#he was almost sold too as a child and saved only to find out it was just another prison.

[tragedia]

i've been thinking about agents of fen'harel since yesterday, and out of the characters i already write here, harlan would be the easiest to commit to this cause. he doesn't have any noble aims, but can be radicalized further because his highest value in life is freedom, and in his mind serving and being loyal to someone is freedom too, as long as it's his choice. what that means? well, he would just as much join the inquisition, join briala, join solas, if the person who tried to bring him in offered him a particular thing: consistent basic decency and, i don't know, not siding with slavers and abusers. he's less of a cause person, and more of a person person, you see? hell, he'd commit to being a proper crow again if zevran himself, who's associated with freedom in his mind, showed up and told him he wants to rebuild the crows, but change them. it's not like harlan has moral qualms about his line work, he just hates the organization and those the perpetuate the cycle.

[peachpitfics]

Wildest Dreams

Fandom: Bridgerton

Summary: Your Father has betrothed you to his eldest, most despicable friend. You confide in your closest friend, Benedict Bridgerton, that you wish your first time could be with somebody else, somebody you liked.

Length: 3.5k

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader

Content Warnings: Propositioning a friend, first time, oral sex (female receiving), fingering, penetrative sex, vaginal sex, unprotected sex, cream pie, orgasm.

a/n: Wildest Dreams is part i of iii ~ requested by anon here.

Bridgerton master list (tag list)

The blood drained from your face, your hands clasped together in clammy nervousness – your father had just told you that since you have failed to successfully find a husband within the first year on the marriage mart, he will be arranging a betrothal between yourself and Lord Roger Howard. Lord Howard was six and sixty, he was your father’s eldest friend. Every interaction you ever witnessed was filled with contempt and disrespect, especially with service staff. His words were often filled with bigotry and unfairness. You found him repulsive, his yellowing chipped teeth in his villainous smile. The way his poorly maintained fingernails curled at the ends. His white moustache stained into unsightly colours from cigar smoke. The thought of having to be near this man, be intimate with this man, nearly drove you toward deaths door.

Your knees shook, standing from your armchair in the sitting room, not speaking a word to your father as you exited. Scurrying up the stairs, throwing yourself onto your bed, you felt your heart was about to burst out of your chest. Tears streamed down your face, you did your best to suck in deep breaths, but panic continued to wash over you. There was nothing you could do to save yourself from this fate. There had been some suitors interested in you, but you had chosen to wait, to see if the one person you had wanted would make himself available to you. Now it was too late, those suitors had moved on with other young ladies, and the man you wanted was nowhere to be seen.

Your lady’s maid knocked meekly on the door, having come to prepare you for this evening’s ball. The Queen would be there, and you knew she would be disappointed in this match your father had forced upon you, not that that would help you.

“Shall we get the family jewels out miss? I hear it is to be quite an exciting night” You could tell she was putting it on, trying to sound excited. It seemed to come off as patronizing instead.

“Whatever you should think is appropriate” You tried to keep your feelings to yourself, but the streaks through your makeup sold you out at first glance. You spent the rest of your preparation in silence, usually the two of you indulged in a little gossip, it was supposed to be fun.

All evening you hid behind larger groups, behind servers carrying trays of champagne, doing your best to ensure the inevitable could not happen. Finally, considerably late in the evening, your closest friend deigned to arrive. Almost surging across the dance floor and into Benedict’s side, you linked arms and impishly whisked him out through the conservatory doors.

“Miss Y/n” Benedict exclaimed, “What is the meaning of this?”.

You breathed heavily, ducking, and weaving through overgrown plants and florals. You scouted each entrance, paranoia clinging to your side like a child in a sack race.

“My father has committed a most heinous act” You spill to Benedict, there is only concern etched on his face, “I am to be married to Lord Howard”. Your breath never steadied, sweat beaded where your forehead met your hair line. There was that panic you remembered so fondly, only hypervigilance had eliminated that feeling from the centre of your chest.

“Oh lord,” Benedict’s mouth hung open, utterly flabbergasted, “I cannot believe he would do that to you” Both of his hands found their way to your shoulders in compassion.

“And yet he has. My own father has bargained me away to some elder beast! There is nothing I can do to stop it” Your hands ran through your hair, untangling one of the twists.

Benedict did not know what to say, all he could do was lurch forward and take you into his arms. His strong arms reached around you, pulling you tight. The sound of his steady breath and rhythmic heartbeat calmed you quickly.

“When I was a little girl, I wished on a falling star I would find someone who loved me as their equal. I now wish for that same thing on this very night. To think that I have wasted my life dreaming about love, finding someone like me, with the same interests, the same age as me even!” You thought aloud. Benedict was always someone you could tell your innermost thoughts to, he never judged you once, and he was the kindest of listeners.

Benedict Bridgerton also knew exactly who you were dreaming about – it was him. You had been friends for several years, and it had always been obvious to anyone with sight, that you and Ben were infatuated with each other. But Benedict was young, and impulsive, unlikely to marry at this time.

“I do not want to spend my life with that old simpleton! I want to experience life and love!” You cried out, “My elder sister divulged what it is married couples do on their wedding night – I do not want that with him! I cannot live my life without having ever experienced the touch of a man who cares for me!” Your cries turned into whispers; whimpers scattered throughout.

He held you close to him, making a caring swishing sound, it kind of sounded like the ocean. Benedict sure knew how to comfort you when you were in need.

“Y/N! Where are you?!” Your father’s voice echoed off the glass walls, sending you into a frenzy, quickly separating from Benedict, dabbing your cheeks with a handkerchief.

“Yes father?” You responded.

“Lord Howard is here with me. There is something he would like to say to you” Your father called. Benedict hid low amongst the broad-leafed plants, the darkness of the conservatory shading him. You appeared from the shadows without explanation, not that your father was seeking one. Lord Howard stood hunched next to your father, who was 20 years his junior. It appeared as though he bowed, but it was hard for you to discern.

“M…m…miss Y/n?” He stuttered, struggling to see through the spectacles at the end of his nose, “There is a question I must ask you. With the permission of your father, I am here to ask for your hand in marriage” Spittle flew from his mouth in between sharp consonants. Dread flooded your body, you felt like you were being submerged in a pool of water, the tears in your eyes, simply the only way for the water to escape.

There was animosity in your father’s gaze, warning you there was simply one answer to the question asked. Taking in a deep breath, “Yes, Lord Howard, I will accept” You murmured. Lord Howard did not look pleased, he did not appear bothered either, he simply nodded once and turned about, marching back to the main ballroom. You wondered if this was what your marriage was going to be like? Would he ignore your existence and leave you to your own life if you produced an heir? You could not ascertain whether this was a good thing or not.

Benedict hung his head, having watched this entire exchange from the shadows. There was an element of guilt on his part, he blamed himself, unable to give you what you wanted in time to save you. When your father had left you standing still, tears staining your dress, Benedict slid out from the darkness.

“I think I am going to ask the footman to take me home… I only have so much time before my time is not mine any longer” You lower lip trembled; the peaceful silence of the conservatory disturbed by the soft sounds of sobs.

“Y/n,” Benedict muttered, his hand running down your upper arm. Electricity connected your flesh in a zap, your breath caught in your chest as his skin joined with yours. His tender hands grazed yours, tickling the palm of your hand.

“Benedict” You shook your head, moving to take your hand away before he closed his around it. His tongue flicked over his lips several times as he contemplated what he had to say. Sometimes you heard the other young ladies tell stories about Benedict, you never knew if they were true. They spoke of how he was finest of the Bridgerton brothers, they also spoke of his rakish tendencies, however mostly in a jealous fashion.

The forecast in Benedict’s eyes swiftly shifted from clear blue to a stormy grey. You had not noticed how tall he was before, looming over you like a dark cloud. His face illustrated apathetic gloom, his hand boring you into him, like he was the eye of the storm.

“There is something I must speak with you about, in private” Benedict rolled his tongue aggressively on his teeth as he spoke. Everything about his demeanor was confusing, you felt strangely like prey, wondering why it felt good. Benedict snuck out the conservatory door, your hands clutched together while he led you to his carriage, asking his footmen to make way for the Bridgerton house.

“What is this about Benedict?” You asked as soon as the door was secure and the carriage moving.

“Y/n, please give me a moment and I will explain everything. I do not know if I have a solution to your problem, but I may be able to offer a compromise. Something I would only do for you, if you asked, because I care about you so deeply” Benedict paused, this intense look of thoughtful worry about him, “If you would be agreeable, I would like to suggest that I… bed you for the first time” Benedicts voice was low and resounding.

Your lips parted abashedly, your cheeks flushed pink, blinking became uncontrollable. All you could do was sit completely still, astronomically stunned by what Benedict had proposed. You understood that for whatever reason, Benedict could not give you everything you wanted, but he was offering you something. He was offering you an experience you may never have gotten to have otherwise, a chance to feel loved and wanted in intimate affection with another person.

“Say something, anything, please. I cannot stand this silence” Benedict rubbed his temples after a few minutes. His eyes were still dark with longing, he looked over with you a deviating sense of ownership.

“You would do that for me?” You entreated, hands shaking so hard you nearly sat on them to make it stop.

Benedict nodded surely across from you, the carriage pulling up at the Bridgerton house. Your eyes locked, the carriage completely still and silent, you took a moment to consider the ramifications of your choice. Ben’s posture was resolute, his gaze expansive, eagerly waiting for your reply.

“Yes” You swallowed hard, Benedict snatching your hand from your lap and dragging you from the carriage, running up the walk and into the house. You made short work of the very many stairs on the way up to his bedroom, sure that nobody could have seen you, as you ran that fast.

Blood rushing around your body, you stood just inside Benedict’s door, trying desperately to catch your breath. Benedict shuffled about the room, lighting a few candles, closing the windows for the evening. He looked back at you, having already stripped into your underclothes while his back was turned. A most shameful lust driven smile sketched lightly onto his face, he made the long voyage acrost the bedroom to stand a foot or two in front of you.

“Thank you for doing me this favor. I will owe you always” You remarked, your eyes dancing figure eights on the lush carpet squishing under your wiggling toes.

Benedict’s shoulders were more relaxed than you had ever seen them, his posture always just so. Strands of hair bled onto his sticky forehead, dark eyebrows brewing overhead transfixed eyes. That charming smile, filled with foolishness, had not been seen since leaving the ball – this was something so chronically serious to him. He effortlessly tugged at his maroon cravat, casting it to the floor, his proud neck craning to get another glimpse of you from another angle. His throat bobbed when he stepped closer again, just one more step. Fiddling with his waistcoat buttons ardently, watching the frustration set into your eyes, Benedict finally shed his coat and pitched it across the room, knocking over something unbreakable in the corner. It did not steal his gaze; his eyes were set on you. Benedict lifted his suspenders off his shoulders, allowing them to dangle by his hips, the chest of his white, silk undershirt gaping open. Your teeth instinctually bit into your lower lip at the slightest sight of skin you had not ever seen before. The corner of Benedicts mouth upturned smugly, his lips rolling together as his breath became audible. Standing just one foot apart, the tension between you was palpable. You wondered if someone had struck a match, might the room simply explode, there seemed to be so much chemistry between the two of you.

“Please, continue” Your hands pressed to your stomach, you watched as Benedict unlaced his boots, one foot at a time on the stool at the end of his bed. His blistering eye bore into you even still. Making his way back to you, still at hardly an arm’s length, his brawny arms crossed his body to pull his undershirt off over his head.

You swooned audibly, almost gasping seeing the entirety of his torso bare for the first time. Your lips wet, your eyes unblinking, Benedict smiled cheekily, knowing the effect he had on you. His hands moved past his navel, your eyes following, to the button atop his breeches. Benedict made quick work of his trousers, having teased you plenty. Your back straightened, your gob smacked jaw snapped shut at the sight of his naked body.

Benedicts tongue flicked over his teeth, “Would you like me to redress, y/n?” He badgered, pretending to reach for his shirt on the floor. You careened forward, lessening the space between you to essentially nothing.

“I do not know what to do, not truly” You admitted, feeling yourself choking on nothing. Benedict reached out to your hands, taking them in his, placing them on his chest. Your eyes nearly rolled back in your head at the feeling of his light chest hair beneath your fingers. His sculpted pectoral muscles and taut stomach, a trail of dark hair leading you downwards made you feel ravenous for him. He looked at you as you looked at him, eyes filled with desire, faces pink in the candlelight. Benedict leaned in to kiss you, pulling away left at the last second to place a single kiss on your neck.

“You. Are. Wicked” Your face flitted over his, grazing your noses and lips together in potential kisses. Benedict leaned into you, his kiss soft, warm, and breathless. You gasped at the first separation, taking in hasty breaths before crashing back into each other. Everything you were doing felt completely wrong, reprehensible – but with a kiss as intoxicating as Benedict Bridgerton’s, you were afraid not even heaven could help you.

Your hands slipped into his thick, dark hair, pulling him down and into you, wrapping your arms around his neck and climbing up onto him. His hands rested under your thighs, carrying you toward his bed, you could feel his hardness pressing against you. 

This was not what you had been expecting, this was no impish boy. Everything about his movements was intentional, well-practiced. His hot, amorous kiss; the way his tongue slipped thankfully over yours, how his teeth greedily nipped at your auspicious bottom lip. His hands moved passionately across your back, his long kisses surprisingly hard on your neck, laying you down on the pile of bedding. He frantically shoved it off the bed, throwing pillows, knocking himself in the face once or twice. You laughed together, slow sizzling tongues dancing as one as Benedict removed your floor length under gown.

Benedict knelt above you on the bed, gently stroking himself, looking down on you. There was that dark cloud you had noticed earlier.

“I want you to enjoy me” Benedict rumbled, making you a promise. You did not yet understand, but you would. Taking his finger, Benedict dipped it into your mouth, bringing it to your nipple, rolling it between his finger and thumb at a glacial pace. His touch was peculiarly possessive, his lips rested around your other nipple now, sloppily dragging his tongue around in spontaneous circles. Big open-mouthed kisses surrounded your breasts, your shock and surprise manifesting in noiseless writhing.

Benedict positioned himself between your legs, lying down forcing your legs apart. Wanting to snap your legs shut, you refrained, trusting Benedict with your life. His breath was agonizingly warm on your inner thigh, his lips parted and gliding up from your knee. Benedict dotted small, chaste kisses along your hips – you deduced he was headed for the pinnacle of your thighs, a place you had never felt burn and ache quite like this.

His tongue slid gently up the slit of your pussy, you breath shuddered, his harmless laps amazed you with every movement. Eye lids fluttering, breathy moans filling the room, Benedict’s graceful tongue swirling your clitoris in curious patterns, drinking in your wetness as though you were a drug to him. Your fingers crawled down into his hair, your hips bucking toward his retreating tongue, you squealed lowly for more.

“Are you quite alright?” Benedict groaned into you, the vibrations of his voice set you on edge, your toes clenching in different ways.

“I do not know what you are doing, but I would like for you to keep doing it” You moaned intermittently, between gasps as his tongue flicked roguishly at your clitoris.

Benedict spread your legs wide and high, taking his finger and resting it at your entrance. He tediously sunk his finger inside you, curling up, making you yelp out in astonishment. Finding a steady pace, his finger already snug inside you, Benedict began at you again, never failing to find exactly the spot he was looking for. His alteration of speed and pressure backed you onto a cliff face, body incandescent and damned to revelry. Pressing his fingers into you rhythmically, Benedict pushed you over the edge, the sensation of falling and flying all erupting at once as you moaned and yelped uncontrollably. In the aftermath of your pleasure, you watched Benedicts eyes, his head still clutched between your legs gently sliding his tongue over you, his charming, sexy smile reflected in his eyes.

Slowing rising to his knees, Ben positioned your legs higher, resting your calves on his shoulders. Taking his cock in his hand, his pressed his tip against your wet skin. Your skin erupted in a tingling sensation, unbridled attraction and hunger liquefying your brain.

You looked up at Benedict in clear understanding, nodding gently, your eyes focusing on the powerful look of restrained urgency on Benedict’s face. He pushed forward smoothly, eliciting a groan from each of you, not even pressed to the hilt yet.

When Benedict filled your pussy fully, it felt like being winded. Panting like a dog under him, Benedict stilled himself, noticing how full and tight you felt, his cock twitching with pleasure. Benedict moved slowly at first, long unbroken strides forward, thrusting into you. Every drive forward, simultaneously blissful, and hot, curving to pound into that sensitive spot just inside you. While every drawback, was likened to slow-motion, devastating deprivation. Ceaseless, savage moans made Benedict grin above you, thrusting harder, wholly triumphant in setting you alight. You knew you would burn for him for the rest of your life.

“Make that sound for me again” Benedict grunted sinisterly, thrusting back into you brutally, forcing that loud intonation from you again.

Your fingers clawed at his back, your hips moving with his in most divine unison. Benedicts teeth grazed your ear, your breathing syncing in ceremonious adoration; his momentum increased, driving into you with new eagerness. Your nails buried in his plump behind, pulling Benedict tighter into you. With propulsive sureness Benedict plunged into you one last time, his cock twitching inside you to his irrevocable release. Never had you felt so full before, his face exquisite above you, leaning down to a soulful kiss.

“I’m proud of you, taking me like that” Benedict panted, taking a second before withdrawing and rolling next to you. He lay on the flat of his back, chasing his breath, his heart thumping through his chest, beating so hard you could almost hear it. His words made you blush, hiding your face in your hands, his seed leaking out of you onto the linen.

“It is not always going to be the same, is it?” You pondered aloud, staring at the detailing on the ceiling above you.

“I will not lie, y/n darling, I do not think every single instance will be the same” Benedict reached over, gently slapping your thigh in solidarity.

“That is disappointing to hear” You sighed dramatically.

Benedict chuckled sweetly, “Perhaps at his age, he will not have the capacity to complete more than the marital act”. You knew he was joking, trying to lift your spirits, but you genuinely hoped that might be true. Other worries began to plague your mind, worries of potential children. What if you were unable to conceive his heir due to his age?

You rolled onto your side, looking into Benedict’s clear, sky-blue eyes, “There may be another favour I ask of you, dear friend”. Benedict's eyes widened curiously, prepared to do most anything for you.

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Tag list: @cringycat24 // @blckbarbiedoll // @freyagallileaevans // @junkie05 // @rosabeetroot // @flamewriterr // @marvelouslyme96 // @moreover-clover // @saintmagx //

If you would like to be tagged in Bridgerton fanfiction written by me, please let me know!

[kitscutie]

snow and roses: part III (coriolanus snow x fem!reader)

pairing: coriolanus snow x reader

warnings: none except the nature of the Hunger Games franchise! later on in the series there will be hints to dark!coriolanus snow and lots of angst so be prepared!

summary: you and coriolanus have been dating in secret for months, all it takes is one songbird for everything to come into the light.

a/n: part three is finally hereee! sorry it took so long i've been dealing with some shit and doing a lot of work as life's just gotten very busy but don't worry - nothing will be left undone and trust me when i say i already have the ending for this series planned out :)

im sorry to say guys but i will have to close my taglist as the size has began to affect my posts and tumblr keeps glitching out, sorry!

word count:2k

find parts one and two in my masterlist!

