#it is a complicated and very expensive process when you’re doing it on your own

[windowsandfeelings]

Have you cried in an airport terminal this morning? Do not recommend it!

FUCK. AETNA.

[hetalimagines]

General headcanons for Alfred as a boyfriend (SFW)

Here's my first actual post on this blog, hehe... I can't find the ask but someone requested some Alfred headcanons, so here are my rambles about what I think he's like as a boyfriend!

He’s honestly not the most traditionally romantic person. Your relationship is more like friends who make out sometimes. But he does have his own little ways of showing you he loves you!

He’ll put together playlists of songs that remind him of you. They’re mostly loose connections, like maybe a song mentions your eye color, or the lyrics remind him of a date you went on together, or it just sounds romantic and makes him wanna kiss you. He likes to sit with you while you listen (to every single song), and he interrupts the songs a bit to explain why he chose them.

“This one had me thinking what if we were dancing in a ballroom together, and out of nowhere, bam! Zombies bust in. The door crashes to the ground! Our dance turns into one of those cool fighting scenes with the—oh, this part reminded me of the time I woke up early and you were about to fall off the bed. You had a cute bedhead.”

(You have no idea what the lyrics are at this point.)

Dates with him are pretty casual, more like “hanging out” than anything fancy. Maybe you stay at home and watch movies/play games, or you go out for dinner at a local diner, or you go do awful karaoke together, or you go and prank a friend together.

He’s happy as long as he’s with you. Bonus if there’s food and/or drink.

He occasionally takes you out to a more traditional restaurant and dresses for the occasion. They’re usually expensive, too. The food isn’t his preference (too complicated for his palate), but if it makes you happy, he’s all for dealing with it for just one night.

His primary love languages are acts of service and quality time. He’s always doing what he can to help you out (and feel proud of himself in the process). Whether he helps you run errands, runs a bath for you ahead of time, or fluffs your pillow before you get in bed, it’s all because he wants to make your life easier!

He gets a little jealous if you ever spend time with your shared friends without him, or if you spend more time with others than him.

He’s so excited if you take interest in any of his hobbies. Movies? He’ll ask if you want to co-write a script with him. (He’s very relaxed about what exactly ends up in the script.) Archaeology? He has so many random facts to dump on you, and he’ll be super impressed by any knowledge you have on it. Conspiracy theories? Time to watch a bunch of documentaries! He enjoys them despite their flaws, but lets you know exactly when something is false and what actually happened.

He tries to take interest in your hobbies, too, even if he doesn’t understand what you’re talking about. It could be the most boring thing and he’d still listen and ask you questions about it. If it makes you happy, he wants to know all about it.

Pet names from him consist of things like babe, dude (💀), honey, occasionally sweetie, (jokingly… mostly) prince or princess. It’s all over the place. He’ll call you honey and dude back-to-back sometimes.

He loves debating if you’re comfortable with it! But be warned, he gets very heated about certain topics. His sense of justice is important to him. Otherwise, he’s usually not serious about these debates and doesn’t care who wins.

He tries to keep things light and doesn’t usually let people see his more serious side. He’ll open up to you more over time, however. It’s really him letting a wall down and allowing himself to get closer to you.

Every now and then, he has days where he’s a lot quieter and calmer than usual. He just wants to relax, stay on the couch with you and watch movies or simply chat. Maybe a movie chattering in the background as he tells you about his childhood. He doesn’t try so hard to keep up this energetic, heroic persona.

He’s right back to normal the next day like nothing happened.

Likes to annoy you for fun. Not in a mean-spirited way. He just thinks your responses are cute and has poor impulse control. Poking your cheeks or ruffling your hair or playing an obnoxious song loudly on the stereo while he dances. But he’ll back off if you’re genuinely upset with him. He means no harm.

He loves if you’re willing to play along with whatever he gets up to. Maybe he’s decided he’s going to try and vacuum the whole house while doing a handstand on the vacuum. You can hold onto his legs to help him stay balanced.

This man is very impulsive and has a tendency to get himself hurt. Random bruises all over his body or a cut along his forearm. He bounces back easily, and doesn’t want to fuss over it, but he lowkey likes if you baby him about it. He’ll always say how it’s not a big deal and he can take it, but his heart does this little flutter when you show concern, and even more if you force him to take better care of himself.

He burns himself in the kitchen and you force him to run it under cold water. He’s swooning inside.

He likes to gossip about others, especially over breakfast. He can’t help it; he’s just nosy, and he always has an idea of what’s going on and how he can help out. Huge bonus if you gossip with him!

He loves to feed you, but the majority of the food he brings for you is burgers or tubs of ice cream. He likes to experiment with the burgers’ toppings and seasonings, but they’re all burgers nonetheless.

Every now and then, he does plan some big romantic endeavor. It’s like a surprise. You never know when it’s coming… You wake up one morning and find out he’s booked a week long cruise, your bedroom is filled with balloons, and there’s enough breakfast food on the table to feed an army.

He does this thing sometimes (often) where he swoops in and has to save you. A puddle on the ground? No need to fear! He picks you up and swiftly carries you over it. The safest place for you is in his arms. He’ll even lay down and let you use him as a bridge if you want.

A suspicious penny on the sidewalk? LOOK OUT, IT MIGHT BE A BOMB! Let HIM step on it before you get blown up!

He steps on it. Nothing happens. Better safe than sorry!

If you’re the more independent type, that won’t stop him from trying. He just wants to keep you safe and have you appreciate his efforts. Being disinterested or resistant will just make him try harder.

Says cheesy stuff like “happy wife, happy life” unironically. He’s also the type to use terrible pickup lines to flirt with you. Totally unaware of how bad they are until you start laughing.

He also doesn’t care that they’re bad. He’s just having fun.

Loves to give you his clothes to wear. Seriously. You want one of his hoodies? Try six of them.

You complain when one stops smelling like him so he puts it on, works out, then gives it back to you like :D! Fixed the problem!

He takes so many pictures of you guys. Videos, too. His phone storage is eaten up by it. His favorite thing is to take selfies together. Usually with some silly filter. Or an even sillier caption.

“me and the babe out shopping” and it’s a picture of you, holding a piece of fruit with the dog ears filter

He’s not the most physically affectionate, but he always gives you morning kisses and especially kisses before leaving the house. He also loves carrying you around (mostly bridal style) in his arms for no reason other than he can. A hand on your back, another on your thighs, your head pressed against his chest. He loves it.

He loves knowing you find him physically attractive! He worries sometimes about being too overweight, so any reassurance that you like his body helps. If you think he’s hot, and you’re hot yourself, that must mean he definitely is.

Has a tendency to call you hot, but he’ll call you other things if it makes you uncomfortable.

Occasionally brags about you and how lucky he is. Not as often as you might think. Though he gets oddly competitive if anyone acts like their partner is better than you and starts spouting whatever he can so everyone knows you’re the absolute best. No competition.

[obavee]

Unlocking the Future of Cross-Chain Transactions: A Practical Guide

As crypto continues to grow, one major challenge stands in the way of truly unlocking the potential of blockchain technology: cross-chain transactions. Moving assets between different blockchains can feel complicated and sometimes frustrating, especially when you're trying to make a simple transfer.

But what if cross-chain transactions could be as seamless as sending an email or transferring money between your bank accounts? That’s the future we’re working towards. Let’s break down why cross-chain transactions are so difficult today and how new solutions are changing the game for users like you.

Why Cross-Chain Transactions Can Be a Hassle

To understand why cross-chain transactions are a challenge, think of blockchain networks like isolated islands. Each island has its own rules, resources, and way of doing things. Moving from one island to another means navigating unfamiliar terrain, often facing barriers like high fees, delays, and security risks.

Let’s look at some common methods for moving assets:

1. Centralized Exchanges (CEXs):

These are like big money transfer services where you can exchange one asset for another. However, you have to trust them with your funds, which can be risky. Plus, the fees are usually higher than you might expect, and the process isn’t as fast or transparent as it could be.

2. Blockchain Bridges:

These are decentralized alternatives, but the technology isn’t perfect. Blockchain bridges can fail, leading to lost funds. They’re also slow, which means waiting hours or even days to complete a transfer.

3. Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs):

DEXs allow for peer-to-peer transactions, but the problem of slippage (where the price you pay differs from the price you expected) is still very much present.

The end result? Cross-chain transactions are slow, expensive, and sometimes risky, making the process feel like more of a challenge than it should be.

A Better Way Forward: Innovative Solutions for Cross-Chain Transactions

The good news is that change is coming. Some platforms are looking at these problems from a different angle and solving them in ways that benefit users like you. Let’s explore some solutions that are making cross-chain transactions easier, faster, and more secure.

1. Locking in Rates Before You Swap (RFQ Protocol)

Imagine you want to exchange one currency for another. You don’t want to risk the exchange rate changing while you’re in the middle of the transaction. The RFQ (Request-for-Quote) protocol helps fix the rate before you even commit to the swap. This is like locking in a price before you make a purchase — it removes uncertainty and ensures you know exactly what you're getting.

2. No Need to Trust a Third Party

In most cases, when you send funds to an exchange or bridge, you're trusting that platform to hold your assets safely. With new cross-chain solutions, the funds stay in your own wallet until the moment the transaction is completed. This gives you more control and reduces the risks that come with giving a third party access to your funds.

3. Instant Transactions, No Waiting Around .

Speed is a huge factor when it comes to cross-chain transactions. With many platforms, you’re left waiting for hours for your assets to arrive. But what if transfers could be completed in seconds? The latest innovations are making this a reality, using internal databases and advanced communication methods to ensure your transaction is processed almost instantly. It’s like sending a text message instead of waiting for a letter to arrive.

4. Transparent Pricing and Lower Fees

Transparency is key in crypto. No one likes hidden fees that pop up at the last minute. The best platforms for cross-chain transactions now show you exactly what you’ll pay upfront, so there are no surprises. Plus, lower fees mean you get to keep more of your assets. It’s like seeing a menu with clear prices instead of being surprised by the final bill.

Why This Matters to You

So, what does all this mean for you as a user?

1. You Keep More of Your Assets: Lower fees and better pricing translate into more value in your pocket.

2. Your Transactions Are Faster: No more waiting hours for a transfer to go through.

3. You Stay in Control: By keeping your funds in your wallet until the transaction is completed, you reduce the risk of losing them to a third-party hack or failure.

3. Clarity in Every Step: You know exactly what you’re paying for and how much you’re getting in return.

The Bigger Picture: A Unified Blockchain Ecosystem

Cross-chain interoperability isn’t just about convenience. It’s the key to unlocking a fully connected blockchain ecosystem. Right now, blockchains operate like isolated communities, each with their own rules and standards. But as solutions like the ones discussed here evolve, blockchains will be able to communicate with each other more seamlessly, allowing assets and information to flow freely across platforms.

Think of it like how the internet revolutionized communication. When email was first introduced, you needed to be on the same platform as the person you wanted to send an email to. But over time, email systems became interoperable, meaning you could communicate with anyone, anywhere. The same will happen with blockchain — cross-chain transactions will become as simple as sending an email.

Wrapping Up: The Future Is Bright

The future of cross-chain transactions is bright, and it’s happening now. Platforms that prioritize speed, security, and transparency are paving the way for a blockchain ecosystem that’s easier to navigate, more cost-efficient, and more secure.

If you’re navigating the world of blockchain and crypto, keep an eye on these innovations. The next generation of cross-chain solutions isn’t just about making things easier — it’s about unlocking the true potential of decentralized finance for everyone.

What do you think? Have you experienced the challenges of cross-chain transactions? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!

[birminghamlawattorney]

How a trucking accidents lawyer can guide you through the process

Do you know what to do if you’re hurt in an accident involving a big rig? Or, are you wondering exactly what it is that an experienced trucking accidents lawyer could do to help? Belal Hamideh, a trucking accidents lawyer in California who has helped so many to recover the compensation they deserve, can help.

Of all the different kinds of vehicular accidents, these can be some of the most difficult. These trucks are, on average, so much larger than passenger vehicles that the injuries can be more devastating.

It’s our privilege to represent individuals throughout California. Now, we can do the same for you. Belal offers free case evaluation where he will tell you what your case is worth in addition to all of the ways he can help you to receive it.

A Trucking Accidents Lawyer Can Help You Against the Insurance Companies

Cases involving truck accidents can be very complex. That’s just one of the factors that makes it extremely difficult for victims to try their cases on their own.

Another: trucking companies are ruthless in defending themselves against lawsuits. They tend to have teams of investigators they dispatch to the accident almost immediately. Trucking companies work hand in hand with the insurance companies to do everything in their power to ensure people like you receive little to nothing for your suffering.

Having an experienced attorney by your side makes it far, far less likely that this will occur. Belal represents his clients as aggressively as possible. That way, you have a much better chance of receiving compensation.

An Attorney Can Get You Compensation for All Liable Parties

Truck accidents can be more complicated than car accidents, where one driver and their insurance company may be liable. In a truck accident, however, there are often many parties who could potentially be at fault. Truck drivers themselves are often liable, but other parties could be, too.

If the owners of the truck failed to comply with necessary safety rules and regulations, they too could be at fault, as could any manufacturer who sold the truck despite defects. Any mechanic who doesn’t properly repair a truck could be at fault, as could whoever loaded cargo onto the truck incorrectly. Even the owner of where the accident took place could be at fault, should they be responsible for the conditions (even partially) that led to the accident.

An attorney with experience in truck accident cases can find exactly who’s at fault on your behalf so that you have the best chance of receiving all of the compensation you deserve from all of the parties who have wronged you.

That said, you can still recover damages and receive compensation even if you were partially at fault for your accident. Your case could come under the rules of “comparative negligence.” That means that your recovery may be lessened proportionally in terms of how much of the accident was your fault. If you were 30% at fault, for example, you may receive 30% less compensation than you would otherwise.

The truth is that when you’re in a truck accident, there is only really so much you can do. Your car is smaller than a truck and it can be very difficult to get your car out of the way of a truck, no matter how experienced a driver you are. Our team can work to find all of the parties responsible so that liability for your case is put where it belongs.

A Lawyer Can Help You to Recover Maximum Compensation

You can claim economic and non-economic damages (compensation) in a truck accident. Economic damages give you money for all that you’ve had to pay for in the wake of your accident. Any medical expenses that you may have had, such as therapy, counseling, treatment,and  even bills for the ambulance can be claimed.

You could also be paid lost wages for the money you would have made had you been working if you hadn’t been in the accident. Should you be unable to go back to work, you can receive the money you would have made, too.

You could receive money to repair your vehicle or even to replace it. Compensation for catastrophic injuries, such as modifications to your home and in-home care, may also be available.

Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, as well as any anxiety and emotional distress you may have gone through. Disfigurement and the loss of a limb or any body part are considered non-economic damages. You can also receive compensation for the loss of your quality of life and loss of consortium and much more.

We can let you know what your claim could be worth during a free case evaluation. Then, we’ll get right to work on your behalf.

Experienced Trucking Accidents Lawyer in California Who Can Help Today

If you were hurt in a truck accident, you deserve experienced, aggressive representation. Belal Hamideh can provide all of that and much more. We operate on a contingency basis, so you won’t pay until we win (which we do 99% of the time).

To schedule a free case evaluation, message us through our site or call.

[personalinjurylawyerintorrance]

Tips From Our Torrance Accident Lawyer to Deal With Your Car Accident

Have you been in a car accident? You don’t know what to do with all the expenses you have at the moment and have accumulated? We don’t want you to worry, as this is much more common than it seems. When these types of things happen, it is very common to feel lost or disoriented. That’s why our Torrance accident lawyer is here to guide you through this intimidating and complicated process. Below are some considerations you should keep in mind when starting this type of process. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at our office. We are here to help you.

You Were in an Accident… What Should You Do? Car accidents are inconvenient for a variety of reasons. On the one hand, you always have to consider the possible health effects. The health consequences of car accidents are not always going to be so obvious. For example, you may not have been visibly hurt or bled at any time, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t have a concussion or some other internal problem. That is why it will always be important that you see a doctor after being in a car accident. It’s much better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your own health.

Figure Out the Situation

Once you are sure that you have no urgent health concerns, it will be important for you to take care of the logistical arrangements that arise as a result of the accident. This will involve all kinds of different paperwork with your insurance company, including vehicle repairs, restitution for the cost of the accident, and the other problems that accompany these types of situations. What’s the problem with all this? It is quite well known that insurance companies often take advantage of these types of circumstances to take advantage of people in their worst moments. This is why it is very important to be cautious after an accident and organize your affairs responsibly. That’s what our Torrance accident lawyer is here for.

Don’t Get the Short End of the Stick

When dealing with insurance companies, it is good to have the right help. These have many tricks up their sleeve, so it will be good to be assisted by someone who knows these tricks. An accident lawyer can be that help. Isn’t it better to have experts on the subject? A lawyer can be the difference between receiving enough money to cover all your expenses or having to settle for an insufficient compensation payment. Don’t be scammed by insurance companies. Look for a Torrance accident attorney who can represent you the right way and make sure you get everything you need.

Torrance Accident Lawyer

Finding the right lawyer is not always easy. When you need someone to fix your yard or sell you a car, you usually don’t worry about the personality of the person you’re hiring. But in the cases of a lawyer, this will be someone with whom you will have to work and interact with throughout your legal process. That’s why it’s so important to find someone who truly cares about their clients’ success. Our Torrance accident lawyers pride themselves on that. For more information or to receive a free consultation, call or write to our team as soon as you can.

