#not dangerously thankfully ! not even close and she said all my blood looks good

[transgaysex]

my endocrinologist reduced my T dose because im Too Good at making More on my Own

[ravencincaide]

Not my soulmate

Summary:  No, absolutely not. You refused to even consider the fact that your universe's chosen soulmate was one of the most brutal, deadliest and wanted men of Yokohama. And none other than an ability user! No, absolutely and utterly no, even if he was a little cute..

Pairing: Fem reader x Chuuya Nakahara 

Raven’s Special prompt: Soulmate AU : “Chuuya soulmate au ooh it could be the one where soulmates have their names written down somewhere on them”

Warnings: Cursing, annoyed Chuuya and bratty reader

Enjoy~

You looked at the news segment; the picture of a manic looking man with ginger hair partially hidden beneath the shade of his tophat. Piercing eyes that stole your breath and the boyish grin that mocked the viewer of the security footage from which the picture was taken. The photo was surrounded by huge letters which warned viewers about the dangerous man. “ Do not engage. Comply with his demands and when safe alert the authorities. Executive of Port Mafia:  Nakahara Chuuya is�� ” 

You tore your gaze away and down to your bare forearm where cursive red letters glowed out the name of your soulmate. Then you flickered your eyes back up towards the news segment which described the executives' latest atrocities. Then back down at your arm- back up to the news. Down to your arm. Up to the news. 

Then you screamed. 

“ Jesus Y/N are you alright?!” You heard your mothers voice echo from the hallway accompanied by her rushed steps. The time it took her to reach you was just enough for you to pull the sleeves of your shirt down, in the process knocking over a cup of hot tea onto the table. As she entered, you flashed her a guilty smile for needlessly worrying her.  “ Did you burn yourself?” You shook your head in answer “ Good, what got you screaming? Did you find your soulmate or something?” 

You faked a laugh then cracked at your mothers pointed look. “ Yeah on the news” you said with a roll of your eyes. Thankfully the wanted poster was replaced with the weather forecast narrated by an elderly gentleman.

Your mother laughed loudly at the sight of the pensioner“ Ohh that’s just a coincidence- common name you know?” she brushed a few stray strands of hair out of your face reassuringly “ I’m going to head out for some errands then visit a few friends–” 

“ - have fun and I’ll keep my phone close in case you miss the last train” you promised. Your cheeky remark earned you a glare and a mouthed ‘one time’ before the woman strolled out of the apartment in an almost guilty fashion- as if to say the second time could be tonight. You smiled a little but your smile dropped the second your eyes landed back onto the news segment. 

The warning poster was back with the ginger haired murderer; cocky grin, black mafia coat and all. 

“ No, no way” you muttered as your fingers trailed over the material above the matemark. “ Just the same kanji- not even the same pronunciation. Not even the same name!” you told yourself. Forced yourself to believe that until the name on the screen stopped making your heart beat faster. Now then to the mess with the tea–

You froze as you heard the doorbell. Then rolled your eyes at your mothers forgetful nature. The doorbell rang again and again, an impatient sound that made you groan out loud as though you were a teenager again “ I hear it. I’m coming, I’m coming. Sheesh, if you're in such a hurry you should have just taken the keys with you in the first place.” 

You opened the door and your blood ran cold. Your mouth was dry as you came face to face with piercing blue orbs of the man in the news segment. Before you could react, a gloved hand reached up and he tipped his top hat towards you in politely gentlemanly greeting. 

“ You’re Y/N yeah?” his voice was rough, language of a typical delinquent which did not match his appearance, it made your lips tug downwards into a frown. 

“ N-no sorry wrong apartment” You attempted to shut the door but he stuck his dress shoes in the way. A gloved hand grabbed the wood and forced it wide opened again. 

“ Ehh you sure? Coulda sworn this was your picture? Nevermind, sure you ain't lacking a soulmate?” although flirty there was an undeniable warning in his words as he crumpled up your official picture and stuffed it in his pocket. 

It was a warning you ignored. 

“ N-no sorry, I’ve already met my soulmate!” you lied and hoped it was believable. 

