#it's so so special to see the way they love each other
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đ„ Cam&Em Studios Presents...
Cam [@highvern] and Em [@gyuswhore] invite you to share your love life woes at Seventeen's Lonely Hearts Cafe. The best chefs in all of Caratland will be serving you 26 proven ways to nurse a lonely heart. Lay out those napkins for a night of fine dining and emotional shenanigans!
Wanna make a reservation âïž Sign up for the taglist here with a visible age indicator on your blog [important].
đ· Oops, some of those menus are for 18+ patrons. Remember to check those NSFW warnings before placing your order!
đ„ Chef Special: the one where the stranger you fake date turns out to be your childhood friend by @bitchlessdino
đŽMain Course: Choi Seungcheol x Reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: In a world where relationships mattered just as much as money or status did, Seungcheol found himself wrapped up with a person from twenty years ago. He didn't know how you remembered him, and frankly he didn't know how he remembered you, but the way you've reentered his life, like a gust of wind, he didn't think he'll ever forget you now.
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đ„ Chef Special: The Pursuit Of Love by @tusswrites
đŽMain Course: Choi Seungcheol x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: A heartâs relentless quest for love, fueled by the perfect visions of romance etched into the world around you, woven through the bittersweet tapestry of rejections, heartbreaks, and long-buried secrets. Along the way, you uncover that perhaps the love you've been chasing has been quietly waiting, right beneath your nose all this time.
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đ„ Chef Special: donât you want me, baby? by @seungkw1
đŽMain Course: Yoon Jeonghan x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: Jeonghan has been nothing more than your annoying classmate your whole life, so everyone is surprised when you get romantically involved with him senior year of high school. The relationship doesnât last, and life moves on. You graduate, go your separate ways to different colleges, never to see each other again. Or so you thought - but a chance encounter years later just might change everything.
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đ„ Chef Special: ride down the memory lane by @multi-kpop-fanfics
đŽMain Course: Yoon Jeonghan x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: one thing you will never forget from your childhood is the bicycle races around your neighborhood against a certain boy who always lost to you. fifteen years later and in the big city, that same boy isn't a boy anymore and he knows how to ride more than a child's bicycle.
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đ„ Chef Special: all the petty things & all the pretty scenes by @starlightkyeom
đŽMain Course: Joshua Hong x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: when your best friend suggests a trip away for valentine's, you think it's the perfect opportunity to get away from all the happy couples on a holiday while you're single. that is, until you realize that he also invited his new roommate. everyone seems to love joshua and you just don't get it. how are you going to survive a long weekend with him?
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đ„ Chef Special: caught up in you by @hannieween
đŽMain Course: Joshua Hong x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: It all started with a little, harmless lie. After telling your mother that you would bring your boyfriend to her obnoxiously high-society birthday party, you had to improvise. With no actual options to ask, you turned to your dear friend, Joshua Hong. Caught up in this lie, you could only hope that real feelings wouldnât start to bloom⊠right?
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đ„ Chef Special: My Girlfriend Faked Her Amnesia by @miabebe
đŽMain Course: Wen Junhui x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: It wasnât always that life gave one the chance to hit reset, but now that Jun had gotten one, he didnât have long before time ran out - 10 days to valentine's day which meant 10 chances to make his amnesiac girlfriend remember him again. But it wasnât going to be a cakewalk - afterall, how could one be reminded of the past if they were only pretending to forget?
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đ„ Chef Special: in limine by @eoieopda
đŽMain Course: Wen Junhui x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: you think that by remaining single this year, youâve found a loophole in your string of shitty valentineâs days. the universe thinks you should lose your only paralegal on the eve of a major trial and see if you wouldnât rather have all of those untimely breakups and missed dates instead.
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đ„ Chef Special: the accidental one-night stand by @fxstpace
đŽMain Course: Jeon Wonwoo x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: the consequences of sleeping with your best friend while drunk include waking up with no memory of how you ended up in his bed and the awkward realisation that your friendship is irreparably damaged. but avoiding it only works for so longâespecially when feelings youâve both been hiding begin to bubble to the surface.
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đ„ Chef Special: A Comprehensive List of Why You Canât Stand Jeon Wonwoo by @tomodachiii
đŽMain Course: Jeon Wonwoo x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: You had no idea when or what started your mutual hatred with Jeon Wonwoo. And if anyone were to ask why you hate him, you could give them a comprehensive list of everything you canât stand about Jeon Wonwoo. But as the saying goes: thereâs a fine line between love and hate.
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đ„ Chef Special: crash course in romance by @etherealyoungk
đŽMain Course: Kwon Soonyoung x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: meet kwon soonyoung, heâs the ultimate goofballâ sweet and chaotic but clueless when it comes to romance. so when you ask him to be your fake boyfriend even though you barely know him, he says yes, even though he's never dated before and has no idea what to do. as you show him the ropes and coach him on how to be the perfect boyfriend and slowly get to know him, soonyoung finds himself slowly falling for you. and maybe, just maybe, you're falling for him too.
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đ„ Chef Special: The Fine Print Of Fake Dating by @c-oupsie
đŽMain Course: Kwon Soonyoung x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: Two broke college best friends enter a Valentineâs âHottest Coupleâ contest to win a semester of free tuition. The plan? Ace the romantic challenges without anyone realizing theyâre faking it. The problem? The fine print never mentioned what to do when fake dating starts to feel all too real.
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đ„ Chef Special: Found You First by @bluehoodiewoozi
đŽMain Course: Lee Jihoon x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: For years youâve hated Valentineâs day, convinced youâd never find a love worth celebrating. Maybe this year youâll see that what you needed has been right in front of you all along.
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đ„ Chef Special: smarter, and yours. by @vitaminkyeom
đŽMain Course: Lee Jihoon x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: Jihoon, school's no. 1 (or no. 2), was nothing but a pain in the ass for you. Sure he was better than you in some subjects but so were you. The two of you were equally good enough for the first place so to increase the competition, he decided to suggest the most scandalous thing you had heard: the two of you of you tutor each other.
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đ„ Chef Special: Don't Run Away by @lovetaroandtaemin
đŽMain Course: Lee Seokmin x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: When unexpected circumstances lead to you sharing an apartment with your best friend's older brother, the transition from acquaintances to roommates is anything but smooth. Over time, however, you two realize that you truly care about each other. Will a drunk confession bring the two of you together, or will you continue to run away from your feelings?
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đ„ Chef Special: the subtle art of stirring the pot by @miniseokminnies
đŽMain Course: Lee Seokmin x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: [STIRRING THE POT] definition: To make a situation more difficult or to deliberately provoke conflict. The kitchen at Quartz and Serenity in New York City runs like a well oiled machine.Then comes Lee Seokmin, the new sous chef, breezing in with a carefree attitude that disrupts your routine. All you've known for the last few years is studying, sleeping, and this kitchen. You try your best to work with the new addition to the chaos but what happens when the pot gets stirred?
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đ„ Chef Special: Cinnamon by @daechwitatamic
đŽMain Course: Kim Mingyu x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: You finally decide to try and move on after years of waiting for Mingyu to return your feelings. But when you start bringing your new boyfriend around more often, things with Mingyu get... difficult.
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đ„ Chef Special: Dessert First by @highvern
đŽMain Course: Kim Mingyu x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: You've got a great life. Your wedding planning business is booming, your clients are great, and you're finally over your ex-boyfriend after years of pining. Or you are, until the universe decides to test if those three things are actually true.
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đ„ Chef Special: muddled hearts by @haologram
đŽMain Course: Xu Minghao x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: things take a turn for the better when you finally find a roommate to escape your incredibly overpriced apartment, but you donât expect to ruin the only relationship that matters to you in the process.
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đ„ Chef Special: hit replay by @starlightkyeom
đŽMain Course: Xu Minghao x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: everything in your life is going well. too well, probably, in hindsight. when the empty unit on your floor gets filled by none other than your ex that broke your heart, you feel like you shouldn't be surprised. but you can avoid with the best of them. especially when someone seems to be taking care of paying for your coffee every day on the way into work.
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đ„ Chef Special: Just One Chance by @soo0hee
đŽMain Course: Boo Seungkwan x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: while for some valentines day was a day spend filled with love, compassion and roses, for you it was a total disaster. Alone and dissapointed you return home after what was suppossed to be the saving grace for your relationship where you were met with your best friend and roommate Boo Seungkwan. Maybe your night wouldn't end with total catastrophe...
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đ„ Chef Special: Fake it Til You Make it by @diamonddaze01
đŽMain Course: Boo Seungkwan x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: You could honestly throttle Seokmin right now. Of all the half-baked, caffeine-fueled ideas heâs ever had, convincing the entire office that you and Seungkwanâyour sworn nemesis and parking spot thiefâare madly in love might just take the cake.
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đ„ Chef Special: On the Clock by @sailorsoons
đŽMain Course: Chwe Hansol x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: Modern problems call for modern solutions, including naming a random stranger at the book store as your boyfriend to avoid an embarrassing encounter with your ex. The problem? The stranger is Vernon and heâs not supposed to be a stranger at all - heâs your coworker, and now everyone at the office - including your ex- thinks youâre dating.
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đ„ Chef Special: stupid cupid by @beomcoups
đŽMain Course: Chwe Hansol x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: you are madly in love with your best friend and it's eating you alive. one day you will tell him how you feel, but you have to deal with his girlfriend first.
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đ„ Chef Special: Soundproof by @gyuswhore
đŽMain Course: Lee Chan x reader, Neighbours to Lovers
đ„ Flavour Profile: Noise has followed Lee Chan his entire life, at least that what it feels like to you since the day his family moved in next door. It goes from his yells and screams to his midday guitar riffs and drum solos, all somehow ending up in your parents garage for his audacious band practices. Noise has followed Lee Chan his entire life, but at some point, you fell in line too.
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đ„ Chef Special: paging dr. heartthrob by @wheeboo
đŽMain Course: Lee Chan x reader
đ„ Flavour Profile: You canât afford to be burnt out, especially during a crucial era of your life: being in medical school. Enter your best friendâa boy with a tough-looking exterior, a skateboard thatâs seen better days, and a heart softer than his beat-up converseâLee Chan, with his backpack full of snacks, and an uncanny ability to show up exactly when you need him most. He may not be a doctor, nor exactly your therapist, but he certainly is a heartthrob, and your heart canât help but always page him.
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#lonelyheartscafecollab#masterlist#collab#seventeen#svt#seventeen fluff#svt fluff#seventeen smut#svt smut#seventeen x reader#svt x reader#seventeen imagines#svt imagines#scoups#jeonghan#joshua#jun#hoshi#wonwoo#woozi#dokyeom#mingyu#the8#minghao#seungkwan#vernon#dino#smut#fluff
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My Lover
//Kang Haerin x 6thMember!Reader//Short Oneshot//
SYPNOSIS âĄïž Haerin isnât the jealous type. At least, thatâs what she tells herselfâuntil she starts seeing clips of you and Minji all over the internet.
WARNINGS âĄïž Jealousy, Possessiveness (soft and non-toxic), Brief Miscommunication, Shipping culture, Hidden Relationship(the members know lol)
WORDCOUNT âĄïž 1.7k
TAGS âĄïž Jealous!Haerin, Established Relationship, fluff, FLUFF(was literally kicking my feet while writing this), Light Angst??
A/N:This is a little 1am brain fart so If I cringe at it tomorrow, Iâll probably end up deleting it lol
"MINY/N SUPREMACY!!"
"Their chemistry is insane, are we SURE theyâre just best friends??"
"Minji and Y/N have been inseparable lately."
Haerin scrolls through the comments under the latest clip of you and Minjiâs interactions. The video itself is nothing special, just you laughing at one of Minjiâs jokes, leaning into her like itâs second nature. But the fans eat it up.
The video loops again.
Your eyes crinkle when you smile at Minji. She reaches out instinctively when you stumble, her hand lingering just a second too long. And itâs not just one clip, there are dozens of them now. Edits spliced together, set to soft love songs, moments slowed down to exaggerate the way you two look at each other.
You arenât Minjiâs girlfriend.
Youâre Haerinâs. Only hers.
But no one ever ships Haerin and Y/N. No one ever slows down the moments where she is the one next to you.
The thought settles in her chest, foreign and unfamiliar.
Jealousy.
But Haerin doesnât get jealous.
âŠRight?
"Theyâre reaching." Haerin mutters under her breath.
She locks her phone and tosses it onto the bed. Itâs just fan edits. Just harmless shipping. Sheâs known for a long time that people see what they want to see.
"Donât let them get in your head.âÂ
But then why does her chest feel so tight?
Because one comment keeps repeating in her mind.
"Minji and Y/N have been inseparable lately."
And itâs true.
Lately, youâve been stuck to Minji like glue. On stage. In the waiting room. During interviews. Even in practice.
And Haerin remembersâearlier, while filming behind-the-scenes content, you had shoved your phone in Minjiâs face, barely able to contain your laughter.
"Min, look! "Minji looking at Y/N like she's the love of her life" oh my god, the heart eyes emoji is killing me! They're reaching so muchhh."
You wheezed, whispering the last part, playfully smacking Minjiâs shoulder over and over as she groaned in embarrassment.
The members had laughed. Even the staff chuckled.
Haerin hadnât.
She had been standing by the water station, fingers curling a little too tightly around a flimsy paper cup, watching as you laughed with Minji like it was the easiest thing in the world.
âYouâre not Minjiâs girlfriend.â
She let the water run down her throat, but it did nothing to wash away the strange, unsettled feeling gnawing at her chest.
âYouâre mine.â
Before she even realized it, she was walking back toward the group.
She didnât say anything, but you noticed immediately.
"Hey, baby, you okay?" You stepped in front of her, voice soft, concern evident in your eyes.
Haerin barely nodded.
You frowned, about to press furtherâ
"Alright, breakâs over!" the choreographer called.
You hesitated, eyes scanning her face, but eventually sighed and gave her hand a light squeeze before stepping back into position.
Haerin watched you go.
She told herself it didnât bother her.
But that was a lie.
And now, before she even realizes it, sheâs standing in front of your door.
Her jealousy isnât loud. It never is.
But when she pushes the door open, stepping into the dim glow of your room, you feel it instantlyâheavy in the air, simmering just beneath the surface.
The kind of jealousy that doesnât need words to be known.
You barely register the sound of the door creaking open before a familiar presence fills the room.
âRinnie?â Your voice is soft, questioning, as you sit up in bed. Thereâs only one person who wouldnât bother knocking.
Your girlfriend.
Sure enough, Haerin steps inside, her small frame swallowed by an oversized pink hoodie, the hood pulled up with little bear ears perched on top. On any other night, youâd tease her about how ridiculously cute she looks.
But something feels off.
Despite the cozy hoodie, her posture is rigid, her expression unreadable. Haerin has always been hard to read, but this, this is different.
You frown slightly, setting your phone aside. âRinnie?â
She doesnât answer right away. Instead, she takes a slow step forward, then another, her gaze locked onto yours. And for some reason, the air between you shifts, thicker, heavier.
You swallow.
Something is definitely wrong.
You frown slightly. âIs something wrong, love?â
The second the word love leaves your lips, Haerin stiffens. Then, as if short-circuiting, she speed-walks toward you, her ears turning the faintest shade of pink.
Before you can react, she climbs onto the bed, quietly straddling your lap. Her arms snake around your waist as she buries her face into your neck, pressing impossibly close.
Warmth instantly floods your chest.
You chuckle, wrapping your arms around her in return. "Youâre clingy tonight" you tease lightly, rubbing slow circles against her back.
Haerin hums in response, but doesnât say anything right away. Instead, she tightens her grip, nuzzling further into you, her soft hair tickling your skin.
Gently, you murmur, âSeriously Though, whatâs wrong?â
She doesnât answer immediately. A few beats pass, filled only by the quiet sound of your breathing. Then, finally, she mumbles against your skin, her voice barely above a whisperâ
âDo you like seeing those videos?â
Your fingers still against her back.
Oh.
So thatâs what this is about.
Smiling softly, you shift slightly, pressing a gentle kiss against the top of her hood. âRinnieâŠâ
She doesnât lift her head, but you feel the way she tenses ever so slightly, waiting for your answer.
You sigh, pulling back just enough to cup her cheeks to meet your eyes. She resists at first, gaze flickering away, but you donât let up. Your thumbs brush over the warmth of her skin, and slowly, reluctantly, her eyes find yours.
Her lips are pressed into a pout, her usual neutral expression betraying just the faintest hint of something vulnerable. Itâs almost too cute to handle.
âThe edits are kind of funny,â you admit, brushing your thumb along her cheek. âBut they donât mean anything.â
Haerinâs lips twitch, but she doesnât respond.
A small pause.
âYouâre always with Minji when we film,â she mutters.
You blink, momentarily taken aback by the shift in her tone.
âMinji isnât your girlfriend,â she says, quieter this time. âI am.â
Your chest tightens at how small her voice sounds.
A soft laugh escapes you before you can stop itânot out of mockery, but out of sheer disbelief that this is whatâs been eating at her. That your Haerin, quiet and composed, is sulking over some fan edits.
âWait, are you jealous?â you tease, poking her cheek playfully.
Haerin doesnât answer right away. Instead, she gently takes your wrist, her fingers curling around it, thumb tracing slow, deliberate circles against your skin.Â
ââŠYou donât act like that with me.â
Your teasing smile fades.
âOn camera, no,â you clarify, voice softer now. âYou know how careful we have to be, Rinnie. I didnât want to make things harder for you, so I thought keeping some distance was the best thing.â
Haerin stays quiet, her gaze locked onto where her fingers are still brushing against yours.
You tilt your head slightly, watching her. âIâm sorry, baby. I thought it was what you wanted.â
âI donât like it,â she murmurs.
You exhale, squeezing her hand. âThen tell me what you do want.â
âI donât want you getting shipped with Minji.â
âI donât want you to distance yourself from me on camera.â
You hold her gaze for a moment before nodding.
âOkay.â
You donât break your promise.
The next time the cameras are rolling, you make sure Haerin feels it.
During a phoning live, when Minji passes you a snack, you thank her without much thoughtâbut instead of eating it right away, you turn to Haerin, holding it up to her lips first. She blinks, startled, but opens her mouth after a small hesitation. The chat explodes instantly.
đ@stayrkieeiiw
"Did I miss an update?? Since when were they like THIS???"
đŹ @ynhaerinupdate
"WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN? WHY WAS I NOT INFORMED???"
đ @haerinno111
"Haerinâs little hesitation before eating lmao she was definitely malfunctioning."
During a music show, while the members are waiting backstage, you casually walk up behind Haerin and rest your chin on her shoulder. The cameras catch the moment as she flinches slightly in surprise before relaxing against you. You donât move, just standing there with your arms loosely draped around her. The staff members barely react, too used to your antics, but the fans? They lose their minds.
đ @gay4haerin
"WAIT, Y/N AND HAERIN?? HELLO???"
đŹ @haerinsoftie
"They act like a married couple and expect us to be normal about it"
đ@kpopfangirl24
âY/N and Haerin have been so touchy lately???â
During a variety show game, you and Haerin end up on the same team. Every time she gets an answer right, you donât just cheer, you grab her hands and shake them excitedly, or wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close in celebration. At one point, youâre so excited that you practically tackle her into a hug. She stumbles slightly, laughing, and the members tease you, but you donât let go.
đ @ynhaerin4life
âThe way Y/N is all over her I CANâT.â
đŹ @njzrawr
âgolden retriever x black cat energyâ
đ @idkwhotostan
âY/N and Haerin are so clingy In here, I need them to explain themselves IMMEDIATELY.â
On a phoning live, youâre seated next to Haerin, and for some reason, you canât stop messing with her hoodie strings. You keep tugging them playfully, leaning in close whenever she tries to bat your hands away. Eventually, you give up on the strings and just rest your head on her shoulder instead. She freezes for a second, then lets out the softest sigh before tilting her head slightly so your temple rests against hers. The moment is short, but fans catch it instantly.
đ @ynhaerin4life
"Haerinâs little smile when Y/N leans on her đ.â
đ @multistan010
"Omg...do they know we can see them..?"
đŹ @fuckhybeomg
"ARE WE ALL SEEING THIS?? IS THIS REAL??"
After a long day of promotions, the group films a short vlog in their practice room. Youâre exhausted, so you naturally gravitate toward Haerin, flopping down beside her and resting your head against her lap. She stiffens at first, her hands hovering awkwardly over you before she hesitantly starts running her fingers through your hair. The fans donât miss the way she tries to hide her smile, but the cameras catch it anyway.
đ @haerinupdates
"SHE TRIED TO HIDE IT BUT WE SAW IT. WE ALL SAW IT."
đŹ @idkiwannasleepsb
"DID YOU SEE THAT. DID YOU GUYS SEE HER SMILE!?"
đ @Y/nupdates
âTheyre not even trying to hide it atp. #YNsoldâ
đ @haerinwinning
"Y/N used to keep her distance from Haerin, now sheâs acting like a lovesick puppy⊠what CHANGED???? đ€š"
đ @ynhaerin_cult
"THEM. THATâS IT. THATâS THE TWEET. #YNSold #Theyremarriedsir"
đŹ @minjynomg
"Miny/n shippers are in shambles rn"
Later that night, you scroll through the comments with a smug smile. Next to you, Haerin peeks at your phone screen, then flicks your forehead.
âStop looking at those,â she mutters, trying to act indifferent.
You just grin, nudging her gently. âYou like it, donât lie.â
She huffs but doesnât deny it. Instead, she shifts closer, intertwining her fingers with yours under the covers.
ââââ
OG MY GODO I CANNOT WRITE PET NAMES WITHOUT CRINGING OFMG KILL ME NOWđđ
Taglist: haha I'm lazy
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Over the Moon (Visual Novel)
Created by: Bibibbb99
Genre: Shonen ai
Over the Moon is a beautiful demo that honestly can be finished off as it's own short game. Despite the fact that we never see Galileo, the main lead, we do get to see the chemistry between the two boys as they have class and go to a festival together. The artwork is pretty and beautiful and I think it has good potential for a sequel or a more fully fleshed out game if needed. This game doesn't seem like it's available at the moment, so we'll keep this as a sort of documentation of what the game was.
The story starts out with Galileo in a dream, on the bottom of a spiraling staircase where he can either go up or down. Going up he sees a woman laughing and dancing with her lover, a star. As she dances with the star, you hear her confess her love. If Galileo goes down instead, he instead hears a resentful voice, crying out and wondering why they chose someone else but not them, confessing their love and begging to why they chose the star instead of them. Either way, Galileo is woken up by his roommate, Atlas, who has made the two tea. You can choose the type of tea, though there is a special interaction for choosing pepperment with too much sugar (which Atlas will say he will only make on special occasions since if he lives that way he might incur health problems) or if you choose black tea, which Atlas will be extremely happy since the two of them share the same taste in tea. Otherwise, Galileo will thank Atlas for making the two of them tea each morning, which will make Atlas happy and blush. Galileo starts talking to Atlas about a book he read, where Atlas talks about a romance between a wanderer and a librarian who must stay in her library, the school work the two have to do and how Atlas is pretty good at Potionology and finally gossip between other classmates, specifically two classmates named Theodore and Lucas. Although Atlas seems to disapprove of rumors, Galileo talks about how the two are planning to dance during a quiz to distract the professor, though Lucas ended up chickening out, with Atlas commenting that it's cowardly to betray your friend like that. Finally, Galileo talks about the dream he had, either of the girl dancing with the stars or the mournful voice, which will lead to Atlas talking about how similar the dream is with a story he's read.
The school bells ring for classes, and the two boys end up studying and going to class, leading to going into the library afterwards. Atlas compliments Galileo on his math scores and can either whine or playfully tease Atlas about it. Atlas seems to know that Galileo works hard on it despite beating Galileo in his scores. To this Galileo challenges Atlas to who can finish their maths first, with the winner being the glorious winner (as Galileo puts it). Atlas ends up winning before Galileo is halfway, so he declares Atlas the winner. Atlas asks Galileo to take off his blazer vest as there's a button that has been loose. Galileo can either refuse, take off the blazer or ask for Atlas's blazer to wear in return. If he does the latter, Atlas will blush and as Galileo continues his homework wearing Atlas's blazer and, Atlas will sew his blazer in return. After this, Atlas will talk to Galileo about a night market that's happening that a teacher mentioned during class. Atlas seems prepared for this venture and the two end up going to the fair together.
At the fair, Galileo can either look around or specifically look into one of the stores. If Galileo decides to look around, he and Atlas will browse around, looking at various potions, stuffed animals and others until Atlas specifically looks at one of the stalls. He looks at the painting of a cozy cottage with flowers and reminisces about living there (with Galileo) until they go back. Conversely, if Galileo looks specifically at one of the stores, a place that sells model telescopes, the vender and Galileo will talk about stargazing, with the vender even talking about a shooting star event. He loses Atlas for a bit but finds him looking at some jewelry, where Atlas decides to buy some as a gift to his mother.
Upon going home, Galileo immediately passes out. Atlas after checking if he's fallen asleep, talks about how he was worried that he had put too much sleeping potion into yesterday's tea and that he might not wake up. He has adjusted it, happy to see Galileo's expression every morning when he wakes up. If Galileo went to look at the telescopes, Atlas will unravel the present, showing a ring, and will slide the ring onto Galileo's finger and his. If they went around, Atlas will talk about how the painting was about the future he wanted with Galileo. He states he'll do anything for that dream, and that he hates living in the capital and how he doesn't want to be the family heir, wanting the two of them to run away together. Atlas will have different responses depending on whether or not he was allowed to sew Galileo's shirt, with him being extremely happy if the two of them swapped blazers for him to wear. If you specifically choose the block tea, tease him and trade blazers with Atlas, he will also have a short cute blushy scene where he will try to kiss Galileo on the cheek. After this, he tells Galileo goodnight and says he has to do some "pest control duties" tonight, excited by the face that he will make in the morning.
Upon waking up, Galileo sees Atlas frowning as the two of them drink tea. Atlas breaks the news that Theodore pushed Lucas off the balcony, leading to Lucas being in a coma and Theodore being kicked out of school, claiming that after the incident, the two had an argument and shoved Lucas off the roof. Galileo attempts to comfort Lucas, blaming himself for telling him of the rumor, with the last shot of the game having Atlas elated at the fact that Galileo is hugging him.
First of all, the artwork in this game is seriously gorgeous, from the CGs and the cute little moments that Atlas has with Galileo. The close ups of Atlas are extremely pretty and the small chibi moments are really cute. Even the backgrounds are made to be extremely pretty as well.
The story itself is generally pretty simple, establishing the daily life of Galileo and Atlas in boarding school, drinking tea together, going to classes together, studying together and going to the fair together. The story itself does a pretty good job for some aspects of foreshadowing, with the dreams showing both sides of Atlas's devotion, the more desperate and pathetic side and the romantic and loving side. It is pretty clear that Atlas loves Galileo, but to what extent is fairly unknown at least until we get to the end, when he seemingly causes Lucas to go into a coma and blames it on Theodore and drugs Galileo. I'm not sure why Atlas decided to go after these two boys, likely because Galileo showed interest in their shenanigans perhaps (or to teach him a lesson in the idea that he really does not like listening to rumors), though he does use this by pretending to be extremely upset that this happens so that Galileo will not do this again and so he can get a hug from him. We also learn a bit from the special interaction where Galileo is from a richer family (probably the reason why his grades are so high because he has to live up to his family's legacy), though he has no use for being the heir and will do anything to run away with Galileo. It seems that he's been drugging Galileo for a bit (though based on his worry that he over did it, I'm not sure if it's been a very long time yet) just so he can see him wake up and sleep. There are plenty of cute moments with Atlas fawning over Galileo such as when he complements him and blushes, making their favorite tea (worrying about his health or otherwise happy they share the same tastes), being extremely happy to mend Galileo's clothes (and even more so swapping them) and dreaming of a future together. I also just like the relationship built up between the two, with Galileo being a bit more teasing towards Atlas, and Atlas admiring Galileo and helping him when needed. Generally the only big gripe I have about it is the fact that we never really see Galileo or know too much about him. Technically he is the player character, but given at least on the itch.io page he is likely the red haired character, it would be nice to have some cgs that incorporate both of them. The general motif of stars is really nice, and is placed in most aspects of the story, or at least the key ones. I honestly think this game can be considered a full game, even if short, and it would be cool to see a sequel or even prequel. But as a demo, I think it can also be expanded on if needed to fill out other points.
