#none of his choices held any meaning to me and all of it was changed and recontextualized to the point

[ilynpilled]

i hate to be this big of a hater but every time i see people complain about show jaime in s8 with “all that development and for what?” what development exactly?

[shegatsby]

Love Thy Enemy

Summary; Y/N Atreides had always been a stranger to the entire galaxy, her bed wasn’t her bed, her home wasn’t her home due to the fact that she was sent to accompany and be sisters with Irulan. She had limited access to her actual family and over the years they grew distant. She thought she would be like Reverend Mother, alone, yet powerful, and soon she would realize that there was no need of being alone when a wild creature had his eyes on her for a long time.

A/N; Couldn't wait, I had to post it lol. I hope you'll like it. Sorry for any typos. TAG LIST IS OPEN!!!!!! (Reader has a lover and Feyd's going to find out lol 😉😉😉) Don't forget to leave a comment.

Warnings; None. Female Bene Gesserit Reader x Feyd-Rautha, enemies to lovers! reader is reffered to as she/her.

Words; 2.417K

Chapter 3

Chapter Two ‘’Forcibles’’

The boy with pure eyes had grown into a tall muscular man with menace in his orbits. ‘’May I?’’ he asked not leaving his gaze from Pyramus, it wasn’t a request, it was an order and Pyramus who was coming from a small house couldn’t say no. Without a word he let go of Y/N, she felt empty. She was about to object, maybe excuse herself to rest but Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen acted quickly, like a snake he placed his hand on the small of her back and held her hand, she had no choice but to place her hand on his tense shoulder. His eyes so blue, ‘’How long has it been?’’ he asked, his boy voice was gone and classical Harkonnen tone made its home. Manly. ‘’I truly don’t remember.’’ She replied with a flat tone, couldn’t do anything but let him lead the dance. It had been only a minute and Y/N had every information she needed;

Predator

Dominant

Show off

His grip was strong, maybe he was sending a clear message to other houses. Y/N didn’t want to care but her Bene Gesserit training made it impossible not to care. ‘’You wound me.’’ He mocked. He was much taller than Pyramus. She had to look up to meet his icy blue gaze. Y/N noticed the looks they got, a Harkonnen is dancing with an Atreides…. Outrageous.

‘’I see you become a witch like your mother.’’ His tongue was a whip, was he trying to get a reaction out of her?

‘’I’ve heard you become a beast.’’ She was quick to answer, she felt the grip on her back tightened. Did she stroke a nerve? Good.

‘’If we were in Giedi Prime I would have your tongue.’’ He was amused and it made her more angry, ‘’Proves my point.’’

She noticed Irulan and Paul’s questioning look, they seemed shocked and concerned for Y/N. She gave them a small smile.

She felt like a black cobra snake swallowing her whole, Feyd-Rautha made sure to press her close to him, he wasn’t gentle like Pyramus, she looked but couldn’t see him, ‘’Looking for someone?’’ he sounded annoyed, Y/N heard how his mood changes quickly and she didn’t have time for an ugly scene. ‘’My friends. I assume you’re not familiar with the concept.’’ She thought maybe detesting Harkonnens were genetic. Feyd laughed hard which attracted stares around them, they were mostly concerned for Y/N Atreides. Up close, for a split second she saw that innocent boy but he disappeared.

The music ended and she excused herself, before she left Na-Baron grabbed her wrist, she turned in shock, what was he doing? He leaned and pressed a kiss on the back of her hand, the kiss felt so soft she couldn’t believe it was coming from Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. She bowed in courtesy and got away from his grip, she could feel his icy blue orbits on her back, stabbing her.

Irulan came to chat with her, ‘’What was that about?’’ Irulan didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention but she wasn’t the only one who witnessed that. ‘’What do you mean?’’ Y/N asked drinking her champagne, cold liquid made her more relaxed, ‘’Feyd-Rautha ate you with his eyes.’’ Irulan signed with her hands, didn’t want pointy ears to hear. ‘’He is an intense man. That’s all.’’ She signed back.

The night was too long for Y/N’s liking. Since she was a lady she had to stand by her family and talk to other houses about spice, politics, etc. She needed some air.

Y/N chose a balcony at the back, front ones were occupied, she inhaled deeply, her hands on the stone railings, ‘’Here you are.’’ Pyramus’s soft voice made her calm. They hugged, he immediately tried to kiss her but Y/N had to be careful, she moved her head and Pyramus’s thin lips landed on her cheek. He huffed in annoyance, ‘’How long we have to hide in the shadows?’’ he loved to whine. ‘’Soon I shall tell my family.’’ Y/N kept mustering up her courage and loosing it the last minute. It wasn’t going to be easy. Pyramus held her hands, ‘’Be mine, they can’t say anything then.’’

‘’I’m already yours.’’ She was confused,

‘’Be mine… fully.’’ His dark eyes looking for answers. ‘’Oh,’’ Y/N understood. ‘’I don’t know. We should head back.’’ She changed the topic. Before she could leave Pyramus didn’t let go of her hands, ‘’Think about it, please.’’

Y/N Atreides could hear the whispers; ‘’Did you see?’’

‘’Poor girl.’’

‘’They seemed a perfect match, how odd.’’

‘’Na-Baron seems interested…’’

She only held her head high, pretended like she was deaf. Long night came to an end, she felt so tired running from unwanted company, the Harkonnen boy. Her father had to talk to them, Y/N managed to ignore them.

Tossing and turning in her bed with questions in her busy mind she bolted to her feet. The palace was quiet, guests were fast asleep. Y/N wanted to talk to someone, someone who would understand.. she wore her white satin robe and left her bed chamber. Her family were staying at the guest wing, she knew Paul would be awake. Her footsteps echoed in the empty halls, glowglobes were on the walls, giving a dim light to the corridors, her Bene Gesserit training made her stop, someone was following her, she calmed her mind.

‘’Why so hasty?’’ a rough voice echoed behind her back. She turned to face the owner of the voice. Feyd-Rautha.

‘’I could ask you the same thing, my Na-Baron.’’ Her heart beat got faster as he approached hands in his back. His manner was predatory, observing his prey. His tunic was thin and loose, ‘’Why are you wandering so late at night, little dove?’’ pet name made her blood rise but she had to keep her calm. ‘’I don’t see why it is-‘’ he was circling her now, ‘’your business.’’ Feyd came to stop in front of her which made her look up to meet his eyes. He liked having the height advantage, he could sense her fear, so delicious. ‘’Witches and their secrets…’’ he leaned and whispered to her face, his breath hot. Y/N wanted to run away and hide from him but something in her told her that no matter what he would find her.

‘’I’m good at revealing secrets.’’ His left hand rose, his forefinger tracing her arm covered in satin, both of them felt the electricity. His eyes travelled on her chest and find their place on her eyes again. ‘’How is Pyramus?’’

Y/N had to be extremely careful, or her house’s honor could be at stake. ‘’I don’t know what you’re talking about Na-baron.’’ Her tone flat yet Feyd noticed her posture change. As if she was going into a trial by combat. Deep down he wondered how would it feel to be loved like this, he could feel the rise of jealousy… a member of an insignificant house could achieve her love so easily? No. he would not allow it. A sinister plan ran in his dark mind.

She wanted to wipe that arrogant smile on his face, ‘’I shall bid you good night.’’ With that she headed back to her room. Whenever she wanted to open up about Pyramus something would stop her…

When the morning came with its shiny sun and fresh smell of flowers she was having breakfast with her family. Padishah Emperor Shaddam made majority of the house leave and announced that after breakfast he would announce his decision.

‘’You seem upset my love, is everything all right?’’ Duke Leto asked gently, she hadn’t touched the food on her golden plate, she looked around, no one but her family. ‘’I’m in love with someone.’’ She unraveled, feeling the years of burden leaving her delicate shoulders. Leto and Paul were smiling but her mother’s face didn’t move a muscle. ‘’Who is the lucky gentleman?’’ Leto asked, ‘’Pyramus, from house-‘’

Jessica cut her short, ‘’That house?! Have you lost your mind?’’ Jessica knew that Reverend Mother had something else planned for Y/N. Bene Gesserit has been working for this union for years. ‘’Let’s not lose our temper.’’ Leto warned Jessica with a calm tone. ‘’They are a small house, it is true. If he is good enough for my daughter he is good enough for us.’’ He finished. ‘’Excuse me.’’ Everyone thought Jessica was leaving in anger but she was about to send a message to Reverend Mother an change the whole course of Y/N’s future.

Harkonnens were having breakfast together, Feyd-Rautha was so fed up with his obese uncle’s eating that he lost his appetite. Rabban was in his normal self, quiet and tense. ‘’I wonder who will be the princess’s husband.’’ Rabban said curiously, was he hoping? Feyd-Rautha was seated away from them, watching them like a hawk. He knew well that Shaddam would never take that risk, to send his one and only daughter to the hellhole called Giedi Prime? Not in a million years. ‘’One way or another he has to satisfy us.’’ Their uncle spoke with full mouth, Feyd had to look away, he could feel his bile coming up to his throat. He drank his wine to suppress. ‘’What do you think uncle?’’ Rabban asked, he kept trying to impress their uncle and failed miserably. Baron’s fat fingers were shiny with the bacon’s juice he was eating, ‘’I believe we won’t leave until we get something.’’

Their Mentat Piter de Vrives knocked on the door and walked in, ‘’My Baron, Emperor is expecting you and your nephews to the throne room.’’

Baron laughed, ‘’We shall be there.’’

The throne room was packed with lords and ladies that remained, including Reverend Mother Helen. Y/N didn’t remember seeing her last night’s ball. Strange. Y/N Atreides and her family arrived early, Padishah Emperor Shaddam spoke with her father Duke Leto in private. Behind the golden throne there was a door which opened to a small room where Shaddam’s office took place. When Duke Leto came back his face held grim, he refused to look at anyone but the Emperor, was that resentment? Emperor was seated on his golden throne which had colorful ornaments, on his right much smaller and silver throne was placed and Irulan was sitting on it. Looking like a statue, she was a strong woman. Reverend Mother was at Shaddam’s left, whispering into his ear. She was covered in black, just like Harkonnens.

Y/N noticed how old Shaddam got, every child at one point in their lives come to the realization of their parents’ old age. Emperor was a second father to her, a sudden whip to her heart she focused her eyes on the floor to prevent herself from crying. In order to keep her racing mind busy she looked around to see the remained houses. Pyramus was right there, she waved at her and Y/N waved back. He had a colorful suit, just like his personality. Pyramus and other low class houses were on the left side of the room, other old and powerful houses were on the right. Everyone watched the way Harkonnens entered, they were the last one to arrive. Baron Vladimir was a man of show off, he loved to show his power given any chance. Baron was at the front, Rabban and Feyd following behind, when Y/N saw Feyd-Rautha, her mind immediately went to last night’s events.

‘’Does he know me and Pyramus?’’ to be the first one to reveal the secret she had to tell it to her family this morning but she wasn’t sure anymore. All day Pyramus was after her asking how they reacted, she felt overwhelmed.

She wanted to be brave so Y/N watched them stand close to Atreides, Feyd-Rautha wasn’t shy of eye contact, as usual he was wearing his black suit, with his boots he looked much taller. Y/N watched him eye her up and down, she was wearing a dark blue dress, her arms and neck covered in dark blue laces, her head was tightly rounded like a ball on her head, a thin silver tiara was placed. She kept her posture high, she wasn’t going to shrink because of a Harkonnen, even though Feyd looked as if he could disintegrate her with his shiny blue eyes.

Shaddam rose to his feet, his regal robe sweeping the floor, ‘’Thank you for waiting so patiently,’’ everyone were focused, eager to hear his decision. ‘’I have decided that it was due time to choose a life partner for my one and only daughter. After last night I have consulted my daughter Irulan and the young gentleman that I choose is,’’ Y/N could feel the tension in the room, she slightly observed the room and Shaddam’s subjects were focused on him but one person. Feyd-Rautha, his snake eyes kept finding Y/N. Why did he look like he knew something that Y/N didn’t?

‘’Paul Atreides, from house Atreides.’’ Applauses could be heard, Y/N got positive energy from them last night so she wasn’t wrong. Irulan was her sister and Paul her brother, she knew that they would make each other happy. Paul walked to princes Irulan to kiss her hand. ‘’The wedding shall happen tomorrow.’’ The applauses died down, ‘’If you have no objections or requests you may be dismissed.’’ Shaddam announced, Y/N couldn’t wait to be left alone with Irulan and listen every detail.

‘’Emperor!’’ a man’s strong voice echoed in the throne room, ‘’I have a request.’’ Y/N turned to see Feyd-Rautha leaving his spot and slowly approaching to stand in the middle of the room, ‘’Come forth young Harkonnen.’’

Y/N had a bad feeling, this whole thing look staged, she turned to see her family’s reaction. Duke Leto, again, trying so hard to avoid her, Lady Jessica smiled at her. Y/N was puzzled, ‘’This is for the best.’’ She signed to her daughter.

Feyd-Rautha did what Shaddam said, before he knelt in front of the Emperor he gave a last look to her.

‘’What is it that you request?’’ Shaddam’s calmness irritated Y/N.

‘’Since you raised her as one of your own it is best to ask your permission,’’ Feyd paused to get more reaction from his spectators, his head was down but after that pause he tilted his head and look into Shaddam’s eyes. Shaddam had never seen such power in a young boy before. Baron did a great job.

‘’I demand Lady Y/N Atreides’s hand in marriage.’’

TAG LIST;

@superchatnoir07

@mamawiggers1980

@landlockedmermaid77

@moonsoulk

@crystalskiesandcherrywine

Thank you for reading. :)

[looking-for-wisdom]

the “ex-something” character in disco elysium is so interesting to me because what we finally learn about the true Dora from harry’s dream sequence & conversations with the 41st precinct initially undercuts the first impression you get as a player. We learn things that makes it seem like Harry should be over her leaving. Specifically, the fact that she and Harry were never actually married and that it has been six years since she left.

Everything we’re told about Dora needs to be taken with a grain of salt, since it primarily comes from Harry. He’s an unreliable narrator and, if we had her perspective on things, there would surely be more to the story. But even with that said, I feel reasonably confident that the player’s first impression — that whoever this ex is did some damage even beyond typical breakup heartbreak — isn’t completely wrong.

We know a few things for certain. Harry was a gym teacher before they met, and Dora was the reason he joined the RCM. We can also do the math to figure out that they were together for around 12 years. Married or not, that’s a serious relationship. There are implications that Dora might have been pregnant at some point.

Dora’s family was wealthier than Harry’s, but they struggled financially when they were together. They had to rely on her parents for support.

Harry is a grown ass man who is responsible for his own choices. None of this changes that. But the way he is starts to make more sense when you consider that it wasn’t just their breakup that was traumatic. Their relationship itself seems unhealthy.

Harry clearly likes working with kids. Kim actually points out how he is easily able to connect with Cuno and the other teens in Martinase. With that in mind, I imagine he probably liked being a gym teacher. But we learn that Dora encourages him to join the RCM to do more for the greater good. Again, Harry had to agree to this — she didn’t force him to quit at gunpoint. But it rubs me the wrong way that, shortly after they start dating, she implies that his work isn’t fulfilling or important (probably patently untrue in an area where kids won’t necessarily have stable home lives). And, more than that, she suggests that joining the police is the solution.

Granted, we’re told there’s a lot of crime in Jamrock. Maybe it is as simple as her thinking law enforcement helps prevent that. But given the political tones of the game, which intentionally critique cops and the moralist forces they represent? I think it’s notable.

Speaking of which. The class difference between Dora and Harry has to be thematic. So much of the game discusses the struggle between the working class and the bourgeoisie. There’s an inherent power dynamic there. It’s her parents who are consistently paying their bills and keeping them afloat. She has an out that Harry doesn’t. Money won’t be an issue for her when they split, but Harry will be left without any support. Regardless of whether she intentionally held this over his head, this game shows that even without meaning to, the capitalist system harms the poor. That strain must be felt in their relationship, and could cause a lot of damage over 12 years.

All this to say: their relationship clearly wasn’t some fling. And, if Harry is to be believed, the blame for things falling apart was largely placed on him: working to much, not bringing home enough money, not being enough. But even if Dora wasn’t actively manipulating him and he came up with all of this on his own, I think the facts still point to a dynamic where he was made to be small in the face of a woman who came from more. Their backgrounds create an imbalance where Harry was always going to feel the flaws in their relationship more acutely. He starts with little, and gives up much of what he does have to pursue something better for the both of them. But when that isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, he’s the only one left with nothing. She can leave the country and start over.

