#fluffy father-son bonding moments between them

[kaleidoru]

so I was going through some of my angels to update/tweak/fix designs/backstories etc and got to Mikail (based on archangel Michael but with the islamic name bc I have an uncle named Michael and naming ocs that share names with irl people I know squicks me out) (also he kept up with the times well and dresses modern and uses modern weapons ejkgkhg) but I was on wikipedia last night and saw this

in case you didn't know, Sam is also based on Yaldabaoth / the Demiurge (I already have a digimon oc named after them, and one of the Demiurge's other names is Samael, hence Sam)... so the idea of him basically attempting to create a child for himself just came together and now that's his new life ksejtghrkn

[vividxpages]

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ "in the dead of night"･ﾟ✧*: ･ﾟ✧*

pairing: Jacaerys Velaryon x fem!Reader

words: 7000

summary: when Jace is attending a late council meeting, two hired assassins take their chance to sneak into your chambers and hold you captive. Taken to the dragon caves below and meant to be slain by your own betrothed’s dragon, you have to trust the bond between Vermax and you is strong enough to escape your captor’s murderous plans.

warnings: soft!reader, fluffy start but HEAVY angst (reader being held captive by two assassins similar to Blood and Cheese), physical violence (slapping, hair pulling), verbal abuse, threats of rape and violence, Vermax being Vermax and also protective of reader, hurt/comfort, shock and crying, Jacaerys being a caring betrothed, Rhaenyra being the best mother in law, aftermath of trauma, healing, hopeful ending

a/n: please mind the warnings for this story, it’s my angstiest so far! Big thanks to @princessvelaryon and @princesschimchim1325 for being awesome and inspiring me to write this!

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

You smiled to yourself as you held two small wooden figures in your hands, a princess and a prince, their hands linked together and small attires made of cotton and wool. When you were younger, you remembered playing with them for hours, creating little scenarios of the prince who might sweep you off your feet someday.

Now, many years later, you had found the love of your life in Prince Jacaerys.

Ever since your own parents had died too young, Jace’s family had welcomed you as if you were one of them by blood, making you a home at Dragonstone and accepting you with open arms as theirs. Perhaps, a huge part of it was because Rhaenyra’s oldest son had been in love with you ever since he had first laid eyes on you, but there was more to it. His mother adored you and you got alone with his siblings and cousins and brought a joy into their house that was much needed in those dark times of war.

This afternoon, you were sitting on the soft fur carpet in one of the big living rooms of the castle, Rhaenyra’s twins peacefully playing with their wooden toys all around you. Earlier, Baela and Rhaena had joined you for a chat and the newest gossip, but you didn’t mind being alone with the kids as well, your own inner child always coming down around their soft souls.

You let out a playful gasp as little Viserys assembled a row of knights on their horses along the imaginary street you had built together. “Are your noble knights going to a tournament, Vis?”

The boy nodded timidly at you, letting one of the horses gallop forward and making you laugh.

Your betrothed Jacaerys leaned against the doorframe and smiled softly as he watched you. Little Aegon had snuggled close to you and you helped Viserys move the toy carriage around the carpet.

You looked up as he pushed himself off the frame, walking towards you with pure adoration in his eyes. “Oh hello. I didn’t hear you enter.” You said, letting your hand be lifted by him so he could press a soft kiss against your knuckles.

Moving to stand and placing Aegon on the ground, he laid a hand on your shoulder, shaking his head. “I didn’t want to interrupt your play. What adventures is my princess going on today? Have my brothers been behaving?”

“They are the sweetest.” You told him in all honesty, your heart melting at the two little blond boys in front of you. Whenever you spent time with Jace’s smaller siblings, you could not help but notice how your heart expanded and spoke to a deep part in you that wished for children of your own someday. “We were playing a carriage ride to a tournament, I believe, but then a dragon escaped and now we have to look for him.”

Jace squatted down for a moment and handed Aegon a rattle shaped like the bell of a sept, which he immediately took with a toothless grin and tried out. You watched your betrothed with a soft heart and thought what a wonderful father he’d make…

“I dream of the day this will be our life someday.” He confessed to you, the corner of his plump lips lifting sadly. “When there is peace in the realm and we have time to take care of our future children together.”

“I wish for nothing else.” You replied softly, your heart blooming with love for him.

For a moment, Jacaerys looked as if he wanted to sit down and join you and his little brothers, but as you knew your hard-working betrothed all too well, he sighed and stood up again, careful not to step on the big skirts draped around you like a blooming flower.

“There will be a late council meeting this evening.” Jacaerys announced to you, his displeased expression betraying him. “Everyone of the council and the dragon keepers will sit together to discuss. I wouldn’t ask you to join us, it will be very boring and entirely unnecessary.”

You chuckled, knowing all too well how different Jace would do many things if his say in the matters of his mother would be of more weight. But at the same time, you were glad, Rhaenyra kept him sheltered and protected with you for now, at Dragonstone where it was the safest place for the future king and his queen.

“Will you come to bed later?” You asked shyly, although it was not uncommon for the prince and you to share a bed before your marriage had even been consummated.

A small and narrow passage connected your room to Jacaerys’ and you had often made use of it, whether you wanted someone to talk to before heading to bed or were in need of his warm embrace before you eventually drifted off into an innocent sleep together. When he was gone or bound to duties, you usually made yourself comfortable in his bed, but perhaps you’d return to your own tonight if the meeting was going to take a while before he’d be released.

Jacaerys smiled softly at you and nodded before he raised your hand towards his lips. “I will. Don’t stay up too late, I’ll be with you as soon as I can, I promise.”

You hummed pleased and let him kiss your knuckles. “I hope it won’t be too long. And don’t take their words to heart too much, Jace. You’re the prince and they’re lucky to have you.”

“It is me who is lucky to have you, my beloved.” He said and watched in delight as you blushed at his appreciation. “My safe haven, my light.”

Jacaerys leaned down, softly cupping your cheek before he gently kissed your lips, your back arching a little to reach him better. Your lips brushed tenderly against one another and you sighed in bliss at his open affections for you.

You smiled at him when you separated, squeezing his hand in yours. “I love you. I’ll see you later.”

“I love you.I’ll do my best to hurry.” He promised, hugging his little toddler brothers as well and softly stroking their hair before he departed. You sighed to yourself, eager to have the hours pass and let the two of you be reunited again as little Aegon presented you a wood dragon, silently asking you to rejoin their play..

“Alright, where were we, my princes?”

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

Being alone in your private chambers had become a rarity since you had been promised to Jacaerys.

You listened to the quietness of the room, the fire cackling in the pit as you sat on your bed and combed out your hair. You had taken a bath after bringing the princes to their nurseries and changed into something comfortable for the night.

The small evidence of Jace’s frequent visits to your room were visible all over the place. A cloak of his was thrown over one of your chairs by the fire and one of his books laid open by your desk. Even his smell still faintly clung to your pillows, a little gift from the last time he had fallen asleep here, not bothering to retreat back to his own chamber under your soft and lingering touches to his hair.

You could not even remember the last time the connecting door between your rooms had been closed.

You let out a small sigh as you sunk into bed, watching the dark outside of your window for a while. The council meeting must’ve been going on for a while now and you tried to read a few pages to keep you awake, not wanting to miss the moment Jace would come to you.

The time went by and your eyelids kept dropping.

But after a while, the door to your chamber opened and a wide smile split your face as you sat up in your bed, ready to welcome Jace back. Your hair fell over your shoulders, the blanket slipping down your body a little, but just a second later, everything in you froze to a stop.

Two men entered your room, their clothes dirty and faces dark as they took you in. These weren’t your guards and as one of them unsheathed a blade from his belt, you opened your mouth to scream.

They were on you in a heartbeat.

One of them drew the blankets off the bed while the other grabbed your hair, dragging you from the mattress and onto the floor, every sound in your throat seizing up and choked off by their sudden display of violence.

You were not a fighter, never had been. You stood no chance as they manhandled you in their middle, the taller one quickly looking over his shoulder as you struggled to no use against their tight grip.

“Look at that.” You heard close to your ear, the deep raspy voice sending shivers down your spine. “The bastard prince’s little bird, right between us. What would your man say now if he could see you like this, huh?”

You whimpered when your head was tugged back, the other gripping your wrists and making quick work of a tight rope around them, scratching over your soft skin and successfully binding you.

“Who are you?” You demanded to know, your voice barely louder than a whisper. You were shaking from head to toe, your body and mind gone into overdrive when they had first laid hands on you.

They shared a grin with each other. “Does it matter? All you have to know is we’re not your fucking maids. And that you will die tonight, princess. Now be a good girl and shut the fuck up.”

You tried to press your heels into the floor, to keep them from stirring you towards the door, but after a moment the tall one simply picked you up and carried you towards the door. Your nails scratched over the man’s back, but it was like he didn’t even feel it, his grip around your legs too tight for you to struggle and free yourself.

“Behave.”

You were set on your feet again, crowded by them against the door. You swallowed hard against the lump in your throat, your eyes flickering between the two of them. “Whoever paid you, their reward is not nearly enough for the misery my family will bring down on you when they find you. I am a princess of Dragonstone and you have no right to-“

They pushed you out of the door, not bothering to listen.

A horrified gasp escaped your lips as you stepped outside your chamber and nearly stumbled over the dead bodies of your two guards, bleeding out and cold on the floor. The sound echoed through the hall and before you knew what was happening, your head was pulled back by your hair and a hard hand slapped you across the face.

Pain exploded in your mind, blinding you for a moment before the sting ebbed away and was replaced with a dull throb in your cheek.

You held the palm of your trembling hand to your throbbing cheek, breathing hard as you recovered from the blow. “You will die for this.” You said oddly calm and collected. It had to be the shock, you could not think clearly, but you knew one thing for sure: “The prince will cut your hands off for laying hand on me.”

The tall one grinned as if it was an empty threat. “We will be long gone once your prince finds you, stupid cunt. And in what state that will be, I still have to decide.” His disgusting hungry gaze crept over your body, barely hidden underneath your thin sleeping gown. You wanted to throw up.

“You will lead us to the place where the dragons are.” The shorter one said. “We know the keepers are all at the meeting and you know ways where no guards keep patrol. And if you dare to scream or run to wake anyone, I’ll cut out your tongue and heart and throw it in front of the bastard prince’s feet.”

You swallowed down bitter tears, your head screaming at you to do something, anything. But your hands were painfully tied and you did not find your voice as you slowly began to walk with them through the castle.

In the past, you have had nightmares like this, terrible visions of you being powerless as hands held you down in the dark, doing horrible things to you. You sometimes had woken up screaming, but Jacaerys had been there for you every time, holding you until the worst of it was over and you slowly were able to calm down in his safe and warm embrace. Now, there was no one, all people living and working at Dragonstone either asleep or summoned by Rhaenyra and Jacaerys for the council meeting. By the time someone had discovered the corpses of your guards in front of your chambers, you’d likely be dead or taken to who knew where.

You walked through your home, shivering against the cool air with only the thin nightdress you wore on you, the dangerous presence of your captors behind your back. You knew Jacaerys would blame himself for leaving you alone and suddenly, a sorrow so consuming filled your chest, you choked on a quiet whimper. You had not even said goodbye…

“Shut the fuck up.” They hissed at you and one of them slung his arm around your waist, your fingers digging into his flesh in protest as cool metal suddenly rested against your ribcage. A dagger. “Be fucking quiet and keep walking.”

Soon, the air began to smell of salt and sea and you heard the distant crashing of the waves against the island. The entrance to the dragon caves came into sight and you turned around to face them.

“Now tell us, girl, where is your precious dragon?”

Your heart sank into the pit of your stomach, but before you could open your mouth for a reply, the other one of them shook his head. “No. Don’t be stupid. The beast will kill us right away if it sees their rider in our clutches. But…the bastard’s dragon. It’s a foul ill-tempered beast, isn’t it? Where is it?”

Vermax.

A protective wave washed through you and for a moment, you regained the little confidence you had before the man had laid his hand on you. “What do you want with the dragon? You are in no state to have a chance at killing him.”

They shared a look, both grinning viciously. One of them stepped up to you and touched your chin with his dirty hand, right where a fresh bruise from his violence bloomed. You tried to flinch away, but he held you close.

“We don’t mean to kill it, flower.” He told you, bloodthirst flickering over his features and making you sick. His knuckles brushed over the cut on your lip and you wanted to gag from disgust. “We’re going to watch as it kills you.”

Your mind was swimming as you led them through the darkness, watching their big shadows looming over your small own. The taller one still held his dagger against your waist and you knew he’d make use of it if he noticed you playing any games. There were wild beasts slumbering in the depths of these caves, but would they be faster at attacking your captors than the knife against your skin?

The hope in your chest thinned the further away you walked with them from where you knew your own dragon slept, but one last shimmer of it remained in you. You knew Vermax and he knew you just as Jacaerys did. You had to hold on to that.

“It’s here.” You announced quietly, your whisper echoing across the cave near the ocean. It was quiet here and you had to squint your eyes to make out the big nest at the end of the cave where a green-scaled dragon slept fitfully.

“Call it.” The smaller one muttered, his eyes fixed on the beast. You winced as the tip of the dagger pressed into your skin, a warning. “We will stand behind you and when it has come out, you will command it to kill you, you hear me? No tricks or I’ll gladly be the one to end your suffering, right after my friend here has had his fun with you, princess.”

You took a deep breath as they retreated into a safe distance.

„Naejot Māzīs, Vermax.“ You commanded shakingly and the sound of your familiar voice, the big pile of green and red in the corner of the cage moved, uncurling himself from his light slumber.

Jacaerys’ dragon blinked at you sleepily, a shudder going through his beautiful scales as he tilted his head to the side questioningly. When he spotted the two men in your company, he tensed, stepping forward and showing himself in his full height.

“Lykirī…“ You lifted your hands, trying to catch Vermax’ eyes again so he’d look at you instead of them.

With a low growl in his throat, he settled, stepping closer to you until his snout almost touched your outstretched hand.

“Say it, girl!” You heard the commanding voice behind you, in a safe distance of the beast that slowly blinked at you, considering. “We’re not going to wait much longer!”

You took a deep breath and looked Vermax in the snake-like eyes.

He met you with a calm stare, tilting his head to the side again, a deep rumble in his chest.

You had to trust in him now. You had to trust in the love Jacaerys and you were sharing and the bond between you and the dragons.

Out of the sudden, a heavy thrown stone hit you in the back and you gasped in pain, stumbling forward and almost slipping in a dirty puddle.

“DO IT!”

Trust in Vermax, just as you trust in your Jace.

“Dracarys.” You whispered finally and closed your eyes.

Vermax surged forward with a furious roar, one sharp claw in the ground, his wing shielding you from the scenery. Nearly pushing you out of the way, he advanced on the men who had threatened you with a snarl and warmth filled the large cave, fire burning low in his green-scaled stomach.

A horrible realization flickered over their faces as the green beast drew closer, their backs hitting the wall behind them as they looked at you one last time. “You fucking cunt-“

Vermax wiped out their miserable existence with one single breath of fire. Heat tore through the cave and you stumbled backwards as the dragon fire burned them and the scent of roasted human flesh reached your nose.

You squeezed your eyes shut and buried your face in your hands as you listened to their screams. Their agony bounced off the stone walls and heat crept down your spine, but Vermax kept you close, the leathery feel of his wing a small comfort against your skin.

Suddenly, silence rang in your ears.

You dared to peek up over the protective curl of Vermax’ wings.

Where your captors had stood, only ashes and bones remained.

Vermax let out a self-satisfied growl, clearly pleased with what he had unleashed on the terrors. He bent down, blinking at you with his sharp eyes as if to make sure you were alright. Tears, both from the shock and gratitude, filled your eyes and you leaned your forehead against his snout, trying to take deep breaths to steady yourself.

You shrunk back as you heard footsteps in the caves, hurried steps running over gravel and through the water puddles, a flame throwing a long shadow over the walls. You felt Vermax tense, his wing drawing itself tighter around you. Any other threat advancing, he’d burn to the ground.

In the next moment, Jacaerys stormed into the chamber, his sword drawn as his other hand held a lit torch. His chest was heaving, sweat gathering at his hairline as he quickly took in the state of the room. He looked like he had run the length of the castle and you knew it likely had been the case.

Vermax snarled without threat, greeting his rider and lifting his wing to present you to your love.

Your eyes met and you let out a shuddering breath.

The sight of you was a thousand daggers to his heart.

Your face was smeared with soot and the blood from your split lip coated your chin, your hair unruly and disheveled from the way they had grabbed and dragged you along. Your silk dress was dirty and you shivered against the cold of the cave as you slung your bruised arms around yourself.

Behind you, Vermax hovered like a protective shadow and waited, willing to serve with Jacaerys now here with you.

As he took a step towards you, his boot made contact with the skulls of the assassins. Two of them, he realized and the rage surging through his veins was all-consuming. He looked down at their bones and wished to go back in time to kill them himself, over and over again until not even these mortal remains stayed behind.

But his own bloodlust vanished as he raced towards you, your own legs unsteady and finally giving out under you just as he reached you.

He fell to the ground with you in his arms, holding you tightly as you clawed your hand in his clothes, his heart breaking for you right underneath your tight grip. It was like any last strength in you had left, leaving you a broken and sobbing mess in his embrace.

“You’re safe, you’re safe…” Jace murmured into your ear, softly swaying you back and forth as you wept, the adrenaline and shock from the situation finally crashing down on you with full force. “Nothing is going to happen to you, I’m here…”

The Queen and the dragon keepers found the prince and his princess just like this.

Jacaerys was kneeling on the ground, the princess dissolved in tears in his arms and the ill-tempered beast that had saved his love curled around them, chortling comfortingly as the prince stroked her hair and whispered sweet nothings in her ear.

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

You had been escorted back to the castle, but you couldn’t say you remembered much from the journey. Your mind had gone into an odd state of survival, the girl from before the attack having retreated into a far corner of your mind.

