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quill-firefly · 2 months ago

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Did I Ever Really Know You? (SG TFOne Fanfic) - Chapter 5

Written right before Christmas Eve hehe, technically posted on Christmas Eve for me but ya know lmao

Anyway, since this chapter is completely in Dee's POV, this is what is going on in Starscream and Bee's POV. Optimus doesn't get a POV because this ain't about him.

Starscream: Pls just break up with this guy omg Bee: Pls just break up with this guy omg

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“Pax.”

“...I’ll allow it this time.”

There was an awkwardness in the air. Not hostility, they hadn’t reached that point yet. Dee hoped they wouldn’t but the lack of trust between both parties was quite clear. If he believed in the kindness of Primus, he may have prayed that everyone got out of this meeting unscathed.

“Is he necessary?” A sneer appeared on the Prime’s faceplate, and Dee didn’t need to turn his helm to know who Optimus was referring to. “You said you’d come alone.”

“I did.” And he had. After the stunt he had pulled by running away the first time, Starscream had been understandably more cautious that he couldn’t pull another one. Dee wouldn’t be surprised if the mech had intercepted Dee’s message to Optimus, even if Starscream was honorable. “You said the same.”

He turned his blue optics to the mech hidden in Optimus’ shadow. His gaze softened as he took in that familiar white and purple frame. They had only really known each other for a short amount of time - nothing like the bond he had with Pax - but Dee couldn’t help but be glad at the opportunity to see Bee again. He wished Elita was here, even if the femme might pummel him. He would have loved to see her again too.

“Hi, Bee.” He said softly, his vocoder cracking a little. The other mech must hold quite the grudge against him. Although the mech never showed it, Dee knew how lonely Bee must have been before they’d taken him with them. Cycles in Sub-Level 50 would have done that to any mech. Dee didn’t need to have met Bee’s “friends” - Steve and A-A-Tron - to see that.

He took Bee’s silent nod as confirmation that the mech was furious. He wouldn’t usually pass up an opportunity to talk.

“Dismiss him, and I’ll tell Bee to back down.” Optimus gritted out. Dee turned his gaze back to him, and the other mech quickly relaxed. Even now, he still demanded Dee’s attention. “We’ll talk. Just the two of us. The way it was meant to be.”

‘The way it should be,’ was left unsaid.

Dee turned his helm, pleading with his blue optics at the High Guard leader to leave - or at least to move away. There wasn’t any danger. Dee had insisted he and Optimus met at a good distance away from both the High Guard base and Iacon. They were on neutral ground. There wouldn’t be any opportunity for either of them to forcefully take the other hostage… At least, Dee hoped Optimus hadn’t lost himself enough to attempt that.

Starscream’s optics narrowed before transforming and flying a good distance away. Behind him, he could hear Bee’s tires scratch against the ground before turning faint.

Dee let out a small vent. He had prepared for this moment, but after many nights of uneasy recharge, a part of him almost wanted to run away. He turned his helm, meeting… yellow optics. His spark softened and he slowly approached Pax - and this was Pax. Even with the change in frame, even if the Prime towered over him, Dee knew his Pax. Dee knew those yellow optics.

“I always knew you were wasted as a miner. We both were.” Tentatively, they both sat down on the ground. If Dee closed his optics, he could pretend they were back in the mines or on the roof, sitting together. Pax raised a servo to the back of his helm, an almost sheepish look on his faceplate as his optics turned to Dee’s new arm. “If you want your old arm back…”

“No. Keep it.” The thought disturbed Dee but he had a strange feeling that Pax should probably have something of his to keep him company. Even if it was his old arm. He suppressed a shudder. “I cannot say being Prime suits you.”

Those optics flashed red, but calmed. Pax wouldn’t fall for his bait, and honestly Dee was surprised by his own bluntness. Then again, he had spent astroweeks with the High Guard. He must have picked up some habits.

“I cannot say the cannon suits you either, Dee. If you had proven yourself to me and to Primus, that cannon wouldn’t be a separate weapon from you.” The jab was expected, but it almost sounded forced. Pax was frustrated by the turn of the conversation. Those yellow optics barely even glanced at the cannon that Dee had brought with him (not that he had wanted to bring it, but Starscream and him made a deal). Pax was only reaching for an insult. “He granted Bee and Elita a T-cog. He blessed the mechs who pledged allegiance to me, the one and true Prime—”

“You had my allegiance the day we first met, Pax.” It was more than that. They both knew that. Dee felt more than a simple allegiance.

After astroweeks without Pax, Dee had come to understand that Pax had known. He had always known what Dee felt. The fact that he had blinded himself about it nearly made him furious, but mostly he wanted to cry. Cry at how foolish he had been. Cry that Pax had understood Dee’s feelings and had strung him along. Cry that Pax had known and had encouraged it, out of a sick enjoyment. Dee understood that his friendship with Pax had been��real but Pax had enjoyed playing with his feelings - the ones he couldn’t return.

“But you won’t have my submission, Prime.”

He expected the other mech to turn furious now. Instead, the Prime surprised him by reaching out to hold his servo. For the first time in astroweeks, Dee could feel Pax’s warmth again.

“I don’t want your submission, Dee.” The other mech let out a weak and shaky vent. It surprised him. Dee had only ever seen Pax so vulnerable once. The day they were taught the truth.

“Then what do you want, Pax?”

“You.”

Dee could feel his processor nearly overheat at the word. How many recharge periods had he spent hoping to get an inkling of this?

Surprise quickly turned to indignation as he realized what was happening.

“Pax. I am tired of this sick joke. I am not the fool of a mech I once was. I know. I know.” The Prime was crazy if he thought Dee would fall for it again. Pax had a better chance (not that Dee would have ever agreed!) appealing to their old friendship than to the feelings that Dee held for him. “I have spent every rotational period after you banished me going through our relationship. I don’t doubt that we were friends, maybe one day we could have been Amica Endura, but do not pretend that you didn’t know that I felt more for you. Do not play me for a fool. Not again.”

The other mech’s optics were wide, intake agape as Dee finally let out the torrent of hurt he had felt. He had been in denial. He had even bargained to himself that Pax returned his feelings. He’d come to accept that he’d been nothing but foolish. Forgive him if this was perhaps the first time he’d snapped at Pax, but he was not about to let the other mech encourage feelings that would never be returned.

“Dee… what?”

“Don’t ‘what’ me, Pax.” Dee scoffed, before softening as his optics gazed into hurt yellow. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that he still loved this aft of a mech. “You have always sought knowledge. May it be through the archives, or through observation of other mechs. You love to learn. Everything and anything. When you were not in the archives, you were learning about those around you. You were learning about me too. I know you know that I loved you.”

Dee let out a choked laugh. “Why, Pax? Our friendship was real, so why did you have to play with my feelings? I would have taken the sparkbreak. It would have passed eventually. Our friendship would have remained as it was. That kind of love would have been enough—”

“You loved me?” There was shock in the other mech’s voice. “Loved?”

Dee felt a tension in the air. A danger that he had stumbled into. His processor ran through what he had said. He didn’t see what was wrong. What threat was the Prime sensing that would cause him to act differently now?

He tried to untangle his digits from the other mech’s servo, but the grip had tightened - Dee could almost hear the metal of his own servo creak.

Ah, he was still pretending.

Dee didn’t understand why Pax was using this strategy. Was the Prime so eager to play with his feelings and then reject him?

“Yes, Pax. I loved you.” Dee gave the other mech a disappointed look. “Don’t pretend to be innocent, I won’t defend you from this. You—”

It surprised him when Pax let go of his servo, only to grab the back of his helm, preventing his escape as the other mech leaned forward.

“I’m sorry.” He felt Pax’s warmth all over his faceplate. His blue optics stared deep into the yellow. “But you know I never accept what I’m given.”

He didn’t even get the chance to feel the sparkbreak at the rejection (and here he thought he’d finally accepted that all he could have ever had with Pax was friendship) before he was being closer into—

Oh.

They were venting hard by the time Pax finally let go of his helm.

Dee was trying to process it despite how he could feel his entire faceplate and processor overheating.

Pax wouldn’t have kissed him just to prove a point, right?!

The other mech hadn’t moved away yet, their faceplates still close together that Dee was nearly scared that Pax would steal the limited air in his vents again.

“Would you still say ‘loved,’ Dee?” A cheeky grin crossed Pax’s faceplate, and Dee thought back to all those times he’d seen it - usually after Pax had done another stupid scheme of his.

“Why did you…?”

A servo reached up to caress the side of his helm, yellow optics closing.

“I admit it was only a game at the start. I wanted to see how far it would go until you realized. You were so foolishly easy to trick. Always so willing to follow. Always so willing to be mistreated.” There was a hint of anger in Pax’s voice at the word. “It was supposed to be a game, then I realized I cared for you - and how much I hated that you always accepted the way things are. I hated that you chose to be a miner. I hated that you believed in Sentinel despite everything he did. I hated that you never tried to pursue me even though you love me - because you do love me and you always will.”

Dee couldn’t find the right words to respond to that.

Then Pax let out a small smile, “Mostly, I hate that I only realized I love you when I lost you.”

Dee let out a sharp vent. This really wasn’t a sick joke.

Still, he felt sick.

“It doesn’t have to be that way, Dee. We could have everything we ever wanted.”

He dreaded what was next.

“Come back to Iacon. Let us build the future. We would rule together.” Pax gave him another cheeky smile. No, not Pax. Prime gave him that smile. “I’ll even let you be a mathematics professor on the side. I always thought you’d be good at teaching sparklings and younglings—”

“No, Pax.” Dee leaned away. No, he pulled away, standing back on his pedes.

He knew his sudden retreat would make Starscream fly back. Optimus following after him would alert Bee into returning too.

“What? Don’t tell me you—”

“Maybe we loved—” A quick glare made Dee rephrase, “Maybe we love each other, but I won’t stand by and let you reinforce the suffering Sentinel caused.”

Those yellow optics turned red. The peace was gone. Despite himself, Dee could feel his servo tighten around the cannon he had brought with him.

“Pax, please. Listen to me. It doesn’t have to be this way. I know you were chosen to be Prime, and I… I understand that you were angry at what Sentinel had done… but you cannot perpetuate the pain he and the Primes have done. We could build the future together. We could still free every Cybertronian from the cycle of suffering. No more tyranny. No more ruling over every mech. Stand down. Let the people be free—”

“I freed us. I freed all of Iacon. Soon, I’ll free us from the threat of the Quintessons.” Optimus loomed over him, servos clenched by his side. “Under my rule, every mech is equal.”

“‘Under your rule, every mech is equal,’ do you hear yourself? Don’t you see what you’ve done? How much of Iacon have you left in shambles? How many dissenters have you killed, Prime? How many more would you kill to stay in power?” Dee could feel his own voice raising.

The last time he had seen their home, Optimus’ followers were in the process of tearing down every remnant of Sentinel’s influence. How many innocent mechs had lost their lives because they refused to follow what Optimus had demanded of them? Optimus had killed Sentinel to secure power. He would kill to keep it. And Primus would reward him for it.

“The Primes are chosen to rule over every Cybertronian. We are chosen by Primus himself.” Optimus was daring him to challenge this statement. “I’m allowing you to rule by my side even if you are—”

“Even if I’m what, Prime?” Dee challenged him back.

Clearly the Prime had enough self-restraint not to bite the bait. Dee had to give him that.

He shook his helm, “The Iacon you envision, it’s not what I want. You wish to rule over every mech. The sole decision maker, free to use your power to quell dissenters and heretics. You’re no better than Sentinel, no, you’re no better than the old Primes. Warmongers and murderers.”

“I know what is best.” The Prime growled out through gritted denta. “Primus chose me, you don’t know what is best for Iacon, Dee.”

“I know that I won’t go with you.” He began to back away, feeling assured that Starscream was behind him. The mech had been right to distrust the Prime. Dee was glad that the High Guard leader had followed him. He had been a fool to think that he could convince Pax. “Cybertronians should know the freedom which is their right!”

“Oh, Dee. I told you. We are free.” The Prime’s smile held such malice that Dee shuddered. “Under my rule, we are free.”

“Then we are at a disagreement.”

There was a long silence. Dee didn’t know what else to say - wasn’t sure he trusted himself as he felt his spark break slowly. The Prime was staring at him, those red optics never leaving him. Though they had changed, Dee could still see Pax in them - somewhere in there.

“Do not be a fool, Dee. I am a Prime. You cannot go against what Primus himself has decided. I know what is best.” The other mech’s vocoder dropped to a low whisper, “You know I’ve always known what is best for us.”

Dee let out a small vent. The Prime wasn’t wrong. Pax, even if he went about it aggressively, had been right. Dee should never have had to give up his dream, and now he didn’t have to. He’d rebuilt himself a new arm. He’d created a cannon. He’d computed the probability of them forever parting. Pax had always said his processor deserved more than just the mines. Pax was right, but the Prime was wrong if he thought true freedom and dreams could be achieved underneath the oppressive rule of a tyrant.

“In the past. You knew what was best for us in the past.” Dee gave him a sad look. “I will miss the old us. I will miss what we could have been, but you know that from today we will be walking two different paths. Maybe it was always meant to be this way.”

The Prime scoffed, “I thought you didn’t believe in all that mystical nonsense.”

“I don’t.” Dee felt his optics softened. “I hope that one day we shall see through one another’s optics, that we will come to understand one another, the way we couldn’t before. That is a small probability. It was inevitable, I think, that we were meant to end this way. The probability of it… We always had conflicting views, Pax. The computations don’t lie, this was meant to be. There is one constant in the numbers…”

He stepped back, turning away. He needed to be the one to make the first move. He’d spent astroweeks without Pax. He’d had enough time to use his processor, to compute the probabilities, to go through the formula. He hadn’t believed it at first, but he’d come to accept it. What they were was gone. This whole meeting… had been merely closure on Dee’s part.

“There is one constant in the numbers.” Dee laughed a little, “In a better phrase for you, there is one constant in our fates, no matter the universe, I think we were always meant to part.”

He looked at Optimus Prime… He looked at his Orion Pax for the last time.

Because he will no longer be his after this.

“Goodbye, Pax. Another constant, at least in this world, is that I will always love you.” His blue optics turned cold. He’d said his goodbye to the past.

Now, there was only the future. He stared up at the Prime. “Our fight… it’s only begun, Prime.”

He walked away.

He stopped when he heard laughter behind him.

“Brilliant as always. But tell me… did you calculate the probability of me ever letting you go?”

#shattered glass #sg tfone #sg megatron #sg optimus prime #megop #sg megop #opmeg #dpax #transformers one #transformers #real acceptance is finishing 5/6 chapters #despite this starting out as a one-shot skskks

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pinkplaidmoonshine · 1 year ago

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(Ballister doesn’t get framed AU. Needed to write this for mental health purposes. A little suggestive nsfw-ish and nightmares under the cut.)

“Let a new era of heroes begin with you.”

Ballister bowed his head again as the sword was slipped back into his hands. He put it back in its sheath where it belonged. Ballister smiled and nodded to the Queen as he stood. He went to stand in his spot beside Ambrosius. For a moment, he wanted to kiss his boyfriend in front of the whole kingdom, but held himself back. That felt like the kind of grand gesture that should be talked about beforehand. He felt something touch his hand and glanced down to see Ambrosius gently weaving their fingers together. For a moment he thought he might cry at such a simple action during a huge event where anyone and everyone could see. A descendant of Gloreth holding the hand of a commoner… no, he was holding the hand of a knight.

“I told you they’d love you,” Ambrosius whispered.

They smiled at each other for a moment before turning back to pay attention to the rest of the ceremony. Their hands staid linked until the very end.

Laughter rang out as Ambrosius tackled him to the bed. He was already nipping at Ballister’s throat and pulling at his shirt.

“Darling! Darling, wait—“

“But I want to make love to the sexiest hero of the realm!” His lover pouted.

“The honor is all mine, trust me,” Ballister said through his laughter. “But there’s something I need to do first.”

Ambrosius got up and sat on his knees, waiting patiently for whatever Ballister was going to do.

“It isn’t much,” Ballister said, taking something from his bedside drawer. He sat up, gripping something in his hand. “But I made them for us using metal from some of our old armor.”

He opened his fist and showed him two rings. One was black with a band of gold running through the middle, the other gold with black.

“Bal?” Ambrosius’ voice was shaking.

“Will you marry me?” Ballister asked, looking up at him with hopeful brown eyes.

Ambrosius kissed him and tackled him to the bed again.

“Was that a yes?”

“Yes! Of course it’s a yes!” Ambrosius said through the strange mixture of tears and laughter.

They wiped the happy tears away and put the rings on each other. This was followed by even more happy tears and sweet kisses that lead to… well…

~*~

Ballister was still shaking and sweaty in Ambrosius’s arms. His breath was slowing down from the swift, short panting that had echoed each thrust from his lover.

“I love you,” was whispered in his ear.

“I love you, too,” he whispered back.

~*~

Ballister woke up gasping for breath. His body involuntarily gave a violent jerk waking up Ambrosius, too.

“Bal? Bal, are you okay?”

He loosened his grip and ran a soothing hand over Ballister’s right arm, the dark skin warm under his fingers.

Ballister nodded, a little shaky. He wasn’t a stranger to nightmares, but this one felt different. It was like he could truly feel the pain of having an arm severed from his body. He raised his right hand to his face and opened and closed it in front of his eyes, trying to convince himself it was still flesh and bone.

Ambrosius nuzzled the side of his neck and kissed just behind his ear in an effort to soothe his new fiancé.

“It wasn’t real,” Ambrosius whispered against his neck. “You’re okay. You’re safe with me.”

Yes. He was safe with Ambrosius. Why would his sleeping mind ever tell him otherwise? His love would never do such a thing…

Ballister nodded. “Y-yeah. Just a dream.”

“Can I get you anything?”

“No, just…just hold me.”

“I’m already holding you,” a soft chuckle in his voice.

“Tighter. Please.”

Ambrosius did as he was told, curling against Ballister’s back. Soon they fell asleep again, the dream fading from Ballister’s memory before morning.

#nimona #goldenheart #ballister boldheart #ambrosius goldenloin #ballister x ambrosius #my fanfic #nimona fanfic

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devils-dares · 2 years ago

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Safe and Sound

summary: what happens when matt finds a little girl hiding from her dad in her room and takes her home.

pairing: matt with unnamed!child!oc

wordcount: 2842

warnings: abuse, mentions of abuse, mentions of abandonment, mentions of death, a father being shitty to a child, crying. like a lot of crying. matt having attachment issues, mentions of bluey the show, scraped knees, ends semi-sad.

a/n: this isn't x reader, because i thought that would be kind of strange to write in this instance. this is really just headcanons turned into a fic, been sitting on it for like a month. let me know if you guys want a part two.

comments and reblogs appreciated!