It makes sense, to me, that he might not have recovered from that in six years. Especially when that rock bottom feeling seems so permanent that he isn’t trying to get better so much as numb himself enough to exist another day.

That doesn’t mean he isn’t responsible or that he’s exempt from having to get his shit together. The game very clearly illustrates that everyone will turn away from him if he doesn’t. But it does complicate his character a bit more than “got left by extremely bangable woman, proceeds to make the lives of everyone around him worse.”

[wrr000]

"Can you be quiet for five minutes?"

AN: hello! i wrote this for fun, it's nothing serious or special, i just needed to do something with myself. hope y'all will enjoy it anyway lol (also, i had that one scene from shrek 2 in mind)

»»————-　♡　————-««

Summary: the night wasn't peaceful for the ghoul because reader talks too much

Warnings: english is not my first language; reader is female; it was supposed to be more of a comedic oneshot; a lot of inner thoughts

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«

The night was getting cold. Chilly air mixed with the pleasant warmth emanating from the fire, touching your red cheeks. It was a nice feeling, especially after a whole day of walking in the brutal heat. The sun was killing you and the night was a nice change.

'I fucking hate wasteland', you thought to yourself every day.

Burning sun, disgusting monsters, crazy raiders or even that ghoul, literally everything could kill you any minute. It was hard to survive out there alone ans you knew that. Maybe that was a reason why you didn't ran away from him yet.

"So...", you couldn't stand the silnce anymore, "are you gonna finally untie me?"

You sat by the bonfire with your legs pressed to your chest, staring into the sparkling flames. Hands still tightly tied, of course. The other end of the lasso held the ghoul whom you met a few days ago.

He was sitting on the other side of the fire, leaning against a huge piece of something wooden. He looked like he was sleeping with a cowboy hat covering his face. The ghoul wasn't like anyone you've met before, but you weren't sure if it was a blessing or a curse. He did tied you up after all and have gave you no choice, but to travel with him to God-knows-where. On the positive side - he didn't killed you. And that was something unexpected.

"Hellooo..? Did you hear me, Mr. Ghoul?", you never called him like that before, but you wanted any interaction.

No response. Was he really sleeping or just pretending that he didn't hear you?

It was in his style, to be honest. Ever since you met him, he seemed cold, selfish, like he doesn't care about anything else in the world but him. Sometimes straight up annoying, sometimes kinda funny and nice in a twisted way. These mixed feelings made you somewhat intrigued.

"Listen lady" , he didn't looked at you. "I need some peace and quiet so no stupid questions or talkin', got it?"

"Oh, come on! We have been travelling for days! I'm not gonna do anything stupid", it was this time when he was just annoying as hell.

"I bet you won't, sweetheart", you knew he smirked under that stupid hat.

"So what, are you gonna keep me like this to what? Sell me for chems? Or eat me one day?", you spoke once again. "You know, both options are pretty problematic for you because, I mean, you are really planning to sell skinny, dehydrated girl and hoping for decent payment?", fake scoff escaped your mouth. "Keep dreaming. I am way more useful as a compa-"

By anything stupid you meant something like killing him or running away. First of all, he was very skilled and you knew that attacking him was suicidal mission. Second of all, you could try to escape, but you didn't know if it was even possible with this man and did you really wanted to?

On one hand, there were plenty ways for him to hurt you. Shooting, beating, selling, starving you to death or worse - eating you alive. It was something... common on the wasteland. People were doing everything to survive and as crazy as it sounded, you understood it, the ghoul knew it as well. But on the other hand, after raiders killed your parents, life became harder than before. You hated it and what you hated more was loneliness. You had none, no friend and no family left. Maybe it was delusional, but you hoped for befriending the ghoul and travel with him for a little longer. Or maybe he could help you made it to town where you could stay. In that situation you didn't have many options (it didn't work by force anyway) to consider or anything to lose, to be honest.

"Oh, for fu-", he straightened up, finally looking at you.

You didn't have many opportunities to meet him face to face and take a closer look. Beautiful eyes spoke more than thousand words, that's for sure. The most noticeable thing was the lack of a nose, but aside that the face was handsome. You could imagine how he looked like before the ghoulification. In fact, you always thought that people were exaggerating with their disgust towards non-feral ghouls. They were still humans, right?

"You asked me a milion questions already, while I couldn't ask you one", you heard the irritation in his voice. "You better don't cross the line"

That silence was overhelming. Sure, the sound of camfire was nice, but your thoughts were getting weirder and weirder. You needed something to occupy your mind and because you weren't the best at small talk (or starting a conversation at all) you came up with the stupidest idea.

Classic threating. You rised your tided hands, palms facing him in surrender. It wasn't the right time to ask about the future and you didn't wanna cross the line, at least not that night. He was looking at you for a moment, making sure you wouldn't ask anything else and returned to his previous position.

You stared at him, trying to figure out what he was thinking about and you couldn't read him. Not before, not now and probably not in the near future. He seemed like he could always read your mind while being completely unpredictable to you. What he thought about you? What was his plan? You should be very scared or just scared? Many questions were running in your head, but you couldn't find answer for none.

"What it's like to be a ghoul?", you mentally slapped yourself, but there was no turning back now. "I mean, how did you become a ghoul? It was quick or it was a long process? My parents never told me much about ghouls"

Deep, long sigh escaped his mouth. He looked at you again, not bothering to move his body. Even someone like him lacked words and strength for you.

"Did someone ever told that you talk so much?", a ghost of a smile crept across his face.

"Actually, yes, my father told me that once", you smiled proudly.

"No lesson learned", you quite enjoyed his harsh voice with strange accent. He definitely didn't talk enough. "Can you be quiet for five minutes?"

"Hm, I'm afriad no, Mister", then it striked you. "I don't know your name! I won't shut up until you will told me your name. Wait, you do have a name, right?"

"Yes", you felt annoyed again by his lack of cooperation.

"Well..? You know my name, even you don't use it, may I know yours?"

"Cooper", the ghoul hide his face under the hat again. "Now, let me rest for a while, will ya?"

Bright smile appeared on your face. That was what you called a progress. It was genuinely a cool name and suddenly you started to wonder if he liked yours.

"But...", you heard a growl from under the hat, "we will talk about what to do next? I know how things works out here, but... We don't have to be enemies. I know you want to survive and I don't wanna be your prisoner forever"

You were on thin ice and for the first (and not last) time in your life you couldn't gather your thoughts. You wanted to tell him a lot of things in one go.

"I'm not your enemy, sweetheart, you don't have to worry. Now sleep or I'll have to shoot that pretty face"

You noded quietly. You knew that tomorrow you would try to talk to him again, still hoping for some sort of cooperation or agreement. Your life was on the line, after all. Not to mention that he called you pretty and even another threat couldn't take it away from you. Maybe that was the sign that he doesn't mean no harm to you, there was a hope, at least.

[wangxianficrecs]

Rewind 2023 - Follower Recs

WangxianFicRecs - Rewind 2023

For our Rewind 2023, our dear followers were also able to submit Follower Recs of their favourite stories published in 2023 for you to enjoy! Thank you to everyone who shared their recs and make sure to give the authors some love!

~*~

Lovely fic, the worldbuilding really got me hook, it is background but absolutely fascinating. -Anon

The Lines of your Soul

by athena_crikey

M, 24k, Wangxian & Nielan

Summary: At this point he just wants to get Lan Zhan horizontal so he can sleep off the drugs that are making him make little confused snuffling noises and ask questions like “How soft is purple?” and “Where did the moon go?” and “Why does Wei Ying smile all the time?” Lan Zhan under the influence is cute, and it makes Wei Wuxian genuinely angry because he cannot appreciate it. This is not something Lan Zhan chose, this is not even an accident, this is an intentional violation and none of the sounds or questions or wide-eyed glances Lan Zhan is giving him are his choice.

~*~

Not an easy read, there is a lot of hurt there, but how lwj and wwx behaved in such an awful situation really got to me. -Anon

swallowing rocks, swallowing peach skins

by AvoOwO

M, 24k, Wangxian

Summary: There is an indescribable rage boiling within Lan Wangji's chest. Lan Wangji has often heard stories of unsuspecting travelers being taken from their camp within the night, held against their wills only to be somehow found weeks later, dead and in the most horrid of states. Stories are hard enough to read about. It is worse, he thinks, when it is Wei Ying he is here with, gagged and bound in the same way. They walk, and walk, and walk, and they do not stop.

~*~

Lwj and wwx are just. such disasters. and I loved their jobs, especially lwj. it was a very enjoyable read. -Anon

To See You (Again)

by FrameofMind (@frameofmind6), Jo Lasalle (Jo_Lasalle)

E, 84k, Wangxian

Part of Bottomji Big Bang 2023

Summary: A new job brings Wei Ying to London, and back into Lan Zhan's life. Many things have changed since their time in boarding school (Lan Zhan is out of the closet, arranges charcuterie boards, stocks a fine bar…), but their friendship slots right back into place like no time has passed. Wei Ying is a little perplexed by the fact that Lan Zhan apparently doesn't have any interest in dating anyone despite being an obvious catch—but hey, at least that means he doesn't have to fight anyone for Lan Zhan's time and attention. And besides, it's not like Wei Ying is in any big rush to find himself a girlfriend either. It’s all working out great!

~*~

This story is a ton of fun and such a different and interesting concept. @danegen

Pairfire

by PaidSubscription

E, 65k, Wangxian

Part of Bottomji Big Bang 2023

Summary: Welcome, young cultivators, to the most important event of your lives: your Coming of Age Symposium. At dawn tomorrow, you will be assigned to your pairmate. You will then complete the following courses together. Week 1: Love Languages (core course) Week 2: Conflict Resolution (core course) Week 3: Guided Gender Selection (core course, ongoing) Week 4: Caring for Your Pairmate in Distress (elective) Week 5: Heat Week (elective) On your final day you will choose which permanent A/B/O gender is right for you. We will provide guidance as you try each of them in the coming weeks. Good luck. OR: WangXian are unexpectedly paired for a relationship course. Shenanigans, pining, gender feels and horniness ensues. With art by Beanie.

~*~

This series was so much fun, especially watching Lan Wangji's lust for Wei Wuxian from Su She's POV. And I'm grateful the author included a second part so we can see all the bits we missed and how wangxian got together. Also lwj's competency kink for wwx's brilliance was gold. @gentil-minou

💙 The epic college romance between Wei Ying and Lan Zhan

by KizuKatana (@kizukatana)

E, WIP, Series, 57k, Wangxian | Kay's Rec

Summary part one: The (bitter) third party pov of the epic college romance between Wei Ying and Lan Zhan, as told from the pettiest NPC to ever exist. - - - - - A new student transferred into the university in their second year, and Su She was gleeful to see how much Lan Zhan was irritated by him from the very first day that the student (Wei something) showed up late for class with a ratty hoodie pulled up over his head and proceeded to sleep through lecture. Finally, someone else would be the butt of everyone’s jokes as they watched Wei Ying constantly try and fail to get Lan Zhan’s attention. When midterm grades came out, Su She was expecting the guy to be humiliated. That was… not what happened. Worse still, Lan Zhan was now actually turning his head to look at the guy when he spoke. And... wait, was Lan Zhan… putting his hand on the guy’s ass?! No. Su She does not accept this.

~*~

I love historical aus and Greaser!WWX with GoldenBoy!LWJ is one we know well, butI love this fic for all the heart it has and the way it covers setting-typical homophobia. Wangxian get a happy ending and then the epilogue at the end really just made me feel all kinds of feelings about being queer. @gentil-minou

Mad about the Boy

by TriviasFolly (@triviasfolly)

M, 62k, Wangxian

Summary: It's 1954, and Lan Zhan's life would be going well if it wasn't for the charming Wei Ying. Did he say charming? He meant annyoing. If it wasn't for that smile Lan Zhan could accept the future planned for him, the job as Cheif Surgeon who returned home to a demure wife who'd cook him dinner and asking him about his day. Instead, he finds himself dreaming about something more. So when Wei Ying offers him a deal, one that would get him out of Lan Zhan's life he took it. When the evening goes wrong, Lan Zhan expects his life to be over. Instead, he finds it's just the start of a new chapter.

~*~

The way this author made the story of the Scarlet Pumpenel fit in mdzs is, in my opinion, masterful. The arranged marriage is built on devastating misunderstanding after devastating misunderstanding, but the identity shenanigans are so fun! Other highlights include Jiang sect love and wangxian adopting not only A-Yuan but MXY as well. So much fun and an epic adventure! @gentil-minou

The Scarlet Lotus

by rainbowninja167 (@rainbowtitania)

M, 137k, Wangxian

Summary: In the years following the Sunshot Campaign, the mysterious, masked cultivator who’d defeated Wen Ruohan took on many identities: the Yiling Patriarch, leader of the Wen rebels, enemy of the Jin Sect, practitioner of wicked tricks. His true name was shrouded in mystery. He always wore a mask. He carried no sword; wore no clan colors or insignia. Clouds of resentful energy clung to him as he walked. But there was one thing that absolutely everyone agreed on: the Yiling Patriarch could not possibly be from the Jiang Sect. Or: a Scarlet Pimpernel-inspired fix-it featuring Wei Wuxian in disguise, Lan Wangji determined to bring the nefarious Yiling Patriarch to justice, and the hijinks that ensue when you accidentally marry your greatest enemy/love of your life.

~*~

Another fun and sexy fic built on misunderstandings but I love the tone of this one! There's a lot of heart in this fic along with some real world issues along with just lots of wwx love, which makes this fic something i reread again and again! @gentil-minou

With No Particular Affection

by Chrononautical (@chrononautintraining)

E, 92k, Wangxian

Summary: A prominent physicist and professor, Wei Ying has built a life for himself in Chicago. He's safe, he's happy, and he has plans for his future. Unfortunately, those plans are derailed the moment he finds out his brother is in trouble. To save the family business, it will have to be Wei Ying's life on the line. He has to marry his old high school crush, Lan Zhan.

~*~

wangxian exploring their sexuality while getting to act their age in cloud recesses is such a wonderful premise, and I love the way this fic lets them not being good at it. Also the little excerpts from the book throughout were such fun and always made me giggle! @gentil-minou

Fentao-laoshi's Guide to Cut-Sleeve Pleasures

by occultings (microcomets) (@microcomets)

E, 31k, Wangxian

Part of the good place server exchange 2023

Summary: Lan Wangji says, “I am also looking to . . . gain practical experience. It seemed mutually advantageous.” “Mutually advantageous,” Wei Wuxian echoes. “Wait. Do you mean I’d get to . . . ?” Lan Wangji stares at him. “Practice — on you?” Wei Wuxian finishes, his eyes round with disbelief. — During a shared summer studying in the Cloud Recesses, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian diligently pursue an informed sexual education. What could possibly be the harm in some mutual learning?

~*~

the most heartbreaking, angsty, canon setting arranged marriage au i've read so far, in the best way. We get to see things from LWJ's pov and while his actions make sense, it's still so devastating as we watch WWX be affected by it all. The happy ending makes the hurt all the better too! @gentil-minou

💙 Concord

by Deastar (@youhideastar)

T, 41k, Wangxian | Kay's Rec

Summary: Lan Wangji hopes, somewhat frivolously, that his betrothed might find him an acceptable companion. Neither he nor Wei Wuxian are able to bear children, so there will be no need to share a marital bed; that should make it easier for the two of them to reach a natural, comfortable equilibrium. Two strings played in harmony: this is Lan Wangji’s quiet hope, as he arranges the Jingshi to accommodate a second inhabitant. Perhaps, he thinks, they might even become friends.

~*~

MothXian and WitchJi!!!!! The art for this au is always so lovely, and this fic fits it perfectly! The author has this gorgeous, dreamy prose that really enhances the setting and the sweetness of wangxian in this is so beautiful. @gentil-minou

light a lantern (and guide me home)

by xuanxuanwo (ostentatiouslyrealistic) (@xuanxuanwo)

T, 63k, Wangxian

Summary: At first, he thinks he’s caught a bird; it’s the size of one of his palms and wrapped fully in damp feathers. As he shuffles toward the beam of light that streams through the open window, he wonders how it managed to fly into his lantern, shut the door, and latch it against the wild gales of the wind. Then, he takes a closer look, thumbing across its feathers, and realizes that they’re not feathers at all. They’re leaves. Startled, Lan Zhan shifts as gently as possible and, using the tip of his finger, parts them to reveal a body, complete with tiny limbs and a small face, all of it wrapped in the dress made from peony petals. “Oh,” Lan Zhan breathes softly, heart clenching. “Oh, what are you?” -- A thunderstorm brings tea master and herbalist Lan Zhan a companion he never knew he needed. A tale of love, loss, and letting go.

