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todofics · 3 months ago

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Off The Market | 3/6 | Todoroki Shoto x Reader

♡ Summary: The Todoroki name had always borne a heavyweight amongst even society’s finest. When the family’s youngest son, and heir to the title, is forced into the marriage market, it’s no surprise that he quickly becomes the season’s most eligible bachelor—hoping to avoid marriage for at least one more season, who better than to circumvent the ton other than his long-time friend, you?

♡ Content: regency au, fake-dating trope, aged-up characters, age gap (4 years), mutual pining, fem reader, fem pronouns, mature content in future chapters

♡ Author notes: Fair warning, but I did not bother to reread this before publishing - something possessed me, and I sat down and banged this out in one sitting. Yeah. Sorry for the delay, but I've been working 6 days a week to make up for the fact that it's flu season (health care is not for the weak). Hopefully, this is still understandable enough for you to enjoy!

♡ 2.5k /est. 15k words (chapter 3/6)

ˋ°•*⁀➷ Main Masterlist ♡ MHA Masterlist ♡ Previous ♡ Next

Shoto left minutes after your agreement with hushed promises to see you later that night, your face only slightly warmer and his with a sly grin gracing his captivating features. God, you could stare at that smile for hours - wait. You shook your head rapidly, lightly slapping your cheeks as you tried to calm your racing heart. Bad (Y/n)! This entire thing was supposed to renew the interest of others in you, not give you fluttery thoughts about your long-time friend.

Fanning yourself in an attempt to cool down, the sound of your mother clearing her throat caused you to jump in your seat; right, she was in the room. In the midst of these new bubbling feelings rising in your stomach, you’d just… forgotten. It wasn’t like you to be so ditsy, but you weren't entirely used to having a chaperone for you and Shoto. It may have been the norm to have a chaperone for young girls and their potential suitors, but the two of you never had that kind of relationship, and your parents trusted you enough to be alone (at least as long as you were out of the public’s eye).

Until now, you had never even thought of him in that manner. Sure, you knew he was attractive - everyone did, and it wasn’t like you were blind - but the thought of anything more than that just never crossed your mind. Although you had been childhood friends, your families were simply leagues apart: you, a lowly untitled noble, and him, a future Duke. That type of pairing was uncommon (if not nearly impossible) in society.

Nevertheless, you knew your mother would have dozens of questions about the seemingly out-of-nowhere courtship; not once since your debut had Shoto shown an ounce of interest in you (at least not in that way). Indeed, it didn’t look good to anyone that suddenly, with an arranged marriage on the horizon, he was showing up to your estate on the premise of being a “caller.” Your mother was old, but she wasn’t dumb; anyone with half a brain could see the potential scheme the two of you were whipping up. Even if she was becoming desperate for you to finally make a match, this was fishy at best. Hopefully, the two of you seemed interested enough to put those potential rumors at ease; after all, everyone longs for a love based upon the foundation of friendship. With a raised brow, she finally ushered you over, drinking her tea calmly as if today was just another day.

“Explain.”

You knew you could never lie to your mother, but you had to at least try. Continuing to fan yourself, the nervous sweat dripped down your forehead - was it hot in here, or was it just you? (It was just you; the full effect of the Summer heat had yet to hit, and the morning time was quite cool). “Explain what?” you asked, tilting your head slightly to add to the picture of naivete.

She sighed, taking yet another sip of her tea; your mother, thankfully, was never the pushy type.

“I do not know what exactly the two of you are planning, but whatever it is, you need to be careful,” she urged, her tone serious as she looked at you suspiciously as if to gaze directly through you and into your mind. You gulped, flashing her a half-hearted grin in an attempt to reassure her. Typically, besides Shoto, your mother was your closest confidante, but perhaps it was best if she didn’t know about this. You already knew that if she did, she’d give you an earful and forbid you from seeing the boy (and that was a fate you’d rather not be forced into).

“I promise you, mama, we aren’t planning anything,” you swore, setting down the fan and opting to raise your hands defensively. She continued to give you that pointed look, only humming in acknowledgment at the promise after a moment of pause. She knew you better than that, but pushing was never the answer with you (she couldn’t change your mind once it was made up anyway).

You knew she meant well with her concern, but you were a grown woman - seriously, you had been out in society now for four whole years - and you could make your own decisions. You were more than capable of protecting yourself.

With one last look over, she sent you away, commenting that you were dressed far too casually for a calling with the future Duke and to dress better for the ball tonight. With a groan, you merely nodded, allowing yourself to be whisked away by a maid to be adequately showered and dressed; even if your mother was suspicious, she still found public opinion far too important (at least to your taste).

Later that evening, dressed to the nines in one of your best gowns and fanciest pastes, you stood with your back pressed to the wall again, swirling a glass of champagne around as you stared aimlessly at the crowd. Although you’d typically be talking with the girls, you couldn’t quite bring yourself to join the conversation tonight, instead choosing to listen to the bits and pieces of gossip they seemed to be so entranced by. This time, however, appeared to be a bit different; although you’d have to really be looking for it to be obvious, you could feel a few glances being cast upon you. It seemed rumors surrounding you were already being spread. None of the other girls seemed to notice the rhythm of the conversation continuing without a lull.

Although you weren’t quite sure what to expect from a “proper” courtship with Shoto (you hadn’t been seriously courted in years now - especially not from someone of high standing), you couldn’t help but look for the man in the crowd. Spotting him wasn’t difficult; his lean stature and peppermint hair made him stand out against just about anyone. It was still early into the ball, and he hadn’t quite made his way over yet, still greeting others of higher status as was expected. It wasn’t until about half an hour into the ball that he approached your little group as others in the area marveled at his presence. It wasn’t often that he found time to stop at the edges of the ballroom - especially not recently - as he was often stuck directly in the center with his family, growing increasingly acquainted with the duties that came with being a future Duke.

“I hope I’m not imposing,” he started, his gaze resting on you as the girls seemed to move to allow room for him. “I was just going to steal (Y/n) for a moment,” Shoto finished, offering his hand to you expectantly. It was well-known that the two of you were childhood friends, so the event didn’t seem to stick out too much to your friends. That, however, didn't stop their apparent excitement.

“Not at all,” Mina chirped happily, the rest of the group nodding along. “Feel free to take her!”

You offered him a weak smile, taking his hand as the girls seemed to giggle at the event (they never once believed you when you said you didn’t have feelings for him). “I hope your dance card isn’t full,” he mumbled, leading you to the center of the ballroom. Your eyes narrowed at the taller man; he definitely knew it wasn’t full. Was he daring to make a jest at you now after his promise? You hadn’t made an effort to dance in so long, nor had anyone made an effort to invite you. Maybe this was part of the reason why you had no prospects.

“It isn’t,” you confirmed, grasping onto his hand a little tighter as the crowd grew denser toward the center of the room. Even if you had longed for someone to finally look at you, this was a bit much. Being with Shoto, in the center of the ballroom, you could feel the piercing stares of everyone in the room; all eyes were on you.

To the strumming of orchestral instruments, Shoto wrapped his free hand around your waist, his other hand never releasing yours as he pulled you close - closer than you were ever accustomed to being. “I know,” he laughed teasingly, starting to sway rhythmically to the song in the background.

You puffed your cheeks out, pouting just a bit at him. Cute. “I knew it, you jerk,” you replied, following his lead; although you hadn’t danced in so long, the footwork was muscle memory. Maybe those dance lessons your mother forced on you weren’t so useless after all.

“Just teasing,” Shoto chuckled, flashing you that boyish grin that seemed to be reserved for just you (at least you hoped so; you never truly saw him smiling as often with anyone as he did with you). You scoffed, allowing yourself to be dipped by the taller man as you moved together in perfect harmony. It was as if you had done this dozens of times.

“And if anyone were to hear you?” you questioned, voice barely louder than the music. No one would hear, of course, but you still had to remind him that you were in public.

“They wont.”

The song came to an end, but Shoto didn’t seem to want to separate, his grip on you tightening as you attempted to step away. “You want this to look real?” he asked, voice hushed as he continued to pull you along as the next song started. If anyone wasn’t looking before, they sure as hell were now. Shoto hadn’t willingly danced for more than one song in ages. Even Shoto, forced by his family, had only danced once throughout the entirety of the last season (and even then, that was with Fuyumi). With this, Shoto was making his intentions loud and clear for anyone to see - you were his.

“People are staring,” you mumbled back, not doing much else to refuse. It was hard to refuse when he was looking at you like that. The intensity of his stare caused you to look downwards, focusing on the movement of your feet.

“Ignore them,” he said, momentarily releasing your hand to take your chin in hand as he directed your gaze back at him. He was quick to take your hand back into his, ignoring the way your (and many others) jaw dropped. “Just focus on me.” Rumors were definitely going to circulate after that.

Although you were usually nervous about being the center of attention, the people staring seemed to fade into the background as you became entranced by Shoto’s eyes; something about being close to him was just so… relaxing. You could easily forget about all of your worries this way.

Shoto seemed to relax as well, letting his guard down as the two of you danced around for many more songs despite the whispers; although he wouldn’t admit it aloud, he was most comfortable with you. Conversation with you was easy - simple. You didn’t flourish your words with the many niceties others in society seemed to; it was refreshing. In exchange for that bluntness, you got to see a side of Shoto he didn’t let others see - the teasing, fun, boyish side. People often forget that he, too, is a person - not just the future duke.

Throughout the various songs, your conversation with Shoto continued in that easy-going manner; you talked about everything and nothing at all. It had been so long since you had a chance to do this. To just… talk.

“I missed this,” he interjected during a lull in your conversation, his eyes looking at you with a sort of fondness you weren’t familiar with (or did he always look at you this way? You hadn’t noticed).

“What?” you asked, the aching of your feet starting to make itself known. You had to have been dancing with him for at least an hour now, and for someone who hadn’t danced in years, that in itself was a feat.

“Talking to you like this,” Shoto finished his musing, a more gentle smile replacing that usual stoic expression on his face. Although the two of you were close, the last season had done a number on your friendship; his father, especially, had pushed him to focus on the family business, seeing his friendship with you as trivial. As of late, it felt like you could count the number of times you’d had an actual conversation with Shoto on one hand.

You could feel that same fluttering feeling of butterflies starting again in your gut as your heart raced, “I missed it too.” God, he really knew how to make a girl’s heart race, didn’t he? A matching dumb grin colored your features.

“Hopefully, we can still talk like this after you find your future husband,” Shoto said, his expression almost wistful as he thought about the future. You were just such a good friend. Your smile immediately fell, reminding you what this plan was truly about.

“Right,” you mumbled, gaze leaving his as you finally broke away from his grip, turning immediately to leave. That was enough for the night. Stupid Shoto and his damn bluntness. Stupid Shoto and his inability to understand anyone’s feelings but his own. “It’s getting late, and I’m tired. It’s about time I retire.”

He nodded in understanding, "Let me walk you out." You shook your head, opting to not respond verbally for fear that your voice would waver. "Then I'll see you tomorrow," Shoto resolved, staring at your retreating figure.

Hopefully, you’d turned around in time to not let him see the beginning of tears pricking your eyes. Hopefully, you were able to mask the hurt in your voice as you bid him goodbye. Hopefully, he couldn’t sense your urgency to get outside that suffocating ballroom.

Fuck. You had feelings for Shoto. Real, concrete, romantic feelings.

Finishing out this deal would be more complicated than you thought. How could you possibly think you could avoid growing feelings for Shoto and his stupidly handsome face? For years, you knew Shoto had never intended to marry, so you had guarded your heart. You had been so careful. Now, here comes one little proposition, and you let your guard down. Stupid. This was so stupid. You were stupid.

Perhaps you should’ve set more ground rules and allowed for more distance between the two of you. It wasn’t like he was trying to make you fall for him. He was far too dense for that - far too dense to understand the effect that he had on people. He was clear from the beginning with you what he wanted, and it definitely wasn’t whatever this was. It wasn’t fair to him that you were upset at him over something he had no control over.

You willed yourself to walk at a normal speed, your pace only increasing once you reached the outdoors. As you continued to run into cover of the evening, you felt like you could finally breathe. Wiping your tears, you took a deep breath and stepped into the carriage. He didn’t deserve this.

So, you steeled your resolve. Feelings be damned, you’d go through with this plan if it was the last thing you’d do.

ˋ°•*⁀➷ taglist: @niineau

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pitchsidestories · 1 year ago

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Safe and sound II Lucy Bronze x Reader

a/n: based off this request. We hope you enjoy this one.

pairing: Lucy Bronze x Wiegman!Reader

warnings: mentioning of injury and pregnancy

barcelona women masterlist

Pre-match tv -interview Sarina Wiegman before the CL Final Wolfsburg vs. Barcelona

Interviewer: Thanks for your time, Sarina. Excited for the fact that the CL Final is in your home country?

Sarina Wiegman: Very. The Dutch love women’s football.

Interviewer: chuckles We can tell, the atmosphere is already great. Happy to see two of your English players in the starting lineup?

Sarina Wiegman: can’t help but smile Yes, of course. I think it shows their quality.

Interviewer: smiling back You seem very happy too.

Deleted scene of the interview

Sarina Wiegman: blushes shyly I am. I just got the news that I’ll be a grandma soon. Oh..

Interviewer: Oh but that’s fantastic!

Sarina Wiegman: laughs nervously I wasn’t supposed to tell that yet. Can we leave that out?

Interviewer: Of course. Congratulations though.

Sarina Wiegman: Thank you.

Interviewer: No, thanks to you, I know you’re a very busy person.

Sarina Wiegman: Hopefully not too busy to spend time with my grandchild.

Interviewer: I’m sure you’ll find the time for that.

Sarina Wiegman: I’ll make some time.

Noisily Lucy Bronze tapped on the shoulder of her England Coach: “Time for what?” “Hi Lucy.”, cheerful Sarina Wiegman turned around to greet her football player. With a huge grin on her face the defender hugged the smaller woman:“ Hey, good to see you.”

“Is it just me or do you keep getting taller?”, Sarina sked her jokingly. With a mischievous smile Lucy decided to mock her coach:“ Maybe, you’re just getting smaller.” “Sure, Lucy”, the dutch woman responded by rolling her eyes. Jokes about her height were getting old in her opinion.

You’ve been following the conversation from afar but now decided to join in by telling her: “No, you’re right mum, she’s been standing even taller since the news.”

“She does, right?”, your mother sharing the observation of yours with an amused look on her face. While you agreed on that matter with her, your girlfriend proudly slang an arm around your waist: “Definitely.”

“As if you weren’t happy about it.”, Lucy said to Sarina laughing, her green eyes sparkling with happiness.

”I am happy.“, Sarina admitted. Lucy raised her eyebrow in a 'Told you so' manner. You glanced from your mum to your girlfriend, rolling your eyes in amusement, ”Guys!“ ”What?“ ”Calm down, the news aren‘t out yet.“, you reminded them.

Lucy nodded, ”Right.“ ”Actually…“, Sarina started but you didn‘t have time to hear her out. With a glance at the time you grabbed Lucys upper arm, ”Oh shit. We need to get ready. See you after the game, mum.“

Sarina smiled gently at the two of you, ”Of course. Good luck. And don‘t come back without the Champions League title.“ ”Don‘t worry. We‘ll bring this one back to Barcelona.“, you reassured her, cheerily. ”I‘m sure about that.“

After changing into your jerseys and warming up, you found yourself in the tunnel of Eindhovens stadium. Lucy was standing right behind you. You felt her warm breath against your ear as she whispered, ”Be careful out there, okay?” You didn‘t look back, you just nodded, ”Okay.“ Slowly, your girlfriend took a step back and clapped her hands, ”We‘ve got this.“

You were full of excitement and impatience as you stepped out on the pitch. When the first whistle blew, you were bouncing on your toes, ready to fight for the champions league title. But it took your opponent Wolfsburg only three minutes to score the first goal, the second one followed right before the half time. This was not the start you all were expecting to this very important game.

But during the half time talk it was clear that none of you would let this first half get you down. Lucy caught your eyes in the dressing room, giving you a small smile and a defiant nod. You felt ready and energized stepping back out, wanting to do your part to lead your team to a win.

It felt like a miracle to you, only a couple of minutes into the game and you've got the chance to score a goal. Way too late you realized that Alexandra Popp crashed into you, as you both fell to the grass. Quickly the german striker got on her feet again while you stayed on the ground.

The first teammate who ran to you your side was Lucy, offering her hand to help you up aswell:" Hey, are you alright? Let me help you."

"It hurts.", you whinced, feeling the pain taking over your whole body. Worried your hand went automatically to your stomach, scared for the baby inside you.

That's when your girlfriend lost her usual calmmess and started to panic:"Shit. We need the medical team, here!" "Lucy, calm down, it did not look too bad.", Keira tried to reassure the defender.

Devastated Lucy shouted:"You don't get it, Kei!" "No, because you two refuse me to tell what's going on.", the red haired midfielder answered cooly. Nervously Lucy went with one hand through her dark hair, unloosing her head bun in one angered swipe:"Not now."

"Girls..", you tried softly to stop them from arguing. In a tone which did not let you dare to disagree your girlfriend said: "You need to get off the pitch."

To the doctor who was taking care of you she demanded, her worry dripping through every word:"You need to check her thoroughly." "Lucy, we know how to do our job properly, but you need to let go off her hand now.", the doctor answered slightly annoyed by her clinginess to you.

Under her breath Lucy stated angrily:" Don't tell me how to treat my girl!"

"See you later, it's going to be okay.", you tried to calm her down.

”I‘ll come check on you as soon as the game is over.“, Lucy promised, her mouth pressed into a thin line. You gave a silent nod and let the doctor help you back inside to the treatment rooms of the stadium.

As the doctor assessed you, you heard fans cheer several times but you couldn’t make out who scored. Time didn‘t seem to pass at all in here.

At last, you heard the final whistle being blown and the fans erupting into a roar celebrating their teams success. But you still didn’t know who whose it was.

