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new2fivesauce · 2 years

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Until My Heart Explodes - Frank Iero

Howdy,

This is just a small smutty chapter of a series I had been working on a long time ago. The synopsis was that Spencer (Gerard and Mikey's sister) was ex-drummer for MCR. She departed the band suddenly, but came back hastily during the recording of Black Parade due to Gerard's drug addiction, Mikey's alcoholism, Ray (and Bob) possibly quitting the band, and Frank, her best friend with benefits, suddenly being engaged. I never completed it, but if anyone is interested, I can post the chapters that led to this one.

Pre-Black Parade Era

Warnings: nothing much other than a little smut and Frank being a cheater

Words: 2k

It was past midnight and the lady at the reception desk had eyeballed him with the most shameful eyes ever. Frank ignored her as he sauntered towards the elevators. He probably looked a bit sketchy in his dark clothing, dyed hair, and remnants of eye makeup, but who was that lady to judge? He mumbled miserably under his breath as the elevator eased to a stop at his floor. He read his sloppy handwriting on his key card, read the numbers on the doors, and then prayed to the key card gods that his key worked when he stopped at the room that was supposed to be hers.

He wasn’t worried about her having given him the wrong room number. He was worried that he transposed the numbers and that he could possibly be trying to creep into some unknown person's room. He inserted it; when the red light flashed green quickly, he pulled it out and turned the knob. He sighed in relief as he pushed the door open. The room was dark, but he knew without a doubt that he was in the right room. It smelled of peonies and cherry blossom lotion, a hint of chamomile tea, and clothes’ starch. Frank kicked his shoes off as he closed the door silently. He locked it and then began to tiptoe to where the bed was. His eyes took a while to adjust to the dark but when they did, he noticed the ironing board next to the TV, clothes ironed and folded for the next day. A suitcase close to the bathroom door. Lotions, makeup, and charging phone on the nightstand. Her sleeping body was enveloped under the thickest comforter. Frank pulled his jeans and t-shirt off, leaving himself in just his boxer briefs. He inhaled silently and then crawled under the covers. He scooched over until he could embrace her. He wrapped his arm around her midriff and pulled her close. The smell of her coconut shampoo, although so familiar with it, nearly drove him over the edge.

Spencer was not like any girl he had ever been with. Her confidence and self-esteem blew through the roof. She knew she looked good but wasn’t cocky about it. It was one of the things that drew Frank to her. Also, the fact that she was a sex goddess in bed. Frank’s mind wandered to all the places they’d fucked. Her naked body and faces of pleasure had remained ingrained in his mind. But it wasn’t only her looks and talent in bed that had kept him interested in her. She was intelligent, feisty, funny, and a bit difficult to read. He had always loved the challenge of trying to figure out her next move. His mind suddenly darted to Jamia… his fiancée. Guilt filled his conscience. He sighed heavily. Jamia was a pretty girl and underneath the baggy clothes, her body was fantastic. But she lacked confidence. Their sex life wasn’t all that either; It was pretty vanilla and she hadn’t made any indications that she wanted to spice it up. She was the safe choice. Gerard’s fuck up had opened his eyes and scared him shitless. He suddenly felt the need to settle. Other than that, he could say he was okay with their relationship…

Spencer awoke with a start, her body jolted before it tensed from the heavy weight of someone embracing themselves around her. Frank felt her shift, shushed her, and placed a kiss on the crown of her head. Spencer, realizing that it was only Frank, relaxed and eased her body back to mold herself with him. Frank smelled of cinnamon, cigarettes, and coffee. Even at whatever ungodly hour it was, Frank strangely always smelled of coffee. Spencer drew in his scent and quickly fell into slumber again. It took Frank’s non stop fidgeting to wake her up again. She turned her body sluggishly, her eyes still closed. Frank grabbed her by the hip to pull her flush to his body. He brought his face to hers and pressed his lips to her lips. Although drowsy, Spencer didn’t mind the slow, intimate, yet hungry kisses. Frank’s hand wandered from her waist to her bare thigh. She was in his favorite sleeping outfit: undies and an oversized t-shirt. He squeezed her thigh and a soft moan escaped Spencer’s mouth into his. He was fucking turned on and ready to take her in that moment, but that guilt gnawed at him again. Frank pulled away and she whined. He chuckled. “I missed you.” He whispered to her. She nodded as she gently opened one eye to look at him. He bit his lip as he watched her face. Since her argument with Ray and her departure from the band’s temporary housing while they recorded their third album, it had been easy for them to be together when and where they wanted. Even though nothing more than kissing had happened, tonight was definitely different. There was electricity in the air. Months of separation led to the built-up sexual tension they both were feeling suddenly. Spencer sat up. She gave Frank a small push, making him land completely on his back. In the shadow of the night, Spencer looked just as gorgeous as ever. She pulled the shirt she was wearing over her head, exposing her body to him. She straddled him, her warmth making him instantly hard. He smirked up at her. The only thing stopping them now was their underwear. Spencer returned the crooked smile. She grinded against Frank and made him whimper. “I missed you too.” She whispered to him before Frank flipped them over and attacked her lips. The kiss was hard, hungry, savage, full of saliva, tongue, and teeth. Frank bucked into Spencer, causing a gasp to slip out of the both of them.

The guilt that had chewed at him had grown almost nonexistent as his hands roamed his lover’s body as if it was his first time touching her. Although they had done this countless times, he was always nervous with Spencer as if it was their first time.

“Please…” Spencer groaned as he peppered kisses along her chest and gripped her waist while the other wrapped around the back of her neck. “Please, Frank… I’m so goddamn horny. Please, fuck me. I need you. I miss you. Please.”

Her whispered whines had Frank almost in pain. How could he have let her go? How had he gone so long without her body against and inside her? His dick throbbed, aching to get inside her. He slid off her boyshort underwear in a swift movement.

The soft moonlight that filtered through the window curtains was the only light in the room, but Frank could see Spencer glistening for him when he spread her legs open. She was fucking beautiful, lying on this hotel bed with dim illumination. Frank’s mouth watered as her pussy clenched around nothing.

Spencer was looking up at Frank as he admired her. His eyes were staring down at her most vulnerable part with such adoration. She’d never seen him look at her in that way. She slowly brought him back to reality, when she reached one of her hands to rest on his thigh. He blinked himself back to earth and with a weary smile, he pulled his briefs off.

He settled in front of her entrance, his tip teasing her. Spencer tried to press him into her, but he tsked and pinned her legs down into the soft mattress. “Patience, babe…” he softly said.

She managed to prop herself up on her forearms, just as Frank eased his tip in. Her head tilted back, eyes half-closed, her bottom lip tucked between teeth.

They gasped collectively as Frank eased in till he was at the hilt. Frank was well endowed and given the time it’d been since their last encounter, he gave Spencer a few seconds to adjust to his length and girth.

She didn’t finish collecting her thoughts though as Frank snapped back and slammed vigorously into her. He held her thighs apart, her heels digging into the back of his thighs. Her breasts bounced with each thrust and it was driving Frank crazy. She felt so damn good around him. Her soft velvet walls clenched tight as he felt her first orgasm beginning to form.

Spencer tossed her head left and right, strung out from the ecstasy. Incoherent words tumbled out her mouth but the only thing Frank could make out was his name and the occasional “fuckfuckfuck.”

Spencer suddenly looked at Frank wide eyed. Frank didn’t stop, just slowed his rhythm down. He knew she was close, he knew the exact way her pussy felt when she was almost there, but he wasn’t ready for her to climax.

He pulled out. An exhausted whine left Spencer as she propped herself up again. Frank didn’t say anything. He just raised a finger and twirled it once in the air. She struggled into a sitting position before turning facedown on the bed. They knew each other so well, they didn’t even use words.

She balanced herself on her hands and knees but Frank leaned forward to push her hands from under her making her drop down to her elbows.

“You should know better.” He mumbled lowly into her ear as he pulled himself back. He spread her legs apart as he placed a hand on her lower back slightly pushing down to angle her ass up more. He groaned at the sight. Her arousal was dripping from her core. He took two of his fingers to swirl it around. It was warm and sticky.

“You look so pretty like this.” He said as he teased her entrance. Spencer didn’t reply. She only exhaled in anticipation. Frank’s fingers wandered upward towards her other hole. He teased the puckered entrance by pressing in gently with his thumb. His mind wandered to the couple of times they’d tried anal and his dick twitched.

Spencer tensed at the sensation of his thumb entering her back entrance. She was not opposed to it but she wasn’t warmed up and Frank had edged her. She needed an orgasm and she wasn’t going to get it that way.

“Please…” she whimpered as Frank lazily began to massage in and out of her. It felt good but she needed more. “Need you. Need to cum.”

He didn’t need her to beg anymore than that. He was close himself just seeing the way he was toying with her. He hooked his thumb in her ass as he guided himself back into her soaked entrance. Spencer sighed in bliss as he picked up his pace. She groaned as Frank eased his thumb out of her back hole and gripped the soft skin of her hips and butt to guide himself into her the way she liked.

Another several pumps and Spencer could feel the familiar knot in her stomach start to form. “I’m almost there.” she moaned into the pillow beneath her head. Frank kept his pace, his eyes already adjusted to the dim room and able to make out the way Spencer’s folds were fluttering around him.

“I’m gonna–” Spencer mumbled, a white flash spread across her closed lids as her body caught the wave of her orgasm and caused her shudder. Her body began to grow limp as Frank finished himself into her just as the euphoria settled over her tired body.

Their bodies collapsed next to each other. They both gasped for air as the high dissipated. When their heart rates had gone back to normal, Frank and Spencer got comfortable once again with Frank spooning Spencer as he had before.

“Frank…” Spencer whispered, hoping that Frank hadn’t fallen asleep yet. He hmmmed as he leaned into head and kissed her hair. “Is this going to be the last time?”

Spencer felt Frank stiffen the arm that was draped over her side, completely unaware that that was what she was going to ask him.

“I don’t know, baby.” he answered weakly. He brought her closer to make her feel less insecure and he figured it did because her breaths became slow and deep not long after that.

He laid restless against the person he figured was his one true love. He just knew they weren’t anywhere close to making anything official; Spencer had made that clear when they’d first started with their benefits relationship.

The guilt that had vanished temporarily was starting to creep up again. He closed his eyes, pressed his forehead to Spencer’s head and hoped that feeling would be gone by the morning.

#frank iero #my chemical romance #my chem #mcr #frank iero imagine #frank iero smut #until my heart explodes #mcr imagine #my chemical romance imagine

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jonogueirawrites · 2 years

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Save him from himself.

Chapter 2

Summary:

Bucky has to face the consequences of his actions... if only he knew what would happen, maybe he would have become an outlaw earlier.

Much earlier.

TW: None.

AO3

Outlaw.

The phone rang once, and everybody looked at it. Their movements halted so they could look at the offending thing. When it rang for the second time, all eyes turned to its owner before they returned to their previous activities. Ayo, though, followed the woman with her eyes. Not judging but wishing. Wishing that whatever or whoever had sent the messages made the other fighter feel less lonely because even though she was surrounded, everyone could see that she missed him… more than anything.

~~~~~

Standing up and flinching from the pain, Lillian took the small thing from the bench and rolled her eyes, mouthing an I’m sorry to her fellow partners. Before addressing the messages, she walked out of the place and drank the rest of the water from her bottle without stopping to breathe.

Rolling her bruised shoulders and feeling the aches and pains from the last month’s training, she sighed heavily, telling herself for the thousandth time that it was worth it. Every little contusion, dislocated joint, lonely nights, and tears were worth it. Everything and anything she could do to protect him was done without question. Whatever the price was.

A grunt escaped her mouth when she leaned on the cold glass wall and lifted her phone to read the messages. A playful smile danced on her lips when the name Mr. Wings showed up on the screen. Her friendship with Sam Wilson only grew after the events that changed the world. He always made her laugh, and together they teased Bucky until he stopped brooding. Joking alongside them and having a good time. Sam and she knew how important it was for Bucky to feel connected to the present. Not to live his life in the past but to learn from it. Grab his new chance and do whatever he wished with it. She only hoped she was part of whatever plan he had.

There were two videos attached and nothing more. She tapped on the first one and her playful smile became a frown. That Bucky could be careless sometimes wasn’t a surprise but seeing him jumping from an airplane without a parachute and landing on his back sure as hell wasn’t something that made her giggle… although she did indeed grin when Sam teased him, and he got all worried about her opinion.

By the time she had finished watching the second one, there were cracks on the screen and a rapidly increasing headache. She closed her eyes and pleaded to every god out there to help her keep calm. Time and time again, she begged him not to get in trouble, but it was to no avail. It seemed trouble followed him wherever he went.

“I am going to kill you, James. Slowly, painful, and I will not regret it! And then you will buy me a new phone after making me break this one.”

~~~~~

When the cops took Bucky to the police station, he wasn’t expecting to see his therapist waiting for him. It was, in fact, the last thing he thought he would see. She chatted with Sam about his release and told them she wasn’t the one responsible for it but John Walker, who walked inside the place alongside Hoskins to talk to the trio.

John’s stride was filled with confidence. It was clear he wanted to fall into their grace. He had tried once to work together with the pair. And both Sam and Bucky knew that whatever he did would fail just like the first time. Although Bucky didn’t want to admit it, there was one and only one thing he had similar to Steve. They both were stubborn.

After a brief moment of animosity between Bucky and John, the group turned their attention to the entrance’s door when someone gave them a round of slow, loud applause.

“Oh shit!” Sam said before laughing, prompting John and Dr. Raynor to look back at him.

And Bucky… he looked at the woman in front of him. Once, he thought she was an angel sent to take care of him. A goddess who had taken pity on him and decided to free him from his mental shackles. But in truth, she was nothing more than a demon. Always teasing him with her laughter and soft skin. Her gentle words leading him to do whatever she wanted. To be whatever she wanted. And the best part of it all was that she wanted him to be himself again. Whole and happy. Without asking for anything in return. So, no. Not a demon or any other mystical being. Just a queen. His queen.

“James Buchanan Barnes.” Bucky looked to the floor, ashamed. He wanted to see her again. Oh, he did, but not like that. Not with so many people keeping eyes on them. “Let’s see if I got it right.” She raised her fingers and started counting on them. “You jumped from an airplane without a parachute, then proceeded to be reckless and got your ass kicked. You failed to show up to your therapy session, and now we are here in this police station where someone had to bail you out. Did I miss something?”

The click of the high heels approaching was like the tick-tock of a clock counting his mistakes… counting the minutes until he would be done and gone from that place. Away from those people. Alone with the one who mattered the most.

Sam snickered, gaining an intense stare from Bucky. “No. I think you got everything right,” he said, chuckling.

“I’m sorry. Who are you?” Dr. Rayner asked. On her face a mixture of amusement and confusion. She was shocked to see someone have such an effect on her most challenging patient.

“Apparently, nobody important. Isn’t that right, Mr. Barnes?”

Sam laughed again and patted Bucky’s shoulder. “Someone is in trouble.”

Bucky sighed and closed his eyes before answering the question. “Dr. Raynor, this is Lillian Black, my fiancée. Love, this is Dr. Raynor.”

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Lillian.” She extended her hand, and Lilly shook it. “Bucky doesn’t talk about you. At all.”

“Is that right?” Lilly gave him a pointed look.

“That part of my life has nothing to do-”

“Love…” Lilly rested her hands on his chest, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. “We talked about it.”

Bucky rested his forehead on hers. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.” She caressed his jaw. “I’m back. I’m here. I’m not leaving.”

“Promise?”

Lilly laughed. “Yeah. Promise.”

John cleared his throat. “It’s nice to meet you, Lillian. I didn’t know Bucky was engaged.”

Lilly gave him a good look. Examining his face and then his uniform. “The new Captain America. It’s nice to meet you.” She nodded his way. “Thank you for helping Bucky. It was very kind of you.”

Bucky scoffed. “Oh, believe me when I say that it wasn’t because he has a big heart.” He placed himself slightly in between them. Unconsciously trying to shield that part of his life from the man.

While Dr. Raynor shook her head, Sam had a stern look on his face, prompting Lillian to give John and Lemar another good look.

“Is that so?” She almost whispered to herself. “Still, thank you!”

“Don’t mention it. I thought that we could-”

It was Dr. Raynor who interrupted them. “Bucky, therapy now. You too, Sam.”

Before Sam could protest, Lillian laced her fingers on Bucky’s. “Love,” she tilted her head and pressed her lips gently against his forehead, “behave, please.”

“I always do.” Bucky’s frown and answer made Sam laugh and Lilly smile.

