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seungfl0wer · 3 days ago

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*𝑳𝒂𝒕𝒆*

Pairing: Jisung x Reader (Fem)

Genre: Angst -> Smut/Fluff

Warnings: Meanie Jisung, Hint of a Panic attack, Make up sex basically, Shower Sex, Use of Princess, Unprotected Sex, Creampie, sorry for any mistakes or missing warnings!

Find The Request Here

-🖤

You never minded going to these “meetings” with your boyfriend but he was always so bad at either telling you the right time or even mentioning it. You just got out of the shower putting on your clothes checking the time. You still had an hour to get ready. After getting dressed you sat down to do your make up. A few minutes passed before your boyfriend flung the door open. He looked irritated already. “Seriously? You’re still not ready!” He said with gritted teeth.

“You said we didn’t have to be there till 8:30” you said looking at him a bit confused.

“No I told you this morning it was changed we have to be there at 8! Which it’s already- oh look at that 7:50!” He hissed.

“I’m sorry Ji I’m almost done and we-“ he cut you off.

“You always fucking do this! I’m late to fucking everything because of you! You know how annoying that is!” He yelled.

You gulped a little feeling bad “I’ll just finish in the car then..” you said softly taking the few things you needed.

“You know it doesn’t even fucking matter! Either way we are gonna be late! All because the princess can’t manage her fucking time like an actual adult!” He yelled.

Jisung wasn’t like this normally however things have been stressing him out and to be fair you did make them late a lot. Not on purpose of course. You felt tears pricking at your eyes hanging your head as you walked towards the door. As much as you wanted to argue it wasn’t worth it right now. Not when he was already upset and then having to go meet higher up people. You slunk in the passenger seat as he got in. You finished up your make up fast only having to do a few small things. Jisung didn’t say much not until he got a call from someone.

You could tell he was getting more irritated as the call went on. After hanging up you didn’t say anything afraid of making him more upset. “Fucking great! The big manager is asking for me and I’m not even fucking there!” He said gripping the steering wheel. “You know next time I’m just not gonna bring you! It’s so irritating that I can never be there when I’m supposed to!”

“I’m sorry” you said in almost a whisper.

“Yeah well sorry doesn’t always fix everything!” He said his voice low.

When you finally got there he all but left without you. You walked up trying to put a smile on. Waving at his friends before making your way towards them. The night went on and it seemed to be fine. You were just sitting there in your head. “You alright?” A familiar voice asked.

“I’m fine” you said softly.

There was so many people there and with how the night started you were already feeling anxious. As the place filled with more and more you felt like you couldn’t breathe. You always had a problem with crowds jisung normally would stay with you to make it better but he hasn’t even come to check on you. He hasn’t even looked in your direction making you feel even worse. Your chest started to tighten feeling like you were gonna throw up almost. You got up legs becoming a bit wobbly. You made your way to the bathroom. Before getting into a stall you could feel the tear falling.

You were shaking trying your hardest to catch your breath. You leaned back in the stall wanting nothing more than to crawl in bed and just cry. You cried, chest heaving body shaking. You tried pulling yourself together trying to calm yourself down. When you finally calmed down enough you made your way out trying to fix your make up enough that it wasn’t noticeable. When you slinked back to your seat jisung was actually sitting there. “Where have you been?” He asked.

“I- I was in the bathroom” you said voice still a bit shaky.

He looked over your face he could see how red your eyes were. How puffy they were and knew you had been crying. “You alright?” He asked his voice a bit softer.

“How uhm- how was meeting the bigger guy” you asked avoiding his question.

“Oh uhm good, he was excited to meet me. Said he has been looking into having me move up in the branch.” He said still looking over your face.

“That’s great ji” you said with a half smile.

“Babe seriously are you-“ he started to say before getting cut off.

“Jisung! I found you!” A smiley boy said walking towards you.

“Hey lix” Jisung said smiling back.

“Hey come here Lisa from the higher ups wants to talk to you!” He said waving him to come with.

Jisung looked at you his eyes worrying looking over you. He knew you hated this stuff just as much as he did. He knew you hated being left alone but with more whining from the other boy to hurry he reluctantly got up. While he was talking to the women he kept his eye on you. He could see how shaky your hands were, how you kept wiping your eyes but smiled. You were trying your best to keep it in. Chan had came back to you handing you a drink. “You good?” He asked as he handed it to you. You only nodded taking the drink. You fiddled with the water bouncing your leg nerves just eating away at you.

When jisung found his way back to you once more sitting closer to you. He laid his hand on your leg leaning in to talk to you. “Princess are you alright?”

“Ji- can you not call me that anymore?” You said lip shaking a bit.

“What princess? You love when I call you that?” He said a bit confused.

“Yeah.. I did.. I just.. please don’t anymore” you said your words coming out in almost a choke.

“Oh- okay..” he said his words trailing off he leaned back in his seat brain going a mile a minute.

You didn’t talk anymore just sitting there waiting to go home. Jisung got up a few more times each time keeping his eyes on you. His heart was breaking ‘god I’m such an asshole, I can’t believe I got so upset with them today’ he said to himself. When he finally made his way back to you once more he extended his hand to you “ready to go?” He asked. You nodded getting up not taking his hand though. You made your way through the people jisung right behind you.

He opened the door for you getting in his side. Neither of you said anything for a while. However the silence was eating at him. When he did sneak a peak at you his heart completely crumbled. Your lip was quivering, a small tear falling before you quickly wiped it away. You were so close to the door body almost turned away from him. “Hey you wanna stop at the ice cream shop you like?” He said with a small smile.

You shook your head “n-no I just wanna go home” you said softly.

Man did he really fuck up, you never said no to ice cream. When you got home you quickly walked in, going straight for your room. You hopped back in the shower, something that always made you feel better. You leaned your back against the wall feeling the warm water against your skin. You couldn’t help it, you started to bawl. Tears just pouring as you ugly cried. Sobbing loudly, jisung who was outside the door felt horrible.

It was his fault. Is all he kept saying “I need to fix this.” He said softly before coming into the bathroom. He stripped himself of his clothes slowly getting in with you. You didn’t even hear him only when you felt his arms wrapped around you making you jump didn’t notice. “I’m so sorry” he said softly holding onto you tightly.

“I’m sorry I ruin everything- I- I I’m sorry I make us late and make you mad I’m-“ you choked out crying somehow harder.

Jisung rubbed your back hushing you “no I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said what I said. I was being a complete asshole. And then I kept leaving you knowing you hate crowds. Baby I’m so fucking sorry. You didn’t deserve that” he said tilting your head up to look at him.

“Princess-“ he started to say before stopping himself. “Y/n I’m sorry. I love you. I’m sorry I’m such a dick” he said.

“I know you’re stressed and I shouldn’t have added more to it..” you said softly.

“That’s not an excuse to treat you like I did..” he said “is- is the reason you don’t want me to call you princess because of what I said?” He asked.

When you slowly nodded he felt tears of his own prick at his eyes. “Please I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to make it sound so bad. You are my princess. I wanna always treat you like one because you’re the love of my life.” He said.

“You can call me it just.. don’t use it against me..” you said.

“Never again” he said eyes looking into yours. “You know I didn’t even tell you how beautiful you looked today” he said leaning in his lips ghostly at yours. “My beautiful princess, I love you so much. Let me fix this yeah? Let me show you how much I love you” he said before kissing you.

One hand coming up to cup your face the other laying softly at your hips. He kissed you passionately. Tongue gliding against your lips asking for entrance. You happily let him in tongues tangling with one another. His hand on your hip making its way to your core. His fingers gliding up and down your folds rubbing against your clit. When you arched into his touch he slowly pushed his fingers into you. The kiss slowly becoming sloppier as you moaned against his lips. Your hands wondered down his body touching to tip of his cock making him jump a bit.

His fingers moved faster in you, you matching his pace as you moved your hand up and down his shaft. You were both moaning into the kiss but when he finally pulled away you attached yourself to his neck. Kissing it softly nipping at his sensitive spots. Both of you moaning and groaning as you felt your high quickly coming. He could feel your walls tightening around his fingers and to your dismay he pulled away. When you whined he couldn’t help but chuckle a small bit. “M’sorry princess, but I need to be inside you before I cum” he said taking your leg to put around him.

His cock sliding up and down your folds before pushing into you desperately. He held onto you tightly eyes fluttering open and shut. You attached your lips back to his neck sucking marks all over it. He let his hand wonder down to your clit once more rubbing it ever so perfectly. “I love you y/n, I love you so much my beautiful princess- ah I’m- m’sorry for being a jerk” he said with a long groan.

His thrusts were becoming harsher more sloppy as your walls were pulling him in even more. “I love you to Ji” you croaked out. The way he was moving, the way his fingers move perfectly against your clit and the mix of the hot water was bringing you fast to your orgasm. “My princess, my everything-“ he stammered out. He nudged you making you look at him before he crashed his lips into yours. The kiss was full of need, sloppy with teeth accidentally hitting.

“M’so close princess” he whined.

“Me- me too” you said.

With a few more thrusts hitting your g hard you were cumming. Your walls clenching tightly around him as you came hard. With just one more thrust he was cumming himself choking out as he did one more “I love you” as his cum filled you full. He held onto you tightly peppering kisses to your shoulder.

When you both finally caught your breath he leaned his forehead against yours “I’m sorry, I really am. If I’m ever being like that again please hit me” he said making you chuckle.

“I’ll try and be better at my times too” you said with a smile. “But hey Ji” you said that smile growing.

“Mm?” He hummed.

“Can we still.. go get ice cream?” You said with a little giggle.

“Of course anything for my princess, we gotta actually shower though.” He said.

“Okee then we get ice cream?”

“Yes, then we get ice cream”

The drive to the ice cream was nice Jisung hand intertwined with yours just jamming out to music. He got you the biggest ice cream. While eating the ice cream you looked at the stars making him smile “all those pretty stars up there could never compare to my beautiful princess” he said before kissing you lovingly.

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💙 If you’d like to read more of my stuff you can find it Here: Master List . Thank you for reading and if requests are open or you just wanna talk feel free to send me something🩵

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missadangel · 2 days ago

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The Heart of Rome (Marcus Acacius x Princess Reader)

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XIV. The Ambush (+18, Smut, MDNI)

Ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt

Fate leads the willing and drags the unwilling.

First day of the Funeral Ceremonies.

In the event of the Emperor’s death, his body was twice cremated. First, the body was burnt in the environment closest to the family, leaving this moment in the private sphere. After burning the corpses at the stake, the remains of the bones were laid in a mausoleum.

The second cremation had a symbolic dimension and was a public demonstration of the emperor’s apotheosis. Ceremonies of this type usually took place on the Field of Mars, outside the city. At that time, the wax effigies of the Emperor were burned, imitating the deceased.

On the first day of the ceremony, in the temple of Julius Caesar, right next to Marcus, you found yourself feeling somewhat sorrowful as you witnessed Caracalla's body being burned on wooden stakes. The flames soon rose, and some of the people attempted to discreetly add more wood to the fire, despite the presence of soldiers who had formed a circle around Caracalla's body. Some expressed their frustration, while others paid tribute to the deceased emperor. However, there was a notable absence of words of love, with the exception of those by Caracalla's mother, Julia. While her words may have been perceived by some as lacking sincerity, many others believed they were not, and thus, it was not seen as a significant issue.

As you held Marcus' hand at the top of the temple steps, you felt nauseous of the strong, unpleasant odour. Marcus put his arm around you and helped you down the stairs. The ceremony was already drawing to a close. When you got down the stairs, Geta and Julia came over to you while you were catching your breath. Now it was time for the evening ceremony to announce the emperor's will. All members of the senate were due to attend Domus Severiana in the evening, but this seemed unnecessary given that Caracalla would now be declared a tyrant and therefore any word or will would be invalid. However, rituals had to be honoured. Julia was reluctant to do so, as she had been closely involved with the members of the senate in the absence of Macrinus and had managed things well. And she could guess that Caracalla's will wouldn't make her happy.

But you were all taken aback when Macrinus showed up at the funeral. It was as if nothing had happened. Geta was so angry that he ordered the guards to arrest him, but it was no use. He wasn't trying to escape yet he was a member of the senate, so he was legally entitled to be there. There was no legal basis for the charges, despite Geta's desire to see him dead. Marcus was also furious, his hand on his sword ever since he saw him. But he couldn't kill him in public or even in secret. Well, not yet anyway. That is until Geta was officially declared the sole emperor and Macrinus was officially punished. He was running out of time, but instead of being afraid and running away, he was on the battlefield. This was his best move since he still held the vast majority of the Senate. Marcus had upped the number of his soldiers around the Palatine Hill as a precaution against any move or possible attack by him.

That evening, all the senators got together in the great hall for the reading of the will. Women weren't allowed, but you didn't seem to mind much. Julia was a bit of an exception though. You were in the courtyard when the scriba (chief clerk) announced the will. After a while, you heard a few murmurs and looked in that direction. The senators were now leaving. Your eyes seek Marcus. He was heading your way, adjusting the shawl he wore over his black toga. He looked pretty annoyed. Geta was right behind him, muttering and swearing under his breath.

“We need to get the Council together as soon as possible! I must stop this nonsense now!'

“I agree,” Marcus said as he approached and sat next to you.

"Is there bad news?" you asked, looking at them both.

“Acacius, that will have no force. I'll make sure of that and then that cunt will have no more excuses.” He waved his hand to the slaves. “Wine!”

“I am starting to have some concerns,” you whined.

"I wish I could say, 'no need,' but..." Geta said, throwing himself at the other lectus. His wine was served, and he drank it in one gulp and requested another. You put your hand on Marcus' back. He turned his head towards you, with a faint smile.

"Could you tell me what happened?"

"Caracalla. He’s sending him into exile," Geta replied for him. He took another sip of his wine. "And worse, he has suggested that the court order be issued for the offense of treason, which would result in the loss of his citizenship."

Your eyes widened. "What did you say?"

Marcus's expression confirmed what he had said. "They can't do that, can they?" You asked Marcus, but he covered his face with his hand.

"He couldn't get him killed, after all. He won the games and well earned his freedom, but he decided to exile him, also he said that day. But the denaturalization thing is ridiculous, it is too much. I am certain that is Macrinus' idea. According to law, your marriage will be annulled and you will be considered a widow.”

Your heart felt like it was squeezing, Marcus grabbed your hand.

"I told you that already!" Julia suddenly appeared next to you. "I told you how valuable you are, Aurelia, even as a widow."

"Don't get started, Mother! We're all on edge enough here!" He warned her, looking at Marcus, who was clenching his jaw in anger.

"If Macrinus had killed Geta, he probably would have got the will approved and your marriage would have-"

"Cease the nonsense!" Marcus yelled. He then stood up and pulled you with him. Julia stood dumbfounded.

"I warned you," Geta mumbled to her mother.

Marcus was so angry as he walked with you towards the stairs. He was holding your hand so tightly that it hurt. It seemed like he didn't realize that. He didn't say a word until he came into the room with you, and that upset you. You couldn't bear to see him like that, you wanted to lift his spirits and see him smile again, no matter what. He was still angry as he took off his bracelets. "I hate this!" He growled. "There's always someone or something trying to take you away from me. It is my deepest fear, like a curse that haunts me." He was taking his shawl off in anger but couldn’t do it properly.

You looked into his eyes as you grabbed the hem of the shawl he had wrapped around his waist, lifting it over his shoulder. "No one can take me away from you, my love. You need to have a bit more faith in that."

"If the Council agrees, they can exile me from Rome. Then I'll no longer be a General, I'll be a commoner. Being a soldier is the best I can do. I don't know what else I'm good for, but none of these is worse than being separated from you, my lady."

"Who said you'd separated from me? I would do whatever it takes to be with you." You said firmly. “I would exile myself from Rome if I had to.”

Marcus raised his eyebrows. "But you're a princess, and I'm sure you realise that giving up your fame or your title isn't an option."

You embraced him, your arms encircling his neck. "I would be willing to make that sacrifice for you. After all, what use is being a princess if I'm not going to be with you? You must remember that I was not a princess when we first met, my name was not Aurelia, but Aya, an orphan."

Marcus smiled and wrapped his arms around your waist. "That's right, Aya. You were. My beautiful, innocent Aya."

"Innocent? Do you think I've lost my innocence? Or have you changed your feelings towards me?" You frowned, pursing your lips.

Marcus laughed. "I'm curious how you manage to be jealous of yourself. It must be a special talent of yours, my lady." He laughed again.

You shrugged. "You said 'Aya' so adoringly."

"You are truly astonishing. Once again, you have amazed me, princess. I'm left speechless." He leaned in and kissed you on the lips. "But would you truly consider going into exile with me as Aya?"

"I would be honored to do so if you would have me. With you, I am whole, without you, I am lost. We made a promise to each other, did we not? Where you are Marcus, I am Marca."

He nodded. "Where you are Marca, I am Marcus." His eyes sparkled as his fingers stroked your hair. "You're far too incredible to be ordinary. You must be a goddess." He kissed your temple, his lips brushing against your skin. "My goddess, I worship you. I love you, divine." He then kissed you passionately, adoringly.

"You know, this colour suits you, although perhaps not as well as your white armour, though," you murmured as you broke the kiss.

"Is that so?" He smirked. "Would you like me to share my thoughts about you as well?"

You nodded, smiling.

"I love you in every color of dress, I really do…" His hands worked skilfully, removing your stola and bracelets in a slow, deliberate manner. "However, my favourite look of yours," he said as he slowly removed your tunic, "is exactly like this." His brown eyes traced in your bare body from head to toe. "Your natural, pure beauty." His gaze soon became more intense, you could feel your cheeks flushing and your heart starting to beat faster. The light from the oil lamp illuminated your body, making your hair look more golden than ever, which he found very seductive. Marcus took you gently in his arms and laid you on the bed. He lay down beside you, put his arm around your waist, kissing your cheek tenderly. “Da mi basia mille, deinde centum, dein mille altera, dein secunda centum, deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum. dein, cum milia multa fecerimus, conturbabimus illa, (Give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred, then another thousand, and then another hundred, and, when we've counted up the many thousands, let us confuse them so as not to know them all).” He whispered, and he kissed your chin, then your nose, then the corner of your mouth. The poet and romantic Marcus was here. “Catullus,” he explained.

