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nagito-kissmaeda · 10 months ago

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if it isn't real, why does the sun still burn?

Chapter masterlist

Summary : Like most people visiting this tag. You have always dreamed of meeting Nagito Komaeda for real, what you would do, what you would say? Things don’t go as planned.

AKA: Reader from our universe ends up in danganronpa and is just trying her best to keep everyone alive. and maybe to make komaeda kiss her.

Contains: she/her pronouns

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Your legs ache like hell when you walk over to the restaurant for breakfast. You almost forgot that you even needed to go, it’s been almost a week since you last ate with everyone and you had half expected Komaeda to drop by with a plate of food like he used to. It is nice to finally have your freedom again, but it does also make you feel even more nervous than usual. Luckily you don’t bump into anyone on the way over, the prospect of having to make small talk after the day you just had is daunting, you just hope that everyone is going to be nice at breakfast.

Heading up past the pool, you take a quick moment to look up at the sky, shielding your eyes from the sun with a hand. The weather is perfect as always, with just enough clouds to keep the heat from being unbearable, but otherwise, the sky is nearly unsettlingly blue. It seems brighter, more vibrant than you are used to. You can’t help musing, are these oddities a byproduct of the Neo World Program? Or of whatever universe the Danganronpa series exists within? You sigh, letting your hand fall back to your side and walking to the front door of the lobby. It’s cool inside, and you realise that you probably can't put off going up to the restaurant anymore, even though you are kind of dreading it. Chewing on your lower lip, your fingers subconsciously move to the sticker on your chest. Still there, though you suppose if it wasn’t you’d be dead.

Putting those unhelpful thoughts aside, you square your shoulders and start heading up the stairs. As you get closer to the top, you can hear the sounds of people chattering, it sounds like the class of 77-B is still in good spirits. You like to think that you have had at least a hand in that, even if they don’t realise it. No one turns to look at first when you reach the top of the stairs, so you hope to sneak in quietly and maybe sit down next to Koizumi or Sonia, but the second he catches sight of you, Togami stands up from his chair and clears his throat. Everyone’s eyes immediately turn to you, and you freeze in panic.

“Welcome back.” Togami says loudly, so loudly it booms through the room, “As prefaced yesterday, we are no longer harbouring any undue suspicion for you, especially given the overwhelming evidence in your favour.” he crosses his arms before turning to look at the rest of his classmates, “I expect that we all treat them as we would anyone else on this island. Teamwork is our greatest asset at this time, and if anyone should have any grievances, I ask that they come directly to me.��

He stares at you for a moment, and you are so overwhelmed by his impromptu speech that it takes you a few seconds to even realise what is happening. “Oh!” You exclaim, quickly dropping into a low bow, “Thank you, Togami-san! I am glad to be back!” In the corner of the room, you hear Saionji scoff and mutter, “Kiss-ass…”

You ignore her, instead walking over to one of the empty tables. Koizumi gives you an apologetic look before returning to her conversation with Saionji, and you’re grateful for that. You don’t even know what you should be planning for next. The next motive is despair disease, but you aren’t even sure if Monokuma will release it when the hospital is still inaccessible.

Oh fuck, what if he does? If Komaeda gets seriously sick, there won’t be much Tsumiki can do without proper medical equipment. If he dies of despair disease…what does that even mean for the killing game? You clutch your head in your hands and squeeze your eyes shut, this is the absolute worst , all you can do is wait around and just hope that everything turns out okay.

Just as you start spiralling, two people take up the seats across from you. Causing you to slowly peer up from behind your hands.

“Oh, Hi!” You say (a little too loudly) trying to seem like you are totally cool and normal.

It’s Hinata and Tsumiki, the latter looking even more despondent than usual.

Hinata raises his hand in greeting and gives you a lopsided smile, “Monokuma got to you, huh?” He asks, gesturing to your new accessory.

You wither, sinking back into your chair, “Yeah. He did.” you look around the room briefly, noticing everyone is staring before they quickly turn back to their meals, “Um. Did…everyone already know, when I got here?” Hinata rubs the back of his neck and averts his eyes, “Yeah our uh, our handbooks alerted us when a new rule was added, and since everyone else was already accounted for apart from you and Togami-san, well-” he smiles awkwardly, “We just assumed, you know?”

Yeah. Out of you and Togami, you are definitely the most likely candidate for idiot status.

You give him a wobbly smile in return, “Yeah, no worries. A reasonable assumption.” “If-um…” Tsumiki starts, “If you don’t mind. Why did he give you the sticker?” “I fell for a stupid prank.” You say truthfully, “It was really embarrassing, I’d rather not talk about it.” “O-Oh…” Tsumiki says, hanging her head low, “I’m sorry for upsetting you.” “No, it’s okay! I understand why you would be curious, I’m not upset with you.” She tucks some of her long purple hair behind an ear, and sighs, “Thank you. I do have m-more important things I have to say, though.” She takes a moment, picking at her cuticles as she tries to find the right words. Hinata gives her a comforting pat on the shoulder and she smiles up at him before turning back to you.

“I-I’m so sorry for whatever part I had in g-getting you framed for attempted murder!” She says quickly, bowing her head low enough that she almost slams her forehead into the table, “I w-would like to be your friend, and I d-don’t want this to ruin our friendship!”

You can feel your heart unfurling with warmth inside your chest, and you are unable to stop the smile that tugs at your lips, “Tsumiki-san.” You begin, reaching across the table and taking one of her hands between both of yours, “We’re still friends! Everyone was really scared and confused about what happened that day, I can’t blame you for saying what you did at the time.”

She sniffles a little, peering up at you from underneath her choppy bangs, “Are you sure? Th-That’s the sort of thing that I’d expect someone to hate me over.” You nod, “I couldn’t hate you! Remember the first day we arrived here? I wouldn’t have made it safely back to my cottage without you, and my sunburn would have been so much worse without you looking after me.” you give her a warm smile, “You’re a very good nurse, you know that, right?” Tsumiki shyly returns your smile, you can see tears beading in her eyes, but she blinks them away, “I’m relieved. Thank you for being so kind to me.” “Don’t mention it.” You reply, giving her hand a firm pat before releasing it, “I’m just happy to be back, I was getting a little lonely.” Hinata grimaces, “Yeah…about that…” he fiddles with his tie a little, “I have some…questions? I guess?” You feel your heart drop like a rock, but still manage to reply, “Oh okay!” “I don’t want to sound like I'm accusing anyone of anything but-” he pinches the bridge of his nose, “What do you think of Komaeda-san?” Oh no.

Oh no oh no oh no.

The absolute last thing you need is anyone else keying into Komaeda’s whole deal because that means the loss of a valuable ally, growing tensions within the group and the potential for murder or many other even worse possibilities that you haven’t even considered yet.

You can feel your hands shaking, and keeping your expression neutral is no small feat, but you do it, “Oh, Komaeda-san? Well it was very nice of him to let me stay with him, but he was out talking with everyone else most of the time, so we didn’t chat much.” Your cheeks hurt from the fake smile you are forcing, “Why do you ask?” Hinata shuffles forward in his seat and leans on his elbows. You follow suit, leaning in close. You notice Hinata’s eyes darting around the room, and the nervous bob of his adam’s apple, “He’s…weird, right?” Weird. Yes. You can work with weird.

“Hm, I suppose he can be a little strange sometimes? He laughs a lot, but I just think he isn't used to socialising.” Hinata’s brow furrows. For a moment his mouth opens like he is considering asking you something else but thinks the better of it.

“Was that…all?” You ask, praying that he will just stop looking so deep in thought for a moment. Based on his expression, Hinata looks like he is trapped deep in a logic dive right now, “Hinata-san?” You try, hoping to break him out of it.

He blinks a few times, and then chuckles uncomfortably, “Sorry about that, just thinking some stuff over.” What stuff? You want to ask. It’s not like you think Komaeda is a murderer or anything right?

Instead, you stay quiet, smiling as Hinata gets up from the table, “Anyway, will I see you at the beach later today?” he asks. “Oh yeah! You will!” You reply, “I almost forgot!” Tsumiki titters politely behind a hand, “I h-hope you don’t forget. I would love to spend some more time with you.” Grateful for a reason to stop stressing re: Hinata, you turn back to Tsumiki, “Then I’ll be sure to see you there!”

***

A few hours later, you sigh as you frown at yourself in the mirror. Even though it fits surprisingly well, you are still not happy to be wearing a swimsuit, all that really means is so much more skin that you need to try and get sunscreen on. It’s a lot of work, but the idea of repeating those first few days with that terrible sunburn is daunting, so you suffer through the lesser of two evils. Just before getting changed you found that Monokuma had ‘helpfully’ left a stack of idiot stickers on top of your dresser, so that way you will never be without one, not matter what you are wearing, it sticks surprisingly well to the material of your swimsuit, and you sense that Monokuma has taken great care to ensure it won’t fall off, even in the water.

You are in a bad mood, which is unfortunate given that just after breakfast Mioda quickly announced that she was expecting to see a ‘totally rad turnout’ down at the beach and it wouldn’t do you any good to not make an appearance, especially given everyone's tenuous trust in you at this point.

You huff and shove one of your sundresses (also affixed with another sticker) over the top of your swimsuit to take off when you get to the beach and tuck a folded towel under your arm. It is unlikely that you will manage to have any fun.

Unfortunately, you can’t stop thinking about your encounter with Hinata at breakfast. Though you are sure that Komaeda isn’t actively trying to make anyone think he planned the attempted murder, especially since that would prevent him from making nice with all the other Ultimates, there is the distinct possibility that Hinata has been thinking over the events of that night. Like Komaeda mentioned so many days ago, even a small thought about just how the power outage was caused puts him right in the firing line.

This is bad for you. While Komaeda doesn’t necessarily like you, he is at least interested enough in what you are doing to not ask too many questions. Apart from Nanami, there are very few other members of class 77-B that you can trust to just… let you do your weird bullshit without at least asking how you know all this stuff.

You almost consider bailing on the beach outing altogether, despite how much of a bad look it would be. Before you are able to make a decision one way or the other, you are interrupted by a knock on your door. Sighing aloud, you head over to it, surprised to find three people on the other side when you pull it open.

“Oh wow, um, hi everyone?”

“WAHOO!” Mioda exclaims, “It’s Ibuki’s BESTIE!” “Wahoo…” You reply back, barely able to match even a tenth of Mioda’s enthusiasm, “I wasn’t um- expecting any of you.” Sonia quickly steps around Mioda, taking one of your hands between both of hers and smiling, “I hope it wasn't too presumptuous, but you’ve been without company for so long and we thought you might like some friendly conversation on your way to the beach.” “Oh…” You breathe, feeling any tension in your shoulder quickly melt away. Sonia has an energy so calming that it's utterly contagious, “Thanks for thinking of me, that sounds nice actually.” Sonia beams, “Stupendous!” “STOOPYENDUS!” Moida cries, pushing Sonia out of the way so she can grab you by the waist and hoist you up in the air. You let out a panicked shriek and the third member of your visitors finally speaks up. “Put her down before one of you gets hurt, Mioda-san.” Pekoyama says quite seriously.

Mioda huffs, but does as asked. Once back on the ground again, you realise that you haven't seen all that much of Pekoyama so far. You had been expecting to confront her and Kuzuryu after the motive was revealed, but Togami’s quick action negated that issue almost immediately.

All three of the girls are dressed in their swimsuits, just like in the game, Sonia has opted to wear a full wetsuit, which you can only assume is what she is used to wearing when swimming in the freezing Novoselic waters.

Pekoyama has an incredibly oppressive stare, the bright red hue of her irises only make it worse. She’s also an absolute beauty, with strong arms and broad muscular shoulders. Her swimsuit leaves little to the imagination and you have to awkwardly swallow and avert your eyes to prevent yourself from getting an eyeful.

“We should go.” She says, crossing her arms over her chest, “We don’t want to be late.” Sonia nods, “Yes, yes, you’re right. At this rate all the boys are going to beat us there.” Mioda tosses her head back in a laugh and yells, “Not if Ibuki can help it!” before entirely forgetting that she was supposed to be keeping you company and sprinting off towards the beach as fast as she can. “Oh! Oh no!” Sonia says quickly, “You’ll have to excuse me, but I think someone needs to supervise Mioda-san.” She starts running, and she somehow even manages to do that with perfect posture, before she gets too far away, she calls back to you over her shoulder, “I’ll see the two of you there! My apologies!”

“Well.” Pekoyama says, watching Sonia quickly dash away, “It will just be the two of us, then.”

You laugh nervously, “Looks like it.” Without a word, Pekoyama starts striding towards the beach, and you have to jog a little in order to catch up. To her credit, she does peer down at you and slow her gait once she realises you are having difficulty keeping up.

“I-” Pekoyama begins, clearing her throat, “-am not a great conversationalist.”

“Oh, um- that’s okay! We don’t have to talk.” Pekoyama hums, fiddling with the end of one of her braids, “I would like to try, if that is alright with you?” Sneaking a glimpse at her face, you see that she is purposely looking away from you with a nervous pink on her cheeks. You’ve always had a soft spot for Pekoyama, she’s one of your favourite characters, so the fact that she even wants to try talking to you means a lot. Especially since you know she doesn't talk all that much.

“Sure.” You reply, “I can start if you want?” She chuckles, “Please.” You think for a moment, and then gently ask, “Did you go to the beach often? Before all this mess, I mean?” “No.” Pekoyama replies quickly, “Not unless I was there for training, though I did most of my cardio in swimming pools instead of the ocean.”

She does not ask a follow up question, so the conversation hangs awkwardly in the air. There is no sound but the crunch of your feet on the gravel underfoot and the occasional cry of a seagull. It is, admittedly, a nice walk even in silence. Plus, now that you have been far more diligent with sunscreen, you are free to enjoy the warmth of the sun without fear of further burning. It does feel a little awkward though, and you are unsure if the conversation is over, or if you should prompt Pekoyama to keep talking. Luckily, after a few silent minutes, you see her stiffen beside you.

“I’m sorry.” She says, laughing to herself “I forgot to ask you a question, I told you I’m terrible at this.” she hums a moment, and then asks, “Do you find it easy to make friends?” You blink. That question was much more complex than your silly beach question, “U-Um, I don’t really know? It’s kind of hard to explain.” You wring your hands together, “I’m not very good at approaching people, because I don't want to bother them, but if someone talks to me first, I’m usually okay. If that makes sense?” Pekoyama nods slowly, “I…suppose it does.” “It’s really easy to be friends with Mioda-san, for example. She puts in most of the effort, which means there is less for me to worry about.” You kick a wayward stone with your foot, “Have you made any friends since we’ve been here?” Pekoyama stops walking, “Just the one.”

Oh, Kuzuryu. You think to yourself. It makes sense that she isn't putting too much effort into socialising outside of him, but it’s still sad to think about. When you played the game, you always spent heaps of Free Time Events speaking with Pekoyama, but it looks like the real Hinata has his priorities set elsewhere.

Your heart races a little, considering that usually, without your intervention, Pekoyama wouldn't even have survived until today. With this extra time she’s been granted, it would be a shame if she spent it all alone, right? Resting a shy hand on her forearm, you say, “Well, I’d like to be your friend, if you’ll have me.” Pekoyama’s eyes widen a moment, and her lips curl up in what is almost a smile, “Despite my awful conversation attempts?” You laugh, “Because of them, actually. I can tell that you’re trying, there are plenty of people out there who wouldn't even do that.” You can’t help breaking into a smile, “I’m sure you’ll get better at it too, and there are lots of people on this island who would be willing to help teach you.”

“Thank you.” She says, looking up at the sky, “That sounds nice.” “You should talk to Tanaka-san.” You offer, continuing on your walk towards the beach, “He’s a bit eccentric, but he’s very good at talking so long as you have nice things to say about his hamsters.” Pekoyama smiles brightly this time, it's a good look on her, her eyes crinkle in the corners, “I…have always wanted a pet.”

#komaeda x reader #nagito komaeda #nagito x reader #komaeda nagito #danganronpa x reader #nagito komaeda x reader

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emilysshortstories · 3 years ago

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Paul Lahote Part 2

Don’t really know what to call this, but thanks for all the love on the last part. I’m gonna try and post weekly but I work a lot so no promises.

Warnings: Angst, lots of it. cussing, hints towards abuse.

After a few weeks went by things seemed to work themselves out between Jacob and Bella. I would drive out to Emily’s about once a week, Paul conveniently never being there. Which I was actually kinda glad about, although I felt eager to be around him, Jared told me about his anger issues so I think it’s better for me to steer clear of him until this eagerness goes away. Anger issues scare me.

Jared and I have gotten close through these visits, always laughing at each other's sarcastic jokes and ending the night with an episode of New Girl. That was usually the time when everyone else bailed but I didn’t care, it gave Jared and I some hilarious inside jokes. No matter how close we got, our feelings for each other never grew past platonic, though I would rarely catch Sam giving Jared a look. It was never all knowing “when are you going to ask her out?” look, more of a “back off” look. But that could just be me reading into it too much, there is nothing. I am thinking too much. I’m just happy I finally made a friend of my own.

One day when I arrived at Emily’s for dinner, there was a new face in the crowd. “Y/N! You’re here!” said Emily as I walked in. “Hey! This is for you. It’s a cake for later” I said, handing her the grocery bag in my hands. “Thank you, you didn’t have to do that. This is Seth, Harry’s son.” Emily pointed to the unfamiliar face. “Hi, I’m Y/N, Charlie Swan’s niece.” I introduced myself, but Seth just kind of stared at me, never saying a word. Jared’s laughing was what broke the silence. “What are you laughing at dick nose?” I asked, hoping not to embarrass Seth. “Nothing, just your ability to woo people”

“Very funny, I don’t woo anyone, you’re imagining things. How Emily puts up with you is beyond me.”

“IT’S NOT WITHOUT GREAT DIFFICULTY” Emily yelled from the kitchen before walking towards us. “Paul isn’t going to show up again?” she added.

“Nope” Embry said “ Too stubborn for his own good, the dumbass”

“Hey, if he doesn’t want to meet me that’s fine. It’s none of my business.” I say, hoping to ease Emily’s thoughts, seeming it always bothers her when he doesn’t show up.

We all seemed to move past it and dinner was great, as usual. “Hey, instead of New Girl do you want to take a walk? I’ll show you the hiking trails around here.” Jared asked me.

“Sounds great” I said with a smile.

“Can I join you guys?” Seth asks like a small child which made me have to suppress a giggle. Poor boy had been staring at me all night like a lost puppy, he was cute no doubt, but being 5 years younger than me was a deal breaker.

“No, Jared has something important to explain to her. Remember?” Sam said like he was Seth’s father. He seemed to always be incharge of everything around these guys so that didn’t surprise me. I definitely wouldn’t call them a cult, but club would be a better term, seeming as a hierarchy was apparent.

“Seth likes you” Jared said as soon as we walked out of the house. “Wow! Way to out your friend there! Remind me to never trust you with a secret. Plus you don’t know that for certain, he just met me.” I said and Jared laughed, but didn’t say anything back. No until we were pretty deep into the woods did I ask “So what is this thing Sam said you needed to show me?”

“Well I wanted to try and explain it to you but I have a feeling you wouldn’t believe me.”

“Your sarcasm levels are like no other to be fair, so show me.”

“Ok” he said and stopped walking. “Just brace yourself and try not to panic. I promise I won’t hurt you ok?”

“Ok” I say, trying to do what he said.

I watched. Watched him take off his shoes. Watched him back up a few feet. Watched him start to shake. Just like Paul did that day Bella slapped him. Then I watched him turn into a wolf. I was stuck. Didn’t say or do anything. I couldn’t. Just continued to watch as this wolf trotted back into the woods. My brain was blank. No thoughts, words or actions came to mind. Everyone knows the fight or flight trauma responses, but not a lot of people talk about the third: freeze.

Jared came back, this time a human. “You okay?”. I took a deep breath and said “I’m in need of explanation please” I remembered that he wasn’t going to hurt me.

He explained the histories, Vampires, and why he spends most of his time with the “pack”. I listened, tried to take it all in and process the copious amounts of new information, but apparently I was too quiet for Jared. “Please say something”

“I’m alright, surprised to say the least and will need some time to process everything. But I’m not mad I promise. Thank you for telling me everything.”

“Well, that actually is not all. We just figured it would be best to wait until you’re ok with this first.”

“There is more? Please just tell me the rest, trust me, I process better with all the information.”

“Okay, well. We can hear each other's thoughts, we are 108 degrees, and we can imprint.”