“ Oi– okay if that’s the case dollface, then you wouldn’t mind stripping just enough for me to see the mark, yeah?” Chuuya grabbed your arm and kept you in-place as he drew closer, hot breath fanned your face. Eyes glared daggers as though he saw right through your lie. Your mind replayed the warnings from the news which so bluntly told all civilians to stay the hell away from him and if encountered then;  

Comply with his demands and when safe alert the authorities.

But since you already lied to him and refused his orders- how fucked were you? And would it at least be a merciful death?

Chuuyas impatient growl filled you with more and more dread. It only increased as he yanked you closer to himself.  “ Where the hell is it?” His free hand began tugging on your shirt. Lifted it up just high enough to see your stomach, then cursed when the mark wasn’t there. “ I said where the fuck is it?!” 

The way Chuuya yelled; desperate attempts to find your mark and then the realization that he would kill you once he saw it filled you with a sense of hopelessness. But with it came anger; Why you? Why now? And why did this bastard have to be your soulmate? And more important why did he seek you out? 

‘Well if you were going to die then you would be damned sure it wouldn't be without a fight’ That was your last thought before you raised your knee and hit him in the groin. You heard him huff, saw him double over in pain and used those precious seconds to pry his hands off yourself. 

And then you ran. 

Author Note: Well it's not my best work but it was fun to write. And i managed to get it right below the 1000 word word limit- Yay me! Hope this special made you laugh- or at least crack a smile and until next Sunday.

Update: Find part two here, disobedient soulmate

Can't wait so long? Check out Raven's masterlist for more stuff to read!

©ravencincaide 2024. Do not copy/repost/translate or spread my work(s) without my explicit permission. If you see any of my work(s) reposted/copied anywhere else without my consent, please inform me!

[chaotic-orphan]

Whumptober No. 4

Hallucinations

Hypnosis // sensory deprivation // “in my head you’re still alive”

Very loose interpretation of hypnosis, which means VAMPIRES BABY FOR SPOOKY SEASON!!!

*~*~*~*~*

Whumper cornered Whumpee in the alleyway, the poor dear trembling like a deer in shock, violently and so enticing. Whumpee kept backing up, turning their head left and right frantically but Whumper knew this alley was a dead end. He grinned as he stalked closer and Whumpee yelped, backing up all the way into a wall.

They flinched when they felt it. A sudden jolt of fear and panic as all blood drained from Whumpee’s darling face to their heart to be pumped around the muscles in their body.

Flee, flee, flee.

There was no fight impulse when a human faced a vampire, their body flooded with adrenaline to run, run as fast as they can.

“P-p-please! Please, no! Please!” Whumpee cried, holding their hands out in vain to create an illusion of control. Whumper stopped a metre away, tilting his head to the side, his grin exposing his fangs.

“You’re too pretty to be a chimney sweep,” Whumper said to the young boy covered in soot. He wore a peak cap and clothes that looked to be scraps of other clothes sewn together.

“Stay— stay back! I know what you are,” Whumpee announced, trying to be firm but their trembling lip gave them away.

“I know what you are too. Isn’t it illegal for girls to earn a wage?”

Whumpee stiffened. Their trembling ceased and they lowered their arms to their side, tightening their hands into fists. Her eyes sharpened dangerously.

“I’m a boy,” Whumpee said, her voice suddenly pitched down.

Whumper laughed and stepped forwards and Whumpee remembered to be afraid again and threw herself flat against the wall.

“I don’t like when my food lies to me,” Whumper sang, closing the distance between them.

Whumpee sucked in a fretful breath with an effort. “Th-thankfully chickens can’t speak.”

It was Whumper’s turn to freeze.

A surprised, melodic laughter bubbled up and out of his throat, stunning the girl into silence. She searched the area behind him, trying to see if there was any way she would be able to get by him, to skirt around him and make a run for it. Maybe if she kept making him laugh he would let her go?

“Child,” Whumper said fondly, fingers settling heavy on the brim of Whumpee’s hat. Whumpee’s hands shot up in panic, not thinking, as she held the hat over her hair.