Lucy didn‘t even stay to celebrate with her teammates when the game ended. She stepped off the pitch and was on her way to the dressing rooms, when Sarina called her name, ”Lucy!“

”No, I don‘t know anything yet, Sarina.“, she replied and stopped only reluctantly. Her coach nodded in understanding and took a step towards Lucy, ”Congratulations on winning though.“ ”Thanks.“ ”You don‘t look happy about it.“, Sarina noticed.

Lucy just shook her head with slight anger, ”Are you seriously surprised about that?!“ ”No. Sorry.“, she replied quietly. With a deep sigh, Lucy calmed herself down and offered, ”Do you want to come with me to see how she is?“ ”I do.“

Both women walked silently side by side through the corridors until they reached the treatment rooms. Sarina stopped and gestured towards the door, ”You can go in first.“ Lucy mumbled a thanks before entering the room.

You looked up, trying to read your girlfriends facial expression, ”Lucy, did we win or lose?“ ”I‘ll tell you when you tell me if you’re okay.“ Lucy sat down next to you. Carefully, you took her hand in yours, ”We‘re okay, Lucy.“ Her eyes were still full of worry as she studied your face, ”Both of you?“

"Yes?", Lucy asked anxiously not trusting the good news yet. With an inviting smile you padded on the free side of your bed:"Luce, come here." "I'm glad you're okay.", she sighed in relief.

Impatiently you tapped her shoulder: "Will you tell me now who won?" "We did. We're champions leauge winners.", she proudly kissed the top of your blonde head.

A bright smile appeared on your lips: "That's amazing." "It's more important that you two are alright.", the defender pointed out in a serious tone.

"But you should not miss out on the party, love." Stubbornly Lucy answered:"I don't care about the party."

"And we don't care about that either.", Sarina and Keira explained while entering the room. Moved you looked at them: "Mum, Kei.." "How are you?", the lionesses coach asked clearly worried.

Quickly you tried to soothe her by saying:"I'm alright." "I'm glad you're. That looked really bad.", you're mum replied. Sternly Keira agreed:"It really did." "They're both okay.", Lucy stated.

Excited the midfielder looked between the defender and you:" They? You're going to be mums?! We need to celebrate that."

"That took you a lot less longer than I expected.", your girlfriend laughed. Immediately you interfered, smirking:" Don't be rude to her, she's like my sister!" "She knows I'm just kidding.", Lucy grinned.

Thrilled Keira clapped her hands:"I do, let's celebrate!"

#woso x reader #lucy bronze x reader #lucy bronze #lionesses #engwnt #woso #woso imagine #fc barcelona femeni #barcelona femeni x reader #woso one shot #woso fanfics #keira walsh

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mika-no-sekai-blog · 3 months ago

Note

Heya love,

Thank you for taking my request! I hardly think you can ever disappoint!

So, Autumn Court is a rather traditional court, and we know how discriminating against females it is.

Picture Rhys and the IC being invited to Autumn for whatever reason may it be. There, he decides to wander through the grounds. Somewhere in a secured area within the forest, he finds a female sitting by herself—too gentle and demure to belong to Autumn.

She’s shy in her discourse and neglects to tell him who she is. Eris pops up suddenly and pries the female away from him in a manner that’s too protective and possessive to be friendly.

Later on, Rhys realizes that this young female is Beron’s only, and youngest daughter. Secluded from prying eyes, Beron has made sure no one knew who she is until he was ready to marry her off.

But when Rhys finds out, and the mating bond snaps for him, he’s ready to fight for her. Going as far as to ask for Eris’ help, who happens to be extremely close and protective of his baby sister.

I hope that was clear enough and not at all confusing. Take your time with it, love! And feel free to change any detail you deem necessary.

Thanks again🩷

This

Perfect!!!!

Thank you so much🤩💕I love it so much that the story started to play in my head on its own and continued even in the dream. Hopefully, you'll like it

Moon princess

Word count: 9600+ (oops)

Warnings: mentions of Beron, court machinations, swear words, but no fights and no blood this time

I'm thinking about writing another part where they are slowly getting to know each other. Which I originaly wanted to add into this one, but tumblr stopped cooperating somewhere around 5k words in, messes up with saved text and takes forever to respond. Message is clear, I guess I have again too many WIPs in drafts. It happens all the time 🙄 Dividers by @tsunami-of-tears

Rhysand threw the pen on the desk and sighing leaned back in his big leather chair. Since early morning he was sitting in the office, writing letters, reading reports and sorting out complaints according to the urgency. It was already past lunchtime, but he didn't get even half through all the documents. He needed some distraction at least for few minutes.

In the very nick of time, the doors flew open and Cassian casually strode in, a massive sandwich in one hand, a piece of paper in the other one. He held only the corner of it between index finger and thumb, glaring at it as if someone had used it as a tissue.

"So.. What are we going to do with the invitation?" he asked with a full mouth.

"What invitation?" Rhys looked up, tired. This was hardly the kind of distraction he wished for.

"This one," general waved the paper. He flopped down to the chair on the opposite side of the desk. "From the Autumn Court."

Rhysand frowned. "I got invitation?" he asked with feigned calm.

"Yup," Cassian took another bite from his sandwich, a bit of dressing dripped on his shirt, but he didn't seem to even notice it. Rhys' mouth twitched.

"Oh, really? And remind me, when exactly did I get it?"

"Few weeks ago. Helion also got one. He wants to know what we assume about it and whether we will accept or no. He's still waiting for the answer by the way."

Rhysand raised brows at him. "So you wrote to Helion."

"Nope, he wrote to you right after getting it."

That was the last drop. Closing eyes, he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. "I think that we already talked about this at least a million times before, Cass. You can't take my mail, open it, read it and then keep it in your room."

Cassian threw up his hands and the dressing and slice of tomato flew out of the sandwich, landing on Rhys' expensive carpet. Rhysand eyed the stain, blood boiling in his veins.

"I don't do anything like that, bro! You know me. Plus, I don't remember that we've ever talked about such rule."

"That isn't rule I made up. It's called postal secret and privacy. Now bring all my mail! Immediately!"

"Fine, fine," Cassian fumed and rolled his eyes, but at last he stood up, throwing the invitation on the desk and left.

When the doors closed behind him, Rhys flicked his wrist and stain from the carpet disappeared. Then he reached for the invitation and cursed because it was smeared with dressing, too. Rhys licked his dirty fingers, commendably humming and wiped the rest of the dirt with tissue. His stomach loudly rumbled, reminding him that he should head out for some food soon.

He unfolded the paper, quickly scanning the text. Beron was inviting him and his family to a week of festivities on the occasion of a significant announcement. There wasn't written anything else, no more details. Rhysand sighed heavily, drumming with the fingers. His brain coils were working at full speed.

'Significant announcement'

What could it be? Considering that it was Beron, it couldn't be anything good. Because of Cassian, they had last two days left to prepare. He needed to know at least what to expect, so he could work up some plan later.

Azriel?

Claws of his power knocked on Azriel's mental shields. He answered right away, letting him in.

What?

Where are you now? Are you busy?

I'm preparing for the mission we talked about yesterday.

Rhysand considered it for moment, biting on his lower lip. Forget that thing for now or entrust it to someone else. This is urgent.

Azriel answered without hesitation. Fine. Are you in your office?

Rhysand loved how pragmatic Shadowsinger was. No questions. All he needed to hear to drop current job was that it was urgent. He didn't question him. Yes.

I'll be there in a minute.

When Az arrived, half hidden in his shadows as usual, he showed him the invitation and explained the situation. Azriel actually laughed when he heard how Cassian came, asking what was the plan. After that, he immediately disappeared in his shadows, heading to contact the spies they had in Autumn Court.

As expected, Azriel returned shorty before they were supposed to leave for the party. His spies didn't know much, only that Beron was secretly planning something big, the wards around his castle were strengthened and that the frequency of the correspondence between him and Spring Court increased in last two months. There was no time to contact spies in Spring whether they knew something more. Azriel planned to use the time they would spend in the Forest House to spy on Beron and learn more.

It was decided that only Rhys, Az and Cass would go. He didn't even try to ask Mor because he already knew the answer. However, he asked Amren and she clearly refused. She literally said that she would rather give up all her jewellery than listen to a single word of that old, pathetic excuse of a male.

Rhysand winnowed them to the Autumn Court close to the borders of the High Lord's estate. As soon as the world around them stilled, the brisk smell of autumn hit their noses. At gates, a dozen of soldiers stood on guard, armed to the teeth. They eyed them suspiciously, but let them pass. The three of them exchanged look as they stepped in, feeling the strong pressure.

"Putting up so strong wards and then inviting guests, one would think that your High Lord is planning something evil or he got himself a gem of size of his head," Rhys purred, but none of the soldiers even as much as blinked. Pursing lips he nodded. "Sharp guys. I wonder if they would stay still even if we started cutting off their limbs."

"I'm sure they would scream like females," Cassian grinned, folding arms on his chest.

"Are you trying to terrorise our guards, Rhysand?" a sly, bored voice spoke from somewhere behind them. They slowly turned around, arrogant as ever.

"Eris," Rhysand flashed his best cocky smile and shoved hands into pockets. "We are just merely testing them. Since when are heirs on the duty to come to the gates and welcome guests?"

"Ever since the so-called guests are mutts from Night Court," he snarled back, picking non-existent dirt from under fingernails.

Azriel was as always calm and composed, avoiding any attention, but Cassian was his opposite. He straightened up to his full height, squaring his shoulders and gritting teeth. "It's a good custom for the host to respect the guests, especially if they were invited, not to insult them. In Autumn, good manners seem not to be taught though."

Eris didn't react, only scoffed. He turned on the heel and started to walk towards the castle surrounded by reds and yellows. He showed them to their chambers connected by private sitting room, briefly informing them about the time of the evening party and that someone would come to show them the way later.

With a free access to the castle, Azriel didn't waste a minute and as soon as Eris left, he disappeared into the shadows to snoop around.

The party took place in a fancy ballroom. Rhys snorted at the sight of pure opulence, shoving hands into his pockets. Everything in this huge room was made of white marble with gold details, including a high vault ceiling. It was so polished that it looked like a mirror.

Autumn aristocracy and several of the High Lords were already here, so Rhys made a show of checking his appearance, keeping his mask of ruthless arrogance.

He had to admit that Beron knew how to show off his wealth. Massive golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, flooding room with bright light. In the vases next to each marble pillar around the perimeter of the room were big bouquets of flowers made out of gold and copper. The start of the party was planned for the sunset, so the whole room looked like made of gold. Amren would love this for sure.

Rhysand wouldn't let it show on his face, but inside he felt sick. It was overdone and suffocating. And he wasn't the only one who felt that way. Cassian was openly showing his disgust, Azriel scanned the surrounding from under his frowning brows, arms crossed on his chest.

"Finally some friendly faces and my favourite ones," a rich playful voice boomed on their left. Azriel rolled his eyes, not bothering to even look at the coming person and murmuring something about the need of a strong drink, he left. Rhysand with a cocky smile turned in time to see Helion, the High Lord of Day Court, giving a hug to Cassian.

"Good to see you, friend," he purred.

Helion hooked a muscular arm around his shoulders and winked. "What do you say about the host's taste?" he pointed with his chin to the ballroom, speaking lowly only for his ears.

"I say you must feel like home here," Rhys snorted.

Helion pursed his full lips, thinking about it. "Not really. But the drinks are good here," he swirled the golden liquid in his glass and waved them, already heading to the crowd. "I hope to see you later in the privacy of your room, so we can catch up."

Rhysand gave him just nod and his eyes turned to the dais in the same moment as High Lord of Autumn with his wife and sons appeared. Rhysand tried to keep his face emotionless as his eyes fell to the Lady of Autumn. He hated to see the visibly mistreated female, something about her reminding him of his late mother even though unlike Lady of Autumn she was strong and wild and didn't let his father to treat her badly. Maybe it was the motherly vibes they both shared.

He rather averted his gaze to the gathered crowd and half listening to Beron's speech, let his powers lurk around, looking for any useful information he could get from these people. His violet-blue eyes searched for Tamlin, the High Lord of Spring, between the High Lords. Maybe if he played it off well, he could find out more about the business Autumn and Spring were cooking up, but his golden hair and tall figure were nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, Beron finished his boring speech with a promise of the big announcement on the end of this week of festivities. Rhysand despised the idea of waiting for the whole week. He needed to know what was going on in order the prepare for it, eventually come up with plan to sabotage it. The sooner he knew, the better.

He tried to find Azriel's mind in the crowd to give him orders, but with satisfaction he realized that Shadowsinger wasn't anywhere nearby, most likely already snooping around High Lord's quarters where he intended to send him. That male was a real workaholic.

As the evening progressed, Rhysand got even more bored. Chat with other invited High Lords led to nothing as none of them wanted to discuss anything of real importance at place where they could be easily heard by wrong persons. Cassian was cleaning plates, Azriel was who-knows-where and even Eris seemed to slip out to the night.

In need of fresh, cool air he moved to the terrace and then down to the gardens, looking for a quiet, dark corner where he could blow out the steam. The sounds of party slowly grew distant, number of guests on an evening stroll decreased. Rhysand didn't want to be disturbed, so he walked more deeper into the dark gardens. Thinking that he found the secluded place he needed, he looked around, noticing guards pacing on the edge where gardens turned into a forest. That piqued his interest. What could possibly be worth of guarding in the forest?

He merged with the night, getting pass the guards unnoticed. It was too easy and thus it was no fun. He hoped for at least a small hitch to make tonight interesting. Hopefully, whatever was hidden there, would be worth of the effort and provide him with some sort of excitement.

He dragged through the forest looking right and left, searching for something that didn't fit in. After half an hour he was ready to call it off, marking it as a great waste of time, when he noticed a soft light behind the thick bush. Carefully stalking closer, he stayed hidden in the darkness of autumn forest and took a look around.

There, hidden behind bushes and trees, spread out a clearing bathing in the cool silver light of full moon and in the middle of that on a fallen tree trunk sat the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. Her petite figure with soft features and porcelain skin glowed in the night. Dark brown silky hair fell in waves to her tiny waist. Dressed up in light, white dress that reflected the moonlight, surrounded by hundreds of fireflies, the small female looked like being of another world. Devouring that fragile beauty, he suddenly remembered the bedtime story mother used to tell him, his most favourite one. How could he forget it?

The story was about Moon Princess who spent her entire life, night after night watching Fae live, dance, laugh and love. Her desire to spend at least one day with them and experience the same things they did, grew so strong that she got sick, slowly fading away. When her father, Moon King, learnt about her desire, he decided to grant her her wish in order to save life of his only daughter. And so Moon Princess descended from the moon to the clearing in the deep forest, instantly feeling better.

At that time, young prince happened to be in the forest on his way back home, witnessing her descent. He immediately fell in love with her and took her to his castle. Gradually, she fell in love with the prince, but when the month her father granted her was coming to its end, she became sad and again fell ill. Her father couldn't stand to see his daughter suffer so much and allowed her to stay with her prince. After some time they got married, had a lot of children and grew old together.

When Rhys was younger, he dreamt about finding his own Moon Princess and having his happily ever after with her. Seeing this gentle creature in the woods now, he felt like he was witness of descent of Moon Princess he waited for. She took the air from his lungs and captivated his heart. Before he knew what he was doing, he stepped out from the shadows. Not wanting to scare her off, he cleared his throat, making as much noise as possible on his way to the fallen trunk.

Despite his efforts, she winced, covering lips like petal of rose flower with her delicate hands with elegant long fingers. Her doe eyes of colour of deepest sea gazed up at him. Recovering from the initial shock, she blushed, readying to run away.

"Don't! Please, stay. I mean no harm," he raised both of his hands, trying to calm her down. She was like a frightened animal. Rhysand assumed it would be for the best if he introduced himself.

"I'm Rhysand and I'm guest of the High Lord of Autumn. I was just on a walk when I noticed you sitting here alone. Are you lost?"

She shook her head, avoiding his gaze.

"What Court are you from? I happen to know all High Lords. I can help you get to the right one."

"I'm.. from here," she spoke shyly, her voice sounded to him like the sweetest melody. He swallowed hard, his palms sweating. What was wrong with him? He was feared High Lord who had more lovers in his life than he could count, yet he felt like inexperienced youngling.

"Can.. can I sit down here with you?" he asked out of breath.

How pathetic, Rhysand, he scolded himself. You finally found female of your dreams and you behave like total idiot. Bravo! She will certainly fall for you and agree to meet you again. You need to come with something better than this.

She bit on her lower lip, considering it, but at last she nodded, moving as far from him as she could. Rhys put on his most dazzling and kindest smile and sat down next to her. She blushed even more.

"The moon tonight is beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes, my lord, I suppose it is."

Rhysand snorted. "I'm not your lord. Please, call me Rhysand or just Rhys if you want. How should I call you?"

Female nervously fidgeted her fingers. "I think I should go." She was about to stand up.

Rhys' hand shot up instinctively, his fingers firmly but gently wrapped around her wrist. Mother above, she was so small and fragile like a porcelain doll. "Please, stay. I understand. No names."

She weakly twisted her wrist in his grasp and he let her go. She sat back down and Rhys sighed with relief, licking his lips. He wanted to make her speak more, yearning to listen to her voice from now until the end of his life.

"Do you come out here often?"

"I'm not allowed to go out much," she whispered hardly audibly, her shoulders slumped.

"How so?" Rhys asked with concern, his gaze again roaming over her petite body. However, he didn't get the answer.

Eris emerged from between the trees, his features twisted in anger.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed and taking female's hand yanked her to his chest. He looked her up and down, checking her for any injury quite roughly.

"Hey! Stop treating her like that! You are hurting her, asshole," Rhysand couldn't stop himself, his mask naturally slid down to its place and he was again fearsome High Lord. He stood up baring his teeth, ready to fight him off if necessary. He wouldn't mind to even kill him to protect this Moon Princess, as he decided to call her until she told him her name, and maybe even after that.

Female's eyes widened at him, but she didn't dare to say a word.

"How did you get here, Rhysand?! This is a private place where guests aren't allowed. If anything, the fact that guards stand at entrance to the forest, should make it more than clear."

