#leona makes that face in like every conversation hes in forever

[cerealmonster15]

i needed a ref of cater making a specific face and. the only scene that immediately came to mind and was easy to look up where i knew for a fact he did that was

leona bloom broom bday.

[kaiijo]

love triangles in twisted wonderland (ii)

characters: ruggie, kalim, cater, malleus, sebek, jack notes: gn! reader, mix of jpn and eng translations

ruggie bucchi vs kalim al-asim

Ruggie didn’t know how he felt about Kalim. On one hand, he represented everything Ruggie really despised — spoiled, oblivious, lazy upper-crust people who wouldn’t know a struggle if it hit them in the face. On the other hand, Kalim never gave him a real reason to dislike him beyond his socioeconomic standing.

That is, until now.

You and Kalim, much to Ruggie’s dismay, had been paired up for some Astrology project. You two had been friendly before but now, you were attached at the hip. Or, more accurately, Kalim followed you around like a lost pup, which made Ruggie roll his eyes every time he saw it. You didn’t seem to mind though…

It was a rare moment nowadays to have you to himself, so Ruggie capitalized on the fact that you were alone at a cafeteria table and that Leona had been sound asleep in the gardens at that moment. Skipping the line and ignoring disgruntled cries, Ruggie got a hamburger and joined you at your table.

You perked up when you saw him, offering him a smile that made his stomach flip-flop. “Hey!”

“You mind if I sit here?”

“You know that I don’t. I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve seen you!”

“Yeah.” Ruggie resisted the urge to point out that Kalim was the reason for it, instead opting to say, “I’ve been studying my ass off for Vargas’s exam.”

“Me too,” you sighed, resting your cheek on your palm. “Who would’ve thought the Headmage would make him do a written exam?”

Ruggie replied, “I heard something different — that Professor Trein basically said Vargas wouldn’t be able to pull together one since he’s got muscles for brains, or something like that.”

You snorted out a laugh, “Even if that isn’t true, it is in my head.”

Ruggie bit down on his lip to keep from grinning too widely. Your conversation carried on, blissfully uninterrupted, for approximately seven more minutes (not that Ruggie was counting or anything) until the exact person Ruggie didn’t want to say bounded over in his endless sunshine.

“Ooh! Is that the blush sauce pasta?” Kalim asked you, leaning over your shoulder. Ruggie huffed when your attention was pulled from him. “Do you think I’ll like it? Can I have a bite?”

Ruggie glared at Kalim as you twirled up a bunch of pasta, holding it out on your fork for Kalim to try. He wondered if Kalim was purposefully a messy eater or if that was just him, but some sauce splattered on his cheek. “Whoops,” Kalim said and you just shook your head fondly, wiping some off with a napkin.

Deliberate or not, Ruggie had one thought cross his mind: Two can play that game. With that, he braced himself and drove his knee upwards into the table. He let out a yelp of pain and your attention was immediately diverted. “Are you okay, Ruggie?” You shot up from your seat and came over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Roll up your pant leg — is it bruising?”

As you started pulling the fabric up, Ruggie shot a sidelong glance at Kalim, who was watching intently with a pout, and his mouth pulled into a smug smirk.

Ruggie: 1, Kalim: 0.

cater diamond vs. malleus draconia

Since Riddle and the rest of the housewardens were away on some bonding retreat organized by Kalim, Cater decided to throw a party. Half of it was to be able to have fun without Riddle getting on to him about the rules, and the other half was because he wanted an excuse to spend time with you outside of class. You had been pretty busy recently so he was really looking forward to chilling with you.

Imagine his shock when he saw you walk into the dorm with Malleus Draconia at your side. Tall, dark, and regal, Malleus cut an intimidating figure as followed you across the room, headed for Cater. “Hey!” you chirped, grinning brightly. “Thanks for inviting us.” Cater’s heart skipped a beat as he soaked in the sight of your smile.

Malleus nodded along and said, “It was very generous of you.”

Part of Cater wanted to say that he invited you, not Malleus, but he definitely wasn’t going to say that. Plus, maybe he could get a Magicam pic with him at this party? “Of course!” Cater replied, “I’m super excited to have you here!” He turned to Malleus and said, “Not often that I see you out and about!”

You looped you arm through Malleus, something both he and Cater took note of, and said, “This is Malleus’s first big party so I was thinking you could show him around and introduce him with me?”

“I’d be surprised if people didn’t know him,” Cater said. “But I’ll definitely help.”

“Ah,” Malleus spoke up. “We wouldn’t want to impose on Cater. I would be okay if you just showed me around, Y/n.”

Cater’s smile faltered but he recovered, shaking his head. What was that about? “It’s no trouble at all, really.”

“It’s uncourteous of a host to leave his guests unattended and to curry favor on one,” Malleus pressed and Cater’s eyes narrowed. What was Malleus playing at?

It didn’t take long for Cater to put two and two together. The way Malleus didn’t reject your touch, the way he arrived with you, the way he insisted that only you showed him around, the tenderness with which he looked at you — Malleus liked you. Panic bubbled up in him. If that was the case, and you brought him with you to Cater’s party, did that mean you liked Malleus romantically?

At that exact moment, another thought dawned on Cater. “Shouldn’t you be at the housewarden retreat?” He nearly jumped when the aura around Malleus became a mix of gloom and irritation.

You definitely felt the shift too as you asked, “Cater, can I talk to you alone for a sec?” You grabbed his arm and hauled him off somewhere, calling sweetly over your shoulder to Malleus, “We won’t be gone long!”

You led Cater to an empty hallway and said, “Malleus wasn’t invited, so I decided to bring him here to, you know, cheer him up!”

Ah, now that made sense. His body relaxed a little. So this wasn’t a date. You just felt bad that Malleus wasn’t invited.

You continued, “I know you’re hosting and it’s a lot to ask, but could you help me just make sure he has a good time? Or at least isn’t sulking alone in the corner?”

Cater considered this for a second. He wasn’t too keen on babysitting Malleus for the night but if it meant spending time with you… “Sure, no problem!” When your face broke into a relieved smile, Cater knew that, somehow, this would be worth it.

sebek zigvolt vs. jack howl

“Master Lilia!” Sebek shouted, rushing into the Diasomnia dorm. Looking up from a game of chess with Silver, who had fallen asleep across from him, Lilia asked, “What can I do for you, Sebek?”

“I seek counsel!”

“Oh? On what matter?”

Sebek huffed, “I am trying to find a way to spend more time with Y/n but I am at a loss for how to do so. Every time I approach them, they are with someone and even when they are not, people pop up everywhere.”

Lilia nodded carefully. “I see.” Lilia thought for a moment before saying, “You have a test in Defense Magic coming up, no?”

“Master Lilia, with all due respect, this is not the time to—”

Lilia held up a hand. “Let me finish, Sebek. You share that class with Y/n, if I recall correctly. So why don’t you invite them to study with you? Just the two of you, no one else.”

Sebek’s face brightened. “Master, you prove yourself once again to be a brilliant strategist! I am indebted to you!”

With a bow, Sebek ran off again, finding you in the Mirror Chamber, leaving your dorm portal. “Human!”

“Oh, hey, Sebek!”

“I am requesting that we study together for the Defense Magic test!”

“Oh!” You nodded vigorously. “Yeah, that would be great actually! It’s kind of one of my worst subjects, so it would be a lot of help to study with someone else.”

“And, of course, I know what I’m doing, so you’re in good hands.”

“Alright, do you want to go to the library now?”

“Ah,” Sebek said, “I… got banned for the day for my volume in the library.” He couldn’t tell if his face was warming from the admission or from your amused stare.

You chuckled and said, “What about the courtyard then? We need to actually do spells anyways, so that’s a better option.”

Sebek nodded and you two walked to the courtyard. As you two started studying and practicing together, Sebek learned two things: one, you weren’t lying when you said Defense Magic wasn’t your strong suit. You managed to put a shield around a bench instead of yourself. The second thing was that, while he was okay at the subject, he was nowhere near good enough to really effectively help you study. And if that was the case, how could he help and defend the Young Master if he couldn’t help you, the person he liked, with such a simple thing as Defense Magic? And if he failed the Young Master—

“Jack!” The call of the name snapped Sebek from his downward spiral, and he followed your gaze to Jack, who was jogging across the courtyard. Sebek couldn’t help but grimace when the other boy made his way towards the two of you.

“Hey.”

You asked him, “Your best class is Defense Magic, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think you have time to help me and Sebek with the shielding spell that’s on the upcoming exam?”

Sebek’s eyes narrowed as he watched Jack’s tail start to wag. Before he could answer you, Sebek interjected, “I’m sure we don’t want to bother Jack on his run.”

“I’m, uh, actually just finishing,” Jack said. “It’s okay, I can help.”

Without warning, you wrapped Jack in a hug, ignoring the sweat clinging to him. “Thank you so much, you’re the best!”

Sebek could only glower at your embrace and at the way Jack’s tail seemed to be rapidly picking up speed by the second. It seemed like he would have to take the loss, retreat for the day, and regroup with Master Lilia to craft a different plan.

[tsunonotarou]

LEONA, JADE, FLOYD, ROOK’s ↷

reaction when S/O gets jealous and protective

notes: I notice us writers mostly write about—usually the canon male/female—being dominant and the other party is timid and shy, while I love that concept and idea since I’m a submissive bitch myself, I feel like we should get more S/O or reader who gets protective and goes grr

: gender-neutral reader!

LEONA KINGSCHOLAR

So there’s this crazy bitch who’s all over Leona ever since he was fucking born

They’re from a neighboring country and have been obsessed with Leona when they first saw him (honestly same) and as much as Leona didn’t want to admit it felt like heaven to attend Night Raven College because they’re AWAY from him

Magift is a nightmare because it’s open for everyone from everywhere to attend so he had already expected them

He planned to ignore them and steers clear of them as usual but they were extra persistent today

If they’re a guy Leona would have no problem scaring them away with a growl and possible threats

If they’re a girl though, it’s not going to be easy for Leona since he was raised to treat females with respect but then again, he knows that she does not deserve it

He also knows that you’re seething with anger

Your crossed arms while shifting your weight from side to side showed your frustration and impatience for them to get off

At this point he’d try harder and uses more of his energy to deal with them (he was a little lazy before) and tell them to go away but they just kept clinging and clinging

Leona’s eyes widened when you shoved them away, hard but not hard enough to make them fall on the ground and scrape their knee, just enough to keep them away

Your own arms wrapped around his and you stuck close, head resting on his shoulder, nuzzling your nose against his neck or trail your fingers a little lower on his waist than usual, anything to send the message across as you stare boredly at the ever persistent troublesome person

“Piss off.”

Normally people would get embarrassed/awkward after this and they’d leave but if they’re still on about it, pull Leona in for a kiss

A long, deep and passionate kiss from you sends him off the edge as he grabs you, smirking slightly at your behavior and also at the outsider staring at the both of you furiously

Will never let you forget this because he teases you almost everyday about this

If you're naturally a timid and shy person it's gonna be hell for you, because Leona is going to tease you ten times more

"Hey remember that time when you-" You smacked his head, hard.

"I don't regret it though, they were too close and I don't like it." Your adorable pout and red blush from his teasings only made his grin wider, and his heart racing faster

Proud of his herbivore, 100/10, would definitely want to see you getting protective again

JADE LEECH

They shamelessly flirted with him in Mostro Lounge, right in front of you

Constantly asking for Jade's assistance, ordering more and more just to have Jade serve them and if he's not available, they'll throw a tantrum

Of course Jade know about boundaries, he'd never want to make his lover upset, but then again, he's also curious as to what you'll do

Will you sit there and watch? Pout and wait for them to finally go away when Mostro Lounge closes? Be extra clingy with him afterwards? Silently cursing them? Or will you choose the popular trope of getting back at him by being physically close to another person?

Whatever you chose, he sure did not expect you to have a smile on your face as you call out to him, you are sitting just two seats away from them on the stool, so it is fairly easy to catch his attention without you trying to desperately cut off the one-sided conversation

You did what they couldn't. Holding his hand loosely as you talked about something semi-private (?)

"Hey, Jade. Where did I put my clothes again? That cream colored one. I know it's in your room but is it on the bed or bathroom? Have you seen it? Gotta go check it later..." To indicate that you've been to his room, countless of times

"Ah! I think you left your jacket in my room. Be sure to take it back before you go back to your dorm, okay?"

While Jade watches you and reply with an amused expression

This got them clenching fists and gritting teeth, and Jade can't exactly ignore them when they call for him since they're a customer, even if he's enjoying this a lot

You'd also pull on your clothes, kind of like flapping them when you're hot—even though it's quite chilly in Mostro Lounge—just to show them the bite marks Jade left the day before

*Thought I'd put this out just in case anyone misunderstands, y'all didn't have sex lmao because Jade is under 18, but he does leave bite marks every now and then ;)

When he does get away from their conversation and goes to you, like with Leona, you'd linger your hands a little lower on his waist than usual, or brush the bite marks you left that escaped the covers of his shirt collar

Nevertheless, expect Jade shaking his head when Mostro Lounge finally closes and them finally gone, though he can't hide the smile on his face

"My, my, I never knew you'd get to this point to drive them away."