Overall, extremely pretty and fun game with a nice yandere in it. As I said, I like the relationship developed between Galileo and Atlas and the general world (learning Potionology sounds cool). I hope to see more from this game and characters in the future.
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Does Rafayel really have to choose MC over Lemuria?
Of course, it looks like in a world where Lemuria is revived, MC cannot be there with him; and similarly, in a world where MC is by Rafayelâs side, Lemurians are forced to live on land, subject to all kinds of abuse out of human greed.
But I donât think Rafayel even considers MC and Lemuria as separate sides. He did try to do that but in the end, I think, he doesn't want to choose one over the other. The thing is, even without the bond he shares with MC, Rafayel truly cares about all of his followers including MC (even the cat that he took care of for a short while).
If we look at how he acts with people around him, it is so easy to see that he is a very caring god. He attends Taliaâs wedding to give his blessings. He prepares a gift for her, he designs her a necklace that would match her wedding dress. Through all the bickering, he sees that Thomas looks up to him and he lets him be by his side. He makes Thomas his manager and invites him to the new yearâs celebrations.
He helps others hold the Seamoon ceremony for the deceased, and if that is not possible, he brings the flowers for his follower to the funeral of the man who harmed her.
He cares about the children enough to held special workshops for them, and donates art supplies. He cares about the students he gave lectures to in Linkon University when he was just there to keep an eye on MC. He gives them honest feedback, he lets them criticize his works and he remembers them by their names.
And even when he realizes that one of his students was working with Ever dissecting Lemurian hearts, even when he gets angry at the sudden reveal, Rafayel gives the student a chance to explain himself and lets him go, trusting that the student will maybe find the right path in the future.
Honestly, I think, you have to be a special kind of evil to attract Rafayelâs wrath. Because no matter how hasty he may come of time to time, he is a very patient and understanding person. Thatâs why he still respects the elder Lemurians even if he keeps running away. Thatâs why he is still with Amund, listening to his advice even when he obviously doesnât really like him that much.
No matter how much he tries to appear as a cold person, people around him are always aware that they are in the embrace of his warmth.
And, I really don't think he values one over the other or even makes the MC vs Lemuria comparison at all. The thing is I donât even think Rafayelâs conflict is directly related to his love for MC. Because, even before MC became his follower and he gave her his heart, Rafayel considered Lemuriaâs flame as a poor imitation of the sun, a fire that is not hot but just merely warm. And, he did not like the weak warmth emanated from a flame placed in the middle of a cold and dark room. He wanted to break through the surface and bask in the sunâs glow. Maybe, he had doubts about how the Lemuria worked, how the ceremony was held from the very beginning.
And I think thatâs also related to why the Sea God ceremony appeared to âfailâ. That disastrous ceremony happened the exact way it was told in the prophecy, stating the fire would go out only to be reignited by him. He still left that ceremony with a newborn flame in his hands. A flame that shook the foundations of Lemuria. And I think the flame Rafayel was supposed to have and the flame he actually has after that ceremony is as different as the fire in the temple and the sun.
I kind of think there were two souls in the beginning. One was supposed to take the heart of the other, and make the heart itself the faith that ignites the flame. And the other was supposed to mix into the sea and disappear, only to come back again and reclaim the heart. And continue this never-ending cycle. This heart, taken by force in such a violent way, could only provide a lukewarm flame that cannot be compared to the power of the sun.
Past Lemuria existed as these two souls stole their warmth away from each other to keep this place, in the bottom of a fissure in the deep sea, warm. The past Lemuria existed through the torturous cycle that had to be upheld by Rafayel and MC.
And, maybe thatâs why Rafayel considers his attraction to MC as an addictive painful feeling. Maybe thatâs why heâs willing to burn by his love for her. And maybe thatâs why it is really important that we see Rafayel leaving these feelings behind and embracing love as an inspiration rather than pain. He's ready to break the cycle now and bring Lemuria the sun, instead of a small flame.
I think what happened during the ceremony was MC showed Rafayel a way out of this cycle by giving him her purest faith without Rafayel taking her heart. Although, they still failed in the end. And ended up continuing this cycle for many more years.
So, maybe the good ending for this story is a good ending for both MC and Rafayel, and Lemuria. A good ending where the Lemuria thrives under its new sunâs glow, and a good ending where MC and Rafayel are always by each otherâs sides like two koi fish swimming in a pond.
A good ending where Rafayel doesn't have to choose a side and keeps all his followers safe as the caring god he is.
#look what im writing instead of my research statement haha#im about to be unemployed haha#rafayel save me#love and deepspace#lads#rafayel#lads rafayel#love and deepspace rafayel#rafayel love and deepspace#rafayel lads#lnds#lnds rafayel
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The Reason ~A Five Hargreeves/Female Reader Insert request (Complete)
Rated Mature for Explicit Sexual Content (20k word one-shot with 10 fast paced chapters)
Anonymous asked:
Please just give me the smuttiest enemies to friends to lovers, with some breeding kink PLEASEEE đ§ââïžđđ»
KayBreezy's reply: Okay. đ Done. See Below to read this wild adventure.
~Tags and Warnings: feral Five, soft Five angst, family fluff, flirting, humor, rough sex, story with plenty of smutty smut but it needs to build to get there so be patient and it will pay off, Five being wonderful and awful, smart female reader insert, Diego is a bomb ass bro, canon compliant plus extra addressing of shit they didn't bother to and I wish they would have, breeding kink, enemies-to friends-to lovers, some tags left off to keep you on your toes, season 5 TUA
~Very Important Note: DUE TO SPOILERS, DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED S4 This story starts where season 4 ends and reads like a season 5 start. It is canon compliant, letting you take what we were left with on the show, DISREGARDING the controversial sexual relationship that happened, or not. That's the big thing with this one. This is written so the reader can interpret that stuff as they want to. There are only two mentions in this that even come remotely close into that territory and those parts can also be looked at as Five simply feeling awful and not because that even happened. He has plenty of other reason for his sadness, why they felt the need to give him more and end them all, I will never know. đ I personally have always seen a special bond with Five and Lila, only not at all the way it played out in the show, and we will see some of my version of their admiration of each other in this one, and I did it to honor both these characters I love. It is also important to say, this is in no way written in a way that is triggering for those who hated what happened on the show. This is written to give them all something better. That was my point, and to try to do this request some justice. â€ïžI hope you enjoy. Sending peace and love to all the beautiful TUA/FIVE fans.
THE REASON
Chapter one: The Beginning of the End
Slipping away, there was no reason to fight anymore.
Sensations Five couldnât put into words overwhelming him, the glowing pulsation of The Cleanse began to cover them, first trapping their feet, then building up around their legs with terrifying speed.
As the pressure pushed at his layers of clothing, naturally, panic set in.
His mind screamed, DO SOMETHING!!!
He would have laughed at the irony along with his family if it wasnât all so awful. Here they were cracking jokes when they were about to die, and there he was, the massive lump of guilt in his throat trying to kill him quicker than the looming mass of elemental alien goo.
Fiveâs entire life, heâd thought he was the strong one, that he could save them, but boy had he been wrong.
Even before this shit storm splattered the fan, he knew he should have been starting over, but heâd done very little in the way of living, or being there for any of them.
He pretended he was fine, but he wasnât.
He was alone, like he always was, but he was too stubborn to admit how empty his life was.
Instead, he blocked all that out by playing CIA agent, foolishly not noticing that the people whoâd hired him were in on all this.
Then, when it all went from bad to worse, Five ran from it. Once with Lila as they traveled the train to insanity together, and then again after that, when theyâd finally made it back and he realized they couldnât beat the horrible death blob Ben and Jennifer had become.
It took a lifetime to learn it, but there was no running from this, or the unforgivable things heâd done only to end up with nothing.
Heart sinking to unfathomable depths of despair, unable to look at their faces, or the thing consuming them, Five looked to the ceiling instead. Through the highest windows of what in another time had been their childhood home, the world outside was righting itself, the fire of rebirth was hard at work, correcting things the right way this time.
There was no reason for his suffering.
No reason for any of this.
His breath catching in his throat, the mass of destruction that was swallowing them crept up Fiveâs neck, seeping under his sweat drenched collar.
Shutting his eyes to block out the horror of what was happening, he forced himself to think about why this was the only way out.
âWhat shattered the timeline?â heâd asked the Five that greeted him at the interdimensional deli filled with different versions of him.
âNot what. Who,â his cocky doppelgĂ€nger replied while pushing a stray piece of hair out of his face.
They were 145,142 times trying to stop the apocalypse, doomed to save or destroy the world, over and over⊠ad infinitum.
This would go on forever. Those crazy bastards werenât willing to rise above their own wants and needs, but he was.
Eliminate the Marigold by ending all of them, and you get no more cycle of apocalyptic destruction. Simple as that.
Despite Fiveâs steadfast acceptance of this fact, a rush of air crawled out of his gaped mouth, the sound of it gut-wrenchingly pathetic even to his own ears. His lower lip trembled as The Cleanse reached his chin. He jerked his head higher to get away from it, but it was no good.
He felt Lila squeeze his hand. He squeezed back, a tear slipping down his cheek, immediately eaten away by the sludgy mass burying them.
Iâm sorry.
He was, for everything, but he couldnât say it, not anymore. He couldnât even breathe.
The taste of death covered his lips, filling his nostrils. A familiar crackle of static energy zipped up and down his spine even though he hadnât summoned it, like his powers had life of their own, begging him to stop this.
Five opened his eyes one last time, a spike of adrenaline needlessly alerting him to the fact that he was about to suffocate from the disgusting booger-like substance pushing into his mouth.
Silently crying out, The Cleanse choked off his airway.
His body, insistent on his need to breathe, helplessly drew in the otherworldly gunk.
He was drowning.
He began to thrash.
Above, ash began to fall from the ceiling. Five felt the same desperation he had a lifetime ago while standing outside the burning gates of his home.
Like then, all he could think about was finding a way back to save them.Â
Just before the wave of glimmering slime slipped over Fiveâs head, a shadowed figure moved into his view on the second-floor balcony. The person propped their elbows on the railing. Extending their left hand, they began dangling a pocket watch, slowly swinging it back and forth on its silver chain.
As if dying wasnât already shaking Five to the core, the ornately engraved disk they had looked exactly like a pocket watch he kept in a basket of broken timepieces back in his boyhood bedroom at the original Umbrella Academy.
He collected those discarded pieces of junk, trying to make their fragile parts work again because he saw something of himself in their busted balance springs and wheels, beaten and used, pushed aside, never able to prove to a dad that didnât love him that he was good enough.
Reginald was right, he wasnât.
âDonât be so hard on yourself,â the young stranger said, as if reading Fiveâs thoughts. He angled his face into the light, the pouted line of his lips pulling to the side, mimicking one of Five's smiles almost perfectly. âFor all this to work out, you had to get here.â
A faint swirl of blue energy lit up the boyâs hands as the floor rumbled under their feet. Chunks of the roof fell, but their pale green eyes wrinkled at the corners even more, not a hint of fear in them.
âIâd do this one for you, but I canât,â he furthered. âAs you always told me, when it comes to time travel, you donât mess with the loops, and this is one hell of a temporal causality loop you set up.â
The dimple in the boyâs cheek deepened.
âNo, you. No, me,â he calmly explained. âAnd that would mean this conversation wouldnât be happening, resulting in you letting this end and game over for us.â
Pulling the old pocket watch back up, the boy popped it open, checking the time before he looked back down at Five through the mess of sun-kissed hair falling over his eyes.
âYou know what to do. Itâs time, Dad.â
He dropped the watch, the glint of metal sailing down into the abyss.
Lack of oxygen about to make him lose consciousness, The Cleanse covered Fiveâs shock filled eyes.
Getting crushed, he no longer felt the hands that had been holding his.
They were all gone.
As true terror set in, the last of the boyâs words echoed in his mind.
Itâs time, DadâŠ
Chapter Two: Walk in the Park
Not even aware he was doing it at first, Five pulled at that undefinable feeling inside him that let him open doors no one else could. Within a second, the strings of time gave in to his demand, illuminating the darkness.
An explosion of violent light burst outwards, the force of it ripping his skin inside out, or it felt that way. At that point, Five wasnât sure if he was still intact, or not. All he knew was, heâd given everything he had left, opening one final portal, not even accounting for the destination.
Flung into a tornado of time and space knitting itself back together into the one true timeline, Five landed in the only place he could.
Coming down fast, blindly flailing, he slammed down on top of a picnic table, sending the food airborne that Lilaâs parents had just laid out for lunch.
Face smashed into what he was pretty sure had been a cake, Five let out a whimpered groan.
Fresh air ruffled his frosting coated hair, the white sugar standing out in stark contrast to his chocolate-colored strands.
Untwisting his legs, his dress shoe accidentally knocked into Claireâs can of orange soda, tipping it over. The fizzy mess started pouring out all over Lilaâs feet as she glared at him.
Five rapidly blinked his eyes, still not sure if what he was seeing was real.
Everything was so bright, a canopy of green and blue.
Orange and yellow marigolds filled the landscaped gardens.
Upbeat music played somewhere in the distance.
âWhat do you know, the flying fart squirrel decided to join us after all,â Lila dryly noted as she wiped a piece of potato salad off her forehead, flicking it at Diego.
Unfazed by Fiveâs fumbled landing, Diego picked the mayo covered slop off his shirt, sticking it in his mouth as he rolled his eyes at her. âCome, on babe. Fivvv nev-lets us dow. I nn-ew-he-be-here,â he mumbled while reaching out to lend him a helping hand.
Once on his feet, Five swayed, but Diego held on, keeping him steady as he took in the full extent of his shell-shocked appearance. âRough day, old man?â he asked, a look of worry bending his silly dad-stash into a frown.
âYou could say that,â Five croaked.
He reached up, his trembling fingers brushing the ghost of stubble darkening his jaw.
âThank God Iâm not twelve years old again,â he breathed.
Diego and Lila looked at each other, eyes wide.
âFiveâŠ?â Diego questioned. âSince you still canât calculate your decades long jumps worth a shit, why donât you just use one of your briefcases to commute.â
âUncle Five is here!â Grace shouted, abandoning the game of frisbee she was playing with Luther and Sloane. Bolting over, her arms flung around Fiveâs waist. âDid you bring me anything?â she asked, beaming up at him.
Five was speechless.
Her twin siblings screeched as they rolled around on a fuzzy blanket filled with toys. Behind them, camped out on the grass, or horsing around not far away, Five saw his entire family, and all the people from their past that they had loved and lost.
A few yards away, Dave was sitting with his back against a tree, Klaus lying next to him with his head in his lap.
Eudora, Sissy, little Harlan, Elliot, Ray, Ben and JenniferâŠ
Five kept counting.
To his left, Agnes and Hazel walked by, bird watcher guide in hand.
Even the Sparrows' faces dotted the crowded scene, the one Five didnât recognize with blue hair oddly reminiscent of a non-cube version of Christopher.
âHoly shit,â he gasped.
With the buzz of the older kids laughing at their funny Uncle Five and his ruined suit, and the rest of his family looking at him like he needed to be locked up, the fear that everyone close to him was about to be wiped off the face of the Earth hadnât even come close to wearing off. And that feeling only got worse when he spotted The Handler sitting on a nearby park bench.
Starting to walk towards her, he reached into his inside jacket pocket to pull out his CIA issued handgun, but it wasnât there.
Getting nothing but a handful of Jello, Five ran right into Herb. In a domino effect, the smaller statured man started teetering backwards.
âYouch!â you cried as his heel dug into your opened toed dress shoe.
Everything you were holding slipped out of your hands as they flung out to break your fall.
Before hitting the dirt, your skirt flew up, giving everyone a show.
Looking about as thrown as you, Five looked down at the Temps Commission insignia on the journal you dropped, then the pocket watch that had fallen next to it.
He cursed.
Clenching his hands so hard it looked like he might hurt himself, he started shaking his head side to side. âWhere is he?â he growled.
âWho?â you fired back at him, trying to get up.
âThat kid!â
âWhat kid?â
Before Herb could say anything to add to your confused reply or find his handy-dandy Commission issued time stopper, Five took off again.
Scrambling to your feet, you reached out to catch his arm. He swung around with a snarl and shoved you to the ground again, then he blinked away, reappearing right behind The Handler, ready to choke her with his bare hands, the only thing stopping him being the lady coming past, pushing a baby stroller.
Seeing the real Graceâs smiling face, so much like that of his robot mother, Five looked even more manic.
âStop!â Herb frantically cried out, realizing that something was off more than Five lacking any spatial awareness.
Five didnât stop, and neither did you, clumsily coming after him, your dress shoes slipping on the grass, you yelled, âIf you do this, youâre going to regret it!â
To your relief. Five lowered his hands.
You came to a stop in front of the Handler, your hands coming to your knees as you tried to catch your breath. She looked from you, to the crazed young man behind her.
She lowered her cell phone. âCan I help you?â
âNo. Sorry,â you huffed, quickly storming around the park bench to take Five by the back of his food covered suit jacket.
âShe doesnât know who you are!â you whisper yelled at him as you towed him away from her. âWhat in the world are you thinking?â
Five angrily narrowed his eyes at you.
âThis was your plan!â you barked, to which he equally angrily jerked his shoulder away from your hand.
Apparently, he wasnât going to let you corral him back towards Herb, but he wasnât opposed to stomping over there himself, which was fine by you, so long as he did, and started to calm his cake-covered ass down.
âGlad to have you back,â Herb nervously chuckled once Five was in earshot. âSorry about that.â He glanced at The Handler who was happily chatting away on her cell phone again. âIâm sure some of this is still hard for you, but everyone affected by this needed to be in close proximity to perform all the alternations you wanted. This picnic took some time for us to set up, but we got it done. As far as they know, you all have been back here for weeks and we had nothing to do with this party.â
Fiveâs cold gaze didnât falter.
After picking up the items he made you drop, you handed him his journal, the one that said to give it to him as soon as he arrived.
âI donât want that,â he spat, refusing to take it from you.
âMaybe it would be better if we took this conversation back to The Commission,â Herb offered.
âLike hell it would,â Five snapped, âThere is no way I am going back to that shitshow of manipulative sadists.â
âYou are the leader of our shitshow of manipulative sadists,â you retorted.
Ignoring that and your offended expression, he came at you, a flash of light blinding you as he snatched the watch out of your hand. Reappearing a few yards away, he hissed, âWho are you and who gave you this!â
Now you were the one narrowing your eyes.
Introducing yourself, minus the usual extended hand in case he tried to bite it off, you said, âI serve as your Co-Chair, and the watch was left with your files that were given to me when I was hired. And⊠it is not broken anymore because I fixed it for you. Youâre welcome.â
âWhy would I hire you?â
âBecause you clearly needed my help,â you replied, your tone as acidic as his.
âYeah, right,â he barked, his wild eyes suddenly fixating on you in a very ungentlemanly way.
Realizing that when heâd flung you the second time, your shirt had come undone by a few more buttons than youâd normally allow, you crossed your arms over your chest, using his journal like a shield to protect your boobs from his glare. âLook,â you sniped back. âI get that for you, some of this might be a little confusing because youâve only been back for more than a few minutes real time, but for Herb and I, our day at the park had been much longer than that, stopping time over and over to correctly wipe and reset each of your family members you brought back. So⊠can we just get this thing moving?â
âYou better not touch my family,â Five warned.
âWith Optogenetics, cation-selective channel rhodopsin are used to excite neurons and inhibit neuronal activity, so touching isnât exactly how weâd say memory alteration works, but you already know that. You are the one that left the notes that led to me inventing the pain free process to do it. Why are you being so difficult?â you questioned.
âBecauseâŠâ he childishly seethed.
âBecause?â
âThatâs right,â he continued, his face contorting as his jaw muscles repeatedly tensed. âYou throwing out big words means nothing. Iâve been fed a lot of lines of bullshit over the years, and I have no reason to trust a bimbo whoâs wearing tiny pink underwear that would make a stripper blush! Or Herb! Or anyone that works at the place that ruined my life and millions of others!â
You smiled, and it wasn't the nice kind of smile. âName calling? Really?â
âThis has set up written all over it!â he yelled.
A lump of frosting fell off his head, landing on one of his expensive dress shoes. Fingers twitching at his sides, he was about to go ballistic.
In his notes spelling it out how this was going to go down, the Five of the future that hired you had written nothing about the possibility that the him now would have no clue what was going on, but it was clear he didnât. Fortunately, there were protocols to handle situations like this-his protocols.
âWe didnât ruin anyoneâs lives. That is the opposite of what we are about, but if you arenât willing to come back and talk about that, I guess we are done here,â you said, raising an unimpressed brow.
âSweetheart, I was done so long ago, you have no fucking idea.â
After condescendingly insulting you again, Five turned to check on his family.Â
None of them were concerned, and you knew they wouldnât be. The moment he walked away, their attention was back on entertaining the kids.
âDo you want to do it, or me,â you quietly asked Herb, who looked over at you, looking about as tired as youâd ever seen him.
âIâll lug this thing,â he sheepishly offered, picking up the huge Commission briefcase you used to get there.
You reached in your pocket, calling out to Diego. âHey, guys! Something came up. Five is needed back at the office.â
Five started to turn back, readying for a fight.
Sticking him in the neck with a fast-acting sedative before he could fully swing, his legs buckled at the knees.
âYou didnât jus-st-ffffah-kkkk," he slurred, his eyes rolling back in his head.
Chapter Three: The Founder
A line of drool running out of his mouth, Five flopped over the side of the settee he was passed out on. Groggily looking around from his new position on the hard marble floor, he saw the lights were dimmed and there was only the slightest bit of daylight on the horizon outside the heavily draped windows.
He had no idea how long heâd been out, but he knew where he was.
This was 1955 and these were the crown molded walls of AJ Carmichaelâs office, then The Handlerâs, but evidently this office wasnât either of theirs anymore because the polished plaque sitting on top of the old mahogany desk read otherwise.
âFive Hargreeves, Director⊠Well, Iâll be damned,â he breathed.
Getting to his feet, head spinning, he swallowed, his throat thick.
On the small side table next to him, he noticed the pocket watch heâd stolen back from you and a glass of water next to it with a pink post-it note stuck to it that read, Drink Me.
âYeah, right. Iâll probably shrink like Alice in Wonderland,â he grumbled, remembering how you stuck him in the neck with a syringe, at this point equating you to an evil version of the white rabbit, forcefully leading him back into a nightmare.
Running a hand through his hair, seeing no one there to ambush him, Five spotted his neatly polished shoes placed under the edge of the couch. There was also a fresh suit, with the addition of a pair socks and black briefs laying on one of the adjacent chairs.
Five looked down at the slumped blanket around his ankles, then his hands.
He still had on his undershirt and underwear, a pair exactly like the ones on the chair, but that was it. Heâd been cleaned up, no more frosting anywhere.
Kicking free of the slumped blanket at his feet, he stomped over to his desk, eyes on the journal laying there and the slightly smashed piece of cake that had another post-it note next to it that said, âOnce youâve had your nap time, and snack time is over, put your big-boy pants back on and read this over for me, please.â
Looking at the door, his expression soured even more.
Picking up the leather-bound book, he recalled that you said it was his, but he didnât remember it. Then again, this wasnât the first time heâd left something for himself to find later.
Shoving memories of the subway station out of his mind, Five opened it, his finger running along the date and time noted at the top of the first page. There was no denying heâd written it.
Slowly sitting down, his eyes moved along, reading the detailed directions explaining all the things you were supposed to do before he got there. Things like making sure certain people from his past only remembered what they needed to remember, and that meant for some, like his ex-supervisor, some remembered nothing.
For his family, their memories were more complicated because they were a part of things that needed to be remembered, but in clipping bits of time from their minds, he stated it would allow them the easiest transition.
Further diving into this new reality, Five read that many of the superpowered Hargreeves, including some of the Sparrows, worked for him and were involved in a new initiative of non-kill orders for all time corrective actions.
Theyâd been wiped. Just like you said. The device used to do it, one he told you to make, and it sounded a lot like the one Reginald used to erase the memories of how the original Ben died.
That happened. It all did. Five remembered it and his notes said the others would too- for the most part.
The past still happened because it had to, but that didnât mean everyone needed to be burdened with the heavier traumas of it. That idea was a core value stated in The Temps Commissionâs original doctrine, also written by him, conveniently there on the desk for him to go over.
All of it confirmed what you said. He was the Founder of The Commission; the same place that let him waste away in the apocalypse for forty years and then go through the rest of this crap. Apparently, that cruel joke didnât just come to fruition in the Sparrow timeline spin off.
It was madness.
Somehow, his family survived, powers intact. He got them out of there at the last second, with none of them aware that anything odd was happening when youâd come up to them at the park, waving your specially calibrated brain wave eraser in front of their smiling faces.
You were an invited guest to their event and so was Herb. They knew you and trusted you, just like he supposedly did, only he didnât.
Hearing a soft knock at the door, Five tensed.
âCome in.â
Herb timidly stepped inside, leaving the door ajar to the empty hallway. He lowered his chin and shook his head as if he already knew that what he was going to say was something Five wouldnât want to hear. âThat was a bumpy start,â he began. âWe didnât see that coming and we are so sorry about that. If we-â
âHow long have you known about this,â Five sharply cut in.
âAs youâve read, thatâs complicated,â he carefully replied.
âHerb,â Five sighed, his hand rubbing the worry line between his eyes. âAll I have ever wanted was for this to end, but I donât-"
Herb held up his hand stopping him. âI know you donât want this. We all know what youâve given to this place already, but we need you. With what you are capable of, your unique skill set makes you a perfect choice to run this organization.â
Herb paused, hoping Five understood that but he looked as unconvinced as before.
âThis doesnât have to be forever,â he tried. âThe board just wants reassurance, and with you at the helm, itâs clear that people here will feel more comfortable about this transition. We no longer focus on preventing complications from the other timelines breaking off because there is only one timeline now. You took care of that by allowing The Cleanse to happen. Now we are here to ensure someone is present in case anything like this threatens us again. This is a big change for everyone,â he clarified, as if Five didnât already grasp how big this was.
âAnd Reginald?â he quietly questioned, his troubled eyes pulling downward.
âGone with the Cleanse,â you answered, coming into his office, âbut as far as anyone else knows, he died years ago. You were there to spread his ashes. Many things are the same as before, but with the addition of the things that changed during the last five years you were gone, only you do not work for the CIA, even if thatâs the cover we are using.â
You strolled over, sitting down next to Herb.
âThe element your fatherâs wife inadvertently created as a byproduct of producing the thing they called âmarigoldâ is also gone. The marigold is still in all of you,â you furthered.
âThat alien was not my dad,â Five tartly retorted, âand your presence here is not needed.â
When you didnât move, he pointed to the door.
You crossed your legs, eyeing Five wearily. Putting a hand on your friendâs shoulder, you said, âYou can head home, Herb. You havenât slept in days.â
He smiled. âNeither have you.â He looked to Five, tiredly getting up. âPlease listen. Sheâs smart. That is why you hired her.âÂ
Fiveâs brows furrowed as he took in the weight of what Herb said. He looked down at his lap, but the second the older looking man left the room, he looked back up, eyeing you with the same contempt. âNo syringe?â he coldly dangled.
âNo pants?â you countered.
He cocked his chin. âWhy bother? You already violated me while I was unconscious. I figured this way if you came at me again; thereâd be less in the way if you really wanted to go hard stomping on my dick.â
âYou are the only one here being combative, but if you want me to stomp on your dick, keep it up, I will, but Iâd much rather finish this debriefing, filling you in on anything else you might not recall, which sounds like everything you did to get here from this point on.â
âTime loops are a bitch, and you areâŠâ He didnât finish, instead he picked up his fork, putting his focus on stabbing his piece of cake into even more of a disaster.
âYou donât like me. Got it loud and clear,â you said, âbut after meeting you, I must admit, I donât like you either. Before this, I admired you, but you are nothing like the person I thought you were based on all the great things I read in your files.â
âWell⊠Most things look better on paper,â he sneered.
