#i hope i can finish part 16 tomorrow
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n0cturn4 · 2 months ago
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In every universe
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1.
-"Did you know you’re my favorite part of the day?"
- "Really? And why’s that?"
- "Because when I’m with you, the world just feels… right."
2.
- "You know what I like most about you?"
- "What?"
- "Everything I never knew I was looking for."
3.
- "Why are you looking at me like that?"
- "Because I’m trying to understand how someone can be this amazing."
4.
- "When did you realize you liked me?"
- "When I realized that any place with you was where I wanted to be."
5.
- "Do you have any idea how happy you make me?"
- "I hope it’s as much as you make me."
6.
- "Promise you’ll never leave?"
- "I don’t know what’s harder… leaving you or promising to stay forever, knowing I’d never want to go."
7.
- "I love the peace you bring me."
- "And I love knowing that I’m your safe place."
8.
- "Why are you smiling like that?"
- "Because I realized that just looking at you feels like home."
9.
- "Do you think we’ll find each other in other lives?"
- "If it’s up to me, I’ll find you in every one of them."
10.
- "What do you want me to do for you?"
- "I want you to stay just the way you are. You’re already everything."
11.
- "If you could wish for anything right now, what would it be?"
- "I’d wish for one more minute with you… and then another, and another…"
12.
- "You know you make me kind of nervous, right?"
- "But is that good or bad?"
- "It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me."
13.
- "Tell me, what did you see in me?"
- "I saw exactly what I needed… someone who makes me want to be better."
14.
- "Why do we fit so well together?"
- "Because I’m the calm, and you’re the storm I love facing."
15.
- "Why are you so special to me?"
- "Maybe because you see me, even when I try to hide."
16.
- "Did you know I miss you even when we’re together?"
- "Why?"
- "Because I know that when the day ends, I’ll have to let you go… even if it’s just until tomorrow."
17.
- "What am I to you?"
- "You’re the one person who somehow became everything to me."
18.
- "Do I make you happy?"
- "Happy isn’t enough… you make my heart feel at peace."
19.
- "What if one day we drift apart?"
- "Then I’ll find a way to fall in love with you all over again."
20.
- "If you could change anything about me, what would it be?"
- "Nothing. Every detail about you is exactly what makes my heart race."
21.
- "Do you ever think about the day we met?"
- "All the time. It was the beginning of everything I didn’t know I was waiting for."
22.
- "If I could, I’d capture every moment with you in a jar."
- "And what would you do with it?"
- "Open it on the days when I need to feel your presence close."
23.
- "Sometimes I wonder if I dreamed you."
- "And what if you did?"
- "Then I’d choose to never wake up."
24.
- "Do you realize how bright you make my world?"
- "Then let me be your light, even in the darkest hours."
25.
- "What is it that keeps you coming back to me?"
- "It’s like the tide and the shore—I’m drawn to you endlessly, without reason or question."
26.
- "Do you ever worry that one day you’ll stop loving me?"
- "I worry that there won’t be enough lifetimes to love you as much as you deserve."
27.
- "Tell me, if you could choose one place to be, where would it be?"
- "In the space between your heartbeat and mine."
28.
- "Why do you look at me like that?"
- "Because every time I look, I see a new kind of beautiful in you."
29.
- "What’s the first thing you think of when you wake up?"
- "How lucky I am that you’re in my life… and that you’re real."
30.
- "Sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve you."
- "Maybe. But if you’re here, it means the universe has been kind."
31.
- "What would you do if one day I was gone?"
- "I’d search for you in every star, every breeze, every memory we made."
32.
- "Why do you love me?"
- "Because you’re the poem I could spend a lifetime writing and never finish."
33.
- "Do you ever wonder what life would be like if we’d never met?"
- "A little less bright, a little less real. You’re the reason my heart believes in magic."
34.
- "What do you see when you look at me?"
- "I see every answer to every question I never knew I had."
35.
- "Do you feel the same way I do?"
- "If love had a sound, it would be the way my heart beats whenever you’re near."
36.
- "What do you think we are?"
- "Two souls who were always meant to find each other, no matter how many lifetimes it took."
37.
- "How do you know you love me?"
- "Because even in silence, being with you feels like home."
38.
- "If love could be seen, what would ours look like?"
- "Like the ocean meeting the sky—endless, beautiful, and impossible to contain."
39.
- "Do you think you’ll ever tire of me?"
- "Only if a flower tires of blooming toward the sun."
40.
- "How do you feel when we’re apart?"
- "As if I’m waiting to breathe, holding my heart until I see you again."
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empressgetou · 6 months ago
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HIS TREASURE
chrollo x zoldyck reader
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being born as a girl zoldyck is not a fancy fairytale story or rainbows and unicorns. it is a hundred times more darker and gruesome if you ask y/n. in her younger years, whenever she was tasked to do things outside the kukuroo mountain, she would finished her tasked first and foremost then wander into places in her spare time.
specifically, in yorknew city since most of her jobs are around these parts. that is where she met him. chrollo lucilfer, her boyfriend, and the phantom troupe's leader.
she about not older than 9 years old, when she happen to wander around the city after finishing her job and chrollo who was 11 years old at that time, who happens to be doing the same, spying and observing people around. his attention was caught by her straight-long silver colored hair that complemented her body and pale skin, making him thought she was interesting and decided to follow her discreetly or so he thought.
y/n felt a pair of eyes trying to burn in the back of her head, sensing a great amount of nen she swiftly tried to get away without him suspecting. but before she could turn to the other corner of the alley he jumped in front of her. confused how he managed to caught up with her speed and from a crowded place.
"you're not gonna kill me are you?"
"not, if you're going to tell me why'd you try running away from me?"
"you have a strong nen in you, i assumed you were targeting me that's why."
"ohh! so you know about nen! i just learned them recently."
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a day just before y/n turns 16, she's currently still in york new city, who had just finished her job. she is on her way to the airport going back home and unexpectedly received another call.
"happy birthday." greeted by a gentle voice on the other side of the phone.
"i dunno if you forgot that tomorrow is my birthday or you're just teasing." her lips slowly forming a smile.
his audible laugh can be heard from the other side, "the latter... why don't you turn around so you can have your early present."
as soon as she shifted her gaze, there, she saw chrollo approaching her way who has his right hand in his ear holding the phone and his left hiding in the back.
he stopped in front of her and handed her a small bag. she opened it without hesitation and sees a gold necklace with a small open heart and a cross similar to his tattoo hanging, that have every bit of diamonds embedded into it.
"you didn't steal this right?" she joked causing them to both laughed.
"absolutely not. i had them customized for you."
his statement made her heart weak and hugged him as if the world depends on it. he was taken back a bit and hugged her back.
"happy birthday, angel. wish i could celebrate it with you tomorrow but oh well maybe next time." his voice was ever gentle holding her body close to his.
"you know my family, they say it's important to be together in this special occasion ." she replied that made her cringe.
"though i hoped you didn't threaten the jeweller to make these." he laughed again and shook his head saying a no.
"thank you, i love it."
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y/n now age of 24. she managed to hide his relationship with chrollo all throughout these years from his family, and from her father especially. though she did thought that illumi who was close to her may have a hint about this relationship but not that she minded. years and years of training, she became much stronger of her abilities. if grandpa zeno were to ask, he'd definitely say that y/n could be on par or much much more skillful than illumi if she wishes to be.
i mean she is trained by the most infamous family of assassins and together with that she was also trained by the leader of the phantom troupe, a world-famous gang of thieves and a criminal organization, though she would sulk from time to time since chrollo would not give her a special treatment just because they are lovers.
she was taking a break in her training outside at the back of their manor when a butler came and brought news that killua had already come home to god knows where he had been. she and killua have a very close relationship together with her younger siblings, and she doesn't deny that she each love all of them differently and yes that includes milluki.
a few days later, she came home late because apparently she was too busy strolling around their hometown, she then heard from her mother's call that killua's friends came to get him out of this hellhole of a place. well, if she were in killua's place, she would've gone with them. she tried to run away for years, but she keeps coming back because her poor younger siblings would face the wrath of illumi and their father would constantly gaslight her into punishing them badly if she were to run away for good. she know how her old man works his way through them and how everyone in the household is manipulated by him and of course illumi learned how to effectively use it on them too.
-
she loves her family, she treasures them but she hates how they are being treated like toys and disposable objects if you were to fail them. but for the sake of everyone's peaceful life especially her younger siblings. y/n made the sacrifice to not leave kukuroo mountain and made a deal with his father to leave her siblings alone and she'll be working in the family business and after she finishes her work they'd let her be outside their home because they know eventually she'll just come back.
if she was born a male, her father would've made her the successor of the family considering she inherited the zoldyck genes and power but alas killua was born, a more suited heir and a prodigy. she was the first prodigy before killua, and if her wishes were to be granted, she is willing to follow whatever her father's wishes to if it means protecting the younger ones who wants a normal life. but they all know that their life wouldn't be normal because of their family's reputation and history.
-
she went straight into the butler's quarters knowing killua's friends were waiting for him. she then saw a few butlers waiting outside. as soon as they saw the lady, panic in their eyes risen and tried to convince the lady to wait for killua.
"what's the big deal, i just wanna meet his friends."
"well... uhmm but the lady would be furious if we were to–"
"i don't care what she says, i'm harmless see? now lemme through or my hands are gonna go through your head." that made every last one of them gulped into fear.
"nee-chan no need to be so violent, let's go meet them together." killua's voice was heard from the door thinking killua may have gotten here first, that made her stop approaching the butlers.
"hmp they wouldn't let me through, m'not gonna eat your friends you know." killua giggled her sister's childish remarks and held her hand to his.
"teehee i know, now let's go meet them." snickering while his cat face evidently showing.
y/n having a strong sense of hearing can hear the clanking of metals and eventually stopped, she looked at his brother to see if he also heard it.
"you think they're tryna kill your friends?" she joked.
"nahhh they wouldn't dare." true since he was already free to go with them according to their father.
"well im glad that he let's you do that. i hope you enjoy every bit of time with your friends." she smiled ever so sweetly.
killua looked at her again, "what about you neechan? aren't you gonna leave here? you don't wanna stay in this place."
"no, neechan has to do a lot of things back here. but you'll definitely see me around if i do work outside, if your'e lucky." she winked at him.
as killua opened the door he dashed near his friend near his age, he calls him gon, and the blond male named kurapika and a bit older teen with glasses named leorio. she quietly the entered and the others sensed another presence behind the door.
gotoh was the first one to greet, seeing their lady unexpectedly showing to the guests, "m'lady, you have arrived. this is killua-sama's friends. they came to get him" explaining as he bowed.
"yes, i've heard." roaming her eyes into each of them. studying their appearances and this one particular glasses man was staring at her intently making her eyebrows raised.
"well it seems you have good friends, don't you kill?" killua nodded and grabbed gon's hand pulling him in front of the woman.
"this is gon, he's my best friend. he's my age too, neechan! and that blonde is kurapika and the old guy is leorio."
"i'm not old! i'm only nineteen!" leorio butted in.
"maybe it's the suit and glasses that's making you look old." y/n slightly smirked looking at him that made the guy a blushing madly.
"but don't worry, everybody has their own style. don't they?" she asked him and leorio nodded aggressively.
"this is my sister, y/n. and will you quit simping for him old man? she may not look like it but you're way too young for her and she's good at seducing people so don't let her fool you." killua said with a bit of teasing her sister making y/n laugh.
she then thought of an idea that made her smirk, "alright, that's enough. i don't want you revealing my secrets to your friends or that wouldn't be too good for you, would it?"
killua sweated making him regret what he just said, "aheheh gomen. that wasn't really my intention, neechan."
"i can see you enjoy their company kill, i'll take my leave first, i wouldn't wanna be on your way much longer. i'm pretty sure you all have come a long way." while taking a last look at his companions.
she grabbed his hand and hugged him ever so tight that made his friends surprised, the butler's however did not react a bit, for they have known that the zoldyck's daughter is more transparent to her feelings especially when it comes to her siblings.
"m'gonna miss you again kill. be safe alright, and no more trouble, okay?— don't worry, neechan will be there when you need her. i'm always close by." with that she left as soon as he kissed his forehead.
truly her sentence was a bit odd for killua's friends but killua understood what she said since she was always traveling a lot and not actually staying home all the time.
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5 months have passed and y/n and killua are in contact with each other of his whereabouts. she had heard that they were in heavens arena in the past few months and unsurprisingly a specific clown was also back there and then the remaining months he went to whale island with his friend gon.
she is, as usual traveling again and is currently in zaban city. her phone beeped signaling an email, fished her phone out and stared and the text indicated.
"meet me at *location*."
eager to see her lover again, she dashed her way to his whereabouts. as soon as she got there, there he was standing and waiting and once again with a gift in the table that she assumes is theirs and this time a bouquet of white cleome hassleriana with a few of rose lillies, and forget-me nots in them.
"i missed you."
"missed you too, lover."
he went to get her seat and settled her, y/n thanking him and she was already opening the gift bag that says dior and chanel.
"i thought that this day should be special so i went all out and got these for you."
seeing inside the bags that he bought contained some make up products, perfumes, and a few clothing and made her so excited like a child. he handed the bouquet that is already making her eyes almost tear up.
"aww you're making me cry, you're so sweet. i love thesee! thank youuu."
she went and dipped her head as she kissed him softly while also getting the bouquet in his hands.
"i really like these flowers and you got my favorite too! you're really in love with me aren't you?" she teased still admiring the flowers.
"of course, all the best ones for you, my dear." he smiled so softly as if he was not the most wanted criminal around the world.
"thank you, really. i love you 'rollo"
"i love you too." as soon as he finished his sentence their food came in and the cake's candle was already lit ready for her to blow off.
"ohh and cake?? you're too much" she giggled that made him smile even more.
"happy birthday, my dear."
-
"i'll be expecting you at yorknew city next month?"
"hmm yes, i've seen a couple jewelries that interest me this year and a few weapons too maybe i could use 'em."
"the troupe would be excited to see you."
"hihi i can't even wait much longer. i wanna tell them so bad and just wanna ruin the surprise, specially the girls haven't seen them in a while."
"don't, it's more fun this way." he smirked.
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yorknew city, a place that holds various annual auctions from september 1st to 10th, including the world's largest auction, the southernpiece auction, in which the world's rarest and most valuable items are sold.
by the gordeau dessert, some troupe are on their way to meet their boss in the said hide out. machi, nobunaga, feitan, and franklin. and the other spiders came from the other side are also on their way to yorknew city.
on the other side of the continent of republic of padokea, y/n still haven't woken up from her slumber and was already late for her daily routine. her mother, kikyo worries for her daughter all the time, and with that he ordered gotoh to check up on her on the other wing of the mansion.
as soon as gotoh managed to wake her up, she was already in panic saying that she was already late for her schedule to meet with the troupe which was supposed to be around 7 in the evening, exhausted from her training last night she haven't heard the alarm go off this morning and slept until afternoon came, which was very irresponsible as what her mother used to say. she was able to get ready in less than an hour and went to the airport for her flight and now she just gotta wait for the aircraft to land in the united states of saherta and meet with the spiders.
it was already past 12 in the night when she managed to get to the exact location, the boss was about to converse with the others when he felt another presence just came in and the spiders were a little too occupied to notice.
"gomen minna. i was supposed to come by earlier but i lost track of time." a gentle voice was heard and everyone whipped their head at the back.
"y/n!"
"y/n??"
"ohhh omoshiroi! y/n! long time no see!"
many reactions came from the spiders and the founding members huddled near y/n and she just laughed while holding the back of her head embarrassed for the attention given to her. she missed them so much. she found friends within them all throughout the years, her family.
"danchou, you never mentioned y/n was coming here! is she doing missions with us too?" asked uvo to which chrollo only responded with a slight nod.
"okay, boss everyone's here!" shalnark announced.
"well, boss? what are we stealing this time?"
"we will take the treasures of the underground auction."
"which treasures do you want?"
"ancient text, maybe? the boss does like books." machi suggested.
"no. maybe games, there will be many copies of most expensive games ever." feitan said in his broken japanese.
"wouldn't it be more logical to take precious metals and gemstone?" nobunaga butted in.
"all of it." chrollo finished and stepped in to the light so his face was seen by them and it made y/n smile.
"we'll be taking everything that's up for the auction."
"hold on, boss. are you sure? the underground auction is operated by gang from all over the world. just think about it!" excitement can be heard from uvo.
"if we do that, we're gonna make enemies out of every last one of 'em." he continued.
"are you scared, uvogin?" the boss questioned.
"no way! i'm ecstatic! i can't stop shaking! come on! give us the order boss!" uvo's voice is now getting louder at this point that made everyone smirk in excitement.
"i give you permission to kill them all. anyone who dares to get in our way." and with that uvo roared so loud that his voice reach outside of the building.