-----

Matt couldn't begin to understand how this day was ending. A long day in court followed by anger management patrol, and now he's in some little girl's room shushing her before she cries and alerts her already drunk and aggressive dad.

"Hey, hey! It's okay, it's just me! Do you know who I am?"

"No but you look scary, please go away."

"I'm here to help you get away from your dad, but you gotta be real quiet alright?"

"Are those horns?" Matt rubs the forehead on the mask.

"Yes they are, and if you come with me I'll let you touch them, but I gotta get you out of here."

"Are you the stranger danger man?" He needed to find a way to get her out of here.

"I'll explain everything if you can pack a bag with everything you need so we can leave alright?" She nods reluctantly, grabbing what seemed to be her school bag.

"It's a Bluey bag. You know Bluey?"

"I don't."

"Boring." She walks over to him, and he takes the bag from her, slinging Bluey over the coarse armor. He steps out onto the fire escape, signaling the girl to follow him.

"Wait!" She whispers, "I'm scared of heights." He beckons her over still, yet she holds steadfast in her grip on the window frame.

"Will it be better if I hold you?" He asks, and she nods, so he picks her up, arm wrapped around her as her legs wrap around his hip and her head thunks on his shoulder.

Matt wracks his brain on where to take her for the night. He could just take her to a police department or a hospital, but there’s no evidence of harm on her, and they’d just return her. Crisis centers weren’t open 24/7, and the only place he could think of was his own apartment.

This was a stupid idea.

She was shaking, the poor girl, when they reached Matt’s rooftop. She couldn’t have been older than seven, and she was freezing cold. Her breaths froze midair, amusing her slightly as she kept making huffing noises next to Matt’s ear.

“We’re here.” He says, gently placing her on the ground before opening to the rooftop door.

“Head inside, it should be warm.” Her shoes tip tap down the stairs, pausing at the bottom.

“Where are we?” She asks.

“My apartment.” He sighs, scratching at his chin.

“Are you going to hurt me?” She asks.

“I’m not going to hurt you, but if you could tell me about your dad, I can make sure you never get hurt by him again.” Her body jolts ever so slightly at the sound of the title.

“How did you know?” Childish wonder pours through her voice, but Matt can hear the undertones of skepticism.

“I heard your mom scream.”

“Not my mom, dad’s girlfriend.”

“Okay,” Matt listens, “tell me more. Does he do it often?” She pauses, and then nods.

“All the time.”

��Has he hurt you recently?” She nods again, then pulls both her pant legs to above her knees. Matt smells dried blood.

“He pushed me.” She says simply, and Matt feels his hands curl tightly into fists.

“I’m going to get you something for that.” He walks to the bathroom, and she wraps her arms around her stomach, trying her best to make herself appear smaller.

“I got you some bandaids and some antibiotic cream, but I gotta clean it first okay?” He gestures to her to sit on the chair by the dining table and kneels in front of her.

“Do you have the bandaids with the smiley faces?”

“Hm, no. But I can draw on these ones with a marker?”

“Okay.” She did not sound amused.

“Can you take the helmet off?” She asks, touching the horns.

“I can,” he says, “but you have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?” She nods enthusiastically, and his fingers graze the helmet before tugging it off.

“I’m going to clean your scrapes now.” He says. Her whines break his heart when he presses the alcohol wipe to her raw skin.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He says, and he can tell her bottom lip is quivering as the smell of salt fills the air. He goes through it as quickly as possible, grabbing the marker behind him to cheer her up.

“Want smiley faces?” He asks, and her mood shifts almost immediately. She wipes her tears away and nods. She watches as he finds the edges of the bandaid with his thumb, drawing within the barrier he created with his fingers. It’s then that she notices that he’s not made eye contact with anything.

“All done.” Matt stands up, smiling at her.

“Are you blind?”

“Oh- uh- yes. I am.” He rubs the back of his neck, as if he’s been cornered.

“That’s cool.”

“Cool?”

“I’ve never met a blind person before.”

“Oh.”

“Can I ask about stuff?”

“About being blind?” She hums.

“Okay,” Matt says, grabbing her a glass of water from the kitchen and some snacks, she must be hungry, “but you gotta eat these and drink this while you ask, I don’t want you going hungry.”

“‘M not hungry.” Right on cue, her stomach growls.

“You sure about that?” She grumbles and takes the snack.

“How does the cane help?” Her voice comes out mumbled from her stuffing her face.

“It helps by telling me what I’m going over, like if I’m going to run into something, or if I’m going to hit a curb. It also helps people know that I’m blind.”

“What color are your glasses?” He laughs.

“I’m told they’re red.”

“Red glasses are cool.”

“Thank you.” She falls silent, the only sound coming from her chewing.

“Are those two the only questions you had?” He asks, amused.

“Mhm.”

“Okay, is it alright if I leave you for a bit? Just to take a shower?”

“Do you have Bluey?”

“I’m- not sure what Bluey is on.”

“Do you have a tv?”

“I have a laptop.”

“Gimme.”

He gets her set up with the show, and before he steps into the bathroom, she has another question.

“Why is there a man talking on the computer?”

“What do you mean?”

“This man is not on Bluey.”

“Oh! Those are audio descriptions, they help me ‘watch’ tv by describing what’s happening. Here, I can turn it off for you.”

-----

Matt’s rubbing his damp hair dry with a towel when he emerges from the bathroom. The kid’s not on the couch, and Matt realizes she’s rummaging around the kitchen.

“Are you still hungry?” He asks, checking the time on his watch. It was just half past two in the morning.

“I didn’t have breakfast or dinner,” she explains, “just stinky school lunch. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I don’t think I have anything you’ll like, but I know a diner that’s still open and delivers. Does that sound alright with you?”

“Waffles and hot chocolate?”

“Waffles and hot chocolate.” He confirms, a smile growing on his face.

“Can I have whipped cream?”

“On the hot chocolate or on the waffles?”

“Both! And chocolate chips on the waffles!”

“Okay kiddo,” Matt says, chuckling, “let’s see what I can do.”

Thirty minutes later, the two of them are sitting at the dining table and eating waffles and drinking hot chocolate. Matt also indulged himself in whipped cream, and the kid was laughing from his whipped cream mustache. Her giggles are interrupted by a yawn, and Matt finally realizes just how late it is for her, even if this is normal operating hours for him.

“Why don’t you finish up that waffle while I set the bed for you? It’s been a long day.” She nods, and Matt gets up to set the bedroom for her. He’s glad he put in the investment to get curtains installed in the bedroom, so it’s easier for her to sleep. He grabs a few pillows and thicker blankets for her, as well as plugging a nightlight into the wall. She’s falling asleep at the table by the time he comes back, and he resorts to just carrying her to the bed.

“You’re sleeping here tonight, I’ll be on the couch. If you need anything you can wake me up, okay?” He explains, and she nods.

He settles on the couch, blanket up to his chin. He ventures in and out of slumber, listening in to the kid’s heartbeat until he realizes it hasn’t settled or slowed. He listens a bit more, getting up when he hears soft sobs.

“Hey,” he slides the door on its rollers, “are you alright?” She shakes her head quickly and reaches out for him. He rushes to her side and allows her to wrap her arms around his neck when he sits next to her. His hands rub up and down her back, as she buries her head in his neck and he lets her cry to her heart’s content. She cries about everything her dad did to her and his girlfriend, to her mom, she cries about her mom leaving her, she cries about getting bullied at school and being hungry all the time. The one thing that breaks Matt’s heart the most is how badly she cries about how nice he’s been to her. That the waffles were the most she’s eaten in one sitting in a month. That this is the first time she’s had clean sheets since she can remember. That he let her watch tv on his laptop.

He lets her cry until her sobs fall quiet, hiccups running through her little body. She asks him to stay, and he does just that. He props himself up against his headboard with a pillow tucked behind his back while she stays in the same position, body tucked against his, and she falls asleep with her head on his shoulder.

-----

He gets woken up by small taps on his shoulder. He jolts awake, trying to get his bearings.

“Why are you up?” He asks, hands coming up to rub his eyes.

“I have school. You gotta take me to school.”

“You have- can you miss today?”

“Nuh uh, they’ll call my dad, and plus I have a spelling test.”

“When does your school start?”

“8:30.”

“That’s in- that’s in twenty minutes. Oh god.” He springs out of bed, running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

The two of them are out the door in eight minutes, Matt’s tie is crooked and his hair isn’t brushed, but the kid looks impeccable and that’s what matters.

“What time does school end?”

“Three.”

“Okay, I’ll be right here to pick you up alright? I’ll try to get something sorted for you as far as everything else goes.” She nods, hugging Matt quickly, and before he can react she runs through the doors of the school.

-----

“Do I want to ask what happened last night?” Foggy says, but Matt’s focus is on Karen.

“Can you call Mahoney up here? And also child services? I have a- case, an important one.”

“Child services?” Karen asks.

“I’ll explain everything when they get here.”

The good thing about Mahoney knowing that Matt was Daredevil was the fact that he never questioned where exactly Matt got the kid from. He knew it was probably some vigilante act, but all Brett really cared about was knowing that there was a kid out there who was safe.

“Where did she stay last night?”

“She stayed with me.”

“Okay, we’re going to have you fill out some paperwork, Mr. Murdock, and then we’ll need to talk to her. Do you know where she is right now?” The woman from child services asks.

“School. She’s at school,” he turns to Brett, “could you request a wellness check on the girlfriend?” Mahoney nods.

“I’ll call it in.”

A few hours of paperwork and worried looks from Foggy and Karen puts Matt at 2:45. He asks if he can leave to pick the kid up from school, and they agree. Brett accompanies Matt in the fear that her dad might show up to pick her up, but nobody’s there when school lets out. Matt’s relieved and also a little heartbroken for her; Jack wasn’t the best father but he was still present and loved Matt as much as he could.

“You’re here!” He hears her squeal, her body making impact against his legs, her head thudding against his stomach.

“‘Course I am,” he says, taking her backpack from her and slinging it across his back before picking her up, “told you I’d be here.” She wraps her arms around his shoulders and hugs him tight.

“Murdock, I gotta talk to you when we get to the office,” Brett says, “in private.” Matt nods, and the girl peers at him.

“Who’s he?” She points at Mahoney.

“He’s someone who’s going to help put you in a safer place, I promise. Are you hungry?” She nods.

“Why don’t I meet you two back at the office?” Mahoney suggests, and Matt agrees.

“What are you in the mood for, kiddo?”

“Fries!” Matt sighs happily.

“Fries it is.”

Twenty minutes later the two of them show up, fries and burgers in tow. The child services worker pulls the kid away, and Brett finally gets to talk to Matt.

“They performed that wellness check, the dad answered, and officers were able to enter. They found a trail of blood leading to the bathroom. Matt, the girlfriend’s dead.”

“So you’re saying-”

“Kid can testify for assault and a witness for murder.”

“Jesus.” Matt rubs his forehead.

“We get her into some foster care or orphanage, we can keep her safe.”

“What about her mom?”

“Not on the records.”

“Birth certificate?”

“Was changed not to include her.”

“So she’s alone now.”

“Yeah.”

“That poor kid.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So what part do I have to take?”

“Nothing. As far as I know, you’re done with caring for the kid.” Matt rubs his forehead again, only looking up when the door to the conference room opens and little footsteps charge towards him.

“She said she’s taking me somewhere fun, are you coming with us?”

“Sweetheart-”

“You’re coming with, right?” Her voice softens, “he’s coming with us?” The lady shakes her head sadly, and the kid almost bursts into tears right then.

“You’re leaving me? I thought you liked me!” Her voice raises in anger and sadness, and Matt kneels in front of her.

“I do, sweetheart, I really do. But you’ll be better off with them. They’ll keep you safe.”

“You’re leaving me just like Mom did!” She bangs her small fists against Matt’s chest. He lets her, her anger bubbling over until she can’t contain it anymore. When she stops and begins crying, Matt takes her into a hug. She squeezes tight, and he lets her sob into his jacket.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but they’re going to take care of you.”

“I want you to take care of me.” She says, and Matt bites back tears at her confession.

“You’ve known me for a night, love. They have the resources, I don’t.”

“I’ll be so good! I won’t ever get in trouble!” A tear does fall from Matt’s face now, and he hugs her back tighter.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he gets her to settle down slowly, “I’ll come visit. I’ll visit you all the time with chocolate chip waffles and whipped cream on everything. I’ll be there, I promise.” She nods slowly in understanding.

“You have to make a pinky promise.” He holds out his pinky solemnly, and she takes it with her shaky hands. She hugs him again, and he presses a kiss to her forehead.

“Time to go,” the worker says, “you get to meet new friends there!” She tries to entice the kid, but she stays glued to Matt.

“Do you want me to walk you to the car?” She nods, holding his hand as she walks with him.

The goodbye at the car was tearful. She clung to him, wishing she didn’t have to leave while Matt sobbed silently. She tugs her backpack in with her and waves bye to him as the worker rolls up the window.

Matt goes straight home. He tried to stay in the office, but Foggy and Karen told him to leave, come back tomorrow when you feel better. He throws out the empty boxes from last night’s dinner and opens his laptop on the couch with a beer in hand to distract himself with case files. Except he’s not greeted with case files. He’s greeted with the Bluey theme song.

He sits there as episode after episode of the Australian show plays, sipping his beer as tears run down his face.

“This is stupid.” He mutters. He knew that kid for less than a day and was already so attached to her. He wipes his face and cleans around the house to distract his mind.

And then he gets waffles and hot chocolate with whipped cream for dinner.

#matt murdock #matt murdock fluff #matt murdock fanfic #matt murdock angst #matt murdock x child #dad!matt murdock #matt murdock x fem!child #marvel #marvel fanfiction #marvel fluff #marvel angst

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sulky-valkyrie · 7 months ago

Note

Prompt: Pride Demon

Extra points: Fenders or Doristair

Challenge round: 666 words

xoxo

XOXOXOXOXO for @dadrunkwriting

Alistair awoke with a start in a room full of purple fog.

No, wait.

He’d fallen asleep. After partaking in another of Hawke’s damnable pipes. Maker, why did I agree to that a second time? It was a silly question. After the day they’d all had, he’d needed something to take the edge off, and the Inquisition’s ale just wasn’t strong enough to keep the darkspawn chattering at bay.

He wasn’t awake at all, but dreaming.

Hands reached toward him through the haze, grabbing his wrists and pulling him upright. “Al, buddy!” Hawke giggled. “You’re just in time!”

“I just… wanted to get some sleep,” he protested as Hawke pulled him through a maze of drapery. “What the void did you put in your pipe this time?”

Hawke waved at him dismissively. “Tell you later, c’mon! I’ve got a surprise.”

Alistair stopped, and Hawke’s legs nearly slipped out from under him. “You. Have a surprise. In the Fade. How many dicks has it got?” He shook his head and turned around. “No, I don’t even want to know. I’ll just go back to my little corner and wait for this to wear off, thanks.”

“C’mooooooonnnnnnn,” Hawke whined. “Dorian thinks it’s hilarious!”

“Dorian’s here too?” Alistair looked around. “Where?”

“Keeping the grapes company.”

What could that possibly mean? “Fine,” he sighed, and let Hawke drag him off.

The mist thinned out as they walked, revealing a hall lined with mirrors. The reflections didn’t match, but their movements did: in one, a woman with graying hair and scars covering her throat led a darkspawn. In another, a revenant tugged at the wrist of a stableboy. In a third, a drake pranced held a mabari’s leash.

“What are -”

“Don’t look,” Hawke interrupted. “Too much fuckin’ introspection, not enough fucking, if you ask me.”

“Where are we?”

“The Fade, yeah? Anything goes, long as someone dreamed it.” He shrugged as he kept moving. “Windows ‘n’ shit. To other, y'know. Lives. Thoughts. Also the scissors.”

“Scissors?” Alistair asked.

Hawke pointed at a shattered frame up ahead. “Guess that one's my fault. Don't worry ‘bout the scissors. Broke that mirror already.”

That answer did nothing to soothe Alistair's nerves. “This - this is a good surprise, right?”

Hawke sped up. “C'mon.” They went from a jog, to a trot, to a flat run, moving too fast to catch the images in the mirrors beyond the occasional tentacle or wing.

They skidded to a halt at an enormous pair of doors decorated like an old elven mosaic.

Hawke shoved the doors open. “Honey, I’m home!”

Something snarled behind the curtain.

“About time!” Dorian called from one of those strange couches that only had an armrest on one side. “Was beginning to wonder if our resident Madman had taken a wrong turn at the Hall of Lies.” He grabbed something from a bowl held by a -

“Is that a desire demon?” Alistair blurted out as he drew his sword. “What's - Dorian, is this real? Are you?”

Dorian leaned back and glared at Hawke. “You didn’t tell him?”

Hawke laughed. “He’d think I’m crazy.”

“You are crazy.”

“Not the point.” Hawke turned to push Alistair toward Dorian’s couch. “I worked fuckin’ hard on this, and you’re gonna have fun, and then, if you’re still all frog-smalled about it, you can stuff a bronto in me horns first, yeah?”

Whatever any of this was, no one, not even a demon pretending to be him, could ever talk like that but the real Madman of Kirkwall, and if he was real, the Dorian must be too. Alistair gave up and sat down.

Hawke giggled, then ran across the room to tear down a curtain.

What was behind it was beyond anything he could’ve guessed: a pride demon wearing a dress and dancing the Remigold.

“Why?” was all he could think to ask.

Hawke laughed. “Lost a bet. Too much pride not to go double or triple or quadruple or nothing.” He slapped Alistair’s back. “Enjoy the show, Al.”

#da drunk writing circle #prompt fills #dragon age #alistair #hawke #madman of kirkwall #dorian #pride demon #general silliness

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shiorihyugawrites · 3 months ago

Text

A Soft Place

In a post-Rumbling world, where the threat of Titans no longer looms, Vanessa Sinclair finds herself living a quiet life, working at her family’s bakery in Wall Rose. Curvy and self-conscious, Vanessa has always faded into the background, overshadowed by her more outgoing friends. But everything changes when Captain Levi Ackerman, Humanity's Strongest Soldier, begins visiting the bakery regularly. What starts as a simple exchange of tea and pastries quickly evolves into something more. Levi, drawn to her quiet strength and beauty, takes Vanessa on a journey that forces her to confront her insecurities, while learning that sometimes, what lies beneath the surface is more than enough. (Levi x Plus Sized OC)

Chapter Twenty Seven

Three weeks had passed, and Vanessa couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Levi, as calm and stoic as ever, had been acting just a bit… off-kilter. It wasn’t anything glaring, but in the quiet moments when she caught him alone, she’d see subtle signs. Like the other day when she found him at the bakery, sipping his tea. Vanessa had walked in from the back room, ready to ask him something, and froze in her tracks.

