#i don't even need a wedding though i think it's fun to have a party with all the people you're lucky enough to love

[thepoisonroom]

i wish i were like evolved enough to fully internalize marriage abolition but tbh i do want to get married sorry for being cringe :(

[sanarsi]

Royal Vows

groom!Oberyn Martell x f!Reader

Summary: The wedding of members of the royal family carries with it obligations. One of them is the consummation of the marriage. Warnings: +18, MDNI, unprotected PIV in front of WITNESSES, soft!dom!Oberyn, wedding stress Wordcount: 2,8k An: Don't judge me, but I would give anything to marry him and bear his sons. I have dirty mind with this fic but I hope you’ll enjoy xx Music I worked with: MAMA EH - Elyanna

Masterlist

Weddings were among the most boisterous events in Dorne. The party lasted at least for several days and the wine flowed freely. You witnessed your cousin's wedding once and you had to admit, that after it was over, you could barely get out of bed. The people of the desert loved to dance from dawn to dawn and you loved it.

But on your wedding day it stopped being so much fun. Everything started to scare you.

There was always too much or too little of something. Nothing was perfect. And the worst thing was that you were alone in all of this.

You hadn't been able to see the prince since yesterday and you didn't know that it would hit you so hard. Even though you had been engaged for half a year and you had only been talking to each other for a month, you had gotten used to his presence.

That's why standing in your wedding dress, you couldn't get rid of your anxious thoughts. Holding your hand on your stomach, you tried to control your breathing. You were barely able to notice how the servants were running in every direction and fixing the last details on your outfit.

Gold chains wrapped around your forehead, trailing down your back and bare arms. The slightest movement made them irritate your skin, sending shivers down your spine.

“I’m done, my lady,” the young girl spoke, slowly releasing your hand. You looked down at the patterns that now adorned your skin. You barely managed to force a shaky smile at her before you nodded your head to send her away.

The golden belt tightened around your waist, and the tightness made you unable to think straight. You needed any kind of stimulus to stay sane.

“Not too tight, my lady?” the maid asked behind you. You shook your head, pressing your lips into a line.

“Tighter,” you ordered.

You stared at the floor as you walked, led by your brother through the palace corridors. Your face was covered by a translucent golden veil, which allowed you to feel safer. Allowing you to hide from the whole world.

You tightened your grip on your brother's shoulder, which made him glance at you. You were paler and looked like you were about to throw up the breakfast you hadn't eaten anyway. Nothing had passed your throat since yesterday.

You were too stressed about today.

Your wedding to the prince of Dorne.

"I thought you liked him," he whispered, leaning towards you so no one else could hear what you were talking about. You swallowed hard and nodded. You liked each other.

Even more than just liked.

"So what's the problem? Why do you look like you're going to squeeze a ghost?" he asked, frowning. You glanced at him when you stopped in front of the huge doors to the ceremonial hall. You saw the concern in his eyes.

He always defended you from all the evil of this cruel world. That's why he felt helpless when in this one situation, he couldn't help you in anything. He couldn't do anything even if you said, you'd rather die than marry a prince.

"I'm afraid of what will happen after the wedding," you said the moment the guards opened the door. For a moment he looked lost in your eyes until he understood what you meant. But now it was too late to talk.

Dozens of people separated you from the altar where you were to become a wife.

Dozen of people separated you from becoming Princess of Dorne.

From becoming the wife of Prince Oberyn Martell.

You took one last deep breath and proudly lifted your head as your brother began to lead you deeper into the grand ceremonial hall.

The sun was shining through the columns, reflecting off your golden dress.

The nobility watched your every move, judging how you presented yourself as a bride. But everyone was silent. Culture forbade them from speaking to anyone until the wedding was concluded.

That's why every breath you took seemed like a gust of desert storm. Your heart tried to jump out of your chest when you finally noticed Oberyn.

He stood proudly presenting himself in his wedding robes. He looked perfect as always. His piercing gaze was fixed on your face hidden behind the veil. And even though he couldn't see your eyes, you had the impression that he was looking only into them.

You gasped for air, starting to tremble. You tightened your grip on your brother's arm to keep from tripping.

"I won't let you fall," he whispered, and his hand tightened on yours. So little, yet it was enough for you to stand in front of the altar in one pice.

Oberyn slowly walked down a few steps and, looking only at you, extended his hand toward you. You stared at each other for a moment before a faint smirk appeared on his lips and a flock of butterflies appeared in your stomach.

Your brother loosened his grip, and without hesitation, you gave your hand to Oberyn. His warm fingers tightened on your skin as he carefully pulled you toward him and helped you reach to the top of the altar.

“You shine brighter than the sun, my queen,” he whispered, pulling your hand to his lips. His lips gently touched the back of your hand, sending shivers through your body.

His eyes didn’t leave yours even as the wedding ceremony began. And that was the only thing that kept you from thinking about anything else. His dark eyes held you to him like a magnet.

Nothing else mattered.

Only the desire with which he looked at you.

"The gods are your witnesses." The priest's voice bounced off the walls, and immediately afterwards there was loud applause and screams from the people. That was the only thing that pulled you out of your hypnosis.

You blinked a few times as Oberyn slowly lifted your veil and threw it back. His eyes lit up when he saw you without any barriers.

You looked like a goddess wearing wedding jewelry and makeup. As if the gods had added extra shine to you on your wedding day.

Specifically so you could charm and tame him.

But the gods didn't know you had already done that long ago.

His fingers grabbed your chin and his thumb gently ran over the painted line that stretched down, disappearing under your dress. Your breathing quickened and your lips parted at his touch.

And then, there were only his lips.

The blood rushed in your ears as he pressed his lips hard against yours.

With desire.

But he kissed you slowly and deeply.

With love.

For a moment, you were completely alone. His hands wrapped around you. Your hands on his neck. His lips on yours. Your fingers in his hair. His tongue connected with yours in a slow dance. And your soft moan before he pulled away with a smirk.

"The Prince and Princess of Dorne," the priest said loudly and another wave of cheers echoed around. You smiled widely as Oberyn stole another gentle kiss.

"My wife," he whispered against your lips and nuzzled your nose. He pulled you closer as he turned to the people, raising his hand with a smile. You snuggled into his side and did the same, greeting the witnesses of your wedding.

The smiles and applause made you forget for a second what awaited you in a few moments.

Oberyn held your hand tightly as you walked in silence through the palace corridors.

You were stressed.

You had told him about it long before that day, so he tried to focus your full attention only on him.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at how you carried yourself with pride at his side. Like a true princess. Like you were made to be his companion for the rest of your life.

A smirk still played on his face as he felt how tightly you gripped his fingers. You looked at each other as you stopped in front of your bedroom door.

"Remember," he began in a whisper, leaning closer to you, "it's just us there." He smiled warmly, wanting to calm you down. You nodded and his lips immediately placed a kiss on your forehead. You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath before you moved away from each other and the guards opened the door.

You both entered with a confident step, your chin raised proudly. He taught you that. To pretend to be confident until it became a normal reflex. And he was so damn proud of you.

A dozen pairs of eyes immediately fell on you. You felt your stomach tighten painfully at the sight of so many people. Oberyn squeezed your hand tighter as he nodded to the nobles present.

Witnesses to the consummation of your marriage.

"Prince," the council representative nodded. "Princess," he bowed to you before stepping back against the wall, standing next to the others.

Everyone knew what you had to do now and you immediately felt bile rise in your throat.

Oberyn pulled you to one side of the bed before he let go of your hand and let the maid take care of your outfit. He stood on the other side so they could undress him too.

You stood facing each other, slowly stripped of layers of clothes and jewelry. His gaze didn't leave yours for even a second. He wouldn't let you look at the others.

He wouldn't let you see anyone but him.

Finally, the maids finished and hurriedly left the bedroom. His lustful gaze swept over your body and you wanted to wrap your arms around yourself to at least cover your naked body a little.

Not from him, but from the people who stood on the other side of the room watching your every move.

Oberyn was already half-hard when he nodded towards the bed.

"Lie down," he ordered in a voice that immediately sped up your pulse.

Slowly, on shaking legs, you knelt on the soft bed and lay down in the very middle, pressing your thighs together tightly. You stared at the ceiling, breathing quickly. He looked at you with a smirk before he climbed onto the bed too.

He knelt down in front of your bent legs and grabbed your ankle, spreading your thighs so he could slide between them.

So that no one could see what was meant only for him.

He ran his gaze over your breasts, waist and hips and right to his warm, wet piece of heaven.

He reached for the pillow. "Lift your hips," he ordered and you almost choked on air.

The fire in your belly began to take away your ability to breathe as you lifted your hips and he slid the pillow under them. His cock quivered when he saw your arousal leaking down your butt.

He hovered over you, meeting your terrified gaze. He smiled gently and his fingers gently stroked your cheek.

"You're doing great," he whispered so only you could hear. You swallowed hard and nodded. The words were unable to come out of your mouth. Having so many people around you when you were about to consummate your marriage was disorienting enough to make you forget how to think.

He leaned in, connecting your lips. Hard enough that you moaned in pain.

But it was good.

The pain allowed you to focus only on him.

His tongue dominated you in a moment. You moaned again, unable to defend yourself against him. His hands grabbed your thighs to wrap your legs around his hips. His hard cock hit your lower abdomen, making you whimper. All sounds died in his mouth as he kissed you hard.

Not letting you think about anything else.

He pulled away from you just enough to look at you. It was terrifying how quickly you fell for those eyes. Even more terrifying how much you would do for them if only he would look at you with such feelings for the rest of your life.

"It's just us," he whispered and this time you nodded more confidently. He smiled proudly then straightened up.

He grabbed his cock and slowly directed it to your wet entrance. He sighed, parting his lips as he ran his entire length between your slit. You stifled a moan and he glanced at you for a moment. He repeated the movement of his hips a few more times until he finally forced a quiet moan from you. Only then, he satisfy himself enough to position the tip at your entrance.

You immediately locked eyes as he slowly pushed his cock into you all the way to the base. He sighed loudly, colliding his hips with yours and you clenched your jaw tightly so as not to moan out loud.

A smirk appeared on his lips seeing how hard you were trying not to make any sounds. His hips slowly came to life, pulling out of you and entering again all the way. He pushed into you, not looking away from you even for a moment.

His hands slowly moved from your thighs to your hips and waist. He tightened his fingers on your skin, holding you in place as he slowly sped up his thrusts. You parted your lips, looking at him helplessly. Every movement of his cock slowly and effectively made your mind go numb. But only for him.

You tightened your hands on his wrists, throwing your head back and arching your back as he began to hit the sensitive spot in your pussy. An uncontrollable moan escaped your lips. Oberyn smacked his lips in mock indignation, a pleased smirk spreading across his lips when you were no longer able to fight the pleasure he was giving you.

He tightened his hands on your waist, making those damned slightly rounded movements with his hips that made your legs start to shake. This time was no exception.

You stared at him, panting heavily, and if you were alone now, he would probably tell you a lot of nasty things about how beautifully you took his cock. But he kept quiet, not letting others have more pleasure than they already have from watching you.

You whimpered as the pleasure between your legs grew. Oberyn felt you tighten around him, letting him know you were close. The pride he felt, in being able to bring you to orgasm with just his cock, was incredible.

He had seen many times how sensitive you were to his touch. But no one needed to know how many nights you had already spent in that bed.

He couldn't help himself the first time he was alone with you. It just happened. He buried his cock inside you like a mad man. And since then you have not spent even a single night apart.

The gods were his witness when he promised you loyalty for the rest of his life. And he knew he didn't want to sink his dick into anyone but you.

Oberyn felt you tighten around him. You gasped for air a second before the orgasm took over your body and he hung over you, kissing you hard so that all your moans disappeared in his mouth. Your song of pleasure was only available to him. That's why he immediately sped up his hips, pushing into you hard to come as quickly as possible. So as not to prolong your orgasm because you would start screaming and he really didn't want that. Your screams were only for him.

You ran out of air in your lungs when he fucked you hard, kissing even harder. And then he came with a loud growl deep inside you. He panted heavily, thrusting into you a few more times, slowly slowing down the pace.

Finally, he gave you the opportunity to breathe so you gasped for air and his hand immediately covered your mouth when you moaned loudly.

