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acourtofwhatthefuck · 6 months

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Name Your Price — Amren x Reader (Starfall Week)

Hiiii! Here’s my little piece for @starfallweek 2024. I hope you all like it 💕my beautiful soulmate @greeneyedivy helped me name it 💅🏻

I used the prompt “character A finally makes a move on character B”. I’ve never written for Amren before so this was quite fun!

Warnings: None.

Word Count: 3.9k

“You’re sure you don’t want me to fly you back up?”

Cassian cocks an eyebrow at you, the steadiness of his hold dissipating as he tugs his arms from around you. Though your feet are on solid ground, it takes a moment for your equilibrium to right itself. Being in the skies is something you haven’t yet become accustomed to, despite three of your closest friends sporting wings. And being flown on Starfall is an experience entirely of its own.

“You’ll miss the best part,” Cass complains, peering up at the dark canopy above you. The sky is beginning to stir as the stars ready themselves for their journeys. It won’t be long before they’re soaring and crossing.

And tempting as it is to stay and watch the sight that never lessens in its magnificence, you feel…different this year. Like there’s somewhere else you ought to be. Someone else you ought to be with.

“I’m sure,” you dip your chin. “You go, Cass. Enjoy it.”

But he doesn’t move. He studies you head to toe, studies every shred of effort you put into your appearance — hair and makeup perfected, a stunning outfit hugging your body. You feel beautiful, no doubt — and yet you’re leaving after a mere hour of drinking on the balcony with your friends.

“You know she’s just going to be holed up in her apartment with the curtains drawn,” Cass says. “She hates Starfall.”

You cock an eyebrow. “Who?”

“You know who.”

Amren.

Is it little bit humiliating that you’re so damn transparent? Perhaps. But Cass is one of your closest companions — you can hardly expect him to believe that you’re simply leaving to return to your own home and switch your stunning dress for your pyjamas.

You shrug a shoulder. “I just want to check on her, is all.”

“Hmm,” your friend’s lips twitch. “I’m sure.”

With a roll of your eyes, you swat his ludicrously huge arm. “Go back to the party,” but you lean up to press a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you — for flying me.”

“Good luck with the tiny little rain cloud. She’ll be even crankier tonight than usual.”

With a lopsided smirk and a fond — and annoying — mussing of your hair, he launches back into the sky and heads back to the House of Wind. You stare after him, wondering if you’re making the right choice.

Because when Amren says she wants to be left alone, she means it. But…you don’t know. Things have been changing. Things have been…different.

This is your third Starfall, since your move to the Night Court after the war. A native of the Day Court, it had surprised you to find yourself so at home in a place of starlight, so opposite to what you’d always known. But as one of Helion Spell-Cleaver’s nearest and dearest, you’d worked closely with Rhysand and his Inner Circle during those fraught times of battle and bloodshed — and bonded with them far more than you’d ever expected yourself to. Become an honorary member of their unit, so to speak.

And when Rhysand had courteously invited you for a visit to Velaris after the war was over, you’d known from the second your feet had touched the cobbled streets — this was where you were supposed to be.

Three years later, with a home here, a job as a Night courtier…it was hard to imagine you’d ever been anywhere else.

And perhaps the most notable and unexpected connection you’d forged was the one you had with the with the tiny creature whose barbed, edged words were — you’d learned — a sign of affection.

You did not understand Amren one bit. She was a mystery you couldn’t puzzle out, a being that was sometimes so harsh, it was hard to believe she had any warmth in her at all. But Rhysand giving the two of you a subject he’d needed you to research together had brought you closer, over the recent months. Had shredded through that trepidation you’d once felt around her and shifted it into something…different. Something exciting.

You find that try as you might, you can’t stay away.

And that’s how you find yourself strolling those cobbled streets of Velaris, dressed up to the nines and stars beginning to burst above you. You could be spectating the brilliant sight with your friends, but something tugs you towards the other side of the city. To the loft apartment with the sloping windows and the strange, intriguing female who dwells within

Indeed, as you approach, you find those windows to be blacked out. Blocking out the sight of what is occurring in the skies. You almost smile, but now you’re nervous and second-guessing yourself a little. You could turn away, go home — in all likelihood, Amren won’t want to see you.

But tonight feels different. Tonight feels like a reckoning.

So you swallow your nerves and decide you’re doing this.

✧: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ

You knock once, and a voice that is both nightmare and fantasy calls out, “Go away!”

Not unusual for Amren. She tells guests to go away, even when she’s invited them.

So you brace a hand against the door and call back, “It’s me.”

There’s a beat. And then small footsteps are padding closer. There are the sounds of bolts being undone, locks clicking. Whatever it is Amren feels she needs keep out is little more than a distant thought as she yanks the door open just a tad and eyes you suspiciously through the gap. Her steely gaze takes in your dress, hair, makeup. She lifts her chin.

“Why are you here?” she asks.

You shrug. Feel a little pathetic as you answer, “I thought I’d come see what you’re up to.”

“Why.”

“Perhaps I find your company to be just slightly more scintillating than Cassian’s.”

At that, there’s the briefest twitch of her lips. She masks it expertly. “A dead rat has more to offer in the way of company than that boy.”

You snort, rubbing at your arms. Goosebumps are pebbling your skin. The air is too brisk to comfortably be stood in for too long.

Amren studies you again, and too quickly for you to register, she’s widening the gap in the door and yanking you in by the front of your dress. She slams the door shut and gets to work refastening the bolts, sliding across the chains, securing every lock. It’s all you can do to stand and watch.

And then she turns to face you with a neutral expression — one that says that if you find anything peculiar about her behaviour, shut the fuck up. You know she won’t tell you what’s got her so on edge, so you don’t bother asking.

Instead, you turn, still rubbing at your chilled skin, and study the general disarray of her huge, open-plan studio apartment. Her bed is unmade, her trinkets and baubles scattered across various surfaces. And on the numerous overlapping rugs that cover the floor, a gathering of books, some stacked in a pile, others tossed aside, a few open on certain pages. It would seem she is spending the night going over your recent research.

“Perhaps a drink?” you ply, angling away from the mess.

She quirks a dark eyebrow. “Tell me, what is it about you and the others barging into my home and making demands of me?”

“I believe it’s customary to offer your guests refreshments.”

“I believe I didn’t ask for guests in the first place.”

Her words, to anyone outside your circle, would sound so sharp, so harsh. But you know Amren, now. That last sentence vaguely translates another meaning: I wasn’t expecting guests, but thank you for coming. Of course I’ll get you a drink.

Not that she’d ever say that in a million fucking years.

She saunters past you, towards the kitchen area. As she goes, she closes the open books and throws them onto the stacks. Picks up empty glasses.

“Don’t clean up on my account,” you say, knowing full well that she isn’t.

“I’m not,” she confirms. “I don’t want your clumsy feet treading on anything,” she places the empty glasses in the sink and turns to you. “What do you want to drink? There’s wine, wine, or wine.”

“I’ll have the wine, then.”

With the barest incline of her head, she turns her back to you. While she’s occupied, you take a moment to study the covered windows, everything that blocks out what’s occurring outside. Even the skylights are covered, and your lips twitch at the thought of her wrestling her way up there to fasten drapes over them.

It’s all so methodical, so thought out. And though you know she’d probably never tell you, you can’t help wanting to break down that barrier and know the more vulnerable side to her that is so unsettled by this holiday.

A glass is placed in your hand, and you clear your throat, ripping your gaze away from the skylight — but not fast enough for Amren not to notice.

“It unsettles me,” she says drily, surprising you.

You try your hardest not to blink at the offered snippet of information. “What does?”

“Starfall. What it is. What it signifies.” Taking a slow sip of her wine, she sits on the rug. You follow suit. “Those stars, beings, whatever you want to call them…they are on a journey. Going from one place to another. Perhaps from one world to another. That was once me.”

“…and that unsettles you…”

“Perhaps I know one of them, from many, many years ago. Perhaps they are an associate of a time and a world long-forgotten. A past friend or foe or—”

“A lover?” you supply. You’re not sure you mean to say it.

But Amren’s grey eyes slide to you, and one side of her mouth lifts into a wicked grin, bearing sharp white teeth. “Does that surprise you?”

“Yes. No. I suppose I know nothing of your personal relationships. Of what you like.”

“I like what I like, and I hate what I don’t like.”

You stare at her, thoroughly annoyed and thoroughly entertained. Speaking with Amren is so often trickery and riddles. No matter how much you may feel like you’re getting somewhere, she always leads you on a merry dance that circles you back to the first step.

“And what of you?” she asks, surprising you.

Your eyes snag on the way her razor-sharp black hair moves as she angles her head. The ends tickle the column of her long, creamy neck, adorned with a jewelled necklace. For one moment, for some reason, the sight makes your head empty.

But you shake yourself out of the bizarre reaction and ask, “What of me?”

“What do you like?” Amren asks.

You almost snort as you take a long sip of your wine. Amren is simply not somebody who asks questions about other people very often. And the topic of your love life seems like one that would be trivial and pointless to her.

“Are you asking because you want to know?” you smile. “Or to be polite?”

Another flash of those brilliant teeth. “Have you ever known me to be polite?”

“I suppose not, no.”

“So tell me, girl, what takes your fancy?”

Draining your glass, you set it aside and lounge back, bracing yourself on your hands. And perhaps the wine is already commanding your mind and blurring lines — because it tells you to glance down at the full lips in front of you, painted with red that’s deepened by the dark nectar she sips at.

You do.

Amren watches. The air seems to shift.

“Pour me another glass,” your voice comes out huskier than you intend, “and I’ll tell you.”

✧: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ

“Lions?”

Rare, for Amren to sound like anything besides being perpetually bored. An hour or so later — and too many glasses later — the two of you are sprawled back on the rug, staring at the ceiling.

“Helion keeps lions?” she turns her head to quirk an eyebrow at you.

“Yes,” you answer with a laugh in your voice. “Very real, very fucking huge lions.”

“I rather thought that Pegasuses were his thing.”

“They are. But his lions are a prided jewel of his — and a court secret that I absolutely should not be sharing with you.”

Her petite, lithe body rolls onto its side. She crooks her arm at the elbow and rests her chin there, staring at you through glazed, grey eyes.

It takes only a beat of eye contact for you both to break into laughter.

This is…unusual. And nice. Though the two of you have undoubtedly been growing closer, Amren always has a glass wall up that allows you to peer through but not penetrate. Tonight is the first night that you feel that…that you might be on the other side of that wall. That she might be letting her guard down for you.

You like it. A lot.

The laughter thinning out, she stares at you. It’s a little strange to see those sharp, angled features not appear harsh and ready to slice at anyone. She appears…open. Almost normal.

“Lions,” she repeats, in something like wonderment. “And they just roam about his private estate? Are they tame?”

“He has sprawls of private land on which they can roam freely,” you tell her. “That land is guarded very well, from anyone he doesn’t wish to share the sight with. The lions are very tame. There’s a rumour — though I never got Helion to confirm it — that they once walked on two legs and spoke our language. That thousands of years ago, a curse bound them to their feline form that even Helion’s vast libraries hold no answer to cracking. And since they weren’t able to break the curse, he and his predecessors set to ensure that they would, at least, always be safe and accommodated and able to live comfortably as they are. If it’s true, they seem perfectly happy in their lion bodies.”

“So Helion allowed you access to them? What are they like?”

You smile — at the images that the question conjures up, and the fact that you hold Amren’s interest enough for her to ask it at all. It makes you feel…proud, somehow. Like the cat that got the cream.

“Amazing,” you rest your arms behind your head, taking yourself back to that private land on which you spent so much time — just you and the lions. “They’re just…regal. The males have huge, brilliant manes. The females are so lithe and elegant. The cubs are painfully adorable. There are families of them. Sometimes, they fight. Often, they play. They love to snooze in the sun and frolic in the long grass. The youngsters love splashing each other in the lake. If they recognise you as someone they can trust, you can comfortably sit with them and stroke their fur. They especially like you if you bring them food.”

There’s such a long pause as Amren takes in your words that after a short while, your eyes slide to her, half expecting to find her asleep. But she simply stares at you. Quiet. Assessing.

“I think I would like to see lions,” she says after a moment. To her, it seems to be a huge confession. Something not easy to admit.

You study the perfect lines of her face. That face that appears in your thoughts when you’re trying to sleep, think about absolutely anything but her. You’re not sure you like how drawn you are to her. She’s so unreachable that it only makes you reach harder. So difficult to work out that sometimes, you question if she delights in your company at all.

It is, after all, you who always seeks her out. Since you began your research together, it’s been you who has found excuses to see her.

You who barged your way into her home tonight, while stars collided above you.

And you who might do something unwise if you stay any longer.

You clear your throat, breaking eye contact. Your head feels as though it’s filled with cotton as you sit up and announce, “Perhaps I should go.”

Amren pauses. “Why?”

“I didn’t mean to take up your entire evening.”

“You could stay,” she also sits up, tucking her legs beneath her. “You never did tell me what it is you like.”

You take a moment to just…breathe. You’re not used to Amren being so…warm. It’s dangerous. Exciting. You don’t know if it’s safe.

Slowly, you turn on the floor to face her. “I’m not sure you’d appreciate the answer.”

A dark eyebrow arches. She likes doing that. “Tell it to me anyway.”