“I know. And Sam?” She waited for him to turn and look at her. “It’s nice to see you!” He nodded, and the trio went on their way.

~~~~~

While they went inside, Lilly stayed behind taking care of Bucky’s final release details. John asked her questions about her time in the Avengers and her relationship with Bucky, answers she gave with minimal interest. If Bucky didn’t trust him, she wouldn’t either.

“Listen, John,” she signed the last papers, “put him in danger. Hurt him in any way. And it is me you will have to deal with. I don’t have any power or super-powered contacts, but an angered woman is worse than the worst of villains.” She gave the officer the pen back. “Bucky is a civilian, understand? A civilian . We don’t save the world anymore. We are getting married, starting a family someday, and having a boring, ordinary life together away from all the problems. We deserve that. He deserves that, and I’ll be damned if I let anyone ruin this for him.”

“I understand, but Bucky can help us.”

“Of course, he can help you. I’m not saying he can’t.” She crossed her arms and gave him a good look. “Everybody thinks that because he was trained to do some really shitty things, he owes them something. And the only thing that is owed here is a big fat apology from those people. Asking him to do more shitty things is easy. Looking at his eyes and seeing the broken man? Waking up in the middle of the night hearing his scream and pained groans? Seeing him space out remembering whatever the fuck still haunts him? That is the tough part, and very, very few people are willing to do it. Now that you became Captain America, you will understand what I’m talking about.”

“I was a soldier-”

“And you think because you went to war, and I’m not looking down at it, thank you so much for your service, and I really mean it, compares to what it is to being who you are now? When you have to call the big shots. When aliens drop down from the sky. When the whole Solar System depends on you, then you will understand. You will understand that with the kind of power that you have now comes unthinkable responsibility.”

“Ms. Black, please-”

“Just stop right there.” Lilly raised her hand. “I see my words won’t prevent you from trying, but you are warned. Hurt him, and you will regret it.”

-----

Bucky and Sam approached them, and Lilly turned their way with a smile on her face, already brushing aside her unpleasant conversation with John. She gave Sam a tight hug and talked to Dr. Raynor while the men went outside for a chat.

As soon as she left the police station, she walked to Bucky and Sam, who stood by themselves waiting for her. “I’m starving. How about some pizza?”

They crossed the street and headed down the way. Putting as much distance from the police station as they could before trying to get back to their private life. At least as much as was possible at that moment.

“I could eat something.” Bucky laced his fingers in hers.

“Well, I’ll leave the two of you alone. I’m sure you have a lot to talk about.” Sam shoved his hands in his pockets. “It was nice to see you again, Lilly.”

“Likewise, Sam.” She waved at him.

Before Sam walked too far away, he called Lilly. “Hey, Black! How bad are you going to scold him?”

Bucky shook his head. A small chuckle in the air and a big smile plastered on his face.

“Oh!” Lilly looked at him. “Intensely!” She playfully grabbed his ear and pulled him away. And although Bucky could be annoyed, he was nothing but delighted to be whole again.

Not knowing where to go, Lilly took her cell phone and searched for the nearest restaurant. Action that proved challenging to achieve since the screen was broken and barely working.

“What happened to your phone?” Bucky asked, looking at it from over her shoulder. His arms around her waist and his lips kissing her nape.

“You. You happened to my phone.”

“Me? What do you mean?” His nose buried in her hair. His metal hand made its way inside her t-shirt and started making circles on her stomach.

“Sam sent me the videos. I couldn’t help but get angry. Didn’t I tell you to stay out of trouble while I was away?” She turned to face him. Her hands cupping his jaw. “What if something bad had happened to you, Bucky? How would I live without you?”

As an answer, Bucky shot her a one-sided smile. “I don’t know. Probably find someone. Not as handsome as me, though?” He chuckled. He couldn’t help feeling happy. He had her in his arms, after all.

Lillian grabbed his t-shirt and pulled his lips down to kiss him. She missed him more than she could explain. His smile, laughter, and scent. She could drown in him, and even that wouldn’t be enough to quench her thirst.

“I’m sorry,” Bucky said between kisses. “I’m sorry, Love.” He lifted her and felt her circle her legs around his waist. He thanked the gods that the street was almost deserted and barely lit and walked them to a somewhat dark alley nearby. His mouth never leaving hers. “I missed you.” He left open mouth kisses on her neck. “You have no idea how much I missed you, Lilly.” Nibbling on the exposed skin, he let a low grunt escape him when she moaned in his ear.

“I missed you too.” She kissed him again. One hand pulling his hair and the other grabbing the back of his jacket, afraid he would vanish in thin air. “But,” she stopped and looked into his lust-blown eyes while he saw her midnight ones filled with yearning, “you haven’t behaved, so this will have to wait until we get to a hotel.”

“Lilly…”

“No. Put me down, and let’s eat something.”

“How about I put you down, and we go straight to the nearest hotel?”

“How about no?” She answered, tracing his lip with her thumb. Caressing the back of his head.

“Fine, woman!” He gently placed her on the ground and heard her chuckle. He watched as she took a couple of steps and, incapable of stopping, pulled her arm and kissed her one more time. “Take out and hotel.” He whispered on her lips and only let her go after she agreed.

I hope you liked.

Likes and reblogs are super appreciated!

#bucky barnes #lillian #save him from himself #marvel #the falcon and the winter soldier #tfatws #chapter 2 #outlaw

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frogchiro · 2 years

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in her arms, i am calm

so umm,, after the scrumptious surprise that mhy gave us in the form of the fatui harbingers, so as promised, I decided to write a little something for the man that literally made my poor brain shut down and go into stand-by mode, Pierro <3

as promised, I'm tagging the wonderful @jade-parcels, she has been and still is my biggest inspiration SINCE MONTHS, and you may know me under the anon alias Fish!🐡 :) many other people have been so kind and encouraging, so i decided to bite the bullet and make a grand reveal! i'm dedicating this to you darling jade, I really hope you and others will enjoy it as much as I did writing this! also this turned out way less dirty than I intended, but what can I say, I'm a whore for fluffy smut 😭

warnings: reader is +18 years old!! (indicated to be as old as childe but feel free to read it as you please!), fem!reader (reader is refered to as a female with female body parts), heavy NSFW themes, age gap, referenced violence (not against the reader), possible dark themes, also please note that I took HEAVY liberties regarding Pierro and the rest of the Harbingers lore as we literally know almost nothing about them, so please take this with a grain of salt ;)

маленькая-little one

Pierro prided himself on many things, from his bravery and prowess in battle that led him and his country to many victories over the many years he served the Tsaritsa, the countless riches he aquired and hoarded in his mansion, right up to being crowned the First Fatui Harbinger, the Pierrot, the right hand of the Tsaritsa, something he knew many would kill for.

Yet all of that paled next to you, the little beauty that captured his old but sharp as ever eyes. For the first time in...years Pierro was truly at loss of words, for the first time he just... didn't know. Why did you, little, young, naive you capture the eyes of the oldest, most prominent Fatui Harbinger? He knew you of course, how could he not; you were the Tsaritsa's personal handmaiden, her favourite. You always accompanied your Goddess wherever she took you, which was almost everywhere, and he watched you with his snowy, sharp eyes, watched as your own clear (e/c) ones watched and rapidly tried to take everything in, your curiosity and wonder almost being child-like and naive in his eyes.

'She's still young my friend, I think you forgot how it was being like her, cut her some slack would you~'

Came the rich, deep voice of Pantalone, his fellow Harbinger. Pierro only rolled his eyes in quiet annoyance as he continued to watch you as your beautiful eyes flittered across the sprawling ballroom being decorated for the upcoming ball, everyone working extra hard as the Tsaritsa herself decided to attend the preparations, her favourite girl in tow, dutifully following her Majesty and listening to her speech about something the blonde man couldn't care less, his eyes focused on you.

Reminiscing the not-so-long-ago past, Pierro was interrupted with a sweet sweet whine that came from under him and he was quickly focused back on the present and on you.

'I'm sorry маленькая, I got a bit lost in my thoughts and neglected you eh? We can't have that, can we?'

Pierro rasped in a deep rumbling voice that you could feel through his chest in your tummy, the man always made sure to keep you as close to himself as physically possible, in and out of bed.

'To keep the cold away', he would say, but judging by the faint fond look in his usually stony eyes you could tell it way an excuse to simply touch you, not that you nor he'd ever admit it.

Your thoughts were interrupted by the strong thurst that moved you up the bed a little and caused you to cling tightly to Pierro's broad back that you loved so much. Another lond whine escaped your mouth as the man above you grunted and you felt a particulary well aimed thrust hit your sweet sport head on. You knew that although Pierro would never admit this, he loved it when you were loud and vocal in bed, so you let go of all the remaining thoughts and just let yourself feel.

The lovemaking session lasted well into the night, only the blazing hot fire in the enormous fireplace, the bright starts and Moon in the dark sky and the tiny snowflakes being the witnesses to your passion.

Pierro was watching you all night; all your gasps, moans and groans of pleasure, the faces you made, all the little eye rolls and your little pink tongue sticking out a bit, he watched it all with rapt attention, wanting to burn all these images into his mind and treasure them forever. He came shortly after your orgasm, how could he not? Your perfect walls clenching tightly around his cock, milking him for all he's worth and the sudden wet gush he felt send the man over the edge and he allowed to loose himself in the earth-shattering pleasure. With the last few deep thrusts that you swore touched your deepest, most intimate parts, he came with a rumbling growl and let himself fill you up to the brim. You moaned weakly and flinched at the feeling of hot cum shooting against your poor battered cervix, but your lover was quick to hold you still with his strong arms, not allowing you to even move an inch away from his hips as he quickly leaned down to capture your lips with his, and you have to admit, for a man as stoic and ice-cold as him, his kisses were sure expressive.

After he parted his lips from you, Pierro let out a heavy breath that he swore felt as if a stone was lifted from his weary heart. He kept looking at you, happy, full and sated and terribly sleepy as you always were after a night like this, you sometimes would tease him that for a man his age he sure had the strength and stamina of a young stallion at which he would always roll his eyes and tell you to get lost.

But now, in the privacy of his chambers, he looked at you with a look of adoration and utter devotion, his pale eyes looking and capturing every little detail of your tired and sweaty face as your heavy pants mingled with each other, your lips almost touching as you smiled tiredly up at him before reaching out and cupping his face in your small soft hands, your fingers caressing his face, combing through his long golden hair and beard, mapping every single one of his features before bringing his face closer and closing the distance between you.

Contrary to the heavy, lustful kisses full of tongue and teeth in the heat of the moment, these kisses were slow, calm and full on emotions, lips delicately touching and moving, tongues barely grazing each other.

After some time of post-coital cuddles and affection and a bit of soft whispery talk, you finally let your tired eyes rest after cuddling up close to your lover, but all the raging thoughts came back to keep Pierro from sleep.

After placing you on his broad chest and tugging the numerous thick comforters and luxurious furs over you two and making sure you were snug and warm, he let his thoughts wander.

Pierro knew painfully well that you two were an odd pair to say the least, in fact it was a big fucking understatement. He was...well, him, The First Fatui Harbinger, the stronges of them all, The Pierrot, the terror that shook the very earth where he stood, and you were this innocent little thing that was way to curious and clever for your own good.

He was no poet nor a great bard that could sing endless songs and ballads dedicated to your beauty, so he just described you as 'stunning' yet he felt immensely frustrated to call you this one simple word.

The planes of your unmarked (s/c) soft and healthy skin, the tiny little spots and blemishes that made you distinctly you, your (h/c) hair, always so thick and shiny, he loves to touch it and comb his hands through when you sleep, your wide curious (e/c) eyes. But what draws him to you the most are your perfect full lips that he oh so loves to kiss and trace with his fingers, the smiles you give him and when you laugh at his dry non-existent humor are angelic to his ears.

Don't get him wrong, the ever vigilant Harbinger sees and hears all the whispers of soldiers and servants alike, he's painfully aware of the gossip and rumors, of them talking about what a big old brute wants with a beautiful young thing like you.

Pierro frowns and almost growls with frustration when he remembers all the times that unhinged ginger brat made a fool out of himself to gain your attention, but can he really blame him? You're both the same age or at least close to him, much closer than you are to Pierro, or the stone-cut Arlecchino has the faintest blush on her icy face when you bring her some document the Tsaritsa personally asked you to deliver, and Pierro is about to recall even more scenarios like this that make his blood boil but he felt you move against his side, your naked breasts squishing oh so deliciously against his scarred chest and just like this all the negative toughts are gone and instead are replaced with these strange warm fuzzy feelings he feels whenever he looks at you.

He decides that enough is enough, he can't afford a headache that will make him miserable and cranky, so he lets go of those dark frustrating thoughts and moves down so that your face is in hidden in his neck and he allows himself to comb his fingers through your hair. He breaths in deep, taking in your distinctive scent that mixed with his creating something new and wonderful, and so the gruff, cold and seemingly unapproachable Harbinger lets himself rest and succumb to a deep slumber with the one good thing in his long life safe in his arms.

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact smut #genshin smut #fatui harbingers #fatui x reader #pierro x reader #fem reader

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fluffyprettykitty · 2 years

Text

Voyage

Pairing: Marc Spector x gender-neutral! archaeologist! reader

Word Count: 1200 words

Outline: You were a fellow avatar and together you had joined forces with Marc to retrieve a precious relic. Along the road, you discovered more precious things.

Warnings: slight angst, gun mention, not beta read, hurt/comfort.

Author’s Note: Requested by an anon. I accidentally lost the ask, I changed some things slightly to benefit my storytelling. Hope you will enjoy it. :)

P.S: dividers by @firefly-graphics || banners by @maysdigitalarts

Main Masterlist ・❥・ Marc Spector Masterlist

Being the avatar of a god seemed like such a strange dream yet here you were, walking and talking and working for goddess Isis. Her latest request was to send you back to Egypt and inside the tombs of and temples of Osiris to find something she longed for. A special trinket -or totem really depends on your way of interpretation. You didn’t care too much as long as the end goal was pure and rooted in history and your biggest passion of them all: archaeology. All these years in college really did pay off.

In your journey, you had teamed with a fellow avatar. Marc Spector. He was witty, kind of hot heated, and very easy on the eyes. Tall, dark-haired, and with the kindest eyes you had ever seen on a man. Yet distant and buried deep within himself. He seemed to share almost the same end goal as you. Looks like all the gods were looking for things. Who were you to judge? Only here to serve her will until she felt done with you. Gods.

So far you had been on many different expeditions and explorations with Marc and long before you knew it, it was six months of you two working together. It felt wonderful having someone there to rely on. You had hoped he felt the same way. Marc didn’t speak often for himself, he was quiet and put together, there was a haunting behind his eyes and for an avatar of an Egyptian god, he truly and absolutely knew nothing.

“Steady,” Marc warns you as you are walking on the rocky surface of the abandoned long-forgotten ruins. He seemed to be trained in those kinds of stuff. The physical kind. You felt like you could trust him with your life at a moment like this, getting lost inside the tomb. A ruckus can be heard across the room as if someone doesn’t want to take what you need. Divine interventions, maybe. You shift in your step and continue on, Marc following close behind you, his gun in the air. Maybe someone else was here. These relics were a goldmine for a smuggler.

“Keep steady, don’t get cheeky now.” Marc’s tone is getting more serious as you are gracefully hopping on top of moving stones, trying to get to the wall. Your mission was to get to the object first and let him worry about anything else. Something is glistening on the surface. There is something scribbled there, you need to get closer to read it.

“Is straight up ahead.” You let him know as you reach the wall, quickly focusing your attention on deciphering the message on the wall. “I know how to do this.” You say out loud, to reassure him, to affirm your moves, or maybe just for some extra encouragement. You turn around to nod your head at him with a smile before turning the circles on the wall according to the instructions on the scribble. The ruckus is getting bigger and an object is presented to you, hidden behind the encryption.

You feel a sharp pain overcoming your body, followed by your limps getting weaker by the second as the strangest sensation of water filling your lungs engulfs you. What is happening? You blink and everything is black. With your right hand, you try to secure the relic in your reach but you are not sure if you are failing or succeeding. Then everything is black.

Yet the next moment, you awake to the sound of someone’s voice ringing against your ear. Memories of a childhood past pass through your mind and you feel like you are swimming against a current. One thought occupies your head: You have to wake up.

“Talk to me!” Marc raises his tone, his head frantically searching around your body. There is blood on his face, a panicked look in his eyes. Fires raging in the background.

“Please, wake up, Y/N, I need you!” More desperation befalls him as he is frantically shaking your body. With a deep breath he leans down and starts performing CPR on you, one-two tries and there you are. Waking up violently, forcing your eyes open as the air hits your lungs, you are blinking fast to the cheering sounds of Marc echoing through the Egyptian tomb.

“You came back to me!” His face wears a look of happiness as he takes deep breaths, beaming from side to side.

“I-” You breathe out trying to understand what happened. “I thought- I thought I was drowning.” Didn't you? Why is everything covered in flames?

“You were,” Marc responds shaking his head and sighing deeply. “For a little while, I dived in after you and brought you here.” For how long were you unconscious? You look at him as the panicked expression momentarily returns before leaving him again, he proceeds to hold your hands. “I am never letting any harm come to you, ever again. I promise that.” You chuckle in your shock, still bewildered by the occurrence of the previous events.

“It’s okay, Marc, it’s fine, I’m okay.” You nod your head and squeeze his hand. “I am alright.” Marc shallows a lump in his throat and leans forward, cupping your face now with one hand, the other pushing your hair away. This is the first time you had ever seen him like this, soft and vulnerable.

“I will never let anything like that happen ever again.” He wants to reassure you but it seems he needs that reassurance more than you, sounds like a promise to himself.

“Marc, I am alright, I’m alive, that’s all that counts.” His expression goes from pained to shocked back to smiling and then he shakes his head slowly. You needed to get out of here, both of you. And fast.

“I promise.” He repeats, his voice now a lot more serious than before. “I love you.” The statement is clear, this is a declaration and it’s something you have been waiting to hear for a long time. Your feelings for him were pure and just and yet never in a million years could you think that this man could also share them with you.

“Kiss me.” No time to waste anymore. This was the moment. A future and a promise altogether. You breathe out while your hands are wrapping around the wrist that’s close to your face. Black eyes reflect on yours and then he moves closer, placing his lips over yours, brushing them ever so slightly. Sealing your new fate.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to do this.” He whispers against your lips, heartbeats rising, echoing.

“Then why didn’t you?” You teased looking at him.

“Afraid.”

“Of rejection?”

“Of subjecting you to me.”

“You’re not that bad.”

“Hmpf.”

“You’re all heart.”

“You’re the most amazing human being I have ever seen.”

“Bold statement. I’m just me.”

“Exactly.” He draws his eyebrows together, his voice a little broken, heavy in his emotions. There was something about Marc, always something fighting to get on the surface. You had longed thought that maybe there was a long-lost partner, some great loss that he can’t quite mask and has instead chosen to live behind it.

“How about we get out of here, first? You know this place is about to get burned in flames. Then we can have a heart to heart.” You continue, and a different kind of smile curling at the ends of his lips.

“You promise?” Maybe you can brighten his life. Just a little.

“Yes.” Maybe he can brighten your life. Just a little.

Or a lot.

If you want to be notified about my future stories please follow my library blog @fluffyprettykittylibrary and turn on notifications!

#marc spector x reader #marc spector #moon knight x reader #moon knight #marc spector x you #marc spector x y/n #marc spector x gn!reader #marc spector angst #marc spector imagine #marc spector one shot #moon knight x you #moon knight x y/n #moon knight series #moon knight tv #steven grant x reader #selenewrites

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dyns33 · 3 years

Text

Snake and Lizard

So a little Loki x Y/N (Strange’s wizard student). Cute and funny.

I tried my best so Y/N can be a man or a woman, but it’s hard to put “them” next to a group of people, I hope it’s not too confusing at the end.

No, Y/N was not jealous. It was really a really good thing that Loki was talking to other people and trying to make friends. Even if they were childhood friends, long lost, and who had never bothered to ask about him. Nor that it was a powerful magician, blonde, tall, magnificent, a goddess, with her ridiculously long dress, that yet did not cover much.

From their first meeting, Loki and Y/N immediately hit it off, comparing their powers and having fun doing pranks together. Y/N was not in New York during the attack, and they thought everyone deserved a second chance anyway, so they had accepted Loki without asking questions, which had touched the God, since the rest of the Avengers, and of humanity, continued to distrust him.

No, Y/N wasn't jealous at all, while Loki only had eyes for this bitc... witch, smiling and laughing at almost everything she said. It didn't mean anything.

Maybe Thor hadn't helped. After Peter and Tony scoffed at Y/N a bit, saying they looked grumpy, the God of Thunder had wanted to be reassuring, saying that Loki was certainly not looking to replace his best friend... he had. just always fascinated by Sigyn, he'd probably even been in love when they were kids, but he would never give up on his little wizard.

"Lizard." Peter reminded him.

"Apprentice Lizard." Strange corrected as he walked past them.

"I still haven't validated that code name. And I know Loki won't let me, I'm very happy he's having fun at this terribly long and boring night. We could have done a lot of pranks..."

"Y/N." Stephen muttered, passing by a second time without looking at them.

