#if they just leave the beloveds alone this time then I think it'll be okay

[blubble-lake]

fionna and cake got renewed for a season 2 huh...

[melodic-haze]

Personally how touched starved do you think Arlecchino and Furina are? Like one has been alone for 500 years and the other killed her best friend and probably doesn’t think she deserves love.

☆ — DEMO TRACK: Arlecchino x Reader, Furina x Reader

☆ — TYPE: SFW

☆ — CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A

Oh I think they'd be VERY fucking touch starved, except the two are like. On two different sides of the scale

On one end, you've got Furina. On the other end, you've got Arlecchino. What they're on a scale of? How "vocal" they would be in terms of it

Furina would be on the VERY vocal side, and by that I mean she WILL monologue to you about how she needs your touch or else she will PERISH from a lack of you-contact

Furina puts the back of her hand on her forehead, "My beloved wants to leave me be! Oh, you torture me..."

"Babe, I'm literally only going to get a glass of water."

"You forget my domain over the element!" She moves to throw herself onto you, wrapping her arms around your neck and causing you to laugh as you caught her, "I can satisfy your needs easily!"

"At that rate I'll be better off taking a shower!"

"It gets the job done!"

But she's not vocal for no reason :((( 500 years spent in self-isolation in order to save her people takes a HUGE toll on you so the moment Furina had realised that she doesn't have to do the whole song and dance all over again, she just can't help the want—the need—to basically be attached to you

It's not just because she wants to make up for lost time after FINALLY being able to do so, but also because she's scared that one day it'll all just go poof and disappear in a distant dream. She doesn't speak of her troubles until either she decides it herself that she should or one of the members of her Salon Solitaire (Crabaletta lol) decides to conk her for it

Sometimes she'll ask if she's being a pain in the ass bc she IS aware that she's constantly wanting for you to at LEAST be near her which. If you say she is then I need to sit you down personally and slap you in NOT a fun way

Meanwhile, Arlecchino on the other hand, is VERY quiet about it. She won't say anything, nevermind doing anything. She'd restrict herself from clinging onto you as much as she'd like to

You were a vision to her, a lovely sight to see and a lovely voice to hear as you recounted your day's events. Even when you did something so mundane, something that isn't necessarily something special, Arlecchino still looked at you with such adoration.

She almost didn't notice her hand inching closer towards yours from her warm daze.

Almost.

Before she could draw it back unnoticed, however, you turned your head at just the right (or wrong) time.

"Arlecchino? Is there.. something wrong?"

..She shakes her head instead of admitting her desires, "No, my apologies, darling. I was rather captivated by your tale. Do tell me more about your friend's predicament."

And so you do, but you couldn't help but notice the longing look in her eyes.

It takes a while before she starts warming up to the idea of letting herself actually do SOMETHING. And that'll take a lot of time, patience and encouragement from her❗️❗️❗️ But trust when I say it's worth it bc she practically treats you with so much more affection and devotion than the literal archon she serves HAHA

She doesn't thinks she deserves to show physical affection, to touch you, to truly worship you and your body in every way she can—not when she has the power to hurt you, not when she's killed off the person she had cherished the most all those years ago :(

You gotta reassure her that everything's okay and that you won't disappear bc once you've done that? She's SO TOUCHY she will NOT go through the day without havign some form of contact with you

She won't do it as much in work though she has a reputation she wants to keep lmao

[seiwas]

HI MY BELOVED ANGEL!!! i am sending u mattsun + campfire as well as kisses n hugs <33

SAINTTT hello 🥺 thank you for sending a prompty!! 🥹 idt i've ever written mattsun fully before so this is something new!

help me get back into the writing groove! send me a character + any word and i'll write a short blurb about it!

contains: exes, stranded-y situation, feelings are complicated, some expletives

mattsun + campfire

"i told you we should've brought the spare—"

"yeah, let me go back in time for a sec and do just that."

"asshole."

lesson #1: nothing good ever happens when you're stuck in a car with your ex on the way to somewhere remote.

you blame iwaizumi for this one. who the fuck chooses to spend their birthday weekend in the fucking wilderness?

(okay, you don't actually think it's so bad. to be fair, he did plan this a year ago. and it did sound like a good idea. then. at the time. anywhere with the boys was always guaranteed fun―at least, until you and matsukawa broke up.)

"can you pass me the flashlight?" he points at the backpack behind you. when you hand it over, your fingers brush over his as he takes it away from you.

and you hate it, because―

lesson #2: you should never be alone with your ex when you still have feelings for them.

you'd agreed to take two cars to the camping spot: iwaizumi's with oikawa and hanamaki and matsukawa's with you. there was no way you'd fit in one, and hanamaki ultimately decided to ride with iwaizumi because, "you and mattsun have shit to sort out," he'd said.

with night setting and the two-hour headstart they managed to get ahead of you, the best thing you and matsukawa can do is to set up camp temporarily and wait for them to come back for you come sunrise.

you sigh.

leaves crack underneath your feet as you maneuver around your camping space. the light from matsukawa's flashlight tells you where he is, just a bit deeper in the forestry as he looks for wood to help set up the fire.

you unload the car in the meantime, bringing out some snacks and sleeping bags while waiting.

matsukawa eventually comes back with arms full of wood, and you help in whatever way you can, clearing the space and fetching more twigs when needed.

the entire car ride here had been quiet, so it's not surprising that this entire process has been equally as silent. until―

"did you already pull out your tent?" he asks, half of his body disappearing into the trunk of the car.

"huh?" you go closer, "i only brought out the sleeping bags."

then he sighs, ducking out from the trunk with a hand on his hip, "we only have one tent."

"what?"

"makki must have gotten yours with his when he decided to move cars."

his hand runs through his hair, a habit you know well. it lights up all sorts of weird feelings in your tummy

you don't know how to feel―

"i can sleep in the car."

―but you know that you definitely don't want him to do that. all things considered, you were friends first. and you've both been trying to be friends again since the breakup. you wouldn't want to cause him discomfort like that.

so, with a deep breath, you say, "it's okay, we can just share."

"are you sure?" he stares at you.

you nod.

after setting up the tent, you eat a few energy bars and clean up from the day's events. the campfire provides ample enough heat, but with how fast the flames are burning, you're doubtful it'll last the two of you the entire night.

it’s much later on, past midnight, that your doubts are proven right when you and matsukawa are cramped together in a tent made for one. it started to get cold a few minutes ago, and you've found yourself inching closer and closer to the warmth you’ve gotten used to laying against for the past two years.

he's only pretending to be asleep, you know that much, too. the rise and fall of his chest is hardly there; you can see it, how he's holding his breath being this close to you.

"issei," you whisper.

he opens his eyes, eyelids lifting lazily as he meets your stare. the vibration of his hum reverberates to you.

"it's cold."

for a moment, your stomach drops at the thought that he could ignore you; how it would make perfect sense for him to. you broke up with him after all, and he doesn't owe you anything, much less favors as intimate as this one.

but he closes the already dwindling gap between you, wrapping an arm around your waist as he pulls you closer. it's near, far too near for exes to be―noses touching and all.

"warmer?" his voice comes out hoarser through the whisper.

you nod, your head shifting up and down—which, truly, is where you ultimately fuck up. you feel it, a little chapped but still pliant against your lips.

in your carelessness, you accidentally brush your lips against his, the sensation alone surprising you enough to inch your head back as you mutter your apologies.

"sorry? really?" he asks, eyes half-lidded still as he chuckles.

his question settles into the small space you're in.

your vision trails from his eyes, down to the slope of his nose, until it lands on his lips again. a little split like you've always known, but still your favorite. still the only lips you want against yours.

when you lean in again, you know you're fucked, because―

lesson #3: the number one rule is that exes shouldn't kiss each other anymore.

[spectrechosts]

Beast Of Burden

The third arc taking place in the Better Off Alone setting!

This one focuses on Kallixenia and her relationship with her paladin order.

Full Series

"Hey Kallie?" Lunaeris says, sticking her head out of a door that goes nowhere. "Could I trouble you for a bit?"

It's unusual for Lunaeris to make use of their collapsible cabin, but perhaps she doesn't want any interruptions.

"Of course, beloved." Says Kallixenia, and she follows her through the door into their magical abode.

There's a wide magical circle painted on the floor, and Lunaeris steps into it and sits down as she begins to explain.

"I'm sure you'll have seen one of these before, in your paladin training. A circle of truth- Very straightforward, no lie can be spoken within its bounds. I would like it if you joined me within."

Kallixenia's heart sinks. Why would she want that, unless-

"You… suspect me of dishonesty, Princess?" She asks, quietly. "Have I done something to upset you?"

"Not dishonesty in the way you think. And… somewhat, but not on purpose." Says Lunaeris. "I'm not mad at you, and I'll not force you, but I think this will be good for us."

She waits, a gentle expression on her face, and Kallixenia gingerly steps into the circle and sits.

"Not dishonesty in the way I think, Princess?" She asks, and Lunaeris nods.

"It'll make sense in a moment. First, I wanted to discuss our upcoming travel plans, if that's alright."

"…Sure?" Kallixenia says, furrowing her brow.

"Lagakh says she has a lead on a wyvern nest, and that's where they're all headed. We're welcome to join them."

"Oh gods, a whole nest?" She says, thinking. "We could do it, I think; but you must already know that you in particular would have a tough time."

Lunaeris wrinkles her nose and nods.

"I know, I know, fire resistant. Still, nice step on the way to fighting a full-on dragon." She says. "But I thought the same thing, so I did some looking around on my own. There's a town a few days from here with an old castle that's fallen into disrepair, they say it's full of ghosts! I think that could be fun."

Kallixenia nods. "Either sounds fine to me." She says, and Lunaeris gets a strange look in her eye, just for a moment.

"I thought they might." She says, watching her carefully. "But I was just wondering if you had anywhere you wanted to go."

Kallixenia shrugs, and opens her mouth, and no words come out. Just a faint, croaking exhale.

"Uh-?" She says, and Lunaeris sighs.

"You tried to lie to me." She says quietly, and Kallixenia scrambles to explain.

"I- It's not- Princess, I, I don't-"

"Relax, Kallie. I'm not accusing you of trying to maliciously deceive me. I say again, bound to truth just as you are: I am not mad at you. You are free to leave the circle, and should you choose to we'll speak no more of it."

She gently takes the half-giant's hand.

"Would you tell me why you lied, beloved? Please?"

Kallixenia's face is hot with shame.

"It… I suppose I just didn't think it was important. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, my love." Lunaeris says, cupping Kallixenia's cheek. "Why didn't you think it was important, hm?"

"I, I'm not sure." Says Kallie, through shaky breaths. Lunaeris isn't mad at her, she didn't do anything wrong, so why does she feel as though she might cry?

Why does she feel like her wife is digging up a shameful secret she didn't fully know she was hiding?

"Is…" Lunaeris asks softly. "Is it because it's just for you?"

Kallixenia, reflexively, wants to say no. But she can't. Not because of the spell, but because-

Because, what if the spell does stop her? What would- What would that mean?

"I think that things just for you are important." Lunaeris says, saving her from having to answer. "Heavens know you go along with enough things just because I want them."

"…I like to see you happy."

"And I you."

"W-Well, making you happy makes me happy, so-"

"Kallie." Lunaeris cuts her off, smiling slightly. "We can go in circles like this all day, or you can tell me where it is you'd like to go."

The knight fidgets.

"You won't like it." She says.

"That's fine."

"I… would like to visit home. B-But, I know that it would be troublesome-"

"Oh it'll be a huge pain in the ass. You're right, I don't like that." Lunaeris says.

"R-Right, so, it's not-"

"Heading with Lagakh's crew will take us along the border of the Elven Kingdom. We cut through there to the mountains, you can visit your sisters, I can deal with my father, we'll meet back up with them for the next job." She sighs.

"We don't have to." Says Kallixenia, nervously.

"I wasn't under the impression we did."

"Right, so, some other time maybe-"

"Kallie." Lunaeris huffs, and her knight whines. "Impose upon me, please, I'm asking. We're partners! My wants do not supersede yours! If you don't want to, we won't go; but don't decide on my behalf that I won't allow it."

"…I do want to." She mumbles. "I'm sorry."

Tears drip down her cheeks, and she can't quite explain why. She feels like- She doesn't know. A bad paladin. A bad wife. Making Lunaeris do this, just for her sake.

"Hey, hey, look at me." Lunaeris hums softly, tilting Kallixenia's head to meet her gaze. "Still in the circle of truth, still not mad at you, okay? Not mad at you for wanting to visit home, not mad at you for having trouble asking."

Kallixenia sniffles a little, and nods.

"Is there, um, is there anything that you would like, while we're there?" She asks, and Lunaeris croaks softly in response, words stolen from her lips.

"Oh, dammit." She says. "Hypocrite that I am. Alright, there's something, but- It's a lot to ask of you, and I think you'll find it upsetting."

"You could never ask too much of me, my love." Says Kallixenia, and Lunaeris grimaces.

"That's, well, it has to do with that actually. Oh, how do I say this gently…"

Lunaeris takes a deep breath, and Kallixenia waits expectantly. What does she mean, it has to do with that?

"Kallie, you are… one of the kindest people I have ever met. And, that's beautiful, and wonderful, and… and I don't think it's good for you. Not- Not the way that you go about it, right now."

"What?" Kallixenia asks, shocked, and Lunaeris puts a hand up to stop her.