Should you? Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing. Maybe you’ll tell her that thoughts of her keep you awake, not in the forms of nightmares but in the allure of fantasies. Maybe then she’ll cease all work she does with you, and distance herself from you, and you can rid yourself of these feelings—

“You are what I like,” you speak quickly, flushing hot. “Who I like. I was thankful when Rhysand tasked us to work together, because I was already drawn to you. It seems I can’t stay away—”

A flash of dark hair, the potent scent of perfume and wine, are the only warnings you get before Amren is in your face, her perfect mouth sliding over yours. Wine is the overpowering taste of the kiss, but there are hints of other things behind it — sweet vanilla and something floral.

It takes you by surprise, no doubt. But you push the shock away and sink into the rightness of it. Your shoulders slump, body loosening. You slide a hand up to tentatively cup Amren’s cheek, and you kiss her back.

What starts out slow and explorative quickly builds into something that steals the very air from your lungs. Your bodies seem to move in perfect synchronisation, finding the right positions from which the kiss can deepen and grow. Amren kneels between your legs, and a sharp tooth gives the slightest, twinging bite to your lower lip — one that makes you gasp.

The act is deliberate. She slides her tongue into your mouth, folding it around yours. Your tastes mingle until you’re not sure which is yours and which is hers, and that simply will not do. You want her on your tongue. The flavour of her skin and that scent of hers that is quickly growing stronger, thicker, shifting into something else that you would commit sins to taste.

Your fingers sink into Amren’s hair, and she makes a low noise that could be a warning or a plea. The strands, despite always looking sharp enough to slice through rock, are silken, soft. You fist them in your palm and tilt her head back to kiss her deeper.

But she pulls away, her heavy breaths landing on your lips. Her eyes meet yours, and it’s the first time you see her looking anything besides…steeled. Composed.

She looks flustered. Like pulling away from your mouth was the last thing she wanted to do.

“I don’t know what this means,” she blurts.

The admission makes you pause. You agree, “Neither do I.”

“No—not just this. What you do to me. I don’t know what any of this means,” she narrows her eyes at you, almost accusatory. “Emotions like these have always felt pointless to me, but you…”

“…but me?”

“You…” the word is leaden on her tongue. “You are different.”

Her gaze slides to your mouth again, and you can tell that her comfort is in articulating her feelings with actions, not words.

And that is just fine by you.

Like she reads the encouragement straight from your thoughts, a breathy word escapes her. “Yes.”

And then she’s fastening her lips on yours again and stamping out every shred of confusion. No matter what either of you are unable to say, the dance of your mouths can speak it all. For now, no more than that is necessary.

Amren kisses you, and you kiss her. It’s deep, desperate, yearning. It’s bigger than anything and everything. The stars that race through the sky pale in comparison.

This is the real beauty of this night. The real thing you had hoped for. It could end no better way.

You kiss until your mouths are bruised and tender. Until the taste of wine is gone, and there’s nothing but the two of you on your tongues. For all you know, the rest of the world outside this apartment could have disappeared. You’re not sure you care.

You’re the one to pull away this time, but you don’t move far. You part your lips to gulp down breaths and press your forehead to Amren’s. Your voice is a rasp as you joke, “You better not be kissing me just so I’ll show you the lions.”

She laughs — actually laughs. It’s a short, brusque chortle, but it makes you glow with pride.

But she quickly sobers. Her face is serious once more, her eyes drinking you in.

“I’m kissing you, girl,” she says, “because I think about you too much. Because the very first time I laid eyes on you, it scared me — what I might do to look at you forever.”

You try to mask your surprise. You hadn’t realised—

“It was me who suggested to Rhysand that you and I should work together,” she admits. She pulls back a little, as if urging you to read the honesty on her face. “It felt pathetic and foolish, but I did it to be close to you. I can’t stop myself wanting to be close to you.”

Exactly the same feelings you had tortured yourself with all this time. To think that Amren had agonised over it just as you had is comforting, somehow.

You reach out a hand, pinching a strand of her soft hair between your fingers. She watches the action closely.

“Don’t stop yourself wanting it,” you say, not at all sure that it isn’t a plea. “Don’t stop yourself, when I want it, too.”

“…I’m not used to being…unsure of things.”

“Embrace it,” you offer a smile. “Have fun with it.” With me.

She stares at you, brooding and calculating. You wait for her to decide that this is too out of the realms of familiarity. She won’t allow herself to be so vulnerable.

But then she moves her hand to yours — the one still touching her hair. Slowly, tentatively, she laces your fingers together. She stares down at your joined hands as though the sight is alien, fascinating.

“Stay,” she eventually says, glancing up at you. There’s an undertone in her voice, an inference.

“…the entire night?” you hedge. You try to keep the hopefulness out of your tone.

Her red lips lift into a smirk, grey eyes glimmering. “On one condition.”

“Name your price.”

Your heart picks up as she leans in again. Her hair tickles your cheek, and she watches closely as your skin flushes at the proximity. Her lips hover against yours.

But instead of kissing you, she whispers four words that land straight on your waiting mouth.

“Show me the lions.”

#starfall week #starfall week 2024 #starfall #amren #amren acotar #amren x reader #amren fic #acotar #acotar series #a court of thorns and roses #acotar fandom #acotar x reader #acotar writing #acotar fanfic #acotar headcanon #acotar fic #prompt

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genshinluvr · 1 year

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Double Whammy

Pairings: Various Honkai Star Rail Men x Isekai'd!Reader

Summary: You wake up one day feeling unwell. You discover you have started your period, and not only are you menstruating, but you also have a fever. You're sick, you're menstruating, and you have awful cramps. It's a double whammy you didn't think you would have to deal with in the men's universe, but alas, Lady Luck is not on your side.

Note: This is for my AFAB people who get sick when their periods start! I'm not that person, but I know a few people who get really sick when they're on their periods, and it's awful. So, this is the fic for my girlies and female-bodied people who have to deal with something as awful as getting sick while menstruating. This week is my vacation, and therefore this week and next week, I will be posting mini-fics instead of the typical lengthy fics.

Warnings: Mentions of blood and vomiting

Word Count: 8.4k

The first thing you notice when you wake up is the temperature of your body. You’re burning up, and you’re sweating. Not only are you burning up, but you have this massive headache, and you feel like you got hit by a train at full speed. You groan, tossing around in bed, kicking the blanket off your body. Nanook, who was sleeping beside you, stirs and cracks his eyes open, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles.

“Little one? Are you alright?” Nanook asks, turning on his side to look at you.

You didn’t reply. Only you roll off the bed and to the ground, groaning in pain. You’re not sure if you’re groaning because of the pain from falling to the ground or if it’s because of this familiar cramp in your lower abdomen. Nanook is immediately at your side, helping you stand up. You clutch onto your lower abdomen, groaning softly.

You go limp in Nanook’s arms, closing your eyes and leaning against his body. Nanook nearly flinches when your bare skin touches his. Nanook helps you lay on your bed and presses his hand against your forehead, frowning.

“Nanook,” you whimper, tugging on his shirt. “Everything hurts.”

Nanook runs his hands through his hair. “You’re burning up, Starlight. Are you feeling unwell?” Nanook murmurs.

You groan and sniffle, covering your eyes with your arm. Nanook jogs to the bathroom to turn on the faucet and soak the small face towel in cold water. Your lower abdomen feels like they’re being squeezed and twisted into knots. You don’t feel too good. You felt fine the day before, and you’re sure you didn’t do anything to get yourself sick. So, why are you feeling this way out of nowhere?

Nanook returns to the room with a damp towel in his hands. He brushes the strands of hair away from your face and places the damp cloth over your burning forehead. You sigh in relief, your body visibly relaxing. Nanook looks around your room, his eyes landing on the small fan in the corner. Nanook leaves your side to turn on the fan, hoping it’ll make the room cool enough to prevent you from overheating.

The small fan chimes and begins to slowly rotate, blowing cool air into your room. Your throat feels strange when you swallow your saliva. It feels dry, scratchy, and almost swollen. You force yourself to sit up and stare at the Aeon, who turns around to see you sitting. The Aeon stares at you with worry while you stare off into space, your eyes glazed over.

You shudder, feeling something gush out from you and onto your underwear. Your eyes widen, and you rush to the bathroom, the damp face towel plopping on the ground. Poor Nanook stands there, feeling lost and unsure of what to do. Nanook walks to where the towel fell and picks the towel off the floor. A faint color on the bed catches his attention.

You’re sitting on the toilet, staring at your bloodstained underwear with an exasperated sigh. For some reason, it didn’t occur to you that you can have periods in another universe. You tear the toilet paper into a temporary pad, place it over the blood stain, and flush the toilet.

You pull your pants up and walk out of the bathroom (technically, you waddled out of the bathroom) and see Nanook standing next to the bed, looking at something. You stand beside Nanook and look down to see the white bedsheets stained with blood. You groan internally and cover your face with your hands.

You cursed, rubbing your temples. "Great, now I have another thing to worry about," you grumble.

"You should rest. I'll handle it," Nanook murmurs, stripping the mattress of the bedsheets.

You grab Nanook's hands and shake your head. "No, it's alright. I'll handle it since I made the mess," you sigh.

Nanook reluctantly hands the bedsheets to you. You walk out of the room and toss your bedsheets into the washer before searching for extra bedsheets. After a few minutes of searching for a spare bedsheet, you finally find light blue bedsheets that you can temporarily use. You return to your room to see Nanook emerge from the bathroom with another damp towel in his hands.

You didn't question Nanook and continued to put the new sheets on your bed and reorganize the blanket and pillows with the help of Nanook. You collapse onto your bed and close your eyes. Nanook places the cold towel over your burning forehead and presses a kiss on the side of your head.

"Nanook," You whisper, cracking your eyes open to look at Nanook, whose towering over you. Nanook hums, burying his face into your neck, rubbing your bicep with his thumb. "Can you maybe stop by March's room or Himeko's room and ask them if they have pads or tampons by any chance? I don't want to bleed out on the sheets again."

Nanook pauses and slowly gets off your bed. Nanook certainly did not want to leave your room and stop by March's and Himeko's bedroom to ask for pads and tampons, but because he sees the pain on your face, Nanook complies. Nanook slides your door open and walks a few doors down the hallway, lightly tapping on the door. Nanook hears faint grumbling and footsteps approaching the door. The door slides open to reveal March with a bedhead. Oh, right. Nanook forgot it was in the middle of the night.

March glares at Nanook, rubbing her eyes. "What do you need, Nanook?" March grumbles.

Nanook clears his throat. "Do you have any spare pads or tampons for [Y/N] to use? Their menstrual cycle has begun," says Nanook.

March's eyes widen, and she nods. She rushes off before returning with two boxes of pads and tampons in her hands. One box contains pads, and the other box contains tampons. She hands the boxes to Nanook. Nanook sighs in relief and gives March a grateful smile before rushing back to your (and his shared) bedroom. Nanook enters the room and sees that you have already passed out asleep on the bed. Nanook chuckles, placing the boxes of pads and tampons on the nightstand and walking over to the bed.

Nanook nudges you. "Starlight, wake up," Nanook whispers.

You groan softly and open your eyes. Nanook smiles and caresses your face. "Why aren't you sleeping, Nana?" you mumble, reaching up and wrapping your burning arms around his neck.

"I returned with the pads and tampons from your pink-haired friend," Nanook says, kissing your burning cheek.

You grumble, take the cold towel off your forehead, and hand it to Nanook. You roll off your bed, walk to your dresser, pull out clean shorts and underwear, and grab the boxes before retreating to the bathroom. You made sure to wipe and wash the blood off the lower half of your body. And by the lower half of your body, you mean your butt and the inside of your thighs.

After washing yourself and sticking the pads on your clean underwear, you pull your underwear and pants up, sighing in relief. At least you're protected for the next few hours until you wake up. You feel like you got hit by a train. You flush the toilet and toss your bloodstained shorts and underwear into the laundry basket before leaving the bathroom.

You collapse on the bed beside Nanook and close your eyes. Nanook places the semi-damp cloth over your forehead. You sigh in relief. As much as you want to snuggle up against Nanook under the blankets, you can't get yourself to do it. You're really hot, and even if the fan is running and blowing cool air around the room, your body can't handle any more heat.

"Night, Nanook," you whisper.

You're not sure what happened first. You weren't sure if your period started first, which led to you getting a fever, or if it was the other way around. Either way, waking up in the middle of the night with a fever and staining your bed with blood was something you wish you didn't wake up to, but alas, fate was not on your side this time.

Hours later, you're shaken awake. The voices around you are muffled as you try to move your arm, but they feel heavy, like lead. You turn your head to the side and cough, groaning when pain shoots up your throat. You slowly open your eyes to see Nanook peering down at you with worry. Nanook sighs in relief and helps you sit up. You lean against Nanook and blink at the four faces with bleary eyes.

Dan Heng sighs. "It looks worse than we thought," Dan Heng grumbles.

"Is that normal? March, you're a girl. Is it normal for female-bodied people to have periods this bad that it makes them sick?" Caelus asks, poking the pink-haired girl beside him.

March shakes her head. "It all depends from person to person, Caelus. People experience periods differently," March replies.

You rub your eyes and wipe the sweat from your neck. You feel unbelievably sweaty and sticky. It's so discomforting, and you're tempted to tell your traveling companions to bury you in snow like how Sampo did it to himself when he was hiding from the Silvermane Guards. You sniffle, only to realize your nose is clogged, but they're also runny.