~*~

Rockstar!WWX and Bookseller!LWJ and they are just the cutest. Notting Hill is a classic romcom and this fic fits the romcom vibe perfectly. @gentil-minou

When the Lights Come Up

by brooklinegirl

E, 50k, Wangxian

Summary: Lan Zhan's brother draws to a halt next to him, staring at the man on the other side of the counter. "Oh, it is you, isn't it?" The man, still propped against the counter on his elbow, gives Lan Huan a grin, then directs it at Lan Zhan again. "I don't know," he says. "Is it? Am I?" "You are." Lan Huan is hurrying around to the other side of the counter, a wide smile on his face, while Lan Zhan looks on, feeling more and more perplexed, like he's stepped into some alternate universe where absolutely nobody is making any sense at all. "Wei Wuxian! Lan Zhan, do you know who this is? It's Wei Wuxian!" Lan Huan is reaching for the man's hand, and he pushes himself lazily to standing, shaking Lan Huan's hand warmly. "In the flesh," he says. "You caught me." "My goodness." Lan Huan is staring at him like he's never seen a human being before in his life. "What on earth are you doing here, of all places?

~*~

magical wangxian who adopt mo xuanyu in a setting that's written so vividly, the whole place comes alive! it's part of a larger series but it can be read alone, but most importantly the characters are so patient and kind with such great moments between them all @gentil-minou

quiet, blooming hours

by Sanguis (@bel-ennui)

T, 13k, Wangxian

Summary: Fingers push through the earth, and a long lost boy takes the first gasping breath of his second life. The house of buried things has a new surprise for Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji.

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for these hard-working authors if you like – or think others might like – these stories.)

[romanarose]

You'd Love Me If I Was a Worm, Would You Love Me If I Was A Man?

Santiago Garcia x transman!reader

Masterlist : Triple Frontier Masterlist

Made for the Oscar/Pedro Pride Event

Summary: You're Santi's wife or so he thinks, he loves you very, very much... You're scared to ruin it with honesty.

Or

You come out as trans to Santi

Warnings: Pretty mild, Santi is perfect. Gender dysphoria, body dysphoria, mentions of conversion therapy.

AN: This is just based on my feelings right now. IDK exactly how I identify, but doing things like cutting my hair and dressing more masculine has helped me a lot. No one needs to cut their hair short to be a man, trans or otherwise, nor does a trans person NEED surgery or any changes. This is simply based on my experience. People feel this differently.

1k words

“How’s my favorite girl?”

Santi greeted you as he came home, finding you in your bathroom staring at your face and your body in your underwear, cringing at him calling you a girl but trying to hide the visceral reaction. You hated your hair, you hated how feminine it made you look, but you knew Santi loved it, so you kept it long and usually in a ponytail.No matter how hard you tried, no matter the body positivity, no matter how good you objectively looked and how Santiago worshiped it, none of it felt right to you. You’d been considering telling him how you’d been feeling for some time, but it felt selfish. How could you tell him you thought you might be a man when he fell in love with a woman?

He clocked your cringe, as he always did your discomfort. “What’s wrong, bebita?”

You shake your head. “Nothing, just tired.”

“I don’t believe you for a second, c’mon.” taking your hand, Santi pulls you into the bedroom and sits you down with him, his eyes pleading with you for honesty. “You can talk to me, it’s okay.”

Your eyes fill up with tears, stressing out and over thinking it all so much. “It’s not fair to you.” You begin to cry, and it isn’t. This isn't what Santi signed up for when he married you. He married his wife, not whatever was happening to you right now. You should’ve told him, you should’ve been honest with from the start. “I thought this would go away, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry I lied to you!”

Horrified at the tears, Santiago pulls you into his arms. “Oh honey… whatever it is, you can tell me, please. Nothing is too much, you’re my wife, and I’m gonna take care of you, always.” 

It couldn’t be hidden anymore. You had to be honest before you wasted more of his time. Pulling back, you look him in the eyes, your own still watering. “I don’t… I don’t think I’m your wife…” You watch his eye widen and you realize your choice of words was poor. “Nonono! Not like that!” You’re quick to reassure him you aren’t leaving him. He’ll probably leave you, however. “I just mean…” Big breath. “I feel… like I’m a man.”

He looked confused for a second before recognition registered on his face.

“Oh… how long have you felt this way?” You couldn’t get a read on his reaction yet, but he still held your hands.

“I really, really long time, Santi. I thought I’d grow out of it…”

He nods. “Since you were a kid?”

“Yeah.” You sniffle. “I tried to tell my parents but… they… They sent me away.”

Santiago’s face hardened at that. “Conversion therapy?”

Memories flooded back to what you suffered there, creating a fresh bout of tears down your face. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I tried to put it away but nothing worked! I know you probably don’t want me any more but please, please I’m gonna try, I can go to therapy again-”

You try to tell him that you can change, to give you a chance and you’ll fix it, trying to walk yourself back into the closet after being out less than 5 minutes, but he cuts you off with a kiss.

“Baby,” He stresses, pain on his face as cups your cheek with his hands, thumbing away a tear. “I’m not leaving you, and you are not going to conversion therapy, you hear me? That is not happening. We’re gonna do whatever we need to do to make you feel comfortable with yourself, okay? If that means transitioning, then we’ll make it happen.”

In shock, you blink. “But… Santi, you’re not gay…”

Santiago chuckles a little. “I don’t really know how this works, to be honest. I didn’t think I was either but… I love you. I’m attracted to you. That’s what I know.” When you didn’t look convinced, he continued. “Remember all the times you asked me if I’d love you if you were a worm?”

You giggle a little at the memory, beginning to feel better. “Yeah, you were confused.”

He nods with a smile. “Yeah, so were most of the guys. But Will told me it’s not about if I’d actually love you if you were a worm, because you’d never actually be a worm. It’s about being reassured that no matter what, I’d still be yours and you’d still be mine. So I told you I’d make you a little garden like Oscar the grouch has for wormy.”

You’re smiling now too. “And read me worm versions of fairy tales before bed.”

“And kiss your little worm head, because I love you. So, if you feel like you are a man, and you want to live life as man and if that makes me gay then yeah. I’m gay. I don’t really care about that. I care about you.”

"And... maybe, maybe its not even that I'm a man... just maybe not fully a woman?"

"Like, one of those in between things?"

You laugh at his wording. He may not have the best terminology, but he tries.

He sighs softly, holding your face. "If you feel like you're non... binary?" He asks questioningly, and you nod so he continues. "Or half and half or non at all... that's okay too. Whatever you are, i's what you are, and you're still you to me. But, baby." He kisses the tip of your nose. "Don't try and lessen it for me, okay? If you want to live and be fully as man, then that's what it is."

Letting his words sink in, your heart fills with love at his unconditional affection. “So… what next? What do I even do now?”

“Well,” Santi considers next steps. “I think we try to get you in with a doctor. I don’t think it goes straight to surgery,” He says with a tease. “But maybe hormones? I don’t know. I can talk to Ben whenever you’re ready for me to, I know he knows more of this than I do.”

“Can we maybe…” Your reach for a tissue, blowing it as you calm down more and more. “Can I maybe start with a haircut.”

This makes Santi laugh, standing up and taking you with him to capture you in a full body hug. “Of course we can! You don’t need my permission to get a haircut, mi cielo!” You notice how he immediately changed to masculine gendered terms of endearment. “Santi peppered kisses all over your face. “Wanna go today?”

You’re so excited at the idea, you readily agree.

An hour later, the kind stylist is chopping off your hair. As she gives you a moment to sit with the cut, Santi comes up behind the chair, wrapping his arms around you. “How do you feel, mi amor.” He says with a kiss to your neck.

You take in this first step, the start of a journey that you knew wouldn’t be easy but you had the best person ever by your side.

“I think… I actually feel like myself.”

shout out to @hee-blee-art for these cute ass dividers that were wierdly specific to this story lol

Most unrealistic thing about this fic is reader saying Santi isn't gay. Did we see the same movie? homosexual activity was hapeing on those mountains

HAPPY PRIDE!!! I can't wait to see what everyone did for this event <3

[heartofroses112]

Our Own Choices Deleted Scenes — finding Ahsoka and Rex, pt. 1

The ship groaned, metal shifting around her. She tensed, recognizing the change for what it was: someone was forcing their way into the freighter. Beneath her, Rex moaned, his signature flaring brightly for a moment before returning once more to the hazy darkness of unconsciousness. For a moment, she was two decades in the past, sabers ignited as she stood above Rex, arms burning as she held back the strength of Grievous’s attacks.

Ahsoka snarled, crouching in front of Rex with his blasters raised. A quick push of the Force ensured that his prone form was hidden from sight by her cloak. She longed to draw her sabers, longed to find comfort in their harsh white glow. But giving herself away as a Jedi right away was not the smartest move, especially since she had no idea who she was about to face.

She felt three presences outside of the wreck. Something about their signatures drew Ahsoka in, and she very nearly opened herself to the Force to get more information. She tightened her control of the Force, raising mental shields as thick as the day she’d fought Maul. She wouldn’t put it past the Inquisitors or other Darksiders to trick her into a false sense of security before springing some mental trap or another.

No, Master Obi-Wan had trained her too well against the ploys and manipulations of the dark side. Ahsoka would not walk off of this ship in any other state besides free.

Ahsoka took a deep breath, calming the inner turmoil of her thoughts. She had survived this long by keeping a level-head and not acting until all of the facts were known (Again, something she’d learned from Master Obi-Wan). This confrontation would be nothing in comparison to everything she had done up until now.

For a moment, the only sound was her own ragged breathing. The signatures were coming closer, the freighter creaking as they progressed through the wreck and toward the cockpit. Ahsoka adjusted her grip on Rex’s blasters, aiming them at the doorway.

The doors clanged and shuddered, and then they were being forced open. Light poured into the cockpit, both natural and artificial from the suns outside and the flashlights the strangers had. Ahsoka hissed, eyes squinting as her vision adjusted to the change in brightness.

“Who are you?” she asked, dropping her voice an octave. She couldn’t risk being recognized, not before she had a solid understanding of the situation.

“Are you Fulcrum?” came the response.

“I asked you first.”

One of the strangers sighed, clicking off their flashlight so she was no longer blinded by the brilliant beam of light. It was hard to see them with her hood pulled low enough to conceal her face, but Ahsoka was able to make out three armored figures, their armor dark and their bodies on guard. They each had a blaster trained on her, waiting for any unwanted movement.

Ahsoka remained crouched, guns raised and senses stretched to the limit. Her position was one she found herself in often, although usually her hands were wrapped around the hilts of her lightsabers. Wielding blasters was something she had not done in a while.

When the four of them continued to stare at each other for several long moments, Ahsoka found her patience growing thin. “I said, who are you?”

One of the figures, the one in the middle, moved slowly. They crouched down, letting their blaster slide to the ground with a soft clatter. They kept their hands raised as they rose back to their full height. “We don’t mean you any harm.”

“My ship just got shot out of the sky, so I’ll believe that when I see it.”

“We weren’t the ones who shot you.” The stranger spoke in soothing tones as if calming a panicked animal. Ahsoka didn’t appreciate it. It reminded her too strongly of Master Obi-Wan trying to diffuse a situation that Anakin had assuredly created. “We were here to meet Fulcrum. We saw your ship go down and wanted to check for survivors.”

“None of what you’re saying is assuring me of your intentions.” Ahsoka adjusted her grip on the blasters again, palms beginning to sweat. “If you’re going to kill me, let’s get this over with before I get bored, hm?”

The stranger sighed again, motioning at their companions to lower their weapons. “Senator Organa set up this meeting. He wanted the leader of his armed forces and the head of his underground network to start working together. I don’t know what else I can do to make you understand that we are allies.”

“For all I know, you captured my actual associate and learned all of this information from them.” She let the blasters sink inch, trusting in her abilities to fire before the disarmed figures. “I’d suggest you all leave. If you really are working with my informant, he can set up another meeting for us.”

The figure shook their head as if aggravated. “Have you always been this distrusting?”

“Have you always been this shady?” She shot back. “Is it really so surprising that I refuse to believe the first people I meet after getting shot out of the sky?”

The figure on the left turned toward the leader of their group. “Commander, we’re running out of time. I’m tracking a group approaching from the west; they must be coming to confirm the death of Fulcrum.”

Ahsoka snorted, eyes flitting between the three figures. She felt Rex shift behind her, his arm now resting against the back of her calves. She prayed he remained silent and unnoticed. “Yeah, real convincing.”

Seeing no other option, she waved her right hand slightly, drawing on the Force as much as she could with her steel shields. “You will be on your way.”

The lead figure shook his head as if clearing it. Their shoulders tensed, but they made no move for their blaster still laying on the floor. Their helmet tilted. “You’re a Jedi.”

Ahsoka tried again, ignoring the waver in her voice. “You will be on your way.”

“Mind tricks don’t work on us.” The figure continued to examine her, and she fought the urge to shift uncomfortably beneath their gaze. She cursed mentally, drawing her shields even tighter. It was always a gamble, attempting to change a being’s mind with the Force. But all it had gotten her was more trouble now that these strangers knew what she once was.

Even with all of her efforts to remain as shrouded as possible—with the cloak and the dropped voice and the blasters—something must have slipped beyond her last-ditch use of the Force. The center figure stiffened, and their head dipped, as if trying to find her face beneath her cowl. She tensed, prepared for the worst. The Imperial forces had confirmed her existence, now the Inquisitors would be on their way. A lone Jedi was one thing; Ahsoka Tano was another. There was no way Imperials would let her out of their sight without at least one attempt to bring her down. 

She was prepared for blaster fire and death. She was not prepared for what the stranger said.

“Commander Tano?”

Ahsoka froze. Her heart stuttered in her chest, breath catching in her throat. It’s impossible. Only one group of men had ever referred to her as such, even with all of her efforts to get them to call her by her name. But as far as she knew, all but three were gone, either still enslaved to the Empire or killed far too early.

She raised the blasters in a second, hands trembling ever so slightly as she trained both weapons on the center figure. “Who the hell are you?”

“I think you know, Commander.” Despite the tense situation, the stranger almost sounded… fond.

Ahsoka swallowed, unable to calm the shaking of her muscles. “Remove your helmets, then.”

“Can’t do that, Commander,” he said. “We’ve survived this long because of our anonymity. I’m sure you understand.”

She grunted. Oh, she completely knew the need for secrecy. Didn’t mean she had to like it, especially when her brain told her she could not trust them for as long as they continued to hide their identities from her.

“Commander.” The figure on the left called for her attention. He appeared much softer than he had just moments before. He crouched down so he was on her level, elbows resting on armored thighs. She vaguely noticed that his right arm ended in a scomp link. “Commander, hey, remember that game you would play with the General?” She sucked in a breath. “He was always telling you about Force signatures or whatever, and you would always give him a hard time back and claim you knew more about that then he did.”

Her eyes burned at the reminder.

The figure continued, nonchalant despite his earlier worries of approaching enemies. “So, the two of you would go to the mess, close your eyes, and try to name the most amount of brothers by feel alone.”

“He always accused me of being a sore loser,” she murmured, blasters slowly drifting down once more. “But I know he had Jesse help him cheat.”

The figure snorted. “Jesse was a terrible liar. I’m not surprised you figured it out.”

A lump had lodged in her throat as the clone in front of her spoke. But now she swallowed past it, raising the blasters yet again. “What’s your point?”

“Use the Force,” he said simply. “You know my Force signature. Reach out, see who I am, and then you’ll know you can trust us.”

“And if this is a trap by the dark side?”

The clone shrugged. “You’ll just have to trust me, Commander.” She got the strangest sense that he was grinning. “’Sides, you’ve always been strong. Even if we were Darksiders, you’d probably be able to overwhelm us.”