The guards, now dead because of you, had been carried away in front of your door and you had stopped in the middle of the hallway, not able to go another step as you stared at the spot where maids were now scrubbing the blood from the floor.

“Come on, my dear.” Rhaenyra had gently told you and you tore your eyes away from the scene as your Queen and Jacaerys led you into his chambers instead. The warmth and unique scent of Jace’s quarters – the smell of old parchment and books, mingled with the wax of the candles and the smell of his sheets – enveloped you and you drew the cloak Jace had draped over your shivering form tightly around you.

Now, a little later, you were seated at Jace’s work table and blankly stared at your scraped hands in your lap.

Jacaerys had instantly expressed his dislike for an interrogation at this hour of the night, but you had shaken your head, willing to recount the situation to Rhaenyra as if words could wash away the poison they had brought onto you. Your skin felt coated with it and you feared the stain might never go away again.

Yet, you had told her and Jace what happened, slowly and quietly, and when you were done, Rhaenyra was holding your hand and Jacaerys looked as if he wanted to break something.

“My brave girl.” Rhaenyra murmured and softly cupped your cheek as she looked at the bruises on your face and neck. “You’ve fought enough for tonight, darling. I’ll call the maids and healers and-“

“No.” You cut her off, shivering at the prospect of unfamiliar hands on you, seeing the evidence of what had happened on your naked skin. You swallowed hard, your eyes filling with unshed tears again. “No one else. It’s- it’s alright, I can do it myself, I really can-“

Rhaenyra smiled sadly at you. “You are hurt, my dear.”

“I’m not broken.” You insisted, although you felt like it. You were shattered pieces on the ground.

“And no one says so, dear.”

Jacaerys, sensing you were on the verge of breaking down, knelt down next to your chair and caught your gaze with his. “I can help, if you want.” He offered quietly.

You looked back at him, conflicted. If Jace stayed, there’d come the point where he’d see the damage you had taken and you did not know what troubled you more; him seeing you like this or seeing him as his heart shattered for you.

“Jace.” Rhaenyra looked at him. “Perhaps a woman’s presence at this time is better suited for her. I’ll fetch you later, I promise, but she needs a moment for herself now, alright?”

He was tense, your beloved prince, but after a moment he nodded with a set jaw before he stood and looked at you one more time. “I’ll wait outside.”

You didn’t want to meet his sad expression, so you kept your gaze down as mother and son went to the door, talking in quick and hushed voices before Jace stepped outside and Rhaenyra returned to you.

She leaned down and brushed a little bit of soot from your cheeks, careful not to touch your split lip. “Vermax surely knows how to rain down fire on our enemies, hm?”

A weak smile tugged at the corner of your lips. “He saved me. He knew exactly what was going on the moment I entered and he was intelligent enough to play along until the right moment had come.”

Rhaenyra hummed, offering you a hand to stand up. “And still, they only call my son’s dragon ill-tempered. How does a bath sound? I’m sure you’d like to step into more comfortable clothes, wouldn’t you?”

You nodded, longing for a simple cotton shirt, preferably one of Jace’s that smelled like home and warmth and safety.

Your future mother-in-law went to the big bath next to Jace’s bedroom with you, a steaming bath already having been drawn for you.

When you saw her drawing a stool close to the tub, your eyes widened and you were quick to interject: “I-I can do it myself, Your Grace, there is no need for you to-“

“Please let me help you just as I would help any other child of mine.” She interrupted you kindly and soon after, you gratefully sunk into the bath, your sore muscles relaxing in its warmth.

Rhaenyra helped you tilt your head back and you closed your eyes as warm water flowed over your hair and down your neck, tears of your own silently running down your damp cheeks. Your throat bobbed painfully as you let her work, the Queen’s gentle hands a mother’s comfort as they helped to get rid of the dirt from the caves and a root clinging to your skin.

“I have sent Jace to fetch an ointment for your bruises and cuts.” She told you quietly and you nodded silently, cupping some of your water to rinse off your face, careful not to touch your throbbing lip. “I want you to tell me if I should send him away for the night. You can be honest with me, dear.”

You sniffled, gladly accepting the towel she lent you after helping you out of the bathtub. After a moment, you rasped: “It is not him I am scared of. It’s just…I know it pains him to see me hurt.”

“He hurts because he hasn’t been there for you, my dear.” Rhaenyra explained softly and you sighed to yourself as you slipped into a silken robe, the fabric easy on the big bruise on your back and arms. Underneath, you already wore one of Jace’s long shirts, the fabric more of a dress on you. “If it is one thing I have learned, as someone who loves and is lucky enough to be loved, it’s that healing means accepting the help of others. No one will fault you if you want to be for yourself tonight, but I know Jace will do anything he can to help you recover from this, no matter what that might look like.”

You did not want to be alone.

You feared it, laying down in bed once again when the door could open at any moment and reveal the terrors, although Jacaerys had doubled the amount of guards outside his door, simply so you’d feel safe.

You wanted to feel sheltered and able to move past this with the one you loved more than anything else, the one who had first thought about when your life had been in grave danger.

You needed Jacaerys.

“Jace may come in again.” You said quietly, suppressing the urge to groan with every step. You had not seen it yet, but the pain the stone thrown to your back caused felt like a flare and you were sure the spot was already turning a deep shade of purple.

Rhaenyra led you towards Jace’s bed, seemingly pleased with your decision. “I’ll make my leave then. Sleep in tomorrow, the both of you. You need all the rest you can get.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.” You squeezed her hand in yours, bowing your head in gratitude. “And thank you for helping me.”

She smiled at you one last time, although there was a strain to it, her worry over a sneak attack like this consuming her mind. Tomorrow they’d speak about this in council, but tonight she’d let her son do the rest, his wide eyes meeting hers when she opened the door and let him in.

You turned around to look at him, your damp hair falling over your shoulder and his clothes, a princess despite the cuts and bruises on your skin. Jacaerys slowly walked to you and your heart stung when you noticed his blood-shot eyes and how pale he still was. He was tense all over, yet he softened as he came to a stop in front of you.

“Where does it hurt?” He asked quietly, looking for your honesty and not a false promise towards him.

You let out a shaky breath and leaned into him.

For a moment, you simply stood in front of each other, forehead against forehead and breathing each other in. Hot tears welled up in your shut eyes, his closeness rescuing and suffocating you at once. Jace’s nose touched yours and his soft curls tickled your cheeks and for a second, you thought that everything might be alright again when the morning came.

“My back. My cheek and wrists…” You whispered, your breath tickling his lips. “I know I’ve bathed and changed and I’m safe in your rooms, but…it feels like they’ve put me apart and I’ve been assembled back together wrongly.”

He shook his head, swallowing against his own lump in his throat. “You could never be wrong, my love.”

Your bottom lip wobbled dangerously, only doubling the pain in the cut grazing it. “I’ve been so scared, Jace. When they entered my room- Anything could’ve happened, they could’ve done anything to me-“

You gasped both in relief and sorrow as his arms pulled you against him, the hug both grounding and warm, something you thought you’d lost forever mere hours ago. You were too exhausted to cry once more, but the horror over what else could’ve been done to you shook you to your very core.

“I’m never going to let something like this happen again.” Jace promised you darkly as he tightened his arms around you, soothingly brushing his hand through your hair as you rested the unwounded side of your face against his heart. “You will never have to be afraid again, I promise. I should’ve been there, I should’ve stopped them-“

“You didn’t know they were here.” You reminded him, but you could feel the fury radiating off his body, an all-consuming rage deeply rooted in him. “No one did. No one is to blame except for the ones who sent them, Jace.”

“And they will pay.” You could practically feel the daggers he was glaring at the wall behind you. But just after a moment, you felt his anger deflate as he softly kissed the top of your head and gently lifted your chin so he could look at you. “You’ve been fighting all alone tonight, but I am here now and I want to be of use, beloved. Will you let me help?”

“I don’t want to upset you.” You almost bit your lip before you remembered the pain.

His gaze softened endlessly and he tucked a damp strand of your hair behind your ear. There were lots of tangled emotions inside of him still, but he saw you, this sweet delicate girl he had fallen for ever since the beginning and knew he had to take care of you now. “You could never upset me, my beautiful strong princess.”

The words were mending on your shaken soul and you closed your eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before you let him to his work.

“The maester said the salve might be a little cool on the skin.” Jace murmured and you nodded in understanding. “And he gave me ice, scratched from the old side of the island’s cliffs, for your cheek.”

You took the dripping bundle from his hand, sighing as the cold cloth touched your cheek, the swelling subtle so far yet inevitable to strengthen throughout the night. But every bruise and cut on your body was better than not living to see the sun rise in the morning. “I could apply the salve on my own?”

Jace shook his head. “Let me do this for you.”

He walked with you to his bed, helping you sit down as he knelt before you, devotion shimmering in his eyes. You realized that he needed this just as much as you did, to prove himself he was able to take care of you now, even if he had not been there for you then.

He cupped your healthy cheek as you covered the other one with your ice. “Should we start with your back?”

Jace helped you lift the fabric, only so much so he could see where the stone had struck you, a dull bruise blossoming right next to your spine. It was nothing he had not yet seen so far, still you felt self-conscious under his attentive eyes.

You held very still as Jacaerys began to carefully apply the ointment to the bruise, his finger drawing soft and soothing circles over the blue spot. His other hand touched your waist, just barely underneath the fabric of his shirt on you and you closed your eyes as the cooling sensation drew a little pain from you and let it vanish.

“Good?”

“Feels good…” You murmured and tried to crawl into the feeling, the tiny relief washing away a little of the darkness from before. With a small kiss to your nape, he let the shirt fall and cover you again.

Next came your sore wrists. He lifted both of them, seeing the red marks where the tight rope had cut into your skin and swallowing hard. He wanted to unleash Vermax on the dusty bones of your captors again until their remains were annihilated from this earth. Jace softly kissed both of them before he dipped his fingers into the small jar again and repeated his careful motions.

You made a small sound in your throat and he stopped instantly.

“Too hard?”

You shook your head. “My lip…”

He sat down beside you, the mattress dipping underneath his weight and bringing you closer to him. The cut wasn’t pretty, but no cut was and you did not shy away from him as he took in the damage, one of his hands still rubbing circles into your wrist.

You held your breath as his coated thumb touched your bottom lip, his touch light as a feather as the cooling salve instantly mended the throbbing. Your hand reached up to hold his wrist, not ready yet to let him go when his touch felt infinitely good for your aching body. There was nothing sexual about the way you breathed against the pad of his thumb, relishing his care and simply letting it wash over you, and for a while you were simply content like this, Jacaerys remaining close to you as you breathed through the slowly ebbing pain.

“Do you want me to braid your hair for the night?” He asked quietly like he had so many times before.

Your wonderful beloved Jace. You nodded gratefully as he shuffled once more on the bed and sat behind you. Kissing the back of your head and brushing your hair over your shoulders for you, he got to work.

Your body was lulled into relaxation as his fingers combed through your hair, loosely braiding it so you wouldn’t have to wake up with tangles and knots in the morning. His warmth was a comfort against your back and if the vicious bruise hadn’t been there, you would’ve leaned back against him, ready to melt into his tenderness.

“Vermax saw right through them.” You spoke up after a while, your eyelids drooping from time to time from exhaustion as Jace finished up his braid for you. “He didn’t let them see at first, but there was a moment where I knew he was going to protect me, that he knew what was happening.”

“He loves you as if you were his own rider.” Jace mumbled, affection for you and his dragon in his voice. “I am glad he had been there for you when I wasn’t.”

“I want the finest sheep the shepherds can organize for tomorrow.” You looked over your shoulder with determination and Jacaerys frowned at you, a question in his eyes. You welcomed the small sting your lip caused you when its corner lifted up into a weak smile: “I want Vermax to be rewarded for defending his rider’s princess so honorably.”

“And I’d be honored to be the one to select it for you, my princess.” Jace’s face darkened, fury swirling in his brown orbs. “I still wish they would’ve suffered more. They deserved much more than a quick death of fire.”

His revengeful words were nothing against the soft touch with which he doted on you and when he was done and brushed his fingers once more over your hair, your body wanted to sink into his pillows and melt into them.

Jace laid down with you, carefully adjusting his position beside you so he wouldn’t accidently bump into your sore body. You exhaled deeply when your head touched his pillow, smelling so comfortingly of him. You could not bear to lie on your back, so you snuggled into Jace’s bed on your stomach, hugging his pillow and turning your head so you could look at your love.

He was resting on his side, his brown eyes searching for any discomfort you might have. Your eyes flickered over his shoulder, towards the door of his chambers.

“You are safe now, I promise.” Jace whispered and leaned forward, pressing a small kiss to your nose. “There are five guards outside and my sword leans against the bed. I’m here. Nothing bad will ever befall you again, my love, I swear it with my life.”

You gave him a tiny nod and tried to relax, although it was hard to keep the shadows lingering in the corners of the room at bay. You wiggled one of your hands out from under the pillow and found his, tugging him closer until his lean body warmed your side, one of his hands resting securely on your lower back.

“Tomorrow, I want to take a walk to the cliffs.” You whispered, longing for the fresh air and its cleansing effect.

Jacaerys smiled. “Then it will be arranged. Does my princess wish for any company?”

You nodded timidly, his playful undertone distracting you from the dull throb underneath the ointments. “And I want to have a picnic if the sun is out, with all my favorite things.”

“I’ll tell the kitchens then, first thing in the morning. They’ll be happy to please their future queen.”

“And when I’m healed, I want you to kiss me…” Your eyes drooped, the exhaustion from the night overpowering the little anxiety that remained in you.

“Your wish is my command...” Jacaerys mumbled back, his eyes on you as you slowly drifted off into a well-deserved sleep. He had not been entirely honest with you, there were many things he wanted to do.

He watched you sleep beside him, the most innocent sweet being he knew, covered with his warm clothes and bruises on your skin. Jace still held your hand and was not willing to let it go for the rest of the night.

At the soonest time, he’d convene a council meeting and strengthen the security around Dragonstone. He already had caught word of Daemon wreaking havoc on the guard unions patrolling around the castle for not being more attentive, for the princess was one of his favorite people in this family and Jace knew he’d have an ally for his cause.

He’d take his revenge for you.

But for now, he knew you needed him more than ever, and tomorrow he’d do his best to make you happy again. 

He could almost see it in the dark of the room, your eyes closed blissfully against the sunbeams, your hair dancing with the wind as you walked hand in hand as you had done so many times as children. You’d eat ripe peaches and cake and slowly, this incident would move past you until it was only what it was; a shadow in the corner, in the dead of night…

my taglist (open): @princesschimchim1325 @cecestea @jacesvelaryons @princessvelaryon @diannnnsss

[wandamaximoffsbadgirl]

Beautiful Stranger

Stuck between my teeth just like a candy bar (4)

Mommy!Wanda Maximoff x Beefy!Fem!Reader

Summary: There's a chill in the air and October is here~

Word Count: 3.6K

Warnings: A rather fluffy chapter, some hurt/comfort, R's mom is a bitch, R's dad isn't

A/N: It's time for more early Summerween!

October 13, 2023

You’re at Wanda’s doctor’s appointment when she calls you her girlfriend for the first time. As she holds your hand, looking at the ultrasound, you hear the little one's heartbeat and find out together that Wanda is having a girl. Both of you start crying.

“We’re having a little girl,” Wanda whispers as she connects your foreheads. In that moment, it’s just Wanda and you, and her stupid ex-husband has nothing to do with this baby.

“Our little girl.” You smile at Wanda and then look back at the ultrasound, watching her move around, tears of absolute joy falling on your face.

Later, you drive home with Wanda. The boys are with Vision this weekend, so you have the house to yourselves. You both take full advantage of this every chance you get, which is every other weekend now.

You’re kissing Wanda on the front porch when you hear a familiar throat clear. You stiffen up a bit before turning around to find your mother standing there. You plaster a smile on your face.

“Hi, Mom. Did you need something?” you ask in a sickly sweet voice because, honestly, all you want is to go have sex with Wanda.

“For my daughter to come home every once in a while and not just pop in because she needs a new change of clothes,” she points out, and you groan.

“Mom, I’m a grown woman. I’m not a kid anymore. I’m making my own decisions now. Please don’t do your guilt trip thing on me right now. I just got some of the best news of my life, and I’d like the mood not to be ruined. Can we do this later?” you call her out, and she feigns hurt. You love your mom, but she can be a manipulative piece of shit at times.

“Y/N Y/M/N,” she warns.

“Y/M/N Y/M/M/N,” you shoot back. “Mom, I’m not doing this right now. I’d like to go celebrate my good news.” You turn away, taking Wanda’s hand and starting to enter the house.

“If you take one foot into that house, your father and I will stop paying for college,” she warns, and you stop, spinning on your heel.

“Excuse me? Did you... did you really just threaten that?” you ask, a bit in disbelief.

“Yes, I did. I’m over your rebellious nature, thinking you can do as you please without consequence. You will ruin this family with your behavior!” your mother spits venom, and Wanda steps up.

“I’m sorry, but you don’t get to decide that. I love your daughter, and I know she loves me and my boys. She has been the most amazing thing to ever come into my life besides my kids. So, I don’t appreciate you coming onto my front steps and saying she’ll ruin this family when, if anything, she’s created stronger bonds with my sons than their own father. So, I won’t say this again: get off my stairs and off my property before I call the cops about trespassing,” Wanda spits back, pulling you inside before your mom can say anything else.

When the door is closed, you fall to the ground and start crying, bringing your knees to your chest, hugging them. Wanda rubs your back, whispering in your ear, “It’s okay, sweet girl. I’ve got you. Don’t worry about her. I’ll protect you. I’ll take care of you.”

“Wanda, I can’t expect you to take care of me. To pay for my college... that’s so much...” Wanda laughs a bit, and you look at her with confusion.

“Sweetie, what do I do for a living?” she asks, and you go to say something and realize,

“I actually don’t know. I know you work in business, but... I never actually asked,” you admit.