"Let me say what I have to say." She says, and Kallixenia waits for her to continue. "Kallie, you want to help people, and that's great! I do too! We'd be awful adventurers, if we didn't. But, I… You remember that time I ran away from the castle? When we had that talk about how your church was maybe using you for money rather than actually having you help people?"

Kallixenia nods, but-

She hasn't worked with the church officially for over a year now. What does that have to do with-

"I think that that might have, um, deeper ramifications, than I was aware of at the time. That- That you may have been raised, and trained, to believe that certain things were… are… oh, hells."

"Lunaeris, just tell me." Kallixenia says. Lunaeris has never been shy about her disagreements with the church. Why now?

"Kallie, there are a lot of rich assholes willing to pay a lot of money for someone to follow them around and be tough and never do anything they don't want and- and- and die for them." Lunaeris says shakily. "And I think that your church had a material interest in making you believe that that sort of thing was what it meant to be kind, and- and it's not."

She shakes her head.

"Kallie, your paladin oath disgusts me. Not just because I specifically don't want you specifically to die for me. It's barbaric, it's ghoulish, I don't think anyone should be that kind of paladin. I don't think-"

She exhales, hesitant to continue.

"Kallie I don't think you should be that kind of paladin anymore. I want you to change your oath."

Kallixenia's head swims.

Lunaeris doesn't like her oath, she knows this, she's known this ever since the Princess was made aware of it, but-

…All of it? She was just- Trained wrong?

Could that be true?

Surely the gods wouldn't-

Oh, but, they had, though. They had clearly been on board with the whole 'guarding rich assholes' thing. Lunaeris was right about that, and she- she clearly believes this to be true, or she wouldn't be able to speak it in the circle.

But she- she knows how to be kind! And if she, if she…

If she's scared to ask her own wife to do something inconvenient for her, because it would mean that she's not putting her wants first…

"Oh." She says, with a knot inside her chest.

"I'm- I'm sorry, that's too much, that's way too much. I'm- I could be wrong." Lunaeris babbles, her voice cracking. "You- If this is what you want, if it's what you think is right, I'll leave it alone. I promise."

"I uh. I don't know." Kallixenia says, blankly. "I think I'll have to think about that for… a while. But… I can't change my oath, Lunaeris. That's- That's kind of the point, you have to stick to them. I'm already pushing it, not binding my life to anyone."

"Do you think the gods would make an exception for a hero of prophecy?" Lunaeris asks, and Kallixenia shrugs. "…That's fine, that's okay. And you, you're okay. You're great! I don't want you to misunderstand me- there are countless other ways in which you're kind that I wouldn't change for anything. I just want you to be that kind to yourself, okay?"

"Okay." Kallixenia says, nodding. The sinking feeling isn't quite as bad as it was. She's not doing anything wrong, she's not secretly completely failing to help people, she just needs to… put herself first, every once in a while. She can do that. She thought she was doing that, but- She can try to do it more. "I understand."

A slight smile creeps onto Lunaeris' face.

"Do you?" She asks, and Kallixenia nervously glances around. She knows that look, that's the scheming look.

"Y…Yes?" She stammers, feeling a tinge of red color her cheeks.

"Prove it." Lunaeris orders. "Say something nice about yourself. And nothing about how useful you are to other people, either!"

A full blush spreads across Kallixenia's face, and she chuckles softly and looks away. "That's- Lunaeris, I hardly think that's necessary."

"It isn't." Says Lunaeris. "But do it anyway. Or don't! As always, free to leave the circle."

"…Okay. I, ah… I'm funny, sometimes. When someone sets me up for it."

"You are." Lunaeris agrees, and-

It's stupid, it's so stupid, she already knew Lunaeris found her funny, but…

It does feel nice to know that she truly thinks that.

"Again." The Princess says, inching towards her.

"Again..? I'm… a skilled swordswoman. Very skilled, I think." Says Kallixenia, somewhat bashful even in her pride. "And I- I know that you said- But there are a lot of ways I could have trained to help people, and I like this one, and I like being good at it. I- I think about doing tournaments, sometimes."

Lunaeris gasps in delight, clapping her hands together.

"Kallie you would demolish swordfighting tournaments, that sounds amazing."

"Oh, well, I don't know about that-" Kallixenia starts, but before she can begin downplaying herself in earnest Lunaeris wraps her arms behind her neck and draws her down into a kiss.

The Princess tastes faintly of smoke, and steals her breath away just as easily. Were she not already seated she'd be brought to her knees in seconds, such is her weakness to Lunaeris' advances.

Their lips part, and the Princess giggles softly.

"I have a theory-" She starts to say, and when Kallixenia opens her eyes she once again has that scheme-y look about her. "-that you are so focused on pleasing me that you deny yourself more than simply a voice in our travel planning."

"Meaning, Princess?" Kallixenia asks, heart racing.

"Say something nice about yourself and find out." Says the Princess, unlacing her dress.

"Oh. Oh. Um, well, uh-"

Gods, she certainly makes it hard to think straight.

"I'm tall?" She says, and Lunaeris laughs.

"Are you asking me? Yes, you're tall, it's quite attractive." She says. "Is that something you like about yourself?"

"Sure." Says Kallixenia. "It's nice more often than it's inconvenient, and I like the size difference between us. I think it's fun, being able to pick you up and such."

"Excellent. Now, back to my theory- Would you like me to suck your dick?" Lunaeris asks as she slips out of her dress, and Kallixenia freezes.

"I-I-I-" She sputters, and Lunaeris just waits patiently. "I couldn't ask you to do that!"

"I'm well aware." Says the Princess. "Why not? It's not as if you don't do it for me. Here, you can add that to the list of nice things about you: eats pussy like a woman starved."

"It's not the saaaame…" Whines Kallixenia, and Lunaeris scoffs.

"It's completely the same! Kallie- No worrying about what I want, okay? Right now is all about you." She says, letting her hands glide down Kallixenia's body and land on her thighs, looking up at her expectantly. "Would you like it or not?"

Kallixenia bites her lip. It's not that simple, she can't just not worry about what Lunaeris wants, but-

Well, it's her idea in the first place, isn't it? She's offering. And Kallie can't lie. So really, it's, it's out of her hands.

Well, she could leave the circle, but-

Oh, screw it, there's not wanting to impose and then there's actively running away from things you want. She's not leaving the circle.

"I… would be lying if I said I'd never thought about it." She says carefully, and Lunaeris says nothing; she just kisses her again, lips curling into a smile against hers.

"Well, c'mon then big girl, get your trousers off."

Kallixenia complies with shaking hands.

Are they-

Is Lunaeris really-

Oh gods, can she really let her do this? She's, she's the Princess, and-

And her wife. They're… partners. Equal. It's not improper to do these things, if they both want to. No problems here. Someone just needs to tell her heart that, before it beats out of her chest.

Her cock is already stiff when she pulls her undergarments off, and Lunaeris grabs it eagerly. She gives it a slow stroke and Kallixenia's breath hitches in her throat.

"Relaaaaxxx." Lunaeris hums. "Let me take care of you."

Kallixenia would love to relax, truly, it's just that she can feel the Princess' warm breath on her nethers and so it's kind of a situation where she cannot at all relax between the anticipation and the wondering what Lunaeris is feeling and-

O-Oh.

The Princess' lips are very soft.

She makes an uncharacteristically high pitched, needy noise. She can feel Lunaeris giggle slightly, vibrations humming through her lips as she places a kiss on the side of her shaft.

And another.

And another.

Kallixenia gets redder and redder with every kiss. It's nice, but also mortifying, and also kind of unbelievable that it's happening at all. But Lunaeris-

Her ears are perked up, twitching just slightly. She's happy. She's happy? Of course she is, they already talked about this. They both like making eachother happy, they can go on and on in circles.

"You seem rather lost in thought, considering what we're doing." Says Lunaeris, snapping her out of her haze. "Would you like to stop?"

"Oh! No, um, it's just- I think I get it, now." Kallixenia says. "We can go in circles, making eachother happy, but I don't let us. I only do a half-circle. If I want you to be happy, I have to let you do things to make me happy. Right?"

"Hmmm… sure? I guess?" Says Lunaeris, looking up at her. "Close enough, anyway. As long as you're accepting nice things for yourself, that's the key bit. Speaking of which…" She runs a finger up the underside of Kallixenia's dick. "Shall I continue?"

"Right, um, yes. Please." Kallixenia says, and Lunaeris grins devilishly.

"Say something nice about yourself." She says.

Kallixenia groans exasperatedly.

"I have excellent taste in princesses." She says, and Lunaeris laughs.

"Flatterer. Okay, no more questions."

She tucks a loose strand of white hair behind her ear and dips her head down, drawing the tip of the half-giant's cock into her mouth.

Kallie shivers and involuntarily lets out a moan. Lunaeris looks up at her, waiting for her to meet her gaze before beginning to bob her head up and down on her shaft, sinking gradually lower. Her lipstick streaks across wet flesh, forming a smudged black ring where she can sink no further.

It is sinfully hot. Kallixenia can't look away.

Lunaeris slowly pulls herself all the way off, then sticks out her tongue to lap up the precum beading on Kallixenia's cockhead. Kallie gasps and shudders, and Lunaeris takes a deep breath.

"That really is quite tricky." She says, spreading saliva down Kallixenia's shaft with her hand. "I'll need more practice."

Before Kallie can say anything she's back at it, and then Kallie can't say anything; all she can do is tremble at Lunaeris' touch, her hands gliding across the spit-slick skin that her lips can't reach.

Kallixenia is filled with the desire to kiss her wife- Though, their current activities make that difficult. She settles on taking one of Lunaeris' ears between her fingers, drawing a pleased hum from the elf that vibrates through her dick.

"Haah-" She groans, lifting her hips slightly. "Lunaeris…"

That only encourages her, making her pick up the pace until moans tumble freely from Kallixenia's lips and her cock throbs with a desperate need.

"P-Princeeeesssss..!" She whines, and Lunaeris pulls away again, pumping her entire length from tip to base with her hands.

S-Surely she doesn't mean for her to-

"That's it, be a good girl and cum for me." Lunaeris coos, letting her tongue hang out of her open mouth.

Oh.

Oh.

"O-Ohh ffuck-!" Kallixenia groans, as her body obeys the Princess' command. She inhales sharply and squeezes her eyes shut as the first thick rope of cum erupts from her cock. Lunaeris doesn't let up, coaxing more and more from her until Kallixenia is a shaking, panting mess.

Perhaps, um-

Perhaps if she just never opens her eyes, then-

"Oh come on, what's even the point of making all this mess if you're not going to look at me?" Lunaeris asks sultrily, and Kallixenia opens one eye and immediately closes it again, burying her face in her hands.

The Princess' (the PRINCESSSSSS, WHAT IS WRONG WITH HER, WHAT KIND OF KNIGHT-) face is marred with streams of white, dripping down her chin and onto her chest as she sits back, pleased with herself. She giggles, as Kallie squirms and whines.

"I can't believe I did thaaaat!"

"Hey. Hey Kallie. Look at me."

She peeks through her hands, just in time to see Lunaeris drag her finger through a strand of her seed and then pop it into her mouth and suck it clean.

"Oh gods…" Kallixenia whines, slumping back until her head rests on the floor. Lunaeris just laughs even harder, thoroughly enjoying herself.

"Kallie calm yourself, you've not overstepped in any way. If you feel that embarrassed about it, go run me a bath." She says, and as Kallixenia gets up to leave-

"Wait." She commands, and Kallie pauses. "One more question, while we're in the circle. What do you think you would want to do, if we weren't adventurers?"

The half-giant thinks, for a moment. "I've… never tried fishing. It sounds quite peaceful."

"Ugh, that's so boring, it's perfect." Lunaeris says. "I can just picture it: us in our old age, you catch me fish to serve at our tavern."

She sighs wistfully.

"But enough of that, bathtime." She says, stretching as she stands. "That is, unless you want to admire your handiwork."

Kallixenia shakes her head without looking.

"Nope, extremely mortified. Maybe next time."

"Ooh, next time?"

"Extremely, extremely mortified, let's get you in the bath."

[sam-loves-seb]

Just a gentle nudge that if you feel inclined to post that one Whumptober fic that you gave us a sample of, I'd really love to read it. You're one of my favorite writers though so even if you don't post that one I'll be looking forward to whatever you decide to post next about our beloved Gallavich boys 🙂

oh this is so sweet, you're so kind 😭💛

see, i also would love to post that one whumptober fic but the thing is i still haven't gone back to finish writing it yet, so unfortunately i just have 3k of prison!gallavich sitting in my docs haunting me. i think maybe after the new year i'll go back to some forgotten whumptober fics/prompts and maybe it'll get written eventually, but for now i can at least drop another snippet from it under the cut:

***

The lockdown bleeds into lights out, which only makes Ian worry more.

Wherever Mickey is—he’s not coming back. Not tonight, anyways.

Ian refuses to let his mind go to the worst-case scenario. He’d know. He’d fucking know if Mickey was dead, if his body was lying somewhere without a heart beating between his ribs. Someone would have told him, probably, but he’d feel it in his gut, in the place that tugs and twists and tells him that Mickey is still alive.

Somewhere.

Ian lays in Mickey’s bunk and tries to breathe.