"Shhh," he whispered with a wide smile, watching as your body was only now taking in a dose of a strong orgasm.

He straightened up and glanced over his shoulder with a serious face. Sweat dripped down his chest as he ran a deadly gaze over the nobles who were trying to look like their dicks weren't getting hard from the spectacle you had just presented them.

"The marriage is consummated. Leave," he said dryly and the men seemed to wake up, obediently starting to leave your bedroom one by one.

"Let's hope the princess gives you many sons," the council chairman said politely before the door closed behind him.

Oberyn rolled his eyes in disgust. "Perverts," he muttered under his breath before looking at you again.

You were a beautiful mess. Soaking wet, panting heavily with his cock inside you. His favorite view.

"And with you, I’m not done yet," he said with a smirk before he leaned down again, attacking your lips.

[fookingmuffins]

it's time to go

James potter x reader

Summary: Angst. You love James, but it's time to go.

Warning: cheating, screaming and James being a dick.

A/n: lmao I really ran after posting like 4 fics, but I'm doing a little better and even though I'm stressed with uni I've been dying to write something, so I hope y'all enjoy. (This actually took me so long to finish and i dont lobe the ending but i needs to move on, oops)

You sighed as you prepared to open the door to the house you shared with James. Once upon a time, you would've rushed in without a second thought. But lately the war had taken a toll on the two of you. Once happy moments were now filled with fear and dread, making you feel like you were drowning. And no matter how hard you tried to hold on to the love of your life, you could feel him shutting you out. James had always been an open book anyone who ever met him knew that, but lately he had built this wall meant to keep you away, only you. At first, you tried to understand and be patient considering everything you two were going through, but after countless fights of you begging for him to talk to you, you were tired. You squeezed your eyes shut once before pushing the door open and plastering a fake smile in your face, maybe today would be different.

"Jamie, I'm home, I brought your favorite from the bakery by my work!" you shouted into the house buy were greeted with only silence. After checking the house you realized you were alone which immediately sent you into a spiral of worry since James was supposed to be here an hour ago but deciding that maybe he had gotten caught up with something you tried to ignore your panic and start getting ready for your friend's Alice’s engagement party.

You heard the door open and close while you were finishing up with your hair, causing you to get up and genuinely smile when you saw James make his way to the bedroom that the two of you shared.

"I was wondering where you were, I got you some pastries they are in the counter." you tried, but he just gave you a tight-lipped smile with a wave before passing by you to your shared bedroom. You went after him and saw he was getting ready to jump in the shower. Figuring it was going to be another quiet afternoon, you sat at your vanity staring at yourself in the mirror holding back the tears threatening to spill and ruin your makeup and just prayed that at the wedding maybe you two could have fun like you used to. You didn't even realize how long you sat there until you heard James get out of the bathroom and start getting ready, and you decided to just get dressed too and sit by the window with a book while you waited for James to be ready.

"Are you okay?" You were broken out of your train of thought by James’s question.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be. " You answered, giving him a similar smile to the one he gave you when he arrived.

"I don't know, you just keep staring into space, and it's kinda creepy." he tried to joke, but what once would've made you smile and roll your eyes instead caused a knot to form at your throat again, and you felt tears prickling your eyes once again.

"Well what am I supposed to do is not like I can talk to you anymore James you always shut me out, and I don’t know what to do anymore to get you to bring down the walls that keep shutting me out! I don't even know what I did for you to shut me out!" You couldn't help but let out everything for the millionth time, hoping that maybe today would be the last time you two were having this conversation and that he would finally open up and let you two go back to normal.

However, you soon realized that it was only wishful thinking because James immediately lowered his head and mumbled "For fuck's sake y/n not this again"

"Yes, this again, James! Please talk to me! Stop shutting me out, please!" you were a sobbing mess by this point, begging him to let you in, not caring if you ruined your makeup.

But James just shook his head and walked out, "I'll wait for you in the car while you get cleaned up, we can't do this right now, or we’ll be late." just like that, he left you alone frozen with mascara running down your cheeks. You felt numb and just quickly tried to clean up but when you were done and staring at your reflection stare back at you with puffy red eyes you just felt pathetic.

On the way neither one of you talked James kept his eyes on the road while you looked out the window too lost in your thoughts to realize your usual music that would usually be playing while the two of you drove was not playing, James realized, and he felt like he was suffocating in the empty car ride.

The wedding was beautiful and despite your problems you couldn't help but imagine that one day it would maybe be you and James standing in an altar professing your love in front of all your friends and family. You turned to look at him as Alice and Ben were sharing their vows, only to catch him staring at Lily, and she was staring right back at him. You felt something break in you as confusion overtook you. Why is he looking at her?

Was she the reason that you were slowly getting kicked to the curb? Back in Hogwarts everyone knew that James was obsessed with Lily but when she finally gave him a chance things just didn't work out. Then you caught James's attention, and the rest is history.

You tried to focus on the happy couple in the altar as the ceremony came to an end, but you felt someone was stabbing you and twisting the knife.

By some miracle during the reception James asked you to dance which shocked you, but his eyes seemed so sincere and like they were almost begging that you couldn't help but to foolishly be filled with hope once again. As you took his hand, he genuinely smiled at you again the way he used to with that same boyish grin that made you fall for him 5 years ago.

The two of you danced in the center of the dance floor spinning and laughing around, you had not been this happy in so long. After a particularly long fit of giggles, James pulled you closer and looked into your eyes with a spark that the two of you hadn't shared in months. When you two were about to lock lips, someone cleared their throat besides you two and the two of you pulled slightly away.

"James could I have a word with you please?" Lily asked looking at James who immediately pulled away from you and went with her after telling you he'd be right back. Just like that you were brought back to reality the cloud 9 that you had been in for a little bit long gone, and again the sinking feeling invaded you, feeling like you were drowning. You needed a drink.

You went to the bar and after getting your drink you decided it wasn't enough, and you needed air. You walked out of the salon where everybody was and made your way to the garden, and that's when you heard it.

"James! You said you two were over, but it sure as hell doesn't look like it! I can't beli-"

"I know, I know, but I can explain Lily please! I-I-I came here with her because she was embarrassed to come alone, so I promised this would be our last outing together." You felt your heart stop, air getting caught in your throat.

"What? That doesn't-" Lily started as you felt the glass in your hands slip and shatter on the ground.

Both of them froze and looked at where you were standing, you could feel a knot forming in your throat but glared at the pair in front of you with tears forming in your eyes.

"Y/n I can explain!"

" I think both of us want an explanation, James, but she deserves it more. Y/n/n I'm so sorry I had no idea you two were still together." Lily went to walk away and James was about to chase after her when she heard you scoff and as you turned around.

"Say goodbye to Alice and Ben for me, would you? I have to go." you rushed out before basically sprinting to the nearest exit, hearing James chase after you, which wasn't hard considering he was taller than you and an athlete. He grabbed your arm when you two had made it to the parking lot and turned you around.

"So that's why I'm getting the cold shoulder." you blurted out before whatever he was able to utter whatever shit excuse he was going to tell you. You almost wanted to laugh, which made you feel like you were insane, but you thought about all the hours you had spent over the past couple of months looking in the mirror trying to see what was wrong with you, overanalyzing every tiny detail in your face. Laying in bed staring at the ceiling, replaying everything you had done that day that might have set James off.

"No no baby, I swear it's not what it looks like, Lily is just bitter we didn't work out, and she's trying to sabotage us! I've just been so stressed because of it, and I am so sorry I let it out on you."

"Bullshit James! You were literally just talking shit about me before i showed up and ruined your little act." You were seething by this point, and James flinched after your outburst. You had never been one to scream, and he knew that, but right now you honestly felt like nothing was the same and you weren't the same. "A-and you wanted to chase after her and you know what? maybe you should. Maybe you have a better shot at getting her back because we are over James Potter! I-I am so tired... I-" You were crying from all the different emotions you were feeling at that moment. Finally getting some enlightenment about why your relationship was dying gave you some relief of the crushing pain you were feeling being hunted by the "what if's" and "why's" you weren't the problem.

James tried to get close and wrap his arms around you. god he felt like an idiot for hurting you. He honestly doesn't know what he was thinking. He had hoped you never found out and had planned to break up with Lily soon enough, but he just needed to explore a little what it could've been like if he had stayed with her. Plus the thrill of it was something that James had loved for the time being, but he never wanted to hurt you. His heart broke at the sight of you, he couldn't imagine what you were feeling.

"Don't even think about it! Don't ever touch me again don't ever look at me, I hate you so much Potter, I don't want to know anything about you from this day on James! We now mean nothing to me, we are strangers!" You glared at him in a way he had never seen you look at anyone, and felt his heart drop.

He tried to protest, feeling the tears leave his own eyes at the idea of losing you completely forever. But you just turned around and walked away.

[thatfandomslut]

The Wedding Song

Regina George x Reader

Word Count: 1k

Trigger Warnings: Regina & Reader are in their 20s, Reader is about to marry someone else, Regina stops the wedding (a bit of Speak Now vibes), steam The Wedding Song by Renee Rapp

Requests:

Valentine's Day / Followers Celebration; Regina George w/ quote 54 and piece of chocolate 8. Or: "Choose me. Marry me. Let me make you happy.” w/ crushing

This was messy but it's just a silly goofy fic, so I hope you enjoy.

Valentine's / Followers Celebration Requests are closed.

Being (Y/n)'s maid of honor was a bittersweet feeling for Regina. Standing beside (Y/n) during the rehearsal dinner, she felt queasy. In high school, she would have been able to get with whoever she wanted. Now, the person Regina wanted most in the world was about to marry someone else, and Regina felt like her whole world was falling apart. She was happy for (Y/n), and she was happy that (Y/n) trusted and loved her enough to ask her to be her maid of honor out of everyone, but a bigger part of Regina felt sad and hurt that (Y/n) would never feel that way about her.

She always felt like (Y/n) was her world, she set her world on fire. But (Y/n) was standing in front of another person with a giant grin, beaming. Regina felt guilty that she felt all these ways for her. She didn't know if she should approach (Y/n) and tell her just how she felt. What would it even achieve? In the end, there was an even bigger chance that it would tear their friendship apart, and she wasn't sure she could survive in a world without (Y/n). With that said, did the long-lasting stare across the wedding hall mean nothing to (Y/n)? Their eyes were set on each other for so long, and (Y/n) was no longer grinning at her partner, she was grinning at Regina.

"Are you ready to go? It's going to be a long night. I hope you have enough party left in you after this… exhilarating dinner." Regina smirked as (Y/n) approached her. She had just wished her grandparents a good night. She looked beautiful in her white dress. It wasn't her wedding dress, but Regina would marry her in it anyway. She was stunning. Regina cleared her throat to stop herself from looking at the girl in front of her up and down. She couldn't help her eyes. They trailed without thinking of the repercussions if caught. "I think you're going to have a fun night."

(Y/n) beamed up at Regina before hugging her tightly. Regina's eyes widened as she hugged back. "Thank you for being here Regina. I don't think I could do any of this without you." She whispered into Regina's neck, and all of a sudden Regina felt like she could cry. Repressing her feelings, Regina threw on a smile as she rubbed the girl's back. Then, she guided her to the limo that she had her dad pay for in full. She worked for him, therefore; she could still use his money whenever she so pleased. She was going to make sure that (Y/n)'s last night without another's last name attached to hers would be the best night of her life. Maybe, Regina decided, she needed it more than the bride-to-be.

As (Y/n) and Regina sat by each other, despite the rest of the party dancing out on the floor, (Y/n) swirled her drink in the glass she had. Regina's head was getting foggy as the night went on. She wondered if she would remember this in the morning. "Are you doing okay, Regina?" (Y/n) questioned, gently placing her hand on Regina's thigh. That was dangerous territory, and it made the blonde gulp as she looked over to her with a nod. "I was only saying that this whole wedding is weird for me to think about. I just… I hope this doesn't ruin anything between us, but… I always thought we'd be the ones getting married." (Y/n) confessed, though it was obvious she was just as drunk as Regina.