“I’m a CEO of a small firm, sweetie. I’m not millionaire rich, but we’re pretty well off. If I need to, I can cover your costs, sweet girl. Let me take care of you. You do so much for us. If it comes down to it, I will, because I want to see you succeed and go out and get that job or freelance or whatever it is you decide to do after you finish. I’ll support you and love you, and I’ll always be with you.” You cry even harder at her support as she holds you.

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

The next day, you wake up in Wanda’s arms, the warmth of her body grounding you. The sunlight filters through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the room. You take a deep breath, feeling the weight of yesterday's confrontation with your mom still lingering, but the comfort of Wanda's presence helps you feel stronger.

Wanda stirs beside you, her eyes fluttering open. She smiles when she sees you, and you can’t help but smile back. “Good morning, beautiful,” she murmurs, her voice husky with sleep.

“Good morning,” you reply, leaning in to give her a gentle kiss. “Thank you for everything yesterday. For standing up for me, for us.”

“Always,” she says, her eyes full of love and determination. “We’re in this together.”

You spend the morning lounging in bed, talking about the future, the baby, and your plans. Wanda reassures you again that she’s got your back, and you feel a renewed sense of hope and determination. You’re not alone in this, and together, you can face whatever challenges come your way.

Later, as you prepare breakfast together, you can’t help but feel a surge of gratitude for Wanda. She’s more than just your girlfriend; she’s your partner, your confidant, and your biggest supporter. And as you stand in the kitchen, watching her cook with a look of concentration on her face, you know that no matter what happens, you’ll get through it together.

You’re interrupted by the sound of your phone buzzing. You glance at the screen and see a text from your mom. Your heart sinks a little, but you know you need to face this. With a deep breath, you open the message.

“I’m sorry for how I acted yesterday. Can we talk? Love, Mom.”

You show the text to Wanda, and she gives you an encouraging nod. “Do you want to call her?” she asks gently.

You think for a moment and then nod. “Yeah, I think I should. But can you be with me when I do?”

“Of course,” Wanda says, squeezing your hand.

You dial your mom’s number, and she picks up after a few rings. “Hi, Mom,” you say, trying to keep your voice steady.

“Hi, Y/N. I’m sorry about yesterday. I was out of line,” she says, her voice softening.

“Thanks, Mom. I appreciate that. But you need to understand that Wanda and I are serious about each other, and I need you to respect that,” you say firmly.

“I understand. I just want what’s best for you,” she says.

“And Wanda is what’s best for me,” you reply.

There’s a pause, and then your mom sighs. “Okay. I’ll try to be more supportive. Can we start over?”

“Yes, we can. Thanks, Mom,” you say, feeling a sense of relief.

You end the call and turn to Wanda. “She’s willing to try,” you say, and Wanda pulls you into a hug.

“That’s all we can ask for,” she says. “We’ll take it one step at a time.”

With Wanda by your side, you feel ready to face whatever comes next. Together, you’ll build a future filled with love, support, and the promise of new beginnings.

October 31, 2023

The house is all decorated, and you've been getting goodie bags ready all day, filling them up with treats and little toys. Thematic music has been playing all day, with Halloween movies running in the background. At three o'clock, Wanda and the boys burst through the door, the boys practically flying into the house.

“Daddy!” The two boys run in, making you smile. They had recently started calling you that when Wanda slipped one day and called you it in front of them.

“Ah! There are my little monsters!” They both attack your legs in hugs as they look up at you.

“Daddy, can we put our costumes on now and help you set up outside?” Tommy asks.

“Please!” Billy follows up, and you hear Wanda come through the front door.

“Hello, Daddy.” Wanda walks over, giving you a kiss. “I see you have two little monsters attached to you. Do you need help with them?” she asks in a teasing manner.

“No, I think I’m good because what they don’t know is that I am actually the TICKLE MONSTER! AHHHH!” The boys both scream as you chase them up the stairs.

“No running on the... oh, forget it.” Wanda’s voice fades as you attack the boys with tickles and kisses.

“Get changed into your costumes and meet me outside, you two,” you tell them as you head back downstairs. “How was your day, Mommy?” You wrap your arms around her waist, peppering her with kisses.

“It was good. I gave everyone a break today. We had a Halloween party, and everyone was very thankful to get a day of candy, pizza, and relaxation,” she tells you with a smile.

“Never too old for free candy,” you joke with a smile, and she laughs. “I’m going to get the stuff from the garage and set it all up, okay?”

“You know where it is, right?”

“Yeah, I saw it when I was taking out the Halloween decorations in September.” Wanda shakes her head at you.

“I still can’t believe you started getting the decorations out then.”

“Hey, after tonight, first chance I get, the Christmas décor is coming out. Don’t test me.” She laughs and pushes you away.

“Go on, get out of here, you crazy little thing.”

You make your way to the garage. Wanda always goes all out for Halloween; she has a popcorn machine, a cotton candy machine, and these cool heated cauldrons for hot chocolate and apple cider.

As you come out of the garage and the boys come running outside to ‘help,’ you notice your dad walking over. A smile on his face, which you reciprocate. After what happened with your mom, he apologized on behalf of her because she would never apologize.

Your dad still helps pay for your tuition, but Wanda also said she’d help if your mom refused to. Your father is ever grateful that Wanda and you found each other and all because he got a new job, and you needed to be closer for college.

“Happy Halloween, boys,” your dad calls out as he comes over. The boys are running around in their Batman and Superman costumes.

“Happy Halloween, Papa!” they call back as they play superheroes. The boys never had grandparents, and your dad was more than happy to fill a role in the boys’ lives. Wanda understands where you get it from now after witnessing your mother.

Your dad and you hug, and he helps you set up as Wanda takes a shower and makes dinner. “Boys, come in for dinner!” Wanda calls from the door. “Hello, David.” Wanda smiles; she’s changed into something casual, and you can see her belly from here as she holds it in.

“Wanda, happy Halloween. How’s the little girl?” he asks.

“Well, she’s been moving a lot more, but nothing compared to the twins.” Wanda chuckles, and so does your dad. As the boys race inside the house, Wanda gives another smile, going to tend to them.

“Thanks for helping, Dad. I really appreciate it.” You give him another hug. “I’m going to go eat dinner with my family if you don’t mind. Tasha should be here soon, and she’s going to help me hand everything out.”

“Okay, sweetie. Have a good night. I’m going to have a movie marathon.” He wiggles his eyebrows and goes back off to the house. You can see your mom from the kitchen window watching you, a scowl on her face, and you just smile before heading inside.

As you sit down for dinner, the doorbell rings, and you hear familiar voices. “Guess who’s here!” you announce as you open the door to Natasha, Yelena, and Kate.

“Happy Halloween!” they cheer, holding bags filled with more treats.

“Come in, come in!” you usher them inside. “We’ve got plenty of food and drinks.”

Natasha ruffles the boys’ hair as they run past in their costumes. “Hey, little superheroes! Ready for some trick-or-treating?”

“Yeah!” Tommy and Billy shout in unison, their excitement palpable.

Wanda comes over, greeting everyone with hugs. “Thanks for coming, guys. It means a lot.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Yelena says, pulling out a small box. “I brought some spooky cupcakes!”

“You are amazing!” Wanda exclaims, taking the box and placing it on the kitchen counter.

After dinner, you and Natasha set up outside while Wanda helps the boys with their final costume adjustments. Yelena and Kate arrange the candy and treats on the table, making everything look inviting.

“Ready for the trick-or-treaters?” Kate asks, adjusting her witch hat.

“Absolutely,” you reply, taking a sip of apple cider.

Wanda steps outside with the boys, all dressed up and ready to go. “We’re heading out now. Have fun handing out candy!”

“Good luck, Wands!” you call out, waving as they head down the driveway.

As the night progresses, trick-or-treaters of all ages come by, and you, Natasha, Yelena, and Kate have a blast handing out candy and complimenting costumes. The popcorn machine and cotton candy machine are a hit, drawing in more kids and their parents.

During a lull, you take a moment to look around. The house is beautifully decorated, the air filled with laughter and the smell of sweet treats. You feel a deep sense of contentment and happiness. Despite the earlier tension with your mom, you know you have a loving family and supportive friends.

“So how have things been going?” Yelena finally asks making you look at her.

“They’ve been good. Wanda’s been working from home a little more. She said it’s nothing like when she had the twins, but going to the office every day is killing her feet.” You explain to your best friend.

“Oh yeah when she was pregnant with the twins I stayed with her for the last four months of her pregnancy. I helped her with just about everything. She was stuck in bed and she needed my help to get out of bed to do anything.” Natasha tells you and you’re a little confused.

“Did Vis not help?” Natasha to your surprise shakes her head.

“He was working 60-80 hours to make up for what Wanda couldn’t do. He made sure she didn’t have to lift a finger that wasn’t necessary. I know you’ve only seen the bad side of things, but Vis wasn’t always bad. He really did love and care about Wanda at some point, but it just fizzled. Don’t tell her I told you, but I know just before you came here they were trying to make things work again which is where your little girl comes in. Guess you don’t need love to make a baby.” Natasha shrugged, making you bite your lip.

You hadn’t been expecting her to tell you that. She was right you had only seen the shitty side of Vis. You can’t imagine him loving Wanda or actually taking care of her, but at some point she did. You felt Natasha’s hand on your shoulder.

“You good kid?” The nickname you had been stuck with by Nat for forever. You nodded and smiled, deciding to end the conversation there as another group of kids came running up in their costumes of a full Mario cast.

Later in the evening, Wanda returns with the boys, their candy bags overflowing. They excitedly tell you about all the houses they visited and the cool costumes they saw.

“You should’ve seen the haunted house on Winsor Street!” Billy exclaims.

“Yeah, it was so scary!” Tommy adds, his eyes wide with excitement.

Wanda smiles, wrapping her arms around you. “We had a great time. How did it go here?” You set a hand on her waist, pulling her close so you could give her a kiss.

“Fantastic. We had a ton of trick-or-treaters. And these three were a huge help,” you say, nodding toward Natasha, Yelena, and Kate.

As the night winds down, you all gather in the living room, enjoying the leftover treats and watching a Halloween movie. The boys eventually fall asleep, curled up on the couch in their costumes. You and Wanda curled up together next to the boys, Kate and Yelena curled up on the love seat and Nat reclined in the chair. You had taken the liberty of propping Wanda’s feet in your lap so you could rub her feet.

You look around at your family and friends, feeling an overwhelming sense of love and gratitude. It’s been a perfect Halloween, filled with joy, laughter, and the promise of many more happy moments to come. You couldn’t have asked for a better first Halloween as a family; this found family of yours.

Taglist: @dorabledewdroop

[fieldofdaisiies]

Paint and Bubble Baths

ship: Feysand type: pure fluffy drabble warning(s): none word count: 1k words summary: Nyx and Rhys decide to paint something for Feyre and it escalates a little

-all rights reserved -

"Rhys!" Feyre expresses, voice high-pitched and tinged with nothing but surprise. With her eyes wide open she stares at the scene that unfolds itself in front of her. There is nothing but colour, and mess —  a colourful mess and in it her two favourite boys.

Her mate, the High Lord of the Night Court, is sitting on the ground in her art studio and he, just like his son in his lap, is covered in paint…from head to toe. In this moment he looks so un-High-Lord-like, grinning from one ear to the other, his hair ruffled and no part of his body without colour.

"We are painting for you mummy." Little Nyx grins up at his mother, his eyes sparkling behind his in colour covered lashes. He grins from one ear to the other and claps his hands, still-wet colour splashing into every direction. Rhys behind him laughs loudly, nothing but pride reaching Feyre through the bond as his chest rumbles with delight.

The High Lady folds a hand over her chest, smiling at her mate and her son, her heart filling with warmth and love. "Oh Gods…" she breathes and looks at the painting in front of her mate and son. You can't really make out anything, but the thought counts. It looks like the two of them just splashed colour onto a canvas and they probably did, but the thought alone is so cute it brings tears to Feyre's eyes. 

"You painted this for me?" she asks again and crouches down on the ground, observing the painting. Her eyes trail over the canvas but she can't make out what it is supposed to be — there just is colour. 

"What did you paint?" she asks, trying not to laugh at the sight of their paint-splattered clothes and the colour on every part of their bodies. Nyx's romper that has once been a beautiful light blue, is now decorated with all colours of the rainbow.

It should be you in the art studio, he really tried his best. A lop-sided grin appears on Rhys' face when Feyre meets his gaze, chuckling. Well…she can't really make out herself in this painting but she will pretend she can. "Oh! You painted me," she then says, acting surprised.

Nyx hops up from his father's lap, beaming as he waddles to his mother. "Yes, mummy, this is you and brushes and paint."

"Of course, this is me!" Feyre expresses in a happy voice, reaching her hand forward to brush her thumb over her baby's cheek. Her heart swells with love for her two favorite people in the world and then she looks back at the painting. There is a mix of handprints, finger paintings, and splatters of paint on it which all merge and should create Feyre, she chuckles and the happy rumble reaches Rhys through the bond and makes his heart warm.

"And a little heart, because we love you so much!" Nyx happily steps from one foot to the other, his hands clasped in front of his body, beaming at his mother.

Beaming with pride, Rhys says, "We made a masterpiece because it is what you deserve."

Feyre is touched by her mate's words, and a single tear slips out of the corner of her eye. "We will put it up in the kitchen, yes?" She nods happily and Rhysand dips his chin. Of course, we will. 

With a happy smile on her face she embraces her little artist, not at all minding the colour.

"You both are amazing! I love it so much!" she says, feeling so incredibly happy and loved amidst her favourite boys. "But now we need to get you both cleaned up."

Laughing, Rhys gets up as well, picking up Nyx and lifting him into his arms. "Bubble bath?" he suggest to the little boy who immediately loves the idea, clapping his hands, giggling and chirping loudly. "Yes! Yes!" he cheers and looks between his mother and father. 

With magic they clean up the mess in the art studio and then walk upstairs to the bathroom.

Nyx laughter fills the room as he is trying his best to wipe away the streaks of color on his body after Rhysand helped him take off his tiny romper. He picks up his son then and carries him over to the bath that is already magically filled with water and bubbles and he carefully places Nyx in it. Obviously only after checking that the temperature is alright and won't burn him. 

Rhysand playfully squirts a little water from a duckling onto his son, helping him clean off all of the paint. Feyre joins him, sitting down next to the tub, a sponge in her hands. She wets it, pulling faces at Nyx to keep him distracted while she moves the brush over his head and cleans his onyx strands form the paint. 

Nyx giggles with delight as the fine mist gently falls upon him. The mother quickly joins in, turning it into a mini water fight, laughing as she spritzes some water on her husband too.

With each wipe and scrub, the colourful mess all over Nyx slowly disappears, but the fun doesn't stop. He laughs and giggles and so does Rhys who Feyre urges to also finally move into the tub to get cleaned up. 

And so father and son, the little baby boy now playing with the rubber ducklings while getting washed, sit in the bath and Feyre helps them get cleaned of the colour. 

"Next time you maybe should use brushes?" she chuckles and Rhys splashes a handful of water onto his mate. 

"We did use brushes," he grumbles, but has to laugh.

"But with brushes it is boring, it is better with hands!" Nyx waves his little hands in the air, demonstrating his points. 

Feyre laughs and leans forward to kiss her baby's forehead. "Of course, my love. Of course, it is."

As the two of them sit in the bath, Feyre still cleaning out colour from her son's hair and later from her mate's, the High Lord recounts how the little boy couldn't stop giggling and chatting and saying how much he loves his mummy when painting. 