After the incident the previous day between Brandy and Arachne as well as the suggestions from Coriolanus taken on board, the mentors had been allowed one hour with their tributes to discuss tactics.

It was good yet bad all at once. You wanted to give Wovey advice, a fighting chance but yet you knew no matter how hard you tried, no matter how much help you gave her, she stood no chance compared to people like Reaper and even Lucy Gray.

She was small and innocent, young.

"In spite of yesterdays - tragic events, our president has decided that the games must go on. Show everyone the Capitol is unafraid of such acts of terror, to which I and Doctor Gaul wishes you to preview the arena this afternoon - with your tributes. Later this evening, there will be a specialised television presentation of each tribute to our audience to, well get to know them. You will have an hour to discuss strategy. You may begin." Dean Casca Highbottom spoke into the echoey room, so large it was almost comical.

All of the tributes had been chained to the tables like animals and it made you sick to your stomach. You were aware they may harm you but at the same time such treatment would drive anyone to violence, it wasn't simply because they were District.

"Hi Y/N." Wovey smiled, so innocent. So naive.

"Wovey. I was thinking about how you might approach the games and I figured what might be best is to hide. You're small, an advantage that the other tributes don't have. I'm sure we can find some spaces this afternoon that might prove useful?" You suggested, not wishing to make this conversation more painful and personal than it had to be.

"Sure." She murmured, gaze positioned on the chains around her wrists.

"And if you wait until it's dark and everyone is sleeping you could go to the middle - collect whatever weapons they have left, just in case but otherwise I recommend waiting it out. If they can't find you they can't kill you." The sentence left a bitter taste in your mouth, you had never pictured yourself recommending a child to wait her death out in your life. The Capitol Academy was sold to you with visions of wealth and power, and now you has gone from student to mentor.

"I don't want to kill anyone." She frowned. She didn't even care that she could die, only fearing harming others. You felt your heart ache and yet, you could do nothing. No words would be good enough to reassure her, no actions would be able to save her. For once, you were useless.

"Wovey-" You began your sympathetic speech though Casca cut you off.

"Snow, Y/N. Let's go." He said as peacekeepers arrived to escort you to Doctor Gaul.

You rose without another word to Wovey, aware nothing you could say would be of any help at this time.

You knew it was about Coryo's proposal which you had not helped in and yet you weren't too upset about it. You didn't need the Plinth Prize nor did you need Doctor Gauls' approval and so you set out to let her know of your lack of involvement in this task.

"How is your tribute?" Coriolanus asked after minutes of silence.

"Her name is Wovey and she's fine. A little frightened but aren't we all?" You said, you were hesitant to tell him too much of Wovey's weaknesses and you didn't know why. This was Coriolanus. Your best friend of over ten years and your boyfriend of a few months and yet, you had a feeling whatever you said would be used against you.

"I suppose." He answered. You supposed his tone was meant to come off charmingly but all you felt was unease.

"This proposal. I haven't done it." You let him know, it was the least you could do before facing the psychopath known as Head Gamemaker.

"We have. I handed it in this morning." He answered with a hint of pride. Impressed with himself that he had taken initiative, helped you.

"I thought I made it clear the other day that I wanted no part in this plan to profit off of peoples lives, Coriolanus." You muttered, increasingly angry with his dedication to the Games and what they stood for.

"Well if you want to help Wovey, I suggest you don't tell Doctor Gaul that." He smiled, holding the door to her office open for you in a feign attempt at being a gentlemen.

As you walked into her office you couldn't help but feel disgusted. It was littered with mutants, clearly created to kill, all sat in glass jars on shelf upon shelf. Stacked all the way up to the ceiling.

"Mr Snow, Miss L/N. Come and see my new babies." Gaul said as she appeared at the back of the room. Where she had been hidden, you had no clue.

You did as she said, never one to disobey your superiors, climbing the snake tank alongside her.

"Is there a point to their colour?" You asked curiously. The snakes were surprisingly beautiful, chromatic as they shifted around on top of one another.

"There's a point to everything Miss L/N. Or to nothing at all, which brings me neatly to your proposal. Which one of you actually wrote it." She asked, as if to catch you out but you felt no remorse in admitting it wasn't you.

"Coriolanus, Doctor." You answer, sensing Coriolanus' hesitation in baiting you out.

"Well, how shocking. I expected more of a conflict." She replied, as though she were annoyed by your honesty as she reached into the snake tank, pulling Coriolanus' proposal out. "They're good your suggestions. I'm going to recommend my team implement as many as possible for tomorrow. Now run along you have an arena to promote, and Miss L/N I must say - I am most disappointed by your lack of involvement in these brilliant ideas."

"Well thank you, Doctor Gaul for your offer but, I thought Mr Snow had it safely under his control." You smiled politely before you both left to 'promote' but more so survey the new arena. "Wait." You said stopping Coriolanus before you got into the truck. "I don't know what has become of you Coriolanus Snow, but I want the little boy who fought to provide for his family while also caring for others back. You are turning into one of them, and I'm not going to be there to watch the world burn beneath your feet." You spat, leaving him to think as you sat in silence for the rest of the journey.

It seemed Coriolanus felt spiteful towards your words as he too ignored you up until this very moment as you walked into the arena.

You smiled reassuringly down at Wovey who looked just so scared. You were only three years older than her and yet you felt a motherly protection towards her, one you couldn't shake off.

Infront of you was Coryo and Lucy Gray. At first you pitied the girl, coming from twelve must be hard as they were food deprived and worked to the bone and yet now, as she stood holding your boyfriends hand in her beautiful rainbow dress, you loathed everything about her.

Your eyes rolled as far back as they physically could, your disgust clear to anyone looking but only one person was. Sejanus. He looked at you with pity and for once, you appreciated it. You decided he must know about you and Coriolanus and seeing as nobody else did they all whispered about him and Lucy Gray, how sweet they seemed.

You walked around alone before he appeared at your side.

"You deserve better, Y/N." Sejanus said, eyes never meeting your own as you continued to survey the arena, never even noticing his eyes stuck on his watch.

"Debatable." You chuckled, feeling a sense of self responsibility for getting with a man as dangerous as Coriolanus Snow in the first place.

"I wouldn't worry. If there's anything I've learnt about Coryo it's that he likes shiny things, new things - and she's definitely a spectacle." he chuckled to himself, it was safe to say Lucy Gray's ability to impress a crowd hadn't been missed by anyone.

"He'll grow tired eventually. I was his precious rose once." You sighed as the reality of the situation finally settled in.

You soaked in the silence for a few moments before you realised Sejanus' lack of response, turning in annoyance to see his eyes following the hand of his watch clock closely as he mouthed a countdown of the minutes.

"What are you-" You began.

"We've got to go." He said, grabbing your arm and beginning to walk towards the exit cautiously, not catching the attention of any guards.

"What do you mean? Sejanus?" You asked as he would not slow, not for anything. You looked around, seeing everyone else still stood stationary as they calmly conversed.

"Just follow me, Y/N." He said, still attempting to stay calm but you noticed his wide eyes.

You walked in silence, your heartbeat getting louder in your ear with each step until you hearing went completely silent, vision going black as both you and Sejanus were thrown to the floor in a cloud of smoke.

It took a few moments for you to be brought back to reality as you sat up, dazed hearing the yells of people around you. Once again before you could even figure out what was happening Sejanus' grabbed you, pulling you to your feet as you ran out of the door. 'Enjoy the show' now sounding muffled.

"What about Coryo?" You cried out in desperation, no matter what he put you through he was your first love and you had always pictured him to be your last.

"If we go back now, Y/N, we'll die." Sejanus replied as he continued dragging you until you reached the fresh air outside. Your charred lungs welcoming it.

As you looked back through the doorway you saw nothing, no one. Simply black smoke. You felt guilty and yet still - deep down - your heart yearned for the death of Lucy Gray.

It had been five hours now, sat around Coriolanus' bed alongside Sejanus and Tigris.

He hadn't so much as twitched and it had your heart racing with panic, if he died, you knew a part of you died with him.

Tigris comforted you as best she could in her own worry, noting how his chest continued to move up and down steadily and that the doctor only mentioned an injured arm, not that he was at risk of death.

The appearance of bright blue eyes caught everyone's attention as you rushed to be by his bed.

"Coryo." You said, a large smile on your face. You watched as his eyes flickered around in confusion, landing on you for a few moments. You don't know what you expected, a look of love? What you most definitely didn't expect was one of disgust.

"Lucy Gray, is she-" He stated, looking to Tigris for an answer.

"She's alive." Tigris responded through gritted teeth as she looked to you with sympathetic eyes. Her reply was lost to you as the ringing in your ears after the explosion returned. Your heart beating loud in your chest. You placed a hand over it, feeling it pound against your palm.

Your eyes glazed over as you walked away into a secluded corner, waving Sejanus off as he attempted to follow you.

It felt now more than ever so official, so real without a doubt. You had lost Coriolanus Snow. He no longer loved you, cared for you or even worried for you.

The cage that was his heart had opened wide, setting you free and instead capturing something new and desirable. A songbird.

TAGLIST: @savannahsteen, @shine101, @tfimherewhy, @iloveyou3000, @summerli-u, @coconut-dreamz, @serrendiipty, @zucchinimalfoy, @mus-tbe-a-weasley, @-ice-heart, @aza-writes, @bellstwd, @kaitlyn2907, @wheepsworld, @sarahskywalker-amidala, @velvet-spider, @gloryekaterina, @prettyinsatiable, @bduchrnskei, @riddlerloveb0t, @girlalwaysathome, @thegoldenskies, @runningfrom2am, @riordanness, @charmed-asylum, @suvgs, @podiumprincess, @annaelise, @mywitchycat, @italiekim, @darkestbeforethedawn16, @stelleduarte, @leafydinosaur, @witheringawayagain, @clementinechatsshit, @lokidala, @notyourwildestdream, @prettyppetty, @motley-baby, @taylvvrr, @autistic-deer, @gamorxa, @jakesguitarpick, @pepperonipastas, @sbrewer21, @emma-andrea1, @nekee-lilac02, @tabea3, @im-sidney, @rosarosse, @jenifer0305, @Idontwanttobeehere, @chiyopipi, @coisas-da-dani, @sunnydays-funnydays, @italiekim, @andrew-garfield-is-bae, @rororo06, @soulessjourney, @upwritingallnight, @kierramofficial, @cellui, @xav-ie, @Stwoosevens, @LightVo1d, @lilanna34, @pinki-minki, @annaelise, @alexameliamg, @gloryekaterina, @bia-wayne-west, @hinata7346, @yunloyal, @perks-of-being-jojo, @iheartfike, @lucygreene, @utopiakys, @ennycutie, @eggmia, @malayawr18, @chess1ca, @the-girl-wh0-cries-w0lf, @elynswan, @siriusly-rem,

@justacaliforniandreamer, @http-ilysm, @touyasside, @camilleverreault, @maraalo, @allcheesemelts, @-ice-heart, @sunghoonsbakery, @onlyangel-444, @geeknerdanseverythinginbetween, @Chmerkovskiy-chmerkovskiy, @tfimherewhy, @loxbbg, @th3-archer, @yazmunson, @buckysmainhxe, @puppyminnnie, @winkevm, @czarinera,

[icarusredwings]

Thinking about old Worst Wolverine being called by each of the X men individually after they have a falling out because Logan injured a child very badly to the point the only reason they didn't die is because another classmates healing abilities all while he just... walked away.

Well- ran.. away... leaving a child to die. He's tried to explain thousands of times that he blacked out, that he didn't remember doing any of this. He tries to say that maybe it was someone else, that mystique did this shit all the time in his universe.

"Yeah, well!? This isn't your universe! Because the REAL Logan would never do this.." Scott screams at him as Logan leaves the Mansion for the last time. He doesn't come back. He didn't even get to tell his Xkits goodbye. It got to the point where Laura dropped out, taking Gabby with her, wanting nothing to do with the school anymore.

So now, here he is. In Maine, an old fisherman, part-time hunter, and the only people he lets around him have healing factors.

He lives with Wade, who still- by the way- doesn't have any grey hairs (maybe because hes bald but- yk)

One night, while Logan is out, making himself feel useful by feeding the small town they're in, providing for more poor families, feeding their children's hungry mouths and asking nothing in return but respect. (It gets to the point that the children cheer when they see Logan, wanting to hug him, but he growls at them to get off, too afraid of hurting them) Wade finally awnsers the ringing phone.

"What." There's vemon in his tone, but soon his eyes widden, and he frowns.

Walking outside he stands there a moment, knowing Logan can hear him.

He ignores him, looking at the fish, litsening, his breathing slowing as he skewers some with his claws. Its not exactly spear fishing but- close.

"What?" His voice is almost annoyed, as if knowing what his long time Husband was about to ask him.

"Logan.."

"No."

"Logan-"

He shakes his head. "Don't care."

"...She's missing."

He pauses, turning after scraping the dead fish into a bucket. "Who's missing?"

"There's a little girl missing."

"So?"

"Logan!"

"I'm not helping them, Wade. That's final." He growls.

For a moment, Wade frowns, but he didn't learn to obey thy husband like the bible said.

He never did.

"Logan, there's a 6 year old out there. All alone. Cold. Probably going to be eaten by wolves!" He shouts from the back porch, knowing his place enough to stay here and not come near his fish. Even after all these years, Logan was still finicky over his food. "And all because some old fart won't help her!"

The silence thickened as Logan thought about it, the hero side of his brain yelling 'We'll find her!' And the hurt old part of him saying 'That's not my buisness.'

".. You find her then." He compromises.

"I can't! And if anyone knows those Canadian woods, it's you! You said you knew those forests like the back of your hand!" Wade protests. "If I could smell someone through miles of freezing snow, I would. But I can't. So here I am, asking The Wolverine to go do what he does best."

He grunts, glaring. "And that is?"

"Helping a little girl get back to her mommy..." Wade says, knowing that he was sold. He knew he was sold the moment he told him to do it himself. "She doesn't have much time, Logan." He sighs, putting a cherry on top.

The greyed man huffed, grumbling under his breath for a moment. "Who will stay here with the dog?"

"Gabby can! She loves gabs." Gott'em.

"What about Laura? Why can't she find her?"

Shit.

"Logan, Laura has barley been in those woods. You've lived in them for years. So. What will it be. Pull up your panties and go save a little girls life? Or do it anyway when our baby girl gets lost too?"

Logan scoffs, disappointed. "..She wouldn't get lost.."

"She would if the scent kept being blown away.."

Wade adds, seeing the 'god damn it, he's right.' look on the old mans brow.

He lets out a large sigh. "...I don't want any help."

"Oh well too fucking bad bucko, I'm gonna go pack my snow suit!"

"No! I mean... I don’t want any help from THEM.."

"No promises. I'm not letting poor Susie die just because you have a grudge. Now put your fish in the freezer and lets go! They're coming to pick us up-"

"I ain't flying!!" Logan snarls, watching as his lover ran off, having a deep feeling that he would be in the air shortly..

[wuucchoo]

Jujutsu kaisen: the good and the bad

Hello!!! I'm out here making essays about jujutsu kaisen once again! And this is most likely the last one I'll make on it :3

((This is a (almost) 4k word rant, read at your own risk >:3))

So, the manga ended - and as far as I can tell, people’s opinions on it are pretty much divided. I personally found it extremely unsatisfying for many reasons, but I'll start with the ‘good’ things first.

THE GOOD

Jjk is a story that's a battle of ideals as much as it is a battle of techniques and fists. And, based on my understanding, the ending that gege chose to go for is the one where no one was actually proven right or wrong. Everyone's ideals and way of life remained the same from the beginning of the story to the end. 

Yuji, who's ideal is to save people as much as he can, was able to do that to the very end. Yes, there were hiccups - like the moment where Megumi had to remind him what his ideal was when he almost gave up after the Shibuya incident, but he got back on track right after he heard what Megumi had to say. And so he remained the person he was from the start by helping Megumi and also trying to help sukuna too. His character is pretty straightforward so it's very easy to understand it.

Sukuna, whose way of life and ideal is to live for himself in whatever way he wanted to, did just that to the very end. He refused yuji's offer because he'd rather die than live on someone else's terms. And in the afterlife he only considered trying a different path if there's a next life where his options would possibly be different than what he had in the life he knew. A possibility of a different life, a different path - yet still on his own terms, like he always did. He didn't regret the way of life he chose, he lived the only way he knew how based on the options presented to him in that life. And if there is a next life, he wouldn't mind trying out another path depending on what his supposed next life would have in store for him - as long as he does it on his own terms, and not living through what someone else's version of happiness was. He remained steadfast with his belief and ideal until the very end.

And megumi! I have a lot to say about him so brace yourself to anyone who might read this :3

At first, I thought (after that ending) that his character was all about him wanting to live and letting other people into his life once again and all that shit idk. But now, after cashew (from twitter!) explained their interpretation of the ending I see it in a different way (but slightly the same still).

Megumi’s character from the beginning to end has always been about loving selflessly in a selfish world. As a young child, he had viewed himself as nothing but a commodity, a bargaining chip his father left behind - and his value was in the technique he was born with because that's how every adult in his life has treated him. Gojo went to find him because of his technique, the school accepted and helped him out financially because of his technique, the Zenin wanted him because of his technique - just, every adult who could have made a difference in his life failed him because whether they did it on purpose or not, all of them made it seem like Megumi’s value is only ever in his CT.

Yes, Toji was happy when he found out that Megumi kept the Fushiguro surname because of the implication that he was never sold into the Zenin - but that hardly made an impact on Megumi’s perception of his worth because he never knew who Toji even was. To the very end, Megumi’s father was ‘the dude who sold him to the Zenin as a bargaining chip’ for him ((which i hate btw, but we’re talking about ‘the good’ right now so that rant can wait :3c)). And so, as a kid who was made into thinking that he’s just a commodity - he poured all the love in his heart to the one person who loved him just because its him, which was his sister. And in so doing, he became a person who puts someone else’s happiness above his own at all times. 

Gojo tried to get that out of Megumi by telling him to ‘be greedy/selfish’, and he did try to do that during ‘origin of obedience’ where he acquired a domain - not because he wants to save someone else, but because he wants to defeat the finger bearer in front of him. And that was just the one time, moving forward - everything he did has been for someone else again. He almost slipped into the deep end when he almost killed Remi just because he can that one time, but Tsumiki (or the idea of her) stopped him. This made me think that if Tsumiki doesnt exist Megumi would have been so powerful ((and yet evil too at the same time, something to think about i guess))

In a world that rewards selfishness he chooses to be selfless and keep other people's happiness above his own - because to him seeing the people he cares about happy is what peak happiness looks like. So when sukuna tried to manipulate and shame him for everything that happened while he was possessed - he didn't entertain it, instead he decided to do the thing that got him into this mess all over again - to live for other people once again. Living for the sake of Tsumiki’s happiness, trying to save her in every way possible as much as he could, was not a stupid mistake - that's why he will go and do it again. Despite all the pain and suffering it caused him, he will try to live and love again (I'm talking love in its broad definition btw) - because loving Tsumiki wasnt a mistake he should learn from, but a memory he will cherish. 

