#i still hate that this woman left below deck

[jaywritesrps]

[kinglivv]

Leaving Her

Kate Stewart x g!n reader

Summary: When you and Kate’s relationship gets rocky, you run away with the Doctor. Four months later, your run in with the Toymaker forces you to confront each other.

Warnings: None

A/N: because not enough attention is paid to the fact that kate uses guns now ALL the time

You find her outside, smoking.

“I thought you’d quit.” You state.

“Yeah well,” she taps away the ash, “we all have our vices.”

You don’t really want to be out here on the helipad with Kate. It’s raining for one, and you’d been managing quite successfully to avoid being left alone with her. However, as the adrenaline of day wore off, you found yourself in desperate need to get out of the command room. The walls were closing in and you hadn’t breathed fresh air in 12 hours.

And there she is.

She’s a vision against the London skyline, blonde hair still somehow perfectly neat and brown eyes still longing, threatening to draw you in.

You remind yourself that you hate her.

You stand next to her for a few silent moments, leaving a healthy distance between you as you regard the view over London.

“You didn’t visit,” she says suddenly.

“Why would I?”

“I just thought…” Kate shakes her head, refusing to look and you and taking another puff. She waves a hand exasperatedly, “It was like you were there one day and gone the next.”

“There was a bit more build up to it than that and you bloody well know it,” you snort. “Late at the office every night. Cancelling our anniversary trip. Forgetting my birthday. It may as well been you who upped and disappeared.”

“You’ve seen my work here. You think I can just abandon it?” she snaps, waving to the building behind. The wind whips around you and her words are carried away.

“You have a second in command, Kate,” you snap back, “You’re allowed to delegate. Have an actual life outside your job.” You want to smack your head against a wall. Months apart and here you were, back again having the same argument you’d had a million times before.

“You knew this wasn’t a normal nine to five when you got with me.”

“Yeah but you changed, Kate,” you almost yell. “Look at you. Where’s the woman who used to take me out to dinner every Friday? Where’s the woman who used to drive me out to the countryside to stargaze? You’re a workaholic.”

“You don’t get to come in here and lecture me after running away with her for the last four months.” She spits.

And there it is. Laid bare. How nights sleeping on the sofa, endless arguments and weeks worrying she was having an affair had culminated in you taking up the Doctor’s invite to travel with her. It was her smile, her humour, her energy, her short blonde hair and brown eyes. If you squinted, the Doctor could be anyone you wanted her to be. You’d packed a bag and left not only your Kate but your planet. It felt like no where was far away enough.

And now the Doctor had regenerated, replaced by someone you didn’t quite recognise anymore, and that had only given you more time to think about all you’d left behind.

“The divorce papers arrived, by the way.” she breaks the silence, “Do you want me to sign them?”

That’s another punch to the gut. Distantly, it strikes you that you haven’t been home in so long that you hadn’t checked your mail. You opt not to answer her.

Neither of you say anything for a moment. Voices carry over from inside the command deck, presumably Ibrahim issuing clean-up orders or the Doctor catching up with his old friends. You shiver in the cold of the helipad. Horns honk in the streets below.

“Since when did you use guns?” You ask quietly, because the silence is agony.

It was something that had been bugging you the minute you got off the TARDIS. Kate Lethbridge Stewart, the woman who was supposed to be reforming UNIT, leading with science and not weapons, had been so eager to whip out a side piece the minute there had been any hint of danger. You’d flinched when she’d so breezily ordered her men to open fire, as if it were a well-rehearsed, familiar line. The woman you’d married had abhorred violence.

Her cigarette struggles in the rain, and she curses under her breath, pulling out her lighter. You watch her, really watch her for the first time that day. You notice the deeper crow lines around her eyes, the hair that isn’t as cropped as she usually preferred it.

“It’s practical,” she eventually offers as explanation.

“I seem to remember you saying you dragged UNIT kicking and screaming to get them to put down their guns.”

“UNIT is a military operation. We’ve always used guns.”

“Yeah but I mean you, Kate.” You reply, “That handgun is new.” You glance at it holstered on her hip.

She shifts self-consciously, shrugging so that her blazer falls over it, obscuring it from your view. It’s a nice blazer. New you think, and it suits her very well. You blink, trying not to get distracted by her figure or that strong hand clutching the cigarette.

“The Colonel and I thought it would be wise for me to carry one after the Cyberman siege on our old office.”

“The one you blew up?”

“Yes,” she laughs bitterly.

“Why now?” You argue, “You’ve seen off the Zygons, the Master, Sontarons. Why start carrying a weapon now?”

She twists her wedding ring. She’s still wearing it you realise, and you look down at your naked fingers in unexpected guilt.

“They tried to convert me,” she confesses. “They were this close to managing it and I only just got away. Had me tied to the chair and everything.”

Your breath catches in your throat. You stare at her, this women who you knew inside and out, who you had dedicated the last three years of your life to. This woman who had seen you cry and laugh. This woman who held you in bed at night and this woman who you had run from. You want to reach out to her, to promise her she’s safe.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” You ask instead.

“Didn’t know how,” she shrugs. “Kind of worst case scenario, isn’t it? Nothing compares to a cyberman.”

You silently agree with her. Of all the monsters in the universe you’d come across, none could strike fear into you quite like the metallic, robotic Cybermen could. There was nothing more violating than the prospect of having your emotions stripped away and your body turned into fodder.

“I think I started working longer to stop thinking about it,” she adds. “I mean, there was the big clean-up operation afterwards which took a lot of time, and after that I just found it easier to not stop.”

Shame floods your body. All this time she’d been hurting and you’d abandoned her. You can’t help yourself, you slide an arm around her waist, and then another, pressing your front to her back and burying your face into her shoulder. She still fits in your embrace perfectly, and her hand - the one that isn’t clutching the fag like a rubber ring - cautiously reaches to cover yours.

“I’m sorry Kate,” you murmur. “I should’ve known. I shouldn’t have left you.”

“No,” you feel her shake her head, “God I hate you for it but leaving me forced me look at things. I haven’t been good to you. I am a workaholic. And somewhere along the line I stopped being a wife.”

You blink back tears and press a kiss to her jaw.

“Don’t sign the papers,” you whisper.

[a-killer-obsession]

🔞 Minors DNI 🔞

A search for a rumored Vegapunk weapon leads the Kid Pirates to an unexpected new crewmate, with a bloodlust that rivals their own and an incredible power.

CW: Please check AO3 for all current warnings, but general warning for smut, slow burn, serious gore, and really dark themes. AFAB reader, she/her pronouns.

Masterlist || AO3 || Chapter 1

Chapter 34 - Empty

Everything goes to shit again, who is surprised? Please heed the AO3 tags for this one, immensely dark chapter ahead.

Word Count: ~3.5k

Taglist: @h0n3y-l3m0n05 @tremendoushorsepatrolgoth @iggy5055

You could barely make out the jagged rocks below you under the white seafoam that crashed against them, the half moon giving just enough light to make out your surroundings but not enough to pinpoint colours. You probably could have if you had your mask, but you’d left it back at the ship, along with any happy memories you previously had. The sound of the waves crashing echoed up the side of the cliffs, a howling wind at your back bidding you to step forward, encouraging you. Your hand rested on your abdomen, empty, void of anything under the bandage that covered it. Only one week ago you’d discovered you were having a boy, and now you were alone. Silent tears rolled down your cheeks from eyes that already stung from days worth of sobbing. There was no sound accompanying it, you didn’t have the energy left, and your throat was raw from screaming. It didn’t matter, you were exhausted, you were sore, your heart was torn to shreds, but the pain would end soon.

Cold grass coated with the early morning dew wet your bare feet, sore from running over gravel and dirt paths. The sun was doing its best to break past the horizon, but you would never see its efforts fulfilled. You had no plan on making it as far as dawn, this was as far as you go. A lifetime of fighting, and you were admitting defeat. You thought back on the last three days, all the things that brought you to this moment, the things that finally broke you after years of pain and suffering, the things that led you to the cliffside.

[Three days ago]

“Will you just fucking listen to me woman?” Killer shouted after you as you unsheathed your katana to check it over before replacing it and sliding it into your belt. “It’s not safe”

“What am I good for then, Kil?” you huffed, moving to attach your dagger to your thigh, “My role on this ship is as a weapon, I’m not just going to sit around like some broodmare. I feel fine, I’m only five months along for fucks sake”

“But what if they see your belly and target you?” he urged, following you around the room as you gathered your weapons.

“So what if they do?” you replied, “I’ll protect myself like I do from every other enemy. You know perfectly well I’m a competent fighter”

“I know you are, but you’ve been so tired lately, what if you’re not as focused and you make a mistake?” he pleaded, “I’m not asking you to entirely sit out, just go sit with Double like you did when you were hurt, you can still fight from up there, but it’ll be safer”

“Yeah, and no fun,” you complained, “I’m done with this conversation Kil, I’m fighting, you can’t stop me”

You stormed off before he could say anything else, huffing in annoyance. Ever since your belly had started to become noticeable, people had started treating you differently. You felt like nothing but an incubator, like all you were good for was growing babies. The coddling was getting suffocating, you fucking hated it. You were an army destroying weapon, not a fucking delicate little thing. And you enjoyed fighting, so you were just as excited as always when the lookout called out a marine ship had been spotted. Killer had been quick to find you and try to convince you to stay out of it, but you were going to go insane if he made you stay out of fights for the next four months. You’d promised not to use meteor wave, but that was the best you could do.

Kid scowled at you as you appeared out on deck with your weapons equipped and a frown on your face, Killer following out behind you, his shoulders tense. He decided not to get into it, clearly Killer had been unsuccessful at getting you to stay back, and like hell were you going to listen to Kid. Frankly, you were scary while pregnant, captain or not, he liked his balls where they currently were and would rather not have them ripped off today. Cannonfire drew his attention and he started using his devil fruit to send them right back to sender, explosions rocking the marine ship as it drew closer.

“At least stay on the Victoria,” Killer pleaded as he stood behind you, “please, for me”

“Fine,” you huffed, “but that’s as much as I’m willing to hold back”

“Thank you,” he sighed, stepping in front of you so he could bonk his mask against yours as you makeshift way of kissing, before turning back to the fight and jumping the short distance to the marine ship.

The battle erupted on both ships and you swung into action, running between marines and bursting their hearts inside them as you moved. You drew your blade as you approached the back of a marine who was fighting Pomp, taking off the man’s head and continuing without even waiting for the body to floor. You were just as swift as always, just not quite as agile since you couldn’t bend as low as usual. Your swollen breasts complained from the continuous jostling, you really needed to buy a sports bra, but you ignored them and continued fighting.

Mosh cried out from somewhere on your left and you turned to assist him. It was a split second of distraction, but it was enough for a marine to get the upper hand on you, kicking you right in the gut. A sharp pain rolled through you and made you gag, and you grabbed the marine by his neck and melted his spinal cord, letting him fall limp to the ground. You ignored the pain as best you could, continuing at a slower pace as you kept up the fight. Hip appeared next to you, covering your back as she saw your struggles.

Something started to trickle between your legs, and you groaned as the worst cramp you’d ever had ripped through your abdomen. You collapsed against the mast, Hip quick to protect you as you reached down and swiped a hand against the trickling liquid, pulling it back to inspect and finding your fingers red and dripping with fresh blood.

“No no no no no NO,” you cried out as another cramp made you cry out in pain. “Not now, please, please, it’s too soon, you’re not ready”

Try as you might, your body wouldn’t listen to you, leaning against the mast for support as you screamed. Hip took one moment to look down at you, seeing the blood between your legs and the anguish on your face as you looked back at her.

“What do you need?” Hip asked as she cut down another marine.

“I don’t know, I don’t know,” another groan was torn from your throat as wave after wave of pain drove through you, an incessant need to push taking over even though you knew it wasn’t right. You squeezed your thighs together, crying out in pain, the cramps getting worse as every muscle in your abdomen tried to push against you. There was nothing you could do, you couldn’t fight it, your body wouldn’t listen. “It’s coming, oh god”

“KILLER!” Hip called out, scanning the deck desperately for the stripped mask of the first mate. He was on the other ship, his mask turning in her direction as he heard his name called. The concern was clear on Hip’s face even from the other ship. He heard your screams now behind her and saw your kneeling figure, his eyes wide as fear overcame him and he ran towards you as fast as he could, cutting down whoever was in his path.

Between your legs something was tearing you open. It was all too fast, the baby was small but your body hadn’t had any time to prepare, you weren’t open enough, and you screamed as it forced its way out. You felt the small head in your hand, kneeling with your head against the mast, your face wet as you sobbed. As soon as the head had passed, the rest came quickly, sliding from your body with a wet squelch and a rush of fluid. You looked down at the lifeless body in your hands, no bigger than a sweet potato, nowhere near developed enough to take even a single breath. Ten minutes ago you'd felt them move inside you, and now they were dead in your palms, covered in amniotic fluid and blood. You quivered, your entire body shaking with a level of despair you never thought possible as you fought to not gag from the pain.

Crying wasn't enough, your rage and sorrow was too much. The air around you began to tingle with electricity, the electrons around the two ships beginning to move faster and faster. You threw back your head and screamed, and in a flash of blinding light, a thick blade of lightning summoned down from the cloudless sky and struck the mast of the marine ship. There was a deafening crack of thunder and wood and the mast split right down the middle, straight to the heart of the ship, where the boat tore open and the ocean began to flood through. Kid called a hasty retreat from the enemy ship as it began to sink, everyone more than confused at what had just happened. They didn't know the pain they would return to on the Victoria Punk, they had no way of guessing how truly wrong things had gone in only a few short minutes.

Killer finally reached Hip, who stepped aside to reveal your crumpled body, cradling something unseen protectively in your arms and sobbing, blood pooling underneath you. He stood over you and finally saw it, his son, his tiny baby, too small to exist, too still to be alive. He roared in pain and dropped to his knees, his tears seeping through the holes in his mask as he clawed at the wooden deck and sobbed. The baby was so small in your hands, he’d never seen something so small. The rest of the marines were quickly cut down, Kid using his fruit to crush the remainder of the ship, before coming to his best friend’s side. He saw the tiny baby, lifeless, covered in blood, growing colder every minute, and he did something he hadn’t done since Victoria had died. He fell to his knees and sobbed - loud, anguished cries that had the rest of the crew pausing and paying attention. One by one they fell to their knees too, the Kid Pirates kneeling in a semicircle that fanned out from you, the air thick with weeping and despair. Only one didn’t fall, as Mohawk made his way through the crowd. He too mourned, but that didn’t do anything to help what your body had been through. You were still alive, and you needed help, that was all that mattered right now. At five months gestation he had no hope of saving the baby, it was an impossible effort, he didn't need to see it to know it'd never taken a breath, it simply didn't have the ability to. You wavered slightly as he knelt beside you, clammy and pale, the pool of blood under you getting wider by the second.

“Yin, I know you’re sad, but we need to get you to the infirmary,” he said softly. “I’m not gonna take your baby, I promise, I just want to help you”

You knew Mohawk was right, you could feel your life slipping away from you as you bled out internally. Killer was lost to his emotions as you tried to stand, holding the small body for him to take. He held it gingerly as you wobbled on your feet, before collapsing entirely as the strain and blood loss finally became too much. Kid caught you easily, sweeping you into a bridal hold. The crowd cleared quickly for him, as he carried your limp body to the infirmary, Mohawk and Killer following close behind. Killer didn’t know what to do, staring down at the tiny thing he could have held with one hand, but cradled carefully in both arms. His son, lifeless, not fated for this cruel world. He was shaking, and Kid guided him to sit. Neither of them spoke a word as Mohawk cursed and worked on you. Bloodied rag after rag were dumped on the floor as he tried and failed to stop the bleeding.

You didn’t wake for another day, the all too familiar sight of an IV in your arm, connected to a depleted blood bag. Your abdomen ached and when you touched the sore area you could feel a bandage covering it. Kid was at your side, watching you carefully as you groaned and sat up. Behind him you could see the flowing blond mane of Killer’s hair, his back to you as he sat in front of the other cot in the infirmary. His mask was on, and he made no sign of moving at the sound of your waking groan, save for the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. You could have mistaken him for being asleep, if not for the fact he was sitting straight up.

Heat adjusted the pillows behind you to help you sit up, you hadn’t even noticed him quietly standing there. Kid squeezed the hand he’d been holding before standing and walking to Killer. He whispered something in Killer’s ear, but the blond still didn’t move. Sighing, he tried to take what was in front of him, but Killer grabbed his wrist and growled.

“She deserves to hold them,” Kid said softly, “Kil please, you have to let go. Sitting here staring ain’t gonna do shit, she needs you now. She's alive and she's awake and she needs you”

Killer stood and left the room, not even sparing a glance in your direction, the door swinging on its hinges behind him. Kid took what was on the cot and brought it over, carrying it like it was glass, gently placing it in your arms. Your baby was entirely wrapped up, and he moved the cloth covering its face for you. Tears rolled down your cheeks as Heat held you tight.

“I’m sorry Yin, there was nothing anyone could do,” Kid sighed. “Mohawk said he was too small, his lungs weren’t functioning yet. Even in a hospital they wouldn’t have been able to save him”

You stroked the baby’s cold face before covering them back up and holding them out for Kid to take. You couldn't bare to look at the tiny body any longer, it hurt too much. He took the baby and placed him back on the other cot, returning to your side. You felt empty, devoid of emotion, you didn’t know what to do or how to feel. All you could feel was heartache.

“He blames me, doesn’t he?” you whispered.

“I’m gonna go get the doc,” Kid sighed, avoiding your question. You let out a sob as he left, the avoidance was answer in itself.

“Shh, shh, I’m still here,” Heat cooed, climbing onto the bed and laying beside you. You buried your face in his chest.

“It’s my fault Heat,” you sobbed, “he told me not to fight and I didn’t listen, I did this, I killed our baby”

“You didn’t,” Heat assured, squeezing you as much as he could without hurting your injury, “A marine did this, not you. It just… wasn’t meant to be”

“I’ll give him another, I’ll do better next time,” you sobbed, “please tell him, please, I need him to forgive me”

“Yin, there won’t be a next time,” Heat sighed. You sat up and blinked at him, your hand going to your stomach.

“There was too much bleeding,” Mohawk explained as he entered, having heard the end of the conversation, “I couldn’t stop it. I had to… I had to remove the whole thing. I’m so sorry Yin”

“YOU SHOULD HAVE LET ME DIE!” You shouted, becoming light headed and swooning. Heat caught you and laid you back down flat.

“Don't overdo it, you lost a lot of blood,” Mohawk sighed, “what happened to your body was physically traumatic, it tore your insides. If I was a better doctor I might have been able to save it, but this far from land it was either remove your whole womb or let you die. Kid gave the order, none of us wanted you to die. I know you're hurting right now, but you have friends here, we're here for you”

He injected something into your IV and the dizziness faded a little, and you grappled at Heat's corset to try and sit back up. “Just stay down for now Yin,” he soothed, “I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere”

Two days later and the ship made landfall, and you were immediately carted off to the nearest hospital. The others planned to bury your baby, you didn't want to be there. They said they'd wait till you got out of the hospital, but you told them to go ahead without you. You couldn't bear the thought of watching the tiny person you'd been growing as they were lowered into the ground and covered with dirt, it felt suffocating to just think about. You'd been immediately taken in for surgery, the remainder of your reproductive system removed before necrosis could set in. By now your breasts were actively leaking milk, your body tricked into thinking that your baby had been born and needed nourishment. The nurses bound your chest and it ached as your breasts swelled with milk that only served to remind you of your failings. Every time a baby on the maternity floor cried, your breasts leaked and the nurses would have to change your wet bindings as you sobbed.

Heat was by your side as much as he could be, but since he wasn't family or the father of a currently alive baby, he wasn't allowed to stay overnight. Those extra cots and private rooms were reserved for new mothers with babies to care for, leaving you in a four person room with other emotionally devoid women who had lost their babies as well. Every little step you took hurt like you were being torn open again, but the nurses insisted you keep active.

On the third night after losing your baby, you were walking along the hall of the maternity floor, and a happy couple passed by you on their way from the labour and delivery ward, the woman holding a healthy full term baby in her arms as she was pushed along in her wheelchair by her doting partner. Every nurse and doctor they passed were congratulating them, and you couldn't do it anymore. You could be here, you couldn't keep feeling your breasts leak while the healthy babies of other mother's cried out, you couldn't take the barren emptiness in your stomach. You would have done anything to see Killer, you needed him so badly, but he hadn't even looked at you as Heat carried you from the ship. Did Heat even want you anymore? He was so enamoured with your rounded belly, did he want you if you couldn't give him a baby? It felt like that was all you were good for, but you'd failed even at that. Pathetic, useless Yin, thrown away yet again when you proved yourself to be worthless.

Before anyone could stop you, you started power walking, navigating the labyrinth of the hospital till you finally came to an exit. Wearing only the comfortable shirt Heat had brought for you to sleep in, you ran. You didn't know where you were going, only having seen one small part of the island as you were carried to the hospital, but you ran anyway, hoping something would guide you and you'd find what you needed, an answer for your anguish.

Over gravel roads, dirt trails through forests, thin mudbanked streams and dewy meadows, you ran till you couldn't anymore. There was nowhere left to run, the island coming to an abrupt end as the meadow gave way to a harsh drop. An answer to your prayer, to your pain. Relief from it all, relief from the unbearable sadness that racked through you and shook you with silent sobs. Just one step, that was all it would take.

And so, the sky turning to a pale green on the horizon and the fading stars twinkling above you, you stepped forward.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

[dragons-bones]

FFXIV Write Entry #2: High Flying

Prompt: horizon || Master Post || On AO3

A/N: Very mild spoilers for the beginning of Yak T'el--an expansion of canon.

---

The dirigible ride from Tuliyollal to Yak T’el had begun well enough; the air currents above the Turali capital were warm and stable, allowing the dirigible to rise quickly but smoothly as it traveled south. Wuk Lamat had been a little queasy, but a dinner of arepas filled with shredded chicken and pear alligator with cold mint tea had settled her stomach, and she had perked up as the evening deepened, enough that she had even braved the observation platform to oooh and aaah at seeing the waterfalls of Kozama’uka pass below them. She hadn’t asked quite as many questions as usual during Rere’s after dinner storytelling, instead content to listen from her hammock as they had all clustered together in the passenger compartment.

Unfortunately, turbulence was turbulence.

Synnove was awake as the dirigible suddenly heaved, and then she was wide awake as a SHRIEK filled the air and the gold and orange shape of Wuk Lamat fell past her hammock and landed with a THUD.

A very pathetic ow drifted up from the floor.

Even as the dirigible kept swinging, the Scions moved quickly. Synnove and Heron rolled out of their lowest level hammocks, with Synnove manhandling Wuk Lamat out of the way as Heron caught first Krile, and then Rereha, leaping from the highest level hammocks. The twins, Alakhai, and Erenville followed, shoving up into a corner with everyone else as the off-duty crew scrambled for the ladder up to the observation deck.