He will forever remember this moment and the act you've pulled, truly memorable

FLOYD LEECH

The basketball team is having a friendly match with another school and the other school's team happen to have a manager

And man were they PERSISTENT

Offering to refill NRC's water bottles too when they went to refill for their own school's

Of course you're thankful for their help and thought it was out of pure kindness, but when their fingers brush over Floyd's for a little too long to hand him his water bottle and stays longer with Floyd than with other basketball players you knew something was wrong

Are they hitting on Floyd???

Ace and Jamil picked up on it and glances over you, with Ace shit talking about them and "If they're gonna do it, at least try to do it right." while criticizing their lame flirting skills and Jamil disapproving of their actions when Floyd clearly has a lover

Even if they're from another school, saying you didn't know is a lame excuse, not with how painfully different Floyd is with you than with others, it was obvious you two are together

Floyd, of course, is not dumb and oblivious and he is beyond annoyed at their constant touches and babblings he had no intention to listen to

Before Floyd could threaten to squeeze them to death, you're wrapping arms around his figure and called them out on their antics

"Don't you have your own team to attend to? Stop flirting with my boyfriend, he's not interested, take a sign."

Ace spit out his water and choked (yes he laughed)

Poor student scurried back to their own team's side and stayed there, as they should

Floyd would not care about attention as he picked you up in his arms, hugging you tightly and nuzzling close to you

"Shrimpyyy~! I love this side of you! Why haven't I seen it before?"

He probably already forgot about that student's existence as he only thinks of your jealous gazes and protective arms around him

Expect him to ask you to act like that again randomly, being all brave and calling people out, he loves this side of you!

ROOK HUNT

Rook is a social butterfly and will talk to anyone in anywhere

Much like Jade, he never intended to hurt his lover and upset them, but he's itching to know what you'll do. He has extremely good eyesight and knew you were close by, listening in to their conversation, possibly with a frown

Ah, a frown on your lips. That's not a sight he'd want to see! But the urge to reveal what kind of moves you'd make is stronger, so he refrained from walking away and chatted on

A smile played on his lips as he watches you stomp over, not sparing a glance to the other person as you locked your arms around his waist, tightly, then began to attempt to lift him up

...it didn't work

You didn't have enough strength so instead of lifting him over your shoulder (like what Rook usually do) you grabbed his gloves hand and dragged him away

Rook was certainly surprised, a big grin on his face as he laughed his heart out, bidding goodbye to the random student who had their mouth wide open

This only made you tug on his arm harder as an annoyed grunt and groan escaped you

When you looked back to them and sent a glare, that's when he lost it

He's sure he fell in love with you even more

When the two of you are alone he'd have your cheeks in his hands, staring at you lovingly, your squishy cheeks, furrowed brows and pouting lips are just too cute for him!

He will assure you that he will never do this again not telling you he was doing it on purpose to see what you'll do because you'll probably hate him his sweet words would surely calm you down

If you ever see Rook suddenly having a smile on his lips, you know that he's thinking about this incident again, and it freaks Vil out

[thatweeboverthereisthirsty]

OK so I got this idea. S/o (who's this time has to be female) is also an octo mermaid but still from another world. So s/o gets into one of the pools and they discover she's a blanket octopus (if you haven't seen a female blanket octopus they're one of the most beautiful octopus out there with their gradient colors) and they get popular af like everyone is like "wow she's such a beautiful meroctopus" Yada yada. And Azul it's mad. Part 1

Part 2. And both Jade and Floyd notice it and decide to tell s/o who is shocked and sad because they have a HUGE crush so they decided to give him a gift. Since they know he doesn't have a octopus pot they decide to make him one. After months they give it to him and confess and he's shocked and ask for their forgiveness as it isn't their fault. At the end he and s/o cuddle inside of the octo pot in their mer forms.

OMG THIS TOOK ME FOREVER!!!! I probably got this ask before thanksgiving so I am very sorry that it took me this long, HOWEVER, it is the longest oneshot I have ever written so that’s quite an accomplishment. There are photo references that go with this story as well so check those out before you read. 

Warnings: Slight language, insecurities, fluff, very very minor angst, fem!s/o

Word count: 4,710

Azul x Reader: Cuddle Pot

The above images are references for the s/o’s octopus species and the octopus pot. I don’t know who the original artist is for the second so if you know please let me know so I can give credit where due.

   “Wait seriously? You’re a mermaid!” Ace practically shrieks and you giggle. Placing a finger to your lips, you shush him as Deuce slaps the back of your over energetic friend’s head. 

   “Yes. I am a mermaid, but you can’t tell anyone yet.”

   “Why not?” Jack questions. His tail flicks in confusion.

   You sigh and think back to the last time anyone found out about your true form. Most of the people back in your world found merpeople to be odd and cursed. It was considered a disability and a disease. Human society often shunned what they didn’t understand. And that lack of understanding led to fear. 

   A boy in your old school had been your middle school sweetheart for approximately 7 months before you decided to tell him your secret. He had seemed so eager to finally go swimming with you that you had naively believed that it was all going to be fine. However when he stared at your flowey, shimmering form you felt yourself grow worried that he would no longer like you. 

   “Babe,” you started, leaning closer to try and grasp his face with your smooth, webbed fingers. “It’s alright. It’s just my merform. It’s going to-” He quickly slapped your hand away and stumbled back. 

   “F-freak, monster, disgusting. Stay away from me you animal! We’re over you deceiving B*tch!” He quickly ran away from the side of the lake where you had brought him. As dawns lovely lights sprayed your body with pinks, and soft oranges, tears slid down your cheeks and into the water below. He hated you. Oh what a fool you had been to think that he would be different, that he would love you anyway. 

   School had become increasingly difficult after that. Word spread fast and you were quickly isolated by everyone you had called a friend. Eventually you moved to a new place and decided that you would never love again.

   This wasn’t the case however in Twisted Wonderland. You were so pleasantly surprised to find people like you, and they weren’t considered freaks because of it. It had been a shock and you quickly found yourself yearning to tell others about what you truly were. Fear had you back though. At least up until that point.

   “I had a bad experience with someone I cared about back in my home world.” You stated softly. The boys looked at each other and smiled. 

   “Well this isn’t that world. You're good to go here since I can’t imagine anyone judging you for what you look like in this place.” Ace’s words reassured you.

   “He’s right. At NRC it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be bullied because of something like this. But what are you anyway?” Deuce questioned. 

   You giggled and leaned in closer to the 4 people sitting at the lunch table, (5 if you included Grimm, but he already knew). “I’m an octopus.” You said with excitement and slight nervousness.

   “Really? That sounds so cool!” Epel was quiet but excited when he spoke up for the first time since the conversation started. You smiled to yourself and mentally sighed in relief that the people you had next trusted with your secret didn’t view you any differently. 

   “Wait hold the phone. Octopus? Like Azul?” Ace pressed close enough that you could reach across with a napkin and wipe the side of his cheek that had been smeared with BBQ sauce when he scarfed his lunch.

  “Yes and no, Azul is a Common Octopus, which means that he is the standard octopus you mostly see around the ocean or in pictures. Basically what you imagine when someone says Octopus. I’m a different type of octopus, one that is more rare.” You pulled out your phone while talking to bring up an image. You held the phone so everyone at the table could see.

   “This is a female Blanket Octopus. We’re pretty rare but we are also one of the most beautiful kinds.” 

   Everyone went wide eyed and watched the screen as you scrolled through images of your fellow eight legged friends. Epel turned to you and grabbed your shoulder. 

   “You absolutely have to show us your merform.” Ace, Deuce, and Jack all nodded in agreement. You flushed and fiddled with the hem of your shirt. 

   “I don’t know guys. It would be a hassle to find a place where we could do it and I’m not sure I want anyone else seeing me. What if someone shows up and freaks out?” This time it was Jack’s turn to speak when he leaned back before smiling slightly.

   “Not that I care but I personally would show up to support you if you needed it. Besides, the school pool is closed after dark. However I’m pretty sure Ruggie has snatched a copy of every key to every lock in the building.”

   “Of course he has.” Deuce says rolling his eyes. “That hyena couldn’t keep his paws to himself even if his life depended on it.” You giggled but ignored the comment in favor of asking Jack if he could get the key. The wolf nodded and you told everyone to meet you by the pool at 9:30. Your friends nodded in agreement just as the bell rang.

----------

   The air was humid and warm, it was perfect for a late night swim, although your clothes would likely stick to your body when you changed back. Still you shifted uncomfortably at the idea of getting in the water with what you are wearing. A pair of leggings was slipped on underneath a waterproof skirt. You had a jacket over your bikini top but per usual you were unable to wear bottoms unless you wanted them to tear. You would have to be very careful not to let the skirt go up before you shifted.

   A sigh left your lips and Grimm, sensing your nervousness, rubbed up against your leg in silent comfort. Your friends were unlikely to freak out but it was still nerve wracking to think about exposing your true form to other non-merpeople. Hundreds of scenarios where something went wrong filtered through your head and promised that your anxiety wouldn’t leave anytime soon. 

  “BOO!” Half a shriek pierced the night before a hand clasped over your mouth.  

   “Shishishishishi.” You turned around in surprise and pulled the fingers away from your face.

   “Ruggie! What are you doing here?” You whisper shouted. The hyena snickered again and held up one finger. He made a circular motion and a key ring twirled around in response. 

   “Jack said you needed to get in here. Thought I’d tag along.” The smirk on his face irritated you but you couldn’t be surprised. You should have known that having Jack of all people ask for keys to break into the pool after hours was going to raise some eyebrows. Honestly you should have just asked him to invite Ruggie along anyways. Key or no key the hyena was likely to want to know what was going on. 

   “Alright fine, but if you tell anyone what you saw here today, and I mean anyone, then I will hide your piggy bank from you.” Ruggie’s eyes went wide before they narrowed.

   “You have my word.” You smiled knowing that you had convinced him to keep your secret despite the fact that if he really had told someone you wouldn’t have actually done more than try and punch him. Of all people you knew how precious money was in this world, considering the fact that you had none.

   Footsteps alerted you to the approaching presence of your other friends. You turn

around and find Jack, Epel, Ace and Deuce walking over to you. They wave and Jack frowns when he spots Ruggie.

   “What are you doing here? I thought you already gave me the key.” The hyena snickers and points towards the key Jack was holding. 

   “I gave you the one to the janitors closet, which I’m gonna need back by the way. I wanted to see what was going on for myself so I hung out here till Y/n came over, and then I figured it had to be interesting if she was involved. I didn’t know there was gonna be a crowd though.” He looked at you, “This must be one hell of a surprise if you got all the first years here.”

   Deuce pointed out that Sebek was a first year as well but the hyena shrugged it off saying “he doesn’t count as a student since he’s basically just a guard.” You figured that was Leona’s opinion and Ruggie agreed.

   “Guys it’s already late and I don’t wanna get caught so let's go in already.” Everyone nodded and Ruggie opened the gate. 

   Carefully you unzipped your jacket as you walked over to the bench. The water appeared calm and undisturbed, allowing a clear view of the illuminated bottom which was surprisingly clean considering teenage boys flung about in the water all day.

   You sighed and shrugged the jacket off before stepping out of your shoes. Setting down the bag with your extra clothes you mentally prepared yourself for what was about to happen. 

   Ruggie leaned closer to Jack and whispered something you didn’t catch but Jack’s response of “You’ll see.” was enough to tell you what had happened. Pushing your anxiety out of the way you lowered yourself into the pool, sighing as the cool water licked your skin. Giving yourself a moment to relax you let your worries leak into the water around you. You had always felt better in the water. It’s a merfolk thing.

   “Are you guys positive you won’t freak out?” You called to the edge of the pool where your friends were standing. 

   “Not unless you grow 10 heads.” Ace sniggered until Epel elbowed him. You rolled your eyes and looked suspiciously over to Ruggie who still had no idea what was going on. 

   “No promises.” You sighed, but smiled when Jack nodded at you, signaling that it would be alright. Who were you kidding Ruggie was a hyena man who grew up in the slums. What did he care? Feelings of worry taken care of, you sunk deeper into the water and closed your eyes.

   The feeling that comes with shifting is always a little strange. It’s almost like your skin has been turned to putty and it is remolding itself and when it reaches the desired outcome it snaps back into place and holds like it has been that way the whole time. 

   Once you felt the transformation had completed you righted yourself in the water and peeked an eye open to look at your friends. Ace and Epel had their mouths wide open in a gasp. One that quickly turned into a smile. Jack looked as though he had just witnessed a miracle and Deuce was still in shock. Ruggie’s reaction was by far the most extravagant. His eyes were wide and his mouth was curved into a questioning gape. He had taken several steps back and his ears lay flat on his head. Behind him his tail bristled and stood fairly straight, pushing up the too large shirt. 

   You bit your lip and examined their faces trying to come up with a conclusion to what they were feeling. 

   “That… Is so cool!” Ace blurted out excitedly and ran over to the pool's edge to get a closer look. Deuce and Epel followed him and Jack trotted over as well, but not before snorting at Ruggie. The hyena man looked your form up and down and took in the swirling shades of color that decorated your now sea creature bottom half. He made a small noise before shaking himself and casually patting down the fur on his tail, which was still tense but not as much. 

   “Ok, of all the things I’ve seen. That, I was not expecting.” You giggled at Ruggie’s flustered reaction and felt yourself relax now that you knew pitchforks and torches weren’t coming out. 