"I love you so much, you two," Feyre hums, embracing her little baby boy in a tight hug when Rhys lifts him out of the bath and she wraps him into a big, fluffy towel. "My boys."

~~~~~~~~ tags: @girlinglass999 @autumndreaming7 @a-frog-with-a-laptop

[simpforboys]

about you

neteyam sully x fem!metkayina!reader

summary: you remember the moments with neteyam that made you fall in love (neteyam and you are 18).

warnings: EXTREME ATWOW SPOILERS!!! angst, some fluffy moments, be prepared to sob, mentions of death/gunshot/blood

SPOILER WARNING!! proceed with caution.

i’ve never ever written anything for avatar so please excuse me if anything is wrong

based on about you by the 1975

maybe it was the way his stripes printed his deep blue skin. maybe it was the way his bright yellow eyes immediately sparked as soon as he saw you emerge from the water.

whatever it was, neteyam sully had completely smitten you from the moment you locked eyes.

you remembered it so vividly.

you splashed your younger sister, tsireya, playfully as you two walked out of the water. but she didn’t respond, her gaze on something else.

rather, someone else.

“tsmuke (sister)?” you questioned, glancing to where she was looking.

standing between your people and in front of your parents were a small group of omatikayas.

tsireya was smiling at what appeared to be a son. you scanned the crowd only to find a pair of big yellow eyes stuck on your frame.

and the bond was instantly created, no queue needed. you never looked away from the boy as you and your sister approached your family.

“y/n, tsireya, and ao’nung are my children. they will teach you and your family the metkayina ways.” your father, tonowari, stated proudly.

“my children tuktirey, kiri, lo’ak, and neteyam will appreciate it greatly.” the other man, that you soon found out is named jake, said.

neteyam. the name instantly burrowed itself into your brain.

➽─────────────────❥

your smiled widened at the memory. your heart burned with anticipation as you swam deep within the ocean, your thick tail allowing you to move with ease. 

you firmly told your siblings that you must teach the sully kids the importance of diving.

your brother suggested that you leave them to drown, to which ao’nung rolled his eyes as you gently pinched his finned arm. the omaticaya children were approaching where the three of you stood in the warm water.

“today you will be given a tour of the ocean, our swotu (sacred place). the ocean is very important to us metkayinas.”

you noticed the way neteyam stared at you with such curiosity. his pointy ears perked up when tuk and lo’ak started to touch some of the water creatures.

“eltu si (quit goofing off)!” neteyam scolded his siblings. tsireya giggled at lo’ak’s blushing cheeks and you smiled at the boy who you assumed was the oldest.

after some quick briefing, you and your siblings dived into the water and swam to the bottom. only, you realized that the water splashed towards the top.

the four siblings struggled to sink in the water as the air in their lungs were too great. the farthest they could swim was about a few feet.

“skxawngs (morons).” ao’nung signed to you and tsireya. you rolled your eyes at your brother.

“maybe some breathing lessons will help.” you signed to tsireya. she nodded in agreement. 

➽─────────────────❥

you sat with tsireya, ao’nung, neteyam, lo’ak, tuk, rotxo, and kiri on a bunch of rocks that were under some trees. 

“let the ocean consume you. the ocean can give as much as it can take, allow it to be in your lungs.” tsireya led the group into a breathing exercise. 

you breathed along with the group, your shaking hands resting on your knees. neteyam sat very close next to you, struggling to slow his breath. 

tsireya placed her hand on lo’ak’s chest. “your heartbeat is very fast.”

this lead the group to giggles as lo’ak blushed deeply. you glanced at neteyam to see him already looking at you, his pointed ears going down in embarrassment when he realized you caught him. 

“here.” you took neteyam’s hand and placed it directly onto your own heart. 

“try to follow my breathing.” 

the boy nodded at you as he inhaled and exhaled when you did. 

“there you go.” you praised him, making him smile. 

your own heartbeat quickened as you realized how shiny his eyes were when he gazed at you. you blushed, not noticing the way his hand now rested with yours. 

ao’nung coughed when he noticed the way his sisters stopped with the lessons. 

“it’s eclipse, i think we all should get going.”

everyone nodded in agreement, standing up from the sandy rocks. 

“see you in the morning, neteyam.” you flashed the tall boy a grin. 

he smiled back at you. “good evening, y/n.”

you turned to your siblings as you all walked back to your marui pod. 

“you two must not fall for those omatikayas.” ao’nung growled lowly. 

➽─────────────────❥

you finally reached your destination, the cove of the ancestors. you swam up for a deep breath before diving back under the water once more. 

the spirit tree sparkled at you. grinning, you approached the spirit tree and touched the leaves with such grace. it reminded you of how gentle neteyam was with the ilu when you first showed him. 

“but what if i fall off?” neteyam questioned you as the ilu nuzzled into his arm. 

“that is a great possibility, neteyam. you shall swim back to me and try again. now, quit worrying and make the bond.” 

neteyam nodded, grabbing his queue as he connected it to the ilu. 

“feel her, neteyam. take her memories and her story in. that’s it...” 

you watched as neteyam gently sat on the ilu. 

“hold on very tight. when she dives, she dives quick. remember your breathing.” 

neteyam gripped tightly onto the handle as the ilu took off. he had a good hold until the ilu lept into the water, the force making neteyam let go as he floated back up to the surface. 

you giggled, covering your mouth with your hand. neteyam let out a shaky breath, playfully rolling his eyes at you as he swam back to the shore line. 

“i warned you.” 

neteyam hummed, splashing you quickly. you gasped in shock. “vonvä’ (asshole)!” 

you quickly flicked your tail towards the boy, a wave of water splashing over him. this left him completely drenched as you giggled. 

neteyam smirked at you, a mischievous glimmer in his eye as he tackled you into the water. 

“neteyam!” you laughed as he spun you around, big splashes surrounding you two. this caused eyes to be on you, including your own parents. 

“she is falling for the sully boy.” ronal told tonowari with frustration.

➽─────────────────❥

you stared at the tree with admiration, the memory of when you finally connected with neteyam. it was right where you were with eywa most. 

the sullys had improved greatly on their metkayina skills. the other thing that improved, was your growing bond with neteyam. and you both knew it was time. 

you met neteyam on the dark beach, his frame glowing from the moonlight. 

“where are you taking me?” he playfully asked as you called for your ilu. 

she swam up to you quickly as you petted her neck. 

“i must show you something.”

you jumped onto the ilu as neteyam got on the back. she immediately took off and into the cove of the ancestors. 

“this is where our spirit tree is, where we connect most with the great mother.” 

neteyam looked around in awe. he looked very handsome in the dim lighting, the stars in his eyes. 

“i wish to be with you, neteyam sully.”

neteyam looked at you in shock, a big grin plastered on his face.

“Oel ngati kameie (i see you), y/n.”

“Oel ngati kameie, neteyam.” 

you connected your foreheads as he grabbed his queue. you followed, the act of Tsaheylu done. instantly, your mind gushed with neteyam’s memories, feelings, heart, mind, and soul. 

it was overwhelming, but neteyam made it feel safe. when the flood was subsided, you opened your blue eyes to find yellow ones. 

that night, the two of you mated before eywa. 

➽─────────────────❥

oh, your parents were infuriated with you when they found out.

“you mated with this boy?” your mother shrieked in horror. not only your parents were in the marui, but jake and neytiri were also.

you felt neteyam hold your hand gently, giving it a soft squeeze in reassurance.

“we have mated before eywa. it cannot be turned, mother.”

your mother sat down, the pregnancy getting the best of her anger. your father looked at you in disappointment, his hope always for you to become tsahìk to a good metkayina boy.

neytiri looked at her son in shame as jake tried to calm her down.

“both of you, out of my sight.” ronal almost shouted.

the moment was fearful, but she quickly got over it when she saw how caring neteyam was to you.

and the biggest care neteyam could ever have done for his mate, was save your life.

➽─────────────────❥

the sky people had trapped you, tsireya, tuk, and lo’ak on the ship. the panic was clear in your eyes that you may never see neteyam again.

only, when the chaos began your mate appeared. “neteyam!” you shouted, catching his attention.

he cut you free, holding you tightly in his embrace as he freed tsireya and his own siblings.

“they have spider, bro! we need to save him!” lo’ak told neteyam.

you looked at your mate with fear. “i’m coming with you.”

“no, it is too dangerous.”

“tsireya, take tuk and get to safety.”

neteyam gently growled at you, but knew better then to argue.

lo’ak picked up a rifle and the three of you took off into a sprint, the boys leaping up onto a chamber.

you hid behind a structure as some sky people approached. quickly, neteyam and lo’ak jumped down and fought the men off.

with your grace, you kicked one in the privates as lo’ak reunited with his friend.

“spider, this is y/n. my mate.”

you stared down at the human with curiosity. “we have to get out of here.”

“this way!” spider led you to a landing where more men approached. neteyam pushed you behind him, protecting you and his brother in the process.

“give me this!” neteyam grabbed the rifle from his younger brother and began shooting the men.

“dive!” he yelled.

you watched spider and lo’ak dive into the ocean safely.

“i am right behind you, y/n.”

neteyam reassured. you nodded, diving into the water.

as soon as you reached the blue liquid, your gut immediately felt off. swimming up to the top, you saw lo’ak and spider laughing about the journey.

“where is neteyam?” you asked.

suddenly, you mate’s head reached the water. he was struggling to stay afloat, to which you grabbed onto him.

“we need to get out of here.”

“he is injured.” you gasped in shock as lo’ak called for his liu. the animal quickly approached as you helped neteyam onto the animal, your heartbeat pounding rapidly.

the next few moments passed with a blur. jake met you onto a rock reef, helping spider grab neteyam. you sat down next to him, resting his braided head into your lap.

he was struggling to breathe as jake checked his wound. a straight gunshot, with blood spewing from it. your eyes flooded with tears as neytiri landed next to the scene, running over.

“you are going to be okay, yawntutsyìp (darling). my neteyam, please.”

you were now sobbing, his once bright yellow eyes now dull and draining life.

“Oel ngati kameie (i see you), y/n.”

“oel ngati kameie, my neteyam.”

your mate met the great mother with a small smile on his face. neytiri screamed next to you as jake held her, everyone crying from the loss of neteyam.

➽─────────────────❥

the funeral for neteyam was a traditional metkayina one. you lead his family into the cove of ancestors, a constant flow of tears falling down your colorless cheeks.

you watched as his father and brother released his body into the ocean, where eywa fully embraced him in her bright light.

you felt a hand touch your shoulder, turning to see your father. he held you into his chest as you sobbed.

you would never wish this fate upon anyone, the loss of a mate.

but as the memories flooded your mind as you connected your queue with the spirit tree, you were back.

neteyam smiled at you as he held you in the cove of ancestors, the night you mated.

he noticed your pained look as you held him tightly, a few stray tears running down the side of your light blue cheek.

“what is wrong, tìyawn (love)?”

“Nga yawne lu oer (i love you), my neteyam.”

“Nga yawne lu oer, my y/n.”

just as you pressed your lips to his soft blue ones, you were sucked back into reality.

left with nothing but eywa and neteyam’s spirit.

➽─────────────────❥

i’m literally sobbing rn

[aingeal98]

Having Bruce and Cass and the Robins thoughts and they're a bit messy and jumbled so bear with me.

Idk how to explain why the Bruce and Cass messed up but loving dynamic is so much more appealing to me than his toxic relationship with his other kids but I guess it's because the entirety of Batgirl 2000 understands that Bruce is not a perfect parent. His flaws and virtues are both deliberately and carefully written and his relationship with Cass is so layered and it makes it so that I can both laugh and cringe, appreciate the sweet moments and rage at some of his more shitty moves. It's not perfect but overall the writing is just GOOD, and there's enough material to form a solid core of understanding even when their dynamic grows past Cass's solo run. This is Cass and Bruce and this is how they tick and no writer has been able to thoroughly screw that up no matter how hard some of them were pushed to by editorial.

Compare that to how he's written with his other kids, where every writer has their own version and some have him be a perfect dad and others have him be shitty and frame it as "He's got this darkness in him" while another group of writers have him absolutely brutalise his kids or neglect them or gaslight them for angst all while knowing the kids will never receive any sort of narrative justice for this because he's Batman and he's the big flagship hero. There is no single run you can point to and say yes this here showcases the heart of the dynamic between him and Tim or him and Damian, no single run so good that all other comics about their dynamic use it as their basis for this bond between father and child. There is no consistency and no communication or understanding between writers or even an attempt to pick up what the other puts down. Batman comics will have him be a good parent or a bad parent but either way it will be all about Him. Batfamily comics tend to have him just be absolutely awful and then a few months later they have to pretend it never happened because the main bat books want to make him a good parent again.

It's all shock value that rarely lasts past the arc and writer. When Tom Taylor has Dick hug Bruce and call him dad I'm remembering that time Bruce beat him into a bloody pulp or backhanded him across the face and Dick never got to call him out on it. But we're not meant to be thinking about that in Taylor's run because this is a Good Dad Bruce comic. Taylor's Bruce and Dick dynamic is completely different to the New 52 dynamic the same way that dynamic is different to Wolfman's which is different to the original Batman and Robin. And that variety can be a great thing when it comes to comics but the downside here is that you can pick Bruce's "good dad" comics or you can pick his abusive asshole comics but you cannot find the middle ground that Batgirl 2000 hit because (controversial opinion I guess) it doesn't exist for the batboys and no writer has successfully managed to pull all the different comics together and create one.

Fans have tried. Fans have pieced together a decent narrative from the mess of inconsistencies, taking the moments of almost cartoonish abuse and the moments where Bruce is shown to care, and forming the image of a complicated and nuanced abusive parent from it all. But the great thing about Batgirl 2000 is you don't have to do all that effort of trying to make the happy fluffy hero batman and the edgy punches his sons Batman fit into one character. The writing does it and does it in a more realistic fashion too, which is saying something considering the big Bruce and Cass emotional fight is solved by Bruce letting them both get drugged and fight bloodlusted. I do think there are moments when it hypes Bruce's bad parenting up a tiny bit but compared to the absolute mess that is the writing of say, Bruce and Jason? It's just so much easier to actually engage with. Being on the same page as a narrative instead of chafing against it is just a much better way for me to read comics.

That's not to say there isn't any kind of narrative and canon dynamic for Bruce and the Robins. Tim's Robin run, Dick's various runs, UTRH, Batman and Robin etc. Just that for me none of them hit that balance Cass and Bruce's dynamic succeeded in hitting during Batgirl 2000. And to be fair it's harder to hit that balance when you're working with characters who have been through the hands of so many different authors before landing on your doorstop. UTRH probably comes closest but unfortunately everything that came after that did manage to shake the emotional foundation utrh set up to the point you can look back on it and wonder if Bruce cared about Jason much at all, despite the writer clearly not wanting it to be seen that way.

Not sure how much sense this makes but to me it's the difference between a bad parent Bruce I am actually interested in engaging with and a bad parent Bruce where I just want the kids to team up and knock his teeth out.

[cozyandwarmm]

Since my favorite ler/lee dynamic is definitely parent/child:

Give me more parent lers tickling their kids!

Make them have tickle fights where father/mother and son/daughter are playfully wrestling together!

Let the father/mother figure blow raspberries into their child's tummy!

And let the kid try to tickle their parent back in revenge!

We need more adorable scenes and bonding moments between child and parental figure!

We need more fluffy teasing and parents teaching their child a 'lesson' as they softly tickle them until they turn into a puddle of giggles!

And cute verbal teases like: "There comes the tickle monster and it's gonna get'cha!" "Is someone a little bit ticklish~" "Oh so you want it that way, kiddo?" "I've warned ya, kid!" "Oh dear, what am I gonna do with such a ticklish boy like you?" "Ticklish, little one?~"

✨️WE NEED MORE PARENTAL TICKLE SCENARIOS! ✨️

that's all i have to say. thanks.

[liviavanrouge]

Bonding Family Ch 5- Red

Livia opened her eyes, finding herself laying in bed. Everything was quiet and there was a small ringing in her ears.

Was she in her room?

She had been poisoned sometime ago...

It was night, how long had she been out cold..

Was everyone else okay?

She closed her eyes but the sound of wing beats caught her attention causing them to open once again.

A figure landed on her balcony, golden hair gently blowing in the wind. Her head turned to see who it was and her eyes widened in surprise.

A phoenix boy stared at her wide eyed, his cheeks turning pink as silenced passed between them for a few seconds.

She pushed herself up and stepped out of her bed, her voice coming out in a whimper, "Who......are....you..." She stumbled as she made her way towards him her mind cloudy.

The boy kneeled down, bowing his head. "Please forgive my mother...I beg you."

"...forgive...her"Livia mutters her legs shaking threatening to give out.

He perked up, finding Livia on her knees in front of him. Livia stared at him, looking curious. "Forgive...who...for what?"

The male stared at her, scanning her face for a moment then gasped when he pieced everything together with how she was acting right now. "Ah...you're half sleepwalking."

She leaned close to him, staring intently. "You're so pretty, your eyes are like jewels..." She smiled at him, lifting her hand.

The Phoenix male placed a hand over her mouth before she could speak again and leaned close, a soft smile on his face, "You need rest, thank you for the compliment, I shall return when you're better."

Livia blinked, "Better...?" He picked her up, carrying her back to her bed and laying her down.

"Birdie...."Livias whispers her eyes misty. He leaned over her, his hair curtaining his face, hands on either side of her head.

Another smile made its way onto his face but it was smaller than the previous one. "You have such beautiful eyes....I like them."

He moved away, walking backwards towards the balcony, keeping his eyes on her.

"Birdie....where are you going?"Livia mutters reaching towards him, her eyes half lidded.

The boy stepped onto the rail, vanishing into the night sky when the balcony curtains were blown in front of him, revealing him gone when they died down.

Livia stared at where he had been and fell asleep once more, footsteps coming from the darkness of her room.

Lilac stepped out of the darkness, his eyes glowing with murderous intent. "So it was you, Duchess Seraphia.."

He snarled, baring his teeth as his eyes turned dark red. "You witch....sending your son here to plead for your innocence..."Lilac mutters.

His gaze shifted to a sleeping Livia, his arms crossed over his chest. "She won't remember him anyway, I won't mess with her memories."

His hand gently patted her head, the girl smiling in her sleep as a pink fluffy cloud hovered above her sparkles gently raining down.

"Bunnies"Livia sleepily mutters snuggling more into her blanket. Lilac smiled moving his hand back and vanishing into the shadows.

~~~~

"Help me...help me.....HELP US!!"

Livia shot up out of her sleep her eyes wide in alarm. She touched her head, letting out a quiet groan. "What happened?"Livia mutters looking around.

She stepped out of her bed, her legs trembling with each step she took.

"PRINCESS, DON'T WALK!!"

Wolfe lifted her up, his eyes wide when she coughed up blood. "TRIX, GET IN HERE!!!"

A white haired woman rushed in, her eyes wide when she spotted Livia in Wolfe's arms. Livia gripped Wolfe's sleeve, feeling her vision blur.

"What's going on!?" Wolfe looked up, finding Travis there looking shocked. "The princess walked!"Wolfe responds, startling the prince.

"MOTHER! FATHER!" Travis ran off down the hallway, his hair flying back.

Livia wheezed, wondering what was going on. Why'd she throw up blood when she took five steps. Her memory was fuzzy but she also remembered a golden haired male with red wings in her room.

"LIVIA!! SWEETHEART!!!" Vinaya rushed in, Lilac hurrying in behind her.

"Where's the others...."Livia asks quietly, blood staining her night gown. Vinaya gently placed a hand on her forehead as she answered, "They're taking care of business right now."

Wolfe laid Livia back in bed, Trix placing her hands on Livia's shoulders, bubbles coming from her hair, swirling around the girl.

Livia blinked feeling refreshed suddenly as Trix pulled her hands away. "She should feel better by tomorrow!"Trix smiled looking relieved.

"Are you sure?"Lilac demands glaring at the medic. Trix nodded frantically, starting to sweat under the emperor's scary gaze. A flick of his hand dismissed the woman, a sigh coming from him.

"Uncle, I heard voices asking me to help them"Livia informs looking mildly curious. Lilac perked up then his eyes widened in complete horror. "Go to sleep!"

Lilac covered Livias eyes, the girl falling backwards fast asleep once again her hair sprawled out around her.

