#i’m so sorry to anyone who thought this was a surprise chapter update
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atomicjellyb3an · 2 months ago
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Driving to my house in the middle of the night
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I can’t believe it’s been almost an entire YEAR, since i posted the first chapter to this fic (and i can’t believe it’s taken me this long to make a proper collage for the thing).
But the love it’s gotten (and is still getting) has been amazing! I’m so overwhelmed by it since it was my first Wenclair fic and probably one of my favourites i’ve written
So, because it’s also the spooky season (ignore my shameless self promo) give it a reread or even read it for the first time! ALSO check out the awesome art done by @barblaz-arts
and yeah, thank you again for all the love the fic has gotten!
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moirasdolly · 2 months ago
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˚ ⋆゚୨୧ Vampire Heart ୨୧ ˚ ⋆゚ Arlecchino x Fem Reader
Synopsis: You had gotten all dolled up for Arlecchino expecting a long night full of many surprises. You didn’t know what you had gotten yourself into until it was too late, but you find yourself ignoring the other woman’s red flags.
Contains: NSFW (men and minors dni), graphic depictions of blood sucking, hurt/comfort (only slight angst).
Listening to ♪ ིྀ: …baby one more time - The Marías
Previous chapter: 2
Notes: Just a quick update before the blood sucking ૮₍ - ⤙ - ₎ა I thought I’d bring this fic back just in time for spooky season !! I’m definitely going to try to finish it by the end of October, but for now please enjoy this chapter <3
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❤︎ Chapter 3: Fangs
Arlecchino had no trouble drinking in your pretty, doll-like appearance as you laid in the mountain of frilly blankets covering your bed. She thought you looked cuter than anyone she had ever seen with the way you were peering up at her through your long, dark lashes. It was taking all she had in her to not just pounce on you the moment she stepped through the threshold of your room.
You had giggled softly at her staring and if she thought you couldn’t get even cuter, she was mistaken. Her gaze followed your hand down to where it was patting the empty space beside you, and if you were insisting, then who was she to refuse? She easily slid into the bed beside you leaving you no personal space. She was oddly cold, you thought to yourself, maybe she just naturally ran cold… You paid that no mind though and instead you favored cuddling up to her to try to warm her up since you were feeling a bit bolder about initiating contact.. “Arle… You’re freezing.” A pout graced your lips and she simply shook her head at you. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about me, I’m perfectly fine as long as I have you warming me up.”
At her words you draped one of your legs around her own and nuzzled closer to her, letting your head rest gently on her chest. You hadn’t considered that the neckline of her slip plunged low on her chest, so when your cheek made contact with her bare skin, you felt your body heating up. Arlecchino felt it too because you heard a deep chuckle from within her throat as she ran her lithe fingers up and down your lower back. “Are you getting shy now? Cute.” Her tone wasn’t exactly mocking, but the way her voice lilted up at the end made it feel like she was trying to work you up.
“I bet you weren't shy when you were snooping through my belongings earlier.” Her tone darkened and your body went rigid at her words before you pushed yourself away from her. You stayed silent for a moment, not knowing what to say to defend yourself. You knew there was no defending yourself though, it was clearly wrong going through her possessions. “I-I…” You started, not sure how to continue. Your eyes were searching her own for any sign of warmth, but you were met with a face of indifference. She was incredibly hard to read, and it was making you nervous just how quick her demeanor could change.
“I’m sorry, I was just so curious about you, you were so secretive about certain things I wanted to know about you.” Your lip was quivering as you spoke, and Arlecchino stayed silent, seeingly contemplating her next move. “So you decided to invade my privacy, instead of asking me about myself?” Her voice wasn’t angry, but that’s what scared you more. You’d rather have her yell at you or be angry than whatever she was doing now. “You always dodged my questions, when I asked you why you went out at night you said it was business or errands, but I know that’s a lie.” You rambled on, starting to grow more nervous.
Arlecchino peered over at your shrinking form before grabbing your wrist, and bringing it to her lips. She pressed a soft, gentle kiss, completely contrasting the tense atmosphere between you two. “If I tell you, promise you won’t be scared?” Alarms were blaring in your mind, but you ignored them in favor of the woman before you. Your head was nodding on its own before you knew it and the other woman was on top of you in a second. Her arms caged you in under her, and one knee was slotted in between your thighs. Slowly, she leaned in, her lips barely grazing your sensitive neck. Her breath tickled you as she spoke, “I go out to hunt at night.” Confusion clouded your mind, why would she need to hide that? “You’re confused little doe? I hunt lost ones like you for their life source, blood.” Your heart was beating out of your chest now. Was she a murderer? Was she going to kill you? Was she just tricking you into thinking she cared this whole time? Your fear must have been present on your face because Arlecchino had taken it upon herself to soothe your nerves. She caressed your cheek gently, turning your head to face her once more, “I’m kidding. I don’t kill humans, unless they deserve it.” A wicked grin formed on her face and you were even more confused now.
“What are you talking about?” Your thoughts were swirling around in your head and you felt sick. “Have you ever heard of the myths of a vampire living in this very town?” She chuckled. You thought she must be pulling some sick prank on you, because vampires couldn’t actually exist. Right? “That’s absurd. Are you trying to tell me you’re a vampire?” Instead of answering you with words she answered with the fangs that seemed to appear out of nowhere within her mouth. The glint of white rendered you absolutely speechless, you felt you were going insane. You didn’t know if you found her 100 times more attractive, or if you wanted to scream and push her off of you, you were truly short circuiting. All you could do was stare.
“What’s on that pretty little mind of yours?” Her gloved hand cupped your cheek softly. Her actions completely betrayed the nature of the secret she had shared with you, and it eased your thoughts ever so slightly that she seemed just as gentle with you as she always has been. “Who’s Peruere?” You mumbled quietly, recalling the details of the journal you found. In the back of your mind you already knew the answer, but you wanted to hear her say it.
“Peruere is one with me. I parted with the name hundreds of years ago though.” She spoke of those hundreds of years ago as if it was just some distant memory, but it was truly hard to grasp how old she must be. “I know it’s a lot to take in, I wouldn’t want you to be frightened of me after this.” A sigh escaped her lips, her fangs barely peeking out past her top lip.
You were silent momentarily to contemplate what you wanted to say next. “I’m a little scared, but I know you won’t hurt me.” It was more of a question than a statement the way your voice wavered. You wanted to think she liked your presence in her life enough to not kill you. Arlecchino’s eyes softened at your voice and she nodded her head slightly. “You’ve captured my heart, darling. I wouldn’t dare hurt you, unless you asked.” Her voice lowered at the last part, her eyes trailing down to your bare neck. You furrowed your brows at her words until what she meant finally caught up to you. “I thought you only hunted animals?”
“I do, but your blood must be the sweetest of nectars. Your scent is almost intoxicating to me.” Her voice was thick with desire, and it seemed as if she was getting needy for a taste of you. “Would it hurt?” You couldn’t believe you were even considering letting her drink from you, but the way she looked right now was simply irresistible. Her blood red eyes were nearly glowing with desire, her cheeks were flushed, and the way she towered over you was making it harder to say no to her. “Only for a moment, but I could make it feel better…” She trailed off, alluding to your pleasure.
You squirmed underneath her, your body brushing up against hers. She felt almost feverish where your skin met, and you were bordering on the same feeling. After a moment of weighing your options, you locked eyes with hers and nodded slowly. Within a moment her gloved hand slithered up your cheek before settling back down on your chin. She sucked her teeth and for a moment you thought you dissatisfied her. “Use your words. I need you to say you want it.”
Your mouth parted, inviting her thumb to slip past your plump lips. “I want it, I want you.”
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avocadoguru · 1 year ago
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He was staring at her in a way no one had in her entire life. She couldn’t read anything in his eyes - not surprise, not fear, not malicious intent - nothing. (wolfrry, werewolf!harry, alpha!harry, ranger!y/n)
Lupus Noctis- Masterlist, Author’s Note & Warnings
Chapter 11 / alternatively, read on wattpad
Chapter 12 (word count: 9k) -updated September 6
“So… did you figure it out, yet?”
Harry didn’t even have time to find it funny, “Why wouldn’t you have said anything to me? This is… What do I do? Does she know? She wouldn’t know yet, would she? I don’t think she knows… Niall, I don’t know how to handle something like this!”
Harry’s emotions were high. And for good reason. What he’d just seen had him shaken. And it also meant that she’d been turned against her will by a psychopath. He was glad he’d murdered James but this would always be a reminder of what had happened and who had done it.
He had been curious about a few little things. The first was obviously the speed at which she’d recovered and then there was her sudden spunk. Her heightened sense of smell was peculiar when she picked out that he was to be making eggs benedict, which should have tipped him off right away. How had she guessed? The sauce wasn’t something that most humans could pick out from a small leak in a jar in a bag full of other more fragrant groceries. 
“What happened that made you realize?”
“I saw her eyes turn golden. Just wish you’d said something.”
Niall had a hunch about her sudden natural reparative abilities, but he couldn’t be 100% sure at the time.“Harry, you have to understand, man. I didn’t say anything because it was either I was wrong or I was right and you’d figure it out anyway. It was better not to say anything if by chance she was just recovering in a way that doesn’t normally happen in humans. Sometimes things do happen that don’t make sense medically. I figured it was better to just wait and see.”
Harry paced, all the way to the furthermost corner of his expansive garden, outside of Y/N’s earshot. His towel tied tight around his waist as he ran his hands through his damp hair, “You could have at least given me a heads up. What do I do?”
Niall breathed out a laugh, “How should I know? I’m a medical doctor! I’m not cut out for emotional therapy. I’ve never dealt with anything like this. But you’ll figure it out.”
“I know. I just… how do I tell her?”
“Harry, again, I don’t know. We’re talking about a human that has been turned and I’m not familiar with all of this. It’s very unconventional. This kind of thing only happens in extremely rare cases and never in my life have I met a human that’s been turned. I’ve heard about it, just never known someone that it happened to. How has she been acting? What caused her eyes to change?”
Harry cleared his throat and looked up at his house, remembering to keep his voice down, “She’s been… very ready to do stuff. Awake. Wants to go for a swim. Is hungry. Um… a little bit bossy with me even.”
Niall hummed into the receiver, “Bossy… and what happened to have her eyes change?”
Harry could almost hear the cheek in his voice, “She was… I think maybe just excited. She’s been in a really good mood since I came back with groceries a bit ago.”
“Right… a good mood. Well, it’s doctor’s orders to take it easy on her. She might be… well… able to tolerate more, but… she’s still recovering. And so are you.”
A scoff fell from Harry’s lips, “Fine. No advice for me then?”
“Sorry, man. Never dealt with anything like this before. As you know, it’s exceptional that anyone would survive being bitten and getting turned. I just think that’s remarkable… The way you’ve been adamant she’s your mate, all this time. She really is your mate. Only your true mate could’ve survived turning for you.”
*
Y/N was onto Harry. She knew that he wasn’t running out to his car just to get something. Sure he ran out the front door but the way he reacted to her standing so close to him was a little out of character. Perhaps, she decided, that he was trying to “behave” and not push her into anything intimate. That made sense. She was still recovering from what she was told were deadly injuries. But that in itself was a mystery to her. She felt fine for the most part. 
She’d unpacked the groceries and left out the ingredients to make the eggs benedict when Harry was in the shower. But getting interrupted by the way he had groaned and then, the thing that had started to become a big question at the front of her mind, was his scent. It was his natural musk but she could smell him from all the way downstairs in the kitchen while he was in the shower. It was his groan, however, that had her feet carrying her upstairs to check on him. Just to see. 
She didn’t know why he’d suddenly become so timid with her. Why he was shying away from her. It was subtle but she noticed it. 
When he came back inside, dawning only the towel he tucked around his waist he slowed his movements as he saw her standing there with a knowing look on her face.
“What happened?”
Harry tilted his chin up to feign more confidence than he was feeling in her presence suddenly. It was as if he was looking at her with new eyes. She was like him now and her senses would pick apart the subtlest changes, “I thought I’d left the butter in the car. Wouldn’t have wanted it to melt.”
Y/N narrowed her eyes at him as he walked past her into the kitchen, “But you didn’t go to your car.”
Harry clenched his jaw and stopped in his tracks. It was going to be difficult to pretend he didn’t know what was going on but he wanted to wait a little longer before telling her in hopes of her figuring it out herself. Or, in any case, he needed to figure out a way to ease her into this. He didn’t want her to freak out, or be by herself when she did figure it out. But he needed time to process it himself; all he knew was that he couldn’t just blurt it out to her out of nowhere. 
He hated to have to go right back to keeping secrets from her again, especially such a huge one, and especially something that affected her directly. By some miracle he didn’t lose her, she was still there with him by choice, he just couldn’t handle losing her for good if she took to the news badly. Which she had every right to… just as much as she’d had every right to be as upset with him as she’d been just a little while back. He thought back then that he’d lost her for good. And now he had to prepare himself for the possibility of having his heart broken all over again.
The way he handled this was crucial. A wrong move and he could fuck it all up forever. He needed to tread carefully.
He looked at her with squinted eyes, “How do you know I didn’t check the car?”
Y/N paused. She had been feeling like her senses were somehow heightened. Her hearing, her sense of smell… She pondered his question as he continued walking into the kitchen. Looking at his broad shoulders and his back had her wishing he hadn’t run off when he did. 
“It’s kind of weird, you know… I’ve been, like, experiencing these weird things. I can hear so clearly and my sense of smell is…” she thought back to the panties she found but decided to keep that bit of information until the time was right, for later, “and I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s all in my head? I feel like maybe I should call Niall…”
Harry watched her carefully as she mulled over everything and he pulled out two eggs from the carton before she continued, “So when I couldn’t hear the car door, I guess I just assumed…” She scoffed, hearing herself out loud. She sounded like a nutcase. Of course she wouldn’t be able to hear the car door all the way from upstairs. “Sorry. I’m being weird. But… right now I’m actually starving so if that butter made it alive let’s eat.”
Harry had Y/N heat the hollandaise while he prepared the rest of the ingredients. But she was clearly still mulling over their interaction upstairs. He noticed her eyes dragging down his bare chest and stopping at his crotch repeatedly. And he could tell she was not only hungry for food but she also had a bit of an appetite for something carnal as well. 
He cleared his throat when he turned to find her leaning on the island and watching him, “Gonna burn the sauce.”
Her grin was playful and Harry felt his blood heat up as she spoke, “Turned it off already. The lid will keep it warm.” She didn’t remove her gaze from him. She was making it very clear what she wanted and he wondered if she was aware of what she was doing or not. 
As much as he’d have loved to have bent her over the kitchen island and take care of his girl the way she needed he couldn’t allow that. Not until they at least had a real conversation. About what she’d seen. About how she was feeling. 
When she began to walk toward him she realized it was like something was just drawing her to him. She wanted to… what did she want? Breakfast was nearly ready and she was very hungry, and yeah, she wanted to eat but what she really wanted was to bite him. Just to nip his shoulder or his neck. His pecs. She didn’t know why her urge was so strong but the moment she was close enough to touch him Harry stood up straight and he looked away from her sultry gaze, “Uh, I’m just gonna go and get dressed and then we’ll eat.”
Breakfast was tasty. It was nourishing and filled her belly, mostly. She felt like she could eat more but Harry’s scent and his hands and his lips were distracting. And the way he kept keeping her at arm’s length had her feeling even more insatiable for him. She knew he was doing it because he was worried about hurting her but she was going to explode if he didn’t do something. 
Turning to face his pretty girl he nearly gave in right then and there, seeing the ravenous look in her eyes. He could practically read her mind, that’s how loud she was thinking those dirty thoughts. And he wanted to give in, he wanted to kiss her, hold her, feel her body against his. Taste her… He shook his head as he got off the stool and pulled himself away reluctantly, grabbing their dirty dishes.“Let’s go for a swim. Like you wanted. I think I know a great place. Secluded. Not in the preserve.” Harry rinsed the dishes as he spoke. He could feel her eyes burning into his back but he needed to keep moving, keep his thoughts from wandering too far. Distract her if he could. He felt he could use a swim himself. Get out some of his pent-up emotions and energy.
“That sounds great, actually,” she grinned and lifted herself up to sit on the counter next to where he was washing the dishes, “I feel like I need to move and exert some energy. A little exercise would be good I think. A swim.”
*
The drive to the new spot wasn’t as quick as it would have been if they’d driven to the preserve and parked and hiked up to their special hidden oasis. But they both knew they couldn’t go back there. Maybe ever. Y/N stopped herself from initiating conversation the whole drive there, and she could tell Harry was holding back, too. She just wasn’t quite ready to address all of that; she at least wanted to go for this swim first. That would hopefully make her feel a bit better. She felt absolutely fine apart from the fact she felt she didn’t fit into her own skin. She was aching to move, burn some energy off, and she suspected it was due to the fact that she was sexually frustrated.
Y/N decided to google her symptoms to pass the time quicker on their drive to this new, secluded place Harry had suggested. She was not quite understanding the way she was able to smell everything so clearly. She typed in sudden heightened sense of smell into the search bar. Scrolling through the various results and webmd articles she landed on something that might explain the strange phenomenon. 
Synesthesia could be the answer. It wasn’t uncommon for people that had gone through life-threatening injuries. She wasn’t 100% sure that was what was causing her to smell and hear things she would have never been able to before but at least it was some kind of answer. Something to ask Niall about when she did finally talk to him about all this.
Harry parked his car off the road and tucked away behind large pines and in the grass. It was miles from the preserve and in an area where the mountains were not protected or worked by the rangers. Some of it was privately owned land that hadn’t been touched in decades. 
“The swimming cove is a spot I used to come to when I had time to waste and wanted to venture away from the preserve.” Harry spoke as he grabbed her bag from her, putting it over his shoulder and began walking toward the fence that clearly meant the area was off limits. 
The overgrowth of vines and grass indicated that no one had been in these parts in a very long time. Which put Y/N at ease. She followed him, scaling the fence easily and trekking through the acreage close behind.
The upward hike was off trail and cumbersome but once they began making their way down into the valley from where they’d hiked Y/N saw the ridges of the mountain and a level area below with a ravine.
“Your sense of direction is astonishing,” she commented as they carefully trekked down toward where they could hear the water flowing, “But I guess that makes sense, doesn’t it? You’re a…” she stopped just before she could say the word. She still had to get used to that idea. That he was a werewolf. Part human, part beast. 
Harry turned to look at her, stopping his pace suddenly as he raised his brows at her, “A werewolf? Is that what you were going to say?”
Nodding her head she shrugged, “Yeah. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to be called that. Or… I don’t know. Is it okay to say it?”
The gentle smile that took over his features told her it was, though he didn’t respond to her question with words. 
Looking down to the sandy portion of the ravine Harry pointed, “Just there. It’s beautiful once you see it from the ground. Come on.”
Y/N was wearing her hiking boots while Harry was in his signature chelsea boots, making the descent to the cove look like child’s play. She was now hyper aware of why he was so good at hiking and trekking and staying steady even in such posh shoes. Everything that had suddenly come to light about what he really was had answered so many questions for her. 
But the moment they were standing in the wet sand before the cove where the ravine led, all her thoughts about what Harry was had vanished. Another breathtaking spot with not a single human soul to be seen.
Harry placed their bags on the rocks to keep them dry and began to take his boots off as he watched Y/N curiously. He had been careful not to allow her to over exert herself but she was easily keeping up with him and she seemed fine. She was fine. Her heartbeat was steady and strong, her body had barely broken out in a sweat and she had a wide smile on her face as she looked around.
“Harry, this is… it’s perfect!” She was eager to move her limbs in the cool water. Feel the weightlessness take over and play around with Harry.
She looked over at him as he was undressing, taking his clothes off, his boots already on the rocks next to the bags. So she followed suit. Taking her own boots off and peeling her pants down her legs. 
Harry was already jumping into the water by the time Y/N had stuffed her shirt onto the pile of clothes. Looking down over her body she did see the awful scar. The wound was healed but the remnants of what had happened was obvious. She hesitated to remove her bra as she brushed a hand over the raised skin.
“Everything okay?” Harry called to her. She looked out toward him, handsome with wet hair as he came in closer to her. 
“Yeah. Just… saw this and…” she ran her fingers from the top of her clavicle downward over the scar to under her breast, “I guess I feel lucky to even be alive. Here with you.”
She kept her eyes on his as she unhooked the back of her bra and removed it. 
Harry watched her as she bent down and took her panties off. He was already hard just seeing her bare body but the scar across her chest kept him in check. She was still recovering. Still figuring out what was going on. 
The somber moment was suddenly over the minute she jumped into the water next to Harry and began to laugh. The water was frigid but it felt fantastic. Normally she would feel discomfort but right now her body was adjusting to it just fine, feeling invigorated and alive.
Stretching her limbs in the water she ducked her head under to swim closer to Harry and grasped his wrist.
Harry pulled her up and she tugged his arm around herself. Both grinning ear to ear with the closeness. He was just glad she was feeling playful. That she wasn’t upset or hurt by what had happened. At least in that moment she wasn’t. He knew she’d have lots of questions for him. Knew they needed to have a conversation but for now the light hearted moment was the only thing he could focus on. And her warm skin against his.
She was more than just playful though. She was horny and Harry knew it. Having her naked in the cool water of a private cove in the mountains was risky. Because he was turned on too. And he knew he was asking for trouble with this scenario. It evoked memories of their time together at the oasis in the preserve.
He could resist her for only so long. She was laying it on thick in his house during breakfast and now with his clothes off and his obvious erection it would be even harder to resist her. 
Harry pulled his arm away and began to swim backwards, gliding through the water smoothly, putting some distance between himself and the girl. 
“Where are you going?” She laughed and began to swim toward him slowly.
Harry shook his head and feigned innocence, “What do you mean? Just swimming is all,” he bit the inside of his cheek to tamper the playful grin on his face.
Instead of continuing after him she decided she’d lure him to her. She ducked under the water again, kicking her feet out and splashing as she maneuvered under the water before surfacing, bouncing out just enough that her breasts were visible to him. 
She watched him closely as she pushed herself back and stretched her arms to float at the surface. The tranquility of having her ears tucked under the water, muffling all the sounds that surrounded them, and floating in the mountain chilled water on her back was just like being back at her oasis. She smiled to herself and peeked an eye at Harry. To her delight, he was already watching her closely.
His eyes were clearly taking in her soft breasts with tightened nipples perking above the water. She wouldn’t tease him too much but she wanted his hands on her. Wanted his attention. Wanted him to give in to her. She knew what he was doing. Knew he was trying to keep his distance because she needed to heal. But that just made her want him more. His gentlemanly and thoughtful attempts to keep her healthy and the way he was doing it because he cared for her. Denying himself something she knew he wanted as a way of protecting her. 
Harry decided to peel his eyes from her body and float on his back too. He needed to straighten out his thoughts and get his mind out of the gutter. He closed his eyes and tried to train his dirty thoughts away. He knew his body was calling him to take care of his natural urges with his mate. And now that she was like him… she was very likely made exactly for him in every way. 
But he couldn’t just act on his desires. He didn’t want to hurt her and he was sure if they did have sex she’d display even more evidence of being like him and that could scare her. If she somehow dropped her fangs in the middle of her orgasm or her claws came out while he was pounding into her – yeah, his thoughts weren’t helping. All of that sounded absolutely delightful and he’d love to feel her fangs puncture into his skin, or have her claw up his back and chest. 
“Harry,” he heard her voice speak his name and he popped his eyes open, dropping the lower half of his body back into the water and letting his toes scrape along the rocky sand.
She saw the way his erection was bobbing just above the water every time his chest inhaled and he floated upward the tiniest bit. And then his eyes on hers were dark. She could almost hear his heart pounding in his chest, not unlike her own wildly pumping heart.
Something in her decided to cut the shit. She was feeling bold. Feeling like he wanted exactly what she wanted and as nice as it was to be cared for and protected by him she wanted him to fuck her. She wanted him to hold her in his arms and to give himself to her once and for all. 
“Stop this,” she spoke matter-of-factly as she swam around his body. “I can see clearly how affected you are by me.” 
