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coldfanbou · 1 month ago

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Driving Her Crazy

A small road trip with Yubin and a little spicy time in the car because of her.

length 2K

Yubin X Mreader

It was 4 pm. If all went well, you’d be at your destination for the perfect view. You shut the car door and start the engine, listening to it roar. You look over at Yubin. “Ready?”

“Ready,” she responds, a toothy grin on her face.

“Alright, get comfortable. We’ll be driving for 12 hours and won’t make many stops.” you remind her before leaving your home and beginning your road trip. Yubin was excited about traveling with you around the northwestern part of the US. She was more than excited after you told her of the sight there. The first part of your plan was to get to your mountain resort so you could show Yubin how to snowboard. The first hour went by fast, and you both quickly grew tired of the drive, especially when you started thinking about how much longer you had.

“You know, when you said 12 hours, I thought it wouldn’t feel like too long…I was wrong.” Yubin says as she stares out the window.

“I told you it was going to be a long time, and unfortunately, there’s nothing of interest around here.”

Yubin turns to you, her hands clinging to your arm. “Isn’t there something for us to do? I don’t think I’ll be able to last the entire ride in here doing nothing.”

“I mean, you could take the wheel for a while if you want to.”

Yubin’s eyes sparkle with excitement. “Really? Can I?” she asks eagerly. You nod, and she quickly takes over the wheel. She adjusts the seat, inching it forward and raising it so she can see over the dashboard. “Let’s do this!” She exclaims, pressing the gas and causing the car to lurch forward. She looks at you with a sheepish grin. “Oops?” she chuckles. You can't help but roll your eyes and shake your head at her.

Yubin purses her lips and lightly presses on the gas, slowly building up to the speed limit and driving along while you take your break. Yubin enjoys taking charge and following the directions you give her. Being in control of the drive there gives her a sense of purpose, but after about two hours, she tires of having to be focused. “I don’t think I want to drive anymore.”

You chuckle, “But you said you wanted to drive earlier.”

“I take it back. Can you drive?”

“Alright, let's pull over at the next exit. We’ll grab some snacks, and we can switch places.” Yubin accelerates, eager to switch roles as soon as possible.

Stopping at a gas station, Yubin heads inside to get snacks for the rest of your drive while you fill-up the car. She finishes her shopping trip first, sneaking herself into the back seats and bringing them down to make an improvised bed. As she’s about to climb in, you tug at the straps of her shirt, “Not happening, get in the front.” Yubin pouts and gets in the front seat, huffing as she shuts the door.

Once you're done, you climb into the driver's seat and drive off, driving through heavily wooded areas as you contrive. The evening sky becomes dark as the thick canopy lets little light break through. Yubin spends time on her phone, switching between apps as she finds something to do. A sudden moan makes you jump, and you look over at Yubin; she has the face of someone caught watching something they shouldn’t be. “Really? Right now?”

“I have nothing to watch. I didn’t download any of my shows!” She shouts,

“There are so many other things you can watch,” you shout back, trying to hold in your laughter.

Yubin briefly quiets before whispering, “We haven’t done it all day.”

“Is that what this is about?”

“Yes, you know I need to do it at least once.”

You ruffle your hair. “We can’t really do it right now. I’m driving, and we have a schedule to stick to.”

“At least let me have a taste; you can still drive while I do it.” You groan, knowing that Yubin would probably keep asking through the entire drive if you disagreed now.

“Alright, fine.” Yubin claps her hands before leaning over the center console. She unbuttons your jeans and pulls out your cock, licking her lips as she strokes it slowly.

“Come to mommy.” She whispers before kissing the tip, feeling it twitch against her lips. She smirks before moving down your shaft and planting soft kisses along it. You groan while trying to stay focused on driving. Luckily, no cars were around, so you had more room for errors. You looked down, watching Yubin’s head bob up and down as she used her tongue along the tip.

You felt her slowly building up to more, taking in more of your cock. You groan loudly as your cock hits the back of her throat. Yubin holds herself against your crotch, her tongue moving from side to side. You place one hand on Yubin’s head and push her down further, moaning her name as you feel her tighten her throat around your cock. “Shit,” you grunt, struggling to keep from cumming this instant. Yubin pulls away, smiling as she strokes your shaft.

“Cum for me; I want to taste it,” she whispers into your ear before dragging her tongue along it. Yubin kisses your cheek before swallowing your cock again, her lips forming a tight seal around your shaft as her tongue swirls around the head. You groan, your hips bucking instinctively as you try to keep control of the car. You feel Yubin hold you down as she continues to bob her head, hungry for something to eat.

You roar as you cum inside her mouth. Yubin runs her hand along the base of your shaft, stroking you quickly in hopes of getting as much cum from you as possible. Her mouth quickly fills with your cum. She moans, enjoying the taste as it hits her tongue and swallowing as much as possible. Her cheeks hollow out as she sucks you dry, ensuring not a single drop escapes. She pulls back, licking her lips and smiling. “Ah! That was great,” She says, stretching her arms and leaning back in her seat. She glances at your lip cock, her eyes wandering up slowly until she reaches your face. “You know, I ought to thank you for driving the rest of the night. I have just the reward. You can use me anytime you want, anytime.” Yubin repeats. “I wouldn’t mind waking up with you inside me,” she says with a smirk as she adjusts herself in her seat. “Whatever you decide, I won’t mind,” Yubin shuts her eyes and smiles to herself as you continue driving. You pay her no mind continuing onward.

Yubin falls asleep some hours later. You glance in her direction whenever she rolls from one side to the other. During one of her rolls, you notice that one of her straps has rolled down her shoulder, giving you a view of her cleavage. It makes your cock stir as you imagine her tits. The next time she rolls over, Yubin turns away from you, and you see her shorts have ridden up, showing off her plump ass. You’re hard and struggle to keep your eyes away from Yubin’s body. Her words ring in your mind now, “I wouldn’t mind waking up with you inside me.” It gnaws at you for a while before you decide to pull over, hiding yourself on the roadside. You move to Yubin’s side of the car and take her into the back, where she had made the backseats a bed. You place Yubin on her stomach and pull down her shorts. You stare at Yubin’s thong, debating whether you should continue before deciding that you should. You pull it down slowly, leaving them around her thighs. You stare at Yubin’s ass running your hands along it and squeezing it softly. You notice her wet cunt and move toward it, lifting her hips and moving your arm around her waist. You rub her cunt slowly, moving your fingers around her clit. You hear her breathing get heavier, and as you continue, you hear Yubin softly moan your name as she sleeps. You slip a finger inside her, feeling her warm walls squeeze your fingers as you stretch her out. Yubin’s breathing turns into soft moans as you toy with her.

You can’t hold back any longer, though; you replace your finger with the real thing, pushing your cock inside Yubin slowly until you buried inside her. Yubin’s moans continue as you begin thrusting. You move slowly, trying not to wake Yubin. Your grip her waist gently and push your length inside her slippery cunt. You moan Yubin’s name as you move inside her. Her sleeping form turns you on more as she takes your cock easily.

You feel her tighten around you, though, and it drives you mad. You try to keep your slow pace, but can’t you begin thrusting harder and faster, ramming your cock deep into Yubin’s cunt. Yubin begins to stir slowly, moans still flowing from her lips as she begins to realize what’s happening; a smile forms on her lips as she feels your cock knock against her womb. “Thanks for the wake-up, big boy.” She says, placing her hand over her stomach and feeling your cock move around inside her. The thought of you using her while she slept pushes Yubin to the edge, and after a few more thrusts, she cums on your cock, moaning loudly as her walls tighten around you.

You groan, feeling your climax approach. Flipping Yubin onto her back, you start thrusting into her again, wanting to watch her face as you cum inside her. You thrust wildly, Yubin’s cunt squeezing you as you flood her body with pleasure. Her moans become louder, and she wraps her legs and arms around you, forcing you deeper into her cunt. As you near your orgasm, Yubin’s walls begin to tighten around you again, and she screams, “I’m cumming!” her body begins to convulse as you bury yourself inside of her and flood her pussy with your cum. Yubin lets out a silent moan as her head tilts back; her body shakes as she feels your hot semen pour into her. Minutes pass as you remain buried inside her. You kiss Yubin softly, caressing her hair as you both cool off. You pull out of Yubin slowly, reach toward the front seats, grab a water bottle, and hand it to her. She sips the water as she remains lying on her back. “That felt great; my body is still tingling.”

“Yeah, it was really good,” you say, breathing heavily. You lean over and kiss Yubin's forehead, smiling at her. “Let’s rest for a few more minutes before we get going again. We need to get to our hotel on time. Yubin nods, and the two of you stay in the back for ten minutes before getting dressed.

You get back on the road and continue your drive. Yubin stays awake, keeping you company and chatting with you. There was about one more hour of driving left when she reached over and tried to fish your cock out of your pants. “Hey, not now.” You try to tell her, but Yubin argues back, eventually getting you to pull over. “It’s not safe, and we’ve already done enough.”

“You weren’t complaining when I was giving you a blowjob yesterday,” she retorts as she climbs over to your side, moving the seat back. She grabs your cock and slips it inside her cunt, moaning softly. “There we go,” she coos. “I want to get you ready for the hotel because I want you to fuck me silly when we get there.”

“Ugh, fine,” you agree reluctantly. Yubin smiles and presses her ass against you, grinding on you as you drive the remaining hour. Each little bump on the road caused her to bounce on your cock, making her more hungry for what was to come at your hotel.

#kpop smut #male reader #m reader #yubin smut #oh my girl smut

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princessoflalaland · 7 months ago

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Doting ࿔˚⋅

synopsis: sukuna softens up once he knows he’s a father-to-be.

࿔˚⋅content: Sukuna x pregnant!reader, fluff, some suggestive themes but hardly any

࿔˚⋅word count: 525

࿔˚⋅a/n: my baby fever has been going haywire as of late. I don’t want kids of my own right now, but I sure would love to have any of the jjk men’s kids. not really proofread

the size difference between you and lord ryomen sukuna is quite comical. you were half, to some a quarter, of his size. A petite thing beside a mountain. how he ever manages to fit inside of you and stay there long enough to impregnate you will never not baffle those around you two.

but sukuna can’t care less about the opinion of the local lackeys. all of his energy is put into doting over his pregnant spouse. once you agreed to marry him he’d become your other half. when he found out you were pregnant, he became inseparable from you.

if you rise from the bed you two shared, he’ll mumble his disapproval while trying to keep you secured to his side. “where y’goin? come back to bed, woman…” you try to tug yourself out his grip. “need some water, sukuna,’ you rasp through sleepiness.

He climbs out of bed and lays you back down with tender assertiveness. “don’t make me repeat myself. i’ll get you the water, just stay in bed.”

you can’t walk two steps without sukuna rushing to your side and cupping your swollen stomach in his beefy hands.

“dammit, woman, don’t exert yourself. I don’t want you putting stress on yourself or my heir.” he reprimands with a worried glare in his crimson eyes. you sigh with a slight shake of your head.

“kuna, all I did was walk across the room.” your tone is patient and almost teasing. it softens his expression.

“you shouldn’t have to do anything while you’re like this. here...” “i mean, it’s nothing I can’t hand- woah!” in one swift move, he’s carrying your pregnant figure in his arms, bridal style. he looks at you in that hard, loving way of that he does “you said your feet have been hurting lately, right? Well, you needn’t worry about walking any more.”

in the even that you decide to keep still and rest, you both lounge on the bed. he is be eye-level with your belly, his hand caressing it. he is almost awestruck by how someone as small as you withstood his primal lovemaking and allowed him to impregnate you. A wistful smile slowly forms on his visage as he says, “you’re coming along beautifully, my love. i’m eager to meet our heir and see who he’ll take after.” he presses a kiss to the place where your unborn baby resides before looking up at you.

your hand rakes through his pink locks as you hum a medley. You tune back into reality at the low rumble of your husband’s voice.

“hmm, i think you mean you can’t wait to see who they take after.” your husband meets your eyes, barely masking his bewilderment.

Them? As in, more than one? I mean, that wouldn’t be impossible, given how uncharacteristically large your belly is and especially since he pumped you full of his—

your laughter disturbs his thoughts. “i’m just kidding, though, I bet you’d like that. Twin babies…” you rub an absentminded hand over your stomach, dissolving into daydreams of your impending motherhood. He’s always adored the glimmer in your eyes when you talk about your child.

“i don’t care how many children your body is carrying. Whether it’s one, two, or three. They are mine, ours.” He holds your gaze and the look riddled in his blood-red irises makes your heart swell with affection. “And that’s all I care about.”

#paradiseofpleasure𓏲𝄢#I deem this a fic because I made it look pretty #I think Sukuna is growing on me #more than usual that is #jujutsu kaisen #jjk x black reader #jujutsu kaisen smut #jjk x reader #ryomen sukuna #jjk sukuna #sukuna x reader #sukuna x black reader #jjk smut

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sink-me-in-your-ocean · 1 year ago

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𝔊𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔥 ℌ𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔠𝔞𝔫𝔬𝔫𝔰 II

How would the Ghouls & Copia manhandle you when you’re being naughty?

Prompt by the illustrious @endhisbloodlineinmyesophagus

NSFW/Suggestive below the cut.

Copia:

At first, he doesn’t realize why you’re doing what you’re doing

But then he puts the pieces together, and it makes his hands twitch

He makes you lay across his knees, never needing to ask more than once

He’s going to spank you with his gloved hands

He makes you count each one

“How many was that?”

“Five.”

“You’re not counting properly, either that or you’re lying intentionally. I have no idea why you’d do such a thing.”

“I’d never say less with the intention of you giving me more on purpose.”

“I’m beginning to think these punishments aren’t working on you anymore, amore. Let’s try something else...”

Swiss:

Won’t hesitate to put you on a leash when you step out of line

When a leash won’t work he’ll resort to other methods

Ties. You. Down.

He will step back to admire his handiwork on you, after a moment of staring he forgets your transgressions because of how good you look tied up

He’s lost in the sauce

“Sweet fucking hells, you’ve never looked better.”

The gag in your mouth keeps you from speaking.

“Remind me, what were you doing that was so bad earlier?”

“Hrmph - ” The sound was muffled.

“Shhh, don’t talk with your mouth full. Now just stay right there.”

Phantom:

When you act up, it flips a switch in his brain

Picks you up with ease from the side, lifting you bridal style into his arms

The tightness of his grip on you speaks volumes to his possessiveness

He scans for an unoccupied room, hells, even a dark corner to take you

He needs you immediately and he knows you need him just as badly

“Oh you’ve done it now, you’ve got my attention, so let’s go.”

“Phantom, slow down!”

“No. You fired me up now you can bring me back down.” He sets you down once you’re behind closed doors. “On your fucking knees.”

You kneel in front of him, eager to please him after misbehaving.

“Oh fuck, yes, such a good girl, just like that.”

Dewdrop/Sodo:

Misbehaving is a broad term to this ghoul, in fact, he likes when you’re naughty

Except when you give any attention to his brothers

Now that is a sure-fire way to pour gasoline on his flames

He comes up behind you when you least expect it (see where this is going?)

His long fingers wrap around your throat, pressing intentionally on your arteries, your head swooning in seconds

“Don’t go all limp on me yet.”

“But, Dew -” you whimper.

“Come on, you know exactly what you do to me. It was intentional, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now I’m going to be very intentional with you. I’m not letting you out of my sight the rest of the night.”

Rain:

He has infinite patience, at least until you vex him

And boy howdy, once you’ve crossed that bridge you’d better be prepared

There’s a determined look in his eye as he stalks towards you

He grabs your wrist, and even if you try to pull away, it’s impossible, his grip strength is too much

He drags you with him through the nearest corridor to a quiet space

“You’re going to be nice and quiet now for me.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“Then I’ll make you.”

His hand clamps over your lips shockingly fast, leaving you a thin line to breathe from your nose.

“I love seeing you get a taste of your own medicine. Don’t like it when I match your energy? Don’t misbehave.”

Mountain:

Sits and watches stoically as you make a fool out of yourself

Doesn’t need to say anything

Doesn’t need to do anything, but he does

He easily scoops you up, throwing you over his shoulder

He could spank you from here, but he prefers his partner underneath him (If you know what I mean)

“You do have to do all of that to get my attention, you know.” He plops you on his bed, climbing on top of you.

“I know, but maybe I’m looking for bad attention.”

“Yeah?”

You whine and writhe underneath him as he smacks (not hard) the thickness of your outer thigh.

“That’s what you want? Just ask next time, little villainess.”

Just da bois this time, but if you’d like me to include the ghoulettes pls just comment, I’m happy to oblige a fellow ghoulette lover! ( *︾▽︾)

Ghoulette Version Here!

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mountkennedie · 4 months ago

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Hair

Kili x human!reader

Summary: Kili learns something new about you and loves it

Warnings: nudity but no smut

"Y/N?" Kili called through the door. You had been getting ready for bed at the moment. Dressed in soft pajamas and ready for slumber. Your room had a great fire burning, and due to that, you stuck to just a night shirt this evening.

"Kili!" You were not expecting company tonight. You raced and put on the first pair of pants you saw. The shirt and pants combo you currently had going on was a fashion felony. You could only hope he wouldn't ask about it.

You walked over and opened the door. He stood looking up at you with a smile. "Hello," he spoke softly with a smile. You had joined him on the journey to reclaim this mountain. You've known him for over a year, and yet he still looks at you like it's the first time.

"Hello," you said in the same tone, "what are you doing here?" You smiled after your question, so he knew you weren't really upset.

He walked forward and placed his hands on your waist. His thumbs caressed your stomach as he spoke, "I can not visit the woman I love?"

You rolled your eyes at his comment. "Come inside. I'm not in the mood to be battered by lectures tomorrow about what 'is' and 'is not' proper."

"I will always gladly enter your chambers," he said in a smug tone.

"Kili," you laugh and pull him inside. He removed his outer layer and helped himself to sit on your bed. Once comfortable, he was able to get a better look at you. He looked you up and down, then cocked his head to the side.

"Interesting form of dress, Y/n... is it the new style?"

"Very funny. So what if it is? Not a fan?" You posed in your atrocious outfit as if it were fine fabric.

"Oh, of course," he said sarcastically. The fire roared on, and you had been sweating since he walked in. Kili stood and placed the sleeve on his shirt on your forehead and wiped some of the perspiring off. "Too warm? Are you feeling alright?" His eyes scanned all over your face for any other discomforts.

"No, it's just hot in here," you told him.

"Would you like me to put out your fire?" he began walking to the hearth, "it's no trouble."

"The fire is fine it's just -"

"Just me?" He smirked at his comment.

"No," you smiled, "I'm just warm."

"You can always remove a layer..." His smile grew, "I don't mind."

"See, that's why I won't. Someone refuses to control himself," You joked.

"What!," he spoke with mock offense. "Can't control himself?! I'll have you know, I have always been one of great control," He smiled brightly.

"You are ridiculous," you smiled and reached for the tie of your pants. You weren't sure why you were worried. Your shirt was long and came to your thighs. You pushed the worries away with the pants. You could tell he was resisting looking, to prove his claims of 'self control'.

"Feeling better?" He asked as you sat on the bed beside him. His eyes were boring into yours, and you found it hilarious. You wanted to test his patience, so you crossed your legs, letting one brush his.

"I am, yes," you spoke like this was nothing. "It's okay if you look, you know... I won't tell." You let your words trail off, and one could argue it was suggestively.

He gulped before letting his eyes climb down to your now bare legs. He cocked his head again, and his brows furrowed. "Oh..."

A wave of fear flooded you again. Suddenly insecure due to his reaction. "Oh?" You hoped that he would take the hint to elaborate as to why he had the reaction he did.

He noticed the unease in your voice and clarified, "Oh! I was just surprised. I wasn't aware that human women also grew hair on the bodies. I thought it was only dwarven women." He looked up at you with wide eyes, trying to convey how genuine he was trying to be.

"Is that a problem?" You wanted to sound strong, as if it didn't get to you.

"Oh no," He placed a hand on your bare knee, "It only makes you more attractive." He began placing warm kisses by your ear and worked down the neck.

You exhaled and laughed. "You scared me for a second! I thought you'd be disgusted! Also, I was right," you pulled him off, "No self-control."

His eyes looked foggy, like the idea of doing something else other than talking had taken over his mind. "Can you blame me, amrâlimê?" He leaned in and placed a heated kiss on your lips. You had always underestimated the strength of dwarves. So when he pulled you into his lap, like you weighed nothing at all, of course you gasped.

You felt him chuckle on your lips. You never thought that a new discovery of hair could turn him on so much. But now you know you never have to spend money on a razor ever again.

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#the hobbit kili #kili durin #kili #kili x reader #kili fluff #kili durin fluff #kili durin x reader #kili durin smut #kili smut #mountkennedie #the hobbit #the hobbit x reader #the hobbit fanfiction

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sigma-alpha-writer-chad · 1 month ago

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Grow Up, Would You? [Josh Washington]

“I don’t know if you’ve changed any since middle school but I really hope you’ve learned the difference between pranking somebody and just being a fucking bully.”

You can also find this story on Ao3!

Chapter Three / Chapter Four / Chapter Five

[CHAPTER FOUR]

I step off the bus shivering, holding myself for some kind of warmth. "Hooooly shit..." I huff, my breath swirling in front of me before dissipating into the air. Behind me is Samantha Giddings, stepping off the bus in a much warmer state.

"I have an extra jacket, Jordan," she offers.

"H-How far is the lodge?" I chatter. Sam laughs and places her back pack on the ground as the bus drives off.

"Far enough," she says, pulling out a dark grey zip up. It was thin, but it was better than nothing. "I can't believe you forgot your coat."

"Somebody at the station stole it when I went to the bathroom," I mumble, letting go of my own bag. "I think I have a hoodie, though, too." I unzip my own back for my thick, light pink hoodie. I pull it on over my head before sliding the jacket on over it.

"Feel better?" Sam smiles. Her hands are on her hips as she waits for me. She looks like an impatient mother.

"Much. Thank you," I sigh. We officially begin our long climb to the lodge.

"Chris didn't take you with him?"

"No, Josh wanted him to come early to help get things set up, so I just rode the bus."

"I see." A silence falls between Sam and I. I really like Sam for what I know about her, but neither of us considered the other a friend, so there was an air of awkwardness as we walked. "So, you and Chris," Sam starts. "You're cousins, right?"