You smiled. “It's a beautiful poem,” you murmured.

He ran the back of his hand along the line of your collarbone and shoulders. "You're the most beautiful, my love."

His words were so lovely, soft, and arousing, and your body was already writhing to be his. Just as his lips were about to meet yours, he pulled away and got up from bed. Before you had a chance to ask what was going on, he walked over to the desk and opened the drawer. "I almost forgot," he said, holding out a key and showing it to you. "I simply want to ensure that we have some privacy." He walked to the door and locked it. When he turned to you, a childish smile appeared on his face. "It's better to be cautious."

You giggled. "I don't blame you.”

He put the key on the desk and stepped towards you. "Now," he said, putting his knee on the bed. "Where were we, my lady?" He crawled closer to you, with a predatory look. You bit your lower lip and put your knees together, in a teasing manner. "You still haven't taken off your tunic, general." His big hands gripped your knees. "You said you loved it," he whispered, his eyes travelling down your legs.

“I did, but I also love you most when you are not wearing any clothing."

He chuckled. "Do you really, my lady?" He glanced down at himself. "I believe I am in rather good shape, but my body bears many scars from the years. This is a soldier's body, after all, not a pleasant one, I suppose."

"That's not true." You said and got up on your knees. You helped him take off his black tunic. Marcus sat on the bed on his heels and watched you carefully as you ran your fingers over his body. You started with an old wound on his shoulder, then moved on to another. Each one had a memory, and you admired him again as he told you one by one when it happened. The most noticeable of his scars was the one on his abdomen. It was the one that almost killed him, the one you healed, and the one that made you two meet. Now it looked like it had always been there, like the others. You looked at his face then kissed it on the cheek where the wound was. "Your scars show how strong you are, how wonderful you are, how you can overcome anything. They make me love your body more, my love. The first time I saw you, I was struck by the scars you bore. I was really amazed." Your cheeks blushed.

He considered your meaning. "When I was lying unconscious in the tent?"

You nodded. "That's true."

"You never cease to surprise me, my love." He laughed. "Should I cut myself again then?" He teased.

"Marcus, don't be silly." You put your hand on his cheek. "I don't want to see you get hurt again.”

He smiled. ‘'Forgive me, my lady. Perhaps I'm a bit spoiled because I already have the magical cure." He grasped you by the hips, pressing his length against your entrance. "You are such a medicine, healing my body, my soul, my senses, my heart." He whispered into your ear. "My need for you is eternal. I'll never get enough of you." You wrapped your legs around him with a little moan as he laid you back. He was right - he could never get enough of you. Every time he kissed your lips, drank from your mouth, or tasted your skin, he did it with incredible need. You weren't complaining because you couldn't get enough of him either. It was something you couldn't put into words. You wanted it the same way every time, felt satisfied with it, then wanted it again and again. It was like a necessity for your survival. His lips met yours hungrily, and he pushed his length against your walls, making you moan from the sudden pressure on your most sensitive spot. You broke the kiss by arching your back backward. But it gave him the chance to play with your breasts as he pleased. They were already hard before his tongue even touched your nipples. As they'd been quite sensitive lately, just a gentle touch was enough to send you over the edge. However, he was licking, sucking, biting and nibbling them like it was the first time he ever did it, and he was clearly enjoying himself. After a while, no matter how much you resisted, he made you reach your climax with a loud moan. When Marcus felt your heartbeat quicken under his lips, he put his cheek between your breasts and listened to it. He then lifted his head to look at your face.

"As impatient as ever." He murmured. “You couldn't wait for me, could you, my lady?”

"You made me," you panted. "You were aware of how sensitive my breasts were."

"I'm afraid I cannot apologise for that," he said. "But you've been rather impatient lately, I don't think that's the only reason."

"Do you think so?"

"Hmm, I shall prove it," he said, making you roll easily. Your face and knees were turned towards the bed. He guided your hips up towards him, positioning himself accordingly. He put his hands on the bed, on either side of your body, since your walls were already rather slippery, allowing him to slide into you from behind easily. You let out a loud moan as you felt incredible pressure on your most sensitive spot. His muscular chest brushed against your back with each of his intense thrusts, but he was careful to avoid putting too much weight on you. Marcus gathered your hair at the back of your neck and rested his chin on your shoulder. He kissed your cheek and his lips slid from your ear to your neck, then to your shoulder, licking and tasting your flesh on their path. You traced your fingers along the strong arm he'd put on the bed to support himself. And finally, he managed to prove his point, making you come for him a second time. He wrapped his other arm around you and buried his face in your hair, reaching his own climax with a loud groan. He collapsed, and you liked his strong pressure on your vulnerable body. It made you feel like he'd just conquered you all over. Keeping his arm around you, rolled onto his side. Your breathing quickened again, but Marcus's lips were soft against your skin, helping your breath to settle.

Second day of the Funeral Ceremonies.

The first thing you heard when you woke up was the soft murmuring coming from the courtyard and the knocking on the door. And then you heard the door handle being forced.

"Did you lock the damn door? How rude!" Geta's voice came through from the other side.

You opened your eyes and noticed Marcus was not in bed. You looked up and saw him sitting at the edge of the bed, wearing his burgundy tunic.

"I knew I couldn't trust him. It was no surprise. Wasn't it a good idea to lock it up?" He winked at you.

You sat up in bed and smiled. "I'm blessed with a man who is so handsome, so protective and so intelligent. Should I give you a kiss to congratulate you?"

He smiled and leaned towards you. "Yes, please."

You reached up and kissed him on the lips.

Before long, Geta's voice became more subdued, and the footsteps receded into the distance.

"I guess you'll be wearing your armour today."

"Yes, my lady, the second day of the ceremony will be held in the Field of Mars, so I need to be there with the general outfit of mine." He gave you a quick kiss on the shoulder and stood up. You reached down to pick up your tunic from the floor but you felt dizzy and fell back on the bed.

"Aurelia?" Marcus came over and sat on the bed next to you. "My Love, are you alright?" He put his hand on your forehead.

"I think I'm quite hungry, I didn't eat much yesterday."

"I will ask them to bring food for you. Please stay in the room and rest today. I may be back later this evening. I have to pay a visit to the governor afterwards." He said, helping you put your tunic on.

"The governor?"

"Yes, I need to find out where the slaves are and then I will go to check the villa."

"I'd better come with you." You were insistent.

"Aurelia," he shook his head in disapproval. "You simply stay here and rest. I'll find them and have them return to the villa, then we'll go home together, I promise." He took your hand and kissed the top of it. "I have to leave now." He stood up.

"I'll be awaiting for your return."

"Stay safe and rest well, my love." He smiled at you before leaving the room.

Marcus closed the door and made his way downstairs, calling out to Octavius as he walked. Geta heard him and came over. Marcus gave him a nod.

"Acacius, could you tell me where Aurelia is?"

"She's resting in her room, Your Majesty."

"I need to see her," Geta said, heading for the stairs, but Marcus grabbed his arm. Geta looked at him, squinting his eyes.

"She is not feeling well today, you know her condition. Let her get some rest." He spoke in a firm tone.

“Or she is not coming with us? But we'll be leaving soon for the ceremony. Is it safe to leave her here on her own? That wretched Macrinus is still on the loose."

"My soldiers will be waiting outside. The Praetorian guards are inside the palace, and they're loyal to you and the princess."

"I'm not sure, Acacius. Some of the senators are on Macrinus' side, which concerns me. It would be ideal to start ruling officially as soon as possible. I've been informed that the council can meet as an emergency no later than the day after tomorrow. So we must proceed with caution."

"We will, Your Majesty. Now, please allow me to dress properly and then be ready to leave.”

Once Marcus had left, you ate the food that had been delivered to the room and spent a little while resting there. But you soon found the room a bit boring, so you got dressed and left. It was getting late in the afternoon, and the slaves were busy with their daily duties. You went to the tomb in the palace to pay your respects to your father and then went back to the courtyard. Julia had returned from the ceremony and you observed her entering the great hall accompanied by a few people following her. Geta was not present, but it was possible that he was in the great hall as well. It seems likely that Julia was now providing guidance to her son in the running of the empire. You decided to ignore them and go to Cato to check his wounds. However, he was nowhere to be seen, so you walked to the entrance of the great courtyard. There you found him, standing by the gate with another soldier. Upon recognizing you, they saluted you.

“My lady.”

"Cato, I was looking for you. Are your wounds healing well?"

"Thank you, my lady. I am feeling better now. I am truly grateful for your help." He smiled.

"Have you two been standing here all morning? Have you had a chance to eat yet?"

They gazed at each other.

"My lady, the General's orders are clear. We shall eat once he returns." Aris said.

"Sister!"

You turned to Geta's loud voice. He was staggering a little as he walked towards you. Aris and Cato bowed to him. Geta came over, taking your arm.

“I didn't realize you were here,” you said, looking at him.

He let out a sigh. "Well, two funerals for our brother are too much for me to take. I left as quickly as I could. How are you feeling now? Acacius mentioned that you were feeling a little tired this morning."

"I am alright, now." You walked together towards the courtyard. The wound on his forehead was still a bit bad. "I guess no one has treated your wound yet?"

"Hm yes," he said, touching his wound. "Our insane brother has made sure we don't have a medicus here anymore." He let out a sigh. "Even my favourite slave died because of him, poor girl." Then he sat down on the lectus. "It hurts," he murmured.

You approached him. "I am truly sorry brother."

"I meant my wound, silly." He pointed at his forehead.

You smiled at him. "Let me bring you the ointment I prepared earlier." You said and walked towards the palace clinic.

Geta grinned. "If you insist that much."

When you returned with the ointment, you saw Julia sitting next to Geta with a few other women. You recognized some of them – they were your relatives from Leptis Magna. You figured the rest must be the wives of senators. They were all looking at you in a curious way.

"Princess Aurelia, is the child a boy or a girl?" One of them asked.

It was a bit of a strange question to answer yet you didn't want to be too friendly with them. "I suppose it's difficult to tell so soon," you said as you applied the ointment to Geta's wound.

"I have heard some people say that you will give General Acacius a son." One of them said.

"It is necessary to continue the General's family name after all." Another one said.

All of them looked at you, seeking to ascertain any information that might satisfy their curiosity. Julia laughed hysterically. "Aurelia's mother gave birth to a girl, just like her aunts. Given that she has so many girl cousins, I'd say this one will be a girl too.”

One of them, whose demeanor you found to be friendly, made eye contact with Julia and then with you. "After all, Lady Aurelia's mother gave birth to a princess, not an ordinary girl. It is always a possibility that you may give birth to a prince of Rome, my lady."

They all fell silent and glanced furtively at Geta. You put your hands on your belly and smiled. You were almost sure it was a boy, but you had no intention of sharing it with them.

"Stop the nonsense now! You gossipy old women! What difference does it make if it's a boy or a girl? It is going to be my nibling after all. Don't you have a home to go to? I've had enough of you today, so get out of my sight at once!" He waved his hand in a shooing gesture.

They all got up at with murmurs and headed towards the entrance. Julia squinted at you and Geta before following them behind.

"Thank you," you mumbled.

"Don't mind them, they must all be jealous of you."

"Jealous of me?" You asked as you applied the ointment to his wound.

He sighed. "I don't think you realise how splendid and significant you are." He said in a serious tone, like scolding you.

You looked into his eyes but he looked away. "I mean, you're a princess, that's what I mean."

You were startled by the sound of a deep, masculine voice clearing his throat. When you looked in that direction, you saw that Marcus was standing there. You were curious as to how much he had heard. He did not appear angry, or perhaps he was simply trying to keep his promise to you. You stood up and went towards him. You smiled when you noticed the flowers he was holding. They were golden-coloured trollius europaeus (globeflower).

"Or are those for me?" You asked.

"I thought of you when I saw them, my lady. Their colour reminded me of your hair. Did you like them?"

"Yes, they're so lovely, thank you." You said, taking the flowers from him.

"They're overshadowed by your beauty." He said, smiling. Your cheeks flushed.

"Oh, Acacius, you're so romantic!" Geta chuckled.

You both ignored him. "Are you hungry?" you asked. "Come, let me feed you." You said, taking his hand.

"Acacius, where have you been?" Julia asked, walking towards you.

You'd already seen enough of her arrogant face today, and it was starting to bother you.

"I could not see you after the ceremony. We need to talk.’

"I have been preoccupied with personal matters, Lady Domna. What is it?"

Julia looked at you and Geta. "Not here," she said, "Come to the great hall."

“You're so persistent, Mother,” Geta said with a sigh.

You gave your flowers to one of the slaves to take them to your room. Then you followed Julia and Geta to the great hall with Marcus.

"I've been keeping an eye on Macrinus' consuls for a while now," Julia said. You all gathered around the desk with some papers and maps on it. "I've been thinking about how we can get them on our side."

"We? There's no such thing as 'we'." Marcus said firmly.

You smiled when he said exactly what you said before, to the same person.

"You do want to finish Macrinus, don't you? I told you before, that if you had been made a consul by now, maybe we could have stopped him from becoming powerful."

"And I said I'm a soldier, not a politician."

"Yet here we are General. Don't you see how dangerous he is? Caracalla died because of him. Geta and you were close to dying too.”

He put his hands on the desk. "Once the Council declares Cracalla's death a rightful tyrannicide, his will, and all his acts become null and void. Macrinus will be nothing, and I will surely kill him then."

"Even if he dies, his consuls might still support him and not support Geta. I need to get rid of that threat. 'We're on the same side here. He wants something you and I have, right?'

Geta interjected. "I think Acacius is right, Mother. When I rule, Macrinus will lose everything he has. Then we'll kill him easily."

"You're underestimating him. Macrinus has been preparing for this for years, he is so smart yet close to his end now. We just need to give it the final push. I've already won over some of them, but a few are still on his side. I don't know what he's promising them, but if they vote on whether to honour Caracalla's will, he could win."

"We can convince them," You said. "If we tell them the truth; what he's done to Caracalla, how he manipulated him. Then there will be those who want to side with Geta, won't there?"

"You seem pretty sure you can convince them, Aurelia," she said, crossing her arms. "Do you have any idea how tough it is going to be?"

Marcus let out a sigh.

You decided to talk back to Julia. "Maybe they need something to believe in then? If we present Geta's possible policy of rule to them and if we can convince them that we need their support to build Rome's future together, those who are truly willing will accept it, won't they?"

"Aah! If they refuse, we'll slaughter them and do it for Rome! Remarkable, sister!" Geta clapped his hands.

"Is killing really the only solution for you?" you said, squinting.

"With your approach, we can only hope, Aurelia," said Julia.

"Lady Aurelia is right," Marcus said. "Emperor Geta needs to convince them." He looked at him sincerely. "They need to see that Macrinus has no power compared to the emperor himself. Show them that you are your father's son, Your Majesty. It's time to behave like a true emperor."

“Acacius, how dare you say that to me?” Geta shouted at him.

Marcus approached him with a stern look on his face. "You must show them, to your people, that you have changed, that you are capable of more than simply acting as a spoilt emperor."

"Don't cross the line!" Geta pointed a finger at him.

"Maybe later Acacius, we do not have time for that. My son is right," Julia said, crossing her arms. "Anyone who supports Caracalla, anyone still backing Macrinus, we must butcher them and seize all their assets. It will make the others fear and obey."

"This is insane,’’ Marcus growled. He looked at Geta. "Then how would you be any different from your brother, the tyrant?"

Geta thought for a moment, looking a little indecisive.

"That's why you wanted to speak with my husband, isn't it? This was not about politics. You want him to do your dirty work!" You walked over Julia.

She ignored you. "If you don't, the Praetorians will, Acacius."

"I will not kill Roman consuls." He said firmly.

"Well, that's the last resort anyway. It might not be necessary. I've spoken to the consul Albanus' wife." Julia looked at Marcus a little weird way. "If all goes to plan, she'll help us get more than half the council on Geta's side. You must know her Acacius, she was your former wife after all."

Before Julia could say more, Marcus grabbed her by the throat.

"What are you trying to do?" Marcus yelled.

“Acacius!” Geta shouted. You froze.

Julia was having trouble breathing. You grabbed Marcus's arm with both hands and tried to pull it away from Julia's throat, but he was too strong, and you failed. There was pure anger in his eyes, the kind that always makes you feel scared.

"Marcus, please, you'll kill her!" You begged.

But he didn't. The guards drew their swords.

"General! Release the Lady Domna at once!"

"Acacius, are you mad?" Geta shouted. "Take your hands off her now!"

You knew you were the only one who could calm him down, so you touched his face. "Marcus, please, please! She's not worth it. Please! You promised me," you reminded him.

That's when he looked at your eyes and pulled his hands away. Julia started coughing violently. Geta put his hand on her shoulder. The guards sighed with relief and sheathed their swords with his signal. You grabbed Marcus' hand who was still looking at Julia with a deadly stare.

"Enough talk. We're going to retire to our room now." You said, looking at them, tugging Marcus to the outside. Julia was too shaken up to speak, rubbing her throat. Geta wrapped his arm around her, but he wasn't angry as he looked at you.

"Get out of my sight you two!” He said, hoping his voice sounded sharp. He then gave you a wink. You rolled your eyes.

Marcus was still visibly angry, but he didn't resist your tugging. When you left the great hall, it was his turn to tug.

"That's enough! We're not staying here any longer!" He yelled, his voice echoed across the courtyard. Cato and the others came running towards you.

"Where might we go?"

"Sir!" Octavius called out to him. Marcus stopped him by raising his hand.

He then looked at you. "I've spoken to the governor, and we now have some idea of where the slaves are. We must await the council's decision, however.”