Mr. Yang walks through the door with a bottle of water and medication in his hands. "Here, take these every eight hours." Mr, Yang hands you the medication.

Nanook helps you sit up, opens the medicine bottle, and hands you two pills. You toss two pills into your mouth, uncap the water bottle, and chug the water, washing the medication down. You drink the entire water bottle and place it on the nightstand, sniffling. Nanook cradles you in his arms and lays you on the bed.

"I feel like I got hit by a train," you rasp, clearing your throat.

March chuckles. "No offense, but you look like you got hit by a train, too," March interjects.

Nanook ignores March's comment and brushes your hair from your face. You're sweating so much that your hair is sticking to your skin. You want to go back to sleep, but you can't because of the unbearable heat in your room, and you're incredibly hot. It's not too late to ask the others to bury you in the snow on Jarilo-VI, is it?

"Can you guys do me a favor?" You rasp.

Caelus and Dan Heng sit at the edge of your bed, nodding. You look at March and Mr. Yang. The two nod their heads in response, waiting for you to tell them what the favor was. You swallow the lump in your throat, wincing when you feel phlegm at the back of your throat. Nanook grabs your hands, squeezing gently.

You clear your throat for the umpteenth time. "Can you guys bury me in the snow on Jarilo-VI? I'm burning up, and I desperately need something to cool me down," you mumble.

"Absolutely not," Mr. Yang replies instantly, shaking his head.

Dan Heng sighs, closing his eyes. "Burying you in snow will give you hypothermia. It won't do you any good," Dan Heng deadpans.

You frown at Dan Heng and Mr. Yang's response to your request. It's not like you wanted them to literally bury you in the snow. At least waist down should do it, but not your entire body! Kind of. Would showering be a better option since you won’t be giving yourself hypothermia?

"Okay, if I can't bury myself in the snow to lower my body temperature, then can I take a cold shower to lower my body temperature? I feel sticky and disgusting," you plead.

Caelus purses his lips and props his hands on his hips. "I don't see why not. But again, I don't think taking a shower while you're sick is a good idea. Maybe a bath should do,"

You hum and close your eyes. Your eyelids feel so heavy, and you can't do anything about it. Nanook sighs and lays beside you, propping himself up with his arms while watching you closely. He reaches forward and presses the back of his hands against your cheeks. Your fever has gotten worse overnight after you cleaned up and put on pads.

This was the first time you have gotten sick since arriving in their universe. It's hard seeing you suffer, and they can't do much about it aside from calling for help and assistance from others on the Xianzhou Luofu and Jarilo-VI. Mr. Yang gets up and excuses himself before walking out of your bedroom to make a phone call.

Gosh, you feel so sweaty and sticky. You just want to take a shower and change into clothes that aren't soaked in sweat. Even if your clothes aren't soaked in sweat, it sure feels like it. It'll be a quick shower. One shower won't hurt, right? You slowly roll out of bed and grab a change of clothes and clean underwear. You waddle to the bathroom but stop abruptly. You visibly shudder when you feel your uterine lining shed and spill out of your insides and onto the pad. You squeeze your eyes shut and continue walking to the bathroom, ignoring the questioning look Nanook, Caelus, and Dan Heng shoot in your direction.

March sighs, shaking her head. "Don't ask [Y/N] about it," March says,

Caelus raises his eyebrows at March. "Oh? And you know what [Y/N] dealt with just a second ago?"

She turns to look at Caelus and Dan Heng, nodding. Just thinking about it makes March shudder. It's not a pleasant feeling, no matter the size of the uterine lining shedding. In the bathroom, you stare at the bloody pad with horror. You can't tell if it's a blood clot, a uterine lining, or a miscarriage. You shudder again, rolling the used pad up into the wrapping before tossing it into the trash can.

You made sure to shower at a warm temperature instead of freezing or boiling hot water. You stand in the shower, watching the blood get washed down the drain. Another wave of painful cramps kicks in, nearly knocking you off your feet. You hug your abdomen, squeezing your eyes shut. You quickly rinse the shampoo and conditioner out of your hair, scrub your body down with apple blossom body wash, and wash the inside of your thighs and groin with unscented soap.

Your legs start to feel like gelatin. You sit on the ground and hug your knees to your chest, letting the water rain down on you as you contemplate why this is happening all of a sudden and if the fever was caused by your period. You rest your head against the tile walls, closing your eyes and sighing. You blindly turn the shower off before peeking your hand from the curtains, searching for the towel to wrap yourself in.

Now that you finished showering, you have a small time window to dry your body before blood starts gushing from your groin. You're not in the mood to clean the blood off the ground, and you certainly do not want to deal with any more bloodstains. You quickly dry your body and put your underwear on, making sure the pad is secured in place so it wouldn't slide around. You put your clothes on, wrap the towel around your head, and exit the bathroom.

"Gumdrop! I heard what happened and rushed to the Astral Express as fast as I could!" Sampo cries out, barreling toward you and tackling you into a hug.

You grunt and squeeze your eyes shut when you feel blood gush onto the pad. You wince and open one eye to look at the indigo-haired man with a strained smile, patting his back. Sampo releases you and holds you at a distance, both hands on your shoulders, while looking at you closely.

Sampo squints. "You look a little bit different today, Gumdrop," Sampo says, cupping your face with both hands. "Wow, Mr. Yang wasn't kidding when he said you're burning up."

Mr. Yang sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose with annoyance. "Sampo, please don't overwhelm them. They're not feeling well. Let them dry their hair and let them rest after."

You weren't exactly in the mood to dry your hair. You prefer to let your hair air dry, but knowing Mr. Yang, Jing Yuan, Luocha, Blade, Nanook, and Dan Heng, they would disapprove of that. You have an inkling feeling that Mr. Yang will tell you that not drying your hair will cause headaches and is the possibility of why you're sick. Everyone on the Astral Express knows you don't dry your hair with a hairdryer and that you prefer to let it dry on its own.

You reluctantly take the towel off your head before returning to the bathroom to dry your hair with medium heat while trying not to fall asleep while standing up. A knock at the door pulls you out of your daze. You turn to see Blade standing there, leaning against the door frame, gazing at you with scrutiny. You blink at him, letting the warm air caress your face. Blade sighs, walks into the bathroom, takes the hairdryer from your hands, and begins combing his fingers through your hair wordlessly. You close your eyes and let Blade comb his fingers through your semi-damp hair.

"I don't think it's a good idea to take a shower while having a fever," Blade murmurs, making sure to dry the areas that are still cold and damp.

You purse your lips. "I was sweating a lot, Blade. I didn't want to lay in bed all day in sweaty clothes," you reply.

Blade scrunches his nose up with disgust. "I wouldn't come anywhere near you if you were wearing clothes soaked in sweat," Blade mutters, poking your back lightly.

"Ha! As if Nanook would let you get anywhere near me in the first place! Speaking of Nanook, where is he?" You murmur, turning to search for the Aeon of Destruction.

Blade smacks his lips with annoyance and turns your head to face the mirror so he can continue to dry your hair.

While drying your hair, Blade accidentally knocks the barrel of the hair dryer against your forehead. You groan and cover the area with your hand while Blade rushes to turn the hair dryer off. Blade grabs your face and makes you take your hand away from the area where he accidentally hit your head with the barrel.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hit you," Blade murmurs, pressing a kiss on the throbbing spot.

You pout and let Blade soothe the aching spot with a kiss while lightly rubbing it with his index and middle finger. Dan Heng pops up at the entrance of the bathroom, narrowing his eyes at Blade. Blade ignores Dan Heng's presence and continues to massage the spot.

Dan Heng crosses his arms over his chest, stepping into the bathroom. "What happened, and why is [Y/N]'s face pinching with pain?" Dan Heng raises his eyebrows at you and Blade. The stair and eyebrow-raising are mainly directed toward Blade, who continues to ignore Dan Heng's presence and questions.

"It's nothing! Don't worry about it!" You squeak, waving Dan Heng off while Blade continues to massage the area where he accidentally hit you.

After massaging your head for a few minutes, Blade grabs your brush and starts brushing your hair. You look in the mirror to see Dan Heng at the doorway with Sampo standing there, pouting at you like a lost puppy. You clear your throat, rubbing your throat. Blade puts the brush down on the counter and pats your head. You quietly thanked Blade before leaving your bathroom with Sampo trotting after you.

"[Y/N], are you sure you're okay?" Gepard asks.

You slowly kneel on your bed before plopping face down. Dear Aeons, you're so tired. Your cramps are killing you, and your uterine lining is shedding, and plopping onto the once-white pad is making you feel so gross and out of it. Well, gross isn't the right word to describe it. Just feeling it oozes onto the pad makes you shudder and get goosebumps.

Your voice is muffled against your pillow, "Yeah, I should be okay, Gepard. It's something I've been dealing with for years now."

You flip over on your back and close your eyes, fanning yourself with your hands. The fan blowing cool air into your bedroom isn't working, and your body continues to feel overheated. You huff, sitting up and rubbing your face with annoyance. Everyone is wearing their daily clothes while you're wearing the thinnest clothing you have and the shortest clothing you own. None of them was heating up, and you're over here about to break into a sweat again despite taking a shower not long ago.

"Is burying me in the snow on Jarilo-VI still out of the options?" You ask, frowning at March, Dan Heng, Caelus, and Mr. Yang.

March snorts. "Of course it is! You're going to get yourself even more sick than you already are! Now, lay back and enjoy being pampered by these lovesick fools," March says, gesturing over to the men behind her.

The men behind March all rub their necks while looking around your room, avoiding your gaze. On the other hand, Nanook did not look too pleased with March's comment and the reaction from the nine men. You plop back on your bed and close your eyes, a wave of dizziness hitting you hard. You groan and squeeze your eyes as tightly as you can. Your stomach starts to churn, making you freeze with fear and worry. You slowly open your eyes and stare into space.

Luocha gazes at you, worried. "Are you alright? You don't look too good," Luocha says, taking a step toward your bed.

"I think you forgot they're sick, Luocha. For someone who's great at healing those around him, you're not the brightest today, are you?" Luka teases, earning a glare and an elbow to the rib from the man with long blond hair,

You suddenly leave your bed in a hurry, running to the bathroom and slamming the door behind you before anyone can follow you. You lock the door, open the toilet lid, and vomit into the toilet. You vomited and vomited until there was nothing left inside. You flush the toilet and crawl to the sink to brush your teeth to rid of the aftertaste. After brushing your teeth, you step out of the bathroom and wipe the bead of sweat from your forehead.

"Oh, sweetheart, this is worse than we thought," Jing Yuan whispers.

Your knees buckle underneath you, sending you tumbling to the ground. Jing Yuan grabs you before your head can touch the ground, and he cradles you in his arms. You grip his shirt, eyebrows pinching together with discomfort. Jing Yuan sighs and carries you over to your bed. Nanook steps forward and takes you out of Jing Yuan's arms, making the General of the Xianzhou Luofu huff with annoyance.

"From now on, until you feel one hundred percent better, you're not permitted to leave your bed," Luocha instructs, standing at the foot of your bed with his arms over his chest. "As restricting as that sounds, this is for the sake of your health."

Luka clears his throat. "But they are allowed to leave their bed to go to the bathroom?" Luka asks.

You grip Nanook's shirt and pull him down to lie beside you. Nanook chuckles and scoots you over on your bed before getting comfortable beside you. Sampop huffs loudly, narrowing his eyes at Nanook as the Aeon of Destruction wraps his arms around your waist and plants a kiss on your burning cheeks.

"I'm sure they're allowed to leave their bed for basic things," Gepard sighs, shaking his head.

You bury your face into Nanook's chest and close your eyes, the sound of Nanook's steady heartbeat lulling you to sleep. After you have fallen asleep, Jing Yuan starts assigning each person duties around the Astral Express. From getting you food to getting you medicine to adjusting the temperature on the Astral Express to fit your needs and to making sure you're comfortable.

Everyone is well aware that your sudden sickness is caused by your menstrual cycle, and they wish they could do something to ease your pain (aside from giving you pain medications for your cramps). But they can do only so much, and not even Luocha can ease your pain. Luocha sits at the edge of the bed, and Nanook tenses up, glaring at the blond man that dares to be close to you. Luocha sighs and rolls his eyes, holding his hands up.

Jing Yuan smiles at Nanook, trying not to show his annoyance. "Nanook, I understand you worry about [Y/N] and are protective of them, but you need to let Luocha check [Y/N]'s condition," says Jing Yuan.

Nanook bites the inside of his lips before nodding hesitantly, sitting up, and adjusting you in his arms. You mumble in your sleep, burrowing your face into Nanook's chest and wrapping your arms and legs around him like a koala. March giggles and turns to look at the others, but her smile fades away when she sees how tense everyone in the room is. March clears her throat and slowly steps out of your room. If anything, she would rather not be caught in the crossfire. Poor unconscious you, lying in the middle of the tension between ten men who has deep feelings for you.

Luka crosses his arms over his chest. "I want [Y/N] to cuddle with me. Are we allowed to do that?" Luka asks, looking around.

Gepard raises his eyebrows at Luka. "What do you mean? Can you clarify that?" asks Gepard, propping his hands on his hips.

Before Luka can reply, a soft sneeze can be heard from your, Luocha, and Nanook’s direction. You sneezed into your arms, making sure not to sneeze on Nanook’s chest. You peek and look at everyone sleepily.

