#healer didn’t work out too well for him last time so he went back to his roots

[shadowhandss60]

Chaol: This is my wife Yrene, she’s a healer.

Dorian: This is my wife Manon Blackbeak-

Chaol: The White Demon?

Dorian: Actually, she’s Queen of the Witches now.

Manon: I’m a reverse healer.

Chaol:

Yrene:

Manon: You know, because I kill people.

Chaol: I-

Yrene: I like her.

Dorian: I know right?

[thyme-in-a-bubble]

pinch me

the wistful wyvern, chapter eight

a/n: i can’t believe this is the last chapter… this whole series is the thing that i’ve let myself go the most crazy with and not held back, so it’s kinda bittersweet when it comes to a close. it’s hard to say goodbye and let go of something you put so much work into, but it’s incredible to finally share the ending with you all so you can enjoy the story in its entirety.

summary: the wrestling was playful as you slowly shuffled further into the sparse cluster of trees. Giggling and shrieking, your back eventually collided with the trunk of a tree and Bucky pinned your hands above your head. 

warnings: knight!bucky barnes x knight!reader, smut, fantasy AU (monsters, but not much magic), original fantasy world, ex-friends to lovers, coworkers to lovers, former fuckboy!bucky, tattooed!bucky, forced proximity, violence, injuries, kissing, oral, dirty talk, impact play, size kink, multiple orgasms, penetrative sex, protected sex (a fantasy birth control tea commonly used by men), creampie, time jump

word count: 2562

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“You know, it’s still not too late for you to apologise, we can both just go on our separate way,” you shrugged as you dodged the blow thrown by one of the bandits still on his feet before you. 

“Fuck you, you cunt!” he simply spat back. 

Blinking a moment, your head tilted slightly as you breathed out, “alright then,” and then clocked him in the face, making him stumble back, clutching his battered nose. 

One of the outlaws in the grass then lifted himself back up onto his feet behind where you stood and charged at you, raising the dull axe in his grasp up to attack. 

He only managed to nick your arm, and though a small cry did tumble out of your lungs, only a second passed before your fingers wrapped around the hilt of the weapon and you bashed the blunt side back against the bloke, knocking him back onto the ground. 

“You good?” Bucky’s voice found your ears and you glanced over to see him wrestling with his own half of the dubious group.

“Oh yeah,” you smiled and tossed the rusty axe further down into the field that unfolded on the side of the road, “I’m great,” before whacking your elbow over the dirty-mouthed man who stumbled back towards you, blood dribbling from his nose. 

Barely looking at his own opponents, the corners of your partner’s lips curled up as he purred, “that’s my girl.”

You had started by giving the highway robbers a generous out, stating that a fight between you two wardens and the eight of them just wouldn’t be fair. If they’d let one of you sit that one out and only fought either you or Bucky, then perhaps it would have evened the playing field just a bit more.

Yet, they didn’t heed your warnings and ended up losing in the blink of an eye. 

“You guys should really consider a career change,” you said as they all laid dazed and bruised on the ground, “or at the very least get better at this one.” 

As the pair of you went through and kicked their weapons far enough out of their reach, Bucky cast a glance at the boulder of a man curled up on the ground and clutching his arm. 

“Hey buddy,” your fellow warden called, “try and keep that elevated till you see a healer.” 

“Fuck you,” he groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. 

“You were the one that fell on it,” his arms raised up before he looked to the other bandits, “guys, can you please make sure he gets that checked out?” and after they grumbled in agreement to help their stubborn friend, Bucky exhaled, “great,” and turned to grasp Echo’s reins, the black stallion only a few paces away from the aftermath, “well, have a nice life!”

“See,” you uttered as the pair of you began to walk off, tugging the horse along, “I told you we shouldn’t have taken this road. I was a criminal, I know what roads are hot for highway robbers.”

“Yeah, well, you were always smarter than me,” he chuckled, then smirked in your direction, “isn’t that what you used to say whenever I’d let you win during training? That I might be stronger, but you’re smarter?”

“You did not let me win,” you gasped, immediately defending your recollection, “I always won fair and square!”

“Hm,” he hummed as he let his gaze dance over the patchy cluster of trees that began to bloom on the right-hand side of the dirt road, “you sure about that?” 

“Oh really?” your head cocked as you smiled back at him, “you wanna fucking go, Barnes?” 

“Why not?” he reached out to tickle your waist, “just had a little warm-up, didn’t we?” 

As Bucky let go of the reins, Echo simply dipped his head down to graze on the long grass below. 

The wrestling was playful as you slowly shuffled further into the sparse cluster of trees. Giggling and shrieking, your back eventually collided with the trunk of a tree and Bucky pinned your hands above your head. 

As you gazed back into his blue stare, the laughter began to fade from you both as another instinct entirely took over. 

Tilting his head, Bucky captured your lips and kissed you fiercely. His fingers, enclosed around your wrists, flexed as your lips parted in a giddy groan and made way for his tongue to slip past and catch a taste of your own. 

When his grip eventually loosened around you, his fingers floated down to weave within your hair and tilt your face to deepen the hungry kiss. 

Then, as your hands had started scraping down the cool iron of the partial chainmail on his torso, the tiny loops grazing your skin gently, he pulled back just enough for you both to catch your breath.

“Drop your drawers, snow,” he commanded playfully, nuzzling his nose softly against your own. 

His head tilted slightly so that his forehead rested against your own, and he shared your breath, as your fingers desperately soared to fulfil his demand. Undoing your pants, you swiftly shimmied them down till they were kicked off into the wild grass. 

After stealing another kiss from you, a smile then spread across your face as you watched Bucky sink down to his knees before you. Planting pecks across your thighs, his gaze flickered up to capture yours as his lips danced up to your right hipbone. 

“Please don’t make me beg,” you chuckled and ran a hand through his brown locks. 

“But you sound so pretty when you do,” he smirked. The closer his peppering pecks got to your centre, the sloppier they grew, “just as pretty as when I do this,” he then closed the distance and flicked his tongue teasingly through your folds, dragging a whimper out of your throat. 

Thankfully, he only kept his cruelly light licks to a minimum before he lapped at you properly, swapping your squirming jolts out with a trembling rocking as he savoured your slickness swiftly soaking his short beard. 

Throwing your head back against the tree trunk, your fingers tangled in his hair as he enclosed around your clit. As your gaze fluttered down for his stare to capture yours, a warm rumble vibrated against your pearl as his eyes crinkled up and he smiled against your pussy. 

“O-oh, just like that,” you uttered breathily as your fingers combed through his locks before finding purchase in them, “feels so fucking good.”

His broad palms curled around to your bottom and groped the curve a moment before one of his hands slid down your thigh and plucked it off of the ground, hooking it over his wide shoulder and thereby drawing you that much closer to his greedy tongue. 

Tilting your hips slightly, his sloppy efforts only managed to wander down to your other hole for one kiss before everything unravelled inside of you and you came all over his face. 

Standing back up to his full height, Bucky ducked down to steal a brief kiss from your breathless lips, letting you taste yourself still freshly lingering on his tongue, before fervently spinning you around. 

Bracing against the tree, you peeked over your shoulder as his fingers hastily undid his trousers, his heavy lids staying glued to your backside. 

Silky moans seeped out of the both of you in unison when he slowly buried himself in you. Melting down against your spine a moment, you felt the reassuring weight of his head against your shoulder, panting against your tunic, as his girth settled inside of you, your cunt dripping around him, begging for his movements to pick up.

“Fuck, I love you,” he hissed as he dragged his cock back out, just till the memory of him remained before slamming back inside, harshly enough for you to lose your breath. 

His presence dissipated from your spine as he straightened up. One of his hands trailed down your back, bending you over more, before it settled parallel to the other around your hips. 

Scratching against the dark bark, you whimpered every time his thrusts concluded with a teasing tap against your puffy pearl from his heavy sack. 

“Shit,” he groaned loudly, “your little pussy’s gripping onto me so tight,” in awe, he glanced down at how snugly your cunt was clinging onto his cock, “does it feel good, baby? Does your pussy like being stretched out by me?” he landed a few electric slaps to your ass, “because it sure fucking feels like it… gods, she’s creaming all over me, turning my dick all fucking milky…” 

“I–, I–,” your fluttering moans found their way out your throat as your fingers left the tree and reached back to blindly grab for him.

“What?” he swiftly captured your searching hand in his and slowed his efforts just enough for you to think, “what is it, snow?”

Your brain was all jumbled, so all you managed to mumble was, “…kiss…” 

Curling his burly arms around your form, your brows crinkled up as he then slipped out before guiding you back around to face him. 

Planting his lips to yours in a soft and slow peck, your molten arms slid up to wrap around his neck. 

“Is this better?” his nose ghosted against your own, “huh?”

“Mhm,” you nodded lightly, your features nuzzling against his as you did. 

“You good?” his gentle exhale seeped into your bones. 

A soft smile then tipped up your lips as you uttered, “I’m phenomenal…” 

Mirroring your own grin, he captured your lips once more before he plucked your left leg up off the ground. Sweeping his tip through your glinting folds, he nudged at your clit long enough to make you wiggle in his grasp before he dipped down to your drooling entrance and slowly slid back in. 

“Ah,” you gasped and your head tilted away from his a moment as he split you back open for him, “I love you so much.”

“I love you, I love you,” his grip dented your flesh as he settled back into a silky pace, pumping in and out of your creamy cunt, “o-oh, fuck!”

Picking your other leg up, he lifted you into his strong arms and your ankles swiftly hooked around his frame. 

Sloppy symphonies of your skin clapping against each other resonated every time he lifted you off his cock, dragging you over every detail of his fat girth before slamming you back down on it. The sounds echoed throughout the surroundings, dominating your attention rather than the wistful birdsongs that your lustful ears filtered out. 

It didn’t take very long of him carrying you close and fucking you nearly through the tree that scrapped at your spine, before your body went as tight as a bowstring taking aim, and shaky profanities leaked out past your panting breaths as you tumbled over the edge.

Bucky’s mouth was hot on the side of your neck as you clambered around him, your pussy completely choking his throbbing length, and a gravelly groan rumbled against your skin as he swiftly emptied himself in your haven. 

With his load dripping down onto the tall grass as he continued to cradle you in his arms, his softening girth stayed buried in you as you caught your breaths. 

“See?” his heavy exhale fanned across your cheek as the side of his head rested against yours, “told you I used to let you win.”

“Oh,” you playfully chuckled, tilting your chin enough to find his hazy gaze, “you think you won just now?” 

“Yeah, I clearly did.” 

“Did you though,” you cocked your head, “or did I just let you?” 

His eyes then narrowed to a squint as he sucked in a breath, “…rematch,” he declared, “as soon as we get home.”

“Really? You wanna wait–, what, a whole hour?” you guessed the time reminding till you arrived back to Borün. 

“Yes, I wanna wait a whole hour,” a sly smirk crept up on his face as he slowly inched in closer, “one hour and then I finally get to throw you around in my own bed…” 

FIVE YEARS LATER, ON THE THIRTIETH DAY OF SUMMER 863 PR

“Pinch me,” you murmured through your grin as Bucky’s kisses nipped down the column of your neck.     

“What,” he smirked against your skin, clearly assuming you wanted to heat up your impromptu make-out session, “right here?”

Your glance flickered to the rest of the topiary garden, that sprouted in the centre of the great castle that was Fort Borün, and hoped that the pair of you were tucked away well enough in the semi-secluded corner for the other guests, who were up at the palace to round off the annual summer solstice festival, not to notice your intimate activities. 

Not taking his lewd thought to heart, you went on and uttered, “it must be a dream, being here with you and in this beautiful place,” the smile on your lips grew wider as you reflected on the way your life looked now. Growing up you’d never dare to let yourself imagine anything like this, being so safe and at peace, living in a comfortable little cabin by the sea with the love of your life, “you my husband and I your wife…”

Tilting his head back up to be at your level, he caught your glinting eye and reassured you, “you’re not dreaming, snow,” one of his thumbs then swiped a few times at the hold he had on your waist. Leaning back in, his lips then tilted back up into a devilish smirk as he asked, “but can I still pinch you?” 

As his fingers tightened around you and he leaned back down to seize your lips again, a giggle bubbled out of you and your palms swept up to his chest to keep him at bay, “not here!”

And just then, as your husband’s kisses began to bloom across your skin once more, burning so hot you nearly gave in, a pair of tiny footsteps echoed throughout the courtyard. 

“Uncle Buck! Uncle Buck!” 

Turning around, both of your glances fell upon the little princess that appeared around the central fountain.

“Cora, isn’t it well past your bedtime?” Bucky cocked his head gently. 

“Papa promised I could dance one last time and you never gave me all of yours!” Cordelia demanded with a raised finger, “you still owe me one.”

Sucking in a breath, he nodded lightly, “I did promise you five, didn’t I?” and his gaze flickered up to spot the king as he caught up to his daughter.

Catching the tail end, Steve’s brows shot up, “she made you agree to five?” 

“Well, I don’t know how to say no to that face,” the fellow warden beside you shrugged and gestured down to the little girl, “I mean look at her!” 

Letting out a soft sigh, the king then tilted his head as a light plea flowed out past his gentle smile, “Bucky, please just dance with my daughter or she won’t let me tuck her into bed.”

Taking a step further away from you, Bucky then smiled down at the princess, “your highness,” and offered her his hand, “shall we?”

Snatching it up, a bright giggle then billowed out of the little girl as she dragged him back inside. 

© 2024 thyme-in-a-bubble 

[backmuscles21]

The Big Visit

Tonowari X Reader x Ronal

Summary: Tonowari and Ronal go to visit their third mate, who is with the Omaticaya people. However, when they come down to visit they find out you're sick. Coincidently, this is the first time they will see your human body.

Finally, the sky people were gone and the Sullys went home, after thanking the leader of the Metkayina clan for their hospitality. You were sad to leave, you didn’t want to leave these two new souls you’ve bonded so well with. You ended up staying after Kiri had her seizure, you could use your avatar to help around the village and use your psychology PhD to help her. You started to steal glances at Ronal, she was the healer of the tribe and you admired that. Then you started seeing her with her mate, Tonowari, and he caught your eye just as much as she did. Their tattoos were so gorgeously splayed on their bodies and they both looked so strong. You couldn’t help yourself by stealing glances at both of them and eventually, they called you over and you were nervous, were they going to get very mad at you? So far it was just stolen glances, you didn’t think it was that bad, could this be a cultural thing that you couldn’t even look at a mate?

You went into their mauri and looked at them, you could feel how hard your heart was beating against your ribs. That’s when she kissed you, you were shocked at first, and your eyes were wide open. Then your brain caught up and you kissed back, it was heavenly.

That was how you started a relationship with the mated couple, you didn’t want to have to leave, and they didn’t want you to leave either. You had all grown accustomed to being with each other a lot, you didn’t want to be a part. You went up to hug Ronal and Tonowari before you left on your ikrans, and you squeezed them both tightly.

“Come visit sometime.”

“We shall, yawne,” Tonowari said as he kissed your forehead.

So, you left with the Sullys, you were going back to home base, the only refreshing thing was at least when you woke up in the link bed, you could see your body. You were nervous that if they ever came here, they’d see your human form and they may not like that. They knew you were a sky demon, but did they know you were still in and out of that body?

Regardless months passed and then Jake informed you that Tonowari and Ronal planned to visit. You were overjoyed, Jake told you that they’d be here within a couple of days and you couldn’t wait. However, in those couple of days, you got sick, you didn’t know what was happening but you felt awful. At that time, Tonowari and Ronal showed up, they went looking for Jake to announce their arrival and then to have him take them to you.

They went up to Jake and Neytiri, they said their hellos and got a tour around the place and that’s when they asked for you.

“Is she here?” Ronal asked first.

“She is. We can go see her now,” Jake said as he directed them towards the trailer.

That was the last place he knew you were and worst comes to worst, he’d ask Norm. They got to the trailer and Jake opened the airlock and they went inside, of course, it was slightly too short for the four of them. They walked past the scientists working away on their computers or in labs, Tonowari and Ronal shared a glance as they watched the humans.

They knew you were in a false body, but they never really put too much thought into it, they just didn’t want to believe someone they grew to love was a sky demon. They thought you’d greet them in your Na’vi body, this felt so different to see your human body.

Jake went up to Norm, asking him where you were currently at, “have you seen, y/n?”

“Uh, yeah, I think she’s in her bunk. Sleeping more than likely.”

“Thanks.”

“She got blood work done, so she might be quite tired.”

“Good to know.”

Tonowari and Ronal had no idea what those two said to each other, they didn’t know any English. However, they followed Jake as he told them to follow him, he also informed them that you were sleeping. When the three of them got to your bunk, you looked paler than usual.

“She has been sick for the past few days. Norm said she just had some blood tests to figure out what was wrong.”

“I can try and heal her,” Ronal said.

“I don’t know if that will work.”

“It is worth a shot if she is unwell,” Ronal sat down on her calves right next to your bed. Her hand brushed through your hair as you breathed calmly and deeply.

“You can try.”

“Then leave us,” Ronal asks.

Jake smiles at them and leaves, he knows that they are only trying to help, but he really believes that it won’t do much.

“Ronal, do you even know how to heal humans?” Tonowari asks as he places his hand on her shoulder.

“Should be similar to anyone else. Even if it helps a little.”

“What if it makes it worse?”

“The humans are taking too long. She had been sick for days apparently.”

Ronal rolled you softly to your back, she pulled the blanket off your body, and they both noted just how tiny you were. It felt like they towered over you, they were feet taller than you, just even the size of your torso was so teeny tiny.

You wore pajama pants and a long sleeve shirt as you were freezing, Ronal placed a hand on either shoulder and tried to connect with you. She knows she has connected with you, well your avatar, they both have. Being with you for months well the Sully sought refuge, of course, they were going to fall for you, and of course, you were going to get intimate.