Ahsoka choked on a laugh. She had let her guard down far too easily; she knew better than to be swayed by a compliment and a story that anyone aboard the Resolute would know. But something about this stranger… well, he wasn’t a stranger, was he? Ahsoka wasn’t sure who he was, but he was familiar. All three of them were.

So, she decided to trust them. Or, at least, trust she could defend herself against them if she needed to.

Ahsoka closed her eyes, stretching out with the Force to brush against the three presences in front of her. One, the leader, she assumed, had shields nearly as strong as hers, and she had no idea who he might be. But the other two…

The one on the right. The one who had not yet spoken. She’d not met him many times, and it took her a while to understand whose signature she was feeling. But then it clicked, and a mental image of Master Secura filled her mind. Bly.That was Commander Bly. Her mind wheeled with the implications of that.

“Bly,” she said. His head dipped in acknowledgment.

Almost fervently, she reached toward the other one, the clone who knew her, who knew Jesse and Anakin and the rest of the 501st. A name came to the forefront of her mind immediately. Ahsoka pushed it away, searching for a different one. It wasn’t the right name, not the right man. She had watched him die months before the Order had ever gone through. It couldn’t be, it wasn’t, it was, it was, it was.

“Echo?” she breathed, eyes flying open. Rex’s blasters clattered to the ground as she hastened to throw back the cowl of her cloak.

“It’s me, Commander. I promise, it���s not a trick.” He paused for a moment. “But while we’re out here, it’s just Corporal, okay?” Even with the vocoder that seemed to be a part of all of their helmets, she recognized the cadence of Echo’s voice, the grumpiness that had always been stronger after dealing with Fives. When she learned of Fives’s death, she thought Domino squad was gone forever. But what terrible things must Echo have lived through in order to still be standing before her? Did he know his twin had saved her life? Saved Rex’s life?

Although she longed to embrace the lost soldier, she held her position, still covering Rex. She trained her attention on the clone in the middle, the one that Echo had only referred to as ‘Commander.’ There was something familiar in his mental shields, something she recognized in the foundation and the construction. “And who are you?”

He was saved from answering by a loud ping from the datapad hanging off of Echo’s belt. Echo cursed, scanning the screen for information.

“How much time?” Bly asked, his voice rougher than even Echo’s. He raised his blaster again, but turned to aim it at the door while still looking at his brother.

“Ten, maybe fifteen minutes at most. They’re getting slowed down by the terrain.”

“Commander Tano, come with us,” the leader said, as serious as she had heard him this entire time. “If you’re Fulcrum, then we can have this discussion on our ship. But we need to get you out of here, and this freighter isn’t flying.”

“I…” Ahsoka didn’t know what to say. She knew it was the only valid option, but with Rex the way he was… and so much of her role in the rebellion came from remaining separate from the larger forces, especially with the Inquisitors constantly on her tail. Could she join them, her friends, in good conscious, knowing she may be putting them in danger simply by her presence? She shifted, wincing as she accidently put weight on Rex’s hand, the limb still limp against her legs.

Echo was on high alert. “You’re injured.”

“No. No, I’m fine.”

“This crash wasn’t one of Skywalker’s.” The Commander crossed his arms, examining her again. “You’re not fine. But…”

“Ahsoka.”

She turned in an instant, falling to her knees at Rex’s side as he groaned her name. His eyes remained closed, and she sensed him fading once more. She grabbed his hand, placing her free one against his cheek. “I’m here.”

He squeezed her hand ever so lightly. “Ahsoka,” he breathed out again, and then he was gone, mind dragged under as his subconscious forced his body to rest and heal. She watched him for another long moment, searching his bare face for any sign of discomfort or pain.

“Rex.” The Commander nearly choked on the name, voice so full of feeling and pain. With her mind still open to the Force as it was, she felt as his shields buckled before collapsing, emotions bursting out as his presence spilled and swirled in the cockpit.

Ahsoka gasped, nearly overcome with the power of the Commander’s thoughts and feelings. Before she knew it, he was crashing to his knees beside her, reaching out with trembling hands to brush against the top of Rex’s head, almost as if he didn’t really believe the old captain was really there. She could barely breathe; the Commander’s signature was so strong, so powerful, so overwhelming.

It was so completely and undeniably Cody.

A broken laugh pushed out of her mouth, and she stared at the side of his helmet, imagining the face beneath, curling scar and harsh features undercut by soft eyes. He wasn’t looking at her, attention fully locked on the injured brother at his feet. His hand now rest gently on Rex’s head, gloved thumb rubbing against the faint, silvery scar on Rex’s forehead.

“What happened?” She’d never heard him show emotion so plainly, not even after Kadavo when Master Obi-Wan and Rex had been in bad shape. Ahsoka tried to imagine how it must feel, thinking Rex had been dead for the past seventeen years. She shuddered. It was too terrible. How had he managed?

She forced herself to focus. “His side of the ship got hit. He was thrown before we even crashed.” Ahsoka squeezed Rex’s hand tightly, hating the lack of a response. “He wasn’t wearing his helmet when we went down. He might have a concussion, I’m not sure.” She swallowed hard. “He hasn’t woken up yet. That was the most responsive he’s been.”

The Commander continued to kneel at her side, and they stared down at Rex for another long moment.

“Commanders.” Bly coughed, drawing their attention. Ahsoka turned, lekku thrown over her shoulder with the motion. She felt the pain in his mind as he watched her. “Rex is gonna be fine, he always is. But we have only a few minutes before we have company, and in your condition, sir, I don’t know if the three of us can fight them all off.”

“I can still fight,” Ahsoka argued, letting go of Rex’s hand as she rose to her feet. “I’m a little bruised, sure, but—”

“I was talking more about the Commander, sir.” Ahsoka got the sense that Bly was embarrassed.

It took the Commander a long moment before he turned to address Bly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Marshal. I’ve sustained no injury.”

Bly shook his head. “No, but your concentration isn’t here.”

“I know how to compartmentalize.”

Despite the serious nature of their conversation, Ahsoka couldn’t help the snort. The Commander looked at her, and she could picture an affronted look on his face that almost made her giggle more. Instead, she offered a smile. “You sound just like he did.” She did not need to explain. He knew who she spoke of. The grief and regret spilling out of his broken shields proved that. The Commander turned away, staring at the damaged wall instead of any of the living souls in the cockpit.

Ahsoka swallowed, reaching out to lay a hand against the upper part of his arm. He stiffened under her touch, but made no move to pull away. “Look, we’ll have time to discuss everything later. But Bly’s right.”

She got the sense he was about to interrupt her, so she pushed forward. “Commander, you’re the only person in the world I trust to protect Rex as well as I would. So how about you and the Corporal carry him, and me and the Marshal can keep watch?”

“No offense, Commander,” Echo drawled, “but if you’re going to keep using the Captain’s blasters, maybe we should switch places.”

She scoffed, narrowing her eyes at him, and feeling for all the world like she was fifteen again. “Why, Corporal, I have no idea what you mean.”

Echo laughed. It was the best sound she had ever heard.

Ahsoka grinned in response. “No, don’t worry. I have a few other tricks up my sleeves.”

“At least you’re wearing sleeves now,” he shot back. She shook her head with a chuckle. She’d not felt this happy, this light, in years.

“It’s a good plan, Commander,” Bly said. He leaned down, grabbing the Commander’s blaster before jerking his head toward the door. “Now, let’s get Rex on his feet and out of here before we find ourselves in the middle of a firefight.”

The Commander’s helmet moved in a slow arc, starting with Bly, and ending at Rex. Finally, he nodded slowly. “All right. Corporal, help me out.”

Echo shoved his blaster into its holster before crouching on Rex’s other side. With Ahsoka using the Force to make their job easier, both men got one of Rex’s arms around their shoulders. The Commander held him tightly against his side, right arm tucked around Rex’s waist and less hand holding onto Rex’s arm. Echo was in a similar position on the opposite side, albeit less secure as his scomp link didn’t provide much support.

Ahsoka met Bly’s gaze. “Front or back?” she asked.

“Front,” he answered immediately. “If we’re going to run into anyone, they’ll be coming up behind us. You’ll be more of a help if you’re able to shield us from behind.”

She nodded once. Bly copied the gesture. Then he led the way out of the cockpit, both his and the Commander’s blasters held at the ready. Somewhat awkwardly, Echo and the Commander managed to maneuver Rex out of the doorway, and Ahsoka began to follow them. She paused, turning to look around the broken ship. They were forgetting something. But what?

A small exclamation left her lips as she spotted Rex’s discarded helmet in the corner. She ducked to grab it, the old plastoid dusty and weathered beneath her fingertips. Ahsoka stared down into the face of the helmet for a moment longer, seeing in it the faces of all of the men she had loved, the brothers who had died because she had not been enough to save them.

Jesse.

Kix.

Fives.

Echo.

Hardcase.

Tup.

Vaughn.

Appo.

Denal.

Coric.

Dogma.

There were so many more. So many she had failed. So many she would never see again. Ahsoka brought Rex’s helmet up to rest against her forehead, eyes falling shut as she remembered. For the first time in many years, her eyes burned as tears threatened to fall.

She remained that way for another long moment. Then she heard Echo quietly calling her name. She returned to the present, but the weight of those she had lost continued to press down against her chest.I’ll have time later for grief, she reminded herself. Ahsoka squared her shoulders, clipping Rex’s helmet to the side of her belt. For now, I must push forward. Besides, she smiled softly to herself, leaving the cockpit with assured steps, how can I grieve when I’ve just gotten back my friends?

pt 1 | pt 2 | pt 3 | pt 4

[avengersfantasies]

Anymore - Chapter 5

Summary: You and Bucky take a big step, but there's still doubt in your mind.

What to expect: fluff, angst, smut

taglist: @kandis-mom @missvelvetsstuff @mavrellover91 @natashasilverfox @vicmc624 @blackhawkfanatic @haruvalentine4321 @felicitylemon @vonalyn @aboobie @stinkerbelle007 @crist1216 @je-suis-prest-rachel @buckysforeverprincess @bathwater101 @frickin-bats @lovely-geek @winterslove1917

After talking with Steve, you and Bucky headed to his room. You had decided to stay at the tower for the night instead of having him take you all the way back to your apartment.

            “You should move in,” Bucky suggested. “It’d be safer for you here.”

            You shrugged. “I like having my own space.”

“Well, you could have your own room on this floor,” he told you. “You’d have me and Steve right here if you needed anything.” As if it were second nature, Bucky began to change into his sweats and a t-shirt. He pulled his shirt off over his head with his back facing you. His back muscles were something else. You thought Steve had been ripped and fit, but just based off Bucky’s back, you could tell he was a bit bigger. He turned around to face you and started to speak, but his words were cut off when he noticed you were practically drooling over him. He had a perfect six pack, his chest broad, and his waist making a v-shape at the top of his pants. “Sweetheart?” he chuckled, causing you to come back to reality.

“I’m so sorry,” you quickly apologized. “I just—”

“You were staring,” he chuckled and walked closer to you. “See something you like?”

You blushed hard and giggled. “I see about a hundred things I like.”

Bucky stalked towards you like you were his prey. “Listen to me,” he spoke softly – his hands cupping your face carefully. “You and me…whatever happens between us…I want you to be comfortable.”

You nuzzled into his large hands and kissed his metal palm. “I am comfortable, Buck.” He smiled widely at you. “I want you to be comfortable too.”

His thumbs stroked your cheeks. “I am, sweetheart,” he started, “but you’re pregnant…there’s a lot of emotions and hormones that might affect how you’re feeling.”

“Buck,” you started to argue back, “can I confess something to you?” He nodded. “Before I got with Steve, I wanted you…I was too scared to say anything to you, and then you were with what’s-her-face for those few months, and I was with Steve, and well…here we are.”

His eyes were filled with adoration. He hadn’t been expecting those words to come from you, but they did. They pierced his heart, and acting almost on instinct, he gently pulled your lips to his – capturing them in a deep and passionate kiss. Your hands trailed up to his hair – tangling the dark brown strands around your fingers. You tugged on them gently – wanting to get some sort of reaction out of the man you had fantasized about many time while Steve was inside you, though you’d never let him know that. God, it’d break his heart to know he was your second choice. None of that mattered now, however. Bucky slipped his tongue into your mouth and guided you over to his bed – laying you down gently and hovering above you. The kiss deepened, and the two of you explored the other’s mouth – never wanting to break apart.

“Fuck,” you moaned against his lips.

“You okay?” Bucky asked – his eyes searching yours for any sign of discomfort.

You nodded. “I just…don’t want to go too far.”

Bucky flipped you over so that you were on top of him, your hands rubbing his chest. “What’s too far?”

“Whatever you think is too far,” you told him.

His hands gently held your face to look at him. “Baby,” he began softly. “I asked you what’s too far…that means I wanna know your limits.”

You gulped, nervous about pushing him too far. “I don’t have any,” you confessed, “but…if you do—”

He cut you off with a deep kiss, his hands resting on your hips. You could feel him growing hard beneath you even through his jeans. He felt huge…much bigger than Steve. Steve was big, and he knew how to pleasure you, but you couldn’t deny that you had always wondered what Bucky would be like.

“Does it make me a bad person?” you managed to say through panted breaths.

“Does what?”

You leaned down to kiss his chest. “That I thought about you while Steve was inside me most times.”

Bucky chuckled. “Makes you human, baby girl.” That pet name did something to you – sent shivers through your body. You felt yourself soak through your panties, and this didn’t go unnoticed by the super solider underneath you. “Can I?” he asked, his flesh hand making its way to the hem of your leggings.

“Yes, Sergeant,” you moaned out, not realizing that you called him the name you had reserved for your fantasies when you were alone.

“Ooo,” he hummed – making you realize that you had called him what you did. “I like that, baby girl.”

You blushed harder than you ever had before and hid your face in his hair. “Oh my God, that’s so embarrassing!”

He chuckled and pulled your head back to look at him. “It’s hot, baby.” His lips were back on yours before you could say anything – his hand sliding into your leggings and petting your clothed pussy. “Goddamn, babydoll…you’re soaked.”

“All for you, Sarge,” you moaned – taking your shirt off and throwing it to the floor followed by your bra.

Your breasts were beautiful – something he’d never thought he’d get to see. His metal hand gentle grabbed one of them. “They sensitive?”

“A little,” you told him. “Just don’t be too rough.”

“You got it, doll,” he assured you – capturing one of your nipples in his mouth. His hands began sliding your leggings off. He made sure to move slowly so that you always had time to stop him if you needed to. You didn’t, however, and you lifted your hips up so he could take them all the way off – taking your panties with them. “Can your Sergeant have a taste of your beautiful pussy?”

You bit your bottom lip. His words were dirty…much dirtier than Steve’s ever were. You had begged for Steve to be dirtier with you in bed, but he never seemed to try. With Bucky, though, you were scared about what he would do if you did start to beg him to be dirtier. “Go for it, Sarge.”

Bucky leaned you back on the bed and hovered over you – making sure he didn’t put his weight on you. His flesh hand rested on your lower belly as he looked you in the eyes. “If you start to feel uncomfortable…physically or not…just tell me to stop, and I’ll stop immediately.” You nodded in understanding. The last thing Bucky wanted to do was somehow hurt you or the little life growing inside you. He kissed down your body softly – making love to every inch of your skin. Before he dove in, he took in your scent – wanting to memorize the delectable smell. “Smell so damn sweet, baby girl,” he praised you before gently wrapping his lips around your swollen and throbbing clit. You gasped at the sensation – your hand immediately going for his hair to pull him closer to your aching core. The soldier licked up your folds – dipping his tongue inside before holding them apart so he could properly feast. The sound of Bucky’s voice moaning into you send vibrations through your entire body, and your hips began to instinctually grind against his face for more friction. “Ride my face, doll,” he ordered you through his panting breaths. “That’s it.”

The sound of his eating out of your soaked pussy were sinful, to say the least. It was a sound that filled the air, and you could only imagine what it would sound like once his cock was inside you. Could Steve hear what was going on? He was only next door, after all. You knew that if he did hear, he’d be heartbroken, but you didn’t want to hide how amazing Bucky was making you feel. You bit your hand to keep your sounds from escaping your mouth, and this caught Bucky’s attention.

“Babydoll,” he said – looking up at you. “Let me hear your sounds.”

You almost had tears in your eyes. You wanted to scream out his name…God knows you did…but you couldn’t help but still feel bad about what you were doing. Was it considered cheating?

“What if he hears?” you managed to whisper to the man in between your legs.