   The hyena moved closer to the pool and joined your other friends who were staring at you in awe. You blushed uncontrollably as you felt their gazes roam your colorful body. Decorative markings that spread up to your collarbone changed to a darker shade with your blush.

   “So like can I touch you?” Deuce smacks his hand against Ace’s chest and gives him this look that says “dude you can’t just say that''. You giggle and glide closer to them before lifting your arm which was for the most part pretty human, but had a lavender shade to it and a long silky strip of webbing that shimmered as it moved. The longest tentacle on your body rose out of the water as well and you shivered as the webbing stuck together in an uncomfortable manner. 

   Ace leaned forwards and stroked your arm and tentacle. His eyes were filled with curiosity and wonder. Deuce looked a little more unsure but Epel had no problem reaching out and gently caressing your webbing. Ruggie joined him and Deuce eventually stuck his hand out to stroke your arm, but Jack held back and decided that ultimately he only wanted to look.

   “Wow! This stuff is so soft!” Epel said excitedly. He was generally pretty quiet so you were glad he was comfortable enough to speak out. 

   “It’s so colorful. If we had silks this pretty in the savannah then we’d have lots of money. Say, where could I find more of your kind.” Ruggie’s smirk told you that he was just joking but you glared at him anyways and flicked water his way. 

   The hyena flinched and shook his head before laying his ears back and moving away from the water. Jack and Ace laughed at the antics before Ruggie growled playfully and distracted them from what had happened moments before. 

   It was then that Ace leaned a bit too far forwards and fell straight into the pool. You jumped and swung your tentacles back, instinctively spreading them out to make yourself look bigger. 

   You willed your body to relax as you recovered from the little panic attack and laughed when Ace’s head bobbed to the surface. He sputtered and swam over to the edge and climbed out of the pool. He lay on the concrete and breathed heavily while the boys around him cackled. Ace glared and stood up. 

   “You jerks I’ll show you how you like it.” Deuce shrieked as Ace shoved him into the water. You laughed with everyone else as Deuce came up for air. Sensing a sudden threat of being pushed into the water Ruggie backed up against the gate and watched as Jack pushed Epel in before diving in himself. The five of you giggled and splashed as Ruggie snickered at your antics. 

   You were so glad your new friends didn’t mind your merform. Even better, they really liked it. It felt like a weight had been lifted from your shoulders as you dived down to swim with your friends. As the five of you splashed and played with Ruggie distracted with your antics, none of you noticed a dark form smirk in the bushes. Nor the click of the camera that he had with him.

----------

   The next day was a nightmare. Apparently someone had spied on you and your friends and photographed you in your merform. People swarmed you asking you all sorts of questions. It was difficult to just get through the halls. Luckily none of the people who stopped and talked to you had anything unkind to say and the stares you received were more curious than malicious but it was still an uncomfortable situation to be in.

   For the most part people who knew you were pretty considerate about your space and privacy. Cater seemed absolutely thrilled to know that you were an octopus but only asked if you were alright with everything going on, instead of bombarding you with questions. 

   Kalim was a little more enthusiastic about the whole situation. Jamil ended up apologizing for him and pulling him away. Vil and Rook subtly commented on your merforms beauty before moving on. Diasomnia rarely came near you but Lilia gave you a sympathetic smile. Trey offered you a few baked sweets as he sensed that you were overwhelmed and as for everyone else you had yet to see them.

   The person you were most worried about seeing though was Azul. He was an octopus merman like you, yet you had never seen his merform. Unless you counted his overblot the only time you had seen him in full shift was in the picture you had borrowed from the museum. 

   He and the Leech twins will probably have an absolute field day over the fact that you’re also a mertype. You worried what Azul was going to think of you hiding it. Over the past few months you had developed a crush on him. You had a plan to confess and everything, but now that the secret was out you were worried that he wasn’t going to like you for keeping it from him. In truth you planned on telling him first, but figured there was no harm in letting your other friends know. Turns out there was and the whole school knew.

   Trapped in your thoughts, you failed to notice the two approaching twins and bumped into them as you turned around a corner.

   “Hiii~ Shrimpy-chan~!” Floyd’s ever changing mood seemed to pleasant as he greeted you with a smile and not a squeeze. 

   “Hello, Y/n. How are you today?” Jade's gentleman persona greeted you but failed to hide the questions and mischief in his eyes. 

   “Just say it already. I know you two already know.” You sighed and watched their faces light up with excitement. Floyd grabbed your arm and took off, dragging you behind him. “Wait!” Soon the three of you arrived at an empty classroom which you were promptly shoved in before the tweels followed, shutting the door behind them.

   “Y/n, my apologies for Floyd’s exuberant behavior, but we have been meaning to speak with you in private since the most recent exposure of your true nature.” Jade was calm and collected as always when he spoke and gently fixed your crumpled uniform which had been shifted while running. 

   “Shrimpy-chan! We have something to tell you!~” Floyd sing-songed before sitting on a desk.

   “What? Wait what is it? And where’s Azul? Wouldn’t he want to speak with me too? If this is about a deal the answer is no.” You folded your arms in front of you and put distance between yourself and the seemingly respectful brother. The twins looked at eachother and you caught a glimpse of something passing through their eyes before Floyd pouted.

   “Aww, what’s wrong with making deals with us? We promise to be real nice this time and not leave you homeless. You could stay with us at Octavinelle!” You rolled your eyes as Floyd giggled and swung his long legs despite the fact that they could easily reach the floor from his seat. 

   “The truth is, Azul is jealous.”

   “What!” You turned and exclaimed at Jade’s statement. The tall mage nodded and continued with a strange look on his face like he wasn’t bothered by this at all. 

   “You are far more beautiful than him in your merform and he is bothered by it. Everyone has always shunned him for his octopus body and now you present yourself as one and everyone goes wild with excitement over your gorgeousness. Something he believes to never have possessed.” 

   You were stunned. Azul was jealous of you. He was upset because you were more beautiful than him. No. You wanted him to love you, not be bothered by you. Why hadn’t you thought of Azul’s insecurities. He just wanted to be an attractive merman and here you were, the same mertype as him and you were advertising your beauty to the world where he had to hide his away due to the fact that he was insecure. 

   Not bothering to say a word you quickly left the room and raced down the hall. You needed to fix this as soon as possible. Otherwise Azul might not like you ever again. Two pairs of mismatched eyes watched your retreat and shone with anticipation. 

   “How long do you think it will take?”

   “Not long Floyd. Luckily she was already prepared before we released the picture.”

----------

   Azul was so over this whole thing. He had rewatched the video and looked at the pictures about 20 times. You were so gorgeous and graceful in your merform; it just made him frustrated that he couldn have been admired for his tentacles. They were simple and slimy so most people hated them yet you were swathed in colorful silks that attracted every creature in the ocean. While most would swim by him or threaten to eat him, any sea animal that came across you would be hypnotised by your beauty. 

   The worst thing about you being an octopus is that it gave him one more reason to tell himself that you will never love him. He was so drab and you were well amazing. Of all the creatures in the sea you had to be a blanket octopus. If you had been a simple mermaid or even better a common octopus like him then surely he would have a chance with you at least. 

   A sudden knock on the door startled the mage and he stood quickly to make sure he looked alright before answering the door. You stood anxiously as he opened the door and grabbed his wrist before he had the chance to shut it. Surprisingly, Azul offered no resistance as you dragged him to the entrance of the aquarium. 

   Octavinelle’s aquarium had two sections, one was for regular fish and the other sea creatures that were on display from the mostro lounge. The other was for the residents. Any and all merfolk could use the aquarium if they felt homesick or separated from their true forms. This was where you chose to place the gift you had made. 

   Coming to a stop you turned and looked at Azul. He looked confused and excited at the same time. You took this as a good sign. 

   “Azul. Will you swim with me?” The merman’s eyes widened and he stood there processing your request for nearly a minute before responding.

   “Sure.”

   Giddy with glee you quickly leapt into the water and shed your clothes before transforming. Rising to the surface you looked up at him from just underneath the surface and he peered back at you.

   Strange. He thought for sure he would feel angry again when he saw you but the darling flush on your face and how you were genuinely happy to swim with him gave him another feeling all together. It bubbled inside of him and made him blush as he slowly lowered himself into the cool water beside you. 

   It had been a while since Azul had consciously shifted so he was a bit worried that he would do it too fast or slow and something would go wrong. Fortunately he was able to shift without incident. Once shifted he suddenly felt very self conscious. As a common octopus he was far more simple and plain compared to your swirling and colorful body. 

   You didn’t seem to mind however as you twirled and circled around Azul excitedly.

   “Come on I have something to show you.” Azul frowned in confusion but followed you regardless. You led him to a sort of grove area that he had never seen before. It was very well hidden but gorgeous as well. 

   You looked back at him excitedly and pushed through the sea vines to an open area where a ray of sunlight fell across and illuminated the gift you had spent months on. Azul’s jaw dropped when he laid eyes on the octopus pot that sat in the middle of the small room. 

   The base was grey and made of some type of stone. Around it sat lavender pillars and corals that surrounded the base except for the entrance. The round opening was smoothed and carved in a delicate design that resembled sea coral. Behind it sat a dark velvet cloth that was tied back with a golden rope.Azul assumed that was to block the entrance or allow for privacy. 

   The inside was decorated with lavish pillows in all sorts of cool shades. They were illuminated by a small yet classy lamp that hung off to the side. The outside of the pot was for the most part smooth and grey with a few purple undertones, but off to one side there sat a carving that resembled the waves and water foam, on top off which held a large pearl that glinted in the sunlight. On the other side a darker grey octopus clung to the top portion of the pot and spread its tentacles out in an elegant manner. Azul took note that the few that rose off the pot appeared to be for hanging things and one looked suspiciously like it was meant to support a staff. 

   You floated in place for what felt like hours as you waited for Azul to react. You reminded yourself to stay patient as he might not respond to it immediately. When he finally did react he did so without words. He simply pointed to himself and raised his eyebrows. You nodded excitedly before bowing your head bashfully. 

   “I’m so sorry that I upset you Azul. I never meant for it to get out in the first place. I was actually planning on telling you first and then giving this octopus pot to you since I know you don’t have one. Then things got messed up and everything and I’m so sorry. I think you’re beautiful in your merform and I hope you’ll accept my apology.” Your face burned when you spoke and you swished your tentacles nervously.

   “What?” You looked up when Azul spoke and saw confusion on his face. “I’m not upset at you. It’s not your fault you’re beautiful. Besides I could never be upset at you, octopus or not. I was distraught because I thought you were so amazing and I’m so plain and that there was no chance that you’d like me back.” You gasped and watched as his face slowly turned pink. 

   He dove into the pot and curled up, mentally berating himself for letting that slip. Shocked you glided over to the entrance of the pot and leaned your head in.

   “Azul. Do you mean that? Do you really like me?” He didn’t respond, you took a deep breath and admitted your own feelings. “Well I like you so…” His head snapped up and he let his expression grow into an ecstatic smile before coughing into his fist and composing himself.

   “Well in that case, do you want to come in and lay with me?” Azul ignored the fact that his face felt like it was on fire and waited as you giggled and moved in beside him. 

   “I’d love to. What do you think of the pot?” The merman smiled gently at you and spoke as he curled his tentacles around you and yours, him. 

   “It’s exquisite. I couldn’t love it more. Where did you get it?” 

   “I made it.” You muttered and flushed at the surprised and impressed look on his face. He shifted closer to you and gripped your hand with his. 

   “You did an excellent job. Thank you.” Your fingers intertwined with his and you pressed your forehead against his. 

   “I love you Azul.” You mumbled sleepily.

   “I love you Y/n.” He spoke before shutting his eyes and enjoying the warmth that spread through the pot. You’re silky webbing fell across the two of you like a blanket and after a stressful morning Azul allowed himself to slip into a comfortable sleep.

----------

   Two pairs of heterochromatic eyes watched the two octopus merpeople sleep soundly inside the pot and smirked with wicked teeth. 

   “How did you know she was an octopus as well?”

   “Floyd, surely you must have noticed. They both smell like takoyaki.” The eels laughed and quietly zipped away, leaving the octopus pot behind.

[mugi-chan]

Hi! I really love the way you write! Would it be possible if you did a HC of the vice dorm leader saying something that really upset their s/o making the s/o walk out mid conversation silently. Then over the next few days they just ignored the vice dorm leaders. Ex: S/O: *talking to person a* VDL: *walking up to them* Person a: *starts talking to VDL* S/O: *looking at person a* who are you talking to? There’s no one there.

ლ  Content: Vice Dorm Head: Who are you talking to? 

ლ  Warnings: None!

ლ Comments: You like the way I write… Thank you so much you don’t know how much that means to me!  ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ) Oh poor baby boys doesn’t know what's going on(っ- ‸ – ς)

Trey was stressed and didn’t want to deal with you right now 

He would never snap at you but as you were pushing his limits, his thread became very thin. 

All you did was ask him about something you learned in class today. 

And boom trey just snapped and started to rant about you and said something that deeply wounded you

Trey would never say something he didn’t mean, but this time he did 

He loudly stated how annoying you were and that he hated that part of you. 

Your face was stunned but quickly went to a blank face. You look around seeing some of the Heartslabyul students staring at both of you. Finally you faced Trey who was not looking at you. 

You just turned around and walked out of the room. 

“Hey (y/n)! do you want to play with us?” Ace called out waving you down. You didn’t even look in their direction and marched out of the dorm. Ace was confused, was it something he said? 