Touching his shoulder she moved her finger down over his tattoos and to his pecs, thumbing at his nipple and watching his eyes, “I’m okay. Really. You don’t have to keep holding off and denying yourself, Harry.” She moved herself in front of him and draped her arms over his shoulders.
Without another thought, Harry’s hands moved down to her waist as he pulled her in closer to him, “I want you healthy is all. And I think we have a lot to talk about.”
Nodding her head she agreed. That was true. They needed to talk. But something inside of her needed something physical. She needed it to uncloud her brain and give her some kind of clarity. She couldn’t explain it, she just knew she needed it. More than a talk. As important as that was, she was sure she wouldn’t ever be able to focus on anything he told her if he didn’t fuck her first.
“Yes. We will talk. But I don’t know how to explain the way I feel in this moment, how much I need you.” She bit her lip and pushed her hips to his, his cock firm on her thigh, “It’s kind of painful actually.”
Harry could feel her warm against his prick as he looked down to see her breasts grazing against his chest. Painful? Yes, perhaps she was feeling that natural physical urge to release just like he was. That’s how it was for his kind, though he was used to it. Used to the pain of holding off and not allowing himself to indulge right away. She was not used to the way it felt. The ache that wasn’t just from being horny. It was something deep and raw. A biological and natural instinct his kind, their kind possessed. 
He knew the pain well. Knew it could be pushed down and she’d be okay. But she was new to all this. And even with the water around them he could smell how intensely she needed him. Needed him to soothe her. And he was the only one that could provide that for her too. He knew that even if she masturbated she wouldn’t be fully comforted. It would pacify her for a bit. Maybe an hour but she wouldn’t be fulfilled. She wasn’t going to feel better until he took care of her. But he needed to be careful. 
“I think you need to recover first, kitten.” Harry let the little nickname he’d given her so long ago slip out. Or maybe he’d done it on purpose. There was something about her that was feeding into his own urges. She was drawing them out of him with just her eyes. The change in her was so deep and it tangled with his own impulses and senses that he could barely think straight. He was more drawn to her than he’d ever been and he knew it was because of the change. Because she was like him now. His perfect match. 
“Harry,” she spoke softly as she kept her eyes on his, a hand moving over his warm chest, “I trust you. I know you would never hurt me and I can tell you need it too. You need me just as much.”
She could just sense his need. And it wasn’t just the fact that he had an erection. She knew it before all that. She felt it back at his house. Something between them had shifted and it was as if she could anticipate his needs without him having to tell her or show her.
His teeth ached to kiss her and to bite her. A carnal and spiritual feeling overwhelmed him. His willpower was incredible but there was only so much he could take. He was as weak as any man and her wolf was luring his out to play. Perhaps he could be gentle. She needed him. She needed him. 
He grasped the back of her head and his lips found her mouth. The kiss was hot and electric  and wild. She lifted a thigh up to his hip and he used his free hand to keep it in place, pasting their hips together.
The whimper that fell from his mouth had her grinning and feeling powerful. She grasped onto his shoulders and let the weightlessness of the water aid her in lifting her other leg to wrap around his hips. Harry groaned and brought his other hand down to keep her thighs held up in place.
Their naked bodies were in sync as he began to walk her out of the water and to the small spot where the sand met the craggy rocks. He’d take care of her. Make love to her gently and soothe her ache. Soothe his own ache. 
Their mouths never parted as he walked out of the water and carefully placed her down into the sand, his knees falling into the granules as he put himself between her thighs. With her legs open he could smell her in a way that was overwhelming. He groaned and licked into her mouth before parting from the kiss with a gasp.
The scar on her chest and over her neck had him filled with jealousy and hatred. He was glad he’d killed James for even placing a finger on his girl. His lips pressed over her scar just above her breast and she ran her fingers into his long hair as he pecked wet kisses along the skin that had been forever marred. 
“I’m going to make it better,” he whispered between kisses, “Make you feel whole again. Give you everything you need. Show you what it means to be mine…”
She closed her eyes and threw her head back as his mouth worked upward slowly and over the skin on her neck. His tongue laved softly and his lips grazed over the sensitive spots that were still healing. She had never felt such need before in her life. Sure she’d been horny before and had never been more turned on by anyone the way she was with Harry. But this was different. Something else was at play and she didn’t have the mind to dwell on it. She only knew that she needed him.
“Please…” she breathed out her plea as his warm mouth soothed her flesh and his nose nudged at her jaw.
“Hurts doesn’t it?” He continued kissing every inch of her scar as he pushed her back down into the sand, “I’m the only one that can make it better.”
She knew it was true. Whatever was happening in her could only be quieted by him.
Nodding her head she spread her legs further, hoping he’d put her out of her misery and fuck her into oblivion, “Harry, please…”
He looked down over her soft body and the scars, and felt emotions rise in his heart. He hated James even in his death, but he was beyond grateful that she was still his. That she was alive. He would worry later about the guilt and the real issue at hand. His own urges and her excruciating need were beckoning to be dealt with immediately. He could practically feel the ache in her body. Her tummy was emanating heat and he felt bad that she was in such pain. She wasn’t used to this level of arousal and need yet. She would learn to deal with it eventually but for now he would give her relief.
Her cry of pleasure was loud, echoing off the rocks of the cove that surrounded them as he placed his mouth on her throbbing pussy, already pulsing and clenching and dripping. 
The sting of her fingers pulling at his hair had him growling into her with delight. He could tell she was urging him in harder but he was going to resist doing anything hard or painful. That would come later. When he was certain she was ready for it. 
His tongue was wide and flat as he tugged it up and down her slick cunt. She was so wet he was certain he couldn’t possibly lick it all up and the flavor was just like before but now it tasted truly nourishing to him. He held her thighs apart gently as he dove into her like she was a meal. Licking and sucking at her bits. 
She writhed and moaned, her hips lifting off the sand and bucking into his face making him nearly lose his grip on her thighs. She was strong. He shouldn’t have been surprised but he was still getting used to the notion that she was like him now. 
“Fuck… yes…” she cooed loudly as his scalp was on fire from the way she was yanking his hair.
Harry didn’t lift his mouth to chuckle or respond and taunt her like he wanted. He needed to make her come so he kept his lips at work on her pussy.
When he began to kiss her clit and pull at it with the smallest nip she squealed and cried out his name as her thighs attempted to close around his head. He held her down but he didn’t want to hurt her so he moved his palms up to grip the underside of her knees to keep her legs pressed down.
She continued bucking as her muscles tensed and her moans grew louder. His nose and mouth and chin were shiny and sticky with her as he rubbed his nose into her clit and stuck his tongue into the opening and past her little muscle, the slick gushing noises the only  background sound to her gasps and soft pants.
Harry was feeling his own cock leak and throb. Just tasting her and knowing how good he was making her feel was putting him on edge. He swallowed down her arousal and took a gasp of breath before putting his face back into her cunt for more.
She’d never felt it like this before. Something far more intense was happening in her body and she didn’t know if it was because it was her first orgasm since she nearly died or just knowing that Harry was a werewolf and he was probably enjoying the taste of her in a way she never realized before. That all those times he’d told her how much he liked her scent and her taste, he wasn’t just saying it to make her feel good, he actually meant it. Or just knowing that he was a werewolf in general… probably all of the above. 
When her orgasm snapped over her body she tightened her grip on his hair he grunted into her pussy in pain, but it didn’t stop him from lapping at her and sucking her clit. She was shaking so hard and pulling at his hair so tight that he was having a hard time moving his mouth over her the way he wanted. Instead, she was moving his face over her soft crease and clit the way she wanted. 
Her cries were loud. It almost sounded as if someone was hurting her. Like she was wailing in pain and anguish. Harry understood that this was because of her intense need to release. Her first release as a werewolf by the hands of her lover. Her mate. He rolled his eyes into the back of his head in ecstasy of his own. He’d not come but he could. His own cock was neglected and hot and if he allowed it, he’d come all over himself and the sand below. But he wanted to come inside of her. He wanted to feel her around him and he knew she was going to want it. 
The part of him that wanted to wait and to talk first was already a distant memory left back in his kitchen. His instincts and his wolf had taken over at that moment.
He felt her release his hair as she sighed, wiggling underneath him.
Y/N grabbed at him, pulling him up and over her, “Want you inside me, right now. Do it while I’m still pulsing around nothing.”
Harry was beyond trying to fight this, eating her out had driven him over the edge. He was determined to give her everything she wanted and luckily for him, it was exactly what he wanted as well. The way she’d clawed at him to get him on top of her made him feral, he wondered if she was realizing the amount of force she’d just exerted in doing so, but he couldn’t dwell on it for too long, not when he looked down at her and she looked like she was going to howl with how much she wanted it. 
She yanked him against her lips and devoured his mouth, licking her arousal off of him and humming profusely, and in turn, Harry didn’t waste a single moment longer before sinking himself into her juicy cunt. The cry she let out was akin to an injured wolf’s and he knew he wasn’t hurting her, she was just giving in to her natural instincts now. That of letting him dominate her completely. 
He pulled back a bit to watch her and when she opened her eyes and her golden irises flashed at him he groaned loudly, allowing his own to take over. Her mouth fell agape and she reached to push his hair out of his face to take him all in better while he slowly but steadily fucked into her. “Harry… your eyes. They’re beautiful. You’re beautiful. You’re exactly who and what you should be, I’m so damn lucky,” she rolled her eyes to the back of her head in ecstasy and Harry thought his heart was going to burst at the amount of love he felt for her. 
He didn’t know how it was possible he now loved her even more than before, but being wanted and loved for exactly who he was turned out to be a lot more important to him than he’d thought it would be. He thought he could hide this side of him from her forever and be fine with it, and he’d have done it gladly to keep her. But having it all out into the open and her so accepting of it was something he’d never even allowed himself to hope for. 
Well, almost everything out into the open. And god, was she beautiful too. She’d always been, of course, but now that she was like him it did things to him he couldn’t even explain. And it looked so right, so natural. Like she was always meant to be a werewolf. He couldn’t wait to watch her discover everything and come into her own completely. He only wished she’d accept it and embrace it fully.
He was snapped out of his reverie when she nipped at his neck and that only made him drive into her more urgently. Noting it had stung a bit too much, his eyes landed on her mouth and he could see her pointy canines pinching her plump lower lip, a bit of blood coating it.
The sight made him almost come then and there, making him moan and slow his pace a bit to regain focus. As much as he wanted to drag it out and go at it for hours, he needed to milk another orgasm from her and hopefully satiate her craving for a bit, because this was rapidly escalating and getting out of hand. She was completely giving into her natural instincts; and if she noticed any of the signs she was presenting she’d freak out and that was not the way he wanted her to find out.
He flipped her over as though she weighed nothing, not having to hide his natural strength from her anymore and began pounding into her in earnest. He was close, so close, and he knew she was too with how she moaned and whimpered and called out his name repeatedly. But he didn’t want to knot into her just yet, he first needed to explain that to her, plus this wasn’t really the setting for it, he wanted to be able to cuddle with her like that in his expensive bedding back at home, not on this rocky terrain that was sure to leave some bruises on her as it was. He knew she could take it now, he’d of course never have allowed it had she still been just human, but even so, she was recovering, and he didn’t want her feeling any discomfort. 
“Please come inside me, Harry. I don’t care. I need it... I can’t explain how much–fuck, how much I need it.”
She needn’t have worried, she wasn’t in heat (yet), so it wasn’t risky like that, but of course she’d worry about getting pregnant. Yet another reason why he needed to find a way to tell her, to avoid all the unnecessary worry on her part. For now, though, he was going to enjoy spilling into her warm cunt, because he needed it just as much. His eyes caught glimpse of her hands she’d rested her smushed cheek against, and her sharp nails were on display. Her much sharper nails. He couldn’t wait for her to claw at his back using them soon, but right now he needed to make sure she didn’t notice them. He grabbed her by her elbows and pulled her back against him, holding her hands behind her back with one arm and snaking the other to her front, finding her clit as he kept thrusting into her from this new angle.
She was already on edge and it only took her a few moments to reach her peak, crying out and letting her head fall back against his shoulder. The sight of the mark on her neck that she probably didn’t even notice wasn’t lost on him though, that was something that would always taunt him, knowing it was someone else’s bite that marked her. But he could claim it as his now, because she was, she was his. It was his cock she was pulsing around, his arms she was falling back into, his name she was whimpering- and so he allowed himself to bite over her mark as he finally gave in to his most primal urge- that of claiming her completely, while he let go and finally filled her up to the brim.
She didn’t even feel the sting of it, she was that far gone; if anything, it was pleasurable for her- as it should be. And for Harry? It was the hardest he’d ever come in his life. His fangs deep into her delicate neck and his cock even deeper into her perfect pussy, she was made just for him, and now she was his in every sense of the word.
With breaths heaving and soft gasps, Harry kept her tight against his chest. He wanted to tell her everything. Wanted so much for her to know what he was thinking. What had just happened to her. What she could expect and that it would only get better and better. If she thought that was intense…
And it was. She didn’t know how to describe the ecstasy, the relief… But it was more than just physical. Everything in and around her felt lighter and more lovely. She was happier than she’d ever been, she felt. She had a sudden urge to run and play; something she hadn’t felt in many years. It was as if being with Harry, everything just made more sense.
With a laugh she wiggled out of his arms and ran back into the water, diving in and swimming out toward the middle, only emerging with a sharp inhale for breath when her lungs needed air.
Harry couldn’t help but look at her in awe. His heart throbbed in his chest with love for her. 
“Come on! Get back in!” Y/N shouted and began to glide through the water.
Shaking his head with a laugh he walked back into the icy water and then dove under to meet her in the center of the small cove. 
She kept her eyes on the water, waiting for him to emerge but she felt his hand on her ankle before she saw him. With a yelp, she laughed and ducked under to pull at him.
Harry wrapped his arms around her body and pushed them both upward to the surface together. The lighthearted moment suddenly halted as they kept their gazes locked. Y/N moved her arms over his shoulders and drew her face in close to his, brushing their noses together, “I’m so glad I’m here with you. I’m glad I’m alive. I’m glad you’re alive. I don’t know what I would have done. I thought I lost you and that’s the last thing I remember before…” she paused, feeling herself get emotional she swallowed her tears, “It just feels like… destiny to be here with you.”
He could feel and hear her heart beating in her chest and he knew she could feel his do the same. It was as if his whole life had all been leading him to this moment. He knew that this woman was his mate. He’d always known it. Maybe ever since the first night he laid eyes on her in the woods all that time ago. Despite the fact that she had a gun pointed at him, there was just something about her. Something that he knew was different. He belonged to her before he ever met her. 
“I’m so glad you’re here too. That we’re here together,” he looked down at her beautiful face as he continued, “I was ready to kill everyone when I thought you weren’t going to make it. Niall said there was no hope. That it was… too late for you,” he inhaled a shaky breath remembering the state she was in just days ago.
“Tell me about what happened. Everything I don’t know about, before, and after the fight. I want to know what happened.”
Harry began to describe the day he was taken and how he’d been outnumbered. He told her why it’d come down to that, about James’ and Irina’s involvement, the way the elders didn’t listen to him having already made up their minds and weren’t going to give him a fair trial.
But with Y/N’s quick thinking and by her reaching out to Niall a chain of events was set off that actually helped matters. 
“Lester is a pack leader too, as you know now. The Pack of the Western Plains. He has connections all over. He’s very well respected. So, with his resources he made it so that there was a trial at the very least.”
“And Eddie too? He was there.” She said, remembering the events of that day. 
“Yes. He was finally able to shift back into his human form. Because of you,” Harry brought a hand up to her face and gently brushed his knuckles over her temple.“I expected that no matter how the trial ended there would be a fight to the death. And I was certain that no matter how many drugs they’d given me or that they’d left me without food and water that I would be able to do away with James rather easily. But I was weakened. Significantly. It’s the only reason he even had the chances he did. It’s why he got in a few good tears. Had I been in my normal shifted state he would have never been able to penetrate my skin and I would have killed him within the first thirty seconds. And he knew that. So did everyone else.”
“They all let you fight like that? Did your pack not respect you as their alpha?”
Harry sighed and nodded, “They never respected me. They were always very rigid in their beliefs. They preferred the old ways of doing things. Most packs nowadays are more open and lenient. There are still strict rules we have to follow but tolerance is practiced these days. Not my pack… my old pack.” 
“Are you worried they’ll come back and try to hurt you?” 
Putting his arms around her low back protectively he pressed his forehead to hers, “I am. I’m worried they’ll try to hurt you too.”
“Even though you’ve given up the pack? And you won the fight?”
“Yes. I wouldn’t put it past them. I’ll do anything I can to protect you,” Harry paused and leaned back to look at Y/N again, “Which is why I think it would be good for us to visit Lester and Alma at the farm for a while. Get away from here for a bit. Just until we can get our bearings and heal.”
The smile on her face gave Harry relief. He wasn’t sure she’d be up for it, but she’d been surprising him since she woke up from her coma. 
“That sounds like a really good idea. I’d love to spend more time with Eddie too.”
His heart continued to lob in his chest wildly. She was more than perfect for him in every way. He couldn’t contain his joy to have her in his arms, “He’d love that. Edward is very fond of you. And he was there, at Niall’s practice. With all of us while you were in that bed. He was devastated.”
Y/N nodded and felt awful about putting anyone through such distress. She knew it wasn’t her fault but she could imagine what it would have been like to watch a friend or lover unconscious in bed and not know if they’d come out of it or not.
“... And you? How did you deal with me being in that bed?”
Harry shook his head and let his eye contact falter for a moment as he thought back to how completely ruined he felt, “Felt like I would die if you didn’t make it. Like I couldn’t breathe or eat. I talked to you all day. Kept myself close by your side and encouraged you to wake up. Made sure you were comfortable in the bed even though I knew you couldn’t really feel anything. I didn’t know what to do. Niall kept telling me it was impossible–” Harry inhaled a sharp breath and tried to calm his emotions but his eyes began to fill with tears with just the memory of how utterly hopeless everything felt. 
“Hey,” Y/N moved her hands to cup Harry’s face, “I’m right here. And I’m very much alive. We both are. I’m not going anywhere. You saved me.” 
Swallowing his tears he blinked and forced the smallest smile, “And you saved me. If it weren’t for you I would be dead right now.”
Y/N leaned in to kiss the gorgeous werewolf. She couldn’t believe she’d gotten so lucky to have him in her life. That he wanted her. She only felt more connected, in tune with him. It was as if the accident had altered something in her soul. She was changed. She figured it was love.
Harry pinched her hip softly and pulled away from the kiss. He couldn’t help it. He needed to be honest with her. He’d told her his truth when she was asleep but now that she was wide awake and in his arms he knew he had to say it that very moment or he’d suffocate, “I love you, Y/N.”
Her lips parted at his admission and she was suddenly aware of her body against his and the way his heart was rapidly throbbing in his chest at the same pace as her own. She felt as if she’d heard him say it to her before. That this wasn’t the first time. 
She gripped his biceps tight and felt herself shiver at the intensity of his bright green eyes. He loved her. He truly did and she felt it deep in her spirit. Without a doubt, he loved her.
“Harry, I love you too. So much,” she gasped as he squeezed her tight to his chest and felt him purring against her own. The comfort that brought to her was consuming. She sighed and held him tight, her cheek smushed into his shoulder.
Everything around them was dizzy and soft. She was safe in his arms. She was safe with her lover. 
When he pulled back a bit and let his head fall back, inhaling sharply and then howling loudly, Y/N gasped in excitement and couldn’t hold back her tears of joy. She smiled widely looking at Harry in his element, expressing happiness freely and it made her own heart flutter. He looked back at her, his wide smile matching her own, the echo of his wolfish howl still resounding in the cove, and she’d never seen him look happier. 
She’d done that. Just by loving him. 
The sudden vibrating in her own chest startled her. She looked up at Harry whose eyes were wide as he looked down at her. 
“Harry– what…?” She looked down at her bare body, putting a small bit of distance between herself and Harry. The vibrating stopped suddenly as she put a hand up to her chest and looked into the crystal water surrounding them and reflecting the sky above and both their faces. 
But then she stilled completely, the ripples on the surface cleared away and she focused on the features of her face, being mostly drawn to the bright golden irises staring back at her in the reflection of the water.
In stunned silence she looked up at Harry before looking back into the water again.
He knew it was only a matter of time. He just hadn’t expected it to happen like this.
A/N: (@fkinavocado and @gurugirl here) The long awaited update is here! Thank you for sticking with us! 
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harleehazbinfics · 9 months ago
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Home is where my heart is.
Chapter 6: Surprise! Table of Contents | Profile
Word Count: 1188 A/N: ehehehehe yeah of i had to put this in, he's our good lil duck boy. also also, if you want to be tagged for future updates you can dm me or reply under this 👉👈
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I ran my fingers through the desk and lifted my eyes to the walls covered in décor and pictures. Lightly humming as I walked further into the room and stood next to the slumping figure fixated in his creation.
“Seems like you’ve been up all night again, your majesty. Something bothering you?” I asked raising my eyebrow as I continued to watch him tinker away.
“Well, the extermination this year finally ended and now, they wanted to have a meeting with me. How fun,” he replied sarcastically rolling his eyes all the while and making gestures.
I laughed, crossed my arms, and replied, “I suppose anyone wouldn’t be enthusiastic to meet the ex-partner of their spouse. Have you talked to Charlie about it? Seems like she needs that extra push, besides, that would mean that you wouldn’t have to see Adam’s face.”
Lucifer’s face immediately lights up at my advice but not a second later he frets, “But, how do I say it? What if I say the wrong thing and she hates me forever?!”
He shoots up from his seat from worry that I had to take his shoulders and ease him back down on the chair and patting them, “You worry too much~. Charlie loves her dad too much to do that anyway. Just say what you want to say and then wrap it up nicely.”
He nods taking a deep breath. He paces around the room thinking what to say first and took his phone out of his pocket. He hovered his hand on her number he dials it up and bites his nails as he tried to soothe himself. While I just silently stood still and waited for him to end his call.
“HI CHARLIEEE~”
I couldn’t help but cringe when he couldn’t control his tone but kept an encouraging smile on my face as he continued to talk to her.
“Listen, there’s going to be a meeting with the angels, and I wanted you to attend for me! I can’t go right now since I have… veryyy important things to do today.”
He looks over at me for approval while I gave him two thumbs up in satisfaction from his performance.
“No problem. Stay safe! Love you!”
He lets out a sigh of relief changing into his snake form making me giggle at his silliness. I plucked him off the ground and placed him on his desk.
“Well, that has to be one of your best performances yet,” I complimented him with a round of applause.
“Thank you, Miledy. I know things would’ve ended up badly if you weren’t here,” he sighs changing back to his normal form.
“You don’t give yourself enough credit. I mean you did all the talking, so give yourself a pat on the back for a good job, your highness,” I smiled dusting off his top hat and putting it on him.
He smiles sadly and says, “I thought I told you to call me Lucifer, Mel.”
I didn’t falter at his words and just squeezed his shoulder, “You know we can’t. Alastor just came back after 7 years, and I’d rather not have him dig his heels on the King of Hell who happens to be a good friend of mine. You know how crazy he gets,” I joked shrugging my shoulders.
He sighs and slumps his shoulders disappointed in himself, “You’re right. I’m sorry that ever crossed my mind.”
I bumped shoulders with him and just replied, “Hey, you took it better than those other idiots who got their heads so far up their asses that no means consent.”
“Hey, just call me when you need something, okay?” he said smiling at me.
“Sure. See you around, your highness,” I waved before diving through the floor and leisurely made my way to the hotel.
Poking my head out the ground and saw everyone all gathered by the TV, “Uhhhh.”
“Just in time! Come on!” Vaggie reaches for me and takes me out from the ground throwing me in Alastor’s arms, him placing me on his lap.
“Al? What’s happening?” I asked still in his arms and walks us into a room, probably doesn’t have any plans to put me down any time soon.
“I made a little deal with the princess’ little girlfriend. Now, we have to record a new commercial for her,” he answered walking us towards a vanity, placing me on the seat.
“Oh, they didn’t like what you made for them?” I teased laughing lightly.
“You know I’d rather eat a can of worms than be involved with that,” he says as he rolls his eyes, then squeezing my shoulders. “Now, then time to get you dressed up!”