“Excuse me,” you whisper before burying your face into Nanook’s chest to continue your sleep.

Nanook caresses your head as you snuggle into his arms. Nanook chuckles and runs his fingers through your hair, ignoring the stares you and Nanook receive from the others in the room. Even in your sleep, your cramps continue to squeeze and twist your uterine muscle. While it's the muscle contracting, it feels like you're being put through the wringer. You whimper in your sleep and roll on your side away from Nanook.

"Did they take the pain medication?" Jing Yuan asks, turning to look at Mr. Yang.

Mr. Yang sighs, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Yes, they took their medication before you arrived at the Astral Express. Because they vomited, the medication did not absorb into their body properly," replies Mr. Yang.

You open your eyes and sit on your bed, sniffling and staring into space. Nanook props himself up on your bed and stares at you, wondering why you're awake all of a sudden. You frown and close your eyes before falling over face-first on the bed. Nanook shoots up and pulls you into his arms, glaring at any person that dares to come close. Caelus turns to look at Jing Yuan, propping his hands on his hips.

"If we're assigning duties, can Nanook be involved too? I don't think cuddling [Y/N] should be one of the duties as it does exclude others from joining in on the cuddle session," Caelus says.

Sampo raises his hands. "What if cuddling helps [Y/N]? I know it's hard to believe, but I think cuddling is the best thing to do while sick and menstruating," Sampo interjects.

You wrap your arms around Nanook, staring at the nine men and March with bleary eyes. You want to sleep the cramps away, but you're in so much pain that it's keeping you awake. At least you're not feeling nauseous anymore. Even if you were feeling nauseous, what's there to throw up when you vomited everything up already? Quite Frankly, you're not opposed to cuddling with every person. However, you're more worried about getting each person sick just by being around them and being in the same room as them.

Oh, and Nanook wouldn't like to see you cuddle with someone that isn't him. You look at Nanook, who's gazing at you worriedly. You reach up and pat his cheek before running your hands through his hair. Nanook smiles, grabs your hand, and kisses your knuckle.

"As amazing as that sounds, I don't think someone would be too pleased about sharing their little shooting star with any of you buffoons," March comments, propping her hands on her hips and leaning on one leg.

Everyone looks over at Nanook, who quickly looks up and glares at them briefly before looking down at you. You stare at Nanook quizzically. Nanook shakes his head before leaning down to kiss your head. Nanook scrunched his face and wiped his lips after feeling his lips make contact with your sweaty forehead. You gasp softly and look at Nanook with your mouth agape. You pout and roll from Nanook's arms.

"Starlight, I was teasing you," Nanook chuckles.

You sit at the edge of the bed and close your eyes, shaking your head stubbornly. Nanook sighs in defeat, pushing himself up from the bed, and crawls toward you. You refuse to look at Nanook as he sits behind you and wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you onto his lap and resting his chin on your head. You crack one eye open and look at the others, shaking your head.

You sigh dramatically. "I'm willing to cuddle with someone new! Someone who doesn't mind kissing my sweaty forehead because I have a fever!" You announce, looking at Nanook.

Luka steps forward, clearing his throat. "I volunteer as tribute! After all, I don't mind cuddling with you while you're sick. You can see it as me making it up to you after the incident," says Luka, nodding his head.

Nanook raises his eyebrows at Luka, crossing his arms over his chest. Luka looks away from Nanook, rubbing his prosthetic arm. Nanook stares at the prosthetic arm before connecting two and two together. The Aeon of Destruction wants to lash out and give Luka a piece of his mind. Still, since the incident happened a while ago, and you're sick and menstruating, Nanook decides to let it roll off his shoulders.

You shrug your shoulders and gesture for Luka to approach. Nanook exhales deeply through his nostrils, trying his best not to show his annoyance with watching other men cuddle with you. Luka perks up and struts over to you happily while ignoring the murderous glares given to him as he walks by the other men.

You get off Nanook's lap, crawl back onto the bed, and lie down while waiting for Luka to lay beside you. Nanook and Luka have a stare-down, none of them moving from their spot. You adjust, fluff the pillow underneath your head, and peek over your shoulders to see Nanook and Luka glaring at one another.

"This is getting awkward," Gepard whispers, refusing to take his eyes off the scene before him and the others.

Jing Yuan steps forward, smiling at Luka and Nanook stiffly. "Gentlemen, let's not let [Y/N] wait any longer, shall we? They need to get plenty of rest, and the longer we keep them waiting, the more fatigue they will be," says Jing Yuan.

Nanook clenches his jaws as he gets off your bed, stepping to the side to let Luka crawl onto your bed. The man plops in front of you, smiling at you as he holds his arms out. You scoot into his arms and bury your face into his neck. Luka's face turns almost as dark as his hair, wrapping his arms around you and kissing the top of your head. You sigh with contentment, letting your body relax in Luka's arms. Luka smells like detergent, shampoo, and cologne. You can't help but feel comforted by the smell.

Luocha chuckles. "Well, after your cuddling session with [Y/N] is over, I will be conducting a check-up on [Y/N] to make sure they're okay. It's better to be safe than sorry," says Luocha.

Luka nods and watches everyone leave your room to do what they were tasked with. Once every person left your room, Nanook remained. Nanook stands where the fan is blowing. His arms crossed over his chest while he stared at you and Luka with scrutiny. Luka likes cuddling with you. This is the first time he's been able to get this close to you without Nanook charging at him like an angry bull.

You crack your eyes open to look at Luka, watching the man before you stare at the Aeon of Destruction with wary. You wrap your arms around his waist and stare at the distracted man. Luka notices the way Nanook tenses up when he sees you wrap your arms around Luka's waist. Your bodies are touching, faces so close that Nanook swears that if Luka were to turn his head to look at you, your noses would be touching.

Your body is so hot that Luka swears it can melt his prosthetic arm. Okay, maybe he was exaggerating about your body temperature, but your body is pretty hot, and he can feel the heat through his clothes. You search for the tissue box, feeling the snot beginning to roll down your nostrils. You poke Luka's chest and point at the box of tissues on your nightstand. Without getting off the bed, Luka leans over and reaches for the tissue box.

You smile at Luka and grab the tissue from the tissue box he handed to you. You struggle to sit up, prompting Luka to help you. You lean against the man and wipe your nose, head tucked into the crook of Luka's neck. You sniffle and yawn, squeezing the tissue in your hands and closing your eyes,

"You're really warm," you murmur.

Luka kisses your forehead, ignoring the bristling Nanook from a distance. "And you're hot," Luka replies.

Nanook's head snapped toward Luka's direction, his gold eyes turning crimson red with anger and jealousy. You pout and press the back of your head to your forehead, not feeling a difference in temperature. Luka chuckles and kisses your cheek while brushing the hairs from your face.

"Hey, hey, hey! We're back! Luka, it's time for you to swap out with the next person," Sampo says, entering the room with plushies in his arms while Gepard has a thin throw blanket draped over his arms.

Luka sighs in defeat and reluctantly leaves your side, passing a fuming Nanook on his way toward the door. You turn to look at Sampo and Gepard as the two approach your bed and sit on the edge of your bed on each side. You're too tired to question why you're going to be sandwiched between Gepard and Sampo, but you're not complaining. Sampo hands you a plushie, and you hug the plush to your chest, plopping on the bed and closing your eyes.

When Gepard lays on your bed, something catches his attention—the flower he bought for you at the Eversummer Florist in Belobog. The beautiful flower is sitting near your desk, full of life. Gepard smiles and rolls on his side, propping himself up on his right arm and running his hands through your hair.

"You still have the flower," Gepard murmurs, rubbing the apples of your cheeks with his thumb.

You clear your throat, nodding. "Of course, I still have the flower. It's beautiful, and I've been making sure to take care of it well," you reply, clearing your throat.

The two men sandwich you between them. You're debating who you're going to snuggle up against aside from the plushie you're cradling. Noticing your inner turmoil, Sampo turns you to face him, having you throw one leg over his waist while your head is resting on his bicep. Gepard then spoons you from behind, wrapping his arms around your waist and closing his eyes.

The murderous glare Nanook is giving Sampop and Gepard would have sent them running for the hills. Still, since everyone is allowed to snuggle with you (because you said so and you wanted a new cuddling partner that won't recoil with disgust after kissing your sweaty forehead), Sampo and Gepard decide to enjoy this moment while it lasts. A few seconds later, Nanook decides to leave your bedroom, anger, and jealousy bubbling in his chest.

Gepard and Sampo look at one another over your head, tiny smirks appearing on their faces. It wasn't that Sampo and Gepard are joyful that Nanook is angry and storms out of your bedroom. They're just glad that they didn't have to deal with the Aeon of Destruction's wrath. Yet. Sampo rubs your arms when you shiver, burrowing your face into his neck. Sampo kisses your forehead and closes his eyes. You soon drift to sleep in between Sampo and Gepard. The last thing you felt before you drifted to sleep was Gepard kissing your flushed cheeks, murmuring a soft goodnight (even though it's not nighttime).

The first thing you notice when you wake up is that Sampo and Gepard are no longer by your side. You pout and groan softly, sniffling and hugging the plushie to your chest with an iron grip. Something (or someone) beneath you shifts. You blink and look around sleepily, slowly looking up to see Mr. Yang gazing at you intently. You blink at the older man and rub your eyes. How in the world did you end up on top of Mr. Yang?

"You're a heavy sleeper. Did you know that?" Dan Heng asks.

The more awake you become, the more you're aware that Dan Heng, Mr. Yang, and Caelus are sitting up. You're the only one that's lying down on top of Mr. Yang. You look around your room to see Nanook standing where he was prior to leaving your room when Sampo and Gepard were sandwiching you, frowning at the three men. How long have Dan Heng, Caelus, and Mr. Yang been in your bedroom?

You clear your throat. "How long have I been asleep?"

"I would say almost two hours now. After we told Sampo and Gepard their time was up, you dragged us to your bed and had Mr. Yang become your body pillow," Caelus replies, giving you a teasing smile.

You blink at Caelus. You didn't recall being awake when Sampo and Gepard's time was up. Your face heats up, imagining your sick, sleepy self grabbing Mr. Yang by his wrist and pulling him toward your bed so he can be your body pillow as you snuggle with the plushie Sampo gifted you. You look at Nanook for confirmation. The Aeon of Destruction has a deep frown, nodding stiffly when you give him a questioning look. You bury your face into the plushie, continuing to lie on Mr. Yang. He's very comfortable to lay on and makes a perfect body pillow to snuggle up against or to lay on.

"I hope you didn't mind me laying on top of you while I slept. I don't remember waking up," you murmur, peeking at the brown-haired man from your plushie.

Mr. Yang smiles, brushing your hair behind your ear. "I don't mind it. As long as you're comfortable, that's all that matters to me," Mr. Yang murmurs, kissing the top of your head.

Dan Heng hums with amusement. "Who knew Mr. Yang is very affectionate," Dan Heng comments nonchalantly.

Mr. Yang ignores Dan Heng's comment, stroking your hair while you stretch your limbs and yawn. You continue to lay on Mr. Yang's chest but eventually migrate to Caelus, lying on the silver-haired man's chest while he plays with your fingers. Dan Heng, Mr. Yang, and Caelus murmur to each other while you stare into space, not realizing you're staring at the pouting Nanook. You blink and wave at Nanook, who huffs and crosses his arms over his chest.

Caelus's chest rumbles beneath you. You pout and look up at Caelus, who gazes at you with amusement. "I don't think he's happy with me at the moment," you mumble, continuing to lie on Caelus' chest.

"Don't take it the hard way, Starlight. You know how possessive the Aeon of Destruction can get when it comes to you," Luocha interjects, leaning against the doorway with Blade and Jing Yuan standing beside him.

You roll over to face the entrance of your room and wave at the three men. You yawn, hug the plushie to your chest, and cough into your elbows. You still feel like the Astral Express ran over you. Your head hurts so much, and you feel like you have the urge to vomit again, even though you still haven't eaten anything. You sniffle and slowly sit up, crawling over to Dan Heng. Dan Heng opens his arms, and you plop onto his chest, resting your head in the crook of his neck.

Luocha walks to you with medication in his hands. "I can't heal you from your menstrual cycle, but I do have medication that should ease the cramps and body aches," Luocha says, sitting at the edge of the bed and opening the medicine bottle.

Luocha takes two large pills from the bottle and hands them to you. You stare at the pills and look at Luocha. The blond man nods, gesturing for you to take the medicine while grabbing a cup of water from your nightstand. You nearly did a double take, wondering where the cup of water came from. You continue to stare at the large pill tablets in your hands, unsure of wanting to take them.

Jing Yuan raises his eyebrows at you. "Are you going to take your medication? If you don't take them, it won't ease the cramps and body aches," Jing Yuan comments, crossing his arms over his chest.

You shake your head, handing the pills back to Luocha, hugging the plush tight to your chest and burying your face into Dan Heng's chest. There's no way in hell you can swallow pills that are almost as long as Nanook's fingers (he has pretty hands and long fingers). Blade snorts, entering the room with Jing Yuan following behind. Nanook narrows his eyes at Blade, watching the red-eyed man stand at the foot of your bed.

"Isn't it obvious? [Y/N] is scared of taking pills. They're afraid they'll choke on it," Blade comments, huffing with amusement.