Levi was smiling.

Levi, smiling to himself.

It had been a small, soft smile, just a flicker on his normally stoic face, but Vanessa had never seen him like that. The moment had been so strange that she almost asked him if he was feeling okay.

But then, just as quickly as it appeared, the smile was gone, and he was back to his usual unreadable self.

Vanessa hadn’t said anything at the time, but her mind had been replaying that moment ever since. She tried to brush it off, but the odd behavior didn’t stop there. Her mother, Vivian, had also been unusually giddy. For the past few weeks, Vivian had been sneaking glances at Vanessa, especially when Levi came over, and then she'd launch into some commentary about how "things are getting serious" and how "Vanessa isn’t getting any younger."

Robin and Emma were no better.

The two had insisted that they all get friendship rings—a harmless gesture at first. Vanessa had gone along with it, mostly because it seemed to make her friends happy. But something felt strange, they’d also been pushing her to keep her nails manicured. Robin had insisted, “You have to keep your nails looking perfect! You want to show off that ring, right?”

Vanessa didn’t see the need for it. “It’s just a friendship ring, Robin. Why the fuss?”

Robin had given her a sly grin, waving her hands dismissively. “You’ll thank me later. Just keep them looking nice, okay?”

Emma had been no less subtle. She’d commented at least twice that week about how beautiful Vanessa’s hands looked when they were all dressed up. Vanessa couldn’t help but feel like everyone around her was acting strange. Levi’s occasional secret smiles, her mother’s incessant comments, and now Robin and Emma’s bizarre focus on her nails? Something was going on, but she couldn’t figure out what...

…

It was another early morning at The Sweet House. Vanessa stood behind the counter, arranging pastries and filling orders. The bakery smelled of warm cinnamon, sugar, and freshly baked bread—comforting and familiar. Yet her mind wandered back to the strange behavior everyone around her had been exhibiting.

Levi was due to visit the bakery soon, as he always did, and Vanessa found herself nervously smoothing her apron, wondering if today would bring more of his cryptic smiles. She wasn’t sure whether to press him for answers or let it go.

As if on cue, the bell above the door chimed, and Levi stepped inside. He was dressed as usual—his coat framing his lean, strong figure—but there was something different about him today. He seemed… lighter, like the weight he usually carried had shifted slightly.

Vanessa greeted him with a warm smile, though her eyes were full of curiosity. “Morning, Captain,” she teased, handing him his usual tea. “You’re looking suspiciously happy again.”

Levi accepted the tea with his usual calm, but the corner of his mouth twitched, as if he were suppressing a smile. He gave her a quick glance, his steel-gray eyes betraying nothing.

“Just a good day,” he said, his voice as flat as ever, though Vanessa could sense something beneath the surface.

She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. “Uh-huh… Are you sure you’re not hiding something? You’ve been smiling more lately, and that’s not exactly your style.”

Levi met her gaze, his expression neutral but with a flicker of amusement. “I don’t smile.”

Vanessa crossed her arms, a playful grin spreading across her face. “I saw it with my own eyes, Captain. You smiled the other day. I almost had to check your temperature.”

Levi huffed, taking a sip of his tea as if to avoid answering, but Vanessa didn’t miss the way his eyes softened slightly when he looked at her.

“Maybe you’re imagining things,” he replied dryly, but there was something warm in his tone.

Vanessa wasn’t convinced, but before she could question him further, the back door swung open, and Robin and Emma burst into the room. They were carrying trays of freshly baked bread, but their eyes were on Vanessa and Levi. Both of them exchanged a look that Vanessa didn’t quite catch, and then Robin cleared her throat.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Captain Levi,” Robin said with a grin, setting the tray down. “You’re here bright and early. Planning to steal Ness away for some secret mission?”

Emma, trying to keep a straight face, added, “Yeah, you two seem to be in on something we don’t know about.”

Levi shot them both a sharp glance, and Vanessa, sensing the shift in the air, raised an eyebrow. “Alright, what’s going on with you three? You’ve all been acting weird for weeks now.”

Robin’s face went blank for a second, clearly trying to think of a way to steer the conversation away from dangerous territory. “What? Us? Nooo, we’re just our usual fabulous selves!”

Emma nodded, her expression painfully forced. “Yep, just making sure everything’s perfect for the bakery. Nothing else.”

Vanessa’s eyes flicked between them, then back to Levi. Her suspicion deepened. “Right. Sure.”

She wasn’t buying it.

…

The next day, Levi made his way toward the jeweler’s shop with a steady, purposeful stride. Today, it wasn’t just him heading to pick up the ring—Vivian had insisted on coming with him. Levi had agreed, knowing how important this was not only for him but also for Vanessa’s mother, who had been as excited, if not more, about the upcoming proposal.

As they approached the jeweler’s shop, Vivian could barely contain her excitement. She clutched her purse tightly, her eyes shining with anticipation. “Oh, Levi,” she gushed, almost bouncing with energy, “I can’t believe we’re here to get the ring! My Vanessa is going to be over the moon. I just know it!”

Levi glanced at her, offering a rare, small smile. “It’s about time,” he muttered, his usual stoic tone softened with a hint of excitement he couldn’t quite hide.

The bell above the door chimed as they stepped into the shop. The jeweler, the same elderly man who had worked with Levi to design the ring, looked up from behind the counter and smiled warmly at the sight of them. “Ah, Captain Levi, and you must be Vanessa’s mother,” he greeted, nodding politely to Vivian.

Vivian beamed. “That’s me! And I’m so excited I can hardly stand it.”

The jeweler chuckled softly as he reached beneath the counter, pulling out a small velvet box. “Well, I think you’ll both be pleased. The ring is ready, and I must say, it turned out beautifully.”

Levi stepped forward, his eyes trained on the box as the jeweler opened it. Inside, nestled in black velvet, was the gold band, shining softly in the light. The delicate oval-cut diamond sat perfectly in the center, not too large, but its brilliance caught the eye. The butterfly etchings on the sides of the band were subtle but intricate, each wing perfectly detailed. And inside, engraved in elegant script, were the words Levi had chosen: More than enough.

Vivian’s breath hitched the moment she laid eyes on it. “Oh my God,” she whispered, one hand flying to her mouth as her eyes welled up with tears. “Oh, Levi… it’s perfect. It’s… it’s even more beautiful than I imagined.”

Levi stared at the ring in silence for a moment, taking in every detail. It was exactly as he’d envisioned—simple, elegant, and deeply personal. Something Vanessa could wear every day without worrying, but still something that would remind her of how much she meant to him. More than she ever realized.

Vivian’s tears flowed freely now as she reached out to gently touch the edge of the velvet box. “She’s going to love it,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “I just know it. This is… it’s everything.”

The jeweler smiled, watching the emotional reaction with quiet pride. “I’m glad you both approve. I could tell this ring was made with a lot of thought and care.”

Levi nodded, his gaze still locked on the ring. “It was,” he said quietly.

Vivian sniffled and wiped at her eyes with a handkerchief she’d pulled from her purse. “I’m just so… so happy. I always dreamed of the day my Vanessa would find someone who truly saw her for the beautiful, kind, and talented woman she is. And to see how much effort you’ve put into this, Captain, it’s…” She paused, her voice trembling with emotion. “It means the world to me. And it will mean everything to her.”

Levi shifted slightly, feeling a rare wave of vulnerability pass over him as he listened to Vivian’s words. He wasn’t a man who spoke much, especially not about his feelings. But he hoped that everything he’d put into planning this—the ring, the proposal, everything—would show Vanessa how much she meant to him without him needing to say all the words.

“Thank you,” he said simply, his voice low but sincere.

Vivian gave him a watery smile, reaching out to place a hand on his arm. “No, thank you, Levi. For loving my daughter the way you do. I can’t tell you how much it means to me.”

Levi gave a small nod, his usual stoic demeanor firmly in place, but inside, he felt a swell of something that he couldn’t quite put into words. It was more than just love—it was a sense of purpose, of belonging, that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

The jeweler carefully closed the box and handed it to Levi. “Here you are, Captain. It’s all ready for you.”

Levi took the box, holding it in his hand for a moment before tucking it safely into his coat pocket. “Appreciate it,” he said, his tone firm and businesslike, though there was a quiet gratitude behind his words.

Vivian, still dabbing at her eyes with her handkerchief, looked at Levi with a knowing smile. “Now, when are you going to propose? Have you planned it all out yet?”

Levi exhaled softly, thinking about the answer. He had a few ideas floating around in his mind, but now that he held the ring, it all felt more real. “Not yet,” he admitted. “But it’ll be soon. I’m just waiting for the right moment.”

Vivian smiled, her eyes twinkling with excitement. “Whatever you do, I know it’ll be perfect. Vanessa won’t suspect a thing.” She let out a small laugh, her mood lifting. “She’s already wondering why you’ve been acting strange lately. She told me she caught you smiling to yourself!”

Levi gave a rare, faint chuckle at that. “She did. Almost blew it.”

“Well,” Vivian said, straightening up and clasping her hands together, “you’ve got my blessing, Captain. And believe me, I couldn’t be happier. I’ll keep my lips sealed, but I’m just counting down the days until I can see her face when you ask.”

Levi gave a short nod, his expression softening ever so slightly. “Thanks, Vivian. For everything.”

As they left the jeweler’s shop, Levi felt the small weight of the velvet box in his pocket. It wasn’t heavy in the physical sense, but it carried a meaning far greater than any object he’d ever held. This was the next step—something he’d never thought he’d be ready for, but now he couldn’t imagine not doing.

And as Vivian chatted excitedly beside him, already planning how to help with whatever proposal idea he came up with, Levi’s mind wandered to Vanessa. Her smile, her laugh, the way she’d transformed from the timid, self-conscious woman he first met into the confident, radiant person she was today.

She didn’t know it yet, but soon, he’d be asking her to spend the rest of her life with him.

And Levi had never been more certain of anything in his life.

…

Levi and Vivian strolled down the cobbled streets back toward The Sweet House, the winter chill nipping at their noses. The velvet box containing Vanessa’s ring was safely tucked away in Levi’s coat pocket, but he could still feel its weight—a constant reminder of the monumental step he was about to take. He kept his hands in his pockets, his mind working through the next steps, though for once, his sharp focus was softened by the warmth of the moment.

Vivian, walking beside him, was positively glowing. Her cheeks were still flushed from the excitement of seeing the ring, and she couldn’t stop smiling. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, she looked up at Levi, her eyes filled with affection. “Levi,” she began, her voice gentle but full of emotion, “I just want you to know how much I care about you.”

Levi glanced at her, momentarily caught off guard by the shift in her tone. “I know,” he replied, his voice quieter than usual. He wasn’t used to these kinds of heartfelt conversations, but with Vivian, they always seemed to come naturally.

Vivian’s steps slowed as she continued, “You’ve been such a blessing to our family. Seeing how happy you make Vanessa—it’s everything a mother could hope for. And to think… soon, you’ll officially be part of our family. I can’t even describe how much that means to me.”

Levi didn’t say anything at first, but he took in her words with deep respect. He knew how much family meant to Vivian—how fiercely she loved Vanessa, and how she extended that warmth and love to him without hesitation, even from the beginning. It was a kindness Levi wasn’t used to, but it was something he appreciated more than he could ever express.

“I’m honored,” Levi said finally, his voice low but sincere. “You’ve always been kind to me. Welcoming. That’s not something I’ve experienced much.”

Vivian’s eyes softened as she looked at him, her steps coming to a slow halt. They stood there in the middle of the quiet street for a moment, the bakery still a few blocks ahead. “Oh, Levi,” she said, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. “You deserve every bit of kindness and more. You’ve been through so much, and yet, you’ve come out the other side stronger. I see that strength in how you care for my daughter. And as her mother, there’s no greater gift than knowing she’s with someone who truly sees her for who she is.”

Levi stood there, taking in her words, feeling a rare sense of gratitude. He wasn’t one to dwell on his own past, but Vivian’s words brought a flicker of warmth to a part of him that had been cold for so long. “I respect you,” he said quietly, his steel-gray eyes meeting hers. “For raising Vanessa. For everything. She’s the woman she is today because of you.”

Vivian’s eyes brimmed with tears again, and she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand. “You have no idea how much that means to me, Levi. I’ve always wanted the best for her. And now, knowing she’s found that in you… I can’t even put it into words.”

Before Levi could respond, Vivian suddenly threw her arms around him in an excited, warm hug. He stiffened at first, as he always did when people hugged him, but after a second, he let himself relax into the embrace. Vivian’s affection was always overwhelming, but it was genuine, and that was something Levi had come to appreciate more than he ever thought he would.

Vivian pulled back slightly, only to plant a kiss on each of Levi’s cheeks, her laughter light and full of joy. “You’re going to make such a wonderful son-in-law,” she declared, her voice full of pride. “I can’t wait to officially brag about you to all my friends. ‘Captain Levi, my future son-in-law,’ I’ll say. They’ll be so jealous!”

Levi couldn’t help the small smirk that tugged at the corner of his mouth. “They’ll never hear the end of it, will they?”

Vivian grinned mischievously, wiping at her eyes again. “Not a chance! I’m already planning what to say the next time I meet up with the ladies for tea. Oh, they’ll all be asking about you.”

Levi shook his head slightly but couldn’t hide the faint amusement in his eyes. “I’m sure they will,” he muttered dryly, but there was a hint of warmth in his voice.

Vivian linked her arm with his as they continued walking toward the bakery, her voice full of excitement. “I just can’t wait. Vanessa has no idea what’s coming, does she?”

“No,” Levi replied, his tone soft but sure. “She has no clue.”

Vivian let out a small, happy sigh. “She’s going to be over the moon, Levi. You’ve done everything perfectly. She’s been through so much, but you… you make her feel safe. You’ve brought out the best in her.”

Levi’s heart swelled at the thought of Vanessa—her laughter, her warmth, her gentle but fierce spirit. “She’s done the same for me,” he admitted quietly, surprising himself with the honesty of the statement. “I never thought I’d have something like this.”

Vivian smiled softly. “Well, now you do. And I couldn’t be happier for both of you.” She gave his arm a gentle squeeze as they neared the bakery. “You’re family now, Levi. You’ve always been welcome, but now… you’re truly part of us.”

Levi didn’t say anything, but he felt a warmth in his chest that he hadn’t felt in years. Vivian’s kindness, her motherly warmth, had filled a gap in his life that had been left cold and empty since the loss of his own mother. He respected her deeply, not just for being Vanessa’s mother, but for the way she had welcomed him into their lives with open arms.

As they reached The Sweet House, Levi glanced over at Vivian, giving her a small nod of thanks—his silent way of expressing the gratitude he couldn’t quite put into words.

Vivian, still brimming with excitement, beamed up at him. “You’re going to make Vanessa the happiest woman in the world, Levi. I can already see it.”

Levi’s lips curved into a barely-there smile. “I hope so.”

“Oh, I know so,” Vivian said, giving him another quick hug before pulling back. “Now go home and start planning that proposal! You’ve got my full support.”

With that, Levi turned and headed toward HQ, the ring nestled safely in his pocket, his heart full as he walked through the streets. The next step was clear. The next chapter of his life—their life—was about to begin. And for the first time in a long time, Levi felt truly at peace.

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thisnameisnotspokenfor · 1 year ago

Text

The Kingdom of the Stars Chapter 4: The Proposition

((ooc: Merry Christmas to all of my tumblr followers/readers!))

Previous: Chapter 3

Next: Chapter 5

They made their way down the hallway, as several servants stopped to bow to their passing king.

It wasn’t until Asha recognized the familiar sight of the west wing’s door did she began to feel nervous.

He wasn’t going to take her down here, was he?

With a simple gesture, she watched the doors open themselves for the king as he stepped through. For a moment she hesitated, but after a minute or so of reassurance, she quietly followed the king through the doors.

Why was he taking her here? She wondered as she hesitantly followed him past the doors into another quiet room where there were three doors. All like the doors before had strange markings engraved into their frames. Runes, perhaps? She wasn’t sure, but something about them felt…different, even ominous.

Beside her, the king stopped, only to spare her a brief look before he said, “Do you know why you’re here Asha?”

“Not exactly your highness,” she confessed. Part of her was hoping that it hadn’t been to unleash whatever secret magical creature he’d hidden down here on her as punishment for her treason.

She held her breath as she watched him push the door open, revealing a large room that was thankfully absent of any mythical creature. Quietly, she followed him toward the room’s center. A sense of awe filled her as she took in the architecture of the room. Its tall windows in combination with the beautiful starry sky that had been painted on the ceiling left her feeling breathless.

“Does it look familiar?” he asks, a grin appearing on his face.

“This…this was one of my first star maps,” she breathed. “I made it back when my father was still here, and he’d take me stargazing.”

“I could tell. You remember showing it to us don’t you?” he asked as she gave him a brief nod. “It was always one of Amaya’s favorites. So, we were thinking that it was only fair that our apprentice of 5 years got to see the wish room, especially when we’d made her maps one of the more…permanent additions.”

“The wish room?” she repeated, feeling stunned as the glowing orbs came into view overhead.

He nods, as she watches the glowing, spherically shaped wishes of various colors slowly descend towards them. Some were bigger than others she noted, as the faint outlines of shapes and figures materialized as they neared. She could hear them, the sounds of laughter and voices talking as the wishes began to surround them. They’d looked just as she’d seen them in the wishing gardens, where people went to distribute their wishes to the king.

To anyone such a sight would’ve evoked a sense of wonder and beauty, but to Asha, she couldn’t help but feel… Skeptical? Disappointed? Maybe even angry?

She wasn’t sure how to explain it as she frowned, and quickly stepped out of the way of another wish that had begun to float towards her.

This hadn’t been her first time seeing a wish, as she’d remembered asking the king about her Saba’s wish a few years ago. It’d been his birthday and she’d wondered whether or not the king would grant his wish that he’d kept for years. So, after mustering up what little courage she could, she’d asked him, and to her surprise, he’d patiently answered. He’d selected her grandfather’s wish before promptly telling her that he wouldn’t grant it. Of course, she’d been a bit tempted to argue, but the arguments had immediately died down when she’d seen what said wish was.

At first, it depicted her Saba cheerfully playing his mandolin. Something that she’d deemed quite harmless. Then it’d shown her Saba cheerfully playing said mandolin while riding a fire-breathing dragon. Alright, so maybe his wish hadn’t been that harmless. She’d unfortunately conceded that point to the king.

Not all wishes were meant to be granted.

