and put his other arm under your knees, lifting you up with ease and keeping a secure hold on you. You shrieked a little at first, but accepted it and let him carry you over to his bed.

He laid you down gently on the side opposite of where he was sleeping, and pulled the blankets up around you, the down comforter engulfing you in a wave of warmth already. You let yourself sink deeper into the comforting warmth, thanking God that Roger hadn’t asked you what was wrong, because you knew that’d only serve to embarrass you more, and right now that was the last thing you needed. Roger rounded the bed quietly and once again laid down on his side of the mattress, not making any sort of move, which you were both grateful and begging for. He glanced over at you and set a comforting hand on your shoulder.

“It’s okay,” he said simply, and that was all the comforting you needed. It was like an unspoken language between the two of you, a message that only you could recieve, and somehow or another, your nerves were gone, and you found yourself scooting towards him more and more, to which he welcomed you with open arms and reached out as if to say, ‘it’s okay’ again. You stopped yourself, what were you thinking? You couldn’t get wrapped up in this and you damn well knew it, so why were you doing this? And why was he letting you? Your worries were interrupted by Roger’s tired but comforting voice.

“C’mere lovely,” he said, tugging you close to him and letting you bury your face in his chest. You let out a shaky breath, your pulse quickening at the sudden contact. You soon relaxed in his grip as he held you closer to him, giving you a secure and warm feeling inside. You soon drifted off in his arms, soon followed by Roger, nightmares no longer plaguing you.

Part 4