She couldn’t feel the normal connection to the people she tried to heal, it had to be because you were human. She felt defeated, she couldn’t help the other love of her life, and she felt almost useless. She let go and moved away from you, Tonowari could see her face fall, he knew what had happened. He held his arms open to cradle her and console her, he knew that it hurt her to not be able to help you.

They both looked over at the door to the bunk when a knock rang out, Tonowari opened the door and it was the man from earlier, Norm. They were surprised to hear his practically perfect Na’vi language skills.

“We got the results back; I have medicine for her.”

“Very well then,” Ronal answered and let Norm in.

Ronal watched Norm very closely as he pulled up the sleeve of your shirt, she saw the white cotton ball taped to your inner arm. She was curious as to what that was, Norm then took the syringe he held in his hand, pulled the cap off and slid the needle into your skin. Ronal and Tonowari were confused as to what was happening and on top of that, he didn’t even wake you up.

“I’ll be back later with antibiotics. I’ll give that some time to settle in.”

“You did not wake her up?”

“She doesn’t like needles, I figured it best to do it that way. Plus, I know she wants to sleep. Although, you could wake her up now. She can’t nap forever.” Ronal nods as Norm walks off.

Ronal goes back to sit next to your bed again, she wanted to wake you up, she wanted to see your eyes. Jake had told them that you couldn’t wait till they showed up, so they felt bad that they were here for you and you were sleeping off some sickness.

Ronal slowly shook you, you stirred and your eyes still flickered, then they slowly opened. You blinked a few times, you stretched for a few seconds. You stared up at them and nuzzled into Ronal’s hand on your cheek, you smiled at them.

“I’ve been waiting for you two to show up.”

“How are you feeling?” Tonowari asked.

“Okay. I don’t really know what happened. I think I’m getting better. We just did some tests to try and figure out what is going on.”

“We have been informed.”

“I wanted to be up and around to show you around and take you for a ride.”

“That is okay, we are here for a while,” Ronal said.

“I just realized; this is the first time you've seen me outside the Na’vi body. Do I look okay? Despite how sick I look.”

“You will always be beautiful,” Tonowari said as he reached a hand down for you to hold.

You smiled brightly, you couldn’t wait to feel better and get out there with the two closest people to you.

I also have this posted on my Ao3 - Backmuscles

[godsfav0ur1te]

No one has set eyes on Draco Malfoy since Narcissa died and Draco wants to keep it that way. After losing his mother he had ran for the hills, not feeling the connection he once did to the wizarding world he had once adored, instead feeling all of its hatred and loathing for him. So he ran. He’s living in a muggle city far from Wiltshire and hasn’t cast a single spell in well over a year. No one has said a nasty word to him about his past or his family name and he has learned more about the world in the last year and a half than he has in his whole life. He is the happiest he’s felt in years and he feels free. He’s gained the ability to be whoever he wants. The name Draco Malfoy means nothing where he is and it’s his blessing.

Back in the wizarding world, nobody is missing him. His disappearance was hardly talked about and it’s almost like he was never there to begin with.

And it’s driving Harry insane.

Everything had changed since the war ended and everybody is either tiptoeing around him or falling at his feet; it’s incredibly overwhelming and it makes Harry feel like he’s going to explode. He craves the way it used to be so badly, when people liked him,sure, but didn’t see him as their saviour. The only person who was ever there to humble him all those years has vanished and become untraceable. He’s tried mind healers, potions, getting out and about and spending time with Hermione and Ron but nothing seems to work, it’s all too different now. He needs something old. He’s convinced what he needs is to find Draco Malfoy.

He asked around for weeks before he considered giving up. No one seemed to have even the slightest idea about where Malfoy could be and a lot of them didn’t really want him found in the first place, still harbouring their unwarranted resentment. It was only when he had been wandering aimlessly, looking for any reason not to go home to the emptiness of Grimmauld Place, that he saw it. All long blond hair and pointy features, sat in the window of a muggle coffee shop, a genuine smile spread wide across his face like Harry had never seen come from that boy before. He had opened the door and walked inside but Malfoy hadn’t seemed to notice him. He panicked at the last moment, deciding not to bother Malfoy after all. What was he thinking, what would he even say? Harry went to turn on his heel when Malfoy looked up and caught sight of him, smile faltering for a long moment. He looked like he’d seen a ghost; a real deer in headlights look to him before his features cooled and his eyebrow raised, collecting himself the way his teenage self would have done all those years ago, followed by that mocking tone Harry knew so well and had been craving so badly.

“Potter. I had a feeling if anybody would find me it would be you.” Malfoy didn’t run and Harry didn’t leave.

And just like that Harry Potter had found himself rapidly obsessed with Draco Malfoy once again.

[tsukimefuku]

in another life :: higuruma hiromi

summary: the day before keita's trial, you and higuruma meet by chance in a small cafe.

cw: angst, canon compliant.

wc: 1k

notes etc.: I had the big sad and decided to turn it into everyone else's problem too. sorry, have my angst though.

In another life, I would've loved doing laundry and taxes with you

Higuruma wasn’t one to stare, but the moment you looked back at him sitting by the counter and smiled, he realized his gaze must have lingered on you longer than he anticipated. He quickly averted his eyes elsewhere, fumbling around with Keita's case files on the table before taking the cup of coffee and giving it a big gulp. He felt somewhat silly to be gazing at a random woman in a random cafe one day before Keita’s second trial, but oh well, here he was.

You happened to be at Morioka for the past week, still working as an underground healer using your RCT, glad enough that Jujutsu High hadn't caught up with you. This was your last day in Morioka before leaving for Hokkaido, for yet another job, and your mind wandered around until you noticed this man looking at you. 

You saw him when he came inside the cafe, carrying a big briefcase, some folders with what seemed to be piles of papers inside, and the most tired, exhausted face you had ever seen on anyone. He had a black suit on, wore a black tie and had a tiny pin on his lapel. The man, however, didn’t seem to notice you eyeing him as he put down his order for a single cup of black coffee before taking himself and his papers to a table in the farthest corner of the place.

Maybe it was the fact that you'd be leaving the city in a few hours, or that you instantly found him to be charming in an understated way, but you grabbed your own latte and walked towards the man, not failing to notice there was an empty seat in front of him.

”Hey,” you called, pulling his eyes towards you, “is this seat taken?”

Higuruma was surprised, confused, and wondered if maybe you wanted to take the chair to use on another table.

”No, it’s not.”

”Great. Can I sit with you?”

Now he felt even more confused.

”Why?”

You chuckled a little, and cocked your head to the side.

”Because I saw you staring at me, and would like to tell you I was staring at you too when you walked in. That should be a nice conversation starter.”

Oh, caught red handed, he thought to himself. That’s what you get from getting distracted instead of working.

”I...” he began, wanting to say he was about to start working, that he was busy and couldn’t possibly entertain any type of company, but out of his mouth simply came “yes, you can.”

Satisfied, you pulled the chair and sat with him, not placing your beverage on the table to avoid the risk of an accident involving your coffee and his seemingly very important papers.

”So, change of scenery? Came to work at a cafe for the day?” you asked, leaning back.

He seemed out of his element - something he probably was. Higuruma couldn’t recall the last time he went on a date sandwiched in between his gruesome working hours. Having an attractive woman sitting with him and asking him questions was definitely not on the list of things that might happen when he stepped foot out of his apartment that morning.

”Yes, I was feeling trapped inside the office,” Higuruma mindlessly replied, putting his papers down for a moment, “I’m concerned about this trial tomorrow and wanted to read these files again.”

Then, it clicked. The suit, the pin - that now, up close, was clearly a sunflower - and the put upon face.

”Oh, you’re a lawyer?”

He nodded. “You?”

”I’m a nurse,” was the trained answer you already had for when people asked you that. “What about this case is making you nervous?”

You had no idea why you were asking this man so many questions, but he seemed unendingly interesting to you. Something about him just drew you in.

He scratched the bridge of his hooked nose for a second, apparently pondering on his next words.

”I’m afraid my client, who was relieved to be acquitted the first time around, might end up getting crushed by the cogs of the criminal justice system.”

”Oh, so you’re a criminal lawyer?”

”Yes.”

”Wow. That’s...”

Crazy in a country with such a high conviction rate. Delusional. Dangerous.

”Admirable.”

He was taken aback, and his eyes widened a little as you both locked gaze.

”I mean, Japan has a very high conviction rate, right? I read it somewhere,” you noted, taking a sip from your latte.

”Yes. 99%, in fact.”

”99%?!” you exclaimed.

He nodded and kept silent, realizing how ludicrous that was. The fact that only 1% of criminally pursued cases ended up in acquittals. After so many years, one can get accustomed to any and every type of absurdity, it seems.

“Why do you do it?” you asked him.

”Because I have a terrible habit of not being able to ignore unfair situations. If I see someone being a victim of injustice, I just have to do something about it.”

“And how has that been working out for you?”

Higuruma thought about it for a moment, yet no words came to him. He could feel himself slipping away, but denied the very notion that working with what made him feel fulfilled was the same thing that was silently chipping away at his soul, one wrongful conviction at a time.

Realizing you might’ve hit a nerve, you thought it’d be better to change the approach, asking, “is your client innocent? The one who’ll be retried tomorrow?”

Higuruma acquiesced. “Yes, yes he is.”

You sighed, and with one big gulp, finished your coffee.

”Life isn’t fair anywhere, but I’m glad there are people like you trying to tip the scales back in place,” you told him, sparing him a warm smile.

He was slightly embarrassed, not knowing how to respond to the compliment.

”And you said you were a nurse, right? Why?”

You sighed and shrugged, “I wish I had the same ‘this is what I’ve always wanted’ drive, but it’s just where life pushed me towards.”

“And why did you wish you had the same drive?”

“Because... I guess, it’s because I only became a nurse after losing everything and everyone I wanted to keep in my life. There was nothing else for me to do.”

This seemed like an oddly intimate conversation to be having with a random stranger, but it felt comforting in a way. His attentive eyes, probably from years of hearing clients crying and pleading, never seemed to look past you. They stated, silently, I’m listening. I see you. 

“I don’t think that’s true,” he noted, being someone able to pry out the truth out of people even when they didn’t realize they were lying - to someone else or to themselves.

”What do you mean?”

”You’re what? In your mid twenties? Early thirties?”

You were confused. “Hm... Yes?” Is this some kind of pick up line?

”You probably had some years to acclimate yourself to that profession. You answered me quickly when I asked, which suggests that you’re accustomed to telling people you’re a nurse for a while now. What I mean to say is that you look at peace with that choice, and I’d guess you haven't tried changing careers or anything of the sort.”

The man really read you like an open book, and you were speechless, widening your eyes a little.

”I’ll take that as a confirmation to what I’ve just said,” he stated, noting your silence.

You scoffed and chuckled a little, realizing that you were now the one figuratively getting surprised with a random person butting themselves in your table. 

“I... I think I do enjoy healing people, even though it takes a toll on me, sometimes.”

Higuruma didn’t notice how his coffee had gone cold by this point, his papers now forgotten as you both talked for a good while.

”What did you mean when you said you lost everything before becoming a nurse?”

Your mouth fell agape, but no words came out. In a second, trying to look elsewhere to mask your uncomfortable feeling, you took a quick look at your watch, realizing that you had been chatting for a very long time. You had to run or you’d miss your train.

“Oh, that’s a conversation for another day, lawyer man, I have a train to catch.”

”Another day, huh?” he inquired, and you smiled, aware that he understood what that meant. 

You definitely wanted to see him again.

You pulled up a paper note, writing your name and number on it. Swiftly, you offered him the paper, and he took it from your hands, reading it.

”Now you have my name and my number. What should I call you?”

”Higuruma Hiromi.”

“It was nice to meet you, Higuruma Hiromi, criminal defense lawyer.”

He was surprised to realize how much he liked hearing his name in your voice. He hadn’t had what felt like genuine conversation for a very long time, and could say he was even pleased you had butt in his work to probe him around with questions.

He felt heard and seen, too.

“I unfortunately really have to go now, I’m leaving for Hokkaido for a few days,” you stated, blushing slightly before proceeding, “but you should give me a call.”

He nodded your way, and for the first time during this entire interaction, actually spared you a smile.

”Okay.”

***

It had been probably hours that Higuruma laid inside this full bathtub reminiscing on the last days of normalcy before his fallout. He suddenly remembered the day prior to Keita’s conviction, and how he met you at that cafe.

It all felt like a faint dream of events that happened years ago, and not something that had taken place only a few weeks prior.

Maybe I should’ve called her. I wonder if she’s safe.

He got the gist of the Culling Games from kogane, especially the fact that the Games didn’t stretch so far as to Hokkaido. Pulling him from apathy, he felt the mildest hint of concern and hope, expecting you’d be actually safe, given you were leaving for Hokkaido that afternoon.

At Hokkaido, you followed the news about the Culling Games, glad you had been out of the ground zero when shit went down. You wondered if the people you met in the past - friends and acquaintances, mostly - were alright, and for a second, the image of that lawyer came into your mind.

You wondered if he was safe too.

Unfortunately, only one of you two would be proven right. 

written by tsukimefuku ㋡ comments and reblogs are appreciated. do not copy, translate or repost. copycatting is for losers.

[cryptictongues]

Purrfect Medicine

pairing: Joshua Rosfield x Fem!Reader rating: G word count: 4.2k summary: You find a stray cat and Joshua doesn't know how to feel. warnings: This is straight up fluff!

Author’s Notes: Remember when I posted a poll a while back and this and that Clive smut won? Well, here is this one LOL sorry for the wait!

Please read my pinned post before following me! Minors and ageless blogs will be blocked as this blog’s content is NSFW.

[AO3 Link]

The deadlands near the Northern Territories were dreary and dark, something that the realm has become far too familiar with in recent years. Its void of life has created an eerie stain on the map of Valisthea; a tell-tale sign to people that nothing good survives there with its lack of resources. Joshua knew this, yet you had somehow convinced him to set up camp for the night right in the heart of them.

It wasn’t something the both of you had planned for, being that he wanted to get to Prince Dion sooner rather than later. However, you had insisted on stopping for the night when he started to cough non-stop, wheezing more and more with each stretch of travel. He knew you wouldn’t take no for an answer, the stubborn being that you are, and he wasn’t in any mood to argue. The last thing he remembers was you setting up the tent around him as he went in and out of consciousness, sleep taking over his brain until he was no longer present mentally. Now, as his mind starts to wake up, his first instinct is to locate your figure. He didn't sense any movement and the sounds of the deadlands were silent. Sitting up quickly, fast enough to make him dizzy, he pulls back the flap of the tent to see everything has been set up for the night, except you were nowhere to be seen. 

Joshua groans. He can’t believe you ran off alone again. After telling you numerous times to not leave his sight, you still don’t listen. While marching to the beat of your own drum is a trait he admires greatly, it drives him absolutely insane at the same time. It is times like these where he wishes his body didn’t fail him so greatly; to have the energy to take care of himself better. It would save him a lot of trouble for himself, but for you especially.

Joshua has known you since the two of you were kids. You were kept in the medicine houses, learning how to heal Rosarian soldiers as the time for war was upon them. He recalls being there a lot as a kid, being as sick as he was. He would always watch you as you watched one of the healers work on him, concentrating on what to do and use for certain ailments. He was charmed the moment he saw you, his chest fluttering in ways he didn’t quite understand at the time. 

Those were the only times he saw you. The two of you hadn’t spoken any words to each other unless needed for assessing, and that was that. It wasn’t until after the events of Phoenix Gate, where he remembers vague images of someone pulling him out of the rumble and loaded onto a carriage, where the girl who made his heart flare worked on him all the way until they went into hiding under the protection of the Undying. Long story short, being the only two children in isolation from the rest of the world made it very easy to become fast companions and the Undying declared you his guardian for his travel due to such a bond. Not that he would have accepted any other answer, for you knew him like the back of your hand. 

Which means he knew that you knew leaving with no warning would upset him, especially out in the deadlands.

Joshua walks out into the open, starting to pace back and forth unknowingly. You have done this before and have turned up just fine. But the what ifs, the what ifs that fill his mind with dread, make him uneasy with the same questions. Does he go searching for you? Does he stay put? What would you do if he left with no sign? It is the same cycle over and over again.

“If you keep pacing like that, this stop will have been for not.”

Joshua whips his head around to see you standing a few feet away, smiling at him like you weren’t just gone for who knows how long. He takes a long, good look at you, examining to make sure nothing is out of place. But you looked just as you did when he passed out; clean and unscathed. 

“I wouldn’t pace if you would just listen to me for once.” He grimaces. 

All you did was smile at him, eyes turning into crescents as you walked towards him. “I apologize, Your Grace. I was out finding some herbs for your well-being, but I am sure you can assume how that went.”

“Well, my darling, this is the deadlands. One can assume that means everything is dead.” He feels his lip wanting to curve into a smirk, but he represses it. He can’t let you keep getting away with this: scaring him and shifting his mood back the minute he sees you. He wants to say more, but the second he starts to move his lips, he hears a chirp come from your satchel. 

You laughed amusingly, from what Joshua can assume is his reaction to the noise. He watches you reach for the latch, opening it slowly. “If everything is dead, care to explain this?”

He watches the satchel move slightly, and then sees two black ears pop up. A moment later, he sees piercing green eyes, and not a moment too soon he sees a pink nose and whiskers. He is at a loss for words as he stares at a black cat. A bloody black cat.

“Isn’t he cute?” You exclaimed, removing the satchel from your body and setting it on the ground, revealing the cats full form. “I found him hurdled in a crevice off the outer cliff. I didn’t see any other cats, so I guess he is all alone.” 

Joshua looks at the cat closely. “How do you know it is a boy?”