From the very beginning, Megumi’s ideal was to save people unequally because he's not a hero, and he never tried to be - the best way he can think of living his life is to pick and choose who to save because he can't realistically save everyone. And so, this - as well as the first thing I mentioned - was his truth and he stuck to it to the end. And he did have a moment when he gave up on that, after sukuna succesfully wore down his soul through all this careful planning and risks he took from the moment he got interested in megumi. Possessing him in ch 212 (at his most vulnerable and confused moment), performing a bath ritual to drag his soul even further than it already was, killing Tsumiki so Megumi loses any semblance of hold he might have had even after doing the bath ritual, and then using his likeness to fight sorcerers. Yet despite being the one with the most reason to curse sukuna in death, he decided, not just to live his truth, but tsumiki’s as well - by choosing to think about the people he cares about instead of cursing those who wronged him.

In the end, everyone lived and died by their own truth and ideals, and no one was proven right or wrong. ((gojo, yuta and many other characters too had their ideals challenged but never proven right or wrong - but i dont wanna talk about too many characters or this would go on for days))

Looking at it this way, the ending was 'good' in its own right (and as a concept) - but the road that led up to it, and the execution for most of the scenes left a lot to be desired.

THE BAD

While I do see what gege seems to be trying to say with his story, that doesn't mean I agree with it nor do I believe that such an ending was 'earned' when the build up that led to it was lacking in so many ways.

I agree that the world isn't black and white, and no one has the answer on what the right way to live life truly was - but the villains in his story went beyond being ‘bad’, they were clear and pure evil. And yet we see zero comeuppance - both kenjaku and sukuna didn't get the karma they deserve. Because, as it seems, with all the Buddhism values and themes gege borrowed - in the world of jjk karma isn't real, or at least not for the villains. ((And nope, what naoya and the zenin went through wasn't karma - what they experienced was vengeance, imo, more than it was karma.)) That's why Megumi felt like such an incomplete character, because to complete him the way he deserves would be to answer that karma is real.

Despite all the evil things both sukuna and kenjaku did - we instead see them both rewarded (REPEATEDLY)  for being evil. 

First, kenjaku.

Most people would probably agree that kenjaku is the main villain in the story, despite how the second half of the culling game turned into mostly about sukuna - it was kenjaku's master plan that started all of this. And kenjaku was evil. Pure and unapologetic evil. The things he did to choso's mother alone, warrants him an end worse than death. He lived his long life doing nothing but make other people suffer, all for the sake of curiosity and wanting to be entertained.

And yet the ending we all saw him get was a happy one - dying with a smile on his face because finally after years of living he was finally entertained - and it all happened because he decided to play with people's lives and start a death game.

He was rewarded for being evil.

Playing with the lives of other people was not presented to be as bad as it should be when the villain who committed these crimes didn't even get their comeuppance and was instead rewarded. Just to put into perspective, kenjaku REPEATEDLY forced someone to be impregnated so he can use the cursed children for his experiment. And that is just a tiny drop in the pool of heinous stuff he did. He is beyond evil.

While his way of life and ideal was not proven correct; it wasnt proven as wrong either. Because he didnt get even an ounce of the suffering he induced onto others, instead he was rewarded with a satisfying death. Putting into perspective everything kenjaku did, its pretty insane that he got to have a death where he could have a smile on his face and be satisfied. Gege went out of his way to create an op character (with an op technique that barely got an explanation) out of nowhere with takaba just so kenjaku can have fun. This is what i mean by evil gets rewarded in gege’s story. ((i mean just look at what happened with mei mei vs what happened with nanami. Gege rewards bad people, a lot of the time. And i guess in nanami’s case it can be argued that its coz to gege, death itself is a reward, but i digress.))

And then there’s sukuna.

Where do I even begin…

Maybe at the beginning, to make things easier.

Remember what Sukuna said the first time he reincarnated? He was looking for the 'women and children' celebrating how 'it would be a massacre' - this statement from him suggests that he, not only fights people who challenges him ((like what was implied with his dialogue with Kashimo)) but he was also actively seeking out people leagues weaker than him just for fun or as sports. Which was why the minuscule lore drop we got about him by the end felt really jarring to read - especially when it came from Mahito's mouth. A character who (as far as we knew in the story) barely even knows himself, let alone Sukuna. And yet, for the sake of making things just speed up and over with, we are just supposed to believe that he knows enough about Sukuna to say that his reason for being the way he was was because of 'revenge to the world' 😭. Where did Mahito learn that? When did he learn that? We don't know, so we just gotta accept and sit through Gege's 'tell not show' way of telling a story.

Sukuna is evil, and just like Kenjaku he was not apologetic about it nor does he regret it. Every path in his life he chose was that of the evil route - there was no grey area, there was no question on whether his way of life was good or not. It was evil, plain and simple.

And yet the story Gege wrote kept rewarding him for being evil.

And it seems as if all the innocent people he killed (for no reason!) doesnt matter.

Despite how bullshit it was - he was able to steal an innocent kid's body using a binding vow that should have had him killed (or worse) and yet it did nothing to him. He was rewarded for being greedy. He then had the time of his life fighting gojo, I don't count the jumping that happened later on as him having the time of his life coz it seems to be just a major annoyance to him. And then later on died with the option to walk a different path in the next life. In itself, it sounds great - but looking at the destruction he caused... Where's the karma? 

There's none, because gege doesnt seem to think he deserves it. 

I really really disagree with this message ngl. Coz the characters in gege's manga holds more sympathy to the perpetrators than the victims themselves - and I just can't agree with it  ((coz wdym gojo tried his best 'to reach sukuna'? That shit came out of nowhere.. Like,, why was he more concerned if sukuna had a good time? This wouldnt feel so jarring and out of place if Gege took the time to flesh out the characters more. if he gave us a moment of Gojo sympathizing with sukuna before the fight, before the culling game, before Shibuya. Meaningful character interactions between Gojo and Sukuna, a convincing one, that would make it make sense that Gojo's goal when he was fighting Sukuna was to, apparently, 'reach him' and 'make him understand'. The ending we got doesnt feel 'earned' because this whole time gege never gave us anything about Sukuna's character aside from 'he's very strong and he kills people' until the last two pages of the manga.))

For gege to go with this theme and messaging, he ended up disregard Megumi's character completely and reducing him into this character who had zero feelings on the matter that directly affected him. Yes, he was apologetic and all that - but... That's it? And while i do understand (i think) what it was Gege was trying to go for with Megumi's character, the execution of it just felt so half baked and lackluster - making Megumi's character feel incomplete despite the amazing build up Gege made for his character.

((A similar thing was done to yuji's character for the sake of the 'messaging' gege aimed for, but i will get to that later.))

Sukuna's statement of 'there are consequences to being greedy' never came to bite him in the ass, despite how much it should've considering all he has done- because everything he does gets rewarded. It's like, being that evil is good coz he keeps on getting what he wanted. And like a dumbass I kept on waiting for karma to get him and it never did. Coz karma isn't real in gege's world. ((and no, him being defeated is not karma because the only thing it did is lead him towards the path of redemption - like, the victims dont matter and what matters more is the psyche of the perpetrator. I dont know if i described it properly, but eh.))

Sukuna bets his life with a binding vow? He gets rewarded with the body he wanted with zero consequences - doesn't matter that gege had to go through a MASSIVE plot hole just to get there. Because in no universe was the thing he did to Megumi (and to hana) not considered ‘harm’, but it all got shoved under the carpet because gege doesnt know what to do with that. Gege needed that binding vow to not punish Sukuna, so despite the established rules he wrote in his own story that warrants that binding vow penalty to trigger - it just didnt... because??? If it was coz 'yuji didnt include himself in the people that cant be harmed', as Sukuna guessed, then i guess yuji didnt include Megumi and Hana in it too? But doesnt that neglect the point of yuji's character as being 'kind'? 212 was a massive plothole and i think thats really where the writing began to get... bizarre.

Sukuna kills yorozu/tsumiki just to drag Megumi further into the abyss? He gets rewarded with a weapon that (surprise, surprise) saved him from higuruma's CT. A CT that before that moment, he doesn't even know about. Good thing killing tsumiki's body rewarded him with a weapon, amirite?

Sukuna never fails to show his hatred for Yuji and would always try and make him suffer whenever he gets the chance? He gets rewarded by Yuji suddenly giving him an option to live again even though the entire story Yuji had always said he would kill sukuna. And i understand its coz yuji was able to know sukuna has a soul ((coz gege gave him the power of the mc punch)) and was able to conclude that he’s still human despite the HEINOUS crimes he committed, and megumi having been possessed by sukuna the longest was able to see that sukuna was desperate to live too - so i do see where gege was going with it. It just feels like the build up towards that conclusion wasn't earned, because even though it can be understood it just wasnt SHOWN to us. All thats being done is TELL and never SHOW.

Everything sukuna does gets rewarded and it just doesn't sit right with me. Its like saying the war criminals are just lashing out coz the world wronged them, that they deserve sympathy too. Okay, and what about the people they wronged, tho? Sukuna deserves sympathy for the world that wronged him, sure, but it doesnt absolve him of the crimes he committed - he deserves karma just as much as he deserves sympathy. And yet we see him walking away from everything he did with a smile on his face, zero regrets, zero repercussions and the possibility of living a better life in his next. ???

the ending

((Im sorry in advanced if youre a yuji fan coz im gonna say something you might not like 😢))

Imagine your sister got killed by someone and then your classmate comes in and says they forgive your sister’s murderer and wants to give them a chance at a better life? That this classmate of yours would be willing to turn his back on everyone else just so this criminal who killed your sister (and so many others in cold blood) can live? That even if no one else is willing to, he would give solace to this murderer - just so this murderer gets his second chance? What would that feel, you think? Thats a pretty weird scenario you might say, but thats exactly what Gege made yuji say and do by the end there.

Gege tried to portray 'kindness' with that speech yuji did, but ((imo!)) he ended up making yuji's character sound insensitive and cruel not just towards sukuna but mostly towards his victims and to all the people that died trying to stop him.

In itself, maybe in Gege's head - it sounds like a "good" thing to say - but when you look at the chapters that happened before that, its not something yuji nor sukuna earned because yuji was not sukuna's only victim and he wasnt the only one who defeated sukuna for him to decide and say all that. Knowing the things we know about the story that led up to that moment, gege just made yuji sound selfish and cruel - by having zero regards to everyone else's sacrifice and suffering. Which is a very weird thing for gege to do because before that moment, yuji was talking about the people who died - and then disregards that in the next chapter just so gege can write those lines.

Yuji's character is far, FAR, from selfish and cruel, and yet that speech gege made him say to the dying sukuna unfortunately made him sound like that.

This would all land better IF we saw yuji SEE sukuna go through the life he had during the heian era - like maybe what he went through was enough of a reason for someone like yuji ((who was supposed to be kind)) to suddenly offer all that, knowing damn well the amount of people who would possibly be hurt by that decision.

Im really not digging gege's exploration of good and evil - coz he almost always rewards evil and make good people suffer (with zero payoff, mind you). This 'trying to understand the villain coz he's human too' route just fell flat because we were never given the chance to understand sukuna except in the last 2 pages where he was given vague lore drops - and a statement from mahito who, before that moment, doesnt even know anything about sukuna except that he's strong. How and why the world 'wronged' him, we'll just never know, coz instead of showing us, gege kept on just 'telling' instead. But i guess for the sake of just ending the story we all just gotta accept that mahito, of all things, somehow knew of sukuna's reasons. lmao?

And the reason why i keep referring to the lines as 'Gege made this character say this and that' is because by the end, and even in some chapters before that, the characters lost their identity and are instead talking through a script gege made them say. Yes, a story is essentially that - but a good story is where characters feel alive and are speaking through their own soul which the last 5 chapters of jjk lacked tremendously. The characters felt like they were locked in a fixed role gege chose for them, and then they were given scripts to say, and then they were all rushed to say those lines because of tight deadline, and they have to say those lines just so the story would end. I know i dont make sense... but it probably would make sense to anyone who have read a good story where characters actually feel alive and not just there as the author's mouthpiece.

I know this is gege's first series, and its bound to have some flaws - drawing and writing a story weekly requires immense skill and discipline, i respect his craft a lot. Its why the disappointment i felt was great, because the story in the first half had such a good thing going and so i placed such a high expectation on it. Still, for his first series, its not bad... I probably wont be looking forward to his next series though, i find im not the biggest fan of this writing style that leaves a lot of things unresolved and just lets the readers write their own headcanons to fill the void.

((if anyone read up here, uhhhh hey there! thank you for reading my (almost) 4k word rant lmao, i actually have more to say but ee.. there's too many. This is my last rant on jjk (probably) feel free to fight me on this, one thing i wont back down on is the plot hole in 212 - that was a stinky plot hole and we just went past that like, damn..))

bye for now!

[lumosandnoxwriting]

Never Let Go || George Weasley

Title: Never Let Go Pairing: George x Reader Summary: Turns out building a family isn’t as easy as George thought it would be. A/N: part 2 to dad!george x nanny!reader! Though it’s not so much nanny!reader anymore as it’s more like stepmom!reader but whatever! Hope you guys enjoy and feedback is always welcome/appreciated! <3

-

It’s no surprise that George finds them in the backyard. 

Summer is finally in full swing in the UK, and he knows Y/N likes to have Remi out in the fresh air as much as possible. The almost two year old has them on their toes, and spending the day out in the garden, running through the grass seems to be the only way to ensure Remi falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow. And George really does mean an actual pillow, since they recently upgraded the crib in her room to a toddler bed. 

He has no idea where the time has gone. 

He had hoped to sneak up on them, considering the fact that it’s the middle of the day on Tuesday and he’s supposed to be at work. But when he steps out onto the back porch he isn’t met with the sight of Y/N and Remi kicking a ball back and forth or blowing bubbles. No, the scene he walks in on is much more precious. 

Y/N is laying in the hammock, one foot on the ground to slowly rock it back and forth while Remi lays on top of her chest, fast asleep. They’ve got matching white sundresses on, a gift for Mother’s Day from Molly. He figures Y/N is asleep too, but when the deck stairs creak under his weight her eyes open and a bright grin takes over her face. 

“George,” she breathes, voice quiet so as to not wake their toddler. “You’re home early.”

“I missed my girls and I’ve been jealous of all the fun you two have been having together,” George explains as he approaches. “Besides, Fred has been having so much fun torturing the interns he won’t even notice that I’m gone.”

Y/N giggles and pats the empty netting beside her. “Here, come join us.” When George gives Remi a weary glance, she waves away his concerns. “She’s out cold and probably will be for another hour, Sandra next door’s St. Bernard chased her around the yard for over an hour this morning.”

George rounds the hammock, carefully easing himself down next to the girls so he doesn’t flip them. He lays down on his side facing Y/N, propping his head up with one hand while the other rests on Remi’s bum, just below where Y/N’s own hand is. He leans in and kisses his daughter’s messy curls, before placing one on his girlfriend’s temple. 

He can’t believe that it’s been almost eighteen months since that day at the brownstone, when he opened up his front door to meet his new nanny only to fall head over heels in love with her instead. It’s hard to believe how much has changed in such a short time. 

For starters he sold that stupid brownstone that he loved so much. As Remi got older it was clear his bachelor pad was not easily converted into a family home, and the pathetic stretch of grass he called a back yard was insufficient for his sweet summer child who loved running barefoot in the grass. Plus with Y/N in their lives, the possibility of someday growing their family was always in the back of George’s mind and a London townhome was barely big enough for the three of them.

So with a great return on his investment and a little dipping into his savings, George was able to buy a large family home in one of the uppity neighborhoods on the outskirts of London. Sure his commute every day is hell, but they’ve got a backyard big enough for them to add a dog or two, the best schools in the country are just a short walk away, and there’s plenty of room in case they decide to add to their family one day. 

Which is something George hopes happens soon, one of the biggest changes that has happened since Y/N came into their lives. Before Remi George had a hard time imagining himself settling down, getting married and having some kids, and whenever he did it was far into the future by at least ten years. Once Remi was dropped into his lap that outlook had changed, but he always figured it would be just him and his daughter, something he was totally okay with. 

Falling in love with Y/N totally changed all of those plans. 

He didn’t want a life that was just him and Remi. He wanted one that included Y/N and the love and light she brings with her, with as many kids as she wants to give him. And he didn’t want that life years from now anymore, he wanted it as soon as she would allow him to stick a ring on her finger. 

Hence the diamond ring tucked away in the safe at work. George doesn’t think she’s quite there yet, but as soon as she is he’ll be down on one knee and making her his wife. 

But by far the biggest change that’s happened is the fact that he no longer has a nanny. Because now Y/N is a stay at home mum. So far that change has certainly been the most difficult, and it’s all thanks to the stubborn girl laying next to him. 

Once their relationship became romantic George knew Y/N could no longer be his nanny. Simply for the fact that it felt wrong to hand her a paycheck on Friday morning only to have her underneath him in bed that night. Besides, once that line had been crossed they both considered Remi to be their daughter, not just George’s and he certainly wouldn’t pay his wife or the mother of his child to take care of them. 

So he had proposed two possible paths to Y/N. 

The first being that he would stop paying her to watch Remi, and in turn George would take over all financial responsibility in their home. His money would become their money, and George would take care of all of their bills while she stayed at home and took care of the house and Remi. 

Y/N had flat out told him no. Which aggravated him and made him fall even more in love with her. But George had understood her response once she had explained that of course she considers Remi her daughter, the fact of the matter is she really isn’t Remi’s mum, and she’d feel weird taking on a role without having felt like she really earned it. Which George thought was total bullshit, he understood her point of view, but he thought it was bullshit. 

Which led him to propose the second path. Y/N would no longer be Remi’s nanny, giving her the ability to seek a new, day time position with another family. She of course would still live at home with them, and George would find a new nanny to look after Remi during the day while they were both at work.

He figured that would be the perfect solution. Y/N would still be making her own money while getting to be with him and Remi, Remi would have still have that one on one care George wanted for her and he no longer had to pay his girlfriend to hang out with their kid. 

Except her response to this proposition was the same as the first. Hell no.

Which had pissed George off to no end. He was trying to find a solution that would make their family work and keep all of them happy, and his sweet, stubborn girl shot him down. Twice. His anger had abated when during one of their arguments Y/N explained that the thought of another woman being in their home taking care of their daughter made her absolutely sick to her stomach. Because how the fuck could George be mad at her for being jealous at the thought of someone else being with Remi. 

So for months George kept signing Y/N’s paychecks and they kept fighting about how best to handle things moving forward. And George uses the term fighting very loosely, considering the fact it was more him trying to convince Y/N to let him take care of her and her saying no. 

It wasn’t until they moved into the new house, and their neighbor Sandra slapped George across the face and yelled about him being a dirty cheater, did they finally come to an agreement. 

Because when Y/N took Remi to the park down the road she’d introduced herself as Remi’s nanny to the neighborhood moms and nannies that were there with their kids. Which normally wouldn’t have been a problem, except for the fact that they started to notice that when Remi called her Mama she never corrected her, and on the weekends it was always George and “the nanny” taking Remi to the park together and they always seemed to be so close. 