"Yes ma'am," I nod.

"So, you know each other really well, or what?" I shoot Sam a look of confusion.

"Uhm, yeah, he's my best friend. Why?" A smile creeps onto my face. "Should I hook you up, or...?"

"No! No, haha, Jordan," Sam's complexion was already rosy from the biting cold, but I swear I could nearly see the steam from the snow rising from her face. "I'm just trying to make conversation. Shit, you remind me of my mother. She's been trying to get us together for... whatever reason." I laugh and nearly fall over a lifted branch. The mountain was feeling steeper as we continued on.

"Chris is a really good guy. He used to be kind of douchey when we were younger, but he's really grown into himself. He definitely pulls his annoying pranks, still, but it's highly preferable to the old things he and Josh used to get up to." Sam nods. She's much more athletic than I am so she's a bit further ahead of me now.

"Speaking of Josh, what's your guys' deal?" She stops to let me catch up.

"Our deal? What do you mean?"

"I mean I can't tell if you hate each other or have never wanted to be with another person so much in your life." This time, I do fall over, slipping on some ice and falling face first into a hill of soft snow. It's deep enough that I sink in, the white powder covering my ears enough for Sam's laughter to be muffled. She helps me up, snorting once, which makes me laugh a little, too.

"Uhm, well," I start, my mouth suddenly dry. "He was my bully, growing up." Sam tilts her head before beginning to brush the snow off me. "Made me cry a lot. The hating each other is much closer than... the other thing you said." She hums in response.

"I don't know, there's always been this way he looks at you," she says, just above a whisper. We continue to walk, the cable car building now in view. It doesn't take long before she's starting to pull ahead of me again. "I can't put a finger on it, myself, but it's just... different." I can't help but notice Sam's expression, one of confusion and... frustration? I narrow my eyes at the back of her head.

"Probably just your average disdain, or whatever."

"Nothing average about that guy," she retorts. "I don't know."

"He made my grade and middle school life a living hell. Would've been high school, too, if I didn't choose to go to a different one just to avoid him." Sam turns to look at me, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Oh, so he bullied you," she says, biting her lip. "Like, really?"

"His first prank on me was putting rats in my locker," I laugh. It's not funny, being scared by fat rats in your locker - but in hindsight, I can't help but laugh.

"Where'd he get the rats from?" Sam asks, smiling as if she wasn't sure if she was allowed to find amusement in my story.

"Biology class," I answer. "Though I'm not sure how he actually snuck them out of there under the teacher's nose."

"Impressive, honestly." Sam sighs. We finally make it through a gate and to the cable cars, where Chris waited with the key.

"Hello, ladies," He greets, bowing dramatically. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" I bow back, but Sam does not.

"The cable cars, Chris," she says. She's smiling yet she seems unamused. He sighs, continuing the dramatics, and puts the back of his hand on his forehead.

"Ah, another wench, ignoring me, yet pleased to exploit my services... This world is dark as ever." He turns, swinging his arms, and goes to the door to open it for Sam and I. Sam rolls her eyes and follows Chris.

"Why did Josh have you come back down here just to let us in?" I ask, taking my seat in the car next to Chris. I was thankful we didn't have to wait for its arrival.

"The Washingtons keep everything locked up to avoid squatters," Chris explains. "You guys are the last up, so, I'm riding back with you."

"Oh, man, we're last?"

"By an hour or so, yeah." The rest of the ride is silent, the three of us looking out the window at the view. After a while, we eventually make it to the top of the mountain.

"Goddamn it I'm so cold," I huff out as the doors to the car open. "Let's hurry up and get inside, PLEASE!" Chris and Sam laugh at my urgency, trailing behind me as I start into a jog, passing an old picnic table. The lodge slowly comes into view as I continue down the trail, and I smile. I see somebody, and I move a bit faster to catch up.

I can't help but frown when I see who it is.

"Hi, Josh." I greet. Josh turns around, a smile on his expression. When he notices it's me, though, it disappears.

"Hi, Jordan, glad you could make it," he says through gritted teeth. I hear Chris sigh when he spots Josh and I interracting.

"You guys are so confusing," he says, slapping Josh on the back before draping his arm over his shoulders. He turns to Sam. "One minute, this guy sits next to her INSTEAD OF ME at a pizza place and is being nice, and the next-" Josh tries to shrug him off.

"Chris, would you get-"

"And the next," Chris talks louder to negate Joshua's protests. "He's talking to her like she ran over his dog. Look at the rage in his eyes, man!" I wrap my arms around my shivering figure.

"Can we please go inside?" Josh rolls his eyes, finally stepping out from under Chris's arms and motioning me to follow him in. Sam and Chris exchange a look I can't catch the meaning of.

"Jordan!" Beth squeals. Josh flinches at the noise, but a smile begins to take it's rightful place on his lips. Beth wraps her arms around me in a tight hug, nearly knocking me down.

"Hi, Beth," I laugh, catching my balance and returning the greeting. "Do you greet everyone like this?"

"Yes!" Hannah answers for her sister as she joins in the embrace. Her head snaps to Josh. "Did you say hello, Joshua?" He rolls his eyes.

"Yes, I said hello."

"Did you hug her?" My eyes widen at Hannah. Both her and Beth have not let me go. Before they force Josh to hug me, I butt in.

"There's no need for-" it's too late. Hannah grabs Josh by his shirt and pulls him into the group hug. He groans, but complies, knowing it's futile to battle his younger sisters. He's careful not to touch me.

When they finally let me go, I sigh in relief and smile at them. "It's good to see you."

"We're so glad you could make it," Beth smiles. She adjusts her beanie as she leads me to the couch in the huge living room. "Are you cold?"

"Oh hell yeah," I laugh. "And of course, thank you for inviting me. It actually means a lot." Beth 'aw's at me as she sits down. There's a fireplace going, so instead I move to sit at the edge. It burned, but not too much. "Where's everybody else?" I ask, looking around me.

"I think they're just settling into their rooms," Beth answers. "Josh and Hannah are probably in the kitchen. Do you want to see where you're sleeping?"

"Later," I say, smiling at her. "I'd like to warm up first." She smiles back at me.

"Sure thing. Do you mind if I take your bag to your room?"

"You don't have to do that."

"We're your hosts! I want to." I laugh softly and nod. Beth happily stands from her spot on the couch to take my bag upstairs to wherever they had me sleeping. As she disappears from view, Emily and Mike pass her on the stairs, followed by Ashley and Matt.

"Oh, she's here! Didn't think you'd make an appearance," Emily says, looking me up and down in annoyance.

"I said I'd be here," I respond softly. My eyes turn to the others behind her. None of them make eye contact with me, staring instead at the stairs they walked down.

"One can still hope you changed your mind!" Emily sighs in a mocking tone, a sarcastic smile on her face. Jess appears, walking quickly down the stairs past Emily and moving to you.

"Hi, Jordan!" Jessica greets me warmly, giving me a quick hug. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely shocked at this. Jess was never outright mean to me, but a kind, excited welcome was the last thing I'd expected from her. I'm not one that's familiar with perfumes, but whatever Jess was wearing smelled immaculate.

"Uhm, hey, Jess," I respond. "You smell really good." Mentally, I'm slapping myself. Was that weird to say? She pulls away from the hug. Her smile is wider, now.

"Oh, thank you! It's actually brand new, I bought it this morning before I -"

"Excuse me!" Emily huffs, attempting to shoulder check me as she goes to the couch. I'm able to dodge it, being checked enough to know when it's about to happen. I sigh heavily. She went completely out of her way to do that, I'm nowhere near the couch. I'm so close to asking what her deal is when Jess continues.

"Emily is my girl, she's actually really great she's just, like, really tired or something. I don't know. Try to not take her too seriously, okay?" she takes both of my hands into hers and looks me in the eyes.

"...yeah, okay," I agree. She thanks me before turning to go sit on the couch with the others, her twin pony-tails bouncing. I awkwardly wave at them all. Ashley smiles meekly and nods while Matt offers me a small wave back. Mike glances at me and nods so slightly I can barely see it, which I can only assume is at my own mercy.

"Okay party people," Josh starts, walking back into the living room. "Now that we have everybody here..." Chris, Sam, and the twins follow behind him. "Thank you all for coming. Drinks are in the kitchen... Now let's get fucking wasted!" Josh throws his hands into the air and mock cheers while the others whoop. I step back until my back is to the wall, trying to stay out of the way as everyone heads to the kitchen.

I'm not sure why I'm trying to hide. It's not like I wasn't invited. It's not like I'm not welcome - though, I can't help but feel that I'm not. Other than the twins and Chris, nobody seemed to actually enjoy my presence. I decide that, for now, I'll stay near the fire.

-------------

"Jordan!" Chris calls, walking to me with a drink in his hand. "Are you cooked yet?" I look up from my phone to see him. He was walking just fine, but it was just crooked enough for me to know he was tipsy. It had been two hours since Josh had announced drinks were available, and no one appeared to have wasted a second.

"Cooked?" I smile, confused. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" he sits down next to me, his drink nearly spilling. It was filled to the brim. "You've been around this fire all night! Are you going to come hang out, or, what?" I cross my arms and shrug.

"I think you'll be okay without me."

"But I want you around," Chris says, softly. "You're my family, I love you. And I love having you around, and I love having my friends around." He drapes an arm over my shoulder, and I lean into him. "Having my favorite cousin and all of my friends in the same place is honestly just amazing for me." I sigh again, my walls crumbling.

"Fine, I'll hang out." Chris springs up in excitement. This time, he does spill his drink. I'm not familiar enough with alcohol to know what it was, but the smell tells me it's strong.

And half of it is on my jeans.

"Oh, shit, Jordan, I'm sorry," Chris apologizes. I laugh and tell him not to worry as Hannah comes over to me.

"I'll show you where your room is, if you want to change!" she offers. I nod, and she begins leading the way. Once we're up the stairs, she stops and turns to me.

"What do you think of Mike?" she asks, her tone hushed but excited. My eyebrows raise in surprise.

"Mike? Emily's boyfriend?" I ask. I look around as if Emily could be hearing us. "I don't know, I feel like speaking his name will curse me to eternal damnation." Hannah laughs and pushes my shoulder. As quickly as we stopped, we continued down the hall. When we get to the last wooden door, she opens it for me. I thank her as I walk in, and she follows to sit on my bed while I kneel at my bag.

"C'mon, tell me what you think! He's handsome, right?" She's a bit louder now that there's no way we can be heard.

"Yeah, I guess so," I admit. It was common knowledge.

"Oh, my God, you guess so? Jordan, he's so dreamy." Hannah flops back onto my bed and sighs, as if lovestruck. As I find a pair of pants, I stand and side-eye her. "His hair, his eyes, his muscles? I just CAN'T!" She smacks a pillow onto her face and squeals in excitement.

"I guess he's also taken," I say. Hannah removes the pillow and rolls her eyes. "But, he seems nice. I don't know. Not really my type." At that, she sits up like Michael Myers. I feel instant regret as I knew what she was going to ask me. I start to pull my pants down, covering myself as much as possible.

"So, what is your type?" I sigh for what feels like the millionth time that day.

"I don't know, Hannah, I never really paid attention to that sort of stuff."

"There has to be something, Jordan," Hannah insists, standing up as I pull on a pair of grey sweatpants. "Eye color? Hair? Bald? Do you like muscles? C'mon Jordan, give me something!" I look in the mirror and take off Sam's jacket and my oversized hoodie, ignoring Hannah for a moment as I thought about what my 'type' was. My t-shirt is form fitting, but not skin tight.

"I like green eyes," I offer quietly. It's the first thing I can think of, and I hope that will satisfy her. I look at her in the reflection of the mirror and there's something in her expression that worries me.

Mischief.

"I'll accept that for now," she sighs, failing to hide her scheming grin. "C'mon, Jordan, no more hiding. Everybody is already tipsy so they'll totally be way nicer."

"If you say so."

"I do." Hannah smiles at me and takes my hand.

"You Washingtons," I laugh. "What's up with your family and taking people by the hand when you take them somewhere?" Hannah bursts out laughing. When we get to the kitchen with everyone else, her smile is wide.

"What's so funny?" Emily asks, tilting her head. I suddenly felt as though I was in trouble.

"Jordan just pointed out upstairs that the Washington family has a thing with holding hands when we take someone somewhere," Hannah giggles.

"Oh, shit, she's right!" Josh gasps. "Duuuude." Chris bumps his shoulder against Josh's.

"Duuuude!" They suddenly start shoving each other back and forth, everyone else in the kitchen giving way immediately as if this were a common occurrence. I lean over to Ashley, who noticeably leans away as if in disgust. I ignore this.

"Does this happen often?" I murmur. She laughs and seems to relax some.

"Yes." The boys were on the floor now, wrestling and laughing. Hannah is whispering something to Beth, and both of them are glancing at me. If they were trying to hide the topic of their conversation, they had failed miserably.

"...I like your hat." I compliment softly. Ashley seems surprised by this, but her smile doesn't falter.

"Thanks, Jordan."

"AND I AM THE MIGHTY WINNER!!" Josh exclaims, making me jump. He stands up quickly, stumbling some as he does. Once he catches his balance, he places a foot atop Chris's chest. He was playing dead, eyes closed and sticking his tongue out. Josh is breathing heavily and laughing. Everyone in the kitchen applauds, laughing and cheering - Emily, even, though not without a major roll of the eyes. My own smile is wide enough that it feels strenuous.

Josh's face was red from the exercise and his thick, dark hair was messy and disheveled. Though it was usually brushed back, it was tousled to the point where it was stuck to his forehead in sweat. Josh's hair was never in his face, so it was odd to see. He's breathing heavily, his winning smile never leaving his face even as Chris starts to get up.

I don't realize I'm staring until Josh looks up at me, locking eyes with mine. My smile drops. His own falters, but he doesn't look away. I gulp and I can feel my face growing hot with embarrassment. He looks as if he's scanning my facial features, trying to figure me out. For a moment I swear he glances at my body. It's not until Jess suddenly bumps my shoulder and hands me a drink that I'm able to snap out of it. She gives me a wide-eyed 'what was that??' look as she turns back away from me to talk to Mike and Emily. I look over at Josh again, and he's no longer looking my way.

Why was he looking at me like that? I furrow my eyebrows and look into whatever Jess handed me in a red solo cup. I feel a hand on my shoulder and I look up at Hannah. She smiles sweetly at me, raising her eyebrows in excitement. I wonder what she's doing, but when she looks down at my drink I understand she's trying to be encouraging in her own drunken way.

"Jordan, you don't gotta, uhm, drink that, if you don't wanna," Josh says, bumping hips with his sister hard enough to have her stumbling a few feet. "If you don't feel safe, y'know?" He stands up straight and reaches for my drink. "You gotta feel safe when you're under my care." My heart skips a beat and I pull the cup away from his hand. He gives me a surprised yet concerned look. I take a deep breath and put the cup to my lips.

This isn't my first time drinking. It won't be my first time drunk. Around people, however? Yes, this was a first. The only person I've been drunk around was Chris during a couple of our cousin sleep overs in high school. I not only sip my drink, I gulp it down quickly. It burns. It's not good. I knew, right as I took my final gulp, that I was fucked. Everybody had migrated out of the kitchen by now and into different parts of the lodge, leaving Josh, Chris and I in the kitchen. I can already feel the heat from the alcohol begin to buzz around my cheeks.

"Duuuude." says Chris.

"Broooo..." says Josh.

"Guuuuys...." says I. Chris and Josh laugh at me.

I laugh, too, and I feel good.

-----------------

Hey y'all, thanks for reading! I'm really glad to be posting another chapter so soon after the last - and there will likely be another very soon! I'm in the writing zone right now, I suppose.

Taglist: @sc4rrc @mattymxmo @cellyx33 @jenepleurepasbaby @kalynnjonas @spinback-kiva @frankcastlesvest

#josh washington #josh washington x you #josh washington x reader #joshua washington #until dawn #until dawn x reader #x reader #fanfiction

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mehiwilldoitlater · 2 months ago

Text

Black Cloud, Red Fire (Part 1)

(part 2) (part 3)

Black Wind Mountain.

Once a temple in the forest, full of prayers, life, and worshippers. Now, a lair for Yougais and their master.

Everything was silent, except for the song of nature that made that place almost harmless. Untill the sound of panting, foot on the Rocky pavement, and broken leaves emerged.

"Ugh...I should have done cardio...UFF!"

The Destined One, the monkey that had convinced you to follow him, stopped on his tracks to look at his surroundings and gave you the time to catch up. He snickered a little, looking how disappointed you were after the climb on the side of the mountain. He offered you his hand, allowing you to avoid a few more steps before reaching him.

"Not a very outdoor one, uh?"

"I'm more...sitting on the couch person."

"What's a couch?"

"Something BEAUTYFULL....wow..."

You would never get used to the view here: from where our eyes could reach, there was just forest. The mountains were covered in it, and so were the few hills that appeared, giving you almost the idea that you were walking on the backs of thousands of sleeping giants. Here and there, you were able to spot the roof and the spires of small pagodes and temples.

Some prove that once these places were abitated or at least visited by humans and mortals.

Now, the old structures were black and decaying, a sign that a fire had started so many years ago and what couldn't be saved was left to the wilderness. You both avoided those structures, finding them quite crumbling and dangerous, but nothing stopped you from admiring them.

The air was rarefied, giving you some trouble breathing and forcing you to make more deep inhales. Your companion, used to the high place of birth, had no issues at all, but he gave you the chance to rest and get used to the altitude.

"It feels so unreal... it's like a painting."

"You don't have places like these in your world?"

"Well yeah, but... not so beautiful like this one."

It was even funny to believe that such a beautiful place like this one could hold such dangers as the Yaoguais or whatever was holding the relic of the Great Sage. After another few minutes of adjusting, the two of you continue your way inside the woods, leaving behind the security of the open space.

The light was dim despite the sun high in the sky; the thick of the branches was mostly the cause of it. Walking near your companion, you started to notice how hard it would become trying to look in front of you or even notice the presence of whatever could attack you both.

"Su-sure, this place is...dark."

"Umm.. stay close, okay?"

You pick up the peace, holding tight to your snack on your back, regretting that you didn't ask for a weapon before leaving Mount Huaguo.

"Hely, listen..." You finally spoke up after a few minutes. "Are you sure that the relic is in this...very lovely and absolutely not filled with dangers?"

"Ummm...i guess?"

"YOU GUESS?!" Your voice echoed in one second through the forest; a few birds flied away, afraid of the sudden change. The monkey instantly shushed you.

"We're in enemy territory!"

"...You guess?! You don't know if it's here?!"

You were FURIOUS. Not only they started to blabber about you being some kind of being that were supposed to help them bring back an old legend, almost forcing you to participate, and now the same one that convinced you to give a try to this damn plan that could maybe bring you back home is unsire if that damn thing is in that damn forgotten place?! After that long road?! You really wanted to take that staff of his and smash it on his head! He shushed you again, trying to calm you down to avoid calling too much attention to you two.

"Okay, I know, this sounds crazy, but I can assure you that we have ideas! Firstly, there's a dangerous amount of Yaoguais in this area, and second, did you remember that funny little game that we did back at our mountain?"

"You mean me pointing my finger to a random place on a map just because I felt a tingle in my stomach?"

"Yup." Your eyes widened so much that you could feel your eyelash touch your forehead. You wanted to scream so hard that even whatever gods lived up there could hear you, but before you could, the monkey putted his hand on your mouth.

"There, there, let it all out," he said, while you were just muffling your scream on his hand. When you finally were finished and your breath was out, he removed his hand from your face, allowing you to mumble some curses under your breath.

"So we could be somewhere and find nothing?"

"Or we could be in the right place!"

You grumbled again, now more worried than before about your return to your original world. He sighed. Of course this was absurd to you; everything was, but you needed to trust him a little.

"I know it's hard, but... I believe in you. I know we're on the right path!"

"At least one of the two does..." You mumbled, kicking a rock near you, scratching your arm a little. You really wanted to believe him and in you, but to you, it was just so difficult to do it, especially since you were a complete no one...They all tell you you were some kind of powerful thing, this Bián huá, and yet you couldn't believe a single thing like this.

Looking at you, he guessed that you were still having doubts. He opened his mouth to say something when-

"On the go, bent the toe,

Life of a human, all for gold."

A voice, not far from you both, could be heard from your position. Someone was coming! The monkey looked at you, and a mischievous grin appeared on his face.

"Go and hide in the bush! I'll show you what I can do!"

You fastly follow his instructions, hiding behind some bushes on your right, while the voices get closer and closer. The monkey suddenly vanished under a cloud, only to be replaced with a ripe peach! What's he doing now? On the clearing, just when the smoke disappeared, appeared two... wolves?

They were walking on their two back legs, and like humans, they were wearing some clothes and holding their furr on their heads like some human hairstyles. The both of them were holding a sword; maybe they were scouting the area for some food? You didn't know, but you were sure worried for your monkey!

"Nowhere better than our home,

We cheat death and ever grow."

One of the two, the one that had his sword already drawn, noticed the fake peach on the ground, emitting a sound of surprise and showing a huge grin on his maw, and immediately went to take it in his paw.

"Here, you see? What bliss my fate shows!" How the hell that big dog was talking?!

"Well well! Luck's around the corner. Seems like it just fell from a fruit tree here." Said the other wolf, looking around in the search for the tree. You really hoped he didn't see you or smell you!

"Perfect timing! This peach knew I needed a snack!" And, after having cleaned it a little from the dust and played with it in his hand, the wolf took a huge bite on the fruit without a second guessing. In that moment, a cry of pain escaped from him, and he threw away the peach, alongside a few of his own teeth and some fur that the monkey must have pulled with it. Once on the ground, after a few jumps, the same smoke from before reappeared, and the fruit turned back to his simian original form.

"You sneaky rascal!" said the wounded wolf. "Dare to fool me?! I'll make sure you'll regret it!"

Before the two wolves could launch their attacks on the monkey, he had already drawn his own weapon from his ear and charged towards the two. You had seen him fight before, and it was always a show that left you in a haze. Violence wasn't a nice view, but his moves, his precision, his strength—it was surely something!

In a few minutes, the two wolves were already defeated and turned to dust, and you reemerged from your hiding spot.

"Wow...that's what you could only say.

"See? told you I could protect you."

"Well, you surely could... but the transformation was really necessary?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by someone.