âLook⊠How about I just do what I am here to do, and you do the same?â you offered. âCut the lines of bullshit you hate so much? Because thatâs what this pissing match is. Waste of time bullshit.â
âFine.â
âAs I was about to say,â you started again, laying out your sheets of chemical equations for him to follow as you explained. âFor Reginaldâs dearly departed wife, in making the one element that also gave a fast track to your births, and then the other not so nice one Jennifer got stuck with, she essentially shot a machine gun at a needle in a haystack, but the bullet and needle didnât fuse together completely, and you just witnessed the ricochetted result of that when they did finally fuse with Ben and Jennifer getting together, the bad part of that synthetic reaction vanishing forever in a timeline that is no more. Story done.â
âSo, you are saying we werenât the cause of all this?â he asked, still not believing it.
âNo,â you said. âAbigailâs bad science was and that really wasnât that hard to figure out. It only took me a few days once I was given the top-secret files you left behind for Herb to find in your Paradox Proof bunker.â
âThatâs impossible. Iâm the only one that can get in there,â Five argued.
âNot exactly,â you calmly disagreed. âAfter Dallas, when Herb was holding the temporary position of Chairmen of the Board, he gained access to many interesting things you hide around here, including a glass eye you had made that was a replica of yours.â
âThe retinal scan,â Five murmured under his breath.
âYes. You were very busy at some point in the future, and lucky us, everything you did paid off.â
Saying nothing, Five didnât look like he felt lucky, but when he didnât question you more about the bunker, you moved on.
âAnother thing you probably donât remember figuring out, is that when it comes to thinking you were all only born because of the release of the Marigold on our planet, that isnât true. You all would have been born regardless. All your mothers were already pregnant, only days along and none knew it yet. You all had fathers and mothers, just like the rest of us, only with you, the second that alien dusting of orange entered our atmosphere, it needed to find a host and you were it, the perfect jump off point for a miracle.â
âThe Umbrella Academy?â he asked, dismissing your explanation about his parents, like it didnât matter that he wasnât just alive because of aliens playing God.
âIt happened. You were all acquired by Reginald, same as before,â you continued. âThe world knows about most of you like they always did, and they are aware youâre back, the details of your disappearance understood to be a complication due to your ability to spatially jump. The running story is you were frozen between jumps, not that youâd jumped to the future. We donât want the entire world knowing about time travel and your ability to do it, or ours.â
âSo, there you have it,â Five scoffed.
âDumbed down, yes, but I thought since youâve had a hard day, youâd appreciate that.â
âAre you one of us?â he asked as he studied you, for the first time his eyes not darting away from yours when you determinedly refused to look away.
âNo,â you half laughed, half scoffed. âAs you can see,â you waved a hand in front of yourself, âI am not the same age as your siblings, but I suppose when it comes to you, that means little, so fair question. Unlike you, I am the age I appear to be, which Iâm guessing is not much off from you physically at this point. I was plucked out of college to come here, and since then, I devoted my life to being here to help you in any way I can, and I assure I am qualified to do it otherwiseââ
âOtherwise, I wouldnât have hired you,â he finished for you. Hand at his mouth, anxiously edging his teeth across his thumbnail, Fiveâs eyes grew distant again.
Silence filled the room.
âWe have a meeting with the board in the morning. I will drop off the agenda early enough for you to go over it beforehand,â you said, pushing your chair out to get up.
You waited a moment for him to look up, but he didnât, so you headed to the door, turning just before you left.
âThis is over,â you said, the anger in your voice completely gone. âAt least you can take solace in that.â
You shut the door behind you.
Still seeing the delicate features of your face overlapping those of the mysterious boy on the balcony whoâd looked like him, only not, Five mentally kicked himself.
âThis isnât over,â he breathed.
Chapter Four: Iâm the Daddy Here
By the next day, when Fiveâs brothers dropped into his office, he had shadows under his eyes and his young bones were aching like his body really was 70 years old.
Sitting in front of him, next to Klaus, Diego stretched his arms up over his head, as he said, âDude, you still have your shitty apartment from your CIA days to crash at, so why does it look like youâve been pacing your secret lair all night?â
âOh gee, I donât know Diego,â Five threw back. âMaybe I forgot I had a place to call my own and I did pace in here all night? Unlike you, I have bigger things on my mind than which Hawaiian shirt Iâm going to wear to work.â
âYou look so Miami Vice,â Klaus said, giving Diego a high five, before he moved his attention to Five. âWhat are you whining about, man? We are riding on a gravy train with biscuit wheels.â He threw his arms around like they should look around him. âWe won!â
Five lips pursed tighter.
Klausâs jaw dropped as he looked over at Diego. âWhat⊠We didnât win? Weâre all in the void?â
Diego laughed. âFor a someone with the powers of divine entity you sure areâ"
âWe won,â Five interrupted, bringing them back to the point. âOr I should say, we will, but not unless I finish this.â
âYou did finish this. We are here and life is good,â Diego pointed out, moving on to what he felt the real problem was. âAre you happy, Five? And what does that even mean to you outside of making sure we all keep breathing? Maybe the answer to that is why youâre still struggling. Apocalypse addiction is a-â
âFuck you, Diego. I donât need one of your psych ward therapy sessions you and Lila get off on. I need to have a kid! If I donât, we will all cease to exist and there will be no do over this time and that is very bad!â
âHow do you know that?â he questioned, his amused smile still proving that he thought they were just having one of their usual lectures with Five about him needing to get out more.
âShit. Is it hot in here?â Five complained, yanking at his collar.
âEarth to Five,â Diego rammed him, âI asked you a question.â
Having loosened his tie enough to feel like the walls werenât closing in on him, Five testily said, âI know this, Diego, because a kid that looked a lot like me was there just before The Cleanse finished its job, and he called me dad. If he hadnât been there and said what he did, verbally slapping me into doing something, we wouldnât be here.â
âWhat?!â Klaus bellowed. âNo way! Youâre a dad!â
âNo,â Five sighed. âI will be a dad in the future-maybe.â
âMaybe!? Why didnât you tell us this!â Diego yelled, nearly falling out of his chair.
âI am telling you,â Five replied.
âYeah, sure,â Diego huffed. âNow you are. And why does your kid have powers and mine and Allisonâs donât?â
âWow. Itâs just like Marty McFly in Back to the Future.â Klaus lifted his hand, checking to see if it was disappearing yet.
Five tiredly smiled at him. âItâs not at all like that. Time loops donât work that way. If we evaporate, it will be instantaneous, and at this point, I have no idea how long I have to prevent it. There will be no warning.â
âTime loops shhh-mime loops,â Diego said, running his fingers over his mustache. âYou know we donât understand any of that shit. But hey, this doesnât have to be a bad thing. Your nuts are full of superpowered swimmers. You should be excited.â
Five rolled his eyes. âExcitement is not exactly what Iâd call what I am feeling. If I donât produce a magical progeny, none of the things I have done will matter. We all die anyway. Case in point, this is a bad thing.â
âShoot,â Klaus whistled. âIf youâd known this years ago you could have spent way less time privately polishing your palm and instead been out trying to impregnate the world with your superpowered sperm.â
Five groaned. âThat wouldnât have worked, because it needs to happen now. After The Cleanse and the time situation was fixed.â
âI donât get what the big deal is,â Klaus insisted. âYouâre a stud. Get out there and have some fun.â
âAnd if itâs having kids you are worried about, they are both the best and worst thing that can happen to you,â Diego added. âI would know. Having three of them putting their sticky little fingers on all our shit all the time isnât awesome, but creating them was fun.â He nudged Klaus. âThis one time when Lila and I were in the back of Wanda weâ"
âNot another word!â Five yelled.
âWhatever, man,â Diego chuckled. âYou just need to see the bright side. Your kid was trying to help you and did.â He cleared his throat. âWhen it comes to Dolores, you can beat the meat with her all day but youâll never beat the real th-â
âPlease stop,â Five groaned again, burying his head in his hands.
Nodding his head in agreement, Klaus grinned hopefully. âI think what Diego is trying to say is having a breathing lady has its benefâ"
âWeâre done!â Five snapped, as he sprung forward. âIf you donât zip it, Iâm going to blink you downstairs to the incinerator and lock you in there.â Slamming his index finger down on his desk, pointing at his gigantic desk pad calendar, he grinned maniacally. âAnd what do you know, itâs garbage day! You wonât be swimming in last weekâs rotting tuna salad for long.â
âYouâd never do that to us.â
âReally, Diego? You want to test that?â
Fiveâs brothers glanced at each other, eyebrows raised, like testing that wasnât such a bad way to spend their afternoon.
âFiveâ"
âNo, Klaus! Like I told Luther. IâM THE DADDY HERE! I am done entertaining you idiots. Get out!â
âSettled down,â Diego laughed. âWeâre just trying to help you see that this isnât so bad. And with the kid thing, I love mine and you do too. Speaking of which, it would be nice if their favorite uncle babysat them more often. Lila and I havenât had a night out in a while.â
âI babysit,â Five defended.
âNot enough,â Diego shot back, pointing Fiveâs ballpoint pen at him.
Reaching forward, Five swiped it away. âDeigo, if I came over more often so you dipshits could go out and do disgusting things in your van, then youâd be dealing with more than three sticky-fingered monsters.â
Diego glanced at Klaus, then back at Five, smirking. âSay what you will, but I know you love being an uncle. The mountain of stuffed animals each of the girls has is proof of that.â
Tipping his weight back in his chair, Five folded his hands over his lap, wearily eyeing his brother. âI am not wrong,â he said, ignoring the point about his nieces and how much he enjoyed spoiling them. âYou still have no idea how this baby making thing works and itâs only a matter of time before youâll be complaining about baby number four on the way and how you already have no room in your house for all the people living there.â
Diego scowled. âHey⊠I understand how it works just fine. I already told you guys the last two werenât my fault. Lila told me she couldnât get pregnant while breastfeeding.â
âAnd you should believe everything your wacko wife says?â
âYes.â No longer able to contain it, Diego burst out laughing. âFive. This about you, not me, and as much as you want to act like you know it all. When it comes to enjoying the good parts of life, you are still about as fresh out the gate as you can get. Just flirt with a girl. Get to fucking her on the regular, and ta-da, circle of destiny complete. No more death knocking on our doors.â
Five let out heavy sigh. âIt isnât as easy as that.â
Raising his hands in an open palm gesture, Klaus said, âMaybe it is.â
Five narrowed his eyes. âYou have no idea what you are talking about, or what I have been through. Or the complications I am dealing with.â
âWe get your hangups, we really do but,â Diego chimed in.
âNo, you donât!â
âThen tell us.â
âItâs her!â Five angrily pointed to the door. âThe woman I hired who loathes me for reasons I canât really blame her for, not when Iâve been such a colossal asshole to her. Sheâs the one! It has to be the right person for this kid to be the exact same kid I saw, and itâs her. She's the mom!â
âHow do you know?â
âI just do, Diego!â
When neither Klaus nor Diego stopped staring at him, Five started counting on his hands.
âI know becauseâŠ
One: The boy had my pocket watch that she also had on her when I got here. He threw it and she dropped it, all within seconds of our timelines merging.
Two: She has his eyes! They were my color green but the shape of hers!â
Five shook his head, his hands shaking he was so upset.
âThe way they both look when they smileâŠâ he breathed, âthe curve of her lips is the same as his. Him being there with that watch wasnât a coincidence. For him to be there at all, that means he jumped between timelines. I sure as hell couldn't do that, but if I could have, I know that everything you take with you on that kind of impossible journey would make it that much harder. He brought that watch with him because he was trying to point me in the right direction with her and I didnât see it until it was too late, and now the only deal Iâll be sealing with his mother if I try to hit on her is going to be a kick in my magical nuts.â
Like a deflating balloon, Five sunk his face into his arms where he had them folded on top of his desk.
âItâs not too late. You guys seem to get along,â Klaus soothed.
Five shook his head no, not bothering to look up.
âJust be nice to her,â Diego unhelpfully added.
âI think itâs a little past that,â Five mumbled.
Chapter Five: Entente
âSay nothing,â Five warned. âI donât need everyone up my ass. You two knowing is bad enough.â
Tapping your knuckles on the door, Klaus called out extra high pitched, telling you to come in.
âWhoâs daddy here?â you said, your smile getting bigger as you asked about the outburst you just overheard from your office next door.
âFive is,â Klaus happily exclaimed.
âIncinerator!â Five barked, wildly motioning at him like he was going to slice his head off with his index finger.
âBlah, blah, blah,â Diego said, his hand mimicking the action of a mouth as he squawked it at Five. âWe need to get this show on the road. Iâm gonna tellââ
âDiego, so help me,â he hissed, cutting him off.
âIâm sorry to interrupt,â you said, your eyebrows drawing together, âbut some of us have a meeting in two minutes.â
Five quickly picked up his notes and pushed out of his chair. âShall we?â he said, directing you to lead the way with an assertive wave of his hand.
You walked in silence to the boardroom, but reaching the door, Five unexpectedly placed his hand on your upper arm, holding you back.
Coming past, Diego smacked his ass. âDonât look so spooked, kid.â
âI will kill you,â Five replied, his voice as sugary sweet as his fake smile.
Still laughing, Diego joined the others
âWhatâs so funny?â Lila asked, before shoving him down in his chair, opposite yours, next to the head of the table.
âFive,â he answered.
âWhen isnât he? I mean look at him,â she said, eyeing you both up with a curious look before looking back at her husband, giving him an even more devilish smirk than sheâd given you. âWhy donât you spank me like that?â
âOh, Iâll give you a spanking, babe, especially if you keep looking at me like you want to go for a ride on my sweet mustache.â
âLA-LA-LA-LA!â Ben bellowed. âWe do not need to hear this, you ASSHOLES!â
âIâm sorry,â Five quietly breathed, directing your attention away from the Hargreeves family daily bickering forum. âWhat you have done here for me, and for them, I donât have the words to express how thankful I am.â
He paused, the sincerity in his eyes startling you.
Without hesitation, you reached out, your fingers slowly sliding up the length of black silk leading to his neck. âThere,â you said, fixing his knot. âYou didnât seem to be aware you were all twisted.â
Looking humorously befuddled, Fiveâs Adamâs apple bobbed up then down. âI am not aware of a lot of things going on,â he quietly replied.
âNo? You?â you teased.
âThank you,â he said again.
âYouâre welcome. Now, shall we?â you asked, as you gave him the same heavy-handed gesture heâd given you in his office.
~~~
For the next hour and half, Five sat at the head of the table in a board room full of people all appointed by him. Even Elliot was sitting in as the new director of analytics since Diego and Herb and Lila were now acting as supervisors over all operations that either he or you werenât.
Heâd read your notes, telling him what to expect, but that didnât mean he wasnât lost. Still, each time a question was directed at him that he couldnât readily answer, you seamlessly stepped in, replying for him. No one was the wiser that he was floundering, but by the end of the day, your smooth handling of him was only adding to how uncomfortable he felt.
Shutting the door to his office, briefcase in hand, Five was about to open a portal to travel forward in time, back to his musty old apartment, but then he heard something.
Turning, he saw your office door was open. He came that way, moving into the light streaming into the hall.
âWhat is all this?â he questioned, watching you trying to ram a stack of boxes in the corner, your sock covered feet repeatedly slipping across the slick flooring because the tower of cardboard cubes weighed more than you.
âThese are all my worldly possessions,â you replied, glancing his way before giving your things one final shove. Bending straight, you placed a hand to your sore lower back, massaging it. âSince the sale of all employee housing and other unused buildings started, and then prepping for you all coming back, I have been a tad bit busy. I havenât had time to find a new place. So this is it for me right now.â
Taking in your short cotton sleep shorts and well worn t-shirt, when you busted him staring at how your shirt had fallen off your shoulder, Five diverted his gaze to your small meeting table covered with disassembled briefcase parts. âYouâve been sleeping in here? Where?â he asked, sounding very concerned.
âMost of the time, I sleep with my head on my desk, waking up with a tattoo of whatever I was working on the night prior inked on the side of my face,â you said, laughing a little. âThis morning, that was the user manual for the new watches that will replace those huge briefcases. The roll out should be ready next week. I just need to get the mockup version down to research and development and they can take it from there.â
Five frowned even more, which made you smile even more. âYou figured out how to recalibrate the energy field alternators so theyâd fit in something that small?â
âI did, but it was you who invented the briefcases to begin with. I just used your original notes and changed a few things. We have a pretty bracelet version too if youâd rather that over the watch?â
âHuhâŠâ Five looked impressed, and at a loss of words.
When he didnât move from the threshold of your door, you took pity on him. âWould you like to have a look?â You gestured to the scattering of tubes and sapphire-colored vials of glowing liquid energy that he at some point down the road created to mimic what he naturally produced when he time traveled.
Coming in, Five set his briefcase down and started to look over your work.
âI think the watch version will be just fine,â he said. âThank you for fixing this one for me. Seems you are very good at fixing things I canât figure out.â As you looked down at the silver chain hooked to his vest, he smirked.
âWatch it is,â you said, getting more and more flushed as he rocked back on his heels, his hands fiddling in his pants pockets as if daring you to look just a little lower.
âCan we talk?â he asked, breaking the awkward tension, but also worrying you with the way his cocky smile instantly evaporated.
âAh⊠Sure.â Heading to your desk, you removed the garment bags hanging over one of the two chairs co-workers usually sat in. Sitting down in the chair across from him as he lowered himself in the spot you cleared, you said, âWhatâs on your mind?â
âWhat would you say if I told you, that when it comes to me needing your help, the complexity of things I asked you to do so far only touched the tip of the iceberg when compared to what Iâm about to ask next?â
âIâd say we need a drink,â you laughed.
âIâd say yes to that,â he said, the tiniest pull at his lips again making his eyes gleam and your cheeks feel warm.
Thankful for a reason to look away, you opened your desk drawer, pulling out a bottle of Scotch and two glasses.
âThatâs a good one,â he noted.
You cracked the seal, pouring a few fingers worth for each of you. âIâm sure it is,â you replied. âI heard the boss enjoyed this brand and I was going to give it to him as a welcoming back gift, but he turned out to be a dick, so I kept it.â
You pushed his glass across your desk.
âTo bad bosses and putting them in their place,â he suggested, raising his glass.
You fluttered your eyelashes at him overly cutely, clinking his glass with yours. âTo telling you off.â
Taking a sip, Five nodded his approval, his grin deepening.
âSpeaking of workplace relationships,â he said. âThat brings me back to what I need to talk to you about.â
âGo on.â You took another drink.
âI would rather gargle a pinecone than have to say this, but I have no choice. This isnât just about me and if I live to see another day or not. Itâs about my family too.â
You set your glass down, your eyes glued to his. âWhat do you mean if you get to see another day or not?â
âWhat I mean is, the only reason my family and I, or any like us, are here is because of something my future kid said to me right before I dropped out of the sky landing in a cake. If he hadnât paid me a visit, telling me to move my ass and not let The Cleanse eat us, weâd be dead and never been born at all as far as youâd be concerned. Now, if I donât succeed in producing him, this entire causality loop will disintegrate, my family along with it.â
âThe kid you asked about?â you breathed, remembering Five yelling at you in the park about a kid, right before he knocked you on your ass a second time.
âYeah. That kid. Our kid,â he said.
You started rubbing your temples. âOur kid, you say?â
He nodded.
âAnd you know Iâm a part of this how?â
âThere were clues,â he said, rolling his eyes, but not at you. âI stupidly didnât put any of them together until after I repeatedly insulted your intelligence and unleashed my wounded ego on you.â
âWhat kind of clues?â
âBig ones, like every part of him I saw was half you, down to the way you are looking at me right now with those pouty lips.â
âI am not pouting.â
âNeither was he.â Five titled his head down, looking at his drink he hadnât touched since the first taste.
âWhat are you asking?â
He looked up and laughed weakly. âI think you know.â
âYou want me to have a kid with you, so this future person can exist to complete a loophole in time or all of you will be gone-just poof?â
âYes. But itâs more of a causality loop than a loophole,â he corrected, the hint of his smirk playing up the corner of his mouth.
âThatâs it?â
Five leaned forward, setting his glass down a few inches from yours. Sitting back in his chair, he steepled his hands at his chin, his face becoming even more forlorn. âWe can do this no-strings attached,â he offered. âI will raise our son alone if thatâs your wish, or we can do it together, but you owe me nothing. I will support you either way. Itâs all strictly business with this deal.â
âThis is not at all what I thought we were going to be talking about,â you said, staring at him, still looking for sign he was fucking with you.
âThis is a matter of life and death, and I would never put this on you if it was just me I was worried about,â he said, his guilt evident in the tortured look filling his eyes. âItâs my family and their kidsââ
âNo, I get it. You mentioned the family thing,â you quickly cut in, holding your hand up as you shut your eyes. The lines in your forehead deepened when you looked back again. âHow long do we have⊠I mean, can I think on it?â
âI donât know how long. I could have days or even years to get you pregnant.What I do know is, if I donât do it fast enough and suddenly Iâm gone, there will be no going back with a briefcase for a do over. That said⊠of course you can think on it.â
You said nothing, your eyes darting around your messy desktop.
Five started to get up. âIâm sorry.â The sound of his voice was about as self-deprecating as it could get. âI am not the type to say those two dirty words very often, but with you,â He smiled sadly again, then picked up his briefcase, âitâs something I might as well start every sentence with.â
When you said nothing, Five finally turned his gaze downward, swallowing hard before he opened his mouth again.
âIâm sure Iâm the last person you want to procreate with, and there are other less touchy ways of getting this done, but with time of the essence, and with how high the stakes are, Iâd prefer if you agree to do this, we do it the old-fashioned way. The odds of it working are higher that way and there is no need to involve anyone else.â
âMakes sense,â you quietly replied, your cheeks flushing as much as his suddenly were.
âYou are welcome to sleep on the couch in my office,â he offered, looking around your office again. âThe blanket you left me is still in there, and itâs not my place to say it, but I did put you in this situation and Iâd feel much better knowing you were in there, not in here, waking up with lines from a boring user manual printed to your pretty face.â
He cocked his head to the side and smiled.
You silently nodded, then Five activated his briefcase, leaving you alone, shaken beyond words.
Chapter Six: Only Fools Rush In
Knocking over your unfinished third glass of Scotch when you accidently threw your hand into it while readjusting your face on the stack of books youâd taken out to reference, you gave in, going to Fiveâs office to sleep on his couch.
Heâd only laid on it once, but when you were doing the same thing, you felt his presence as if he were right there. Everything in your life revolved around Five Hargreeves, and now even your blanket smelled like him, and so did the end pillow you had your head on.
It wasnât a bad smell. Even passed out and covered in cake, Five smelled good, like a minty warm scent mixed with something earthy and wild. When you cleaned him up, you couldnât help but notice his prominent jaw that could cut glass, or his shiny dark hair that was as soft as it looked.
Despite a decent place to sleep, all you could do was think about what he wanted you to do with him.
Way before he came in for the day, you were up and out of there. Showering down in the now mostly unused field agent locker rooms, you dressed in your usual modern day pencil skirt and blouse paired with heels, taking a little more time than normal at the mirror.
âCalm down,â you lectured your reflection.
Coming past Fiveâs open office door a while later, seeing him working alongside Herb at a chalkboard one of them had wheeled in, just breathing normally became a task youâd rather not add to your many others.
Five looked immaculate. He was wearing a new suit-three piece, like his others, but this one was tailored in a way that accentuated everything about him you were trying not to think about.
The figure he cut was full of promise and unimaginable power if he only thought of wielding it. Yet, he was noticeably relaxed in all his movements, everything he did deliberate, down to the way he looked your way for just a second, politely smiling, then went right back to scratching his numbers on the green slate as if you weren't still there staring.
At any second he could disappear, his family, and the young boy he told you about too, and thinking about that devastated you in ways you didnât even have words or emotions to convey.
Sitting down in The Commission cafeteria hours later, you anxiously watched as Five moved through the line, loading his tray while in conversation with Viktor and Luther.
Nervously tapping your index finger against your milk carton, you waited. The moment he noticed you looking, he came your way.
âCan I join you?â he asked, approaching your empty table.
âLetâs do it,â you blurted.
Five slowly dropped down on the bench across from you. âYeah?â
âItâs the only option,â you less embarrassingly replied. âI may not have my head wrapped around all of this, but I donât know what Iâd do if all of you suddenly werenât here anymore. Explaining that to the kids and just⊠No. It canât happen. I wonât let it.â
He nodded, letting go of his tray as he sat back.
âWhen?â he asked, his soft smile and twinkly green eyes filled with relief.
âNow. If you are ready? The sooner we do it, the sooner we know you are all safe, right?â
âRight,â he said, his increasing eagerness showing in the hyperfocus of his cunning eyes as they quickly moved from yours, to the door of the lunch hall, then back again. âCome on.â Getting up, leaving his untouched food where it sat, Five took off. Â
He dashed down the busy hall past the lobby area, heading for the stairs.
âWhere?â he called out.
âI donât know?â you breathed back, still trying to catch up.
Heading down the hall towards your offices, seeing the busy flow of people working down at that end of the building, Five stopped in his tracks.
He glanced over at the bathroom door a few doors back in the direction you just came.
Restless looking as before, taking you by the hand, he spun you around like he was leading you in a dance, pulling your back against his chest.
You had no time to recognize that the heat you were feeling wasnât just from his body suddenly pressed to yours. Static energy sizzled, the light from it so bright your eyes automatically flew shut as he blinked you away with him.
Appearing with your feet back on solid floor, your breath whooshing out of your pounding chest, the harsh smell of cleaners filled your nose.
You opened your eyes to the sight of a toilet and a wall in front of you.
Once sure you werenât going to topple over, Five stepped back, the sound of the bathroom stall door behind him bumping into his back before it creaked closed.
âAre you sure about this?â he asked, his voice so low behind your ear that only you could hear it over the sound of the person washing their hands at the sinks.
âYes,â you whispered.
There was a soft turning of the metal as Five latched the door.
Hinges squealed and two seconds later, the heavy wooden door to the hallway banged close.
~~~
Approaching you from behind, Fiveâs cock twitched. Just looking at you like this was enough to make it happen. He palmed himself through the fabric of his pants, an unexpected thrust of his hips threatening to topple him forward.Â
His entire body was so alert it was vibrating, the desire in his loins building to a fever pitch.
His trembling hand brushed against your hair, brushing it aside so he could see the side of your face, the other working to get his zipper down.Â
You let out a surprised gasp when he suddenly forced one leg between your thighs, parting them easily.
Having freed himself from his pants, feeling your whole-body tense as he pressed up against you, his head swimming with lust, he launched at your throat. Biting at your soft skin hard enough to sting, you reactively cried out.
âQuiet,â he growled, then thrust himself against you again, his fingers dragging the fabric of your skirt up your legs.
Sliding his palm down your stomach, Five pushed your panties down with the motion of his fingers clumsily running between your folds, a quick smile spreading across the back of your neck when he felt how wet you were.
His hand at your back, pushing you forward until your feet fell out of your slingback heels, you were forced up on your tippy toes with your hands falling into the wall behind the toilet. In one forward thrust, he buried himself, his body crushing against your back.
Feeling himself throbbing inside you, Five began to move, his fingers pulling away from your clit so he could put them on your hip, opposite his other hand. Rapidly thwapping his pelvis against the erotic feeling of your squishy butt cheeks, he bit at your shoulder again.
Fingers digging in, he yanked you towards him with each thrust. Then, going harder, his heels coming off the floor, he bottomed out.
You cried out, his hand just as fast flying off your hip, covering your mouth.
Pulling your head back to his shoulder, Fiveâs thrusts became rougher, more insistent. Groaning into your ear, his ragged gasps signaled his rapidly approaching climax.
In one fluid thrust he withdrew almost all the way out, then sunk back in as he came, finishing with a few shuttering jerks of his hips.Â
His hands slowly slipped from your mouth to rest at your throat as he fought to catch his breath.Â
You didn't move until he backed away, letting your skirt drop back into place.
Hot come started trailing hot down your inner thigh.
