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ddreamywitch · 27 days ago

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Chapter Six - Wasteland, Baby!

knight!benjicot blackwood x princess!reader

word count: 6.6k

warnings: mentions of violence, arranged marriage

song: Wasteland, Baby! - Hozier

a/n: she juicyyy

“Rather small, isn’t it?”

Benji snorts next to you, but you don’t find it humorous.

The castle is small. Not even remotely comparable to what you are used to.

Which you would not mind, if it didn’t showcase so blatantly how little your father cared about where he had sent you off to.

Not remotely deserving of your status.

You clutch the reins and nudge Fury forward, breaking from your cluster of company until you were the one leading them up to the gates.

You don’t exactly do it to spite anyone. In fact, you’re not even sure if this is wrong. Traditionally your suitors would have to travel to you and not the other way around, but you figure being the first face seen would perhaps assert some kind of dominance that you so clearly lack otherwise.

You try not to think of the fact that Benji had shared a bed with you last night.

Not in a promiscuous fashion, at all, but because you were embarrassingly overwhelmed with the way your life was moving forward at the moment.

Now you won’t really look at him again, and it pains you a little bit, but you had to at least somewhat have your head in the right place when meeting your future husband.

The sun is shining today. Perhaps it’s a good sign.

Somebody yells something, an introduction of some sort, trumpets sound out and the gate creaks open.

It whirls up grey dust that stains the shiny black of your dress.

Marion had snuck it in for you, you were certain, nobody else would have approved a mourning gown to meet your Lord Husband.

Sitting on your horse like this, you melt into one, colourwise. It makes you look taller, stronger, powerful.

You trot forward, across the small bridge and into the court of the castle.

Lord Cathcart has his arms flung open, a wide grin on his face. You can’t bring yourself to return the small.

“Ah, the princess of the realm in my humble abode,” he greets you and finally as though saying your title reminded him, he bows.

Briefly, not appropriately low enough.

You nod at him, unwilling to get off your horse just yet. “Lord Cathcart.”

He makes a discarding hand gesture. “Please, call me Erik.”

“Erik.”

He doesn’t look bad. Of course not, neither does his sister. They’re both bronze-haired beauties, not particularly the kind of beauty you cared for, but undeniably beautiful nonetheless.

“I hope your travels were safe,” he continues. It is a painfully uncomfortable ordeal.

You glance at the castle residents, all lined up behind him, none of them moving and all of them staring at you as though you were perhaps a particularly interesting cow.

Livestock is becoming increasingly relatable to you as time goes on.

You haven’t answered yet. “Yes. No disturbances.”

Erik stares at your dress but then decides he would not address it.

Fury trudges forward until she is face to face with him, and you want to feel bad for the way he flinches at her height.

“Well then,” he croaks out. Your eyes flit over to Benji, who unlike you, is not concealing his amusement at all. “I suppose you will want to get rest and settle down in your chambers.”

You nod. “Very much so, my lord.”

Somebody is whispering something, eyes filled with curiosity and confusion.

You can’t blame them, the picture that is commonly painted of you — soft, sweet, kind — doesn’t exactly align with the entrance you’ve just made.

It is quite foreign. To remain seated. To not do the polite thing. It isn’t as though you’re being rude or as though you’re obliged to appease these people. The only reason you’ve ever done it was to be nice and you really don’t have the energy to be nice today.

“Lord Cathcart, I should inform you that her Highness’s horse Fury is unfortunately stubborn. The princess prefers to bring her to the stables herself,” Benji says. The sentence is shaped like a cautious reminder but his voice has an edge to it. You wonder now, whether the edge is natural.

Lord Cathcart nods, eager, excited, like a dog who’s been shown a bone.

“Where To then?”

“Oh, of course!” There’s a strand of hair that bounces. Like a tail. Many dog similarities about the man. “My stable boy will lead the way.”

A young lad breaks from the row and bows to you before approaching.

“Ma’am,” he mumbles.

Ma’am?

You open your mouth to correct him, but a loud smacking sound interrupts you. Your mouth falls agape in horror. Lord Cathcart had struck the boy.

“It is ‘your highness’, you fool,” he yells. Then he turns to you, wide-grinned once more, as though he had painted an entirely new painting in the blink of an eye. “Apologies, we aren’t quite used to such important visits here.”

You want to vomit. “Ser Benjicot and I will go ahead. The rest of you may wait.” You slide off Fury, grab her by the reins. “Come on, sweetling.”

The boy mumbles his sorrows through welled-up tears as he scurries across the court toward the stables, you and your knight right behind.

Once you are out of sight, tucked away behind the oaken doors, you rest your hand on the boy’s shoulder and force him to face you.

He’s perhaps three and ten moons, by the looks of it. He looks a bit like Tristan did at his age, but rougher around the edges than a young prince would be.

“You may call me anything you want,” you tell the boy.

He looks up at you. “My apologies, my highness.”

Benji chokes a laugh. You send him a warning look.

“If you wish to call me so, you would have to say ‘your highness’,” you correct him. “But you mustn’t worry. If you wish, you can even call me by my name.”

The boy nods. “My apologies, again.”

He doesn’t look convinced. Matter of fact, he looks as though he’s waiting to find himself trapped somehow.

You retract your hand and tilt your head. “How often does Lord Cathcart get violent?”

His eyes widen. “I don’t- His father before him– I don’t know, ma– uh, your highness.”

When you look at Benji once more, as though he might have an explanation for this dilemma, he has a face like a knife ready to be swung.

“Well, if I am to wed him, then things will have to change around here.”

Still, he doesn’t believe you but he doesn’t seem the type to disagree with you either and so you simply guide Fury to her resting place for the next few weeks. Or moons or years.

She doesn’t seem all too pleased, a spoiled girl, used to palace stables and quality carrots reserved for her.

“Marvellous first impression,” Benji huffs at you.

“What, on my part?”

He’s close to you suddenly and you wish that you didn’t enjoy it as much as you do. He somehow smells intriguing. “Obviously on your part. What kind of man strikes a child?”

You don’t unsaddle your horse, it is not your duty to do so but you rest your head against her side and sigh deeply. “Lord,” you sigh out and if it weren’t for the deeply rooted feeling of nothingness you would have probably cried.

Benji rests a hand on your shoulder. He’s behind you, an arm’s length of distance and yet you suddenly are struck by the thought of how distant he actually is from you, how you had fallen asleep in his arms, likely even drooled on him in your sleep and yet he is still your knight. Nothing more, nothing less. Bound to you and not a friend. Or a lover.

“I shall rest,” you cough up. “I shall rest,” you cough up. You cannot face him and you wonder if you could ever again do so, knowing who you were set to marry and knowing what might have happened in another life. You wish you had some sort of consolation.

Like perhaps your betrothed might not be the kind of man to strike his servants, but you do not and so you wish to go to your chambers and stare at the ceiling for the next few hours..

When you emerge onto the court you do not bother to walk back to Lord Cathcart.

"I shall see to it that I get my rest now, my lord. There will be room to talk another time."

He is narrowing his eyes at you. Be that because he is suspicious of your behaviour or because he cannot see you well from where he is standing, but he hurries towards you on his slender limbs. "I will see you to your rooms, your highness. If you wish, we can have a bath drawn for you."

A bath was not a bad idea at all, you must smell of horse and sweat and uncomfortable humidity but for some reason you cannot fathom the thought of doing anything at all.

"No thank you. I will bathe before supper has come and passed, but for now, my bones are too tired."

He pushes out his bottom lip in an odd childish manner, as though your rejection had hurt him in some way. Such a peculiar man. "Follow me," he says. "We have prepared your room the best way possible."

You nod and then glance at your entourage, still standing around, looking morbidly out of place. Capital men, your young new maid, none of them of high status and yet they are engulfed in a blanket of regality by comparison to the courtier's of Lord Cathcart.

"Say, where will my people be staying? And my knight?"

Erik offers Benji a more than disapproving look. "Downstairs, where they are in the best position to protect you."

A huff escapes you, at his disregard of rules. "Erik," it drags across your tongue like the bitterest of poisons. "My knight is to wait outside my door until nightfall where he is replaced with a member of the King's guard. Must I remind you of protocol, so early on in our courtship?"

"I have guards of my own, and you will be my wife soon. You are no longer in need of anyone else."

By god, you would have jumped at a chance like this, to be rid of your guards, the most luxurious prison of all, just a few moons ago. But now, as you stand there, you suddenly feel as though protection at all times is much more important than you had previously thought.

"We are to be married, on that I agree, my lord, however, it is of the utmost importance that my dignity is not compromised beforehand. Therefore my guards will keep watch until God in heaven has blessed this arrangement."

You give him the most saccharine of smiles, so sweet it would make your teeth hurt. "I'm sure you understand."

He clears his throat and looks back and forth between Benji and you and then over at your father's men. Really, they are more Tristan's than the king's at this point. Loyal to you either way.

Young Lord Cathcart shakes his head as though he is trying to get rid of something and then he grins his idiotic grin. "Why of course, your highness. I suppose it is better to be safe than sorry."

"I am certain you will have no trouble accommodating the lot of us. It is a small castle but it shall do."

You speak the tongue of the snake now. Never in your life have you made comments like this. Never had you been one to participate in the ill-speaking of others.

You had listened to gossip, had grasped at the tiniest bits of information the loose tongue of any lady would give you and soaked it up to safely put away into a corner of your mind. Knowledge is power.

Never in your life had you returned the favour to those who would gossip. Not one secret had fallen from your lips, not the slightest of jabs at whether somebody was getting quite rounded around the belly, or that they had worn the same dress on one too many occasions.

It doesn't feel as good as you had imagined it to, to be a participant now. With how much people talk and talk and talk, you had figured it would be more fun being mean, but you cannot ignore the uneasy pit in your stomach.

Lord Cathcart leads you to your chambers,, Tamsyn, your new maid hot on your heels, Benji to your right, your left arm looped through that of your betrothed and it feels as if you're walking toward your execution.

Hours later, you find yourself bathed and dressed in the most god-forsaken gown you have ever put on your body.

You are dressed as a peacock.

And worse so, you are wearing an old dress of Lady Cathcart's. You know it because she had worn it to the very costume ball at which it had become blatantly obvious that sin was afoot between your father and her.

Tamsyn is working hard at your face, perhaps she is hoping to take away from the fact that there are humongous feathers attached to your back. You wonder how much the dress must have cost just for it to be so desperately ugly that you want to scratch your eyes out upon seeing your reflection in the mirror.

"Tamsyn?" You whisper.

She croaks out a yes. Poor thing, so far from home, you think to yourself.

"Have you ever heard anyone speak of Lord Cathcart?"

She pauses, cheeks cherub-red, powdered brush frozen in front of your face.

"What do you mean, princess?"

You shrug. "Just that young boy from earlier. Have you heard of such behaviour before we came here?"

Her expression is that of a trapped animal. "I do not know if what I hear is true, princess. People talk a lot at the capital."

So she had. You wonder who else had heard of these matters and had not spoken up. People in power. Not your maid, but rather so the other Lords, the Barons, Dukes, Viscounts. Who had known what was happening and had let it happen? Who had known where they were sending you and had let you go? Has your father known?

You can picture it. Your father, with his red face and his horrid slur, laying in the bed he had shared with your mother, Lady Cathcart there as they laugh about the mean joke they would impose on you. Oh what a joy to send your child away, your daughter who carries her mother's face, whose disdain for your actions you cannot escape. What fun, to have her marry so low, to have her be forgotten by history as an unimportant Lady married to a weak, little man.

"Princess, may I speak freely?" Tamsyn says, no whispers.

You look into her big brown eyes. "Always."

"Your father has made a mistake sending you away. The people of the city barely tolerate him these days. They starve while he feasts upon their animals. They like you. Perhaps even love you. Times are changing...," she trails off. "I fear if something is not done, the people might do it themselves."

A knock sounds through the room and you nearly jump out of your skin, haunted by her soft and tender voice and her harsh and haunting words.

"Your highness, Lord Cathcart, wishes to see you," Benji says. "Are you decent?"

"NO!" you exclaim, louder than need-be. "He will see me once I make my way downstairs."

You think you hear a bit of a commotion on the other side but it quickly dispels.

Carefully you take Tamsyn's hand. "Whatever do you mean?"

She swallows thickly. Her moment's courage is gone.

"It is not treason to warn me of things," you mumble. "I would not betray your trust."

She nods but she doesn't wish to speak further and you are concerned that if you push too hard now that she may never speak again.

Another knock. "What?" You yell out across the room, more than annoyed.

With much care the door is opened and Benji walks in backwards, for modesty's sake.

"I'm decent Ser Benjicot."

He turns around and you wish you could wipe that expression of amusement right off his face.

"What?" you repeat.

He tilts his head. "Just here to report that Lord Cathcart has urged you to hurry up, as he would like to have dinner before sundown. Apparently the lighting is marvellous during."

You take the powder from Tamsyn, any more and you might have looked like a jester, anyways. "Let us go then. If Lord Cathcart insists upon it then so be it."

As you get up you damn near fall over, dragged down by the weight of your dress. All the curses in the world, you mentally send to Lady Cathcart.

"Do not say anything," you threaten your knight who has to fight his laughter harder by the second.

To make matters worse, the Lord of the house had sent a tiara with equally oversized feathers attached to it for you to wear.

You do not pride yourself in being fantastically tasteful like your sister Cordelia but you know for certain that you never could have come up with an atrocity of this scale in a million years.

You loop your arm through Benji's, praying that you will not stumble down the stairs to your death. Or perhaps that might be a kind fate, rather than having to spend the remainder of your life attached to a spiteful gnome.

But then, who would Benji have to offer his arm to?

Surely somebody, you remind yourself. He is a renowned rebellious man. It would be a miracle had he never lain with a woman before.

It crosses your mind that you have no reason to be thinking about this and so you push these thoughts back.

The pair of you walk through weird and winding corridors, decorated with stuffed animals and you stare at them as they watch you pass them by. "Have you heard of any commotion back at the capital?" you whisper to your knight.

He tenses beneath your touch. "Why do you ask?"

"Just— No reason. But I was thinking of my friends." You cough. They are not your friends, rather than simply people who you've offered your service to. "And they seemed so tense when I last saw them."

You don't need to look at him to know he is raising his eyebrow. "And when was that?" He asks with a tone of great authority for somebody of his rank.

"Before you were here. You know of my sole attempt, Ser Benjicot."

He takes a sharp turn to the left and you nearly trip.

You had never been known to trip. It bothers you greatly, how swiftly things seemed to be changing at the moment.

Benji sighs. "Nobody is quite happy with how things have been going along in the kingdom. After the death of your mother and the removal of Ser Attenborough from the position of hand the smallfolk has been growing uneasy."

You glance over your shoulder. Is it dangerous to speak so freely in a foreign place? Likely. "Is there reason to fear?"

For my brother. My sister who is visiting. For Marion even. For all the people at court that aren't corrupted by their own wealth.

Benji doesn't answer for a moment. "It is not yours to worry over such matters."

Of course. You scoff but you cannot be offended in truth, for you know that he is right. What would you even do? You held no true power, all you could do is warn Tristan and even so, what would you warn him about? Everyone knows of the dire situation in the kingdom.

You take another turn and you are not sure you would be able to find your way through this castle by your lonesome, as topsy-turvy as it is.

Finally you reach the grand hall and the sight before you is chilling. There are no guests at all.

Erik is sitting at the head of the table, whispering to a priest.

Servants stand in row along the cobbled and dark walls, statues or perhaps living dolls.

A shudder runs down your spine.

"Lord Cathcart," your voice chimes through the long room, reverberating from its hollowness. You've never particularly enjoyed hearing your own voice so intensely.

His eyes shoot up and his teeth are bared. "Your highness! My, you look just marvellous. Peacock is certainly your colour."

If it is a joke you don't laugh. Your smile is meek and you make your way towards your seat to his right. The only other of the about twenty chairs that has a dinner set resting in front of this.

Benji pulls your chair out for you and you squish the thick layers of dress down beneath the table.

"You may be excused," Erik tells your knight.

Your eyebrows raise.

"Have we not discussed this earlier?"

Erik nods. "That is what the priest is here for. To protect your virtue."

Benji does not say anything at all, not an ounce of protest and you can already hear his footsteps retreating.

"What of intruders? Kidnappers? Enemies to the crown? My safety is just as important as my chastity," you plead, exasperated, desperate to not be left alone with these strange men.

But you are waved off as you so often are.

The door opens and closes and you have to watch the closest thing to a friend you have here leave.

The sting of betrayal surprises you.

Lord Cathcart is delighted. "We have guards at all doors princess, you need not worry. I will protect you."

He couldn't protect you from a small dog, you are certain, but what use is protest? Somehow you will have to find a way to tolerate him.

Your wine is poured and you take a gulp and are hit with an instant wave of regret. "What is this?"

"Our local wine, princess. Do you like it?"

You consider lying for a moment. "Do you perhaps have anything sweeter? Cider?"

He claps and one of the frozen servants scurries quickly. Your chalice is replaced with a new one and the cider is only a tiny bit better. By god, you had not been aware just how spoiled you are.

The priest lingers by the fireplace. An ugly man, undeniably. Small bird-like eyes and wormy, moist lips. He's watching you with the eyes of a predator.

"Now, Princess," your betrothed says. "I am quite sorry for these circumstances,."

Your food is plated. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I am well aware that you must have expected a better match. Maybe even a love match."

The meat is cold in the middle. "I tried to not delude myself into thinking I would marry for love's sake."

He gives something of a look of consideration. “Still. Had we at least had the chance to know one another before being thrust into the other’s arms.”

He is not being thrust into anybody’s arms, you think to yourself. A husband is not the wife’s prisoner, it is the other way around. You don’t disagree with him, just keep chewing your hopeless, bland food.

“I am aware of my sister’s wrongdoings, princess.”

His voice has lowered to a whisper now, as though he is afraid of the shame his sister might bring upon him. As though his housekeepers do not quiver before him.

“What wrongdoings? Meddling in politics which do not concern her? You must clarify, my lord,” you demand.

The priest stares at you, unwavering.

Erik is uncomfortable. “No. I cannot. I do not know what she did, but I assure you she must have done something for you to be here now.”

“Where are your parents? Are they not concerned with their daughter’s actions?”

“They have long left the kingdom, as you surely know, princess.” There is a piece of lettuce stuck between his teeth. “They have no care for their children.”

“Well, at least we seem to have one thing in common.” Your voice drips with resignation.

He beams at you like an excited dog. “Yes!”