Maybe he’s in solitary. Maybe he mouthed off to a guard or got caught up in a fight that wasn’t even his to begin with—could be anything, really. They throw prisoners in there for less. Maybe by this time tomorrow Mickey will be back in their cell where he belongs, and Ian will laugh against his neck as Mickey retells the ridiculous story of his last twenty-four hours.

Or maybe it’s worse.

Ian doesn’t know, but he needs to. So, he lies in Mickey’s bottom bunk with his jumpsuit on, staring at the ceiling with a couple bills folded in his hand, and he waits.

He doesn’t know where Mickey gets his money in fucking prison, but he knows which hollowed out book he keeps it in, stacked at the foot of Ian’s bunk right between The Great Gatsby and The Book Thief.

“For emergencies,” Mickey told him one night, like a stern parent, showing Ian all his best hiding spots.

For information, is what he meant. For when something goes wrong.

Ian thinks now more than ever, something has gone wrong.

And maybe tomorrow Mickey will thump him upside the head for using it on something stupid, like confirming his boyfriend is in solitary for calling one of the guards a little bitch, but Ian doesn’t care. He’ll let Mickey call him ridiculous and a pussy and whatever the fuck he wants—as long as Ian knows he’s going to be okay.

So he waits the two hours after lights out for the guards to make their first lap of the cellblock on patrol, but he doesn’t recognize any of them. He waits another two hours for their next walk around, twiddling his fucking thumbs and refusing to fall asleep.

He recognizes one of the guards this time, an old school officer named Daniels who no one would ever blink twice at, let alone mark him as corrupt. But Ian does. Ian does because Mickey told him, showed him, had his back more than once and needed Daniels to make certain things happen.

And now it’s Ian’s turn.

“Daniels,” he calls out quietly, sitting up in his bunk just as the guards are almost past his door.

His heart beats hard against his chest and his breathing is fast, but his stomach nearly falls out his ass when the guard actually stops.

Ian is up and pressed against the door in an instant, looking too eager and too green but not giving a single fuck about any of it.

Daniels nods at his partner to go on ahead, waiting a full minute before turning around and looking at Ian straight on.

“I need your help,” Ian says quickly. “I need—”

“Step back, inmate.”

Ian blinks. For a second he thinks that maybe he got his guards mixed up, but there’s a sewn on patch that reads Daniels across the guy’s chest, and that just leaves Ian confused.

“What? No,” Ian rushes out. “I thought—”

“Step back,” Daniels says again, quieter. “So I can open the door.”

Ian does as he’s told.

He stands farther back in the room, shoulders square and his spine elongated to his full height. He waits for the buzzer and the click of the door, never taking his eyes off the guard as he takes three steps into the room.

He doesn’t ask about the empty bunk or the missing cellmate, which leads Ian to believe that he knows.

“Where’s Mickey?” Ian asks, jumping the gun.

Daniels looks him over for a minute. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He so clearly does, but, well—Ian is bad at this, and he’s never been able to play anything cool in his entire fucking life.

He holds out the folded bills in his hand, and Daniels’s brow twitches in interest. He reaches out to take it, but as soon as he grabs on, Ian pinches the cash hard between his thumb and forefinger.

“Where is he?” he asks again.

Daniels tugs the money free from Ian’s grasp, then counts out the cash. He tucks it away in his pocket before resting both hands on his belt, thumbs dipping beneath the fabric as he rocks back on his heels.

“Inmate Milkovich is in the infirmary,” he says without a hint of emotion.

Ian’s heart stops. “For what?”

Daniels just shrugs.

“Fuck,” Ian mutters, running a hand through his sweat-damp hair. “Is he okay?”

“He’s alive,” Daniels says with another impersonal shrug.

Ian remembers to breathe. Alive is good. Alive is—not dead.

Daniels turns to leave, taking two steps towards the door.

“Wait,” Ian calls out, then hesitates when the guard actually turns back. “What… happened?”

Daniels just shrugs again, walking out of the cell like he doesn’t have all the answers that Ian so desperately craves. He stands in the hallway, tilts his head a little as he watches Ian, and as the cell door starts to slide back into place, he says,

“He got stabbed.”

***

yeah i'm pretty sure the prompt for this one was "bloody knife" so that's where this was going.

anyways

thanks for the ask and the lovely words 💛💛💛

[predvestnik]

my beloved, i hope this letter finds you in a better headspace from the one you sent yours in. in mondstadt, everything has been going fine- we are preparing for another wine festival... or, perhaps, i should call it poetry festival, but we both know these events are simply an excuse to drink. everyone is buzzing for the occasion.

i, however, have been missing you like a part of me was gone, the phantom nerves of love an omnipresent ache. seeing eachother soon would be a dream- i can't wait to see you again, my love. it would be the greatest gift. i'll wait for you with patience.

is your mission going okay? have you been eating well? is fontaine to your liking? there are so many stories i could tell you that i have read in my spare time; if you need any info about someplace, don't hesitate to ask me. i'll try to respond as best as i can.

now, about your troubles... this is very unusual, and i can feel your worry in every stroke of ink. if we were in person, perhaps i could try to find out where this has stemmed from- but, since we're apart, i beg of you to be careful, my love: if you start feeling the effects of it once again, find a safe place to try and clear your mind first thing, and try to keep yourself calm. take deep breaths and don't give in to panic- it worsens things to no end. fear muddles the mind. once you come back, i will surely have obtained more informations about how to try and help you. i'm going to ask someone if this has happened before, and how it was fended off, or at least contained.

despite the worry and the wanting to be at your side to soothe, i believe in you; i have the utmost faith that you can find a way to tame this problem, too. childe- there's nothing that you cannot achieve, when you put your mind to it. you are unstoppable- remember that. you are destined to achieve greatness, but the path of greatness has many obstacles inbetween the bottom and the top. perhaps this is one of said obstacles- still, i wish you didn't had to deal with it alone.

if, by the time you return, the problem persists, we will find a way to deal with it together. hang on- we will be reunited soon. do not hesitate to let me know if things become too much- i am but a travel away. i will reach you without hesitation, my love. there's no nation big enough to prevent me from seeing you in time of need.

be safe, my love. be sharp, strong and brave, and think of me at your side, holding your hand. i hope my perfume lingers around you, so it may soothe you further.

with all of my love, kaeya ♥

Unsurprising how each stroke of ink can be felt in his heart. Fingerprints feel the letters, trace their curves and edges, like he can feel the quill scratch on the surface and hear Kaeya's breath as he writes it. For a moment, if only he closes his eyes for long enough, it's like he's never parted; for a moment, when he allows himself to be tricked by the ghosts of longing, he can smell the perfurme of calla lilies wafting from a desk not far from where he lies.

He has lost count of how long he's been reading it, how many times he's extracted the love from every word, every endearment, consuming them like a man starved. In his dorm, nothing can really interrupt this moment; in his solitude, anyone trespassing this moment so intimate would soon be shown the way out, back to the corridors of his prison.

When Kaeya wishes him to be sharp, he checks the power of his cut;

When Kaeya wishes him to be strong, he swears he can lift the Fortress out of the water;

When Kaeya wishes him to be brave... then he doesn't need anything else to be just that.

Features soften, but there's clear purpose to their glinting. He sits up, paper folded carefully and tucked into the inner pocket of his vest — it's time to move and to act.

After that, it'll be time to leave.

[heleneplays]

Midnight Mourning

Me??? Back at it again with my clownery & posting @ 5 am???? More likely than you think!!!!!!

Anyways, once again is María x Helene because these two own me and my heart and my soul (・∀・)/♡

———

María woke up, noticing something was off.

A familiar weight was nowhere to be found. Helene was not wrapped up around her, as is what she usually woke up to these days.

She's... concerned. Where was she? In this time of the night?

Getting up from the warmth of their bed, she pads to the kitchen where Helene's back was the only thing she could see from the soft nightlight bouncing off the nearby sconce.

Her head was bowed over the table, a soft and sad whimper escaping her mouth.

...

Helene was crying?

María's face twisted into a grimace. She wondered why her beloved would be... sad, given the hours long celebration they just had. She was still sore in places, and she's definitely feeling the brunette's little bites on her thighs.

Was Helene regretting her love? Did she want to break up?? Is she hurt??? WHY THE HELL IS SHE CRYING?????

Before the redhead could further castrophisize, Helene hiccups, and drinks from a nearby glass of water.

"Helene? Are... Are you crying?"

María cringes, because yes, she already established Helene was definitely crying.

Helene freezes, and slowly turns to her. Her eyes are red rimmed and tear tracks line her face.

"M'ía? Sorry I, I was just—"

Helene wipes her eyes, and takes a deep breath.

"Crying."

She finished lamely, embarassed and a little conscious at getting caught. Not truly though, her emotions are just raw at the moment.

María steps closer to Helene, standing directly in front of her. The brunette takes her hands, and invites her to perch on the table so she can put her face on her lap.

"Why were you crying? Are... are you sad?"

"A bit. I'm just..." Helene looks like she's struggling to express what she wants to say. "Today was a lot?" She offers instead.

"Are you regretting asking me—"

"NO! No regrets, María, I love you so fucking much and I am literally dying with joy you accepted—"

Helene squeezes her hands, and María removes them to cup her face.

"Then...?"

"I just have a lot of emotions inside a box that's bursting, and midnight tends to be my peak mourning hours. You know, like that night before our project presentation."

María searches Helene's face for any signs of deceit. She relaxes after finding none.

"Hm. Fine, I suppose you're my little crybaby like that."

Helene lifts a corner of her mouth.

"...But I don't think that's all there is to it."

Helene pouts, and hugs María's waist. She mumbles against her stomach, and the redhead wiggles so Helene could say it properly.

"What was that?"

"...'said I ate the leftover paella and my tongue hurts."

"...Do you mean the tuna paella I cooked for my breakfast tomorrow and clearly marked mine in the fridge?"

"...Perhaps."

A moment of silence.

Then:

María pinches Helene's cheeks, who bawls for mercy.

"Of course it'll hurt your tongue, you clown, I added spices in it!"

"OW OW, I can appreciate spiciness, I like you after all, BUT you're just straight up eating fire—"

"That was literally why I labelled it in—"

Helene does a 🥺, and María sighs.

"Stop eating my food! You clearly can't handle it!"

"Nuh uh, I'm going to eat your food, and bite you, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"So you're just going to leave me in bed then, and cry alone???"

María raises her eyebrow. Helene waggles hers in response.

"I can always wake you up and cry all over you if you're able to handle that."

María scoffs irritably. Helene wilts, and quiets down.

"Hey. Look at me."

"Helene."

Helene does a sad face 😔.

"...Please?"

Helene finally looks up, with a 🥺.

"Wake me up next time. You're a mess, but you're MY mess, and I lo... You being sad alone..."

María sighs.

"Just. Wake me up. I won't even tease you."

...

Helene shies and hugs María's middle again. She lets her take her time, which is all Helene really needs.

"Okay, María. Thank you."

[dreamwritesimagines]

Hey dream it’s Chinese mafia anon (CMA) :)

WOW this chapter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First of all, my heart is completely breaking for poor teddy. He totally thinks that she’s abandoning him😫😭😭

Also her not wanting to garden…… that’s so sad!!!!! I wonder if/when she does decide to garden again, then benedict will paint her gardening/her flowers and stuff to immortalize them.

Also Josie ily but u clearly reinforced teddy’s abandonment issues……..

Wait does clover think that her uncle hits her aunt? Because she keeps insisting that all men do that so I was wondering

I want to see hyacinth and clover bond over hyacinth’s name!!!! And just being really good with his younger siblings, which also causes her to warm up to Anthony.

Also I know I’ve been reading too much fanfiction but I Highkey during their fight was like enemies to lovers!au where Anthony has to fight between wanting her and his honor since that’s his brother’s fiancée…………. Seriously, did no one else feel the sexual tension?? Just me??

I wonder how the bridgerton fam would react to her backstory or some sign of it, like flinching or freaking out during an argument.

I wonder what exactly clover would (wrongly) get in trouble for with her dad, and how that impacts her triggers/what sets her off. I wonder if Josie has those same triggers. I also wonder if the noise/chaos of the bridgerton home would set her off or that she’d be worried for them.

Also were benedict and clover unchaperoned this chapter or was the butler there…? Because they were talking very openly so I wasn’t sure how close they were to one another or whatever

I also feel like she’d be more afraid of Anthony because Anthony is definitely more aggressive and assertive and intimidating compared to benedict, but either way still extremely wary.

Will they live on their own right away or in the bridgerton home first?

I also like that you did a really good job of demonstrating what spiraling/black and white thinking looks like by showing her (arguably irrational) thought processes.