Not long after you left, they saw Trey run into the room looking around, he asked if they saw (y/n) and Ace would chime in saying how he saw you left the dorm. 

Trey would sigh into his hand already regretting what he just said to you. 

“Trey is everything okay?” Riddle was the first speak up and Trey explained everything. 

He thought it would be good for you to have space. 

The next day he would try to talk to you but you didn’t even glanced at him 

He thought “okay maybe after school” 

When school ended he found you talking to Deuce and Ace. He thought this would be a great opportunity to talk to you. 

He approached you three Deuce and Ace immediately noticed him and said hello 

He tried to engage in the conversation, but what shocked Deuce, Ace, and Trey was when you turned to both Ace and Deuce with a confused face

“Deuce, Ace, who are you talking to?” You asked 

“W-what do you mean?” Deuce asked

“Who are you talking to? There’s no one there” 

If you keep this up with the silent treatment, Trey would try to do everything he can to get your attention and apologize. 

I think only you can get him to somewhat beg for your attention as he was really sorry for what he said 

I mean who could stay mad at Trey forever? He’s to sweat to be mad at forever 

Savanaclaw isn’t a nice and easy dorm like Heartslabyul and Scarabia, so being an S/O of a member in this dorm isn’t easy 

Ruggie will always tease you for not being so strong 

As he is normally really scared of women especially those coming from the afterglow savana he would never push the teasing. 

But being in a boy’s school he didn’t know when to stop 

So when you just got up and walked out of the room confused him 

Of course he thought of using “Laugh with me” to stop you 

But yeah know, he knew if he did that to a women in afterglow savana he would ripped to shreds so he just let you go off

He’ll let you have some time, as he is busy with Leona 

But he will definitely notice if you are ignoring him 

He would try to talk to you but you would just walk past him and now this would annoy him a bit 

Alas he is use to this because that’s how some of the women act in the afterglow 

He sees you talking to Jack, Jack noticed the very bad aura coming off Ruggie 

He would talk to Ruggie seeing what makes him angry 

Jack quickly noticed as Ruggie was staring at you annoyed and you didn’t even glance at him 

Jack was trying to calm him down the best he can but alas it just got worse when you piped up 

“Jack, who are you talking to your pretty much talking to air right now” You cracked a concerned smile. 

Jack and Ruggie were shocked, before anyone could pipe up Epel came over asking for your help. 

Well two can play it that game

remembering your schedule Ruggie knows when to be in the areas he knows your going to be in

Just see if you even notice him

Ruggie would probably give out the most heartfelt apology

As Ruggie is drinking that respecting woman juice, he knows how to apologize to women

Jade knows all your secrets, you two trust each other to keep each other secrets 

He knows how you don’t like feel defenseless, sometimes he may poke at this but never to much where he may hurt your feelings 

Sadly he doesn’t know what the limit was

He poked a little too hard and you just walked out of the mostro lounge. 

Jade found this interesting, is this some sort of thing land dwellers do? 

He would seeing nothing wrong and would come up to you try to talk to you

He at first didn’t notice that you were ignoring him as he normally would first try to talk to you in the library and normally you are focused on your reading.

He found you talking to Kalim who was babbling about something he learned from Jamil. 

Jade approached both of you and Kalim instantly noticed and started to chat up Jade. 

Jade was looking at you and Kalim, he noticed that you were giving Kalim a weird face. 

“(y/n) are you okay?” Jade asked, no answer, you were still looking at Kalim who noticed that you haven’t even looked at Jade. 

“Kalim, are you okay?” 

“Huh? (y/n) what do you mean?” 

“Are you okay, you are talking to no one right now” 

Kalim would freak out and try to show that Jade is right there 

You would keep looking him with concern

“Do you want me to get Jamil your acting weird” 

Jade just sad goodbye and left both of you behind, a smile crept on his face

Fine if (y/n) wants to play this game, he’ll play it as well 

He will ignore you just as well as you do 

It will go on for weeks until Kalim would ask what happened 

Jade would calmly explain everything and Jamil chimed in on how stupid Jade is for saying that 

This would make Jade think and realize maybe he was in the wrong 

He’ll apologize if you don’t crack first

Jamil was a little more moody than he normally was 

I think it was because Kalim almost got himself hurt and he has to take care of Kalim

You wanted to try and help Jamil out 

But Jamil who’s patience was already really low didn’t really acknowledge you at all 

Even before he realized it was you, he snapped saying something how you were just as useless as Kalim 

You knew he was stressed but it still hurt

you just held back your tears and just quietly walked out of the room

Jamil didn’t even look up until he you almost left the room 

Regret hit him like wave 

He tried to catch up to you but knew if he was in that situation you might want room 

A few days have passed and you didn’t even acknowledge his existence 

He would try to grab your wrist and talk to you trying to apologize 

But you just looked around 

“Hey Azul do you see something that’s grabbing me? I can’t seem to see what’s grabbing my wrist” 

Not even looking in his eye

*sigh* he can’t deal with this right now Kalim is by himself and he might end up getting a contract with octa trio 

Weeks would pass without talking it would kill both of you 

You two would make up by accident as you two couldn’t take it

Jamil grabbed you by the wrist and drag you to somewhere privee

Where you HAVE to acknowledge his existence 

He would apologize deeply to you about what he had said

He may or may not have made your favorite food as a sorry present 

All and all this boy will regret what he said as the one person who loved him for who he was, was hurt because of him.

Rook admires you and Vil a lot, and he loves both of you 

He didn’t know you hated to being compared to Vil 

Even in little ways you didn’t like it. 

He mentioned how much Vil did something that you did as well 

You felt hurt, you got up and just left. Leaving no answer to why 

Rook was confused he didn’t know why 

He doesn’t think he said anything wrong, or did he?

Next day he would come up to you and compliment how beautiful you are, but you just walked past him 

Well that hurt him as well, he would continually trying to talk to you complimenting your complication 

He noticed how you weren’t even glancing at him so he decided to give you room. 

Watching you from afar to make sure your okay he noticed you and Epel talking 

Thinking this might be a perfect idea to get you to somewhat talk to him through Epel 

He walked up to both of you and started to chat up Epel

Every once in a while he will glance at you seeing you where watching him but no you were staring at epel with a concerned face

“Epel, who are you talking to?’ 

“Huh, I’m talking to Rook-senpai” 

“I don’t know who you're talking about, there’s no one there at all” That might just make Epel think he’s going crazy. 

But Rook that would hurt him, he would be hurt alot 

Unlike other Vice Dorm heads he would crack first 

He would be so dramatic and throw himself onto you begging for your forgiveness for what he have said 

But if you are still hurt by the words he would understand and wait for you to come back into his loving arms

He will watch you over like a stalker to make sure you are safe and okay

Sometimes Sebek cannot keep his voice down 

Lilia was having tea with Silver and Sebek 

He was actually waiting for you to come and enjoy some tea 

Sebek made a off hand comment about you and Lilia agreed with it 

Silver asked if he really meant it, eyeing you who just walked in hearing what Sebek and lilia has said

Lilia jokingly said yes not knowing you were there

You just turned on your heels and left

This worried Silver for his father and silver would immediately tell Lilia what just happened. 

Lila realize what he saying was true and quickly teleported to where you already walking down the drawbridge 

He would try to explain to you but you walked right past him 

Lilia would try to go after you but Sebek was yelling out for Lilia as they couldn’t find Malleus-sama again 

*sigh* he has to deal with this later as much as he hates it 

He would try to talk to you beginning of school and you would just give him the gold shoulder 

How interesting does children of men normally do this? 

He’ll keep bothering you trying to get your attention 

Floating in front of you seeing if you would even lift your head to meet his eyes,nope not even a hello 

You were talking to  Sebek who saw Lilia and asked a question about the dorm 

“Sebek are you okay, did you hit your head?” 

“what , what do you mean?”

“You’re literally talking to air right now, unless you see something that I can’t” 

Sebek would be frantic thinking that Lilia might have an invisible spell casted but Lilia wasn’t 

He sadly said his goodbyes and disappeared

Poor Sebek he has no idea what's going on as he’s to focused on Malleus

Lilia would apologize to you with a heartfelt apology, romantic from his time, cheesy for your time 

He would also cook you some soup 

But you may want to avoid that 

Would you like to order something? Look at our Tea shop rules first!

[imagine-loki]

Stitching The Wounds, Chapter 22 (Final Chapter)

TITLE: Stitching The Wounds CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 22 AUTHOR: fanficshiddles ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki and Kilgrave are Alphas and feel a spark with the same omega. RATING: M

Leona was a little nervous about going to such a big event. But it was really important to Kilgrave, he was earning an award for all the good work he did abroad, and he wanted Leona and Loki there with him.

But she wasn’t nervous about how she would behave or anything, because she would be on her best behaviour. There was a time and a place to test her Alphas, and at something so important to one of them, wasn’t the time nor the place.

She was nervous about what people would think of their three-way relationship they had going. And if Alphas that knew her would be there, knowing how much of a fail of an omega she was. She didn’t want Kilgrave to be tarnished in a bad way by people learning that she was his omega.

‘Your mind is racing, pet. What’s wrong?’ Kilgrave asked on the journey there in the back of a taxi. She was squeezed in-between her two Alphas. Loki had his arm around her middle and Kilgrave had a hand on her knee, gently squeezing.

‘I uhm… I just… What if there’s people there that know me, that know I’m… Not able to give you kids. I don’t want to make you look bad.’ She said quietly, looking down at her hands in her lap.

Kilgrave and Loki both frowned. Kilgrave gripped her chin and had her look round at him, a stern but gentle look in his eyes.

‘Leona. We could not be prouder to have you as our omega. We love you, so much. You are our world. We want everyone to know that. I really want you to be there tonight for my award. You could never make me look bad.’ He said softly, rubbing her cheek with his thumb.

She swallowed hard and nodded slightly. But she still felt uncertain, nervous.

‘We wouldn’t change anything about you for the world, Leona.’ Loki said as he picked her hand up and kissed the back of it.

‘Really?’ She squeaked, glancing round at Loki when Kilgrave released her chin.

‘Truly.’ Loki assured her and kissed her forehead, making her smile a little.

Leona felt a little bit better after that. But her stomach still swirled with nerves when they arrived at the large hall.

It was bustling with lots of important people, mostly doctors and nurses. Including many omegas with their Alphas.

A few people looked intently when Leona walked in with her two Alphas. But it was just because it was such a rare thing to see. Kilgrave knew most of the people there and politely greeted everyone on the way in.

‘Relax, doll. You’re fine, I promise.’ Loki said softly in her ear as he rubbed her back on the way to their table.

When they sat down together and started talking to some others at the same table, she relaxed a bit more and focused on the wine she had. There were some appetisers too, so she just tried to enjoy the food.

The people at their table were nice though, they included her in the conversation and they helped to ease her nerves. There was another omega who was really nice and she spoke to her quite well across the table.

Kilgrave then had to disappear backstage, as he had to get ready for accepting his award. He was one of many that was receiving awards that night.

‘I’m just going to the bathroom.’ Leona whispered to Loki.

‘You want me to come or are you alright?’ Loki asked after pointing out where the bathrooms were.

‘I’ll be alright. Send a search team if I’m not back soon.’ She giggled, making him chuckle. He kissed her on the lips before she excused herself from the table.

Loki couldn’t help himself from eyeing her up as she walked away. She looked bloody stunning in her dark purple dress, it hugged her figure beautifully. He licked his lips as he looked at her bum, but he tried to focus and push his dirty thoughts out of his mind for tonight.

When Leona was finished in the bathroom, she had just left when she almost walked right into a couple. Her heart stopped when she saw who it was.

Her parents.

Her eyes widened as she looked at them, they looked just as stunned to see her there. Leona noticed her mum was pregnant, which felt like a kick to the teeth for her.

‘Leona… What are you doing here? Did you sneak in to get food?’ Her father scolded her.

Leona took a moment to quickly gather her thoughts together. Then her face hardened. ‘No. I’m here with my Alphas.’

Her parents sniggered. But then they noticed her collar and they frowned.

‘I pity the poor Alpha you’ve tricked into taking you in. Wait until he finds out the truth about you, he won’t want you and you’ll be back out on the street. I bet the Alpha isn’t even a proper Alpha.’ Her mother sneered.

Leona felt like they’d kicked her in the stomach too.

‘I know the truth and she is more loved than any other omega in the world.’ Came a deep growl from behind her parents.

They spun around and their eyes widened when they saw Loki. He moved around them and stood by Leona, wrapping an arm firmly around her middle to pull her into him.

‘If you dare say another bad word about my omega, I will make sure that scholarship you wanted for your baby’s future goes down the drain.’ He snarled angrily at them.

Their eyes widened and they were suddenly very flustered, even her dad.

‘That’s right. Mr Evans sees me as a well trusted colleague, I help him out with the scholarships. So I know you’ve already applied for one.’

Leona couldn’t help but smile smugly as she snuggled into Loki’s side, under his arm. She had never seen her parents so stunned for words, for a change.

‘Well… We…’ Her mum said, flustered.

‘I suggest you go take a seat. The awards are about to start.’ Loki growled.

Her parents didn’t say anything else, or stick around. They quickly scurried off to their table that was near the back of the room.

Loki turned to Leona and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand softly. ‘Are you alright, love?’