A bit absurd to get quite so excited about such a sombre fact.

“Lord Cathcart,” you say. You have to say this now. “I do hope we can find a way to make our marriage tolerable. But I must warn you that I will try to fight it until I am dragged down the altar. Once we are wed, I shall be an honourable, dutiful wife.”

There is a film of something strange across his face, the sheen of light disgust or aversion.

“Princess, this is an agreed-upon arrangement.”

You shrug. You wish you weren’t so scared. You wish your knight were here with you. “I am still the king’s daughter. I outrank you.”

Your heart is trembling with the fierceness of your words. You can't remember another time where you had spoken so frank.

But you had tripped today. It is due time you adapt to the world.

The air feels sharp. "Princess, you are my betrothed. There is no way out."

His knuckle blanch from how hard he grips the table. "I am sorry for the ordeal. But I will be your Lord Husband, you are not free to run your mouth like this."

It flashes across your mind how Benji had respected you more after you had spoken your mind and how disgusted with you Erik seems.

"I will not disrespect you in any regard. But if you are yourself sorry, why would you still agree?"

You know the answer. Wealth. The glory of marrying an Apricate girl. Proximity to the rulers.

He doesn't speak these things. "I will work hard against your unhappiness. But to remove myself from this betrothal would be undignified."

Have you gone too far? Had you been too crass? You do not know these unfamiliar waters, you do not know how much is too much, you have always given too little.

"I am sorry, my Lord. I do not mean to offend. I am simply-"

"Tired," he cuts you off. He rests his hand against yours. You wish you could remove it.. "How could I make you rest easier?"

Your gaze catches that off one of the paintings behind him. "Why do you lay hands on your people?"

He squeezes your hand and it feels like a threat but he catches himself. "For discipline."

"That is a foolish reason. Not even the king hurts his servants."

His beauty is so painfully tainted by the face he is making. "But this is the most efficient way. How else would they learn?"

The priest is still watching. Would a true man of god let this happen under his watch?

"Is it not god that taught us to treat each other with kindness?"

It feels as though you are speaking to a child and he truly doesn't understand what you are trying to imply.

But he gives in.

"If this is what you wish for then fine. I shall follow your command," he says.

You nod and take another sip. If you drink fast enough you might be able to interpret this as a win.

And perhaps while you are at it, you might unburden yourself by the plague that your knight is.

Comparison is the thief of joy and the way you cannot help but see how much of a better man Benji is, in comparison to the wimpy Lord Cathcart.

You never should have let him comfort you. It is like a gate in your mind has been opened and cannot be closed. A flood of thoughts, all repeating the same face over and over again.

"Princess, I must inform you of something and I am doubtful that it will make you happy."

Your stomach twists. "What is it?" Another big sip.

"Well, once we are wed—" He pauses. Which we will be, is what he is trying to suppress but the warning look in his eyes says it for him anyways. "You will be assigned a new sworn protector."

You pray to god that he doesn't see the frown you immediately pull into your chalice. "Pardon?"

"You will be assigned a new protector. My family is close with House Bracken and has been for many years. I cannot have that unhinged young lad running around my castle."

Unhinged is a strong choice of word, coming from him. "He swore an oath. How would I dispose of him?"

"In the same way your last knight was disposed of. It is not a dishonourable thing, but merely a precaution. I do not wish to run into trouble."

"My knight was picked in very specific conditions. He is part of the peace treaty in the Riverlands. If he returns, trouble will surely be worse."

It is quite funny how suddenly the tides have changed. Just about one moon, or two ago you were beyond upset with Ser Benjicot Blackwood, and had prayed for a way to rid yourself of him. And now, you were fairly certain that if he left, you would be the most lonely person in the world.

He isn't even your friend. You are not even sure he doesn't still partly despise you but with Marion gone and your siblings gone and your work (if one can call it that) taken from you, you had to call him a friend. Otherwise you might fall into a pit of deep despair.

Lord Cathcart had perhaps not considered the treaty. Or he hadn't considered that you might be aware of it. Either way he doesn't speak for a very long time and decides to aggressively cut his lamb up.

"You must know, it is a liability to have Bloody Ben running around my home. I can't imagine why your father would ever have him assigned to you in the first place, but I surely do not want this."

You disregard your food entirely. "Well, if you wish for it, I do not hold any power over who is sworn to me. But you hold no power either. If we were wed perhaps it might change, but even still. The Blackwood boy was chosen by the king and plays an essential role in keeping peace in this glorious kingdom. The choice is with him and his counsel."

And as you speak you wonder if they might execute him. Where else would they put him? Surely Lady Cathcart would find a way to have your father listen to her brother's request. And then what? He isn't allowed to return to the Riverlands, but how could they ensure that he wouldn't?

You must write to Tristan. Or perhaps Cordelia could offer him refuge in Arbormere. Without her husband''s knowledge.

It is becoming more noticeable by the second that this dress is not yours by the way parts of it dig into tender flesh.

Erik clears his throat.

And gets up.

You stare at him perplexed.

"Your highness, my princess, the realm's delight. I do not wish to sadden you." He grips your hand again, both of them this time. "But I cannot have you talking in this unwomanly manner. Politics do not concern you. Discipline does not concern you. How I handle things is not your concern. Speak disrespectfully again and I assure you, I can be much unfriendlier."

You swallow thickly before you rip your hands out of his. "I am still the princess. Do not dare threaten me ever again."

Tears of anger betray your coldness and you get up with enough force to send the table wobbling, wine stains the cloth spread.

"I bid you goodnight."

You turn to face the priest. "And you father."

He doesn't speak, still just quietly watching with bird eyes and nods.

Apparently luck is on your side after all, and the Lord of the house does not attempt to follow you.

You storm out of the room and do not slow down when Benji calls after you. He must have waited by the door. Has he heard your conversation?

"Do you even know where you are going?"

You ignore him, hectically climbing the stairs with your stupid, stupid gown.

Ser Corrigan nearly runs into you when you hurry around the corner but you ignore him too.

Since you have no idea where you are going you decide to continue climbing the stairs. You can hear Benji tell Ser Corrigan that he has not a single clue what has gotten into you.

You aren't even crying. You wish you were, you figure that would suit you more than an erratic outburst of anger. Maybe you are your father's daughter after all.

Finally Benji catches up to you and you are once more reminded of how restricted you are even by something as minute as the clothes you wear.

Forever the most privileged prisoner in the world.

"What on earth happened?" He asks, matching your speed as you keep going up and up and up.

"I cannot marry that man," you huff. This is surprisingly exhausting; your face feels like it's aglow from the heat.

"Did he do something?"

Did he? Not really. Can you even blame Erik for anything? He is doing what he has been taught his whole life, how he has seen women be treated by their husband's for forever. This is a tradition older than you or your mother or her mother before her. Generations of women who could do nothing but obey. Rage runs hot in your veins.,

"No," you say. "He did what was expected, I just figured I would—" Be successful in your rebellion. That if you had never spoken ill or not done what was expected that would mean it would be more effective once you do. But it wasn't. Not at all.

You can only place your hope with God now, and you have not done that in a very long time.

You reach the top of the stairs, the bell tower. Closer to the sky but not remotely a free bird.

With an exasperated sigh you lean against the wall, tilt your head to peek at the sun setting on the horizon, a fiery orange hue. The ridiculous feather tiara slips to the ground.

The dining room must be looking marvellous about now, it being faced west-way and all.

Benji also looks marvellous. Not nearly as out of breath as you, dressed in black leathers, his raven pin twinkling as his chest rises and falls.

"He wants to get rid of you," you tell him.

He nods. "That makes sense."

"How does that make any sense? You are here based on a contract, a deal, an entire peace treaty. He cannot just rid you of me."

He smiles halfheartedly. "Rid you of me? I thought it would be the other way around. That you'd be glad to be rid of me."

There is not an ounce of energy left in you to take such jests.

Benji is across from you. You are so high up, the tip of the tower. He feels too tall for the space. "I knew he was friends with the Bracken pack. I figured I'd run into some issues with that."

A strange sensation grows in your overwhelmed heart. "Why would you not tell me this?"

"You're so well-versed in gossip I thought you knew this."

You had known. But you had not realised that the bond between Bracken and Cathcart was strong enough to warrant such behaviour.

"He is like my father," you whisper. "But worse in some ways."

You consider it for a moment. "Better in others."

"So why are we up here? Are you planning to jump?"

You roll your eyes at him. "Idiot."

He nudges his boot against the bottom frills of your dress., and they leave a small splotch of brown. Somehow he is never fully clean. There are always specks of mud trailing him. You don't know how he manages it.

"Am I too not know love, ever?"

He nudges you again. "You are loved by so many. I'm quite certain that you are one of the most loved people in the world."

"It isn't tangible love. The smallfolk think they like me but they don't know me and soon they will have forgotten me in favour of my father's shortcomings. My siblings love me. Marion perhaps. Ser Rodrick once, but he hasn't written me any letters."

Benji sighs. "That is still more than what some people have in a lifetime."

There isn't a way to deny him because he is right. He has backed you into a corner with his words, but still he must be aware how none of that could make up for the marriage that was luring in your future. You do not even want to think of the consummation of it.

Silence remains as it so frequently does between the two of you.

He stretches his hand out toward you and you take it, not questioning why, as he pulls you forward, until your skirt wraps around both your legs.

With gentle hands he does the same, wraps around you until you are engulfed in his arms, his scent, his warmth.

Your head grows dizzy, as it rests against his shoulder.

"I am not familiar with the ways of the court," he whispers, his breath hot on the crown of your head. "But many noble women find a way to be with their husbands in a way that isn't too straining. Your sister seems content, doesn't she?"

"She wasn't always and she still is not. Her husband will not relent until he has an heir to take the throne. They get along fine but the bearing of children is laborious for her. My mother died when she had me."

His hand draws a circle on your back and you hope he never stops doing it.

"You're a witch. That won't happen to you."

You laugh but it is laced with venomous sarcasm. "I'm a terrible witch. I couldn't even say goodbye to my cauldron. Or my sick people."

He pulls away, yet just far enough for your noses to touch. "That was not your fault. And besides, you did try to leave the castle. You just weren't quite...tactical about it."

Your laugh dies in your throat when your eyes meet his. You're certain that nobody has ever quite looked at you like this. Least of all Benji.

That legendary young man, with a supposed undying thirst for blood. And while you had seen him angered, the way he is looking at you now makes it hard to imagine that he had ever been anything but tender.

The moment stretches out, up into the sky and across the two of you like the dome you are standing beneath.

In hindsight you won't be sure how it happens but something pulls the two of you together and your lips meet.

Your breath hitches, heart hammering the way Fury's hooves do when she gallops across a field and it is better than the rush of any wine you've ever had.

Your head is screaming at you to put a stop to it, but you cannot bring yourself to, when every fibre in your being is yearning for more, your hands in his hair. It is foreign and odd but in a fantastical way.

And in the end, it is him who pulls away.

"Oh," you breathe, chest rising unsteadily.

The grin on his face is prideful. "Mhm. Oh."

A twig snaps in the court, but it does not matter. His lips are on yours again.

#benjicot blackwood #hotd #benjicot blackwood x reader #davos blackwood #benjicot x reader #house of the dragon

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celticcrossanon · 5 days ago

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BRF Reading - 21st of November, 2024

This is speculation only

Cards drawn on the 21st of November, 2024

Question: How is Prince William? (mentally, physically, and emotionally)

Interpretation: Starting to heal after an extremely stressful year

Card One: The Ace of Pentacles in reverse

This was my card for how Prince William is doing mentally.

Aces in reverse are a No, so the first thing I get from this card is that he is not in the best place mentally.

The Ace of Pentacles in reverse can mean scarcity or instability, usually in the area of finance but here we are talking about mental health, so it indicates a - instability is the wrong word, a shakiness? in his mental health - he's not on an even keel, he will be reacting emotionally (cups) rather than practically (pentacles), and little things that did not bother him in the past may now be setting him off. This all comes from being very, very stressed.

Another meaning of the card in reverse is insecurity, again usually in the financial sense, but here it is in the area of mental health. I think he feels very insecure. He has had to face the prospect of losing people he loves in a very real and immediate sense, and that has made him feel uncertain about the future, and now even though the immediate danger to his wife is past it feels as though he hasn't been able to let go of that mode of thinking - as if he still expects the cancer to jump out and take her from him at any moment. There is his father as well, who is still battling cancer, so two main figures in his support network may vanish at any moment, and that does make you feel insecure and uncertain about what the future holds. He will heal (see the underlying energy) but it will take him a while to move away from the mindset of fear into one of cautious hope, and even longer for him to feel that things are back to as normal as they will ever be for the future.

One of the lesser known meanings of the Ace of Pentacles in reverse is not to make decisions about material matters right now - the time is not right. This is not the time to be making choices that will affect you in the future. Hold off, heal and stabilise first, and then make decisions when you have recovered somewhat from the stresses of the past year.

There is a small energy of dislike for the restrictions of his role and being a royal in this card, and an energy of blaming the role for what has happened to Catherine. I think that will balance out once he is able to come down from his stress a little, but at the moment there is an irrational dislike of the trappings of his role in life and a chafing at the restrictions that it puts on him. It's not huge, but it is there, and I think it is exacerbated by the stress of the last year - the last several years, actually. He does not want to lose any more family members and the possibility of that happening is eating away at his peace of mind. I hope he has the sense to go to therapy if this continues, just to get himself sorted out and back on an even keel.

Card Two: Nine of Swords in reverse

This is my card for how Prince William is doing physically.

The Nine of Swords is a card about a release from stress, recovering from a situation, getting help, and the energy of this card is of an overwhelming relief. It is that 'cut the strings' energy when you are finally through a stressful situation and can relax a bit. I think that the physical tension of all the stress he has felt this year has left or is leaving William, and he is moving into the 'puppet with the strings cut' stage of reaction where you just want to rest and do nothing for a week or so, or else have a lot of manic energy to work off. I can see his appetite picking up and him putting some weight back on as his body relaxes and winds down after his year of stress, and I hope that happens. Physically, the worst is behind him, and he just has to give himself some self care to get back to how he was before he was impacted by the events of this year. That includes eating more and doing physical things he enjoys to help let go of some of the tension. I don't think he has given himself ulcers yet but I can see that happening, or something similar, if he doesn't take some time out to consciously look after himself and build himself back up.

Card Three: The King of Swords in reverse

This is my card for how Prince William is doing emotionally

The King of Swords in reverse has the keywords of being irrational, controlling, ruthless, dishonest, powerless, lack of routine etc. I am also getting an energy of repression from this card.

I feel that William is hiding his feeling or repressing his feelings so he can 'be strong' for his wife and his children, and now the immediate danger is over, once he feels more safe, all those feelings are going to well up and need to be dealt with. He may be lying to himself and saying that he is fine when he really isn't. He may be dealing with his anxieties by throwing himself into his work or just keeping himself busy with whatever so he doesn't have to think about what is upsetting him. He may have found it hard to establish and stick to a routine for himself as things kept changing around him. I think that he may have been more volatile than usual during this time, over reacting to things because he doesn't have the emotional reserves to deal with them because all that is going into dealing with the cancer.

I think that he has felt powerless to help his wife (and father) and he doesn't like that there is nothing he can do to protect them - he can't kill the cancer for them so he has to sit by and watch them suffer through the treatment without being able to fix it for them. He may even have become quite controlling and micro-managing at work as a way of coping with this feeling of being powerless.

I think that once things have settled down a bit and he has the space to process things, a tidal wave of emotions are going to rise up and hit him. I hope he sees someone to help him cope with those feelings as he won't want to put them on his wife or his father, and who else does he have to talk things out with?

Underlying Energy: The Star

I was so happy to see this card. The Star is a card of healing, and in this reading it has healing energy pouring off it in great waves. William will heal. Things will settle, he will be able to stabilise his mind and emotions so he is not reacting to things out of stress, and he will heal and recover from this year. It won't be instant, and it might take months to happen, but he will heal. The journey has just started for him and it will come to a successful conclusion.

There is a sense here that William has lost some of his faith and hope in humanity this year. He will regain that, but it will take some time for him to do so, and his optimism will be tempered by a realisation of the bad in humanity as well as the good (e.g. he is not going to forget how people treated his wife and the total lack of decency or basic humanity that they showed towards her).

Conclusion:

William is a bit of a mess right now (poor man). He is starting the journey of healing after a very stressful year. This will involve moving from the very real fear that his wife and father will die and leave him to a more settled mental state where he can react to things calmly and not from a state of tightly-wound stress, taking the rest that he needs physically and then consciously working to get himself back together physically (eg to a healthy weight), and dealing with all the emotions that are waiting for him to have the time and the space to process them. He will heal, he will recover, and he will regain some hope, but it is going to take a while and things will be rocky while he goes through the heal-and-recover process that comes after stressful life events.

Edit: Please note that I am not picking on William in this reading. I am trying to explain how he could have behaved due to being under immense stress for a long period of time, natural behaviours that most people experience in that situation. It is not meant as a put down and I have no intention of being critical of him or anything like that. All comments were made from a factual point of view, not a 'lets pick on William' point of view.

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1eaf-me-alone · 4 months ago

Text

𝕿𝖍𝖊 (𝖚𝖓)𝖘𝖔𝖑𝖛𝖊𝖉 𝖇𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖍𝖉𝖆𝖞 𝖒𝖞𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖞

Summary: In which you've planned a birthday party for Heizou but disguised it as a murder case to solve.

Genre: Murder mystery

Warnings: None.

length: 5.5k words

Other: gn!reader, reader and Heizou are in an established relationship, this was just meant to be a silly little fic for Heizou’s birthday but turned out a lot longer than expected

A/n: Was meant to be posted on Heizou’s birthday, so I apologise for the lateness of this fic.

Reblogs and comments appreciated

— — — — — — — — — — — — — —

It was Heizou’s birthday today, but it wouldn’t have looked like it at first glance.

He sat at his desk, a familiar sight, engrossed in jotting down meticulous notes for an ongoing case. Now and then, he would pause to take a thoughtful sip from the well-worn mug resting nearby or shuffle around to gather additional paperwork and documentation. It was a notably grey and overcast day, burdened with the weight of administrative tasks that demanded attention. Amidst the flurry of activities, recent cases had surfaced, requiring careful sorting, prioritisation, and processing. At this moment, Heizou was attempting to crack down on a case which had puzzled him for a while now. He sighed, resting his hand on his forehead, and glanced at the watch on his wrist.

5:00 pm.