Regina then wondered if she would remember this in the morning either. She wouldn't dare kiss (Y/n). She knew that she was taken, even if (Y/n)'s words made her lips more kissable. "If you were to tell me not to marry them, I wouldn't marry them. I would break it off right now, and I would run away with you. That's fucked though, isn't it?" She wondered out loud. To be honest, it was. But Regina was learning that she didn't care if it was fucked. The girl she had crushed on since their freshman year of college was into her, and she'd be damned if she passed up on this opportunity.

Regina's hands fell onto (Y/n)'s shoulder, and she looked at (Y/n) like the world was ending. "Then do it. Choose me. Marry me. Let me make you happy." Regina practically begged, and (Y/n) looked at her as if she were sobering up. Her brows had furrowed and she stared at Regina for a long moment. She was beginning to give up hope until (Y/n) stood up. There was a new determination in her eyes as she nodded.

"Isn't this fucked up though? What would I say to them? At least let me go to their place." (Y/n) said, feeling dizzy. She didn't know if it was the alcohol or the decision to run away with Regina making her feel so ill. Regina nodded in understanding and maybe it was because she was drunk and in love, too, that she called a cab for them. When they got to the hotel, (Y/n) knocked on the door, and went inside the hotel room. Regina sat outside the room, and she stared at the ugly carpet that was peeling slightly. She felt gross. Partially because of the carpet, and partially because she was having (Y/n) break up with her partner over a drunk conversation.

When (Y/n) emerged, she had a giant smile. "It's over, it can just be us now." Despite how crazy this was, the two girls ran. Just like that, they decided that they would marry each other the next day. (Y/n)'s partner confessed they always knew, and that they would always support her. They agreed to be friends, despite it all. "I will marry you," (Y/n) whispered softly.

[cutielando]

not so happy reunion | r.c.

synopsis: in which the reunion in the Cameron family is a disaster

my masterlist

From the moment you and Rafe got engaged, you had left the Outer Banks.

Not because you were keen on doing so, but because Rafe wanted to escape from the hold his family, specifically his father, had on him.

You moved into a beautiful mansion on the mainland, both of you had stable and high-paying jobs, so you were living comfortably.

You had also gotten married after a year and a half of moving, only with a few close friends, Wheezie, Sarah and your family. Per Rafe's request, Sarah and Wheezie hadn't told their parents why they were visiting the mainland, using the excuse of a much needed girls' trip.

Even though you had advised Rafe to at least let his family know about the wedding, he vehemently insisted that you didn't tell them anything, claiming he didn't want them to ruin his perfect day with you like they did everything else.

However, Ward didn't want to accept the fact that Rafe didn't want to have anything to do with him or his family anymore, hence always sending you an invitation to the annual Midsummers party.

Every single time, Rafe would come up with an excuse as to why you couldn't make it. You were either busy with your jobs, you were feeling under the weather, you missed your flight, the excuse range was very wide.

However, now that you were also pregnant with your first child, you figured it would be time to pay the old OBX a visit, for old times' sake.

Rafe, even though he agreed on your behalf, was very much not excited to be back.

"Have we got everything?" you were finishing up packing your bags, making sure you had put everything you would need for your 2 day stay.

"Do we really have to go?" Rafe asked from where he was sitting on your shared bed, pouting like a small child.

You sighed and chuckled, amused because he was still trying to convince you not to go when you were literally minutes away from leaving for the island.

"Baby, we haven't been back there in almost 3 years. Don't you think it's time we do go and show people we're still alive and happily together?" you moved your hands so they were resting on his shoulder, his eyes at a level with your growing bump.

He sighed and leaned forward to kiss your bump and cradle it in his hands.

"I don't want her to be in that environment" he mumbled, speaking about your unborn daughter.

The moment you had found out you were having a girl, Rafe couldn't stop dotting on you. He was so excited to have another little princess running around, a mini-you. He was doing everything to make sure he got the hang of it all, from reading books to taking some daddy-and-me classes, watching videos and grilling his co-workers about advice.

He was the most prepared father-to-be ever.

"Baby, everything is going to be fine. She's safe in there, nobody is going to do anything to her, or me, or you. We're just gonna see some old friends, have a little fun and try not to get into arguments with your father. We're leaving as soon as we can, okay?" you were running your hands through his hair, twirling his dirty blonde locks around your fingers.

He nodded and kissed your bump one last time before getting up, taking your bags and hauling them to your car.

The ride to the OBX was quiet, Rafe's hand consistently resting on your bump as he drove and yours resting on top of his.

As you observed Rafe for the whole ride, you noticed how much he started tensing up the closer  you got to the island, full on freaking out by the time he had parked his car.

"Okay, let's get this over with" he muttered as he got out of the car and jogged to your side, opening your door and taking your hand in his, interlocking your fingers.

You slowly made your way to the reception, more and more of your old friends recognizing you and stopping to chit chat.

At first, Rafe's hand was tightly holding yours tensely, but his grip slowly became more tender and less tense as he finally managed to calm down and enjoy seeing his friends.

"Rafe?" Ward's voice boomed through the party, making everyone around you stop to observe the interaction.

Rafe cursed under his breath but turned around, coming face to face with his father.

"Dad" Rafe nodded and said, his grip on your hand tightening slightly.

You started caressing the side of his hand with your thumb, trying to keep him grounded and calm.

"Oh, it's so good to see you, my boy" the man pulled his son into a tight hug, squeezing him like never before.

Rafe coughed and just patted his father on the back, one of his hands still linked with yours. You could only imagine how uncomfortable the situation was for your husband.

"And I see you brought your girlfriend as well" Ward said once his eyes fell on you.

"Wife, actually" you proudly corrected the man, your other hand now resting on your clearly visible bump.

Ward's eyes followed your hand and once he saw the wedding band on your hand holding your baby bump, his jaw went slack and he was at a loss of words.

Rafe cleared his throat and let go of your hand, instead opting to wrap his arm around your waist and pull your body flush against his.

"I can't believe this. Congratulations. When did this happen?" his voice was now back to his usual icy tone, surely figuring out the fact that he hadn't been invited to his son's wedding.

"Almost 1 year and a half ago. Found out we were expecting a couple of months ago" Rafe's gaze on his father hadn't let up.

Ward nodded, biting the inside of his cheek visibly.

"And you didn't think to invite your family?" he bit back.

"Wheezie and Sarah were there. The only family I needed with me" 

The music had now stopped, everyone concentrating on the brewing tension between the two Cameron men.

"What are we and Rose then? We raised you!" 

"With all due respect, you didn't do shit. You left him to fend for himself his entire life and didn't give a shit about his well-being because you were too obsessed with Sarah. You don't get to do that anymore. We didn't want you there because you didn't deserve to be there, just like you are never going to be a part of our child's life" you burst, not wanting to let Rafe deal with this by himself.

Ward's eyes widened as they shifted from his son to you. He had remembered you as the calculated one from the couple, always trying to keep the waters calm and Rafe under control. He didn't expect you to talk back to him like that.

"We're clearly not welcome here, so we're going to leave" Rafe said.

On your way out, you bid goodbyes to some of your friends and gave Ward one last look before getting into your car and driving away.

"I'm sorry, I thought it would be a good idea" you said once you had made it home, now safe and sound in the sheets of your bed with your husband.

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault. At least we managed to catch up with people before disaster struck" he teased, kissing your shoulder and hugging you from behind, his hands cradling your bump.

You laughed and settled in bed, drifting off to a peaceful sleep with the two most important people in your life: Rafe and your daughter.

comments and re-blogs help us grow!

much appreciated!!

REQUEST HERE

[retirementhomewriting]

A Stolen Dance

Features: Fem!Reader, reader's wearing a dress/skirt, reader's parents are mentioned to be married, (L/n) used to refer to reader's last name

"What is the pearl of the (L/n) family doing out in her gardens all by herself?"

His voice in your ear was hardly unexpected. Smiling slightly, you turned your head to meet the gaze of Cavalry Captain Kaeya, happily known to you just by his first name.

"Could it be..." he went on, his voice taking on a mockingly scandalized tone, "that you're avoiding your own guests?"

Sighing quietly to yourself, you turned away from Kaeya, looking back up at the moon.

Tonight marked your parents' 25th wedding anniversary; in celebration, they chose to throw a lavish party. Crowds of guests filled your manor, some of Mondstadt's richest families in attendance.

"I needed some space," you said, eyes still trained on the night sky above.

"Space from all those adoring fans of yours, I imagine," Kaeya smirked at you, an all-too-knowing look in his eye.

Ugh. Why remind you?

Underneath the golden glow of the crystal chandeliers were some of Mondstadt's most intolerable people: people obsessed with riches, people obsessed with petty gossip, people obsessed with marrying the daughter of an extremely affluent couple...

In short, you were trying to avoid as many future marriage proposals as you could, hence why you were now taking refuge in your gardens.

"I think most people in my situation would opt to run away," you scoffed.

"Really? Some people would be thrilled to have so many potential suitors," Kaeya teased. "Who knows? Maybe you'd end up quite liking one of them if you gave them a chance."

Ignoring the slight prickle you felt in your heart at this last statement, you turned to question him.

"So, why are you out here?"

Kaeya's eye twinkled at your question.

"Maybe I'm running away from some of my own potential suitors. I am thought of by many to be a good choice for their granddaughters."

Liar. As if you didn't know the real reason he was out here. Kaeya had always been looking out for your wellbeing, ever since you were kids. You were confident he could always find you, no matter where you seemingly disappeared to.

Tonight was no different.

"Well," you said, smoothening out the skirt of your dress, "I thank you for accepting my family's invitation even though you knew you'd find some adoring fans of yours. Very selfless of you," you added, copying his sly tone.

"It's not such a terrible price to pay if it means being served some of Mondstadt's finest wines," Kaeya chuckled. "I was promised as much as I wanted."

Of course, Kaeya was quite enamored with a good drink. He was quite enamored with a good drink, and he was also quite enamored with... something else that could be found at this party. This... other factor was even more persuasive than a good glass of wine, believe it or not.

Not that Kaeya was about to admit this to anyone else. He could hardly admit it to himself.

"Surely you don't plan on staying out here the whole night?" Kaeya quipped, mainly just to distract himself from how beautiful you looked in the moonlight.

"Of course I don't," you sighed. You glanced inside, clamming back up when you noticed the throng of unfortunately eligible young bachelors and their parents. "But I won't be going back inside just yet."

"Even though the dancing's about to start?"Kaeya asked.

A rueful smile pulled at your lips.

"Even though the dancing's about to start."

"Why, what a shame," he responded. "And to think you used to be so fond of the art when we were younger."

"I still am fond of it," you muttered, "but it was easier to enjoy dancing when we were all simply having fun. We're older now, and it's not as pleasant facing your partner when you know they have ulterior motives."

In the stillness of the gardens, Kaeya took a moment to consider your visage. In the outline of your figure, he could read the wistfulness of your soul.

Kaeya's gaze lingered only a few seconds, for the stillness of the night was interrupted by the first notes of a waltz breaking through from the manor's ballroom.

"This is..." you looked up in surprise, the familiar melody calling to you.

"Your favorite, isn't it?" Kaeya finished for you.

"It is."

Kaeya noticed as you wilted slightly. Your favorite waltz was playing and yet you couldn't bring yourself to dance it. Not with anyone inside.

There was one other person not inside, however.

"My lady."

Illuminated by the silver glow of the moon, a hand was reached out to you, a hand you knew well, and a hand you wanted to know even better still.

"I believe a Knight can take the place of a nobleman this time," Kaeya murmured. "Would you deem me a suitable dance partner?"

Softly, you took his hand.

"I would."

Standing from where you had taken a seat, you were pulled to Kaeya's chest. Keeping one of your hands in his, naturally, Kaeya's other hand came to rest on your waist.

Without a single word spoken to each other, you began to dance.

One two three, one two three, one two three.

Around you went, spinning chest-to-chest with Kaeya in your garden. For as close as you spun to the rows of roses, your skirts never brushed the flowers' delicate petals.

One two three, one two three.

Each note of the violin seemed to pull on your heartstrings. Suddenly, you aware of nothing other than Kaeya. A memory drifted to your mind, one of the two of you when you were younger, laughing as you tried to keep up with the pace of a waltz. But that had been when you were children. Today, the arms that held you were the arms of a man. The man in front of you was still Kaeya, but the limbs had grown, the muscles had strengthened, and the heart had suffered even more from what he had previously endured.