"Lilac!!"Vinaya gasped looking shocked.

"Vinaya, she heard them"Lilac mutters looking worried. Vinaya looked at him in horror, her mouth slightly opened.

"She heard Ruben and Shane!?"

~~~~

Golden hair gently swayed in the breeze, a boy sitting on a tree branch with his wings half spread. "Red! HEY RED!!!!" Red opened his eyes, ruby red eyes locking with cold blue ones.

Fidget glared at him, Red gliding down curiously. "What is it?"Red asks curiously. Fidget punched him, tackling him to the ground. "YOUR MOM HURT MY COUSIN! AN EYE FOR AN EYE BIRD BRAIN!!"Fidget snapped raising his fist.

A hand grabbed Fidgets arm, the boys head snapping back to see his brothers there.

"Fidget there is a fifty percent chance that you will get in trouble if you punch him again, so I suggest you don't"Spencer advised shaking his head.

"BUT HE-"Fidget gasped tightening his grip on Red's shirt.

Junpel shook his head in response, causing Fidget to grumble.

The youngest prince released Red and got to his feet. "Thank you, your majesty-"Red starts. Junpel punched him down, his eyes glowing.

"I saved you so I can punch you"Junpel mutters coldly flexing his hand. The eight princes stared the alarmed boy down with scowls on their faces.

Bennji scowled as he spoke up, "Your mother is going to end up getting you all killed, let's not forget about that incident."

"Ruben and Shane..."Crix reminds, glaring at Red.

"The real youngest siblings of us all!"Izek snapped stepping forward only for Kion to stop him in his tracks.

"You aided your mother in hurting them and now they're gone because of you"Kion reminds his eyes narrowing.

Red looked down silently, a hand gingerly touching his cheek. "You have such beautiful eyes....I like them." His eyes widened at the girl's voice in his head, feeling his heart speed up.

"....what if I find an antidote?"Red asks lifting his head, finding Junpel looming over him.

"If I find an antidote, you pardon me and my mother of all crimes!"Red bargains.

The brothers looked at Junpel and Bennji with a silent question, the two eldest brothers staring Red down with ill intent looks.

"You have till Livia goes home"Bennji agreed, Junpel nodding beside him.

"Which is six days"Junpel adds Red's eyes widening in alarm.

Red nodded, forcing his emotions to stay together and not go out of control at the sudden news.

"Agreed....I'll make sure to have it by then, I swear it.."Red promised, bowing deeply to the princes.

Junpel turned around and walked off in the lead, hands stuffed in his pockets. The rest of his brothers followed close behind him, glaring at Red before turning their attention towards where they were walking.

"Six days......she leaves me in six days"Red mutters his eyes closing.

"...that hurts.."

@queen-of-twisted @zexal-club @yukii0nna

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Apprentices of The Place of No Stars (short story)

It was hard to believe that this was happening. 

Jackdawfoot hadn’t been a father since he was alive, and he left when all of his daughters were adults. Then suddenly, he had a mate again, became a father again, and now, his fluffy chest puffing out in pride, was watching his kits receive their apprentice names again.

The ceremony wasn’t like that of a regular Clan. Not everyone in the Dark Forest was going to show up, but all the important cats were here, kin to Redkit, Blackkit and Mudkit, and Wormkit’s adoptive parents, and of course, the parents themselves. As well, there were the mentors, making it no real surprise who they would be. There was also Fungichomp, the main caretaker of the ‘Daycare,’ as well as some onlookers.

Jackdawfoot and Ferndoe had discussed long and hard about who they wanted to train their precious son and daughter. They initially wanted to train them themselves, knowing they could protect them and keep them safe, but decided that what Mudkit and Blackkit needed was help from someone they didn’t already know to bring them out of their shells. ‘Daycare’ could only do so much.

Beside him, Wordweaver made a noise–something of a purr. Or maybe a word, because it made Daisysong chuckle. 

Jackdawfoot couldn’t pin down why exactly Wordweaver was here. Was it because Wormkit was her kin? Because Redkit was the kit of her kin? Could it be because Blackkit had been the first voice her mate heard when she arrived in the Dark Forest? Because Ferndoe, Blackkit’s mother, was a good friend of Daisysong’s? Or perhaps it was for their son, Mellowpaw, seated between his mothers’ legs, chattering on about how he wanted to show the new apprentices that ‘realy cool training grove.’

Jackdawfoot hoped it was somewhere safe.

At least Wormkit was doing better. Jackdawfoot still wasn’t too fond of the kit, and he had made his request to keep him away from his kits clear to Fungichomp, but he was still a kit, and Jackdawfoot had to acknowledge how much better Wormkit was doing. He, reportedly, didn’t get in half as much trouble as he usually did these days, and once even helped another kit find their lost pinecone.

He wasn’t all the way better just yet. He still had his moments, but that was why he was beginning training. Jackdawfoot knew that his mothers agreed that the ‘Daycare’ and themselves had helped Wormkit as much as they could, and now he needed one-on-one attention. 

Training would have begun earlier, as well as Mudkit’s and Blackkit’s, if they had not met Redkit. They met because of their parents’ connection, bonding so well that Blackkit cried about not getting to become an apprentice alongside his friend. It wasn’t about a difference in age, more of a difference in readiness.

Ready. His kits were ready. A pang stabbed Jackdawfoot’s chest. He wanted Blackkit and Mudkit to remain as they were, small and able to fit in his paws or climb over his back. He didn’t want them to grow. He didn’t even know that they could.

“Welcome, everyone,” Alderstar spoke up from where he stood on a tall, jagged stone, cutting into Jackdawfoot’s thoughts. Jackdawfoot couldn’t suppress an amused grin. Being Alderstar’s friend, he had found it funny that so many looked to the golden leader for advice and ceremonies, as if he hadn’t also been a serial killer. Alderstar had never forced a meeting or respect. Perhaps that was why he always seemed to get it.

“This moon, we welcome four young cats into our ranks of warriors. They will learn skills the Clans were frightened of teaching. They will be taught lessons in sonderness and survival, fighting not for cats who would have asked them to give their life for the greater good, but for themselves, their own worth, and their own loved ones. Redkit, step forward.”

At the front of the crowd in the line of kits, Redkit visibly shook. From nerves or excitement, Jackdawfoot couldn’t be sure. All the same, she obliged. 

“With request of your father–my son, your dad, and Fungichomp, your mentor shall be Hootpetal. I know her as a strong and compassionate warrior, and trust that she will protect you and allow you to thrive in ways that will thrill you.”

Redkit’s tail flicked. She was clearly much happier now, touching noses with her grandmother with a little chirp, before settling down next to her. Hootpetal turned to Perchclaw on her other side. “I’m so proud of you!” she exclaimed, licking at his ear.

“Mom!” Perchclaw complained, ducking away, but try as he might, he couldn’t hide the grin.

“Wormkit, step forward.”

Jackdawfoot held his breath. He scanned the crowd, wondering which of them would receive the kit. 

“With request of your mothers and Fungichomp, your mentor shall be Snowwing. He is a passive, skillful warrior, whom I expect will pass on everything you need to know.”

Jackdawfoot heard the hint in his words. It wasn’t just about skills in fighting, but in other things Wormkit needed a lesson or two about. But it had been stated in a kind way, disguised as to not embarrass or anger the kit.

He realized that Snowwing, Wormkit’s adoptive brother, was probably the best choice anyone could have made. He visited his mothers often and likely met Wormkit before, but not so much that that could soften his lectures for Wormkit. Too, he really was passive, always having a resting bored face and never feeling bothered enough to fight. He was the kind of cat that would respond to an insult with “well, I don’t think that,” and move on. It would certainly help to focus Wormkit on his duties, and on not trying to hurt someone’s feelings once he figures that that is an impossible thing to do.

“Mudkit,” Alderstar spoke again. Jackdawfoot and Ferndoe both straightened as high as they could. “With request of your parents and Fungichomp,”--Jackdawfoot and Ferndoe exchanged a nervous glance. He hoped their choice was the right one– “your mentor shall be Hawkjay. A clever convergent thinker, I trust her to keep you safe and teach you well.”

Jackdawfoot narrowed his eye, paying close attention to Hawkjay’s and Mudkit’s actions as they touched noses. Mudkit’s ears were flat, but that was to be expected. Hawkjay bent down carefully to reach her, blue eyes warm. “I look forward to getting to know you,” she said in a low voice so that only Mudkit, and the parents close by, could hear. 

Jackdawfoot relaxed.

“Blackkit,” Alderstar went on. “With request of your parents and Fungichomp,”--the nerves returned– “your mentor shall be Lovagecreek. A warrior with a big heart is something of interest in a place like this, and I trust that he will use it to make you feel safe and happy to the best of his ability, until you are able to do so on your own.”

On your own. The pang pricked deeper. Blackkit and Mudkit weren’t just becoming apprentices, they were growing up–growing apart from him. He forced his muzzle straight and not quivering as Alderstar finished. “We welcome you as apprentices of the Place of No Stars!”

To a Clan cat, to Starclan, maybe even to kittypets, that would have felt like a thing to be ashamed of. But Alderstar managed to speak as if it was an honour only the best of cats get to experience. Maybe it actually was. 

“Redpaw!”

“Mudpaw!”

“Blackpaw!”

“Wormpaw!”

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

--Daycare in quotations because it’s Jackdaw’s POV and he doesn’t know where the name came from and doesn’t know what to make of it.

--Jackdawfoot doesn’t know about the water incident with Wormkit/paw.

--I was going to give Mud and Black to mentors that weren’t my characters, since Red and Worm already were, but then realized that Lovage and Hawk haven’t been seen in a while.

--Snowwing is the kind of person to respond to “I think you look like shit” with “okay. I don’t think that.” and his opinion on the matter is the only one he should care about, so it doesn’t bother him.

--The ceremonious words are a little different than that of the Clans (and also with some shade). While the Clans view importance in the group (protect this Clan even at the cost of your life), the Dark Forest views it in the individual. 

As well, because they’re in Hell, they do need to know extra fighting skills that are more....violent than Clan cats would have learned, in order to stay safe. I don’t know how much hunting they would learn, considering there’s no food, but there’s probably lessons in other things that wouldn’t have been taught to living cats (like sonder).

-- @ambitiousauthor

[fuyu-no-akuma]

You were born in my room, april 19th of 2011, I was eleven and coming back from school to find my girl waiting for me. I saw you take your first breath, and I was the first to hold you in my arms.

As we grew, I saw you open your eyes and take your first glimpse at the world.

I was there when you took your first steps... you walked towards me.

I was there when you learned how to climb... you climbed to my bed and we slept together.

We never stopped sleeping together after that.

I was there to watch you learn to play, I was there to watch you grow into your serious and wise, yet kind and caring personality.

I was there when you were finding your favorite sleeping spots and your favorite hobbies.

I was there when you lost your mother.

I was there when you met your new brother.

I was there to watch you bond with him and raise him into the perfect boy he is now.

And you were there to watch me grow as well.

You were there when I changed to a new school.

You were there when I met my human best friend... you met her to, and I think you loved her as well.

You were there when I graduated middle school.

You were there when things got difficult with mom, and your purrs drowned the sound of her yelling.

You were there when dad started working on another city and we could only see him 3 days a week...

You were there when it started to look like I has to help raise my brother.

It felt lonely, sometimes, having a mother that seemed to hate you, a father that was just out of reach most of the time, and a brother that sometimes felt more like a son than a sibling.

But at the end of the day, I was never alone cause we were together and we could kept going.

You were there when my parents divorced.

You were there when I graduated high-school.

You were there when your mom died, my lovely little girl. And it was just the two of us for some time.

You were there for my first birthday without her.

You were there when that day, your brother arrived, just a little fluffy gray ball full of love and chaos.

You were there when I got into college.

You were there as I got a new friend. You met them too.

You were there as I discovered who I was.

You were there as I mended my relationship with my parents, as best as I could.

You were there as we watched my brother slowly become a teenager.

You were there when I got my Psychology degree and became a therapist.

You were there when my mom got sick.

You were there when I got my first job.

You were there while I worked, my patients knew you, my coworkers knew you.

I felt my legs go numb from keeping them still while you rest on them while I talked for hours to my clients.

You were there when I lost my job.

You were there as I kept working as my own boss.

You were there when my brother got a girlfriend and we barely saw him anymore.

You were there as he, too, got his first job.

You were there as he slowly found his way back home.

And you were there for so many more things.

As we watched movies and series together, and I found my favorite characters, I named your brother after one of them.

You were there while I read and discovered I loved books.

You were there as I cleaned.

You were every night, and we slept cuddled up together. You on my neck, on my chest, on my legs, on my arm, by my head, on between my legs, under the sheets as I kept my legs bend so you could breathe easily.

You were there when I arrived home and when I left.

You were there when we stayed with dad for some months.

You were there on sleepless nights and long days, you were there on birthdays, and Halloweens, and Christmases.

You were there at every moment, and you were the one that made every single one of them important.

You were there as I cleaned, as I studied, as I cooked, as I showered...

You were there at sleepovers.

You were there when I needed to talk, when I needed comfort.

You were there to lick my hair when it was wet.

To purr on my chest to chase away the insomnia and the horrors of the day.

You were there when I read my favorite book and told you all about it.

You were when we played, when you chased strings around my bed, when you chased my hand under the covers, when I tickled your belly, and when I threw paper balls around.

You were there when I brushed your hair.

When I kissed your paws, your belly, your forehead and your cheeks.

You were there on the last nights, when you could barely move, barely eat, and I told ypu it was ok to go.

You were there for my whole life.

And I like to think I was there for your whole life too. I stayed by your side till the end, I held you as you took your first breath and I held you as you took your last.

And I told you good night and I love you for the last time.

Problem is, we were together for a whole life, and how do you say goodbye to someone like that, how do you say goodbye to someone who's your best friend, a brother, a son, a father, all at once.

This house is full of empty spaces now, of all the places where you should be, of all the thing we should be doing together.

And I feel hollow.

You helped me grow up, you helped me into learning to live.

But I guess I'll never be ready to live a life without you. How could I?

So I won't.

I'll continue this journey carrying you in my heart and in my thoughts, I'll continue to talk yo you as always, in the hopes that you can listen, I'll look at the empty spaces and I'll think of how you'd fill them.

And I'll do this until the day we can meet again.

In this life, at the end of the rainbow bridges, or at another life, I'll find you, and we'll be whole again.

But until then, I'll honor your life and I'll say:

See you soon.

But never goodbye.

Thank you for sharing this life with me.

Thank you for these 13 years.

I'll see you soon, my baby, wait for me, ok?

I miss you.

[leiawritesstories]

Little Hawk

Rowan Week, Day 2/Day 6: Rowan and the Cadre/Rowan as a child

@rowaelinscourt

Word count: 3,536 oops

Warnings: some language, Maeve, lil bit of angst smol child Rowan hehe, HAPPY FLUFFY SOFT ENDING I PROMISE

Enjoy!

A/N: any excuse for alternate canon is a good excuse ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A winter storm brewed high in the mountains of Mistward on the night Rowan Whitethorn was born.

Enna and Pyotr Whitethorn had been trying to conceive a child for centuries without success. They had all but given up hope and accepted that the rarity of Fae children had left its mark on their family when Enna unexpectedly found out she was pregnant.

Pyotr spent the next nine months in full hovering, territorial, brooding Fae male protective mode, of course. They had been married for centuries; despite the lack of supernatural bond between them, they were still just as attuned to each other as mates or carranam would be. Enna put up with her husband's brooding, tease him though she did about his incessant hovering.

But it was all worth it for their son.

Rowan Whitethorn screamed his way into the world on a dark, snowy winter's night, his infant cry drowning out the whistling winds.

Enna laughed through her tears as she cradled the tiny boy to her chest, gazing down at his bright, pine green eyes as his cries calmed in his mother's arms. "Hello, my little hawk," she whispered, softly caressing the tuft of silvery hair on his little head.

As if her words had imbued him with power, little Rowan shuddered and sneezed.

And two soft, downy, white-tailed hawk's feathers fluttered off of his head.

He did not actually shift into his animal form until he was five hears old, much to his parents' relief.

~

Practically from the day he started to walk, Rowan had a sword in his hand. Pyotr gifted his toddler son a small, harmless wooden toy sword, which little Rowan hauled around with him everywhere, cooing and giggling whenever he smacked a rock or a shrub or a pile of leaves with his toy. Once he was steady enough, his father taught him how to actually swing the toy sword, grinning proudly when he mastered it within hours.

"He's got the makings of a great warrior, my love," Pyotr murmured fondly to his wife as they watched their five-year-old son easily swing his blunted child's sword through the simple series of maneuvers he'd been taught.

"Why does that scare me a little?" Enna asked, leaning into her husband's side, a smile edged with concern sliding onto her face.

Pyotr kissed her silver head, embracing her tighter. "I'll train him, I promise."

"I know you will," she whispered, inhaling sharply when Rowan swung a little too enthusiastically, accidentally flinging the sword down to the stone floor of the courtyard. In the process, of course, the wooden handle hit his foot.

Rowan yelped in shock and pain and childish outrage, hopping on his good foot and clutching his bashed one.

There was a flash of bright green light.

And a young, downy, white-tailed hawk stood in Rowan's place in the courtyard.

The little hawk's bright, alert eyes stared around, taking in the sudden change in location with no small amount of surprise and wordless shock. And then he screeched, flapping his small wings frantically and managing to launch himself a few feet into the air before landing again and half-running, half-fluttering in circles, agitatedly screeching.

Only a few short moments after the unexpected shift, there was another bright flash, and Rowan stood in his Fae form once again, shaking his arms and legs as if to reassure himself he had limbs again, rather than wings and taloned feet.

The first thing he did upon confirming he was himself again was sprint over to Enna and bury his face in her skirts, clutching her legs, his small body shaking.

"Oh, my little hawk," Enna cooed, scooping him into her arms and hugging him tightly, soothing his terror. "It's alright, I'm right here."

"M-m-mum," Rowan whimpered, twining his arms around her neck, grasping her like his lifeline. "What was that?"

"You shifted," she said plainly, stroking her fingers through his pale hair.

"Shifted?" His terror rapidly gave way to curiosity.

"Yes, shifted." Pyotr rubbed his son's back comfortingly. "You, like me, have an animal form as well as a Fae form."

"What's that mean?" Rowan hadn't quite grasped the concept.

"Watch, my son." Pyotr stepped into the middle of the courtyard, rolled his neck, and shifted in a flash of green. Rowan blinked and saw an adult hawk in place of his father, gaping as the hawk launched himself into the air and flew a few loops before landing gracefully and shifting back into Pyotr's familiar form. "That's shifting, my son."

Rowan's jaw hung open. "I wanna do that!" he crowed. "Show me, Da!"

Pyotr chuckled. "We need to start slow, little hawk. But your enthusiasm is a very good thing."

"I wanna fly!" Rowan declared, tugging his father's sleeve. "Please?"

"You will, little hawk." Pyotr swung Rowan up and tossed him into the air, catching him as he laughed with a child's glee. "You will."

~

Rowan was nearly fifteen before he had anything resembling mastery over his shifting, and even then, his gangly teenage limbs often caused him to stumble as he shifted back into Fae form, cursing under his breath at the readjustment to Fae proportions.

"Having trouble, birdbrain?"

"Shut it, pup," Rowan grumbled, flipping a foul gesture at the lanky blonde Fae to his left.

Fenrys Moonbeam snickered. "Hey, I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you."

"Piss off," Rowan snorted, chuckling a little. "Are you ever serious, Moonbeam?"

"Not a strength of mine." Fenrys flashed him a grin. "You still up to be my sparring partner?"

"Hell yes." Rowan threw a vicious smirk over his shoulder. "Someone has to knock you on your ass every once in a while, yeah?"

"Fair enough," Fen laughed. "See you at training!"

Rowan, Fenrys and his twin Connall, and their friend Vaughan had all been training with Gavriel since they were old enough to properly train. The older Fae was about the same age as Rowan's parents, and he was one of the most famous living Fae of the age. Gavriel, the Lion--the whispers rippled around the wide-eyed group of young Fae the first day their instructor appeared.

When they arrived at the training grounds that day, though, a curious silence permeated the mountain air.

Fenrys, of course, broke it. "What's going on?"

"Bit of an excursion," Gavriel replied, the warrior's face tight with something oddly close to concern. "Don't get all excited, Moonbeam, it's nothing terribly momentous."

The solid black carriage that pulled into the courtyard almost the instant the words were out of Gav's mouth begged to differ.

"Holy shit!" Fenrys gasped, goggling at the insignia on the carriage door. "That's--"

"Let's go, boys," Gav interrupted. "Her Majesty doesn't like waiting."

~

The four young Fae were uncharacteristically silent as the carriage pulled up in front of the great stone castle.

Gavriel swung open the door and leapt out, nodding his encouragement to the teenage Fae. "There's no need to worry," he reassured them calmly, extending one hand. "Her Majesty simply wishes to meet the new crop of warriors, as she does each time there is a new group."

Somewhat calmed by that, Rowan took Gavriel's hand and swung himself down. "Shouldn't keep the Queen waiting, then."

"Indeed not," Connall agreed, jumping down gracefully and tugging his twin with him. "C'mon, Fen, think of Her Majesty as just another Fae female. Only this one has a crown."

Fen snorted something under his breath, earning himself an elbow in the ribs from his brother. "Ouch! Hell, it wasn't that crude!"

"You keep telling yourself that."

Quietly, escorted by four blank-faced demi-Fae guards, they made their way into the palace, following the guards down the silent marble halls until they reached a set of great mahogany double doors, the wood inlaid with glittering veins of ebony. The throne room. Suddenly conscious of himself, Rowan straightened his posture, trying to present himself as much like the Whitethorn prince he was as possible. And he wasn't the only one--Fen and Con and Vaughan also straightened up, putting their shoulders back and placing carefully blank looks on their faces.

The doors swung open, creaking like the wintry wind that curled around the towers.

Almost in unison, the four boys walked up the interminable length of the throne room, their boots clicking against the polished black marble tiles, following Gavriel up to the dais at the front of the cavernous hall. Rowan caught a brief glimpse of his parents standing to the side among the group of nobility, knowing they were probably there at the queen's command.

"Majesty," Gav bowed, dropping to one knee. The four of them followed suit, kneeling in deference to their queen.

Queen Maeve let them kneel for a moment, then tapped her polished nails on the armrest of her ebony throne. "Rise." Smooth as silk and fluid as water, her voice spilled over each of them.

Rowan contained the slight shudder that ran through him at the feeling of the queen's command, having the oddest prickle of a sense that she could see right through all of them.

"The newest trainees, Your Majesty," Gavriel announced, gesturing to the four teenage Fae standing rigidly upright, eyes cased like he'd trained them. "Prince Rowan Whitethorn, Lords Fenrys and Connall Moonbeam, Lord Vaughan Recorre."

Queen Maeve swept her gaze over each of the young warriors one at a time, her dark eyes calculating, considering. She tilted her head to the side, a tiny hint of a smile curling the corner of her crimson lips. "You've done well, Lion."

"I thank you, Your Majesty."

"They are ready, then?"

"If it were up to my discretion?" Gav shook his head. "They need more training before they ought to enter the legions. But Your Majesty always knows best."

"Well spoken," Maeve purred. She turned her serpentine, otherworldly smile onto Rowan. Onto his friends. "I have an offer for you, my young warriors."

Rowan tried to ignore the icy shiver that snaked down his spine at the queen's words, at the unnerving smile on her porcelain face. Tried, and failed.

"How would you like to join the legion of the bloodsworn?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Rowan saw both of his parents stiffen slightly, that word striking something in them. His brows furrowed in confusion, wondering why his mother and father, two of the strongest Fae he knew, would react like that.

The queen, of course, noticed his confused expression. "Prince Rowan," she hummed, drawing his attention to her. "You have a question?"

Rowan didn't even want to know how she'd formed that conclusion. "I...Your Majesty, I don't understand what being bloodsworn means?"

Maeve's smile expanded, the crimson stain of her lips curving across her pale face. "Would you like to know, little hawk?"

A bolt of ice shot down his spine at the queen's use of his parents' familiar nickname, every nerve in his body freezing. Would you like to know?

He'd been trapped.

She knew--somehow, she knew--that he would ask, and she'd trapped him into either accepting this blood swearing without knowing what it was or risking his own neck by saying no.

Before he could speak, though, Fenrys stepped forward, lowering himself to one knee. "I would accept, my queen."

Maeve's black gaze fixed onto the blonde Fae, taking in the surety in his posture, his voice. "You would swear yourself to your queen by blood, Lord Fenrys Moonbeam?"

"It would be my honor, Majesty." Fenrys never wavered.

The queen nodded. "And so you shall, Lord Moonbeam." Withdrawing a slender steel blade from her sleeve, she sliced her forearm. "Come."

As if pulled by some supernatural force, Fenrys rose and approached the throne, knelt again, and placed his lips to the queen's small wound, taking a taste of her blood. When Fen lifted his face, Rowan could have sworn he saw blackness flicker in Fen's dark eyes, but he quickly brushed it off as a trick of the light.

"My queen," Fenrys repeated, kneeling again.

Maeve graced the young lord with a serpentine smile. "My sworn white wolf."

So that was it, the blood oath. Take the queen's blood and thereby swear to her one's life.

Ever so slightly, Enna Whitethorn inclined her head, something Rowan couldn't--wouldn't--name flickering across her face. Go.

So Rowan stepped forwards, knelt at the foot of the dais, and with a voice that somehow felt detached from him, he swore himself to his queen. "It would be my highest honor, Majesty."

"Come."

Come, whispered a dark, ancient voice within Rowan's mind, reaching oily tendrils around his mind and tugging him forwards to meet the queen, to touch his lips to her pale, cool skin, to taste the thick copper tang of her blood.

"Welcome to my sworn warriors, little hawk," Maeve smiled, her voice oozing through his very blood, slick as oil and deadly as steel at the same time.

Connall and Vaughan knelt too, swore their oaths, and accepted the queen's blood, forever binding their lives to their queen's will.

"My cadre," the queen pronounced them, pride and...and something more sinister ringing in her tone. "I see great things for you, my young warriors." As they knelt, she waved her hand. "Go, keep training. I will call for you when I know you are ready."

Something in those words turned Rowan's very blood to ice.

~

The queen's summons awoke him in the darkest hours of the night.

Come. Wake up, little hawk.

Blinking groggily in the thick velvety darkness, Rowan reached blindly for his weapons, strapping his steel to his body and pulling on his boots and following the queen's nudges until he was out in the forest, calmed by the familiar whispers of the trees and the wildlife.

Shift, little hawk.

In hawk form, Rowan hopped up into a tree, launching himself into the night sky from there. Maeve's voice in his mind, in his blood, directed him out over the forest, no time to appreciate the beauty of the night before he was descending into a clearing and shifting back into his Fae body, hand creeping unconsciously to the knife strapped to his thigh.

For he was not alone in the clearing, as evidenced by the warm, golden, gently flickering firelight.

Tread silent on the carpeting of pine needles, Rowan approached the golden sphere of firelight, the queen's firm hand on his blood guiding him to draw his knife, readying his muscles for the pounce.

Until he stopped short, stunned by the female sitting in the sphere of flame, her golden hair loose, fanning about her, its rich color mingling with the hue of the flames she cast.

Maeve's ever-present voice interrupted his momentary reverie.

Kill her.

Rowan blinked. She is a threat, Majesty?

Do you question my orders, little hawk?

Of course not, my queen. Rowan tightened his grip on the hilt of his knife. I would not have flagged this female as a threat, that is all.

Such a softhearted little hawk, the queen crooned. Kill her.

Knowing better than to say anything else, Rowan crept up behind the female, still silent, still unnoticed until he coated his free hand in ice to ward off the fire and caught the female by the neck, placing the razor-sharp point of his knife to her throat, just pricking the skin, a drop of blood welling up at his knife's point.

It was at that moment that all of his instincts screeched to a halt, overridden by the power of the female's blood.

Mate mate mate mate mate.

Rowan's hand shook, completely rattled by the overpowering realization. The female--his mate--was so still in his grasp, wordless, her flames rippling around her hands as if in defense.

Rowan.

Little hawk. Maeve was impatient now, getting ready to invade his mind and take over his body, something she had only done once during the time in which he had been bloodsworn to her.

Rowan would never forget the chilling wrongness of being shoved to the side in his own body, of helplessly watching as the queen, moving his limbs like a puppeteer, committed a slaughter.

Little hawk. Louder now, more insistent, his arm twitching as he fought between his queen's order and his mate's instincts. Rowan. Kill. Her.

Tears erupted from Rowan's eyes. "I'm sorry," he croaked, his knife rattling, shuddering, settling against flesh and blood and bone as the queen reached through his mind and body and forced him to--

ROWAN.

"Rowan!"

Rowan jerked awake, sweat coating his torso, shuddering and shaking and blinking in the soft, flickering light of his wife's flames. Aelin's hands laid against his chest, pressed to his heartbeat, her eyes wide with fear.

"Rowan," she murmured, sliding one hand up to cup his cheek, "it was just a dream, my love."

He loosed a shuddering sigh, twining his arms around his wife, his mate, his queen, who pulled him close and let him lay his head against her neck, sensing her steady pulse. "It felt so real."

"She's gone, my love." Softly, tenderly, Aelin's fingers stroked through his hair, quieting the thundering of his heartbeat. "She's gone. It was just a dream."

Rowan rested his head in the crook of Aelin's neck, drawing lungfuls of her familiar, grounding scent, her presence calming him slowly. He didn't know or particularly care how much time passed before he lifted himself away from her neck, resettling them both back in bed, still wrapped in her embrace.

Aelin kissed his temple, tracing the flowing ink of his tattoo down the side of his face. "I'm right here, buzzard."

Eternally comforted by her presence, Rowan curled into her warmth, soothed, the nightmare fading in the light of Aelin's flames. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply in the scent of his wife, and was finally teetering on the edge of sleep when their bedroom door creaked open and soft scratching footsteps crept into the room.

Instantly, he was on high alert, muscles tensed and ready to spring.

Aelin, more levelheaded than him at the moment, cast a stronger light outward, illuminating the small figure who'd entered the queen and king's bedroom, his big green eyes welling with tears, a soft blanket clutched to his chest.

"M-mama? Dada?"

"Come here, my little love," Aelin murmured, rolling out of bed and striding across the room, scooping her seven-year-old son into her arms.

Brannon Whitethorn Galathynius twined his arms around his mother's neck, burying his face into her shoulder, his small body shaking with sobs and terror. "Mama," he repeated, his small voice cracking.

"I'm right here, Bran," Aelin reassured him, holding him tight, stroking through his messy blonde curls. "Did you have a scary dream?"

As if the words set him off, Bran released a massive sob, clinging tighter to his mother. "Yeah," he cried, his tears soaking through her nightgown.

"Oh, little love," she whispered, settling into bed with her son close to her chest. "It was just a dream, B. It's not real, I promise."

He sniffled, wiping his eyes with a small fist. "Where's Dada?"

"Right here," Rowan murmured, wrapping his arms around Aelin and Bran from behind, rubbing his son's back. "Did you have a bad dream too, little hawk?"

"Mhmm." Bran nodded, still clinging to Aelin even as he peeked over her shoulder, finding his father's steady, even gaze. "Scary dream, Dada."

"Come here, little hawk," Rowan whispered, reassuring Aelin with a gentle caress down the bond as she shifted Bran into his arms, letting their small son cling to his father. "What happened?"

Bran sniffled. "Monster."

"A big one?"

"Yeah." Bran sniffled, reaching up to touch Rowan's tattoos. "Big scary monster chasing me. An' it..." His eyes welled with fresh tears, some spilling down his soft cheeks. "It...said you were all gone, Dada."

"Ah, my son," Rowan murmured, his broad hand spanning his son's back, "stupid monsters can't get me."

Bran managed a half-smile, sniffling. "Had to see Dada."

"Well, here I am, little hawk." Rowan kissed his son's messy head. "If any big scary monsters try to get me, I promise you I'll rip them into shreds."

"So violent," Aelin teased softly, poking his side.

Anything to make my boy know he's safe.

You're an old sap, buzzard. She leaned into his back, pressing a whisper-soft kiss to his shoulder. You've no right to be so endearing at this unholy hour.

His tears drying, Bran snuggled contentedly into his father's arms. "I wanna stay, Dada."

Rowan's lips quirked up, his eyes flicking to Aelin's. "Because your room is scary?"

Bran nodded, blinking sleepily. "No wanna more monsters."

Aelin's soft laughter floated through the room. "Of course you can stay, little love," she whispered, tucking Bran's blanket around him.

Nearly back asleep now, Bran yawned, a big sound for such a small boy. "Night Mama, night Dada."

"Good night, little hawk," Rowan returned softly, settling Bran into the big bed between his parents. "I love you."

Bran mumbled something that sounded vaguely like love you dada, making Rowan's eyes well up with tears of his own.

In three and a half hundred years, he'd never have guessed that he would be so blessed.