You smirked at him. “I can show you if you want.” You go to pick the cat up and immediately it clicks what you were about to do.

“No need!” Joshua rushes out, his face heating up from the embarrassment of his outburst, causing you to burst out laughing. 

“You should see the look on your face!” You laughed, sitting down in the process and letting the cat crawl into your lap. “I was thinking of what we should name him. Lance short for Lancelot? Crow? Maybe something more common like Bernard?”

Joshua’s eyes go wide. “Don’t tell me we are keeping him.”

“Well, why not?” You shrugged. “He could be the best healer in the group, especially if I train him.”

“My love, he is a cat.” Joshua states the obvious. He doesn’t even know the first thing about taking care of a cat. Sure, he knew how to take care of a Chocobo and even a frost wolf, but a cat? That was out of his range. 

“Cats can be wonderful companions, if you let them.” You smiled, slowly cradling the black ball of fur in your arms as you stood up. You walked over to him, holding the cat up by your face to give the most puppiest of eyes. “Come on, Joshua. Can we please take him with us? I’ll take care of him just like I take care of you. Besides, just you wait! I will make him the best healer you’ve ever seen!”

Joshua doesn’t want to give in, but the more he looks at you, the more his willpower crumbles. He hates how easily he folds for you, and as he continues to stare at you and the cat, he knows he has lost this battle. With a long sigh, Joshua nods in defeat. “Fine, but please, for the love of Greagor Herself, don’t run off again by yourself.”

In an instant, he feels your plush lips kiss his cheek. He watches as you buzzed with excitement, holding the cat close to you. “Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, Joshua! You will not regret this!” 

He is going to regret this.

-

It had been a week since Crow, the name you decided to give your furry friend, was found. Like you had promised, you’ve been very good at taking care of both him and Joshua. Joshua was impressed with your ability to multitask between two beings. However, what was starting to crawl over him like a green second skin was all the fault of the little feline.

Joshua admits that Crow is very well-behaved. He doesn’t run off anywhere he isn’t supposed to. He is relatively quiet, letting out a meow or a chirp if he is hungry or wants some attention. He doesn’t get upset being carried in the satchel you carry, quite the opposite really. Joshua has noticed that Crow is quite keen on keeping his head perched over the bag to watch the surroundings during travel. There is nothing to complain about, except for one major thing: how much he got your attention. 

The first night, you had been curled up into Joshua’s side, per usual, with Crow settled at your feet. It wasn’t until he woke up the next morning that he noticed your warmth seemed further away and saw you lying flat on your back with Crow curled on top of your chest. Joshua remembers a glimmer of jealousy in his heart but set it aside quickly. It is just one night. This will not be common practice.

Until it did. It always started the same and ended the same. Joshua started to loathe the damn cat, and he felt silly for it. “It’s a bloody cat!” He thought. He should not feel such negative feelings towards it, but every time he pushes the jealousy out, it rolls back ten-fold.

Joshua is walking side by side with you, the two of you trailing the Crystal Road, getting closer to where the two of you need to be. Joshua is deep in thought, negative swirls of green dancing around his head, when he feels a small bump against his leg. He ignores it, thinking he got too close to your bag, when he feels it again.

He looks down to see Crow looking up at him, eyes wide and mouth curled. Joshua watches him bump his head against his leg, only to look back up at him with his big green eyes. 

Joshua is stumped. Is he hungry? Can he feel the negative energy enclosing in his brain? Can cats do that? 

“Um… dearest…” Joshua says softly, not wanting to disturb the peaceful walk. 

“Hmm?”

“Crow wants something.”

Joshua and you stop in the middle of the road, and you spread the bag apart. “What’s up, little guy?” 

You scratched his head, and Crow started to purr. You chuckled, looking at Joshua who was standing there feeling lost. 

“You are so knowledgeable, yet so clueless.” You smirked. “He wants attention. He wants you to pet him.”

“Me?” Joshua asks, seriously questioning how that could be true. Crow hadn’t been craving his attention; it had been yours.

“He wants you to scratch his head. He loooooves that.” You drawled out. “Go on. Just like this.”

You scratched his head around his ears, demonstrating to Joshua how to proceed. He hesitantly lets his fingers run across the back of Crow’s head, just petting him at first to get a feel for how he will react. Crow pushes his head into Joshua’s fingers, which encourages him to start moving his fingers back and forth quickly. 

Joshua couldn’t believe his luck. Crow was purring at the attention he was getting, and it made Joshua grow bolder. He starts to scratch down under Crow’s neck, making him lift his neck further for more room. In a way, this felt very therapeutic to him. It’s as if the twangs of jealousy that filled his head left within seconds, putting a smile on his face.

He hears a small chuckle, and he looks up to see you smiling behind your hand. He perks up, still scratching Crow in the process. “What’s so funny?”

“It just seems like the sun has decided to come back out.” You dropped your hand, letting it reach for his free one. “You seemed rather gloomy as of late. I’m just happy to see you smile genuinely."

“I apologize,” Joshua followed up with. “I have so much on my mind.” It wasn’t a lie, of course. He did have a lot on his mind, but he doesn’t have the courage to admit that the main thing getting to him was jealousy due to a damn cat.

“I know, but that’s why you have me. You know I’m always here for you.” You swayed, pulling him in a little closer.

Joshua hums and brings his hand to your face. With a gentle grasp, he pulls you in for a soft kiss, reminding himself that you are indeed here for him. He knows you wouldn’t put yourself in such a dangerous position if you didn’t feel strongly for him. 

The kiss is interrupted by another head bump, causing Joshua to pull away. He hears you laugh and next thing he knows the satchel strap is over his shoulder, the cat in the bag right by his right leg. 

“I’ll let you carry him for a while. He seems to want your affection.” You grin. He laughs softly and takes your right hand to press on the long, winding road with his right hand in the cat bag.

-

Joshua and you made camp, and for once he thought it best to stop for the night. It wouldn’t be long before the two, well three of you, reach the Crystal Belt, so some time to gather himself in preparation for his meeting with Dion sounded best. 

Joshua was settling into the tent, waiting for you to come join him. He had started to help clean for an early start tomorrow, but you insisted he go ahead. While he usually would insist right back to keep his gentleman roots intact, he could feel the long day weighing on his eyelids and chose to let your stubbornness flourish for the night. 

His eyes were starting to flutter shut, until he heard the soft patter of paws near him. He opens his eyes to see Crow staring at him, or at least what he can see of him. His black coat completely camouflages him into the shadows of the night, but his green eyes glimmer in the dark.

Joshua sits up on his elbows, hesitant to move. He watches Crow observe him, the cat's head tilting by the way the eyes become diagonal from one another. Petting Crow in a bag, where he is secure, is one thing. To engage with him where he can make any move he wishes is another. While Crow has been friendly, it has been when you were around. This is the first time he has been alone with the feline, and he doesn’t know how to act. 

Crow had gotten noticeably closer and was now at the crevice of Joshua’s left arm. He stiffed when he felt Crow sniffing him, goosebumps rolling over his body in anticipation. Great Greagor, he is going to jump me. However, not only did that not happen, but the next thing Joshua sees is Crow let out a yawn, stretching his whole body in the process, before falling on his side with his head laying in between Joshua’s elbow. Small breaths can be heard as Crow starts to relax further, causing Joshua to relax with him. He lays back down, getting more on his side so he is in a comfortable position that allows room for Crow to stay undisturbed from his slumber. Carefully, he pulls Crow closer to him, making him snuggle more into his arm. 

“This isn’t so bad.” Joshua thinks, a small smile forming on his lips. His mom never allowed Torgal to sleep with him as a child, her excuse being the wolf dander would deplete his immune system more than it already was. To have an animal so close to him is comforting. It makes him feel oddly safe, even when he feels safe in your company. 

He hears the tent flaps open, and the moonlight shines into the tent. He sees your expression as you look at him and Crow, and his heart melts at how your eyes lit up. He watches you tie the flap so it is slightly ajar, and then watches you crawl in. You sit criss-crossed beside him, very obviously admiring the scene occurring. 

“Well, isn’t this a sweet surprise?” You said smugly, arms crossed.

“Yeah,” Joshua lightly laughs. “I guess I can understand why you would want to sleep with him and not me.”

“Awe, was My Lord jealous of the little pussy cat?” You pouted jokingly, and all Joshua can do is groan. He knows it is silly, but he can’t deny it.

“I won’t deny my feelings, though rather immature.” He huffs lightly, looking down at the sleeping ball of fur. He moves his hand to stroke the black fur of Crow’s side, his mood lighting up even further. “This is strangely healing, however. I don’t blame you.”

“Well, you can now have a turn with him. He is a great sleepmate.” You moved to set up a side for yourself, but Joshua carefully reached for your arm causing you to turn to him quizzically. 

“I have a proposition, being that you join us instead of sleeping alone tonight.”

The warmth in your eyes at his statement makes his heart leap, knowing your answer before it slips your lips. He watches you undress to the undergarments that lie beneath your outer clothes, and lifts the covers when you go to lie beside him. He intertwined his legs with yours, both of your bodies getting as close as possible without crushing Crow. His forehead touches yours, inhaling with an ease he hadn’t felt in a while.

“What is it?” You asked, concern in your tone.

“Nothing,” Joshua mumbles, his left arm cradling Crow to his chest and his right hand settling on your waist. “This is just nice.”

You both fall asleep to the soft hum of Crow’s breathing.

-

Joshua’s perception of Crow has changed gradually as you all traveled. When he feels his mood sour, it’s like Crow knows and works to get his attention, and suddenly Joshua feels 100 times better. Crow was therapeutic, in a way, so traveling with him wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. If he was being honest with himself, he felt rather happy when Crow begged for his attention. 

There had been a change of plans in the journey to Prince Dion’s camp. On the belt of the Crystal Road, Joshua had started to feel worse for wear. His coughing had grown rougher and more painful, more blood coming out of his lungs. His chest wound was growing bigger by the day. He knows he is running out of time, so he had insisted that the journey must continue. Once again, however, you did not listen. Which is why he is now laying in a bed at the Dalimil Inn. 

“We really need to get a move on, dearest. We need to get to Dion.” He tries to sound healthy, but even he isn’t dumb enough to think he sounds convincing. He starts to move, wanting to sit up, before another round of coughing rushes out of his lungs.

“Yeah, and you struggling to stay up right is going to help us get there faster.” You snarked, still light hearted nonetheless.

Joshua wishes to retort, but he doesn’t have it in him. He falls back with a groan, his brain pounding and chest tight. He knew keeping Ultima locked away would be hard, but the agony that comes with it is more than he could have realized. Being naturally ill doesn’t provide any immunity to pain, and Joshua was learning the hard way.

You come into his vision, and like the angel you were, you pull the covers over him. Tucking him in like you were his baby, you pressed a kiss to his forehead, which Joshua relished in. He won’t admit it to you, but he has always loved being taken care of. 

“I’m going to run out to the market and find some minerals and herbs for your medicine. I’ll also get you some food as you should eat something.” You twirled a piece of his hair, only to drop it to brush your fingertips against the baby hairs that meet his forehead. “Crow will be here to keep watch.”

Joshua turns his head slightly to see Crow sleeping in the desk chair beside the bed, curled up into the seat. He knew he had to be tired, and a weird sense of envy seeped into Joshua’s bones. He wishes he could sleep with such ease. 

Fingertips graze his chin, rotating it until he meets your eyes again. The way you are looking at him makes his chest feel lighter, even with the chaos and muck that stirs within. Your skin on his soothes him, and he can’t help but to lean into your touch. His eyes flutter shut, and he hears you hum softly. “Try to get some rest. I shall return to you soon.” 

Light pressure sets against his lips, lasting for a few seconds, before releasing. He listens to your steps, and continues to listen after the door shuts. The faintness of your steps disappear, but Joshua still hears them in his mind. The soft pitter-patter of your light feet tap away, and slowly pulls him into a deep sleep.

-

Even in the few moments before Joshua’s slumber ends, he can sense a difference within himself. He feels as if his chest is heavier than before, but not as it was before. The angry flourishes of pain have settled to a dull ache, something he isn’t accustomed to these days. There is a peacefulness that has taken homage, and it is the most calm he has felt in the last few days. The heaviness on his chest is comforting. It felt like the times he would wake up with your head on his chest, with deep breathing that vibrated his being. 

In the early stages of being awake, he reaches for his chest expecting to feel your hair against his skin. His fingers brush against what he believes to be hair, until his brain reminds him that it isn’t coarse and surely doesn’t rise and fall. His eyes snap open, sleepy delirium resolved as he comes face to face with black fur. The light in the room had dimmed slightly, meaning it had been approximately two hours since his slumber. Sometime during the duration, Crow had taken it upon himself to rest on Joshua’s chest.

Crow was purring insistently loud, his eyes crescented as he rests with his body curled. Joshua couldn’t explain it, but the vibrations soothed the violent thumping that would make him stumble with each step. His whole body felt as if he had found an oasis; like he had discovered something that quenched his relief. Or more so, Crow had discovered how to help him. 

Joshua scratched Crow’s head, getting behind the ears, making the black feline purr louder and lean into his hand. He could feel a lump in his throat, for somehow, a cat had come to his aid. A cat took one look at him and knew how to help him. Who knew such a remedy would treat him so diligently and work so well. He presumes Greagor knew what She was doing when you had come across the ball of fur; a healer with a healer cat. 

Joshua was so immersed with Crow’s abilities, that the sound of the door opening and closing hadn’t caught his attention. It isn’t until he feels movement at the end of the bed that his head shoots up to see you with the biggest grin on your face.

“What did I tell you?”

“Regarding?” Joshua asks, confused as to why you are looking at him with such glee.

“I told you I’d make him a great healer!” You cheered enthusiastically. “Look at you! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look as comfortable as you do right now.”

“You’ve trained him well.” He continues to pet Crow, moving his fingers down to scratch under his neck. “However, I do believe you said he’d be the best healer I’d ever seen. I’ll admit I stand corrected, for he may even be a better healer than you.” He jests, knowing it’ll rile you up.

You gawked at him, “If he wasn’t lying on your chest right now, I’d make you take that back.”

“You can remove him if you’d like. I’d like to see what you’d do.” He draws out lewdly, loving how you are reacting to his quips. 

“Whatever, you perv.” You laughed, moving to crawl beside him. You had gently wrapped an arm across him, right behind where Crow lays. Your head is now beside his and he can’t help himself as he leans in to kiss you. The two of you stay like that for a while, enjoying the tranquility of the moment before the three of you prepare to experience the rough world out there. 

Him, his lady, and their cat.

[akiira00]

— Jealousy

Requested by: @unohanachi

Pairing: Jealous! Sung Jin-Woo x G/n! Reader

Synopsis: Jin-Woo hasn’t been home lately because of his job as a hunter, so you went out with your friends, which led to a bit of a misunderstanding.

Genre: Slight angst if you squint, fluff ending, maybe suggestive ending.

A/n: Thanks for the request! It’s my first one and I didn’t know if you wanted hcs or a fic, so I went with this idea, feel free to request again if you wanted something else. Hope you like it!

Length: 1.5k words

Extra: Sarang (사랑) means “love”.

It was a warm day at South-Korea, which made you wake up with an energetic smile one your face. It was a Thursday morning, in which you specifically took the day off for a date with your lover, specifically after he canceled the last two because of work. You quickly hopped off the bed as you went to complete your morning routine.

As soon as you finished cleaning yourself, you went downstairs to eat something, as you pulled out your cellphone realizing you had a message in it.

— 💙 Sarang:

Good morning… I’m sorry but I’ll be out of contact for the day, I know we had a date planned and all but the asociation wants me to complete some things. See you later.

— You:

Don’t worry! We can always go out later… Take care, sarang. ❤️

You sighed as you looked at the message, looking up to the roof as you just accepted the fact. Your boyfriend, Sung Jin-Woo was Korea’s tenth S-rank hunter, so it was normal for him to be busy, almost to the point it bothered you. You just wished he at least took a day off… Or even take you to work with him! You were an A-rank healer, so it was only rational he could use your help… Right?

He wasn’t home much time and when he was, he arrived at almost midnight and left at early hours of the morning with you still asleep. You understood that, but you realized you needed to go out a bit and maybe have a bit of fun.

You then finished your breakfast and washed the dishes, but an unexpected message stopped you in your tracks. Apparently a friend group of yours was going out to eat and have a nice day off. Again? It was the fourth time in the last two weeks… Well, you didn’t have anything else to do, so you quickly agreed, sending back a message and going up to your room once again.

After you changed and grabbed whatever you needed, you got out of your house, walking towards a park near your home, in which your friend were waiting for you.

Just as that, a fun day began. You quickly forgot about your date with Jin-Woo’s sudden cancelling as you spent quality time with your friends, a small group of two girls, three guys and you.

You smiled and greeted them, as you guys went out to dinner and later hit a bar, drinking together to wash out some stress.

By your lover’s side, he was clearing some A-Rank gates by himself as always, ocassionally taking a bit of time to peek into the eyes of the soldiers stored in your shadow, looking at how you were laughing alongside your friends, making him frown a bit.

After some hours, almost at 4pm, he found himself in a bit of a problem. He entered the supposedly ‘last gate of the day’, which turned out to be a red gate, so he ended up trapped inside for what he felt like five days, but they were just five hours on the real world, which didn’t tire him, but frustrated him because every time he peeked into his shadows, he saw you alongside one of your friends, laughing together and drinking, which made his blood boil in jealousy.

It was now almost 10pm, Jin-Woo was tiredly walking down the stairs of the association’s main office as he finished having a talk with president Go Gun-Hee after clearing the red portal.

He seemed to be a bit bothered by the day, his clothes a bit torn and a bothered expression. He then thought about you and pulled out his cellphone to text you, feeling too tired to peek into his shadows.