So when Sandra saw them kiss in the driveway before George went off to work it seemed to confirm the neighborhood gossip that had been going around for weeks: George Weasley was screwing his nanny and was going to replace Remi’s biological mother with her. 

Which explains why Sandra, a woman George had barely spoken to at that point, assaulted and confronted him on his own property. Thankfully Y/N had been able to calm Sandra down, and after awkwardly explaining to her that Y/N was both Remi’s nanny and George’s girlfriend and that there was no other woman involved, the rumor mill dried up and everything went back to normal.

But Y/N felt so terrible that she agreed to quit her job as Remi’s nanny, with the stipulation that George let her work a job that still allowed her to be home with their little girl during the day. So now she works for a few families in the neighborhood as a nanny part time, that way whether she’s working or not Y/N is still Remi’s full time caretaker and she can contribute to the house with her own money. 

“Whatcha thinking about?” YN murmurs after they’ve been sitting in silence for a bit. 

“You, Remi, life,” George answers simply. 

“I can’t believe she’s almost two,” Y/N says wistfully, slowly rubbing Remi’s back. “I feel like just yesterday she was learning to crawl and asking for more juice by throwing her empty sippy cup at me,” she pauses as they both laugh. “Now she runs circles around me and says please and thank you.”

“It’s hard to believe that she used to be that tiny, fragile baby I found on my doorstep.”

Y/N stiffens next to him, just like she always does whenever Remi’s biological mother or how Remi came to be in George’s life is mentioned. She’s never even met the woman, but Y/N feels nothing but hatred towards her purely because of how carelessly she abandoned her little girl. There’s also a little jealousy there too, because as Remi gets older it is apparent that looks wise, she takes after the woman who provided the other half of her DNA, giving Remi a connection to her that Y/N will never have. She will love Remi with her whole heart until the moment she takes her last breath, but she will never be the woman that gave her life. 

“Even though I hate the way she came into your life,” Y/N starts, tilting her head back so she can look up at George. “I’m really fucking glad she did.”

“Me too, baby,” George agrees, leaning in to kiss Y/N softly. “Me too.”

-

“What are the ethical and legal implications for fucking an intern?” Fred asks suddenly, making all of the men groan. “Hypothetically, of course.”

Every month the Weasley brothers get together for a guys night. They play poker, drink beer and just catch up with each other. They’re at Bill’s tonight, in a shed out in the garden that he converted into a man cave. It’s a full house tonight, with George, Fred, Ron, Bill, Charlie and Ginny’s fiancé Harry all in attendance, and all of them are looking at Fred with disappointment. 

“Fred, you shouldn’t have fucked an intern,” Bill scolds, forever the responsible eldest brother. 

“Hey, I never said I did. I said hypothetically speaking,” Fred points out. “And I’m a little hurt by all of the judgment boys. Georgie over here fucked his employee and all of you congratulated him. Not fair.”

George rolls his eyes, taking a sip from his beer. “First of all, fuck face, if you talk about my future wife like that ever again I’ll knock you on your ass. Second of all, what happened with Y/N and I is completely different than whatever you plan on doing with one of our interns.”

“Oh please brother, enlighten me,” Fred snaps. 

“Well for one I’m not nearly a decade older than her,” George responds, narrowing his eyes as he glares at his brother. “Not to mention the second things turned romantic I tried to fire her, not my fault Y/N is the most stubborn woman on the planet. Any intern you hump and dump will still be our employee for at least two more months. And fraternization in that manner can certainly be construed as sexual harassment, which could end in a horrible, very public lawsuit that will ruin the company we worked so hard to build. Me kissing Y/N ended in a very happy, healthy, romantic relationship. We are not the same.”

Fred is silent for a few moments, and George is almost certain he’s gotten through to his twin. Until the other man opens his mouth. 

“So what you’re saying is I should wait until August, once their internship has ended, to fuck them?”

“I need another fucking drink,” George grumbles, pushing away from the table before he heads towards the little bar Bill has set up in the corner. He drowns out the conversation Ron has started, since it’s mainly focused on which intern Fred has his eye on, so he’s surprised when Bill slides up next to him. 

“Hey. I’ve got that number you asked Fleur for,” Bill murmurs, holding out a piece of paper for George to take. 

He gives it a quick glance, noting it’s nothing but a phone number, no name or identifying information, before he slips it into his pocket. “Thanks man, I appreciate it.” Both the number Bill has given him and his discretion in how he chose to give it to him. 

Because George isn’t one hundred percent certain what he’s doing is legal, and the less people that know about it the better. 

It feels kind of silly, scolding Fred about ethics and legal ramifications when George finds himself in a similar position, but his motivation has nothing to do with getting his dick wet, so he feels like his pursuit is at least a little justified. 

Six months ago he had his lawyer start looking into what’s legally required for Y/N to be able to adopt Remi once they get married. He knows it kills her that the only claim she has to Remi is the one in her heart and George wants to make sure that she has the legal rights to their daughter as well. 

Unfortunately for George, the answer was far from simple. Because when Emily, Remi’s biological mother, dropped her on his doorstep there was no documentation that she was officially terminating her rights. Meaning that even though George has been her sole legal guardian for nearly 24 months at any moment in time Emily can reappear, demand custody and have it granted. It also means that Y/N can’t legally become Remi’s mother. 

His lawyer had spent a few months trying to dig up any information, in the hopes that Emily had filed the paperwork to terminate her rights and they just didn’t know about it. When that search turned up empty their focus pivoted, and George had his attorney find out how to contact Emily, hoping that they could get her to agree to meet and come in to sign her rights away. 

But so far every attempt has failed. Either the numbers his lawyer finds are out of service or no one returns their call. Places of employment claim to have no employees under that name and every address is outdated. It’s been months since their search began and they still have nothing.

Luckily for George his sister-in-law knows some interesting people. He doesn’t want or need to know why Fleur has the number for a private investigator who has a knack for hacking, he’s just thankful that she does. 

Because there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for his family. 

But the blurred lines between right and wrong keep him from telling Y/N about the information Bill passed along to him when she asks him how boy’s night went as he slips into bed beside her that night. That way if this all ends up blowing up in his face George will be the only one hurt in the process. 

At least he hopes. 

-

The little family Y/N pulled together started on an unsuspecting Monday morning. 

So it makes sense that it all starts to fall apart on one too.

-

“What did you forget this time?” Y/N teases as she pulls open the front door. George only left for work a few minutes ago, and after a weekend at home with their family it’s pretty typical for him to get on the road only to have to turn around to retrieve something he forgot. But the smile fades from her face when she realizes George isn’t the one who rang the bell, but a beautiful brunette woman. 

A beautiful brunette woman who has soft curls falling down her back and a face shape that she would recognize anywhere considering the fact that she presses a kiss to that same arched brow every single night.

Nope, Remi’s Father is not standing on the porch - her Mother is. 

The woman, Emily, smiles at Y/N either oblivious to the distress on her face or she simply does not care enough to react to it. “Is George home?”

“N-no,” Y/N stutters out, too stunned to say anything else. “He’s at work.”

Emily shakes her head, looking Y/N up and down in a way that’s anything but friendly. “Ah, you must be the nanny then.”

The way she says nanny creates a pit in Y/N’s stomach, and it takes all of her strength not to flinch. Because how fucking dare this woman who abandoned her child show up years later and be anything but thankful and appreciative for the woman who picked up her slack. 

“Is there something I can help you with, Emily?” she asks after taking a moment to compose herself.

Because as much as she wants to give this woman a piece of her mind, Remi is just in the other room, and she has to keep her head on straight to make sure no harm comes to her daughter. No matter what this horrid woman thinks of Y/N, Remi is hers, and she’d do anything to keep that little girl safe.

If Emily is surprised to be recognized it doesn’t show on her face. She pulls a card out of her pocket, offering it to Y/N. “No, George will know why I was here. Have him give me a call.”

Y/N isn’t in control of her body as she reaches a shaky hand out and takes the proffered card, her mind numb. She watches as Emily turns on her heel and walks away without a care in the world. Like she didn’t just blow up Y/N’s life. 

Because why the hell would George know why Emily came by the house?

And why the fuck doesn’t she?

-

George knows something is wrong the second he walks through the door that night. 

Usually the house is filled with noise, Y/N almost always has music playing in the background as she cooks dinner and the sounds of her and Remi laughing echoes off the walls. But tonight when he swings the door open, his mouth opening to shout a greeting he’s met with dead silence. 

He’s immediately on edge, worried something has happened to his girls. 

“Y/N?” he calls out, voice frantic. “Where are you?”

He searches the bottom floor, switching between calling out for Y/N and Remi, his anxiety heightening each time he goes unanswered. His palms are sweating and he feels like he’s on the verge of a panic attack when he heads upstairs, his body moving without really being aware of where it’s going. 

All George knows is that something is wrong and he needs to find Y/N and Remi before he loses his mind. 

Finally he swings open Remi’s bedroom door and he takes his first deep breath in what feels like hours. Because Y/N is standing there, her back to the door as she gazes out the window. Her shoulders stiffen, so George knows she’s aware of his presence, but she doesn’t turn when he murmurs her name. It’s then that he finally notices a lack of their daughter, and the packed duffle bag sitting on the floor next to Y/N.

“Where’s Remi?”

“At Bill and Fleur’s,” Y/N answers, her voice flat as she still refuses to look at George. 

Her lack of emotion and just general shitty behavior does nothing but piss George off, which is why his words come out sharper than he intends them to. “Y/N what the fuck is going on?”

She finally turns to look at George then, and her appearance has him stifling a gasp. While no tears fall from her eyes, they’re rimmed with red and slightly puffy - a tell-tale sign that she’s spent a good chunk of the day crying. Her body is stiff, her arms crossed like she needs to protect herself. And her eyes, those eyes that George loves so much, are filled with one emotion: betrayal.

“Why don’t you tell me?”

That isn’t what George expected her to say, and he feels a little lame that he doesn’t immediately have a response. 

“Maybe you can start by telling me why the fuck, Emily showed up at our house today looking for you, and when I said you weren’t home she just left her number, claiming that you would know exactly why she was here.”

Oh fuck. 

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

George’s stomach is in knots and he feels like he’s going to throw up. He should have told Y/N that he was looking for Emily, he feels like such an idiot for keeping that from her. His lawyer has called several of her friends and family members to try and get a hold of her, of course one of them was sure to tell Emily George was looking for her. So it really isn’t a surprise that she decided to track him down instead.

Well at least, not a surprise to him. And why should Y/N have been expecting Emily to show up at their door after no contact for almost two years? He really, really fucked up. 

“Baby, wait, it’s not what it looks like,” George starts to explain, taking a step towards her. 

But Y/N takes a step back, holding up her hand to cut him off. “Really? Because it looks like you went behind my back and sought out the biological mother of the child you claim to be ours, after she abandoned her on a front porch no less.”

Fuck, it sounds even worse when she puts it like that. 

“Please, just let me explain,” George pleads.

But Y/N just shakes her head. “The time for you to explain would have been before any of this shit started.” She picks her bag up and tears start to well in her eyes. “I need a second George, to think about things. To think about what Emily being back around means for me and us and this family. Fleur and Bill are going to keep Remi for tonight, and Sandra agreed to watch her while you’re at work for the next few days.”

As she walks out of the room Y/N pauses next to George. “Emily’s number is on the counter in the kitchen. You better have a damn good reason for needing it.”

George stands there alone in the middle of Remi’s bedroom until he hears the front door click shut behind Y/N. It’s only when he’s sure he’s alone does he allow himself to break down: tears rolling down his cheeks as he falls to his knees. 

He thought keeping this secret was going to ensure Y/N felt secure in their family, but now it looks like he may have lost her for good.

-

Y/N plasters a fake smile on her face, not needing all of their friends and family to know how torn up her insides are. Because of course, the weekend after George’s betrayal is Remi’s second birthday, and despite the fact that they’re still not speaking and she’s still not sure where her place in their family is anymore Y/N will always show up for Remi. She’s already had one mother walk out, and Y/N is not about to be another. Emily’s reappearance be damned Y/N loves that little girl, and she’ll happily suffer in silence if it keeps a smile on her daughter’s face. 

Despite George’s best efforts, she’s managed to stay away from him so far. Of course they need to have a conversation about what happened, but the middle of their backyard while celebrating their daughter’s birthday is not the time or the place. So she’s kept close to Remi, reveling in the feel of holding her tiny hand as the toddler dragged her around the yard to all of the different activities they have set up. 

She’s standing outside the bounce house, watching Remi tumble around with her friends and her Uncle Fred, chatting with one of the Mum’s when she feels his presence behind her. The warmth of his body seeps into her skin, and Y/N’s eyes flutter shut as the scent of his cologne washes over her. Despite all of her hurt and her anger this week without George has been torture, and she’s afraid to admit how good it feels to be near him again. 

“Hi,” he greets, leaning in to murmur in her ear. “I’m really fucking happy to see you. I was afraid you weren’t going to show up.”

The other Mum gives her a cheeky wink before wandering off, clearly thinking Y/N and George are reconnecting during a quiet moment of a hectic day. Her stomach drops, both in fear and excitement. 

“It’s our daughter’s birthday, George,” Y/N responds once she’s composed herself, eyes reopening as she takes a deep breath. “If you think I’d miss it just because I’m pissed at you, you don’t know anything about me. I’m not Emily.”

Regret slaps George in the face, and he kicks himself for being so stupid. He hasn’t been able to think straight since Monday night, when he came home and his whole world fell apart. Life without Y/N is bleak, and if it weren’t for the little girl giggling wildly as she has fun with her friends, George is sure he would have given up by now.

“I’m sorry, I’m such a fucking idiot,” he apologizes, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Remi hasn’t been sleeping at night because she misses you and I haven’t been sleeping at night because I miss you and I feel so fucking terrible about everything and I can barely breathe let alone think straight.”

He pauses, taking a second to get his shit together.

“Of course I knew you would show up today, your love for Remi has always come first. That’s what I love most about you, how fiercely you love the people you care about.”

Y/N simply nods, to over run with emotion to trust her voice to come out clear and even. Knowing that Remi has been struggling during this time absolutely kills her, and she hates that she has brought her even an ounce of pain. But at least she’s young, and if this really is it for this relationship, Remi will never remember Y/N and the love and loss her brief stint in her  life caused. 

That’s a thought Y/N has had many times over this past week, and it’s just as heart wrenching to think about as it was the first time. Remi will never remember Y/N, but she’ll spend the rest of her life loving and missing that little girl. 

“Can we talk tonight?” George pleads. “I want to explain everything to you, like I should have done on Monday. Or rather even before that night. And if you still want to walk away from this relationship after that I will let you go. But please know that you will always be a part of Remi’s life, whether you and I are together or not. Remi may have come from Emily, but you are her Mother and you always will be.”

George walks away then, and Y/N furiously wipes at the tears leaking down her cheeks before anyone has the chance to notice. 

-

Y/N decides to hear George out. 

Because even though her heart is hurting and she feels like her trust has been broken, just being in his presence today has made her feel the most normal she has all week. Being by his side while they held Remi and everyone gathered around to sing her happy birthday just felt right, like she was just where she was supposed to be. There is no doubt in her mind that George is the love of her life, and Y/N knows deep down that she’ll always regret not fighting for their relationship. And when George had assured her that no matter their relationship status Y/N would always be in Remi’s life, she figured she had nothing to lose by sitting down and hearing George’s side of things. 

Plus, sticking around until the last partygoers made their way out means she gets to put Remi to bed for the first time in almost a week. 

Which is where she is now, laying on her side in Remi’s bed with the little girl snuggled up against her. They’ve just finished reading her favorite book ‘I love you to the moon and back’ and now Y/N is slowly stroking her soft curls as she watches Remi’s eyes flutter open and closed and she fights off sleep. 

“Mama miss me?” Remi’s sweet voice mumbles, and it makes Y/N’s heart break. 

She leans in, pressing her lips against Remi’s forehead. “Mama missed you so much, baby.”

“Miss Mama,” Remi agrees, her lips smacking together as she tries to stay awake. “Love you Mama.”

“I love you too, Rem-Dog. More than you’ll ever know,” Y/N promises. That reassurance must make Remi feel safe enough to fall asleep, and Y/N watches as her eyes finally flutter closed and once her daughter’s breaths have evened out she presses one more kiss to Remi’s forehead before extracting herself from the bed. 

“Goodnight, baby,” she murmurs, taking a second to tuck the covers tightly over Remi’s body. She heads towards the door, taking one more look over her shoulder before she closes it behind her. Taking a deep breath Y/N steals herself, preparing for whatever conversation is awaiting her downstairs. 

George nearly jumps out of his seat when Y/N comes down the stairs, furiously wiping the sweat from his palms on his trousers. He gestures towards the seat across from him, giving her a small smile. “Sit, please.” 

Once she’s seated across from him George sits down too, awkwardly fidgeting in his chair. He crosses and uncrosses his legs several times, his hands wringing together as he tries to figure out where to start. 

“Thank you for staying and agreeing to hear me out.”

Y/N gives a curt nod. “I’m not making any promises here, George. But I at least owe it to myself and our family to sit here and listen to what you have to say.”

She watches as George grabs a thick manilla envelope off the chair next to him, waiting with bated breath as he slides a document out of it. He places it on the table, slowly sliding it towards her so that she can see what it is.

Y/N takes a moment to read, her eyes scanning the words over and over again so there’s no doubt in her mind what she’s looking at. As the information soaks in, tears start to form in the corners of her eyes, and she presses a hand to her trembling lips. 

“George these are,” she starts, eyes finally flicking up to meet him.

“Adoption papers,” George confirms with a nod. “I told you earlier that no matter what happens between us you’ll always be Remi’s Mum, so I figured this would be a good place to start. That way once this conversation is done you can be free to feel however you want to feel, and not make a decision based on your love for Remi. I love you, Y/N, and I want us to be a family. But I understand that you might not feel that way anymore. So all you have to do is sign on the places that are marked, I already did, file these with the court and Remi will legally be yours too.”

“George, I,” Y/N stumbles, unable to find the words. This is the last thing she imagined George would say to her. And she knows now that whatever awful things she thought George was doing behind her back were nothing more than her insecurities speaking out.

When Emily showed up on their porch it surprised Y/N to her core, and all of those negative thoughts she’s had about feeling like she could never measure up to Remi’s biological mother came rushing back to the forefront of her mind; only made worse by the fact that George had seemingly been trying to get in contact with Emily behind her back. 

But sitting here, now, with George offering her a permanent place in Remi’s life even if she doesn’t want one in his - she knows. She knows that this is all just some stupid misunderstanding and she nearly let the best thing that’s ever happened to her slip away. 

“What about Emily?” Y/N asks, voice shaking. “I mean, isn’t she technically still Remi’s Mother like, legally?” she clarifies. She remembers when they had to register Remi at their new pediatrician after they moved, and they needed her birth certificate for her file. Y/N had noticed that Emily was still listed there, and when she googled what that meant that night, she found out it meant Emily hadn’t ever signed her rights away, so she still, legally, had a claim to their daughter.