"Have you seen them? Are they alright?" You asked. Marcus looked at Octavius, and so did you.

He didn't seem down anymore. "They'll be fine, my lady," he said with a half smile.

Marcus gave his shoulder a little tap. "I sent Octavius to check them. They'll be out of there soon and we'll return our home, together." He smiled.

"We will," you smiled back.

Marcus turned his head to Octavius. "I need you to get the horse ready a bit earlier than planned."' He said.

"As you wish." He nodded and left.

"But if we're not staying here, and if we're not staying in the villa either, then where are we staying?" You asked Marcus curiously.

He touched your face. "Can I ask you to be patient, my lady? I want to surprise you."

"Surprise me?" You raised your eyebrows.

Marcus smirked. "Make sure you get your things from the room because we're not coming back here again." He said as you walked to the room together.

It was fair to say you didn't have much stuff anyway, given that you were brought here by force. Your old clothes were in a bad state, so they were thrown away. Marcus told you to wear ordinary clothes, and you did. He dressed similarly too. Then you both put on your black cloaks to avoid attention outside. The bad memories you had of this room in the last few days had turned into good memories with Marcus there, so you never thought you would feel a little bit sad when you were about to leave the room.

"My love." Marcus wrapped his arm around you. "If you're not feeling well, we can stay here another night."

"No, I'm fine, we can leave, now," you said with a smile. He put your things in his pera bag and hold your hand. You looked around one last time before leaving the room, noticing the flowers he had brought you on the table. "Marcus! My flowers!"

He stopped you from going there by pulling your hand. "Why don't you leave them here? There are plenty more where we're going. Come."

"What kind of place are we going, I wonder?" You asked as you walked towards the stairs.

"Patience is a virtue, princess." He said, smiling cockily.

"It wouldn't be very virtuous not to answer the Princess's question, would it, General?" You teased him.

He laughed. "So as a princess, you're going to rule over your husband, are you?"

"Can't I?" You asked in a sweet voice.

He stopped and looked at you, his eyes were buttery and intense. "As if you had not already conquered me, as if I were nothing but your humble servant." His voice was really deep, and you could feel your heart beating faster. As he spoke, he brought his lips close to yours.

"Gods above! Are you abandoning me?" Geta's voice interrupted you.

You both looked back at him, his lips twisted like a little boy.

“We can't stay here any longer, brother.”

"But isn't your villa still under repair? And isn't it dangerous out there, Acacius? Where do you think you're taking her?"

"My wife, Lady Aurelia, will be with me. So there's no need to worry, Your Majesty." Marcus spoke in a firm voice. "The soldiers will stay here with you, please do not leave the palace until the day of the council."

Geta kept his eyes on you as if he couldn't hear him. "Make sure of her safety," he muttered.

Marcus squinted at him. "I will."

You sighed. "I'll be fine, brother. I wish you the best of luck with Lady Domna, though." You said quietly.

"I suppose I'll just have to hope that God Fortuna is on my side on that one.” He laughed. He then stepped closer and hugged you. Marcus tensed but remained still. "Take care of yourself and my nephew, or it'll be bad for you."

You smiled and nodded. Marcus squeezed your hand. "We'd better leave now. Your majesty." He bowed his head and turned around, pulling you with him.

The sun was about to set when Marcus stopped the horse on the slope of a hill. It had been quite a long and jarring journey for you. While you were on the horse, he walked the other half of the way so as not to tire the horse out with the weight of the two of you. Thankfully, you arrived soon after.

"My lady." He held out his arms and helped you down. It was a wooded area, with the city silhouetted in the distance, and the Colosseum was the most prominent silhouette.

"We need to walk the rest of the way. Do you think you can make it?"

"I believe I can manage, but this is the middle of the woods."

He smiled. "We're not quite there yet, princess." He took your hand, holding the horse's reins in the other. The path was uneven, with many stones and bushes along the way. After a while, you were sweating and out of breath. Marcus tied the horse and slung the saddle bag over his shoulder.

"We're almost there, let me carry you.” He carefully lifted you in his arms. He was considerate and careful when carrying you. After a little while, you became aware of a rumbling sound, which you thought might be water, and turned your head in that direction. After walking among a few trees, Marcus carefully set you down.

"We have arrived."

Your mouth opened in awe as you looked around, taking in your surroundings. Beautiful meadow field with fresh grass and multicolored flowers in nature against a blurry blue sky with clouds. A waterfall was cascading on mountain rocks ahead, the trees with flowers blooming in heavy clusters all over their branches. The gentle chirping of birds and the soothing sound of the waterfall blended together, creating a harmonious ambiance. Could this be what Elysium on Earth is like?

You were blown away by the view. Marcus' arms wrapped around you from behind. "Are you pleased, my love?"

"Marcus, this place is incredible." You murmured.

He leaned down, rested his chin on your shoulder, and whispered in your ear. "A place where no one can find us or bother us. I think I've kidnapped a beautiful princess from the palace for myself." He laughed.

You turned your head towards him. "Oh, that can't be. I'll have to call for help," you teased.

"Do as you please, my lady." His hands grabbed your thighs and pulled against his crotch. "But I must say, no one can hear you here." He grabbed your chin, turned you around and kissed you passionately.

The kiss became heated and all-consuming. Marcus' eager hands quickly found the belt of your dress and quickly undid it. For a moment, you realised you were overexcited and then you tensed up.

"Marcus, are we really going to make love here?" you asked, glancing down at the grass and flowers.

He shrugged. ‘Why not? No one could come here. Besides, I have come prepared." He bent down and opened his saddle bag. "I must ensure my princess is comfortable." He took a linen blanket out of it and laying it down on the grass. Then he held out his hand to you. "My lady.”

As soon as you touched his hand, he pulled you to him, making you gasp. "Relax, my love. Only the birds can see us here." He slowly he lowered the straps of your dress down your arms. "Let them bear witness to our love." He gave you another kiss, and then he carefully slid your dress down your waist let it fall to the ground. Then he took you in his arms and carefully laid you down on the blanket.The gentle breeze from the waterfall caressed your back, but as your body was filled with a sense of desire, burning with lust, you felt no chill. Marcus removed his shawl and tunic with haste and lay down next to you. As his warm hands explored your body, you shivered with excitement at the change in atmosphere. It was unlike anything you had ever experienced before, a blend of primal and seductive.

"You look absolutely breathtaking lying in the meadow among the flowers." He said it in a husky voice. He took your face in his hands and kissed you deeply. His hands explored every inch of your body, while yours travelled over his shoulders. His warm and inviting lips traced a path to your chin, and his knee pressed firmly between your legs. He sensed your unease and knew how to ease it. He slowly moved his lips from your knees to your hips, and you opened your legs for him, your nervousness now replaced by desire. His strong hands gripped your hips firmly and he smiled triumphantly. All you could feel was his wet tongue, his lips and his beard tickling you as he continued to devour you, all of you. You let out a loud moan as Marcus licked, sucked and bit your aroused folds, most sensitive spot, taking you to the edge. You gripped the hem of the blanket and grass, as moaned loudly not caring if anyone could hear. Gasping for breath, you were surprised to feel the grass between your fingers that you had unintentionally plucked. Marcus wiped your wetness from his chin with his fingers and licked it and settled between your legs. You put your arms around his neck as he kissed you adoringly, hungrily. Both of you savoring the unique feeling of him having you on the meadow under the dark sky. His eager thrusts got deeper, and your back arched, making you look up at the sky. The light was fading, and the birdsong had given way to the sound of crickets. He placed his big hand tenderly under your head as if it were a special pillow for you. His other hand gripped your thigh possessively. His lips traced over your flesh more tenderly and possessively than his hands as he made you his. After a few wonderful thrusts from him and a cry of pleasure from you, his hand grasped the nape of your neck and his mouth found yours. He groaned loudly, almost animalistic as he filled you with his hot liquid, accompanied by the sound of water cascading in the darkness. It was a rather blissful sound to hear. He rested his sweaty forehead between your breasts and remained until your breathing settled. As you ran your fingers through his hair, you felt his lips curl into a smile on your belly. Then his lips moved from your sternum to your collarbone, to your chin and finally to your lips. When his big body was pulled off of you, the cool night wind licked your damp body and made you shiver.

"You must be feeling cold, my lady," he said, standing up.

"A little," you said, hugging your arms, and rubbing them.

Marcus returned with another blanket. He wrapped it around you quite tightly.

"You came well prepared, General," you giggled.

"I told you so," he smirked. He put on his tunic and started picking up some twigs. "I need to start a fire, so you won't be cold anymore." He said.

You watched him as your whole body was wrapped in the blanket. He picked up some stones from around and put them on the grass. He put the twigs and woods he'd collected in the middle of the stones and opened his saddle bag again. He picked up a flint with a sharp point and a piece of steel, the materials needed to start a fire. He put the flint in the thin bushes and struck the flint with the steel in his hand, and after a few strokes, a spark appeared. Marcus blew on the twigs and it burst into flame. You smiled and clapped your hands. "Impressive, General.”

"The perks of being a soldier, I suppose." He said, smiling, as he threw a few thick sticks and pieces of wood on the fire. You wanted to move closer to the fire to warm your body up, but Marcus had swaddled you like a baby, so you couldn't move. He laughed at your stubborn effort and came to you, wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close to the fire. You tugged the blanket and spread your arm to the side, inviting him in. "My love, the fire is good but I need your warmth, will you?"

He smiled. "Whatever my lady wishes for I shall treat as a command." He said and sat down next to you and snuggled up to you under the blanket. His arms wrapped around you and made you lie down with him. "There's no moon tonight, so you can see the stars clearly," he said.

He was correct in his assertion, that the sky had a marvelous sight, akin to a feast of stars. The wood burning with crackle and the sound of the waterfall cascading, as if determined to flow forever, the crickets and the two of you breathing, and the stars themselves—all these elements combined to create a scene that was nothing short of sublime. You simply enjoyed gazing at the stars until you felt your eyes growing heavy.

The day before the Council.

As the first light of the day began to illuminate the meadow with its gentle yellow light, the birds had already started their cheerful songs, welcoming the new day. You continued to listen to the sound of the waterfall and the song of the birds without opening your eyes, and after a while, when the bright sunlight filtered through the trees and fell on your eyelids, you closed your eyes tightly. However, you then became aware of a certain darkness, as if a shadow had fallen, and you decided to open your eyes. When you did so, you were somewhat surprised to see that Marcus's big hand was right above your face. Had he perhaps been protecting you from the sunlight? You took his hand, brought it to your lips and kissed it.

“Morning.” You murmured into his palm, his thumb tracing the curve of your lips.

"My lady, I've decided to forego making a list, but I wonder if I might call this morning the best morning ever?"

"You may do so, General." You smiled.

He smiled back, then locked his eyes on yours. "Your eyes shine almost green in the sunlight like an oasis in the desert, so beautiful." He touched your face with his hand and leaned in to kiss you, with love, passion, and devotion. "You must be hungry," he said after breaking the kiss. He lifted the blanket from around himself and stood up. You sat down and looked at him curiously.

"Did you bring food too?" You asked while you were fixing your hair, taking a few leaves out with your fingers. You got up, found your tunic in the grass and put it on.

"I need to make sure my princess is well-fed." Marcus returned to your side with the bundle in his hand. He sat down next to you and undid the bundle's knots, taking out a few pieces of bread and fruit. He popped a piece of bread into your mouth and then into his own. He peeled the apple for you and made sure you ate it all.

"My lady, I must give this back to you."

"Hmm?" When you looked at him he was holding your scabbard in his hand. You opened your eyes wide and grabbed Marcus' wrist with both hands. "Marcus! This was poisoned!" You shouted.

"Calm down, my love. I've washed and cleaned it. Look." He pulled the knife out of its sheath with a sharp metal sound, it was shining brilliantly in the sunlight.

"Then, you know what I've done." You mumbled. You bowed your head, that tormenting feeling was there again. He put a finger under your chin and lifted your head to look at him.

"I know, and I'm proud of you. Honestly, I'm impressed, I don't think even I could have thought of such a thing." He kissed the tip of your nose. "I've fallen in love with you once again, princess."

You raised your eyebrows. "Really?"

"Indeed. I think it's an act quite befitting the wife of a Roman General, so you needn't feel guilty, my love."

You wrapped your arms around his neck and buried your head in his collarbone. "Thank you. I don't feel guilty anymore, I guess."

He wrapped his arm around you. "Good. It's a relief to know that he died in the same pain I suffered before.”

You felt a pang of sadness when you thought about how you'd seen him suffer the first time you saw him.

You heard a horse approaching, its hooves striking the ground with a sudden, startling noise. Marcus quickly stood up and reached for his sword. "You stay here," he said, gesturing with his hand. It sounded like it was coming from where you first came from. Marcus drew his sword and made his way forward with caution. You got tense, but then he put his sword back in its sheath.

"Octavius," he said quietly, looking at you and then walking over.

"Sir!" You felt a sense of relief when you heard Octavius' voice. He gave you a salute from a distance.

"Why have you come? Is something wrong?" Marcus asked.

"The Council has decided to meet urgently today, sir."

"How? It was scheduled to meet tomorrow."

"Sir, I believe it was a unanimous decision, although I'm not entirely sure. I am here to inform you and also..." Octavius looked at you hesitantly.

"Continue."

"Lady Aurelia must be in the palace, as Caracalla's act has not yet been invalidated and she is therefore still under house arrest. The Praetorian guards are looking for her everywhere."

Marcus clenched his jaw. "Damn you Caracalla." He hissed.

You stood up and approached the two of them. "If that's what it takes, I must go, Marcus. I will be free after the council declares so, right?"

"No, something doesn't feel right. And I can't just trust the guards with Macrinus still out there. That cunt will surely do something to disrupt the council."

"So what do we do, sir?”

"It would be best for her to wait elsewhere until the council has made its decision."

"Where else can I stay for the time being?" You asked, looking at him.

"Somewhere where he or the guards can't find you easily," he murmured. Then something must have occurred to him because he smiled and turned to Octavius. "Inform a few men and station them by the poorhouse. Lady Aurelia will stay there until the council is over."

"Yes, sir."

"Off you go, quickly!"

Octavius nodded and rushed towards his horse.

"Will I be staying in the poorhouse?" You were surprised.

"Yes, my lady, it is safer for you to stay there. Most of the Praetorian guards are still on Macrinus' side. Why do you think I put men in the palace in the first place? Come now my love, I need get you to there as soon as possible.”

Upon your arrival at the poorhouse, you were greeted by the soldiers he had sent for, who were already there. You were feeling somewhat fatigued. The children approached you and gathered around you, expressing their longing for your presence. You smiled at them, although your body was rather tired. Marcus was quick to perceive this and called out to the women in the vicinity.

"Prepare a seat for the princess to make her comfortable."

They nodded and carried a lectus to the courtyard. Marcus made you sit and knelt down next to you, taking your hand in his.

"My love, please await here patiently. Once this is all over, I shall send the carriage to retrieve you."

"Do not concern yourself with me. Please attend to Geta at the council; he will need your presence, there.”

He nodded. "It will all be over soon, my lady and I will then be solely focused on exploring the possibilities of returning home from my duties at an earlier hour." He kissed the top of your hand and stood up. "I will arrange for you to be taken as soon as the council makes a decision.” He said, mounting. He looked at you one last time before he kicked his horse forward. You smiled at him.

Once he'd left, you closed your eyes and leaned back to get some rest. The soldiers who had stayed to keep an eye on you spread out and, like you, waited to see what the council would decide.

After a short rest, a few of the boys you had met earlier approached you and asked you questions about Marcus. They saw him as a hero. You had a long chat about his armour, his sword and the tigers he killed in the Colosseum. You found yourself hoping that one day you might be able to have a chat with your own children about their father and his victories. You had hoped to give Marcus a son. You hoped to raise a son who was as brave, fearless, and good-hearted as Marcus.

It was not long after noon when the sound of a carriage's wheels and the echo of horses' hooves pounding on the stone streets was heard. When the soldiers gathered there, you stood up and looked around curiously. One of the soldiers then demanded that the coachman identify himself.

"Sir, General Acacius sent me here to take Lady Aurelia to Palatine Hill." He said to them.

"Has the Council announced their decision?" You asked.

The man bowed his head. "Forgive me, my lady, I am not yet informed, I am merely following orders, the General has ordered me to take you."

"We will accompany you, my lady," said one of the soldiers.

You nodded. Marcus had given them strict orders, after all. One of them helped you into the carriage and you sat down. The council meeting was over sooner than you thought it would be, but Marcus wouldn't have sent it for you if the decision hadn't been made. You couldn't wait to get back to him and then back to the villa together. You were filled with excitement.

However, the carriage suddenly stopped with a loud horse neighed. You gripped your seat tightly to prevent yourself from falling.

"My lady, forgive me!" the coachman called out to you.

You peeked out the door to see what was going on. The road ahead was obstructed by the overturned carts of market vendors. It seemed as though the owners of the carts were engaged in a discussion.

"Head to the other way, turn round now!" One of the soldiers shouted at the coachman. He then turned toward you. "My lady, please get inside and sit down."

You did as he said. The coachman turned his horses in the other direction and entered a narrow alleyway, causing a slower pace of travel while the soldiers followed the carriage from behind. After traversing a few streets, the coachman brought his horses to a halt once more. And before the soldiers had a chance to react, they were struck by arrows that came from nowhere. When you heard horses neighed loudly by fear, you rushed out and were shocked by the sight you saw. They had fallen from their horses and perished from the arrows that had struck their bodies. You looked ahead and saw a few Praetorian guards with bows in their hands.

"Lady Aurelia."

A chill ran down your spine as you heard the familiar voice. You turned your head slowly to face him.

Macrinus approached you with an arrogant grin. "Did you miss me?”

thank you for reading! your reblogs, comments, likes are soo important to me so please if you enjoyed, support me thank you..

