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angel-eyes05 · 2 months

Text

only until midnight

pairing: prince charming!opla!sanji x cinderella!afab!reader

summary: after reaching your limits with your life at home, your outlook on life changes after meeting a certain stranger in the woods. your paths are destined to meet again at the king's ball later this week, but he seems to be more than what meets the eye. lucky for him, you are too.

warnings/info: nsfw (thats later in the fic though, so i'll mark it off when to stop reading, and when you can continue if you still want to read. the smut isn't integral to the plot i was just feeling horny lmao), THIS IS AN AU!!! if you dont like that this fic isnt for you lol, cinderella au, slight angst, lots of fluff after the smut, smoking (pipe cause its like the 1700s), first time/virgin reader, unprotected piv (wrap it up guys), reader's been through shit, no use of y/n (it kinda works cause he's not supposed to use her name and shit lol)

word count: 6.3k words

notes: i got this idea cause im playing grace in rodgers and hammerstein's cinderella and i was like ykw this would be really cute with sanji. i picked live action sanji because of 1) im more attracted to him than animated sanji lol 2) the british accent feels right for a prince 3) i dont know enough about him post time skip to like feel good enough to write for him (im only on sabaody). also ik the obvious look here is just to make the kingdom germa kingdom but again i don't know enough about post time skip one piece to write about it in confidence so im doing just a random kingdom in an au. the kingdom isnt even the main focus of this so it doesnt matter!!! also i didn't proofread, i didnt have the energy i finished this at 1 am my bad chat. lol enjoy

dividers by: @cafekitsune

It seemed as if the dirt was superglued down to the floor. As a part of your daily chores, your stepmother had ordered you to scrub the entire house floor until it was spotless. This one speck of dirt had decided to be particularly devilish with you and your consistent scrubbing. You let up from the brush, leaned back, and wiped the sweat brewing on your forehead. Some days were harder than others. The past eight years had been more of the same ordeal. Your father had married particularly quick after your mother’s illness took her, always leaving a sour taste in your mouth when you would linger on the thought. The woman had an interesting demeanor to her. She was sweet yes, but always with a twinge of condescension. She brought with her two young daughters, about your age. They were less deceptive of their malice, teasing you whenever your parents weren't looking. It wasn’t picture perfect, but then nothing was now without your mother. This was just your new reality, and you accepted it with grace and humility.

Then it happened. News came back to your house about a carriage crash involving your father. The image of your stepmother crumbling to the floor as the news was delivered was burned into your mind. Your family had to adapt fast, the house was in a vulnerable position now without a patriarch. The house staff was fired due to lack of funds, materials downsized, and tensions were thick with your new family. Drowning in grief and head of house duties, your stepmother never found the time to clean, and your stepsisters? Well let’s say they weren’t involved in that conversation from the start. You found yourself naturally taking the duty up on yourself. First it was just cleaning the dishes. It slowly grew as time went on, you had gone from daughter to maid. When your stepsisters would make your job harder for you, you would attempt to reach out to your stepmother for a glimpse of hope. Her beginning response was just ignorance, but as your chores became larger and larger, she turned into gas to fuel her daughters’ fire. As if matters couldn’t get any worse, your name was soon taken, along with your dignity and freedom. Bored today, your stepsisters found themselves brewing a new nickname for you.

“I got it!” The short one shrieked from the cushioned chair. The other quickly turned face her in excitement. “Cinderella!” There was silence for a bit, as taller one looked at her confusedly. The short one groaned. “Because shes always covered in soot and cinder from the fireplace.” The tall one took a second to think about it. “That’s too confusing. Plus it doesn’t have anything to do with her name! It has no ring to it.” “Well I’d like to see you come up with something better!” The short one retorted. “You don’t think I can do it?!” The tall one stood up in anger. You tried to block them out as you mopped the floor of the room around them.

“Watch it! You’re going to get my shoes wet with your dirty mop water!” The short one shouted. Blocked them out too much now. “My mistake,” you said, dully. “Ugh, you would think she’s a zombie or something,” the tall one groaned. You could tell your day was about to get worse when you heard the click of your stepmother’s heels entering the lounge room. “What’s all this ruckus you girls are making?” She asked, annoyed. “Oh mother I’ve got it! I’ve got her nickname!” The short one bounded out of her seat. “Don’t listen mother, it’s dreadful there’s no melody to it!” The tall one intruded. They began throwing hands at each other and yanking on the other’s hair. This was almost a daily occurrence when they began arguing. The shrieks had dulled your ears. Almost on routine, your stepmother raised her hand to cease the show. “Continue my dear,” she gestured to the short one. “We should call her Cinderella! Because she’s always around the fireplace!”

The fire brewing in your stomach grew to a burst. “Stepmother please, they’ll only stop if you tell them so!” You exploded. The stepsisters gave an almost comedic gasp at your rare outburst. All your stepmother needed to do to get you back to your work was give you once glance worth daggers. She cleared her throat after the ordeal. “Girls, please try to keep the bickering to a minimum if you can, I’m trying to work out arrangements to the ball later this week.” Your sisters immediately started cheesing and cheering after hearing the news.

You had almost forgotten about the event. The king was growing old of age, and with all his daughters married off to other kingdoms, his last hope for an heir was his unmarried son. The prince, the youngest of the king’s children, and the only son: Prince Sanji Vinsmoke. This ball was open to all the women in the kingdom. A playground for him to pick his new bride. Everyone and anyone had the chance, so of course the entire kingdom had been gushing about it over the past month.

Why bother though, you were most likely just going to be stuck in the house again that night. Your stepmother always found new ways to keep you busy on ball nights. “If you two keep quiet for the rest of the day, I will ensure you have the most beautiful dresses among the crowd,” your stepmother promised her daughters. They cheered and jumped into their mother for a hug. You couldn’t help but turn away from the sight, an ache growing in your heart, longing for your own mother back. “As for you,” she turned to face you and look you straight in the eye. “I need you to go into the market immediately and pick up some silk and lace to give to the seamstress for your sisters.” You nodded compliantly. “Yes stepmother,” you managed to speak. “No. It’s ‘Yes Ma’am.’ We’ve discussed this. Is that understood?” You nodded again. “Yes ma’am.” The woman smirked. “Thank you, Cinderella.” She exited the room, her daughters snickering to themselves and following her out.

You dropped the broom by instinct, hands too shaky to keep it steady in them. You covered your mouth to conceal the incoming sobs. You moved swiftly through the house out to the back where the horses were rounded up. You ripped a basket off the shelf outside, flopped on top of the horse, and whisked off into the backyard woods. You couldn’t help but let out your sobs. It was too much for you to take. You were trapped and things were only getting worse. You pulled on the reins of the horse to slow down. Once it slowed to a halt, you dismounted and tied the reins to a nearby tree branch. You walked to the center of the woods, and let out an ear piercing scream. You screamed until your vocal cords began to itch. It was the only way to let out your anger. You couldn’t explode on your family. The results of that were already clear. You didn’t want to explode on yourself. So the woods had become your sanctuary. A place to let it all out. After the noise could no longer physically leave your mouth, you flopped down to the floor and pulled your knees into your chest. Sobs left your mouth as tears flooded your eyes and pooled down your face. You just wanted your old life back. Your parents. Your freedom and dignity. Your name.

The rustling of leaves nearby woke you from your breakdown. You lifted your head from your knees to find a man approaching from about 30 feet away. You immediately shuffled to your feet and looked at him bewildered. You picked up a sharp rock from the floor in self defense. “Woah, woah, woah! I mean you no harm I swear! I was just passing through!” The man defended, putting his hands up by his chest. The two of you circled each other at a safe distance for a little bit. He didn’t seem to mean any harm, dressed as a simple farm boy. His golden hair was too long, his bangs covering his left eye. He was fairly tall and skinny too, just enough meat on his bones, especially near his toned legs. What stuck out to you the most was the kindness in his eyes. Well, the kindness mixed with current fear. You were so enwrapped with observing him, you forgot you were currently threatening his life. You dropped the rock to the floor, and walked over to sit on a fallen tree log. He watched you for a little bit before you signaled him over to sit next to you.

He wandered along over and took a seat down next to you, still keeping a safe distance though. “I was out riding when I heard a scream, so I decided to follow it. It went on for a while, so it was easy to track. I thought someone was in trouble,” he explained. “I’m fine,” you shot out. “The red in your eyes and your horse throat suggests differently.” You sighed and cupped your face in your hands. It stayed silent for a bit. Eventually, the man went into his pocket and pulled out a box of matches and a pipe filled with tobacco. Your head lifted up from your hands to watch his process. He struck the match and lit the tobacco, waited for the smoke to form, and then sucked it out of the stem. His eyes closed as he blew out a beautiful puff of smoke. He then turned to look at you and held out the pipe. With some reluctance, you took the pipe from his hands, held the stem up to your lips, and sucked out the smoke. Of course holding it in for too long, you coughed the lingering smoke out.

The man smiled and scooted in closer to you to hold your back as you coughed and took the pipe away. Once your lungs calmed down, you turned to look at him as he was admiring you. “Better?” He kindly asked. You nodded softly. He smiled and took another inhale of smoke before putting the pipe away. “And what would such a beautiful maiden you be doing out in the woods all by herself?” He inquired. You smiled at how cheesy the compliment was. “I could ask the same thing about you.” You both chuckled. He was the first one to explain. “Well I was just out for an afternoon ride, when your shriek took me off my path. And now, here we are I guess.” You nodded slightly and turned to look at the floor.

“You still haven’t told me why you were screaming,” he mentioned. You sighed. “Just that sort of day I guess.” He nodded. “It just…gets too much sometimes.” As you felt your eyes welling up again, you also felt his hand rest upon yours. You turned to look up at him, a soft smile resting on his face. Naturally, your head fell onto his shoulder, and his head onto yours. You two spent a while like this. “Well, a pretty girl like you shouldn’t be using all her voice up like that. Whoever it was that hurt you like this doesn’t deserve that much energy from you,” he consoled. You couldn’t help but blush a little bit. You had no idea who he was, yet you felt so comfortable with him. “You know, you still haven’t told me your name,” he said, lifting up his head. You lifted up yours as well to look at him. “Oh, um I-.”

You were cut off by the sound of trumpets coming increasingly closer. “Shit,” he said under his breath, scampering up off the log. You looked up at him confused. Was he in trouble with the palace law? Before you could ask any questions, he asked “Are you attending the King’s Ball?” Damn it. You would become a laughing stock to him, most likely being the only girl in the kingdom not attending. “Can’t we just see each other in the market tomorrow?” you suggested. “No, it has to be there,” he shot out. You thought to yourself for a second. Maybe with some extra chores, your stepmother would finally allow you. With hesitation, you finally answered. “Yes.” He smiled to himself. “I hope I shall see you there.” He seemed to move back towards you again, but halted as the trumpets began to blare again. “Have a good day madame!” he exclaimed, bolting off into the distant forest. You stood up as you watched the mystery man escape from your life.

The woods seemed to disappear around you as your heart fluttered. The first person to show you kindness in eight years and you didn’t even catch his name. Stupid. You were snapped out of your daze when the sound of approaching horse hoofs stopped behind you. Three palace soldiers on horses stood behind you as you turned and curtseyed to greet them. “Good afternoon men,” you greeted. They bowed their heads in return as a sign of respect. The Captain of the Royal Guard was the one in very front. “Pardon the intrusion, but we’ve been in search of His Royal Highness. He seemed to slip away from his fencing lessons earlier this afternoon and the king has been worried sick. Villagers said they saw him passing by through the woods just a moment ago. Have you seen him?”

Oh my god. It occurred to you that you had been so cooped up in the house you had no idea what the prince looked like. That couldn’t possibly had been him back there though. He would have no business around some low life like you. “Do you possibly have a picture of His Highness?” You asked. One of the guards in the back searches through his satchel and pulled out a portrait of the Royal Family. You walked up and took it, examining the prince’s face. You would’ve thrown up right there and then if it weren't for the fact you were trying to help him escape. But those eyebrows in that photo were unmistakable. It was him alright. You just smoked off of the prince’s pipe. “No, I do apologize, but I don’t recognize him,” you said. The captain simply nodded. “Thank you ma’am. As you were.” He bowed his head as him and his men rode off.

Shock pulled your heart from out of your chest and into your throat. You could hardly believe yourself. That must have been why he was so insistent on you attending the ball. But why? What could he possibly see in someone like you?

There was only one way to figure out. You went over to your horse, untied him from the tree, and rode off into town, with a new goal. You had to attend that ball.

The week had practically zoomed by. You had the house to yourself most days, your stepmother and stepsisters always out at the market place trying on dresses for the ball. This time was mostly spent either practicing dancing, or sewing up your own dress. There wasn’t much material in the house, and god forbid you take one of the dresses from your sisters, so you took scraps of fabric from your mother’s dresses and pieces of fabric in drawers around the house to make your own. It took about the rest of the week to make, spending laborious hours towards its construction. The final product was a pink gown. It wasn’t nearly nice as your stepsisters’ gowns, but it would suffice for the evening.

The night came and your stepmother and sisters could be heard shuffling downstairs preparing to get into the carriage. “Wait! I’m coming too!” you shouted down to them. They turned around and looked at you in shock. “Mother you can’t let her!” the tall stepsister shouted. “Yes it’s too humiliating to be seen with her! You can smell the soot from a mile away!” her sister rebounded. Their mother held their hand up, shushing them up immediately. “Now girls, if she would like to join us, that’s well up to her to decide. She’s a grown woman just like the two of you.” The girls looked at her in shock. Your eyes glimmered in hope. It was finally working, all your hard work had finally paid off. Your stepmother smiled at you. Something felt off though. Her eyes had that glint of malice in them. That glint whenever she was about to do something truly horrible.

“Now Cinderella, where did you get this dress from?” she inquired. “Oh, I used materials from my mother’s dresses and some fabric around the house,” you hesitated to reply. “Hm.” She stared at you, circled you like a shark for a moment. “Darling, come here.” The short one stood next to her mother, looking up at you. “Isn’t her dress lovely?” the woman asked. Your stepsister rolled her eyes a bit. “Yes mother,” she groaned out. “You can really see the attention to detail.” She traced her finger along one of your chiffon sleeves. “Like these sleeves. This beautiful pink fabric. Darling, don’t you have a fabric like this in your closet?” Your heart dropped. You could see where this was going fast. Your sister took a moment to observe the sleeve. She gasped. “You little witch, I bought this fabric its mine!” She ripped both sleeves off your dress. All you could do was stand there, mouth agape and watching in horror. The tall one walked up next. “And these pearls were in my drawer!” She ripped them off your neck.

Within the next 30 seconds, your sisters found some excuse to tear of each piece of fabric off your dress. You tried desperately to get them off you, but it was no use. Through the chaos, you could see your stepmother smirking by the door. Your eyes welled up with water as you could do nothing but watch. “Girls, girls!” your stepmother called out. “That’s quite enough!” The girls stopped, hair ratted, looking at what they had done to you. The tall one was smiling. The short one had the slightest bit of remorse in her eye. But it disappeared as soon as they collected themselves and walked out the door to the carriage. Their mother was about to follow them out the door. Before, she stopped. “Just as I said. Going to the ball is up to you. You’ll just have to decide if you want to go with a dress or not.” You couldn’t even say a word to her. “Goodnight, my dear.” She closed the door.

The silence of the foyer was choking you. You mindlessly shuffled to the backyard. Disassociated beyond belief, you took a seat on a bench outside. The tears came out naturally, without you even making a sound. It was all gone. The chance at a normal life. Just go to outside and feel like a human being for the night. To see him again. He wasn’t even at the front of your mind for once. You just wanted to curl up and disappear.