Hey love… I just finished the thing I told you about… See you at home. ❤️

He then walked towards your shared home, as you guys moved in together after a few years of dating. When he arrived, he opened the door, expecting a quick and exaggerate welcome by you as always happened, but he was greeted by silence and off lights.

“Hey… Are you here…?” He said in a high-enough voice, but he didn’t recieve an answer, he then went up to your shared room to still find no trace of you.

He sighed, once again using his power to see where you were at despite how tired he was.

He saw a rather odd sight for him. He noticed a park and you were with your usual friend group. But what startled him a bit was that you were resting your head on one of your friend’s shoulder, exactly the one he trusted the least. But even worse, your face was a bit too red.

He clutched his fist a bit as he stood up again, activating his skill to change places with his shadow soldier, appearing out of thin air in front of you and your friends, leaving most of them stunned as one of the strongest hunters suddenly appeared in front of them.

“I’m sorry but I’ll take her now.” He coldly said as he took a hold of your shoulder angrily, as he walked away from your group without even letting you reply.

“H-hey..! W-what’s up with you..?” You said, as you were walking a bit weirdly, but he didn’t pay attention to that. After some minutes, he stopped walking, holding you by your shoulders in front of him as he looked at your eyes.

“I know I’ve been out of home lately, but really? Cheating on me now?” He coldly asked as you were quickly shocked by his accusation, making you look at him in the eyes in pure confusion.

“What the- Sarang, did you really think that…?” You quickly laughed at his angry and serious expression, getting closer to him and pinning him to the nearest wall with the small amount of strength your dizzy self had left, leaning in enough to reach his lips, but without touching them.

“I was just out with my friends, Jin-Woo! Did you really worry that much about me~?” You teased as your cheeks were still pinkish. “Explain why you were blushing around (f/n).” He said sternly as you laughed again at his remarks.

“I wasn’t blushing, dummy.~ I may have drank a bit too much though… Maybe that made my cheeks heat up a bit.” You explained as you gave him a peck on the lips, as you looked at him.

“You’re still going to compensate me for this. Come on.” He smirked a bit as he activated one of his skills, lifting you up without even touching you as he flipped your positions around, now pinning you down to the wall and kissing you.

“Don’t ever make me worry like that again.” He demanded as you nodded, with him smirking at your currently flustered state, taking you by your wrist as he started walking, dragging you around with him. “We’re going home, and you aren’t complaining.”

You smiled a bit as you followed him around, following him towards you shared home. When you both entered, he shut the door down behind him, walking you up to the bedroom and laying down on the bed by your side.

You being as intoxicated as you were, quickly wrapped your arms around his waist, looking at him with a tiny smile as his cheeks flushed a bit at the current sight of you. “Don’t look at me like that…” He said as he deviated his sight from you, making you think he was mad at you.

“Huh? Nah, I won’t.~ Don’t you want me to at least hold you in the one time we’re home together~?” You asked as he couldn’t deny it, but he had to maintain himself composed to maybe ‘teach you a lesson’.

“Heyy..~ I’m talking to you, Sarang…” You muttered as he pulled out his phone, quickly going through sone texts as he ignored you. Oh, the silent treatment now, huh?

You tried to get him to at least look at you, shaking your hand lazily in front of his eyes to try and catch his attention, but it didn’t work leaving you to try like that for a long time.

“Come on… Don’t give me that now..! I promise I’ll tell you next time I go out… You said you’d be out of contact for the day so I thought it’d be the same if I didn’t text it to you..” You defended yourself, admitting your flaw after almost 20 minutes, which made him sigh, looking down at you with a smirk and tossing his phone out of reach.

“There, you said it. If you ever worry me like this again I’ll be truly mad… I had to see you around that idiot for five whole days in a row… But you’re right. I should use this night together to maybe teach you something…” He said as he pulled you into a kiss, smirking at your flustered sight. “Don’t back down now, Sarang.~ You asked for it.”

[profound-imagination]

Tell Me Their Names - Ruhn Danaan - Part 2

A/N: Everyone thank my beloved @thatlosernoonelikes for this chapter existing, and credit to Bri for the idea! This can be continued, we’ll see how it goes.

T/W’s: Mentions of Trauma but nothing specific, mentions of shitty fathers and I think that’s!

W/C: 1.8k

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Velaris was easily the most beautiful place you’d ever seen. Well, from what you could see from your bedroom window and the balconies of the House of Wind as your hosts called it. Feyre had joined you all in the journey to the house, showing each one of you to your bedrooms and playing the perfect hostess. You had eyed Ruhn anxiously, not wanting him to leave you, as she showed you a beautiful room with a huge bed and attached bathroom and continued down the hallway motioning for Ruhn to follow. Ruhn, who she kept eyeing as if trying to work out who he was, he did, after all, bear a striking resemblance to her husband, the High Lord who Feyre would glance at often as well.

They turned when Ruhn didn’t move from his spot at your doorway. Feyre raised a questioning eyebrow. “I don’t want to be rude but we stay together.” Ruhn had said, stepping towards you and wrapping an arm around your shoulder. “We went through a lot and I don’t want to, I can’t, let her out of my sight.” He said quietly, the High Lord, Rhysand hummed, “Trauma bonded.” You nodded, “Something like that.” Feyre smiled kindly, “Of course you can stay together, I should’ve realised you would want to!” You were quick to reassure her that she had done nothing wrong and her kindness was already far too much.

Once the door was closed and Ruhn had assured you they were gone you circled the room, the best you could on your mangled ankle. Feyre had said something about a healer and an hour but you didn’t hold much hope for your ankle being fixed. “Why do you look like him?” You asked Ruhn quietly, following him towards the bathroom where you watched him begin to draw a bath. “I-I don’t know, it’s weird.” He said, shrugging his shoulders, “But it looks like he could be your father.” You mumbled as Ruhn tensed, “He’s already done more for me than my father ever did.” He spat and turned to face you. “Can you get in or do you need my help?” He asked, his gentle tone returned. “It’s for me?” You asked quietly, tears pricking in the corner of your eyes. “Yes, I figured you’d like a bath.” You sniffed, “I can’t remember the last time I had a bath.” He smiled, “Enjoy it, I’ll be right outside.”

He stepped away and headed for the door and you smiled at his back then reprimanded yourself. Whatever you felt for the Fae Prince was dangerous and you only stood to get hurt in the long run. Just as you were struggling to undress two Wraiths appeared in the bathroom. They told you they had been sent by Lady Elain to offer their help should you need it. You smiled gratefully at them and allowed them to help. Ruhn had seen the scars on your face and arms, but he hadn’t seen the damage Lidia had inflicted on your back, nor would you want him too. There was something between the two of them and it wasn’t your place to break it further than it already was.

As you sat in the warm water and allowed the wraiths to bathe you your mind wandered. You felt it when you entered Velaris. That tingle of magic that you hadn’t felt since you were a child. Hadn’t felt it since you’d been ripped from your world and ended up in Crescent City, all magic gone and human ears. It filled you with dread. You absentmindedly wondered if you’d have to come clean. You’d told Ruhn you didn’t remember your family name, that you were an orphan. A lie. You could picture them now, your parents. You missed them so much your heart ached. You’d never see them again. You could still see your mother screaming as she was held back by your uncles. Could still see your father throwing his friends off of him and thundering towards you as you winked out of that world.

You jumped as the wraiths pulled you back to reality. “Are you alright, miss?” One of them asked as she gently wiped the tear that was trailing down your cheek. You hadn’t even noticed it. You nodded at her as you stood and wrapped a towel around yourself as the door banged open. “What’s wrong?” Ruhn’s teeth were bared and the wraiths startled. You pulled yourself together and gave him a watery smile. “I just can’t believe it’s really over.” You told him, another lie to add to the list. His face softened, “It’s over, Tiny.” He opened his arms and you willingly walked into them.

As predicted, the healer, Madja wasn’t convinced she could completely heal your ankle but she was willing to try. It would be done over weeks and it would involve having your ankle broken each time allowing it to heal in a slightly better position each time. Ruhn had been tense through the entire meeting. It was Ithan, the wolf that bought you a ridiculous amount of comfort, who had sat next to you and asked questions that needed to be asked. Ruhn had held your hand and had sat like a statue, his jaw locked in place as she had explained her plan.

After Madja had left, Bryce filled everyone in on what had happened while she’d been here, what help she had found. All from her perch on Hunt’s lap. Apparently, as well as the help she’d brought with her, they had additional backup arriving in a few days. Rhysand had smirked at you as Bryce mentioned their additional back up as if he knew something you didn’t. You raised an eyebrow at him but he simply shook his head.

When Bryce had finally finished her story, Rhysand took over. “You are all welcome and safe here.” He said, “Those of you who are willing and able can join us when we go back to Crescent City and take it back for the people. Those who aren’t can stay here. We will all be training every morning on the roof for those of us who want to join and master their gifts.” His eyes lingered on you for a second before flickering to Ruhn. Azriel spoke up then, “I can help you.” He said to Ruhn, “With the shadows.” Ruhn nodded, “They don’t do much, just enough so I can hide in them when I need to.” Azriel raised an eyebrow, “They can do much more than that.” His own shadows skittering around the room as if to prove his point.

Ruhn had spent the following days training with Azriel. Returning to your rooms late and exhausted. Feyre had chosen to train you, she was patient and kind and worked with you to figure out a way for you to fight with your mangled ankle. You were more than aware that Rhysand had been watching you but you had no idea why and the bigger problem you were facing was the magic thrumming in your veins getting stronger and stronger, as if it was trying to escape. You were sure your ears looked longer each day.

They had taken you to the field you’d first arrived in to train. Ruhn worked with Azriel as usual. Cassian and Nesta worked with Valkyries she commanded. As usual you were working with Feyre when Rhysand strolled over. “Let me take over for a while, Feyre Darling.” He purred at his wife. Some kind of silent conversation passed between them and she stepped away. Then Rhysand, without any warning, threw everything he had at you, darkness, his sword and he went for your mind as well. Your magic answered in response and he smiled. “Let it out.” He said into your mind. You gritted your teeth and shoved it back down. He doubled his efforts. Then something in the atmosphere changed and you watched over Rhys’ shoulder as Cassian left the others and charged at Ruhn, the same time Azriel turned on him. A look of betrayal and confusion crossed Ruhn’s face as he tried to defend himself against both assailants. You vaguely heard Feyre greet someone as your magic snapped. “NO!” You threw your hands out an ice wrapped wind ripped across the field, knocking Rhysand, Azriel and Cassian off of their feet and away from Ruhn.

You weren’t sure how long you held them there, using the wind you possessed to choke the air out of them. “Stop.” You knew that voice. “Y/N, you need to stop.” It couldn’t be, it was impossible. “Baby girl, you need to let them go.” Your vision cleared and you took in who held your face, who was standing in front of you. “Daddy?” You whimpered and your magic dropped. Rhys and his brothers gasped for air and Ruhn was there, just behind your father. “Daddy?” He questioned but you didn’t hear him, you just continued to stare at your father. “Well, she always was a daddy’s girl, I’m not surprised she has his magic.” You span and there she stood, your mother, the Queen of Terrasen. Your legs gave out and you collapsed into your father as you sobbed, your mother joining the two of you in a hug on the floor. “We found you.” Aelin sobbed into your hair.

“I’d say she’s her uncles girl rather than a daddy’s girl.” A familiar voice drawled. Your eyes shot to the person who had spoken and you choked out a sob, “Uncle Fen?” He grinned from ear to ear, “Hi kiddo.” Tears lined his eyes as well as you got to your feet and threw yourself at your favourite uncle, the reason you found so much comfort in Ithan. “What about us?” You took in the others who were in the clearing with you, your aunts and uncles, they had all come for you.

You turned to Ruhn, scanning his face. “Are you hurt?” You asked him, he ignored the question, “Your Fae?” He asked instead. “Yes, this is my mother and father, King & Queen of Terrasen, Rowan & Aelin Whitethorne Galathynius.” Ruhn gawked as his mind worked through the information you’d just given him, your parents coming to stand behind you, taking the prince in. “In a land long since burned to ash.” He mumbled to himself. “You’re a Fae Princess?” You shrugged at him, “You’re a Fae Prince, does it matter? I’m still me.” Panic began to crawl up your throat that Ruhn was going to pull away from you but despite Rowan staring him down, despite Fenrys, Lorcan and Aedion backing him up Ruhn pulled you into his chest, “Of course it doesn’t matter.”

When you pulled away, you turned to your family, “This is Ruhn Danaan, he’s Crown Prince of the Valbaran Fae. He’s…” you trailed off, trying to find the words, “He’s kept me safe and alive.” You told them. Rowan took his hand and shook it, the words that came out of your fathers mouth next could’ve split worlds and started wars if the wrong people heard them, “Ruhn, the Shadowsingers son. Nephew to the High Lord of this place. Thank you for protecting our daughter.” Silence fell as all eyes turned to Azriel and Ruhn’s face drained of all colour.

[solaarbeeam]

the strongest - g. satoru

CW :: angst, mentions of death and sashisu tragedy, and geto’s defection

a/n :: not a gojo girlie, but I decided to write this to try my hand at angst.. and here we are.

When Gojo Satoru had enrolled in Tokyo Jujutsu Tech, he had expected to have people groveling at his feet, to praise and worship the ground he walked on, simply because he was the strongest. That’s how it’s always been.

At least, until you, a black-haired delinquent, and an auburn haired snarky healer bursted into his life.

It was once, when Yaga-sensei had asked him and Suguru to come outside for a sparring match. Him versus Suguru, the true strongest. With you and Shoko on the sidelines, you for combat experience, and Shoko as the only proficient RCT-user in the last 400 years.

Suguru brought out a curse. Infinity dropped without his permission. Shoko administered her healing technique immediately. You laughed at him, though in a lighthearted way and not a condescending way.

Infinity dropped for you. Infinity dropped for Shoko too. This was when he knew, he found his forever people. His forever home.

The only Six Eyes user in 400 years. A Curse Manipulator, making the strongest. The only proficient RCT-user in the last 400 years. Last but most definitely not least, you. The user of a technique that’s powerful on its own but works so well once with a group of sorcerers.

And then he came to love you.

He loves the three of you, you, Suguru, and Shoko that is, but he loves you differently. He loves Suguru in a best friend way, all harsh words with softer meanings behind them. He loves Shoko in a best girl way, sharing sweets and stealing sunglasses and rough yet gentle hands healing over his wounds.

The way he loves you, is all hushed words and touches that affect his soul so much he feels like it’s going to overflow one day. His eyes flicker and blink adoringly when he looks at you, and that’s how he should’ve known how this story ends.

In their second year of high school, everything went to shit. He should’ve known. The people he loves are and will always be ripped away from him.

The higher ups have began physically separating Shoko from the four of you. She tries her best to stay with you guys, but the higher ups have gotten to threatening her.

Satoru didn’t like that. He scheduled a meeting with the higher ups. They didn’t call Shoko, a 15 year old girl who has seen too much, to long nights in the morgue again.

One night, when they went out to a festival for Suguru’s birthday, a day late he might add because you had a mission out of town, you finally kissed him for the first time. He held on to you so tight you felt as if he was cradling your soul in his pale hands. Shoko and Suguru, had said, and he quotes, “It’s about damn time.”

Then, after a few rare peaceful months, everything went to shit. Why? Because he, Gojo Satoru, can never be happy. All his loved ones have to be taken away from him.

He’s the strongest. But without the people he loves, the people he cherishes, what is he, truly?

A kid. A kid raised to believe he was a god. All until he realized he was a mortal all too late.

The Star Plasma Vessel Mission. He and Suguru had begged to take you and Shoko along, and so, the four of you went.

He wished that mission never happened.

Amanai Riko died at the age of 14, never able to truly live because of the fucked up system that runs Jujutsu Society. Satoru had finally learned RCT, but he had took brain damage and Suguru was on the verge of death.

You took on Fushiguro Toji and the last of the curses that had swarmed the four of you. It was a bloodbath. Satoru never gave enough props to Shoko. RCT is hard. They’re lucky to have her.

Suguru leaves, just like how all his loved ones are going to do, willingly or forcibly.

He’s ordered to kill him. He does. He comes back and cries ugly tears into you and Shoko until he physically can’t anymore.

His words ring in his head like a bell.

“Are you the strongest because you’re Gojo Satoru, or are you Gojo Satoru because you’re the strongest?”

He never answered.

He found his comfort in you, because you were the only steadfast thing in his life. He loved you with everything he had, and he had a lot. He made sure to hang on to Shoko too.

He becomes a teacher. He gains students, including Toni’s little terror, Megumi. The kids love you.

It’s the happiest he’s been in a while.

Until Kenjaku comes. His eyes tell him it’s Getou Suguru. His soul knows otherwise.

Shibuya happens. Every sorcerer is dispatched, including Shoko, who’s not combat oriented, gets dispatched.

Shoko and you both meet him on the biggest battlefield. Shoko, like the stubborn person she is, insists on healing him. Satoru will never admit it, but she’s always been better at RCT than he has.

Then there’s you, the love of his life, the one person who’s been a constant in his life, who tosses off your jacket and runs into battle. His soul cries out for you, but it’s impossible for him to say it out loud when he has to focus on the fight.

Shoko falls first, and it hurts more than it was to make sure he didn’t get hit. As she takes her last breath, she hugs him one last time, and Gojo Satoru hugs back Ieiri Shoko’s lifeless body.

Then, he looks at you, who fought to the very end, knees to the ground and head to the sky. He scrambles to you, holding you in his arms as the calm before the storm erupts once more.

“Y/N…?”

“Yes, ‘Toru…?”

“Thank you for loving me.”

“I wanted to, and I always will.” You cough up blood mid-sentence, and Satoru knows you’re a goner.