"No matter how many times you come around. You are still as mischievous as ever, eh?"

An old voice suddenly started to be heard. It was an old one, cranky, and somehow friendly. The both of you started to look around, only to find only trees, rocks, and falling leaves. The monkey immediately came closer to you, looking around and sniffing, but beside the smell of the two wolves, there was nothing—just nature.

"Did...you hear that?"

"Yer," he said, guarding you.

"Good! I'm not crazy then!"

"And there's the Bián huá! All of you, always doubting your own security!"

You gulped loudly; he could hear you?! But that means he's near?! Then why even the monkey couldn't spot this mysterious old man?!

"Looks... looks like someone is watching us..."

"Um..." he looked at you, noticing your now frightening look, your eyes searching for the source of the voice. He held your hand in his own, gently giving you a small pull. "Came one. I'm sure that we'll find who's talking up ahead."

And so, the two of you started to take the road from where the two wolves had come from, realizing then that, if there was something, it was supposed to be there for sure. The more you started to clumb the path of the mountain, more enemies started to come. They were all wolves, and all of them were supposed to be the front guard of this mysterious place that, for some reason, started to make you feel... uneasy.

You couldn't put your hands on it, but it reminded you of the strange feeling in your stomach, yeah, the map one. Only that, this time, became stronger and stronger the more you two explored the mountain.

After another turn, the smell of incense reached both of you, and a small smoke caught your attention. Two fires were located at the sides of a small structure, a house in miniature. The closer you get, the more it becomes clear that it was a small shrine, far more detailed and more decorated than the one that you saw on Mount Huaguo. Suddenly, just like before, the same old voice started to ring again around you two.

"Aaah! Wha-what are you waiting for?! Pluck your hair and make an offer!"

You looked at the monkey, raising an eyebrow.

"...Uh...my hair?"

"There." He showed you that, after taking a few hairs from his head, their form changed into a thin and long incense stick that he lit with a few movements of his hand.

"See?"

"I can't do that. Mine is normal hair."

"Ooo, stop making silly excuses! Try it on!"

"Okay okay okay! Geez, I can't believe that I'm listening to a mysterious voice."

You imitated the same motion of the monkey, and, after a small glow, in your hand there was the same incense stick!

"But... did I do that?!"

"See? Always questioning! Now hurry up! Both of you!"

You both put the incense stick inside the small pot full of sand, and, as one surprise wasn't enough, another magic happened in front of you: the decoration of the shrine started to grow like branches, and, in a swirl of petals, pink peach flowers started to bloom under your eyes.

"It's...normal?"

"In some places, yes..."

"...So,...what now?" The monkey shrugged off at your question and made a few steps ahead. Before you could follow, the voice called upon you two once again.

"Hey! Wait!"

A smoke, just like the one that has been summoned by your monkey companion when he transformed, appeared again, but this time in front of you there was what reminded you of an old potato.

He was what you could imagine to be the personification of the concept of old. His legs and arms were so thin that it was strange that he could even move; his bald head, covered in some strange bumps similar to some roots, was covered in wrinkles and some spots here and there; and the white hairs that happened to be his eyebrows and beard covered his facial features that made it hard to see his eyes and mouth.

His robes, tinted in a deep blue, seemed quite elegant, despite their age. His weight was supported by an old wooden staff, curved to the end, and in his other hand a small stick. Does it remind you of a back scratcher?

"I, the keeper of Black Wind Mountain," he said while coughing, cleaning his clothes from the dust. "I have long been waiting for your arrival."

That old voice—he was the one that spoke to you before in the clearing! That old, small thing was the keeper of this mountain?!

"Let's see... the new Bián huá, eh? Well, you seem in good health," he said while pointing your side with his scratchback. "It will compensate for the lack of faith."

"Hey!" you ward off the wooden object while his continuous touch started to bother you.

"And she has some character on her, a good starting point..and you..." His eyes fell on the monkey, the destiny one. For a moment you feared that he could fall on his old and be ready to crash back, but he regained his stability in a few steps.

"Oh! His spitting image...I'd say."

Of who? You looked at the monkey, and he seemed almost proud? Was the keeper talking about... Sun Wukong? Well, all monkeys looked the same to you, so maybe it was the old age that talked...

"You were waiting for...him?" You pointed at the monkey; the old man just laughed a little at your naiveté.

"Child, I was waiting for both of you! For the Destined one and the Bián huá!" He walked over you two, pointing at the passage that extended ahead of you, between the rocks and the trees.

"Up ahead is Guanyin Temple. Once, it was bustling with worshippers before it was ruined by that fire."

His tone, before proud of the past of the place, became grave when he pointed at the proof of the tragedy that had happened there: skulls, human skulls. Come to think of it, those weren't the first you saw in the area... How many people had died there?

"What...fire?"

"You said you heard of the story, right?" The monkey said, recognizing what the old man was talking about, "You remember about the Elder Jinchi and the Kasaya?"

You pondered a little. You weren't that costumed about it, but you know that, perhaps, that was the cause of the fire.

"Yes, children..." said the keeper, pointing up ahead. "Then the temple was rebuilt." He suddenly turned to you, expressing a questioned and angry tone, "But what good is it to rebuild a temple if the good will of men has been burned to ashes?"

You kneeled near one of the skulls. It was so...small...the fear of the age of the one that once was in front of you struck you.

"But...it was rebuilt...then why the Yaoguais are here?" The monkey spoke, looking at the old man, still curious about the whereabouts of the temple.

"Monks came, men too, and they tried to rebuild life here! But that bear...he led his minions here!....Who couldn't escape had faced a bitter end."

"But...you're the keeper of this place...the deity of the mountain..." you finally spoke, following the step of the monkey. "You could take care of them, right? There as to be some way to fix this place!"

"I would! But that damn bear...he had brought something so powerful that even I couldn't match!"

Something that he couldn't match?... The eyes of the monkey gleamed, looking up at the mountain.

"The relic...it must be the relic!" He turned to you, ejoyed by this news: "You were right! You foudn it!"

"I...found it?" You repeated, "I... did! I did! ...oh...."

You soon realized what that meant, and suddenly, another sound emerged from the dark. A long, strong, and eerie howl of something that scared even the keeper and manmy birds that had already flied away from their previous location.

"You forgot this place," said the keeper, retreating away from the passage, "but they haven't forgotten you!"

You stod in your position, scavared by the sudden change of atmosphere, while the monkey observed the passage with caution, expecting everything to appear from it at any given moment. The old man, like he had appeared, disappeared in the cloud of smoke.

"That's a tough one. Good luck to you!"

And these were his last words, before you and your companion were left alone again. More than before, you felt an amount of emotion that you couldn't describe, but when you looked at the road where you came from, some doubts arose in you. The monkey noticed your fear, and he waited for your reaction.

Despite the desire to run, you simply couldn't. You stayed there, eyeing the entrance and your only way out. When you finally turned to the entrance, where you sure didn't want to go, you gulped.

"There's no turning back from there...right?" The monkey sighed; he wanted to tell you that you could just turn back and that he could handle it, but he couldn't say that; he knew that it was a lie.

This was supposed to be made in two.

"If you don't trust in yourself... then trust in me... trust in my ability."

He lends his hand towards you... and, with fear, doubt, and so many regrets, you take it, slowly entering the passage alongside him.

///

From that moment on, the forest became full of wolves. It was hard to advance without encountering a new enemy, and every time your companion never showed a moment of stress or panic, he only charged, attacking those enemies without trace of fear. Your only option, by your side, was to stand back, hide, or just... watch. You couldn't do more...even if, isnide, it made you quite nervous.

"Don't you get tired?"

"No, I've been doing this since I was a cup!"

"I wish I could help more." You scratched your arm again; it must have been a sign that showed your stress he had noticed. He just packed your back, swinging his tail.

"If you like, I can teach you a few tricks! Once we're back home with the relic, we'll have plenty of time!"

"You...would?" It felt nice. He didn't show off your anxiety about your role in that mission; instead, he just wanted to help you get confidence by taking some steps ahead. It was a nice gesture, even if you were quite unsure about if it could really help you.

"Of course!" he laughed. "We're both in this!"

You nodded. It was true; you were both in that.

The sound of the water became of a falling one, a sign that the river nearby became a waterfall. You were walking by it, searching for a few herbs, when you both became interested in taking and collecting when you heard something else. Another voice; it wasn't from the keeper, of course, but it wasn't like the ones from the wolves either. To be fair, there were no wolves now that your companion had cleaned the area.

When the sound of the waterfall became stronger, that's when you noticed.

"Monkey! Look over there!" You finger pointed towards a figure. Curved on her back, her white, messy hair spiked the most on het dark attire. The clothes were old and raggy, and by the jiggle he was wearing some wooden jewels. The long and thin hair and his colorful muse give away immediately her species. Your companion suddenly came closer, looking where your finger was pointing, noticing the creature.

"A Mandrill! There near the edge of the waterfall!" You kept saying. You didn't know what she was doing; it seemed like she was searching for something or trying to collect it from a stone, quite big, that rested in the center of the stream. The low level of the water allowed the rock to be accessible to the mandrill, but she seemed like whatever she was trying to rescue was stuck or simply unavaible.

The baboon must have heard your voice, and suddenly she stopped his doing with the rock, spinning away from it. You gasped when you saw her launch herself to the cliff, moving forward. But when you reached the same edge, you saw nothing there.

"She should be at least around..."

"I don't think that was a simple Mandrill, Y/N." The monkey that had reached your side was in time to take you and pull you back from the edge, fearing a fall.

"Was she your friend? Do you know her?"

"I never saw her in my entire life. Hey, hold on!" He looked at you, his hand on his hips. "It's not like we monkey know each and every one of us!"

"Well," you keep it up, mimicking his gesture, "you called each other brother and sister! And meeting a familiar face wouldn't be so bad here!"

He chuckled, giving you a small push. Then, both of your eyes landed on the rock that the baboon was inspecting, and curiosity took over.

"What do you think she was doing?"

"Well, let's take a look!" He went closer to the rock, and there you both realized that it wasn't completely a rock. It was a head—a big rocky head—maybe one of a statue that once must have been a decoration of the long-lost temple. The expression of the man that was depicted was calm and relaxed, his earlobe long; maybe a Buddha? The monkey started to clean the area and noticed some scratching at the base of one of the closed eyes of the statue. It seemed like he was trying to make a hole in it...

"Maybe there's a switch or-" And just when your hand touched the statue, suddenly its eyes wide opened. One of the two cavities of pure stone, but the one where the Mandrill was scratching was hollow and contained something. A sphere, pure white, the only color a red must at the center, discolored by the time. It wasn't smooth at all, but at the touch it was perceptible—some spirals, decotrating the orb.

"...What is it?" You asked curious, tapping the orb with your finger.

"I don't know... but it seems important; let's keep it!" And so, the orb soon vanished inside his own sack.

"You surely are one that loves to collect staff around, eh?"

"Well, if something is useful..."

You chukled a little, leaving the stream at your back. Keep it up with your ascension on the mountain. It didn't take long that now you would face another obstacle, and oooh boy, what an obstacle!

Guarding the gate, a huge Yaoguais was holding a huge Helberd, moving back and forward, ready to strike whoever crossed his path, or it was unlucky enough to meet it. It reminded you of some kind of bull, but he was pretty messed up to be one... The thing that really concerned you was the fact that he was practically in front of the gate; it was impossible to miss without a fight. Hiding behind a tree, you looked at your companion, who, without if or but, just took his own staff, ready to get in action.

"Stay here; be careful not to be spotted and to run."

"Run?"

"Just in case, wish me luck!" and so he marched towards the bull that, as soon as he had spotted him, he followed his example.

The two started to clash their weapons immediately, and you could clearly see that the monkey had the advantage of his small stature and his agility. He avoided all of his attacks in a few steps, which made the bull upset and more aggressive. And the guai had one more thing in his arsenal: he was scarily strong. Despite his massive stricture, the guai was able to make some huge jumps, creating such waves in his impact that the monkey needed to be careful around to avoid falling down and became an easy prey.

Unfortunely, the monkey made a misstep: in the attempt of blocking the helberd, the bull struck with full force, catching the opponent like a rag doll, and, after a good spin to get velocity, slammed him on the ground. He rose his helberd, ready to stride.

"NO!"

You screamed, leaving the tree where you were hiding, but before something could happen, a golden aura wrapped around the bull and, just before his last strike over the monkey could be delivered, his entire body stopped. It wasn't just stopped because he had stopped the attack, but because his entire body was like frozen!

You immediately went to the monkey side, checking the damage from the last strike. He was incredibly untouched; the helbard must have struck him in the side where there was no blade and just acting as a hammer. His body may be fine, but he had felt that.

"Oh God, oh God, are you okay?!"

"Ugh...It...hurt!"

Maybe not lethal but a bruise really was surely ready to appear there. You grasped his gourd, helping take a sip of that strange magic juice that the old monkey entrusted you both to take in case of these kinds of damages. After a gulp, the monkey lamented the savor of the concuun, but he was fine at least!

"The bull?!" He looked at you, ready to defend you.

"Ehm ..."

You pointed at his opponent, Frozen in One Place. Then you heard some ruffles, some paint of fatigue, and...the keeper?!

Somehow, he had started to climb the bull back and, once reached its shoulder, he took a jump from it, falling on his two sticked legs.

"It's been a while, but the Immobilize Spell still works like a charm!" He laiughed, clearly satisfied and somehow proud to show you both some of his own ability. You, on the other hand, were more interested in helping the monkey get back on his feet, preoccupied with finding more damages from the foe. Lucky for you, the juice was able to cure all of his wounds, even if the hurt of the strike still lingered.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes...huff, he almost got me..." He looked at the now immobilized bull, still ready to send his last strike on him. "A trick like this could be very useful around here."

"Well, since you hail from Mount Huaguo, it won't hurt to teach you a handy trick."

The monkey looked at him, still recovering from the fall, when the old man started to move his wooden hand around. It started to emit a soft light and some sparkle.

"Now, here we go; give me your hand!" And, without wait or but, the same small wand emitted a light that struck towards the monkey. You companion, fearing for another attack, immediately covered his face with his hand, but instead of pain, he felt... nothing?

Not nothing; he felt the same sensation when you pour warm water on your arm—harmless and somehow nice. He felt the sensation rise to his arm, to his shoulder, and then disappear, leaving only a sigyl on the palm of the same hand. You both noticed that it was the same symbol above the bull head.

"There you go, "continued the old man, while the two of you were observing the sign, in a mix of surprise and curiosity. "Should you come across any miscreants, just point your finger at them and release this spell. You'll be able to hold them in place while giving yourself a breather."

The monkey studied more his hand, carefully seeing the sign slowly disappearing on his skin, while you looked at the old man with a gleam of hope.

"It's going to come in handy around here!" said the monkey, his confident smirk coming back on his face.

"It would be so helpful if I could learn something like this too."

"My child," said the old man, chukling at your naivety. "In this world, muscles and brute force are not the only weapons that you can possess!" And, knowing who you are, a spell like this is a joke for you!"

"I...can learn it too?" You looked at the bull, and, in a rush of courage, you took some steps in front of it.

You waved your hand in front of it and, noticing that it was pretty much impossible for it to move, you laughed, running back to your companion, who instintly put you behind him, like ready to defend you if that thing was ready to move again.

"It's amazing!" you said in joy. "With this trick, we can avoid so many fights!"

"Y/n," the monkey said to you, disconsolate," we can't just avoid every fight we have in front of us."

"He's not right, child," the old man sighed. "Sadly, mine is but an humble trick. Its power will wear off within a few short moments."

"Moments?!" you gulped, jumping back. "And when were you expecting to tell us that?!"

"I told you that it's not that simple!" Monkey came back to his fighting stance, while you took a step back, taking more distance from the upcoming fight.

"Ah ah, yes, yes, I know, not a great spell; thought it's good enough against boneheads like this one!" He pointed again to the bull with a teasing tone. "Anyway, just consider it an ace up your sleeve."

As soon as he finished his speech, the blow that was stopped suddenly crashed to the ground; the golden aura had dissipated from the bull, and it was angry.

The keeper was able to retreat from the scene, clearly shaken by the sudden release of the bull that now pointed to the monkey and you furious.

"The Yaoguais these days know no manners!"

"Y/n! Stand back!" His immediate thought came to your own safety; now the bull had seen you, and every chance could be good for it to attack you!

"FEAR NOT! "screamed the keeper to you and the monkey, "Teach him a lesson with your new spell!"

As soon as the old man had disappeared, the bull went on the offensive, more aggressive than he was before. You had to retreat as best as you could to avoid the fight and to be spotted by the giant creature. He needed more minutes to adjust to this new technique, but just when the bull tried to play the same trick from before, the monkey was ready and used the spell against it.

It stopped! It was completely immobile! You gasped for the excitement, and, after the monkey had gifted you a small wink like to tell you to watch, he suddenly launched himself to his counterattack.

The bull was free after a few moves, but it was more shaken than before and pretty much hurt. He needed another good strike, but after that the monkey was able to put down his opponent and, just like the others, disappeared in a cloud of dust.

"You did it!" YOU DID IT! YOU USED THE SPELL!"

You jumped to him in joy; he freed the passage! And now he learned a new trick! He was just amazing!

He patted your shoulder, laughing a little like you, with a soft shade of red on his cheeks. "Yes, yes, I did it! But it's not over yet!"

He pointed to the now-opened passage—the road ahead of you.

///

"If it wasn't for the wolves ready to kill us, I would love to take a picnic here."

"Pic nic?"

"When you bring lunch outside and eat in the wild. I used to do it a lot when I went on the mountain to my grandparents during the summer."

Monkey seemed always interested in knowing your past; it seemed like, despite all, you had an almost normal childhood...noyt like its own...always training, always giving his best...well, he loved to make some pranks here and there, but the others had always considered him the responsible one of the bunch.

While walking, your attention was taken by an unusual sight: it must have been a balcony in the past; now what was left was only the old decoration of the door, the structure to the outside, and the wood that composed the floor. Two small pillars, decorated with two figures of what presumebly was Guanyin, were on the sides of a cushion and, in front of it, an incense holder.

"Someone use this place..."

"It must be a meditation point, to meditate...a great spot, even..."

You looked to the monkey; why so? It was in the middle of nowhere. By his looks, lost in the horizon, you followed his example. It was quite beautiful and calming. He then decided to take a place in the cuschion and ask you to follow him.

"Came on! It helps the mind!"

"I'll just watch. I'm not good alone with my thought."

"As you wish..."

His eyes closed, his face relaxed, like every muscle of his body. He seemed like a statue in that pose, and by how quickly he was able to communicate, or he needed a lot, or he just was used to that practice. You, instead, decide to sit at the edge of the structure, sighing and admiring the view.

He was right; it wasn't just beautiful; it was calming. You closed your eyes, letting the mountain breeze caress your cheeks and air, allowing it to enter your nostrils and your lungs.

You could hear so many things like that—the creaking of the wood, the howling of a few wolves in the distance, the leaves that moved in the branch—since when these sounds were so hard to listen to in your world?

In the distance, mountains could be seen, and, not far from your spot, structures that maybe once were habitated by humans and monks. Knowing that such a desolation happened in that place, yet nature decided to reclaim that portion of the world, taking back what had been taken away.

You sighed again, more air in your lungs...then a hand shaken you.

"Don't do this on the edge, at least! You can take a place near me!"

"You gave me a heart attack!"

"And how was I supposed to feel when I saw you there, ready to fall?!"

"Okay, I'm sorry! I'll do it with you next time!"

He seemed pleased; at least he wasn't obligated to catch you from a dead fall on a cliff!

"You were right. It's beautiful... Yaoguais aside."

"Yes, I don't know what's going to happen after we take the relic back from the Black Bear, but maybe things are going to get better."

"I just..." you scratched your arm. "I just hope the monks that died here can find a piece."

The image of that skull was still fresh in your mind. It scared you, yes, but it was most definitely sad. They must have been so scared alone. He looked at you with fondness; your thoughts decided to go to the ones that had suffered. You must have had quite a big heart. He took your hand, smiling.

"They'll be glad to know that we're taking care of this...now..." he pointed at two fires, both of the at the sides of a passage, an opening on the rocky walls of the mountain. "We must go. There's still a long road for us."

You nodded, and so you went back to your journey.

///

"We had to pass..."

"There are like...a LOT of wolves there, and I have a really bad feeling!"

"But we can't just stop here!"

"Well, we can't surely move forward like this?!"

Since he had made it clear that there was more enemy ahead, the two of you started to discuss what to do, but it seems like it was harder than you both thought. He sensed a lot of enemies ahead, and if he had to make a safe road, protecting you wasn't easy. You wanted to search a safe path, but there wasn't something like this right there, and he wanted to march in and take care of the problems right there.

"Listen, I'm going in."

"Monkey, please let's just-"

"Hey! Wait! You don't think you can just parade in, do you?! It's not that simple!"

As again, the old man had decided to appear and gave some help to the two of you. You gave a sigh of relief. Finally, that could actually listen to you!

"Finally! I was trying to tell him! We must take another path!"

"Dear one, there's no other path here!"

"Ah, ah!" the monkey smuggled on your face. "See? No path! ...So, any other suggestion, old keeper?"

"But of course I do! Let me transform you into a golden cicada, so you may follow the fires ahead and scout this mountain unnoticed."

He pointed to a series of fires that started to streech across the forest, a way to move across the darkness of the trees, especially during cloudy days or the night. With the same movements of his wand, the old man created the same light from the last time and, once again, struck the poor monkey.

"Wait wait! I can do it by my"

"FLY!"

"SELF!"

Like before, the poor monkey was completely helpless against the magic of the so helpful keeper, and instead of the young, bold monkey, now there was a small insect, with golden shades, flying around. The old man laughed, looking how confused the small cicada was trying to recall his surroundings. Now, there was this little inconvenience...

"But..." you pointed to your still humanoid body. "What about me?"

"Umm...a cicada is hard. You need a lot of control to move so many little arms and legs. Let's see. Let's see. Something simple, something helpless, something...ah!"

"Wait! Let me at least prepare my-"

Without a warning, you were the second victim of the Keeper magic, but you weren't what you were expecting. You looked at your now fluffy paw, a small cottontail, and very long ears.

"A rabbit?! Why can't I fly too?!"

"It's harder than it looks, child! Now, it might be humble, but my shrine is very versatile. You'll get it soon enough."