“She signed her rights away,” George explains, a small smile forming on his face when Y/N’s jaw drops. “That’s why she showed up that day. My lawyer has been trying to hunt her down for months, and she must have heard I was looking for her.”

“And she signed them away?” Y/N asks, still in disbelief. “Just like that?”

George nods before launching into the story of what happened.

-

“You’re a hard woman to track down,” Martin, George’s attorney, jokes as Emily and her attorney take seats at the conference table across from them. But the smile is wiped from his face when George gives him a glare. 

This is not the time for joking. He’s barely been functioning since Y/N walked out two nights ago, and he just wants to get this shit over with so he can come clean to her and get on his knees to beg for forgiveness. And at least with Emily out of the way, even if Y/N doesn’t want to take him back she can still adopt Remi. He will deal with shared custody and watching Y/N fall in love with someone else as long as it means his girls are together and happy. 

“That’s what happens when you don’t want to be found,” Emily replies dryly. Her eyes finally and on George and the smirk that appears on her face makes his stomach turn. “Weasley, long time no see.”

George huffs. “Can we just cut the shit and get this over with? I’d like to get home to my daughter.” 

He can’t help but notice that Emily doesn’t react to him claiming Remi as only his, and it just solidifies that going through all this shit was a good decision. Clearly this woman doesn’t give a shit about the little girl they created together, because if he had said something like that in front of Y/N she would have slapped him upside the head and made him sleep on the couch for a week. 

“I’m sure she’s doing just fine with the nanny.” Emily’s voice drips with condescension, and it pisses George off even more. 

“Don’t talk about her like that,” he seethes. “Y/N is not Remi’s nanny, she’s her mother. And she’s a damn good one, which is something you know nothing about, so I’m not going to let you sit here and talk shit about the woman who has stepped up and done what you never had the balls to do.”

The room is silent, George’s words echoing around the room until Emily’s attorney clears his throat. 

“Well now that we’ve gotten that out of the way,” he drawls. “Why are me and my client here?”

“Oh, right.” Martin grabs the manilla envelope sitting on the table, drawing a document out of it. He hands it to Emily’s attorney, giving him a moment to look it over before he speaks again. “We’d like for Emily to relinquish her rights to Remi. It’s been nearly two years since she abandoned the infant, and George would like for his partner to formally adopt their daughter.”

Every second Emily is silent makes George’s stomach sink further and further, and he can feel the bite of his nails digging into his palm from how hard his fists are clenched. Martin had assured George that even if Emily refuses to sign her rights away there were other ways to have them terminated, but it would be a lengthy process. Which George would absolutely not hesitate to pursue, but he wants this done as quickly as possible, which hinges on this right now going the way he wants. 

“So I just sign and that’s it? The baby isn’t mine anymore?” Emily finally asks after she’s read the document. 

Martin nods in confirmation. “Precisely. If you sign that today I’ll have it filed with the court this afternoon, and you will no longer have any legal rights or ties to Remi.”

“All right, do you have a pen?”

Not even a second of hesitation. The second her attorney puts a pen in her hand Emily is signing, double checking to make sure she hasn’t missed a spot. As soon as she’s satisfied that everything has been taken care of Emily slides the papers back over to Martin, and George feels as if a weight has been lifted off of his shoulders. Emily is finally out of the way, and he and Y/N are free to be a family in every way possible. 

As long as she still wants him, that is. That part of the plan is still up in the air.

-

“So, yeah. That was that,” George trails off as his story comes to an end. He sits back in his chair, just watching Y/N as she takes everything in. There’s a few different emotions flitting across their face, but they’re gone before George can tell what they are. Her eyes look at everything in the room except for his face, and he can’t tell if that’s a good sign or not.

“She just signed them away? Just like that?” Y/N finally says, her voice thick with emotion. 

“Yep. We were ready to file a lawsuit for abandonment to have them involuntarily terminated but she just picked up a pen and signed them away.”

Y/N shakes her head. “Wow. Fuck her.”

George can’t help but chuckle. “Yeah, I was pissed at first too, because Remi is fucking amazing and how dare her Mum not realize that and fight to be in her life. But then I realized it doesn’t matter, because Emily isn’t Remi’s Mum and never has been. From the second you walked into our lives you have been her Mum, and the reason why she’s such an amazing little girl is because of you and the love and attention you have shown her. It doesn’t matter that Emily gave Remi half of her DNA, you’ve given Remi everything a real Mother should and that’s what matters.”

She doesn’t even know she’s crying until a few tears drip off of her chin, and Y/N works to quickly wipe them away. Everything George has said just erased every single doubt she’s ever had in her mind. Y/N always felt like Remi and Emily would have some kind of bond due to the fact that they share DNA, but hearing George just now and knowing Emily signed her rights away as if it were nothing proves that it’s all bullshit. 

The only woman Remi will ever have that bond with is Y/N, and it has nothing to do with blood.

“Why didn’t you just tell me you were looking for Emily, George?” Y/N finally asks. “I would have understood and supported you.”

“Because I’m a fucking idiot, for one,” George admits honestly. “When I first talked to Martin about the steps it would take for you to legally adopt Remi I wanted it to be a surprise. I bought a ring and had this whole plan to ask you to officially be a part of this family. But when we found out that Emily hadn’t signed away her rights I decided to keep it to myself. I didn’t want to get your hopes up if it wasn’t going to go the way we wanted it to.”

Y/N nods that she understands to encourage George to keep going. It’s actually kind of sweet that George had put so much thought into this whole thing, and she understands why he didn’t say anything. Clearly George was aware of the sore spot Y/N had regarding Emily, and she kind of loves him a bit more for trying to be sensitive to that. 

“And then Martin’s search for her was going to shit. Every address we had was old or wrong, every phone number was out of service. Any employer we talked to just said she didn’t work there and any friends or family would ignore us. I was kind of starting to get a little desperate,” he admits sheepishly, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “So I talked to Fleur and got the contact information for a guy with a, um, special set of skills.”

That gets Y/N curious. “What kind of skills?”

“Hacking, mostly,” George mumbles. “And I wasn’t one hundred percent sure that whatever he was going to do was totally legal, and I figured the less you knew about that the better. If it was all going to go to shit we both couldn’t be in jail. Remi would be left to Fred and we all know how that would end up.”

Once it’s clear George has said everything he needs to Y/N takes a deep breath, taking a second to just let everything sink in. Obviously George made a few mistakes in the way he went about things, she can’t deny how full her heart feels at his gestures. And it’s clear he feels absolutely terrible about how things came about and he regrets not being honest with her. 

“That was really the only reason why you didn’t tell me you were looking for Emily? Because it was supposed to be a surprise and you didn’t want me to know about your potentially illegal activities?”

“I swear,” George promises, placing a hand over his heart. “I’m so sorry I kept it from you and I hurt you. I didn’t mean for that to happen and if I could go back and do things differently I would.”

Y/N nods in understanding. She brushes her fingers over the adoption papers, tapping them twice. “And no matter what happens between us you’ll let me sign these papers and legally become Remi’s Mum?”

“Of course. You’re her Mama, and I know how much you love her and she loves you just the same. We can go to court to figure out custody or we can just do it between us, whatever you want. But I will never stop you from being a part of our daughter’s life.”

“Well, I think I’ve heard everything I need to.” Y/N pushes away from the table, biting her lip to keep from grinning at the dejected look on George’s face. She stands, but instead of heading towards the door like he thinks, Y/N rounds the table, plopping herself right down into his lap.

“You got your chance to speak,” she starts, putting a finger to George’s lips to keep him from saying anything. “And now it’s my turn. I’m sorry too, for acting the way I did that night. Emily showing up shocked me, and brought all of these insecurities and negative thoughts to the forefront of my mind and I went spiraling down this dark path. I knew that there was a rational explanation for Emily being on our porch and I didn’t give you a chance to explain things. For that I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted,” George responds once she lets him speak. “But just know I’m only saying that to appease you and not because I really think you owe me an apology.” Y/N finally breaks out into a full smile, and George feels the happiest he has all week. 

“And you’ll never go behind my back ever again?”

“Never,” George answers honestly, his voice firm. 

Before George has the opportunity to realize what’s happening Y/N leans in, pressing their lips together and pouring every emotion she’s felt over their separation into their kiss. George wraps his arms around her waist, absorbing every bit of hurt, pain, anger, longing and love she passes off to him. Even when their kiss breaks he keeps her pressed tightly to his chest, silently telling her that he plans on never letting go again. 

“So,” Y/N starts, her voice teasing. “What’s that you said about buying a ring?”

[mykneeshurt]

Daddy

Arthur Morgan x F!reader

Warnings - 18+, minors DNI, explicit smut

Not overly proof read because I cba x

——

Sitting in your chair by the fire you concentrated on your needle work. Your father was away for the night on business, he reared and sold thoroughbred horses. In turn you looked after the house, helped to clean the stables and helped to break in the horses when they were old enough.

While you loved the horses you hated your father. He was mean, abusive and cruel. Your mother died when you were young and you were an only child, it felt like a punishment for something you’d done in your past life.

As you focused on a particular stitch there was a knock at the door. Not expecting anyone you pulled out the shotgun from a chest, it felt heavy, the cold trigger kissed the warm skin of your fingers.

Opening the door you kept it hidden at your side, peeking through the crack you saw a tall broad man. A cigarette hung from his lips as he rested his hands on his belt. ‘Can I help you?’ You asked meekly, trying to portray the helpless damsel.

‘You got the money?’ He asked, inhaling the cigarette, the orange glow only slightly illuminating his face.

‘Money? You’ll have to speak to my daddy. Ain’t no money here sir.’ Flashing your doe like eyes up at the man praying he’d leave you alone. ‘Your daddy?’ He asked, a sinister smirk spreading across his lips. ‘Yeah. He don’t take too kindly to strangers knocking on the door this time of night.’ Your voice more stern and forceful than before. ‘So I suggest you leave.’

He moved closer to the door leaning on the frame as he rested his hand on him gun holster. ‘Your daddy ain’t here. Now. You got the money?’ He growled.

Shit.

The German man you’d borrowed money off in town, you thought you’d have more time. You only needed it to top up money you’d been saving to leave your fathers home. Chewing on your jaw you tried to push the door shut, but he was quicker than you.

Bursting through the door his body slammed into yours causing you to drop the gun. It fell to the floor with an almighty clatter, noticing the gun he stifled a chuckle. He pushed you up against the wall, boxing you in between his huge arms. ‘What’s a pretty lil thing like you doing with a gun like that?’

‘Protection.’ You snapped, he was stood so close to you, he smelt of sage and gunpowder. ‘Protection from what?’ He asked as he took a step closer to your body, so close you were almost touching. The breath in your chest seized, your thighs clenched as you got lost in his musk.

‘From people like you’ you sneered, desperately trying to prove you weren’t intimidated by him. Smirking from under the brim of his hat he grasped your chin between his thumb and forefinger, lifting your gaze to his. ‘Now that ain’t very nice sweetheart’ he drawled ‘I’m thinkin’ you don’t have the money do you?’

You squirmed under his grip, he was beautiful and you berated yourself for thinking so. Eyes as blue as the ocean with flecks of green, sandy blonde hair with stubble to match. A sharp jaw line, broad stature with a small waist and he was tall. So tall.

With his grasp still firm on your chin you finally managed to find an answer, ‘no.’

‘I didn’t think so. Mr Strauss wants his money.’ He lowered his head to your neck, his breath fanning ever to gently over it ‘how do you propose we fix this hm?’ You practically felt your pupils blow wide, your cunt clenched in your bloomers as you swallowed hard. Fucking an outlaw would certainly be payback for how your father treated you. Even more so if you fucked him in his bed.

Resting your hand on his wrist you whispered ‘follow me.’

Leading the outlaw up the creaky wooden stairs he held your hand, it was gentle. You entered your fathers room and instantly he clocked it, ‘this ain’t your room is it?’ Throwing him a devilish grin you shook your head as you pulled him into you by his belt buckle. His body collided with yours, you bit your lip as you looked up at him. Placing your arms around his neck you pulled him into a kiss. His lips were so soft, he snaked his hand to the back of your head, twisting his hand in your hair.

Moaning into his mouth you swiped your tongue along his lip, begging for entry. Allowing you this he deepened the kiss as he walked you backwards towards the bed. Once the backs of your knees hit the bed he guided you to sit down, as you did he helped you onto your back, never once breaking the kiss. Slowly he crawled on top of you as he slid his knee between your thighs, pulling a moan from the back of your throat.

His knee grazed your clit as he settled between them, sighing into you. As you pulled back you nipped his lip smiling as you did so. ‘Well darlin, I wasn’t expecting this when I knocked on your door this evenin’ he said with a crooked smirk. ‘Mmm, I’m full of surprises’ you purred while kissing his neck.

Pulling him back in, your lips met, the kiss was deeper and sloppier this time. Wet. Tongues tangled around each other, lips moved in tandem, breath intertwined as you swallowed each others moans. Slowly he trailed his hand down your torso, grabbing your breast he massaged it gently. You sighed softly into him causing him to break the kiss. ‘You want this?’ He asked, concern suddenly evident in his eyes.

Eyebrows raised you smiled ‘oh so now you’re a gentleman. Didn’t ask permission to burst into my house did you?’ Dropping his head he let out a hearty laugh before moving a stray piece of hair from your face. ‘Oh darlin. I always ask permission before makin a lady scream my name.’ Your jaw dropped as a delighted giggle burst from you.

Pushing your hip up you forced him onto his back so you were straddling his hips. Tilting your chin you looked down at him whilst drumming your fingers on his broad chest. ‘Oh you’re gonna make me scream your name huh?’ He nodded. ‘Well Mr outlaw, you’re gonna have to tell me it first.’ Gripping your hips he began to move you, forcing you to grind your hips on his hard cock. ‘Arthur.’

‘You best take these close off then Arthur’ you grinned. He sat up and slowly removed each layer of your clothing delicately, his hands were soft despite the calluses which littered them. His fingertips kissed each part of your skin as he mapped it beneath him. His arms were defined, strong and muscular.

You made fast work of his buttons, peeling his shirt off him as you made your way down to his trousers. Soon enough you were both naked, led next to one another, gazing into each others eyes. ‘Beautiful’ he sighed. Feeling a sudden heat in your cheeks you buried your head into his neck, but he pushed you back ‘naw, I wanna see that smile.’

‘Mmm Arthur, you gonna keep kissin my ass or you gonna fuck me?’ Your confidence caught him off guard, trailing his fingers down your back he pulled your leg over his hip. He then trailed it along your slit ‘oh darlin, you’re so wet. That all for me?’ You hummed at his touch, it had been so long since a man had touched you. ‘Don’t tease me Arthur … please.’

With that he plunged a finger into you, stretching your pussy open with a smooth motion. Biting your lip you nodded as you gripped into his shoulder, digging your nails in. As he moved and worked you open he slid in another, coughing you to his between clenched teeth. ‘You ok sweetheart?’

You nodded furiously ‘yes … yes … shhh don’t stop.’

He moved his fingers inside you, rubbing your spot exactly the way you needed. Your face contorted with each movement, with each thrust of his fingers. You whined and moaned into him, your chest heaved with each breath. Then suddenly he removed them, causing you to groan in anger. ‘Fuck!’ You yelled, not knowing whether to cry or laugh.

Instead he started kissing your neck, nipping your collarbone, before moving down to your abdomen. He spread your thighs and kissed the nest of hair that decorated your pussy. His breath tickled. His tongue however felt heavenly, with small languid licks he worked his way over your clit. His blue eyes peeked up at you as he worked his jaw, you felt him smile against you. No one had ever done this to you before.

You rolled your hips, gripping the bed sheets with one hand, the other buried in his sandy blonde hair. He held you down with one arm, inhaling your scent, devouring your moans as you writhed beneath him. You were getting close. So very close.

And he knew it.

‘That’s it pretty girl, lemme hear you. Sound so good’ he drawled, his voice thick and husky. ‘Feels so good’ you whined. With one final lick he moved himself back on top of you, lowering his lips to yours. You could taste yourself as he kissed you. Just as he slipped his tongue into your mouth he pushed his cock into you. Both gasping as he did. You felt so full. So so full.

The stretch was agonisingly beautiful, he slowly worked his cock into you. Grazing that sweet spot. He started slow at first, allowing you to get used to him. When you relaxed into him he upped his pace, whispering sweet praises in your ear. His pubic bone hit your clit with every thrust, pushing you closer and closer to the edge.

Lifting your legs he placed them on his shoulders, kissing and caressing your calf muscles, your ankles. This new position allowed him to go deeper, the tip of his cock kissing your cervix, a dull but not painful feeling. Sweat began to gather on your bodies, gasps and moans mingling in the dull light of the fire. ‘Play with it darlin’ he gasped at he looked towards your glistening pussy.

Dropping a hand you rubbed your sensitive bundle of nerves. Arthur’s eyes widened, he chewed his jaw as he watched. You felt yourself begin to tighten. So did he. ‘That’s it, just like that sweetheart, lemme feel yah.’ Screwing your eyes shut, back arched, toes pointed you came, pleasure rushed through your soul as you rode your high. ‘Oh fuck Arthur!’

‘Where you want it?’ He asked breathlessly, strands of sweat soaked hair framing his face. ‘Fuck, anywhere, I don’t care’ you panted. With that he pulled out, letting his cum decorate your soft skin, it felt warm as it hit your breasts, abdomen, chest. Using a finger you gathered some before licking it off, a wicked grin on your lips.

‘Oh darlin.’ He smirked ‘I ain’t ever lettin you go.’

[flamingwordsinthesky]

Sneak Peek of untitled SpideyDevil fic.

Sonja was an older woman who dressed like someone who wasn’t about to hit 70. Her salt and pepper curly hair tied back back with large designer sunglasses that matched her floral print shirt. She smiled as soon as she saw Peter, especially when he handed her the coffee, cooled by the time she took it from Peter’s hand.

“You’re late Parker. I almost sold your Queen album.” She said as she sipped her coffee, then she lowered her glasses to look at Matt. “Though you can be forgiven if you introduce me to your dashing young friend here.” She said with a slight purr. Matt put on his most charming smile and extended a hand to her. 

“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Matt Murdock.” 

“Sonja Shaw.” She introduced himself with a good handshake before her eyes trailed up and down Matt. It was amusing since she did something similar to Peter when she first met him. Eyeing him up and flirting up a storm with him. But now she had someone new to flirt with. And a distant part of Peter didn’t like it. If only because now he has to watch Matt flirt up and charm another woman. 

Cause god forbid if Sonja paid Peter a compliment like that.

Yeah. that’s it.

“And a strong grip too. Betcha you don’t have any problem picking up any pretty lady?” Sonja asked.

“No trouble at all.” Matt smiled and Peter rolled his eyes.

Sonja looked at Peter with a raised eyebrow. As if to say ‘Don’t do that. You know he has more game than you.’

Which Peter knew. Matt was charming, smart, witty, and a complete package. If someone could get past the lies, the schemes, the hypocritical moralizing, and his occasional disregard for anyone's feelings but his own. He could be selfish, but he was someone who Peter knew he could rely on. 