-
it's been a few hours after everyone had arrived and y/n and the founding members gathered close to each other and talk to catch up. they asked each other on their whereabouts for the past few years, some of them met each other by accident in some places and some met others because it was planned just like y/n and the girls would meet up from time to time whenever they have their free time. usually it's just near heavens arena because machi usually goes there for whatever reason, y/n didn't really asked. while talking to each other, y/n failing to notice a certain neon pink-haired eyeing their direction. he had seen y/n a few times more than one because of her brother and to think she was connected to the spiders made him excited. chrollo sensing hisoka's bloodlust from afar he decided to get down from his place and went near the spiders that's close to y/n.
"danchou, is there anything you need?" pakunoda asked and everyone stopped their conversation and faced him.
flashing a hint of smile on his lips, "why dont you ladies have your breakfast outside? it's already dawn, i heard there's this café i think you all would like."
y/n's eyebrows raised as she knows chrollo would usually offer it but this time he made it sound like he was sending them out of the hide out.
"oh yes, i've researced that there are many sweets to choose from. y/n, we should try it before we go off on our mission tonight." shizuku suggested that made the woman nod at her.
"should we get something for you boys?" the silver-haired asked.
chrollo flashing her a smile and said,"anything's fine," that made y/n nod her head again.
-
night time came and whoever was tasked to go outside for the evening are already in motion. y/n to her dismay stayed behind making her pout. currently sitting beside her lover making complaints.
"oh come on, why can't i got with them? it'd be faster with me helping ya'know?" she quietly whispers to which chrollo ignores her and continues to read his book.
not a moment later, his phone ringed. fishing it out and uvo's name on the screen. his muffled voice can be heard beside y/n saying that there was no sign of the items at the auction and the others concluded that the mafia might have hinted them that some bandits will try to steal or someone about being a traitor among the spiders, making chrollo decide to get the attention of the mafia and let the shadow beast follow them to locate the items.
hisoka, to his delight is thinking to himself on how the woman is a bit too close with the boss and it seems to tolerate her actions toward him. being to close with him, touching him here and their, talking to him nonstop and even lying her head on his lap, surely he thinks they're not just friends that's for sure.
an hour or so another call came in from machi, saying that uvo has been captured by a different individual and everyone decided to come back to the hide out. they then decided to track uvo and able to locate him captured by the nostrade family.
-
dawn had already came and still no sign of uvo, the boss decided to change their plans and is now currently on the hunt for the one's who kidnapped him and possibly who killed him.
y/n went off to search for her own clues and separated with the others in the meantime, afternoon then has set and she went to a house that shalnark managed to rob with chrollo. she sees chrollo already on his white buttoned-shirt and black pants.
he's so fine, she thought that made chrollo chuckle at his lover's stare.
she cleared her throat and told him the news. "my father and grandpa were hired at the auction to stop the troupe from interfering, they heard i was here and decided to call me in. sooo i guess, that's me against u huh?" she laughed.
"i'll just have to make sure your brother finishes his job before your family finishes me." he smiled softly as if he wasn't even planning a murder.
"no fun, but hey, if you manage to impress my father or grandfather, who knows maybe he might let you be with me. if he already knows about us i mean."
-
wearing her white silk above the ankle dress that matches her hair color and a silver heels, she was already sprinting towards where the meeting was supposed to hold with other assassins. nobody knows of an additional person in the job, only the two men inside that had just got in too.
knocking the big doors, everyone stopped talking and eyes went to the door. silva seeing his daughter already here, he then explained their own plan.
"she will be with us, you don't need to pay her, she'll be our responsibility."
while some assassins are amazed by a figure that just got inside, some were already complaining.
"a girl in an assassination mission? is she even capable of defeating a troupe member?" some smirked and snickered by his sentence, y/n trying her hardest not to get provoke.
kurapika eyed her for a second while y/n failed to notice his brother's friend due to her closed eyes stopping herself killing the others in the room.
-
after the meeting and everyone seems to be intimidated by the zoldyck family, truly living up to their name and fame as to what others had thought, they let the family be. the zoldyck's exchanged a few words and went to there separate ways to inspect the whole building.
"nevermind them, you yourself know better than those punks." his grandfather whispered before walking his way. y/n thinks that his grandfather may have thought she was offended by what they said, well honestly, she wasn't, she was more of pissed because she knows she's far more skillful than those amateurs and she was trying her best to stop herself from killing them there.
-
chrollo now was inside the building and at the topmost floor. an assassin seems to have followed him and y/n happens to spot him and decided to just tail him as well. and to her delight, she finally found where chrollo was.
"why am i alive? what's happening?" said the assassin on the side.
"this is an indoor fish. you can't die unless the nen fish disappears."
the assassin spotted y/n walking her way to the leader, while y/n's eyes glued to the assassin.
"kill him!" the assassin shouted at y/n making her smirk.
"why would i?" she smirked as chrollo had already sensed her presence, making him turned around and walked towards her.
y/n stretched both her hands out reaching for chrollo's shoulder blades, inching her upper body close, hands dangling to his side and leaned in for a kiss which chrollo returned.
"we wouldn't wanna get violent with each other, won't we, lover?" her sentence just made chrollo chuckle. y/n then stepped to the side as chrollo began his requiem for uvo.
-
on the other side of the building, the elder zoldyck's are still roaming around trying to locate the phantom's boss without knowing he was already waiting in a specific room. y/n being sneaky as she is decided to play out as if she doesn't know anything and went to his father's side helping them.
the two elders now standing in double doors sensing a great amount of nen inside waiting. the three of them went inside and there awaits chrollo standing firm.
"we meet again." he spoke.
"you remember me?" asked the father.
"how could i forget? you killed one of my comrades."
the two zoldyck's went forward and as chrollo went near them as well, y/n stayed in her position while watching the men closely. the battle soon began and the zoldyck's wasted no time trying to get to the boss. a little moment after, a burst of aura coming out of the three, using each of their special abilities and with that a blinding light has struck their eyes and heavy shockwave was felt and soon after, the battle ended.
as soon as y/n recovered her eyesight, she instinctively went to the broken concretes and trying to look for her boyfriend while hearing the sounds of a phone call in the background, hearing her father talk to illumi.
"you okay?" she walked passed the crumbled concretes on her way and knelt in front of him holding his shoulder. chrollo nodded and put his hand on top her hand reassuring he was fine, that did not go unnoticed to both the zoldyck men.
after a very intense conversation, the zoldyck's were now finished and trying to walk out of the room. while her grandpa zeno did not react to whatever they saw a few moments ago and walked out smoothly, her father silva, was raging with anger and was giving chrollo his death glare, to which the latter was doing the same. for silva to see his daughter seem to be close with the thief's boss is atrocious, she is in a family of assassins who's name was built out of respect and with dignity and to think she was fooling around with his enemy made him mad, or maybe he just couldn't accept the fact that the only girl in the family was comfortable with another man other than the members of his family. he will talk to her once she gets back on the mountains and give her a good word but for now he will let her off the hook in the meantime.
a few minutes later, the troupe was now walking inside the room that chrollo fought with the zoldyck's and they all proceeded to the auction room.
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"he's lying chrollo." the silver-haired woman exclaimed as she was glaring in hisoka's direction.
"he wants to keep all of us here, that's why."
"but according to his fortune, he seems to be telling the truth." shizuku explained while peeking at the paper.
"he could've put his nen to it and changed it."
fei snatched the paper and examined it,"don't see nen here."
what? i know i did, it was only for a moment but i did! she thought, and having heightened senses she saw a glimpse of his nen transferred to the paper.
"i know what i saw." she turned to chrollo and begged for him. "please we have to get out of here, or else there will be more trouble."
he looked at her and said,"let me see your paper. "
he read the first few lines and it was the same with the others mourning for uvo. but what caught his eyes were in the next poems.
seeing the truth was burden, you wished to have known better, as you saw a shadow of your own character.
a challenge between blood and water will clash, a spider so dear, if not careful shall pass.
as you mourn for the passed moons, you shall not overcome, losing your light to the darkness you will be succumb.
and true to her words, she seems to be telling the truth, but chrollo could not risk any more of the spiders to get killed. his family. not again. he had no choice but to keep them here. hisoka might endanger them all, including her. it's best to keep them where he can keep an eye of his family.
"so what's it gonna be, danchou?" shalnark broke the silence.
and another muted moment before he finally had decided. "we're staying." as soon as he declared to stay, hisoka's lust almost exposed and he will be a goner if he weren't too careful. y/n never believing what she just heard, turned her back as she walked to the door.
"i said we are staying y/n."
"and i'm not. i can't stand someone in the same room as that stupid clown. since you like to believe him anyway i might as well just leave on my own." she was being petty, she admits that. but something just tells her she shouldn't stay in there any longer, she knew what she saw and she'll have to get to the chain user first before any of the spiders do and finish him off once and for all.
paku walking to the same direction where y/n was a few seconds ago, when chrollo stopped her.
"she's going out to cool off. she'll be back."
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and she did, she found herself inside a café and ordered herself a hot choco to cool herself off. sitting in the window side, she can see traffic, traffic and traffic on the streets and rain pouring outside. a beep then from the phone was heard and saw chrollo was trying reach out to her which she ignored.
a little while after commotion from the people walking beside the streets were whispering something was running on the building itself. she saw a fading figure of feitan and grew curious.
the spiders now standing by at the hotels lounge while they wait for the others, chrollo currently still trying to reach her. but little did he knew she decided to follow them a little while after. she read his messages briefly and went to the exact location.
barely wet from the pouring rain outside, y/n paved her way in the hotel and sees a very very familiar colored hair, the two boys are being held by machi with her nen and the others are by the other side.
her eyes open wide as chrollo approached her carefully all while her eyes meeting another pair of cerulean blue ones.
"why are these kids here?"
"they want to catch a spider they said, for the bounty."
“you have to let them go. we can’t risk anymore trouble if we are to take them.”
not hearing any replies from their leader, y/n then looked back at the two boys who’s also looking at her nervously.
she imaginatively palmed her face as she is thinking of what are her plans next now that his own brother just got himself in trouble with the troupe.
she can’t tell him about it all just yet. she groaned to herself knowing she might have made a mistake of not telling his nosy of a brother sooner than ever. and that is not to get in contact with them.
“don’t think about it too much, we’ll get uvo soon, y/n” nobunaga talked at the back when he heard her murmuring stuff that caught his attention thinking that she might be just worried of their friend.
y/n knows his brother too well like the back of her hand, she knows the two of them really wanted just the bounty but it’s way too stupid for them to go after the troupe all by themselves.
what was he thinking? she thought all while glaring at a scared killua, that made chrollo curious.
“something wrong?”
and just when she was about to answer him, the lights went off.
she heard a few shuffling in front of her that’s when she knew killua made his move in which she immediately grab his clothes and not let him get away.
by the time the lights are back, they are all still in one piece. well, except that their leader is already missing and there’s a letter attached to an arrow planted in the walls.
killua still could not read everything thoroughly of what is exactly happening and why his sister is with the troupe, he has no idea and is afloat as of that moment.
y/n immediately looked at the children blaming them for their sneaky little stunt they pulled in front of her.
she then thought, if they wanted the bounty for them to have money for their useless gaming consoles then they should’ve just brought every one of them, but why just their leader? is chrollo alone already enough to buy such treasure? or was there more to it that just the bounty?
all the questions came running through y/n’s head but unfortunately, her questions were all answered when a ringing sound the building signaling a call.
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y/n somehow already figured the whole plot of why killua and gon had been chasing the troupe. apparently it wasn’t just for the money but they know who the chain user all along and is after a troupe member or well specifically, the chain user is after their leader. so they captured uvo to get the leader moving and make himself appear in front of him or her, y/n has no clue how to identify him because honestly she has not seen this chain user they speak of.
and this made her even more frustrated. she doesn’t mind if one of the troupe is in danger, they can get out of trouble all by themselves or with the help of others. what’s bothering her is the safety of the two children, who probably never had a moment to think all this thing through. putting themselves in danger by facing a thief organization all by themselves is insane. adding the fact that his boyfriend is now captured by the chain user who plans to kill him if they are not to hand over the kids over by midnight. certainly this was way harder than the tortures she endured from her father, she’d rather have those.
after a few arguments along the way from the call and back to the hideout, everyone had already agreed they would trust pakunoda to ensure the safety of their danchou by letting her hand over the kids alone in a specific place. as much as half of the troupe would disagree to save the danchou all by themselves, the other half wanted to agree with the chain user’s deal. they wanted to play this safe. they still want him back. they still need their leader with them. and that is what paku thinks as well.
before she left the hideout, she had to look intently at y/n to which she understood what she was already doing for. whatever the result may be, she is doing all these for them, for her leader, for her family.
y/n not able to contain herself as she was already overwhelmed by the turn of events, she instantly grabbed killua’s hands and met him in the eye.
“whatever this is, you take him back to us.— please, bring him back to us. to me.” holding the silver-haired boy as she whispered the last words ever so lightly so that they wouldn’t hear her.
y/n could not puzzle what pakunoda said after that, she just felt her shoulders were pushed to the side and seeing pakunoda with the boys walking away while nobunaga had run to catch her falling body. one last thing she knew was reaching out to her little brother, her head feeling a little too light and went black out.
just as pakunoda and the kids finally arrived at their destination, she was instructed to switch both killua and gon with their leader at the same time. with a condition that chrollo, could never make contact with the spiders again nor even talk to them or else he would die due to a nen that was connected to his heart connected to the chain user’s ability, if broken he dies immediately. pakunoda thought that if the clown was here with them, he probably wanted to battle the leader, but no luck to him since chrollo can’t fulfill his wishes because he cannot use his nen.
the switch of hostages already made and the aircrafts are now high up in the air, pakunoda deeply burdened of what should she do best for the troupe and for the leader. looking below, she can see that indeed the clown’s intention was to get to the leader to face him alone. and with the last glimpse of the scene, staring blankly, she could only wish she knew what to do by then the time when she comes back to their hideout.
a frustrated hisoka was all chrollo got to deal with when he explained his circumstances. after the clown left, he could only think of one solution and that is to head where he was supposed to, to take out what’s in his heart, to take out that nen stuck to him. as he was in deep thought, a sudden image came into view. his love. his most important treasure of all.
what would she think. he thought.
would she wait for him until the time comes that they can finally reunite together?
would she try to find a way for them to meet whatever it takes?
would she just leave the relationship and the troupe instead of looking for him?
words and words came through chrollo’s head, their relationship was more concerning since they had a fight not just long ago and they have not talked about it yet.
he may not look like it, but y/n can testify how his lover takes good care of their relationship. how he takes care of her. how he takes care of his family in his own ways.
it was indeed the most impossible thing that has ever happened between them yet, but one thing chrollo is sure of. he plans of going to the east to dissolve the nen in him. he will come back to them, he will come back for his family, he will come home to her.
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but, he never came back.
…or did he?
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masterlist
comment for part 2?
not proofread; may contain grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.
side note: ik it has literally been a year since i last posted, school sucks since i’ve gotta lot of work to do. so here’s another au for yall coz i missed being here :33 xoxo
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finnsbubblegum · 2 years ago
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The Neighbor (Joel Miller X Reader)
Pairing: no-outbreak!joel miller x f!reader
Warnings: fluff, sweet joel, domestic joel, rom-com
Summary (Series): reader as Joel’s neighbor. Joel’s wife left him so Joel asked his neighbor for help in babysitting Sarah. 
Summary: You came across your ex on your morning walks with Joel and baby Sarah. Is Joel just your neighbor or is he your fake husband?
Words count: 2k
A/N: I’m trying to make this as a rom-com, hope you like my new series! This is part 2 of Where It All Starts. I'm happy that many of you liked it so I hope you enjoy the next parts. Love you!
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Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20
It had been a few days since you babysit Sarah and you started to grow fond of her. You tried your best learning about babies and what was good for them. 
"I read that it's good for babies to get early morning walks." You told Joel as you put Sarah to her crib.
"Yeah?" Joel raised his eyebrows.
"Uh-huh. They said it’s a good source of Vitamin D." You stroked the baby’s head adoring her.
"Okay..I'll take her for a walk tomorrow then."
"Can I come? If it's okay with you. Of course." 
"Sure. No problem." 
You woke up earlier that day and got ready. You knocked on your neighbor's door.
"Mornin'." Joel opened the door with Sarah in his arms. 
"Morning." You waved your hand. 
"Come in." Joel invited you inside his house. 
"Hi sweetie, ready for a walk?" You caressed baby Sarah's cheek who was still in Joel’s arms. 
"I need to get the baby stroller ready. Can you hold her for a while?" Joel asked you for help.
"Sure." You opened your arms and took Sarah. 
Joel went to get the baby stroller and got it ready. He placed it beside you and you put Sarah in the stroller. 
"Okay. All done." 
"Let's go." You took the stroller and pushed it. 
"After you." Joel opened the door for you. 
The weather was nice. It was sunny but not too hot. It was the perfect weather to have a morning walk. You were happy you brought up the idea to Joel. 