She nodded, a tear in her eye. ‘Thank you. For sticking up for me.’

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. ‘I’m your Alpha and I love you. I will always stick up for you. Now come, let’s get our seat again.’

Leona actually felt like she was on top of the world now. Loki had totally put her parents in their place, she felt giddy thinking about it.

Her parents still couldn’t believe that a well-known and respected teacher had their daughter as his omega. But they were even more shocked at the end of the ceremony…

‘Finally, it gives me great pleasure to give this wonderful award for outstanding achievement in his work over-seas, to Kilgrave Thompson!’ The beta who was running the ceremony smiled widely and put her arm out to the side as Kilgrave walked on stage.

Everyone in the room erupted into cheers, but no one was as loud as Leona and Loki were. Leona whistled and whooped loudly in excitement, making Kilgrave grin widely as he saw and heard her.

‘Thank you for this wonderful award, I’m honoured, truly. When I went abroad I just wanted to help as many people as I could, and I am grateful to have achieved that with such an incredible team at my side.’ He went on to thank and name every single one of his team, not missing anyone out.

‘I went abroad to do this life changing work at the right time in my life. Upon my return, I finally found my omega. Who I will love and cherish forever. She has been incredibly supportive of my work and is here tonight, showing her support once again… Leona, please come on up here. I want everyone to see my beautiful omega.’ He smiled widely at her, seeing the look of shock that crossed her face.

‘And Loki Laufeyson, who most of you will know as Mr Laufeyson, who is also her Alpha. My best friend since school. It might seem odd, two Alphas sharing an omega. But Leona is simply so special, that she needs two Alphas.’

Loki nudged Leona playfully as he took her hand and walked up onto the stage next to Kilgrave. There was another eruption of cheers and claps. She moved in next to Kilgrave, who slid his arm around her middle and kissed the top of her head.

‘I’m so getting you back for doing this.’ She whispered to him, eyes wide as she looked at the big crowd. She saw her parents at the back, looking in utter shock at their daughter on stage with two well respected and established Alphas, they couldn’t believe it.

Kilgrave chuckled and gave her side a squeeze.

But Leona felt on top of the world as she stood there on stage, in the middle of her two loving Alphas.

[capri-ramblings]

Yandere Malleus and Vil and Leona really wanting to start a family but there s/o isn't into the idea and just straight up refuses the idea Even quickly changing the subject saying she'd rather get a pet

I had my dad drive me around the neighborhood to have my braincells function for this and it still ended up bad (╥﹏╥) I'm sorry, I really tried but Vil and Malleus are so hard for me to write atm

Warning: Mention of toxic relationships

Vil Schoenheit

- Someone must've said something to him to make him actually want children.

- It's not that it never crossed his mind,it did, and he was planning to have a kid eventually,I mean, genes as beautiful as him should have an heir so this world would never run short of impeccable beauty,but you didn't expect it to be this soon.

- The question made your head reel and your stomach churned.

- "Daffodil,a young one running around would be a sight wouldn't it?" He had put it very subtly,but the thought still made you cringe. You were never really fond of kids.

- "I don't know,Vil...Why not get a cat or a pony or something?" When your words reached him, it had the male turning around with a slightly dark expression. The way the light seemed to scatter over his skin made him look almost ethereal.

- You bit your lower lip.

- "I saw your post about that new skincare earlier. I was thinking of trying it out tonight, your tips never fail to give results" You changed the topic fast, and Vil couldn't help but feel a swell of irritation build up in his chest.

- You were so easy to read. The least you could do was lie a little better.

- "I don't think you understand the situation here,mein lieb, I'm saying I want a family with you." He was smiling then but something in the way he looked at you gave away the fact he wasn't liking your attitude toward the whole idea

- "I mean,Vil...I wouldn't be such a good mom in the first place and ugh,don't kids just take up too much space? Why can't we just stay like this?"

- "Like what? Me always trying to see if you're still not trying to find a way to not be with me?"

- "Or are you talking about the fact that you'll never be as devoted to this relationship as I am?"

- The accusation rang clear in his voice and Vil didn't try to hide the anger in his gaze. You tried to find a way to calm him down, but your clear rejection really set him off bad.

- "I didn't mean it like that,Vil. It's just that —"

- "Stop talking, Daffodil. You're making my head ache."

- So you kept your mouth shut

- Vil sighed.

- "See? This is what I meant. You act like you care, but really when you're shoved into a corner you become this timid rat curling its tail around its body."

- "Vil.."

- "I said,don't speak." Vil tore down your defenses without hesitation, and you found yourself unable to withstand the glare daggering its way into your soul.

- "A child would mean the highest mark of love,and a child from my seed would mean the highest of blessings for you." Vil took your chin in his hand,gently tugging it towards him,as he brushed his lips against yours. "Why don't you embroider that understanding into your head, love?"

- Then,he let go and stood up. The fragrance of his perfume stilling your nerves. His eyes didn't meet yours again as he turned around to leave the room.

- "Because, the next time I ask, your answer should be a single word. Or I simply won't bother to make it a question."

Leona Kingscholar

- Cheka was playfully sitting on your lap when Leona asked you the question, and while the small little red haired beamed at the idea of having a baby cousin, your heart dreaded the notion.

- "A kid..?" You repeated the words almost fearfully, Cheka stirring in your lap. You tried your best not to let him slip off.

- Leona's green gaze met yours with a smugness you knew all too well.

- "Last time I checked,you weren't deaf,mousey",he said with a slight yawn.

- "And last time I checked, you didn't like kids" You shot back, earning a confused look on the small male currently in your grasp.

- "That's not true! Leona ojichan likes me!" Cheka whined then laughed when he did almost fall off and you managed to catch him, albeit hastily. Your grip tightened on him slightly as Cheka settled back in your lap.

- "Yeah, course I do, kiddo. You tell her,won't you?"

- "Kiddo!" Cheka grinned, easily falling for the display of affection from his uncle,but you knew better.

- The abyss of his eyes where he kept his darkest intent shone brightly amidst its emerald sheen. An uneasiness came over you then.

- "Why?" You asked before evaluating the question. It had Leona arching both his brows, expression unimpressed.

- He was being mildly aggressive today, and you were sure it was because of Cheka. If you didn't ask him about it now, there wouldn't be any other chances.

- "I need an heir too,isn't that just obvious?" The words were a drawl, lazy and casual, but they rang in your ears like a sore tune and you couldn't help but frown.

- "And you seem like you need something to take care of whenever I'm gone"

- "If that's the case, why not just get a horse? That takes just as much time to raise"

- Leona laughed, yet humour seemed so far away from his tone.

- "I don't know" He yawned,gaze shifting to Cheka. "What do you think,kiddo?"

- Cheka jumped up on your lap, his bright round eyes beaming when he looked at you. It's not that you hated kids, you thought they were cute, sure and obviously you adored the small bundle of joy whenever you and Leona came to visit, but the thought of having your own...It just stresses you out.

- It was one thing taking care of another person's kid, and a whole other topic to have your own. You just weren't up for it.

- "Cheka,why don't you go and see if Papa's done with his meeting,hm? He might need your help"

- "Papa needs my help? Aha! Yay!" He leaped down easily from your grasp,curls bouncing and eyes wide with enthusiasm. He was scurrying off well when he turned to you one last time.

- "Can I still come back and sit with you?"

- You smiled, even when he tired you out most of the time, Cheka was sweet and genuine, the complete opposite of Leona. Maybe that was why you tolerated him more than the said male himself.

- "Anytime"

- "Yay!"

- When he turned the corner and went completely out of your reach, your didn't hesitate to face Leona sitting right across you.

- "I don't want to have kids." You told him firmly, which he was expecting since he was well aware of how you felt about kids, but his smugness didn't fade.

- "Sure"

- "I'm serious,Leona. I don't want any,you know how I feel about it"

- He yawned, leaning against his chair as his emerald gaze fixated on you. There was something hidden in the smile he gave you then.

- "And what about how I feel,mousey? What if I want a kid?"

- You scoffed,maybe you didn't really mean it, but it came out and Leona growled.

- "Something amusing you?"

- The dark undertone of the words had you refraining your spite towards him, but the refusal remained unwavering.

- Leona applauded you for standing your ground,he wasn't going to lie, he enjoyed it when you fought or had the nerves to bite back. It felt more thrilling that way.

- When he laughed again,you really thought he was going to lose it right there and then, but as the familiar footsteps of Cheka and a second person, which you assumed was Farena, began approaching the two of you,Leona bared his fangs,a nerve trembling growl lacing his words possessively when they slipped pass his lips.

- "Let's see you try and stop me from seeding inside you,mousey"

Malleus Draconia

- If this man wanted a kid, the reason would be similar to all his others; Curiousity.

- Malleus adores you though, and when he came up with a plan that would make you his forever, he fell deeper into this abyss of infatuation. Perhaps made him a bit more extreme.

- He was always the inquisitive kind,this you knew was in his nature, and so when the question had came about, you simply thought shrugging it off would solve it

- It didn't of course. Nothing you said swayed his decision on wanting a child with you.

- This conversation turned bitter quick, and you remember just denying him the dream he'd been so thrilled to achieve, and how dark he seemed then.

- "Malleus,you know I care about you, but a child isn't something I want"

- "Care?" He repeated, and although the words left him blandly, there was a frothing rage in the depths of his tone, and somehow you knew you had already lost this argument.

- "Is that why you refuse? Because you care about me rather than loving me?"

- You looked at him almost exasperatedly. "Caring means I love you, Malleus"

- His dark brows arched, prominent and haughty, almost as if he was laughing at you despite the silence weighing down the room. His figure seemed to look over you, and the garden lost its floral hue.

- "Pray tell then,why don't you ever say it to me?" The words were a dark drawl, and they were meant to ensnare you; No answer was relevant now.

- You tittered on your toes,every inch of your nerves aching to retaliate,but Malleus held you in place, more with his demeanor rather than the hold he had on your hand.

- "I do love you, Malleus." You managed,eyes casted down before he lifted your chin up with one finger.

- "Then,prove it,my sweet. Give me a child."

Imsosorrythisisbad

[kelyon]

Golden Rings 20: A Line

The Storybrooke sequel to Golden Cuffs. 

Rumple and Jefferson explore some boundaries.

Read on AO3

It was still raining as Rumpelstiltskin drove Mrs. Gold back to the pink house. She had dried off, in the hours since she had come into the shop and seen him standing too close to Jefferson. Her clothes had dried, but her attitude was still as stormy as the thunder and lightning in the sky.

That morning, the silence between them had been sullen, resigned. The silence of two people who couldn’t speak to each other, even if they wanted to. Now, Mrs. Gold’s side of the car crackled with unspoken hostility. If he looked at her closely, Rumpelstiltskin could almost see her trembling. Poor woman was fighting to keep silent, straining to keep herself from saying any words that would finally sever the last fraying threads of her marriage. 

Once the car was in the garage, Mrs. Gold burst through her door and bolted into the house. She didn’t even stop to pick up her shopping bags from the back seat. Walking around to her side of the car, he took as many of the bags as he could carry. There was one still left on the floor. He would have to come back for it.

He entered the kitchen just in time to hear her door slam shut upstairs. He sighed, and shook the rain off his coat.

Could he offer her an explanation? Would she care about what he had to say? Mrs. Gold already knew that there was someone else. He had told her Belle was a woman, but she had no reason to believe him about anything. Throughout all the years of the curse, Mrs. Gold had trusted her husband. She had trusted in his cruelty, in his rules, in his appetites. She may have been on her knees, but at least she knew where she stood. In only a few months, Rumpelstiltskin had destroyed that trust.   

He made dinner, wondered if she would come down to eat. When she didn’t, he brought a plate up to the guest bedroom and knocked on the door. 

“What?” Her ragged voice was at the exact midpoint between rage and despair.

“I brought you dinner,” he explained to the door.

“Leave it.” Even through the wood, he could hear her labored breathing. “Then go away. I don’t want to look at you.” 

Wincing, Rumpelstiltskin set the plate on the ground. Then he stood at the door a moment longer. He should say something. He should apologize. He should be kind to her.

But the longer he waited, the longer she didn’t open the door because she didn’t want to look at him, the more he understood. The kindest thing he could do for Mrs. Gold would be to leave her alone. She was allowing him to provide for her--taking his money, eating his food. She wouldn’t leave her room, as long as she thought it was safe.

He would make her feel safe. As best he could, at least.

Limping, he headed for the stairs. Halfway down, he heard her door open, and the china plate scraping across the floorboards. She had been listening for him, to make sure he was really gone. She had been listening for the tap of his cane.

He heard the door shut. And the metallic mechanism of a lock.  

Once, he had locked Belle in a library, in order to keep her burgeoning love for him from ever coming to life. Now Mrs. Gold was locking herself away, because any love she’d had for her husband had already suffered a messy, painful death.

With a heavy tread, he kept walking. 

****

In his study, Rumpelstiltskin sat down at Gold’s desk and poured himself a tumblr from a sky-blue bottle. Johnnie Walker Blue Label. The liquor was a dark, golden brown, but the glass bottle was the same color as Belle’s eyes. 

From his breast pocket, he took the paper where Jefferson had written his address and telephone number. He tossed it on the desk and stared at it. 