"And you," he turned to the female. "What did you do here with this bastard? Why didn't you immediately leave when he appeared? If he finds out what happened here, we both will have a serious problem! Do you even understand that?"

"I'm so sorry. I wanted to leave, but.." she mumbled, cringing, her face pale.

"But what?! Return to your room! Now!"

"I don't know and don't even care who she is to you, but I won't allow you to talk like that with her," Rhys grabbed front of Eris's shirt, staring him down. He was only a few inches taller than the Autumn heir, though the effect was the same.

Female gaped at him in shock, but as soon as Eris let go of her arm, she backed few steps, then turned around and ran away. Rhys wanted to ran after her to make sure she wasn't hurt, but he banned himself to even move. His outburst was bad enough, giving out too much.

They stared at each other, heaving.

"Back off, Rhysand!" Eris snarled lowly.

"No!" he growled back. "Who is she?"

"That's none of your business," Eris glared at him, unmoved.

"Now when I met her, it is my business. I won't just stand by and watch someone hurt females for absolutely no reason."

Pushing him away, Eris burst into fit of laughter. "Good joke, Rhysand, really. Maybe you should clean up your own yard before you start poking your nose into other people's affairs." With that he left, heading in the same direction as the female.

Rhys just stood there, taken aback, gazing after his receding back. He didn't want to admit it, but Eris was right. There was still too much to improve in his Court, but that didn't mean Eris had any right to point it out. In this regard, Autumn wasn't any better than Night.

Later that night Rhysand was pacing in their sitting room, while Azriel and Cassian watched him from couch with concern.

"Don't you want to finally tell us where you disappeared?" Cassian groaned, sipping his drink.

"Did you find anything out?" Azriel added. Ever since he returned he was frowning, angry that he not only couldn't find anything useful, but also that Beron's office and chambers were so warded that he wouldn't be able to get in even if he had a whole month for it.

"Nothing like that," Rhysand growled. The thought of the female and her scared gaze where eating him up. He needed to see her, to make sure she was all right. But where to look for her? Then his gaze fell to his brother, half hidden in his shadows. If anyone was able to find her, then only he.

"Fine, so listen up," he groaned. While still pacing back and forth, he told them everything about his encounter with her and described every detail he remembered.

Azriel listened him attentively, nodding at last. "I will look for her while spying around. But I have to warn you - don't keep high hopes. There's an entire part of castle where I nor my spies couldn't infiltrate no matter how many times we tried it. And we work on that for years. If she is held captive in this castle, they can keep her there."

Rhysand sighed and ran hand through his hair. Eris knew her, but he wouldn't tell him anything. Could she be his lover? Or some secret fiancée? Wife? Or she belonged to another Vanserra? Just imagining that such fragile, young female was here to satisfy Beron's needs made him feel sick.

He needed to calm down, to do something to change the flow of thoughts, so he stepped to the bar and poured a glass of whiskey. He emptied the glass in one gulp, the liquor burning his throat. He grimaced and poured himself another glass. He sat down.

Cassian and Azriel started to discuss something, but he couldn't focus on their words even if he wanted. He could still see her in front of him, surrounded by silver moonlight, beautiful and so unearthly. He was only snapped out of the memory when Cassian put his big hand on his knee.

"Stop it," he muttered in amusement. "It's nerve-wracking when you nonstop tap your foot. Even Azriel here is getting nervous because of you."

"I don't-"

"You do," Azriel nodded, corners of his mouth twitching. With raised brow he looked at Cassian. "What do you think? Finally?"

"Finally," general agreed.

Rhys was confused. "Finally what?" he snapped.

"You are in love," Cassian howled with laughter and Azriel joined him shortly.

"I'm not in love. I'm just worried," Rhysand retorted, crossing hands on his chest and almost tipped the drink on his expensive shirt.

"And now he's even blushing like an innocent schoolgirl," Cassian was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down his cheeks.

"What's so funny?" Helion appeared on the threshold, light smile playing on his lips.

"Nothing. They are just two bored idiots," Rhysand groaned. Helion was the last person he wanted to find out about his encounter. High Lord of Day was the worst gossiper in entire Prythian.

"Oh, c'mon. I want to laugh, too. I'm bored here. This is the worst Court to be in."

"Because you would like to make out with a certain lady who is out of your reach?" Rhysand grinned. This lifted his spirit a bit.

Helion groaned, flopping onto other couch. "Don't even remind me of that matter."

To that Cassian started to laugh even harder.

Helion frowned at him. "Is he okay?" Rhysand only shook his head.

"Two lovesick birds," Cassian tried to calm down, Azriel next to him was massaging his hurting cheeks. He hadn't laughed so much in ages.

Helion watched them with wolfish grin and shiny eyes. "Idiots or no, I'd love to see them worn out in my bed anyway."

Azriel stopped smiling immediately, the idea had never been to his taste. Cassian just shrugged. "Maybe some other time, but thanks," he playfully winked at Lord of Day who obscenely ran teeth over his lower lip.

"I'm already waiting for the day."

Rhysand cleared his throat, grinning. "So.. Did you come for something specific or just to make obscene proposal to my brothers?"

"Actually, yes," Helion smiled, still undressing his long-term targets with eyes. "I and other High Lords are worried. You certainly already heard about something going on between Autumn and Spring."

"Sure, I did."

"I didn't see Tamlin at party tonight. I have quite bad feeling about this."

"Me too, friend," Rhysand swirled the golden liquor in the glass. "Me too."

"I guess that you don't have more detailed information on this matter that you could share with me."

"Unfortunately, I know just as much as you and the others. Azriel here is trying to find out something while we are here and his spies are snooping around in Spring, but we haven't heard anything new from them, have we?" He turned to Shadowsinger who only shook his head.

"But if you find out something, you will share it with us, right?"

"Of course I will. I can imagine only one scenario in which Beron is after the access to the Wall and human lands. We both know very well what it would mean."

"Do you think that Tamlin would allow such thing?" Cassian asked seriously.

"We can only hope that he has enough common sense to not allow it," Rhysand emptied his second glass.

The room fell into a heavy silence.

The week of festivities passed quickly. Beron prepared all kinds of activities to keep his guests entertained. Rhysand had stopped counting the number of hunts, competitions and banquets he absolved right after the first day.

Azriel spent most of the time in the shadows, spying all around the castle, following Beron like hound, but there were no news about the female nor the plans Lord of Autumn had.

Rhys started to have very bad feeling about this all and grew nervous with every passing day in dark. He kept his eyes on Eris who was obviously ignoring him, hoping he would make a mistake and take him to the female. However, Eris, the cunning fox, after the first ball never left the room, participating on every event from the beginning to the very end.

When it was finally time for the last ball, Rhysand was so nervous and irritated that even his brothers were avoiding the conversation with him. And he wasn't the only one. All gathered High Lords seemed to have enough of this shit show and masquerade, waiting only for the big announcement.

That evening, the atmosphere in the ballroom was suffocating, none of the Lords bothered to tune off their powers anymore. When Beron with his family appeared on the dais, five pairs of hostile eyes gazed at him from the crowd, waiting.

Thank you for coming and blah blah blah, Rhysand didn't really listen that old asshole, not until Tamlin appeared on the dais next to Beron who announced that they were intending to make an alliance together. Tamlin seemed to be taken aback to see everyone and to hear that they spent the whole week here, so apparently he wasn't invited for the shit show nor Beron bothered to notify him about the recent events.

"And to confirm my good intentions, my only daughter, Selene, will marry Tamlin," Beron declared.

The wave of shock ran through the crowd. As it seemed, even Autumn aristocracy didn't know about the existence of the mentioned daughter. High Lords looked at each other. Their worst fears had come true. Beron was after free access to the Wall.

However, right at that moment, it was the last thing Rhysand cared about. The doors behind Beron again opened and from the dark of the hallway a small figure emerged. Dressed in dress of moonlight colour with dark brown waves styled into a complicated hairstyle, his Moon Princess walked into the room. She looked up and their eyes locked. Exactly as that night in the forest, her beauty took all the air from his lungs, but it wasn't the only thing that happened at that moment.

Something inside him broke, the crack so loud everyone in the room had to hear it. And in that hole in the middle of his chest, a shimmering gold thread formed, blooming like a flower. The thread shot out, bridging over the entire room. Gently touching his Moon Princess, it wrapped around her and bound their souls together.

Rhysand watched it all with wide eyes and slightly opened mouth. As understanding hit him, he wavered and took a small step back, shocked. Beron's daughter was his mate. The Mother had a strange sense of humor, but in certain way it made sense. The feeling he had when he saw her on the clearing, the pull, the need to make sure she was safe. Of course she was his mate.

"What's going on?" Azriel, always the most attentive, as the only one noticed his moment of weakness.

Rhys couldn't take eyes off of her, barely managing to force his lungs to work again. "She's.. she's my.." He didn't need to finish the sentence.

Azriel's eyes also widened, jumping between him and the female. Even Cassian who overheard them, gaped at him.

"Are you sure?" Rhysand gave him a look and Azriel shook his head. "Of course, you are. Whatever you decide to do now, you can count on me," he said darkly, tendrils of shadows dancing around him.

"And on me," Cassian pat him on the back.

After the shocking announcement, the party was naturally over or at least for High Lords certainly, as they all left right away.

Helion stopped briefly at the doors of their chambers with grave expression to tell them that all the High Lords agreed that the wedding must not take place. For some reason they expected that the Night Court would take care of that, but they were ready to assist them if needed.

Honestly, Rhysand didn't remember much from what had happened after the bond snapped for him, not even how he got back home and to his bed. He lay there in the dark, unable to sleep, all the satin sheets suddenly too scratchy and insufferably hot. His mind was nonstop returning to the only thought - he had a mate and she needed his help.

He tried to analyse the moment when it snapped for him. He was curious whether she felt it too. Though, no matter how many times he replayed the scene in his head, he couldn't find a proof she felt it. Her eyes were sad, her expression shy and guarded. She walked into the room, stopped at Tamlin's side and accepted his waiting hand without a single wobble. She was shivering like leaf in the cold breeze, but all for the different reasons. At dawn he finally came to conclusion that she didn't know about the bond.

He kicked off the blanket and changed. He was determined to solve this problem as soon as possible. He wouldn't leave his mate in hands of any other male.

The Town House was completely silent when he ran down the stairs taking two at a time. The wedding was supposed to take place on the day of the autumnal equinox. That left him only a month to solve this. He didn't have much time and had to start right away. He rushed into his office, almost breaking the doors, and took a sheet of paper and a pen. Quickly he scratched letter and without reading it again sent it. He waited for the reply whole day, without leaving his office. He didn't even eat nor sleep. When there was no answer, next morning he wrote another letter.

Nobody came asking him what to do. His family already knew where they were needed the most. Azriel took all his spies and dividing them into two groups, he sent one group to Spring, the other one under his lead headed to Autumn.

Cassian collected all information and maps they had of the Forest House and looking for places where wedding could take place, he began preparing plans from kidnapping the bride before the ceremony to snatching her from groom's hands before they could say their yes.

Amren shut herself up in her apartment, searching old books with ancient magic for the ways how to break through wards.

For Mor, this was hard. She couldn't be much of help in this case, so she took it upon herself to take care of her cousin and made sure that he ate three times a day, took shower and tried to rest. She gladly accepted the role of an emotional support, listening to all his worries and self-loathing whenever he was in mood to talk.

On the fifth day when there was still no answer, Rhysand decided that he wouldn't wait any longer. He only had a limited amount of time and it was inexorably running out.

Without invitation he winnowed to the clearing near Tamlin's manor in Spring. As expected, it took only mere seconds and Tamlin appeared in his beast form, ready to turn the intruder into shreds. When he saw Rhysand waiting for him, he slowed down.

"What are you doing here?" he growled angrily. "I thought that not sending a reply is quite a clear answer."

"So you read the letters. I need to speak with you. You are doing enormous mistake-"

"That is not your business!"

"The problem is that it is my business. It's all High Lords' business, for the fuck's sake! You are going to open for Beron a way to the Wall!"

Tamlin snorted. "No, I'm not. I would do no such thing!"

"But yes, you are. Why else would Beron want to make an alliance with Spring?!"

"I can assure you that he won't get to the Wall."

"You are wrong and you know it. Whatever is going on, it won't take long and he will get what he wants."

Tamlin just gazed at him, muscles in his jaw ticking.

"What is it what you need so much that you are willing to work even with that old bastard, Tam?"

The beast's gaze wavered, but he wouldn't give in so easily.

"Tam, talk to me. We used to be friends and damn good friends. If it is a help you are looking for, I'll send you any kind of help. Do you need more soldier? You can have them. Money? Bride? Skilled officials to help you rule the Court? You can have it all, you just need to tell me. But don't go into alliance with Beron.."

Tamlin seemed to consider his offer. "I-.. I have tied hands.. I'm trying, but I shouldn't have been ruler.. I'm not built for state affairs. Everything is falling apart and now.. my advisers gave me an ultimatum.. They ask for heir otherwise they will leave me alone in this mess.."

Rhysand blinked in surprise at sudden honesty. With Tamlin, they had a lot of bad blood standing between them like a wall. Ever since Rhys' mother and sister were killed and he and his father killed Tamlin's family in return, they had hardly spoken. This was definitely progress or so he thought.

"I don't need your help, Rhysand," Tamlin murmured, "return to your Court before I make you." Tamlin pivoted, heading back into the forest.

Rhysand planned to solve this without mentioning Selene and the bond, but now there was no other way. Tamlin didn't want to listen and wouldn't accept his offer. This was the last thing that could change his mind.

"You can't marry her!" he called after Lord of Spring.

The beast stopped and looked back at him. "Why can't I?"

"Because.. she is mine."

Tamlin snorted, again moving.

"She's my mate." Rhys only whispered it, but the sweet spring breeze carried the words to his former friend. The beast halted in the middle of the step and fully turned to him. He searched him for any hint of lie, but when he found none, the emerald eyes widened.

"It snapped for me the moment she stepped into the ballroom and our eyes met. I think she doesn't know though," Rhysand continued quietly, hoping he would understand and cancel the wedding. All he needed, was more time to find a way to get her out of Autumn. He didn't ask for anything more. She didn't need to find out right away that he was her mate. He would be completely fine with only a friendship as long as he knew where she was and that she was safe.

Tamlin's eyes narrowed and darkened, one corner of his mouth lifted in a half grin. "Don't worry," he said lowly. "I'll take good care of her. She will have anything she wants and I will protect her. I promise you."

"But will she be happy? Without her mate?"

"If she doesn't know about that, I see no reason why she shouldn't be. One can't mourn something they don't even know that exists."

"Tamlin, you don't understand-"

"But I do understand," he interrupted him. "See you at the wedding. Or rather not. Now we don't want to try our luck, do we."

"Tamlin!"

"Get lost!"

Rhysand fought against the magic of wards that after the dismissal was forcing him to leave. He wasn't done here yet. However, not even a High Lord could stay in other Court if the Lord there expelled them. Unwillingly he winnowed back to his house.

He stood in the middle of his office, heaving heavily. Tears gathered in his eyes. He ran hand through his dark hair and then dragged it down his face. He looked around, searching for something that could ground him, finding nothing. He fell to his knees and yelled so loud that walls shook.

In a blink of eye Cassian appeared at his side and clumsily held him, checking him for injuries. He seemed to be relieved to find none.

"He refused," Rhys sobbed. "I told him and he refused.."

"I'm so sorry, Rhys," Cass spoke kindly. "But.. We will solve this. Don't worry. We all will do our best to get her out of there."

Next week Rhysand's mood was switching between being furious, coldly calculating and falling into depression. At the end of the week, Azriel returned and whole Inner Circle gathered to share all facts they knew and come with some solution. As far as they knew, Selene lived in warded part of the castle where only family members and chosen maids could enter. Azriel spent the whole two weeks trying to break in but to no avail. Amren also had no luck with her research. Wards were a complicated ancient magic and to break through so strong ones, they would need a very powerful and dangerous magical object like Cauldron that was lost for centuries and they didn't have time to look for it anyway.

Rhys only sat there, gloomy, listening. He was again falling into depression.

"What if we got help from the inside?" Cassian suggested, looking around the table.

"From Vanserras?" Azriel looked up. His hazel eyes lit up with idea and he turned to Rhys. "I think that it's quite good idea."

"Thanks," Cassian grinned.

"And who would you ask for help?" Mor rolled eyes. "Beron? His wife? Or his rogue sons?"

Azriel didn't pay any attention to her insults and continued. "I think that the heir would be willing to help us if we convinced him."

Rhysand finally looked up, frowning. "He told me that he doesn't want to see me anywhere near her."

"Exactly! Don't you see it? Who let her out during the party when Beron was too busy to notice it? Eris. Who was out there protecting her? Eris. Who is often visiting the warded quarters despite having chambers in a completely different part of the castle? The answer is again Eris. I'll bet that he goes there only to visit her. Several times a day actually."

"Why should he want to help us to kidnap her?" Rhys shook his head.

"Because he cares for her," Azriel answered simply, tilting head to the side in disbelieve that Rhysand didn't get it yet. "I heard that he isn't thrilled for the coming wedding."

Rhysand clenched hands into fists, thinking. During the last two weeks they had tried everything and nothing worked, even Tamlin laughed him out. There was nothing else they could do except of waiting until the wedding day and then try one of the risky plans Cassian had prepared for that case.

At last, he nodded. "Fine then. Can you deliver message to him?"

Azriel smiled. "Gladly. If you write it right now, he can get it tonight."

Two days later, Rhysand winnowed to the river bend on the border of his Court and hid into the shadows under the trees, waiting. He didn't have high expectations, he was avoiding the hope so as not to be disappointed in the end. The time ticked by while he watched flowing river, but in his mind he saw only her, his Moon Princess bathing in the silver moonlight with shiny big eyes and soft smile on her lips. He could keep watching her lovely profile forever. If that was all he was allowed in this lifetime, he would die a happy male.