And, with these words, the Keeper disappeared in another cloud of smoke, leaving the cicada and the bunny alone.

"It's not fair. I wanted to fly too!"

"If it makes you feel better," said the cicada in a very pinch-high voice, "you look fluffiest than ever."

You two laughed a little before hearing for the last time the old Keeper.

"In the depths of Black Winf Mounain, there are secrets galore. These transformations may help you explore, but be wary; this form does not last forever."

"What do we do if we get lost?"

"Should you find yourself lost, just follow my voice. Now, off you go!"

You two looked at each other and, uncertain, started to move.

He had it easier; he could just fly around without getting spotted! You needed to act as natural as possible! Somehow, the wolves seemed more interested in cooking the ones that they already had than huunting you, so you were able to move around, alongside other bunnies and racoons, without fear of being taken.

When the two of you had the impossibilities to avoid the wolves, you were able to listen to them talk. It seemed that your presence in the mountain has been spotted, but they weren't sure of where you were or what your real intention was. As much as they knew, they only knew about a shapeshifter and a mortal alongside him. They also talked about a certain lord... maybe an affiliate of the bear?

Well, at least like that, you could avoid so many troubles... Somehow, you felt a little more safe in the shape of such a helpless animal. You both kept on going, following the fire as instructed, finding the way easier that you expected to find.

"Look! I can see the end of the trail of fire, Y/N!" The small voice of the monkey called you out from the bushes, pointing with his antennea at what was supposed to be the less populated area.

"Finally, being a bunny is... not... so."

You felt something inside you. You felt...a calling.

You turned around; there was another of those old porches, one that the fire had only ruined but not destroyed. You looked in that direction, and you were sure it came from there.

"We just need to cross; we're so...Y/N?"

You weren't anymore near the bushes, so he got closer and started to roam the small area.

"Y/n? Y/N?!" He called, louder this time and much more worried. He couldn't see you. Where did you go?! Why did you leave all of a sudden?!

You couldn't hear his call; there was something else that held your attention. It was the same pull in your chest that called you towards the relic, but it was...different. It felt like stagnant water, a mix of smells that you couldn't quite get.

It was a large clearing; the wall of the mountain and a cliff, secured with a parapet, gave them a natural circular shape. Besides trees and plants, fog covered the area, hiding a wooden structure in the same area. You couldn't put your hand on it, but something was there—something big and round. You jumped closer, not noticing the aura of fiery eyes looking at your every movement. Before you could get closer, a large pressure came to your delicate neck; a hand with a sharp claw had you now in his clutches.

"Well, well... and what do we have here?

Avoiding screaming helped you to keep your bunny form, but you couldn't hold a gasp when you saw the wolverine creature that was holding you by your neck. Now you were in big trouble!

The wolf was different from the other; he seemed older and calmer. His robe reminded you of one of a monk, but it was so old and lacerated. His old mansion was so ruined, almost burnt here and there. Despite his strength, his claw gently held you and took you in his arm, holding you in place. You felt his rough fingers scratching your head, confusing you more than before.

"It's not a safe place for a small one like you. Humans and wolves love eating your flesh. I used to eat your kind when I was younger; now I can only remember the hunt."

Oh, so he didn't eat bunnies? He could have eaten humans, though.

Besides him, a long staff was stuck into the ground, a double blade to each end. You noticed now that the blade was strange in certain places; it seemed like it had burned. Now, in his arms, you could see clearly what was holding the structure: a bell, a giant bell made of iron.

It was simple, besides the decorations, like many other bells around... then why you seemed to be pulled by it.

You jumped from the wolf arms, sniffing and getting closer to the giant metal object.

"I never saw bunnies interested in bell... I suppose to guard it...but you don't look like a treat."

Well, not now at least.

You made another jump, much closer; now your small paw was able to reach the bell when, in your head, his sound started to echo so hard that it was painful.

Your body couldn't handle it, so you scream, holding your small rodent head in those paws, scaring the wolf, and, with any chance to control it, the pain forced you to release your true form.

You were still holding your head when you noticed the wolf, now holding his weapon.

"You... you tried to trick me, human?!" You gulped and tried to get back, finding yourself stuck between the wolf and the bell.

"I-i didn't-" Then, a sound or rustling and footstep caught your and the wolf's attention.

"Who goes there?! How dare you interrupt my meditation?"

And so, the face of a very worried monkey appeared from the fog and the shadow, looking at you with apprehension by your vicinity with the Yaoguai. The wolf looked at him, and a small smile came to his face, far more sinister than the one that he had shown you before.

"Hmmm...another monkey I see?" He asked, almost happy to see him. The blade in his hand started to change; it became red like it was on fire. Hold on, IT WAS ON FIRE!

"Why don't you lay down your weapon and join me in Buddha's mercy?" His weapon had made a few swifts on the ground; the dead leaves, the herbs, and whatever that thing was touching suddenly started a small fire, separing you from your companion.

"What say you?!"

He needed to connect; the wolf was already on his tail when he marched on! He needed to get you out of there before the fire could reach you; luckyly, you took cover behind the giant bell! Maybe he had time; he just needed to calm him down before it was too late!

That wolf was old, but he was a formidable foe! His swing was like he had never seen anyone do it, and every strike was precise and destructive. It was just like a fire; you couldn't control it; you could just watch and hope it doesn't destroy more.

But he needed to fight that fire!

He used the spell that the keeper had taught him and started again to attack his opponent. Sometimes, out of the blue, the wolf was able to persome formidabvòe aerial attacks, where even the monkey found trouble defending himself. Sometimes he was even able to rush like he could fly, and the fire just made him stronger.

Fighting him wasn't easy, but with the help of the spell and the fact that his own technique didn't need too much energy to be imposed, the monkey was soon the victorious one of the duels.

The wolf fell on the ground, covered in bruises and blood; his fur was now more burned than before. His eyes cast between you, now free to move while the monkey was killing the fire, and his opponent.

"You..." His voice was in pain, the last stray of strength only to talk, "Master spoke of you."

And while he started to disappear, three last words came from his mouth.

"The Destined...one..."

Peace came back in the clearing.

You looked at where the wolf had disappeared, asking yourself how much his master knew about you two, about what happened there, and..the hand of the monkey slapped your head.

"Don't run off like that again!"

"Ouch! It wasn't my fault!"

"Yeah! Some strange magic led you here?!"

"..."

"...Seriously?"

You sighed; of course it was crazy, but it was true! Something called you here to do...something!

"I'm sorry...it just...something is strange... I don't know what's happening in me."

The monkey looked at your face. You were so concentrated, your hand caressing the carving of the metal face of the giant object. He wasn't used to bell like this; his own hand caressed the wooden trunk made to play the instrument.

"...Monkey?" He looked at you and said, "We should play it."

"No way! They'll spot us!"

"We're already on everyone's agenda! Please! I... I need it." You please.

He sighed, ready to regret every moment of this. He needed just a swing of the trunk when the sound of the bell started to resonate on the entire aura—on the mountain itself.

Then something else happened. Everything got dark; it was a forest, like the one you and your companion were planting—a child—he was alone. Many people were dying there; something had to hunt them down!

No! You must run! The bear! The bear is... giving him... jewels?

The sun rises, the monastery...

When you woke up from the trance, the monkey had to catch you before falling from the scaffold of the bell.

"Y/n! What's happening?! Are you okay?!"

You just moved your head, confused, scared...was that a vision? It was an old memory? The stagnant water now was moving; a rotting smell came to you.

"You just had to make some noise, did you?!" The voice of the Keeper came back again. He seemed stressed; the sound had scared some birds too. "Now everyone knows you're here! When a chime so grand echoes in the forest, Yaoguais will surely be alarmed!"

He was right; the monkey was able to sense the hair change now. The road was getting just more difficult...

"I'm sorry. I asked him to do it."

"Child, why asking for such a thing?!"

"....I....i'm sorry..."

The monkey couldn't stay angry with such a hurt expression in front of him...but why do you need it? And what did you see? Holding you in his arms, he started to head back to the road.

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gravidwithlore · 5 months ago

Text

Building a Home part 1

word count: 7,500

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“Tell me again, why do we need a guide to get through the Wandering Woods?” Jiyan drawled as he picked at his nails. Rhiannon sighed in exasperation.

“Because, the woods are scary and dangerous?” She snarked.

“Yeah, but I mean, the three of us could totally handle whatever spooky whats-its and scary whose-its the forest can throw at us! Between your super cool sword skills, my charming smile, and Melian's druid nature powers, we don't need some lame village guide to tell us to keep on the path.”

Rhi snorted. “What was that middle one?”

“Your super cool sword skills.”

“No, the other one.”

“Melian's druid nature powers.”

“Yeah,” She rolled her eyes at Jiyan’s antics. “And if Melian of all people says we need a guide, then we're getting a guide, whether your cocky ass likes it or not.”

“Fine.” He huffed and poutily crossed his arms. “But don't come crying to me when-” Jiyan trailed off as he noticed Melian approaching them with an absolute mountain of a man. “You know what Rhi? You're so right, we absolutely need a guide.”

“Oh? Really? I was actually just starting to think you might have a point Ji! I should probably go let them know their services aren't needed anymore.” Rhiannon smirked at her companion.

“No, no! Rhiannon, you were absolutely so correct, we're in desperate need of this man’s services, we can't make it in the woods alone!” Jiyan hastily objected.

Before Rhiannon could tease him some more, Melian approached them and introduced them to Brone, a giant of a man. His face held the gaunt scarred look of someone who's seen (and caused) their fair share of trouble, with a perpetual looking 5 o'clock shadow to match, but the faint wrinkles and streaks of gray in his long greasy hair told a story of survival throughout all the struggle. Brone towered above them, as he grunted in begrudging acknowledgement to Rhi and Jiyan’s greetings, hand remaining tightly clutched tight on the hilt of his sword instead of meeting Jiyans handshake.

Immediately bored of the talk of the logistics of their temporary partnership and preparations for their journey, Jiyan tried to give Brone a very unsubtle once over. He was a bit dismayed by just how much his cloak managed to cover him, leaving no clues as to exactly what he was, ahem, packing. But from the size of the man's hands, Jiyan had a feeling he would not be disappointed. And oh, how Jiyan loved a challenge.

Rhiannon and Brone took off to inspect their wagon to ensure it was safe for their passage, despite her assurance it was perfectly fine. As Brone had said, in that deep gravelly voice of his, “I've heard that before.” Once they were alone, Jiyan playfully nudged Melian with his elbow.

“So, where did you find this absolute dilf Mel?” He winked.

“The tavern, where the shopkeep said he'd be.” They responded straight-faced. “And how do you know he has any children?”

“Well I don't know!” Jiyan said, a little shocked that Melian even knew what a dilf was. “Being a dilf isn't just about having kids, it's, like, a vibe. Trust me, I know a dilf when I see one!”

“And this sellsword I have found in a dirty village tavern, to take us through the Wandering Woods, gives off the vibes that he has children?” Anyone else would think Melian naive, more accustomed to being surrounded by nature than by other people, but Ji had known them long enough to catch the slight uptick of the corners of their lips and know that in their own unknowable way, Melian was teasing the shit out of him.

“Yeah. In, like, a sad and grungy sort of way, yeah.”

“And you are… attracted? …To the sad grungy dilf?” Jiyan didn't miss the faint tone of judgment in their voice.

“Mark my words Melian, I'm going to climb that man like a tree.”

-----------------------------------

Three days later, Jiyan was exhausted. The Wandering Woods had proved dangerous, not just for the wild peoples and monsters that could attack at any moment, but also for the difficult terrain and half overgrown path. He was definitely grateful Brone was with them, and not just for the grumpy eye candy. His sword, and crossbow, had come in handy more than once, whether it was shooting an attacker going straight for Rhiannon or hacking away vines that had blocked their path.

He was a skilled guide, despite having seen some combat, Brone had managed to steer them away from even more battles by sneaking around on less traveled pathways. It may have made their journey a bit longer, but everyone was grateful for it. One might think that their group would feel a bit closer to each other, but Brone still regarded them with distanced suspicion. Sure, he shared their campfire for dinner, but he slept separately from the group, often insisting on taking watch through most of the night, as if he didn't trust them capable of sharing the duty. Or to not stab him in his sleep. Always wrapped in that giant cloak, as if he didnt even trust them to know he had a body under there, in case they might know where his vital organs would be. Even that day, all day, he was grumpier than normal, eyebrows constantly furrowed in annoyance, snapping at Jiyan (even if he did deserve it most of the time), and terse with Rhiannon and Melian. Considering the man looked like the encyclopedic definition of someone who would lure them out into the woods with the promise of safety and security, then rob them and leave them for dead, the whole act felt a little rich if you asked Jiyan. Who definitely wasn't more than a little bitter that all of attempts at just simply flirting with Brone had gone completely, brutally, rebuffed.

At least that day had been quiet, at least where getting attacked was concerned. As they chose a spot to set up camp for the night, Brone grunted that they had just passed the thick of it, two more days and they would be at the next village. When Rhiannon had mentioned inheriting an old family farm and her desire to leave the adventuring life behind, Jiyan had been skeptical to say the least. But after the past few days, he was starting to see the appeal of settling down into a farm life. Well, maybe not settling, but he was definitely more open to the idea. As he thought about embracing the peace and serenity of life on a farm, Jiyan went to take care of the horses while Melian and Rhiannon started making dinner. He was just about to unhitch the horses, when he heard Brone's voice just on the other side of the wagon.

“-thought I had another week.” Brone muttered. Jiyan ducked down behind the horses and tried to be as quiet as possible. “Look, I just need two more days, alright? Just two more days and-” One of the horses softly whinied and dug their hoof into the dirt, Jiyan fought all of his instincts to shush it so he could listen. “Just one last job, and I'm yours, okay? Please, just two more days, I beg of you.”

Jiyan couldn't hear whoever Brone was talking to, but he sounded scared. He didn't even know Brone could be scared, let alone sound scared. It sounded like he'd made a deal with something, and now he'd gotten in over his head trying to keep his end of the bargain. Eyes wide, Jiyan snuck back to the campfire where his partners sat, blissfully unaware of what had just transpired.

“Guys, I think we're in danger.” He loudly whispered to them.

“What? What is it? Where's Brone?” Rhiannon practically shouted at the top of her gods-damned lungs as she stood, already unsheathing her rapier.

“Shush!” Ji desperately motioned her to sit back down. “I think Brone's who we're in danger from!”

“What, why would you think this?” Melian looked at him wide eyed and startled.

“I heard him talking to somebody behind the wagon, he was saying something about ‘one last job’ and ‘I just need 2 more days.'” Jiyan did a pretty fine impression of Brone's deep gravelly voice if you asked him, but Rhi's subtle eye roll seemed to disagree.

“Did you see who he was talking to?” She asked.

“No, I was safely hidden behind the horses, I didn't even hear them speak. I think he's going to, like, sacrifice us or something!” He whisper-shouted again.

“Look,” Melian put out their hands to motion them both to stay put. “We do not have all the facts, nor do we know exactly what we're up against. For now, just act as normal and stay with each other. Do not react yet.” Rhiannon and Jiyan looked at each other and nodded, ready to heed Melian’s word when they heard a loud slap against the side of the wagon.

“Fuck.” Brone growled, as one of his arms leaned against the side of the wagon facing them, the other clutching his stomach. Jiyan did not waste his first opportunity to catch a fleeting glimpse of what lay under that cloak, as it parted in front of them. Honestly, he was a little surprised, he hadn't expected Brone to be so… round… and… so soft looking under that leather armor. And he was dripping? Jiyan gasped as he realized a small pool had formed by Brone’s feet, his hand clutching at his stomach. Whatever he was talking to must have stabbed him, mortally wounding him, betrayed him for failing to follow their commands, now he’s bleeding out, bemoaning ever making that dark deal in the first place!

“He's in labor!” Melian gasps, as they leap up and rush towards him. Oh. OH. Yeah, that made a lot more sense actually.

Even lost in the throes of a contraction, oh gods a contraction, Brone still instinctively flinched away when Melian tried to put a comforting hand on their back. Jiyan's heart broke a little just watching it. Here he was afraid Brone was about to betray them all while they were asleep and vulnerable, yet the whole time Brone had been the most vulnerable one in the entire forest! Mel respectfully withdrew their hands, hovering in case of a sudden collapse. After a moment it seemed like the contraction ebbed away, as Brone looked up to find them all circled around him, wide eyed and staring.

“Fuck.” He groaned for the second, but probably not the last, time that night.

“You're in labor.” Melian stated, tone more purposefully neutral than usual.

“Yeah, I can bloody fucking tell.” Brone spat, and then he straightened up and sighed. “Look, we're already past the most dangerous bits of the forest, and you lot are already a lot stronger than most folks I take through here. Less than two days out, jus’ leave me here, and finish the journey. You don't even half to pay me the second half of the coin.”

“Let us get you to sit by the fire. Rhiannon, get extra buckets of water, and Jiyan, find some extra blankets. It is going to be a long night.” Melian replied.

“Didn't you just hear what I bloody fucking said?” Brone seethed, like a tomcat trapped in a corner.

“Yes. And I have decided to ignore it.” Mel calmly explained as they began to guide him towards the campfire.

“Why? You don't owe me shit!” He shouted, as if he wasn't the one being ridiculous here.

“I am trained in the arts of healing and midwifery, and it would go against my sacred duties to leave you here to birth your child alone, even if we were not in one of the most dangerous locations in the land.” Even Brone could sense the anger lurking in Melian’s usually unphased disposition, and his shoulders sagged as he relented and accepted his fate. He let Mel and Rhi help him sit as comfortably as he could by the fire, while Jiyan panicked and rushed to find the blankets.

“Here,” They reached for the ladle in the cooking pot and brought a ladle-full of softly steaming stew towards his mouth. “Eat something. You shall need to keep up your strength.” Brone glared at them as he reluctantly took a sip of the stew. Then another. Then another, as Melain watched him, until the ladle was empty.

“How far apart are the contractions?” Mel asked gently.

“I dunno, ‘bout 10 minutes I think.” He growled. They hummed in response.

“And why are you guiding groups through the Wandering Woods so close to your due date? Why are you anywhere near the Wandering Woods at all while carrying such precious cargo?” Mel’s anger returned, a rare display. Rhi decided it might be a good time to go get those buckets of water they'd requested earlier.

“I needed to save up for the kid didn't I?” Brone's jaw tensed, and he couldn't quite seem to meet Melian's eyes. “Not like anyone would hire me fer much else. Safer than staying with the mercenary companies anyway.”

“And what exactly, was your plan here?” Melian narrowed their eyes. Brone sighed.

“I thought I had more time, I thought I could do one last job, get a bit more coin before the kid came, then fuck off to some remote little cottage where I could raise them in fucking peace.”

“And where is this ‘remote little cottage’ located?”

“I, uh,” Brone shifted uncomfortably. “I hadn't quite gotten there yet.” Melian could see the quickly growing tidal wave shame and guilt swelling in his eyes, so they took a deep breath, and chose mercy. If his estimate was correct, his next contraction would be coming soon anyways, and it wouldn't do to add to his stress when he still had such a long way to go. Just then Jiyan came rushing back, arms full of blankets, shirts, pants, just about any and every piece of fabric he could find.

“Alright, I'm ready to catch this baby!” He cried, spreading his arms under all the fabric and squatting down in front of Brone. “You've got this Papa Bear!”

“What the fuck are y- augh!” The contraction hit Brone mid-protest, his eyes squeezing shut in surprise and pain, gritting his teeth while his body held him in a vice grip.

“Go on, push! You're going to meet your little one so soon!” Ji encouraged him, proud tears welling up in his eyes. Usually Rhiannon was the one to roll her eyes at his hijinks, but just this once Melian took the mantle as they put an arm out to stop his dramatics.

“Brone, do not push. Jiyan, do not give advice you are far from qualified to give.”

“What?” He gaped like a fish. “His water broke, isn't it time to push?”

“No, Jiyan.” Melian sighed. “Birth doesn't work like it does in the plays.”

“What are you talking about Mel? They can't all be wrong!”

“Jiyan.” Mel said after staring at Jiyan in disbelief for a moment. “If a play were to accurately depict a full and complete birth experience, the play would be several days long. It is simply shortened to water breaking and the baby being born immediately after to save time and heighten drama.”

“Wait, what do you mean days long? Do you mean he's going to be in labor for several more days?!” His jaw dropped as his eyes went comically wide.

“No, his child will likely be born before the dawn arrives. But, he has been in labor for the past several days, whether he had acknowledged it or not.” Mel gave a pointed look in Brone's direction, who was focused more on the intensity of the contraction without the cushion of his waters, than on educating Jiyan on the reality of childbirth.

“So this whole time Brone’s been in labor? Even through all the attacks, and hacking away at vines, and shit? Holy crap, he's even stronger than I th-”

“Would you please shut the fuck up.” Brone growled as the contraction ebbed away. “Is he going to be this annoying, the whole time?”

“You need to breathe.” Melian ignored his grumpy outburst.

“I need to wot?”

“Breathe. You are holding in your breath too much, and it is making the contraction more painful. Next contraction, try breathing like this.” They demonstrated the proper breathing technique for him.

“That's stupid. I'm not bloody doing that.” He frowned.

“Then you will regret it.” Melian stated plainly.

“Is that a fucking threat?” Anger flashed through Brone’s eyes, thinly veiling the relief of re-entering familiar social territory.

“No, I am simply stating the facts.” They replied, refusing to take Brone’s bait to rise to his anger.

“Don't knock it ‘til you try it, Papa Bear, that's what I always say!” Jiyan interjected in an attempt to be helpful. Brone rolled his eyes.

“Look, if you won't leave,” He pointed a finger at Melian. “can we at least send him on his way?” He jabbed his thumb in Jiyan’s direction.

“No.”

“Ugh, fine.”

“Now, have some more soup. You will need it.”

Eventually Rhiannon returned with the extra water, which Melian then set to boil. When Brone’s contraction returned, his face scrunched up again as he braced himself for the pain. At a simple reminder from Melian to breathe, he reluctantly relented, as Jiyan ‘helpfully’ exaggerated the breathing technique Mel had showed them earlier. When the contraction ended, Jiyans supportive thumbs up and big smile was met with an exasperated eye roll, but Ji would swear he was making progress with breaking down the emotional walls of the laboring man. Even if he did look like he was going to bite Jiyan’s hand off when he tried to help Brone out of his cloak and leather armor so he could be more comfortable. After a few more contractions, and making sure everyone had gotten some dinner, Melian approached Brone again.