And the love you had felt before? Your love for him had matured from the love of a child to the love of a woman. You loved him in ways you hadn't known to be possible.

You chanced a glance at him, and what you saw made your heart tremble. In Kaeya's eyes you saw the intensity of an emotion neither of you had dared discuss and that you were terrified to mischaracterize.

You didn't fully understand it, but Kaeya loved you as much as you loved him. In the most tender part of his heart that he tried to deny, Kaeya had a place carved out for you.

As you danced together, Kaeya was all too aware of the warmth of you in his arms, the softness of your hand in his, the sweet smell of your shampoo that threatened to intoxicate him faster than any drink.

You were the only woman he would have so happily danced with that night.

With one final flourish, the waltz was over. Your feet came to a stop, but neither of you could pull away from each other. You and Kaeya were like two living statues portrayed to have danced.

Finally, the notes of the next dance began. Slowly, slowly, you both untangled yourselves from the other's embrace and took a step back.

"I don't think I did too bad myself," Kaeya remarked. He had his usually teasing look on his face, but you noticed the breathy quality of his voice.

"You did just fine," you replied. You too had that same breathy quality in your voice. "Thank you for being my partner," you managed a weak grin. "Too bad we won't get to do this more often."

"I suppose we would paint quite the strange picture if we waltzed together at the tavern," Kaeya laughed.

You smiled lightly in response. Taking in a deep breath, your eyes wandered back to the inside of the manor.

"I should probably head back inside," you whispered.

"Finally ready to face the starstruck crowd?" Kaeya joked.

"Yes," you replied, finally finding the firmness in your voice.

"Really? Think you might even get engaged tonight?" He mused.

"I don't think so," you shook your head.

"And why not?" Kaeya grinned.

You looked away for a moment, a flash of hesitation on your face, and then you met his eyes directly.

"I'll only be happy with the one who makes the best dance partner."

You noticed as Kaeya took in a sharp breath of air, but you began walking off towards the manor.

"One of these days my family may just want to throw another party," you called out over your shoulder. "Accept our invitation and... please waltz with me again."

A wry chuckle spilled from Kaeya's lips as he watched you walk away.

Perhaps it would be for the best if he didn't come to any more of your family's parties.

But how could Kaeya ever deny you?

Shostakovich's Waltz No. 2 made me ill

[ottpopfic]

It probably isn’t helping that Leo isn't wearing his ring. Well, he is, just not on his finger. Because of his work and violent ADHD Leo tends to put it on the chain of his mother's necklace and then forget to put it back on his finger at the end of the day. It's still with him at all times, he just really doesn’t want to have his finger chopped off in a dumb accident or lose it in a bin of washers. Everyone should know he’s extremely taken at this point

Or at least he thought, because the new guy is not letting up. If anything he's getting worse

---

Three weeks out from the wedding some new guy decides to be a creepy idiot

-

A month and a half out from their wedding Leo tells Jason he can't give him any more hickies 

“I will not be a walking bruise in the wedding photos” he insists 

“But-” Jason whines, looking like he just got told Santa Claus isn't real “ But -”

“You can mark me back up after,” Leo nudges, climbing into his fiance's lap in his desk chair “And you can be a good boy and hold off till then, right?”

“Yeah,” Jason gives in, easy as always with Leo’s wants, starting to get stars in his eye by the close proximity and touching “Yeah I can be good”

And he has been good, perfect even as the current bruises yellow and fade. Jason might be extra affectionate, but it could also be the coming wedding. The Way Station has been a bustle of activity with the planning and impending date, they are holding the reception there after all.

So more cuddles and smelling and clinginess are expected, and Leo is enjoying it. He's enjoyed planning too, or really the lack thereof. They don't want a ceremony, just the closest family and the judge, but the reception after is going to be an affair . The Way Station and its residents offered their gift to be the gathering. All Jason and Leo had to do was send out invitations and remind the moms that Frank is lactose intolerant. They're still part of some of the party planning, or Jason is because he's having more fun with it, Leo is helping cook way too much food. 

However, Leo also understands that the no love bites rule bothers Jason a little. Jason can be possessive and protective of who he thinks of as ‘his’ (’pack dynamics’ Piper likes to tease), and that extends extremely to Leo and their godkid(s). It's that ferial hindbrain ‘I killed a squirrel with my bare hands and ate it when I was three’ kind of thing. Leo understands that's where the smelling and marking and shit come from, and the fact that Jason doesn't mask that with Leo anymore isn't something he ever takes lightly

But the tux he found with Piper is lace backless and he does not want the hickies to show, he already has the staining permanent half-bruises half-scars from getting crushed to death to deal with

It comes to a head three weeks out from the day

They have finally gotten a demigod into The House On The Rock in Wisconsin so it can be assessed if it is acting as a temple and, if so, to whom. Jason has gone on a three-day round trip to help with the assessment, most of which needs to happen after hours to keep the mortals from interfering. It's a pain in the ass it being as close to the wedding as it is, but it's a short trip, and Leo is kinda excited to see what snowglobe Jason will bring him back for their growing collection 

The trip isn't the issue though, the issue is fucking Johnathan 

Johnathan, some fucking blond-ass lanky-ass son of Nike around Leo’s age, has stopped at the Way Station as he passes through. He got in the evening after Jason left, and has decided to stay a few days to “admire the scenery”

The scenery apparently being Leo

It's not like Leo is encouraging it, but he's never been the best at turning people down. For all of being a big flirt, nothing makes him want to run more than being on the receiving end of unwanted attention. He's gotten better about shooting down people trying their hand, especially because his man tends to spark when jealous, but it's exceedingly difficult and brings up all those feelings of inadequacy he's still working through well into his thirties

It always feels like those mean games kids used to play, making friends ask you out on a dare or flirting with you because you're an easy target who is so unloveable that you would take anything. And Leo knows in the rational part of him that he is no longer in the seventh grade and malnourished skinny with shitty hand-me-down clothes and a bad haircut because his current foster family took him to the whitest salon in town. He's thirty-fucking-two and a goddam superhero about to marry another even hotter superhero, like the Incredibles but gay

But seventh-grade Leo is still a part of him, and seventh-grade Leo is having his knee-jerk reaction to the overly pushy flirting and it's making it very hard for thirty-two-year-old Leo to put his foot down instead of avoiding the problem 

It probably isn’t helping that Leo isn't wearing his ring. Well, he is, just not on his finger. Because of his work and violent ADHD Leo tends to put it on the chain of his mother's necklace and then forget to put it back on his finger at the end of the day. It's still with him at all times, he just really doesn’t want to have his finger chopped off in a dumb accident or lose it in a bin of washers. Everyone should know he’s extremely taken at this point

Or at least he thought, because Johnathan is not letting up. If anything he's getting worse

Leo has a feeling that Johnathan would still press even if he saw them making out. He sure hasn't backed off after Leo told him he has a partner, is cooking for a wedding, and that he is not interested . The dude looks to think of it like it is some kind of challenge 

Calypso is incredibly pissed on Leo’s behalf. They never would have worked as romantic partners, but partners in crime are another thing altogether. This makes the Titianis very protective of Leo, and while it goes both ways Cal is always way more ready to stab a bitch over stuff like this than Leo is. 

“Are you sure you don't want me to step in?” she asks after breakfast the second day “I can bury him in the roof garden, Lit would help”

“Cally it's fine” he insists as he works through the dishes as Cal cleans the stove “I told him to back off”

“And he's not listening,” she presses “He is a guest and you are uncomfortable”

“Exactly, he's a guest he's gonna leave”

“You don't deserve to be uneasy in your home,” she insists “Remember that”

It's creeping towards dinner the day Jason is supposed to get back. Leo is trying to finish up some more detail-oriented projects before they have to fold the WorkShop away for the party, not wanting the delicate mechanisms to get damaged after needing to be moved and stored. Georgie is in the kitchen making herself a snack and helping Calypso brainstorm about the new fabric she's working on, bouncing what weft and fiber would work best to help a kid with static issues in New Rome. 

The girls are pleasant background noise as Leo works, setting delicate gears into place through the magnification of his ring light in the crook of where the tables make a corner. He's so in the zone that he doesn't even hear the son of Nike sneak up 

“What’tch ya’ working on?” Johnathan asks right in his ear, scaring the shit out of Leo so badly that his tweezers fly out of his hand taking the micro spring he was trying to set with them. 

“Hopping Hephestus dude don't do that to me” Leo complains, putting his hand on his rabbiting heart as he turns on his stool

“Sorry, sorry,” he doesn't look sorry, the taller man looks like he finds it entertaining to sneak up on people like that, “Thought you heard me”

Obviously, Leo didn't, and he's not really in the mood to engage this guy right now. He spots his lost tweezers by the other man's foot, sliding off the stool to pluck them up.

“You know,” Johnathan continues “You’re real cute when you startle like that”

Somehow he's even closer when Leo straightens up, almost spooking him all over again. Leo backs up a step until his back hits the corner where the benches meet, nowhere else to go

Johnathan pushes forward even closer, propping himself up with an arm on the table right next to Leo’s hip. Leo’s hands go up immediately, trying to put some distance between himself and the other man. The guy is ignoring his body language, just leaning over Leo further with a huge grin

There's a flurry of movement and sound. The scrape of a chair as Calypso rises to help, Georgie’s pissed cry from the kitchen, but first and foremost is Jason bodily pulling the other man off of Leo and planting himself firmly between them

“What the fuck do you think you're doing !?” Jason snaps furious, the tightly wound tension in Leo’s body easing a micrometer with his fiancee’s appearance 

Johnathan, who Jason had all but thrown out of Leo’s bubble, recovers quickly “Hey man,” he tries “I don't think you need to worry ‘bout-”

Jason bites at him, Jonathan only keeping his arm by pulling back in time. Jason’s teeth make a loud clack as they snap close around air, staying bared in a wolf-like snarl like he's daring the other blond to try it again

Leo knows this pose on Jason; stance wide, head low, eyes sharp and ahead with teeth bared. He's sparking at his hands, little visible bits of electricity dancing between his fingers as they twitch like he's ready to grab a weapon or just go bare-knuckle, which evers faster. 

Jason is ready to fucking kill a man feral style, full-on Titian takedown, and as hot as it is Leo really does need to reel him in before he gets blood on the running resin printer. Fortunately, his moms come to the rescue 

“Break it up!” Emmi barks, snatching Johnathan by the neck of his shirt and pulling him out of lethal zapping range. Leo sees his opportunity and grabs Jason by the belt on both sides of his hips so he can't follow 

“The hell is going on here?” Jo asks the room from the other side of the saws

“Jason came home and caught the new guy being pushy with Leo” Georgie supplies from the kitchen

“He had him cornered ” Jason seethes, teeth still flashing

“That dudes fucking crazy ” Johnathan cries back, pointing at the other blond kinda terrified

“And you are a guest ,” Emmi replies, hulling him over the red gaffer tape line that shows the edge of the workshop. It puts her between Leo and Jason, telling Leo that his moms are not impressed with the situation “Do not think that the Way Station has not been reporting back to us about your escapades”

“ Escapades !?”

“Leo told you he was not interested,” Calypso supplies, propping her hip on the big table “Multiple times in fact”

“Has he now!?” Jason interjects, if looks could kill Johnathan would have been cremated in the spot, the air becoming so electrically charged that the static is visible 

“ Cielito ” Leo tries, resorting to the pet name he keeps just for them “Cm’mon mi cielo it’s okay”

“It's not ” the blond snaps back, but it's lacking some of the previous heat now

“I'm okay and you're okay” Leo attempts to placate, just wanting out of the situation and to not have a dead idiot on his hands “Let's go and cool down, the moms can take it from here”

It takes a few kisses on Jason’s spine and the visual of the moms tearing Johnathan a new one to convince his man that they can vacate the WorkShop safely. Jason leads him out by the hand, and once they are free of the sphere of elder lesbian tongue-lashing he scoops Leo up in a fireman's carry and stomps off for the hall

“You alright?” Calypso checks as they pass, arms crossed and watching the commotion with satisfaction 

“I'm good” Leo reassures “Save us some dinner?” he calls to the kitchen as he's carried off, Georgina boos him

Leo knows it's particularly bad because Jason doesn't bring them to their room, he brings them to his office, heading straight for his nest cave thing under the filing cabinets and throwing Leo into the pile of pillows and papasan before laying on him with a growl.