Thirty minutes later another male winnowed to the same bend of the river, his red hair looked like blazing flames in the setting sun. He eyed the empty river bank and nearby tree line with arrogant, bored expression. He crossed hands on his chest, glaring into the waters.

Rhysand stepped from his hideaway, casually walking with hands in the pockets to the place where the other male waited at. "I already started to think that you won't come," he tried his usual cocky tone, but even to him it sounded fake.

"You are the one who wanted to meet up at this.. where are we actually?" Eris raised a brow, disgusted.

Rhysand shrugged. "Just old campsite. Nobody is coming here anymore, not after what happened here. Old story. The most important is that we can talk here without being overheard."

Eris clasped hands behind his back. "So? What is so urgent? I'm busy with wedding preparations as you know."

"That's the reason why I need to speak with you." Rhys swallowed hard. He was preparing for this discussion ever since Azriel left with his letter in the pocket. Despite everything he decided to be honest for once instead of making up lies. "That wedding must not take place."

Eris raised brows at him. "Why?"

"Because..," he tried to say it aloud, but couldn't, "it can't happen."

"Good try, but I don't have time for this. So if you don't have any good reason for this, I'm leaving." He pivoted.

"She's my mate."

"What?!" Eris turned back to him so fast that he almost slipped on the stones.

"You heard me. Selene, your sister, is my mate."

Eris just gaped at him, eyes wide, but at least he wasn't about to leave anymore.

"The wedding is the biggest mistake. I don't think she knows about the bond, but she won't be happy. You have to help me stop it."

Eris's mask slipped down for a moment and Rhysand noticed pain hidden beneath. "I can't. It's too late."

"It isn't. They aren't wed yet, there's still time."

"And what do you expect me to do? Do you want me to go to my father and tell him: hey, forget about the alliance with Spring, her mate resides on the other side of Prythian? That would 100% work."

Rhys rolled eyes. "No, just help me get her out of there. If there is no bride, there won't be wedding nor alliance. This will solve all the problems at once and nobody gets hurt."

Eris snorted. "And what about her? What will happen to my sister?"

"She can live here, in my Court. I'll protect her, give her home and take good care of her. You will be welcome to come visit her anytime you want."

Eris shook head in disbelieve. "You will keep her at your side like some sustained lover? No, in such case she's better in Spring with Tamlin. I saw them talking together and he was really kind and respectful to her. That's what she deserves, Rhysand. The respect. There might be no love between them yet, but it can change in the future. He will provide her with the same things you are offering, but he will make her his wife."

Horrified, Rhysand took a step back. "Lover? What? Don't put words into my mouth. She doesn't know about the bond and I won't push her into relationship with me. If she wishes so, we will be friends. She decides what we will be, not me. But if the bond snaps for her and she accepts it, I'll more than gladly marry her right away. In my Court, she will have freedom she never had and in marriage we will be equal. In everything."

He gave him a doubtful look, laughing. "Equal? Mother's tits! I won't believe such empty promises."

"These are no empty promises, I'm serious. Can you see me laughing? I'll make even a bargain with you. If she agrees to marry me, she will be my equal. I'll make her a High Lady."

"There is no such thing as High Lady." Eris stuck out chin, narrowing eyes.

"Then she will be the first one. Do you want to bet?"

"No, but I want that bargain."

"Fine," Rhys smiled for the first time since he learnt that his Moon Princess is doomed to marry another male. "So, what do you want in exchange for your help?"

Eris tilted head to the side, pressing lips into thin line. "Help for help. When the time comes, you will help me get rid of my father."

"We have a deal." After wording their vows, smell of magic filled the air and a small tattoo appeared on their bodies.

"Great that you agreed so easily. I was ready to get down on my knees if necessary," Rhysand grinned.

"That sounds like a lot of fun. Especially, in this awful state you are in. I think I'm going to change my mind."

"Good you can't," Lord of Night patted his shoulder with new tattoo.

Eris barked with laughter.

"Now tell me, just out of curiosity, is Selene really your sister or just half sister? It doesn't really matter to me, I'm asking because-"

"She looks so different?" Eris finished the sentence with fox grin. "She is my sister. Frankly, she looks like clone of father's great grand mother. I would show you her picture, but.."

"No need. I believe you."

Eris raised his brows doubtfully.

"How exactly do you imagine her abduction to take place? If your spymaster can so easily get into my chamber, I'd say you don't need me."

"Believe me when I say that we already tried to get to her. Unfortunately, not even my brilliant spymaster can get through your father's wards. That's why we need your help."

"I see. I'm relieved to hear there are wards that can stop you and your people."

"If we weren't in such time crunch, we would find way in for sure. But we don't have so much time now," he winked. "All I need from you is to get her out of the wards inside the castle. It really doesn't matter whether you take her to your room or to that clearing, as long as she will be somewhere where we can get to her."

Next hour or so they spent discussing the details of the abduction, so the both sides knew the exact meeting place, time and what to do. When Eris left, Rhysand return back home, feeling much better. In good mood he shared the plan with Cassian and Azriel who would go into the action with him. Now he just needed to wait for message from Eris. If he hadn't seen with his own two eyes how much young heir cared for his sister, he would doubt his intentions. This all was possible only thanks to the exceptionally strong sibling love and overprotectiveness. In moments like this Rhys thought about his own baby sister. What would it be like if she was still here?

Days were passing one after another without any news from the Autumn heir until finally four days before the wedding a small piece of paper appeared on Rhysand's desk. He opened it and skimmed a neatly written short message.

Cassian! Azriel! he called in his mind.

Ever since he made the deal, they were staying in their rooms in the Town House instead of the House of Wind, just in case they would need to quickly move on. It took them only a minute to get to his office. As soon as they appeared on threshold, he happily waved the paper in the air.

"Get ready! We leave an hour after sunset."

Exactly one hour after sunset Rhysand winnowed the three of them to the Autumn Court's borders, the rest of the way they had to fly to avoid being detected by the magic of the wards that Eris inconspicuously lifted for several minutes.

Thankfully, wards around the Forest House weren't so hard to get through and Azriel could safely get them in without any help. Under the cover of night, Rhysand led them through the grounds to the clearing where they were supposed to meet with Eris and Selene. They slipped past the patrol on their way, unnoticed. Just to make sure they weren't walking into a trap, they silently landed in the forest and went on foot the rest of the way. Hidden in the dark shadows under the trees, they waited.

Ten minutes later, Eris appeared on the clearing dimly lit by the waxing moon. And he wasn't alone. Holding his hand, a small figure walked behind him.

"Be careful here," Eris kindly warned his sister and she smiled in answer.

When they stopped in the middle of the clearing, Selene looked up on the moon, bathing in the silver light. With her long hair down and in the snow white dress, she was stunning. Meanwhile, Eris intently gazed into the night, his body tense. Rhys nodded to his brothers and moved forward. They assumed she would be less frightened if he went first. He let the dry twig to crack under his boot on purpose, notifying them of his arrival.

Both siblings turned in the same time. Tension in Eris's shoulders melted away, replaced by sadness. Selene seemed to recognize him and shyly hid behind her brother.

The males nodded in greeting. "Everything okay?"

"Nobody saw us."

"And Beron?"

"Some kind of troubles with goods for wedding in the port."

Selene watched their quiet exchange calmly from behind the brother's back, curiously peeking at Lord of Night. She didn't seem to be surprised by the turn of events at all.

Rhys nodded at last and leaning to the side to get a better view, he smiled at her.

"Hey there," he said so softy he surprised even himself. "Do you remember me?"

"Yes, my lord," Selene answered shyly and hid even more into brother's shadow.

Rhysand huffed in amusement. "I thought we already had this conversation, darling. Only Rhys for you."

Eris winced at the way he addressed his sister, but didn't say a word. Instead he took his sister's hand and pulled her from behind him. "It's okay, dear. He's here to take you.. to safety."

She looked up at him with her big bright eyes, waiting. "I'm sorry, Sel," Eris continued, "I can't let you marry Tamlin. I genuinely think that he would be a good husband to you, but you wouldn't be happy with him. That's why you have to.." He couldn't finish the sentence, his voice failed him. Rhys noticed the tears in his eyes and decided to ignore them for now. He understood how hard this must be for him.

"So you allow me to leave with my mate?" Her silent question made them both gape at her in shock. Eris recovered as first and smiled sadly. He reached into the pocket between the words and pulled out a bigger bag.

"I- I packed you some clothes for the start.. and a couple of your favourite things.."

"You know about the bond?" Rhysand's heart stuttered. He didn't expect that.

She met his gaze for a second and quickly shied away, blushing fiercely. "Since the night we met here," she took her brother's sleeve between fingers and stepped closer to him, partly hiding behind him.

Rhysand was so happy that he couldn't find words. He had so many questions that he didn't know where to start. Cassian and Azriel quietly approached them and Selene's eyes widened with fear.

"That's okay, they won't hurt anyone. They are my friends who came to help me get you safely to my Court," Rhys held out hands, explaining. "This is Cassian, General of my armies, and this is Azriel, Spymaster. They are big, clumsy and quite grumpy, but both are very kind-hearted, I assure you. We grew up together like brothers."

When introduced, Cassian grinned widely and waved at her, while Azriel put hand on his chest and slightly bowed.

Eris scoffed, rolling eyes.

"It's time. We should go before someone notices she's gone," Azriel murmured lowly. He was right. It was too risky to stay here for too long.

Rhysand cleared his throat nervously and offered her hand. "Can we?"

She looked up at her brother questioningly. Eris's jaw tightened as he turned to face her. At first he only held her hands, suppressing his feelings, but then he broke and pulled her into a hug. He whispered her something in the ear and tried to wipe his tears away stealthily while pretending to clean some dirt from her shoulder.

They parted and Selene walked over to Rhys' group, her cheeks wet.

Eris sadly watched as Rhysand gently picked her up and handed her bag to Azriel. "Everything is going to be fine. He will take good care of you.. I'll visit you soon," he looked at Rhys who nodded in agreement.

"Anytime you want."

"Oh, and take this," Eris reached into his pocket and handed her a blank sheet of paper. She turned it in fingers, confused. "It's enchanted. If you want to talk with me, just write on the paper and it will teleport to me. When I answer, it will return. If there would be any trouble with it.." His eyes moved to Lord of Night.

"I'll gladly help you with it or you can write a letter and Azriel will deliver it for you."

The mentioned one nodded in agreement and opened the bag so she could put it in.

"I'll miss you, brother," she sobbed.

"I already miss you. Stay safe." Eris stepped away, hardly keeping his tears back. He put on his cool mask of heir, but his amber eyes were giving him away.

"Thank you," Rhysand swallowed hard, hardly suppressing his own emotions. "When you are ready, let me know. I owe you for this. And don't worry. She will be safe and well cared of. I'll write you when we arrive."

Eris only nodded, fists clenched at his sides and retreated a few steps to give them enough space. Rhysand summoned his wings and carefully took off followed by his brothers. Selene watched Eris until trees obscured her view. Then she wiped her tears and rested head on his shoulder. It took him by surprise and for a moment he forgot how to use the wings.

"Sorry," he apologised for the shock and she hummed in answer. He exhaled shakily, again feeling like a youngling on the first date. "A-are you scared? Of flying?"

"No," she whispered between sobs.

Rhys tugged her closer to his body, gently rubbing her shoulder with thumb. "I know it's kind of scary for you. You don't know me nor my family, but I promise I'll do anything to make you happy. And the bond.. I won't pressure you. It's up to you-"

"I want the bond," she said firmly, interrupting him. "I saw that we will be happy."

"You did?" Rhysand raised a brow. Eris probably failed to mention that his baby sister was a seer.

"Sometimes I see little flashes of my future. I knew that you will come for me."

He huffed. "Of course you did. You are the Moon Princess after all."

"Who's Moon Princess?" She seemed to calm down at last and stopped crying, but she stayed hidden in the crook of his neck.

"Well, she's someone my mother used to tell me a story about. Do you want to hear it?"

She nodded and so Rhys started quietly whispering the story into her ear while they were sliding through the peaceful night sky, heading to their own 'happily ever after'.

#acotar #rhysand x oc #sarah j maas #acotar fanfiction #eris vanserra #azriel shadowsinger #azriel #azriel acotar #tamlin #rhysand acotar #rhys acotar #cassian acotar #request #autumn court #night court #beron vanserra #helion acotar

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catkin-morgs-kookaburralover · 3 months ago

Text

This story, for which there are seven parts, is dedicated to everyone affected by Hurricane Helene. It was not written because of that, but a water-based natural disaster is part of the plot. It does not focus on it, but is a story of hope. The text of section one is under the cut. I hope to post all sections before the end of the Inklings Challenge. Despite this being my third year, this is the first I've actually posted anything other than snippets, so I hope I'm doing this right. I haven't yet written more than this, but I do have an outline for the other six parts, so hopefully that will work. @inklings-challenge

One: Admonish the Sinner

First of all it must be understood that every world is connected, as every village is. Some are just further away.

This is not a story of Earth; this is a story of a world nobody bothered to name, in a village nobody called anything other than the village. But that does not make it any less beloved—by people or by God. Sometime, a long time before this story is set, someone from Earth came to this nameless world and gave them the greatest gift of all, truth: but that is another tale entirely.

The night sky of this world is strikingly different from ours. Most prominently, two moons watch the world below, and every forty-seven years or so, flooding hits the island. They call it Big Tide, for it is the pull of the two moons combined that does this. It is regular enough, and has enough warning signs, that everyone should be perfectly ready for it.

As is common in humans (and these are humans like us, though the world is different), not everyone believes the evidence laid out in the world.

This is a story of Big Tide, specifically the one of the year three thousand, two hundred and twenty by their reckoning. This is a story of Paula McArthur.

%%%%%%%

The wattles were flowering, and it was Paula’s favourite time of year. There were several different wattles, but this was the deep gold ones she loved the best, the ones she gathered by the armful and adorned her home with. Now she only held a single sprig and enjoyed it to the full. It was too close to Big Tide to unnecessarily damage the wattle trees; they could be badly damaged by the rushing waters, and might need everything they had to survive. But one twig wasn’t going to hurt it.

The sky was a clear pale blue shot with fine clouds, a mass of them shining near the horizon with the sun gentle on them. Paula raised her face to the sunlight and closed her eyes, smiling. It was spring, and she never felt more alive than in springtime.

She had been working all morning to prepare for Big Tide, largely transport. Her hands were tired of the precise positions needed to be held in order to hover exactly enough to transfer items in mid-air between hoverboards rather than landing to do it, which would waste time. Tide waited on no man, but Paula was skilled enough to know when she could be sloppy about hoverboarding, and enjoyed hoverboarding in a more slapdash manner than most people she knew. She had graduated earlier than most of her classmates from a controller to haptics. Tomorrow, though, she might use the controller again to make sure she was fresh enough to hover efficiently overnight during Big Tide itself.

Presently she took out her lunch, and ate it while walking. In the distance a kookaburra laughed; Paula came to an abrupt halt as a green-blue iridescent flash clued her into the presence of a river dragon nearby. It turned and looked at her, bright blue eyes wise and calm. After a moment of silence and mutual respect, the dragon moved properly into her view and arched its sinuous back, raising its crest. Paula lifted her chin and brushed back the dark fringe to look more intimidating. The only sign the dragon gave of seeing any change was to raise its scales in a largely vain attempt to inflate its size. Abruptly it put down its scales and ran in a blaze of colour, uttering a high keening cry that faded as it retreated.

Paula turned to see who had disturbed her, smiling as she recognised the intruder. “What brings you here, Martha?”

Her friend grinned in response, lighting up her tanned sombre face. “You, actually. I came in search of you.”

Paula half gestured to herself, merrily. “Why trouble yourself?”

Martha grew serious at once. “I care about you. Aren't I allowed to?”

“Certainly, as I do.”

Martha smiled a little incredulously. “Anyway, surely it's time to go back now?”

Paula raised a single eyebrow, then tilted her head back and assessed the position of the sun. “I guess. Why did you come to find me, Mar?”

“Oh, you know, I hardly see you now.” Her manner was evasive, which baffled Paula. “You're always out walking.”

“It's spring.” Paula waved the sprig of wattle at her. “The best time of the year. What's your favourite season?”

“Winter,” said Martha definitively. “Cold and empty and bleak.”

“Why do you like it that way?” she asked in surprise. Last time they'd talked about the seasons, she thought Martha had waxed poetic about the dying fire of autumn.

“It's silent,” was Martha's quiet response. “Nobody bothers you.”

Paula paused to assess the time, decided they had to go back and led the way; Martha trailed her. “I thought you liked people.”

There was a short silence. “People don't tend to like me.”

“That's nonsense,” she responded immediately. Martha smiled, sad and sarcastic.

“I don't tend to like me.”

Her calmness bothered Paula, and she sped up slightly. “Well, I do. You're fun, conversational and well read.”

“Which is why you disappear alone for hours.” She caught up and shot Paula a sidelong look, as if to say, I know your secrets. Except there were no secrets to know.

“I like spring. It feels so alive and fresh, like all the past year's mistakes are washed away and there's new growth instead.”

“Very poetic.” Instead of amusement, Martha's tone was sour. She dodged past Paula and trotted quickstep the whole way back.

%%%%%%%

“I don't know what I did wrong,” finished Paula, twisting her hands nervously. “She got mad and I don't know why.”

Her mother glanced hurriedly across to check the next load wasn't ready, then turned to Paula again. “When people aren't happy it can be a temptation to take it out on others, especially those who are.”

“She said she was worried, and then she just changed and didn't want to talk to me.”

“Rebecca!” The shout made her mother focus on her own work; Paula moved her hoverboard closer to her father so he could load it up. This one was three bags of flour, heavy on the back and requiring stabilisation, which Paula remained still for while her father adjusted the controls. When it was done, he gave her a thumbs up and she gestured with her gloves, rising away from the site and on the journey to higher ground. It wasn't as easy to handle the unbalanced board; she would have done a lot more, and easier, with a transport hoverboard rather than the jury-rigged family board, but it was more economical and the decree had been that fuel, not time, was of the essence, since they'd planned well in advance. Indeed, today being the day before Big Tide, they had expected to have no more transport to do apart from the people, but someone had been digging too enthusiastically in their garden and cracked an underground storage container, so all of that had to be moved.