Sounds from the hall filled the tiled room with voices, then the door closed again. Footsteps moved across the bathroom, the metal partition surrounding you rattling as one of The Commissionâs staff enclosed themselves in the stall one away from yours.
Burning from the force of Fiveâs entry, your entire body shaking, you started to turn around. Refusing to meet your eye, or even acknowledge you were there, as soon as Five had his pants fastened, he blinked away.
~~~
When you reached Fiveâs office a few minutes later, he was standing inside, looking over his mail.
Marching over, you said, âWhen I said letâs do this, I didnât mean I wanted it like this!â
âWhat did you mean like this?â he hotly shot back, throwing down his letter opener.
âI have feelings! I am not a fuck doll!â you fired back at him. âWhy did you just leave me like that?â Five bristled, his nostrils flaring. âI fucked you. Thatâs what we agreed we are doing, remember? I canât help that you wanted it right then and there. Your pussy was clenching on my dick so hard, thereâs no way you didnât get off. What more do you want from me? I did my part.â
You slapped him.
Holding his cheek, Five let out a shallow breath, a clear sense of confusion in his stunned eyes.
âYou donât just fuck someone like that and disappear!â
âWhatâd you expect me to do?â he yelled back just as Elliot walked in, quickly pivoting back out the door the second he heard the still very intimidating man he once thought was a scary little alien boy going off on you.
âI donât know what I expected, but I⊠I just thoughtâŠâ Feeling your eyes prickle, you looked away. âIt doesnât matter. You donât care.â âDo you want me to care?â âYou are such a prick,â you muttered.
By the time Fiveâs thoughts had merged together to form a defense, you were gone, slamming the door behind you.
Chapter 7: Public Displays
âI didn't ask for this!â Five growled, about to come after you as he swung his door open to find his brother standing outside, his hand raised to knock.  Â
âWhat,â Diego asked, âhaving a nice conversation with a real woman?â
âNo!â he barked, stomping past, heading to your office, but right away, he saw Dot at your desk, not you. Coming back out, he raked a hand through his hair, cursing under his breath.
âDid you tell her?â Diego pushed.
âYes, I told her.â
âDid she say yes to jumping your little bones?â
Five breathed in, his teeth clenching as his shoulders bounced.
Diego grinned. âYou banged her already, didn't you?â âWhy don't you irritate Lila and leave me alone.â
âOh! You did!â Diego started pumping his fist. âYes! Thatâs what Iâm talking about⊠I knew you wouldnât let us down, and with the rest, Iâm just messing with you, man. Lighten up. Thatâs part of your problem.â
Five clapped his hands together brandishing a fake smile. âNobody said I had a problem but you, and whatever this is, is over. I am in no mood to fight with you.â
âThis was not a fight. And if it was, Iâd win.â Diego threw his arm around Fiveâs shoulder, pulling him back inside his office. Letting him go once inside, he said, âAnd sure, nobody said you had a problem, but that girlâs teary face did when she just passed me.â
âShe was crying?â
âShe was doing that thing women do when they are trying not to.â
âShit.â
âFive,â Diego said, in a very big brotherly tone, âfor so long youâve had to evaluate everything under the brutal terms of survival, all things either being irrelevant or not, but with this one, maybe thatâs not the way to go. Kill the emotionally stunted old man shit. I know you have the hots for her. Sheâs perfect for you, which Iâm betting is why you hired her, that, and sheâs way smarter than you, which again goes back to why I know you are being a dick.â
âYou have no idea what you are talking about.â
âI donât? So, you didnât just do something stupid?â
âItâs so much more than that,â Five said, his eyes turning even more tormented looking as he looked away, then back again, doing his best to keep it together.
Diego smiled. âYou are a good person, man. You can fix this.â
Sad and angry, Five said nothing, and he continued to say nothing to Diego about it, or you for the rest of the day, and then the next, and then the next. You kept doing your job, of course, communicating with him when necessary, but that was it, and it was killing him.Â
Diego was right. He had to do something. It was his fault-again.
~~~
Day four, Five couldnât take it anymore.Â
Lightly tapping on your door frame, you looked up from your desk. He raised one of the two coffee cups he was holding. Offering a smile. âTwo sugars, one cream?â
Your pen slowed to a stop. âWhy would you know that?â
He came in. âI know that because, over the last few days Iâve been asking the girls around here all sorts of things about you, and because of my persistent inquiries with them and pretty much everyone else around here, Iâm fairly certain the entire building knows their boss is falling hard for you.â
Taking the coffee from his outstretched hand, your mouth opened but nothing came out.
âI never meant to hurt you,â he whispered. âThat is the last thing I wanted to do.â
Slowly standing, you asked, âCan we go for a walk?â
âI would love that,â Five quietly replied.
Once outside, strolling across the open green area between The Commission's main buildings, taking sips of his coffee to fill the silence between you, Five waited, watching you for signs of what to do.
âI suppose we canât go far,â you finally said. âIf we ventured too off campus weâd probably start a flurry of chatter with the good citizens of this quaint little town.â
Five smiled, âTrue. But if you wanted to change into your poodle skirt, and I could dig up some of my frumpy old man trousers somewhere, then maybe we could snag a milkshake down at the drugstore. Iâd even give you some nickels for the jukebox since youâre my favorite girl.â
âI like you in your old man trousers, and Iâm not your favorite girl. But nice try,â you laughed.
âI get to decide who my favorite girl is, not you and Iâd like you in anything,â he retorted. âAnd heyâŠâ He frowned. âWhen did you see me looking like the crazy old bastard I really am?â
âIn your files and footage on the Infinite Switch board. I did my research. I take my job very seriously, as you know.â You gave him an even more teasing looking grin, then added, âI canât wait to see you with that cute mustache again.â
âYou canât?â
Taking Fiveâs hand in yours, you pulled him over to a shady bench under the fluttering leaves of a towering oak tree.
Once you had him sitting, you let go, watching his fingers fidgeting with unease as they came around his cup with the others, gripping it way too tight.
âFiveâŠâ
He looked up, meeting your gaze.
âI was hurt about what happened in the bathroom because you are right,â you started. âWhat you did, the way you did it⊠Everything about you and that was hot. With just that moment of amazing sex, you left me ruined and it really scared me.â
âIt scared me too,â he admitted, his soft eyes searching yours. âThatâs why I left.â
âAll I wanted was for you to hold me,â you said. âAnything but leave.â
âThe last thing I wanted was to leave but I thought youâd only agreed to do this because you felt like there was no other choice. I asked you to have a child with me, but that didnât mean you had to be with me more than that..â
âFiveâŠâ you said, setting down your cup so you could take his hand in yours again. âThe moment I was hired, everything I learned about you further proved what an amazing person I already thought you were. I was fighting an embarrassing schoolgirl level crush on you even before you got here, and since, it's only gotten worse despite you being a jerk most of the time. Thatâs how much you mean to me.â
âItâs not just me feeling this way?â
âNo. Itâs not just you,â you said, as he lovingly caressed the underside of your wrist with the tips of his fingers.
âCan we start over?â he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, his emerald eyes about as worried looking as youâd ever seen them.
âWe already are,â you said, his nervousness distracting you from your nerves.
Moving your entwined hands into Fiveâs lap, his breath hitched, his air intake stopping entirely when your warm palm slowly moved over his crotch.Â
With only a peck at first, your lips meeting his, Five whimpered against your mouth, his cock growing heavy and warm under your hand.
After only allowing yourself to feel the desperation of his kiss for just a moment longer, you pulled back, smiling at him. âYou are ready to go just like that, arenât you?âÂ
âItâs my secret superpower,â he said, already trying to kiss you again, his tongue dipping inside your mouth, exploring.
âJust the smell of your body is enough to get me hard,â he groaned, having to break away to breathe, as you massaged your hand harder over the bulge in his pants.Â
Loving this, you leaned into Five more, placing extra soft brushes of your lips just below his ear.
âWe need to either stop or we need to go somewhere, now!â he warned, the pitch of his strained voice so funny, you laughed, the heat of your breath against his throat enough to make him whimper like a puppy all over again.Â
âGet us out of here, and I wonât stop,â you said, in between kisses along his jawline.
Your discarded coffees spilling from the force of air filling the vacuum of space youâd just been sitting in, in less than a second, you were clumsily standing between buildings, only partially hidden from any onlookers by a bush full of spring flowers.
Falling into Five as he leaned his back against the brick wall behind him, you raised your eyebrows in question.
âWhen the blood flow to my brain is in short supply, like it is right now, itâs best I donât try to blink somewhere I canât already see,â he frantically explained before smashing his lips against yours again.
Working his pants down as fast as you could, you reached inside his pants, gripping his naked cock in your hand.
âFuck,â he gasped, his hips helplessly thrusting.
His eyes becoming even more heavy-lidded, you started to move the outer skin of his shaft over the harder core.Â
Your other hand lowering, you cupped Fiveâs balls through the bunched material draping off his tensed thighs. His heartbeat already pounding in his ears, when you gave him a little squeeze, his scrotum pulsed to the same rhythm, his mind becoming even more clouded.
âYes, do that,â he groaned.
âAt night, do you think about us doing things like this?â you questioned as you smirked. âBecause I do, writhing on your couch with my fingers between my legs?âÂ
âFfffuck yes, I think about this!â he croaked as you slid your hand up his cock, swirling your finger round and round over the glistening pleasure seeping out of him.
âHow exactly do you think about me, Five?â you pushed.
He shook his head, back and forth, overwhelmed with your touch as he was by the things you were saying.
âPlease tell me,â you encouraged, feeling more empowered by the second.
âI think about you underneath me,â he gasped. âI see your hands gripping my sheets, and I hear you moaning my name as my cock fills your sweet little pussy full of load after load of my come.â
âTell me moreâŠâ you said, your smile broadening.
âI fuck my hand, pretending Iâm inside of you, every fucking single morning and night. The way you smile at me, I want to bite your lips so fucking bad, and the way your body looks in your tight skirts! I want to devour you!â
Fiveâs breaths were coming as quick gasps and there was no point in asking him if what you were doing was right. His face pressed against your shoulder as your hand moved faster, his soft shuddering not letting up the whole time.
The sound of voices passed by, but there was no indication that whoever else was out enjoying the sunny afternoon looked your way.
Your hand slicked, moving easily over Five with the silkiness of his bountiful pre-cum, even more hot wetness began to coat your hand. At your neck Five desperately kissed you as he sucked in gulps of air.Â
His whole-body trembling, you ran your fingernails through the back of his hair as you slowly stroked him through the final tremors of his release.Â
âHoly fuck I loved everything about that, but it was not at all conducive to us achieving our goal,â he finally said, smiling as he sheepishly peered at you from under the dark curtain of hair falling over his sleepy eyes.
âNo, it was not, but that was the point. This is not just about that. This was about us starting over, which I think we just did. I want you and you want me and together we are going to do our best to make a superpowered little family,â you said.
Five laughed. âYou really are smarter than me, and along with this being more proof of that, I think most of my remaining dignity just went down the drain with that crazy shit I just said to you, and the rest was just obliterated after that when I jizzed all over your skirt. A gentleman might have fought you off harder, and not done that,â he said as you burrowed into his warmth, with your head resting on his shoulder.
âHe might,â you agreed, âbut I think we both know that you are no gentleman.â
The softness of Fiveâs expression as you peeked up at him only made you want to see the kind of pleasure you just drew out of him all over again. All the harshness you knew he was capable of had washed away, leaving his eyelids heavy and his wetted lips parted in silence as he held you like he never wanted to let go.
Knowing you couldnât stay there forever, a few minutes later, watching you clean you hand off, seeing that not only when he blew his load, some of it got on your shirt too, a little of the worry had found its way back into Fiveâs contented expression, but you were quick to address it, wiping the milky white off with your finger before sticking it in your mouth.
 âThere,â you said, pulling your cleaned finger out for him to see. âAll better. Now be a good boy the rest of the day and pay my next dry-cleaning bill, and I might let you take me to dinner tonight.â
Chapter 8: Taking Care of Business
Finishing your workday, you changed into a new sundress, one that you never had the chance to wear until now. On pins and needles, springing around your office, you tried to pick up your hopeless mess, every minute Five took to get there making your heart race faster.
As you promised, if he was good the rest of the day, which he was, shortly after you saw several of his family members come out of his office, Five strolled in, a single flower in his hand, only it wasnât a rose or anything traditional like that. It was a bloom that looked just like the ones on the bush heâd blinked behind so you could man-handle him.
Coming your way, he extended the fluffy white blossom. Taking it from him, holding it to your nose, the summery perfume enchanted your senses as much as his sweet smile.Â
âReady?â he asked.
You nodded, yes.
Giving you a look that made your panties instantly wet, after a few buttons pushed on his new watch, you were off.
~~~
Like any first date, yours was filled with nervous jokes to hide insecurities, but it was exactly what you both needed to circle back to where you should have started to begin with.
As you already knew, Five was complicated. He had been through unimaginable things, some you knew about, some you didnât. No matter where the conversation took you, when it came to his past, he was forthright, and everything new you learned only made you respect him and hurt for him more.
Five took his time asking you questions, listening patiently as you told him about your life, from the start to now. In those parts of the night, his smile never seemed to fade.
âHave you considered a day off might be in order if you are ever going to move out of your office?â he teased when you got to the part about the last few weeks.
âYes,â you said, after swallowing another delicious drink of the Bordeaux he ordered to go with the herb-crusted roasted lamb on your plates. âBut my boss would be lost without me for even a minute, so it looks like Iâll be stuck sleeping on the couch in his office indefinitely.â
âIâd rather you slept in my bed,â he silkily replied, his smile reddened even more seductively by the rich sip of wine he just licked off his lips.
You rubbed your foot along his lower pant leg, tickling your toes up and down like youâd been doing most of your dinner.
Eyes darkening, Five reached across the table, pulling your hand into his. Like every time he blinked with you so far, you had almost no warning it was coming.
Bouncing down on his mattress, propelling himself on top of you, Fiveâs fingers dug into your ribs, tickling with no mercy.Â
âFive! Stop!â you cried, laughing so hard you couldnât breathe.
âNo! Youâve been fucking with me all night!â
âI have not!â
âWhat do you call that move you did with your foot nudging my dick while I was ordering?â he growled, kissing your neck in-between his breathy love bites.
âMy shoes! Our bill!â you complained, realizing your heels were still laying under the table at the restaurant.
âIâll get you new ones and I already paid the bill. Now hold still so I can dominate you,â Five gleefully demanded, as you squirmed.
When he finally let up, so you could catch your breath, you got a better look around his bedroom. It was small. There was the queen bed you were on, a side table next to it with a lamp on top, and piles of books on the floor everywhere. Other than a bathroom door to your right and what appeared to be an equally small living room, just outside the door, with a kitchen area attached, that was Fiveâs home.
You loved all of it, from his boyishly blue plaid comforter, to the worn but cozy look of his single sad recliner.
You put your hand in the middle of his chest, lifting yourself on your elbow to gaze at him. Turning his fingers around yours, Five drew you closer with his arm, sitting you up with him.Â
In a much quieter game, he let his fingers play up your spine, each little bump like a run on a ladder he was climbing up your back.Â
Enchanted by the way he is looking as you were by his featherlight touch; your breath quickened all over again.
With a smile, licking his lips, Five slipped his hand down the back of your dress, loosening your bra until it fell out of his way. His dark hair brushing your chin, his mouth came down, gently covering your nipple through your thin cotton bodice. Hot and wet, he kissed you there, soiling the fabric as he sucked, then kissed again.Â
After a moment, he turned his attention to your other breast, the innocence of his expression as he enjoyed you that way so sweet you could cry.
On your knees already, raising your arms at his insistence, Five took your dress up over your hips, then over your head, tossing it aside.Â
Kissing you full on the mouth, your bare body trembled under his hands as he tugged at the thin straps at your hips, pulling your underwear down until he couldnât.Â
Breaking away to kick out of them, he said, âI love these tiny pink panites. I hope the stripper you stole them from doesnât ask for them back.â
Laughing and fully exposed, there was little shame left in you, but there was still shyness. You lowered your gaze, and Five took care of that by giving you hundreds of kisses until you became completely unaware of anything but how you felt about him.
You held the back of his neck as you kissed, the longer ends of his hair tickling the back of your hand. In turn, Five brought one hand back to your breasts. He held the weight of them in his palm as he squeezed and rubbed you and made small, short sounds of enjoyment into your mouth as he did so.Â
His smile was on the darker side of playful as he caught you by the shoulders and brought you down on his bed. There was no demand in how he positioned himself next to you. His hair a chaos of brown from you messing with it, he reached out, the tips of his fingers brushing your cheek. âI'll be sorry for treating you the way I have been until the day I die.â
âYou are forgiven,â you whispered as you pressed your face into his left palm. You pulled at his sleeves, pulling the warmth of his body over your chilled skin.
Five hissed between his teeth when you took your adoring kisses sideways, to his jaw, then his throat. When the tip of your tongue came out, tasting him, his hands tightened on your arms, and a soft sound of surprise crept out of his throat.Â
His fiery gaze looked almost apologetic when he pulled back. You gently touched his face and Five closed his eyes as though he couldn't bear to look at you while you explored his lips with your thumb. âYour affection is more than I would have ever asked for,â he breathed, before kissing the tip of your finger.
Opening his eyes, there was that reflection of sadness, something that ran so deeply and painfully in him that it only made you more determined to change that.Â
As your hands moved down the sides of his vest, his drifted to your thighs, rubbing slowly.
âIâm wearing way too many clothes,â he cutely laughed when you tried to get your hands under his shirt but were hardly able to move them once you did due to the tight fit of his vest.
âYes, you are,â you giggled. âWe need to do something about that.â
In a burst of light, Five vanished and reappeared just as fast, his naked body flawlessly pale as he pushed his groin against yours, his hard cock glistening as it bobbed against your lower belly.
âHowâd you do that!â you gasped.
He smirked. âIf I explain it, then I have zero surprises left.â
Reaching down, taking himself in hand, this time when Five slipped inside you, the feel of him slowly filling you was enough to make your eyes water.
Grabbing for his shoulders, you hooked your ankles around his waist, your body simultaneously clenching around him as it tried to resist his entry.
Five stopped, his face full of worry.
âKeep going,â you urged, digging your feet into his lower back.
Pulling himself out, undulating his swollen tip at your entrance a few times, Five slipped his cock back in just as slowly, both of your eyes crushing closed the sensation of it felt so good. Doing it again, he accidentally slipped out all the way. Fumbling between you, grasping at his swaying cock, he lowered himself over you even more, letting out a guttural curse of pleasure as he entered you again.
Pushing his hands under your butt, he hoisted you up, rocking his hips against yours in earnest as he tried to kiss you, his lips grazing yours with each downward thrust.
Head getting pushed back further and further into his pillows, you began to match his urgent movements. Working together, his sharp thrusts ignited something inside both of you. Your fingernails digging into his shoulders, you started to see stars, everything inside you suddenly exploding when you felt the heat of his release.
Crying out this name, every exhalation streaming from your lips matched the throbbing of your orgasm that was not letting up as Five kept thrusting, the sound of him fucking you as sinful as it was wet.
When Five did pull out, your back arched on the bed, the emptiness of losing him and the sight of his rigid cock still ready to go shocking you as much as the darkness in his eyes.
Without a word, he flipped you on your stomach.
As Five came down over you from behind, his spent cock easily slid back in, and just as fast, he started to rut, rough and needful, punishing your quivering walls all over again.
You squirmed, the feeling of it too much, but Five pressed his hand against your upper back, pressing you against his bed, forcing you to arch into him as he kept at it, fucking you at an unrelenting pace.Â
A minute in, he wasnât slowing, his thrusts sliding into you so deeply the force of it kept causing his headboard to bang into the wall
âFive!â you cried as you pulled at his bedding.
âIâm not stopping until I fill this fluttering cunt!â he growled.
Not even close to being over your first shivered round of aftershocks, he did just that, emptying himself in erratic spurts and uncoordinated thrusts.
Prying his hands from your hips, Five rolled you on your back. Blanketing you with his body, he started placing delicate touches of his lips on your cheeks, his long eyelashes brushing along your skin with the softness of an angel, while his fingers worked between your legs, gathering his leaking come so he could carefully and repeatedly push it back inside you until you surrendered to him all over again.
Helplessly quivering, you buried your fingers in his sweat-dampened hair as he took his kisses to your neck, then added a few final nibbles to your ear. Five seemed incapable of moving further than that, the tenderness of how he was nuzzling you, echoed in the throbbing fullness you felt.
When he finally sat back, it was only to reposition himself alongside you. He rested his cheek against the top of your head, squeezing his arms around you tightly.Â
Feeling his warmth mingle with yours as you snuggled into him, you heard him yawn.
âTired of me already? Was that a sign you want me to go?â you teased.
âThis business we just did is hardly what I would call tiresome, and you arenât going anywhere. I am not done with you yet,â he joked, but his hold not letting up meant he wasnât actually kidding.
As you touched his hair, searching through it with your fingers. His limbs relaxed the longer you kept at it, his hand placed over your belly circling slower and slower. Your feet wrapped around his shins locking him to you even more surely, and with it, his breathing slowed along with his hand coming to a stop.
âAre you falling asleep, Five?â you softly asked.
His chest moved up and down against your side along with his quiet laugh. âSleep is for the blameless, and I am not that. If you can wait a few minutes, Iâm happy to give you round two with a fresh lesson on what you're dealing with since it seems you forgot already?â
âI think you already made your point that you are the cutest fiend to ever walk the Earth,â you laughed. âIt sounds fun, but I doubt either of us has enough steam for that lesson right now no matter what you claim.â
âHoney, I am like a jackrabbit,â Five chuckled. âFor all you know, I can bring you to unmanageable heights of ecstasy with this next one.â
You gave a playful tug of his hair.
Five nudged the top of your head with his face. It wasn't a kiss. But it didn't need to be. The way he was holding you, you knew that everything had changed.Â
âWe can go back to taking care of business in the morning,â you assured.
âThere's always the morning,â he agreed, slurring slightly.
Soon, listening to this heartbeat step into a cadence of sleep, feeling the warmth of Fiveâs body next to yours, you drifted off in peace along with him, and you did the same thing together every night after that.
Chapter 9: Tiresome Work
âAre you free to chat for a few minutes?â you asked, gently clicking the large door closed behind you as you entered Fiveâs office.
âIâm always free for you,â he said, looking up from his desk.
Coming around next to him, you propped your bottom up on his mess of papers.
âHowâs your day?â you asked, your eyes traveling from his soft pink lips, down to his neck, then to the relaxed motion of him spreading his legs as he leaned back in his chair.
âItâs getting better now that youâre here,â he replied, followed by a mischievous grin.
Doing your best to remember why youâd come in, the reason for it in your hand, you extended him your notebook. âWould you be willing to look this over? I think the numbers look good, but Iâd appreciate a second brain on this one just in case I missed something.â
âIâll look at it, but I doubt you missed anything. You never do,â he replied, his eyes smoldering. He patted his knee. âWhy donât you sit here and let me entertain you. You need a break.âÂ
Your cheeks instantly flushed, and the more Five gave you that predatory look the worse it got.
You didnât move so he raised a brow.
âCome here,â he hotly demanded.
Hopping up, Five quickly snatched your waist, pulling you to him faster than you were already coming.
âWe are supposed to be working,â you scolded, as he trapped you between his legs with his hand tickling up your back.
âWe covered this already. This is us working,â he said, following your every movement with wolfish fixation.Â
Trying to rattle him as much as he was flustering you, you broke away, half-heartedly attempting to organize the millions of items on his desk.
âThat sign you are playing with says Iâm the boss! Now get over here!â he angrily insisted, but not without laughing.
Giving you the sexiest smile youâd seen on him yet, one that was all dimple and shiny white teeth, Five patted his knee again.
Feeling silly, you perched your bottom on his knee.
With hardly anything between you and his finely woven pants, the bones of Five's knee purposefully pressed into you.
âNow then, isnât that better?â he taunted as he leaned forward, his lips grazing the side of your neck.
âFive Hargreeves, you are a bad man.â
âAnd you like it,â he coolly replied with his hand coming up to fondle your breasts.
The room felt like it was on fire already, but everything got warmer when his fingers parted, slicing across the peaks in your blouse, softly catching on your nipples before his warm palms slid over them again.
Feeling like a drunken sailor, you swayed in his lap. Trying to steady yourself, you extended the tip of your shoe to the floor, but Five nudged his knee into you with a little lift of his foot, his hands locking you in your seat to prevent your escape.
Plucking at you until your nipples were visible through the delicate fabric covering them, your small whines and the wetness spreading between your legs were met with his cocky grunt of approval.
âFive, there are dozens of people outside that door,â you said, shutting your eyes tight when he gave you a pinch.
âSo,â he deadpanned.
The second you tried to get up again, he let out a growl, simultaneously biting into the crest of your shoulder, the feel of it all making your head roll back on your shoulders as your next broken moan filled his entire office.
âNever mind. Please donât stop,â you breathed, as his magical lips pressed against the edge of your jaw.
âI wasnât going to,â he shushed. âThis is the most important thing I have left to do here, I say fuck these numbers you brought me. Youâre the one who shouldâve always been checking my math. My sole purpose now that I have you to do the brain work is fucking you.â
âFive,â you moaned as you shifted your weight on his thigh, desperate to relieve the pressure.
âMmmm?â he replied.
âYou are driving me crazy.â
âI know, but I need to get this baby inside you and seal this deal,â he insisted, kissing you with even more vigor, his mouth sucking at your skin as he moved his hand down between your legs, massaging your swollen folds through your underwear.
âYes. I understand that butâŠbut we maybe already did seal that deal,â you stuttered. âAnd if that really is what you are trying to do right now again anyway, it canât be in here.â
With another quick nip at your throat, Five said, âThis is my office, and I intend to use it in any way I please. I earned it, damn it!âÂ
âYou did earn it,â you said with a breathy laugh, shifting your weight again, trying to turn towards him and put your feet on the floor. âBut we should at least lock the door.â
âStay put!â he barked, but it had no bite to it because he was trying to paint a silky line with his tongue along the shell of your ear.
Biting your lower lip next to distract you, flipping his hand out from under your skirt, Five pinched your firm nubs of flesh again, not with pain, but with shocking effect. You gasped as a burning jolt of electricity detonated between your thighs.Â
âPlease hurry,â you weakly begged him, the pressure of his knee under you both good and bad at that point.
His fingers gripped under your jaw, moving your face towards his. âThereâs no hurry, honey. Daddy is the boss here and everyone knows about us anyway,â he whispered, velvety soft.
You opened your mouth to what, at this point, and with that daddy comment, you didnât even know anymore, but Five was quick to cover your mouth, his index finger pushing your lips open.
âSuck it like you want to suck me,â he directed as his other hand moved up, slowly opening the buttons on your shirt, stopping when he had enough of them undone to get his hand inside.
âJust like that,â he softly hummed as he watched you caressing the length of his finger with your lips and tongue. Breathing in, his nose brushed along your hairline. âSuch a good girl.â
Pulling his finger from your mouth, he reached under your skirt, his wet finger trailing up your thigh, nudging under your panties.
âGod, I needed this,â Five adorable whimpered, his thumb pressing down on your pubic bone as his finger slipped inside you, slowly pumping in and out.
âOh, oh-fuu-ah-kkkkk! Faster!â you helplessly yelped as you ground down your weight against his leg, your hips frantically jutting into his hand.
His finger pumped faster. âCome on, baby. Come for me,â he encouraged,
Your ability to formulate thoughts going all to hell, nothing but gibberish spilled from your mouth. âMmmm-ahhh-fff, yyyy-e-sssss.â
Adjusting himself, spreading his legs wider to accommodate the tent his erection was making in his pants, he said, âMore?â
âYes,â you moaned.
The rhythm of his hand changed, and a second finger added to his thrusting while his thumb kept fondling your clit with enough pressure to make your head spin.
Gripping the front of Fiveâs vest in a lame attempt to ground yourself, he began placing a path of kisses along the side of your neck. âMy heart beats for you,â he said, his voice deep with longing that matched the look in his worshipful eyes.
Your legs spread embarrassingly wide, the backs of your heels knocking against his shin, you rocked on his knee, your building climax pulsing to a roaring scream. Five kept going at it, not letting up the pace or intensity of his finger repeatedly hooking inside you, drawing out moan after moan.