Half an hour to go until his shift was over. Although he never really stopped working. Shaking his head, he focused back on the case at hand. He was currently investigating a particularly puzzling case regarding the whereabouts of a lost pet. Indeed, clues were sparse, and he had made little progress thus far. It was frustrating, really. He stared at the typed letters on the document, hoping to squeeze something out of it- a clue, a location, an idea- something he could have missed. As he shifted in his seat and picked up the documents to inspect them more closely, a clear knock on the door disturbed him.

“Come in.” He turned his head towards the door as it opened. The person hesitated, but then stepped into the room.

It was Aoki, one of the Tenryou Commission officers, who often guarded the outskirts of Chinju Forest, and other such areas, whilst occasionally passing on information or physical documentation for cases. As it happened, tonight he was holding a note in his hand.

“Detective Heizou, this is for you.”

He bowed curtly and placed the note on the desk.

The note was folded. Heizou glanced at it and then opened the drawer in his desk, where he took out some disposable gloves from the compartment and proceeded to open the note.

He glanced back at Aoki. “You’ve got to be careful to not smudge the paper or add any new fingerprints - it’s important for the sake of maintaining future evidence.”

The note had two folds. Cautious to not add any creases, Heizou gently opened it. He frowned. Only a couple of sentences written down. It read:

I saw a murder in Chinju Forest. The perpetrator dragged the body away before I could identify them. I am not sure where they took the body.

- anonymous

He furrowed his eyebrows and looked up towards Aoki.

“When did you receive this note?”

“A little after 4:00 pm today. Another Tenryou Commission guard passed it on from close to the Kamisato Estate.” He seemed nervous when he answered this.

“That’s not possible, given the state of the writing. The writing has an area that is smudged - possibly because it was closed hastily before the ink had time to dry properly.

He lifted the note towards the light of his lamp, lifting the monocle he always had in hand to his eye.

The crinkled parts of the paper, thicker areas of the handwriting, and the carefully considered appearance of some lines suggest that someone had applied significant pressure to this page. The handwriting also appears shaky in certain areas, suggesting that it was either written by someone of old age or written very slowly, with an awareness of who the reader to this note might be. He stroked his chin whilst thinking this.

“Look.” He pointed towards the page. “There seems to be a pressure change in the handwriting.”

Aoki shuffled closer towards Heizou, peering towards the note. “I’m sure it doesn’t mean much.”

Heizou shook his head. “You can’t cross anything out in a case. Any evidence is good evidence.” He paused, then spoke again, “I wonder why the writer tried to change their handwriting.”

He tapped the letter gently, pointing towards the signature. “It’s signed anonymously, so why did they take the extra step to conceal their identity?”

Unless, of course, I know them personally and they feared I could recognise their handwriting.

Heizou squinted at the note in his hand, then turned the page over, once, twice.

“I recognise this paper. They’re sold in stacks in the Yae Publishing House, not too far away from here.”

He tapped his hands on the desk.

If the anonymous person who wrote the note came from Mt. Yougou, then why was the paper purchased here? They could have bought it at an earlier date, but Yae Publishing House recently changed their formula of paper. There are plenty of stationery shops all over Inazuma, specifically near Mt. Yougou. Despite this, it was most definitely sourced from the Yae Publishing House.

Heizou furrowed his eyebrows again, spotting yet another confusing part of the note.

“This note is quite peculiar, I mean, even the message itself is phrased strangely–”

Before he could utter another word, he heard a knock from the door. This time, the knock was light and airy.

“Come in.”

Your head peeked in from around the side of the door in Heizou’s office (and upon seeing you, a small smile appeared on his face) You sauntered in, your eyes immediately honing in on the note. You glanced at the lettering and frowned.

“I see you’re working on another murder case.” (Although it was evident that was what he was doing, you proclaimed it anyway.) “If you want, I can help you solve it.”

How did they know it was specifically a murder case? I haven’t even shown them the note.

Heizou furrowed his eyebrows, a little taken aback by your sudden enthusiasm and change in normal tonality. It was almost as if you were hiding something from him. It had been a while since you had solved a case with him. Occasionally, you provided commentary or advice on particular cases or helped to organise Heizou’s thoughts, but this sudden enthusiasm on your part was particularly curious.

Heizou shook his head. “It’s okay. I’m about to end this shift soon, and besides, it’s quite a strange case.”

You frowned, a look of disappointment emerging from your eyes.

“You know, I would really like to solve a murder case with you since we haven’t solved one together in a while... Maybe we could start on it now?”

Your gaze was shifting between him and the door and you shuffled your feet, as if there was a hurry to leave.

He stared, puzzled at the abnormality of your actions, glancing back at the note, and then at you, who stood adamantly in front of the door. The pieces of the puzzle slid together, and then it clicked.

A small smile tugged at the edges of Heizou’s lips.

They’re throwing a surprise birthday party for me, and masking it as a murder mystery, aren’t they?

Heizou shook his head and huffed a silent laugh.

“You’re right. We haven’t solved a murder together, and perhaps your intellect could help me with this mystery–I am confused by this note.”

You attempted your best to hide your smile and nodded enthusiastically, pushing Heizou towards the door and flinging it open to find a group of familiar people standing there.

Yoimiya, Itto, Shinobu, Sara, and Kokomi, along with a couple of other Tenryou Commission officers and colleagues of Heizou, all stood outside, almost as if they were waiting for him.

“What are you all doing here?”

They all spoke at once, in a manner which made it impossible to understand what was being said. Eventually, everyone fell silent, and Shinobu stepped forward.

“We heard about the note from the murder case while Aoki came to deliver it to you. Could we help you solve the murder?”

How did she know it was a murder?

The rest of the group nodded, Yoimiya grinned, and Itto added, “Wouldn’t it be nice to solve something together as friends?” While saying this, he patted Shinobu’s back, perhaps a little too strongly, as she stumbled forward.

The smile which had been tugging on Heizou’s face before re-emerged.

“Well, I suppose you’re all here now. We can start with Chinju Forest since that’s where the victim sighted the murder.”

Having uttered these words, everyone marched towards the forest. Itto, Kokomi and Shinobu took the lead, whilst Yoimiya and Sara walked beside you, next to the Tenryou Commission officers who roamed in groups.

________

You walked a little behind Heizou, ambling through the cobbled stone road of Inazuma City. Glancing ahead towards him, a bemused grin crept upon your face. It seems as brilliant a detective as he was. For now, you appeared to have fooled him. You had spent all last night attempting to change the style of your writing, but worrying Heizou would recognise it, had begged Sara to take part in your plan to deceive him and aid in the surprise birthday. Not only had you taken the time to ask someone else to write the letter, but had asked her to change the style of her writing and way of speaking in said letter. You had thought yourself quite clever in coming up with this and upon looking at Heizou now; it seems he was clueless about your doing.

He has absolutely no idea.

————

After a little walking, all of you eventually arrived at Chinju Forest and started wondering about, looking for any clues to this peculiar murder case.

You looked around to see if Heizou was watching you, and noticing that he was currently a lot further away than you, you took the chance to grab Yoimiya and pull her behind one tree in the forest.

Checking once more that Heizou was not looking in your direction, you leaned in, attempting to be as quiet as possible when you spoke.

“Have all the preparations been made for Heizou?”

She nodded enthusiastically.

“Good. Is the cake ready?”

Again, Yoimiya nodded. “Yes, it’s behind the shrine on a table. You’ll find it if you walk straight and turn behind the cherry blossoms.”

You flashed a smile. “Perfect.”

You paused a second, and then frowned. “I hope Sayu is in position. I told her to meet us here at around 5:30 pm, but I haven’t seen her anywhere yet… hopefully she hasn’t fallen asleep again.”

Yoimiya comforted your worries, and feeling more reassured than a few minutes ago and having finished the conversation with her, you walked out of the bushes as if nothing ever happened, continuing to investigate for clues.

———

On the other side of the path, Kokomi and Sara wandered about the bright red shrines in the forest. The two of them sat under the steps, chatting and fervently whispering about the details of Heizou’s party. Insistent in wanting to aid you with further preparations, Kokomi had done most of the work regarding the cake decorations, since you were already busy with the general decorations, venue choice, cake flavours and food. Sara had been busy at work the last few months, and unable to play a huge role in the birthday preparations, was still glad she could cherish a night with a friend of hers.

Meanwhile, Itto and Shinobu had split ways and begun looking towards the cobbled pavement of the forest, making a show of inspecting the rocks. Itto paused, turning towards Shinobu. “aren’t you excited for the surprise-” Shinobu shot him a stern look, shushing him before he could say another word. “Be quiet. We don’t want anyone to hear you.” He nodded, immediately understanding her caution, but proceed to talk (albeit, a little quieter) “Oh, but I do want to see the look on his face when he realises it’s—” again, Shinobu shushed him, repeating that he had to lower his voice or their efforts would be for nothing. She patted his back lightly, whispering, “The best thing to do is to not talk about it, or else the surprise might be ruined.” He nodded again, but this time listened to what she said, focusing on his part in conveying a convincing murder. Itto lifted a couple rocks off of the ground, turning them and placing them back down. He repeated this task, occasionally commenting, “Can’t find nothing here,” a little obnoxiously.

The Tenryou Commission officers had also parted ways with each other and mingled around in the forest. Some of them walked up and down the pathways, whilst others gathered next to the brushes and trees, crouching to inspect the surrounding area. Ishizaki and Motosuke were chatting a little behind the others. Although they rarely had a chance to help Heizou with his cases, and mostly sent in reports on the daily, they still respected him greatly, and were happy to see him taking a break from his work (although, really at the moment he was doing what he usually does at his job.) Most of the officers didn’t have an active hand in aiding with the birthday decorations, but aided in keeping everyone together and maintaining the surprise. It wasn’t often that everyone had the chance to hang out like this, and most of the officers were just having fun enjoying the element of surprise and mystery (for most of them, although aware it was a surprise, were unaware of exactly what the ‘murder’ entailed, nor what you had planned.)

Heizou trudged towards the brushes in the forest, inspecting the leaves for any sign of disturbance. He concluded after a brief inspection that the leaves were perfectly normal.

_______

“All of you, come over here!” Heizou heard Itto exclaim from a dozen metres away.

You hastily made your way towards him, and he pointed towards the ground. On the floor, there were splatters of crimson which had stained the pavement and were currently dripping into the cracks of the ground.

Heizou crouched down to inspect it. The liquid was slithering quickly down the cracks through the path.

He looked about, drawing closer towards the criminal evidence, and leaning on the floor next to it. Heizou shook his head, glancing at the supposed red liquid that was meant to be blood.

This blood is fake. It hasn’t got the same viscosity or density as actual blood, nor is the colour correct unless the victim suffered a blood type disorder.

He watched the ‘blood’ seep down into the grass, staining anything in its way. He stood up from his crouching position, dusting off the dirt from his legs.

(Besides Heizou, you admired how realistic you had made the blood look.)

He glanced back at you, seeing the anticipation in your face. He didn’t want to ruin the surprise.

“The blood is fresh. Its colouration tells me that.”

Heizou looked around the forest.

“It’s interesting how there is only a splatter of blood here. The bushes seem a little dishevelled–there are twigs on the floor; perhaps a fight occurred. I suggest we keep moving forward to look for more clues.”

Everyone nodded, confirming his theory. Heizou trudged along forward in the forest. And then he stopped.

From behind him, Heizou heard the rustling of bushes, the snapping of a twig, and an incessant snore. The wind whistled as something moved from behind the trees.

The bushes swayed, and a familiar figure rolled out of them. She yawned and stretched her arms, looking tiredly around towards you and the others.

Everyone else followed behind him, peering closer to look down at the figure.

“Sayu! There you are,” you exclaimed.

There you are? Was Sayu’s encounter also planned?

She yawned again, lazily blinking her eyes.

“What are all of you doing here?” She sat up from the previous position she was in.

Sara was the one to speak this time. “We’ve all become aware of a murder case Heizou was trying to solve–”

She didn’t finish the sentence before Itto jumped in. “Would you like to help us investigate this mystery?”

Sayu paused a second, blinking her eyes slowly, and stretched her arms before she stood up from the ground. “I’ve been told walking helps for growth, so I will help you, as long as I’m able to take a few breaks to nap along the way.”

Yoimiya added, “It is quite a puzzling mystery, but I’m glad to have you aboard.”

Sayu walked up toward Kokomi and looked up at her. Without hesitation, she picked her up and placed her to sit on her shoulders. Sayu squealed in temporary fear but stabilised herself and held Kokomi tightly. She kicked her legs gently back and forth, and despite looking as if she hadn’t slept in days (although you were sure she had just taken a 4-hour nap) excitement glinted in her eyes.

A small frown appeared on Heizou’s face. It’s strange, I’m sure the two of them have never met before-

You interrupted his thoughts with your voice as you pointed towards the outskirts of the forest.

“I think I see some blood over there. We should check it out.”

The others nodded.

“In that case, let’s get on with investigating this murder.”

______

Many clues later, (which involved a wild bake-danuki chase, a spiritual cleansing ritual, an interrogation with a confused-looking shrine maiden, a riddle-off with an abyss mage, and plenty of other small shenanigans) you all eventually arrived at Narukami Shrine.

The sky gleamed with countless twinkling stars. The tranquil evening air enveloped the city like a soft, comforting blanket, and from the shrine, one could see the panoramic view of Inazuma City.

As you wandered along the shrine, you couldn’t help but be enchanted by its exquisite beauty. The sakura trees had blossomed, adorning the surroundings with their delicate hues of pink. A gentle breeze played with the fallen leaves, causing them to dance through the air before softly alighting on the ground.

You found yourself captivated not by the surrounding scenery, but by the man standing before you. As you held his hand, you couldn’t help but admire every small detail of his face - the gentle curve of his nose, the little moles beneath his eyes, and the tousled charm of his hair. A deep redness flushed your cheeks.

Heizou glanced back at you, noticing how your eyes focused on him. After months together, he still felt the warmness flushing his cheeks.

“It’s such a beautiful night,” you remarked, and he nodded.

You clasped his hand in yours, walking on the stone pavement. The two of you had distanced yourselves a little from the crowd, and for that, you were happy, since there wasn’t much of a chance to talk during the evening.

Heizou hummed, “I don’t particularly go to Narukami Shrine often, save for the rare cases which occur here.” He quickly added, “... such as the one brought upon me tonight, which really still puzzles me now.”

You gently squeezed his hand and reassured him, “I’m confident that you’ll be able to solve it. After all, you’re one of the cleverest people in Inazuma.” He raised an eyebrow in surprise and questioned, “One of the cleverest?” A mischievous smile formed on your lips as you playfully replied, “Well, you still haven’t managed to surpass my intelligence.” His laughter filled the air as he responded, “Oh, really? As clever as you may be, I have yet to witness your intelligence being put to good use.” Before you could retort, a loud noise interrupted your conversation, capturing both of your attention from ahead.

You both heard someone falling on the ground, followed by a scream.

“It’s the body! The body!”

Upon hearing Sayu scream, Heizou ran to where the commotion had occurred. Everyone gathered around the body on the floor. The darkness made it hard to see who or what it was.

“Does anyone have a light?”

Heizou searched his pockets, looking for a light or anything that could help. It was to no avail, since all he possessed was a magnifying glass, a pen, and a couple of scribbled notes from previous cases.

The others whispered in an agitated manner, scrambling around and causing a grand commotion around the body.

“I’ve got an idea,” Yoimiya exclaimed, and breaking Heizou’s line of thought, she pointed her bow towards the sky and shot some arrows. They grew and exploded into bright fireworks. Everyone crouched down towards the body.

Yae Miko lay on the ground, her body drenched in crimson. Her eyes were closed, and she was contorted in an unnatural position. Itto gasped and collapsed, while Sayu screamed once again. Yoimiya sobbed, and Kokomi found solace in Sara’s arms. The officers of the Tenryou Commission gathered around Yae Miko, whispering in confusion. Heizou, however, couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. He commended your efforts in involving Yae Miko herself, as it was no small accomplishment. With a dramatic crouch, he inspected the body, which was covered in the same red liquid as in Chinju Forest. Yae Miko’s head was tilted to the side, with one arm shielding her face. Dust and rocks clung to her clothing, particularly in the visible areas. Upon closer examination, it appeared as if the rocks were sprinkled on top almost as an afterthought, mixing with the supposed blood. Interestingly, the blood only stained Miko’s legs and face, avoiding any damage to her attire.

The injuries and positioning of the blood are inconsistent. Yae Miko is clearly breathing on the ground, visible by the slight rise and fall of her chest, and the colouration of her skin can’t be that of a body which has been lying in the elements for hours…

But he had to go along with it.

The screaming and sobbing continued in the background, with Itto wailing, “No, no, it can’t be!”

Heizou stood up shakily, looking around until everyone had their attention on him. “The murder is fresh. There seem to be injuries on the front and sides, which indicates an expected assault. It appears that Miko attempted to fight back, as seen by the evident signs of a struggle on her face. She died quickly, within minutes or seconds, even. The wounds show it was a purposeful stab for the aorta- a crucial part of the heart. It would have killed her almost instantly.”

He crouched down again, this time making it appear as if he was inspecting the body. A couple of beats of silence passed.

“She’s really…dead.”

He whispered. Clasping his mouth, tears silently fell down his cheek. His breathing shook, and he trembled.

It was a little overdramatic, but he had to continue this act.

He stood up from the crouching position he was previously in and paused. Wiping the tears and making a show of shock and upset.

He murmured, “The murderer is among us.”

(Everyone gasped loudly, Itto protested, Sayu continued to cry and both Sara and Shinobu stood in awe.)

He appeared to ignore everyone’s reactions and began to talk.

“It’s simple, really. You all made a show of trying to aid the murder mystery when it was one of you all along.”

Heizou walked away from the body and towards the people, circling everyone and eventually stopping to point at Itto.

“You could have murdered Yae Miko. You lost the last Kitsune Ramen eating contest.” Heizou stated. Itto gasped. ‘Yes, I know about that. Your losing the contest has led you to a large unpaid sum, thus being in debt. And, of course, you don’t have the money for it. So you decided to, well, end her.”

There was complete silence. A mix of shock and disbelief crossed onto people’s faces.

But then he shook his head. “No, my intuition tells me it wasn’t you. Carrying out such an intricate plan requires delicacy and thought.”

He turned his attention towards Sara. “You hold great respect towards Yae Miko unless she disobeys the Shogun. If she disobeys the Shogun, you would lose all your respect for her, and perhaps that would be enough for you to want to kill her.