“That’s why you never wear shirts… What’s imprinting?”

“The best way I can describe it is soulmates. When we make eye contact with them, our whole world becomes this person and we will be and do anything for them. When we are apart it’s hell, getting rejected by an imprint can really fuck you up. Make you sick. No one has ever died from being seperated from an imprint but you might as well be.”

“That sounds intense. What does that have to do with me?”

“Paul imprinted on you. And it scared him. Still does scare him because love was never something that he wanted. That’s why he won’t see you, he isn’t mad at you. He’s in love with you and his stubbornness is eating him alive. It wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t have to listen to his obsessive thoughts all the time.”

“Hold on. Paul is my soulmate but he doesn't want me?”

“No, he wants you. He needs you, but he’s scared. We thought if we told you, you could convince-”

“You want me to try and convince my soulmate that he should be with me?... Fuck that. You dump all this crap on me and then tell me my own fucking soulmate doesn’t want me?!”

As if on cue, Paul came out of the woods “What did you do to her Jared? You hurt her?!”

“How do you know I’m in pain?”

“We feel our imprints' pain too” Jared added.

“Oh! Perfect! So you can feel what you are doing to me asshole!” I couldn’t help but yell at Paul, I was overwhelmed to say the least. I’d never been so angry in my whole life.

“What?”

“Jared didn’t hurt me, You did! What? You thought that I would be all sweet and understanding?! Awe my own fucking soulmate doesn’t want me-”

“No it’s no like that-”

“What is it? Am I not as pretty as you thought I would be? Well I can guarantee that you were not what I had in mind either you prick! In fact you are the last person I ever wanted. Oh great! Another egotistical asshole with anger issues to make me feel like shit all the time! Let me just take off my shoes so you can sweep me off my feet properly! I’m happy you got some practice keeping your distance from me. Now keep doing it! And don’t you dare think, even for a second, that you have any sort of claim over me. I’m out of here!”

Frustrated tears flowed down my face like a waterfall while my heart felt like it had died in my stomach and air was coming into my lungs but not my head.

“Please don’t go. I had no idea you would feel this way. I can’t be separated from you anymore, I’ll go insane-”

“GOOD! Now fuck off!” I got into my car and slammed my door before Paul ran up to me window “Ok ok you can leave, just please let me drive you home. You shouldn’t be driving like this, and it’s dark. I promise I won’t say a word. Let Jared drive you! Anything.”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” My own stubbornness got the best of me and I drove away. Only this time I was dumb enough to look in the mirror to see Paul sobbing.

#twilight #paul lahote #paul lahote smut #paul lahote imagine #seth clearwater #embry call #jared cameron #sam uley #leah clearwater #wolfpack #quil ateara

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the-insomniac-emporium · 3 years ago

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Serenade (Daniela Dimitrescu/Reader) Pt. 7

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Rating: T for language Warnings: None? I think? Please let me know if I missed something Notes: This is incredibly dialogue heavy, and I actually don't feel as confident about this chapter as some of the past ones? Hopefully y'all like it, I mean at least the ending is cute (or cheesy, depending on who you ask). PS: Not sure how many chapters there will be in total, other than at least 3 more (one of which ill, in fact, get a little h*rny again. actually, h*rnier). Past Chapters: Pt. 1: Nocturne, Pt. 2: Overture, Pt. 3: Accelerando, Pt. 4: Toccata, Pt. 5: Poco a Poco, Pt. 6: Elegy

Chapter 7: Harmony

“We need to talk, yeah?” Daniela asked, nearly stuttering, a sort of nervous that you had never seen her exhibit before. The first thing you think is that she’s really, really cute when she doesn’t know what to do. After that you actually process what she said. Relief floods your chest, followed by warmth, and you make a mental note to thank Bela the next time you see her. In the meantime, you were unable to contain your happiness. Out of instinct you move closer to Daniela, smiling softly, quietly reaching one of your hands towards hers. There’s no hesitance in her response. Instead of taking your hand she pulls you in for a hug, opting to rest her chin against your shoulder. Admittedly you’re a little surprised, but you return the motion nonetheless. “Oh, little songbird…”

Heart racing, you softly press against Daniela, turning your head so that you could place a single, brief kiss against her exposed collarbone. For a moment the two of you just stay like that, holding each other close. When you pull away, remembering that you still hadn’t said anything, you find that Daniela is blushing from the neck up. In turn, the sight makes you blush. You can’t help but reach out and run your fingers through her hair. Though you can’t see yourself, you know your eyes are filled with affection.

“I love when you look at me like this,” Daniela whispered, not entirely meaning to voice her thoughts. Then you’re blushing harder, smile small but sweet. “Mmm, you’re just darling, aren’t you?”

“Not nearly as much as yourself, my Lady. To be in your company is to be the luckiest soul in the world. I cannot even begin to describe the feelings of which you inspire in me,” you replied, trying not to stumble over your words, barely able to process any thoughts other than ‘pretty lady likes me ahh’. Thankfully, you still remembered a few tricks from language arts class. Who knew studying the classics could make you more romantic? At least one English teacher, probably. “I’ll have plenty of time to try, though… after we talk about things, that is. Is there somewhere private we can talk? I’m not terribly eager for your mother to overhear.”

“Are you sure we can’t talk about how much you like me for a while longer?” Daniela asked, faking a pout. When you perk a brow at her antics, she shifts a little, forcing herself to be a little more serious (at least for the time being). “If you insist, my sweet thing. I’d suggest my room-” she winks at you- “but I doubt we’d stay talking for long, would we? Maybe the library? Neither of my sisters tend to go there around this time of day, and I can hardly remember the last time mother went there.”

“Well, no one from the day shift is scheduled to organize things until later this week, so… sounds like a date to me,” you chimed, enjoying the way that Daniela’s face lit up in response. “There’s just one thing I have to take care of first. Wouldn’t want my roommates to think something has happened to me, now would we?” With that said you linked your arm with your partner’s, setting off towards the servants quarters.

—————————————–

“Oh thank goodness, we were starting to get worried!” Daphne exclaimed as you quietly ducked into your room. For a second you freeze in place, hoping to whatever higher powers may be that she hadn’t seen Daniela behind you. Certainly the vampire would have moved out of sight?... Despite your assumption, you do see Daphne hesitate for a moment, gazing at the now closed door. Thinking quickly, you give a little wave to draw her attention elsewhere. Seemingly it works like a charm, with her attention returning to you, and so you release an internal sigh of relief. Now you just had to think of an excuse for why you’d be staying up late.

“It’s fine- I’m fine, really. Just had to carry something for one of the Ladies,” you lied, trying not to be specific enough to possibly contradict facts you weren’t aware of. “I, uh, kinda have to go back out, though? There are some piano books I need to find before tomorrow morning. I’ve already found a few, but apparently there’s at least one that goes over some technical practice songs, and I think D-” you almost wince, but lean into it, stuttering instead- “th-think that Lady Daniela would enjoy the variety. Not sure how long it’ll take me to find the books, so don’t stay up waiting for me. I promise I’ll still get enough sleep to function tomorrow.”

“So the lessons haven’t been canceled? That’s good to hear,” Daphne said, nodding slowly. The words catch you off guard, and you tilt your head to the side in confusion. Noticing your expression, your roommate is quick to explain. “After whatever happened yesterday… we weren’t sure if we’d ever hear you play again. Not that we know what happened, just that Lady Daniela was, well, upset, and you stopped playing sooner than usual. But I suppose if the lessons were canceled completely… I doubt Lady Dimitrescu would let you go that easily, huh?”

Again, you shift awkwardly, wondering how Daniela must feel hearing all of this. But just like that Daphne shakes her head, clearing her thoughts, and gives a little shrug.

“Don’t stay up too late, okay? I know you already promised, but we both know you’ll lose track of time if you aren’t careful. If you aren’t in bed by the time the sun reaches its peak, I swear we are gonna have words!” Both of you laugh before Daphne waves you off with a smile. Still, you wait to open the door until she (and the other maidens) has her back to you. Better safe than sorry, right?

—————————————–

Somehow the room felt different in a million ways, now that you were here with Daniela. There was something about the way she moved, freely, eyes and fingers running down the spines of familiar books. Even if you had not seen it before, it felt like the library was overflowing with magic. What I would give, you think, to see the whole world tinted in shades of her. Again you find yourself blushing as you followed Daniela towards a small sitting area. One of the chairs is practically a recliner, with plenty of space, and you realize what she has planned mere moments before she acts.

Next thing you know, you’re being pulled closer to her, practically lifted into the air. Then you’re falling back, right on top of a giggling Daniela. By the time you’ve regained your senses, you’re in her lap, held just tight enough to keep you from getting up. She’s watching your face closely, smirking with pure satisfaction.

“Are we going to be able to talk like this?” You asked, a little unsure yourself, already distracted by the soft curve of her jawline. Even as you speak you’re eying her, imagining what it would feel like to trail kisses along her skin until she was restless… Thankfully she responds before your mind gets too carried away.

“Of course we are, little songbird. Probably. If you behave,” Daniela teased, gently playing with your hair as she did. You can’t help but laugh when she suggests that you are the one who needs to control yourself. “Alright, alright, I get your point. I just… I think that it’s easier for me to, fuck, I don’t know. Relax? It’s easier for me to relax like this, holding you, getting to kiss that lovely neck of yours-” she pauses to demonstrate- “and that means I won’t freak out like last time. Or so goes my thought process, anyway.”

“In that case…” You’re sitting perpendicular to her now, still holding on tight. One hand cups her cheek, gently caressing the skin, before you lean in for a kiss. The two of you enjoy yourselves for a minute, glad to have this time together, more glad to be reassured of each other’s affection. To think that you wouldn’t even be able to meet her gaze if not for Bela’s intervention… Eventually you pull back, knowing that you did need to talk. “I care about you, firefly, and I want things between us to be real, and healthy, but I…”

The words died in your throat, a lump you couldn’t quite swallow, when memories sprung up like weeds in your brain. Communication mattered to you for a thousand reasons, and you weren’t blind to the irony of one of those reasons making you freeze up.

“I haven’t… done this before, not for real,” Daniela replied, mistaking your paues for uncertainty. “Apparently being an immortal, blood-drinking princess is only attractive in the realm of fiction. Maidens only ever seemed interested in a fleeting rush, or a fraction of a chance at an escape. They didn’t care for romance.” Now her tone gets bitter, and her eyebrows furrow. You can see her shoulders tense up, raising a little, making you try to snap out of your own thoughts for a few moments. By the time she speaks again, you’ve started to gently rub her back. “Maybe I should have paid more attention to my novels. How often does the monster actually get a happy ending?” She says the words with a hollow laugh. Still, she’s relaxed a little under your touch, even leaning into it.

“You’ve… done some bad things. Hurt a lot of people, and I can’t pretend that doesn’t scare me,” you started to say, ignoring the heartache you feel when you see Daniela’s hurt expression. “But you’re more than that. You’re soft, cute, and mischievous. More than that… I can tell that you want something beautiful. We can have that, we can make that, for ourselves, with our own hands and our own desires. But we can’t use stories as a blueprint. We can’t rely on what we’ve read, not when everything the two of us do is brand new. Not when-” you close your eyes, fighting back tears, glimpsing fragments of your last relationship- “not when I’ve already been hurt by my own misconceptions. The things we read aren’t always real, or right, or anything like what we need. What we deserve.”

“Something tells me you’re holding back a little,” Daniela murmured, barely able to get the words out. It almost looks like she’s close to crying, but her cheeks are dry, and her voice is steady. “But you’re right. What we have is better than anyone could write, anyway. You’re my little songbird, and I’m not letting you go anytime soon. Even if I have to figure out this whole ‘communication’ thing. I suppose that means I should… come clean. About a few things.” There’s a clear hesitance to her voice, like she’s embarrassed, and she’s speaking slower than usual. A blush rises to her cheeks before she takes a deep breath.

“We don’t have to talk about everything right now, if you aren’t ready. We’ve already made good progress, I think, even if half of it might be because of your sisters. Well, sister, singular. Cassandra throwing me into that wall really didn’t help anyone. Except maybe the chiropractor I will inevitably need to see,” you joked, remembering your earlier conversation with Bela.

“Hold up for a fucking second, Cassandra did what? I’m going to replace all her paint brushes with stained carpet strips, and that’s if she apologizes. Nobody fucks with my baby,” Daniela snapped, expression as serious as can be. Normally you found her anger to be terrifying. Now that she was directing it at someone else? And on your behalf?... Maybe it was a tiny bit cute. Which you tried to show, by gently bringing her in for another kiss. Of course, Daniela isn’t quite as gentle, instead kissing you hard, holding you as closely as she can. There’s a bit of possessiveness in her grip, and it makes you tense up. But as soon as you do she’s pulling back, breathing hard, eyes weighed down with concern.

“Y’know, I think she was just mad that I made you cry. And if I found out someone made you cry, I would be pretty angry. Not that I’d throw someone, partially because I don’t think I could, but still. It’s… almost cute how much your sisters care about you. Almost, just not quite,” you said, eager to draw the attention away from your reaction. Like you had told Daniela, it was okay if you weren’t ready to talk about everything. “Speaking of that, I can’t believe I haven’t apologized yet. I panicked so much, I didn’t even realize I was yelling until you picked me up. No matter how frustrated I was, I shouldn’t have-”

“Don’t, please,” Daniela interrupted, eyes closing for a moment. “I can’t believe you’re apologizing. I pinned you to the wall, and not for the usual reason!” There’s a bit of panic in her expression, and you get the feeling that she’s beating herself up inside about it. Which, based on what you had thought about what you had done, was understandable.

“Consider this: We both fucked up, and we’ve both acknowledged it now, so we could just… not talk about our regrets? At least for now,” you countered, glad to see Daniela relax and nod in response. Leaning in, you shift to rest your head against her shoulder, wanting to enjoy her proximity more. “Hey… if I’m your songbird, and you’re my firefly… are we, I don’t know… officially a couple now?”

“I was under the impression that we already were,” Daniela said, clearly a little confused. While you technically agreed with her… there was another part of you that wanted to have a little fun.

“You never asked, and I know I never did either, so…” Now you’re looking up at her, smile wide, heart beating faster than normal. “Lady Daniela, firefly of house Dimitrescu, lover of romance novels, player of pianos, keeper of my heart… Will you do me the honor of allowing me to court you? To be yours, officially, in the pursuit of affection and happiness like the village- nay, the world- has never before seen? Will you be my girlfriend?”

“How’s this for an answer, songbird?” Daniela cooed. Then she was lifting your chin from her shoulder, turning her head and bringing you closer. Your lips touch, as gentle as can be. It’s a short kiss, but one radiating with love, that ends with your foreheads pressed against each other. In this moment, you feel like you could stay in her arms for the rest of eternity. “Yes. Absolutely yes, obviously, a thousand times. I could never say no to you, especially not now, with your eyes so desperate for the sight of me, and your lips so begging to be kissed. Now, how about we celebrate, hmm?”

Just as Daphne had predicted, you end up staying awake far too late, but you were all the happier for it.

#daniela dimitrescu #daniela dimitrescu x reader #resident evil: village #re8 village #is this any good #today was a bit weird #kinda tired sorry

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vibraniumwing · 4 years ago

Text

wildest dreams.

a steve rogers x fem!reader wherein the reader falls in love with the super soldier who can’t seem to let go of the past.

WARNING: angst, one-sided relationships, set four years after the snap.

A/N: hello !!! this is the first marvel fic i’m posting and i am very nervous about it aha. i hope all of you would like it though !! i’m kind of back into the flow of things for writing (since im on a one week break from school) but im still trying to maneuver through it. this is inspired by wildest dreams; complementary tissues are here if needed.

word count: 3.7K.

---

Your attitude died the same day your little brother turned to dust in your arms four years ago. The fear and pain his face had was burned into the back of your mind, haunting you on a daily basis; his cries echoing in your head.

But things seemed to change when your aunt introduced you to the talks the remaining Avengers had weekly for the people who were still struggling with the sudden loss of their loved ones; seeing and meeting people who were going through the similar struggle as you helped a lot in coping with the eternal torture that you had.

That’s when you met him; the man who held your heart in the palm of his hands. Steve Rogers.

---

“How come you’ve only started going to these meetings after four years?” Kenzie, a girl who’s a few years younger than you asked, causing everyone in the meeting circle to look at you. Your eyes widened at the sudden question, feeling a slight tinge of pink creep up on your cheeks at the attention you’ve gained.

You bit your lower lip as you contemplated whether or not to answer the question, “I- I had a hard time accepting my brother’s gone since he's my only family. I locked myself up for the last four years, rarely talking to anyone until my aunt forced me to get into these types of things and well now I go here whenever my days get really bad. I had to move on somehow.” You answered, tone laced with truthfulness, giving her a small smile.

“Well we’re both glad and proud you’re here and that you’ve decided to move on from what happened.” Steve spoke up, making everyone look at him, including you. His blue eyes peering into yours, giving you a small nod which you reciprocated, the eye-contact causing the others words of agreement and encouragement to be drowned out.

The rest of the meeting flew by as normal as the superhero continued to talk about how everyone should move on from what happened一 accompanied with the occasional stolen glances Steve gives you一 and soon enough, everyone was giving each other hugs and bidding their goodbyes until the next meeting.

You were grabbing your jacket when someone tapped your shoulder, looking back you saw the super soldier look at you with a somewhat nervous glint in his eyes, “You’re Y/N, right?” He asked, showing you a small grin as he pushed his hands inside of his pocket.

“You have the right person, Mr. Rogers.” You answered, unsure of why he would suddenly come up to you. It didn’t even take you a second to register the rather homey smell of laundry detergent and a hint of a manly perfume you couldn’t put a name on that he sported.

“I’ve been seeing you a lot in these sessions一 I, I was wondering if you would like to go grab some dinner sometime?” He asked awkwardly, unsure of how to sentence the thoughts that were inside his mind.

Your eyebrow quirked at the male who was normally eloquent and sure of his words, is now fumbling over how to ask you out for dinner but who were you to say no to such a rare opportune to spend some time with the male, “I… I would love to.”

And that was the start of it all.

---

At first he was worried about the situation the both of you had, fearing that you might be hated for once the word goes out to the public that you were dating him so you compromised, telling him that no one has to know what the both of you do; that it was okay for him to keep you as his secret, admitting that all of this gave you a thrill.

Until eight months later, Steve had finally said he had enough of hiding and offered to take you to the Avengers compound where he introduced you to the rest of the heroes who were working hard to keep everything intact after the tragic event that happened a little well-over four一almost five一 years ago.

“Steve, do you think they liked me?” You had asked him, eyes trained to the ground as the both of you walked around the Facility, hands tucked behind your back as the cool air of the setting sun wafted around the both of you. There was silence on his end before he spoke up, “Nat wouldn’t have choked on her drink at that joke you made if she didn’t.”

You looked up at him, a hopeful smile adorning your lips, “So does that mean I’m accepted here, then?” It was kind of ridiculous to ask that question after hearing him just say that Natasha laughed at your joke, but all he did was nod and wrap his arm around your shoulder, pulling you in.

“Even if they didn’t, they have no choice. You’re stuck with me.”

The mere memory made you smile as you drove into the facility, having the intention of surprising him with a gift you had made him; a painting of the first photo you two took together, at Time Square.

You and Steve were on another spontaneous road trip; he was free for the day and had asked you to accompany him to drive around New York and before you could even decline, he was already knocking at your apartment door, ready to pick you up.

The day was filled with quiet laughter as you introduced him to newer music and those timeless masterpieces that he missed out on during his 70 year freeze. “I can’t believe you don’t listen to Queen! That band is a whole icon!” You called him out as you started to play Bohemian Rhapsody in the background. “I’m introducing you to the basics.”

“Hey I don’t have as much free time as you, you know.” Steve said, stepping on the gas as you two finally entered the rather empty streets of Times Square.

Your day was filled with laughs and banter as you continued to introduce him to newer songs, occasionally playing some older tunes that he could enjoy himself and talked about how his life was before he was dunked into the ice. “Must’ve been a real hard time for you to grasp on to everything suddenly being so modern.” You commented, looking up from your phone to give him a small smile.

“Oh trust me, it gave me quite the shock waking up to see everything so… new and foreign. But I had to learn一adapt even to what happened.” He started off, slowing down the car for him to look up at the large skyscrapers. “I had to move on or else I would still be miserable until now.” He said, tongue clicking at the top of his mouth.