Cause Matt understood what it was like to hold onto so much guilt. What it’s like to hide from the ones who love you. Matt knew what it was like to wake up exhausted but having to function like a normal person the following day like you weren’t up all night fighting some crazed mad villain looking to cause harm and chaos. 

But these were secrets he kept to himself, so he distracted himself by looking through one of the boxes of records. Some rock, some jazz, and a few big band records that looked older than Captain America. None of which stood out to him. 

“You’re a fan of Queen?” Matt asked suddenly and Peter was almost startled. 

“Yeah?” Peter looked to see him holding the black cover with the hypnotizing white circles with Jazz in pink being the only contrast. Peter smiled wide before taking the record out of his hands. 

“Thank you so much Sonja.” Peter said without taking his eyes off the cover. Remembered the excitement when he saved up enough for his first record. How Uncle Ben introduced him to his own record collection and Peter just wanted something of his own. How he stayed up all night just listening to Freddie Mercury and his hypnotic tones. 

How he had to sell that record in order to take Gwen out on a nice date. 

How he couldn’t find it anywhere. He tried online but it didn’t feel right. He wanted to find it. But the fact that he couldn’t meant it was a fast seller. And it was hard to find records like that nowadays. But here it was all because of a woman who saw him without his mask and promised not to say anything. Who he had saved from another Shocker attack. 

Peter pulled himself together when he looked up at a slightly confused Matt. 

“Uh- You-You really don’t know how much this means to me.” Peter couldn’t think of anything else to say as he quickly dug in his pocket before Sonja stopped him.

“Keep it. You already got me coffee. That's a good enough payment for me.” Sonja said like a grandmother soothing a child. It was calming as it was condescending but Peter just inhaled and let go. 

“Sorry about that.” Peter said, wiping away unshed tears. “I-Uh been looking for this record for a while. I-I didn’t think it’d be this hard to find.” 

“No need to apologize. Your Aunt told me how much it meant to you. I was just kidding about sellin’ it.” Sonja said and Peter let out a laugh. 

“I know Sonja. Seriously thanks a lot.” 

“I wasn’t aware you liked Queen that much.” Matt said, genuinely asked him. 

“It’s a long story. Sorry. Didn’t mean for that to happen. You like Queen?” A dumb question to ask but Matt didn’t seem like a rock kind of guy. Matt seemed like the type to listen to classical music while reading one of many law cases. But he did mention Chet Baker. And Peter does like Chet Baker as well. Would Matt like Aretha?

“Yes. But who isn’t a fan of Queen. Though if I were being honest I’m more a Velvet Underground kind of guy myself.” Matt said, closer to Peter than before. Close enough to touch but enough distance to still call friendly. 

“Wait really? You’re a Lou Reed fan?”

“Peter please, we’ve known each other for years and you don’t know my favourite music.”

“You never told me.”

“You never asked.” 

Peter felt that pull to Matt again and followed it, getting closer but not close enough just yet. Matt’s hand ran over the records. “Right, How stupid of me. So you are a Jazz fan then?”

“Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, and Aretha Franklin, just some of my favourites”

“No shit! I love Aretha's stuff. I got a whole collection at my place.” Peter didn’t bother with the suggestion that Matt come over. But kept that to himself. There was no way that Matt would actually agree to that. 

“Is that so? I’d like to listen to it.”

“Are you boys here to flirt or are you here to shop?” Sonja said and Peter was suddenly aware of where he was. Matt simply smiled. 

[luvreyn]

POPSICLE 

RELATIONSHIP: MEGUMI & GOJO AS FATHER AND SON

No matter what anyone says, Megumi never starts fights. He only finishes them off. And it’s not his fault that those bullies thought they could antagonize him and get away with it.

So it was no surprise when he was suspended for beating up those weaklings.

He scowled as he looked at the riverbank. He doesn’t really care.

He almost yelped when something cold hit his cheek, and he glared at the too-tall menace of a guardian who crouched beside him.

Gojo smiled, tapping the popsicle on his cheek. Here. You need to cool down.

He takes the popsicle before staring at the river again.

His guardian lets the silence carry on before sighing. Megumi wanted to rejoice because his guardian looks like he’s about to leave, but inside, he’s a little disappointed. What if those bullies were right? What if he can’t make people stay because he’s worthless and nobody loves him?

But he was proven wrong when Gojo stayed and took his popsicle to open it for him before handing it back. You should eat it before it melts.

He does, and he appreciated the gesture more when he saw that it was his favorite flavor of popsicle.

Megumi, come on. Talk to me. What is it? What’s on your mind? What happened? Gojo says it in a sing-song tone.

He knows that this strange, tall man already knows what happened. He was there earlier when the principal suspended him and the parents of those bullies wanted to sue him.

Nothing; you already know what happened.

I know their version, but I want to know the truth.

He says nothing. One, he doesn’t want Tsumiki to know what those bullies were saying about her too. Two, he knows deep inside that what those bullies said was right. He has no mother, and his father has long abandoned him. Nobody wanted to keep him, and he knows his guardian is only temporary. Maybe he won’t even be here tomorrow. Megumi doesn’t want to show his vulnerability in front of a man he can’t trust.

Gojo licks his popsicle in contemplation while watching him. For a child, Megumi seems to have the whole world on his shoulders. And somehow, it reminds him of himself.

You're still a kid. You don't have to worry about useless things.

Useless? Megumi looks at him sharply. Gojo looks solemn and understanding. "That's the beauty of being a kid. Let the adults worry and figure it out. The only thing you need to do is be a kid, and whatever you're worrying about is not gonna happen. You’re stuck with me."

He’s stuck with him? Let the adults handle them? Can he really do that? His own father sold him off to the highest bidder, and without Gojo, he would've probably be in a worst situation.

He can't trust adults, but...

(He looks at his guardian, who is close to him. Someone who should be more of an older brother because of their age difference, yet the one person—the only person—who held out his hand to save the kids he had no business rescuing or raising. )

He finds that he can trust one adult. This adult next to him who is no blood but the one who saved and rescued him, the one who is raising them against all odds, the one who is more like a father and friend to him like no other, and somehow, Megumi knows that unlike all adults in his life, Gojo is not lying or just saying things to make him feel better. He means them, and because of that, he won't leave.

Megumi nodded in understanding. Gojo smiled, ruffling his hair, and he groaned.

"We should finish eating this and head back before Tsumiki starts freaking out about us again."

my gojo dad and megumi as his son entry for this year! this was supposed to be posted last year but life keeps getting in the way huhu also was supposed to be posted on the anniv gojo got sealed cuz i just miss him sm

[themarginalthinker]

this drabble of the band au is called 'ear worm'

(Laddie has a favorite show. Can you guess what it is?)

(For @spidercookie18 ! This is set in the band au! It's 2021, covid never happened, and the Boys are preforming. Dwayne sets Laddie up with some distractions, and may accidentally distract everyone else as well. In this au, Laddie is Dwayne's biological child, Star being the surrogate mom for them.)

-

"Okay, all strapped in?"

"Yeah!"

Laddie kicks his feet up, tugging at the strap of the booster seat that he sat on as Dwayne loaded in the last dufflebag. They were going to be staying a couple days, and needed more than a change of clothing. A lot more.

Dwayne goes over his mental list again, for what feels like the hundredth time. Clothing, spare clothing, for the both of them, Laddie's books, Dwayne's work laptop, spare kit for the drums just to be safe, snack bag, phone, keys-

"Can I have the tablet?" Laddie asks.

Dwayne looks up, and then nods. As much as he did just finish packing them, he admits that this is a worthy investment. It was going to be a bit of a drive after all, and Laddie had recently started getting carsick while reading. Oh, shit, did he pack the Dramamine and Tylenol? He was pretty sure he did, but maybe not, and better safe than sorry...

Dwayne finds his prize in the bottom (he never did learn how to pack a bag that well...) of his clothing bag. Full charge, ready to go. He navigates to the movies saved to it, and hands it to Laddie.

"All good?"

"Yes!"

"Alright."

Dwayne steps back, making one final check of everything in his head, and then closes the door, walking around to the driver's side. He gets in, starts it up, and gets this show on the road.

-

It's a good set. A really good set. Everyone had been on point tonight - from the roadies to the Band, the show had gone off without a hitch. Th crowd had been big - basically a sold out show - but not unmanageable. Dwayne almost finds it suspicious. A little stage superstition, likely.

They clear off, Dwayne flexing his hands as he does, tucking away his sticks into his back pocket. Dwayne navigates the back halls of the stage, passing people walking around who made the show work. Honestly, Dwayne often says, he just plays music. It's everyone else who does the hard work.

The greenroom is a small series of connected rooms, and the guys were already back there, hanging out, dressing down. Dwayne himself reaches into his mouth, feeling the plastic prosthetics. (Even after ten years with them, he still didn't know how David managed the permanent fang inserts...)

He comes to the room marked for The Lost Boys, and pushes open the door.

The first thing he sees is. Well. The Boys. David, Paul, and Marko. They'd all left the stage at the same time, But Dwayne had stopped to talk to one of the roadies about something.

The three of them are all clustered around a couch, where Laddie sat. There were scattered books and colored pencils and other such entertainment for a child, but he had his tablet back out. Marko was leaning on the arm of the couch, David and Paul over the back, looking rather...focused. The lot of them were only half out of their costumes.

Then Dwayne hears it.

"Mum!"

Laddie kicks his feet in time with the beat.

"Dad!"

A jaunty tune plays.

"Bingo!"

Dwayne steps forward, and looks down at the tablet screen.

"Bluey!"

"Bluey!"

Dwayne actually raises an eyebrow at Paul, who had actually mumbled the titular character's name along with the show.

"Where the hell did you find this, man?" Marko says, jabbing a thumb at the show.

Dwayne shrugs. "He got sick one day, and this seemed like something good to zone out to while resting. It's a favorite."

"This is a really fu- uh. Freakin' catchy show, dude," Paul agrees.

Dwayne smirks, and starts to walk away, prepared to change, and get Laddie back to the hotel hopefully before it got too late.

"Your funeral."

David looks up. "What?"

Dwayne reaches up to tap his temple. "Once it's in there, it doesn't leave."

Marko rolls his eyes, standing up properly now that the moment had been broken, apparently. "It's a kid's show. We used to make fun of Barney growing up."

The night moves on, and the band closes out their night. They get invited out for an aftershow, but Dwayne declines. He's carrying Laddie through the halls and into bed, settling in with him. Another successful night in a life he never thought possible.

-

"Buh buh buh...mm, mm, mmm- uh. Shit."

"I told you. It gets in there, man."

"Shut up, Dwayne."

[dumbass-brunette]

TLDR Summary: My main Baldur’s Gate 3 Tav, Lyllis (red) who’s a cambion, and her teifling half-sister Draconia (blue). They grew up enslaved after their mother sold them to Lyllis’s devil father, in exchange for Darconia’s father’s life. They both manage to escape on the Nautaloid, unfortunately, Draconia dies in the crash, giving the Emperor the perfect opportunity to impersonate her

Full Backstory+Info Under Cut:

This is my main bg3 Tav, Lyllis Bloodscar (red) and her half-sister Draconia Blackfire (blue),

Their Mom was a Mephistopheles Teifling and a warlock, named Lyra Nightbane, who made a deal with a devil named Lucious Bloodscar. At the time Lyra was in love with Lucious and the two of them had a child together (Lyllis). Lucious corrupted Lyra, turning her from an idealistic young girl who had a drive to help people, into a ruthless, unempathetic and racist murderer, who killed anyone she deemed monstrous, all the while in irony, she held a relationship with a devil and raised a cambion child.

Over time however Lyra realized how much she was at Lucious’s mercy and she began to grow resentful towards him. Five years after Lyllis was born Lyra met and fell in love with another Mephistopheles teifling named Xander Blackfire, and she had her second kid, Draconia.

This enraged Lucious, he insisted that it breached their contract and threatened to have Xander murdered. Lyra begged Lucious not to and as a result made her second deal with him. Lucious promised to spare Xander and in exchange Lyra would not only lose her powers but she was also forced to give up both her children to him. Lyra gave both Lyllis and Draconia up to Lucious in return for Xander’s safety, but in a(n unsurprising) twist, Xander didn’t really fuck with Lyra sacrificing his child and step child, so he left her and began trying to figure out ways to save his kids.

Meanwhile, Lyllis and Draconia, at the age of five and like, one have both become Lucious’s slaves (whoops ¯\_(ツ)_/¯). As they grew up in captivity they became an inseparable pair and began trying to figure out their own way to freedom. Lyllis loves her half sister more than anything but she also holds a bit of jealousy towards her because Lyllis looks like an exact copy of Lucious while Draconia looks like Xander. Once this is all over Draconia will be able to see her reflection without thinking of their slaver or terrible Mother, but Lyllis won’t, she’s stuck with Lucious’s face plastered where her own should be.

Eventually, Lyllis and Draconia are freed via, being kidnapped by mindflayers :D

…

…

…

Unfortunately, Lyllis finds Draconia’s corpse at the crash site D:

Things to note:

- Lyllis romances Astarion briefly before Lyllis realized that they were both far too traumatized and were better off as friends.

-Originally when Lyllis and Astarion get together it's framed as a one-night stand type of deal, she knows Astarion is traumatized but she doesn't know that any of his trauma revolves around sex. So when he proposes they sleep together she's like "yeah, look at us two traumatized people having sex to get our mind off of things :’D" as soon as she realizes that she was contributing to Astarion's trauma rather than alleviating it she was HORRIFIED. When he explains everything and she tells him that maybe he needs a friend and not a lover, it's a two way street, because she realizes that she's also never really had a friend before

-BloodWeave post cannon (me and my pookie are writing a BloodWeave fic rn)

-I also like to think Shadowzel is cannon

-She romances Wyll and heads to Avernus with him and Karlach there they end up eventually becoming a polycule (hellpact anyone :3?), among other characters such as Dammon and Rolan (Lyllis is catching EVERYONE in her polycule)

-Lyllis takes an interest in Rolan almost immediately but it doesn’t go anywhere till post cannon.

Also…

I uh… made memes ,:D

Can you tell I’m hyperfixated on my girly BECAUSE I’M— *gets dragged off the stage*

(I’m an Astarion girly if you can believe it.

But I’m an Astarion girly cause I relate to him a lot and want to be besties with him not becauseI wanna date him still romance him in most of my runs tho, I just wanna be able to see all of his content okay? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

[camilaflores]

INTRODUCING:

NAME: Camila Flores

NICKNAME(S): Cam, Mila, Flores

AGE: Thirty-three

ZODIAC: Saggitarius

RESIDENTIAL AREA: Jackson Hill

OCCUPATION: Tattoo artist and owner of Tit for Tat Parlour

LENGTH OF RESIDENCY: All her life

POSITIVE TRAITS: strong, quick-witted, protective

NEGATIVE TRAITS: impulsive, stubborn, vengeful

A LITTLE MORE:

Trigger warnings: abandonment tw, child services tw, miscarriage tw, addiction tw

Camila knew the feeling of abandonment and loneliness long before she could place it. Placed at four years old, she grew up in homes that were often crowded where she received the bare minimum— until she was swept up and taken elsewhere.

The moving from place to place happened more frequently as she got older. The placements were worse and worse, mainly because no one really wanted to take in older kids with a slew of issues due to the trauma they'd lived through. 

Much like the children in the home, she was troublesome. It wasn't because she wanted to be but she didn't have any other way to get the emotions out nor did she have the skill to verbalize what she was going through. Therefore she found herself falling into the wrong group, using alcohol and drugs as a means to escape the world she was in.

Eventually, she found herself in a bad relationship that ended with her being pregnant. It was the one good thing in her life, until it disappeared too. 

The constant loss made her find solace in art, using it as an outlet to get her emotions out when nothing else worked. She dabbled in many mediums but always returned to drawing. A few pieces were sold to friends and family, using the money to keep herself afloat until the last few years before she turned eighteen when things turned south in the homes she lived in.

Eventually, after a fight that almost got her put into a juvenile institution, Camila left to live with her friends, going from couch to couch until she reached the age of eighteen and was no longer considered a ward of the state.

From then on, she began to work odd jobs until someone mentioned an apprenticeship. It took her many years to finally find a shop that would take the chance on her and she completely fell in love. It wasn't the easiest of experiences as she was often seen as less skilled than the more seasoned artist but she kept her head down and continued to train at her art.

Without money coming in, she decided to dabble with onlyfans and found herself making good income. A lot of it she managed to save as she continued to live with roommates, until she had enough saved up to buy a space of her own. It took years; a lot of sweat, blood, tears and hard work for her to finally be able to open up her own shop and for it to grow the reputation that it now has in town.  

POTENTIAL CONNECTIONS:

FOSTER CARE: Some of the people she would have grown up with while in the system. They could have looked out for each other, maybe they lost touch or did their best to keep in touch. Camila ran off before she turned eighteen so this could potentially be the person she stayed with if they're older

EMPLOYEES: She owns a tattoo parlour called Tit for Tat that she payed for and has owned for the last few years. These people would have helped her take it off the ground and she's internally grateful for them.

EXES: People that she was with throughout her life, even the big ex that she finds herself going back to even though they're kind of toxic for each other. He would have also been the guy she was with during high school potentially.

BAD TINDER DATE: She uses the app as a hook up site, even using her only fans at times as well so this could have been one that went bad or they could have just hooked up and then not gotten along or she ditched them.

CAT AND MOUSE: A person that she hasn't given a chance to because it's so much more fun just making each other jealous and kind of playing pull and push. There's some feelings, but she isn't sure what yet.

[tigers1o1]

You wanna share some info about that “Fucked Up fnc au idea?” /nf

So.

Prepare for a wall of text.

Also general TW for dehumanization, captivity, child soldiers, trauma, human trafficking (not s*x). Like I said. Fucked Up.

Think fantasy elements but not high fantasy, so closer to medieval times but with a hint of magic and the typical dnd races. Tritons are rare and highly prized as sort of “pets”. Gillion was born into this and sold off to a council of elders (not sea-folk in this) that ruled a kingdom. He grew up there, doubling as a prized and gorgeous pet, shown off and paraded around, and a well trained bodyguard for the council. And one day, someone breaks into the palace (quietly, they’re trying to get blackmail) and Gillion finds one of the intruders (Chip) who falls in love almost immediately with the gorgeous man that’s practically dripping in jewels and gold and expensive fabric. He manages to talk his way out of it, and Gillion lets him go (only after Chip had to explain the concept of freedom to him because he had no idea that was even a thing that he could have). Chip spends the next week and a half thinking about Gill, the thought of him refusing to leave his mind. He helps the Black Rose (a crime syndicate that acts almost more as Robin Hood style vigilantes) plan another break in, this one specifically to break Gillion and the other “pets” out (because gill isn’t the only one, though he is the most prized and the one kept on the tightest leash). There’s some extra stuff w jay and Edyn and Lizzie, but I’m too eeoy to explain ALL of the lore I’m thinking about. Basically after Chip and the Black Rose saves Gill, he stays with them (no where else to go) and it turns into Chip teaching Gill how to have a normal life, with normal relationships. And it’s ROUGH because Gill is extremely traumatized, but slowly, Chip helps him heal :>

[sissytobitch10seconds]

Gentle Hands and Warm Hearts

Fandom: Grishaverse: Six of Crows Summary: The whole point of the polycule is so that each of them can get the care that they need without putting it all on one other person. That should, arguably, mean that Jesper and Nina don't have to do this but they find themselves hiding it away every time they do, as if it's something shameful. Or, the five times that Jesper and Nina got caught together and the one time that they sought their partners out. Warnings: Mentions of child abuse, haphephobia, mentions of sexual abuse, minor sexual content, and anxiety Word Count: 6,226 Ship(s): Nina Zenik/Jesper Fahey/Wylan Van Eck/Matthias Helvar/Inej Ghafa/Kaz Brekker

Archive link!