“I'm going to have to check you at some point you know.” They said, glancing down.

“Wha-?! Like the bloody fuck you will!” Brone objected, hackles raised again.

“Uh, check what?” Jiyan asked while Rhiannon buried her face in her hands.

“His dilation, to see how far his cervix has opened to allow his child to pass into the birth canal once active labor begins.”

“Absolutely not!” Brone cheeks started to turn a deep shade of pink.

“Look, my guy,” Rhiannon interjected. “Did you plan on just giving birth into your pants?”

“... No.” He eventually muttered, refusing to meet any of their eyes as the pink of his cheeks continued to spread.

“Good. I will try to make it as unobtrusive as possible.” Mel knelt down in front of them. Brone rolled his eyes, but complied and started to take off his boots and pants, only pausing to breath through a contraction in the middle of it.

“How do you want me?” He finally asked, the blush blooming across his cheeks now completely unhideable.

“However you will feel most comfortable.”

Brone snorted but complied, not necessarily by getting comfortable but by just spreading his legs apart and refusing to look in Mel’s direction. True to their word, Melian tried their best to be as unobtrusive as possible, gently narrating what they were about to do as if they were talking to a spooked horse. Even so, Brone flinched when he felt their fingers inside, his body rigid and tense. Jiyan thought it would be the perfect time to step in to ask some questions and sate his curious mind.

“Sooooooooo... do you know who your ‘baby daddy’ is?” He asked, innocently and with no ulterior motives at all. “Asking for a friend.” He winked.

“Why the bloody fucking hell do you wanna know?” Brone glared at him. Ji shrugged.

“Just curious… Does your ‘baby daddy’ know they're your baby daddy?” Brone snorted.

“Bloke was so sozzed he didn't even realize I don't even ‘ave a cock, so I think it's safe to say, no, he don't know he’s my ‘baby daddy.’”

“Cool, cool, cool.” Jiyan nodded, mentally taking notes. “Good to know.”

“5 centimeters.” Mel rose, their diagnostic completed.

“And is that good? Is that bad?” Ji asked.

“It is neither, it simply means that his cervix has opened 5 out of the 10 centimeters it needs to in order to be fully dilated.”

“Oooooh. Way to go! Halfway there Papa Bear!” Jiyan cheered.

“Brone, you should take off your armor. It's already constricting your breathing, and it will continue to be a detriment during the course of your birth.”

“First my bloody pants, then my bloody fucking armor…” Brone grumbled as he complied and started to uncomfortably shift to unbuckle himself from his chest armor. He couldn't resist the sigh of relief that escaped him as the tight pressure on his chest released, then immediately became red in the face again as he realized there were two very large very prominent wet patches that had soaked through his dark gray top underneath the armor.

“Wow, you must've been hot under there too!” Jiyan said, before Brone could cover himself in his embarrassment.

“It is not sweat, Jiyan, it's milk.” Mel explained, before Rhiannon could stop them, as Brone’s face grew even more red. “The tightness of the leather armor likely applied enough pressure on his breasts to force a higher expression of milk than would have occurred naturally so close to giving birth.”

“Oh, so his armor was, like, milking him?” Jiyan asked. Brone ran a hand down his beet red face.

“You lot sure we can't leave him back in the thick of the woods? It's not too late.” He growled. Rhiannon smiled and shook her head.

“No can do. With our luck, he'd end up more powerful than ever, and still end up back here to annoy the hell out of us.” She teased.

“Yes. He is unnaturally canny at stumbling into lucky situations. There's no telling what horrors he would unleash from within those woods.” Mel pondered.

“Aw, you guys! I love you too!” Jiyan drawled, his hands over his chest as if he was overcome with emotion.

“Alright, change of subject before his ego gets too big to handle.” Rhiannon laughed. Melian nodded in earnest agreement.

The night passed on, with Brone’s contractions slowly getting closer and closer together, as he kept refusing Jiyan’s requests to feel the baby kick. Melian encouraged them all to try and get a little shut eye, but no one was very successful at it, least of all Brone himself. At some point Melian had convinced him to walk around a bit, reluctantly letting Rhiannon and Mel support him whenever a contraction hit as they slowly shuffled around the campsite, Jiyan playing some gentle calming melodies on his lyre.

Melian had tried to reassure Brone to move however his body wanted to move, whatever helped to relieve the discomfort, since he still tensed and seemed to be trying to squeeze in on himself, to lock himself in place whenever a contraction grabbed him. At first he had shaken his head, as if Melian's suggestions were absolutely ridiculous, but eventually he started to loosen up, swaying his hips just a little as he began to give into his body's demands. It was while he was leaning against the side of the wagon, groaning and swaying his hips through a particularly rough contraction, that Jiyan and Rhi were helping support him so Mel could have a rest before the ‘big event,’ that he spoke.

“This feels stupid.” He said, panting from the exertion his own body was putting him through. “This probably looks bloody stupid as hell, doesn't it.”

“Stupidly hot, Papa Bear.” Jiyan winked at him before Rhiannon could respond in the way a person with some semblance of common sense and self-preservation would have responded. Brone growled, getting increasingly overstimulated from everything his own body was putting him through already and annoyed with Jiyan's ‘teasing.’

“Why the fuck do you keep calling me that?” He snapped.

“Why do I keep calling you Papa Bear? I mean look at you.” Jiyan ignored Rhi’s warning look. “You're a giant bear of a man, and well, the baby's not born yet, but you're already a papa in my heart!”

Brone's response to his encouragement and complement was underwhelming. He'd expected at least some indignation and confusion, but instead was met with soft cursing and a scrunched face.

“...Something’s… different.” He ground out after a moment.

“Mel!” Rhiannon called out, unable to hide the rising edge of concern in her voice. Melian, who was supposed to be resting, but decidedly was not resting, was at Brone’s side in a heartbeat. A quick check later and they looked into his eyes.

“Do you feel like you need to push?”

The terrified whimper seemed to come from somewhere else, because never in a million gazillion years could that sound have come from Brone of all people. But come from Brone it did, to match the wide eyed look of terror that briefly took over his face.

“See, even your baby knows you're meant to be a Papa Bear!” Jiyan smiled. Brone’s face shifted back towards a comfortable annoyed eyeroll and the sound that escaped his throat sounded less like a terrified whimper and more like his classic disgruntled groan.

“Quit joking Ji, and help get him into the cart.” Rhiannon commanded, her voice terse as if she were shouting out directions during a fight. Together they guided him towards the back of the wagon, which Mel had been preparing to be a makeshift birthing center, lamenting that they wouldn't have the usual soothing pools and hanging ropes that would have, supposedly, helped Brone feel more comfortable. At the back of the cart another contraction squeezed him in its vice grip, harder than it ever had before.

“Push if you feel the urge to push, do not fight your body Brone.” Mel said, softly but sternly.

“But-” Was all he could gasp out, barely more than a grunt.

“Your baby will not be born in one push, I assure you.”

It must have been Melian's tone, or perhaps their apparent expertise in the situation at hand, but by some miracle Brone trusted them, and bore down into a hard squat. Teeth clenched together, brows so furrowed together they almost became one, gripping the top step of the wagon, he pushed, and pushed hard. The contraction released him with a gasp, Mel's hand applying pressure on his lower back keeping him from falling backwards.

“I felt- I felt it… move down.” He whispered, both in wonder and in fear. “Fuck, it feels so heavy now.” He groaned and clutched at the low hanging base of his belly.

“Where do you feel most comfortable? Here, in this position, or within the wagon?” Mel prompted, as focused as they ever are when in their role as healer.

“Wagon, definitely inside the wagon.” Brone panted, still out of breath from the contraction and awkwardly climbing the steps into the wagon, slowly, with their legs spread wide, as if ready to squat and push again at a moment's notice. Or perhaps he was simply unable to with his baby’s head already spreading him wide from within his birth canal. The trio helped him get as comfortable as possible, his back resting against a built-in bench near the front of the wagon.

“Why inside the wagon? It's so cramped with all of us in here.” Jiyan complained.

“Safer in the wagon, covered on three sides, can see any threats coming from the fo- augh!” Brone’s head fell back as the contraction hit without warning, Melian reminding him to listen to his body, to push, to breathe. Jiyan and Rhiannon instinctively offered their hands for support, their offer hesitantly taken at the contractions peak.

“Jiyan-” Rhiannon started to warn but was cut off by a melodic voice, Melian’s voice echoing through their heads. Keep distracting him, Jiyan. He looked to his friend, preparing the supplies they needed, and gave them a brief short nod. Then, just for a little bit of fun, as a treat, turned and poked his tongue out at Rhiannon.

“Keep pushing, Papa Bear!” He made it his own little game to try and find all the different ways he could encourage Brone to push. Winning quite a few confused reactions from the rest of the wagon. It didn't take very long until Brone was plastered with sweat, hair sticking to his face, the wet sheen making it more apparent how red his face was getting with the grueling effort of bearing down through the contractions. To everyone's surprise, he even let Rhiannon put his hair into a loose bun, only flinching twice. Having his hair out of his face and off the back of his neck was even more of a relief than he thought it would be, judging from the brief moment his body untensed once she'd finished.

Jiyan continued to hold his hand through the contractions, while Rhiannon clasped his other forearm and dabbed at his forehead with a damp rag. Considering the size of him, and the man’s almost supernatural strength proven over the last few days, Ji thought he was holding his own pretty well, with his thin manicured musician's fingers tightly gripping Brone’s scarred meaty hands in response. Until during a particularly rough contraction, when Jiyan briefly felt a painful twinge run through the back of his hand, he wasn't able to catch the soft hiss of pain before the traitorous air escaped his mouth. He felt Brone’s grip release despite him being caught in the throes of a contraction, and was supposed to be putting his full concentration into pushing his baby out to meet the world. Ji felt a ball of guilt start to form in the pit of his stomach, as he realized Brone was spending his much needed baby-pushing energy on holding his strength back. He knew any encouragement to do otherwise would just be met with grumpy stubbornness, but Jiyan didn't know how to let Brone know it was okay to let go, even if it would hurt him temporarily in the process.

“Brone, you're starting to overheat. Would you feel cooler if you took your tunic off?” Mel asked, to the rescue as usual. Brone looked at them, panting and red in the face from the contraction that had just ended, eyes full of pain and uncertain emotions, but paused only a moment before giving one quick nod. Together, they all got him out of his sweat drenched tunic, quickly, before his next contraction hit. He sighed in relief again, as the cool night air hit his skin, hairy chest and the happy trail from his popped out navel down the swell of his belly now on full display. As he glanced down, Ji could see his breasts already beginning to release droplets of milk on their own, as if they knew they wouldn't have long before his baby would be feeding at his chest.

“Nice tits Papa Bear.” Jiyan leered, just as the contraction hit and quickly ramped up. Without enough time to react with a growl or with an eyeroll, Ji felt the full force of Brone’s strength, taking a note out of Mel’s quick birthing lessons and breathing through the pain searing across his hand as Brone himself screamed from behind clenched teeth, his lips curled into a snarl. He could even see Rhi wince a bit on the other side of him.

“Fuck… off…” Brone growled as the pain began to ebb away.

“Hey, I'm just sayin’, that's one lucky baby.” He winked as the pain of the next contraction quickly flowed back through Brone's body, earning himself more searing pain radiating from his hand, squeezed so tightly he could barely grip back. Brone growled in annoyance at the end of it, but with a couple more well-timed over the top inappropriate comments about how hot he looked pushing out his big beautiful baby, Brone seemed to get the message. That Jiyan, and by extension Rhiannon and even Melian, could handle whatever he could dish out if it meant it would help him. And just in time too.

“F- fuck! Something- something's wrong, it burns.” He groaned, head rolling back as tears pricked at the corner of his eyes.

“It is called the Ring of Fire, painful, but completely natural. It means your child will soon be here.” Melian explained. But Brone shook his head, too overcome by pain and exhaustion to listen.

“I can't- I can't bloody do this!” He sobbed helplessly, his head still lolling side to side.

“Give me your hand.” Mel gently commanded.

“I can't. I can't do it.” Brone whined, too consumed by pain to hear them.

“Brone, please give- … thank you Jiyan.” Melian said, as Jiyan held out the hand still clutched in Brone's to them. They guided the pairs hands down between Brone’s legs. Jiyan hesitated and tried to let go but Brone’s hand was still white knuckled and refusing to unclasp, barely aware of anything besides the pain wracking his body. Mel gently brushed both of their knuckles along something that felt slimy, and a little sticky, and hairy?

“Is that?” Brone’s eyes shot open, wonder and amazement momentarily overcoming the pain and panic.

“That is indeed the top of your child’s head.” They smiled.

“I was just gonna say ew, Mel,” Jiyan momentarily glared at them. “But nevermind, that's your baby’s head! Let's go Papa Bear!” He cheered. A new energy surged through Brone, his jaw tensed in determination as he steeled himself for the next contraction.

“You've got this Brone.” Rhiannon clasped his forearm in preparation and gave him a quick supportive nod. “Just a few more pushes to go.”

“Help hold his thighs back further, it will help him spread further.” Melian commanded, and Rhi and Ji were quick to comply as they watched the stomach muscles across Brone’s belly begin to tighten again. Chin pressed down into his tits, Brone shouted as if charging into battle as he bore down with all his strength into his biggest push so far. It felt like forever before the contraction subsided, Brone, red faced from the effort let his head lay back on the bench for a moment.

“Good, keep pushing! Just like that!” Melian encouraged. Now too focused on putting all his energy into pushing instead of words, they only received a brief nod in response from Brone. But as long as he was responding, that was enough for Mel. It was only a few more big pushes like that before Melian stopped him.

“Brone.” They made sure to get his attention as the most recent contraction ended. “The next contraction do not push. Don't push again until I say so.”

“Wot?!” Brone snapped up and stared at them wide eyed and panicked. “Is the baby-?” He trailed off, as if he couldn't handle finishing the sentence, finishing the thought. Jiyan and Rhiannon’s wide eyed stares mirrored him.

“No, the baby will be perfectly fine. You need to give your vagina a chance to stretch, or you will tear.” Mel said sternly.

“Who gives a shit?” Brone groaned.

“I do.” Melian snapped. Well as much as Melian of all people could snap. “And you should as well. I only have so much healing magic and I do not have the tools or supplies out here to stitch you up if I need to.” Ji shivered, as he thought about how painful it must be, to get stitches in your coochie. Brone rolled his eyes in exhausted annoyance.

“Fine.” He grunted as the next contraction quickly started. It was obvious that without pushing that pain wore down on him more quickly, sobbing whines escaping his throat as he uncomfortably writhed on the wagon floor, still clasping tightly to Jiyan and Rhiannon.

“Fuck, this- this is worse. This is so much worse.” He shakily moaned in the brief break between contractions, each one practically one on top of the other, as if his body was getting just as impatient as he was.

“I know. Just hold on to Rhiannon and Jiyan, let them support you through it. Just two more okay?” Mel laid a cooling hand on Brone’s sweat soaked belly, feeling the muscles twitch and constrict as the next contraction started. Brone huffed out an annoyed groan in response as he gripped both of their hands tighter than ever before, preparing for another tidal wave of pain without the relief of pushing. After what felt like an eternity that one ended, and a microsecond later the next one took over the exhausted man's battered body and overwhelmed mind.

“FUCK!” He screamed to the heavens, as he threw his head back, back arched as if the pain was so great it was forcing his body off of the ground as the most intense contraction yet peaked, and peaked, and kept hitting new peaks of endless pain for the poor man to endure. Jiyan, realizing Brone was too far gone to pay attention to him, briefly whimpered through his own pain, as if Brone was so overwhelmed he was subconsciously transferring some of his own into him. He yelped as he heard a muffled crack! coming from his own hand, and his personal pain increased tenfold. Panicked and his cheeks puffed out, having miraculously, and in a feat on uncharacteristic strength, stopped himself pre-scream, Jiyan looked to Melian for help.

Later. They said sympathetically, telepathically, as Melian could on occasion use their gifts to do. I do not know how much healing magics I will have left once this is over. Jiyan could see concern in their eyes, not just for him and his hand, but for the fate of Brone and his baby. Things have gone smoothly enough so far, but I do not know yet what may go wrong. Jiyan, biting his lip to continue to contain his scream, nodded. A broken hand could be reset, if something went wrong with Brone or his baby then… he didn't want to think about that. He coaxed Brone, in his discombobulated state, to take his other hand. No use causing it further damage. Especially if he might need to get a splint instead of healing magic once this was all said and done.

“Alright Brone, on this next one, push.” Melian commanded.

“Thank fuck. Finally.” He groaned, as Rhiannon reached out again and pulled back his thigh on her side, and Melian leaned forward and pushed back the thigh on Ji’s side. The relief was short lived as the next contraction gripped him, but he grit his teeth and used all his strength to bear down, determined to meet his child before the dawn's light.

“You are doing good, Brone. The baby is making good progress.” Mel encouraged him after a few more contractions. Brone's frustrated growl seemed to disagree. He seemed to get more antsy and frustrated as the contractions wore on, despite everyone's assurances that he was doing a good job.

“Fuck this.” He eventually snarled at them, letting go of his death grip on their hands and kicking away their support on his thighs. He then grabbed his thighs himself and pulled back as far as he physically could, as if trying to curl in on himself, then pushed. Ji could see the veins throbbing in his forehead, as Brone pushed so hard no noise escaped his mouth, his teeth clenched so hard it looked like they might break.

“I see the nose, you are doing well.” Melian encouraged again.

“No offense Mel, I don't think he's listening at the moment.” Jiyan said, now awkwardly sitting there while he watched Brone, so lost in labor that the only thing he was capable of listening to was the overwhelming instinct to bear down and give birth.

“Yes, I know Jiyan, but the soothing tone of encouragement never hurts does it?” They raised an eyebrow at him while they monitored the baby's progress. Ji shrugged.

“Hell yeah, let's fucking go Papa Bear!” He hollered, pumping his fist in the air. Not the one that was broken of course, the other one. Duh. He watched as Brone continued to push and push, following in the time honored tradition, passed down from generation to generation, followed as long as such a thing as creatures and people have existed, by listening solely to the instincts so deeply encoded into his being to spread his legs and give birth. Ignoring everyone and everything else, just solely focused on what his body commanded him to do in order to safely push his baby out. If Melian told Brone to stop just then, Ji didn't think he'd be able to. If he could even hear them in the first place. Suddenly relief flashed across Brone’s body and he momentarily untensed.

“The head is out! Wait one moment, let me check the babe’s neck.” Melian said, as they quickly made sure the baby wouldn't choke on the umbilical cord. “Alright, you're good to push. All that's left is the shoulders and I can safely pull them out.”

It didn't even seem like Brone was paying attention to them at that point, but even so he readjusted and prepared to push again. It only took two more powerful determined teeth gritting pushes, before he suddenly collapsed as relief flooded through his body. Gasping for air as if he'd been sprinting the entire length of the Wandering Woods, Brone closed his eyes for a moment as the sweet sweet high of relief raced through his veins. After a moment of silence, everyone expectantly looked at Melian, still moving down between Brone’s legs. One more beat of increasingly concerned silence, then the loud sharp cry of a newborn infant deafened them in the confines of the wagon.

Brone immediately held his arms out in wide-eyed wonder, eyes already wet, not from the pain anymore, but from joy and pride. Melian smiled fondly at him as they quickly but gently put the baby into a soft towel, then reverently placed them in their father's arms, umbilical cord still attached.

“This one has been born male.” Melian informed them. Brone held his newborn child and smiled. A big smile, one that would have looked so foreign and out of place on his face just hours ago, a smile so pure and full of joy. A smile that made him look 10 years younger, a smile they somehow all knew he hadn't smiled since he was a small child himself.

“So, you're the wee little thing that almost split my cunt open.” Brone sniffled and laughed proudly, in this pure blissful moment, unashamed of letting his tears of joy fall freely down his face. His baby still cried, likely upset over being forcibly ejected from its warm comfy home, but started to settle down in his father's arms, clenched little hands clumsy moving up as if reaching towards his voice.

Jiyan put his non-broken hand over his heart, practically on the verge of tears himself. Even Rhiannon, the usually stoic warrior of their little group, sniffled and wiped a tear from their eye.

“What’s their name?” She whispered, as if she was afraid she'd ruin the sanctity of the moment.

“Wulf. My little boy’s name is Wulf.”

------------------------------------

“At least it was a clean break.”

Jiyan breathed a sigh of relief as Melian’s healing magic flooded through his hand, mending the fracture, gods, weaving back together the damaged tendons in their hand and fingers.

“Wait a moment before trying to move it, let the magic do its work.” They told him, before they turned to Rhiannon’s less injured, but still extremely bruised arm. After Melian had helped deliver the placenta, then coached Rhi on massaging Brone’s belly to help his uterus contract back towards its normal size, while they cleaned up both baby and father; the trio had left the pair to get some quality one-on-one time alone in the wagon. Back by the campfire, now down to its embers, Melian had finally asked to take a look at Jiyan’s hand.

As the first light of dawn began to peek through the forest, Ji couldn't help but smile as he thought about the events of the night, of the past few days even, of the new happy little family resting in the wagon, grateful that both of them had Melian’s official stamp of good health.

“Hey Mel.” Melian hummed in response, only looking curiously at Jiyan once they were sure their magic had taken hold on Rhiannon’s arm.

“Told you I knew a dilf when I see one.”