He twirls his finger above my head and changes my outfit. I looked at the mirror and immediately noticed the dress I was wearing. It was the same loose blue dress that I wore at the bar when we first met.
“Aw, dear. I haven’t worn this dress in ages!” I exclaimed holding my necklace feeling sentimental.
He smiles at me, pleased with himself and responds merrily, “You look ravishing as always, sweetheart!”
He offers his hand for me to take and onto my feet. He dips his head and kiss the back of my hand, while I blush at his actions that he takes in as he takes a peek at my reactions. He gives me a laugh then places both of his hands on my cheeks to hold and cradle me in them while nuzzling his face to mine, making me feel warm and fuzzy inside from his wholesome display of affection.
“As much as I want to cuddle with you, darling. I think we should go help them film now,” I suggested softly with a giggle.
He rolls his eyes with a smile and begrudgingly parts from me, of course not before giving me a kiss.
The door bursts open and there Angel yells, “Let’s go sickos. Let’s get this show on the road.”
~Later~
While we waited for Charlie, Al and I sat on the sofa like we used to when we were expecting Abby and just talked to each other not minding the looks both Husk and Angel gave us.
“Before we recorded the advertisement,” he answers glancing down at me, “where have you been?”
“Just visited a friend. I get worried for him after exterminations happen,” I explained which was all true.
He hums and sees Charlie come in as well, “Well, I hope you had a fun time.”
“—Alastor pulled some strings and it’s about to air,” Vaggie spoke leading her girlfriend to the couch.
“And I pulled a few limbs too!” he ‘laughed’ while Charlie and I exchanged waves.
“Wait, the commercial? You guys made a new one?” she asks.
“Yeah! One of my better performances if I do say so myself,” Angel proudly states.
“That’s amazing,” Charlie starts before getting cut off by Angel.
“SHH! It’s starting!”
But before the ad could play it gets interrupted by a news flash causing a choir of complaints.
“Breaking news in hell today! We just received word from the heaven embassy that next extermination is happening sooner than ever before. That means where’s all royally fucked!”
The TV cuts to the countdown changing to 176 days.
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scoonsalicious · 7 months ago
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Unwanted: Chapter 27, Unhinged - Pt. 3
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader
Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.
Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Language, mentions of violence, human trafficking.
Word Count: 949
Previously On...: You watched some home movies of Jade in her Hydra facility. It was... disturbing, to say the least.
A/N: Rock me, rock me, rock me, Sexy Jesus! He died for our sins, you gotta believe us! Seriously, Hamlet 2 is a gem, and now this song is stuck in my head forever.
NOTE! The tag list is a fickle bitch, so I'm not really going to be dealing with it anymore. If you want to be notified when new story parts drop, please follow @scoonsaliciousupdates
Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917!
Thank you to all those who have been reading; if you like what you've read, likes, comments, and reblogs give me life, and I truly appreciate them, and you!
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You and Bucky were silent as you closed your laptop. What could one say after watching a person you knew, personally, rip through a group of people as though they were wrapping paper on Christmas morning? There were no words.
After several long minutes, Bucky finally spoke. “After seeing that,” he said, “I think it’s all the more reason to make sure you don’t leave this safehouse unless you absolutely have to.”
“Yeah,” you said, devoid of all your previous fight. How could you argue with him about your safety after having seen that?
Bucky looked at you in surprise, as though he had expected you to challenge him. He nodded curtly. “Good,” he said. “Alright. We need a game plan. Did you come up with any leads about that Chloe girl that we can follow up on?”
You sighed. “Yeah,” you said, opening up a new tab in your browser. “So, Chloe mentioned her family was having money problems. I was able to figure out where her mom and step father do their banking; I thought we could take a look at their accounts, see if there’s any unusual activity that might point to them getting a share of her auction price. Then maybe we could trace the deposit back to whoever did the sale.”
“You think her parents knowingly participated in trafficking their own kid?” Bucky asked in horror. “Pocket, that’s dark.”
You avoided looking at him as you opened up a backdoor into the accounts in question. “You’d be surprised what people are willing to do when money gets involved. Not even a mother/daughter bond is immune from that kind of greed.”
 Bucky’s gaze on you was almost tangible in its intensity. “I’m sorry. It’s so hard for me to envision a mother betraying her child like that; sometimes I forget you had to live it.”
“But you told Carthage about it,” you said softly. “At the mission debrief. When she said trafficking was below our paygrade.”
“Sweetheart,” Bucky turned your chin so you were facing him. “I told her that human trafficking was something you and Nat both cared very deeply about stopping; that’s it.” He frowned. “I don’t expect you to believe me and that’s okay, but I would never divulge your past to anyone. Not when I know how few people you trusted with that information. I just wanted her to stop acting like it was some kinda game and to treat it as seriously as it deserved to be treated.”
“Oh,” you said after a moment. Something in his words rang true, but there was still the lingering doubt that he was being honest. “Don’t worry about, Barnes,” you said, studiously avoiding eye contact as you breached the bank’s security system. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”
You could feel him staring at you, and you didn’t need to be looking back to envision the look he was giving you— the one that let you know he thought you were full of shit. Fortunately, he allowed your lie to pass without another word while you continued to breach the bank’s system. 
“Okay, I’m in,” you said after a moment. Bucky got up and came to stand behind you, looking at your monitor over your shoulder.
“Anything?” he asked.
You scrolled through Chloe’s stepfather’s transaction history. Liquor stores, smoke shops, some escort services. “Real classy guy,” you murmured. And then, you hit it: the night Chloe had left the club for good, there was a substantial deposit made to the account in the amount of $250,000.
“Holy shit,” you whispered. “I figured he might get a cut, but I had no idea it would be that much.”
Bucky let out a long, low whistle. “If that’s their finder’s fee, I can’t imagine what the final sale was for.” 
You were furiously copying down the depositing account’s information. “I’m going to send this info back to Nat,” you told him. “See if they can reverse-search it and find out where the money came from. Once we know the source, we might be able to break into their systems, get info on who won the auctions. Maybe some of the other girls are still alive…” Your voice trailed off. You were too jaded to allow yourself to hope you could save all of them, but if you could save even one…
Bucky began moving toward the apartment’s front door, grabbing his leather jacket from where he’d hung it on a hook.
“Where are we going?” You asked him, closing your laptop and standing up.
“We aren’t going anywhere,” he informed you as he put the jacket on. “I’m going to go have a little chat with Chloe’s stepfather, see if there’s any additional information he’d like to generously offer us. You are going to stay here, locked securely behind the door and not opening it for any reason until I get back.”
You opened your mouth to argue, but the images of Jade moving through the Hydra compound, slaughtering everyone in her path rose to your mind. You nodded. “Yeah,” you said. “I’ll stay here.”
“Thank you.” Bucky released a relieved sigh, then walked over to you, kissing the top of your head. “If anything happens, call me, and I’ll head straight back. If Carthage shows up, there’s a gun in the bedside table. Aim to kill.”
“Obviously,” you told him. “I’ve only been fantasizing about it since I found out about Russia.”
“I’m being serious, doll,” Bucky said. “Now that we’ve seen what she’s capable of, I don’t want you taking any chances.”
“Yeah,” you said as you walked him to the door and opened it for him, “I was being 100% serious, too.”
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kaiser-author-san-iii · 2 years ago
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In Pursuit of Happiness | Various Genshin Men x Reader SAGU AU
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A/N: Hello everyone and sorry for the extremely late update. Real life has really decided to kick me in the butt. At this point, I’m not sure where the story is going to lead us because I don’t know where we’re going. I’m going to need a beta reader later or something. But in other news, I’ve been trying to make a discord server for anyone that’s interested in this story and sharing ideas, getting along, Simp for genshin characters share tips for the game. :3
Not beta read/proofed, we die like Signora
Word count: 3381
Tags/Warnings: Female!Reader, Child! nephew Reader, God!Reader, Cult AU, Fluff, Romance, Found Family, and many references to other fandoms
Masterlist
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Summary: The task of an aunt is no easy thing, especially towards a rambunctious and curious nephew who can not sit still. After a bad car accident, the two of them awaken in the world of Teyvat where Y/n must do her best to not only keep herself and her nephew alive to find a way back home but to also beat back all kinds of suitors and become the pseudo mother to every child she meets and her nephew befriends.
CHAPTER 3 – Meeting the Geo Archon
It wasn’t a good day to wear a skirt as the cool breeze was blowing more than normal. But that didn’t stop Y/n from wearing any shorts underneath. Little else mattered as she heard her nephew laugh, hearing it echo with the winds and making the lands of Liyue and Tevvat glow with joy as the two waltzed through the skies.
She had always wanted to try this out ever since she saw Howl’s Moving Castle, but it would be better to try it out with a handsome partner. One can only dream.
“Weee!” her nephew’s cries of joy and his glee were heard by Teyvat as it hummed. The land, skies, and seas were calm and watched their beloved creator and her heir slowly descending towards the ground, flowers and leaves moving to bloom fully to soften their landing. Thanking the plants and the winds, Y/n knelt to fix [Nephew’s name] clothes and hair, avoiding the childs playful swats.
“Auntie! I can do it myself!” he pouted and continued to push the young woman’s hands away as she smoothened the ruffled-up hair, earning a small chuckle.
“I know, but I want to. There’s going to be few chances left that I could do this when you grow up. You’ll grow big and won’t need me anymore.”
They might have struck a lot towards the child as he quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, enveloping her in a hug as his face reached only to her stomach, surprising the woman but welcomed the affection, gently stroking his hair and back.
“I think I’ll always need you.”
Living with him as made Y/n think he was a son to her. Out in public both back home and here, many thought they were mother and son. The amount of times she corrected people was laughable, but she couldn’t deny the warmth in her heart – how highly the boy thought of her.
Pulling away, she held his hand once more as they made their way back towards the Hilichurl camp hideout where the Hilichurls and Billy were waiting for them.
The first to notice their arrival was a Lawlchurl Y/n had affectionately called Mufasa. He made a slight noise that alerted the rest of the camp and saw the two as they all cheered and started to give out food even before the announcement.
“Well, it seems you’re all celebrating already but he’s in good health, everyone. Thank you so much for helping me take care of him.” The entire camp cheered, Billy the Hydro slime bounced up and down as he nuzzled against the young boy who was giggling. Teyvat showed their happiness by glowing and emitting more flowers that the boy enjoyed.
It was a blessing to hear the laughter and joy of the Divine Creator and their heir.
Amber eyes followed them, watching from a distance as he didn’t want to startle the Hilichurl camp. It was one of the biggest ones he’s seen, with towering huts and homes, platforms, and towers as tall as some cliffs he made during the Archon Wars. How was this able to escape detection, he wouldn’t know. He noticed that his camp was far from the main paths that led to the nearest villages and Liyue Harbor. It would have been easy to pass by the camp without knowing its existence. But he could understand the mass attempting to protect Her Eminence and her Heir.
For thousands of years, he has seen and cared for the numerous statues of the creator all around Teyvat (mainly Liyue) – one of the perks of being the oldest of the Archons. He has visited the shrines dedicated to their benevolent god. He had once been in their divine presence before and after so long of their absence, he could never forget the radiating warmth or the glowing of Her Eminence when she bestowed blessings or created life. He had seen her fight numerous times when otherworlders or even outer Gods attempted to take Teyvat for theirs – he wondered how it would be to fight alongside her.
He was Morax.
But…
How could he face her when he took part in the Archon Wars, the destruction of Khaenri’ah… events that he knew His precious Creator vehemently protested against. The death of so many of her creations by his hands due to misplaced grief…
“Auntie! Let’s play! Or we can go out again with the Hilichurls! Or better yet! Let’s hold a party!”
“Oh? What kind of party would it be?” Tilting her head to the side, the young woman decided to entertain her nephew, smiling as she knelt down to his height, right before he wrapped his arms around her, the woman picking him up with ease and spun around, earning a few laughs and giggles.
“A dance party! One with music and food! Lots and lots of food!” Though he was ecstatic, [Y/n] could see the sadness on his face and in his voice, looking back at the slimes and Hilichurls sensing the young boys want for friends to eat with them. This world wasn’t kind to monsters like them..
They disliked seeing the boy saddened by anything, he greatly valued their company and friendship from what the young woman noticed.
They’d have lived among cities and towns once but… she couldn’t accept how people treated the Hilichurls and slimes, some saying that they were simply monsters with no thoughts.. living among other people also meant that she accepted being a part of this world. Half of her did want to since she didn’t want to go back to such a mundane life where her life was just… average. Doing the same thing every day all year round and repeat. It wasn’t appealing. The other half wanted to go home as she missed many things, one of them being her family. And her nephew had to go back too for he sorely missed his parents even as he put on a brave face for his aunt.
Holding him close again, she hummed gently as Billy and a small Dendro Slime hopped alongside her as she walked towards their hut.
Zhongli smiled at the child’s desire. And frowned at the lucky Hilichurls and smiles that were around the Creator. It was natural for all creatures to gravitate towards the Creator, he was one of the lucky few that got so close long ago. He remembered her showing unconditional love and though some wished to be considered a favorite, she never chose anyone. These actions made everyone instantly love their Creator and dedicated themselves to follow them. He remembered during those times how he wanted to prove his loyalty to their World, their Eminence. What could he do to prove to them that he was faithful and loyal.
Some feared being selfish but would it really be bad to be selfish just once?
He saw an opening to get close and he made his move, making sure to be unnoticed as he had to have the two in his vision in fear of them leaving again.
“Auntie, why do we keep moving? I want to stay in Liyue.” The young boy laid his head against the womans lap, pouting as the said woman giggled, her hand running through his hair gently.
“Because soon people of this nation… the Qixing, the Millilith, and even possibly the adeptus will know that we’re different. Before we came here, I read stories where though some people appeared like their god, they were chased away despite being the real one. It’s my job as your guardian and aunt to keep you away from danger.”
He wouldn’t dare!
The thought that he or anyone in Liyue could turn away their Divine Creator would be preposterous. To dare harm or turn away the Creator was blasphemous!
“Do they think we’re bad people? Is it because we’re those Gods they talk about?”
“That’s part of it. But even if you are, don’t let it get to your little head. Remember, with great power-
“Comes great responsibility. I know, Auntie.”
The young heir was intelligent – a hope for the future. Though it was the desire of everyone to have him live happily, live innocently and never let him see the hardships that Teyvat has seen.
Seeing his chance, he made himself known as he quickly stepped in front, knowing that he’ll shock his beloved creator and her heir as they audibly gasped, the woman quickly holding her nephew close while the two slimes appeared in front and were waiting for their word to attack and defend – even going so far as to even let the Hilichurls know of the intruder before the man suddenly knelt to the ground, his forehead touching the ground.
This was his chance!
To show his unwavering devotion, his adoration. His love for the Divine Creator that helped him keep sane for so many years. And the glee to be the first of the seven to find her.
“Your Grace! Though I’m unworthy to be in your presence, please hear me out.”
[Y/n] held [Nephew’s name] close to her as the mysterious man appeared. Billy and the Dendro slime didn’t waver as they were serious in their job. [E/c] eyes stared down at the man that was basically kowtowing in front of her – the man was quite tall though she couldn’t be too sure just yet. His skin was fair, short dark hair with a long fringe to his right and amber tips. There was a section of his hair that ends towards his waist. But [Y/n] knew one thing….
HE WAS SEXY SEXY MAN!
He was handsome.
And [Nephew’s Name] knew it too as he was willing to hear the man out. Besides, he was a mission and he was sure that he may have found a worthy person to make his aunt happy. Wiggling out of his aunts grip, same as when they first met the Hilichurls, he hopped down and slowly walked towards the man as his head was still touching the ground. But [Nephew’s name] was quite certain that the mysterious man wasn’t going to hurt them. He raised his hand slowly and [Y/n] was behind him, watching with batted breath and to ensure nothing happened to the boy. The small hand gently touched the mans hair, curious as he ran his fingers through it slowly and patted him gently, the man moving to look up at them.
Seeing them this close, it was there that Zhongli finally shed tears.
His despair for many years have now been rewarded in seeing his God, his beloved.
Her glow, though dimmed by her mortal form, he could clearly see it – the envy of the stars and the moon in the night skies. Her stare – it was said to hold mass kindness and wisdom, a far away look that knew about the past, present, and the future and even beyond worlds.
Standing before him was the very God that he devoted his victories to in his younger years, the very God that made all of Teyvat and Celestia mourn from their disappearance.
[Nephew’s Name] was cheering in his mind as the man was indeed handsome. Gorgeous even! If he wanted to, he could set him up with his aunt! He had to play his cards right!
“Mister, are you okay?”
It wasn’t the words of his beloved but the voice of the child that brought him back.
The Heir.
The Divine Creator talked constantly about their relatives, about their siblings and how one of them gave birth to a child, the very child that was in front of him. A child that everyone agreed to be the God of Youth and Innocence.
He truly fit the role as he was bestowed with perfectly as there was childlike innocence in his eyes but he could see a hidden mischievousness too. How easy it was for him to see through his sorrow and the Divine Creator just standing behind the child and looking at him with concern. Concern for him, a lowly Archon that has worshiped her for millennia.  
The Geo Archon felt tiny fingers wipe away the tears from his eyes as he stared gently at the boy who smiled widely.
“There now! Hey, do you want to hear a story? Auntie always said that the tears always turn to gems or even become stars. I like stars so when I cry, I wish that they soon go so high up and hope that they shine the brightest so people can wish on them or even be homes to others!”
This wishful thinking earned a giggle from the woman, making the two slimes then relax a little as they then nuzzled against the boy who giggled as well.
“Well, its bad for a growing boy to hold back your emotions. Ah, sir, you may stand. I’m sure it must hurt your knees being in such a position.” Her Grace was benevolent just as he remembered!
He stood just as he was told, though amused by the child’s pout before he went back to his place beside his aunt, holding onto her skirt and hand as the two slimes stood at each side of the two.
“I’m sure you have plenty of questions, oh man of Liyue. Or… could I call you Morax? Or… what name are you comfortable with?”
In the year of being in Teyvat, there has been access to public libraries like in Mondstadt, and Sumeru. There was also the people of Liyue talking animatedly about the history and culture of the land and even the Gods that once roamed everywhere, but not so much as the Lord of Geo, Rex Lapis. But others tend to call him Morax as well and if her research was correct, the Mora of Teyvat was named after him.
One other thing that [Y/n] learned was that the Geo Archon was known to have many disguises but one tell of his was that each disguise had his signature Geo Amber eyes.
“Your Grace…” Though it shouldn’t surprise him, Zhongli was speechless. But then again, she was the Divine Creator. The Lady that created All should be the last one he should be surprised in their actions.
“I am still the governing Archon of Liyue. Rex Lapis will do. But I also go by the name of Zhongli.”
“I see. Well then. Zhongli, there is something I must ask of you.” [Y/n] smiled gently, the Geo Archon looking almost hopeful.
“Anything.”
“You must pretend you never saw us here today.”
He didn’t think it was possible to hear one’s own heart break until today. Could he have done something wrong? Surely not. He couldn’t have when he has been a faithful follower all these centuries. Could Barbatos and Baal say the same? Or even the others? Well, he could see the Dendro and Cryo Archons, but to his degree of devotion?
“Your Grace. I can’t do that. The people of Liyue… the people Across Teyvat. They are searching for you and the young Heir. Surely, someone of your stature and his deserve comfort and a safe haven other than in the wilds!”
[Y/n] sighed as she held onto her nephew, closing her eyes to think for a moment. She was sure now the Hilichurls heard their voices but she didn’t want a fight to break out.
“Yes. I understand that but…” Could she play around with the people’s faith here? This sounded sacrilegious. It could be just a coincidence that she happened to share the same face – the same likeness – as the great God of this world. If she waited long enough, maybe the real one will come and she could even ask if they could send her and her nephew home.
“But… I am not ready to take the mantel of being Teyvats God. It has been a year, yes. However I must think of my nephew. He is still young and confused of the responsibilities he will have one day. I don’t want to rush him towards that blind. Though I have full faith in all of you, there are just something where it needs to be me to tell him.”
‘Okay, that sounded mature and reasonable. Not sacrilegious either. Maybe he’ll take this answer.’
“But, Your Eminence! We are your faithful creations. Your burdens are our own and if there’s any way we can help, then we’ll gladly do so!”
‘Fuuuuuck!’
Faith is said to be strong, also depending on the person or being. Reading more, Morax or Rex Lapis was said to be one of the most, if not the most, faithful of all the Gods that still live among Teyvat. If anyone that was still alive in the time of the first appearance of the Creator that was faithful to the God, it would be Morax.
“And I am grateful for such loyalty. However, my nephew is my top priority. As I said before, pretend that you never saw us. But, that doesn’t mean that I have forgotten you and the others. May we meet again, oh Great Geo Archon.” Carefully holding onto her nephew, [Y/n] swiftly ran out of the hut, Billy and the Dendro slime following behind as the two soon took to the skies like earlier.
It didn’t seem right to give the Archon hope, but it were the words that might give him comfort. The following days, she has noticed that some powers were coming to her. And though she was in denial, that first day with the Hilichurls starting in Mondstadt with her blood being gold was an indicator that she was who the people of Teyvat say she is.
“Auntie, why did you leave him? He seemed so nice!” [Nephew’s name] cried out as he climbed onto her back and held on tightly. She glanced back and smiled gently.
“Because what he was asking of me was something I’m not ready for. Besides, the day that we must go home might be here sooner than you think.”
Isekai anime and manga taught her much to be weary of who to trust and how much to reveal. And if worse comes to show that she must be cunning to enact revenge. Hopefully it won’t come to that, but it never hurts to prepare.
“We’re going far away, nugget. We’re going to have to work on a disguise for each other. Think of it as Halloween all over again.”
“Yay! Halloween!”
The next stop of their adventure was the nation of Sumeru, where the green forests met with their vision and made them audibly gasp. They have been here before but every time they step foot in the forests, there was a singing being heard either by Teyvat themselves or the beings that inhabit the forest.
Unbeknownst to the two, a certain amber eyed Archon was running around Liyue in hopes to find the Divine Creator and her nephew. How could he take his eyes off of them and let them leave after he just discovered them?! Though he wasn’t in touch with Celestia, he was certain the higher powers that his beloved God was a part of would surely punish him.
He hasn’t been this frantic since the Archon wars, protecting his people and sheltering more ever since Havria was killed and her followers fearful for their lives. Every second mattered, every second with every action meant the difference between life and death as sought protection for the mortals he was caring for as well.
Though he was certain that Teyvat would care for his beloved God, there was the voice in his mind that spoke of the untold dangers that might come from extreme devotees or even, dare he say, sacrilegious zealots – people that were adamant that the Creator never existed. To them, he would show them the Wrath of the Rock. How dare they when he himself has seen Her. And he has seen Her with the Heir this time.  
He will remain hopeful of seeing her again. And the next time he will come across Her path, he will be sure that Liyue will be the home that they deserve – for it is said that wherever the Creator decides to descend will be showered with grand favor other nations will gladly go to war for.
A/n: Zhongli is going to be a simp but that's okay UwU What will happen next? Btw, I just now made it to Sumeru sooo~ will we meet Al Haitham? Cyno? Nahida? Kaveh? Who's to say~ We still got the men in Mondstadt, Inazuma and Childe. And the rest of Liyue cause we only met Baizhu and Zhongli. Everyone, good luck pulling for whoever you want! I'm pulling for Al Haitham~!
TAGLIST:
I tried tagging most of who I could but it wasn't letting me qwq
@axolotlboo
@crazypriestess
@gallantyss
@catjsjs
@lonelysoup
@yuii-v
@memema-exists-here
@sweetbills
@catjsjs
@shizunxie
@esthelily
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fornshinoyaz · 1 year ago
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⋆.ೃ࿔*:・ you are my starlight...
a tobio kageyama social media au <3
                   ☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★
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                 ☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★
★  — PAIRING   kageyama x fem!reader, slight oikawa x fem!reader if you squint
★ — GENRE   social media au, college au
he was your sun, the center of your universe. you thought you were the sun of his world too. but tobio kageyama was always too selfish for his own good. with both of you being bitter exes, sparks fly when you become the boys’ manager for your ex’s rival volleyball club. 
                    or where bitter exes turn into bitter rivals & kageyama can never seem to stay away from you even if it feels like choking on stardust.