"... But my Master forbade me, so it's a very good thing he's busy, and not influencing me."

"I'm pretty sure the time you colored my armor in pink, it was your idea."

"Maybe, but he asked me for an idea."

It was certainly not of this Sigyn that Loki would ask such a thing. Oh no, she and Y/N were too different. Not in the same category. Y/N was the playmate, sort of siblings at best, with whom Loki could do whatever he wanted without worrying about being judged. This tall idiot was a princess. An object of desire. You had to please her, seduce her, bewitch her, and therefore behave like a polite and charming prince.

There had always been some tension between them. Something ambiguous, complicated. Sometimes when Loki put his hand on them, Y/N wanted more. A perfectly ridiculous desire. It was normal that the God of mischief did not care about a mortal, even if they practiced the mystical arts, and knew how to do good pranks. After seeing him with Sigyn, there was no more ambiguity, because there was no way to beat a goddess.

Being his friend was already a lot, and Y/N didn't want to lose that. Nothing was to change after that night, whether Loki wooed the witch or not.

However, unconsciously, Y/N put some distance between them, so as not to suffer too much, and of course, Loki noticed it. They no longer came to sit on him during the meetings, they no longer played with his hair, they did not put their head on his shoulder to rest.

But they continued to laugh and play together like kids.

So Loki didn't say anything. There had to be a good reason, and it would certainly be temporary.

Then Tony organized another party. More intimate, with only the Avengers, their relatives, and those who came to help without wanting to be associated with the superheroes.

When Strange, Wong, and Y/N arrived, they were quite surprised to see Sigyn, sitting next to Loki. The last time, their meeting had been fortuitous, all the Asgardians having been invited, but her presence today was wanted. Loki must have offered her to come.

The two Masters of the Mystic Arts quickly looked at the young student, Wong even patted their back gently, but without commenting.

At least this time Loki greeted them, but his attention quickly returned to the witch. And when Clint came up with a team game, Natasha found it amusing to put the two Gods in charge and so they had to choose their partners.

"Uh... Bruce." Thor decided with a shy smile. "Strong and intelligent."

"Pff. For that, I take the man of iron."

"Alright, the young spider next."

"Sigyn." Loki purred, turning to the goddess.

There was a little silence in the room. Everyone seemed both embarrassed by this overly romantic scene, but mostly shocked. Because Loki hadn't taken Y/N first. He always took Y/N with him when they had to make teams. Strange muttered something with a grimace, while Thor stared at his brother with a look that was hard to read.

"It will be Y/N for me then."

"A very good choice, dear brother." Loki hissed oddly.

The game was no fun, as both team leaders seemed to take it far too seriously. It wasn't all that surprising, with the two brothers often competing over who was the best, but this time there was something more. Bitterness. Y/N did nothing to calm Loki, unlike usual, only looking after their team. He had wanted Sigyn, it was up to her to take care of these things, if she was so wonderful.

The game ended in a draw, the only way to avoid a war, and Y/N moved away from the group to go talk to Peter in the kitchen. The young Spiderman loved asking them lots of questions about magic, and dreamed of being able to have fun with Y/N and Loki, but the others had forbidden him so, and the nickname he had found for the wizard had not pleaded in his favour. But tonight, that was not a problem.

"Are you sure you're ok ?" Peter asked, visibly worried.

"Hmm ?"

"I just called you Lizard three times, and you haven't tried to change me into a spider. And you're not with Loki. You're always with Loki."

"Right now I'm with you, be happy and shut up."

It wasn't just Spiderman who was surprised. Finally leaving the tall blonde alone, Loki walked up to them, having a drink without saying anything, staring at Peter insistently until the young man realized he had to leave the room, which he did quickly.

"Darling..."

"Don't. Don't call me that."

"What ? Why ?"

"Because I'm not. Your darling. I'myour friend, your pal, your partner in crimes, but that's it. Go back to your dear princess now, she's a darling."

"... You are jealous ?"

"No."

"If Sigyn ?"

"No."

"I mean, I'm happy to know that my plan worked, but I was not expected this."

"Your plan ? You wanted me to be jealous ?"

"No, Thor."

It turned out that from the start, it was Thor who loved Sigyn a lot, ever since they were kids. He admired the sorceress from afar, without daring to approach her. Loki had noticed this, and since teasing and annoying his brother were his favourite pastimes, he had grown closer to the goddess, using his charm, knowledge of magic and his ability to lie. He really needed the last one to get to spend so much time with Sigyn, and not just so she wouldn't guess what game he was playing.

"I have to pretend to find her interesting. It's so hard, because she's so... so... empty. Flat. Flavorless. Yes, she's beautiful and powerful, but she's a pretentious chick. A real princess. I hate it. I have to play the fool to please her. But when I see the look Thor makes after she laughs at one of my remarks, it's worth it."

"Is that why you invited her tonight ?"

“Thor invited her. He was hoping to spend some time with her. I couldn't resist, and when it was my turn to pick for the group, I took her, to show my brother that I knew very well that he wanted her. Oh, he should have chosen her first, but no, that clown was afraid to be too obvious."

"... I see. I'm... sorry."

"Don't be. You know, there's a reason why Thor picked you right after. He's not as dumb as I thought he was." he smiled before leaving.

Thor had long understood that Loki was laughing at him by taking Sigyn's full attention. He also understood that he liked Y/N a lot. A lot lot. In revenge, he had therefore taken them in his team.

In the living room, a new tension had set in. Upon learning that he was a Master of the Mystic Arts, and a Doctor, Sigyn had grown closer to Strange, much to the dismay of the God of Thunder, and this even though Stephen seemed very uncomfortable.

Loki watched them with a big smile from the sofa, sipping his drink, trying not to laugh. He stopped when Y/N sat on his lap.

"Not. a. word."

"Yes, my darling." he whispered, putting a hand on their waist.

From a corner of the room, the other Avengers were unsure whether they should be reassured that they were reconciled, or if they should be afraid that the Snake and the Lizard were together again.

"Why does their mating rituals have to be playing pranks on as many people as possible ?" Stark sighed.

"They're cute together though." Steve said.

"They are idiots." smiled Bruce.

"Dangerous idiots. Why don't they just fuc… Who put salt in my glass ?!"

For once again using the mystical art for something futile, Strange forced Y/N to clean the entire temple, and forbade them to see Loki for a week. Although this punishment was more for the God of Mischief, because Stephen had great difficulty getting rid of Sigyn, who was really annoying, and now Thor was quite hostile towards him out of jealousy, creating rain as soon as the wizard was going outside.

#loki #loki imagine #loki fanfiction #loki x reader #Strange's student Y/N #doctor strange #peter parker #thor #avengers

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luimagines · 3 years

Note

Coul I request the chain reacting to meeting the reader who is Wild's sibling? (If background is needed shrieks science and them whatever purchase did so the reader is just sorta- 15-28 )

Masterlist

I don't understand the second sentence but I think I can infer what you're trying to say. And even then, I came up with a backstory that more less fixes it regardless so yay!

Wild is everyone's favorite chaotic creative sibling!

And I went for older sibling because reasons and just assume that sibling! Reader is in their early twenties.

Content under the cut!

You woke up one day in Hateno village, quietly aware of the silence that echoed through your house.

You miss your brother.

Not that he was here often with his Goddess given assignment nor did he even know who you were for the first half of it.

What a day that was.

Your little brother back from the dead, scars and all and then some... but he had no idea who you were.

It hurt to say the least. But you were told it would happen once the news reached you. He would wake up one day to finish his duty but he would not remember anything regarding his past life.

Even when he found you again, after he somehow remembered you, you didn’t know where to begin.

You just knew that you were so happy to be together again after so long that you hugged him as tight as you could and told him that your door was always open.

To say you both cried is the understatement of the century. It was wet and ugly and messy and neither of you really talk about it but it felt good that day.

And while you both knew he couldn’t stay for long with his adventure being no where near complete. He did come home for the night after he set that travel medallion of his by the front door.

But that was then- before the Calamity was defeated.

Now that it’s gone- so is your brother. Again.

On a different quest this time, it seems.

You don’t understand why your baby brother of all people has to be the one to do it and you would like nothing more than to wrap him up in a blanket and shield him from anything else that comes to hurt him- but he never let you do that as a child- let alone now.

You begin the day like any other and try to get as many mundane chores done as you can before you finally try and get the stable in the back fixed up.

You noticed Link had an affinity to horses and had checked in with the nearest stable to see that he had some lodged under his name.

There’s a place at the house, darn it. Lodge them here. It just needs to be fixed.

With your goal in mind, you lose yourself to the work and the time passes effortlessly.

It’s around noon by the time you hear it.

The familiar sound of activation that gets your heart pounding in relief and unbridled joy.

You drop your hammer and run to the front of the house with the largest grin on your face. “You’re back, you Rug Rat! Come here!”

You single him out instantly amongst the group and tackle him in a hug.

He’s long stopped trying to fight on you on this and has also returned your crushing hug with one of his own. “I’m back.”

“You brought friends too.” You grin and give the group a two fingered salute. “And here I was afraid that this loner child would end up dead in a ditch somewhere and I would be none the wiser. Thank you for looking after my little brother. I’m aware he’s a handful.”

“Ok thanks.” He says.

“Little brother?” Someone from the group asks. They’re lost amongst the sea of head but you nod regardless.

“Yup. I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday.” You grin and put your hands on your hips, introducing yourself right after. “Any friend of Link’s is a friend of the family. Come in, come in. Make yourselves at home. It’s not much but it’s ours. Been in the family since before the calamity struck. Let me wash up a bit and then we can get some food going, yeah?”

“I’ll start up the stove.” Link says and you’re about to disagree. After all, he just got home and should rest while he can but he ahs the most unburdened smile on his face that you can’t bring yourself to deny him.

“Alright.” You sigh and head to the back where the shower is. It’s always been small and a bit cramped and the door stopped fitting correctly about ten years ago but now that’s it’s not just you anymore, you can go around into the giving the house the TLC it deserves.

But you’re starting with the stable in the back.

When you’re finished and you’ve dried yourself off, you get into the house to find it in a delightful array of colors and chaos.

Each of the boys seemed to have made themselves completely at home in the time you were gone and you leaned against the door frame, watching them all interreact.

Your brother didn’t waste any time with getting the stove up and running. You can smell the beginning of lunch getting cooked and it appears that Link has wrangled two of the boys to be his helpers. One appears to be the youngest with bright wide eyes and a similar blue tunic to that of Links and the other looks to be slightly more timid in the process. He’s around the same height as Link but darker hair and a long white cape still clasped around his shoulders.

You recognize the Master Sword strapped to his back.

Making a note of that you look around the room again. Three of them have made themselves comfortable at the table. One is easily the biggest guy of the group, red and blue tattoos on his face and scar over his eye as he watches the others go about the admittedly small house. The other two look to be the same size and you’re sure you can look them in the eye if you needed to. They’re talking to both each other and the group that’s cooking. One has a wolf pelt on his shoulder with more tattoos on his face and other is a knight if you’ve ever seen one with a bright blue scarf around his neck.

You’re not one to judge your brother’s friends but you make a mental note to watch him in case he tries anything.

Two of the boys- one with pink hair and the other have the most solid brown mane of the whole group have made themselves spares and are talking quietly to each other and not making a fuss.

The final one looks to be the smallest but he’s got an older glint to his eye that recognize well. He’s wearing arguably the most color tunic of the group with those four patches sewn together. He’s tucked himself away into a corner with a book out, not interacting with either of them outright but he has been looking up and adding his two cents to the older’s conversation at the table.

They don’t notice you’re back which is a testament to how tired they all must be.

They’re an interesting bunch.

But Link did always surround himself with interesting people.

So you’re not really surprised.

“Sooo...” Pinky starts off, calling your bother’s attention. “You have an older sibling?”

“Yup!” He answers, not looking up from the pot. “They were waiting for me the whole time, and even manage to keep the house. Up keep still needs to be done but we’ve been working on it together.”

“But they’re older.”

“Yes. We’ve established this.”

You have to hold back your snort.

“You were asleep for one hundred years.” Four Patches speaks up, closing his book silently. ”Shouldn’t they... ummm...”

“Be dead?”

“Or at least really old?” Mr. Brunette hops in, trying to lessen the blow of the sentence.

“You’re like one hundred and seven teen right? Wouldn’t that put them at being one hundred and twenty something?” Wolf boy offers.

“I guess so. Yeah. They were old at some point.” Link stops stirring and you can see him try to run the numbers in his head. “I know that much. The village talks about them being really old sometimes, but I guess that was years ago because it’s only from the older folk that live here.”

“But they lived through those one hundred years, didn’t they?” Blue Baby Face speaks this time.

“That’s what they told me.”

“So....” The knight tilts his head and tries to put his hands out as if that would help answer the question. “They’re like the Old Man then? Old in their head but young on the outside.”

“You can say that, yeah.” You say and take extreme satisfaction at the way most of the jump at your voice. “Unlike Link, I was alive the whole time he was asleep. I’ve got grandkids in Lurelin and they visit from time to time but someone had to at least keep the house up and running, might as well have been me.”

“I...” Link starts as he takes the food off the burner. “I never asked you how you stayed young, did I?”

“Nope.”

“Oh.” He looks away and deflates a little. Link looks a little disappointed with himself and that won’t stand in this house.

“I didn’t realize it was that important. And I’m going to assume you’ve explained most of the situation Rug Rat.” You laugh a little with a raised eyebrow. “You can blame Purah. You know she wanted to find a way to keep the old from aging, right? It’s why she’s in the body of a little kid again. But when she tried the second formula she realized that if she tried it on herself that it might as well but poof her back into a baby and she wanted to contact Robbie but he’s too far and too old to make that trip. I volunteered.”

“Really?”

“It still didn’t really work, I was transformed into a teenager instead of a child- a horrible time to exist really. But I suppose it was a blessing in disguise. By the time this one-” You step into the house fully and ruffle Link’s hair. “-came back, it left us with the same age gap as before. So in the end I can’t complain.”

“Why’d you volunteer?” Cape guy leans on the wall. “There’s only so many times you can test it, right? Who’s to say it wouldn’t have been worse?”

“Yeah, what if it did transform you into a baby again and you forgot everything?” Four Patches stands up and comes to stand by the table, putting his book on top of it.

“I wanted to take the risk.” you shrug and pull your brother into a hug. “Is it a crime to want to see my baby brother again not matter the cost?”

“Get off.” He whines.

You laugh but do as he asks. “It was never said when he’d be back. Only that he would. I was willing to buy as much time as needed to be there for him.”

“I didn’t remember you...” He mutters to himself.

“You now, don’t you?” You punch him gently. “We’ve talked about this. It’s ok. I knew it was going to happen. It wasn’t going to stop me. Ganon himself couldn’t properly get rid of me. I’m not leaving your side anytime soon.”

He smiles and turns to hug you.

“Now where’s your wolf friend?” You ask. “Are you still traveling together? There’s something I wanted to give him.”

Wolf Pelt shimmies in his seat for a second but you don’t think much of it.

Link shakes his head. “Not right now but he has been coming by every now and then.”

“Well it’s good he’s still around to look after you then in my stead.”

“We have a horse though.” Link tilts his head up to grin at you. “It’s not the same but her name is Epona.”

Familiarity stabs you in the heart and you know it’s something that Link even remember even if he lives another one hundred years.

He was too little when she passed.

“...Like dad’s old horse. Can I see her?” You say with a light constriction in your throat. “How crazy would it be if they looked alike?”

“Dad had a horse?”

“You wouldn’t remember her, you were too little. I barely remember her as it is but yes, he did.” You take a step back and motion back towards the door. “Maybe after lunch you show me. We can bring her to the back and measure up how the stable is. I’ve been fixing it up.”

“Really!?” Link blinks, an excited glint appearing in his eyes.

“Yes. That’s what I was doing when you first came in. But let’s eat first.” You put your hand to the small of his back and push him gently in the direction of the table. “And then you can tell me about your friends and this new adventure of yours.”

#linked universe x reader #linkeduniverse #lu wild #it's a bit longer than the other one shots #and yet i think it's the most uneventful #let me know what you guys think #linked universe

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gate-to-valhalla · 3 years

Note

Hello! I wanna submit some thing for your Record of Ragnarok. How about some fluff with Buddha. He has a little sister and is a god like him and is overprotective of her when shiva gets a *little* too close to her?

Sure! This didn’t turn out the way I originally had planned it but I hope you still like it! It’s not as fluffy as I’d like but I tried ^^’

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A Minor Issue

Buddha x Little Sister! Reader

Type: One-Shot

Situation: (Y/N) has gotten very close to the Hindu pantheon, specifically Shiva , being a bit too close for Big Brother Buddha’s liking

Requested By: @archangel1206

(Y/N) sat amongst Shiva’s wives: Parvati, Kali and Durga. She seemed to fit right in with the trio, the women giggling amongst themselves and whispering to each other. It made even Buddha, an easygoing god, narrow his eyes in suspicion.

‘Childish..’

He thought to himself as he pouted from underneath his tree. He didn’t understand why this bothered him. (Y/N) was just socializing with her friends, nothing more. At least that’s what he hoped. Buddha would think back, realizing just how much time (Y/N) had spent with the girls and even Shiva, himself. He has found them together, one on one, reading or even napping shoulder to shoulder. He brushed it off at first, deeming it an accident though as he began to count how many times it had happened already, suspicion began to rise.

He knew better than to confront (Y/N) about it, all she would do was get defensive about it. Instead, he went to Shiva, who was naturally napping nearby.

“Oi..wake up.”

Buddha would say, a frown on his face as he stared down the god of destruction. The god in question would open a single eye slowly, it’s attention immediately on Buddha as he hummed.

“What do you want?”

Shiva would ask, though he didn’t really care what the god in front of him wanted. He was a traitor after all, saving humanity the way he did.

“What’s your relationship like with (Y/N)?”

Buddha was straight to the point, not dancing around the topic like most would. Shiva would just raise an eyebrow in interest at the question before his opened eye would shut, simply shrugging.

“She’s nice, reminds me of Parvati.”

He would say nonchalantly, eyes still closed as he attempted to go back to sleep. Though Buddha was not having it, kicking the gods foot with his shoe.

“We’re not done here. What else? Do you plan on making her another one of your wives or somethin’? Isn’t 3 enough?”

Buddha didn’t like the little information he was receiving and Shiva knew it. Shiva would chuckle lowly and smirk, both eyes opening this time as he sat up.

“And what if I wanted to? What are you gonna do, Traitor?”

Shiva would ask coyly, smiling as Buddha’s aura would quickly change, becoming ominous and dangerous. Buddha’s lollipop would crack under the pressure of his teeth though otherwise, his face remained the same.

“Stay away from her, ya here? She doesn’t need to live as a 4th choice, especially to someone like you.”

He would say in a threatening tone.

“I treat all of my wives the same and I love them all equally, if I did want to make her my wife, she wouldn’t be in fourth place as it’s not a competition. Why not focus on your own love life, not hers? You sound like her father when you should be her brother. Get over yourself.”

Shiva would retort. He truly had no interest in making (Y/N) his wife, he simply liked to get under Buddha’s skin. Though judging from the reaction of the god standing in front of him, he probably should stop while he was ahead. The aura Buddha had was deadly beyond reason. He loved his little sister, watching her grow up to be the woman she was today. She was to be a first priority in her lovers eyes. At least that was Buddha’s thought. She didn’t deserve anything less.

Buddha had gone to reply though was interrupted by his sisters voice,

“Buddha! There you are. I was looking for you, it’s almost 15 minutes past tea time…oh hello Lord Shiva, how are you?”

(Y/N) would rush over to the two men, her attention switching between one and the other within a few seconds. She looked between the men, slightly confused as it felt like there was a disruption in the air.

“Did I interrupt something?”

She questioned in confusion, with Buddha simply giving her a smile and Shiva who shook his head.

“It’s nothing, little goddess. Now leave me be, I’m trying to sleep.”

Shiva would say in a feigned tone of irritation before finally being able to resume his sleep. (Y/N) would look at Buddha in confusion but the man would just keep on smiling. He’d never tell.

“Come on now, let’s get some tea and treats okay?”

#buddha record of ragnarok #record of ragnarok #shuumatsu no valkyrie headcanons #shuumatsu no valkyrie #buddha #oneshots #x reader #yellow

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deiliamedlini · 3 years

Text

Thinking of You

Summary: Princess Zelda unlocked her powers in time to fight the Calamity, saving Hyrule and everyone in it, but it came with an unintentional consequence: a power that she never wanted came with being part Goddess. The power to read minds.

~BOTW Post Calamity Zelink AU ~

This fic spawned after my friend and I panicked while thirsting over a Youtuber because “omg what if he could read minds?” Yeah. So that’s why this exists. It’s just a manifestation of my irrational fear, apparently. 🤷‍♀️

Word Count: 10867 (oops again)

Ao3 link

Princess Zelda had prayed to the Goddess for years, begging for the sacred powers her bloodline demanded of her. She needed to seal away the Calamity, to save her friends, her family, and the Kingdom of Hyrule.

She’d been blessed in time to accomplish all those things.

But in many ways, Zelda wished that the Goddess had remained deaf to her.

She’d make the trade again, of course. A lifelong inconvenience on her part was more than fair to keep everyone in Hyrule safe, but even a Princess was allowed to have selfish thoughts once in a while.

Only now, she knew everyone’s selfish thoughts.