Part 2

#mpreg #my art #mpreg art #my ramblings #mpreg belly #mpreg birth #brone #jiyan #rhiannon #melian #please tell me if you like this one i put a lot into writing it and im a little nervous about posting it! please love brone as much as i do #building a home #tmpreg #tmpreg birth

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daintylovers · 6 months ago

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the first time you sleepover at stiles', is kind of an accident. you guys had been researching all day, not realizing how long it would take until suddenly it was two in the morning. the pair of you have been yawning on and off for about thirty minutes, so the time isn't too surprising.

stiles offers to drive you home, but you feel bad. you can tell he is exhausted and most definitely should not be driving right now, plus it wouldn't hurt to stay the night. you guys have been friends for a little now, one sleepover won't kill your friendship. so you decline, and stiles tries to keep his cool. he can't let you find out that his crush on lydia is actually a guise for his crush on you.

first things first, you need something more comfortable to wear to bed. what kind of man would stiles be if he let you sleep in jeans. but his pants are wayyyyy too long. it's comical- you walking out of the bathroom, with the pants massively sagging. so he offers you a pair of freshly washed boxers. which looks so much better. if you guys were dating, he would take a picture. but for now, he tries to imprint the image into his brain, to save it for his before-bed fantasies where you two are together and live in your own apartment. he is really just one of the girlies if you think about it.

you had a sweater on, but it gets hot in stiles room so he offers up a shirt he thrifted. its comfy, so you accept, changing into the "i support hot moms" shirt while he jumps in the shower for a quick rinse. but the rinse takes a little longer than expected because stiles can't stop geeking out. which ends up with you curled up on his side of the bed, already passed out by the time he gets out.

he cleans up a little around his room before trying to get one of the pillows off of his bed and onto the floor. no way is he sharing the bed if you haven't talked about it. but his movements are too jerky and he ends up rustling your head, causing your eyes to blink open.

he had been reaching for his pillow- the one we all know he can't sleep without. but your brain isn't working properly, and it's colder than he said it would be in the room. so you ask him to stay, to get in bed because he was wrong and you are practically shaking despite being under his mountain of blankets. he tries to argue, saying that he can turn up the heat, but you just grasp onto his wrist.

his resolve crumbles immediately and he accepts the offer, but just has to turn off the lights first. you let him go and can't tell if the lights are already off, or if your eyes are closed. he climbs into bed and contemplates if he should offer to hold you, only cause you said you were cold though- no other reason.

but you make the decision before he does, scouting right up beside him, stealing his warmth. you fall asleep soon after, intoxicated by his cedar-scented shower gel. he takes a bit longer, willing his heart to not burst out of his chest. and for the first time in a long time, he falls asleep with a smile on his face. because for once, his fantasy has turned into his reality.

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bouncybongfairy · 10 months ago

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Spring Has Sprung

Neteyam Sully x Avatar!Reader

Summary: Neteyam invites you to visit a naturally occurring water spring that he spotted while on patrol. Things of course get heated.

Word Count: 2.0k

TW: Smut.

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

You were watching Neteyam cutting wood and stacking them into neat piles. Sitting on a tree nearby, feeling a bit like you were invading his privacy. The sun was shining down onto him through the thick branches of the trees. He was breathing hard and seemed to be aggressively doing his work. Like he was taking his anger out on the wood. He threw his ax down next to his last pile, resting his hands on his hips and letting his head tilt back. Once he was looking up, he saw you sitting on the tree above him. Smirking, he starts to climb up to accompany you.

“You could have come down and said hi,” he said, still breathing hard.

“Didn’t want to interrupt your focus, seemed like you were working really hard,” you said, picking a small twig out of one of his braids.

“Do you have any plans tonight?” he asks.

He made you so nervous, he wasn’t the type of person who said things half heartedly. Always making eye contact and speaking very confidently. Such a strong presence that at times you felt the need to avert your gaze. The two of you grew up together and are still really close. That being said, you noticed in the past couple months things were shifting. Your feelings were starting to develop romantically, which scared you. In fear that the bond you’d made as children would be soured by hormones or impulse. You couldn’t speak for him but there were times when you thought he felt the same way. Being more touchy or having conversations that weren’t exactly platonic. He set his hand on your knee, bringing you back to reality.

“No, why?” you asked.

“I found a really deep pool of water when I was on patrol and wanted to show you, if you’re open to that,” he suggested, so you agreed and then parted ways.

For the rest of the day all you could think about was nightfall. Excited to see what this adventure would bring. Helping your mom start the fire and make dinner felt like it took a eon. You are the oldest of 4 younger siblings so during supper you tried helping as much as you could. That was a big reason you and Neteyam got along so well. The stress of being semi responsible for all your kins mistakes made it easy to find common ground. You were so nervous that you didn’t have much of an appetite. After helping clean up and excusing yourself to go to The Hallelujah Mountains. It made you feel a little better knowing that wasn’t entirely a lie. You were meeting him at the tree, you just wouldn’t be staying there. Neteyam was already there with his Ikran, kicking around pebbles that were on the edges.. He immediately noticed you coming down and greeted your Ikran, petting her head. He explained that it wasn’t too long of a fly from here, as you went to remount your Ikran he pulled you up onto his. Wrapping your arms around his waist as he flew, holding on tighter whenever a sharp turn was made. You rested your cheek against his back and enjoyed the scenery. You weren’t out flying at night often so seeing the night sky and wildlife was truly amazing. As promised, it didn’t take long until you were landing.

You were really impressed by what you saw. It was a natural clear water spring. The water was sparkling and was so blue it looked pigmented. Tsawksyul and Melon Trees surrounded it, keeping it relatively hidden. As you admired, Neteyam raced past you. Jumping into the pool of water, not only splashing you but showcasing how deep the water ran. You took off anything you didn't want to get wet and followed suit. The water was cold but not bone chilling.

“Amazing right?” he asked, swimming towards the edge. Resting his arms on the outside of the pool.

“More than amazing,” you say, swimming over towards him. That was when you noticed all the bruises and cuts littered across his arms and chest.

“What happened,” you asked, pointing out all the injuries.

“Depends on what you’re talking about,” he says, letting his head drop back now resting against the outside edge of the pool. You were treading water right in front of him, running your finger along the healing gash on his bicep.

“This one?” you asked and without opening his eyes, he began to explain what happened.

“I was on patrol when an explosion happened, it spooked my Ikran and I went falling. Luckily a tree broke my fall but it also did some damage,” he explained.

“And here?” you asked, running your finger over his jaw where a clean scar was.

“My dad told my brother how he used to grow hair on his face. You know when he lived on the star he was born. Lo’ak and I were trying to imitate how he shaved with his hunting knife. I got nicked pretty bad,” he chuckled, feeling slightly embarrassed about the memory.

“Is it weird? Knowing your dad came from the Sky People?” you asked, now holding on to his shoulders. That way you could just float next to him in the water.

“Sometimes. Especially because we’re fighting an entire war against them,” he sighed.

You sat in comfortable silence for a while, not even noticing how close you’d drifted together. Bodies pressed against one another, you were taking in all the little details you’d never noticed before. Like how promodent his cupid's bow was and how muscular his arms really were. He looked so relaxed, almost like he was sleeping. Chest steadily rising and falling against yours. You laid your head on his shoulder and in kind, he rested his cheek against the top of your head. The sky was super clear and the stars were sparking so beautifully. There was hardly any wind, which allowed the two of you to stay in the water without being cold. You were dealing with a lot of inner turmoil. Wanting to ask if he had any love for you with all you had. However the fear of rejection was almost paralyzing. You admired so much about him, his intelligence, hunting skills and of course his looks. It made you feel insecure, like he looked past you when it came to things like romance. Using your arms to hoist yourself out of the pool. Grabbing your knife, you cut a melon off the tree. You heard Neteyam come out of the water and approach you from behind.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“I have a lot on my mind,” you say, sitting on the edge of the spring. Letting your feet soak in the water, him doing the same.

“Tell me,” he says, playfully leaning over and bumping his shoulder into yours.

“I really like how close we’re getting,” you say, avoiding eye contact. He leaned his head down in front of you. Playfully making the point that he wanted you to look at him.

“Good, me too,” he smiled.

“Is that all you feel? Are you happy being close or do you feel like we could be closer?” you ask, regretting the words even before they rolled off your tongue. He jokingly closes the gap of space between the two of you. As relieving as it felt not to be rejected right away, the suspense of an answer was drowning you,

“Neteyam..” you whine, taking a big bite of the melon. He waited until you were done chewing to grab your chin, making you look at him.

“You have juice all over you,” he laughed, dipping his hand into the water and wiping your mouth and neck. Both laughing, you wrap your hands around his wrist as he continues washing the stickiness from the melon off.

Eventually the laughs died down and instead of his entire hand brushing over your face, only this thumb was tracing your lip.

“Is this close enough?” he asks gently, leaning and catching you into a kiss.

He holds your face with his hands, weaving your lips together. When the two of you went to face each other, your bodies fell back into the water. This didn’t stop the encounter, only deepened it. The front of both your bodies were pressed together. Your hands were playing with his hair. He was running his hands up and down your body slowly, like he was trying to memorize every curve. Pressing yourself against his bulge caused a low moan to vibrate off his lips. You take the beaded top you were wearing off. As you do so, he lifts you slightly so your chest is just barely out of the water. He stared at you for a moment, admiring your beauty before turning his attention back down. He takes one of your nipples into his mouth, sucking and flicking his tongue. He was switching back and forth, like he couldn’t decide which one he liked more. Becoming rougher, testing the limits of your body.

You dip your head back, hair becoming soaked in water. The adrenaline pumping through your veins made you feel unreal. Like an out of body experience, not able to process what was happening. As much as you thought about how this would go, you never thought it would be like this. So passionate and beautiful. You started making out until your lips were swollen and tender. He pulls away and climbs out of the spring. Reaching for your hands, he pulls out shamelessly watching as the water runs off your body. He lays down in the soft thick grass growing near the spring. Pulling his shorts down and exposing himself. You straddle his lap, rubbing yourself against his shaft. The two of you are moaning from the friction. He pulls you down so that your lips are hovering over each other; every once in a while catching each other in a sloppy kiss. He lines himself up with your entrance, staying still and allowing you to sink down at your own pace.

For a while you stayed still, adjusting to the size of his length. In between kissing, you liked looking down and seeing the pleasure written all over his face. Once the sting from his size went away, you slowly started rocking your hips. You impulsively pull your braid over your shoulder. At first you thought Neteyam might be hesitant to tsaheylu but he did the same with his. After connecting, you watched his eyes dilate at an alarming speed. It was such an intense rush, being able to feel exactly what he was feeling without communicating at all. Like the breath was completely taken out of your body and replaced. Like the two of you were existing as one being and the feeling was intoxicating. He sat up, resting his back against one of the melon trees. Rocking your hips back and forth while making intense eye contact. His mouth was hanging open and eyebrows furrowed. His hands were covered in calluses so when he ran his hands up your things it would scratch you a bit.

You could tell he was getting close from how vocal he was becoming. Both of you were covered in sweat and breathing heavily. He wraps his arm around your waist, switching the position. Even though he was now in more control, he still was gentle while maintaining his strength. The amount of love you felt coming off him was overwhelming, enough to bring tears to your eyes. Wondering how a moment you were so worried would be careless could be so full of passion and comfort. Both of you were close, pressing his forehead against yours as the two of you came. Both of you were bucking your hips at your own erratic paces, riding out the high. Moaning and whining as the overwhelming pleasure flooded your bodies. Feeling completely exhausted he pulls out and lays down on the grass next to you. Pulling you into his arms before the two of you fell asleep.

#neteyam x reader #neteyam x you #neteyam x y/n #neteyam smut #neteyam soft smut#neteyam sully #neteyam x avatar!reader #soft smut #avatar fanfiction #avatar smut

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ashtavula · 1 month ago

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Royalty AU Pt 3: A Meeting With Vil

Housewardens x Gender Neutral Reader

Word Count: 4069

Start Here

You peer out of your carriage window, taking in the scenery as you travel down the road. You can see vast swathes of lush forest around you, and beautiful mountains. You’ve barely entered the dukedom of Pomefiore, and this place already looks beautiful. As you admire your surroundings, you suddenly find yourself being thrown out of your seat as your carriage tilts. Your coachman shouts, and he quickly flings open the carriage door to check on you. He helps you out, and you see what happened. The front wheel of your carriage is now detached, and the axle is cracked. Your coachman grumbles as he ascertains the damage. As you look around, you realize that you’re practically alone, on a stretch of road surrounded by nothing but trees. The thought makes you feel a little anxious. And it doesn’t help that you catch a glimpse of movement in the dense forest. It almost looks like a man.

You try to convince yourself that you’re just seeing things. There’s no way that a man would just be conveniently lurking in the woods right as you need help. You turn away, looking at your frazzled coachman for just a few moments. And when you turn your eyes back to the trees, all you see is a man grinning at you. You shriek, and stumble backwards. The man raises his hands in alarm.

“Oh, dear! Please forgive this humble hunter, I did not mean to frighten you!” The man quickly kneels, and removes his hat, revealing a sleek blond bob. “I am Rook Hunt, a servant of Duke Vil Schoenheit. I noticed that your carriage had broken down, and I came to offer my assistance.” The man lifts his head, putting his hat back into place as he stands. “You were going to His Grace’s estate, yes? Please allow me to help you get there.”

Your eyes narrow slightly. “How do you know where I’m going?”

Rook doesn’t seem fazed by your suspicion. He merely smiles at you. “Because I am aware of why you’ve come here, Your Highness. His Grace sent you an invitation, so that you two could formally meet. Oh, it is most exciting!”

You gesture to your broken carriage. “Well, it looks like you’ll have to tell Duke Vil that our meeting will have to be postponed. I can’t get there without a carriage.”

“Nonsense, Your Highness! Where there is a will, there is a way!” Rook whistles, and a horse steps out of the forest. You can see that it’s saddled, and a bow and quiver of arrows is attached to that saddle. It sidles up to Rook, and the man reaches out to pat its neck. “We can take my horse.”

A frown crosses your face, and you put your hands on your hips. “Riding up to the duke’s estate on horseback? Are you insane?” You’re well-aware of the fact that, while horseback riding is considered a fine hobby, it’s considered improper for the upper crust to not travel in a carriage. Even if it were considered acceptable, you’re not wearing suitable clothing.

Rook laughs, and shakes his head. “I was not suggesting that you ride to the estate, Your Highness. Rather, I was going to take you to someone who will be able to help you get your carriage going again. And I do not like the idea of simply leaving you here and making you wait.”

“...Fine. Since there’s no other choice…”

As you try to think about the best way to climb into the saddle, Rook surprises you once again. He wraps his hands around your waist, and he effortlessly lifts you up. You gasp as he carefully sets you down on the horse, and his hands slide down to your hips, making sure that you’re steady. “Are you comfortable?”

You shift slightly. Riding a horse side saddle without the proper equipment is a bit difficult, but it’s doable. You nod your head as you place your hands on the pommel and cantle for balance. “I’ll be alright, I think. As long as you don’t expect me to ride like this for long.”

“No, not for long, Your Highness. We’ll be there shortly.”

Rook grips the reins, and he walks alongside the horse back into the forest. You know that you should be scared of the idea of this mysterious hunter taking you away into the dense forest, but there’s something about the way he looks at you that makes you think you can trust him. Rook looks at you like you’re something precious and beautiful that should be put on a pedestal and admired. And the way he touched you was gentle, almost reverent. You get the feeling that Rook won’t hurt you.

You’re so lost in your thoughts that you almost don’t notice when the scenery changes. Dense trees give way to a lush apple orchard. The sweet scent of the apples fills your lungs as Rook guides his horse through the orchard, and you can see the tantalizing red fruit hanging from the branches. You’re tempted to reach out and pluck one, but you keep your hands on the saddle. Soon, you’re in front of a homestead. As Rook helps you down from the horse, you hear someone call out.

“Rook, why are you here? I swear, if this is about-” The sentence abruptly cuts off when the speaker sees you. You turn your head, and you lay eyes on…a boy? At least, this person is dressed like a boy. But his features are ridiculously cute, especially when he’s looking at you in surprise. After a few moments, he shakes his head. “What, did you finally manage to convince some poor soul to marry you? What did you blackmail them with?”

Rook looks aghast, and he dramatically places his hand over his heart. “Epel, you wound me! I would never blackmail someone into marrying me, for I want my future spouse to truly love me!”

Epel doesn’t look impressed, and he turns to you. “Epel Felmier. Pleasure to meet you.” He holds out his hand for you to shake. Before you can do so, Rook interrupts.

“Epel! That is no way to greet a member of the royal family!”

Epel’s eyes nearly bulge out of his head as he whips his head to stare at Rook. You have to stop yourself from laughing when Rook formally introduces you, much to Epel’s consternation. “Why didn’t you say something sooner,” he hisses. Epel then takes a deep breath, and he dips into a slightly awkward bow. “Uh, sorry about that, Your Highness. I’m Epel Felmier. My family owns this orchard.”

Rook nods approvingly before speaking. “Epel, we’re here for your assistance. Their Highness is only here because their carriage has broken down. The front left wheel has fallen off, and the front axle is broken. The shaft is also cracked.”

You’re surprised that Rook was able to assess the damage to your carriage without actually looking at it. Epel frowns at the news. “What kind of pothole did your driver hit to do all that?” He shakes his head. “Ah, nevermind. I should be able to patch it up enough to get you back on the road, but it’ll take a few hours.”

“A few hours? But I need to be at Duke Vil’s estate soon,” you say.

Rook agrees. Epel thinks about it, and he snaps his fingers. “Wait, you could take one of our wagons. It ain’t as fancy as a royal carriage, but it’ll get you there.”

Epel leads you and Rook over to a barn. He tugs the doors open, revealing a simple wagon. As Epel gets a horse harnessed, you lean over to mutter to Rook, who politely bends down for you. “You know, arriving on your horse might be better…”

Rook chuckles. “I’m sure it’ll be fine, Your Highness. Duke Vil will understand the circumstances. He’ll just be happy that you arrived safe and sound.”

“Alright, we’re ready to go!” Epel climbs up into the driver’s box. As you step up to the wagon, Epel dusts off the seat beside him before offering you his hand. You accept his help, and he hauls you up with a surprising amount of strength.

“Woah,” you murmur. “You’re stronger than I thought.”

Epel flashes you a boyish grin, and you see his ears go pink. “Yeah, I’m a strong man! Working here makes you build up muscle.” He flexes for you, clearly hoping to impress. It only shows you that, despite the strength he just demonstrated, he doesn’t have the muscles to back it up. You still smile at him as you sit next to him. Epel then turns his attention to Rook. “Rook! Are you coming with us?”

Rook mounts his horse, and states that he’ll ride alongside the wagon. Epel cracks the reins, and the three of you set off towards Vil’s estate. The three of you chatter aimlessly as you travel down the road, and the two seem pleased when they’re able to impress you or make you laugh. Soon, Epel is guiding the wagon to the front of the grand manor that Vil calls home.

As Epel helps you down from the seat of the wagon, the front doors slam open, and a blond man struts out. Your lips part in surprise as you take in his features. This man is utterly beautiful, even though he looks displeased. His long legs carry him towards you, and you see his features soften as he gazes at you. He dips into an elegant bow.

“Your Highness, it is a pleasure to receive you. Duke Vil Schoenheit, at your service.” Vil straightens up, and his violet eyes shift to Epel’s wagon. His delicate brows furrow, and his jaw clenches. “Though, I must ask, did something happen to you on your way here? You shouldn’t have had to arrive in a wagon belonging to a simple apple farmer.”

You can see Epel get irritated, and he opens his mouth to say something to Vil. Rook interrupts before Epel can speak, and he explains your unfortunate circumstances. As Rook finishes, Epel interjects and states that he’s going to fix your carriage during your meeting with Vil. Vil sighs, and dismissively waves his hand.

“Very well. Epel, go do that. And those repairs better be done well. Rook, I thank you for bringing them to me safely.”

Rook bows with a smile on his face. “Of course, Your Grace.”

Vil offers you his arm, and his lips curve into a delicate smile. “Come, Your Highness. Lunch has already been prepared for us.”

You take his arm, and he guides you inside. You’re impressed by how well decorated his home is, and you see Vil beam as you say so. He’s more than happy to tell you that he selected all of the decor himself, and he points out some of his favorite pieces as he takes you into the dining hall.

As lunch is served, you realize that every dish you’re given is healthy. There’s nothing sugary, or fatty, or overly seasoned. Vil smiles at you as you eat. “I select what is served every day. After all, one must be aware of their diet in order to stay beautiful.”

You smile, and agree, but you internally wince. You simply eat whatever is placed in front of you without thinking about its health benefits. But the duke clearly cares about what he puts into his body. “And what’s on it,” you think to yourself. Everything about this man is impeccable, from his looks to his clothing to his manners. It’s a little intimidating, to be honest.

After lunch, Vil shows you around his private gardens. The grounds are filled with beautiful, but fairly standard flowers and plants. As he places his hand on the door of a greenhouse, he pauses. “Your Highness, please refrain from touching anything in here. All of the plants here are poisonous.”

You nod, and the door swings open. Vil guides you inside, and you see a vast array of strange, but lovely plants. As you walk with Vil down the row, a sweet scent catches your attention. You lean in to look at a small plant with tiny white flowers. Vil’s grip on your hand tightens slightly.

“Ah, that would be lily of the valley. People usually give it to their loved ones, and it symbolizes pure love. Despite its meaning and beauty, it’s highly poisonous. Just a small piece of the root can easily cause a person’s heart to stop.”

You freeze. “Is it safe to smell?”

Vil nods, and carefully plucks a strand of flowers off of the plant. He holds it up to your nose. “It’s perfectly safe.”

Your eyes flutter shut as you breathe in the scent of the lily. When you open them again, Vil is looking down at you with an inscrutable expression on his face. He presses the flowers into your hand, and your fingers wrap around his. “Does it please you to be able to enjoy something so beautiful, yet deadly,” he murmurs. “To have such power wrapped around your fingers?”

You get the feeling that Vil isn’t just talking about the lily of the valley. His gaze is too intense, his words a little too heated. Your lips part. “It’ll only be deadly if I’m not careful.”

Vil’s lips twitch into a nearly imperceptible smile, and he tucks the strand of lilies behind your ear. “Indeed.” He takes your hand again, and he continues to lead you through the greenhouse. When you’re done, you both return to the manor.

Rook is waiting for the two of you. He bows. “Please excuse my intrusion. Your Grace, I urgently need to speak with you.”

Vil nods, and looks at you. He takes a few moments to escort you to his library, and he encourages you to rest for a bit while he speaks with the hunter. As the door shuts, you take the chance to poke around. Most of the books are about science and history, but there are several bookcases that have glass doors protecting the books within. They all have locks, but the door to one of them is slightly ajar. You open the door fully, and your brow furrows.

All of the books in this bookcase are fake. It’s a telltale sign that this is actually a hidden door. It’s not suspicious. Quite a few of the aristocracy have hidden passageways installed in their homes, or hidden rooms tucked away. Even your own castle has its fair share of secret halls and rooms. But you’re curious about what’s behind this door. Your fingers trail over the false books, until you find the correct one. You pull on it, and you hear a lever click. The false bookcase swings open, revealing a stone staircase spiraling down into the dark. You swallow, and step into the passage.