“Put your ring back on” Jason barks into Leo’s shoulder, not moving his big blond head out of the way to let Leo take it off the chain. Leo gets it eventually, running the back of his knuckles against his fiance's cheek so he can feel that it's on. Jason immediately relaxes incrementally, his glasses digging into Leo’s skin

Leo can tell he really wants to bite him, he can feel bared teeth through his shirt, but Jason is being so good about not marking him up. Leo starts in on kissing all over Jason’s head and face, anywhere he can reach, the blond still griping and growling into his shoulder 

“You smell wrong” Jason eventually grumbles

“I smell wrong?”

This isn't a new conversation, Jason has a thing about smell that's half left over from his time with Lupa half just his own neurosis. He also has such a weirdly good sense of smell even for a demigod (something Leo finds he shares with the other big three kids, along with extra strength and like night vision or whatever) that when Leo was using unleaded solder when he was making their rings it almost blew his cover. It's endearing, but does involve complaints if Leo changes his shampoo or deodorant without warning. 

“He was wearing something” Jason complains upset  “You smell like it”

“Would taking my shirt off help?” Jason does a growl whine posture that tells Leo it wouldn't hurt before stripping it off him himself in one fluid movement. Leo is able to get his fiance's glasses off before Jason slams himself back into his chest and neck, forcing an ‘oof’ out of him

“Better?” Leo asks, but the tension in his man’s body tells him it's not

Time for scratchies 

Scratchies turn into puppy nuzzles, and puppy nuzzles turn into kissing, and slowly but surely Leo is able to convince his man that he's fine and that they're both okay. It works to settle Leo too, the comfort of his Jason being home alleviating his fried nerves from the encounter 

“M’ sorry” Jason eventually says, pressing their foreheads together with a dejected sign

“‘Bout what?” Leo asks, feeling better than he has in days now that he gets to bask in the easy affection of his fiancee 

“About going all freakazoid on a random dude”

“You mean pulling a jerk off of me who wouldn't take no for an answer?”

“I tried to bite him” Jason pouts

“You almost got him too,” Leo starts playing with Jason’s hair, Cirro has been offering to give him a trim before the wedding and Leo hopes they don't take it down too short “Shame you missed”

“Leo I'm serious ” Jason hides his face in Leo’s chest and squeezes him a little tighter “I can't just go ferial werewolf man-”

“You'd make such a sexy werewolf man”

“-on any person looking at you weird”

“How is cornering me against my workbench ‘looking at me weird’?” he asks genuinely confused “Especially after I've said I was taken like five other times”

“But like,” Jason flounders “Autonomy and shit”

“Baby if you didn't pull him off Cal would have,” Leo admits, really not seeing the issue here “She was already trying to convince me to let her turn him into fertilizer”

Jason whines and grumbles and tries to find more English words about how he's in the wrong about being a gentleman, and that's not really gonna fly in Leo’s book

“Jason,” he interrupts the worry spiral “Your home, so I'm okay”

Jason studies Leo's face to try and find the lie, but Leo knows there isn't one “If you're sure” the blond relents

“I'm sure,” he brushes a lock of blond hair out of his fiancee's face, then starts to run his hands through “Also it's hot when you get all sparky scary at people”

Jason frowns in that cute way he does when he's a bit embarrassed about the ways Leo is thirsty for him “ Shut up ”

“What!? It gets me going” Leo fans himself with his hand to prove the point “That one time you exploded the transformer outside Nena’s school, whooof ”

Jason is a naturally protective person, and people fucking with his puppies brings out this feral part of him that has scared Katie’s school office on more than one occasion. It's very sexy if Leo is to be honest, but he's not a good judge of hotness levels when it comes to his man (at least says Piper, but what does she know)

There's something about Jason biting the head off of school officials with their kid on his hip that does something to Leo, makes him wish he could get knocked up for a split second. He should be reeling his man in, but fuck the public school system and fuck people messing with his kid Jason can eat them for all he cares 

And also getting to watch his sweet gentle caring man snap on people, especially for Leo and his, something about it makes Leo want to go feral on him in return

“Oh man, and that time you blew out all the lights when that barista wouldn't catch a hint” Leo bites his lip and kicks what he can of his feet like a schoolgirl, Jason may have gotten jumped before they got home after that one “And when you-”

“Okay okay” the blond interrupts peering up at him from his chest “I still don't get it though”

“I like you being all puppy possessive, makes me feel safe” Leo pauses the hair petting to daydream for a moment “And I like that crazed look you get in your eye”

“Crazed look?”

“Oh yeah,” Leo bites his lip again just thinking about it “Makes me wanna get you jealous more”

Jason's brows furrow “Were you trying to make me jealous?”

“No,” Leo goes back to playing with his man’s hair “I know you don't like it, even if you're super sexy when you are”

“I don't like it” Jason confirms

“I know,” he presses a reassuring kiss onto his fiancée’s forehead “That's why I don't do it on purpose. But it does make me feel safe and wanted when you get like that”

“Me trying to bite people who are overstepping makes you feel safe?”

“ You make me feel safe”

“If you’re sure”

“Oh, I'm sure” 

Leo plays with his fiancee's hair for a little, feeling content in a way he hasn't since this whole kerfuffle started. Usually this also relaxes Jason into a pre-goo state, but the blond still has this uneasy energy under the skin

“What's up?” Leo asks, clocking Jason’s mood “You're still all upset”

“I wanna bite you”

“I am aware of this yes”

“But also like,” Jason pulls his lips thin in that way he does when he's trying to verbalize some wolf shit into a proper concept “You're not wearing me, and someone was an asshole, so now I'm anxious”

“‘Bout what part?”

“About uh,” Jason's nostrils flare as he works to find his words “About that your mine, I think - no, its uh” he does a little snort through his nose to change the train of thought “I don't know, I guess it just makes me want to marry you harder”

That makes Leo laugh, bursting out of him like a firework with just how much he loves this man. He kisses his fiancee for lack of something else to do with the sudden giddiness, three weeks can't go by fast enough

“I love you,” Leo tells him, there's really nothing else to it “I'm so excited to marry you”

“Wanna do it now ” Jason whines, pressing kisses across Leo’s collarbones in lieu of marking him up

“Yeah but if we elope our sisters will tar and feather us,” he reminds “And I really don't want to see a Thalia and Georgie team up”

Jason shudders at the idea “Gods they would be horrible ”

“Cm’mon let's go take a shower” Leo suggests instead of the very tempting idea of taking that risk “Bet it will get us smelling right and everything”

And if a shower turns into Leo getting his brains fingered out of him, so fucking be it

[nocandnc]

I wonder that in the wedding of Kafka and Mina, what would Okonogi and Hoshina do? Also who would try to catch the bouquet during the wedding reception? (I believe that would be Hoshina=))) And what was other's feeling after seeing that? Thank you for your time^^

Hi there~

It's funny you bring this up as I have a wedding-related OkoHoshi ficlette idea I've been tinkering with lately, though I don't know if I'll go ahead with it...

Anyways, KafMina wedding!!

They do strike me as the type to go with a modern western-style wedding, bouquet tossing and all! White is very much Mina's colour and she'd look gorgeous in a full bridal gown (Kafka is mildly scared to find a pistol strapped to her thigh later into the night, which she claims - somewhat unconvincingly, might he add - is a precaution against kaiju other than her new husband.)

Regarding Okonogi and Hoshina... I think they might be left out of the wedding party to be honest. Instead, Reno and Kikoru take up the position of Best Man and Maid of Honor respectively (+ Bakko as ring bearer). Not because Kafka and Mina wouldn't want them to take part, but if the Captain is busy celebrating her wedding day then the Vice Captain needs to be at the ready to take care of any urgent kaiju matters on her behalf, right? It just makes practical sense. As for Okonogi, well... she'd just feel too awkward being part of a fancy ceremony like that, even if the eyes weren't necessarily on her.

But Hoshina and Okonogi still attend as guests of course!

While Hoshina isn't a part of the wedding party proper, Kafka and Mina still pull him up on stage to give a speech early into the reception festivities. Okonogi makes no speeches but claps as others say their piece, eyes misty from joy and laughter.

The heartfelt anecdotes and silly jokes wrap up, after which there is cake and music and drinks of all kinds.

When it comes time to throw the bouquet, several ladies gather near the front in hopes of improving their chances of getting married catching the beautiful flower arrangement - but it turns out Mina's throwing arm is just as impressive as her firing one and she overshoots the crowd by a large margin.

It flies across the venue in a long arc, petals scattering along the unexpected trajectory.

Soshiro barely registers the object entering his peripheral but snatches it from the air flawlessly all the same - as expected, it takes the Vice Captain to catch the Captain's throws. He laughs a little at the bouquet that's now securely in hand, followed by further laughter as the attending women groan and cry out in disappointment.

"How could you, sir!"

"That's supposed to be for us girls!!"

"I caught it fair an' square!" He shoots back, waving the bouquet at them like a baton. "How about you try puttin' in a little more work for it next time!?"

It's all in good fun though, for the women laugh too and quickly return to drinking and dancing and the eating of cake.

Somewhat prior to this, a reticent Okonogi was dragged onto the dance floor by Akari and the rest for several fast-paced songs. Though she'd admit to having a bit of fun, that one bit was still more than enough for her. The Operations Leader sticks to lingering near the drink bar after this, quietly taking photos now and then - even snapping a shot of their Vice Captain catching Mina's bouquet when the cameraman wasn't ready - but otherwise content to watch the cheerful chaos from a distance.

A wallflower like her had no aspirations of catching flowers.

...Which is why Okonogi Konomi is all the more startled when the much-sought-after bouquet is suddenly shoved into her hands.

"Huh?"

"Hold these for me, would you dear?" Vice Captain Hoshina asks before she's even fully registered his presence.

"What??"

Amused by Konomi's bewildered state, Soshiro flashes his sharp canines at her along with his phone - a familiar Kaiju warning blinking violently across the narrow screen.

"Duty calls!"

[thelampisaflashlight]

A Lack of Engagement Pt. 5: The Trouble You Have Wrought

[Previous Part: Here. Banishment spells, exorcisms, and how Dew lost his virginity.] Below the cut.

"So, you two kiss and make up?" Swiss teases when Rain sits down for breakfast -scrambled eggs and toast, courtesy of Aurora, who swears up and down she didn't drop any of the shells in the yellow goop, but the crunching around her says otherwise- and the water ghoul can't help but glance over his shoulder, searching for Dew, "Oh~?"

"W-We, uh, cuddled all night." he whispers, making Swiss guffaw, prompting him to slap his hand over the other's mouth, "Shhh~!"

"Why so coy, fish boy?" Cumulus snorts, picking through her eggs and flicking the shells across her plate, "Very unlike you to not kiss and tell."

"We really did just cuddle..." Rain flushes, "...We talked about... A-Ah, really, it's not something I should talk about, since it's between Dew and I."

"And you shouting about how you think Dew is hot last night wasn't?" the air ghoulette wonders, pointing her fork in his direction, and raising a brow at him.

"That was... more of a public service announcement." he jokes awkwardly, shoveling a forkful of eggs into his mouth to avoid saying anything else embarrassing, but Swiss nudges him, "Whuh?"

"'Whuh' he says..." Swiss sighs dramatically, "You two have been a little weird lately, ya know? Something we need to know?"

Rain stares at his plate and considers how to proceed; If he tells them the truth -that they're not from this reality, or whatever is going on here- would that help or just cause more problems?

Ultimately, Rain shakes his head.

"Like I said..." he smiles, going back to his breakfast, "It's between Dew and I."

"YOU TWO AREN'T HAVING KITS ARE YOU??" Aurora chimes in, chirping when Aether swats her on the head with the spatula -"Turner, it's called a fucking turner!"- and makes her go back to paying attention to her eggs, which are now burning, "Boo... No fun... Oh Shit!"

"What??" Rain coughs, choking on a bit of egg, drinking some water before replying, "No, nothing like that. Just... couple-y things. We're just... feeling each other out on some things."