Out of the corner of your eye, a silver glimmer could be seen on the other side of the yard. You wiped your eyes and looked up to see a tall woman, in a beautiful white ballgown, a glowing wand in her hand, and..were those wings? You must be hallucinating, theres no way. Still being dissociated during the ordeal. The woman explained she was your Fairy Godmother, and that she could send you to the ball. She created a carriage out of one of the pumpkins in the garden, coachmen and horses out of the scuttering mice, and a magical light blue ballgown for you out of thin air. The finishing touch were a pair of shimmering glass slippers. You couldn’t believe your eyes. The woman explained the details of the spell. “While the spell lasts, no one at the ball will recognize you. This will give you anonymity.” That was a relief. You were worried over your step family. Prince Sanji probably wouldn’t either. You didn’t mind though. This was just an opportunity to get out there. “The spell will also wear off by midnight. That means all of this is gone by 12:01,” she continued. You accepted the terms, and next thing you know, you were off to the ball in your pumpkin.

As you stepped out of the carriage and onto the stairs for the castle, you felt like a little girl. Living out your dream as a princess. It was too good to be true. The other girls with their husbands walked gracefully up the stairs. You seemed to have gotten there a little late, everyone in the ballroom already. You gathered your courage, and your dress, and made your way up the stairs and into the castle. The beautiful golden accents and stone pillars were a marvel for the eye. The orchestra playing was more beautiful than you could ever imagine.

As you scouted the room, you could see the row of women lined up to greet His Highness. Sanji sat bored, more cleaned up from the last time you saw him and in a white coat with gold accents, and red dress pants. His hair still covered his eye, and you could see the king swatting at him to tuck it away. Embarrassingly, you caught yourself staring at him from up upon the balcony. Get a grip. It was stupid to spend your time fantasizing over a prince. He wouldn’t even remember who you were. But your heart couldn’t help but skip a beat when you made split second eye contact with him. Before you could see him go back for a second glance, you had already made your way to wander about the rest of the palace.

Ironically, you found yourself too nervous to dance with the other guests. You instead spent your time admiring the architecture of the castle. The grand piano in the center of one of the lounge room caught your attention. Your mother had taught you how to play when you were young, and wanting to see how well you remembered, you pulled out one of the sheets of music and began to play. Music filled the room as you became so wrapped in the passion of playing. It seemed as if hours had gone by when it was only mere seconds.

“No one’s played that old thing in years,” a familiar voice spoke. You could tell it was Sanji before even needing to turn around. You immediately ceased playing and jolted up from your seat. “Oh, I do apologize!” you shot out, frazzled.. “No, no, I’m sorry for startling you, my lady!” he interjected, walking closer to you and raising his hands up in defense. “I was just admiring the piano, Your Highness.” Remember you forgot to address him properly, you curtsey, your big dress laying on the floor, and lower you chin.

You hear his footsteps move towards you, then feel his finger as it rests underneath your chin and pull it up to face him. “Indeed.” You feel his hot breath on your face as your stomach swarms with butterflies. He’s closer to you than he intended to be. He looks at you with comforting eyes and a familiarity. That wasn’t possible though, the Fairy Godmother said the spell forbade anyone from recognizing you. You couldn’t help but wonder though what he was thinking right about now. All you could think about was how beautiful his lips looked right about now, spending moments to stare at them, as he did yours. Before anything can get too messy, Sanji clears his throat and steps away. “You played beautifully.” “Thank you, Your Highness.” “Please, call me Sanji, Your Highness is too formal.” You smiled at his suggestion.

“Do you know how to play it?” you asked him, trying to break the tension. “My father tried to get me lessons, but I had a hard time paying attention,” he said as he took a seat down on the piano bench. “I can try though.” He stretched his fingers and begun to play the melody on the sheet of paper. You took a few steps back and rested your head on the base of the piano, watching him hypnotically while he played. The was his fingers graced the keys was mesmerizing to the plain eye. Once he finished, he smiled and look up at you. “You’re blushing, my lady,” he teased. You immediately snapped out of your daze, lifted your head and cleared your throat. “Oh, my apologies.” “It’s quite alright.” Sanji looked out behind the door and noticed the music being played in the ballroom. He then bowed, reaching out his hand to you. “Would you give me the honor of joining me on the dance floor?” Your blush grew even hotter. “Oh, I’m afraid I’m not much of a dancer.” He lifted up, and took your hand in his. “Well then, I suppose we will just make the rest of the castle our ballroom.” You stared at him confused. “We can’t have anyone else see you fumbling on your feet, can we?” You both giggled childishly as he took your waist and you rested your hand on his shoulder.

Sanji’s feet seemed to glide across the floor as he took you into a dance. You tried to match his movements, but your feet couldn’t help but stumble as you twirled along the floor. Your breath got slightly heavier as your embarrassment grew. “Are you alright, my dear?” Sanji asked with concern. “I’m sorry, I’m not very well versed with this dance,” you replied. Sanji smiled. “I guess I’ll just have to teach you.” He began to call out the movements you needed to make for the dance. “Left foot to the right, right foot forward…and twirl,” and so on and so forth. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see how hypnotically his eyes were watching you as you twirled, eyes low and tracing your figure. “See, now you’re getting it sweetheart,” he said, voice deep and low, putting butterflies in your stomach. The two of you continued to dance throughout the halls of the castle, eventually making your way to the balcony you had spotted him the first time.

It had taken a bit to remember, but it suddenly struck that you were dancing with the prince. This thought was brought back to you when you noticed every guest at the party staring at you and Sanji up on the balcony. “Sanji?” you whispered. He hummed low in response. “Everyone’s looking at you.” He chuckled under his breath. “Trust me my dear, I’m not the one they’re looking at.” You couldn’t help but blush. As you scanned the crowd, you spotted your stepmother and stepsisters. The look of jealousy in their eyes couldn’t help but make you smile. “We should go somewhere,” Sanji brought up. “Where?” you asked confused. “Away from here.” “But what about your guests?” Sanji smirked an evil look as he put his mouth just up to your ear. “I don’t think they’ll mind darling.” The butterflies were back.

It felt as if the two of you had been dancing for hours. You had no idea what time it was, or even where in the castle you were. All you cared about was being here with him. Little girls always dream about finding their prince. They never expect it to happen when they grow up. But here you were. Swaying on the outside terrace of the castle in the moonlight. Your head rested up against his shoulder, him looking down at you, as if nothing else mattered. You and your prince. Without another word needing to be said, Sanji straightened up, took your hand, and led you into the the darkness of the yard. The two of you came across a lone gazebo in a field of tall oak trees, lit only by the moonlight and a single candle lamp. After leading you inside, Sanji shut the glass door and lit a second candle in the gazebo with a nearby match. You took a seat on the bench wrapped around the building, flattening out your massive dress as it poofed up.

Sanji walked over next to you and took a seat, smoothing your face with his thumb. He gazed into your eyes as you smiled lovingly towards him. “My dear, may I ask you something.” You nodded softly, eyes slightly closed. “Where did you manage to get this beautiful gown.” Shit. You didn’t know what to tell him. He would never believe you if you told him the truth, you’d look like a fool. “One of the tailors at the marketplace,” you made up. He hummed and moved in closer to you. Your heart started pounding.

“I wasn’t aware your family could afford such fine fabrics. With the clothes you were wearing in the woods and such.” Your heart froze. “How did you know?” you stuttered out. It couldn’t be, there was no way. The Fairy said this was part of the spell, how could he possibly know? “I could never forget a face as beautiful as yours,” the words falling off of his tongue like honey. Before you had the time to comprehend what he said or how he could know it was you, his lips had interlocked with yours. They must have been laced with something, the way you simply seemed to melt into his touch.

His hand wrapped around your waist as he pulled you closer into him. Your hands found their way into his hair, entangling fingers between the locks. The kiss was long, sensual, as Sanji explored your mouth for the first time. All you could do was let him take the lead, your hands tracing down his neck, humming as his tongue slipped into your mouth. In a swift motion, overtaking your dress with him, he slides you on top of his lap, where his aching erection becomes noticeable incredibly quick. You could feel him throbbing, begging, beneath you. His hand fumbled down the poof of your tulle skirt, and up your bare legs as he went to feel your ass.

As his hands went up, his mouth went down, leaving wet, sloppy kisses along your neck, sucking and marking as he went. You couldn’t help but make noise as he played with your ass like putty and sucked the essence out of your skin. “Oh could this really be happening to me,” you lowly moaned out. You could feel Sanji smiling against your neck, grabbing your ass harder in response. You could feel his cock growing bigger and his breath getting more frantic by the second. He suddenly moved his hands out of your dress, and separated his mouth from your neck, leaving a trail of saliva.

“May I?” he asked, desperation in his eyes. You froze up a little bit. “I’ve never done it before,” you warned. He paused for a moment, then nodded gently. “It’s okay, I’ll go easy.” You thought about it for a moment, then gave him a nod. With this, he effortlessly lifted you up in his arms and carried you to the gazebo floor. He laid you down gently on your back, then leaned back and unlatched his belt. He pulled his pants down ever so slightly, allowing just enough room for his cock to spring up in an almost comedic fashion. Sanji then pushed the fabric of your dress to the side as he searched for your underwear, getting closer to you.

You see him come and lean over you, kissing the top of your slightly exposed breast as he guides his tip across your hole with his hand. He had barely inserted himself into you and you were already mewling like a wild animal. You only got louder as more of his shaft entered your dripping cunt. Your fingers dug into his back as he braced and let out a few groans of his own. “God you’re so tight…” he groaned. Once he was finally inside of you he began to slowly rock back and forth, sending waves from your cunt to your brain.

His mouth moved back to yours as he absorbed all of your moans as his pace picked up. “So lucky I ran into the woods that day,” he gasped out between kisses and thrusts. “Your pussy’s so good. Molding perfectly to my cock.” You couldn’t even fully process what he was saying, so enwrapped in the experience at hand. You were sent into further delirium as he picked up the pace even more. Desperate for more of you, Sanji hiked up your leg onto his shoulder to get even deeper into your pussy. The bliss was overwhelming. “Go harder Sanji,” you managed to moan out. “I can take you.” Sanji couldn’t help but chuckle, but he still accepted your request, shoving more of himself into you as he slammed his tip into your g-spot. Your hand shot out to the side, grabbing at nothing but the concrete floor. Your back arched and hips buckled. This man had you at full disposal and you hadn’t even known him for a day. “Best pussy I’ve ever had,” he grunted. “Want to keep you with me forever.” As he picked his pace up again, you could feel something brewing in your lower stomach, no idea what this feeling was, but knowing it was coming fast. “S-Sanji, something’s happening,” you moaned out. He smiled and kissed your lips sloppily, like it was the last time he would. “I know my darling, just keep going for me.”

The sounds of your ass cheeks hitting across the floor, your moans and his groans mixing into each other’s mouths, the dim lit gazebo, everything felt straight out of a porno. Your hips began to buck further as the heat continued to grow. You could tell the same thing was happening to Sanji too, his thrusts getting sloppier by the second. With the last final thrusts of his converging into your g-spot, the white heat finally rushed up the rest of your body as you experienced your first time of pure bliss and ecstasy. Your moans turned into mewls as your hand ripped at your dress for any sort of stability. As the orgasm died down, you felt Sanji’s aching cock slip out of you, as he turned away and finished on his own.

A sort of numbness scattered across your body. The experience left you exhausted, barely noticing Sanji crawling up and laying down next to you as he cleaned himself with a handkerchief and redid his pants. He planted soft, gentle kisses into your neck as he fixed you up and brought your dress back down to cover your legs. “Oh my darling you did so good,” he praised you. You looked at him, pure, unadulterated love in your eyes. “Thank you…for giving me this,” you choked out. His lips laced into yours as he hugged your hip. “I would give you all my love if you simply asked. This was just a treat.” You giggled like a little girl. He smiled back and continued to kiss you.

In between kisses, you tried to talk to him again, but couldn’t keep from giggling as he shut you up before you could continue. “Sanji.” Kiss. “Sanji…” Kiss and giggle. “Sanji!” This time he slipped in a little bit of tongue. “Your father will be asking about you, we need to get back now.” Sanji let go and groaned like a little school boy. “Alright, fine. But only because I can give him an answer on who to marry now.” You turned to face him. “And who would that be Your Royal Highness.” The silence and the look in his eyes spoke for itself. You took a deep breath and begun to sit up, but not before Sanji could pull you back down into him for another makeout session. Your giggles interlocked with his kissing only made him fall deeper in love with you. “Alright. We can go. IF! You tell me your name finally,” he suggested. All you could do at him was laugh, his childish behavior hitting all your soft spots. “Alright,” you began “It’s-.”

Before you could finish, you were cut off by the sound of the bell chimes from the grand bell tower at the front of the castle. How many times was that? Shit. “What’s wrong darling?” Sanji asked, sitting up. It was twelve times. You looked at him, frazzled and upset. “I’m so sorry,” was all you could manage to say as you ran out of the gazebo doors. Sanji’s face after you told him will be forever burned into your brain.

You ran and ran and couldn’t seem to slow down. You couldn’t possibly, you had no idea how much time you had left. You made your way through the castle, Sanji close on your trails and sending guards to chase after you. You made your way down the entrance stairs and into your carriage, which you could see rotting away by the second. As you jumped in, you couldn’t help but turn around and watch the castle as you drove away. You could even see Sanji, staring longingly out for you.

This was only for one night though. You needed to get that into your head or you would run straight back to him. You had a life to live. And you needed to go back to fulfill your duty. But this one night. This one perfect night. This was one you hoped to never forget.

a/n: you know how this story ends TRUST HE FINDS HER THROUGH THE SLIPPER AND EVERYTHING ENDS UP OKAY i just really didn't feel like writing all that lmao. hope you enjoyed (i sure did lol)

#sanji #vinsmoke sanji #sanji vinsmoke #opla #op #one piece #one piece sanji #x reader #sanji x reader #one piece au #au #alternate universe #cinderella au #fanfic #fanfiction #one piece fanfiction #one piece fanfic

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lilly-chou-chou · 1 year

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Lolita fashion: A guide for beginners and love letter to seasoned Lolitas (Fashion guide part ll)

Hello everyone!! Few days ago I had made a guide for people interested and doing gyaru fashion (interested people please visit my account to read about it <3) moving on I was intrigued and ready to take on the world of Lolita fashion as well, I hope this guides helps newer people and makes other old followers of this amazing fashion culture realize that it is all about fun and feeling pretty. Some may agree with this and some may not either way I am posting this <3

(Kindly please stop sending d#ath threads regarding this post. Kindly also refrain from sending comments saying I deserve those threaths please 🙏🏼)

My guides start from here on. So as a lot of people know, this culture of fashion was started by taking inspirations from Rococco and Victorian era. Over the years this subculture of Japanese fashion has definitely evolved and this subculture has given birth to many sub styles like most famous being sweet Lolita, gothic Lolita and hime Lolita.

So now that you know the gist of this style let me educate you further that the reason Lolita fashion exists is purely just for fun. People especially women wanted to feel that elegance and olden time beauty and dressed up in Lolita just for fun!! So no. 1 rule of Lolita is to have fun. Enjoy what you wear and buy.

Yes, when you first begin it is necessary that you browse through the summary but make sure to ONLY browse through the history of Lolita fashion. Never pay too much attention towards rules of Lolita because again just like gyaru fashion it was and has always been foreigners who police others and are way too anal about rules when as a matter of fact the whole reason Lolita and gyaru existed was to have fun! Of course but only gyaru had a backstory of opposing with stereotypes of women in Japan.

I am here to tell you that I have lived in Japan during the hype of Lolita and gyaru (also being an avid follower of both fashion culture since the age of 4) and having talking with foreigners and locals I suggest you to only LIKE ONLY listen to locals because they truly know what's up. My guides are filled with my experience and what they have told me.

So let's talk about rules like lace and materials and shit. What I have been told and have been doing my life is that pick any lace design that you feel pretty in because in the end even back then Lolita fashion magazines and shows would only tell you what a typical Lolita would wear like poofy dress and small details like pretty wigs and such but people in streets be it Harajuku or Shibuya or etc etc didn't follow these rules themselves and they were covered in latest Lolita trends from head to toe.

The magazines and such only give you an idea of what you can do or typical image of a Lolita fashion follower. That doesn't mean you have to do exactly that. Things like "stop wearing that" "your lace is ugly" "wow you purchased dress from Amazon? Fuck you" "that dress quality sucks you are NOT a real Lolita" is all doing of foreigner Lolita fashion followers.