The sounds of the smaller wishes filled her ears as she could hear a middle-aged man wishing for someone to help him with his garden, and an elderly woman wishing for company.

She cast a glance in Magnifico’s direction, taking note of the serene yet happy expression his face held as he gently examined the wish in his hand. It was at moments like these that Magnifico truly resembled the king she’d read of in fairy tales. The ruler who fought the stars to protect the wishes of his people. The man whom her father had befriended and admired. A man who she too, could fully respect.

She could tell that these wishes had meant everything to him, and with his dying breath, he’d ensure that they would always be protected.

Quietly, he began to hum as the sounds of a gentle lullaby made itself known. One that felt so melancholic yet comforting at the same time.

“I’m truly honored Your Highness,” she softly says with a curtsy.

“As you should be. With the dawn of a new era upon us, there will be no time to be stuck dwelling in the past. We should all be moving forward as the best way to prevent history from repeating itself is to understand and know your future. Do you understand?”

“Yes Your Highness,” she nodded, although she’d felt that his words had been more of a command than a question.

“Good,” she watched as the wish slowly distanced itself from his fingers as he turned to her. “This is why we must move on- to protect what is important from those who would seek to destroy it at all costs.”

She nodded, and a brief image of the monsters he’d fought from the murals came to mind.

Part of her thought that such creatures were nothing more than exaggerations of past foreign enemies.

After all of her studies, Asha was confident that stars weren’t real monsters. She believed stars were nothing more than distant wonders of nature.

Nothing more and nothing less.

“Where are these wishes from?” she asked, glancing around at the wishes that surrounded them.

“They’re from Banquo.” the king answered, sounding a tad bit distracted.

The western part of Rosas, she noted, was just where the girl’s wish had been from as well.

“But speaking of Banquo, that reminds me. I have a proposition for you, something that I think you’d be interested in.”

“What…sort of proposition?” Asha asked, feeling her nerves begin to take hold of her once more.

“Well think of it like this, you want time off, correct? And I want you to stay around to help with the Astral Ball. So, I’ve devised a compromise of sorts. I will give you the day of the Astral Ball off- if , and only if you can finish the tasks I’ve given you by tomorrow nightfall.”

“Really? Well, what sort of tasks would you like me to do, your highness?”

He chuckled. Uh oh. “Well I’m glad you asked,” he says before withdrawing an extensively long scroll from thin air. Oh no . “I’m going to need you to oversee the decorations of the western and eastern markets, ensure all the shipments have arrived and are in their proper places, and -,”

“And?” Asha squeaked, nearly giving into despair.

“I will need you to tell my nephew that his presence is requested for the ball.”

Asha nearly choked when she heard that.

His nephew?

Prince Ignacio?

He hadn’t been seen or heard from in months! No one knew where he was! How was she supposed to find him and convince him to come home in less than a day?!

“Do you think you can do all of that?” he says while giving her a look that said he most definitely knew she could not. Missing royal nephew aside, getting the markets dressed to the nines in time would be impossible- how was she going to travel the island in less than a day?!

“W-well, I-,” she begins.

“You know what?” he called, looking way too amused at her hesitation. “ I’m feeling generous today, so I’ll even throw in this offer. If you get all of these things done on time, not only will I grant you time off, but I’ll even consider funding one of your little projects! How does that sound?”

Oh, he definitely didn’t think she could do this on time, but the offer of funding for one of her projects sounded too good to pass up. It could be the solution she’d long since dreamed of- a way out of all of the dead ends of frustrations she’d been feeling lately!

“Well, I have been doing some work on my boat models, and I really think we could-,”

“Yes, yes, that’s lovely,” the king interrupted with a wave of his hand. Now he looked impatient. “But are you going to accept my proposal or not?”

‘This was a lot to do for a well-deserved vacation and some consideration,’ Asha thought, while hesitantly glancing out of the window. But consideration was a lot more than the usual firm, no, and it did give her a good excuse to travel where the girl who’d wished for the dresses had been…Not to mention that if she could do it, then she’d finally be able to see her Saba and mother again, both of whom she was starting to miss terribly. If only they could know what their hero, the king, was putting her through to see them again, she thought. She wondered if it would change their perception of him. Maybe they’d finally start to listen to her about not indulging in the magic of Rosas, for once-

“The clock is ticking Asha. So what will it be?”

Determined not to look as panicked or uncertain as she felt, Asha straightened her posture, “of course! I will do my best, your highness. I will have everything finished by tomorrow nightfall!”

“Excellent,” he says, sounding a little too smug for her liking as she watches the scroll place itself into her hands. With a flicker of his hands, the wishes begin to ascend towards the ceiling once more before completely disappearing without a trace. “I’ll check in on you tomorrow at the eastern market. I wish you luck on all of your tasks, Asha,” Magnifico calls, as she begins to follow him out.

'Him and me both,' Asha thought, as she quickly jotted down the tasks from the scrolls onto a spare piece of paper she kept in her satchel before placing the scroll down on a nearby table.

She had scurried past the entrance to the west wing when she saw him again. “Oh and another thing,” he calls to her as she sees the door to the west wing close themselves. “Could you please fix the lock on the library door for me? It’s been broken since last night.”

“Yes your Highness,” she bows as she hears him chuckle once more. The familiar taste of disappointment filled her mouth as she heard him chuckle again before walking off.

Thirty minutes later, Asha found herself feeling determined to make the king regret his proposition. She was quite certain that said proposition was nothing more than a lesson to teach her about inconveniently asking for time off. However, she’d felt that the king had sorely underestimated her if he’d decided to call victory so soon.

Fixing the lock on the library had expectedly taken her a total of three minutes to do. Such a banal task had been familiar to her as she’d had a history of repairing broken non-magical locks all over the castle. It was just one of the many trivial tasks as an apprentice that Magnifico usually assigned for her due to her lack of magical ability.

But as soon as she’d finished said task, she’d rushed as quickly as she could back to her quarters. She’d written several messages, all to the people she’d spoken to for the ball’s arrangements, calling for them to meet her this evening. She’d done it before, and she was quite confident she could do it again.

“It’s at times like these when I begin to realize exactly why democracy is on the rise in some countries. Why is it that I have to do a herculean task just to get him to even consider some of my projects? He could have just said no like he always does! But, if he thinks I’m going to pass up this opportunity, well he’s got another thing coming and I don’t think he’s going to like it!” Asha whispered to Valentino as he followed her through the dark passages to the castle courtyards. The castle courtyards were always in impeccable shape, she thought as she saw the beautiful limestone statues above the bushes of blooming crimson roses and lemon-colored tulips.

Had it not been for the arduous amount of tasks she had to do, Asha would’ve gladly stopped to enjoy the sweet scent and sights of the brilliant flowers that surrounded her. But alas, she knew better. The flowers served as nothing more than one of the king’s many beautiful distractions to the people of Rosas.

Navigating through the mazes of well-trimmed green bushes, marble fountains, and smaller flowers, she finally made her way to the small wooden birdhouse that had been neatly tucked out of sight.

She’d built this birdhouse a year ago after she’d saved a few birds from the royal couple’s nefarious cat. Although said deed had earned her the eternal ire of the royal cat, she’d quickly found herself forming a small friendship with the birds, as their numbers quickly began to grow.

“I’m back!” she sang, watching as a few dozen colorful birds emerged from their birdhouse flying over to greet her. She let out a small laugh as she watched many of them land near her feet as she withdrew a piece of bread from her pocket.

Kneeling to the ground she called out, “Hello Adelina, Alejandro, Carmen,” she grinned as a scarlet-colored bird perched on her sleeve, brightly chirping to her as she gently petted it. “I missed you too Abril. How has everyone been doing?” she asked, as the birds responded with a choir of chirps and song. “I’ll take that as a ‘very good’. Are you guys ready for lunch?”

The birds replied with a variety of chirps before eagerly hopping towards her. “I’ll take that as a yes as well,” she grinned as she began to toss the pieces of food to them. They eagerly gobbled it up, before she withdrew another piece of bread from her pocket. “I hope you guys have been doing well- the cat wasn’t after you again was he?” she asked, as the birds continued to coo and chirp. “I’ll take that as a no.” She began to tear the bread into smaller pieces as she watched Valentino happily chase some of the birds who always flew out of reach.

“Look, I need to ask you guys a quick favor,” she said to the birds that had stilled near her feet. “My Saba’s birthday is coming up soon, and I need to take time off. So the king agreed to give me time off, if and only if I could complete a certain amount of tasks on time. It’s a lot to do, and I was wondering if you could lend me a hand, er, wing, please? I’ll give you guys a surprise if you help me out,”

That seemed to do the trick as she saw a few bluebirds flap their wings in excitement.

“I knew you’d see it my way,” she grinned. “Now I’m going to need 10, or maybe 12 of you, to fly to the landmarks we learned and deliver these messages. Ok?”

The birds nodded, twelve hopping towards her as she began to gently tie her messages to their feet. After a few minutes of simple instructions, they began to fly off toward the directions she’d assigned them. “Stay safe!” She called as she watched their figures sail off into the distance.

“Ok, that’s one task down.” She muttered to herself as she began to pace. Several remaining birds had joined Valentino to curiously watch her.

“If they all reach their destination then I should be able to meet with everyone today which will be perfect.” She glanced towards the sky. Her mind fervently racing against the clock. “There’s still time, so I should be able to make my way towards the western market and Banquo. If I can oversee that I’ll be able to take care of other affairs-,” she paused mid-step as she glanced at the animals who’d still been curiously watching her.

“Right right and then I’ll have to hunt down the prince. The same prince who literally disappeared off the face of the earth three years ago, but I’ll have to find him. In less than a day,” she groaned as Valentino bleated. “It was a figure of speech, Valentino no one can just disappear off of the face of the earth. Especially a prince. Someone has to know something, but who-,” She paused mid-stride as an idea made its way into her head and she grinned. “I think I just got an idea.”

Now Valentino looked curious, as Asha bid the rest of her birds farewell and began to make her way through the courtyard.

She’d nearly reached the entrance to the secret passage when a sudden figure stepped into her view.

“Y-your Highness!” she stammered as she clambered into a curtsy.

“Asha,” the queen had said with a small smile as she held a small single crimson rose. “I hope I wasn’t disturbing anything?”

“Of course not Your Highness,” Asha replied. “How may I be of service to you?”

The queen paused, shooting a glance around the garden before she stepped forward. She quietly took Asha’s hands into her own as she whispered, “I only come to ask you of something. It won’t be much because I know he’s given you a lot to worry about, but please- when you find Ignacio, tell him that there will always be a place here for him, regardless of what his uncle says…” Asha nodded, a bit taken aback by the grief and sadness that had washed over the queen’s face. “It’s been three years,” she murmured. “Please tell him to come home.”

“I will do my best to see to his return,” Asha promised, before giving the queen a small bow.

“Thank you,” the queen said, withdrawing her hands before departing.

Asha wasted no time packing everything she’d need for the trip which was a short list that included: clothes, her storybook, her emergency kit, her drawing book, her apprentice papers, a few star maps along with a traditional map of Rosas, and her father’s old astrolabes.

The only thing she needed now was food.

Quickly using the secret passages, she entered into the kitchen where Dahlia was now working.

“Dahlia!” she cried.

“Let me guess you need some food for your trip?” the girl had asked while wiping her hands on the apron.

“Yes! Wait…how did you figure that out? No, no let me guess- he was monologuing on his way to his study again, wasn’t he?”

“Yep,” Dahlia nodded. “He had a whole musical number with it.”

“Was it catchy?”

“Very.”

“Great, now I guess I know what song everyone will be running into the ground for the next week,” Asha groaned.

Dahlia grinned, walking towards her with a bag of food. “Here you go,” she said as she handed it to Asha. “You’ll be needing it. I packed some stuff for Valentino as well.”

“Thank you,” Asha said, grateful for the assistance. “I’ll pay you back for this.”

“You don’t need to pay me back for this,” Dahlia replied as her voice grew quiet. “Just bring Ignacio back, please.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Asha promised.

“And when you do, could you tell him?” Dahlia paused, her voice trailing off as she watched her cast a wary glance towards the door. ‘It was probably where the other apprentices were, Asha thought, as she placed the bag of food in her satchel. Then with a defeated shake of her head, Dahlia sighed, “Never mind. Just stay safe out there ok?”

“I will,” Asha said, offering her a small smile. “I’ll be back soon, and I’ll bring him home. I promise.”

“Thank you,” Dahlia said, before quietly taking her place next to the oven. The warm fire of the oven cast a soft glow on her features, as she closed her eyes. The wonderful scent of lemon cakes and croissants began to reach Asha, as she briefly took in the quiet serenity of the kitchen.

A lot of things had been left unsaid between them, she thought as she made her way to the stable. Things that she wasn’t sure if she’d regret not hearing before she’d embark. She’d known that out of the two markets, the more affluent one would be the more sensible and easy one to tackle with her remaining hours of daylight. Then tomorrow, she’d figured that she’d focus all of her energy on both the eastern market and the missing prince if she hadn’t found him before the night had ended.

She admitted that she’d been making a lot of promises lately. Promises she hadn’t been certain she could keep. But she’d try, if not for her own sake, then for the sake of the queen, Dahlia, and her family.

She’d made her way to the stable before she ran into two other apprentices- Bazeema and Safi.

“You should take Sebastian,” Safi sniffled while pointing to the black horse. “He’s the fastest horse we have.”

“Thanks,” Asha said. She was quite certain that he’d been more familiar with the horses here than her. When he wasn’t busy working with the king or the castle’s chickens, he’d often spend his time out here in the stables.

“Be careful out there,” Bazeema said softly as her dark eyes filled with worry.

“I will,” Asha promised, trying to hide her surprise at their help. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate the gesture, but part of her felt that it was done more out of concern for their friend than her.

But Bazeema’s next words quickly put those thoughts to rest when she said, “If you go west…Try- try not to go into the forests ok?”

“What’s wrong with the forest?” Asha asked, actually halting as she looked at the girl curiously.

“W-well the last time I went out there, it felt different- but maybe that was just me.”

“The forests are always unpredictable,” the boy nodded. “Especially on the eastern side.”

That was to be expected, Asha thought. The eastern side of Rosas hosted the biggest wish garden- a place where people would go to send their wishes to the king. From there all were sent to the castle where a selected few would make their way forward, purely by chance, as the king had promised, to him.

But the look of concern and fright on Bazeema’s face seemed so sincere that for a second Asha really began to consider whether or not it was a good idea to go.

Of course, it was, she nodded to herself.

She had to go if she wanted to be home for her Saba’s birthday, or help the people get their wishes granted or even get her project funded!

She was so close and she would not let anyone or anything get in the way of that. Magic or not.

Steeling her nerves, She’d carefully settled herself on the horse’s saddle, looking over everything as she made sure that Valentino was properly secured.

“I’ll be back soon with the prince,” she told them. “You can count on it.”

“Good luck out there!” Safi said before sneezing into his elbow.

“Stay safe!” Bazeema called as they rode out from the stable.

The wind whistled as it whipped through her hair, the warm breeze felt welcoming as she took in the sounds of the distant city.

“Ready?” she asked the young goat, who’d bleated excitedly, and with that, she’d taken off, blissfully unaware of the trouble that soon awaited her.

#the kingdom of the stars #wish remake/rewrite #wish disney #writers on tumblr #wish #wish asha #wish magnifico #king magnifico #wish au #lol magnifico is the only one in character YIKES #queen amaya #bazeema #safi #magnifico x amaya #disney wish #wish dario #wish dahlia #wish amaya #wish bazeema

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desertfangs · 2 years ago

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Lesmond and the sentence "I fear our love is unsustainable"

So I am not going to manage to stick to 5 sentences basically ever and I gave up. Thanks for the prompt, anon! Feel free to send a pairing and first line and I will get to it sometime this week with a little ficlet or drabble!

"I fear our love is unsustainable.”

Armand froze in the doorway of the small balcony that jutted off the side of his bedroom, his feet bare on the soft carpet. He’d come out of the bathroom from trimming his auburn hair—he’d meant to do it when he’d awoken before he’d been so rudely distracted—and the words caught him off guard.

Instead of responding, he took in Lestat. He had a wistful expression, tanned hands holding the railing of the balcony as he looked out over the city. He wore a collared shirt, unbuttoned and whipping in the wind like his blond hair, and boxer shorts. Armand had been planning to drag him back inside before the neighbors saw him out there half-dressed and then he’d spoken.

What a thing to say! There was love between them, yes, of course. They were brothers in the blood, as Daniel was so fond of saying, and what they’d just done… He could see the fading mark on Lestat’s thigh, just beneath the hem of his shorts. He looked at his own wrist where only the faintest hint of a bite mark still stained his pale white skin. But they hadn’t dared speak in such bold terms about it yet, not when this type of intimacy was still new between them.

“You and Louis?” Armand asked, intentionally obtuse, leaning against the door frame. “Perhaps you should simply concede him to me.”

Lestat shot him an irritated look and Armand had to suppress a smile. He was so very easy to rile up and Armand got such pleasure from doing so. “You would steal him from me. You’re a heartless creature,” Lestat said.

Armand felt a slight sting at that. He didn’t dare show it. He smiled in the most sinister way he could manage and said, “A ruthless monster, in fact.”

Lestat frowned, his lips curving downward. The tiniest crease appeared in his brow. “Do you ever worry you’ve taken on too much?” His characteristic cockiness was gone.

Armand did, of course. He thought of Trinity Gate being filled with people during nearly every crisis. How he’d built and maintained a safe home for so many of the people he loved. But he wasn’t sure if that was what Lestat meant. “No,” Armand lied. “Do you?”

Lestat shifted from one foot to the other. Lestat didn’t answer. But Armand knew he did. He had been talking about the burdens of the throne just last night with Daniel, as they set up the conference room here so he could attend some meetings at Court remotely. So they all could. Anyone who might have need of it.

Armand stepped onto the balcony. He moved behind Lestat, wrapping his arms around Lestat’s taught, muscular body. He was cool and solid, and Armand could smell his cologne, sharp and spicy. He breathed him in. He could almost smell the sun on his skin from his last tanning session. Such a strange thing for a vampire to do. Only Lestat would have the ability and choose to use it.

Lestat leaned back against him, and Armand held him tightly. They stood there not speaking for several moments until Armand heard a door open from one of the houses next door. Trinity Gate was massive and his room was in the middle, but they would still see them plainly enough if they glanced over from their own balcony.

Armand pulled back and took Lestat’s hand. “Come, let’s go inside and get you dressed properly.”

Lestat, for once, obeyed without arguing, although he pulled his hand from Armand’s and walked past him into the room. “First you want to tear my clothes off, now you want to dress me like a doll. Can you ever make up your mind?”