The car came into a full stop making you look at him in confusion. “Why’d you stop the car?” But he didn’t answer, instead he got out and jogged around the car to open the door for you. You stepped out, brows still furrowed. “We didn’t have the luxury to take that many photos back in the day and I would regret it if I didn’t have one with you.” He said, rubbing the nape of his neck.

Breaking out into a smile, you agreed almost instantly and pulled your phone out, quickly opening the camera. “This is a selfie, alright?” You said, not forgetting to tease him, earning you an eye roll from the male. “I’m not that outdated!” he retorted, pulling you into him as he motioned you to take the photo.

You were snug in his arms as you put the phone up, “To more memories with you, Captain.”

You were all smiles the moment you parked your car and grabbed the canvas from the trunk, heading inside the compound where Nat instructed you to go around when you bumped into Rhodey who was quick to recognize you, “Hey you’re Cap’s girl, right?” which made you shake your head hesitantly, causing the other to look at you with a bamboozled expression. “What do you mean ‘no’?”

“Well, Steve hasn’t asked me out officially but that’ll change soon enough. I made him this gift and will actually ask him. A bit odd I know, but if neither of us would make a move then this would probably drag on.” You confessed, grinning at the soldier excitedly who now had an amazed expression on his face. “Alright then. He’s in the office with Romanoff so knock yourself out.”

You were nearing the office when you overheard the conversation between assassin and Steve.

“So when are you officially going to ask Y/N out?” The female asked, making your heart race in anticipation and hope that he might actually ask you to be his soon. However, the quietness that followed made your excitement go down and your heart to drop to your stomach; the giddiness you were feeling was replaced with worry as negative thoughts started to infiltrate your mind.

A sigh was finally heard from the other end, “Nat, I haven’t been completely honest with you. I… I don’t think I ever will.” The latter started off, heaving another sigh as a shuffle of feet was resonating through the quiet room. “It’s just… Y/N’s a great girl you know? I thought I could love her but she’s一 she’s not like Peggy.”

You could hear Nat scoff lightly, probably in disapproval, “Then why’d you lead her on like this? That’s an asshole move from you, Steve.” and you couldn’t agree more. Your mouth was held over your mouth as you tried your best not to make any sound, wanting to hear more from his side before you make your presence known; in foolish hopes that he might be able to move on and be with you instead.

“I… I honestly don’t know how to bring it up to her. She seems so happy with me and I don’t have the heart to tell her I don’t like her the same way she does with me.” He answered, voice laced with regret and guilt that he made you believe in something that wasn’t even possible in the first place.

That’s when your dreams of being with him was shattered; the visions you had of being in a family with him and living the rest of your days together were turned into dust. You were aware of the history Steve had with the woman; how he met her before subsequently falling into the ice that would freeze him. He made you feel so loved and convinced you that what you were feeling was reciprocal to his but you were wrong.

So damn wrong.

Suddenly, the promises he made of being with you until time permits became a blur to you, those late night talks of imagining what could happen if he and the others were to save the world and him bringing back your younger brother seemed like a far-fetched dream which shattered you even more.

So with every strong fiber that you had left within you, you re-emerged from your hiding spot and looked at the two heroes, Steve being the first one to see you, the color from his face drained. “Y/N I could expl一”

“Save it. Delete my name from your contacts, Rogers. I’m sorry I was foolish enough to think you would like me.” You told him, walking over to where he was to give the painting you worked so hard on, shoving it into his hands and mustering up the courage to look at him again. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry I couldn’t be your best girl.”

And then you ran, pretending not to hear him calling out for you; you ran all the way to the parking lot and by the time you could lean onto the door of your car, you were breathless and choking on the tears you fought hard to not spill but it was all too much.

As you drove away, a part of you hoped he ran after you but you were foolish enough to even hope so because he never did.

---

You sat by the window of your brother’s room, looking out into the empty streets of Manhattan. After the incident with Steve, you were left to fend for yourself again and it left you feeling lonelier than ever. He never contacted you, not even once after everything the two of you have been through. It seems like you were just a memory that was easy for him to forget.

Tears threatened to fall from your eyes once again when you heard something swoosh from the other side of the room. Snapping your head to the side, you could see something or someone form from dust and that’s when you realized it was your younger brother.

Rising to your feet, you sprinted over to where he was, “Xavier?” You whispered, choking up on tears as your little brother’s doe eyes looked up at you in disbelief and fear. He was only five years old when he disappeared into nothing and it looks like he hasn’t aged even a day. His arms immediately sprung up to ask for your embrace to which you complied with.

You scooped the toddler up in your arms and hugged him tightly, fearing he might disappear again. Then you heard it, the streets outside were filled with screams of confusion and terror as people started forming again one by one, chaos ensuing outside of your quiet home; but you were tranquil, because you knew Steve had kept his promise of giving you your brother back, of making everyone else return.

---

It's been a good week since everyone has gone back, people still trying to process everything that has happened. Families were and still are reconnecting, businesses and government officials are trying to get a hold of things together.

Your life was slowly going back to normal. Your little brother was back meaning the small house you live in is starting to be filled with joyous laughter again as the little tyke's energy was bursting at the seams.

You and your aunt watched as Xav played with the teddy bear she got for him upon her visit, "Everything seems so much lighter with the little troublemaker around, isn't it?" She asked, glancing at you as she continued to knead the dough of the cookies she's making for you and your brother.

"It definitely is. Suddenly this place feels like home aga—" Your sentence was cut in the middle when a loud knock came from your door making your brows furrow.

"Oh were you expecting anyone?" Your aunt asked, you shook your head in response but before you could answer her your brother's voice resonated through the house. "I'll get it!" but what you expected next was the last thing you could have ever expected.

“Y/N! It’s- It’s Captain America!” Xavier’s voice was a pitch higher due to his excitement upon seeing the superhero then his laughter soon followed. Your aunt gave you a surprised yet knowing look, motioning you to go to the door. “You better go and ask the man what he wants from you. I’m not listening to your excuses, go.”

You knew better than to argue with the woman so you slowly made your way to the front door where you saw Steve who sported a few wounds to his face carrying your little brother, his smile wide as he answered questions the child asked. “I think Cap has had enough questions to answer, Xav. Go back inside.” You told him, much to the five year old’s dismay.

“But Y/N! I haven’t asked一” “I’ll be back later to answer those okay? Go listen to your sister.” Steve was the one to answer now, setting Xavier down and patted his head. He gave the super-soldier a thumbs up and ran inside, giddily telling your aunt that he got carried by the blonde.

The two of you stared at each other quietly, before you decided to speak up. “How about we go to the backyard and speak there, yeah?” You offered, making some room for him to enter the house, to which he agreed with, entering your humble home. Upon closing the door, you whispered a quiet “let’s go” to him and led him to the back of your house.

You sat down by the lone tree that stood in the middle of your garden, patting down the space next to you. “So what brings you here?” You asked once he sat down, turning to the male with a small yet hesitant smile.

“I’m returning the infinity stones tomorrow but before that I want to apologize.” Steve started off, looking into the distance as he couldn’t bring himself to look into your E/C orbs that he once found comfort in, fearing that it might be filled with hatred for him. “I’m not sure how much you heard that night but I have… no excuse for what I did to you. I thought I could love you, that I could move on but I guess I’m still stuck in the past.” He admitted, tone quiet and soft like the rustles of the leaves that hovered above the both of you.

“I came to you because you reminded me of Peggy. It was selfish of me to even approach you with that intention in the first place but I can assure you that every moment we shared together is something that I cherish deeply. Even一 even the first kiss we had right under this tree right here.” He finished, a sad sigh following his sentence.

It was a cool night and you were drifting off to sleep when you heard something tap the windows of your room, causing you to sit up and walk towards the source of the noise to see Steve gathering more rocks. Opening the window, “Steve? What on earth are you doing here?” You asked, amused at his antics that seemed too out of character even for him.

“I came to see you! You aren’t going to the session tomorrow, right?” Steve said, motioning you to come down. His smile was big as the moon shined over him, defining his facial structure even more despite the darkness of the night.

You shook your head in disbelief, you had told him that you weren’t going to attend this week due to the fact that it was supposed to be your brother’s tenth birthday today and you had every intention to celebrate for him. “Go to the back! I’ll meet you there.” You told him, motioning to the garden at the back of your childhood home.

You quickly threw on a pair of pajama pants and headed down, grabbing a few snacks from the kitchen pantry before heading out to the backyard where you saw him sitting down by the tree and waved for you to come on over to him.

You plopped down next to him and his arms were instantly around you, “How old is your brother by tomorrow?” He asked, squeezing you to him gently as he placed a gentle kiss to the top of your head. His familiar scent greets your senses, causing you to completely ease up in his touch.

“Xav’s supposed to be ten tomorrow. I promised him I would take him to the beach for this tenth birthday so I have every intention of doing so even without him here.” You answered, the familiar feeling of sadness forming in your chest at the idea of spending another birthday without him; it was too painful for you.

Comfortable silence then wrapped the both of you before he spoke up again, “I promise I’m getting your brother back. I don’t know how we can do that, but I promise you I will.” Determination was dripping through every word, making you look up at him as hopefulness filled your eyes. Your gaze met before you leaned in to connect your lips with his for a quick kiss.

Realizing your actions, you looked at him in shock as a hand hovered over your lips. “Steve I’m so sorry” but you were quickly silenced when his plush tiers met yours for another kiss, this time longer and filled with more emotions. The both of you kissed until you had to break away due to the lack of oxygen, resting your forehead against his.

“Don’t be sorry, Y/N.”

You chuckled softly at the memory, a sad smile on your lips as you decided to speak up, “Did you ever regret meeting me, Steve?” You questioned, staring off into the distance as the feeling of defeat consumed you. There was a shift in his position as his hand cupped your cheek, making you look at him.

His brows were furrowed as he shook his head, “No, I could never regret meeting you. The only regret I have is with myself. For making you love me when I couldn’t even love you back.”

You leaned into his touch as tears flowed down from your eyes, your sobs following as your heart broke more. There was no denying you had fallen for him, that you had fallen quite hard for him but you couldn’t keep him to yourself; not when he’s still in love with the woman he met decades ago. “Thank you for giving me a chance to love you.” You whispered, thankful for the time he spent with you; for making you feel like he was yours for even just a fleeting moment.

No words left his mouth as he leaned in to give you another kiss. Unlike the many you’ve shared, this one was chaste and had guilt written all over it. “I have to go.” He then said, hugging you for the last time as he stood up.

Your hand stopped him from going any further, he looked back down at you with a curious gaze. With the last strong thread that you had, you mustered up a big smile at him. "I hope you still remember me; us. Even if it's just in your wildest dreams." before letting him go.

“I’ll always remember you, Y/N.”

---

TAGLIST: will be fixed soon!

#steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x you #captain america x reader #captain america x y/n #captain america x you #captain america #steve rogers #steve rogers angst #captain america angst #avengers #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #steve rogers fic #steve rogers fics

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atinysunbaby · 4 years ago

Text

Meant to be | Choi San 🖤

Warnings : Cursing, violence, mention of rape.

Words count : 2.2 k

Previous 《 Prologue

Masterlist

Chapter 1

Present

My cheeks are burning from the salty tears escaping my eyes. A tightening feeling in my chest growing by the minute. The sobs keep escaping me, making my body move uncontrollably. Chocking from the sharp inhales and shaking from the cold temperature. This moment, forever will be imprinted in my mind. Those images I wish I could forget, unfortunately will hunt me till my last breath.

I suppose it's what most people feel too when they lose their parents. I wanted to deny it, but I saw their bodies. They were cold, bruised, bloody and no longer held any signs of life.

The last time a saw them, I didn't bother much to say goodbye to them. Only telling them to enjoy their little vacation in the woods. I was more exited about being alone then making them know how much I loved them. Now it's too late, I'll never be able to see their faces again, hear their voices, feel their arms around me when I need them the most.

I woke up to my cellphone ringing this morning, answering grumpily, thinking it was my mom who disturbed me from my sleep. It was actually the cops telling me to come to the hospital, but I wish it would've been her instead. I wish she could annoy me every morning now, but it's over. She isn't here anymore and neither is my dad.

I'm in my room, at this moment, crying my heart out. I ran out of the hospital immediately after seeing their corpses. They wanted me to identifie them, but I left with people screaming for me to comeback. I guess they probably know from my reaction, that it was indeed my mom and dad.

People keep calling me on my phone, but I don't answer. I'm laying on the floor, looking at the ceiling, waiting for my sadness to subside. I know that won't happen anytime soon, but it's the only way for me to calm down. Being surrounded by people telling me how sorry they are for my loss. A bunch of fake assholes making me feel even worse about the situation definitely won't make anything better.

Slowly my eyes get heavy, I try to fight the exhaustion but fail miserably. I fall asleep on the cold floor of my room, my window open and the sound of rain filling my ears. All of this crying definitely used up a lot of my energy.

The car crash, I wasn't there and I have no idea of what happened. But I see it, something is in the middle of the road and dad just told mom a joke. They're laughing.. until they hit that thing, an animal maybe. It goes right through the window and kill my dad instantly, but as for my mom. The car rolls off the road and fall down a small cliff. Mom's still alive, she's in pain, blood everywhere, she's crying for her husband to open his eyes and answer her. She keeps screaming that she can't feel him anymore? His presence? Her breathing is getting worse the more she panics. Suddenly the door on her side opens and something stabs her in the chest, putting a end to her desperate cries. Blood is streaming down her chin, her eyes looking directly through mine while she takes her last breath.

I open my eyes to see nothing but darkness. I frantically search for a sign of light, I reach around with my hands. My eyes are open wide and my breath shaky, until my fingers brush against an object. I stop every movement, slowly gripping it and letting a breath of relieve when I realise it's my phone.

I turn it on to see a ton of messages and missed calls. One standing out, my aunts name, my mom's sister. I never talked to her, but mom insisted on giving me her number. I look around my room and stand up to look outside the window, only to notice that it's night time. The reason of the darkness and freezing temperature. I close it and turn the lights on in my room. Then I sit on the corner of my bed and hesitate a few minutes while looking at the screen in front of me. My fingers finaly press on call. A few rings later, Aunt Kath's voice is heard. "Y/N! Y/N is it you?"

"Yes it's me.. why did you cal-" I'm cut off by a loud sob. My eyes widen in confusion, but I soon remember that my mom, her sister is no longer a part of this world. I sigh and wait for her to stop crying on the other side of the line. "S-sweetie- where are you? Are you safe? You're not alone ar-"

"Kath, my parents just died. I'm obviously not partying right now, but I'm okay.. I guess.." She stays silent for the next few seconds, my blunt answer probably wasn't expected, but it's understandable. "Sweetheart-I uhh.. you have no one to stay with right? So.. your mom made me your godmother, i-in case anything happened to her.. will you come live w-with me, here in Korea?"

It takes some time to process what just came out of her mouth, my eyebrows are furrowed. Many feelings are fighting to take control of my body, but the one that wins is frustration. "W-what?.."

"She told me to take care of you if she wasn't there anymore... It was just a precaution, but I guess it really happened." She says with a small voice, trying not to upset me further. Judging from my lack of response, she can tell I'm not that excited about this new information. "I asked you, but it ins't really a choice that you have. It's an obligation, you can't stay alone out ther-"

I hang up, not wanting to listen even for one more second. I need some time to think about it. She's right, I don't have much of a choice. I turned seventeen not too long ago and I don't have any family member here. At least none that I know of. I sigh defeated, once again pressing on my godmother's contact.

She picks up not even a second later, as if she knew I was gonna call her back. She doesn't say a word, waiting for me to start talking. I clear my throat after freeing my lower lip from my teeth. "How will I get there? How about my clothes and everything else in the house? My parents' funera-"

"I'll take care of everything you don't have to worry, just bring the necessary and I'll transfer some money on your account so you can pay for your plane ticket. As for the ride to my house, my boyfriend will pick you up" She spend a whole hour explaining to me how everything will go and I agree after hesitating for a while. If my mom gave Kath the role of godmother, she must trust her. So I will trust her too, anyways I don't really have a reason not to. She's been nice till now and she'll even welcome me in her house, she's taking me in. "Thank you Kath, I really appreciate it. I don't know what I would've done if I was all alone."

Days later

I prepared all my stuff, ready to fly to Korea. It took me a while to accept, but eventually I warmed up to it. It's an opportunity for me, to start over. A new life full of adventure, new environment and culture. I want to explore the world so why not start there.

Unfortunately though, I had to say goodbye to all my friends. We cried and spend the last few days together. We promised to text each other everyday and not to forget about one another. Sad thing is, my friends aren't the only ones I need to leave behind. It's hard to leave the place I grew up in, my house, my neighbourhood, my city, everything.

In a few hours, everything I ever knew will all be in the past. Only the memories will stay, the rest, all gone. So the day my parents died, I didn't only lose them, but my life too. The life they gave me. Now, I have to make a new one, by myself.

Landing in Korea

The flight was boring and quite annoying, I didn't know what to do. A baby cried for what felt like years and a couple had an argument at some point. Then the person next to me started to snore so loudly I thought the plane was crashing. I'm glad to finaly be on the ground, the loud voices of people speaking indistinctly seeming to sooth me from what I went through previously.

I sit on one of the chairs in the airport waiting for James, my godmother's boyfriend. He'll drive me to their house, apparently Kath arranged a room for me already. She doesn't have any kid, so she's looking forward to having me over.

"Y/N!!" I jump from the chair almost falling on my ass. I luckily manage to stay on my two feet and not make a fool of myself. Upon hearing a chuckle, I turn around and see an old looking dude smirking at me, maybe in his late forties. "Umm.. Hi can I help you?"

"James, I came to pick you up remember?" He asks while pointing at himself. I'm still unsure, he's looking at me weirdly. I can feel an odd vibe from him. It makes me feel uncomfortable, but I push it aside and nod before following him.

We enter his rusty jeep, the doors creaking when moving. Despite the outside looking a bit ugly, the inside is clean. The only negative point would be the smell, cigarette and..alcohol? Paying a bit more attention to the smell though, it doesn't only come from the jeep. The man next to me is even worst, it seems that he might shower rarely. Subtly, I bring my sweater paws to my nose, looking outside to distract myself.

"So, Y/N! How you holding up?" His loud and deep raspy voice makes me jump for the second time. I turn a bit a towards him not to be impolite and think before answering him. "I guess it's a bit easier then I expected. I didn't think that I'd feel any better, but after a few days it prove me wrong. But I feel bad, to already move on.."

He hums next to me, nodding his head lazily. I wait for him to add something, but the car is filled with silence. I'm relieved he doesn't speak further, not really being in the mood to have a whole conversation, especially with someone I don't know. So, slowly I turn back around towards the window. My mind drifting to the events that happened in just a few weeks, everything is so fucked up. Fortunately, Kath and James decided to help me.

About an hour past since we came out of the airport. We just entered a forrest, James informed me that it'll take a while still. He insisted that I should go to sleep and when I'll wake up, we'll be home. I ponder for some time, but eventually agree. It doesn't take long for me to fall asleep due to not being able to get much sleep in the plane.

I wake up when the car come to an halt, a man's voice coming from next to me. Curses escaping his mouth, confused I open my eyes. The events from the previous hours coming back to me, tears threatening to escape my eyes. My body shaking slightly from fear, uncontrollably.

The ride was a lot longer then what James had told me it would be and I slept, only to be woken up by a hand covering my mouth. Horrible things happened in that car and it wasn't a nightmare, no mather how much I wish it was one. He said he would tell Kath it took us some time because of the traffic and the airport. Then he threatened to kill me if I open my mouth.

I can't let him see me crying, I don't want him to have another reason to hurt me. Despite being terrified and completely drained from energy, I swallow the bill in my throat and wipe the tears from my eyes. While I'm breaking down, next to me James is whistling and turning the car off. Announcing with a loud scream to Kath that we arrived.

"Omg! Y/N! Sweetie you really are here." Kath comes out of the house shouting happily, her arms open, waiting for me to give her a hug. I rush to open the door, but a hand grabs my arm. His nails dig in my skin and I whimper, both from fear and pain. "Remember. You talk, you die."

He puts my bag in my hand, pretending to be helping me. Finally I escape the horrible vehicle and run into my godmother's arms with a heavy heart. The second she engulfs me in her warmth, sobs spill from deep within me. She cries with me but not for the same reason. She cries because she lost her sister and now I'm here. I, cry because I've lost my parents, I lost my house, my friends. Because I've been raped less then an hour ago. Because I feel completely broken and hopeless. The new life I wanted for myself, only starts with even more problems then I had before.