Synnove managed to get Wuk Lamat upright, and she and Heron bracketed the young woman between them, with Synnove sticking out her leg to brace against the wall to keep herself as stable as possible. Alphinaud crawled over, balancing his knees on Heron’s thighs—Heron grunted, the twins were finally hitting their growth spurts—and gently peeled open first Wuk Lamat’s right eye, then the left, a small wick of light glowing on his fingertip. Wuk Lamat groaned, but submitted to the inspection without further complaint.

“No concussion,” Alphinaud said at last, drawing back to wave a diagnostic spell over her. “Do you have any pain?”

Wuk Lamat shook her head, her eyes squeezed shut. There was a green tinge to her skin, visible even beneath her fur. “No,” she bit out, “just bumps and bruises.”

Shouting echoed from above, and the dirigible heaved again, and this time didn’t stop juking and juddering. Alisaie cursed as she went skidding sideways, stopped only by Erenville fisting his hand in the back of her shirt and hauling her back. Wuk Lamat slapped her hands over her mouth with a moan of utter misery.

Heron wriggled her hand between Wuk Lamat’s back and the wall and began rubbing firm circles between her shoulder blades. As Synnove began a tuneless hum to help try and district Wuk Lamat from her nausea, one of the dirigible crewmembers poked his head through the hatch.

“Northbound air stream’s closer to the southbound one than it should be,” the mamool ja called down. “Pilot’s getting us back on course, but there’s going to be another bad bump when we move back into the southbound air stream.”

Erenville gave him a thumbs up as acknowledgment, and the crewmember ducked back topside.

“I hate boats,” Wuk Lamat said, the words muffled by her hands still covering her mouth. “I hate boats that float. I hate boats that fly.”

“What about boats that fly between stars?”

As Alisaie reached over her brother, rolling his eyes, to swat at Rereha, Wuk Lamat groaned. “I hate them, too.”

Krile crawled over Heron, flashing a quick smile of thanks at her when the Hellsguard hooked her fingers into the hood of her jacket, and gently patted Wuk Lamat’s knee. “Deep breaths, Wuk Lamat, nice and slow now.”

Krile had coached Wuk Lamat through two sets of controlled breathing when the dirigible basket swung extra violently and the sound of falling crates in the storage hold echoed up to the passenger compartment. Krile clung to Heron with a yelp, and Synnove braced her other leg while throwing her free arm in front of Wuk Lamat to try and hold her in place, idly noting Rereha losing her grip on Alakhai and smacking into Erenville’s stomach. Erenville’s wheeze of pain harmonized oddly well with the unhappy burbling coming from Wuk Lamat’s throat.

Finally, the dirigible settled and after a few minutes of tense quiet, the hatch opened once more and the same crewmember as before began climbing down the ladder. “Back on course now, very sorry about that, folks,” he said, and jumped the last three fulms to the floor. “We’re stable enough for passengers to come topside, the fresh air should help the Third Promise.”

As the crewmember headed down to the storage hold to assess the damage, the Scions and company climbed to their feet with a minimal about of wobbliness—save for poor Wuk Lamat, whom Synnove and Heron had to haul upright. The Xbr’aal leaned heavily against Heron as she let herself be guided towards the ladder.

“This is not going to be fun,” Wuk Lamat moaned.

“Let me go first,” Synnove said, “you can hold onto one of my boot straps, and Heron will spot you.”

It took time and some more manhandling, but they finally got Wuk Lamat up onto the observation deck, and the rest of the group soon followed after them. Another crewmember came around to clip safety lines onto them all, and they proceeded to sprawl in an inelegant pile out of the way of the crew to settle all of their equilibriums. Alakhai passed over a waterskin, and Synnove had Wuk Lamat take careful sips to bring her roiling stomach back under control. The Xbr’aal ended up stretching out on her side afterward, eyes squeezed shut and breathing through her nose.

After a bell or so of quiet, Heron gently poked Wuk Lamat’s shoulder. “Sun’s coming up,” she murmured, just loud enough to be heard over the wind. “Something you can focus on besides your poor stomach.”

A weary sigh escaped the young woman, but she opened her eyes.

The dense jungle of Yak T’el stretched for malms and malms below them, and the sea of night-dark leaves turned red and gold as the first rays of dawn stretched from the east. The sky turned from black to gray, and then to pink, and yellow, and orange, with the few clouds hanging in the air reflecting the same colors.

Wuk Lamat sighed again, but this time it was a peaceful sound. “I do love a good sunrise,” she said.

“When you bother to wake early enough for one.”

Wuk Lamat kicked at Erenville, who merely slid out of the way with a chuckle. “High Tide Harbor shines like a diamond, especially from the palace,” she continued, ignoring her childhood friend. “It’s one of the most beautiful sights in all of Tural.”

The sound of escaping air could be heard over the wind, and the dirigible began to slowly float towards the treeline. The sky was acquiring its usual azure hue as the sun continued to climb, and Wuk Lamat gingerly pushed herself to sitting upright as the pilot called from the rudder, “Landing in a bell! Stay put until we dock!”

“Thanks the gods,” Wuk Lamat muttered. “I am so very done with—hrrk.”

Synnove and Heron hurriedly shoved Wuk Lamat’s head down between her knees. The Third Promise groaned unhappily, and began her deep breathing again.

[hiddlestonspassionsackx]

To Love You (Chapter 1) - Halbrand x reader

Summary: You are a Healer on a ship bound to the Southlands and find yourself getting involved in more than you bargained for with a man who is not all he seems. Smut, romance and chaos occurs.

Pairing: Halbrand x reader (you)

Warnings: Smut, death and violence.

You saw him standing, looking out across the dark sea. You watched him for what seemed like hours, his brown hair gently blowing in the sea air. You couldn’t see his face, you’d only caught a glimpse of it before, when he made his entrance onto the ship back at Numenor. Whoever he was, there was something about him that moved you, his armour was catching the last of the light from the sky and he in all of the few minutes that you watched him, he never moved an inch.

Wow.

You thought to yourself, how could someone have such presence just by being.

You were stood below deck, the steps to the top deck in front of you, and from just the right angle on the fourth step, you could see him. You’d stopped on your way up to get some air. The cabin below was mainly filled with sea guards and the violent snores had kept you from falling off to sleep.

The rest of the ship was quiet, your gaze focused on the stranger watching the waves.

How you ended up on the ship was no mystery. Your talents as a Healer were not lost on those around you and most healers from your guild had been reluctant to accept a post on the ship, but not you. Your sense of adventure had always been fierce, and your love for your role even more so. Despite this, the Captain of the ship, Elendil, did not want you to accept the post. You were a close friend of his family, your father, although adoptive, was close to Elendil’s age and had worked alongside him for many years before he passed. Above all, he treated you almost as a second daughter, and you found him to be protective of you, just like a father would be. You valued that beyond words.

Elendil had always cared deeply about those around him, he would rarely say anything to that effect, but he did not need to, you felt it.

Isildur, his son and your childhood friend, had often been on the receiving end of your talents, the training could be brutal for the Sea Guard and the injuries just as bad.

But here you were.

You wanted to walk up to him, the man in the distance, but you continued to watch him from the steps. He hadn’t moved at all, still just looking out into the night.

“So...”

A deep voice interrupted your gaze.

“…you came. I can’t say I am surprised.”

You smiled and turned around to face Elendil.

“I did. Is that going to be a problem?”

He matched your smile and crossed his arms, leaning against the mast behind him.

“I will always welcome your talents, Miana. However-”

You interrupted him.

“However, the South is a dangerous place and indeed no place for a young woman who does not know how to fight, yes, I know. But there has to be someone to care for the injured, the sick, and let’s not forget, your son is also on this ship.”

His eyes lowered to the floor, still smiling.

“Yes. Isildur is on this ship.”

You raised your eyebrows as if to say and? He looked back up at you.

“Stable sweep.”

He was trying to mask his grin. You smiled, then began to laugh, knowing how much Isildur would be hating this.

“That bad?” you joked.

“He’s got a lot to learn.”

Elendil unfolded his arms and came towards you, resting his hand on your shoulder, his eyes now showing concern.

“Just be careful. For me.”

You nodded and turned back to watch him go up onto the deck. You turned your head slightly, scanning from left to right, but noticed the man you had been watching had gone.

You looked up at the sky, it was now almost pitch black, with only a few stars to see. You headed back to your section of the cabin, a small hammock, however in the dim light you couldn’t quite make out who’s was who’s. You circled the same section of the ship several times, trying to get your bearings in the dark, until you heard a thud –

“Miana?”

You looked all around you but couldn’t see a soul.

“Who is it?” you said, your eyes searching around the barrels and hammocks.

All you could make out was two of your fellow healers in their hammocks. The others were occupied by members of the Sea Guard or Cavalry.

“It’s me you idiot.”

You then saw the movement of him swinging his legs slightly, sat on one of the barrels.

“Oh! it’s you..” You went over to him.

“Isil, why are you creeping around in the dark?” you chided him.

“I am trying to keep out of my father’s way…”

You couldn’t help but smile a little.

“…that and having a break from the stench of horse sh-”

“Isil!”

You both tried to hush your laughter. The quietness of the ship made it harder to contain yourselves, that and the odd loud snore emanating from the hammocks.

After a few minutes he took a deep breath, then looked at you again.

“I’m surprised my father didn’t forbid you from coming on this venture.”

You smiled at him, “Oh, he did”.

He chuckled.

Looking around you, you’d have never imagined yourself sailing to Middle Earth. You’d never particularly wanted to become a healer, but you had a natural gift for it, and you had always felt a great pull to comfort people, to help them if you could.

“Have you seen her”, he interrupted your thought.

“Who?”

“Galadriel, The Galadriel, she’s here…on this ship- did you see her?”

“Oh, yes I saw her, why?”

“Just..”

He looked off into the dark, clearly deep in imagination.

Stood beside him you pushed his arm, “Go on?..”

“I don’t know… it’s so surreal Miana, don’t you think?”

“I think…you have a crush” you teased.

He snapped out of his trance and looked at you, furrowing his brow in denial.

“No-I…Can’t I just admire her? All the stories I’ve heard about her Miana.”

You nodded as he continued.

“I imagine what my father would think of me- how proud he would be of me, if I had done even half the things she has accomplished.”

You hugged his arm, “Isil, your father is proud of you. He just gets frustrated the way you go about things, you know how he is. But do you really think you would be here if he didn’t want you on this ship?”

He looked over at you.

"Hm. When did you become so wise?”

You were of a similar age, but Isildur had always been headstrong. He wore his heart on his sleeve and as you pointed this out to him many a time, sometimes this made it harder for him to see the logic of his father’s actions.

“Maybe if you listened to me more, you’d become the same” you teased.

He laughed and you released his arm. You turned to face him. He would always feel like a brother to you. He would confide in you about his mother, how much he missed her. It broke your heart to hear half of what he would say, but you were there for him, always.

“Anyway, I need to sleep, and so do you, Master sweep.” You winked at him.

Isildur sighed again and hopped off the barrel.

“Goodnight, Miana.”

He gave you a small kiss on your cheek before walking off in the other direction.

After locating your hammock and getting settled, you can’t help but picture the man you watched up on the deck. You didn’t know his name, or what his purpose was on this ship. But you hoped you would see him again tomorrow.

Drifting off to sleep you felt a strange sense of calm. As the waves rocked the ship closer to what was awaiting you far South, there was someone else watching you.

Only in time would you know the real journey you were about to become part of.

[unlimitedhorsepower]

my personal star trek rating, like just the moods the series have left on me. not an objective list btw just my enjoyment

discovery (just cant get better than this. the essence of what people claim star trek is about but then they critique it to hell and back bc its different than older trek even though it never fumbles as bad as old trek. imo. its flawed of course but cmon.)

prodigy (genuinely great kids cartoon that is enjoyable to watch and also respects its source material. it gave me janeway that voyager itself couldnt. best janeway characterization unironically)

the next generation (solid establishment of star trek staples so i gotta recognize it. albeit also has many very dated and bad episodes. i understand why its a classic despite the many bad episodes too)

lower decks (fumbling start with bigotry jokes and some jokes in poor taste in general but it evolves into a solid adult cartoon that cares about its source material)

enterprise (extremely flawed but it amuses me and it was going somewhere.... then it got cancelled ofc and worst ending of any star trek. great vulcan episodes though. i wish they couldve done their original vision. the opening amuses me.)

deep space nine (bigotry in the narrative killed me coupled with the cult classic status that gave me a huge shock. what did they do to my beautiful queens and why did every1 become turbohetero. arghhhh also i cant stop thinking abt weird woman treatment in general. and them separating garak and julian bc it was too gay. what was that about. god)

voyager (squandered potential to the max. sometimes watching it felt like pulling teeth. genuinely. not even annoyed it was just so mediocre not even trying to do anything with its cool setup and format)

the original series (extremely dated and often super uncomfortable to watch for me but has nice lighting. i can respect it as the origin but i genuinely do not like it all and i hate the claims that its the purest best star trek or w/e)

the animated series (its both ugly & extremely dated and i hate it deeply it makes me unhappy.)

still picard left. lol

addendum: i forgot about SNW. i dont enjoy it greatly unfortunately. i would probably place it below VOY

[mysticalserenity-tarot]

Hello fellower '96er. 😊 I'm E ♌️ and would like to ask where my connection could potentially lead or the purpose of it with an ♈️? Thank you! 🫶🏼

Hello E, my dear fellow '96er! 😁🤍

So, for your reading I got: KoS (middle-shuff-top), 10oP (top-shuff-jump deck), The Hermit (saw it again and again), The Tower, 10oC, The Moon, The Lovers, The Empress, PoS, 4oP (bottom). Let's dive in!

It's curious because I had the Knight of Swords in the middle of the deck and after shuffling the cards, it popped on the top of the deck so I thought it was meaningful. With the KoS I see you want to run from something or you're running towards something and for this reason the words "do not run, do not rush" are echoing on my mind. I feel like it's about your connection with this Aries, the KoS tells me that you want to jump to the next stage and that reminds me of 10 of Pentacles which was at the top of the deck and when I shuffled it literally jumped out. The 10oP is basically a completion card indeed the number 10 is all about fulfillment, completion of a cycle, making the end of one journey and the beginning of another where lessons are learned and rewards are reaped. I see you want to go straight to this stage which may be your goal like the Knight running to his motorobike towards his goal. Your goal with this person is probably going to the next stage of the connection or relationship (if you're in one but I doubt it) - The Hermit tells me that the connection between you both is on pause and you may be tired of this, annoyed like no thing's moving and you feel stuck. With 'on pause' I don't mean you don't interact with eachother anymore (if you do), but stuck on one stage until there's gonna be a big change, and with The Tower looking at me you probably don't want this change. You may be afraid or not willing to let go of something. I see you holding onto this thing or person with the 4 of Pentacles like this woman holding tightly her purse, maybe afraid that someone could steal it or she has no intention to share her goods with other people. I see this change being inevitable, you ignored it for too long that the universe got tired of that and put a stop. It doesn't hate you but wants this change for the better, for your sake. Everything the Universe does it's for our own sake, do not forget it guys. it's never hate. - The Hermit tells me that you should take a pause yourself and think about what you really want with this Aries because I see 3 cards about love connections and I noticed the 10oP - where it's pictured a family and yes completion also means family - is right next to The Empress and this card beside embodying the divine feminine, is about pregnancy.

I feel like this connection with your Aries is more important than you or they may think, I see a future relationship with them, because beside 10oP, we have 10 of Cups so another 10 and another card about love, below we have The Lovers. Do I need to add more? this is explaining itself! And if we look at the cards from right to left it's like seeing a sequence of events: The Lovers, The Empress, 10 of Pentacles. The relationship, the pregnancy, and finally the family. Completion. You have not just one, but two 10s to represent that.

- If you're in a relationship already (or connection) with this Aries person, I feel like it's still on the early stages with Page Of Swords or you're observing this person from afar, that's also why I mainly see the theme of not rushing and like I said it's echoing on my mind. Take it easy and your connection with your person may evolve into something more meaningful. Peobably after an upheaval, you letting go of something, changing your ways. Basically stop resisting the change (The Tower). Curious because the Tower card is next to the 10 of Cups - inner peace, love. You may even feel better after this massive shift. “In chaos I walk towards the brightest light”

The true lesson of the Tower is to be with it all, which means to be in the moment do not think about the future, find the beauty in the moment and live in it. See? we have the theme of not rushing and taking it easy, again. I feel like you're a person who wants everything the moment they ask. Life throw at us only what we can handle.

- Another big one is The Moon which I have at the top of the deck. I feel like you're confident with something yet confused (illusions) you don't know what to do and also scared of certain people, maybe that's why you're "clasping your purse close to your body" from "evil" eyes. But I have another important message for you, make sure you don't focus too much on material things or you feel envy and jealousy towards people who have accomplished more than you, you also will get to that stage, don't worry. And maybe you're with your mind already there with the KoS. But we need facts, right?

- Indeed the Page of Swords tells me that you believe everything you're thinking is real and we have again the theme of illusions with The Moon. Be careful with distinguishing realities from fantasies. You don't have to know things beforehand, the universe (whatever you believe in) doesn't like you to ignore its lessons and this is why I pulled The Tower, you cannot ignore anymore the Universe's lessons. But worry not, because like a Phoenix you'll remerge from the ashes and more powerful than before.

- Try to not think yours is the only truth (holding onto it - 4oP) it's time to consider also other people points of view. Like those of your Aries person I'm sure they'll be appreciated and that's probably what will bring the connection of you both to the next level.

- With PoS I feel like you're great at making connections but be careful because not everyone has good intentions with you, discern good from bad/undeveloped people. (The Moon)

In conclusion, your connection with this person has primarily the purpose of make you grown - and that's why we have connections with different people because we have several lessons to learn and they unconsciously bring out the shadow side of ourselves. If you do not rush and specially if you focus on yourself, on your goals, the connection with your Aries may evolve into something more meaningful, like the cards show me - a beautiful relationship or even marriage, pregnancy (family). But remember, nothing is set in stone. So, try not to lose yourself in fantasies (The Moon - top). Connections have ups and downs. Relationships have ups and downs as well. Not everything is candies and rainbows. Some connections are meant to be just a catalyst for our growth, others evolve in something more meaningful and concrete, but only when both people in the couple are ready. Grow up (not in a mean way), do some shadow work, learn your lessons, focus on your goals and you'll be ready for your person, if you want that. (they have to do the same)

Whether it's romantic or platonic, I still see a very very meaningful connection between you both.

[Air and Earth energy]

Hope I gave you some clarity and useful tips. Feedback is highly appreciated and since this is a free reading is extremely important for me. All the best !!! 💛

[httpdabi]

The Game

Genre: Smut

Summary: Playing a game made for couples with your best friend wasn’t such a bright idea. Or was it ?

Word count: 2.5k

Warnings: 18+ (Minors, leave me and my blog alone), spanking, mention of daddy kink, cream pie, rough, dom!Dabi, praising

,, Can you hurry up already ? ‘’ Touya yelled from the living room as you were getting ready. ,, We are only going to buy groceries, we ain’t going to Met Gala for fucks sake’’ he hissed, once he realised that you ain’t answering him.

,, Give me a second’’ you screamed, as you were putting on your mascara carefully.

,, I gave you a whole fucking hour, woman’’ Touya snapped back, rolling his eyes playfully. He had to stress around a bit. Thinking about it, the two of you looked like married couple, yet you were nothing more than two best friends and roommates.

Once you were done, you made your way toward the shopping center that wasn’t that far away from your apartment. There wasn’t any specific reason the two of you were going there, you only needed some groceries to get, and you could literally get that in the store near your apartment. But the two of you decided to go out a bit, since both of you were pretty much focused on the studies last few days.

You and Touya know each other since you were little kids. Your mother and Rei were childhood best friends, so you and Touya grew up together. It was one of those forced friendships, that would have some huge development later on. As you were getting older, you started realising that you actually liked spending your time with him.

,, I hate this.. When I have money, there is nothing nice to buy, but when I’m broke as fuck, every dress is looking beautiful’’ you rolled your eyes disappointedly. Every time you don’t have much money, the stores around are having such a beautiful collections.

Of course, being your best friend, Touya always bought you clothes you had your eyes on, as a small surprise after you had a long and hard day at uni. You really loved him. Not only because of that, but simply for being him. Everyone knew how damn grateful you were for having him and your life and you really never tried to hide that.

,, Let’s go see if they have some board games, maybe we can buy something and play tonight’’ Touya suggested, grabbing your hand as he took the lead. Every time Touya would hold your hand, your heart would skip a beat. Probably because of the fact that you had one big and fat crush on your best friend.

You were not sure when did it start. Maybe when he pierced his nose, or when people started thinking that the two of you are couple, or maybe the feeling was always there, but you kept it somewhere buried in your mind. Hiding it from everyone and especially from him.

,, Oh, I always wanted to play thing game’’ Touya said, holding a small, black package in his hands. You tried to grab it away from him, but unsuccessfully.

,, What is it ? Show me’’ You squeaked excitedly, hoping it’s something fun.

,, It’s Drunk in love’’ He said, waving the small package in the air. Confusion and jealousy washed over you as you looked at the back of the package. You’ve heard about that game, it’s one for couples.

,, Should we buy it ? I really want to play it’’ He asked. Only confusion was left in your body once he asked you that.

,, Isn’t that a game for couples ?’’ You asked him back.

,, Yeah, but it really isn’t something special, after all everyone is mistaking us for couple, so i don’t see a problem here’’ Touya said, winking at you. ,, Unless you are scared’’ he added fast. You knew that he was just trying to tease you a bit, it was how he always got things his way.

,, You know very well that I ain’t scared. But Touya, that’s not something we should play’’ you said honestly. Sure you would love to play that with him, but you didn’t know what kind of game that really is, so it gave you mixed feelings.

,, Trust me, the game is not a big deal. It’s just fun.’’ He said, looking down at you, hoping you’ll agree with his suggestion. ,, Trust me doll’’ he repeated, and the moment you let a deep breath out and rolled your eyes, Touya knew that he won, making his way to the cashier immediately.

,, Let’s buy something to drink at least’’ you said, hoping that the game won’t be so bad at the end.

,, We have to, it’s a drinking game anyway’’ Touya laughed, placing one arm around you, as the two of you walked to the store with alcohol.

The two of you bought a bottle of vodka, before you made your way home. Not wasting any time, Touya helped you put the groceries in the fridge, before he opened the small package. He took two small glasses for shots, and placed them beside the deck of cards that were already on the table in the living room.

You took two normal glasses and orange juice, in case the vodka might be too much. Touya was already waiting for you, searching for some music on YouTube, as he sat on the floor.

,,Here’’ Touya offered you a cigarette, once you sat on the other side, placing one pillow under your ass. You gladly accepted the cigarette, as you enjoyed the music he found.

The two of you drank few shots of vodka, before you started to play. You weren’t sure what to expect of that game, but if you were being honest, the alcohol was helping you, even tho it was just a little bit.