[websitesdepotla]

How Can A Digital Marketing Agency Assist Your Business’ Growth?

Are you wondering why your company needs a digital marketing agency? Confusion reigns as to whether or not you should bring on board a digital marketing pro to help grow your business. The contemporary twist on classic advertising is what successful company owners know, mainly if they are on a limited budget, to earn them more sales and money. Setting up a company is a complicated and time-consuming undertaking. You can’t do it all on your own.

In addition, if you want to build your company and attract many customers online, you need a digital marketing firm. It’s impossible to succeed in a company today without including digital marketing in your plan. Time and consistency are the keys to your business’s success. When a client returns to see what new items or services you have to offer, it’s the best feeling. When you build a brand that people know and respect, this is feasible. A digital marketing agency may help your business build an online presence, but why? You’ll discover it in this article!

Concentrate On the Operation of Your Business In order to execute campaigns on the internet, it is almost always necessary to hire new personnel on an ongoing basis. Furthermore, since you will be working with an internal team, you will need to devote part of your time. Never forget that just putting together the campaign’s staff and campaign materials will also need resources and effort. This may be a time-consuming process, and enlisting the help of an agency can alleviate some of the stress.

Not wanting to spend months training your employees is not an option. Alternatively, you may utilize that time to focus on building your company from the inside out. When working with an agency, all you have to do is communicate your objectives and timetable. Neither training nor onboarding nor managing another staff is required. The experts at the firm handle every aspect of your web marketing internally. This frees up your time so that you may focus on running your company more effectively.

You Lower Your Overall Expenses You’re likely apprehensive about using an agency since you’ve heard horror stories about the hidden costs. Things like additional charges for each hour it takes to complete the project or for any work outside of the scope of the project are referred to as ‘extras’ in the industry. These little things may add up quickly. However, this is not the situation for digital marketing firms. There are several new alternatives available to you that will assist you in spreading your message and expanding your company.

Choosing the most effective marketing channels for your company may be difficult when there are so many to consider. When you engage with a marketing firm, you may reduce your expenditures. Using independent contractors instead of full-time employees avoids the need for payroll taxes, full-time employee benefits, health-care expenditures, and salary costs for agencies. In addition, you save money on recurring expenses such as subscriptions to digital marketing tools. Since most trustworthy companies already have these critical digital marketing tools, you will not need to invest any money in them.

A Digital Marketing Agency Can Help You Stay Relevant In Your Industry A significant problem is the capacity to remain relevant in a very competitive climate. Keeping up with the newest marketing trends and strategies is essential for those firms that cannot afford to fall behind. In our sector, change is the only constant; therefore, you must keep up with the latest developments. Hiring a digital marketing agency to assist you in growing your company will be a pleasant experience. But, first and foremost, you must recognize that they are not the ones who are in charge of developing your company’s marketing strategy and strategy.

There are various reasons why a digital marketing firm may assist you in accelerating your company’s development. The newest trends in internet marketing are more readily available to them than your internal teams, which may be lacking. They are all researchers with a high degree of experience, essential for a successful campaign. And then there’s their understanding of the digital landscape gained through working with a diverse range of clients across various industries.

Business owners are well aware that their marketing efforts are only as reasonable as their advertising budgets. Your small company may benefit from a well-executed digital marketing campaign. Having a digital marketing professional on your team will help your company and website in the long run. Our organization can help your business expand by providing you with the resources to create and strengthen your current strategy and invent new methods of generating money and reaching a wider audience. Call us at (888) 477-9540 to learn more about how our digital agency can assist you with your marketing efforts.

[plutotravels]

5 Reasons Ship Management Companies in Dubai Makes Life So Easy

If you’re thinking of setting up your own shipping company, then you might want to take note of the shipping management company in Dubai you should choose. These companies know how to simplify the process of running a shipping business so that it doesn’t feel like a hassle for new and budding entrepreneurs. In fact, most of these companies have made it as easy as possible for anyone who wants to start their own shipping business no matter how inexperienced they may be. Here are 5 great reasons why you should use one of these companies as your shipping management partner instead of going it alone:

They Offer Affordable Shipping Services

Shipping your goods is surprisingly an expensive venture. On average, it costs between $1,500 and $5,000 to ship a product across the United States. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to cost so much. Expedited shipping and air shipping services in Dubai are at rock-bottom prices and are also very fast. Many of these shipping management companies offer same-day shipping, next-day shipping and even express shipping. While there are many factors to take into consideration when deciding what shipping services to use, you can rest easy knowing that the shipping companies you partner with are offering affordable services that are fast and efficient.

They Have Expertise in International Trade and Shipping

Shipping is only one part of any business that creates and ships goods. Most small and medium-sized businesses will also handle international trade and shipping. Since you might only be handling a few shipments each month, you don’t have to be an expert in this field. But, using one of these shipping management companies is a great way to start your business off on the right foot. The ship management companies in Dubai with experience in international trade and shipping understand the ins and outs of doing business with other countries. They can help you navigate the complicated and uncertain procedures associated with importing and exporting goods. They can help you get your paperwork in order and understand the import/export regulations. They can help you navigate the complicated logistics of international shipping and make sure you have the right type, amount and condition of packaging materials to ensure your shipments arrive safely to their destination.

Their Partnerships With Brands Provide Great Marketing Opportunities

Shipping a product to another country and importing it is a common way to start a new business or expand an existing one. To market your products, you will want to partner with an airline, or a shipping company, that has high visibility and brand recognition. If you choose to partner with a shipping management company, you will get the opportunity to use their portfolio of client brands as collateral for your financing. This is a great way to build your credit and get access to a wide network of customers with a nice markup of money from each one. If you are finance-challenged and you don’t have a lot of capital at your disposal, it’s better to partner with a shipping management company or Dubai top travel agencies that provide and get the brand exposure than it is to try to get financing independently.

They Provide 24/7 Customer Support

Shipping a product can be a tricky business. That’s why it’s essential to partner with a shipping management company that offers 24/7 customer support. The representatives you will be able to call at all hours are experts in navigating the complicated regulations associated with shipping goods across the world. They will be able to walk you through any bureaucratic issues related to importing your products and make sure that your shipments arrive safely to their destination. It’s also essential to partner with a shipping management company that offers you a guarantee of prompt service. The last thing you want is for a shipment to be delayed because of a broken lift gate or poorly maintained truck. When choosing a shipping partner, be sure to look for companies that offer a guarantee on their services.

They Keep Track of Your Assets and Business Operations

Shipping a product can be a great way to earn an income, but it’s important to stay organized. If you don’t keep track of your shipments, or if you don’t know where your shipments are, then you could end up missing payments from your customers. Keeping track of your shipments and knowing where they are can be a challenge if you don’t have the right bookkeeping software. Shipping management companies use a variety of software applications to keep track of their clients’ shipments. The software they use is customized to the type of business they handle. This means that you can be sure that the information being kept is accurate and up-to-date.

Wrapping Up

Shipping your products is more challenging and complicated than you might realize. This is why it’s essential to partner with a shipping management company that offers affordable shipping services, experience in international trade and shipping, partnerships with brands, 24/7 customer support, and keeps track of your assets and business operations. These companies are professional shipping operators who are experts at making sure that your shipments arrive safely to their destination. They will also help you navigate the complicated logistics of international shipping and make sure that the type, amount and condition of packaging materials you have to ensure your shipments arrive safely.

[divinegrey]

sage x f! reader nsfw headcanons? she doesn’t get enough love </3

YEEEEEEEEAAHHH LETS GO!!!

NSFW!!!!

SAGE X F!READER - SPICY HEADCANONS

words: 800 warnings: nsfw content, 18+ only post. discussion of shibari and bondage, light bdsm.

Slight Spicy Headcanons

Sage is a wonderful kisser. 

The first time you two kissed, you were left in physical shock of how good it felt. You’d never been kissed like that before in your life ever, and your face was red with how flustered you were. Sage found it utterly adorable and will tease you about it every now and then, reminding you how the big, bad wolf of the VALORANT Protocol got blushy because you were kissed. 

Sage is a very tender kisser, but what she has in spades is her patience. She can drag a kiss out for as long as she needs to, making you melt in her arms and turn into putty. She knows how to use her teeth to tease you back into a kiss or her tongue to keep you trapped in one. It’s like a goddamn spell. 

Sage loves having you in her lap. Whether you’re straddling her or sitting on the couch with her or snuggling her during her nightly meditation, Sage finds your presence to be a boon and uses it to her advantage when you’re making out. 

Speaking of making out, Sage isn’t by any means repressed. She might not outwardly show her desire like some others do (Looking at you, Reyna), but Sage can be needy from time to time. Once, she locked the door to the infirmary for an entire hour just to make out with you (and nothing more, which was the most frustrating part about it). 

For Sage, the act of kissing can be more meaningful than sex itself, though she appreciates a healthy balance of both. She cherishes every second she spends with you regardless. 

VERY SPICY HEADCANONS

Despite what people might outwardly think, Sage isn’t strictly vanilla when it comes to how she enjoys having sex. 

Sage is very gentle, it’s true. 

But god, does she love torturing you. She’s so gentle it physically aches— Sage will drag everything out until you’re squirming on the bed and begging for her permission to come. If she’s giving, then she’ll be unraveling you like a ball of yarn, piece by piece, until you’re falling face first into the abyss in her arms. If Sage is receiving, then she’ll use your need to please her against you and deny herself her own pleasure. 

She says it’s good practice for the mind, but you think she’s just a little bit of a masochist. It’s horrible for you though, because you just want to please her as much as you can and she won’t let you. 

Sage is, surprisingly, into shibari. Sage learned knots and rope-tying during her time as a monk, and her curiosity extended to shibari, which she learned as a past time. When you started dating, she showed you her extensive collection of fine shibari ropes she keeps locked in a box under her bed on base. 

If you express interest in trying it out, then Sage will start with small, uncomplicated harnesses around your chest or waist (or in other places, if having it near your chest is uncomfortable. Everyone’s different!). It would soon expand into more complicated pieces that would experiment with restraining your arms. You find comfort in it, trusting yourself to someone you care so much for. 

Sage is so gentle when she ties you up. 

The first time you agree to a full body tie, Sage sets the mood with a dimly lit room, burning incense and candles to set the tone with some soft music to keep your mind calm while she works. 

She ties complicated loops around your chest, waist, shoulders. She restrains your arms behind your back, using her expensive silk rope colored a perfect shade of teal that reminds you of her. Sage checks up on you throughout the process, making sure you’re okay. 

Sage would finish the tying with you in an upright kneeling position, legs spread with your thighs tied to your calves and your entire upper body restricted. By then, you’d be so turned on it hurts and begging for her to take care of it. 

Do you call her mommy? Up to you— Sage would take it in stride if you did, telling you how proud she is that you stayed so good and so still while she worked and how you deserve a prize. 

Aftercare :)

After a shibari session, aftercare is extremely important. Sage would take you down from the euphoric high and loosen the ropes, giving you your freedom back. Water and snacks are a must, and she would rub lotion or balm onto any sore spots or rope burn areas (the latter are uncommon but still occur sometimes). 