"I'll do it." Joel slowly moved your hands from the stroller so he could push it. 
The three of you walked around the neighborhood looking like a real newlywed with a newborn baby. You liked the idea of thinking of having a family but deep down in your heart you weren't ready to start a new relationship. Joel probably wasn’t ready too.
"Thank you by the way." Joel suddenly thanked you.
"For what?" You tilted your head and faced him. 
"For this. For carin' about Sarah's health. I didn't even know babies need vitamin Ds from sun and everythin'." He scoffed. He looked like he was guilty of being a bad father. 
"Oh! Well, you're welcome. I'm trying my best to be a good babysitter." You joked. 
"I'm sure you'll be a good mom." He smiled at you. 
"Thank-" You couldn't finish what you wanted to say as you saw someone familiar across you. 
"(y/n)?" A familiar man called your name.
"Chad? You live around here?" You were shocked and startled to tremble because of arising anger inside you.
"No. I-uh- I didn't know you had a baby." He pointed at baby Sarah who was sleeping in the stroller. 
"Do you know this man?" Joel looked at you confused.
"Yeah, he was-uhm-my ex." 
Joel nodded. He opened his mouth wanting to say something but closed it again. 
"What are you doing here?" Your voice was shaky trying not to cry. 
"I was visiting my girlfri-" Chad answered but you cut him.
"You mean the girl you cheated on me with." You scoffed and rolled your eyes. Joel’s eyes widened and he crossed his arms to his chest.
"(y/n), I'm really sor-" You cut him again.
"Save it, Chad. I don't want to hear anything from you again. Let's hope we won't cross paths again." You wanted to yell at him, hit him, slap him but you couldn’t. Not in front of Joel and baby Sarah.
Sarah suddenly cried. You immediately moved to lift her to your chest and pat her back gently. 
"Shh..Shh..I'm here, I'm here sweetie. You want to go home, don't you?" You cooed as you tried using Sarah to get out of the situation. 
"Come on, Joel. Sarah wants to go home.” You put your hand to Joel’s upper arm.
You left your ex without explanation of who Sarah was or who Joel was, on purpose. You didn’t mean to use Joel and Sarah this way but you needed to. You wanted your ex to know that you were doing well without him. You wanted him to believe that you were happily married with a handsome husband and a beautiful baby even though it wasn’t the truth. If you had to be honest, you were still heart broken. You had trust issues with men since you got cheated on twice by the same man.
“You okay?” Joel was concerned because you were quiet the whole way back to Joel’s house.
“Hmm? What did you say?” You got back to reality.
“You okay?” Joel repeated.
“Yeah, yeah. Why am I not okay?” You scoffed trying to play it cool.
“Okay.” Joel was curious about you but he didn’t want to cross the line. 
“So, will you be home as usual?” You took Sarah from the stroller and moved her to the carseat.
“Uhm..I was thinkin’ about eating out for dinner. The three of us. If you want.” Joel’s cheek redden. 
“Of course. That’s a great idea.” 
“I’ll drive you to work today. Then I’ll pick you up at 6?” Joel suggested.
“Sure, thanks.” 
Joel dropped you off at work. He got out of the car just to help you with the baby stuff so he didn’t go inside the cafe to introduce himself because he was late to work. He kissed Sarah’s forehead before he drove away. You waved him goodbye and went inside your cafe.
“Is that the dad?” Your co-worker asked.
“That’s “the neighbor”?” Flo giggled and pushed you teasingly.
“Yep, that’s my neighbor, Joel. Sarah’s dad.” You crossed your arms to your chest.
“Your neighbor is freaking hot.” Flo shook you excitedly.
“I agree.” Your other co-worker added.
“Stop it. You guys.” You shook your head.
“Wonder why the baby’s mom left.” Flo wondered. 
You had told her what you heard the other night when Joel had a fight with his wife. Joel hadn’t told you anything about his wife or what happened. And you had never asked him about it. You knew it was something private and you would wait until he decided to open up to you. Because if you were in the same position, you also needed time to open up. Just like your random meeting with your ex this morning, you weren’t ready to talk about it. And Joel didn’t ask you a thing so you understood why he hadn’t told you about his wife. 
“I’m sure they have a reason.” You replied.
“Has he told you?” Flo asked.
“No. It’s not our business, Flo. Let’s get back to work.” You squeezed her shoulder and got back to work.
It was finally 6PM and you were waiting for Joel to pick you and Sarah up. You checked everything and left the rest to your employees. 10 minutes later Joel’s truck was parked in front of your cafe. He got out of the car and went inside. 
“Hey.” Joel greeted you.
“Hi.” You smiled.
“You haven’t met my friends. Guys, this is Joel. My neighbor.” You introduced him to your employees whom you considered your friends. You widened your eyes telling them to act normal.
“Hi, I’m Joel. Nice to meet you.” He shook their hands one by one. 
“Okay, I’m going now. Don’t forget to lock the door, okay?” You reminded your employees.
“I’ll see you guys later.” Joel took the baby bag and Sarah who was in the car seat. 
You and Joel went inside the car and you could feel that your employees were making heart gestures behind you. You looked back with two fingers pointing to your eyes then to them. You swore to God if Joel saw them, you would kill your employees for making you embarrassed. Thank God they acted normal when Joel and you got in the car facing them. 
“Do you have something you want to eat?” Joel started the car.
“Hmm. Let me think.” You put your hand to your chin.
“How about Mexican?” You suggested.
“I know a place.” Joel nodded and started driving.
You suggested Mexican for dinner so Joel drove you to his regular Mexican place. Joel and you were already comfortable enough with each other so you didn’t feel awkward with him. You two talked about different things but again, not relationship stuff. He didn’t even bring up what happened that morning and you were glad because you weren’t ready to open up.
“Hmm, this is so good. Why didn’t I know about this place?” You mumbled as you munched your empanadas.
“I’m glad it suits your taste.” Joel smiled.
*Sarah cries*
“Oh baby, you’re hungry too, aren’t you?” You cooed.
“Come here, come here.” You lifted Sarah from the car seat and brought her to your chest.
“Can you pass me her bottle from the bag please?” You pointed at the baby bag next to Joel.
“I’ll feed her.” Joel took the bottle and opened his arms for you to move Sarah to him.
“No, no. It’s okay. I’ll feed her. You must be tired from work.” You insisted.
Joel passed you the feeding bottle and you fed baby Sarah. She immediately sucked the bottle and drank the baby formula. 
“How do you know right away?” Joel was amused.
“Know what?” 
“That she’s hungry.” Joel rested his chin on his palm.
“I don’t know. Maybe we’re telepathic?” You shrugged. 
“You’re a natural.” Joel chuckled as he shoved a spoonful of his food.
Your stomach growled and you remembered you needed to eat too. So you put the baby bottle on the table for a second to eat. But when you grabbed your empanadas and just got only one bite, the baby in your arms snuggled her face to your breast. 
“Nuh-uh, Sarah, babygirl, don’t do that. That’s inappropriate.” Joel moved his index finger as a gesture of saying don’t. 
“Oh my God! What’s she doing?” You burst into laughter.
“Ugh-Sarah..baby..” Joel was embarrassed by his daughter’s actions.
“You’re funny, little girl. But, I don’t have any milk in my boobies sweetie.” You caressed her head.
“Here you go.” You put the baby bottle for her to suck.
“I’m sorry.” Joel apologized.
“It’s okay. I wish I could breastfeed her. I’m sorry.” You felt bad for the adorable baby girl in your arms for not being able to be breastfed. 
Joel spaced out for a while. His eyes were glistening with tears while watching her daughter in your arms. You looked at him and your heart broke for him. He was probably thinking about his wife or his daughter who should have had a mother.
“Joel?” You called him and he didn’t answer.
“Joel..” You called his name again.
“Huh?” He looked at you. A tear fell down to his cheeks and he wiped it hurriedly.
“You okay there?” You were concerned.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m good. You haven’t eaten yet. Let me help you.” He offered to feed you.
“No, no. It’s okay. I can eat later.” You were afraid he could see you blush when he fed you.
“Come on. Don’t want you to get sick.” He insisted and fed you.
You didn’t have a choice. So you opened your mouth and let him feed you. You were blushing. You hoped he didn’t realize your cheeks redden because of him. 
“Thank you.” You chewed as you fed baby Sarah.
Joel helped you eat until you finished feeding Sarah. You felt taken care of even when you had to take care of someone’s baby. You had never felt this way towards a man. Maybe..Maybe Joel was different. Different from your ex. Maybe he was a good guy. 
“Check, please.” Joel raised his hand to call the waitress. 
The waitress came to your table and gave you the check. Joel read the receipt and took out his wallet.
“I’ve been looking at the three of you and I wanted to say that you’re a really cute family. You two made a really beautiful baby.” The waitress said as she smiled at the baby. She was a bit older, in her 50s maybe.
“Oh! I’m not his wife. We’re neighbors.” You chuckled.
“Thank you.” Joel didn’t say anything but only a thank you. He gave the money to the waitress and she left with a shake on her head.
“She’s funny.” You shook your head.
“How much do I owe you?” You took out your purse.
“Oh, no. My treat.” Joel stopped your hand.
“Really?” 
“Yes, it’s nothin’ really. You did a lot for me and Sarah. Don’t worry about it.” 
“Okay. Thank you though. For dinner.” You smiled.
To be continued…
Taglist:
@lovelyygirl8 @skysmiller @moonlightdivine @crocodiile @angie2274 @pulchritudinousrogers @peqchsoup @msecho19 @happinessinthebeing @nyotamalfoy
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simmerianne93 · 2 months ago
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I'm participating in Simblreen 2024
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Hello everyone!! How are you doing???
Yeah, I know... I was MIA again.... and yes, It was still 'cause of my kittens... as I told you last time, they were sick... they were doing better, but sudenly one of the kittens, the younger one, got worse... I really thought i was going to loose her last week, She looked really haggard... it was three intense days of cares untill she gots better...
Fortunatelly, now they trully are doing it good... the younger is in a strict diet and the other kitten is doing good... the mom is also better, she is fully recovered from her surgery!! And I just wish them to not get sick again 'cause it has been a hell of two stressful months.
As you may know, Simblreen is really special to me... this is the third year I'm participating and I'm really sad 'cause I hadn't the time to finish as much packs as I wanted... I was mad last week 'cause i couldn't finish on time but this week I will be participating... I had 16 packs planned but with no time to sit in my pc to work on them, it was imposible... So there will be less gifts this year... I hope you understand.
In the other hand, yes, I have a few comission packs which I haven't delivered yet, I'm working on them as fast as I can to give them to its corresponding owner but although it may sound bold on my part, I ask for patience. I have not forgotten and I am working on them. I don't usually take this long to finish comissions so trust me, I'm really ashamed but the whole situation with the kittens has been unexpected and I need more than 24 hours a day now to catch up with absolutely everything haha.
 Now, about the event:
This year I won't be doing a treasure hunt... It was funny last two years, but now I have too much info (and packs) to hide the gifts and the candies can be lost in the void XD haha so, this time I'll be doing a simple knocking door for treat or tricks and you will receive a riddle.... if you answer correctly, I'll be giving the link to the pack.
The event starts tomorrow 25th and ends on the 27th but of course, as always, there will be a limited time to have the gift while my porch light is on. However, after the event is finished, I'll be sharing all the packs [FOR FREE, as it should] in my patreon page... But even if I'm sharing the packs after the event ends, I hope you participate on it... I have being working on them nonstop and I'm excited for you to see all the packs I have prepared.
You can know more about Simblreen here.
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BTW here you have a list with my last two years of simblreen gift, in case you want to download them now:
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Download them here: 01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07 - 08V1 - 08V2 - 09
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Download them here: 01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07V1 - 07V2 - 08V1 - 08V2 - 09 - 10
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And in case you want some more Fantasy theme related, I'll also leave links with all the Fantasy - Action and Reaction poses that I have done to date and that can be used for this spooky season:
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Download them here: 01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07 - 08 - 09V1 - 09V2 - 10V1 - 10V2 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19
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Download them here: 01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07 - 08V1 - 08V2 - 09
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Download them here: 01 - 02 - 03
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And now, I have a last gift for you today, so... go HERE to grab it. And I hope you enjoy it.
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Thank you so much for been always there, supporting my work!!! I love you, guys... Happy Simblreen!!!
Dag, dag!!
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willalove75 · 1 year ago
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Alcina's New Maid Pt. 16 Lady Dimitrescu x Reader
Summary: Karl Heisenberg comes to visit and things get interesting.
Warnings: 18+ minors DNI
Tags: Light angst, mostly fluff
Notes: Part 16! I'm so sorry this chapter is so late! I struggled writing this more that I have with any other chapter before and idk why. But I hope you all enjoy it regardless💕
Click here for the rest of the series
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The next day Cassandra woke you up just as the sun was rising to start training once again. You tried to look at Alcina so she could convince her daughter to let you sleep in a little more but she just laid there with a sleepy smile on her face. Both you and Alcina knew that once Cassandra had her mind set on something there was no talking her out of it.
The two of you worked on the same things you did yesterday. She helped refine your stance and the way your body moved and shifted as you dodged her attacks.
Breakfast came and went and it was back to training. You knew that she meant well and was only trying to help you, but Cassandra was wearing you out. Training went through lunch, the two of you only taking a short break to eat when Zina brought food out to the courtyard.
Not long after that Bela and Daniela showed up and they both sparred with you for awhile. The three girls had three very distinct fighting styles. Cassandra always took the offence, advancing often and quickly. Bela was more calculated. Even though you were training for self-defense she still kept herself at a distance and made you come to her. Daniela was the definition of chaos. She played both offence and defense, advancing and pulling away so you came towards her and retreated often. Her moves were erratic and unhinged and not for a second were you able to predict what she was going to do next. You could tell she was less formally trained than the other two, but from your sparring session alone you knew she was just as lethal.
By the time the dinner bell rang you were starving and exhausted. The four of you shuffled into the dining room where Alcina was already seated.
"How was training girls?" She asked.
"She did really well, improved a lot more than I thought she would." Cassandra says.
"She's better than I thought she was going to be honestly. She almost knocked me off of my feet a couple of times." Bela says as she takes her seat.
"It was SO much fun!" Daniela exclaims.
"Draga?" Alcina asks, looking at you.
"It was good, tiring, but good."
Alcina can see the exhaustion in your face and gives you a small smile.
Dinner was delicious, as per usual. Although they could have put a leather boot on your plate and you would have devoured it without a second thought. The conversation was light, the girls and Alcina talking about how their days went. You stayed quiet for most of the meal just listening; there wasn't anything you had to add to the conversation. That coupled with exhaustion you were happy to not have to participate in doing anything other than eating.
"So after dinner I was thinking I can show you how to get out of a grapple." Cassandra says.
"After dinner?" You say, your eyes darting toward Alcina with a pleading look in them. There's no way you're gonna be able to do more tonight.
"Cassandra I think that's enough for today."
"But-"
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, bug, but I need y/n in good shape for the meeting and I can't have her falling asleep. She needs rest. You can continue the day after tomorrow once your uncle leaves."
Cassandra hangs her head in defeat.
"Fine."
Alcina chuckles at her daughter and looks back over to you with a wink. You give her a small smile as if to say "thank you."
It took everything in you to not crawl up the stairs and flop into bed once dinner was finished. Alcina suggested everyone relax in the library after dinner and as tired as you were you didn't want to miss it. As tempting as your bed was, you managed to avoid passing out on it after you showered and headed to the library.
The girls picked their books and Alcina plucked one off of the shelf after perusing her options for a few minutes. You lazily flipped through a magazine you found laying around while you lounged on the couch.
"No book tonight, draga?" Alcina asks.
"Nah," you toss the magazine onto the coffee table. "I'm too tired to focus on reading."
Alcina sits in her large arm chair and places her reading glasses on the bridge of her nose. Gods she looks hot. You're too tired to try and hide your stare and Alcina smirks.
"Come. Sit with me, draga mea." She says, beckoning you with a slight nod of her head.
As you walk up to her, Alcina wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you up into her lap. You drape your legs across her thighs and rest your back against her arm.
"Comfortable?" She asks, looking down at you.
"Mhm." You say, cuddling into her.
Due to the way you're sitting and the height difference your face is pretty much against her boob. Normally this would drive you crazy, sending pulses to your core; but tonight they're your soft pillows.
Alcina lets out a soft purr as she runs her fingers through your damp hair and the soothing noise lulls you into a deep sleep.
When you wake up you're in Alcina's bed. Your eyes adjust to the darkness of the room and you realize it's still nighttime. There's a single light in the room coming from a lit candle on Alcina's vanity where's she seated. The warm light flickers across her, illuminating her porcelain skin and raven hair, highlighting the details on her face. Even though you're too far away to see, you're sure her smile lines and crows feet are bathed beautifully in the light as it dances across her skin. What isn't in the light is cast in a dark shadow. It's mysterious and beautiful, just like her.