@orcasoul @pedroslut4eva @immyowndefender @lailathepedritofan @screechingchildfury @shinymusicpanda @somedayheaven @ivoryandflame @negrita2345 @music-lover09 @javiismyhsbnd @idontcareihavenoidea @jisungandpedrolover @mmkkzz @ro-nahime-things @indiegirlunited @kluvspedro @movievillainess721 @berriesarepunk @bonadeamo @heramj @blushingwueen @smoochispoof @littlemisspascal

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#fanfiction #fanfic #pedro pascal fandom #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal #pedro pascal gifs #ao3 fanfic #general marcus acacius #marcus acacius x female reader #marcus acacius smut #general acacius #marcus acacius #gladiator ii #gladiator 2 #marcus acacius x you #marcus acacius x reader

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maxivstappen · 9 hours ago

Text

DID YOU LIKE HER IN THE MORNING ?

[ masterlist / requests closed ]

☽｡⋆ distance can lead to stupid, reckless decisions. but lando knows better than that, right? — lando norris x reader based on “did you like her in the morning” by nikki

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 angst! pure angst 𝄞 1.7k words

You loved a loud life just the same as he did. You enjoyed the traveling, the partying, the sleepless nights, hell, even the stressful nights you wouldn’t trade for a peaceful, quiet, boring, normal life. You were eternally grateful for having a job surrounding the same tracks Lando is driving on, even if that was rather a lucky coincidence instead of a thought-through plan.

You loved it not only because it meant you’d get to be close to your boyfriend most of the time, more so because you got to experience the loudness with him. The parties, the race weekends, just everything. You’d have it without him too, and no doubt, you would have tons of fun doing so, but of course it’s better with a “super cool hot famous boyfriend” by your side, as he liked to call himself.

You loved it, until you couldn’t anymore.

Not as dramatic as it sounds. You were invited to a wedding of an old friend back at home, and Lando, for obvious reasons, couldn’t attend with you, so you flew out the country by yourself, giving Lando one last good luck kiss a few days before the Las Vegas Grand Prix. You missed him dearly, but you also missed your friends at home whom you haven’t seen in what felt like forever, and really, what’s a better reason for a reunion than a wedding?

But that’s where the trouble began.

You liked to call yourself independent. Very independent, even. You didn’t have a problem with being far from Lando for a few weeks, and while you of course loved him more than anyone else in this world, you’ve stated before that in case of you losing the job for whatever reason or if you just couldn’t travel with him anymore, you’d think a long distance relationship would work just well. At least for you.

Of course, the constant missing your partner would complicate things, but that’s still no reason to break up a relationship that has lasted for longer than three years already. At least that’s what you thought.

Lando liked to call himself independent too. Very independent, even. Too bad it’s all a lie.

Lando has always hated the idea of being away from you, or rather the idea of you being far from him. It’s not like he didn’t have any trust in you, it’s just become normal for him to always have you at least somewhat in his reach. That’s how your relationship has always been, you were coworkers before you were lovers.

He didn’t mind you taking a few days off. He also didn’t mind you wanting to spend some time with your family and friends who were still located far, far away from wherever you two would usually have to travel to for the many races. However, he did mind you not being near him.

It bothered him more than he’d like to admit.

You’ve talked about it before, talked about him being too needy and too possessive from time to time, but never once have you two fought about it. You thought you never would, and you were right. Your departure was slightly painful for the both of you, but it was only 2 weeks that you‘d be gone, and it’s not at all like you couldn’t stay in contact. So there was nothing to worry about, right?

Or so you thought.

The moment you arrived at you local airport you saw your mom run up to you, caging you in her arms as if to never let you go again. Your father wasn’t far behind, and then came your brother. It was a sweet little moment of a family reuniting as a whole again. And even though you wanted to set your whole focus on the few next days to come, the lovely wedding and the friends you once lost on the way who you’d now finally see again, Lando never really left your mind. You just didn’t understand why, you weren’t usually like this.

Maybe it was just that after five years of knowing each other and three of those spent dating, you did grow somewhat dependent. you knew it wasn’t the truth, but blaming it on a simple thing like that seemed terribly easier than giving in to the thoughts of what could actually be the cause of it. You didn’t have any time for that. You weren’t here to think about work or about Lando, but about the things that were right in front of your eyes, which at this moment was the beautiful white wedding decorated with all sorts of flowers of sunset hues.

The wedding was held on a beach, surrounded by the dreamy sound of waves crashing and seagulls singing their own nupital melodies. You arrived with one of your old friends Nina, both of you wearing long and flowy pastel dresses, just as the dress code ordered you to. The day went on with you two crying at seeing one of your childhood friends getting married, listening to the heartfelt vows of bride and groom.

Your mind immediately went to Lando and you standing at the altar like they did. You knew it was too soon, and you knew he didn’t have time for marriage, even less for planning a wedding, but you still couldn’t help it. You really did miss him more this time, and throughout the whole ceremony, the feeling of something being incredibly off only intensed.

But the night came, and the feeling faded. Or at least the drinks made it do that.

You were sitting with Nina and two guys you used to be very close with at the dim bar near the dance floor when you suddenly noticed something light up inside your purse. You didn’t mind it at first, not wanting to be rude towards Tom who was trying to talk to you without stumbling over his word completely, but the shots you downed beforehand made it undoubtedly harder.

Your phone lit up again. Slowly getting on your nerves, you decided to wait until Tom’s attention was fixated on Nina again to then check your messages and - missed calls?

—

Lando hated how his mood changed whenever you were gone. It felt as if there was something missing when you weren’t there waiting for him at home after debriefing or after PR events and whatnot. He missed your hugs and kisses, your smile and most importantly, just your touch.

Truth be told - but never to you - when you first started dating, for Lando, the thriving point was attraction. One month in, that’s when he realized that he wasn’t getting rid of you any time soon. Not that he minded. Two months in and the two of you made it official, of course not without any drama because how was a McLaren driver allowed to date a McLaren employee? Two weeks and the conversations and the hate online slowly died down, but your relationship kept on blooming. There was just one thing that somehow had Lando incredibly confused - why did your relationship suddenly feel more like you couldn’t get rid of him? Why did it feel like he was the one attached to you instead of the other way around?

Not that it felt bad or anything, he was just very used to have the girl being that dependent on him, to always want his attention, to always ask for his opinion on everything. Now he was the one all over you, and you didn’t mind it at all. You had the man you love wrapped tightly around your finger, just like he had you. For three years now.

But that didn’t help him right now, not with jealousy nagging at his side like a demon. You were out, enjoying your time with people you loved, and while he should be happy for you, he spent his time rather annoyed at you not being where he was. It’s only been a week, and work has already failed to keep his mind off of you. And he hated it. He knew it was the day of the wedding, and he was done wasting his time only thinking about you, so what else was there for a man to do instead of going clubbing with the guys? He hadn’t spent time with them in a long time, neither had he gone clubbing these past fem months, too caught up with Formula 1. So this would be okay, right? Just some drinks to keep his mind off of you.

Right?

—

15 missed calls from carlos sainz.

that was weird, you thought, and your stomach dropped and you felt the dread creeping up your consciousness. It had you feeling weaker than ever.

You quietly excused yourself to go to the bathroom, though every step towards it made it harder and harder to breathe.

What if something had happened to him? A work incident? Then how did Carlos know? Were they hanging out and he hurt himself? Were they out and someone there hurt Lando?

Did something happen to your Lando?

Your finger hovered shaking over the green button until you finally decided to press it and call the Ferrari driver back. Not even a single beep was heard before he huffed out your name as if he had been yearning for you to finally phone him back.

“Carlos? Is everything okay?” The Spaniard could practically feel your distress through the screen and he swore he’s never felt an urge so strong to punch someone right across their face, let alone his best friend Lando Norris.

It took some time for realization to set in. Your breathing had slowed down but the chills all over your body told that it was a sign far from good. Very far from good.

You could still make out the faint sound of Carlos’ voice as you locked the door of the bathroom stall furthest in the back, however, every word that came after “Lando cheated on you” somehow wasn’t comprehensive to you.

You just hope he’ll still like her in the morning, cause you, for sure, weren’t coming back.

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felassan · 12 hours ago

Text

David Gaider on Kieran, under a cut for length:

"CHARACTERS - DAY TWO: Kieran (Technically this is an addendum to yesterday, but I make the rules here so nyah!) Heading into DAI, I had a bite-sized problem on my hands. I knew Morrigan would feature. I also knew we were importing previous choices. So now I had to contend with: the Old God Baby. Here's the thing about honouring previous game choices, from a design perspective: it's a sucker's game. What many fans picture, when you mention it, is divergent *plot* -- the story changes path based on those major choices. How exciting! But you will never be able to deliver divergent plot. You can deliver flavour differences (usually in the form of divergent dialogue), character swaps (character X appears instead of Y), and extra content (such as a side quest) -- but plot branching, particularly the critical path? It's a question of resources, and there's never enough to go around. "Here Lies the Abyss" in DAI was about as good as it gets, and even that was a far cry from how I originally pictured it (hello last-minute insert of Stroud when a DAO Warden import got cut). The Old God Baby was one of the main choices from DAO -- Morrigan has a baby? With the Archdemon's soul?! Most DAO players who flagged that choice surely expected *monumental* consequences. World-shaking consequences! And we talked about it. We did. There were, like, three different designs of the DAI ending where OGB Kieran could cause complete divergence: new path, cutscenes, the whole nine yards. But it wasn't going to happen. It was a decision from *two games ago* that only a small minority (hello telemetry) would even choose. To the rest, they probably neither knew about it nor cared... so how many resources could you invest? To do what? Set up an even bigger divergence for the NEXT game? The other writers acknowledged my anxiety with a grim nod every time it came up, but they had no solutions. Finally, I realized there WAS a solution, and that was changing how I thought about the choice: don't make it about Kieran. The players don't know him, never have. Make it about Morrigan. Thus began a feverish three days where I wrote probably the most complicated scene of my career: Morrigan's reckoning with Flemeth in DAI and the fallout after. Three different versions (OGB Kieran, non-OGB Kieran, and no Kieran), each with branching for other choices (like the Well of Sorrows). I did it all at once. There was no other way to wrap my head around the complexity of it. It was also a tough sell to the team, considering the amount of cinematics work, but they agreed we had to do *something*. And still it felt... underwhelming, insofar as divergence goes. But it was also good. I remember when I first spoke with Claudia, about how this was Morrigan's story. This was about how motherhood had changed her, how she'd grown up. Claudia got a bit teary-eyed. It was a journey she was familiar with, she said. Her first son, Odin, had been born in 2005 not long after DAO came out. And, man, she killed with that performance! Kate, too, but I'll get to her later. Claudia dug down, and that scene where Morrigan tells Flemeth she'll never be the mother Flemeth was to her? That came from someplace very raw. It was devastating to witness in the booth. There were tears all around. Not long after, Claudia called and asked if maybe - just maybe - Odin could play Kieran? He was a bit young (not yet 5, then), but it felt... right? We agreed. Claudia was in the booth, gently coaching him through his lines, and I think that was the first moment I felt I'd done the right thing."

[source thread]

User: "Do you find it an odd choice that Kieran hasn’t been mentioned at all in Veilguard?" David Gaider: "If there’s less reactivity in DATV, I’m unsurprised. Continuing choice from up to 3 games earlier is… unsupportable. Yet DA established the expectation they would so… damned if you do, damned if you don’t?" [source]

User: "EA is one of the biggest game companies ever. I don't think more complex diverging plots are impossible." David Gaider: "Well, if only more writing was all it took. Sadly, it's also cinematics. Art time for all those reappearing characters you probably want to look *just* right. And let's not forget we have to test all those permutations! So I don't disagree with you in spirit, but I don't think it's the answer here." [source]

User: "is there a possibility of future kieran appearances in a book or something similar outside of the games?" David Gaider: "I'd have no way of knowing that." [source]

User: "I’m actually shocked so little people chose the dark ritual. That was basically the main reason Flemeth sent Morrigan with the wardens, no?" David Gaider: "The impression you get of what "most" players do - in almost any game, not just DA - is very different if you're online a lot. Consider here that it's not just the % of DAO players who chose the Dark Ritual, it's the % of DAI players WHO PLAYED DAO and cared to import that choice 5 years later." [source]

User: "Is there anything you wish you had done differently, in hindsight?" David Gaider: "Probably just to not ever do importing choices between games in the first place." [source]

User: "Kieran only existed in my DAI state b/c Morrigan as a mother really appealed to me. I wasn't expecting to be devastated by those scenes 😭 I guess when we complain about lack of consequences from prev choices in DAV we must also ask how MUCH are we willing to pay for those branches to exist?" David Gaider: "That's indeed it. Content directed towards reactivity would have to come from somewhere else. So essentially a shorter game overall for the sake of those hardcore fans who'd import - who would, I imagine, REALLY enjoy that... but it's a tough cost/benefit analysis to make." [source]

User: "mr gaider im gonna keep it real with you if i had to choose between my hof and hawke i would've simply passed away" David Gaider: "Right? That was the ENTIRE idea! I was very excited, and for a while it seemed possible." [source]

User: "This has been a very interesting read but I have to ask why they decided to use Stroud instead of the HoF" David Gaider: "1) Complexity of providing means for a player to build a Warden (which they did in DATV for the Inquisitor). Also spoiled the surprise. 2) We’d have needed to give the Warden a voice. Add these to the cost and it was deemed not worth it." [source]

User: "Genuine question, not a critique - but what made the OGB decision one that couldn't be handwaved as canon no matter what was or wasn't chosen? Leliana and Flemeth being around no matter what come to mind. Was OGB simultaneously too major and too minor of a decision?" David Gaider: "Flemeth and Leliana being alive were easily explainable, and we knew we were doing it even back then. Circumventing the Dark Ritual… that would be too cheap. We did talk about it, but it just felt too dishonest. Too high a price for what we’d get in return." [source]

David Gaider: "If I’d known the Well of Sorrows would only see reactivity in the confrontation with Flemeth, I’d probably have made a much bigger deal of it." [source]

David Gaider: "We could maybe have gotten past the need to "reconstruct" the Warden, much like the Inquisitor was reconstructed in DATV (so I understand), but the need to give the Warden a voice was the final nail. Too potentially disappointing for the very people who'd be excited about it, aside from the cost." [source]

#dragon age #bioware #video games #morrigan #queen of my heart #long post #longpost #dragon age: the veilguard #dragon age the veilguard spoilers #dragon age: dreadwolf #dragon age 4 #the dread wolf rises #da4

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hoesluvjude · 2 days ago

Text

Future Plans || jude bellingham

Word count : 1k

Genre: fluff

Author's note:Enjoy;)

Masterlist

The couch was soft, the room dimly lit. The faint scent of lavender lingered in the air, a testament to the candle Jude had lit earlier. You’d spent the better part of the evening watching an old movie, but now, the TV was off, and the room was silent save for the occasional hum of traffic outside.

Jude was sprawled out comfortably, his legs stretched across the couch. You were draped over him, your head tucked under his chin, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. His arms were wrapped around you, one hand lazily tracing circles on your back while the other rested on your hip. He always had this way of holding you like you were the most precious thing in the world.

"You know," Jude began, a teasing edge in his voice, "I was thinking we should have ten kids."

You burst out laughing, the sound filling the quiet room. “Ten? Are you out of your mind?”

He grinned, clearly amused by your reaction. “Why not? Think about it—a whole football team! We could have family tournaments. And maybe an extra kid for the bench, just in case.”

You pushed yourself up slightly, giving him a mock-serious look. “Jude, do you have any idea how much chaos ten kids would be? The noise? The mess? The grocery bill?”

He chuckled, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from your face. “Okay, fine. Maybe not ten,” he said, but there was something in his tone that made you squint suspiciously at him.

“Wait,” you said slowly, “you’re not entirely joking, are you?”

Jude’s grin softened into something more thoughtful, and he shrugged, looking almost bashful. “Not really,” he admitted. “I mean, maybe not ten, but… I do love the idea of a big family. Coming home to a house full of laughter and love. Watching them grow up together, always having each other to lean on.”

You smiled at the thought, imagining a little one with Jude’s warm eyes and infectious smile. “They’d be lucky to have you as a dad,” you said softly.

He tilted your chin up with gentle fingers, his eyes locking onto yours. “And they’d be lucky to have you as a mom,” he said, his voice filled with so much conviction that it made your throat tighten.

He smiled at you, a little shy, and then tilted his head. “Okay, so maybe ten is a bit much. What about you? How many kids do you want?”

You leaned back against his chest, pretending to think. “Hmm… Two feels like a good number. But four could be fun, too. A nice mix of boys and girls, maybe.”

“Two or four?” Jude repeated, his hand resuming its gentle pattern on your back. “Okay, I could get on board with that. Two feels manageable, but four does sound kind of perfect, doesn’t it? A little pack of chaos, just enough to keep things exciting.”

You smiled at the thought, imagining a lively home filled with tiny feet running through the halls. “Yeah,” you said. “Two or four feels right. But let’s not lock anything in yet. We’ve got plenty of time to figure it out.”

Jude nodded, his expression softening as he gazed at you. “We’ll figure it all out together,” he said.

You fell into another comfortable silence, the kind that only happens when you’re with someone who feels like home. You could feel Jude’s chest rising and falling beneath you, the steady rhythm soothing in a way you couldn’t quite describe.

“So,” Jude said after a moment, his voice teasing again, “what do you think about matching family pajamas for the holidays? Too much?”

“Way too much,” you said, laughing. But even as you teased him, you couldn’t help but picture it—a future filled with warmth and love and the kind of moments you cherish forever.

“You know,” Jude said eventually, a playful lilt returning to his voice, “we could always practice.”

You rolled your eyes, but you couldn’t help the laugh that escaped you. “You’re incorrigible.”

He grinned, clearly pleased with himself. “And yet, you’re still here.”

“Yeah,” you said, your voice softening. “I am.”

Jude’s expression turned tender again, and he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to your forehead. “And I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure you always want to be.”