Your eyes droopy, he grinned at you like this was the best thing heâd ever done while at work, which was ridiculous considering his desk was littered with all the plans he was putting in place to fend off any future apocalyptic events that could threaten the existence of humanity.
Blowing your mind and making you come so hard you couldnât see straight was hardly important compared to all that, but he didn't seem to think so. He was so beautiful, you could have sat there all day, dreamy admiring the shape of his eyes and their soft lines of happiness, but when he withdrew his fingers, it shot you back into reality.
At the sound of Diego walking by, talking loudly, and Lila smart talking back at him, you instantly started to get up.
Smirking, Five got up too while sucking his newly freed digits in his mouth, licking them clean.
Weak with orgasmic afterglow, you pressed your face against his collar, contentedly breathing in his warmth. âLetâs go somewhere where I can take care of you,â you said, nuzzling him.
âI need you to take care of me right here, love. I have a good feeling about this spot,â he whispered.
You were crushed speechless all over again by the way Five called you love, but it wouldnât have mattered anyway if you found a way to argue because his mouth molded to yours, opening it with the force of his kiss, so he could use his tongue to tangle and tease you into submission.
When Five did relinquish ownership of your mouth, it was only to spin you around, so your backside was facing him again. From there, he released you and started fumbling with his clothing, the sound of his zipper coming down just before the metal of his belt clanked to the floor.
You reached for the desk in anticipation, thinking he was going to lay you out, chest down over his mess of papers so he could fuck you from behind, but instead, his hand latched onto your waist as he pulled you back with him, towards his desk chair.
âShow me you love me the way I love you,â Five breathed, the back of his legs bumping his seat as his cock prodded between the legs.
You hesitated, not sure what you were supposed to do, so Five plopped himself down in his chair, clarifying when he said, âSit down.â
The pointed toe of his dress shoe rubbed against the inside of your ankle, further making his intent known. His hands brushed along your thighs, lifting your skirt, then he pushed your panties down.
Reaching back, you put your hands on his armrests. Lowering your body, he stopped you short, hovering over him.
The heat of his length ran along, gathering the wetness heâd already drawn from you. His swollen tip moving back and forth had you holding your breath and the tightening coil of desire inside you clenching with renewed need.
After several more passes, Five lined himself up. âThis time, Iâm going to fuck you so deep, thereâs no way my boys wonât be able to stick their landing.â
âOh, my God, Five,â you laughed.
âPlease, honey, sit down!â he frantically laughed back.
Smiling like a fool, you began to lower yourself over him again, but almost right away as he entered you, it felt like you were being impaled by the girth of his rock-hard shaft, and you had to stop. âFi-fff -vvvv- â you sputtered. âItâs too much like this Iââ
âI know, just go slow, Iâve got you,â he said, sure to keep his hands under your bottom to support some of your weight.
Giving you all the time you needed, Five shifted back, his chair creaking from his weight. His hiss of satisfaction when your body took in more of his cock was met by your teeth stabbing into your bottom lip.
âFuuuuuckâŠâ Five groaned, echoing your silent sentiment exactly.
Forcing yourself to take it, adjusting your body down on him until you were sitting all the way down in his lap like he requested, you were shaking like a leaf.
His lips pressed under your ear. âI am hopelessly in love with you,â he whispered.
âOh, Five,â your voice trembled as he buried his face against your neck.
âFuck me,â he ordered in a maddingly cocky tone.
Knowing full well he was smiling, you started rocking your hips. Almost right away, to your delight, Five placed his hands over yours on his arm rests, his knuckles going white.
His breaths started to rush out of his mouth, moist against your throat. When you started bringing your body up and down, sliding his cock in and out, deep then shallow, he fell back, breathing a quiet chorus of profanities.
âYou like that?â you cheekily asked, bouncing on his cock in a way that felt so good for you, you never wanted the feeling to end.
âFuck yes I like it!â he groaned. âWhy the fuck did I wait until today to make you sit on my dick like this. We should have been doing it this way, every day, three times a day!âÂ
Working your bottom up and down, taking him in and out, faster and faster, his head flopped back against his leather chair.
Smiling, just thinking about the fucked-out face Five was probably making, you said, âFive, I loved you even before I met you. Thereâs no one else in this world I love as much as you.â
âI can think of someone,â he groaned, âbut Iâm okay with that since that little charmer is going to be the son I am going to give you right now.â Kissing your shoulder, he grabbed you by the curve of your waist, pressing his fingers to your stomach, increasing the pressure inside you.
Jolted with each thrust of his hips meeting your ass, his hand at your waist lifted you up and down, allowing his cock to slide into you as deep as it would go.
âYouâre mine now!â he growled.
His teeth sank into the crest of your shoulder blade.
âOh, fuuuuuckkkk,â you cried, as he hummed his reverberated delight, his teeth marking you as if you werenât already his.
Before the pain of his love bite became too much Five let go, his breaths coming fast as his sharp grunts. âAre you getting close? Because I can go at any time,â he huffed, ruthlessly railing you, his heels digging down on the floor as he thrust his hips up and down.
âUh-huh,â you replied, unable to say more as you struggled to stay over him and not melt into a puddle of mushy bones in his lap.Â
Your body shuddered, your breaths not enough. Your body reactively clamped down on his cock, repeatedly spasming. The second Five felt it, he filled you, his own body jerking and twitching as he erratically slowed to a stop and sank back in his seat.
His grip loosened as he let you down in his lap. His cock throbbing inside you, the final pulses of his release and the burning of your thighs overwhelming both your senses.
You were on fire, and the sweat on his brow proved that heâd just pushed himself to the point of glorious ruin too.
âI wasnât expecting that when I came in here,â you quietly laughed, laying against him, your chest heaving with his as you reached back to run your fingers through his hair.
Just then, the door burst open. You jolted upright, but Fiveâs arm instantly flexed, refusing to let you off his lap.
âHey, Five?â Luther said, stepping in the door, still looking behind him as he took the package one of the mail room staffers handed him as they whisked by. âOh! Hey, guys,â he corrected, looking up, seeing you and nothing but the upper half of your bodies.Â
Coming closer, thinking Five was just showering you with affection like he almost always was, Luther said, âSloane wanted me to invite you toâ"
He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes locked on the sight of his brotherâs lap as it came into full view.
Your skirt was hiding the worst of it, but with Fiveâs pants tangled around his ankles, there was no way Luther couldnât tell that he was imposing himself on you from behind.Â
âWhat is going on!?â he yelled, covering his face with the cardboard box that had Fiveâs name on it. âGuys! We are at work! I mean⊠Wow this is not appropriate!â
âWhat is going on is, Iâm working,â Five calmly informed him. âItâs a well-known fact that when doors are shut, itâs for a reason, so this one is on you. And sure. We would love to join you and Sloane for dinner. Thank you.â
Fiveâs chin came to rest on your shoulder as he cooly stared at his brother.Â
When Luther just stood there, too shocked to move, Five gave him a much clearer dismissal.Â
âGet the fuck out, jackass,â he said as sternly as he could make it sound, which wasnât even remotely threatening because he was laughing as he said it.
Luther huffed a few more words of confusion, then, fumbling around blindly, he eventually made his way back to the door.
When you were alone again, Five grinned. âWould you like to go for another ride, my love?â
Chapter 10: Ad Infinitum
Less than a month later, Five moved in, taking center stage from Herb.
âItâs been said several times tonight by others,â he began as the lights shone down on him, all people who worked for him anxiously waiting to hear what he had to say, âbut I am going to say it again because you deserve it from me.â
Five glanced your way, looking so handsome.
Sitting in the row behind him filled with other board members, your ankles were crossed, and your heads were neatly placed in your lap. You were doing your best impression of a dignified businesswoman who hadnât just spent her afternoon with your back on his desk and your heels resting on his shoulders, but the second his eyes met yours, your flush gave you away.
Having lit you on fire with nothing but a happy quirk of his lip, Five turned back to the crowd. âI personally want to thank all of you for your hard work prior to me coming on as your Director and especially after. Without all of you, this place never would have happened,â he explained, drawing a small applause of agreement from the crowd. âThe last few months have been hard, but I know that what we have accomplished is worth it and it will make a world of difference.âÂ
Five laughed softly, almost too quiet to hear, but it was very him, and with it, it was impossible not to fall for his charms.
âI mean that quite literally,â he chuckled. âThe changes we have made will end up saving the world, probably many times over.â
It was no secret what you all did at The Commission and averting the end of days was sort of your thing, so that got quite a few laughs from his audience and Five nodded knowingly before moving on.Â
âWhether you wanted to or not,â he continued, âby now, everyone here knows me in some way or another, and Iâll be the first to admit, I donât make knowing me easy. I am an asshole and always have been, so sorry about that.âÂ
Five made the motion of physically shrugging that off and that got more laughter filling the large auditorium.
His warm smile grew a little more.
âIâm an asshole, and I am working on it, just ask the very patient woman I hired to keep me in-line. Iâm a work in progress, and probably always will be,â he joked.
He pressed the palms of both his hands on the slanted surface of the podium, a prominent line forming between his dark eyebrows.Â
âLong ago, I made a horrible mistake, and I continued to make many more mistakes after that, and I paid for it, and my family paid too, over and over. The last thing I wanted to happen were the things that did.âÂ
Five paused, his pained gaze directing downward as a loose lock of his hair fell, concealing the sadness in his eyes.
âBut,â he said, forcing his voice to sound brighter again as he looked up, âItâs time to move on and look to our future.â
His lips pulled to the side.Â
âAs we all know, Iâm wrong a lot.â He sniggered at himself. âI couldnât fix all of this on my own and I never should have tried.â
He turned and winked at you and your face instantly lit up and your heart skipped a beat.
âEveryone here is a family,â he said, still looking at you. âWe are a team, and we will never stop fighting as one, but The Temps Aeternalis was never meant to be an organization that only preserved life,â he insisted, looking back towards the lights. âWe are here to live it to its fullest with the people we love. Thatâs what makes us human. Thatâs the real reason we are here. To support that idea.â
Five looked over to his right at the rest of the board members, his eyes landing on Lila and Diego.
Seeing that Five was ready for them, Lila pushed herself up, giving him one of her overdone eye rolls and a hand at her mouth, intentionally drawing attention to her big, bored yawn as she approached. Behind them, Diego stood up too and began nervously shuffling his papers with his back turned to the audience.
At Fiveâs side, Lila smiled. âThat was one hell of a speech. Sure took long enough, you old sap,â she complained, but Five merely smiled back at her equally affectionately, not taking the bait to verbally spar with her. Â
Knowing that it would drive her nuts, he swept in, pulling Lila in for a big hug, smooshing her to his chest. Lilaâs arm quickly found its way around his back, holding him just as tight.Â
âI still think that you are a little piss-pot, you know that, right?â she whispered, while trying to hide that she was getting choked up by rubbing her runny nose all over on the arm of his suit jacket.
âI know how much you love me, and stop wiping your boogers on me,â Five said, scowling at her but it was so fake even the people in the back row knew it.
He pulled away, but not before giving her his pocket square. Then he leaned into the mic moving along to an epic finish.
âI am truly honored that you all entrusted me to make this organization into something in the end that we can all be proud to be a part of, and going forward I look forward to working with you all in a much less hands-on capacity.â
As murmurs from those who didnât see this coming filled the room, his brother stepped up behind him and Five dropped a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.
Diego looked nervous but Five knew he was ready for this. Like so many things they were taught to think by Reginald that were wrong, Diego was never a second to anyone.
He was a leader and always had been, and his well-timed words of advice when it came to seeing things clearly with you would always mean the world Five.
When the votes came in, he was not at all surprised to see that Diego came in at the top to replace him. Diego was a perfect choice to shake things up around there and Five looked forward to stepping back in from time to time to watch his brother in action.
Hearing Diego take a long breath while he enthusiastically shook himself like he was about to spring into a scuffle, fists swinging like a boxer in the ring, Fiveâs proud, and somewhat exasperated smile got even bigger.
He looked back out over the podium.
âI am officially stepping down, and so is our Co-chair. Thanks to her, Iâm going to be a daddy, and I canât live another day with taking a little time away to enjoy that miracle with her,â he declared, giving everyone the good news.
The entire crowd stood and started giving their departing Director and you a standing ovation filled with excited whistles.
âItâs about time for that vacation,â Klaus yelled through his cupped hands with Viktor next to him, much less boisterous but equally thrilled in his enthusiastic clapping.
Motioning for the room to quiet but getting little back other than more clapping and shouts of encouragement, Five proudly said, âIt is my honor to give you, Diego Hargreeves, our new Director, and his second in command, or first, however you want to look at it, your Co-Chair, Lila Hargreeves.â
Stepping aside, with a wave of his hand, motioning for Diego to take the mic, the echo of clapping didnât stop and neither did the calls of well wishes for both the amazing man walking away, and the one trying and failing to get them to calm down.
Coming back to his empty seat next to yours, Five took your waiting hand into his, holding it tight as he whispered, âI love you.â
âI love you too,â you mouthed back, smiling so hard it hurt.
As you stood together, cheering for Diego, it finally sunk in for Five.
This was it. The reason for it all.
Finally, he could start living life as he wished, and he couldnât wait to do it with you by his side and his new baby boy in his arms.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~â€ïž
Thanks for reading.
For all my super fans that read this and my entire first Five Centric series over on A03, if you noticed a similarity in the end of this one and that one, you are not crazy. I love my boy and I am a sucker for giving him endings he deserved. đđ Long live TUA and FIVE!!
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Thank you to all who interacted on my teaser post from 15 days ago, who either commented they wanted to be tagged or showed interest by hitting like. If I missed anyone, I am sorry. I appreciate your patience in getting this one done. đ @noodleprinter35 @starlitflora @clownstillwritesfanfic @ifellinto-fantasy @groovydazephantom @redros3y @em1989ts @fckyeahlames @sweetxserenity @honeybunchesoftoenails @9katherinestar @jedaweda @blazingcroutons @sinpforfictionalcharacters @in-love-daily @danlynnie @kalerah02 @ilydiego @3xclus1vel0v3r @yoko-haitani @lianaqui @clappincheeksmeatyflaps @bvbblejayyyy @lanabelle @sweetbabythrills @strawberieee @mimy2004 @fireheart13x @sublimeangelcollection @otralouie11 @idolkerry @tenshiseto @nooneenoticed @moniquem31 @nataliemonicaferlewich @appleypi @little-forest-goblin @i-love-gvf @ursovaine @hargreeves05 @jana0509 @marydbl @temptedtreasuretrove @noodleisodd @mugtrees003 @moonkitty59 @fivehargreevesnumber1fan @badkitty3000 @tuanputri-magui
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speaking about buck and tommy scenes that make me feel like iâm intruding in on a moment that should be reserved for the two of them and the two of them only â this scene is kind of fucking insane when it comes to that.
itâs not even a full scene but a brief moment (less than a minute) within a larger scene and yet. and YET. itâs SO captivating and memorable.
theyâre not alone but as the viewer, it really feels like theyâre the only two people in the room (probably how they felt as well letâs be real) with how they talk, look, and flirt with each other and in the way they exist in each otherâs space (buck basically pinning tommy on one side, no space between themâŠ.AH. god i LOVE when their physical space becomes one).
and buck always has a little cheeky flare in his flirting but here itâs even more special and present because he teases tommy a little with his, âoh, iâm sorry, did you want the red one?â which, to me, really translates to a teasing cheeky, âoh, are you looking at me? huh? are you obsessed,â and tommy replies (with his dorky old-school romantic compliment because yeah. of course he does. his evan deserves the best), âhas anyone ever told you, youâre a vision in a cone,â which is essentially, âyeah. i am looking at you. youâre beautiful. a vision.â and of course that leaves buck smitten as fuck, because why wouldnât it? insane compliment to get and for tommy, giving that compliment was as natural and second nature as breathing. his boyfriend is a vision and tommyâs just happy he gets to look at him in the way he doesâadmire his beauty, etc.
AND not to forget, as tommyâs complimenting buck, heâs also eye-fucking him with the most intense gaze. it doesnât last very long before tommy (and then buck) break(s) out into a smile and laugh (i think tommy remembered they were, indeed, not alone and needed to diffuse the intensity, make it more wholesome again otherwiseâŠ.you know). but those brief few seconds where tommyâs piercing eye contact is burning through buck and buck is heavy breathing harder than he almost ever has were so incredibly charged and passionate that i felt like i shouldnât have been there watching them. which, really, the whole moment felt like i shouldnât have been there â during the wholesome and sweet portion (which the whole thing was wholesome and sweet, really) and during the more brief, intense moment between them.
itâs just such a great moment, even (or especially) for as brief as it is in the grand scheme of their story. but it shows us how their dynamic grew from season seven and it has a little bit of everything to offer: itâs playful, sweet, heated, charged, fun, wholesome, romanticâso so romantic imo. we get to see them so close together physically and we get to see a different dynamic to their flirting from their previous moments. itâs also a scene where we get to see more of tommy and his flirting (he initiates the flirting here unlike in moments when itâs buck who does)âand i love that.
just a really beautiful scene in my opinion and even though i feel like iâm intruding when i watch it, i will keep rewatching it.
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notes of jasmine
p.sh x reader
pure domestic fluff, inspired by this moment in his recent live hehe
warnings: none! just hwa being silly, not canon compliant (he is not an idol), thats it
_______
the weekend fell upon you two, a weekâs worth of work and toil finally pushed behind you as you finally can rest. seonghwa rests his head on your lap, as you sit back on the couch, crocheting the blanket youâd finally set your heart on making absentmindedly. he, meanwhile, scrolled through his phone, humming along to the shared playlist you had playing on the speaker. it was bright and sunny: the rays filtered through the curtains and naturally brightened the shared living room.
you pat his arm lightly, signalling for him to get up. he hums, caught off guard, but lifted his head nonetheless. you place a pillow under his head in lieu of your leg and stretch briefly before leaning over.
âim going to go shower and get ready for dinner, ok?â you whisper, a small smile on your lips.
he hums in response. âmm, ok. donât take long.â
âoh please.â
you laugh lightly before pressing a quick kiss to his lips and moving to the bathroom, where you quickly washed up your body before going to the bedroom to get dressed.
âseonghwa?â you called out.
âyes, baby?â
âwhatâs the occasion for dinner?â
âuh, like dress code? i donât know, whatever you want love.â
âno, like, where are we going? somewhere fancy, casual? you didnât tell me.â
he lights up in realization, âoh - upscale!âÂ
âperfect. you need to get ready too.â
âcoming.â
as he made his way to the bedroom, you sprayed a new perfume you grabbed after seeing reviews online. though you didnât spoil yourself often with perfume, this one you couldnât pass up. surely this date night would make a good occasion to try it.
he pauses at the door, sniffing. âwhatâs that smell?â his voice was low and curious.
you look at him, and then shake the bottle you set back down on the dresser. ânew perfume. you like it?â you hold out your wrist, letting him smell.
he grabs your wrist, sniffing and humming as he basked in the scent.
he moves abruptly behind you, burying his nose in the crook of your neck and inhaling deeply. he murmurs softly, âyou smell so nice.â
âthanks.â you giggle. he continues to move his head to different spots around your neck and chest, deeply inhaling, almost exaggeratingly so. you laugh, both because of his silly antics and also because his long hair was tickling you with every slight movement he made against you.
âyouâre so silly today, ah, seonghwa stop that!â you jump as he nips at your neck, pressing loving kisses and continuing to bask in the scent of your new perfume.
âiâm sorry that i cant help how good you smell and how good you look and how perfect you are.â his arms wrap around your waist, pulling you against him as he continues his loving ministrations.
you pout, turning to face him directly, smoothing down his hair against his head. you study his face, a small smile adorning your face as he lightly pants from breathing in far too much perfume. âiâm glad you like it. iâll wear it all the time now if this is how youâll be.â
he hums before leaning in, capturing your lips in a warm kiss. though you indulge him briefly, you pull away sputtering, making a face.
âeughhh. you kissed off all my perfume and now you taste like it.â
âdeal with it. you love it.â he teases.
âi do not love it though i do love you.â and with that, you kiss him, disregarding the faint taste of perfume.Â
your lips moved against each otherâs in a slow but passionate dance, imbuing all the love you had for each other in a simple kiss. you couldnât help but laugh, breaking the kiss and pulling him into a hug.Â
as the night went on - the dinner date, the walk in the cool evening air, and the love you made when you returned home - the sweet scent of your perfume remained lingering in the airâa reminder of the little things that made your love so special.
#seonghwa#seonghwa x reader#seonghwa x you#seonghwa fluff#seonghwa oneshot#seonghwa imagine#ateez fluff#ateez imagine#ateez x reader#ateez scenarios#ateez imagines
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König x female!reader, rimming (male and female), ass play, oral, handjobs, anal, light squirting, they're still sweet to each other
(this was supposed to be a quick blurb about konig getting rimmed what happened- under the cut for length)
König is already asleep when you get home. He's a big lump in the bed, dimly outlined by the little nightlight plugged in next to the door. He sleeps like the dead when he's with you- heavy slow breaths, a faint buzzing snore. A mountain of muscles sculpted by training and fighting, sleep-soft under your quilts. It's a sight that makes your heart thump, bleeding warmth through you, seeing your big, scary, special ops berserker so at peace among your clutter and coziness.
You're quiet getting into bed- shoes slipped off, clothes stripped away until your bare skin prickles in the cool air- slowly raising the blankets and settling in against König's broad back. He sighs a little when you kiss him right between his shoulder blades, just a little peck. Precious.
You kiss him again, again, and a little lower. He's so warm, blood-hot from being wrapped under the bedding, and you cuddle up closer. Another kiss. A little lower. Slowly, you work your way down his spine, kisses growing warmer and wetter. Your nose rubs against the line of a scar cutting over his side while you lick gently at his skin, tracing the shape of muscles with your tongue until you're at the full round curve of his ass.
You fucking love his ass. He's so sharp everywhere else, so oversized and angular, but here he's soft and cushiony. Full globes of muscles overlaid with squeezable fat, flexing as he walks, bends, shifts his weight. You set up a mirror on the wall opposite the bed just to be able to see him fucking into you, his thighs twitching as he comes, his ass bouncing with the force of his thrusts. The way he shivers and groans when you get your hands on him, spread his cheeks enough to rub down around his hole, his dick achingly hard in your pussy as you get a finger inside him, rub his prostate to force another load of come into you.
Tonight you're gentle though, trailing your tongue down the crack of his ass and sucking softly when you reach his hole. He's showered before bed, you can taste the soap, and when you lick a fat stripe up and over his hole he finally stirs.
"schatz...?" He mumbles, sleepy and confused, waking to your tongue and hands already on him. You push up on one thigh and move him a little, opening him up, and wriggle just the tip of your tongue in- oh, he's loose, he's been playing with himself.
Your heart and pussy throb together. Oh, you love this man.
You get a hand over his thigh and cup his cock, so soft and heavy, gently thumbing under the head as you spread saliva over his hole- and when you shove your tongue fully inside in the same moment you give him a nice firm stroke, he comes awake entirely, leg kicking out and his hips thrusting back against your face. He's too big for you to hold down at all, so instead you go for a ride: he rocks back and forth between your hand and tongue, shifting you both over the sheets. He's panting and you can feel the muscles of his ass and legs flexing as he is launched into a waking wet dream: a slurping wet mouth eating his hole like dessert, a soft hand pumping his cock, everything still draped in the shadows, half-real. He's moaning helplessly, and you can feel the rippling of his back muscles as he tries to spread his thighs open farther without dislodging your squeezing hand. His cockhead is fat in your palm, smooth and soft like a plum, leaking precome to wet your strokes. Your thumb rubbing under the head, teasing right where his foreskin pulls away, makes him whine and clench down hard enough your tongue is pushed out- that's fine, you're right back in again, using your other hand to pull his cheek open and give you more room to work him over with. A slap to it makes him bounce against the mattress and you do it again, dizzy with lust. Such a gorgeous ass, gorgeous man, rippling under your hand and mouth.
You're wet as sin but leave your hands on his body- what you want right now is this war machine to fall apart around you. You get it, too, König moaning into his pillow as his cock finally throbs and spills over your fingers, playing around the head until he whines from overstimulation. He's so easy when you do this, and the power of it is better than the simple physical pleasure. Your mouth pulls away from his hole with a wet pop, and you hear your own panting loud in the room.
König sprawls limply over the bed, grunting when you climb up his back, only rolling over when you push his shoulder. You're straddling his face like this, and he grins lust-drunk up at you when you tap your fingers to his lips. He opens them obediently, sucking his come off them, before you bring those same fingers up to your clit and rub, spreading the slick around your pussy back and forth, fanning the flames.
König grips your knee and opens your thighs wider, forcing your body to drop nearer his head, and you moan as his tongue curls up your thigh, following the streak of slick stuck to your skin. "Let me return the favor, Schatz," he says, and settles in, licking broad strokes up your pussy, around your fingers still rubbing your clit, and you grip his hair in your other hand. He's good, knows when to push his tongue inside and give you something to fuck down on, when to hold still, and it takes only a few minutes to bring yourself off on his face, grinding down and letting your weight settle on his face, briefly smothering him in your pussy as you come.
He's grinning still when you push up and off him, dropping onto the pillows with a blissful sigh. You're surprised when he follows you, kneeling up to spread your thighs open, knees lifted and bent over his elbows so that your pussy is propped up to the ceiling.
"That's not the favor I meant," he says, and bends his head to lick up a mouthful of your come- and then spits it out again onto your asshole, a creamy mess dripping down your ass as he dives in, tongue laving over you, working into your hole as you moan under him, thrown suddenly into new pleasure as he holds you still, keeping your ass up. He's more enthusiastic than you were, almost wild with it, and when he gets his whole tongue into you and curls it like he did in your pussy you nearly vibrate off the bed.
You're so wet it's obscene, dripping down to where König's tongue fucks in and out of your little hole, and your clit aches and pulses in a little orgasm when you clench down, even with nothing in your cunt. He's never done this before, and you hadn't pushed him on it even while you worked his ass open your yourself, knowing he'd either want to try or have his reasons not to. Fuck, you haven't even showered since morning- and it feels so filthy, so taboo to have his tongue in your ass and his lips sucking on your hole, even just after you were inside him, both of you wet and messy between your thighs now. He's eating you like you're delicious, some rare fruit he hadn't plucked yet, and your thighs start to tremble. You're going to come on his face again.
"König- fuck, baby, I need more, I'm so close," you gasp, and whine when instead he pulls away, as if he's done.
He pushes your knees all the way up to your chest, holding them there, and you realize what he's after as König fits the head of his cock to your worked-open asshole and presses inside, huge, hard again and so big, too big for such a small hole, somehow still fitting inside and filling you up. You're too breathless to moan, but your whole body thrums with pleasure, with the feeling of being taken in a place that shouldn't be taken at all, can't possibly fit the cock that's stretching your hole so much. You're going to be gaping when he's done and the thought makes your clit throb.
He pulls out, nearly all the way, just his cockhead nestled in your ass, and you can feel the way your hole squeezes down around it. You both moan together, before he's suddenly fucking in hard, steady thrusts that set you bouncing against him, ass slapping his hips with wet smacks- you're still dripping and slick, and making so much mess around your thighs, against König where he's fucking all the way into you. He's swearing in German as he pulls out, your ass clinging to his cock, before ramming broken moans out of your throat. You can't breathe around him, air jolted out of your lungs at each thrust in, ass molding to the shape of his cock. Your pussy flutters with the trembling in your thighs, seeking stimulation it doesn't need as your ass is fucked like a cocksleeve.
You're coming before you realize it, nothing touching your clit or pussy, just a sudden tilt over the edge, begging König not to stop, as your pussy clamps down on nothing and your ass onto the cock pounding your insides, the conflicting sensations flaring white-hot. You think you squirted a little- it's so wet, obscenely loud as König fucks his own come into you, moaning your name as he releases your legs to fall limp around him.
He pulls back out more carefully, and you whine at the stimulation, the feeling of his come squeezing out of your hole. You're both sweaty and panting, and you open your arms to him with grabby hands, the big Austrian settling over you like a blanket.