The Goddess’s spirit that had laid dormant in Zelda for years had awoken, and her powers were Zelda’s to command. But Zelda had forgotten one important thing: Hylia was said to be omniscient, all knowing, and an excellent judge of character.

Zelda now knew why.

In the months that had passed since the Calamity, she’d spent a solid amount of that time locked in her room, crying herself to sleep through the splitting pain in her head, the urges to scream, the desire to shut down and lock herself away for a hundred years. But then her servants would come in to bring her food or potions, and it would start all over again.

Millie walked in and set the tray down far from Zelda, but Millie’s voice was crisp and clear inside Zelda’s mind as Millie’s thoughts invaded Zelda’s mind.

She’s so selfish. The people need to see her, and all she does is hide. For the savior of Hyrule, she’s not even brave enough to face her kingdom.

“Thank you,” Zelda whispered, curling deeper under her blanket, pulling the end up across her face so she could block her ears, as if that ever actually helped. Their thoughts were inside her mind, and there was no blocking that out.

There were only two other people who knew about her newfound condition.

She’d had to tell her father, to explain why she so desperately needed her space and to be around as few people as possible. He’d been so pleased that Hylia’s spirit had awoken, that he’d never considered the consequences until she’d come to him in tears, repeating every thought that passed through his head as she clawed at her hair until he had to physically restrain her with a tight embrace.

That was the day she learned just how much her father truly loved her. His every thought was about her, her well-being, her health, her bravery, her courage, her wisdom, her powers, his pride, their past, his wife. It was all the things he’d never said to her aloud being screamed into her brain.

What have I done? he’d thought to himself.

Zelda had simply shaken her head. “It’s not your fault.”

He’d done his best to keep his thoughts to a minimum around her, thinking of a blank nothingness when she was around. She appreciated his effort, and while most of the time it worked, there were other times she’d still hear him.

She looks so frail.

Nothing. Nothing. Think of nothing.

I’m so sorry.

She’d often lie to him when he asked if it was working on his part. She knew he was trying, and she appreciated that more than anything. So, she’d told him yes, that she only rarely heard him think of something.

The only other person who’d been told was Impa. Impa was a warrior and an advisor to the throne, but now, she acted almost exclusively as someone who travelled the kingdom searching old Sheikah tombs and pestering scholars in the most innocent way to try to cure Zelda.

She’d return every few weeks to report her lack of progress, or to try some odd trick that inevitably didn’t work before she’d set out again.

So, Zelda was left with a constant migraine, ringing ears, an inability to focus, and a strong desire for sleep, when the thoughts she heard were solely her own.

One day, Rhoam knocked on his daughter’s door.

I need her. I can’t do this alone.

His thoughts set Zelda on edge, but she trudged to the door and cracked it open. “What do you need me to do?”

Rhoam’s mouth dropped in surprise for a moment. Sometimes, she still caught him off guard. “It’s your mother’s anniversary. You have to make an appearance.”

“There will be so many people, Father.”

I’m sorry.

“I’m sorry, Zelda. I need you. You’ll be Queen one day. We have to see if there’s a way to temper this ability.”

“I don’t want to test that theory in front of Hyrule.”

I’m sorry.

“I’ve made all the excuses I could for the past few months. People believe you’re dead, that the Calamity killed you and that we’ve been keeping it from the people. I just need an appearance from you, and then you can leave.”

Please.

Zelda sighed. “Is it today? I’ve lost track.”

“It is.”

“Okay. Fine. But I really can’t stay long.”

Thank you, Zelda.

“You’re welcome,” she said, closing the door to gift herself a few more hours of peace before all hell would break loose in her mind.

Her maids, Millie and Dorna, came in later that evening to help her dress. Zelda had lost a fair amount of weight since her powers, often nauseous from her headaches, and failing to eat. It made her far too thin.

Zelda used to like Millie; from her outward smile and positive attitude, she’d always thought that they’d gotten on well, until she could hear the spiteful girl’s thoughts.

I can’t believe she’s finally going to show her face. Look at her. She’s gotten so ugly. Now if I were Princess of Hyrule, I’d make sure I at least looked like I’d bathed recently.

Tiredly, Zelda glanced at the wet tub she’d only recently gotten out of, and ran a subconscious hand through her damp hair.

But Dorna, who had always been a woman of few words, was Zelda’s saving grace.

Poor thing. I can’t even imagine what she’s been through since the Calamity. That beast. I can’t even imagine. But look, she looks so beautiful. She looks like her mother in that dress. I should do her hair up the way I once styled the Queen’s. Oh, she’d be so proud.

A small smile spread on Zelda’s face as she kept herself tuned closer to Dorna’s thoughts, though Millie’s were a gnat in the background.

“You look beautiful,” Millie lied, mentally complaining about Zelda’s gaunt cheeks and how no makeup could save her.

“Yes, you do,” Dorna agreed, truly meaning it as she straightened out a wrinkle.

Zelda dismissed them, needing to get away from their thoughts before she made her way to the balcony that she needed to stand at for ten minutes, and then she was free.

Guards were no longer stationed outside her door, but at the bottom of the stairwell that led to her room, out of range for her to hear. If she focused, she was sure she could hear them like a whisper, but she didn’t want to make it any stronger if she could help it.

Still, she got to the stairs and was bombarded with the thoughts of soldiers and servants mulling around, laughing, loud both inside and out.

Oh, she was never going to get through this.

Backing away, she ducked down a hall and pushed open a door, feeling her head start to thud.

What?

Is that the Princess?

Looking up, Zelda saw that she’d barged straight into another occupied room, and she whispered an apology before staggering out the door.

“Oh!” she gasped, hitting someone in the hall, feeling hands steady her.

Zelda.

The voice in her mind was familiar. She was one of the few who got to hear him use it frequently. Many said he was quiet, but she had coaxed conversations from him until he offered them on his own.

She hadn’t seen him in months.

She’s safe. Thank the Goddess Jem was wrong.

“Princess,” Link breathed, letting go of her so he could bow.

“Link. It’s so good to see you again.”

“You as well, Princess,” he said, his eyes finally darting up to her. Oh, she’s been sick. That’s why she’s been gone. She’s looking thin. Maybe I could bring her a meal. What did we used to eat all the time? Steak tips?

Zelda smiled, genuine and excited as she grabbed his hand and tore him from his thoughts. “I mean it. I’ve missed you.”

Goddess, it hasn’t been enough time to rid myself of this crush. “I’ve missed you, Princess.”

Rubbing her thumb over his knuckle, she felt him stiffen.

Don’t think about her hand. Don’t even notice it. Don’t—

Zelda let him go, not wanting to distress him.

No! She let go.

“What have you been up to?” she asked, motioning for him to follow her down the empty hall. “It’s been so long since we spoke.”

“Since your father reassigned me, I’ve mostly been…”

Zelda tried to listen to him, but for once, she wasn’t distracted by his thoughts, but his appearance.

His eyes were still just as blue, just as piercing and focused, like a bird of prey soaring the skies. He was more muscular now, though still thin and lean. Their time together had been enjoyable, but not particularly strenuous in terms of exertion. Now that he was doing more ‘soldierly’ things, he’d gained more muscle.

Blonde hair tied back, as always, she thought his ponytail looked a little longer, and she wanted nothing more than to pull it down so she could see for herself.

The fading yellow of a bruise was under his eye, and there was a cut marring his lip. She wanted to ask what had happened, but his mouth moved so perfectly, his lips looking soft and inviting, and more tempting after months of avoiding him. She’d thought her attraction to him might have died down in her time sequestered, but seeing him in front of her had it all rushing back. She wanted to laugh at his jokes or antics again, or fall asleep to the sound of his breathing while he sat guard by the fire.

Why is she looking at me like that? Is there something on my mouth?

His tongue darted out, wetting his lip as he gently tested to see if he felt anything. It only had her more distracted, unable to say anything at all, or even acknowledge the story she hadn’t listened to.

Oh Goddess, her eyes. I’ve missed them.

This time, those eyes he was entranced by darted up to him, and she felt blush spread along her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Link, I believe I might have gotten distracted. Did you ask something?”

He stared at her for a moment longer, his thoughts lingering, before clearing his throat. “Yes, I asked if you wanted an escort.”

She looped her arm around his, enjoying the way his thoughts scrambled at her touch. “Are you back at the castle permanently?”

Outwardly, he was the perfect soldier whose face betrayed nothing. “Permanent is so binding. I’m here for a while.”

“Good. We’ll have to meet up on a day when I’m not required.”

I’d love that. “I’d like that.”

Zelda kept guiding him to empty halls, taking the long route. Link noticed, though he didn’t say anything.

For a while, he was blissfully blank, thinking nothing specific enough for her to hear. But when she felt his eyes peeking at her, his thoughts erupted.

Should I say something? Should I tell her she looks beautiful? That’s going too far; it’s been months. She probably doesn’t want to hear that from me. Everyone must tell her. Goddess, I want to tell her. Should I? No. No, she probably doesn’t even feel comfortable around me anymore.

Link stayed quiet, and Zelda struggled to find a way to set him at ease, but she couldn’t find any as her anxiety rose with every passing step until they both stopped just shy of the door.

He bowed low, always aware of her, of who she was and what she meant. Even the way he bowed had a meaning behind it, and he associated a low bow with her; the lower the bow, the more respect it showed to that person.

“Wait!” she said suddenly, and he looked expectantly at her. “Come with me? Be my appointed knight to help me through this?”

Her knight. The words played over and over in his mind, and Zelda bit her lip, never really understanding that he felt just as strongly about her, even after all this time, as she did for him.

He smiled and nodded. “Of course, Princess.”

With a deep breath, she put a shaking hand on the door handle and pushed it open. From there, every step she took across the long room towards her awaiting father had her head pounding again.

At first, it was a low hum, a murmur like boiling water over a stove. But the closer she got, the louder it became until the murmur became shouts. Thousands of shouts. Different topics, different thoughts, nothing discernable. It was worse than being trapped in a crowd, ringing her head like she’d been stuck inside the bell of a tower.

She could feel herself start to sweat already, holding her breath to try to stop the pain, as if that could somehow work.

Rhoam spoke to her, but she heard nothing, so he simply guided her to the railing with him while he began his speech.

Zelda shook as her head felt like it was about to implode. Tears welled in her eyes, and she didn’t even care when she lurched forward for something to hold on to. The sunlight blinded her, felt like her eyes were burning and disintegrating. Her ears rang at the highest pitch until there was nothing left to hear. Her stomach rolled.

The voices were so loud, like taking a sword to her brain and just pounding down on it repeatedly. Her soft, pained whimpers turned into a long hum that distracted Rhoam for a moment to check on her before placing a hand on her arm that she couldn’t feel.

She tried to fight it. She really did.

Stumbling backwards, she pressed into the wall, needing to feel its support to keep her on her feet. There was nothing but pain, and she was sure she was about to die.

With her eyes shut tight, she started to sob, her whole body convulsing.

Time moved differently while she was in pain, and the voices got louder, panicked even.

But she came to her senses only long enough to see that she was no longer on the balcony, but on the floor inside the room, cradled by Link as he listened to instructions given by Rhoam. There were still no outside voices, so she couldn’t hear what he said. And his thoughts were lost in the sea of others, Link’s too.

She only vaguely felt Link’s arms slide under her legs as she dug her face into his neck, her arms tightening around his neck as she needed to feel anything that wasn’t the pain. And he was familiar and safe, even if her skin didn’t register much just yet.

He was whispering something. She could see his lips move, but her head throbbed so hard, she was sure she was going to die. Panic seized her, and she tensed, her fingers clenching hard, her toes kicking free of her heels because she needed to cross her ankles. She needed to be tight, to curl up, to feel safe as death tugged at her and urged her towards it with the promise of a release from her torment.

It was the bounce of her mattress that told her they had stopped. Some feeling was returning to her with the loss of the crowd’s thousand voices, but the damage was done, and her head was exploding still.

But she could feel Link slide himself onto her bed and pull her with him, keeping her clutched against him. The feeling wasn’t gone yet, so she tightened again, balling up into him, her legs curling under his so there was something she could grasp.

His breath tickled her ear as she finally felt his cheek pressed against hers, whispering calming words in her ear. She could catch his tone, but the words themselves made no sense, like he was speaking a language she didn’t know. His hand was supporting her head, and she was grateful, because her limbs suddenly slackened, and she relied on him not to let her collapse onto the mattress. His other hand rubbed soothing circles on her back.

The pain was still there, but rather than feeling like an axe hacking at a log repeatedly, it only felt like the axe had lodged itself into the wood, and there it stayed.

Finally, she could tell that she was shaking, her whole body convulsing. Her voice was still a high-pitched whine that she couldn’t stop. But her eyes cleared enough to see that Link’s shirt was ruined. It was drenched with her tears, and stained by blood.

Her tongue darted out to wet her dry lips, and she tasted the blood on her. And sniffing, she could feel that it had come from her nose.

Link’s voice started to turn back from sounds to words being whispered in her ear. They ranged from him telling her she was okay, to him breathing out a shhh to try to calm her. She didn’t even notice that he was rocking with her.

He stopped when he felt her stir for the first time. “Zelda?”

Raw and sore, she managed to make her throat groan once in acknowledgement, though she’d stopped the pained sounds from spilling.

“What happened? No, don’t even answer that. Are you okay? I mean really, grand scheme of things; are you okay?”

Was she?

His thoughts were still quiet as her brain tried to process and recover. She couldn’t answer. She didn’t know.

“I’m cold,” she managed to choke out, pressing into him with what little strength she’d regained.

Holding her tighter, he leaned to the bottom of the bed and pulled a folded comforter up and draped it around her before sliding away to replace himself with the pillows beneath her.

She fisted his shirt to stop him. She didn’t want pillows. She wanted Link.

“Don’t go. Please.”

She almost wished she could hear his thoughts in the long stretch of silence, but she didn’t mind it. The recovery was a reprieve. She’d felt this before, at the beginning, when she’d been around crowds. Everyone’s intrusive thoughts would return.

Link’s hand smoothed back her hair. “Okay. Let me just get a wet cloth for you. You were bleeding.”

“No.”

“I’m coming right back. I’m not even leaving the room, okay?”

The cold left behind without him against her had her ducking into the blanket even more, turning into the pillows as hard as she could.

He was right though, returning only seconds later. He knelt on the floor by the bed and coaxed her face up towards him, first running the cloth around her sweating face, and lingering on her neck before taking care under her nose and around her ears. The cloth came back red, and Zelda watched him toss it behind him into the washbowl before running a hand through her hair again.

“I should get a physician for you.”

She shook her head and pulled his hand away from her hair to tug it.

Receiving the message loud and clear, he slid back onto the bed and looped his arm around her while she moved against him, her face back in the crook of his neck.

It wasn’t the first time they’d stayed like this. Before the Calamity, they’d found themselves in this position several times, either on the road under the stars, stolen moments at an inn with the knowledge that no one would barge in on them, or even in a recovery bed.

His hand traced a light pattern up and down the arm she had draped across his chest.

“Months pass since the Calamity, and the day I see you again, you look like you’re dying in my arms. You scared me, Zelda.”

She loved the sound of her name on his lips. He only called her that when he was sure they were safe, opting for Princess every other time.

Her hand knew exactly where to go, resting on his abdomen where below his shirt was a massive scar.

“We’re even,” she whispered.

Link nodded, rocking the bed slightly. “Yeah. I guess we are.”

He kept up the pattern on her arm even as her leg wrapped around his and she dragged them closer.

Link chuckled and sat up. “Hang on, greedy.” Adjusting the comforter off her shoulders, he moved it so their legs were covered, and he pulled it back up so she could tuck it under her chin. They’d had to hide their closeness in the past, and he was surprised just how easily they fell back into patterns that they hadn’t followed in months.

Despite it all, neither had confessed a single feeling to each other, nor had they kissed each other properly. Forehead, cheek, hand. That was all.

Zelda sighed against him, her eyes heavy and burning from the lingering pain and from crying.

Link knew her well. “Rest your eyes if you want. I’ve got you.”

Nodding against him, she already felt herself starting to doze. “My knight,” she said, attempting humor, though it came out as little more than a wistful sigh.

He hummed and wrapped his fingers through hers, bringing her palm to his lips to press a long kiss into it before dropping their arms back down, not letting go. “Always, Princess.”

Sleep was blissfully peaceful. She was warm and comfortable, being held by the person she trusted most in the world, though he didn’t quite know why she needed his presence to soothe her, only knowing that, as it had done for him in the past, they were each other’s comfort.

Zelda jerked awake, but kept her eyes closed.

“No, don’t get up!” her father’s voice said quickly, and she felt her and Link settle back down. “Is she sleeping?”

Is she okay? I don’t like him being in her bed. But she looks calm now, at least.

Zelda wanted to groan, but she kept quiet, knowing that if she moved now with her father around, Link would surely untangle them.

“Yes. She fell asleep a little while ago.”

Goddess Zelda. You scared me.

Rhoam sighed, and she heard his heavy footsteps. My Zelda. I’m so sorry this is happening to you. His hand smoothed her hair back.

Zelda could feel Link tense up beneath her, his arm tightening a fraction as thoughts raced through his mind. He’s going to know. He’s going to send me back to Hateno, away from Zelda.

“Your shirt is a mess,” Rhoam said.

“It’s dried now. I’ll change later.”

Rhoam let out a begrudging noise. I don’t like him in bed with her. I shouldn’t have told him not to get up. Look at their hands.

“Your Majesty,” Link whispered, before Zelda could think to pretend that she needed to adjust and unlace their fingers that still rested together across his chest. “May I ask what happened?”

Goddess, she scared me. I can’t lose her. And Goddess, he’s staring at our hands. If I don’t die from this, it’ll be a miracle.

“Since the Calamity, well, since awakening her powers, Zelda has been… unwell. I have people looking into a way to ease her burden, but so far it’s without success. It can… cause her great pain.”

Unwell? Link thought, pulling her closer, heedless of Rhoam’s presence. He didn’t realize just how careless he’d gotten in his concern until he felt himself let go of her hand so he could run his knuckles along her cheek. Hylia, take her pain. Please. That was… she feels that? And you’re her benevolent spirit? You let her go through that pain? Give it to me, if someone needs to feel it. Just not her.

Rhoam cleared his throat, and Link realized his slip, pulling his hand back and resting it awkwardly away from her.

Smitten. How long, I wonder? I don’t like it. I don’t like his comfort. I don’t like his hand on her. And I don’t like him in her bed.

“Link, you’re close with Zelda.” It wasn’t a question, but Link nodded. “I would like you to keep an eye on her. Forget your other duties; I want you back as her appointed knight for the time being. I don’t see any physical threats, but I want someone…” someone who loves her, “someone we both trust to be with her for now. She shouldn’t have to go through this alone.”

“Is there anything I can do for her?”

“Be there.”

Link’s grip tightened again. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Rhoam let out a long, hard sigh. I don’t like him in her bed. “She looks… peaceful. I’d hate to disturb her. Are you okay with staying here for the night?” Goddess, I hate this. I hate him in her bed. I hate the way he looks at her. “If you’re alright with that. No obligation to.” No. I don’t hate it. I hate him in her bed, but he looks at her with the devotion I’d want for her. I should have seen it before.

Link nearly choked. “Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll stay.” And not be strung up for being in Zelda’s room while she’s asleep? Yeah, I’ll take it.

“Okay. Take care of her.”

“Always.”

Rhoam’s thoughts scattered, half a groan, half a bombardment of thoughts of a wedding, of a life, before he pushed them down.

Zelda heard the door shut, and Link rubbed her back. “Do you want me to stay?”

She grinned and sat up slightly, just enough that she could look him in the eyes, though her vision was blurry. “You could tell I was up?”

“I know you.” I want to know more.

Pulling herself up a bit, Zelda cupped the side of his face with her hand and pressed a bleary kiss into his cheek, too long to be mistaken for a simple friendly gesture. And when she pulled away, he mimicked her, pulling her close, pressing his lips closer to her lips than she’d dared. I’d do it if this was any other situation, he thought, his top lip teasing hers before he decided against it and instead moved down her jaw to leave a featherlight trail towards her ear until his nose brushed against her. I love you.

Zelda’s heart was already pounding, but hearing those words made it skip and flutter so hard that she arched into him.

Well, that’s a reaction, he mused as his thoughts shifted to the way she felt against him. She swallowed hard as she heard his inner admiration for her body and it had her burning. All she could do without letting on though, was to curl as close to him as she possibly could, letting her hand find his skin, letting it burn them both.

“Your father basically gave me permission for this,” he joked to relieve some of the tension he felt as she slid her hand under his shirt to wrap around him. His thoughts were either raging at the thought of her hand trailing all over him, or it was just blank and broken, his focus on things that couldn’t be put into words.

“We’ve never needed permission.”

He chuckled and nodded.

Should I? Would she let me? I can’t. Not now. Later. But how far would she let me… I need more of her.

When he didn’t move, she traced his skin with her fingertip to encourage him to do whatever he was thinking. He tensed beneath her, and she heard him steel himself before his hand slipped his hand into a geometric hole in the back of her dress until he’d left a burning trail all the way up her spine to rest.

She shuddered and sighed. He’d never go for it, she knew, but if she thought he would, she’d welcome his touch everywhere. She needed him. She wanted him.

Shit, he practically moaned in his mind. But aloud, he chuckled and pulled her against him tighter, his leg tugging her as his arms sucked her in.

“You need to sleep,” he whispered, pushing her hair back again.

I’ve been deprived of her for months. I don’t think I’ll be able to let go.

“Link,” she tried, but he moved his hand from her hair to her cheek, rubbing his thumb back and forth.

“We’ll talk about all this in the morning. Just get some rest, Zelda. Do you want to get under the other blanket?”

“No,” she said, worming her way closer, her head back where it fit perfectly against him. “You’re warm enough.”

They’d talk about this all tomorrow.

Maybe even about what was wrong with her.