Sage needs aftercare too! She takes it in the form of quality time and physical touch. She loves snuggling up next to you with some tea and just enjoying some peace and quiet!

~~~~~ A/N: thanks for requesting!

[kannymaei]

The Perfect Girl - Chapter 1 (Kamisato Ayato x Reader)

Author’s Note: NO, I don’t hate Yae Miko or any of the characters! None of this is canon :D In addition, the characters mentioned in this series are all OOC!

Author’s Note 2: Please be reminded that this fanfic is Modern! AU and Highschool! AU and none of this are canons to the actual lore of Genshin Impact. I do not own Genshin Impact nor the characters that belong in the game!

Synopsis: You were a graduating high school student who somehow got involved in unfortunate events and transferred to another school, Teyvat International School. Due to your “complicated” physical features, you became the main target of the school’s “bully”, Kamisato Ayato! Together with his friends, Diluc Ragnvindr, Tartaglia, and Arataki Itto.

Word Count: 2.8k

Taglist: @frieschan​ @nejibot​

TW: Injuries (Burn, Sprained Ankle, Hair pulled until you almost lose it), Mentions of Vulgar words.

Masterlist

Next -> Chapter 2

"This is your schedule," said the man who calls himself Mr. Zhongli.

 "and this is your section,” said the woman who calls herself Ms. Ei.

 I was inches away from walking out of the headmaster’s room when my hand was grabbed by Ms. Ei. "One second Miss L/N, before you leave. Last time I saw you... You were quite... Small. You're so grown up right now, you look like your mother" she gave me a reassuring smile but... Ms. Ei saw me as a child?

 "H-hold on, Ms. Ei? You know my mother?—" Maybe curiosity does kill the cat when I was pushed away by Mr. Venti from the office by saying something similar to me knowing "enough". 

 It's around 1-2 hours before your first class starts so I assume everyone is on their break time. (I have the time of the world to explore this enormous school) you thought closing your eyes walking and entering the cafeteria. 

To your surprise, the school was offering different kinds of food from different countries starting from Mondsadt to Khaenriah. What caught your eye was the Katsu Sandwich and Onigiris, specialties from Inazuma since there is no better in this world other than sandwiches! You wondered how are you going to make friends when... You really feel awkward right now... Everyone is staring at you, after all, you are the rumored nerdy girl in the school. They haven't seen someone new for ages ago because it's an expensive international school. Only people who come from high statuses family can afford this kind of place to study.

"Please state your name," the lady in front of me said before handing me my sandwich and rice balls.

 "U-Umm. Y-Y/N... L/N" you said awkwardly because you can feel some of the eyes around staring at you. Very much oblivious to the pair of lilac eyes who only had his attention on you ever since you entered this hall. 

 "H-how much was it?" You were nervous! You don't know how this school works and you can't believe you're already embarrassing yourself just because you're hungry, tainting your first impression image. 

 "M-miss L/N?! You're an L/N!" She paid her respects to you by bowing her head down before lifting it up again. 

 "I-is there something wrong with my surname... Miss?" What just happened? Why was she surprised that I came from the L/N Family? 

 "Miss L/N, don't worry... You won't be paying for any of the foods and beverages here in the school. I'm pretty sure you already knew why" No I don't! Miss whoever-you-are-cashier... You're having so many thoughts about what's happening until someone tapped your shoulders making you look back to who was it.

"You're the new student right?" She's quite short and has blonde hair and yellow eyes. 

 "O-oh! My apologies, My name is Lumine and you're?"

 "Y-Y/N... L/N" you said processing that you're actually making a new friend at this school. 

"Follow me, let's eat together before our classes start," She said happily with her eyes closed and I followed her 

 "Lumine, stop right there. Just who do you think you are?" This is the same woman you saw earlier with the man who intentionally tripped you. 

 "I-I don't think we know each other..." 

 "Yes, a commoner like you doesn't need to know who I am," she said while rolling her eyes. "Oh, do you know why I'm here? I'm returning this bowl of ramen because I don't want it"

...

...

...

She just poured the hot bowl of ramen all over you from head to toe. It was piping hot that you could feel your skin burning. You could hear the whispers of the other students. 

Maybe Lady Miko doesn't like her at all? 

What a trash! 

She deserves it for crossing paths with her. 

 Maybe Lady Miko noticed how her suitor, Ayato was staring at her? 

 Oh, you're right! 

 "That's not very nice of you Miko," Lumine said and started to wipe your body with her handkerchief. 

 "L-lumine it's okay, I'll just go to the bathroom," you said.

 "Oops... I thought this was the trash can. Go off, Lumine. You don't need to help that trash, you by all people should know she isn't welcome here. What happened to our dear top students? Perhaps you had a change of heart?" She said then walked towards the man who tripped you earlier. 

 "Are you alright?" Someone approached you from the back and wrapped his hands around your shoulders. It was a tall red-head man, based on his looks, he expresses a very cold personality. 

 "D-diluc!" Lumine's eyes widened when she saw the man intervening with the scene Guuji Yae made. 

 "Bring her to the clinic for me, Lumine, thank you," He said and proceeded to hand you over to her. 

 Great, first day on this school then this happened. You wonder what else could go wrong after this. You came across the same said man and overheard their conversation.

--- 

 "That's so awesome Miko~," said the man who owns a pair of lilac eyes. 

 "So when are you going to say yes about me being your boyfriend? I've been chasing you for 3 years now.. you know" He held her hand and kissed it. 

 "A-ayato- y-you know that's a little too early! W-we're still studying you know..." Said Yae Miko who's now all red and a little flustered.  

--- 

 "What's with them Lumine?" Yeah, what's with the both of them. They seem to dislike you that much by tripping you over and then pouring a hot bowl of ramen on your whole body. 

 "It's the power couple of the school! Kamisato Ayato and Guuji Yae" Lumine said with her eyes gleaming like the stars. "Kamisato Ayato has been chasing Guuji Yae for almost 3 years now! But everyone sees them as the power couple because no one seems to court Guuji Yae out of fear since Kamisato Ayato confessed his love for her! It's like they're already in a relationship even if Guuji Yae hasn't said yes to him" She added. 

"Maybe Miko got mad at you because her suitor was staring at you since you came in here." Ayato was staring at you? But why would she get mad and hurt you physically just by all that? 

---

"Looks like your little Miko got a little jealous when she noticed you've been staring at the new girl~" 

"Why would she be jealous, Childe?" Ayato finally faced Childe who was behind him giving him a smug face. 

 "Oh~ probably because you had your eyes towards another girl? Hm?" He added 

 "She's ugly— huge glasses, thick eyebrows, and a messy hair bun. She's like a girl who can't even do simple makeup" Ayato said annoyingly to the ginger head. 

 "No she's not, she's... quite amazing" A short response coming from the one and only Diluc Ragnvindr. 

"Yeah what the hell was that? Diluc?" 

 "Childe, you know, he's starting to act cool around the new girl since this man never had a girlfriend," Ayato said provoking Diluc. 

"Why did you tell Miko to pour that bowl of Ramen at her? Ayato for god's sake! We're already graduating, I'm pretty sure you don't want to do something that would expel you from this school even if the Kamisato Family has its own shares in this school? What would your sister say if she finds out her brother is bullying someone again? I'm very delighted to know what her reaction would be once she gets to know her brother broke his promise" Diluc said while looking into Ayato's eyes. No signs of compassion were seen on his own and walked away from the school rooftop. 

 "He actually has a point, you did promise your sister you wouldn't do anything crazy again in your last year of high school... Maybe it's best if you just stop right now. You wouldn't know what the future would give you. Only god knows if the moment you saw her, you fell in love with her? Hm?" Childe said and followed Diluc downstairs. 

"Fall in love with a trash like her? Plus I didn’t tell her to do it, she poured the ramen all by herself” Ayato leaned towards the balcony of the school’s rooftop.

“What’s with her anyway? Where did she have the courage to answer me as if she didn’t know who am I? She even had the nerve to call me an inconvenience” He added while staring at this so-called girl coming out of the clinic with Lumine.

(Annoying, very annoying. I’m sorry Ayaka, promises are always meant to be broken. Might as well enjoy this last piece of entertainment given to me by the gods) He thought and ran downstairs to follow his friends.

---

“Ayato is evil! Don’t be bewitched by his looks Y/N!” Lumine said while holding my burnt hand that is now wrapped with bandages.

“He has been known to push people to their limits until their human body can no longer handle it and decided to transfer back again to their local high school... and it looks like you were his new target... Stay strong Y/N... I believe in you... We never had any new students ever again because of him, no one dared to report it because he is from a rich family. Money can sometimes buy everything you know? That’s why he always gets away with it” Lumine said cheering me up with her fists clenched. 

“Whatever he is, I am strong so he can come at me anytime he wants and he will fail miserably. All I have to do is hurt his little ego~.” You said while smirking at Lumine as if you have an evil plan on your mind.

“Scary Y/N! Kyaah!” she said as she tries to run away from you. 

“I’m just joking Lumine~,” you said and the two of you laughed together as you return to your classrooms for your classes.

 ---

“My name is Y/N L/N” you bowed down in front of your class.

“Now Miss L/N, you may sit on that vacant space next to Mr. Kamisato” Ei smirked at you as if she knew what was between the two of you. Was there really something between you and Ayato? You’re pretty sure that there was none because all he did for the rest of the day is trip you off him and ordered his girlfriend to pour down a bowl of ramen at you.

“Ms. Ei, I refuse to oblige with her sitting beside me” The man raised his hand with a confused look.

“Why is that Ayato? Is there something wrong with a new student sitting beside you?” Ms. Ei gave him a serious look, hinting that he’ll be in trouble if he deny her request since he is her student.

“I... don’t have anything against...her.” Ayato didn’t have a choice but to agree since he saw the glare that Ei gave him. 

“If he doesn’t want her sitting beside him then I’ll gladly accept her as my seatmate, Ms. Ei” Diluc raised his hand for his request which made Ei a little happy because she needs to watch over Iliya’s daughter (A/N: Iliya is the name of Y/N’s mother!)

“N-no! I’m very fine with her sitting beside me, no need for her to sit beside Diluc!” Ayato shouted as if he was in a rush before the final decision was made and the whole class is now staring at him because of the words that came out of him.

What?

Y/N is gonna be so dead if Guuji Yae was our classmate-

Suddenly, Ayato wants a trash like her to sit beside him?

Didn’t Diluc save her from embarrassment when Guuji Yae poured down that hot bowl of ramen?

She’s not even beautiful compared to Guuji Yae, she’s a nerd ugly piece of trash

The first day of school and now she’s being a whore towards Ayato and Diluc, what a SLUT-

“ENOUGH!” Ei slammed down the blackboard eraser averting the attention of the students at her.

“Y/N, kindly sit beside Ayato whether he likes it or not”

“O-okay” You agreed with her and walked towards the seat next to his. You could feel your classmates gaze upon you as if they wanted to crush you down.

“I guess you’ll have to see me every now and then for the whole school year. I’m Y/N and this is the first time we ever talk to each other properly” You said giving him a peace sign.

“Ayato, and I don’t like you” He answered you without even looking at you, he just kept staring at the window. Out of curiosity, you also leaned at the window having you and his body near each other. 

“You like her right?” You asked him but you didn’t receive any replies from him.

(Tsk... She has a strawberry scent, I thought poor people can’t afford to enroll at a school like this?) He thought to himself completely disgusted at you.

---

Class hours ended before you even knew it and you met an unexpected girl while you were fixing your things at your locker.

“I heard what Miko did to you earlier~”

“No one can snatch Ayato from her”

“I don’t know about snatching someone from her, please leave me alone,” You said without turning your back and proceeded to go downstairs when-

You just got pushed downstairs by the girl talking to you. You’ve been feeling pain from your back to your legs- did you just sprain yourself? 

(That really hurts) You thought to yourself.

The girl who was talking to you followed you downstairs slowly until she finally reached you and leaned toward you.

“Poor thing, this is what happens when you fight back against Miko,” she said.

“Y-You! You pushed me down the stairs!” You grabbed her by the collar and slapped her so hard that her face reddened. 

“H-how dare you to touch my face!” She screamed that made you worried a little because people are going to look at the mess you got yourself again for the third time in one day. 

“S-sara what’s wrong?!” A man showed up, he probably came from one of the rooms, perhaps her classmate. He has white long hair and looks like a gangster?

“YOU!” he grabbed you by your hair.

“S-she slapped me Itto-” Sara whined at him and showed him her reddened face.

“HOW DARE YOU SLAP HER! Let go of her collar Ugly Shit!” You let go of her collar as you could feel your hair and scalp separating from each other. Other than that you also have a sprained ankle you need to worry about.

“E-enough Itto-” Sara begged and he finally let go of his hand to your hair.

“I’ll get back at you for slapping her. Ride by back Sara, I’ll carry you to the clinic” He gave Sara a piggyback ride and left you alone at the staircase.

“Need help?” A familiar voice ranged through the hallway.

“D-diluc?! N-no! I didn’t mean to slap-” Your voice was cut off by him placing his index finger on your lips.

“You’re very much hurt right now and it would be inappropriate for me if I wouldn’t help you right? Don’t worry Y/N I heard everything and your secrets are safe with me” Without hesitating, he carried you in a bridal manner. Your face reddens as you get closer to his face giving you the chance to admire him. 

“D-diluc! What will the other students say if they saw us here?” 

“What would they say anyway? I’m going to bring you to the hospital and not the clinic you know? You’ll meet Sara and Itto there and I don’t want to leave you alone with them. Only god knows if those injuries would worsen.” He smiled at you and proceeded to walk in the school’s corridors. 

You closed your eyes while he was walking with a straight face as the two of you overheard the murmurs of the other student. They are definitely talking about the two of you.

This is new...

I’ve never seen Diluc carry a girl.

I want to have my ankle sprain too so I can get carried by him!

Y/N you one lucky whore!

---

The two of you walked down to the parking area of the school. Diluc helped you get in his car and then drove you to the school’s hospital to treat you for your injuries.

Not being aware of the same lilac eyes that always had his attention on you since the very start of the day. He watches you from afar being carried like a bride by his best friend as he carefully brings you inside. Ayato is truly wondering about what he’s feeling right now about you and Diluc.

Next -> Chapter 2

[devildomimagines]

Could you do the brothers (Lucifer especially) reacting to an MC who jokes all the time, seems carefree and stupid but eventually they find out that MC is actually a very deeply caring, responsible and intelligent person. They act like an idiot likely as a response to some adversity in their own past. Sorry if its complicated, i just like the idea of the brothers almost discounting MC only to realise they weren't looking deeply enough

Hi Anon! Thanks for the request! Sorry it took me so long to get to, it's been busy in my personal life. The older brothers are under the cut so this post isn’t a mile long lol. I hope this is worth the wait!

Belphegor

King of rolling his eyes at your antics.

Belphie is maybe the most knowledgeable about humans so, of anyone, he might be able to see a little deeper than the surface.

On one of the rare occasions you got Belphie out of the house, you two came across a Little D that was clearly lost.

He didn’t pay it any mind since he figured the Little D would just teleport to their master but you insisted on helping.

As you knelt down to the creature Belphie stood back and watched as you quickly soothed the Little D’s worries and it hopped into your arms. 

You brushed past Belphie to carry the spirit across the street and start talking to the shop owner. The two of you laughed and Little D hopped over to the shop owner’s hands.

“The shop keeper knows that Little D’s master and will give them a call,” you explained as you wrapped your arm around his and began leading him down the road.

“You’re amazing MC,” Belphie murmured, such a small act really changed his view of you.

Where he thought you were foolish in trusting him after what happened in the attic, he realized that he wasn’t a special case of forgiveness, you were just a truly caring person. 

“Hm, what was that Belphie?” You asked but he wasn’t sure if you actually didn’t hear him or if you were teasing.

He wasn’t too proud to admit his feelings but his face did heat up a bit, “I said you’re amazing.”

Beelzebub

He’s pretty caring for a demon so he could see you were too, although maybe he didn’t know the depth until today.

The two of you were enjoying a meal in Hell’s Kitchen. Beel was absorbed in the food that he didn’t at first notice you were distracted.

When you asked for a moment and got up to grab the attention of a waiter. Beel watched on curiously, he was hoping you were asking for more food.

The waiter nodded along and ducked into the kitchen. You waited in that spot and you caught Beel’s stare. You waved at him with a smile.

He waved back with a fried shadow bat in hand.

You laughed and then the waiter was back. They handed you a to-go container, you talked for a second, probably thanking them and then made your way across the restaurant, walking right past your table.

Beel thought to call out to you as if you had somehow accidentally overshot the table but you made your way right out the door.

He started to get up to go after you, he shoveled a few things in his mouth not totally satisfied but more confused why you were leaving.

Then he saw you through the window. He stopped moving as you approached a small demon looking into the restaurant through the window. Beel sat and watched the scene unfold.

It jumped back away from you, probably not having seen a human before, and was clearly defensive as you talked. You then offered the to-go container, popping it open so the demon could see the food contained.

The little demon inched closer, clearly hungry and tempted by the food you offered. You nodded and the demon took the container and ran. You watched for a second and then came back into the restaurant to join Beel.

You sat down like nothing had happened and went back to your meal. When Beel didn’t start eating you asked,  “What is it? Do I have something on my face!?”

He shook his head no, “You’re incredible.” He picked back up eating but he would not forget this moment.

Asmodeus

You watched on as Asmo was applying his make-up. He always enjoys your company when preparing for the day but he noted you were reading the ingredients pretty seriously.

“What’s got you frowning MC?” 

“This is from the human realm, right?” you held up the bottle so he could see the label in the mirror.

He hummed, “That’s right, I get products from all over so that one is definitely from the human realm. Have you used it before?”

“Um, no I tended to stay away from their brand.” You put the bottle back where you found it.

“Why’s that? It is kind of expensive in Grimm, was it the same in your currency?”

“Not really, it’s just that…” you paused trying to think of the most sensitive way to put it, “there are make-up brands in the human realm that test their products on animals before marketing it to humans.”

“How cute!” Asmo giggled at the thought of bunnies in blush.

“No Asmo, it’s more like they are testing if their products are safe for humans by using animals as a proxy. It can be brutal and even unnecessary and could result in the animal’s death.”

Asmo had stopped and turned to look at you as you explained. His face was slightly troubled.

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable! I just tried to use products that didn’t use that as a part of their process in manufacturing so as to not cause any unnecessary distress.”

He nodded understanding your thought process. The Devildom didn’t have such markers since suffering was the norm.

The fact that you were thinking about what products you used and their impact on others, even just some animals, had him reassessing you.

It was more thoughtful than he originally credited you. When you and him were joking around and gossiping, he figured your interests were more superficial.

It was refreshing that not only could you keep up with the most recent hot news around town but you truly cared and respected your impact on others.

“Asmo?” You asked, he had been quiet for a while lost in thought.