His arms come around you in a hug, and you plaster his face with kisses- you avoid his mouth, unsure if he'd mind with both your tongues so recently delving, but he sucks your bottom lip between his and draws you in, letting your bodies settle.
"made a mess, Schatz," he mumbles into your cheek. You wince- the wet spot is, hmm, less sexy than what made it.
Easily fixed- you have clean sheets and towels to soak it up. For the moment though it can wait. König is warm and soft and almost drifting back to sleep, worn out with two orgasms. One of your hands creeps down to cup his ass, squeezing a cheek fondly. He's so good to you, so eager to explore and play.
You quickly dip a finger into your pussy and settle it just against his hole, rubbing a little slick against it, feeling it wink at you, like it's saying goodnight. Let the wet spot wait- come morning you'll be adding to it anyway.
#konig#könig x reader#konig x reader#cod#call of duty#könig#konig smut#an indulgence#theres so much ass in this#the ass is the main character
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Swiftie Sleepover Saturdayâąïž : A Weekly, Saturday Event for Swifties to Enjoy
Hello all! My name is Jen, and I've been a Swiftie since 2008. I wanted to organize a fun, weekly sleepover event where we can have fun discussions, analyze lyrics, post beautiful edits, take polls, and connect with each other in so many other ways through our love of Taylor and her works of art! Each week will have a new theme or discussion prompt, please post all contributions with:
#Swiftie Sleepover Saturday
If you have any fun suggestions for a theme for one week, feel free to submit them to me via my ask box! Also, if you're a poll or edit blog and want to connect for a special event don't be afraid to send a dm or ask! Some things that will be covered during Swiftie Sleepover Saturday:
Polls
Lyrical Analyses
General Discussion
Current Events
Gif/Edit Post Events
Poetry/Writing/Fanfic Events
Other Special Events
Everyone is welcome, kindness only, please have fun with this! First day will be Saturday, February 8th!
Swiftie Sleepover Saturday Specifics!
Each week the day before Saturday I will post a topic, question, or any other discussion along with some polls and edits that you can feel free to add to and interact with! This is a fun, Swiftie-friendly event that welcomes all and I am thrilled to hear your thoughts on the many topics we're going to cover! These will range from songs to themes to award shows and much more, and I can't wait to to see how you all get into it! You can get involved by posting polls, edits and graphics, text posts, poetry/writing, and anything you want! Some weeks will ask for some of those specific things so stay tuned! Please tag
#Swiftie Sleepover Saturday
Every weekend, the topic can be posted about/discussed for the remainder of the week following, but remember to check in for something new each Saturday!
Please be kind and gentle to those around you. Anyone displaying aggressive, rude, bullying, cruel, or inappropriate behavior will be blocked immediately. THIS IS A SAFE SPACE for all swifties!!!!!!
Some example topics include:
The use of rain in Taylor's lyrics The song Chloe Et Al Grammys Fashion in 2013
If you have any questions or concerns my ask box and dms are always open to you! This is an event meant to create fun. togetherness, and joy. Enjoy!
TAYLOR SWIFT DEBUT VINYL GIVEAWAY
TAYLOR STICKERS
#swiftie sleepover saturday#taylor swift#swifties#tswift#tswift polls#tswiftlyrics#tswiftedit#tstheerastour#tswiftdaily#tswiftgif#swiftie polls#ts eras tour#music#taylor's version#swiftie#taylorswift#tsusermeggie#tsuserkatie#usergoose#userjake#tsusermels#tsuserannie#nessa007#hauntedbythelook#tusertaylor#tsuseraugust#tsuseralaska#userelena
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Broken
Another cut segment of Her Special Girl Part 2! (Hopefully coming soon)
CW: Stepmom/stepdaughter, mention of strap on usage, sexual experimenting, shame, no explicit smut but still very much 18+
âMama?â You asked, laid back against the headboard with Wandaâs head resting on your chest. The strap sheâd just fucked you with was still nestled between your legs, resting sticky against your thigh. Neither of you had the energy to get up just yet, and you were more than happy to stay just like this until your stamina returned.
The night had been wonderful. Youâd never felt more complete and satisfied in your life. Having Wanda inside you made you feel like the most important girl in the universe. She loved you. She took care of you. Everything was perfect.
Except your stomach tightened with a certain unshakable shame and embarrassment.
You hadnât cum.
She had to have noticed, but she hadnât mentioned it. Your mind swam with possibilities. She had to be disappointed, right? I mean sheâd fucked you for over an hour, putting in so much hard work to make sure you felt good⊠all for nothing.
You werenât sure why it hadnât happened. Youâd felt so wonderful the entire time. She had made you feel so good. But your orgasm simply never came.
âYes, my little love?â She mumbled into your chest. She was practically collapsed against you from exhaustion. It had been a good long while since sheâd fucked anyone like that.
âI did a good job, right? I was good?â You tried to keep your composure, but your voice came out far shakier than you were hoping. Your hand nervously played with her hair, braiding small bits of it at random.
She turned to the side, propping herself up on her elbow so she could see your face. âOf course you were, angel. You did wonderful. Mamaâs so proud of you.â She wiped your hair from your face, cupping your cheek to force your avoidant eyes to meet hers.
âEven though I didnâtâŠâ
She lifted her eyebrows, waiting for you to finish your question. She knew what you were trying to ask, of course. When you didnât continue, she reached up and squeezed your hand. âDid you still enjoy yourself?â
âYes! Yes I-â You felt the need to reassure her she hadnât done anything wrong. Whatever the problem was, it was with you. Youâd felt fantastic. You werenât sure why you hadnât cum. Your nervous ramblings were cut off when you felt her hand gently squeeze yours again.
âThen thatâs all that matters, honey,â Wanda reassured, resting her head back on your chest. âI enjoyed myself, too.â
You looked back down at her, confused. âBut I know you worked really hard and I⊠I donât wanna make you feel bad.â
She rubbed her hands up and down your hips in a calming motion. âI donât feel bad, love. You were doing so good for me, telling me how much you loved me and how much you were enjoying yourself. I wasnât doing this to make you cum, honey. I was doing this to make you feel good.â
You took a deep breath, still anxiously fiddling. You trusted her, that she wasnât upset, but you couldnât shake the feeling there was something wrong with you.
As if she could read your thoughts she knelt over you, straddling you on either side. You could feel the toy pressing against your stomach as she reached for your cheek again.
âYou arenât broken, detka,â she stated simply. Tears unexpectedly pricked your eyes at her words. She wiped them away with her thumb. âYou donât have to cum every time, sweetie. Itâs okay.â
âBut this time was special, and I really wanted to show you I was enjoying myself and⊠and I just donât understand!â You cried.
âSometimes our bodies react in ways we donât expect,â she explained. âAnd each and every body is different. Some things that work for other people might not work for you. But thatâs okay. Iâm here to learn all about your body, and what it needs for you to feel the best it possibly can. Itâs not a failure for either of us that you didnât cum, sweetheart. It wasnât a failure at all because we learned about a new way to make your body feel good.â
You nodded in understanding, so relieved she didnât think you were broken or that there was something wrong with you. âSo we can do it again?â
She laughed and kissed your forehead. âOf course honey. And next time we can use the vibrator if you want. I bet that will make you feel even better.â
You smiled. You were so glad you had her with you, on this journey to discovering your own pleasure. You wanted more than anything to learn what made her feel good, and it made your heart swell to think she wanted to do the same.
She collapsed against your chest again, peppering kisses across your bare skin. âAnd for the record,â she teased seductively, âI think I came enough for the both of us.â
#wanda x y/n#wanda maximoff x reader#wanda x you#wanda x reader#mommy wanda#mama Wanda#mommy!wanda#wanda maximoff
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Hey, how are you doing? Iâm wondering what do you have in mind for Vi during the period of the divorce era and their attempt at only friendship afterwards, can you share with us a bit more about that? I wonder what might be going on with her and if Cait can feel anything about Vi that gives her pause or confuses her about all this besides the tattoos. And will the tattoos be the same since she got all of them in stillwater in the main universe? Iâm really curious about it bc rn it feels like she is "forced" (for lack of a better word) to feel uncomfortable sensations that make her miserable/heartbroken/sad/angry 80% of her time lmao I was just reading another ask you received and I think itâs fair for Cait to feel disheartened that Vi can't see her true intentions and beliefs when it comes to her decision to become an enforcer, esp since this is on 2x07 au universe and to her Vi has contact with ppl like Grayson in the AU and we know what Grayson, an enforcer and sheriff, means to Cait as a mentor but itâs also completely fair for Vi to feel strongly averse to this given the way she had to deal with loss and violence from a very young age because of enforcers and how this affected and traumatized her and also her family, especially her sister, and we know how Vi works when it comes to that Imo itâs pretty justifiable that Vi would have a hard time understanding why her soulmate would want to be part of this group when she know what happened to her and how much that still affects her even if Vander/Cassandra/Grayson are making progress regarding that and in the au things are not nearly as dire as it is in the main canon at this point (also hextech and shimmer doesn't exist and that changes a lot of things too) I feel itâs much more complicated them just x made more sacrifices than y so they deserve more or they deserve less because of it. Plus these two are teenagers or young adults in love who still don't really know how to navigate their emotions properly in a divided world. And it's a world where Vi has more to lose in a broader aspect. I think Cait motivations to become an enforcer are, among others, exactly to bridge this gap in an everlasting manner. Imo she sees it as a way to change things permanently. "What (who) are you shooting for, young Kiramman?". If we agree or not, or if we'd do the same or not, it's up to us individually but from what I understand what we're talking about here is not that but what Cait and Vi think given their circumstances at this point of the story Also I'm really curious to see the parents but most of all the siblings (of both sides) reaction to the mess these two are creating with their miscommunication even tho they are soulmates lol but I bet their bond will be even stronger by the end when they are more mature and have a better understand of themselves and of each other. Apologies for the really long text!! đââïžđââïžđââïž
Well vi is gonna be mostly fighting with herself here, and lashing out and getting her tattoos. I donât plan for her to start drinking cause sheâs baby still and I want her to be happy. Sheâs just conflicted and needs to figure out what does she wants.
Maybe Iâll get her to date Gert during the friendship era after the divorce⊠she just wants to know how it feels with other people, if maybe she can be happy or love someone else like that. (Both of them have Grayson and Cassandra as example that you can be soulmates and not being together, but also remain on each others lives, not like Vander and Silco)
It obvs doesnât work cause they are in love so they canât force themselves to love someone else, specially when they are still meetin regularly during their friendship eraâŠ.
Oh also⊠shimmer does exists in this AU. The barons and shimmer are still a big point of conflict in this AU. The barons like to give Vander problems and try to mess up this âpeaceâ that Vander and Cassandra have been able to build fighting the council, and anything could tip the council into a direction that would put everything at risk like it was before.
(Vander is not on the council btw, he is just considered as the leader of Zaun by them)
The thing about cait as a character and that I didnât want to change in this AU. Is her sense of justice⊠how important it is to her. She wants to protect people and she feels like the enforcers are the best answer for that, BUT she has seen vi and her family and also has felt some of the abuse they are capable of, she is not ignorant to it. She know that joining them climbing in rank AND also because she is a kirammanâŠ. She can change the enforcers, she does have the power to change them and what they stand for. To actually protect people from both Zaun and piltover, not just to protect the interests of the council.
She believes she can do that and sheâs gonna work til she does it. She wanted vi to understand thatâs why she was joining them and not because she thinks like them⊠but ofc vi trauma about the enforcers itâs A LOT⊠so sheâs not able to understand that at this moment.
About the parents??? Lmaooo they are going through it.
Yes, both Vander and Cassandra advised them to take things slow after they met at the hospital. Warned them about the soulmate thing not always working out. THEY DIDNT EXPECT THEM TO TAKE IT AT A GLACIAL PACE THO.
Cassandra didnât like AT ALL that cait joined the enforcers, she was even more pissed when cait came home with Maddie and introduced her as her girlfriend. Cassandra loves vi, she has seen how happy she makes caitlyn and like EVERYONE ELSE can see how much they love eachother. She can see how miserable cait is without vi and how she is forcing smiles and just⊠forcing feeling for Maddie.
Vander can see how miserable vi is and she can see going into an auto destructive state and that she is also hurting her soulmate with it. So sheâs constantly giving her talks about the consequences of hurting your soulmate and yourself and that she could end up just breaking them beyond repair if she continues down that path. Vander has worked with Grayson for yeaaars so he has seen the good and the bad of the enforcers and keeps helping vi with this but is letting her keep her own path and trusting her to pick with her heart instead of her head. She has a good heart after all.
Th kids are just talking about their divorce and just⊠they are so done with both these idiots.
#soulmates AU#damn this is so long#I donât even know if I answered your ask#shhshshshs#or if this makes sense
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HELLO!! May I please request some Bobbette x reader headcannons?
Of course! I hope you enjoy these headcanons.
Ëâșâ§âË Ëââ§âșËâź CHERRY LEMONADE âźËâșâ§âË Ëââ§âșË
â Summary: A compilation of headcanons featuring Bobette as your girlfriend
â Character(s): Bobette (Dandyâs World), Coal (Dandyâs World)
â Genre: Headcanons, Fluff, SFW
â Warning(s): None - Completely Safe!
â
Bobette is already a cheerful and friendly toon, but with you, sheâs the sweetest companion imaginable. Caring, inventive, and always by your side, she wants nothing more than to spend time with you and spread holiday cheer. Lively and upbeat, she makes it nearly impossible to stay upset when sheâs around.
â
One of Bobetteâs favorite traditions is enjoying cookies with a warm cup of hot cocoa, and naturally, she wants to share that with you! With Teganâs help, she prepares a big plate of cookies and two oversized mugs of hot cocoa, topped with cream and marshmallowsâthe full works. The two of you cuddle up, savoring your treats and each otherâs company. Itâs not unusual for you both to drift off during this, with Bobetteâs arm around your shoulder as you rest your head against her chest, peacefully napping together.
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As a toymaker, Bobette is extremely busy around Christmas, crafting toys to fulfill childrenâs wishes. But even though sheâs the best at what she does, she still appreciates an extra pair of hands. When you offered to help, she was over the moon! She loves having you by her side, even if it means things get a bit messier than usual, with paint scattered everywhere. Over time, you become more skilled, and together, you both produce toys far more quickly than Bobette could on her own. With your help, her work feels even more special.
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Speaking of presents, Bobette often gives you gifts she made herself. Whether itâs a toy you specifically requested or something as simple as a new blanket, she always manages to create or find exactly what you wantedâand you couldnât be more grateful. Bobette makes sure you never go without, and seeing your face light up with happiness and surprise makes it all worthwhile for her. Just be preparedâsometimes, she might give you a few too many gifts!
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Being Bobetteâs partner means you are partially responsible for looking after Coal, especially when she isnât around. Coal tolerates you as much as she does everyone elseâexcept for her ownerâbut she is a bit warmer toward you than she is with others. When Bobette is too busy, itâs up to you to take Coal on small walks and help her move large crates of toys. Of course, she probably likes you more than most because you regularly give her favorite treats, making you very popular in her eyes. Your girlfriend truly appreciates your help with Coal, and you always get plenty of kisses from her after she sees how well her pet rock has been cared for.
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Itâs probably no surprise that Bobetteâs wardrobe consists entirely of Christmas-themed sweaters. However, nearly all of them are at least slightly itchyâif not unbearably so. Neither of you knows why, but they always seem to irritate her skin. As a surprise, you got her a stack of new, non-itchy Christmas sweaters made from the softest, most comfortable material you could find. Needless to say, Bobette was elated and gave you a bone-crushing hug. From that moment on, she only wears the ones you gave her.
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Another one of Bobetteâs favorite festive activities is making gingerbread houses, and what better way to make it even more fun than doing it with you? She carefully lays out all the supplies before you begin, and it isnât long before youâre both covered in brightly colored icing, your hands and aprons a complete mess. No matter how much effort you put into decorating, the house always seems to collapse under the weight of gumdrops, peppermint swirls, and mountains of powdered sugar. After a moment of staring at the sugary disaster, you both burst into laughter and give up, helping each other clean the icing off your skin. Her kisses tasted especially sweet that day. You both agree to ask Ginger for help next time.
â
After finishing her toy making, Bobette loves nothing more than to snuggle up with you and Coal under a warm, cozy blanket. Youâre well awareâprobably even more than she isâthat her constant work leaves her completely exhausted and maybe even a little stressed. You can see it in her eyes; something always seems different once sheâs done. Of course, youâd never stop her from doing what she loves, but you make up for it by ensuring your shared bedroom is as comfortable as possible. Soft Christmas lights, freshly baked treats, warm cocoa, plush blankets, and an especially cozy Coal all make her heart swell with happiness. So, you always make sure everything is just right before she returns. She rests easily, comforted by the love and care you put into making her feel at home.
â
Bobette loves telling you about her adventures with Coalâhow they delivered presents in blizzards, how she got frostbite, and how she came so close to meeting Santa himself. Oddly enough, she only seems to share these stories when youâre settling in for bed, which can be a little frustrating since her voice is so soothing that you always fall asleep before hearing how they end. Fortunately, you still remember every detail of each tale, no matter how many times she retells them. Especially the one about Coal dragging Bobette through the snow in a sleighâyouâd love to recreate that someday, even if thereâs no snow.
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Bobette often attaches a sprig of mistletoe to the end of her hook to steal as many kisses from you as possibleâand you fall for it every time. Not that you mind the extra affection, but she loves pulling you into an impossibly tight hug and covering your face with kisses until youâre too breathless to protest. When she finally lets go and you gasp for air, she giggles, apologizes, and insists that youâre simply too cute not to smother with kisses. Honestly, you canât argue with that. You do love her kisses, after all.
#imagine blog#imagine#ask blog#headcanon#writers on tumblr#asks open#thanks anon!#anon ask#dandys world#answered asks#dandys world bobette#dw bobette#bobette the bauble#dandyâs world imagine#dandyâs world headcanons#dandyâs world#dandyâs world roblox#dandyâs world x reader#x reader#bobette x reader#dw#dw roblox#dw imagine#bobette dandys world#bobette dw#ask box open#anon request#ask box#ask#anon answered
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â»ă.:*: temporary cessation [mark x reader]
style: coffee shop au, non-idol au wc:861 cw: fluff
calla's note: sorry if there are any inaccuracies, i haven't written a coffee shop au before.
Mark's eyes darted between the clock and the door of the coffee shop as he sprayed the worktop with disinfectant. It was eleven o'clock, almost time for his first break of the day, but that's not what he was excited for. No, eleven was when you, y/n would come into the shop for your daily refreshment. The feelings that arose when he thought about you were somewhat bittersweet. You were extremely pretty, you dressed well, and you were very polite, leading to Mark catching feelings (though he was too embarrassed to admit it to himself); however, your order was a constant reminder to Mark that he was out of your league- a hot chocolate with a crema topper and syrup in the shape of a heart.
Every day, you had the same order. It would have been cute if it was for you, but yesterday, Mark had been bold enough to make a remark on it. He shuddered as he recalled the memory.
âIt's not for me,â you had smiled, looking down at the counter. âIt's for someone special.â âWho might that special person be?â Mark had said in reply. You had avoided the question, tapping your card on the reader to pay and leaving the shop immediately. Mark felt humiliated with himself for being overfamliar with you, but he still wondered who the mystery individual was.
If the syrup was in the shape of a heart, he thought, wiping down the worktops, then it was for a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. Definitely a romantic relationship, either way. Some men were douchebags, and would keep on pestering even if there was romance on the scene. It was possible that you'd assumed that he was one of those types of people. He wrung out the cloth in the sink. Did he really give off the air of an obsessed alpha wannabe?
Mark looked up at the clock again. It was five past eleven. You were always in at eleven on the dot. Maybe you had decided to go to another coffee shop, intimidated by yesterday's question. Mark shook his head as he threw the cloth in the laundry box. He wished that he hadn't been so keen on you. Now he'd managed to chase you away.
The door to the coffee shop opened and two people shuffled in- an elderly lady with a long coat and scarf holding tight onto the arm of a younger lady with nice clothesâŠ
Y/n.
âHi, Mark,â you giggled nervously, cheeks pink as you and the elder approached the counter. âSorry it took us so long to come in today. My grandmother really wanted to see you.â The elderly lady peered at Mark, and a grin brightened her lined face. âSo this is the one who's been making my daily hot chocolates! What a handsome young man!â You nodded in agreement. âI suppose that this was the perfect time to introduce you guys to each other. Mark, this is my grandmother. She'sâŠshe's been ill for a long time, so I buy her a hot chocolate from here every morning to make her day. Gran, this is Mark. He's the nice man who makes your hot chocolate for you.â
Your grandmother winked at you. âThe one you talk about every time you get the chance? How he smiles at you, how he takes extra time making the drink, how you think you might be in-â
âGRAN! Please don't!â You put your finger to your lips to silence her, but she wasn't fazed. âOur y/n is obsessed with you, Mark,â she said. âThank you for making a positive change for both of us. I love your hot chocolate, and y/n loves talking to you.â
Mark breathed a sigh of relief. So it was just a misunderstanding, on his part, simple as. And there was the added joy of you feeling the same way as he did towards you. âObsessedâ was the word that your grandmother had used. âThe drinks are on me today,â he smiled. âWe only came in for my grandmother's drink,â you piped up. Your grandmother budged you hard in the ribs. âY/n! Take a hint!â
Once the drinks were done, Mark slid them towards you. âDon't tell anyone about this,â he whispered, looking over his back quickly at the other staff and then whipping out his own card to pay for the beverages. To his delight, you and your grandmother stayed inside to drink that day. Mark continued to work, but every time he looked at you, he was delighted to find you staring right back at him, eyes sparkling with reverence.
At last, it was quarter past eleven- time for his break. Mark paused, but then grabbed the business card from the holder on the counter. His cheeks reddened as he scribbled his phone number on the back of it, and he wasn't able to look you in the eyes as he passed it to you, mumbling, âjust in case you forget the name of the coffee shop.â As he left the shop, he saw you and your grandmother gushing over the business card excitedly.
Some risks were worth taking.
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#mark x reader#mark x y/n#mark x you#mark fluff#mark imagines#mark lee ff#anniebeckcalla#fanfic#fluff#nct ff#writing#kpop ff#kpop fanfic#nct dream
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I did this on bsky earlier and remembered I had it saved in my drafts on here too!
More detail below đ
She didnât know Loghrif well, but Gaia was Kassâ senior at the Akadaemia, so they knew each other in passing for centuries. She was friendly with Hythlodaeus, so she was friendly with Azem by association.
Mitron was much the same as Loghrif, someone she was cordially acquainted with from school who she didnât really see much outside of a formal setting. Azem did, however, secretly side with Mitron in the great âwhen is the fish no longer a fish and actually just taking the pissâ debate.
Azem, Emet-Selch, and Hythlodaeus were married, soulmates, absolutely inseparable. For Azem, it was platonic, for the others, romantic. They were friends from the day they met as children, and even after the Sundering, they cannot part until they return to the Star together.
Azem clashed with Pashtarot a lot, as a notorious rule-breaker, but there was no genuine ill-will. They just found each other frustrating to work with.
Fandaniel was her friend for years, from their time working in Elpis together before either of them joined the Convocation. Azem started to distance herself a bit after she quit her job to travel, and even more her father returned to the Star, but they remained friends until the very end. Hermes was never really certain exactly how he felt towards her.
I donât think Azem and Altima ever interacted. Even in meetings.
She and Halmarut didnât talk much, but they did have a close mutual friend in Azemâs sister-in-law, so sometimes they would end up in a social situation together. Having nothing in common, any conversation never made it past the small-talk stage.
Nabriales was her friendly rival, they just liked to fight and compete constantly. The arena from P11 is the Convocation Chamber in its reconfigured state that Azem designed for their matches.
Azem wasnât certain on where she stood with Igeyohrm. She was Lahabreaâs family, but also Elidibusâ close friend, so she was never sure which direction Igeyohrm veered towards with her.
Deudalaphon was another old friend from before she joined the Convocation, and her old boss - Azemâs original role being part of the Words of Deudalaphon. Her concept specialities fell under their expertise, so they worked together even after Azem took up the mantle of the traveller.
Azem owed Emmerololth her life a hundred times over (due to her tendency to injure herself on duty) so she tried her best to maintain a friendly bond between them out of respect and gratitude.
Lahabrea and Azem vehemently detested each other. They did not agree with how the other operated at all, and neither felt the other should have a seat on the Convocation. In part, it stemmed from the unfortunate relationship that Lahabrea had with Azemâs father, Apollo, when he had been younger. When Azem heard what had happened with Erichthonios, Elidibus had to keep them from trying to kill each other.
Elidibus was like her little brother, she cared for him dearly and had since he was toddling. He looked up to her the way she looked up to Venat - to the point where she was concerned it would interfere with his duties if he took on the role of Emissary.
Venat was a personal hero from the day they met, and over time became her mentor and confidant. Even though Azem felt as though her predecessor could be difficult at times, and she didnât understand many of her actions especially towards the end, she still loved her all the same.
a convocation relationships chart for all your azem needs âïž
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Can you please write about elves with a huntress/hunter reader who lives deep in the forest, doesn't have many manners or anything fancy like the elves, and is not used to eating healthily or consuming less meat. The reader hunts for themselves, bringing hunted animals to the elves as trophies, thinking the elves will appreciate them. Include Thranduil, Elrond, Legolas, and Celeborn. Have a good day/night. Thanks for your beautiful writing. I very rarely see person who writes so thoughtfully and poetically and even more rarely I see writer who writes for Lotr elves.â
Aww, thank you so much for your kind words! That really means a lot to me. Iâm so glad you enjoy the writing, and itâs so wonderful to hear that youâre excited for a LotR story with the elves. Iâd love to write something like this! Itâd be so fun to explore the contrast between the elvesâ elegant, peaceful way of life and her wild, free-spirited ways!
Thranduil, Elrond, Legolas, Celeborn version below.
đ·đŁđ±đ»đȘđ·đđŸđČđ”
The ancient trees loomed overhead, casting long shadows over the forest floor. The sound of footsteps was muffled by the thick carpet of leaves and moss, as you, a solitary hunter, moved through the woods with practiced ease. Your home was far from the opulent halls of the Elves, nestled deep within the heart of the forest in a humble, weathered hut. A place where the air was filled with the scent of earth, damp leaves, and the unmistakable musk of the animals you hunted.
You lived by the bow, your hands used to the rough texture of your weapon and the weight of your quiver. You were accustomed to taking life, a necessity in your world. Every day, you hunted to survive, bringing back the fruits of your labor: deer, boar, and the occasional stag. The larger the prey, the more satisfying the hunt. And every time you brought down one of Mirkwoodâs majestic creatures, you carried it proudly to the elves, thinking they would appreciate your skills.
But your ways were far removed from theirs. The elves, particularly their King, Thranduil, with their ethereal grace and reverence for the land, were hunters tooâbut not in the same way. For them, nature was a delicate balance, something to be revered and preserved. The fruits of the forestâherbs, berries, and nutsâwere their preferred sustenance. Meat, especially the meat of an animal as noble as the stag, was a rarity, an occasional indulgence, and only consumed on special occasions.
As you approached the palace, the soft hum of voices reached your ears, growing louder with each step. The grand, gleaming structures of the elf kingdom were unlike anything youâd ever seen. Towers crafted from living wood, leaves and branches intertwining in delicate patterns. Their halls sparkled with a natural light, the air fragrant with the scent of flowers and herbs. It was a stark contrast to your rough, simple existence.
You approached Thranduilâs court, carrying the large stag draped over your shoulders. Its massive antlers gleamed in the pale sunlight, a prize you had taken down after hours of tracking. It was an impressive kill, something that would have earned you admiration from any other hunter in the landâbut here, in the realm of the elves, you felt a momentary twinge of uncertainty. You knew little about their customs, only that they were not like you. Still, you hoped your offering would be appreciated, even if it was an act foreign to their way of life.