~~~~~~~~

Zelda woke up to a cold, empty bed. Her hand felt around before her eyes open, seeing if Link was still there, but she figured he must have left in the night, preserving her decency and decorum. Maybe he even went somewhere to meet with her father so he’d know.

Before the Calamity, Zelda had been in Gerudo Town with Urbosa, celebrating being alive still with a few Noble Pursuits. She’d woken the next morning feeling terrible, and, at Urbosa’s orders, she’d drank water all day while she stayed in the relative quiet to relieve her pounding head.

This was somewhat like that day.

Her head was throbbing in a different way than last night, a residual pain rather than a new one, and she groaned. Even the thoughts inside her head were loud, and she struggled to force them down.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could hear her name repeated again and again, and she shook her head to push the chastising reminder away. She got the message from her mind.

Pushing the blanket off of her, she groaned, fiddling with the dress that she still wore. She didn’t hear Link at all, so she was fairly confident he’d gone, so she pulled the zipper down and stepped out of the outfit, holding it up and thanking the geometric cutouts that had allowed Link access to her skin.

Remembering last night was somewhat like being drunk all over again. She could remember bits of what they’d said to each other, though the pain had shut down some of her memories, and she forgot other pieces of their conversation.

Leisurely taking her time to change, she pulled her leggings on, and her white shirt. Though she debated adding the blue over the top, she decided against it and instead tied her large brown belt on over the white, grabbing her boots from the corner and sliding into them. She’d go to find Link. He would be around, and perhaps he could escort her to Hyrule Field for some air and some peace. Her father would likely allow it, and maybe she could tell Link what had happened.

Shit. Shit!

Zelda spun around towards the door. It was Link’s thought, she knew, but it was loud and stressed out. Cautiously opening the door, she was surprised to find that he wasn’t there.

There was no way… right?

Moving from her antechamber to her lounge, she saw no sign of him.

“Link?” she called, passably curious since he’d stayed the night, not because she couldn’t follow his thoughts to where he was.

Oh, shit! Zelda!

A moment later, she heard the creaking door that lead to the small room the chamber pot was kept in.

His eyes landed on her immediately, and his face began to flush.

She’s dressed. How long was she awake? Oh shit, she’ll figure it out.

“I was just…” he pointed to the room before slamming the door behind him. “Sorry.”

Mouth agape, Zelda had to walk across the room, away from him so she could hide her burning red face. There were few reasons he’d be embarrassed to be found in there after so long, and from the trajectory his thoughts were taking as he watched her walk, she had a feeling she knew which it was.

“It’s fine,” she choked out, beyond grateful that he couldn’t read her mind.

She didn’t know why she was over here, so she grabbed a book at random. “I was going to find you,” she said, flipping aimlessly through the pages until her face calmed down and then set it back.

Link waited patiently. Of course he was patient, because his mind sure wasn’t. It was occupied by an internal fight with himself about his guilt over admiring the way her leggings hugged her body, and his respect for her as more than just the Princess.

Oh wow, he thought, his mind abruptly distracted. I like that statue. Is that Sheikah? Would she think it’s weird if I went over to it? It looks kind of weird. Is it stone? Carved stone? No! She was talking to you. Did she say something? It’s quiet. Oh man, I didn’t hear her, didn’t I?

Zelda lost her train of thought. Had she asked him a question? It was so easy to forget when everyone else’s thoughts invaded her own.

This is awkward.

“Um, Princess? Are you feeling better than last night? You look better.”

“Oh, yes, much. Thank you. It’s still, you know… but it’s not as bad by any means.”

Pushing her hair back, she shook her head at her awkwardness before taking a seat on the soft couch.

After briefly assessing that statement, Link’s thoughts went quiet. She looked up at him and fidgeted with her hands. “Thank you. For staying last night.”

“Anytime,” he said.

Zelda pursed her lips and fought back a grin. “Is that so?”

“I-I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant!”

His thoughts started to spiral, and Zelda laughed, unable to help herself. She had to tease him, to coax some of his frantic thoughts out of his mind and to his lips. “So you won’t sleep with me if I ask?”

“No! I will!”

“Oh, you will?”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit! Get it together, Link!

“I meant to say that I’ll stay with you for the night to sleep, if ever you want.”

That’s good. That’s clear, right?

“What if I wanted you to come back tonight? Would you?”

And his thoughts were gone once again as he stared at her, dumbstruck until gradually he made himself function again.

Is she flirting with me? Just teasing me? Playing a game? I’d sleep in here every night if she’d let me, but that’s probably not the smartest thing to say.

Zelda smiled a little wider at his thoughts. And wider still as they changed to a less than innocent scenario.

“Yes,” he finally muttered, embarrassed by where his thoughts had gone so quickly. Is she actually asking? Goddess Hylia, send me some help.

“Great. I’ll see you tonight then,” she said, just to clarify for him. “I have something I want to talk to you about. About me.”

“Are you okay?”

She was saved from needing to answer by a knock on her door, suddenly aware of her father saying her name again and again so she’d know it was him.

As Zelda headed straight for the door, Link moved to stop her. “Do you always answer your door for just anyone? What if it’s Yiga? You don’t even ask?”

“It’s just my father; calm down, worry wart.”

“How do you know?”

Zelda stopped, her hand hovering over the handle. Not like she could say she could hear his thoughts.

“I recognize his footsteps.”

What? That’s not safe in the slightest. I might need to tell her about the growing Yiga threats so she’ll be more careful.

Yiga threats? Even after the Calamity?

She bit her lip, so desperate to bring it up, but knowing that there was no smooth transition to it right now. So instead, she opened her door.

Rhoam stepped inside, his thoughts quiet until he noticed Link just behind her. Does he know about you yet?

Zelda shook her head as she led her father back to the couch.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked Zelda aloud, gesturing for Link to be at ease around him in the meantime.

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. We have a contingent staying around for a few days, and the guest quarters are in this wing. I was going to suggest you perhaps stay in Kakariko with Impa to get some fresh air while they’re here.”

They’ll be loud, and Impa will know where you can stay in peace.

“Yes, that would be nice,” Zelda said, glaring at the door. Her father had done a lot to keep guests away from staying over, but when they did, she’d often find somewhere else until they were gone so that so many thoughts in one place, constantly going, didn’t send her into a pained fit.

She’ll need protection. Any objections if Link makes a temporary return as your Appointed Knight?

“Link?” Zelda asked, turning to him. He’d been distracted, but still listening, and now, entirely attentive. “Would you mind accompanying me, like old times?”

“I wouldn’t mind at all. I’d be honored.”

Oh yes, I clearly detest the time I get to spend alone on the road with just you. She knows she doesn’t have to ask.

It was true. She knew she didn’t really need to. Before the Calamity, all she had to do was bat her eager eyes at him and he’d melted. She didn’t need to read minds to know that. He’d eaten a frog for her, after all. Or rather, for science. He’d even gone in for it raw before she’d stopped him.

Maybe that was the day she’d started to turn her feelings from friendly affection to something more.

She’d been so caught up in her memories of the days they spent together before she’d unlocked her powers, before this constant throbbing pain in her skull, that she hadn’t heard a single thought of Link’s the entire time they’d been riding on the road.

Their destination was Kakariko, but it was a bit aimless, so they took their time, riding at a snail’s pace, catching up on what Link had been doing for the past few months while she’d been holed up.

He told her of his adventures and missions, and she marveled at just how far he’d come as a leader since the Calamity. She’d held him back as her knight, demanding his attention when it was clearly better used elsewhere. Even hearing his thoughts, ranging from what gory or boring details to leave out of his story, to how he wished he were her appointed knight again, Zelda couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d lost nearly a year’s worth of progress in his career because of her.

With clear blue stretching across the sky, Zelda suggested they take the ferry near Riverside Stable to cross Hylia River so they could spend some time at Batrea Lake. It was rare that Zelda got to simply enjoy her surroundings, especially while they were outside her room, and Link had a blissfully peaceful mind. It was either empty, like he were simply so entranced by nothing that it occupied him, or he was looking around for danger.

For a short part of their ride, Link tried to convince Zelda that they should stay at Riverside Stable, but Zelda adamantly refused to be near anyone else, especially at a stable and inn where other minds would be running wild with the boredom before sleep.

He’d offered to ride through the night with her if she really wanted to get to Kakariko, and though that was tempting for the safety Kakariko offered, it was even louder than a stable. So, like they’d done many nights in their past, their decision had simply been to pitch their tent under the stars and use the bedrolls they’d packed, expecting at least one night in Hyrule Field before reaching Kakariko.

Zelda hung back when Link paid the fee for the ferry, and then he watched Zelda curiously as she refused to follow him while he boarded their horses for the night. She could hear his suspicion and confusion loud and clear, but she’d simply sat down on the raft and waited for his return.

Link unfurled the rope and pushed the small boat into the river, letting the current carry them across.

It was slow enough that Zelda began to play with the glove on her hand to cover her Triforce. They were dressed in their normal Hylian clothes rather than royal finery or uniforms, so her hidden mark stayed secretly buried under the fingerless leather.

With a sigh, she watched the water for a time before Link started to think to himself, dipping his hand experimentally into the water.

Could I swim upstream? Doubtful. Maybe that’s what I should try to do next. But maybe… maybe I’ll try a calmer river to start. Who would be stupid enough to come with me? Maybe Hal. Oh, look at that rock! I wonder if it tastes like rock, or like water now. I kind of want to test it, but Zelda would have me locked up for insanity if I licked a rock in the middle of a river. Yeah, putting it that was makes it sound stupid. Well, it probably is.

Zelda kept her mouth covered with the crook of her elbow, watching Link covertly while he was distracted, his brow furrowed as he stared at the one single rock that jutted out from the water. His hands fiddled with the straps on one of their things, thumbing it absently as if it brought him comfort.

When they arrived on the other side, Link tied it up and secured the rope for the night. They planed to just camp on the west bank of Batrea Lake, so they had the few items that they didn’t want to leave behind, such as their bedrolls.

They worked in relative silence to set up their tent and fire, preparing for the night as the sun began to set. Zelda did the tent, while Link took the fire, as they used to do.

It was familiar to be with him again, as if their separation hadn’t even happened at all. If she closed her eyes and ignored her powers, she could pretend that this was one of their nights when Link would sit by the fire until his weary eyes forced him asleep, and Zelda would do her best to keep watch. She could feel Link’s head on her lap still, and she could feel his soft hair run through her fingers while he’d slept. She hoped he would fall asleep like that tonight.

Once their camp had been set up, they indulged in a moment of peace overlooking the sunset lake, orange ripples form the light breeze, reflections of the trees from the pristine water, even a fish or two visible from the disturbance in the water that brought attention to the contrasting red and blue scales of the fish.

It was peaceful as she watched the sun slowly dip towards the horizon, her thoughts mirrored in Link’s mind as well. Just seeing a sunset was a relief after the Calamity, and since she’d locked herself in her rooms, her view of the sky had been sorely obstructed.

“Link?” she asked after a long while of comfortable silence. “Do you mind if I…” she gestured to the spot immediately beside him, closer than they were already sitting.

Do I mind? he scoffed internally, though he simply nodded and hummed his permission aloud.

She scooted closer, wrapping her arm through his and threading their fingers together. Though she longed to rest her head against him, to use him like the soft pillow she knew he could be, she had to resist the urge.

Goddess, she’s beautiful.

Zelda turned to see Link unabashedly watching her with a soft smile playing across his lips.

“What?” she laughed, curious what kind of answer he’d give her.

“I just missed you. Us. Out here like this. It’s just like how we were before the Calamity.”

“We were slightly more stressed out.”

“Oh, absolutely. Impending doom can do that to a person.”

“We’re a good team.”

He nodded, giving into temptation by allowing his free hand to brush her hair away from her face, though it really didn’t need fixing. “We are.”

Oh, thank the Goddess that he couldn’t hear her mind as her skin burned from his touch, her cheeks on fire, and her heart racing as if he’d left her with a breathless kiss rather than a simple touch.

When the sun had passed the horizon and the sky darkened, Link moved away to stoke the fire while Zelda watched the moonlight play over the water.

With him farther away, she felt a little more courageous than before. “I have something I want to tell you about,” she said quickly so she couldn’t talk herself out of it.

“I’m all ears,” he said, attentive, but also focused on the flames, not hearing the urgency behind her words.

She could hear distant thoughts that she couldn’t make out, and pushed them from her mind, getting distracted as she attempted to decipher them. One of her many drawbacks, she knew. Easily distracted. Easily losing her train of thought.

“Um, maybe… maybe we should eat first. Is there food?” she looked over her shoulder, staring at the sticks dug into the ground that held their meal over the flames to cook.

“Soon.”

Her head had begun to ache, so she stood up to lean against the nearest tree, pressing her forehead into the bark as if the physical pain could stop the internal one.

There!

Closing her eyes, she tried to keep her focus on the water.

God, she’s got curves. What I wouldn’t give to—

Well, that was unlike Link, she thought, turning towards him in surprise.

But his attention was still on the fire, his thoughts distracted by the color and the flicker of the flames.

Stop moving, moron. You’ll get us found out and killed.

Did I bring everything?

Don’t trip. Don’t trip. Don’t trip.

Ugh. Is… is that string in my mouth? Where’s my knife?

Is he getting his knife now? Did I miss something?

Those weren’t Link’s thoughts.

Zelda felt her breathing speed up at the overlapping voices, and instinctually, she looked around, panicked.

Did she see us?”

Oh shit.

Maybe if those morons weren’t moving so much…

Duck! Duck! Duck!

It wasn’t me!

Shakily rising to her feet, she kept her eyes on the grass in front of her as she lightly walked back towards Link and the fire.

Good, she was just moving.

Stay still moron!

Lord Ganondorf, we seek your power and approval as we approach the—

“Link,” Zelda said, crouching beside him.

He turned to her, his eyes widening. Oh, she’s close. Goddess, her eyes are… wrong. Something’s wrong. “What is it, Princess?” Cautiously, he glanced around.

Stopping him from making a scene as efficiently as she could, Zelda got comfortable beside him and pushed a piece of his hair back, the same way he’d done to her earlier. He froze, and she heard his thoughts scramble a bit. “Link, I need to tell you something incredibly important, but you can’t react. How much do you trust me?”

More than anything. “A lot. What’s happening?”

Are they together, together?

She smiled to keep up appearances, despite her terror, and Link’s mind went straight to her lips before he waited, confused but patient. She scooted closer and played with a loose strand of his hair by his ear so she could whisper. “There are Yiga here.”

Before anything else, his hand snaked around her waist, tight and tense. Shit, shit. Where? How did I miss them? There’s here, watching. It’s why she’s so close to me. They have to be close enough to read lips. Where? Bushes, trees, path, water. Idiot. I should have paid better attention. “Where are they? Did you see them?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see, but, please, trust me. They’re here. They can see us.”

His eyes scanned the area, before he turned into her hand. Hide my mouth. Hide my mouth. He turned her palm over and pressed his lips to it, though it wasn’t a kiss. His eyes were vigilant over her shoulder. “How many?”

She shuddered at the touch of his lips, but she could read his intent clearly, and it wasn’t instigating romance.

Easy distraction. We strike them when they’re vulnerable.

If I was that lucky son of a bitch, I’d already have her on her back so I could get right at—

Is that really an ant?

Four distinct voices that she could tell.

“I believe four. Maybe more, but four at minimum.”

“And they’re watching us right now?”

“Yes.”

Why wouldn’t they strike yet? What are they waiting for? Where are they? Princess Zelda can see them, so why can’t I? What are they—they’re waiting for us to be distracted. So let’s be distracted.

He pulled Zelda closer, twisting them so he had a new angle behind her to check.

He’s going to see us. Move, move!

Zelda wrapped her arms around his neck, playing with his hair so she could get close to his ear once again. “You’re facing them. They’re going to move.”

How does she know? “I thought you didn’t—” Oh shit, she’s a good actress. That feels good. Focus!

His head tilted back subconsciously as Zelda caressed his skin. She was being self-indulgent at the worst time, but her body knew that Link was never going to let her this close to him again, especially if he felt they were in this situation because of his lack of vigilance.

All her focus went into stopping her hand so Link could focus. Because she didn’t want to be killed. She had her sealing powers, but they weren’t a weapon. Perhaps she could blind them, but that would harm Link as well.

“Just trust me, they’re there.”

Something’s wrong. He’s just staring. Can he see us?

Oh, move!

Zelda sat back and scooted over so it could be assumed he was simply staring at her, perhaps in awe.

What an idiot. He’s got that practically straddling him, and he’s just going to look at her? I’d have her on my lap so fast—

—shit. I think I see them.

Zelda turned to Link expectantly, feeling his hand tighten on her waist. Even if she couldn’t hear his thoughts, she’d know. Because before the Calamity, she grew to know him.

His thoughts were wild and hard to follow, half baked plans and strategies whirling around all at once until he seemed to settle on one. But his mind quickly turned to Zelda. She could get hurt. No. Impossible. I won’t let her. His eyes settled on hers. “How much do you trust me?”

“More than anything,” she muttered, using the same words he’d thought about her.

It was enough to blank out his mind for a moment, thoughts fragmented as her name came through several times, though it wasn’t fully formed as his stream of consciousness was.

He helped her up, taking her hand in his as he led her away. “I saw something earlier that I think you’d like,” he said, much louder than his normal volume.

Why is it never a bear? It just had to be Yiga, Link thought, his grip on her tightening. She deserves better than to live with these assholes haunting her. She’s trembling. I can feel it. I’ll kill them all.

Follow them!

Ouch! What did I step on?

Idiot.

I’d kill these three myself just to shut them up.

Zelda whimpered as the voices overlapped again and again. Link’s thoughts were running wild as he analyzed his surroundings in such detail, and the Yiga following them were doing the same. Her head throbbed, and the whine that came from her throat was accidental, but it caught Link’s attention.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded, listening to his thoughts as his eyes raked over her body, looking for wounds or injuries that she might be hiding for his benefit. Because the sounds she was making were pained, and he could read her like a book most days.

She already knew what gratuitous thoughts Link had of her body on a normal day, but he had the ability to compartmentalize, a skill that loud Yiga didn’t possess as his thoughts made comments on her walk and sway while they followed through the bushes, his attention far to rapt. And while she warmed up when Link had those thoughts, she shivered when this Yiga had them.

“They’re so close,” she whispered desperately, leaning into his arm so he could listen to her words.

“I know. I can hear them now.”

He was so focused that she couldn’t get any read on his thoughts, but she did trust him more than anything, so she simply held on tighter.

Go!

Got him!

“Link!”

Link had his sword out before she’d even finished calling his name, using the surprise to his advantage and taking the first Yiga down without a second thought.