I am so sorry if you ever encountered any of these people but Lolita girlies in Japan will never harass you like this.

Plus buying stuff from Amazon is OKAY because even though these days there are many affordable Lolita dresses and accessories, it is okay to still look for options and I understand that some people don't have budget and just because you are tight on budget doesn't mean you should be left out. YOU ALSO DESERVE TO FEEL PRETTY! Amazon might not be authentic if that's what you can afford atm then go for it please, enjoy and have fun because you were to meet other Japanese Lolitas they will say things like "wow I didn't know these days Amazon sold such good quality Lolita dresses" never feel guilty for buying off brand.

What people don't tell you is that these days even brands break some of the rules from Lolita fashion and honestly if the household brands break them then you also shouldn't feel bad about messing up. I just want Lolita fashion culture to be welcoming and I don't want beginners to be afraid and I don't want old members to feel the need to be always classic authentic.

Even the queen and ambassador of foreign affairs kawaii aka president of Japan Lolita Association Misako Aiko who has been doing Lolita fashion for 25 years also mixes and matches from different fashion and breaks so called rules like poofy dress shape, owning few dresses with no laces, hair usually styled in a simple way, not always wearing a blouse or a head wear etc etc.

In conclusion if the president of Lolita fashion and household brands are breaking rules then you should also not feel guilty for few little things here and there. Aim of Lolita fashion is to feel pretty and have fun. You are the prettiest person alive, embrace it and have fun with this style. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Do what makes you happy and don't ever feel guilty about buying off brands because sometimes food, shelter and bills is important and that is understandable.

I love everyone of you. Hope my guides help you a lot <3

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the-teddy-roosevelt · 5 months

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Let me tell you a little thing about cars.

I have had a gripe against modern car design, at least here in the States, for the longest time. Recently I have seen the utter abominations of the 21st century be more and more common and finally decided to share my stance to the wonderful world of the internet! So, be prepared for a lot of reading because this is a full scale rant with the occasional photo.

And now: Why Modern Car Design is Going to Kill Us All.

I have been doing much research these past months as I continued to observe more of these "newer designs" I have spoken so much about, and there are a few things I need to delve into.

The Flat Front

Supersize Me 2: Not so Electric Boogaloo

Elon's Bastard of a Car

The Flat Front

So, these cars I have been talking about, just to be more specific, are SUVs and Light Trucks/Pickup Trucks.

You see that massive, flat front in the image above? Well, believe it or not, that is causing more deaths in car-related accidents yearly! Due to being so boxy, when a pedestrian is hit, they are more likely to break bones around the torso/head, then pull the person UNDER the car rather than how a car normally would hit the person's legs, then they would hit the hood of the car.

These can also create massive blind spots/zones where you can't see what is right in front of you.

I shall dive more into this in the next section.

Supersize Me 2: Not so Electric Boogaloo

So, onto the next section. As you can see above you, this is a comparison of two cars, only 24 years apart(end of Escort to start of F-350). Only 24 years, and it had a 246% increase in weight, was 91.7 in. or about 7.64 ft. longer, and 26.8 in. or about 2.2 ft. taller.

This is a dramatic increase for little to no reason other than to "protect the drivers". As we have discussed in section 1, this is not the case. In fact, if one of these larger SUVs were to hit another, usually smaller car, it is more likely for the smaller driver to be killed, or at least seriously harmed by the bigger vehicle.

Speaking of smaller, children:

Children are one of the biggest victims of these larger cars with them being run over either in frontovers or backovers, most often by their own parents in a driveway.

If you don't fully believe me that these cars are truly big enough to run over the younger side of children, an entire experiment was done, putting kids in front of parked cars, and just look:

Terrifying.

I addition to this, the larger frame of these cars means that they create more pollution. Let me explain: The bigger cars needed more fuel, that means more fossil fuels being burned, and due to the US's car based infrastructure, there are more cars being produced, that is even more fossil fuels for both production and upkeep, and more pollution.

But oh dear reader, these SUVs and Light Trucks are not even the worst of it...

Elon's Bastard of a Car

Gentlemen, women, and all of you folk in between, I give you: The Tesla Cybertruck.

This... Thing, is the bane of everything I hate about modern car design, from the boxy shape going throughout the car, to being an "indestructible" vehicle, and its ability to kill anyone.

Okay, that is a lot I am claiming, so lets break it down.

We have already talked about how dangerous the box design is, but the Cybertruck appears to be a geometry problem found in high-school. This is unbelievably dangerous, making any crashes with other cars much more likely fatal.

The fatalities can also be helped by the fact the damn car is made of STAINLESS STEEL and "indestructible" according to advertising. Most cars are made to be able to crunch in order to let the force of impact be more spread out throughout the vehicle. Yes, it will cost quite a bit to fix, but hey, you're alive. Meanwhile when it is made out of such a hard material, such as steel, that crunch isn't going to happen and only kill the people inside the vehicle, and the people crashing into the giant steel block.

The company claims it can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in 2.6 seconds, which, if true, would mean it has a faster acceleration than most NASCAR and Formula 1 vehicles, with none of the accompanying engine roar to warn anyone that it's coming. The headlight, meanwhile, is one single bar of light, which some experts are already worried will blind oncoming drivers.

There are so many other things about this utter abomination that I would love to talk about, but I think this is where I'll leave off.

One last thing, I just want to say how this is mostly my experience and research from the United States of America, and not the rest of the world. Also, I do not see these things getting much better unless somehow the US removes all of its car based infrastructure.

Thank you for reading my friends, and remember, fuck monopolies.

#rant #cars #cybertruck #rant post #fuck cars #elon is an idiot #this took way too long

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writingsofwesteros · 6 months

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https://www.tumblr.com/writingsofwesteros/745865089016627200/rhaenyras-sister-being-the-spitting-image-of?source=share

May I please request maybe a longer version of this prompt?

AN: Hi, I hope you like it <3

Viserys did not mean to continue looking. The guards had allowed him into his daughter's chambers and he was greeted with the sight of her undressing. Those soft, sweet breasts on display. Fuck, he needed to clear his head, Viserys thought whilst his cock was hardening. "My love..." He called out in pretence as he turned his head away. "Father?" Gods, even her voice was as sweet as the Dornish wine he enjoyed. Viserys could not help but wonder if she was sweet everywhere. “I’ll be a moment.” The Princess continued as the King stared at the mirror he had gifted her; allowing him to watch everything. “There is no rush, sweet girl.” Viserys hummed; eyes trailing her exposed body. The expensive perfume littered the room; brushing over him with ease as his eyes nearly fluttered closed. “Father…I need help.” A giggle escaped her and Viserys thought the Gods must be smiling down at him as he took his chance. “The buttons..I do not know where my ladies are.” The Princess whispered over her shoulder. Of course, he could not tell her that he had dismissed them all. “It is no bother.” Viserys hummed; stalking closer with his prey in sight. “I have missed you.” She whispered, a lovely smile gracing her face as she placed her thick, bright locks over one shoulder. The majority of her soft looking back was now on show and she was so close…too close. “I heard uncle has returned.” She began to converse whilst Viserys desperately tried to concentrate on her words. Thankfully, the new medicine from Meereen was seemingly causing his disease to disappear completely; the maesters had given a couple of moons as a timeline for his recovery. “I believe so..I think he is keeping his distance from me.” Viserys hummed. His hand gently stroked her back and a smirk tugged on his lips at the feel of a shiver running down her spine. “I am sure he will come back and apologise.” Her innocence shined through her words, just as her image did. “I do not know if I should forgive him.” Viserys whispered into her ear, subtly placing his head on her shoulder. The dressing of his Princess was forgotten about. “Oh but you have to..you are a just King.” Those big, doe eyes of hers locked with Viserys as she gracefully turned around. Viserys did not know where to look as she continued speaking; those soft, pouty lips were inviting but temptation grew inside him. The dress was still untied and hardly covered her sweet, ample breasts. “I do not think I am.” Viserys whispered, how could he be with such thoughts rushing through his mind at corrupting his lovely girl. His hand rested on her waist now; gently rubbing circles as she shook her head. “You are!” A pout came over her pretty lips and he had to smile to himself before ducking his head at her words. She wrapped her arms around Viserys and rested her head; the silk material of her dress hardly a barrier between them. “You are too good to me.” The King hummed, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head as his larger hands slowly moved up and down her sides. His thumb brushed past her sweet nipple that began to pebble. Not that the Princess understood such reactions and Viserys planned to take complete advantage.

#viserys targaryen x reader #hotd smut #request #extended prompt

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katreneebug · 11 months

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I'm Okay (Trust Me) (Part 1/3)

Summary: Defeating Rapheal, and subsequently obtaining the Orphic Hammer, had gone exceptionally well. At least in comparison to how things usually go. However, as the companions move forward with their plans of parasitic liberation, Astarion can’t help but notice that their leader, and his lover, isn’t quite herself. Despite Tav’s assurances, the vampire spawn can tell that the events befalling The House of Hope still haunt her in more ways than one.

Parings: Tav x Astarion, Minor Shadowheart x Lae'zel

Warnings: Explicit content, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Dubious Consent, Sexual Coercion, Slight Victim Balming, Sexual Trauma, Eventual Smut

A/N: I decided to write this after I got through the House of Hope on my first playthrough. At first I was really excited at the prospect of getting to bed an incubus in the game but after everything was done I kind of felt off about the whole thing. Especially given that the player, after deciding not to fight, is given the choice to either let Haarlep use their image to have sex with a bunch of strangers or straight up die. It hit a little too close to home in regard to my own sexual trauma and how that has affected my self-esteem, relationships, and mental health.

I want to stress that there are some aspects of the story that don't match with the gameplay. An example of this would be going beyond the party size. You can pretend that this story is based on that no-limit companion mod lol.

Link to AO3: Here

No last-minute begging had left Rapheal’s lips when Karlach raised her axe above him. The fact that it had been the final stroke came as a surprise to Astarion and, based upon the silence that drenched the room, the others. Not too far behind her could hear Tav panting, her magic practically drained to its limits. In the peripheral of his eyes, he could see Shadowheart’s armor move up and down as she too sought to catch her breath.

Hope, who appeared the most worn out of the bunch, stood frozen to her spot by the door. Karlach noticed her immediately and moved to check on her, weapon still sunk deep within Rapheal’s chest. Astarion took the opportunity to walk over to him, caution obvious in the way he gripped his dagger.

There was no final spook to be had, though. Rapheal was dead, eyes wide and mouth slightly a gape with no more theatrics left on his tongue. Good Riddance, he thought. A smirk danced onto his lips as he decided it was okay to turn back towards his companions. Hope was no longer a statue, the erratic motions from before returned vigorously as she took in their victory.

The memory of Cazador lying vanquished on the ground materialized in his mind. He brushed it away quickly as Tav’s eyes landed on himself. A half-smile was the most she could muster before Lae’zel garnered her attention, talks of the next step towards freeing Orpheus’ flew from the githyanki’s mouth in rapid, yet precise, order. The lines in Tav’s forehead creased as she let her friend speak. Deciding to take pity on his lover, Astarion moved to stand beside her.

“—The Emperor will know of what we have done, we must act fast upon our return.”

“I—”

“Surely you can’t expect us to go straight into the undercity of Baldur’s Gate after quite literally killing a devil.” Lae’zel sharp glare snapped up to meet his eyes. “I for one am not doing anything till I’ve had time to clean up, all of this.” His hand, the one not resting centimeters away Tav’s lower back, motioned to the state of his armor. Rapheal and his friends had left the floors of the foyer dripping in all sorts of blood and guts and, while Astarion’s body was happily intact, his outfit begged to differ.

“He’s right, we should get some rest before meeting with Voss.” Lae’zel’s head snapped to see Shadowheart approaching. “It would be foolish to confront a mind flayer and a devil on the same day.” Lae’zel didn’t reply immediately, though the answer for what they should do was clear, she was not any happier to admit it.

“All right,” she spat. “Prepare for an early departure by dawn, I will not wait for anyone.”

“Of course,” he hummed with a dismissive wave.

. . .

“I’m just saying we should take some more time to discuss our next course of action.” Gale instinctively backed up as Lae’zel stalked his receding form. “It would be unwise to go in all wands blazing without considering the effect this might have.”

“I am not leaving my Prince at the hands of a ghaik any longer.” Astarion had no interest in interfering on the wizard’s behalf. Watching the man sweat was more than amusing. “The only thing unwise would be for you to continue talking.”

“What if freeing Orpheus leads to us losing our only protection from the absolute.” It was Wyll who stepped in between the two. No surprises there, the vampire thought. Lae’zel had burst through the doors of their room at the inn with an attitude ready to fight the next person who dared to go against her plans.

“It will, I’ve already told you that freeing Orpheus will only result in him—”

“Will someone please get the squid to shut up.” Astarion winced, feeling the pain of The Emperors telepathy within his mind. How lucky Halsin and Jaheira were to not feel such an annoying headache.

“Gladly,” Lae’zel sneered.

“There are still other issues that we need to address.” Halsin’s voice passed by Astarion from behind, he could feel the bear of a man coming closer to the group before passing the vampire all together to aid Wyll and Gale from the Lae’zel’s wrath. “Orin and Gortash are still alive, it would be best to get rid of them before going to the astral plane.

“Agreed, we cannot allow the absolute to draw more power from the city. It’s time we faced them.” Halsin nodded an acknowledgement at Jaheira, her argument adding to the growing resistance.

Quickly the room devolved into a mass of bickering, Lae’zel mostly fighting alone on her side. It took Astarion a few moments to realize that there was something off about the whole scene. It stumped him briefly but the soft steps of someone else moving about in the background was the answer.

“Not going to step in, dearest?” Tav jumped a bit as Astarion walked towards her, his back now to the group. “It’s very unlike you.”

“It’s been a long day,” the bed bounced slightly as she dropped her pack onto it. “And I don’t feel like picking a fight with Lae’zel.” If only the rest were that smart, he thought. “She’ll see reason soon enough, anyways. We really do need to usurp Orin and Gortash while we can.”

“I’m sure she will,” his lips curled. “Right after she breaks a couple of Gale and Wyll’s ribs, of course.”

“Shadowheart will fix them up,” her body joined the bag as she sat down onto the covers. “Or Halsin, either way they’ll be fine.”

“I love this newfound ‘compassion’ of yours,” he briefly glanced away, catching sight of a smaller person far from the argument occurring. Either Yenna was blissfully unaware or was doing a great job at pretending everything was okay. “I just wish you had acquired it earlier.” Then maybe they wouldn’t be stuck worrying about every little orphan who manipulated Tav’s kindness.

“They’re adults, they can take care of themselves.” He raised an eyebrow at this. Was she really letting things go for once. “I’m tired and I want to sleep.” She wasn’t looking at him anymore, choosing to instead dig around into her bag that she never organized, even at his insistence.

“Fair enough,” a level of trepidation lined his voice. Before he could ask if she was alright, a loud clang hit the floor behind him, silencing the bickering voices. He turned away instinctively, catching sight of Lae’zel stomping away towards the door. A dagger, no doubt previously aimed towards the other men, laid forgotten at Halsin’s feet.

“Fine,” she spat, casting one last glance towards them before nearly kicking the door off its hinges. “Cowards, all of you.” With that, she was gone. Shadowheart moved a few steps, considering the possibility of going after her, before ultimately stopping. Even from her his spot, Astarion could see the way her jaw clenched, hands balled at her sides.

The rest of them dispersed to their own spots in the room, silence hung in the air uncomfortably. Karlach’s, he noticed, took a moment to collect Lae’zel’s dagger. She rarely used such a small weapon in combat, opting for her painfully heavy sword and bow. The little thing glinted in the light briefly before the Tiefling went to place it neatly on Lae’zel’s bunk.

Such a mess they were, he thought with a shake of his head.

. . .