,, Imma go first’’ Touya said, taking one card. ,, Describe your worst hookup ever or drink’’ he read it out lout. Okay, that wasn’t something so bad, after all, you’ve already talked about it with him.

,, Ehh, that one time I slept with Kai.’’ You said rolling your eyes as you thought about it.

,,Ah, that time when you though he’s still fingering you ?’’ Touya asked, laughing a bit.

,, Yes Touya, his dick was that small’’ You laughed, feeling a little bit more comfy about the stupid game. ,, My turn’’ you added, taking one card.

,, Reveal your biggest sexual fantasy or drink’’ You read it excitedly, wiggling your eyebrows at him.

,, Yeah, no’’ Touya laughed, taking a shot without thinking twice, leaving you all disappointed. ,, Pull another one’’ Touya said, closing his eyes because of the strong taste of the alcohol.

,, Give your parter a piggy back ride around the room or drink’’ a big smile formed on your face as you read the sentence.

,, Easy peasy’’ Touya commented, standing up. The moment he turned around, giving you a sign to hop on his back, you did it. The two of you looked like children, running around the apartment like crazy.

,, Drink if you’ve ever faked an orgasm’’ Touya said, placing the card on the table. Of course you had to drink, thanking God you didn’t have to take a shot for every orgasm you faked.

Card after card, and shot after shot, the two of you were getting tipsier and the cards were getting spicier.

,, Blindfold your partner and make them guess which body part they’re touching or drink’’ Touya read the sentence, glad he was the one who found it first. ,, Yeah, you gonna chicken out ‘’ he teased.

,, Shut up and close your eyes’’ You said thinking about what part you should let him touch. Everything was way too easy to guess. At one point you were almost sure that there was a typo on the card, and that you should touch yourself and he should guess which part, but Touya was 100% sure that he was supposed to touch you.

Taking his hands, you decided that it would be the best if he would touch your collar and breast bones. At your surprise, he was tracing his fingers lightly over your skin, furrowing his eyebrows confusingly as he tried to understand what part of your body he’s touching.

,, Collarbones’’ He said opening his eyes immediately. ,, Ok, you’ve lost, drink’’ he commanded with a smirk on his face, as he took another card.

,, Take one article of clothing or drink’’ Touya placed the card on the table, leaning back onto the lower part of your couch. When he took of his shirt, showing of his perfectly toned body covered with various different tattoos, you realised that the card was referring to both of you. Since your shirt was a bit oversized, you decided to take of your pants.

Trying to ignore the small situation you found yourself in, you took another card fast.

,, Let your partner spank you or drink’’ you read it confusedly, trying to understand what the fuck is happening. Once you understood, you started shaking your head in disbelief, following with one loud laugh. What the fuck did you get yourself into ?

,, Come on doll, come to daddy ‘’ Touya joked, spreading his arms over the couch, as you took the shot of vodka anyway, before you made your way toward him.

Not giving you much time, Touya pulled you down, bending you over his lap. ,, You have no idea how much I wanted to do this’’ He confessed, as he pulled your shirt just enough to show your ass. You couldn’t even focus on his small confession, since you were trying to prepare yourself on the upcoming spanks.

Instead of spanking you, Touya decided to take his time with you, tracing his fingers over your hips and playing with the ends of your panties, pulling them up, forming a thong with them. You were glad that some alcohol was in your system, because you were pretty sure that sober you would never survive that.

,, Now doll, be a good girl and take every single spank for daddy’’ Touya whispered, before he connected his palm with your ass cheek, making you yelp in pain. With every spank he gave you, the pain was getting intenser. But you didn’t mind, after all, isn’t that what you wished for ?

,, Such a good Girl’’ He prised, caressing the red marks he left over your ass. Once you got back on the other side of the table, both you and him started laughing hysterically.

,, Lick your partner below the waist or finish your drink’’ Touya said, smirking widely once again. ,, There’s no way I’m finishing this drink’’ He added, grabbing your arm and pushing you toward him.Touya pushed up on the couch, as he started licking your legs slowly.

You couldn’t believe what the fuck was happening. Both of you half naked, playing some overly sexual game, which led him to licking your legs. You weren’t sure what was driving you more crazy, him licking your legs or his erection that was showing under his grey sweatpants.

Touya placed his hand on your tight, giving in one strong squeeze as he was placing wet kisses on your right inner tight. You could feel his lips getting closer and closer to your private parts, but you didn’t dare to say anything.

,, Wanna know what my fantasy is ?’’ Touya asked, kissing and biting onto the skin around your panties. All you could do is nod your head quietly, lost under his touch and soft kisses.

,, You, you are my biggest fantasy. I want to have you all for myself’’ Touya said hovering over you. ,, I want you to be mine’’ he added, looking you directly in the eyes, before he started leaving soft kisses all over your face.

,, Wanna be mine ? Just you and me doll’’ He asked, biting your lip.

,, Yes’’ You answered him so fast. Fuck yes you want to be his, He didn’t even have to ask you that, you were always his.

Once he heard you say that, Touya pulled his sweatpants and boxers down, letting his hard dick jump straight up. Not breaking the kiss, he started rubbing the tip of his dick around your entrance.

,, Doll, tell me if I’m too rought’’ He said, entering you slowly while he sucked onto your neck, leaving wet love bites. You couldn’t manage to give him a proper answer, hoping that simply nodding your head was understandable enough.

Once he was fully inside of you, he gave you some time to adjust to his size before he started rocking his hips into you. He wasn’t doing it slow, and the position you were in wasn’t the most comfortable one, but you didn’t care about that. All you could think of was the pleasure he was giving you at the moment, mixed with pain.

You wrapped your legs around his waist as he rammed into you recklessly, breathing into your neck as his moves were getting stronger and stronger.

,, So tight for me’’ Touya groaned, enjoying the warm feeling your walls were giving him. It felt like you were made just for him. Placing one hand on your hip, and other one on the edge of the couch, he increased his speed, fucking you stronger and deeper than before. With every move he made, he was hitting your g spot, making you moan louder and louder. You were pretty sure that your neighbours were able to hear the two of you, but none of you gave a single fuck.

Both of you were about to cum. His groans were getting louder, and he was fucking you ever harder, while your walls were getting tighter and tighter around him, making it even more enjoyable for him.

,, You can cum inside’’ You managed to say somehow, moaning his name and squeezing your eyes shut once you reached your high.

,, I was planning to ’’ He groaned, fucking you through your orgasm, making it even better for you. After few thrusts, he spilled his seed deep into you. Moving few more times as he made sure to fill you nice and good, not wasting a single drop of his sperm. Once he was done, he collapsed on top of you, fighting for his breath.

,, I love you so much Doll’’ he said, connecting his lips with your own.

,, I love you too’’ You answered him, smiling widely into the kiss.

That night he took care of you, cleaning you, and taking you to his room, making sure that you are alright and that he didn’t hurt you. That night he made sure to clear some things out, he made sure that you wouldn’t think this was some sort of misunderstanding. Telling you how he actually always wanted to ask you out, and how that game was just a chance for him to get him where he is now. With you in his bed, locked between his arms.

That night you understood that your crush was never one sided, and that you were the reason why your best friend never dated anyone else.

Who would have thought that such a dirty game could bring people together ? Would lead them to confessing to each other. You sure didn’t think so, yet there you are, instead of daydreaming about it, you are enjoying the warmth of your best friend, roommate and lover.

[thephantomcasebook]

Alicent being a boy mom ...

And a little extra Helaemond if you got it.

Hmm ...

I've never actually written Helamond before ...

Well, all the girlies will either like it or they'll let me know otherwise.

(Note: The Characterization of Daeron is from another post I did where someone asked me to introduce the character my own way in the show)

Well, live or die, here's my Helamond shot.

He could still see her falling.

He wanted to twist her beautiful curling locks in his hand, yank her head back, and demand to know why she was stupid?! She could’ve gotten killed! But instead, she is pressed hard against his chest – not being able to tell where she started, and he began. They were latched tight to his saddle, her arms about his neck. Her hot breath was in his ear, repeating nonsense over and over again – “A sapphire lost in the God’s Eye!” He felt her clutching him hard, nuzzling his neck, tears streaming down her milky cheeks. “A sapphire lost in the God’s Eye!” She was afraid, petrified.

Queen Helaena Targaryen was not made nor meant for a battlefield, to be in the air filled with cries of flame and roars of hate.  Below them, fireballs of pitch and ruins of stone arced up at them from the catapults of the Velaryon blockade. The gleam of red, orange, and blue flames from burning ships reflected in the gentle tears of the young queen of the Seven Kingdoms as she sat astride Vhagar in reverse. Aemond’s left hand was clutching the handle of his saddle, the right firmly grasping Helaena’s leather clad arse to force her against him as they maneuvered above.

A fury, unbridled and murderous, came over him when the flaming arrows and exploding pitch halted. When he leaned over to glance down, his single eye bulged in rage. Fore there he was, landed on the damaged and half enflamed Velaryon flagship. The sleek and graceful creature of cerulean scale, a beast of royalty, sat poised for even the slightest flinch on the deck of the ship. A figure in golden dragon wing helm with masked eye guard and green streamers to represent the flame of Old Town at war, sat astride his majestic beast. All around him, the ashen and seared sailors of the beaten flagship gathered behind Corlys Velaryon who stood stalwart with his Valyrian Steel axe in hand, his white whiskers scorched.

Yet, he lowered his weapon.

Fore laying in the young dragon knight’s arms was a silver haired young woman in tight leather and stricken crimson scale armor. Baela Targaryen was staring at the figure who held her gently in wonder and amazement. For a moment she couldn’t understand it, couldn’t believe it.

 He … he saved her life?

She had been felled by Vhagar as she rushed to save her grandmother whose dragon, Meleys, was held by a monstrous foot in vise by her pink rigged neck. But when she dove at her late mother’s dragon, the old bitch craned her head, her maw closing about Moondancer’s wing, ripping most of it off. Baela’s scream was shrill and lost in the wind as she fell to the earth, the sea rushing toward her like a green tinted wall. Her grandmother could do nothing but watch. In that last moment, the young beauty thought of her mother, her smile, her kisses, the warmth of her body as she read to her girls. Then, like a blue comet, a figure came diving in a flash, buzzing Vhagar, Meleys, Prince Aemond, Queen Helaena, and the helpless Princess Rhaenys line a typhoon wind. It gave chase to the falling girl like a bolt of lightning. An arm wrapped Baela’s waist and pulled her to a stricken and repaired breast plate with the worn engraving of the High Tower upon it. Suddenly, with a dip in her taut belly, they leveled out just a foot or so from the surface of the sea. It was then that she found herself in unfamiliar arms that held her tenderly … perfectly.

They had never met, but she knew of him, heard stories around the Painted Table. Jace spoke very highly of him, Luke admired him, Father hated him, and Rhaenyra did not wish to discuss him one way or the other. For Baela, she had no opinion of her cousin till the last fifteen minutes when Moondancer couldn’t keep up, Meyleys took his chained Morningstar whip in the head twice, And Grandmother’s nose broke against the sole of his boot when he unlatched himself from the saddle and came flying downward as she angled to burn Aemond and … Queen Helena.  Baela thought she hated him, feared him, was frustrated that he and his blue queen were untouchable. But now she felt only shock … only …

What she had hoped Jace and she would find in time.

A bare ebony hand touched the silken green scarf of Queen Alicent’s favor that was wrapped about the mouth and nose of the helmeted dragon knight. She smelt the pleasing scent of her aunt as she leaned in and gave a peck to where she thought her cousin’s lips might be. Then, she cautiously slipped from his self-crafted and battle worn saddle, flush at his almost intimate touch helping her down. But whatever soft and looming emotions that fluttered in her heart soon retreated when the cerulean dragon craned her head back and gave a cry of threat at the girl’s lingering.

Quickly, Baela stumbled back to the open arms of her grandfather. For a time, Lord Corlys Velaryon and the Dragon Knight matched glares. It was an offering, the paying of a debt – for the life of one Driftmark heir had the other’s life been spared. And needing not to be told the context or meaning of the gallant gesture, Lord Velaryon took his axe in hand and placed it to his chest and bowed his head in gratitude. In response, the young knight simply gave his former captain and comrade in arms a familiar two finger salute before he urged his mount to take off in Valyrian. With a roar, the she-dragon lifted off into the air, flying low, back to Kings landing. And for a time, among the horror and terror of the “Dance of Dragons” there was glimpse of honor and mutual respect between Green and Black on that afternoon.

The battle was over.

But not at the Dragon Pit.

With an order in Valyrian, Tessarion clawed low into the dark. She could smell, hear, the snorting shuffle of livestock - victory morsels. However – and luckily – before Daeron Targaryen could remove his nicked and battle scared helmet, something hard and powerful contacted it. The blow rattled his brain like coppers in a jar. The young knight immediately found himself on the ground, a voice in sinister Valyrian shouting at him. Meanwhile, what sounded like his sister was protesting. Then, a hand grasped his battered breastplate and yanked him into a siting potion. There, in a murderous rage, was his brother Aemond, his single eyes nearly black in the darkness of the Dragon Pit.

“<Blood Traitor!>” He snarled at him in Valyrian. “<You spared our sisters would be killer! Craven pup!>” He punched Daeron again, making the winged dragon helm sing from the strike.

But this time the coppers didn’t rattle – only the cage of the dragon in his blood. In anger and madness  boiling from the fight still coursing within, Daeron went right back into battle instinct learned from years of fighting on the Stepstones. He immediately swept a foot and heel kicked Aemond across the back of the knee. Then, when knelt, Daeron launched headfirst with his helmet, smashing its armored brow against Aemond forehead - drawing blood. With clenched teeth of rage, the younger brother tackled the older into the dust of the Dragon Pit.

Soon, they began rolling and punching, cries and snarls of curses in Common Tongue and Valyrian echoed into the vast arena. Around them the Dragon Keepers watched on neutrally with their tall staffs and scorched crimson and cream robes. Meanwhile, Queen Helaena paced anxiously as she covered her ears to drown out the violence and the stream of angry emotion from the men she loved that came on like waves of a typhoon that violated her sweet and gentle nature.

Immediately, astride two white stallions, followed by a mounted guard of men in Hightower armor, the visage of the Dowager Queen Alicent and her Lord Commander Ser Criston Cole appeared with a clatter of hooves in the vast open space. The queen’s luxurious copper locks flowed like a banner as she raced into the Dragon Pit, afear of what losses she would face from the mission this afternoon. But instead she pulled back on the reigns of Ser Criston’s name day gift to her.

“Hey!” She called loudly in alarm.

In front of her was a tall figure in highly crafted black sable armor and a younger silhouette in stricken and cobbled pieces of battle-damaged Hightower armor and a weathered and patched cloak, rolling about. They looked like hounds in a kennel fighting over a bone or an errant challenge in the hall. They gripped and punched, Aemond pulling on the green streamers atop Daeron’s golden dragon helm, while Daeron was shoving Aemond’s face into the dust, metal squealing and rattling as they continuously rolled, trying to get and deny leverage to one another. All the while Helaena, in tight black leather trousers and matching scaled doublet of Dragon riding gear, paced around them, ears covered, and choking on the rapid words and phrases she said aloud to comfort herself.

“Aemond! Stardust!” She called out to them. “Enough!” Alicent leapt from the back of her horse, Criston grasping the bridle.

“Prince Aemond! Daeron!” Criston shouted as he dismounted, waiting for one of the queen’s guard to take their matching stallions’ reins.

Helaena marched away from her mother’s bracing grip as she watched her boys rolling around, shouting words she understood – even the foreign ones – and would never allow them to utter in her home, much less in public. With gritted teeth of determination, Alicent flung herself into the fray. She got hold of the back of the golden helmeted youth that wore the green embroidered scarf of her silken favor about his mouth and nose under his eye guard. With all her strength she put her youngest child in a choke hold and pulled with her slender legs and creamy hamstrings.

“Stardust … stop it!” She growled into Daeron’s ear as she got him upon his knees, prying him off Aemond. Then, with a startled gasp - not wearing shoes that carried the cobbled traction needed for such strenuous physical activities as pulling apart your two scrapping youngest children – Alicent fell backward, taking Daeron with her. She landed on her bottom; her arms wrapped like a vise about her youngest’s chest. There she held him as he squirmed against her.

“Oh, no you don’t!” She gritted crushing the back of his helmeted head into the crook of her neck, covering his eyes so he couldn’t escape.

It would’ve left him vulnerable for Aemond when he recovered, if the anger and bloodlust of the battle was not shocked out of the tall lean young man by a blast of cold. As he turned over onto his stomach to push himself back onto his feet to pursue his traitorous sibling, he let out a cry of shock and confusion when something wet and frigid thunder down upon him. With wide eye, Aemond glanced around - now soaking wet – to find Lord Commander Cole with an overturned bucket from the fire safety trough.

With a shiver and chatter, the outraged prince struggled to get to his feet – incensed at needing Ser Criston’s help. He pushed the man away, who only smirked in that annoying, know-it-all, way that his teacher and mentor always had since he could remember. With a wet rattle, Aemond ripped off his black helm with green plume and threw it down, his long silvery hair soaked and dripping. But when he saw Daeron still on the ground he made to approach.

“Don’t you dare!” Alicent’s voice was like a whip that cracked, keeping the lion at bay.

Ser Criston already firmly placed his grip on the young warrior prince’s breast plate in restraint. And each time that Aemond swatted his hand away, the Lord Commander’s other replaced it, retaliating by shoving him back further and further with his palms. Meanwhile, Alicent had gotten to her feet and was pulling Daeron’s arm till he found his own. The youth’s light armor – stricken breast plate, a shoulder plate on his sword arm, vambraces, and all covered by a tattered cloak she wove him long ago – made it easier for him to stand.

Yet, the moment he did, Alicent grasped her son by the golden winged dragon helm and slipped it from his head.  Immediately a mane of her own waving copper curls in a half hazard messy ponytail slipped free. With his mouth and nose covered by her green favor, Daeron’s brow line and eyes were of such a striking match to her own face that she might have been looking into a gender bent mirror. Throwing his helmet away, Alicent reached up and pulled down the silken scarf to see the sculpted boyish stubble of copper hair on his chin.

‘Enough!” She snapped in his face, grasping Gwayne’s former breast plate and pulling it down so that Daeron was looking right into their matching eyes. No sooner had she done this, when she strode over and grasped Aemond by his prominent chin and pulled him down to make eye contact.

“Do-you-hear-me?!” She annunciated every syllable, nodding her son’s head with her cadence. Then, when she heard the petulant answer of the classic Aemond Targaryen non-answer of “Mmhn”, she tossed his head back. But she didn’t stop there.

“You!” She strode over to Helaena who turned away from her. But that wasn’t gonna fly today. She grabbed Helaena back by the arm and twisted her to face her. “What were you thinking?!” She yelled at her daughter. “You are the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms!” She shook the girl. “You cannot go flying into the middle of a battle or a dragon duel!” She shook her. “Why?!” She demanded of her daughter.

“A sapphire lost in the God’s Eye!” She snapped angrily at her mother. “Lost forever, never to be found!” Her voice cracked in devastation and fear.

 A look of heartbroken and helpless confusion fell over Alicent’s countenance as she searched Helaena’s distressed face but found no recognition, no understanding. Teary eyes of falling anger glassed over as her hand reached out to pet her silvery blonde hair. But the girl turned away and paced over to stand by Aemond, covering her ears as she laid her head against his shoulder. The dowager queen took a shaky breath to collect herself before she walked the short distance between her two sons.

“What is going on?!”

“Baela dove on Dreamfyre while Stardust was playing with Princess Rhaenys! She could’ve killed Helaena if it wasn’t for Vhagar!” Aemond was incensed. The use of Alicent’s pet name for her youngest babe stung and seared Daeron when used against him in mockery.

“How was I supposed know that Helaena and Dreamfyre was going to go wandering into the middle of the battle?!” Daeron replied hotly. “I was supposed to be keeping the old hag and Moondancer busy while you opened a lane for the Blockade Runner!” He announced.

“Baela tried to kill our sister, your queen! And you decided to save her life! <You spared, boy>!” Aemond finished in Valyrian.

“I did what I thought was right!” Daeron countered forthright and chest forward. “There’s an honor in the way we fight!” He said stalwartly. “It’s what separates and distinguishes us from Daemon and his thugs!” He scorned in lecture.  

“This is war!” Aemond cried angrily.

“Don’t!”

There was a dangerous snarl that was so heavy that it came out in a whisper from the young knight’s mouth. Alicent turned at the noise, the deep traumatic stress that set her motherly instinct aflame.

“Don’t you talk at me, Aemond, about war!” Daeron gritted his teeth, his eyes suddenly alight with memories or horrors undreamed upon the small rocky chain of islands that could not be unseen. “I know more about it then you ever will!” the young knight’s eyes grew haunted and his voice distant.

Alicent found herself at the youth’s side, her hand slipping into his, her eyes sorrowed.

“You read too many story books, brother!” Aemond grew fierce then, Helaena’s breath on his ear like the fanning air to the flames in his blood. He could still see her falling from Dreamfyre’s saddle when Moondancer slashed across her belly - Vhagar too big, too bulky, almost losing Helaena on the horizon as she fell. It was only by an instinct he couldn’t quantify, that he could … sense where she was. Reach out and take her hand when he couldn’t see her. The fear, the helplessness of almost losing her …

It made him fiercer than his dragon.

“There’s no room for heroes here, brother!” He stepped away, in front of their sister, as if to protect her from this valiant and noble fool with their mother’s face. “The guilt for whatever sins you weep about into our mother’s breasts in the night have no place in my army!” He said rancorously. “I hear Daeron “The Daring” was a champion, hero of the Stepstones – that he and his dragon Tessarion sank the largest war galley in the world at the Battle of Tara-Haj.” He scoffed as if it were some tall tale told in a tavern. “But I only see a mewling and wailing tourney knight! Mother’s arse a pillow while hiding behind her silk skirts and more worried about his own honor than protecting his sister, his queen!” He snarled, pointing the finger of prosecution at the handsome young knight.  

 “Careful, Brother …” Daeron fixed the tall man with dark look. “ <Don’t mistake murdering a boy and his hatchling for being a warrior.>” The youth replied with a deep distain in cutting High Valyrian.

“Hey-Hey-Hey!”

They drove so hard at one another that the only obstacle to their rematch was the crushing together of Alicent and Criston – back to back – as both young men were barely restrained by their mother and their mentor. Alicent squinted, gritting her teeth as she pushed back against her youngest, her arms wrapped around his torso, her cheek against his scorched and scared breastplate. Meanwhile, Criston’s lips were pressed in strain at he had Aemond under the arms trying to walk the slender spear of a man backward. Both the queen and her protector’s heads and hair were battered by flailing arms and hands striking at the other. Eventually, with a twist, Criston got Aemond off his feet, tossing him upon the ground. With a clank and sliding of metal, he dragged the violent young man by the back of his chest piece toward Helaena as he kicked and struggled.

“Stay down!” Criston snapped shoving the young prince back onto the floor when he tried to get back up.