~~~

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[chaoticfiredreams]

Some fluffy headcanons of Gakuho and Gakushuu's relationship? (If you can ignore the toxicity for a moment) <3

Ofc! 💜 I also like to pretend Gakuhou actually got some therapy and not a half ass redemption ark ok we love to see it everyone’s fav father son duo

Gakushuu + Gakuhou Headcannons

Sorry this is late but I wanted to save it for Gakushuu’s bday!

Just letting you know rn no amount of therapy in the world is ever going to make them a “normal” family lmao but they do get better at understanding each other and not making everything a life or death situation

Gakuhou is still really hard on him, sometimes even sounding like his old manipulative self but most of the time he’s able to catch himself and express the fact that he just wants his son to be happy

Gakushuu still obviously has a lot of trauma because 14 years of mental and psychological abuse just doesn’t go away after a few long talks and therapy sessions but he does make an effort because he can see his father is trying

Don’t worry tho everything is still a competition between them

Who cooks the best? Who’s better at predicting movies? Who can solve the crosswords faster?

I don’t see Gakushuu as a morning person and since Gakuhou gets up at 3am to go jogging Gakushuu is just standing at the window watching him leave like

Gakuhou really wants to have a normal relationship with his son. Gakushuu is not having it because he was not raised normal and he is going to make it everyone’s problem

If gakuhou tries to do any sort of normal bonding activity like movies or games or sports it’s always met with either “why” or straight up “no”

Their literally so funny with their arguments because their both stubborn and think it’s impossible for them to be wrong

Gakuhou is so nosy when it comes to any aspect of his son’s life. Who’s he dating? Who is he friends with? Where does he go everyday? He’s got to know.

So Gakushuu has a shirt that says “none of your business father”

It’s ok they love each other they just have their own little ways of expressing it

[anxious2dsimp]

Haikyuu Dads celebrating Mother's Day | Osamu, Iwaizumi, & Kuroo

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Pairings: Osamu x Reader, Iwaizumi x reader, Kuroo x Reader.

Flavor: Fluffy af bby ☁️

Reader: Female Mother!Reader

Format: Drabbles (1.1k words total)

Warnings: None, just fluffy mom (y/n) enjoying her lovely family.

A/N: Mother's Day just really sent me into a Haikyuu dads brainrot and these scenarios have been stuck in my head all day. Enjoy!