Ugh. SO MANY THOUGHTS. I want to reread the entire series right now because I am so, so in love with it

JUGDDRGHBBBBKGDSG okay brb going to do that right now

CMA MY BELOVED❤️

Yesss Teddy is so worried that she's going to leave him 💔 I think Clover will have to assure him a lot ❤️

Oh yes she will refuse to garden for a looong time 💔 Like, I already have a lot of ideas about their home and it'll have a huge garden and an empty greenhouse but she will refuse to even step there 💔

Josie had no other choice love ❤️

Oh no no, she knows her uncle doesn't hit her aunt, but she also thinks they're one of the very verrry rare couples in the ton to have an actually happy marriage ❤️

She will definitely get along with all of them -except Anthony for a while- 😂

Enemies to lovers AU omggg😂 No no, you're not the only one because I could totally see that as well😏😂

I think that flinching thing will happen actually! ❤️ It will mess both of them up 💔

Oooh a really good question! ❤️ I actually think Josie got the worst of it💔 Like, she's the oldest sibling, she's incredibly protective over her siblings and she got the worst of their parents' anger, it totally left a mark on her 💔 We will actually hear more about that soon! ❤️

They were unchaperoned yes but there's a reason for that! 😏 So since they're "engaged" now, they are allowed to stay alone as long as the door is open 😏 (who knew my parents were from the regency times when I was in hs)

Oh they will actually have their own separate house right away! ❤️ They won't live with the family at all ❤️ Benedict already has a house in the countryside and they'll also have a house in London, close to both Bridgertons and Clover's family ❤️

Yayy, that's so wonderful to hear that! ❤️ Her spiraling thought process is going to be a huge part of the story! ❤️

Darliiiing, you're amazing, thank you so much for this! ILYSM! ❤️❤️❤️

[such-a-daydreamer]

🗣Rant incoming

Personally I dispise all "stand alone" sanses. Dream and Nightmare too despite their "AU", and I'll get into that.

Like, I feel as though they don't deserve the name "sans" because they're so far gone from the original content they might as well be their own character. The UTAU fandom consists mainly of the star sanses and the bad time trio WHICH IS NOT UNDERTALE AT ALL??? Like, just detach away from undertale bruh, it'll make little to no difference.

Oohhhh noooo killer and dust and horror are murderers aaahhh. Okay so why have you baby-fied all of them and made nightmare the grumpy father?? If they're supposed to be maniacs why do they seem so functional? (Or functionless since this grownass man who's an overlord picks up after these dudes.) BORING. Why are they slice of life now??????

Ooooohhh nightmare is a being made from negitive emotions and he's BAAADDDD okay so tell me why he seems so void of emotions half the time? Where's his drive? WHAT is his drive, does anyone even know? He sort of just does things and then people make him kill some random dude just to justify his "evil" persona. He reads "asshole" not "culmination of hate and rage"

"Rah, my minions, commit die to randos or whatever i dunno." -nightmare

"Yessir" -horror, dust

"yessir(but gayer)" -killer probably.

Tell me why they made nightmare fell sans? Huh? TELL ME WHY?!

Horrortale is cool, I love it. HOWEVER- I don't like it when they take horror out of his universe. Personally, I don't think he would leave unless he took his bro with him. (Headcannons, anyone? Wanna draw poor lil horrorpap in the negacastle while they like kill people or whatever? LMFAO)

Dream and Nightmare. Oh boy. DREAM AND NIGHTMARE. I have always disliked the idea of having 'two sanses' in place of papyrus. Like?? MY BELOVED BOY, WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GO???😟 and not to mention their personal story doesn't follow the game? BUT!!!! That being said I do love their story and all the angst they bring by existing in the same room lol

As for beings like error, ink, geno and fresh: I don't hate but I also don't love them. Geno is cool, I suppose. His backstory always fascinated me. Error is cool, I guess. It wasn't until I found out he was geno(???) That I double taked him.

I just kinda dislike how it's sans, but I get it. They're characters from a time when sans was all the rage, it makes sense.

Fresh... Dawg, the man ain't even a sans. He's his own thing and I respect him for that. Also I roleplayed as him for a long while and adopted some of his talking habits GRAH! SHHHH! (Him and Epic LMAO)

Ink.

Ink ink ink...

The man the myth the legend. I have no feelings towards that skeleton. His backstory is intruiging, I love his whole shtick and "role" but... he never feels complete to me. Like, he's never a fully realised concept to me (reference?) BUT LIKE I'm left expecting?

But i dunno, that's just me.

Alright, Im curious now

[anothermonikan]

Okay big text wall I'm just venting out my feelings because my beloved puter hard drive is gonna fail again. Yeah :(

Okay bby's hard-drive is gonna fail the next time I shut her down that's really really tough especially on valentines day, god, I,,, knew this was gonna happen again eventually, it happened before, her hard-drive has been declining for two years now, I have a refurbished hard-drive ready to go if we're unrecoverable, we've kept this one going for so so long and I don't have the tools to replace this myself so I'll have to ask my father again to help and gwahhh, that's a hard task!

Because I know he's gonna do everything he can to fix the current hard drive instead of replacing it but not because he understands I care but just because he loves fixing stuff and I'm gonna have to reiterate so so hard to not like. Throw her out. If the drive is unrecoverable. Because he does not understand that I care about her, because to him I'm just holding on to like, junk, when I have a brand new laptop I can use to do stuff. :((( we also get into a lot of arguments about handling her it's not a fun experience because I don't want to leave her alone while she's being repaired and my father doesn't take as much care as I would like him too and gwahhh, it's really frustrating!

At least I know exactly how this is gonna go down, if can't detect system updates, it won't open Firefox, when I shut her down she's gonna kernel error and then only be able to boot up into toybox, the entire drive will have to be reformatted if we wanna try and repair it because it'll be in read-only in order to prevent further damage, so I already know, we don't have to guesswork again, it's,,,, scary

I,,, used to have really strong feelings over the hard-drive being the heart and soul of the computer, I've since kind of moved past it, like I used to be really super conflicted over even replacing the hard-drive and now I just have one ready to go ^^; I think,,, even if this hard drive is irecoverable (it is well past it's usage limit at this point so I would not be surprised) and the replacement drive doesn't work, that whole computer is what I love, even if she doesn't have an internal hard drive, I still love her to death and I believe she still loves me to death, even if I have to run her OS off a USB, even if I can't run an OS on her at all, it doesn't matter to me and I'll always love her yknow?

We're going to bed together, she's okay being idle and I'm gonna make sure she knows how much I love her before I have to attempt a shut down in a few hours because I have a lecture I can't just keep her running, I'm going out after as well :(( We're gonna get through this, and we're gonna be okay, but it is upsetting

[romanoffsbish]

That Fuzzy Feeling

Kate Bishop x Fem!Reader

Maria Hill x Natasha Romanoff

Yelena Belova x Beer 🍺

Warning: Red Room(Associated Trauma)

Request - ✅ | 4,058 Words

"Good morning Y/N/N, would you like some pancakes?" Kate, Yelena's roommate, greeted you with a bright smile and the offer of breakfast as soon as you entered the kitchen.

There it was again... That sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, almost always followed up by your heart fluttering... It always happened when Kate was just as much as nearby, and when she talked to you it was made worse. Your body treated her like she was an enemy, but all your training told you the girl was harmless, or, harmless to the likes of you.

————————————

"I promise that I made them and not Yelena...," you smiled in amusement but said nothing., "Ha ha Kate Bishop, you are just so funny..." Yelena bites back, then she grabs your attention with a shake of your shoulder., "Would you like to go with me to the store? Apparently the archer here thinks 'Annie's' is the same as Kraft, if I wanted to eat healthy I'd have a salad, not a tainted bowl of my beloved mac and cheese.," you nodded, then returned to your room to get changed, you had no intention of leaving today, but the idea of being alone with Kate made you feel clammy.

Kate sighed defeatedly as you left the room., "Why won't she even look at me?," Yelena sent her an uncharacteristically soft smile., "Give her time Kate, this is all new to her, and it'll take time for her to be comfortable with you.," Kate deadpanned., "It's been six months Lena, and it just makes no sense because we were fine the first few months. I just miss her is all."

Yelena nods in understanding, she has a feeling for what's going on with you, but she doesn't want to even mutter a word to the archer until she works with you first. It's clear as day to her that Kate's completely fallen for you, and if she is as good a spy as she knows herself to be she knows you're in the exact same boat, but with the extra baggage that growing up in the red room brings along you were likely lost.

—

"Y/N, can you grab a tomato? Kate wanted an apple, but I think she needs to learn a lesson.," Yelena asked you while stood in front of the dessert table, and you reluctantly did as she asked, but you also grabbed the apple too. Yelena smirked to herself when she saw you try to hide the apple on the cart when you thought she was distracted., "Thank you Y/N/N, now, after we finish up here we're meeting Tasha and Maria for lunch okay?," you nodded as per usual, but this time with a soft smile, and Yelena found herself slightly offended.

She finds and saves you, but Natasha is still somehow your favorite...

"Lena, can I ask you something?," the assassin nearly swerved when you used your voice for the first time that morning, you were always a woman of little words, and she's not sure if that's genuinely who you were, or if it's still a byproduct of being free for the first time ever., "Of course, ask away...," you swallow down your fear, and just ask., "What's love like?"

"Oh look, we're here!," she shrieks, feeling bad as she watches your shoulders deflate, but this is exactly why she brought you to her sister., "It's good too, because you can ask that to the experts.," she jests, and points to the lovebirds who were engaged in a soft embrace as they awaited your arrival, and you found yourself settling into this entirely too confusing state of longing for something so incredibly foreign.

When you exited the car you saw Natasha pull back from Maria, and she yanked a thrashing Yelena into a tight hug, then you smiled when she turned to you with her arms wide open, and left you the choice of entering the embrace. For her you walked right into it, relishing in the safety that always came from the elder widow., "Tasha and I ordered waters for the table.," Maria subtly greeted, and you reluctantly pulled back to smile over at her, then in a shocking turn of events you reached out to her for a hug, and she smiled widely over your shoulder at her wife giving her a thumbs up.

Yeah, Yelena know she chose the right people...

Natasha watched you curiously when you looked over the menu at the Korean BBQ., "What do you want for the first round honey?," you looked to her puzzled., "You guys can choose, it's okay.," Yelena slapped your back., "No cyka, pick one thing from each menu, then we'll each pick something, it's how it works.," Natasha narrowed her eyes at her sister, then with a gentle touch she lowered your menu., "What Yelena was trying to say was, it's okay for you to make the decision for the table, no one's picky, and we'll all get a chance to order."

Maria then further explained the concept of the restaurant to you, and only after a thorough description did you feel comfortable ordering., "Uh, the bulgogi, garlic chicken, potstickers, and the cheese corn all look kinda good.," Yelena didn't show it outright, but she was beyond proud of you for taking the initiative to order your selection when the waitress came.

The longer you all sat their munching away the more the women got to see you visibly relaxing; you went from staring at your empty glass to politely requesting more water, you laughed openly over smiling when the sisters continued to throw jabs at one another, and when Maria finally asked you about what it's been like to be out now, you genuinely spoke up about it and Natasha was quick to focus on you.

"Um. Well, It's just been super strange is all. It's like I've seen all of this stuff through movies my whole life. To feel all these new things, and most for the very first time, it just all feels so wrong, but also right in a way, and I don't know what any of it means, and I freeze up whenever it becomes too much, and that even feels wrong. It's almost like I'm an alien.," you quickly paused as the waitress settled a new grill down for the table, awkwardly smiling up at her as you'd known not what else to do after she just saw your clearly panicked state.

Natasha's hands were quick to link with yours., "Oh honey, I know a bit about how you feel, when I got out of the red room I hadn't a clue how to exist either, if not for Clint Barton I'd still likely be a distant shell of a person too.," her gentle touch and smile helped you calm., "It's okay to be confused, life is already hard enough, adding on a lifetime worth of trauma would make anyone wary. This is the first time you've been made to make your own decisions, it's almost harder than it was being controlled. There's so much more pressure, you don't even know what could mess it all up—that's scary."

"Yeah, most people, like Kate Bishop don't understand the importance of decisions.," Yelena cuts her sister off, and Natasha smirks when she sees the steady rolling of your eyes, the personality you'd been hiding shining through makes her heart hopeful for you.

"However, once you stop fighting the freedom, and you start making even the simplest of choices, like you did tonight, it gets easier." Natasha finishes her thoughts, then she leans back, slipping her hands from yours to take a drink, then you watch as one instinctively links with her wife's on the table while the other goes to pick at her plate., "How did you get here?," Maria squeezes her wife's hand, then she clears her throat, and you shift to stare at her. 

"This." Maria gestures playfully between their bodies., "Was not easy, this one here trusted me about as far as she could throw me.," you chuckled along with the woman, then you watched the couple share a sweet moment of silent admiration., "Natasha joined shield, and as Yelena would say, I was incredibly whipped. She was just special, her outright stoicism was what actually made me so persistent to get to know her, and it's what kept her so resistant."

"Cautious.," Natasha politely disagrees with her wife's choice of words., "Yes, forgive me, cautious, either way she wouldn't even spare me more than the necessary moments of interaction. Even a polite 'How are you,' received a deadpan and monotonous 'good.' After a long while I began to realize that it might not be me specifically, as she was a lot softer with Barton, and corresponding agents but more so it was my title that left her so cautious of me."

"So, I began to experiment, and though Fury was against my methods I'd started running to work in my street clothes, and I would time my arrival perfectly to meet her at the coffee cart.,"  You catch the remembrance in the redheads eyes., "Yes, my perfect little stalker.," Natasha then dreamily teases, and you can just feel the love radiating off of the delightful couple., "Watch it...," she warns, "Anyways, I would catch her eyes on me more when I was out of my uniform, on the third day she even smiled at me, and I just knew I was onto something."