Then, suddenly there was another splash of water that was thrown into Aemond’s face. With a spit and a snarl, murder was in his single eye as he turned to see which dead man it was. But instead, his fire was quenched in shock and confusion when he looked up to see that it had been Helaena with the bucket in hand. Her eyes were stern, her face cold – the same expression she gave Aegon. That single look of disappointment and displeasure alone stopped everything within Aemond in its tracks. He gave a pride saving grunt and “Mmnhm” as he turned his steely eye forward past Criston – pacified by his queen’s want.

“Enough! Stardust, look at me!” Alicent struggled with her little boy. “It’s me! Stardust, it’s me!” She said forcefully till he stopped wrestling with her. “It’s done. It’s time to stop!” She gave him a sobering shake, knowing of the madness, the manias, and flashbacks to war and violence that lived within him – how he suffered in their thralldom. It was only then, lost in her eyes, the soft melodic velvet of her familiar voice, that a sobriety took over him. Alicent grabbed Daeron by his ears and forced his head down. When their eyes matched, a fierce and stern look was wrapped in a loving sympathy.

“Okay?” She said softly.

“Yeah …” He replied emotionally.

“Yeah?”

“It’s fine …” He nodded, his eyes losing their sharpness.

“Go outside and wait for me and Ser Criston.” She ordered handing him his distinct dragon winged helm.

There was a half nod in his reluctance as there remained a fiery glare at Aemond - who was now laying down in the muddy spot, hands behind his head – waiting for his scolding as one does for the sunset in a flowery field. Meanwhile, Helaena looked at her little brother with a soft wilting smirk of love – assurance that she did not agree with their brother. But before he had left Alicent’s shadow, the queen grasped his arm and pulled him back to her. She cupped his cheeks and pulled his head down low to her.   

 “Reluctance to murder is not a weakness …!” Alicent whispered to Daeron, touching her forehead to his. The youth did not say anything, he simply nodded, letting her nuzzle and nip his nose in maternal affection and pride of his conduct that day on the field of battle. Then, she gave him a soft shove of parental steel, sending him on his way.

“Get up, Aemond!”

“…”

“Get up!”

With a noise of bemusement, the youth found his feet in a timelier manner than anyone was expecting. But his jaw grew tight when slender pale hands grasped his breast plate and pulled him close. Her hand gripped his chin once more and used it like a hinge as she turned his head left to right, checking the cut on his forehead and gashed cheek where Princess Rhaenys had caught him with her whip. Satisfied that nothing was serious, she let go. He did not respond when she gave a pensive shake of his chest in her hard grip.

“Thank you …” She sighed. “For saving Helaena, for looking after her.” She nodded.

“You don’t have to thank me, Mother.” He stood impeccably upright, immaculately postured. “I wouldn’t let any harm to come to her.” Aemond was more sincere than she ever thought possible. “You know that.” He nodded.

“Yes …” She replied. “And we’ve won a victory today. Our envoys have gotten past the blockade and are on their way to negotiate with The Triarchy. You and your brother have destroyed over a dozen Velaryon ships, and you’ve permanently maimed one Rhaenyra’s dragons.” Alicent praised.

“A day to be celebrated.” Aemond gave a nod.

“A day not to be squandered.” She corrected. “With baseless accusations and slander!” She suddenly snapped.

“He spared Baela –“ He began.

“And he saved your life and Helaena’s too when Rhaenys had you two right where she wanted! I watched from the Tower of the Hand from the Grand Maester’s telescope! Or do you deny it?!” Her eyes fixed on the stalwart and carful warrior prince.

“I do not.” He looked away.

Alicent turned Aemond’s head gently to face her. “We cannot fight a war against Rhaenyra and ourselves.” She said softly. “Perhaps, mistakes were made. Foolish things done!” Helaena had the decency to look chastised when Alicent’s gaze fell upon her in accusation. “But you cannot win this war on your own Aemond.” Her eyes glistened. “You and Daeron are the sole compliment of our dragon riders. When you’re out there, you need each other.” She placed her hand on the Targaryen insignia on his black breastplate. “Don’t bring the war home with you.” She stroked his chest.

She smirked softly when Aemond grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

“Of course, Mother.” He said dutifully. “I’m sorry if I …” He cleared his throat.

“It happens to all of us, my dearest boy.” She nodded. “Now get Helaena home … we’ll meet you there.” Alicent replied, needing only a glance to convey her plans to Ser Criston – a shorthand of sixteen years of devotion to one another. As they left, Criston clasped Aemond’s shoulder in comradery, the two sharing a nod of affectionate endearment as the Dowager Queen and the Lord Commander paced outside. 

When they were gone, Aemond turned to find Helaena standing near him. Something different, relaxed, relieved, was in her countenance as they stood alone together in the vast hall of the Dragon Pit. A soft smile touched her face as she paced closer to him.

“It …” She shook her head cautiously. “It wasn’t today.” She said, his eyes fluttering shut at the soft and smooth warmth of the sun in her heavenly palms that stroked his cheek in reverence.

“What wasn’t?” He asked.

“I saw a sapphire lost forever in the God’s Eye …” She replied, a single tear falling down her cheek. “And I thought it was today.” She nodded. “I thought it was today.” She repeated in a strangled whisper of dueling relief of the hour and fear for the unknown of many tomorrows.

Then, to assuage her, Aemond removed his eyepatch to reveal the sapphire that she had once given him, breaking it free from her favorite necklace as compensation – replacing something she loved with something else just as precious.

“Not today.” He said confidently.

He did not flinch nor blink when her finger reached out and touched the sapphire, his hand grasping her own, leading her digit across the smooth surface of the jewel.

“Not today …” She whispered again, a sobbed little chuckle.

Then, he took her in his arms as she clung to him, crying happy tears as his strong jaw nuzzled the silky locks of her silvery blonde hair.

Perhaps one day a sapphire will be lost forever to the God’s Eye …

But it wasn’t today.           

[bastart13]

Unfortunately I couldn’t help but think through a few ironic implications of Portia’s Reversed ending

Fic below the cut

[1.5k words, tw character dying, set in Portia’s Reversed ending so spoilers]

A decade or so after their story ended

Isha let their head fall back with a rattling, haggard sigh. They closed their eyes, letting the gentle rocking of the docked ship lull their heart into a calm pace. It was almost enough for them to forget their troubles if it wasn’t for the sharp aches in their hip or the sheer effort it took to take a breath.

They’d never been good at listening to their own discomfort. They’d lived with discomfort all the life they remembered, whether it be from minor inconveniences with their arm, or the ever-present fatigue since magic left their world. But now, their body screamed at them everything they’d been trying to ignore. Everything they’d kept from Portia.

A chipper, rhythmic knocking on the door took them out of their thoughts. Despite everything, Isha couldn’t help but smile.

“Welcome back,” they called.

The door swung open with no hesitation as their wife bound into the room. Her sunny smile lit up the room, emphasising the wrinkles around her mouth and eyes. A true smile, reserved for Isha and their children alone. She kicked off her worn boots, shutting the door behind her as she waltzed over to the bed.

“I’ve been missing you,” she teased, leaning in for a quick kiss. “We should be ready to undock soon. Jasna’s grown up to be a fine bosun. I swear, soon they’ll be rigging the boat with their hands tied behind their back just for the challenge. Right after we—”

Portia’s eyes locked onto their bedside table. A half-finished tankard of beer sat over an unfamiliar note filled edge-to-edge with scrawling ink. Her eyebrows tensed, frowning.

“Was Ilya here?”

“Yes, he just left,” Isha said. “He was sorry he couldn’t stay to see you, but he needed to get back to his partner before dark.”

“Did he at least squeeze in a ‘hello’ to his nieces and nephews?” she asked, her voice lightening to a dangerous cheer. Isha shook their head, looking back to the note.

“No…”

They needed to tell her.

He’d written everything she’d need to know but she didn’t deserve to hear it from Julian’s letter.

Portia stroked through their dull curls, pushing them away from their face before gently cupping their cheek.

“Are you feeling better from this morning?” she asked.

Isha took a short, weary breath.

“I’m not well, Portia,” they said softly. “I went outside for some fresh air this afternoon, when I ran into Julian and I had one of those attacks. He helped me back to see what was wrong and it’s getting worse.”

Hurt flickered across her expression before she slapped on a determined smile.

“But he told you how to treat it, right? That’s what the note is. I know we’re charted to sail down the Strait of Seals but if we don’t have what you need or the cold would be too much, we can change course,” she reassured, picking up a pace with no intention of stopping. “And look on the bright side! Now Ilya’s seen you, we might be able to get you back on your feet. You’ve been feeling low for a while now, think of all the places we can visit once you’re better. You can get back off the ship and travel inland. I’ve heard it’s really settled down in the north and I’d love it if we could visit Sun lake again—”

“There’s nothing to treat it,” Isha asserted, but Portia barrelled past.

“—And if we’re passing through Galbrada we can meet back up with Lavi. In his last letters, he was so excited about his travels—”

“I’m dying.”

Portia’s voice cut out.

The ship creaked and drummed with the distant movement of the crew above deck but to them, the quiet hung in the air like a dense fog.

“You’re not dying,” she insisted, the shine in her eyes fracturing. “You’re not dying, you’ll be okay,” she repeated. “I’m the Ambassador of Vesuvia! Along with Prakra, we’re one of the most powerful cities in the land and I have ships in every port in the five seas, loaded with imports. Ilya just must not know what we have access to. Even if—if you’re as ill as he says, we can find a cure. He could look again o-or we could go to Nazali. I know they’re older now, but they’ve trained so many medics, and if that doesn’t work, I know the leader of Urdangabil. They’re one of the leading pioneers of new medicine and if I look through my silvered book, I’m sure I can find something to get her to—”

“No.” Isha gripped Portia’s hand, staring deep into her eyes. Their gaze softened, their care hurting her more than any blade. “I’m dying, Portia

She frantically shook her head, her lip quivering.

“Don’t say that.”

“I’ve been dying ever since the magic left.”

“You’re not going to die! You’re going to be okay…”

“I was never going to live that long. It was borrowed time.”

“You told me you were okay!” Portia sobbed. There was nothing else she could say. She broke.

Pearly tears streamed down her cheeks and she collapsed into Isha’s embrace. She gripped their nightdress, holding onto them like a drowning woman to driftwood. Helpless sobs wracked through her body and Isha held onto their wife in return, gently rubbing her shoulder with their stump. It felt unfair. They were still so warm. Their heart beat the same reassuring patter as whenever Portia curled up against their chest. How could they… How…

But she knew how. She knew why and the thought only made her choking cries harsher.

“I’m sorry…” Isha said softly. “You deserved to know sooner… I wasn’t okay.”

Their chest grew wet from Portia’s tears and they only held her closer.

“It’s… gotten worse over the years,” they explained. “The first few were just this tiredness, but then my headaches came back. Tiredness became exhaustion. I felt… hollow. Like I was using myself up from the inside with every breath and step. It wasn’t until Julian saw me that I recognised it… You know me; I’m useless at asking for help.” They tried for a smile, even if Portia couldn’t see it. “I’m thankful every day I didn’t put that promise in my vows.”

Her crying hitched with a hysterical laugh before slamming her fist against their chest.

“STOP IT!” she yelled, her voice cracking. “J-Just stop it… Stop being s-so stupidly calm! How can y-you just—just accept this?! We’ve done so much… so much… All together. How could I have missed it? I have secrets on every city’s leader. I have ears and eyes everywhere. How—How didn’t even know my own spouse was d-dying!”

“I didn’t know,” Isha whispered, “and I didn’t tell you. It’s not your fault.”

“But it is! You know it is more than anyone. I was the one who chose to kill Aunt Tasya! I could have talked to her. I could have done anything to convince her, I could have…" She stilled under Isha’s arm. Tears dripped from her wide, unfocused eyes.

Moving like a stiff puppet, she fell out of their embrace.

“...The Arcana,” she whispered, the words barely leaving her lips. “I know Asra looked into it and found nothing… but that was just the first year. We have access to so much more… That’s it. I… I could try and call on them. On the other world. Even on—”

Portia jolted out of her daze with Isha’s iron clasp around her wrist and their amber eyes boring into her with a fire she hadn’t seen in years.

“You can’t,” they ordered. “Whatever happens, you can’t repeat Tasya’s mistakes. When we killed her, we accepted the consequences, and I don’t regret it. I can’t let you fall down that path. No matter what happens to me, you need to remember that. I’m not saying you can’t grieve, but you have to let me go.”

More tears welled up and rolled down her cheeks. Isha let go of her wrist, reach up to hold her face and brush them away with their thumb.

“You’ve done everything you can for me and more,” they said.  “You’ve given me a goal, friends, a family. It means more than I could ever say, and I’m glad I’ve had this time with you, but it was always a half-filled hourglass.” They inhaled sharply, their chest suddenly feeling too empty until they breathed through the pain. Their eyes fell closed as they rested their forehead against Portia’s. “I’ve died once before. I don’t remember anything about the life I had before it, but as hard as it is, I know it’s different this time. I don’t want to die. I’m scared. I hate upsetting you. I want to see our children grow up and know the lives they’ll lead. But I’ve accepted it. I can’t ignore it or put it off.”

They pulled back with burning eyes and a tight throat.

“You’ve made my life worth more than I ever thought it could be. I love you, my light. Thank you for loving me.”

[sleeping-on-cracking-ice]

Hello, my request is for Niragi ✨ Y/N was popular in high school and always protect him when he was bully. When they saw each other in Bordeland, she saw how much he changed and keep her distance from him (which he hates), and she have an attitude that make one of the militants wants to attack her but Niragi protect her like she did with him bc he would never admit her but she's his only weakness

Yessss I’ve actually been wanting to write something for Niragi that sounds very similar so I’m glad you requested this! Thanks so much! 💕

You’re Everything You Once Hated | Suguru Niragi

PART 1 | PART 2

{Alice In Borderland Masterlist}

Character(s): Niragi (ft. The guys that bullied Niragi, Ann, Hatter, OC’s)

Summary: You and Niragi were best friends in high school. When you arrive in the Borderlands, you notice he’s not the person he used to be, causing you to avoid him. But unfortunately, he’s not happy about it.

Warnings: swearing, bullying, smoking, drinking, violence, threatening, bullet wounds, implications of sexual assault

Word Count: 7.1k

*reader is female

Niragi gif credit

4 Years Earlier…

The young boy grunted out in pain, having been hit with another rock right between his eyes. This one managed to crack his glasses, making his vision go all distorted.

His classmates around him roared with laughter. His heart filled with both anger and sorrow, wanting nothing more than to dissolve into the wind and out of his current situation.

“Aww, little Niragi has become quiet. Where’s those sarcastic remarks from earlier, they seemed to have left you,” his attacker mocked, adding a mean tone to his voice.

Just the usual. ‘Maybe they might end their target practice with me earlier today,’ he hoped.

He had grown used to it. He now expected to be dragged under the bridge each day on his way home from high school, being pushed around and roughed up. It’s not like he could’ve defended himself anyway. It was six guys against one, he never had a chance.

A short jab to the back of his neck broke him out of his thoughts. He groaned and doubled over, feeling as he was going to throw up. “Come on Niragi, fight back! It’s no fun when you just stand there,” the blonde student complained, striding over to the weakened boy. He gave him a quick kick to his side, making him fall on his hip harshly.

“Fuck off,” Niragi groaned under his breath, half hoping his tormentor didn’t hear it. But unfortunately, the small remark reached his ears.

“What was that? Did you just try to defend yourself? You’re going to have to use a lot more than just a few words you fucking loner,” the boy poked, giving Niragi another harsh kick to his stomach, making him become winded and choke on air.

He laid there taking their harsh words and hearing their mocking laughter ring in his ears. What did he ever do to deserve that?

“Hey Haru!”

The blonde turned his attention from his target to the direction of the voice that called his name. There you stood, by yourself with no one else. You obviously didn’t think the situation through before throwing yourself into it. You remained near the stairs that led down to below the bridge, holding something behind your back, but Haru seemed to not notice it.

Your heart skipped a beat when the group of high school boys all locked eyes with you, confused about what you were doing interrupting them.

“The fuck do you want Y/N?” the blonde, Haru, asked you in an annoyed tone.

You gulped before answering him, trying to sound as threatening as you could without your voice cracking. “Let him go! He’s done nothing to you, why are you giving him a hard time?” you spat at him, taking a few brave steps closer to the scene in front of you.

Niragi slightly lifted himself off the ground to look over at you. He recognized you from his social studies class. You both sat together at the back, and he always thought you were too nice for your own good.

Niragi sat up and shook his head, trying to warn you to stop what you were doing. He didn’t want to drag you into his own problems. He would’ve felt awful if you happened to get hurt while trying to help him.

Haru rolled his eyes and groaned at you. “Why are you getting involved? This is none of your business,” he retorted, walking closer to you with the baseball bat in hand. You watched with fearful eyes as he swung the bat around, obviously to threaten you.

Your heart quickened and you felt it pound against your ribcage dramatically. As Haru got closer and closer, you stood your ground bravely, still holding your hand behind your back to hide your weapon from him. You weren’t stupid enough to get yourself involved without having some kind of way to defend yourself.

“Well? Are you going to answer me or just stand and shake like the pathetic girl you are?” Haru tormented, a confident smirk growing across his face.

His comment made your blood boil. “Do you have a saviour complex or something? Why did you think you could help this son of a bitch?” he pressed, gesturing towards Niragi who was slowly rising to his feet with a worried expression on his face.

That was it. He was getting far too close to you for your own liking, so you decided that comment was the final straw. You rushed towards him and pulled out the large can of pepper spray from behind your back, aiming directly at his smug face.

He cried out in pain the moment the spray hit his eyes, dropping the baseball bat and covering his face with his hands. He tried desperately to rub the stinging liquid out of his eye with his school blazer sleeves, but it wasn’t worth the effort as it only made it worse.

You moved quickly and picked up the bat that he dropped, running past him towards the other boys that were still gathered around Niragi. They all held shocked expressions on their faces.

“You want some too?” you bluntly asked, thrusting the pepper spray towards them. They all flinched and stumbled to get away. You smiled, feeling empowered.

Haru and the others ran, thinking that beating up Niragi wasn’t worth being blinded for.

You turned towards the bloodied boy standing against the wall looking at you in shock. You glanced at him, giving him a friendly smile. He returned it.

After that, you two became inseparable for the rest of your high school days, spending every waking moment together. With your tough attitude and Niragi’s shy demeanour, you were a strange friendship to have been made. You thought you would always stay together, until one day Niragi went missing.

You never guessed where he may have ended up, until you were sent there yourself a few years later.

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

You breathed in a huge gulp of oxygen as the black bag was harshly pulled off your head. You tried to wiggle your hands to shield your eyes from the blinding sunlight seeping through the windows but struggled as you saw that your hands were tied to the armrests on either side of you. You groaned in frustration.

As the curtains closed so you could see probably, you saw a young woman with short black hair dressed in blue shorts and a white button up that was tied at the waist. “Sorry,” she began. “I forgot to close that before removing the bag.”

You looked around at your surroundings. You noticed that there were several more people in the room. The room was large, stretching down further until it came to a stop at the end where a large wall stood, conveying a huge spray painting across it that consisted of every card from a deck of cards. Some were crossed out, while a few number cards and all face cards remained untouched.

You whipped your head around, feeling restless from the number of eyes staring at you. You don’t remember how you got into this situation. All you remember is walking to a large light in the distance from your position on a bridge, being curious as to how it seemed to be the only building with electricity. Before you knew it, someone had grabbed you by the shoulders and shoved something over your head, making your vision go black and suddenly passing out.

You moaned in pain as you felt the back of your head throbbed, probably from when they punched you to knock you out.

“What’s going on?” you asked, struggling in your restraints more, trying to break free. An older man with glasses scolded you. “Stay still, Hatter will be here soon.”

Just as he promised, two large doors on your left burst open, revealing a man with a long decorative robe and dark glasses on. He had two other men beside him, both holding revolver guns.

“Ah! A newcomer!” he exclaimed excitedly, taking a big sip from his drink.

You froze, watching as he strides into the room further, making himself comfortable on a table in the centre of the room.

“A few of my militants tell me they found you sneaking around nearby The Beach,” he accused, pointing his finger at you.

You stared at him; confusion written all over your face. Militants? The Beach? What was he talking about?

After you didn’t answer him for a moment, he let out a big sigh and jumped off the table onto his feet, beginning to talk himself.

He explained the current situation to you. About how the dynamic at The Beach worked, and that considering the number of high-level cards you had on your person, you seemed to be the perfect candidate to add to the ranks of everyone there.

“And remember, death to the traitors,” he said, spite filling his tone. He had listed off the three main rules to you, each one adding more dread for you.

“Okay, all good. But I just want to say. If you want people to help you collect cards, kidnapping them isn’t the best idea. If it hasn’t hit you yet, that would make people want to help you less,” you smartly said, trying to stop your lips pulling up into a smirk.

All the heads in the room turned to Hatter. No one has ever questioned his motives to his face before, especially a newcomer.

Except, he didn’t get angry like everyone expected. Instead, he chuckled and held his drink out towards you. “Cheers to that, I guess. Have fun!”

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

The Beach was a lot more crowded than you expected. Your eyes almost popped out of your head when you walked down to the bottom floor to the pool. People were everywhere; dancing, swimming, drinking, talking, smoking. It honestly couldn’t have been more chaotic than it already was.

You spent most of the remainder of the day becoming familiar with the layout of the hotel. You found the room that you had been assigned to. You managed to score a room that was a little above average. Hatter decided to give you the benefit of the doubt and gift you a higher number due to your high number cards. He thought it was only fair.

You were sitting at a table nearby the bar. The sun had gone down but the party continued on through the chilly night air. You shivered, not being used to being dressed in a bathing suit twenty-four seven. You were annoyed that you weren’t even allowed to wear some sweatpants to bring you some kind of warmth. You guessed you would just have to grow used to feeling the cold on your skin.

The warm beverage slipped down your throat, bringing you at least a little bit of comfort. You had made yourself a coffee inside, not in the mood for alcohol just yet. You honestly didn’t like drinking without having anyone you trusted around you, just in case something was to happen.

You looked around the area, taking in everyone’s faces to see if anyone appeared friendly enough to be nice to you. You needed to make some allies before the next game, otherwise you would be the first they would sacrifice.

As you scanned the crowd, your gaze landed on a particular male, who was sitting in a more done up booth nearby the pool. He was wearing a black and white checkered shirt with black skinny jeans. He had several piercings in his face, making him seem more threatening.

You squinted your eyes. Why did he look so familiar? You swore you’ve seen him before.

You kept your gaze locked on him, watching as he communicated with the people sitting near him. You noticed that a huge sniper rifle was tucked behind him. He must have been a high-ranking militant, being able to carry a weapon like that around.

He suddenly flung his head back and let out a roar of laughter at something the guy next to him had said. You froze in your spot.

You could recognize that laugh anywhere. That loud, obnoxious laugh that used to come from your old friend Niragi from high school. Your best friend that randomly disappeared.