“I love you, Gojo Satoru.”

He loves you so much, so so so much, but it wasn’t enough to make you stay. It wasn’t enough to make Suguru or Shoko stay.

He is Gojo Satoru. He is the Strongest.

He was a kid raised to believe he was a God. He fell off his pedestal.

He is the Strongest.

But without you, or his precious people, what is he really?

© solaarbeeam 2024. do not copy or repost anywhere.

[of-dragonss]

i care for you

☽ ༚  ༵ ۰ ✧ ۰  ༵ ༚ ༵ ۰ ✧ ۰  ༵ 

ramattra x talon!support!gn reader

no use of “y/n”.

☽ ༚  ༵ ۰ ✧ ۰  ༵ ༚ ༵ ۰ ✧ ۰  ༵ 

the smooth metallic surface of ramattras thumb gently traced your lips as you stared up at him from where you sat on his lap, your eyes memorizing his face plate from every dent to the smallest scratch. right hand wrapped gently around his wrist as he continued to gently caress your face.

“you’re growing soft.” you spoke up, eyes looking through the slits that hid his optics. “for a human no less.” you smirked, tightening your hold on his wrist.

“you’re a hypocrite.” he scoffed, pinching your cheek, but not hard enough to hurt you. “three months ago you hated omnics. now look at you, curled up in the lap of one.”

“i guess we’re both hypocrites.” you chuckled, gently grabbing his hand, intertwining your fingers with his as you pressed a kiss to the back oh his larger one. “first time we met you told me i was the dirt you walked on.” you nuzzled your cheek against your intertwined hands, closing your eyes. “just yesterday you told me you worshipped the ground i walked on.” a giggle escaped your lips.

ramattra removed his hand from yours, knocking it against your head on purpose in a silent way to tell you to keep quiet. it was true, neither of you liked each other from the moment he walked in the talon base in egypt, towering over doomfist behind him. he was hard to work with, you hated going on missions with him when it was only the two of you. he wanted all the action when he went into his ridiculous nemesis form. but he protected you well, being his healer.

in fact that was why you started to like him. a mission gone wrong in budapest. a missile missed you by only several feet, still flying back by the impact, hitting your abdomen hard on rubble, sharp metal pipes protruding from the concrete slab. you thought you were left behind by your squad, vision getting blurry as you tried to seal the wounds with the abilities granted by your gauntlets on your arms, but of course they were damaged, you could only heal the smaller cuts before the gauntlets finally malfunctioned.

you thought you were going to die, bleed out amongst the rubble of fallen buildings around you. you couldn’t see where your team went. your ear piece slipped off your ear so you couldn’t voice your situation. it was getting harder to stay awake, you were trying to stay awake. the adrenaline wasn’t enough to stop feeling dizzy and faint from the blood loss. you thought this was it.

until the blurry outline of ramattras giant form was the last thing you saw before slipping into unconsciousness. he picked up your body gently, and cradled you against his chest. he didn’t understand why he cared about you, a human of all things. you worked well together despite despising the other for being human and omnic. ramattra thought this was just a colleague doing something honorable. saving one of talons top agents. for selfish reasons? he wouldn’t be entirely lying.

he wanted you around. he wanted to know why he wanted you around. so he carried you to the ship ready for evacuation, where moira was stationed, and he demanded her to help. and she did with slight annoyance at your poor performance today.

he was the last person you saw before blacking out, and he was the first person you saw when you woke up. you were confused as you gained awareness of where you were. you were certain you died out on the field. ramattra was looking straight at you when you turned your head to look at the figure sitting by your bed.

“good, you’re awake.” he stated bluntly. you could tell he was annoyed by the tone of his voice.

“and you’re here because..?” you rolled your eyes. he scoffed. just woken up after three days and you already had enough energy for your snarky replies.

“making sure you actually woke up. you humans are too fragile. too soft.” he barked back, standing from his chair. “i’ll notify doctor o’deorian.” before he opened the door to the hospital room, he stopped, looked back slightly over his shoulder, and muttered; “do that again and i won’t come to save you.” you smiled knowingly as he left.

the next few months went as usual after your recovery. mission after mission. but with a slight change to the omnics behavior. ramattra wanted you at his side at all times.

“so you can do your job and heal more efficiently.” he would scoff every time you said anything. but you knew why. he would shield you more. cover you as you helped talon agents on the ground as you healed their wounds to get back into the fight. he was more mindful of you. still obnoxious with his quips but a little toned down.

you also changed your views on him. you appreciated his help on the field. only one agent ever helped you, and that was sigma but he was always with moira so she can keep track of her more than intrusive experiments on him. poor bastard.

you no longer grew annoyed with him. in fact you found him enduring, much to his displeasure. he still wanted to keep his image, but around you he grew softer.

these interactions on the field developed more in talon headquarters. he would help you reach something you couldn’t get without the help of a ladder or step stool, and you would fix any damages done to his body. which he sat still throughout, surprisingly.

as the months went by he expressed his emotions one night. intertwining his fingers with yours for the first time. in private of course. you’ve never heard him talk to softly before that night. confessing his attraction towards you. you let him know you felt the same with a kiss on his face plate where his mouth would be, smiling up at the null sector omnic before you.

after that you two kept sharing intimate moments out of sight of the eyes on your colleagues. expressing your infatuation to each other. such as what you two were doing right now. you on his lap, hands intertwined, your other softly caressing the wires that could be passed off as “hair”.

“i care about you. ramattra.” the word ‘love’ has never passed through your lips, and he has never spoken the word either to you. but the both of you know you do love each other.

“and i you.” his voice was soft, low. the version of a whisper for an omnic. “you are the only human i want to be around. for however long we have.” he tilted his head down, his forehead touching yours. “my love.”

your breath hitched, eyes darting around his face plate. a smile bloomed on your face as you craned your neck to plant a kiss on the metal of his face. “i love you.” you whispered, bringing your intertwined hands to your chest.

“i love you too.”

[maximwtf]

“listlessness.”

 Elrond x Reader

words: 2170

google docs pages: 4

warnings: Hurt with no comfort, death, griefing

opening: After your passing, Elrond tries to shake off the memories of you in every room of his house. Though, this task proves to be harder than he could have ever imagined. 

AN// Reader can be any gender. I haven’t written a good old angst in a while, and I feel like this had to be done because of that. Went full on out with this, angst with absolutely no comfort :”D I used lyrics from this beautiful -> song

           “listlessness.”

You’d fallen ill one day, and as much as you kept telling Elrond that you’d be fine, he kept fussing over you. Neither of you could figure out what was wrong, and your condition kept getting worse by the time wasted with no answers on how to help. Even when you had become bedridden, you kept telling the Lord of Rivendell that you’d bounce back up eventually, that if he just calmed down for a moment, things would get better. That of course never changed anything, his care for you combined with the mind of a healer didn’t allow him to get almost any rest at all as he fussed over you. It hurt to watch him be so worried, ignoring some of his duties while trying his best to find answers, to find a cure. 

At some point guests and other elves had started to notice the way he had changed. You told him this, told him that people would find out about the secret the two of you had kept so well hidden for so long. You’d been courting him, silently and out of the picture since neither of you wanted to reveal it so suddenly, but took your time with it instead. Elrond’s children had their suspicions, but they kept it to themselves, having respect for their father and his relationships. But it was the guests and Elrond’s assistants and such that worried you, even when the mystery illness was bringing you down along with it. He heard your concerns, and as much as he worried about others finding out before it was the right time for it, he did not care. No secret he could have thought of was so important, as to surpass your wellbeing. That was of the utmost importance to him, had always been. 

Time had started to pass in a weird pattern for you, sleeping had become such an important part of your day that it had begun to feel like it was the only thing you were able to do. Sometimes when you woke up, Elrond was there. He’d talk to you for as long as you were able to talk. Sometimes you tried to stay awake past your limits, but in those cases Elrond would stop the conversations. He was not stupid, and as much as he loved spending time with you, he was not going to allow you to harm yourself by talking to him. He would assure you that he’d be right back whenever you woke up again, leaving you to sleep. 

This lasted for some time, Elrond visiting you while working and trying to find a cure. But internally the both of you knew that you didn’t have much time left. And if the cure didn’t magically appear, you wouldn’t make it for much longer. Either way it hurt Elrond to watch you suffer through every day, fighting with the small amounts of energy that you still had within you. You’d always been so strong. So in a way, he was glad. Glad, when he had entered the all too familiar room from the past months where he found you unresponsive. He silenced the spikes of grief in that moment with the thought of it being selfish. Selfish to miss you so, when he knew it was better this way if it had been him who had failed to find the cure. You could now rest at ease.

Maybe it was the whole of Rivendell, or perhaps it was just him. But everything felt silent, a colourless silence that had overtook the whole building, a feeling that followed the Lord of Rivendell wherever he went. Elrond continued to complete his duties as he had before, with the same care. But out of all the burdens that he had been through within his whole long life, this one’s weight was heavy. Heavier than he could have ever imagined. He had told himself in the past that he understood that you were a human, that you’d live a life that would pass fastly in his eyes. That if he was going to go further, to court you, he’d have to come to terms with that. And that was something you had asked for him to understand as well, knowing how important he was to Rivendell. But you had not lived the long life he had wished for you to have, the life that you had deserved to live. It’d been cut short, way too short. 

There is still an empty shelf in the closet for your belongings

Time passed, just as it had when you’d still been there with him. And time would keep passing by, no matter how much he wished for it to stop. Stop, just for a moment to give him time to think. To give him a moment to sit down and process. That was what his inner mind craved for, but what he did instead was continue life. He tried to block off the feeling, keeping himself busy and keeping the thought in his mind that it would have been selfish for him to feel the way he wished he could. Would have you wanted for him to cry after you, to seem clingy for something that wasn’t there anymore?

But his attempts at that were most of the time useless. Every time he was left alone, with no duties to go complete, the thoughts and memories came back. You’d been with him every day, in the same house with him for so long. He hadn’t had the heart to throw away your belongings yet, he did not wish to touch them. They felt pure in a way as they were, the last person who had been in contact with them being you. Though he knew he should put them away. If not throw away then perhaps store them somewhere close to him. Maybe that seemed silly, foolish of him even. 

He should have by now been used to loss. He’d seen many failed attempts with healing others, and this should have been just like that. But that was again what he kept telling himself. 

One day he took it upon himself to empty the shelves in your shared quarters. He did end up saving the items, storing them away for he did not have the heart to get rid of them. The grief he hadn’t let wash over him was making him do it, whether he liked it or not. And Elrond let it. He had thought of asking for someone else to do it for him, but that felt wrong as well. He wanted to heal himself in a way, but that was not something he was used to. So he believed that doing this may have been the help he needed.

and space for you on the bed, still waiting

But that was not the only thing he wasn’t used to. With the countless memories he had with you in the house, in all of the rooms there was one that reminded him of you the most. Mornings and nights that used to be a comfort for him before entering another hectic day had now turned into something he wished he could avoid. The now half empty bed he had shared with you, the place that had taken you ages to get used to sharing even when Elrond had told you countless times that it was okay. That place was now strange without you there. Even giving it a look, not daring to lay down brought a nowadays familiar feeling to him. The burn that started from the back of his throat and then moved up to the back of his eyes and soon brought up tears, which he shook off every time. 

waiting for you to silently press your head on my chest, when you can’t sleep

As many times as he tried, the tears always welled back up. Shaking them away never helped, and Elrond knew that. He had tried it multiple times, at the start- and at the end of every day since you had left and never did it work. But nevertheless he needed sleep. He could work as much as he wanted and try to ignore his emotions, but at some point he needed to stop and get some rest. It humoured Elrond to hear himself tell the patients he took care of to get some rest. That they’d feel better after that when he himself hadn’t slept in an unforgivable time. Elrond wasn’t one to self neglect, but the loss he was feeling was too much to bear in his sleep. He could go for a good long while before he felt the need to get any rest, but alas it still caught up to him. 

So he still laid down, still tried to take care of himself. He did it because he knew that’s something you would have wanted him to do even if you weren’t there anymore. That was one of the rare thoughts that gave him peace of mind. Everything that used to be familiar and comforting on the bed was now gone.

Due to him not having to sleep as much as a human, he had never been a heavy sleeper. He woke up easily, which had never bothered him. Most of the time he’d simply been there for you, and enjoyed stirring awake to you cuddling up closer. It gave him a reason to not get up until you’d wake up again, a reason for his mind to stop thinking about all the duties he had to fulfil. He was occupied. 

I’m missing you here, every day so much

Elrond knew people eventually started to notice his change, and if someone dared to ask him if he was alright, he insisted. Insisted that he would be fine, and that this was going to pass so there was no need to worry. At some point he even believed it himself. In his long lifetime he had seen and experienced so much, and he had learned to put his trust on time. As it passed, he had always begun to feel better as he moved on. Though, this sadness felt different, still just as heavy as before. 

Elrond still kept on doing the routines he had followed before all this. He dined with his family, sometimes even had guests over to eat with him. Of course, word got around and at some point the people he had over also knew of what had happened. Not only did they know of your passing, but they had started to wonder why he cared so deeply about one mortal from all of the people Elrond had taken care of in his life. Of course at some point it started to be clear to them that he must have been courting you, but since neither of you hadn’t had the time to reveal it officially, none of his guests asked him about it. In this way, showing their respect for the man.

I’ll keep putting out a plate for you, even if you never came again

The chefs had stopped putting out a plate for you soon after your passing had been announced, though Elrond had not come to that realisation for a long time after. He used to have supper with you, alone. He’d made time for that every day, because he enjoyed the company you provided when there was no one else around. Sometimes the shared dinners became a little hectic, and as much as he did not mind it at all, he held it close to his heart whenever he saw you arrive at the shared table for supper. 

So each time for supper he had found himself at that same table, putting out a plate for you. The first time he felt his heart ache, pull in different directions as he took a deep breath and collected the utensils away. By now, whenever he found himself repeating the same action he didn’t remove the plates. Maybe somewhere in his mind he was wishing you’d arrive back at some point, as foolish as that thought may have been. 

I’m missing you here, every day so much

After all this time, after all his duties, he always found himself leaving his study and making his way outside. The house and all the rooms within it felt less homely than they ever had before. So his mind made him wander back into the gardens, where he sometimes sat for hours. A place where he could be alone, where he didn’t used to be alone. But even without your physical presence there, it somehow didn't feel as pressuring as the air in the house. The usually calm sigh he used to calm himself was shaky today. From stress and piled up grief. When the first tear rolled down his cheek, the warmth within him in that moment felt like it started to return the colours around him. Slowly, but they started to come back. 

AN// I felt like I made this a little longer than necessary, but hopefully no one minds. Either way I feel like we need some more Elrond content here !

[reidmania]

my girls - neteyam sully

genre - fluff, little angst

summary - reader is scared to tell neteyam the true reason behind why she is sick, because of a previous conversation she overheard

characters- y/n, fem!navi reader, aged up neteyam

word count - 5.4k

warnings - miss communication, use of she/ her, and y/n, pregnancy, dad neteyam.

Y/N FELT her mate’s presence as he entered the small hut, where she had been previously resting. she knew he was there but made no effort to move.

neteyam looked over at his mate, who he first assumed was asleep, but the soft sway of her tail gave her away, he frowned. something was wrong. normally she would rush to meet the war party, rushing to check if everyone was okay — especially neteyam.

so when he got off his ikran, to find his girl no where to be seen, he was instantly filled with worry. he placed his bow down next to the entrance, before taking off his other required equipment.

“yawne?” neteyam said, walking slowly towards where she was resting on the mat, her ears perked up, sitting softly as she was filled with an overflow of nausea again. “you’re back” she said softly, leaning forward to wrap her arms around his next as he kneeled next to her.

“you’re burning up yawne, are you sick?” he asked.

she shook her head, before shrugging softly. “how was it?” she asked, disregarding his question as she wiped the tired from his eyes. normally the two would walk around the village, y/n listening to every detail about what had happened, but right now neteyam was more worried about his mate.

“baby, what is the matter?” he said, placing the back of his hand to her forehead, “should we go see grandmother?” he asked, wanting to know if there was an illness going around, or if something serious was wrong.

“no i am fine, its just very warm today. i missed you this morning” y/n said, changing the topic once more, neteyam smiled at the soft confession, y/n moved over so he could join her on the mat.

“i missed you too, you looked so peaceful i didn’t want to wake you” he said, kissing her forehead softly. she sighed, “have you been sleeping well, yawne?” he asked, noticing the soft bags beneath her eyes.

she just hummed, curling herself into his chest. he placed his hand softly on her back, placing another kiss on the top of her head.

“you falling asleep on me?” he asked, looking down to see her droopy eyes, deep in thought. she looked so beautiful, he thought. she shook her head. “no no, sorry. i should probably go help mo’at with the injured” she said, moving to get up.

he grabbed her waist tightly, pulling her back into him, “im sure her and kiri can handle it” he said, whispering softly into her ear as he wrapped his arms around her.

“i dont know nete, its been pretty rough the last few times” she said, once again trying to get up. neteyam groaned, “can’t you stay here just this once?”

“nete, we have all tomorrow, together. remember?” she said, rubbing his bicep softly, neteyam looked away, his eyes filled with guilt.

“oh- we don’t?” y/n asked, neteyam sighed, “dad asked me to help train some young warriors, you know what he is like..” neteyam said, guilt dripping from his tone.

y/n just nodded, pulling away from his grasp to get up, off of the mat, “well, we will find time, but i really do have to go” she said, pushing a few braids behind her ears. fixing the cloth covering her chest. neteyam sighed as he watched her.