“I want no such thing,” Armand said. Just because he’d bought Lestat a new wardrobe, it didn’t mean anything. He’d arrived with almost no clothes and Armand didn’t want him ruining things from Daniel and Louis’ closets.

Lestat grinned as he went over to retrieve some of the clothes from last night’s shopping trip. “You’re a liar.”

#this was a fun first line!#thank you so much for the prompt #armand/lestat #armand #lestat de lioncourt #vc fanfic #first line prompt game #vc #vampire chronicles #ficlet

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endeavour12345fics · 1 year ago

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The Aftermath, chapter 23

A few days after Christmas, Philip and Elisabeth met up near the Hufflepuff common room. As they were walking through the empty halls, they noticed that a classroom door was open. Philip entered the room first, wand ready for anything. Elisabeth followed him.

At first, they couldn’t se anything in the darkness. Then they noticed a strange reflection and approached it.

They lit up their wands, looking at the reflection. It was an enormous mirror, with an inscription carved at the top of its wooden frame.

“Can you read it? It seems strange, yet somewhat recognisable.” Elisabeth’s eyes were focused on it.

Philip looked at it, and it immediately made sense. “I show not your face but your heart’s desire.” he read, trying not to laugh at his friend’s baffled expression.

"How were you able to read it that fast? That's orientated from right to left."

"Perks of being left-handed." Philip answered with a smile.

Elisabeth didn’t reply. Instead, she looked like she’d seen a ghost for the first time.

“Elisabeth? What can you see?”

She didn’t look at him but grabbed his arm.

“I see my parents. Together and happy like… before what happened to my mother.”

“Did she die?” Philip asked, unable to stop himself. Elisabeth didn’t seem shocked by the question, so he hoped he hadn’t gone too far and ruined their friendship.

“Oh, no. She’s alive, but she’s in an asylum. I don’t want to say she’s mad, but she has… some issues.”

“I see. I’m sorry for asking, I should think before I speak.”

“It’s fine, really. I wasn’t expecting the question, it’s just that.”

He looked at the mirror and couldn’t prevent the lump that formed in his throat. Eleazar and Miriam were looking back at him, smiling and happy. He wished it was true, that they were still by his side, and not mere reflections of what he wanted the most.

“Philip?”

He could hear Elisabeth’s voice, but it was dimmed, as if she was far away. When she touched his arm, it broke the trance-like state he was in, and he turned to her, his eyes full of tears that threatened to spill at any moment.

“What did you see?”

He tried to speak, but nothing came out. He let himself slid to the floor and stayed there, hugging his knees. She sat with him, his hand on his shoulder, as the dam broke, and tears flowed.

“I saw Professor Fig and his wife, Miriam. I don’t remember if I ever told you, or if you heard it from someone else, but they took me in when I was younger. Last year, Professor Fig was finally able to adopt me. That’s one of the reasons why we were so close.”

“I’m so sorry.” She said, hugging him. He retributed the hug, and they stayed like that for what seemed like several minutes.

As they got up, Philip heard a noise from outside the room. “Let’s go. If it’s Peeves, we’re screwed.”

They waited to check if anyone was approaching, then parted ways, going in opposite directions.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Philip went to look for Sharp, to tell him what he’d seen. As he climbed up the stairs in the faculty tower, he saw Sharp entering his rooms.

“Professor! Something happened, I thought you should know.”

Sharp turned to look at him. “What happened? Come in, and we’ll talk.”

He allowed Philip to enter the room, closing the door behind them. The fire was already lit, warming up the room.

They sat down, Sharp giving Philip an inquisitive look.

“So... what happened?”

Philip told him as best as he could. How Elisabeth and he had seen the open door and decided to check the apparently empty, abandoned room. How they’d seen the mirror. When he mentioned the inscription, he could see that Sharp was thinking, but he said nothing.

Then came the hardest part: telling Sharp what he’d seen in the mirror. As he spoke, having to stop sometimes to catch his breath, Sharp nodded in an understanding manner, as if he was expecting it. As if he knew what Philip would have seen.

As Philip finished speaking, Sharp picked up his cane and got up from his armchair. Damn cold weather, he thought. As if it usually the pain wasn’t bad. “Would you like to show me the mirror?”

They left the room, with Philip leading the way. As they approached the classroom, Philip stopped next to the door. “If you want to, I’ll stay here, to give you some privacy.”

“You’re welcome to enter with me. In fact, having someone else in the room may make it easier.”

They entered together, and Sharp examined the mirror. He took his time reading the inscription, before looking at the reflective surface. Philip was a few steps to the side, unable to see it.

Sharp made a strangled sound, as if he was trying to repress tears. Philip walked to his side to try and comfort him, and then he saw it.

A younger Sharp, looking healthy, and another young person he could not recognise. By the badges on their lapels, Philip understood they were Sharp’s auror partner. The two of them seemed close, making what Philip knew about the incident almost unbearable to think about.

“Professor?” Philip asked, hoping Sharp could hear him. “Were they your partner?”

“Yes, this was William, my partner in my auror years. You already know what happened to him, and how I came to teach at Hogwarts.” His voice seemed devoid of emotion, as if he was trying his hardest to keep it together.

“Come, it’s getting late, and I still have some lesson plans to finish.”

Philip went to his common room, and Sharp went back to his quarters. He had work to do, but he couldn’t focus. The emotions he’d felt while looking at the mirror resurged, making him collapse into his armchair.

“I’m sorry, William.” he said, his voice inaudible among his sobs. “I should have known something was up, in that Scarborough dock. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”

He allowed himself to cry, until he felt that he had run out of tears. Then he poured himself a firewhisky and picked up his lesson plans. He knew burying himself in work to force emotional numbness was a bad habit, but he wouldn’t break it anytime soon.

#hogwarts legacy #aesop sharp

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rarespawnwrites · 1 year ago

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"I'm not a ghost, you maniacs!"

Danny's jaw hung open as he watched the old footage Tucker had dug up from a file on Danny he'd found on the Fenton parents' hard drive.

It was... an old-school Robin. Tiny, in an oversized yellow cape and a white-eyed domino that probably did nothing to help his case in his parents' one-track minds. He was lying on a metal table with restraints on each of his limbs.

"Silence, specter!" His dad boomed, his frame taking up most of the monitor's screen. Jack's size and volume caused the kid to flinch. "Normal humans can't switch from teenagers to toddlers!"

"I'm twelve, not two, jerkwad," Robin muttered, his voice only just caught by the sensitive mic. "You're really planning to take apart a toddler?" he asked, his voice louder. "Think about that, for maybe... two seconds! Or at least think about what Batman'll do to ya." His voice grew more strained and high-pitched as Jack held his arm still while Maddie drew blood with a horrifically over-sized syringe.

When she finally removed the needle, there was a whooshing noise followed by several loud crashes, and the lights went out. After several more alarming noises, the footage cut out.

Danny sat in the computer chair in front of Tucker’s monitor, frozen. Sam sat in a second chair next to him while Tucker sat on the edge of his bed. Tucker, having already watched the video, fiddled with his tablet as the others absorbed what they’d just watched.

“After that,” Tucker said, “the file mentions a bunch of tests they did with the tissue and blood samples they’d saved. One of their experiments was a cloning project, which resulted in you. After they concluded you had turned out a normal human, your file just… ends.”

Danny turned toward Tucker in disbelief. “So you’re telling me that not only am I a clone, I’m Robin’s clone?! The original child hero?” Tucker continued scrolling through his tablet, eyes glued to the text of whatever he was still looking into.

“That was the second Robin, not the original,” Sam said. “This is the one the Joker bragged about killing.”

“So I’m the clone of a dead child hero. Yeah, okay, that tracks.”

“Holy shit, dude,” Tucker blurted out. “Your parents did time at Arkham.” Both Danny and Sam whipped toward Tucker, eyes wide.

“There’s no way!”

“They got out after like, two months!” Tucker squeaked, equally disbelieving. “Their release forms are signed by some doctor named Hugo Strange.”

“He met the Fentons and thought they were SANE?!” Sam glanced at Danny and coughed. “Er, no offense.”

Danny shrugged. “No, you’re right. I guess you go strange once you work at Arkham.” Sam huffed, her lips quirking into a brief smile before she banished it in favor of her best deadpan expression.

Tucker finally looked up from his tablet. “I wonder if that Robin became a ghost. Maybe you could find him in the ghost zone? After all, wouldn’t he be like, your dad? Wait, doesn’t that make Batman your grandpa?!”

Tucker threw the tablet on his bed, standing up. He got into Danny’s space, pulling the collar of his t-shirt as he leaned in. “Danny! BATMAN owes you fifteen years worth of birthday presents! As your best friend, who has shared everything with you from infancy, that means Batman owes ME seven-point-five years worth of birthday presents.” Tucker’s eyes were a little wild. “Danny. Danny! Get. Me. Bat-tech!”

Danny barked a laugh. “Tuck, I’m not going to show up in Gotham with Batman’s dead kid’s face to demand child support in the form of cool gadgets.” He pried the collar of his shirt out of Tucker’s fingers before he could stretch it out too much. “I kinda wish I could meet the second Robin, but even if he is a ghost, don’t you think he might hold a grudge? My parents went all Vlad on him when he was a little kid!”

Besides, if Robin counted as his dad, wouldn’t that make Danny Dani’s dad? Yeah, no. Fifteen was too young to have an adolescent kid. Danny would not be calling this guy his dad anytime soon.

“Your creators, you mean,” Sam said morbidly. “Anyway, who says he has to be a ghost? If he’s your dad, maybe when he died he just… got back up again. You did.”

Danny facepalmed. “Sam, that was a lab accident. You set up that lab accident. Twice! Coming back from the dead isn’t genetic.”

“Isn’t it?” A new voice asked. It was an unwelcome, familiar voice. Belatedly, Danny’s breath fogged the air as Desiree came into view. “The second Robin is famous in the Ghost Zone,” she crooned. “Though he’s gone by a different name for nearly a decade now.”

Danny’s left eye twitched as he frantically ran through the recent conversation again, trying to figure out where they’d screwed up. Ah. Now he remembered.

“Oh, no,” he groaned.

Desiree’s laughter echoed. “Oh, yes! One former Robin, coming up! Enjoy the family reunion with your madman of a progenitor!”

Tucker’s room vanished, the clean blue walls replaced with a filthy alley and flickering streetlights. Danny hovered in his sitting position for a comical moment before crashing down on top of someone, who grunted before falling still. Danny rolled off the guy, sitting on damp concrete and reaching a hand behind himself to rub his sore back.

Then he saw the gun.

Danny was very aware of being in his human form as he sheepishly raised his hands in the air from his sitting position. In front of him stood the helmeted figure of the Red Hood, the infamous mass murderer, drug lord, and fugitive. He was a tank of a man who matched Jack Fenton for intimidating size and was leagues beyond him in intimidating muscle.

‘He’s just a human,’ Danny told himself, taking a deep, steadying breath. ‘He can’t hurt me, I’ll just go intangible.’

He breathed out, and exhaled cold mist. ‘Of course. Just my luck.’

‘Wait. Didn’t Desiree say she was sending me to the second Robin?’ With vain hope, Danny’s eyes flicked to the only other person in the alley. Blonde guy, fifties, balding, heavyset… There was no way that was the same person as the kid in the video. If that kid had grown to adulthood, he'd be in his late twenties.

He looked back at the crime lord, who hadn’t moved since Danny had looked up at him the first time. Probably because a fifteen year-old lookalike had just dropped out of the sky in front of him. Danny chuckled nervously.

“Hi Dad,” he said, instantly changing his policy on clones. “Nice to meet you. Please don’t shoot me?”

Danny lands at the feet of his cloning template, and in a desperate bid to not get murdered by said template, he gave a wry smile before saying, "HI, dad." He then used the moment of stunned silence to escape.

A week later, he regrets his decision as he walks down the stairs to find his template in his living room, interrogating his tied up parents.

#dcxdp #dpxdc #the doctors fenton totally did some mad science for dr strange #technically they're former rogues #they still do absurd crimes but they moved so they're not batman's problem anymore #jason's totally down to become their problem though

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writefightandflightclub · 3 years ago

Text

Once More With Feelings: (Santiago Garcia x fem!reader)

Summary: you, Santi, and Frankie have been best buds since high school, when the three of you would while away your days playing in the world’s most average metal band. But, when Frankie finds an old home movie of said band days in his dad’s garage, some memories -and some secrets- come to the fore. Secrets which recast everything you thought you knew about back then and now… and about one of your dearest friends in particular.

Genre/tropes: fluff, pining, all the good stuff.

Author’s note: this popped into my head and felt too cute not to share. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 🧡 Oh, and tell me how I did on the band name? 👀 😂 LOL.

Warnings: pining(?), kissing(?), unrequited love(?). Throwbacks to high school. Reader is the same age as the boys but you can imagine this being set when they were all younger (or older) than the canon, if you like, so I don’t think it matters.

Rating: TEEN (but my blog is 18+)

Gif by @nightofthecreeps

Your exuberant peals of laughter bounce off the walls of Frankie’s living room, and you slap your thigh as you fold forward in mirth. Beside you on the couch, Santi’s deep, scratchy chuckle sounds, tears being squeezed and planed from his eyes as the footage rolls.

On the other side of you, however, Frankie looks none too impressed.

The footage in question is an old home movie Frankie recently dug out of his dad’s garage, the VHS tape mysteriously marked only with the date: 1994. Recognising it as one of your old band practice tapings from high school back in the day, Frankie had scooped it up, and now the three of you were preparing to relive your pre-glory days.

You’d brought the popcorn, feeling extremely nostalgic and so ready to relive the golden years of your friendship with these two dumbasses; before they’d scarpered, leaving town -and you- for the army.

You’d rekindled your friendship with them since, and in some ways it felt like no time had passed at all, but you undeniably looked back on your time with them in high school as some of your happiest days (at least, so far).

You weren’t sure exactly what footage was on here (you really hoped that it hadn’t been taped over with Frankie’s parents getting frisky or some shit), but you had been so ready for the trip down memory lane - and so far it was not disappointing.

“Look!” you had exclaimed, pointing at the screen with your arm at full extension, vibrating with laughter as young Frankie had appeared on screen, flipping the handheld back towards his face. “Look at that haircut.” Then, you had batted Santi frantically in the chest with the back of your hand. “Is he wearing eyeliner?! Look at you, Frankie!”

Santi had joined you in the good-natured teasing, until the two of you had become a crumpled, giggling heap in the corner of the couch -surprise and delight responsible, more than anything, for your mirth.

“Alright, alright,” Frankie grumbles now as he rides out your mockery, even as a bright, misty smile of his own takes over his sharp features - as he contemplates his (increasingly far off) youth.

Video Frankie is gangly - his legs had seemingly grown in before the rest of him- and with his more delicate frame, his cheekbones are especially prominent. Even so, with that sharpness - all angles - he looks softer somehow. Still a little baby-faced.

“Welcome to our show!” he announces, in a pre-pubescent voice.

It’s so strange to hear him speak without the now characteristic deep rumble, and your eyes fill with sentimental tears, your hand clasping against your chest. “Frankie, you’re just a baby. So fucking adorable. I want to pinch your little cheeks.”

“We are…” -Video Frankie continues, leaving a dramatic pause for effect- “…Master of Muppets.”

Okay. Yes. In hindsight it’s not the coolest band name, but you remain defensive about the name to this day, and you personally won’t hear a bad word said about it.

From off screen, you hear Santi’s unmistakable voice - a little more gruff and deep than Frankie’s already, but definitely still possessing an adolescent timbre. Not as rich and confident as it is now. A little more goofy. “We’re not doing that today, pendejo.”

The sound of him - voice echoing in the vacant space of Frankie’s dad’s garage - makes memories of your childhood come flooding back. Things you’d long forgotten. Feelings and sights and smells and sounds.

Video Frankie swings the video camera around with little skill, the rest of his announcement pointing upward to his nostrils. “Oh yeah. Shit.” You can imagine the look he’s getting from Santi right about now - that kid took the whole band thing just a little too seriously. “Formerly of Master of Puppets, tonight we have our breakaway solo act. Santiago Garcia.” Frankie delivers his best rock face to the camera, waving his rock fist around chaotically and sticking out his tongue.

In the real world, the three of you exchange fond, face-splitting smiles.

“This is fucking beautiful. Though, I guess I’m not in this one, boys.” You pout in disappointment and Frankie pats your back in commiseration, reassuring you there’s a whole case of tapes somewhere- he’ll try and dig it out next time he visits home.

“How are you feeling in the crowd tonight, Carolina?” Video Frankie yells, before feigning distant crowd noise, and you can’t help but laugh with delight all over again. You turn towards him in the here and now, and you ruffle the pilot’s hair affectionately as he watches through his hands out of sheer embarrassment.

“I thought I was so cool.”

“It’s okay. Wait ‘til you see baby Santi,” you rib gently, earning a hey of protest from your left.

“Look. We all know I was the only cool one,” you snigger.

After a scuffle and a lot of footage of Video Frankie’s worn sneakers, the camera flips.

There Young Santi is, hopped up onto a tall bar stool, his acoustic guitar slung around his neck. The body of it is settled atop of one bent knee, his foot kicked up on the stool, and the other leg stretched out in front to steady him.

You squeal in delight when you see him, even as you hear him cringe and laugh and curse beside you.

Now, it is Frankie’s turn to revel in the throwback, a throaty, chaotic chuckle sounding to your right.

“Look at you! Both you boys are too precious for words.” Feeling emotional, you reach out and smooth your hand back and forth over Santi’s thigh as you continue to survey the screen. 90’s Santi, too, is more slight in frame compared to his older counterpart. Aside from a questionably shiny red leather jacket, he’s dressed in all black - a very era appropriate button down with a long, pointed collar and raw stitching, various beads and chains and possibly a cross or a shark’s tooth or something slung around his neck. His hair is long and lustrous, raven black and middle-parted, cascading curls framing that sharp, angled face. As ever, his strong brows and nose and jaw give him a striking, slightly surly appearance, balanced by those big brown eyes which are full of light and warmth and innocence.

It makes you tear up, honestly, and you weren’t all the way ready for it.

That kid on screen got you through a lot during your teen years. Frankie too, but Santi especially. More than you think you’ve ever had a chance to thank him properly for.

“Those eyebrows!” Frankie exclaims as Young Santi sits pensively on the stool, apparently full of teenage angst and knitting said full brows together.

“Eyebrow, more like,” Santi chuckles lightly - a little self-consciously. “Still a handsome fucker though. Kid’s got potential. Gonna really hit his stride around 40, I reckon.” He pats his own gut - a little fuller these days. He’s not wrong though - he does only seem to get more attractive with age.