She was most of the way there, wind in her face, when a fast personal hoverboard raced up beside her, village elder crouched to stave off the wind. He matched her speed, then unwound and said, “I'll take over from here. Take my board and go back—we need you to persuade people to go.”

“What?” She was already moving, assessing how to swap boards without any risk of either of them tumbling into the trees below while stepping across. “Why?”

He grimaced. “Turns out there are people who haven't prepared and don't want elders coming to help. Your dad suggested you could try and help instead.”

She started to shuck the gloves, then changed her mind and pressed buttons, keying them to the elder's hoverboard instead. As ownership switched, both boards lurched violently, and Paula barely held her position. The elder was wearing magnetic boots and so didn't run the risk of falling. Once she had stabilised it, she said, “So where do I start?”

“Ask your dad when you get back.” His expression was calm and focused as he adjusted the settings to accommodate for his weight. “For now, just get going. Time is of the essence. Big Tide waits for no man.”

#inklings24 #please i want feedback #inklingschallenge #team tolkien #genre: secondary world #theme: admonish #story: unfinished #my writing #if you prefer to read it in google doc form I can provide that also #talk to me about it i beg. i am not good at speed writing #also i do not have a title. thought about one for a while and just didn't like it #so for now it is continuing to be untitled #i am. oddly scared about the idea of sharing this i don't know why

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twst-drabbles · 11 months ago

Text

Meleanor 1

Summary: You do not understand this egg's mother. On multiple occasions, with words or with silence, she has made her hatred towards humans clear. And yet, here she is with her egg in her arms.

(Ough, spent most of the day transferring my stuff to another writing program because my brain refuses to engage with the current one. Hopefully this one will be better for me. The interface is something I'm used to, at least. Also more time travel shenanigans because why not?)

When a guest is invited–or at least, allowed over by the pixies–the cluster of bells by your lattice windows would ring cleanly through the house, then would glow depending on how many guests there were. And if there was no guest but someone was coming anyway, all bells would ring at the same time and glow a sickly green.

It was a nice, a way to distinguish guest from intruder.

Only one ball bell glowed in this instance, a calm gold, but another one was hesitating, almost flickering in it's attempt to shine.

It was weird, until you saw the vine curtain pull back to reveal that faerie noble woman Meleanor with a huge egg in tow. Her smile, while clearly crafted from years of experience, did not fool you. You can feel the way her eyes regard you as a crawling, invasive bug.

"Hmm," was all the greetings you could muster out, because you didn't expect her to come here, nor did you want her here, but the egg was a pleasant surprise. It cancels out your need to give a dismissive/rude greeting into a neutral noise.

Meleanor, however, turned her eyes back to her egg. Her smile grew smaller, but gentler, as she rubbed her thumb over the raised grooves and ridges over the shell.

"Was that all you needed? You spoiled boy of mine. But fret not, I'll give you everything that you want, even if it means robbing the night sky of its every star just to give them to you."

It's… weird, knowing that Malleus was inside that very egg that Meleanor was so tenderly caressing. A growing fetus, alive and well, beating with a very tiny heart.

…oh right, you're supposed to receive this guest on behalf of the pixies. They can't do it themselves, on the account of how dense and volatile her magic is. Such sensitivity tends to make them agitated or fearful. And you, being a dull human with no magic sense whatsoever, would have to take the reigns.

"Sit wherever you like," you gestured to the whole scope of the room.

"And who gave you permission to speak, to gaze upon me?" She didn't so much as look at you, keeping her gaze upon her child, still so filled with fondness and love.

This song and dance again… Ugh, you're going to be so exhausted by the end of the day.

"A host that cannot gaze or speak with the guest is a negligent one," Meleanor not looking at you was a sign that she's not truly angry. She's just trying to mess with you in the way all faeries love to do. "You know this."

A prank to them, a danger to you. You fall for it or falter, and she will relish in punishing you however she sees fit. You're just lucky you have a good sense of when you're in danger or not.

"Haha," Meleanor lifted her head to laugh, mildly amused, "A host now, is it? Your manners are well-trained in you, for a human. Any less and I would have had you replaced. Surely the pixies will find another creature to attach themselves to."

"That's if they don't gather up their things and leave for other places," you dragged a chair and kicked back on it, "You would lose your stable seasons if you were to 'replace' me on your own whims."

Human etiquette in you tells you to go into the kitchen and make a drink or a snack. Faerie etiquette, however, told you to wait and quietly listen. You can't assume a request of a faerie guest. You could easily be accused of arrogance.

But, instead of requesting for anything or attempting to stab you with her sharp words, Meleanor took the seat on the other side of the dining table. She leaned her egg close to her belly and simply let time pass with a steady lullaby.

And, unfortunately, this meant that you couldn't do anything as well. You're forced to sit there and wait with her while she gets lost in whatever is inside her head.

Just as you were about to zone out in your seat, Meleanor finally spoke.

"It was only for a brief moment, but I'm more than sure that my son heard your voice. It was when Malleus and I were wandering around these very woods as a means of staving off my boredom. And just as I was about to craft a most impressive tower of thorns, I heard your voice, along with those playful pixies right by the riverside. And my son heard you as well."

"Huh," you tapped at your knee, trying to recall what she's talking about. You can't. "What does that have do with you bringing your egg here?"

There was only the lightest flare of green fire over the hem of her dress, but she reigned it in. She is a guest after all. She can't very well rampage inside this house just because the pixies gave the okay for her to visit. It's why you're letting yourself be a little more lax than usual.

Meleanor gave a sigh, letting just a fraction of her rage go. "Already, before he's even born, Malleus is rebelling against me. I would be more proud if it weren't due to your influence. But, I have no choice in this instance. What my son wants, I'll give. It is my right to spoil him, especially at this stage."

"…Give him, my voice?" That's not exactly something you want to do.

"Malleus wants to hear more of your voice," she spat it out, as though the words were disgusting on her tongue, "He'll reject most of my and my husband's magic otherwise. Honestly, of all things for him to latch onto, it had to be a human's voice."

Wow, of all things…

"That's unfortunate," you sighed out.

"On my end, yes. But for you, it is a blessing that no other shall receive, so best weep for joy at such a miracle. When I take my leave, that is. I don't want to subject my child to the grating noises of a sobbing human."

Meleanor is certainly hating every moment of this, isn't she? Guess you should be thankful that, no matter where you are in time, Malleus attaches himself to you quickly. How nice.

But oh boy, you hope this doesn't have any consequences when you finally figure out how to go back to your present.

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst-drabbles #twst-drabbles exclusive #drabble #meleanor #meleanor draconia #janitor au #time travel shenanigans #reader insert

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eternal-kosmo-ghoul · 1 year ago

Note

Hi there!

I saw that your requests are open :D

May I ask for hcs or a little scenario, if you wish, of how Swiss and Mountain would react to seeing reader (he/they pronouns, if possible) up really really late because of nightmares and insomnia? I’m thinking about fluff and platonic relationships! (Cuddles? Little kisses? Yes please)

Thank you so much for your time and for your writing! writing! 🖤

❝kiss the nightmares away❞

➵ “i’ll be your little sunshine.” —❤︎

pairing: swiss and mountain x male!reader (he/they)

theme: fluff ✿

a/n: first of all, i hope you’re doing well hon, i hope this fic can soothe some potential nerves you have there <3 i hope this fic met your standards. and tbh it can be read as platonic or romantic so i didn’t use the platonic tag

cw: insomnia sucks, that’s really it. swiss and mountain are very caring for the reader here

┅✦┅

his head hurt so much.

normally, the insomnia never got this bad— but tonight was a particularly shitty night. not only was his day at the ministry rather rough, but y/n had just experienced a chilling nightmare that still sent shivers down his spine— which only worsened the effects of their sleep condition.

it was anything but pleasant, but he hates to say that this wasn’t the first time this has happened.

insomnia was a bitch, but they have grown accustomed to dealing with it on their own— even if it sucked.

sighing heavily, y/n’s feet carried him through the ministry halls and into the kitchen, in hopes to find a snack that’ll soothe his mind and hopefully calm his nerves down.

the fridge door swung open and y/n grabbed the nearest thing on the shelf, not even bothering to look at what he had just grabbed— or the label for that matter.

just as y/n was about to open whatever container he snagged— the sound of someone clearing their throat made y/n whip his head around to find the source of the sound.

“you know you’re holding a jar of mayonnaise, right, sweetie?”

confused, y/n turned his head to the entrance of the kitchen, and was met with a familiar multi ghoul leaning against the door frame. swiss, with his arms crossed, looked at them in an almost amused manner.

y/n looked down at his hands to see that he was indeed, holding a jar of mayonnaise. he didn’t even notice, he was probably way too tired to even function. sighing heavily, he opened the fridge and put it back inside.

“sorry, i didn’t notice.” y/n responded, looking downcast to avoid swiss’ gaze

“i can tell.” swiss replied back with a cheeky tone, before he made his way over to y/n. he could already tell something was up.

“so what are you doing up so late?” swiss asked, his tone of voice shifting into a more caring one. y/n didn’t respond, his silence was already a good enough answer for swiss, and the multi ghoul sighed.

“that bad, huh?”

“it’s always bad, swiss. but tonight has just really fucked me over.”

swiss let out another heavy breath of concern, and brought his large, clawed hand to gently rub y/n’s back— who was currently hunched over the kitchen island, head bent down. it was the most he could do to comfort the poor boy.

at that moment, heavy, but gentle footsteps, made their way into the kitchen, causing both y/n and swiss to look over at the kitchen.

it was mountain. he must’ve heard one of them come down to the kitchen. tilting his head in confusion, he turned to swiss.

“what’s going on?” the earth ghoul asked, almost innocently.

“insomnia is kicking y/n’s ass again.” swiss replied back, his tail flicking a bit as he spoke. he then went back to rubbing y/n’s back.

“damn right it is.” y/n groaned out, his forehead resting against the table as he just let swiss rub his back.

mountain just let out an ‘ah’ at Swiss’ answer. he felt bad for the poor boy, he knew how bad insomnia could get at times. all he knew now was that y/n needed some comfort.

the drummer turned to look at the vocalist, and the two exchanged a knowing look before nodding at each other. at that moment, the earth ghoul scooped up y/n in his strong arms, cradling him like a baby— which made them yelp from the sudden change.

“what the—!? hey what are you guys doing??” y/n asked almost suspiciously, wondering what in hell these two ghouls had in mind.

“what do you think, honey?” swiss said from behind mountain, peeking over the earth ghoul’s shoulder to look at y/n. “we’re going to help you.”

it wasn’t long until the trio reached mountain’s room. y/n breathed in the fresh aroma of healing herbs and fresh water, must’ve been from the decorative plants in mountain’s room.

being the gentle giant he was, mountain carefully placed y/n on the center of his queen sized bed, and it wasn’t long until the two ghouls were all over y/n.

swiss was cuddled up on the right side of y/n’s body, his head buried under the curve of their neck, while his arms proceeded to wrap around y/n’s waist and his legs tangled in the other’s. mountain then moved to y/n’s left side, his chest pressing against the smaller boy’s back softly while he draped his long arms over y/n’s and swiss’ bodies to move them closer to him. the earth ghoul’s tail was also wrapped around y/N’s leg affectionately.

the position was… oddly comfortable, and it was quite serene too. it put y/n’s mind at ease, and his muscles visible relaxed after being stiff for so long. both swiss and mountain took notice of this, and started to purr lovingly— the vibrations of their purrs only serving to further heal y/n.

“this is nice…” y/n muttered out softly, to which swiss chuckled slightly.

“told ya we’d help, pretty boy.” swiss teased back slightly, making y/n only rolled his eyes at him.

“oh shut up.” they retorted, eliciting a chuckle from mountain, who rested his chin on top of y/n’s head.

“alright, simmer down you two. i think we all need to sleep. especially you, y/n.” mountain said with a more firm, but soft tone, making both swiss and y/n nod.

swiss couldn’t resist, but he pressed a soft kiss onto y/n’s cheek to help comfort him, which in turn made them giggle from the ticklish feeling. mountain let out another chuckle and placed a kiss on top of y/n’s head, purring softly right after.

y/n definitely wasn’t expecting his night to go like this. being pulled into a cuddle pile with the flirty multi ghoul, swiss— and the sweet and gentle earth ghoul, mountain.

his insomnia was definitely bad.

but these two ghoul’s provided enough comfort for him to make him feel safe.

and that feeling was enough to allow his mind drift off into a dreamless, but peaceful sleep, appreciating the warmth of another’s arms.

#ghost bc #ghost fanfiction #nameless ghoul x reader #nameless ghouls #the band ghost #fluffy #fluff fanfic #nameless ghoul fanfic #swiss ghoul #swiss x reader #mountain x reader #mountain ghoul #swiss x male reader #mountain x male reader #male reader #platonic #swiss army ghoul #kosmos ficlets

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stomach-bugg09 · 2 years ago

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HIIII ok so ive been loving all ur works, and i was just wondering if u could do a lo’ak x reader?? maybe like they’ve been fighting their feelings for each other but now as they’re learning the way of the water they just can’t resist each other anymore?? maybe like a late night talk by the beach??

summary: best friends, that's all they are. or, at least that’s what [y/n] keeps trying to convince herself.

lo’ak x fem!reader

a/n: thanks so so much for the request! it’s short and sweet, full of fluff. hopefully you enjoy. feedback, reblogs, and reqs are always appreciated.

warnings: major fluff, best friends to lovers, the result of mutual pining, cutie patooties

tags: @pinkhotdogsfr @eywas-heir

kiss her, you fool !!

the beach was silent that night, the waves calm as they brushed against the shore in a consistent manner. it was rather peaceful, the soft sound of the ocean harmonizing with the breeze.

but, peace could only last for long. threaded into the sounds of the waves crashing came quiet laughter, muffled by hands clasped to each other’s mouths in order to shut each other up. if you were genuinely curious enough to track down the mysterious noises, you would not be shocked to find a pair of teenagers hidden together behind a rock next to the tide pools.

there sat [y/n] and lo’ak, their faces flushed from the laughter they attempted to keep down, although it was clearly a struggle based on their breathless voices.

“lo’ak,” she hissed, trying to push her grin off of her face. “quiet! you know your father will not react kindly to us being out here.”

he rolled his eyes, dropping his head backwards to stare up at the star-lit sky. “does it even matter at this point?” he wondered aloud. “i mean, i don’t think i can disappoint him any further than i already have.”

“nonsense!” she huffed, leaning towards him with a soft smile. “i’ve seen the capabilities of your stupidity, lo’ak, and there is far much more that you could do. trust me!”

he chuckled at that, causing her to feel a pang of pride for making him laugh. “well, aren’t you just a wonderful friend,” he teased with a shake of his head.

at that word, she wrinkled her nose, but quickly willed the expression off of her face. “you do need someone to keep you on your toes, boy.” [y/n] looked away and towards the dark horizon, silently cursing at herself. she needed to stop. stop thinking of him like that.

the girl’d been fighting her feelings since before they left the omaticaya clan, before they left their home. thanks to her history with the sully family and the lack of her own parents after their deaths during a raid, she had quite enough resources and evidence to use against neytiri and jake, eventually convincing the pair of protective parents to let her join.

growing up alongside the sully siblings, even before her parents’ death, led to a very close relationship with the youngest son. she couldn’t help it—he was charismatic, full of energy. it was captivating, really, even when they were just toddlers.

she just wished it hadn’t led to her teenage years being full of heartbreak because her best friend only saw her as.. well, a best friend.

by pulling herself away from the conversation, the two faded into an unfortunate and awkward silence. it was just too damn bad that boys at that age were far too scared of making any sort of move without being one-hundred percent confident that it wouldn’t end badly, and even so, they still hesitated!

so, as an attempt to reel her back in, the boy cleared his throat. damn it, he cursed himself silently when the girl continued to stare outwards at the beach. naturally, he did it again. because he’s stupid. still, no luck!

by the third time, [y/n] turned around towards her best friend, eyebrow muscles furrowed in concern, laughter becoming apparent on her facial features. “are you okay?” she questioned, a smile slowly crawling its way back onto her lips.

almost immediately, his face flushed. “oh, yeah. ‘m fine!” he swallowed, his voice far too high pitched. “just something in my throat.” at that, he coughed again as if to convince her, although this time it sounded extremely artificial.

“right,” she trailed teasingly. “because, if you need water…”

“[y/n], don’t even think about it,” he warned sternly, immediately pushing himself to his feet.

“too late!” she cried joyfully, her tail pulling up and flicking against his ankles. unfortunately for lo’ak, she was weirdly strong, and the rocks were weirdly slippery thanks to the high tide earlier in the evening.

laughter burst from her throat as she watched lo’ak land backwards in the water, barely avoiding the splash. when he resurfaced, he looked less than amused. “you should have seen your face!” she mocked, tears coming to her eyes as she couldn’t catch her breath.

“shut up, [y/n]!” he huffed, but even he couldn’t ignore the entertainment of the moment. “and now who’s being too loud, huh?”

“i’m sorry,” she panted, wiping tears from her eyes. “you just don’t understand! you looked so shocked even though you knew exactly what was coming—ah!” she shrieked, feeling her weight go unbalanced thanks to a tug at her leg.

soon enough, the floated in the water with lo’ak.

when she resurfaced, he held a laugh in his throat at her expression. “please don’t murder me.”

“too late!”

now, if you ignored the sounds of laughter earlier, you would most likely be pissed at the fact that they got even louder. and this time, if you were just too angry to stay in bed, you would definitely not be shocked at the two teenagers who tackled each other in the waves, practically water-boarding the other. but, the moment that you saw the amount of enjoyment in their eyes, only the most soulless creatures would continue to scold them for it.