“Please, please sir, don’t, please.”

A cold hand cupped under her chin and tilted her head up to meet the Vampire’s enthralling eyes. She was transfixed, locked into his gaze that seemed to be pulling her further in the more she looked, like the smell of chocolate from the corner shop that opened its doors after school. She forgot her fear, completely unafraid, all her worry leaving her as if it was just a suggestion, a silly notion that she was afraid at all.

“Good,” Whumper hummed and Whumpee almost melted at the praise. “Drop your hands.”

Whumpee obeyed, lost in the labyrinth of his gaze unaware of the minotaur that lurked, following her through every new corner.

Whumper removed Whumpee’s hat. Whumpee didn’t even blink, too afraid to miss the allure of his gaze. Her blond hair like silver thread fell over her shoulders, tarnished by the soot and the remnants of ash, but still magnificent. Whumper didn’t expect to be pleasantly surprised at how pleasing the human was to his eyes.

“There we are. Much better. Tell me, child, how old are you?”

“Sixteen sir,” Whumpee answered automatically. Her voice less boyish now, more dreamlike and light.

Whumper smiled. “Not even fully grown,” he hummed. “Why are you dressed as a boy?”

“To earn money, sir.”

“Why?” Whumper pressed, running a knuckle down the side of Whumpee’s face, tracing the prominent outline of her skull all the way down to her throat.

“For my family, sir.”

Hmph, extraordinary polite for a human. Whumper locked the information in the back of his mind, he hadn’t compelled the girl to call him sir, she just seemed to. A reflex.

“What about your schooling?”

“I—” Whumpee began, but hesitated, her eyes blinking back the fog. Whumper saw the beginnings of recognition flashing in her blue eyes, so he tilted her head up again to lock eyes with his and she was under his thrall once more. “I need to provide for my family, sir. So I dropped out.”

Whumper’s smile grew. What a strange creature.

“Where are your parents? Do they not—”

“They’re dead, sir,” Whumpee said, cutting over Whumper. Whumper raised a brow at her interruption, but he knew she couldn’t really control what she was saying so he let the slight go. “I’m all we have.”

“You provide for your siblings?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are you the oldest?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And how old are they?”

“They’re—” the fog dropped immediately as Whumpee was suddenly back in their body, eyes widening initially at how close Whumper was before they shut them tight and shoved Whumper’s chest away. “No! NO! Get away from me!”

Whumper’s hand didn’t leave Whumpee’s chin. “Open your eyes child, I just want to—”

“No!” Whumpee cried, shaking her head. Her hair brushed her face and oh, yes, she forgot he removed her hat but she knew he did. “Whatever you’re doing to me stop it! Stop it! Let me go!”

Whumper stared as the child squirmed, throwing thin fists at Whumper’s chest and arms and trying to rip his hand away. How fascinating a child she was, determined and loyal, protecting her family more than herself.

It took a lot to break a vampire’s thrall, but it was near impossible to break Whumper’s and this slight of a thing, this small scrappy girl, masquerading as a boy, covered in soot and ash and coal, she was able to break it?

Whumpee’s eyes shot open when Whumper put her hat back on her head, surprise winding every muscle tight. Anticipation of something awful flooded her and she wanted to cry and scream for help, but if she did, only men would come running — men who would see her hair, dressed as a boy and lock her up in an asylum or something, and she’d never be able to see her family again. They’d be sent to workhouses or worse…

Whumper stepped away. Whumpee didn’t move an inch as he back up another step, then another, and turned his body to the side, allowing her to pass.

Her mouth was dry. “What’re you doing?”

“I’m letting you go,” said the vampire.

Whumpee didn’t move. “You’re trying to trick me,” she accused, licking her cracked lips. “When I walk past you’re going to —”

The world rushed suddenly around her and she gasped as a hand was on her throat, a thumb on her cheek, forcing the side of her face into the brickwork and she gasped, kicking her legs weakly as her air bled from her body.