Next 》 Chapter 2

#ateez #ateez x reader #ateez imagines #ateez fanfic #kpop #kpop fanfic #san fanfic #werewolf au #atiny #park seonghwa #kim hongjoong #jeong yunho #kang yeosang #choi san #song mingi #jung wooyoung #choi jongho

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2manyfandoms2count · 4 years ago

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Poisson d'avril

Here, have a half-baked April Fool’s Day fic my brain decided to wake me up for. For context, one of the most popular jokes for April 1st in France is taping paper fish to each other��s backs, the more original the fish the better (my childhood is filled with trying to sneak behind teachers' backs to tape one on them; they were very chill about it, tbh). Poisson d’Avril is also what you say at the end of a joke on that day (think "sike", but festive). More about this great tradition that apparently dates back to at least 1466 here.

Hope you enjoy!

Read on AO3

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Marinette loved April Fool’s Day at Françoise Dupont. The school was always buzzing with little pranks at that time of the year, the blooming spring giving a wonderfully cheerful backdrop to the shenanigans the collégiens were up to.

These were all very light-hearted, if sometimes a little elaborate.

As usual, some students had been found early in the morning in the classrooms, thwarting their attempt to recreate the legendary horizontal fiasco of 20XX, where everything had been set up to look like the rooms had been flipped by 90°. Mr Damoclès had let them go mercifully, thankful that the students hadn’t been tempted to glue everything to the ceiling in an effort to one-up their predecessors. Somehow, he wouldn’t have put it past Kim and Alix to try and coordinate the project, as a last hurrah before heading on to lycée.

There were also seemingly well-meaning classmates offering chouquettes or donuts in the courtyard, which Marinette knew to stay well away from, knowing the former were likely sprinkled with coarse salt, and the latter filled with the likes of mayonnaise instead of jam. She’d been in their shoes a couple of years prior, building her classmates’ trust by bringing them the sweet delicacies every day for a week, and switching on April 1st as a joke.

Heading to class, she heard a lot of laughter, people telling jokes, or trying to see how far they could take a story without it being called out on it (this year, Nino had Kim panicking over a brevet exam part they supposedly had, which was a step down from the previous year, where he’d convinced him that everybody needed to come in dressed up in medieval costumes, and that he’d landed the court jester role; his friend had turned up the next day in a full outfit, complete with bells on his hat and shoes, and upon discovering the deception, had decided to make good use of them and make the joke everybody’s problem).

However much she enjoyed those kinds of pranks, though, Marinette’s favourite remained the classic poisson d’avril: taping paper fish to people’s backs. It was something anyone could take part in, as a predator or a prey, with or without premeditation. You didn’t necessarily need scissors and tape, if you managed to steal some from somebody else’s back.

Marinette liked to take it seriously. Done right, the exercise demanded stealth she’d had even as a little kid, and had honed ever since being chosen to become Ladybug, as well as creativity she had piles of. She’d stayed up the previous night, making plenty of fish varying in size and colour, some tailored to her friends, like the Rena Rouge and Carapace ones that were intended for Alya and Nino respectively. She’d of course also made the rest of the Miraculous team, as well as some other designs based on Kitty section, her classmates, or celebrities.

As always at the end of the day, Rose walked around with a whole school on her back. It wasn’t clear if she was completely oblivious to it, or if she knew what was going on but enjoyed the giddy giggles of the people who managed to add an extra fish in, or take one off.

The only person who’d managed to escape the prank so far was Adrien, and it wasn’t for lack of trying. Kim, Alix and Nino had gone to great lengths to get at least one fish on his back, even recruiting Markov to sneak behind him, but the boy seemed to have a sixth sense.

No sooner did he hear the faintest of ruffles, that his head would jerk up, eyes darting around to figure out where the sound had come from, thwarting any efforts, no matter how elaborate they’d been.

Marinette had been reluctant to target Adrien, despite having a special fish for him, complete with his stripes and an orange-tipped tail, but as the day went by and more people joined the challenge to trick him, she felt the urge to compete rise in her chest and started unwillingly tracking his every movement, trying to find a breach in his focus.

It was a fastidious process, even for someone who enjoyed watching Adrien happily live his life, but it paid off around the end of the day, just after the last bell.

Marinette noticed that Adrien’s shirt looked a little rumpled around the back as they were retrieving books from their lockers, and approached him calmly.

“Adrien?” She announced her presence when she was right behind him, surprised that he hadn’t turned around yet. He almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of her voice.

“Marinette!” He yelped, a hand flying to his heart. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you approach.” He chuckled nervously.

“No, I’m sorry I scared you!” Marinette looked down, apparently sheepish. In truth, she was cursing inwardly at the missed easy opportunity. Adrien had been at ease with her coming closer, which she assumed was because it was the end of the day and he’d started letting his guard down; she could have gone about her business and he would’ve been none the wiser. She shook her head; it didn’t matter, she’d just go on with her original plan. “It’s just that… well, it’s stupid, but the back of your shirt is a little creased, and I know how important your appearance is to your family so… Do you mind if I fix it?”

“Thanks Marinette, that’d be awesome.” He smiled at her in a way that would have made her lose her cool, had it been any other day. But she was on a mission, and there was no way she was letting the opportunity of pranking Adrien when nobody else had managed the feat go by.

“Okay, let me just…” Marinette reached into her purse and took the first piece of paper she felt, before gently taping it to Adrien’s shirt, making sure to smooth the fabric at the same time so he wouldn’t realise what she was doing.

“There, all done!” She smiled when she was satisfied the tape had adhered well enough.

He smiled back at her, but was interrupted in his thanks by Nino and Alya calling for them to hurry up.

“Today was really fun, I’m so glad I got to experience it first hand,” Adrien beamed as the group walked out of the building, Nino and Adrien a little ahead of the girls. “And I’m really proud that I survived it without getting pranked!”

Marinette bit back a laugh, eyes darting to his back.

“I wouldn’t be so confident, Sunshine,” Alya replied, untaping the fish from his back and handing it to him.

“What…” Adrien stopped in his tracks, looking at it, and particularly Marinette’s signature on the back of the piece of paper, in disbelief. He turned around with a look of mock betrayal. “I can’t believe you’d do this to me!” He pouted.

“I couldn’t just let you off the hook,” she shrugged with a small smile, making a mental note to reuse the phrase with Chat Noir when she saw him later. He’d enjoy the pun.

Adrien let out a small chuckle as he turned the fish around, but the sound died as he saw the pattern. The colour drained from his face and he froze as he took in the black and green colour scheme and the fish’s whiskers.

“Adrien? Is everything okay?” Marinette frowned, noticing his change in body language.

“Yeah, um… Can I talk to you for a second?” He looked up at her.

“What a great idea!” Alya pushed Marinette towards Adrien before hooking her arm through Nino’s and starting to go down the stairs. “We’ll see you guys tomorrow!”

Marinette thought she heard her add “Can you believe they might get together over an April Fool’s joke?”, as she waved them off absentmindedly, but her gaze met Adrien’s troubled one and she decided she’d deal with her best friend later.

“What’s up?” She asked, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks; the adrenaline from succeeding her challenge was evidently starting to wear off.

“What’s this?” Adrien asked cautiously, handing her the fish.

Marinette took it cautiously, saw the pattern, and smiled. “It’s a poisson-chat noir,” she said proudly. It was a bit of a shame she’d picked that one for Adrien, but she guessed she couldn’t have kept it for her partner anyway, given that she’d signed it. Still, she thought he would have liked the joke. Especially if it came from Ladybug.

“How did you know?” he murmured, looking at her incredulously. She tilted her head, raising her eyebrows at his cryptidness. He explicited his thoughts. “I saw the fish you gave Alya and Nino, and the one you managed to pin on Chloé; they were all references to their superhero selves. And now you get this one right as well… How did you know?”

It was Marinette’s turn to freeze and feel the colour draining from her cheeks. “I… I didn’t. I picked one randomly when I saw an opening.”

“Oh.” She saw the cogs turning in Adrien’s brain while she felt her own shut down, still processing one important piece of information.

“Adrien… Are you Chat Noir?”

“Um… Poisson d’avril?” He ventured.

“Adrien.” She repeated sternly.

“Okay, fine, you got me.” Adrien huffed, raking a hand through his hair. “Please, don’t tell Ladybug.” He pleaded.

“Too late, I’m afraid.” She dug out her poisson-Ladybug and taped it to herself. She saw Adrien’s eyes grow as wide as his smile before being engulfed in a hug and feeling his lips on her forehead. “Kwami, we really might get together over an April Fool’s joke,” she muttered against his chest. If the heat she felt at the tip of her ears said anything, she probably was as red as Ladybug’s costume, and it probably wouldn’t go unnoticed.

“What was that?” Adrien pulled out a little from their hug to look at her.

“Nothing.” She smiled, and took his hand. “Now come on Chaton, we have some things to discuss, and we should probably go somewhere more private.”

“You know I’d follow you anywhere, my Lady.” He picked their entwined hands and kissed hers.

Really, she thought as they made their way towards her parents’ boulangerie, she loved poissons d’avril.

#i miss the simpler times where we'd get up to this kind of stuff #it's just not the same during a lockdown :')#miraculous ladybug #the miraculous tales of ladybug and cat noir #miraculous fanfiction #miraculous fanfic #adrienette #adrinette #adrien agreste #marinette dupain-cheng #miracuclass #april fool's day #april 1st #elle writes #i'm sorry if you clicked the link #you're allowed to yell at me

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jun-thorne · 3 years ago

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This story (oneshot) takes place after the events of the auction. Wanted to do this for a long time, finally got down to do it. If you have feedback, I would be glad! Criticism is also greatly appreciated (I want to improve after all).

Confusion

Even at 1am in the morning, Tokyo could not be considered as peaceful. The sound of cars and the chattering of passerbys filled the streets, creating a ubiquitous murmur. But to Seido Takizawa, this was one of the more peaceful moments.

The ghoul leaped through the night, from rooftop to rooftop, a dark shadow above the flickering city lights, his white hair illuminated by the dim light of the moon.

No one at Aogiri would miss him at this hour, he thought. Ghouls usually hunted at night; his absence was therefore expected.

But hunger was not the reason why Seido roamed through Tokyo. No, his goal that night was of different nature.

After the auction, Seidos mind had become even more confused. Before, hunger and self-hatred had been all that burned inside him. And he was content with it. Their bitter taste kept the confusion away. All these disgusting, human parts of him he had buried so deep. They muttered questions, screamed inside him and confused his already unstable mind even more. So he had supressed them, replaced them with his hatred.

But something had changed, when he had seen her. It had only been a short glimpse, one small look during his escape, but it had been enough to awaken something deep inside him. His mind wouldn’t concentrate on the anger anymore, instead he would bring up sensations or memories Seido had long thought forgotten.

The faint smell of pineapple shampoo, a pair of violet eyes, blonde hair in the sun...

"This has to end!" Seido thought. He made one last leap, landed on a rooftop and suddenly he stopped. Standing at the edge of an apartment building, his toes already hanging over the edges, he froze.

Now that he had arrived, he was not so sure anymore.

"What am I doing here?" the thought echoing through his mind.

Standing on the ledge, Seido could feel his stomach twisting.

"It’s not like I can talk to her! I am a ghoul; she would kill me without hesitation! She probably has already forgotten!"

His thoughts were racing, stomach clenching even tighter, and suddenly Seido felt sick. He rose a finger to his mouth, biting on the knuckles till blood dripped on his tongue and the sharp pain returned his mind to the moment.

"I’ll just take a look! It’s not like she’s awake. I’ll just need to see her one more time, then I’ll move on" he whispered, more to convince himself. It didn’t work.

Still Seido knew that he had to do it. In the last weeks the confusion inside of him had grown unbearable. He found himself lying awake, thinking of blonde hair and snarky comments. Emotions, he had thought long gone, resurfaced, and the human parts in him slowly crawled back up. And with these parts came the desire to see her again, to look into her eyes and hear her voice.

Of course, this was not possible, he knew that, but every time he tried to suppress these thoughts, they came back stronger.

Seido felt himself giggle, a joyless sound which was immediately swallowed by the night surrounding him.

"I’m like the protagonist in one of these stupid soaps Hina-chan watches" he thought. "Hopelessly lost to a beautiful and tragic lady".

It had to end; he knew it. These thoughts made him weak, unfocussed. And Ghouls devoured the weak.

Seido took a deep breath and stepped forward. He went into a free fall, rushing past half a dozen balcony’s before he stretched out his arm and caught himself. He could almost hear his muscles tear, felt pain race through his nerves but he welcomed the feeling which anchored him in the moment. With his other arm he pulled himself up, sitting down on the rail of the balcony. His muscles tensed as he rose his eyes to take a look.

Akiras room was minimalistic. A bed, a TV, and a blanket for her hideous Cat, which was nowhere to be found. But Seido took only quick notice of this, his eyes drawn to something else. Sleeping on the bed, only in a light black nightgown was she. Akira Mado. Her delicate figure was illuminated by the dim moonlight, her chest lifting slowly with every breath, a peaceful expression adorning her normally stoic face.

His heart was beating rapidly, but not because of the fall he had just survived. Suddenly Seido felt ashamed. He did not belong in this place, he knew that. Still, he couldn’t turn his eyes away.

“She is so beautiful” he thought. His eyes lingered over her body, absorbing every inch of her into his memory.

“What am I doing?” he whispered. He had come to end things. See her and forget her, that had been his plan. And if that wouldn’t work, well then, he would just kill her. Problem solved. She was only human after all, weak! But now that he was here, he could already feel the confusion coming, freezing his body and chocking his throat with cold, dead hands.

Weak… he repeated over and over. Weak, weak, weak, beautiful, weak, gentle, weak, admirable, BEAUTIFUL!

Seido opened his eyes again, noticing the taste of blood in his mouth. His right Hand was throbbing in pain but the confusion was supressed again.

“For now…”

As much as he hated to admit it, he had failed. Coming here had not helped him in the slightest. He could still feel his human parts, even more than before. They were clawing at his heart, eagerly trying to rip it out.

A single tear rolled down his pale check, gleaming in the moonlight.

“If they could see me now” he thought. Seido Takizawa, the feared Owl, Nightmare of the CCG defeated and destroyed by simply looking at a woman.

“It’s the second time she defeated you…” he chuckled. This thought was strangely comforting.

A sudden movement caught his eye. Akiras expression had changed, she was now frowning and rolling over, her breathing becoming faster.

“a nightmare” Seido thought, feeling a little sting of worry.

“I should go” he whispered to himself, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. He knew that forgetting her was now impossible but bizarrely this thought did not fuel his anger. He threw another look at her. Akira was still frowning, her brows pulled together in a V Shape, her soft lips pressed together. Her body was trembling lightly.

Another sting went through Seido, making him skip a breath. “I’ll protect you” he whispered, a small, but warm smile forming on his lips. He settled down on the balcony rail, dangling his legs over the edge. He averted his gaze from her and looked at the moon, a silent resolve forming in his mind, drowning out any emotions and confusion. No Harm would come to her tonight!

A sudden noise made him freeze. The balcony door had been opened. Seidos heart jumped in his chest, every nerve screamed at him to leave, but he could not move a muscle.

Leave, leave, leave, LEAVE!!!!

Quiet footsteps approached him, but he still couldn’t move. Every moment, Mados Quinke would impale him, splattering his organs and blood over here balcony. This would be his end, he knew it!

“Seido?” Her voice was soft, and still heavy with sleep. No aggression, no anger.

Seido mustered all his willpower and slowly turned his head. Akira Mado stood only an arm’s length apart, her hair tousled and her arms wrapped around her torso. Her face was full of confusion, but there was something else in her eyes as she looked at him.

Affection? Grief?

“What are you doing here?” She asked, her voice still so unbearable soft. Seidos mind was flooding with thoughts. Why was she here, unarmed, unprepared? Why didn’t she attack him, why wasn’t she angry, why was her voice so soft?

“I…uhm” Seidos words only came out as a raspy whisper. He did not know what to say. This situation did not make sense, his sudden feelings did not make sense, everything was too much!!!

Akira looked at him, patiently. There was no resentment in her expression, only confusion mixed with… grief?

“I… came to see you” Seido murmured, confusion raging through his mind like a firestorm.

Akira looked at him, her eyes locking his in place. Her lip was trembling, he realized. Suddenly she stepped forward, and before Seido could react, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Seido could feel her breath at his chest, feel her warm skin clatched at him. His mind went blank.

She was trembling, he realized. Acting instinctively, he slowly wrapped his arms around her, comforting her as she began to sob into his chest. He did not understand what was happening, but holding her felt right, just so right. And as little drops fell onto her head, still buried in his chest he realized that he was crying too, tears silently running down his cheeks.

After what felt like a moment, but what could also have been an eternity, her sobbing stopped and his tears dried out. Slowly, she was the first to pull back out of their embrace. Her eyes locked with his. They were red and swollen, but she smiled nonetheless, a warm and equally sad smile.

“I thought I lost you.” Her voice was hoarse from crying but Seido noticed the small glimmer of happiness in it. And he wanted to scream. “You lost me! I am dead! This isn’t me” But all that came out of his mouth was a small whimper “Akira…”

“Akira, I am a monster now!”

He expected her smile to die down, swallowed by the realization that he was, indeed, a monster, despicable and dangerous. But it didn’t happen. Instead, Akira raised her index finger to his mouth in a silencing gesture. Her eyes looked up to him, a violet, determined gaze.

“When you and Amon died, I lost everything.” Akiras voice was still husky but a vigorous tone was now underlining her words. “I don’t care what they did to you, or what they made you do, Seido! You are alive, you are here.”

Seidos felt his cheeks flush red in shame. This wasn’t right! Sure, he was still Seido Takizawa, but not the one she remembered. He had done terrible things, she knew that! He was a ghoul, the kind of beast she had sworn to destroy. Suddenly he couldn’t bear to look into her eyes anymore. He turned his head looking away in shame.

You’re a monster!

He felt a soft touch of fingers on his chin. Her thump gently stroked his pale skin and his black lips as she slowly turned his head, forcing him gently to look at her. And as Seido looked into her eyes he saw nothing but softness in her gaze.

“After the auction I read your file” she said, her voice now clearer. “I know what you did, what they did to you… I know that you´re a ghoul now…” She raised her chin, and Seido couldn’t help but remember the famous Mado pride. “And I´m still here Seido! I left you once, I will not do it again. Whatever comes next, well go through it together!” She said, with a voice that made absolutely clear that she had meant what she said.

Seido looked at her, a barely noticeably smile on his face. Words couldn’t express how he felt, couldn’t express the thankfulness, the shame and the happiness which sparked in his heart, not supressed anymore. And he knew that he wouldn’t find the right words to tell her. Instead, he closed his eyes and leaned slowly forward, his lips brushing softly against hers. They were so much softer than he had imagined, gentle but defined.

Slowly he pulled back, suddenly afraid he had made a mistake. But when he looked into her eyes this fear disappeared. Her gaze was still soft as she looked up to him. She shoot a quick glance at his black lips, a fire in her eyes, that he was sure had not been there before. Slowly she raised her hands, caressing his cheeks with her thump and then crossing them behind his head to pull him down to her.

Their second Kiss was more passionate. Akira pressed her lips to his, still gentle but more demanding than before. Soon she opened her mouth, gently sliding her tongue over his lips. When Seido opened his mouth, their tongues started to dance with each other, exploring the newfound spaces. Akira moaned softly, taking even the last concern from Seido. He gently grabbed her hips, moving her closer to him, embracing her and feeling her warmth through his dark cloak. For a long moment the remained like this; then Akira pulled back, emitting a small whimper from Seido.

“Will you stay the night?” She asked, making a gesture in the direction of her bed. She had lowered her head, avoiding his eyes as she asked. Seido felt a sharp spike of guilt. She was already afraid of losing him again.

“I will” he stated firmly.

Akira looked up to him again, her smile returning. “Great, because its getting a little bit cold out here.”

She grabbed his hand, leading him into her room. It was warm, Seido thought. And it smelled like her. As his eyes lingered back to her, he realized that she was inspecting him with a contained smile on her face.

“That muddy cloak does not come near my bed!” she stated. Seido couldn’t help but chuckle at her comment. Akiras smile grew wider as she closed the distance between them, her fingers quickly undoing the straps of his coat. Soon, she stripped it off his shoulders, the cloak falling silently to the ground. Seido stepped out of the legs, a little bit self-conscious and feeling somewhat naked. He was now wrapped only in his tight black shirt and a pair of loose pants which both, just like the Cloak, were rather muddy. He sighed and kicked these off as well, standing now only in his boxers. When he looked at Akira, his face flushed slightly red, he couldn’t help but notice her admiring gazes.