He hummed in discontent, “But I can tell that the murderer was not you.”

He strolled towards Kokomi. “Isn’t it a little strange that you were in Inazuma City today? Usually, you’re occupied with your duties on Watatsumi Island..but today, you happened to be near the area of the murder.”

But again, he shook his head. “The crime was brutal and bloody. I don’t think you would have done it.”

The others quivered in fear as Heizou continued to walk up to different individuals, breaking down as to why they could have been the murderer, explaining their motives and potential acts.

He turned towards you, enjoying the fact he was making absolutely everything up, and adding nonsensical clues whilst blaming random people. It was quite fun, really. Until he realised you were no longer there.

He frowned. Calling your name, but receiving no answer.

“Where is–”

The others chattered over each other in panicked whispers of ‘Where did they go?’ and ‘Has the murderer struck again?’

Heizou feigned panic on his face, walking up and down in an agitated manner.

The others scrambled to help him find you, an equal look of alarm on their faces.

Sayu, who had fallen asleep, jolted right up and began to catch up quickly with the others.

Itto shouted your name, his voice booming in the previously quiet air.

A couple of officers began frantically searching around the area.

“I see them over there!” Itto’s voice exclaimed amidst the crowd of people.

Heizou followed his line of sight, squinting in the darkness.

And then he saw you.

You locked eyes with him, holding something in your hand, and as you drew closer, it became apparent that the ‘object’ was a cake.

(Heizou smiled to himself. It seems his intuition was correct.)

Quickly masking the smile on his face, confusion appeared, and he walked towards you.

‘What’s happening? Why are you bringing me a cake?- we’re in the midst of a murder here.’

A smile spread across your face. “This was all a scheme to get you here and celebrate your birthday, disguising it as a murder case!”

Heizou gasped loudly, his face an expression of complete and utter surprise. He suppressed a smile, attempting to maintain his mask of surprise. “So, is Yae not dead?”

You nodded. “She was part of our plan.” (Upon saying this, Yae Miko stood from the ground and brushed the ‘blood’ off of herself.)

As he turned his attention back to you, he noticed the cake in your hands, which was exquisitely decorated with swirled accents of red icing and covered in a velvety white buttercream. Delicate question marks and magnifying glasses had been meticulously hand-decorated using piped icing. Multiple candles flickered on top of the cake, their flames swaying back and forth in a captivating dance. You beamed and walked towards Heizou, nudging his shoulder.

You came to a stop before Heizou, as he had a chance to yet again marvel at the stunning sight before him.

And before he had an opportunity to say or think anything more about the case, he got whisked into the ambience of a party.

“I bet you didn’t see this surprise coming.”

(You heard the scraping of a table as Itto and Shinobu pushed one into the area.)

On the table, colourful balloons were tied to it and gently bobbed up and down as if they had a life of their own. They swayed back and forth, occasionally revealing the vibrant banners that adorned the walls of the shrine. A beautifully decorated table was laid out with gleaming cutlery, crisp tablecloths, and the cake, which had become the table’s centrepiece.

And then, the night filled with music. It was quiet at first. But immediately recognisable. Multiple lights lit up on the cake, the flames dancing mesmerisingly in the dark, captivating the attention of everyone.

“Happy birthday to you~”

You held his hand and kissed his cheek. “Happy birthday to you~”

He reciprocated your kiss, this time prolonging it. He could feel the hotness of your cheeks against his.

“Happy birthday, dear Heizou~”

The others joined in, and as the number of voices increased, so did the hope of being in tune. You finished the song and all the others began to clap and cheer, with Itto coming over to prompt Heizou to blow out the candles. He did so successfully in one breath.

As Shinobu passed a cake knife to Heizou, he effortlessly sliced the cake, serving himself a piece before moving on to cut equal portions for everyone else. Grabbing a fork from the table, he eagerly took a bite, causing his mouth to water and leaving him in awe.

“It’s delicious.”

Quickly, he took another bite from the cake, gulping it all down within a few seconds.

You smiled and said, “I’m glad you like it, but please eat slowly. I don’t want you to choke and have an actual murder case on our hands today.” He chuckled, “It’s not my fault. I can’t help myself.”

After having eaten a couple of other slices of cake, he finally had the chance to enquire about your plans. “So, how did you come up with all this?”

Upon hearing his question, your eyes lit up. “It seems, as clever as you are, you could not see past my plan. I know you don’t tend to celebrate your birthday much due to always prioritizing work, so I suppose I used that priority against you, having your surprise birthday under the guise of a murder. I contacted all your friends to come and help me with the celebration and think up a reasonable murder case.”

From your pockets, you took out a vial of red liquid and pointed at it. “I used this as the blood. It’s red ink mixed with a little corn syrup to thicken it.” Heizou had to applaud your efforts, but nonetheless, the liquid you were holding in your hands could unmistakably not be confused as blood. You continued to speak, “Knowing you might enjoy something intellectually stimulating, me, Sara, and Kazuha (although he was unable to make it tonight) all helped plan the ‘case,’ creating fake clues, buying materials to make the murder look realistic.”

Heizou stared back at Yae Miko. “Well, you sure did a good job at that. I would have believed her to be dead.” A grin spread across your cheeks. “I even researched some aspects relating to dead bodies to make it look even more credible. I knew I had to be careful with everything I did and worried you would see right through my plan. And that I did.” Heizou almost felt a little sorry for being able to see right through your scheme almost immediately.

You proceeded to take out a crumpled letter from your coat and sighed. “Originally, I had written the victim’s letter, but fearing you might recognize my handwriting, I asked Sara to write it for me.” You pointed towards Itto and Shinobu. “They helped put up the birthday decorations with me.” You paused for a second, looking around for the others, and finally finding them, you pointed towards them. “Kokomi and Sayu helped mainly with the coordination. Sayu, especially with Chinju Forest, and when she wasn’t sleeping, her Ninja skills were particularly useful in successfully putting this plan into action.” So that’s how they know each other.

Kokomi’s eyes twinkled. Itto beamed, and Sara and Shinobu both gazed contentedly towards Heizou.

“We barely had enough time to set everything up, since the plans and preparation were so last minute, but my goal of fooling you has succeeded, and therefore I consider that good enough.”

Heizou looked back at you.

The truth is everything. But sometimes, supplying it will only upset the other.

“You certainly put a lot of effort into this, and I thank you.”

Your face glowed with pride, revelling in the thought that you had indeed tricked the cleverest man in Inazuma.

______

As the celebrations came to a close, the moon had ascended high into the sky, casting its gentle glow over the surroundings. The once warm evening air had given way to a cooler, more refreshing temperature. Sayu had fallen asleep, having transformed into a Fuufuu windwheel by the shrine’s tree. The others had also begun to tire. Kokomi was resting her head on Sara’s shoulders. Itto was on his way to start snoring next to Shinobu and the Tenryou Commission officers had retreated a while back.

A couple of Sakura petals drifted slowly down the trees, landing in your hair. You walked up to Heizou, sitting down on the steps of the shrine and kissed him on the cheek.

“So... did I trick you?”

Heizou grinned, his face growing a little red. He reciprocated your kiss and held your hand in his.

“I would have never guessed.”

#So glad to get this posted #It’s nearly 1am now so I’ll add a few more edits later on #The further away it got from Heizou’s birthday #the more I felt the need to get it posted beforebot was too late #I know this is late but.. Happy birthday Heizou 🎉#Anyway let’s tag this thing #shikanoin heizou x you #genshin impact #genshin x reader #heizou x y/n #heizou x reader #heizou #shikanoin heizou #shikanoin heizou x reader #Heizou x gender neutral reader #genshin #heizou shikanoin x reader

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menlove · 2 months ago

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wait curious about your thoughts on this. i genuinely dont believe the paul john reconciliation thing that paul pushes in every interview (abt the bread phone call etc) like im sure they had that conversation and maybe that was a nice memory but theres a paul late november 1980 interview (good morning america i think?) where the interviewer is like “john said you died creatively etc” and then paul gets very awkward and said he just keeps quiet publicly or else john will get resentful and that he doesnt know why john does that. its literally like two weeks before john died idk im like a mclennon ended on bad terms truther and i genuinely believe pauls batshit behavior the last 40 years is the result of him feeling bad about everything

I think I'm at a bit of a middle road with it! because there's certainly that (although what john actually said in that interview was meant differently and seemingly misconstrued to paul to try and start drama, although it sadly says a lot that paul sort of just expected that sort of thing by that point) & I do think that their relationship by 1980 was a lot more complicated than paul has wanted to talk about (for good reason). I wanna say there's a few interviews where he even says that, like it was difficult to come to terms with his feelings on everything with john bc suddenly he was Dead you know?

but I do think them reconciling and being friends again wouldn't necessarily negate that. there was a lot of baggage between them at that point & it would be very easy for the two of them to be Wary of each other even if they WERE on good terms and calling more often. which would just make paul's reaction to "john said you died creatively" even more of a blow for him like "what the hell, we're on good terms now, why is he STILL saying this shit?" and given that it was misconstrued and I wanna say not even a PUBLISHED interview yet, he really had nothing to go on except being ambushed by that question

plus there's the fact that they apparently had a recording studio booked for '81 and john was set to come back to england to record with him. and ofc (just like) starting over in general, though that depends on how much you believe that was for paul

honestly I think john died while they were on confusing terms. not really a Great place but also not on bad terms either. sort of a "yeah okay, we've made up, we're trying, maybe we'll get together and record, now what?" sort of place. especially given a lot anecdotes that yoko was fielding calls from paul & requests to come see john. I think they both Wanted to make up, but life was in the way. so they got phone calls about bread. but paul was obviously still wary and hurt/confused by john's back and forth behavior. I think there's some other quote somewhere from paul about how he never knew what he'd be picking the phone up to. on john's end, he probably WAS hopeful and fully intent on recording with him in the next year and, ya know, starting over. for paul, he probably didn't know if he could hold him to that or even hold him to being nice the next time they talked.

but ya know, 40+ years down the line, it's probably a bit easier to cling onto the good moments and not the confusion around where they stood at the end. lots of time for reflection on how john must have been feeling & coming to the conclusion that they WERE on track to being okay again. I think at the Time paul was probably just rightfully very cautious & that had to be a weird feeling to deal with after any future plans were killed with john

#this is rambly and I'm on mobile at 1am so I'm not gonna try and dig for sources but #if for whatever reason anyone wants em I can find em tomorrow

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clown-friend-gt · 3 months ago

Text

Up, Up, and Away Chapter 20

Sorry for the late update this week. It will happen again.

Edit because I forgot to add that this is part of the updated version of Mentorship Blues

Link to Masterpost

************************************************************************

Evaluation

3.3k words

From the periphery of his vision, Sam Douglas counted at least a dozen gazes fixed on him. Some of awe, some even of admiration, and quite a few of hostility. But like always, he simply kept his head level, and his eyes set straight ahead. It was a strategy for keeping himself humble he’d learned early on in his career, and it hadn’t failed him yet.

This sort of thing was bound to happen whenever he went out dressed as his hero persona, Ajax. But it was for a good cause. He hoped. He’d been invited to this prison by some people close to him to participate in a mentorship program.

Not a prison, he reminded himself. Youth detention center.

As he got closer to his destination, he found himself surrounded by fewer and fewer people. Once he was practically alone, he took a deep breath to steady himself, allowing his mask of confidence to drop temporarily.

Was he really the right person for this? From what he’d been told, his judgement of the kid he was meeting today would be a deciding factor as to whether or not he qualified for the Future Heroes Training Program. It was practically a parole hearing, and he was to be the judge.

Maybe he would be a qualified mentor for the kid, since they had similar enough powers. But did that qualify him to make calls about his future? Sam really wasn’t sure.

He shook himself a little to regain his focus. He couldn’t spend all his time worrying about that, or he’d never get this over with. He let the self-assured mask of “Ajax” slip back over his features.

A few more turns through the wide and winding hallways and he was at his destination. A set of double doors was all that stood between him and his arena of choice for the day. Really though, it was just the facility’s cafeteria. Technicalities.

He centered himself with a deep breath and gave both doors a gentle push. Despite the lack of effort on his part, the doors flung open. It had been decades since he developed his powers of super strength, but sometimes the world around him still felt far too flimsy.

At least he rarely broke things nowadays.

“Have no fear,” he declared in a booming voice. “Ajax is here!”

He grinned widely at the room as the doors swung shut behind him, hands placed heroically on his hips. He got no response, save for a few vacant stares from around the room. The silence that followed felt like it lasted way too long.

Slowly, people got back to what they were doing. Guards worked to clear space, pushing all of the tables and chairs to the sides of the room. A few floated around one man in the center of the room, waiting for further direction from him. This man’s stare had felt the hardest when Sam entered the room.

Unbothered, Sam made his way over to him. He stuck out his hand to shake the warden’s. The warden gave it a brief glance before taking it. His grip felt firm, but cautious.

“Nice to see you again, Al,” Sam greeted his brother.

The warden, Albert Douglas, let go of his hand. His lips pressed into a thin line.

“Hello, Ajax,” he responded, his tone much less familiar. “I see you haven’t lost your—”

Al paused, giving him a disapproving look.

“—dramatic flair,” he finished dryly.

Sam kept his face neutral, trying not to show his discomfort at his older brother’s cold demeanor. He’d thought they’d grown beyond the contentious relationship they’d had as kids. But sometimes, Al still kept him at arm’s length.

He supposed he couldn’t really blame him, though. They were not meeting here today as brothers, but as two high level members of the Lively Institute. Even though they represented two different sides of the Enforcement division, they still had to maintain appearances.

That’s probably what Al was thinking, at least. Sam didn’t really give a damn if some random prison guard thought he was being “unprofessional.”

Al turned back to the guards hovering around him. “What are you still waiting around for? If you’ve finished up here, go back to your posts.”

A small chorus of yes sir resounded from the remaining guards as they filtered off and out of the room. Sam was quickly left alone with his brother.

Albert’s features were incredibly similar to his own, though there were some superficial differences between them. There were more lines on his tanned face, but that likely had more to do with the stress of his job than the two years he had on Sam. They shared the same icy blue eyes, but Albert’s gaze was colder than his own. His cropped gray hair held few traces of the dark black color it’d once had. Sam wondered if his own hair would look the same, once the stray white hairs that kept cropping up on his head took over completely.

If you were to stand Sam and his brother side by side, you wouldn’t be able to tell from his height that he was the younger of the two. Though they were both fairly tall, he had a few inches on his brother. His broad, muscular frame only exacerbated the difference between him and Al.

Al cleared his throat, pulling Sam from his thoughts. “How much have you been briefed about Castillo?”

Sam shrugged. “Just the basics. Name: Trevor Castillo. Age: 14. Height: freakishly tall. Normal stuff, really.”

“You need to take this seriously, Sam” Al scolded him, dropping his voice to a whisper. “You’re dealing with a violent criminal, here.”

Sam smirked. “Same old, then.”

“I’m trying to warn you, Castillo is unstable,” his brother asserted, his voice low. “He injured another inmate within his first week of arrival. His victim’s wrist was completely shattered.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Sam whispered back. “Shouldn’t I try to be unbiased about this?”

“I’m only trying to look out for you,” Al insisted. “You need to be careful here.”

Sam puffed out his chest a little. “When am I not?”

Al gave him a dry look. “Do you want me to answer that honestly?”

Sam had to laugh at that. “Alright, fine. I’ll keep it in mind.”

The sound of the cafeteria door opening again put a halt to their conversation. Both Sam and his brother turned to see the new arrival. When he saw who it was, he greeted her with a warm smile.

Miranda Todd was a close family friend to both of them. But to Sam, she was more than that, almost like a cousin, or even a sister, albeit a much, much younger one. She was nearly a decade his junior.

She returned his smile politely as she approached the two of them, but Sam could sense the nervousness behind it. She had a lot riding on the outcome of this meeting. Which meant, of course, she had a lot riding on his evaluation of her client.

He knew Miranda was deeply passionate about her work, and this case was no exception. He’d seen the fire in her eyes when she’d first discussed her new client with him when they met up for drinks. She felt the system had wronged him, but if she could get him into the Heroes Program, she could make things right.

Sam wasn’t sure how much he bought into that. But when it came to people’s character, Miranda’s judgement was rarely wrong. If she had faith in this kid, then he at least had to give him a chance to prove himself.

Before Sam could say anything to her, she spoke up, only addressing the warden.

“Are we almost ready to begin?”

Sam frowned a little. She was almost ignoring him. After a moment, though, he remembered that he was in uniform. He was not her friend Sam right now, but the famous superhero, Ajax.

And she and Ajax have nothing to do with each other, he reminded himself, just a tad bitter about the whole idea.

That was the problem with this whole hero business. Everyone wanted to put him on some kind of pedestal (everyone who didn’t want him dead, that is). He could ignore it when strangers did it, but his own friends and family? He’d never found a good way to deal with it.

“Just about,” Al responded to Miranda’s question. Then he clapped his hands twice, bringing everyone’s attention to him.

“Beckham, O’Brian, you’re with me,” he said, gesturing to two of the guards as he spoke. Then to everyone else, “The rest of you, get back to work.”

He clapped his hands together again, and the sound echoed throughout the room. “Move out!” he ordered.

Quickly and efficiently, his guards filed out of the room. Looking out of place amongst them all, Miranda followed soon after. She spared him one last anxious look before she left. The warden lingered behind just a minute longer.

“We’ll be watching from Security. If anything happens, I’ll send reinforcements your way,” his brother assured him.

Sam wanted so badly to roll his eyes, but he resisted the urge. He was probably the most capable person in the world to handle this situation, and still Albert treated him like he was a kid in need of protection.

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” he replied, not bothering to hide the agitation in his voice.

Al ignored his brother’s insolent tone, giving him a curt nod. Then he walked out of the room, leaving Sam all alone until his new student arrived.

************************************************************************

Trevor could hardly remember the last time he’d been this nervous. When was the last time he’d had to do anything this important? As far as he knew, his whole future rested on how he presented himself to his would-be mentor, Ajax.

Ajax. He couldn’t even begin to wrap his head around how insane all of this was. Not only was he meeting the most famous—and probably most important—man in San Solaris, but he had to impress him somehow. His life practically depended on it.

His heart hammered in his chest and his back ached in protest as he shuffled his way towards the cafeteria. He had to bend over to fit in the hallways now. When he first arrived, he’d actually been relieved to find out that the ceilings were high enough for him to stand at his full height. He should’ve known that it wouldn’t last.