"You're always 'feeling each other out'." Aether says, back to the others as he tries to sort out the smoldering charcoal pit that used to be his good nonstick pan, "Nothing wrong with that, communication is good in any relationship, and, Rory, you know better than to ask if people are having kits. That's not something we blurt out, yeah?"

Aurora's ears fold down at the scolding, but she nods, "Sorry..."

"No harm done." Rain laughs, waving his hand dismissively, "But yeah, no, no kits. Dew and I wanted to talk about some things since we-"

And that's when it hits him; He can fish for information from his packmates!

"-'ve been married for a year now, ya know? It all feels very surreal... I keep looking at the pictures and it just doesn't feel real to me."

"Oh, trust me, it happened alright." Mountain groans, stretching as he enters the kitchen, "Just thinking about it reminds me of the hangover I had the day after..."

"Fuck, yeah, that shit was painful..." Swiss says, leaning back in his chair, "I can't believe you two ditched the after party... I mean, I CAN believe it, y'all were ready to jump each other at the reception, but y'all just boogied on out and left us unsupervised with all that free champagne..."

"I thought the ceremony itself was nice..." Cumulus twirls her fork, "Do have to say though, the penis bit was funny."

"The metal penis statue, how the fuck could I forget??" Mountain laughs, "That thing was taller than Dew and unnecessarily detailed, but more power to you, spending half your wedding budget on a dick."

Rain blinks.

"Whatever did happen to that thing?" Aether asks, "It's pretty hard to get rid of something like that."

"You know?" Rain starts, "I don't know! I was talking to Dew about it recently, but it all feels like a fever dream! I don't even have pictures of that thing..."

"I do!" Cumulus says, jumping up to go grab her phone from the living room, returning seconds later with her photo gallery open to a picture of the same metal dick that started this whole ordeal, "Everyone was taking pictures with it!"

Rain takes the phone as it's all but dropped into his lap, scanning through the pictures, "You think someone took it?"

"That thing was heavy as shit, so I doubt it, maybe someone pushed it into the lake because they thought it would be funny?" she muses, then squeaks happily, "Oh, I thought I deleted those!"

"Huh?"

Cumulus taps one of the still images and a play button appears, "I was gonna blackmail you guys with these if you ever angered me, but it's also just really cute."

She queues up the video and clicks the volume up to max.

"What it is this?" Rain asks as the phone is returned to him, "I-"

"If you could tell your future husband anything right now, what would it be~?" Cumulus' voice sing-songs from the video, the camera flipping to face Rain at an unflattering downward angle, "Also, pray tell, why the metal dong?"

He's seated in front of the same vanity Dew was in the picture he found on his phone, tugging on his dress shoes.

"Hm, I can't tell him anything I haven't already told him before." Rain in the video says, looking like he's being viewed through a fisheye lens as Cumulus moves the camera closer to his face, clearly messing around, "I guess... I'm really excited to take this next step forward with you, and that being with you has made my life so much more fulfilling. You brighten up my day, and you're remarkably thoughtful and kind and your ass-"

"Okay!" Cumulus cuts him off, "Now, about the metal dick... what's that all about??"

Rain in the video snorts and then shrugs, "Ah, well, it's an inside joke from when we got engaged."

"So you're not going to tell me?" Cumulus says, flipping the camera towards herself to show her pouting face.

"If you want to know, you should ask Dew."

"I already interviewed him about it, and he told me to ask you!" she cries, "Sneaky little shits..."

The video ends and Rain sits back with his arms crossed, phone on the table, brow pinched together as he thinks.

"So, are you going to finally reveal where the dick came from...?" Cumulus asks, watching Rain think, "You all good?"

"No." he admits, "I... My head kind of hurts, I'm going to go back to my room for a while."

"O-Oh, okay..."

Rain stands, pushing his chair in, and makes his way down the hallway to his room.

Opening the door, he spies Dew sitting up on the bed, waiting for him, and, in what would be a much more ominous line delivery if it weren't for the subject matter, says...

"We brought the dick here."

.

.

.

Dew feels his stomach do a funny little flip as the video plays, Rain had Cumulus send over their "confessional" videos, and while neither video was anything short of awkward to watch, both confirmed Rain's earlier statement.

They'd brought the dick to the abbey, but its origins beyond that still remain unknown.

So, in a way, they had created the set-up for their circumstances now.

It really was their fault.

But...

"We still don't know where it is now." Dew points out, "Maybe it really is in the lake like Cumulus said... that place is weird to begin with, so maybe, and this is just a theory-"

"A game-" Rain starts to tease, and Dew punches his arm, not hard enough to hurt, but he does make a noise, "Oi."

"What if, ya know mysterious origins aside, the dick fell through, I dunno, a portal or something?" he suggests and Rain blinks at him, "Before you say that's too far fetched, remember; We got married on the solstice, weird shit always happens on the solstice."

"You make a fair point, but that would also mean this really is a separate reality from our own." Rain points out, "How do we get back? The dick is probably in our... universe... or whatever, which means we can't use it as a trigger object like how it got us into this situation to begin with."

Dew thinks for a moment.

"We could make a portal back?" he offers "But there'd be no guarantees that we'd make it back to our universe properly, or in the right location... Transmigration magic it the fucking worst kind of magic."

"And you know this how?" Rain inquires, watching Dew sprawl across the mattress, reaching for a book on his nightstand, becoming briefly distracted by the slight glimpse of his pale belly when his shirt gets pulled, "...Hm."

Dew does a little bounce to sit back up, opening up the book, "I got bored one afternoon and read all the spell books on the second floor, most of it was useless human bullshit like potion making -which was basically just early medicine practices, and actually kind of interesting but not useful here- but there were a couple about rituals and summonings."

"Wow, nerd."

"Shhh, it's called being well read, you motherfucker." Dew continues, "Anyway, before the church figured out how to open portals in order to summon ghouls, they relied on transmigration magic; They'd basically call to the pit and a random portal would open up somewhere and then, boom, demon."

"Problem is, where the demon -the ghoul- ended up was totally unpredictable, and that means a lot of them got trapped or even died because of it."

"Damn..."

"Some survived, but that's why the older generations are so... harrowed." Dew explains, "Omega told me he had to dig his way up out of someone else's grave... which sounds metal as fuck, but he developed some serious claustrophobia after that. I got lucky with my summoning, because it happened way, way after they got that sorted out."

"So basically we'd be risking life and limb to get back to our universe using a portal, but...?"

"It's the quickest method." Dew says, "We could try and... I dunno... summon ourselves back to our universe, but I would have to figure out how to-BANISHMENT SPELLS!"

Rain jumps, "What??"

Dew scrambles off the bed and hastily grabs Rain's hand.

"Come on, Rainy, we're gonna get ourselves out of this mess!"

"How??" he chitters as Dew pulls him along.

"We're going to exorcize ourselves!"

"WHAT?!"

.

.

.

Despite the earlier excitement, as soon as the pair entered the doors to the library, Dew was quick to shush Rain's perplexed babbling, guiding him up the stairs to the second floor.

The librarian eyes them suspiciously as they weave deeper into the stacks, but makes no effort to tell them off, merely sighing and returning to his puzzles.

"Exorcisms, exorcisms..." Dew slides along the hefty shelves of books as Rain trails along behind him, checking the higher shelves.

"...Dew?" Rain chirps, pulling a book from the top shelf, "What is this?"

Dew looks up from his searching for a second, eyeing the cover of a large, hand bound tome.

"Ohh... That's monster smut. Like, ancient monsterfucker shit." he says, taking the book from Rain, "Not helpful in our endeavor, but if you're into medieval art of monks getting fucked by random cryptids, there ya go."

"...Why would this be in the same section as a book on exorcisms?" he questions, "Like, that doesn't make any sense."

"Quincy's -the librarian- been working on reorganizing the library, and this is basically the 'Fuck if I know' section, because most of them don't stick to one topic-Oh." Dew flips to the back of the monsterfucker book, "Here it is."

"...Why is there a complex banishment spell in what is essentially a pornographic novel...?" Rain eyes a sketch in the margin of a comically large penis being inserted into- "...That is not possible."

Dew looks at the picture, "Anything's possible if you're a horny nun, I guess."

He clears his throat and looks away, "Anyway, this is the spell I was thinking of."

"We're just going to skim over the fact that you probably had to flip through so much porn in order to get to this spell the first time?"

"We are indeed." Dew says, "Anyway, banishment spells, exorcisms, they all work on the basis of sending the 'intruder spirit' or offending creature back to the realm it originally came from, because we're ghouls, our souls are mingled with that of our vessels, meaning a spell like this can't remove our 'intruder spirit'."

"We can't be exorcized... but we can be sent away." Rain concludes and Dew nods, "So when we get banished, we'll be sent through a portal back to where we came from... Doesn't that mean we'd wind up back in the pit?"

"Not exactly." Dew says, "I mean, yes, but also no. We'd wind up in Limbo."

"Limbo??" Rain gasps.

"It's the first circle of Hell, never been personally, but-" Dew starts, but Rain cuts him off.

"No, I know what Limbo is. Dew, I'm from Limbo!" Rain shouts, earning a cacophony of shushes from the other inhabitants of the library, "Sorry... Dew, I'm from Limbo."

"Right, you're... You're from the endless sea... I forgot that was in Limbo. Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't realize." Dew apologizes.

"It's actually... I'm not upset about it." Rain says, shaking his head, "I just... huh. I'm imagining going back after all this time... But, also, why Limbo?"

Dew flips through the book again and lands on a diagram, "Because the veil is thin there, we can take advantage of that and just... march our asses out of Hell."

"...We... We can do that?" Rain gapes, "Just leave?"

"Kind of." he says, "There's always a toll for passing through, especially if we want to keep our vessels intact."

"What kind of a toll?"

"Depends, most of the time it's something of connected to your essence, but Hell's pretty lenient if you can offer something interesting instead. Ya know, cash is king and all of that..." he shrugs, "If we can offer the toll man something cool, he'll let us dip out pretty easily."

"How do you know all of this? Because I'm pretty sure that part isn't in that book..." he says, leaning over the page, "...Unless it's written in fine print along that woman's tit."

"Personal experience." Dew replies, "You know how I'm a hybrid, right?"

Rain nods.

"That's... not entirely true." he confesses, "I mean, it's true that I'm a hybrid, but it's not like I'm a fifty-fifty mix."

"Okay...?"

"What I'm saying is... I was born here. Not, like, this reality specifically, but I was born topside. I was a surface kit... my mom was human." he explains, "I never knew about my dad being a demon, because, like, I don't think even my mother knew, but that's neither here nor there."

"When I found my way to the abbey years ago, I wasn't summoned, I was... I was drunk?" He laughs nervously, "I stumbled around in the woods for hours and I guess I kind of... died?"

"YOU-" Rain starts to shout, but stops himself, gesturing for Dew to finish his story.

"When you die, for the most part, you wind up, ya know, in Hell or..." he shudders, "Up there... But I wound up in Limbo, and that's how I found out about my demonic nature and yada yada yada... I was reborn as a ghoul. That synopsis aside, I had to trek through Limbo to get back topside, because I was like, 'This shit suuuucks'... No offense, Rain."

"None taken, they don't call it the Ohio of Hell for nothing..."

"So I walked and walked and wound up at the toll man, who explained that I needed to part with something in order to return topside."

"So what did you give him??" Rain asks, fretting over the possibilities.

"Uhhh..." Dew's cheeks go red, "Well..."

Rain opens his mouth as the realization hits him.

"You did not."

Dew hides his face in his hands.

"I did though..."

Rain throws his hands in the air.

"You fucked the toll man??"

"I didn't just fuck him Rain, if it was that easy to get out of Hell, ghouls would be popping out of the pit left and right." Dew hisses in embarrassment, "No, I... I gave him my virginity...?"

"No." Rain gasps again, "What?? You-"

"To be clear, my virginity with a man. I had had sex before, this was just... a new experience."

"Your first time with a man... was with the toll man of Limbo."

"Moving on-"

"No, man, I want details." Rain whispers, "As your husband-"

"Playing the spouse card are we? Not gonna work, bub, we're not actually married." he whispers back, "Why do you want to know anyway??"

Rain crosses his arms, "I mean, I already told you, I'm attracted to you, and you've just given me the barest hints of very salacious story, and I've got to admit... something is stirring at the thought of that."