“what time will you be back?” he asked, standing up to join her, standing behind her as she fixed the fabric.

she hummed, leaning softly into his touch, “sometime after eclipse?” she shrugged. “i must go, yawne.” she said, turning around to place a soft kiss on his lips, before slipping out of the entrance before he could respond.

she did as she said she was, she went to the healing tent, seeing it packed with warriors and men, covered in injuries. mo’at, neytiri and kiri were all happy to see more help, y/n was truely a wonderful healer

she quickly got to work, ignoring the nausea and fatigue that came over her, after over two and a half hours, the tent was basically cleared. only one more warrior, who had a nasty gash on his back.

“you need to be more careful.” y/n warned softly, placing the medicine on the boys back. the warrior looked up at the na’vi fixing up his cuts.

“you are neteyam’s mate” he said, y/n nodded, a soft laugh leaving his mouth. “he was talking about you all day” the warrior said, words coming out as a soft groan as she pressed a little too roughly on the gash, “sorry-“ she muttered.

he nodded, she quickly wrapped him up, he thanked her before walking out. a loud sigh left her mouth. rubbing a hand over her face. “im exhausted” she said, kiri smiled softly as she finished mixing a new medicine.

“are you sick, child?” mo’at asked, y/n shook her head, why did everyone keep asking. neytiri and mo’at looked at each other. kiri looked at y/n who gave her a look, almost as if she was asking if kiri knew what the two were thinking, kiri only shrugged.

“y/n, do you mind if i examine you, just really quickly” neytiri asked, y/n paused, wondering if she looked sick, was her nausea obvious?

“uh- sure” she said, shrugging softly, both neytiri and mo’at approached her.

they did a few exams, checking a lot of different things before stopping to look at each other, they shared a look, kiri was beaming from the other side of the room as she noticed what was going on.

“what is it?” y/n asked.

mo’at took the lead, “y/n, eywa has blessed you with a gift” she said, neytiri placed a hand on y/n’s stomach, y/n looked up in confusion, worry filling her eyes.

“y/n- you are with child” neytiri said, y/n paused, her whole body freezing up. “wh- what? are you sure”

“baby is strong, strong heart, strong mind” mo’at said, “you must tell neteyam!! he will be so happy” kiri said, y/n only frantically shook her head.

“no - no he does not want this!” y/n said, tears pooling her eyes, the three of them frowned, neytiri grabbed onto the girls hand as a sob left her mouth.

“you don’t know that” kiri said, walking towards her brothers mate, a soft smile on her face, but y/n just sobbed.

“yes i do, i know he doesn’t want this. i heard him tell lo’ak he doesn’t want children yet — he wants to focus on training, he will hate me” she sobbed

neytiri hugged the girl as kiri frowned, “oh y/n”

“you must not worry, stress can harm the child” mo’at warned, y/n sobbed harder. “you must tell neteyam, but when you are ready.” neytiri said, rubbing the girls back softly.

“are you alright?” kiri asked, as she started to calm down, y/n nodded. “yes- i think im going to take a walk..” she said, needing a minute alone before returning home to neteyam. she couldn’t tell him yet, he would leave her.

“are you sure y/n? its passed eclipse, be careful” neytiri said, “i will tell jake, so if anything happens, he knows where you’re going”

y/n thanked her mother inlaw before leaving the healing pod, taking a deep breath. she knew it wouldn’t be long until neteyam was asleep, maybe, thats if he didn’t stay up worrying about his mate.

she was walking for a little over an hour, finding herself at the tree of souls. she sat down and all of a sudden it was like everything came crashing down. “please ewya, give me the strength to tell neteyam, please help me, i can’t lose him.”

y/n returned home an hour after, officially it had been nearly three hours since she left for her walk and neteyam was going out of his mind, jake had said that she was safe and okay, but that only irritated him more, howcome his father knew where his wife was when he didn’t? it drove him insane.

when she walked through the entrance of their shared hut. her face was calm, almost stone, but there was a slight bloachyness on her face, she had been crying. “y/n?” neteyam said softly, standing up from the chair he had been sitting on.

“sorry im late” she said, rubbing her eyes as a small yawn left her mouth. “have you eaten yawne?” neteyam asked, he couldn’t find it in himself to be upset at her.

she hadn’t, but she wasn’t really hungry either, so she just nodded. he frowned, missing the nights they got to eat together, sleep together, do everything together.

they barely had any time one on one anymore. and it drove him insane. he was always busy with his father, and hunting, and tasks, and she was always busy with healing, teaching, learning. he missed his wife.

she was always tired and it broke his heart, he just wanted to give her the world and it felt as if he was failing.

“yawne, do you want to get ready for bed? i was thinking tomorrow once i get back we could go for a fly together?” he offered, she frowned, wanting nothing more then to do that.

“im sorry, i thought you were going to be busy all day so i told mo’at id help in the hut.” she confessed guilty, it wasn’t a lie, mo’at had asked, and since she had a free day, no longer dedicated to neteyam, she accepted.

“fuck” he groaned. it seemed like no matter what they never had time anymore. “nete?” she cooed softly, wondering what was going through his mind.

“im sorry yawne, i just miss you” he said, walking over to her to wrap his arms around her waist as she changed into a more comfortable covering.

“i can see if kiri can do it?” she said, feeling bad. guilt flooding her stomach as his hands pressed right against her stomach, where there was a child, a baby. his baby.

a baby he didn’t want.

she knew she would have to tell him, but there was a sense of selfishness inside her, if she told him, it would be over right? he said he wanted to focus on training, and he wasn’t ready. yet here she was carrying his child he had no idea about.

it broke her heart, he had no idea.

how would he react, would he ignore her and shut her out, get angry and yell, blame her? kick her out? would he hate her and tell her he never wants to see her again?

right now she couldn’t lose him, but what if all the stress eventually builds up and then she loses the baby, should she end things with him before he can? does he have to know about the baby at all.

of course he does, that is his child, he has a right to know even if he wants nothing to do with it.

“whats going through your pretty little head?” he cooed, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. she smiled, shaking her head. “nothing important. bed?” she asked, tiredness overcoming her.

he hummed, grabbing her hands to lead her to the hammock outside.

the next week was the worse, y/n kept looking for a time to tell him, but they were both overly busy with work and tasks.

today, they were hanging out with lo’ak and tsireya, who had moved from the metakayna clan to be with lo’ak. “we have something to tell you both” lo’ak said.

neteyam was sitting with his arm slung around y/n, holding her close to him, her head rested on his shoulder. y/n instantly perked up at the mention, she had been getting more and more sick, the morning sickness was eating her alive, thankfully, neteyam had yet to catch on, he always left before y/n woke up to get an early start on his tasks so he had more time for her during the evening.

she however, had been having more check ups with mo’at finding out she is roughly just over a month along, and soon she would have a bump forming.

tsireya smiled softly, as lo’ak looked at her, giving her the go ahead to tell them. “we are with child” she said, a massive smile forming across her face.

neteyam instantly stood up to congratulate the both, as did y/n a massive smile forming across neteyam’s face, it almost broke her heart. y/n instantly wrapped her arms tsireya, congratulating her.

“hey- be careful, thats my wife and child!” lo’ak said, y/n and tsireya laughed, neteyam chuckled along before speaking, “calm down daddy lo’ak.” he said, although over the moon for his brother.

lo’ak shook his head softly, “as if you wouldn’t be protective of y/n if she was pregnant” lo’ak joked, but it hit y/n hard, she just went quiet, tensing slightly.

neteyam smiled, wrapping his arms around his mate, “of course i would.” he said, y/n didn’t expect his words, moreso him expecting to shut it down as soon as possible.

“how far along are you?” y/n asked, slowly moving out of neteyam’s grasp, to talk to tsireya, trying to not let how uncomfortable she was show. “just over a month!”

that also his y/n hard. they were roughly around the same way along, that means there kids would be the same age, and probably best friends — if neteyam didn’t leave her and ban her from the clan.

she knew he wasn’t low enough to do that, but the two of them never really spoke about kids, not since they were teenagers, neteyam had said he wanted kids but he wanted to focus on being a leader first — although that was before the two had mated and got married.

but even then, more recently, only a month ago he had said he wasn’t ready yet, and so she just assumed he would leave her.

tsireya noticed her quiet aroma, different to how it usually was, looking towards lo’ak and neteyam who were deep in a conversation, she looked at y/n who forced a smile at her.

“me and y/n are going to go to the river, have a girls chat. meet you back in… an hour?” tsireya said, neteyam frowned, not liking that the one free time he had with his wife was being taken up by someone else, but the two were walking off before he could protest.

“women” lo’ak joked, neteyam smiled softly. “hey does y/n seem off to you?” neteyam asked, watching as his mate walked out of the village. “i mean, i haven’t really noticed, shes a little quieter but shes been working a lot no? tsireya said shes been in the healing hut a lot.” lo’ak shrugged,

neteyam sighed, “its more then that, shes not telling me something, but i have no idea what”

lo’ak shrugged, neteyam only shook it off, “so daddy lo’ak huh?” he said, lo’ak pushed his brother away, playfully.

“whats going on” tsireya asked as the two of them approached the river, y/n shook her head, “nothing, what do you mean?” she asked, lying obviously.

“y/n… are you with child?” tsireya asked straight up, causing y/n to snap her head towards the other, “wh- what?”

tsireya smiled, getting her answer just by the girl’s reaction. “you immediately went quiet when lo’ak mentioned you being pregnant and youre being kind of distant from neteyam, i was the same when i found out, i didn’t tell lo’ak until a few days ago”

y/n immediately broke down crying, tsireya sighed, wrapping her arms around the girl. “was it that obvious?” she asked, tsireya shook her head, “no- no. i just know you, and its the same way i was acting- why haven’t you told neteyam, im sure he would love to be a dad”

“i overheard him saying he wasn’t ready and wanted to focus on hunting for a bit” y/n confessed, feeling even more guilty, it felt like everyone knew but neteyam.

“y/n- lo’ak said the same thing. but when i told him he was over the moon, i think they’re just boys, and the way they grew up was to put training and hunting first. but you know your neteyam’s number one priority right?”

y/n only stayed quiet, tsireya frowned at her best friend, she hated seeing the girl beside herself. she knew from experience its hard keeping something so serious and deep from your mate, and with the fear that they will hate you for it, even worse.

they didn’t realise how much time had passed, y/n was rushing to wipe away her tears and make herself presentable as she heard a stick snap and familiar laughter belonging to her mate.

tsireya and y/n both ended up rushing into the water, just so it seemed like they were doing something other then talking about what they were, tsireya swore not to tell, yet very excited that her child would have a best friend the same age, and that they were going through this together.

they shared stories about how the pregnancy was going, how they found out, how bad their morning sickness was, and overall just comforted each other, it was nice.

“babe?” she heard lo’aks voice, as he peered through the forest, finding the two girls in the water, “they’re over here” he called to neteyam.

lo’ak instantly approached, “how are you? how is the baby” tsireya couldn’t even answer before he asked more questions, “are you hurt? is baby hurt?”

“lo’ak, i am fine, and so is the baby” tsireya smiled softly, neteyam appeared a second after smiling as he saw his wife floating on her back, with her eyes closed.

“y/n” she heard neteyam’s voice, instantly opening her eyes, she returned to standing in the water. “do you want to go on a fly later?” he asked.

y/n felt a whole other load of guilt unpoor, she had agreed to go see mo’at with tsireya and have a checkup together. neteyam seemed to see it on her face, the guilt, the rejection.

“tsireya asked me to go with her to her appointment, they’re finding out the gender.. she wants me to know before them to help set up like — a gender reveal thing, apparently your dad mentioned it”

neteyam frowned, first work was stealing his wife away, now tsireya and a baby?

lo’ak got carried away explaining to neteyam what a baby shower was, instantly taking the heat off of y/n, who looked at tsireya, who just smiled softly,

it wasn’t a lie, the both of them were finding out the others gender. so they could have a shared baby shower, which was tsireya’s idea, but y/n was warry, was it okay for her to be getting this ahead of herself when neteyam still had no idea that this baby even existed.

“talking about that, we should start heading back” tsireya said, grabbing onto y/n’s hand for the two of them to walk out of the lake together.

“y/n can i speak to you before you go?” neteyam asked, y/n nodded, tsireya muttered something about meeting her there before she walked off with lo’ak.

he smiled as she approached him. “whats up?” she asked, he just leaned down to place a kiss on her lips. he groaned into the kiss, missing the way her lips felt on his, he deepened the kiss, grabbing her hips.

she laughed, pulling away, wrapping her arms around his neck. “what’s brought this on?” she asked, as he leaned down to kiss her jaw and down her neck.

“ ‘jus miss you” he said, kissing her collar bone before reconnecting their lips. she smiled into the kiss, before the guilt came back. “neteyam-“ she said pulling away, he attempted to chase the kiss but didn’t get anywhere. “i really have to go, i promised her.”

“fuck the appointment y/n” he said, tone rough as he reconnected their lips, pulling her closer to him. “teyam, this is important.” she said as she pulled away, placing her hands on his chest.

“everything seems to be more important” he said, y/n felt hurt, it wasn’t one sided, he was busy too. “are you blaming me?” she asked softly, eyes furrowed.

“no- i’m just saying— we don’t spend any time together anymore.

y/n didn’t know if she could handle this conversation right now, she also did really need to go. “can we talk about this later please- i really have to go” she said. silently begging.

he frowned, sighing, before releasing her, she frowned at his annoyed expression — not even bothering to spare her a glance or say goodbye.

tears pooled her eyes before she started walking away. her mind clouded as he turned back around, his back was to her. “neteyam” she said softly, voice cracking.

“we aren’t going just for tsireya” she said, before leaving, leaving her mate alone with his thoughts, alone to ponder about what she meant by her words.

“you’re child is strong, but stressed, tell neteyam” mo’at said, placing her hand softly on y/n’s belly, they had just finished tsireya’s and y/n was now the one who was being checked, mo’at had written the gender of tsireya’s baby on a piece of paper and given it to y/n, and had just done the same for y/n.

the appointment didn’t go for very long, the two left about twenty minute after it had started. “tsi” y/n said, looking at her friend. “do you think i could stay with you tonight?” she asked.

tsireya immediately softened, nodding softly. “of course, what happened?” y/n explained the small argument and how she was slightly nervous to go back home to see him. tsireya understood, feeling for her friend.

“ill tell lo’ak, do you want me to get him to tell neteyam so he isn’t worried?” tsireya asked her friend who hadn’t stopped looking at the paper in tsireya’s hands, which was folded shut.

“yeah- yes please” y/n answered, tearing her gaze from the paper. she followed tsireya back to the hut tsireya and lo’ak shared.

“lo’ak, can you do me a favour?” lo’ak immediately perked up, staring at his pregnant wife, willing to do anything she asked. “could you please let him know y/n is staying with us tonight”

“she is? why”

“yes she is, don’t ask and just do” tsireya said, annoyed, not really at the boy, moreso at the fact she didn’t know how much y/n wanted him to know.

lo’ak nodded, heading out to talk to his brother. “im scared.” y/n confessed, tsireya just gave her a half hearted smile, wrapping her arms around the girl.

“hey neteyam” lo’ak said, looking at his brother who looked.. frantic, in his hut, eyes wide when he noticed his little brother standing at the entrance. “fuck - lo’ak have you seen y/n?” he asked.

lo’ak instantly started to panic as well, neteyam had no idea where she was he calmed himself down when he remembered why he was here. “yeah yeah, i do, shes at mine with tsireya.” lo’ak said, neteyam instantly sighed with relief.

“they wanted me to come tell you that y/n is gonna stay with us tonight, they didn’t tell me why - actually yelled at me not to ask. and im scared of those women together so i just didn’t”

“fuck!” neteyam cursed, griping his hair tightly as panic overflowed. lo’ak began to worry, “whats wrong? what happened?” lo’ak asked.

“we argued- kind of, but then she said she wasn’t going to mo’at just for tsireya?? i dont know what she meant, it could be anything right? do you think she is really sick?” neteyam ranted.

lo’ak put the pieces together in his head, the reason y/n was so quiet, the reason she went with tsireya, the reason his mate was bubbling with excitement when she was walking back with him. “neteyam, bro? have you noticed y/n being sick?” lo’ak asked.

neteyam furrowed his eyebrows, “no? she is just sleeping a lot? what is going on.” he asked.

“fuck, tomorrow, talk to y/n. be understanding.” he said.

“is she in love with someone else?” neteyam asked, worry filling his chest, he hadn’t spent a night alone in his hut since the two had gotten it, despite going on a few hunting trips, he still spoke to y/n through coms every single night he was away.

and now he was alone in his hut, no way to communicate with her as he noticed her com sitting on the desk, it annoyed him slightly, what if she had gotten hurt and he had no idea cause she wasn’t wearing her com.

his mind was spiralling, he felt insane without her. it had been building up but he couldn’t help it.

and he was worried, why did she need an appointment with mo’at? why would she go with tsireya if it was completely different.

oh.

y/n was basically asleep, despite the goosebumps that fell along her skin, she was use to the warmth of neteyam’s body when going to sleep, she hated the cold, and he was never cold.

she missed him, feeling bad, she couldn’t help but wonder how he was doing, maybe he liked it better when she wasn’t there, not asking for his attention every two seconds. she was just thinking about him, she was worried, what if he hated her for what he said.

did he catch on? did he understand what she meant. she wondered if he was mad, it drove her to the brink of insanity.

she felt a groan from the room next to her where neteyam and tsireya were sleeping, or so she thought, it was a groan of annoyance, before she could ignore it, lo’ak walked in.

“this is for you” he said, handing her his com, she looked up in confusion, furrowing her eyebrows. “he hasn’t left me alone since i left, says he wont stop till he speaks to you” lo’ak explained, almost begging her to put him out of his misery, “i just want to sleep” he said, before walking out, back to his room.

“hello?” she said, pressing the button, she knew how to use it since neteyam had given her one, saying to wear it everywhere she went, however today, she didn’t.