You glare at Blade, snatch the pills from Luocha's hands, and hold them up for everyone to see. There's no guarantee you won't choke on the pills and suffocate. It's going to happen, and no amount of water you can down get those two large pills down your throat and into your stomach.

"I know what else [Y/N] can choke on," Sampo comments cheekily, smirking from the doorway.

Gepard's eyes widen, and his cheeks turn bright red. "Did you really have to say that, Sampo?! Now is not the right time to make a dirty joke," Gepard hisses, nudging the indigo-haired man with a glare.

Luka laughs, standing between the blond man and the indigo-haired man and propping his arms on their shoulders. "I think Sampo is referring to good," he holds up a bag of food to show everyone, "you, on the other hand, need to get your head out of the gutter."

Your eyes light up at the sight of food in Luka's hands. Finally! Something to fill your stomach before you're forced to take medication that's the length of Nanook's fingers. Luka puts the bag of food in front of you, and you open it to see comfort food, a small bowl of fried rice with a bottle of whale-tide water.

"I think you should take your medication first before eating. If you're worried about choking on the pills, I suggest you take the medication then eat after, or else you'll throw up again," Blade says.

You pucker your lips. "Can I skip the medicine?" You ask, batting your eyelashes at the men.

The men give you a look of disapproval. You frown and sigh, staring at the pills in your hand, not wanting to take them. While you hate taking medication, that's huge, you're also a people pleaser, and you love it when people praise you, unfortunately. You sniffle dramatically and take the cup from Luocha's hand before tossing the two abnormally large pills into your mouth and down the water like your life depended on it. It sort of does because if you don't drink enough water to wash the medicine down, it'll get stuck in your throat, and you'll choke and probably die.

You squeeze your eyes shut when the two large pills slide down your throat. Your worst fear comes true when the pills get lodged at the back of your throat. You chug the water faster, drinking as fast as you can to wash the pills down. After what felt like an eternity, the two pills dislodged from your throat, and you successfully swallowed the huge pills. You slam the cup of water on the nightstand and wipe your lips, panting.

"Man, I drank so much water. I'm not hungry anymore," you sigh, slumping against Dan Heng's chest. "Save it for later."

You return the food to the men and lay between Mr. Yang and Dan Heng on the bed. Dan Heng strokes your hair before getting up from the bed. Mr. Yang and Caelus soon follow after patting your head and kissing your head. You stare at them as the other three get on your bed.

"Are you sure you don't want to eat? You'll feel nauseous if you don't eat anything," Blade mutters, kneeling on the edge of your bed before lying beside you.

You open your mouth to reply, but the cramps kick in, making you freeze and tense up. You let out a low, strained groan and shake your head instead of giving a verbal response. Blade sighs, pulling you up toward his chest. You want to fight back and move from him, but you're too tired to be stubborn. Jing Yuan and Luocha sit beside Blade while you're being cradled.

Jing Yuan looks at Luocha. "Did you ever figure out what started first?' Jing Yuan asks.

Luocha sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Unfortunately, I did not. [Y/N] woke up, and they weren't feeling well. Their menstrual cycle has begun, and they also have a fever."

You sniffle and turn to look at Nanook, who continues to pout from the other side of the room. You gesture for him to come over, but the Aeon remains where he stands. You pout and sit up, staring at the Aeon. Nanook continues to stand where he's at, staring at you and the three men on your bed.

You sniffle and wipe your nose with the back of your hand. "Nanook is mad at me," you state.

"I don't think Nanook is mad at you. He's upset that he's not the only one that can cuddle you," Blade retorts, turning to look at the pouting Aeon of Destruction with a smirk.

Luocha and Jing Yuan chuckle.

"Before we let you and Nanook cuddle in peace, let us have some time with you," Luocha says.

The two men (Jing Yuan and Luocha) end up sandwiching you between them. You were lying on Blade, but you wanted to give the other two men a chance to cuddle with you. Plus, you're also still mad (not really) at Blade for teasing you. How dare he make a comment about not wanting to come close to you while you're wearing clothes soaked in sweat? That's a valid reason, but you're sick, you're menstruating, and you're sweating because of your fever.

You nearly drift off to sleep when Luocha, Jing Yuan, and Blade get off your bed. You lift your head to see the three men getting ready to leave your room. Of course, the men aren't going to leave without kissing your head and wishing you well. Wanting to piss Nanook even more, Blade leans down and makes sure to kiss your cheek close to your lips. Blade pulls away with a smirk and walks off with his head held high.

Once the three men left you and Nanook alone, Naook huffs and walks to your bed and flops beside you dramatically. Nanook hardly gives you any time to speak when he wraps his arms around you and pulls you to his chest. You squeak and watch helplessly as Nanook rips the plushie from your grasp and tosses it to the ground on the other side of the room.

"Nanook! That wasn't nice!" You scold.

The Aeon of Destruction pouts and rests his chin on your head, tightening his arms around your waist. You poke his cheek to grab his attention. Nanook looks down at you, continuing to pout.

You mumble, "I thought you didn't want to cuddle or kiss me because I was sweaty."

Nanook sighs and runs his hands through his hair. "I never said that, little one. I was merely teasing you," Nanook mutters. "I learned my lesson not to make you upset. I don't like seeing you cuddle with someone that isn't me."

You giggle and bury your face into his chest, wrapping your arms around his waist. "I'm not upset, Nana. You're so cute when you're jealous and pouting," you coo, poking his cheek.

Nanook grabs your hand and kisses your knuckle. "I wasn't pouting. Now, get some rest. When you wake up, make sure to eat."

"Oh! So you are jealous!" You laugh victoriously.

Nanook grabs you by the back of your neck and lightly shoves your face into his chest, playfully rolling his eyes. A faint hue of red dusts his cheeks. "Little one, sleep."

You huff like a petulant child. "Fine."

The last thing you feel before falling asleep is Nanook combing his fingers through your hair while pressing light kisses on your head. While it’s a shame to have little to no time with each man, you hope you’ll be able to spend time with them individually without a pouting Nanook glaring at you and your male companions from across the room.

Note: I am posting this fic first ahead of the Genshin fic because I need more time to type it out. Therefore the HSR fic is the first fic posted! I'm not sure how it'll turn out when I post on AO3 due to the DDOS attack, and I'm worried it won't show up for people. My vacation is coming up in a few days, and I won't be able to write the typical long fics. This week and next week will be mainly mini-fics instead of the fics that are close to 10k words. I haven't written a fic that's 10 words in so long omg. For those who want to be tagged in the HSR fics, here is the [HSR Taglist]. I will be writing the first smut for HSR very soon! Vote for who you want to be the first, and from there on, anyone can be next (the poll is mainly to see who's going to be the first one to get smut in the series). You can vote at the [HSR Smut Poll] before I close the poll soon. The previous week's discord link has now expired, so for those who want to pop into my discord and lurk or chat with other server members, here is a new (and temporary) server link to [Zhongli's Abode]. Please make sure to read the server rules closely before deciding whether you want to remain in the server or not. To my new and/or returning readers, please keep in mind that I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!

Taglist for the HSR one-shot series: @ashwasherelol, @mompt2, @elegantnightblaze, @lunavixia, @jadedist, @pinksaiyans, @n8mareee, @aurelia-xyt, @ssunset0, @starrry-angel, @kaoyamamegami, @kodzuvk, @for3very0urs, @a-cosmicdawn, @g3n0dtt, @theblades, @wntrsblvd, @raaawwwr, @immahuman, @irisxiel, @siaracarroll, @crazydreamcat, @sagekun, @orichalcumthief, (Accounts that I was unable to tag are not tagged in this fic. Remember to check your settings if you're allowing people to mention you/tag you in posts or not)

Read more of my works on my Masterlist | Maybe support me by tipping me on Ko-Fi or by reblogging my fanfics! ^^ I will also be posting exclusive fanfics on Ko-Fi as well very soon! I might post all of my stories on there too, but who knows. You can also tip me on Tumblr if you'd like as a way to show support! ^^

#Honkai Star Rail x reader #Honkai Star Rail imagine #Honkai Star rail fanfiction #Honkai Star Rail fanfic #HSR x reader #HSR imagine #HSR fanfiction #HSR fanfic #Dan Heng x reader #Gepard Landau x reader #Sampo Koski x reader #Welt Yang x reader #Blade x reader #Jing Yuan x reader #Luocha x reader #Caelus x reader #Nanook x reader #Luka x reader #genshinluvr

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shirefantasies · 9 months

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Congrats on 100 followers!!

What are some of your lotr headcanons?

Thank you so much 🥳 Ooooooh good question 👀 lessee *cracks knuckles* I’m going to do some regular one & some romantic ones, enjoy 😘

Some of my LoTR Headcanons!

*General*

✧ Aragorn may have worn Boromir’s bracers, but he also kept a drawing he found in his pocket. Turns out Faramir had drawn it one day when they were boys and his older brother held onto it until the end of his days.

✧ Legolas is so soft around little ones. He tries to act all like a wise guide but devolves into letting them climb him and carrying them up to rooftops for starlight stories. Doesn’t even care if they grab his hair or his ears, he’s still smiling so gently at them.

✧ Pippin is what would be called in modern days neurodivergent, more specifically with autism and ADHD. His parents and Merry were the most understanding ones, the ones who knew what he needed to hear and how he would process it best when others didn’t always understand.

✧ Legolas and Aragorn had the habit of singing together at fireside, quiet elvish songs, until one evening Gimli decided to put a stop to it with a dwarvish drinking song. In the end, the others find it so funny they learn it and join in, all three of them leaving their troubles for one night of song.

✧ Lord Elrond? Elrond of Rivendell??? Makes the best cup of tea in Middle Earth, fight me.

✧ Faramir teaches Pippin his favorite childhood game, probably something akin to chess, not really expecting the hobbit to enjoy it but Pippin ends up beating him out of sheer luck

✧ Frodo, Aragorn, and Legolas could have totally talked some shit in Elvish to each other and I firmly believe they did

✧ Arwen thinks of Lindir as a friend, but he’s so formal that in his mind such a lady could never see him so casually, leading to comical differences in the way they address each other

✧ Pippin wants a shit ton of kids some day. Sam is happy with around three, Merry wants a boy and a girl, Frodo isn’t sure he even wants children at all, but Pippin? He’s down for five to ten no problem, and he will be best friends with every single one.

✧ Eowyn teaches Faramir a bunch of horse riding tricks and he falls in love with riding as a sport, smiling as he takes in an act he only performed in war during a moment of pure joy and prosperity.

*Romance*

✧ Merry and Pippin are both such passionate kissers. OMG you will be breathless

✧ Elrond is the gentlest lover, handling his partner so carefully as if they were like gorgeous blown-glass in his hands and could break.

✧ Boromir is the type to grab his partner’s booty when they’re kissing in private

✧ Frodo’s ideal partner is not the smartest person or the most well-read, but someone with lighter spirits than his, someone who can never fail to bring a smile to his face and a laugh out of him.

✧ Faramir absolutely adores surprising you with flowers, so get ready to find them everywhere.

✧ Legolas is incredibly shy, inexperienced, and unsure with romance, so he prefers you to lead so that he can respond in kind, learning and studying with each touch, each act. He discovers his favorite thing is tracing a hand up and down your spine as you embrace.

✧ Gimli likes to act so rough and tough for someone who, in modern terms, would be called a massive simp, practically rolling out a red carpet for his partner and worshipping the ground they walk on, kissing them almost reverently unless the mood shifted deeper.

✧ Eomer is so good at giving massages, his partner will feel like royalty whenever he helps them relax

✧ He doesn’t look it, but Sam 100% would be the type to hold you up against a wall as he kisses you

✧ Aragorn enjoys being little spoon quite frequently. Fight me.

#lord of the rings #lotr #lotr imagines #lotr x reader #lotr headcanons #the fellowship of the ring #100 followers 🥳#ask #anon #requested

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greycloudsinwinter · 5 months

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Yandere Thranduil and female fairy reader headcanon.

YANDERE THRANDUIL X FEMALE FAIRY READER

🪽 he first met you in them woods he caught glimpse of your beautiful fairy wings . And as the king it his duty to find out what creature had such wings ( at least that what he told himself.)

🪽when he finally spoke to you he felt that you were ethereal.

🪽starts to call you his little butterfly and takes you back with him.

🪽he lets you explore as long as you don’t leave with out him.

🪽he starts to tutor you on how elves live and there past but in return he expects you to tell him all your fairy secrets.

🪽when you said you wanted to leave he agreed however he wanted one more night with you. He gave you lots and LOTS of wine too much for your body to handle.

🪽by then it was too late you woke up naked and a ring on your finger on his bed.

🪽he later explained it all to you and how now you can’t leave because you are a queen.

🪽you sobbed and begged him to divorce you but he declined saying “what about my reputation as king?” …

🪽you can’t leave now and if you do he will tear those pretty little wings off … so it’s best to stay by his side.

🪽he has no rivals .

🪽Legolas felt sadness for you he truest did he try to talk his father out of this madness he really he did . But his father ignored him.

🪽Gifts you jewels of pure starlight for you to parade around wearing.

🪽enjoys showing you off.

🪽one of the bad yanderes to have not the worst but definitely not the best.