Lanterns flare to life, and you let out a relieved sigh as you quickly descend the stairs. At least it’s not as dark now. At the end of the stairs, you see a wooden door. You push it open, revealing a strange room. You can see a cauldron, and countless bottles and jars of things you don’t recognize. But the most odd thing is a massive mirror. The glass is completely black, and you don’t see any reflections on that dark surface as you approach it.

A gasp leaves you as a face suddenly materializes in the glass. It’s completely white, like a mask. A deep, foreboding voice resounds around you.

“What would you ask of me?”

You eye the mirror cautiously, but your curiosity gets the better of you. “What are you,” you ask.

“I am the soul trapped within. I am the Magic Mirror, meant to serve your every whim.”

You steel your nerves, and step closer. If this thing was supposed to serve whoever stood in front of it, then it wouldn’t hurt you. Probably. “What do you do for Duke Vil Schoenheit?”

“The answer is a simple one. I make all that surrounds him fit his standards of beauty. I make his lands and people appear perfect, when all is done.” The mirror continues to gaze at you passively as it speaks. “I tell him the truth, and never lie. I share my knowledge, to satisfy his desire.”

You realize that you’ve been down here for a few minutes now. “Where is Duke Vil now?”

“Returning to the place you were left. Rook Hunt follows at his behest.”

You turn to leave, quickly telling the Magic Mirror to not say anything about your encounter to Vil. You hurry back up the steps, and you shut the false door. You lock the case, and you quickly move over to the opposite end of the library. When the library door swings open, you act like you were perusing the shelves. You give Vil and Rook a smile, hoping that neither of them will notice the anxiety brewing in your stomach. “Is everything alright, Your Grace?”

Vil doesn’t seem to notice anything amiss. “It seems like Epel was able to repair your carriage, but he’s concerned that it won’t be able to carry you all the way back to the capital. Therefore, Rook and I have agreed that it’d be best for you to take my carriage back.”

Rook inclines his head towards you. “You need not worry, Your Highness. I am also a proficient coachman. I will get you back to the capital safely.”

You nod. “Thank you, Rook. Your Grace, please forgive me, but it will take some time for us to travel back, and I do not wish for Rook to have to travel in the dark.”

“Of course, Your Highness. Please allow me to escort you out,” Vil says. Rook goes ahead of you two to make sure that the carriage is ready, and you take Vil’s arm as you walk out of the manor. He helps you get into his carriage, and he kisses your knuckles as he does so. “Please feel free to visit me at any time. I enjoyed our time together.”

You smile, and you squeeze his hand. “Of course. Nothing would please me more than seeing you again, Your Grace.”

Vil smiles at you, and he kisses your hand a second time before stepping back and shutting the carriage door. Rook gets into the driver’s box, and you hear him urge the horses forward. As Vil’s estate fades out of view, you put your head in your hands.

Your thoughts are consumed by your brief encounter with the Magic Mirror. The Mirror stated that it changed the things around Vil, to make them beautiful. The thought of Vil using a magical artifact to change people against their will makes your stomach churn, and you shiver.

When you finally see your castle again, you can’t help but feel relieved. You politely give your goodbyes to Rook before he sets off again, and you act like you’re heading inside. But as soon as Rook is gone, you make a beeline for the stables. It doesn’t take long for another carriage to be readied, and you tell the coachman where you want to go.

xxx

A short while later, you’re knocking on Azul’s door. He seems surprised, but he lets you in. He guides you to his office, and he pushes his glasses up his nose. “What brings you here, Your Highness? Have you come to accept my hand in marriage?”

You glare at him. “You said that you would tell me about my suitors. So why didn’t you tell me about the creepy Magic Mirror that Duke Vil is hiding?!”

“Ah…” Azul looks a bit pale, and his smile is strained. “So, you found out about that. Did His Grace show it to you?”

“So you did know about it!”

Azul realizes that you’ve just made him reveal that he does, in fact, know about the mirror. He sighs deeply. “Yes, I knew about the Magic Mirror. I’m the one who helped him find it. But please don’t blame me for not telling you.” Azul rifles through his desk, and he pulls out a piece of yellow paper. The word contract is written across the top, and you can see Azul’s and Vil’s signatures on the bottom. “This contract forbids me from talking about the Mirror unless the person I’m speaking to already knows about its existence. I literally couldn’t tell you about it before now.”

You sigh, and cross your arms. “So tell me about it now. And I want to know everything.”

Azul tells you that, when the Octavinelle Agency first opened, he was approached by Vil. The duke showed Azul an ancient scroll that revealed where the Magic Mirror was. Vil had needed Azul’s resources to help retrieve it, as it wasn’t located in your kingdom. At the time, Azul thought that Vil was crazy for wanting to chase down a myth, but he’d happily taken Vil’s money, and promised his aid.

When the Magic Mirror turned out to be real, Vil had Azul sworn to secrecy. In exchange, Vil would use the Mirror to help Azul when it was necessary. “It’s part of how my agency gathers information. And all it costs me is my continued silence, and occasionally helping Vil spread his influence outside of his dukedom.”

The door opens, and you see Jade and Floyd slip into the room. Jade chuckles, and Floyd dangles a photo in front of your face. It’s of a young man that looks like Azul, except that the man in the photo is overweight.

“Vil also used the mirror to change Azul’s appearance for him,” Jade states. “He looked like that before they found it.”

Azul screams, and makes a grab for the photo. But Floyd is faster, and he easily darts away, cackling as he races out of the room. “Floyd, get back here this instant! I thought I told you two to destroy those photos!”

As Azul chases Floyd, Jade grins mischievously. “It’s worth knowing what sort of man is trying to court you, Your Highness.”

You sigh as you hear Azul continue to yell at Floyd as he chases the man through the halls. Azul sounds like he’s out of breath. Distantly, you hear something break. “I thought Azul couldn’t tell anyone about the Magic Mirror unless they already knew about it?”

“We assisted in the search, so Floyd and I have known from the beginning.” Jade sits next to you on the couch. His smile fades, and he looks serious. “It might seem bad, but Duke Vil is not evil. He’s not hurting anyone with the Mirror. In fact, I dare say that he’s actually helping them with it.”

You frown. “How can he be helping people when he uses that Mirror to change the way they look? He’s manipulating them against their will.”

Jade shakes his head. “You misunderstand. The Magic Mirror is powerful, but it can only do so much. It’s not actually changing the way things look. Rather, it changes your perception of them. You might not think of an apple as beautiful, but the Mirror makes you realize the simple beauty of its vibrant color. Nothing about the apple itself has changed.”

You think about Jade’s words for a few moments. If all the Magic Mirror did was change the way you saw things, and answer questions, then…maybe it wasn’t as bad as you’d feared. “What will Duke Vil do with the Magic Mirror if I marry him?”

“I don’t know. But he’d likely use it to help you run the kingdom. The knowledge the Mirror provides can be extraordinarily helpful, if you can parse through its rhymes.”

Azul wanders back into the office. His hair is disheveled, and he’s panting. “Jade…go get your twin. And burn that photo when you find it.”

Jade smiles, and he pats your hand as he stands up. But something makes you pause, and you grab the hem of his jacket. “Wait. You said the Magic Mirror didn’t actually change things. So why does Azul look different?”

Jade laughs, and slips out of your grasp. Before he leaves the office, he answers your question.

“All it did was give him the motivation to lose weight!”

Azul starts yelling again, and all you can do is laugh.

#royalty au #vil schoenheit #vil x reader #rook hunt #rook x reader #epel felmier #epel x reader #twisted wonderland #twst reader insert #twst x reader #twst

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callofdudes · 9 months ago

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Happy National Women's Day (yesterday, woops) Celebrated with a platonic story for y/n, Laswell, and Farah.

Readers gender is not specified. This isn't beta read because my eyes really hurt today for some reason.

You had just gotten back from a mission followed by Farah's forces and accompanying assistance of one Alex Keller. After getting back the guys were pretty tuckered out. Price and Simon going for a smoke and Johnny going for a long snooze in his bed. Missions usually left you exhausted.

However, this was the week that Laswell got a much needed break from her work and she wanted to spend it well.

She was sat on the couch, watching you and Simon quietly talk. Farah was cleaning her goggles, frowning over a small scratch in the top corner of the lense.

She could see the stress on Farah's face, and just from your posture she knew you needed a break as well. So when Simon got up to use the bathroom she leaned forward.

"What do you two say we get out of here for a couple days?"

You looked up curiously. "What do you mean?? Get a hotel or something?"

She shook her head. "Camping. My brother has a cabin up in the mountains where his buddies and him go climbing. We could go spend some time out there."

"Would it be quiet?" Farah asks.

"Most likely, it's not a big place. The spot we usually go isn't touristy either."

Farah looks to you. "I've never been camping outside of missions."

"If we can get a place with room for three and not get eaten alive by mosquitoes and the like, then yeah."

Laswell nods. "It's a cabin, so I don't think you'll have to worry too much about mosquitoes. But it'll just be the three of us." Laswell stands, stretching and grabbing her coffee. "We'll head out tomorrow after you're packed."

So the next morning you and Farah brought out your backpacks to Laswell's car. She only had a small vehicle but it was enough to fit all your supplies. Laswell brought her climbing gear, and enough food to last you a week at the cabin.

Once you were all ready to go there was one person you had to say goodbye to.

"Simon it's ok, I'm not going to be gone that long, only a week."

"A week... What am I supposed to do until then??"

"Hangout with the guys, take some time off to relax your feet. Read your book. You'll be ok."

Simon grumbled and looked over at Alex who was staying with them. To Simon's dismay.

You smiled softly, and fixed his sweater hoodie. "Only a week." You wrap your arms around him and he hugged you back, squeezing you for good measure.

Soon enough you packed in and set off on your journey. Farah plugged her phone in and played music from the passenger seat. "Any song requests??"

"Remember that one song you played the other day? With the guitar solo?"

Farah smiled and put the song on, and you jammed away in the backseat. Laswell put her son blocker down and set you off to the nearest coffee shop. Because what's a road trip without coffee?

She took the tray from the man at the drive through window and handed Farah her iced coffee and you your drink. “There you go.”

“Thank you mom.” You smiled and leaned back.

“Of course. Now, it’ll be a bit of a drive.” But you guys were ready for that.

You drove for the rest of the day. As you got closer to the mountains, Farah and you both pointed out a fair bit of wildlife you saw along the roadside.

Farah’s entire day was made by seeing baby ducklings going for a dunk in a small pond with their mom.

Laswell pointed out a few deer on the way, and soon you reached the place. Driving up the road and parking in front of a rather nice little cabin. It was old, with a couple swinging shutters and the frame would need some repainting.

“This is nice.” Farah looked around the grassy area behind the cabin that led up into a large hill. A small fire pit set up around some trees and a stone pathway up to the stairs.

“How did you get this place again??”

“My brother rents it most of the summer for his rock climbing. They come every few weeks.”

“Cool.”

Laswell nods, opening the car door and putting her park pass in the window. She tossed you the keys. “I'll go tell administration we’re here so they don't freak out. You two and get the first pickings.”

You and Farah smiled at each other softly. “Thanks laswell!” You called and grabbed out your stuff. You unlocked the house and you two headed inside. In the small entry way was a couple buckets full of wood and a shelf of paper and some lighters.

A tiny kitchen area and a gas stove. It was a cozy little place. Heading into the next part of the cabin there was a small bench, a cabinet with some games and a bed tucked against the opposite wall.

The back bedroom was separated by a curtain, inside being another two beds.

You and Farah looked at each other. “you can have either, I don't mind.” She said softly.

You were quiet for a moment. “You want the one by the window??”

“I'd like that.” She admitted.

You nodded and tossed your stuff on the bed in the corner, and let Farah have the bed next to the big window looking out at the field.

Laswell came back with a bag of some firewood and her climbing equipment. Taking dibs on the bed in the other room and getting comfy.

After which she promptly started on some dinner because she was starving. Until then you two opened her tray of fruit from the cooler and snacked away.

“So where do you usually go rock climbing, Laswell?” Farah asks.

“We usually go up one of the old trails. There's an open section of land that shows off this huge rock face. It's the perfect climb. I think it'll be easy enough for you two.”

“We’re capable Laswell.” You chuckle. You could smell the food waft through the cabin. She plated up, and came over to set down two plates for you two. You moved over on the bench allowing Laswell to sit down, and you all dug in.

Talking and laughing as the sun starts to go down on the field, the food being quickly devoured. Laswell brought out brownies as dessert.

You gasped softly. “Are those….”

Laswell smiled and ruffled your hair. “She said they're all yours.”

You eagerly popped the lid off and snatched one to dig into. “Oh Farah, you gotta try one. Her wife makes them the best.”

Farah smiled softly and reached in and took one out. “What's in it, Laswell??”

“Hm? I have the recipe list here if you want to look at it.” She took it from her bag and passed it over. Farah read through it before biting in, humming happily. “Oh, oh these are good.” She took another bite.

“Can I just…” She slid the recipe back toward herself and Laswell nodded. “All yours”

Farah tucked it into her pocket and you two devoured the brownies. Laswell’s wife was the best, always asking what sweets you guys would like best and sending Laswell out to work with a box or two for you guys.

Eventually you all headed to bed. You crawled into bed and rolled over, falling asleep.

Farah pulled the blanket over her shoulder, and opened the window to look out at the darkness. The cool breeze on her face.

She sighed softly, and closed it. Flopping down and rolling over again. She looked into the darkness, trying to arrange the blanket to try and get comfy.

When she couldn't, she leaned over and grabbed the flashlight off the nightstand, flicking it on low. She went over to you, standing at the edge of the bed for a bit before poking you.

“Y/n?” She whispered. You mumbled softly and opened your eyes. “Farah?”

“I'm sorry… I can't sleep.” She whispered.

You smiled softly, and rolled onto your back. You pulled the blanket back to allow her in. “Come on.”

She pursed her lips and flicked the light off. But she crawled into the bed. You gave her some more blanket and closed your eyes again. Farah laid next to you, sighing and slowly closing her eyes.

She held out her hand and you linked your pinky with hers. Helping her relax and fall asleep.

The next morning Laswell was up first. She got dressed and needed a coffee. She pushed the curtain to the second room open and smiled softly when she saw you and Farah curled up, pinkies still linked.

You two could sleep in.

She tied up her hair and went to the kitchen to put hot water on the stove and look through the food bag for what to make for breakfast.

The sound of the kettle woke you up, slowly rubbing your eyes and sitting up. Farah felt you stir and also opened her eyes. “Hmm…??”

“It's ok, you can keep resting if you want.” You assure, and crawled out around her. You scratched your stomach and headed out to the main room.

“Well good morning.” Laswell greeted you.

“Mornin…”

“Coffee??”

“Please.” You nodded.

You sat down at the bench, and heard the curtain shift. “I'm gonna change.” Farah gave you the heads up.

Laswell handed you your fresh coffee. “What do you feel for breakfast??”

“Eggs??” You gave her the innocent best child ever look. “Please mom??”

“Tell you what, find the carton in the cooler and I'll see what I can do.”

Farah filled up her water bottle as Laswell made breakfast, checking her phone. She snickered a little from across the table.

Without further incentive you rushed to the cooler and dug around for the eggs, bringing them to her.

She chuckled and saw Farah come out from the back room soon.

“What are you chuckling about?” You teased softly.

Farah turned her phone and showed you a photo of Alex around a corner with a blurry Ghost in the background.

“You think he's dead yet??”

“Knowing Simon and Johnny… maybe.” You snickered.

“Those three are going to kill each other.” She fully smiled briefly before looking down at the accompanying texts.

“Well, he's still alive but accidentally took some of Ghost’s gummy worms it seems.”

You cringed a little. “Ooh… ouch. I'll have to talk with Simon to make sure he didn't hurt Alex too badly.”

You both have a chuckle over it and Laswell brings you your eggs.

And without hesitation you dig in, humming happily to have your stomach full of food and happy.

“How long is the hike to the rock face??”

“Not long. Fifteen minutes at most. And I've got all the gear for you.”

“Awesome.”

“Now that you've got some fiber in you, let's get going.” Laswell fills her water bottle and grabs the bag of equipment.

“I can carry it for you??” You offered, but she shook her head. “I got it.”

You headed out down the road and hiked up the trail into the mountains. Seeing the tall trees and smelling the fresh air. Feeling the gentle breeze on your warm skin.

Laswell led you up and off the main path to a small outcrop. And there it was. A tall rock face up the side of the mountain with clearly outlined passages and handholds from how much it had been traversed.

Laswell secured her hair and handed you your gear. You and Farah got snug and comfy. Laswell set up the ropes and pegs in the ground to hold you three.

Chalking up your hands.

“You ready, princesses??”

“Hey!” You huffed, rushing after Laswell. Farah chuckled under her breath and found a small ledge to slide her hand into. And you three started to climb.

Farah scaled it fairly easily, though it definitely felt easier when under the pressure of a mission.

You found another handhold and pushed your foot up, feeling around until you could find a spot to slot your shoe in. Securing the tie on your belt.

“You doing ok Farah??”

“A little sweaty.” She wrung her wrist out.

“Let's pause for a minute.” You secured your line and tugged it a couple times before taking your hands off the rocks, keeping your feet in place to keep you from spinning.

Farah did the same, wringing out her wrists and wiping her sweaty palms on her hips.

“Need some more powder??”

“Yeah, thanks.”

You grabbed it off your belt and handed it to her, letting her resupply, and you did the same.

“I bet Laswell is already at the top.” You chuckled.

Farah looked around, trying to spot her. “Oh she probably is.”

“Let's catch up then, hey?”

Farah nodded, and you continued to climb until you reached the top.

And as you suspected, Laswell was already at the top. “You're fast.” You pushed yourself up, shaking out her legs, looking back down at where you came from.

“Oh.” You wobbled a little, stepping back. “It's best not to look down for a minute.” Laswell tipped and looked out at the edge of the cliff. The sun showed out from behind the clouds. It casted down over the lake and reflecting off of the water.

Farah took out her phone and got a picture of the view. Motioning you and Laswell to get close.

You wrapped your arm around her, keeping your hand just off her waist as she attempted a simple smile. Catching the moment with you three.

“Now I'm gonna tell Alex about the fun we’re having.” She chuckled, and put her phone away.

“Maybe I could bring Simon here.” You wondered aloud. You threw sat around the cliff on a small blanket, drinking from your water bottles.

“Hey, I just remembered.”

Farah and Laswell looked at you curiously.

“Happy National Women's Day.”

The two smiled. “That is today, isn't it?” Farah said, and Laswell nodded.

“It is. I almost forgot.”

“I mean, we got the Barbie movie.”

Farah smiled. “I got to see it with some of the girls from my group. Their families said I could come with them.” She fidgeted with her water bottle. “We want to go with Miss Farah.” She remembered them saying.

Laswell looked out at the cliff. “I remember dragging John out with my wife and I.”

You snickered. “Uh oh, how did that go??”

“Oh I think he fell asleep.” She snickered. “It's not his typical movie. But hey, he gave a kicker of a review afterward in the car home.”

You looked down at your hands, looking at all the roughness to your hands. Your battered knuckles and the dirt under your fingernails.

“Do you guys ever feel pressured to look or act a certain way??”

A moment of soft silence went by, letting the breeze drift between you three. “Yes. I think it comes with the territory… but even though I have respect, I still feel mentally challenged a lot to prove myself.” Laswell said.

“Like some of the men in my charge can't understand how I could be as smart as them or understand how to handle pressuring situations.”

"But... Recently a lot of the pressures and beauty standards have been pushed by other women. Which, is sad, considering a lot of them think we need all this stuff done to look pretty or be wanted. But it just isn't true."

You nodded. “Yeah…”

Farah sighed softly. “It feels pressuring every day, to have to dress and act a certain way. Follow a certain code or I won't be respected. I had a man tell me I wouldn't ever have a voice if I didn't have a husband to speak for me.”

You frowned, but nodded. Farah fidgeted a little. “But you know what? I did find my voice. And a voice for many other men and women who couldn't speak before.”

She smiles. “And for every bad person I meet, I've met ten more amazing men I know I have in my corner.”

Laswell nods. “I second that.”

You smile more, happily raising your water bottle. “To the women, and all those who support them.”

You clinked your water bottles and took a large sip. “I'm glad I get to spend the week with you guys. I know it's gonna be awesome.”

“We’re going swimming next.” Farah says quickly.

Laswell and you laugh. “Swimming is next on the list then.”

#call of duty #happy national womens day!#national womens day #kate laswell x reader #laswell x reader #kate laswell #farah karim x reader #farah karim imagine #farah karim #platonic x reader #platonic relationships #readers gender not specified #cod fic #cod mw3 #cod modern warfare #cod mw2 #cod x reader

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chrisevansonly · 1 year ago

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𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 | 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐬

ʚ harry styles x female reader

ʚ movie nights usually end up with one of you falling asleep, this time, you’re the victim

ʚ no warnings just v fluffy goodness:)

ʚ just a little something i wanted to write using a prompt someone had sent me! i’m still hating my writing so i apologize in advance<3

There was no better place to be than the living room at yours and Harry’s shared home in London, the lights dim, a mountain of blankets and half eaten snacks that rested on the coffee table in front of you. Movie nights were a regular occurrence for you both, it didn’t matter how busy the week was, settling down to watch something together was a routine you never strayed from.

Little Women played softly through the speakers, it was your choice to pick tonight and Harry was always happy to watch whatever, even if he knew you probably wouldn’t make it through the whole thing.

“Lovie?”

You hummed scooting closer to him, happy to be surrounded in warmth from the duvets and your boyfriend

“You getting tired? Should we pause the movie?”

“No, please don’t..i’m watching I promise”

He laughed softly leaning down to kiss your forehead

“Alright if you say so…”

Settling back into the couch you yawned, your eyes getting heavy but you’re trying your hardest to stay awake, wanting to beat Harry’s expectations for you to fail to finish the movie. The longer you sit there the harder it gets, eventually your eyes close as your arm tightens over Harry’s torso gently.

It takes him a little while to notice you’ve gone silent and slumped against him, but when he does he smiles, running his hand up and down your back, soft snores soon slipping past your lips. He doesn’t bother to turn off the movie just yet, not wanting to move you in anyway, Harry is more than happy to be your personal body pillow for as long as you need.