“yawne?” she heard neteyam’s voice, her confused expression fell into a frown, she was tempted to turn it off and stop replying, but the softness in his voice made her worry.

“neteyam? what is the problem?” she asked, looking up at the roof of the hut, he groaned, almost as if he was in pain. “the fact i am talking to you through my brothers fucking com, and not in person with you in my arms” he said.

she smiled, her heart warmed, even after she had said what she said, he still missed her, which mustve meant he didn’t catch on to her slight confession.

she then frowned, “neteyam.” she muttered, not understanding what he wanted her to do. “come home, yawne.” he said, almost begging. he needed her home, “please, you don’t have to talk to me but i need you to come home, i will come get you, please”

she sighed, feeling guilty, “okay neteyam” she gave in, shaking her head softly, “fuck- yes, ill be there in a minute. thank you yawne”

y/n sighed as she moved the com from her mouth, walking into the other room she placed the com next to lo’ak, tsireya sat awake, while lo’ak was dead asleep.

“where are you going?” she asked, y/n smiled softly, “neteyam asked me to go home — i don’t think he knows. must of missed my comment” she said, believing there was no other reason.

“he is coming to pick me up, don’t worry.” she said, as tsireya smiled, leaning back. “good luck, let me know how you go, yeah?”

“thank you, for everything”

the cold air nipped at y/n’s skin, as she stood outside waiting for neteyam, when she saw him, she immediately felt warmer.

his hair was a mess, his daily loincloth and been replaced with one he had worn for sleep, the idea of someone else seeing him like that couldn’t help but make y/n a bit jealous.

he didn’t even wait for her to say anything, instantly wrapping his arms around her, taking a long deep breath, inhaling her scent like he had gone years without her.

“god i missed you” he said, she didn’t respond. just hugged him back, she missed him as well.

“come, lets go home, yawne” he said. pulling on her hand, bringing her in front of him, he held her hips as he stood tall behind her, leading her home.

“neteyam.” she said as they reached their hut, he turned to her, it was the first time she had spoken, he hated her use of his full name, she always called him the shortened version. “yawne?”

“i need to tell you something, and i think i should do it before we go in” she said, inhaling deeply, nerves biting her as the urge to tell him not to worry came up. “what’s wrong yawne?” he asked, pulling her close to him.

“tey- im pregnant.” she finally said the words, and the tears came flowing, she couldn’t help it, nothing she did, she wanted to be strong and tell him she understood he wasn’t ready and that she understood that he was going to end things.

but none of that happened, she just cried, too scared to look at his reaction, but she felt his hands on her, pulling her closer to rub her back.

“im sorry- i know you don’t want it and you’re going to leave me, im sorry tey” she sobbed into his chest, he was shocked, he already knew she was pregnant, he caught on after he comment, maybe that played a part in why he missed her so much. but leave her?

“baby- what.. what are you talking about. leave you? why would i leave you.” he said, pulling her face away to look at her, fear covering her entire face. “i know you told lo’ak you didn’t want kids yet, and you want to focus on hunting and training, im sorry i ruined it for you, please dont hate me” she sobbed.

he was shocked with every word that left her mouth.

“what are you even- no baby- oh god. i was telling lo’ak i wasn’t ready to train kids. dad has been trying to make us start with 7 year olds, neither of us are ready to train a whole group of little kids, that- i didn’t say i wasn’t ready yawne. god im so ready, i’ve been ready, i just didn’t want to pressure you into anything, gosh im so sorry, i can’t believe you were so scared, i could never leave you”

he was now crying as well, the two of them besides themselves, you were crying because it was a lot of information to take in, and neteyam crying because he was going to be a dad.

“ewya, im so happy, so so happy- i love you so much baby, so so so much” he said, connecting his lips with yours.

“and you too, little one, i love you so much”

“its a girl” y/n sobbed, she hated that she could see what mo’at was writing, and the fact that her and tsireya were very bad at keeping secrets, they ended up just telling the other the gender.

tsireya was having a boy, and y/n a girl.

“you found out?” he said, looking up from where he was kneeling before her stomach. y/n immediately felt guilty. “im sorry.” she said, wiping her teary eyes.

“don’t be baby. my two girls. gosh i cant wait to meet you” he said speaking to your belly, as if it was gonna respond.

his two girls

[witchysquirrel]

Epiphany

Chapter Three

Cassian slept for four days. Madja and Ravenna worked in shifts, one of the healers at his bedside at all times. Wound care was done twice daily; they gave him fluids, kept his pain at bay. Ravenna spent a lot of time at his bedside, just watching him breathe. 

That first day when he’d finally been stable enough, she’d bathed him. It had been difficult to cut the torn leathers from his body, and she was sure she looked like an idiot trying to move his dead weight by herself. Nonetheless, Ravenna tossed the ruined leathers aside and went to work. It took her two hours and several buckets of soapy water to fully scrub away all of the blood and dirt and sludge that coated every inch of Cassian’s body, chipping away at it until she could see his skin again. And then a second scrub to actually clean. When she was done, she washed his hair, separating dried blood and mud from the dark strands until she could comb it smooth.

Ravenna put a fresh pair of sweatpants on him, deciding her work was done, as she was entirely sweating by the time she had finished this endeavor. Ravenna looked down at him, resting so peacefully beneath battered wings, the angles of his face illuminated in the lamp light. Ravenna thought Cassian was objectively beautiful, she knew everyone thought he was. He was an infamous ladies man that had had a handful of great loves, but even more sex with strangers. 

Cassian had been known to flirt with Ravenna if he got a little too drunk, only when he wasn’t taking a lover, but Ravenna knew that was just his personality. She made sure she never confused his flirting for something more, or the way she adored him for anything more than friendship. Ravenna tucked a piece of hair behind his ear, admiring his sleeping form once more, before deciding to head in for the night. Madja would be here in an hour and he would still be sleeping by then.

She covered him gently with the blanket, and took herself back to her room. As she turned the corner, ready to collapse into bed, she collided with something black and solid. 

“Oh, my bad,” Ravenna muttered, taking a step back.

“It’s okay, I was walking too fast,” Azriel replied, hardly meeting her eyes. He paused for a moment, but still didn’t look at her when he said, “Do you think he will fly again?”

Ravenna let out a small breath. “I can’t make promises,” she said, pausing. “Mostly because I don’t know.”

The silence threatened to eat her alive.  “But you’ll be here the whole time?” Azriel looked at her finally, their brown eyes meeting. She nodded. He dipped his chin, in acknowledgement and goodbye, and then he was gone. She exhaled through her nose, considering what Azriel had said - that he was glad she would be here with Cassian - and decided it was a very high compliment. 

-

Ravenna awoke early on the fifth day that Cassian had been asleep. She’d fallen asleep early the night before, still wrapped in a bath towel on top of the comforter — too tired to tuck herself into bed. She rose, putting on the plain black ankle length dress and hooded cloak that hung neatly in the wardrobe waiting for her. Although she hadn’t come here with any clothes, the wardrobe always had what she needed. Ravenna tied the tan corset from an adjacent drawer around her waist, tied her still-damp hair into a loose low ponytail, and pulled on her boots. Remnants of the blood and gore she’d trudged through last week remained, and she waved her hand, the dirt disappearing on a draft of wind. 

She stopped in the dining room for a quick breakfast, stopping for a slice of toast and a banana. It was still dark out, the sun only just considering rising from beyond the mountains. Ravenna barely heard Azriel as he entered the room, grabbing a banana of his own from the fruit bowl on the counter. 

“I spent the night watching him,” Azriel started. “He slept well.” 

She gave him a small smile. “I’m glad. I’m hoping to wake him up today, I’m sure he’ll want to see you once that happens.” Azriel nodded once, then stalked out of the room in silence. 

Ravenna made her way to the makeshift infirmary, opening the door and shutting it quietly behind her. She did her assessments, surveying the wounds, listening to the thud of Cassian’s heart in his chest and the heave of his lungs as he slept. Although he was still a huge mass of muscle lying there, he looked fragile, which was not a word she’d ever used to describe him. When she finished with her first tasks, she began removing the dressings from Cassian’s wings, revealing the wounds beneath. They had all healed considerably since Ravenna had first laid eyes on them, she noted as she cleansed the wound beds. She paused, laying a magical hand over them in the hopes of further healing, then began to redress them. 

When she was finished with Cassian’s wound care, Ravenna made for the head of his bed. He looked so peaceful, resting with his eyes shut gently. She almost didn’t want to disturb him at all, let him sleep for another day. She puttered for a few minutes, and then returned, pressing a hand to his forehead once again. The healer closed her eyes, reaching again for that tether to his consciousness in her mind. She tugged at the line when she saw it, pulling Cassian to the surface.

-

Epiphany Masterlist

[dominimoonbeam]

Hi, first I wanted to say that I really love your writing and thank you so much for sharing it.

You're amazing and so talented and you made me addicted to your writing. The way you write characters is so real and your way of writing scenerios in general makes me so Invested in the story.

Another thing, I don't know if you accept requests and if you don't feel free to ignore it:

Can I please ask for Sam comforting darlin after a long week when they basically shut down from stress? (Can you tell I'm projecting?😅)

Please don't feel pressured to do it, I know you're working on a lot of stuff now too so maybe just keep the idea for the future?

Anyway I wish you a happy rest of your week, take care of yourself and rest if you need to!

Anon! Thank you so much for all the kind words! You're not the only one needing some comfort and care lately! I think something about this season has been rough for people for a bunch of different reasons, myself included. I've got you! Or at least, I tried. Hope you like it! And I hope things turn up and go smoother for you soon!

Sam/Darlin comfort fic below the cut. Will probably reread and post it on ao3 later on.

<3

They were tired.

Dead tired. Like they wished they were dead. No, no, that was bad. They didn’t wish that. They just… It had just been such a long fucking week and it felt like everything was going wrong. Nothing big enough that they could point it out or complain. Just, off. And they hadn’t been able to sleep. And it seemed like the longer it went, the longer they hid it well enough that no one pressed for an explanation they couldn’t begin to come up with, it got heavier rather than lighter.

When they got home that night from a job, they were actually relieved Sam wasn’t back yet. The last thing they wanted to do was to drag him down with them. God, he deserved so much better than them. They tossed their keys on the side table, toed off their boots, and hung up their jacket. The side of their face throbbed. They’d gotten hit with a fucking bat. David thought their cheekbone was broken and had only finally allowed them to go home because he knew Sam would take care of it.

Darlin sat down in the big chair, their favorite chair, and told themself they’d just sit for a minute. And then they’d shower, see if their face was really that much of a mess, and if it was, maybe they’d drag their ass over to the clinic and get a healer there to fix it. They felt bad making Sam patch them up all the time, but they also hated the idea of anyone else touching them let alone mending them.

They could put an ice pack on it. Maybe the swelling would go down on its own.

They sank back in the chair and closed their eyes. Just a minute.

-

Sam was still at the Solaire house when he got a call from David.

His heart always lurched high in his chest when he got a call from David, his first thought always that frantic fear that something had happened to Darlin. Why else would David call him instead of Darlin or instead of using the group chat?

Sam stepped away from the big table of squabbling younger vampires and a very amused William.

“David?”

“Hey Sam,” David said, voice gruff but easy, instantly relieving that tension in Sam’s chest. “I just wanted to check in and see how they’re doing.”

The tension was back. “What?” Darlin had been off for almost a week, barely talking but not willing or ready to tell him why. He wasn’t sure they knew themself, not yet. But somehow he didn’t think that was what David was talking about.

The pause stretched. “Are they not home yet?”

Sam was already grabbing his jacket and waving heading for the front door. “They might be, but I ain’t. Why?”

David sighed. “Sorry. It’s not an emergency, Sam. The job got rough and they took a bat to the face… I would have taken them to a healer but they insisted—”

“Yeah,” Sam said, nodding. Of course, they would. “I’m heading home now. I’ll let ya know when they’re patched up.”

He called Darlin in the truck but they didn’t answer, which conjured a mess of panicked thoughts. What if they’d passed out behind the wheel? The thought of his Darlin in a twisted wreck was hard to push away and almost immediately replaced by other tragic imaginings.

He exhaled small relief when he saw their car in front of the house.

The front door wasn’t locked. Darlin never locked it when they were home. And there they were, asleep in the big chair. He sighed and put his keys down with theirs. Another step inside and their eyes opened. Well, one opened, the other was swollen shut.

“Damn…” Darlin winced as he closed the door. They sat up with some effort. “Sorry, I think I fell asleep… What time is—”

“Don’t you dare stand up,” he warned when they were starting to tip forward. He was already in front of them, gently catching their shoulder to ease them back. He kept his voice in a low hush, thinking their head had to be hurting inside and out. “You shoulda called me, Darlin.” He knelt beside their leg, carefully fingering hair out of their face. The bruising was new, like it had only just begun, and the swelling was bad. It looked like their cheekbone was broken. “David said you got hit with a bat?”

Darlin sighed, shoulders slumping. “I wasn’t paying attention and this guy… Yeah.”

Sam clicked his teeth to keep from snarling at the idea of ‘this guy’ whoever the hell he was. He reached toward their face but they caught his wrist and pulled it gently down to their heart instead. “I’ll be gentle,” he promised, surprised.

Darlin smiled weakly, eyes already closed again. “I know. You always are, cowboy. But I don’t…” They sighed, their smile gone. “I don’t want to cost you anything right now, you know?” Their voice had gotten small, like they were far away inside themself.

Sam kept his hand to their chest, feeling their heartbeat through his palm. He leaned against their thigh, so they’d feel him right there next to them, practically leaning into the chair with them. “You never cost me anything,” he whispered back. “Healing you is a privilege. It makes me feel like there’s something I can do for you. I love you, Darlin.”

Their face pinched, not a wince but close, and he thought if they opened those eyes, they’d be teary. His other hand stroked up the side of their thigh, squeezing them gently. “Tell me what it is,” he said gently. “Tell me what’s going on in your head.” He said it quietly, like it could be just between them.

Darlin sighed and he heard all the exhaustion and strain in that breath. “I don’t know. I just… It’s been a bad week. It’s everything. I just feel… Everything. And I’m tired and I hate myself and I can’t… I can’t take things from you when I feel like I’ve got nothing to give.”

Sam watched them the whole time they choked out that barely audible confession. They’d never told him these things, but they didn’t shock him either. They hurt, because he never wanted them to feel like that, but they didn’t shock him. “Do you trust me, Darlin?”

That good eye opened enough to look at him, surprised. “Of course. I love you.”

He stroked his thumb against their collar, above their heart. “I’m going to heal you and then we’re going to take a bath. You can talk or you can relax. We’re going to get some well needed sleep and I’m going to order your favorite food. And every step of the way, I’m going to remind you that you’re incredible and all the reasons I love you, all the reasons your pack loves you, and all the reasons my clan loves you. You get to feel however you feel, Darlin, but that voice in your heart telling you bad shit, that’s asshole is lying.”

A tear rolled off Darlin’s lashes, even though their mouth was set in a stubborn line, like they refused to acknowledge it.

He reached up slowly, so they could stop him again if they needed to argue about this more, but he also couldn’t leave their face like that. His fingertips brushed the edge of the bruising and Darlin’s eye closed as that warm magic slid through their skin, spreading out. The delicate bone in their cheek healed and the swelling went down.

They exhaled relief when they opened both eyes and blinked at him.

He could see an apology building in their eyes, trying to form on their tongue. He took their face in both hands and leaned in, touching his forehead to theirs the way he’d seen the pack do. “Trust me,” he pleaded. “I ain’t ever going to lie to you, Darlin, and we’ll get through bad weeks together.”

Darlin stayed tense for another few seconds, like they might push this comfort away, but finally they sagged. Too tired maybe?

Sam smiled when they tipped their face into his, brushing a soft kiss against his lips. He kissed back and then pulled them to their feet to lead them to the bathroom. He had to make a dash back to his jacket to send a text off to David, telling him Darlin was fine but they were taking tomorrow off.

[mt-musings]

The Last Silverboughs

Halsin struggles to put his past to rest, but it's haunting him in more ways than he realizes. He'd thought his time in the Underdark was long behind him, an unpleasant pitfall of youthful hubris, but remnants of his captivity remain, the youngest of which unwittingly stumbles to his rescue.

Lythra can't stop running from her past--hasn't, since she managed to make it out of the Underdark. She has no love for Menzoberranzan, or her House, or anything she left behind in the dark. Or nearly anything.

Still, she'd rather die than return--a prospect all the more likely with a tadpole jammed behind her eye. But perhaps, with the help of a renown druidic healer, she can go back to what remains of her half-life in the sun.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

Read on AO3

Lythra watched Astarion pointedly file his nails off to the side while their crew caught their breath. They’d managed to steal the barrel of runepowder along with a smaller vial, though not without a fight, and that wasn’t counting the one they’d had to reach her hiding spot. Course, they couldn’t take too much time to dally, considering Nere was suffocating in poison. 

She really would love to just leave him to it, but that would mean letting the duegar torture and kill the deep gnomes, and that just didn’t sit well with her. Still, Nere wasn’t popular, and they’s have at least some help riddling him with holes.

A pompous little drow wizard, just like Kel.

She still didn’t know if he’d lived, hadn’t decided if she wanted him to have. She hated him but—she didn’t know. Some part of her wondered if maybe he could be reasoned with, could learn not to be such an absolute asswipe. If he could only just be her brother and not her rival, not her tormentor. 

“So, I suppose Nere is next, then,” Gale said from where he sat leaning against one of the crumbling walls, drawing her from her thoughts.

“I still don’t understand why we’re breaking him out just to kill him. Seems like a waste of time, to be honest,” Astarion said without looking up from his nails.

“Because they’ll kill the gnomes, Fangs,” Karlach shot back.