“You got muscular” she said, no hints of teasing in her voice. Seido couldn’t help but feel flattered.

“Thanks” he muttered. Still, he couldn’t quite shake his embarrassment and quickly slipped under the covers of Akiras bed. Only a moment later he could feel the warmness of Akiras body at his side. In a quick movement, she cradled her arms around him, and kissed his forehead. “Sleep well Seido” she whispered softly. And Seido knew he would.

#tokyo ghoul seidou #tokyo ghoul takizawa #takizawa tokyo ghoul #seidou takizawa #akira mado #tokyo ghoul #tokyo ghoul re #tokyo ghoul manga #mado akira

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simonsrosebud · 4 years ago

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Imagine how much of a wreck Morgan’s parents are when she goes on her first date

morgan has a resting bitch face, just like kevin. and people at school know exactly who she is, and who her father is. morgan kayleigh day is a force to be reckoned with.

especially on the court.

and one weekend when kevin is free, he and neil get talked into going to the court- her high school, that is, to do some drills. some raven turned fox drills.

except kevin and neil have a habit of calling out in french to one another, and since morgan grew up learning both english and french she easily falls into that when practicing with them.

despite her easy talent with the sport, she’s always had the advantage of the majority of her family, on kevin’s side at least, being involved with exy.

it’s when she’s locking the court doors afterwards that she catches a kid sitting in the stands.

she stops. “were you here the whole time?”

he looks up, and it’s one of the kids from her team, josh. “no, just towards the end.” he shuts his notebook. “sorry, i wasn’t spying or anything, i just... i don’t like studying at the library.”

for midterms, he must mean.

“you’re weird.” but morgan smiles and wipes her face. “you can join next time, if you want. they’re both strikers.”

josh smiles, and shrugs. “i dunno. that’s like asking a three year old to cook for gordon ramsey.”

jesus, he’s a dork.

“who cares? the point in practicing is to get better, anyway.” she starts for the gym doors. “i’ll be here next week at noon.”

she is, and josh comes again, but only watches while he does some homework and takes notes. mainly on neil.

and two weekends after that, he’s geared up on the court by the time morgan rolls in with her father and uncle behind her. and today, andrew’s with them.

josh’s face goes white until he sees andrew retreat to the stands instead of the court.

“you’re playing with us.” morgan sounds surprised. she kind of is. josh is quiet, and shy, both of which her family is not. she didn’t ever expect him to actually join them.

he just shrugs. “if i do bad then i was never here.”

“deal.”

josh doesn’t do terrible. he gets lots of criticism from kevin, not too much from neil. but that’s because he plays more like neil, heart over head.

but josh also sucks up every ounce of help and suggestions and tips offered and puts them to use with ease. he doesn’t waste time with the switch from how he played to how kevin is telling him to play instead.

“you play like josten.”

josh pauses. “really?”

“how he played when i recruited him in high school,” he corrects. “you play like like it’s the last time you’ll play.”

he impresses their coach enough to let him start a game and play it fully halfway like the seniors all tend to do.

the game is on friday, but he’s right there with morgan and her dad on saturday. it’s a lot of one on one while kevin “coaches” from the side.

morgan invites josh over on sunday. they play table tennis in her basement while they talk about random things.

and then they start getting together more often.

and josh gets more playing time, which morgan likes, because he’s a reliable player and isn’t afraid to call for help when his mark is too much. morgan’s seniors don’t do that and it infuriates her because then it’s her fault for not dropping her mark and helping out.

plus, josh calls “get them off” in fast french that morgan taught him, so his mark never sees her coming as a result. it’s helped the team more than they realize.

and then josh starts getting invited over for lunch after going to the court. he meets dalton, who grips his hand a bit hard when he shakes it because this is the kid that’s been making my daughter smile at her phone so often?

and then morgan goes to josh’s for dinner one time.

and at the winter banquet once the high school season is over, morgan sees josh standing outside after one of the guys comes in.

“bored?”

he’s startled. “you too?”

“nah.” she shrugs. “just saw you out here.”

he turns, and his smile returns for a second. “are you cold?”

“oh, no, it’s fine.”

“come on, morgs.” he tosses his jacket to her. and when she puts it on she joins him to lean against the balcony railing.

“how come they spend so much on a banquet we could’ve had in the gym?”

josh laughs. “the aesthetic.”

morgan laughs, and knocks shoulders with him. “i’m glad you liked to study at the court,” she says.

he smiles, and she’s smiling at him, and he just… he kisses her. cause it’s quiet and it’s just them, hiding from everyone else. and because he knows he’s a year younger than her but he likes her so much.

but morgan’s so shocked by it that when he pulls away she pauses.

the look on her face makes josh regrets it. he flees.

morgan doesn’t go back inside for a while, but when she does josh is gone, and she can’t really leave the banquet because she’s a senior and a captain, but when she gets in her car afterwards she leans her head against the wheel.

she drives to josh’s house.

josh lives with his aunt and uncle because his mother died a few years back and his father is in prison. his aunt answers the door.

fuck. i should’ve thought this out. “hi, i’m morgan, i’m on josh’s exy team, is he home?” she asks. “he left his jacket at the banquet.”

“oh! thank you.” she takes the jacket, and morgan panics when it seems like their business is finished.

“can i talk to josh?”

the aunt nods and calls his name, and when josh comes up behind her he ushers her away. he steps outside and closes the door behind him. “hey.”

“hey, sorry for freezing up earlier-“

“no, you did nothing wrong. i shouldn’t have kissed you.“

morgan’s mouth fishes open a little as he rambles on. “you can,” she says. “kiss me again... if you want.”

josh stops. what? “do you really want that? we can be friends instead, i can get over it.”

“no, i’m serious.” she frowns. “um, i like you. sorry, i just, i’m not forward with stuff like this, so i never said anything.”

josh smiles, and when he doesn’t make a move, morgan steps forward and kisses him instead. just a small one. short and sweet.

but josh slides a hand to her waist and chases after her mouth to pull her back in.

“will you go out with me?”

it’s morgan that asks, faces close and hearts pounding. it takes josh by surprise, a bit. she can tell, but he rallies and doesn’t let it bruise his ego that the girl asked the guy out. he actually likes it, thinks it’s nice.

“yeah, can i take you out?”

“like... on a date?”

“what else would you expect?”

“i don’t know.” she shrugs. “just never been on a date before.”

josh takes her out the next day, saturday. and because morgan doesn’t want her dads making a big deal, she only tells them an hour before she gets picked up. “i’m going on a date.”

kevin coughs on his drink, but dalton looks delightfully surprised. “with who?”

morgan shuffles her foot. “josh?”

kevin wipes his mouth. “on your team? the one we know? that one?”

“don’t make a big deal out of it. if you act weird then i’m not going.”

kevin shuts his mouth. he looks at dalton when she continues down the hall. “she’s going on a date?!”

“that’s what she says.” dalton sits next to him on the couch. “you’re freaking out,” he mumbles and kisses him.

“yeah, within reason though, right? our daughter is going on a date.”

okay. dalton sighs. “kev, not to alarm you, but there’s also a good chance she’s kissed a boy by now, too. she’s seventeen.”

kevin frowns. “going on a date is different.”

dalton raises a brow, but ultimately kisses his cheek before getting up to go to the kitchen.

kevin is the one who answers the door to josh, who looks startled for a second before schooling his expression. “hi, kevin.” he doesn’t know whether he should call him mr. day like he did when he first met him, but once he became a regular with practicing with him and morgan on the weekends, kevin told him to ditch the mr. day.

“hey, josh. you’re here for morgan?”

dalton texts morgan that josh is here. for josh’s sake.

“yes, sir.”

kevin nods. “i like you, josh. don’t fuck that up, yeah?”

“absolutely. i-i won’t, i promise.”

morgan slides past kevin and kisses his cheek before spitting quick russian. “leave him alone, dad. we’re heading out, love you.”

“bye josh!” dalton calls with a smile from the hall. morgan is pulling him by the arm, though, so he just waves.

“have her home by eleven!” kevin says. and in french, “be safe, don’t do anything stupid!”

“bye, dad!”

dalton shuts the door. “she’s fine. they’ve hung out before.”

“yeah,” kevin’s pouty. he follows dalton up to their room. “but that’s still my baby.”

#kevin day #bisexual kevin day #the one where someone doesn’t know who kevin day is #OC: dalton miller #dalton miller #kevin day x dalton miller #exy #aftg #all for the game #the foxes #the foxhole court #palmetto state university #palmetto state foxes #morgan day #dad kevin #kalton #neil josten #andrew minyard

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itsmypeach13 · 4 years ago

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[Read only if you are okay with female &female relationships. Warning because of strong language, fighting scenes. Rating is +18]

[Hello my ravens! ❤️It's been an eternity but please welcome my second chapter of my Soma POV fanfic, things will get messy and entangled full of angst and more angst. I hope you'll like it, I spiced things up with flirty Valka and women fighting🤭 Let me know what you think in the comments any opinion/thought is welcome🥺❤️]

TALES OF THE BEAR-HEART: SOMA

CHAPTER II.

Battling Hearts

The soft crackling sound of fireflames embracing hardwood woke me up tenderly. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Revna sitting by the fire sharpening her dagger, preparing for the battle ahead of us. Her raven-black long hair was braided at the sides and neatly It must have been around dawn, but it was still pitch-black outside. Busy voices surrounded us, swords clinked, horses were running up and down impatiently, some people shouted over to the other with instructions. Valka's magical sleep potion put me so well to sleep, that I was surprised at myself how late I could join onboard the ship towards the brewing sea of bloodshed. I had to pull myself together and that only worked with some ice-cold river water and some excercise.

'Good morning Revna'-I greeted my warrior as I swiftly sat up and put on my stone-hard armor.

'To you as well.'-she wiked at me playfully and lifted up the pair of the iconic hammers fixating them on her sides. ' Now you slept well for sure, how is that you sleep the soundest when battle is so near?-she laughed a little and took a sip of water from the table.

'Valka's hand in that.-I raised my brows slightly. 'Sorry, I didn't plan to start like this Revna. I have to go now and freshen up. Shall we meet at the entrance of the longhouse?'

'You're such a womanizer you know that right?'-she held up her tusk. ' Valka is a fine woman, I am happy for you now. I will meet you there nevertheless.'

'Ha!..You're absolutely misunderstanding, but I have to rush now.'- After this conversation, the fine shilouette of Valka's back flashed through my mind from last night. I quickly stepped into reality once I was out of my hut. The Raven warriors painted their faces with red and white strokes, most of them were saddling the horses.

I hurried to the shores of the river nearby, finally allowing my flaming skin to meet with the freezing waves of water. I gathered some liquid in my palms so that I could splash it onto my face over and over again. It felt like a hit on my cheeks that put me into the right battling spirits, and imagining Randvi's head on the enemy's helped a lot also.

I did some stretching and sprinting in the shores, while sloppy waves embraced the land. I was sharpening my axe and asked for Thor's strength and blessing, when I heard cat-like footsteps from behind approaching me.

'Your blade is already sharp enough, Bear-heart'-said Valka smirking, while she walked up to me.

'I could cut down a village with it yes. I guess it's just my ritual before I actually do it.'

'I bought you some food, here, some died figs with bread and a slice of boar meat from last night.'- she kindly handed over the plate.

'Thank you Valka, the gods bless your kind spirit. This will help me to do my best today. For Ravensthorpe..and Eivor.' While I started eating quickly, we sat by the shore and Valka carried on.'

'Soma, you have to remember, whatever happens today, you can count on me, you know where to find me. I saw into your soul last night and found loneliness there. But you are not so alone.' -she stroked my arm then stood up and disappeared in the crowd of warriors.

I was startled a bit, the last piece of bread almost choked me. Was that a friendly invite to her hut? I mean, private hut? I guess she needs cleaning there if you know what I mean. Who would have thought.

***

When I rode to the longhouse, a massive crowd of warriors have gathered in front of the building. The golden locks of Eivor showed up with that deadly, stern smirk on her face. She was riding a snow-white mare with her armor glistening in the awakening morning sunrays. A huge hunnish bow spread on her broad back and two axes were fixated on her sides, one can never be so sure with just one, right? Randvi followed her closely, rumour has it that she is going in battle after long years spent in the map room. I was curious how she would perform outside these walls. Revna joined me swiftly and we quickly caught up with Eivor and other leaders riding in the front.

As if she sensed my closeness, the wolf-kissed greeted me with a wide smile.

'Morning Soma, I hope you are ready to spill some blood today with me.'

How could she know I was ready to do anything with her, my eyes wandered on those rosy lips talking to me. She looked stunning with freshly dried warpaint framing her ocean eyes.

'I will smash skulls today, as my father taught me'I assured her. ' You don't want to make it a contest, I am the champion in this.'

'We'll see, I will beat your ass.' Eivor uttering those words brought me to the depts of my wildest fantasies for a moment. Holy mother of.. A shiver went through my spine as I actually pictured this. 'Okay, whoever wins this beheading game will pay for the best ale in land for a week.'

'That's a deal, officially.'-Eivor agreed playfully.

As we left Ravensthorpe Randvi joined us to briefly go through our plans , and of course to keep an eye on her drengr.

'Hi Soma..I hope you haven't lacked the care and wealth of Ravensthorpe.'

'Thanks Randvi, I had everything I needed' except for Eivor in my bed last night, but I guess that's the VIP package. It’s good I didn’t say this out loud.

'Good. Now our plans are the following. Eivor and you will hide in the thick bushes of the main road on both sides with our archers. When Birna's army is well inside the trap, Eivor will sign you with her horn, then both of your teams will fire and wipe out as many as you can. I will wait for Eivor's horn and join with a group on horsebacks to push them back towards the hills where their camp is. We'll follow them and burn it down to force them out of mainland.

Cheolbert's army will be only used if necessary. They are stationed on the right side of the forest.'

'Smart plan Randvi, I am sure we can protect our people, which is the most important aim, I feel honoured to be here today and lead this army' -Eivor answered then we positioned our forces in the thick undergrowth of the main road. Some archers even hid high on the old oak trees to have a nice and deadly view on the road. Our eyes met with Eivor and I was once again stunned by those piercing blue eyes, radiating godlike power and trust in me. She made me weak with one stern look, this feeling was brand new for me..Soma trembling like a leaf in the autumn breeze? My eyes wandered lower, on Eivor’s bulging arms holding those big, heavy axes.

Revna positioned herself right beside me like a protective bastian ready to spill blood, her hands firmly gripping the two hammers.

’They will eat my hammer for breakfast.’-she whispered to me, keeping her voice down.

A medium group of soldiers were nearing our forces, all of them on horseback.

They were led by a young woman with blood red hair, riding on a pitch-black horse. Just before Eivor could use her horn to give the sign for us to attack them, the enemy started throwing flaming throving balls into the thick and completely dry undergrowth that caught on fire in no time. They knew exactly where we were hiding, forcing us to be distracted for a second and be stunned by their unexpected moves. Revna quickly brought me back to reality with her loud roar she jumped out of the bushes and ranted at our enemy. As if she were a deadly panther, she pulled a man down from his straddle , threw him on the ground finally smashing his face on both sides with her double hammers. What left off that head was forming an unrecognizable mixture of broken bones and flesh.

I joined her swiftly and shouted at all of my men:'Don't just stare, cut all of the bastards down and burn their flesh!' The archers could perform a swift attack from above before the flames got to the upper branches, then joined us from behind our shield wall Eivor was forming with the Ravens.

I quickly got on my horse and joined at the side of Revna, who was sandwiched between two twin shieldmaidens fighting with swords. Just before the bigger one could plunge her longsword into Revna's spine, I trapped her with my axe, agressively pulled her body to mine from behind holding her still for a moment shouting in her face: 'I will burn your whole village for this.' -then I slit her throat and pushed the body down to the dust. My face became sprayed with fresh blood, and I could see Revna kept herself busy, the other one joined her sister in death.

-Thanks Soma, I am glad you have my back, literally -Revna shouted at me with ave.

-I am never late, you know me.-I winked at her assuringly. -someone betrayed us Revna..we have to find that son of a bitch. -I shouted back while I saw a huge man charging at me with a poisoned axe.

-You will die bitch-his deep growl ecoed in my ears as I prepared for defense. I thought I would end him with my wit instead of my valuable strength, I slipped between his legs and cut right into his balls leaving him a suffering mess falling on his knees, and finally collapsing in the bloody pond forming underneath.

-Not today, bastard.-I stated. While we fought our way a little further with Revna I quickly looked behind my back to see how Eivor was holding up. Then I saw the blood-haired war-chief woman charging on her horse at full speed towards the wolf-kissed, she wanted to end Eivor. Her plan was to cut the head of the snake, I saw her green eyes burning with ambition, fury and wrath, she jumped off of her horse slamming Eivor to the ground. Unfortunately, the charging horse killed several men around Eivor failing to hold the shield wall.

I felt my heart beating in my throat , as both Eivor and that killer bitch disappeared from my sight behind the crowd of clashing soldiers.

-Revna, you have to hold this mess, I will be back!-I gave my clear orders to my right hand , and with that I ran into Eivor’s direction as if there was no tomorrow. Many men tried to stop me on my way, but I cut them all, roaring like a beast, both of my arms were drenched in blood. The inner bear has awoken. I saw Randvi charging on her horse towards the same spot, my worry mirrored in her desperate eyes. She fought like an amazon, a tiger let out of her cage , she was never really tamed behind that map table after all. I must admit she fought fiercely. Her long copper braid was dancing around in circles as she slain anyone who got near her. Unexpectedly, her horse got an arrow in the front leg, causing Randvi to fell foward harshly, she was flying several meters from the saddle. The killer-witch had supporter archers at the top of a nearby rock, they were backing their leader and her evil plans.

I didn't have time to care for Randvi, I slammed into the shield wall to see what was happening with Eivor behind it.

The blood-witch was strangling Eivor with her strong arm, Eivor had deep cuts on her own arms and her side. Fuck.. she really didn't see it coming.. oh that fucking bitch ! Eivor wanted to kick her in the face but her legs were entangled in strong hold by that serpent. She fought differently, wrestled her enemy, held the body in position to slowly end it with deadly cuts. I couldn't let her finish her work..my heart would break in two for an eternity..

I grabbed her hair pulling her upwards, while I watched her cry out from the pain.

-Hey, you blood whore, don't you dare to move or I will cut your pretty head off. Eivor broke free swiftly, but instinctively put her right hand on her ribs. I saw a considerable blood stain growing there, which felt like a punch in my stomach. It seemed I actually got one, as the redhead tried to break away. Just before I could end her, I felt a powerful but blunt hit on my back, an arrow's burning head fought it's way into my flesh. I instantly fell on my knees then I started to crawl on the ground ghasping the dust.

Eivor didn't give a fuck about her serious wound on her side she ran towards that sly whore to avenge this mess. Randvi arrived just in time her huge smash with her shield put the escaping rat onto the ground. The blood-witch was cornered and there was no way out. My sight became blurry and I wanted to vomit from the pain that radiated into my chest and my back.

'Tie this one up quickly, we'll inerrogate her at Ravensthorpe. Randvi instructed two soldiers. -Oh God..Eivor you're bleeding-she mumbled with care as she stepped to the wolf-kissed, her eyes wandered on the huge blood stain. Randvi's bottom lip was craked and bleeding, probably from a huge stroke.

'I am fine Randvi, bring our forces left to safety, we have to retreat, now' Eivor's raspy voice echoed, turning to Randvi. 'I can only thank my life to Soma' Eivor hurried to me while Randvi called a retreat to Ravensthorpe, we could defend the way from the woods but it was clearly a trap. Somebody gave valuable information to the enemy, Birna and Ivarr could attack any moment.Both sides lost countless men, the woods was in flames around us.

'My poor bird..' Eivor whispered calmly, holding me in her arms in a second sitting on her knees on the ground. She turned my body really slowly to spare me from the additional pain, I could have screamed out loud in my despair, but I couldn't show the slightest sign of weakness while she was around me.

'I m have to get this out now' she said apologetically, furrowing her brows.

I couldn't speak as I felt my power leaving me, I was close to fainting, so I just nodded and let myself concentrate on those strong arms being folded around me. This was the closest Eivor ever got to me.. my heart was burning and beating fast both from the trauma I endured and the excitement that was ruling over me inside.

'I will be as quick and gentle as possible'Eivor promised with a light smile.