Dew gawks at him, "You're getting hard over me telling you I fucked some random guy to get out of Hell??"

"Dewcifer Maurice Drop, you legitimately fucked your way out of Hell, how am I NOT supposed to feel some kind of way about that. Like, damn!"

"Oh my god..." Dew pinches the bridge of his nose, "Why am I in love with you?"

Rain freezes.

Right... Right, Dew is...

"Right, sorry, that was..." he gives Dew a bit more space, "That wasn't cool, and I apologize."

"What? No, it's fine, I just wasn't expecting you to out and out say that." he says, "I mean, it's... It's weird for you knowing that I have feelings for you, but it's a two way street, knowing that you're interested in me like that is one thing, but out and out hearing it is... It's a lot."

"I understand."

"I know you do."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too."

Rain holds out his pinkie finger, "Promise I won't keep being weird about this, and that we'll talk about our feelings when we get home?"

Dew hooks his finger to Rain's, "You have a deal."

"...Hey, Dew?" Rain asks sheepishly, "...Why do you like me like that?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Dew counters, then looks at the floor, "...We'll talk about it when we get home."

"Does our bedroom count? Because, Dew, I don't think I can... I want to understand, because, maybe... I've been thinking and I just..."

"Yeah?"

"...I want to know why I feel this way about you." he says, "And the longer I dwell on it, the more confusing it gets."

"That's why we should wait."

"But..."

"We both need to figure out how we feel, and in order to do that, we can't be in the middle of... this." Dew gestures broadly at the space around him, almost hitting the bookshelves on either side of him, "If we say or do anything rash while we're here, how do we know that won't affect our ability to go home?"

"You're right..." Rain sighs, then smiles fondly, "I don't know why everyone thinks you're the impulsive one, you're so..."

"Oh, I'm damned impulsive, let's get that clear. I do shit on a whim all of the time... but I do have some common sense and maturity about me. I'm an adult after all, not a child." Dew interrupts, making Rain chuckle, "What? It's true! More often than not, the stupid shit I do pull was pre-planned."

"I will never underestimate your shenanigans again."

"Shuddup."

[raayllum]

the grudge

He sits with her sometimes in the dungeon, cross-legged like a little kid on other side of the bars than like the king he is and young man he's becoming. Ezran is fifteen and wise, and maybe that's why he's not afraid of her—her, a chained up witch, little better than a cornered animal when the guards would first come to bring her food, sneering if they weren't fearful.

She thinks she prefers being scary. She thinks she prefers being loved.

But there's no one left to love her, now. Terry took his pardon and never looked back, once he'd found out Aaravos had convinced her to come crawling back to him on the beaches only to use him.

Her father...

They exchange jelly tarts, persimmon passing easily from hand to hand. His red royal sleeves brush the white stained fabric of her prison garb. They tell bad jokes. Sometimes they even talk about the old days, when she'd read him stories, when he'd brought her flowers, wanting so badly to be like his older brother.

"He's getting married," Ezran shares one day when they're lying on the floor, only the bars between them. Claudia has a view with the barred window in her ceiling, faint light streaming in; Ezran has only dark blue-hued bricks to look at. "Him and Rayla. They're having a wedding in Katolis."

There's a strain in his voice like Ezran knows he should be happier than he is. It's how she feels when she wakes up day after day, mercifully alive... but she's not quite living, either. How can she, after everything? How could she ever?

"That'll be fun," she says, and she won't be invited. Callum had wanted her to be executed. "And you like throwing parties."

"Yeah." A beat. She wonders if he's counting the bricks above him. The crevices or seams in the stone. "Rayla's parents will be coming here for it. All of them."

Ah.

The elf, Runaan, had also been pardoned, though that had been difficult for Ezran in ways Callum hadn't even seemed to consider—or if he had, not ones he'd felt with the same acute awareness, the same chasm of loss. He'd been told to never come back.

But it's his daughter's wedding, Claudia supposes. It's probably a show of good will that he even wants to come to Katolis.

It doesn't make it any easier to bear.

"You could just kill him," she tosses out, because she's reformed but still despicable.

Ezran almost laughs, but it's too dark for that. There's no humour in it. "Can't do that."

"It's your kingdom. If he's within your borders, he's within your jurisdiction.

"It's my duty as king to break those cycles; I won't sink to it." That, and Rayla—Callum—would never forgive him for it.

Because forgiveness is 'everything', and so ungodly difficult.

She'd asked once, how he bore it, curious when she'd been so unable to even fathom doing the same. Ezran hadn't answered. She still isn't sure if it's because he felt that he hadn't needed to, or if it was because he hadn't known the answer. He just did it anyway.

Something hot and sharp curdles at the thought of Rayla getting married—her father's killer, twirling, beaming, arm in arm with her parents, with her fathers. It's a blessing she's in the dungeons, really. She doesn't have to see it; she doesn't have to smile through it.

Claudia glances over at Ezran, his right hand gripping the material of his tunic in a tight fist over his heart. His jaw is tight.

But more than being a king, Ezran is a brother, to Callum and to Rayla. So he'll grin and bear it.

"I wish sometimes they didn't care," he confesses thickly. "I wish sometimes I could just kill him. But I can't. I won't."

Claudia knows the feeling; if there's anyone who can understand holding onto a grudge, it's her. "And why not?"

Ezran hisses out a breath through his teeth. His hand loosens over his heart. "Sometimes," he admits, "I don't know."

[menouthis]

Buddie Karaoke Scenes

In the middle of the deleted karaoke scene debacle, I think people forgot one important fact. Before I talk about that, I understand why they cut off that part. It's mostly cost-benefit. In order to include that scene, they need to pay royalty to the song owner. Normally this isn't a big deal. But this time there's limited space for it (they only got around 1 minute play time they could include in the midst of all the madney contents). In comparison, "Island in the Stream" as performed by JLH and KC has a total of 2m36sec play time. 1 minute is miniscule, probably only 1 or 2 verse of the song can be included.

So from the production POV, it's not worth paying the royalty for the song when they can only include 1 minute play of the song. It's not even worth it for BTS content if they don't have enough footage to cover the song. They'll probably release the footage without the song but I wouldn't hold my breath for it. Personally I'm not too hot of the song choice either. I wanted something more romantic similar to "Island in the stream" and from the 80s. So my hope is that they'll create another karaoke scene in the future that is longer and for more appropriate content (Buck and Eddie episode).

Anyway now I get to the point of the most important part: even though they didn't use the footage, they scripted and shot the footage. In media production, you don't shoot scene just because you feel like it. It takes a lot of efforts, production crew, actors needing time and courage to perform the song, etc. Basically it's a lot of money spent just to shoot the scene. Unless it's intentional and had good reasoning about it, the stakeholders which includes Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuck, and Angela Bassett (she's an EP/Executive Producer btw) will grill production and Tim.

Basically there was an intent to progress Buck and Eddie's relationship and hint of their future direction. Unfortunately there wasn't enough time for it and the hint was already served in the early portions of the episode and the fact that they kept Buck and Eddie together for the majority of the episode. They made sure to show Eddie displaying hints of jealousy/discontentment when he sees Buck and Tommy having physical interaction. They also put Buck and Eddie in partner outfits, where both cosplay as Crockett the queer-coded character from Miami Vice.

There was a reference to The Wedding Singer, a film about two star-crossed lovers who fall in love with each other while engaged to the wrong people. The writing also showed that Eddie was the only one who didn't leave Buck during the Bachelor's party. Eddie was then shown practically all over Buck once everyone had left.  Finally the episode ended up showing Eddie running around with Buck fixing problem they didn't actually caused in the first place (at least not directly). This pretty much a way to highlight the fact that they'll always be there for one another whether it's for fun or in crisis. 

[theflyindutchwoman]

License and registration, please. C'mon, you don't really need that, do you? You should come to the party after work. We'd have fun. Yeah. I bet we would. … All right, I'm gonna let you go with a warning this time. But slow down, okay? Yeah, I promise. Thank you so much. Yeah. Have fun at that party.

| ANATOMY OF A SCENE - CHENFORD EDITION 3.14 - Threshold

Lucy's first solo undercover assignment… and it's already clear that despite her lack of proper training, she is extremely good at this. The way she is able to quickly think on her feet and adapt to any situation, while remaining level-headed is remarkable. We saw hints of this when she was a rookie but now, we get to see this side of her completely shine. Like how she catches Tim's attention : she knows she's in a perilous situation and the second she sees his shop, she immediately seizes the opportunity to get noticed, all so she can warn Nyla about the incoming robbery without raising any suspicion. I've always wondered whether she recognised Tim specifically when she sped up or not… But regardless, once she sees him in her rearview mirror, her anxiety and worry cranks up a level, with Dahrio ready to shoot their way out. And yet, she manages to take control of the situation. She uses her outward panic to sell her cover story, following Nyla's advice to the letter : You know, if you're not nervous, you're not human. Okay? So, use this to your advantage. Be scared. A nice reminder that Lucy is indeed a quick-learner.

This is also where Tim and Lucy's shorthand comes in handy and is beautifully underlined, with how well they can read and understand the other… And this, despite the fact that they haven't ridden together for close to a month. That's not to say it is perfect either : it is not quite as effortless as the next time she'll go undercover - with him. There's a slight awkwardness present between them. But it works for them. Tim getting caught off-guard at Nova's flirting makes their act more credible in a way. And even though he lets her get away a little bit too easily, it still gets the job done, from Lucy passing all the informations she has to Tim understanding her message. But it goes beyond the dialogue. It's how these two have a whole conversation without words. It's in the intense eye-contact. It's in the physical touch, with Lucy putting her hand on Tim's, using this gesture to ground them both, to reassure him that she's fine and she's got this. It's in the softness of Tim's voice when he tells her to slow down : he's no longer talking to Nova here, he's asking Lucy to be careful. It's in his last look before he leaves - a proud look, trying to infuse how much faith he has in her. And this is such a departure from his original reaction when he found out about her wish to do undercover work. He learned his lesson and he's trying to be as encouraging as he can without tipping off the bad guys. It's subtle but judging by Lucy's look, she got his message.

This is their first interaction since she went undercover… But more than that : it's also one of their first interaction since her graduation. Since her last day as his rookie, which incidentally, was when they last talked about her trying to become an undercover cop. When he last voiced his reticence and doubts on the matter. We didn't get to see his reaction at her going back under for a longer period, without immediate backup. So this little moment is the perfect opportunity to show where his head is at… how supportive he now is. Not to mention that it introduces us to that scene at the wedding, where he openly praises her. And I love how Tim will take this encounter as a reason to get involved in the operation - even from afar - and pester Nyla after that. Because truthfully, he doesn't have any reason to insert himself here : Nyla is the one in charge. He is no longer Lucy's training officer so Harper doesn't have to tell him anything or update him. But she knows how important this is for him. It's also reminiscent of their moment after Day of Death, when they were trying to figure out who might better serve Lucy for her first day back. It's worth noting that this is the first and last time so far that Tim isn't involved in Lucy's undercover mission in whatever capacity from the get-go. But it never comes across as a lack of faith in her abilities or as him being overbearing. It always feel natural, as a show of support. She's calling the shots and he follows her lead… It's a bit of a role-reversal from their former dynanic but it demonstrates how well they complement each other.

[tangledbea]

Why do you think they even put Hook foot on the caravan anyways? I understand Shorty for comic relief, but why Hook Foot? They may have wanted someone to balance out the two duos of Rapunzel and Cass and Eugene and Lance, or someone to fill the slot Ariana would’ve had on the caravan trip, but that didn’t have to be Hook Foot. And was Lance (and for that matter, Varian) even developed during the point where Ariana would’ve been on the trip? If not, that point may be moot. They may have wanted to put another guy on the team for when Lance was out of commission during the S1 premiere. But my personal opinion for why they chose Hook Foot specifically is that they really, really wanted to do both the Seraphina episode and the episode with Hook Hand, which afterwards Hook Foot no longer mattered to plot so he left. I think they wanted to bring back Hook Hand for an episode and have him and Hook Foot interact, and I guess they figured the best time for that was when they were on the road, but I can just imagine someone who worked on the show just really liking the concept of Hook Foot and a mermaid having a romantic thing going, and then they decide to make an actual episode about it, and that being the main reason they put him on the caravan 😂

So, fun fact from what I know about Hook Foot existing at all: They wanted it to be Hook Hand, but Brad Garret wanted them to pay him way more money/amenities to play him than they had the budget for, and they weren't going to get a sound-alike. Their general rule was: if the original cast can't be the character, that character won't be in it. Ultimately, they got Brad for one (1) episode, and I believe that was agreed upon much farther down the road, not when they first asked him to reprise the roll. In fact, there are early storyboards where Hook Hand is included, and Hook Foot is nowhere to be seen. (Unfortunately, I can't seem to find said storyboard at this time, or I'd show you.)