“Then he should’ve thought about that before he broke your heart.”

Bucky was right. You knew he was. But Steve was still a person with a heart, and you never wanted to be the reason someone’s heart was broken.

“I can’t…,” was all you managed to whisper out before tears came flooding.

[lilacmingi]

ALICE IN WONDERLAND AU ♤ PART 3: YOONGI

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT read/interact with me or my works

Pairing: Cheshire cat!Yoongi x fem reader

Word count: 2,530

You continued to dart down the uneven stone pathway, running relentlessly even when you felt you were far enough away to stop and walk for a bit. Eventually, your legs started to ache as the adrenaline wore off and fear no longer fueled you. You knew you had to slow down sooner or later, but you feared if you did, it would run the risk of the bandersnatch catching up somehow-that is if Jungkook and Jimin couldn't defeat it.

It didn't take very long for you to realize your surroundings were changing. The cobblestone path was becoming more worn down, the rocks more sparse, and the odd, yet lively plants that surrounded the trail were now replaced with dead tree limbs that resembled long, spindly fingers, and dried up flowers that had lost their color, not to mention the eerie fog covering the ground. Your running slowed to a walk as you scanned the area.

You hadn't the slightest idea where you were. You were lost and alone with no one around to guide you through this unfamiliar land that was so different from home. At that point, you started thinking that staying with Jungkook and Jimin was a better choice, even if you risked getting yourself killed by doing so.

Peering ahead, you saw what looked like a sign with multiple arrows in various sizes pointing in multiple directions. You released a sigh of relief, glad to have found some sort of means to point you in the right direction.

"Thank goodness."

You made your way down the fog-covered path until you reached the sign. Your hopes were immediately crushed when you didn't see Hatter anywhere on it. As a matter of fact, the signs didn't even make sense. All the arrows were pointing in different directions and were labeled: here, there, this way, that way, yonder, turn around, wrong way.

"This doesn't even make any sense." You mumbled under your breath.

Where's there? And what's this way? Better yet, what's that way?

Tears began to well in your eyes. None of the signs were helpful and you didn't know which way would lead you out. It seemed silly to cry over something like this, but your worry and frustration had built up so much that it was being released in the form of crying and there was no way to stop it. You collapsed on the ground, feeling utterly defeated.

"I'll never get out of here." You sobbed hopelessly to yourself, sniffling softly.

"You're a long way from where you need to be, aren't you, little one?"

You lifted your head at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, scanning your surroundings for the source, not seeing a single person anywhere in the vicinity.

"Who said that?"

A deep chuckle came from somewhere up in the trees, your eyes darting frantically about the area trying to find the source of the voice.

"Stop playing around!" You stood up and wiped your eyes. "Where are you?"

"Over here." He tittered lowly.

Your head snapped in the direction of the voice, but again, you didn't see anyone. Spinning on your heel, you whirled around and saw a man stretched out on a thick tree limb, except this person wasn't fully a man. He had grey cat ears that stuck out of his long, black hair and a tail with turquoise stripes that swished back and forth lazily behind him.

He sported a leather jacket with a ripped up white t-shirt underneath and black jeans with tears in the knees paired with a pair of chunky leather boots.

His sudden presence made you startle. He chuckled at you, finding your reaction amusing.

"Stop laughing at me." You snapped.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of you, leaving gray wisps of smoke in his wake.

"I wouldn't be talking like that to someone I just met." His turquoise cat eyes held a threatening glow. "Who do you think you are?" He inquired pointedly, running his hand down your arm, his eyes examining you from top to bottom sending a shiver down your spine.

"I'm Y/n."

His cat ears perked up at the sound of your name and his sharp eyes widened in interest.

"Y/n?" He echoed.

You gave a single nod of confirmation.

"Hm." He smirked. "What an attractive young woman you've become." His tail flicked side to side as his eyes stayed glued to you.

"Stop that." You backed away.

"Oh, Y/n, don't you remember? We had a lot of fun last time you were here."

"W-what?" You stuttered out.

His shoulders shook as he let out raspy chortles. "I'm kidding." He pinched your cheek affectionately. "You're far too easy to fool. So naive."

"Who are you anyway?" You prodded, pretending not to be offended by his comment.

"I'm Yoongi. You don't remember me?"

"No." You sighed. "I don't remember anything."

His amused expression morphed into one that showed perplexmxent and perhaps even slight disappointment.

"Ah." He murmured, disappearing in a swirl of smoke.

"Hey! Where'd you go?" You asked the air around you, spinning in a circle to try and locate him again.

"Up here."

You looked up but didn't see him anywhere in sight. Then, just as quickly as it had happened the first time, he reappeared on the tree limb he was lounging across moments earlier.

"How are you doing that?" The question spilled from your lips before your brain had a chance to catch up and stop it.

"Magic." He responded while doing jazz hands, though his tone was less than enthusiastic.

His reply left you unimpressed.

"So, what brings you back to Wonderland, little one?" He questioned, swinging his leg back and forth off the side of the tree limb.

"I'm not a child." You retorted in reference to the name little one.

"I didn't say you were." He shot you a brief glance. "You didn't answer my question."

"Jungkook."

"Bunny boy?"

"Yeah. Him."

"What did he do?"

"For starters, he was hiding in my rose garden. I got suspicious and chased after him, thus resulting in me falling down the rabbit hole."

"How did you end up all the way out here?"

"Jungkook and I ran into Jimin and we got attacked by the bandersnatch. They both stayed behind to fight it." You cast your eyes on the ground. "I hope they're okay."

"Despite both of them being complete idiots sometimes, they're really strong and don't back down easily." Yoongi assured you.

You nodded, hoping that was true, though your mind kept flashing horrifying images of their lifeless bodies lying in the middle of the path covered in bloody gashes. You shivered.

"Why were you crying earlier?"

Yoongi's question distracted you from the gruesome images your brain had decided to put on a mental slideshow unwarranted.

"You saw that?" You questioned meekly.

"I see everything, sweetheart. I may lie around and nap in the trees all day, but I know what's going on around me. So, why were you crying? Tell me."

"I'm lost. After I ran away from the bandersnatch I followed the path but I ended up here."

"Where exactly are you headed?"

"Well, Jungkook and Jimin were trying to get me to the Hatter."

"The Hatter?" Yoongi sat up. "That psycho?"

"Yes?" The statement came out like a question and you furrowed your brows.

"Right. You don't remember."

"Why call him a psycho? What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing, I suppose." He sighed. "That's just my opinion. He's completely off his rocker, that guy."

"Well, do you know how I can get to him? These signs aren't very helpful."

"I can take you." Yoongi volunteered, disappearing from the tree limb and reappearing at your side.

You flinched a little and he chuckled.

"Follow me, sweetheart." He grinned and disappeared, popping back up a few feet ahead. "You coming or not?"

"You have got to stop disappearing and reappearing like that. It's making me nervous."

"Whatever you say, pretty." He tittered.

He waited for you to catch up before the two of you proceeded down the dirt path, headed in the direction of hopefully the Hatter.

You hadn't known Yoongi for very long, but one thing you learned was that he was confident and incredibly flirtatious. He was undeniably attractive, there was no doubt about that, and had this air about him that made him even more attractive if that was even possible. You weren't exactly sure how to describe it other than nonchalant, maybe even a little cocky, or perhaps that was the confidence. Either way, he knew he was hot.

"What's got you so distracted?" Yoongi asked, pulling you from your thoughts.

"Nothing." You lied.

"Don't pretend like you aren't attracted to me."

"I beg your pardon?" You barely managed to get the question out without stuttering.

"You heard me, darling."

Your heart fluttered at the nickname.

He could see the way his suave nature effected you, the way you avoided eye contact with him and pulled your bottom lip between your teeth. He could see right through you.

Turning away, you trained your eyes on the scraggly trees, trying to calm the heat that rose to your cheeks.

Yoongi's footsteps stopped which caused you to stop as well. He placed his finger underneath your chin and turned your face towards his, his bright turquoise irises dropping down to your lips.

"Yoongi?" You uttered, your voice sounding meek.

"Y/n." He ran his thumb over your bottom lip, dark strands of hair falling into his face. "I had no idea you'd grow up to be so irresistibly attractive."

Your mouth opened only to snap shut. You were unable to formulate a response.

"Look at you getting all flustered again. You're completely speechless." He tilted his head, more lengthy strands of his raven locks falling over his eyes as he smirked in amusement.

Your eyes widened at his close proximity and you tried to back away, but his arm snaked around your waist and pulled you to him.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked lowly as he started to lean in.

There was no way to stop or avoid it as Yoongi's lips collided with yours, unexpectedly soft and delicate when they touched your own. Part of you wanted to push him away while another part was enjoying it and wanted it to continue. Choosing to abandon all rationality, your eyelids closed and you allowed yourself to melt in his arms and indulge. One of Yoongi's hands moved to cradle your jaw while his lips massaged yours, gliding fluidly against them like they were made for each other.

The kiss ended almost as quickly as it began and next thing you knew, Yoongi was pulling away, straightening his shoulders.

"Alright. I'd best be getting you to the Hatter." He announced and continued walking.

"What was that for?" You asked, breaking into a brief speed walk so you could catch up.

"What was what for?"

"Stop acting like you didn't just kiss me."

"Stop acting like you didn't like it." He grinned.

You didn't respond.

"I knew it." He chuckled. "Tell me something, Y/n. Jungkook or Jimin didn't beat me to it, did they?"

Your cheeks got hot at the thought of Jungkook ravishing your neck with kisses. Not to mention Jimin kissing your forehead and cheek.

"No."

"Good." He smirked proudly.

"Not my lips at least." You muttered under your breath, barely audible.

"What do you mean by that? Did they kiss you?"

You didn't respond, internally scolding yourself for letting that little tidbit slip.

"Where?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Well, judging by that pink spot on your neck I'm guessing one of them kissed you there."

"Hey!" Your entire face was set ablaze while you moved your hair around to cover the spot.

"So where'd the other one kiss you?"

You crossed your arms defiantly. That was information you refused to disclose with him.

"That's fine." He shrugged. "As long as I'm the first to kiss you on the lips, I'm satisfied."

Your jaw nearly fell to the ground. This guy was absolutely shameless.

"My legs are getting tired." Yoongi griped aloud.

Immediately after the complaint left his mouth, his feet lifted off the ground and he started floating in the air, lying on his back with his hands behind his head.

The expression on your face was one of complete and utter shock.

Yoongi merely responded with a sardonic, "I told you. Magic."

"You can't possibly be tired already."

"I am. I'm not used to walking so much. My poor legs can't handle it." He pouted.

"Oh boohoo."

"You know, Y/n, if your legs get tired you're welcome to come up here with me." He gleamed, his Cheshire grin looking more foxlike rather than catlike.

"You're audacious."

"Ah, but you like my audaciousness, don't you, little one?"

He could see right through you and it was embarrassing.

"Forget it, cat boy."

A clear look of offense flashed across his features, his brows twitching.

"That's right. I've got nicknames too." You remarked snarkily.

"Don't call me that."

"You seem to be calling me whatever you want, so why can't I do the same? Hm?"

"I don't like it. It sounds soft." He grumbled.

"I don't know, you seem pretty soft. Especially with those cute ears and that tail."

"I-it's not cute." A faint blush blossomed on his cheeks and you found yourself feeling proud that he stumbled his words.

It felt good to have the upper hand.

"Aw I got the tough guy all flustered now." You teased.

"I'm not flustered—and I prefer the term bad boy."

He was back to his cocky self once again.

An unknown amount of time passed before you started noticing the familiar mushrooms and mix of unique-looking plants showing up amongst the twiggy vines and trees.

"We're getting close." Yoongi stated.

You hummed in acknowledgment.

"Can I be honest with you?"

"Of course."

"I'm upset that you don't remember me, or any of this for that matter." He gestured. "I don't understand how you could possibly forget this place and all of the people you met."

"Trust me, I'm upset too. I've felt like nothing but a disappointment since I got here. Everyone I've met so far expected me to remember my supposed last visit here and I've let them down. Or maybe my mind has let me down. I've asked myself why I forgot so many times." You heaved a sigh. "Jungkook and Jimin said it might come back to me, but I'm starting to think that's impossible. If my memory hasn't been jogged already, I doubt my memories will return."

"Don't be like that. You went through a lot last time you were here. I'm sure your memories of this place are still tucked away somewhere in that pretty little head of yours."

You nodded, choosing to look past the not-so-smooth pretty he threw in there.

The sound of laughter coupled with the clanking of glass and tableware in the distance reached your ears, putting an abrupt end to your conversation.

"We're here." Yoongi announced.

➯ Part 4: Taehyung

Masterlist ᝰ

DO NOT steal, plagiarize, copy, repost, alter, or translate my works in any way

🏷 @h3arteyes4mingi @weird-bookworm @poppy2007 @parkjennykim @evidive @mxlly143 @lizzymizzy-blogg

[ghostlygeto]

an angel’s fall | geto suguru

pairing: demon!geto x angel!reader

warnings: i think reader is gender neutral, geto referred to as reader’s brother but they are not siblings at all, wings and stuff cos angels, geto’s wings are icky, geto's ideals are similar as the anime kind of, a little angsty?, kind of corruption?? who knows. open ended!!!!!!!!!!!!

wc: 2.6k

“your task is to hunt your fallen brother, geto suguru, and dispose of him.”

you wanted to protest when you heard the voice echo in your head, but you knew it would mean nothing to do so. no matter what you said or how hard you denied you couldn’t go against the elders’ decisions.

it should’ve been gojo. you knew that, he knew that, even the elders knew that. he had stronger will than you, never flinched when hunting your fallen brethren.

the two of you never really spoke before, but recent events had brought you together. geto had been the only reason you ever interacted in the past, but after his falling from grace you two found a comfort in one another you couldn’t find anywhere else.

“you’ll be fine,” gojo patted you on the shoulder, “you know they wouldn’t assign you something you couldn’t do. you’re strong.”

“not strong like you, gojo,” you chewed your lip, worried. “we don’t even know the reasoning for his fall, he could be corrupt, or poisoned, or sick.” you listed off more things, the paranoia getting to you. “he’ll kill me, gojo. you know that.”

“suguru would never kill someone he cares about,” gojo’s voice held firm. fallen or not, geto was still his best friend. and gojo would defend him until death. “you should know that. you were close to him, too.”

you wanted to tell gojo that it was different between you and geto. the two of them were close, childhood friends. they had a bond beyond comprehension, you were always in awe as you watched the communicate with close to no words at all, just shared looks and sometimes a facial expression.

you and geto had a more intimate relationship. sure you couldn’t communicate borderline telepathically, but you two spent plenty of your free time laying together, hands interlocked and kisses shared. you two had your lives planned out together, knowing how you’d spend your future with one another.

before his fall, of course.

finding out about geto’s fall had sent you into a spiral, wondering if you had missed any signs or misread anything he had said to you. everyone (aside gojo) told you that it was inevitable, angels fall from grace all the time. some just aren’t meant for it the way others are.

this answer was never good enough for you.

to you, it was a choice. normally you could see it before it happened, it wasn’t hard to spot if you knew what to look for. change in behavior or tone, often a change in appearance (whether that be taking less care of themself or a change to their physical appearance depended on the person), hell even the way they spoke would often change. you saw none of this within geto, you were sure of it.

word of your assignment spread fast. other angels whispering and giving you pitiful looks. geto had been a strong angel, meaning he would make an even stronger demon. even the best of angels had been lost in fights against demons, that’s what all the sad looks and hushed tones were saying. they were all saying how you stood no chance against someone like him.

and you tried not to let it get to you, wanting to go out there with hope that maybe you did stand a chance. but with everyone aside gojo against you, that was hard. 

“good luck out there,” gojo rubbed your shoulder, taking a second to adjust the collar of your button down and knot of your tie. “gotta make sure you’re looking your best.” he gave you one last pat before walking behind you, probably to prepare for his own assignment.