You closed your eyes, letting his words sink in, and snuggled closer to him. In that moment, there was nowhere else you’d rather be. Our future might still be unwritten, but with Jude by your side, you knew it was going to be beautiful.

“Do you think we’ll ever get tired of this?” you murmured, your voice muffled against his chest.

Jude chuckled, a soft, musical sound that made your heart flutter. “Tired of what? You using me as your personal pillow?”

You pinched his side lightly, and he let out a playful yelp. “I meant us, silly. Being like this. Together.”

His hand paused on your back for a moment, and then he tightened his hold on you, pulling you impossibly closer. “Never,” he said firmly. “I could spend forever like this and still not have enough of you.”

You tilted your head up to look at him, and your breath caught in your throat. The way he looked at you—like you were his entire world—was enough to make your heart feel like it was going to burst. His eyes were soft and warm, his lips curved into a small, boyish smile.

“Forever, huh?” you teased, though your voice was soft, your own smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

He nodded, his expression turning serious. “Yeah, forever. And after that, if I can.”

“What about marriage?” you asked quietly, your voice barely above a whisper.

“I think about it all the time,” he admitted. “Waking up next to you every day, calling you my wife, knowing that you’re mine and I’m yours forever. It’s... it’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”

You felt your cheeks heat up, and you buried your face in his chest to hide your smile. “You’re such a sap,” you teased, though your voice was thick with emotion.

He laughed again, the sound vibrating through you. “You love it,” he said confidently, and he wasn’t wrong.

You fell into a comfortable silence after that, the weight of his words settling over you like a warm blanket. You could feel his fingers start tracing patterns again, this time on your arm, and it made you shiver in the best way.

#jude bellingham #jude #jb22 #jb5 #fanfic #jude bellingham x reader #jude x reader #football #football fanfic

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devotedlyandrogynousyouth · 2 days ago

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AkrhamKnight! Jason Todd

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

Sensitive Topics: descriptions of a toxic relationship and mentions of physical abuse (none actually written)

AK! Jason Todd who you're not even sure what you have with. Every time you try to refer to him as your boyfriend or yourselves as together like you did before his death, he pulls away and gets defensive.

"There isn't an 'us,' sweetheart. I ain't letting shit from before that fucking clown got to me matter now."

But if you try to walk away from the situation or start talking to somebody else, he gets so incredibly jealous.

"Oh so you really need two guys' attention now? What a fucking whore..."

AK! Jason Todd who, if you couldn't tell by now, is so incredibly toxic in whatever situation you have. He cant stand to see you walk away but it kills you inside every time you come back to him and his baggage.

"Come one, sweetheart... It was just a mistake. We all make 'em, right? Don't you go leaving me over some petty shit like that."

AK! Jason Todd who absolutely loathes you going out at night. Even when he's there with you, it still puts him on edge to see you walking the cold, dark Gotham sidewalks when you could be safe in his apartment or the base instead.

AK! Jason Todd who just gets so mean with you for no reason. Well, not for little things like forgetting to pick up plastic wrap at the store or something. More like walking alone in Gotham without him knowing you were even gone. He hates the thought of something happening to his precious little thing.

AK! Jason Todd who would never physically harm you. Are insults thrown around like confetti? Absolutely! Is there a scream fight almost every week? You bet! But has he ever raised a finger against you? No. And he would never even think of it.

AK! Jason Todd who's absolutely pissed whenever somebody even looks at you for too long, nevermind making comments. You'd be surprised just how many of his soldiers he's gotten rid of just for telling him to "put his bitch in her place," or for telling you to "cover up, slut."

AK! Jason Todd who can't open up. He knows what he's doing is horrible. He knows that everything he does affects you in one way or another. But what about the horrible things other people have done? What about what the Joker did to him? What about Bruce letting the Joker roam free afterwards and replacing him with another goody two shoes? Jason wants to talk to you, he really does. But he just doesn't see how you or anybody, for that matter, coyld ever understand him or what he's been through.

AK! Jason Todd who found himself crying in the dark shadows of your shared apartment when Bruce first came along to stop his ridiculous plan to take over Gotham with Scarecrow's fear toxin. Jason loved Bruce. Bruce was his only family. But family means that nobody gets left behind and Bruce sure as hell broke that rule.

(This is actually kinda cannon: in Akrham Knight, one of the conversations you can overhear between a few of the gaurds mentions Jason crying after encountering Bruce for one of the first times)

AK! Jason Todd who truly does love you, in some way. He doesn't think he can be in love with you, but that doesnt makw him care about you any less. You're his person, and you've been there for him whether he likes it or not.

AK! Jason Todd who would absolutely lose it if anything were to ever happen to you. He never wants to see even a hair on your damn head hurt if he can help it. If one of his guards were to be responsible for an injury you sustained, they'd be out the door and probably six feet under in a heartbeat.

AK! Jason Todd who, no matter what your situation or relationship is like, refuses to let you see his chest. Yeah, his entire body is covered in scars, both from the Joker and other things he's experienced. But the 'Y' shaped scar on his chest is strictly off limits. If you were to ever accidentally brush your hand across it while laying with him or something, he wouldn't lash out, but he'd certainly guide your hand away by gently grasping your wrist.

AK! Jason Todd who never wants to see you involved with anything he does or his plans. He thinks that his activities are far too dangerous for you, even if you do happen to be somebody who's capeable of holding your own in combat or other high-stress situations.

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

Masterlist

#batfam #batfamily #batman #dc #redhood #jason todd x reader #jasontodd #arkham knight #arkham knight x reader

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cobaltperun · 3 days ago

Text

Darkest Part (5) - Bad Medicine

Astrid Deetz x female Reader

Summary: You will never, in life or afterlife, if such a thing exists, meet anyone as infuriating, rage inducing, entitled, or frankly awful, as Astrid fucking Deetz. There isn’t a single thing you’d like more than to never be around her, but as your luck would have it, you just can’t stay away from her.

Masterlist / First part / Previous Part

Word count: 6.5k

-Your love is like bad medicine, bad medicine is what I need-

The afterlife was so damn random. Your first experience with afterlife was an office with a bunch of tall men with shrunken heads. Some of them had only one eye! And not in the eyepatch kind of way, but in the one big eye like a cyclops way! And one of them was dressed exactly like Beetlejuice, and that was the most normal thing in this entire office! “What the fuck,” you whispered as Beetlejuice turned to the one dressed just like him.

“Bob, you and the boys stand guard! Nobody gets through,” he then turned to Lydia “Let's go, honey,” well you were already here so there was no going back. Why were you doing this again? Oh, yeah, because Astrid went and got herself into trouble. You went after him and Lydia only to be met with even more randomness and the utter bizarre feeling permeating this entire world. You realized everything was tilted, the floors, the walls, absolutely everything in this place was at an angle and it wasn't even consistent! If it wasn't for this kind of circumstance, you would actually marvel at the architecture of all of this.

“We’re like Bonnie and Clyde, you and me, without bullet holes,” Beetlejuice pointed out almost giddily as he led you and Lydia down the halls.

“Do you even know where we’re going?” Lydia wasn't having any of it.

“You go right down the hallway, three rights through the ninth door right,” he pumped his fist. “To the Soul Train,” Beetlejuice instructed you and it made it sound like he wasn't going with you.

“Where are you going? Lydia asked immediately, for all her dislike of the whatever Beetlejuice was he did seem powerful, and if you were going to save Astrid from the clutches of death you might as well have someone powerful on your side. Someone who actually knew where you were supposed to head after you rescue her.

“I’m gonna go to the little boy’s room first,” why did a guy that was probably a powerful demon or spirit of sort and probably very, very old, just use that phrase? Why was he so immature? Just why?

“Fuck it, let's just go,” you ran through the halls following the directions Beetlejuice gave you and soon enough you could see the crowd forming on your path. “That’s a good sign,” you told Lydia and she nodded. The crowd did slow you down a bit, but not by a lot, they seemed more interested in dancing and having fun rather than actually getting to their destination. Well, if after life was for an eternity then you guessed they didn't really have anywhere to rush, they would have all the time in the world.

Unless there were something you didn't know about and ghosts could die and now your head hurt because you were thinking about too many things that you didn't need to think about right now! You entered the train station that looked kind of like a disco themed train station and the music playing kind of gave it that feel too. You looked over the crowd from the stairs looking for Astrid but all you could see was a lot of dead people.

“Astrid!” Lydia yelled from the stairs and then you caught sight of the two people dragging someone in a dress that looked a lot like what Astrid was wearing for Halloween.

“There,” was no way you would mistake anyone for her. “There she is!” you pointed your finger towards her and jumped over the fence running through the crowd as quickly as you could, pushing through the ghosts just as Astrid was pushed on to the train. “Damn it!” you cursed trying to keep your sight on the doors they pushed Astrid through. “Astrid!” you yelled as loud as you could, for the first time ever saying her name, though that didn't even cross your mind, and you pushed through the door where she stood, frozen in fear and clearly panicking on the inside. “Come on, let's get out of here,” you grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the train just as Lydia caught up to you.

“Astrid!” Lydia quickly pulled her into a hug and Astrid immediately wrapped her arms around her mother. There was no hesitation, or resentment Astrid carried up until now, there was just pure happiness at seeing her mother.

You smiled, happy that you made it in time, though you would still have to find the bastard that tricked Astrid into trading her soul. You should have known things were going too easy. Not only did the guys that pushed Astrid into the train came back due to all the commotion you made, but there were also some guys dressed like police officers pointing toward you and Lydia. “We need to run!” you yelled and all three of you looked around for an exit that wasn't blocked.

“Over there,” Lydia pointed at the door to your left.

“You’re such a pain in the ass,” you muttered to Astrid as the three of you began running.

“Save it for later, Barnacle,” she hissed at you, but you could tell she knew this was still a really bad situation. For all you knew you would be running right into another trap and you had no idea how to reunite with Beetlejuice so he could help you deal with the rest of Astrid’s problem.

Since you reached it first you forcefully pushed the doors open, only to stumble forward and fall face first into the sand from way too high. How were you not hurt? Sure, the sand cushioned your fall, but still…

A shriek from above made your eyes widen and the next thing you felt was a body falling right on top of you and not only knocking all the air out of your lungs but also managed to fill your mouth with sand.

“Sorry,” of course it was Astrid that fell on top of you.

You just spat out the sand that got into your mouth and sighed, at this point you should have been concerned about your safety and health, but from the looks of it, working for Delia made you free from such petty burdens. Still, unlike falling onto the sand, this one hurt, like actually hurt, and you just knew you would be feeling it for a long time. “Forget the chihuahua you are much heavier than that. You're an entire pack of chihuahuas!” you groaned, and accidentally missed the smile on her face as she patted you on the shoulder.

“At least you've softened the fall for me, Y/N,” did she just say your name? You must have hit your head. That was the only explanation.

You laughed mockingly. “That's exactly what I intended. My life's purpose is now fulfilled, and I can die in peace,” sarcasm dripped from your voice as you stood up with a long, audible, groan. You were 95% certain you would end up with back pain for the rest of your life from Astrid falling on top of you.

Astrid groaned and smacked her forehead. “You didn't just say that. Right here and right now,” she sighed, and well, you supposed this was a really bad timing.

No regrets though! In fact, you were rather satisfied grinning with pride.

“And you regret nothing, of course you don’t,” she pinched the bridge of her nose, but you swore you could see a smile on her face. Astrid finally looked around and you felt absolutely lost, after all, all you were seeing was all the sand and more sand and endless sand around you. “Hey, where are we?” Astrid asked what probably all three of you were thinking.

“I don't know,” Lydia admitted and you just shrugged. Geography really wasn't your strongest suit but it didn't look like any desert you were aware of.

“Is that Saturn?” you followed Astrid’s line of sight and the direction she was pointing at, and sure enough… there was a fucking planet right there! “So, we must be on one of its moons? I swear the afterlife is so random!”

“You can say that again,” you said, you definitely weren't guessing that from just the planet but now that you looked at it, it really did seem obvious. Still, damn this girl was smart.

All of a sudden the sand close to you began shaking and looking like it was rippling, like something underneath it was moving.

“Maybe we should just, you know, run!” there was no way that was a good sign and you weren’t about to wait for Astrid and Lydia to get the message, you just pushed them away from the sand and began running away from whatever was moving under the sand. From the looks of it, it was big and you did not want to risk becoming a dinner for some afterlife monster.

And you made a good decision as something emerged from the sand and you looked back. “Holy shit!” you cried out. It was some kind a huge worm and it was easily bigger than any animal aside from a whale that you ever saw.

“Sandworm!” Lydia identifying the creature wasn’t helping, but now you would at least know you got eaten by a sandworm if you failed to escape.

“Got any idea how to escape?!” you glanced at Lydia. She was the expert, surely she had-

“None! Just keep running!” yeah, great, that would work, especially when the sandworm caught up to them much faster than they were running. And then by some miracle a door opened above you.

“Take my hand!” someone yelled, and at this point you didn’t care if it was a demon, or police, or anything, as long as it wasn’t this sandworm. You and Lydia let Astrid up first, and then Lydia pushed you to go ahead next. You were not about to argue with her, so you let the man pull you up and then helped him bring Lydia up as well and he closed the door right as the sandworm collided with it.

You dropped down on the floor and took several deep breaths. There would be a lot to unpack here if you survived. And the worst thing about it? If you told any of this to roughly 99% or even every single psychiatrist you’d be sent to an asylum.

“Dad,” Astrid whispered and you finally glanced at the man that saved you. Actually, now that you looked at him, you could see some resemblance, especially if one ignored the color of his skin and the fishes attached to his body eating his flesh. Well, at least someone was making some good memories in this damn world. The best you had this far was Astrid falling on top of you, and that would probably leave long-lasting consequences on your back. Astrid and Lydia hugged the man and you just sat back, letting the family reunion unfold undisturbed by your presence.

~X~

Astrid's dad let you all into an office of sorts and poured coffee into the mugs as Lydia and Astrid sat at the table you stood back not really sure how to act and not wanting to intrude on the family reunion. Besides, there was another issue, as much as you could see that Astrid needed some closure and a moment with her dad you also knew your time was ticking. Not to mention there was some kind of police after you and Lydia for entering this world while still being alive, and there was also the bastard that stole Astrid's life to be dealt with. So, as much as you understood Astrid needed to have this moment with her father you also knew you just had to go.

In fact, you had to leave five minutes ago.

“Marie Curie, after the radiation poisoning. Right?” her dad asked, and you finally took a better look at her. You didn’t dare to ask her what her costume was when she was leaving and now that you looked at her properly and her dad pointed it out, well, it was obvious…

Like hell it was!

Who would look at that dress and immediately go: ‘Oh, yeah, Marie Curie!’ and sure, it was pretty much as close to her dress and hairstyle from one of her most well-known photos, but still! How many people would remember the exact dress right away?

“Learnt from the best,” but Astrid did look proud of herself, so you figured you should let the chihuahua be delusional.

“We made a great kid,” Astrid’s dad turned to Lydia and no matter what you did less than an hour ago you were very tempted to disagree.

“I know you can't see me, but I check in on your both all the time,” okay, that was actually really sweet. “And I don't want to be the reason that drove you two apart, you need each other, you make each other better. Always have,” you blinked a few times, taking in the image of the happy family hug.

This was too wholesome for your own good. This was not the side of Astrid you needed to see!

Damn it!

When the family separated Astrid glanced at you and froze for a moment before smirking. “Don’t go soft on me now, Barnacle,” she just had to call you out, didn’t she?!

Blood rushed to your face, and you were sure steam burst out of your ears. Considering how crazy and absurd this whole place was, maybe it did happen. “I am not! And quit wasting time, we need to get your soul back, you damn chihuahua!” you swiftly left the room. You would get Astrid’s soul back, leave this afterlife world, and never see the damn chihuahua again!

Astrid walked out after you, with her parents right behind her. “Come on, before our cantankerous Barnacle gets lost,” she said it with a strange sense of cheerfulness in her tone, but that was the least of your worries.

“Can-Cantan- I’m sorry, what?!” you stammered, not even remotely capable of figuring out the meaning of that word.

“Cranky, grumpy,” her dad provided, and you finally figured out where she got it from.

“Fucking chihuahua,” you felt your eye twitching as she just laughed at you.

“Come on,” while still laughing she actually went and grabbed your forearm, pulling you along. “Which way, dad?” she asked, turning to her dad as you focused on her hand wrapped around your forearm.

“Right down the hall, we need to stop him before the transfer becomes permanent,” her dad took lead, and you could feel Astrid’s grip on your arm getting tighter and it finally made sense to you. She needed a sense of normality, so she provoked you, so she could, at least for a moment, forget her life was still on the line.

~X~

You followed Astrid’s dad through the halls, having no idea which way you were going but according to him you would need to intercept the bastard that tricked Astrid before he got his passport stamped and made the transfer permanent. Why was it so easy for him to accomplish his goal while you, frankly, had no idea how to get the process reversed.

You didn't know what you could do to stop him, sure you could catch him, but what then? “Hey, how do we make him give Astrid’s soul back?” because you doubted a monster like him would just hand it over.

Astrid’s dad stopped for a moment. “I'm not sure, we’ll figure it out after we catch him,” he turned to Astrid. “We’ll figure it out, sweetheart, I promise you.”

“Dad,” Astrid whispered now uncertain what the outcome of this would be.

“I promise,” he repeated even though all four of you knew that deep down maybe this was an empty promise.

And it damn near was just an empty promise.

You reached the entrance of the officers only to see the guy smirking smugly. He was too far away, you couldn’t reach him. “Don't stamp that passport!” Astrid’s dad yelled but it was too late whoever was behind the counter stamped the passport.

“You're too late, man,” he said and your eyes widened as you, instinctively rather than through a conscious effort, caught Astrid as she slumped back. Your heart beat wildly inside of your chest, how could you have let this happen? You looked at Astrid and you couldn't even apologize. You all failed her, the transfer was complete and she would die right here. You just didn't make it in time.