I held onto her arm and mumbled a few words:'Just do it, please..' I closed my eyes knowing what will come.

Eivor clearly had pratice in this, as she firmly held onto the arrow, turned it slightly in my flesh, then pulled it out with a powerful move.

It felt as if a burning blade was turned inside me ripping out my flesh. The pain was undescribable with words, I cried out, my eyes became blurry with tears.

'Fucking GOD' I shouted.

'The worst is over Soma, I promise. I can thank my life to you, so I am in your debt, I will help you through this and bring you to Valka.' Eivor lifted me up, placed one of my arms around her neck and holding my weight with her arms below my knees. ' 'I got you now -she gently stroked my arm and carried me to her horse, we headed back to Ravensthorpe with our forces left , following Randvi's soldiers.

As we rode along those old oak trees I could feel the sweet scent of Eivor's skin around her collarbone as I laid my head on her broad chest. Small sweatdrops were glistening on her perfect face while her ice-blue eyes stayed focused on the road, I could watch this living statue of perfection all day.

Spring breeze played on my cheeks while I closed my eyes to just feel the bumps and turns of the road.

I couldn't get a peaceful monent as my thoughts caused me an inner turmoil. Where the hell was Revna? Did she join to Randvi and her forces? How am I supposed to fight like this? The hardest part of this battle is still ahead of us..I came here to defend Ravensthorpe, not to behave like a whining child. And who was that blood-haired shieldmaiden?

***

#ac eivor #eivor #eivor wolfkissed #female eivor #lady eivor #assassin's creed valhalla #eivor wolfsmal #ac soma #somabearheart #soma jarlskona #eivor x soma #randvi #ac valhalla fanfic

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kittyprincessofcats · 4 years ago

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RWBY Volume 8, Episode 13 (Worthy)

Well, wow. That sure was an episode that happened.

Thoughts under the cut.

Anyone who leaves spoilers for episode 14 on this will get blocked.

- First of all, I want to now talk about the spoiler I saw for this episode last week, to put the anger from my last post into context: After I had just finished watching episodes 8-12 and started writing my post about them, I went into one of the RWBY tags bc I’m dumb and saw a post that said (I don’t remember the exact words, but more or less): “I’m so glad Yang is finally dead, so now her fans can shut up about her and everyone can ship Blacksun instead.”

… Yeah. Imagine seeing that when you haven’t seen the actual episode and have no idea what really happened. I honestly completely panicked for a few minutes, before remembering I don’t actually know anything and this might just be a “Weiss gets impaled in Volume 5, but one episode later it turns out she’ll be fine” situation. So then I had to look up what actually happened to Yang, because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to sleep. So, to the person who made that post: Fuck you. Not only did you freak people out for no reason (because come on, there’s no way falling into the void actually kills you – and even if it does, we at least definitely don’t know that for sure after episode 13), but even if Yang had actually died, it’s super shitty that your first reaction to a beloved queer character’s death would be “yay, now people can ship my m/f ship instead”. Like, I don’t care if you personally dislike Yang/ dislike Bumbleby/ prefer Blacksun – show a little bit of decency.

Phew. Sorry, I had to get that off my chest because it really made me angry. Now let’s get into the actual episode:

- “Worthy” as a title pretty much already made me predict that Cinder would succeed in her plan, since “you have to be worthy” was what Watts told her in his speech. She’s gotten the message and is now back to efficient plans – and while I love to see it, it also very much scares me when it comes to our heroes’ survival chances. The last time Cinder was doing well, we lost Pyrrha, so… help.

- And gosh, this whole episode was so intense! I feel like it mostly set up a bunch of very intense situations that are going to escalate in the last episode that I’m very much not ready for.

- I still think the whole central location between the worlds is really beautiful, if dangerous. (They should have specified to Ambrosius that they want handrails or something.)

- Nora using her hammer like a witch’s broom was amazing.

- I also loved the scene with Jaune and the people at the train station; that was really funny.

- The middle of the desert might not have been the best place for the exit. Didn’t the group consider that there might be a sandstorm or something else unpredictable out there? Couldn’t they have picked a better exit point?

- Cinder causing an explosion in the middle of the evacuation that throws multiple people into the void was bad and all – but it was still one hell of an entrance!

- I love that now that Cinder realized that she has to rely on teamwork, she’s suddenly being so nice to everyone. Apologizing to Neo, complimenting Watts on “tearing the kingdom apart with nothing but his intellect”, that soft “You deserve this, Arthur”, complimenting Team RWBY on their plan, thanking them for teaching her “one last lesson”. Yeah, maybe she’s just talking to Neo and Watts like this because she needs their help, and to Team RWBY because she’s confident she’ll win – but it’s still amazing to see the shift in her attitude and how she’s clearly changed her tactic.

- It’s insane to me that some people correctly predicted that Cinder would ask Jinn the last question based JUST on the fact that there’s a part in the opening where everyone else freezes in time while she walks past them. Holy hell! I love trying to guess stuff based on the intro, but I would have never thought that far.

- Cinder’s question to Jinn seems like a waste considering it was Jinn’s last question, but maybe it just seems that way to us as viewers because Jinn didn’t reveal anything we didn’t already know. Was it the right thing for Cinder to do? I don’t know, to be honest. Yes, it did give her the chance to ruin the heroes’ plans, but I have a feeling Salem won’t be happy about the question being gone. Pretty sure Salem was going to ask Jinn how to get the Beacon relic, and now she can’t do that. (Cinder ruining Salem’s plans for the beacon relic? Let that be foreshadowing, please.) I mean, maybe it’s worth it from Salem’s POV if it gets them the staff and then she’ll have 2 of the 4 relics – but they could have still gotten the staff later, while I don’t know if Salem has any plan B for the beacon relic. And I’m a little worried about Cinder now. I always thought that Salem wouldn’t kill Cinder no matter what, because she still needs the Fall Maiden for the beacon relic – but if she now has to wait another 100 years for the beacon relic anyway, I’m not sure if she’ll have a reason to keep Cinder alive. (And I’m still worried about that “Some lives will end much too soon” line playing over that scene of Cinder clutching her Grimm arm in the opening.) I also wonder if Cinder even knew that this was Jinn’s last question. Did Jinn even tell her that? Also, when will the 100 years even be up? Do the questions just reset every 100 years regardless of when they were used? So maybe we’re already at year 80 or something and will only have to wait 20 years?

- The cut from everyone at the central command place screaming to them being dead was kinda funny in a “very dark humour” way.

- When Harriet first jumped onto that ship with the bomb, I, like an idiot, thought that she was finally being sensible and trying to get the bomb as far away from Atlas and Mantle as possible, not that she was trying to still drop it on Mantle. She and Ironwood might as well be working for Salem’s team at this point, because they’re doing everything to help the villains’ plan. And the villains are even counting on it! Watts freed Ironwood from his cell and is piloting Harriet’s ship. Those two are just straight up helping Salem’s team in their attempts to… what was it? Save Atlas?

- Ironwood killing Jacques was awful and proves once again that Ironwood has zero morals left. And I didn’t like Jacques, but that was the kind of death that absolutely no one deserves. He had no way to escape or fight back, he was defenseless, locked up in a prison cell with nowhere to run – that’s not just a murder, that’s an execution without a trial. And Jacques wasn’t even a threat, he wasn’t in the way of any of Ironwood’s plans. Ironwood killed him literally just because he could. And no one who thinks they’re the good guy (and Ironwood still thinks he’s the good guy) should go around just killing people who aren’t even a threat.

- And then we have Yang falling into the void. Honestly, as heartbreaking as Blake’s sobs and anger are, I kind of love this from a “supreme angst, let’s see my faves suffer” perspective. That said, Yang better actually be fine or else.

- Actually, my prediction is that the rest of team RWBY will jump into the void to save Yang in the last episode. Because they’re all falling in the opening, and because “Sometimes it’s worth it all to risk the fall and fight for every life”. That’s pretty much the only prediction I feel somewhat confident about, for the rest I have no idea.

- I wonder if it would have been better if Penny had just gone through the doorway and gotten the staff to Vacuo. I get why she didn’t, because Yang just fell and her other friends were in danger… but at the same time, she was supposed to protect the population and the staff (and she has the maiden powers that I’m sure Cinder still wants). If she had just gotten out of there, at least the group in Vacuo would have had some help against the sandstorm and the Grimm. But then again, it would have also severely weakened Term RWBY’s chances against Cinder and Neo… it’s a tough call, really.

- “Why didn’t you just learn your lesson?” “Oh, Penny… I did.” Okay, but that’s the thing: She really did! Just not the lesson Penny wanted her to learn. And notice how Cinder called Penny by her first name again? She didn’t use to do that. I still think somewhere down the line Penny has earned her respect.

- I wonder if Penny’s technically weaker now because she’s human (?? is she??). She’s definitely not used to fighting without her robotic parts (as you can see when she tries to reach for her swords and realizes they’re not there anymore). I summoning those swords like she then did her semblance or another maiden power?

- Blake now has to choose between helping Ruby and helping Penny and Weiss – gosh, the suspense…

- I’m glad Vine at least finally tried to stop Harriet now! (Better late than never.) But I really wouldn’t blame Qrow and Robyn for crashing into their ship. It’s not like they had any way of knowing that Vine was trying to talk sense into Harriet. Also, Qrow crashing through Harriet’s windscreen was amazing.

- Winter and Ironwood are going to fight to the death and I’m so scared of it. (I just need Winter to survive, please…)

- When Weiss described the doorway as a “one-way ticket to Vacuo” last episode, I briefly wondered if that meant they wouldn’t be let back through, but then I brushed it aside and didn’t think about it too much anymore. Oh, damn. You really do have to be very specific with Ambrosius.

- I’m not even sure which location is the best to be in right now because they all seem very unsafe: Atlas and Mantle are unsafe because Atlas is falling, because Mantle might still get blown up by Harriet, and because Salem might still come back any time. The place between worlds is unsafe because of the void and because there’s a big fight happening right there. And Vacuo is unsafe because of the Grimm and the sandstorm. So really, they’re all awful for the civilians right now.

- And now I’m thinking the volume might actually end with the protagonists split into three groups as well: Team RWBY in the void (that they’ll spend Volume 9 finding their way back from), one half of the other characters in Vacuo (Oscar, Ren, Emerald, maybe more?), and the other half still in Atlas/Mantle (Qrow, Robyn, Marrow, Winter, maybe more).

- I’m super nervous about the last episode. I haven’t seen any spoilers at all so far, and I plan to keep it that way. I’ll probably completely ignore anything RWBY-related until next week because the anxiety would kill me otherwise. I’m really worried we’ll get a character death or even several. And ironically, my first prediction on who might die this Volume (Penny, Nora, Winter, Cinder) hasn’t changed all that much. I’m worried about Penny because she has the Maiden Powers and the staff, so Cinder will come after her (but I really think it would be an awful writing choice to kill her off after we just went through so much to save her). I’m very worried about Winter because she’s engaged in a duel to the death with a man who has a big canon that he just blew someone up with. I’m worried for Cinder because of the opening and because Salem might be pissed at her for using the last question. I’m worried for everyone who’s still on Atlas and might get blown up by the bomb (Qrow, Robyn, Marrow, Winter again). And I’m very worried for the characters who are in the in-between realm. Not so much Team RWBY, but I’m worried about Nora, Jaune, and Penny. So yeah, I’m pretty much worried about everyone and very much not ready. Now let me ignore RWBY’s existence for a week – or only reblog posts I already have saved as drafts – because it’s the only way I’ll know peace.

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longitudinalwaveme · 4 years ago

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Len Snart’s Creepy/Pathetic Proposals, Part 1

Back in the Silver and Bronze Age of Comics, Captain Cold (aka Leonard Snart) was not yet the undisputed leader of the Rogues. In fact, the Rogues didn’t have a strict leader during this period at all. Sam Scudder, the original Mirror Master, was probably the closest they had to a leader, but he didn’t call the shots in the way that modern Captain Cold does. So, if he wasn’t the Rogues’ grumpy Team Dad yet, what was Len Snart’s calling card during the Silver Age? Believe it or not, it was being a serial romantic (for lack of a better term). While it wasn’t part of every Silver and Bronze Age appearance he made, it still happened with alarming regularity.

The first foray into the world of romance Captain Cold made was in his second-ever appearance, Flash #114, “The Big Freeze”. This story was written by John Broome and drawn by the inimitable Carmine Infantino.

-The story opens with Barry Allen and Iris West driving to a parole board meeting for Len Snart. Apparently, some reporter named Monte Throop has been arguing that Len should be released from prison in the hopes of building publicity for his paper, and the prison is considering releasing him. Iris is going to the meeting to argue against this. “Snart is a vicious criminal who should be kept in prison for life!” She laments that the Flash won’t be able to make it to give his own testimony.

-Bizarrely, this story also implies that Barry is so out of the loop that he didn’t know anything about this publicity-building stunt Throop was doing, up to and including the parole board meeting for Captain Cold, until Iris told him about it. Good work, Barry!

-Regardless, he changes into his Flash costume, makes it to the parole meeting, and argues against Len’s release. A week later, the parole board turns down Len’s appeal, much to his dismay...so instead he just breaks out of prison using a “tiny refrigerator unit! I built it during the past year out of scraps of metal!” SCIENCE!

-Captain Cold somehow gets false rumors spread around that he’s in the Southwest part of Central City. Iris, who’s hearing this over either the television or the radio (can’t really tell which) starts talking aloud to herself for some reason. “A criminal with the incredible abilities of Captain Cold is a terrible menace to society--as Flash and I have said all along! I wonder what sinister move he’s planning next--” Also, she’s wearing a green and orange dress that would compliment the Mirror Master’s costume perfectly.

-”I’ll be glad to enlighten you, Miss West!” Captain Cold, who, as far as we can tell, only knows Iris as that reporter who argued against him getting parole, has arrived in her apartment. How in the heck he knew where it was is anyone’s guess. He explains that he was behind the reports of him being in the Southwest, says that he hasn’t been able to get her out of his mind since he saw her, and then finally launches into his actual purpose for being there.

-Again, the first time Captain Cold saw Iris was at his parole meeting, where she was arguing against him being released. You wouldn’t think that this would inspire any sort of attraction, but I’m not Silver Age Captain Cold, so what do I know? Anyway: “Iris--I love you--and I want you to marry me! I’ll do anything to make you happy!”

-Iris, thankfully, is having none of that. “Marry you? Listen, you creature, I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on Earth!” You go, Iris!

-Len, predictably, doesn’t exactly take this well. “As far as you and I are concerned, Iris, from now on I will be the last man on Earth!” He presses a button on his belt and leads Iris outside, where everyone has been frozen.

-”I’ve sent an impulse of absolute cold across the city--plunging everyone into a state of suspended animation! Only you and I were spared because I took care to protect us by negative radiation!” And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why both Iris West and Len Snart died of cancer.

-”What’s more, nothing can enter this city through the super-cold ice barrier I’ve thrown around it! Either you marry me, Iris, or I’ll never release these people from their spell!” SCIENCE! Also, way to be a creeper, Len.

-Three panels later, the Flash uses his super speed to enter the city. So much for nothing being able to enter the city.

-The Flash runs towards Captain Cold (”There he is--with Iris?!”). Cold immediately goes on the offensive, laying down an ice slick to slow the Flash down and then producing a mirage of a giant mosquito (yes, Captain Cold used to be able to create illusions like the Mirror Master). Flash figures out it isn’t real, so Cold switches tactics. He makes the Flash think that there’s an illusion of a “tremendous glacier”, then creates a real one in the same spot, which the Flash is swallowed up by.

-Flash uses his vibratory powers to break loose (”I broke loose!”, he announces for the logic-impaired in the audience), and then knocks Captain Cold out with “a super-speed backed air punch”.

-Iris tells the Flash how to unfreeze the city, which he promptly does. Len Snart goes back to jail, and Flash changes back into Barry Allen.

-At the end of the issue, Early Silver Age Iris is back: “And if it weren’t for the Flash, you wouldn’t have a girl friend anymore, Barry! Captain Cold was out to marry me at all costs!” Luckily for Iris (and us), this issue was the first and last time Captain Cold went after Iris. As creepy as his romantic endeavors are, at least he always gives up after one attempt, unlike certain other villains I could name. (Eobard, I’m looking at you.)

-The issue ends with Barry saying that “Captain Cold has now been put in a cell he’ll never break out of again.” Tune in again for Flash #129, when Captain Cold breaks out of prison again.

-Also weird: as far as we can tell, Captain Cold was completely unaware that he had a competitor for Iris’ affection.

Stay tuned for part 2!

#flash comics #barry allen #dc comics #captain cold #len snart #iris allen

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wickedobsessed101 · 3 years ago

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"Sewing It Up" Oneshot #9: "March Madness"

Villy’s eyes shot open and she bolted up in bed. Her body told her it was still the middle of the night, but her brain told her she didn’t have much time to make it to the bathroom. She pushed herself up, and stumbled towards the door, one hand covering her mouth as the other trailed along the wall. She finally reached the bathroom, but stubbed her toe on the doorway and fell to her knees, her hands sliding across the cold tiles.

The pain shooting up her leg was the least of her worries; the only thing helping her crawl to the toilet was the adrenaline pumping through her veins and the imminent threat of her stomach forcibly expelling last night’s dinner.

She threw the lid up, not even flinching at the loud clang echoing, taking a few heaving breaths over the toilet until she started hurling.

She had just finished the first wave when she felt someone kneel next to her, placing a hand on her back. “… Geri…”

“I’m right here, Dovey,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her hips as the second wave hit her.

She finished and leaned against him, letting him wipe away the stray hairs sticking to her clammy forehead. She weakly pawed at the handle to flush the toilet, but her arm flopped down, and Geri took care of it for her.

“Was it something you ate yesterday?”

She had eaten an early dinner at the shop with Elphaba, since both of them skipped lunch. “P-Probably.” If it was the reason, she knew it wasn’t the full reason.

“Do you want some ginger tea?”

“No…”

He shifted to hug her closer, wrapping his arms around her stomach, but was quickly pushed away due to the third wave.

“Let it out,” he whispered, rubbing her back and fighting the urge to gag at the smell.

After one more wave, Villy was sure her stomach was completely empty and collapsed against her husband. She still blocked his attempts to touch her stomach, and was glad he settled for holding her hands instead.

“What… time…”

“Almost three. Are you ready to go back to bed?”

She hummed, making a face. “Can we… stay here for a bit?”

“Sure.”

The couple stayed on the bathroom floor. The seamstress felt her eyes grow heavier, but they refused to fully close. She refused the ginger water again, weakly pushing herself out of her husband’s arms.

“Did you turn the lights on?”

“I did.”

“I hope it didn't wake Nyris up.”

“That girl sleeps like a baby.”