“here is his last known location,” one of the elders spoke to you in your mind, “if his grace is sensed someone else between now and when you find him, word will be sent to you.” you bowed to no one, silently sending them thanks before making your way out of the dressing room. would this be it for you?

even if you managed to succeed in terminating geto, you were sure you’d feel lost forever. how often is it that you’re responsible for the death of the man you thought you’d be with forever? you weren’t aware of another angel above that knew the way you were feeling. if there were others, you were sure their fall came quickly after the completion of their assignment.

you hated being down here. it always felt so crowded, like humans didn’t know personal space. your wings felt cramped, being held tightly against your body to avoid them being touched. humans couldn’t see them, which allowed you to blend in with them. but it also meant if they were to accidentally touch it they’d be very confused. it would be easier to just make sure that doesn’t happen.

an old building with a nasty looking door. the coordinates of geto’s grace led you here. it didn’t seem like the place geto would hang out, rather the type of place he would sneer at if gojo had ever mentioned stepping foot inside of. which is exactly why he would be hiding out in a place like this. clear of unwanted visitors (angels and humans alike), somewhere quiet and secluded for him to finish the transformation in peace.

there were several stages of falling from grace. from what you were told in school it was a long, grueling process. painful and sickening. though that could be completely wrong, that knowledge had been passed down through angels, not fallen angels (demons).

it only made sense that geto would want to be alone during one of the hardest times in his life.

the metal door made a loud squeak as you pushed it open. the inside looked exactly as you imagined it, dark and damp. debris scattered around the floors and shattered glass near every window. but at least you got to spread your wings finally.

you couldn’t feel geto anywhere. his grace, at least. you couldn’t feel a demon, either. but who knew what stage of in-between he was in, maybe he no longer put off the aura of an angel but hadn’t yet turned to a demon.

“geto,” you called out, softly at first as to not disturb any of the potential creatures living in the space. “geto, if you’re in here you need to show yourself.” the silence that followed felt overwhelming. the scuttling of little creatures and dripping from the holes in the ceiling being the only sounds present. “suguru.” you called again, voice more stern now, “i know you’re here.”

a shuffle and the creak of a door from behind you caught your attention. you had turned just in time to see a door slowly swinging open toward you. you couldn’t see into the room much, but you could see a stairwell leading down.

were you really going to do this? to walk down those steps would be to risk your life, but to not go down there meant potentially failing your mission.

neither of those had good outcomes.

you could feel the temperature drop as you descended the stairs. a shiver went up your spine, wings sputtering in response as you tried to comfort yourself. the stairwell was dark, but once you made it into the mildew smelling room there had been a single bulb lighting up the whole room.

“i suppose if i were to be murdered this would be the place,” you mutter to yourself, trying to stay close to the walls as to not leave your back exposed. “suguru, are you down here?”

“what are you doing here, y/n?” geto’s voice came from a dark closet on the other side of the room. you nearly jumped out of your skin at the sound of his voice, “you’re not supposed to be here.”

“i’m sure you know what i’m doing here.” you tried pulling yourself together, folding your hands together in front of you. he stood up, standing just within sight. “come out here, please.”

geto let out a dry laugh, “so you can kill me? do you think i’m dumb?” he found himself rolling his eyes at you. “they couldn’t even wait until i had fully fallen, then. of course not.”

silence fell between the two of you.

he hadn’t been gone long. a few days, maybe a week at most. yet he already looked so…different. his cheeks hollow and eyes dull. the transformation had been hard on him, clearly. you guessed what the angels taught about falling had been true.

“stop looking at me like that,” geto turned his face away from you, trying to hide in the darkness again.

“looking at you like what?” you furrowed your brows, unaware you had been giving him a look. it wasn’t your intention, you didn’t want to make this harder than it needed to be. giving him a “look” certainly wouldn’t make things any easier.

“like you feel bad for me or something. like you care about the way i feel right now.” there was a hiss in his tone that you had never heard directed toward you. toward gojo numerous times, sure, but never you.

“i do feel bad for you. of course i care about how you feel right now.” you told him as if it were obvious, “this…isn’t what i wanted, geto. you should know that. gojo, either. we want you back.”

“i can’t go back.” geto shook his head, “even if i wanted to, you know a fallen angel cannot regain grace.” he was right. it was next to impossible, unless he were to steal (or be given) the grace of another angel. “but i wouldn’t want to, even if i could. i don’t understand how you can do it, y/n. how can you love them more than yourself? more than me?”

“it’s what we were made for, how could i do anything else?” you ask, confused about where he was going with this. of all reasons for his fall, you’d never expect it to be because he felt he couldn’t love humans more than anything. “don’t you remember the excitement of being assigned your human to look over? how could you abandon them?”

“how could they abandon us? i’m meant to give my life to look after a being that doesn’t believe in me? in what world is that any good for us, y/n? don’t you think we’re meant for something more?” geto stepped out of the closet, allowing you to take all of him in. it wasn’t until now that his wings came into view, though they didn’t look normal.

geto’s wings were always large. from the time he could fully extend them, they seemed to be twice as big as the other kids’ his age. the trend continued into adulthood, him frequently swallowing you whole by hugging you in his wings. and they were still large now, even as the feathers had almost completely fallen off and they were nothing more than flesh covered bone.

“your wings…” you stared in shock. you had no idea this was apart of the process (you knew demons would lose their wings, though didn’t know it looked like this). “this must be so painful.”

“they ache,” he looked down, not wanting to meet your eyes, “and they’re cold, without the feathers. my understanding is that the next step would be for them to rot off. and then my fall is complete.”

“then make this easy. please let me complete my mission without a fight.” you love geto, truly, wholly. without bounds or conditions. even now, as his wings were dying and he looked scrawny and unkempt. he may no longer look like the man you fell in love with, but it was still him.

“you really expect me to do that?” geto scoffed, rolling his eyes. his bare wings (could you even call them that anymore?) flexed behind him. if he still had feathers they would’ve ruffled, for sure. “i won’t let you kill me for standing up for what i believe in.”

you stiffened as he took a step toward you, “i have no other choice, geto. i can’t go back until i complete my mission, you know that. and my mission is to dispose of you.” you tried to remain professional, not reacting to his words. if you gave him a reaction. that would mean he had won. “i don’t want to fight you, geto.”

“would you quit calling me that? since when do you call me anything other than suguru?” he was right in front of you now, staring down at you with a combination of anger and confusion. “do you not love me simply because i fell?”

“it would be impossible for me to not love you.” you answered immediately, wanting to kick yourself for even giving him that much. “but i have a job to do. and you have not been suguru for awhile. not since before you fell, i think.”

one hand softly reached forward to separate yours, allowing him to hold it. “what have they done to you, y/n? where did you go?” he sounded hurt, “you’re…different.”

“i’m different?” you almost laugh, “you’re the one that turned his back to humanity, the very reason we were created. you’re the one that fell from grace. i am the same, i’ve remained the same since we met. you have changed.”

despite your words being cold and borderline cruel, a smile found it’s way to geto’s face. “always so stuck in your ways. can’t even stop to consider maybe the way we’re taught isn’t always the right way.”

he was just trying to get to your head, you knew that. and knowing should make you less susceptible to his manipulation. but still, you found that you were considering his words. debating whether or not he was right about at least some of the things he had been saying.

how could you turn your back to humanity? the very beings you were created to guide and protect.

but how could you turn your back to geto? the only man you were sure you’d ever love.

“but…if we aren’t right, then what is?”

“the ability to do whatever we want. think for ourselves.” geto held both of your hands in his now, rubbing his thumb across your knuckles. “that’s what this is about, y/n. being a demon isn’t about being evil or truly betraying humanity. it’s about being free; making your own decisions.”

you do make your own choices. at least, you were pretty sure that’s what you were doing. “we have free will, geto. we’re not that different from them.”

“we have the illusion of free will. if we really had free will, you wouldn’t be so afraid to return empty handed.” he dropped your hands, clearly feeling slightly disappointed in you, “you would’ve had the ability to say no instead of risking your life down here to hunt me.” 

he’s right. you know he is. he knows he is. but now the air feels thick and you felt like you were questioning more than just his motives for falling. but what was the point of making you feel free if you really weren’t? what did the elders gain from having such control over you that they don’t already have on their own?

“you probably have a lot of questions.” geto gave a weak smile, “take my hand, y/n. i’ll answer everything i can. you just…” he paused for a second, looking between your eyes and your wings, “you just have to fall with me.”

reblogs, comments, and likes appreciated!

[dean-winchester-is-a-warrior]

All In or All Out?

Summary: Dean needs an answer.

Warnings: None really.

Pairings: Dean Winchester x Y/N

Word Count: 625

A/N: I got this very fun ask:

Anonymous asked: use a photo on your phone camera roll and write a quick scene/hc for it

So, the photo above is the one I used. Hope you enjoy what I came up with for it. ❤️

The beautiful divider below and at the bottom was created by @talesmaniac89

"You gotta decide here and now." Dean told her in a low, firm voice. "I know it's not fair."

He looked up at her standing in front of him and tried to catch her gaze, but she purposely wasn't looking. "And you can think I'm an asshole if you want." He continued with a shrug. "That's your right, and you're probably not wrong."

Y/N shook her head, still refusing to look at him, far too aware of the sway those green eyes had over her. But Dean finally reached up to grab her chin and force her gaze back to his.

"Hey." He said quietly. "Look at me." 

She did, and she fell - like she knew she would. She would fall for this man forever. 

"I need to know, sweetheart." He said huskily. "You have to be all in or all out in this life. I know, because I've tried straddling the fence before and it just doesn't work. Live like that and hunters miss things, or they lose focus and they fumble. So, if we're gonna be together, I mean for real, for life," he was the one to drop his gaze this time, "then, Baby, you gotta decide if you can deal with me as a hunter, whether or not you can live this life with me."

She saw the muscle in his jaw flex. "Or, if it's too much for you then…okay. That's," he licked his lips, biting into the bottom one before clearing his throat, "that's okay. I get it."

He captured her gaze again and smiled softly. But his eyes were sad and they made Y/N’s heart ache. "But look…whatever you decide, sweetheart, I’ll always love you. That won't ever change."

Y/N closed her eyes and thought about the future she'd have with him; living in constant fear of losing him, watching him beat himself up when he lost people, knowing there was no way for her to stop him from doing that, putting up with him when he lashed out at her because the weight of the world was bearing down on his shoulders, and even knowing there might be some things he'd prioritize above their love - saving the world tended to be a sacrificial gig. 

She thought about all the bad, and tried to weigh it against the good, as she'd been doing for days since Dean first said that he needed her to give him an answer. She'd tumbled everything around and around in her mind and finally she was coming to the conclusion that there were dozens of reasons, big and small, for her to say no, to bow out.

And only one reason to stay, one reason to sign on to a hunter's life and that was the hunter sitting in front of her now. The reasons all boiled down to one very real, inescapable truth.

If she walked away from Dean Winchester, her soul would stay behind. 

She would never not need him, never not crave him. She was never, ever going to be able to say goodbye to that smile, and those eyes that held enough pain for fifty lifetimes, but that could still sparkle, bright and beautiful.

So, the choice he was giving her, wasn't really much of a choice. She was lost at their first hello.

She leaned forward and cupped his cheeks in her hands, her heart squeezing when he nuzzled into the touch.

"There is no other answer for me, Dean. You are my answer. My only answer." She shrugged and smiled lovingly before she pressed her mouth to his, feeling the heat of his lips sweep across her skin. She pulled back and, pressing her forehead to his, she made her vow.

"I'm all in."

Tags below the cut:

1 - Jensen RPF + Any/All characters Jensen plays. @lyarr24 @deans-spinster-witch @impalaslytherin @maggiegirl17 @akshi8278 @candy-coated-misery0731 @deanswaywardgirl @slytherinlyn314 @globetrotter28 @jensensgirl @perpetualabsurdity @tristanrosspada-ackles @djs8891 @muhahaha303 @kayyay1219 @emily-winchester @recoveringpastaaddict @maximumkillshot @mimaria420 @sacriceria @envyaurora95 @lacilou @jc-winchester @spnwoman @mimi-luvzyu

2 - Dean Winchester Fics Only. @carryonwaywardgirl

3 - Any/All Fics (regardless of fandom/character.) @kazsrm67 @sexyvixen7 @alexxavicry @nancymcl @spalady26

4 - Everything (includes fan vid/DOOL edits as well) @unabashed-lover-of-fictional-men @maliburenee @supernatural4life2022 @spn730015 @kickingitwithkirk @waywardbaby @foxyjwls007 @deanwanddamons @deandreamernp @deanwithscissors @myloversgone @snowlovespie @leigh70 @all-alone-he-turns-to-stone @charred-angelwings @hopefuldreamers-world @jensensgotyoudean @thoughts-and-funnies @magssteenkamp @princessmisery666 @eevvvaa @mishkatelwarriorgoddess @waynes-multiverse @mrsjenniferwinchester @bernasaurus @jensenslady79 @courtn92 @avanatural @ellie-andthemachine @this-is-me19 @roseblue373 @katbratsupernaturalwhore @fanfic-n-tabulous

[belphegorspillow]

Petals [Obey me x Gn!Mc]

TW: Angsty one-shot, Reader has Hanahaki disease, death, lesson 16 spoilers

Multiple Endings at the bottom! + an Epilogue [I did my best to try make them the same amount]

Mc held onto the sides of their sink as blood and petals cover up the sink and counters.

Mc looked up at the Mirror, grabbing their mouth-wash and cleans out their bloody mouth. They started to wash away all the blood that covered the sink

This has been happening for months. Ever since they started to crush on them. Yet they knew they would never be able to date their crush...

The first time they saw a petal fall was when they told themselves that they would never end up with their crush.

The petals started white and pink before turning red as the thorns started to tear inside of their body dying the innocent petals the colour of their pain.

As time passed more petals came before it started to bring blood along with it. They couldn’t do much about it. All they knew is that their time was limited if they didn’t confess or get a surgery to remove the flowers - along with the memories of them...

Mc would keep it a secret from all of their friends, no way that they could let it slip that they were dying because of something stupid...a dumb crush... 

Each time their crush came up to them, they would feel the burning of the petals that were trying to escape their throat.

Every night Mc would force everyone out to be able to cough up petals that they were trying to hold back for the whole day.

Their friends and their crush would ask what was wrong. They would lie that they were alright. Nothing was wrong. They were okay....

No one needed to know...No one needed to...

“Oi MC!” Mammon yelled as he busted open the door. Mc panicked a bit as they tried to clean up the blood faster before Mammon would find them. As Mammon entered to find Mc’s mouth covered in blood, petals littering the bathroom counter. 

He screamed. “Mc!”

.

.

“They have a disease called Hanahaki disease.” The doctor explained as the brothers stood at the entrance of Mc’s hospital room. They were looking between each other as expecting for someone to know. They could see the fear on Satan. They knew it was something bad.

“It means they have roses growing inside of them, it is slowly going to pierce through their lungs if it isn’t delt with.” The doctor explained as he showed an xray of Mc’s chest, roses were covering their lungs, as if it grew anymore it would kill them.

“Is there any way to prevent this from occurring?” Lucifer had some strain in his voice as he asked the doctor, clearly trying to not let his emotions get the better of him.

“There is a way. If we remove the flowers through surgery. But they will lose all memories of the person who they like and because of how bad they are already...it may not be 100 percent sucessful..”

“Who they like?” Satan soon sighed. “ Hanahaki disease is when a human has...feels for someone and they haven’t told them for a long time... They start to develop the disease... The ways to cure it is to confess to their crush or to get the surgery...”

The group went quiet. So Mc was going to forget someone if they get it removed.

“But, they chose to not get the surgery...” That suddenly got the attention of the group. “What.” Lucifer seemed angry at this. He was. Mc was going to die if they didn’t get this.

“Mc ain’t getting the surgery?!” Mammon was clearly panicked at this news. “Why aint they?! They can die!”

“My henry...They are going to die!!” “Poor Mc! They need the surgery!” “We can’t lose them again..“ “Mc... They have to get the surgery.”

“I don’t want to.” Mc opened up the door as they stared at each of the brothers, violently coughing as  red petals fell to the ground. “I chose that I don’t want the surgery. I don’t want to forget him and I know he won’t feel the same so I don’t want to confess either... So my only choice is this. None of you can change my mind. It’s final.”

The group would look at Mc, as much as they were pained to try and get Mc to reconsider. But they didn’t.

They were going to die... and they had to accept that... So they were going to spend as much time as they could with Mc before they die... they had to...

.

.

As Mc was reaching their final few days, they could barely breath anymore. They decided they would spend it with their crush for their final moments...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ENDINGS:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lucifer

Lucifer was in his study, classical music was playing softly as he was doing his paperwork. A soft knock came at the door where he called them inside.