You blinked a few times before looking back at him. His facial features did match and the way he smiled seemed way too familiar to not be him.

How could he be here? Is this where he disappeared to a couple of years ago?

Your heart filled with joy and a wide grinned grew on your face. That had to be Niragi! Who else would it be?

You quickly stood to your feet, almost tripping on your chair in the process and began making your way towards his position.

Although, as you did so, another man approached him from behind, leaning over the seat and tapping his shoulder. Niragi turned with an angered scowl on his face, but it turned to a smirk once he heard what the man had to tell him.

You stopped in your tracks and watched as he leaped over the backrest of the couch suddenly, following the man with his rifle slung over his shoulders. They were headed to the door that led inside, so you quickly followed, wanting to reunite with your old friend from so long ago.

“Niragi!” you yelled out happily, trying to get his attention. A few heads turned at your voice around you, but he didn’t manage to hear you over the sound of the music blaring through the speakers.

“Niragi!” you tried again, but this time you were blocked by a few people in your way. A small crowd gathered in front of you, not noticing you trying to get past.

Niragi turned his head at the mention of his name but couldn’t see anyone calling his attention. He shrugged it off and kept following the man. He had told him that a young guy was causing some trouble inside one of the halls, so he was going to take care of it.

As you finally managed to force yourself through the small crowd that interrupted your path, you saw the Niragi and the man had already made it inside. You ran straight after them. You were feeling ecstatic, ready to throw your arms around him and give him the biggest hug ever to make up for all the days you’ve been apart.

As you quickly made your way inside, you caught a glance of his checkered shirt turning the corner a bit ahead of you. You moved your legs as quick as you could, trying to catch up.

You turned the corner, about to yell out to him again, but your voice got caught in your throat when the sight in front of you met your eyes.

“You really thought you could get away with this?!”

Niragi had a young boy pinned to the ground, pressing his boot against his upper back and shoving the barrel of his rifle against his skull violently. The boy below him was crying and begging for his mercy.

You had a small flashback to high school, when you saw Niragi’s main bully Haru shoving a baseball bat against the back of his head, him lying on the ground battered and bloodied.

It was the exact same scene. Only this time, Niragi was the tormentor himself.

“Niragi, I’m sorry! It won’t happen again!” he cried desperately, clawing at the floor trying to get away.

Niragi lifted his other boot and stamped it down roughly onto the boy’s hand. You covered your mouth as you heard a few bones crack.

He leaned down closer to the boy’s face and lifted his head up his hair, making him whimper in pain. “If I ever see you stealing from one of the executives again, this rifle will go down your throat and I won’t hesitate to blow the back of your skull out,” he hissed, sticking out his tongue and revealing the ball piercing he had.

The boy nodded, leaning away from Niragi as best as he could.

The man who led Niragi to the scene tapped him on the shoulder. “Alright that’s enough. You don’t want to give him PTSD,” he said calmly.

Niragi let out an annoyed groan. “But I was just getting started with him!” he whined, letting the boy out from under his boot and watching as he scuttled away like a bug.

You couldn’t move. You stayed put as the boy pushed past you, accidentally smacking into your shoulder in the process. Your eyes remained wide, staring at the tall man with fear written across your face.

This was not the Niragi you knew. It was not the Niragi you defended from those bullies. This was not the Niragi that used to be your closest friend, possessing a shy and timid personality. No, that Niragi was dead now. This was a devil standing in front of you. Nothing but a violent jerk that struck fear in anyone that he came across. What happened to him?

Unfortunately, you took a little too long to gather your thoughts and before you knew it, a rough grip was on your shoulders shaking you out of your daydream. You flinched in a panic as you saw Niragi’s angered face appear in front of yours.

“What are you looking at? You want some too?” he growled, shoving the barrel of his gun against your temple. You froze, staring into his dark, evil eyes, not knowing what to do.

You watched in confusion as his hard and angry facial features softened, rage turning into surprise, and even concern.

“Oh my god,” he whispered, taking his hands off your shoulders and backing a way a bit in shock. You kept your eyes on him. You wanted nothing but for him to recognize you a few minutes before, but now you weren’t so sure.

“Y/N?!” he exclaimed suddenly, causing you to jump as his tone. A large smile grew on his face, only you viewed it as nothing but sinister and evil.

“Oh my god Y/N! Since when did you get here?!” he asked excitedly. He quickly moved towards you again and held his arms out to give you a hug, but you backed away and shook your head, making him frown.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you recognize me? It’s me! Niragi! Your best friend!”

You shook your head again, trying to get the message across that you didn’t want him near you. “Sorry Niragi,” you mumbled, trying hard to keep your tears in.

You quickly darted around the corner, making your way to the staircase to run to your room. You felt overwhelmed. After everything that happened today, finding out that your closest friend was now a murderer was the last thing you needed.

Your stomach dropped as you heard heavy footsteps following closely behind you.

“Wait Y/N! Please let me explain!” he tried to stop you, but you weren’t going to give him any time after that performance with the young boy.

“Piss off Niragi!” you yelled, climbing the stairs as fast as you could, trying to get away from him.

You turned onto the floor that your room was located on, sprinting down the hallway. You glanced back over your shoulder to see that Niragi wasn’t that far behind you. He had dropped his rifle, now trying to catch up to you empty handed.

You quickly busted through your door and immediately pressed your entire body weight on it. You silently cursed Hatter for not letting you have locks.

You heard him arrive in front of it, immediately trying to open it, but you stood your ground. He may have been tall, but there was nothing but skin and bones on him. He had no muscles to help him push through.

You held the door shut with your leg and reached for a chair to put against the handle so we wouldn’t be able to open it. You managed to secure it underneath the handle and stood back, watching as Niragi tried to open it again, but failing.

“Y/N please just let me in! Let me explain! I didn’t mean for you to see that!” he cried. You almost felt guilty, hearing as he started tearing up behind the door while still attempting to let himself in.

“Please Y/N! Let me in! I missed you!”

You covered your ears with your hands. You didn’t want to listen to his pleas, it would do nothing but make you feel bad for him.

That wasn’t Niragi outside your door, that was a cold-blooded killer that you wanted nothing to do with.

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

The next few days you spend on alert around The Beach, looking around every corner for Niragi. As much as you’ve missed him the past few years, that event that occurred with the young boy obviously showed that he was no longer the nice and caring friend that you used to have. If anything, he now has become what he hated most in his high school days, a selfish and careless bully.

Who wants to be associated with someone like that? Not you.

Although even though you managed to avoid him in person, his name was brought up wherever you went. A few people would approach you during the day and warn you that Niragi was looking for you. It only would make your anxiety spike, causing you to scatter off to a more secluded place somewhere at The Beach. Most of the time you would hide in your room, but on the few occasions you climbed to the roof or hung around Alice and Usagi (who you had befriended), you managed to keep away from the psychopath.

One day, you were sitting out on one of the tables out by the pool. It was still quite early in the morning, so there wasn’t a lot of people around. The air was quite nippy, making you shiver against the cold breeze. You rubbed your arms up and down, trying to warm yourself up. Unfortunately, you hadn’t grown used to the ‘always wear bathers’ policy yet.

You felt a gentle hand lay itself on your shoulder, making your eyes widen and your head whip around to yell at whoever had dared to touch you, but you held in your harsh remark when your eyes met with Niragi’s.

“Finally! I found you!” he exclaimed, a sickening smile spreading across his face. You leant away from his touch, scooting your butt along the seat of the table, trying to make distance between the two of you.

Niragi obviously didn’t like this.

“Why are you avoiding me like I’m some kind of disease? I just want to talk to you! I haven’t seen you in years!” he said annoyed, taking a seat at the table.

You eyed his sniper rifle closely, watching as he placed it down on the table in front of him. You felt somewhat relieved that the barrel was pointing away from you. Who knew when he would decide to use that vicious weapon against you?

You blinked, not daring to say anything. You wanted to get out of the situation as soon as possible. It was unbearably uncomfortable.

“Sorry Niragi, I have to go,” you stated, standing up out of your seat and moving to turn away.

Niragi gripped the back of your hoodie and pulled you so you sat down again, making you yelp in surprise. “No, you don’t. Stop avoiding me,” he growled, placing an arm around your shoulders and pulling you closer to him.

You closed your eyes tightly in discomfort. You swore you were so close you could hear his heart beating. With a short shove to the side, you got out of his grip and stood up again.

“No, I do. I’m sorry but I really don’t want to talk to you,” you bluntly said, becoming agitated from his insistent behaviour. Why did he think he could just tell you what to do?

He frowned, standing up as well. “Fine then, I’ll just come too. I don’t care if you don’t want to talk to me. You don’t get a choice.”

You rolled your eyes and quickly started walking away from him, hoping to at least get a head-start to stay away from him. You heard him jog up to you as you kept walking, seeing his shadow appear right next to you.

You became more and more anxious the longer he followed you. He started to get a little too comfortable in his movements, even having the audacity to touch your hair and comment on how much it’s grown.

It got to a point where you had walked all the way to the lobby about three times, realizing that he wasn’t even focusing on where you were going. You turned around just as he was reaching to grab your hand, looking him in the eye with anger written all over your face.

“Can you not take a hint?! Leave me the fuck alone!” you yelled, watching as his face contorted into shock at your tone.

“I don’t want to have anything to do with you Niragi! You’re fucking insane and sadistic! Has it not occurred to you that you’ve literally become the soul thing that you hated in high school?!” you sassed, anger ripping from your words and smacking him in the face.

The few people in the lobby turned their heads at the sound of your arguing, being curious due to not seeing anyone ever dare to yell such vulgar words towards Niragi.

He tucked his hand into his jeans pocket and readjusted the rifle on his shoulder, almost looking bored. “Yeah? And what would that be?” he asked, licking his bottom lip while staring at your menacingly.

You cringed as his movements. “A fucking asshole! A little bitch that preys on those weaker than him just so he can project his own hatred for himself onto them! You’re pathetic Niragi, and it’s a real shame that no one has in this shithole has told you so. Because no one knows you like I know you, and I know that on the inside, you hate yourself more than anyone could ever hate you.”

You took in a deep breath, regaining your strength. You suddenly saw the irony in your words. You accused Niragi of projecting his anger onto others when you just did it yourself.

Niragi rolled his eyes, bringing his rifle down off his shoulder and fiddling with the bullet canister. You felt your heart stop from his actions, being afraid that he was going to use it on you.

“Don’t act like you don’t miss me Y/N,” he laughed, glancing his eyes back up to you.

You grunted in annoyance. “Just leave me alone, please,” you begged, turning around and leaving Niragi to the peeping eyes still staring at you both.

He turned his head to everyone in the lobby. As he did so, everyone turned back to what they were doing, being afraid of being caught staring and yelled at by him.

“That’s right. Mind your own business,” he shouted out across the lobby to make sure everyone heard.

He watched you as you walked away, eventually turning the corner to go search for Alice and Usagi. At least they would give you some kind of security after what just happened.

He chuckled to himself, sticking his pierced tongue out and running it across his lips once again. “Just you wait Y/N, you’ll come running back to me soon enough. You can only keep that tough façade up for so long. Just wait until people find out that you’re all bark and no bite.”

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

You stumbled your way to the entrance of the hotel, head throbbing in pain and legs aching from the muscle strain you’ve put on them. You had arrived back from your game, being the only one that managed to survive. You didn’t feel well, both physically and emotionally, so you were planning on slipping into a coma for a few days to sleep off the pain that you were feeling at that moment.

It felt like a huge effort to even lift your feet. You didn’t feel like talking to anyone, so you weren’t even thinking of checking in on Alice or Usagi. You said to yourself you would look for them tomorrow. You were in too much of a bad mood to engage in conversation. You’d probably end up snapping at them, which wouldn’t be fair on them since they just completed a harsh game themselves.

As you were just about to enter through the large glass doors before a young militant woman with short blonde hair pushed through before you even had the chance. She managed to even knock your shoulder during the process, making you hiss in pain.

She looked you up and down with a disgusted expression on her face. “Watch where you’re going,” she spat before continuing walking inside.

You rolled your eyes. “Bitch,” you mumbled under your breath.

Her head quickly whipped around to meet your eye, an angered scowl on her face. “Excuse me?” she said in disbelief.

Your words got stuck in your throat. She wasn’t meant to have heard that. “I-I…”

“I-I..” she mocked you. You felt your adrenaline skyrocket. You’ve heard of this girl; she doesn’t take things lightly.

“Look I’m sorry, it just slipped out I promise,” you stammered out, putting your hands up in a surrender. You weren’t in the mood for dealing with her shit, you were grumpy and tired. You hoped she would let you off with just a warning.

But she had different plans.

She grabbed you by the back of your hoodie, dragging you outside again and brought you over to a small alleyway that ran along the side of the hotel. You struggled in her grip and protested the whole way.

Although, you stopped fighting against her when she shoved you against a brick wall and pulled a revolver out of her jacket pocket, pushing it underneath your chin. You froze and looked at her with pleading eyes, begging for her to have mercy.

“You’ve messed with the wrong person you bitch,” she growled, giving you a quick jab to the ribs. You yelped in pain, clutching your side. It hurt ten times more, considering you’ve already faced a horrific game that same night.

“I’m sorry!” you cried, feeling tears welling up in your eye sockets.

She scoffed and smirked at you. “Wow, all bark and no bite huh?” she teased, throwing a kick to your shin, making you cry harder.

Her words angered you, making you see red for a short moment. You forgot about the revolver against your chin and gave her a quick punch to the jaw, making her head whip sideways.

She groaned, clutching her face and slowly turned back to you. You felt yourself fill with regret when you saw the look on her face. She looked like she was ready to kill you.

“Is that how you want it? Fine, have a hole in your foot. Maybe it’ll manage to get you and your attitude killed off in the next game,” she snarled.

Your stomach dropped at her words. Before you could even protest, she pulled away and aimed the gun towards the ground and blew a quick bullet in the top of your foot.

You cried out, kneeling and grasping your foot in your hands in pain, biting your tongue so you didn’t scream too loud. The pain of the bullet seeped from your foot and up your leg, spreading across your body.

The militant girl stood above you, laughing at your pathetic body lying on the ground. Your screams of pain brought her pleasure.

“Didn’t think this would happen when you bad mouthed me, didn’t you?!” she laughed, leaning down and pushing the gun against your head to threaten you more.

Another gunshot rang in your ears. For a moment you thought it was her and that she had put a bullet through your head, killing you. But then you heard a cry and saw the girl fall in the ground holding your shin with her head thrown back in a silent scream.

You were about to attempt to stand up to take this opportunity to run, but quickly jumped back down to the ground when another loud gunshot filled the air. You heard the bullet colliding with flesh as the girl flinched violently and cried out again.

You heard a menacing male laugh fill the air, and you glanced down the alleyway to see where it came from.

There stood Niragi, holding his sniper rifle out towards you both with smoke protruding from the barrel of it. A psychotic grin was painted across his face and you swore you saw his eyes shine red.

“Why are you giving my poor love a hard time?! Maybe think twice before you put a bullet through my property,” he exclaimed, chucking and walking up to the girl giving her a harsh kick to the ribs.

You felt like you were about to throw up and hearing some of her ribs crack from the collision of her chest to his boot did not help your nausea.

You rubbed your eyes and pressed your forehead against the ground. You wanted to wake up, like this was all some bad dream. Before you knew it, you were silently sobbing on the floor, tears rolling out of your eyes and down your cheeks.

You felt two arms wrap around you, lifting you off the cold stone floor and into a warm chest. You winced and whined as the bullet wound in your foot shot a searing pain through your leg. Niragi shushed you quietly.

“Shh, it’s okay. I’ve got you,” he whispered, placing his cheek on top of your head.

His behaviour was giving you whiplash. One second ago he was acting like a maniac, shooting holes through a young girl, but now he was carrying you by under your knees and your shoulders, your head tucked into his neck.

You were exhausted, your body not even listening to you. You tried to move your leg to force yourself out of his grip but didn’t even have the strength to lift it. Your head was throbbing, and you could’ve passed out easily in his arms, but forced yourself to stay awake.

As Niragi walked past the lobby to get to the medical room, he attracted a few worried faces. Some even stood up to walk over and ask if you were okay. Everyone was terrified he had bad intentions with you, knowing how he was.

He ignored the few that approached both of you, rushing down the hall to escape them. He had to get there quickly so Ann could treat your bullet wound.

When he arrived, he pushed through the door harshly and called out to Ann with a worried tone. She stopped what she was doing and turned to the door to see Niragi holding you close to him protectively, blood dripping into the ground from your shoe.

“Shit, bring her here.” She gestured towards an empty table in the middle of the room. Niragi rushed over and placed you gently on the metal table, letting you lean your upper body against him.

Ann brought over some large tweezers, a cloth, disinfectant and a bandage. You flinched at the sight of the tweezers, moving to get away from her. “No, no!” you begged, trying to crawl up the table to get away, but Niragi grabbed your waist and pinned you against his chest.

“We have to get the bullet out Y/N, we can’t just leave it in there!” he argued, brushing your hair out of your face to calm you down.

You struggled against his grip as Ann held down your foot and carefully removed your shoe and sock. You looked down and saw a small hole in the top of your foot. How could such a small injury cause so much pain?

“Alright Niragi, keep her still. This is going to hurt,” Ann said shallowly, picking up the tweezers to try and remove the bullet.

“Yep.” You felt his grip on you tighten and he tucked his chin on your head. “Please just keep still Y/N, I’m here. It’s okay,” he cooed. His reassuring words didn’t do much to ease your anxiety.

Niragi turned your face so you were nuzzled into his chest. He knew that making you watch Ann take the bullet would do nothing but freak you out more, so he wanted to protect you from the sight.

You felt fine until the pain in your foot suddenly skyrocketed, making you let out a piercing scream. You bit your tongue to try and quieten yourself, but it didn’t do much.

Niragi frowned as he suddenly felt you go limp against him. He looked down at your face to see you had passed out, eyes shut tight and letting out soft breaths.

He smiled and brushed his fingers across your face. “So cute,” he mumbled.

“Well, that’s better. Maybe if we just knocked her out with a quick jab to the head, it would’ve saved us the headache of trying to keep her down,” Ann stated bluntly, causing Niragi to laugh.

“You know how this happened?” she asked him, raising her eyebrows.

“A bitch shot her just outside the hotel,” he said with an angry tone.

Ann didn’t seem surprised. Events like that occurred a lot. She had removed a lot of bullets the time she had been there.

“What happened to the girl? Did she run when she saw you?”

“I didn’t give her the chance to. She copped two bullets into her body for doing that to Y/N.”

“Did you think maybe Y/N was the one giving her a hard time?”

“Doesn’t matter. I only saw her shoot the bullet, nothing else.”

“Fair enough.”

***********

You cracked your eyes open to a room that most definitely wasn’t your own. You groaned and sat up, wincing when the pain in your foot shot through your leg. Memories of yesterday filled your head. “I must have passed out in the medical room,” you said to yourself.

You scanned the room. It was much bigger than yours. The bed you were in was three times the size of yours, and this room even had a huge balcony. As you looked around more, you noticed that a bag of your stuff was placed near the closet.

You frowned. Why was your stuff from your room here?

Suddenly the door opened to reveal Niragi, walking in with a plate of a bread roll and a bottle of water. He saw you awake and smiled.

“Aw little mouse is awake. How’s your foot?” he purred.

You cringed at the pet name. “What’s it to you, dickhead,” you growled, getting out of the bed and standing up. You were wearing the same clothes that you wore to the game yesterday, minus the shoes and the jacket.

Niragi smirked and placed the food on a small table in the centre of the room. “Have you forgotten who saved your pathetic ass yesterday?” he asked, approaching you. “And also, don’t stand on that foot. It’s injured, you have to rest it.” He pushed on your shoulder lightly to make you sit on the bed again. He sat himself next to you and leaned towards your face.

You moved away from his face, hating how close he was to you. “Yeah, but how did you know I even needed help? And don’t tell me you were just going on a short stroll through the alleyway at eleven at night,” you said, scooting up the bed and leaning your back against the wooden bedhead.

Niragi chuckled. “What if I was? Are you accusing me of stalking?” he suggested.

You shook your head. “Why is my stuff here,” you asked, changing the subject.

Niragi glanced over at the bag full of your stuff on the ground near the closet. He turned back to you with a smile on his face. “Oh yeah! I forgot to say, you’re moving in with me,” he said excitedly.

You felt your stomach drop. “What? I didn’t agree to this.” You swung your legs over the side of the bed and attempted to stand again. You could only place pressure on one foot, so you stood on one leg.

“Oh, baby. I don’t care if you don’t want to. You’re in here with me now, whether you like it or not,” he growled, reaching out towards you waiting for you to place your hand in his.

You stared at him, trying to see if he was joking or not. But from the serious look on his face, you didn’t think he was.

“I’m not staying in here with you. You’re a fucking psycho.”

You attempted to limp over to the door, wanting to escape Niragi as soon as possible. But you didn’t expect him to be so insistent on you staying.

A sudden arm around your waist spun your around and Niragi pinned you against the door, his face far too close to yours for it to be comfortable. “Did you not just hear me? You don’t get a choice love. You’re stuck with me,” he rasped into your face with a scary smile across his.

Your breath hitched and you turned your head away as he moved his face closer, trying to force his lips against yours. You felt helpless.

“Niragi please. Let me go, I’m sorry if I ever angered you,” you begged, pushing on his chest, but he wouldn’t budge. “I promise if you let me go, we can go back to how we were in high school.” You were trying to do anything that would get him off you. Your heart was racing, and you were becoming more frightened by the second.

Niragi licked a long and slow stripe from your collar bone to the back of your ear. You cringed and sobbed at the feeling of his tongue and saliva on your skin. “Maybe I don’t want it like it was back then. Maybe I want more Y/N,” he whispered.

He tucked his face into your neck and nipped at your skin. He had your arms pinned either side of you and his leg was holding your good foot against the door. You couldn’t do anything to defend yourself.

“What have you become Niragi,” you sobbed after a short moment.

Niragi removed himself from your neck, leaning back to look at you. You stared into his eyes, seeing the same dark and beautiful orbs that used to make your heart race with love in high school, only now, they made your heart race with fear.

“I’ve become the real me Y/N, and you’re going to love me, whether you want to or not.”

[ceciliablossoms]

helllooo i saw your event today so can i request cassata for beidou ningguang and lisa because wOmEN 🛐😩

thank you and take care!!

-🧸anon

Ningguang was a popular choice 👀 👀 👀 and so was this prompt

ALSO I AGREE 😩😩😩😩 WOMEN

Cassata: "You have a very kissable face."

-------

Lisa

The library was unusually empty. Usually there were at least a handful of people in there. Even Ella Musk was gone and she never seemed to leave!

They sat across from Lisa at her desk, sharing their usual tea and accompanying cakes. They had a sneaking suspicion that she had closed the library, so they could get some alone time. And everyone knew how scary Lisa could be when nobody listened to her (or returned their books).