Unbeknownst to them, their daughter had been standing in the doorway, witnessing the whole thing.

~~~

A few hours later, the family was having breakfast together. Nyris was unusually quiet, but attributed it to a bad dream she had. She refused to talk about it, but gave her stepmother worried glances at her smaller-than-normal breakfast portions.

“Papa?”

The banker looked down. “Yes, Butterfly?”

“Is Mimsey okay?”

The seamstress went upstairs to take a shower, but the little girl’s mind was still on what she had witnessed earlier that morning.

“She’s okay. Why?”

“Why was she throwing up this morning?”

His breath hitched and he lifted her into his arms. “You heard her?”

“Yeah, and I saw you two.”

He bit his lip, glad the curse word that went through his mind didn't come out his mouth. “She just ate something that upset her tummy last night.”

“That’s why she had a smaller breakfast?”

“Yeah. Her tummy can only handle a little bit of food. But she’s okay now.”

“Oh. Okay.”

He kissed her cheek and returned her to the floor. “I have to go downstairs. Let Mimsey know.”

“Okay, Papa!”

The banker left downstairs to prepare the schedules for the upcoming week, and Nyris started craving apple juice, forgetting about her father’s directions. She ran into the kitchen, pulling a chair over to the cabinet above the counter, and grabbed her favorite kitten cup. She considered jumping off the chair, then remembered that her father wasn’t there to catch her like he always did, and settled for sitting down and sliding off, instead. She sat on the couch, taking advantage of the fact that neither parents were there to correct her, but a noise from upstairs made her freeze.

She heard that noise before. Her lip quivered as she slowly climbed up the stairs, walking down the hall and stopping in front of the bathroom.

“Mimsey?” she whispered, pushing the ajar door open.

Her stepmother was kneeling in front of the toilet, her wet hair clinging to her face and neck, clad in only her fuzzy, pink bathrobe. She didn’t notice the little girl as another wave of nausea hit her, which quickly made her eject more of her breakfast.

“You can have my apple juice,” she said, gently pressing the cup into her hands once she flushed and leaned away from the toilet.

Villy wordlessly brought the cup to her lips, taking small sips while preparing for her stomach to possibly reject it. When it calmed instead, she relaxed more, reaching up and feeling for the hand towel. She wiped her mouth, but stiffened slightly when Nyris climbed into her lap. She really didn’t want to be touched, but she had a feeling the little girl needed some comfort too, but for what reason, she didn’t know.

“Mimsey?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re not gonna die, right?”

“Wh-What? What makes you ask that?”

“Papa said Mama used to throw up like that, then she died. I don’t want you to die!”

Villy placed the cup on the closed toilet lid and pulled the now-hysterical girl closer, kissing her hair. “No, Jellybean. I’m okay. I just… have an upset tummy.”

“That’s what Papa said, but that was because of last night, not now. He said you were okay now.”

“I…” She didn’t want to tell her stepdaughter the real reason behind her sudden sickness. She wanted to tell her husband first, and Nyris wasn’t known for her secret-keeping abilities. She simply settled for rubbing her back, trying to console her as she cried into the fluffy robe.

“You promised you would stay with me forever,” Nyris whimpered, the first sentence Villy was able to fully understand.

“I’m not going anywhere, Nyris. People get sick, but then they rest and get better.”

“Are you gonna rest today?”

She chuckled softly. “I think I should.”

“Okay. Papa told me to tell you he’s in the library.”

“Thank you, Jellybean.”

Nyris hummed and wiggled out of her arms, skipping out the bathroom. The seamstress slowly pushed herself up and finished getting ready.

The day was fairly quiet. Geri tried to get through piles of paperwork, and Villy was taking it easy. When the banker finally emerged for a much-needed break, he paused at the sight before him.

His wife was fast asleep on the sofa, and out of the corner of his eye, he sees Nyris carrying one of the blankets from the hall closet, most of it dragging behind her rather than in her arms. He silently watched as the six-year-old delicately draped the blanket over the sleeping seamstress. His heart melted when Nyris brushed her hair from her face and kissed her forehead. She whispered something he didn’t catch, but he swore he saw his wife’s lips twitch.

“Mimsey’s sleeping, Papa,” Nyris whispered, putting her finger to her lips when she noticed him approaching.

“Okay,” he whispered back, lifting her into his arms and kissing her cheek. “I’ll be very quiet and gentle, just like you.”

“That’s how Mimsey tucks me into bed. I like taking care of her. If I take care of her, she’ll get better… and won’t die like Mama did.”

He blinked. “What?”

“If I’m gentle and help her get better, she won’t die, and she’ll be able to stay with me forever, just like she promised. She won’t throw up and be tired anymore.”

“Butterfly…” He didn’t know what to say. He knew his little girl was very perceptive and smart, and had a lot of questions, but despite what she thought, he didn’t have the answer to everything.

“Can I have a snack, please?”

Luckily for him, she could be easily distracted. And snacks always took precedent. “Sure.”

That evening, after dinner (where Villy ate slightly more), the family settled out in the garden. Nyris checked on the flower buds, and she and Villy started planting their lima beans and tomato seeds.

Villy and Geri settled on the porch as Nyris sang to the sprouts. “I’m gonna get ready for bed,” Villy said, kissing her husband’s cheek.

“Trying to get out of bath time?”

“It’s your turn, anyway. And the bedtime story. So you can stay right here and enjoy the concert.”

“The child can’t pick a key,” Geri said, wincing as Nyris hit an off-key high note.

She chuckled. “Perhaps we should consider voice lessons.” She patted his arm and stood, going back inside.

She was brushing her hair at her vanity when she heard the door open and her husband’s footsteps.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“You’re gonna have to be a bit more specific.”

“The display you’ve set up on the table. Candles, wine, covered trays, the sexy negligee…” He paused. “You were expecting me, weren’t you?”

She chuckled. “Yes.”

He uncovered the tray, revealing an array of pastries. “We’re you still hungry?”

“No.” She stood, nervously wiping her hands on the negligee. She was startled when she felt Geri’s arms wrap around her. She hadn’t heard him cross the room.

“You look ravishing,” he whispered, tangling his fingers in her hair.

“Mmm… we need to talk,” she moaned, melting into his embrace.

“What… now?” he pouted.

“Yes, honey.”

“Why?”

“What we’re doing now is the reason we need to talk.”

He blinked. “Sorry, sweetheart, I’m not following.”

She shook her head, figuring it was just better to do it. “I have a present for you,” she said.

The banker paused. “It’s not my birthday, nor Lurlinemas, nor ‘Give Your Husband A Random Gift Day’… is it?”

Villy rolled her eyes. “No.”

“Our anniversary’s next week,” he said, as if she was the confused one.

“Your present’s on your nightstand. Stop trying to figure out why and go get it.”

He went over, grabbed the neatly wrapped box, and tore off the paper like a child opening a birthday gift, while his wife waited patiently for his reaction.

“They’re… shoes.”

“Yes.”

“Baby booties. Why did you give me… I can’t fit them, neither can Nyris, and you –“ His voice died down as the realization hit him. “Dovey…”

“Hmm?”

He didn’t answer, his breath hitched, then quieted. “You… you’re pregnant?”

“Uh-huh,” she nodded, blinking away tears.

“We… we’re gonna have a baby?”

“Yeah.”

“That explains the morning sickness.”

She laughed. “I’ve known for a few weeks, but didn’t want to say anything until after the first trimester. But after today’s fiasco, I figured I’d held the secret long enough.”

“When?”

“I’m around twelve weeks, so late August. I know this is really soon, and we haven’t even been married for a full year yet, but –“

“But that doesn’t matter,” he said, gripping her hands. “I love you, and I’m so happy.”

“I love you, too.”

“So, tomorrow, we’re gonna tell our daughter you’re not dying, right?”

“She said that to you, too?”

“… Too? She asked you?”

“You know you have an inquisitive daughter.”

“Dear Oz…”

#sewing it up #oneshot #march madness #surprise #fanfiction #fanfics #faesflower #ocappreciation #family fluff #blind character #pregnant #series #threads of truth #oc #my ocs

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isoscele · 3 years ago

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Lumberjanes Week Day 2 - Magical Creatures

It can be boring, learning to tie a knot. Seafarin’ Karen has sympathy for the kids who just can’t sit still, can’t twist their fingers right, lose track of the turns of the rope. She’s got a steady store of work songs saved for those moments when the twitchier ones start to shift around. That part everyone likes; you don’t become a Lumberjane without harboring some secret need to be a part of something bigger than yourself.

Sometimes, though, they’ll ask for a story. She’s got plenty of those, too. It used to be that she wasn’t so good at telling them. Couldn’t get the feeling across--the way the ocean opens out in front of you like an empty hand, and you can’t decide which of your lonelinesses is in the driver’s seat today. Like most things, though, she’s had a lot of practice, and she can now proudly say that she can captivate any audience of preteens.

Sometimes, there’s a kid who has a few more questions. It’s always the ones with the bitten nails, whose skin is a little tighter under the eyes like they haven’t been sleeping. The ones who scan the horizon, heartbeat-quick, when nobody’s looking. They want to know if she’s ever run into anything she really can’t explain, anything that the pre-dawn shadows still sometimes take the shape of.

And--well, okay.

One more story can’t hurt.

What you may not realize about going to sea to seek your fortune is that, in the single act of pushing out from shore, you’re giving up control completely. Maybe you’re used to that--maybe you live with three generations of women who talk about the family blemishes through clenched, smiling teeth and shave with religious devotion. Maybe it’s better this way.

Still, the day will come when you wake up just before the first fingers of dawn pry open the horizon, and your brain will feel like a shipwreck and you will realize that you have misplaced several months of your life.

You won’t know where they went. They can’t have drowned, or marooned, or beached themselves on the rocks. You can’t have just set them down and forgotten where you put them. Only yesterday, you were falling asleep to a sickening heat and a whale song that blanked out your thoughts, and now you are very far away and somewhere in the future and your arms are covered in tentacle-shaped scars that you cannot recall getting. Your galley is stacked with messages in bottles. Your deck is littered with broken glass.

The moon is waxing. You check every time you look up, more out of habit than necessity because yours is a misaligned curse. The air is frigid, and as you watch it starts to snow. You had forgotten that it could snow in the ocean. For a moment, you wonder if you have accidentally left the planet, if you have sailed all the way to some other world where everything is twice as beautiful and there is no land and nothing except for you and the water and the snow.

You should be freezing, but your body is used to these temperatures. It has, it seems, acclimated without you. Still, you rub your arms, note the patchiness of your skin. Your teeth are longer, and sharp enough to saw through rope, but you don’t pay that part any mind. You came here to become something else, after all.

And so you let the snow, golden in your lantern-light, fill your vision until you can’t see anything but the white fog of your breath and the black of the sea. And then you go into your cabin and make yourself some hot cocoa.

You almost fall asleep like that, hands curled around your mug, listening to the gentle shh-shh of water slapping the sides of your boat. You almost dream--jellyfish the size of islands, driftwood blackened by the scrawl of a different language. Carving shaky maps into the sycamore-sized shark tooth lodged in the side of the hull, your pocketknife slipping against its plaque. Singing sea chanties under your breath, all too aware of the attention they might draw.

You’re startled from your spot when the boat starts to rock, faster and with more strength than you’ve ever felt. You stumble out to the deck, hand still curled protectively around your cold cocoa, but the moment you burst through the doors your entire world flashes white.

Your foot catches on a patch of melted snow, and you go down hard.

For a moment, writhing in the unearthly light, you’re certain that you’re dead. Maybe you died in the months you forgot, woke up without knowing you were supposed to be a ghost. Maybe this is the ocean’s way of reminding you.

The light is so bright that it makes every bone in your body warp with pain. It bends the world around you. Even the horizon and the ocean and the moon, the three fixtures by which you’ve lived your life, crumble into nothing under its gaze.

You don’t realize you’re shouting until another voice cuts into yours, one as deep and loud as a whale song.

WHAT DID YOU SAY, she says.

You squeeze your eyes shut. Angel, alien, something in between. The deep, finally getting its jaws around you. “What are you?”

She doesn’t respond, so you look up again. It’s stupid to, but you can’t help it.

The light hasn’t dimmed at all, but your eyes are adjusting a little. You can just make out her outline.

She’s huge, and wrapped entirely around your ship. Most of her body is black and slick and leathery, and her hands are webbed, cupping the sides of the boat like a child holding a toy.

The light, with all its infinite and terrible brightness, dangles from a stalk on her forehead. Behind it, you can just make out her teeth.

You understand two things at once, flat on your back with snow scavenging your skin and the light burning into your eyes. One, anglerfish are only ever found in the deep, built to hypnotize fish who have never seen light.

Two, you must therefore now be in the deep. It doesn’t matter that your head’s above water, that the moon must still be pulsing weakly somewhere above you. In some way, in some world, you have found yourself in the deep.

Here is another thing you may not realize about going to sea to seek your fortune: there will always be a hole in your maps. You will sketch coastlines into a thousand pieces of paper, the underside of the table, the loose skin of your hands, and there will always be a spot where the ink never dries. Where your finger skates across the surface, landing on the other side.

A patch of sea, no bigger than the pad of your finger, that balks all attempts to be charted.

In this no-man’s-land, the anglerfish woman will pick you up with one clammy hand, hold you up to her enormous, pearly eye. The flesh of her fingers will press against you in damp sacks. She will smell so much like salt that even you, who have smelled nothing else for years, will find yourself unconsciously leaning closer.

Bioluminescent strands of hair extend from her chin and stomach and the baulds of her knuckles, tracking slow lines through the snow. Her eyes will follow you, huge and pale and glistening. Her teeth--God, you can’t even think about her teeth. Her teeth must look the way the ocean does to a person who has never seen the ocean. The way the stars do to a newborn animal just opening its eyes.

Her light sways, flurried by an endless smudge of snow. She’s absolutely, unfathomably beautiful.

YOU ARE VERY STRANGE, she says. AND VERY WARM.

You can’t speak. You can’t remember if you ever could.

YOU ARE TOO SMALL TO HAVE SURVIVED THIS FAR. BUT HERE YOU ARE.

“Here I am,” you manage. “I’m--I’m very glad to be here. With you.”

Silence. She circles your boat, holding you aloft. YOU MUST BE STRONG.

You don’t know if this is an observation or a piece of advice. Regardless, you nod. You can feel your bones stretch, wanting to shift. You don’t know what that means, the way the oldest thing inhabiting your body aches to be with her.

You lean against her massive ridge of wrist. The ocean laps at your sides, seeping in through the gaps of her fingers. The snow, lit both by the moon and by her, blisters across your skin. Here, you feel both all-consumed and all-consuming. You feel wild, invincible, incalculably small.

But you are a guest here, and it’s time for you to remember that.

“Would you like some hot cocoa?”

One last thing you may not realize about the sea is that it changes when you aren’t looking.

Years later, when your skin is rougher and your muscles are harder and your brain chemistry has begun to lean towards the wilderness, you will again seek out the holes in your maps. Driven only by the salt under your nails and a mad memory of light, you will station yourself at the mast and wait to lose some time.

But instead of ocean, instead of massive hands and beautiful teeth, you will find yourself in the middle of a lake surrounded by forest.

Again, your body will know this landscape like its own. You won’t be afraid, even as you stare into the shallows.

And then, maybe, a woman will emerge from the treeline, her hair perfectly coiffed, her shirt starched, badges stretched across her chest like so many scales.

And maybe she will look at you like she has never been less surprised in her life. And she will open her mouth, and she will say--

but this story’s run long. Seafarin’ Karen can read an audience with the best of them. The kids are shifting around again, and the knots look great, and it’s almost time for their hike, anyway. She should probably let them go.

With any luck, they’ll have a good summer. It’s the only hope she holds onto, these days.

#i normally wouldn't ever say this about a lumberjanes fic but i want to make it clear here that seafarin' karen 100% would bang #in case that wasn't obvious #lumberjanes #lumberjanes week #my writing

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six-of-brides · 4 years ago

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Wretched And Divine: FEAR Transmission 1: Stay Close

Co-writer: @x0-emoidiot-x0

Person we reached out to for help (I have no idea what else to call them) @anxiousreject

Heather

As I creep silently between the tall stone buildings of the FEAR headquarters, I try to be as quiet as possible. I can pretend to be here for other reasons, but if they knew my true intentions, they’d be after me for sure. There would be no chance of survival.

I hope my kin made it out after running away... Did they find someplace safe? Did someone take them in? Someone who is on our side? Someone who can help them stay safe? There’s no guarantee I’ll be able to tell without seeing it myself. Right now, I do not have time for that. I have a mission, and I’ll worry about them after. I’m already on a tight schedule, and I can’t figure out where they are right now. Right now, worrying is time I don’t have. All I can do now, is hope and pray they’re safe.

“Can I help you, miss?”

I freeze in my tracks.

Play it cool, Heather

“Yes, actually. I need to know where the army is. I have some information on the Wild Ones. I need to get that into their database.”

traitor, traitor, traitor I think to myself.

No, that’s not true. Think of your goal. Find the army’s whereabouts. Get the information to Prophet. Don’t get caught

“Do you know anyone that works with the rebels?”

“No.”

Of course you do. Your husband is probably off wreaking havoc on their forces

“Do you work with the Wild Ones?”

I mock offense. I think I took a cue from my daughter.

Good lord, I miss her.

“How dare you say such blasphemy! Of course I do not work with those traitors!”

You don’t know if he’s alive. For all you know, he died in a hole underground the minute you turned your back on him.

I guess that’s a lie. I do take information to them so they know what to do. Tonight, I’ll try and get some answers. I’ll ask the Wild Ones what they know about the location of my husband and daughter at the moment. I just hope they know something. They might know about Abigail, but you’re never supposed to give your real name as an adult, they probably won’t know anything else.

“Wherever Abigail is, my husband is never too far away.” I remind myself.

I’m a spy, I don’t pretend to join the side of FEAR. As far as my parents are concerned, I’m asleep right now, when I’m actually out past curfew stealing information.

If only you could see your little girl now

Suddenly, I hear a voice over an intercom, meant so only the others working here can hear it, I know from the last few times I’ve been here. I get out a pad of paper that I find lying around. This will tell me their next plan of action, I can get it out to the Wild Ones, let them know what they need to do next. I listen closely and prepare to take in the next words I’m about to hear.

“We expect a battle for humanity is about to begin. With each uprising, a fake sense of safety will ignite in you, an unseen shadow will slip from doubt towards those who protect you and defend you. But the thoughts slip away, and remain calm. Stay close to FEAR. Only we can protect.”

The information on this loudspeaker is all bullshit meant to keep the soldiers of FEAR in check, so they don’t question their positions. This is their only way of knowing what they’re going to do.

They expect a rebel attack soon, they could be ready for anything. They don’t say anything about moving into what they suspect is rebel occupied territory, but they are talking about the battle in general. This means they most likely expect an attack on their end, so they are prepared to defend.

I have to get this information out to The Prophet. A lot of running, even more quiet. I can’t be seen or heard by anyone. Once again, if I get caught, I get killed.

“Ah, Heather. Thought I’d find you here.”

Are there more people up this time of night?

“Why are you here?” It comes out more sharply than I intended.

His horns bang on the door. I restrain the laugh.

He looks at my arm. The ink is showing.

His mask prevents any emotion coming out of his face, but I can still feel the disappointment.

“Still haven’t gotten that removed.”

“I don’t feel the need.”

“You know tattoos are a surefire ticket to hell.”

Pretty sure the Bible was referring to pagan symbols, but okay. I guess.

He goes, and I can finally breathe easily.

I get the file I need. It lists all the supplies at FEAR’s disposal for battles. Quietly putting it in my coat, I sneak out.

I start walking quietly through the hallways and corridors of the main building before I sneak out the door and through the gates. From there, I start walking back in-between the buildings. I need to be extra quiet here, because the guards always patrol these areas, looking for people like me.

I see one walking in my direction, and I instantly duck into the shadows. They can’t see me here, or at least, I don’t think so. The guard keeps walking this way and looks into the shadow. My heart is beating hard, so loudly that it’s the only thing I can hear. This calms down when the guard turns away and keeps walking.

“Are the supplies here?” He says to someone else I can’t see. I scramble for my paper.

“Yep. We got ‘Em good the last time. Thanks to Deviant. Then we knocked him out and killed the bastard.”

knew he was no good, that traitor. Glad he’s gone

“We can’t let them get away. They’re planning something. I can feel it.”

“We should go there now.”

The guard shakes his head. “We only have slightly more soldiers than they do. We need to wait.”

“I desperately want them in Hell now.”

“So do I. But if we go now, we won’t accomplish doing God’s work in getting rid of these Heathens.”

When the guard is finally out of sight, I walk away and keep walking until I get closer to the outskirts of the city. At this point, I just start running. I don’t need to be quiet anymore, but I do need to be fast. This information needs to get to them as quickly as possible, so they can plan their next steps carefully with as much time as they can get.

The roads begin to fade into vast amounts of sand. Nothing but sand and dirt now. Definitely getting more out into the desert. I run faster until I run out of breath. When I stop to take a breath, I look up and see the rebel camp in front of me. I’m getting closer. I keep running until I reach Prophet’s tent, the largest one around.