“My sleepy girl..”

He knows you can’t hear him but it doesn’t matter, he often makes small little comments as you sleep, and he can’t help it, not when you’re so perfect looking all cuddled up in his side, you were too precious. Around the halfway point of Little Women, he pauses it, gently squeezing your shoulder

“M’love…”

You shift, letting out a little squeak, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips

“Hey…wake up baby..”

“Hmm? I’m watching…”

He chuckles

“You fell asleep again baby, come on, i’ll carry you up to bed”

“But the movie..” you pouted, feeling guilty for yet again halting your movie night

“Never mind the movie, let’s go cuddle up in bed…i’m ready to lay down too”

Even if you didn’t fully believe his reassurance it was enough for you to stretch your arms up, Harry bending down to lift you up into his arms. He’d worry about cleaning up in the morning, right now he was more concerned of getting you into bed and having you curl up into him again.

“Thank you for carrying me”

“You’re welcome my spoiled girl”

“You love me”

He nods, setting you down into bed gently before leaning down to kiss your lips

“Mhm I do…more than you know darling”

“Good…cause i love you too”

Once you were tucked in, he quickly made his way to shut the door, turning on the nightlight you loved so much by the bathroom door, making sure you were nice and comfortable before climbing into bed with you, pulling you to his side, your arms sliding over his chest almost naturally.

“Goodnight baby…thank you for always taking care of me when I’m sleeping”

Harry smiles, kissing your forehead

“Goodnight m’love, taking care of you is my favourite thing to do”

Smiling softly you pressed your lips to his rib cage before settling into the crook of his arm, your favourite place in the entire world. One day you’d be able to make it through a whole movie without falling asleep, but Harry would never fault you for it, he often did the same thing as well.

Maybe it was time to start having movie nights earlier in the day…

#rueswrites #ruesanswers #ruesanons<3 #ruesasks #harry styles fluff #harry styles x wife reader #harry styles x girlfriend reader #harry styles x female reader #harry styles x fem!reader #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x you #harry styles x reader #harry styles imagine #harry styles au #harry styles fic #harry styles fanfic

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mcuamerica · 6 months ago

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The Shadowsinger: Sixteen

Warnings: 18+. Minors DNI. SMUT (oral m! and f! rec, size kink it's the wingspan, slight praise kink), ACOTAR series spoilers. If I forgot anything, please let me know!

Pairing: Azriel x Fem!Reader

Summary: Azriel visits you in Windhaven.

Disclaimer: I do not own SJM’s characters or plot lines, only the ones I create for the purpose of this story. This is a work of fiction. I do not give permission to repost my work on any other platform or medium. Please be respectful.

My graphics are my own. If you wish to use them, please give credit!

Series Masterlist

Eleven - Twelve - Thirteen - Fourteen - Fifteen

Turns out using a Siphon was harder than it looked. But it was too dangerous to use your power without one. So, you stood in a training ring for the next week with Cassian or one of the Illyrian commanders, trying to conjure a sword. The closest you got was a wooden staff. Most of the time you just got small sticks in your hand that somewhat resembled stakes.

You could put up a shield if you focused enough. But that was the best you were doing. It drained most of your power. Once the week was up, you were almost willing to quit when you finally made a dagger appear in your hand. And then a shield. And then a sword.

You hadn’t seen much of Azriel. But he was there when you came back to Windhaven and watched you train for the rest of the day before he left. Rhys needed him out to question the Attor, after he tried to take Feyre in the mortal lands. You gave Rhys a long lecture about putting his mate in danger like that. But from what he told you, she also was pissed at him for it.

Feyre was starting to do good in Velaris, you learned. She asked Cassian if he could train her. You were tempted to abandon your post at Windhaven and go train with her. You wanted to be around her. Needed to know that she was okay, she was doing well. And maybe you could even push her in the right direction for Rhys. But you couldn’t leave Windhaven. Not when you were just a couple more levels away from being able to try the Blood Rite qualifying course.

Az told you he hated the idea of you going to the Blood Rite. He said that he knew you could do it, especially with how much you were excelling. But he also said that it was brutal. And you could very well die.

But you had to prove to the Illyrians that you could do it. A female of this day and age could complete the Blood Rite. Maybe even as a Carynthian. But you know that the males who have that title have it because they were together, they were allies. Even if you qualified for the Rite, you didn’t have any friends that would be with you. It would be only you. And maybe a few males would pity you and not kill you, but you knew that’s the closest to allyship you were going to get. So you promised Az that if you did make it to the Blood Rite, your first priority was to stay alive. To survive. And then maybe if you could get to the mountain, you could be classed as Oristian. And from there, well it would only be your will that would make you climb the mountain. But maybe you would try. If you even qualified.

Another week passed and you were getting used to using your Siphon. Since the training Siphon didn’t break, you learned Rhys was having an official one fashioned for you. Your power wasn’t as strong as you would have hoped, but you still felt an accomplishment knowing that you got a Siphon. No female you knew ever received one. This only proved that females were capable of killing power, and somehow it was suppressed enough to not manifest.

It was the last night of the week, and you decided to spend it curled up near the fire, reading all night until you fell asleep. That was until you saw Azriel standing in the kitchen, chopping some sort of vegetables. “Az!” You said happily, dropping your jacket to the side.

He turned around slowly, a smile on his face. “Hello, sweetheart.” He said. You bounded over to him, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“You and Cass have been ignoring me.” You whispered, sinking into him as his arms wrapped around your lower back, careful to avoid your wings. It felt so right to be with him. In his arms. And his scent was intoxicating. This was how it was supposed to be.

“Not ignoring, sweetheart, we’ve just been busy. And Cassian needs to train Feyre.” He said, pulling back slowly.

Azriel raised his hand to push back a strand of hair that fell from your braid, smiling as he looked at you. “You are beautiful.” He whispered.

Your core heated as you stared into his eyes. The flecks of green standing out against the fire. “I’ve missed you.” You whispered, your hands trailing up to tangle in his hair. “I think I still owe you from the other night.” You murmured as you leaned up, kissing him deeply. You tugged on his hair, slowly backing him up against the kitchen counter.

He melted into the kiss, opening his mouth as you trailed your tongue on his bottom lip. You couldn’t get enough of him. What you would give to taste him right now! You groaned and removed your hands from his hair, moving them to his pants as you unbuckled the belt he had on. You silently asked your shadows to keep his hands from stopping you.

You kissed him once more before pulling away, looking into his eyes. “Is this okay?” You asked.

He smirked, gripping your waist and squeezing. “It’s more than okay.” He whispered. You groaned and leaned up, kissing him again as you shoved his pants off. You pulled away, slowly kneeling before him. You palmed him through his underwear, your mouth watering at how hard he grew. The length and girth you could feel beneath you had you pulling down the fabric.

You didn’t hide your surprise as his length sprung free. Gods… could you ever take all of him in your mouth? Certainly not. But you would do your best to please him. Another challenge you were willing to take on. Literally.

“Like what you see, sweetheart?” He asked, his hands tangling in your hair, causing more strands to fall free from your braids.

“You’re huge, Az.” You whispered, slowly lifting your hand to squeeze his shaft. Your fingers weren’t even touching. You felt your core heat at the thought of him inside of you, clenching around nothing.

“Fuck, (Y/N),” he growled, tugging at your hair when you slowly wrapped your mouth around his tip, easing your way down. You kept your hand on his base, squeezing and twisting slightly to compensate for what you couldn’t fit in his mouth. Your other hand reached and rubbed on his balls, slightly gagging when he bucked his hips. “That’s it, sweetheart. Gods you look so good right now.” He said, gently guiding your head further into his cock.

You whimpered at the praise, the vibration sending his cock further down your throat as he bucked again. You hummed again, slightly grazing your teeth against him as you squeezed harder. You could tell that he liked it by the way he twitched in your mouth, his hands gripping your hair.

Just a few more pumps and he was spilling into your mouth. You slowly pulled away, swallowing everything he gave you. You stood up, your legs a little weak from the thought of him. You watched as he caught his breath, and then pulled you close to him before his mouth was on yours.

It didn’t take long for him to turn you around, hoisting you up on the counter. He returned the favor, bringing you to your climax twice with nothing but his tongue and fingers.

If this was to be your life, you would gladly live it out with him. Here, in Windhaven. Or in the House. Or in the middle of the Illyrian mountains if that’s what he wanted.

You had a long way to go on your own healing, but being with him… this is how you wanted to spend your life. It still just felt so right. Like the Mother wanted it to be this way.

Azriel cleaned both of you up, steadying you as he set you down on the floor. You leaned up, placing a sweet kiss on his lips. “Will you stay tonight?” You asked, suddenly worried that he only came for some sort of release. While it was flattering, you didn’t want him to just leave. You wanted to spend the whole night talking with him, in his arms by the fire. You felt so safe and protected with him, even if you knew you were capable of protecting yourself. There was something about him that made you okay with him defending you if he had to. And you knew, deep down, if you needed to protect him, you would stop at nothing for it.

“Before you came in, I was cooking dinner.” He said and kissed your temple before turning around. “If you want to wash up, you can. I started a bath. Hopefully it’s still warm.” He said, a side smile coming to his lips as you pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“I’ll be down soon.” You said, taking a sip from your water canteen before you bounded up the stairs. You didn’t particularly want to wash his scent from you, but you had been sweating all day. And even more from your escapade a few minutes ago. So, you dipped in the bath, washing yourself with the lilac scented bar on the shelf.

When you finished, you slipped on a pair of loose fitting pants and a large sweater from one of the drawers. From the faint scent of it, you figured it was one of the boys. Maybe Cassian, if you detected it correctly.

You made your way down the stairs, smiling as the dining table was set and the meal finished. “Did you learn to cook from Nuala and Cerridwen?” You asked, sitting down across from him. As much as you wanted to sit on his lap, you had to have some semblance of control.

“Hmm.. I did used to live on my own, you know. One learns how to make food to survive.” He joked.

You laughed quietly, grabbing a fork to dig into the food. It smelled delicious and you were starving. Not to mention the food at the Windhaven mess hall never really satiated any need other than basic hunger. Lots of protein and carbs before and after a long day of training. Maybe you’d have to join the Inner Circle’s family dinner at the end of the week next week just to get tasteful food again.

“Don’t you normally have dinner with Rhys and them tonight?” You asked.

“Yes, but I figured you could use some company. Especially since Cassian hasn’t been here to train you.” He said, resisting the urge to reach across the table and take your hand in his. While you both clearly liked each other, he didn’t want to overstep a boundary. He wasn’t sure what you two would be classified as right now. But he knew that if he saw you with another male… you were wearing Cassian’s sweater. His hand clenched to a fist.

“Az?” You asked after swallowing another bite of the roast. You noticed his change in demeanor. He went from light and happy to almost angry. “Is everything okay?” You asked, tilting your head as your shadows whispered in your ear, “He’s upset.” You almost rolled your eyes. You could see that. You waved them away, looking at his fist clenched on the table. You reached over, setting your hand on top of his. “Azriel…”

He looked down to your hands, slowly relaxing. His fist unclenched, and interlocked his fingers with yours. This is how it should be. You with him… and him with you. It felt so right.

A/N: Her and Az are getting closer!

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barbarianprncess · 10 months ago

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annabeth chase and her many losing dogs: an (incomplete) anthology

read on ao3

chapter one: a (brief) introduction to the game and it's players

She gives Cerberus her red rubber ball.

Because he’s a monster, but she doesn’t think he means to be.

Because he’s a lonely dog and she is lonely the same way. The kind that doesn’t know how lonely it is until a person shows up and reminds them. The kind that wishes to just be left in loneliness long enough for companionship to be forgotten altogether.

The ball will make him happy. He will destroy it within minutes, it will disappear after he does nothing but be himself.

(She does that sometimes too.)

First Round: Frederick Chase

Bet Type: Blind Faith; awarded via mass tradition.

Made with no experience.

Trust given without the knowledge that trust must be earned.

Annabeth is four years old and hungry.

She hasn’t eaten since dinner last night.

Dad is playing with his planes again. The fancy small piece ones that Annabeth is not allowed to touch, ‘not now, not ever.’ She’s not supposed to bother Dad when he plays with his planes.

Plane time is Dad’s very special ‘by himself’ time. He’d explained a while ago that he has lots of very hard work to do, and then he has to take care of her which is even more lots of hard work, and sometimes he needs his special ‘by himself’ time, because Annabeth is a big girl now who can read her books and not touch the sockets.

(She wonders why he doesn’t do his special ‘by himself’ time when she’s taking her naps. That way they could have their together time when she’s awake.)

This would be fine, but she just ate the last of her super secret dad-is-in-his-study snack stash that she hides under her bed last week.

She wants to go in and ask, but the last time she’d interrupted him, even though he smiled at her, his eyebrows got all scrunched up together. He was not happy to see her.

(Sometimes, she wonders if he ever is.)

Annabeth is really very hungry.

There are bananas on top of the fridge.

Annabeth creates a plan.

The plan goes south almost immediately and she ends up dangling from the top of the white mountain with glass and bananas all over the ground.

“Christ! Annabeth!” She is being yanked from her very small cliff and carried into the living room and Dad’s voice is very loud and his face is more than scrunched eyebrows and Annabeth is ashamed.

“What were you doing?”

“I was climbing on top of the fridge. I knocked over a vase.”

That was the wrong answer because somehow his face gets even angrier. “Yes, I can see that. What were you thinking?”

“I wanted a banana. They were on top of the fridge.”

He pinches his nose. That wasn’t the right answer either. “You just had breakfast.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did. You had the fruit circles.”

“That was yesterday.”

He hesitates. “Okay, well you did wake up late, you couldn’t have waited until it was time to eat lunch?”

The clock on the microwave says 4:13 pm. “It is lunch.”

He looks at the clock. Closes his eyes. When he opens them, he still looks angry but not at her. His voice is much quieter. “Why didn’t you come get me?”

“Last time you got sad. You were in a groove, you said unless it was an emergency not to come in. I thought I could reach it.”

She watches his face change. His eyebrows are still scrunched up but his eyes get gentler and sadder all at once. He sits down on the couch and lifts her up into his lap. It’s been so long, she sits on his knees like he’s a chair. He turns her around in his arms.

“You’re such a quiet kid, Annabeth. Sometimes I forget you're here.”

She doesn’t think he said it to make her sad, but it does anyway. Which is irritating because she didn’t do anything wrong and she feels bad anyway.

“I was a quiet kid too.”

She doesn’t want to be quiet. She wants to scream. She wants to cry. She wants to hit him. She wants—

“I’m gonna clean up the glass and then we’ll have mac and cheese.”

She nods and lets herself be sat back on the couch.

Second Round: Ms. Helen (from Dad’s work)

Bet Type: Good Faith; awarded via proxy.

Made with no experience.

Trust given without the knowledge that trust must be earned.

The first time her father forgets to pick her up from daycare, she is too young to remember. She was also too young to remember the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th times.

She remembers the sixth.

Ms. Helen, dad’s work friend that has come to dinner every wednesday for four weeks, shows up at school wearing black yoga pants and a messy-on-purpose bun.

(The kind that always looks strange in the bathroom mirror when she tries it on her curls in the morning before they leave.)

She smiles at her teacher, tight and pinchy. She does that laugh/talk/sigh thing adults do when the words they're saying don’t really matter. And before Annabeth knows it, she's staring at the backseat of a minivan.

“What’s that?”

Ms. Helen raises an eyebrow. “The car seat?”

Annabeth nods but looks down. She said it like it was obvious. Annabeth knows obvious things.

“Don’t you sit in one of these to come to daycare?”

“No.”

“You just sit in the seat?”

“Yes.”

“You're too little. It’s not safe to sit by yourself.”

Annabeth doesn’t know what she's supposed to say. This happens a lot. Adults do this thing where they ask you a question that they want a specific answer to. Annabeth has developed a skill in which she can always tell when the truth is not what an adult wants to hear. It has, so far, been a pretty useless skill because she has yet to master the skill of knowing what it is that they actually want to hear.

(Sometimes, she figures it out and tells the truth anyway. Those times she doesn’t really mind getting in trouble after.)

“Your father must’ve put you in one of these.”

Annabeth shrugs. Her talent has deduced that Helen does not want Annabeth to say that she has never been in one of those, and figures nonverbal is the safest option because she would like to go home.

Helen crouches down and gets way up close to Annabeth's face. Her grown-up face-paint is smudged around the corner of her left eye. She smells like dish soap.

“I borrowed this from my friend when your father called, so we have to get you your own. From now on, you don’t get in a car without one of these. Understand?”

Annabeth nods.

Helen is looking at her with something strange and sad in her smudged up eye. She takes a deep breath.

Annabeth crawls into the backseat and waits to be tied in.

Fourth Round: Thalia Grace, Grover Underwood & Luke Castellan

Bet Type: Calculated Risk; awarded to an individual after carefully evaluated outcomes

Made after a great loss, in which perceived benefits outweigh potential detriment.

Trust earned after a win.

Thalia is frowning at her.

Annabeth hasn’t been with her and Luke for that long, but she knows that this is not cause for too much concern because she’s usually frowning.

Luke is the one with the smiles, and the cuddles, and the soft spot for the helpless strays—dogs and girls alike.

Thalia is the one with the frowns.

(Annabeth can tell she has a soft spot for Luke though.)

Before she can muster up the courage to ask, Luke beats her to it. “What’s up with you?”

“Her hair.” Thalia has a talent where she can frown and speak at the same time. Annabeth wants to learn how to do that.

Luke smiles at her before fixing his eyes on her puff. She gets that feeling in her stomach she used to get when her teachers asked her questions about her house, like she should be hiding behind her fathers legs.

(The last time she tried, Helen had snatched her arm and told her she was being rude.)

“Her hair.” He repeats in a way that tells both Annabeth and Thalia he has no idea what the problem is.

Thalia ignores him, and scribbles something down on his arm. “I saw a beauty supply store down the road. I need you to figure out a way to get this stuff.”

Luke frowns over her shoulder. (Uh-oh.) “That’s gonna be a bit of a stretch.”

“So stretch.”

“Thals—,”

She looks up at him and her eyes are all intense like when she’s fighting a monster. “They weren’t combing her hair. I took the hair tie off and it’s staying put. She’s only been on the run for 3 days.” Thalia looks back down at her. “Right? That’s how long you were by yourself?”

“Yes.” Annabeth nods. One of her favorite parts about being with Luke and Thalia, is that the truth is always enough.

Thalia looks back at Luke with something in her eyes that’s even softer than when Luke sleeps. “They weren’t combing her hair.”

Luke nods, a new kind of frown. The one he had when they found her. “On it.”

He winks at Annabeth and tweaks her nose which makes her laugh. Then he’s gone and it’s just the two of them.

Annabeth and Thalia have never been alone for that long before, except for bathroom trips and when Luke gets them snacks.

Annabeth knows it wasn’t Thalia’s idea for her to join the two of them. Annabeth doesn’t think she wanted to leave her there, but she knows Thalia liked it when it was just her and Luke.

She’s looking up at the sky muttering something angry in another language. “What’s Luke going to get?”

Thalia considers her for a moment and then sits down leaning against the brick alleyway. “Some hair stuff. Basics.”

“I thought we only took risks for food.”

Thalia smiles a little and it makes Annabeth's chest feel fuzzy.

“You’re a smart kid.” She pats the ground next to her and Annabeth goes to sit next to her.

“My mother…had a bad time. Things that aren’t supposed to be hard for mortals were very hard for her. And sometimes that made her not very nice to me.” She pauses and Annabeth waits patiently, doesn’t dare speak a word.

“She couldn’t really take care of herself. So, she couldn’t really take care of me either. My hair is curly like yours. And hair like ours needs special attention. When you don’t give it the care it needs, it gets stuck like this.” She takes Annabeth's hand and brings it up to her head, lets her tug on one strand gently.

“I like your hair a lot!”

“Thank you. I do too. But, it wasn’t my choice. My mother let my hair loc up so she didn’t have to comb it every day. You should get to decide whether you want your hair like this. Did you ask to have your hair up in a bun for that long?”

Annabeth could tell her how her Dad used to braid her hair on Sunday nights. How they would sit and listen to music and he would spray and comb and braid until she fell asleep on his leg. How when he and Helen got married, he suddenly had no time to do anything that Helen could do instead. How her slick, shiny, and smooth haired stepmother would wrinkle down at her curls, yank a brush through her head and tell her she was ‘impossible’.

But, she doesn’t. She looks down at her shoes and doesn’t say anything at all.

Thalia, even smaller than before, says, “Your parents weren’t very nice to you either. Were they?”

She doesn’t answer.

She doesn’t have to.

‘You’re such a quiet kid, Annabeth.’

(When Luke gets back, he and Thalia spend three hours spraying and combing and braiding until Annabeths hair isn’t stuck anymore.)

(In a few months, a satyr named Grover will take them to camp.

Thalia will not make it across the border.)

(Annabeth will refuse to let anyone touch her hair for a year.)

Final Round: Perseus Jackson

Bet Type: Wild Card; awarded to an individual that fails to qualify through conventional procedure.

Made with gut feelings, no logic, and excruciating human defiance.

Trust is given without measure.

Annabeth's first thought when she sees him for the first time is, “He must be the one.”

She’s sure of it. She says it out loud. Chiron tells her to hush, and she doesn’t even care.

He's the one.

She's not sure how she knows. She's waited for so long, seen so many campers. Many were far more promising than he is.

That's her second thought. He's skinnier than she thought ‘the one’ would be. Skinny and pale and more gangly limb than person.

He’s blinking up towards them but his eyes are unfocused and hazy. That's her third thought. He's fading. They’ll have to carry him.

‘Percy’ Chiron calls him. It’s a hero’s name.

She wonders if whoever gave it to him knew he’d be the one too.

‘He’s the one.’, she thinks again. It feels strange and tingly in her head.

Strange, but not false.

Hello, Percy Jackson. It's nice to finally meet you.

#SHEEEEEES BAAAACCCCKKKK!#it's been a while! i evolved and got a life and the show humbled me and took over my life.#for the percabeth induced insanity gc on twitter (love you)#percabeth #percy jackson #annabeth chase #percabeth fic #grover underwood #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo series #pjotv #pjo tv show #pjo tv series #pjo tv spoilers #luke castellan #thalia grace #frederick chase

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