🪽I wish good luck to you I really do just stay in line and you both will get on just fine ❤️

Thank you for this request ❤️❤️

#yandere #yandere headcanons #yandere x reader #obsessive love #obsessive yandere #x reader #obsessed #obssesive #obssessed #yandere family #yandere hobbit #yandere lotr #yandere Thranduil #the hobbit #lord of the rings #elves #tolkien #tolkein #tolkein elves

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mpregandproud · 23 days

Text

Isaac II (Part 3)

Although it may seem otherwise, resting is anything but easy. I love being at home, watching a movie, taking a little walk in the garden, sunbathing on the terrace… but by the fourth day I don't know what to do. And in my case it's not just four days that I have to be like this, it's 30 weeks.

On the other hand, I kill boredom by eating more and more every day. I eat breakfast… twice, because I'm hungry again as soon as I end eating for the first time. Lunch portions have multiplied. The snack, instead of being something small to kill hunger until dinner, has become a small feast. And although all the doctors recommend otherwise, my dinners have become very copious.

Pregnancy anxiety, I get hungry, so I eat. The fear of doing something that could lead to losing the babies makes me more anxious, so I eat even more. So much eating makes me put on weight at an exaggeratedly fast rate. The weight gain worries me, so it makes me anxious and this leads me to… yes, eat more. I'm in a circle that never ends.

And to top it off, Isaac and I have stopped fucking like we used to. We've gone from being two rabbits who feel like having sex at all times to abruptly entering our era of monks with a vow of chastity. It's all for a good cause, I know, but if my sexual needs before I got pregnant were already exorbitant, now with my hormones revved up I'm horny 24 hours a day. But my husband has decided not to give in and to arm himself with unprecedented willpower not to visit my hole every night. Just my luck.

This situation keeps me awake at night, so I get out of bed a thousand times. Sometimes Isaac wakes up too and accompanies me for a little starlight walk in the garden. He gives me kisses and caresses me. The bastard of him has such a self-control that I hate him. I want him to fuck me in the middle of the lawn, among the geraniums, like that night when the condom broke and we ended up where we are now. But no, even though he knows that his way of giving me love and support makes me horny as hell, it doesn't go any further. I want a time machine to jump seven months ahead in a second and to fuck again with him. I can't take it anymore. I need sex NOW.

Other nights I wake up alone and wander around the house. I usually open the door to our children's rooms and watch them sleep peacefully. That night Dylan and Nate were out, it was Saturday, so they were out partying with their friends. Sandra was out with her boyfriend Cal as she was every night, and the rest of our children were still away on vacation. There is something about the solitude of home, the silence and darkness of the night that gives me peace. Although I'd rather be riding my husband like a cowboy with his horse, I'm happy to walk around slowly.

My little walk around the house, more waddling than walking, took me to the bathroom we have down the hall, it's the bathroom that Sandra, Cristina, Charlotte and Ivana use, the girls' bathroom, as my boys call it. A light was coming from under the door, had Sandra left the light on before leaving the house? I went over to turn it off and at that moment the bathroom door opened and Sandra came out looking like she had been crying. I was paralyzed, what has happened to my daughter, why has she been crying, why hasn't she woken up Isaac or me to tell us what was happening to her.

“Honey, what's wrong, why are you crying”, I asked her and rushed over to her to give a hug. She started crying even more and didn't answer my questions. She started crying louder and louder. Isaac appeared where we were and asked the same questions I asked before. I told him I didn't know what it was, and he suggested we go to the kitchen to sit there and talk.

We took Sandra into the kitchen and she and I sat at the table. Isaac brought some tissues for Sandra to dry her face, and a tub of chocolate ice cream for me. This damn man knows me better than anyone. He knew perfectly well that I was getting anxious about seeing our eldest daughter like this, and that if I was already awake it was because I was hungry again. He has stopped fucking me like he used to weeks ago, but now his biggest passion is to satisfy my every craving. I always forget how much it turns him on to see me fat and very pregnant. He is my ultimate downfall, and one of the reasons why I'm putting on weight like crazy. But I couldn't blame him, I love making him happy.

Isaac sat down at the table, and with a smile and a calm tone of voice asked Sandra again what was wrong. This time, with the girl more comforted than before, she began to stammer out an explanation. “I am so sorry, I have disappointed you. I'm not the daughter you expected”, and she began to sob again.

“What? No, nothing like that, my love. Why do you say that? Your father and I are very proud of you”, Isaac said her after he jumped up from his chair and walked over to her. I was no longer agile enough to get up so quickly with this belly, but I reached out to her to give her my arm and let her feel my support.

Sandra reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a small white stick. It was a pregnancy test and she handed it to me. I turned it over and looked at it, “Oh, wow. Honey, I'm so sorry”, and that's when I really got up to hug her. “It's going to be okay, these things happen, believe me”, I told her. If anyone in this house knows what it's like to get pregnant by accident, it's me. It happened to me twice with Isaac, and if we count the time I got Sandra's mother pregnant, that would be three times.

“Does Cal know yet?” asked Isaac.

“Yes, I took the test at his house this afternoon,” she said wiping away her tears again. “He says he wants us to have the baby, he wants to take care of the child and me. He says it was his mistake not to wear a condom. He assured me that he was in control, that he would use the reverse technique, but it was too late by the time he realized,” she told us. “Why did I have to say yes? Why did I make this mistake? I've sent my life to hell for letting myself get carried away in a night of sex”, she blamed herself. “I know he didn't do it on purpose, because his shocked face was like the one dad Dan made when he saw me in the bathroom earlier, but I don't know if I want to have this child, I don't see myself ready. I don't know if being so young we are going to be good parents”, Sandra said.

“Whatever you decide, we are going to be with you, and apparently that is the same thing he told you. I don't know what he will be like, because I don't know him very well either, but apparently he is willing to fight for you and your son. He seems to be a responsible man,” Isaac said. “That's right, take the decision calmly, but know that here you have a family ready to support you in everything. We are going to be together no matter what,” I told him.

“While you're deciding, I'm going to bring you a present,” Isaac said. Sandra and I looked at each other in surprise, not understanding anything. And immediately he came back with a jar of strawberry ice cream. “It works with your father, why wouldn't it work with my favorite girl”, Isaac said to Sandra with a wink.

It's because of details like that that I'm still in love like the first day with this man. He is able to bring a smile to our faces even in the most complicated moments. He has been an exceptional lover, husband and father, and if Sandra decides to go through with the pregnancy, he will be the best grandfather ever. I love him.

Go to Part 4

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lanitalay · 11 months

Text

Before I Say Goodnight

Chapter 4

a/n: sorry this is a bit late, Halloweekend got very busy. Enjoy!!

Other chapters

Warnings: none

Word count: 2k

“I suggest someone else take her back, she did not have a good time during the flight” Cassian says and flashes you a mischievous grin. His face drops when he sees the far away look in your eyes and the wet streaks on your cheeks “seriously though, can someone winnow her?” “I need to speak with Lucien so I can take her, but I have a few meetings until later in the afternoon” she looks to Mor “do you mind giving her a tour of the house and finding her a room in the meantime?” Mor adjusts her hair and says “of course, we can have a little girls day and get to know each other a bit. I’ll fill you in on all of our juicy gossip” she winks at you. You wipe your tears away and put on a poor excuse of a smile “that sounds great, I love to gossip”. You laugh, kind of, trying to ignore the pang in your chest. Memories of long gossip sessions with friends flashing through your mind. At coffee shops, during phone calls, at sleep-overs before you fall asleep. Amren gets up from her chair “I assume this meeting is over. I’ll see if I can find something in my personal library” and walks out. “Meeting adjourned '' Rhysand announces and the group stands to go their own ways. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, y/n” Feyre smiles and walks out of the room. Mor is waiting for you by the doorway “Come on, girl, there’s a lot to see”.

“I think this should be your room” Mor opens the door and lets you walk in first. The tour had been… a lot to take in. The house is huge and it’s beautiful but it has about a hundred floors and a million rooms. When you step through the door, you’re not shocked to see a beautifully decorated room with an incredible view to match. Velaris, the city of starlight, Mor had told you. “It’s close to the stairs, has its own bathing room and if you pull this back” she goes towards the curtains and reveals a glass door that blends in perfectly with the wall of windows “a balcony! I think no one has claimed this one because it is a little on the smaller side but if all goes well you’ll be on your way home soon” she smiles as you look around. This room is twice the size of my room back home. The bed looks divine, it is made with expensive looking linens, it has about ten decorative pillows that take up half of the mattress. You sit on it and lay back. Good god, I’m never leaving this bed. “This is the most extravagant bed and room I’ve ever seen, let alone stayed in” months of traveling on a budget had gotten you accustomed to thin mattresses at crowded hostels or questionable spare bedrooms from online listings. This was luxury. From what you had gathered last night, a High Lord is someone akin to a king and by the looks of this “house” Rhysand has the taste and wallet of true royalty. “I can’t disagree, it is beautiful” she sits next to you “so… I was serious about the gossip. There are some things you might want to know about the whole dynamic within the Court of Dreams” you can’t help the genuine smile that comes on “tell me everything”. “I knew there was something about you that I liked” she giggles “ok so since you’ve met Lucien I guess we can start with him and Elain. This is crazy, the poor male has terrible luck. Anyways Elain is Feyre’s sister and quick backstory, Feyre and her sisters were humans but for different reasons got turned Fae a while back. Elain and Nesta got dunked in the Cauldron and that turned them. The thing is that all of us were there when it happened and when Elain came out of the Cauldron, the mating bond snapped between her and Lucien-” Oh this is good. “Mating bond?” “Oh right, a mating bond is something that happens between two people destined by the Mother, as I was saying Lucien just says it in front of everyone and Elain is there like totally in shock. Flash forward to a few weeks later her mortal fiance hates Fae and wants nothing to do with her now and she wants nothing to do with Lucien and then Azriel kind of likes Elain now” she goes on to tell you about how Feyre and Rhysand met and Cassian and Nesta. You noticed that she didn’t tell you anything about her own drama but chose to not acknowledge it. It was comforting in a way that these magical beings had personal dramas and gossiped about it like you and your friends did “those stories are wild, Mor” she nods “we’ve been alive so long that we really have to work hard to keep things interesting” you snort and there's a knock on the door. “I’m sorry to interrupt but y/n, I’m ready to go when you are” Feyre says and you quickly get up from where you’ve made yourself comfortable on the bed. “Yeah, let’s go. Thanks for everything Mor” you quickly hug her and go towards Feyre. “How are we getting there?” you ask, not sure what to expect “I’ll winnow us, you’ll see” you walk until you reach the terrace where you had landed with Cassian earlier and look at her wearily “this place is warded against winnowing so I’ll fly us out until we pass the wards and then I’ll winnow to the Manor”. As she speaks, wings appear on her back and she holds out her hands for you “it’ll be quick. I promise” you gulp.

Feyre did not lie when she said it would be quick but left out that it would feel like the world is slipping from your grasp. You feel sick as she puts you down. You rest your hands on your knees in an attempt to steady yourself. “It takes a bit of getting used to” she lets you take a breath and you say “It beats going through TSA”. Feyre nods and when you’ve gathered yourself begins the short walk to the manor.

Packing up your belongings was incredibly underwhelming. You had folded the tunic you’d been using as pajamas and the dress Vassa had given you and stuffed it in your bag. Feyre and Lucien had gone to the library to talk about whatever it was they had to discuss. You had a feeling they were talking about you and if you posed a threat of some kind, feeling that the offer of staying in the House of Wind came from the Court of Dreams wanting to keep a close eye on you. You zip everything up and descend the stairs to find your hosts and thank them for everything. Walking to the kitchen you find Jurian making dinner “they really take advantage of your talents here”. He turns from where he is chopping up produce and lets out a chuckle “it’s the price I pay for pissing Vassa off”. “What did you do?” you ask but before he can answer a lovely feminine voice interjects “he was being an idiot as usual” Jurian rolls his eyes but does not defend himself. “On that note,” you try to diffuse the tension “I’ll be staying at the Night Court while they research how to get me back home, thank you so much for everything. I think I would’ve been dead days ago if it weren’t for you” Vassa pouts “I’ll be sad to see you go, it was such a relief to have some feminine energy around here, but I understand” she walks over and hugs you tightly “please come say goodbye once you’ve figured it all out” you hug her back. Jurian stays by his vegetables as he says “you have to eat dinner here though, I’m making enough for the four of us and Lucien brought pie for dessert”. Your chest warms. He really got the pie. “In that case Feyre, will have to wait” you beam.

After dinner and dessert with the exiles Feyre lets you know she’ll be waiting outside while you say your goodbyes. You hug Vassa and kiss Jurian on the cheek. Lucien offers to walk you to the door and you take the chance to say “thank you for the pie, it was delicious”. He offers you a half smile “you’ve had a rough few days, it’s the least I can do”. “Will you come visit?” you ask hoping the answer is yes. Everyone in the Night Court seems nice enough but Lucien, Jurian and Vassa have a special place in your heart. “I’m due to go there for a meeting in a few weeks. You’re always welcome to use your room here as well” nodding you hug him and without letting go say “I’m nervous”. He hugs you back “you’re in good hands, the House of Wind is safer and you’ll have everything you need”. You let go and walk out the door.