★ — TAGS   lovers to enemies to rivals to friends to lovers, kageyama is DUMB, a little silly so a little ooc, fluff at times but kageyama is dumb, but not too much, slight fuckboy!kageyama, second chances, mutual pining, bad communication, angsty i’m sorry but it gets better after the first half, slow burn, kageyama slander ok but not that ok, but he’s a sweetheart when it counts, no love triangles that are taken SERIOUS, will update tags as i go
★ — WARNINGS  will update as i go, swearing, can have slightly suggestive moments but nothing graphic, slight inaccuracies when it comes to university in japan for plot sake, some ooc moments but it’s fine, death jokes/threats used by characters
★ — STATUS  ongoing! (started 7.18.23)
                 ☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★
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                                          tokyo university hotties.
waseda university bros.
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                 ☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★⌒☆⌒★
★ — CHAPTERS!     (will feature written portions).
ACT 1
00. prologue 1 ✵ prologue 2
01. 6:30 in tokyo
02. can i get a shoutout?
03. it only gets worse
04. the chipmunks
05. old & new stalkers
06. girlfriends
07. welcome home
08. surprise visit (features written)
09. 4:30 in tokyo (features written)
10. the real streamers
11. kill me after i graduate
12. made me double take
13. knock knock
14. baby, you’re dead to me (features written)
15. japan didn’t miss you (features written)
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a/n: here it is! i’ve been working on this for a record amount of like 24 hours. now i can breathe. i have some chapters already planned. i’m excited to see where this series goes! i was rlly torn on who should the li should be, but here i couldn’t help myself. this was originally an oc of mine, but i changed it to fit the reader. alrightttt, i hope whoever enjoys reading this as much as i enjoyed making it!!!
icons used are not mine, nor of the images used in this fic. thank you~. this page’s format was heavily inspired by @idlerin​. their smau’s are so cute n rlly did push to me to try to make one of my own, anyone who reads this should def check theirs out! thank you! 
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mechformers · 2 years ago
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Ma Miles - Ch. 17
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9.5k words
Chapter warning: Oh gosh, where do I even start... Wound cleaning and dressing, "sponge bath", grief, panic attack, Mo'at should be a warning in and of herself lol, what did I even write??? I am not responsible for anything that happens in chapter 17 alright! Oh, boner alert... Come to think of it - I guess Quaritch's horrible flirting should be a warning too
So... this got a bit longer and later than I had intended lol I would absolutely love any and all comments you would want to give me, be it a clean "neat" or an unintelligible long ramble!
(If you want to be tagged with the updated chapters, please leave your @ myusername in the comments! )
Previous chapter | Masterpost | Chapter 18
The sea gently laps against the roots below your kelku, the sound soothing as you sit cross-legged in your nest, staring down at your sleeping son while you run your fingers over your songcord, the new beads bringing deep sorrow to your heart. Pressing your voice through your lips, the sound fills the kelku as you sing, remembering each bead as you go. Spider smiles in his sleep and it makes your heart soar within your chest. Your son was safe once more, removed from the dangers that had surrounded you for far too long. Finishing your songcord, you’re surprised to see Jake Sully standing in the doorway, a conflicted expression on his bruised face. Smiling gently at him, you welcome him to sit by your nest with a nod of your head.
“Are they -” Jake tries, his voice breaking as he tries to reel in the conflict raging within him, “The addition was beautiful, I’m sorry I listened in on it without your permission,”
“Who they were with us meant something to me, Jake Sully,” You hum as you look down at the bead between your fingers that represents the recom unit.
“Just call me Jake, Y/n. We have known each other long enough by now,” Jake offers, his voice gentle as he watches you turn the bead between your fingers once more. “How is he?”
“The demon has not moved,” You growl pathetically as your ears flatten against your skull and your tail trashes angrily behind you.
“Yeah, he had that effect on people,” Jake chuckles softly even though he looks uncomfortable.
“What effect?” You huff out a little harsher than you had intended to.
“The anger and frustration that you’re feeling, I don’t think there’s anyone he’s ever crossed paths with who hasn’t felt the same,” The words are meant to bring you comfort, yet, as the realization sets in, it only brings you immense sadness.
Had the demon really been like this to everyone he ever met? Had he really had no one by his side that he could have been himself with? He must have… He managed to create Spider with a mate, after all. The thought sours your mood even more as your tail thrashes behind you. His unit seemed fond of him too, so he couldn’t have been completely alone.
“Tell me about him,” You hear yourself saying, your desperation to know more, to grab and hold onto anything that would point somewhere in the direction that all of this was just one big misunderstanding, clear in your voice.
“About the Colonel?” Jake does a double take, his eyes widening.
“Yes, tell me about him,” You confirm, turning your hopeful eyes to him, “Please,”
“Um… I don’t know what there is to say. You obviously know the important details,” Jake starts, his eyebrows furrowing with unease.
“That is not the important details. Who was he when he was not this Colonel?” You plead with him, the passion in your voice obviously enough to sway him.
“I didn’t know him for very long, but in the time before our relationship turned sour, he was a decent enough guy. Typical bonehead Marine, stern, direct, but behind all of that, he took care of his own,” Jake starts before taking a deep sigh. You smile at the way you recognize what Jake is describing.
“He would always go that extra mile for his people - for his family. But there was always this thing looming over him, a pressure that always had him moving forward, never quite standing still. If he wasn’t training the troops, giving safety briefings, or being in meetings, he was cooped up in his office doing paperwork until late at night.” The way Jake describes him makes the same sad feeling from before drape over you again. What Jake was describing was not a life…
“When he wasn’t at the base, he was always on the move. You see, Quaritch led from the frontline, always taking the first step to pave the path for his people, to make sure that it was the right line of motion.” Jake huffed before immediately freezing, the fond memory obviously not one he expected to have.
“Quaritch made a lot of horrible decisions as head of security for the RDA, but he always looked for the right path to take, the one that would lead to the smallest amount of casualties on both sides. You see, in basic training, you're taught to make quick decisions under fire. To view everything through the pinhole of surviving the moment.” Jake got a far-off look in his eyes and you got the feeling that there was more to the words than what you were talking about right now.
“When none of your choices are good, you make the best of the bad ones. There's no room for second-guessing. No time for regret.” Jake continues before meeting your eyes head-on, ”That comes later. A luxury for the living, so to say."
“Quaritch was no exception. I could see it in his eyes after a bad mission. It was in the way he snapped at people or avoided the big bosses at all possible costs. He would try his best to hide it, but it was in everything he did for many days after.” The words felt hollow as Jake spoke them. Although you understand them, you can't quite wrap your head around the action behind them.
“Why did he not refuse to do these missions?” You can’t help but ask, immediately noticing how Jake shakes his head as he huffs a humorless chuckle.
“It didn’t - doesn’t - work like that, Y/n.” He quickly corrects himself and you get the dawning feeling that he’s speaking from experience. “Once you got a job that paid well enough, you needed to dig your claws in to keep it. Earth, the planet we were from, has become hostile, our Great Mother brutally murdered by the greed of the few, and the desperation to simply just survive of the many. If you were lucky enough to get a job on Pandora, you made sure to keep it. Besides, he didn’t have much choice in the matter. Everyone is replaceable for the RDA - if Quaritch had refused, another, possibly worse, person would have simply just taken his place and done it anyway,”
What Jake says is disturbing, sending chills down your spine. Did the sky people really treasure life that poorly? Did they really just replace each other if someone refused to do what was obviously wrong? You stare back at Jake with big eyes as the silence stretches on.
“You know, I hadn’t really thought about it that way before,” Jake starts, another conflicted look crossing his face. “Quaritch valued loyalty above all else, didn’t matter who you were or who you had been. When he accepted you into his unit, that was a clean slate for you, a new chance at life for when you rotated back home.”
“His values do not excuse his actions,” Mo’at grounds from behind you, making the both of you turn your heads in her direction, only to see Tonowari standing by her side with his arms crossed.
“Tsahìk,” You greet Mo’at, before looking at Tonowari, “Olo’eyktan, I see you,”
“How is your son?” Tonowari asks, his uncertain eyes looking at Spider’s sleeping form.
“Spider is doing well, Olo’eyktan,” Your little kelku feels crowded with the five of you inside, but it means little when Mo’at huffs and presses past Tonowari.
“Spider is going to be a great hunter, a mighty warrior. You do not need to worry about him,” Your Tsahìk looks so proud as she speaks about your son, her head held high as she walks over to the supplies she left the day before. “Y/n, we have lessons to get to,”
“Yes, Tsahìk,” You mumble as you hurry over to her side, bending your head as you pass Tonowari.
“I guess that is our cue to leave,” Jake chuckles as he gets to his own feet.
“I specifically remember giving you an order to be with your family today, to not let me see you moving around,” Tonowari rumbles as he crosses his massive arms over his equally massive chest while pinning Jake with a harsh stare.
“What can I say, my friend…” Jake grins as he spreads his arms, palms up.
“How Neytiri deals with you is beyond me,” Tonowari chuckles, rolling his eyes as he shakes his head. Wrapping an arm around Jake’s shoulders, the bigger man steers Jake’s smaller body out of the marui pod.
“How has his rest been?” Mo’at asks while laying supplies on a woven mat before her.
“His rest has been sure, Tsahìk,” You reply before sitting down beside her, taking the mortar she has offered you.
“And yours?” Mo’at’s knowing eyes pierce through you as you sigh deeply.
“Troubled,” You eventually respond honestly, knowing that the older woman would know whether you replied or not.
“If you are to heal the demon, you will need to be rested. I do not share my lessons with just anyone, Y/n” Mo’at’s voice leaves no room for argument.
If you were being honest with yourself, you felt gratitude for getting the chance to learn from the Tsahìk herself. With no particular skills of your own, you had been shuffled around to where there was a need for extra hands, your whole life. It wasn’t as if you were untalented, you just hadn’t found the right path for you. But maybe going through tsakarem, for however long it would be taught to you, would be the missing link in your life, finally offering you a chance to be useful to your clan.
For the following week, Mo’at teaches you how to crush ingredients into different textures, teaches you what herbs would help with healing wounds specific to the demon’s injuries, and how to assess his condition throughout the day as he lay unconscious. It’s incredibly hard work, but somehow, you make it work. Spider is gone most of the day anyway, so instead of sitting alone in the kelku to watch over the demon, you welcome the older woman’s guidance.
“You have done well,” Mo’at hums one afternoon after you cleaned and redressed the demon’s wounds.
Whatever Mo’at was feeding him sure kick-started his weight gain. As if you hadn’t been struggling before, the demon grew heavier and heavier with each day that went by, making cleaning his body extremely difficult. The awkward positions you had found yourself in while buckling under his weight would have you blushing for years to come. Mo’at’s voice still rings clear in your ears when she commented that modesty had no room in a Tsahìk’s life. Sighing deeply, you had powered through, but with his growing deadweight, it had taken longer and longer to complete the task.
“Wait, was that an actual compliment I heard?” Jake’s voice calls from the doorway, his grin spreading lazily across his face as he looks at Mo’at.
The older woman huffs fondly, the smallest of smiles pulling on her lips while she tries to ignore her daughter’s mate. Jake chuckles as he walks further inside, his long legs swaying lazily as he comes to a crouch before you.
“Do you need help with him?” He smiles down at you as you struggle to lift the demon into place.
“She must need to learn how to do this alone,” Mo’at hums as she walks around your kelku, her eyes sharp following your every move as you struggle to get the demon back in his makeshift nest.
“I’m fine, Jake,” You smile up at him as you shift your hold on the demon, “Thank you,”
“Alright,” Jake just chuckles as he looks up at Mo’at.
“Can you take Y/n to the cove of ancestors?” Mo’at asks, making both of your heads snap to her position by the seaside opening of the marui pod.
“Y-yeah, sure,” Jake replies, his voice breaking a little. Curiosity is written all over his face, but he knows better than to ask by now, something you do not.
“The cove of ancestors?” You repeat questioningly, watching as Mo’at turns to you, her all-seeing eyes pinning you to the woven mat you’re kneeling on.
“You will know when you arrive, Eywa will show you the way,” The reply doesn’t make sense at all, but when Mo’at motions for you to get up to your feet, you do.
“When you have found what you’re looking for, spend the rest of your day with your son. I will watch over the demon,” You’re not about to be told twice, so as your ears twitch excitedly, you get to your feet, and with one last look back at the den, you leave your kelku behind for the first time since you arrived.
Walking beside Jake, you let your eyes fall on the beautiful marui pods that make the village. They’re decorated in beautifully vibrant colors, with shells, stones, and everything else the sea would willingly offer the Metkayina. The sand is warm and wet when you step down from the woven mats that made the bridges between each marui pod. You can’t help but dig your toes into it, grinning childishly as you chuckle.
“You’ve probably never ridden an ilu before, so we’ll take my skimwing. She will get us there quicker.” Jake grins over at you, so obviously knowing something that you don’t.
“I have seen the ilu outside of our kelku, but I have never ridden one,” You confirm, only making Jake grin wider.
“You will love the skimwing then,” This childishly excited side of Jake is new to you, one you have never seen before while he served your people as the Olo’eyktan. You decide then and there that you like this side of him.
You do not, however, like the skimwing. Clutching onto Jake’s middle, he howls with laughter as the skimwing quickly takes you in and out of the water as she flies. It’s quick, it’s challenging and it’s absolutely nothing like riding an ikran. At that moment as you’re plastered to Toruk Makto, you wish you had called for Hawnu instead. When you eventually come to a stop though, the scenery takes your breath away. The last time you had been here, Hawnu had flown low with the small ship behind him while you desperately clutched onto Neteyam’s body, and the time before…
“It’s beautiful,” You whisper in awe as Jake greets a small family as they swim past you on their ilus.
“Isn’t it?” Jake hums back, leaning back now that the skimwing slows down. “The first time I was here, we held a funeral without a body,”
Your gasp comes involuntarily. Clutching his shoulder, you don’t know what to say to him as you move further into the cove, the floating rocks paving way for the beauty that lay within. Letting your eyes roam the huge cove, you realize that it looks so much different than you remembered. Like Jake, you had held your own funeral without the bodies needed to connect with the Great Mother.
“Come on,” Jake turns back and smiles gently at you before breaking tsaheylu with his skimwing.
“When we get down there, I’ll give you a txampaysye, it will help you breathe underwater. Make tsaheylu with it and it will breathe for you,” Jake explains, a gentle smile on his face.
“I will not need one, Jake. I have already been down there nine times before. I will not struggle with the journey,” Swallowing audibly, Jake’s eyebrows furrow before he reaches out to squeeze your knee.
“Alright, come on then,” Nodding, you slide off of the skimwing, taking deep breaths before you let yourself sink beneath the water's surface.
Following Jake’s lead, you swim down until you reach the glowing spirit tree. It’s just as beautiful as you remembered it to be, but this time, you have the chance to really look at its surroundings. Letting your eyes roam around the gorgeous area, you notice how Jake has already connected to Ranteng Utralti. You wonder who it is he’s visiting, perhaps a friend lost in a battøe that should have never been. Tsu’tey’s name comes to mind as you make your way over to one of its vines. The two had become brothers before the final battle and through the years, you knew that both Jake and Neytiri missed him.
Connecting to Ranteng Utralti, you’re immediately brought back to a place you knew all too well. Grinning, you let yourself walk forward as you approach the childish group of recoms currently splashing water at each other in the pond. Z-Dog and Brown balance on the log bobbing in the water as Lopez, and Prager float in the water below them. They’re all grinning and laughing as they try to be something called a “king of the mountain”.
Turning back, you’re prepared to see the rest of the unit lounging on the bank, but to your surprise, only Seanfike stares back at you, the man sitting cross-legged as his tail slaps happily behind him. Narrowing your eyes, you can’t help the way your ears pin back flat against your skull. Something wasn’t right…
“What’s wrong?” Seanfike immediately asks, noticing your worried face.
“Where are the others?” You ask him, seeing how his own face furrows in confusion.
“What do you mean? They’re right behind you,” Seanfike points to the recom’s playing in the pond behind you.
“No, where is Lyle?” You start, but a grin spreads across Seanfike’s face as he chuckles at something behind you.
“Seanfike, please listen,” You press, desperation clutching your chest, “Where are Mansk, Ja, and Lyle?”
“I dunno, they’re probably around here somewhere. Haven’t really seen them in a while,” He eventually replies, confusion deeply etched into his face. “Why?”
A heavy feeling grows inside of you as you realize that they hadn’t been accepted by the Great Mother. Your attempt at putting their souls to rest failed as their bodies had never been united with Eywa. Your chest hurts as you feel tears pressing from your eyes. There’s a wail building in your chest, but below water, as you were, your mouth only fills with water. Distressed, Seanfike clutches your shoulders as Brown’s head comes to rest on your shoulder. All around you, the recom unit, what was left of them crowded you, wrapping their arms around you to hold you close.
“Breathe,” Brown whispers, his gentle voice stinging like a blade against your skin.
You’re roughly pulled from the vine you’re attached to, Jake’s scared eyes pulling at your body to take you up again, but you pull away from him. Struggling underwater, Jake suddenly freezes as he looks behind you, his eyebrows furrowing at something. Turning, your eyes go wide at what you see. From the glowing golden tendrils of Ranteng Utralti, four songcords flat upward, as if presented as something sacred.
To you, they were…
Kicking your legs, you reach for the rejected songcords as you glide through the water. Clutching them to your chest, you curl in on yourself as sorrow overtakes you. Eywa had accepted them, had held them within her warmth until you came and ruined everything. Distantly, you realize that you’re being pulled to the surface, but it isn’t before you’re hauled onto a rock and your lungs desperately gasp for air that you register it.
Coughing and gasping, you wail mournfully as you’re gathered up into warm arms. A hand smooths your wet hair back from your face as you’re rocked, but all you can think about is the songcords clenched tightly in your hands. Other Metkayina gathers around you with sympathetic looks on their faces as they ask Jake what they can do to help, or if they can get the Olo’eyktan. But Jake just shakes his head as he holds you through your heartache.
By the time eclipse arrives, Jake has managed to get you back to the village, his gentle hand leading you out of the water where Spider and Tonowari stand waiting for you. Your son meets you before you’ve managed to emerge fully, his small hand clutching onto the leather of your tweng. Shifting the songcords to one hand, you offer the free one to Spider, feeling how he immediately takes it in his. Although your heart is heavy, you find comfort in his small, warm hand as he clings to yours.
The communal meal goes by in a blur, your son’s worried eyes following your every move. You know that he wants to ask about the songcords still clutched tightly in your hand, but like you, he waits until you’re ready to talk, giving you the time you need to collect your thoughts. Jake and Tonowari keep sending you worried looks, even Ronal looks your way once, her knowing eyes lingering on you before turning away again. It feels like a relief when Spider eventually finishes his meal and you’re able to excuse yourselves from the clan.
Walking hand in hand, you slowly lead Spider down the woven bridges to your kelku, the flickering lights from inside greeting you as you let your son enter first. Taking a deep breath, you follow through, closing the flap behind you. Mo’at, of course, takes one look at you and immediately knows. You want to be angry at her knowledge, but you find that you’re grateful for her understanding when she nods minutely before getting up to leave you alone.
Moving about your kelku, you watch as Spider washes his feet in the little bowl on the other side, his little nighttime routine before going to sleep. Slowly, he settles down in your nest, the blankets nestled tightly around him as he cuddles up. Walking up to sit beside him, you listen as he lets out a deep, sleepy sigh. Closing your eyes, you part your lips as the first words leave your mouth.
“I couldn’t find their bodies,” You whisper, knowing that your son is listening intently. “So I made these songcords for them, hoping that the Great Mother would show them mercy and accept the offering,”
The silence feels cold inside of your kelku, the soft sound from Spider’s exopack the only noise besides the water below your marui pod. It should have been calming, but as your heart clenches painfully in your chest, you’re unable to find any real comfort in it. Turning your head to look at Spider, you see the shimmering in his beautiful brown eyes. Cupping his face in your free hand, you smile sadly at him before getting up to lie down beside him.
“Here, I will sing their cords for you,” You hum as you pull your son closer to your chest.
Sleep finds you shortly after you have finished recounting their milestones, your son’s face as he turns in your arms, surprisingly happy as he closes his beautiful eyes. Cupping the back of his head, you let your eyes drift to the songcords still clutched in the hand below Spider’s head. Closing your eyes, you don't even notice when you drift off, leaving the stress and heartache of the day behind.
It’s another early morning when you wake up the next day. Your body feels heavy as you roll Spider to the side to step out of your nest, the warm glow of the sun greeting you through the cracks as you approach the flaps. Opening them, you let the fresh, salty air clean away the heaviness of sleep from your kelku. Looking down at the songcords in your hand, you sigh deeply. The Great Mother’s will was not without reason, you had to trust that.
Turning to stare at the demon, you find his songcord in your hand, turning your bead between your fingers as you make up your mind. If he could be here before you, alive and real, then Lyle, Mansk, and Ja had to be alive somewhere too. Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath as you settle your resolve. Walking over to your nest, you dig until you reach the bottom of the corner that saw little use. Looking at the songcords in your hands one last time, you hide them at the bottom before arranging the nest back to how it was.
Working through your own morning routine, you gather fresh water into bowls before starting on fresh salves and pastes for the demon’s first change. For once, the demon doesn’t seem quite as heavy when you move him while cleaning his body, making your work that much easier. When Spider wakes, you’ve already finished up, the last lingering feeling of despair leaving you as your son sends a cheeky grin your way. He’s telling you about the plans he has for the day when there’s a knock on your kelku, Jake, Neteyam, and Lo’ak smiling gently at you from the outside.
“Thought some fresh food would be good,” Jake offers as you gesture for them to come inside.
Of course, Spider rushes through his breakfast before the soles of the boys feet are the only thing Jake and you see as they hightail out of your kelku, leaving only the fleeting sound of their snickering as they poke fun at something Neteyam said. The kelku falls into a comfortable silence before Jake eventually breaks it with small talk. You sit, chatting like that until it’s time to change the demon again.
Preparing what you needed, you continue to talk with Jake as you start what was now routine for you. Mixing a freshly smelling surly leaf into the water, you dip a clean cloth into it before starting to clean the demon’s arms. Jake leans back on the wall behind him as you go about cleaning the demon, changing to a new clean cloth when it’s time for his face.
“And then she looked at me as if I had grown a second set of ears,” Jake chuckles, his grin wide as he retells the story about how Neytiri had taught him the way of the people all those years ago.
“And then, what did you do?” With a grin of your own, you chuckle as you wipe the demon’s brow, letting your hand linger as you look over at Jake.
“Am I dreaming, Princess?” The demon rumbles lazily, a sappy smile forming on his lips as he lifts his hand to caress your cheek.
Snapping your head back down to look at him, your grin slips into a frown as you slap his hand away as if it burnt you. Hiss furiously at him, you get up to your feet while you drop the wet cloth in your hand. The demon was asleep just moments ago, his sleeping draft given that morning assured that. Had you managed to mess up the mixture somehow? It must be the only explanation as to why the demon was now awake. You watch as his smiling face morphs into something a little sad as his ears droop, but all you can think about is what you did wrong as your wide, scared eyes lift up to meet Jake’s equally surprised ones.
“Aww… What did I do this time, sweetheart?” The demon’s lazy rumble turns charming as he smirks up at you, a cocky grin on his face.
“Quiet your tongue, demon,” You refuse to use his English as you hiss furiously again, noting how his sad, droopy ears pin back flat against his skull instead.
“Yes, ma’am,” He hums, a fond kind of smile spreading across his lips as he closes his eyes and breaches contently.
“How are you feeling, Quaritch?” Jake asks, his voice is low, gentle even, but the reaction is still instantaneous in the demon.
His eyes pop open with both alarm and fear, and it makes something clench painfully in your chest. The demon tries to jump to his feet to get into a defensive position, the move no doubt second nature to him, but with his muscles weak from disuse and his body still exhausted from trying to heal itself, he wobbles under his weight. Still, the demon fights to get into a defensive position, swaying and stumbling as he takes a protective stand before you, pushing you behind him.