I have no idea why they ultimately decided not to include Arianna on the trip, but I think that was decided on well before they decided to include Hook Foot. So it's not a case of "instead," more a case of "they went in a different direction".

As for why Hoot Foot was included in season two at all, while I don't have any hard facts about this, I feel like it has something to do with making Eugene more serious during the season (especially towards the end), and so they needed comic relief to balance him out. They (and by "they" I mean "probably Ben Balistreri") seemed to really like the gag where his hook foot was used as a tool. And, yeah, probably also to balance out the traveling party, numbers-wise.

But primarily, I feel like it was because they wanted an excuse to have him not be at the wedding (I guess, even though Hook Hand ultimately was). Like, Hook Foot was the first of the cast to leave the party permanently. I think we're meant to assume that, between him joining Hook Hand on the road, and then not being at the wedding, that he either got his solo career and/or ultimately went off to be with Seraphina (like the end card implied, even though that was just one artist's personal desire). Either way, someone in the crew (again, probably Ben) really liked him enough to include him.

[riderofblackdragons]

I Take Thee

Day 13: Team As A Family | familial curse | multiple whumpees | "death will do us part"

Day 14: Left for Dead | hunting gear | blackmail | "cause I want you to know what it feels like to be haunted"

Okay so I think it's kind of obvious, but I decided to combine days 13 & 14 together. It wasn't initially intended, I was going to do 2 separate days, but I really don't have any ideas for day 14, and well. Elijah did kinda leave her husband and son for dead, since Mikael killed Garmr's pack.

But I did have fun writing this, no matter how late it is, and apparently that's the most important part. This takes place in the An Original Mother AU, because really, I felt like it fit the prompt very nicely.

If there's any AUs in particular anyone wants me to do, I do take requests lol

Hope you enjoy!

Over the many years, Elijah had seen vows evolve and change, in meaning and in the words said. She could remember her own, promising to love her husband, and stay by him 'til he raised a hand against her, their wife, or any children they had together.

Of course, then she'd raised a hand against Tatia, and run from him, and she knew that it had hurt both of them but what else could she have done? She'd killed their wife, and she couldn't trust herself around their son. Elijah had needed to go, she'd even known it running purely on instinct as she had been, before she'd hurt either of them as well.

She'd regretted it many times over the years, the last glimpse of her husband and son staying in her mind, but she'd never brought herself to see if they'd managed to survive Mikael's decimation of the wolf pack. Elijah didn't want to know, not since her presence, protecting those two, would maybe have made a difference in their survival against her father.

It was centuries later that they'd found Tatia's descendants, Hale's descendants, and Elijah knew for sure that at least their son had gotten away. Even though she'd never know the truth if her husband had too. It was too long ago for Mikael to remember, and there was no one else alive to ask about it.

And she'd gotten married again, and again, to help her family survive whilst they were on the run from said father. Sometimes, she knew, Klaus would kill her husbands, typically as they left, fleeing yet again. Sometimes they'd managed to last long enough for Mikael to kill them though, Elijah knew.

Each of her vows, in her more political marriages, were more along the lines of "obey and honour thy husband", as opposed to loving until death parted them. In the earlier days, there was nothing about death, or everlasting marriage.

Why would there be? It was political, but both parties were aware that as soon as Elijah's family stopped being useful, or she failed to produce an heir for her husband in the first five years, then they'd no longer be wed. On her part, Elijah ended up thankful that she'd only ever had one child in a political marriage, although she'd had many miscarriages.

She'd loved Eirikur with all her heart, and been devastated at his death, and her siblings' roles in it. But she'd been grateful towards the start of his life, when Kol had killed Elijah's husband for daring to sleep around during (and after) her pregnancy.

Elijah had known that her husband's fidelity had run its course as soon as she'd gotten pregnant, but she still hadn't expected her younger brother's anger when he'd learned of it. They'd had to run, and Kol had left them to try to keep the heat off of Elijah's at-the-time newborn, but Elijah would be a liar to say that his fierce protection of her honour didn't make her feel happy, deep down.

The first time Elijah had done the more modern vows, it'd been 1700 AD, and it had been her new husband's idea. Three months pregnant, with what would turn out to be twins, Elijah hadn't really cared. She'd liked him a lot, enough to maybe consider herself in love, but she'd made sure that he organised their vows.

"Until death do us part," She still remembered swearing to him.

Pregnancy hormones had already started affecting her then - she'd started crying before he'd had the chance to say the same back to her. The structure of the vows was different to the ones she'd said before, around a century earlier, but she hadn't been surprised, with the language change.

What had surprised her was how similar the vows still were. Sure, there was some other things thrown in there that Elijah's previous marriage hadn't had, like the lack of obeying, and things that were clearly important to her then-partner as a witch, but the non-supernatural things were surprisingly similar, given the time between.

Elijah could've sworn that languages changed faster than that, but that could've been the way she and her siblings had also had to hop countries (and therefore languages) so often.

She'd lost that husband a few months after their wedding. Till death wasn't that long for them, it turned out - his former coven caught up to them, but he'd exhausted his magic sending Elijah to someone else she'd trusted. She hadn't appreciated ending up on top of her sleeping father, but she also hadn't really been able to complain.

Given that the one who'd sent her there was dead and all. She'd managed to leave before Mikael had woken up, anyways. Elijah hadn't wanted to deal with him trying to get her to give up her siblings, regardless of the fact that she probably could've used his help when the twins had come.

She'd refused to get married, regardless of what for, after that. As a family, they were powerful enough that most supernatural beings didn't mess with them - and political marriages were going out of style anyways, having one would bring more scrutiny than having two unwed women would.

Besides. Klaus had ended up with a whole city to run. Elijah had been with her half brother for decades, she knew he'd need help to run it. A marriage would have just resulted in some man thinking he could run the city in her stead, when she was already running it in Klaus' stead. They didn't need that kind of hassle.

Tag List: @captain-effy @what-the-fuckis-happening

If anyone wants to be added lmk!

[elliegoestodownton]

As an anon asked about my hopes for this season's PD, I'm gonna write down my wishes for both Fire and PD (I don't watch Med actively though I may start now that Sarah Ramos and Darren Barnet have joined the cast...).

Fire 🔥🔥🔥

What I wish for every year: no drama for Stellaride. I know Severide's brother will cause clashes and there's gonna be tension over the whole baby thing. If they're going down that road, then let them go through it in an organic way. Let them talk, not fight.

New Chief. It would be nice if they went for something different than the usual "new guy challenges 51 but after 3 episodes he understands how great it is, submits to the 51 way and everyone loves everybody else". We've seen that billions of times. It would be much more interesting to see how instead 51 adapts to a different leadership style.

Also the new Chief has an ex-wife (so pumped for KaDee!). I would absolutely love a sort of "comedy of remarriage" thing. I'm a sucker for second chances.

Novak is super fun and it would be great to see her develop as a character on her own, not on the basis of a romantic relationship (already rolling my eyes at the whole vibe with young Severide). Let us see her be good at her job and have loads of fun.

Speaking of Novak. A true party girl, who I feel would get along very well with Trudy (who, we have established, had a certain reputation back in the day). I am hoping for some short interaction at some point. Imagine that! Throw Violet (aka the captain of Trudy's fanclub) into the mix and I'd be very happy.

The return of Annabelle Herrmann. That's it, that's the wish. I love that menace to society.

More quality screentime for Ritter.

Kylie coming back and staying on Truck.

Mouch, my beloved! Of course, I haven't forgotten you! Just keep him alive, doing stupid things with Herrmann, but I also want to see him study and prepare for the Lt. exam. Study session with Trudy anyone? 😏 She, of all people, would know how to make him pass that test.

Plouch being Plouch.

PD 🚨🚨🚨

We might be getting patrol back with Kiana. Our prayers may have been answered. I'm hoping for less character-centric episodes and more of a balanced, choral vibe where there's also space for levity. I will be disappointed, I know, but dreams never go out of business, right?

Let Kiana stay on patrol a while. I don't want her to jump right back onto Intelligence. It would be the same as they did with Torres and we need patrol.

A recurring Petrovic, if not a regular. I like her.

It would be time for people to get promoted. I think both Kim and Kevin would be ready at this point, although it seems there will be one promotion only.

More quality screentime for Kevin. Let his centric episodes/cases go beyond race.

More girl!dad Adam.

I hope we will get to see the Burzek wedding. Keeping my expectations low on this and certainly I don't think we will get a crossover (not even Mouch as much as I'd like to), but I'd want to see some bits of the ceremony with everyone from PD there.

Also hoping for a throwback to THE wedding planner and Kim chucking down vodka at Trudy's wedding. Maybe Kim can get those $20 back.

I would still kill for a scene between Trudy and Mack.

As I wrote ages ago, and as I say every 3 seconds, more 👏🏻Trudy 👏🏻 on screen! 👏🏻 For Trudy to be involved more in cases, but also for her to have a more focused episode since she hasn't had one since friggin' S4. As I wrote here, I'd LOVE for Intelligence to pick up a case that links back to an old one Trudy worked on when she was in Robbery and Homicide and explore a bit of Trudy's career and past.

[kyriat-stories]

- Did you hear him, Noor? "Hope you continue your science career, even though you are now married" and yadda yadda. He is such a hypocrite!

The families had come together to celebrate Mezamura's wedding, and Teteriu had just finished his speech for the bride.

- I'm sure he meant well, Eira. He wants what best for his sister doesn't he? And Aurelio seems like a decent man.

- Yeah, it's nothing wrong with Aurelio, he is fine. But Teteriu just say things he doesn't live by. Pretending to be something he isn't. If he really meant what he is saying, why didn't he let me continue my studies? And this big party... giving them your old house... he is just showing off.

- The party is great though, and we all needed something to celebrate after this terrible summer.

- Oh sweet Astanna, yes! First uncle Itaja, then Telamon, and Nashuja wanting to leave Manthos for good. It sure hasn't been joyful.

- Well uncle's death wasn't that unexpected, he was getting older, and I'm just grateful Nashuja was still here when he passed. But Telamon...?! Did you learn exactly what happened?

- Not really. They just told me he was found dead outside the shelter where he lived. From what I've heard he had stopped drinking, but maybe he had a relapse? Or maybe he was robbed? Or struck by lightning? I don't know. I'm still in a bit of a shock, because deep down I did hope to see him again.

- So how is aunt Simadhne coping? Is she feeling better now?

- Well you know. Since we moved in after uncle's death she's been kind of busy with helping with the children and cooking for us all. But when Nashuja is leaving... I fear she will fall apart. We will all miss him so much. And knowing we will never see him again... It is unbearable!

- And Pamesijos? Will he go with him?

- Not if I can prevent it, Noor whispered. How can I loose them both?

- Really makes you think about the sacrifice they made, doesn't it?

- What do you mean? The war?

- I mean our parents Noor, when they let us both go. We were so young! About Khará's age actually! Can you imagine how it must have been for them?

- Well it was different. They wanted to keep us safe.

- Yes, exactly! Not so different from this situation, when you think about it.

- I've never thought about it that way, but you are right.

- But I'm not sure if I ever could have let Khará go, under any circumstances, so I totally understand your reluctance to let Pamesijos go with Nashuja.

- You will have to let her go some day anyway...

- What?

- I mean, she will move out, get married, have her own household. All of our children will. It is terrible, but true!

- Noor! Do you have to talk about such excruciating future visions? Can't we just enjoy this party and have some fun?

- ♫♫ Ναι, να ζήσουν, ευτυχισμένοι για πάντα! ♫♫

.

Previous (Ch 9) | Index | Character overview | Next