You laugh warmly at here and now Santi’s commentary as you watch Young Santi strum and tune up.

“Oh, honey,” you say with a rush of deep affection, reaching out and scooping his hand up into your own and giving it a squeeze.

Meanwhile, Frankie laughs chaotically, as he studies the footage. “Why so fucking serious, hermano?” he mocks, given the kid’s sheer intensity.

“Fuck me. I don’t remember, do I? Maybe you were getting on my last nerve, huh?”

You hastily shush them both, waving your hands wildly as the Video versions of them pipe up again.

“Do you think she’ll like it?” Young Santi asks tentatively, ducking his head to let his hair flow from where it is tucked behind his ears, allowing it to obscure a good portion of his face as he grows ever more bashful.

You crinkle your nose in confusion, shovelling popcorn into your mouth. “She? Who’s she?”

You turn to real-life Santi, and you catch him looking mildly horrified all of a sudden, his expression just as serious as his counterpart from the past. You flick your gaze to the right to see if you’re missing something, but you find Frankie obliviously shovelling popcorn into his mouth, a hapless grin still plastered on his sweet face.

“Dude, I’ll give you fifty fuckin’ bucks if this works,” Video Frankie offers.

Here and now Santi’s voice cuts in, urgently, confusing you even more. “Turn it off, Frank,”

“Oh sure. Now that you’re done teasing me? You can dish it but can’t take it?”

“Frank,” Santi emphasises through his teeth, and when that plea is to no avail, he reaches (almost dives) across your lap to make a play for the remote - Frankie managing to scoop it up first and keep it just out of reach.

“What is going on?” you puzzle. “Jeez. Don’t tell me you had a crush on my mom or something. Gross.”

“Frankie,” Santi emphasises again, pointedly, and with no clues at all from the present, you try to tune back into the past for clues.

“You actually press record this time? If we get this done we can mail it to her tomorrow,” Young Santi says, clearing his throat and preparing to play as Frankie plays with camera angles - zooming and panning in a way which suggests he’s taking this approximately 20% as seriously as Santi is.

“Sing songs, get bitches,” Frankie yells enthusiastically.

Here and now Frankie, however, sucks air through his teeth at that. “Christ. That’s no way to talk about a lady, young man. You clearly still have some lessons to learn,” he scolds, and the contrast between the two versions of him amuses you greatly.

Still, you sense there’s something you’re missing here. With nothing forthcoming from your buddies, however, you opt to continue watching, captivated as Young Santi starts singing. You expect a chaotic heavy metal thrash -as that’s what he usually favoured- but this is something else altogether.

This? This is a schmaltzy ass love song.

You watch as Young Santi strums and picks his guitar gently, his voice sounding out, pure and innocent and smoother than it is now as he works through the delicate notes and falsetto of the song; clumsily, but with feeling.

With so much feeling.

“I’m serious. That’s enough now, Frank,” Santi pleads to your side, with an intensity that doesn’t quite match with what you’re seeing. It’s not that embarrassing. You’ve seen Santi do worse. Recently. At karaoke. In front of people.

You ignore him for now though, concentrating on how damn earnestly Young Santi is singing. His eyes -you can see when Frankie zooms in for an ill-timed close-up- are positively shimmering with emotion. His mouth is curling up into a gentle smile around the words as though he means each and every one so fully.

God. It’s a relief you weren’t there for this at the time, as you know this performance would have ended the 15-year-old version of you. He’s looking at the camera how you wished he would have looked at you, way back then. When your carefully buried crush on him was most out-of-control.

And now, remembering all of this, you just have to know who he was feeling this way about, while your were feeling this exact way about him. You have to know the reason you and he never-

“-For real. Who was she?”

Who is he singing about? Singing to? In all the years you’ve known him and all the relationships he’s had, you’ve never seen him look quite so smitten.

“Alright. I’m not doing this,” Santi grumbles, standing and marching out of the room in a strop. You call after him but he bundles through the house, out towards Frankie’s rear porch. And he doesn’t come back.

You turn immediately to Frankie for some explanation, completely lost off now - especially as Frankie seems so damn casual about the whole affair.

“Errr,” Frankie moves some pieces around in his head. “That’s the summer you went away with your dad, I think?” he says breezily. “Yeah. Explains why you’re not in the video. God. Santi had reached peak pining levels by then. He was so smitten with you, remember? He was fucking insufferable the whole break.”

Wait, what?

“Frankie?” you say, aghast, shaking your head and not quite understanding. Wondering if you’ve misheard him.

When Frankie looks at you and reads your expression, the ball finally drops and his expression drops in turn, to match your own. “Shit. You didn’t know,” he realises.

You swallow. You need to be very sure about this. “Didn’t know what, Francisco?”

Frankie’s mouth drops open and closes wordlessly. He looks at you helplessly, leaving Video Him and Young Santi to answer the question for you.

“It’s never gonna work man. She’s just not into you.” Video Frankie states from behind the lens.

Young Santi is still captured in the frame, the camera zoomed in almost comically close, yet somehow it isn’t funny any more. It is zoomed in close enough that you are able to capture every nuance and micro-expression fleet over his face. Every shred of fear and hope and insecurity and adoration becomes wildly apparent to you. “It has to, man. It has to. I love her, so much.” Then, as if only just realising he’s still being recorded, he looks right down the lens, a nervous, giddy, pure smile taking over his face. “Fuck. Turn that off, dipshit.”

Meanwhile, your eyes flit around the room and you feel suddenly adrift, a million and one emotions swimming in your stomach. Even all these years later, this confession -the one you had always hoped for back then- is like a punch in the gut.

Some things -looking back- suddenly make a hell of a lot more sense. Many more pieces drop into place, and so, with a rush of nerves and adrenalin, your gaze flits between Frankie, the screen, and the door. “I didn’t know,” you confirm flatly.

Frankie runs a hand through his scruff, all of a sudden looking sheepish. “Well, shit. I probably should have turned this off.”

You simply give him a look.

***

When you make your way out to the back porch the air is balmy and still, no sound but crickets lightly chirping in the yard, and now, the sound of Santi’s deep sigh as he hears you approach, the wind chimes tinkling as you swing the door.

Santi is folded over the wooden porch rail. His forearms are leaning on the bar and his hands are laced together, his head dipped down so it almost meets them - as if he wants to hide from something.

Maybe from you.

You approach him tentatively, folding your arms around your middle for comfort and keeping your footsteps light so as to be less intrusive. As if that will make up for the question you’re about to ask. A question that feels Earth-shattering, but which comes out in little above a whisper.

“You were in love with me?”

You weren’t expecting the break in your voice, but maybe that’s the thing which finally gets Santi to stand up straight and turn towards you, his eyes turbulent and mouth pinched small with some kind of emotion.

He scoops a hand over his jaw in a self-comforting gesture, before sniffing once and nodding his head almost imperceptibly - in barely there confirmation.

Okay.

Your brow furrows as you adjust to this new information. As you reconfigure just about every memory you share with him -around that time- in your head. Your eyes grow busy with a multitude of questions; but the order doesn’t seem to matter so much, and you land quickly on your first. “Since when?”

Santi swallows. Tugs in a deep breath. His expression becomes apologetic and a little more boyish, as though you’re taking him right back to those days. Making him feel awkward and lost, when he’s usually so confident. You know he won’t enjoy that. In fact, he rubs the nape of his neck nervously. Shuffles from foot-to-foot a little. “Pretty much since that first time you sat next to me in home room and passed me a stick of gum,” he confesses. “Orbit. Peppermint flavour.”

Emotion tightens in your chest at the fact that he would remember that. You don’t remember that. Your face crinkles. “I thought we met for the first time at Frankie’s house party?”

“No,” he corrects gently, with a soft and wistful smile. “That was just the first time I actually managed to speak to you.” You smile fondly. Who knew Santi was ever shy? Around you? “I spent about four months before that learning guitar to impress you; then I was finally ready to choke out a respectable hello.”

You smile softly at this new information.

“You sucked at guitar,” you tease fondly, and he finally looks up at you instead of at his boots. Against the odds, you manage to stoke a small smile at one corner of his mouth.

“Yeah. Well,” he shrugs, tilting his head to the side in concession.

You think for a moment, processing. Landing on your next question. You can’t place why, but you feel increasingly nervous, like you’re 15 again too. Like you’re barrelling towards something inevitable. Something that will shake the foundations of everything you thought you knew. “Why didn’t you send the tape?”

Santi pauses again, as if every small confession is an effort. “None of the takes were good enough.” He frowns. Always was a perfectionist. “Besides. You came back from summer break on Brandon Cheng’s arm, remember?”

You stifle an amused smile. Santi should be over this by now, right? All these years later? But his voice still contains a hostility for Brandon which sounds every bit current. Damn. You guess the man really does hold a grudge.

Still, despite his bitterness, he looks so vulnerable in this moment. So vulnerable that you are desperate to reach out to him - and yet you can’t make your feet move from the spot.

“Oh yeah,” you nod in understanding, clasping your hands in front of yourself. “Right. I forgot about Brandon.”

Your friend pumps his eyebrows indignantly, like he really didn’t. No wonder Santi had always been so snitty with the poor kid.

God. You see it now. You see it still lingering there. The same emotions and micro expressions from the video flitting over his face in turn. You really must have hurt him. He really must have loved you, for it still to linger.

“Santi,” you breathe, finally taking a couple of gentle steps closer to him, trying to capture his gaze with your own and lift it from the floor.

“Alright,” he breezes - a clear attempt to seem non-chalant. To hastily put an end to this. “That’s about enough nostalgia for me for one day. Shall we head inside and watch Predator now?”

You watch him push everything back down.

And, now that you’re looking for it, you suddenly realise how many times you’ve watched him push everything down, even if you wouldn’t have recognised it at the time. You guess he got real good at doing that. You guess he started early. Practised hiding it from you until it became second nature.

It’s all beginning to make sense.

Santi turns to go then with a whole lot of bluster, and yet you feel like something isn’t quite done here. You feel like there’s a little more of this thread to unravel, and so you capture his arm with the gentlest of touches, looping your grip around his wrist. Apparently that’s the barest encouragement he needed to stay, and you halt him in his steps.

“Santi,” you repeat, searching his eyes and finding old pain hiding there. “Why? Why did you never say anything?

“It doesn’t matter,” he says flatly, a break in his voice now too. Cracks beginning to form. “It was a long time ago, right?”

It does matter though. You can see plainly that it still matters. This clearly hurt him - and you have never wanted to hurt him.

Maybe that’s why you ask your next question. You feel like if you can map this all out, maybe you can do something to fix it. Tell him how you were pining for him too. Do something to heal the same old wounds that you carried too in secret.

But, if that’s the reason, it doesn’t explain why your heart is beating in your neck as the words slip past your lips. It doesn’t explain why you’re so nervous to hear the answer. “How long, Santi? How long did you feel that way?” The words catch on hooks in your throat, and you’re inexplicably tearing up. “W-When? When did you… stop?”

When did he stop?

Santi’s eyes snap suddenly back to yours then, his eyes wide with nerves and fear and confession. His jaw writhing and mouth pinching together with tension. His head shaking imperceptibly like he’s begging you not to go there. Begging you not to push this. Not now. Not any further.

And then, it hits you.

Hits you like a ton of bricks.

He never did stop.

He tries to turn his face away from the knowledge in your eyes, but urgently, your palm captures his cheek, feeling the rough grain of stubble beneath your fingers, and your eyes searching his with one -and only one- remaining question.

Is it true - is he in love with you, still?

Santi, for his part, reaches up gingerly upon seeing that his game is finally up, placing his warm, rough hand on top of yours where it rests on his cheek. A gulp trails down his throat and he sniffs again, his eyes shimmering with apprehension and apology, but at the same time glowing with something deeper too. He begins to nod ever so slowly, tiny movements of his head which silently answer your question as he looks up at you from beneath his lashes, his eyes big and beautiful and earnest. “I… I didn’t stop.”

It is only when he finally says it out loud that you are able to gasp in a breath, your palms coming to clamp over your mouth, your eyes brimming with tears as you reconfigure… everything.

You take two steps back from him. From your friend. From your best friend. Who all this time…. All this time has been…. Who you’ve….

Fuck.

All this time.

Your hands trembling, you lower them from your mouth and you search Santi’s face again. That handsome, oh so familiar face.

For a moment, you have absolutely no idea what to say.

“Fuuuuck,” he says hoarsely, his voice small and thin. “Please say something.” And then: “Actually, you know what,” he shuffles from foot to foot. “Don’t say anything. I… Fuck. Just forget I said that.”

But it’s too late for that, isn’t it? You see it now.

How he’s looking at you.

How he’s always looked at you.

And suddenly, even though you feel like the porch is spinning a little from these spiking nerves, like you need to reach one arm out to hold on to the rail so your trembling legs do not give out from under you, it becomes eminently clear to you.

You know exactly what it is you want to say.

“Tell Morales he owes you fifty bucks, idiota.”Santi looks at you blankly for a moment, blinking rapidly in confusion and trying to catch up. “Your song worked, Santi,” you explain softly. “You got the girl.”

Then it’s happening.

With a gasp of air all his own, Santi wastes no more time. He reaches his palm out to your cheek, and as soon as his touch is on you everything ignites. You close the remaining distance, then with a surge and a crush his lips are slanting against yours, his tongue leading and slipped into your mouth in a way that makes your toes curl and your legs weak. His broad, gentle hands are clutching at your back and he’s kissing you urgently yet tenderly. He’s kissing you like he’s already loved you -and longed for you- for a lifetime.

In truth, he has, and it turns out that’s just how long you’ve loved him back.

With his practised tongue, Santi opens you up, his plush lips working diligently against yours and sending an insistent warmth blooming through your whole body.

His song worked. A few decades too late on delivery, but still. Maybe back then would have been too soon for you both. Maybe you had some lessons to learn first; but either way, it could not feel more right that it is finally happening.

So, when Santi pulls back to look at you, spent from that toe-curling kiss, tears of pure joy are smattering his cheeks. You swipe them away tenderly with the pad of your thumb, awed that you get to finally do this with him. To show him how you feel. Awed that it means so much to him too.

You worry it’s still hurting him somehow - that maybe he’s thinking about all that time wasted. However, just as you begin to grow concerned, and before anything sad can creep in, Santi’s face splits in a joyous, self-satisfied grin. “Who’s laughing now, Brandon Cheng?”

You laugh brightly, his comment entirely unexpected, and you loop your arms around his sturdy middle. “Seriously? That’s what you’re thinking of right now?”

Santi’s eyes glow gently with awe as you hold him in the way he’s always dreamed of, and as your happiness envelops him. “No,” he admits, his hand moving to cup your cheek with an unprecedented tenderness - one which makes you ache. “I’m thinking how you were so worth the wait.”

Happy tears shimmer in your eyes but before they can fall, Santi kisses you again. And again. And again.

You have so much lost time to make up for, and you’ll be happy if he never stops.

Turns out, he never did stop; loving you.

#santiago garcia x reader #santiago pope garcia x reader #triple frontier #Santiago Garcia #Oscar Isaac

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variousqueerthings · 2 years ago

Text

okay so another 12 episodes into season 6 and I’ll say a few overall things

1. Margaret this season is glowing! she’s crying! she’s being vulnerable! she’s opening up to Hawkeye especially!!!! she’s got a friend who’s a woman!!!!!!!!!! (did anyone else get a biiit of a lesbian feeling between the two of them? Margaret you’ve changed -- I loved you -- I love you)

And: that double episode where she and Hawkeye are lost in the middle of nowhere and end up presumably having sex -- I feel like the show is predicting all my tastes and needs??? the fact that they do have sex (which I did suspect would happen) and at a time like that where they’re both incredibly scared, and off the back of them leaning emotionally on each other during some incredibly tough times (Hawkeye telling her about Kyung Soon, Margaret telling him about Donald), the fact that Margaret -- being in a very emotionally vulnerable position + always battling against what she wants with what she feels is expected -- leans into the interpretation that it means they’re in love/starting a relationship, the falling out when Hawkeye eventually overcomes the awkwardness and tells her that he didn’t see the situation like that (and neither did she, she’s just following a script), the falling out, and the final scene!!!??? where they talk it out and realize they’re on the same page actually, and genuinely like and respect one another as friends?????? never did I think! it would go down like that!! (I’ve been ruined by all these stories about compulsory romance and sex = romance and the main guy and the main girl get together every time, to think it could be this good!?)

Also what was the intention of the framing when Margaret takes the block of wood out of Hawkeye’s thigh and he’s squirming around, because it sure looks like she’s ******* him (which... also correct and right)

hers and Hawkeye’s friendship has been especially gratifying to watch this season, as I’ve been hoping and waiting for it since the beginning, but I love seeing her open up to others -- last episode her girl friend (girlfriend) Lorraine told her that she ought to trust herself to become friends with her colleagues and she nervously asked BJ and Charles if they’d have coffee with her and of course they accepted, because Margaret is a fucking delight!

2. and then we had a series of episodes which had various degrees of serious, but mainly seemed to give lots of wonderful family dynamics (including the episode Mail Call Three which had two actual “family”s in there!) -- I almost feel too safe, like something terrible is waiting around the corner (oh yeah, the war...) -- but until then we got some wonderful stuff

- the episode where BJ has to call Peggy, just because he wants to know that she still “needs” him at all

- the whole Olympics episode

- Radar feeling strange about his mother dating a new man, and Hawkeye talking about his father (and Radar joking a bit about the idea of their parents getting together, which was such a sibling energy moment)

- Margaret choreographing making sure that Hawkeye and BJ get hosed down + running over Charles’ trumpet! (and everyone cheering her)

- Klinger and Mulcahy going out on a mission to find stolen penicillin

- too many “Potter is dad” moments to count honestly

- Hawkeye and Potter immediately springing to action to help Margaret figure out if she’s pregnant, and on her terms (not making it official)

- and especially Klinger, both with the divorce and talking about how much he loves the 4077 (if not being in Korea) and with the episode where he accidentally throws out Margaret’s ring.

3. speaking of the episode with Margaret’s ring (and Margaret), both me and my partner feel like in this season the airing date order was clearly not completely in tune with some of the development -- especially Margaret who definitely has a “before Comrades in Arms” and “after Comrades in Arms” (heh I just got the joke in the title) feeling to her + the fact that the new surgical clamp they have to travel to show in those episodes apparently doesn’t get invented until three episodes later!

Going to make a note of Margaret progression and rejuggle the season so next time I watch it, I get to feel more of that development!

4. “Temporary Duty” gave us:

- the aforementioned Margaret and Lorraine! the Feelings of it all! Margaret is just life! (do you think they ever... 😳😳😳 👉👈)

- Charles development! He and BJ banding together! For a moment the walls were down! And hopefully a taste of a wonderful future friendship!