“I’m not here to fight, Quaritch,” Jake states quickly, even though anger steadily becomes evident on his face.
“Like hell, you aren’t,” The demon sneers back, his ears flat against his skull as his tail whips anxiously behind him, smacking you with every back-and-forth motion.
From behind, you can recognize how good he looks in a normal tweng, how the soft leather hugs his narrow hips, or how strong the base of his tail is. But at that moment you find that you’re done with his bullshit and the situation his presence has forced you to be in. Grabbing the base of his kuru, you kick his legs out from under him, wrestling his slightly weaker body into the makeshift nest he’s been resting in.
“You stay and you be silent,” You hiss at him furiously, the English command registering immediately as his ears lower submissively. To your surprise, the demon looks almost ashamed, the fight leaving his much bigger body as he stares up at you with big eyes, his tail twitching anxiously beside your hip.
“Yes, Ma’am,” The demon mumbles, his voice rough with disuse as he looks away, unable to meet your eyes any longer.
“Answer him,” You demand, your voice leaving no room for argument.
There’s a tense silence spreading over your kelku as the demon refuses to do anything - as if a petulant child. He’s not meeting your eyes, not even looking in Jake’s direction. He’s clutching the ribs on his right side and you get the grueling feeling that all your hard work has just been wasted on the demon. Hissing, you step over him on your way to leave when his hand desperately grabs your tail.
“Wait!” He croaks and there’s an urgency in his voice, as if he’s genuinely afraid, that has you turning around to look down at him.
The demon is still laying in his makeshift bed where you put him, only having moved enough to grab your tail. Reluctantly, he slowly lets go of your tail, as if he’s testing if you’ll flee or not. Only when you’ve stood still for what he deems long enough does he roll all the way over to his back again. There’s a battle going on within him, one that looks painful enough that you want to reach out to him, to help soothe his troubles as much as possible, but you don’t. Eventually, his conflicted eyes meet yours, as if looking for strength before they close on a deep, rugged sigh.
“I’m peachy,” The demon bites, eyes opening to stare directly at Jake.
“Skxawng,” You scold with a click of your tongue while crossing your arms over your chest.
“Alright, alright, relax already,” He grumbles, reminding you of Spider the few times you’ve had disagreements. “I’m sore, alright. Ribs hurting like shit,”
The admission seems to pain him as his face darkens with embarrassment. He still scowls at Jake in the corner of your kelku, but your immediate worry is the pain that he’s apparently in. Stepping over the demon, you grab the ingredients for the salve that would help with his pain. Sitting down beside him, you cross your legs as you start to grind the ingredients into the bowl. There’s an uncomfortable silence in the marui pod, until it’s disturbed by Spider running into your kelku, laughter in his beautiful voice as he smiles at you.
“Mom,” Spider grins, his happiness all but blinding you as you look up, just in time to see your son’s smile dropping from his face as he freezes, only for Neteyam to run into him from behind.
“Yo, what’s up, bro?” Neteyam snickers as he sidesteps Spider, only to stop dead in his tracks. “D-dad…”
Jake reaches out for his oldest son, offering support when he recognizes fear in his voice. Neteyam grabs his father’s hand before quickly stepping closer to him, but the demon doesn’t care. His initial reaction was a slight widening of his eyes, but just as quickly as his eyes shifted to Neteyam, they’re back on your son again.
“Spider,” The demon croaks, voice pleading. He doesn’t dare to move, but his ears rotate, open and alert, to your son as he stares.
“Come,” You tell him, looking at the spot beside you while still crushing the ingredients into a smooth salve. “Sit,”
“We will be fine, Jake,” You look up at Toruk Makto, noting how his chest has puffed out, his legs spread wide as he covers his son protectively.
“You sure? It’s no trouble staying, Y/n,” Jake assures you, and even though you know he would like to take his son anywhere but here, you know that if you needed him to stay, he would.
“There are words that need to be said between us,” You sigh, feeling the emotional turmoil that this is taking on you weighing heavily on your shoulders as you come to the conclusion that maybe your son shouldn’t be here for this conversation after all. “Will you take Spider with you?”
Nodding, Jake gently leads Neteyam and Spider through the doors, spearing one last look at the demon before disappearing from view. You have no doubt in his mind that he will be back soon, if only under the disguise of having forgotten something. Sighing, you continue the grind, watching as the paste turns creamy and then, finally, a smooth light green salve.
“Point to where the pain is,” You snap quickly at the demon, breaking the silence that once more had spread across your kelku.
“Slower,” The demon rumbles, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
“Pain. Point,” You growl, your impatience bleeding over into annoyance when he sighs.
“Here,” He points to his right side, just below his nipple, “And here,”
Nodding your head, you crouch over him, spreading your legs over his hips before sitting down on the meat of his thighs. To feel the demon’s warm skin against the inside of your sensitive thighs brings a lump to your throat, but shortly after, you’re pulled out of your thoughts when the demon growls.
“The hell?” The growl is dangerously deep as he gets up to his elbows, wincing at the pressure it gives his ribs. “The fuck are my clothes, woman?”
The sharpness of his yellow eyes sends butterflies through your stomach, but you refuse to make it excite you. The demon had made his nest, now he needed to lay in it.
“Gone.” You huff down at him, narrowing your eyes.
“What do you mean gone?” He bites back just as quickly, his own eyes narrowing.
“When I found you, you had soiled yourself. Your tweng could not be saved,” He doesn’t understand what you’re saying, his face all twisted as he tries to make sense of it.
“My twe- The hell you saying, woman?” The demon tries to sit up, but you easily push him back down again, noticing how the motion brings him pain.
“Like a baby, you dirty your tweng,” You repeat, this time in English so that he’ll understand.
You don’t have to wait long for him to do so. Almost immediately, his eyes go wide as his face turns dark, his eyebrows narrowing while he clenches his jaw shut. He doesn’t meet your eyes, instead deciding to stare at something else on your face.
“You mean to say that you undressed me while I was out like a light?” His voice is dangerously even when he speaks and had you still feared him, you would have probably backed off of him.
“I do not know this meaning,” You huff back at him, holding your ground.
“You fucking took my clothes off and dressed me in this shit,” The demon raises his voice as he sneers at you from below, his ears slicked back against his skull.
“Would you have preferred to wear soiled armor?” The deadpan comeback makes the demon growl angrily.
“Wha- in English, woman!” The demon huffs, his frustration only growing.
“Should I take you here with a dirty tweng?” The reaction is, once more, immediate. The demon growls furiously, his despair so easy to read as he cups his hands over his tweng.
Huffing at his ridiculous modesty, you lower your body once more, sitting down on the meat of his thighs. Slapping his hands away from his tweng, you watch as he immediately covers it with his hands again. You do not understand what it is he’s doing, so you slap his hands away again, only for the demon to cover his tweng again, his face growing an even darker shade. Grabbing his wrists, you tear them away from the front of his tweng, pinning them to the makeshift nest below him, only for the demon to snap them right back again.
“Stop it,” You hiss at him, your ears folding back in annoyance.
“You stop it!” The demon’s voice is high, almost childish as he looks up at you. He’s still not able to meet your eyes.
“You are like a child,” Grabbing his wrists once more, you tear them away while he fights you. In the end, his weakened state makes him lose the battle. “Do not move, demon.”
Huffing, the demon turns his head to look away from you. It finally gives you the space you need to work. Leaning over him, you spread your hands over the demon’s pectorals, fanning your fingers until your thumbs meet in the middle. You try to feel if his lungs expand equally, but the demon only takes shallow breaths, as if he’s consciously fighting you every step of the way.
“Deep breaths,” You tell him and to your utter surprise, he follows your command without complaining.
Guiding him through the examination Mo’at had taught you, you’re surprised that he doesn’t fight you. He states motionless as you press your fingers down his sternum, checking for tenderness in and around his chest wall. With a finger between each of his ribs, you percuss while listening for hyperresonant sounds. The demon hisses when you reach his right side, but otherwise stays quiet. It’s only when you scoot back to put your ear to his chest that he freezes.
“What are you doing?” He drawls, his head finally moving back to look down at you.
“Be silent and breathe regularly,” You hum back as you press your ear to his warm skin.
His heart beats loudly in his chest, almost too loud, and his breathing is too fast, but you’re still able to listen to his lungs. Moving your head further down to the bottom of his ribcage, you feel his stomach tighten against your cheek as his breath stutters.
“Oh, sweet mother,” You can hear him whisper above you, but then he manages to breathe carefully, somewhat close to what his breathing was while he was asleep.
Moving to the other side, you do the same. Sitting up again, confusion strikes you as you find the demon has screwed his eyes shut, his jaw tightly clenched as his hands have created tight fists by his side. Reaching over to take one of his hands in yours, you open the fist to hold his hand, sliding your smaller hand into his bigger one.
“Tell me, where does it hurt?” You ask him gently, only to receive a snort and a smirk in return.
“Trust me, sweetheart, you don’t want to know,” He mumbles, his drawls so thick that you struggle to understand the words. “I’m just fine, darling,”
Letting go of his hand, you move further up on the met of his thighs to get a better position. After asking him to take deep breaths, you press your fingers over his vital organs, starting under his ribs. With each exhale, you feel for any enlargements, for any tenderness. Moving further down you do the same, watching him closely just in case he wouldn’t say anything about the pain. It’s not until you put your hands on each side of the top of his hip bones that he tenses.
“Do this hurt?” You ask him as you gently make the organ move between your hands.
You only receive a gasp in return as the demon closes his eyes, his lips slightly parted and his breath becomes ragged. There’s something wrong, but he doesn’t want to tell you what it is. Moving over to the other side brings forth the same reaction. You’re about to demand he tells you where the pain is from when your hand brushes against something it should not have. Looking between your wide-spread thighs a huge bulge stares back at you from beneath the demon’s tweng. With wide eyes, your head snaps up to meet the dangerously sharp ones of the demon. His lips have parted more, the tips of his fangs visible from the plumpness of his lips. You can feel your irises dilate as the warm scent of the demon reaches your nose.
“Maybe you did want to know after all, mama,” The demon’s husky voice has dropped several octaves, the deep rumble all but rattling through your ribcage as your own core responds to his scent.
Until his words register in your suddenly foggy mind. Hissing, you jump off of him as if burned. The disappointment is clear as day when the demon flops his head down on his makeshift nest again. Stomping around your kelku, you grab your blade before walking to the door.
“Use the salve in the bowl on your pain, and drink water,” You growl before stepping outside. The fresh, salty air greets you as its warm winds caress your heated skin. It feels great.
“Trouble in paradise?” Jake chuckles softly, making you jump.
“What?” You’re caught so off guard that you don’t know what to say.
“You seem distressed, Y/n,” Jake squeezes your shoulder gently as he bends to look into your eyes.
“Would you not be distressed if you had to live with him after everything he has done?” Your words come out much harsher than you had intended to, but you find that they ring no less true than what you feel.
The demon had taken everything that you had. He had snatched every breath from your lungs, had made you feel, had made you care only to turn his back to you at the first opportunity he got. He had taken everything you taught him and used it against you. Still, when his body lay beaten and broken at death’s door, you had stood by his side. You had cleaned his body and healed his wounds while he rested. You had kept him alive when all he deserved was to be washed out in the sand, a dark moment in Na’vi history. Jake just looks at you with knowing eyes. You can no more help the sigh that leaves you than you can keep your shoulders from sagging under the weight of Jake’s hand.
By the time you get Spider, the demon has been asleep for many hours, but you still make a mental note to up the sleeping draft you mix with his water. Sighing, you watch as Spider curls into your nest, his smaller body tired after yet another day filled with new and exciting adventures. Smiling to yourself, you step over to the demon, pulling the blanket off of him. Sitting down, you start the cleaning routine, removing leaves on the deeper wounds while cleaning old salve from shallower cuts. By the time you had finished, you felt the weight of the day in your tired eyes. Curling up beside Spider, you’re happy to see that his beautiful brown eyes glitter as he stares at you. Smiling, he bumps his masked forehead to yours as he sighs happily. It doesn’t take long before you’re asleep, warm and tired as your son’s heartbeat plays the most beautiful rhythm you have ever heard in your life.
Which is why you’re so confused when you wake up to the rumbled growls of a much darker character. Turning your head, you’re met with the demon’s sharp eyes as he huffs with frustration. He hasn’t moved from his makeshift nest apart from sitting up, the blanket tightly wrapped around him. Groaning, you rub the sleep from your face as you yawn. This would apparently be another day when the demon would be awake. Annoyed, you start to plan a way to slip him more of the sleeping draft. Maybe, if you were lucky, he would drink the entire bowl and choke on -
“Woman, stop ignoring me,” The demon growls, his voice annoying in the silence of the early morning. “Where are my weapons?”
“Where I found you,” You respond lazily as you sit up in your nest to stare at him.
“The hell you mean by that, darling?" He sneers, the anger blazing in his sharp eyes.
“I left everything when I took your armor off,” You sigh, pinching the broad bridge of your nose as you pray to Eywa to give you strength.
“Now why in the ever-loving hell would you do that, sweetheart?” His voice cuts deep like a blade through the soft underbelly of a beast as his eyes narrow.
“You have no need of them,” You start, watching as his chest puffs while his face contorts into one big frown, ready to spit angrily. “But I took your blade with us. It’s in Cupcake’s bag.”
“Cupcake?” At the mention of his ikran, the demon halts, his eyes turning from angry to hopeful in a matter of seconds. “Is she alright?”
The demon’s voice is gentle when he asks, yet, the urgency behind his question shines through. He cares deeply for his ikran. The knowledge warms something deep within you, making your own annoyance bleed away.
“She is safe with Hawnu,” You confirm, offering what you hope is a comforting smile.
The demon takes a deep breath, wincing slightly before he lets out a sigh. In your own stressed state, you have failed to realize that he must have his own set of stress going on in his life. Something must have triggered his sudden change of heart. The man you had come to know, the man behind this… this unrecognizable mask, something drastic would have had to happen for him to leave all reason and just act. In the back of your mind, Jake’s words ring loud and clear. ‘When none of your choices are good, you make the best of the bad ones.’
“Thanks,” The demon mumbles, his voice calm and relieved.
You’re about to ask what happened when Spider yawns beside you. Looking down at your son you smile as his beautiful brown eyes open to greet you. Reaching forward, you brush the hair from his forehead, chuckling lightly as he swats at your hand before brushing the rest of his hair away by himself. Sitting up in your nest, his easy smile drops to one of uncertainty as he notices the demon. Looking up, you notice how the demon furrows his brows before taking a deep breath.
“Good morning, Spider,” He drawls, his voice warm and heavy, like a blanket during thunderstorms.
Spider doesn’t reply though, and although you want to tut at him for being rude, you don’t. His father had broken something sacred, something only he could make right again. The only thing you could do was to offer your son the support and safety he needed when he needed it. Getting to your feet, you offer Spider a fruit for breakfast, smiling gently at him when he slices the fruit in two and offers you the first dice of meat. Reaching forward, you cup the back of his messy head before leaning down to place a kiss on the top of his head, letting your lips linger for a moment too long before pulling back. Looking up at you, the conflict on your son’s face makes you smile sadly down at him. You wish more than anything that you could take this hardship away from him, that you could make his life as joyful as he has made yours. When he sighs and looks over to his father though, pride explodes within you at the strength you see in his small form.
But as Spider opens his mouth, no doubt to offer his father food, Neytiri and Jake enter your kelku, the older woman’s smile slipping from her face when sharp eyes meet hers. Before you’re able to react, the demon is up on his feet, staggering unsteadily as he pushes Spider and you behind him as he takes a defensive stand before you. The way he hisses sends a chill down your spine and makes the tip of your tail twitch with unease. When the deep growl leaves the cavity of his chest, an immediate biological reaction course through you, forcing you to reach out for safety while clutching your so to your side. Your heart beats wildly as you hold onto the demon’s tail, your hand gripping so hard that your fingers grow cold. Distantly, you can hear Jake tell you that everything is alright, that you’re safe, but the demon’s furious growls want nothing to do with the Toruk Makto’s words. It’s only then that your frozen body thaws, your fear bleeding out of you as Jake’s words reach your mind. Taking in the situation before you, Neytiri hisses and snarls, her blade drawn and pointing at the demon, while her mate desperately tries to calm the situation behind her.
“Get your batshit crazy wife away from my family, Corporal,” The demon sneers, his tail whipping furiously beneath your hand.
Letting go of the demon’s tail, you slap the back of his head, having understood what he just said, knowing it was not nice words.
“If you come near my son again, I will skin you alive, woman,” You have never heard him sound this venomous before, his fury sending dread through your body.
As Jake hisses in response to the threat to his mate's life, the feeling that something is wrong settles heavily in the pit of your stomach once more. Pushing Spider further behind you, you try to sidestep the demon, but his long arms keep pushing you back as he shifts his defensive stand with each move you make.
“Be nice,” You scold him, holding his arm still as you finally step out from behind him.
“You don’t know, do you?” He huffs a flat chuckle, but there’s no humor in it as his dangerously sharp eyes meet yours.
“What do I not know?” You ask confused, a heavy stone dropping in your stomach as the unease doubles up.
“How she held our son at knifepoint, how she ran her blade across his chest, drawing blood before going in for the killing blow,” The demon’s words are spat so venomously, with such pure hatred, that it leaves no room for questioning.
Yet, you can’t help the gasp from leaving your lips as another, much colder chill runs down your spine. Looking down at the long, crusting wound across your son’s chest, you walk through your belief that he had hurt himself during his escape, like with the other cuts and bruises. But now that you really look at the wound, as you look beyond the healing flesh, you realize that the wound is too clean to have happened by accident.
“Quaritch was holding Kiri at knifepoint too, threatening to kill her if I didn’t surrender. Y/n he took our children just to draw me out. We thought we had just lost Neteyam by Quaritch’s demand,” Jake hurried to say, his voice pleading with you.
But all you can hear is that Neytiri ran her blade across your innocent son’s chest, drawing his blood before going in for the killing blow to end his life. Turning to Neytiri you see how her blade has lowered, her hands slack by her sides as she stares ahead, her expression empty behind her eyes.
“A son for a son, wasn’t that what you said?” The demon sneers and his fury with Neytiri all but drips from the sound.
“Oh, shit,” You can hear Jake whisper, but your ears start ringing as the words sink in and you understand what has been said.
“Is this true, sister?” You turn to Neytiri, praying to the Great Mother that it wasn’t so, that this was just one of the demon’s and Jake's many lies.
“Yes,” Neytiri doesn’t even deny it, but the older woman doesn’t look proud about it either.
A wounded sound leaves your throat as your mind goes blank with pain. Distantly, you feel tears start to roll down your face at the betrayal of your sister’s actions. You’re screaming, but you can’t hear it, unable to stop it as sobs rush through your body. Strong arms wrap around you and before you know it you’re going down, the warm body behind you following you down as your knees hit the woven ground of your kelku. You’re wailing, but all you can hear is Neytiri’s ‘Yes’ ringing through your mind.
The demon tries to comfort you, his big hand holding your head against his chest as you cry. Spider steps closer too, his small arms wrapping around your shoulders as he presses his head to your back. It doesn’t help. Reaching out for your son, you clasp your hand around his, noting how his hand is so small where it’s held by yours, and suddenly, the image of Neytiri holding a blade to your son’s small body flashes before your mind. In the end, rage is the only thing left inside of your empty heart.
“We’re supposed to protect the children,” You whisper morseso to yourself, your voice almost inaudible. But you know they've heard you by the way they all flinch at your words.
“We’re supposed to protect the children,” You say louder as you push away from the demon’s embrace, slapping at his arms and chest to get away when he reaches for you when you turn to face Neytiri again.
“We’re supposed to protect the children!” You scream at her, but she won’t meet your eyes. Stepping away from the demon, you stare at both of them, truly seeing them for the first time in your life before continuing. “And you use them to hurt each other,”
You watch as both of them flinch, their ears pinned back so close to their skulls that had you not known they were there, you would have missed them. Their tails have curled protectively around their legs, their heads lowered in shame, but somehow, they still have the audacity to meet your eyes when you stare at them.
“I saved your son while desperately searching for my own and this is how you repay me,” Your words fall like stones in the silent marui pod.
Behind them, Tonowari stands tall, his warriors no doubt calling him to the marui pod for him to see what the wailing and shouting is about. His eyes are wide as he stands behind the Sullys, ears flat against his mighty hair, while his tail thrashes behind him.
“You are both unworthy to call yourselves parents in the presence of Eywa.” You sneer at them, your fury making your skin grow cold, threatening to make your teeth clatter against each other.
“You do not deserve them,” Your voice is surprisingly calm when you speak, making their ears twitch with the change, as if the defeat in your voice was somehow worse than the rage.
Wrapping your hand around Spider’s arm, you walk out of your kelku without looking back. You needed to find Hawnu, needed to feel the wind through your hair, needed to take your son to a place where you knew he would be safe, where you knew he would be protected. When you had calmed down enough, you had a whole cave full of things you would need to talk to him about, but for right now, you just needed to feel safe, if only for a little while. With your heart broken and bleeding in your chest, you call for Hawnu, your ikran immediately responding with his own screech, Cupcake’s complimentary screech following just behind.
“Do you have space for one more?” Mo’at’s voice asks gently from behind and you’re too tired to argue with the older woman, so instead, you just nod as the tears roll down your face. Maybe she would know why the Great Mother had turned her back on you…
Chapter 16 | Masterpost | Chapter 18
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elthoughtzos · 2 months ago
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Chapter 7: Nothing Else Matters
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Michiko accompanies Lord Ren on a mission. A familiar face resurfaces. And more OC’s are introduced.
“Kuni, get up. You’re joining me on a patrol today.”
Ren called as he knocked on her door. Michiko groaned as she sat up in the bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She let out a grumble to let him know that she was up as she heard him retreat down the hall outside her door. Michiko knew better than to try to talk him out of joining him on the patrol so she complied and started changing from her sleep wear to the Yiga uniform.
After a long day and night, the sun was beginning to set when Ren announced that patrol hours are officially over. Since his patrol area around the Tabantha area, sometimes other young Yiga would join in on the patrols while disguised as normal civilians. When he dismisses them all back to the hideout and only Ren and Michiko remain, she contemplates asking him if they can stop for food before they make their way back to the hideout.
“Kuni, let's get going. There’s an annual blade master meeting tonight.” Ren stated.
Confusion washes over Michiko’s face as she raises an eyebrow and glances over at him. “A blade master meeting?”
Ren started walking away before she could even ask her next question. “But I’m not a blade master. Why am I coming?”
He’s silent for a few seconds as she catches up with him and he looks over at her. “Master Kohga has asked for an update on your training.”
Anxiety begins eating at her as they make their way to the hideout.
They both arrived at the hideout a little later than everyone else. The other blade masters were all standing in a line, waiting for the master.
“I’m so sorry, my fellow blade masters. We were patrolling and left as soon as we could. Excuse our tardiness.” Ren apologized.
“Hello, Ren.” A woman about his height greeted him. “Who’s we?” She asked, slightly tilting her head in confusion.
All eyes land on Michiko as she emerges from behind Ren, with a shy wave. Her eyes immediately catch sight of a familiar horned mask but this time there’s a crack on the mask.
“Michiko?!” Sooga suddenly asked.
“Sooga?” She responded.
“You two have met before?” Ren asked.
“Yes,” Michiko replied to Ren’s question. “I aided him on a mission quite a while ago.”
“Ren, who’s that?” Another blade master asked as he pointed over at her.
“My apprentice, Michiko. As I said before, we were finishing patrolling and as soon as we were done, we came here for the meeting.”
Michiko was surprised that he left out the part of why she’s at the meeting. After all, only blade masters are allowed to be at these annual meetings and the other ones know that too. But before anyone else could get another word in, Master Kohga arrived.
“Thank you for coming to the annual blade master meeting.” Kohga says.
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“Ren, a word please.” The meeting had ended and the master called for Ren. As Michiko was about to join them, Master Kohga waved a hand. “Not you, Michiko.”
She nodded and remained in place in the hall where the other blade masters were. During the meeting, she was allowed to stay. Nothing peculiar happened other than the blade masters updating their ongoing investigations on finding the princess’ knight, the status of their patrolling areas. Not all the blade masters had apprenticeships other than Ren and the woman who had greeted him earlier.