“It’s nothing!” He recovered but he kept peeking back at you with a mysterious smile.

Satan

The two of you were studying in the RAD library.

There was a particularly tough exam coming up, notorious for dropping the GPA of 75% off the class.

Satan was confident in his abilities but he agreed to come study for your sake. He didn’t have access to know your grade like Lucifer did but he assumed you were struggling by your pleas for his help and deprecating jokes about failing.

He watched as you diligently took out your books and notebook. You flipped through a few of your notes and then shifted your focus to your textbook. Satan shrugged as he opened his own books, you seemed to be off to a fine start.

After about an hour you asked, “Can we quiz each other?”

He agreed and flipped to the end of the chapter he was on for the review questions. Satan took a question and asked it in a slightly different way so you couldn’t rely on memorized answers. 

To his surprise you answered correctly and made up a question for him that he thought was actually pretty difficult. 

Of course he got it right but shrugged it off as a fluke that you didn’t mean to ask such a hard question. The next one he asked you was harder, not from the textbook in any way, it was something that the teacher had mentioned offhand in class.

You got it correct again. With your turn next, you asked another complex question.

Satan answered properly but was now on the edge of his seat, surely twice in a row was not a coincidence.

His next question, he matched your difficulty. You thought for a few minutes and dived into explanation with examples and even a source that you quoted off the top of your head. Your answer was insightful and succinct.

You were waiting for Satan’s assessment of your answer but he sat unmoving.

“Was I mistaken?” You asked, and started frantically looking through your notes.

While you reviewed your materials, Satan was seeing you in a new light. He figured you got along so well with Mammon because the two of you could joke and slack off with the best of them. He thought that you and Asmo got along more as a pair of airheads. But here you were, in this moment your intelligence came off as easy and effortless.

“No, you were right.”

“Really?” you looked up surprised but happy.

He smiled back, but wondered, “What is your current grade in this class, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Last I checked, like 96?”

Satan laughed and shook his head, unbelievable that he thought otherwise.

Leviathan

He already thought of himself as a charity case. The fact that you would be willing to sacrifice your time to be with him was a miracle in his eyes.

No matter how many times you told him you wanted to hang out with him, it wasn’t a sacrifice, he still didn’t believe you.

When he gets more comfortable around you, he let’s you see his uglier sides when the envy consumes him.

You were a safe space he could vent to and you took that responsibility seriously. You listened and he felt the things he shared never left his room when you left.

It was after one of those vent/gaming sessions that you had to excuse yourself.

You had never gotten up in the middle like that and it scared Levi, had he gone too far? Did you actually hate him?

He watched silently as you left the room. Once the door closed, he was on his feet, what was so important? He decided to follow you.

Levi followed about a hallway behind you, as you turned a corner he would sprint to the corner to watch where you go next.

He followed all the way to the kitchen? He didn’t want to peek in fear of being caught but he listened as you greeted Beel.

Beel asked what’s up and you answered you were getting snacks for an intense gaming night with Levi. Beel must have perked up with the snacks you grabbed and you shooed him off, “If Levi’s up for it, you can join us but you can’t have that snack, I made it for a special occasion.”

Special… special? Levi couldn’t wrap his head around it when he thought of himself but the silence in the kitchen meant you must be leaving… meaning you were heading right for the door he was cupping!

He turned around and found a hiding spot on the other side of the hall behind a vase.

The door swung open as he held his breath. You started the way you came. You were heading for his room and he wasn’t there!

Cue montage of Levi comically running through the halls of HOL to get to his room before. He jumps into his gaming chair seconds before you open his door quietly.

He was panting and sweaty when he turned towards you with a smile, totally failing to act natural.

“Sorry I got up so abruptly but I just remembered I made you this!” You presented a cupcake exactly replicated from the anime the two of you watched last week.

Levi’s heart melted, he felt bad that he had second guessed you. He reached out for the cupcake with one hand and with the other he took your hand to pull you to the bean bags. He was blushing but still said, “Let’s put on that anime while I eat it.”

The level of detail that you had gotten correct showed how dedicated you had been to paying attention to his interests and how much you cared for him in turn. He was also impressed with your baking knowledge, it takes a decent level of skill to be able to replicate something just from seeing it.

The scene was coming up where the protag was going to give the cupcake and Levi was struck with the most embarrassing thought. But if anyone would indulge him, it was you.

As the protag took the cupcake, Levi copied their posture. Then he copied their words in unison they both said, “Thank you, no one has ever made me anything like this before.” The two of them ripped the cupcake in half in the same spot and he extended the half to you as he protag did, “Will you share it with me?”

“Of course!” You and the character answered together then giggled as Levi blushed and hid behind the half cupcake as the two of you returned to sitting on the beanbags.

There was no way he was ever going to forget this moment, his eyes opened to how much you did care for him. Even if he was doubtful of others by nature, he would never doubt you again.

Mammon

People always write Mammon off as dumb and because you have a pact with him, you’re often included in that assumption. The two of you get along like peas in a pod. You’re here for a good time and Mammon can definitely provide that. 

His schemes to make money keep things interesting so you usually go along unless you have other commitments. Today’s work was clean-up in the local park. Not because it was lucrative, but because this was a punishment from a prank that backfired.

You had pleaded with Diavolo for a lighter sentence on Mammon’s behalf as his pact partner and Diavolo indulged you.

Mammon was brooding on your way to the park but you were looking forward to being outside in nature for the day so you chattered aloud to fill the silence.

Barbatos was waiting for you two with the materials you would need. He gave you a look of pity when you turned but Mammon caught it and knew Barbatos was probably feeling sorry you had to be punished when you didn’t do anything. Mammon ripped the rake out of Barbatos’ hand and sulked off after you.

You each set to different tasks, Mammon raking leaves and you weeding the flowerbeds. 

Demons and spirits passed with a few snickers, definitely not the first time Mammon had been sent to do community service but he hated that you were now a laughing stock with him. You didn’t seem phased by it though, even flashing him a bright smile when you two made eye contact. 

Halfway through the day, the two of you were taking a break for a snack and fluids, you shared a bench and admired the work so far. “We might even finish early!” You shared your optimism.

Mammon nodded but still kept quiet. It was so unlike him and you were hitting your limits of how to try to get him out of his own head, you figured he would be back to normal tomorrow but missed hearing his voice.

You two split the last of the duties, you were now cleaning equipment and decorations while he was trimming bushes and trees.

While Mammon was trimming a nearby bush, he heard your voice, then heard his name. He peeked through the bush to watch you talking with a crow.

“I thought it would make the day more fun if I was here with him because he always makes me have fun but it’s like I’ve made his mood worse…” You looked down at the bird bath you had been polishing and knelt down. The crow watched your movements from it’s perch on the top. “Maybe he hates that I intervened with Diavolo, I probably overstepped. I don’t know what I can do to get Mammon out of this funk. What do you think?”

The crow outstretched it’s wings and took off. You pouted, but continued polishing. Mammon was about to push through the bushes to comfort you, his mood wasn’t your fault and he felt even worse that you thought that but then the crow returned.

It swooped onto your shoulder and dropped something into your hand. You jumped with surprise and it scared the crow off your shoulder, it resettled on the bird bath. “This is perfect! Thank you!” The crow let you give it a few scritches and took off once more. You looked around for Mammon.

He nonchalantly rounded the bush so you would notice him, “Mammon! Look!” You rushed over and handed him the object.

It was a golden grimm coin. You explained, “A crow gave it to me, that has to be good luck! Take it and your luck will change, you won’t be punished forever!”

He wrapped you in a tight hug. What did he do to deserve you? Why did you care about him so deeply that you’d give him your treasure and good luck?

You laughed into his hug and he pulled back, “Alright, let’s finish this up and go home, I’ll treat ya to some ice cream on the way back.” He ruffled your hair but your shining eyes and too big smile made him blush and turn away.

Lucifer

He questioned if putting you under Mammon’s care at first was a mistake.

It’s not that you didn’t get along, in fact you two got along too well. Was Mammon’s stupid tendencies to slack off rubbing off on you?

You had been coming back late without being accompanied by one of his brothers and he was determined to find out what you were up to.

For the morning, he watched as you and Mammon walked to school. Lucifer stayed far enough away so he couldn’t be sensed so he couldn’t hear what you two were saying but it was clear you were having a good time. Mammon was snickering as you animatedly gestured and walked backwards. Lucifer’s heart warmed that his brother was genuinely happy then realized he was getting distracted.

You sat through your first class diligently taking notes and participating. The same for most of the classes that day. Lucifer started to acknowledge your responsibility to learning but it made him all the more curious as to why you skipped your last class. 

He watched you look around for any onlookers and dipped into the library. He was both surprised and amused that you were meeting with Simeon. The angel was leading you astray? 

Simeon didn’t look happy about it either, probably scolding you for missing class, but he was a pushover and your pathetic look won him over. The two of you sat as Simeon talked. You were taking notes on whatever Simeon was lecturing on. 

You left the interaction and Lucifer took the chance to talk with Simeon himself. He learned that you were asking about stories from the Celestial Realm. Simeon offered that it was just human nature to be curious what lays beyond life. Lucifer, the ever-skeptic, didn’t believe that was it.

He had lost your trail by talking to Simeon so he went home to wait for your return.

Lucifer intercepted you as you tried to sneak in. “MC, this way please,” he led you to his office, “How was today?”

“Good?” you answered but was unsure why he looked so serious.

“How was class?” 

You got nervous but answered, “Fine, same old same old.”

“Ah,” Lucifer smirked, “And how was Simeon?”

Your attempt to play dumb failed spectacularly when you stammered, “W-who’s Simeon?”

“Lying to me won’t do you well,” Lucifer reminded.

“Sorry, it’s just it wasn’t an approved activity so I didn’t want anyone in your family to be implicated…” you scratched the back of your head and looked away.

“And what activity is that?”

“Oh I thought you knew since you caught me,” you laughed, “Solomon and I were going to play with young demons at an orphanage in town. We were telling them stories from the Human Realm but I thought it would be nice to incorporate stories from the Celestial Realm too.”

Lucifer sighed.

You took that as a sign he was disappointed so you continued, “Let me explain, I know I should have asked permission first and for that I’m sorry. Solomon and I just stumbled on the place one day and the kids bombarded us with questions, never having seen humans before and before I knew it we were going almost everyday. I guess I thought it wouldn’t be bad because exposing the next generation of demons to humans would help Diavolo’s mission to strengthen relations between the realms. And I asked Simeon for stories so we could share Celestial Realm things too without getting Simeon in trouble or putting him in an uncomfortable position.”

Well that was definitely an eye opener for Lucifer. What you said made sense that changing minds starts with the youth. His original assumptions that you were just shirking responsibilities was way off base. He didn’t want to but admitted to himself he was wrong. Not only had you been doing something charitable but you were furthering Lord Diavolo’s message in a different way.

“You’re correct, you should have asked permission,” he started and you sank in your seat, “but I don’t see any harm in what you’re doing except for missing classes.” You sank further in your seat. “For skipping class, you’ll need to do extra studies,” he paused to make sure you knew this was a punishment, “I think a fitting topic would be interracial communication with a focus on the youth of Devildom.”

You perked up with a smile, “So I can keep going to the orphanage?”

Lucifer fought back a smile himself, trying to continue to be stern, “Yes, but that’s only if you don’t skip class and you have one of my brothers accompany you. As competent as Solomon is, he is also human and I would feel better if you had a demon escort.”

You were absolutely beaming now. “I’d like that but I don’t think you brothers would be interested.”

“They’ll do what they’re told but I think the twins would enjoy it the most,” Lucifer offered.

“Thanks! I would like if you could join us sometime too,” you suggested shyly.

He did smile at that, “If my schedule allows,” He didn’t finish before you were hugging him. He stiffened, not used to being hugged after doling out a punishment but softened and returned your hug, “I’ll make time to join you.”

[birminghamlawattorney]

Tips From Our Torrance Accident Lawyer To Deal With Your Car Accident

Have you been in a car accident? You don’t know what to do with all the expenses you have at the moment and have accumulated? We don’t want you to worry, as this is much more common than it seems. When these types of things happen, it is very common to feel lost or disoriented. That’s why our Torrance accident lawyer is here to guide you through this intimidating and complicated process. Below are some considerations you should keep in mind when starting this type of process. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at our office. We are here to help you.

You Were in an Accident… What Should You Do?

Car accidents are inconvenient for a variety of reasons. On the one hand, you always have to consider the possible health effects. The health consequences of car accidents are not always going to be so obvious. For example, you may not have been visibly hurt or bled at any time, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t have a concussion or some other internal problem. That is why it will always be important that you see a doctor after being in a car accident. It’s much better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your own health.

Figure Out the Situation

Once you are sure that you have no urgent health concerns, it will be important for you to take care of the logistical arrangements that arise as a result of the accident. This will involve all kinds of different paperwork with your insurance company, including vehicle repairs, restitution for the cost of the accident, and the other problems that accompany these types of situations. What’s the problem with all this? It is quite well known that insurance companies often take advantage of these types of circumstances to take advantage of people in their worst moments. This is why it is very important to be cautious after an accident and organize your affairs responsibly. That’s what our Torrance accident lawyer is here for.

Don’t Get the Short End of the Stick

When dealing with insurance companies, it is good to have the right help. These have many tricks up their sleeve, so it will be good to be assisted by someone who knows these tricks. An accident lawyer can be that help. Isn’t it better to have experts on the subject? A lawyer can be the difference between receiving enough money to cover all your expenses or having to settle for an insufficient compensation payment. Don’t be scammed by insurance companies. Look for a Torrance accident attorney who can represent you the right way and make sure you get everything you need.

Torrance Accident Lawyer Finding the right lawyer is not always easy. When you need someone to fix your yard or sell you a car, you usually don’t worry about the personality of the person you’re hiring. But in the cases of a lawyer, this will be someone with whom you will have to work and interact with throughout your legal process. That’s why it’s so important to find someone who truly cares about their clients’ success. Our Torrance accident lawyers pride themselves on that. For more information or to receive a free consultation, call or write to our team as soon as you can.

[the-insomniac-emporium]

RE8 Ladies + S/o with chronic pain HCs

Type/cause of chronic pain is kept ambiguous, but some of the hcs might seem geared towards migraines, since that's the main thing that I personally struggle with (and these are very definitely comfort hcs). Features Alcina, Bela, Cassandra, Daniela, Donna, Mother Miranda, and as a 'lil bonus Ava. Not particularly long, but the combined length of every character is enough to be put under a read-more (About 2,500 words in total).

Alcina:

It’s difficult for her to know that you are suffering, but be unable to deal directly with the source of the problem. Chasing off unwanted nuisances or hunting down threats to the castle was one thing, trying to solve complicated medical issues was another thing entirely. If only she could tear your condition asunder without tearing you asunder.

That being said, she’ll still support you endlessly, however she can. It doesn’t matter how expensive or hard-to-access possible treatments are. If there’s something you haven’t tried, and are interested in trying, she’ll find a way for you to get it.

The biggest, and arguably most helpful, thing that she does is set up a space for you within her office. She spends quite a lot of time there for her family’s business, but doesn’t want to leave you alone on bad days. So this was her idea of a nice compromise.

There’s a very comfortable sofa that folds out, a cabinet filled with the softest blankets, and several pillows of a few different sizes. Servants are instructed not to interrupt Alcina’s work without good reason, but she has a couple who ensure your snack cabinet is always well stocked.

If there are certain environmental factors to your condition, such as sensitivity to light and sound, she does her best to reduce their effects. Lights remain dimmed (or she’ll rely on candlelight), her music will be kept quiet enough to be soothing, and she’ll refrain from taking any calls while you are with her.

Bela:

To think that Daniela once tried to claim that Bela would “never need to know any of that (medical) stuff”! Sure, there haven’t been many people who have needed (and received) treatment from her, but that didn’t mean the skill was useless. Admittedly, she doesn’t know enough to replace one of your doctors, or try to create her own version of a cure, though no one really expected that much from her.

Still, she knows enough to help soothe your pain. Obviously there are different techniques for different kinds of pain, and she does research before trying anything specific. Bela’s also aware that you’ve been dealing with this for far longer than she has, meaning that you probably wouldn’t be pleased if she came in, acted like an expert, or assumed that you hadn’t really thought about the most popular remedies. So she’s tactful with how she approaches things, always checking if you’re familiar with a subject before she tries to explain anything.

Bela ends up surprising you with a lesser-known skill of hers: Massage. Studying anatomy has given her a decent idea of the body’s more sensitive spots, and the rest she’s figured out through her own, ahem, experiences. Regardless of where you’re in pain, your girlfriend can help reduce your suffering. Okay, well, if your pain is more internal than external, it’s a bit harder for her, but she can still help you relax.

One of her favorite things to do after giving you a massage is to just pull you in close for some cuddling. Preferably you’ll be in her lap, with her arms around your waist, her chin tucked on top of your shoulder. Then she’ll do her best to whisper you praises, reminding you how strong you are, and that she’s incredibly proud of you.

Cassandra:

She’s, uh, not great at this. At least not at first. Maybe she’ll never be more than good at it, though. But she’s definitely trying! And learning! By Jove, that’s something, right?

First things first, she’s always ready to try to distract you, primarily through kisses and gentle touches. Fingers softly trailing over your skin, lips tickling your neck, featherlight in all the right places… It’s not inherently sexual (though it can quickly go that route if you ask), just intimate. It’s harder for your brain to process pain when you’re also processing pleasure, so there is some science behind Cassandra’s methods, even if she herself isn’t entirely aware of that.