"This is disgusting, I'm going to get a beer, do you want one?," Yelena whispers into your ear, but you shake your head and shove her away., "By the end of the week I knew I was right, my authority over her was the problem, so I had her transferred from being directly beneath me, then come Monday I beat her to the cart, so when she got there I handed her the cup, and she just stared at me like it was a test.,"

"What exactly was I meant to do?," Natasha asks with her hands thrown about, "Trust me!," Natasha scoffs, "In your dreams.," Maria pouts, then grumbles., "You mean my reality right?!" Their silly bickering had you rerouting your gaze to the meat sizzling on the grill, and after a few moments Natasha settled back into her seat with a huff., "After she tentatively took the glass from my hands I was straightforward, I'd told her she no longer worked for me, and that I'd really like to go out with her. She narrowed her eyes at me, took a long swig of the drink, then handed it back to me with a stupid smirk."

Natasha smirks as her wife sits beside her with a massive pout at the memory., "I said: 'get my coffee order right next time, then I'll consider letting.' Before I promptly walked away, and left her there rather confused.," Maria sighs., "Turns out I had accidentally handed her my cup, and I only even realized as the bitter sip assaulted my tastebuds."

Their story was cute, and it helped some, but it didn't do much for your understanding of love. Natasha caught on immediately as a deep confusion still swirled beneath your eyes., "Listen Y/N/N, love is a constant battle, nothing good is ever easy to come by, and this took a long time, because even with her being able to court me, it still took years for me to trust that she was a permanent figure, and learn to love her in a way that was real, and wasn't heavily influenced by rom com movies."

"Who is it then?," You freeze up when Maria calls you out, and Natasha is quick to reroute., "How about you tell us what you're feeling. Talking it out might help you to understand."

"I'm not really sure... I feel sick when she's around, almost like I can't breathe if she's too close to me.," The lovers share a knowing look., "My stomach gets all twisted, and my tongue follows, I can't even speak to her anymore. Which is weird cause we used to talk a lot, but then she started to cuddle up to me, her hand would always be on my arm when we spoke, and slowly I felt this weird pit in my stomach."

"Like she was a threat?," you violently nod along to Natasha's question while gulping your water down, sparing Lena a glance when she sits back down., "Yes! Just like that, but she's not, at least not to me, she's like a puppy.," Yelena snorts, nearly spraying the table with her beer, and you freeze up, curious if you'd said something wrong, and Natasha now wishes she'd had this whole conversation with you all alone.

"Well, congratulations Y/N, you're in love.," you grimace at the reality of the situation., "Really? Why is it so painful? Seems odd.," Yelena settles a hand to your shoulder, staring deeply into your eyes., "Because everything is pain! Love, Life, Loss—the three L's of pain."

"You're drunk...," Natasha concludes, then snatches her beer from her hands to finish off what she now needs to continue sitting here., "Love is not painless Y/N/N, and falling is scary, but I promise with the right person by your side you'll find it is worth it all, and if she truly is a puppy like you say then you've got the best chance possible, those types love hard."

"Thank you Tasha, and Maria...," the couple smile warmly at you, then you notice the way the redheads lips upturn., "Of course honey, now, I just need you to make one more decision for the table before you go home to get your girl, yeah?," You nod and quirk a brow., "Who pays for lunch? Maria or Yelena?"

—

"Get out of my car! I'm still so mad at you...," you flinched at her tone, and she quickly softens her face., "Sorry Lena, they were just so nice, and they helped, plus you made so much money on your last hit.," Yelena shushed you., "Fine, all is forgiven, I'll be back in a week, call Natasha if you need anything, but also maybe just ask Kate, because that puppy is down bad." Your eyes widen at her blatant call out, and you are right back to nodding., "Good luck Y/N."

When you finally convinced yourself to enter the apartment you were quick to smile at the sight of the up and coming Avenger dancing. With a pair of big headphones on she was jumping around the living room in a cat onesie, and dusting the entirety of the furniture. Kate however shrieked when she turned around to find you were actively watching her cleaning, "Oh my gosh, no, I-I thought I was alone.,"

As embarrassed as she was Kate couldn't help but to smile widely as you broke out into a fit of bellyaching laughter, literally your hand was clutching at your abdomen., "Stop it...," she whined out dramatically, and that somehow only made it all funnier to you., "It's not that funny...," she huffs, and it's truly adorable when she pouts at you with her arms crossed. It's honestly hard to take her seriously with the large, fluffy cat ears, and the dangling tail.

"Sorry, it's not funny..." You eventually choke out, your face returning to a state of stoicism, but as soon as her eyes meet yours you both break out laughing again, and she throws the duster at you., "Fine… It’s a little bit funny.,” You nod with a shy smile, too consumed with the need to calm your breathing down to even mutter a response, and after everything settles the awkward energy slowly seeps back in.

“Here’s your apple.,” Kate softly smiles at you, because it’s just a win that you’re actually talking to her, and your belly swarms with what you now know to call ‘butterflies,’ at the sight., “Thank you Y/N/N.” You nod again your throat now beyond dry, and Kate lightly frowns., “Would you like to watch a move with me?” She shouts from the kitchen, catching you just before you could make your escape down the hall, and you decide in the moment that there’s no harm in starting off your with a movie, so you quietly make the trip over to the couch.

Kate silently cheered when she peered around the corner to see you sat in wait for her, and she made quick moves to settle beside you with a bowl of popcorn, she pulled up a horror film, then threw a blanket over the both of your legs. You tensed, but then the screams of the first protagonists victim had worked to sooth you. Kate’s head fell to your shoulder about halfway through the movie, and you felt that familiar pit forming in your belly, and when her hand casually laid over your thigh under the blanket you nearly jumped off the couch. The brunette was none the wiser to your fast beating heart, and you were at least thankful for that.

Kate was beaming internally, it’d been so long since you last let her this close, she didn’t know exactly who to thank, but she knew Yelena did something, and would be receiving a hug for it. Once the movie ended you’d both been stuck in your heads, so when the ad for the next film popped up you were jumping up off the couch., “I’m tired.,” Kate sat her fallen body back up, then looked up to you with sorrowful eyes., “Yeah… Goodnight Y/N.,” and your heart was effectively breaking when she brushed passed.

Tired was an understatement, because as soon as your head hit the pillow you were snoring. The moment of peace was brief though, as not even two hours later were you shooting up off the mattress, hands clutching at your chest as you did your best to regain your composure. The nightmares never got easier, your tears a shining example of just how easily the past still gets to you; the flashes of Dreykov, and all he’d made you do flood your mind as you stumbled down the hallway in route to get some water.

Kate was listening to a soft string of music when you entered the kitchen, a bowl sat in her hands with an array of ingredients before her. She’d been expecting you, respectfully she’d been keeping her distance, but she knew about your nightly routine—you were just on time. Every night between midnight and one in the morning she’d hear you gasp through your shared wall, then she would hear the sink running, and whenever you’d cry yourself to sleep she’d cry too, and so tonight she decided enough was enough, she’d be comforting you.

“I-I’m sorry… I’ll go.,” her stoic resolve melted as soon as she heard you begin stuttering, the pained expression you wore truly hurt her., “Nonsense, please sit… You’re just on time actually, the cookies will be done any minute, and I need your opinion…,” and as if she was using a hypnotizing method of convincing you to stay you sat down, and gratefully took the glass of water she slid your way., “Thanks.”

Kate hummed, not looking to overwhelm you with much talking just yet, and to her total shock it was you who spoke first., “Kate, why are you making cookies at midnight?,” your genuine confusion made her snort., “This is a normal pastime of the distraught American woman.,” your grimace only made her smirk., “This seems so unprogressive, I don’t approve.”

Kate laughed as she went to remove her first batch from the oven, then after the responsible waiting of only two minutes she plated one up for you. Sweet brown eyes bore into yours, the anticipation palpable, so you took the entire cookie into your mouth, you did your best to hide your feelings as you struggled to chew it. It was incredibly dry, but also severely moist in the center, and so the amount of water you’d guzzled down had the woman before you dropping her head to the counter.

“I stand by my earlier words. I don’t approve.,” Kate chuckled defeatedly., “I’m sorry, I just wanted to make you feel better.,” the muttered confession only made your entire body freeze., “It’s just, I don’t know why, but I feel like it’s my job to protect you, even from nightmares.,” her words were almost too much for you, the tenderness she wanted to offer you felt so undeserved after the reminder of your past., “Kate…,” she shook her head, “No!,” her hands settled on your damp cheeks, and when you didn’t flinch away a pang of hope reached her desperate heart., “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.,” you resolved for telling the truth, her forehead now leaned up against yours, you watched her tears fall into your lap., “Then why don’t you talk to me anymore?,” her voice crack shattered your heart, and so you took in a shaky breath, “I-I’m scared Kate.,” She immediately understood, the love she felt for you was beyond scary for her, so she could only now imagine how hard it must be for you.

With a surge of confidence she decided to tackle both of your fears, her hands slipped from your cheeks until they gripped the collar of your shirt, and just as soon as she pulled back she was pulling you in for a bruising kiss. Though you were caught completely off guard you certainly wasted no time in deepening the kiss while shoving her body against the wall by her hips, earning a strangled gasp from her.

Kate felt like she was going to quite literally combust, the way you just handled her left her in a dizzied state, and the possessive hold you had on her while your tongue explored her mouth made her feel complete, as if nothing before she knew the taste of you was ever right, and like her basis of further survival will be totally dependent on your proximity.

When you pulled away to catch your breath she was near to tears, a whimper leaving her lips as the fear settled deep within her that you just got caught up in the moment, but that once you regain your wits you’ll leave her without a word., “Shit… What the hell was I scared for?” Her previously shut eyes opened to find you smiling at her with a new hope in your gaze., “I’m sorry Kate, I didn’t mean to hurt you, and I promise I’m done running away from you.”

“Would you like to sleep with me?,” Kate asked innocently, but the meaning was lost on you., “Oh gosh, no, not like that… It’s not that I don’t want to, because God, do I want to… I just, I don’t want to rush anything with you Y/N/N. You mean too much to me, I-I just wanted to cuddle, I can protect you from the monsters.”

Her ramblings, though rather adorable, were soon cut off by your gentle lips pressing to hers, she sighed at the heavenly feeling, and you chuckled when she tried to chase yours., “Lead the way Bishop.,” and that she did, with your hand perfectly slotted in hers, she drug your buzzing form off to her room.

She dramatically fluffed the pillows., “Welcome to my humble abode, please get comfortable.,” You giggled at her silly little display, then took the right side of her bed while she slipped off into her ensuite to get herself ready for bed. When she returned she saw you nearly asleep, the sight alone had her body warming, and heart fluttering at the prospect you being hers., “Goodnight Y/N/N…,” your arms wrapped around her tightly, and as she nuzzled into you a bit of your consciousness returned., “Kate, are you in the cat onesie again?,” she went to deny it but your hand tugging on the tail left her with no wiggle room., “Yes…,” she groaned when your tired laughter filled her room.

“Aww, don’t be embarrassed my little Katey Kat!,” you sleepily mused., “You know, I think I might’ve preferred it when you didn’t speak…”

—————————————————————

[youbloodymadgenius]

Ivarello (Modern!Ivar x reader) Chapter 1

Moodboard by @quantumlocked310

Ivarello’s masterpost here

A/N: This is my entry for @deans-ch-ch-cherrypie 500 Followers Fairy Tale Challenge. It's a retelling of Cinderella. Congrats again, darling 💖

A huge thank you to @mrsalwayswrite, who's a great beta reader and an even greater cheerleader 😂

A massive thank you to @quantumlocked310, @vikingstrash and @serasvictoria. Thank you for agreeing to collaborate and for sharing your talent with me. Your moodboards are beyond amazing 🤩

In this story, Sigurd is alive. Ragnar and Aslaug are dead, but Lagertha didn't kill her. I took a lot of liberties with the show, I hope you won't mind.

Unlike the tale, there will be no magic involved. Not everything will be realistic, however. It's a fayritale, after all!

Let me know if you want to be tagged 😊

Summary: Orphaned five years ago, Ivar and his brothers have been living with Lagertha ever since. Now 16 years old, he wants to attend Harald's traditional Midsummer party, but obstacles stand in his way.

Warnings: description of car crash; orphaned kids; Sigurd being Sigurd; OOC characters.

Words: 1806

Additional note: I'm afraid I'll disappoint some of you. No more newspapers... The articles defined the setting of the story. From now on, it'll be a regular fic.

Hope you enjoy it nevertheless 🙂

🛡⚔️🛡

June 2021

Ivar yawns, rubbing his eyes, when he suddenly hears the front door open. The next moment, Ubbe shouts, "Hey baby bro, we're home!"

Slightly confused, Ivar looks at the time on his computer. Stunned, he blinks repeatedly, shakes his head and checks the time again, now looking at his watch. "Guess I lost track of time," he mumbles as he realizes it's really 5:30 pm. He clears his throat. "I'm coming!"

Yawning once more, he wheels to the kitchen. Hvitserk waves at him with one hand as Ubbe greets him with a grin and Sigurd... Well, Sigurd ignores him, as usual.

"Hello boys!" Lagertha smiles as she also enters the kitchen. "Did you go to the beach this afternoon?" It's a rethorical question, since sand can be seen on the tanned skin of his brothers, shirtless and wearing only swimming shorts.

When she looks down at him, her smile becomes softer. "Ivar, you seem tired. Did you work all day long?"

He nods, glad that for once she called him by his first name and not by one of those stupid nicknames that she likes but that make his skin crawl.

"Yep," he shrugs without smiling back, "I made good progress. The new version of your website is almost done. It could probably be online by the end of the week."

His stepmom flashes him a beaming smile. "Great, thanks!"