- the scene right at the end where Hawkeye returns and is so upset that nobody liked him at the other place, and has a “oh no that’s my insecurities” moment when Charles and BJ joke that they didn’t miss him at all, before Charles hugs him and BJ then practically tackles the both of them to the floor in affection! (screams and cries, my boys!)

#im watching MASH #margaret houlihan #hawkeye pierce #charles winchester #long post #bj hunnicutt #maxwell klinger #sherman potter #father mulcahy #i have replies to some replies #ive just been brrrrrrrr overwhelmed with stuff #this show is like 2/3rds of my sanity right now

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unicoo · 1 month ago

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Alright, here comes another long and overly complicated ass hear me out, curtsy of yours truly

I still believe a lot of this theory, but with the new information we have the blanks are getting filled in…..

I still don’t think this was a real relationship, I still think they were going to break up this year regardless of when, and I definitely still think Kaia begged her parents to make Austin stay because she still needed him.

Now I want to keep this short so let’s get to the post at hand ^

We will never know the details of what happened. But for once, DM may have gotten some legit info. Austin's body language said everything we needed to know all summer. He was done with her. Not sure what the turning point was. But he was done all of 2024.

I think we all agree that Kaia tricked Austin with a fake personality and personally I think Austin didn’t hold it against her. I mean she’s young and still figuring herself out, so I could see him giving her some leeway. With that being said I firmly believe the turning point was the Dune 2 after party. Whatever Kaia did made it clear for Austin that this couldn’t go any further. I think she royally showed her ass and it made Austin realize this wasn’t just a case of being young and dumb, no this is just who Kaia is. I do believe he had already known she was immature and spoiled and just shitty all around during 2023 when they spent all that time together, but he’s a man & he has needs so……he kept her around. A win-win for them both, he gets some & she gets his clout plus her own opportunities. And in 2023 he didn’t look as over it as he did last year, yeah he was over it, but he could at least pretend not to be. Compare that to 2024 and it’s literally day & night.

I do this every time Omg 😩 I ramble I apologize BACK TO IT! 👇

Dune 2 after party, something happens, Austin is DONE! By the next time we see them Austin has stopped pretending and I think by this point he was so over it and just stopped showing interest. Looking back at pictures it’s clear as day AND it tracks with Deuxmoi’s “6 month time frame” IF we’re going off him & Kaia breaking up in late August (which I think they did, he wouldn’t breakup with her before her birthday & after she was doing Marcello)

Okay, so the next times we see them they look completely miserable AND Austin gets smug. He looks at cameras, he laughs at Kaia’s attempts to act surprised by paps, he laughs AT Kaia for her attempts to catch his attention, he’s flirty, and he’s on social media more liking subliminal messages. Meanwhile we’ve got Kaia taking vacas with her besties (doing very inappropriate poses for a woman in a relationship, but that might just be me 🤷‍♀️) she’s posting thirst traps and changing her aesthetic YET AGAIN! Now with what we know now, I’ll admit I don’t think they broke up by then, BUT I do think this is when Kaia first noticed she was losing him, so she pulls the Bikeriders press tour STUNTS! Those interviewer didn’t just ask about Kaia for no reason (which is also why I think Kate set them up, not once did she step in to interfere with those questions even though she KNOWS how Austin feels about it) Austin got blindsided by more Kaia questions that press tour than he has their whole relationship! And I think that’s when he decided he didn’t care anymore, he wasn’t doing it anymore. And after that we finally see “aloof” Austin. Every time they’re spotted after that premiere, you can literally see Austin has checked out and this is around the time I think Kaia’s family sat him down and he was like

I personally think he broke up with her BEFORE the Canada trip. He didn’t go to the wedding, he spent ten minutes with her on his birthday (she was papped without him that day! Strange you’d think they’d spend the whole day together 🤔) he had a whole birthday party and she was not there, BUT they did a pap walk 2 days after his birthday and 4 days after that he went out with Zoe & Channing, no Kaia. I think by then she was already in Canada, the last day we get pap pics of Kaia in the U.S. is the 19th. I believe he broke up with her the 19th and went to celebrate by attending the Blink Twice stuff. I mean we all saw how happy and light he seemed.

I think Canada was the Gerber clan attempt at getting Austin back and he said thank you, but no thank you…

Dear dickhead…..solo birthday……Cringe whatever tf that was with Corey………them being in the same area, but not together………….MARCELLO!!!!!!!!!!!! (Which happened 09/16/24)

By now Austin is filming and I don’t think he planned to do shit else with Kaia, but she was catching some heat for the shit she pulled. I mean what the fuck was she thinking getting caught with Marcello so many fucking time? (From a former Hoe, if you’re gonna be a hoe, be a smart AND PRIVATE Hoe. 💀) literally a few days after the Marcello incident an article from Austin’s team dropped about him “outgrowing his relationship with Kaia” coincidence? I think not. Kaia is still out and about WITHOUT going to see her boyfriend after the shit she pulled with another man. She partying and living her life, not working!! If Austin couldn’t see her why didn’t she go see him? Because it wasn’t an option because they weren’t together.

She goes out with Camilla and Cole BEFORE she even attempts to visit her boyfriend, who’s been super busy & didn’t see her on her birthday?

After she went out with Cole & Camilla, she caught more heat, because it looked like she was with Cole at first and then everybody realized she was 3rd wheeling. THEN she also attends her Times100 gala ALONE? Now people started asking what people always ask when she goes somewhere, “Where’s Austin?” So now they have no choice but to either address the rumors or go outside together, but Kaia has stuff she still needs to release and she knows she can’t garner enough attention, so she begs Austin to help and he relents because he’s a good guy and knows how hard the business is.

They go out, but he doesn’t attempt to even pretend it’s where he wants to be, which made them look even worse….

After the pap walk ANOTHER article comes out that makes their relationship, Kaia, and Cindy look so bad. Like really bad, like wince and gasp in horror bad. It also makes Austin look like a workaholic, but not as bad compared to the evil hag and her wicked hench thing.

(The rest of what I wrote here didn’t save and I don’t even remember half of what I said 😭😭😭)

Ummm after that Kaia is following every it boy of the month on social media, going everywhere without Austin, AND the article about Austin’s swift warning came out THEN he followed Dailyfail. Plus the event for Kaia in the same city as him that he didn’t go to. The Halloween party Matt Smith AND Kaia were at but NO Austin.

The lady on the plane who Austin clearly lied to OR she lied, I think a little bit of both 🤣🤣

Austin stays in Mexico for thanksgiving, because he doesn’t have a girlfriend to go home to. I really hope he did some soul searching and recuperated from his hard nearly 3 year sickness. Hey hopefully he got laid too!

Austin wasn’t in Cabo this we know and he made sure we knew by going to see Ashley, which I know he would’ve done regardless, but yk kill two birds one stone….

I think at FIRST the ball was in Kaia’s court regarding the breakup, but I think she drug her feet too long AND the Cabo stunt she pulled…..I think after that Austin was completely over it and done. What she did while technically still being his girlfriend to the public was completely disrespectful, especially after how nice he had been the whole time. She’d made him look like a chump for the last time and he gave the green light to announce the breakup. I mean TMZ got the exclusive, which they always seemed to get about that “couple” and from Austin’s team……coincidence I mean probably, probably not…..

Plus it was too clean and nice to come from Kaia lol. She would’ve tried to milk this for everything she could until her next situation was settled. She can’t now because the initial articles made sure the public knew it was amicable and they just grew apart. She would’ve never been able to play the cheating angle because it would’ve got turned around back on her so fast, so I don’t think she ever planned to do that. Maybe she planned to be so heartbroken because he didn’t choose her and use that to rebrand her career. Idk idgaf. What I do know is since she can’t make Austin look bad to milk the breakup, she’s using her parents, who have probably definitely okayed that. She can use them “ruining her perfect relationship” as an attention grabber while she plays heartbroken until her next host signs on.

But hey, as I’ve said before this is just my theory based on my opinions from what I’ve inferred from the things I saw. I could be very wrong

The last one I did was better at the end but it didn’t save and I can’t bring myself to even think of trying to remember 💔

It's possible he did break up with Kaia in Canada or when they got back. The Dear Dickhead post may have just been a coincidence. I agree with that anon that after her parents tried to back him into a corner, that was the push he needed to tell Kaia he was done. Wrt Kaia asking "are we going to see each other" I think since he was about to start filming Caught Stealing and she had stuff going on herself she wasn't sure where they stood. Then Austin broke up with her.

I'm not sure what the turning point was for him either, but I personally think Austin was done in this relationship for a very long time -- even earlier than the summer. 👀

Like you said, Austin looked done all of 2024. I'd even say as far back as 2023 tbh. He didn't look happy to me at that Burger King fanfic reading with her, or that play they went to, or the Taylor Swift concert, and do we remember how he preferred to watch the Golden Globes with his buddy Callum at his own house instead of going over to his gf's house to watch it with her? These were all signs (imo) that he didn't really enjoy her company. It wasn't her parents that split them up.

And honestly? I'm not even surprised. Whenever we would see them out together, Kaia looked bored/boring. She also comes across as a bit phony and arrogant. She thinks she's funny, but she just ends up looking like a try-hard.

There's something very disingenuous about her, and I can't quite put my finger on it. I think he started to get annoyed by her personality. Maybe the constant calling of the paps by her also annoyed him too. Maybe he sensed that she was just looking for clout and attention. Who knows?

I'm thinking the "Dear Dickhead" post was just a coincidence, because it was an excerpt from a book that she was promoting for one of her book clubs. But I could be wrong!😅

The "heartbreak feels good in a place like this" comment, however, does seem to be more of a sign that she and Austin had already broken up by then. I thought she was just trolling at the time, but now I'm thinking she wasn't.

Wrt "are we going to see each other" -- I actually got the impression from DeuxMoi that they had not seen each other in a good while (yet, more proof that they more than likely weren't living together), and that's what was making Kaia nervous, not that she was worried that they wouldn't see each other when he started working.

The impression that DeuxMoi gave was that Austin had become distant and aloof, and they weren't seeing each other much, and that's why she was like, "are we done?".

That's my impression anyway.

I actually think he was checked out of this relationship a long time ago. We all could see he wasn't happy. I'm not sure what caused him to be unhappy all of a sudden, or if it was just a gradual thing (more than likely), but I actually think he stuck it out a lot longer than most guys would have.

We saw that he wasn't looking happy for at least a year. This was a long time coming if you ask me. His unhappiness w/her didn't just start in the summer of 2024 imo.

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dessarious · 3 years ago

Text

How the Sirens Adopted a Ladybug Pt11

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Selina looked around the space they’d stepped into. It was a semi open floor plan with a living room, dining table, and kitchen. It was small but cozy, even if everything was covered with a film of dust. Chloe and Harley were both watching Marinette rather anxiously, but the girl herself was just looking around the room with a blank expression. All the Kwami were flittering about, but only Tikki seemed worried.

“I’ll work on getting the rest of the utilities back on. Electric and water were never disconnected and paid out of the trust, but we’ll need to get the gas back on and any extras you want. Internet at the very least, I assume.” Chloe had apparently moved back into her problem-solving mode. “We’ll clean your room first so you can rest while we do the rest of the house, then the bakery.”

Marinette just gave a distracted hum as her eyes wandered about the room. It was strange to see her so calm when she was usually so expressive. She finally seemed to focus on a bookshelf and moved toward it slowly. More like she was being pulled than on purpose. Once there, she picked up a picture frame and gently wiped the dust off it. Harley walked closer, staying in the girl’s peripheral and making sure not to crowd her.

“Your parents?” Harley’s voice was soft and Mari didn’t respond. Chloe gave her a nod.

“They’re dead because of me.” Marinette didn’t seem to be speaking to them. Honestly, Selina wasn’t even certain she meant to say it out loud. Before anyone could argue with her, she kept going. “Adrien broke the balance by revealing himself to the others, and my parents paid the price because I’m Ladybug.” Tikki and Plagg shared a look. It was somewhere between awe and panic.

“When did you figure that out?” Plagg looked like they wanted the words back immediately and Tikki’s glare was pure murder.

“As soon as I knew for sure that Adrien told the others the day before they were due to come back.”

“That doesn’t make it your fault, Kit. Blame Adrien for being a terrible cat. Blame Fu for forcing this life on you to begin with. You did nothing wrong.” Plagg flew over to huddle under her chin and purr. Tikki was just frowning at the girl.

“Why didn’t you say anything, or at least talk to us about it?”

“It wouldn’t have changed anything. Everyone was counting on Ladybug and I didn’t want you to worry. We all had enough to deal with.” Tikki just looked devastated at Mari’s words. Eventually, the Kwami ended up flying over to land on Chloe’s head. Now, all the Kwami were sharing panicked looks and Chloe seemed to be afraid to breathe. “I should show you where the entrance to the Catacombs is before anything else. That way, everyone can come and go as they please.”

Plagg’s purring picked up, and they were giving Selina a pointed look. She could feel why. It was like a burning sensation under her skin, but she had no clue what to do about any of this. Hell, she was still missing a lot of information about what all she’d managed to get involved in. She had to do something though.

“Marinette.” When the girl looked at her, her expression was still blank. The entire point of this was to let her grieve properly, not just keep bottling everything up. Great, something she had no experience helping with because either Dick fixed things or everyone just stayed brooding and emotionally constipated. “You can’t control what anyone else does, and you can’t control the forces that are at work around you. It sucks, but taking the blame for things you couldn’t have predicted or prevented doesn’t do anyone any good. Least of all you.”

“I knew I wouldn’t make a good hero. I should never have kept the Miraculous in the first place. Then none of this would have happened.” Selina expected any of the Kwami to argue with Marinette, but they all seemed mute. Tikki just seemed to get even smaller. The longer the silence lasted, the more Mari’s entire body seemed to slump. Yeah, no. This wasn’t going to continue.

“Chloe, why don’t you take the others to get Mari’s room ready so she can rest?” As Chloe herded the others away, all of them looking relieved, Selina walked to Mari and pulled her into a hug. It took a few minutes, but she did relax into it. By that point, it was just the two of them and Plagg in the room. “You’ve done the best you could with the resources you have. All the Kwami trust you and believe in you. Given that they’re literal gods, I’d consider that an impressive feat.”

“They got stuck with me because there weren’t any other options.” Selina heard a growl and assumed it came from Plagg until she felt her chest rumbling. Oh, what the hell was that? Not a problem for right now. She needed to focus. Selina lifted Mari’s chin, so the girl had to look her in the eye.

“You are the only one who believes that. You’ve kept this city safe by yourself, with absolutely no support system, and done an amazing job. But you weren’t meant to do this alone, and it’s taking a huge toll on you. So now, we’re going to take care of you so you can finish this. It’s not a failing to need help.” Mari just looked lost until she burst into tears. Selina pulled her tighter and felt herself start to purr. Something else that was a later problem.

“I’m sorry.” Selina couldn’t stop her eye-roll. She heard Plagg sigh from where they were as well.

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for.” That made her cry harder for some reason.

“I miss them so much.” The words were choked out and barely understandable, but the raw pain in Mari’s voice was heartbreaking.

“I know Kitten, I know.” She wanted to offer words of comfort. To tell her that things would get better. But she wouldn’t lie. Pain like this never truly went away.

“I don’t want anyone else to die because of me.” The words came out strangled and Selina tightened her hold before pulling back to make eye-contact.

“If you and the Kwami are right about what happened, then they died because you had a partner who couldn’t see past his own desires. You won’t have that problem with me.” The girl just gave her a flat look.

“You steal from people for your own gain.”

“No, I steal things for a lot of different reasons. Yes, some of them are selfish, but I have helped other people, and I know when to put my own wants and needs aside. My only goal here is to help you and get rid of that asshole so things here can go back to normal. I will do whatever I have to in order to make sure nothing like that happens again.”

Marinette’s expression made her feel like something was tearing at her insides. Selina could see in her eyes how badly she wanted to believe her words. But she couldn’t. In that moment, she understood what Tikki had been saying about trust. Marinette’s faith in people was broken, and it was going to take time and a lot more than words to get any of that back.

“It’s okay that you don’t believe me, kitten. I’ll just have to prove it to you.” the girl refused to meet her eyes and Selina wasn’t certain if it was guilt or worry. “Why don’t you show me the Catacomb entrance? Then we can go check on the others and make sure your room is still in one piece.”

“You should talk to Tikki too.” Plagg’s voice was softer than she’d ever heard it. “You hiding things like this from us is going to make them feel like they’ve failed you.”

“I just didn’t want to bother you with it.” Mari’s mumbled words just got a tired sigh from the Kwami.

“The fact that you still think you’re just a problem is why they’ll think we failed you. We are not your classmates and you can always talk to us. We’re not going to start thinking worse of you for sharing your worries. Keeping things pent up the way you do is going to hurt you. It is hurting you.”

“You deserve a better Guardian.”

“Don’t you ever let me hear you say that again.” Plagg was directly in front of the girl’s face and their words came out in a growl. “If anyone here deserves better, it’s you. Your entire life was destroyed because of us and the terrible decisions Fu made. All you’ve been doing since is running yourself into the ground trying to do the right thing despite everything going to shit around you. All of that happened in spite of your efforts, not because of them. You are not to blame, and I’m done letting you beat yourself up over it.” Mari got smaller the longer the Kwami ranted.

“Sorry.” Selina felt certain the Kwami was about to explode.

“Marinette.” The girl flinched at her voice and Selina had to wonder if anyone had ever talked to her without blaming her for something. “I believe what Plagg is getting at is that you should be able to lean on other people every once in a while. You’ve done an amazing job by yourself, but just imagine how much more you could accomplish with others helping you.” That at least seemed to get her to think about it. Apparently, they needed to focus on the big picture rather than trying to convince her she deserved better than the hand she’d been dealt.

“But Master Fu-”

“Kit, he didn’t know what he was doing either. A lot of the decisions he made were out of fear. Even more were because of the situation with Hawkmoth. The unique aspect of him being able to get into people’s head made Fu even more paranoid. This situation is vastly different. Having all of you under one roof will allow us Kwami to protect you. Chloe even agreed to stay here for the duration. Honestly, she seemed excited about being able to stay here and go to school online.” Plagg sounded bored, but they’d been the one to insist they all stay together. Whether it was to protect them or keep an eye on them, she still wasn’t certain.

“When was that decided?” From anyone else that would have been accusatory, Mari just sounded confused.

“It was one of many options we talked about while you were asleep. I’m pretty sure Chloe just doesn’t want to go back to that school. Given some of the stories she told us, I can understand why. You’re not going back either, by the way. If you want to finish out at an actual school instead of online, that’s fine, but you’re not gong back into such a toxic environment.” Selina tried to keep her tone firm but still gentle. Mari still seemed unsure.