Jefferson. His truest friend. The only person he had trusted, before Belle. He hadn’t been the first man Rumpelstiltskin had taken as a lover, but he was the only one who had been just as pleasant company outside of the bedroom. They had gone on many adventures together, fetching items from different worlds, running errands for kings and empresses, sometimes getting richly rewarded, and sometimes barely escaping with their lives. Jefferson had always been loyal, brave, and clever. A good man to have by his side.

He could have loved him, if he hadn’t been such a fool. If he hadn’t kept the boy at a distance in a thousand tiny ways. If he hadn’t insisted that he leave him after every adventure. Jefferson would have lived in his castle, if Rumpelstiltskin had asked him to. Jefferson would have traveled with him forever, if he had ever indicated that he wanted to. They could have stayed together. If Rumpelstiltskin had thought that anyone could have loved him.

As it was, Jefferson had found Leona Ogg, a woman who never doubted that she could love and be loved. They had married, and had a daughter, and Rumpelstiltskin had wished them well--from a distance. From the lonely darkness that he knew was all he would ever deserve. 

Belle had changed that, of course. Too late for it to benefit Jefferson much. But now Belle was gone. And even Mrs. Gold didn’t want to speak to him. And Jefferson’s wife was in another world, alive but inaccessible. 

Jefferson had spent the past twenty-eight years alone in his house, spared from the curse, but unable to interact with anyone in Storybrooke. Finally, he had come to Rumpelstiltskin in need of a friend. 

Rumpelstiltskin hadn’t realized how much he’d needed a friend as well. 

He dialed the numbers on the black telephone on Gold’s desk. He emptied the glass and didn’t pour another. After a few rings, there was an answer. 

“This is Dodgson,” Jefferson’s voice said.

“Are you sure about that, dearie?” The alcohol had eased his tension, but talking to Jefferson had truly loosened him. Dropping the mask of being Mr. Gold felt like being able to breathe again.

Over the phone, Jefferson’s tone became softer, warmer. “Hello,” was all he said. One word, full of meaning. 

It wasn’t flirtatious. Flirting was asking a question. But these questions had already been asked and answered long ago. 

“Hello yourself,” Rumpelstiltskin answered. He heard his own voice as low and heavy, thick with want. 

“I’d like to continue the conversation we were having earlier. Are you free?”

“Magic always comes at a price. But for you, I am free indeed.” 

He heard Jefferson breathing into the phone. “Tonight?”

“I can leave right now. Your house?”

“I’d rather die,” the boy said quickly. “But come here to pick me up, and I’ll tell you where to go.”

“I’ll be there soon.” Rumpelstiltskin was already standing up. 

“Good.”

****

The rain had stopped by the time he got to the winding forest road where Jefferson lived. He was waiting in front of the driveway, leaning against a stone pillar, hands stuffed into his coat pockets. Rumpelstiltskin stopped the car and he got into the passenger side.

“Now follow this road for another two miles.”

Nodding, Rumpelstiltskin drove. “Where are we going?”

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s the most interesting place in Storybrooke.”

Jefferson didn’t say more and Rumpelstiltskin didn’t ask. Unlike with Mrs. Gold, he could relax in the silence between himself and Jefferson. He knew the answers would come. He just had to be patient. 

“You know the town well?” he said after a while. There weren’t many turns on this highway, just woods and darkness. 

“I’ve had twenty-eight years to look around.” Jefferson stared out the windshield. “And six months to explore.” He sighed. “I tried to map it, you know. I tried to figure out the limits of this place. Find out if there were any… I dunno, weak spots.”

Trying to keep his eyes on the road, Rumpelstiltskin glanced over at Jefferson. “What did you find out?”

He scoffed. “If there was anything useful, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. There’s a spot over here where you can pull over.”

The tires crunched on gravel as Rumpelstiltskin parked the car on the shoulder. They were still in the forest. The road kept going on ahead of them. There didn’t seem to be anything interesting about this spot. 

No, there was one thing. 

“What’s that sign up there?” he asked Jefferson. They faced the back of a sheet of metal on a pole. “Do you know what it says on the front?” 

“‘Welcome to Storybrooke,’” Jefferson sneered. “Three of the most loathsome words in this world.” He opened the door and stood up. “Come on, Dark One, I want to show you around.” 

By the time he had gotten out, Jefferson was standing in the middle of the road behind the sign. Taking a deep breath, he began to walk forward. His pace was measured, careful. In the still night, Rumpelstiltskin could hear the boy muttering under his breath. 

Counting. 

“What are you doing?” he asked after a moment.

“Watch,” was all Jefferson would say. “It should happen any minute now. Thirty-nine, forty, forty-one, forty--FUCK!”

From out of the darkness, a deer came barreling down the road. It ran at full speed along the painted yellow stripes on the pavement. Head bent, antlers pointed, it was dead set towards Jefferson. 

With impressive agility, Jefferson swerved from his path in the center and raced back to the car. Once he was behind the signpost, the deer also changed course. It leapt into the brush along the roadside and--utterly unperturbed--walked back into the forest. 

Rumpelstiltskin looked over at Jefferson, who had braced his hands on the hood of the car. He was breathing heavily, but not too heavily to speak.

“I hate it when it’s deer,” he panted. “The moose and the bears just kind of stand there, being big and scary. But the deer are always on the attack, always out for blood.” Shaking his head, he straightened up and turned to Rumpelstiltskin with his arms spread wide. “So this is the town line, and that’s my parlor trick.” 

He stared. “You knew that would happen?”

“I knew something would happen. Animals are a pretty regular method. A few weeks ago, this road was a sheet of ice once you got past the sign. If we had come out here while the storm was still going on, a bolt of lightning wouldn’t have been out of the question. Or a fallen tree. Something like that.”

Rumpelstiltskin said nothing, so Jefferson kept explaining.

“It’s actually safer when you’re walking. Whatever happens will just kind of shoo you back to the town limits. In a car is where it gets really bad, I guess because you have a better chance of actually getting somewhere. You ever hear the locals call this the widowmaker highway?”  

“Mrs. Gold said something about that,” he nodded. He was beginning to understand. 

“Funny thing, that. If you look at, say, twenty-eight year’s worth of newspapers, you’ll see that no one has ever actually died on this highway. Lots of accidents. Lots of previous fatalities. Every family knows somebody who’s died here, sometime in the past. But no one has been killed on this road since October 23, 1983.”

“Of course not,” Rumpelstiltskin said. “The curse wants to keep people alive.”

“It wants to keep people inside,” Jefferson agreed. “Trapped like animals in a simulated habitat.” He made his way over to Rumpelstiltskin, leaned against the car next to him. “Nothing is real in this town.”

He had worn gloves against the chill. Black leather driving gloves. The headlights reflected against the rain brought out the dull sheen of them, especially contrasted with Jefferson’s gray wool coat when he put his hand on his arm. 

“You’re real,” Rumpelstiltskin said. “I don’t know how you managed it, but you are.”

Jefferson looked down at the place where they touched. “Are you sure?” he asked. “I mean, that’s the whole point of this world--this is the place where we only exist as stories. None of us are really real. We’re not supposed to be here, not walking and talking and--feeling.”

Rumpelstiltskin could only squeeze more tightly on the boy’s arm. Early in his own experience with immortality, he had spent a decade or two grappling with the potentialities of existence and non-existence. Whether or not anything could really be true. Whether or not actions actually had consequences. Whether or not every reality and every world he knew was nothing more than a grain of sand on an infinite, eternal beach full of other realities.

It was the sort of thinking that could drive one mad. 

“I tried calling the real world once,” Jefferson went on. “The world without magic. I found the phone number for a chartered plane service in Bar Harbor.”

“Where?”

“Bar Harbor!” Jefferson snapped. “It’s a town, in Maine. A real one. Unlike Storybrooke, it shows up on maps! I called the airport there--and I was just so happy to hear another voice. This was after things started changing. Before that, all the phones in my house were disconnected.”

Jefferson rubbed his hand over his eyes, his forehead. The poor boy looked so weary, so defeated. 

“I called. And I told the lady on the other end of the phone where I was, and that I wanted a plane to come get me. There’s over a hundred thousand dollars in cash in a safe in that house, I would have given it all and more besides. But the lady just laughed at me. She thought I was playing a prank. Because Storybrooke, Maine doesn’t exist! She’d never heard of it and it wasn’t in her database when she looked it up!”

He began to laugh, a wild, manic sound that could turn into sobs at any moment. “The next time I tried to call, I couldn’t get through! I called a hundred times one day and they’d never pick up!”

“Jefferson,” Rumpelstiltskin said softly.

But he couldn’t stop. “Then! I tried to rent a boat! Lots of boats in the harbor! I went to this grumpy drunk and gave him a thousand dollars to take his boat out for the day. It was a clear day--freezing, but not a cloud in the sky. I picked a direction and I just went. I motored out into the harbor until this town was just a speck in the distance.” He wiped his eyes with the back of his wrist. “I could see the open ocean in front of me. The horizon was limitless. It was beautiful. For one shining instant, I though I could go anywhere.”  

Then the boy shuddered. He curled in on himself, head between his hands as he nearly bent over double. 

“And then the fog rolled in,” he whispered. “One second you could see for miles, the next I couldn’t see past the front of the boat--the bow or aft or whatever it is. The next time I saw anything, I was back at the docks.”

“Jefferson,” Rumpelstiltskin said again. He put a hand on his shoulder, wished desperately that he didn’t have to use the other hand on his cane. Jefferson needed him, needed whatever strength he had. He couldn’t be crippled now.

He stroked his back. “Jefferson, my boy, I’m sorry.”

He looked up. His dark blue eyes glinted like steel. “You’re sorry?” Slowly, he registered Rumpelstiltskin’s hands on his body. He backed away. “You’re sorry?” he snarled. “Twenty-eight years of this hell and all you have to say is that you’re sorry?”

Rumpelstiltskin opened his mouth. Closed it. Then opened it again. “We have all suffered, my boy. Do you know what the curse did to--”

“To you?” The edge in Jefferson’s voice was sharp and jagged. “Or to Belle? Yes, I know both. I know all about the proclivities of Mr. and Mrs. Gold.”      

“And I’ve had to live with that--”

“For six months! Oh boo hoo! It’s such a fucking tragedy that you’ve got a brain-dead bimbo begging you to fill her up in every hole!”

“Don’t.” Rumpelstiltskin spoke through his teeth to keep from shouting. “Don’t talk about her like that.”

For a second, Jefferson seemed taken aback. He looked at him, level and even. Appraising. When he spoke, the hostility had ebbed away. “You know I meant Mrs. Gold, right? Not Belle.”

Rumpelstiltskin unclenched his jaw. “Yes,” he said. He took a breath. “But even then… she is still a person.”

“No she’s not.” Jefferson turned away, to look up at the trees overhead. There were no stars in the sky, nothing but gray clouds. “Even if we’re real--if we were real back in our old world--the people in the town aren’t real. Not now.” He sighed. “Mrs. Gold isn’t any more real than Dodgson or Gold or little Paige Lewis.”

“Grace,” Rumpelstiltskin said. “Your Grace.”

He nodded. “She has different parents now,” he said softly. “At least they love her. They’re giving her a good life. I watch her, every day.” Jefferson swallowed hard. “I do have you to thank for that.”

Rumpelstiltskin raised his eyebrows. “Me?”

“You remember the telescope you gave me and Leo? The magic one?”

“Of course.” The enchanted spyglass could see across distances and worlds, to focus on any single person at any time of day or night. In the old world, Rumpelstiltskin had adjusted it so that Jefferson and Leona would always be able to see Grace, and she would always be able to see them. “Did it come with you?”

A slow nod. Jefferson stood in the road while Rumpelstiltskin remained by the car. “It doesn’t have magic, but it’s still damned useful. I can see her, even if I can’t do anything else. I know she’s alive, I know she’s happy. At least I have that.”

He covered his mouth with his hand, and Rumpelstiltskin understood. 

“As for Leona...?”

Jefferson shook his head. “No,” he whispered. “Nothing. Not for twenty-eight years. I don’t know if she’s happy, if she’s safe, if she’s even still alive.” Tears brimmed in his eyes and ran down his cheeks as he looked at Rumpelstiltskin. “What if she’s grown old, Dark One? What if she’s outgrown me, forgotten me? What--what if she found someone else and got married again? I wouldn’t blame her for that. But what if she had other children? Her children could be older than I am now! What if Leo moved on and lived this full, rich life that Grace and I didn’t get to share with her? And what if I never know? What if I never see her again?”

He was sobbing now. The sound was a weary ache, an old wound that had never had a chance to heal. Jefferson, poor Jefferson, was giving voice to demons that had plagued him since the curse was cast. For twenty-eight years, his pain had festered in silence, in loneliness. There had been no one for him, the poor boy. Not a single human soul.

Until now. 

Despite the uneven, rain-soaked forest floor, Rumpelstiltskin hobbled over to his friend on his cane. He wrapped his arm around Jefferson. He let the man lean against him, and silently prayed that he would be strong enough for the task. He rubbed his back, while Jefferson moaned out his agony. 

“It’s all right,” he said, even though it wasn’t. “It will be all right, my boy.”

Jefferson didn’t answer, just shook his head and swayed to the rhythm of his sorrow. Rumpelstiltskin stood by him. He stayed, while Jefferson wept. He offered whatever support he could. The crying eased, though the pain would take far longer to abate. 