Feyre walks with you until you reach your room “Mor showed you the kitchen and the common areas?” you walk in and set your bag down. “Yes, she was very thorough with her tour” you felt heavy. Maybe it was the flying and winnowing or saying goodbye or the weight of your reality crashing down on you. “Alright, try to sleep, if you need anything ask the house and if there’s an emergency you can wake up Azriel, his room is across the hall”. You remember him from earlier, tall, wings and devastatingly handsome. Historically, you had never figured out how to act around attractive men and during the meeting it was incredibly difficult to focus on retelling your story. “Thank you, Feyre” she goes to walk out and says “I’ll let you know tomorrow when the priestesses begin their research so you can join them if you like”.

Wait, did she say ask the house if I need anything? You go to ask her but she’s gone. “House? Can I have water?” you ask to see if you had heard correctly. You are shocked when you see a tray with a jug of water and a glass appear on the bedside table. That is the best thing I’ve ever seen. You do your night routine: you bathe, brush your teeth and hair and put on your tunic. You pull the covers from the bed and get cozy. The house turns off the lights and the curtains are open, letting through the shine of the city and the stars. During the day it’s easier to ignore the ever growing helplessness. It feels like you’re drowning in it. Trapped in a glass coffin in between space and time. You feel your throat get tighter and your chest feels hollow and- Breathe. In. Out. In. Out. Count the stars, do something. Your mind screams. One, two, three, four, this isn’t working. You get an idea. Getting out of bed and walking towards your bag you pull out your phone. You haven’t used it since… well, since everything. It should be charged. Your heart skips when the screen lights up and you scroll to your photos as quickly as you can. Forty-five percent. You see a picture of your dog that your mom had sent you on your last day on Earth and tears well up. It hurts but it brings you comfort to know that they have each other. Committing the picture to memory, you shut it off and get in bed again. They have each other. They are not alone. Eventually sleep takes over. Mercifully, you have no dreams.

The house had closed the curtains after you fell asleep. When you woke up to a dark room you almost thought you had slept through an entire day. Sensing you had awoken, the curtains flew open and you see the sun above the city. It looks like it’s still early. You put on your dress and go have breakfast in the dining room. Azriel is the only one there. “Good morning” he greets. You fiddle with your dress, suddenly aware of the dirt that’s staining the hem and the way it falls off your shoulder. “Good morning”.

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starsurface · 8 months

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these are great :) Plz plz mk1 headcanons for care-giver Liu Kang with a baby regressor

Oh my goodness, Liu Kang would be such a great CG!!!

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

CG Lord Liu Kang w/ Babyspace Regressor Hcs

🌟 Ugh, he's such a good CG :(

🌟 Another CG that does really good with almost all ages too!!

🌟 But absolutely adores baby regressors (guys they're so cute, come on 🥺)

🌟 Favorite CG nicknames are Dada, Papa, Liu-Liu, or honestly just babbling and grabby hands for him (he finds it adorable)

🌟 But will be absolutely floored if you called him any kind of CG indication nickname!!!

🌟 Favorite nicknames for you are Firestarter, Starlight, Sunshine, Baby, Sweetie, Honey, Little One, my Flame, Tiny Fire 🥺

🌟 If your nonverbal or just like babbling more than talking, he's actually very good at finding out what you want rather quickly

🌟 Tummy time is one of his favorite activities, especially if you lay on his chest (finds it really funny when you try to eat his nose at times)

🌟 Since your a baby, you can't really meditate with him, but it's another good opportunity for play mat tummy time that he'll have installed into his personal room

🌟 If you wanna try to meditated, he's very encouraging!!!

🌟 (^ But we all know either your going to pass out on his lap or slowly chew on all his fingers)

🌟 Very good and gentle with biters or chewers

🌟 Mostimes he'll just remind you that we don't bite and tease on whether your a baby or an monkey (meanie >:(

🌟 Will get you a super cute paci that's all decorated based off your favorite animal, or a dragon

🌟 I can see him really liking storytime, but acting out storytime (especially if he gets to pretend to be a dragon for whatever reason)

🌟 He's not very good at acting the parts, but he always gets you to giggle and clap your hands happily, so its always fun in the end

🌟 Very soft with padded regressors

🌟 Any accidents don't need a big fuss or a big cry about, it's all okay, Dade's here to help <3

🌟 If your a naughty baby that thrives off testing his patience? Psh, good luck, this man's patience levels are through the roof!!

🌟 Man has a constant watch over you, always making sure you aren't getting into too much trouble

🌟 Your safety is his number one concern, so matter how much you whine or pout

🌟 Very on dot with the rules unless your this tiny, because he understands that you might not know exactly what your doing wrong

🌟 Still won't let you eat more candy than necessary though >:/

🌟 Really easily persuade like Nightwolf though, just sit and look at the ground going ‘🥺’ and you'll get whatever candy you want >:3

🌟 Another big outside encourager

🌟 Will take you to his favorite hill with a blanket and some soft toys and you two can have a picnic!! :D

🌟 Even though this man's already very gentle with you, he becomes extremely gentle when it comes to naptime

🌟 There's not much fussing over naptime unfortunately :(

🌟 He'll set up a small naptime routine you two do together (put all the toys away, brush teeth, brush hair, get into soft jammies)

🌟 If you don't own any jammies, he will go out of his way and get you the nicest pair of jammies he can find (will probably do this if you do anyways, so you can match!!)

🌟 Amazing cuddles, especially in the winter!! He runs more warmer since he's the God of fire

🌟 Might suck a bit during the summers but he'll at least hold your hand or have one arm on you if you're too hot

🌟 If you regress negatively for any reason or just overall feel icky that day, he's very comforting

🌟 Rocking you, focusing all his time and attention on you, trying to make any bad thoughts or memories go away

🌟 He's very set on making sure his baby feels a little bit better by the end of the day, even if he has to do the most silliest things to make you happy <3

🌟 If you attempt any of his super awesome ninja moves while small he might just have a heart attack

🌟 Especially since your a bit too young to be attempting ANY of his really awesome moves :(

🌟 But if you lay on your back and do something similar to his bicycle kick, he'll look very proud in you

🌟 If you made him anything while small, he's keeping it and cherishing it like it's an artifact from ancient blah blah blah

🌟 Even if it was just a piece of paper with two wiggle lines because you got bored!! It's hanging on his wall and he's very proud of it

🌟 Is really good with hissy fits and getting you to calm down

🌟 Will walk around the room and bounce you

🌟 Generally just likes having you in his arms, your his baby after all <3

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

He's so Dad coded, I love him. :3

#age regression #agere #sfw age regression #age regression headcanons #mortal kombat agere #sfw agere #mk1 #mk1 headcanons #mortal kombat 1 #mortal kombat 1 headcanons #liu kang #mk1 liu kang #lord liu kang #cg liu kang #caregiver liu kang #mk agere #liu kang x reader #lord Liu Kang x reader #mk1 liu kang x reader

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maester-of-spreadsheets · 4 months

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DASH!!! or; kpop music to listen to when you're a vampire chasing someone for sport. or maybe just walking really fast and vibing sometimes because, like, whatever you'll catch the guy eventually.

Track list:

Shadow - f(x): why not warm up with an amazing song about stalking

Dash - NMIXX: I wanna dash, I wanna run it, I wanna run it run it DASH!

Baddie - IVE: I'm a baddie, ba-ba-baddie, baddie/Pretty little risky baddie/뭐든 될 대로 되라지/Catch me if you caAAAAan

The Chaser - INFINITE: definitely one i added because of the title and bpm but the lyrics are weirdly appropriate so here we are

LOVE BOMB - fromis_9: I MEAN...

As if it's Your Last - Blackpink: It's certainly going to be someone's last

I'm so sick - Apink: I'm so sick of lying........ You gotta know that☹️

Sleepless Night - 9 Muses: Metronomic!

Feel My Rhythm - Red Velvet: look it's sampling bach and it's cute but the hihats make it sound it lowkey wants to kill you what else was i supposed to do?

Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard's wife - LE SSERAFIM: this is probably the title of a painting in the Loumand loft

Catellena - Orange Caramel: okay so here we have a kpop song sampling a punjabi folk song and the lyrics have all the antagonistic homoerotic yearning of Jolene and the music video has an extended metaphor comparing sushi to beauty standards and maybe capitalism?? i'm just saying it's avant garde enough for Armand

YES or YES - TWICE: 😊 Hey boy! /Look, I'm gonna make this simple for you😊 /You got two choices😊/Yes or YES? 😊

Hold on Tight - aepsa: Keep on moving!

PICK ME - PRODUCE 48: From now on, you’re mine, mine, mine, only mine mine, mine, mine (Superstar)

BBoom BBoom - Momoland: Great!

LIAR LIAR - Oh My Girl: Your freedom is OVER!

Oh! my mistake - April: You’re not allowed to make me feel lonely

Gotta Go - Chung Ha: Gotta go, gotta go

Smiley - Yena: [through gritted teeth] And I say, hey!/I’m gonna make it smile, smile, smile away/I’ll smile prettily and move past it/Just smile away, just smile away-ay,

GingaMingaYo - Billlie: Wel! Come! to! the! Strangeee-eeee! World! WOW!

Catch Me if You Can - SNSD: yeah, good luck with that

Wife - (G)I-DLE: I [pick lint off your couch] it's so twinkle twinkle

Run - BTS: Run, run, run!

RUN2U - StayC: So I run to you!! [unsettling chord progression]

Up & Down - EXID: free shit post vid idea...Armand telephathically moving Daniel's chair up and down during the chorus

Magnetic (Starlight Remix) - ILLIT: Dash-da-da, dash-da-da, dash-da, like it's magnetic

ETA - NewJeans: The day you couldn't come [home from your fuck pad]/The day [Daniel] got in so much trouble/The day [I] couldn't break up with [my husband]/The day [I had to kill our neighbor]/The day [Lestat's voice showed up in my mind]/I HEARD. HIM. SAY.......

I Don't Care - 2NE1: I don't care e e e e e, I don't care e e e e e e

Red Flavor -Red Velvet: Red flavor, I'm curious, honey/It tastes like slowly melting strawberry when I bite into it

ASAP - NewJeans: H-h-h-hi, it's me again, I'm back (hey)/Let's talk ASAP/Do you have the time?//A-S-A-P, baby/Hurry up, don't be lazy/A-S-A-P, baby/Hurry up, don't say maybe/A-S-A-P, baby/Hurry up, don't say/Hurry up, don't say/Just for a minute/Tik-tok, tik-tok, tik-tok, tik, tik tik-tok, tik-tok, tik-tok, tik, tik tik-tok, tik-tok, tik-tok, tik, tik...........

#interview with the vampire #Armand #idk man

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padfootagain · 1 year

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Running

Yet another character I’m writing for, I guess…

Answering an anonymous request even if I was planning on writing something like this anyway: ‘aaahhh i saw that you were opening request for the darkling but i dont have any original ideas for him i just want to comfort him and have a softer aleksander idk i JUST NEED COMFORT like having the darkling breaking down over something and the reader comforting him and just loads of fluff i need him so baaad’

Thank you so much for your request, anon! Changed it a little bit, but I hope you’ll like it anyway!

Going to use Ben as the physical description for him although I’m going to use some character traits that are a mix of book and show, because… you know me by now, do I really need to give you a reason for this artistic choice? I don’t think so.

I loved the idea in the book (that was not used enough in the show in my opinion) that Aleksander’s amplifying abilities were a threat for his life, because he was a target for Grisha too. So… I used it a bit here, I love that detail. Adds to the whole tragic of his character, I reckon.

Anyways! I hope you all like this fic! Tell me what you think about it!

****

Pairing: The Darkling x reader

Warnings: Blood, mentions of war and violence, angst, hurt/comfort, pretty sad…

Summary: After a particularly violent battle, only a handful of soldiers remain. The aftermath is difficult for everyone, while you travel across the country in search of a safe place. Even the most stoic ones can show weakness sometimes…

Word count: 3472

Masterlist

It was cold.

It was dark, but that was a good thing, it meant that you were hidden.

It was cold, strong wind coming from the Fjerdan border up North, blowing and howling through the tall pine trees.

It was night time, stars lighting up the sky, a shy moon only in its first quarter. So far up North, there could have been Northern Lights. But not tonight.

Tonight was for grieving, not admiring.

You were exhausted. You were in shock. You were still bleeding.

And yet, there was a man before you, a friend, Andrei was his name. Lying in the young snow, tainting the white ice with crimson blood. The liquid fumed, warmth against the cold. The irony sent of blood against the resin of the pine trees.

There was a friend lying before you, bleeding, on the verge of dying, and you were the only one who could save him. The wound that crossed his abdomen was deep though, and you were no Healer.

Heartrender. You were trained to fight, not to mend. This was only a secondary use of your power to you. But then again, you had no choice, there was no Healer left alive in your army.

An army? What a joke. There was but a handful left of you. Most of them wounded, just like you were. You were part of the lucky ones though, you had but a only a flesh wound. It was painful, and made you weaker than your usual self, but your life was not endangered by the cut across your thigh. You limped though, for travelling, it wasn’t the best…

Andrei seemed to choke on his own blood, the barrier you had created to keep the rushing blood out of his lungs breaking for a mere second, but it was enough. You focused, sweat glistening across your dirty forehead under the silvery starlight. You took a deep breath, trying to focus, but you were too tired, too unexperienced to treat such a serious wound…

He was the tenth man you were healing tonight. Your whole body was shaking from the strain of it all by now.

The gurgling noise drew worried glances and blank ones your way, and you tried to ignore them all, these soldiers of the Second Army, who had fought and survived out of pure luck, just like you had.