Michiko was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt a hand being placed on her shoulder.
“Michiko.. it’s great to see you again. How long has it been, two years?”
She turned around to see Sooga and a few other blade masters. Their masks were off as Michiko pulled hers off as well. They all looked like they were in their late teens to early twenties.
“The pleasure is all mine.” She smiled at him. “And yes it’s been nearly two years since we completed that mission.”
“Lord Sooga, will you introduce us?” The woman from earlier excitedly requested.
“Yes, Michiko, these are a few of my fellow blade masters. This is Ayame,” he said referring to the woman, “and those two over there are Matsuda and Yoshida. Twin brothers that I personally trained.” The twins looked over at her and one of them waved while the other silently observed.
“Don’t worry, Matsuda has always been more reserved. Even with me.” Sooga slightly chuckled.
“How did you become an apprentice for Lord Ren? He has never been keen on finding one.” Yoshida asked.
Michiko awkwardly scratched the back of her neck, “it was Master Kohga who told him about me.”
The twins glanced at each other as Ayame spoke up, “I definitely look forward to having another woman join us.”
Michiko smiled as Ren emerged from the master’s study.
“Tomorrow we have more training to do.” He announced glancing over at Michiko.
“Ren, you must join the three of us for a late dinner before we all depart to do our tasks.” Sooga suggests. “Michiko, you as well.”
She raised her eyebrows as Michiko looked over at Ren. First she was able to stay in for their meeting and now she might join them for dinner? She never would’ve expected her day to be so.. eventful.
“Okay.” Ren sighed and gave in as the six of them headed to the dining room.
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Despite popular belief, bananas weren’t the only thing in the clan’s menu, as the Yiga’s chef brought out bowls of harusame soup for each of them. And besides the six of them, another blade master who went by Ryuji, joined them. Michiko tried to greet him at the beginning of dinner, but he just glanced at her before turning away.
At one end of the table sat Ren and at the other end sat Matsuda. Michiko, Sooga, and Yoshida on one side, with Ayame and Ryuji facing her. Michiko sat in between Sooga and Yoshida, with Sooga closest to Matsuda and Ayame closest to Ren. Everyone ate and chatted idly while Michiko simply observed. With all of them knowing each other so well, she felt a bit out of place being in the middle of them.
Eventually Sooga started making conversation with Michiko since their first interaction.
“So how’s your training with Lord Ren going?” Sooga asked.
For some reason, Michiko didn’t feel the need to hide anything from him so she told him the truth.
“It’s a lot harder than I thought to join all of you among the blade master ranks.” Michiko admitted.
Sooga hummed in agreement. “It’s difficult to get your body to get used to the techniques but once you master them, it's as simple as breathing.”
“Did you have difficulties ranking up?” She asked.
“At first, yes. But that was because I was nearly starving to death when I found the Master and he took me under his wing. I was just a fourteen year old boy putting too much pressure on myself and trying to rush my recovery process. But over time and with training, I was able to defeat a golden lynel and that’s when I was given the rank of blade master.”
At the age of fourteen, he was already a blade master.
“I just… I just feel like I’m falling behind with me being nineteen years old and still being an apprentice.” Michiko sighed.
“But you made quite the progress. With your hard work, you went from being a Yiga captain to an apprentice to a blade master. Lord Ren is also one of our strongest warriors.” Sooga praised.
Michiko’s cheeks turned pink. “Actually… Master Kohga told Lord Ren about me after I punched a fellow captain. Because he sees potential in me.”
Sooga raised an eyebrow, “why’d you do it?”
“Because he said that women in the clan should just stick to being wives or being nurses and that we shouldn’t be out there on the battlefield.”
The two of them were so engrossed in their conversation and for a moment, it felt like nothing else mattered.
“How’s the engaged life going for you two?” Ryuji asked Ren and Ayame.
They’re engaged? Michiko thought.
Sooga must’ve noticed her surprised expression. “Teenage friends to lovers who’re set to marry. They met since they joined the clan at the same time..”
Yoshida must’ve noticed her expression too because he starts speaking to Michiko.
“Tell me, how old are you, Michiko?”
“I’m nineteen.”
“Ah, the same as me. A year younger than Lord Sooga.” Yoshida smiled.
“Do you have a significant other waiting for you back home?” Yoshida playfully asks. “Or a girlfriend even? Surely a pretty girl like you wouldn’t have any trouble finding a suitor.”
Michiko shakes her head as she blushes, “no, nobody has caught my interest yet.”
“Yoshida, leave the poor girl alone. Not everyone needs to be married off at a young age like you.”
Yoshida huffs at Ayame’s comment. “I’m just saying. She’s a beautiful young lady, anyone would ask to court her.” He suddenly smirks and looks over at Sooga. “Right Sooga? Wouldn’t Kuni be a beautiful bride?”
Sooga regretted not having his mask on to conceal his face as it turned red and he stuttered for an answer. “I-… yes. Wait, I didn’t mean it like that. She’s beautiful but just not for me.”
Yoshida snickered.
“She’s beautiful but she should focus on her Yiga duties first. Michiko, you’re still young and have plenty of time to pick a suitor.” Sooga settles on that response at last. His cheeks were as red as their uniform.
Michiko giggled to herself. He always seemed so calm and collected during their interactions. Never this flustered.
“Are you romantically involved with someone, Lord Sooga?”
“No.” He quickly replied.
“Are you interested?” Yoshida asked with a shit eating grin.
Now it was Michiko’s turn to get flustered. “What? N- no. I was just curious.” She chuckled breathlessly.
An awkward silence falls between her and Sooga. And everyone else around them hollers and cackles.
“There’s early training tomorrow, so you should get plenty of rest, Kuni.” Ren suggested.
Michiko had never been so grateful for Lord Ren intervening.
“Right.” She responded.
The two of them stand up.
“I should go to bed too.” Ayame said.
“I too, must leave.” Sooga added.
Suddenly everyone was getting up from the dining table. Before Michiko makes her way to the hall where her room was, Ayame stops her.
“Good luck with your training under Lord Ren. When you join us in the blade master ranks, I look forward to having another woman to talk to.” Ayame said enthusiastically.
“Of course.” Michiko smiled at her.
Since Ayame is a blade master, she joins Lord Ren as the two of them walk off down the hall.
“I meant to congratulate you for being in the apprentice rank now. Best of luck with your training and I hope to see you join us in the next blade master meeting among our ranks.”
“Only one can dream.” Michiko whispered.
He turns to leave but Yoshida had other ideas. He’s standing behind Sooga and reaches forward with his massive arms, pulling you in for a hug, essentially squishing Michiko into Sooga’s chest.
“Such a great time! Kuni, it was nice meeting you. I look forward to seeing you again.”
Yoshida released them both and threw an arm around Sooga’s shoulders as they headed down the hall.
Michiko shook her head and smiled. She was beginning to get attached to everyone in the clan.
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taglist: @nottheheidi @swordsofdevotion
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modern-day-bard · 3 months ago
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Other Duties As Assigned: A Joel Miller AU Fanfiction
Content Warning: 18+ This story includes mature themes such as drinking, stalking, violence, and explicit smut. Minors, do not interact.
ao3 | wattpad
word count: 4.5k
Chapter 21: Protocol
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Gwen
I’m late. For the first time in months, I’m sprinting my way over to the curb to hop into Rodney’s car. In hindsight, I hope that Ada didn’t see that from where I left her in the café.
“That seemed to go well.” Joel muses as he settles in the front seat.
“It did,” I can’t help but beam, “I negotiated and signed the contract in under two cups of tea. Record timing.”
“Congratulations,” Joel’s voice is low, and I know he’s hiding a smile.
It was the first good thing that had happened all week. The first thing that made me feel like I was doing something outside of Russell Corp. Something that was all mine. A contract with Brissel, all from attending that Halloween party. Well that, and thanks to Harper, whom I’m currently late to meet for drinks. At least now it will be celebratory.
The bar she texted me was in SoHo, and though I wouldn’t admit it to anyone, I was glad to have the excuse to leave both my apartment and my father’s several neighborhoods behind. For all I know, maybe the stalker has unlimited resources. But even if that’s the case, it can’t be easy to chase a car in New York all the way down to the lower edge of Manhattan.
Joel walks extra closely to me once we arrive, as the bar is flooded with people. Even from the corner of my eye, I can see how tightly his jaw is clenched. I feel a sudden wave of guilt, knowing how many people he’ll have to keep an eye out for. But as my favorite redhead comes into view, I try to push that from my mind.
Harper gives me a hug before revealing both Landon and Nyah behind her.
“Surprise! I obviously knew you’d get the contract, so I figure we might as well celebrate together.”
“You could not have known, Harper,” I roll my eyes affectionately.
“No, we knew.”
“Miss M.I.A.!” Landon kisses my cheek. “Where have you been?”
“We’ve barely heard from you since the Halloween party,” Nyah joins in, hugging me a bit tighter than normal.
“Just busy, like you guys. Nothing to write home about, though.” I feel the gravity of guilt again, lying to them. Landon squints at me a little, but they let it slide while we take a seat.
They all say hi to Joel, who takes a seat on one of the stools right behind me, his back turned to me so he could face the door. The place really is packed, but it feels intimate in this corner by the window, more like a pub, especially with our little table.
I change the subject quickly to their work lives, Elijah, Harper’s latest conquests, and any updates from Nyah’s touch-and-go love life. We are almost three drinks deep each when I slip up, complaining that my father will come home in a couple of days, so I’ll need to get a move on.
“What do you mean?” Harper asks.
“Hm?” I take another sip of my mule, hoping we can breeze over it.
“Has he been hounding you at work, or something?”
“No, I hardly ever see him. You know how it is.” Something about this group of people completely erases any of my talents of deception. They just stare back at me, waiting for me to elaborate.
“I’ve just been staying at my father’s place for the past week. I want to be out before he comes back,” I shrug.
“Why would you be staying there?” Nyah asks.
I look at all three of them individually, wracking my brain for a valid excuse. “My apartment is being fumigated. There’s a bunch of rats randomly and some crazy mold thing. They say it could take a few weeks.”
Joel clears his throat behind me.
“Maybe a few months for all I know.”
“Really? God, that’s awful,” Harper gasps.
“I’m sorry, Gwen. You’re always welcome to stay with me!” Nyah adds. I thought about it the days that followed the brick indecent. I even expressed to Joel that I would feel more comfortable. I could tell that he struggled to tell me that it was putting my friends in more danger, as whoever was following me most likely knew them, and where they lived. Statistically, it was unlikely a stalker would go near them if I wasn’t there. Nyah’s apartment sounds like a haven to me, but not enough to be selfish about it.
“Thanks, Nye,” I reach across and squeeze her hand, “But I come with some extra cargo now. And we’ve found a place for me to rent in the meantime.” I notice Joel twist his head toward me a bit at the comment, but at least this part wasn’t a lie. We did find a place, and we were able to rent it under a pseudonym. Plus, it was on the Upper East Side and had multiple units on the same floor available for both Joel, Carlos, and Jace. The latter of the two were setting up the security system today.
“Oh, well, that’s good at least. If you get sick of it, maybe you could join me in Paris.” Nyah wiggles her eyebrows.
“Paris? Since when?”
“Since Andre Bacri hired me as the exclusive photographer for his editorial shoot.”
“Nyah! That’s incredible! Why have we been celebrating me tonight?” I turn to the other two, “You both knew?”
“She couldn’t wait. Spilled the beans as soon as she walked in.” Landon smiles.
“Are you guys going?”
“Naturally, I have two events the week she’s going, so I’m out. Though I did consider quitting my family business so I could go, more than once.” Harper sighs. I shoot her an apologetic look before setting my sights on Landon.
“I’m still up in the air. I’m trying to coordinate with this new sculpturist of mine. If their exhibit dates don’t fall on the Paris dates, I’m all in.”
“I’m so proud of you, Nye. Seriously.” It would be a massive effort to stop smiling at this point.
“Thank you,” Her eyes shine, “But honestly, if I don’t go to the bathroom soon I’m going to regret it.” She hops up, and Harper follows suit.
“I’ll come with!”
They both scurry off through the crowd, and Landon drapes an arm on the back of their chair, narrowing their eyes at me.
“Yes?” I ask as sweetly as possible.
“Your apartment is being fumigated?”
“Correct.”
“So how long have you been staying at your dad’s?”
“About a week.”
“Right…right.” Landon twirls the spear of their martini around and around, toying with it. “Remember when my apartment was fumigated when we were in college? I sent you pictures of my makeshift room at my friend’s place?”
Fuck.
I had not remembered that. Not until now. I wonder if that’s why that excuse came to mind first…
“Oh god, yeah. That must have been so frustrating.”
“Yeah. It was a pretty grueling seventy-four hours.”
Oh, no.
“It was a smaller building, though.” I add, hoping for some reason that would justify a month of living at a new place.
“True. You’re right, I remember them saying sometimes it can take up to a week.”
There is some humor in their eyes, and I know Landon isn’t angry with me. But there is so much I can’t say. All I can picture is something bad happening to them because of me.
“You caught me, okay? It’s not being fumigated.” Joel coughs again behind me, clearly a nonverbal plea for me to shut up. Landon leans back in their chair with a smug smile.
“So what is it, then?”
I watch as their eyes grow progressively worried the longer I remain silent, and the guilt pulls me down further. I lower my voice, hoping I can convey everything I need to without actually answering them.
“I can’t say. And I really don’t want to worry anyone, especially Harper. Just…please trust me that I’m doing everything I can to stay safe.”
Landon goes pale. “Gwen…I’m sorry. I was sort of joking, I didn’t think it could be something like…” They tilt their head towards Joel.
“It’s okay. I was surprised, too. And I’m fine.”
“I want to offer my apartment, too, but I’m guessing it will have the same response as Nyah.”
I nod, giving them a sad smile.
“Okay…if it helps, you can still know that it’s there. At least, spiritually.” That does make me laugh a little. “Also, in that case you really should consider coming to Paris. I mean, if it’s safe. It might be good to get away.”
“I will definitely consider it,” I smile, and Landon places a sympathetic hand on my arm. “So who’s this new sculpturist of yours? Would I know any of their work?”
Landon laughs. “Would you know any sculpturist’s work?”
- - -
The second blessing of tonight is that it’s the last night before we have the all clear to move into the temporary apartment. The downside that comes with it is that it will be expected for Joel to sleep in a separate bedroom.
I hadn’t meant to keep asking him to stay. And I felt lucky, because I usually didn’t have to. He would ask, as if he could sense my unease. I feel guilty about that, too, as he did insist now on sleeping on the floor or in one of the wingback chairs. The only night he had slept in the bed with me was the first one here, and not that I’d say anything, but I miss it. I also won’t tell him that this is the longest any man has stayed in the room with me. Or that usually, I can barely sleep if someone else is in my bed. Yet that first night here, I only felt secure if he stayed. And every night since has been the best night sleep I’ve ever had in this house.
I try to watch him now as he gets ready for bed, and settles his back against one of the chairs, only half facing me. His poor back…it can’t be comfortable. I want to invite him over here again, or at least insist that I take the chair this time. But that would bring up some very unprofessional recent memories, and I don’t want to put him in that position again. Even as my guilt grows, admiring how broad his shoulders look in his white t-shirt. Even as I glance downwards, wondering how he’s slept in jeans for so many nights. If that meant that normally he would just be in his boxer shorts…
Deciding to look at the ceiling instead, I throw my head back so fast that I smack it against the headboard.
“Ow,” I moan quietly. Keeping my eyes upward, I hope Joel didn’t hear it.
“You alright?” He asks, a possible hint of humor in his tone.
“Fine. Totally fine.” I start to twiddle my thumbs over the top of the covers, and I’m glad he can’t see my face from where he’s sitting.
After a moment, Joel speaks again. “I don’t mean this to sound…condescending, but, you did a good job tonight. With Landon.”
And fuck if him saying good job in that low voice didn’t make my stomach muscles clench.
“It’s not condescending. Thank you. I wish I didn’t have to lie…I should have known Landon would see through it. Or any of them, for that matter.”
“You won’t have to lie forever. And you’re only doing it to protect them.”
Something about the softness of his voice makes me sit up again to watch his reaction as I ask tentatively, “Is that something you have to do a lot…in your profession?”
He considers it for a minute, running a hand through his hair. “I usually have to lie for clients, not to them. Simple things like giving someone the wrong location for a meeting, withholding exit strategies. Everything is on a need-to-know basis.”
Joel twists in his chair so he can make eye contact with me, and I must look worried because he adds, “I’ve never lied to you. I did withhold telling you about that second package, and I regret it.”
I nod, trying not to get too focused on his lips. “I believe you,” I whisper, surprised that I mean it. I have a feeling he would have lied to protect me. But now that I’ve told him I want to know whenever anything happens, I know he will tell me. Even if it makes me uncomfortable.
Joel’s eyes fall, and his mouth curves into a smirk. “If it helps…I’m actually a horrible liar.”
“What?” I let out a small giggle. “There’s no way. You’re so…stoic. It would be easy.”
“Stoic? I guess that’s a fair take. But yeah, I feel like you can always hear it in my voice. It’s easy if I’m talking to someone I don’t know, but if it’s anyone else, you can tell.”
“Huh,” I prop myself further up on my elbows. “I kinda want you to lie now so I can hear it.”
Joel huffs. “Okay, uh…I’m eight feet tall.”
“No, no it has to be something realistic. That sounds truthful because we both know that’s a lie. Tell me…” I flip my hair to the side, giving him a crazed smile. “Tell me I’m the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen.” I meant it as a joke, but Joel’s smile fades, taking in a sharp breath.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
I’ve stopped smiling now, too.
It didn’t sound like a lie. It sounded like a secret.
The gruff and husky timbre of his voice when he said it…It sounded like something that frustrated him. Something he’s thought about before, and never been able to say. The silence has spanned too long, so I cocked an eyebrow, attempting to tease him.
“You’re a better liar than you give yourself credit for.” Oh, no. Was it teasing, or flirting?
Joel doesn’t smile or laugh. The only acknowledgment that he heard me was that familiar creasing in between his eyebrows.
Again, that guilt grips me by the ankles, pulling me to sit up and regain my composure. My civility.
“Okay. Secret for a secret.” I clasp my hands together, thinking of what I could give him that wouldn’t further compromise this professional relationship.
“Secret for a secret?” He asks.
“Yeah. You told me one—how you’re a bad liar—so I’ll tell you one. A classic for sleepovers.”
Thankfully, this allows him to smirk again. “Alright.”
“Secretly…I’ve felt more calm here than I thought I would.” That doesn’t give away too much, right?
We stare at each other again before Joel’s smile turns teasing. “You? Calm? Is that even possible?”
I resist the urge to throw a pillow at him. “I said more calm than I thought, to be fair.”
Joel sighs, leaning back in his chair, “That’s hardly even a secret.”
It is if you knew the reason.
“What were you hoping to know?” I feel sleep tugging at me as I watch Joel caress the side of his jaw.
“Anything—nothing in particular.”
“Okay,” I yawn, “I was on the debate team in high school.”
Joel chuckles. “Also not exactly a secret.”
“Why? You looked that up too?”
“No. I just think you thrive going toe-to-toe,” I’m glad he can’t see my toes kicking under the covers as he says it. “But, I think you’d thrive more if you actually go to sleep.”
I’m about to protest, but my lip quivers trying to keep another yawn at bay. “Fine, maybe you’re right…just this once.”
“We can go over that in the morning,” I can hear the smile in his voice, and I get a small wave of panic, knowing that tomorrow, it will just be me, alone in an unfamiliar place.
- - -
I had only just stepped back into my office when the phone rang.
“Arthur! It’s been a minute. How’s it going?” He couldn’t attend last Wednesday's dinner, and since then, he’s been in China with my father.
“Guinevere. You sound chipper. I’m glad, because I have a favor to ask.”
“Figures.”
“You know the Maloy fundraiser tonight?”
“Sure do.” I clench my phone a little tighter, almost certain of what he’ll ask me. The Maloy’s were old friends of my parents, meaning they would send us a gift every Christmas in hopes that they could count on our annual donations the following year. I’m not entirely sure what the fundraiser is for, as I’ve been able to get out of the event since undergrad. And after recent events, I wouldn’t expect to be invited to many fundraisers…
“Well, our last meeting here has been pushed to tomorrow. We won’t make it back in time. I’m hoping you can represent the company.”
I roll my eyes to the ceiling. “I can do that. Send me the details.”
There's a short pause on the other end. “Really?”
“What did you think I was going to say?”
“Nothing. Sounds good, I’ll send you the invite.”
I had big plans tonight of going to the new apartment, checking all the cabinets for signs of hidden cameras, freaking out a little, and maybe watching a movie with a glass of wine. The fundraiser throws a major wrench in that plan. But if it keeps my paranoid thoughts at bay for a few more hours, I’ll take it.
I tell Joel and Rodney as soon as we’re back in the car, or rather, the new car, since Rodney changed it today while I was at work. Joel’s idea in an effort to confuse whoever was watching.
“I’ll probably need to get a dress…but I have to be there in two hours.”
“We’ve had most of your wardrobe delivered to the new place, if that helps.” Joel says.
“Okay, I can work with that. I wonder if Aria and Mateo could meet me…”
I can tell from the way Joel runs his hand down his thigh that he has something to tell me. “I’m sorry, Miss Russell, but we can’t have anyone coming to the new place. I’d be happy to escort you to them, if you wish.”
“No that’s…that makes sense. I’ll make it work.”
We take a roundabout way to the new place, adding on an extra thirty minutes, which Joel apologizes for twice.
The building is smaller than I anticipated, being that it’s only six floors instead of twelve. There’s four units on each floor, and somehow they managed to get us three on the top floor. Managed, meaning that they definitely agreed to pay a year’s worth of rent up front. Minimum.
When Joel opens the door for me, I’m relieved to see that it’s a studio. A relatively spacious studio, as there’s still space for a couch and a small dining table. You enter into the kitchen, and there are floor-to-ceiling windows next to the bed directly across from the front door.
“At least you can see everything in one spot,” I mumble.
“That was the idea.”
Joel shows me the basics. Light switches, the security system they installed and how to arm it, and the most time-sensitive information: where they put my clothes. I start sifting through the closet, looking for something appropriate.
“I’m sorry to drag you to another black tie event,” I pull out a tea-length maroon dress that will probably suffice.
“I’m sorry you have to go,” Joel smooths his hand across the top of the dining table. “I also wanted to let you know that I think it’s best that Jace and Carlos come with us. They can stay in the car, but having them there as a precaution could be beneficial.”
The thought of Joel having backup wasn’t something I was going to argue with. “That’s fine.”
“I’m going to get changed. The door will lock automatically, and I’m out the hall to the right, Jace and Carlos are to the left. You can text or call if you need anything in the meantime.”
I give him a smile and a nod on his way out. I know him leaving wouldn’t bother me too much right now. It’s later I’m worried about.
First, I need to get through this dinner. Only, when I got in the car and Rodney started driving, I realized I had no idea where we were going. I open up the text from Arthur again.
“Carnegie Hall?” I whisper.
“Yes, Miss Russell.” Rodney responds. “Did you need to make any other stops?”
“No, thanks. I’m just surprised.” I figured it was a dinner, but reading the message over again, it’s just a cocktail hour followed by a show. That offers me some relief. I won’t have to talk for too long at least.
My phone rings in my hand, and I feel uncomfortable answering it when I’m sandwiched between Carlos and Jace. That is, until I see who’s calling.
“What?” I snap.
“Well, hello to you, too.” Daniel’s crisp, irritating voice fills my ear.
“What do you want?”
“I heard you were coming to the Maloy event. I’m outside to pick you up.”
My shoulders stiffen. No one is supposed to know where I am, and I think it’s best if I don’t lie completely. This weasel will sniff it out. “Why would you do that?”
“You, Cyrus and I are representing Russell Corp tonight. Why not?”
“I’m already on the way there. Thanks, though.”
“How far? We could still carpool.”
“Don’t tell me you fired another driver. Take a cab if you need to, Daniel. I’ll see you there.” Unfortunately.