He tried not to stare too much at Tav. His own bed had been placed directly next to hers and it was becoming harder to ignore the way she shifted and squirmed under the covers. Sleep came easily to the girl, at least most of the time. Her experience with combat and adventuring was limited before the parasite, her body unuse to such strenuous work. She rarely complained, though. The only indicator that this was tough for her especially being how quickly she tuckered out at the end of the day.

There was a chance that some of the chatter was keeping her up. The silence hadn’t lasted too long before Karlach, Shadowheart, and Jaheira set up some type of card game. They weren’t particularly loud, save for whenever Karlach gained the upper hand in the game. Gale had tried shushing her a couple of times before ultimately giving up. The book in his hands had eventually engrossed him enough to tune it all out.

When moonlight began to seep through their windows, Tav snores still not filling the air, Astarion decided to forsake his own spot. Standing over her crumbled form brought back the memory of the first time he had attempted to drink her blood. The few nights before that had been increasingly painful as he watched her lie so sweetly under the stars. Over time she felt less like a person and more like a beautiful feast, all set out for him alone. It was a shock, looking back, how long he held out on partaking.

Her reaction to noticing him looming over her this time around was much less frantic. A little bit of surprise played on her parted lips as she slowly sat up to speak. There was still a hint of innocence in her eyes whilst meeting his gaze. Scores of monsters and cultists had perished under her spells and blades and yet it didn’t jade her the way it would for other humans.

So precious, he thought.

“Is something wrong?” It came out as a whisper, her eyes glancing left to confirm that Wyll remained unmoving in his bunk.

“I was actually just about to ask you that, darling.” He wasn’t as quiet as her, unafraid that the Blade of Frontiers would wake up easily. “You’ve been acting peculiarly since we got back, care to enlighten me?”

“I told you I was tired,” she looked away. “It’s been a very long day.”

“And yet you’ve been tossing and turning for nearly an hour.” He crossed his arms over his chest, feeling a little too much like a scolding parent than a partner.

“I . . .” She trailed off, knees moving up to support her chest as she leaned forward. “There’s just a lot on my mind right now. Between the netherstones and Orpheus, it’s just overwhelming.”

“Anything I can do to help,” the bed dipped as he took a seat. There was little space between the two of them now and a part of him buzzed pleasantly at the thought of pulling her into an embrace. They hadn’t been all that touchy as of late. His confession at Moonrise had practically halted most forms of intimacy between them. An outsider looking in wouldn’t have guessed how close the two of them were in comparison to the others. Feather light touches and the occasional hug made up most of the relationship now. Sometimes he would steal a kiss, a usually quick action that ended before Tav had much time to register the affection.

They had on occasion shared a bedroll back when they were out in the wild. She’d curl up against his side, a hand resting on the part of his chest where his heart once beat. He’d count the constellations whilst listening to the change in her breathing, the obvious indicator that she had plunged into a deep sleep. There, hidden from Cazador and the absolute, a flutter would come and go underneath his ribs. Perhaps he wasn’t all that dead.

“No, I’ll be okay.” She shook her head, hair rustling against the sides of her face. “Don’t worry about me, please.”

“Easier said than done, my dear.” The little pout that appeared on her lips decided his next move for him. “Now, scout over.” Tav’s eyes widened, gaze snapping back up to his face. She was still for a few moments, studying his features with an intensity one might have for a major test.

Little voices scrapped against the back of his mind as he exalted all his control in keeping a calm demeanor. Any doubt or uncertainty would have Tav pushing him away. She was always so concerned about his comfort. It was welcomed graciously most of the time but, as much as the sentiment warmed his icy body, it could also sting. He was not nearly as fragile as she seemed to think he was.

She only puts up with you because she pities you.

“O-Okay,” Astarion almost breathed out a sigh of relief when she complied with the request. He wasted no time in joining her under the covers, lest she change her mind at his reluctance.

She was rigid against him, even after he comfortably adjusted against the mattress. Instead of holding him, like she used to, Tav rolled over so that her back was facing him instead. Both of her hands clenched the sheets rather than his clothes. It unnerved him even more than the silence that passed between him.

“You know,” he whispered. “I was afraid that your droopy mood had something to do with vanquishing our old ‘friend’, Rapheal.” Acidity coated his pronunciation of the devil’s name. Tav’s body twitched when she heard it, somehow tensing even more than before.

“I’m glad he’s dead,” disdain leaked from her mouth as she sought to relax her body. “I wish I had cut out his tongue earlier, though. I can still hear his stupid, dramatic voice in my head.”

“Perhaps I can take your mind off of it?” The sly words fell out of Astarion’s mouth without him even having a chance to think it over. Flirtatiousness was an instinct after two centuries and getting rid of it wasn’t something easily undone. A heaviness set within his chest, an all too familiar panic that he may have gone too far. She shook in his grasp and that heaviness gave way to bitter bile. Swallowing it down with a cough, Astarion placed a hand on her shoulder. “Forgive me, I didn’t—”

“It’s fine.” Her statement, spoken quicker than before, felt like a cut. “I’m not in the mood, anyways.”

Not in the mood for you, at least.

She thinks you’d break under her touch.

Besides, why would she want you when she just had him.

He inhaled sharply at the memory conjured up by the swirling voices. He would have kicked himself for carelessness had she not been lying next to him. Amid their quest within the House of Hope, Astarion had been able to push down their interaction with Rapheal’s favorite toy. Now, with her distant yet so close, he could no longer.

. . .

“I beg your pardon,” the snap of Astarion’s voice rang within the chamber. The marble floor beneath his feet nearly crumbled under the stomp of his boots. A hand kept him from getting closer to the bed before them. “Would you like to repeat that little request?”

“I said,” the incubus’ eyes looked only at Tav. “Take off your clothes.”

“Uh, why?” Her voice bordered on cracking. It was her fingers that kept him from throwing a dagger between Haarlep’s eyes.

“Do you or do you not want my help,” playfulness dripped from the incubus as he rolled softly against the covers of the mattress. “I at least deserve something from you, seeing as you’re asking for so much.”

“And you’re asking for an arrow through the throat.” Astarion grumbled, fingers flexing and ready for Tav to give the orders to fight.

“Hypothetically, what were to happen if I did take off my clothes.” His jaw clenched as the human woman spoke slowly.

“Well,” he drawled, lips curling in a cat like smirk. “Let’s just say it’s a surprise.”

“A surprise from an incubus? I wonder what that could possibly be,” Astarion’s mocking voice did little to faze the other man.

“No need to be so jealous, little spawn.” The grip on Astarion’s shoulder tightened, Tav accurately guessing how restraint was practically peeling away from him. “I have only the best of intentions in mind.”

“Oh really—”

“Gives a moment, if that’s okay.” Tav began to pull against him, trying to bring him back towards the group. Haarlep nodded his head which was answer enough for Tav to motion for the companions to form a huddle of sorts.

“We’re killing him, right?” An unsureness plagued Tav’s face as she shied away from his intense gaze.

“Honestly, taking up his offer might be the best option.” He made a point to glare at Shadowheart. She looked only at Tav though, not bothering with the pissy vampire. “As much as I want to avoid it, a fight with Rapheal is practically inevitable at this point. Especially if we go through with freeing Hope. I’d rather we save up our resources for that fight instead of wasting it on him.” She motioned towards the incubus with a jerk of her chin.

“If it were me, I’d rather gut him.” Lae’zel chimed in before Astarion could retort. “But I am not the one he is asking for.” Her gaze fell to Tav.

“I’m completely fine with ripping his annoying face off,” Karlach glanced back at the Rapheal look-a-like. “But yeah, it’s up to you soldier.”

“I mean,” the human’s face contorted as pros and cons weighed back and forth within her mind. “If we go against him, who knows what other cronies he’d bring into the fight. Plus, it can make it that much harder to get back to the hammer in time.”

She wants to say yes to him, the offer is rather tempting.

“Exactly, I say we get the hammer first with as little complications as possible.” Very few times had Shadowheart’s neck looked so perfectly ready to be ripped out in Astarion’s eyes.

“Why don’t you take her place, if the choice is so easy.” She rolled her eyes at him.

“I don’t see why not,” her lips curled up in a bitter smirk. “I’m sure he’s all sorts of fun.”

“Such a tempting offer,” Haarlep’s voice broke into the group. Apparently, the huddle was pointless if he could hear everything from his side of the room. “But I have my sights set on your little leader. She’s stirred up Rapheal quite a bit with how passionately she denied his deal.”

“Pity,” the former Sharran mumbled.

“Now if you lot are somehow able to survive this little trip, I’d be more than happy to pencil you in for a play date, half-elf.” A silent chuckle left Shadowheart’s lips as she shook her head. Astarion couldn’t tell if she’d be against such an offer in the future.

“Fight or Fornicate, make up your mind before we’re out of choices.” Lae’zel turned back to Tav as the human seemed even more indecisive than before.

“I . . .” Her eyes met his then, as the rest of the group waited in bated breath for an answer. They stared at each other as each passing second felt even slower than the last.

She wants your permission.

You’ve left her longing for too long.

The answer to her needs is practically begging to relieve her.

He could do so, so much more for her.

She’s tired of waiting for you to get a grip. So tired of holding your pathetic hand.

I’d be cruel to deny her such an experience.

“. . . It’s up to you, my love.” Throwing the façade of acceptance on his face wasn’t too hard to do. He had done it so many times before, he had practically become a master of it at this point. “I won’t hold it against you, whatever you decide.”

She was quiet, facing smoothing at as her decision was made within her mind. She turned back to Haarlep first, prompting the others to do the same. Astarion, though, kept most of his attention on her and not the creature he wanted to eviscerate.

Something inside him shattered as her lithe fingers went to the hem of her shirt. The realization that she was about to disrobe in front of Haarlep and their friends hit him like a pommel strike. The voices in his head were twisting wildly within his mind and somehow, throughout the horror of it all, he found himself bitterly thankful for Tav’s choice in today’s team.

It was no secret that all their companions had, at one point, made a pass at Tav. Her rejection of them always had a sliver of satisfaction rolling up his spine. In Karlach, Shadowheart, and Lae’zel’s case, they had taken her no rather well. It was easy enough for the later two who had begun ‘sparring’ away from the eyes of the camp sometime after their interaction with the creche. Their excuse was that they needed more space to fight and that they didn’t want to ‘accidentally’ hurt someone during the intense training.

Hate sex is the best sex, Tav had muttered one night as she and Astarion caught the two women glaring at each other whilst walking off into the woods. He had curled his lips at the scandalous statement, deciding silently to remember the tidbit for a possible future tryst.

Karlach, Astarion realized, was just happy to have the embrace of a friend. Romance had been easily forgotten by the Tiefling. The same couldn’t be said for Gale and Wyll. They had assured her that it was alright before and Tav had taken it at face value. Astarion knew better though, could see it in the way their eyes followed her. When she spoke, they would glance at her lips and look away as if caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar. The vampire spawn sometimes basked in the longing he could see within them every time he displayed even the smallest of Tav’s reciprocated affections.

“Could you all go guard the door,” snapping out his trance, Astarion watched as Tav put a pause on removing her clothes. “The last thing we need is Rapheal waltzing in.”

“Of course,” Shadowheart was the first to comply. Lae’zel quirked an eyebrow for a moment before leaving as well. He could feel Karlach looking back and forth between him and Tav. Reluctantly she placed a hand on his shoulder and encouraged him to walk away with her. Though her engine had been fixed, her palm was practically scalding against the thin fabric of his disguise.

“We’re just across the room,” he murmured. “In case you need us.”

With a nod of Tav’s head, Astarion finally complied with Karlach’s touch. The two turned around to trail after the other members of their party. He focused on the echo of the grand faucets flowing hot water into the pool between them. Anything to keep from catching the sound of whatever surprise the incubus had in mind.

“You okay?” Astarion growled lowly at the question. He knew that Karlach’s concern was genuine, deep down, yet he couldn’t help but feel only irritation.

“Of course I am.” He sneered; he wasn’t the one stuck staring at Rapheal’s stupid face. He considered telling them to not talk to him, as he was in no mood. Yet the little chatter that passed between the other three was something to hold onto. Very little went by the doorway of the boudoir, just a couple of miserable waifs limping about. A wonderful reminder of what might happen to them sooner rather than later.

“—Must we waste time freeing her.”

“Are you suggesting we leave Hope chained to this asshole.” He didn’t want to look behind him to watch their argument.

“The longer we stay here, the more likely we are to join her.” Shadowheart’s voice was farthest away. A little too far for his liking, more likely to see what was happening past the pool.

It must be quite a show, maybe she’ll tell you all the gory details later.

Or maybe Tav will, how long will it be before his name passes those luscious lips.

She won’t want you after this.

What’s the point of a pretty face when that’s all it is. She’ll get sick of looking at it when she realizes she could have more.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when Shadowheart’s voice cut through the mess in his head.

“It looks like they’ve stopped,” gods he was going to throw up. “Come on.”

Luckily the half-elf was correct. By the time the four of them had come to the other end of the room, Haarlep was already off the bed and looking starkly different from before. Instead of the near perfect imitation of Rapheal, he had shifted into a woman. An improvement, yes, but still too like the devil in looks. Tav was shimmying her shirt back on, something black and tight coverd the rest of her body. She hadn’t worn it before.

Haarlep, noticing their return, locked eyes with him particularly. The ends of his lips twisted higher than they had before. In the blink of an eye the new feminine form shifted into something all too familiar. Instead of the Rapheal look alike, a copy of Tav now smirked at him.

To his utter displeasure, the incubus was gone before the shock could lift. Tav didn’t waste time in collecting the contents of the safe. The portrait of Rapheal broke in half under her hands as she pried it off the wall. It was tossed unceremoniously across the floor. If only they had time to destroy more of the devil’s tacky décor.

“Let’s go,” Tav was striding past them. Determination set within the crease of her forehead. There were questions on the tongue of each one of them. Ultimately their curiosity was left unspoken.

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thesarcasticreader · 2 years

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PAC: THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR FUTURE SPOUSE

These are general readings meant for entertainment purposes. You can partake in advice, but do not let it cloud your decision-making.

I do take paid readings. You can contact me for them. Make sure you have either Paypal or Gpay! DM for the price list!

(IMAGES ARE TAKEN FROM PINTEREST)

Pile 1:

Your person is very emotional or has a tendency to put family above all. It would piss you off sometimes that they give too much of themselves to others who don't deserve it but you admire this trait of theirs as well.

They are very good at keeping secrets and hiding their feelings. This is a result of being lied to very often. This trait will drive you nuts too but when you get into a relationship. People can grow and learn. Do not keep unrealistic expectations from relationships but if someone doesn't show signs of change. Talk to them and resolve the issues.

Your person is someone who will change a lot in their lifetime. They are capable of learning and growing.

This person loves cats a lot.

This person indulges in luxury quite a bit but stays within their means.

I am not seeing something about finances but this person is well-off. Not obnoxiously rich. But lives in a town with a cute two-story house that they own and have a shop where people from the town make purchases from. Very well off and can afford the best things.

Both of you are going to be from a well-off family. Affording Chanel is not all that there is in life. But I guess it helps 🥰🤣

You two are very likely to start a business together. You will end up leaving the place where you start at.

Say you live in a Town right now, you are likely to move to a bigger city to start your business with this person. For some of you, the business could revolve around event management or something to do with weddings and making wigs.

Looks like they could kill. Is a cinnamon roll.

Pile 2:

Your person was the heartbreaker of their time. This person had a bad childhood and they do not like talking about it.

Even though they say that it doesn’t bother them, it does.

They could even be in therapy for this too. And it is vital that their trust never be violated. This person needs a very emotionally stable person who is confident in them.

Your person could be argumentative too. It is one of the past influences that affected them badly. However, if they are made aware of the same. They will notice the pattern and actively try to change it.

This person is very lovely in a relationship. Their love will be displayed in their actions. It’s not always the big thing. The little ones like making sure your coffee is not too hot, shielding you from hitting your head in a corner, keeping you away from the roadside while you two are walking etc.

They are absolutely focused on you and they will do everything possible to make your life easier.

This person is very supportive and will persuade you to go after your dreams. This person is literally soulmate material. Even if their past has been jaded, they stand strong.