A/N: So I really like this idea but I'm not entirely happy with the execution. I feel like the dialogue in this fic is a bit awkward and I had to correct a lot of stuff. I think that it's come out a little bit better than when I found it, but I'm not entirely happy with it yet. I hope that you can all still enjoy it, though! Stay sissy and bitchy everyone &lt;3

1.

They were all clamored around each other, as they often were on date nights. Matthias had his arm looped around Wylan’s hips to keep the smaller man somewhat close to him, though they would both take several minute breaks whenever the touch began to get too much for them. It was hard to adjust to having so many partners when they had gone almost their entire life with touch being out of reach, after all. Kaz knew the feeling, since, while he had been able to overcome his haphephobia enough to maintain the kind of relationship that he wanted with his partners on most days, there were times that he still felt the waters of the harbor lapping at his ankles. He knew that Inej was going through the same thing, wading through hip-deep memories of when she had been in the same place as the people that she was now saving.

They reached the theater without anyone stopping them and with very few people staring at them. The only exception was when Nina had begun begging Kaz and Matthias to let her have some of the fried bread that was being sold in a cart outside of the entrance. They had given into her almost immediately, neither of them were very good about saying no to her when she looked at them with that delicately pouting lip.

They were shown up to the private box that Kaz had reserved for them so that they could watch the show without having to worry about people behind them. He sat in the front row with Inej beside him, though there was a chair between them so that they could speak to each other without being overwhelmed. Matthias and Wylan sat with a chair between them and the other duo, though they were next to each other with the arm down between them.

“Why are you sitting so far away from us?” Kaz asked when he turned and saw that Jesper had taken up residence in the row behind them.

“Nina and I are going to be very annoying during this show,” Jesper explained with a half shrug. “We didn’t want to ruin it for everyone else by making fun of every other thing the whole time.”

That was a reasonable enough explanation for everyone, so they turned their attention back to the stage. None of them turned around when they heard Nina return to their box with the concessions that she had slipped away to buy for herself. She dropped a candybar down into each of their laps without touching any of them and then flopped down into the chair beside Jesper so that she mirrored the other duo.

The stage lights lit up as everything else was dimmed so that their attention was on the actors alone. The music picked up when the two leads stepped out on stage during their first scene together, keeping each member of the polycule transfixed on what was happening. The score mixed very well with the script that the troupe had chosen. The story itself was a little bit dull, but the performance, combined with the aerialists swinging through the air in increasingly complicated styles, were enough to keep the entire audience fixated on the stage.

Throughout the entire play, just as they had promised, Jesper and Nina whispered to each other as they made jokes about what was happening. 

The intermission for the play came at about an hour into the proceedings. The curtain lowered and the aerialists climbed into the catwalk above so that they could reset for whatever was going to happen next. Nina and Jesper began to talk to each other louder to continue the jokes that they had been making when the rest of the theater came alive as well.

Kaz got up so that he could stretch out his leg in the cramped box. Matthias disappeared so that he could get something to eat while Wylan stretched out, long and cat-like in his seat. He turned to Inej so that he could strike up a conversation with her about what went into the tricks that they were doing on the stage, which she was very happy to entertain.

Kaz watched her talk for a while, admiring the side of her face and the shining brightness that she somehow always seemed to bring with her. He wished that he could hold her beauty in his hands at all times, to admire her elegance and the warmth that she flooded into the world no matter what. 

He was growing bored since he was listening to a conversation that he had with her more times than he could count. He turned his attention away from the giddy way that his girlfriend spoke to his boyfriend and instead directed it to Jesper and Nina.

She had a handful of popcorn halfway to her mouth while he balanced a kernel on the tip of his nose, his mouth wide open like it was somehow guaranteed that treat would fall down in that specific direction if it began to tip. Nina laughed with the joy of someone that was truly healed and free, no more the shaking, scared woman that she had been on the ship after she had taken the parem so that they could be free from Fjerda. Jesper looked brighter and happier, yet at the same time more grounded, than he had been in a very long time. Kaz knew that they were helping each other with their powers and learning how to love that part of themselves, something that none of the others could really relate to.

He let his eyes travel down and then smirked slightly when he realized what they were doing. Jesper’s dark brown skin stood starkly against the pale yet freckled shade that Nina’s was. Their fingers were also wildly different sizes, but they still fit together like a key sliding into the lock that it was made for.

Kaz leaned forward on the chairs, tilting his hips so that the throbbing pain decreased as much as it ever did. “Are you sure that the two of you didn’t just sit back there so that you could hold hands?” he asked, jerking them both from their activities.

Despite the odds, the kernel of popcorn did roll down off Jesper’s nose and directly into his open mouth. He threw both of his hands up into the air at the same time, which got the attention of their other two partners. Kaz noticed, with a bit of disappointment, that Nina had dropped his hand so that she could continue to shovel popcorn into her mouth. 

She stood and dumped the bucket down into Inej’s lap as she said, “I know that Matthias said he was going to go get some more but he’s so distracted with Wylan tonight that he’s likely to forget my sweet Inej, so I want to make sure that you had some.”

“Thank you, love,” Inej laughed, that warmth and brightness flooding out of her like an endless river. Kaz was then distracted from the confusion that the duo separating so quickly had brought to him, focusing instead on the antics that the rest of his partners were pulling.

2.

It was a very cold day in Ketterdam, but those were common. Wylan had grown up in the city in his entire life and even though he was often hidden behind big doors and windows that kept him separated both physically and metaphorically from the weather, he had been aware of it. He liked the cold, it made it easier for him to work in his lab without overheating. It also meant that he was more likely to find a cuddly Jesper when he walked home for lunch after his meetings with the Merchant Council.

He knew why they liked to meet in the mornings, since it was before a lot of the boats that they needed to do business with docked back in the harbors, but his lovers pulled so many late nights that if often left Wylan feeling absolutely exhausted.

He stifled a yawn behind the back of his hand and then pulled his heavy coat tighter around his body. He walked past one of the dewey storefront windows and had to stop for a minute so that he could examine himself. He had done something similar several years ago, when he was wearing the face of one of their closest friends.

This was far different than that was. He had the face that he had known the entire time that he was growing up, even if he had let Genya go a little further than he really should have. He had the same pale skin and bright blue eyes that he had seen over and over again when he had discovered that his mother was still alive. His chin had a gentle curve that went with the near-button nose in the center of his face. The thing that was different than when he normally looked at himself was his clothing.

He had been dressed in white button up shirts and pressed slacks for as long as he could remember, but wearing the black vests and overcoats that were typical of Merchers felt like he was putting on another costume. He knew that Kaz dressed like a Mercher to make the men that hoarded that power uncomfortable, a costume of sorts for him as well, but it was strange for Wylan to do the same thing. On one hand, he had inherited all of the land and fortune that his father had tried to deny him due to his inability to read, so he was actually a Mercher. On the other hand, he was still one of the international criminals that had broken into the Ice Court and stole one of the most wanted people in the entire world.

Wylan shook his head to clear it of the thoughts and continued home. He knew that everything felt heavier after one of those meetings because they took so much out of him. He wanted nothing more than to go home and check on the puppies that should have been fully whelped seeing as Matthias’ favorite bitch, a wolfhound named Mila, had gone into labor the night before. Coming home meant he also got to see most of his favorite people in the entire world, even if Kaz was going to be at work and Inej was one another one of her long voyages.

So he carried through the streets of Ketterdam until he approached East Stave. He slipped into the back alleys were no one would be able to tell where he was or follow him. He hadn’t known the paths of the city as well as Kaz had only a few years ago, but days of traveling using only them had piled into his repertoire so he could walk through any part of the city using any path.

He walked through the back door of his home and smiled when he heard the low voice of two of his partners in the living room, combined with the sound of a crackling fire. Wylan shed his heavy coat and hung it on the hook so that the wool would dry out, a couple droplets of rain had begun to come down when he had been on the last leg of his journey. He set the briefcase full of papers down in the office that he and Kaz used for when they had to bring their work home. Wylan was about to go on vacation so he didn’t have to find someone to help him read them just yet. 

Instead, he traveled up to the bedroom so that he could change into something that was more comfortable. The starched shirt and stiff pants were hung back up in the closet like they always were when he came back from one of his missions. He changed them out for a pair of comfortable brown slacks and a baggy gray shirt that kept out some of the cold that was still leaking through the well-sealed windows.

He traveled back down the stairs and then peaked into the massive room where Matthias kept his dogs, the only other door in it leading to the dog run that they had in their backyard. He was about to go check on the squirming mass of fur when he heard a snore emitting from his boyfriend. The birth of puppies was the most stressful part of breeding, according to Matthias, so he always stayed up to make sure that everything went smoothly when one of his bitches went into labor. Given that it had been early in the evening when Mila had started nesting, Wylan knew that Matthias had been awake almost all night.

Instead of going inside, he carefully shut the door and then walked towards the living room so that he could join the partners that he hadn’t seen yet. He stopped before he crossed the threshold when he noticed that something was off about the room.

Usually there was a long couch directly in front of the mantel, a loveseat kitty corner to the right side, and then a pair of chairs on the other side. They had a table that went in between the chairs and then a large coffee table pinning down the rug in the middle. It made the room closed enough that they felt like they were in a den, but open enough that no one had to be touching anyone else unless they wanted to.

It took Wylan only a minute before he realized what the difference in the space was. Someone had moved the couch back about six inches and had placed the coffee table behind it, including all of the cups and dishes that remained there since their breakfast.

Pinning the rug down instead of their table was a pair of people that Wylan had grown very fond of. Nina was wearing a loose fitting red dress that billowed out around her like a pool of blood, which stood starkly against the pale of her skin and the dark brown of her hair. Jesper was weaning one of his linen button-up shirts and a skirt that as the same color red as Nina’s dress. They were turned towards each other so that their foreheads were pressed together, their hands pulling at each other’s clothes like they were both bored. They were giggling and talking in voices quiet enough that Wylan couldn’t quite make out what they were saying.

He walked over to the loveseat, placing his hands down on the top of it. “Since when did we decide that we would be redecorating the living room?” he asked, trying to resist the grin that was spreading across his features. 

He loved the duo more than he knew how to say, even if his love for them was different. He loved Jesper, Matthias, and Kaz in a way that was deeply romantic and sexual. He loved Inej and Nina in a way that was just as passionate but also so starkly not romantic and clearly not sexual. He wanted to be close to them, to know their innermost workings. He wanted to hold hands and sit beside them, but he didn’t want to kiss them or have sex with them, even when he was having one of those days where he was craving that kind of intimacy.

As soon as he spoke, they sprang apart from each other. Nina climbed up onto one of the chairs as she worked some of the knots out of her long, curly brown hair. Jesper simply rose to his feet so that he was once again towering over the merchant. “Wy! You were gone before we woke up this morning, how did the meeting go?”

He was shocked at how quickly their demeanor had changed, but didn’t say anything about it even when Nina began to pull the couch back to where it belonged. He just told them about the tasks that he wasn’t looking forward to dealing with and the headache that was waiting for him at the end of his vacation. Whatever they were doing was their business, he wasn’t going to pretend like he understood what their love was like.

3.

Long trips wore all of them out, but Matthias always felt exhausted when they finally arrived at their destination. He had a lot of memories wrapped up in travel and he didn’t think that it was something that was ever going to go away. He had spent a lot of his childhood going on very small journeys with his mother when they were heading into town from their home out in the woods and with his father when he was learning how to hunt so that he could provide for his future family. Then when he was with the Druskelle, they had spent a lot of their time traveling between the Ice Court and whatever other training facility that it had been decided would be best for them. When he had actually graduated, he had traveled to every country under the sun and even a couple of others that seemed to be in only darkness so that he could look for the witches that they had been hunting back then.

Even when they were walking down the long, dusty paths so that they could stay with Jesper’s father over the Zemini’s winter holiday, he still ended up feeling like he was trudging through sludge by the time that they got to the cabin. It left him exhausted down to his bones, which made Kaz tease him that he was getting old despite them all being about the same age.

He managed to stay upright on his feet long enough to get all of their bags into the little back room that they were going to be sleeping in before he collapsed down onto his cot. He only managed a nap before the smell of dinner made him wake up. 

Jesper had made Zemini food for them back in Ketterdam fairly often since he was one of the two people in their entire polycule who knew how to cook and Nina liked to stick with baking. He always complained the that the spices and ingredients that they were able to get off the boats in Ketterdam were nothing compared to the fresh ones that he got back home. Now that they were actually in the country that the ingredients originated in, Matthias was excited to be able to try some of their favorites with the flavor that they were meant to have.

He hauled himself up from the cot and then blearily rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He was alerted to how nearly overheated he was when he stood up and his head began to swim. He removed the thick riding shirt that he was wearing so that he was in nothing but the loose cotton undershirt that he had donned back when they were in Shriftport. He was so used to the cold of Fjerda and then the nipping damp of Ketterdam that it actually astounded him that a place could be as warm as Novyi Zem was without the entire place being bleached white from the oppressive force of the sun.

Matthias walked out of the small room and then looked towards the kitchen where Jesper was. He smiled softly when he saw that his partner was dressed in nothing but a cotton undershirt as well, the sweat from standing over the stove having soaked through the garment so that it was clinging to his skin. It was reassuring to know that he wasn’t the only one that was suffering in the heat.

His cheeks turned red when he saw that Nina and Jesper were actually together, the others seemingly elsewhere on the farm. Matthias vaguely remembered something about Wylan and Inej wanting to see Kaz’s magic bird skills in action with the mean chickens that the Faheys owned. Nina was dressed in her slip and bloomers to beat the heat of the kitchen, but they were also clinging to her body with sweat.

Jesper turned around, singing a song in Zemini so softly that it was almost under his breath. Nina was singing along to it as her hands slowly traveled up his arms until they were resting on his shoulders. She threaded her fingers around the back of Jesper’s neck and brought their lips into a slow kiss. They were standing so close that their bodies were pressed together, though Matthias wasn’t quite sure how they were managing that in the heat.

He watched them dance, sharing kisses during the breaks of the song, for as long as he could manage before his stomach gave a loud grumble. The noise let them know that he was there and they sprang apart, both of them blushing furiously, though it might have just been the temperature from the outside combining with the steam raising from the pot on the stove.

“Matty, would you go outside and let the others know that dinner is ready? You’re the most dressed out of all of us and I need to get some of Ma’s old clothes for Nina since all she packed were things that would kill a polar bear in a Fjerdan winter,” Jesper said.

“It’s the winter in Ketterdam! How was I supposed to know that this was when Novyi Zem got hotter?” Nina asked, indignant but smiling. She brushed past Matthias after sharing a very brief kiss with him. He barely had time to say anything before he was being shepherded out of the door with a spoon that was covered in something that smelled absolutely heavenly.

4.

Nina knew that she was cutting it close. Despite what her partners thought, she was actually very good at time keeping. She had to be given that she had been a student during a time of war and had been to more classes than the rest of her peers combined so that she could learn all of the languages that were now familiar to her. She just didn’t care about time when it wasn’t something that was crucial to their survival or wasn’t going to give her something that she wanted.

Now was one of those times. She knew that if she pushed the time that she was supposed to meet up with Matthias the only thing that would be waiting for her would be a grumbling boyfriend who would be soothed with a bat of her eyelashes and a kiss or two. No one was going to die, no teachers were going to come after her, and she would only be a few minutes late at the very least.

So once she was finished tugging her bodice into place over her skirt, she took her time while getting her hair spooled onto the back of her head. She left one of the elaborate ringlets that decorated her head loose around her face so that it made the freckles on her cheeks and nose stand out. 

She figured that she had a bit of time left over after she finished getting dressed despite her late start, so she might as well go find one of her other boyfriends while she was at it. When she finally found him, he was sitting in his room in front of the workbench that he used to clean his guns and practice his Grisha abilities. “Hello, sweetheart,” she beamed as she knocked on the frame of the door to get his attention.

He jerked away from the project that he had been focused on and then beamed at her like she was the sun and moon combined together. “You look beautiful, darling,” he whispered as he reached a hand out towards her.

She stepped into his room and then took it, only to find that he used it to spin her around. He took in the full majesty of the outfit that she had chosen, his other hand grazing against her waist to keep her in the same spot in front of him. Then, he grasped her other hand so that her arms were crossed in front of her. Jesper used that to slip her into a hug, pressing their bodies directly into each other so that they were swaying to the music of their combined heartbeats. For a moment, Nina wished that she could still hear them.

“You’re going to have to let me take you to a dance sometime, especially in this dress,” he growled as he teasingly bit just underneath her jaw.

She giggled and tilted her head away from him so that he would have more space to work. “If we were going to a dance then I think I would wear something more svelte than this. Like that little black number that I got to accompany Wylan to that ball he really didn’t want to go to.”

Jesper moaned into the skin of her neck and she almost felt like she was dying. Wherever his hands were touching felt like they were on fire in a way that she couldn’t get enough of. It was just like the parem had made her feel, but healthier and beneficial to her. “I loved you in that dress.”

“Oh yeah? Show me,” she whispered when their noses were a hair’s breadth apart and she could already feel the arousal burning inside of him.

He didn’t wait even a second as he crashed their lips together in a burning kiss. Nina felt like he was trying to draw her soul out through her mouth and she was happy to let him do it. Their lips moved in perfect time with each other and his hands felt solid and grounding on her hips. His body was warm against her in a way that made butterflies shutter through her system so that she felt almost as though she was flying.

The entire world had melted away until they heard someone stop at the doorway, which caused them to fly away. “Am I really that late?” she asked as she looked to the perpetually broken clock hanging above Jesper’s wall.

“You are. I was worried, even though it looks like I did not need to be,” Matthias chuckled. She knew that it was good natured and there was no malice behind it, but she couldn’t help the shame that was burning in her cheeks at the words. She linked her arm through his and then began to ask him what he thought about her hair and her outfit while she led him back out into the street so that they could start their date.

5.

She let her feet carry her to the easy access points to the roofs of Ketterdam. Gliding from shingled roof to smokestack to flat industrial tents felt like coming home as much as the smell of the sea and bread baking in an oven did. Inej found her thoughts drifting while she traveled back to the home that she had made with her partners, showing her just how little she needed to pay attention to where she was going after all of the time that she had spent flitting over the tops of the city.