But then as if by some miracle the floor opened beneath the man and he just fell through into the flames. Then you saw what happened, the one who put the stamp on the transfer was Beetlejuice. A sense of relief flooded you, but you could not ignore how useless you felt. If he wasn't there you would have failed, this would have all been for nothing.

There wasn’t time to celebrate though. “This way!” Astrid's dad led you once more, after all, you still had the police after you and Lydia to worry about. He led you until you reached a small room with a crooked ladder leading through an opening in the ceiling.

“OK, this is as far as I go,” Astrid’s dad said and immediately Astrid hugged him.

“I love you,” she whispered wanting him to know that because there was no telling when she would get the chance to say it again.

“I love you too, sweetheart. Have an amazing life,” he held her as tightly as he possibly could before letting her go and looking at both her and Lydia. “Take care of each other, I'll see you later,” he told them both.

The three of you climbed outside and it turned out you were back at the cemetery, somehow. “I'm not even going to question anything,” you sighed, at this point learning to accept that the things around this family were just going to be weird and you had no control over it.

It definitely felt good to breathe in some fresh air. Even if your back hurt. ‘Yup, this is going to keep hurting,’ you thought and frowned as you massaged your lower back.

Astrid turned to Lydia. “Thank you for saving my life! I'm so sorry I never believed that you saw ghosts and, I’m just sorry for all of it,” Astrid was crying for the first time since you met her, she apologized with all of her heart to Lydia, and you looked away not wanting to interrupt the moment.

It just crossed your mind that you had no place in any of this. You were, at best, Delia's assistant who just happened to be there. You had no connection to either Lydia or Astrid other than the fact that you and Astrid did not exactly like each other, so being here actually felt uncomfortable.

Now that the adrenaline was gone and Astrid was saved you caught yourself wondering why you even went after Astrid. Lydia could have done it herself and you went and risked your life for someone you claimed to hate, and it was the most ridiculous decision you could have made.

“Oh my God, my wedding!” Lydia’s shout broke you out of your thoughts and that was the last thing you expected to hear from her right now, but here you were.

“Wait, mom, after everything that's happened tonight you know you don't have to do this, right?” Astrid went after her mother and then she realized you weren't following her. She turned to you grabbed you by the hand, pulling you along.

“Wait, Chihuahua!” you protested, but you really should have known you weren’t going to accomplish anything.

“Come on, please. After all of this I can’t deal with this wedding alone,” she admitted and you sighed, deciding to leave the feelings related to whether you should or shouldn't have gone after Astrid for later. At the end of the day, you did the right thing. You wanted to save her life consequences be damned, you had no intention of feeling guilt over that. And the feeling of her hand wrapped around your made that decision much easier.

“I might as well deal with this stupid wedding as well,” you shrugged, ignoring how your heart speed up when she smiled at your words.

Satisfied that you were coming with her and still holding your hand, Astrid turned to her mother once more. “Are you sure about this?”

Lydia was not sure, you could tell that. but she probably figured that if she didn’t do it now she would just get cold feet later and give up on the wedding altogether. Which would be a smart thing to do but you doubted she would reach that decision that easily. “Rory loves me and that's gotta be enough,” there was definitely something about her Rory loved, and you really believed it wasn’t what Lydia thought it was.

The three of you went into the church and the relief on Rory's face looked genuine, which was actually surprising, but then you heard the crowd already filming the event sitting on the pews and it all made sense. “Oh my God, I thought you got cold feet.”

“No, blame me. She just saves me for my date from hell,” Astrid sad and you probably couldn't describe what happened to her in a better way. A date from hell has never been so literal.

“Who are all these people?” Lydia was understandably confused as she looked at the people Rory invited, and you could tell she didn’t recognize any of them.

“Just a couple of influencers. Nobody under 5 million followers and I think we have a Netflix executive in here,” and Rory found nothing wrong with that. He had his ideas and he was not going to compromise them for the sake of Lydia’s comfort, and you know for a fact that she said she didn't want too many guests, that she wanted this to be private.

“Damn you're an asshole,” you shook your head, only now realizing Delia wasn’t here, and sure, she could be self-absorbed at times, and she disliked Rory, but she wouldn’t miss this. “Where is Delia?” you asked.

“Right here! She’s helping me calm down before the wedding,” and Beetlejuice was right here, probably to collect on his part of the deal with Delia somehow right with him.

How did that even-? You weren’t even going to bother anymore. You thought the madness would be over by now, but no, the show was still going on.

You patted Astrid on the shoulder and just slumped against the wall until you sat down. “Look, I’m just gonna sit here and rest for a bit, I need a moment,” was there a way to get therapy and avoid being sent to an asylum for the rest of your life?

Astrid had a strangely compassionate look on face. “Yeah, sure. Thanks for being here, and I mean it,” somehow you trusted her, even with all the banter and fights between the two of you. She crouched down so she was at your eye-level. “I mean it, Y/N,” you definitely trusted her and you smiled nudging her lightly toward her mother.

What followed was the back and forth between Beetlejuice and Rory that you frankly didn't care about much but what really got your attention was when Beetlejuice just randomly manifested a syringe with something inside of it and injected Rory with it. And apparently what was within it was some kind of a truth serum.

Rory looked like he was trying to stay silent, but then he couldn’t hold it back anymore. “I always thought your whole act was bullshit! I never believed in ghosts, spirits or any of it,” well now you were kind of happy you didn't go back to the house because seeing this emotional manipulator get his just deserts was worth it.

“What? All this time? Why did you want to get married?” Lydia had the most reasonable reaction to Rory's confession, but you honestly had to wonder just how he managed to trick her so well she.

“Money! I knew I could make more as your husband than I could as your manager! Oh, and I never had a dead fiancé! I just went to that survivors retreat so that I can weak women and exploit them and I hit the codependent lottery when I met you!” he was truly, absolutely a scumbag. An ever bigger one than you imagined.

And then Beetlejuice continued to defy all the laws of logic and the nature and created a boxing glove on Lydia's right hand, which somehow gave Lydia enough strength to punch Rory across the church.

“Okay, that was satisfying to see, but what the hell is going on here? Just how?” you asked blankly, just for a moment wondering why you even bothered trying to reasonably explain things happening tonight.

“Beats me, we got to see Rory flying,” Astrid pointed out and well you couldn’t see the flaw in that logic. “Say, what would you confess if someone injecting that into you?” oh no…

“I can arrange that,” Beetlejuice said before you could react and one second later you felt a needle pierce your neck and off you went just like Rory did.

You weren’t even trying to fight it. “I don't hate you, at all. Actually, I kinda like you. I mean, you do annoy me, but I like you. Uh, thanks for you know, fixing my drawing and I'm really impressed by your vocabulary, and that really infuriates me because I have to Google a lot of words because of you,” you took a deep breath and just sighed, not even capable of looking at Astrid right now because of how embarrassed you were. “And I think you are really beautiful, and damn that thing really works… Oh my God, this is a nightmare,” you glanced at Astrid and saw she was completely red in the face. “Well, at least seeing you blush makes it worth it,” you had to shut your mouth and make a genuine effort to keep more of how you felt from spilling out.

“Barnacle,” at this point that was turning into a pet name more than an insult, so you fired right back.

“Chihuahua,” the two of you had the strangest nicknames for one another that was clear by now. “I actually don’t mind that you call me that,” you admitted, still under the effect of the serum and smacked your forehead. “Fuck!” you cursed.

Astrid looked away, still blushing. “Noted,” she muttered, but you could see the smile on her face.

Finally, you looked away from Astrid and immediately saw horror that would haunt you for the rest of your life. At this point you could make a rather long list of those things. But this one was at the very top, as the people who Rory invited were being sucked into their phones. You were tempted to just leave but you weren’t about to leave Astrid here. Even if you were mostly sure she wouldn’t be hurt.

And then you must have been transported into a fever dream because Lydia suddenly changed into a red wedding dress, Beetlejuice’s clothes changed as well, music started playing and there was this huge melting, kind of disgusting looking, cake and you were all forced to dance and then the police zombies showed up.

And then, just as randomly as you were forced to start dancing you just stopped. “Is it finally over?” you asked no one in particular, though Astrid and Delia were the closest to you.

“Knowing this guy? This is just the beginning,” yeah Delia really had a way to console you and make you feel better.

The door slammed open suddenly all of you could see a woman, covered in stitches, standing there menacingly, and you had no idea who she was but something about her made her seem dangerous.

“Beetlejuice!” oh, yeah, he did start mentioning an ex before you interrupted him. That felt like a lifetime ago at this point.

“What the fuck?” oh, you were absolutely fucked if Beetlejuice of all people… or well, ghosts or demons or whatever he was, said that.

So, you did the most reasonable thing you could and stood in front of Astrid just in case this woman decided to turn her attention toward her. “What are you doing?” she hissed at you, but she did grab onto your shoulder.

“I don’t know, we are surrounded by supernatural beings and I clearly have a death wish, because I’d rather get between you and that, than let you get hurt,” oh, you were still under the effect of the truth serum.

“I'm back,” the woman declared.

“We can se-“ you were about to speak, but Astrid quickly put her hand over your mouth.

“Maybe that truth serum wasn’t worth it,” she groaned, pressing her forehead against your shoulder.

“You think?” your voice came out muffled by her hand, but you still said what came to your mind. “Look, if that guy looks afraid, I think we need to be afraid too,” you whispered, and Astrid nodded and as subtly as she could pointed toward the book near the three of you.

“Cover me,” Astrid said and you weren't sure how you were going to do it, but seeing as Beetlejuice was trying to talk his way out of whatever trouble he was in you figured he had you all covered.

Astrid came back to your and Delia’s side with the book in hands and flipped through the pages until she found the part about the Sandworms. “Can you get me something I can draw with?” she asked, and you were never so happy you always had a pen at your disposal.

“Here,” you handed it to her. Astrid nodded, drawing the square on the floor before knocking and then she pushed you and Delia away from the square, and just in time as the sandworm broke through the floor.

“Astrid, you are- I don't even have the words,” you could only watch as Beetlejuice directed the worm toward Rory and the woman and made it eat them. Which was somehow not even the most bizarre thing that happened tonight.

“OK, can we just go now?” you asked and from the looks of it everyone seemed to agree with you as you, and Astrid, Lydia and Delia all began heading for the exit.

“Hey, we had a deal!” Beetlejuice reminded Lydia, with the contract she signed held in his hand.

Much to your surprise, Astrid stepped forward. “She doesn’t have to marry you. You violated code 699! Yes, you illegally brought my mom into the afterlife,” she lifted the damn book up. “According to this book that contract is null and void,” Astrid explained. Did you ever admit that you actually really liked this girl because you did and she just rescued her mom back.

“Truth serum still works,” Delia snickered next to you.

“Fuck!” you cursed, knowing full well you said that and that, given you were merely half a dozen feet away from Astrid, she heard you.

Lydia stepped closed to Beetlejuice. “Look I'm sorry things didn't work out between us, but the six hundred year age gap was a little bit too much for me. Beetle-“ he began hissing but she just raised her finger. “Beetlejuice,” he began inflating as Lydia for his name, “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” Beetlejuice just popped like a balloon. That was it, he was gone. This was probably over now.

Hopefully.

There was still a chance you would jinx yourself right here and now and another bullshit would happen.

Police officers from the world of the dead unfroze and their detective began yapping about forensics and keeping the media away and he even posed so you could all take a selfie, and you were doing your very best to ignore him. That is until he reached over and just grabbed Delia. “Sister you're coming with me,” he said.

“Hey wait, she belongs here,” you went to stop him, consequences be damned, but before you could reach her Delia just shook her head and you halted, confused by her reaction. She was just fine when you last saw her, but then you saw them, the bite marks.

“What? Delia what did you do?” Lydia asked, exasperated.

“I fell for a scam and I'm counting on you to claim a refund,” the snakes, the damn snakes.

“The snakes were actually poisonous, weren't they?” Astrid voiced what you just realized.

“Yeah. So, I died of embarrassment,” yeah, sure you could go with Delia's explanation.

“Whatever makes you rest in peace,” you grinned at her for a bit, but the smile fell as quickly as it appeared. She was dead, and you came to really care about her.

“Your work is gonna go up in value,” and Astrid was joking as well or rather finding the brighter side and the entire situation.

“Oh well then,” and at least it made Delia happy.

“Oh, Delia, I’ll miss you,” Lydia reached over and touched her stepmother.

“No you won't! I'll find Charles and we'll haunt you all until you beg us to move on,” Delia promised and you were sure she would keep her words, and then she was taken away leaving only you Astrid and Lydia in the church.

“Well, this was… an experience,” you had no idea how things would continue from this point on. Was Rory dead? Were all the people he invited just gone? This was too much of a headache, a fever dream you were hoping to wake up from.

Wait…

Delia was dead!

“Fuck! I lost my job!” you cursed only for Astrid to pat you on the back.

~X~

The next morning you woke up still under the effect of what happened the previous night and all the things you learned saw and experienced. In your mind that was supposed to be an unknown and now you knew what happened after death. Now you knew how things were once someone dies and from the looks of it now you could see ghosts just like Lydia and Astrid. And then there was Astrid… and all the things you said under the effects of that damn truth serum.

Slowly, with a frown on your face and some pain in your back, you got out of your bed and got ready for the day. You were actually surprised you even slept last night, but maybe you were just that exhausted.

You went down the stairs to find Astrid sitting there. “Hey,” she actually greeted you first without snide remark or an insult hurled toward you she even had a small smile on her face. So, the last night really did happen. If the pain in your back wasn’t enough of a proof this definitely was.

“Hey,” neither of you seemed eager to actually have a conversation after everything that happened. You understood, she damn near died so if you were in her shoes you probably would have tried staying in bed for as long as you possibly could. You'd probably start avoiding every single person fearing they might try to trade their your life for their own, so she was handling this a lot better than you would.

“You aren't the ghost, are you?” she tried to joke but at this point you understood why she questioned absolutely everything.

“Unless everyone I've been interacting with is also a ghost, no I am alive. Are you?” you fired back the same question, though it was absolutely a joke and she, luckily, chuckled a bit

“Yeah, I don't think we need another proof of that, after I nearly lost my life,” she had a point there and you both just grinned at each other. Where were you supposed to take this? All of this?

“Did you sleep at all?” you asked after a bit of actually comfortable silence.

She just shook her head. “I couldn't. I can't stop thinking about everything. There are so many things on my mind I just couldn't fall asleep,” you noticed the dark circles underneath her eyes which you originally guessed where the remnants of her costume but now that you were a bit closer to her you realized it was just from not sleeping last night. “You?”

“I did, somehow. I think I was just exhausted,” your whole world changed and you couldn’t tell if it was for the better or for the worse. But even with all those strange experiences you would absolutely need therapy for it still wasn't as significant or big as the change Astrid just went through. After all while you believed in ghosts and didn't really think about afterlife Astrid actually denied them, believed it was, well you didn't know what she believed in exactly, but you guessed she believed there was just nothing after death.

“I get that,” she agreed and finally looked you in the eyes and you just saw the question at the tip of her tongue. “Why did you come with my mom? Why did you come to rescue me?” and that was bothering her too. She couldn’t explain it.

“I don't know,” that wasn't exactly true, but you really didn't know the entire reason you took such a big risk. Liking Astrid wasn’t all there was to it. You took a deep breath and shrugged. “I guess I just couldn't stand by when someone I know got tricked into losing her life. I just didn’t want you dead, Astrid,” you admitted.

“That's the third time you said my name, you know? In all the time you've known me,” she smiled softly, and she was right, it really was the third time you said her name. It felt kind of strange, almost unique on your tongue, because you've never really mentioned her name to other people either. You just either called her by her last name or simply chihuahua so saying Astrid would take some getting used to.

“I guess I did,” you looked at the table. “I was thinking, and you can say no, but would you like to start over? Maybe try to be friends or maybe you know go out for a coffee? I mean I imagine whatever I come up with won't be as bad as your first date so you know, we could make it a friendly date and fix the impression on dating you probably have right now? And now I'm rambling but you get the point!” you were ready for her to decline, to say that, while she can tolerate you now and maybe doesn’t want you to die either, she just wasn't interested in building any kind of friendship with you, much less going on a date.

But instead she actually smiled and looked down a little bit shyly. “I'd actually like that. We can go on the date, an actual date, I mean if that's not too fast for you,” she lightly scratched her cheek in embarrassment. “Looks like I kind of have a knack for rushing things,” she laughed and you laughed with her.

Date it was.

Taglist: @alexkolax @osnapitzmel1 @bee-keeping @nebthetautora @lololauser

@nwestra @rroyale-109 @gemz5 @social-pomegranate @mirage018

@the-thing-withfeathers @hello-mtf @leafanonsforest @jaxon-nathaniel-drake @niqmandu

Masterlist / First part / Previous Part

A/N: This chapter kicked my ass! Fuck! I actually got annoyed writing it! Damn am I glad it's over, but fuck, it's so bad. Writing feels choppy, Reader basically just stands there, for most of the chapter. And it could have been much worse, I could have included the dance scene properly... Fuck, I hate this chapter. I need some Lost to recover from this, be back after I rewrite a couple of Lost chapters. You all might be getting Lost Prologue sooner or later.

#astrid deetz x female reader #astrid deetz x reader #astrid deetz #beetlejuice beetlejuice #x reader #x female reader #jenna ortega x reader

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itsafairytalekay · 3 days ago

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𝙒𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙧.

Anon requested!

Gojo x little sister reader!

Desc: after a battle he reassures you on your efforts.

Warnings: blood, death, light angst, hurt/comfort!

It was epic, it was bloody it was unlike the world has ever seen, but there she was the daughter of the Gojo household, living up to the name, proving that they deserved to be at the top.

She wasn't an adult, she was barely a teen, she looked up to her brother like he was an entity and not human at all. He loved her with all his heart, she was the Apple of his eye. Everyone who were jealous of them tried to break their bond but it was stronger than they thought, they were an unshakable force.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘺𝘦𝘵? 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮.