The conversation then moves on to the subject that everyone in Kattegat has been talking about for the last few days: the midsummer party thrown by their neighbor Harald Hårfager. Every June, it is Kattegat's not-to-be-missed event, to which every resident hopes to be invited.

Lagertha is invited every year, yet rarely attends; his brothers wouldn't miss it, not in a million years; Ivar never went.

He listens with half an ear as his brothers prattle on about the upcoming party, while taking a seat at the large, wooden kitchen table on which Lagertha has just put cakes and drinks.

"What are you going to wear?"

"Do you think Marit will attend this year?"

"Hopefully the music will be better than last year."

"Can't be as bad! What was the name of that reggae band?"

For a fleeting moment, Ivar entertains the thought of attending as well. Not that he's dying to, but… Sometimes, he feels a little bit like Cinderella in this house.

Don't get him wrong, it's not that bad.

First, his stepmom is not–

Wait, wait, wait, is Lagertha technically his stepmom? He's not sure. After all, she wasn't when his parents were alive, she was just his father's first wife. Anyway, she may be his guardian now, but he sees her as his stepmom and he honestly doesn’t give a shit if it's a little weird.

Where was he? Oh yes, Cinderella.

So obviously, Lagertha is not a wicked, haughty and abusive stepmom like this Lady Tremaine of the fairytale.

Actually, even if it pisses him off to admit it, she's pretty nice, patient and composed. Does he love her? Let's not exaggerate – he doesn't. She may love him though, which is a little bit uncanny, if he's being honest. He was the favorite son of her nemesis. Shouldn't she hate him? He would, if the situation was reversed.

The truth is, when he was younger, he tried, he really tried to hate her, blaming her for everything and anything. When too much pain prevented him from sleeping, he let his imagination run wild. There, bound to his bed of suffering, he could see Lagertha cutting the brakes on his mother's car, causing her crash, causing her death.

Of course, even then, he knew deep down that Lagertha had not killed his mother; that the story he told himself was just the product of his endless nights of insomnia. But what can he say? He needed this. Because blaming Lagertha rather than admitting that his beloved mother was at fault – by being distracted, or by falling asleep, he'll never know – was easier for the heartbroken boy he was.

Anyway... So yes, Lagertha is definitely not an evil stepmother like Cinderella's.

Also, he doesn't sleep on a sorry garret, on a wretched straw bed either.

Actually, he has a very large room on the main floor, with a king-size memory foam bed, a walk-in – well, a wheel-in for his case – closet and his own, huge bathroom, fully equipped for his special needs.

Sure, the bathroom and the dressing room were already there when his parents were alive; however, the memory foam mattress had been Lagertha's idea.

Anyway... So yes, he can't exactly complain about his sleeping conditions, unlike Cinderella.

And obviously, he's not forced into servitude.

Actually, one might think so, but no, he's not. Sure, sometimes he works for his stepmom, like today. But so do his brothers. When she had taken them in, she was a powerful businesswoman, working twelve to fourteen hours a day. Once she had become their guardian, she had rearranged her working time and learned to delegate; but even so, she had often run out of time. Therefore, it had seemed normal to them – yes, even to him – to help her out, each of them according to their skills and abilities.

So, while Hvitserk almost always does the grocery shopping, while Sigurd vacuums and does the laundry, while Ubbe mows the lawn and trim the bushes, he, Ivar, runs her company's website and sometimes even does the accounting. And since he loves computers and numbers, it's not exactly a problem.

Anyway... So yes, he's not a slave in this house. Unlike Cinderella.

So, yes, to sum it up, he can't really complain and he's by far not Cinderella. And he knows it.

But... Yes, there's a but...

Sometimes, he feels trapped, as poor Cinderella must have felt.

Sometimes he feels like a spectator of a life he doesn't belong to.

Sure, he doesn't have to be homeschooled – but gods, he's glad he is. The reasons for him to be continuously bullied by classmates are endless. The simplest ones being: he is a cripple, an orphan, the son of a dead mob boss, the smartest one in the whole damn school, let alone his class. Take your pick. It's no fun, no fun at all. Being home alone is preferable to that alternative.

Therefore, barely leaving the house except for medical appointments, he has no friends. He doesn't do sports either – obviously – and yeah, he lives a lonely life, filled with video games and Netflix series. And he's okay with that. Well, most of the time.

Sure, his brothers, or at least Ubbe and Hvitserk, always try to include him as much as possible. But the truth is that because of his legs, there are many, many things he just can't do.

And the other truth, the less pleasant one, is that he partially did that to himself. He cut himself off from a world that hurt him, yet he still misses this world sometimes. At times, he blames himself. Because his life, honestly, is hardly what you would call a life, is it? Not when you're sixteen.

That's why sometimes, like now, he feels this longing, almost a need, to live. To really, truly, fully live. And that's why, for a brief moment, lulled by the light chitchat of his brothers, he considers attending Harald's midsummer party.

But he knows better. This life is not for him, never has been, never will be.

And so, shaking his head, he chases the thought away and, placing his hands on his push rims, he's about to leave the kitchen while the incessant babbling of his brothers goes on.

"I can't wait."

"Don't tell me! As every year, the most beautiful girls of Kattegat will be there."

"Remember that burger food truck? Best burgers ever!"

"I've heard Y/N would be attending this year."

"There'll be booze and girls! Sounds like Valh–"

Wait. His mind goes blank.

Fuck.

What? Did he hear right?

As he replays his brother's words in his head, it's like there's an earthquake happening inside of him.

Fuck.

He stops breathing. Blinks, then clamps his eyes shut.

Fuck.

When he finally manages to draw air into his lungs, he swallows loudly before asking in a weird, high-pitched voice, his heart pounding in his chest, "What– What did you say, brother?"

Hvitserk turns his head toward him and shrugs. "I just said there'll be boo–"

"No, not you!" Ivar snaps at his brother, pointing his pointer finger at Ubbe. "You, what did you fucking say?" Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Lagertha frowning – 'no curse words in this house, boys'– and even if he barely contains an eye roll, he still mouths a quick 'sorry' at her before rewording his question, impatience coursing through him. "What did you say, dear brother? Who did you say would attend?"

Stunned, Ubbe looks at him with wide eyes. "Y/N? I said Y/N would come. That's what I heard anyway. She's Harald's niece. She was here once, right? Remember her, baby bro, huh?"

But Ivar is no longer listening, the blood draining from his face. Y/N... Y/N... Fuck. Finally. Fucking finally. After so long... He may see you again. Wow.

I'll go! I'll fucking go!

He barely contains the words, suddenly acutely aware of the deafening silence in the room, his brothers shamelessly staring at him.

With her brows furrowed and her lips turned downward in a slight frown, Lagertha takes two steps forwards before crouching down in front of him. "Are you all right, sweetie? You're a little pale."

He barely hears when Sigurd giggles, "A little pale? He's greener than an alien!"

Lagertha shoots Sigurd a dirty look and then gently cups Ivar's cheek. "Do you know her, Ivar? Do you know Y/N?"

Overwhelmed, self-conscious, freaked out, caught off-guard, he doesn't know how to respond. Should he tell the truth? Should he lie? His brothers will mock him, for sure. What is the point of telling the truth? What good would it do? On the other hand, he could really use some advice. Yeah. Sure. Advice from Sigurd. Just the thought of it is enough to make him sick. Fuck, what is he going to do?

Rushed words are out of his mouth before he can even gather his thoughts. "No. No. I don't. I mean, yes, I think I do but–" He's being pathetic and he hates it. So after a sharp intake of breath, he shakes his head and eventually replies in a flat, calm voice, the white lie rolling off his tongue. "I know her, but I thought Ubbe was talking about someone else. Sorry."

With these words, he hastily leaves the room, his eyes riveted on his knees, his heart still drumming in his chest.

Y/N. Fuck.

🛡⚔️🛡

Ivar's taglist: @waiting4inspiration @honestsycrets @lisinfleur @saldelys @gearhead66 @inforapound @readsalot73 @milkkygirls @xbellaxcarolinax @shannygoatgruff @zuxiezendler @hecohansen31 @lonewolf471 @fuckindiva @tgrrose @didiintheblog @peachyboneless @pieces-by-me @funmadnessandbadassvikings @ethereallysimple @destynelseclipsa @cocovikings23 @xceafh @mrsalwayswrite @deans-ch-ch-cherrypie @pomegranates-and-blood @jadelynlace @grimeundglow @quantumlocked310 @alexhandersen-marcoilsoe-fandom

Ivarello's taglist: @not-another-viking-fanfic-blog @hashimily @prepare4trouble @supernaturalvikingwhore @funmadnessandbadassvikings

[zv5x]

hey :) so like... do you know the madness:proj. nexus characters? because im a huge simp for church and jorge and i just don't see enough content for those two, much less any yan! content. also church drags his s/o around with a child leash but thats unrelated--

Okay! Got it! So sorry this took so long, old asks tend to get buried in the inbox but I remember wanting to do this one for a while! Hope you enjoy these!

( :̲̅:̲̅:̲̅[̲̅:♡:]̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅)

Church

Church is definitely a more agressive kind of yandere. For sure. They see you as far too immature and stupid (in the most blunt terms) to really take care of yourself alone, and they leave it upon themself to take good care of you, for you

Your resistance doesn't make any sense to them, just how a parent doesn't understand the whining and crying of a spoiled child. They're doing everything right. They're supposed to be protecting you and you're supposed to be thanking them, so what's the big problem? Why do you always seem to flinch and tremble when they come near you?

They ignore it. They ignore it all.

The thing about the child leash is pretty accurate actually, as they'd gladly pull you around everywhere with him just so he can make sure you won't be ballsy enough to try and run away from them. They'd even use a regular leash if you're leaving him convinced degrading you is the best path to take. If they think it'll ensure them their happy ending with you, they'll go through with it immediately

They aren't afraid to chase you right down and tackle you down during an escape attempt, and their brute strength and bodily power is more than enough to convince you to stop all disobedience for as long as you believe they'll be angry at you for. They'll be happy you're being cooperative for the time being, at the very least

Church only truly trusts you around his partner Jorge, and vice versa for Jorge himself

Jorge

Incredibly possessive, obsessive, and everything similar. You truly belong to him, and he wants the world to know it. He parades you around, glaring down at you everytime you do something he deems as you trying to ask for help or escape, promising you a nice long punishment if you refuse to get it together

He's also pretty huggy and clingy with you, wishing to just spend time holding hands while he's hanging around Church more than anything else. He just wants to spend all his time with you!

He most definitely won't hesitate to kill of anyone who stands in his way, and he's sure he can get Church's help with eliminating the access. He won't allow anyone to stand in between him and his beloved. It just won't happen

I imagine he takes a ton of photos of you. All with labels, written with a shaken hand and a felt tip marker in your favorite shade or color. Only the most accurate for his beloved (Y/N)

For intimidations sake, he loves showing you all the weapons and tech he has for himself if he needs it. Just a nice little "look (Y/N)! Look at this cool thing I could use to blow your families brains out if you don't figure out how to love me soon!"

Every time you escape he's right behind you. Before you know it, you're being picked right up like you weigh absolutely nothing and thrown over Jorge's shoulder, taken right back to where you started : now with a punishment right at the top of his to-do list

[renn-phrs]

[𝑩𝑬𝑵𝑬𝑨𝑻𝑯 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑲𝑰𝑵 𝑶𝑭 𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝑻𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑶𝑶𝑺 ; 𝑯𝑨𝑰𝑻𝑨𝑵𝑰 𝑩𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑺]

WARNINGS : Major character death, Strong languanges

"FUCKING HELL RAN PICK THE FUCKING PHONE !!" Rindou curses on the phone hitting his steering wheel as he tries to dial Ran for the 12th time but no response he gets from his beloved brother. The negative thoughts clouded his mind on what happened to him. He should've taken the mission with Ran or just him alone. Now he is driving past the speed limits not caring about the red and blue light behind him combined with the widely-known siren getting closer.

"SHIT!" Rindou violently turns his steering wheel to the small alleyway to get away from the cops that have been chasing him for the last 20 minutes. He looked at the map that displayed on his car monitor.

"Any leads to the bastard that stole our documents?" Sanzu ask.

"Got those peeps' location if we wanted to plan an ambush." Koko raised his hand. His eyes never leave his laptop, typing something on it.

"Don't think we could. We have a lot on our plate this week. 2 weeks prior we agreed to hold a meeting with Taiju on Friday, then we got a deal coming in 2 days at the docks. Got new items too," Takeomi signaled Koko to write it down which he replies with a nod, "And sadly we need those papers before tomorrow."

"I can do it." Everyone's eyes glance at the owner of the voice. "We don't need to plan a big ambush. We've killed a bunch of men before, and I believe I could outstand them just by myself and my trusty baton." Ran tapped the table with his baton, a smile formed on his face.

"There are 20-ish of his men, I think you nee-"

"Come on, Kaku. You know me better than this."

Everyone in the room looked at each other, contemplating whether they should send him off or not.

"I go with you." Rindou sigh, as he was about to get up, Ran throw his baton across him, hitting Rindou in the head, "BROO???"

"Na-ah. You sit there nicely as your big brother do the job." Ran snickered, getting up to pick his baton and pinched Rindou's cheeks.

"Later losers."

"RANN!! RAN WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!!" Rindou shouted but no one replied on the empty basement. "RANN ANSW-"

"You missed me that much brother?" A voice called him from his back. There his brother, Ran leaning on the pillar beside him while cleaning his hand with a handkerchief.