Finally, he rounded the last corner, and the double doors to the cafeteria stood at the end of the hall. But when he got about halfway there, he couldn’t bring himself to get any closer. His legs refused to budge.

Pull it together, Castillo, he berated himself. He’d been working for months to make this happen. This was the last hurdle he had to clear before he could join the FHTP. He couldn’t turn back now just because he was feeling a little intimidated. He did his best to shove all of his feelings of anxiety deep down inside.

He took a reluctant step forward. Then another. He trudged, painfully slow, to the doors. He did his best to wipe the sweat from his palms, then gingerly pushed the doors open. He focused all of his attention on making his way through the doors, so he didn’t have to think about who was waiting for him behind them.

Once he’d crawled through, he stood up straight and stretched out, trying to relieve his sore back. He silently thanked whoever’d designed the cafeteria with such high ceilings. Then he remembered what he’d come here for and immediately snapped back to attention.

Ajax stood in the middle of the room. He wore the same iconic suit that Trevor had seen countless times on TV and the internet. The base was a short-sleeved black bodysuit with blue stripes running up either side. On his elbows, knuckles, and knees, he wore dark blue armor-like pads. On his hands he wore fingerless gloves. A black domino mask covered his face and completed the look.

For a moment, Ajax also seemed too stunned to speak. His eyes were wide as they travelled the length of his body up to his face. His rigid posture mirrored Trevor’s own. They both stood frozen for just a few seconds.

Ajax recovered before he did. He shook his head and relaxed his shoulders. The surprised look on his face didn’t quite disappear, though.

“Man,” he chuckled. “You are tall.”

“Uh…?” Trevor responded, bewildered.

“I mean, they told me you were twenty feet tall, but I don’t think I got the full picture until just now.”

Ajax smiled at him and gestured for him to come closer. “Come on in, I promise I won’t bite.”

Hesitantly, Trevor walked closer. Once he was close enough, Ajax extended his hand up for him to shake and grinned wider. It didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“The name’s Ajax,” he declared.

For a moment, Trevor only stared at his hand. Ajax barely stood above his knee; how was he expecting this to work? He looked back to Ajax’s face, questioning him silently. He only cleared his throat and glanced pointedly at his extended hand.

Sighing internally, Trevor crouched down so he could reach it. He clasped Ajax’s hand, and it disappeared entirely within his own. He became painfully aware of how sweaty his palms were as he delicately shook Ajax’s hand.

“Trevor,” he introduced himself, before quickly letting it go.

Ajax nodded, his lips pressed into a thin smile. “Good to meet you.”

Trevor stood back up and took a few steps back. He thought he saw Ajax try to discreetly wipe his hand on his leg as he did so. But then Ajax clasped his hands behind his back and began circling around him. He looked him up and down, like he was examining him in detail.

Again Trevor froze under Ajax’s scrutiny. Unconsciously, he went rigid and straightened himself out as best he could. From this angle, he couldn’t read the look on his face.

“What to do, what to do,” he heard Ajax mutter. Then he stopped, apparently in thought.

“Could work,” he said under his breath, before looking to the door to the cafeteria.

“Wait here,” he told Trevor.

Ajax walked over to one of the long tables that lay against the wall. He picked it up easily, though it was longer than he was tall. He carried it over to the set of doors and placed it in front of them.

“What are you doing that for?” Trevor asked uneasily.

“Just a precaution,” Ajax answered him, though he didn’t clarify what that meant.

“Okay, let’s get started,” Ajax announced. He waved Trevor over to the middle of the room. There he stood and opened his arms wide.

“Let’s see what you can do,” he said.

“Huh?”

“I want you to hit me as hard as you can,” Ajax instructed him.

Trevor tensed. He should’ve expected something like this to happen, but he still hated the thought of it.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” he asked.

Ajax grinned at him. This time, it felt more genuine. “Come on. I can take it.”

“There’s got to be something else we can do,” he pleaded.

“Nope. This is the only way,” Ajax replied with a shake of his head.

“If you say so…” Trevor replied wearily.

He lowered himself down closer to Ajax’s level and reluctantly balled his hands into fists. As he drew his hand back to strike, he gave him one last uncertain look, silently begging him to reconsider. Ajax stubbornly stayed put.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Trevor swung his fist with all his might. He felt it connect only briefly. Then he heard a loud SMACK from the other end of the room.

Opening his eyes again, the first thing he saw was a crack in the concrete wall that hadn’t been there a moment ago. Then his eyes travelled down and landed on Ajax. He was lying facedown on the ground, motionless.

Sam had taken a few beatings in his time. Still, he struggled to remember the last time he had been walloped like that. That one punch had sent him flying across the room. Maybe Al had been right to warn him about this kid. Or maybe he was just getting old.

He propped himself up with a groan. He was still regaining his bearings after the blow. Slowly, he got to his knees and prepared to stand. Before he could though, he felt the ground rattling beneath him, and he had to fight to keep from falling on his face again.

“Holy shit, are you okay?” he heard Trevor cry out.

When the shaking stopped, he looked up to see Trevor kneeling over him. Sam almost laughed out loud at the panicked look on his face. Once again, Miranda had made the correct call; this kid was a total softy.

“Man, kid, you really pack a punch!” he said with a weak laugh.

“I’m sorry,” Trevor murmured sheepishly, extending a hand to help him up.

Sam took it gratefully. “Don’t be. You did good.”

He got to his feet and brushed himself off. As usual, with a bit of time to recover, it was like he’d never been hit at all. He spread his arms out to show Trevor he was unharmed.

“See? Told you I’d be fine,” he said beaming up at him.

Suddenly there was a commotion from the other side of the cafeteria doors. They clattered loudly as someone on the other side attempted to force their way in. That would be his brother bringing the cavalry. He rolled his eyes.

“Looks like our time is up,” he said sarcastically. Realistically, they should have had plenty of time left, but the warden’s arrival would cut that short.

He saw Trevor’s brow crease in worry as he stared at the doors.

“Hey, it was nice meeting you,” he said, bringing Trevor’s attention back to him. “I’ll put in a good word for you with the higher ups.”

Trevor’s mouth opened in shock. “Wha—seriously?”

He nodded.

“Just like that?” Trevor asked in disbelief.

“Just like that,” he confirmed.

Trevor shook his head, at a loss for words.

“Thank you so much,” he said sincerely.

“Don’t mention it,” Ajax assured him.

There was shouting from the other side of the doors, but Trevor couldn’t make out what anyone was saying. It sounded bad.

Just as casually as he had before, Ajax strolled over to the doors and moved his barricade out of the way. He took a few steps back, allowing the warden and his guards to burst in. Warden Douglas glared hatefully at Trevor, sending a shiver down his spine.

“You,” he spat venomously.

He started to advance towards him, but to Trevor’s surprise, Ajax stopped him in place.

“Calm down Al,” he told the warden. “I had everything under control.”

Douglas tore his eyes away from Trevor and looked at Ajax. They seemed to be having some kind of silent argument. The guards the warden had brought shuffled behind him, armed with a mix of batons and pepper spray. They seemed anxious to act, but unsure of what to do without orders.

Eventually, the Warden sighed loudly. “Everyone, stand down and go back to work.”

The guards exchanged looks among themselves, seemingly hesitant. One by one, though, they holstered their weapons and left the room.

With all of his guards gone, Warden Douglas scowled at Ajax. “Will you let me go?!”

“Of course,” Ajax answered coolly, releasing him.

The warden stumbled forward slightly. Then he stood up straight again and straightened out the suit he was wearing. He shot disapproving looks at both of them.

“Are we done here?” Ajax asked innocently.

“For now,” Douglas said coldly. “We’ll have more to talk about later.”

Trevor had to wonder what that meant. Ajax had called the warden by his first name. Did they know each other somehow?

Seemingly unbothered by the warden’s posturing, Ajax shrugged and headed for the doors. Just as he was about to leave, he sent Trevor a wink over his shoulder.

“See you soon, kid.”

And then he was gone.

First/Previous/Next

#g/t community #g/t writing #g/t #giant/tiny #g/t story #sfw g/t #minigiant #OC-Trevor Castillo #OC-Sam Douglas #Story-Heroisms

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harley-sunday · 2 years ago

Text

Feels Like Home [02]

Summary: When an unexpected three-week break between Monza and Singapore finds Daniel back on his farm in Perth he’s desperate to use this time to clear his mind, figure out his future in Formula One, and find his way back. He didn’t expect a new neighbour, a sassy two-year old, and three alpacas would make him realise that sometimes, what you’re looking for is right in front of you.

Pairing: Daniel Ricciardo x reader (unnamed OFC)

Warnings: Language

Word count: 4.3k

AN: So... The idea was to post a new chapter every week but fuck it. It’s race week, bb’s and all the Daniel content is making me feels all sorts of things so here we are. Hope you like it ♥

Masterlist

It’s after his meeting with Blake and Michael, where they decided to decline the offers Alpine and Haas have made and Blake said he'd try to see if they can schedule another meeting with Red Bull in Singapore, that Daniel finds himself wandering around the house a little restless. He’s supposed to look at race data, promised his engineer he would before their online meeting tonight, the time difference between here and the UK meaning the meetings are always either shit early in the morning or late at night, but he doesn’t think he’ll be able to concentrate enough to take notes. Plus, he’s finished outside of the points the last four races so is there really anything else to say except that they need to improve and up their game?

He decides he’ll look at the data later and instead grabs his car keys from the kitchen island, hoping that maybe a visit to Oscar will help clear his mind. There’s something about the way his elderly neighbour always seems to know exactly what to say, always ready with some solid advice or helping him to put things into perspective, that he’s come to appreciate greatly over the years.

The drive over doesn’t take more than fifteen minutes and when he parks his truck in front of the house he catches himself looking around, looking for her. She doesn’t seem to be outside and so he makes his way to the front porch instead, where Oscar’s dog Homer greets him with an enthusiastic bark. Daniel pets his head carefully, because even though Oscar has told him time and time again Homer is all bark and no bite he’s still cautious around him. When the dog settles down again, Daniel knocks on the door, three short knocks like he always does, before he opens the door and lets himself in, “Oscar?”

“Hi Danny,” Oscar greets him from somewhere inside the house. “I’m in the living room.”

“Of course you are,” Daniel teases, toeing his sneakers off before he walks to where he can hear an old rerun of ‘The Price is Right’ playing in the background. Oscar’s sitting in his favourite chair, his right wrist sporting a cast and a nasty looking cut above his eyebrow and to hide his shock at the sight of the old man Daniel plasters a smile on his face and greets him with an enthusiastic, “Jeepers! What have you gotten yourself into, mate?”

“Took a bit of a tumble,” Oscar shoots back with a grin, holding up his wrist. “Doctor said it was one of the finer looking breaks he’s seen in his career.”

“I bet he did,” Daniel says as he sits down on the couch, leaning back and crossing his legs at the ankles. “How you holding up?”

“Good, yeah. I mean, the doctor said I have to wait until the cast comes off before I can start physical therapy and even then it can take a few months before I have full use of my hand again. And don't get me started on the hip replacement-”

Daniel chuckles, knowing exactly what it is Oscar is getting at, “Going batshit crazy already, huh?”

“Like you have no idea,” his neighbour agrees with a grin. “I mean, it’s great to have the girls here, you know, to help out and keep the farm going but if I have to watch Larry Emdur-” Oscar nods towards the TV, “-stumble over his words every day for the next six weeks, I might throw myself off a cliff.”

“There must be something else you can watch?”

“It’s this or Neighbours, Danny, and you know how I feel about Karl Kennedy.” Oscar lets out a dramatic sigh, “Nah, I’ll just have to take it, mate. It’s what you get when you’re an old cunt like me.”

“Oi,” Daniel sits up and throws Oscar a warning look, “you’re not that old.”

“I’m seventy-eight,” Oscar counters with a grin, “and I ain’t getting any younger. I just hope it won’t be too hard for-”

A cry from upstairs interrupts him and Oscar immediately reaches for his phone, smiling at Daniel apologetically. When the person on the other end picks up his message is short, “I think Ellie’s awake, sweetheart.” He stays silent for a second before he nods, “Yep. Ok. Will do.” When he ends the call he shrugs, “Doctor says I can’t walk up the stairs for a while yet, so-”

“No, yeah, sure,” Daniel says, even though he has no idea what’s going on right now.

***

You’re in the chicken coop when Granddad calls and so it doesn’t take long to get back to the house, where you kick your boots off at the back door and hurry past the kitchen and living room to the stairs, realising too late that he must have a visitor because you can hear him talking to someone. You’ll see who it is later, you figure, your priorities elsewhere for the moment.

When you walk into what is now your bedroom but used to be your grandmother's painting room you are met with two bright eyes looking up at you from over the edge of the cot you’ve set up in the corner and you can’t help but smile at the way your daughter's hair is sticking up in every direction, “Hey bub.”

She drops her stuffed Koala and stretches her arms up at you. When you lift her up from her bed she lets out a content sigh, “Momma.”

Carrying her to the changing table on one arm you pat her hair down with your free hand, “Looks like you had a good nap, huh bub?”

Ellie nods and claps her hands together when you lay her down so you can change her nappy, whispering a quiet, “Pop-Pop.”

“Yeah, we’ll go see Pop-Pop in a second, sweetheart,” you tell her as your fingers make quick work of her diaper. “Let’s get you dressed first though.”

With a clean diaper, her favourite pink sweater and a pair of dungarees that your Granddad gifted Ellie for her second birthday, together with her very own pair of Blundstones, you carry Ellie downstairs and to the living room where- “Daniel. Hi.”

Something passes over his face for just a second or so before he flashes you a big smile, “Hi. It’s good to see you again.”

You want to tell him likewise, really you do, but you think you know the look he so carefully tried to hide because it’s the look every man gives you when they find out you have a daughter, and so you’re cautiously polite, “Nice of you to come visit Granddad.”

"I always keep good on my promises," Daniel says, a sincerity to his voice that makes you relax a little. He nods to Ellie, who's eyeing him suspiciously, no doubt having picked up on your mood, "And who's this lovely lady?"

"This is my great granddaughter, Elisabeth," your granddad offers with a kind smile. "We call her Ellie."

Daniel waits until you've put Ellie in your granddad's lap, whispering a quiet, "Gentle," when you let go of her to remind her Pop-Pop is still injured, before he holds out his hand to your daughter, "Hi Ellie, I'm Daniel."

Ellie studies his face, her little eyebrows knitted together as she tries to decide whether or not she likes him, before she pats his wrist, "Danny."

Daniel lets out a quiet laugh and if you didn't know any better you'd think he sounds relieved to get her approval and maybe, just maybe, you've been too rash in your judgement of him. He scoots forward then and tugs on the pant leg of Ellie's dungarees, "I like your pants, Miss Ellie. Very stylish."

You see Ellie spot the rose tattoo on his hand, her eyes widening in awe as she reaches out and traces her finger over the lines, whispering a quiet, "Flower."

"That's right," Daniel agrees with a nod and a proud grin. "It's a rose."

"Rose," Ellie repeats back to him, looking extremely pleased with herself and you can't help but smile.

"I'm going to make Ellie her bottle," you say then, knowing your girl will get grumpy real quick if you don't get on with it. "Granddad, a cup of tea for you?" Your granddad nods and so you look at Daniel, "Daniel? Tea? Coffee?" Then, with a cheeky smile, "A beer?"

He laughs and shakes his head, "Coffee's fine, thank you."

"Coming right up," you tell them as you turn around and head to the kitchen. You catch a glimpse of yourself in the kitchen window as you're filling up the kettle and curse quietly when you see how bewildered you look and is that a leaf stuck in your hair? Great. It takes a few tries but then you finally get it out, letting your fingers run through your hair then in a futile attempt to make yourself look somewhat presentable.

Once the kettle is on and the coffee maker is running, you warm up some milk for Ellie and rummage around the fridge to see if there's any Lamingtons left over from the batch you made earlier this week. You come up empty on your first try and so you open the door of the fridge even wider and stick your head in, sure that the container must be in there somewhere.

A chuckle and a, "Are you trying to get to Narnia, or-" scare the shit out of you and you hit your head on the top shelf as you try to stand up, cursing quietly as you pull out, "Ow. Fuck."

"Oh shit," Daniel holds out his hands to you, eyes wide, "are you ok?"

You pull a face as you rub the top of your head, a little taken aback by how worried and guilty he looks, "I'm fine. I just didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah, shit, sorry," he says and runs a hand through his hair, letting it rest at the base of his neck. "I just wanted to see if you needed any help?"

"Unlike everything else around here, I think I've got this." You're not sure why you said that, don't even realise you did until you see his eyebrows knit together, but it's too late to take it back and so you give him an apologetic smile, "Sorry. That came out- I didn't-" You wave your hand around, hoping he won't push anything, "It's fine."

He doesn't say anything but instead pulls out a kitchen chair and points at it, waiting until you've sat down before he gives you a kind smile, "You just sit there, I got this."

You watch him as he walks around the kitchen with confidence, pulling three mugs from the cabinet and finding everything else he needs with ease and it's then you realise he must have been coming over more than you thought. The microwave beeps then but he seems unsure what to do with the now warm milk and looks at you with his eyebrows raised, and so you point towards the cabinet over the sink, "The bottles are in there. Once you've filled the bottle,you should test-"

"Test it on the inside of my wrist to see if it's not too warm." Daniel laughs at the surprised look you must give him and explains, "My sister has two kids."

"Gotcha," you reply with a smile. "Must be fun to have an uncle who's a world famous racecar driver."

“I hope so,” Daniel says with a sad smile. “I’m gone most of the year so I’ve missed quite a lot already but they seem to enjoy coming to the races every now and then-”

“We do what we can,” you offer with a shrug. “Right?”

He nods but then throws you a look that you’re not sure how to read, “We sure do.”

***

After about an hour or so Oscar lets out a loud yawn and Daniel takes it as his cue to leave, knowing his neighbour doesn’t let anything or anyone come between him and his afternoon naps. Daniel says goodbye to Ellie by teaching her how to fistbump and then tells Oscar he’ll come around again tomorrow, just for a chat and to save him from having to watch ‘The Price is Right’ all afternoon. When he turns towards her he finds her smiling at him with a kind smile and so he returns it, “See you tomorrow, neighbour.”

She nods in reply and then tells Ellie they’re going outside for a bit so Granddad can take his nap and they can finish feeding the chickens and clean out the shed.