“Hey Lucifer...” Their soft raspy voice caused Lucifer to look up at them, seeing their normally warm skin turn pale, their eyes having so little light and blood on the edge of their mouth. It hurt Lucifer...It hurt him so much...

“Can we hang out for a bit. You need a break... Let’s take a walk.” Lucifer pushed himself out of his seat. “Mc, you’re too weak to go out and-”

“That’s why you’re coming with me. Now lets go before it gets too dark.” Mc started to head out, with Lucifer sighing softly and going to follow

As the two left and started their walk, Lucifer made sure to have a grip on their side incase they were to start to feel lightheaded.

Mc smiled weakly as the breeze pushes the hair out of their face as the two were walking.

“Thanks for coming with Lucifer...” “Of course Mc. I enjoy spending time with you...” Mc smiled a bit as they felt their heart beat faster before a coughing fit started and Lucifer held them close as he watched the petals and blood fall onto the ground. 

“We should go back-” “There is a park that isn’t too far. Lets go there.” Mc cut him off and smiled as they wiped the blood from their mouth. “It will be fun. Come on.” They held his hand and started to walk ahead a bit as to lead him to the park.

As the two reached the location, up on a hill in the park, Mc sat down on the grass and smiled a bit, patting the spot beside them. Lucifer hesitated before looking at Mc again and sighed, sitting beside them on the ground.

As the two sat in silence, Mc looked at the view and hummed. “I will miss the Devildom...” Lucifer looked at them again and seeing as they were tearing up. “I will miss your brothers, and their shenanigans.... Don’t tell Satan that I told you this, but he is the reason why your hair was dyed entirely gray once.” Mc laughed before coughing violently as they felt their breath disappear. They fell onto the ground as they were coughing violently. 

“And most importantly...I would miss you...” They whispered as their eyes were closing. “because...i love you...” 

Lucifer grabbed onto them, transforming into his demon form as to try and get back to the hospital nearby. He didn’t care if you were against the surgery...you needed it...you can’t die... not now...please... don’t die on him. He loves you too. He can’t...no please...don’t...

Lucifer felt your body go cold, no heartbeat, no pulse...nothing... He sat there, craddling Mc in his arms as tears started to fall.. 

‘Why didn’t you just forget me...‘

Mammon

“Mammon.” Mc grinned a bit as they went into his room, they were holding onto the wall as they were trying to go over to him. “Wanna watch some movies together?”

Mammon looked at Mc, he frowned a bit as he missed their normal, more vibrate personality. He hated seeing how weak they had become...

As Mammon set up the movies, Mc would curl up into his side and look at the screen and hums a bit. They look at Mammon who had his arm around them. They felt their heart start to beat faster before they started to cough intensely.

“Mc-” “I’m fine.” Mc coughed as they wiped the blood and petals from their mouth. “It’s not as painful as before.” They smiled at him tiredly. They moved to sit more comfortably on the couch and tried to relax

Mammon stared at them before starting to tears up.. he rests his head on their shoulder, causing them to get flustered, but it didn’t stop the petals that were clogging up their airway.

“Why don’t you just...get the surgery... Whoever ya forget, it doesn’t matter... I don’t want ya to leave me...”

Mc tears up as they open their mouth about to speak when they started to feel light headed, intense pain coming from their chest as they moved their hand to their chest.

Their lung got ripped... They were dying. Mc started to close their eyes before whispering softly. “I didn’t want to forget you Mammon...I loved you too much...”

Mammon froze at hearing that, he would be flustered and excited that his crush liked him back, yet they didn’t move. He didn’t hear them talk, they went cold...

They were gone. Mammon moved to hold them, staring at their closed eyes. They looked so peaceful...yet they were gone..

Mammon couldn’t see clearly as his teared filled his eyes. He screamed and cried.

Mc was gone.

“Why did ya have to leave me...’

Leviathan

Mc was trying their best to heal Levi as he was storming through the dungeon in the game the two were playing.

Levi had been asking Mc to play the game with them forever, yet they only decided to play it with him today. 

Levi was determined to finish the game. They didn’t have a long time to complete it. He didn’t know how much longer you would be with him... He needed to go through and spend as much time as he could with you.

“Levi...can we have a break? My hands are starting to cramp” Levi paused the game and panicked a bit. “Are you okay?! I-is it something to do with the disease? Are you leaving me?”

Mc grabbed Levi’s hands and looked at him. “Calm down... It’s just that my hands hurt from playing...” Levi nods his head and looks down, mumbling sorry.

“Are you scared?” Levi asked Mc softly. “Scared that you are dying?” Mc looked at their crush and hummed. “A bit... I’m also upset that I can’t spend time with anyone anymore. I will miss playing games with you and binging anime.” They laughed as they thought about it, before they violently started to cough up petals.

“Mc!” Levi went over and grabbed a bottle of water nearby as well as held onto Mc to prevent them from falling and getting hurt if they were going to faint.

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” Mc smiled weakly as their hand reaches to hold Levi’s. They sighed softly.

“I’m terrified honestly Levi...” Mc told him. “I’m scared... I don’t want to die...”

“Why didn’t you get the surgery.” Levi asked them as he tears up a bit and looked at them. “Whatever normie you would have forgotten didn’t matter! It’s not fair you have to suffer because of them.”

As Mc was going to respond, they started to violently cough. They held onto Levi, who grabbed them. He was panicking. “I-I will get Lucifer!” Levi tried to help them up, but they weakly pulled him down.

“It’s too late Levi...” Mc told him softly as they were coughing. They were tearing up as the pain was getting worse. They knew this was their last moments - Levi knew this too. Neither one wanted this.

“I love you Levi...I love you...” Mc whispered, but even though they confessed, they still died, because of the thorns destroying their lungs.

“Mc...” Levi stared and cries as he held onto their hand.

“Why did you leave me...”

Satan

Mc was sitting with Satan outside in the garden of the House of Lamentation as a small group of kittens were sneaking inside the gardens.

Satan would pet one gently as he looks over at Mc. “How is Ms Paws doing?” He asked as Mc was happily petting the small kitten.

“Ms paws is really cuddly.” They laughed weakly as they hummed a bit. They were trying to hold back the feeling of coughing up the petals.

Satan seemed to take notice and grabbed their hand. “If you hold it in, you could get worse...” He told them. They nod a bit and quickly pass the kitten over to Satan before moving and starting to cough up petals.

He would place down the kittens before going over to rub Mc’s back gently. That didn’t seem to help as Mc was still coughing violently. 

“Let’s go inside... you’re getting worse..” Mc shook their head as they were stopping their coughing fit. 

“It’s fine. I want to be outside... It’s nice...” Mc looked to where the kittens were and frowned. “They left.”

“They went back to their mom..” Satan gestured over to the group of kittens surrounding a cat that was escaping out the garden with the kittens.

Mc smiled a bit and sighed softly. “I really wanted to spend more time with the cute kittens! Now I can’t.” Mc pouted a bit which Satan looked at them.

“You could...If you go and get the surgery...” He suggested. Which Mc huffed and shook their head.

“I can’t. I’m in too bad of a condition to get fixed up now.” “Not true.. You can get it removed and angel magic can-”

“Satan. I said I’m not going to.” Mc said firmly as they look at him. “I am not going to do it. As much as you try.”

Satan frowned and looked at them. “Why not.. You are choosing to keep feelings for some guy than dying...”

“Because... I want to remember him... even if i’m dying.” Mc hummed as they started to cough again, petals and blood fell into the grass. It didn’t seem like their coughing fit was stopping anytime soon.

Satan went over and he grabbed their side, he noticed the light in their eyes was fading. “Mc-”

“I don’t want to forget you..” Mc whispered as they closed their eyes and their body went limp in Satan’s arms.

“You...” Satan was quiet as he stared at their face. He placed them on the ground before slamming his fist into the ground out of anger. He was angry. He hated himself. He was the reason. Why didn’t you just forget him.

“I should have forced you to forget me..”

Asmodeus

Asmodeus was finishing up with the outfit that you were wearing. “There. You look perfect my darling.” He smiled a bit, though it seemed a bit forced.

He hated how the outfit didn’t make you look like you... Your vibrate skin was pale, your bright eyes were duller. Nothing about your appearance made him hopeful you would survive...

“Thank you Asmo. I look really amazing thanks to you.” Mc spun around before wobbling a bit and Asmodeus grabbed onto their arm, leading them to sit on his bed.

“Be careful! I don’t want you getting hurt.” Asmo stared at Mc who smiled before feeling their throat blocking up with petals so they moved quickly to try and get to the bathroom, but were too weak to stand so they started to cough petals all over the ground

Asmodeus hated the sight, but he would deal with it to try and help Mc. He moved them to his bed, not minding that they were coughing blood and petals all over his sheets.

“Thanks Asmo...Sorry you have to deal with it...” Mc apologised as they were going to wipe the blood off of their mouth - which Asmodeus did instead with a napkin.

“It’s okay dear... I want to make sure you’re okay...” Asmo stared at them before tears started to fill his eyes. “Why Mc... Why didn’t you get the surgery!”

He cried as he moved to hug them. Mc looked at him and hugged him back - pushing back the feeling of coughing. “Because I don’t want to lose the person I like...”

“Mc...Who ever it was... they don’t deserve you. You should save yourself and forget them. It doesn’t matter.”

Mc smiled before they were forced to start coughing again. But this time as they were coughing, they couldn’t breath. They were loosing their vision. Their time was up...

“I didn’t want to...lose you Asmo...”

Asmodeus froze as their body went still, they were gone. Asmodeus cries as he held their body close.

“You should have forgotten me. I could have won back your love..”

Beelzebub

Beelzebub was sitting with Mc out on a picnic, which they invited him on. He was worried as they were coughing violently all the way to the picnic location.

“Mc.. Are you sure we shouldn’t go back...” Mc looked at him and shook their head. “No. The flowers here only bloom once every 1000 years. I have to see it with you. And it’s better to have it with a picnic.”

Mc smiled at him weakly as they turned to look at the sunset. They move to lean on Beel a bit before a large amount of petals filled their throat, causing them to cough violently again

Beel moved quickly to be at their side and rub their back. He was worried if he held them, he was going to break them.

Mc finished and looked at him. “Thanks Beel...” Mc smiled weakly. They looked as the sun was moving down, the flowers were going to bloom soon...

“Mc... Why did you choose to not get the surgery...” Mc hummed and looked at Beel before smiling sadly.

“I didn’t want to forget the person I loved. And If I died during the surgery because of how bad I was already, I wouldn’t have remembered him. But if I die this way, I can remember him still..”

Beel looked down. This reminded him of loosing Lilith. He would lose another person who he loves.

Beel moved to hug Mc gently. Mc smiled and held him close. They started to cough violently, causing beel to pull away as they fell on the ground

“Mc!” Beel didn’t know what to do, he looked as they reached to hold his hand.

“Beel...I love you...please be happy...” Mc whispered as they closed their eyes. They’re hold on his hand disappeared and Beel stared at them in silence.

He couldn’t believe it. He was the reason. He is the reason why Mc died. He lost them...because of him

“It’s my fault... It’s my fault you died..“

Belphegor

Belphie had been forcing himself to stay awake. He couldn’t sleep because he knew he was going to lose MC at any point. 

“Belphie. We are going to nap.” Mc told him as they grabbed his arm and gently pulled him towards the attic.

“Mc, we won’t have any time to spend together if we sleep all the time..” Belphie tried to say as he was forcing himself to try and keep his eyes open - he couldn’t sleep. He had to spend time with you..

“Belphie.. Come on...please..” Belphie eventually caved in and went with you to the attic to lay down and relax.

He would hold Mc gently with their back facing him incase they were needed to cough up petal.

He winces as he heared Mc started to cough violently. He moved his hand to rub their back gently and frowned. He thought back to Mc’s face when he killed them.

He hated it. He hated that he killed them once. He hated they were going to die again..

“Get the surgery... Mc please..” Belphie tried to ask them again. “I don’t care that you don’t want to forget them... But you have to...”

“No matter how many times you tell me. I will not. I will not forget him.” Belphie held Mc close and tears up.

“But you are dying because of him. You can’t die...You can’t leave...”

“I’m sorry Belphie. My choice was mad-” Mc started to violently cough as they were struggling to speak. They look over at Belphie. Even if they were dying.

Belphie should know how Mc actually felt.

“Belphie...I love you...” Mc smiled weakly as they moved and hugged him. Before Belphie could do anything else, their grip around him was gone.

He stared at them and held them close to him.