For this pile, I am seeing appearance more clearly. Stoic and strong build for men. Dark hair and prefers to wear a sleeveless T-shirt at home. Taller, likes going to the gym, likes coffee from a solid red cup (this was very specific for some reason), and probably has a home with ceiling-to-floor windows. Might be scared of heights.

For women, blonde to brown hair, the classic mean girl look on their face, insanely business-oriented, no bullshit attitude, people are scared of her, has a small smile, when she laughs her eyes wrinkle cutely, and black loafers

Looks like they could kill. They will!

Pile 3:

This is my sunshine pile. There is a lot of cute in here and that’s what your person is like.

This person is someone who would cuddle a raccoon. I am sorry, but that’s what came through 😂😂

They love animals and probably volunteer a lot at shelters or reduce them. If you end up dating this person, you can expect to foster a lot of animals.

This person is not all sunshine though. Life has dealt them a tough hand but they have persevered.

A lot of Fire and Water Energy in this pile. This has to be the happiest Scorpio pile I or most people have ever seen 😂😂

This person has a lot of energy. I know who this pile reminds me of. There is this girl on YouTube, Mikayla from SaveAFox. If you don’t know the channel. Go there right now. Get your immediate serotonin boost that even Masturbation can’t bring (I just had to) 😂😂

This is a relationship that will lead to marriage very quickly.

Your person is not concerned with material gains. They want emotional fulfilment.

This person feels like meeting an old friend after a long time. This person loves baking.

They prefer cute, handmade gifts and letters too. They are likely to give them to you as well.

Words of affirmation are their love language.

Early childhood may have included bullying in their case.

Looks like a Cinnamon Roll. Is a Cinnamon Roll.

The messages were flowing so happily and easily today. Sometimes it is so annoying that the thoughts just refuse to come to you and other days, I can basically pour myself into these readings. It is amazing afff✨🧿

IF YOU WANT MORE READINGS, YOU CAN CHECK MY INSTAGRAM: @A_sarcastic_Reader.

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messedupfan · 1 year

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Chapter 3

Summary: Wanda gets help watching the boys from her mom. Y/n walks into a surprise when helping your friend.

A/N: Hello! Hope all is well and as always, enjoy! ALSO SPEAK NOW TV IS OUT!!! jhgefhjeghjgfe

Masterlist | All Chapters | All Stories Taglist

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Summers made working from home the most difficult. Wanda could hardly concentrate on her work before one of her boys started complaining about being hungry or getting bored or asking to go to a friend's house, etc. She sometimes wishes that she could have sent them to a camp but Vision was against it because he wanted them at his house during his weeks since he had the time off as well. She knows that she would have missed them terribly as well which is why she was okay with dropping the subject then. But now that she was dangerously close to her deadline without even being close to a finished product, she thought she might go insane on her boys.

That's when she calls her mom in for back up. Then instantly regrets it as soon as she sees the hole in the house. “Honey! What happened here?”

“My marriage fell apart,” Wanda says simply as she rushes to her office. “Pietro is going to fix it, don't worry!” She shouts from the stairs so she can get to work before her mom can catch her in a lecture. The woman shakes her head and makes her way to the kitchen to start lunch for the boys and her daughter. She comes over consistently for the rest of the week to help with house chores, breakfast and lunch, and entertain her grandsons.

Wanda is grateful for her mother's assistance and is able to get a decent design for pitch at the end of the month and start a few backup ideas. She likes to over prepare. She was even able to complete a budget report and the booklets for the investors by the start of the weekend. Wanda feels bad that she had to prioritize work over her kids but her mother reminds her that she was doing this work for them. That she needs to provide for them. Besides, Wanda was still cooking dinners with Tommy and Billy as well as watching movies every night before bed. Though, it was getting a little tense between the two boys with different interests.

On Saturday morning, Pietro arrives with his sleepy daughter and Wanda tries to hold in her laughter as she helps the little girl to her bedroom so she can rest. “You’re here early,” Wanda says as she returns downstairs.

“Mom called me last night. Told me that I should have started the minute I found out. Thank you for that by the way,” Pietro says as he drops some material on the ground. He had pushed some furniture around while she was helping his daughter. “Unfortunately for Luna, she still wanted to come with me. I told her last night we’d be here at six am sharp. She said she was fine with it until I actually had to wake her up. But,” he shakes his head in amusement, “she still wanted to come here.”

Wanda crosses her arms and leans against the wall. “She loves her cousins,” she yawns.

“That she does,” Pietro stares at his tools. “Can I tell you something that you can't tell anyone?” Wanda confirms that her brother can confide in her. “Crystalia and I are considering trying for another. She could use a sibling, you know?”

“Oh, Pietro, that's wonderful news!” Wanda congratulates her brother.

“Thank you, but please, don't tell mom. She'll call about positions and give other advice that I do not need to hear again,” he says recalling the conversation he overheard his mom and sister having a few years ago. Wanda cringes at the memory herself.

“I’ll spare you, don't worry,” she says. “I’m going to start some coffee, do you want any?”

“Yes please,” he rolls out the plans Wanda had sent to him.

You are knocking on Jean's door as you check the time again to make sure that you aren't running late. Your friend asked you to be at the location by noon and he sent you the address this morning. From what you saw from the images online, the place looked nice enough. You wondered why it needed altering at all but remember that he said there was an accident that led to this alteration.

The door opens and it's Anna, Jean's wife. “She’s almost ready, you're welcome to wait in the living room,” she says kindly.

“Thank you,” you step inside. It never gets easier walking into this house even though it's been years since you've lived here. It was a gift from both your family and Jean's when the two of you got married. Because the two of you were so young, neither of you cared about a wedding. In fact, the two of you were engaged for less than a week when you drove off to a cheap chapel and eloped. Both of your families were upset because they wanted to be part of the wedding process but were still happy the two of you decided to tie the knot. And since there was some money being saved for future weddings and college funds, that at the time weren't going to be used, they pooled together that money and surprised you and Jean with this house.

It was a fixer upper for sure and you worked on it every weekend until you were twenty-two. When you and Jean got divorced. You paid for every repair and upgrade with the tips you got bartending and any extra scraps from the job sites that your foreman approved for you to take. You still did repairs for the house here and there whenever they needed it and couldn't afford to hire someone. But, it was no longer your house and with how much time and money you put into the place, it was the hardest part of the marriage to let go of.

You bounce your leg anxiously as you wait for your daughter to come out of her room. “Can I get you anything?” Anna asks before she enters the kitchen. “You seem a little anxious.”

“No, thank you,” you politely decline. “I’m doing a favor for my boss and I just want to do a good job and make a good impression,” you admit. “Plus, his sister is apparently some great architect and she could be a great connection but you know how I get around new people.”

Anna nods, ignoring your words and listening to your body instead. “I’m making you some tea. It can help soothe your nerves so that you're not this loud jumbled energy. Your whole aura is a mess and it won't help you make a good impression.” She disappears in the kitchen before you can decline the beverage again.

“Hey, babe! Who was at the- oh! It was you,” Jean says as she enters the living room space. “She’s almost ready,” she remarks about your daughter. “She’s a little nervous about all of the new friends she's going to make. I'm trying to keep a positive attitude about it but these kids are going to be nice to her right?”

“Yeah, yeah, well,” you pause. “I hope so. But they're not all new to her. She's met Luna a few times and they get along great. He said her cousins are sweet boys, closer to Rachel’s age. Besides, they'll have parental supervision and I'll be nearby the whole time.” You assure the mother of your child.

“Okay,” she takes a relaxing breath as she joins you on the sofa. “That makes me feel better. Where's Anna?”

“Making me a tea,” you say and lean in close. “Apparently my aura is a mess,” you say in a manner that lets Jean know that you find her wife's assessment of you ridiculous. Jean laughs at your silliness.

“You’re a jerk, she's only trying to help,” Jean defends.

You lean back with your hands up in surrender, “I never said I wasn't grateful. I am going to chug that tea, I promise. Scouts honor.”

Jean rolls her eyes, “You were never a scout.”

“That’s because I was corrupted by your bad influence,” you retort playfully.

“Oh whatever, if I remember correctly, you were the one pulling all of the crazy stunts. I never did anything. I was an innocent bystander,” Jean points out.

You laugh at the flood of childhood memories that you and Jean share. She wasn't wrong, you were constantly getting into trouble as kids. Only because you were trying to impress her and maintain her attention. No matter what the cost was. It was amazing that the two of you were still alive today. “Okay, that's fair,” you say as Anna returns with a thermos for you. “Oh cool, thank you. I'll bring this back to y'all next weekend.”

“No problem,” she sits next to Jean and throws her arm around the woman. Jean falls comfortably against her wife and the two share a sweet smile with each other. You look away from them as you feel longing for a relationship again. Not with Jean, of course. The two of you didn't have what she had found with Anna. But you want that with someone. To have the close connection these two have. It was difficult dating as a single parent at twenty-seven. Not everyone was understanding that Jean and you are better off friends and maintain a healthy relationship. Many situationships fail because your best stories involve your best friend, who happens to be your ex-wife. Another relationship killer is surprisingly that your daughter is always going to be your number one priority. Always.

Luckily, your daughter comes into the room and hops on your lap as she happily greets you. Clearing your mind of any thought of loneliness. “Hey, pumpkin! Are you ready to go?”

“Hmm,” she looks at you nervously and then to her mom's. They are worried about her as much as you are. She doesn’t have many friends due to her social awkwardness. You jokingly claim she inherited it from her mother but you both know it was from you. “Is Luna really there?” she asks. You shift around to grab your phone and pull up your conversation with Pietro and find the picture he sent of Luna with her cousins and show it to her. “Oh! I know those boys! They go to my school,” she says excitedly which lets you know that is a good thing. “They were in my class last year!” She hops off of you and straightens her outfit out,“Okay, I'm ready.” Jean, Anna, and you laugh as her tone has changed so fast.

“Alright, I’ll see the two of you next Saturday,” you say as you get up and follow your daughter. The two of you jam out to whatever pop artist that has her interest at the moment. You couldn’t keep up with her and the stuff she likes. Songs were simple enough to catch on with the lyrics and it amuses her when you get them very very wrong.

When you arrive at the house, you see that Pietro has made a lot of progress on his own and torn up most of the wall from the outside. As you park, you receive a text from Wanda asking if the two of you were still on to buy her a drink later on. Another one saying that she is looking forward to it. You regretfully message that a work thing came up and that you will have to let her know. Then, you knock on the door and are surprised to see Wanda is the one answering.

She looks at you as confused as you are. Her expression quickly drops to one that she hopes is threatening. “What are you doing here? How do you know where I live?” Wanda starts out defensively. Whispering in a sharp tone so she doesn't alarm her kids or her brother. You gulp as you try to find the right words to explain that you're not some crazy stalker.

But Rachel speaks before you can get a word out. “Can I go play with Luna?” She asks Wanda sweetly.

This throws the woman off as she looks down and notices your daughter. She freezes as she connects the dots. “Um, of course, sweetheart. Go on in, she's upstairs with her cousins.” The little girl runs inside and disappears up the stairs. “You’re the person my brother asked to help with the hole?” Wanda asks, still not letting you inside.

“I really had no idea the two of you were related.” You say as you hold up your tool box. “But, uh, yeah. You're the work thing that might prevent me from buying you a drink later,” you try to lighten the mood.

Wanda isn't sure if she wanted you in her house. You know nothing about her and she liked it that way. She knew that eventually she would have to open up to you if the two of you kept up with the meetings. But not like this. Not with you repairing the damage she did to her home. But when Pietro comes to the door she has no choice but to let you in. “Hey, Y/n, I'm glad you could make it. This is my little sister, Wanda,” he introduces. You stand there watching Wanda. Waiting to see if she wanted the two of you to be strangers. Or if you were allowed to reveal your acquaintance. But she remains quiet. Taking her cue, you offer your hand in greeting. “Wands, this is the person I told you about. They do fantastic work. If dad were still alive, he'd have us competing to take over the company,” he boasts.

You laugh, “You speak too highly of me, P. It's great to meet you, Wanda.”

“Thank you for coming to help my incompetent twin brother,” she emphasizes to let you know that she isn't younger than her brother as he claimed. “I truly appreciate it.”

“Ouch,” Pietro holds his chest, “I’m doing a nice thing for you and this is how you treat me?” He shakes his head. “Come on in,” he waves you into the house. You follow him in and Wanda walks away, announcing that she's starting lunch. You keep your eyes in her direction a little longer than you should have and Pietro notices. He snaps his fingers in your face and you look at him. “Don’t think about it,” he says sternly.

You hold a hand up in surrender, “I wasn't. She just,” you can’t continue because he doesn’t believe you. “Nevermind, are you ready to get to work?” You ask as you set your toolbox down and remove your jacket.

Wanda checks on you and her brother every few minutes. Seeing the two of you sharing a laugh while you work. The ease at which you remove pieces of the house. She didn’t like that she couldn’t keep her eyes off of you, but deduced it to her not trusting the stranger in her house. An hour later, she’s offering everyone lunch. The kids come running down and Pietro tries to get you to take a break. But you aren’t certain you’re allowed to.

“Are you hungry?” She asks as she steps over the line of tape Pietro made for the kids.

“I’ll be fine,” you assure as you pull off another piece of the wall from the inside. “Hey,” you stop her from walking away. “Are you going to block my number?” you set the piece on the pile.

“Why would I do that?” She asks with her arms crossing over her chest.

“I’m not sure if accidentally finding out,” you make a noise as you pull another piece out, “where you live is considered a creepy offense.” You grin at her as you look at her over your shoulder.

Wanda smiles a little, “No, I'm not going to block you. Only as a thank you though,” she steps around and looks back when she hears the kids laughing to see Pietro being silly. She turns back to you, “For the free labor, of course.”

“Oh, I see how it is,” you grab the water bottle you had nearby. “Maybe you're the one who tracked me down,” you jokingly accuse. “Heard your brother rave about my work so you found me at a liquor store and charmed me so that I wouldn't charge you.”

Wanda rolls her eyes, “Don’t flatter yourself.” Then she scoffs as she remembers the two of you meeting. She certainly wasn't dressed to charm anyone.

The two of you stand there for a moment, neither certain if that's the end of the conversation. She wants to walk away to go eat but she wants to be certain that you're fine with going on without a meal. You are trying to decide whether or not it's too late to accept her offer and aren't sure if she's going to ask again or leave you to continue working. When she doesn't move you pull your gloves off as you step closer. “What’s for lunch?”

“Food that I made,” she says vaguely but still playful.

“Am I still allowed to find out?” You shove the gloves in your back pocket.

“I suppose I can't let you starve,” she replies. “But you didn't seem like you wanted any before.”

You shrug, “I didn't want to appear rude.”

Wanda nods once and drops her arms, “Some people might say it’s rude to decline a meal.”

“I wasn’t raised that way,” you say, “But I do know people that have, so that’s a fair point.”

She smiles at the floor as you stand a few inches from her now. “You are welcome to take a break and eat. Consider it another part of my payment.” She looks back up at you then quickly turns away. You follow her to the table where everyone else is eating. You pass them to wash your hands in the kitchen sink. There is more laughter and you turn to see your daughter, who you think is hilarious but is normally very shy around people she isn’t comfortable with, causing the laughter. Wanda notices a bit of food on Rachel’s chin and she instinctively wipes it with a napkin. You dry your hands and join the table.

You sit in the empty seat next to your daughter and serve yourself a plate. You get to know Tommy and Billy as the group of you enjoy the lunch together and you feel better about letting Rachel hang out with them. Pietro was being truthful when he said that they are sweet boys. Once the kids finish up, they are racing up the stairs to resume their activities, leaving the adults to the table. “Thank you guys for helping me out. I truly appreciate it,” Wanda says as she sips her drink from her cup.

“Thank us when the work is done, alright?” Pietro says as finishes his plate. You agree as you finish your food as well.

“We should get back to it. Thank you, the meal was delicious,” excuse yourself from the table, grabbing as many plates as you can carry to the sink. Wanda tries to intercept but ultimately grabs what you can’t carry and follows you to the sink.