Nonetheless, they appreciated the alone time and the peace and quiet that came with it. She looked at them coyly over the rim of her up, knowing that she'd been found out. With a sweet smile, she glanced over at them.

"Is there something on your mind, cutie?" She batted her eyelashes at them.

They laughed quietly and shook their head, "No, sugar. Just thinking is all." They batted their eyelashes right back at her.

With a playful roll of her eyes, she leaned forward with interest, "About?"

They hummed, "Hm, it's nothing really." When she raised an eyebrow they took the moment to kiss her face, "I'm only thinking about the fact that you have a very kissable face."

She let out a small surprised gasp, but her saccharine smile returned as she let out a laugh, "Mm, that was very smooth of you."

"I learned from the best."

-

Beidou

The Alcor was quiet as it floated atop the water, anchored for the night. Most of the crew was asleep as it was the middle of the night, however, one lonely soul sat in deck, keeping watch for storms or enemy vessels.

They sat upon the railing, legs dangling over the edge. The water seemed inky black in the dark. Alluring as it was it seemed suffocating. A watchful eye, stood behind them, curious as to why they never came to bed. She understood now. They took the next watch's shift.

She stared on at them in tired adoration. No matter how long the ship was at sea, they never tired of it. It was nice.

When they let out a long yawned, she deemed it time to fetch them, "You'll fall in at this rate."

Even as tired as they were, they didn't bat an eye, still staring down at the water below them. It seemed like a void.

"Hm. That wouldn't be very pleasant. Though the darkness seems inviting, it's a call I can't answer." They smiled tiredly at her over their shoulder.

She stared at them and shook her head, "I see you're still sensible when sleep deprived. I'd hate to have to fish you out with a net."

They laughed, "I would drown before you got the chance."

"I hate that too."

They stared at her momentarily before beckoning her closer. Even after she approached they beckoned her more. She came closer still until she felt the kiss on her cheek.

They yawned again, "You have a very kissable face."

Her laugh was loud and boisterous as she helped them down from the rail and returning the favour. Her kiss was much shorter than theirs but remained just as sweet, "Yours isn't too bad either. Now let's go wake whoever was supposed to take this shift and get you to bed."

"Aye aye, captain."

-

Ningguang

Ningguang was a busy woman, therefore time together was sparse, however, that didn't stop both of the two from trying. Whenever they happened to meet up during the day, they would always exchange words or small kisses before going their separate ways.

-

Today was a rare day of availability, so they spent as much time with one another as their schedules would allow. Strolling through the outdoor corridors of the Jade Chamber, arms linked as the watched the cloud.

A comfortable silence lingered between the two, as they looked up at their lover, admiring her face. They had always admired her for many reasons and her beauty was unmatched.

They were head over heels.

Feeling their gaze upon her face, she glanced down at them, meeting their gaze. Their lovestruck expression made her smile.

When they kissed her cheek, she laughed softly, placing a gentle kiss on their face as well. Her lipstick left a mark.

"My dear, if you want a kiss you can always ask."

"Can I have another one?"

She obliged, this time kissing their lips. They let out a dreamy sigh after she pulled away and grabbed her hands gently.

"You have a very kissable face." Their voice gleamed with the happiness they felt

"You tell me every day."

"As I should."

The two continued on their walk around the Jade Chamber, hand in hand, happiness evident.

Tag List: @clouds-rambles @yoimimi @duhsies @dilucs-claymore @nagatorou @fictionalcharactersthatsit

[myonepiece]

Buggy, Kid, Killer headcanon- seeing you dance with someone else

•~•~•~•~

You’re already together btw

Sorry they’re kinda long

Buggy

•My poor love I just want to hug him and kiss his nose

•You have been together for 1 1/2 months but of course he’s liked you way longer

•Buggy had dropped you off at an island a little ways away from the one he & the rest of the crew were heading to

•You had gotten into a fight with an already mad Buggy & he insulted you including calling you weak for giving him a flower you had found & you were still very angry which is why you had asked him for time alone

•Once in the village, you were invited to a party on a ship that was going to be staying close to the island- it was a fancier party, thrown by one of the rich bachelors in the village, so you bought a nice long blue dress and some silver heels in one of the village shops

•Later on into the night the band started playing a slow song, and it just so happened that the bachelor who threw the party asked you for a dance & you accepted for distraction from your depressing thoughts

•You had always loved slow dancing and wanted to ask Buggy but you were too scared to because of the whole “pirates don’t do weak stuff” and you classified slow dancing as something pirates would call weak

•The man led you to the center of the parted crowd and rested one hand on your waist and taking one of your hands in his other (or traditional slow dancing position) and he started to lead you

•Meanwhile, Buggy and his crew had boarded his ship and were sailing towards where you were- it was now midnight and Buggy was very worried about you and missed you

•All Buggy wanted was to have you back in his arms laying in bed in your shared cabin whispering apologies and trying to make you smile & smiled just thinking about it, but his smile and his heart quickly broke as he spotted you through binoculars, dancing in the arms of another man

•His mouth straightened into a thin line as his heart squeezed at the thought that 1 fight had ended his relationship with the woman he loved more than anything

•The closer they sailed, he could make out the mans grip on you & your smiles as you looked at each other while slowly moving in the romantic setting

•Buggy’s heart felt like it was being ripped apart as he remembered that he had called you weak for giving him that flower, surely you thought he wouldn’t want to do something as cliche and “un-piratey” as slow dancing in the moonlight but he would love to do that with you, to have you smile at him the you were smiling at the rich man holding you

•Of course someone like you would never really love someone like Buggy, a stupid clown pirate with a giant red nose- Buggy’s thoughts turned against him as he fought to hold back tears, he told Cabaji to get you into the ship and then he left to hide in your shared cabin

•You saw the ship but didn’t see Buggy, you figured he saw you dancing and your heart hurt at the thought of hurting the man you love

•You got right on the ship and ran below deck into your cabin where Buggy was sitting on the bed sulking

•Your heart broke at the sight and you locked the door behind you as you hurried across the room and sat in front of Buggy and took both of his hands in yours apologizing profusely “I’m so sorry my darling I promise it meant nothing”

•You explained your thoughts and reasons to a teary eyed Buggy and after you finished he nodded and said he understood but he would dance with you anytime and didn’t mean to call you weak, he actually loved the flower you gave him

•You took off your dress while buggy turned and closed his eyes, then gave you his coat to wear to bed

•He held directly on top of his chest and looked you in the eyes telling you “I love you do so much Y/N, I promise I’ll do anything to make you happy” to which you respond with kissing his nose before following with a “I love you too my clown king” then falling asleep as he cradled you to his chest with a bright blush and huge grin

Kid

•You’ve been together for 7 months

•It’s no secret Captain Kid doesn’t do romance, so when you ask him to slow dance with you he says no

•You’ve asked on multiple occasions but he always makes a disgusted face and says “pirates don’t slow dance”

•Kid said slow dancing is weak and he was too strong for that

•Kid is a violent, cruel, & aggressive man so you can’t say you expected him to say yes to any of your requests

•When you heard about a fancy little party going on at island you landed at, you decided to go and get some food & dance a little

•You asked Kid to come and dance, but of course he said no and that he and the rest of the crew were going to find a bar

•You found a beautiful long dress in one of the town shops and set out to the party at sunset a little after the crew had left

•All eyes were on you at the party, as you walked around and had a few things to eat and a few drinks

•A slow song started and you wished Kid was there, but you realized he would’ve scoffed and continued getting drunk

•You just wanted him to hold you close as you swayed to soft music, you wanted him to be soft instead of crude and pervy

•So when a man asked you to dance you accepted with only a tiny part of your brain worrying about Kid

•Kid had seen you follow a path into the woods, wearing a dress that complemented every part of your beauty

•He just couldn’t help but smirk and tell Killer to watch the crew as he went to follow you

•He was also angry that you were going out to a party alone wearing that

•The path led Kid to a small courtyard lit with lanterns, with music playing and people dressed in nice clothes

•He looked through the courtyard for you but he didn’t see you until the guests all moved and made room for a couple slow dancing, the couple being you and the stranger

•As soon as he saw the man’s arms around you leading you in a slow dance & the wide smile on your face showing that you were enjoying this, Kid felt his heart clench

•He didn’t feel all anger for once, he felt an ache in the pit of his stomach

•He hadn’t realized how much you would have enjoyed slow dancing with him, you had asked him many times but he always saw it as weak

•He knew he was violent, aggressive & scary, and seeing someone make you smile so beautifuly by being so gentle.. so opposite him made him feel... insecure

•Kid felt like he was losing you and he hated that feeling, like the one thing he loved was being ripped away from him in front of his eyes

•He snapped & barged into the courtyard grabbing you by the hand and tearing you away from the man then leading you into the woods to a clearing where the moonlight cast a spotlight-like glow

•Kid rested his hands on your waist and looked into the distance with a solemn expression as he started to sway

•You didn’t know what happened but you were finally getting to slow dance with Kid so you placed your hands on his strong shoulders rested your head on his chest

•You mumbled a “thank you” into his chest and after a few moments Kid whispered a soft “I love you Y/N” into your hair as he rested his head on top of yours

Killer

•God I love this man

•You had only been together for 3 1/2 months

•Killer would’ve said yes if you had asked him to slow dance with you

•He didn’t mind doing romantic things for you especially when it made you so happy

•He’s in love with you and would anything for you

•You had never asked Killer to dance with you because you had assumed he would say no because you were pretty sure pirates don’t slow dance and you didn’t want him to think your were weak or pathetic for asking for something so cliche

•So after having a few drinks in a bar, you were feeling particularly soft and in a romantic mood

•You weren’t completely drunk but you were tipsy enough to think it was okay to go outside to slow dance with a man who had asked you and who was not your boyfriend

•Killer came back from the bathroom and asked Heat where you went, to which Heat responded by pointing towards the door with a skeptical and somewhat nervous expression

•Killer walked out of the bar hoping to find you alone so you could spend some time with you alone, so he was not happy at all when he walked out to see you swaying slowly in the moonlight shining into the alley around the corner with your hand in the hand of another man

•He had his hand on your waist and his other hand holding yours (in a traditional slow dancing position)

•Killer felt his heart drop immediately and his heart clenched as he took in the sight of your contempt smile

•He was very insecure about himself, his laugh, his appearance with his mask, and the way you couldn’t look into his eyes like you were looking into the other man’s

•Accompanying the jealousy and hurt that clawed at his heart, there was an anger and possessiveness and a few drinks but not many that caused him to rush into the street and grab the man by his shirt and throw him to the ground away from you

•Killer waited for the man to run away before he turned back to you and pulled you towards him with his hands on your waist

•You placed your hands on his strong chest as he swayed slowly with you looking down at you through the holes of his mask

•”I really wish you had asked me to dance with you if that’s what you wanted to do” Killer said in a quite voice laced with hurt

•Your Heart broke at the sound of it and the realization of what you had done “I’m so sorry Killer, I just thought that someone like you wouldn’t want to do something so... weak”

•”I would do anything for you sweetie” Killer said softly as he hugged you to his chest, you looked up and kissed his chin lightly before settling your face in his chest

[meechatuck]

Fanfiction Alert

Well, I’m starting this. Here is the first chapter of a fanfiction I am writing about the rebuilding of the Dark Kingdom in Tangled the Series/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure. This is still a rough draft in my opinion and may change some in the future, we will see. I plan to post the first 5 or so chapters of this to get feelers out on it. Also I would love any feedback on the story itself, especially on the canon characters and if they seem in character. I plan to post this to AO3 when I get around to it. The first chapter is the longest (almost 6,000 words) the rest will be between 3,000-5,000. It will be a fairly long story.

This fanfiction will center around the Brotherhood, King Edmund, and an OC of mine that will be the diplomat for the Dark Kingdom. There will be romance between my OC and a canon character. This will be a mature audience fanfiction due to many reasons.

Shout out to @pennumbra who has helped talk to me about a lot of this and get my thoughts straight. Also her art is so inspiring and amazing! If you haven’t seen her artwork go check it out!!!

ENJOY!

Chapter 2: https://meechatuck.tumblr.com/post/681748093546430464/here-is-chapter-2-of-my-fanfiction-i-will

Chapter 3: https://meechatuck.tumblr.com/post/681932652645859328/fanfiction-alert

Chapter 1

Hector took in a deep breath, the saltiness of the air around him filling his senses. He leaned over the boat railing and sighed, looking over the ocean and could see the outline of Corona in the distance.

About another hour and a half and we should be there…then another 8 weeks of travel, Hector thought to himself. He smiled thinking about seeing them again. Adira, Quirin, Varian, Edmund…even Rapunzel and Eugene.

He had missed them, despite his trip back to the village he grew up in. The people of Al'Kiran had been so happy to see him return, especially after such a long absence. Hector absentmindedly rubbed a black triangular pendant in his hand. He remembered his cousin, BLANK, giving it to him before he left back for the Dark Kingdom. His gaze took in the carefully etched symbols on the smooth surface. Ronan, Ciara, & Hector Byrne. A smile spread across his lips thinking about how they had taken the time to make this for him. The one thing he could still hold onto of them, his parents. Even the vague memories he had of them were disappearing. He used to blame the fact that he had a different family now, one that actually grew up with him. But he knew that his age was becoming the culprit, it had been 42 years since he had last seen them.

He sighed and turned to head below deck again. Everytime he went below, his irritation flared. The captain on the boat out of Corona didn’t mind the bear cats walking around with him, but this captain was adamant about those creatures staying in a pen. Hector scowled remembering the tone the captain had used when calling his animals creatures and how he looked directly at the bear cats. He knew Argo preferred to be in a pen, as he didn't enjoy boat rides, but the bear cats struggled being caged. They hated it.

Normally, he would have ignored the order and done as he pleased…but Adira and Quirin’s voices piped up in his head. Their lessons on helping him learn to “people” again, as Adira so lovingly put it, were still fresh in his mind, despite it being 4 months since he had last seen them.

Hector made his way below deck and took an immediate left. The sound of people in conversation was now behind him and he felt a sense of relief at this. He entered the room where all the animals were kept and thought how he was happy to be away from other people and the dreaded small talk. The sight around the corner made him stop in his tracks. 

Standing a few feet from the pen that housed his bear cats and rhino, was a woman. Shorter in stature, around 5 foot 4 inches, medium build with black wavy hair that was pulled into a high ponytail that reached below her shoulders. Hector noted the embroidered edging and finer cloth of her grass green dress, guessing she was either rich or nobility. He was surprised that someone like her would be down here with the animals and not with the other passengers.

The urge to admonish her almost surfaced, until he noticed she was still just standing there. Just...observing them. A quick glance to the bear cats and rhino told him they were aware of her, but not bothered. She kept her distance, unlike most idiotic people would.

Most people try and touch them, despite their many warning signs to back off, Hector shifted his gaze from her to the bear cats and rhino.

"Are they yours?" He heard a feminine voice ask.

His gaze went back to the woman. Deep blue eyes looked brightly into his.

Hector nodded sternly and walked between her and the pen, facing the animals. He knelt down on one knee and pet the bear cats through the enclosure. They affectionately licked and head butted his arms and hands. Delia stepped back and sat, looking at the woman behind him. Hector smiled, she always was the more curious one.

Nyx placed her paws on the pen and started to climb out, but stopped looking at her master. Her eyes were large and pleading to be let out. Hector sighed and gently pushed her back into the pen. He went to speak, but stopped sensing the woman was still behind him. He glanced back and saw she was crouched down just behind him, her eyes wide with fascination and a smile plastered on her face.

Hector's upper lip curled in annoyance, "Can I help you?"

Her face reddened as she saw how close she was to him. "Oh, sorry." She stood and took a step backward, then knelt on the ground.

Hector watched her closely and tried not to glare too menacingly at her. Why is she still here? Why doesn't she just go back to the people and…

"They're binturongs, right?"

Hector's aggressive demeanor dropped as he blinked, processing what she just asked. He raised an eyebrow at her, a little impressed and his interest piqued, "Yeah they are."

Hector could see her eyes practically sparkling, “They look like they are larger, so I’m guessing they are females?”

“Yeah.”

“This is so amazing! I’ve always wanted to see them up close like this. And your rhino is beautiful.”

A corner of Hector’s mouth tugged upward, amused and surprised at this woman’s interest in them. It didn’t happen very often, most people were terrified of them.

“Where did you get them from?” Hector’s displeasure returned, as he scratched Nyx behind the ears. The woman shifted over, sitting with her legs off to the side, but still bent. “Are you from Al’Kiran?”

Hector’s head spun to look at her, his braids swaying. He eyed her suspiciously, “Who wants to know?”

She could feel the uneasiness practically rolling off him, “I just noticed they showed up after the stop there.” His glare didn’t falter and she could tell he wasn’t going to say anything to that. She cleared her throat then continued, “My mother was good friend’s with a woman from there. From what I’ve seen of them, they are an amazing people and have such a rich and diverse culture.”

Hector’s unwavering gaze softened at this, most people looked down on the Al’Kiran…say they are savages and uncivilized….

She shook her head as she smiled, “I’m sorry, where are my manners? I'm Amelia, Amelia Reyna.” She leaned forward and extended her hand to him.

Hector glanced at her hand and took it firmly, “Hector.”

Her eyebrows were raised, waiting for him to say more, but he kept his face straight and mouth closed. Amelia released their grip and leaned back on her hands, content with having at least his first name. Hector sat on the ground with one leg stretched out and the other bent up, his left arm still petting the bear cats.

“So, where are you headed Hector?”

Frowning, he looked at his bear cats and kept his mouth shut. The desire to avoid talking was dampened by Adira and Quirin’s voice, again. Apparently, ignoring people isn’t a polite response to their questions and he had already ignored several of hers.

With the restoration of the Dark Kingdom in full swing now, I need to work on my people skills…even if it is unbearable. Hector took a quick glimpse at Amelia and felt his pulse quicken. It might not be so bad with her though… She was, admittedly, very attractive. He didn’t notice it at first, but the deeper color of her skin was stunning against the green of her dress. Those dark, deep blue eyes were trained on the animals, still sparkling with amazement. His eyes traced down her face and neck to the more open neckline of her dress. He stopped himself, knowing he shouldn’t go any further.

Hector forced himself to do small talk and mumbled, "Corona."

"I'm getting off there too. After that I am headed to another kingdom."

He didn’t reply to this and there were several minutes of silence between them. Hector’s mind drifted to the conversation he had with his cousin in Al’Kiran. He had given him advice on how to flirt, telling Hector that he needed to live a little and teased that getting a woman would help with his aggressive demeanor. Despite many women approaching him in Al’Kiran, Hector never really had the desire to use the pointers he had been given. He felt the focus of his trip was to relax and connect back with what family he had left and himself. Besides, most of the women that talked to him there did so because of his knack for taming and understanding animals. The village had started to call him the “Beastmaster” because of it. Hector smirked, remembering how he quite enjoyed the nickname.

"So, are you headed anywhere after Corona? Or is that your home?" Amelia ventured, picking at her dress, expecting him to not answer.

Hector’s gaze fell on her once more and he felt the inclination to use some of the advice he had been given. He felt hesitant to flirt with her, but justified that it was fine as the chances of seeing her again were slim.

"Are you asking that for the animals," Hector gave her a slight smile. "Or me?"

Amelia's eyes widened in surprise, then relaxed as a smile spread across her face, "Maybe I'm asking for both?"

Hector smirked and raised his eyebrows, their gazes locked on one another. He figured that her reply was a good sign to keep going and at least just continue the conversation. And maybe intermittently flirt with her.

“Well, they tend to go where I go. So the question should be more directed at me.”

“Oh really?” Amelia raised an eyebrow at him. “Well, did you consider the possibility that I am more interested in them than you?” Hector was quiet at this, unsure if her question was genuine or not. Amelia could see his hesitation and gave him a small laugh, “I'm teasing. What are their names?”

“This is Nyx,” Hector affectionately patted the bear cat he was petting. “The one watching you is Delia. And the rhino is Argo.”

Amelia nodded, “Those are great names, from the Greek language right?”

“Yeah.”

“Why is it your name is Greek, yet you are from Al’Kiran?” Hector pursed his lips, even he didn’t know the answer to that question. He felt the silence between them demanding an answer. His teeth grit together.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Hector’s gaze went from sharp to indifferent. Amelia ventured a smile and he turned his attention to Nyx, who seemed to be glaring at her. Delia was still sitting, watching Amelia with curious interest.

Amelia felt a strong want to pet her, but knew better. Even if the animal allowed it, she wasn’t sure how Hector would react. She watched him reach out to Delia, who responded by pushing Nyx aside slightly to get in range of his hand. Amelia wanted to keep talking with him, he was by far the most interesting person on this ship and didn’t treat her like everyone else did.

“Sorry,” Amelia started. “I get too inquisitive sometimes, especially around mysterious and enticing strangers like yourself.”

Hector eyed her, again unsure of the intent behind her words. “It’s fine…I don’t mind some questions.”

Raising her eyebrows, she tried another. “How long were you in Al’Kiran?”

“Around 3 months.”

“It’s colder during that time of year isn’t it? Colder than Corona at least.”

“Not too much colder than Corona.”

“Well, at least you had the binturongs to keep you warm.”

Hector chuckled, “Yeah, Argo isn’t much of a cuddler and the bear cats were the only ones willing.”

“I find that hard to believe they were the only ones willing.”

He couldn't help but smirk at her comment. Their conversation continued for an hour or so until it was interrupted by a crew member, "Approaching the docks!"

Amelia stood and brushed off her dress, "I have to go gather my things. It was nice to meet you Hector."

He nodded to her and watched her leave. A smile crept on his lips, as well as a sense of pride, thinking about how she seemed to flirt back quite a bit. He stood and walked over to pet Argo who was stepping around trying to get comfortable.

Hector touched his forehead to Argo’s, "Almost there."

Once the boat was docked and the side doors opened, Hector quickly led his animals out onto the docks. They all felt some comfort at the unmoving surface beneath them. Hector searched through the body of people on the docks, looking for Adira and Edmund. He spotted Adria's white hair bobbing above the bustling bodies on the deck and headed in that direction.

As he got closer, he could now see Edmund and that he was talking with someone other than Adira. The crowd cleared and Hector could see the person more clearly. His brow furrowed as he recognized the dark wavy hair and green dress. It was Amelia.

Hector's mind raced with questions, when a memory from before his trip surfaced. After several unpleasant visits with towns that were still angry at being sent away and other concerns with the kingdom, Edmund felt there was a strong need for a diplomat. At first, Quirin was suggested, but he was hesitant to deal with such complicated matters and felt out of practice. He and Adira tried, but only made several situations worse.

Edmund had said he was going to start trying to find a diplomat. I figured he would find one after I got back…she couldn't be…

Adira's eyes found his and a smile spread across her face. Edmund saw her wave and he soon found Hector in the crowd.

"Hector!" Edmund bellowed. "Glad to see you made it back."

Hector chuckled at Edmund's enthusiasm, but felt his uneasiness grow as Amelia turned and saw him. An intrigued smile played on her lips as she cocked an eyebrow at him.