He hangs up with one last huff. Maybe that was his own bizarre way of trying to apologize for his behavior the other night.
There are a few photographers outside the event, and with a guest list like this, they’re looking for more popular fish to fry than me. I pose for a few polite frames before Joel leads me into the lobby. A lobby that had been transformed into two bars and several white cloth tables. Looking around the expansive room, I stop in my tracks, nostalgia softly washing through me.
“What is it?” Joel hovers his hand near my back, never truly touching. I have the desire to lean against him, to somehow share what I’m feeling through the contact.
“I forgot about the last time I was here. My mom brought me when I was little…At the time, I thought it was boring,” Joel smiles as I speak, “My favorite part was how high the ceilings were.”
“What did you two see?” His voice is so gentle, and curious. I suddenly wish we weren’t here for work, but just for pleasure.
“I can’t remember, actually. I know that there was a flautist and a big orchestra. And I remember I had these amazing sparkly shoes.” I laugh, feeling the same bout of excitement I had when my mom brought them home for me.
Joel looks down at me just as soft as his voice had been, and carefully, carefully, cups my lower back, caressing soft lines with his thumb. My face heats, and I want to lean my side into his.
“I’ve changed my mind,” He murmurs.
“About what?”
“My New York bucket list. I think I just checked one off.”
I survey the room again. “Carnegie Hall? It’s a good one.”
He shrugs, looking around with moderate interest. “Something like that.”
I scan his face again, but he shifts away from me, leaving me feeling much colder than I was when we entered. Only a moment later, I see why.
“Guinevere,” Cyrus comes up and gives me a kiss on the cheek. “Glad you could make it last minute.”
“Me too. Should be a good show.” I still had no idea who we were seeing tonight.
“I hope the traffic wasn’t too bad.”
“Oh no, it was fine. It’s not that far from my place.” It wasn’t, from my typical apartment that is.
“Right. That’s true.” He takes a long sip of whatever dark liquor was in his glass. “Should we go say hi to the Maloys? Daniel should be here any minute.”
Great.
“Sounds good.”
The Maloys were happy to see us, even when Daniel showed up. We only had to exchange a few pleasantries, asking for updates on their grandchildren, their business practices. Much more painless than what I thought this night would become. Until the lights flicker, and everyone starts to shuffle inside. Daniel is close enough to raise my blood pressure, his hand often grazing my lower back.
“We should get a drink after the show,” He says as we’re escorted to our seats.
I hope my shock isn’t too evident on my face. “I don’t think I can. I have an early morning tomorrow.”
His eye roll doesn’t go unnoticed. “It won’t take that long. We can go somewhere close.”
Joel shifts slightly, having been behind me before, he now pokes his hand between Daniel and I, guiding my waist into our row. Daniel looks up at him, horrified.
“I believe you can sit behind us,” He hisses, “Being staff and all.”
“Protocol.” Is all Joel says.
Daniel must still be a little afraid of him from the other night, because he actually lets Joel in next so we’ll be seated with each other. When he’s busy getting settled, I mouth a silent thank you to Joel, who gives me a smile in return.
The show is incredible. The ensemble on stage is vast, and the performance is long enough that we get to hear solos from almost every section. Every time I glance over at Joel, his eyes seem to be looking at the ceiling, and my heart leaps. And then, in the final third act of the performance, when my eyes are shiny and my hands are tightly clasped together, he presses his knee against mine. And he doesn’t move it away.
Instinct takes over for a split second, as I move my hand, wanting to take his. At least I’m able to stop myself before that happens.
After the performance, I say goodbye to Cyrus and Daniel, who, looking at Joel, doesn’t mention drinks again. We’re able to get back in the car without speaking to anyone else, and I’m relieved to have an evening where nothing goes awry as I slide in next to Jace. Carlos is in the front seat next to Rodney, leaving Joel to sit next to me.
This time, I don’t want to go to the apartment as soon as possible. I don’t want to go back there and lay in a new bed, ruminating on the same old fears. I know, logically, that I’m safe there. But what if someone broke into Joel’s apartment first? What if he was alone, and asleep…completely defenseless?
As if Joel could hear my current spiral, he presses his knee against mine once again. And when I finally dare to look up at him, the city lights illuminating his face as we drive through the night, I’m amazed there was ever a time where I would do anything to make him leave.
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skylarmoon71 · 7 months ago
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Lance Sweets (Bones)- Short Story : Chapter 1
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Life for you has always been just a thing to go through.
Living as long as you have, there was very little that took you by surprise. There was a certain predictability that came with humanity. There has been a time where you recall being happy. Truly effortlessly happy. 
You had friends and someone you loved more than your own existence.
But that was centuries ago. 
You’d learn to adapt to the changes. Ran through many professions. 
This century had honestly been the most alive you felt since that time. 
That’s why you promised yourself you would protect this group. They were too precious to lose.
“Booth, I’m serious, the results confirm the origin.” 
“It’s not possible, Bones. Are you saying this person lived way back when. His remains should be dust.” 
Brennan went on to explain that there were certain ways to preserve human remains. Although when your eyes landed on the bones before you on the table, you couldn’t stop the smile. She’d already laid out some characteristics of the unidentified individual. 
Your smile caught their attention. 
“You're kind of creeping us out there (Y/N).” 
The moment you realized, you shook your head. 
“I’m sorry. This description, it just reminds me of a friend I had. Someone I was very fond of. “ You explained. 
Brennan seems to understand and she mirrors your smile. It’s not often that she understands the modern comments or traditions, but when it comes to bones, she tends to see a lot more of the individual.
“This person was loved very much, I can feel it.” You state. 
Booth wore a similar smile. He didn’t question who it was you meant. He just understood it was someone important to you. 
“Well, I have to get going. I’m supposed to meet that psychologist today.” 
You hadn’t been here when Lance Sweets joined the team dynamic. Since he was asked to assess the entire squad, it was your turn to meet and keep him updated on any changes in your lifestyle after you return from your assignment in Washington. 
“Don’t let him bore you with his shrink talk!” Booth calls. 
You laugh, waving him off as you head out. 
It’s been a long time since you’ve truly felt like you were a part of a family. Working as an agent with the Jeffersonian was purely luck. Loving these people, well, that was a choice. It’s taken you quite a bit to get back to a point where you felt comfortable enough to let anyone in. You’re protective of them. That’s why this meeting needs to go well. The last thing you want is for anything in your life to change. 
The trip to Sweet’s office isn’t long. 
When you’re standing at the door, you knock. 
“Come in.” 
You push it open, stepping inside with a smile.
That expression immediately changes once you take in the face of the man before you.
“Aether..” 
You’re a bit frozen in place. 
“You’re quite beautiful.” 
“Flattery doesn’t work on me. Especially from a god.” 
His dark curls looked soft to the touch. Despite your statement, you couldn’t deny that he was remarkably charming. It wasn’t common for you to mingle with gods. You usually stick to yourself. Observing and enjoying nature.
“I apologize if I come off as too straightforward. I’ve seen you here conversing with the humans. I initially thought that you were one of them. I’ll admit that I was enamored with you. Now that we are speaking it’s clear that you are something more.” 
“I am me. That is all.” 
You turned your attention back to the waves before you as the sea remained calm in the afternoon light. 
The male stepped forward.
“My name is Aether. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” 
“Ms, (L/N)? Are you alright?” 
You blinked, because it seems your little trip down memory lane had distracted you. He’s standing right there and you realize that you need to collect yourself. 
“Y-Yes. I’m sorry. Please just call me (Y/N), it’s nice to meet you.” 
You do your best to cover it up with a smile as you hold out your hand. You’re very aware of his capabilities, so it’s expected that he’s going to revisit this. He takes your outstretched hand, and you do your best to ignore the streams of electricity that rush through your fingertips. You feel as though you’re drowning and flying at the very same time. Because you remember those sparks as if it were yesterday. 
It was impossible to ever forget. 
“Dr. Lance Sweets. I hope we can work well together. “ 
“So do I.” 
The encounter had you reeling. 
For one you were astonished that the love of your life had somehow managed to be reincarnated. It’s not like the possibility was unheard of. You’ve just lived through many decades without ever seeing any other variations. You never even considered it. Seeing him again. It was a bit painful. Being a complete stranger to him. 
The first few weeks of being there you found yourself forcing a smile, or limiting your interactions in a way that he wouldn’t notice. The last thing you needed was his suspicions. You were adamant on doing this job. You’ve finally found people that made life worth living again. You had no intention of giving it up. 
“He’s the personification of the bright upper sky. According to Hesiod, he was the son of Erebus and Nyx, and the brother of Hemera. In Orphic cosmogony Aether was the offspring of Chronos, and the brother of Chaos and Erebus.” 
The conversation you walk in on is not what you expect. 
“Are you talking about Aether?” 
Brennan’s face lights up the second you mention it. 
“Yes, are you familiar with the mythology?” 
More familiar than she realizes. 
“Yeah. I was a bit of a Greek geek back in college. The stories were actually very educational.” 
“See Booth, it’s not boring. (Y/N) likes it too.” 
He just rolled his eyes dramatically. 
“Please, who wants to talk about a bunch of guys running around in robes and having sex with everyone they know.” 
“That’s actually a poor depiction of what the Greek gods were. That fact that you’ve retained such an image speaks a lot about how you see mythology as opposed to your own faith and beliefs.” 
Sweets walks over, obviously catching the end of the conversation. Booth just sends Sweets that look when he’s annoyed with his observations. 
Sweets is standing right next to you, wearing that smile that he has when he’s called over to give his insight on a case. You try your best not to stare. It’s increasingly hard when the second he’s by your side your brain runs through all those memories. 
“You’ve never been in the water?” 
Aether laughs. 
“I’m associated with the wind, we don’t typically manipulate the other elements. I’ve also only recently been on this plane. There is a lot I haven’t done.” 
You’re surprised to say the least. Sitting at the beach, you stare at the waves. You’ve always been taken with everything that nature has to offer. Given that you’ve been on the planet for what feels like eternity, there is very little that you haven’t done. 
“I suppose I could offer you assistance. Show you all the sights. Is there something particular that you’ve been longing to experience?” 
He turns to you, eyes relishing in the curiosity behind your stare. You look completely willing to fulfill any request. 
“There is something that has recently caught my attention. It is a human custom. I believe it is called kissing.” 
Your eyes widen at the request and you look away almost instantly. Your ears feel as if they are burning with heat. 
“T-That is a custom done to people that you hold romantic feelings for. It is undesirable to kiss someone just for the sake of doing it.” 
You still refuse to look at him, and when his hand lands right over the top of yours, you’re convinced that he can almost hear your thoughts. 
“I’m positive that I’ve been very clear about how I feel for you.”
You’d like to deny it, but you’ve felt the same way since the moment that you met him. It’s infuriating how much you feel. Because you’ve seen and done so much that he could only dream of. Yet you’ve never encountered emotions so strong. Not like this. Not with anyone but him. 
“Am I alone?” 
His inquiry is almost a whisper, and you bit your bottom lip, shaking your head slowly. You still avoid eye contact. 
“You are..not alone..” You confess. 
His smile brightens, and he gives your hand a soft squeeze.
“I’m glad.” 
Back then it always felt like he could see right through you. It was both agitating and invigorating. 
You tune back into the conversation when Booth makes a statement. 
“It’s almost as entertaining as listening to Sweets run about his shrink stuff.” 
“I think it’s nice to understand the how and why sometimes. Even if it is psychology.” 
Sweets smiles. 
“Thank you (Y/N), it’s good to know that at least some people recognize my contributions.”
“She’s just saying that because she doesn’t want to hurt your feelings.” 
“That’s hurtful.” Sweets says in which Booth just grins. 
It’s safe to say that Sweets’s presence has added a bit of a comedic flare to the group. He’s relentless in his efforts to help Booth and Brennan function to the best of their abilities while making his own scientific discoveries. 
Hodgins tends to say that he just likes the entertainment the pair brings. 
Given how tragic the stories that you discover on the job, it’s nice to know there could still be highlights. 
Your most recent case is a bit of a minefield. 
This is the first time Booth has requested that Sweets conduct the interview. You’re just there as a back up. 
The suspect sitting before you is a bit unpredictable. 
“If you know I did it, why am I still here?” 
Sweets says nothing just watches him. You’re not sure what angle he’s using, but it’s clearly working, because James seems to be more agitated by the second. 
“Are you mocking me?!” 
Neither of you expect him to yank his way out of the cuffs. He jumps to his feet and lounges for Sweets. Maybe it’s instinct on your part, but you fire a punch and his head makes a sharp whip to the left. His eyes rolled back and he hunched forward on the table. Booth and Brennan have already rushed into the room with two other officers. 
You immediately turn to Sweets, placing your hand on his shoulder as you search for an injury. 
“Are you alright?!” 
He hadn’t even gotten a chance to touch Sweets, but you’re still worried. 
Sweets nods, still clearly a bit on edge. 
“Y-You knocked him out cold..” He mutters.
You pull away, turning and Booth just grins with a thumbs up. 
“Nice shot.” 
You sigh heavily. 
“You’re terrible Booth.” 
He just starts laughing and Brennan looks equally as impressed. 
Surely you would never tire of them. 
During the course of a month, you’ve gotten a better handle on your emotions and strength. After the whole one punch fiasco, you lectured yourself to be careful. Everyone had basically chalked it up to adrenaline, so you were in the clear. But that could have just as easily been perceived differently.
It’s a bit unnerving, you know that Sweets is different. 
He’s Aether, but he also isn’t. 
Although you process this, the thought of anything happening to him has you weary.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” 
You nod as you both walk through the village. 
“Someday they may all perish. Despite knowing this, they still enjoy life to the fullest. It’s remarkable. Humanity never ceases to surprise me.” 
He tends to go on these little rambles when he makes a new discovery. Like the first time he’d seen a group of villagers create a fire, he looked astonished. He couldn’t stop smiling the entire day. It was hard to look at him and not want to kiss those perfectly pink lips. Enjoy the brightness and warmth those chocolate hues provide. 
“These thoughts have been plaguing me..” 
The both of you haven’t truly shared even a kiss. Aether is respectful and clearly patient. Because despite his often straightforward confessions, he’s never made a move. He respects you, and you admire him. But you feel anxious. Because this feeling is unlike anything you’ve ever felt and you aren’t truly sure how to approach the situation without evaporating into dust. 
The frustration of the situation has begun to manifest in your thoughts, your dreams..
“We’re here, are you alright?” 
You blink, noticing that you in fact have arrived at your destination. You’re standing in front of your small hut. You nod, opening the door as you invite him in like you’ve done many times before. 
“I apologize, I’ve been distracted as of late.” 
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is it something that I can help with?” 
He’s so attentive and it just makes you want to grab him and do unthinkable things. 
This is irritating. 
“It’s your fault!” 
You don’t mean to snap and he looks worried and confused. 
“My fault?” 
“Yes, you’re consuming my every thought. I’ve never cared much for gods, but I can’t stop thinking about you. Do you understand how frustrating that is!” 
The recognition passes over his features, and his eyes soften in that manner that only happens when he’s looking at you. 
Further proving your point. 
“The way you gaze at me with such fondness, it’s disarming..” You express, softly. 
Aether moves closer, and you tell yourself you should look away, but it is impossible. 
“I have felt the very same way since the moment I laid eyes on you.” 
He reaches out for you, hesitant at first. But the moment his hand touches your face, you melt and he lets out a soft sigh of relief. His smile emits excitement. 
“Is this alright? Is it okay for me to touch you this way?” 
You realize then that your meeting where he’d expressed his interest in kissing you, he’s been careful. He took all your words into consideration. 
“It is alright for you to touch me.” You confirm. 
His smile grows bigger, and he cups your cheeks, pressing his forehead to your own. 
“I’m content with this.” 
He says emitting nothing but elation. You swallow, shaking your head. 
“I am not.” 
He pulls back slowly, and the heat you display must speak for itself. 
“I want more..” 
Aether’s eyes drift to your lips, and you take notice of the way he gulps. He looks more than a little eager. 
His lips descend on yours slowly. 
Carefully. 
The entire moment is what you assumed a miracle to be. He pulls back letting out a shaky breath, but you grip at his robes to ensure he doesn’t get too far away. 
“More..” 
You insist.
He nods and this time when your lips join, it’s much more firm. You feel as if you’re being consumed by him. His hands circle your body, and you know it’s impossible to pretend that he isn’t everything that you’ve ever dreamed of. 
All those moments you shared with him, it’s impossible to just banish them. It’s a bit comforting that despite the centuries that have passed, you still feel the same. It’s clear that there is only one person in the world you’re destined for and that’s him. 
It will always be him, regardless of what time you’re in.
Your most recent visit to Sweet’s office is your scheduled evaluation. 
You take a seat, ready to hear whatever he has to say. For the first few minutes you just look as he goes over some of your files. Your assignment in Washington was assistance on a serial killer that you’d faced a few years ago. The BAU has requested you specifically since you were the only one who’d gotten close to catching the man. 
The end result was better than expected considering that he’d kill over a dozen people before he was stopped. There’s always a sense of accomplishment when you stop a really bad man. 
You return your focus to Sweets who still seems on a short rant. Your expression softens considerably. You should probably be more subtle about your gawking, but he’s always been such a beautiful man to you. His features display a boyish charm, but his structure also has that subtle maturity. 
“I realize that my addition to the team might be a change but I assure you that I’m only here to help. From our meetings and what I’ve read from your files, you’re an exceptional agent. Intellectually and emotionally strong. That’s not something that is easy given what you deal with daily. I can tell from your place on the team that you care about all the members. I just want you to know that I don’t pose a threat to that.” 
It’s clear that he’s assumed that you’re weary of what his position could do to your friends. Of course you understand from his perspective. You appreciate his forwardness. Another characteristic that seems to be imprinted in him. Regardless of the century. 
“I appreciate you saying that. I guess I should be honest since you’ve been so transparent with me.” 
Sweets offers a smile, because he’s ecstatic that you’re about to open up. He’s usually the one poking and prodding. The switch is nice for a change. 
“I’ve been a little anxious around you because I find you very attractive, Dr. Lance Sweets.” 
There’s a slow pause, and it’s then your words catch up. You don’t miss the slight tinge of his cheeks. Doubled with the way he now shifts in place. 
“Oh!I-I..I had no idea that you…that you were…” 
He’s stumbling over his words and you nod. 
“I hope that this doesn’t make you uncomfortable. We work together. I figured if I just spit it out then we can go back to working as normal without the awkwardness. I really respect what you do.”
He runs a hand through his hair. 
“T-Thank you. I-I respect what you do as well. Very much.” 
His shyness is quite literally the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. 
“I'm glad I was able to get this off my chest. I guess I’ll see you on Monday.” 
“Yes! Monday. See you then.” 
Standing, you turn. You can't fight the smile as you exit the office. 
It’s apparent that you have a lot more to look forward to in life.
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nerdieforpedro · 7 months ago
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Weekend Update 05/12/2024
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I’m back! Two weeks in a row!
Very good Nerdie. We appreciate this. We’ve been keeping tabs and you’ve been busy this week.
I did dabble in a few things this week.
A new discord server started by myself and my friend fhatbhabie for Latinx/Black/POC Pedro stans. It’s one of those things where I shouldn't have been as surprised by the overwhelming support for it as I was. It’s actually been pretty awesome and I’ve had very thoughtful DMs. The name of the server is Unhinged Clubhouse.
I wrote my first mostly smut fic in a while with Dave York. Trule wasn’t expecting him of all Pedro characters but, the smut fairy does what she wants, when she wants and I just gotta roll with it. It was another entry for Jett’s Flora & Fauna Challenge. 
Going through my inbox - mostly caught up but still a few outstanding replied to be made. Sorry about that.
Lastly, working on WIPs and deciding in addition to working more on Weddings 101 with Dieter, which other series I’ve been working on did I want to pop out there? Frankie and Ezra’s series are finished and I think I might wrap up the on Din series in the next part or two. The other Din series I have to workshop a bit. I have ideas of who I want to pop up next from Star Wars, I just need to work it in. 
Also Weddings Dieter: Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow and cheese? How do we feel about this? I also could use some help in deciding between the following for my next series: Marcus Pike vs. hot dogs + therapy, me finally writing nice things for Javi P, Dieter + brick house + you and a baby, and Pero Tovar + Dragon for revenge? 
Lastly, does anyone have some prompts for nipples? It sounds weird, but consider, this is me. Also with @mysterious-moonstruck-musings influence, I have a weird bullet point list and made a horrible drawing. I just need to write something so it will leave my mind. I hope. 
Side note: Nerdie now has reblogs queued up to July 21st. The queue shall know no rest! 😎
Nerdie, like are you sure there’s no recreational use of anything? Like really sure?
Nah, these ideas are all from a sober mind. And I shudder to think what I would be like if I did, so I don’t partake. Mainly because I’m a scaredy cat and also my alcohol tolerance is low. Plus I like mixed drinks. 🤭
Now it’s time for everyone’s favorite part:
Fic recommendations! I read a lot this week!
1. Worth A Thousand Words by @intoanotherworld23 (Joel Miller x f reader)
2. Chapter 1 - Howdy Neighbor! by @inept-the-magnificent (Frankie Morales x Plus sized OFC)
3. A Rugged Kindness by @pedropascalsx (Pero Tovar x F reader)
4. Just the Lilac by @djarinmuse (Dieter Bravo x F reader/OC)
5. Torment Part 2 - Terror by @djarinmuse (Din Djarin x Fem OFC)
6. Torment Part 3 - Horror by @djarinmuse (Din Djarin x Fem OFC)
7. Torment Part 4 - Wounded by @djarinmuse (Din Djarin x Fem OFC)
8. Torment Part 5 - Victims by @djarinmuse (Din Djarin x Fem OFC)
9. Torment Part 6 - Trauma by @djarinmuse (Din Djarin x Fem OFC)
10. Torment Part 7 - Healing by @djarinmuse (Din Djarin x Fem OFC)
11. Fall Into You by @megamindsecretlair (Kevin Atwater x black fem/plus size reader)
12. For lifetimes of missing each other - chapter 1: Meat Cute by @tinytinymenace (Demon Pero Tovar x OFC)
13. For lifetimes of missing each other - chapter 2: One Bed by @tinytinymenace (Demon Pero Tovar x OFC)
14. For lifetimes of missing each other - chapter 3: Happily Ever After by @tinytinymenace (Demon Pero Tovar x OFC)
15. So Much Goddamn Talkin’ by @stargirlfics (Joel Miller x Black fem reader)
16. To the Flame chapter fourteen by @pedroshotwifey (Dark Javier Peña x fem reader) DDDE
17. Scattered Promises chapter 1 by @soft-persephone (Din Djarin x AFAB OFC)
18. Waffles and Cigarettes by @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin (Javier Peña x fem reader)
This week I hope to have a new series up, maybe chapter six of Weddings 101 and my entry for the Dieter Bravo Brainrot Serve club challenge (it’s slightly over the word count - I’m going to see if it will still make sense on another edit). I dunno if all of those will happen, but at least one of them should. 
Stay safe and hydrated everyone!
Love Nerdie! 🥰 💜💜💜
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stephstars08 · 1 year ago
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Still Alive ~ Chapter Eight
Ethan Landry x Reader
Warnings: Adult Language, Violence, All Angst, Trust Issues, Blood, Weapons, Death Threats, Character Deaths, Trauma, Anxiety, Parent Issues, and BIG CLIFF HANGER! (Sorry if I forgot any!)
Word Count: 2,337
Author’s Note: Hello Everyone! I can’t believe Sunday will be the last chapter of this story! I enjoyed writing this and that’s why I mentioned about doing a second book. I’m trying to get a good plot together for you all but I know it will be awhile since I have other ideas I want to write for you all and post. This chapter has a HUGE CLIFFHANGER SO YOU ARE WARNED! Next and Final chapter will be posted on Sunday! Next Week I will be taking a break from posting since I want to catch up on writing and also update my account a little bit! Stay tunned for any updates that will be coming soon!