"Fucking hell you scared me! Of course I do dumbass, you gave me an SOS call and don't even pick my 12 damn calls." He smacked Ran's head earning a low groan from him

"Ehehe, My phone broke," He chuckled, pointing at the people that lying on a pool of red liquid, "I threw it at one of those bastards."

"But you are okay, right?" Rindou tapped his shoulder.

"How can a Haitani Ran not be okay?" He joked, not really funny but oh well, it's "the great" Haitani Ran what do you expect?

As they were about to leave the place, Ran suggested that they should come to the beach which Rindou didn't approve since they need to go back to the hideouts to bring the stolen papers to Mikey.

After a little bit of convincing and pushing, his brother gives up and tells him to hop in the car. The ride to the beach was quiet, only the songs came out radio accompany them. Rindou glances at his brother who is being weird all the entire ride. He sits rather nicely, crossing his legs to the other side and his hand folded on his lap. His eyes never leave the road until they arrived.

"Ran we are here," He said taking his seat belt and shoes off before getting out of the car followed by his brother, "Why are we even here? You sure are weird."

"Heh, just... just want to see the sunset. It'll much be beautiful this time." Ran replied looking at the beautiful sky with a shade of a pale yellowish-orange at the end of it. The sun looks like a few centimeters away from the sea. maybe, it'll set for 20-ish minutes from now.

"You talked like an old man, Ran. Who cursed you?" Rindou looked at him which only replied with a smile. He had a bad feeling about this. The pit of his stomach began to twist as his brother takes a few steps into the saltwater.

Huh?

He looks.. lively

Lively than he used to be. His purple eyes reflected the sun infront of them, his feet kicking the water making a mess to his dress suit, laughter escape his lips as he began to hop around like a little kid.

"Rin, don't you just stand there. Come join me." Ran extended his hand, to hold Rindou's hand. He rolled his pants to make sure it wasn't touching the water and take Ran's hand.

Ran started to talk about their old childhood memories, from how he loved to annoy Rindou until the old times where they ruled Roppongi together. Rindou doesn't like this and he will never. Why is he talking about old memories all of the sudden? This must be wrong, something not right, something-

Suddenly he felt a hand resting on his shoulder, He looked up, seeing his brother was a bit tipsy. Rindou quickly guide him to the shore to set him down. His heart rate increases rapidly seeing his brother in a state like this,

"Ran a-are you alright?" Ran didn't answer he only look at his brother in the eyes. He began to undress his vest, revealing his white shirt with a bunch of red stains on them. "Ran tell me this... thi-this blood isn't yours. Right? Ran?"

"I'm sorry..."

Ran shifted his body closer to his brother before putting his head gently on his lap. They keep silent for a few seconds.

"How long?"

"Before I... before I called you."

Rindou was furious, furious to know that he agreed to this. He could've just helped his brother. But he-

"Why didn't you-

" "tell me?", I saw him. I hear him calling out my name." Ran quickly replied. Rindou doesn't know who is he talking about. Zero ideas about it.

"Ran it's just your intuition, don't ple-"

"He hugged me, I never know he looked at me as a friend. Now I know the reasons behind our little tattoo." He touches the tattoo that resting on his neck. Ran began to talk a lot of non-sense that Rindou could only try to understand.

"Ran you... you said we're going to rule the Roppongi together till old." His voice was low, barely heard, merging with the sound of the ocean wave crashing with each other.

"I'm sorry, Rin. I'm sorry," Ran coughed, Fuck He cursed knowing damn well talking in the state like this only make him feel ten times worse, "I'm sorry If you always felt left out, I'm sorry If you always felt like you're not enough and only stand behind my shadows..."

"Ran please, don't say that... You know I never mind. I love being with you." Rindou panicked while trying to help his brother stand, "H-here grab on to me and I-I'll drive fast enough to the hospital so you co-"

"Rindou... you are... funny," Ran laughs, "Even if... Fuck. Even if you did.. did manage to take me... there, there won't be any use." Ran looked down at the wounds that he cover using some fabric, started to form a red spot on them. Guess it's time then.

"The sunset is very beautiful today isn't it, Rindou?"

Rindou's eyes widened, not expected to say anything random out of the blue. He takes a deep breath before answering his brother's question,

"Yeah, Yeah It... is." Ran smiled at him. watching his brother looking at the sun who is going to set a few more minutes. His eyes trailed to his neck before stopping at the tattoo sitting nicely on his neck like his.

"RINNRINNNN!!!" Before Rindou could look back he felt a weight behind him making him hit the marble floor.

"RAN YOU KILLING ME!" Rindou shouted trying to wiggle free from his brother's hug, "RAN GET. OFF OF ME, YOU FAT THING!" He felt the weight on top of his body shift. He turned back to see his brother already standing with a shocked face. Ran kicked him in the crotch making him scream in pain like a little girl.

"RAN WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!!" Rindou gave him a death glare as he tried to nudge to pain.

"The audacity of you saying I'm fat while you are the one that always eats like a goddamn pig," Ran rolled his eyes before shoving his phone to his brother, "Here look, Sanzu told me we're gonna get a matching tattoo for the gang."

Rindou slightly backs his head away, adjusting his glasses to see clearly. He shifted his head to look back at his brother and to the phone again a couple of times before pinching his nose. "Then what?"

"Thennn, we are going to have another matching tattoo!!"

"HECK NO." Rindou shouted. They've had 2 matching tattoos from their torso to the back and he wanted more? Rindou shakes his head, disapproving of his ideas. He quickly gets up not wanting to interact with his loud brother before he feels something heavy wrapping around his feet.

"IHHH, RINDOU PLEASEE IT'S JUST A SMALL TINY CUTE TATTOO!!!" Ran whines, dangling on Rindou's feet so he couldn't go anywhere, "COME ONN!!"

"JUST GO ASK YOUR FRIEND!!" Rindou was about to kick him before his brother quickly gets up and hug him. He was startled by Ran's sudden action not knowing what to do. Ran lets go of his hug as he takes his brother's hand, drawing circles on his palm.

"Please ?" Ran pouts, trying to act cute to get into his heart, only to be replied with a gross face plastered on Rindou's face. What the fuck.. He sighs, knowing for sure if he keeps standing on his words this conversation won't go anywhere.

"Just... this once right?" Ran nods.

"Small?" Ran nods again,

"Hahh, 'right."

"YEYYYYY!!!!" Ran jumped giving him a quick hug, rushing to text Sanzu.

"But," He stopped, "I get to choose the tattoo placement." Rindou said before leaving the room.

"Ay-ye, Captain!" Ran salutes him, which was only replied with an eye roll.

" 'Think don't have much time," Ran grabbed his brother's cheeks as he tries to lean forward to kiss his temple. "You are a strong man. Don't cry just because of me, okay?"

Rindou looked at his brother who tries to smile for him. He needs to help him. He needs to...

"Rann... Please let me-"

Ran shakes his head telling him to not continue the word. He takes a deep breath before trying to speak with a low voice,

"I will always be by your side, Rin..." Ran's hands start to tremble, his breath getting heavier each time he tries to endure the squeezing pain in his lungs, "Don't worry Rinrin."

His head feels dizzy and hot. He wanted to talk but the feeling of someone choking him and he couldn't do anything, silence him. Only heavy breathing could escape from his mouth. The more he endure the pain the harder he keeps his eyes open. So this is what death feels like?

The truth is, he never wanted to leave him, he wanted to live, live long enough to see at least his brother on the mandap with someone destined for him or just hearing him shouts when he ate his last pudding or anything, anything that could he have as his last memories. But guess the one's up there has another plan for him.

"Pro-promise okay?" The trembling voice leaves Rindou's lips as he brings his brother into a hug, "I love you Ran, I love you so so much, please remember that, Okay??"

No answer.

"Rann.."

No answer.

"Ran??" He waited, "Ran answer me please.. pl-please..." Rindou's lips quivered, tears starting to fall from the corner of his purple eyes. His breathing hitched at the sight of his lifeless brother in his arms. Rindou tries to shake his body a couple of times but not a single muscle moves from his brother's body. His body trembling in fear, not knowing what to do as the day began to fall.

Another soul was set free as the sun began to set down, changed by the moon that will shine bright accompanying the boy and the dead in the serene night.

RETURN — ©Reblogs are highly appreciated.

[robert-de-niro-only-fans]

"You're All Wet"

Sam "Ace" Rothstein x Reader

Um, I made the decision to call him Ace in this fic, not entirely sure why! Reader and Ace knew each other before he went to Las Vegas and Reader stops in to visit, enjoy!!!

TW: implied smut, cheating, mentions of gang activity

Word Count: 1.7k

Just like any other night at The Tangiers, Ace Rothstein stalks the casino floor, like a predator waiting to pounce at the sight of a cheater in his beloved establishment. As his eyes scan the crowd, carefully watching everyone's body language for anything odd, there's a hitch when he swears he sees someone familiar. His eyes quickly double back and they land on you. In that moment, he feels like he's travelled back to the past and in another world simultaneously.

"(Y/N)?" he blinks in disbelief, "(Y/N), is that you?" He hasn't seen you in years! That face is all too familiar to him, but that body? Well... Let's just say you've grown up a bit.

"I gotta say, you're not looking so sharp right now, Ace, not with that dumbfounded look on your face," you giggle, holding your arms out for a hug, "You look like you've seen a ghost or something!"

He holds you tightly to him, nuzzling into the crook of your neck for a moment before pulling back and getting a better look at your face, "God... I feel like I have! Fuck, where are my manners, how have you been, darlin'?"

As you catch up, wandering away from the pits to somewhere more private, Ace finds his mind wandering back to old times in the Midwest, to when he knew you best. You're Remo Gaggi's only niece; you grew up with nothing but guys around you, guys who are all involved in the family business, so it only made sense that you were so interested in it too. But it was different with you, Gaggi wanted you to wait until you were an adult before getting into anything, so by the time you were allowed to know anything, you took it seriously because you knew you had something to prove being the only girl in the business.

Ace always admired how you came out swinging the minute you turned 18, ready to prove all your cousins and uncles wrong about you. But he really didn't get to see too much of it, before him and Nicky got sent to Las Vegas.

He even remembers their going away party, everyone getting together one last time before moving to the desert to make the bosses more cash than they could dream of. He remembers how you started to tear-up telling him goodbye, but you had a lot of pride and didn't want any of the guys to see you cry. However, you did cry when you finally got a moment alone with him, and Ace wiped your tears, promising you'd see each other again. And now, here you are in, halfway across the country, making sure that promise is kept.

"Where are ya stayin' tonight, doll?"

"Oh, just at some plaza hotel or something," you shrug.

"By yourself?" Sam inquires.

"Yeah, I'm grown now, ya know!"

"Oh no, no, that won't do. A girl like you shouldn't stay by herself in a city like this," he takes your hand across the table your both seated at, "Come stay with me."

"Ace, I don't wanna be a burden..."

"You're not a burden. I'm so happy to see you, it'd be an honor to have you in my home." His grip on your hand tightens reassuringly.

"You sure your wife will be okay with it?" It was the only defense you have left.

"My wife, eh?" He looks left then right slyly, "You know who pays for the place, right? I'll have a guest over if I like."

• • •

The next few days felt like old times but in a whole new place, a much richer and more luxurious place. Your first morning at Sam's house, you woke up early from jet lag, so you took the liberty of making breakfast for everyone. To which you were met with a "You didnt have to do that," when Ace caught you, but it was followed up by him hugging you from behind and laying his head on you, practically sleeping while standing up.

Of course, you hung out with Nicky too! They showed you all around their new stomping grounds out west. However, you can tell that Ace is making an effort to get alone time with you; you'd always had a special bond back home. Hell, you cried over the man when he left! You'd be lying if you said you didn't miss that closeness.

One night, as you're having a relaxing bubble bath in Ace's luxurious guest bathroom, you ponder on how much longer you should stay in Vegas. You bought a one way ticket because you weren't sure how things would go and you didn't want to be stuck here if things got hairy, but now... You feel like you want to stay for a while, but you don't want to take advantage of your friend's kindness either.

Your thoughts are interrupted by the sound of the doorknob wiggling before Ace lets himself in. "What? So you just walk in on girls in the bathroom now? I guess with all these Vegas dancers throwin' themselves at you, you must think you're hot shit or something."

"Oh, hush," he cracks a smile, strolling across the tiled floor before sitting down on the toilet lid.

As he sits back and looks you over, your head and bare shoulders being the only thing exposed, you taunt, "Like the view?"

He lightly snorts and shakes his head at you, "You look good, but I just wanted to spend some time with you before the wife gets home. God knows when that'll be." He rolls his eyes at the thought of his wife.

"You don't think it'll look suspicious, uh, hanging out with me while I'm in the bath?"

His eyes wander as if he's deep in thought, then he shrugs and returns his attention to you. "What did you do today?"

"Nothing too crazy. You and Nicky have had me so busy that I just went out for a mani-pedi," you relax back against the wall of the tub.

"Ooh, let me see," he says, leaning forward towards you. You slide a hand and a foot out from under the mountain of bubbles and hook them on the edge of the tub.

He inspects them before taking his hand in yours and holding it closer to him, "Very pretty, I like the color," he says quietly, then he presses a soft kiss to your knuckles.