Adira nodded to Hector, "It's good to see you Hector. You all look well."

"I'm glad you're here! I have exciting news!" Edmund slapped his hand on Hector's shoulder then gestured to Amelia, "This is the new diplomat for the Dark Kingdom, Madame Ambassador Amelia Reyna."

Fuck.

Hector resisted the urge to scowl and worried what Amelia would say about their conversation on the boat. She smiled at Edmund, “We actually met on the boat back. I was very interested in his animals.”

“Oh good!” Edmund boomed. “This is a great next step in getting the Dark Kingdom back to its former glory! I will have to discuss getting figgy pudding at tonight’s dinner to treat us all.”

Amelia’s smile grew at Edmund’s quirky comments as he continued talking to her. Hector clenched his jaw and wondered how he could be so unlucky. Out of all the people that I ran into on the boat and decided to…just why did it have to be her? Adira will never let me live it down if she finds out…

Adira’s eyes flicked to Hector and she could see his tense body language. Her eyebrows came together momentarily. I was afraid this would happen…

Hector felt her gaze on him and met her eyes. Adira’s face switched from concern to indifference, but he had caught a glimpse of her initial expression. He raised a questioning eyebrow at her and she returned the same expression with a little more vigor. Adira could tell he was hiding something and Hector wanted to keep it that way. Their silent exchanges were hindering their awareness of their surroundings. They didn’t notice that Edmund and Amelia’s conversation had stopped, noticing their nonverbal communication. There was an edgy feel in the air between all of them.

Edmund cleared his throat and looked to his bird, “Well Hamuel, aren't you going to say hello?” Amelia smiled and held a hand up to the bird. His loud squawk made her jump slightly. "Sorry. He is very vocal sometimes."

Adira and Edmund’s attention went to one of the men on the docks, who approached them. Amelia only caught part of the conversation, something about Princess Rapunzel.

Hector still felt bothered at his forward behavior with her on the boat. He wanted to fix this before it could possibly fester any further. Edmund was busy talking with Adira off to the side and Hector felt this was the best time.

He cleared his throat, getting Amelia’s attention, and looked her in the eyes, “I, uh, am sorry for being so forward with you on the boat ride back…I didn’t know that you were the diplomat for the Dark Kingdom.”

Amelia smiled warmly at him, appreciating his consideration. Most men wouldn’t have thought twice about flirting with someone they just met…I didn’t mind it. He was very respectful back on the boat and still is being that way, even now.

“I just didn’t know Edmund would get a female diplomat…and so soon.”

Amelia stiffened and felt a heated flush spread across her cheeks. Hector didn’t notice this and continued his thought, “I didn’t even know there were any diplomats that were women around here.”

“Well, now you know,” Amelia quipped, displeased at his comment. This always happens. Men hate a woman in any kind of position of power. I should have known better than to think this area would be any different than back at home. She locked eyes with him again, trying not to glare, “Maybe next time you’ll think before you speak. Save yourself from looking foolish.”

Hector’s brow furrowed as his upper lip curled, baring his teeth. He opened his mouth to say something, but Edmund and Adira moved over to them. Hector scowled at Amelia while folding his arms. What's her problem? This is why I only talk with animals.

“Alright! Let’s head out, Eugene and Rapunzel are expecting us at the castle,” Edmund stated, excitedly.

Amelia nodded with a charming smile and held her head high as she walked to her things. Adira bumped Hector a little and tilted her head towards her, “Let’s get your things, as well as hers, so we can head to the castle.”

Hector rolled his eyes and followed after Adira. He noticed some of his things behind a smaller green trunk. He grabbed it attempting to move it, but almost dropped it in the process.

“Careful!”

Hector spun his attention to Amelia and glared at her, “What’s in here? Rocks?”

Amelia’s sharp expression turned sour as she placed her hands on her hips, “It’s important stuff and none of your business.”

He rolled his eyes and set the trunk aside with a loud thud. After grabbing his things, he stalked off to his animals and waited.

Adira had watched him stomp off and felt her worry return. She had discussed this with Quirin and Edmund. Hector had a tough time trusting new people. It wasn’t a bad thing persay, but a diplomat was needed to help the kingdom and finding Amelia had been difficult enough for Edmund.

“It was Adira right?”

Adira looked in the direction of the voice and saw Amelia, “Yes, it is, Ambassador Reyna.”

“Please, call me Amelia. My title is very formal and not needed most of the time. I have the things I will need for now. What should I do with the rest of my belongings?” Amelia glanced at her several suitcases and small trunk still on the dock.

Adira waved her hands, “Someone will bring them to the castle. May I carry anything for you?”

She smiled kindly, “I only have this, but thank you Adira.”

Adira nodded and talked with her as they started towards the end of the dock where Hector was waiting. Hector saw them getting along and felt some concern again, hoping that Amelia wouldn’t say anything about him flirting with her, especially to Adira.

Edmund stood at Hector’s side, “So what do you think?”

Hector side-eyed Edmund, “About what?”

“What do you think of Ambassador Reyna?”

Hector shrugged, “I just met her. If you’re referring to her skills in diplomacy, I don’t know anything about that.”

“That is true,” Edmund replied. “But you talked with her on the boat, no?” Hector nodded, not wanting to discuss it. “Then you must have gotten to know her a little.”

“She’s fine,” Hector hastily added, ending the conversation.

Amelia and Adira approached and they all headed to the castle. Amelia carried on conversations with Adira and Edmund, while Hector stayed behind the group with his animals. They arrived in the courtyard outside the palace and were greeted by a very excited Rapunzel and smiling Eugene. 

Edmund exchanged hugs with Rapunzel and Eugene. After, he introduced Amelia. “Princess Rapunzel, Eugene, this is Madame Ambassador Amelia Reyna. She will be the new diplomat for the Dark Kingdom.”

“Ambassador Reyna! It’s so nice to meet you!” Rapunzel beamed as she took her hand.

Amelia curtsied, "It is an honor to meet you Princess Rapunzel. I've heard and read much about you and your kingdom. And please, call me Amelia."

The king and queen of Corona emerged from the castle and exchanged introductions with Amelia. Edmund started a conversation with the three of them. Hector gazed at Amelia, noting how easily she was able to talk with those around her. Everyone seemed to love and trust her, a part of him was wary of this. Especially, because he had been very intrigued by her on the boat as well.

"It's good to see you Hector."

His attention turned to Rapunzel, "It's good to see you as well, Princess."

"Please, Hector, you know you can call me Rapunzel."

Hector gave her a small smile and nodded. He watched Rapunzel talk to Adira and waited for everyone to head inside. After several minutes, everyone was still talking and Hector felt annoyed. Listening in on the conversations, he could tell that none of them were even close to being done. He turned and headed out of the courtyard, his animals following close behind. He took Argo to the stables where he could get some food and rest before heading to Old Corona later.

I wish we could get past this part. I’m ready to see Quirin and Varian in Old Corona and get away from all this. Hector removed the saddle from Argo and set it aside. He lovingly rubbed his rhino’s face and scratched behind the ears, “I’ll be back for you later.”

Hector returned to the courtyard to find everyone still talking. Rolling his eyes, he stood next to Adira, hoping that they would be headed into the castle soon. At least I’m here by Adira. Amelia’s laughter pealed through his thoughts, it was a bright comparison to Edmund’s deep, booming laugh. His eyes poured over her once again, scrutinizing her for any details as to who she really was.

Adira noticed Hector’s focused gaze and smirked. If he would just talk to her, he could find out most of what he wants to know. I laugh that he still feels the need to observe from afar. He needs a refresher course on peopling again…

“Okay, I’m starved! Should we head inside to eat?” Edmund announced, looking at everyone. “And I will speak to the chef about the figgy pudding.”

“I made sure some was made, Dad,” Eugene explained fondly.

“Excellent!”

Everyone headed into the castle and to the dining hall. After finishing their late lunch, conversation continued at the table. Hector gave the bear cats a few selective table scraps and only listened to the discourse.

“So what are your plans, Adira and Hector?” Amelia asked, glancing between the two of them.

“Hector and I plan to travel to Old Corona tonight to stay with Quirin. He is the other member of the Brotherhood,” Adira explained before her question could focus on him. Hector smiled to himself, again he was grateful she was here. He knew he needed to be better about socializing, but the trip here and his encounter with Amelia left him exhausted and done with trying to follow social niceties.

“His son is Varian, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard a lot about him. He is the one who designed the hot water system, correct?”

“Yes, he did,” Rapunzel answered. “It has truly been a great addition to our kingdom. I know he has plans to make one in the Dark Kingdom as well.”

“Yes, it will be a welcome change!” Edmund added. “Although, it may be some time before the castle is ready.”

Adira stood from the table, “While it has been nice catching up, Hector and I should really get going. We will need a good night's rest at Old Corona for the rest of the trip to the Dark Kingdom.”

Hector nodded eagerly and stood, the bear cats on his heels. As they headed out of the dining hall, Edmund followed them and beckoned for Amelia to follow. She excused herself and quickly caught up. Hector peered back, a little annoyed at the idea of her following them around in the future. They all went to the stables where Argo and Adira’s horse were waiting for them.

“We will meet you two in Old Corona in the morning. From there we will start the journey back.” Edmund stated, then looked to Amelia. “I hope you are okay with these accommodations.”

Amelia bowed her head, “Of course King Edmund. I know it’s about an 8 week trek back to the Dark Kingdom. Traveling comes with the job.”

Edmund nodded, then looked to Hector and Adira, “Travel safely.”

“It’s just to Old Corona,” Hector replied, strapping the saddle back onto Argo. “We will be fine.” He smirked at Adira, “At least I know I will be.”

Adira narrowed her eyes at him and playfully bumped him as she walked to her horse, “I’ve done immensely more traveling than you, tree dweller.”

He laughed and tightened the saddle on Argo. They mounted up on their animals and nodded to Edmund and Amelia as they left. Once Hector got to Amelia, he hesitated but gave her a genuine look before nodding. She smiled in reply and he felt a sense of satisfaction at this. It was the first pleased look she had given him since the docks. Adira and Hector traveled through the streets of Corona and out onto the bridge.

Edmund and Amelia stood at the gates of the palace and watched them leave. Once they were out of sight, Edmund turned to face her, “So, what do you think of Adira and Hector?”

“I’ve only just met them your majesty.”

“You met Hector on the boat earlier.”

Amelia pursed her lips momentarily, “He was polite, a little rough to speak with, but like I said, we’ve just met. Adira was very friendly.”

“He takes some time to warm up to people.”

“That seems normal and can be a very good thing, your majesty.” Edmund chuckled nervously. “Is something wrong?”

“I’m still getting used to being called your majesty again.”

Amelia regarded him fondly and turned, “We should head inside. I need to try some of that figgy pudding you keep talking about.”

Edmund’s demeanor brightened and he walked with her back into the castle.

Hector and Adira made it to Old Corona as the sun was setting. Most of the way was spent talking about Hector's trip to Al'Kiran. Adira smiled sincerely as he eagerly explained and showed her the rock pendant they had given him. He then remembered the gift he had for her.

“Oh,” Hector rummaged through one of his packs. “I got this for you. I know how much you like your hot leaf water.” He handed her a package with the picture of a flower on the front. “It’s supposed to be really good. I’ll admit I never tried it though.”

Adira beamed at him, “Thank you Hector. I don’t think I’ve ever even heard of this kind of tea.”

“It’s only from that area. I wasn’t sure if you had heard of it or not. I hope you like it.”

“I love it, thank you again, Hector.”

Making their way through the town, Quirin's house was easy to spot as it towered over the rest of the small buildings. They dismounted and took their animals to the stables. Hector, Adira, and the bear cats walked up the steps to the front door. Adira went to knock as the doors flung open, revealing Varian’s smiling face.

“You’re here!”

Quirin walked over, hearing Varian’s excited voice. He smiled at them, “Welcome, come in, come in!”

They entered the house and Hector felt a wave of comfort at the feeling from their home. Adira hugged Quirin and then Varian. She sniffed the air, “Smells good Varian. What did you make for us this time?”

Varian began explaining the dish he had made, as they walked off to the kitchen. Hector chuckled as he saw the bear cats tumble over one another to the rug by the fireplace. They finally settled after some wrestling and curled up on each other. He turned to Quirin and they shared a long embrace.

"It's good to have you back Hector," Quirin commented warmly as he pulled away.

Hector felt Quirin's warmth leave and he resisted the urge to pull him back into another hug. He smiled, "It's good to be back."

The two men went into the kitchen to see Varian showing Adira the dish he had made. Hector smiled at his excitement and walked over to Varian, ruffling his hair. “So what exactly did you make us, huh?”

“Well, I tried out Adira’s curry and rice recipe.” Varian answered him. “I did add a bit of my own flavoring to it and I think it complimented it really well. You’ll have to tell me what you all think of it!”

“Sounds great, Varian.”

He smiled at Hector and moved to take the dish to the already set table. They all sat and ate dinner while talking amongst themselves. After Hector had told them of his trip, the subject of Quirin coming to the Dark Kingdom was brought up.

"It would be nice to have you around Quirin," Adira stated. "We could really use the help."

Quirin sighed, "Yes, I know." Varian nodded to his dad. "Which is why, I may be going."

"Really?" Hector smiled.

Adira grinned widely, "When?"

Quirin chuckled at their surprised and lively responses. "Well, after talking with Varian about how I wasn't going to go, so I could stay here to help out…he told me I should go."

"You should," Varian insisted. "I'll be fine here and like I said before, I would love to visit and help with the restoration. It was your home, Dad. If you want to help bring it back to its former glory, then you should."

Quirin grasped his son's shoulder fondly, "The idea we discussed would be to be in Old Corona during the spring and fall when more help is needed, but in the summer and winter I should be able to stay at the Dark Kingdom and help. I still need to discuss some matters with the rest of the citizens here in Old Corona, but I think we can make it work. I should be able to head there in a few months."

“And I plan to come as well,” Varian added. “With the modifications to the balloons I made, we can travel a lot faster. By my calculations, we should be able to make it to the Dark Kingdom in about 5 days, depending on how many stops you make.”

Hector felt a sense of calm wash over him, knowing that Varian and Quirin would be helping out with the kingdom made it seem less impossible. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy, the 4 months they all spent together at the Dark Kingdom after the final battle made that obvious. Many towns and villages were wary of the Dark Kingdom being restored, stating that any sense of order had been lost long ago. Bandits and thieves were prowling all over the forests and other areas, they had cleared out some but they weren’t going to disappear easily.

Not only were there threats from inside, but many of the surrounding kingdoms were creeping in on the borders and attempting to take certain areas. Hector recalled Edmund’s conversations with several different diplomats, all who were so condescendingly polite about how we needed their help in our trying times. He hated that the kingdom was weak and that others were taking advantage of it. Edmund and Quirin were rusty at the negotiations, but managed to get them to discuss these things at a later date. Politics were a strange and careful game to him, one that neither Edmund or Quirin felt prepared for. Amelia’s striking countenance came back into his mind with the memory of Edmund expressing the need for someone more practiced to handle these matters.

Would she be able to handle everything? She doesn’t seem like she would be that firm or tough…then he remembered her comment on the docks. But maybe she could be.

“This is great news, Quirin,” Adira agreed. “Edmund will be pleased and maybe you can brush up on your court conduct with the new diplomat.”

“Ah, so he did get one. What are they like?” Quirin inquired. “Last I heard from him, he was struggling to find someone to join.”

“Her name is Amelia Reyna. I haven’t talked to her extensively, but she seems like a great fit. She has been a diplomat for several kingdoms in the north eastern continents.”

“I’ve heard of a diplomat by the name of Reyna. I wonder if there is any relation, he was very good, but had a falling out of sorts. That’s all I’ve ever heard.”

Quirin and Adira continued talking as Hector finished his meal. He leaned back in his chair, enjoying hearing them talk and realizing how much he had missed them. He could feel the exhaustion of the last few days starting to creep up on him. Hector stood from the table and excused himself, explaining he was heading to bed. Varian followed behind him and said he would show him to his room. Hector snapped at the bear cats, who woke up and sleepily followed him to the room. Varian explained where the bathroom was and how to use the tub. Hector thanked him and Varian left. The bear cats crawled onto his bed and curled up, ready to fall back asleep. Hector sighed and decided he needed to bathe before tomorrow. He grabbed his things and headed to the bathroom, eager to get to sleep.

[ckbookish]

BATMAN BINGO MASTER POST 2020

1 "I thought you were dead.": I Still See Your Ghost 

Today was just not Dick's day. First he overslept his alarm and was late to work. Amy had been less than impressed at his tardiness... Then He had bungled what should have been an easy take town... But the straw that broke the camel's back was Tim. Dick had forgotten to call Tim. 

2 Friendly fire: Fratricide 

Jason was pissed. No, Jason was enraged. Yeah, he was enraged at the whole mess his family-- if that’s even what they were to each other anymore-- had gotten him in. It was meant to be a simple night. Break in. Torch the drugs. Maybe shoot a couple of people and go home. But no, Batman heard about his plans and decided that arson was too extreme. “Someone could get hurt.” Well someone had gotten hurt, a lot of someones. 

3 Hypothermia: Weekend Commute 

Dick Grayson makes his way home during the first snow fall of the year, when he finds himself confused and cold, miles from home.

Chapter two Bruce's perspective.

4 Superman: Bringer of the Dawn

The Aftermath of when the Joker shoots Dick.

or

Where do you go when your family tells you to get out?

5 Shot: The Gratitude Trap

Bruce finds himself in the dark, a place he never thought he would be when it came to Clark Kent and Dick Grayson. Yet here he is digging for answers, because he is too scared to pick up the phone and call. 

6 Two-face: The Better Choice 

How do you reconcile the man who was once your friend with the monster he has become? Bruce reflects on how the man he once called his best friend changed. How could the man who helped him foster Dick, hold that baseball bat? 

7 Drowning: Omori’s Law

Deep in the sewer's under Gotham, Batman is trapped. There is no back up, no Robin. He is faced with the single truth that he tried to teach each of his partners... You have to save yourself. 

  8 Found Family: A Restoration from a Resilient Heart

Dick just wants to not be alone with the shadows in the house. Bruce doesn't realize he has lived with them for far to long, and maybe he doesn't have to anymore.

9 Adoption: The Irrefutable Truth

When he reached the reception, he found himself looking around a fairly empty room. There were a few call girls in the corner filling out forms, an older woman holding a dog, a kid that looked about twelve and a middle aged man who looked like he was ready to cry. He knew no one. Dick was about to turn around and head back to his desk when the on duty officer called out to him. Officer O’Conner was one of his fellow rookies, he had a thick accent. Dick thought he might be from Louisiana. “Grayson! Why didn’t you say your brother was coming to see you?” Dick looked at him with his mouth slightly open. There was no way he heard that right. “My what?” 

10 Bruises: Mr. Wayne

Tim is new to this. He's only been Robin for a little over six months. It was going well. But now he was going to be fired. Batman wouldn't want a partner who got caught at school with a black eye. Would he?

11 Bruce is dead: You Have One Saved Message 

Gotham gossip columns spread lies and smear good people's names. But yet Damian can't help but think maybe this mornings article was true.  That despite all his claims of being the true son of Bruce Wayne, he was in fact the only unwanted one.

12 CPR: Vital Signs 

Robin wakes to find him and Batman in an exploded factory. With Batman injured and the building burning around them, Dick struggles to get them both to safety.   

13 Dad:  Storge 

Bruce could have sworn his spirit had left him momentarily.  The sudden hollowness that filled him couldn’t be explained in any other way. 

 “Your dad must have his hands full with you.”  Elizabeth Ribbons leaned forward and patted Dick’s shoulder, as he reached for yet another slice of cheesecake from a passing waiter’s tray.  

Bruce fixed his eyes on the ice sculpture that hid him from view.  It suddenly seemed like the most interesting design in the world.  The soft lines of the ice on the otherwise insignificant over sized swan seemed like a lead shield...  Because Dick would read it easily in his expression. He wanted to be Dick’s dad.  But he wasn’t. 

14 Stealing the Batmobile: T-Minus Six Hours

Some days Tim is sure that he’s gonna be killed. Usually it’s some luck shot or near miss that made his life flash before his eyes. Not today though. Today he was positive Bruce was going to kill him. Yes, today was the day that Timothy Jackson Drake was going to be put down. He’s not sure that even Nightwing could save him. He was going to go down in history as the first sidekick to be murdered by their mentor. Because the Batmobile was definitely not where he’d parked it.

15 Wayne Enterprises: Amidst the Absence of Meaning 

Bruce is worried. He's running on less than three hours of sleep, and way too many cups of coffee. He had messed up. That much was obvious. The question was would Dick forgive him?

A gruesome night on patrol bleeds into Bruce's work day and now all he can wonder is if this is the thing that will push Dick over the edge? Had he finally seen to much pain?

16 Ransom: Sum of My Worth

The ring of the phone seemed to echo through the manor’s still too quiet long, winding halls, and everyone present collectively held their breath. Bruce lunged for the phone.   

17 Secret Injury: Hiding in Pain Sight

“What?” Dick asked sharper than he meant to. He was tired.

“Nothing.” Tim said with a small smirk. “Heavy is the head.”

Dick closed his eyes, glad that Tim couldn’t see them. He was so sick of this. Tim, Jason, Damian and Cass all didn’t think he was good enough, well Cass hadn’t said that, but Dick could read her. They didn’t think he was up to the job. Well they didn’t need to tell him that. He knew it.

18 Superboy: An Interlude in Breathing 

Tim looked out over the water in a daze. Bruce and Dick had gone somewhere below deck and he was alone. Well there were strangers on the ship mingling and talking excitedly--but Tim gave them no notice. Instead he watched the water lap up against the hull and crash down back to meet the dark, cold waters. They were far enough out that he could no longer see the shore. It was just endless expenses of sea and sky. Something tickled his neck and he started, only to realize he had been crying. It was only a tear slipping under his collar.

The days after the battle of Infinite Crisis

19 Betrayed: Smother

She took another drag of the cigarette, letting the smoke roll in her lungs for a long moment before allowing it hiss out between her teeth. The screams from the warehouse weren’t completely muffled by the distance, or the walls. Perhaps she was only imagining them. But then, sounds like that, she didn’t think she could dream up. She jumped after a particularly high pitched yelp. “Get a grip.” She dropped the cigarette and pulled out another. Her hand shook as she lit it. “It’s just some random kid. He’s not--” She bit back a sob. She didn’t deserve to cry. She had no right to tears, not when it was her fault.   

20 Crowbar: Breaklights

The mail fell to the ground and the paper smacked the tiles hard.  The sound in reality couldn’t have been all that loud, but it seemed to echo around the entryway.  Bruce didn’t look at the dropped bills and the invitation to a fundraiser for the new Gotham women’s shelter.  He was too fixated on the small stamp with the queen of England's head on it.  Wolverhampton.  

The large envelope was far heavier then it should have been.  Bruce could feel bile crawling up his throat.  

He had forgotten.