“[y/n]!” the boy cried, hands going up in defense. “please, please! mercy!” he called, the salty water clouding his vision. immediately, he felt her strain release, only leaving the girl sitting on top of his chest, a prideful grin causing a deep sting at his defeat.

teasingly, the girl flexed her arms. “who’s the champion?” [y/n] joked, sticking her tongue out at him.

he could only stare at her silently, though. his breath was slowly increasing, composure finally restoring. and yet, he still couldn’t speak, words stuck in his throat at he stared at the girl sitting on his chest.

“lo’ak?” she questioned after he hadn’t reacted in any way, shape, or form. that was very much not like the lo’ak she knew. he was always a sore loser!

you only have one chance, a voice deep within his head whispered to him, his eyes flickering to his best friend’s lips. only got one chance… he took a breath in.

kiss her, you fool!

and so, he did, his arm reaching up and gently bracing her neck. he sat himself up with his other elbow, leaning against it to give him a bit more leverage. and so, their lips came together, greeting each other with a yearning they both had been fighting for years.

and it was the best moment of [y/n]’s entire life.

#avatar 2 #avatar the way of water #loak sully #lo'ak sully #lo'ak #loak #loak x y/n #loak x you #loak x reader #lo'ak x y/n #lo'ak x you #lo'ak x reader #avatar 2 x reader

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infiniteglitterfall · 5 months ago

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holy shit, they actually took out Ismail Haniyeh

(And that other guy, who I've never heard of but is apparently the Hezbollah leader responsible for the deaths of those 12 Israeli Druze kids playing soccer the other day.)

I have quoted Haniyeh so many times over the past ten months. Not out of admiration. Out of the eternal need to explain to people that HAMAS IS BAD, ACTUALLY. It is NOT "the Palestinian resistance."

Apart from everything else, Hamas staged a violent coup in 2007, kicking the Palestinian government out of Gaza, and has run it as a dictatorship ever since.

I really, really want to talk (more than I already do) about the actual Palestinian resistance. But I think that has to be another post. Because I am not going to be able to shut up about Haniyeh long enough yet.

Haniyeh was essentially the leader of Hamas. The quote I keep going back to is from late last October, from an interview with him that aired on Al-Jazeera TV:

“The blood in the Gaza Strip... the blood of the children, women, and elderly... we need this blood so that it will ignite within us the spirit of revolution, so that it will arouse within us persistence, so that it will arouse within us defiance and advance.”

That's just plain vampire talk.

I don't think he was a vampire. I think if we were in an alternate universe in which any Hamas leader was going to turn out to have secretly been a vampire, it would be Sinwar.

And that dude's not turning anybody else. He's gonna want to keep them for snacks.

I've seen many tweets from Gazans who are fucking pissed that Hamas started a war they did not want, and then basically told them they should die to get it all fired up. Like... maybe calm your tits, Haniyeh??

Listen, I know "calm your tits" is an almost comically inadequate response to this dude. It is going to sound unserious as all hell. But this is all I have to offer at this point.

The man was not interested in calming his fucking tits.

He had a history of saying shit like this. (E.g. in 2014 he said, “We love death like our enemies love life!” CALM YOUR FUCKING TITS, I AM BEGGING YOU.)

He was one of those dictators who has a completely inappropriate and hopefully impossible mission in mind -- okay, yes, fine, that does describe ALL dictators.

This 2011 quote from him (on Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV) describes his mission, and Hamas's, well enough:

“We say today, explicitly, so it cannot be explained otherwise, that the armed resistance and the armed struggle are the path and the strategic choice for liberating the Palestinian land, from the sea to the river, and for the expulsion of the invaders and usurpers from the blessed land of Palestine.

"The Hamas movement will lead intifada after intifada until we liberate Palestine – all of Palestine, Allah willing. Allah Akbar and praise Allah.

"We say with transparency and in a clear manner, that Palestinian reconciliation – and all sides must know this – cannot come at the expense of principles, at the expense of the resistance."

(By "reconciliation," he means letting the Palestinian government run Gaza again -- not by Hamas stepping down, but by the two working jointly to run all of Palestine.

Which would be absolutely fucking disastrous for everyone involved, other than the people in power. Fatah does not have a strong record itself on freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of choice, etc. It's not able to provide any counterbalance to Hamas's 17 years of absolutely brutal methods of crushing dissent.

Anyway, Haniyeh wasn't done talking.)

"These principles are absolute and cannot be disputed: Palestine—all of Palestine—is from the sea to the river. We won't relinquish one inch of the land of Palestine. The involvement of Hamas at any stage with the interim objective of liberation of Gaza, the West Bank, or Jerusalem, does not replace its strategic view concerning Palestine and the land of Palestine.”

The reason is that Hamas's 1988 founding charter, which is an absolutely wild ride, holds that the entire land is an Islamic Waqf. Meaning that it's "consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up… This Waqf remains as long as earth and heaven remain. Any procedure in contradiction to Islamic Sharia, where Palestine is concerned, is null and void."

(That quote, and the wild ride, are in the de-paywalled article below)

This is something Hamas itself came up with. Obviously there are many places there that are holy to Muslims, Jews, and/or Christians.

But Hamas independently decided that not only was the ENTIRE PLACE holy, it was all For Muslims Only: not to be sold to or by anyone else, etc.

(Wikipedia calls it "a relatively recent belief... forming part of the group's mythology," and cites political scholar Yitzhak Reiter, who calls it "a novel politically-oriented myth, rooted neither in Islamic legal texts nor in historical practice.")

He's apparently being portrayed as something of a moderate in a lot of media coverage about his death.

I can see the temptation to consider him a moderate by comparison with, say, Hamas military commander Muhammad Deif, because it's Haniyeh, not the military, who's been involved in ceasefire negotiations.

But fuck, there's no such thing as a grade curve steep enough to make this guy a moderate. Even his ceasefire negotiations were not moderate.

Haniyeh has been perfectly clear and consistent: "We are committed to our demands: the permanent ceasefire, comprehensive and complete withdrawal of the enemy out of the Gaza Strip, the return of all displaced people to their homes, allowing all aid needed for our people in Gaza, rebuilding the Strip, lifting the blockade and achieving an honourable prisoner exchange deal."

You cannot: * invade, * burn 12 villages to the ground while trying to kill everyone in them, * take -- what was the final count, 262 hostages? -- including a literal infant who, if still alive, has now spent more of his life as a hostage than not, * publicly state you will repeat the attack "again and again and again" until Israel is violently destroyed, * then say that your requirements for hostage return are (1) Israel stops trying to eliminate Hamas and go home, (2) everyone in Gaza goes home, (3) Israel has to agree to rebuild the Strip, (4) Israel has to lift the blockade on weapon supplies, (5) unspoken lack of a limit on a Hamas ceasefire, and THEN (6) you'll NEGOTIATE hostage return. Not "return the hostages," but NEGOTIATE how many prisoners Israel has to release for each hostage. Which gives Hamas the option to say that it couldn't reach an agreement and not release anybody.... * And be a moderate.

Like, by that standard, Netanyahu is even more moderate. Possibly even liberal.

And I don't think ANYBODY (short of Ben-Gvir, maybe) is calling Netanyahu a moderate. Giving ceasefire demands that are not for a ceasefire. That instead say, "end the war with zero requirements for us and we'll consider returning your hostages." Has gotten Haniyeh and Hamas a lot of very unearned credit for "negotiation," and "willingness to agree to a ceasefire," and, apparently, being "moderate." Somehow, it keeps surprising me that a ton of people see this not as "refusing a ceasefire entirely," but as willing and open negotiation.

I'm closing with two tweets from preeminent Palestinian human rights activist Bassem Eid.

#free gaza from hamas #free palestine #gaza strip #fuck hamas #return the hostages and surrender so that Palestinians can live in peace and have elections again #fuck calling for a one-sided ceasefire. call for that. like the actual people in Gaza do.#jumblr #wall of words

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bionicle-ramblings · 5 months ago

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Writing a little something for @crystaltoa for their fantasy AU. It's also been on my head a lot😅

Matau was not the type to exactly go to other regions, as his own was perfectly fine. He only ever left it because something he needed for trading or work was there. Being outside of his region and traveling was also benefit he enjoyed.

What he did not particularly enjoy were the knights, both in and out of Le-Metru.

By all means, Matau could outrun a knight; they wore their heavy armor and sometimes ran slowly to stay in groups. He wore no armor, or at least armor that slowed him down, and he was a gnome. One of the smaller beings that existed in the land, but that only made him harder to catch.

He reasoned as such when he vaulted off a wall before a knight could grab him, leaping upward until he was racing across rooftop after rooftop.

"Ha!" He proclaimed. "Nice work-try, pesky knights!"

One of the knights growled. "Follow him! Don't let that thief get away!"

Matau climbed onto a chimney to catch his breath. "Thief? Sneak-thief? ME!?"

While it was true Matau had a precious stone in his satchel, he didn't think it was stolen.

How could I steal something if no one was around to claim it?

An arrow flew past him, barely grazing his ear.

As more knights reloaded their bows and crossbows, Matau sprang off the chimney and leapt from building to building, ducking and dodging arrows as they were fired at him.

Matau looked over his shoulder to see if any more knights were around him, if they were either behind him or rounding buildings to try cutting him off.

It cost him when his foot slipped off of the roof and sent him tumbling downward and into a large chimney.

Smoke and heat met him as he fell.

It was followed by a harsh landing on cold charcoals and a scream, and then the clattering of metal falling to the floor.

And the man who screamed, a blacksmith, remained where he stood, only picking up the tools he dropped even as Matau pushed himself up and cringed at the dust he was covered in.

"Ugh. Gross-nasty." Matau saw the human and cleared his throat. "Someone forgot to brush-clean that."

The man's brow furrowed, either from confusion or from finally processing what was happening in the moment.

The door to the shop was banged on, making both Matau and the human jump.

"Royal guards! We need to search your shop!"

"Stupid, pesky knights," Matau hissed under his breath.

The human looked around the shop and quickly scooped Matau off of the ground.

"Hey!"

"Stay quiet!" The human murmured before practically throwing Matau into a large vase that held bars and rods of metal. "Stay down."

Matau glanced at the door and nodded, shimmying to hide himself more.

The human quickly tidied up his shop and took a breath before opening the door.

The knights stood on the other side, along with the dwarf he had been the apprentice to.

"Sirs," he greeted with a nod. "Nuhrii."

"Good day," one of the knights greeted back. "So sorry to you and your mentor, but we need to check your shop."

Hopefully just for rats and not a gnome.

He gave the knights a confused, albeit cautious nod as he stepped out of the way and opened the door wider.

The knights filed in and began searching the shop, alarmingly careful in their search so nothing would be damaged.

Many simply pulled open any drawers that they could, opened cabinets, boxes, even looked up the chimney Matau had fallen down, taking note of the scattered coals and dust.

One of them stood by Nuhrii, examining one of the swords that needed a guard and hilt. "Impressive work," he noted. "Yours?"

"My apprentice's, actually," the dwarf said grudgingly.

One of the knights searched behind a shelf of tools and gear, close to the vase.

Nuhrii nudged him. "Show some manners. Introduce yourself."

One of the knights turned their attention to the vase.

"Vakama," the human said, trying to remain calm. "My name is Vakama."

The knight examined the blade closely, checking for any warping or damage- not that he would find any. "You've learned well from your mentor."

Vakama bit his tongue as he saw the knight dig through the vase, waiting for the moment they would find and drag out the gnome hiding inside, and then arrest Vakama with him for "harboring a criminal."

Instead, the knight stood straight. "Nothing," they reported.

Around the room, the other knights echoed, "Nothing."

The knight standing by Nuhrii huffed. "Damn."

Vakama hid a sigh.

"Thank you, both, for your time," the knight said as his group marched out of the shop. "If either of you see anything, be sure to report it to us."

"Yes, sir," Nuhrii replied.

"What were you looking for?" Vakama asked, feigning ignorance.

Nuhrii glared at him as the knight answered, "That's none of your concern. Just a thief we've been having trouble with."

"We'll keep an eye out," Nuhrii said before Vakama could think of responding.

"Much obliged. Good day, you two." With a nod, the knight turned and left the shop.

Nuhrii wheeled around to face Vakama. "Do you know anything of this thief?"

Vakama shook his head. "No, sir."

"Are you lying to me?" The dwarf asked sharply. "I'll know of you are, and having your apprenticeship stripped would be the least of your worries, boy!"

"Of course I'm not!" Vakama protested. "What reason would I have for lying to you or knights?"

Nuhrii glared at him for a long moment before sighing. "Fine. I'll take your word for it." He turned to the door of the shop. "Get back to work," he said, opening the door to let himself out, and then slamming it shut behind him.

Vakama took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "That went well."

"It went sure-fine."

The human jumped and quickly turned.

There was Matau, sitting on the mantle above the fireplace and examining a dagger.

Did he teleport there? Turn himself invisible?

Vakama only picked up the sword he'd been working on, now cooled from being out of the forge, and a hammer. "I wouldn't stay long, if I was in your place. They might come back."

The gnome gave him a doubtful look. "Might. I'll be far-gone by the time those stupid knights look here again."

"Let's hope you are, when that happens, Matau."

Matau blinked before standing, beaming with pride. "My reputation precedes me! Yes, I am Matau! Have you heard of me thanks to talk-stories from Le-Metru?"

"Not exactly," Vakama admitted. "You wouldn't believe me, if I told you."

"Try me." Matau vaulted off the mantle and landed in Vakama's shoulder. "I've been far and wide on ever-great adventures! I would believe anything you say."

"Even if I was lying?"

Matau froze, smile gone for a moment before he smirked, sitting down.

"I think I like you, human," he said, eyes narrow and on Vakama's face.

Vakama carefully moved Matau off of him. "What were they after you for anyway?"

"I'm not sure," Matau said with a shrug. "But they're not cheer-happy that I have this."

The gnome reached into the satchel he wore and pulled out a stone, one that glowed green from within and was translucent as if it was carved from glass or a gem.

Vakama crouched down to get a closer look, brow furrowed. "Where did you get this?"

"The street."

Vakama eyed him dubious.

"What? I did!" Matau barked. "Someone must've dropped it and they didn't come back for it!"

"And you didn't think to try and return it?"

"I didn't see who dropped it."

Vakama stood and walked to one of the drawer sets in the shop. "You wouldn't happen to know someone named Lhikan, would you?"

Matau screwed his face for a moment. "I know OF him, but I don't KNOW him. Why?"

Vakama turned back to him, holding something in his hand:

A stone, similar to the one Matau had in his possession, only it glowed red from within.

"He gave this to me and told me to keep it safe."

#bionicle #writing #vakama #matau #bionicle fantasy au #bionicle dnd au #long post under cut #for crystaltoa #hope you enjoy!#just clarifying now that vakama-in my eyes at least in this au- is a grown man(20s or 30s)#but Nuhrii still sees him as a 'boy' because Nuhrii’s been around for a while and humans seem younger than they really are to him

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bellewintersroe · 1 year ago

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Carlos Sainz x Celebrity OC… Part 4.

Okay, I know I said this next chapter was going to be spicy but I don’t know if it fits in with the story so it’s just gonna be some Carlos x Jenna fluff of their first few days and I promise part 5 will be spicy 🌶️🌶️ Again any apologies if I’ve used the wrong name for the OC, I’ve gone through and tried my best to correct any mistakes so hopefully there isn’t any! No warnings, I’ve tried to make this a fun little chapter with mainly Carlos x OC x Platonic!Charles. Just some badly translated French, Italian and Spanish. Jenna does her first interview with Carlos since their first date together and things are overtly flirty. The only thing breaking that tension? Charles Leclerc the proud 3rd wheel.

“Good night.” Carlos smiled knowingly as I rested against the hotel room door frame. “I’ll see you on Thursday.” I spoke softly, shyly glancing down to my hands. “You’ll be doing the interview?” He spoke quietly as I nodded back up to the dark haired man.

“Yeah, thank you for tonight anyway, you really didn’t have to pay.”

“I’ve got it all covered.” He shook his head firmly. “Well I owe you.” “No, never.” He hushed as I giggled slightly. He was adamant all night that I wouldn’t pay, he almost looked offended when I offered to buy a €7 crepe for him. “Okay. I feel bad.”

“I know how you can pay me back.” He borderline giggled as I gazed up to his eyes. He had a shy expression, a childlike amusement spreading in his eyes. “What’re you gonna say?” I let out a soft laugh as he giggled again. “I can’t, it’s really embarrassing.” He rumbled our laughter, putting a hand on my shoulder. “What? Was it for a kiss or something?” I snickered causing him to snicker harder. “That’s so cheesy!” I teased, nudging his shoulder as he moved closer, cupping either side of my face as I chuckled out before he pressed a quick kiss to my lips. It was a little hard because both of us were laughing and he kept bumping his teeth against mine clumsily.

“Sorry.” He snickered, kissing me more gently as I ran my hand over his bicep, enjoying the feeling of his muscle. He was so toned, he was literally unreal. “You make me laugh.” I commented with a shy smile once we broke apart.

“I hope so.. I’ll see you Thursday, yeah?” He spoke as I nodded, swallowing the urge to let the most excitable screech of laughter that would most likely scare him off. “Okay.” He smiled, eyeing up my lips once more in a manner that made my knees week. With one more lingering kiss we’d parted ways and I’d fainted as soon as I got back into my hotel room. Not literally, but I wanted to. The heaviest sigh escaped my mouth as I relived his kisses over and over again, swooning at the thought of his plump lips pressed up against my own.

Now there was only two more days until I’d see him again…

————————————————————————

“Hello, I’m back in M-Mon-“ I burst out in uncontrollable laughter as the two men besides me joined in. “I can’t- I can’t! Okay, I’m sorry!” I waved my hands at the camera crew who would crack me up further with their smirks and grimaces to bite back laughter.

“Okay, I’m calm.” I turned over to Carlos who has his hand over his eyes giggling. “Why is this so funny?” Charles then asked, the two Ferrari boys stood at either side of me as I straightened my back, dedicated to getting the introduction right this time.