While she’s not great with words, there are certain things that she manages to articulate well enough. For one, she makes sure you know that you aren’t a burden. Taking care of you- no, helping you take care of yourself- is a labor of love, if a labor at all. More than that, she knows full well that you probably don’t like feeling pitied, or coddled. That, over time, being sick ends up being beyond frustrating. She never wants you to feel like your condition defines you, or like it puts any strain on your relationship.

That said, she’ll avoid telling her family any specifics unless you do first, and ensures that the staff know how to accommodate you (without telling them why, because it’s none of their fucking business, and she’s their boss, and for fuck’s sake it’s their job to do what she tells them. Maybe she gets a lil bit overzealous with it). At no point will she ever complain about helping you, or otherwise indicate that your needs are “troublesome”.

At the end of the day, the best comfort she brings you is her presence, simply being near you, endlessly loyal, tireless in her affections. Especially considering she gets clingier the worse your symptoms get.

Daniela:

Hope you enjoy cuddling. Seriously. There’s nothing Daniela loves more than curling up with you, and that goes double for bad pain days. Some adjustments will be made position-wise if you need, but she’ll still hold you as close as possible, for as long as you need. Although she might eventually fall asleep (because damn are you comfy), she’ll play with your hair or run her fingers along your scalp until she eventually dozes off.

If you want a little more from her than light snoring, or if she feels like going above and beyond, or honestly just if she’s thinking about how much she loves you (so all the effing time), she’ll do something she’s always loved in movies/books: Reading to you! She’ll pick special books that neither of you have read before, so you can experience them together on your sick(er) days. Which does, of course, mean that it might take months to finish even a single one. Surprisingly, Daniela won’t even briefly consider reading any without you. Even if the plot is really good.

But, uh, if you wanted her to read to you on a day where you aren’t bedridden? Hell yes, my friend, she’s absolutely down for that!

On days where she’s too busy to spend hours upon hours in bed with you, or days where her ADHD is just particularly bad, she tries her best to leave you with a “substitute”. AKA a massive fucking teddy bear, in a reddish brown color, with a green bowtie. Custom ordered (The Duke did not dare tease her for it). There’s a heart stitched onto the stuffed animal’s chest, which features your first initial alongside a D for Daniela.

Additionally, she has a blanket she only brings out for you, which she periodically sprays with her favorite perfume. That way you can hold it close when she’s not around, as if you were cuddling her. For her sake, though, don’t hold the teddy bear or blanket too tightly when she is around. Homegirl here will get jealous of inanimate objects, even ones that she gave you.

Donna:

“I think I have a tea for this…” Damn right she has a tea for this. Donna has a massive garden, with dozens if not hundreds of different plants, including a variety of herbs/spices. At least one of them has to be a little helpful for you. Whether it relieves pain, helps you nap off some of your misery, or just distracts you by tasting bloody-well delicious! Besides, few things make you feel quite as loved as holding a cup of freshly brewed tea in your hands, knowing your lover made it just for you. Like a hug in a mug, it is!

Similarly to Alcina, Donna will also try to create a comfortable space for you, but isn’t likely to put it downstairs with her workshop. Instead she’ll let you take over one of the larger guest rooms, customizing it to suit your specific needs. There will be some easy to care for plants for decoration (ones that won’t mind potentially missing out on natural sunlight), a couple relaxing paintings, and a shelf near the bed with things to help you pass the time, mainly books.

Furthermore, she’ll do her best to keep you company as often as possible. She’s naturally a fairly quiet person, so you won’t have to worry about sound if that’s something you’re sensitive to. While she prefers using a sewing machine, she’ll do things by hand while you’re in pain, just to reduce the chances of you getting irritated by the sound.

Speaking of potentially irritating sounds… by god can Angie be difficult to be around when you’re ill. Thankfully, Donna is perfectly understanding of this, and, as the only person Angie ever listens to, makes sure to give the doll a stern talking to about your health. To your immense surprise, it actually works. You’re not exactly sure what was said, but Angie certainly becomes a lot more compensating afterwards. She’ll keep her antics to herself, and usually even on another side of the house from where you rest, but only for as long as you’re tucked away in your room. As soon as you set foot outside, her restraints are metaphorically removed. All hell breaks loose (as is her universe-given right as the physical embodiment of both Chaos and Entropy).

Mother Miranda:

If the two of you weren’t lovers, there’s a decent chance you would completely misinterpret her actions. She might come off as irritated, like she has bigger concerns than your health, you fragile little human. After all, she is a goddess (well, practically). But the truth is that she’s aching inside every time you have a bad pain day, knowing that (for once) she cannot cure your ailment. Maybe if she had infinite subjects with the same condition as you…

But, at the end of the day, that’s the problem. There’s only one of you. One of her beloved, her little human darling, so dangerously fragile in comparison to the scale she works on. Even with all the time in the world, which she most certainly has, she cannot cure you without taking incredible risks. With your life at stake… It is a gamble she refuses to take. You are hers, and while she hates to see you suffer, the truth is that she’ll always be selfish enough to let you endure on your own.

That doesn’t mean she doesn’t help, though, just that she doesn't do a full-out experiment on you. Instead, she keeps notes. She’ll track your activities, bedtimes/when you get up, dietary habits, when you have pain, what you do to treat said pain, how effective the treatments are, etc, etc. All of this can be very useful in establishing patterns (a skill she’s gotten very good at, in her many decades of being a scientist), which can in turn lead to less pain days.

(For example, many people with migraines find that certain foods seem to trigger a migraine, or at least increase the chances of getting one. Though admittedly they don’t always end up cutting the food out of their diet. I mean, come on, you want me to give up chocolate? You want me to drink normal milk, like an adult? Kidding, kidding, I don’t have any food triggers. Nor do I particularly enjoy chocolate milk, nor do I dislike it.)

Moving on! While her work seemingly takes precedence over your condition, Miranda is not heartless, and she does do some things to lend you more direct comfort. Specifically, she tries to work in the same room as you when she can, normally while making electronic copies of physical documents, or while looking over the details of a finished experiment. She’s not always one for cuddling, so she won’t often get in bed with you during the daytime. But at night? Yes, fine, she will wrap her arms around you, maybe one of her wings too if you like how soft they are.

Just don’t think that she secretly loves every second. It’s not like she’ll spend half an hour whispering about how sweet and adorable you are as soon as you fall asleep, or anything like that. It’s twenty minutes at the most.

Bonus!Avaskian Caldwell:

“Oh, fuckin’ mood!” Followed by a solid thirty seconds of pure regret. Seriously, though, Ava has spent xer entire life (starting at age 10) dealing with chronic migraines. For a while xe also dealt with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), which meant lots of chest pain, but that (thankfully) faded as xe grew into an adult, as is fairly common with the condition. If anyone in Castle Dimitrescu understands unrelenting, unexplainable pain, it’s xer.

That being said… Ava never really managed xer chronic pain, at least not when xe was at xer worst. Xe had to drop out of school because of it. Hell, xe didn’t have a “real” job until xe was almost 23! Didn’t have a chance until things just calmed down for xer. So xe gets anxious whenever you talk about your health, worried that things are (or will at some point be) as bad for you as they were for xer. Other than that, though, you might initially think that xe doesn’t care, or didn’t understand the conversation.

Truth is, xe knows how absolutely fucking ANNOYING it can be to have to explain your health to every new person you meet (like the dozen different doctors you’ve met over the years, possibly every nurse who takes your pulse and thinks it’s a little bit high). So xe did a shit ton of research on your condition, in order to reduce how much you need to explain. Sure, xe will still have questions, and there are always aspects that only you can tell xer, but it’s a nice gesture.

As for helping you destress, xe’s pretty much a mix of Bela and Miranda. You’ll get plenty of massages (because Ava has learned from personal experience what sort of touches help with which sorts of pain), but also some scientific insight on any noticeable patterns. Lots of holding you close and telling you that you’re the coolest person in the world, and that Ava feels beyond lucky to have you.

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

Merthur soulmate AU where they can always find each other:

Leon fulfils his self-appointed “older brother” role by helping them get away with it, and Morgana decides the son of her new guardian wasn’t so bad after all, if he came with such a great friend.

Part 2   Part 3 Part 4

This was requested a little while ago, also Homophobia doesn’t exist in this world and maybe that’s unrealistic but I literally don’t care, let me have this.

Everyone has a soulmate. It’s a fact of life.

No one really knows quite how it works, only that it’s something magical, and has been around since before recorded history.

Everyone can find their soulmate. They feel a tug in their heart, that always pulls them in the right direction, no matter what. No matter what obstacles or distance separates them, they may always be united, they may always find their way home.

Soulmate bonds were the one piece of magic that King Uther left untouched when he started his purge, for he was bonded to Arthur’s mother, and despite his cruelty, he could never find it in himself to deprive others of such a feeling. 

(Besides, they were so ancient and global, there’s nothing he could’ve done to destroy them; easier to save his pride and leave them be.)

Very rarely, only a few times in a century, a pairing will appear whose bond is so strong, the compass in their hearts works in a slightly different manner.

King Uther’s son, Prince Arthur, and heir to the throne of Camelot, was one half of such a special pairing.

~

The first time the Prince disappeared, he was five, and meant to be taking a nap.

This meant that his nannies hadn’t even noticed he was gone before he reappeared in his bed, and no one in the castle knew of his little adventure.

To say Hunith was surprised by the appearance of a very young, very blond child in her kitchen was an understatement. 

The last thing she was expecting to see when she turned around from laying her three year old down for a nap, was a noble-looking boy, who definitely hadn’t been there moments before.

After she recovers from her shock, she glances over at the front door (still locked) before looking back at the child with concern. She took a step towards him, and crouched down before quietly speaking:

“Hi there sweetie, how did you get in here?”

Child!Arthur ignores her, instead taking a wobbly step towards Toddler!Merlin, and without looking away from him, asks:

“Who’s that?”

Hunith is taken aback at that, and looks more closely at the child. He was clearly in sleep clothes, but they were made from expensive fabrics, and he looked chubby and happy and healthy, not like most young children around these parts.

She steps in front of Arthur again to try and catch his eye:

“Why don’t you tell me your name, and we’ll try to find your mum?”

Arthur looks at her only briefly as he pouts, before side-stepping again and regaining his line of sight to the dark haired toddler (still sleeping):

“Don’t have a mum. And dad’s busy. I wanted to find my person.”

Hunith tilts her head at that, but before she can ask what he means, Arthur finally looks at her properly, and begins speaking again:

“Are you my person? Or is it him? Nanny Marge says everyone has a person, and we can always find them.” he says it with confidence, and a self satisfied nod.

Hunith blinks, she knows all about soulmates, everyone does, but that still didn’t explain how the child had just appeared:

“Well, my name’s Hunith, and that’s my son, Merlin. Where are you from?”

Arthur yawns and stumbles towards Merlin, wrapped in blankets and laid in the corner. Hunith goes to grab him (Merlin was a fussy toddler, and it took forever to get him to sleep and she really didn’t want him to be woken up again.) but relaxes as Arthur sits cross-legged about a foot away from him, not ripping his gaze away for a moment.

He looks back up at Hunith sleepily, obviously starting to feel the effects of not napping:

“Mer-lin. I like that name. Like the birdy. I’m Prince Arthur of Camelot, son of King Uther.” He says the last part like it’s been rehearsed (it has) and Hunith stifles a gasp as she finally realises what’s happened.

Her old love, before he left, had told her of the rare pairings that appeared occasionally. The soulmates whose bond is so strong, they simply have to wish to be in the others presence, and they will appear there.

Truth be told, Hunith thought it was just a story. Soulmates are fairytale enough, but being able to appear at their side whenever you so wished? That was the stuff of love-stories and legend. Yet here stood a child, who claimed to be a Prince from another kingdom, who should be safely locked away in a castle several days journey from here. And all he seemed interested in, was Merlin.

Hunith wasn’t really sure what to do with this revelation. Not that she wasn’t glad her son had a soulmate, but her son’s soulmate was heir to a throne that would order a pyre for Merlin, even as a child. Merlin was floating spoons and lighting candles and knocking over cups before he could even crawl. Camelot was no place for him, at least not right now.

What if he accidentally did magic in front of the Prince? Would Arthur be scared, would he hate his own soulmate? Or would he not yet understand and tell someone accidentally? Would the King order his own son’s soulmate killed, if he found out?

Hunith shook the questions from her mind for now. Merlin was asleep, and she needed to figure out how to persuade Arthur that he needed to go back home:

“Arthur, that’s a lovely name. I know you want to find your person Arthur, but I think it might be best if you go home, before someone starts worrying, don’t you?”

Little Arthur yawns again, but pouts:

“I don’t want to go back. It’s so boring there, no one except Leon lets me play anything, and Leon’s busy.”

Hunith holds in a sigh, she can imagine life is difficult for an heir to the throne, especially with a father like Uther. She crouches down to his level again:

“I know sweetie, but you don’t want anyone worrying, do you?”

Arthur waits a moment before shaking his head forlornly. Hunith hopes she’s persuaded him, the only way he would go back is if he wanted to, she couldn’t force him. And she really didn’t want to have to journey back to Camelot on foot, and have to explain to the King why she had his son:

“No. I like Nanny Marge, and dad is always mean to her when she loses me.” Hunith frowns at that, but before she can say anything, Arthur stands on wobbly legs, and looks at her with determination:

“Ok. Bye-bye-”

He looks to Merlin again, and whispers his next few words, like he didn’t want to wake him:

“Bye Merlin. I promise I’ll come back-”

He looks back to Hunith again:

“Please can I come back? Leon says I should ask permission before going to someone’s home, so can I please please come back?”

Hunith worries her lip with her teeth at that, they were soulmates, she couldn’t exactly say no. But she also didn’t want to encourage the little prince to just disappear whenever he was bored:

“I... of course, Arthur, you’re more than welcome. But not too often, and not for too long, OK?” she tilts her head in question, and smiles when Arthur gives a decisive nod. 

She holds in a smile as the Little Prince (what she had affectionately been referring to him as in her head) scrunched his face in concentration, closing his eyes. After a few seconds, he disappears with a pop and a few sparks, and she lets out a breath of relief, hoping that he had returned safely.

She stands still for a moment and blinks, seemingly trying to process all that had happened. She hums thoughtfully, before looking lovingly towards her son, and muttering to herself:

“I have a feeling that your future just got a lot more complicated, my love.”

~

For the next year, Arthur would pop in and out of Hunith’s house once a month or so. He only ever came when he was meant to be having a nap (the only time he was really unsupervised during the day).

Luckily, it would appear, that he and Merlin shared nap times; Merlin can’t accidentally expose his magic to the Little Prince if he was asleep every time he appeared.

Over the visits, Hunith learnt as much about Arthur as she could. He knew Gaius, which she was definitely relieved at (and sent a letter to him explaining everything the day she found out they knew each other). Someone in the castle knowing where Arthur had disappeared off to, if anyone ever noticed, would help.

She also found out who Leon was, the son of a noble, an aspiring knight-to-be, around twelve years old to Arthur’s six (both he and Merlin had birthdays at some point between visits), and that he seemed to be the only person around who allowed Arthur to have a little fun every once in a while.

After a little coaxing, she found that Arthur didn’t really know anything about his mother, only what Leon could remember, because Uther refused to speak of her (she thought that was a little heartbreaking, but hid it well).

Arthur kept his word, and never stayed for longer than ten minutes, but Hunith worried; she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold Arthur off for very long. He had visited around thirteen times, and Merlin had been asleep for every one of them. 

Arthur would want to wake him up eventually, to actually talk to his soulmate, and who knows what Merlin would do.

~

Eventually, a few months before Merlin’s fifth birthday, Hunith sat him down and told him what had been happening. That he and his soulmate were very special, and that Arthur had been visiting whilst he was asleep.

To say that Merlin was excited was a vast understatement, and Hunith had to quell her panic when he asked if he could visit Arthur where he was:

“No Merlin, I’m sorry, you have to stay here, remember?-”

She frowns sorrowfully at Merlin’s pout and teary eyes, before schooling her face into a smile and continuing:

“But I promise, next time he visits, I’ll wake you up and you can play together, does that sound fun?-”

She chuckles at his excited nod:

“But only if you don’t use your gift sweetheart, Arthur might not be as good at keeping secrets as you or I am, so we’ll have to wait until he’s older, do you understand?” she whispers that, hoping that it would be easier to convince him if he thought of it as a fun game, instead of a life threatening secret.

Merlin thinks for a minute before nodding:

“Yes mama. No magic until he’s older.”

Hunith pats him on the head, taking a deep breath and preparing herself for Merlin to repeatedly ask her how long until Arthur visited.

~

So that’s how it goes for several years, Arthur visiting Ealdor when no one was paying attention, he and Merlin playing quietly, with no magic, for a while, before Arthur popped back home.

Hunith was grateful for the current simplicity, but she knew it couldn’t last. Merlin had been asking more and more if he could visit Arthur, and it was only a matter of time before he snuck off without telling her.

That, and the magic problem.

Arthur had spoken of his lessons, how according to everyone at home, magic was evil. Merlin always looked so sad at that, and Hunith was grateful for the fact that Arthur didn’t sound so sure. But she also knew that it was only a matter of time before Arthur was convinced by his father’s determined hatred, and she didn’t want to see the heartbreak on Merlin’s face.

The first time The Little Prince spoke of an execution, he was eight, and Merlin had just had his seventh birthday. Merlin cried as Arthur described it, and Hunith had to stop the anger at Arthur growing in her: it wasn’t his fault, and he didn’t exactly sound happy about it at all.

If anything, he seemed almost as upset as Merlin and when Arthur had noticed Merlin’s tears, he stopped talking immediately and bit his lip, looking to Hunith worriedly.

Hunith clenched her jaw before wrapping an arm around each of the children, and speaking to Arthur quietly as Merlin still sniffled:

“Do you think you can keep a secret, Arthur? A really big one, from everyone? Even Leon and your dad?”

He nodded vigorously, and Hunith gives him a weak smile before looking to Merlin, who stared back at her with watery eyes:

“Go on then Merlin, I think he’s old enough to know, don’t you?”

Merlin nodded this time, a little more hesitantly than Arthur, but he looks to his soulmate anyway.

Arthur stared back with wide, worried eyes, and gasped as Merlin all but whispered:

“I was born with magic. I am magic.”

Arthur looks scared for a split second, before he shuffles close to Merlin and taking his pudgy hand in his own. He thinks for a second, before looking at Hunith quickly, and then Merlin. He gives a firm nod as he says:

“I don’t care, and I promise not to tell anyone. If you have magic then it can’t be evil, and when I’m King, I’ll make sure everyone else knows that as well.”

Hunith lets out a sigh of relief, feeling like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders as Arthur’s short arms pull the three of them into a tight hug.

~

The first time Merlin disappears, is almost a year later. Arthur was nine, and Merlin was only a few days away from being eight.

During Arthur’s last visit, he had told them of a new addition to the castle, a sad, dark haired girl called Morgana, a year older than him.

He explained that something had happened to her parents, and his father had taken her in.

Merlin seemed concerned at that, and Hunith had a feeling that it would only be a matter of time before her son decided he wanted to help her (the boy was dangerously empathetic, he teared up at even the thought of other people suffering).

When she found the scrawled note on the table (Arthur had begun sneaking books with him, and he and Hunith would sit with Merlin, teaching him to read and write as best they could) with backwards letters and misspelt words, she almost panicked.

But she sat herself down and took a deep breath, knowing that Arthur had managed to keep the secret so far, and that Merlin could just reappear if he found himself in danger.

That didn’t stop her from scolding a sheepish Merlin when he returned half an hour later.

~

Arthur and Merlin had organised it on their previous visit. Arthur would make sure that he was locked safely in his room at a specific time, and Merlin could come to him for a change. Then Arthur could go get Morgana (and maybe Leon) so he could meet them. 

Morgana had only been there for a month or so, and she had yet to warm up to Arthur. She was quiet, but had a sharp tongue when she chose to speak, not that that had put Arthur off quite yet. 

He was still determined that they would be friends, and Merlin was great! So what better way to get Morgana to like him, than to introduce her to Merlin?

Merlin was overjoyed when he appeared in Arthur’s room, the bedchamber being larger that the footprint of his entire house back in Ealdor. The bed itself was what he found most impressive, it was so huge and soft! And there were so many blankets and pillows! Merlin quietly thought to himself that he should come here more often.

Arthur was nervous. Excited, but nervous. They’d known each other for years now, but this was the first time that Merlin was actually seeing his home. What if he didn’t like it? What if he didn’t want to be soulmates anymore, because he preferred his own home?

(”Although-” The Little Prince started to think, “if Merlin decided he wanted to stay in Ealdor, I think I would just stay with him. ‘Gana can do all my boring King stuff here, and I can go be a farmer with Merlin.”)

Those nerves disappeared the moment he saw the grin on Merlin’s face. Arthur showed Merlin where to hide, just in case, whilst he went to fetch Morgana. He had already told her he had a surprise, so it shouldn’t take too long to persuade her to follow him.

Arthur found her in a flower garden hidden round the back of the castle, she gave in and allowed him to drag her by the hand to his chambers with only minimal grumbling. She did however glare as Arthur pressed a hand over her mouth when she went to question why they were hiding from everyone who passed them in the corridors.

Eventually they were stood outside Arthur’s chambers, but before they enter, Arthur turns to Morgana and whispers conspiratorially:

“This is a secret so you have to promise not to tell anyone, kay? Not even Leon or my dad.”

Before Morgana could reply, she gasps, looking over Arthur’s shoulder with wide eyes.

Arthur turns and bites his lip as he sees Leon (now 15, and well into his initial Knight training) leaning against the wall casually, arms folded on his chest, and an eyebrow raised:

“What is it that no one is meant to be telling me, My Lord?”

Morgana stands in silence, hands folded in front of her, trying to appear as casual as possible as Arthur stutters:

“Oh... err... nothing Leon. I just wanted.... I wanted to show ‘Gana what I learnt on the piano this morning!” He hears Morgana huff behind him, she hated when Arthur called her that, and had said as much to him, but he didn’t seem to care.

Leon raises his eyebrow even further as he begins walking towards the two children:

“Is that so? Well why is that such a big secret? Don’t you want to show me too?”

As Leon stops in front of Arthur, towering over the boy, he puts his serious “I’m-potentially-about-to-tell-you-off-if-you-don’t-start-telling-the-truth” face:

“I... uhh... wanted it to be a secret! Until I get better! Then I can show you and dad!”

Morgana struggles not to mutter complaints at his terrible lying as Leon sighs:

“Arthur, what have we said about lying? It makes communication hard, and makes it difficult for people to trust you, and will only lead to problems later on. Would you like to try again?”

Arthur looks to the floor as he shuffles again, and Morgana feels just a little sorry for him. Not that she would say that.

Leon sighs once more and crouches to his level, forcing Arthur to meet his eyes. He gives the young prince a small smile as he speaks:

“If you don’t want to tell me Arthur, that’s fine. “It’s a secret for me and Morgana” is a perfectly acceptable answer. But lying isn’t. If you promise me that you aren’t doing anything naughty, then I’ll trust you, but I would feel better if another adult did know about it.”

Arthur looks up at him at that, surprised. His father would never accept Arthur keeping secrets from him. He replies quietly:

“It’s a secret for me and Morgana... and an adult does know about it... sort of. And it isn’t bad, I promise! Buuuuut-”

Arthur fiddles with his hands as he looks to his door briefly, before looking back at Leon:

“-if you promise to keep it a secret too, then you can see!-”

Arthur pulls his face into a scowl before continuing:

“-but ONLY if you promise!”

Leon hums exaggeratedly, and rubs his chin:

“Well... I promise to keep it a secret IF it isn’t naughty, or hurting anyone. How does that sound?”

Arthur’s face breaks into a grin and he nods, before opening his door and stepping inside. He quickly waves the others in and shuts and locks the door behind them, taking their hands in his own:

“You can come out now Merls, I’ve bought them!”

Leon and Morgana were astonished when a skinny, semi-grubby, obviously peasant-boy, came crawling out from under Arthur’s bed, and had to hold in gasps.

Merlin stands awkwardly as Arthur grins at him, and waves nervously to the new-comers:

“Hi... I’m Merlin. Me and Arthur are-”

Before he can finish, Arthur excitedly interrupts him:

“He’s my soulmate!”

The room is silent for a while, Merlin getting more nervous by the second, Arthur practically bouncing off the walls with excitement (and being oblivious to the awkwardness), Morgana being marginally surprised but taking it in her stride, and Leon... well... Leon was absolutely freaking out. But you wouldn’t know that from looking at him.

After only about a minute (but it feels like forever for Merlin), Leon stutters some words out:

“Arthur where did you.... why... where did you find this kid??”

Arthur looks to him in confusion as he stops jumping up and down:

“I told you. He’s my soulmate.-”

He puffs up his chest and puts his hand on his hips, looking extremely proud of himself as he continues:

“-I found him all on my own. I’ve been visiting him forever, but I wanted him to come here for once, so he could meet ‘Gana.”

Morgana breaks out her stupor at that, and looks at Arthur incredulously before looking back at Merlin:

“Hi, Merlin.” with a small smile, which Merlin returns.

Leon takes in a deep breath, wondering how the hell he was supposed to deal with this. The Prince had... kidnapped a commoner? Without anyone in the castle noticing?? What??? Nothing in his lessons trained him for this.

He shakes off his confusion and finally looks away from Merlin, and to Arthur:

“Wait... what do you mean you’ve been visiting him? When have you been going? And where?”

Arthur swayed on the spot, trying to look innocent:

“At the beginning I went when I was supposed to be napping. Then I would go when I was meant to be doing self-study. I only go once or month or so, and not for very long. Merlin’s mum is always worried about someone missing me.”

Leon takes another deep breath:

“Arthur... how did you sneak out without anyone noticing? And how did you get Merlin in?”

As much as Leon wanted to solve the problem of “there is a random commoner child in the prince’s room” thing, he was also greatly disturbed by the fact that two children, who hadn’t even hit double digits yet, had been sneaking in and out of what was meant to be a heavily fortified, guarded, castle, for years.

Arthur seems to have a realisation at Leon’s questions:

“OH! Like this!”

With that, he runs out the room, and Leon goes to follow him, but the prince manages to shut the door just before he got there.

Morgana is looking on all of this with mild confusion and shock, not really understanding what was going on, but happy to wait quietly and see what would happen.

Just as Leon goes to open the door, he hears a pop, followed by a voice from behind him:

“See!” Leon freezes and he hears Morgana gasp.

The teen turns around slowly, to see a grinning Arthur stood next to a cheerful looking Merlin:

“Uhh... Arthur, how did you do that?-”

Leon begins panicking, the only thing running through his head is “sorcery!” and whilst he would like to believe that Uther would never harm his own son, with the way he was going with the purge... there was no guarantee.

He rushes forward and grips Arthur’s shoulders:

“I need you to tell me how you did that, right now Arthur, it’s important.”

Arthur frowns as he replies:

“I told you. He’s my soulmate. I just have to want to be with him, and I can be. Merlin’s mum says it’s super rare, and that makes us special.” Morgana once again gasps at that before smiling, and speaking for the first time since she said hello to Merlin:

“I heard about that! Two of the nobles in my old home could do it. It IS rare, but sometimes soulmates can blink and be next to each other, if they wanted that!”

Arthur and Merlin nod enthusiastically at that, and Leon sags with relief, now that his mind and heart weren’t racing so much, he did remember briefly reading something about that during his studies. And if all of this was just soulmate magic... then they should be safe.

Though by the looks of the boy... probably still best not tell Uther about it. He doubts the King would be pleased about his son being bonded with a peasant.

“Ok... ok.-”

Leon turns his attention to Merlin:

“-You said your name was Merlin? Does someone know that you’re here?”

Merlin nods as he replies:

“I left a note for my mum. But I can’t be too long though, or she’ll worry.”

Leon looks surprised at that:

“You can read and write?”

“I taught him!” comes proudly from Arthur. 

Leon nods again and re-locks the door behind him, before gesturing at everyone to sit on the soft rug together.

After establishing that Merlin had only arrived just before Arthur went to fetch Morgana, Leon says that they can sit and talk for another 15 minutes or so before Merlin had to go home.

Arthur pouted at that, but a look from Leon stopped him before he actually complained. Morgana and Leon spent the time asking questions about Merlin: where he was from, and how old he was, and about his family.

Merlin was shy at first, but Arthur had been talking about Leon forever, and Morgana seemed nice, even if she did look a bit sad sometimes.

After their time was up, everyone gave Merlin a quick hug, and Arthur promised he’d try to pop over at some point next week (Leon definitely had to stop the momentary panic at that).

Merlin disappeared with a pop, and Arthur made Morgana and Leon promise not to tell once more. Once they promised, they each wondered off Morgana to an afternoon lesson, Leon to s training session, both deep in thought.

Arthur smiled to himself. He didn’t like keeping things from Leon, because he was the only one around who was any fun, and Morgana had definitely seemed happier. So his plan succeeded!

~

It continued like that for some time. Arthur was the one who went to Merlin’s most often, but occasionally Merlin would go to him.

Morgana slowly started cheering up, recovering from her grief, and the three of them (almost always overseen by an always-worrying Leon) loved spending time together, and playing in the safety of Arthur’s chambers.

Thankfully, Uther never questioned it, happy that his son and his new ward seemed to be getting along finally.

The first time Merlin woke crying from a nightmare that was filled with smoke and fire, he was twelve.

He appeared in Arthur’s room within seconds, wanting nothing but the comfort of having his soulmate next to him, and Arthur woke to the quiet sniffling of a distraught Merlin perched on the end of his bed. 

Before he’s even fully awake, he has him wrapped in a hug, and is stroking his hair in an effort to calm him.

There may not be guards stationed outside his rooms during the day, but there were at night, and would be until he turned 18 (still four and a half years away), so they needed to be quiet.

They fall asleep curled up next to each other, clutching hands, and Merlin sleeps through the rest of the night without a problem. (They both wake with a start as a servant knocks on the door the next morning, and after the quickest hug they’ve ever shared, Merlin pops away, back to his own bed.)

That begins to happen more and more often, and after a couple weeks, Merlin is sleeping in Arthur’s bed most nights. 

He isn’t quite sure if he sleeps so much better because the bed is worth more than his entire village (it’s so comfy!), or if his magic is more relaxed with Arthur by his side, but either way, the nightmares stop almost entirely.

Hunith realises fairly quickly what’s going on, and does worry briefly if going to the place his nightmares took place in was the best, but Merlin seemed happier, and less tired, and once he promised to always be back before the servants came into Arthur’s room, she was a little more ok with it.

(She also made Merlin and Arthur swear to tell Leon, just in case. She hasn’t met Leon of course, but the boys talk about him and Morgana constantly, and she was grateful that the boys had someone other than Gaius (who hadn’t actually met Merlin yet) to look out for them. At this rate, Leon wouldn’t be surprised if all of this caused him to have a heart attack before he was even officially knighted. But he wouldn’t have it any other way.)

Once Arthur finally persuades Merlin to tell him what his nightmares are about, he’s horrified. It’ll be then that Arthur will begin to be more vocal about his objection to the executions, and ask questions about magic. Uther always punishes him of course, but Arthur just learns to hold his tongue instead.

Merlin cries, Morgana smiles widely, and Leon is speechless, when Arthur tells them that:

“When I’m King, magic will be everywhere! Of course people will have to be careful with it, but in the same way us knights have to be careful with swords. Isn’t that right, Leon?”

Leon goes pale at that, and takes a few moments to respond:

“Right... well. Just.... make sure you do your research Arthur, and that you know all the facts, and do NOT, no matter what, ever tell your father about this. Do you understand?”

Arthur nods glumly. He’s tried to change his father’s mind in the past, and it got him nothing but bruised knuckles and an hour long yelled lecture and extra training hours with the knights.

Leon looks to a sniffling Merlin next, and asks him what’s wrong. Arthur holds in a worried gasp, and Morgana raises an eyebrow (even at 14, she was incredibly observant and smart, she knew what was up).

Merlin grabs Arthur’s hand, but looks up at Leon through thick eyelashes, and mumbles so quietly, Leon barely hears it:

“Promise you won’t get mad? Or hate me?”

Leon has a bad feeling that he knows where this is going, but he puts a gentle hand on Merlin’s shoulder and gives him a soft smile:

“I could never hate you Merlin, promise.”

At that, Merlin bites his lip, and glances at Arthur quickly, before looking to the fire in the hearth. Leon furrows his brow in confusion, and Morgana hides an excited smile as Merlin mumbles under his breath:

“Give me a dragon.”

Leon gasps and takes a step back as the flames flutter, as if blown by a strong wind, before morphing into a miniature dragon.

The royal sorta-siblings look on in wonder as Merlin screws his face in concentration, eyes glowing golden, and Leon stares, speechless.

After a few minutes of the dragon flying around the large fireplace, it fades back into the flames again. Morgana whispers under her breath:

“That was amazing!” and Arthur smiles proudly as Merlin takes in deep breaths. He’d never held it that long before, and it had worn him out slightly.

He looks back to Leon (who is still staring dumbly at the fire) and furrows his brows in worry:

“You did promise... you’re not scared of me are you?” He looks close to tears again, and the tremble in his voice grabs Leon’s attention once again.

The older teen gathers the three of them in a tight hug, before whispering (worried someone would hear, even though they never have before):

“Of course I’m not scared of you, Birdy (an affectionate nickname, started by Morgana, and picked up by everyone else, much to Merlin’s chagrin), you just have to promise to be careful. I promise to try my best, but if someone else finds out I probably won’t be able to protect you, Ok?”

At that he pulls back, but grips Merlin’s shoulders tightly, worry written all over his face. When Merlin only nods infinitesimally, Leon shakes him ever so slightly, and gives him a desperate look:

“OK??” Merlin nods more vigorously, and mutters out an “I understand, Leon.”

Leon lets go and sighs, looking to the floor and fiddling with his hands hidden behind his back (one of the many rules he learnt growing up as a noble: fidgeting is a sign on weakness).

He takes in a fortifying breath and moves his hands to his sides before looking out the window, noticing that it’s almost dusk and looking back to the three children with a smile:

“You best get home Merlin, it’s getting late and I don’t want your mum to worry. Same time next week, ok? Next time we see each other, I’ll be a knight.” He says it with a grin, and smiles light up on the other’s faces as well. They were young, but they knew how much this meant to Leon, especially Arthur, who was about a year into his training.

Merlin gives everyone a quick hug, lingering a little longer on Arthur (like always) before stepping back, and disappearing with a pop.

~

The secret is revealed when Merlin is 15 (Arthur being 16, Morgana being 17, and Leon being 22).

The four of them had agreed a next meeting time, like normal, though they were having to be far more careful. With Arthur being older, he was being saddled with more and more responsibilities. His training hours and lessons were longer, he was expected to travel away from the city more, and he shadowed The King whilst he undertook his duties for the rest of the day.

Uther had mentioned Arthur’s soulmate in passing a few times (that always incited a hidden smirk from Morgana, and a nervous gulp from Leon, if he was around).

But Arthur always managed to derail the conversation and avoid the topic by saying something along the lines of “Finding my soulmate is important to me father, but not as important as learning to be the best King I can be for the kingdom. I feel the pull everyday, but until I am steadfast in my abilities and duties, it will remain unimportant to me.”

Uther always looked partially sad at that, he had loved Arthur’s mother, his soulmate, very much. But mostly he is proud at Arthur’s confidence and determination and loyalty.

If only he realised that Arthur was lying through his teeth, and had decided when he was incredibly young that he would happily hand all of it over to Morgana, in order to lead a simpler life with Merlin.

Anyway.

The next meeting time had been agreed. But bandits had been sighted causing trouble a few hours outside of the city, and Arthur was called to attend an emergency council meeting.

The page didn’t leave his side for a second, leading him straight to the council-room, meaning that Arthur couldn’t pop away for even two seconds to warn Merlin not to come.

He just had to hope that the meeting was over quick, and he could escape somewhere solitary before the young Warlock came around.

He was so close.

He paid close attention during the meeting, making excellent suggestions and being generally helpful, in an effort to speed things along. This backfired in a way he didn’t quite expect.

The meeting ended, knights sent to deal with the problem in the manner decided, and councilman heading back to whatever it is they did when not in meetings (at this point Arthur still doesn’t know, and is too afraid to ask). 

The Prince had almost made it out of the door before Uther called him back in. He halts in the doorway, and Morgana, ahead of him in the hallway, looks back, giving him a fearful look and mouthing “Give him an excuse! Hurry!”

Arthur turns back to the room (now devoid of everyone but The King and himself):

“I apologise father, but I was in the middle of-”

Uther gives him a stern look, and crooks a finger towards himself:

“Come. Here.”

Arthur schools his face, appearing blank, as he re-enters the room and shuts the door behind him. He stands to attention in front of his father, and figures this is just another part of the meeting he would have to hurry along. 

He glances at the shadows on the wall quickly, he should have another few minutes, as long as Merlin didn’t get too excited and appear earlier than he’s meant to.