He’s not sure why he hasn’t noticed it before, maybe it’s the way the light falls on her face, but she looks absolutely exhausted. He doesn’t want to hoover, doesn’t want to make her feel bad about noticing it and so he doesn’t say anything but by the time he gets into his car he thinks he knows a way he might be able to help.

The first person he calls is Michael, “Hi mate.”

“Mikey, hey,” Daniel greets his best friend as he drives onto the main road. “Listen, you know my neighbour Oscar, right?” He waits until Michael hums in reply before he continues, “Well, he fell down a couple of days ago, broke his hip and wrist, and so he needs some help. I figured maybe you could hook him up with some prepped meals? Make sure at least he’s eating right, you know?”

“Of course,” Michael agrees easily enough. “Anything he doesn’t like?”

“I don’t think so but- Could you have them make two-person portions?” Daniel isn’t sure why he says what he says next, isn’t sure why he doesn’t just tell Michael about her. Maybe it’s because he wants to keep her to himself a little longer even though she definitely isn't his to keep. Still, he adds, “Oscar’s a big eater.”

Michael chuckles, “Will do, mate. Do you want me to ask if they can deliver it to-”

“Nah, I can pick it up. Just let me know when it’s ready, ok?”

“Yep.”

“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Daniel means it when he says, “Thanks, mate.”

“No worries.”

The next call he makes is to Blake, who sounds a little rushed when he answers on the third ring, “Dan, can I call you back in like five minutes? I’m in the checkout at Woolies.”

“Yep, no worries.”

He gets the call right as he turns onto his driveway and as always, Blake cuts right to the chase, “Alright, what’s going on, mate? What do you need?”

Daniel laughs, “Can’t I just call you to hear how my best mate’s doing?”

Blake doesn’t say anything and Daniel’s sure he can feel Blake’s eye roll from all the way on the other end of the line.

“Ok, fine,” Daniel says with a grin. “Is there any way we can clear my schedule from like six to nine until we leave for Singapore?”

“I don’t think-” Blake starts but then seems to change his mind. “Why?”

“I-” Daniel hesitates, not sure why he just doesn’t tell Blake about her. In the end he tells him what he told Michael, “You know Oscar from next door?”

“Yeah-”

“Well, he fell down a few days ago, broke his hip and his wrist, so- He needs some help around the house, so I got Michael organising some prepped meals for him and I figured I might as well be there to help out a bit, you know?”

It stays quiet for a second too long and Daniel knows Blake doesn’t quite believe him and is about ready to tell him the entire story but then he hears Blake sigh and can just imagine the way he pushes his glasses up and pinches the bridge of his nose, “Fine. Just for the record, I know you’re not telling me everything here, Dan but- I trust you. So please, don’t fuck it up. I don’t want to have to explain to Zak why you’ve broken a leg dirt biking or something.”

“I won’t.”

“Ok. Give me an hour and I’ll send you your new schedule, ok?” Blake clears his throat, “We’re still keeping the morning sessions with Michael, right?”

His morning workouts run from nine until twelve so as far as Daniel’s concerned that’s fine as is, “Yep.”

“Alright, I’ll come up with something to tell the team and I’ll let you know, ok?”

“Thanks, mate.” Then, because it’s true, “I owe you one.”

Blake chuckles, “Add it to the list, mate.”

***

Ever since you got here there’s been a certain monotony to your days, where you do chores around the house in the morning, so you can keep an eye on Ellie at the same time, and then move outside after lunch, once you’ve put Ellie down for her nap. Granddad calls you whenever she wakes up, which usually is right in time for afternoon tea, and you’ve come to take her outside with you so she can play for a bit and you can do some smaller chores. After you’ve made dinner Ellie goes to bed, which frees you up to go check on the Alpacas before you’re back in the house for the dishes and whatever else needs to be done.

Saturdays are no exception and so here you are, ready to head outside with Ellie.

“Out,” Ellie says, clapping her hands in excitement. “Out, out, out.”

“Yep, let me just-” you say as you try to wriggle her foot into her rainboot, “-get these on, bub. And then we’re ready to go.” Once both feet are in you hold out your hand for her to take and lead her outside, Homer following you without question. The dog’s been retired from his working duties when your granddad sold the fifty or so cows he still had a few years ago, but he still accompanies whoever’s working on the farm whenever he feels like it.

A quick glance at the sky tells you there’s rain clouds building in the distance but you hope it will stay dry until after dinner, or at least until you’ve finished your work in the vegetable garden.

You give Ellie her own tiny spade and tell her to have at it while you set out to dig some holes for the potato plants you’ve picked up at the agrishop earlier this week.

You’re almost finished when you hear a car pulling up to the house and when you look up from where you were hunched over, trying to keep Ellie from eating yet another handful of dirt, stretching your back as you stand up straight, you’re a little surprised to see it’s Daniel. When he told you yesterday he’d come by again today you didn’t actually expect him to do so but-

“Danny!” Ellie exclaims when she spots him, pushing herself up from the ground and wobbling over to the fence.

You see Daniel’s smile grow wider when he sees her and he quickly makes his way over, holding out his fist to her once he reaches the fence, laughing then when she bumps hers against his. “Hello Miss Ellie. How are you today?”

“Tatoes!” Ellie says, pointing at the ground with a proud smile.

“We’ve planted potatoes,” you explain, using the back of your wrist to wipe the hair from your face, your hands still covered in dirt. “Well, I did,” you add and laugh when you nod at Ellie, “this little troublemaker was more interested in eating dirt.”

Daniel chuckles and winks at Ellie, “Ain’t nothing wrong with that.”

Ellie holds out her arms to him then and Daniel looks at you, only picking her up after you’ve nodded to let him know it’s ok.

“Granddad should be done with his nap,” you tell Daniel as you pick up the spade again. “So if you want to head inside-”

“Oh no, that’s ok,” Daniel says and opens the gate that leads into the garden, Ellie resting on his hip. “We can hang out here for a while, huh? Wait until momma’s finished?”

Ellie pats his cheek with one of her dirty hands, leaving a trace of mud just above his beard, whispering a quiet, “Danny.”

“Aw,” Daniel coos, a warm smile spreading across his face. He looks at you then, “So I uh- I wanted to run something by you.”

“Ok,” you draw out, not sure what he’s getting at.

“I’ve known Oscar for a long time, right? And well, he’s always helped me out whenever I needed help over at the farm so I wanted to return the favour.” He waits until you’ve stand up before he continues, “I talked to Michael, he’s my personal trainer and he does all my meal prep and-” he waves his free hand around, “Anyway, he knows someone in Perth who can help out with that and I went there today and picked up some prepped meals for you guys. They’ll last you until next Sunday and I can still pick up the next batch because I don’t leave for Singapore until next Tuesday a week from now anyway, but this way you won’t have to worry about dinner so much. You just pop them in the microwave and you have a healthy, balanced meal for you and old Oscar.”

Your first instinct is to tell him that it’s fine, that it isn’t really necessary, but honestly, not having to worry about dinner would save you so much time and so you tell him, “Thank you.”

“And-” he puts Ellie down then and runs a hand through his hair, almost as if he’s a bit unsure of himself, “-I’ve cleared my schedule in the evenings so if you want I could help you out for a bit after dinner. I know you have the alpacas to take care of and-”

You’re at a loss for words for a moment, a warm feeling spreading somewhere deep inside of you at the kindness he’s showing. If you’re honest, really honest, it’s all been a bit much and while you didn’t necessarily want to ask anyone for help, not even sure who you could ask, Daniel offering to help out for a few hours every day would make all the difference.

He must take your silence for something else because he quickly adds, “I’ll do whatever you want me to do, if it’s the dishes, or just sitting with Oscar for a bit, or-”

“Daniel,” you say, putting your hand on his arm to let him know it’s ok. “Thank you. That’s really kind of you.”

He shrugs, “It’s the least I can do.”

“It’s more than you have to,” you reply with a smile. “I really appreciate it.”

***

“Ok, so this is Barbra,” she says as she pets one of the lighter-coloured alpacas, “but we call her ‘Babs’.”

They’re out in Eagle’s Nest, the paddock bordering his dirt bike track, and she’s taken it upon herself to introduce him to the three alpacas that are huddled together near the feeder. She nods, encouraging him to pet the animal but he’s- Hesitant. Babs looks very innocent, all long eyelashes and fluffy hair but he’s sure a well-aimed kick could take him out in seconds and so he prefers to keep his distance.

She laughs and grabs his wrist, “Come on, you drive fast cars for a living, Ricciardo. Don’t tell me you’re scared of an Alpaca.”

“I’m not scared but there ain’t nothing wrong with being cautious,” he shoots back but his voice is a little too high-pitched to make it sound convincing. He flinches when she guides his hand closer to Babs but when she makes him touch her fur and he feels how soft the wool is he relaxes a little.

She laughs and lets go of his wrist, “See? That isn’t so bad, is it?”

“Hmm,” he agrees half-heartedly, not wanting to spook the animal. “It’s ok.”

“It’s Betsy you gotta look out for anyway,” she says with a nod towards a dark-brown alpaca, a mischievous smile tugging on her lips. “She tends to bite when you get too close.”

“Good to know,” he says, still keeping his voice low, still stroking Babs’ back. “And who’s that?”

She holds her hand out to a white alpaca, the animal immediately going in for a head scratch, “This is Blanche. She wouldn’t hurt a fly.” She turns to him then and whispers, “She ain’t the brightest of the bunch, most of the time the light’s on but there’s nobody home, if you know what I mean, but we love her just the same.”

He laughs, “Gotcha.”

“Ok, so,” she opens the gate and allows him to step inside before she closes it again, telling Homer, who has come along in the back of her ute, to stay. “We’ve got their feeder here but I keep a bucket of grains in the back of my ute to keep the mice out and once every two days or so I bring them a fresh bail of hay.” She motions towards the shed a little bit further down, “They can seek shelter there at night and tend to huddle up whenever it rains, so I make sure to clean it out every day so it’s a nice place for them to be.”

He nods, trying to pay attention but he’s too distracted by the way she keeps touching his arm whenever she shows him something and finds himself wishing she wouldn’t let go. When she’s done with her tour of the alpaca paddock she looks at him expectantly and he can’t help but smile back at her.

She wiggles her eyebrows at him, “You sure you still want to help out?”

Daniel has never been more certain of anything in his life, “Yes ma’am.”

#Daniel Ricciardo #F1 Fanfic #Daniel Ricciardo x reader #F1 Imagine #DR3 #Harley Sunday x Daniel Ricciardo #Feels Like Home

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greyromanticghoul · 29 days ago

Text

home, let me go home

chapter 1: feel it only to lose it again

after following omega into the woods one morning, aether finds him repairing an old house. things escalate from there.

(future chapters are fluffier. i prommy)

990 words

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now that 'A Pale Tour Named Death' was over, there was a lull in the band's activity. That was when Aether had begun to notice an unusual habit of Omega's.

Not long after Copia had become frontman for the band, Omega— still on the surface for reasons Aether hadn't known then— had started to slip in and out of the Ministry. He would be gone for days at a time, returning covered in wood chips and dirt. Aether's curiosity piqued each time Omega returned, but he chose not to ask questions immediately. He knew the ghoul was still grieving and had a million questions running through his own mind. Still, the outings kept getting longer, and it was after one that lasted for four days that Aether decided to see what was up.

Yes, he knew that this was technically sort of stalking, but ghouls were naturally curious creatures!

At dawn that morning, before any sensible person would be awake, he weaved in and out of the trees, as he watched Omega trek into the forest with a stack of wooden planks. He looked dead set on what he was doing, like there was some super secret mission that only he had the answers to. Aether pressed on, maintaining a careful distance, trying to quell the rustling of leaves beneath his feet. He followed at a distance while making sure to match Omega's every step with cautious precision.

What Aether came across after a few more minutes of trailing behind Omega was nothing like his anticipations.

A house, dilapidated but strangely charming, in the middle of the clearing. Some parts were more run down than others, but it was clear that Omega had been putting in effort to repair it. Its framework stood proud, though weathered, and patches of fresh paint clung to its walls while others were chipped and smudged. Windows were patched with makeshift curtains, the roof shingles replaced with a mismatched assortment of new and old. Aether crept closer, careful to remain unseen.

Snap.

Aether winced as the sound of the breaking twig echoed through the clearing. Omega turned sharply, eyes scanning the trees. Aether remained still, hoping the darkness would conceal him.

"Who's there?" The older ghoul snarled, voice filled with an anxiety he was trying not to let show.

Aether's heart raced. He held his breath, attempting to blend into shadows as Omega’s gaze swept across the trees.

"Show yourself!" Omega's voice boomed, sounding more desperate than before. His dark energy overwhelmed Aether's senses, causing him to stumble in his steps as he entered Omega's vision.

"Just me, Megs," Aether replied, not entirely sure he was audible over the buzz of quintessence in the air.

Omega stilled, clearly not having expected Aether out of all people. Yet, that didn't stop his eyes from narrowing as he marched closer.

"What are you doing here?" Omega's voice was laced with suspicion, his silhouette imposing against the morning light filtering through the trees.

Aether gulped, words suddenly getting caught in his throat.

"Are you with anyone?"

"No!" Aether squeaked. "No, no, it's just me. I promise."

Omega’s eyes softened, though skepticism lingered. The air between them felt charged and uncertain.

"Why did you follow me?"

"I-" Aether stammered, "I was curious."

"Curious?"

"I mean, you disappear for days at a time and come back covered in wood chips and paint and other stuff. You can't blame a guy for wondering what was up!"

Omega sighed, his shoulders relaxing as he observed Aether's nervous stance.

"Alright, just... don't tell anyone about this place, okay? It's kinda my secret hideout."

Aether nodded quickly, relieved to hear some measure of trust in Omega's voice.

"How'd you find this place?"

Omega paused. "I don't really know. I was just wondering out here one night and then, poof, here it was. It looked a hell of a lot worse than this when I found it, though."

"So, are you repairing it just to give you something to do, or...?"

"It's... it's more than that," Omega admitted, glancing up at the half-finished porch.

"You didn't know Terzo as long as I did, but you still knew him, didn't you?"

Aether nodded again.

"When we were on tour, he had a habit of staring out the window of the hotel, the bus, no matter how tired he was after a ritual. 'It calmed him down,' he said. He wanted to see the world once he retired, and he wanted me to come along. And now that... now that he can't, I'm trying living Up Top. In his honor."

Aether hummed in understanding, thinking about how he'd probably do the same if Copia suffered the same fate. Omega continued.

"I thought, if he was still here, he'd like to see a place like this repaired. A little retreat, just for us. Somewhere he could escape the burden of being the Clergy's expectations."

Aether let out a soft sigh. "I think he'd have loved it," he murmured.

"You think so?"

Aether stepped a little closer, resting a hand on Omega's shoulder. "I know so."

Omega gave him a sad smile.

"What else do you need to do?" Aether asked.

"Well, half the porch still needs fixing, not to mention the railing, there are some spots on the walls that still need painting. The roof could use a bit more patching up too," Omega glanced around, looking at the work ahead. "But everything works inside. Water, electricity, heat, all that."

Aether thought for a second.

"Why don't I help?"

The older ghoul hesitated, a hum of surprise escaping him. "You'd do that?"

Aether shrugged. "Copia said we're not having another tour for a good couple years. I think I'd go crazy with boredom if I didn't have something to do."

Omega looked at him, then at the house, then smiled. A real smile, one that Aether hadn't seen since before Terzo's death.

"I'd like that."

#the band ghost #ghost bc #ghost the band #ghost band #ghost #aether ghoul #aether ghost #omega ghost #omega ghoul #the band ghost fanfiction #the band ghost fic

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zzencat · 4 months ago

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Tarot Mini Reading Request

My initials: SR, Sabrina Rocha

17.06.2004

Sun-Moon-Mercury-Venus-Lilith Gemini ♊️

His Initials: RP, Rico P.

29.11.1991

Coworker at gastro, leader/shift supervisor 2nd in-command. Charismatic, hard to get to know personally. Problem-solver, strategic and professional. Great at teamwork. Gym rat. No hobbies. No faith in love or trust, but seems to be devoted to God (wears cross), always has his doppio espresso. Speaks Spanish and likes Shisha bars.

Green eyes, tall and very fit, beautiful smile. Blueish-greenish grey aura/vibes.

Sort of became a little more softie towards me. Caring when I don’t make him book food for my dinner (one of his tasks for the team), sometimes double-asking. Defending me from a disrespectful coworker on some occasions. Seemingly being closer to me at times. Or like that time he stared almost intensely at my eyes….and I tried to hold the stare until I looked down and away…shy as hell.

Last time we worked together, I gifted him a letter. Sort of love letter confessing that I like him more than just a coworker and inviting him to a coffee date. Also reassuring him I respect him a lot as a person and hope nothing will change after this if he feels uncomfortable or can’t reciprocate the feelings back. At the end telling a little more about me via a self-made quote and songs. A few drawings and scents (coffee, vanilla and lemongrass) on the letter and envelope.

What will the answer be or rely to be most likely? Positive, negative. Any other cards telling more, as it’s a short reading?

I’d be willing to expand on that through paying a little extra amount for more card pulls and energy-reading.