“Why should we care about some stupid gnomes? It’s their fault they were dumb enough to get caught.”

“Think of it as an opportunity to try duegar blood,” Lythra replied. Astarion made a face.

“I bet it’s mostly beer. Ack! Disgusting.”

“We’ll have to be clever about it, considering the open pits of lava. Gale, we’ll need you for crowd control, Karlach, you’ll need to occupy the bruisers and Astarion—just find somewhere out of sight and start picking them off.”

“What about you, short sack?” Karlach asked.

“I’m going to blitz Nere. He’ll come out monologuing—it’s what they do, they can’t help it. So he comes out, orally masturbating at us and then BAM! Susy to the sternum,” she said, flipping the sussar dagger in her hand with a flourish. “Should fuck him up pretty badly and if he doesn’t die, then he’ll have to work through some…performance issues.”

“That is…certainly a way of phrasing that,” Gale said, shaking his head. 

“Well, we better be getting on with it, before he does suffocate,” she said, getting up.

“Here’s hoping!” Astarion replied, crossing both his fingers. Lythra just rolled her eyes as he jumped lightly to his feet, staring her down as he slipped her nail file into his pocket. 

He sauntered by, trailing his fingers across her cheek as he went.  Her heart fluttered in her chest and she looked away.

“Keep it in your pants, Fangs,” Karlach called after him, laughing. Lythra just took a breath, shaking her head. Gale gave her a look, one she didn’t care to decipher. 

She was too focused on the task at hand, with what may as well serve as the prelude to her reunion with Kelennar, once she returned to the Gate. 

~~~

“You positively reek of blood, my dear,” Astarion said, coming to stand by her side at the edge of the cavern where they’d pitched camp. She didn’t seem to hear him, or perhaps she was ignoring him, her gaze far away. He couldn’t help but notice the way her hands shook, even though they’d returned to camp nearly an hour ago.

She’d never been one to get up close and personal in a fight, much more comfortable striking foes down form the shadows. But this time—this time she’d rushed ahead with reckless abandon that had give even Karlach pause. He’d never seen her behave so viciously, something that he’d watched with a sick sort of delight at the time, though now the delight had faded to something he’d nearly call worry. 

Ridiculous, he thought to himself. Why should he worry, when she’d survived just fine? He should be elated, if anything, that his chosen ally had more skill than he’d known before, that she was still full of useful surprises. 

“Sweetness—“ he began, hoping to lead her back to camp, to where Shadowheart or Halsin could see to her obvious injuries. Instead she spat something out in what he assumed to be drow and set off into the blackness. He watched her go, disappearing too easily into the shadows of the cavern and shook his head. 

Sometimes he regretted allying himself to such an enigma. He still didn’t know why her blood seemed to thrum with such alluring darkness. As if they didn’t have enough secrets with Shadowheart’s mysterious artifact and Gale’s ticking magical time bomb in his chest. 

He turned back towards camp with a sigh. If she wanted to run off into the cavernous Underdark with nary a word, that was her prerogative, and he wasn’t about to tear off after her. 

“Where did the tiny one go?” Karlach asked as he returned, he just shrugged, rather than voicing his annoyance. After all, it hadn’t been the first time she’d run off since they’d begun their trek to the hidden path to Moonrise Towers. He caught Halsin staring at him as he dropped down next to the fire, judgement clear in the set of his brows before the druid set off in the direction Astarion had just come from. 

Off to play hero, he was sure. 

Maybe that’s what she wanted, someone to tear after her, to wheedle out whatever it was that had been eating at her since they’d begun their journey underground. He watched the druid disappear, an acidic note settling in his throat. 

Perhaps he should have been the one to follow—

No. To the hells with whatever wretched recklessness had possessed her, if she wanted him to know she would tell him, he wouldn’t lower himself to chasing and begging.

He’d leave that for the damn druid. 

He couldn’t deny the fact that it was clear the druid had taken an interest in his little morsel, that his eyes lingered longer than they should. He’d thought his interest would fade, once the veneer of rescuer wore off and he realized that she wasn’t nearly as heroic as he thought, but, if anything, he’d just inserted himself more. 

Still, he would lose. Astarion could hear her heart whenever he got close, could hear it thunder beneath her ribs at his mere proximity. It never did anything of the sort around the druid. 

And yet, she ignored him, ignored his every attempt at flirting and romance. She wanted him, he knew it, he could hear it, he could smell it, he could taste it when he drank from her, and yet she kept her distance.

She couldn’t still be sore with him for the party. 

He’d just been rude. He was always rude, and she usually laughed! And she’d just thrown him off, with the whole infernal-rune-revelation. 

Perhaps she thought this was punishing him. It would be a rather effective one, if his advances were driven by actual lust and not survival.

As it was, it was merely annoying. 

~~~

Halsin found Lythra not too far away, in a small hollow. She’d tucked herself in a corner, facing the entrance, though her eyes were far away. There was blood splattered up to her elbows, blood splattering across nearly every inch of her armor, which was worse for wear. Her eyes flicked up to his face as he approached, slowly and deliberately, like he would an injured animal. 

“Is something wrong, back at camp?” She asked, brows furrowed. 

“No. I just wanted to check on you. Gale said it was a trying battle. 

“It was fine. Duegar tried to double-cross us, but that’s practically expected, and we still got paid. Should only be another day or two before we ascend for the Shadowlands, just a few loose ends folks want to wrap up.” 

Halsin only half listened, stepping forward to gently take hold of her left arm. She winced slightly, though she tried to hide it. There was a great slash through the bicep of her armor, the wound still sluggishly bleeding. 

“I thought Shadowheart fixed you all up after you returned?”

“I’m fine. It’s nothing—“

“I’m a fairly good judge of what is fine to be left to heal naturally and what requires intervention,” he said, and pushed up her sleeve. She was so young and stubborn—it made his heart ache. 

It would cost her, if left unchecked. It had certainly cost him.

He froze, staring at the mess of bruises and lacerations that covered her skin—weeks worth, in various stages of healing, though none as far along as they should be. 

“These wounds—they should have healed weeks ago,” Halsin said, glancing up to try and catch her eyes, though she expertly avoided his piercing stare. The lacerations still oozed, grit mashed into seemingly every one. He ran a thumb over a particularly deep one on her arm, carefully prying away the dirt—it was hot to the touch, clearly infected. She yanked her arm away.

“Little one—“

“Don’t, Halsin.”

“I will not be silent on this.”

“You know nothing of it.”

“Then enlighten me, child,” he replied, voice rumbling with a barely repressed rage. Rage that she would allow herself to suffer so, that she wouldn’t come to him when she’d been hurt. Her lip trembled, even as she glared back. Then she looked away without saying anything. 

“These need to be washed out and treated. Now.”

“I don’t—“

“This is not a discussion any longer. Stay here, and I will see that you don’t collapse from sepsis before we even reach Moonrise.”

He stalked off to grab his healing kit, trying to repress the anger roiling in his chest. He wasn’t angry at her, after all, not really, not when her behavior spoke so clearly of something larger going on, something terrible afflicted on her. Still, if only she would take hold of the hand he was so desperately holding out to her, if she would allow herself the barest of care—

“The armor needs to come off. Now. I won’t ask again.” 

She stared at him for a long moment before complying, though she struggled to lift her left arm high enough to undo the buckles. He sighed before undoing them himself, pulling off her shredded clothes until she was left in nothing more than blood splattered small clothes and he could finally see the extent of what she’d been hiding.

It was the most skin Halsin had ever seen her bear and it made him pause, not for the fact that she was close to naked, but for the scars that covered every inch of her newly revealed skin. They were vicious things, though the majority didn’t look like injuries gained while fighting, instead seeming almost surgical in nature. 

Certainly the thickest ones on her chest that looked to be the Y of an autopsy incision.

Her ribs were covered in black bruises, a bite on her shoulder infected and weeping puss. The cuts on her arms were truly the least of it all, the wounds that had demanded treatment crudely sewn together. 

“Silvanus, give me strength,” he said, waving his hand over a clean bowl and filling it with fresh water. He began carefully cleaning each of the wounds before healing them in silence, jaw clenched. 

She flinched every time he healed her, every muscle in her body taught. 

It was a while before he looked up to find her eyes firmly shut, tears dripping silently down her cheeks. 

“I hate it down here,” she said finally, in barely a whisper. 

“Then why are you inflicting another misery on yourself?”

She didn’t answer, though her face crumpled. He sighed, smoothing her hair back from her face. He handed her a fresh shirt from the trunk which he knew would be far too big, but was clean and comfortable, and passed her his waterskin. She took a few sips, furiously wiping away the tears on her face. 

“I’m sorry,” she said, barely more than a whisper as she handed it back. 

“I know. Go get some sleep. I’ll wake you for supper.”

“I’m fine, I don’t—“

“You need rest. We need you at your best if we’re to make it to Moonrise, and for that you need to sleep.”

Halsin expected her to argue more, but instead she just nodded, hanging her head, returning wordlessly back to camp. 

~~~

He found her curled up later, at the farthest end of camp, away from all the others, using her backpack as a pillow and covered in only a thin blanket. He had an extra, in his tent, warm and woolen. He went back to retrieve it, setting it next to her before he sat crosslegged next to her. 

She was the only one of their number that didn’t have a tent.

He woke her gently, handing her a bowl of hearty stew. She blearily took it, thanking him while avoiding his gaze. 

“How are you feeling?” He asked, noting the small amount of color that seemed to return to her cheeks with a few hours of sleep and a bit of food. She nodded, keeping her eyes glued to the bowl.

“Better. Thank you.”

“You must tell me, when you are hurt. I know it is…a liability, in the Underdark, to admit pain, or ill. But it is more dangerous to allow yourself to allow yourself to be weakened by your injuries and not tell anyone when you need aid.”

Lythra seemed to shrink back, eyes still glued on her meal, though she’d stopped eating it when he spoke. Her shoulders curved inward, back hunched, almost as if she were expecting a blow. 

“I need you to tell me when you are hurt. I know that you are not used to relying on others, and I am not trying to treat you as a child.”

“But I am acting as one. That is what you are trying to say but not, right? That this sort of petulance is reserved for children.”

Halsin huffed a laugh, despite himself. “I believe this to be something more than simple juvenile petulance, and I am an ear, should you wish to talk about it. I understand what it is like to be alone, as a youngling. I lost my own family long ago, when I had not yet reached my first century.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, the words simple, but they carried a weight of understanding, a weight matched behind her eyes as she finally looked up at him, if only for a second. He gave her a small smile. 

“It has been a long time. Still, should you wish for counsel—I am not looking to undermine, only aid.”

She nodded. “I—I appreciate your kindness. And—and your insistence. I…dislike magical healing. But—but you are right. It is not tactically sound to allow myself to fight at such a disadvantage. I—thank you.”

Halsin furrowed his brow at her stilted apology. It was genuine enough, but she’d been overly specific in which words she chose.

Not that he expected one stern talking-to to fix what was clearly a lifetime’s worth of cruelty and conditioning. To inflict such suffering on a child—his insides boiled at the thought. 

“How—how does your shoulder feel?” He asked, tempering his fury so as not to scare her. She rolled it, making a face.

“Stiff. It’s fine though.”

“There’s scar tissue that needs to be broken up. It won’t be pleasant, but it will help. It’d be best to wait a few days, though.”

She just nodded, dropping her eyes to the ground once more. He reached out despite himself and laid his hand on her cheek. 

“I can make you a draft, for tonight, for dreamless sleep, if you’d like.”

She nodded without looking at him. He took a deep breath before standing and making his way back to his tent. He caught Scratch as he bounded around, chasing after Lotha. 

“Friend!” he greeted, tongue lolling out to the side. Halsin reached down to pet him.

“Lythra could use some time with her furry friends tonight, I think.”

“Is she alright?”

“She will be. But perhaps a cuddle will help.”

“I’ll tell Lotha,” Scratch said, bounding away. Halsin smiled before turning to make the draft.

“So, how is our fearless leader? Better, after your vigorous tending?” Astarion asked, sidling up near-silently to peer at what he was doing. Halsin ignored his salacious tone. He was very obviously looking for a rise out of him because he saw him as a rival to whatever machinations he’d set on Lythra. 

“She is,” he said mildly, watching Astarion’s eyes narrow slightly before he forced a smile. 

“Well, that’s good to hear. Can’t have the poor thing collapsing in the Grymforge.”

“Certainly not,” he said, turning back to his work. Astarion stared, jaw tight. 

“Did you need anything else?”Halsin asked pleasantly. Astarion just gave him a dirty look.

“Certainly not,” he spat and turned on his heel. Halsin sighed and finished the draft. He brought it to Lythra, smiling at the sight of Scratch and Lotha curled next to her. 

“Thank you,” she said, accepting the cup. 

“Of course,” he said, watching as she drank it in an impressive two gulps. She paused, before handing him back the cup.

“It’s sweet.”

“I added a bit of honey to cut down the bitterness.”

“And it really—I won’t dream?” She asked. He shook his head. 

“It’ll work in a half hour or so. Do you wish for me to stay until you fall asleep?”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know. But I will, if you wish. It is not an imposition.”

“If—if you don’t mind.”

“I wouldn’t have suggested it if I did, little one.”

He stayed with her, until her eyelids fluttered shut, telling her stories about the animals in the Grove, or ones he’d met on his travels. She’d been very interested to hear about the giant ice spiders he’d met in his youth, eyes lighting up with wonder when he spoke of them being as large as a horse. 

He stayed a while after, running his hand through Scratch’s fur as she slept, her brow uncreased for the first time since he’d met her. He unfolded the wool blanket before he left, making she she was tucked in and warm. She pulled the blanket closer in her sleep pressing her face to Scratch’s fur. 

He left her in the care of her furry friends, still reeling about just how much—and how little—he’d learned about the young woman who’d saved him. 

[sev-on-kamino]

✨WIP Wednesday✨

thank you for the tag @wolffegirlsunite @deejadabbles @anxiouspineapple99 @dystopicjumpsuit @wings-and-beskar 💙💙

It’s coming along well, so here’s a lil sneak peak at the rough draft of:

In Pieces Ch. 2 - (Never Had A) Friend Like Me

pairings: Rex x fem!reader, Cody x fem!reader, Fox x fem!reader, Wolffe x fem!reader

warnings: suggestive af, MINORS DNI

They kept you in a haze of pleasure the rest of the night. Soft touches, lingering kisses, their lips against your ears, whispering to you, as they took you higher and higher.

“Don’t think I could ever get enough of you.”

“It’s so tempting to keep you, mesh’la.”

“You belong in my arms, just like this.”

“We fit together too well. Must have been made for me, cyare.”

Rex watched, fascinated, as you came down from your high.

“So good for us, aren’t you?” He asked softly.

You hummed affirmatively, pressing your face against his neck, while he listened to you working to catch your breath. He noticed your fingers were loosely tangled with Fox’s, while your free hand drew aimless little shapes against his skin. They’d made your body sing for them, and what a beautiful song it was. One Rex could listen to over and over again.

The spell that had bound the four of you was broken as Fox’s alarm went off. The real world was calling.

“Damn!” Fox swore, moving out of your reach, so he could get dressed.

He’d meant to leave a couple of hours ago, but you’d buried your fingers in his curls and pulled him in for another kiss. Instead of leaving he’d given in to your unspoken request, and coaxed another slow, sweet orgasm out of your blissed out body.

As he snapped on his armor, he realized you were a problem. The soft look on your face, as you watched him held so much affection. He hated that he couldn’t be the man you looked at like that every day. It would require time he didn’t have, and you deserved more than he could give.

You whined softly in protest, and Fox’s lips twitched toward a smile before he pulled on his helmet.

“Duty calls, mesh’la. I know you understand,” he explained, his voice firm, yet gentle like your hands had been against his skin.

He knew the brat in you would love nothing more than making him late, and part of him would enjoy it too. He knew the healer in you would relish in sending him off relaxed, and fully satisfied, but he couldn’t follow that train of thought. He couldn’t let himself linger in fantasies, no matter how sweet. He consoled himself with the fact it was a one-time thing, and he’d never be in this position with you again.

You nodded sleepily, before resting your face against Rex’s chest.

“You di’kut, why didn’t you tell us you were on duty today?” Wolffe asked, frowning at his brother.

“It wasn’t relevant,” Fox replied easily. “I’ve got enough caf to give a rancor a coronary. I’ll be fine. Make sure she gets some sleep.”

“Wasn’t relevant my ass,” Wolffe grumbled, rolling his eyes. He was completely unsurprised that Fox easily placed your well-being over his own despite the fact that you couldn’t have been in better hands. “We’ll make sure she gets rest. You worry about yourself.”

Fox opened his mouth to deliver a snarky reply, but he was cut off by your soft voice, “Bye, Fox. Thank you…”

Cody chuckled and gave your thigh a playful tap.

“Bye, Commander Fox. Thank you, sir,” you corrected with a giggle.

“Good girl,” Cody said, smiling at you.

“Bye, Stitches, thank you,” Fox said, saluting his brothers before he left Rex’s quarters.

“I think our gorgeous girl has had all she can take,” Cody said, catching your chin, pulling you close to press a kiss to your temple.

“Maybe,” you admitted, looking up at him.

“You took all of us so well last night. Let us enjoy you like we wanted,” Cody said, rubbing your back.

“And I’d do it again, Commander. Any time,” you yawned, covering your mouth like you could hide your exhaustion.

“I’m going to hold you to that, mesh’la,” Cody replied, leaning down to kiss your shoulder before he followed Fox’s lead and got dressed to head out.

“You know I will,” Wolffe said, drawing you close to kiss your face before getting dressed as well.

You beamed up at him, before relaxing once more. Warm and safe in Rex’s arms, you slipped into a peaceful sleep, your body finally reaching its limit.

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