She was sure she got this handled but out of the two, she always had second thoughts about herself although being almost as strong as her brother she always had thoughts that she just couldn't do it, why? She didn't know.

People were screaming at the top of their lungs but she was helping others and fighting a special grade at the same time. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮? 𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰? Same reoccurring thoughts in her brain ran like a mantra.

Just as she helped the other people and ran towards the others a big wave came from behind and rendered her completely powerless, she was thrown in the air far away she closed her eyes on instinct but before she could, she saw the people under the rubble 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. She wanted to scream but she couldn't she crashed into a concrete wall and heard something crack, it was her wrist trying to stop her face from banging into the wall.

𝘐𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘪𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘺, 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘨- "y/n? " She heard a familiar voice.

"Y/n, where are you cupcake? " He called out, but she didn't wanna face him like this at all, at her lowest.

"Y/n, this isn't funny sunshine" His voice breaking.

"You did your best now c-come out p-please"

"Sunshine, I swear to God I'll-"

"I'm here, Satoru" She called out, her voice rough from all the screaming.

He recognized it in a second and ran towards where the voice came from.

He ran towards her with a smile on his face

𝘔𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘎𝘰𝘥.

He hugged her as soon as he saw her and she winced. He immediately let her go and saw her wrist that looked broken.

"Oh cupcake you are so strong, you fought that curse to the end, he was a scaredy cat fighting a 15 year old, I'm so proud of you. This little boo boo is nothing, you've got better stuff to worry about like where we'll go on vacation to celebrate your first special gr- Are you crying???" He asks, holding your face in his hands.

"What happened, you better tell me these are tears of happiness bubba"

"Hic-hic... Satoru I... Couldn't save those people under the rubble... They got crushed when he released his final wave, i-i thought he was dead. I really tried I couldn't be like you, i-i'm useless I couldn't do even one thing right and they're so injured, ar-are they dead? I can't tell I-I-" He hugs her immediately and pats her head.

"Oh cupcake these were the thoughts you were having?I thought you'd be proud of yourself. For saving so many people and showing that special grade who's boss, you're a Gojo c'mon!"

"See that's the t-thing I am a Gojo and I'm still so useless. "

"Shh shh not a word should come out of that mouth now. "

He holds her face.

"You are amazing, you are strong, no 15 year old is this helpful in a battle against a swarm of curses. You did amazing sunshine"

"I can never be like you, you're the strongest and I didn't, I C-couldn't save even a few sorcerers how will I ever be like you? You defeated a special grade at 15 or 16 I'm sure"

"Who said you have to be like me hmm? Who said that? You're your own amazing person with her own thoughts, her very own strong cursed technique, her own charm, her own personality, her own style of fighting, and the best heart which is my favourite the purest of all, so much that you can't see even a few people injured but you can put your life in danger, break your wrist in battle and I'm sure you were willing to put your life on the line, we can't save everyone and that's a fact, we are human after all, Gojo Or whatever it's human first, always, please don't think of yourself like this all I've wanted in life is for you to not end up like me. You should laugh, play with your friends, go to the arcade which you love so much, saving the world can wait can't it? If it can't your big brother is willing to lose a little sleep and help his precious sister out" As soon as he finishes he looks up to you and sees tears, your was red from tears.

"Oh wait, too cheesy? " He looks a little embarrassed " I know you're a teen now and teens hate cheesy stuff and-"

"I loved it" You hug him suddenly and he falls back from where he was on his knees.

"Bubba this is violence you know? I'm your bigggg brother" But despite the complaining, he's hugging you back.

"Thank you"

"For what cupcake? Being the most amazing handsomest, strongest, coolest big brother ever?"

"Figure it out satoru"

"I remember your friend yapping about how cool and handsome I am tho, I have eviden-"

"You must be daydreaming from shock of battle. "

"One day you'll grow out of your teen phase and realize you love me very much"

"That isn't needed" You say softly.

"Hmm? " He asks again but you know his smug ass heard it and wants to hear it again.

"Hmm what, shut up and carry me home, I'm tired of being the stronger sibling, it's exhausting really."

"Sure sure, hop on cupcake"

He gets up and carries you on his back all the way to the car.

On the way there you cry softly, what would you do if your big brother wasn't there to reassure you? He really is the best.

Comments are appreciated!! ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧

@cafekitsune dividers🫶🫶🫶

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ncfan-1 · 2 days ago

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God, yes. Not for a single moment has Sol’s death ever felt like a triumphant moment to me. It feels inevitable the way the climax of a Greek tragedy is inevitable. He had so many opportunities to save himself from the death that was coming for him and he didn’t take any of them, because taking them would necessitate him doing the thing he could never do, which was truly confront and reckon with his past wrongdoings, which in turn he could not do because he was so crippled by guilt that he couldn’t even look at his wrongdoings long enough to take responsibility for them.

And the other reason it feels inevitable and tragic is because of Osha. Osha, whom it becomes increasingly clear over the course of the show is a powder keg of pressurized negative emotions just waiting for a spark to set it all off, and her finding out that Sol was her mother’s killer and had deceived her about everything for the past sixteen years was that spark. When she kills him, it’s the culmination of her life falling the fuck apart as she’s forced to confront the fact that everything she thought she knew for the past sixteen years was a lie. She looks at him and think: you killed my mother, you lied to me, you let me think I was the problem, you let me love you knowing you had my mother’s blood on your hands. You lied to me and told me my sister was responsible for it all, and you stood there and watched as my grief and my hate and my guilt and self-loathing for not being able to stop loving her even as I hated her so much ate me alive, and all of it was a lie, all of it was for nothing, I spent sixteen years hating my sister for nothing! And maybe we could have reconciled, maybe we could have been a family again, but maybe we won’t be, maybe we never can be anymore, not because she killed our family, but because I’ve said and done things to her that she might never forgive me for, because of the lies you told me about her! And now you try and tell me you love me?! For sixteen years, I would have given anything to hear you say that you loved me, and you never did, but now you can say it, now that I know you have my mother’s blood on your hands? Only now?!

Osha killing Sol is not a moment of triumph. Osha killing Sol is the final destruction of her life as she has known it, her completely succumbing to her rage and grief, and I don’t think her rage or her grief will ever let go of her again. Because if there’s anything we know about Osha, it’s that she cannot let go of anyone she has ever loved. She spent sixteen years loving and hating Mae in equal measure, and hating herself just as much as she hated Mae for not being able to stop loving Mae even in the face of everything she “did,” and now, it’s going to be the same way with Sol. She will love and hate Sol in equal measure, and she will hate herself just as much as she hates him for not being able to stop loving him, even in the face of everything he did to her.

As long as Osha remains on the Dark Side, she will never be free. The Dark Side is like a hall of mirrors that shows you nothing but yourself. There is no healing within it, no truth. The path she is on at the end of the show can only lead her to further pain. I cannot imagine a second season of The Acolyte that did not portray Osha as completely embittered, constantly going back to pick at the sites of her old wounds, just completely fucking miserable, because it’s the natural progression from where she goes at the end of the first season. How is that triumphant? Osha is now a pressurized powder keg of bitterness and self-loathing; how is that triumphant?

And I… actually can buy that Qimir’s interest in Osha might be reciprocated, but omitting the kiss scene (which I guess would have taken place at the end after they got back to the unnamed planet) was definitely the right call, because it would have been so incredibly tonally dissonant with everything that happened in that episode. That last scene with Osha and Qimir feels so incredibly uneasy and ambivalent, because Osha does indeed look completely embittered, and Qimir… Qimir actually does look a bit uneasy, at least to my eyes?

My take is that in getting Osha to agree to be his acolyte, Qimir has sown the wind, and does not yet appreciate that he must reap the whirlwind. I looked at him and thought “My dude, do you really think you’re safe? She killed Sol, who was basically her father, with straightforward determination when she found out what he did. And following that, she embraced the harmfully self-oriented mindset of the Dark Side and agreed to let her sister be completely screwed over and thrown to the wolves to ensure her own escape. These are people whom she has known and loved for so long, and as for you, Osha’s had head colds that have lasted longer than she’s known you, so do you really think you’re safe?”

Like, Osha might turn out to be a lot better at this Dark Side thing than Qimir is prepared to deal with. I could definitely buy the eventual romance, but I feel like it would have been a textbook destructive romance, because that’s the natural place for things to go from here. And as for Qimir, he has 100% bitten off way more than he can chew with Osha.

Osha joining the Dark Side was a triumphant moment.

The writer of the Acylote said that is how we're supposed to feel:

"You want to feel Osha’s triumph. You want to feel her joining forces with The Stranger...Even though they are standing there, looking out at the sunset, ready to conquer the world, the tragedy is we know they don’t."

Note: the tragedy is NOT that a lot of people died, but that the two can't be together (because of Plagueis). (interview here)

Now, if that doesnt absolve villains of their bullshit, I dont know what does.

Let me try inserting some other fictional baddies.

"You want to feel Walter White's triumph. You want to feel him joining forces with the Nazis......Even though they are standing there, looking out at the desert, ready to conquer the world, the tragedy is we know they don’t."

"You want to feel the Frey's triumph. You want to feel them joining forces with the Boltons. ...Even though they are standing there, looking out over the Red Wedding, ready to conquer the world, the tragedy is we know they don’t."

"You want to feel Anakin's triumph. You want to feel him joining forces with Palpatine. ...Even though they are standing there, looking out at the burning Jedi temple, ready to conquer the world, the tragedy is we know they don’t."

#The Acolyte Star Wars #Osha Aniseya #Sol Star Wars #Qimir Star Wars #where is the triumph I don't see it #all I see is the hate and pain and suffering of the Dark Side

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nonbinarywannabepreggo · 2 days ago

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After so many hours of edging to Detrans content, I activelly engaged him into it. Now, when it's just us, he will call me by my actually birth name, wich I hate. He's only to call me on feminine and he's to feminize me. He confessed he gets off from being on a straight relationship and he's considering bimbofying me. He told me I should cum like a girl, by only playin with my pussy and nipples. He will start trying to naturally induce lactation. I will schedule the removal right after I defend my dissertation and get my master's. We agreed no hormones nor condom, and he'll pull out if he doesn't feel like knocking me up. He told me it's easy to pull when he's on top, but when it came to see me riding him, sighing and moaning, he wouldn't pull out if I didn't. He wants this to be an accident. And he doesn't want to be notified when I'm with child. He wants to discover by looking at me and seeing that glow pregnant girls have. The baby bump, the swollen titties. I asked if he wanted to Detrans me. First he said no, then he said maybe, and now I'm letting a real man who's discovering his heterossexuality turn me into his girl. He asked me if I'd fully Detrans for him, and I told him the only thing I asked is for me to always be pregnant, because that's when I'm a woman: conceiving, carrying. All he'd have to do was give me that positive. I'm now his wife and mommy of his children. He will shave my beautiful beard and requested me to wear long nails and keep hair short. I'm to wear a bra at home, and he will buy me feminine underwear. Filling bras, lace panties, he even said I would be truly pretty with a nice wig. I'll gain weight and get even more feminine. He'll turn me into a true woman. And I understand I might actually Detrans if he tells me to. Apparently, he would want me to get a boobjob. I get wet, thinking about coming out as Detrans without even being a woman, just because I want to the world to know I took his cum deep into my unprotected pussy. I wonder if I would still be pretty with all those years of T. This kink is getting me into being a straight breeding bitch and I love the fact that my fiancé got to discover breeding and then never again went for dick. He now mainly see straight porn, and sees me as the girl. I'll keep you guys updated on my forced detrans. I'm an actually fakeboy now, going off of T and BC for the kink (until my owner decides it's for life).

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scary-grace · 2 days ago

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if my heart was a house - a shigaraki x f!reader fic

It's been nineteen years since Tomura was sentenced to death, and you've built a life in the space he left behind, braced each day for the worst. You're prepared for everything - the questions your daughter asks, the memories that sting a little more in the winter, the specter of the news you've been afraid of for years. But of all the things life's thrown your way, it's the one you haven't dared to hope for might be the one thing you can't handle. (cross-posted to Ao3) written for @pixelcafe-network's Challenge Friday event! Banner/divider by @cafekitsune

You know even before you open your eyes that it’s snowed overnight. The world always sounds too quiet afterwards, and you used to have so many words to describe it – almost comforting, almost eerie, almost serene. But that was when you were young. Now you’d replace all those words with a different one: Empty. You used to love the winter, the first snowfall of the year, and you still do. But it always reminds you of him. And he’s gone.

He’s been gone for years now. The length of time you spent with him has been swallowed six times over by the time you’ve spent alone, and you’d like to think that even in the beginning, you wore your sadness well. Now, nineteen years in, it barely shows. You keep it buried through spring, summer, autumn – until the first frost, the first freezing rain, the first icicles on the eaves and the first drifts of snow on the ground, when it crawls free of the grave and sprawls on top of you at night. You met Tomura in the winter. Fell in love with him by spring. You got two more winters with him after that, and then he was gone, and nothing can fill the space he left behind.

But even if one chamber of your heart is frozen open for good, the rest is still alive. And there’s room for a different kind of love, a way for you to translate your grief rather than buckle beneath its weight. There’s a knock at the door to your room, and your daughter’s voice slips cautiously in. “Mom? Are you awake?”

“I’m awake,” you say, and you blink away the tears. “Come in.”

Even at eighteen, Chihiro still hesitates before she steps across the threshold, but once she’s made the choice, she throws herself onto the bed with abandon. “We got half a meter. That’s even more than the forecast said.”

“And we’ve still got power. Lucky us.” You wipe your eyes, just in case, and turn to face her. “Good morning, kiddo.”

“How long do I have to be kiddo? I’m almost done with high school.”

“Okay, you’re right,” you compromise, even as your throat tightens. She’s never met her father, never will, but the tone in her voice when she’s putting her foot down reminds you painfully of him. “What should I call you instead?”

“My name. You’re the one who picked it out.” Chihiro’s dressed in her pajamas with a hoodie thrown over them, and you can see her phone lighting up through the front pocket. “Don’t you like it anymore?”

“I love it,” you say, “Chihiro. Did you sleep okay?”

She nods. There’s something on her mind. You can tell by the way her brow furrows, and the way her mouth thins tells you that she’s planning to keep it quiet. Or that she’ll try. Chihiro has a hard time keeping her feelings inside. She and Tomura have that in common, but while you always gave Tomura space to figure out how to say what he needed to, you always let Chihiro know you’re aware, and listening. “What’s going on up there, Chihiro, my daughter who’s almost done with high school?”

She rolls her eyes, but a smile is pulling up the corner of her mouth. Her smile’s always been a little lopsided, but so has yours. “There’s only one morning of the year you ever sleep in,” she says. “The first time it snows. And then you’re different all day – not mad or depressed or anything. Just different. I was wondering why.”

“I’m sorry,” you say at once. “I’m not upset with you. It’s not anything you did. You could never do anything that would –”

“I know, Mom.” Chihiro’s crimson eyes are intent on your face. “It’s one day. You get to be weird if you need to. I just wanted to know – is it because of him? My dad?”

When she was little, you’d lie, and tell her the snow is so pretty that you can’t help but get emotional about it. There was a while where she didn’t ask. But she’s old enough now that you can admit it. You think. “Yeah,” you say. Your voice is steady. You’re proud of that. “This is around the time of year when I first met him. It brings back memories.”

“Good ones?” Chihiro settles into the pillows the way she used to when she wanted a bedtime story. “Tell me.”

You hesitate. “Not the gross stuff,” Chihiro clarifies. “I don’t want to know about that. Kaori’s mom tells her all about that stuff. And she bought her a vibrator for her birthday.”

“Huh,” you say after a second. “That’s sex-positive of her.”

“You’re being nice. What do you really think?”

You think she reminds you of Tomura. He never let you duck behind the niceties; he always wanted to know your real reaction. “I think it’s weird. Especially if Kaori didn’t ask.”

“She definitely didn’t. She’s really shy.” Chihiro grimaces. “I’m glad you’re not weird like that.”

Not weird is a good thing. Maybe. “You know I’m here if you need to talk about –”

“No, Mom. Gross.” Chihiro buries her face in the pillow. “Tell me about my dad.”

“Okay,” you say. “Your dad. He, um – there was something about him. I never met someone like him before, and I haven’t since. He told the truth about stuff, even if it wasn’t pretty, and he said what he thought even if it was a bad time. One time we went on a double date with one of his friends and their new boyfriend, and the first question out of your dad’s mouth was whether the boyfriend had drawn his facial hair on.”

Chihiro wheezes. “That’s awful,” she says, but she’s laughing – just like you were. “Had he, though?”

“We never got an answer,” you say, and Chihiro laughs harder. “Your dad could be a jackass sometimes, even to people he liked, but when it really mattered, he’d –”

Kill for them. You swallow the words. “He was there for people when they needed him,” you say instead. “He was always there for me. Even if he didn’t know the right thing to say, I could count on him to listen. And he never gave me a hard time for standing up for myself. Not even when we argued about things.”

You were sort of a pushover early on. You were worried that saying no would make you difficult, and being difficult would make him want to leave. It wasn’t how you were most of the time, or how you’d been before you and Tomura got together, and he wasn’t scared to call you out. You remember the grin on his face the first time you really put your foot down about something, set a boundary and held it. I knew you were in there somewhere, he said. This is how I like you.

That was something you loved about being with Tomura: You were good for each other. You made each other better. “It sounds like you were happy,” Chihiro ventures, and you nod. “Do you think you’d have gotten married sometime? Did you guys want kids?”

Married, maybe. Your friends and his all used to joke that the two of you were the old married couple of the group, but while you talked about the future, you almost never talked about marriage to go with it. Not until it was almost the end, and you never made it to the discussion, any discussion, about having kids. Your pregnancy was catastrophic because of what happened before it, but even if it hadn’t been, it would have raised a lot of questions that neither you nor Tomura knew how to answer. “We were really young,” you say. “I was only twenty-two. We hadn’t had that talk yet. But I think we’d have talked about it if –”

“Yeah.” Chihiro’s voice is muffled by the pillows. “Did he know about me? Before he died?”