“Somethings made her nervous… it’s set you off, hasn’t it, Jen?” Lisa asked, making my cheeks warm up. It’s as though she knew. I mean- maybe she did, Anise had a loud mouth when she was drunk. I didn’t blame her.

“Nothing to be nervous of.” Carlos shrugged from besides me, making my cheeks grow even warmer. “Oh- I’m going red, I need- okay, I’ll do it seriously now.” I pushed my blonde hair over my shoulder, clearing my throat and taking a couple deep breaths.

“Hi, I’m with Carlos and Charles-“ Charles burst out laughing from besides me, trying to hold it in as I burst out another giggle, my shoulder grazing against Carlos’. “Charles!” I exclaimed but Lisa ushered me to continue. “Um and we’re back in Monaco- and this interviews a mess I’m sorry- but we’re gonna um…” I covered my mouth from giggling as the two amused boys besides me watched.

“We’re gonna drive a car blindfolded!” Both of them started laughing again as I felt Carlos’ hand rest on my shoulder for support. “Not a real car!” Somebody cleared up from behind the cameras. Poor men were probably fed up of my nonsense. “Not a real car! Anyway- who wants to go first?” I attempted to usher the interview on, despite the fact I was blubbering out bursts of laughter every two seconds. Charles had lost it, he couldn’t even hide his laughter as Carlos jumped forwards.

“I’ll go.” He ran his hand off my shoulder, leaving it feeling slightly cold as I giggled again, nervous from his touch. “Okay, Carlos is going first.” I inhaled again, biting down harshly on my chewing gum when I almost inhaled it. That would not have been a good look.

“Where’s my blind fold?” The Spanish man smiled up to me as I turned to where Lisa threw one over, handing it over as he smiled up to me, before tying the black cloth around, over his eye. “Charles you gotta direct me!” Carlos exclaimed as the other man ensured his eyes were fully covered.

“I will try my best.”

“Ai, ai, ai, this is difficult.” Carlos muttered, feeling for where everything was on the simulator. I guided his hands to the wheel amused as I watched on as the chaos unfolded. Surprisingly the ‘interview’ went kinda well, it was chaotic but people enjoyed that. I had a good time, and even though I was nervous as hell with Carlos next to me, I’d managed to calm myself down from my giggling fit earlier.

“Make him crash.” Carlos whispered in my ear, cupping his hand as his fingers nudged through the strands of my hair. I didn’t know if it was purposeful or not, but it made my stomach twist with butterflies. “How?” I smiled back to him as he nodded me to follow him, pointing at the wheel as I reached forwards, nudging the wheel further and further to the left.

“Okay, I’m- Carlos where are you?! Why am I turning?!” Charles exclaimed in surprise as the whole simulator began jittering violently before he’d crashed directly into the wall. “Nooo!” He cried out dramatically, Carlos clapping his hands in amusement as I jumped back, acting all innocent.

“What happened?! Why did you crash?” I exclaimed as Charles forced the blindfold off his eyes.

“Carlos you fucker! You turned my wheel!” He jumped up out of the seat as I bit back a laughter. “Wasn’t me!” Carlos snitched as my mouth opened, mocking a gasp as the Spanish man laughed, holding either side of my arms and giving me a quick squeeze.

“It was you?!” Charles was wide eyes. “You are a bad influence on her.” The monegasque playfully shoved Carlos. “Now it’s your turn!” Charles pointed out. “I don’t even drive in real life!” I held out my hands.

“Even better!” Charles responded excitedly. “You don’t have to do it blindfolded.” Carlos exclaimed. “No! That’s not fair!” Charles held out the blindfold, clearly competitive about the whole thing.

“She doesn’t even drive!” Carlos defended as I climbed into the seat, feeling the Spanish man adjust the seat so I was further forwards. “Such a gentleman.” Charles pointed out before plopping the blindfold over my head. “Okay, I’ll use the blindfold but don’t expect me to be even able to start this thing.” I was just as shit as I thought, first of all I couldn’t even start the damn simulator, then my chair was constantly jittering from something I was doing wrong on the pedals. Who made a simulator this hard in the first place?! Maybe that was a stupid question. “Keep your foot down! No, no!” Charles screeched out in laughter, snatching the wheel to turn it- I was assuming back on the track. “I don’t know where I’m going.” I worried, yanking the wheel back to where I felt him turn me.

Carlos choked out a laugh. “No pensé que serías tan mala!” (I did not think you’d be this bad!).

“Qué? ¡Soy una mierda!” (What? I’m shit!). I exclaimed back out in Spanish. “Oh my god.” Charles snickered when the simulator lurched forwards and the simulator jittered furious.

“Mamma Mia.” Carlos playfully spoke as I lifted the blindfold back off my face. I had indeed crashed, and I had been going backwards for a good- “7 laps?! I was backwards?!” Both the boys began laughing profusely as I groaned, knowing they’d been messing me around the whole time. “Whatever, I think I was good.” I joked, biting down on my tongue as I jumped out of the simulator.

“Amazing.” Carlos teased back to me as I smiled back up to him. “Thank you!” I attempted to joke along but ruined it with a chuckle.

“Um, anyway, thanks for watching- if anybody made it this far in. This afternoon we’ll be joined with Daniel and Landon to see if McLaren can beat Ferrari’s high score.” I wrapped it all up as Carlos snickered. “You are funny.”

“That was the most fun I have had in one of these in a while.” Charles admitted as I secretly was super happy about the admission. There’s nothing worse than boring interviews that these drivers already had too many of to do.

Thankfully, we’d all have a break from the filming, I didn’t mind, I was having great fun, I couldn’t lie. It was fun to do something different other than just asking things all day. I was looking over the table of endless amounts of food, eyeing up what looked to be blackberry seeds piled on top of some kind of cracker.

“It’s caviar.” A familiar voice spoke as mg hand immediately yanked away from the food. “Ew.” I accidentally spoke before looking up and seeing Carlos besides me. “Where did you come from?” I smiled, biting down on my lip as he carried a plate full of the most food I’d ever seen.

“From the interview.” He spoke like it was obvious. “Holy shit, that’s a mountain of food!” I eyed him back up as he flashed me a toothy smile.

“I’m a hungry man, after this my diet starts again.”

“Fuck dieting.” I shrugged. “You never diet?” A

“Nuh uh, I don’t have the self control.”

“How do you look so good then?” He flirted as I turned back up to him with a perked brow. “I am being serious?!”

“I just… I don’t know.” I blushed, completely forgetting I was walking to put food on my plate. I was too caught up with being in Carlos’ Vinci it’s.

“You’re red now.” He pointed out. “Oh, Carlos don’t!” I laughed. “I’m sorry, will you come sit with me? Charles is there as well, he’s lonely.” I turned over my shoulder to see Charles eating alone like a lost school boy.

“Poor guy.” I giggled before looking up to Carlos again. “We best join him…” I’d been sat with them for a couple of minutes, swinging my legs nervously when I accidentally caught Carlos’ with my own. “Sorry.” I turned to see him smirking. “It’s okay.” He shook his head and continued eating as I joined back in the conversation with Charles.

“-sorry, and then she never ended up coming, so.. now it’s just me.” I shrugged, “do you enjoy it? Like the racing in general?” Charles asked. Just as I was about to answer I felt the nudge from a foot under the table once again that almost made me choke on my food.

“Mmmh!” I perked, knowing it was Carlos’ foot that had nudged against my own in a playful manner. “I didn’t when I was little, I have to admit I was forced by my brothers to watch it. But no I do, I have for quite a while.” Carlos let out a laugh at my words, as though he was being soo casual and definitely not playing footsies with me under the table. “Was it karting you used to do?” I then asked Charles, purposefully nudging my foot back into Carlos’s as he kicked back almost instantly. This time I jumped, reacting physically to the kick under the table. “I am sorry, I didn’t mean it to be that hard.” Carlos quickly put a hand on my arm.

“What are you doing? Playing footsies under there?!” Charles burst out in laughter. “No, he kicked me!” I lied. “Purposefully.” Carlos teased, biting back down into a burger.

“Jésus, je suis en troisième roue...” (Jesus I am third wheeling). My eyebrow perked back up to Charles.

“Je peux aussi parler français, tu sais.” (I can speak French too, you know). His eyes widened in surprise. “Really?!” Charles eyes landed on Carlos. “Sposala.” (Marry her). “Anche italiano Charles.” (Italian too, Charles).

#carlos sainz x reader #Carlos Sainz x OC #Charles Leclerc x Reader

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greetingfromthedead · 6 months ago

Text

2. Hidden Away

Series: Mermaid!AU Depth of Despair

Pairing: Vash x GN!Reader

Word count: 2.1k

Author's Note: I'll try to update it on Saturdays (or Friday depending on your timezone), let's see how that goes. Hopefully I'll remember to update the Masterlist.

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"We have to get you out of here. They cannot find you." Vash says urgently as he bends closer, his eyes filled with concern. You don't quite understand his reaction; why would he care so much? "You're injured and exhausted. There might be more nets in the water."

He straightens up again and looks around in a panic. You think about his words. It's true that there might be more traps set up, and you are not in a condition where you can trust yourself to get away. You doubt the drunk fishermen on the boat are as ready to help you as Vash. You could try to carefully swim close to the bottom or slink along the reef.

"Is it alright to take you out of the water?" You hear the man beside you ask, and you look up at him. You consider his words and his actions. He has given you no reason to mistrust him, and there is something so captivating about him, like you're the one being lured in. You feel a sense of calm wash over you, and you finally nod your head.

"Alright, let's hide you until the coast is clear." He smiles, pulls off the long, crimson coat, and hands it to you before carefully picking you up from the low water. You wrap your arms around his neck to keep yourself up. He doesn't struggle keeping your slightly slippery body in his embrace, and he uses one hand to cover your naked form with his jacket, focusing on hiding your tail from any curious onlookers. You hold on tightly, pressing yourself against his chest. Vash's arms stay around you securely as he turns to walk towards the beach. The seaweed decorating your hair falls out and lands in the water. You keep your eyes on the bay and see a boat come out from behind some high rocks. Two drunk fishermen are still joyfully singing while rowing towards where their nets are. You shudder, thinking about what would have happened if they had found you.

"Hey, don't worry, you're alright." Vash says in a calming manner, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

It feels strange. You're going against everything you've ever been told. Not only did you wander too close to the shore admiring a human, but now you find yourself in the arms of one while he takes you onto dry land where you will be at his mercy. You are terrified, but there is also a strange sense of excitement building within you. Your cold body feels the warmth radiating from his being; it seeps into your muscles, heating you up like sunlight would. You can feel his pulse pressing into you even through the pillowy white cotton shirt he is wearing. He is a bit out of breath as he pushes through the waves. You feel his hot exhale brushing over your neck, and you discover yourself enjoying the situation you find yourself in. The water dripping from your hair wets his shirt, the white cloth sticking to his shoulder and taking on a pale pinkish hue.

Vash's steps get more steady as he gets out of the water. He heads up the slope leading to the lush fields, eager to put some distance between himself and the danger lurking on the bay. He follows the sandy path, etched through the grass by many people before him, until he is level with the cliffs to either side. There, he turns off the trail and heads down towards a valley. He stops only once he feels like he is far enough from where people could walk by and settles you onto a patch of grass that is on a level surface, despite the slope you find yourself on. You can see so much from here. You push yourself further up to look over the tall grass into the distance, where you see a river slinking through the landscape; its gentle curves reflect the sun in glittering splendor. The river winds its way through the valley, cradling a little village in its embrace. The settlement appears peaceful and idyllic, with smoke curling lazily from the chimneys of cozy cottages. Roads are carved between meadows and fields, leading from the village to the port town, where large ships are anchored, waiting to set sail. The bright morning sun casts a warm glow over the landscape, illuminating the scene with a golden light. The grasslands sway against a backdrop of tall forests, creating a picturesque view more beautiful than you could ever have imagined. The ocean waters gently lap against the shore, creating a soothing melody that fills the air even though you can't see its blue expanse from where you are.

Vash sits down next to you, a warm smile on his face. You adjust his coat to rest on your shoulders, exposing the scales covering your bottom half, where you have a fish tail instead of legs. You realize that you look quite a bit different out of the water than you do in it. You look a lot more human, both from your waist up and down. The thin fins usually floating around you have disappeared; most of the scales, creeping up your stomach and back to your chest and arms, are gone too. Many features that might seem monstrous to humans have taken on a form that is more soothing to them.

Vash is captivated by the glistening shimmer of the tiny plates covering your tail that pokes out from the crimson of his jacket, mesmerized by the way they catch the light and seem to shift colors at even the slightest movements. It's almost hypnotic, and he finds himself unable to look away. Greens and yellows, like kelp, are mixed in with hints of blue and purple that resemble the ocean's depths. An irridecent shimmer dances from one scale to the next.

"You are beautiful." The words hang in the air, spoken softly yet with undeniable sincerity. "Is that where the old mariners' tales stem from?"

You're a fool. You think to yourself. You know exactly what kind of stories they must tell. Those are warnings passed down through generations, but anyone who hasn't faced the settings of the tales must think they are nothing but fantasies. You aren't sure how to answer his question, so you just tilt your head slightly and shrug, not wanting to open your mouth to avoid speaking words you might come to regret.

His eyes stay on you, seemingly committing every detail of you to memory. You shift your gaze away from him, your fingers playing nervously with the golden buttons and buckles of his coat. The bottom hem is wet from where it got dunked in the water, and its coolness distracts you from the burning you feel within. You pull away as you notice his hand move toward you, but instead of touching you, he gently takes hold of a piece of seaweed in your hair. It comes loose, and you see his awkward and surprised expression in the corner of your eye. He quickly withdraws his hand, a sheepish grin forming on his lips.

"I'm sorry." His other hand goes to the back of his neck as he still holds the piece of greenery in his hand. "Are those so you would blend in better? Camouflage?"

You nod hesitantly, still not daring to turn towards him again. Your fingers brush through your hair, untangling some knots from it and finding no more algae in it.

"That's clever!" He smiles and shifts his posture a bit. You see him moving, but you keep your eyes fixed on the ground, feeling exposed and vulnerable, like he can see right through you. You feel a lump forming in your throat as you struggle to maintain your composure. What have you gotten yourself into?

"I've never seen a mermaid before." Vash's voice cuts through your loud thoughts. "I thought they were just a myth, a fantasy to boast with during a drunken bender. I used to be a sailor myself; I've heard all kinds of tales, but I never thought they could really have a shred of truth to them."

You steal a glance from the corner of your eye, looking at his fingers twirling together some strands of grass into a slim cord. His left hand is covered by a glove, and you remember that he no longer had that arm when you found him in the shipwreck. You feel fascination and want to ask how it could be that he has his arm back, but you know there is no way to ask without using your voice, so you simply keep sneaking looks, trying to figure it out yourself.

"I have heard so many stories. To think I am sitting next to an actual mermaid!" He continues talking cheerfully, his whole demeanor reminding you of the warm brush of sunlight at high noon. "I bet half of the things they say aren't true at all, just hyperbole born from a generational game of telephone. You don't seem like the creatures described at all; you seem nice! But it is true that you are captivating, a gem of the ocean."

And I fear you are gravely mistaken. You think to yourself. You are a monster, a predator born to hunt fools like him. It's only the changing times that forced you into the depths, but the tales they must still be telling are born from the truth, stemming from the few mouths of the survivors, and reality is darker still.

He keeps talking, filling the silence alone. Vash tells you about his adventures as a sailor and the places he has been to. He speaks of storms, lost ships, and mysterious islands that were not on any map. He talks about how he somehow always found his way back home to where he grew up. Vash's words paint vivid pictures in your mind, making you feel as though you are right there with him on his journey. He describes his little home by the river, nestled among the trees of the forest in front of you, and how the sound of water has been his lullaby since he was born.

"Alright, here we are." He says with a satisfied tone. You had been so enchanted by his voice and his words that you had let your guard down completely, and now the words fill you with tread again. You hadn't noticed what he was up to or how he had leaned closer before speaking again. You whip towards him and lean back, eyes wide, but you are met with his smiling face.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!" His eyes narrow as he smiles. You don't see any malice in his expression, only genuine friendliness, and you notice the slight reddening of his skin as he opens his eyes again. You relax a little, realizing he truly didn't mean to scare you. You look down to see a circle woven from plants. It has long strands of green mixed with all kinds of flowers you see blooming around you. It looks beautiful, and you realize that must have been why he was fiddling with the cord made of grass. He slowly lifts it up to carefully place it on your head. You blink blankly at his actions, but he just continues to smile. He takes care to adjust it so that it sits perfectly atop your head, like a crown.

"It's like the seaweed. To camouflage you." He looks at you, cheeks still flushed, "I hope you feel safe and hidden. I will tell no one. Your secret is safe with me, or rather, your existence."

Your fingers reach up to carefully touch the delicate flowers arranged into the band that he placed on your head. You don't quite understand his words or his actions. Everything goes against what you have been told. Are you just as much of a fool as you think he is? Did he really lure you in this successfully? You are wrapped in his crimson coat, away from the shore, dependent on him. Is his every action there to take away your sense of danger? Are you in the presence of a monster?

He still smiles as you pull your hand back into the coat. He looks at the flowers in your hair and then leans back to lay on the grass, completely at ease. His hands rest behind his head as he gazes up at the sky, seemingly without a care in the world. The sun shines down on his face, casting a warm glow over his features and glinting back from the row of earrings that line his left ear. He takes a deep breath and lets out a contented sigh. The wind plays with the ruffles of his shirt, and you can't help but wonder what goes through his head.

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You can check out the Depth of Despair Masterlist for more info.

Did you like this? Go check out my MASTERLIST and drop a follow for any and all future projects!

#trigun #fanfic #fanfiction #vash the stampede #humanoid typhoon #plant boi #x reader #writing

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diagonal-queen · 11 months ago

Note

Maybe Kouyou teaching gn!reader manners in her unique way? 😌

Sakura Kisses

♡ pairing: Kouyou Ozaki x gn!Reader

♡ synopsis: Your girlfriend Kouyou teaches you Port Mafia etiquette after you become a new member under her supervision.