"Thank you," you giggle at him.

He returns your chuckle and places a few more kisses to the back of your hand and wrist.

"Ace, what are you doing?!" You squeal!

He simply let's out a hum and continues kissing up your arm, his kisses slowly turning from funny to passionate as he passes your elbow. Ace scoots away from his seat on the toilet and kneels beside your bath, lips never leaving your arm.

You feel that fire creeping up in your belly as he rounds your shoulder, lips and tongue working the soft skin of your clavicle. Your other hand rises up out of the bath water, and you cup the back of the man's head.

Feeling a bit of hesitation, Ace slowly moves his lips towards your neck, receiving a small but pleased exhale from you. As your eyes flutter closed, you tilt your head back, giving him access to your sensitive skin. He suckles and nibbles there for what feels like eternity but also only a second, eliciting a series of breathy moans from your lips.

After placing a few kisses to the spot, he pulls away from you slightly, just enough to see your face. You stare at each other in a haze, familiar eyes locked onto yours, and his better judgement leaves him as he graces his lips across yours. Your lips dance with one another's, eyelashes brushing the other's face, in such a soft gentle moment, before he claims your mouth with his. Your emotions are on high from the passionate kiss, until you remember this isn't old times and this man before you is no longer yours to take.

Your lips part from his, "Sam..." It's just above a whisper.

The use of his first name makes the severity of the situation hang in the air like wind chimes waiting for a breeze, the sound of silence deafening to your ear drums. You'd only ever called him that once before, also in a serious moment: a moment when your confession of your feelings for him hung on the tip of your tongue, but you didn't want him to carry that weight to Vegas with him.

His eyes glance over your visage, that beautiful face filled with worry. You should never feel anything but happiness, Ace thinks to himself. The rough pad of his thumb gently strokes your cheek, while the rest of his fingers nestle just behind your ear. Your eyes are cast down, trying not to look at him, so you don't see it coming when he leans forward and kisses you again.

Your lips move together once again, and your hands find his shoulders, gripping onto him as if he might slip away. You sit up on your knees in the bathtub, and immediately Ace's arms are around your waist, pulling your soaking wet body close to his. His hands tangle in your damp locks, and he fumbles around before throwing a leg over the wall of the bath tub and sliding into the water with you. He settles down onto his knees and pulls you across his lap, never breaking your kiss.

Your fingertips comb through his hair, as your making out slows to a halt. Gently cupping his cheek, you take a look at him, "You're all wet," you state quietly.

Slowly, this elicits laughter from both of you. You both stay like that for a moment before he takes you in his arms and lifts you from your bath, carefully stepping out and leaving a hefty trail of water leading right to the guest bedroom where you've been staying.

That night as he makes love to you with his clothes piled in a wet heap on the floor all around the bed, the only thing on his mind is you. He's waited what feels like a lifetime to have you, so nothing would keep him from you, not even the sound of his wife coming home somewhere between rounds 3 and 4.

[kakiwrites]

the firework spell

Genre: fluff

A prince Justin x reader

Synopsis: you asked the renowned wizard, howl if he could help you with the annual botany spell. He comes into the castle, Sophie in tow, wanting to catch up with the former scarecrow. What happens if a jealous and sulking howl notice the way you look at the prince and devises a plan that could benefit the both of you?

 a/n: hey guys! I've been thinking about this the whole morning and I'm so excited to start working on it. I am very sad that prince Justin isn't getting the recognition he deserves. He just… deserves the world- requests are open so please don't be shy to leave a request! I really don't bite. Let's get started!

 "master howl, so great to see you again."

 "Please, we're old acquaintances. Call me howl."

 You smiled at him, before going back to the table you set up in a small opening in the botanical garden of the castle. You had everything you needed, the spellbook, cauldrons, and ingredients all for the yearly botanical spell that helps the kingdom grow their crops.

 You laid them out in front of you just as howl approached the table and leaned over to look at the certain materials you had set up for use. Howl picked up a small bundle of roses and brought it to his nose, sniffing the scent. He smiled before putting it down.

 "madam Suliman is finally letting you do this spell alone? That's nice of her." howl said in a joking tone. You giggled pouring in a muted green liquid into your cauldron. You looked up to see him pouting at something behind you. You followed his gaze to see Sophie and prince Justin chatting and laughing. The prince's eyes glistened in happiness.

 It made your heart clench.

  Don't let it show.

 Nobody has to know.

 Nobody has to know that you've fallen in love.

 Fallen in love with the very prince who seemed to be more fond of Sophie.

 You bit your bottom lip, turning back around to continue on the spell. Howl glanced at you before finally turning back around and examining the ginger before throwing it into the concoction.

 "Sophie insisted on coming with me. She almost hit me with her broom, which is much scarier than it sounds." he laughed, turning towards you, only to see you trying to keep your frustration and pain off of your face. You forced a giggle before opening a bottle to take in the fragrance before pouring it into the cauldron. "I don't get why she's so adamant in seeing the prince. She has me after all." he sulked, pouting once more, skimming through the spellbook opened on the specific spell to see if you were doing it correctly.

 "Maybe she's just tired of dealing with your attitude." you tried to joke, looking beside you to see howl staring at you. It was like he was trying to see through your façade, trying to see what was truly on your mind You felt yourself getting smaller under his gaze. You turned away, pretending to be fixated on a passage in the book.

 "you're in love with him."

 "w-wha-"

 "you're in love with the prince." howl said a matter-of-factly. He was just trying to grasp at it himself. You looked at him, shocked that he uncovered It so quickly. Was it that obvious?

 You stayed silent, keeping your eyes on the text on the page. "I don't know what you're talking about." you tried to play off, sprinkling some different flower petals in the cauldron.

 Howl groaned, pulling you away from the table and making you look at him, his hands gripping your forearms. He bent down to meet your eyes, letting you see how his sparkled in excitement. "don't you lie to me~ you can't hide it (y/n), you're in love with the prince!" he said, his voice rising in volume. You covered his mouth, hoping Sophie and the prince didn't hear him.

 "ssshhh! You don't have to yell it out." you said before pulling away. "what's it to you? You don't have to rub it in my face that Sophie chose you and I settled for just watching him from afar." you muttered, going back to the spellbook, trying to distract yourself by reading through the steps once.

 Howl frowned at that. As much as he wanted to console you, he didn't know what it felt like. Sophie fell into his arms and he didn't have to experience waiting for her or just watching her from a distance. He stared at the desk, deep In thought. What could he do to help you? After a few moments, he perked up, taking the bulky book you were reading from off the table. You grumbled at him, seeing him flip a couple of pages before landing on something that made him smile from ear to ear. He dropped the book back down, letting you skim through the spell.

 "a firework spell…? What are you trying to say?"

 "well, when the prince opens the bottle, outcomes little sparks of life. The ingredients are interchangeable so we can make it whatever color you wish. We can also slip in your confession letter so it'll pop out at the end-" howl explained excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

 You placed a finger over his mouth, silencing him. Now that you think about it, that could work. Prince Justin might see what you truly feel. You blushed at the thought.  You pulled away from the wizard before rubbing the bridge of your nose. "no. I don't have the courage to do that."

 "oh come on (y/n)~ you'll know what prince Justin truly feels about you and I'll get praised by my Sophie." he pleaded, trying to look into your eyes and persuade you.

 You contemplated. What If he felt the same? Oh, that would be a dream. But that might be just it, a dream. Is it a risk you're to take? Your heart might feel a bit lighter if you let your feelings be known. You sighed defeatedly before looking up at the raven-haired man.

 "fine-"

 "yes!"

 "you'll have to take me in if he rejects me. It was your idea in the first place."

 Howl nodded his head happily, pushing away the old ingredients and sorting out the newer ones. You looked over him, seeing him read through and check the list. He looked back at you with a cheeky grin before pushing you to the other table. "I'll do the first half of the spell, you write out a confession letter to put inside it," he said, handing you some blank parchment and quill.

 You looked over at the prince's figure disappearing and reappearing between the leaves before taking a deep breath, dipping your quill in ink, and letting your heart do the writing.

  You folded your letter and shoved it in the bottle howl placed on the table. He was pouring in the last of the dyes while muttering the spell under his breath. He twists the cap back on and gave it a little shake. It was done. You take it from the table and admired it. The liquid inside was swirling with yellows, pinks, and greens, and your note floating among it all. You looked up at howl and smiled at him thankfully. He smirked back.

 "you can give that to him once we finish the botanical spell. We have a couple of things left to do," he said, pulling the cauldron towards you. He started handing you the final ingredients while you muttered the spell. he could Your mood turned changed drastically. You seemed more happy, nervous, and giddy all at once. He took that as a good sign. He felt proud of himself. The spell began to take effect after you added the final ingredient. Flowers started to bloom around you and plants started to perk up.  You heard Sophie and the prince gasp at the wonderful sight.

 You looked over at howl, shifting your weight from foot to foot, trying to keep your composure in. "are you sure I could do this howl? What if this backfires? What if something happens?" you rambled nervously.

 Howl chuckled before pulling you into a side hug. "there's nothing to worry about. Nothing will happen either if you give in to that pessimistic attitude of yours." he said, smiling at you, making you feel at ease.

 "howl! We better get going before Markl and heen destroy the house!" Sophie yelled out. Howl smirked, taking the firework bottle and shoving it into your chest before walking off and catching up to his beloved.

 "Why are you smiling like that, howl?"

 "I just did something that'll make you feel happy and want to cuddle me when we get back home."

"and what is that?"

 "I'll tell you on the way~" he teased Sophie. He looked back and waved goodbye one last time before taking Sophie by the waist and hoisting her up into the sky.

 The prince turned around to meet you. You stumbled towards him, pink dusting your cheeks. "are you okay miss (l/n)" he asked, getting ready to catch you just in case you fall. You just gave him a small smile before handing him the liquid-filled bottle. Justin stared at the colors inside it in awe. "is this for me?" he asked, giving it a little shake and watching the colors swirl around.

 You nodded your head, looking everywhere but at him. "I recommend you open the bottle in your quarters. You wouldn't be able to see the surprise under all this sunlight," you explained before bowing and running off without another word. You just couldn't handle his soft gaze on you. You just felt unworthy.

 But the prince felt otherwise.

  Julian followed your disappearing figure into the hallway, his words stuck in his throat. He wanted you to stay and keep talking to him. He always loved your voice when you explained how a certain spell worked or your laugh when he cracks a joke. Did he do something wrong for you to run away from him like that? He frowned, pressing the bottle into his chest before walking through the hallway and into his room.

 He made sure the door was closed before he placed the bottle on his desk and popping the cap open. At that moment, small sparks of pink, yellow and green fire exploded all around him, lighting up his quarters. He watched in amazement, seeing all of this life, all of this color, come out of such a small bottle.

 The letter popped out last, fluttering toward Justin. He caught it mid-air, turning it in his palm. The writing looked like exactly yours. He unfolded it and let eyes read through the heartfelt words slowly.

 Prince Justin,

 I know it's common for you to get love letters like this so I highly doubt you would even acknowledge mine so I'll just keep this short for you:

  I love you.

 When you disappeared, I did everything in my power to try and get you back. I was so scared because not only was the kingdom going to lose a brilliant prince but also because that would mean that I would lose you. When you came back, I felt so relieved. I didn't have the heart to tell you my true feelings then so stayed back and admired you at a distance instead. Even though you don't accept my feelings, I wish that you would find someone who you would love as much as you loved Sophie.

 I promise to stand by your side either way.

 Love,

 (y/n)

 His eyes lit up. So all of this time, he thought he did something to make you upset but now he knew that it was the exact opposite. You loved him.

 And he loved you too.

 He placed the note in his coat pocket before running out of the room, past the maids and servants. He reached your door and knocked. he kept knocking until you answered, your eye peeping in a small crack before opening it fully for him.

 "prince Justin-"

 "I read it. I read your note."

 Oh no. he read it. Was he going to reject you now? Well, you wouldn't complain and fight it anymore. That's what he felt, there was nothing else you could do but respond. "look, It's alright if you don't return my feelings-"

 "I came here as fast as I could. I wanted to tell you right this second that I love you (y/n). You wrote about how you hoped that I would find someone I loved as much as Sophie. That person is you. I love you as much, if not more than Sophie."

 Did he just-

 "prince-"

 "Please, call me Justin, I called you (y/n). It's only fair." Justin stopped for a moment to trying to keep his composure. He couldn't stop smiling. He continued, "not only did you make colorful displays of light come out of a bottle, but you also made my heart explode of realization and love." he said, taking your hand and caressing it. "can I… kiss you?"

 You blushed. The prince reciprocated your feelings and now he wants a kiss. You shakily nodding your head, hoping this wasn't just a dream.

 Because if it was, you weren't sure if you wanted to wake up.

 Justin's hands moved to your waist, yours moved to rest on his shoulders. He pulled you toward him with care, closing the gap between the two of you. His soft lips moved against yours, you swore you could see stars. After a while, he pulled away for air. His eyes swimming with love bore into yours.

 At that moment, you felt your love-filled heart combust.

 And that is all! Oh my god, I did not expect this to be this long but I love it! I love how cheeky howl was here hehe. Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did~ requests are open so please don't be shy to leave anything in my ask box~ love you guys ❤️💕💖

General taglist (don’t be shy to comment your tumblr @ below): @tokyoghoose @macaronnv @reogou @lnarizakis @midnightangelfox @wumboho