Your heartbeat must have given you away because Alcina sets down the papers in her hand and turns to look at you.
"You're awake." She seems surprised.
"That I am. What time is it?"
"It's late, it's the middle of the night."
Alcina stands up and makes her way over to the bed.
"Why are you awake?"
"I work most nights at this hour."
"You do?" You're a little shocked, in all the times you've shared a bed with her not once did you ever feel her leave in the middle of the night.
"Mhm." She hums and sits on the edge of the bed. "The mutation allows me the privilege of needing less sleep than a human. After a few hours of rest I continue working."
"Every night?"
"Every night, save for a few rare occasions where I treat myself to the calm of the night and relax."
"So do you just wait until I fall asleep to leave?" You say, sounding more hurt than you expected.
"No, draga mea." She brushes your hair away from your face. "Most nights I fall asleep with you in my arms and get up later. Others I will lay there and listen to your heartbeat and your breathing for a few hours before I get up and work."
"If I didn't know you so well I'd say that's the creepiest thing I've ever heard." You laugh.
Alcina chuckles and slides under the covers next to you, pulling you into her.
"Well I am certainly glad that you know me then, draga."
With a kiss to your forehead you wrap your arms around her waist and rest your head on her chest. Alcina traces lazy circles across your skin where you shirt rode up on your back and you listen to her heartbeat with a sigh.
"Tired, draga?" She asks.
"No. Just relaxed, happy." Alcina hums in response.
"Good." She says.
As the scent of her perfume envelopes you, you become more aware of your senses. The silky fabric of her nightgown beneath your fingers, her toned muscles that lay underneath her soft skin, the feeling of her chilled fingers dancing across your back. You can hear her heartbeat, strong and steady, accompanied by each breath she takes. The rhythm of your heart steadily increases as you feel her body adjust underneath yours.
Alcina slides down from laying against the headboard and you rest you head in the crook of her neck when she settles. The scent of her perfume is stronger there and it makes you feel like you're floating.
The skin on her neck is soft and tender as you nuzzle against it. The hum she releases in response is nearly a purr and you smile against her skin. As your focus shifts back to her fingers, still tracing circles across your back, you hold Alcina a little tighter.
"My sweet, perfect girl. My beautiful little pet." Alcina whispers into your hair before placing a kiss on your head.
Too entranced to realize it, you place a light, open-mouthed kiss on Alcina's neck. You only realize it when you feel her chest rumble underneath you with a purr and feel the vibration of her voice.
"Draga." She says with a soft yet stern voice.
"Sorry." You say as you remove your lips from her neck.
"No need for apologies." She lifts your chin with a finger and your eyes meet hers. Leaning down, she places a kiss on your lips. When she pulls away she doesn't pull away fully, leaving her lips to brush against yours. "If you continued I don't think I would be able to control myself, is all."
The way her warm breath caressed your face, how her lips grazed yours as she spoke made your brain fuzzy.
"Don't." You whisper.
"Don't?"
"Control yourself. Don't."
Alcina smirks and captures your lips in a passionate kiss. Your heart begins to beat harder and you bring your hand to her face to deepen it. She places her hand over yours and pulls back from the kiss. Turning her head, she places a kiss in the middle of your palm and holds it against her cheek.
You can see it in her eyes: the want, the need, but you also see hesitation and worry.
"What's wrong?" You ask.
"It's not that I don't want to, draga. It's taking all of my self restraint to not pin you down and ravish you right this second." She sighs. "I fear that we might be moving too quickly. We only started rebuilding what we had a few weeks ago. And then you were hurt and-" Shaking her head, she takes a deep breath. "this is too important to rush iubirea mea. I hope you understand."
And you did. You understood perfectly and as disappointed as you were, you knew she was right. It was evident that your bodies were ready but your hearts and minds were still playing catch up.
"I do, Alcina. I do." You say, nuzzling back into her neck.
"Fetița mea dulce. Cât de mult te iubesc." She whispers as she runs her fingers through your hair. (My sweet girl. How I love you so.)
The two of you lay in a comfortable silence. The steady beat of her heart accompanied by the sensation of the lazy circles she's tracing along your skin relaxes you. Alcina lets out a soft sigh and you look up. Following her line of sight you notice she's staring at her vanity with the papers she was looking over scattered across it.
"Do you have to keep working?"
"Unfortunately."
"Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?"
"Of course my love." She says, nuzzling into your hair and placing a kiss on your head.
Alcina holds you in her arms until you drift back off into a deep sleep once more. When she's certain you won't wake up she gently lays you down onto the bed and kisses your forehead. She takes a moment to study your face as you sleep. She loves how peaceful you look, how you look like an angel. Her angel. After a minute she makes sure you're tucked in and continues working for a few more hours before joining you in bed once more.
Alcina was only in bed with you for about an hour before you woke up next to her. When you wake up you roll over and meet a stunning pair of golden eyes staring back at you.
"Hi." You say, your voice raspy with sleep.
"Good morning, draga."
"How long have you been awake for?"
"Quite some time."
"When did you come back to bed?"
"Approximately an hour ago."
"I'm surprised you didn't start getting ready for the day already."
"The thought did cross my mind, but laying in bed with you for another hour was much more appealing. Even if I didn't sleep."
A smile crosses your face and you curl into her, burying your face into her hair.
"Waking up next to you is one of my favorite things." You sigh.
"Mine as well, draga mea."
She places a kiss on your shoulder and wraps her arms around you, soaking in the moment before the two of you have to get up and get ready for the day.
After breakfast Alcina heads into her study to do some work before Heisenberg arrives and you hang out in one of the sitting rooms near the dining room and start to read a book Daniela recommended.
Just as the book was beginning to devour your attention the doors to the room swing open and slam against the wall. The commotion startles you and you snap your head towards the direction of the sound.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A rogue maiden?" You sit there speechless as you take in the man before you.
The man is tall, but not nearly as tall as Alcina. He's wearing a grease-stained shirt and pants, a long tan trench coat, circular glasses, and a hat. There's a gigantic hammer that looks like it was put together with scrap metal and gears found in a junkyard slung over his shoulder and he begins to wave it around haphazardly. You can tell that the man is unshaven and by the way he's stomping his muddy shoes across the freshly polished floors, he has little manners. There's a ruggedness to him, very much the opposite of the prim and proper aura that radiates off of Alcina.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" He says with a smirk as he walks closer. "Such a pretty little thing-" he reaches up to touch your face and you can see the grime underneath his fingernails and the dirt on his fingers.
"Heisenberg! Get your filthy man hands away from her!" Alcina shouts just before his fingers graze your skin.
He spins around and you have to duck to steer clear of the hammer.
"What?! I didn't even do anything!"
"And for the love of gods watch where you swing that thing!" She snaps.
"Nice to see you too, Godzilla. Oh I've been great, thanks for asking. Yeah the lycans have been doing well on their search for those hunters that keep entering your castle's territory. You're so very welcome for protecting your precious land!" He says sarcastically. "And I was only going to tell this pretty little girl here that she should get her ass back to work before you stick her in a barrel for your next fresh batch of-."
"That is enough." She hisses.
You give Alcina a look and her eyes shift to you and back towards Heisenberg, which doesn't go unnoticed by him. He looks at you and back at Alcina and starts laughing as he turns back towards you.
"Oh I get it now, you're more than just her little maid, aren't ya sweet cheeks? You got yourself a pretty one here Alci, I wonder how long this one is going to last."
Alcina's eyes burn into the back of his head as the anger in them grows. Her fists are clenched tightly at her sides, there's no doubt she's doing everything she can from letting her claws out and taking his head off where he stands.
He sees how Alcina is reacting to his words and you notice him inhale deeply through his nose. He looks between the two of you for a moment before his eyes fall on you once more and you see that they're full of mischief.
"Whenever you get bored of this one, hold off on turning her into your next blend and be a good sister and send her my way-"
He reaches out to touch you again and his words are swiftly cut off when Alcina grabs him by his collar and throws him clear across the room. His back slams into the wall leaving a small crater behind.
Alcina stands in front of you in a protective stance, her claws are out and her chest is heaving with anger.
"I warned you, Heisenberg, do not touch her." She growls.
"What the fuck!" He yells as he picks himself up off of the ground. "What's your fucking problem?!"
He looks up and sees how Alcina is standing in front of you, how she's protecting you. He sees the look in her eyes and it clicks. Once it does he lets out a chuckle that turns into a hysterical laugh.
"I fucking knew it. I could smell you all over her from a mile away Alci." Alcina growls at him. "Oh calm down, the fact that your temper is bigger than you are is astonishing, truly. Don't worry, I won't touch your precious little human."
In an instant his hammer is flying towards him and he catches it in his hand. Your eyes grow wide, you definitely weren't expecting that. Heisenberg walks over to one of the chairs and plops down into it, resting his hammer against the chair and Alcina relaxes enough to retract her claws.
"So does Miranda know about your little," he pauses to think of the right word. "friend, here?" Alcina tenses up as she narrows her eyes at him. "I'll take that as a resounding 'yes.' I'm surprised that bird bitch hasn't taken her as one of her test subjects, especially if she knows of your interest in her. What's your name, kid?"
You look up at Alcina and she nods her head at you and you tell him your name.
"Hah, and you already got her trained? I wonder how many trips to the dungeon that took."
"She has never set foot in there and she never will." Alcina growls before she takes a seat next to you on the couch.
"So, kid, what debts did you have that got you shipped to this hellhole?" He asks you.
Alcina cuts in before you can speak.
"She has no debts and she can leave whenever she chooses."
"HAH!" Heisenberg laughs out loud. "I'll believe that when I see it. Really kid, what's your deal? In all my years I've never heard of someone hanging around here willingly. What's the catch?"
Alcina growls and you slide your hands around one of her fists clenched in her lap. You can just barely hear her breath hitch in her chest before she looks down at you. The anger in her eyes softens and you give her a small smile.
Looking back at Heisenberg, he has the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.
"Holy shit, I never thought I'd see the day. Someone finally tamed the beast and lived to tell the tale." Alcina rolls her eyes at him. "Now I really gotta know where the hell you came from."
"I grew up here in the village." You say. "She basically rescued me. My aunt and uncle kept me as their maid and had me raise their five children. Then I met her and she brought me here." Looking up at Alcina you see her looking down at you. A smile pulls at the corner of her lips and you can see the adoration in her eyes.
"Yeah, sure." He says and earns another eye roll from Alcina. "You were gonna stick her straight into a barrel after you had your fun with her, weren't you?" Alcina snaps her heard towards him and growls again.
That's the third time he's mentioned that and you have no idea what he's talking about. The confusion on your face must be obvious because he starts laughing again and looks at Alcina.
"She doesn't know, does she?" Alcina tenses up again and gives him a death stare. "Kid, do you know what goes on in the dungeon down there?"
"Heisenberg." She hisses.
"A little." You look between the two of them. Alcina is glaring at him, if looks could kill he'd be dead where he sat. Heisenberg still has a shit-eating grin on his face as he stares back at Alcina.
"Were you ever told why maids suddenly disappear?" His eyes don't leave Alcina who growls at him as a warning.
"I know Miranda experiments on them-"
"Did she ever tell you where the blood wine comes from?"
"I-"
"You are walking into very dangerous territory, brother."
"Did my dear sister ever inform you that she sacrifices her maids and turns them into the wine-"
"ENOUGH." Alcina roars. "That is enough Heisenberg."
"What?! She deserves to know if you were planning on making her next seasons newest-"
"I SAID ENOUGH." She yells, standing up to her full height.
Your mind starts to spiral as they argue. Why didn't she ever tell you that's what she does with her maids? That there was more to their disappearances than just Mother Miranda experimenting on them? Was that her original plan with you? To buy you and turn you into wine? Did she actually care for you in the beginning or was it just to butter you up before she killed you? Everything that happened in the first few weeks of your arrival is suddenly brought into questioning.
Panic starts to wash over you and the walls begin to feel like they're closing in. You try to breathe but your lungs feel constricted. You need to get out of this room, now.
Jumping to your feet you run past Alcina and Heisenberg and out of the room. The girls are just coming down the stairs when they see you run out the front door.
"Damn you, Karl!" Alcina yells before chasing after you.
Once you get outside you bend over and rest your hands on your knees and try to breathe. Your breaths are short and fast and you can't seem to slow it down.
Alcina's footsteps rapidly approach you and you stand up only to realize your hands are trembling and tears are rolling down your cheeks. Before you know it, she's kneeling next to you and rests her hand against your back.
"Shh, draga, breathe with me, okay? Deep breath in."
You try but you can't seem to get the air to fill your lungs.
"I can't." You say.
"Yes you can. Do it with me, easy, breathe in," you manage to take a bit of a deeper breath in. "and out. Good, just like that."
Alcina walks you through a few more breathing exercises and your panic begins to fade. You grab onto her dress and bury your face into her as your tears keep falling. She wraps her arms around you and holds you tight.
"I'm so sorry, draga."
"Why didn't you tell me?" You cry into her.
"I wanted to, I was going to, I promise I was."
"Why didn't you tell me the other day?"
"I was too afraid of overwhelming you. I had told you so much and it was already so much for you to process, I didn't want to add to that. I'm sorry, I should have been the one to tell you, not him."
"Was that your plan, after you brought me here? To just kill me and use my blood for your wine?" You pull back and look into her eyes and see guilt. "That's what you were going to do, wasn't it?" Alcina closes her eyes and a tear runs down her cheek. "Tell me the truth, please Alcina."
Golden eyes meet yours and fill with tears.
"I considered it. I would be lying if I said I didn't. But I promise that was not why I brought you here."
"Then why did you bring me here?"
"Draga, I've already told you-"
"Tell me again, please. I need the whole truth."
Alcina sighs and wipes the tears from your cheeks.
"I brought you here because you deserved better. Because they didn't appreciate you there. Because you are so much more than just a caretaker and a housekeeper. You are so beautiful and thought so low of yourself and I couldn't accept that. At least if you were with me, you would be appreciated the correct way. And I know I've failed at that more than once and I still haven't been able to forgive myself. But you deserved so much better and you were even more wonderful than I ever could have imagined, draga. I never expected to fall in love with you, I just hoped that you would live out your days here and be happy. I never thought you would find your happiness in me. And the only reason I ever considered doing that to you was in case I was wrong about you and you ended up being just another rude, ungrateful girl. But after those first few days, especially when my daughters were bothering you in the library, I knew that wasn't who you were. You were so kind to them, you treated them so well even though they made your job more difficult. I knew I was right about you, but I didn't realize just how incredible you were, draga. I am so sorry."
Alcina wraps her arms around you and holds you close to her. You wrap your arms around her neck and bury your face into her.
"How much more is there that I don't know?"
"Not much, but there are some things."
"Can you tell me?"
"I will my love, I promise. Can we get through this meeting with Miranda first? After that I'll tell you everything you want to know."
"Okay. Deal."
You pull away a little and look into her eyes. After you wipe the tear stains from her cheeks she rests her hand on your face and brings you into a deep kiss.
"Te iubesc, draga mea."
"I love you too, Alcina."
You and Alcina sit there for a minute as you soak in being with each other. The anxiety completely fades into the comfort she's brought you and you can feel like you can breathe normally again.
When the two of you part she stands up and dusts off her dress.
"Did you not want him to know about us?" You ask her.
"I was hoping you would never have to meet him because he is the most insufferable creature I've ever come to know. But he loathes Miranda and that alone makes him trustworthy. But since he was able to figure it out, I'm not concerned."
A loud crash comes from inside the castle and Alcina growls as she brings her fingers to the bridge of her nose.
"I don't even want to know what they are getting up to in here." She grumbles. "Come, draga. We should get back inside."
As soon as the door closes behind the two of you, you see something shiny fly through the air in your direction. Alcina quickly steps in front of you and she lets out a loud hiss and the room goes silent. When you walk out from behind Alcina, you see a large steak knife lodged deep into her leg. You freeze in horror for a moment before watching Alcina yank it out and turn her head towards you.
"I'm fine draga, there's no need to worry."
Blood pours from her leg for a few seconds before it stops and in that moment you remember her regeneration abilities and let out a breath.
"What did I tell you, especially you, girls, about throwing sharp objects in my castle?!" She yells. "If this were to hit one of my staff, or her," she says, gesturing to you. "you would wish the Black God itself would come and punish you because the wrath I would unleash-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it." Karl says, interrupting her. "Big scary claws, our parts would have to grow us back, we've heard it all before bigfoot, don't get your panties in a twist."
"That almost hit her!"
"I wasn't aiming for her!"
"Then what were you-" She turns around and sees a picture of her taped to the door with knife marks in it.
With a growl Alcina chucks the knife at Karl and it stops right before the tip pierces his chest. He looks down at it in shock for a second before it clatters to the ground.
"Sorry mother." The girls say in unison.