A drop of water landed on Rumpelstiltskin’s ear. Had that come from a tree branch, or was it starting to rain again? 

“Come on, my boy.” He shook Jefferson gently. “Let’s at least get into the car.”

With a deep, shuddering breath, Jefferson managed to stand. He walked on his own to the side of the road. Opening the backseat door on the driver’s side, he slid across the red leather bench. There was plenty of room for Rumpelstiltskin.

He didn’t wonder why Jefferson had chosen to go to the back seat instead of the front, why he wasn’t in a hurry to drive out of the forest, what he expected to happen next. Those were questions that had been answered already.

Jefferson was waiting for him. He had wiped the tears from his face, but when he tried a smile, it was too shaky to be convincing. His back was pushed up against the far door. His long arms and legs tried to sprawl out, but the car was too cramped for that kind of thing. They would have to be close, if they were going to be there at the same time. 

Before he got in, Rumpelstiltskin took off his heavy coat and laid it over the front seat. He left his cane up there as well. He wouldn’t need it in such close quarters. When he took off his gloves, his wedding ring glinted faintly. 

He hadn’t fucked Jefferson since he had married Belle. There hadn’t been enough time. The curse was coming, and every moment he had he wanted to spend with her.

But Belle was gone now. 

And Jefferson was here.

Rumpelstiltskin sat down in the back seat of Gold’s car and shut the door behind him. 

They stared at each other for a moment, as best they could in darkness. Rumpelstiltskin couldn’t see Jefferson’s eyes, but he knew them well enough. He knew how they could darken as they filled with want. How he could gaze, unblinking, lips parted, waiting for the next move.

But this time he didn’t wait. Jefferson made the first move. He leaned forward with his hands outstretched. Rumpelstiltskin felt his fingers on his face. Then his palms on his cheeks. Then his mouth on his mouth.

Jefferson had always been free with his kisses. When they’d first started, that had been a shock for Rumpelstiltskin. Many of his lovers had held kissing as something altogether different than fucking. Something far purer, more sacred, more meaningful. They would offer every part of their bodies to every part of his--all except for the meeting of their mouths. That would be too much of a violation. Jefferson had never seemed to think kisses were that important.

Or maybe he did, and that was why he gave them so generously.

When they broke apart, Rumpelstiltskin held Jefferson by the back of his neck. “What are we doing?” he whispered. 

“Missing our wives,” Jefferson answered. Then he kissed him again. 

It was thrilling, even to be this close to another person. To feel his heat and his weight, to hear his breathing in his ears, to smell the scent of another man’s body--the cologne and the sweat and the unique essence of Jefferson. That hadn’t changed. Even after all this time. Even after marriages and curses and resentments--Jefferson tasted just the same. 

They began to touch. Shirts were pulled out of trousers. Buttons were undone. The boy’s body was so smooth, so firm, so strong. Jefferson’s hands started cold, but soon warmed on Rumpelstiltskin’s skin. Ties and scarves were cast aside. Rumpelstiltskin ran his lips over the scar on Jefferson’s neck, as he had done a hundred times, before the boy had started wearing the collar that marked him as Leona Ogg’s. The sigh Jefferson gave out at the sensation was the most erotic thing Rumpelstiltskin had ever heard in this world.         

“Hey,” Jefferson rested his large hands on Rumpelstiltskin’s shirtfront. He was more or less on top of the boy now. His suitcoat was draped over the front seat, his waistcoat was unbuttoned and hanging open. “Did I see what I thought I saw in that plastic bag?”

It took a moment for Rumpelstiltskin to understand what he was talking about. Then he saw the pale shape of a shopping bag on the floor of the backseat. Mrs. Gold had left it there.

“I have no idea what’s in that bag,” he answered.

Reaching down, Jefferson pulled it up and examined the contents. “Yep.” There was a smile in his voice. “Condoms and lube. You are hospitable as ever, Dark One.”

Rumpelstiltskin let out a breath. “Why did she buy all that? She knows I won’t use them.”

Jefferson looked up from the bag, a black paper box in his hand. “Not at all? Because this world isn’t like the old one. You really should--”

“Not on her,” he clarified. “I can’t touch Mrs. Gold. It wouldn’t be fair.”

“To Belle?”

“No.” He sat back, a little away from Jefferson. “To Mrs. Gold. It would be too cruel to her.”

There was a crisp rustle of plastic and paper, then the quieter movement of cloth. “If that’s cruelty, I hope you won’t mind being cruel to me.” 

“She doesn’t know who I am,” Rumpelstiltskin said simply. “You do.”

 In the darkness, he felt Jefferson’s body shift again, leaning against him. Deft hands undid his belt buckle. Strong arms lifted him up, for just long enough to pull down his clothes. Smooth fingers glided over his legs, his thighs. 

His cock.

“I know who you are.” Jefferson’s voice was soft as he stroked Rumpelstiltskin into beautiful hardness. “And you know who I am. You always have.”

He felt the needful, wet heat of Jefferson’s lips on the head of his cock. Then, in one skillful, fluid motion, the boy opened his mouth and swallowed him to the hilt.

“Oh, fuck!” Rumpelstiltskin moaned loudly enough that it echoed around the car interior. “Gods, boy! Give a man a bit of warning first!”

Without seeing him, Rumpelstiltskin knew that Jefferson was smirking when he came up. “You look different, but you feel the same in the dark. It’s been too long since I’ve done that to you. Or to anybody.”

Slowly, Rumpelstiltskin opened his eyes. “Have you had sex at all? In the past twenty-eight years?”

He shook his head back and forth between Rumpelstiltskin’s thighs. “Good thing I’m ambidextrous.”

“And I thought six months was bad.”

“We have each other now,” Jefferson said. “We may not have anyone else in this world, but we have each other. We have now.” He grasped Rumpelstiltskin by the shaft. “I have this. And I’m going to make the most of it.”

“Fuck.” Rumpelstiltskin threw his head back against the headrest while Jefferson set to his work. His hands felt for his body in the darkness. His bobbing head, his tense shoulders and arms, the sensitive shell of his ear. “You don’t have to,” he whispered. “I do like talking to you too.”

Jefferson came off his cock with a pop. “We can talk when I’ve got my cock in your ass. How about that, Dark One?” 

“Wait.” Rumpelstiltskin pushed him up. Jefferson went along, but his hands kept moving. “Don’t call me that, Jefferson, please.”

He was still stroking him. “You told me once that your name has power.”

“It does, but not here. Not in a land without magic. And besides, we’ve been through so much together. I think this is a power I can trust you to wield.”

Jefferson chuckled a moment, and looked down. One of his hands was still pumping back and forth along the length of Rumpelstiltskin’s cock. The other was gently cupping his balls, rubbing them ever so slightly. He placed a kiss on his groin, around the base of his shaft. 

“Alright,” he whispered. Then he gave him another kiss. “Rumpelstiltskin.”

The shudder began at the base of his spine. Perhaps there was a hint of magic in it. Emma had brought magic to Storybrooke, it was possible he was feeling it. Perhaps it was only that Jefferson was the first person to touch him since Mrs. Gold’s failed attempt to pleasure him on their anniversary. Perhaps it was that this was the first time he had heard his own name--his true name--in more than twenty-eight years.

“Again,” he breathed. “Please, my boy.”

Jefferson was moving faster now, his caresses were rougher. His voice was more sure when he said, “Rumpelstiltskin.”

“Oh fuck,” he gritted his teeth. He felt his body tighten. His hips jerked up erratically, but Jefferson was there. Jefferson was with him. Jefferson would make this so good, he always did. “One more time.”

It didn’t have to be three times, but it was such a nice number, and people expected this sort of thing.

Knowing what was coming, Jefferson clenched his grip into a choke-hold. He moved his face into the dim light coming through the car window.

Rumpelstiltskin could see the boy’s eyes as he looked at him. He could see his plump lips begin to form the word that would make him come undone. He could even see the smooth stretch of skin between Jefferson’s cheek and his nose and his mouth. That was where his semen would land.

“Rumpelstiltskin!” 

The name was a roar, and he roared back--hungry and desperate and heart sore but not now. Not in this moment. Now he had Jefferson. Now he had completion. Now he had peace and satisfaction. Now he could rest in oblivion.

He breathed. And he heard Jefferson’s breathing in the darkness. He collapsed against the leather seat, and Jefferson settled in beside him. Blearily, he felt the boy take his wrist and put his fingers to his face. Hot, sticky fluids dripped down Jefferson’s cheek. Moving Rumpelstiltskin’s hand for him, Jefferson coated his fingers in semen, then sucked them into his mouth.

“You’re delicious,” Jefferson murmured. “But this is very much why I said we should use a condom.”

Dazed from the intensity of his orgasm, at peace for the first time in months, Rumpelstiltskin chuckled. “You can put one on,” he sighed. “When you stick that massive cock of yours up my arsehole.”    

[azurevi]

2:00am

is this even angsty? either way, you've been warned. (Leona x gender neutral reader) (featuring shitty title♡)

"I'm so sad that I'm going to stay up all night," they said. "Let's just not go to sleep, for the sake of memories," they said.

Ace and Deuce were already tucked comfortably in their beds, competing for the title of the loudest snorer. But no matter how big a noise they made, they couldn't beat the infallible champion that is Grim.

Hung on the wall was the mirror that you've been looking at for as long as you could remember. You'd always known － you could feel it in your bones － that it was connected to something else. And that it could serve as a portal to your own world was not a big surprise either.

You just didn't expect it to be done so soon.

A line of incomprehensible words, perhaps a spell, were scribbled on the worn out frame and were emittng a faint, humming light. Crowley had casted it a week ago, turning it into your ticket back home.

The news spread like wildfire in the campus. The prefect of the two-person dorm, unexpected non-magical user who was nonetheless accepted into the school, was going to leave. Some students, even though they never really knew you, were disappointed at this. After all, you've done so many remarkable things for the school.

Friends you made along the way made their visits one by one, with heartfelt farewells and delicate gifts. Jamil cooked you the grandest meal you'd ever eaten in your life. Floyd gifted you a handstitched shrimp plushie, even though it looked a bit messy at the trims. Riddle held a well-organized farewell party for you, ordering every students in Heartslabyul to make it as memorable as possible.

Almost everyone had sent their blessings. No - everyone except one.

And surprise, surprise. It was Leona, perhaps the person closest to you here in this foreign world.

It was probably safe to say that he despised you at first glance. It took him quite a while to look at you without prejudice, and even longer to accept you as his friend. Even after you'd helped him out of overblot, he was quite hesitant to let you in.

That being said, even Leona could be moved with enough persistence. It was only a matter of time until he started appearing by your side during breaks and lunch, hanging out with you instead of napping around the campus, taking your advice even though he feigned annoyance.

Before you knew it, you'd already got used his presence and his warmth, the safety he promised and the unsaid care.

But time was a mischievous kid, because it never waited. It just kept running and running, even sprinting faster if you called out to it.

Perhaps you'd realized it way too late. It felt as if the very moment you'd figured out your feelings for Leona, you were to leave this world. And of course, you could just stay. Forget about your previous life and live here forever. Alas, no matter how hard you tried, you could never fit in. You never belonged.

Which was... fine. You could just bury your feelings for him and hope for it to fade. It wasn't like you expected him to return your feelings anyways, despite all the subtle signs that you took note of.

The thing was that, Leona, the person you surprisingly found yourself the coziest with, vanished as soon as news about your departure leaked. He was nowhere to be found. He was neither in the garden nor his room. You'd tried going to him at night, sure that he would be in deep sleep, but his bed was vacant with nary a wrinkle on the sheet.

It was like he was avoiding you on purpose.

And it hurt, even though he was known to be amateurish when it came to dealing with feelings. It hurt because you were leaving, and he didn't even bother to say goodbye. Even Tsunotarou came with a dispirited countenance, so why hadn't he?

Thoughts kept you awake despite protests. You decided to take a walk around Ramshackle, perhaps to survey the place one last time before your leave tomorrow.

The moment you yanked open the door, you came face to face with Leona, who had his fist held up in the middle of knocking.

"…Good morning," he said.

"Oh! What are you doing here this late?" you asked.

"To say goodbye, of course. You're leaving tomorrow, right?"

It was hard to make out his face, but you could tell that his eyes were everywhere but on you.

"Yeah, tomorrow. How nice of you to make a visit the night before at 2am," you couldn't help the bitterness in your voice.

"Look, prefect-" he inhaled. "Let's just pretend nothing happened, okay? I don't want us ending on a bad note,"

In all your times spent with him, he had never sounded so discouraged before. You dropped your hostility immediately and invited him into the lounge.

"Tea?" you offered, but he declined in fear that it'd keep him awake. So you sat by him on the couch, without anything to distract you.

"How are you feeling? About leaving, I mean,"

"Well, I ought to be a little sad," you laughed dryly. "But everyone's been trying to make it joyous,"

"I see," Leona ended the conversation so abruptly that you feared that he was going to leave.

"I'm sorry for being out of reach for the past week,"

Leona apologizing. Never had you thought you'd live to see this day.

"Where have you been anyways?"

"…Out?"

"That's the vaguest answer I've ever got," you smiled slightly, but he still seemed to be bothered. "What's the matter?"

His ears twitched in annoyance. It was such a rare sight. "Don't you think you're leaving too hastily?"

"Are you prompting me to stay?"