Thank you so much already!

sabrina sorry but does his surname happen to be…puerto?? nah nah im kidding 😂😂😂 my own lil jokes haha im playin

rico’s energy?

ok so…he kinda has a weird energy to him? it’s kinda strange. it’s like he’s putting on some sort of act or something or maybe he has to but yeah you’re right about him being hard to open up. he’s getting there yes, also correct.. but there’s something that’s going to be revealed and it will change everything. it was probably your little confession, but he’s taking everything into account. it’s also strange that i got deception like 3 times in the reading already. not in a bad way but like…hiding his true feelings? ik this is a little late so idk if he’s answered you yet, but in his mind he’ll try to keep things as peaceful and harmonious, at least at work. i will say that whatever the outcome is, you’ll try to keep yourself balanced and logical. it’s gonna be hard at work but you’ll try really, realllllly hard. you might hold back feelings or suppress some emotions. also i pulled some advice for you. again, whatever the outcome, make sure you don’t change yourself. love will come to you naturally. ALSO!!!! be very careful materially. don’t be sharing finances out so easily, NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE!!!!!!! very important. be careful of theft as well. be careful who you let in easily. if you’re already guarded and are an alert person, that’s going to do you some good for now. i think you’re a fair person or at least you want to act fairly. you might have some moments where you feel like you have to overcompensate or prove yourself and your worth, especially at this job. be careful that you don’t become greedy materially. AND if people know you’re a hardworker and they happen to know how much you make, even if it’s more than them maybe, be careful with that as well. i want you to be super cautious money wise. you’ll feel down at times and to deal with it, you could put that energy into work or other things, so make sure you rest yourself and give yourself time to sit down and process emotions sometimes ok? i don’t think you give up easily either so good on you! you’re just getting started hahah. and you are worthy alright? don’t ever doubt it.

i think there’s possibility for there to be a love connection (in the future)! it just probably won’t happen super soon bc of financial reasons. he could feel pretty stuck and unsure how to really move on from now. whatever the outcome, he doesn’t want there to be drama between you two or work. he’d like to keep everything civil. if he’s a little avoidant, it’s probably bc you’re taking steps to pursue him. not that he thinks it’s bad! he’s just kind of in that…uncertain period, esp emotionally. it’s not you tho! not your fault or anything. the good thing is that he’ll try to be nice about everything. maybe it won’t happen so soon, but there is definitely a chance for you in the future with this guy. it could also be an age thing, so maybe he’s waiting for you to be more financially stable or just ready in general. he could also be in that energy where if he pursues this relationship, he’s thinking about *everything* that could change in his life.

that’s all i have for you sabrina!! thank you for joining the game :)

#mini readings game by teddy :)#tarot reading #tarotblr

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stuffed-x-arts · 1 year ago

Text

SLAY THE PRINCESS Voice + Narrator Designs

sorry they arent all 'complete' sort of. I was struggling and it was starting to feel like i would never finish at all and that the slay the princess interest may slip from my grasp altogether and i wanted to finish these before doing other slay the princess drawings and !! anyways yeah these are mostly to get an Idea of how the guys look, there may be potential changes in future but for the most part these are the guys !! design notes under the read more teehee.

beaks are so hard to draw but im trying smh

SLAY THE PRINCESS DESIGN NOTES:

ok first of all. maybe sometimes i will feel like drawing wings instead of hands, okay? teehee. all in good fun. these are all how its Supposed to be, generally, but i can bend the rules or edit them as i wish lol !! pupils are also a if-i-feel-like-it thing !!

The Cold

- light blues, icy, cold colours.

- thin, bony, pointy. his 'ears' / tufts stand up straight. sharper beak. etc. mid-length feathers on arms, short on legs.

- thin, long tail with a few feathers at the end

The Contrarian

- warm colours for the most part, potentially some blues or something for contrast. all rather saturated

- puffy feathers.

- simple no-sleeved vest that fits well.

- thin tail with rough, messy feathers that ends with two arrow-shaped ends

The Smitten

- more pinkish, purplish, red sort of colours. potentially rather vibrant and saturated also?

- lots of roundness in his design, including a more curved beak and relatively heart shaped ears. short puffy tail.

- feathers dont reach far on arms or legs

- little dots under eyes

- fluffy chest.

- more solid body

- two toes

The Opportunist

- blues and purples, perhaps a little orange

- looser shirt, long + big sleeves. deck of cards. plays with the cheated. Often cheats.

The Hunted

- greens, perhaps, greens and browns more neutral, natural colours for camouflage

- big ears. to listen

- stronger legs, ready to run and dodge,

The Paranoid

- orange, yellow.

- overpreens and stuff. lots of bent or broken feathers, occasionally some rather patchy spots. feathers dont have a clean end along his limbs. the others have some bent or broken feathers too of course but he's got it the worst

The Cheated

- weird feathers at his neck. fun <3

- deck of cards

- also has a like. mark/scar at the neck

- edit teehee: so neck feathers can be like. jagged. same for the ends of the feathers on his arms. jagged and all kinda like the whole razor princess route, you know?

The Skeptic

- orange, cautious

- long tail with feathers at the end that resemble a question mark

- maybe a choker or something?

The Stubborn

- more desaturated in tone. red.

- shorter tail

- lots of scars

The Hero

- Bandanna sort of thing around the neck

The Broken

- dark blues

- marks beneath the eyes

The Long Quiet / Player / Body

- during the loops its more simple. two sets of wings, one at the shoulder blades, one by the hips. rather small, unable to be used for flying. all the voices take after them in looks.

- is something... more though, in his natural state. similar to how the Shifting Mound is different than the ordinary princess you see. bigger wings, a more monstrous form.

- entirely greyscale

The Narrator

- toothed beak, sharp teeth.

- has a mane. whether thats made of feathers or fur or hair or what? who knows. All that matters is that its soft.

- regular bird tail, regular bird feet.

- paws. sorta similar to a lions?

- might mess with his colours a bit tbh but generally it sticks to dark grey or blueish

also have some drawings of working on the narrators design

OKAAAAY thats all teehee hope u enjoy !!!!

#slay the princess #stp fanart #the narrator #voice of the cold #voice of the smitten #voice of the contrarian #voice of the opportunist #im just tagging the ones thatre like. properly coloured and all smh #i want to draw these guys so much more please please plea #voice designs #i have silly ideas and i can only hope i manage to put them into drawings #hope u guys enjoy or at the very least have a nice day !! take care teehee #FUN FACT i tested out a sorta like. mohawk. crest sorta thing. only a short tiny one. but i didnt like how it turned out so.#yeah i tested that with skeptic and hero i think smh #ok yeah thats all teehee lets go see if i can finish some more drawings (typed with hopeful desperation as i look upon my gallery of #unfinished wips)

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maul-of-shame · 10 days ago

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Celeborn aside ,would you like to share more baby Arwen as Elrondriel baby headcanons ? Like did they plan her birth or was she an accident baby ?

Hi Anon!!! Sure sure, here you go!

*Puts on tinfoil hat*

More "Galadriel + Elrond = Arwen" headcanons!!

I don't think Arwen would be an accident baby, considering Elrond's and Galadriel's characters, they're impulsive sometimes, sure, but I don't think this child would be an act made out of impulses. Elrond and Galadriel starting a family with everything going on in Middle-earth would be a big, life-altering decision, and they'd probably put a lot of thought into it, especially with the looming threats they’re up against.

Here are a few ways I imagine things might go down if they ever decided to have a child like Arwen/if my theory happens:

1. Timing Isn’t Perfect (But When Is It Ever?)

With battles constantly on the horizon and Middle-earth in a state of unrest, it’s hard to picture them just saying, “Yep, let’s have a baby!” They’re both strategic thinkers—and would likely want to wait for some kind of peace or stability before bringing a child into the world. But life isn’t always planned, even for elves, and maybe one day they’d realize that, despite the danger, they still want to have a future together that’s worth protecting. Also, children are a BIG DEAL for Elves: they’re very intentional, mindful of family, and cherish any new life as a blessing and a serious commitment. I genuinely think they wouldn't try for one until Rivendell's settled and Lothlorien advanced or something? Like talking about it before that, sure, as mention or complete discussion but I don't think they would bring a kiddo before they have a sort of "peace" and a place to call "home" around them.

And maybe, just maybe, Galadriel would get it into her head that even if the timing isn’t perfect, a child could be something worth fighting for—a little light amid the darkness.

2. More than Just a Family Decision

Galadriel’s always seen the bigger picture (hell she's got like 3 brothers?????), and Elrond would likely share in her vision of what their family could mean. It wouldn’t just be about bringing a child into the world—it would be about adding something beautiful and lasting to Middle-earth, something to keep hope alive even in the bleakest times. Something that is both of them, something beautiful.

That said, I think they’d want this decision to come from a place of genuine love and longing, not just as a “symbol” or political move. They’re both such layered, compassionate people that any child would be born out of a deep, mutual respect and love for each other and what they’re fighting for. But still, with so many forces around them, they’d be cautious about making this leap.

3. Imagining Arwen’s Traits

As Galadriel and Elrond’s daughter, Arwen would probably grow up with a strong sense of independence and confidence, even in the face of danger. I imagine her having Galadriel’s fire and willpower but tempered by Elrond’s compassion and wisdom. She’d carry both of their strengths—Galadriel’s fierce, warrior-like intensity and Elrond’s gentleness. Though, I can defo see her building her confidence as time goes by, because let's be honest I think we're all a bit too impressed with our parents when we're kids and she would probs be a shy little thing at first? Like in previously shared headcanons, I can defo picture her being really SHY and having a lisp or maybe a stammering problem? But Elrond and Galadriel would of course be here for her.

Looks-wise, she’d have her father’s dark hair with little glimmers of Galadriel’s ethereal light, making her stand out wherever she went. It’s easy to picture her looking a bit like a starlit night—mysterious and soft but powerful in her own right.

4. Parenting Styles: The Soft & The Strong

Galadriel as a mother? She’d be fiercely protective, determined to make Arwen strong and resilient, no matter what the world throws at her. She’d pass on her wisdom about battles and strategy, her unbreakable will, and all the lessons she’s learned from facing darkness time and again. But with that said, that doesn't mean I don't think Gal wouldn't be soft and tender with Arwen. I think having Arwen would help her be more vulnerable and open herself again after all the hurt Sauron caused. "Just because he doesn't have a heart doesn't mean you should stop using yours" as I usually say, type of way? I think she would be very gentle and kind with her.

Elrond would be the calming presence in Arwen’s life, teaching her empathy, patience, and the value of healing and kindness. Together, they’d create this incredibly balanced family dynamic, where Arwen learns that there’s strength in both courage and compassion, and that she doesn’t have to choose between the two. I can definitely imagine him being absolutely wrapped around her little finger and be a "girl dad" for SURE.

5. Growing Up Between Rivendell and Lothlórien

Arwen would be raised in a blend of Elrond’s peaceful Rivendell and Galadriel’s powerful Lothlórien. Imagine how much perspective she’d gain, seeing both realms’ strengths and challenges. This upbringing would make her well-rounded and wise beyond her years, grounded in her heritage but open to the future.

She’d learn the art of diplomacy from Elrond and the importance of courage from Galadriel. Her heart would belong to both Rivendell and Lothlórien, connecting her to her parents and both their worlds.

6. Arwen as a Legacy

If they had Arwen, it’d be as much about building a future as it is about sharing their lives together. Galadriel and Elrond would see her as the embodiment of all their hopes, a living bridge between two powerful elven realms. She’d be a symbol of their shared love, strength, and commitment to Middle-earth.

And if they did decide to bring her into a world full of conflict, it would be out of faith in each other and hope that their child would live in a world worth fighting for.

In the end, even though I think they might be cautious about timing, the love Elrond and Galadriel have for each other could overcome their reservations. They’d be ready to raise a child like Arwen if they believed that she’d be a light in the world, someone who could make Middle-earth a better place and carry on their hopes, dreams, and courage.

Now, more cute baby! Arwen headcanons because we all need fluff XD:

"The Little Healer": Arwen has a fascination with her father’s work, proudly declaring, "I’m a healer, too!" She gathers leaves and acorns, then clumsily applies “medicine” to Elrond’s hands. He sits patiently, looking absolutely serious as she “heals” him, calling her his “mighty little healer.”

"Starry Night Lullaby": Whenever Arwen has trouble sleeping, Elrond hums an ancient Elven lullaby, describing the stars in detail. She eventually drifts off, mumbling, "I’ll see the stars in my dreams.” He kisses her forehead and whispers, “Goodnight, my little starlight.”

"Elven Hair Salon": Arwen loves braiding her own hair, but when she sees her father’s long hair flowing, she insists on braiding his as well. She’s not very skilled, and the result is always tangled, but Elrond wears her “style” all day, proudly saying he has “the finest stylist in Rivendell.”

"Butterfly Friend": When butterflies land on Arwen’s shoulder as she wanders Rivendell’s gardens, she gasps and tells them all her secrets. Elrond smiles, calling her his “butterfly friend,” and pretends the butterflies are messengers there to tell him tales of her bravery.

"Late-Night Snuggles": Sometimes, when Arwen has a bad dream, she sneaks into her parents’ room and clambers up between them. Galadriel doesn’t say a word, pulling her close while Elrond gently strokes her hair until she falls asleep. He whispers, “Our little starlight is safe here.”

"The Sneaky Biscuit Thief": Arwen loves biscuits so much that she has a knack for finding them in the oddest places. One day, Elrond finds her hiding behind a tapestry, crumbs on her cheeks, giggling when she whispers, “Don’t tell Mama!”

"Gentle Warrior": Arwen once picked up a stick and declared herself a warrior, clumsily brandishing it in front of Elrond. He knelt down with mock fear, letting her “defeat” him with a gleeful shout of “I win!” She proudly parades around Rivendell, calling herself “the gentle warrior.”

"Tiny Tailor": One day, Arwen tries to “help” Galadriel sew, enthusiastically stitching random patterns on a small cloth. Instead of fixing it, Galadriel places it on her dressing table, declaring it “a masterpiece by my little tailor,” much to Arwen’s delight.

"Elven Treasure Hunter": Arwen loves collecting rocks, twigs, and feathers, declaring them all “treasures.” She eagerly hands them to Elrond, who examines each one and places them in a special box. He tells her, “Your treasures will keep Rivendell’s spirits high.”

"Secret Garden Talks": Arwen loves sitting in the garden with Elrond, asking endless questions about flowers and bugs. Elrond patiently answers every question, even when she asks if the flowers talk back. He smiles, saying, “They only share their secrets with little star-maps like you.”

"Her First Word Was…": Arwen’s first word was, to everyone’s surprise, “no!” She said it so emphatically that even Galadriel had to laugh. Elrond pretended to be heartbroken, dramatically sighing, “I was hoping for ‘Ada.’” Arwen just looked him in the eye and repeated, “No!”

"Little Magpie": Arwen’s eyes light up whenever she sees something shiny, like Galadriel’s jewelry or Elrond’s robes with their silver embroidery. She’ll toddle over, grab whatever sparkles, and declare, “Mine!” Elrond jokes that she must have inherited her love of glitter from the Noldor, which Galadriel does not deny.

"The Ada Show": Elrond quickly learns that Arwen loves a good show—especially if it involves him tripping or making funny faces. If he pauses in his antics, she’ll demand, “More Ada!” And of course, he obliges, performing the “Ada Show” until she’s in giggles.

"Nose Boop Expert": Arwen has a habit of booping people’s noses with her little finger. Elrond always plays along, gasping in mock surprise, and she’ll collapse into laughter. She even manages to get a boop on Gil-galad’s nose once, who raises an eyebrow and says, “Only for you, little one.”

"Cheeky Compliment": When Elrond finally hears Arwen say “Ada,” his heart melts—until she follows it up with, “Silly Ada!” Galadriel bursts out laughing while Elrond pretends to be offended. “I’m deeply hurt,” he says, as Arwen nods gravely and pats his cheek.

"Mirror, Mirror": Arwen’s obsessed with mirrors and loves staring at her reflection. She tries making faces and then looks around to make sure everyone else saw how cute she is. Galadriel watches with amusement, whispering to Elrond, “I think she’s discovered vanity a bit early.”

"First (Accidental) Spell": One day, Arwen accidentally utters a tiny spell word she’s overheard, causing her favorite plushie to float. Elrond and Galadriel watch in stunned silence as she claps, oblivious to her own magic. They exchange glances, silently agreeing they’ll need to keep an eye on this one.

"Big-Girl Words": Arwen learns a “grown-up” word and tries using it everywhere. “Quite!” she says after everything, mimicking Elrond’s serious tone. If someone asks if she wants a snack, she replies, “Quite!” Elrond realizes it might be time to monitor his vocabulary.

"The Dress-Up Debacle": Arwen insists on trying on Elrond’s robes. When they slip right off her shoulders, she shrieks, “Too big!” Elrond chuckles and promises her that one day she’ll have a beautiful gown, to which she replies, “Now!”

"The Bad Word": One day, Arwen overhears Elrond mutter a “grown-up” word after stubbing his toe. She repeats it gleefully for the rest of the day, while Elrond groans and Galadriel tries very hard not to laugh, reminding him, “Now who’s the silly one?”

"The Great Adventure": One afternoon, Arwen sneaks out of her room and decides to “explore.” She’s found hiding behind a curtain, peeking out with wide eyes as if she’s in enemy territory. Elrond lifts the curtain and says, “Aha! Found you!” to which she whispers, “Shh, I’m hiding!”

"Picky Little Elf": Arwen decides that the only acceptable food is “butter bread.” If she’s given anything else, she’ll wrinkle her nose, push it away, and sigh dramatically, saying, “Butter bread, please!” Elrond wonders if his daughter has somehow inherited his brother’s flair for dramatics.

"The ‘Big Elf’ Chair": Arwen decides one day that she’s ready for a “big elf chair.” She clambers onto Elrond’s seat at the dinner table, declaring, “Mine now!” He lets her stay until she starts slipping, and then she grudgingly lets him take her back to her usual spot.

"Too Many Questions": Arwen hits the “why” phase hard, questioning everything from “Why is Ada’s hair brown?” to “Why do stars twinkle?” Elrond, patient as ever, answers until he’s out of explanations, and Galadriel gently reminds him, “You used to do the same at her age.”

"Her Very Own Staff": Seeing Elrond with a staff, Arwen wants one too, but it has to be “her size.” Elrond finds a suitable branch, and she marches around Rivendell with it, looking incredibly serious and declaring herself “a wizard.”

"Too Loud!": Anytime something surprises Arwen—a clap of thunder, a loud laugh—she claps her hands over her ears and yells, “Too loud!” Elrond tries not to chuckle every time she demands that he “tell the noise to shush.”

"Her Favorite Song": Arwen learns a simple lullaby from Galadriel, and she hums it constantly. Even Gil-galad catches her softly singing it one day, and he smiles, whispering, “A true elf-child of Lothlórien.”

"My World": Whenever Arwen’s sleepy, she climbs into Elrond’s lap, clutching his robe tightly. She’ll murmur, “My world,” before drifting off, and Elrond, touched, sits perfectly still until she wakes up again, whispering, “And you are mine.”

#elrondriel #galadriel #elrond x galadriel #galadriel x elrond #the rings of power #elrond peredhel #lotr arwen #arwen evenstar #arwen #arwen undomiel #lord of the rings #the lord of the rings #elrondriel theory #trop s2 #trop season 2 #trop #trop spoilers #rings of power

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ladypiscesmoon · 1 month ago

Text

PART 4 READING Jonathan Bailey&Matt Bomer/questions part 2

this reading is alleged/for entertainment purposes

10. Will Jonathan do any US BASED PROJECTS? Incase yes hope you cud tell in depth.

Answer: tower reversed, king of coins, five of swords

Yes/no oracle: Yes, I think he will in future. He's a rising star.

cosmic oracle: commitment (things are getting serious), cycles (fate, karma, something ending, something beginning), gold digger (they want your money, being used), yes (luck is on your side)

telepathy oracle cards: happy, openness

When I tried to get more in depth I didn't get more about what kind of projects, just that there will be projects. Maybe because there is nothing on the horizon now. Also, I strongly felt with the cards I pulled, most of them indicated he would go to the US for a personal reason, the projects will follow after. He has to be aware of people wanting to take advantage of him though. People are after his money.