This idiot of a King had sent you right into a trap. You stood no chance…

You blinked your tears away as images of the battle flashed before your eyes. Bodies falling, hands moving in the air for summoning, the loud pangs of gunpowder detonating, the grunts, the shouts and the scent of blood and sweat and urine heavy in the air, and blank stares turned to the sky that would never see again…

You felt your power wavering, but you forced yourself to focus on Andrei again. Because he was not dead. And despite your exhaustion, you could still save him… maybe it was a fool’s hope, but no one could survive without hope…

“Will he make it?”

The deep voice behind you made you jump, and you turned to look up at the Darkling.

Tall figure standing before the moon. The silvery light coming through the branches made some kind of hallo around him.

He was covered with mud, blood and ashes too. Just like everyone else. He was dishevelled, his black kefta partially torn apart, with dark circles under his even-darker eyes. He looked exhausted. And yet, there was still something so powerful about him…

You struggled to swallow the lump in your throat. Somehow, speaking to someone else made it all more real…

“I’m doing my best, sir,” you answered, your voice shaking.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, narrowing his eyes to look more closely at your shape sitting in the snow.

“It’s only a flesh wound. I’m okay.”

You saw him clenching his jaw and fists. Always a bad sign. But his gaze was still stern and calm when it met yours again.

You couldn’t say that you knew him well, but then, you reckoned that no one truly did. He kept people at bay, it was safer that way.

Still, you thought that you knew him enough to recognize the anger in his set jaw, the frustration in his tight fists…

You were surprised, though, when he kneeled in the snow by your side.

“You are no Healer,” he said, it was more of a statement than a question, as if he was reminding you.

“No, I’m a Heartrender, sir. I’m trying my best, but the wound is very deep.”

You felt a little stupid for reminding him of your Corporalnik status. He knew who you were. Better than anyone, in a way. There had been long nights in his War Room spent talking about your childhood, about his longing for a safe haven for Grisha, about dreams unreachable even through the dark…

But then again, nothing more than that. Just talking, for long hours. And he hadn’t shown you any sign that anything more would happen, and neither had you. To you, it was ridiculous to think so, anyway. He was the Darkling, after all.

You didn’t know he enjoyed these moments as much as you did though; that despite his better judgement, he longed for them.

How could you know? He was good at keeping a mask on. He had had centuries to master this talent to perfection.

“Allow me,” he spoke, voice soft, barely audible above the howling of the wind in the branches and the cracking frost of snow. Still, it was delicate, velvety almost…

You nodded, although you weren’t sure what you were agreeing to. He was the Darkling, after all. You trusted him blindly.

You started when he gently pulled on your dirty red sleeve, pushing it up your forearm to reveal your wrist.

“Keep working,” he instructed, and you obeyed.

He found your pulse easily, without looking for it at all, as if it called for his fingertips. He simply rested the pads of his fingers against your wrist, and they naturally landed on the pulsing blood. As if his fingers were meant to rest there…

You felt a surge of power cursing your entire body; and if you were still shaking, this time it was because of power instead of fatigue.

You stared at him, gaze intense and unwavering, for several seconds, and he held your gaze too. There were no feelings to be read in the two inky orbs that stared back at your soul, but you couldn’t escape from them anyway.

You had heard many rumours about the Darkling’s amplifying abilities, you guessed they were all true.

“Will you be able to save him now?” he asked, voice calm and emotionless, asking a mere question, as if there wasn’t a life depending on it.

You nodded and focused on Andrei without another word, the Darkling following the movements of your hands to keep the contact between your skins. Your heart was beating faster than ever, and you weren’t certain if it came from the sudden surge of power running through you now, or by the Darkling’s nearness…

It took you a while before Andrei was stable enough for him to be transported safely in the morning. Or maybe you would start moving again before dawn, you weren’t sure, you didn’t even know where you were going…

You lowered your hands at long last, feeling exhaustion rush over you once more despite the Darkling’s amplification, but you were surprised when he didn’t let go. You expected the lack of contact to happen as soon as you would be done, for his fingers to run away, to flee your skin and leave in their trail only a cold gush of wind. Instead, his fingers remained there, pressed to your pulse, and when you looked up at him, he looked like he was the one holding an amplifier in his hand, instead of the other way around.

You got caught in his eyes again, trapped in two dark orbs that captured everyone who dared to look at them, and you knew it. He had something dangerous, magnetic about him. You had seen him at court enough to know that he played with his charisma to manipulate people to do his bidding as much as possible. But what could he manipulate you to do now? You had almost died today. You had killed under his command, you had watched your friends die, you had run away wrapped in his protective shadows…

What else could he get from you? There was nothing more to extract anyway. Maybe that was why you didn’t doubt his sincerity when he spoke again.

“Please, follow me, Y/N. I need your help.”

You didn’t question where you were heading, how you could help. Instead, you stood up despite your exhaustion, and followed him through the trees. You didn’t walk far, it was too dangerous to venture away from the group, but he guided you where you wouldn’t be disturbed, where you couldn’t be seen by the remnants of the Second Army.

And his fingers were still there, burning against the skin of your wrist… unwavering, unfaltering, eternal…

When he stopped, turned towards you again, the Darkling was shaking slightly. You wondered if it was because of you, because of how he had helped you. After all, he was a living amplifier. Did he tire out if he helped someone else use their powers?

He gave you a smile that you found shier than his usual ones. You were used to see them filled with nothing but confidence, or threat sometimes. Now, the gesture was almost tender.

“I know you are tired,” he breathed, eyes capturing your gaze once more. “But my shoulder is very painful.”

“I can help,” you assured him, moving your hands into position, and his smile widened.

“Always so brave…” he muttered, but there was fondness in his deep voice. “Still, we should sit, for your leg.”

You nodded, and the two of you sat down side by side, not caring about the cold of the snow under you. He had a pretty nasty cut running across his shoulder, but it wasn’t very deep. It was much easier to heal than Andrei’s wounds.

“If you are too tired, it can wait till morning,” he offered, but you shook your head, and gave him a reassuring smile.

“If you help me, I can heal you now.”

He nodded, a silent order for you to get to work. Or rather… it looked perhaps more like a question, like he asked for a favour. You were happy to comply either way.

He felt better now, his shoulder almost completely healed in a matter of minutes, the throbbing pain fading away a little more with each movement of your fingers over his shoulder, despite the itchy sensation that came with the mending of his flesh. And the reassuring warmth of your skin against his…

Earlier that day, he looked for you through the battlefield. He shouldn’t have. You were but a passing thing, like one of his shadows. You wouldn’t linger the way he would. Like his darkness, you would be gone with the first signs of dawn.

Still, at the most violent part of the battle, his eyes looked for you, without him noticing. Like they were meant to search for your frame through the chaos.

He shouldn’t have. You were but a passing thing, like one of his shadows…

“How is your leg?” he asked once the pain across his arm and back had almost vanished, knowing you were almost done.

“It’s just a flesh wound. It’s nothing. And to be honest, I’m too tired to think about it.”

“I’ll bandage it for you.”

He wasn’t asking for permission this time, he was stating a fact, almost giving an order. You nodded in a silent agreement.

You wondered how he did it. Once you were done, there was still a long, reddened line crossing his shoulder blade. It must have been extremely painful, and yet, he had remained stern for hours, not a single wince forming on his features throughout your crazy run through the battlefield, through the forest…

Was he so used to being hurt after so many battles that he had mastered hiding his pain to perfection?

You could never have guessed how true that was…

“I’m done,” you spoke at last. “It might remain painful for a few days, I’m sorry.”

But he smiled at you, his head tilted a little to the side, something amused on his features now.

“There is no need to be sorry, you’ve done a good job.”

He moved his shoulder a little, as if to prove a point.

His fingers didn’t move away from your pulse though… burning…. Burning through your skin…

“Do you need anything else, sir?” you asked, thinking that was the reason behind his lingering touch.

It wasn’t. It simply… it simply felt good. To touch somebody, no matter how innocent that touch might be. Skin against skin. Feeling your pulse, the rhythm of your heartbeat, directly under his fingertips…

It was a luxury to him. Had always been. When you were to be a prey, you needed to choose the moments to reveal your weaknesses carefully, or you would be devoured.

He was more of a predator himself now. He had grown into one, had taken a hold of these shadows that scared him as a child, had become ruthless with time. For the most part, at least.

Still, he craved for it. The simple contact of another human’s skin against his, even if it were to last for a mere moment, for just a second…

And you had been allowing him to touch you for what felt like hours now. He could barely breathe at the thought.

He trusted you enough to let you feel it. The power that ran through his bones. The curse that made him undying. That made him linger even after all was gone. That made him run away again, and again, without any place to fall down to…

He let you feel it, running through your veins, and he trusted you enough to believe that you would not crave for more after he would pull away. He hoped that if you touched him again, it would be to touch him, not his power.

He moved his fingers to hold your wrist more firmly, and his thumb grazed the inside of your wrist, brushing your pulse, making your heart stumble. You were used to it now, to the power of the amplifier. You weren’t used to his touch, though. You weren’t sure you would ever be…

You weren’t certain why you started crying. Why now. You had not shed a tear during the battle, afterwards, as you fled, as you healed your friends, as you saw their dead bodies… You hadn’t cried at all despite everything that had happened. And yet… yet now you were letting a tear roll down your cheek, looking down at the snow to flee the Darkling’s gaze, to run from everything…

You shuddered, leaned into his touch, when he brushed your tear away from your cheek, touch gentle, delicate, barely there at all… almost like a dream… like a passing thing, one of his shadows…

“I’m sorry for today,” he whispered, and you looked up at the sound of his voice, frowning a little.

It was shaking, fragile. Deep still, laced with something that came from darkness but he looked so human now…

“None of this was your fault,” you replied, letting him brush another of your tears away.

“It was though. I was the one in charge. It was my fault.”

“It was the King’s fault. Even you have to obey sometimes.”

He clenched his jaw for a second, because you were right. Even he had to obey. Had to let Grisha die over nothing but a piece of land.

One day though, he wouldn’t have to. He would be the one to take decisions, and then the Grisha would be safe, at long last. It was an old promise he had made to himself, he intended to keep it…

But the worry quickly disappeared from his gaze, he relaxed again, the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips now.

“Only sometimes, though.”

You exchanged a smile, and you felt safer now. Safer than you had felt ever since you had left the protection of the Little Palace. But was it surprising? He was the reason why the Little Palace was safe to begin with…

You didn’t know why, but you were certain nothing would happen to you under his watch. Maybe it was a fool’s hope, some heavy denial after being so close to Death all day… you weren’t sure. But then again, no one could survive without hope…

And he should never have touched you like this. He shouldn’t have let you feel the power you could earn from him. He shouldn’t have let himself grow fond of you in the first place, because maybe now it was something a little more than that… He was too old, he had lived too many lives to fall into this kind of traps.

Or was he?

It was better not to tread on this. You were but a passing thing, like one of his shadows. You would disappear with the first signs of dawn, and he would linger on. The curse of this power running through his bones…

Slowly, he pulled his fingers away from your face, released your wrist, left your pulse, ran from the steady beat of it. And all that was left against his skin was a cold, howling gush of wind.

There was nothing he could hold onto anyway. He would outlast them all. He would outlast you, by a hundred years, maybe even more, maybe even a thousand.

He would remember those eyes though, he knew he would. And it would hurt to remember them, in the deepest darkness he summoned. Two eyes staring right into his souls. Two eyes he could have fallen for, in another life, one that could end with yours…

He saw your lower lip trembling a little as you looked up at him, the way your eyes dropped to look at your wrist, where his fingers had been. And then he was afraid of his own shadows all over again, the same he was as a child.

Were you rubbing that spot on your wrist because of his touch, or because of the power it had given you for a moment?

You didn’t look up at him as you reached for his arm, hand clinging to his torn, dirty, stained kefta. You were pretty sure you weren’t allowed to do this, to lean against him, to hold onto his arm, to rest your forehead against his shoulder. It didn’t matter. You missed the effect he had on you too much for that.

Calm. Safe. Beating heart pounding with life despite the sorrow.

He was grateful that you weren’t looking at him. He could let tears form in his dark eyes then, although he couldn’t let them run down his cheeks, couldn’t let them free. Appearing, that was already a lot…

You couldn’t feel his amplifying powers through his kefta. It required skin-on-skin contact. And yet, you were still there, pressing yourself against him, holding tight, as if to a lifeline.

When he wrapped his arm around your frame, pulling you closer, holding you tight, he was shaking a little. It was okay, he didn’t mind, and neither did you. It felt too good to mind.

Calm. Safe. Beating heart pounding with life despite the sorrow.

When he reached for your hand, when he pressed his lips to your head, he didn’t mind that you would feel what he was. The power hidden in his bones, that promised him an eternity, but only spent alone.

And you didn’t mind it either. You weren’t scared of it. You didn’t crave for it. It felt more like a burden than anything else.

You were right about that.

And he shouldn’t have done any of this, shouldn’t have let himself slip so far. He should have run, the way he always did, the way his mother had taught him to, the way he had learnt by himself. You were but a passing thing, like one of his shadows. You would be gone with the first signs of dawn…

Still, he remained, for once.

Just for the night, while the world still lingered in darkness, maybe he could have that. Maybe he could have you, for just a few hours, before letting you run away, like he always did.

Maybe, for just a few dark hours, it could be enough.

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