"Can we please get to business now that you've effectively ruined one of my good dresses?" She says.
"Yeah, sure." He says with a shrug.
The six of you head into a larger sitting room and Alcina goes to change. She comes back in a long black dress and pulls you into her lap after she sits on the couch next to you.
"No more trouble in paradise?" Karl says with a smirk.
You roll your eyes at him and Alcina looks down at you with pride before kissing you on the cheek.
"Before we begin, draga, I would like to formally introduce you to Karl Heisenberg, my idiot younger brother and another one of the four lords of the village."
He tips his hat at you and leans back in his chair, crossing one leg so his ankle is resting on top of his knee. He lights up a cigar and blows the smoke up into the air.
"Bela, my book please." Alcina says.
Bela walks over and hands her mother a leather-bound book and a pen. Alcina places them in your lap and kisses you on the head.
"Draga, will you please take notes? It'll be good practice for the meeting, although I fear she won't actually have you take notes-"
"Why the hell is she going to be taking notes at the meeting?" He asks.
"Mother Miranda insisted on it."
"Oh fuck, she knows about her, knows about her?"
"Yes."
"Alcina-"
"I know."
"Fuckin' bird bitch. Do you know what she wants with her?"
"No." She says with a sigh before pulling your head into her chest and kissing the top of it.
"How the hell did Miranda find out?"
Alcina tells him what happened when Mother Miranda arrived and what transpired when you met. When she's finished, Karl smokes his cigar with a pensive look on his face.
"Well, that sucks."
"I will say the same thing to you that I said to Donna. If Mother Miranda does anything, I will stop at nothing to protect her." Her grip around you tightens and you rest your head on her chest to try and calm her.
"And what did Donna say?"
"That her allegiance is with me."
"And Sal?"
"He doesn't know about her. And I don't trust him. He will do anything to be in Mother Miranda's good graces, even if it means going against us."
"No fuckin' shit. At least we don't have to worry about him all that much. He's pretty useless as it is."
Alcina shrugs and runs her fingers through your hair.
"So how do we go about killing the bitch?" He asks with a grin.
"We don't. Karl you know she's too powerful. There is nothing we can do, not yet."
"Well if she wants her we could-"
"I will not be using her as a decoy or pawn in whatever moronic plan you have in that grease-filled head of yours."
"But-"
"No." She says with a growl.
"Fine, fuckin' bitch." He mumbles. "Lets get this over with."
You begin to take notes as Alcina and Karl talk about the hunters his lycans have encountered. He says that they found thirteen of them and his group of seven lycans were able to kill about ten of them. Three of the hunters managed to get away and four of his lycans were killed in the fight. The lycans that were left were beat up enough to not be able to follow where the three went so they retreated back to the factory.
"Then yesterday, they came across another six hunters. All wearing the same symbol as the last group." He pulls out a pendant from his pocket and hands it to Alcina who examines it. "Luckily I sent nine lycans out so none of the hunters managed to get away and all of my lycans came back this time."
"Any prisoners?" She asks.
"Nope."
"Ugh." She groans, rolling her eyes. "How many times do we have to have this conversation-"
"Chill out sasquatch, they tried. One guy was left and my lycans tried to drag him back as prisoner but the guy put a bullet in his head before they were able to get any useful information out of him."
"Well, that's new."
"Yeah, they were pretty surprised."
"So in a week there have been nearly twenty hunters? And three escaped?"
"Yup."
"I don't like this."
"And they were armed to hell too. Massive guns, tons of ammo, they aren't fuckin' around."
"Military grade?"
"You know it."
"I really don't like this. Have you expanded coverage near Donna and Salvatore?"
"Yup, found a few rogue hunters that didn't seem affiliated with these guys and only two that were by each property. But they weren't as close as they are to you."
"How close were they able to get?"
"About four miles out."
"The closest anyone has come in decades has been two miles."
"And I'll do my best to keep it that way. But from the looks of it, they're scouting. No hints of an invasion yet but I think they're planning."
"Do we know where their base is?"
"Haven't located it. Next time my guys find a group of them they're gonna stalk them back to the base."
"Good."
"So what do you wanna do, sis?"
"I need more patrols throughout the entire territory. If they're calculated they may try and strike from multiple angles. Also more guarding Donna and Salvatore's homes as well."
"I can't stretch them too thin, you know how much ground there is to cover for the castles territory alone?"
"I am aware-"
"Oh mom, can we go with Uncle Karl and patrol?!" Cassandra asks.
"Oh yeah! We haven't hunted hunters in so long!" Daniela says.
"Absolutely not."
"But-"
"No. It is too dangerous. You three are not going anywhere near this until we know what we're up against. My word is final."
"I could use the extra-"
Alcina growls at him and he shuts his mouth.
"Once this meeting is over with, and if things here return to normal, I will go out one night and cover some ground and see what I can find."
"Sounds good to me."
"Our priority should be finding their base and taking at least one prisoner alive to question them."
"Glad we can agree on something."
"Anything else?"
"Yeah, I'm fuckin' starving! When's lunch?"
Alcina rolls her eyes and looks down at you as you finish up your notes.
"May I?" She asks.
You hand her the notebook and she flips through the notes you've taken. When she gets to the last page she nods with approval.
"How are they?"
"Very impressive, draga. I think you're more than prepared for the meeting, in terms of note taking at least."
"I don't think she'll be takin' many notes there, sis." Karl says.
It throws you off a little when you realize his tone isn't antagonizing like it's been since he walked in. You can feel Alcina deflate a little under you at his words and she holds you tight.
"Hey," you say, looking up at her. Her golden irises meet yours and you stare into them while you cup her face. "everything is going to be fine. Whatever happens, we'll figure it out, okay?"
Alcina nods and rests her forehead against yours as she closes her eyes. Her hand cups your cheek and she brushes her thumb against your skin.
Karl watches as Alcina melts into you. Sure, he's met his sisters other paramours, not that any of them had lasted very long - but right away he could tell this was different. Never in his long life has he seen Alcina act like this with someone. She's always been possessive of her partners but when she ran out after you, well that was new. Now this, watching as you, a tiny human, comforts her, he can barely believe it and it's happening right in front of him.
The lunch bell rings and you and Alcina are pulled from your moment. She sits up straight and adjusts herself, you notice a slight blush forming under her makeup. That and the way Karl is staring at the two of you, this must be new territory for the both of them.
You hop off of her lap and follow the girls into the dining room while Alcina and Karl follow behind.
Everyone takes their seat and Karl goes to put his feet up on the table. Alcina growls at him and he stops halfway through the motion.
"It's truly amazing that you've lived as long as you have without learning any manners." She murmurs.
"Sorry not all of us grew up as stuck-up nobility with etiquette classes and maids to wipe our asses for us. Fuckin' bitch."
"Must you use that language in my house?"
"Can't you mind your own fuckin' business?!"
"Child."
"Bitch."
The girls begin giggling and Alcina glances over at them and only gives them a little bit of a look. Karl diverts his attention to you and he has a mischievous smile on his face.
"So, kid, what in the hell made you attracted to bigfoot over there anyway? You got a size kink or something?"
"KARL." Alcina yells as the girls bust into laughter.
"Come on, I gotta know. I mean, it's gotta be her size, right? There's no way anyone can be attracted to her personality, unless 'massive fucking bitch' is the kind of trait you look for in women." You look between Alcina - who's fuming - and Karl who has that shit-eating grin back on his face.
"Don't dignify him with an answer, draga."
"Oh thank the Black God, I thought you were dyin' Alci. Actin' all sweet back there. But there's the controlling bitch I hate. Glad to see you're back to normal. Do you always let her control you like that?" He asks you.
You know he's just trying to get a rise out of Alcina so you just shrug your shoulders at him and continue eating.
"You really got this one whipped. I should make you a fuckin' collar that says 'Property of the Big Bitch.'"
"But what will your little lycans wear then?" You say.
Alcina looks at you surprised, but pleased. Karl's mouth hangs open for a moment before he laughs out loud.
"She speaks! I thought she was a fuckin' mute."
"I'm not but I wish you were." You quip.
The girls break out into hysterics again and Alcina hides her chuckle behind her wine glass. Karl laughs again and nods his head in approval before devouring everything on his plate.
The rest of lunch went well. Aside from Alcina getting so mad at Karl she threw a chair across the room and threatened him with her claws a few times. You and Karl got into a rhythm of throwing digs at each other and he and the girls told stories of all of the trouble they've gotten into over the years.
When lunch was over you and the girls said your goodbyes to Karl and you helped clear the table. The girls flew away to go play with the new weapons he gave them and Cassandra managed to convince him to make you a dagger.
Alcina escorted Karl to the front door, not trusting him to wander off to find the girls and throw more sharp objects around the castle.
"So, she really did tame the beast, huh?" He says with only a hit of antagonization.
Alcina rolls her eyes at him and he laughs.
"She seems like a good kid."
"She's wonderful."
"Nervous about the meeting with Miranda?"
Alcina sighs.
"Nervous doesn't begin to cover it."
"Donna said she has your back, right?"
"Yes."
"Well, then I got the kids back."
Alcina stops and stares down at him. They've hated each others guts since the moment Karl was given the cadou and really only got along for Miranda's sake and because both of them hate her more than they hate each other. But over the last couple of decades their mutual hatred for Miranda caused them to have more of a older/younger sibling relationship and the hate between the two of them faded. Not all the way, but more than either of them ever would have thought possible.
"Thank you." Alcina says.
"This doesn't mean we're fucking buddies or anything. But I know if anything happens to that kid, you're gonna be a fucking mess. And we need you to keep your shit together because we need you to take down Miranda." He looks up at her and she nods at him. "Plus, I like her and I know Miranda wants her for something and whatever it is, it ain't gonna be good."
"Thank you, Karl."
"Yeah, yeah. You owe me for this."
"Invoice me." She says as she walks away.
Alcina finds you in the sitting room again, now decorated with the crater in the wall from Karl's body, as you continue your book.
"There you are." She says with a smile.
"Here I am!"
Alcina plucks the book from your hand and puts it down on the table next to you. Before you can protest she lifts you into her arms and pulls you in for a tight hug. You wrap your arms around her neck and she sits down on the couch.
"You okay?" You ask.
"Yes, I just needed you close."
You nuzzle into her neck and she hums in response.
"So he was interesting." You say.
"He certainly is something. He didn't lay a finger on you, did he?"
"No, each time he went to touch my face you stopped him. I think he was doing it just to piss you off, honestly."
"I don't doubt that for a moment. He's such a child."
"Does he control metal or something?"
"Yes, he controls the magnetic fields therefore able to control all metals."
"That explains a lot."
"You mean why knives were being throws across my foyer? Yes. It certainly does."
"That scared me. I forgot you have that healing power for a minute and watching you pull that knife out of your leg almost made my heart stop."
"It's nothing to fret over, draga. It'll take much more than your average kitchen knife to do any real damage to me."
"Good." You say as you nuzzle into her again.
"I'm sorry for not being completely honest with you. I know we agreed to rebuild our relationship on trust and honestly, but I was so worried that all of that new information would be too much for you to handle all at once. I know I'm on thin ice, I hope I didn't lose your trust again."
"I do wish you told me, but I understand why you didn't. And I think you're right, I think it would have been too much for me to process all at once. I wish I learned it from you and not him, but that's not your fault. I still trust you Alcina. You aren't on as thin of ice as you think you are."
"I deserve to be."
"You've done so much to regain my trust." You say as you sit up and look her in the eyes. "You've been listening to me, taking things slow, being honest. You've apologized more times than I can count. You don't deserve to be on thin ice. I forgive you, Alcina."
"I don't deserve your forgiveness."
She looks away from you and you bring your hands to her face and guide her back to look into your eyes.
"Hey, stop that. Yes you do."
"I don't understand how you can forgive me after I've committed such atrocities."
"Because I love you. And because I understand why you did what you did. I think you definitely went about it the wrong way, but I get it. Even after everything you did, after learning about the other sides of you, I still love you. And if none of that deterred me from loving you, I don't think anything will. You have to forgive yourself, Alcina."
"I don't know if I can." She says, looking down.
You bring your hand under her chin and bring her gaze back up to yours.
"Yes you can. You just have to allow yourself to do it. At least try, for me?"
"I'll try for you, iubirea mea."
Her lips meet yours and she pulls you in for a soft kiss. She kisses you a few more times and with each kiss her smile grows wider until she's peppering your face with chaste kisses. You start laughing as she turns to pin you down onto the couch and continues to leave lipstick marks all over your face and neck. By the time she releases you from her grasp you're covered in her crimson lipstick and the both of you are sporting wide smiles.
"Oh dear, it looks like I may have made a bit of a mess out of your face." She says with a laugh.
"I can only imagine, there's isn't an inch of my skin that isn't covered in your lipstick is there?"
She takes your chin between her thumb and forefinger and examines your face before placing another big kiss on your jaw.
"Now there isn't." She laughs. "Come draga, lets get you cleaned up."
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dxncingwithastrxnger · 13 days ago
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let your heart be light (Obey Me!)
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A/N: Barbatos' story finally!! This is actually a lot shorter than I originally wanted to be, so if the ending seems a little wonky, then that's why. I just wanted to make sure I had enough time to get Solomon's story out today as well as make sure Sol's story is longer than Barbs' since it's his birthday <3 But this one is still really cute! Enjoy!
Pairing(s): Barbatos x MC
Prompt(s): 8. Barbatos
Summary: MC helps the butler of the castle decorate for Christmas
Tag(s): Just some fluffiness and a little bit of MC trying to be helpful and impress Barbatos :D
Word Count: 608
Song Inspiration: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Michael Buble
Not beta'd, all mistakes are my own.
~*~
[Series Masterlist]
[Read on AO3]
[Author Masterlist]
~*~
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31]
~*~
It was just a few days into the month of December and the two busiest demons in the Devildom finally found the time to get the castle ready for the holidays up ahead. Of course, they also wanted their favorite human to join them for such an occasion. However, the demon lord still has just a few more things to do that day before he’s fully available, so the first set of decorating tasks are to be done without him, as long as they wait to decorate the trees with me, his favorite part. And so, that’s where the butler and the sorcerer apprentice find themselves that evening, walking through the castle halls with large boxes of decorations both in their arms and trailing behind them, wisps of magic twinkling off of them.
Barbatos hums as they walk, staying close to MC and keeping an eye on them should the pile of boxes they insisted on carrying all of decide to try and topple over. MC is too embarrassed to reveal to him that they used a spell on said boxes just to make sure they could back up their confidence in carrying so many. The demon beside them is one of the few they’d rather not make too much of a fool of themselves in front of. Plus, it’s not like they minded his hovering. Having him close is always a comfort.
“We’ll start with the front hall first. Stoke the fire, hang the garland along the mantle as well as the wall, tie the ribbons to the chandelier, wrap the railings for the stairway in lights, replace the carpet along the stairs with a much more festive design. We’ll ignore the tree in there for now.” The butler informs the human beside him.
MC nods. “Sounds like a plan!”
“We’ll do all of the more public rooms, so to speak, for now, and later on tonight or tomorrow, I’ll finish up all of the other rooms and hallways further into the castle, including the Young Master’s room as well as my own.” The two of them turn the corner into the front hall of the castle. “Though, I wouldn’t mind some company then, either.” He gives MC a subtly hopeful look.
MC grins and sets their boxes down, trying not to look too relieved at getting to do so. “I’ll take that as a personal invitation to join you, then.”
Barbatos chuckles, a happy smile coming to his face. “That was the intention.” He sets his boxes down, the other ones not being carried coming to a stop and landing right by the others. “Now, I’ll take care of the fire, as that’ll be quick. Do you think you could start on the lighted garland that will loop around the walls? There’s already hooks in place, so you only need to worry about reaching them.”
They give him a nod, an excited look in their eyes as they immediately start opening boxes and gathering what they need, the smell of christmas tree flooding out and filling the room quickly. As they stand back up, before they can turn away to do their assigned task, a hand quickly catches their chin before they find warm lips being pressed to their own.
MC kisses back immediately, leaning into the gentle affection happily, a light dusting of pink across their cheeks. When both pull away from the kiss, Barbatos has a matching shade on his own face. The two don’t exchange any words aloud, only sharing a loving look, before they both turn back to what they were doing previously, needing nothing but the warm, content quiet between them.
~*~
A/N: Lemme know what you think!! I'll be posting Solomon's literally right after this one cause it's already written, so watch out for that one if you'd like to read it!!
~*~
Taglist:
@dutifullyuniversallykingdom
@om-adventcalendar
@the-ancient-fae
Please let me know if you'd like to be added to the taglist!!