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Y/N quickly turned around and pointed her gun at the person who called her name. “Detective Bailey?” Y/N said a bit confused and surprised to see him standing there. “Woah easy, put the gun down.” Detective Bailey told her in a calm tone. “Why are you here?” Y/N asked him in a stern tone not backing down. “I got a call to come here.” Detective Bailey told her. “Please, put the gun down.” He added but she still wasn’t budging. She remembered what her mom and Sidney told her, don’t fucking trust anyone. Before she could say anything, she saw Ghostface come running behind Detective Bailey. “WATCH OUT!” Y/N called out going to shoot Ghostface but before she could pull the trigger Detective Bailey kicked her in the stomach making her drop the gun. Y/N fell to the floor holding her stomach while Detective Bailey grabbed her gun and pointed it at her.
“What the?” Y/N said trying to catch her breath again confused and surprised by what Detective Bailey just did. “Surprise Y/N.” Detective Bailey said as his lips turned into an evil smirk. “Nice job, kid.” He said to Ghostface. “What?” Y/N said looking between Ghostface and Detective Bailey as she continued to hold her stomach that she knew is starting to bruise. Detective Bailey gave Ghostface a nod. The person took off the mask to reveal Quinn which made Y/N’s eyes go wide.
“Heyyy, Y/N.” Quinn said in a teasing tone as she waved her knife at her. “How? You fucking died!” Y/N said in complete shock. “Kinda, didn’t.” Quinn said looking over at her dad as she took off her black gloves. “Why are you two doing this?” Y/N asked them in a stern tone. “Because your bitch of a friend killed my son.” Detective Bailey answered her with a dark look in his eyes. At first Y/N had no idea what the fuck he was talking about till it hit her. “You two are Ritchie’s family.” Y/N said looking between Quinn and Detective Bailey with a surprised look in her wide eyes. “Look at that, the bitch is smart.” Quinn hissed glaring at Y/N with disgust.
“We will get our revenge on Sam but first I need to kill you to get my other son on our side. I know him finding out about you would make him let out his dark side seeing how much he cares about you. You were first on my list, but of course you made me do something I didn’t want to do.” Detective Bailey told her with anger in his tone. “What the fuck are you talking about? I didn’t make you do anything!” Y/N said defending herself getting frustrating and annoyed. “Quinn.” Detective Bailey said to her. Quinn walked out of the room for a couple minuet and then came back holding Ethan.
“Ethan!” Y/N said standing up on her feet but before she could step towards him Detective Bailey grabbed her. “Woah, where do you think you’re going?” Detective Bailey taunted her holding her tightly. He had her back pressed up against his chest. “Glad you could finally join the fun, son.” Detective Bailey said to Ethan which made Y/N’s heart rate speed up. “Son?” Y/N said looking at Ethan with confusion in her eyes. It hurt Ethan to have Y/N find out this way. To be honest, he didn’t want her to find out the truth to protect her. He also thought if she knew the truth, she would want nothing to do with him. “Tell her! Tell her your big secret!” Detective Bailey told his youngest child in a demanding tone. “No!” Ethan hissed glaring at his dad with a dark look in his brown eyes that was actually scaring Y/N. She’s never seen that darkness in his eyes but when she did it made her think about the dark eyes that were in Ritchie’s eyes which helped her connected the dots. “TELL HER OR I’LL BLOW HER FUCKING BRAINS OUT!” Detective Bailey threatened gripping Y/N tighter which made her groan out in pain. He put the barrel of the gun to Y/N’s temple making her shake in fear. “NO!” Ethan yelled as he struggled against Quinn’s tight grip on him. “Then, I would start fucking talking!” Quinn hissed in a warning tone as she put her knife against her brother’s throat.
“My real last name isn’t Landry, it’s Kirsch.” Ethan confessed looking away from Y/N’s strong gaze. “You’re Ritchie’s brother.” Y/N said in a surprised tone as she started as him with glassy eyes. He’s told her everything, but it didn’t cross his mind to tell her that he’s related to the guy who was dating the psycho chick that murdered her dad. But it all started to come together though. He looks like Ritchie, but I guess her feelings for him pushed those thoughts away. She wanted to forget about Ritchie because of everything he put Sam through.
“He’s also helping us.” Quinn said with an evil smirk. “What! No, I’m not!” Ethan snapped as he quickly looked over at Y/N. As he looked into her eyes, he knew she didn’t know who to believe since her feelings were all over the place. “Y/N, I am not a killer! You know I would never hurt you or the people you love. Please believe me!” Ethan begged her as his eyes started to water up. “Y/N, I lo- “Ethan started to tell her, but Quinn cut him right off by stabbing him in the back multiple times with her knife. “NO!” Y/N screamed at the top of her lungs as she watched Quinn throw Ethan to the floor.
Y/N somehow got out of Detective Bailey’s tight hold so she could get to Ethan, but she didn’t go far because Detective Bailey shot her in the side knocking her down to the floor. Y/N let out a painful yell as she held her bleeding side. She looked over at Ethan who was lying on his side breathing heavily. She started to crawl over to him but got stopped by Detective Bailey putting one his feet onto her back. “What’s the matter Y/N? You should know how we are feeling and why we are doing this.” Detective Bailey said to her in a taunting way. “You got revenge on Amber for killing your father so now we’re going to get revenge on Sam for killing Ritchie.” Detective Bailey added which made her crawl in her skin. “Fuck you!” Y/N hissed in pain. “Wow, good comeback.” Quinn said with a scoff as she looked between Y/N and her brother. “Did you really think that I wanted to stab my only brother! Another reason why we should fucking kill you!” Quinn hissed glaring down at Y/N with fire in her eyes and pointing her bloody knife at Y/N. It made Y/N furious how they are blaming her for what’s happening to Ethan. No wonder he wanted nothing to do with this fucked up family. “Enough talk! Now be reunited with your daddy.” Detective Bailey hissed pointing the gun at the back of her head again.
“Hey dipshit!” Y/N heard a voice call out. She felt Detective Bailey’s foot off her back. When she looked behind her, she saw Sam fighting Detective Bailey. She turned back around to see Kirby fighting against Quinn. Y/N locked her eyes on Ethan who still hasn’t moved. Y/N ignored the pain in her side as she continued to crawl the rest of the way to him. She cared more about him than she did herself. When she finally got to him, he was groaning in pain. “Ethan, stay with me.” Y/N said to him as she put one of her hands onto his cheek. “Don’t worry about me.” Ethan told her in a weak tone. “What?” Y/N asked him in confusion. “Go help Sam and Kirby. I’ll be fine.” Ethan told her as his voice got softer with every word that was coming off his lips. They heard a painful scream.
When Y/N looked up she saw Kirby laying on the floor with Quinn hovering on top of her pulling her knife out from Kirby’s side. Y/N looked around the room for Sam, but she was nowhere to be seen, same as Detective Bailey. “Shit!” Y/N hissed as she looked around for something to use as a weapon. “Y/N!” Ethan said getting her attention pointing over to a brick. Y/N grabbed the brick and quickly ran over to Quinn hitting her in the head as hard as she could knocking her away from Kirby. Quinn stood up and held her now bleeding head.
“You psychotic bitch!” Quinn hissed glaring at her with dark eyes. “Speak for your fucking self!” Y/N hissed back. Quinn ran over to her and start swinging her bloody knife at her, but Y/N kept blocked the silver blade with the brick. “I don’t know what you fucking see in Ethan. He’s always been a fucking disgrace to the family.” Quinn snapped at her. “Why? Because he’s not a fucking killer like your neglective father and pussy ass older brother.” Y/N snapped back sticking a nerve on Quinn. “SHUT YOUR WHORE FUCKING MOUTH” Quinn yelled out in anger pushing Y/N into one of the glass cases which earned her a hit to the mouth by the brick when Y/N threw it at her. Y/N hit her bleeding side against a glass case making her drop to her knees and groan out in pain.
When Y/N hit her with the brick she dropped her knife and fell to her knees. The knife landed near Ethan, so he used all his strength to get to his knees and grab the knife. He crawled towards Quinn and stabbed her in the back like she did to him making her yelp in pain. Because of how weak he was she was able to grab the knife back and overpower him. Quinn stabbed him in the side making him yell out in and fall back down onto the floor.
“Hey, Quinn!” Y/N called out to her. Quinn turned around to see Y/N pointing the gun Kirby gave to her earlier with Sam standing beside her. While Ethan was distracting Quinn, Sam finished Detective Bailey grabbing the gun back and giving it to Y/N so she could finish Quinn. “Your daddy just reunited with your man baby of a brother.” Sam said in a baby tone taunting Quinn. Quinn started to scream as she charged towards Y/N with her bloody knife. Y/N shot Quinn right through the forehead killing her instantly. Quinn fell straight to the floor. “Always got to shoot them in the fucking head.” Y/N hissed remembering the advice her dad and Sidney gave her tossing the gun onto the floor.
“I got Kirby, you get Ethan.” Sam said quickly, running over to Kirby. Y/N rushed over to Ethan noticing his new stab wound on the side was just spilling blood. “Fuck!” Y/N hissed putting both hands onto his side to help stop the bleeding. “Y-Y/N” Ethan stuttered looking at her with pain in his drained brown eyes. His eyes were also hooded because he was using the all the strength, he had to keep them as open as he could. “Shh, don’t talk. It’s all going to be okay.” Y/N hushed him trying to stay as calm as she could. “You’re going to be alright. We’re going to get you help.” Y/N reassured him but was also reassuring herself as well. “I-I-I c-can’t.” Ethan stuttered in pain. “Yes, you can!” Y/N told him as hot tears filled her eyes.
She’s not going to let Ethan die. Out of all the hell she’d been going through these past couple of days he was the one that was right by her side and helped her through it. He’s her safe place. She’s not going to let his family win. This is exactly what they wanted. They wanted her to feel pain. They wanted her to feel guilty for what they did to him. They wanted her to blame herself just like Sam was blaming herself for everything that has happened.
“I need t-to tell y-y-you.” Ethan stuttered, not being able to finish the sentence he was trying to speak due to the pain taking over his whole body. “You can tell me after we get out of here.” Y/N said taking one of her hands off his side and putting it against his wet cheek that was mixed between sweat and tears. They both had tears rolling down their faces, but Y/N was wiping his away with her bloody hand that had a mixture of her blood and his all over it.  She started to panic when she felt his body start to go limp.
“No, no, no.” Y/N said in panic. “Ethan, stay with me.” She told him but his face was starting to lose color. Her heart was dropping as his eyes were starting to close. “No, please keep your eyes open.” Y/N cried putting both hands back onto his side putting as much pressure as she could. She couldn’t feel her body at all because of how scared she was for him. She didn’t even feel the pain in her side that was still bleeding. All that was on her mind was him. “ETHAN!” Y/N screamed out as she continued to hold onto his limp body. Paramedics quickly made their way over to her after they helped Kirby onto a stretcher. Sam was going to follow Kirby but saw that the paramedics were having a hard time pulling Y/N away from Ethan. Sam ran over to Y/N and used all of her strength to pull her away from Ethan’s lifeless body. “NO!” Y/N screamed out as she finally let Sam hold onto her so the paramedics could aid to Ethan. “They got him.” Sam reassured her by pulling her into a hug. Y/N cried as she watches them work on Ethan who she was scared that was gone.
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*Tags*
@sweetirilly  @aqellano  @igotmajordaddyissues @athenalive  @hotweeb  @ghostlyboiii  @marshallowy  @callsignwidow  @rolly-polly-molly
(IF YOUR NAME IS CROSSED OUT IT IS BECAUSE TUMBLR WOULDN’T LET ME TAG, SORRY!)
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queenofbaws · 10 months ago
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aw snap, here we go again!
just another quick organizational update from ya gurl: my goals for the immediate future are (1) finish CREEPS: MM&BS, (2) get out a chapter or two of like wringing blood before my brainworms eat their way through my skull, (3) work on finishing the tale(s) of the champion. so if you're someone who's been waiting on any of those projects, i promise...they're comin'. hehehe.
i'm really, truly set on tying up the wips i've left gathering dust this year, so i'm trying my haaaaaaaardest to rein my ever-fleeting attention span in to do just that. i'm tossing a snippet of each of those three above-mentioned projects below the cut for anyone who's interested, and, as always, thanks so much for reading and hangin' out with me, y'all :) you guys are the best, and i hope 2024 is treating you kindly so far <3
of mummy men & bathtub soup
He wasn’t sure why he said it. Brotherly antagonism, maybe, or his pathological need to run his mouth at the worst possible time. Both felt like strong contenders. Whatever it was that spurred him on, the result was the same: As Julia sputtered, trying and failing to remember the story that had pissed her off so intensely in the first place, Conrad opened his mouth and finished the sentence for her.
“…bathtub soup guy?”
BANG!
The basement door slammed shut.
Before any of them had time enough to flinch, to jump, to yell at the sudden noise, the lights went out completely, sending the basement into perfect darkness.
Then there was yelling.
“Is…is everyone okay?” Alex asked a moment later, his voice missing the cool and confident mark by a couple notches.
“I, y…yeah,” Julia answered, and wouldn’t you know it, her fury had gone out like a candle in the wind.
“I’m good,” he said, nodding before realizing, whoops, right, no one could see. It was then, in the nervous stillness of the dark, that he noticed someone had grabbed his hand in theirs, no doubt grasping for him in fear and surprise. He couldn’t say it healed it battered ego, not after he’d been treated like a punching bag all night, but it certainly helped. “What about you, Fliss?”
From somewhere behind him, not beside him, she snorted. “I think I’ll live.”
“I…wait, if you’re there, whose hand am I holding?!”
“Uh, sorry, man. I got scared.” “Brad, for the love of—”
like wringing blood from a stone
“JEEED!”
Jack stopped an arm’s length away from her.
“TRAAAVIS!”
He opened the fridge.
“BOBBYYY!”
After a moment of deep contemplation, he pulled a beer out and shut the door again, using his thumb to pop the cap off. He looked her way once more, but instead of attacking her or grabbing her or plain old saying anything to her, he simply brought the bottle to his mouth and drank.
He watched her as he drained the damn thing, his throat bobbing. Just swallowed, swallowed, swallowed…not stopping until the bottle was empty. Not breathing until he’d finished.
“TRAAAVIS!” Constance yelled a second time, willing him to appear with his gun drawn and lather high.
“Give it another go, why don’t you,” drawled Jack. He set the bottle down in the sink, then braced his hands on the countertop behind him. His eyes kept moving across her face in a way she didn’t appreciate. “Third time’s the charm.”
She drew another breath, but didn’t dignify his taunt by shouting. Instead, she brandished the knife. Dared him with her eyes.
The ghoul just kept leaning back against her counter, though; his fingers left brackish smears wherever they touched. “Go on,” he mocked her, “keep hollering. See who comes running. I’d like to see for myself. Awful curious about it.”
the tale(s) of the champion
Josephine’s attention (and eyebrows) shot up from the desk. Her face had taken on the pallid cast of someone who’d had the bad luck to spot an especially large and hairy spider shriveled at the bottom their morning breakfast bowl much too late for anything to be done about it. Had she been speaking to anyone else, the Inquisitor might’ve thought that was the expression of someone staring their own death in the face, and yet all she’d done was present Josephine with the very probable reality that Hawke had simply bunked in Varric’s room for a single night of her stay.
“…I just figured,” she continued carefully, her words made slow as they crept forward on delicate tip-toes, terrified of tripping another unseen trap, “They were probably catching up after all that time apart, and since they were essentially always sharing space in Kirkwall…” Her voice trailed off and she shrugged.
It was logic, wasn’t it? Nothing more, nothing less? If one of her own friends from her life before (before all of this madness, before the Anchor, before Haven, before being pushed out of the Fade) had shown up on her doorstep out of the blue, she would’ve insisted on keeping them close. It only made sense!
Not to Josephine, it seemed. “But Varric’s quarters are so small,” she said in a voice more suited to, perhaps, finding out the crown Prince of Starkhaven had been assassinated. “Oh I certainly hope you’re wrong about that, Inquisitor, I hope she found other lodgings if she did in fact stay the night…I can’t imagine there’d even be room for two people in his quarters…Andraste, they would’ve been right on top of each other the whole time!”
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chaotic-tired-cat · 15 days ago
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Hey I was wondering If you plan on updating your legacy fic on Ao3, It was really good I've read it multiple times. Although it took me awhile but on like my 6th or seventh re-read I just realized the names of the chapter titles make a really good poem though I'm unsure if that's intentional or not.
Almost everything midoyria does I'd a giant metaphor with him being a gardener planting seeds in the present for the sake of the future. No matter how much he refused to directly fight his brother it seems like he's been planning this kind of thing for hundreds of years. I wouldn't be surprised if One for All was behind the creation of UA or everything going on in its current society.
-Sorry for the long paragraph your story is wild and completely insane, I really want to read about everyone's expression of shock when he come out because otherwise I'm pretty sure they'll never find out otherwise who he is as AFO brother.
Heyo, I am thriving abt your ask! It gave me fuel to go back and edit a bit of Legacy's next chapter. Also, I'm downright flattered that you've read Legacy so many times!! Considering it a huge compliment. Losing my mind. I am very hopeful for reveals to live up to expectations. And yep! The poem by Clare Harner is 100% on purpose. I'm including corresponding imagery in each chapter/title as a scavenger hunt of themes and more literal moments, though some (like Ripened Grain -> Harvest/Seasons/time passing -> Ochako eating rose petals & students moving towards self-sufficiency) are pretty abstract.
Gardening!! Learning to think of life and potential happiness beyond the next immediate harvest is a big theme and you're absolutely correct on that. Cannot confirm or deny suspicions on what specifically is in the works for Izuku, but please know I am delighted with what you said. To tide you over, I added a tiny & mildly unedited snippet under the readmore that your ask me very impatient to share.
Legacy absolutely will be updated and finished. I'm just dealing with a limitation irl where prolonged typing is difficult sometimes. (Feel free to poke me whenever for a snippet, though! I know the agony of waiting ages for a fic to update and wouldn't wish it on anyone.)
Legacy spoilers beyond this point:
“Why gardening?” Tsukauchi asks finally, wrapping chilled hands around his coffee cup. “From what I'm understanding, you’ve been around long enough to get practiced at pretty much anything. Why… plants?”
He doesn't mean it in a rude way, and Midoriya smiles a bit at the blunt curiosity Tsukauchi cannot help.
“Because they’re like us,” he says. 
Tsukauchi gives him a bewildered look. “Plants?”
“They can’t be completed,” Midoriya says firmly. It sounds like a lesson that was hard learned. “I can make my garden better. I can plant seeds and weed it, I can water it and fret over every last insect that enters it, but it will never be finished. There will never be a point where I’m done and can abandon it. Somehow, people do it anyway. They keep trying.”
Tsukauchi frowns. “So this whole time, it’s been a metaphor for.. what? Mental health?”
“Finding happiness,” Midoriya says. “Or maybe it’s just a hobby paired with an old man’s ramblings.”
His statement rings true for both. Midoriya brushes dirt off his hands and uses his wrist to push green hair back. Sometimes Tsukauchi wonders if Midoriya’s original quirk was earth or plant related, and if All for One swapped it with an immortality one before anyone knew any better. It’s impossible to tell.
Tsukauchi washes the thought back with bitter coffee and winces when it burns his tongue. “That’s a complex game to play.”
“Not a game,” Midoriya tells him. He sets aside his tools and stands up. Here in the garden, Midoriya seems more at home than he could ever be on a battlefield. 
Nezdu sees it too.
He asked Tsukauchi to meet with him and Nighteye tomorrow about possibly placing Midoriya in a modified track for heroics. Nothing will happen without the groundskeeper indicating he’s like a life in the very industry that’s protecting him, but it’s a good plan. If he gets a heroics license, Midoriya will have a job waiting for him at UA once the investigation is over.
Even Tsuakuchi can see the heroic spirit Midoriya carries.
Toshinori says he's a good teacher, too.
[Yall, it's so hard not to add the following three paragraphs to this snippet, but they are low-key massive spoilers. apostriavin, those lines are now dedicated to you.]
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allylikethecat · 5 months ago
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Hi Ally!!! How are you? How’s your day been?
Girl I was STRUGGLING today I think I’ve built a caffeine tolerance because I had two energy drinks and was yawning ALL. DAY. Anyway, I think I’ll take a caffeine break and hopefully my celsius will work its magic again haha
ATKH: the update was wonderful I’m always rooting for Fictional!Matty and George in every fic but this fictional!Matty to not immediately forgive and/or beg for Fictional!George back.. I’m so sad for our sweet Matty because I’m sure he’s trying so so hard to not disappoint everyone and do good at the competition but the fact that he’s SELLING SALLY and MOVING BACK HOME??? I really hope we get to see how this is going down from Mattys pov and I need both George and Mattys reactions povs in the next chapter because GEORGE IS SURPRISING MATTY IN PERSON??? (I hope Matty punches him lol not really but maybe) 😭
MWFD: I’m also so sad for this fictional!Matty too :(. I’m happy he’s decided to work on self healing to be a good parent and I hope he can do it with George in his corner as well. I can’t wait for the other guys in the story to come back hopefully and everyone talks and everyone is happy (if that’s the path this story takes) I just wanna say again that I love this fic sm and I had never read mpreg before because I never thought it would be something I was into. Soooo infinite kudos to you for writing this I’m so glad I found it!!!
Talk shop Tuesday!
What’s does Infection!Verse George and Mattys wedding look like? Do they elope and have it be private and quick? Did they go all out and have a wedding? How would that work w the best man situation? Who asked Ross and who asked Adam to be their bestmans?
Which side of the bed do your George and Matties sleep on?
🥤
AHHH Hello My Dearest Smoothie Anon!! As always it is an absolute joy to hear from you!! I'm sorry to hear that today was a struggle 😭 I think I would actually cry if my Celsius stopped working... with how early I have to wake up to ride Pop before it gets too hot it is sometimes the only thing getting me through the day 😭 I hope tomorrow is better!!
ATKH: Poor Fictional!Matty he really tried his best and just couldn't get a break. He's trying SO HARD at the show, he doesn't want to disappoint anyone but he really is crumbling emotionally and physically. He's hit his breaking point and even though it's absolutely destroying him, horses are expensive and he doesn't know what else to do - Sally deserves more than he can provide at the moment and he needs to go crawl back to his father and regroup LOL sometimes I wonder if I should write a few one shots / a prequel of this universe from Fictional!Matty's POV but I know this fic is super niche so the fact that anyone is reading it in the first place is wild to me (and I feel like I can only have one super niche self indulgent fic at a time and em... I have another one of those in the works...) BUT AH Fictional!George is flying to Canada, we will see how Fictional!Matty feels about his arrival...
Ducklings: AHHH thank you so much for giving this fic a chance, especially if mpreg isn't your usual thing! Hey, Fictional!Matty might be really sad at the moment BUT at this point it can only go up from here right? Everyone knows now... which means Fictional!Matty (and everyone else...) can focus on healing! It's really gotten away form me and has turned into much more of a beast than anticipated and I'm so grateful for everyone that has stuck with it (and me!!) I hope you continue to enjoy how it all unfolds!
Talk Shop Tuesday: They have a small wedding, close friends and family (minus most of Fictional!George's family) only! It was very them. Fictional!Matty was slightly hungover after getting drunk the night before and showing up at Fictional!George's hotel room door sobbing that Fictional!George needs to leave while he still can, before it becomes official. Fictional!George obviously just tucks Fictional!Matty into bed because he's never leaving Fictional!Matty again if he can help it. Fictional!Hann originally stood with Fictional!Matty and Fictional!Ross originally stood with Fictional!George but because this is a fictional wedding and rules don't have to apply they switched halfway through. WOW this is making me really want to write the wedding oneshot...
I feel like I answered this already before a while ago but I can't find it or remember what I said 💀 BUT they don't necessarily have *sides* but rather Fictional!George sleeps closest to the door so that if someone where to break in he would be in the way to protect fictional!Matty. Fictional!Matty doesn't realize THAT'S why fictional!George always insists on sleeping closest to the door... he thought it was so he couldn't sneak out.
Thank you SO MUCH for sending me this ask, and for reading and for the continued support and being so all around wonderful!! I always smile so wide when I see you in my inbox!! I'm so grateful that you take the time out of your day to not only read my fics but to send me these kind of wonderful asks, just thank you SO MUCH. I hope the rest of your week goes better than today did, and that you're able to get some rest!
❤️Ally
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