‘Why did I have to kill you twice..‘

~~~~~~~~~~

EPILOGUE:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Mc’s Death. The brothers were never the same.

Lucifer locked himself away to always work, never finding him relaxing. Because if he did. Mc would come back into his head. He didn’t have time to grieve. He had to work

Mammon was never home. He was always out at places that he never took MC to as to try and not remember them. If he did, he would break down. He was too upset to win at any casino

Levi was more of a shut in than usual. Burying himself in games and animes that he knew you wouldn’t like. Even if he hated the game, he wouldn’t want to be reminded of how many things he wanted to spend time doing with you

Satan was more wrathful than usual. They could hear Satan punching his wall out of anger. He went back to how he was when he was just born from Lucifer. A pure demon of Wrath

Asmodeus was never leaving his room. His appearance was a mess. No posts on social media. Nothing. It was as if he disappeared and died as well when Mc left.

Beel barely ate anything. Whenever he saw his favourite foods, he would think back to MC and the feeling of sickness hit him so he could never eat. He would spend most of his time sitting outside of Mc’s room - not wanting to enter or else it would hurt more

Belphie didn’t know if sleeping or being awake was better. Either one he was faced with thinking or seeing MC again. He hated how no matter what he did he thought back to their pained face of when he killed them and their face when he saw them dead.

The room beside the kitchen that was considered Mc’s room was never touched. It was collecting dust. No one entered it besides when Lucifer went to put sheets over the furniture to prevent more dust from covering everything. No one wanted to go in. It was the last thing that reminded them of you.

The movie marathons. The book binging. The napping. The midnight snacking. The dress up. The chatting about anime. The comforting words.

All of that was gone.

[midnightshard06]

Fictober Day 9: "Don't listen to me, listen to them"

You can check it out on ao3 here if you prefer.

Summary: Shadow meets an interesting member of the Black Arms while looking for the chaos emeralds and makes a rather questionable choice. He just hopes it all works out.

Set in my Lost and Found AU and is set in the same plotline from this and this (though with several scenes skipped in between)

Warnings: None

Word Count: ~900 words

Shadow tried to focus enough to pinpoint the emerald he knew was nearby but was having a hard time focusing. Between the invading Black Arms and returning to the Ark for the first time since he woke back up he wasn’t feeling on top of his game. They needed to get the emeralds though if they were going to use the Eclipse Cannon to destroy the comet. Just the thought had him feeling uncomfortable all over again. Sure he could tell himself it was the only way to stop all this but it didn’t mean that he had to like it. Despite all the damage the Black Arms were doing and would do to earth and the people here, he still had a connection to them. One that had started to feel stronger since them arriving.

“There you are.” A voice Shadow didn’t recognize was there and he whipped around to see who it was, his quills bristling. “Calm down.” The person held up their hands in a placating gesture. “I’m not here to hurt you.” His eyes focused and Shadow could feel the mental connection. “Brother.”

“You’re a Black Arms?” Shadow answered back through the hivemind connection. At least there didn’t seem to be any other Black Arms nearby as the hivemind seemed relatively quiet.

“Course. Eclipse the Darkling.” The newly identified Eclipse bowed. “It’s nice to finally meet you Shadow.”

“You know about me?” Shadow frowned. He didn’t remember ever meeting Eclipse on his few trips to the Black Comet.

“Of course.” There was an excitement in Eclipse’s eyes. It seemed oddly genuine and Shadow wasn’t sure how to feel about that. “I’ve heard a lot about you and have been practically counting the days until we came back here so I could meet you.” He took a few steps closer and Shadow found he was alright with the approach. For now anyway.

“Why are you here?” Shadow narrowed his eyes. He didn’t want to entirely give Eclipse the impression he was cooperating. Especially not when he had no idea what Eclipse wanted.

“For you.” Eclipse folded his hands behind his back before sighing. “Black Doom sent me to get you after you ran off before.”

Shadow allowed a cold look to slip onto his face. Of course. Of course Black Doom was still trying to get him back. Eclipse blinked in confusion at the sudden change in expression. “I will not be going back to Black Doom. I believe I made that quite clear.”

“Well he doesn’t seem to think so.” Eclipse sounded almost bored as he inspected his claws. “Says you were ‘acting irrationally dude to the sudden reconnection’.” He made air quotes.

Shadow growled and Eclipse actually took a step back in surprise. “I was not acting irrationally. I’ve made my choice and clearly he doesn’t respect it.”

Eclipse had a thoughtful frown on his face before he slowly started to approach. Shadow flicked his tail and gave Eclipse several warnings but he still slowly approached. His body language relaxed. Once he was close enough he put a hand on either side of Shadow’s head. Shadow wasn’t sure why he allowed the other to do that. “You’re just confused right now brother. I can help. We all can help.” Eclipse had a sad look on his face. “You’ve been stuck here alone for so long it’s no wonder you’re acting out like this.”

Somehow Shadow felt oddly calm. Maybe Eclipse was right. Maybe he really was acting like this because of all the time he’d spent without the Black Arms. Maybe it would be better to not be alone- Awareness came back to him sharply as he pulled away. He wasn’t alone. At least not since waking up. Though even the Ark he had Maria. “I’m not alone.” Shadow growled, this time out loud.

“Fine.” Eclipse huffed. “Don’t listen to me then. Listen to them.” He gestured widely. Four odd creatures approached. They seemed hesitant but looked happy to see Shadow. The four seemed to tap into the hivemind and began happily speaking at him, but Shadow couldn’t make out all they were saying because of the overlapping of voices. Most of what he picked up were things like “happy to meet you” “come home with us” and “we’ve got you”. “They’re not the only ones who wanna help you ya know.” Eclipse tilted his head as the creatures started to happily circle around Shadow. “Some of the older Black Arms that met you years ago have been eager to see you again too. I’m sure if you just came back with me to the Black Comet they’d help you out too.” He held out a hand. An offer.

Should he accept? Despite him being set to defend the earth he was still tempted to take Eclipse’s outstretched hand. Maybe… maybe there was another way to solve this. One that didn’t involve the genocide of the entire Black Arms race. Perhaps he could… convince the other Black Arms to turn on Black Doom. Maybe… and if not well. Sonic and the others were collecting the emeralds for the cannon. One way or another this would be solved. He took Eclipse’s hand and the darkling’s face lit up in a massive smile. “You made the right choice. Let’s go home.” Shadow hoped it really was the right choice.

[yuriko-mukami]

Her Calamity Dark 02

Beta reader: @ruki-mukami-dl

Chapter Selection

I stepped into the castle, wondering what it was this time. The plan has moved on to the next phase, so Karlheinz-sama should not have use for me right now. It pained me that I had to leave Yuriko alone with my brothers. Not that, I did not trust them to keep her safe, but nevertheless, I could not help but worry a bit. She still had sad and distant eyes, her mind wandering in the past I could not reach. She would have needed her master by her side. I hoped that the promised company of Elizabeth Virnien and Yuriko’s brother would at least cheer her up.

The familiars welcomed me, guiding me to Karlheinz-sama’s study. He was not there. Instead, I spotted wheat-colored hair lying against the headrest of a comfy armchair. As I roamed in, the sky-blue eyes fluttered open almost supernaturally slow. A yawn sailed through the room.

“He called you as well, Ruki…? Haa… what a bother.”

“Sakamaki Shu.” I gave the man a glance but hurried to the bookshelves as if I were curious about what kinds of tomes they held. Well, truth to told, I was. It was not so often that Karlheinz-sama had invited me into this room, and his collection of ancient books was more remarkable than any other in this realm or the Human World. And I knew he did not let others lend his books often, if ever. I had asked once when I was younger but he had said that they were not for me.

Probably Karlheinz-sama did not see me worthy to read these. I could only hope that one day I would reach his expectations and then…

“Did he explain himself to you?” Being surprisingly chatty, Shu interrupted my trail of thoughts. 

Sighing, I turned around and laid my eyes on him again. Lazy as always, listless even. A spoiled aristocrat from head to toe. Yet, he was the eldest of the Sakamakis and Eve’s choice of Adam. I could not imagine what that young woman saw in this man, yet, it was not my concern anymore.

“He did not.” I sat down on the other armchair. 

“Troublesome as always…” 

I simply nodded and let my gaze travel along the room, finally stopping on the desk. It was full of books and scrolls alongside mystical objects. Some of them looked like everyday things, like a pocket watch, but who knew what kinds of secrets they held? I was ready to believe anything when it came to Karlheinz-sama’s skills. 

“Shu, Ruki…” An amused, chuckling voice hummed behind me. Hastily, I collected myself and stood up. Shu did not pay the same courtesy but stayed limp in his seat and yawned.

“Karlheinz-sama, it is a pleasure to see you again. As always.” I gave the man a brief bow, only to hear another chuckle, coming from the armchair this time.

“You won’t change, will you, Ruki?” Shu’s eyes pierced me. “Always so eager to please. It’s pitiful.”

Gritting my teeth, I refused to answer. I would not throw myself into a useless fight in front of my benefactor. 

Karlheinz-sama steered through the room until he was standing behind his desk. “By all means, Ruki, please have a seat.”

Nodding, I allowed myself to slide back to the chair. Yet, I made sure to keep my spine straight. I would not disgrace myself like the eldest of the Sakamakis was. 

“Thank you for coming, both of you.” Karlheinz-sama’s lips curled up as he sat down. The smile did not reach his eyes.

“Cut the chase and tell what was so important you couldn’t just send a familiar. It was a bother to drag myself here.” Shu’s gaze darted to his father. I had never understood why he was acting up. He had gotten all of this as his birthright, yet he did not honor anything. Disgusting.

Of course, I would not let any of my thoughts show on my face. It did not matter if I liked it or not. Shu was still Karlheinz-sama’s firstborn and now Adam. My role was to serve both, the current king and the future one. My opinion was not important.

“How is the life with Eve, Shu?” If Karlheinz-sama was annoyed by the behavior of his son, he hid it well. I expected nothing less.

“Haa… none of your business…”

“I can tell that you have not taken the next step. I was calculating hearing the wedding bells a little sooner.” Karlheinz-sama leaned his chin on his hand. “You will be the next king. Certain expectations come with the position and you know this.”

Now, I had no clue why I had been summoned here. Even if this was about Adam not fulfilling his part of the plan, there was not much I could do to help. I could not force Shu to take the next step, neither was I interested.

Shu remained listless. “Marriage isn’t needed for being together… All that stuff that comes with the celebrations is troublesome…”

I admitted that it would be a hassle to arrange a royal wedding but obligations were to be filled, and Shu should have known that better than I did. Still, I could not see what my place was in this conversation. 

 “If you are not hurrying, Shu…” Karlheinz-sama let out a sigh. The golden eyes locked with mine. “...it might be that Ruki here is faster to make the bride a wife.”

That made Shu to straighten up. He glared daggers at me. I ignored his stare, for he had nothing to worry about from me. On the other hand, I had not been aware that Karlheinz-sama had such expectations of me. I marrying Yuriko was unimportant for the realm, for my position was different from Shu’s. And since Yuriko still had to finish her third year of high school, I had not considered taking this step. 

Or to put it correctly, I had considered it and decided it, but I had delayed taking action until the situation was perfect.

“As far as I know, the Mukamis aren’t even suitable for being Adam.” Shu’s voice was full of poison. Clearly, he had not realized I had no intentions when it came to Eve. “Neither could they keep Eve from me,” Shu continued.

“I noticed.” I glanced at Shu again. It had been a lot of work to renovate Yuma’s room. Luckily, we have had our familiars to help. Unfortunately, the mental damage to his heart was not so easily fixed. I truly wondered if he had fallen for Eve while all she seemed to see was this lazy bum. “I have no intentions to take Eve from you, Shu.”

“But do you have intentions to wed your little anomaly?” Karlheinz-sama’s words hit my heart. I did not like that he called my angel such a thing. As I turned to him, I saw that he was playing with an hourglass. Long fingers caressed it as if it had been his greatest treasure. Seeing the object threw me back.

“Time is a curious thing, Ruki. Do you not think so too?” Karlheinz-sama smiled at me while he held an hourglass I had never seen before. “Turn this and you can travel back. No one else remembers what has been happening, and you can start all over. Again and again, until you will get the result you wished for.” Golden eyes sparkled as they captured mine. “Would you want such a power, Ruki? Would you use it? Would you go back to those days…?” I shivered, shaking my head. There was nothing to go back to. I would not take a risk that I would not meet my benefactor again. What if I made a wrong choice? I could get stuck in an eternal loop, trying to settle my life’s course right. 

Karlheinz-sama put the hourglass back in its place, snatching me from the past to the present. “Well, Ruki?”

Shu perked his eyebrow. “Have you gotten yourself a little plaything?” 

“She is not a plaything.” Once again, Shu made me grit my teeth. I lowered my head before talking to Karlheinz-sama. “All due respect, I would not hurry with that, for I wish her to have a normal life.”

“Then you should not have tangled her destiny with yours. But you do not need to hurry with the matter, Ruki, for I was simply curious. This anomaly of yours does not affect our plans.” Karlheinz-sama chuckled, but soon, his expression turned into a more serious one. “But you, Shu, you have your responsibilities to take care of and now, that Eve has chosen you, she is one of them. I expect results.”

“Haa… I know…”

“That is not all.” Karlheinz-sama stood up and wandered to the window, gazing down into his realm. “The Banmaden is empty, has been for a while now.”

I tensed. This was no news to me for I had seen the First Bloods in the school. I have worked together with Tsukinami Shin to save Yuriko from her kind. But I had sworn to that dog I would not say a word about it. Now, it felt like betraying the man who had given me everything.

“What does that have to do with me getting hitched with Eve?”

That was a valid question. Perhaps there was more than meet the eye in Shu after all.

“Eve has a critical role in everything. This marriage would remind everyone who is ruling the realm.” Karlheinz-sama’s gaze stayed on the landscape, almost like he was trying to see all the way to the Banmaden. “And I do not like that those two have been able to break out. We must stay alert.”

“Has there been any movement from their direction, Karlheinz-sama?” My nape was getting sweaty. Both Yuriko and I owed to Tsukinami Shin. I had given my word to Karlheinz-sama first but now, Yuriko had promised to help that sneaky First Blood if needed.

The teal pools rose in my mind. Pleading orbs that told me how Yuriko had put her trust in me. Could I put Karlheinz-sama before my angel? She had become mine and promised her everything to me. Could I push her aside if that was asked of me? A few months ago, I would have not hesitated with my answer but now my head was empty. 

“So far there have not been any signs of threats, but that does not mean there are not such. Their father revolted against my rightful rule.” Karlheinz-sama turned around. “You are to keep your eyes open, and if necessary, you will return to the Demon World. All of you.”

There had been times when I would have welcomed such an invitation. Yet, I would not want to bring Yuriko to the same castle as Sakamaki Laito. Not even though I had gotten an assurance that he would cause no further trouble. And not only that, she had lived for her whole life in the Human World. I did not know how a longer stay in this realm would affect her, neither was I willing to find out.

Still, I nodded to Karlheinz-sama. “We will do our very best to keep our eyes open in case of danger.”

“Troublesome.” Shu closed his eyes and crossed his arms. “You should have called Reiji, if you needed to push orders on us.”

“As my heir, it is your duty to take care of this.” Karlheinz-sama did not smile. “And I would like to go through the earlier events with you two before you go, for Ruki was not there when that happened and you, Shu, were rather young.” A sudden warmth burst in my heart. Karlheinz-sama trusted me so much that he would tell me what he had happened in the ancient past. But I also could not help the cold shivers crawling along my skin. This would take time, and all that was away from the love of my life.

[marietheran-archived]

LotR reread - book 2, chapter 2 - The Council of Elrond

Tolkien once envisaged Galdor of the Havens as the same person as Galdor, Lord of Gondolin. He seems to have gone back on it, but I like that version a bit.

Mysterious Allusions Counter at 4.5

"And yet not so many, nor so fair, as when Thangorodrim was broken, and the Elves deemed that evil was ended for ever, and it was not so."

"The Spear of Gil-galad and the Sword of Elendil, Aeglos and Narsil, none could withstand" -- proof that what's important is a really really good sword, able to survive contact with evil beings?

"The blood of the Númenóreans became mingled with that of lesser men. Then the watch upon the walls of Mordor slept..." - hmmm... otoh, weird with the "lesser men", otoh, given the next sentence, it might mean less a racial change and more the Gondorians forgetting their heritage.

Boromir's (Faramir's really) dream: voice speaks out of the West. This seems important.

Another poem I learned by heart completely accidentally at 13.

Bilbo telling his story - "He did not ommit a single riddle" xdd

Mysterious Allusions Counter at 5.5

"In all the long wars with the Dark Tower treason has ever been our greatest foe"??? In the wars of the First Age, yes, but I can't really find any instances of treason later on, unless it's the Númenóreans' collective descent into evil idiocy. But the "Dark Tower" means Sauron. A slip? Or were there betrayals we haven't been told of?

"It is perilous to study too deeply the arts of the Enemy, for good or for ill"

Whatever one thinks the Valar would say about someone bringing the Ring into Valinor (LotR declines to elaborate on "they would not receive it"), the explanation that the road to the sea will be guarded against them seems very reasonable anyhow. "Too often the Elves have fled that way" and Sauron would not have forgotten how his predecessor ended.

"But if you take it freely, I will say that your choice is right: and though all the mighty Elf-friends of old, Hador, and Húrin, and Túrin, and Beren himself were assembled together, your seat should be among them" (!!!)

I used to not understand why Túrin and Húrin are held in honour so high. Now I get Húrin, because the Silm seriously undersells his bravery (he was long, umm, persuaded to give up the location of Gondolin, and you can guess what kind of methods of persuasion were used - and said nothing), but despite Túrin being a problematic fave of mine, I still feel like remembering the killing of Glaurung and forgetting everything else, which everyone in ME seems to do, is a bit weird. I have seen the interpretation that it is done specifically to spite Morgoth, and I guess it makes as much sense as anything.

But anyway, rest in peace, Túrin, and that praise Frodo was given was something.

[cruelprincae]

❛ If you want me on your side, maybe you could be a little less cagey about it. ❜

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐢𝐫 : 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 ;

Sides. Such a peculiar and strange concept that is ― always changing, always shifting forms similar to the liquid forms of the translucent creatures of the Undersea, gone before one can even glimpse at what they are, and sharp as a dagger which keeps on pressing on one's throat; at least, that way it has always been for Cardan, the Prince who has always held the least favour amongst the High Court, and when shove comes to push, is always on the losing side ― with Dain, with Locke, and now with the small ( yet mighty ) girl before him, eyeing him as though he is one wrong breath away from going rogue in a fit of villainy and consuming her pet rat. Or, whatever the red, floating thing with whiskers is by her side.

When it comes to sides, the past has taught him not to expect much regarding people's ― be it Folk or mortal ― trust in him, for he would never have it. They would always deem what they wanted to deem, and thus, Cardan has had little choice other than to play into the facade of the villain which he has carefully sculptured after meticulously studying the patterns of his eldest brother, for at least such is the one thing in his life that he can control.

If he cannot have people's love, then he will have their wrath, their hate, and the sheer annoyance and disgust that coats their faces in the mere sight of him, although such has proven to be exceedingly difficult as far as the girl is concerned.

Perchance, he truly ought to eat her pet rat.

Black eyes, glamoured by the magic of the Folk to look a stark, void black rather than the gold and constellations adorned dark hues, blink in perplexion in sight of the foreign mortal slang of cagey, but he delves not in any inquiry. The expression of surprise is swift to be masked with that one mere annoyance, with dark, manicured brows furrowing together and plump lips curling into a deep, ill-tempered frown.

How dare she call him cagey ? Whatever such means, considering the tone in which she uses it, it can mean nought but condescension, and the Prince will have none of that.

❛ I did not ask of you to be on my side, ❜ Counters Cardan, his gaze narrowing down upon her figure. She is shorter than he is ― after all, all Fae are known to be looming tall over mortals ― alas, her stance does not appear to falter in sight of his own condescension, which only results in him being further irked in return. ❛ If you wish to be on my side, then be on my side. If you do not, then leave. ❜ I cannot care less either way, he means to say, but the untruth of the words catch within his throat, unable to roll past his tongue. And thus, he speaks them not, only scoffing in return as though to enforce such a statement.