Your stomach clenches in a tight, guilty cramp, one that’s been getting steadily worse over the years. “I didn’t find out until after he was gone.”

“Oh.” Chihiro’s voice goes small and wavering. “Do you think – um – do you think he would have liked me?”

There’s no way to know. That means what you say next isn’t technically a lie. “He would have loved you,” you say. Her shoulders shake, and you rest your hand on her back to settle her, the same as you’ve done since she was a baby. “Just like I do.”

Chihiro turns her head to look at you, her eyes glassy with tears. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. Everything’s okay.” You rub her back in slow circles. “Ask about him whenever you want. I’ll always try to answer.”

“Do you miss him?”

Other than your daughter’s ragged breathing and your own steady, shallow sips of air, there’s no sound in the world. When you open up the blinds, you’ll see an empty snowfield, unmarked by human footprints for a little while longer. Footprints in the snow will be filled in by the next storm or melted away in the thaw, but the marks Tomura left on you are indelible. There will never be room for someone else where he stood, because he’s still standing there, somewhere you can’t reach.

Sometimes you’ve thought, selfishly, that it would be easier if he really was dead, just so you wouldn’t have to cope with knowing that he’s still out there, knowing exactly where he is with no way to get to him. You’ve let Chihiro think he’s dead. You tell yourself it’s easier for her this way. It’s better that she doesn’t know what really happened to Tomura. The fact that you know is bad enough.

“Mom?” Chihiro asks, and you realize you never answered her question. “Do you still miss my dad?”

You still love him. That’s the same thing. “I do,” you say. “Every day.”

Chihiro cries herself out, and then it’s time to get moving. Her school has a late start, not a snow day, and you still have to go to work. You make a special breakfast anyway, play the music you and she used to dance to when she was little, and soon your daughter’s smiling again. Chihiro doesn’t have trouble being happy, not like you and Tomura both did. Still do, probably. Your depression was just that, but the sheer weight of Tomura’s past regularly threatened to crush him, and you doubt the nineteen years he’s already spent in prison have done anything to improve things.

But Chihiro knows how to be happy, and you know, because she tells you when she’s not. You’re not naive enough to think your teenager tells you everything, but she knows she can talk to you. And she does talk to you, getting steadily back to herself as you eat breakfast and clean up and get ready, her for school, you for work. Then the two of you crunch your way to the car and start digging it out of the snow. The snowplows must have been out last night and early this morning, because the road doesn’t have much in the way of accumulation. You’ll have to be careful of ice.

You’re both a little sweaty under your winter coats when you get in the car at last. “I’m already gross,” Chihiro complains. “Why can’t we get a garage or something?”

“Where would we put it?”

“In your room,” Chihiro says. You snort. “Or in mine. Since I’m going to uni soon.”

Your heart sinks whenever she says that, but you’ll be damned before you let it show. “You’ll still need somewhere to stay when you come back,” you say. “Maybe we don’t really need a kitchen.”

Chihiro rolls her eyes. “What? You’re not planning to turn my room into, like, a sewing room or something once I go to school?”

"No," you say. "My parents did that when I went away. I hated it."

Looking back, you took it way too personally. They weren’t saying they were done with you, or that the place you’d grown up wasn’t home anymore. You were just hurting, and looking desperately for a reason why. Coming back on school break to find your room cleaned out was a good one. “I’m not going to do that,” you say to Chihiro.“Even when you live somewhere else, you’ll always have a place with me.”

Chihiro glances sideways at you. “Kaori’s mom is freaking about her moving away.”

“Kaori’s mom freaks out a lot,” you say. You and she should have bonded, because you’re the only single moms in this small town, but Kaori’s mom makes you nervous. “How does Kaori feel about it?”

“Her mom will be fine. She’s not worried.” Chihiro pauses for a long moment. “I am, though.”

Your grip on the steering wheel goes white-knuckled. “About Kaori’s mom?”

“About you,” Chihiro says. You reach a stop sign, come to a full stop, and turn to look at her. There’s a stubborn set to her jaw that’s all too familiar. “Kaori’s mom is crazy. But Kaori’s mom has a life. She goes out some nights and her friends come to visit and she has parties and hobbies —“

“I have hobbies,” you protest.

“Yeah. Your hobby means you hang out in the house all day,” Chihiro says. “You can't carry your sewing machine and all your fabric to a craft party. Maybe if you learned to knit or something —“

“I’m not going to knit.”

“Something,” Chihiro says firmly. “Something that means you’re not alone all the time. I’m excited to go to uni. I’m worried about what’s going to happen to you when I leave.”

You’ve fucked up, big-time. “Chihiro, I understand why you —“ No, you don’t. All you understand is that you were stupid to think your damage didn’t show, awful for making Chihiro think she has any responsibility for your mess of an internal life at all. “It’s not your job to make sure I’m okay. I can take care of myself.”

“It’s not about taking care of yourself,” Chihiro fires back. “It’s about being happy. You want me to be happy, right?”

“Of course I do,” you say. “I love you.”

“I love you, Mom.” Chihiro says it bluntly, unashamedly. “So I want you to be happy, too.”

You don’t know what to say. It’s quiet, and it keeps being quiet, until a car pulls up behind you and honks its horn. You refocus on driving in a hurry. With you distracted, Chihiro pushes the point. “You barely even talk to people, Mom. Kaori’s mom thinks you hate her because you never say yes when she asks to hang out.”

“I don’t hate her,” you say. Chihiro’s skeptical look skewers you to the seat. “Look, she’s just not — it’s complicated.”

“No it’s not,” Chihiro says. “Next time she asks to hang out, say yes.”

No. “What if I sign up for an art class at the community center instead?”

“Do that, too,” Chihiro says. You grimace. “You want me to be happy. I’ll be happy if I know you’re talking to other people and doing stuff that’s not in the house. I don’t want to come back on a school break and find out you’ve only been talking to the trees or something.”

She pauses. “I guess you can talk to them a little. As long as you don’t start thinking they talk back.”

“Got it.”

You drop Chihiro off at school less than a minute before the bell rings, but she still makes you get out of the car and hug her. She hugs really tight. She got that from you. Tomura used to complain jokingly that you were a boa constrictor in a girlfriend suit. You kiss her forehead and send her on her way, then get back in the car and drive to work, feeling even worse than you did when you opened your eyes to a snowy silence this morning.

Chihiro’s wrong about Kaori’s mom. It is complicated — not because you hate her, but because she’s the nosiest person in town, and because you’ve got a lot to hide. You didn’t mean to have a lot to hide. It was just something that happened, and as the years since Tomura’s conviction have unfolded, you’ve gotten steadily more attached to the lie. It’s not about you. It’s about Chihiro, who shouldn’t have to live with the knowledge that her father’s a convicted murderer awaiting execution in supermax prison, who shouldn’t have to deal with people looking at her differently. It’s about Chihiro. It’s not about you.

Or so you tell yourself. But there’s a reason you fled from Tokyo in the aftermath of Tomura’s sentencing, why you cut off contact with his friends and yours, why you dyed your hair and changed your phone number and nuked your social media along with every email address you ever had. People hated Tomura. And because you were with him, they hated you, too. It didn’t matter that you knew nothing. That the murders he was accused of committing took place before you met him. Even if you’d dumped him the second he was arrested, you’d have been called stupid for not seeing it all along. You couldn’t hack it. You were headed for a breakdown at high speed. But you would have stayed, if Tomura hadn’t told you to go.

The last time you spoke to him was after his sentencing, as they were taking him away. You seized his hands, already cuffed, his wrists chafed raw, and for a split second, he held on so tightly that one of your fingers broke. Then he looked up, hopeless fury in his eyes. Get out of here. Don’t come back. I don’t want you to watch.

You thought he meant he didn’t want you to watch him being shoved into an armored truck for transport, but when your letters came back unopened, when he refused to let you visit or even call him, you realized the truth. He wanted you gone, just as completely as he was gone from you. That moment in the courtroom was the last one you’d ever have with him. And that was what tripped the breakdown at last. You were throwing up too much to overdose and you were too chicken to try another way, so you went to the doctor to figure it out so you could kill yourself with your chosen method. You just wanted anti-nausea pills. The doctor did bloodwork, made you give a urine sample, and gave you a diagnosis.

“Hyperemesis gravidarum,” he said, and you looked at him blankly. “You’re pregnant.”

He expected you to get an abortion. Everybody and their mother probably expected you to get an abortion. If Tomura had been there, if your accidental pregnancy had been something the two of you were dealing with together, it probably wouldn’t have even been a question. And for any other pregnancy, it would have been the only viable option in your mind. But when you thought about it, about this pregnancy, your mind rejected the idea so violently that you threw up again. You couldn’t get rid of this baby. You needed it. Looking back, you know your reasons were terrible. You had a kid so you wouldn’t be alone. So you’d keep some memory of Tomura close to you always. So you’d have a reason to keep getting up in the morning, a reason to eat and sleep and exercise, a reason to find a new job in your new town and work hard at it. So someone would need you. So you could do something with your agony at losing Tomura, grab it with both hands and twist it back into love. Deciding to have the baby was the most selfish thing you’ve ever done. And raising Chihiro, loving her, is the most important thing you’ll ever do.

She’s right about you. You do live for her. And if that means signing up for a pottery class at the community center and agreeing to grab tea with Kaori’s crazy mom so she won’t worry, that’s what you’ll do.

You work in the combined billing/records/HR department at your town’s medical clinic, with occasional ventures to the front desk when a receptionist is out sick. You spend a lot of time staring at the computer, a lot of time on the phone, and very little time talking to your coworkers — but you’ve been here for seventeen years, longer than almost anyone else. You were working here before some of your coworkers were out of primary school.

Dr. Kawada is your age, though. He greets you as you walk in. “Glad you made it. Anybody who lives past the town limits is staying home.”

“They should. The roads are terrible even with the plows out.” You hang up your coat, then sit down and power up your computer. “How many patients do you think we’ll get?”

“We have a ton of cancelations already,” Keiko, the nurse-practitioner, reports. She would be the one to make it in — Kawada would crawl here with his teeth if he had to, and she’s his wife, so of course she tagged along. “And there was a call for you, bright and early.”

“For billing? Somebody must have been losing sleep.”

“Not for billing. For you,” Keiko admonishes. “I forwarded it to your phone. It seemed kind of urgent.”

You log into your computer, then decide to check the message while you’re waiting for it to perk up. The voice on the other end of the line is completely unfamiliar. “Hi there. My name is Midoriya Izuku, and I’m a lawyer with the —" There’s a really loud sound on the other end of the line, completely obliterating whatever he was about to tell you about the organization he’s part of. “Due to confidentiality I can’t share much over the phone, but it’s really important that I get in touch with you! Please call me back to arrange a meeting —“

You hang up and delete the message. You don’t like lawyers, and this guy sounds like he has prosecutor written all over him. Or else he’s a reporter lying to you about his credentials to trick you into giving him a quote. The twenty-year anniversary of Tomura’s conviction is coming up, and there were articles at the ten-year mark, too. You’re more concerned about how this Midoriya Izuku got your number in the first place. You’re not easy to find. You made yourself tough to find on purpose.

It’s a quiet day at the office. Almost all the appointments are canceled, which means that the walk-ins get seen almost immediately, and you have time to start on your end-of-the-year reports. And time to talk, because Keiko and Dr. Kawada are in talkative moods, and you’re the best and only target. “How’s Chihiro?” Keiko asks. “Has she picked a school?”

“Not yet. Still weighing her options,” you say. And then, because you’re tired: “She’s worried about what will happen to me once she leaves.”

“Tell her not to worry. We’ll take care of you!” Dr. Kawada says with a grin. “What’s she worried about, anyway? You seem fine.”

“I am fine. But I’m signing up for an art class so she’ll stop worrying that I’m going to wither away alone,” you say. Dr. Kawada snorts. “How I’m doing isn’t her responsibility. She didn’t ask to be born and I didn’t have her so she could take care of me.”

“Nobody thinks that,” Keiko says. She gives you a weird look, but then she changes the subject. “Hey, but even once she moves out, you don’t have to be alone! Me and Shogo know lots of people we want to set you up with!”

You’re pretty sure your face goes dead white. “What?”

“I mean, I know you haven’t been seeing anyone since you moved here —"

“Because it’s not about me anymore. It’s about Chihiro.”

“Yeah, but if it’s about Chihiro, shouldn’t you want her not to worry?” Kawada’s not helping. You feel like you might be sick. “I moved here right around when you did and I’ve never seen you date anybody. Things must have gone down real bad with your ex —"

“Shogo!” Keiko swats him, mortified, then looks at you. “Sorry. He should know better.”

“Chihiro’s dad isn’t my ex,” you say. “He’s — gone.”

It’s the same trick you’ve been pulling on Chihiro since she was old enough to ask, and it works on adults, too. Kawada backs off, chagrined. “Sorry,” he says. There’s an awkward silence. “I’ve known you for seventeen years. How did I miss that?”

“I don’t like to talk about it.” You don’t even like thinking about Tomura, but every winter, it’s unavoidable. Every winter the sadness curls up around you, and although time is supposed to heal things, it’s never gotten any easier to throw off come spring. “I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.”

“Yeah,” Keiko agrees. Her eyes are sad. “Still. Tell Chihiro not to worry. We’ll keep an eye on you.”

You force a smile, force your eyes to brighten. “Thank you.”

It’s the clinic’s slowest day in a while, and you spend a lot of it screwing around on the computer. You sign up for an art class, one that meets the same night as Chihiro’s choir practice, so you can pick her up on the way home. You google therapists, too — maybe she’ll feel better if she knows you have one. And maybe you need one. Chihiro’s your daughter, the most important person in the world, the one you’d sacrifice everything to care for. Caring for her takes up most of your thoughts, distracts you from the pain of losing Tomura. Once Chihiro goes away for school, there won’t be anything left to keep your sadness at bay.

Tomura’s been on death row for nineteen years. They could execute him at any time, and you’d never know until his name was released by the government. During his trial, when you realized the death penalty was on the table, you looked up how it would happen. It still haunts you sometimes. You don’t want to think of Tomura with his neck broken, his eyes open and staring, dying with feet chained together and his hands bound behind his back. You want to remember him before it all went wrong. Back when you still believed he was the best thing that ever happened to you.

You met him at university, on a day when the campus was iced over. Your on-campus job started early, which meant you had to make your way to the library on paths that wouldn’t be de-iced for another hour. Tomura had an early class. He was headed the opposite way from you, and you were both so focused on not slipping and falling that you walked headlong into each other and fell on your asses anyway.

Your backpack slid from your shoulders, and the papers Tomura was carrying scattered across the path. Fuck, Tomura said, with feeling, and you laughed. What’s so funny? You fell down, too.

I know, but — An image popped into your head and set you off all over again. We look like we’re in a cartoon. Except without the stars and planets around our heads.

No stars and planets? I want a refund, Tomura said, and cracked a smile that opened up a split in his lower lip. Damn it —

Here. You retrieved your fallen backpack and a packet of tissues, then started gathering the papers Tomura had dropped. Sorry. It looked like you were in a hurry to go somewhere.

Comp-Sci building. I’m never signing up for a 7am again. Tomura’s phone buzzed, and he yanked it out of his pocket. And now it’s canceled. Motherfucker. I have to walk all the way back —

Maybe not all the way, you said, and he looked at you. I work at the library. It’s definitely open. You can hang out there until they get the paths salted.

Tomura looked at you, the tissue still pressed to his bloody lip. You didn’t know his name yet, didn’t know anything about him, but there was something you liked about his face. Something you liked about how he still got in on your joke, even though he was pissed about the fall. Something about the fact that he hadn’t gotten up yet, even though you’d gathered all his papers and were holding them out for him to take. I’ll level with you, he said after a second. I’ve never been to the library.

I get that a lot, you said, and you stood up. The plan was to hold out your hand to help him up, but you moved too fast, and your feet slid out from under you again. You managed to hang on to Tomura’s papers, but you went down hard. Fuck!

Tomura didn’t ask if you were okay. He just lifted the papers out of your hands, set them aside, and helped you sit up with hands that shook ever so slightly. I’m surprised you swore, he said, and you raised an eyebrow. You look like the type who says fiddlesticks instead.

Fuck off, you said, and he laughed. Making him laugh felt like an achievement, one you were proud to win. Looking back, that was when you knew you were in trouble. Maybe we should just crawl to the library.

It’s cold. Walking’s faster. Tomura got shakily to his knees, then his feet, and you copied him. I bet we can make it.

He stumbled twice on the way there, and you stumbled once, but neither of you fell again. You were leaning on each other to balance, more contact than you ever made with guys you weren’t dating, and nothing about it felt tense or awkward. It was just the only thing that made sense to do.

And that’s how everything was with Tomura. It just made sense, and you were so happy — and you think Tomura was, too. You fought sometimes, sure, but everyone does. Sometimes you didn’t know the right thing to say, but neither did he. He had a rough past, and you didn’t push him to talk about it. You just let him share what he wanted to, when he wanted to, and towards the end you had something close to the whole picture. It just didn’t have the murders in it.

No. You don’t want to think about this. You know what you believe about this, and going in a circle won’t help solve anything. You decide to redirect your feelings of frustration by looking up the lawyer who called you. Sure enough, he’s a prosecutor— or he was. Looking at the profile on his law firm’s website, you’re not sure what he does. He was in the news a year or so ago. Some case involving the yakuza.

The bell rings, and since Keiko’s on break and the receptionist got snowed in, you hurry up to the front to check the new patient in. It’s a good distraction. It helps to stay busy. When you’re busy, you don’t have to think about any of it — not Tomura, not the fact that he’s gone, not the fact that your daughter is leaving soon, too. And you don’t have to think about how it won’t be long before all your distractions run out.

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