He spun his sword expertly in his hand, a taunt, while keeping Zelda in his other. With three opponents, he wasn’t going to let her be anywhere other than directly at his side.

But when he’d brought the first Yiga down, the others had panicked, their thoughts screaming louder than the roar of Calamity Ganon. Even Link was thinking so much, his attention on every detail.

It was too much. The pounding threatened to split her head open, and she collapsed to her knees, forcing her hand from Link’s so she could clutch her head, letting out a high pitched noise of pure pain.

Link moved so he was directly over her just before a vicious sickle attempted to strike at her.

—if I go left!

—that way we can—

—he’d just move—

—but I can’t see what—

—Zelda is—

—by the side of the—

—some Goddess—

—unworthy—

—kill them both then—

—got him!

Zelda’s head shot up, trying to sort the voices, or to at least hear a full sentence. At this point, she couldn’t even tell when they were Link’s thoughts, or the Yiga’s. But there was one standing just behind Link, long sword raised, and Zelda’s hand shot out, sending a burst of power at him, knocking the weapon straight out of his hands, and blinding him.

Link spun and took advantage of Zelda’s help.

She wished her magic was offensive. But even when she’d shut down the rampaging Guardians with her power, she’d simply deactivated them, not destroyed them. The Goddess’ magic wasn’t a tool for power, but an instrument of defense.

It was too much again, and Zelda cradled her head at the furious screams inside.

Goddess only knows how long she sat there, her heart thudding desperately to break free of her chest. But soon, it was silent, and through the pain, all she could feel were Link’s hands on her shoulders.

He was saying something that she couldn’t hear just yet, and she felt him guide her chin up to look at him. His face was contorted with concern, and he wiped his thumb under her nose revealing a streak of red. Almost subconsciously, her tongue darted out and confirmed that the blood was hers, dripping from her nose to her lips, so she sniffed it in.

Link pulled her up, hugging her close to him as they headed back to the fire.

His rough hands were on her neck, stroking her skin in an effort to get her attention.

The world was still blurry, but she pressed her palms into her eyes and rubbed them into focus, like someone waking up from sleep might do.

“Can we go in the tent?” she asked softly.

Nodding, Link helped her inside and set her down on her bedroll before kneeling beside ger again.

Warmth flooded through Zelda, and she held her hand out, letting the light engulf the tent. Sealing powers were meant to keep things in, and other things out. As long as they were in the tent now, with her magic forming a fortified and impenetrable barrier to allow them some peace, she finally sighed and began to hear some of Link’s thoughts. Most of them were simply concern for her, realization of what she’d just done, or reflecting on what a poor job he’d done with their security.

“Link,” she sighed, pulling at his arm. “What happened?”

“Two of them took the others and ran. You’re safe. I think. Are you okay?” he asked, this time grabbing a cloth from their bag to clean the bloodied underside of her nose.

“No.”

“We can head back. Straight to the Castle or Kakariko. Ride with me, I’ll get us there; wherever you want.”

“I can’t go to either place right now. There’s too many people.”

“What?”

“I need to tell you something. Not tomorrow, but now. Something only my father and Impa know, and something you have to swear to keep a secret.”

“On the Goddess’s soul,” he said seriously. I’d sooner let everyone in Hyrule die than betray you or your trust.

Her head was still hurting. What she really needed was to sleep. To just let her heavy eyes close and sleep it off as she always did.

She could tell that soon enough, when there was peace in his frantic mind once again, he’d ask questions of her that she couldn’t lie through.

How did she know everything, for a start.

Sliding under the blanket of her bedroll so she had something to clutch onto, she rested her chin on her knees.

“Something happened to me when I unlocked my powers during the Calamity. Or more specifically, when I unlocked the Goddess’ spirit.”

Is there a difference I should know about?

Zelda soothingly ran her hand through her hair several times. “The Goddess was omniscient. The people believed she was all knowing. But she wasn’t. No one can tell the future, but she could read the present. She had the wisdom of understanding her people. They just didn’t know how or why. But I do.”

Several questions raced through Link’s mind, but his eyes stayed locked on Zelda, waiting for the answers rather than asking what he wanted to know.

Everything came out in a rush, pouring from Zelda’s mouth so she couldn’t stop herself before she was done. “The Goddess was omniscient because she could read the thoughts of those around her. If someone didn’t believe, she knew because she could hear them thinking it. And if someone was devout, she knew. If someone didn’t like the meal they were eating, she could hear them complain.”

Quietly processing that, Link nodded, though he wasn’t agreeing. So… can she hear my thoughts?

“I can.”

What? Is she answering my thoughts?

“Yes. I am answering your thoughts, Link.”

His eyes bugged out, mouth open wide as if he needed all the air he could get.

Holy Hylia. She’s in my thoughts. You’re in my thoughts? How long?

Zelda nodded and sighed. “I unlocked my powers, and this came with it. That’s why I stayed away for so long. Too many thoughts cause me unbearable pain. I haven’t learned to get a handle on it yet, so I just stayed away. It’s why my father sent me away while there were people staying on my floor of the palace. I’ll hear them all the time, and it just hurts too badly. Yesterday, the crowd was too large. I thought my brain was going to split apart.”

Why would you want me around if you needed peace?

“You’re a peaceful presence to me. Your thoughts aren’t loud, and sometimes, you think in terms of visuals, which helps because I can’t hear a visual unless you start thinking to go with it. And honestly, I miss you. We were close before I had this curse, and I… wanted you with me, regardless.”

I’m having a conversation through my mind. This is crazy. No, you’re not crazy, Zelda, if you can hear me. I just mean, this whole thing is… a lot.

“I know. And I can’t really turn it off. I don’t know if it’s possible, but I’m not there yet if it is. So if you’re thinking it, I can hear it. It’s how I heard the Yiga. It’s why I can’t go straight into Kakariko or back home. Impa has been looking for a way to help me, but still nothing.”

Oh Goddess, what embarrassing thoughts have I had about Zelda recently?

She smirked, and he caught it.

“What have I done?” he asked, his face turning red.

“You’ve been very kind in your thoughts,” she laughed. “Though I was highly intrigued by just how much you wanted to taste that rock in the river.”

“Goddess…”

I’ve thought about her. I know I have. What have I thought about specifically? Goddess, I’ve thought so many inappropriate things.

Zelda bit her lip and waited for him to remember that she could hear everything he was thinking, especially as he tried to wrack his brain for what he might have thought. Her cheeks burned as he stared at his hands, completely oblivious. She should stop him.

“Link,” she said, despite enjoying the incredibly interesting list of things she was learning.

His eyes shot up to hers, though he noted the fine blush across her cheeks. She tapped her head lightly as a reminder.

He looked ready to either cry or throw up. Maybe both. “Hylia above,” he muttered, burying his head in his hands.

Zelda wanted to feel more sympathetic, but she couldn’t stop the giggles that burst from her lips. Though her hand shook, she ran it through his hair, feeling him twitch beneath it.

“I know this isn’t a consolation, Link, and I swear, I wouldn’t listen in on your mind if I could help it, but I can at least level the playing field. I’ve had very similar thoughts about you. You just can’t hear them.”

He groaned and shook his head. I’m not royal. You can think whatever you want of me.

“I think the world of you.”

Chuckling, Link glanced at her and smirked. “That must have been planned. You came up with that too quickly.”

“I don’t need to plan. I just think quickly.”

Link scoffed. “I wouldn’t know.”

The bedroll suddenly felt too constrained, and the tent too small.

“I don’t hold you to the things you think about, Link. I’ve seen some guards with a mustache, and wondered if kissing them would tickle and wanted to test it out, but I wouldn’t actually do that. I just thought it. So, just know that despite me hearing a few things, I don’t expect anything, and I’m not judging you for your thoughts. They’re supposed to be a private place. I learned this with my father at the beginning, when he would curse the Goddesses for what they did to me, where he wanted to tear down their statues and destroy the springs. I know he never would, but he thought it.”

“Okay. Okay, I’ve just… well, I’ve got to get my thoughts in order.”

“Once I’m asleep, I don’t usually hear anyone. You might want to use that time to your advantage.”

“Zelda,” he started, but she heard his thoughts finish his sentence before he finally found his voice again. She sat smugly, waiting. “You know I’ve thought about it, so if I were to kiss you, what would you actually do?”

“Are you offering to conduct an experiment? Because I’m always interested in the pursuit of science.”

Laughing this time, Link shook his head. “No. When I kiss you, you’re not going to expect it. That’s how good I’m going to get at keeping my thoughts tame around you.”

Her smile widened at the use of the word ‘when’. “But your other thoughts about me are so much more entertaining.”

Flushed red once again, Link crawled into his bedroll and buried his face. Just leave me here to die.

Zelda’s laugh was loud and perfect, and she knew that even in his utter shame, he wanted to hear it again.

She settled her head against her arm and closed her eyes, her cheeks hurting the longer she smiled, but she couldn’t wipe it off her face.

“Goodnight, Link. I’m looking forward to your surprise.”

Link ducked his head down and covered his eyes with the crook of his arm.

I’m sure you are, Princess.

#legend of zelda #breath of the wild #botw #botw au #link #zelda #king rhoam #zelink #mind reading #oneshot #writing #This is another 6am oneshot that I forgot to post the day I wrote it

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lady-writes · 3 years

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1 conversation between Nile and Lykon that never happened

(takes place after the events of Force Multiplied and as such has spoilers for that arc)

Nile didn't know what she expected when Andy had told them that Lykon was somehow alive after all, but the black man, barely shorter than her with a clean fade and an easy grin wasn’t it.

Andy’s stories had made him sound like a giant and for Nile hearing about how they met in Judea conjured up images of Hercules and Xena and Antony and Cleopatra. When Nile mentioned this to Lykon his laughter was clear and ringing, infectious even. She found herself smiling in spite of the somewhat grim circumstances that had brought their two little immortal enclaves together.

“There were several poets in my time who thought of me as Memnon, the Undying King of Aethopia, son of Tithonus, prince of Troy and Eos, the rising sun herself. Andromache was usually an unbeatable Amazon Queen and Quynh a nymph to those who underestimate her and a trickster goddess to those who knew better. Being a legend was nice - it certainly made getting drunk easier. Cheaper too.”

Nile took a moment to process what he said, caught up in the imagery of the three ancient immortals as pictures in one of her old books of mythology but then-

“Wait, King of Ethiopia? I didn’t know that the Greeks traveled to Africa.”

Lykon tilted his head back and forth with a wry expression on his face. “Oh, you know, trade winds, time and exploration. Every learned Greek knew there was a continent to the west of the Mediterranean, just as my people knew there were cities to the north, east and south and eventually your river, Nile,” he smiled that infectious smile again, ”And lands beyond that. But there weren’t maps or books or anything the way there would be a millennium later, just oral knowledge of our trade routes and a few scholars scribbling down mistranslations,” he shrugged. “To the Greeks all of what is now Africa was Aethiopia and much of what lay past the Sahel was a mystery.”

“Was that hard? Being black, I mean, back then in Greece.”

Lykon chuckled softly and leaned back. “I wasn't black. Black didn’t exist, not the way you mean it. I was simply Lykon, a son of the Wangara people, a hoplite merchant with a family in far off and barbarous lands. The Greeks saw Andromache and Quynh and I equally: first as foreigners and then as free people. There was nothing to judge on beyond that.”

Nile had nothing to say to that and it must have shown on her face because Lykon continued after a short, searching look at her.

“To be different, to look different had never been a problem for me, never through all of my first life. It only ever meant that I was an explorer or a trader, nothing of my character or intrinsic value. People had not created race yet. As unfathomable as that must seem to you, that’s the simplest truth. When people created tribes it was to protect their families. Then nations, to protect their cultures. Races though…”

Lykon trailed off looking pensive and troubled. Even for Nile, who had known him for less than a day, it seemed uncharacteristic. If they did age, Nile was certain that Lykon and Joe would have nothing but laugh lines and all would be right with the world.

When Lykon spoke again it was soft and subdued.

“It’s easy at this age, after so much time, to forget or grow jaded but it's a deep, deep wound to reckon with. It was one kind of horror to witness it happen, to live through the beginnings of what made the world what it is. But for you to have known nothing else...” He turned to face her, taking her hands in his own.

“It is a great crime, this thing that was taken from you - the freedom to exist without justification. I can only hope that our lives mean you’ll be able to have that dignity restored.”

Nile felt her eyes get hot and she looked down at their joined hands, trying to compose herself. His skin was blemish-free, just as her own would always be, save for a triad of letters tattooed on his forearm.

Nile found herself staring at them as she tried to regulate her breath. She had a sense of what the tattoo might be but she couldn’t fathom why. Unable to speak past the tightness in her throat, she pulled Lykon’s arm towards herself, rotating it at the wrist to turn the ink upwards, making what she hoped sounded like a questioning noise.

“Oh, tattoos aren't hard at all, though it’s easier to have them done by someone in the know. Yitzhak is quite good at them. And as long as you don't lose the limb they only need to be touched up like they might in a normal lifespan or you can let them fade away or remove them yours-”

“That's a hell of a tattoo to keep touching up, Lykon,” Nile choked out, needing him to understand.

“Ah, well… Like I said, it’s easy to forget and some things simply cannot be forgotten. We- I can't allow them to be forgotten.”

With a flash of white hot emotion, Nile was suddenly infuriated on his behalf and on behalf of herself, her family, her ancestors, God, how many people’s ancestors?

“How could Andy and Quynh act as though this was a simple part of life, a chapter they could put behind them while their brother, their lover was still bearing its marks?

“How could Andy insist that she should be able to leave this fight now, when it still isn't over and people are still being torn apart and treated like inventory? How-”

Nile felt hands on her shoulders, holding her tightly and she stopped talking. Shouting, really. Her throat was sore again. She hadn’t meant to say all of that. She hadn’t realized that she’d begun pacing or even that she had stood up.

But now Lykon stood in front of her holding her in place, just barely looking down at her. If she had worn Forces instead of Chucks they’d be the same height.

“Nile, we all atone differently. What I do, what Quynh and Andromache have done, none of it is about-”

“What do you have to atone for?! What could one person have done???”

He smiled his small wry smile again and this time it made him almost look his age, the way Andy looked aged and tired when no one was expecting her to be in charge.

“Well, I could have been one less slaver at a time when people might have been able to end the practice for good. One less person collecting bounties on people who, no matter their crimes, deserved better than lives of bondage on foreign soil. One less step towards the machine that’s made the world what it is now. I heard about your fury with Andromache. All of us ancient bastards, though, we were guilty of the same at one time or another.”

Nile was stunned silent again. She heard his words and could understand their sense but at the same time… she couldn't, he couldn't mean what he was saying.

“No, Lykon,” Nile started shaking her head, “that was different, right? It wasn't like- What you're talking about, that was different. People weren’t doomed to be slaves just because of the color of their skin or who their mother was. It wasn't like society needed- Not like- Chattel slavery was after you... well, after you d-”

“Died? No, not so much, I think.” Lykon rubbed his hands over Nile’s shoulders and pulled her into a hug with that same sad smile on his face. It reminded her of Indus, but in reverse. And just like that the tears that had been lurking for the past half an hour came flooding out of her while Lykon held her close, rubbing her back.

“I spent the better part of four centuries doing what I could to undermine the mess that we all started. It was a system that every one of us had grown up with, from the four corners of the known world, each of us with their own ways and means.”

Nile listened as he spoke to her, quietly hiccuping through her tears.

“We all grew up with slaves, what did it matter when people started being traded farther and farther from their homes? We were complacent, jaded even. After all, it was the way things had always been done. By the time indentures became partus and partus became chattel, we had no chance of wiping out the evil it had become or had truly always been. We all did what we could. Of course, I was uniquely suited to particular on-the-ground type work. Rebellions and piracy and Maroon camps and sabotage."

“After your Civil War I left-- I had already been separated from Andromache and Quynh for most of that millennia but I’d kept in touch. But after Haiti and Britain and that.... I couldn't just come back to the fold after everything I saw and lived through. I didn’t even know about Quynh. I just ran back to my home to find that the same evil was happening in new ways. It was enough to make me want to walk into the bushland and never come back. Which I did for a very long time.

“We’ve all spent so much time fighting the same fight, and Andromache is not the titan she makes herself out to be. She is a very very very old woman and she has seen far too much, so you can imagine the kind of stress she’s under.”

Nile laughed more out of surprise than anything else, and pushed herself off of Lykon’s chest.

“Honestly no I can’t,” she said looking down while she wiped the last of the wetness from her face

“Neither can I.” Lykon murmured, with all the weight of the world behind it.

#the old guard #TOG POC Love Fest #nile freeman #lykon #the old guard fic #black people talking about black things

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junova · 4 years

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↬ 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 | 𝐫. 𝐝𝐫𝐲𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐞

abstract — the one where ransom gets a taste of his own medicine, but you happen to be so much sweeter than he’s ever been.

pairing — ooc!ransom drysdale x fem!reader

wc — 4.1k+ im so sorry lmao

warnings — cheating (if u squint its very vague), angst, fluff, slight self deprecation, ransom is kinda nice idk, i want a soft!ransom drysdale now pls, this is also very messy so read at ur own risk!

[m blabs] — howdy howdy! first time ransom fic. woot woot! still kinda finding my voice w writing so i hope you like it! <333

His mouth set in a hard line as you continued to curl into his chest, the span of your confidence seemed to be wiped away with a nightmare from the past. Part of him was upset you hadn’t told him anything, the blind leading the blind, as you stepped foot into his family event. Seeing the last person you’d ever thought would be there.

Surely by now, he thought you would trust him but it was more than evident you still didn’t. You persisted on hiding everything from him, anything you were sure might tick him off.

Well, Ransom wasn’t necessarily known for biting his tongue. Although, in your presence, he was learning what to say and where to say it.

It really surprised him. Not one woman had been able to tame him, not since he’d be fucking everyone in sight. His desire was endless and not one single individual would be enough for his fill.

Then, he found you drunk and sobbing on the concrete, right outside of the bar he was exiting. To this day, he still couldn’t tell you why he stopped for you. He never really paid attention to anyone if it wasn’t to his own benefit. Ultimately, meeting you was, even if he wouldn’t realize it then.

You flinched from his touch when he patted your shoulder, gently asking if you were alright. If anyone asked him, Ransom would surely deny he felt you pull at the strings of his heart in an instant.

He just knew.

Maybe it’s why it took him so long to accept it, to believe in what he felt for you. Definitely not because you did nothing but be the most wonderful human he’d ever met. More had to do with him.

Ransom dropped you off the first night you met in your small apartment downtown, definitely on the rougher side where he thought his Rolex sporting his wrist may get stolen.

A cute little thing like you living in a neighborhood like this — didn’t make much sense to him. Then again, it certainly checked out with his privilege why he didn’t.

Truly, Ransom didn’t realize how fortunate he truly was. Of course being a trust fund brat gave him the ignorance to live in an unmatched state of bliss.

He still remembers the moment.

Watching as you fumbled with your keys, finding it more than difficult to open your front door. It was cute, with your tongue poking out between your lips in concentration. Now, he wondered how he’d forgotten why he’d gone to get hammered at the bar in the first place.

“Here, let me help.” New to Ransom, he offered a giving hand. Grabbing the key from your jittering fingertips before unlocking your door. He tried to hand you back your keys, but you pulled him so close, your chest touching his own. Dragging two rapid hearts through your apartment.

“You smell like him.” A dopey smile on your face lighting every dark sight of Ransom, not that you’d know it did. “I smell like who?”

“My ex-boyfriend.” Your hands cupping his cheek, but you were too drunk to realize how Ransom flinched from your touch.

He didn’t push you away either.

“But he definitely didn’t look this good.” Defying all laws of his own nature, Ransom let you stay in close proximity to him as you felt him up. Your hand resting on his chest, traveling lower stopping at his stomach. “Definitely didn’t feel this good.”

He watched as you sighed, your puffy eyes were only slightly swollen and the mascara was still staining your skin with the rest of the makeup you wore. If anyone had asked him, you’d looked like a wreck but he still found you alluring.