Thranduil stood at the center of the hall, his long, platinum blonde hair flowing around his shoulders like a cascade of moonlight. His piercing eyes caught sight of you as you entered, and he raised an eyebrow, his gaze flickering to the stag you had placed before him. His lips pressed into a thin line. The room seemed to grow quiet as the tension between the two of you thickened. Thranduilâs expression was unreadable at first, but beneath the calm exterior, there was a flicker of something darker. A flash of disapproval. âYou bring this to my halls?â Thranduilâs voice was low, cool, and dangerous. It was not a question, but an accusation.
You stood tall, your back straight, meeting his gaze with a defiant stare. âYes, my king,â you replied, your voice unwavering. âIt is the prize of my hunt. I thought you would find it worthy.â The elves around you exchanged uneasy glances, their faces pale, as though the sight of the stag made them uneasy, or worse, repulsed. They were not accustomed to such offerings, not when the creatures of the forest could be more than just foodâthey were sacred, revered, and treated with reverence.
Thranduil stepped forward, his long fingers brushing the surface of the stagâs fur. His face was unreadable, but his eyes betrayed a sharp edge of anger. âThis creature is sacred to the forest,â he said softly, though his words carried the weight of authority. âYou kill it as though it is nothing more than a trophy, a mere object to boast about.â
You flinched slightly at the accusation, though you didnât let your face betray the hurt. To you, hunting was survival. You had learned the ways of the forest long ago. The act of taking down a majestic creature was an honor, a way to prove your skill, your connection to the wild. But here, before the elves, it felt like you were standing before a different worldâa world where your ways were misunderstood, seen as crude, primitive. âI did not bring it to boast, Thranduil,â you said, your voice steady. âI brought it as a gift, as a show of respect. I thought you would appreciate it.â
Thranduilâs gaze hardened. âYou do not understand,â he murmured, almost to himself. âMeat is a luxury, not a necessity. We do not kill for sport or to collect trophies.â The weight of his words hit you like a cold wind. You had never considered that. In your world, meat was survival. It was the blood and flesh of the forest, the very lifeblood of your existence. But to him, it was something entirely differentâsomething sacred, something meant to be treated with reverence.
âYou are wrong,â Thranduil continued, his voice colder now. âYou think you understand the forest, but you only take from it without understanding its true essence. It is not for you to decide when to take its life.â A long silence stretched between you, filled only by the distant rustling of leaves outside. You stood your ground, but inside, there was a twinge of guilt, a sense of wrongness in the air. âYou would do well to remember the balance,â Thranduil said finally, his voice softening just slightly. âWe take only what we need. And even then, we offer thanks.â
You nodded stiffly, the weight of your misunderstanding sinking in. You had acted with pride, but now, in the face of Thranduilâs quiet but unyielding authority, you realized how little you knew of their ways. âWill you still accept it?â you asked, your voice barely a whisper. Thranduilâs gaze softened for a moment, and with a small sigh, he nodded. âWe will take it, but not for the reasons you think. It will be given back to the forest in due time, as a gift, a reminder of the sacrifice that was made.â
You bowed your head, feeling a strange mix of embarrassment and understanding. This was not your world, not your way. You had hoped to show your strength, but instead, you had revealed your ignorance. The stag was not your trophy to keep. It was a gift, a gesture of respect to a land that gave life in its own way. A lesson, you thought, as Thranduil turned away to oversee the ceremony. A lesson that the true hunt, the real strength, came not from what you could take, but from what you could give back to the land that had nurtured you.
đ đđ”đ»đžđ·đ
In the heart of the forest, where the trees whispered ancient secrets and the earth was as familiar to you as your own skin, you lived a life of solitude. Your hut, constructed from fallen branches and thick moss, nestled between towering oaks and pines. The scent of the woodsâthe rich, earthy aroma of damp soil and fresh leavesâwas all you knew. It was a simple existence, far removed from the grand halls of the elves, their elegant cities, and their refined customs.
You were a hunter, and the forest was your home. Each day, you ventured deep into the wilds, tracking animals, listening for the quiet stirrings of life in the underbrush. The hunt was a ritual of survival, not sport. You didnât adorn your weapons with ornaments, nor did you care for any formalities. The kill was necessary. The meat was sustenance, and that was all that mattered. There was no delicacy, no finesseâjust you, the trees, and the game.
The offering you had prepared for Rivendell was one of your best. A wild boar, thick and heavy, its tusks sharp and gleaming in the fading sunlight, accompanied by a deer and several rabbits. Youâd taken them down swiftly and cleanly, knowing the importance of not wasting a single part. The weight of the kills pressed on your shoulders as you trudged toward the gates of Rivendell, your heart steady in the way of those who walk alone in the wild.
You had done this before, bringing your trophies to the elves, convinced they would appreciate your skill and the quality of the game. You knew they were a proud people, wise in their ways, and surely they would recognize your strength and hunting prowess. They might even accept your offering in the same way you had seen in the few exchanges youâd had with their kindâsilent nods, polite wordsâbut no real connection. They lived differently, you knew that, but what did it matter? The hunt was sacred to you, and you were proud to share it with them.
As you neared the gates, Elrond stood waiting, his long, graceful form silhouetted against the shimmering light of Rivendellâs halls. His piercing gaze studied you, the hunterâyou, with your rough-hewn clothes and the scent of blood and the wilds clinging to your skin. To him, you were both a mystery and a reminder of a world far removed from the delicacy and reverence of elvish life.
You didnât acknowledge the way his eyes lingered on you, nor the subtle tension in the air that always followed your arrivals. You didnât care for the elvesâ highborn ways, the long meals full of laughter and elegant conversation that felt foreign and strange to you. You dropped the boar and the deer at his feet without ceremony, your shoulders straight and proud. âIâve brought you game,â you said simply, your voice rough, shaped by years of isolation.
Elrond, ever the picture of grace, gave a slight bow of his head but did not immediately reach for the animals. He let the silence stretch between you, studying the offerings with a quiet, thoughtful gaze. His eyes flicked from the boar to the deer and then to you. There was no anger, no judgment, but a certain sadness that lingered behind his usually calm demeanor.
âYour skill is evident, hunter,â Elrond spoke at last, his voice rich with centuries of knowledge. âBut I must admit, I wonder if you understand what you offer.â You blinked, a twinge of confusion tugging at your brow. âI offer what I know best. The hunt. The land providesâdoes it not?â Elrond sighed, a sound full of ancient weariness. He could see the pride in your eyes, the simple belief that this was the way of things. âThe land provides, yes. But the elves of Rivendell⊠we do not take what we do not need. Our ways are not like yours.â
You frowned, your confusion deepening. âI bring this because I thought you would appreciate it,â you said, your voice hardening a little. âI thought this was what you wanted. Itâs a strong kill, a good offering.â Elrondâs gaze softened, though his face remained solemn. âYou misunderstand. What we take from the land, we take with reverence. We do not live in the same way as you, hunter. Our bond with the land is one of balance, not conquest. We forage the fruits of the earth, gather herbs, and celebrate the cycles of life. Meat, to us, is rareâonly taken when necessary, and even then, it is with the utmost respect for the creature that gave its life.â
His words sank into your chest like a stone, the weight of them pressing down on your hardened heart. You didnât know how to respond. The idea of restraint, of living without the constant hunt for survival, felt alien to you. You had always lived by the rhythm of the forest, where the strong survived and the weak fell. The concept of eating without bloodshed felt like a betrayal of the land itself. How could you understand this way of life?
âButâŠâ you started, your voice catching, âI live by the hunt. The game provides. Without it, I cannot survive.â Elrond nodded slowly, his eyes not filled with judgment, but with understanding. âI do not question your way of life, hunter. You are a product of your surroundings. But here, we live differently, and we ask for understanding of that. You do not need to offer these gifts of blood to prove your strength. You are more than that.â
You stood silently, unsure of what to say. The weight of the meat at your feet seemed heavier now, the sight of it almost shameful in the quiet, peaceful world of Rivendell. You had never known anything else, and yet here, in this foreign place, you realized how little you understood about the delicate dance between life and death that the elves lived by.
âI did not mean to offend,â you said at last, your voice quieter now, a crack in your usual boldness. âI thought you would appreciate it. I thought it was the right thing to do.â Elrondâs gaze softened even more. âYou did what you thought was right. There is no shame in that. But you must understand, hunter, there is more than one way to live, and in time, perhaps you will see the beauty in the balance that sustains us all.â
You didnât know if you would ever truly understand, but something about the way Elrond spokeâthe calm authority in his voiceâmade you feel like you had taken the first step toward something new. It wasnât the hunterâs path you had always known, but it was something worth considering.
đđđźđ°đžđ”đȘđŒ
You live deep in the heart of the forest, away from the shining halls of the elves and their highborn customs. Your home is a humble hut, tucked away in a glade surrounded by ancient trees, their gnarled roots and thick canopies offering both shelter and solitude. The world outside is one of dirt and sweat, where each day is spent tracking, hunting, and surviving. Itâs not an easy life, but itâs one you know well. Your skills with the bow are honed through necessity, not ceremony. When you hunt, itâs for sustenance, and the meat you bring back feeds you through the long nights and hard winters.
To you, the forests and creatures are just another part of the world, as much a part of your survival as the air you breathe. Each animal you hunt is treated with a hunterâs respect, and the trophies you bring back â antlers, pelts, and sometimes the rawness of the kill itself â are meant to be admired for their strength and beauty. You donât see any reason to hide the rough edges of your life. After all, it is life. Itâs survival.
But the elves⊠they live by different rules, different standards. Legolas is a prince, raised among the elegance of Mirkwoodâs halls. His world is one of grace, where nature is admired with reverence and balance is key. The elves are skilled hunters, but their methods are soft â they donât take more than they need, and they rarely, if ever, hunt for meat unless necessary. Instead, they gather the gifts of the forest: fruits, nuts, and herbs that sustain them without bloodshed.
You bring the carcass of a deer to them, its sleek body slung over your shoulders, the weight of your kill familiar, even if the task of bringing it to the elves feels a little out of place. Youâve been told that your offerings might be appreciated â that itâs a gesture of respect to bring something back to their realm. But thereâs something in the way they look at you, something⊠off, as if they arenât sure how to respond to the offering of something so primal, so rough.
Legolas stands with the other elves, watching as you approach with the dead animal. His face, ever serene, betrays little of his thoughts, but thereâs a flicker of surprise in his eyes when he sees what youâve brought. Heâs seen hunters before, of course, but this is different. This is the raw, unpolished reality of hunting that belongs to someone who lives outside the order of elvish civilization.
You set the deer down before him with a grunt, brushing your hands on your rough trousers. You expect the usual admiration, the quiet nods of respect for a good kill â youâre skilled after all. Youâve been doing this longer than you care to admit. But Legolas does not step forward immediately, his brow furrowing ever so slightly as he takes in the sight of the animal. âThis isâŠâ His voice trails off, as if unsure how to proceed. He shifts his weight, the movement fluid and graceful, an unspoken tension in his posture. âA fine creature, but⊠why did you bring it here?â
You glance at him, not quite understanding the question. âTo share,â you answer bluntly. âA hunterâs tribute to the elves. The forest provides for me, I return the favor.â The elves do not hunt for meat as you do. You know that now, but it doesnât seem like something they would admit openly. Legolas watches the deer, his eyes studying the carcass with an unreadable expression. He steps closer, crouching down to inspect it with the care of someone who might handle something fragile, something precious. But thereâs no admiration in the gesture, only a quiet unease.
âThis⊠this is not how we honor the forest,â he says gently, though thereâs an edge of confusion in his voice. âWe take only what is needed and offer thanks, not trophies. We do not kill for sport. The animals give themselves to us, but we do not take their lives lightly.â You raise an eyebrow. Itâs not the first time youâve heard the elves speak of balance, of offering thanks to the earth. Youâve never understood it. To you, hunting is survival â thereâs no need for excessive reverence when itâs the only way to feed yourself. But you canât exactly fault them for their beliefs.
âI didnât thinkâŠâ you trail off, unsure of what to say. You know their way is different, but itâs hard to understand. âI thought it might be appreciated. To show I respect your lands, your way.â Legolas looks up at you then, his eyes soft but serious. âWe do appreciate your efforts,â he says, his voice almost like a whisper, as if trying to ease the tension between your worlds. âBut you must understand that we do not take life lightly. There are other ways to offer respect â ways that donât bring harm. The forest gifts us with so much more than just its creatures.â
You nod slowly, your gaze shifting down to the deer. Itâs strange, the way he speaks of life and nature, as though everything must be done with such care. But maybe youâre missing something. Maybe thereâs more to their way of life than just survival. âI see,â you say, your voice softening as you try to understand. âI donât know that I can offer much else, but Iâll⊠Iâll keep that in mind next time.â Youâre not sure what else to say, and the silence between you stretches awkwardly.
Legolas offers a slight smile, though itâs more of a gentle curve to his lips than anything overtly joyful. âIt is appreciated. Perhaps next time, you will bring the fruits of the forest. There is much to be found here, and it is a gift that will nourish you in ways you cannot yet understand.â You glance at the other elves, who are still observing you with quiet curiosity, their eyes lingering on the deer with something akin to quiet concern. You wonder how theyâll handle the offering, if theyâll just bury it or leave it to rot in the woods.
âIâll consider it,â you say after a long pause, nodding your agreement to something youâre not entirely sure youâll follow through on. Youâre a hunter, itâs who you are, but⊠maybe thereâs something to their way. Legolas steps back, his hand brushing against the tree beside him, almost as though heâs speaking to it without words. âYou honor us in your own way. But let us find balance together. We can teach you how to see the forest differently, and perhaps you can teach us to appreciate the raw beauty of the hunt.â He looks at you with a twinkle of something both mischief and sincerity. âIn time.â
You grin despite yourself. Thereâs something about him, about his calm, that makes you feel less like a misfit in their world. Maybe, just maybe, you could learn to see things through his eyes. For now, the silence lingers, but it doesnât feel as heavy as it once did. Youâve made your offering, and Legolas has made his. Thereâs a bridge, however small, between your worlds now. Maybe youâll never quite understand each otherâs ways completely, but for once, it feels like thatâs okay.
đ©”đđźđ”đźđ«đžđ»đ·
You move through the dense forest, the familiar crunch of fallen leaves beneath your boots. The sun barely pierces through the canopy, casting faint light that dances on the undergrowth. Your home is hidden deep in this wildernessâfar from the glimmering, structured lives of the elves, who seem to live on a plane so distant it could almost be a different world. Here, youâve carved out your own existence, simple and necessary. You hunt, you survive. There is nothing grand or complicated about your life.
As a hunter, you are accustomed to the solitude, the quiet of the woods, broken only by the sound of your bowstring, the call of a deer, or the snap of twigs underfoot. Meat, fresh from the forest, is your sustenance. Itâs not delicate, not adorned with herbs and spices like the elves would prepare it, but it keeps you alive, and thatâs enough. The idea of eating like the elvesâlight, airy meals of fruits, nuts, and berriesâis foreign to you. It would not fill your stomach; it would not satisfy the hunger that gnaws at you from the inside.
Yet, something in you compels you to bring the fruits of your labor to them, to the elves of LothlĂłrien, those strange, ethereal beings who live in the glimmering light of their sacred woods. Maybe you hope theyâll appreciate the skill it took to bring down the stag or the wild boar. Maybe you long for some recognition for the life youâve carved in this untamed wilderness.
You walk for hours, your game draped over your shoulders, the weight a reminder of your efforts. The faint whisper of leaves in the wind is the only sound in the forest now. When you reach the borders of LothlĂłrien, the sight of the silver trees fills you with a strange sense of awe. Youâre so far removed from their world, and yet, you are bringing them something.
Celeborn watches you from a distance as you approach the heart of LothlĂłrien. His eyes are calm, measuring, assessing. He has seen many things in his long life, but a solitary hunterâdrenched in the sweat of his labor, the scent of the wild still clinging to himâis a curiosity. His people are not like you. Their lives are defined by a different kind of grace, one that values balance, subtlety, and harmony with the land. His people forage and cultivate, nurturing the land that they hold dear. The act of hunting for sport or necessity, especially in the raw, primal way you do it, is not something they find familiar or comforting.
As you draw closer, Celeborn steps forward, his presence a quiet command, and yet there is a softness in his gaze. âWhat brings you here, hunter of the woods?â His voice is calm, soothing, like the rustle of the leaves above. âYou carry the spoils of your hunt, I see.â You lower your prize, the weight of the boar now on the ground between you. âI thought you would appreciate these,â you say, a touch of uncertainty in your voice. âA fine boar, taken down with skill.â You step back, letting the smell of the wild waft into the air.
Celeborn observes the carcass silently for a moment. His expression is unreadable, the serene calm of someone who has seen many things in his long life. To him, this offering is strange. His people do not hunt for necessity like you. Their connection to the land is differentâa partnership, not a conquest. And yet, he is not one to judge, not without understanding.
âWe are not strangers to the hunt,â Celeborn says gently, his eyes meeting yours with a quiet respect. âBut in our realm, hunting is a rare occurrence, reserved for times when the balance of the forest is disrupted, or when we gather in celebration. What you bring⊠it is not without its merit. But our ways, they differ.â
You feel a sense of discomfort stir inside you, an unfamiliar feeling. You had hoped for more of an acknowledgment, a greater appreciation for what youâve done. Youâve lived for so long in the solitude of your hunt that the notion of how others might view it is almost alien to you. âI understand,â you reply, your voice rough from the journey. âItâs not what you are used to. But itâs the way of the wild, of the forest. The cycle of life. I thought⊠perhaps, it would help.â
Celebornâs gaze softens, a glimmer of understanding in his eyes. He steps closer, the elegance of his movements matching the grace of the ancient woods around him. âWe do not shy away from the realities of life. The forest is not only filled with beauty, but with struggles as well. But we, the Elves of LothlĂłrien, seek to live in harmony with nature, rather than to take from it in excess.â He pauses, contemplating his words. âThe forest, like the heart of a wise ruler, must remain in balance. Your hunt, your offering, is⊠not without merit. It shows skill, certainly. And it is a part of your world. But here, the balance is what we value above all.â
You are silent for a moment, the weight of his words sinking in. You had always thought of hunting as a simple necessity, but to Celeborn and his people, it seems to be so much more than that. They do not take from nature, they live with it, drawing only what is needed, never more. âI didnât mean to overstep,â you say after a pause, feeling something like shame wash over you. âI thought you might need it.â
Celeborn regards you with a quiet sympathy, his eyes softening. âYou need not apologize, hunter. Your offering, while not aligned with our ways, is a gesture that shows you understand the forestâs gifts. And for that, we are grateful. Perhaps⊠you would allow me to show you the ways of our people? There is more to living with nature than taking from it. There is peace to be found in understanding its rhythms.â
The weight of your hunt still lingers on your shoulders, but his words stir something in youâa curiosity, a desire to understand what it means to live in harmony with the world rather than simply taking from it. Celebornâs offer is gentle, not one of judgment, but of invitation. An invitation to learn, to see the forest in a different way.
You nod, slowly, uncertain but willing. âI would like that,â you say. Celeborn gives a small, approving nod. âThen come. There is much to show you.â And as you follow him deeper into the heart of LothlĂłrien, you feel a strange sense of peace settle within you, as if the forest itself is welcoming you, not as a hunter, but as a part of its cycle.
#thranduil#thranduil x you#thranduil x reader#thranduil of mirkwood#Elrond#elrond x you#Elrond x reader#elrond of rivendell#Legolas#legolas x you#Legolas x reader#Legolas of Mirkwood#celeborn#celeborn x you#celeborn x reader#celeborn of lothlĂłrien#lord of the rings#the hobbit#lotr elves
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(3.) Dreams Made Heavy.
SUMMARY: It's the celebration of Nyx's first birthday.
Or
Your time in illusion is running out and the past is ending, unable to bear its own weight any longer.
NOTE: I love this chapter because Feyre is so excited to bring the reader into her life and introduce her to her son, it's adorable. Let me know what you think of this chapter and how things are going, I'm always happy to hear your thoughts. As always, English is not my first language so sorry for spelling mistakes and mistakes of the type, any comment on it is welcome if it is respectful. I am always trying to get comfortable and improve my writing in this language. I hope you like it. XOXO Ella
Memories/Thoughts in italics
Dragon Language in bold italics
Previus Part: (2.) EMBRACING ILLUSIONS
AO3 / Story Masterlist
âWhat lived and died between usâhaunts me still.â â «The Chronology of Water: A Memoir» by Lidia Yuknavitch.
Lying on your back in bed, you held the hand-painted parchment invitation above your head, looking up at it with the expression of someone who knew they had flown too close to the sun.
Feyre had painted the invitations herselfâeach one was differentâand, in her words, they were meant as a sort of souvenir, something for each recipient to keep as a memento of the very special occasion that was Nyxâs first birthday. You didnât know what the others looked like, but you guessed that not all of them had the shadows of three little dragons flying in the corner of the invitation. The boyâs name and what looked like a tiny fingerprint also decorated the small square of parchment, proving that he had helped create it as well. You ran your thumb over the shape of the boyâs print, which seemed to reach out to the three dragons in the corner.
âI told you that you should have brought more of a variety of outfits,â Mayhem reminded you flatly from her spot on the balcony, sitting cross-legged with her dress bunched around her as she settled in for her prayer.
With that, you snapped back to harsh reality, dropping your arms carefully so as not to ruin the invitation, and rolled over onto your stomach, wanting to drown yourself in the mattress as you let out a tearful cry.
As if that was the main problem in the whole situation, you thought, too hopeless to put it into words just yet. Of course, you wouldn't tell your court how deeply you had gotten yourself into the mud of this situationânot when they had clearly warned you it would happen, and not when you had known, deep down, that it would.
But I think itâs what I need, you had told Armin when he warned you about the consequences. And maybe you really did need it. You needed to see the beauty of the life Feyre had now, to let her go, even if it would break your heart. But you didnât want to. You realized you werenât sure how you would survive that. Still, there was no way out nowâyou were up to your neck in the consequences of your own decisions, of what you had asked for. You had wanted to see Feyre one last time, to know she was okay. And now you have gotten your wish.
âI donât think a kidâs first birthday has much of a dress code, especially if itâs just a family gathering,â Luka added from his spot in the desk chair, practicing his penmanship on different birthday gift card options while experimenting with different ways to hold the pen with his missing finger. âLet's just be grateful if the gift has a decent bow.â
âItâs the birthday of the heir to the court. For all we know, it could be a gala, even if itâs just a family affair. It wouldnât be unusual for people with the kind of money that the High Lord and High Lady have,â May said without changing her tone as she placed her hands in position to begin her prayer.
âIt wouldnât be the first time sheâs shown up in riding gear to an event like that, either,â Luka whispered, focusing on his movements on the paper.
âWhatâs wrong with my outfits?â you finally asked, wanting to divert the conversation, lifting your head from the pillow. âTheyâre all very nice and comfortable.â
âAnd they all smell like ash and burnt leather,â Mayhem stated before beginning to whisper her affirmations.
You gulped. You needed something to do, and figuring out party etiquette suddenly sounded like a great activity. You didnât say anything, and no one paid you any mind as you got out of bed and walked out of the room, into the hallways of the house, on a mission to find Nesta and question her about what she might be planning for her nephewâs birthday party. Would she give him a birthday card or just the bow? Who was going? And any other information she was willing to share so that your anxiety could drown in the comfort of knowing a little more about what to expect.
When you had offered to give Feyre Nyxâs gift so she could take it to him, she had ended up handing you that beautiful invitation with the childâs name, time, and place for the party. But she had told you that the birthday hadnât happened yet, and giving gifts or celebrating early was a no-no in mortal culture, as it was considered bad luck. So, she couldnât accept the gift, and instead, she had invited you to the party, pulling the invitation out of her pocket and handing it to you.
You told yourself that you wanted to see if Feyre was happy, to see if everything was as it seemed. This is the perfect opportunity to do so. Donât complain. You repeat to yourself as you walk.
As you turned into a hallway, you came across Morrigan walking toward you.
âYou look like a woman on a mission,â Morrigan declared as she approached. âMay I help you with it?â
âIndeed, you can,â you replied with a knowing smile. Morrigan simply followed suit.
Morrigan took you out of the house the next morning with Mayhem in tow. Your bodyguard had refused to let you go alone, following you in deathly silence despite your insistence that you could manage on your own.
It was interesting to see your friend, Mayhemâthin, pale as a ghost, with long, straight dark hair falling past her waist and piercing eyes like stoneâcontrast with Morrigan, who was tall, blonde, and radiant, her smile dressed in reds and golds as she walked elegantly through the city. Morrigan talked a lot, while May watched her out of the corner of her eye, expressionless, merely analyzing. She took you both shopping, exchanging gold for the currency used at court.
âPersonally, this outing suits me well. I donât know what Iâll wear yet, and if Feyre paints a picture of the occasion, I want my nephew to see that his favorite aunt was the best-dressed since before he could even remember,â the blonde commented, linking her arm with yours as she walked.
âAt this point, the only standard I have is that it not be riding clothes, as has been widely pointed out,â you replied, casting an accusatory look at Mayhem, who simply shrugged, knowing she wouldnât regret her insistence.
âIâm afraid I have to agree with thatâyou need more variety in your wardrobe.â Morrigan shot May a knowing look, which she didnât return. Instead, your friend put on a pitying expression and looked away. Morrigan, however, didnât seem offended or put off by her reaction. âUh, letâs start with this store. Itâs one of my favorites.â
Morrigan pulled your arm into a sudden U-turn that nearly made you trip, while Mayhem hurried to catch up, trying to return to your side as quickly as possible. You managed to straighten up before entering the store, where a kind woman immediately greeted Morrigan by name, and the scent of lavender filled your nostrils.
Your escort broke away from you to chat about the occasion she needed an outfit for, expressing her excitement about the birthday, while you and Mayhem wandered slowly through the store together.
You quickly let Mayhem take the lead, walking ahead of you and browsing options on your behalf, given your clear lack of enthusiasm and ideas after the first two rows of hangers. You rejected skirts of any lengthânot because you didnât like them, but because riding a dragon in them often led to painful scrapes on your legs. And since you never knew when youâd be flying Balerion, you avoided them whenever possible.
Instead, you picked out a loose-fitting pair of pants. While they wouldnât be ideal for riding due to the excess fabric, they would suffice in an emergency. You left Mayhem to decide on the color and wandered toward the shirts, where Morrigan was supposed to beâthough you couldnât see her among the hanging clothes.
Taking advantage of the illusion of privacy, you asked a question.
âMorrigan, will you give the birthday boy a card along with your gift?â You spoke into the air, waiting patiently for an answer as you admired the shirts, t-shirts, and tops around you. But when no immediate response came, you suddenly felt the need to justify your question. âI know he canât readâitâs only his first birthday. But Fey enjoys keeping memories.â
âFirst of all, Iâm giving him too many presents to include a card with each one.â You jumped in place when her voice sounded much closer than expected. âSecond, call me Mor. And thirdââ Morrigan rounded the corner of the same row of hangers you were hiding behind, looking at you in amusement. âFey?â
You felt like a deer caught in headlights. Or rather, like Balerion when you caught him stealing cattle.
Mor, carrying several red and purple dresses in her arms, walked toward you with a friendly smile. Mayhem, as silent as your anxiety, appeared at your side, making you glance over as she placed three pairs of pants in your arms, giving you a knowing look.
Are you okay? her eyes asked as she carefully arranged the clothes in your arms, hangers included. You nodded quickly while she adjusted the garments on your elbow.
âYes, itâsââ You swallowed, realizing your mouth was dry, then turned to Mor. âItâs what I called her when we were kids. Pronouncing âFeyreâ was too much for me back thenâmy country accent kept me from being understood.â
Mayhem settled next to you, browsing through the pants among the shirts. You mimicked her, and Morrigan wasted no time joining in, glancing at the pants in your arms before helping with the search.
âYou had an accent?â Mor asked casually. âSometimes I swear I hear something in Feyreâs tone, but not enough to place it. Is that it? Did she have one?â She then lifted the sleeve of a nearby shirt, holding it against the fabric of one of the pants to check the match, only to let it go with a frown.
âNo, actually, in all the years I knew her, she never quite managed to shake off her posh, aristocratic accent. She sounds pretty normal nowâI guess time has won in that regard,â you explained, recalling little Feyre elegantly asking how to set up a rabbit trap in the woods. Even now, the memory was amusing. Morrigan must have agreed because she let out a genuine laugh.