“I wanted to congratulate you today Arthur. You did very well-”

He places a hand on his son’s shoulder and smiles hesitantly:

“-I... I’m proud of you. You’re learning well, picking things up quickly. You understand the workings of court and council near fluently now, and Sirs Kay and Leon tell me that your combat training is going astoundingly.”

Arthur’s resolve crumbles a little at that, and he almost forgets his desperation to leave the room:

“I... thank you, father. I’m trying my best to do you and the kingdom proud.”

Uther nods firmly at that and removes his hand, stepping back, the tender moment over as quickly as it had begun:

“Good. You are dismissed for the day, go back to your studies.”

Arthur struggles to hold in a relieved sigh as he bows briefly before turning around and almost rushing towards the door. He is too late however, and just as he reaches for the doorknob, he hears the tell tale pop sound from behind him. He freezes as he hears:

“Arthur, where the hell-” quickly interrupted by his father roaring:

“WHAT SORCERY IS THIS?! GUARDS!”

Arthur rushes to turn around and grabs Merlin’s hand, pulling him to the side as guards burst through the door he was just stood in front of.

All of them raise swords at the terrified boy that Uther was pointing at, and Arthur quickly positions his body between them and Merlin:

“NO! Don’t hurt him! Please!”

Morgana rushes in just moments after the guards, and spots the boys immediately, stepping around the knights and standing next to Arthur defiantly. Uther looks affronted before yelling, red-faced:

“What is the meaning of this? Explain yourselves this instant, and get away from that beast!”

Morgana tightens her jaw as she takes Merlin’s other hand protectively in her own. She can feel him shaking, but knows he is too scared to just disappear again. She’s secretly grateful for that. If Merlin disappeared now there would be a manhunt and demands of explanations. The King might believe them if they can show him the truth (the same way the boys had shown her and Leon all those years ago).

“Please father, just listen. Merlin is my soulmate, it isn’t sorcery, we simply have a bond stronger than others-”

At Uther’s still-angry snarl, Arthur straightens his back, and takes in a breath, standing still and strong:

“You will NOT harm him. I would lay down my life before you lay a hand on him.” The guards falter a little at that, but still keep their swords raised.

Arthur hears Merlin take in a shaky breath at that, and squeezes his hand slightly. Morgana nods her agreement and Arthur gives her a brief, grateful smile as she says confidently:

“The same goes for me, if you wish to harm Merlin, or separate him from Arthur, you will have to order your guards to strike me down first.”

Uther lets out a growl at that:

“Soulmate or not, he used sorcery to appear out of thin air. That is treachery!”

Arthur huffs before shouting back:

“NO! Just ask Gaius, or Geoffrey. Occasionally, there are soulmates whose bond is stronger than normal, just ask Gaius-”

Arthur gives Uther his own growl as he continues:

“-And like I said. I would challenge you yourself, before I allowed anyone to hurt him.”

Uther slumps slightly and narrows his eyes at his son before telling one of the younger guards to fetch Gaius and Geoffrey immediately. He does however tell the other guards to keep their swords trained on the boy, and Merlin almost takes a frightened step back, only stopped by Arthur and Morgana, who hold him steady.

Arthur and Uther remain in a hard staring contest for the few minutes it takes the guard to return, Gaius and Geoffrey in tow.

Gaius glances at Merlin in surprise, but covers it quickly as he returns his gaze to The King as he growls:

“Tell me all you know of soulmate bonds.”

Geoffrey speaks first, confusion in his tone:

“My Lord?” 

Uther levels a glare at him as he yells:

“NOW!”

Geoffrey is taken aback, but replies immediately:

“Well My Lord, everyone on this earth has a soulmate, someone whose soul is bound to your own. The bonds provide a compass of sorts, meaning that one can always tell what direction their soulmate is, and, with practice, roughly how far away they are. No one is certain of how these bonds come about, though centuries of research show that they aren’t harmful in anyway, and other than incredibly rare, extreme, cases, the two whose souls are bonded are a perfect match for each other; bound to fall in love-”

Gaius jumps in here:

“And in even rarer cases, My Lord, a pair may appear whose bond is so strong, they have further... abilities. This pair of souls will be able to appear to each other at will, only needing to wish to be in the other’s presence. They are also able to disappear again, but may only transport themselves to the position they were before. Academics are even more perplexed as to how these bonds are forged, though the only known pairs with such a bond have all gone on to achieve great things.”

Gaius resists the urge to look towards the three teenagers, and keeps his placating gaze on The King, who does seem to be calming slightly. Uther looks to Geoffrey for confirmation, and the librarian nods, adding:

“It is incredibly rare sire, but possible, and proven.”

Uther is considerably less angry now, but the guards don’t relax, and neither do Arthur or Morgana as The King speaks again:

“How would one prove such a bond, and differentiate it from sorcery?”

Gaius jumps to answer this question, trying to keep control of the situation:

“Well one could simply ask for a demonstration-”

He gestures to the teenagers still huddled to the side:

“-I’m assuming that these...?-”

At Uther’s stiff nod, he continues:

“-might I ask Prince Arthur to leave the room, the door shut behind him, and demonstrate his ability?” Uther looks angry for a moment, and Morgana tightens her hold on Merlin as he takes in a scared gasp. After a few moments of deliberation, The King looks to his son and gives a slight, but firm, nod.

Arthur gives Merlin a quick smile, and reluctantly lets go of his hand before saying:

“I’m only leaving him if the guards sheath their swords, and step back-”

Uther goes to interrupt him, but Arthur continues harshly:

-And THAT, is final.”

Uther gives a nod once more, and the guards cautiously put their swords away. Arthur nods at Morgana, and she takes his place directly in front of Merlin as he walks out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Morgana can feel Merlin shaking behind her, but she grits her teeth, and squeezes his hand. She meant what she said, she would force the guards to cut her down before she allowed them to hurt her friend.

A second later, she hears the tell tale pop, and smirks slightly at the astounded look on Uther’s face, not having to look to know that Arthur was now stood behind her.

Uther still looks slightly disbelieving, but before he can say anything (or God forbid accuse his son of sorcery) Gaius speaks up:

“I have both ancient and modern literature on the subject My Lord, if you would like to read about it.”

Uther lets out a sigh, and purses his lips before looking to the physician:

“Very well. Have them ready for me tonight. Everybody out! I wish to talk to my son and this... boy.”

Gaius throws one last glance to the three teenagers, before shuffling out the room, closely followed by Geoffrey and the guards. Morgana stays in place.

Uther looks exasperated before saying:

“That includes you, Morgana. Out-”

Morgana interrupts him angrily:

“No. I will not leave. Merlin may be Arthur’s soulmate, but he’s my friend as well. I won’t allow you to hurt him, or speak down to him.”

Uther looks enraged once again, but Arthur speaks before he can start yelling again:

“I shan’t talk about it unless Morgana is allowed to remain, father. She has been nothing but loyal and protective of Merlin, and as his soulmate, I appreciate that greatly. She stays.” 

Arthur thought about demanding that Sir Leon be summoned as well, but he didn’t want to get the man into trouble, he had already done so much for them. And besides, Arthur is fairly certain that if he continues to order his Father around like this, he’ll lose his temper once more. There’s only so many demands someone can make of the King before context becomes unimportant, and it becomes a matter of pride.

Uther grits his teeth once more before nodding, and muttering out a quiet “Fine.”.

The King straightens himself, and regains his regal composure before speaking once again:

“Merlin, was it? Bring yourself forward, boy.”

Morgana goes to argue, and Arthur looks insulted, both about to retort against the tone and choice of words, but before they can say anything, Merlin pushes between them, to face Uther head on.

He gives a small bow, but maintains eye contact, and speaks once he raises again:

“Yes sire, my name is Merlin.”

Uther scowls as he looks him up and down, and Merlin can feel Arthur and Morgana fuming either side of him.

“You look like nothing but a farmer. I will not have my son and only heir, bonded to a peasant.”

Merlin goes to retort at that, indignant at having his worth as a person lowered by his class status, but before even Arthur can speak up, Morgana steps forwards angrily:

“I told you, I will not allow you to speak down to him. Merlin is a wonderful person. Kind, and compassionate, and wise beyond his years; he’s twice the man most of your so called nobles are, you will treat him with the respect he deserves, or the three of us will leave right now.”

Merlin is taken aback at that. I suppose because it’s only ever been the three of them, and Leon, he’s never really seen Morgana angry. Sure, he’s listened to her rant about the unjustness of Uther’s laws, but never anything like this. The display of somewhat aggressive protectiveness from her definitely makes him tear up a little.

Uther’s face turns red at her demand, and he looks about ready to kick off again, but Arthur steps forward, in line with Morgana (once again, leaving Merlin protected behind them):

“As she said father. Merlin is my soulmate, whether you like it or not. I will not leave him, we will not be separated, and that will never change. If you can not speak to him respectfully, then you won’t speak to either of us at all.”

Merlin takes Arthur’s shoulder and pushes himself forward again before saying quietly:

“Arthur, no, he’s your father. I don’t mind, it’s fine, maybe I should go?”

Arthur doesn’t look at him, but takes his hand wordlessly, gripping it tight as he glares at Uther (who looks slightly taken aback at the offer).

Morgana once again takes Merlin’s other hand and says:

“No. We’re resolving this now, and The King is just going to have to come to terms with the fact that someone’s status does not define their worth.” She looks pointedly at Uther at that, and the older man sighs, rubbing his eyes slightly, before gesturing to the council table:

“Fine. Arthur, Morgana, Merlin, take a seat, and we shall discuss how we plan to move forward.”

~

END OF PART 1

Part 2 is up! Part 3 is up!

Let me know what y’all think :)

[righthandarm-man]

no honey, its not homophobia to be against gentrification

I was being sarcastic when I wrote these tags, and honestly, I probably should've used a tone signifier, but eh...that's why I put it in the tags 🤷

But I actually do want to address your point here, because gentrification is a complicated topic. A lot of experts tend to disagree on what it is and how prevalent it is, allowing for bad faith actors to swoop in and use the term underhandedly, shutting down a lot of good urban policy proposals in the process.

So let's do this in context. The original tweet was about a hypothetical gay couple from out of state, opening up a shitty, overpriced taco restaurant that no one asked for.

(Solid burn. 10/10 tweet, and I mean that sincerely)

So, it's implied that by doing this, the couple are making the community less affordable and more dangerous for the rest of its residents, especially for black and brown residents.

There’s certainly a kernel of truth to this. The presence of white, college-educated professionals can certainly drive up property values and displace lower-income residents. And for the residents who aren’t displaced, it can still be a jarring and dehumanizing experience, as Vox policy reporter Jerusalem Demsas so eloquently states.

Even if you’re able to stay in your neighborhood and your home, watching store after store pop up that doesn’t serve your community or isn’t available to you at your income level can be deeply alienating. It’s no wonder that people who have faced centuries of disinvestment grow angry as public and private money flows into their neighborhoods only after high-income, college-educated people choose to move there.

But here’s the thing. This hypothetical, taco ruining, gay couple are not the core issue here. Young professionals making 3k a month and paying half that in rent, are not the real problem. Bike lanes and rail extensions and ugly block shaped apartments and all the other aesthetic trappings of gentrification are not the reason why cities aren’t affordable.

The core issue is not gentrification, it’s segregation.

While there are very real harms that accompany gentrification, it’s important not to lose the forest for the trees. Gentrifying neighborhoods are “very tiny pieces of the story,” says UC Berkeley professor of city and regional planning Karen Chapple, who leads the school’s Urban Displacement Project (UDP), which has worked to map gentrification in several US cities/

In that very same article, Jerusalem argues that the current housing affordability crisis is largely driven by residents in America’s wealthiest and most exclusive neighborhoods.

Racial and income segregation locks low-income people in a trap of concentrated poverty. The best schools are relegated to the highest-income neighborhoods, good jobs often exist in either exclusive or gentrifying neighborhoods, and businesses are less willing to take root in an area of concentrated poverty because there are fewer customers. All of this is a vicious cycle that traps low-income Americans. It also hinders their ability to foster growth on their own because financial insecurity makes people transient and lacking in time and energy to build community.

Meanwhile, homeowners in well-off neighborhoods have cemented systems of local control through rules like exclusionary zoning to keep their neighborhoods prohibitively expensive for lower-income Americans, including many Black and brown Americans.

Urban NIMBYs will fight tooth and nail to oppose any zoning reform, affordable housing project, or mass transit proposal that could lower their property values, and will happily weaponize gentrification to get what they want.

Moreover, that discourse can be co-opted by people who actually oppose more affordable housing. While many who conflate modern buildings with gentrification operate in good faith, the fusion of the progressive desire to stop displacement and new buildings allows regressive anti-housing activists to use the same message to fight important pro-housing legislation. One clear example of this is Livable California, a group that has repeatedly used the language of anti-gentrification to fight sensible and modest housing-production bills in the state.

“It’s very hard to distinguish in any given situation what is a legitimate opposition to urban development on gentrification grounds,” Jake Anbinder, a PhD candidate in American history at Harvard, told Vox.

TLDR; Gentrification is a legitimate problem that leads to valid grievances, but maybe instead of shitting on gay men for the mere act of existing, maybe try going to your local town hall and pushing for zoning reform, or dedicated bus lanes, or anything that actually makes cities and communities more affordable.

[allandoflimbo]

Ashens (Part 22)

Summary: She falls in love with Bucky Barnes from the moment she sees him. Bucky, still in love with a woman from his past, hates Y/N and plans to make her life miserable. To both their dismay, they are assigned together to go undercover into The Capitol for six months. There, they develop a heartbreaking friend with benefits agreement. Dystopian.

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Chapter Word Count: 3,600

Rating: M for Mature, E for explicit. Enemies to lovers trope, sharing a bed trope, friends with benefits trope, temporarily unrequited love, heavy and angry sex, heavy on the angst, and very strong language.

Full Masterpage |

He’s been gone all morning. You don’t know where he went and you didn’t ask before he left. Whatever it was, you weren’t too concerned, anyway. It was about time you two had some space. It helped clear your mind and helped you move on. You were moving on.

There was another reason you were thankful he had left for the morning. You could feel the chills run up the sides of your arms, goosebumps appearing where your skin was once smooth.

You eyed the closet doors curiously. It was almost eerie how quiet it was around you. You dropped your eyes for only a moment before raising them up again.

You had to do this. You were going to do this.

You finally gather the balls to do something you’ve been wanting to for some time now. It had been eating away at you like mad.

Once in front of the closet, you crouch down. You raise your left hand slowly roll the doors open, your eyes immediately dart down to the little black box on the ground. Exactly where he’d left it.

Part of you was happy that it remained untouched.

Per Steve’s orders, you had both buried any of your weaponry about a mile before reaching the wall nearly three months ago. You weren’t supposed to be bring any inside with you. It was forbidden.

It had shocked you when you and Bucky had been arguing about going after Ashen and he had pulled out a G19, angrily strapping it onto his leg to prove a point. He obviously snuck it in. At the time, you hadn’t really given it much thought. You were more shocked that he ignored his best friend’s request.

Now, it concerned you for different reasons.

You sat criss cross in front of the box, staring at it for a few more long seconds. Taking in a deep breath, you opened it. It opened with a small click.

There it was.

Matte black. Subtle but deadly.

You eyed the gun like it was a ticking bomb. You’ve never held a fire arm before, but that wasn’t necessarily why you were nervous. You were nervous to know why the hell he had it stacked away in your bedroom when you knew he didn’t even have the intention of killing anyone on this mission. He made sure to make you aware of this, many times.

You also knew it wasn’t to be used on you. There was no way.

The only other plausible reason he had it, kept you on edge.

You didn’t want your thoughts going there.

You reached slowly for the gun until you felt it lay heavy in your right hand. It was heavier than it looked. It felt deadlier than it looked.

You swallowed thickly, allowing yourself to think the worst.

Was he going to use this on himself?

You suddenly wanted it as far away from you as possible.

Your hand trembled slightly as you put it back in its place, letting your fingers linger on the ridges for just a moment.

You let out a long breath realizing.

When you had eyed the closet, you didn’t really think it through.

What were you going to do once you had it in your hands? Were you going to get the gun and hide it? Were you just curious? Was there something about it that secretly terrified you and you weren’t going to believe you really saw him hold it until you held it yourself?

You shake your head, pushing the box back into its original place. You were over exaggerating.

He probably just brought it in case you both needed it for self protection.

You looked over at your black back pack right next to it and pulled it out.

You fished inside, looking at different things you forgot you still had. You had your grey sweater, scarf, and beat up boots at the bottom. It smelled dusty.

You stuck your hand into the front pocket of the backpack, pulling out a note. It wasn’t your first time reading it, but you need the gentle reminder.

Thank you again for doing this. Thank you for helping me out and for agreeing to our plan to help Bucky be happy again. We can do this together. That plan, to me, is the most important thing right now. Thank you for doing whatever it takes to mentally convince him he deserves happiness. What you’re doing means the world to me, y/n. See you both again very soon. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.

Steve

You felt small tears in your eyes at your promise. If only he knew how it wasn’t so easy. You closed your eyes tightly together, took a deep breath, and placed the note onto your chest.

I’ll keep trying.

+ +

You didn’t understand these jobs that came with your ID. You didn’t understand most of what you were being told to do, but you did it anyway.

At the end of the day, your number one plan was to still kill Ashen. So you went through with what Bucky ordered you to do until it was time.

Your first day at the tower started off better than how you thought it would. Mr. Hyde was a old gentleman in his late 50s. He had short white hair and a nicely trimmed white beard to compliment it. He knew you were learning and that this would be your first time working up to a secretary job, so he started you off with small assistant duties like transporting paper work around the building, scheduling, and grabbing anything personal he may need here and there.

The best part was when he gave you a tour of the building, the whole reason you even were excited about it. Maybe this was why this was written into the mission.

He explained to you what each floor was but never took you past floor 15. You eyed the buttons on the elevator suspiciously.

He said that wasn’t their area and that “we didn’t need to worry about it”. You needed a special code to access those floors anyway.

You quickly made a connection. You wondered how Bucky had gotten in the other day.

The atmosphere in the elevator went cold when you stopped somewhere on the seventh floor and a man dressed in black and gold walked in. It was a fitted suit, expensive looking, and he had a cold look in his eyes. You swallowed thickly, looking away from him. You pulled your scarf tighter around your neck, trying to conceal your tattoo as much as you could.