She landed on the balcony that led into the master bedroom that they all used when they were feeling up to sleeping with each other. When she noticed that no one was in there, she flipped over to Nina’s balcony. Her girlfriend had apparently recently taken to gardening, based on the geraniums and poppies that she had managed to coax into blooming in the same planter box along the outside of the balcony. Inej imagined that Jesper and Kaz, the duo that had the most previous experience when it came to growing things, had likely tried to tell her not to. Wylan had likely made some sort of special formula that made the ground more fertile so that her beloved blossoms wouldn’t wilt and die. Matthias had most definitely been the person to actually remember to water the flowers.

She smiled fondly as she thought about how desperately she wanted to see them all again. She turned towards the aforementioned woman’s room so that she could see if there was anyone that she could startle in there.

She saw two figures on top of the blankets, but the sky was just dark enough that she wasn’t to make them out properly through the warped glass. She pressed her hand flat against the window and then slipped it open so that she could wiggle her body silently through the opening, but she paused as soon as she had a clear view.

Inej could see a lot more clearly who it was and what they were doing. Jesper’s tall form had his head against the headboard and his toes just barely pressing against the baseboard of Nina’s bed. His entire bare back was on display for her to see, including the silvery white scars from their early time together in the Barrel. His arms were wrapped around a body that was shaped very differently than his. When he rolled over, she was able to see that it was Nina.

They were both totally in the nude but they had a blanket vaguely draped over their legs so that they could avoid the chill of the incoming spring night. Nina had her long hair vaguely tied back so that it was out of her face with the tie that Inej had given her out of the first rope that had snapped on her ship. Jesper had his arms draped lower over Nina’s hips so that he was vaguely holding onto her thighs. Nina was leaned forward so that her forehead was against his neck. Their entire fronts were pressed together in a way that told Inej that Jesper was inside of Nina.

She was expecting to hear moans and see movement, but the only thing that she heard was the sniffling and hiccuping that came with crying. They were still except for the fidgeting that came whenever Jesper wasn’t actively running away from something.

She felt oddly voyeuristic even though she had watched them do a lot of things that were far more dramatic than nude cuddling. So instead of continuing to spy on them, she placed her legs down on the inside of the windowsil so that her toes could brush against the floor. She then knocked on the wall next to her so that they were alerted to her presence.

They jumped and turned towards the sound, both of them obviously confused before the color drained from them both. They separated from each other and scrambled to get their clothes on. Nina was wearing her shift and a pair of bloomers by the time that Inej properly stepped into the room. 

“Inej, you’re back early!”

“I am,” she nodded. 

She opened her mouth to ask what they had been doing before she was interrupted by Jesper saying, “Have the others seen you yet or did you come to visit your favorites first?”

“I don’t have favorites,” she answered, forgetting what had been happening before despite them still getting their clothes back to rights.

+1

Jesper hated having to tell people about things that he was feeling. It was the one thing that made him a terrible boyfriend, outside of the inherent danger that his zowa abilities posed to his partners and his gambling addiction. Thinking about having to admit the reason that he and Nina had been so cagey about their affection with each other during the last six months made his stomach tie itself into an impossibly tight ball that he wasn’t sure he was ever going to get to come undone.

He knew that she was right, though. They had been walked in on when they were cuddling and touching each other more times than they could count and their partners were going to get suspicious. It was strange for them, since they were actually dating each other, to act like they were having an affair. They were dating the most dangerous and intelligent people in Ketterdam so there was no way that they were going to continue to get away with it. 

Nina threaded her fingers together with Jesper’s and then kissed his cheek to remind him that she was going to be by his side through the entire process. That gave him the strength to do what needed to be done, as being touched almost always did.

They headed down the hall and into the main living room where everyone else had already positioned themselves. Matthias and Kaz were discussing some business venture involving another disgraced Druskelle in the chairs. Wylan was stretched over the loveseat while drawing something. Inej was napping on the couch, but she woke up as soon as she heard the two new people walk into the room.

“What’s going on?” she asked, able to pick up on the tense body language from Jesper immediately.

The duo walked so that they were standing in front of the empty fireplace so that no one had to crane their heads or look behind themselves while they had their conversation. “We have to talk to you about something,” Jesper managed to get out before he felt his throat constrict with fear.

“It’s nothing bad,” Nina quickly explained. “It’s just something that we want to explain before it does turn into something bad.”

He nodded in agreement. He looked over his partners and felt suddenly very put on the spot when he noticed that all four pairs of eyes were glued directly onto him. Usually he liked it when everyone was paying attention to him because that fed that part of his ego that made him feel so good. Right now, though, it felt like he was in trouble.

“Nina and I like to cuddle,” he blurted, awkwardly.

“Treasure, we all like to cuddle each other,” Kaz said. “Inej and I slightly less often, sure, but that doesn’t mean that this is something that has never been done within the Crows.”

“That’s just it,” Jesper shook his head. “You have haphephobia, Inej has her trauma from the Menagerie, Matthias gets easily overstimulated by touch, and Wylan doesn’t like having too much of it because of what he went through when he was a kid. Nina and I don’t have any of that so whenever we need the long-lasting touch we go to each other so that we can get it from someone else that wants it.”

“I’m confused, I thought that was the whole point of us all dating each other?” Wylan asked as he set his pad of paper down onto the table next to him.

“I’m confused about you two liking to cuddle specifically. Every time someone else comes into the room you immediately focus on them instead,” Inej commented as she and Wylan shared a look with each other.

“That’s just it! We like cuddling but…” Nina shifted awkwardly as she looked up to Jesper. He gave her the same kind of reassuring smile that she had given to him before they had come into the living room to face the rest of their partners.

They paused for a while, letting the nerves in Jesper’s stomach settle out. “The reason that we’ve been acting so weird around each other is because we don’t want any of the rest of you to feel like you’re inadequate for us because you can’t handle as much touch as we need. We want to make sure that you all feel loved and appreciated without overwhelming you.”

The others were quiet for a long time, simply staring at their partners like the duo had grown an extra head that was keeping them attached at the shoulders. Then Kaz began to laugh behind his gloved hand, shaking his head like he was in utter disbelief despite the turmoil that the whole situation had caused his partners, “Ghezen and all that is Holy. You two are so sweet that you’re going to make my teeth fall out.”

Inej reached across the space with her foot so that she could kick the chair just enough to get him to jerk. She then turned back to the duo with a soft expression, “We really love the fact that you’ve found a way to soothe that facet of yourselves in a way that benefits everyone. Thank you for telling us so we don’t have to worry anymore.”

“I was beginning to worry, it was so strange the way that you were acting,” Wylan nodded in agreement. “I thought that maybe you were hiding some sort of secret Grisha club.”

Matthias gave a small shudder at that and then frowned when he no doubt began to correct his thoughts. None of the other partners plied into what he was thinking when they all began to go back to their own tasks. Nina and Jesper settled down on the rug in front of the hearth after they had moved the coffee table again, talking about their day. This time they were also given insight from Kaz and Wylan, who were now free to listen to them and watch them cuddling even if they weren’t up for the task.

[kats-fic-recs]

Best Bnha fics I read in 2022

per my last email

In America, Izuku is assigned a pen pal from Japan. Bakugou-san threatens him daily and curses all too often, but he answers Izuku’s questions and shows interest in his dreams. Oceans away in Musutafu, Katsuki enrolls in the mandatory English language course. His pen pal is a pain in his ass and asks way too many fucking questions.

They're supposed to be learning a new language. Instead, they discover why crushing on someone across the globe is not the best idea.

sunshine

“I see,” Ashido claps her hands together, “aww, you ran into a danger zone with no hesitation to save your childhood friend from the clutches of a villain! That’s so sweet!”

If only it was that simple . “I guess,” Izuku shrugs, “it’s complicated.”

“Tell me,” Ashido says, “sometimes talking to a neutral party about your problems is helpful! I can give you advice for whatever your situation is with this Kacchan .”

----------

or, izuku meets mina ashido when they're in middle school. and with a little push from a new friend, he gets kacchan back, too.

my heart's already been sold

“'At aw you ding?”

“That’s not Japanese,” Kacchan says, pushing his hands in further. “You sound like a fish.”

Bakugou keeps squishing Izuku's cheeks and walking away with zero explanation. Izuku is so, so gone for him.

The Distance Between Suns

What happens when a war tears you apart and then brings you back together?

Bakugo Katsuki and Midoriya Izuku spent years wondering if they would ever see each other again. Izuku, a prisoner in the walls of Court learning to navigate the trials of political warfare, and Katsuki, a forgotten child soldier whose enemies are not what they seem.

Years on opposite sides of the world changed them into what they needed to be to survive, but if there was one thing they never let themselves forget, it was the other. When the collapse of the ruling monarchy brings them colliding back together, will they be able to survive in the rapidly changing world around them and do what they need to save it?

Will they be able to survive each other?

Forget-Me-Not

"Do you remember what he we do every morning?” Hizashi placed his hand on top of his husband’s.

“I’m Aizawa Shouta. I’m a pro hero and teacher. I’m married and have two children. Hitoshi is in my class, training to become a hero, and we rescued Eri from Overhaul. She is still learning to control her quirk. I am working on a case about the League of Villains.”

Today wasn’t a good day, then.

“That’s really good, Shouta. But that was almost 30 years ago.”

Or, taking care of a husband with a slowly worsening memory loss, you’d have good days and bad days. For Hizashi, anniversaries were one of the hardest.

(may the bridges i have burned) light my way back home

Since Bakugou Katsuki discovered the secret of One for All, he and Midoriya Izuku have been slowly repairing the friendship they once had. They still haven’t talked about it—but Izuku’s certain that it’s only a matter of time before they manage to lay the past to rest.

But when the League of Villains attack the Sports Festival and Bakugou takes a devastating blow meant for Izuku, the whole nation is suddenly paying attention to a relationship the two people involved barely understand. Izuku needs more than ever to figure out who he and Kacchan are to each other—preferably before the internet does.

or,

“Fuck you,” Bakugou said. “I don’t need a whole face to kick your ass.”

the chaser and the chase

“This is a love story, Midoriya,”

“No, it's not. It’s crime/mystery,”

Or the one wherein Izuku writes the best selling book of the year and confesses to Katsuki at the same time.

you left a sour aftertaste

Izuku and Katsuki aren't together anymore. To take up his time, Izuku joins his school's band club, becomes the lead singer, makes some impulsive decisions, and accidentally gets a little famous. All because he's downright heartbroken, and Katsuki isn't (or at least, he doesn't look it).

Maybe some people were just meant to find their way back to each other. It might take a few stumbles, though.

don't be a stranger

“Not even a thank you for your friendly neighborhood Spiderman?” Izuku called out teasingly. “Where are you going?”

“Why the fuck do you wanna know, creep?”

“You sure you can make it back home safe?”

Katsuki glanced back angrily and flipped him the bird. “Eat shit, bugboy.”

Bugboy. That was new.

In which Izuku is Spiderman, Katsuki is nosy, and juggling high school and vigilante work has never been so difficult when your best friend is convinced that something’s up.

Or, five times Katsuki almost finds out that Izuku is Spiderman. One time he actually does.

Editor Denki & the No Good Mary Sue

Bakugou has a VERY original character that he's been writing about for a while. Just a hot-tempered prohero who's absolutely unstoppable, extremely cool, and a badass quirk that bears a striking resemblance to his own.

Unfortunately, according to poor Kaminari Denki, the guy's romance seems pretty half-baked. Which is crazy, because Bakugou didn't write a romance! He just included his stupid childhood friend in a few- okay, a lot- of the scenes, and Denki somehow got the wrong idea. Of course, Bakugou refuses to take an insult lying down, and sets about figuring out how to make Deku a compelling character for a beautiful romance- and accidentally learns some things about himself in the process.

with excerpts from Bakugou Katsuki's self-insert fan novel in all their glory.

Bare Your Soul In Ink

Writing isn't something you need a quirk for either. For all of human history, people have been telling stories. Weaving words together to form new things is built into our DNA on a level so much deeper than quirks are.

Writing could even help me escape from my life. I could hide behind a pen name, and then no one would have to know that the book in their hands was written by someone quirkless.

Yet here I am, writing about… the fact that I am quirkless.

When Izuku suddenly finds himself famous for writing a book about his life as a quirkless person, it leads to a reunion he never would have expected.

Me Myself and My Wingman

Katsuki’s wings were as magnificent as his quirk, and when they worked in tandem, it was nothing short of breath-taking. Katsuki cut through the air like a lash of fire, his blasts propelling him as his wings fanned out with the same ferocity of an avenging angel.

Izuku is in love with him, and doesn’t plan on doing anything about it.

(Unfortunately, his wings are quite determined to woo Katsuki by themselves.)

A Love Song from the Deep

His pod has always feared the Dragons, the alien clan that dwelled among volcanic vents of the deep, and with good reason. No one has seen one in generations, but Izuku heard stories of blind, listless things that drifted along the sea floor like ghosts.

Wherein Izuku is a curious merman, and his new friend is very fascinating.

How to Train Your Useless Dragon

Bakugou Katsuki needs to kill a dragon to take its teeth and become a warrior of his tribe.

But, what? Why the fuck doesn't this dragon have teeth?

Written from the promp "What if Izuku was the dragon?"

Shamelessly How to Train Your Dragon inspired.

if you talk enough sense then you'll lose your mind

There's very few people that a daemon will seek touch from outside of their holder or other daemons. Best friends, even if Izuku wanted to believe that he'd ever sincerely been that for Kacchan, are rarely one of the exceptions.

By when Izuku's life has come crashing down —by when he's left with the option of staying still until he turns to dust or walk walk walk on the shards until he bleeds—, he already knows his relationship with Kacchan has always been an anomaly.

It's only later that he discovers that what's really extraordinary is Adara.

Bright Stars

There had been rumors of a Human who wasn’t performing well in fighting rings, constantly ignoring their lesser opponents and trying to go after the very loud, very violent crowd instead.

or

Not only did Hizashi allow himself to be caught by the alien trafficking ring he and Shouta were trying to bring down, he's also stuck in a cell with a Deathworlder.

It goes better than expected.

[soupedepates]

I gaze into the grey eyes of my tired lover.

"So you want to know?"

"Yes. Because I want to know you."

I smile and take her on my heart.

"I was born at the margin of a little town. Five kids reached maturity out of seven. I am the second one.

Although it was a city technically speaking, it felt like the countryside. We had hens in the backyard and two pigs.

Well, I met Tekla while playing outside with the neighbourhood's children. She was the daughter of the "weird lady in the woods". She was... odd. She always was.

I said first: "Go away, girls aren't allowed to play with us", you know, like a fool. Look at me now.

She took my younger brother's knife and started chopping her hair. She said then: "Now I am a boy like you, so I can play with you". For all of us, a girl should have long braids, and a boy should have an almost shaved head. To make it easier for mothers to fight against lice. So, of course, I shrugged and accepted her in our games.

If you're more of a hound, strong, fierce, and smarter than you seem, she was a rabbit. Easily frightened, but putting herself in danger all the time, with such eyes holding, in the honey of their irises, the mysteries of the universe. Her eyes were glittering gold in the sun and looked like raw honey otherwise. Big round eyes asking questions at everything. Her hair, once cut, couldn't be disciplined anymore. When it had regrew, it stayed a bushy mess.

I often called her an idiot hare. Because, you know, she knew she would get afraid, but did it anyway. And got paralysed by fear every single time.

When we started becoming more adults, I nicknamed her "bunny" fairly often. She gifted me my first dress. She was the only one who knew. I started to grow my hair because of her.

We got married at eighteen. We moved out quite far away; she wished to get away from her mother, who, for having met her a bunch of time, was a colossal bitch of a woman, and there were no place for me, no job I could pick up, and my older brother wanted me out of the house as soon as possible.

I never got along with him. We often fought. He used to find me too effeminate. Fuck, he was right. He did give me that scar. Don't worry, I broke some of his teeth and burst one of his eyes.

No, don't look at me like that. My father was a drunk and my mother was simple-minded, but we couldn't be called a bad-renowned family. They never laid hands on us. Never ever. And we were five hot-headed youths, always picking up fights. But we were honest people. My father worked at a workshop in the suburb, my mom worked for the same workshop, and we weren't rich by any mean, but neither were we poor. Lech was in an apprenticeship with the wheelwright. He just happened to be a dick. And as the only girl among four boys, even if they didn't know it, I had to be tougher than him. Mostly to piss him off.

So yeah. We got married and out of the town. We went near the ocean, in a small community. I worked on the fields and Tekla was a seamstress.

Oh, Tekla was a witch.

So yeah. I've never seen her sew, really. She cheated the system with her magic. She spent her time building us a home inside the cabin we bought with our savings.

I hunted to get meat on the table. I sold some of my venison, and we were starting to have quite a bit of money when I got her pregnant. We were, like, twenty. She wanted a child. I liked the idea of having a family before fixing my body. We had money for the baby, and we were stashing pieces for me to see a Love priest.

It was nowhere enough money, so I became a Hunter. Now we started to be a bit more comfortable. She carved herself the cradle.

Then... Well. It happened. I don't know how they knew, but they knew. First time I met the Inquisition. Someone had snitched on us - I knew who a bit later. They held me down on our bed and Tekla was crying and trying to escape their grip. There were eight of them.

I am strong. But three men were immobilising me. I struggled but was no match. I could scream at them. Did they even hear me? I don't think so. They forced her to let down her Glamour while threatening to kill our baby in her womb. But... They let me go without a mark. Tekla swore I never knew. She said she tricked me into believing she was a human. She lied to protect me.

They kept her in a cage next to their carriage for three days. With no food nor drink whatsoever. They got other witches in there. Poor girls. Some were barely teens.

Tekla said to me, the night before her death, while the stake was finally ready: "Don't cry, my little dove, I gave you all my love. I need you to be strong because I am so pitiful."

I was holding her feeble hand. She was shaking. My poor little bunny. Trapped in a cage. Famished. Dirty. Terrified. Still, she smiled. She needed me.

And she said: "Don't let go of my hand."

I didn't.

And she said: "You're beautiful. I am so happy to be loved by a beautiful woman."

I felt a weeping in my throat.

And she said: "Say you will save me. I beg you."

I couldn't lie.

And she said: "It's dark here, and I am scared."

Then the sun rose.

They tied her on the stake with the others. And they lit it on fire.

I saw her crying while her flesh was turning into ashes. While her bushy hair was caught in the flame.

And she ultimately stopped crying. She didn't have enough tears. I stayed strong. I stayed strong as she melted. She needed me to be strong.

When sun set, I found the snitch. I drew an arrow between his stupid eyes. He died on the spot. He should have suffered as much as Tekla suffered.

And I destroyed our home. With my bare hands. I shattered the cradle. Broke the toys. Tore all the clothes up. And the quilt too. Everything. It smelt like her and I was hoping to die here with her by the morning.

Early lights hit the threshold after a night of wailing. Pitiful, isn't it? I left forever furious. I wanted to reduce to shambles everything... Nothing mattered anymore, I was on my own now. And I only had to think about myself. I had to survive to spite them all off. I had to be better than them. I had to become egoistic, even if it meant losing the goodness in my heart. I was a dead girl walking, so why would I need a heart? It died while her skin melted...

Why are you crying?"

"It's tragic."

"It's me. I died this day. On the stake, next to her."

She holds me close.

"But with you, I feel like I'm alive again," I smile while stroking her hair.