"No-no," he replied, and with that extinguished your hope. You couldn't understand why he was trying so hard not to say what everyone's been saying. It's not like he was the most understanding person either.

"I just thought you can... maybe linger for a few more days? If that's not too selfish of me,"

"What is all this, Leona? It's unlike you to be this considerate," you teased him gently, and he finally mustered a small smile.

"That's what you've always told me though," he said, puzzling you. "It's annoying... but I kept it in mind. Be more understanding, quit being self-centered, treat people with thought…" he trailed off when he saw your face. "What?"

You closed your mouth with a short chuckle, "Nothing. It's just unexpected. Are you trying to be sentimental on my last day?"

"Did I do a good job?"

You nodded.

"Well, consider this a parting gift, then. The priceless experience of me being sappy,"

The night hadn't gone how you'd quite expected. What had you assumed anyways? For him to make you stay out of selfishness? Would you have stayed, then?

You hated to admit it, but yes. He only needed to ask, but he wouldn't, because you'd told him not to.

"Well then, thank you for opening up to me,"

He growled quietly. You looked down in what felt like disappointment. Tranquility installed between the two of you, but you could feel it even in the air, that the both of you had something to say, but wouldn't. The words lodged in your throats like fish bones, difficult to swallow, even more so to spit out.

"Well then, I hope you don't feel too sad about leaving," he shot up and started striding for the door. You raced, heart pounding in your chest as you grabbed his arm, words blurting out of you without knowing.

"Is that all you have to say?"

"What did you expect?" he asked back, voice suddenly devoid of any emotion.

"I don't know," you confessed. "Something more?"

It seemed so self-centered for you to ask, but you were blatantly desperate. Leona paused for a while, before turning to you looking more defeated than ever.

"Look, prefect, I already spent the past week brooding, and you can't imagine how hard it is for me to act all generous now. But I can't hold you back, can I? You have your own world to return to, and -" he rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "I don't want you to leave, but I have to let you go. Please don't make it harder than it already is,"

Words died on your tongue as you realized how shortsighted you've been, thinking that it would be easy for him. You let your hand slip away quietly.

"Just promise to visit me, okay?" he pleaded.

"I don't know if I can-"

"Just promise,"

"Okay," you forced a laugh, croak and painful. "I promise,"

Leona pulled you into his chest, too tall to even rest his chin atop your head, but it was something he'd got used to already. You stayed in his arms, as if by clenching to him tight enough time would stop its malicious game and let you stay in this moment forever.

In the end, it was him who broke the moment and stepped away. The instant his warmth left, a raw coldness washed over you.

"Well then," he stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned to leave. "Rest well, prefect,"

"You too," you answered weakly and watched as his figure reached for the door, and vanished from your sight like he was but a whisk of fog.

乁( ˙ω˙ )厂

[harland-queen]

HiHelloooooo, Gotham!

I was tagged by @rainbowspousesjerome to do this A-Z tag thing with both Harland and I sooo here we go !

A: Age: 18, will be 19 on September 26th

"21, will be 22 on November 23rd."

B: Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois

"I think it was Pennsylvania? Pretty sure I was born in Philadelphia, and then we moved to Gotham."

C: Current time: 12:04 PM

"What she said."

D: Drink you last had: Sprite

"A shot of tequila. Might've been a mistake, we'll see."

E: Easiest person to talk to: My best friend or my buddy Xander

"Leona, I tell her everything. And Selina too. Jer is easy to talk to, and we're close, but I'm not gonna include him on this one just because he's my go-to for a lot of other things besides conversation."

F. Favorite songs: Ooooooooof this is tough. Top 3 at the moment are probably Girls by Rita Ora, Us And Them by Pink Floyd, and I Spend Too Much Time In My Room by The Band CAMINO

"Shit-uhhhhh Money by Pink Floyd, Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, and Night Moves by Bob Seger. I don't usually think about the specifics a lot."

G: Grossest memory: Ick okay it's my fault this happened but I'm scarred from it: I volunteered to watch the birthing video when my nephew was born and I regret it to this day.

"Ew, uh....I think it was the first time I saw Jerome without his face. That...that was pretty disgusting."

H: Horror fan?: Yessssssss big time, I love creepy twisted things

"Depends if I'm by myself or not, 'cause you definitely won't catch me watching Sinister without a Valeska to squeeze."

I: In love?: Yes. With several people. It's complicated and awful. I've never been happier.

"Gotta agree with mun on this one."

J: Jealous type?: Unfortunately. And I get like a pissy little kid about it ngl

"No. I don't have time for anything like that. If I do, and that's a RARE occasion, then I'm in a very bad place."

K: ?? Didn't see it in your tag honeybaby

L: Love at first sight or should I walk by again: Ha, mun is a sucker for infatuation at first sight. I have of yet to fall in real love with anybody besides my best friend.

"No. No way. There's ONE exception to that answer but I'm not going to explain it."

M: Middle Name: Kristine (oof)

"It's uh...um...Delilah. Like that song that was way overplayed in 2005 or something."

N: Number of siblings: oh boy, I am the youngest girl in my whole entire family! I have 5 older sisters and 3 older brothers, and one of my brothers is my fraternal twin :)

"I had a brother, but he died as a kid, so it's just me. No hard feelings."

O. One wish: To have children of my own to love

"Oh...umm...Wow, that's a lot. I guess... I'd wish to leave Gotham behind forever. No turning back. No more life of crime, no more drugs, no more pimping myself...Just peace. And maybe a little shack on the beach or somethin'."

P. Person you called last: My mom. Had to tell her I got the part I wanted in the show

"Jeremiah. I let him know it was his turn to pick the movie this week as long as he paid for the takeout."

Q. Question you’re always asked: “Why do you spend so much time in your room?"

"Why does your nose bleed so much?"

S. Song you last sang: 1950 by King Princess

"I think it was Nirvana...Lithium! Yeah uh, I think it was that."

T. Time you woke up: 8:51

"7 sharp. Had to be down at the garage to help the guys out."

U. Underwear color: 😬😬😬

"Jerome can call us sluts all he wants, but I'm with sister again here. No time for panties in this house."

V. Vacation destination: Colorado. Preferably up in the mountains.

"San Francisco. I've always wanted to go somewhere warm, far away from here. It sounds perfect, I've even got a budget planned-I won't ever get out of here, but it's a really nice thought."

W. Worst habit: Eeeeeeek I'm always on my phone a lot when somebody's trying to talk to me and I know I shouldn't do it but I can't stop

"I'm a drug addict. Do ya really need to ask?"

X. X rays: Dental x-rays, ooh the x-ray I had to get on my whole body after my car accident, the x-ray I got when my arm snapped in half when I was 7, basically every time I came home from an outing with my dad as a kid (which resulted in breaking both my knees, a couple ribs, and fracturing my pelvis)

"Can't afford one, so never had one."

Y. Your favorite food: oh shit god fuck uh GUACAMOLE YOU CARNIVOROUS FUCKS

"I really like mac n cheese. It's easy and simple and if I can make lots of it at one time that'll last, I love it even more."

Z. Zodiac sign: Mun is a Libra ♎

"My Birthday is at the end of November...so I think I'm a Scorpio? I dunno."

[jilliancares]

A Royal Pain: Chapter 8.5

Word Count: 1.3k

link to masterlist ; next chapter

ao3 or wattpad!

this is just another lil mini between chapters update to hopefully tide you over until saturday! maybe now you’ll all forgive me for that cliffhanger?

CHAPTER EIGHT (AND A HALF)

Dear Dan,

Do you remember the time we first met?

I do. I think you hated me.

You've always been stubborn. When we first met you were so determined to not like me. Competing with you has always been fun, which I suppose is why I wanted to beat you at your own game, wanted to make you like me.

It'd been my first time out of Leona. At the ripe age of eight years old my father had decided that I was old enough to visit our neighbor, Hirona. Our kingdoms have been allied since about forever, so the journey was nothing more than pretenses and, more importantly, vacation. For me, it'd been the most exciting thing in my life.

It was crazy to me how once we passed the border everything changed. The accents changed, the land changed—even the architecture changed! I was astounded and amazed, and I hadn't even met you yet!

Once we arrived, my father went off to talk to yours about boring old country affairs, and I was left to explore the garden. Being an eight-year-old, this seemed like a great opportunity, and I took to exploring with reckless abandon. Your garden was much bigger than the one I had back in Leona, and I especially liked the towering hedges. Which, apparently, you did as well. After all, the garden was where I first met you.

You were torturing some poor guard, dragging him along with you (as if it wasn't his job to follow the young Prince around everywhere already) and insisting he do whatever you wanted.

"You have to find me the best rock, Alfred," I remember you saying, your chin tilted upward imperiously, though you were much shorter than the guard. "For my rock collection."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Excited to see another kid my age, I plunged forward to meet you.

"Who are you?" you demanded as soon as you saw me, crossing your arms tightly over your chest. I pretended not to notice as you shuffled slightly behind your guard.

"I'm Prince Phillip," I said brightly. You had scoffed, looking as if I'd told you I was a frog.

"I'm the Prince," you sneered.

"I'm the Prince of Leona," I then corrected. You just glared at me. I'm pretty sure you'd never even talked to a kid your age before, and yet for some reason I was determined to become your friend.

"Well then why are you in Hirona?" you'd demanded.

"My father is talking to yours about our ah-lie-ance," I pronounced carefully. I can remember quite clearly that my father had taught me that word on the journey to Hirona, and I'd felt like a genius saying it to you.

You then turned up your nose at me. "I don't think it'll work out," you answered. I'm pretty sure you were just trying to say something mean, not even sure what that alliance thing I'd mentioned even was.

"What's your name?" I had asked, disregarding you completely. You looked affronted, but you also didn't hesitate to answer. I think you were as fascinated by me as I was by you. After all, I was not only a little boy, the same age as you, I was also a prince.

"Daniel," you answered. I nodded.

"Dan," I responded. Your face practically went purple! I remember now! It'd taken all my effort not to laugh at the look on your face!

"That's not my name!" you'd said shrilly. The guard behind you had seemed amused (and also a little relieved that you'd been distracted—I assume he was tired of having to occupy your [demanding] attention).

"It's in your name," I argued.

“I—but—!” you yelled, looking infuriated. "Then I'll call you /Phil/," you spat.

"That's what all my friends call me," I responded pleasantly.

"Then I'll call you Philip," you said, looking as if, for the life of you, you couldn't figure out how to beat me. (And it wasn't your fault, I was in for the win with this game).

"That's fine."

Outraged, you yelled, "Then I won't call you anything at all!" With that you'd turned and stomped off, your guard reluctantly following after you. I'd always wondered why guards were constantly with you or guarding your rooms, but I guess our kingdoms were just different in that regard. I'd always had free rein back in Leona, and sometimes servants would be running around everywhere looking for me, having not realized that I'd wandered off to the library or the pool. That would never happen to you—you couldn't go anywhere without everyone knowing.

I can remember following you around in the garden after you'd retreated, hiding behind hedges and spying on you. You'd pestered your guard throughout the rest of the afternoon, demanding to know why "that boy" was even here, and "wasn't that boy a right arse?" (He'd reprimanded you for that one.)

Of course, we didn't travel all the way to Hirona simply for my father to have a quick conversation with yours. We were readily invited to stay a while, which was when my real mission began. You would be my friend and you would /like it/!

At first you avoided me like the plague, turning and running the very moment you saw me. But I was always faster, and I could catch up to you quite easily. And then you took to accepting my presence but simply ignoring me, even when I shared wonderful stories about my homeland with you. Though somehow, your resolve crumbled, and you couldn't resist responding to me.

"How rude," I remember commenting, after you'd asked a passing guard to play hide and seek only to be sneered at.

"He should be fired," you'd said vehemently, before seeming to realize that you'd actually responded to me, the person you usually tried so desperately to ignore.

"I'll play hide and seek with you, Dan," I offered, and after some serious internal debate, you'd accepted. And then said, "Don't call me Dan!"

Our friendship grew swiftly after that, which I'm sure you remember. We spent nearly every waking moment together, and plenty of sleeping ones too (after all, sleepovers soon occurred more often than not).

When the time came for me to go back to Leona, you'd actually looked a bit sad. Instead of offering me a heartfelt farewell, you'd told me, "Good riddance!" with a firm nod, before crossing your arms and marching across the grass. I'd thrown a rock at your back. (It missed).

I don't think you know this, but on the ride home my father told me about how you'd begged him to bring you with us.

"I want to see Leona!" you'd said. And then, "Plus, I'll really miss Phil." (That is, if my father is to be trusted. He could've just made that story up after seeing how sad I was on the journey home).

Still, I don't think he was lying, as there was a letter from you waiting for me when I got home. I'd been so excited I'd started writing a reply before I even remembered to read it! Anyway, I've read it a million times by now, and I've even copied it down, so you can't ever deny writing it. I didn't know if you remembered it though, so I've included it in this envelope.

In hopes of seeing you again soon!

Love, Phil.

--

Dear Prince Philip,

I am quiet glad that your gone now. You we're to loud and noisy, after all. Also, you werent as fun as you think you are. I'm having a much funner time now with you back in Leeonah, and there's no body to steal my blankets.

Yes, I am very happy your gone.

That being said - when are you coming back?

Only because I want to kno so I can preepare. I will have the bestest hiding places and you will never be abel to find me. It will be like your not even here!

See you Never,

Prince Daniel (of Hirona)

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