Something about this man was off.

You heard the term Coroner a lot when you worked serving drinks. They weren’t the coroner most people knew, they were cop meets bounty hunter.

There was just something about them that left you uneasy. He stood in front of you and you felt yourself shuffle back a few inches. You looked over at Mr. Hyde and he gave you a small smile.

You smiled back.

+ +

It wasn’t until your fourth day at the building when things finally took a turn.

Bucky was going to meet you at a stairwell for floor eleven. He was going to trace Silas down once and for all. The night after the ball, Bucky was went traced them down to see where they would take the new import. According to what he overheard, there had been some complications and it wouldn’t be administered until today.

You got up from your seat, pretending you were just looking for the restroom, when you turned down the narrow hallway and went for the door that led into the stairwell.

You had three floors to climb up to meet him.

You were on the ninth floor when you turned the corner of the stairs and your heart nearly jumped up into your throat.

His face, his hair, his eyes, and his damn voice.

It all hit you at once and you turned back the direction you came from, leaning back against the steal rods. You put a hand up to your head as you felt dizzy. You could feel your heart beating away like crazy and you felt that anger you harbored down for so long.

It was him. The face from the diner and the face of the man that killed your mom and dad.

Ashen.

And he was with another woman.

“He’s our child and he’s dying!” The woman shouted. You could hear the tears in her voice.

“I know but there’s not much else I can do,” the voice. It was deep and violent. You hated it. You hated him, “He woke up this morning, cured! Without us even giving him the dose of the chemical. It’s obvious his plasma contains some kind of fending off mechanism. It took years, but he obviously survived it and no longer has it.”

You took a deep breath as you processed what you were hearing.

Had the little boy been infected with the virus, but now was doing well?

“And?” The woman insisted.

“And?” An evil laugh came from within Ashen’s chest, “We need all his blood, goddamn it! We need it distributed to our men if we want our side to stay strong once we go out there!”

“You can’t possibly still think—“

“It’s our world —“

“But we are safe here. Our son is safe here!”

“You didn’t think we’d all stay stuck in here for all eternity, did you? Hydra and Sword is to control the world, not the city. These walls kept us safe long enough and our son is well now, and we might have the cure in our hands. It’s all we need to conquer.”

You could hear sniffling.

“You can’t kill our son.” The woman begged.

“No,” he said slowly, “Not yet at least. We need trial periods.”

“Ashen, please-“

“I sacrificed everything for him!” A shriek followed by a gruntled groan came from the woman and you wondered what he was doing to her, “I cut the plan short, of us taking the capitol, because of him! I was minding my own business that night before I got the call. I took the risks, I found the refuge, I found the goods, and I called an initiative, and now look at us, we’re all safe. And our son just also happens to be the possible cure for all of this. If Hydra completing this mission requires my son’s life, so be it.”

“I won’t let you hurt him! I won’t let you pick at him with needles and knives. He is my baby boy!”

“Was, honey, was.” You could hear a loud smack, “And after him, you’re next.”

“What?”

“Now let’s get back in there and congratulate him.”

You could still feel your heart beating away inside of your ears as you heard the shuffling of their feet, followed by the closing of a door.

This was way too much information for you to process. This was too much for you. Suddenly, you cursed Bucky for making you work intel. Intel was the worst part.

You knew this information and now you had to tell him without freaking out, or worst, freaking him out.

It didn’t take much longer for a familiar face to turn the corner of the stairwell.

His blue eyes met yours over his scarf.

“What the hell are you doing here, I said eleventh —-“ his voice faltered as he watched your stricken face. His own eyes fell and he raised a hand to the back of your head and caressed it softly, “Hey, hey, it’s okay. What’s going on?”

“I—“ you whimpered out. Bucky hushed you as he leaned his forehead against yours. He closed his eyes tightly together, “I—he—“

“Breathe. Breathe. Breath for me.”

You took in a deep breath and controlled your breathing.

When you opened your eyes he was staring straight down at you.

“I saw him.” Bucky’s eyes darted over your face, knowing exactly what you were talking about. Who you were talking about, “I saw him.” You repeat again. He nods, “I can’t stay here, Bucky. Not when he’s here. He killed mom and dad, Bucky.” You whimpered into a cry.

“Hey, shhhh,” he brought his hand to your jaw and ran his thumb there gently, “shhh. I’m sorry,” he straightens his head up over yours and places a kiss on the top of your head, “I’m sorry you saw him.”

You ran your hands up his chest and softly pushed him away from you. Bucky’s face fell, along with his hands at his sides. You looked away from him, running the back of your sweater-clothed hand underneath your nose.

You needed to create distance. You and him, whatever it was, was no more.

“I overheard them.”

“Them?”

You sighed, running a hand through your hair.

“Yes, them. Him and what I can only imagine is maybe his wife? I don’t know, it was another woman. The little boy’s mother.”

Bucky took a deep breath.

“Okay, and what did they say?”

“He’s going to kill him. He can potentially save us, save all of us, but instead he’s going to kill him, I—I—“ you were freaking out as your ran both hands down your face.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“The boy!” You shouted quietly, pointing to the direction where the stairs continued. “Ashen is after the boy. He’s going to kill the mom and he’s after the boy, too.”

“What? Why? Why is he after his own son?”

You took a deep breath and met Bucky’s gaze again. His jaw was tight and he looked apprehensive.

“They think the cure is in his plasma.” You say slowly and carefully, knowing how much weight the words held.

“The cure?”

“For the virus. The boy’s blood.”

Bucky let out a long breath, running a hand through his own hair now and pulling on it.

“And why does he want the child dead? Does he not want the cure?”

“No, no he does.”

“What? He wants it just for himself?” You whined as you looked away again, “Y/N, you came on this mission for this reason. It’s for you to give me the important information you have right at this moment. Tell me, why does he want the boy dead?”

“He says he wants to make enough just for Hydra and Sword,” Bucky’s face went pale, “I’m assuming it’s because he doesn’t want anyone else after that having access to it. He kills the boy, no more cure for anyone else.”

“That,” his tongue clicks, “That’s absurd. Hydra wants to recruit more bad, not kill off the remaining race. It defeats the purpose of world domination.”

“I think they have a change of plans. They said they want to control the rest of the world.”

“With a raging virus? How is that even possible?”

“I don’t know. That was all he said before I heard him choking his wife. I don’t know what they plan to do after they go out there, protected. I don’t know.”

“And in that vile? What was in the vile?”

“I don’t know, a trial drug. But nothing as good as the boy’s blood.”

Bucky lets out a long breath as he walks back and forth, clearly stressed and overwhelmed. You watched him, intrigued. You’ve never seen him worry like this before.

“Shit, shit, shit.” he mumbles under his breath, “What do we do? What do we do.”

You stare down at his feet as they continue to move across the floor.

“I think it’s obvious what we need to do.”

“What?”

“We need to take him.” You say seriously, looking Bucky dead in the eye.

“We need to take him.” He says back.

“We can’t let Hydra have access to the cure and let the rest of the world burn and we can’t get him get killed.” You place a hand on Bucky’s arm to stop him and he looks up at you. You could practically see the emotions in his eyes, “He’s just a little boy.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t just go in there and take the kid. I can’t just kidnap someone’s child.”

“Why not?” You ask simply.

Bucky lets out a scoff.

“What?”

“Bucky look at the stakes here. He wants him killed, he’ll build an army to dictate the rest of the world. Bucky we have no other option. This is the end of the world. There is no time for common courtesy.”

“Okay. Okay, just relax. We need to plan this through, okay? So far us two and his parents are the only ones who know about him right?”

“I mean his doctor probably knows too and also the scientist he’s working with. The man who probably sent in those viles.”

“Those viles can be good too, right? We need to take those, too. At least a few. There has to be a reason they brought them in. Maybe they aren’t timely useless. Trial drug or not.”

“So we take the boy, now—”

“We can’t, y/n.” Bucky says strictly. You don’t expect his hand to cup your cheek again. It takes your breath away. Why was he behaving this way? “He said he’ll wait anyway. They probably need to run tests first. We still have two and a half months left in here. If we take him now, they’ll notice he’s gone, and Hydra’s already suspecting there’s intruders inside the wall. It’s too risky. We need to wait,” he runs his hand over your chin and tilts his head slowly to the side. A pained look is in his eyes, “I know you want to, and I want to, too, but we need to do this carefully.”

“So what do you suggest?” Your voice comes out rough.

“I don’t know, maybe we can keep an eye on him or something.” He says. “His father works here, maybe you’ll see him around. Warm up to him. Make sure he’s safe.”

“Ashen knows what I look like.”

Bucky nods.

“I know that. Maybe there’s something we can do. Maybe I can find where he stays in the building. I’ll figure something out. And you’ll be safe, I promise. He won’t see you.”

You believe Bucky’s words and you nod.

“Okay.”

“What do you think? Should we risk him seeing me?” He says with a small smile on his face.

You look at him incredulously.

“Are you dumb?”

“What?” He asks like it’s nothing.

“You’re Captain America’s best fiend. If you really think he wouldn’t recognize you right away and run and tell his dad, you’re insane.”

___

It had been a successful day. It was exhausting and you and Bucky were both clearly burnt out, emotionally and mentally. A lot happened for both of you. You both took a shower, individually of course, you had dinner and you finally got him to watch the first half of Titanic. It was a long night.

But it wasn’t the end of the day yet.

You sat on the bed crisscross and in your PJs, looking out into the city, deep in thought.

Bucky moves over to you and across the bed and you close your eyes tightly together, feeling the bed dip down. You can feel him as he puts his hand on your shoulder.

“We’ll save him, okay? Imagine how much Steve will love us when you come back not only with a life saved, but with the cure.” His words are gentle and sweet, but hold so much weight over you.

You couldn’t do this. You made that promise a few days ago.

“Look, Bucky I don’t think we should do this anymore. Our agreement.” You say quietly, your voice breaking off at the end.

He went still and you felt a cold rush where he began to remove his hand from your skin.

“Oh, I didn’t realize that—“

“Bucky—“

“I didn’t know you weren’t in the mood. I’m sorry.”

“No,” you say quietly and so heartbreakingly slow that you know he can feel it too. Why did it feel this way? “It’s not that.” You slowly turn around to face him. He’s got both arms stretched down on the bed below him, palms down, and he’s staring at you like he was afraid you would hurt him again like you did the other night. You looked away from him and pushed yourself away to give you both more room to breathe

“Sweetheart—“

“I’ve decided to go out with Pietro again,” You watch as his eyes drop from your own to the spot just next to your arm. He swallows hard and there’s a flicker of something in his eyes that isn’t necessarily jealously, “We want to see where it goes. I know we’ll only be here a little while longer, but who knows the future, right? What if I see him again?”

Bucky swallows again and clears his throat.

“It wouldn’t feel right doing that to him.”

“Oh.”

“So, uh,” he straightens himself out until he’s standing, and he pulls his shirt down in a sort of fidgety way you almost find adorable if it weren’t for the heartbroken look in his eyes, “you’re gonna date?”

You tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear, feeling a tightness in your chest that you couldn’t bare.

Why did it feel like this?

“Yeah. I deserve someone that will take care of me like that, don’t you think?”

Bucky’s eyes are unreadable at that point. This was what he wanted, right? For you to move on and meet someone better for you?

“You’ll find a guy your age, you don’t want an old thing like me, anyway.”

“You do.” It hurt him to say it. It fucking destroyed him in the goddamn core.

@snakeeatery17 @utterlyhopeful-fics , @marvelfan1017, @iheartsebastianstan , @annathesillyfriend , @redhairedfeistynerd, @perksofbeingabookworm, @amyrose051, @meegggoooo, @morganclaire4 , @captainchrisstan, @bxndys , @shoesonpointe ,  @writerwrites, @rainbowkisses31, @lindatreb , @littlemissner98 , @dezzylou24, @ayeitslelee , @hardygal69 ,  @emmabarnes , @redbarn1995@thequeenreaders@ilovemysupersoldiers@maximumplaidzonknerd@ceapa-mica @s-trawberryv-eins@buckysknifecollections@sobangie@lindatreb@theseuscmander@nervous-plant @wildmoonflower @aya-fay@appreciating-fanfics@kaitlynisinfinite@justreadingfics@kaitieskidmore1 @mrsdancing​ @everythingiloveandcherish @shinykoalacat​ @dragongirl31 @kaitlynisinfinite​ 

[dreamifics]

I bet you think about me (steve rogers.)

summary: After Steve went back to time, he left one more special person who was depending on him with all their life. Based on Taylor Swift’s song ‘ I bet you think about me’. This take place in my own AU, I think...

Stream RED TV

To Steven Grant Rogers,

3 AM and I'm still awake I'll bet you're just fine Still awake in your city

     New York without you feel so empty and lonely, with all the busy streets and sea of people, it still felt so dreary and depressing. Here I am, laying in bed on the witching hour but I bet you sleep so peacefully there. We’re in the same city but on a different time and date. Yet I can still feel your touches in my body, your shadows still walks my apartment and all I could do is watch myself miss you everyday. Even Sam and Bucky misses you...

I’m visiting DC for a couple days, I’m walking the path he once took every morning with Sam.

“Hey, Y/N!” I hear a familiar voice called out from behind, turning I saw them. The two guys he once called his bestfriends.

“Sam! Bucky! How are the two of you doing?”

“We’re good.” They look at me with concern, I know what that means so I smiled showing the fact that I’m fine when in reality I’m not.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” They just nod and engulfed me in a hug.

“We miss him too.” I smile as tears involuntary flooded down my face. It’s nice knowing I’m not alone

And it's better than mine And the girl in your bed has a fine pedigree And I'll bet your friends tell you she's better than me

     You’re probably having a great and it’s obviously better than mine. Crying is now part of my daily routine, every time I wake up without you by my side, all I can do is sob with the haunting thought of Peggy laying beside you and you’re probably showing her off like she’s the best thing that ever happened to you and we both know that’s a lie.

“Steve! Come on! Our dinner is waiting for us!” I said as I emerged from our shared bedroom, Steve was just there. Leaning in the kitchen island with that charming sweetheart smile.

“What?” I asked obviously flustered and coy. This man is the most nicest and sweetest person in this world. I don’t know how I got him. He just chuckles and shakes his head.

“You know you’re the best thing that ever happened to me?” I laugh as he moves closer to me, hugging me in the process. His good boy cologne entered my nostrils and it was the most intoxicating thing I ever knew.

“Oh really? What about being America’s number one superhero?” I joke knowing what he’s going to answer.

‘I don’t need glorifications, all I need is you and just you.’

“I don’t need glorifications, all I need is you and just you.” I laugh as I looked into his eyes, I saw my future, I saw my life.

Well I tried to fit in with your upper-crust circle Yeah, they let me sit in back when we were in love Always sit around talking about the meaning of life And the book that just saved 'em that I hadn't heard of

     I tried to fit in to the most complicated part of your life and that includes your superhero friends who invites me to their expensive parties and I know that they only invited me because of you. I tried my best to listen and try and connect with them, listening to them talk about science and their cool missions. I had no idea what they’re talking about but I just smile and nod all for you. And it’s all gone to waste because you threw it all out.

“Tony! Remember the battle in New York when Hulk beat the god out of Loki?!” Clint voice boomed all through out the tower, and I just sat there in my own silence while Steve was next to me holding my hand like he won’t ever let it go.

“What about Ultron?” Laughs erupted from their lips as Natasha brought it up.

“Oh, Y/N. I forgot what do you do again?”

“I’m an accountant.”

Silence crept into the room, I felt the insides of my stomach drops as the quietness reaches my ear.

“That’s a very boring job.” Vision commented making everyone burst out laughing and I just smiled. I know it wasn’t meant as an insult but it still hurt me, I felt Steve’s grip on my hand tighten. It made me relax and a little comfortable in this awkward situation.

But now that we're down and it's over I bet you couldn't believe When you realized I'm harder to forget than I was to leave And I bet you think about me

     The day you left me was the day I died, you we’re supposed to just take the stones back. But what happened? Did you see her? How could you leave Bucky? He needs you. I need you. We both need you. I still remember the last words you ever said to me.

“Will you come back?” I asked knowing he might see her there. He just smiled at me, it comforted me a little, but it wasn’t enough.

“Of course, you won’t even notice that I left.” That didn’t age well.

“I love you..” He just pulled me in and kisses me in my forehead. 

“See you again, Y/N.” He murmur.

And with that you walked away from me, Steve didn’t say ‘I love you’ back, he didn’t call me by my pet name. All he said was that, but he’ll come back. I know it. Bucky and Sam moved to my side and gave me their comfortable presence. It’s like they knew something I didn’t.

     And I was right, they knew you won’t come back’, but I didn’t. I hoped and hope that maybe you just got lost and that you’ll make your way back to me. But based on what Sam and Bucky told me, you settled down with her. Your first love, Peggy Carter. I thought you moved on, she obviously moved on from  you. You left me so easily with no hesitations, it’s like I never even existed. Are you happy with her? Are you happy knowing I’m not? You’re a selfish jerk, me and Bucky needed you so bad.

     But I know you won’t forget about me, I know you’ll soon realized that I’m something you regret leaving. Every time you touch her skin, you see my face waiting and hoping you come back. When you roam New York, I know you’ll see me everywhere. I know you’ll soon realized that I’m harder to forget than I was to leave.

And I bet you think about me..

Oh, block it all out The voice is so loud Saying "Why did you let her go?" Does it make you feel sad? That the love that you're looking for Is the love that you had

     I know you’re blocking out the voice of regrets and sorrow in your head but that voice will get louder and louder with each passing days. It will ask you over and over again “Why did you let her go?”. And I’ll ask you too in this letter that I hope you receive. Why did you leave me for a woman who was fine without you? You should’ve stayed with me because I’m not fine living without you. Does it make you sad that when you realize that what’s between you and Peggy can’t amount to the love we had. To dancing around to all the music you missed, to watching the movies Sam recommended. 

“What did you think about Harry Potter--Are you crying?” I asked seeing him teary eyed while avoiding my eyes.

“I’m sorry it’s just--Snape was a good person all along!” He pointed to the tv while I die laughing.

“Do you want some tissues?” I asked, he just nods and took it from me.

“What’s next on our list?”

“Oh, you’re going to love this. It’s The Lion King.” I squint my eyes on the note that Sam gave us the other day.

“Make sure it’s not a sad one.” He added.

“Yes.. It’s a happy movie.” I smirk as I play the movie.

But now that we're down and it's over

I bet it's hard to believe

When it turned out I'm harder to forget than I was to leave

     I hope you cry as hard as the day you cried to Titanic, now that we’re nothing but strangers with memories together. I know it’s hard to believe when it turns out that forgetting me is like remembering a song you only heard once. And just like that song, I’m always on your mind until you find it. I hope this letters receive you in good health, I may hate you with all my heart but I still love you with all my own. Be happy with Peggy, but not too happy. You’ll spend all your loving day with her and I’ll spend mine alone in New York. I hear from Bucky that you started a family with her.  You can pretend all you want but I know that you miss me--

And I bet you think about me.

I bet you think about me, yes.

I bet you think about me...

Signed

From the girl you left so easily

Y/N M/N L/N