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Osamu

You tried to stifle your giggles as you sat at your home’s dining room table, the sound of childish bickering and hushed laughter coming from behind the closed kitchen door. “I’ll take the plates, you take the flowers,” the voice of one of your little boys demanded. “Nuh, uh! S’ my turn to take the food, I pwomise I won’t dwop it,” the youngest of the two boys replied while you could hear your husband’s quiet snorts in the background. Your face of surprise was ready when the door swung open a few seconds later to reveal your two sons holding onto either side of a plate, your husband standing behind them keeping an eye on them and the food so it got soundly to where you sat. Osamu and you exchanged a soft smile at the sight of your two boys working together with a concentrated pout that reminded you of their father’s as they slowly brought the food over. Heart-shaped onigiris of your favorite flavor plated with sesame seeds forming a smiley face were placed in front of you, the oldest smiling proudly as he boasted about how they made them themselves. You ruffled their hair and congratulated both boys who beamed at your comment on how they were greater cooks than their father. The cook in question sharing a knowing grin with you, both aware that in reality, he had made all the bases while the kids ensembled the shapes. “Happy Mother’s Day!” The two kids hugged you tightly in your chair, climbing onto you as you hug them back, feeling your heart swell with pride at what your husband and you had created. “Happy Mother’s Day,” Osamu said as he walked over to you, his lazy smirk paired with eyes full of love as his rough hand lifted your chin to capture your lips in a kiss. “Eww get a woom!” the youngest one exclaimed, as the older one made gagging sounds, you and your husband breaking apart to share a surprised look as you both chuckled, trying to figure out where the little boy learned that, probably uncle Atsumu. That Sunday at home, as you shared lunch with your three favorite people in the world to celebrate, all you felt was warmth.

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Iwaizumi

Your eyes fluttered open at the feeling of your husband’s side of the bed being empty like it usually was early in the mornings, when he went for his run or cooked a healthy breakfast. He had kept this up even since the birth of your little girl, making it a bonding moment between them as he brought her energetic self along. Hajime knew how much effort it took to keep up with work and motherhood along with so many other things, so he loved sharing time with her daughter with the added bonus of it giving you a well-deserved rest. The sound of the bedroom door opening woke you from the gentle slumber you didn’t realize took over you to see your shirtless husband with your 8-month-old daughter babbling happily on one arm, both bathed in the warm sunlight of that beautiful Friday morning. Looking at where your daughter was reaching for before her familiar olive eyes landed on you, you were surprised to find a tray with a fruit smoothie and an omelet along with a bouquet of your favorite flowers. An amused smile appeared on your lips as you raised an eyebrow at Hajime as a form of a silent question. “Happy Mother’s Day,” he said, his voice still groggy and laced with sleep mindfully soft as to not to disturb the peace and quiet that enveloped the three of you like a spell, a love-sick smile on his face. “It’s today? Aww, thank you Haji,” you said wholeheartedly, the idea of this being the first of many years to come celebrating Mother’s Day making you teary-eyed as your husband put down the tray beside you. Giving you a peck, he hummed happily as he delicately took your daughter’s hands and waved them as he exclaimed in his baby talk voice; “happy first Mother’s Day mom, dad thought we should make it memorable.” You giggled at your husband’s antics, which nobody would guess considering his tough exterior. You and your daughter were and would always be his soft spot.

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Kuroo

A huff escaped your lips at the weight of two small bodies landing on top of you on the couch, they had managed to sneak up on you as you were immersed in your laptop propped up in the table in front of you. You and your husband had taken that Tuesday afternoon off to celebrate Mother’s Day, Tetsurou going to pick up your daughter and son from school as you headed home and wait for them there. Between huffs and breathy laughs, the two kids wished you a happy Mother’s Day for a second time that day, and you managed to thank them before you felt a much heavier body pile on top of you three. “Daaad!” The eldest son groaned playfully as he tried to push of your husband who was carefully putting down part of his body weight on all of you. “You’re heavy,” your little girl whined between giggles as she tried to shield herself in your grasp. “Am I heavy or are you three just weak?” You could hear Kuroo’s knowledgeable smirk in his voice, the same one you fell in love with, as you scoffed dramatically in response. “We’re stronger than you Mr. Know-it-all,” you said in a sing-song voice as you started pushing your husband off of you, him only allowing you to when his two kids joined him. Once you had all calmed down you hugged your children and thanked them for the colorful cards and macaroni frames they put all their efforts into making at school. “My turn,” your husband exclaimed with his mouth full as he placed down his slice of cake and plopped down next to you, pulling out a small bag from behind the couch. Inside was a necklace locket, that you opened to reveal a picture of the four of you. “Tetsu, it’s beautiful, thank you,” you said as you hugged him tightly, yet you both knew you weren’t just thanking him for the thoughtful gift, but also for the wonderful life that you had created together. “No, thank you,” he replied, his tone genuine and filled with love as your kids pouted. You spent the rest of the afternoon spending quality time as a family and reassuring your two kids that their gifts were better than their father’s, who cheered them up with his “infamous” science puns, as he liked to say.

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Pls I'm too soft for this😭 hmu with your thoughts and requests! <3

[streetlight11]

Cat Café

Summary: Every year, your parents would set you on a date with any eligible guy that is of a wealthy family background so that your parents could expand their wealth and business. You were never looking forward to any of the dates until one fateful day, where the café worker attracted your attention.

Theme: cat café au, wealthy family au, strangers to lovers

Genre: fluffy

Warnings: none

WC: 4.4k

Pairing: Café Worker!San x Fem!Reader

a/n: Hello again! Decided to write a cute kitty fic for San since he loves Byeol 💜 I hope he's resting well :'(

Being the daughter of someone who seems to be well-known as a millionaire in your country, there are pros and cons to it. The pros are that people would do anything and everything for your family, you lived in a mansion, you have a personal chauffeur but would prefer driving on your own, you can literally snap your fingers and anything can come to you except, you don’t like that.

The cons are that some people tend to envy your family, some even throw threats at you with ransom. And then there’s a handful of people who tries to befriend you just for your wealth but you’re not dumb. You’re smarter than people think.

However, one thing you never liked about this whole being born rich and having a family business fiasco, is that one of your parents would tend to be money minded and would do anything to gain power over their company. Which is exactly what was happening to you for the past few years ever since you turned 18.

Your father had been sending you on blind dates with a bunch of different guys who were sons of rich family business owners.

However, thankfully, your father wasn’t the kind to force you into marriage if you didn’t want to. But with that being said, every guy you rejected, results in a new guy for you and you hate this.

This year, your dad found you a guy who was around your age.

His parents owned a well-known wine company in the country. He was the youngest in his family. His name was Park Seonghwa and no doubt he was good looking and rather charming in personality, you just don’t feel the spark with him either.

And yet, here you are on your third date with him. You could tell that this person was a very kind-hearted man and that he was nothing but genuine with you.

But everything just feels out of place.

For this third date with him, he told you to choose where to go so you decided to bring him to a cat café that you knew of downtown. You walked with him side by side down the pavement after having dropped off by his chauffeur.

It was quite a chilly day, light snow cascading down on you as you walked.

Seonghwa was just listening to you talk about your school when he saw the way you were hugging yourself to shield your body from the cold breeze despite the three layers you had on.

He chuckled softly to no one as he soon wrapped an arm around your shoulder to pull you against his side, causing you to softly gasp.

Your words got stuck in your throat as you looked up at him with a bashful smile.

“Sorry, I guess you knew I was cold…” You apologized, earning a soft nod from him followed by a cute little giggle. You continued walking with him against your side, glancing up at him every now and then only to find him staring down at you with such warm eyes.

Both of you finally arrived at the cat café you wanted to bring him to, only to find it quite empty save for the two couples already in the booths with the kitties.

You entered the cosy premise of the café, immediately greeted by one of the staff there behind the counter.

“Hi! Welcome to Cuddles ‘N’ Coffee! Table for 2?” She asked with a cheery smile on her face.

“Yes please.” Seonghwa responded as she nodded before walking out the back and towards the glass door that shields the cats from leaving the front entrance.

“You can have that table booth right at the back. Just press the button on the wall and we’ll come over to take your orders.” She smiled as you thanked her for her great customer service before she returned your gesture with a sweet smile that turned her eyes into slits.

You and Seonghwa walked over to the table, careful not to step on any cats laying on the ground.

Some were already trailing behind you and the minute you placed your purse down and sat on the cushioned bench, a chunky brown cat leaped onto your lap and purred.

A soft giggle left your lips as you turned to Seonghwa who was also in the same situation as you but with a slimmer white cat in his lap.

“You make me want to adopt them really badly.” Seonghwa said under his breath, making you laugh.

After a few minutes of just bonding with the cats, you finally made your orders. The same girl came back about 5 minutes later with your orders, telling you to enjoy your drinks. You were just listening to Seonghwa talking about his boring lecturer when your eyes naturally glided over towards the front counter.

That’s where you saw a guy who looks to work there too considering the same polo tee and apron that Yeji, the girl who served you and Seonghwa earlier was wearing.

His smile was captivating as he joked around with Yeji, throwing balls of tissue at each other.

You watched as he seemed to have said something to her, causing her to slap his arm a little too harshly. That’s when he curled his body while holding onto the spot she hit.

But his frown was quickly replaced by a smile, watching her leave the counter with a middle finger in the air, directing it to him. Right when you were about to look away, his eyes happened to catch sight of yours. You’re supposed to be focusing on Seonghwa!

What are you doing? Look away!

Everything around you was a blur until you felt a warm touch to your knee, making you flinch and was soon turned back to Seonghwa who had a frown on his face.

“Hey? You okay? What’s wrong?” He asked out of pure concern.

“N-Nothing. Sorry, my mind went elsewhere for a moment. I’m so sorry, Seonghwa.” You apologized, already feeling bad for ignoring him like that whilst on a date. But all he did was chuckle and tell you it was fine.

After a few more minutes, you finally called it a night. You both reused your coats and checked to make sure you didn’t leave any belongings behind before making your way to the door to make your payment.

“Hello! I hope you enjoyed your time with the cats!” Yeji smiled to you two as she keyed in your orders.

“Yes we did. Thank you for having the cute fur balls.” You giggled, earning a laugh from her as well. Just when Seonghwa was handing his card to Yeji, you happened to turn right when her co-worker left the back room.

It was him.

He made eye contact with you briefly before turning away to enter the cat room. But you could’ve sworn you saw the small pout on his face. Unless your eyes were playing tricks on you.

Seonghwa’s car was now parked right outside your estate, with him insisting on walking you to your front gates while his driver stayed behind in the car. Once you were both there, he reached down to grab your hand gently making you turn around. You saw a frown decorating his face, instantly knowing something wasn’t right.

“Seonghwa? Is everything okay?” You asked as he stayed quiet for a while before he let out a soft sigh. And that’s when he explained everything.

“I know this might not be the best time to say this, but I have to. The past two dates were amazing. I never thought I’d find someone as down to earth and humble like you. And I did. Today was as amazing as those dates. The simple sushi dinner, the walk by Han River, the cat café as our last destination for this night’s date, I loved every second of it. And I really wish I could have more of this with you. I really do.”

He paused briefly before he continued, seeing that you were listening to him intently.

“But… my parents have decided… that they’re setting me up for marriage with someone else.” You weren’t going to lie, this news made your heart sink just a bit.

“Oh…” That was all you can muster and he knew you were upset.

“But it’s okay. We can still be friends if you’ll let me? The past three dates made me learn so much about you as a person and I couldn’t ask for more.” Seonghwa smiled, making you tear up feeling slightly overwhelmed.

“Hey, don’t cry…” Seonghwa whispered in between chuckles as he wiped your tears with his thumbs.

“I’m sorry, I guess I’m just touched that you feel that way for me.”

“Well, then I’m glad I managed to make you cry.” He teased, earning a soft slap to his broad chest. Seonghwa laughed again but then got quiet for a split second before he spoke up cautiously, hoping you weren’t offended by his request.

“Can… Can I kiss you?” Seonghwa asked and you weren’t going to reject him this time.

So when you didn’t reply to him, he mistook it for rejection. But instead, you carefully slide your hands around his neck, pulling him close until you feel his lips against your own.

Seonghwa smiled into the kiss as his hands wrapped itself around your waist, instinctively pulling you closer to his body. Your fingers tangled into his soft hair gently, feeling him squeeze your sides a little before he chuckled against your mouth.

“You really are something else, you know that? Whoever dates you, is gonna be the luckiest guy on earth.” Seonghwa complimented you, making you blush.

“And to the girl who’s about to be your future wife, she better be grateful to have such a handsome, kind hearted young man as her husband.” You returned as he kissed you again before pulling away.

“Goodnight Y/N. I’ll see you around. Promise we’ll stay friends okay?” Seonghwa said, making you hug him.

“I promise.” You whispered against his chest, pulling away from him. You gave him a final wave as you watched his car descend down the road. Seonghwa was an angel and whoever he ends up with, will be the luckiest girl on earth.

It has been 2 weeks since your last date with Seonghwa and you’ve been coming to the cat café. Probably 3 times in each week. Sometimes to do your assignment, sometimes to just chill and hangout with the kitties. But in all honesty, you were lowkey expecting to see the guy working there the other day and you did.

Almost all your visits there.

Little did you know, he too was kind of looking forward to seeing you there.

It was a Saturday evening and you were out and about in town. Your parents didn’t have any guys for your blind date recently so you took this chance to leave the house and just spend time alone.

You managed to find your way back to the café, parking your car at an empty parking lot down the street.

You had just entered the café and it was slightly more occupied than the last time you came. But since you were alone, it wasn’t actually a problem. You were standing by the door, looking around at the people queueing at the counter to make their payments when a voice snapped you out of your trance.

“Hi, welcome to Cuddles ‘N’ Coffee. For how many people?”

You turned to look at who greeted you, only to lock eyes with the same ones you had been hoping to see every time you came there.

“Just 1.” You said with a small smile, only to catch the inner corner of his lips twitch upwards.

“Right this way.” He said as he led you towards the room where the cats were in. You followed behind him closely, only for him to lead you to one of the booths near the back.

“Call me if you need anything.” He said as you noticed the smile that appeared on his face before he left. And you caught a glimpse of his nametag right before he turned.

Choi San.

A few minutes later, you were too busy petting the fluffy white cat in your lap, you didn’t even realize more people had left the café and there were only 3 tables left occupied. The cat in your lap was purring as it nuzzled its face into your stomach, not knowing you were currently a topic of conversation that was happening on the other side of the room.

San had just finished charging one of the customers only to let out a long sigh.

“Tired already?” Yeji asked with a teasing smile as she approached him. San grumbled, leaning against the counter with his back facing where the customers would be.

“Today’s been a full house since afternoon and I’m dead, gone.” He said, leaning his head back to close his eyes.

San couldn’t see what Yeji was doing until he heard her voice from beside him.

“Go and talk to her.”

“Huh?” San snapped his head towards her with a confused look on his face, earning a giggle from her.

“You yourself told me you were upset that she wasn’t alone the other day, and now she is. So go talk to her!” Yeji encouraged him.

“What if her boyfriend just can’t make it?”

“San, she’s been coming here alone for the past two weeks in case you haven’t noticed. Maybe she’s here to see you? Come on, just keep her company. Nothing would go wrong with that.”

“How would you know?”

“Because I’m a girl and I’d do the same if I wanted to be discreet about seeing my crush at his workplace?”

To that, San sighed as he turned to look over at you across the room, only to see you nuzzling your face against the cat’s head that was in your lap. This made his heart flutter as he saw the little smile on your face upon feeling the cat licking your nose.

He didn’t realize he had a silly smile on his face until Yeji pushed him gently to get his attention, “Just go, silly! That dumb smile on your face is telling a lot!” She laughed as he glared at her but without any venom in them.

He finally mustered up the courage thanks to Yeji as he was now making his way towards you where there’s only a couple who was left in the room with you.

Once he was a few feet away, his voice caught your attention, making you look up.

Immediately, your heartbeat started picking up speed.

“Is there anything else I can get you?” San asked politely, earning a soft shake of your head and a smile.

“No thanks, I’m good actually…” You said.

San nodded as he wasn’t sure if he should stay or leave. But you seem to have read his mind by asking him the question he never expected would have come from you.

“Do you… wanna sit down?” You asked as he glanced down at the empty spot beside you before looking back into your eyes.

“Uh.. y-yeah… are- are you okay with that?”

“Of course.” You smiled as you scooted over a little for him.

San carefully sat down beside you and almost instantly, a fluffy brown cat leaped into his lap. You giggled when the cat stood up with its back legs on his thighs while its front paws rested on his chest. Licking San’s chin cutely as the other cats started to surround him by the legs, begging for his pets.

“They seem to love you.” You commented with a genuine smile, making him chuckle.

“I own a cat myself so I guess I’m just used to being loved by them.” San said before turning to look at you, only to be flustered by the way you were staring at him.

“Wow… That’s sweet.”

“Do you have any pets?” He asked.

“No… Although I do wish to have one. I think it would be nice.” You said softly, only to hear him shift in his seat. Just then, his knee accidentally brushed against yours but you didn’t mind it.

A few seconds of peaceful silence went by, only for him to speak up, “Are you heading home soon?”

“I think I should? You guys are closing up soon right?”

“Yeah… Do you have a ride home?” He asked almost out of instinct, feeling sorry that he just blatantly asked you that when you barely knew each other.

“S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to be weird…”

“No. No. It’s fine. But yes, I do.” You smiled at him.

San awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck out of nervousness, only for you to speak up.

“Well, I think I should make a move soon. Thank you for sitting here with me.” You said as he smiled again.

“Sure.”

The two of you began making your way back to the front counter as Yeji keyed in your order. After you’ve paid, she hands you back your card and receipt, only for you to smile at both Yeji and San.

“Thank you. Goodnight.” You said as they nodded whilst she replied the same to you.

All San could do was smile, not able to move or say anything to you. The minute you left, Yeji turned to him and asked why he never replied to you. That’s when he finally told his co-worker that he was head over heels for you.

A few weeks passed and you had been going to that café a little more frequently now solely to see San. It was a Sunday afternoon, a bright, cold day. You were just making your way to San’s workplace when you got a call from him. You answered his call, only to hear his eager voice from the other side of the line.

“Hey! Where are you?” He asked.