Ransom always liked his women looking more than fucked out, usually from gagging around his cock. Not crying over a broken heart. Nope. He definitely did not like dealing with a woman's sorrow.

“He never let me touch him though. Guess that should have tipped me off.” You let your hands travel back up, wounding themselves around his neck before they applied more pressure — pulling him into you.

Ransom found you pretty confident for not even knowing anything more than his first name and the car he drove you in. You were definitely craving attention and maybe he’d be more than happy to oblige but the little voice in his head Dr. Shoal told him to listen to was being a pestering, little bitch.

What did Ransom want?

Right now he wanted to drown himself in some sweet ass pussy. He knew you would give yourself easily to him, especially in your drunken state. Clinging onto him like he was a vine.

The smaller part of him, the better part, knew you were drunk out of your mind. Absolutely plastered, but you had to stand there looking like a goddess.

He didn’t really know why he was letting you touch him, maybe in hopes the deeper, darker side of him would win like it always did. Ransom knew better, even if he tried to hide it from everyone including himself.

He liked you. From the very first moment, he knew he’d have to get you. Whether it cost your own sanity or his, Ransom didn’t care.

It’s why he left you drunk and alone, safely tucked into the comfort of your sheets with his number left in your phone. Even taking the liberty of texting himself from it.

He could never be too careful. Letting you slip through his fingers was simply not an option.

Thanks to him, you didn’t forget about him.

The next morning your memory only held vague images of a handsome stranger helping you home, thankfully he seemed to be nothing more than a doting gentlemen. The first for you to ever come across.

Until later in the afternoon the following day, Ransom introduced himself and checked up on you, worming his presence into your life.

Then he kept talking to you everyday, surprising even himself in the matter. Truly, he couldn’t help it. Part of him loved how gently you spoke to him on the phone. No one ever talked to him with such a level of care.

He always warranted yelling, usually he was the one who stirred the pot. He enjoyed it, and thrived in a chaotic environment. It’s what he grew up in. Ransom was more than comfortable with his own family yelling and cursing him out until the sun came up. He did just the same.

So, whenever you sweetly asked him how he was, it threw him off guard.

Not a single soul even cared or bothered to ask him anything. Truth be told, Ransom was a sack of shit treating everyone like they were the gum beneath his shoe. It didn’t matter who talked to him — Ransom was simply more superior in every conceivable way.

He would succumb to not a single soul. Paving his own way through life, with only the money from his trust fund of course.

Then the two of you fell into each other and he could pinpoint the exact moment he did.

The weeks and months blended together. He couldn’t really tell you why he was still lingering around, while he got nothing in return. You did get him off once or twice, but he wasn’t fucking you like he really wanted to.

Maybe it was the innocence in your eyes pulling his soul into the very little good he still had left within him. Or maybe it was the way your thumb dragged over his cheek when you thought he was in slumber, blissfully unaware of your touch.

More importantly his favorite thing, the way you let him hold you when the two of you cuddled. Your arms wrapped tightly around his waist, bouncy cheeks pressed into whatever knit sweater he decided to wear that day.

It was all the little things, unknowingly making him fall in deep like he never had before.

Unwelcoming to him, his mother came barreling in one Sunday afternoon, while you slept in his arms. Even as Linda screamed his name, you never jolted, out like a log. Safe in the peace he kept you in.

Linda looked annoyed, irritated he even had company in the first place but not surprised. What truly shocked her was they both had clothes on. Not truly believing Ransom was capable of such a sinless interaction.

He knew what she wanted; he didn’t even have to move from his position to continue a private conversation. Not that it would get him off the couch, and out of your embrace in the first place.

“I said no. Don’t know why you bothered coming here.” Linda angrily sighed. “You should at least show up.”

Ransom didn’t notice, but subconsciously continued to run his fingertips up and down your spine. Linda did. She noticed that he didn’t even care she was judging him, but let you remain unbothered sleeping in her son’s embrace.

“It’s for Walt. You need to be there.” She stepped closer, hoping the increase in her volume would wake you. “I expect you to grace us with your wonderful presence as does the rest of the family.”

The sarcasm dripped, attempting to coax him out of the four walls he never seemed to leave. Not recently, anyhow.

“I already told you, I can’t.” Now Ransom was irritated and he really wished she would calm the fuck down. It was one day, one event. There would always be another, that much wasn’t lost on him. “I have plans. Send him my best.”

Assuming it was the rumbling of his chest when he spoke, you moved jolting yourself in his arms, before remaining still again. His heartbeat continues to soothe you.

“You have plans? What else could be more important than your family?” The louder Linda’s voice grew the more you stirred, pissing him off.

He really needed to change his locks.

Even if he had no intention of going, he needed his mother to leave. Really for your own sake — trying to save you from Linda giving you a cold shoulder followed with a third degree burn.

“Fine. I’ll go. Can you just leave?” She accepted Ransom’s submission, before looking at your figure. Sound asleep and clinging to her one and only, sinking your claws into him.

She really didn’t like the way Ransom was looking at you. Linda was positive he would never be able to care about someone other than himself, but here he was, holding you close to his chest.

Almost like his life depended on it.

“Who is she to you?” With a raised eyebrow, eyes narrowing to you before meeting back with Ransom’s cerulean blues.

“I don’t know yet.” Ransom paused looking down at you, so beautiful. Holding a light so pure, so radiant; he hoped no matter how cruel he could be, he’d never act like that towards you. “Maybe someone I don’t deserve, but want to be better for.”

His rough, calloused fingers drawing mindless patterns on the exposed skin of your waist. He didn’t know what Linda said next or when she left.

Time seemed to stand still, his confession hitting his chest fiercely. He let himself sit with it for a moment, before you woke up. Enjoying a moment where he didn’t have to deal with anything, he didn’t have to say a word.

He could just enjoy the moment without eyes judging him or you questioning why his eyes seemed to shine just a bit brighter whenever you were around.

It was the first of many. Moments where he felt small pieces of himself chipped away into your care. Planes of existences within him no one had ever scratched the surface of.

Much like right now as you cried into his chest, begging for mercy.

Because you were afraid. Terrified you had made the worst mistake, an unforgivable one. You lied about your past and to Ransom it felt like more than a betrayal. More accurately he felt a dagger in his heart placed strategically with your murderous hands.

He’d never felt such empathy and pain at once. Maybe he’d never been empathetic a day in his life at all.

Until now.

To make matters worse, he knew his entire family was watching the whole scene from the window. It wasn’t from worry or concern for either one of you. Mainly all of them enjoying pain being inflicted on Ransom.

Linda of course wallowing in her ego, he could practically see her bask in her own pride. Another thing she’d been right about checked off the list.

The rest of the family watched the two of you fight with shiteating grins permanently stamped on their face. They’d never seen Ransom care about anyone but you. To watch the relationship he held so close to his heart blow up so publicly, only fueled the fire to Ransom’s rage.

Except Harlan.

Even through his hot, beating anger Ransom was trying his best to comfort you. To calm you down even if you had been the one to be caught red handed. Harlan couldn’t believe it, someone Ransom seemed to care about more than himself.

More than any of his family. Not that Harlan was offended. Well, maybe a little, but more so he was thrilled his grandson finally found someone he had to grow up for. Someone he had to earn, not buy.

No bribes. No schemes. No games.

Just you.

“Hugh, please talk to me.” How could he? It’s not like he had much to say. Maybe he did, he just wasn’t sure how to get the words out without hurting you or himself.

“I know I lied and I fucked up, but please — we need to talk about it.” Soft hands reaching for his own, but he brushed them off, his hands snaked higher on your waist. “We should have talked about this the moment you met me.”

Dead silence is all you were met with as he walked the fine line of pushing you away, leaving you behind and pulling you closer than he ever had.

“You’re right. I should have told you the truth but can you blame me?” He met you with solemn eyes and his own heart beating rapidly. “Yes I can.” Ransom was trying to act cold and distant but the two windows to his soul told a different story.

“That’s fair.” Even as he was holding you, Ransom still felt like he was a galaxy away. He was withholding himself from you like a turtle retracting into their own protection. A year ago, before he met you, he knew he would have never even recognized it.

Now, you made it possible for him to be aware of just how much he had changed. He broke old habits of his own just to please you so when you disappointed him, this unreachable high standard he held you to, it shattered his sense of self.

“Did you still love him?” Ransom questioned you. “I did. At the time, he’s all I ever really knew. I thought that’s what love felt like. The only image of love I had was the one he gave me. So, I ran with him and it crushed me.”

Ransom had to pretend the words you were speaking didn’t split him into you two. The image of you falling in love with someone else was enough to make him wanna strangle your ex.

His friend.

“Then we just got into one really big blow out. Right in the bar in front of all of his friends I had met for the first time that night.” You reached for a chunk of his sweater, clenching the material in your hand, like you were trying to convince yourself to let the words fall from your mouth.

“He told me how much I’d been irritating him and I couldn’t help but notice every girl he flirted with and touched right in front of me.” You tested the waters, placing both of your hands over his chest, the beat of his heart calming you down.

“Then I just cracked. It was only one of the many fights we’d been having over the course of the past few months. Everyone single argument pushed me closer to the edge, until the last one actually did.” You sighed, watching as he frowned.

“I ended things that night, before getting thoroughly plastered and soon enough crying on the cement. Wasted and lonely out of my mind, until I met you.” You moved your hand from his heart, cupping his clean shaven face.

“You made me realize I never knew what love really meant or felt like.” This piqued Ransom’s interest.

You said love.

Could a tragedy bring out the words Ransom craved to hear more than anything in the world?

Maybe you cared about him, more than anyone ever showed him. But loved him? How could someone be as hateful as him be worthy of someone like you?

Even if you had broken his heart, he’d done far worse to more people than he could count. He wasn’t really in a place to judge but it didn’t change the fact it still hurt. A lot.

“Hugh.” You heard him gulp rather loudly. “Yes?” His tone came out as more of a question than a response.

The silence he gifted you was unsettling at the very least. “You've barely said a word.” He was surprised he didn’t scurry off in his beamer the second he saw the guilt reach your eyes.

He was surprised he hadn’t let his anger take over and let the rage he felt inside body take it all out on you.

He was surprised he somehow couldn’t inflict a single hateful word towards you, even as you sat with his heart in your hands.

In pure bliss of just how much you owned him.

“I hate it. This fucking corner you’ve back me into. Not to mention for the prying eyes of my entire family to watch the show.” The sharp tone he uses sensoring you. “You used me just to get back at him.”

“Like I was some pawn in your game and I really even shouldn’t be mad.” He paused, trying to choose his words as carefully as he can. “I’ve done the same thing to so many different women. Used them and threw them out at my earliest inconvenience.” To your surprise, even Ransom’s, a single tear left his eye showing you how much you really meant to him.

You hated yourself for letting it get to this point.

“But you? I could never even think about hurting you. I could never live with myself if I treated you like everyone else because you’re so much more than that to me.” The tears continued to roll. The dame Ransom kept shut his entire life, opened because of you and he just wanted to make it stop.

He would give anything — even you.

He just wanted to not feel like a piece of shit for once in his life. For a moment, he thought he might have a chance to be something more than the picture he portrayed in everyone’s mind. You showed him maybe it was more complex than it seemed.

“I just assumed I was that for you.” You sighed in frustration, softly wiping his tears away. “You are, though. You are more than that.”

“Then how could you be so okay with lying to me?” The crease between his eyebrows only created more of an indention as he felt the anger trying to escape out of him.

You let the tension get to you first.

“Because I-I was scared if I told you the truth, you’d never tell me.” You puzzled him once again. You softly reach up between his furrowed eyebrows, the pad of your thumb smoothing it out.

“Tell you what?” His mind was clouded with the possibilities of what he could have missed.

“I can’t spell this one out for you.” You were tired of being the one to do everything first. Even if your intentions weren’t free from fault once you realized who he was, your feelings for him were anything but.

“I don’t know what you want from me. You only let me fall for you because you knew how much it would hurt him.” He bit back, growing impatient and tired. “Any other time, I would have cared. Probably would have been more than happy to assist. But you made me-”

Then Ransom cut himself off, jumping out of the swing and away from you.

“I’m sorry. I can’t do this. I thought I could.” He literally sprinted to his beamer, but you chased him.

You were hell bent and just as crazy as he was. Maybe it’s why it worked for as long as it did.

“Hugh! Get back here.” You were running, thankful you’d gone for a more casual outfit today, the sneakers supporting your feet far better than the heels you’d usually wear.

Maybe if it was someone with a normal childhood upbringing you would have just cut your losses but this was someone who chose to be called Ransom.

This was someone who chose to run away from love and care because the only affectionate way he knew how to treat someone was to throw money at them.

This was someone who had the communication of a ten year old because that’s when his own mother didn’t bother to mess with him anymore before sending him off to boarding school.

This was someone who didn’t know how to love — and to be loved.

By the time you caught up to him his was digging for his keys, but he couldn’t fucking find them.

“Hugh Ransom Drysdale.” Your tone was sharp and he knew you meant business. “For once in your life, stop running away.”

“Why not? What good has it ever done for me to stay?” His back was facing you, his broad shoulders stilled with the rest of his body. Almost like he was ashamed of what he was hiding.

“I can’t speak for everyone else. I can’t speak for your mother or for Richard. For Harlan or for anyone else you thought might abandon you and really did.” You inched you way closer until you knew he felt how close you were to him.

“I can only speak for me.” Giving yourself, the final piece of you to a man who might run away from it.

You were so close he felt your breath on his back, and it made him tremble. He was shaking, terrified of it all. You didn’t let him be for long.

Intertwining your fingers with his, as he kept them at his sides, rubbing your thumb along the palm of his hand.

“I’m sorry for the way I hurt you. Lied to you. You never deserved it. Never.” You thought it would be easier if he didn’t have to look at you while pouring your heart out to him. A theory proved to be right as he gave your hand a squeeze.

“You’ve done nothing but treat me like a princess. You’ve done right by me, more than anyone else I’ve ever met in my life. It made me feel inadequate. My dark secret, always looming over us like a dark cloud of my own personal doing.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t done the proper thing by us and made you feel like I used you. You had every right to feel it because I did.” You took a deep breath, mustering up the courage to face whatever the future held for the two of you.

“I never expected to fall in love with a trust fund, playboy brat.” You felt him take a deep breath, like a breath he’d be holding all his life could finally be set free.

“I love you, Hugh.” The next thing you knew he had you pushed up against the car, lips hungrily attacking your own.

All forgiven because you love him. You actually were in love with him.

He couldn’t fathom it really because you’d been the first. To accept him just as he was. The first to refuse to call him Ransom because you like the way Hugh rolled off your tongue better.

You liked how he felt on your tongue, too.

The first to tell him Fran and Marta should call him Hugh because you wanted to be the only one who got to. The first woman to cook for him, willingly and not attached to the Thrombey payroll.

The first woman he had ever fallen in love with.

The first one he’d stick around and not run away for.

So, he kissed you. Hard. Softly whispering how much he loved you into the kiss, because maybe he wasn’t ready to say it outright. Loud and proud.

Yet, he felt it with every bone of his body — no longer lost in the blues.

taglist: @tonystankschild @parkastoria @tinylumpiaa @brattycherubwrites

#im so anxious to post this #bc i dont really love it but.......#here we go folks.#i rewrote it too many times sksksk 💀#not doing it again #ransom drysdale #ransom drysdale x reader #ransom drysdale smut #ransom drysdale fluff #ransom drysdale fic #ransom drysdale one shot #ransom drysdale fanfiction #chris evans #chris evans x reader #m.writes

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mandoalorian · 4 years

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I Believe In Love [Maxwell Lord x F!Reader] — Ten: Justice

Summary: When you find your calling to leave Themyscira, you venture out to the World of Man with intentions of helping and healing a very specific person’s relationship with his son. You’ve heard his voice before, but only in dreams. You’ve felt his pain and anguish and you’ve never been able to relate to anything more. But things don’t come easy for you, and they certainly don’t come easy for him either. [This series contains spoilers for WW84 and is my interpretation of what happens after the movie ends].

Warnings: so many tears, mention of child neglect and abuse, child custody battle, court. This is essentially the chapter we’ve all been waiting for. I’m so nervous to post this so please let me know what you think and, as always, reblogs are very much appreciated.

Word count: 5000>

Masterlist

Previous - Chapter Ten - Next

Just like the past few days, you had been rudely awoken by a phone call from Diana Prince. This time, you were back in Maxwell’s king sized bed in D.C., with Alistair sandwiched between you and Max.

“Di?” You asked, rubbing your tired eyes.

“Barbara is here. Now. You have to come over. I’m trying to get her to renounce her wish but she’s fighting back. Come in your Amazonian gear and don’t forget your lasso. Hurry!” she exclaimed before hanging up.

You yawned and put the phone back on the hook. You could stay in bed with Alistair and Maxwell forever but, if Diana needed your help, you had to provide. You followed her instructions and headed out without saying anything to Max. You shouldn’t be too long anyways, you decided. Everything would be okay.

***

When Maxwell eventually woke up and you weren’t by his side, he was confused. In fact, to say he was devastated would have been an understatement. Today was his big court date-- the battle where he’d fight for Alistair’s custody. He had faith you’d be there, just like you promised. Only, there was one small thought haunting him in the very back of his mind.

What if you had become too powerful for this world? What if you already had to go back to Themyscira? No. It would be fine-- Max reassured himself. Maxwell got all suited up and Raquel came to the door.

“Thank you for agreeing to watch Alistair.” Maxwell sighed, adjusting his cufflinks.

“It’s really no problem, Mr. Lord.” Raquel smiled graciously, taking Alistair’s hand.

“Daddy?” Alistair asked, his eyes glossy with unshed tears.

“Yeah buddy?”

“I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this, but I really hope you win today.” Alistair confessed before turning around and leaving with Raquel.

***

“You… Diana!?” You shouted, running up to Barbara and untying her from the bed. Barbara’s eyes locked onto you as you helped release her. “Hey listen… I don’t know what’s going on but I’m your friend. I don’t want to hurt you.” you promised, locking your gaze onto her ocean blue eyes. The colour alone was enough to remind you of the beautiful oceans back on Themyscira.

A tear slipped down Barbara’s cheek and you quickly wiped it away, smoothing out her blonde wavy hair. “I feel so foolish,” she choked out, shaking her head. “Just for once I wanted to be the greatest. And all to prove a point.”

“It’s okay,” you shushed her, cautiously wrapping your arms around her and pulling her into a hug. You wanted to be careful not to smother her. Barbara had done terrible things, no different to Max, but you knew that it wasn’t really them. That they were both possessed by the power of the wish. “Did you speak to Diana?” you asked eventually, truly wondering where your sister was. She’d called you and yet she wasn’t here.

“I came after her… for-- for the dreamstone,” Barbara confessed as her tears soaked your tunic. “She told me it had been destroyed but that’s… that’s impossible.”

You exhaled. “No Barbara, it’s true. Max and I… we--” you tried to explain but Barbara cut you off.

“Babajide said only true love can--”

“I know.” you sighed, looking down at your feet.

“Oh.” Was the only sound Barbara could bear to omit. “You love him?”

You smiled weakly and nodded your head. “I’ve never really been in love before, I don’t think. But I have this feeling in my heart and no words can describe it. I’ve read about it in mythology… like the story of Orpheus and Eurydice and when I’m with Max I just feel… complete. I feel whole.”

“I know the feeling because I feel it too.” Barbara sniffed, pulling off you and crossing her arms over her chest. You could immediately tell that she was feeling vulnerable.

“You do?”

“With Diana.” Barbara confirmed.

“...You-- you’re in love with Diana?” You asked with a small gasp.

“I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life.” Barbara sighed into admittance.

“Then you will know that love is the most powerful thing in the world. Barbara… if you renounce your wish then--”

“I know.” Barbara whimpered, rubbing her tearful eyes.

“The wish might have given you all this power, but I promise you there is nothing more powerful than the love you have for Diana,” you reassured Barbara and took her hands. “And the love she has for you.”