“You really didn’t have to, I could’ve taken care of it,” she says as she moves the plates. “But thank you, again.”

You smile at her, “It’s really no big deal, Wanda.” You walk away to continue to work with her brother.

As it gets close to dinner time, Pietro receives a call from his wife and he has to call it a day. He quickly packs his things, pulls Luna away from a serious Mario Kart competition, and bids everyone a goodnight. “I’ll see you guys in the morning before you’re off to your dad’s,” he says as he hugs his nephews goodbye. “Thank you for helping me with this,” he says to you. The two of you slap your hands together and pull into a short hug.

“No problem, man. You know I’m always willing to help,” you reply. “Besides, I owe you.”

Pietro nods once in acknowledgement and then moves on to his sister. “Do I need to rent a wood chipper? For tomorrow? Send the bastard a good message.”

Wanda laughs, “No, he’ll just sue you for property damages. You don’t need to be dealing with that on top of everything else. He’s not worth it.”

“But you are,” he says and hugs her. “Give your aunt and cousins hugs,” he tells his daughter. She does as he says sadly because she doesn’t want to go yet. Pietro promises the crying girl that they’ll be back the next morning but she is still reluctant to go. Unfortunately, he has to carry the girl crying all the way to his truck. The boys run off with Rachel to try and finish the match before it’s time for her to go too.

You laugh as you watch them disappear. “I guess that’s my cue as well,” you say as you start to pack up your things. There’s an awkwardness to your movements as you aren’t sure if the previous plans for the two of you were still on or not. But you aren’t sure how to ask. “I’ll uh, see you tomorrow?”

Wanda nods slowly as she watches you. “I wanted to keep our plans but, I’m sure you’re exhausted and well, keeping those kids entertained was pretty draining.”

“Oh, yeah, no,” you wave your hands around as you play off the disappointment. “I get it. Another time then?” You toss your jacket over your shoulder.

“Yeah,” Wanda nods, “I don’t have Tommy and Billy this week. Maybe we can figure out a time to meet up. And it doesn't have to be at the store.”

“Um,” you look to the floor then look back up, “Rach and I have a camping trip planned this week. We're leaving Monday morning. We'll be back on Friday, though. So maybe Friday night?” Wanda begins to worry about what the meet up might be interpreted as. She isn't sure why now she was having this anxiety. She said that she was looking forward to the store. She suggested that they meet somewhere else. Almost as if you can read her mind, you include. “It’d be nice to have a friend that isn't my ex-wife or my boss.”

“Aren’t I technically your boss until this is done?” Wanda asks with a playful tone.

“You’re not paying me,” you retort.

“I am, in food,” she reminds you.

You click your teeth, “You’ve got me there.” You walk to the bottom of the stairs and call out for your daughter to let her know it's time to go. “So, Friday?”

“Will you be offended if I bring someone?” Wanda asks as she thinks about how she can solidify that it's just friends hanging out. Nothing more.

You laugh, “No, I won't be offended. The more, the merrier.” Rachel comes running down the stairs. “Ready, pumpkin?” You ask as she stops beside you.

“Yeah, I almost beat Tommy, but he got me,” she frowns. “I will get him tomorrow though. I'm going to kick his butt!” she says with determination. Then she looks at Wanda and freezes, not noticing her there before.

Wanda smiles at the young girl and leans forward, “Can you keep a secret?” Rachel nods, her eyes still wide. “I hope you win,” she straightens up and follows you and Rachel to the front door. “I'll see you tomorrow,” she says to you as she leans against the front door.

“I will see you tomorrow, Wanda,” you bid her a goodnight and climb into your car.

“I think Tommy and Billy will be great brothers,” Rachel says as she gets her playlist ready.

“What are you going on about over there?” You say with a laugh.

Rachel shrugs as she finds a love song, “It's okay, you’ll catch up eventually.” You laugh at her randomness.

Wanda calls the boys down so they can start dinner and she smiles every time she thinks of your name.

Chapter 4

Taglist: @princessprudy @sayah13 @agaymilflover @awkwardmandalorian @bentleywolf29 @evenbeingcrazy1998 @olsensnpm @artisannat @thisischaismagic @wqndanat @madamevirgo @likefirenrain @tearsofglitter @feltlikethat @the-writer-arcane @natashasilverfox @karsonromanoff @aloneodi @lovelyy-moonlight @red1culous @jovialsublimecomputer @natasha-maximoff @iliketozoneout @doudouneverte @druggedduck @notbornbutforged @when-wolves-howl @lifespectator @justyourwritter69 @wandaromamoff69 @awesomelygayasf @nekoannie-chan @diaryoflife @wuwu96 @wandanats-goodgirl @sincerely-indi @blueredg52 @sisiwritesfanfics @lizziesplant @fuzzyuniversityeclipsefriend @arcturusseer @scarlettwidow34 @chasethemoon

#wanda maximoff #wonderstruck #messedupfan #wanda maximoff imagine #wanda x you #wanda marvel #wanda x y/n #wanda maximoff au #wanda maximoff x you #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x gender neutral reader

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deesseshesca · 3 months

Text

Why am I emotional ?

And suddenly it was just me… FUCK it is just me.

Good evening, pretty souls, today we are checking on your emotional scale. What is affecting you now, how can we fix it and how to minimize the damage in the process of doing so.

ANNOUNCEMENT

I will be giving full reading for a very affordable price (almost free) but there will only be 3 spots available. Stay posted on my blog, so you don’t miss this opportunity.

Choose the image that’s speak to you and allow yourself to soak ONLY what’s reasoning with YOUR SITUATION

Rules and Disclaimer

I am the type of tarot reader to say as it is. Nothing is sugar coated but everything is send with good intention. If you are not ready to face some truth, you should vagabond somewhere else.

TW: R@pe, S@cide

MINOR DON'T INTERACT WITH THIS POST

MINOR DON’T READ THIS POST

CHOOSE AN IMAGE

PILE 1

Two wands, Ace swords, Justice, Queen wands, ‘’Please unblock me … Yeah, that’s me calling you from an unknown number’’, ‘’ I have abandonment issues ! I grew up in a single parent household ! I had a rough childhood”

HEYY !!! Spiritual girly. I’m talking to earthy aesthetic girls. The one that smells like coco butter and vanilla walking around in a long skirt, crop top and too many jewels. When it comes to you, the cauldron told me about an opportunity that finally touches your hand. When I dive deeper into the message, I’m sensing something that took a lot of hard work and a lot of faith. For a long time it was just an idea in your mind for which you fought for it to materialize into the 3D. Congratulations babes ! A lot of obstacles came in the way but you stay resilient. That also was not easy since your faith was often tested in the meantime. I’m getting a new opportunity, a new career field opening, and the start of a new hobby/business. You finally have the time and funds to dive deep into a project. I’m hearing: ‘’I’ll be dammed if I let you fuck me up’’. At the moment, you feel a bit overwhelmed. Now that the gift is sitting on your porch, you don’t actually know how to approach it. What do you want VS what you need ? Your desires or your needs, first ? One is all about the action while the other path is all about trusting the process called ‘’life’’. A lot of people all of the sudden seem very worried about your actions. Acting like the decision you are making has a huge impact on their destiny. If I may, girl f them. If they paid attention earlier, they would have noticed you were not happy with your life . Now all of the sudden they care so much about what's happening to you. Like…Let’s be frl. You have to stand up for yourself. Whatever decision you make regarding that situation, you will NEED to voice it. Is insomnia keeping you up at night ? Well let’s start to implement some meditation before sleep. So you can be less in your head. Try to be more practical with your way of living. Rn I feel like you always looked like a baddie but it’s only recently that you actually felt like one. Advice: Don’t slow down. Is easy now since you finally receive what you pray for, to relax and enjoy but it is only the beginning. Don’t try to accommodate or to one. Put yourself FIRST.

Love

The ex of your dude ( the fact that i did not choose a lover, sneaky link or even crush. Girl why are still holding on for. LOL. ) Is trying to get him back. And you really don’t give a damn. I feel like you don’t even want him. But he is stuck on you like glue. I think the thing that completely broke the bond between y'all is that he doesn't want you to be better. Like you announce him the good news and he knew you really wanted it. Now he wants you to let it go. BOY BYE ! BYEEEE! You don’t even hate him, you feel disgusted that he even thought his opinion mattered that much. Plus he keeps mentioning you change. Babe you did ! Don’t let him bully out of your shit. Now you are more sexually confident with yourself and bold with your boundaries. Him: You were more submissive back than. You: Now I have shit I care for. Advice: STAND ON BUSINESS. If he is block let him stay there. Yes, he is the unknown number that is trying to reach you.

PILE 2

Hanged man, Moon, Ten pentacles (reverse), Tower, 1111, 777, ‘’I want a second chance ! Not being with you is killing me !’’

Heyy… pile 2, you are my TW pile. Before you get deeper in the reading just know it is completely fine for you to take another one especially if you are not ready to talk about it. To beginning , when I was channeling, I first sang a very happy song. Then a faint voice called for help. At that exact moment the card fell out. First let go of the struggle especially if you try everything and nothing is working. Take a moment to breathe. Is time to surrender to life and believe that it will actually bring you to a better place. Let go of the victim and become the warrior you needed from others. Start your healing journey, go to therapy, take your pills, do some journaling. I know when you are reading you probably smirk. I’m speaking with experience, babies. Is not going to change overnight. But as I am channeling, I'm picturing you in a very messy room with molding left over surrounding you. I keep hearing ‘’ I was NEVER like this before’’. I know babies, I know how such experience can change you. You are FUCKING powerful. I’m not saying this because of trauma, that’s what I channel. You were always standing on your power and someone tried to knock you off your throne. One small change at a time, like cleaning your room once a week. Drinking one water bottle a day. Eating at least 3 times a day even if it is a snack is going to get you going. Right now, you must be feeling fucked up. Like he hurt you. He took away your spark, why should you try to get it back. When such an event happens in people's life, it is re-birth. Is time to re-learn to live again. Choose your pace and take it day by day. Nobody truly heals from it, I can assure you that. But you can learn to live a thriving life despite it. Instead of going on the hunt for the old version of you, learn about this new you. Pay attention to your dreams, there is a message in them. Reflect on your inner voice. Don’ t allow others to dictate how you are supposed to heal even if what you feel right now is numbness. Stick to your guns since you are the only one that knows you best at the moment. A good opportunity or news is going to present itself in divine timing. You will be sitting in the right place and right moment. One of your wishes will come true. Something worth living will come out of this situation. There’s good luck heading your way. All wisdom gain from this journey would be very helpful to the community if you ever decide to share it one day.

LOVE

You are with someone that your friends and family don’t approve of. And the icing on the cake , you don’t like them either. You don’t want to be alone and you are too ‘’broken’’ for a healthy relationship so you are distracting yourself with that. Let me be the bearer of bad (good) news, this relationship will end. Your distraction will leave and reality will hit. One thing I see, they will play games in front of your face. They will even threaten to kill themself, just to keep you sucked in. Text them number phone for help online and move on. Don’t engage more than that. What is more fuck up, is that they keep you close just have sex with you.

Song: Praying-Kei$ha

Loves classic English literature, read the bible just for fun, future witch

PILE 3 (18+)

Lovers (reverse), Page Wands, Strength, Hanged man, ‘’I love your swag ! You are the whole package !’’,444

Hey…beyhives. I feel like, I’m only speaking to Beyonce stan at the moment. You guys are still bumping the country album of Queen B, like it came out yesterday. You guys are weirdly connected to my spiritual team because it feels like I was meant to read for you. Let’s get into it. People don’t realize how kinky you are, they know you are freaky. But nah… y’all are KINKY. You are a person that is aware of your sexual power and don't mind using it to your advantage. Your manners , your body, your sensuality, attract and please other people. You know what button to push. You are a very experienced and sensual lover. Not shy at all, actually very confident.

LOVE

I feel like you are looking for a confirmation. Let me be. Your relationship has run it’s time. I don't even think y’all ever loved him. But he was the only one that allow you dual nature. I’m getting from the outside y’all are super cute, but in the bed a pure beast. You guy LOVE sex. You are scared that you are never going to find someone that will get you stamina without judging you by calling your names, especially if you identify as women. He cheated. Which made you extremely possessive and jealous. So you use sex to control him. I’m hearing: How DARE you think you can find better than me ! Advice : Start something new take a break from your love life and slowdown on sex for a minute. Usually if you have more sexual energy than usual it is because your body's calling you to create. Think about it: to create life we need to get nasty in the bedroom. Imma need you to get nasty in your career. Find something that is passionate about you and go hard (ahahaha). Look at the bigger picture, you are way to focus on him. Feel the fear and do it anyway. You are fearful of rejection. That’s why you allow this man to take the best out of you. Find a new source of inspiration and shake off the blues. Right now contrary to what you might think, you are not sitting in your divine feminine energy. Since you are in such war mode, it is almost completely masculine. Plus, he doesn't care for you at ALL. But he does know that they will never be another woman like you.

Song: Haunted-Beyonce

Platinum blond hair, very fair skin, very light blue eyes, luscious lips and round face. Face card is LETHAL.

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canolaaoil · 1 year

Text

To all my best friends, only twelve leagues and one text message away

1. Dearly Departed, Brockhampton. // 2. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion. // 3. unsent project. // 4. I am in Eskew. // 5. His dark materials. // 6. Where did you go? Hishaam Siddiqui. // 7. parts in motion, Vera Much. // 8. Your Name Engraved, Herein. 9. Hmu, spacegirl GEMMY.

Description follows

[ID: song lyrics reading, "What's the point of havin' a best friend if you / end up losin' him?" end ID]

[[ID: a photograph in the style of an early digital camera of two teenage girls cuddling under blankets on a couch watching something on a computer. end ID]

[ID: a poem reading, "Life changes fast. / Life changes in the instant. / You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends. end ID]

[ID: a fuzzy photograph in the style of an early digital camera of three people huddled around a fridge. All of the people have brown hair, glowing golden from the lighting and only one of their faces is turned toward the camera. end ID]

[ID: a text entry on a pink background reading, "To: Harry I / i've written 43 / poems about you. / come back and i / won't have to write anymore. / -asle" end ID]

[ID: a photograph in the style of an early digital camera of a couple in a photobooth with only their feet and legs visible behind the curtain. one is sitting on the other's lap. ]

[ID: text reading, "The problem is, my love, is that I can't sustain the fact of your death. / I can convince myself that it's true, force myself to picture your rotting, ruined face dumped in a mass grave somewhere out in the world... / ...and then my phone buzzes and I'm still expecting an unexpected message from you, telling me what corner of the globe you've holed up in, the foods you're eating, the card-players you're outwitting." end ID]

[ID: a photograph of two people in an aquarium, shot from behind. they stand in front of a large window showing a tank of water and seaweed. the two pose as if dancing grandiosely with no one else around. end ID]

[ID: a paragraph reading, "And it was comforting to think she and Will had another thing in common. She wondered if there would ever come an hour in her life when she didn't think of him- didn't speak to him in her head, didn't relive every moment they'd been together, didn't long for his voice and his hands and his love. She had never dreamed of what it would feel like to love someone so much; of all the things that astonished her in her adventures, that was what astonished her the most. She thought the tenderness it left in her heart was like a bruise that would never go away, but she would cherish it forever." end ID]

[ID: a photograph from behind of a group of people walking together down a city street. two of the people have their arms around each other shoulders. another two link arms. the image is slightly blurry. end ID]

[ID: a couplet reading, "One day I woke up and we no longer spoke the / same language. I haven't heard from you since." end ID]

[ID: a photograph of two people, focused on one in the foreground. A young woman looks lovingly towards something out of frame, her face resting on the meat of her hand. In the background a man looks away towards another subject. The lighting is dreamy and yellow. end ID]

[ID: lyrics reading, "Show me it all / Tell me what's wrong / You got your hard drive stolen / Your phone's been broken / Play me a song off of mine / Show me it all / Show me a rise / Show me a fall / Pay me no mind / Paint me in gold / I don't mean to pry, but give me a call" end ID]

[ID: a gif from the movie 'Your Name Engraved Herein' of Birdy and A-han riding a motorbike through the streets at night. Both smile widely as they breeze along, Birdy sitting behind A-han with his shirt off over his head, yelling happily. End ID]

[ID: lyrics reading, "They say everything has reason / Life fluctuates like seasons / And maybe someday soon we'll both find our reason / But bitch you're still the bro / Never letting go / Of the friendship bracelets we made when we were twelve // I'll be waiting by my phone / For you to hit me up / For you to hit me up / Hit me hit me up" end ID]

[ID: a photograph of a plaque on an outside wall reading, "LIFE HAPPENS BUT I STILL CARE FOR YOU. I HOPE YOU'RE DOING WELL." end ID]

#web weaving #parallels #comparatives #brockhampton #i am in eskew #vera much #his dark materials #the unsent project #back on my quest to make people cry in the brockhampton tag apparently #the caption is a reference to the epic of gilgamesh #when gilgamesh has to cross twelve leagues of darkness to get to the realm of heaven/the gods #but uh yeah madilyn i hate you (your dad) for moving away and im so happy you escaped and we didn't die but i fucking miss you and i hat #that you're taller than me its rude #that spacegirl gemmy song makes me crazy fr though #also listen to vera much. now <3

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probably-writing-x · 2 years

Text

Enough

Summary:

Warnings: Discussions of body dysmorphia, eating disorders, self image issues. If you, or anyone you know, is struggling with these thoughts or illnesses, please seek the help needed. I have linked some international helplines and support below for any of you who may need it. You are loved and worthy, always.