“On my way to the café actually.”

“Nice. I’m a little caught up in the back so just come inside and find a seat near the back. Yeji’s working upfront.”

“Okay San, see you.”

“See you, cutie.” You could’ve sworn you heard his smirk creeping up on his face only for you to giggle.

You and San haven’t properly confessed anything yet, but you could definitely tell that both of you liked each other. Although San already knows about your family background, he was pretty chill about it. You could tell that he was a genuine person and wasn’t one who would just date you for money.

You even told Seonghwa about him and he feels that San is someone you could trust. So when you made it to the café and you saw Yeji talking to a customer alone by the cashier, you figured San was in fact in the back room.

So after the customer left, Yeji’s eyes travelled to you and immediately her smile beamed, causing her eyes to disappear.

“Y/N! Hey!”

“Hey Yeji.” You giggled.

“San’s a little busy with paperwork in the back but he told me to save a seat for you at your usual spot!”

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that though.”

“It’s okay, his words anyway.” Yeji giggled before bringing you to the table.

A few minutes passed, you were just kissing one of the cat’s cute pink nose when a familiar voice spoke up from above you, making you look up to see San standing there with his apron discarded.

“Hi.”

“Hey.”

San smiled as he sat down beside you only to reach over and gave the cat a few strokes. You were about to turn and talk to him but instead, you got flustered with how close his face was with yours. The minute San looked up at you, you could literally feel his warm minty breath hitting your lips.

His eyes glanced down to your lips and you could see the corner of his lips curve up slightly. This in itself, made your heart pound against your chest as you turned away to hide your blush on your face.

“Uhh, I- I umm, are you hungry?” You asked, earning a soft chuckle from him.

He went to order for you two, also making the drinks for you before coming back. You spent the next hour with him during his lunch break, not forgetting to share some skin ship with him. Something you’ve grown used to.

San was ending his shift in two hours and you definitely didn’t mind staying there for another few hours for him since he himself said you could wait for him there.

And so you did.

After he ended his work, both of you left his workplace not without saying bye to Yeji.

You hang out with him for a bit before he invites you over to his apartment. You’ve been there more than five times and he has never done anything inappropriate to you. So you trusted him with all your life.

A few hours passed and you were now seated on his couch, watching the Disney movie ‘Frozen’ with him. “Omg, look at this jerk! He’s totally using her!” You ranted with an unconscious pout, earning a little chuckle from him.

“Well, at least I know I wouldn’t do that to someone.” San shrugged, making you turn to him. He had a silly smirk on his face but you weren’t going to comment on it. You were just blushing at his indirect flirty comment towards you despite not mentioning who he was talking about.

San was definitely talking about you and he knows you know it too. And seeing the blush on your face could only make him burst into a laughter that left you pouting.

“Shut up! Don’t make fun of me!” You whined as San wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you into his side.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry but you’re just too cute!” San said as you froze.

Sure he has called your choice of outfits pretty before but this time, it felt so raw and you were slightly taken aback by it. San definitely noticed this as he pulled away from you to look into your eyes. At first he was frowning but then it got replaced with a smile, melting you instantly.

The room fell quiet as you noticed the way his eyes fell to your lips and lingered there for a bit, making you nervous.

Just then, your breath hitched in your throat when he reached up slowly to cup your face and caress your cheek with his thumb. Nobody dared to say much but he had to make sure you were alright with where this is going so he spoke up.

“Tell me if you want me to stop, okay?” He whispered, his voice soft and gentle.

You gave him a nod to answer him as you watched him lean closer until his sharp nose lightly brushed against the side of your nose, lips barely an inch apart from each other.

You closed your eyes, too nervous to keep looking. San smiled at this as he gave your lips one last glance before he too closed his eyes and pressed his lips gently on yours. San felt you move your lips against his. He smiled into your lips as he caressed your cheek while he kissed you.

He was being so gentle with you, it definitely melted your heart.

He pulled away for a breath, letting his fingers lightly ghost over your features before you reopened your eyes to look at him.

“Was that okay?” He asked, his voice quiet.

“Yeah…” You whispered as you wrapped your fingers around the wrist of the hand that was holding your face.

“Good… Because I wasn’t sure if I trusted myself with words to confess to you.” San chuckled, earning a soft giggle from you before you replied to him.

“It’s okay… I like this better.”

With that being said, San smiled in victory as he kissed you again.

You spent the day with him, cuddling on his couch after a long but innocent make out session. Never did you think you would fall for a boy who worked at a cat café but you did. And you were more than happy you did.

~~~

[thegremlincrowsnest]

Beauty and the Beast

Another Collab with Citrus Dome! Please check out the rest of the amazing first made in the Storybook/Fairytale AU Collab

Divider made by @firefly-graphics

The beautiful individual is: @/aneutrallife on instagram

CW: mothman, mentions of pussy, mentions of ovi, monster fucking,

Only a Beast could love something like you.

That was something you were told since you were small. 

You were always the odd one in the town you lived in. 

Different. 

Obscure. 

An Anomaly.

All because you were a witch. You had always been intrigued by the usage of herbs and crystals. Cartomancy was a specialty, and you were known for your creation of oils and ointments. The townspeople avoided you and only asked for your services in secret. It began to take its toll on you as you grew older. 

Feeling ostracized and wanting to be forgotten. 

But that was when He found you. 

Apparently, he’d been watching you for some time now, and on that cold fall night, he decided to make his move. You were out in the woods, collecting ingredients you needed to refill on. You ended up finding yourself in the garden of what seemed like an abandoned castle. You were curious about how such a great place could be hidden since you knew the royals lived quite a ways away. Nevertheless, you took your time as you gently tended to the plants. Taking what you needed but still making sure the plants will grow healthy. You froze in place when you heard the crunch of leaves under large feet. You slowly placed a hand on the scissors you used to trim the plants. Turning slowly, to looked up to see a sizeable form towering over you. Covered in dark brown and black fur with light stripes of soft blue. Two sets of rather strong-looking arms were folded across its chest and abdomen. His wings draped over its shoulders like a cloak, but you couldn’t get a good look at the intricate designs of the wings. Your eyes were locked onto his face. His face was worn and scarred, locks of light blue hair cascaded down his head like spun silver. 

“I knew you’d find your way here, human. I would be angry if I wasn’t already intrigued by you,” he said. You were taken aback by its rather deep raspy voice as it held out a hand for you. Grabbing it tenderly, you stood, only coming up to his chest. With one set of hands, he held your face to look up at him. Enamored by the scarlet eyes looking back at you, you were surprised when a pair of fluffy antennae brushed against your face. “Yes. I knew it was you.” He said as he lifted you up in his arms, carrying you into the castle. 

On that day, you had met the beast known as Tomura Shigaraki and started your new life. 

He had apparently been watching you for a few months before then. He had been exploring the forest and came upon you helping a small fawn out of a trap, tending to its wounds before letting it free. He thought you were a curious one, not at all like the other humans in the town. You were sweet and soft, treating them all with a level of care he felt they did not deserve. The day he knew he wanted you for himself was when he had accidentally stumbled upon you bathing at the waterfall further into the forest. 

He could recount how you looked as if it was that same day. 

Your skin an ochre color, similar to the mellow-brown light that had bathed the forest that warm afternoon. You glimmered like amber, and he could only kneel in the brush near the bank or else his knees would give. You were absolutely beautiful. Your hair was thick and dark like calla lilies, curls framed your freckled face, and oh,  what he would give to be able to kiss every freckle. Climbing out from the river, you dried yourself off, and he thanked every god above for the sight of your dripping from panting and sighing from how relaxing your bathing was. 

He jerked off to the memory of that day for many moons after until the fateful day you wandered into his territory. 

That was about a year ago, and since then, you two had become close. Hesitant at first, you were terrified you were to be devoured. Hearing terrifying stories about the beast since childhood. But over time, you learned that he was a gentle creature, he had a temper, yes, but you stood your ground. Slowly you were able to coax more out of him, his family, and how he ended up like this. It had turned out he was the son of the king that ruled over your land. His father had challenged a powerful fairy who cursed his mother to giving birth to a monster. Though his parents did love him, and when his younger brother was born, the love did not falter. They had to send him away. The townspeople and some of the aristocrats did not like the idea of a beast being king. 

You wanted to challenge it; King Toshinori would never do something...would he? You knew how the townspeople treated you, and while you weren’t a monster, you wouldn’t be surprised if they rioted. 

You two had slowly started to bond, Tomu, as you affectionately called him, was intrigued by the herbs and crystals you gathered and used. He never forced you to stay with him, but you liked the idea of living with someone who wanted you to around. You told him you could find a way to reverse the spell and make him human, as a way of saying thank you for letting you stay in his castle, but he refused. Saying he would rather die than try to assimilate to their standards. You were silently happy he had refused. 

You started to fall for him at that time and couldn’t imagine him without his extra appendages. Especially his wings, when spread out, you could see the intricate patterns on them. A mix of light browns, black, and specks of blue as bright as lapis lazuli decorated them. Although his eye held no pupils or irises, you could see the emotions they expressed. How they softened whenever he thought you weren’t looking or how they darkened when you would wear something more revealing. His eyes would glimmer like rubies whenever you praised him or showered him in affection. 

You two had been together for two years at this point; you cleaned out your house and moved in with him. Not surprised when you saw that the townspeople burned it to the ground when they noticed you left. You did not cry, no sight of anger in your face, but you felt hurt nonetheless. You sat at the windowsill, looking out at the forest while the summer sun shined brightly. Tomura had noticed and went to make your favorite tea; you had followed him, however, wrapping your arms around his waist and burying your face in his back. “Y/n? Is everything ok?” He asked, concerned. You nodded silently; he turned and let you nuzzle your face into his pecks. One set of hands lifted your face up, with the other set wrapped protectively around your waist. His eyes softened at the sad expression you held. Brushing one clawed thumb against your cheek as he smiled softly. “I...Wanted to wait until the full moon to ask you this, but...I feel this might be better.” He started, your eyebrows furrowed together as he continued. “I would...like to mate with you, Y/N.” He stated with the softest of a blush, dusting his cheeks. Your face warmed as you processed what he was telling you. 

That night you both prepared. Well. It was more, so Tomura prepared you. He put you in a bath of milk and rose petals, rinsing your hair like you had shown him before going to prepare the ‘nest’ as he called it. Bringing in sheets and pillows, sweet-smelling oils and cloths he felt were soft enough. Bringing you out of the bath, he dried you off and brought you to the nest, laying you onto your back. He couldn’t help but get lost in your beauty; your dark hair framed your face as he let his eyes linger. Your full chest and thighs, wide hips, and soft squishy stomach made his wings vibrate. He chirped and purred as he nuzzled you, letting his hands gently caressing your hips. “Sweet-smelling mate, so soft, so good to me.” He said as he moved your legs apart to allow him to settle in between them. You moaned softly, feeling his claws brush against your skin. He kissed and licked down your neck, pausing to suckle on your full breast as he felt his cock unsheath. His long thin tongue wrapped itself around your nipple, stroking it gently as he brought a hand up to your other nipple. The room slowly started filling with a sweet scent; it filled your nose and made your core ache with arousal.

 Tomura continued to kiss down your body until he reached your core, kissing your mound, and before he could go lower, you tugged at his hair. 

Your face was hidden behind your arm; you softly said, “I…. I don’t like my pussy being licked…” 

He nods and smiles empathetically. Deciding to suck on his fingers gently before sliding one thick finger into your entrance, mesmerized by how your hole quivered and stretched. He went at this for what seemed like hours. 

Adding another finger and another until he felt you were prepared for his cock. Sitting up, he stroked himself to your form, yes glazed over and skin hot to the touch. You could only stare in amazement at how large he was. His cock was like no humans you’d ever seen, ribbed down the underside, the tip pointed more like a dog than anything. “Tomu...You’re so big.”You said as you gently reached out to stroke it. He smiled proudly at how your reaction. Pushing you back down, he gently wrapped your legs around his waist. Pressing the head of his cock gently into your entrance, he held back a whimper at how wet and wanting you were. Your entrance sucked him in, almost refusing to let him go if he pulled back. Finally, he was able to press his hips against yours. His cock head pressed snuggly against the entrance of your cervix as your back arches, your nails dig into his shoulders. He whines and ruts against your cervix for a moment before pulling back, beginning a slow rhythm. Now it’s your turn to moan as you beg for him to go faster.

“Do you think you could handle it, little one?” he asks as he looks down at you. You nod and plead, begging for more as you rub your clit. “Then your wish is my command, my prince~,” He says as he begins to thrust faster, pushing your thighs back as his nails dig into them; his wings spread and flap as he feels himself grow closer to completion. His soft whimpers turn into snarls and growls as he pounds into you. Flipping you over, he holds you close to his chest; one set of arms hold you up by your thighs as the other focuses on your body. One hand grips your throat while the other plays with your clit. Thrusting up into you, he can’t stop the stream of praises. 

“Such a pretty boy, so soft and sweet. Look at how well you’re taking my cock. I can’t wait to see how you look filled with my eggs.”

His hips stutter, and he holds you in place; you feel his cock pulse as he fills your hungry womb with his cum. You howl and moan out as you squirt, legs shivering as you look down to see his cum drip down his cock. Whimpering softly, you felt him purr in content; he nuzzles into your neck as he lays down with you. Cock still pressed firmly into you as you both slowly fall asleep. Entangled in each other.

[inkwell1013]

Meeting once more - Good Omens

Pairing: Aziraphale/Crowley (but only a little), Crowley & Warlock (familial)

Genre: Fluff, Found Family, Oneshot.

Inspired by: This Post.

Word count: 912.

Warnings: Strained parental relationships, transphobia (referenced/background) 

Summary: A sixteen year old Warlock stumbles upon Aziraphale’s bookshop and meets Crowley again after five years. But Crowley looks rather different from last time Warlock saw him. The boy connects all the dots, just poorly.

- - - - -

Warlock was loitering about the high street, doing basically nothing. His father had brought him into the city for some ‘father son bonding time’ and had promptly dumped him as soon as there was a minor political emergency. He had promised that he would pick Warlock up by three o’clock but Warlock was not holding his breath. His father had a habit of breaking promises.

Warlock suddenly missed Miss Ashtoreth. She would never dump him like this. Then again, she did abandon him too. He still remembered the day clearly. It had happened exactly one week before his eleventh birthday.

She had woken him up for school and made him breakfast like normal, but something was clearly wrong. Right as she was about to take him to school, she pulled him close.

“I love you kid,” she had said. “And I don’t want to leave, but I have no choice. If you only remember one thing I’ve told you, remember this. Don’t let anyone tell you who you can and can’t be.”

Then she had rustled her hair and driven him to school. He never saw her again after that. When he asked his father about it, he had received no answer.

He shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked down the bustling street. Why was he thinking of Nanny Ashtoreth again? It had been five years; he assumed he was over all that stuff.

At least people in London were nice, he thought. Most of them were smiling and nodding at him as he walked by. He was also pleased at how anonymous he was here. Back in his hometown, everyone knew him as the son of the ambassador. They were never mean – his father was too important and influential for that – but very few people let themselves get too friendly. School sucked because of it.

He didn’t really know where he was going – he was just wandering really – but when he found himself outside a small bookshop street corner he had the strangest feeling that there was something special about it.

So he went inside.

The place was remarkably clean. It looked like someone had gone through the whole place with a duster moments ago. However, there was no owner to be seen. The shelves were stuffed full of neat leather-bound volumes, that looked far to expensive for a sixteen-year-old’s bookshelf. Then again, it wasn’t like he didn’t have the money. One of the few perks of having a rich father he smirked. Whilst he was here, he decided to pick up a couple.

While he was browsing, he was startled by the sound of a man’s voice coming from upstairs. “Are you sure it’s not downstairs Angel?” they said. Was it the owner?

“Because I think I saw it in the back room,” said the voice. There was a muffled response before the voice spoke again. “I’ll go check.”

Warlock turned around so he could see the kind of person who would own such a shop. The man did not look how he expected.

He was younger for one. He had bright red hair that was cropped short at the sides and slightly longer on the top. There was something slightly punk about his fashion sense.

And then Warlock recognised him. “Nanny Ashtoreth ?” he stammered.

“Warlock…”

Both stood still, trapped in place by their own shock. The voice from upstairs called again – louder this time and slightly annoyed. “Crowley, have you found it or not?”

Warlock was a little startled, but tried to keep it from showing on his face. Crowley... It was new. He didn’t hate it, but it was new.

But why would Nanny Ashtoreth – Crowley – change their name?

Then it all clicked.

Crowley was trans.

It all made sense now! Even his strange speech the day he left. Don’t let anyone tell you who you can and can’t be.

Then Warlock realised something else. His father had fired Crowley over it. It didn’t come as a surprise to him really. His father was a bigot of almost every form. Thinking he would fire someone for being trans wasn’t a stretch of the imagination.

Warlock rushed up and threw his arms around Crowley’s shoulders. Crowley returned the gesture and squeezed Warlock so tightly it was like he believed the kid. would disappear if he let go.

“You’re all grown up now. I can’t believe it,” mumbled Crowley, stroking Warlock’s hair just how he did when the boy was younger.

Warlock felt as if he was going to cry. He hadn’t felt this loved in years. “I haven’t seen you in so long Nanny!” he said. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too kid. I’m sorry I had to leave but it was out of my control.” Crowley’s voice cracked on the last word, like he was going to cry too.

“It’s okay. I understand why you left. But I’m so glad I came here today and got to see you again.” There was a comfortable silence between them. Warlock felt so safe wrapped up in Crowley’s arms.

A moment later, a white-haired man stomped down the stairs, wearing a dressing gown and fluffy pink slippers. Warlock had the strange feeling that he knew him. Wait a minute…

“Is that you Brother Francis?”

Brother Francis turned bright red, caught in the act.

Warlock quickly glanced between the two, then pointed an accusing finger at Crowley. “I knew you two were fucking!” he exclaimed.