“The-- what?” Barbara asked.

“I’m the goddess of family, Barbara, I have a pretty good judgement of knowing when somebody is in love. I see the way she looked at you in the tomb back in Athens. You could have something so beautiful together,” you smiled, giving Barbara’s hands a light squeeze. “Renounce your wish. For Diana.”

Barbara turned and looked out the window, her lips trembling before she looked back at you. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I renounce my wish.” she declared, and you felt a breeze-- and wind, almost, gush through your hair. The grip on her hand became electric and you pulled off her, noticing the way your body began to glow. Barbara’s eyes snapped open and her jaw slackened as she watched your feet leave the ground. You were floating, a glittering golden aura similar to the lasso of truth highlighting your entire body. It was blinding.

The walls of Diana’s apartment began to crumble around you and you eventually fell to the ground. Barbara gasped upon seeing you again. “You-- you’re outfit. You’re glowing…”

You looked down at yourself and your eyes widened in disbelief. Your typical Amazonian tunic had literally changed colours. What was once brown, was now gold, red and blue-- the traditional colours of a child of Zeus. “Like Diana,” Barbara mumbled. “It’s beautiful.”

You couldn’t help but smile as you admired the way your new armour looked. The Gods had blessed you with this transformation, and that must have meant you had done something right. You had gotten Barbara to renounce her wish, after all.

No, love was what had gotten Barbara to renounce her wish.

But the walls around you were still crumbling down and the ground beneath you was splitting. “Oh my-- Barbara. I have to go. I’ve already overstayed my welcome.” you said in a panic.

“What? I’m sure Diana doesn’t mind you being here.” Barbara replied, scratching the back of her neck in bewilderment.

“No. The World of Man… I’m too powerful I-- I have to return to Themyscira,” you said in a fluster. You remembered that Diana told you-- with the combination of both of your lassos, you could create a portal that would ensure you returned back home safely. “I have to go now.”

“What about Max?” Barbara asked, standing up and staring at you.

Shit, Max.

The court case.

You were already so late.

“Barbara, I have to go. Keep Diana informed. I-- I have to go see Max and tell him… tell him…”

“Tell him you love him.” Barbara confirmed.

Could you really do that when you were leaving so soon? You opened the window and unravelled your lasso of truth before signalling one final goodbye to Barbara. In a panic you flew out the window and glided through the air, overhead the bustling city beneath you. You had to get to court, at least before the verdict. You couldn’t let him down.

***

“Can both parties please rise?” Judge Edward Wilson requested.

Maxwell felt sick to his stomach. You weren’t here. You were supposed to be here; fixing all of this. You had promised. And you were nowhere in sight. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fingers into a fist. He heard the scraping of the chairs as Julianna and Theodore stood. He followed their actions just a few moments after. It was fine. He could do this without you. Maxwell had come from nothing and he had gotten this far in life completely alone, he could do it again. Maxwell took a deep breath and flattened his suit down before shooting the judge one of his charming, albeit fake, television smiles. The judge grinned, excited to be working on a case with the Max Lord.

“Your honor, I am Theodore Thomas, esteemed family lawyer and I will be representing Miss Julianna Grey on this child custody case.” Ted introduced himself, holding himself high and mighty.

“I’m Julianna Grey, your honor. I’m the biological mother of Alistair Lorenzano and I am here today to request full custody of my son.”

The judge nodded in understanding before turning to Maxwell. “O-oh,” Max shuffled uncomfortably upon realising it was his turn to speak. He looked at the jury of twelve that sat before him. Twelve randomly selected members of the public who were about to learn his true identity. The identity he had kept so well hidden for the last twenty years. “I’m Maxwell Lor-Lorenzano and I’m the biological father of Alistair Lorenzano,” he looked back at Julianna and Theodore who were glaring in his direction. “And I am here today to tell you that I love my son so much.” Maxwell exclaimed.

Judge Edward Wilson adjusted the brimless reading glasses that sat on the curve of his nose. “Mr Lorenzano, you do agree to the case proceedings that will be occurring today, yes?”

“Yes. I do.” Maxwell affirmed, placing both his palms flat on the oak wood table.

“And you do not have an attorney?” Judge Wilson quizzed further.

Maxwell sighed. You should be here. “No I do not. But if possible, may I request a publicly funded attorney?”

“Now now,” Judge Wilson reprimanded, pointing his finger. “I will be the judge of whether or not Mr Lorenzano’s lack of care is sufficient for the transferral of custody.”

The jury murmured amongst themselves, questioning whether or not Max Lord didn’t have a jury because he was broke. They raised their eyebrows, judging the businessman who stood before them. “Unfortunately, with this being a civil case, you are not entitled to a publicly funded attorney.” The Judge hummed, rearranging his stack of papers.

“With all due respect, your honor, we gave Mr Lorenzano ample time to find a representative for this case. This right here is an example of Mr Lorenzano’s lack of care for the minor child in question. If he wanted to even stand a chance at gaining custody of Alistair, he would’ve gotten a lawyer.” Theodore scoffed incredulously whilst Julianna tried her hardest to suppress her smirk. Maxwell knotted his eyebrows together as furiosity consumed him.

Thankfully, Judge Wilson knew better to just dismiss his comment. He turned to Maxwell. “Mr Lorenzano, you said you were ‘busy doing other things’, indicating that those other things are the reason you did not find an attorney to represent your side of the case. May I ask what those things were? Perhaps a work commitment? Or a family commitment?”

Maxwell was still glaring at Theodore for his out of pocket comment. “I care about Alistair, so much.” Maxwell told the court, but his dark eyes were trained only on his ex wife and her current boyfriend. “I would argue that a week in advance is not enough time to hire a lawyer and familiarise themselves with the facts of this case. I was busy doing other things.”

“Facts?” Theodore laughed. “Your honor, Mr Lorenzano knows nothing about ‘facts’. This man is deceitful. He has built his whole career on lies. Don’t you think young Alistair deserves two good role models to look up to? For example, a stay at home mother such as Julianna who can give him her full attention and care, and a family lawyer such as myself, who fights for justice in society?” Maxwell felt nauseated as he was being forced to hear the absolute bullshit Theodore was spouting out. He was painting himself as some kind of hero to a courtroom who knew no different. But that’s what Theodore Thomas did the best. And that was why he was the most successful lawyer in Washington D.C.

“Uh,” Maxwell squeezed his eyes shut. “Not exactly. It’s complicated, your honor. I was in Athens with a friend.” He hated the way the revelation left his lips. But it was the truth. And if he had learned one thing from Diana, it was that the truth is beautiful. But was truth going to win the case?

Judge Wilson blinked momentarily as silence filled the courtroom. A smile flexed upon Theodore’s lips. “You were in Athens with a friend?” Judge Wilson repeated, gritting his teeth.

“Yes, your honor.” Maxwell sighed in admittance.

“Mr Lorenzano,” Judge Wilson addressed Max before glancing towards the jury who were taking notes. “I hope you realise this does not sound good in your favour.”

Maxwell cursed in his mind. Of course it didn’t. He’d gone with you to Athens to help you find and destroy the dreamstone. But he couldn’t say that in court. Hell, he couldn’t say that to anyone. You trusted him with your secret and he wasn’t going to expose you like that. Then again, you had broken your promise. You hadn’t shown up in court. You lied to him. And Maxwell was hurting a lot. He felt betrayed. Nevertheless, he still loved you so much. No doubt the jury would even believe the fact a magical goddess came into Max’s life and encouraged him to accompany her to Athens to destroy a wish-granting stone possessed by the God of Lies. That would just be ridiculous.

Maxwell didn’t reply. “On that note,” Judge Wilson grimaced before turning back to face Julianna and Theodore. “I ask that the claimant address all their points as to why they believe Mr Lorenzano is an unfit father to Alistair Lorenzano.”

Julianna clapped her hands excitedly. Maxwell figured she must have spent her entire life preparing herself for this moment. Max knew that he’d likely have to sit through possibly hours of Julianna and her sleazeball of a boyfriend demonizing him and pushing him down. Nothing new. But when it came to illustrating the point whether or not Maxwell was an unfit father, he didn’t want to hear it. To Max, Alistair was an angel. He deserved the best and Maxwell had always wanted to be the best for his son. None of this would’ve happened if Max hadn’t been led down such a dark path in the first place. Yes, Maxwell often doubted his capability as a parent, but at least he was trying to change. Julianna didn’t even care about Alistair. She was a neglectful mother, always dumping Alistair upon Max without warning so she could spend time with Ted or go shopping with her friends. Maxwell loved his son more than anything else in the whole world.

“Mr Lorenzano, as I’m sure you all know, is what I’d once describe to be a ‘successful’ businessman. Now I personally think he’s just a businessman,” Theodore smirked and Maxwell rolled his eyes. “He’s a television personality who goes by Max Lord. He’s a liar. A con man. Not only has he lied about his identity to the whole world, but he’s tricked the weak minded into investing into his ponzi-scheme.”

“Hey!” A juror interrupted. “I invested in Black Gold Cooperative!”

“Well-I mean, obviously you’re not weak minded.” Theodore quickly backtracked.

“He did just call you weak minded.” Maxwell muttered with a shrug of his shoulders. The juror frowned and sat back down.

An hour passed and both Julianna and Theodore were still taking turns to drag Max down. He felt like giving up. You were his only hope, and you weren’t even there. “Mr Lorenzano,” Judge Wilson began. “Do you have any objections to the claimants allegations?”

“Yes, I object to it all!” Max exclaimed.

“I should rephrase,” Judge Wilson sighed. “Are they telling the truth about you?”

They were. They hadn’t lied. They’d compiled a list of all of Maxwell’s mistakes, errors, and flaws. They had him backed up into a corner he couldn’t get out of. On occasions, were they making a mountain out of a molehill? Of course. But were they honest? Yes. Maxwell had fucked up.

“They are.” Maxwell nodded, his knees becoming weak with anxiety.

“Okay,” The Judge replied, his tone dripping with disappointment and perhaps even sadness. “It’s now your turn to speak, Mr Lorenzano. Although I have no doubt the jury has already come to a decision.”

Maxwell turned to face the jury who were looking at him with identical stone cold expressions. Like he was some kind of villainous monster. A lying criminal. And it was all thanks to Theodore’s stupid little speech.

“Uhm,” Maxwell stood up and brushed down his suit again before walking over to the jury. “Theodore is right. I have done bad things and I have lied to many people. I’m not perfect, but I’m trying to get better. For my son. For Alistair. He gives my life hope and reason and purpose. I believe that he makes me a better person. I’m not sure if any of you have kids of your own but you know how hard the pressure can be. The truth is, I never considered myself a family man. I never wanted children but when Alistair came into my life… for the first time I felt like the universe was on my side,” Maxwell took the polaroid out of his pocket and slid it over for the jury to look at. “This was the day he was born. I had never felt so much love.” Maxwell smiled faintly at the memory.

“Quit it with your sob story.” Theodore moaned, rolling his eyes.

“Let Mr Lorenzano speak.” Judge Wilson snapped back. Max nodded his head with gratitude.

“I never used to believe in love before Alistair was born. And then recently, I got lost. Things didn’t make sense and my mind became clouded with just about all the wrong things. And then this girl came into my life and she reminded me of how it feels to love and be loved in return. So now I do. I believe in love. I believe that love conquers all. That love can end all wars and quash all hatred in the world. Please, I ask that you empathize with me. We’ve all made mistakes. If I could go back and fix it I would in a heartbeat. But I can’t and I don’t know what I’d do if I lost Alistair.” Max croaked, letting a real, genuine tear slip down his cheek.

Silence filled the courtroom and deciding that Maxwell had nothing else to say, he sat back down in his seat. He knew he’d lost. You weren’t there to help him. He had no attorney. And like Diana had warned him; the consequences of his actions lay in his fate with Alistair. He was going to lose the little boy he loved so much. His only son.

Maxwell knew he was a lot of things but he was not an unfit father. He was prepared to give Alistair the world. An unfit father would be his own father. A man who spent his days drunk and abusing him and his mother. Both physical and mental torture. Max would never ever do that to Alistair. Ever. He tried so hard to be a positive, influential figure to Alistair because he never had one himself.

“I believe the jury has come to a conclusion,” Judge Wilson announced, taking a painful amount of time to open the envelope that had been handed to him. “The jury have decided that full custody of Alistair Lorenzano will be granted to Juli-”

“STOP!” You screamed, using your full force to push open the sturdy double doors that led into the courtroom.

The scene ahead was something straight out of a courtroom drama movie. Maxwell’s jaw dropped upon the sight of you and the jury gasped, muttering words of bewilderment amongst each other as you ran up to Max. And oh, you were a sight.

Maxwell didn’t know what happened, but there you were, dressed in red, blue and gold. He pinned it down to an Amazonian warrior’s outfit, for sure, because there was no way any Sears’ or Macy’s or Bloomingdales’ would sell anything like that. You were sparkling, your tiara fit perfectly on your head and your gladiator sandals tied in neat ribbons to your kneecaps. You looked like a real-life Goddess. In your element.

“I thought you weren’t coming,” Maxwell gasped as you ran into his arms. You hugged him tight and he tried to hold back his cries. “Thought… you’d already gone back to Themyscira.”

The thought of you leaving Max without a proper goodbye was debilitating. He was the man who took you in, gave you a home and comfort, and showed you what real, true love was.

“I couldn’t leave without keeping my promise.” you sniffed, cupping his cheeks and offering him a small smile. You spent a moment just gazing into his chocolate brown eyes. In the past day, his eyes looked like they had aged ten years due to all the stress he was under -- but they were still the most beautiful things you had ever seen.

Gods, you loved him so much. And you wanted him to know how much you loved him. He deserved to know. But right now, you had to focus on keeping your promise. The reason you had come to the world of man in the first place was to reunite Alistair and Max, so that was exactly what you were going to do. You hadn’t constructed a plan, and you knew that would be your fatal error -- but it had to be now or never. All you could do was hope that, somehow, everything would fall into place. You cleared your throat and presented yourself in front of the judge, before introducing yourself. “I’m here to represent Maxwell Lorenzano in the custody battle for Alistair Lorenzano.”

The judge sighed, adjusting his white wig. “The case started two hours ago, ma’am. With all due respect, the jury has already reached a verdict. Unless you have any valid evidence as to why you believe Mr Lorenzano would make a worthy father, or Miss Grey an unworthy mother, there is nothing more I can do.”

You felt your heart stop in your chest and it was like everything around you was in slow motion. Goose pimples pricked your arms as you looked around the courtroom at all the different faces. You were standing in front of fifty or so people, easily and they were all staring at you. Of course you knew why… you weren’t exactly dressed like a ‘typical’ citizen of the world. But you just had to suck it up because you had made a promise to Maxwell, all those days ago. You had a duty to fulfil as the Goddess of home and hearth, and you knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but in that moment you knew exactly what you had to do.

“I have evidence.” you said with a shaky exhale.

Maxwell narrowed his eyes and leaned into you. “What?” he asked, just as confused as everyone else. Julianna and Theodore exchanged a nervous glance as the jury and audience continued to murmur amongst each other.

“Trust me.” you smiled a tearful smile and you felt your lips begin to quiver with anxiety. You closed your eyes and tried to regulate your breathing. It would be okay. It was going to be okay.

“Well, present your evidence.” Judge Wilson sighed and you nodded your head with affirmation.

Taking your lasso of truth, you began to unravel it, and showed the courtroom the way it glowed golden upon touching it. “What is that?” you heard one of the juror’s ask.

“This is the lasso of Hestia. It belonged to my mother and it’s powered by the truth. The truth and purity of the universe.” You explained, and the jury were in complete awe.

Julianna was the first one to burst into laughter. “You can’t be serious? A magical lasso? What? You got that from the costume and prop store on 2nd Street? Please. This is actually a serious case. Get outta here.” she snarled, her lips curling into a frown.

Maxwell went to snap back but you quickly stopped him before slowly padding towards Julianna and Theodore. And you smiled. “May I demonstrate?” you asked her, and Julianna gulped hesitantly. “If it’s just a prop from a costume store then… you have no reason to be afraid, do you?”

Julianna turned to Theodore who just shrugged his shoulders. “Okay. Fine.” Julianna sighed, holding out her wrists. You carefully tied them together with the lasso before trailing it across the courtroom.

“Ted, Max, Judge Wilson… feel free to hold on to the lasso,” you pulled it to where the jury was sitting and made sure that each member held a tight grip onto it. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt.” you promised.

“What are you doing?” Maxwell gritted out. “I can’t let you do this. Exposing your powers in front of all these people… it’ll turn you into a mortal.”

You knew that. But it was a sacrifice you were willing to take. If this past week had taught you anything it was that love was the most beautiful thing in this universe. And that love truly does conquer all. You were able to tell Barbara that with your whole chest-- so just for once, maybe you should listen to yourself. You deserved your happy ending.

And you were never happy on Themyscira.

But here, with Maxwell and Alistair? You were happy.

You were finally happy and you wouldn’t let anything get in the way of that.

Taking a deep breath, you shrugged off his comment and turned around to speak to the courtroom.

“The lasso of Hestia compels you all to see the truth about Alistair Lorenzano.”

You watched intently as their eyes snapped shut and they saw the truth. They saw how neglectful Julianna and Theodore had been, and how loving Maxwell was. How Maxwell flew home from Greece just to be with his son whilst Julianna left him in the house alone. They saw the way Julianna verbally abused Alistair, and Maxwell winced as it paralleled his own childhood memories. They saw it all. They saw the truth.

But-- it was draining you. It was like you could slowly feel your powers slip out of you. You were losing your immortality, and your strength. You felt yourself become weaker by the second until eventually, it was over. They opened their eyes and looked at Maxwell in shock.

You took the lasso from each person and you whimpered slightly at how weighted it suddenly felt in your grip. Attaching it back to your tunic, you took Maxwell’s hand. “Did it work?” you asked weakly, hoping and praying that your sacrifice would change something.

Maxwell swallowed but before he could open his mouth, a juror spoke.

“The jury would like to change their verdict.” he announced, and the judge looked down at the envelope. He rubbed his teary eyes and sighed. The Judge had been… crying?

“Well, I hereby grant custody of Alistair Lorenzano to his father, Maxwell Lorenzano.” Judge Wilson declared before banging his gavel down on the desk.

Julianna screamed. Members of the audience cheered. You turned to Maxwell who’s cheeks were tearstained. “Oh my Gosh Max, we did it!” you cried, and Maxwell let himself fall limp in your arms as he sobbed uncontrollably.

“You-- you just-- I can’t believe--” He cried before pulling off you and flashing you the most precious grin. It was enough to make your heart swell with happiness. “I can’t believe you sacrificed your powers for me and Ali--”

“Well, believe it.” you said, leaning in and pressing a soft yet passionate kiss into his lips. Max’s hands fell down to your hips as he held onto you and relished your taste. He pulled away from you and instinctively smoothed out your hair.

“I love you so much,” Maxwell admitted finally, unable to keep his true feelings to himself any longer. “I’m so in love with you.”

And now, it was your turn to cry. It was the words you had longed to hear from the moment you came to the world of man. “I love you too Maxwell Lorenzano,” you confessed, running your fingers through his golden hair. Max choked back a sob as he gazed into your eyes. “Come on,” you encouraged, rubbing the small of his back. “You have a son to get home to.” you giggled and Maxwell’s eyes lit up.

“Does this mean you don’t have to return to Themyscira?” Maxwell asked hopefully and you felt your cheeks flush with heat as you shook your head.

“No, I don’t have to return to Themyscira. I’m a mortal now, just like you”

Somehow, you thought you’d be hurting more. You just gave up your powers-- your whole life. But this… this felt perfect. Like it was meant to be. You weren’t hurting, in fact, you had never been so elated in your life.

“Well, you’ll always be a goddess to me.” Max confessed, pressing another kiss into your lips. “Come on. Let’s go get Alistair.” he grinned, tugging on your hand as you excitedly ran out of the courtroom together.

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