I walk in and see him staring into space. Somehow, his lipstick has been unaffected by the sand.

“Prophet.”

He quickly jumps up and grabs a knife before he notices it’s me.

“Oh, thank God. It’s just you.”

“I’m just as scared.”

“I’m not frightened.”

lies

“FEAR isn’t planning an attack, but they’re prepared for us to attack them. You don’t have to prepare for their immediate presence, but you need to prepare for what may come from attacking them. And here..” I hand over the file to him “is a record of what they have. You actually have an advantage on recourses in a few areas.”

He looks as if he may now be scheming a plan for their next battle. I hope everything goes well for them, they’re our biggest hope to defeat FEAR.

“Also, on a side note. Your makeup game is on point.”

Thank you.” He blushes. He actually blushes.

I guess he’s not used to it.

“I still remember everyone’s comments.”

There’s a pause of silence.

“People suck.”

“I know.” He says.

Another pause.

“Anyway, thanks again.”

I decide to ask him about my husband and daughter.

“Hey, um..can I ask you a favor?”

He closes the file and looks up at me.

“Sure. What is it?”

“I need you to find someone. Black hair that’s shaved on one side, narrow face, blue eyes..”

“Savior’s with us.” Prophet grins. “Abigail looks like her father.”

“She does.” My smile grows bigger.

I go through the information in my head.

They’re here, fighting alongside them. My husband has taken on a new name, he goes by Savior, Abigail kept her real name. I breathe a sigh of relief.

“You can see them, if you want. I don’t think there’s anything Savior wants more than to see you.”

It’s so tempting. Even a week apart is unbearable. But I can’t.

I wish I had time to talk more, but I have to hurry back. I have a bigger chance of being caught in the day, and my parents will at least get suspicious if they find that I’m not home.

I start running again until I get back into the city. I don’t have to be as sneaky, but still have to be quiet. There are still people willing to report me for being out so late. I keep walking, ignoring the pain in my feet from doing so much walking and running until I get back home.

When I reach the house, I decide to sneak in through my bedroom window. I’ll wake someone up if I sneak in through the door instead. I get inside, close the window, and check the time. Two-fourty-five. About four hours until the sun comes up. That leaves me with plenty of time to rest.

I can do less worrying about where they are, but now I’m worried about what’s going to happen to them during battles. Abigail’s just a kid, they probably wouldn’t have her fighting, but now that they have “Savior” as a soldier, he could get hurt easily. I don’t know if he’s just a normal soldier, though. After all, he does have those powers. New ones, even. That would put him in a higher position than before, greater risk of being captured.

Then my thoughts get the best of me.

The FEAR officials have always wanted to get their hands on one of the Wild Ones’ higher-ups. They want Prophet because he’s the leader, but they claim that any one of them would work. I‘m even more worried about what could happen to them. Well, I can rest easy knowing that they’re alive and with someone trustworthy…

#andyblackveil #wretched ans divine #bvb #black veil brides

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wordsablaze · 3 years ago

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15~ someone you can trust

tell me your problems (i’ll chase them away) Internal scars can be difficult to deal with but Eskel vows to heal any that Jaskier is weighed down by if it’s the last thing he does…

A/N: okay so i’m sorry it’s been ages but here’s a slightly longer than usual dose of these dorks being in love that i hope compensates :)

previous chapter

@random-nerd-3 @betaray-jones @w-s-kibela @in-love-with-writing002 @screaming-flapjacks @havenoffandoms @lasaga666 @mayastormborn @alllthequeenshorses @little-piece-of-tamlin @selectivegeekwithstandards

Eskel wakes in an empty bed.

It’s more than a little disorientating because the last thing he can truly recall is getting onto Scorpion and he has no idea how they got back to the inn - if he really had been that injured and unaware of his surroundings, he doesn’t want to think about how low his chances of getting back in other circumstances would have been.

“Jaskier?” he asks as he bolts upright, then winces as the healing wounds on his back complain that he’s moved too fast. Giving himself a moment to adjust, he rolls his shoulders and swings his legs over the side of the bed.

He doesn’t get a reply, obviously, but Eskel can hear singing from below and he assumes the bard must be performing. He has no idea how Jaskier can perform for several days in a row, especially with his logic that every performance deserves his best efforts, but it’s impressive to say the least.

By the time he gets downstairs, the noise has died down almost entirely, which he’s been around long enough to know means the performance is close to ending. He orders food for both himself and Jaskier before settling at the only empty table, not bothering to ask for a drink because he’s more than sure Jaskier’s rose song will take care of that. And as expected, both Jaskier and two pitchers arrive at the table within the next few minutes.

“Eskel! What are you doing? Aren’t you meant to be resting?” Jaskier asks a little breathlessly before grabbing a drink and promptly finishing most of it.

He shrugs. “I’ve had long enough to rest.”

Jaskier smiles, then notices the plates and his eyes light up. “And you managed to get us food!”

Eskel frowns; he really didn’t think acquiring food would be considered such a hardship. Before he can ask what’s so special about it, Jaskier starts eating and, not wanting to interrupt that, he does the same. Except it’s not the same because Jaskier is doing something odd with his hands, in the sense that he seems to be trying not to do anything with his hands despite eating with them.

“Are you okay?” Eskel blurts.

Jaskier freezes mid-chew and smells like sharp panic for a good few seconds before he shakes his head and swallows, then nods quickly. “Of course. Whatever made you think otherwise, darling? I could not be better!”

Well, that’s not very convincing.

“Jaskier? Why are you lying?”

This time, Jaskier stops eating altogether. He smells like ash and mud and burnt vegetables and Eskel only has enough time to deeply regret his words before Jaskier is gone, an empty mumbled excuse hanging in the air between them as the red of the bard’s doublet disappears through the door.

Eskel curses.

He wants to immediately follow Jaskier like he had last time but he can’t just leave his lute lying around; he deposits it back in their room as fast as possible before leaving the inn, closing his eyes for a moment and letting himself seek out the warm honey and ink that the bard seems to leave a trace of wherever he goes.

Left.

Then right.

And right again.

Through a very narrow alleyway.

Left.

Around a bend.

And past a broken gate.

“Jaskier?” Eskel calls softly, but it’s not like he needs to; he’s in what seems to be an isolated patch of wildflowers and it’s clear which way the bard has run through them. Trusting his instincts, he walks over to the nearest tree and leans against it, sighing softly. “I apologise, bardling, I didn’t mean to… upset you. I was just worried, is all.”

He counts a full minute before Jaskier lands beside him. Literally lands beside him because he’d apparently been in the tree. He blinks, resisting every urge in his body that tells him to jump backwards, and glances over Jaskier, happy to find him uninjured at least.

“I didn’t mean to worry you,” Jaskier says quietly.

“You didn’t,” Eskel says immediately, then shakes his head when Jaskier raises an amused eyebrow at him. “Well, I suppose you did. But I only meant that you don’t need to lie if uh, if you’re not alright.”

Jaskier bites his lip as if he hadn’t considered that and whether or not Eskel had been worried before, he definitely is now. Still, he waits for Jaskier to finish contemplating whatever it is he’s contemplating, unwilling to risk offending him further and ruining yet another of his days - the bitter expression on the bard’s face when he’d thought Eskel was leaving yesterday is still fresh in his memory.

“I wasn’t lying,” Jaskier says eventually, his voice oddly thick, “I’m fine. I’m merely tired from playing for such an unprecedentedly energetic crowd but it's nothing a lovely meal and warm bath won’t fix. In fact, I very recently purchased some lovely rose oils and I simply cannot wait to use them.”

“Why didn’t you just say so back at the inn?” Eskel asks. Ash mixed with lavender. Something bad along with something good. Eskel has no idea what to make of Jaskier’s emotions because the bard himself can’t seem to pick between them.

Surprisingly, Jaskier steps back. “Alright so I may quite possibly be lying now. In truth, I didn’t purchase any rose oils because Alija ran out and I couldn’t bring myself to bother her with a singular order and really, that would take a week and a half at the very least, at which point we’d be long gone and it wouldn’t be worth all the hassle anyway. Did you know there are several different types of rose oils and only two of them are truly suitable for-?”

“Jaskier. Stop, please,” Eskel interrupts.

He stops.

Eskel sighs deeply before offering the bard what he hopes is a reassuring smile. “Did something happen yesterday?”

Jaskier just shrugs, smirking a little. “Nothing out of the ordinary, really. Giving an excellent performance, saving a ridiculous witcher, acquiring a meal free of charge, the usual results of my endless charm.”

“Then why did you run?” Eskel asks. He hates how this feels like some kind of interrogation but he can’t understand why the bard had gone from enjoying his food to seeking refuge in a tree and he doesn’t want it to become a recurring mystery.

“I don’t… I don’t know?” Jaskier replies eventually, frowning. But when Eskel says nothing because he knows better than to believe that, Jaskier sighs. “I just thought it’d be better if I gave you space. You’re already injured, I didn’t want to make it worse.”

There’s a moment in which Eskel debates on whether or not to tell Jaskier that he’s done nothing but somehow make life impossibly better, but he decides against it for the time being. Instead, he gently nudges Jaskier and shakes his head. “I didn’t need space. It’d have been better if you’d stayed.”

Jaskier blinks at him. “You mean that? Even though I, uhm, lied?”

“You don’t owe me total honesty,” Eskel replies, shrugging, “I was only asking in case there was something I could do to help.”

He doesn’t like the way Jaskier looks as though that’s a foreign concept to him. He also doesn’t like the way he’s immediately filled with the urge to find whoever’s responsible for that and make them regret it - he’s not even sure how he’d do that to be honest.

“As much as I appreciate that, darling witcher, I’m afraid it’s merely a consequence of providing so much bardic goodness to the world, nothing to be done about it. Should we- that is, would you like to return to the inn?” Jaskier asks, and still it’s unclear exactly what emotions he’s experiencing.

Eskel swallows down the instinct to ask anything more and simply holds out his hand. Jaskier hesitates for only a moment before a wide grin spreads on his face - accompanied with the scent of honey and ocean waves so he knows it’s not forced for the sake of politeness - and he slides his fingers into the gaps between Eskel’s.

Gods, he’s addicted to the feel of their hands being connected.

“I ought to thank you,” Jaskier whispers as they begin walking. “I simply have to thank you, really. For- for following me. I can’t say I was expecting it but I greatly appreciate it.”

“How did you learn to climb trees so well?” Eskel asks, unsure of how to react to such gratitude, glad that walking means he doesn’t have to face the heavy sincerity in Jaskier’s eyes.

Jaskier chuckles, squeezing his hand. “How else was I meant to observe the life of witchers without being devoured or torn apart or meeting some other equally ugly end?”

Eskel splutters on nothing in particular, turning to face the bard with wide eyes. Jaskier only raises an eyebrow and tilts his head to the side, and Eskel is abruptly reminded that he’s not the first witcher to be claimed by a bard.

“So you’d… watch from above?”

“Sometimes,” Jaskier replies, turning his head back towards the road, though his gaze seems to go somewhere far beyond the path, into a past that Eskel cannot follow no matter how hard he tries. “It wasn’t always an ideal plan if the monsters could climb too. Or fly.”

He thinks Jaskier’s pulse quickens but it’s back to normal before he can question it, and he wonders - not for the first time but certainly more deeply than he has before - just how different this version of the bard is from the version that Geralt had half-heartedly grumbled about over several winters.

Jaskier gasps sharply as they get back to the inn, letting go of Eskel’s hand and sprinting inside. When he too enters, Jaskier is standing by the table they’d previously occupied, his teeth worrying his lip as he frantically glances around.

“What is it?” Eske asks, concerned by the abrupt shift in mood.

“My lute! I left her behind! Eskel, I left her and she’s gone! Oh, how could I have been so careless? Stupid, stupid, stupid-”

“Wait, wait. Jaskier, your lute’s back in our room,” Eskel interjects, placing a hand on his arm and gently pulling his hand out of his hair where he’d started to pull on it.

“Back in our… what?” Jaskier trails off, predictably heading straight for the stairs as soon as the words register.

This time, he enters the room to see Jaskier kneeling on the floor, cradling his lute to his chest as if it were his child. Not that Eskel has much knowledge of what it’s like to cradle or be cradled but he’s been alive long enough to gather as much.

“I can never thank you enough,” Jaskier declares when their eyes meet.

Eskel’s face heats up and he shrugs, shutting the door behind him. “It was the least I could do, bardling.”

“You are impossibly considerate, my darling,” Jaskier says in the same no-argument tone, placing the lute down gently before rising to his feet and throwing himself at Eskel, his arms looping around the witcher’s neck.

None of Vesemir’s training had ever prepared him for anything like this.

“Your… your darling?” Eskel echoes. He knows Jaskier had referred to him as his witcher before but that was halfway in jest and regardless, to be known as someone’s witcher is hardly the same as to be known as someone’s darling.

Jaskier pulls back, his palms settling against Eskel’s cheeks, the tips of his fingers sliding ever so nicely into his hair. “Are you alright with that?” he asks, his breath just about brushing over Eskel’s lips.

Eskel is honestly too busy wondering what he’s supposed to do with his hands to consider the concept properly. Thankfully, Jaskier seems to realise that and his sour-scented nerves dissolve into amusement, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiles warmly, his thumbs tracing small curves under Eskel’s eyes. “I’ll let you think further on that, shall I?”

He doesn’t get a chance to reply as being overly aware of how close they are means Eskel can clearly feel as Jaskier winces, even though his face barely gives his discomfort away. He frowns, covering Jaskier’s hands with his own and guiding them down between them, stepping back a little as he does.

“You’re hurt?” Eskel asks; Jaskier’s fingertips are red and warm to the touch and judging by the guilty expression on the bard’s face, that isn’t exactly normal.

“I- It happens. It’s only painful when I play for rather extended periods of time. I may have also used up the last of the salve I had without checking to see whether I would be able to acquire any more but it’s nothing serious, I promise,” Jaskier explains, pulling his hands out of Eskel’s grip.

Not that Eskel lets him, tightening his hold on Jaskier’s wrists only enough to keep them in place as he hums thoughtfully. “I might have a solution for that.”

Jaskier’s curiosity seems to outweigh any doubts he has and he shrugs. “Alright then, do your worst.”

“I’ll do my best for you, bardling,” Eskel chuckles, sitting down cross-legged in front of the bed and waiting until Jaskier does the same, which doesn’t take long on account of their hands still being connected.

Eskel lets go of Jaskier’s left hand and places both hands around his right one, guiding him into curling a fist and slowly letting it go again until his fingers are flat, stretched out. He repeats the process several times until Jaskier’s confusion fades into acceptance, then gently squeezes his hand reassuringly.

He finally takes his eyes off Jaskier and the bright awe in his eyes as he keeps one hand around the bard’s wrist to steady him and uses the other to gently rub circles into his first knuckle, moving along to the next after a few moments. Jaskier’s breath hitches as his fingers brush the calluses on his fingers and Eskel pauses, forcing his hand to slow down lest he ends up causing pain instead of relieving it.

It would be nothing short of a crime, he thinks, to be trusted with the hands of bard and break that trust by compromising their ability to play. In fact, the weight of trust Jaskier is placing in him by letting him, a witcher who more often than not uses his hands to create violence as opposed to comfort, do as he pleases lies heavy on his shoulders.

“Sorry,” he murmurs, moving onto the next finger and going a little more softly this time. There’s an unfamiliar scent around them, something quiet and golden and herbal, but Eskel doesn’t let his focus waver, making his way along each finger until he’s done, then carefully tugging on each one to stretch them and watching as Jaskier exhales, his shoulders relaxing.

Jaskier starts to pull his hand back as they both pause for a moment but Eskel laces their fingers together and shakes his head. “We’re only getting started yet,” he says quietly.

“My mistake,” Jaskier mumbles back, an easy smile playing at his lips.

Eskel uses their interlaced fingers to flex Jaskier’s wrist, slowly bending it in every direction before taking his hand back, stroking from the tips of his fingers to the edge of his palm, smiling each time Jaskier’s hand instinctively curls and he has to pull his fingers back. Jaskier seems to find it just as amusing as him, both of them laughing quietly when it happens for the fourth time and it seems like he’s simply attempting to steal Eskel’s thumb.

He flips Jaskier’s hand over and traces invisible paths from his nails to his wrist and back again. When he moves on to the skin between each finger, Jaskier gasps, not in pain but in something like surprise. Eskel waits for him to nod his approval before continuing, then repeating his earlier sequence of working his way down each knuckle, this time taking special care to focus on his fingertips and gently relax them.

“Almost there,” he murmurs as he moves his attention to Jaskier’s wrist, once again flexing his hand before rubbing upwards from the base of his palm. Jaskier shivers as Eskel’s fingertips run along his arm, his eyes falling shut as he leans his head back against the bed, the air around them filling with what must be the scent of sunbeams themselves.

When Eskel is satisfied that he’s made a difference, he laces their fingers together again and squeezes gently, letting Jaskier take his time to react. And take his time he does; Eskel is beginning to suspect he’s fallen asleep to the feeling of Eskel’s thumb tracing patterns onto his hand when Jaskier finally opens his eyes.

“How did you learn to do this?” Jaskier whispers, his voice ever so quiet and thick with a gratitude that Eskel’s not sure he deserves for something so simple.

Eskel shrugs. “Just here and there.”

“You amaze me,” Jaskier says, and Eskel can smell nothing but genuine admiration in his voice; he has to look away so he doesn’t do anything to embarrass himself.

He’s internally very pleased that he’d managed to help though. It only feels right to have been of some comfort after Jaskier had managed to get him back to a bed in one piece yesterday and although he’s not even remotely well-versed in articulating his appreciation, at least he can pay some of that concern back.

Jaskier pokes his forehead.

“What-?” Eskel manages, jerking back a little.

Not very successfully holding back a grin, Jaskier shrugs. “You were frowning again. What else was I meant to do?”

Eskel blinks slowly, then lets himself laugh. He’s half-aware that it wasn’t quite funny enough to warrant the way he laughs so hard that he almost starts struggling to breathe but he’s lost in the freedom of this casual hysteria for longer than he’ll later admit to and, in the moment, he can’t bring himself to feel bad about it.

When he recovers, there’s a sparkle in Jaskier’s eyes that hints at something dangerous, something like fondness, something that Eskel wants to keep close for as long as possible. And if he is to take Jaskier for his word, keeping it - keeping him - close is actually far from impossible. What a strange and hopeful prospect.

“I find myself needing to thank you once again, Eskel. I already feel a hundred times better,” Jaskier says, pulling his hand free and flexing his fingers gently as he stretches his legs out in front of him.

Eskel raises an eyebrow, holding his hand out with the palm facing upwards. “Your other hand, if you wouldn’t mind. I’m not done.”

“Oh,” Jaskier whispers, biting his lip for a moment. “Are you sure you have time?”

“I’m meant to be resting anyway, aren’t I?” Eskel asks.

At that, Jaskier’s expression brightens once more and he nods. “Yes, of course you are. I suppose this works out for the best then, doesn’t it?”

It does, but their reasoning is likely very different. Eskel doesn’t comment on that, simply shifting so he’s facing Jaskier, taking his hand and starting the same way he had before, curling his fingers into fists before stretching them out again.

Since he’s more aware of how much pressure to apply this time, his left hand is a much quicker process than the right. Again, both of them laugh as Jaskier’s fingers automatically wrap around Eskel’s thumb when he moves it over his palm. And again, both of them smile as Jaskier’s breath hitches when Eskel’s fingers brush over his calluses. But this time, Jaskier doesn’t make a sound as Eskel finishes up by lacing their fingers together, and the air around them is neither warm nor golden, unexpectedly salted.

Eskel glances up sharply to see Jaskier using his free hand to push tears away from his eyes. He lets go of Jaskier’s hand immediately, shuffling backwards as his stomach drops. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. What did I do wrong?”

Jaskier lets out a noise that would land somewhere between a laugh and a sob before shaking his head. “No, no no no. It wasn’t- I mean, nothing hurts. I… I’ve been a bard since I was a child and nobody has ever… Nothing has ever helped like this.”

Oh.

Eskel doesn’t know what to say to that. He doesn’t even try to think of anything, just silently moves so that he’s propped against the bed too, his arm leaning against Jaskier’s as he too stretches out his legs in front of him. Wordlessly, Jaskier takes his hand, squeezing carefully before his head lands on Eskel’s shoulder; Eskel tenses for a second before exhaling and forcing his muscles to relax again, adjusting so Jaskier’s head is in a comfortable position.

“You have my utmost thanks but I think I’m going to fall asleep now,” Jaskier mumbles.

“I don’t mind,” Eskel whispers. He thinks he should mind in some way or the other but he also just doesn’t have any reasoning that’s good enough to refuse the honour of acting as a pillow.

Granted, It feels a little strange to remain as still as possible whilst the bard dozes off but really, it’s nothing he hasn’t done before when various animals - usually goats - have fallen asleep in his lap or on his limbs. Although he’s almost certain that no other experience, no matter how small or adorable the animals may be, will ever compare to the soft and gratifying weight of Jaskier seeking comfort in his presence.

shout out and thank you to @jayjayjayne for being absolutely lovely and inspiring the idea of a hand massage - i hope i did it justice <3

thanks for reading! masterlist | witcher sideblog: @itsjaskier | next chapter

#jaskel #jaskier x eskel #jaskier #eskel #the witcher #fanfic #fanfiction #slow burn #idiots in love #hurt jaskier #protective eskel #soft eskel #soft jaskier #hurt comfort #fluff and angst #eskel is a national treasure pass it on #i wasn't kidding about that slow burn wow #my writing #tmypicta

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