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ninakuli · 1 year ago
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Hi Nina! I hope you’re doin’ well! Whenever you get time, can you write about Rusty Nail (preferably joyride 2) and Bo Sinclair meeting their future s/o who is just like them? Not like a copy and paste but they have similar likes/dislikes/personalities/etc. Maybe Rusty meets a reader is who also a trucker? Maybe Bo meets a reader who is also into cars or likes guns? Preferably reader be afab or gender neutral (whichever works best for you!). You can also put it in whatever format you think would be best or is easiest for you. Headcanons, short fic, etc I don’t mind either way. I know this is a lot but I think you can make it work and if not that’s perfectly fine and okay! Hope you have a great day love! 🥰🖤
Similar
Bo Sinclair x reader
Rusty nail x reader
I finally have request!!! Happy to tears😭 your request make my day more better🥺💜 and thank you hope you have a wonderful day too!
I plan to write a short fic but seem like I write to a real fic lmao, anyway hope you enjoy!!!
Special tag: @sh1n0o @12gaugefalls
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Bo Sinclair:
The opportunity you can meet him first time is your car broken, of course you can fix it yourself but you don't have tool and replacement parts, so you give up and try to find a place have single or have people can ask for help.
You heard the truck sounds near, you look toward the sounds source, a truck parked beside you "Do ya need help?" A man show a kind big smile ask "Can you drive me to the nearby gas station or something like that?" "Sure, Bo run a gas station in Ambrose." "Bo? Ambrose?" "Yea, just at nearby, I can drive you over." "Okay, I really thanks a lot!" You hop on the truck and sit at the passenger seat.
"Name Y/N, thanks for the ride." "Lester and no problem." "Is this your truck right?" "Yea." "I like it a lot it's Chevrolet C Series right?" "Yea, it is!" Then whole roads you keep talking about cars with Lester.
You arrived the gas station, when you get in you found a man are dealing with a truck now "Oh! Is this Jeep Cherokee XJ 1998?" The man stop and looked up to you "Sorry, I just very love car, I need to find a guy name Bo, is that you?" "Yea, I'm Bo, wha' can I help ya?" "Oh I need a fan belt, 16 inch." "Well, 16 inch at my house..." "Oh it's okay so we go to take it?" "Wait me finish diz." "sure, you need help?" "Help? Huh I can do it myself." When he dealing with the car you both keep chatting, when you talk about like you two find out you all like cars and guns these kind of stuff, then what Bo think? He might be attract a little, and look you beautiful so he specifically add more points at you, and keep a interesting person at Ambrose not too bad right? Also it's not the first time he keep a girl beside him, he must can control all things like usual.
You at his house front door, he decided keep you at Ambrose a few days to see it's good or not "Oops 16 inch fan belt run ou' you wanna keep her' a few day?" "If you don't mind." "Of cours' I won't mind keep a interestin' beauty beside." So when you stay at here mean you have more chance to more chat and more understand each other, and you feel bad about keep staying here but don't do anything so you help do the house work sometime you will go to the gas station help Bo to fix car and Bo think you very interesting and you have so many points like him so he keep find some excuse to keep you, of course you not silly so you know these all just excuse but you can't say you didn't be attract by Bo right? Plus Lester, Vincent and Jonesy like you too, you're very helpful and kind, so gradually you and him didn't talk about the fan belt thing...
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Rusty nail:
Today your plan can finished your work then tomorrow you can go home and have a real rest, you feel very boring so you use the CB like usual, want to find a guy to talk let the road not that boring "Have anybody here?" Then you heard a deep voice "Hey." "This is Y/N how to call you?" "Rusty nail." "Want to chat?" "Sure." Then you try to find a topic talk with him, you both talk many things.
"I really hate some people pranks too over then call it just a 'joke' what a asshole." "Same." "Like one time a guy say if I prepare thing to designated place then he will consider date with me, then he freaking take advantage of my affection even make fun of me, I feel so shame." "It's oka'...one time hav' a guy name Candy Cane... play trick with me..." "Seem like we all be tricked." "Yea." Both of you just keep chatting to the night, you need to rest at the motel "Hey Rusty I gonna rest at the motel so maybe see you tomorrow?" "Sure." "Okay bye." Then you parked into the motel and ask a room to rest.
Next day come you wake up early because you want to go home as fast as you can, when you open the CB you heard a familiar sounds "Y/N?...Y/N?...Is Y/N here?...Who knows where Y/N?" "Morning Rusty nail! I just prepared to go on road." You heard he chuckles "Morning." "Today I plan to go home, I'm not sure next time we can meet again or not." "Well... Then cherish now." "You're right." Another joy ride pass, another bid farewell come.
In Rusty side, he never talk with someone so long on the CB and he still want to chat with you, he find out he want to more understand you and want to spend more time with you, chatting with you make him not that boring and feel very comfortable, so he ask other people about your information, of course include your next ride date.
You check the things all prepare ready, you ride on the road then open the CB "Seem like today it's a good day, everybody good?" "Yea... Good." When you heard the voice you unconsciously smile "Oh Hi Rusty nail, good to meet you again!" "Me too Y/N." Then you start chatting again, you both keep this about few months, you both all more understand each other, then you can't deny the truth that you obsessed with Rusty and Rusty can't deny he have feeling to you too. You decide take out your brave to ask him have a lunch with you then he accept, when you go to the restaurant that you both decided he haven't come, when you start worry about you be trick again he's voice appears "Y/N?" You turn to the sounds source, a huge male in front of you "Rusty nail?" "Yea it's me." "You come! I thought I be trick again... Shall we go in?" "Sure, pretty lady first." He open the door then let you walk in first, when you walk in you thank him, then you have a lovely lunch times, you both more hang out to have meal then more closer, finally you confess your affection to him then you both together, such a perfect couple, both are trucker can work together and use CB chatting, and so many points so similar... But you never will know he's killing secret, and you didn't know he already have a 'joy ride' with the guy who tricked and make fun to you...
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climbthemountain2020 · 8 months ago
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Flame of Autumn - Chapter 16
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Part 17/26 | Ao3
Eris
It had been a week since the worst and best day of their lives thus far, and Eris was fighting every single base urge the mating bond thrust upon him each time he saw his mate and knew she was pregnant with their child. He’d barely let her leave the room since, both because of the sudden protective streak he was experiencing, but also because it had triggered something feral in him that required him to pull her naked body back into their bed every time she tried to depart it. She would giggle and they’d resume right where they left off, touching and laughing and exploring each other again. It was like they were experiencing the frenzy of the bond all over again, but Eris wasn’t complaining. 
He knew this couldn’t last–knew something would disturb this fragile, glorious peace–but gods, he wanted it to.  
That morning, a letter had arrived in their rooms requesting his presence in the throne room at sunrise, and he was regretting his duties every second he spent not in bed with Tilly. She was still sleeping, bordered by dogs on each side, as he kissed her gently and left their rooms. He knew she’d been tired lately, and he wasn’t going to wake her for no reason. He left a note with her breakfast, remembering fondly the first time he’d done so, and tried to make this one a bit sweeter. 
Good morning, beautiful creature 
You simply looked too peaceful to wake, and I hope you’re having wonderful dreams–of me, obviously. I brewed your favorite tea, set to stay heated, as well as procuring more chocolate tarts. I’ll be back in an hour or so. 
All my love, 
E
He tucked it under the pillow when he set her tray on the night table, taking another look at her and wondering how he’d possibly lucked into this. Beron aside, he didn’t know how anyone could have received such fortune in life. Perhaps the universe was finally allowing him a reprieve in exchange for the previous five centuries of torture. 
He walked to the throne room, cracking his neck as he went and preparing mentally for whatever Beron had in mind. He tried to smother the happiness he felt so it wouldn’t show on his face, letting that steel mask slide into place as it always did. He walked in with purpose, sketched a bow, and rose. 
“How may I be of service, father?”
“I need you in Dawn Court to finish brokering the deal for the new adaptive armor we commissioned.” Eris was aware of this deal. Thesan had agreed, after much negotiation, to create armor for the soldiers of Autumn. It had certain specifications in mind, made them stronger, heat resistant, and less likely to melt in the case of an onslaught of fire magic. It wasn’t out of the ordinary, but Eris hadn’t done much with it at this point. It wasn’t a particularly difficult trip, though. They might even be able to stop by Day Court and talk to Helion before returning home. 
“Yes, father. When will we be leaving?” 
“Tomorrow morning. You will need to go alone, and be subtle there. I don’t want to risk anyone seeing you and thinking we’re brokering some type of alliance. That’s the last thing we need.” Eris was immediately uncomfortable with Tilly being left behind, his instincts roaring within him to stay nearby and protect her, protect their baby.
“Understood, father.” 
“I will be off to the mortal lands for meetings with the human queens.” This information did shock Eris, but he kept his expression schooled. 
“The human queens? I did not realize we were still in contact after the mishap with Brialyn.” 
“Yes, I am building contacts with them. More allies can never hurt, especially not when they have a tense relationship with the Night Court.” Beron leered in a way that sent a chill through Eris. At least Beron would be far from Tilly in his absence. “Do not disappoint me, Eris. This is a very simple deal, and I need it to go through without any issues.” Eris simply bowed. 
“Yes, father.” 
On his way back to their rooms to pack, he thought about how he might approach the meeting with Helion. He could send a parchment from Day that was unlikely to be intercepted begging for an audience, then go straight there after Day to speak with him. He could see if Helion would be willing to at least help break the charm preventing Beron from being poisoned so that they could try again. Truly, he knew Helion wouldn’t do anything to compromise Alanna’s sons, as much as he hated Beron. He knew he’d be safe in Day, even if he wasn’t well-liked. He could explain the situation to Helion, and perhaps he would warm more if he knew the details. As a last resort, he could even exchange his knowledge of Lucien. Eris didn’t like it for anyone’s sake, least of all his mother’s, and he hoped it wouldn’t come to that. 
Tilly had just risen when Eris returned. She was sitting there on the still-ruffled bed, eating her pastries. She smiled at him as he came inside, and Eris thought he’d never seen anything quite so beautiful. Her red hair was tousled, waving lazily in the low light, and she was wearing a silk dressing gown that slipped deliciously off one freckled shoulder. 
“Got your note!” She held it up with a grin. “Thank you for the tea and tarts. I might live off tea and tarts if you let me.” He laughed as he came and sat on the side of the bed, giving her a kiss and tasting the chai and chocolate on her lips. 
“I’m surprised the dogs aren’t here begging.” He’d practically had to pry Hestia away from Tilly this past week. She and Cinder had become incredibly protective, going nearly everywhere she went and growling at anyone else who got too close. 
“I gave them their breakfast a bit ago and I may have given them some sausages to get a little reprieve.” Her smile turned guilty as she said it, but her eyes were filled with mischief. He reached up, letting his hand graze her jaw lightly. 
“I have to go away for a few days.” Her face dropped at the news, worry creasing her brow. 
“Why? I can’t come?” He knew she would worry–he understood. 
“It’s just a few days in Dawn. I need to finish a deal for Beron, who will, blessedly, also be gone from the Forest House.” Tilly breathed a deep sigh of relief. 
“Well, that’s not so terrible. Despite missing you while you’re gone.” She smiled, but it didn’t quite meet her eyes. 
“I’ll be missing you every moment I am away. Perhaps you and my mother can spend some time together. I know she blooms when he’s gone, and it’ll keep you company, too.” She smiled and nodded. 
“I’d like that.” 
“And you’re good to keep the glamours up while I’m away?”
“Yes, I can do it. Not like I’d be using any other magic without you here.” She laughed a little, and he relented, kissing her again. A few quick pecks turned slower, more sensual. He could never get enough of her, and he knew that no measure of time would satisfy him. He trailed the kisses down her chest, sending all the love and affection that burned through the pathways of his heart down the bond and into her as she inhaled deeply. 
He pressed a kiss to the spot beneath her navel as she sighed in contentment. He inhaled, loving the mix of flames and oranges that washed over him. It was going to be the longest few days of his life. 
“Are you absolutely sure you’ll be alright while I’m gone? Perhaps I can figure out a way–”
“Eris, it’s fine. I have spent so much of my life by myself. I can manage a few days.” He pouted, putting on a dramatic show for her as she laughed. 
“I am hoping to get a letter to Helion. Perhaps he might be able to help.” Her expression sobered as she sat back up, Eris rising with her to press a kiss to her bare shoulder. 
“Let’s hope he will.” 
Tilly
Tilly rolled stiffly across the bed, bumping the sleeping dogs and earning grumbles as she did. 
“Oh, hush. I can’t help it that I can’t sleep. You’re the ones choosing to be here, anyway.” Eris had been gone for a day now, and she missed him sorely, but it was so much worse at night. She hated sleeping away from him–had grown so used to his warm body curved around hers that she couldn’t sleep without him here. Even with three dogs on the bed, she felt cold and lonely. She rolled again, tugging the bond lovingly and sending sweet thoughts through that mighty ribbon to him. It took barely a moment before she felt it echoing back, his amusement–likely at her still being awake–dancing around with love and devotion. 
At this distance, the bond was so incredibly faint–delayed, even–but she was glad for it only to know he was safe and to have that small bit of comfort. She and Alanna had done tea in the garden that afternoon which had been a nice reprieve, especially with the lack of Beron’s overbearing guard lingering over them like a dark cloud. Tilly loved how much lighter the Lady of Autumn was when she wasn’t being chained down by Beron’s presence, but it made it so much more painful to see her locked back down upon his return. 
They’d discussed flowers and the weather, and Alanna had tentatively mentioned the upcoming solstice, but nothing about the ticking clock hanging over their heads. A part of her wondered if Alanna didn’t sense it, didn’t already know about the grandchild cradled within Tilly’s womb. They would have told her, but they didn’t want to be responsible for giving her a single additional piece of information that Beron could torture out of her or punish her for keeping from him. They’d have to figure out soon how long they planned to hide this before they absolutely couldn’t anymore. She hoped Eris’ meeting with Helion would produce some good leads and keep them from worrying about it altogether. 
Another roll and a frustrated sigh. She was probably only about two months along at most, and the uncomfortable nights would only become more commonplace from here. At least with Eris around, he could provide his warm hands pressed against her back for some relief. She smiled at the thought. Eris was going to be such a wonderful father, and as terrible as the circumstances were, she couldn’t help but feel genuinely excited about the prospect of seeing him in the role. She could imagine him rubbing circles into her back, holding her hands as she brought their baby into the world. She could picture Eris so vividly holding him or her against his chest, tiny tufts of bright red baby curls perfectly puffing up from the blanket. The visual brought tears to her eyes, as most things seemed to these days. 
A frantic pounding on the doors broke through the darkness. 
“Matilda! Matilda, help!” 
Alanna. 
The dogs were barking and snarling, and Tilly shot out of bed, grabbing her dressing gown to wrap tightly around her as she ran to the door. The pounding was growing louder and more hectic. 
“Matilda, please!” She threw up her glamours and waved down the wards in the same breath, swinging the door open in a panic. 
“Alanna, what’s–” 
But it wasn’t Alanna she found on the other side. 
She was greeted with the twisted smile of Aradnus, holding a handkerchief covered in a bright blue powder. The voice had been a trick of magic, and in the seconds it took her to put it all together and try to slam the door on him, he’d gotten his entire arm around her throat and pressed the cloth to her nose and mouth. She could think of nothing as her vision began to blur, her senses dulling rapidly. She struggled wildly against him, the dogs snarling and snapping behind her as he kicked the door closed on them, dragging her out into the hall. 
As the darkness closed in, she tried to reach out through the bond to warn Eris, but the golden thread of flame was nowhere to be found. 
Taglist (lomls): @cauldronblssd@queercontrarian@byyalady@thelovelymadone@clockwork-ashes@lovingkelj @lilah-asteria
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ladykailitha · 2 years ago
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Oh For a Muse of Fire! Part 15
We are nearing the end, my lovelies. I have about one or two more parts to go (depending how far part 16 takes me) and then we’re done. Which makes me so sad. I love this story. It made me so happy. I don’t even know what sparked the idea.
I named it after a muse for three reasons. Steve becomes Eddie’s muse. Eddie becomes Steve’s muse. And my muse caught this story and refused to let go until I completed it.
Normally I have the next part completed before I put up a part (if I post part 8, I’ll have part 9 already done type thing), but I got a really bad migraine last night and didn’t finish part 16. I hope I’ll get it done today, but I’m not sure. So part 16 might not go up until late tomorrow or early Monday.
Also and this is important, lovelies: THE TAG LIST HAS OFFICIALLY REACHED MY LIMIT OF 50. ALL FUTURE REQUESTS FOR TAGS WILL BE IGNORED. Thank you!!
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6  Part 7  Part 8  Part 9 Part 10  Part 11 Part 12  Part 13 Part 14
*
Steve was working with Crystal who was by far the chillest dude he had ever worked with. Bar none. Steve was pretty damn sure that he was stoned most of the time.
But since it didn’t affect his work, Diamond looked the other way.
Crystal and Steve got into a rhythm that got them a lot of attention. Steve’s showy style of bartending mixed with Crystal’s flare created quite the show.
After a particularly complex set of maneuvers, Diamond came over to Steve and patted him on the shoulder.
“Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay?” Diamond asked, his voice rough with emotion. “You really are the heart of this team. You get along with everyone, you know how to put on a show, and you’re a great worker. I’d even triple your rate, man.”
Steve blushed. “As tempting as that sounds with that being more than I would make as a teacher...it’s what I want to do. I want to be that influence for good in teenagers that might not get that from anywhere else.”
Diamond gave his shoulder a squeeze. “You’re a good man, Garnet. Don’t let anybody change that.”
Steve grinned. “Thanks, Boss.” He ducked his head bashfully, scratching his cheek. “Besides it would be a disservice to my host teacher. He’s really put himself out on a limb for me.”
“You’re going to be a teacher, bro?” Crystal asked. “That’s pretty freaking amazing.”
“Art teacher,” Steve clarified.
“You draw, too?” Crystal murmured. “You’re going to do awesome!”
Steve just shook his head and got back to helping the next customer in line.
*
Steve and Eddie walked into class together bantering back and forth when Joyce came running to them both. She hugged them tight, one arm around each of them.
“I’m so glad you guys are safe!” she cried.
They hugged her back.
“I’m fine,” Eddie murmured. “Steve had my back.”
She pulled away and glared at Steve. “Jim said that you were trying to take on five boys with just your nail bat.”
Eddie mouthed ‘Jim?’
Steve mouthed back ‘Hopper.’
Eddie’s eyebrows shot up.
“I was just stalling for time until Hop showed up with reinforcements,” he promised Joyce.
“I really wish you wouldn’t get into fights like that,” she admonished gently. “You know how much it scares Jim.”
Steve shook his head, holding up his hands placatingly. “I wasn’t fighting, honest. I was just stalling for time like I said. I tapped him twice on the back of his heavy letterman jacket as a warning and nothing else.”
Joyce’s face softened. “If you’re sure?”
“I can attest to the fact that Steve just danced around the guy and never engaged directly,” Eddie said, putting himself a little forward to place himself between Joyce and Steve.
She looked back and forth between them and sighed. “I’m glad everything turned out well then.”
As Steve and Eddie walked to take their places, Eddie said, “You are giving me the complete rundown of everything I did not understand in that conversation over coffee and you’re paying.”
Steve laughed. “Fair enough!”
*
“That was by far the most confusing conversation I have ever been in,” Eddie said after taking a sip of his black coffee. “And that includes the time my guidance counselor told me that after three times I was actually graduating from high school.”
Steve chuckled. “What do you want to know?”
Eddie laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them, using his elbows to prop him up. “Why does Joyce Byers know the chief of police well enough to call him by what I am assuming his given name?” He batted his eyelashes at Steve.
Steve raised an eyebrow and took a long sip of his iced coffee. “Because they’ve been dating for years?” He gave a little half shrug.
Eddie’s eyes widened. “How the hell did I not know that?”
Steve pursed his lips and then licked them slowly. “They don’t like people to know usually. The only reason I know is because Hop was the FBI liaison after my attack and Joyce was acting as my parental advocate until I turned eighteen.”
“Huh.”
“Anything else you want to know?” Steve asked.
“You lied to me pretty boy,” Eddie began. “You said you couldn’t beat Nick if he chose to start a fight.”
Steve laughed. “I said a fist fight. I can’t even begin to tell you how many of those I’ve lost.”  
Eddie tilted his head thoughtfully. “So then why did both Joyce and Hopper admonish you like you’d done this kind of shit before?”
Steve ducked his head to hide the flushing of his cheeks. “I’m not sure how much you remember about what I was saying to Jason and his gang. You were pretty terrified out of your mind.”
“Which part are we talking about?” Eddie asked. “You goading Jason for not being able to swing properly or before that?”
Steve laughed again. “Before that, when Robin threw me the bat?”
Eddie ran his tongue over his teeth slowly. “Something about it being an anti-homophobe bat?”
“That’s the one,” Steve said with a grin. “I take it to Pride festivals and LGBTQ+ events to ward off assholes like Jason and his gang. Sometimes it takes more than just swinging it around to get them to back the fuck off.”
Eddie put his hands flat on the table. “How the hell have you not been arrested?!” He leaned forward into Steve’s space.
Steve pushed him playfully. “My notoriety and my relationship with Chief Hopper, if I’m honest. It’s the only time that’s ever worked out in my favor. But now I’ve got a reputation for taking on homophobes.”
“That is objectively the most hilarious thing I’ve heard,” Eddie said, sitting back down.
Steve grinned. “Yeah, I like to think of it as karma if I’m honest.”
“Steve Harrington, the avatar of vengeance, is that it?” Eddie asked, in all seriousness.
“I never intended to be,” Steve defended. “It just worked out that way.”
“Uh huh.” Eddie winked at him.
Steve looked down at the table and rubbed a finger along the surface. “Since we’re answering questions. Can you answer one for me?”
Eddie’s expression became guarded. “You want to know why Jason Carver was playing ‘hunt the freak’?”
Steve nodded. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
Eddie reached across the table and lifted Steve’s chin. “It’s okay. I want to tell you. It’s just not my story to tell.”
Steve cocked his head to the side. “Chrissy.” It wasn’t even a question.
Eddie nodded. “He seems to labeling under the delusion that I turned her gay.”
Steve started laughing and couldn’t stop. Eddie tried to not join in, but one side-eyed look at him and he was busting up, too.
“God are all straights this stupid?” Steve asked when he was able to catch his breath.
Eddie grinned. “No, just too many of them.”
“Fair enough,” Steve said returning the grin.
*
Eddie noticed the dwindling number of students the closer they got to the last day of class. Soon it was down to Steve and a couple other students.
“Hey, Joyce,” he said, bounding up to her after class. He was waiting for Steve to finish cleaning up.
“Hey, Eddie!” she greeted cheerfully. “How are you doing?”
“I’m great,” he replied and then pursed his lips. “So I was wondering where all the other students have gone?”
Joyce frowned for a minute. “Oh! I guess I forgot to tell you. When the students finish their final they don’t have to keep coming to class.”
He rocked back on his heels. “Oh. So Steve hasn’t finished his final yet?”
Joyce giggled but quickly covered her mouth to stifle it. Eddie glared at her.
“No, sweetheart,” she said fighting to keep her smile in check. “He turned it last week.”
Eddie frowned. “What do you mean?”
“He stays because he wants to spend time with you.”
He turned to where Steve was cleaning his paint brushes and then back to her. “So what is he working on if not his final?”
She gave him a half shrug. “I would assume a personal project.”
Eddie hummed. “You don’t find it weird that he’s still painting me nude?”
“Why? Do you?” Joyce asked with a raised eyebrow.
He ducked his head and blushed. “I mean, it’s flattering. But at the same time...I don’t know. I feel seen I guess.”
She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “I can see that both of you are so smitten with each other, I don’t understand why you two aren’t together.”
Just then Steve came up and put his hand on Eddie’s lower back. “Hey, Eds. I’m done. You about ready to go?”
Eddie nodded and let him lead him away from Joyce as they both waved goodbye.
Once they were out on the pavement, Eddie asked. “So Joyce was telling me that you already finished your final.”
Steve grinned. “Yep! It’s going into the art show they have for all the graduating art students. You should totally come.”
“Does that mean that people are going to be staring at my naked ass all day?” Eddie teased.
Steve laughed. “Well there will be a 18+ area that little kiddies aren’t allowed to go into. But, yeah those that want to will be able to see you in all your naked glory.”
Eddie huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, all right. I’ll be there. If only to see Karens clutching at their pearls at the mere thought of nudity near their precious children.”
Steve laughed again. “I can’t wait for you to see my painting.”
“I’m excited too,” Eddie agreed. “But you know I’ve got to ask...”
“Why I haven’t just not come to class like everyone else?” he asked and Eddie nodded. “I know it might come off a little creepy but I just liked spending time with you. And I know that you’re working hard on your music and trying to get a record deal and technically I could just meet you after class and go for coffee, but I just–”
Eddie grabbed Steve’s arms and said firmly. “Steve.”
Steve finally took a breath.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Eddie murmured. “You were starting to spiral again. You need to take a breath, okay.”
Steve nodded and then ducked his head between his hunched shoulders. “I just didn’t want you to think I was being all creepy and gross about wanting to continue to paint you after my turned in my assignment.”
Eddie frowned, wondering where this was coming from. And then it hit him. The very first thing he had thrown at Steve that first day of class was that he had only taken it because he was there to leer at the model.
He gently cupped Steve’s cheek. “Oh, Stevie. I know you’re not like that. I’m flattered, okay?”
Steve leaned into Eddie’s touch. “Okay,” he breathed.
“I was only curious, no judgment.” Eddie pulled him in for a hug and Steve just melted into his embrace. “Come on, let’s go get that coffee, huh?”
Steve nodded and reluctantly let go. Only to be pleasantly surprised when Eddie slung his arm around his shoulder.
And if Steve leaned into it, that was no one’s business but his. And maybe Eddie’s, too.
Part 16  Part 17  Epilogue
Tag List: @artiststarme @allbymyselfexceptformycactus @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @itsall-taken @m-owo-n @zerokrox-blog @runyousillydetective @grimmfitzz @wonderland-girl143-blog @sapphirecobalt-1 @scheodingers-muppet @victor-thee-corvid @apricottree @bookbinderbitch @sleepyboosstuff @biatcgh @pixiefallingupthestairs @grtwdsmwhr @thepainisspicy @carlyv @eboyawstenn @bisexualdisastersworld @bidisastersworld @abstractnaturaldisaster @evix-syne666 @nerdsconquerall @lololol-1234 @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @a-little-unsteddie @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @elluminis @tailsfromthecrypt @danili666 @plyerice27 @alittlegreyfish  @n0-1-important @no-upper-limit-to-stupidity @maya-custodios-dionach @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @heaven428 @thedragonsaunt @ceaselessly-watching @imfinereallyy @messrs-weasley @sharingisntkaren @nohomoyesbi
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fayestardust · 1 year ago
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On September 16, 1944, Private Ivor Rowberry wrote a final letter to his mother. Five days later, he was killed. He was just 22. He was part of the 2nd South Staffordshire Regiment, volunteering for airborne service. During We Happy Few 506's Operation Market Garden Tour this weekend, Mark Huberman, the actor who plays Lester Hashey in Band of Brothers, read his letter to us (pictured).
I would normally post it under the cut, but it is so moving that I want everyone to read it.
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Dear Mom,
Usually when I write a letter it is very much overdue and I must make every effort to get it away quickly. This letter, however is different. It is a letter I hoped you would never receive, as it is just a verification of that terse, black-edged card which you received some time ago, and which caused you so much grief. It is because of that grief that I wrote this letter, and by the time you have finished reading it I hope that it has done some good, and that I have not written in vain. It is very difficult to write now of future things in the past tense, so I am returning to the present.
Tomorrow we go into action. As yet I do not know exactly what our job will be, but no doubt it will be a dangerous one in which many lives will be lost – mine may be one of those lives. Well Mom, I am not afraid to die. I like this life, yes for the past two years I have planned and dreamed and mapped out a perfect future for myself. I would have liked that future to materialise, but it is not what God wills, and if by sacrificing all this I leave the world slightly better than I found it I am perfectly willing to make that sacrifice. Don’t get me wrong though, Mom; I am no flag-waving patriot, nor have I ever professed to be.
England’s a great little country, the best there is, but I cannot honestly and sincerely say “that it is worth fighting for”. Nor can I fancy myself in the role of a gallant crusader fighting for the liberation of Europe. It would be a nice thought, but I would only be kidding myself. No, Mom, my little world is centred around you, and includes Dad, everyone at home, and my friends at Wolverhampton, that is worth fighting for, and if by doing so it strengthens your security and improves your lot in any way, then it is worth dying for too. Now this is where I come to the point of this letter. As I have already stated, I am not afraid to die, and am perfectly willing to do so, if, by my doing so, you benefit in any way whatsoever. If you do not then my sacrifice is all in vain. Have you benefited, Mom, or have you cried and worried yourself sick? I fear it is the latter. Don’t you see, Mom, that it will do me no good, and that in addition you are undoing all the good work I have tried to do. Grief is hypocritical, useless and unfair, and neither you or me any good.
I want no flowers, no epitaph, no tears. All I want is for you to remember me and feel proud of me; then I shall rest in peace, knowing that I have done a good job. Death is nothing final or lasting; if it were there would be no point in living; it is just a stage in everyone’s life. To some it comes early, to others late, but it must come to everyone some time, and surely there is no better way of dying. Besides, I have probably crammed more enjoyment into my 21 years than some manage to do in 80. My only regret is that I have not done as much for you as I would like to do. I loved you Mom; you were the best mother in the world, and what I failed to do in life I am trying to make up in death, so please don’t let me down, Mom, don’t worry or fret, but smile, be proud and satisfied. I have never had much money, but what little I have is yours. Please don’t be silly or sentimental about it, and don’t try to spend it on me. Spend it on yourself or the kiddies, it will do some good that way. Remember that where I am I am quite O.K. and providing that I know you are not grieving over me I shall be perfectly happy. Well, Mom, that is all, and I hope I have not written it all in vain. Goodbye, and thanks for everything.
Your unworthy son,
Ivor
---
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ultralightpoe · 2 months ago
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Pots and Potions - Steve Rogers
Authors Note: Part 16? Maybe? Sounds right, and it'll be obvious that I just finished Agatha All Along. My poor babies
Warnings: none {Agatha depicted as a villian}
Word Count: 685
Requests: OPEN
~2024 Halloween Event Masterlist
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[Thank you for the gif @likamartini ]
ENJOY!
There was a time where mentioning a witch could get you killed, and back when Steve Rogers was still in school they went through an entire session on the Salem Witch Trials. There were still rules back then, rules that you followed to avoid such scandalous things and one of those rules was no speaking of witchcraft.  But it was no secret that he came back to an entirely new world, and this new world was…. Filled with witches. 
During her short explanation one of the assistants had explained some of the dos and don'ts of witchcraft… or better said, How Not To Piss Of A Practicing Witch. Some of these rules ran through his head as he headed to one of the local shops she had recommended. 
Don’t call her a witch. It could be derogatory. 
Never tease the magic. It would be like teasing someones religion. 
And the last but not least never under ANY circumstances mention Agatha Harkness. 
Though he had no clue who that last one was referencing he made sure to remember the name to avoid an accidental slip. 
That didn’t seem to matter because the second he made it to the front door of the building all rules were forgotten. The colorful stained glass of the doors depicting a woman dancing under the phases of the moon was alluring enough as he traced the silver lines holding the stained glass together. 
But it was the woman inside that really drew him in. 
She was stocking the shelves of different colored candles and when he pushed the door open the small jingle of the bell drew her attention quick enough that he felt like even with the super strength it was her that could win the fight. 
“Hello,” He starts, panicking a little as he looks around the room at everything there was to see. From candles to a wall of Tarot cards, oils, crystals, and a very large sign reading ‘AVOID THE WITCHES ROAD’. 
“What’s the witches road?” 
“A curse. Or a prize.” You explain, turning from him to look at the poster before whipping your gaze back. “Honestly I’m not quite sure. My boss put it up. It’s built off this old myth and there is a really cool song. What can I do for you today?”
“Oh, right to the chase.”
“It’s almost like I work here.” You huff a laugh, setting down the last candle before turning to the counter and dragging the box with you to knock it down as he takes another look around rhe room. 
“I can’t sleep, and… well I have this thing that kind of ruins modern medicine.” He begins to explain. “It doesn’t work on me.”
“Because of the super soldier serum? Maybe? Just a thought?” 
“How did you know?” And he feels so stupid when you point at the tv playing to the side displaying the news that proudly displayed him on it. 
“Now are you looking for a spell? Maybe a charm?”
“I was hoping for a potion actually.”
“Then you came in at the best time since I am here.” You smile, nodding your head to show him where to go. “I’m the best with potions in my coven.”
And he asks questions while he watches you work, watching you float around to crumble herbs and smash ingredients to work with. It was magic, nothing else could be said. By the time you finished you handed him three small vials of a slight periwinkle with an excited smile on your face. 
“They should taste like vanilla, and normally they take 3 minutes to work.” You explain, walking around the counter to start ringing him out. “I recommend a blue pillow case for better dreams as well.”
“Noted.”
“And if you need a refill you know where to find me….. You could also come in tomorrow for lunch. If you wanted.”
“I’d love that.” He answers quickly. “So long as you tell me who Agatha Harkness is.”
“Oh, that’s gonna be a long lunch.” You laugh, tossing the potions into a bag and handing it off. “Tomorrow, noon.”
-
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[Thank you for the gif @sersi ]
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neristudy · 2 months ago
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100 day of learning German: 16/100
Well, I haven't finished my homework yet, I still have 2 or 3 pages left. Ugh, I hope I can finish it tomorrow. I was worried if I'd forgotten to do something (because I've been fiddling with printouts all this time when we might have, say, another 20 tests in the book x_x), but luckily I didn't. We only had to fill out printouts, and word translations in the book. I'll have to do that tomorrow.