International Eating Disorder Treatment Information & Resources Help (eatingdisorderhope.com)

Email Helpline – BDDF (bddfoundation.org)

Professional Help And Support - Body Image Movement

Author's Note: I hope I’ve done this idea justice, I love you all and thank you so much for reading my work <3 You are always enough

---

It was just an Instagram post, wasn't it? Just a photo of the two of you. A photo of you and Drew from Chase's film camera - you both sat at the table at dinner, a beer bottle in Drew's hand, your head on his shoulder, a grin across his face. Innocent.

But the comments were far from it. The words were forcing a clench into your chest, a tightness in your throat, a tremble in your bottom lip.

What does he see in her?

I'm sorry but he can do so much better

This girl is not it, Drew

You were sure someone had just taken your heart from your chest and ripped it up in front of your eyes, broken off every band-aid you'd used to heal it, peeling them and tossing them aside.

Drew had been the person who helped to heal you, since you two had started dating eight months ago. It took him a while, but he broke down the walls you had built to protect yourself. He healed the pieces of yourself that you thought were broken beyond repair. But, now, it seemed the world was out to destroy all of that.

You can't help the tears that spill down your cheeks, dropping in blurring patches over the words on your phone screen. Your fingers fumble to lock the screen quickly, trembling in their movements.

"Babe? Are you ready to go?" Drew calls out from the other side of the locked bathroom door.

You take in a shaky breath, dragging a hand under your eyes to try and pick up any of the stray tears. You clear your throat.

"(Y/N)?" He's closer to the door now, his shadow visible under the gap at the bottom.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a second," You call back, raising your voice so it masks the break in your words, the way your throat is still constricting.

You drag a hand over your eyes once again, smooth over your hair, shift the material of his baggy hoodie around your shoulders, another deep breath, and you open the bathroom door to see him.

He frowns a little, "Everything okay, honey?"

"Yeah, yeah," You shake your head, "I just couldn't get my contacts in."

Drew nods as if believing you and reaches out a splayed hand to wait for you to hold it, "Shall we go?"

"Sure,"

You grip his hand a little tighter so that he doesn't notice the way yours are still shaking, noticing your appearance in the mirror just before the door to your apartment - tired, but in the drained of all energy sort of way.

~~~

"I just think objectively I dress better," Drew defends himself, his arm sprawled out on the back of the couch behind you.

"Yeah but that's because you have (Y/N) telling you what looks good," Chase points out, though their argument seems to blur in the space between you and them, their words not sounding clear.

"Oh come on!" Drew scoffs, "Babe, will you tell them that I actually am capable of dressing myself?"

You can't bring your mouth to respond when your brain feels like it is running a thousand miles an hour.

"Hey," Drew drops his hand from the back of the couch to squeeze at your shoulder, like he's making sure you're still there.

"Oh, sorry, yeah, yeah, he does," You glance up from your hands momentarily to where the rest of the group were all looking directly at you.

They know you better than to try and pry, instead turning amongst themselves and chatting about an event they had coming up. Drew waits until he is sure that everyone's attention is away from the two of you before he makes any move. He shuffles himself a little on the sofa and brings his arm down so that it envelops around your shoulders and he can pull you into his grasp a little tighter - drawing him into you.

"What's up babe?" He asks running a hand up and down your spine, the delicate feeling making your skin tingle.

"Nothing, I'm okay, I just zoned out for a second, that's all," You encourage, staring down at the material of his joggers so that you don't have to look up and meet his eyes.

You can only imagine the frown on his face as he says, "Are you sure?"

"Of course," You try to inject a little more energy into your words then, hoping he'll believe them just a fraction more.

"Okay, I'm going to get a beer, do you want anything?" He kisses the top of your hair.

Your mind flashes back to the comments from before, one in particular - She needs to lose weight if she wants to be good enough for him.

"Just a water please."

Drew narrows his eyes at you, "Who are you and what did you do with my girlfriend?"

You laugh and it seems to satisfy any worry in him as he disappears into the kitchen. You shift your weight on the couch and pull his hoodie around you, making sure it didn't sit too awkwardly around your stomach. You swallow the lump in your throat and try to blend into the room you now felt completely separate in.

~~~

There was always that half an hour of procrastination after you had a shower where you would sit on your bed and let the time just pass. You'd been scrolling aimlessly through TikTok with no real attention, until you came across a video of your own boyfriend. It was an edit of him from interviews with the cast recently, that brightness in his eyes that never faded.

You're not sure why you do, but you click onto the comments. And it's practically flooded.

How (Y/N) managed to get him is beyond me

She's never going to be enough for him

He'll realise it eventually.

She was better looking when they first got together but she's let herself go.

The last comment has a video response attached to it and it's simply instinct when you click onto it. There's a montage of photos of you just before you and Drew had got together, and when the music changes, it's photos of you now that you and Drew were eight months in. Sure, your body had changed. You were comfortable, and healthy, and you were no longer as concerned with counting your meals like they were all crimes against you. He made you confident in a way that let you see your body as more than its image. But that didn't seem to be enough for his 'fans'.

Your eyes drift up to the outfit hanging from a clothes hanger on the door of the wardrobe in front of you, the one you'd been so excited to wear tonight. It was black and tight fitted, a low neckline and a lower back that dipped to the bottom of your spine, two thin diamond circled cut-outs on either side of your torso. When you'd first put it on, it felt like a dream, and you felt like you couldn't wait for the event when you could wear it. You imagined the photos they'd take of you and Drew, the way he'd look at you in awe like you were the best thing he'd ever seen. But the thought of wearing it now is bringing a sick feeling to your stomach that you are sure won't leave.

"What are you doing here?" Drew laughs when he walks into the room, snapping you out of your daze, "And what are you watching? I've heard that song playing like ten times in a row."

You look up from your phone and lock it quickly before he can see the screen.

"What are you hiding?" He narrows his eyes at you jokingly, "Is it your secret boyfriend?"

"One of them," You return sarcastically.

He walks over to the edge of the bed and stands between your legs, where you were sat with your towel wrapped around your drying skin.

"You know if you sit here longer you'll be complaining that we're going to be late," He comments, running his fingers over the water droplets that are lingering on your shoulders.

"Yeah, um, I hope you don't mind," You take a deep breath, not making eye contact with him, "I think I might take a rain check on tonight."

Drew steps back a little like he's genuinely taken aback, before crouching down in a squat in front of you so that his eyeline meets yours, "Okay, what's going on babe?"

"Nothing, nothing," You smile a little, trying to reassure yourself as much as him, "I just don't really feel like going out."

"Do you feel okay?" He brings a hand up to brush some of the damp hair away from your face, the back of his hand pressed against your skin like he's checking for your temperature.

"Yeah, I'm okay, I'm fine, I'm just not up for going out," You nod, smiling so that it hides the weakness in your eyes.

"You know these events are boring when you're not there," He squeezes your shoulder, leaning forward to kiss you.

You're cautious at the touch, something you'd never felt before with Drew. He draws one hand up to cup around your head, his long fingers sprawling backwards to grip you close to him, drawing you into his kiss. When you feel the contact of his hand against your thigh - nothing more than a gentle grip like he normally would - you can't help but flinch away.

He looks at you with a flash of worry over his features, "I didn't mean to-"

"I'm just tired," You cut in quickly, pushing yourself back a bit on the mattress, "I think I might take a nap."

Drew swallows the lump in his throat and tries to mask the concern on his face, worried he'd just done something he shouldn't have done, "Yeah, okay, get some sleep. I'll let you know when I'm leaving."

He stands up and drags a hand through his hair, looking at you again like he's trying to break through a wall without knowing why it was there, or what he'd find on the other side. But there was a strange air of uncertainty when he looked at you, like he was finding it just slightly more difficult to see you recently - and he just couldn't figure out why.