âAnd your accent? What happened to it?â Mor asked, looking up from the shirts to meet your gaze. This time, you didnât avoid her eyes or her question. Instead, you met her gaze and answered.
âCourtesans with accents arenât well regarded unless they sound âexotic,â and I didnât fall into that category by any standard. So, I was trained until I lost it,â you explained simply, turning toward another rack of more casual tops. Mayhem mirrored you without thinking, even though none of the clothes in front of her now matched the outfit she had been planning with the pants.
As you browsed side by side, Mayhem silently took your hand, squeezing your fingers. You looked at her. She smiled sadlyâa quiet comfort, an âI understand youâ. Because even though Mayhem had never been trained as a courtesan, when she was raised to be a hired assassin for a slave master in the bay, they had done the same thing to her as they had to you. They trained her to forget who she was and become what was expected of her.
âWhat was she like?â Morrigan asked. You had almost forgotten she was standing next to you, but you turned to her, murmuring in confusion.
âFeyre, when you were children. What was she like?â
You thought for a moment. You could have said more if you had started, though at the end of the day, it wouldnât have changed the fact that you genuinely believed the answer you ended up giving her.
âNot much different from now,â you pointed out softly, to which Morrigan raised an eyebrow. âBut smaller, of course, and with an insatiable need to learn.â
âAnd with an elegant accent?â Morrigan smiled mischievously.
âYes, my lady.â The phrase, mimicking the elegant, exaggerated tone Feyre used to have as a child, made Morrigan burst into laughter.
âShe sounded like that?!?â she asked between giggles.
âDonât tell her I told youâshe always said it was my imagination. But I swear to anyone that she sounded exactly like that,â you told her, while May, noticing that you were calmer, returned to searching for shirts to match the pants.
âIâll take it to the grave,â Morrigan assured, her eyes glinting with honesty and amusement, a look that went unnoticed by you. âCome on, you need some good boots for those pants.â
With that, Morrigan led you toward the stairs of the store, May hurrying behind both of you, shirts in hand, as you headed up to the second floor where the shoes were.
To Mayhem's bewilderment, Morrigan made sure to giveâand imposeâher opinions on the outfit the black-haired girl was putting together for you, quickly realizing that you had little drive or interest in making choices yourself, trusting their judgment without much thought. As the day went on, you got the impression that the blonde had started to genuinely enjoy debating Mayhemâs choices, gradually drawing her into longer discussions, getting her to argue more and more as the hours passed.
You picked out the pants from the first store, but May wasnât convinced by anything else there, so the three of you scoured nearly every shop in Velaris to piece together your outfit. Jewelry became the biggest battleground between Morriganâs yin and Mayhemâs yang, reaching its peak when May delivered a twelve-word speech to Morrigan about why silver jewelry suited you better than gold. Morriganâs defeat did nothing to deter herâif anything, she seemed to enjoy it. When you finally walked out with the silver jewelry May had carefully selected, your two shopping companions each latched onto one of your arms, and off you went.
âIâll pick you up at the House. And donât even think about putting those pants on that beastâs saddle.â That was the last thing she said before leaving you in the living room of the House of Windâthen she disappeared without another word.
You wished you had put on a riding suit. Leather would have made you feel safer than the soft, airy fabric of the fancy pants you had bought. You regretted the logic that had led you to avoid Mayhem accompanying youâand the fact that it had worked.
âIf Iâm going to be killed at the birthday party, thereâs nothing you can do. Itâs a gathering of the most powerful beings on this continentâand all the continentsâso it probably wonât make any difference whether youâre here or not.â
You were right. Mayhem knew that. But once you arrived, you realized that her silent support would have been invaluable. Mor had dragged you into the house happily, as if there was nothing wrong with your presence. Yet you could feel the guestsâ wary gazes, and soon after, she left you aloneâstanding at the entrance to the living room with your gift in handâwhile she excitedly went to greet the other guests. There was no way to feel balanced, but at least now you knew that it wasnât just your side that was the problem.
Someone called your name, and before you knew it, Elain Archeron was in front of you, wrapping you in a hug.
âHi,â you greeted her tentatively, trying to hug her back without dropping the gift in your hands. The gift was a small, handmade wooden chest carved with stars and the moon, barely bigger than your hand, wrapped with a perfect bowâone that Luka had managed to tie despite having one less finger than usual. He had been very proud of it.
âHello,â Elain replied, pulling away and looking at you with emotion in her eyes. âHow are you?â
A glimpse of the human life she once hadâthatâs what this was, you thought. It was no secret in your court how unhappy the middle Archeron was about her life as a High Fae, and how she openly longed to be human again. Elain was not comfortable in her own skin. You could understand that, and you smiled back at her because of it.
âWell, it was refreshing to have a change of scenery after so much time in the desert,â you commented softly, watching as she looked at you intently before hooking her arm around yours and gently pulling you toward an armchair in the empty living room.
âIâve seen the dragons in the sky since you arrived,â she explained, smiling as they sat down peacefully. âThey seem to enjoy the mountains, and the blue one always seems to stay near the flowers.â
âYeah, theyâre not used to seeing so many colors,â you explained, carefully placing the gift on your lap and making sure the bow didnât shift from its perfect position.
âBalerion is the oldest, right? Heâs quite large compared to the others,â she commented softly, her curiosity genuine.
âOf those who accompanied me here, yes, heâs the oldest. He was born in the volcanoes, but heâs the second-born of all the dragonsâthey have an older sister and a younger one,â you explained calmly. Elain listened attentively, and you didnât mind. You loved talking about your dragons. âThe other two that came with me are Caraxes and Dreamfyre. They hatched in the desert.â
âYou need to stop pestering the poor woman with questions,â Nestaâs voice cut in as she sat sideways at the head of the chair. âSheâs been obsessed ever since you flew over the city when you arrived, and she wonât stop asking me questions,â she added, taking a sip of her fruit juice.
âAnd you have no answers, Nesta,â Elain complained, turning her gaze back to you. âThe blue one of the twoâthe middle one. What is its name? I always see it flying over the flower meadows outside the city.â
âHer name is Dreamfyre. The flowers in the desertâthe few that growâdonât have much of a scent, so the flowers here fascinate her. Thatâs why sheâs always camping out in the meadows,â you explained. Elain seemed ecstatic, her eyes lighting up at the information, but before she could say anything else, another voice interrupted the conversation.
âElain, I told you not to pester her with questions as soon as she got here,â Feyre scolded, sounding somewhat embarrassed as she approached you at a quick pace. She was wearing a dress. âSorry, sheâs been obsessed with them ever since you arrived.â
âThatâs what Nesta told me. But donât worry, itâs nice to talk about them out of curiosity,â you commented, smiling softly at Elain.
Itâs nice to talk about them as if they were nothing more than weapons to be used in war, you wanted to say, but that would be saying too much.
Elain, seeing that her questions didnât bother you, prepared to ask another, but Feyreâs hand suddenly appeared in both of your fields of vision, drawing your attention away from your curiosity. Standing in front of you, dressed in the style of her court, her hair half-up and decorated with pearl stars in a style very similar to Nestaâsâthough with more hair cascading down her backâFeyre offered you her hand, a gleam in her eyes.
âCome,â she said, gently taking your hand and pulling you toward her. âI want to introduce you to someone.â
Feyre lifted you off the couch and led you down a hallway that stretched deeper into the house. The sounds of the party faded as the steady tug of her hand guided you through the house, and you nervously held your gift to your chest the entire way.
The silence of the house was suffocating as you moved forward, and you became hyper aware of the way she wouldnât let go of your hand. In a sudden turn that took you by surprise, Feyre took the opportunity to intertwine your fingers more firmly, and you didnât know what disturbed you moreâthe touch of another human being, something you had grown sensitive to since leaving the volcano, or the fact that it was her hand holding yours. The one who hid so many secrets from you that simply being in her presence made you feel tainted. You felt disrespectful.
You two climbed the stairs and then turned the final corner of the path, at which point you saw Cassian and Azriel, both casually standing on either side of a particular door. Guarding. Thatâs when you realized, with the same feeling as someone who had just received a punch to the stomach, who you were about to be introduced to. You quickly adjusted the gift in your hand, praying that the bow hadnât shifted from its place when you pressed it against your chest, and Cassian waved at you as you walked past him, entering the room.
There was a huge stained glass window that offered a beautiful view of the mountains and the meadow of flowers Elain had mentioned earlier. From there, you could see your three dragons in the distance. Standing in front of the stained glass and looking at them was Rhysand, with little Nyx sitting on his hip, pointing and babbling. You stood in your spot, watching the child interact with his father, squeezing Feyreâs hand, torn between your own decision.
You looked at her, as if ready to lend a helping hand if she was sure of what she was going to do. After almost a decade of not seeing each other, you wouldnât blame her if she didnât feel comfortable introducing her son. But she was looking at you with an excited smile, genuinely happy that you were there about to do what you were going to do, and guilt closed your throat as you let her happily lead you over to where Rhysand was holding the child by the window. He turned to greet you as soon as he heard your footsteps, though you had no doubt he had known you were there long before. He smiled softly every time your gaze met as you approached. He didnât look uncomfortable either; in fact, he seemed the calmest of the three because Feyre was vibrating with excitement and you were almost frozen with fear. If he felt uneasy about the situation, he didnât show it for a second. When he greeted you by name as you reached his side, you managed to sense that the arrangement held back a little too strongly.
The bow, you scolded yourself as you breathed, looking at him and checking the state of the bow.
Nyx noticed his mom standing next to him and reached out to her as he babbled, and Feyre closed the distance between them, happily receiving him and resting him on her hip. She whispered your name excitedly as she looked at the chubby boy in her arms, then raised her head to smile.
âThis is Nyx,â she proudly introduced, then pointed at you softly, drawing the boyâs attention in your direction. âNyx, this is y/n.â
The pride in her voice and the smile on her face as she approached you with the child in her arms were undeniable, and it was also the most beautiful thing you had ever seen. At that moment, you panicked; you didnât show it, but you looked at Rhysand, trying to convey: This is the moment where you get protective of your child or something and end this encounter. But the idiot was staring at his wife and child, mesmerized.
âSay hello, Nyx,â Feyre asked sweetly, moving closer to you and leaving you no choice but to accept the situation. Ever since you had met Rhysand, you had tried not to think too much around him because of the information you had received about his abilities, but now you could only think about wanting to know what he was thinking. It had been planned that something very different would happen, and you had even been advised not to bring the gift for Nyx because it could be taken the wrong way. Yet Rhysand didnât seem to be reacting to the situation, which made you more anxious than anything. Meanwhile, little Nyx, with his chubby hand, made a greeting motion towards you along with a little sound that you assumed was the closest he could get to saying hello.
âHello,â you greeted back, shifting uncomfortably, not knowing what to do. âUmm, I brought you a gift; itâs some toys.â
âIâm sure you canât get enough of those. Right, my love?â Feyre ran her hand through the boyâs curly black hair, giving you a moment to admire him more closely.
You noticed two things. The boyâs wings werenât in sight, which meant they were either hidden or he had already developed the ability to hide them. He was the spitting image of his mother. Yes, he had his fatherâs hair, skin, and reportedly wings, but it was Feyreâs eyes, color, and shape, as well as his nose and the shape of his lips.
âHe looks just like you,â you pointed out, reaching up to run a finger over the freckles on the boyâs nose, just as you used to do with Feyre. The little boy looked at you, his eyes wide with surprise and curiosity.
âReally?â Feyre asked, her eyes alight with excitement.
âYes. Itâs a mini you, Fey.â You assured her without looking at her. Feyre didnât say anything else, but you could feel her beaming with happiness; her enthusiasm was almost contagious, to the point that you smiled softly at the child who was watching you intently. Nyx reached out his hand towards you, pointing and looking at his mother, asking a silent question, to which Feyre repeated your name. The baby babbled and looked at you, as if waiting for you to answer.
Rhysand decided to make a move at that moment. He stood next to Feyre and met your gaze before the questions began.
âMay I?â he said, pointing to the wooden trunk you still held in your hand. You handed it to him without much thought, your hands feeling the loss of something to hold onto. You missed your gloves and regretted not putting on any rings.
Rhysand pulled at one of the strips of the undone bow, all under your watchful eye. Feyre peeked out a little to see as he removed the small latch from the trunk and lifted the lid, revealing your gift. Inside the trunk, resting on a padded base, were three toy dragons, carved in intricate detail from wood and with polished black stone eyes.
âTheyâre very popular in the bay. I chose these because I thought that since Nyx would probably be able to see them through the window, bringing him the same ones he would see would be more appealing than a regular dragon. Maybe he would enjoy them more. The kids in the bay even collect them, so...â you explained hurriedly as you watched Rhysand pull out the one that was Balerion and stare at it.
âTheyâre beautiful,â Feyre whispered breathlessly, pulling mini Caraxes out of the box and looking at the carved wood intently.
Rhysand and Feyre seemed fine with the gifts; they hadnât moved the boyâs toys away, so you assumed they considered them safe. But the opinion that mattered to you was Nyxâs. So you found yourself staring at little Nyx expectantly, hoping he would like your gift.
You weren't lying when you said they were popular in the bay. Of your adult dragons, who constantly flew over the bay and its cities, all of them had been immortalized as wooden toys in countless numbers by this point, for children to play with and enjoy. It was rare to see a child on the street who wasn't walking with a wooden dragon in hand or one within quick reach, either in the hand of one of their companions or hidden in a pocket or bag.
Sure, there were more expensive gold or silver versions sold to high-born children, but those were the ones you saw on the streets all the time, and they were the ones you enjoyed the most. You thought wood was the most worthy material to immortalize your dragons in; there was something about it that felt more alive than any metal. You had your own collection, as apprentice carpenters who learned to make them would give you the ones that failed to meet their standards so you could see if a dragon that looked like that would ever be born.
You had bought those three from an old carpenter who refused to die and continued to work on his craft with passion. He had been recommended to you on the streets, and he had ordered all three personally. The man hadn't made toys in years, according to his words, but he had made them for free despite your complaints and had exceeded the expectations you had for his work.
Nyx set her gaze on the dragon in Feyre's hand, looking at it for a second before glancing at the one Rhysand held. She reached out her hand towards the mini Balerion with eagerness, almost breaking out of her mother's arms to reach it.
âLooks like thereâs already a favorite,â Rhysand laughed, letting Nyx reach for the toy in his hand. When she did, Nyx held the dragon in both hands, looking at it as she babbled excitedly. She shifted in place to face you and held out her hand with the dragon, babbling something in a questioning tone.
âBalerion,â you said, and it was immediately met with a determined babble.
âBababa,â the boy said, looking closely at the toy, then immediately glancing at the dragon that Feyre still held in her other hand. He let go of Balerion without thinking and grabbed the other dragon. Rhysand managed to catch the toy before it fell. Again, he offered the toy to you with a mumbled question, grabbing it by the neck roughly, which you found funny. The long neck of Caraxesâ lizard was very different from the rest of your dragons; you called it Wyrm because of that.
âCaraxes,â you said, playing with your fingers and waiting patiently.
âCarrare,â Nyx repeated, stretching out the "r" so that it spit a little onto Feyreâs sweater. Rhysand offered him the third toy before he could ask for anything, pulling mini Caraxes from her hand to break his fall. The process repeated itself: Nyx offered the dragon to you, and you stammered in question.
âDreamfyre,â and this time Nyx couldnât even stammer a syllable; her attempt at pronunciation only got her tongue tied, ending with her tongue sticking out. âTwo out of three is very good,â you assured him when he looked at you for approval, smiling sweetly at him. He mimicked the smile before turning around and searching for the missing toys in his hands.
Nyx babbled over to her mother, showing her the toys, and Feyre's attention shifted to the boy, her eyes shining as she looked at the toys and accepted the explanation of their names. It was lovely to see her interact with her son like this, but you soon realized that it left you and Rhysand in an awkward silence, or at least an awkward one for you.
When you glanced at him, checking to see if he was distracted by the sight of his wife as he had been a while ago, you found him staring at you with an expression you couldn't understand. You felt the heat of embarrassment build up in your neck.
âIâm glad he likes them,â you managed to say, looking at him with the softest smile possible. âEven if he stops playing with them, he can use them for decoration; I use them for that.â
âDo you have any of these?â Rhysand asked, his tone amused. Embarrassment crept up your neck and onto your face.
âYes, I get them as gifts from time to time, and I put them on my mantelpiece,â you answered quickly, turning your full attention back to Feyre.
âI hear he has a taste for carved wood,â Rhysand subtly noted, directing the question at you but feigning indifference to your reaction.
You pressed your lips together in a tight smile and nodded softly, unable to stop yourself from telling him to fuck off if you spoke. The tableâthat was what he was referring to when he mentioned your taste for carved wood. When he had ordered the piece of furniture, you hadnât thought that its acquisition would mean much, but once it was installed in the War Room of your mansion on the bay, word had spread that the new queen of Slaverâs Bay had acquired a table carved from wood and inlaid with stone, outlining in detail the shape of the great continent, with the lands and kingdoms of mortals carved into it, and the borders detailed. A huge wooden map, the map of a conqueror.
Everyone knew what that table was for; the cards declaring you queen had been an action long overdue on the continent, and that beautiful piece of art carved in wood was the reason.
âThey are beautiful,â Feyre spoke to you, easing the tension out of your shoulders with just those words. âThank you.â
You nodded with a softer smile this time.
The party officially started when they walked in with the birthday boy. Little Nyx happily passed from arm to arm for the first few minutes after his arrival, receiving hugs and kisses from practically everyone. You became a silent presence during this process, accompanied by a drink and the occasional snack that would allow you to eat because you were hungry, but you wouldn't be able to devour the food as your body demanded because there were so many people.
When people began to clear out around you, you felt like a child, sensing the gaze on your backâhow you knew when one of the younger dragons thought to try and attack to see what would happen, or when you were within sight of the wolves in the woods in your youth. The eyes followed you as you walked to the drinks table and helped yourself again to the fruit juice you had been drinking.
The eyes fixed on your back followed you to the open doors in the courtyard, where you leaned on the railing that limited the unevenness of the floor, entering the building and the garden that you suspected was Elain's area. You felt her gaze as if she were looking at a bright red target on your back as she approached you with a calm step, as if she weren't stalking you or didn't care to be obvious in her pursuit.
When Amren stood beside you, the most primal part of youâthe one that was more beast than person and as connected to Balerion as if they were oneâwanted to growl in threat, and you were sure Balerion was doing it in the mountains, leaving room for you as the threatening sound bounced off his chest and tongue.
âEnjoying the food?â she asked with little kindness or dissimulation of her skepticism towards your presence. âI imagine you have a particular appetite since you brought your beasts to life.â
We are not talking about food. Of course not.
âMy appetite is particular, but I only eat what I need,â you assured her absentmindedly.
âAnd if you are not satisfied, kovesh*? Where will you look to satisfy your appetite?â The question was cruel, accusatory towards you. And you smiled calmly at her because you knew what she was implying with the question.
Once you conquer mortal lands, how do you know you would not want more and look to us, conqueror?
Amren was not out of place. That was why her words did not affect you as much as they should have; you had expected these questions at one time or another. Dragons, as beloved as they were to you, were in the eyes of many like a strong brute, one that few defenses could stop or harm. You had conquered the bay in less than a year with them; you had already proven that you were capable of carrying out the actions necessary to take lands with only dragon fire as a weapon. And when you commissioned the carved table, you made it clear that the conquest of the bay and the liberation of the slaves had not been enough for you. It has not sated your appetite. You had already made the first move to conquer the rest of the continent owned by mortals. You offered peace before unleashing war again, but the statement was firm: you would not back down if the queen did not bend the knee. As far as the rest of the world was concerned, only your appetite for conquest and power moved you to seek to conquer those lands. You knew the truth; you knew what you had seen in the lava and what you wanted to avoid, but you didn't need anyone else to do it.
You sat up straighter and took a step closer to her, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Amren stood up straighter, as if ready to fight, but you just stared at the way her hair fell perfectly, framing her sharp jaw and slanted eyes; it was wonderful. Her eyes looked up at you, irritated by your boldness, no doubt. You werenât sure if you were more irritated because, at this close distance, the height difference between you and her was apparent, even without her heels, or because you reached up and moved a strand of hair from her cheek delicately, leaning carelessly on one elbow on the railing beside you, daring not to fear the infamous second of the Night Court.
âOn that side of the sea, dear and stunning Amren, it is not my appetite that is a problem.â You watched her as she blurted out the statement, her tone sweet, finding it adorable how beings like her could not see past their necks and did not understand the truth of life.
It was not you or your dragons. It was their kind, sworn to the gods with the lives of mortals even when the wall had been up for years and were now free to do as they pleased. It was them, not you, who planned to invade and sent their beasts to test the waters on the other side of the unprotected border the wall had left behind.
A name called out to you from inside the house. You turned your head to find Elain walking hurriedly toward you, followed by a man with stubby skin, hair that was more white than blonde, and a face that looked less than happy. Elain quickly hugged your elbow when she reached you, repeating your name with somewhat forced excitement.
âThis is Varian,â she pointed to the grumpy male who came to Amrenâs side and hugged her around the waist, looking you up and down skeptically. âYouâve been introduced to him; heâs Amrenâs boyfriend.â
Elain stared at you, wanting to say something, but you werenât sure what it was. You looked at Varian and Amren, searching for a clue as to what it was, but Amren had leaned against Varian, looking at you as you supposed she was looking at the people, and Varian was still frowning. You knew who he was and his relationship with her, but you didnât think it was a state secret, so it wasnât that big of a surprise or something that serious.
âNice to meet you,â you said, not sure what else to say, moving your glass of juice in his direction. You're still confused as Elain pulled you into the house.Â
âHave you seen Feyreâs paintings? Let me show them!â the girl said hurriedly as you let her lead you.
Elain led you down the hallway of the house, away from the central area. It was long and ended in double glass doors that led to the patio, making it perfectly lit for the paintings hanging on both sides. There were no doors or hallways that branched off from this hallway, only walls displaying Feyre's paintings.
At the beginning was the most recent one. A painting of Rhysand, Fey, and little Nyx when he must have been a newborn was the first one that caught your attention. It was proof of how the talent that had painted wooden drawers, tables, and small wooden figures had evolved wonderfully until it became that divinely illuminated image, with colors brightened by the rays of sunlight that flooded the hallway.
âWow.â
âI know, right? It gets better every day. Soon weâll be trying to walk inside its paintings in search of experiencing their beauty,â Elain spoke softly, as if she had lost her breath. You watched her smile at the painting with pride before she pulled you toward the next one.
There was one of the three sisters, along with Rhysand, Cassian, and Azriel, and one of Nyx alone. You were surprised by the one of Mr. Archeron, but you didnât wince. There were also remnants of all of them individually, and one that depicted them as a whole. A family. At the end of the hallway was a painting leaning against the wall, as if waiting to meet its fate; the nail it should have hung on highlighted the empty spot where it had been or should be hanging.
âOh, I should get backââ
âElain, do you mind changing Nyxâs diaper for me?â Feyreâs voice rang out in the hallway. You looked at Elain, confused, not understanding why she wanted to go back, but she just gave you a sad smile before meeting up with Feyre in the hallway and taking the child from her arms.
Nyx didnât need a diaper change; you could smell it quicklyâit was an excuse for Elain to leave. Looking back at you from the hallway, at the place where the painting leaned silently against the wall, that was when Elain realized she wanted to get you out of there.
Feyre slowly approached you as you walked carefully down the hall, moving toward the painting leaning against the wall as if it were an explosive of some sort. Feyre didn't stop you, which you assumed was a sign that she didnât want to keep it from you but rather wanted to be there when you saw it.
As you stood in front of the painting, you noticed that a corner of the cloth covering it was falling away, revealing the right edge of the canvas. Your breath caught. You recognized the snowy forest you and Feyre had walked through so many times, and the dark, curly hair, just like your mother's, peeking out from beneath the cloth. Feyre reached under your arm and hugged you, holding your hand and interlacing your fingers.
âI made it a few months ago, before you sent the letters,â which was before she knew you were alive. Feyre had painted it thinking you were dead. âWhen I found out, I repainted it. I wanted to give it to her, but when we sent Mor to the bay with the letter, I thought it would be too much for you. I donât know the exact circumstances, so I didnât know how you would take it on top of everything.â
Feyre spoke to you in a whisper, so only you could hear her, but you werenât able to look at her or answer her, or even return her handshake. You felt her gaze on your profile, full of concern, as if it pulsed out of her to you.
âI hope I didnât overstep,â she admitted, just like you had a few days ago regarding the gift for Nyx.
But you weren't able to reassure her the same way she had done with you, because she had crossed a lineâone you had blocked years ago when you decided to fight for your freedom in the volcanoes, ignoring the emptiness that weighed down and bled in your heart.
You ripped the canvas off the top of the painting's frame with one pull, like tearing off a band-aid while holding your breath, and you couldn't breathe again when you looked at the painting in front of you.
The scene depicted a winter afternoon, with the forest covered in white. Rue, dressed in her clothes to accompany you on hunts when you deemed it safe for her, was half-turned, facing forward, as if watching you as she walked in front of you in the snow. Her hair, a massive, curly mass just like your motherâs, was tied into a makeshift braid. You had never been able to style it the way your mother knew how, so it was loose and low, with many strands flying in the wind around her face as she stood halfway into the forest, looking at you as if you had called out to her not to go ahead on the walk.
You stood there, frozen, feeling the pain in your throat as the lump that had formed there became unbearable, and the burning in your eyes as you refused to cry, despite your body begging for it. You stared at the painting for a long moment while Feyre looked at you, still feeling her concern against your cheek.
Finally, you set your jaw and stared at the floor, blinking rapidly. Feyre rested her hand on your cheek, her thumb caressing your hand, and you were able to squeeze back, turning your knuckles white, but she didnât complain.
âShe looks like sheâs saying goodbye,â she finally said, looking back at the painting, and Feyre looked at it too, admiring for the first time the depth of her own act. âSince she left, I havenât been able to remember her any other way. But I like the ability to remember her this way.â
You didnât explain to her that the way you remembered her was covered in blood, terrified, and with the feeling of helplessness tearing through your chest. There was no reason to put that on her, but you wanted her to know that the line she had crossed was significant. You might now think that she had left you like thatâsmiling, with her hair free in the wind, in the middle of the snow that she loved to play in so much and that she missed during her years on the pirate islands. You could imagine that those were her last moments, going into the forest you had accustomed her to so much, where she felt safe, never to return again, becoming part of the nature and the snow of the place.
âThank you,â you managed to say over the tightness in your throat.
Feyre smiled softly. You felt her warmth as she rested her head on your shoulder, and you stayed like that for a while before going back to the celebration.
You left the painting leaning against the wall next to the bathroom door in your room so that you could see it from your place, sitting in the middle of the bed. You couldn't sleep and had resigned yourself to waking up and asking for some tea.
You didn't notice Mayhem in the room until she was sitting next to you on the bed, the hot cup of tea in her hands. It was only then that you realized she had even come in. You silently thanked her and took the cup from her hands, but she didn't move. She just sat there, and you looked at the cup, your hands, and the painting, constantly shifting your focus among them, but never looking back at her.
A silent understanding formed between the two of you, and Mayhem stayed with you as you drank all your tea. It worked; whether it was the tea or her reassuring presence, when you finished your cup, your eyes closed, and you fell asleep as soon as you laid your head on the pillow.
You dreamed of Rue. You always dreamed of her being scared in her final moments, but that night, for the first time since you lost her, you dreamed of her happiness. You saw her answering you in the forest, playing with the snow. You woke up with the certainty that she had stayed there, happily making snowmen, and also knowing that Feyre knew what she would do here, happy for the rest of the eternity that the Mother had granted her for her sacrifices.
It was time for you to go to your war; the illusions ended here.
*kovesh: It means conqueror in Hebrew, which is the language I have decided to use as a representation of the first language of mortals, without any particular reason other than I do not have the mind to invent a language for this story. All words in this language will be translated by me as best as possible, but if anyone knows the language that I do and sees any flaws in my translations in the future feel free to point it out in the comments.
Next Part: ...
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