The lesson in babbel was pretty big, and I've saved the most important parts of it. I'm surprised that we have the same topic in the course and the topic in the babbel again. Interesting!!!
Also, it's winter in my savefile of Stardew Valley. Penny is such a cutie!~
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itcamefromthetoybox · 5 months ago
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Past His Prime
Hey there, hi there, ho there! I’m back. Ended up taking a break from the blog to finish moving and just never got around to it for a while. One of those, “oh yeah, I’ll work on that tomorrow” things where I kept meaning to but kept forgetting. But yes! I am back! And on my update schedule of “when I get to it.” But what exactly dragged me back? New toys from the upcoming “Transformers: One” movie! Today, we’re going to be looking at “Transformers: One Prime Changers Optimus Prime.” How does the latest version of the Autobot leader hold up? Is he a hit or miss? And is he worth the big price tag? Let’s dive in and answer those questions!
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Now, as of this article, the movie isn’t out yet, so I can’t spoil anything or say too much about the plot or characters, other than that the movie is about Orion Pax and D-16, the best friends who will become the heroic Optimus Prime and the evil Megatron. If you don’t know who those characters are, then I am very confused as to why you’re reading a review of Transformers toys. Are you that bored at work?
Now, what is a Prime Changer? Prime Changers, basically, are the main figures of the “Transformers: One” toyline. They’re simpler than the collector-aimed “Studio Series” line, and are the off the shelf figures for kids you’d think of when you think of Transformers. No fancy gimmicks, no overly complicated transformations, just a robot that turns into something and back again.
At first look, Prime Changer Optimus Prime looks great. He’s very colorful, blocky-looking, and seems to be exactly what you think of when you think of a young, pre-war Optimus. He has all the expected Optimus details, like the smoke stacks on his shoulders, the chest window, and the wheels on his legs. He’s supposed to capture the essence of Optimus Prime, and he does. Of course, these days, that means he also takes a massive amount of inspiration from the original, G1 Optimus Prime that’s been around since the 80’s and who gets a new figure every single year with no exception, so do keep that in mind. Now, when you get a closer look, flaws become apparent. The wheels in Prime’s shoulders are a different grey than the pant on him, so they stand out like a sore thumb, which takes away from the look. Hollow areas become more noticeable, and there’s nothing particularly new or interesting to compensate for those cosmetic letdowns.
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Articulation-wise, Optimus is pretty decent. Very posable, lots of joints, just as you would expect. There’s nothing really shocking or dynamic here. Saying that a mainline Transformer is very posable is like saying ice is cold. Like, yeah, I would certainly hope so. If it wasn’t, I’d have some concerns. It’s important to note, though, that there are some limits on his poses. Optimus comes with a removable Matrix of Leadership that he can theoretically hold in his hands to recreate the classic “lighting our darkest hour” pose everyone does with the Matrix. The thing is, his big chest gets in the way of that, so he needs to hold the Matrix at about gut level. It looks a lot less impressive than you’d hope and a lot more like Optimus is rubbing it on his stomach for luck.
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Speaking of his waist area, while he does have a waist joint, his crotch design actually limits how much the waist can rotate. And by “limits,” I mean he can barely rotate. It’s kinda a letdown, because the parts are there, but the toy itself stops you from using them.
So, this is a Transformer, so let’s talk about transforming. I hated this part. It wasn’t complicated, true. It was very straightforward, with a few extra steps like rotating the arms and opening the legs, and the process integrates Prime’s ax accessory into it, so that has a place to store, which is nice. The problem is that you gotta line up some tabs just so to make sure the whole thing pegs together right, and that was a living hell. I spent more time trying to get those tabs on his legs and the holes on his back lined up than I did on any other step of the transformation. It was frustrating as hell, and I really don’t wanna do that again. Also, part of the transformation is unfolding the truck grill from behind Prime’s chest. It’s a simple process with no extra steps, but if you have short nails, it’s gonna be more of a pain than it should be. Getting the axe into position for vehicle mode takes way too much fiddling and adjusting to be worthwhile. Transforming this guy was really annoying and not all that fun. As for getting him back to robot mode, that’s a damn chore. Prime’s back piece doesn’t like doing a lot of what it’s supposed to, and parts pop off constantly. Unless you’re very careful, expect Prime’s arms, chest, and back to pop off at least once during transforming, which especially sucks because reattaching the back is a pain. It took a while before I was able to transform him even once without any issues, and I remain convinced I just got lucky.
Of course, Optimus Prime turns into a truck. It’s basically an alien version of the truck he always turns into. If you’ve seen one G1 Optimus Prime truck mode, you have a solid idea of what this dude looks like. The truck mode doesn’t roll well at all. The back wheels just barely clear the legs to roll unencumbered, to the point that if you get a figure with the molding off by even a smidge, you’re outta luck.
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Let’s talk accessories. Optimus comes with his axe, two smokestacks, and the Matrix of Leadership. The axe looks pretty good. Between the sculpting and color, it looks like a mechanical weapon charged with energy, and the sculpting and paint at the base make it look like the axe emerged from Prime’s palm.
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It fits over Prime’s hand, with a peg inside the base that Prime holds onto, The problem here is that once Prime has it, he doesn’t wanna drop it. It’s a snug fit. Too snug. The way Prime’s hands are attached to his wrists means that you need to be careful taking the axe out of his hand, or else the hand will pop off. I find that pressing against where his hand connects to his wrist helps hold the hand in place while I pull the axe off.
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Prime’s smokestacks are meh. They can be removed from his shoulders to be held as a pair of pistols that are blatantly just smokestacks in his hands. When you transform Prime, they will want to come right out of there, so keep an eye on them.
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The Matrix, though, is awful. Just, really awful. It looks and feels cheap, which is a shame considering it’s the damn Matrix of Leadership. It’s also inconsistent about staying in Prime’s chest. Sometimes, it fits pretty well. Sometimes, it feels a bit loose. But the thing I really hate about it is that its plastic and design are definitely cheap. This became clear to me the first time I transformed Prime. When transforming Prime, the instructions say you can leave the Matrix in his chest, because its storage spot is a peg on the back of his truck grill.
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The instructions are a sheet of lies. The Matrix takes up just enough space where it will get knocked out when transforming Prime, or , worse, it’ll break. The first time I transformed this figure, before I even took pictures, one of the handles on the Matrix snapped off.
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This actually revealed how cheap it was to me. See, the break was a clean break. TOO clean. It seems like the handles of the Matrix are actually separate parts that were glued onto the Matrix, and that glue’s not exactly the stuff of legends. When I looked at the break, I also noticed that it looks like the Matrix itself is actually painted over blue plastic, the same kind Prime’s axe is made of. The Matrix is very small, and the plastic is very thin, so any amount of force on it’s going to break it. Hell, the plastic is so weak and cheap that when the handle broke off, I didn’t even notice. I didn’t feel any resistance or indicator it was in the way of the transformation. It was there, and then it broke. As easy as I breathe with as little notice. If you wanna keep it safe, just take it out and set it aside, only to be used for poses.
And now, of course, the main issues I have with this figure. I know plastic’s gotten more expensive, so toy companies are cutting costs. I get that. But by God, this figure feels cheap. The plastic feels so cheap to the touch that it’s the first thing my wife commented on when she touched Prime. When you start looking him over in your hands, you notice how hollow the toy is. He LOOKS very solid and bulky, like Optimus should. This makes how light he is feel surprising, and how hollow he is feel like a letdown. Some parts, like his chest plate are thin enough that I can see the shadow of my hand on the other side. Also, he’s just so damn small, He’s frustratingly short. I’m gonna sound like an old man here, but I remember when a $20 Transformer had some size and heft to him. This Prime’s smaller than the $10 ones I had as a kid and still do have. Between the cheap plastic, the parts popping off, how hollow and short Prime is, and how easily the Matrix broke, the whole toy just feels super cheap. 
“Transformers: One Prime Changer Optimus Prime” is available at mass retail for a starting price of $20 and is aimed at ages 6 and up. Would I recommend him? Absolutely not. This is really not a good toy. The plastic feels cheap to the touch, the transformation’s a pain, parts pop off way too easily, his guns are literally just his smokestacks held at a different angle, the Matrix is small, thin, and breaks easily, his waist is impeded by his own body, and he’s just so damn short. I can’t in good consciousness tell people to spend $20 on something so damn small that doesn’t even bring anything new to the table and, if anything, is a significant downgrade from what’s come before. Like, I compared this to older figures I have. It’s literally more money for less toy. This figure was such a letdown that it made me not want to get the other Prime Changer figures. I was actually turned off from an entire series of figures because of how annoying and disappointing this one toy was. He looks good from a distance, but then you get him in your hands and all the flaws, big and small, come shining through. Definitely pass on this one. I know, I sound like an old man. “Things were so much better when I was a kid.” Well, I handed this figure and some of my older ones to my wife, someone with very little interest in Transformers, who didn’t grow up with the figures or shows and has no problem telling me when she thinks I’m completely wrong or being that old guy. She actually agreed with me completely. Compared to the older toys, this one’s really not good. It’s more money for a toy that is significantly smaller and of lower quality. I know this is what’s out there, and this is all kids and collectors have on the market, but that doesn’t mean you should throw money at something that’s clearly not good. You want a great Optimus toy? Go on eBay. There’s plenty of fantastic old Primes from past movies and shows there for decent prices that WON’T break in two seconds and actually have some size to them. Next time, who knows what we’ll be looking at! Hopefully something I don’t feel an immense case of Buyer’s Remorse over. This is JS signing off and wishing you Happy Toy Hunting!
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l-norris · 6 months ago
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Spanish GP 2024 Recap
Part 3 of this strangely therapeutic thing I call content!
Forgot to write out stuff that happened pre-race cuz I was busy stressing over final exams tomorrow and realised it only as the formation lap was complete lmao.
('Tis the reason I'm posting it today already as well, brother I am SUFFERING I HATE FINAL EXAMS)
Anyways, enjoy.
And, as always, numbers in brackets are lap numbers.
(Disclaimer: Remember that this is just for shits and giggles, I'm not trying to actually hate on anyone here cuz all the drivers are very dear to me)
- IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO!
- Lando looses P1 almost immediately
- and drops down to P3 in the first corner
- That was horrible my man
- But DAMN where did George come from tho??
- No crashes so far
- Oop Ferraris touched actually, nevermind
- Max in the lead (3)
- Is it even worth it to keep watching
- Like we all know how this is gonna end
- Fuck it, never say never
- Lando is back in George's DRS window (7)
- Somehow Fernando dropped down to P14
- Lando is slowly creeping up on George
- First pitstops happening already (Guanyu and Yuki) (10)
- Oscar is literally up Pierre's rear
- Haas fucking up yet another pitstop
- Oh brother I can see the negative points in my F1 Fantasy already
- Kevin apparently did a false start (this seems familiar)
- Max binned it in turn 7 (13)
- Which we never got to see btw
- Alpine fucked up Pierre's pitstop
- Kevin gets a 5-Second-Penalty (now hold on...)
- George in Pit (16)
- Mercedes also fucked up George's pitstop
- What's in Barcelona's air today lmao
- Lando is 8 tenths faster than Max
- Max comes in (17)
- 1,9 second pitstop😵
- Rejoins in fourth
- Carlos is complaining a lot today
- Stop yapping bro, DRIVE
- I'm scared of McLaren's strategy
- I need to go to the restroom but if I've learnt anything it is that something crucial happens if I do.
- Oscar in pit (22)
- Oscar flying past Nico (23)
- Lando pitstop (23)
- Rejoins in sixth
- Lando fastest lap (26)
- Lando closing in on Carlos
- Aaaand he's gone!
- Oscar overtakes Checo easily (28)
- "Tires are very inconsistent" - Max (30)
- OH?
- Lando is getting ready to overtake Lewis
- Gets by easily (32)
- Oscar flies through the field
- Lando is up in P2!
- But George ain't giving up without a fight
- Fight! (36)
- They're side by side for like half the lap
- Lando wins the squabble (37)
-George fastest lap (39)
- Checo is in P10 btw (38)
- I give up, I need to use the restroom
- Nothing happened, nice.
- Lapping starts (42)
- Max pitstop (44)
- Lando is speeding away
- Mom I'm scared
- Lando boxes (47)
- Rejoins P2!!!
- Nico gets a penalty for speeding in the pitlane
- 7 second gap to Max
- Is it too soon to say I can hear the Dutch anthem playing already?
- Wait hold on Lando is actually gaining
- Yuki also gets a penalty for speeding in the pitlane
- 15 laps to go!
- Lewis in P3!
- Max is pulling away again😮‍💨
- Alex bins it (60)
- My hopes are dead
- Max won
- silently fuming
- Not only because Lando didn't win but because somehow Oscar was kinda forgotten again? Correct me if I'm wrong here tho
- At least Lando got DotD
- AND LEWIS PODIUM!
- Everyone actually finished🤯
- This race was... meh.
- Not a single yellow flag, no safety car, no carnage.
- Only plenty of overtakes and battles
- Some of them were GODLIKE but still...
- Turned off the broadcast as soon as the podium celebrations started
- I do NOT want to hear the Dutch anthem rn
- I cannot physically handle hearing it I will cry
- Lando didn't do his signature champagne celebration apparently - very understandable.
- But at least he's second in the WDC now🥹
- inhaling the copium
- ... feel free to add on!
... Yeah. A rollercoaster of emotions, this one.
But hey! My homerace is next! YIPPEE! See ya in Spielberg!
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stargazer-sims · 9 months ago
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Currently...
I'm working on the next couple of parts for The Art of Redemption. I'm glad I came back to this story after kind of abandoning it back in October of last year in favour of finishing The World, According to Victor & Yuri. It's nice to have finished something, and I should know that I can only focus on one large writing project at a time. Anyway, I'm hoping to get part 16 edited and posted by the weekend, and maybe part 17 finished, edited and posted early next week.
I will hopefully get a chance to finish up my Jewel Skin sometime during the long weekend, and then get that uploaded for anyone who'd like to have it.
I want to finish redecorating inside Tourmaline's little beach house and then get started with my Crystal Creations playthrough. I need to come up with a title for it, so I can make a little banner for my posts.
Extra-long weekend this weekend! Tomorrow, I'm using my last vacation day for this fiscal year, and then there's the Easter long weekend, so there'll be plenty of free time.
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boy-with-a-gun · 3 months ago
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9/16/24
woke up at 0900. ate canned tuna. played guitar. tried reading but horde was outside. after all this time still not used to the sound. eventually quietened down and read til noon. im running out of books, should go to that school again.
had more canned tuna; trying to finish it off since theyre closest to expiration. cant waste food nowadays. got headaches. probably from malnutrition. i wonder if its better to feast now and feel full again or skimp for as long as possible. took tylenol to help.
went outside once coast was secure.
the bunker is my old basement. house was raided burned down a while ago. but i was ready. everything was in my bunker. i knew this day would come, i was fucking right and nobody believed me. i almost gave up hope at times, but god shines his light on me, and i am the sole survivor.
i remembered the man from yesterday. his corpse was fresh. maybe he knew about me and wanted my resources, or maybe he was passing through. maybe he had a family waiting for him. i thought i would be happy alone, but i feel myself spiralling after so long without human contact.
i should've harvested him for meat. too late now, rotted in the sun and chewed up by zombies and animals. im not above cannibalism, just as others werent above rape and theft and murder as soon as the light died in goverment leaders' eyes and everything came crashing down.
part of my basement ceiling is visible through the remains of my house. the concrete is cold even with the sun overhead. its the only indication i still live here. the entrance is a heavy metal trapdoor. before it was covered with a carpet, now i use my house's rubble. to hide and keep the single patch of concrete visible just so its easier to recognize. rubble just looks like rubble, and theres a lot of that nowadays.
i played music off my mp3 player. im glad i got in as many songs as i did before everything went offline. I seldom use it, i dont want to use up the battery and i dont want to get bored of my music. usually close my eyes and nap, but that was before. laid there and watched clouds. had to take off shirt because of heat. best to be uncomfortable outside than rot inside.
shouldve brought my guitar. would have made for a nice moment. i can do it tomorrow.
the apocalypse has made the days obsolete. there are no more deadlines or future plans. even less so if you choose to survive alone. my watch still works and will continue to work, maybe longer than i will. still keeping track, even down to the damn year. makes these notes easier. sometimes i sleep for days on end. my body knows the amount of sleep i get means nothing. but it has adjusted to the food shortage, aside from headaches and the occasional hunger pangs. it was worse over the summer, constantly nauseous and craving fresh, easy food. soon i can force it to run as it once did, ignoring its needs in order to become the ultimate being. but for now its tylenol and damp towels.
went inside and got supplies. going scavenging now. sun is worse today so i brought the jug.
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