"I'll see you soon."

~~~

Over the next few days, you try to use the excuse that you're ill to avoid Drew asking too many questions. So that he doesn't overthink when you don't want to get up to make breakfast with him, or when he goes to cuddle you in bed but wakes up an hour later to find that you were no longer in his arms. But he recognises all of it. He's making mental notes of every time he sees you skip a meal, or eat barely enough to constitute as one. He lays awake when he feels you pull away from him, knowing you're laying away from on the opposite side of the bed, neither of you sleeping. He notices the way you pull awkwardly at your clothes, and how the tighter fitting things you normally wore had all been seemingly discarded in a pile at the bottom of your wardrobe. He saw it all because he wanted to see you.

You snapped him from his thoughts as you came into the kitchen. You looked tired, and the colour seemed to have drained from your face, your body drowned in one of his hoodies, your eyes focused on your phone.

"So that's where all of my jumpers have gone," Drew comments, stirring aimlessly at the eggs in the pan.

"Did you post a photo of us?" Your voice sounds hoarse, not the sort of thickness that would tell him you'd slept well.

"Yeah, yeah," He beams, "Just one of us from our holiday, I think Madison took it, we're by the pool."

He's sure he can see a tremble in your hands when you look up at him.

"What's up?" There's a frown washing over his face, one full of fear.

You shake your head, "Nothing, it's nothing. What are you making?"

He looks down at the pan and turns down the heat, "Eggs, bacon and toast, do you want some?"

"No, no, I'm not hungry."

It's like something switches in him then, a final straw in him as he was watching you slip away from him.

"(Y/N), what's going on?"

You look up at him and your gaze meets his for the first time, it already evoking a bubbling in your chest that you were sure would result in tears.

Drew crosses the space of the kitchen island and comes to stand in front of you, "I can tell something's wrong, and I've been trying to give you your space but it's so hard - this isn't you."

He stands in front of you and holds one hand of yours in his, his other hand moving to your other one, but your phone is still gripped tight in its grasp. Drew's eyes flick down and then back up to yours, taking the phone from you like it was going to tell you an explanation of everything going on behind your eyes.

When he looks at the screen, it is flooded with your message requests on Instagram - all of them hurling various insults at you, telling you of your lack of worth, how Drew must be blind to be with you, how disgusting you were, how you'd let yourself go. There's a sickness in his stomach, and he finds himself gripping your hand tighter as if he needed something to steady him.

"How long has this been going on for?" His eyes haven't left the screen.

"A while now but the past couple of weeks have been really bad," There's a quiver in your bottom lip.

"And this is all of it? Or is there more?"

"There's comments on my photos too, and I've seen some stuff on TikTok as well," You continue, watching his every move like you didn't know what he'd do next.

"(Y/N), why didn't you say anything?"

"I'm sorry I-" You stumble over your words, tears spilling down your cheeks.

"No, no, you don't need to apologise. I'm not mad at you okay?" He tosses your phone onto the couch and uses his free hand to cup your cheek, "I just want you to be able to tell me these things, and I'm worried about why you felt like you couldn't."

"I-" You try to swallow down the nerves blocking your throat, "So many of the comments were about not being enough for you, and I kept seeing them and every time I did, I just got scared that you'd see it and you'd believe them."

"Not enough for me?" Drew's voice cracks at the thought, "(Y/N) you are everything to me."

Your tears start to fall down onto his hand but he doesn't move it from your skin.

"I don't care what these people think, I don't care what they have to say, but I do care about how it's made you feel like this. You've been losing yourself because of this, and that can't keep happening. You were so confident (Y/N), it's one of the things I love about you," He smiles reassuringly and you can't help but smile too.

There are no words now that were going to feel right for you to say.

"I don't expect you to think of yourself as perfect. Hell, there are things about myself that I don't like, but I need you to think of yourself as enough, okay?"

You nod.

"You're more than enough for me, you're always going to be," He kisses your nose, "But you also need to be enough for yourself."

When he wraps his arms around you, it's like he's breathing a new sense of love and life into your tired limbs. You look over his shoulder and can see the reflection of the two of you in the long mirror that occupied one wall of your lounge. Drew is crouched down to your height, his head dropped down to your shoulder and his arms long enough to envelop around you. He holds you like you’re the most precious thing on the planet, like he’s kissing every single one of the stars that made up your body. He makes you feel loved, and, more importantly, he makes you feel like you could love yourself. And that felt like enough.

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im-his-druidess · 2 years

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//SWEATING PROFUSELY// Perhaps a tiny blurb of plus sized!fem reader and Na'vi!Quaritch? Doesn't have to be nsfw! <3 MWUAH

😘

"I do not purr," Quaritch said gruffly, his voice nothing but a dangerous rumble that had shivers trailing up your spine, and you barely hid your smile at the irritated flick and swish of his tail.

You've been having this same conversation for what felt like hours now and you could tell that your lover's legendary patience was starting to fray.

"You absolutely purr. Sounds like a jet engine about to launch...it's kind of adorable," you teased and saw his massive shoulders tense.

His golden eyes snapped to you and narrowed into slits as he put his tablet down, finally giving you his full attention, and you fought the urge to preen. That had been your goal this entire time, after all. His pointed ears twitched before pinning back against his skull and his lips peeled off his fangs in a snarl.

Before you could blink you were flat on your back, bouncing against the mattress you had been perching on with a small 'oof' as you registered a large blue hand on your chest pinning you down, and then those sharp fangs and bright eyes were barely an inch away from your face. A fierce growl rumbling deep in his chest and you swore you could feel the vibrations rattling your bones. For a split second your heart leapt into your throat at the aggressive display, your human brain shooting out panicked signals at being so close to a predator, but then those wickedly sharp fangs were nibbling gently against your throat.

"You raggedy bitch," you gasped in shock before erupting into a fit of giggles, slapping at his broad shoulders in retaliation, and you could feel him grinning smugly against your skin.

"I am not adorable," was his only response before he traveled down to nuzzle against your stomach, biting through the thin material of your shirt so he can happily nibble on your squishy midsection, and his large hands curled around your push thighs as he settled closer to you.

You scratched at the nape of his neck and grinned at the responding flex and squeeze of his hands. Immediately the thought of a cat kneading into a fluffy blanket popped into your head, but you decided to keep that image to yourself.

"Of course not. You're my big bad warrior," you cooed and Quaritch grunted in agreement while burrowing his face even more against your tummy. His tail flicked anxiously before curling securely around your ankle and calf.

"You got that right, sweetheart."

#Miles Quaritch #Avatar The Way of Water #Stephen Lang #Miles Quaritch x Reader #Avatar #Stephen Lang x Reader #recom quaritch #na'vi quaritch #miles quaritch headcanons #Stephen Lang headcanons #Avatar The Way Of Water headcanons #the cryptid answers

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littleplasticrat · 8 months

Text

Behind the canvas: Painting 'Finally getting that drink'

This is a post about some of my thoughts while painting Rugan's pin-up for this month. Some technical ideas, rambling and mild nudity below the cut.

Inspo and references

The pin-ups of Gil Elvgren are on the left, and 'Elspeth Resplendent' by Anna Steinbauer is on the right.

Elvgren is one of my favourite artists and I spent some time looking through a book of his collected work to see what ideas I could take for this pin-up project. The things that jumped out at me were:

The women felt like 'subjects' rather than 'objects'. There's some implication of hobbies, an inner life. They're often in the middle of doing something when they're captured on the canvas.

The subjects know they're being looked at, and they are taking it as an opportunity to flirt (signalled through eye contact, coquettish facial expressions and body language). It feels like a conversation between viewer and viewed.

Parts of the body may be exposed, but the eye is drawn back and forth between the subject's face and more titillating parts of the image.

I knew that I wanted to show Rugan in a similar setup, then; in this case, he's halfway through dinner and then catches sight of the viewer. His eye contact and smirk are flirtatious and mirror what you see of him in Act 1.

I initially wanted the pose to mirror Elspeth's in this beautiful Magic the Gathering planeswalker art by Anna Steinbauer, whose work I am obsessed with. Since I started taking art seriously, it's been my goal to paint for MtG, so I often try to study from artists whose illustrations I admire.

However, I didn't want to copy her pose or the composition of the piece. Don't get me wrong, I'm not above doing this - but I felt it just didn't work with the subject. The horizon line (shown in red) is very low. This is a gnome-level view of Elspeth. And I didn't want to place the viewer at the eye level of Rugan's penis.

I kept the composition similar in some other aspects though - there's still a T shape (pale green) that draws the eye to the focal point (pink). I did some sketches where Rugan is leaning forwards/sideways in the same way as Elspeth is, but I feel that this final leaning-back pose demonstrates more dominant body language and allows me to paint the musculature of his torso in more detail. This acts almost as a 'ladder' that draws the viewer's eye up and down between the two focal points of the nude variant.

Painting

I've already said quite a lot on a post that was supposed to be short, so I'll keep it brief here and write more about the painting of Gortash and Raphael (February and March respectively).

It's been quite a while since I've tackled such a detailed painting, so I had to do some research/studies to remind myself of some helpful rendering rules:

Veins beneath pale skin might look blue, but they're actually just a desaturated version of the same colour. There are other parts of this image where the veins are particularly lovely. I'll leave that to your imagination.

2. Highlights on leather are not as saturated as you'd expect until you get to the most reflective part of the material. Also, a good texture brush can work wonders.

3. I try to use as few layers as possible when painting, but I remembered the importance of putting design detail on a separate Multiply layer. Multiply allows the layer to modify/darken the layers below, so you can more easily add detail that follows the shape of the object. For example, the body hair or the snake's head going over the chest. If I were painting traditionally, I'd have had to put in a lot more effort. With Multiply layers, it's one colour. Nice! I got a great tip from @dustdeepsea about the blue-ish tint that tattoos, particularly older ones, can get. I felt like this massive tat is not something that Rugan has had done recently, so I added a Gaussian blur as well.

Well, if you got this far, thanks for reading! This is a great way for me to reflect and record what I've learned from the painting. I want to paint sexy stuff, but I also want to keep improving as an artist!

Keep an eye out for updates on my next pin-up, who will be Lord Enver Gortash. Time to practice using my hair/fur brushes 🥵🥵

#rugan #digital painting #digital illustration #illustration #pin up #male pinup #bg3 fanart #bg3 #painting diary #male pin-up #male pin up

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dominimoonbeam · 2 months

Text

To The Edge - 19

This work is mine and I do not give consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted without my permission. I am sharing chapters as I work on this story but it is copyrighted material that I plan to rework and publish when completed.

story tags: scifi romance, hijinks in space, rogues learning to trust, violence, blood, guns, death, explicit language, so much kidnapping,

Works organized and easily found over on the patreon. <3

TO THE EDGE - CHAPTER 19.

Stardust removed the small metal hatch low on the wall of their room to expose a diagnostic panel. They’d found it weeks ago after moving a crate of protein sodas and used the direct connection to get back into the ship’s control system. Just because they weren’t piloting anymore, didn’t mean they were going to stay locked out. What if there was an emergency? What if they decided to stab Cosmic in the back?

Their heart hurt and they absently rubbed the spot on their chest. They wouldn’t betray Cosmic…but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to die on this journey. And for what? For the promise of treasure? For them?

Stardust mumbled a curse and pulled the panel loose. They’d had to rewire it when they changed its purpose from a general access point to a primary control hub for the ship. If they really wanted to, they could steal piloting controls from here. It would be stupid though, since he could easily take it back from the deck if he realized. He’d put extra security measures in place to keep anyone from locking him out again.

Stardust linked their optic implant to the ship and holographics of the systems popped up in their sight. They ignored those and pulled up their own call log. A hundred unread messages blinked and at dozen video messages waited.

It took some work to amplify the signal and bounce it across a few stations and planets, but Stardust got a call through to Cornelius Contessa Ignacio Li from their room on Cosmic’s ship.

They needed to talk to someone.

Things were getting out of hand past the edge and it had almost nothing to do with their perilous journey or the map printed on Stardust’s back.

They had run away from Cosmic when he flirted with them. Who did that? Not Stardust Solinoh Fairvell! Not until today…

When Cor answered, the image glitched a few times before focusing. They could tell that it took a little longer for the connection to stabilize and deliver their image back to him, because he wore that perfect mask of annoyance when he answered the unknown caller. For those seconds, he had his head cocked back and to the side, cheek high and daylight stretching the dark shadows of his lashes. The pale opal light of his optic implants glinted.

He looked fearsome…and then his image connected and he saw Stardust. The relief and delight bloomed across his features in a sly grin, his shoulders easing back and his head perking up. “Oh good, you’re still alive!”

Stardust spreading their arms as proof. “So far so good!”

Something on Cor’s side of the call took his attention away for a moment, his implant doing a good job of muffling background sounds, but they saw the shudder of the wall and noticed the broken glass across the floor. Light poured into the room around him in a way that made them think he was on a planet or moon—unfiltered.

“What’s going on?”

Cor’s focus returned to them and he waved a hand as if to dismiss the question. “How are you?”

“Shut up. Where are you? What happened?” Now that they thought about it, Cornelius Contessa was barely even wearing any jewels—just the one choker of diamonds. It was a five-centimeter-wide choker, but still…

“I’m on Lu-Pan, darling. I told you, it’s the place to hold up. Turns out all this ocean is great for warfare.”

“What are you talking about?”

Cor stared at them, through a lens that connected them instantly across so much space.

Was he really deciding whether or not to tell them? Since when did they keep secrets?

“One of your cousins tried to have me snatched from a club a few days ago so I moved the party to Lu-Pan… It’s more defensible.”

Stardust was glad they were already sitting, ass on the floor and legs crossed. “Why…” they trailed but they knew the answer. It was either because they thought Cor would be able to tell them something about the map on Stardust’s back or because if they put a gun to his head, Stardust would surrender…and they would. They would put their hands up and give up the whole game.

Cor laughed, the sound somehow full of sympathy. “Come on. Don’t look like that. It’s not a surprise. It’s flattering really. Do you know what this will do for my reputation? First a Solinoh sends a party of goons and turns one of the hottest clubs in the prime into a shooting gallery. You should have seen it. Who knew so many of us were packing? It turned into an absolute bloodbath and the music never stopped. It was in all the tabloids. A bunch of them are speculating that it was a gimmick. I guess we broke a record for the expense just to put everyone back together afterward. I heard a medpod broke under the strain.”

“That can’t be true,” Stardust countered automatically, still absorbing the information. But legit medpods were basically indestructible, designed for long travel in space by the primers afraid of what could happen to them out there in the unknown. The Solinoh’s had the company with exclusive rights to producing the particular cocktail of energy and protein that charged the miraculous machines. It was a great scorn to the family that they hadn’t gotten their hands on the medpods before production and distribution to install the planned obsolescence that would have made them even wealthier.

“So I escaped to Lu-Pan but the shit actually followed me,” Cor continued, grinning and clearly not upset about the fact in the least. “Did you know I have a rail gun on my island?”

Stardust did not, but they also weren’t surprised. Lu-Pan was a massive ocean planet known for mining stations and luxury islands. The islands were all synthetic and had become the go-to escape for all primers as well as the setting for a dozen soap operas.

“I really wish you’d been here. When they realized they couldn’t sneak onto my island they tried to show up with jets and just shoot the shit out of it. I’m going to have to have the whole thing remodeled!” he said, delighted. “And then—” Cor cut himself off.

Stardust stared. “What?”

He bit his lip, trying not to smile but it was far too late to contain it. “I might have captured your cousin…”

“What do you mean might have? And which cousin?” It mattered. It definitely mattered. Capturing any Solinoh was dangerous but some were more vengeful than others.

His grin escaped his teeth. “I mean that I’ve got Vida Solinoh locked in a room downstairs.” He enjoyed the sentence too much. “It’s not my fault. They attacked me. I even retreated to Lu-Pan. Vida brought the fight to my doorstep.” Cor defended and he was right. By all primer rules, Vida was the aggressor and if Cor really had them captured, was fairly taken. The Solinohs couldn’t call it an act of war…but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t treat it like one. “I might not have downed that jet if I’d realized they were piloting it themself. It’s a good thing they’re so recognizable or I might have had them shot in the water when they swam to the surface.”

Stardust gawked. Why was Vida getting involved? Did they want the prize for themself or had someone else in the family enlisted their aid? Was it Genesis? “What are you going to do?” they asked, still reeling.

Cor shrugged. “Breakfast is being set up. I suppose I’ll bring your cousin up for the meal. No reason not to be civil.”

Stardust nodding absently. Prime families had a long history of kidnapping one another. Some stayed kidnapped for cycles until a family dispute or corporate siege could be settled. After the initial abduction, it was generally a pleasant affair… Assuming all went well with negotiations. It did sometimes result in a bullet to the brain for at least one party involved.

Stardust had discovered that kidnapping was a much different experience outside the prime.

“You should have heard my mother. I don’t think she’s ever been this interested in me. She’s talking about marriage negotiations.”

“To Vida?”

Cor shrugged noncommittally and Stardust realized there was a very real chance he hadn’t bothered to ask. A Solinoh was a Solinoh, after all.

Stardust laughed, finally joining him in the madness of the situation. “Cornelius Contessa Ignacio Li Solinoh?”

“It has a ring, doesn’t it?”

It did. But it wasn’t likely to happen. Primers loved a wedding and most had a handful of spouses carefully linking all the most powerful and dangerous families in the known universe into alliances. Most, but not the Solinohs.

There had been a time, centuries ago, when things had been different and the Solinohs had been climbing that social ladder just like everyone else. Since the old days of earth, the Solinohs had been trying to build their numbers and keep that legacy alive. They’d had wealth and power, but they’d always been dirty in a way that the primers sneered at, making it hard to get into marriages with them—to tie their family into that network.

Stardust thought they understood, because once a person took the Solinoh name, there was no escape. Their own great great grandfather had been proof of that. Massimo had tried to leave Galileo. He had left… but he had never escaped. Galileo let him go, paid him an allowance, and pretended he was free. But he was still a Solinoh even when he dropped the name and his daughter—Galileo’s daughter—made him irrevocably a part of that crime family, for better and worse.

Stardust had seen the old records of relatives and marveled at how the numbers dropped off three hundred years ago. They’d been a hundred strong, and then they’d been a handful.

The reckoning of Galileo.

The reshaping of the family.

The primers had thought they would at last witness the fall of Solinoh when that new Galileo rose to power, climbing the bodies of her bloodline to the top. They had been wrong. Theodosia Solinoh had gone from an ensign of her family, a youth generations below the crown, almost lost in the numbers of her cousins—to the Galileo. And she had culled every member that did not kneel, leaving just that handful by the end.

And that handful had been hungry. In the next hundred cycles she was behind four wars, political and corporate, and the family was there to profit off every turn.

Solinohs had monster in their blood.

Stardust’s gaze strayed to their arms in their lap and the veins under their skin.

Monster.

“Are you okay?”

Stardust wondered if Galileo had thought she was different from her family when she decided to topple them. What if they were all trapped by that blood? Bound to be who they were born to be, one way or the other? A monster in the prime or a monster out here in the dark where only one person would pay for all their sins?

“Hey,” Cor said, loud enough to snap them back to attention.

Stardust blinked at the image of their friend and smiled. “Yeah. I’m here. If you’re going to have Vida at your table, remember to keep some guards around. They’ll try to make a run for it.”

Cornelius curled a lip in disgust.

“I know. But they’ve never been abducted. They’ll want to get away on their own before someone comes to collect them, especially since it’ll probably be Fatima.”

Cor’s mouth twitched into a smile again. “Do you think it will be?”

Stardust exhaled a laugh but it felt strained. They were trying to stay in this conversation and this moment—and not think about how they might be getting Cosmic killed out here. Was it too late to cut and run? Was there any chance Genesis wouldn’t run the bounty hunter down even without Stardust onboard?

“Why did you call?”

“Hm?”

“You didn’t call to hear about my triumphant battle with your cousin. What’s going on? Have you found the end?”

The end. The end of the map. The treasure.

Stardust shook their head. “Just checking in. Still on my way.”

Cor studied them and then nodded once. “Okay. Anything else going on?”

Stardust shrugged. “No.”

With a laugh he said, “Right. I believe that.”

Stardust rubbed the back of their neck and cut a glance around the narrow little room with one cot and a bunch of boxes. “I should have taken a ship when we were at that last station and gone the rest of the way on my own.”

“You can’t read the map without another person.”

“I could figure it out.”

“What is this about?”

They scrubbed their face and shook their head. “Nothing. Just getting nervous I guess.”

“About Genesis? You should be.” He laughed, like all that danger was a fun game they played. And it was. That club in the prime had turned into a blood bath and before they were even done putting everyone back together, it was hailed as a fun time. Stardust knew that if they had been there, before all of this, they would have felt just as casual about it as Cornelius did. “If you have to, you could use that pretty bounty hunter for a decoy. It might buy you enough time to get away if Genesis corners you,” he suggested.

Stardust rubbed their heart again. They couldn’t even pretend they hadn’t thought about it already.

Monster.

“You’d make a good Solinoh,” they said with a smile.

He touched his chest as the flattery struck and then they ended the call.

There had been a time when that would have been an insult, just as there had been a time when primers would have turned up their noses at a marriage with a Solinoh. But Solinohs did not marry to climb that social ladder anymore. In fact, they didn’t marry often at all. A few had secret spouses, hidden away so that not even the family would know who they were, but nothing ever stayed secret forever.

Stardust closed their eyes and there, in the dark, they still saw the holographic reminder to check their messages.

Breath trembling past their lips, they opened their eyes and pulled one up—the last one of four sent by Genesis over the last few weeks.

Artificial light made him glow, his dark hair in long curtains and his red lips parted in disapproval. His head tipped to the side, tattoos peeking up from the collar of his shirt to fan up the back of his neck. For the first time in a long time, Stardust was reminded that this man was the son of Galileo. He looked so much like her that just the sight of him sent a jolt of terror right down to Stardust’s soul.

His voice was quiet, because his anger did not require a raised voice. “If you surrender, I’ll let them live.”

They held their breath.

“If you don’t—If you put your hands on the—” he bit off the words and they wondered if he was going to say treasure too or if was just thinking better of admitting to knowing what they were all after. His cold, dark eyes met the camera and pierced through it to Stardust when he said, “I will kill them all, cousin. I will hunt down and see to the end of your pathetic fucking parents. I will make sure every friend of yours burns. And, so help me, I will break that bounty hunter you have chauffeuring you around the edge. You’ll see it all and beg me to end you too.”

#to the edge #defying gravity series #the adventures of stardust and cosmic #audio script to novel #own work #ride or die in space #sci fi romance #<3 #dominimoonbeam #clover down

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