♡ wc: 1.1k

♡ cw: Mentions of mafia business including murder, basically just one long conversation between you and Kouyou, reader is a bit of a silly (self-insert much?? I am so silly)

note: I took a couple creative liberties with this one, so...hopefully it's alright lol. This is one of my OLDEST reqs and I'm only now finishing it, I'm so sorry nonnie I love you so much babe and I fucking love Kouyou too man, she's not my favourite girl (LUCY DEFENDER TILL I DIE) but she's amazing nonetheless. When she appeared in Stormbringer I think I screamed. Anyways, apologies for errors and I hope you enjoy x

"Are you gonna teach me how to differentiate between all those salad forks that princesses use?" You sighed. "I don't wanna do all that. I wanna use ONE fork when I eat."

You really didn't know what to expect when Kouyou had suggested sitting down and giving you an informal lecture on 'mafia etiquette'. As far as you were concerned, those sorts of words were reserved for high-class individuals, and people from before the 20th century. You'd expected your induction into the mafia to involve a lot more active bloodshed; full of action, and littered with corpses of faceless enemies- something like what Chuuya Nakahara had experienced when he first joined, or so you'd heard.

Apparently not. Not when your girlfriend is an executive, anyway.

"No, nothing like that," Kouyou chuckled. "Mafia and monarchy aren't synonyms."

"Well, they're pretty damn fancy though, right? I can only guess by you, at least..."

"You'd be surprised," she replied. "I'm perhaps one of the most...'fancy' individuals in the organisation."

"Is that right?" You raised your eyebrows, curiously. "I dunno...I just assumed organised crime would be organised, like how it is in those old gangster movies."

"Of course, those films aren't based in reality. The Mafia is much more brutal than any screen could display, though I understand you're already aware of it." Kouyou locked eyes with you, her gaze firm. "Yes?"

"...I mean, sure..." you answered, before adjusting in your seat. "Right then. What's the first thing I should know? Like, gimmie the basics."

Kouyou cleared her throat. "There is a rule of transaction here in the Port Mafia. You don't want to be indebted to anyone else here."

"But I'm indebted to you, Kou!" You said. Kouyou chuckled.

"Not me, dear. Nobody else, though. I'm sure if I talk to him I can grant you some mild immunity with Chuuya." She explained. You inhaled, never having met the executive before but having heard stories. He certainly sounded like someone you would want immunity from.

"You and him are close, right?" You asked her.

"Indeed. I did help oversee him when he first joined the mafia, as I'm doing for you now."

"How long ago was that?"

"Seven years ago," Kouyou answered quietly, seemingly remembering the time fondly. "He was rather plucky at that age. He found his rhythm here rather easily, nonetheless."

"Good for him. Bet he was better at it than I am, eh?" You chuckled. Kouyou tilted her head, before bowing her head.

"Don't fret about it, dear. You'll feel more comfortable here in no time, though...you can't be too comfortable. This is the Mafia, after all." She shifted in her seat to better face you. "Now, I'm going to ask you some questions which you'll need to know the answers to in order to...survive here."

"...'survive'?" You slowly repeat the word, as if foreign to your tongue.

"Many lower ranking members, such as assassins and those who run errands for the higher-ups, are rather disposable. Many in my position would have no problem killing you if you were to upset them at all," She explained, her voice calm as if this were completely normal. You hadn't been a part of Kouyou's world for an extremely long time, but you decided to start expecting a lot more death very soon. You knew she was desensitised to it and you were fine with that, but...

"God, that's frightening. I thought you said you could get me some kind of immunity, though."

"I said I'll see what I can do with Chuuya. In all honesty, I believe you two have the capacity to be good friends, so long as you don't anger him."

"Well then, bring on the questions, I guess..." you muttered in reply, before perking up after what you felt to be a brilliant idea popped into your head. "Will you kiss me when I get a question right?"

Kouyou blinked in surprise. "Why, that's..." she partially covered her now-red face with her sleeve. You gave her a smile.

"Please? How else will I motivate myself to do well?" You begged, giving her a slight mock-pout. "Come on, you wanna kiss me, Kouyou. You wanna kiss me sooooo bad, I can tell."

"Fine, fine," she nodded quickly, waving her arm slightly. "I agree to these terms. Are you satisfied?"

"Sure am!" You grinned. "So, go on!"

"Alright..." Kouyou straightened her posture and softly cleared her throat. "If I were to approach you and ask your name, what do you tell me?"

"...my name?" You answered, confused. "You know my name."

"Regardless, you would tell me anyway. When an executive asks a question, they are demanding an answer."

"Right, okay..." You nodded, "Then, my name is Y/F/N."

"If you're asked who you work for, what do you tell them?" She asked. You pursed your lips for a moment.

"...uh, you? Miss Ozaki Kouyou?"

Kouyou shook her head. "You work for the organisation."

"The Port Mafia?"

"Yes. That's your reply. In this line of work you don't answer just to me, you also answer to Ougai."

"Who?"

"The boss of the Port Mafia," she clarified, "the kingpin of the organisation. You must have already seen Mr. Mori with Elise, yes?"

You frowned, confused. "...Elise?"

"The young blonde girl who accompanies him."

"Oh, yeah, her! She's adorable," you said, with a smile. "She's his daughter, right? I mean, I just assumed, but I didn't know if it'd be rude to bring it up at all. They don't look alike, so maybe...adoption? I don't know."

"...no, that's not quite it..." she began, tentatively. "You shouldn't ask about her, though. Don't bring it up in front of them, or anybody for that fact. Perish the thought, now. Simply do not ever think about it."

"...I don't..." you began with a shake of your head, utterly confused. "Okay...sure. Is that another rule?"

"Consider it most crucial," she answered, stone faced. Despite having such a graceful face painted with fine, expensive makeup, her expression was no less unnerving. You could only blink at her.

"...alright. Anything else?"

"'Anything else?'" Kouyou repeated, before releasing an airy giggle. "Certainly- we may be here for some time, my dear."

"Oh, I'll be getting a lot of kisses then," you grinned, and she laughed once more. "Am I right?"

"...you are, yes. In which case..." Kouyou slowly leaned over and brushed her soft red lips against your own. When she drew back, she gave you a small smile. "Well done, my darling."

taglist~ ♡ @gettinshiggywithit, @fyodorhatr, @flower-of-darkness, @bejeweledgirl, @kokoenjiandco, @pinkiipeachiikeen

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obsidiancreates · 5 months ago

Text

Out Of The Shadows and Into The Neon (Part 14)

“Uuuuuhhhhhggggg!” Mikey lays across the waiting room chairs. “I’m so bored!”

“Just a little longer, Mikey,�� April assures. “Once Leo figures out if he likes this therapist, we can start the real Hidden City Adventure!”

“Hopefully without any arrests this time,” Draxum mutters, keeping an eye out around him. Things are better, thanks to over a decade of heroism from both his creations and himself, but not all Yokai are quick to forgive and forget. Even after saving the world.

“Arrests?! Cool…”

“Not cool,” Donnie says, frowning with his teeth showing. “I still want to join the Yokai scientific community someday!”

“No-one is getting arrested,” Casey soothes. “We’re going to have a calm, casual trip to see some sights with no fighting involved.”

“Trust him!” Cass throws her arm around her son. “He has become a TOP-NOTCH SIGHTSEER SINCE HIS ARRIVAL IN THIS TIME!”

“SHHHHHHHHHH!”

Cass nearly breaks her neck whipping around to glare at the other families and patients in the waiting room.

An owl Yokai scoffs. “Humans.”

“Hey!” Raph scoots off his chair. “That’s my aunt, you-you bent-feathered jerkface!”

The Yokai gasps and checks her feathers. “They are not bent!”

“They look like you folded ‘em up along with your manners!”

“You little–!” The Yokai barely has a chance to stand before mystic vines snap around her and yank her back into her chair. Above Raph’s seething little form, four pure-white eyes glow from shadows made of pure menacing energy.

The woman gulps. “You little… precocious, child. I’m um, going to rethink… my stance on humans, now.”

Raph looks surprised for a moment, and then smirks. He turns proudly to his family, who go from Deadly to Doting in a second as they all applaud his Very Intimidating Defense of His Family.

“Aw, man.” Mikey flops off the chair onto the floor. “Is nothing gonna happen the whole time we’re here?!”

“Hamato family?”

Everyone perks up as the therapist, a kindly old goat Yokai with beard braided into two loops connecting to his horns and glasses perched on the very end of his nose, walks out with Leo in front of him. Leo is rubbing his arm nervously, until his three brothers all barrel into him for a hug!

“That went very well,” the therapist, Dr. Tincaan, says. “He’s a very bright, intelligent young boy. He seems to know exactly why he’s here, and what he wants from our sessions.”

“That’s great!” April looks down at Leo, who’s being squeezed by Mikey like he’s a squeaky toy. “So you wanna keep comin’ here?”

“I think so.” Leo pushes Mikey away by his face, so Mikey grabs onto Donnie instead. Donnie just sighs and pats Mikey’s head, accepting his fate.

“Awesome! Thank you, Doctor. And I think my brothers already paid, yeah?”

“You’re clear to go.” Dr. Tincaan waves them off. “Enjoy the city!”

“We will!” Mikey calls back. He hops once in place, then springs up and lands on Draxum’s shoulders. “Where first?! Oh, oh! How about the wishing fountain!”

Draxum stops, face twisting as the memory of the demon child thrashing his teddy bear body into the ground brings back physical pain. “Not… that one.”

Donnie looks at the pamphlet map in his hand. “Luxury Resort, Battle Nexus, Witch Town… all the cool places are places our Dads said we should avoid!”

“We shall find our OWN COOLEST PLACES!” Cass picks Donnie up and launches him into the air! He flies up screaming, only to land safely on her shoulders! She points out towards the horizon. “This family outing will be the GREATEST OUTING THAT HAS EVER BEEN FAMILY’D!”

Casey smiles at his mom’s enthusiasm and holds his hand out, swinging Raph up onto his shoulders. April lifts Leo onto hers more calmly, and away they go.

They wander with a refreshing aimlessness for the most part, the boys “Ooooh”ing and “Ahhhh”ing at the sights. They stop in for lunch with a very friendly blind Yokai gyoza master, and then set out again.

“Whoaaa, look at this!” April looks up at Leo. “A Yokai amusement park!”

Mikey bounces on Draxum’s shoulders. “THEY HAVE A ROLLERCOASTER!”

Draxum rubs his ear. “Why rollercoasters are considered fun is a mystery to even me.”

Casey shudders. “Like being dragged by a missile, but with no way to redirect it.”

“Then Cass and I will ride with the kids.” April holds her arms out for Mikey to jump into while Cass plucks Raph off Casey’s shoulders. Being world-defending besties with mutant ninjas really helps with muscle building, and thank goodness for it.

“We’ll take pictures.” Casey pulls out an actual polaroid camera, and Donnie lights up.

“Is that the one I made you last year?”

“I figured today was the perfect day to use it.”

“Whoo-hoo!”

The line for the coaster is thankfully short, the time of day on their side, and soon April, Cass, and the boys are all loaded up. Casey gives them a thumbs-up while Draxum squints at the ride’s supports, searching for any flaws that might put his family in harm’s way. A moment later, the cart begins slowly making it’s ascent.

“Wooooow.” Mikey looks out at the ever-climbing view of The Hidden City with awe in his gaze, Raph looking the opposite direction but with equal emotion.

Leo looks down.

He has less awe in his eyes.

He swallows, and looks up when he feels a hand on his shoulder. April smiles down at him, and offers him her hand to squeeze.

Even at his tiny age, his oversized hand completely covers hers as he takes it.

At the back, Donnie looks behind his and Cass’s cart as it climbs. “I wonder how it works.”

“Ah, it’s a gloriously simple mechanism! You see-!”

“I mean, if it’s mystic or not.”

“Ah! … I… do not know that one.”

“We can ask Barry when we get off the ride,” April promises from the front. “For now, Dee, just try to enjoy the moment!”

“Enjoy the moment,” Leo repeats, even as his heart races a little as they near the top. Suddenly he feels like something is chasing him. “Enjoy the moment.”

“Enjoy the moment,” April says again. “And remember this is totally safe, and scream as loud as you need!”

“Don’t tell Mikey that while I’m sitting next to him!” Raph cover his ear-holes preemptively.

“Ha-ha! Sorry, Raph!” Mikey bites his lower lip in sheer anticipation. “Three… two… WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE, HA-HA-HA, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

His scream is the loudest of the six as the carts plummet at high speeds! Raph lets go of his ears to throw his hands up and let loose, while Donnie grips the armbar and undoubtedly wrecks his throat with his own screaming! Cass laughs and hollers wildly, and April cheers and whoops as they go through twists and loops and bumps! Leo squeezes April’s hand as hard as he dares, but closes his eyes and joins in on the noise, and… it is fun!

And then someone, somewhere below, roars.

And the rollercoaster isn’t so fun anymore.

Leo doesn’t see anything, he just… feels it. Feels like something is on the coaster with him, with them, and it’s dangerous. He grips April’s hand harder and reaches for– something. He’s not sure what.

Raph feels the same shift, the same sudden grip of panic-adrenaline and not fun-adrenaline, and finds himself pulling Mikey closer. Mikey, having experienced the same thing, lets Raph hold him closer and reaches for his belt. All his hands find are some pom-poms he picked up at the entrance to the amusement park.

Donnie doesn’t feel chased. The rollercoaster itself is still fun. But the sound of the roar sends a shock through his system that feels like taking a beating. … Even though he’s, never really taken a beating before. But somehow he knows that’s exactly what this feels like.

Cass looks down to her side as the sound of the scream changes– and sees Donnie staring out at nothing with his eyes completely white. She pulls her hands down and shakes him a bit. “Donatello?”

At the front, April looks over at Leo to reassure him– and goes ashen. His eyes are fully white, and as she looks back so are the Mikey’s and Raph’s.

“Whoa, boys! Calm down!” She’s seen this before with her boys, but only in times of intense ninjocity stealth or mystic overflow. And she has never, ever seen it with the kids.

The screams of confused terror don’t help her feel any less panicked about the situation.

“KIDS, IT’S ALRIGHT! IT’S JUST A RIDE!” April looks at Leo, the only one she can actually help directly, and pulls her hand out of his. She cups both sides of his face so make him look at her. “Leo, look! It’s me, Auntie April! We’re okay, we’re just on a rollercoaster, nothing bad is happening!”

“Something is after us!”

“Leo, look at me! I promise you, nothing is after us!”

In the back, Cass has hold of Donnie’s shoulders. “Focus on me, nephew! We are having a FUN RELAXING DA- ayyy, the yelling is not helping. I SHA- ahem, I shall keep my voice calm. Donnie, focus on me! Focus on how calm and collected I am. We are not in danger!”

“Leo, Leo, look me in the eyes. Please, focus.”

“Donatello, you are safe.”

“We’ve got you, Leo. It’s okay.”

Leo blinks… and the white clears away. His eyes water. “I-I was–” He looks behind him. “Wh– Raph! Mikey!”

“Leo!” Raph’s eyes are still white, but Leo’s voice draws his attention. “What’s–”

“We… we’re okay!” Leo closes his eyes and refuses to look down. “We’re okay. It’s just… bad dreams!”

Raph blinks… and his eyes clear. “We… we’re okay? … Mikey! Mikey, we’re okay!”

Mikey gasps a little, his eyes clearing too. “Wha… oh, man, I just had the weirdest moment! I… I don’t think I like rollercoasters!”

“Your turn, Donatello!” Cass moves his head so he’s looking right at Leo. “Everyone is okay!”

Donnie blinks… eyes clearing. He leans against Cass, shaking slightly. “What happened?” —---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Draxum, after being narrowly stopped from tearing the entire park apart for causing his grandsons terror, checks their pupils and their blood pressures and everything else that April can frantically name.

“I feel okay now,” Leo says, despite the way the four boys huddle together like they used to do when a movie was a little too scary for them.

“Me too.” Raph glares at the coaster in the distance. “We shoulda let Papa smash it.”

“It’s almost relieving to see him angry,” April whispers to Cass. Cass nods.

“I think I blacked out,” Mikey says. “From the… velocities?”

“Velocities is right, good job Mikey.” Casey gives him a grin and a thumbs-up, but they only last for a moment. “But, I don’t think amusement park rides can reach a high enough velocity to make that happen.”

“Actually, depending on a few factors, it’s entirely possible.” Donnie gives Draxum his arm to feel for blood pressure before Draxum even has to ask. “But I don’t know if that’s what it was. I think… I think the adrenaline just made us all… freak?”

“I agree with Donnie.” Draxum nods to himself, and stands up. “Nothing is wrong with them physically. Just somewhat increased heart rates.”

“So… a fun ride was more adrenaline-pumping than a fight with a Yokai on a rooftop?” Casey itches the back of his head. “That’s not normal for non-apocalypse children, right?”

“It… could be?” April pinches the bridge of her nose. “I dunno, I can see how it might happen like that but-but the eyes!”

“It could simply be a third eyelid.” Draxum leans in and examines Mikey’s eyes close-up. “An instinct taking over while they felt they were in danger.”

“This blows.” Raph kicks a bit of trash on the ground. “When Dad said growing up makes you weird, I thought he meant we’d start wanting robes and health food and stuff. Not this.”

“Well… is everyone feeling okay now?” April looks down at her nephews. “Should we head home?”

“No way!” Mikey grabs April’s leg and looks up at her pleadingly. “We just got started, and there’s so much stuff down here to do!”

“I dunno…” April picks Mikey up. “That was… really freaky.”

“We’re all better now!” Donnie waves his arm like he can show off his totally fine blood pressure just by bringing attention to it. “Please?”

“Well…” April checks her phone. No texts from the guys yet, so… “Alright. But let’s stick to chill activities from now on! Like your dads are hopefully doing…”

#tmnt 2012 #rottmnt #tmnt 2k12 #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise of the tmnt #tmnt crossover #fanfic #my attempts at fanfic

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