I know you all want details, details, details, but this what I got.

11. With the honour gala next month for Matt and his husband Simon halls. It’s very confusing… Where is this marriage heading. Forever?Jonathan has finally moved on ?

Answer: Free will, remember? The cards I have pulled until now all indicate the marriage between Matt and Simon is not going well. I can't say for how long. Decisions can change the energy. Matt and Jonathan definitely are soulmates, but what they do about that, is ultimately their own choice. If Matt decides to stay, yes Jonathan will move on. If Matt makes another choice...there's a lot of things indicating that they would be happy together.

13. You just said Matt always keep it inwards never tells it out. Do you think that changes with Jonny or when Jonny’s beside him? He opens up ? Or will meeting spending time with Jonathan make him open up like never before? What does the reading say?

Answer: So I asked three questions: 1; Past: how was Matt before he met Jonathan, holding things back or more open? 2; current Matt after meeting Jonathan but not together: holding things back of more open about his feelings 3: how would future Matt be if Jonathan was by his side. Would he hold back or more open?

I pulled; 5 of cups, four of swords, one card jumped out, the magician and I pulled justice

Past Matt seemed to be going through some things traumatic, or a great loss. He didn't feel like an open sort of guy.

Present Matt seems to be tired, mentally overwhelmed and tries to seek some solitude to catch his breath

future Matt: I do think he would be smiling more and feeling more 'right' if it makes some sense with someone at his side who is lighter and more optimistic than he's. The magician tells me things could be good if they would choose each other.

14. Very tired, feeling down, unhappy. Aside from grieving for his costar/friend he feels down in general. He’s not someone that opens up easily, is he? Everything goes inwards. Thinking about how short life is, he knows he has to make decisions about his own future

Hope you cud take cards on this for both of them.

Answer: Jonathan:

from the light shadow tarot: ten of cups, judgement and from cosmic insights: honeymoon

He seems to realize he has a lot of love for Matt, he would still be with him if he could and feel happy about it. He thinks that life is too short to waste it.

Matt: the chariot, knight of swords, confession

It makes him think he should take a leap of faith and he will have happiness, but in order to do that he's got to leave things behind he loved or still love. His head is still a muddle.

15. There’s so much affection between the two of them, I think Matt couldn’t hold it in, Jonathan was a little more cautious at first, he wants to respect the boundaries set by Matt’s marriage. He has told Matt what he wants, so it’s Matt that has to decide if he wants to do something about it. I think Jonathan has actually been quite clear about his feelings. He’s giving space, but he’s not gonna put his whole life on hold waiting for Matt. If Matt couldn’t hold it in at this event when he seeing Jonny after just a month. Will the next reunion or every time they reunite be a ticking time for Matt?

Answer: I assume you mean a ticking time bomb for Matt. And if you mean by ticking time bomb if he realizes that if he doesn't take the leap he will miss his change with Jonathan I think I have answered this already in the question above. Yes, he is aware of it.

If not you not meant that I asl you to rephrase it so you can ask me again. *But if you want to that, you now have to come off anon, I'm afraid :) *

16. Will we see a Matt presenting or honouring Jonathan with an award like Jonathan did for Matt last Oct?

Answer:

These are actually two different questions: I took the liberty of rephrasing them both:

Will we see Matt presenting an award to Jonathan? Two of wands, no/ He would do it, if they let him. But I don't think he may. If Jonathan wins an award of course.

Will we see Matt honoring Jonathan if he wins an award? Page of cups, yes / He would certainly acknowledge Jonathan, they are both very proud of each other

17. I honesty don't think being apart is going to be helpful considering how strong their love is for eo unconditionally. This is not that kind of friendship where ur just happy for afar seeing eo. There's way too many feelings involved. Oftentimes I wonder "RIGHT PERSON BUT AT THE VERY WRONG TIME"

Distance is definitely not helping becoz they become inseparable when they reunite and openly affectionate more so from the always cautious Matt. (Jonny had always been vocal and showing his affection regardless who is there in the room but to actually pull down those walls of Matt who is very careful of letting ppl in is just....' Hope u can take a card on the above.

Answer: from the cosmic insights oracle deck I pulled: manifest, cycles, mercury retrograde, guardian. From the panthea oracle: accident and care

Distance is not affecting them the most. I strongly feel with these cards that it's Matt's decision if this relationship will happen. He's going through some things that are an obstacle. Really, I sound like a broken record, but this is what I see every time I pull for the both of them. Something ending, something beginning. Tell the universe what you truly want.

Mercury retrograde has. affected (last August) or will affect (in December) Matt. he's cautious, yes, but he also can't resist Jonathan's caring personality. But yes, you can't have your cake and eat it too. there comes a time that the decision will be out of Matt's hands. And still, the universe is rooting for them. Everything is in place. But I agree. Maybe it's the right person, but the wrong time.

18. Wicked press starts soon all over Uk, US, Australia and all over the world. Jonny will join as he's the male lead. Will Jonathan being everywhere on social media doing press be a testing time mentally for Matt? Emotionally? Incase he's trying to detach from him and refocus on his own work... Could you take a card…

Answer: from the light shadow tarot: four of swords, eight of cups, ace of swords/ panthea oracle: eternal love, alliance, fury

He's not trying to distance himself, but it will be difficult to see Jonny more and not be able to meet him. But Matt is on a spiritual journey at the moment, he may have a short fuse because he's emotional, but an introvert

19. Is Hugh Skinner really Jonny's best friend or there's more than friendship/ and does he interfere with Jonny and Matt's relationship?

Answer: No, he's not interfering with their relationship/ no he's a good friend

20. Are they ever jealous of each other when they seem to be with someone else?😏 like does it make Matt jealous to see Jonny with someone else and vice versa?

Answer: I rephrased this a bit for Matt, because another third or fourth party would be a bit too much, don't you think? Yes, Matt is jealous if Jonathan is with someone else and Jonathan is jealous of Simon

21. Do they still want each other or moved on from each other?🥺Thank you😘💕

Answer: according to these cards from the love truth oracle deck, they both still seem very much into each other

#celebrity tarot #matt bomer #jonathan bailey

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lightxshadow · 2 months ago

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starter: @norbiegrafton setting: in the gardens of gulltown after the celebrations in the westerlands. context: zia has been living in gulltown for a few moons at the invitation of queen ravella and lord grafton. she chose not to attend the celebrations in the westerlands due to her conflict with the reach.

zia had to admit that she had been lonely while most of the grafton household had left for the west. she had become used to seeing the same faces every day, and she had settled in a routine of her own. she walked a lot. she still felt rootless and desperate to be reunited with her daughter, but not all days were as bleak as they had been upon her return to braavos. she had a cautious hope for the future again. in her darkest moments in braavos, her mother had told her that she had the choice between giving up on life, or to continue on living, to fight for her daughter. it was only when she accepted the invitation to stay in gulltown, she finally made the choice.

she was glad to see the lord's party return home from the west. immediately, she started hearing whispers of what had transpired in the westerlands. she had not paid much attention at first, assuming it was some irrelevant court intrigue, but then she heard it. hightower. and she had desperately been searching for more information since then. it was then she spotted a pack of ladies, and behind them norbie was trotting down the path. she politely greeted the ladies, but purposefully did not keep them long, even though they all seemed to stand around. zialla was not stupid. she understood people wished to quiz her on the rumours that spread like wildfires. but thankfully, norbie had reached them by now.

“lord grafton,” she greeted with the same tone of politeness. it was unusually formal for how she often spoke with norbie now. they had formed a friendship of sorts ever since her arrival. “i hope your journey home was pleasant.”

when the ladies had finally moved on, she was quick to rush to his side. “is it true, norbie? about alicent hightower?” zialla could barely believe what she had heard people say. she had heard about alicent hightower and her role in the dance of dragons, but she could never have imagined the woman still drew breath. “they say she has been in the hightower all this time, but i never saw any trace of her.” her dark eyes were wide, her mind racing with all the gossip she had heard. “and they say she was the one to kill garland and simonetta.” a fitting end for her late husband. she was not totally devoid of sympathy. she mourned that rosaria would grow up without a father. but he had abandoned and humiliated her while she was grieving, left her with no choice but to leave behind her daughter, only then to give rosie to her worst enemy in westeros. the woman who openly hated her. so she could not possess that much sympathy, not even on behalf of her daughter.

#( c: norbert grafton 001. )

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timeforafuckingcrusade4 · 2 years ago

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Lucifer x reader

Cigarette Break

Warnings: cigarettes? Nah honestly there's nothing else besides that I suppose

Also this is my first Fic? One-shot? I've posted so I hope you all enjoy it and let me know if you do I appreciate any support!

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Usually the hustle and bustle of the brothers fighting didn't bother you, but today it was getting on your last nerve. You were trying to concentrate on your magic history homework that was provided at RAD and the shouting and squabbling was becoming hard to block out. You persevered and popped your headphones in turning the volume to max and finding a playlist to drown out the noise outside your door, you wished that you had been given the attic room from time to time so then you'd maybe have a bit more peace and quiet or more than you had now, but given Belphies imprisonment up there it was very unlikely, it was hard being on the first floor where the brothers usually had no choice but to be together in similar rooms and clash as they did but it was probably always going to be like this regardless of where you were stationed in the house; you were probably cashing in all your good karma to have the room to yourself as it was because the brothers were usually joined at your hip like needy infants.

Eventually you ended your assignment and let out a tired sigh. It was about time. You sunk into your chair and let the relief wash over you and after a minute or so you took one of your headphones out to see if the commotion had died down... it hadn't and you placed the device back into your ear when a notification disrupted your music. Hesitantly you checked it hoping it wasn't one of the brothers pestering you to intervene in whatever petty argument they had gotten themselves into, but to your surprise it was the future demon king himself. Shortly another notification popped up indicating some form of urgency.

Ah MC I hope I'm not bothering you but I'm worried about Lucifer. He offered to share my work load as it is due to be submitted tomorrow and I fear he's taken too much on in a short amount of time. I need to know how he's doing.

I have messaged him directly myself but he isn't responding so could I possibly ask you to check in on him for me

Lucifer not answer Diavolo? That was like. Unheard of. Maybe he had fallen asleep or something? Either way you were slightly concerned and replied to Diavolo with a simple "of course" before raising yourself from your seated position. You removed your head phones and set them on the table before having a little stretch and leaving your room, making a mental note to make yourself scarce around the brothers to avoid being dragged into their shenanigans, but by now the climax of whatever dispute they were having was pretty much finished but you were cautious nonetheless.

If you were Lucifer you'd probably be in your private study right now as it was the best place to be left to your devices in peace so you decided to check there first. To get there you had to pass through the library and to no surprise Satan was lounging on one of the sofas reading some sort of book something related to curses or cats you figured.

"Uh Satan have you seen Lucifer about?" You spoke quietly to not completely take his attention away from what he was reading because god forbid if you made him lose where he was. You dreaded to think.

"Not personally no. He's probably in his study" he didn't pry his eyes away from his book for one second so that suggested to you that he didn't know or care where Lucifer was. He probably wasn't the best person to ask about Lucifer related things in the first place.

"Right thanks"

You made your way into the study taking slow steps so you could observe your surroundings. The towering bookcases and dark atmosphere didn't ease the tension in the air. You made your way over to the banister to look see if Lucifer was at his desk and unfortunately for you he wasn't which meant he clearly wasn't here and you had to go look for him. It made sense to you to check the room to find any indication to where he might have gone so you weren't wandering like a wyvern stray.

You desended the study stairs and made your way over to Lucifers desk passing the small coffee table and chairs near the fireplace taking note of the whiskey bottle placed haphazardly on the mantlepiece. Well he'd been drinking because the lid was resting beside the bottle itself and you made your way to the desk taking note of the pile of papers which were in some form of organised mess. A glass of half drunken whiskey was placed to the side along with Lucifers D.D.D which was flashing with many missed notifications, presumably from Diavolo, so he definitely wasn't here that was obvious so you began to flip through the paperwork to see how much of it was completed and as far as you could tell it was all done. You began to neatly stack the papers in front of you to save Lucifer a job later and something caught your eye, the desk drawer was ajar so to soothe the curiosity bubbling inside you you peered into it. There wasn't anything remotely exciting other than a few files and loose pieces of paper.

After you had indirectly snooped into Lucifers very private desk and cleaned his workspace you decided to go looking for him again. You checked your own D.D.D to see more messages from Diavolo asking for updates and you decided to ignore them for the time being and put your effort into focusing on finding Lucifer. You left the library with Satan still busy reading he didn't even acknowledge you passing by which made you wonder if he would've even noticed anyone leave at all. You wanted to pop your head into the kitchen to see if Lucifer was there, after all it wasn't uncommon for him to get a cup of coffee so he could carry on with his work late into the night with minimal fatigue. Once you arrived you tentatively peered into the room and saw three figures stood around chatting, you paid close attention to them and realised it was Beel, Belphie and Asmo talking about something or other and you decided to leave them to it to avoid further distractions. As you made your way to the stairs to make your way to Lucifers room you could hear two distant voices and instantly recognised them as Mammon and Levi and connected the dots that it was those two who were arguing earlier.

Once you were at Lucifers room you composed yourself and decided not to knock just incase Lucifer was asleep and taking a much needed break. As you slowly turned the doorknob you partly stepped into the room looking for the demon somewhere in the room darting your eyes from the bed, where you noticed his coat was splayed and then to the window. There he stood. He had his back to you but you could still see his sleeves rolled up from the angle you were at and his gloves were off. You fully stepped into the room closing the door behind you and the scent of Lucifers room fully hit you it was familiar and comforting the smell of his usual cologne filling the air but then another scent hit you...cigarette smoke? Surely not.

You began to gingerly approach Lucifer stopping just behind him as the scent of cigarette smoke was now undeniably coming from him.

"Are you smoking? That's new" You spoke clearly and sternly which caused a splutter- almost a choke- to erupt from Lucifer who turned to look at you with shock immediately.

"MC- Do you not know how to knock." He regained composure as the smoke he was choking on dispersed into the air and it gave you chance to fully look at him. His hands were on show which was unusual but his red nails were always heartwarming to see (you remembered Asmo telling you he paints all his brothers nails and even though he usually conceals his hands it was always a nice reminder to see that his nails are indeed painted too meaning he indulges in Asmodeus' activities) and you gained the confidence to look up his arms to see the sleeves of his shirt gathered nicely around his elbows, exposing his forearms in the process. His shirt was slightly unbuttoned and his usual tie was nowhere to be seen but you assumed it was underneath the coat that was thrown on the bed, his waistcoat was still fully buttoned though but you had to admit it was a good look on him. After fully examining him you could feel the warmth rise in your stomach and you couldn't tell if it was due to embarrassment from leaving the conversation linger or from being attracted to him in general and being in his general area.

"I didn't knock in case you were busy or getting some rest...I didn't want to disturb what little peace you have" you tried your best to conceal the lump in your throat and tried to calculate the right speech to staring ratio as you didn't want to make it obvious that you were gawking at him.

"Well you've interrupted me regardless so you didn't do an amazing job of that but I'll allow it...why are you here in the first place?" you could feel him staring you up and down and it made you shift in place where you stood.

"Oh well- uh- Diavolo messaged me saying he's worried about you because you haven't answered his texts and you had a shit load of work and he wanted me to check in on you and you weren't in your study"

"Language. And yes I suppose I have been neglecting his messages...good grief between this paperwork and my brothers is a minutes peace too much to ask for" His expression dropped from stern to forlorn and he took the final drag of the still lit cigarette and proceeded to put it out and blow the smoke out of his propped open window and discard of the cigarette tab. You couldn't help feel bad for him, but you couldn't also help feel like it was slightly self inflicted as his prideful nature almost made it impossible for him to ask for help, but what can you expect from the Avatar of Pride himself.

"So that's why you're having a cig break? Understandable I can't say I blame you, but you could've asked for my help sure I had some homework but I got that done in no time and I'd of been happy to lend a hand" You could feel his eyes on you for what seemed like an eternity and he soon darted them out of the window running his hand through his hair and sighing which didn't help the warmth you were feeling.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but as you said you had your own assignments you don't need to bother yourself with mine as well...ugh I guess I better get back to it and reply to Diavolo before he sends a search party to find me" You let out a small breathy laugh at the search party comment.

"You know I'd help you if you asked me right? Like maybe if you allowed me to you wouldn't be as stressed as you are now...I already do my bit with your brothers what's a bit more work on top of that" He had his back turned to you as he closed his window and he let out another large sigh before turning to face you once more.

"You never take no for an answer do you?"

"I learn from the best"

"Regardless I admire your persistence and I find it equally irritating as well as endearing...you definitely are unusual"

"Well I've been with you lot for too long you start to learn as you go and well you're a stubborn cunt"

"Language. Again."

He rested against the window frame and began to shake his head at you closing his eyes whilst doing so, but you could swear you saw a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Thankyou for checking up on me MC I'll return to what I was doing now"

He stood up and you could see him readying himself to leave however he got closer to you.

"But there's one more thing"

He closed the gap between you looming over you and cupping your face with one of his now ungloved hands and you could feel the heat radiating between the two of you. He placed his thumb on your now parted lips placing it firmly on your bottom lip and he slowly moved his face closer to yours his red eyes piercing your own like he was medusa and you were turning to stone and the scent of whiskey and cigarette smoke filled your lungs.

"If you tell anyone- my brothers and Diavolo included that you caught me indulging in a cigarette you're going to be in big trouble do I make myself understood?"

You could only muster a weak nod as you didn't want to tear your eyes away from the demon in front of you and you could feel the shudders from his touch coursing through you and it made you squirm.

"Good."

Lucifer stood up to his full height and removed his hand from your face like it was nothing and made his way towards the door. You should've been used to him doing this to you, but it shocked you everytime he pulled a stunt like this despite knowing it was his nature to be assertive. The demon then stopped at the door with his hand on the handle and held it there as he turned to look in your direction.

"I love it whenever I leave you breathless and shuddering if you wait here I won't be long and we can pick straight back up from where we've just left off? Be back shortly"

#obey me shall we date #obey me #obey me lucifer #obey me lucifer x reader #obey me lucifer x mc

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