21 Deathstroke: Debts and Dues

There were some things that were never pleasant, getting caught in the snow without socks, losing your keys, and not being able to remember the name of a song. Having a gun pointed at your chest, Dick felt, qualified as extremely unpleasant. He stood stock still. The barrel of the gun was still hot, it burned slightly as it dug into his sternum. Even with his uniform he could still feel the heat left over from previous rounds fired. He didn’t flinch. He couldn’t flinch. “Move.” “You know I can’t.” Dick wondered if Slade had the guts to do it.   

22 Mission Gone Wrong: Murmur in the Quiet Hours

Superman? Clark froze. He knew that voice. But-- he had never heard it sounding so sad. Was that-- no. Clark dove for his phone, still on the counter from when he got home last night. The screen was black. Dead. Clark swore and dropped it. He was in his coat and shoes before it hit the counter top.   

23 Kidnapped:  Chum 

Dick trumped through the leaves, stopping his feet roughly. He relished the sound of the crunch beneath his shoes as he tread on the brown, dead leaves before him. He felt rather justified in his satisfaction. After all the world had taken so much from him, why wouldn’t he do his best to crush it in return. The woods were cool and as he went deeper into them they grew darker. The sun had long set, and the sky was quickly vanishing as the trees grew thicker. Wayne Manor was far behind him. He was never going back. He hated those pristine walls, those old floor boards. He hated the quiet. He hated the stuffy furniture and the rules and the vases and pictures. He hated his new guardian and that… that… Dick couldn’t remember what Alfred was called, but he hated it. The bag on his back felt heavy. It had everything Dick owned in it. Well and a toothbrush that Alfred had given him. But he didn’t think that was really stealing. 

24 Riddler: Seeking Silence on Shortwaves

Normally Dick would be happy to listen to Tim talk. In fact, Dick thought it was one of his favorite sounds in the world. Tim rarely allowed himself to be excited about things. Hearing him speak so freely and openly to Bruce and him about his plans was refreshing. Dick only wished it wouldn’t be at the cost of his life.

Batman hadn't always been so strict about talking unnecessarily over comms. When it was just two of them it hadn't mattered, their walkie talkie system had always worked. But now that Nightwing and Robin were in Gotham, it seems insane that they never realized: if only one person can talk over the radio at a time... how could they call for help?

25 Mr. Freeze: Glimpsing the Sun While Trapped in the Rime

He almost called Bruce between his fourth and fifth class. He pulled his phone out, leaning against his locker, and half dialed his number when a warm hand fell on his shoulder. “Hey.” Dick spun around and blinked back black spots as his body protested the sudden movement. A blaze of red hair filled his vision and Dick felt a small fire build in his chest. His face split into a wide smile.

After a run in with Mr. Freeze Dick finds himself feeling odd at school, but he can't go home, not when Barbara's asked him to drive her to Betty's party after school.

[afictionalwhore]

A Mermaid’s Mate

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A/N: this was inspired by a long and beautiful conversation with @jadequeen88 about nasty Pirate!Dabi and a little Mermaid!Reader and poor first mate Tenko. I’m an absolute slut for mermaid AUs and Dabi just seemed like the natural choice for a scummy pirate.

Pirate!Dabi x Mermaid!Reader ; little bit of First mate!Tenko

Words: 4K

T/W: noncon, fingering, little bit of anal play, mermaid anatomy, cucking, Captain Dabi is unhygienic in his sex life.

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Captain Dabi was to be, above all else, feared. He had developed quite the reputation for himself, covered head to toe in tattoos and piercings, a tuft of unruly black hair, and maniacal blue eyes that burned with something almost inhumane. Dabi quickly rose to be one of the most feared pirates of the sea. The rumors had spread like wildfire. He’ll steal your eldest daughter and eat her heart! had to be Dabi’s favorite. Combined with his love of pyrotechnics, the dirty captain found relative ease in pillaging unsuspecting coastal towns throughout the seas, leaving quite the impressive trail of broken hearts and devastated livelihoods.

Despite his fearsome reputation, Dabi found himself tossing and turning at night recently, unable to fall asleep. News, rumors, that his father’s navy fleet had been following his ship did not settle well with the captain. Sure, Dabi had stolen this ship from said fleet but that, amongst many other unmentionable crimes, was just a part of the territory of life as a pirate. What better way to start off a life of piracy than to change his name and steal a ship from the father he hated so much? Regardless of the rumors, as Dabi told himself they were, he had found himself unable to sleep that night. 

Dabi swung his legs up and over the hammock that swayed with the motions of the ship, hopping on the floor of his quarters with a small thud. He swaggered up to his cabinet before swinging the doors open, hoping to find some rum. None. That was fine. He’d just have to ask Tenko if he had some. That’s what a first mate was for anyways, right? Besides, a walk across the deck under the crisp ocean night air would do him some good, maybe clear his head and relax him a bit. That’s just what the doctor, him, prescribed: a night under the stars with his one true love, rum.

As he made his way towards Tenko’s quarters, he saw a light at the end of his ship. As Dabi crossed the deck, he could make out the skinny twig of a man hanging over the railing, pale blue hair shining under the light like a beacon.

Scurvy must have got the poor soul, Dabi thought as he creaked along the open deck, as though that would explain the man’s behavior, despite the fact that Tenko had always been, in Dabi’s eyes, a weird one.

When Dabi stole his father’s ship, he brought Tenko on as his first mate, since that backstabbing Keigo had joined the Navy with Dabi’s father. Dabi thought he’d have to drag Tenko on board, knowing the awkward man much preferred the indoors, always hunched over a pile of books. To Dabi’s surprise, it didn’t take the shy, blue-haired man much convincing at all to join. 

“Do you think we’ll see a mermaid?” Tenko had asked Dabi as they snuck away and sailed into their new life under the veil of stars. 

“Sure, kid.” Dabi shrugged, more focused on the rope work than whatever mythical creature prowled the ocean depths.

Ever since then, Tenko was always ranting and raving about mermaids. Dabi had already given the scrawny man lecture upon lecture after catching Tenko throwing their limited food supplies out into the ocean. It was only a matter of time before the man died trying  to fuck some poor, unknowing ocean creature in belief it was a living, breathing, genuine mermaid. 

That’ll just leave more rum for me. Dabi thoroughly believed, turning back towards Tenko’s quarters to retrieve the rum, head too full of worries about his father to bother with lecturing Tenko once again. Karma would deal with Tenko for wasting their food yet again.

Dabi had almost made it to Tenko’s quarters when he heard it: a soft, feminine giggle. Dabi wondered if he had already drunk the last of his rum that night and simply forgot. There was no way a woman could be on board, not without womanizer Captain Dabi knowing. It had been only Dabi and Tenko for weeks. He was simply hearing things. He had to have been.

Dabi decided to creep closer, just within earshot of Tenko and the mystery woman. He heard Tenko’s raspy voice—“fruit”—following by a lighter, almost airy voice— “foooot?”

“Try again,” said Tenko, leaning a little further over the railing. “Frrrruit.”

“Frrrrrrooooot. Frrrrrrrruit. Frrrruit. Fruit!”

“Good! That’s perfect!” Tenko exclaimed before tossing whatever fruit he had stolen from the kitchens into the water. “You’re learning so fast!”

Dabi expected a splash, prayed there would be a splash. Instead, his ears were greeted with more giggles. Dabi shook his head before turning around and slinking back to his quarters without the rum.

“I’m out of damn mind,” he mumbled as he tucked himself into his hammock, the swaying of the ship lulling him to sleep.

It didn’t stop there. The food kept disappearing. Tenko was just a little too eager to stay out at night for someone who usually didn’t enjoy the fresh air. Although Dabi felt his first mate could really use some refreshing ocean air. Dabi found himself sneaking out at night, stalking his first mate and listening in on his conversations with whatever the man was talking to. 

This had gone on for about a week. Dabi was growing more and more restless, finding himself inexplicably irate with his first mate. Conversations with Tenko usually were about some ocean myth, but they began to take a turn that left Dabi more irritated than uncomfortable or bored, especially combined with what Dabi was watching at night.

“Did you know mermaids can mate with humans?” Tenko said one clear day as he was cleaning the deck while Dabi charted their course.

Dabi stopped mid step and turned to face his friend. “Please don’t go and fuck the manatee.”

“I’m not going to fuck a manatee! I’m telling you! There’s genuine mermaids out there!” Tenko was working himself up into a fit.

“Fine, fine,” Dabi waved him off. “I believe ya.” I need to get this man laid. I need to get laid, fuckin’ Christ. 

“Unrelated, though,” he pointed an accusatory finger at his first mate. “Tenko, do you happen to know where the food has been goin’? I know mannin’ a ship with just us two fuckers is a lot, but we really can’t be out of apples already.”

“No, captain. No, sir,” Tenko fumbled with his fingers. “I can’t say I do know. Perhaps we have some rats?”

“Rats, yes, of course.” Dabi said, fearsome blue eyes never leaving Tenko’s red ones. “Rats. Tenko, make a note for when we’ve stopped in the next town. We need to pick up more apples and rat traps.”

“Yes, sir.” Tenko scurried away, and Dabi didn’t see his first mate for the rest of the evening.

The interaction had left Dabi more irritated than usual. Not only did he have to deal with a lunatic first mate, but he had to deal with the fact that said first mate wasn’t actually crazy. Add that to the stress of being out on the open sea for a week since he had heard the rumors of his father catching up with him and Dabi found himself on another sleepless night in need of a drink.

Knowing that he had already drank the supply he had stolen from Tenko a week ago and there would be nothing in the cabinet, Dabi once again heaved his body out of his hammock, boots hitting the hard wooden floor of his quarters, and found himself making his way across the deck under the moonlight to Tenko’s quarters.

Once again, there was Tenko, in his regular spot, hanging over the railing with his lamp beside him resting on said railing and illuminating his pale features.

“Tenko.” Dabi heard his first mate’s scratchy voice and watched as Tenko pointed a long finger towards himself. He heard the water move, splashing ever so softly, before the airy voice replied. “Teeeehnnnkooooooh. Teeeenko. Tenko!” Musical giggles floated into the night air.

“Yes!” Tenko moved his hand over the ship’s railing to point out into the water.

After a few moments, a soft voice answered back, telling Tenko your name.

Tenko sighed and repeated what you had told him. “That’s beautiful.”

Dabi scoffed. A burning feeling in his chest left him uncomfortable. That was enough foolery for him. God he needed a drink. He quickened his pace to Tenko’s quarters, nothing but rum on his mind.

Dabi made it to Tenko’s quarters, the blue-haired man too distracted to notice Dabi sneaking about. He fumbled around the room with the sway of the ship, throwing objects around until he had found what he was looking for. Rum in hand, Dabi left to return to his own quarters. As he made his way back, he overheard Tenko’s raspy voice once again.

“I love you.”

Dabi could feel the bile rising up. As he went to take a drink of the rum, bringing the bottle up to his lips, a gust of wind and a big wave caused the ship to rock, throwing the drunken captain off balance. He fell with a loud thud, disrupting Tenko. Dabi couldn’t believe his luck when the wave had also thrown Tenko’s lamp into the ocean below. He quickly scurried back to his room, going unnoticed by Tenko. Still, it was just the two of them on board. Tenko had to know Dabi had been spying on now.

The next night, Dabi found himself in a similar predicament as the first night he had caught you and Tenko, sleepless and drunk. Funds were running low. More importantly, the rum was running low, nearly out at the pace Dabi was drinking. He had been pacing the floor of his cabin, when it finally clicked.  Dabi heard the giggling once again, annoyed by the creature and his first mate’s consistent flirting. 

You. You were the answer. How much had Tenko taught you to speak? Surely Dabi could teach you a few new words, a few more tricks. Dirty sailors would run for miles for a chance with you. Hell, even some of the corrupt lords of the nearby islands would pay the big bucks to look at you. If Keigo was still the man he was when Dabi and him were friends, Dabi was sure Keigo would keep his mouth shut about his whereabouts to his father in exchange for letting his little mermaid suck him off. 

Further, Dabi convinced himself that he would be doing Tenko a great service by catching you. Dabi was a smart man. Growing up under his Navy officer father’s thumb, Dabi had heard a fair share of mermaid tales before meeting Tenko. What kind of friend would Dabi be to let poor, innocent, unsuspecting Tenko fall in the clutches of an evil mermaid?

Last night was too close for comfort for Dabi. He had to move fast. They would be docking soon. It would be the perfect chance for Dabi to see how much he could make off of you.  He swung open the door to quarters to see Tenko making his way towards your usual meeting spot.

“Tenko!” he barked.

The young man jumped and turned around, hiding whatever leftover food he had saved from dinner behind his back, hoping Dabi wouldn’t notice the disappearance if it were from his own plate.

“Yes, captain?” he asked.

“We’re docking at the next town. I need you to take inventory and make a list of what we need.”

“Yes, sir.” Tenko made his way to the storage below deck.

“No!” Dabi yelled. Tenko turned around, confused. “Start with the kitchens.”

“O-okay, sir.” Tenko turned to make his way to the kitchen, near his own quarters and across from Dabi’s.

Once Tenko was out of sight and well in the kitchens, Dabi ran below deck. He grabbed the net from the storage, and headed to the spot he always saw Tenko waiting for you at.

You had swam up to your usual spot, waiting for Tenko. Tonight, you were a bit more impatient. You had been practicing the phrase Tenko told you the night before and were excited to tell him. You felt the footsteps approaching, the vibrations rippling through the air and water. Something felt off. The footsteps were heavier than Tenko’s. A small voice in the back of your mind screamed at you to swim away, but in your excitement to impress Tenko, you pushed the thought back. Perhaps Tenko just wasn’t feeling well.

Finally, a figure appeared over the edge of the railing. You popped your head up from below the surface, splashing water as you threw your arms up in the air to exclaim “Love you!” 

It happened too fast for you to comprehend. At a dizzying speed, a net was thrown over you, trapping you in and dragging you across the water before hoisting you up into the air. You struggled against the bindings, crying breathlessly, “Tenko! Tenko!” 

As the net containing you was swung around the ship to hold you over the deck, you heard a rough, dark voice. “Tenko? No, doll. The name’s Dabi.”

You were dropped unceremoniously on the deck floor, net still draped over you.

In the commotion, Tenko had returned from the kitchens. He ran towards Dabi and you, trapped under the heavy net on the hard flooring. Whatever he was holding in his hands fell to the floor.

“No!” Tenko cried, calling out your name, reaching for you.

“Please don’t!” Tenko sobbed, falling on his knees. “Please. You don’t understand. I love her. Mermaids mate for life! I’m sure she feels the same for me.”

An inexplicable anger rushed over Dabi at Tenko’s pleading. When had Tenko ever been with a woman? And he expects this mythical beauty to love him? Dabi felt that he could burn up his whole ship with his rage at his first mate’s stupidity. 

That at least, is what he told himself. Dabi would be the last to admit that he was actually jealous of Tenko and whatever relationship he had with you. You were beautiful beyond words. How a creature as breathtaking as you could love someone as shrimpy as Tenko was beyond Dabi, and it left him pissed. 

“Would you just shut up!” Dabi spat at him. “Are you stupid? I thought you were the expert here. You should know it doesn’t have any feelings. It doesn’t love you, it only wants to kill you.” 

Dabi’s cruel words ached in Tenko’s heart. He clutched at the thin fabric of his shirt over his chest.

“You’re a pitiful excuse of a man! If you love her so much, then just take her from me!” He dragged the net off your shaking frame. “Oh wait. I’d have ya tossed overboard for mutiny. What a piss situation for you then. Well! Go on! Watch your woman, your thing, get claimed as your captain’s!”

Tenko’s head dropped. His whole body dropped. His hands gripped his dirty pants so tight his knuckles turned white. Tears ran down his face, dripping off his chin and onto his dry, cracking knuckles and pants.

Dabi swung a leg over you to straddle you at your waist, knees pressing in on either side of your slippery fin.

“Let a real man show you some real fun. Okay, babe?” Dabi smiled down at your quivering form, shaking with fear and cold.

Dabi ran a long, cold finger up and down over your small slit, just below where your fin and waist merged. After it had gained enough wetness from your natural slick and the ocean water that was still dripping off you, Dabi pushed the rough finger into you, causing you to gasp and jump.

“She’s so tight, Tenko!” Dabi exclaimed as he curled a finger against your spongy walls. “Well, damn! If I’d have known she was this tight, I’d have caught her a long time ago. Why didn’t you tell me she’d be this tight? Holdin’ out on your captain now?” 

You thrashed around the deck, beating your tail against the wooden floor of the deck and gasping for air, reaching out for Tenko, as Dabi continued to finger fuck you. 

“Tenko! Tenko!” you sobbed.

“How many times do you have to tell you, bitch?” Dabi growled. “The word you’re looking for is Dabi.” He shoved two more fingers in your small slit, pumping a few times before spreading them. “Gotta make sure this little mer-cunt is nice and stretched out for me.” Dabi chuckled to himself.

Dabi continued to finger fuck you as you sobbed below him. Your clawing at the wood of the deck had stopped, little scratch marks left behind in the wake. The air was heavy with the sounds of you gasping for air between your sobs and hiccups and the squelching of Dabi’s fingers in you.

“Oh? And what’s this?” Dabi took the hand that wasn’t busy with your cunt and poked a finger around your tighter hole just above the slit he currently had three dirty fingers stuffed in. He basked in your widening eyes and shocked gasps as he continued to finger around.

“Tell me, Tenko,” Dabi mused. “Is this her tight little asshole?”

Tenko, still staring at the deck, answered bleakly. “Yes, captain.”

“Fascinating.” Dabi slid his thumb past the rim of muscle. A thrill ran down his spine as you jumped underneath him.

“You like that, baby?” Dabi applied more pressure with his thumb. You squirmed more beneath him and cried. 

“Shhhh” Dabi cooed. “You’ll feel good real soon.” He turned to Tenko, who could be mistaken for a statue with how still the man was. “Tenko, tell me where her clit is.”

“She doesn’t have one like a human girl, sir,” came the small, dry reply.

“Oh? Then how is she supposed to feel any pleasure?”

“You see the thin skin around her waist? Right by her fin and skin?”

“Yes. What about it?”

“That’s her skirt. Right at the base of her skirt, where it dips in that V shape, that’s essentially her clit.”

“Ah, right here?” Dabi took the thumb out of your ass and pressed against the small V where your fin and skin met.

You couldn’t contain the moan that spilled out of your mouth. Dabi smirked at your reaction. 

“Bingo,” he said, as he massaged small circular patterns in that spot. He curled the fingers inside you, pressing against your gummy walls, before dragging them out. As your moans increased in pitch, Dabi increased his speed. Soon, you were putty in his hands, on the brink of orgasm.

“Come for me, doll.” Dabi whispered as your walls clenched on his fingers. He pressed once more on your “clit” and the knot tightening within you broke. You threw your head back against the wood of the deck, eyes squeezing shut, and cried out.

“Good girl. Good girl.” Dabi praised. 

Once you had calmed down from your orgasm, Dabi raised up to his knees, still trapping you underneath him. Your previous orgasm in combination with the fight you had put up left you exhausted below him. You looked up at the clinking of Dabi undoing his belt. He pushed his ratty pants down just far enough to release his aching cock. Being with you had excited him in a way that no human girl he had slept with before ever had. He had never been so hard and just watching you writhe behind him was enough to turn his cock an angry purple, precum leaking from the tip. 

Your eyes widened in fear as you took in the sight of him. He was bigger, much much bigger than any merman your mated sisters had told you about. He was pierced too, a Jacob’s ladder crawling up the underside of his massive length. This was completely foreign to you, and only served to make you all the more scared. Your adrenaline kicked in once again, and you resumed your beating and clawing against the deck, screaming “Tenko! Tenko!”

Tenko sobs resumed as he heard your calls for him. He could do nothing but watch Dabi stroke himself with you fighting beneath him.

“Please,” he rasped, barely audible.

“Would you just shut the fuck up before you make me go soft?” Dabi shouted at the man.

Tenko bowed his head again, resembling a kicked puppy. He sobbed and hiccuped, only serving to turn Dabi on more despite what he had just yelled at the man.

Dabi gave himself a few languid pumps as he lined himself up with your sopping cunt. You stilled as you felt the tip against you, frozen in fear.

“This is going to hurt at first, but I promise you’ll feel good soon,” he whispered to you, placing a hand on either side of your head and dipping down to kiss you. You turned your face to avoid him, only causing the possessed man to laugh.

As Dabi pushed himself in, inch by agonizing inch, your mouth fell open in a silent scream. Your hands scratched at the floor of the deck, trying to find purchase as Dabi stretched you. Dabi let out a groan as he bottomed out, tip kissing your cervix. The initial stretch felt like it was burning you from the inside out. He was too big.

“God. You must be a virgin, huh? Ready for the real fun, doll?” Dabi smiled down at you before pulling out and slamming back in.

You gave a scream, and threw your arms around Dabi, desperately trying to hold on to something, causing him to chuckle. He repeated the motion, again and again. You buried your face into the crook of his neck. The pirate smelt awful, but you were too scared to let go of him. However, as he had promised you earlier, the pain had subsided into something much better. You couldn’t help but moan at the feeling of Dabi’s piercing dragging along your walls, his cockhead hititng your cervix with each thrust.

“I’m not gonna last long.” Dabi grunted against your ear. Between your soft moans and warm, sticky cunt, Dabi was in ecstasy.

He lifted a hand to press back at your sensitive spot, causing you to squeal and tighten your grip on him. Your walls spasmed around him and clamped down on his cock. As he picked up his speed, Dabi’s thrusts became sloppy, beating against the barrier to your womb.

“Gonna cum,” Dabi panted. “Cum with me. Cum all over this too big cock.” He pressed on your spot, and your orgasm ripped through you, hot pleasure running through your body as Dabi painted your insides white.

As Dabi pulled himself out of your vise grip, cum dribbled out of your too small hole. Dabi marveled at your gaping cunt, whistling at the mess he had made of you. 

“Would you look at that,” he spread your hole, causing more cum to leak out. 

He stood up over you to fix his pants. Once he was fully dressed again, Dabi picked you up, cum still leaking out of your small slit, and dropped your lifeless, ragdoll form on the hard floor of the deck in front of Tenko, who lunged for you. 

Tenko cradled you in his arms. Your head lolled over his arm as his fell on your shoulder. His tears dripped down on your barely rising chest as sobbed racked through his small frame, the salty tears from the both of you mixing with the ocean water on the deck. 

Dabi scoffed at the scene in front of him.

“Better go get her some water and fast. How long can mermaids be out of water, again? Doesn’t look like she has a lot of time left,” He said to Tenko. Dabi wouldn’t be surprised if you were in shock.

He turned on the heel of his boot to retire for the night, but soft, broken sob stopped him in his tracks.

“Daaaah-beeee. Daaah-bee. Dabi. Dabi!” Despite being held safe in Tenko’s arms, you were reaching out for Dabi, crying for the man who had devastated you. Your pitiful state pierced his heart. 

Mermaids mate for life.