“They’re not bad people. They just needed things I couldn’t give them.” Selina felt her eye twitch and Plagg let out a huff. It was like talking to a brick wall.

“And that’s not your fault. You aren’t responsible for their insecurities. Regardless of the reasons, I’m not letting you get hurt by them anymore.” Her mental struggle was obvious in the way she was fidgeting, but after a minute, Mari relaxed.

“I should stay focused on Hawkmoth until this is over, so it would be best to homeschool, I think.” Plagg finally relaxed at her words and ended up landing on the girl’s head to burrow into her hair.

“That sounds like a good plan. It’ll be easier to get caught up too, I would imagine, since you’ve been out of school for so long.” Mari seemed relieved that she agreed with her. She wasn’t certain why, given that it was the direction they were all trying to make her go. “Now, why don’t we go downstairs and find that entrance? That way, we can get supplies without using portals or drawing attention from the wrong people.”

Beginning Previous Next

Ko-Fi

@asrainterstellar @scorchdragon88 @arty-shadow-morningstar @toodaloo-kangaroo @solangelo252 @smolplantmum @jayjayspixiepop @unoriginalmess @weirdo-with-no-beardo @laurcad123 @read-fantasy-to-escape-reality @mudpuddlenl

#maribat #Gotham Sirens #marinette dupain cheng #chloe bourgeois #Chloe redemption #plagg #Selina Kyle #Harley Quinn #Poision Ivy #tikki

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dreamingofaizawa · 4 years ago

Text

Potent

Alpha! Hanta Sero x Fem! Omega! Reader

***18+ Fic***

If you are under the age of 18 please vacate the premises.

Warnings: A/B/O, smut, knotting, marking, breeding kink (sorta? idk it comes with the A/B/O territory), a hint of pregnancy kink, a bit of blood

Word Count: 3.6 k

Author's Note: Ohhhhkaayyy so this has been sitting in my google doc for AGES. I think I started this in...October of last year? It's been sitting there for months and I've lacked the motivation to finish and post it but then I sent in an anon ask to @reinawritesbnha and, being the absolute queen she is, she became the little push I needed to do it. I DID IT FOR REINA!!

Also, this is some of my earliest writing and I only skimmed and edited a little bit of it so if there's a little bit of weird pacing or a strange cutoff where the writing styles clash it's because I haven't touched this piece in months.

Anywho, enjoy~

It had to happen when you were surrounded by alphas.

Your suppressants flaked out, again, and your scent wafted through the air on the street. Normally It’d be fine for an omega to let their scent float freely around them. But your scent is particularly...potent, even when you weren’t in heat. Not only that, but you weren’t mated yet, your scent glands still bare, and you still didn’t have a pack. To make matters worse, you’re quirkless.

You hadn’t realised what was happening until your path was blocked by an especially large male alpha. You turned around, and there were two more behind you. Fuck. This isn’t good. You took in your surroundings and searched for an exit, but you couldn’t find a way out. There's no way you’d be able to outrun the three very large male alphas.

Probably the worst part is that more alphas are turning their head toward you, taking notice of your lavender honey and rain scent that slowly began turning to a sour swamp. You dared to hope that change would ward off the three cornering you, but they’d already got a whiff of you. Several distressed chirps sounded from your chest, voicing your discomfort, and you glared pointedly at the three alphas as they edged closer to you.

You hate when this happened. Why’d you have to be cursed like this? Your growls only grew, baring your little omega fangs. There’s no way in hell you’d let some stranger scent you, let alone one of these creeps. They wouldn’t take the damn hint and just crept closer to you, calling out to the ‘pretty little omega’ to ‘come have some fun’.

You’re scared now, the involuntary chirps in your chest coming more frequently. None of the other alphas or betas on the street were big enough to face the three, making you a sitting duck and a ragdoll if they wanted you to be. Your claws are small, nowhere near ideal for this situation, but you’d use them if you needed to. With a final low defiant growl you dropped your bag against the wall behind you and readied yourself for a fight.

Suddenly a large body dropped in front of you, his back to you. His scent alone hit you like a freight train, orange zest, mint, tree bark and something earthy. It had your head spinning, nearly sending you into an early heat. He growled, low and powerful, the sound rattling in your chest and making you sink further into the wall behind you. The other three alpha’s scents together were still overpowered by the new alpha before you, and they vanished faster than they appeared.

He turned around and stepped away from you, giving you space to breathe. He kneeled down enough so he was eye level with you, his hands reaching out clearly in an attempt to comfort you, but kept from touching you.

“Are you okay?” The question barely registered, still delirious from his scent, and you’re having a hard time recovering. Large hands grip your shoulders and shake you lightly, your mind beginning to clear with the soothing pheromones he’s releasing.

“Omega.” The command snapped you to attention, your gaze fixated on his own dark irises.

“Are you okay, omega?” You blink, swallow down the lump in your throat, take a deep breath.

“Yeah...I’m okay. Thank you, alpha.” But you’re not quite okay. You need to get home. Fast. The alpha seemed to catch on, probably by your scent that still hadn’t returned to normal. He stands and slips off his jacket, draping it over your shoulders and wrapping you in his scent. It’s a comforting gesture.

“Let’s get you home.” With a nod you set off, the man walking next to you with a strong, warm hand on the middle of your back.

“What’s your name?” You introduce yourself, and he does the same. His name is Sero Hanta, and now that you’re calm again, you take in just how handsome he is.

Raven hair is pulled back into a small bun, showing off his undercut and strong, sharp jawline. Onyx eyes shine with kindness and playful mischief, and a beaming grin reveals pearly white teeth. He’s incredibly toned, his muscles calmly rippling under the t-shirt that stretched over his chest. You vaguely noticed the strange shape of his elbows, but disregarded it as his quirk. The omega in you is howling, begging for this alpha, his scent invading your senses. But you suppress it quickly, reminding yourself you’d only just met this man.

As you reach your apartment you exchange phone numbers, and he tells you to keep the jacket and use it when you go out to ward off any unwanted attention. You thank him again for helping you earlier, and he waves to you as he walks down the hall and enters the elevator, the doors closing in front of his handsome smiling face.

Despite meeting him only ten minutes earlier your instincts trust the alpha, and you hold the jacket close to your face, breathing in his scent. It’s wonderful, and your inner omega is in love. You find yourself wondering when you’d see him again.

The next few days are riddled with work and calls to your doctor about the strength of your suppressants. You work from home as a secretary for a small company. It’s a miracle you’d found it, too. Nobody wants an omega, let alone a potent one. It’s an alpha’s world, you guess. When this job opening popped up you were ecstatic, so you took it and have been working from home with decent pay for the last five years.

The calls to your doctor were not going as smoothly as your job, though. You leave a message every four hours until she finally calls you back. She was concerned since the suppressants she’d prescribed are the strongest out there, and if your scent was overpowering them they were either defective or your scent glands were overproducing. It wasn’t an immediate threat to your health, it only meant you’d be drawing more attention than you wanted to. Still, it’s annoying and makes life so much harder than it needs to be.

After she prescribed twice the amount, she said she’d look over your tests from the latest visit before she hung up the phone. You groaned once the call ended. You seriously needed a break from your second gender. Taking the prescribed double dose of suppressants, you got ready to go out to the corner cafe to read and drink coffee. Hopefully the new amount will keep steady. You really don’t want to deal with any more aggressive alphas this week. For good measure you pull on Sero’s jacket, allowing his scent to cover you, then grab your keys, phone, wallet and a book and begin the walk.

When you arrive at the cafe you order a hot mocha, curl into the small corner booth and crack open the book. You got lost in the ink and your mind floated along the adventure, putting yourself in the shoes of the main character and leading the mission to take down the corrupt queen who’d framed you for killing the prince of a neighboring kingdom. You were ripped from the fantasy world when a bright, enthusiastic blonde came up and tapped you on the shoulder, making you jump. His smile was as bright as his hair.

“Sorry to scare you cutie, but I couldn’t help but notice that jacket of yours smells an awful lot like my friend Sero!” You smile softly at the blonde.

“Well if we’re talking about the same Sero Hanta, then your nose would be correct. This is his jacket.” His eyes widen as he nods.

“Oh my gosh you must be the omega he keeps talk-” The blonde’s words became muffled by a large hand. A hand that belonged to the very man you were talking about. Sero smiles apologetically down at you as he shoves the blonde back to where you assume they’re sitting.

“Sorry about Kami, he’s… extroverted.” You smile back at him, mostly because you’re happy to see him again.

“It’s no problem at all. He recognized your scent on me.” He looked down and only then realized you’re wearing his jacket, and he beams at you. Then he takes a glance at the booth you’re sitting all alone at, his smile falling just a bit.

“Do you wanna come sit with us?” You take a moment to think about the offer, then agree with a nod. Your omega couldn’t pass up more time with him.

As you approach the booth you notice there are more people with Sero than you anticipated. There were four other people sitting there. Sero introduced all of them from left to right. Bakugo Katsuki, Kirishima Eijiro, Ashido Mina, and the happy blonde from earlier is Kaminari Denki. You introduce yourself and when Sero slid into the booth, you followed after him.

These five are a tight pack, and you learn they all met in high school. Bakugo’s brash personality made you wary at first, but it didn’t take long to realize he’s just like that with everyone. He makes a bit of a snippy remark, which you easily counter, and he smirks while the rest smile or snicker. It would seem they like you.

You can’t tell what their second genders are, and you mentally kick yourself for even wondering in the first place. Their genders are none of your concern, but you can’t blame yourself when you’re constantly alert because of your own stupid second gender. As it turns out, you don’t need to wait very long to find out.

This time you smell your own scent as it permeates the air around you. You swear under your breath at the stupid suppressants that obviously can’t so their job, and the others snap their gazes to you. You sigh.

“Yeah, that scent is me. My suppressants flaked again. Sorry about that.” They all nodded, seemingly understanding. Sero must have told them about the other day. Of course, it would soon repeat. It didn’t take long for an alpha to take notice of your scent. The man -- why is it always the largest males??? -- strides up to the booth with a cocksure grin and leans down to inhale your scent. You duck away from him, into Sero, and let out an albeit small warning growl that was drowned in Sero and Kirishima’s. He ignored them all the same.

“Hey there little omega, you smell real nice. You wanna come hang with me instead? We can have some fun together with my buddies, what do you say?” The others stayed quiet. They’re going to let you defend yourself before they do anything in case they end up escalating the situation. You turn your head and lift your shoulder, hiding your scent gland.

“I’m not interested, thank you. Please leave me alone.” You hoped to whatever deity watched over you that the man would leave. Before anyone could react the alpha grabbed your wrist in a vice grip, yanking you roughly from your seat. You chirp, your scent turning sour and the entire pack abruptly stands, baring their fangs at the man. It barely registered in your head that Kirishima and Bakugo are alphas, Mina is a beta, and Kaminari is an omega, their fangs giving them away.

The man tightens his grip on your wrist and you cry out, your bones creaking under the pressure. With no other options you did the one thing that would get him to let go, and sank your fangs into his wrist. You jump back into Sero, who wraps an arm around you protectively.

“You bit me, you bitch!” He raises an arm, clearly about to try and hit you, but a large hand grabs his wrist. Surprisingly enough it’s Bakugo, and his growl is laced into his words.

“Leave now, or you lose a hand.” Sero speaks up from above you.

“You might wanna listen, amigo. That’s Dynamight.” The alpha rips his arm from Bakugo’s hold and looks down at you, and you growl at him as he scoffs and walks away, apparently not ready to fight the #2 pro hero over an omega.

You all sit back down and you pull up the sleeve of the jacket to inspect the already forming bruise on your wrist. Your nose wrinkles with a half-angry half-pained snarl. Tenderly, Sero takes your wrist and lightly squeezes the sides of your forearm, against your bones, and your lack of reaction tells him nothing’s broken. Still, he growls at the offending bruise.

“I’m gonna kill him.” You shake your head and put a hand over his.

“It’s not worth it Sero. He’s probably long gone.” You turn to the rest of the pack.

“Thank you for protecting me.” Kirishima is the first to speak.

“Of course! That dude was a jerk. I just hope he doesn’t go around doing that to other omegas.” Bakugo, surprisingly, spoke next.

“Obviously we’d protect you. You��re a potent omega and quirkless, so you attract unwanted attention without even knowing or wanting to. Besides, if you’re gonna be Sero’s omega there’s no way in hell we’d let some extra handle you like that.” The implications make your face burn, and Kirishima smacks the blonde’s arm with a ‘Don’t just say that kind of thing, Katsuki.’

After an hour or two of talking, and shockingly no other aggressive alphas, they all walk you home to your apartment. Sero wanted to check on your wrist again, so you invited them all in, but they all had something else to do, so you were left alone with Sero. The fact that the one alpha you desperately wanted to be around is alone with you in your apartment is both great and terrible. Thankfully, you have self-control and his own suppressants are working perfectly fine.

He inspected the darkening bruise on your wrist, his large hands gripping your arm tenderly and turning it gently as he prods at the skin. It doesn’t hurt too bad, so you assure him you’ll be perfectly fine. Eventually he leaves with a hug and you sigh once the door is closed, relieved that you were able to keep your omega at bay and your hands to yourself.

A couple days later you get a text from him and the two of you text often, asking how each other’s day went, if anything interesting had happened. You didn’t leave your apartment unless you needed to, since your suppressants clearly weren’t working, so you made sure to cut grocery trips short and keep away from any alphas that seemed a bit aggressive. Sero invited you to hang out with the pack at their house, and you obliged.

They lived in a huge house all together. Most of the rooms were sealed so no scents or sounds could go in or out for ruts and heats, and there were several spare rooms that were empty and waiting for more pack members. It was a fun hangout, filled with video games and good conversation, and even better food which Bakugo cooked. Sero had an arm around you whenever he was close, and you definitely didn’t mind. Your suppressants flaked in the middle, again, and Sero insisted he walk you home. With him walking you home there weren’t any alphas trying to get you this time. You ended up going over to hang out with them a lot when you weren’t working, and eventually Sero began to court you.

Obviously, you accepted, and after a few months of dating and scenting, your overactive scent glands seemed to mellow out, Sero’s scent mixing with it. Your suppressants are lasting much longer now, which is a good sign. Now that you’re Sero’s omega, he often helped you with your heats and you’d help him with his ruts, and he was strong-willed enough that he hadn’t marked or knotted you in the middle of things.

About a year and a half into the relationship you realize you really love him. Sure you had arguments, but everything was settled through calmed discussions over coffee or tea, and you came to understand each other well enough that arguments became few and far between.

You’re happy with Sero, so when your heat came around early and he was there to help, you were going to let him know just how much you loved him.

You texted him once you felt it starting. He was there within half an hour, and you pounced on him once the font door closed, smothering him in hot, wet kisses, eager to feel him inside you. He carries you to the bedroom, and you two are quick in shedding all of your clothes. He lays you on your back with a hand on your throat as he growls into your ear, making a hot shudder roll down your spine.

“Are you ready for me omega?” You whine and nod, your slick already dripping down your folds. You want him so bad it hurts.

“Please alpha, I need your cock.” He growls again, satisfied with your answer, and he presses into you, bottoming out with one firm thrust. You chant his name like a mantra as he set a bruising pace, rutting into you recklessly, wet skin slapping on skin the only other sound beside your whimpers and his growls. His teeth nip at your shoulder, sharp fangs testing your skin and claws digging into the fat of your hips. His cock is so deep, hot swollen tip kissing your cervix with every full-bodied thrust and sending you into a euphoric haze. Your own claws are sinking into his back, leaving little trails of red and blood beading down the lines. It drives him wild every time.

“That’s right, little omega. Mark me up, I’m all yours. Fuck you’re so pretty underneath me like this.” His hands grip behind your knees and press them into your chest, folding you nearly in half as he plows into you further. The angle knocks the breath from your lungs and your eyes roll back. You can feel his knot beginning to swell, feel how his thrusts are getting more controlled and his grip on your thighs tighten from the sheer concentration it’s taking for him not to breed you. You have other plans. Between wheezed breaths you squeak out.

“H-hantaaa~” He slows to a near snail’s pace, grinding his slowly growing cock into your sweet spot, a smirk stretching across his face as you splutter from the sudden change. He’s enjoying making you squirm.

“What is it, sweetness? Tell your alpha what you need.” You pant, chest heaving as much as the position will allow.

“Want your mark, want your knot~ Wanna be bred Hanta! I want your pups!” He stills completely, claws digging into the fat of your thighs with enough force to have drops of blood falling to the sheets beneath you. You’d never said anything like that in the heat of the moment. He can’t have heard you correctly...right?

“Princesa, do you know what you just said?” The seriousness in his tone has you sobering, but even before you knew exactly what you were saying. You nod frantically, wiggling your hips to get him to move again.

“Yes! I know alpha! Please, give me your knot~” His growl makes your bones shake, and with no warning he drops your legs around his waist and leans down so his face is buried in your neck.

“Fuck, I’m gonna trust you with this baby girl. I’ll give you exactly what you want.” His fangs sink into your scent gland just as he picks up his brutal pace, and the euphoria makes you cum hard, your whole body locking up and mouth falling open in a silent scream. He plows into you as you regain your breath, and you bite down on his own scent gland as hard as you can, tearing into his skin with every intention of leaving a pretty scar for the world to see.

His knot swells more, and he’s pushing it into you with every ounce of power he can generate with that gorgeous body of his. With one final snap of his hips he locks his body to yours and cums hard, ropes of hot seed filling you to the brim. He collapses on top of you and laps at the wound on your neck and you do the same. After a few minutes he leans back and cups your face in his hand, gazing down at you like you hung the moon and the stars.

“Are you alright?” You nod, nuzzling into his palm.

“I’m sorry. I was gonna talk to you about it, but my heat came early.” He kisses your forehead gently, brushing the strands of hair from your face.

“It’s okay, pretty thing. I trust you know what you’re getting yourself into.” You giggle and wrap your arms around him.

“Of course I do. I love you, Hanta.”

“I love you too.” You lay there, tangled in each other’s arms until his knot goes down. You whine at the loss when his cock slips out of you, clawing at him to come back because you’re still in heat. His hand gently wraps around your neck, a low chuckle on his lips.

“Relax, we’re far from done.” His already hard erection rubs up and down your glistening folds, barely stimulating your clit, teasing you until tears prick your eyes and you’re beggin him to fuck you again.

“When I’m done you won’t be able to walk for days. I’m gonna breed you so well, You’re gonna look so pretty all big and round with my pups.” He groans at the image he’d conjured in his head and you squeal as he slams his hips into you.

You’re in for a wonderfully long night.

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