Her hat vanished in the flurry of movement and Whumpee found herself locking eyes with the vampire again, her heart racing in her chest but she didn’t feel the floating absence of sensation she felt before, it was more like seeing a wolf in the woods on its own, the two of you hunting for game and seeing which would look away first, which of them would back out of the fight.

“If I wanted to kill you, dear, trust me, you’d be dead.” His voice carrying through air like the choir in church, soothing and pleasant. He dropped her and she fell to ground, landing on both feet and tipping backwards, leaning on the wall for support. Whumper was impressed. He pressed her hat back into her hands which Whumpee took with trepidation. He leaned down and grinned, exposing his fangs again and Whumpee flinched. “Run along now, little one. I’m getting hungry, and you don’t want to be here when I fancy a snack, hmm?”

Whumpee didn’t need to be told twice. She didn’t even put her hat on immediately and fix all the strands perfect, she did it as she half ran out of the alley, haphazardly throwing her hair up and smashing the brim of her hat low over her brows. Her heart pounded in her chest but she didn’t stop running until she made it home.

She looked over her shoulder, glancing around to make sure the vampire or anyone else hadn’t followed her before she snuck into the abandoned manor at the end of the high street, a condemned building, Whumper realised as he watched her throw open the doors to the cellar and with one last glance around, she disappeared beneath the ground.

Whumper smiled.

Clever girl. Observant, unlike so many other humans. Whumper would have to watch her over the week, see if he could see any of her siblings or the hint of a parent or guardian figure.

For now though, he was famished. The girl had been his meal before she was so intriguing. He wanted something fatty, he hummed, turning away from the manor and walking to the manor houses of the rich. A grin on his face.

A feast for his stomach and a feast for his brain.

What a night.

[wildflowerluver]

on my heart

emily prentiss x fem!reader

emily never wears jewelry until she finds someone worth keeping close to her 

cw: case mentions, injury details, emily gets hurt, lots of fluff

wc: 1.1k

༺♡༻

emily prentiss is not a jewelry wearer. 

she finds rings uncomfortable, bracelets unfitting, and necklaces downright restricting. 

when she was younger, jewelry was a popular gift. her parents would pick out something in that area when they traveled for work. it almost always ended up in a box somewhere. 

oftentimes, members of emily’s team or friends would come to you to ask for gift suggestions for the holidays or her birthday. as her girlfriend, they figured you knew her best. you rattled off a few general things emily liked: wine, books, candles, etc.. you always ended the conversation the same way. ‘just no jewelry.’ 

it’s naturally shocking when you notice a gold pendant around emily’s neck.

she had come home from a case exhausted and just wanting to see you. 

you greeted her with open arms. emily collapsed onto you where you laid on the couch. she nuzzled her face into the crook of your neck as she wrapped her arms around your waist. you loved nothing more than the clingy soft side of your badass girlfriend. her physical touch levels also increased immensely when she was away from you for a long period of time. 

you rubbed your arm up and down her back. “how was the case?”

“long,” she answers truthfully. “but good outcome.”

you squeeze her a little tighter. 

it’s at that moment you become aware of the coolness on your chest. you reach down to the source. your fingers get tangled in a metal chain and pendant, small and circular.

“what’s this?” you muse. the locket is engraved though you don’t have enough time to look at the inscriptions before emily is pulling back. 

“nothing, baby. just trying out something new.”

as much as you want to push her, you figure it’s for the best to leave it at that. 

___

you don’t see the locket on emily again for awhile. 

you see her in almost every capacity, from pajamas to work clothes to even nothing at all. but the pendant never makes an appearance. if you’re being completely honest, you forgot about it too.

but then emily gets hurt. 

you raced to the hospital when you got the call. her team all sat in various chairs in the waiting room. your stomach churns when you see the blood stains on spencer’s hands and shirt sleeves.

j.j. is the one to greet you. she collects you in her arms.

“doctors haven’t said anything yet but it was a clean shot. she should be okay.” 

hours go by with little word from anyone. you try not to think of the worst especially with j.j.’s reassurance but it’s difficult when emily’s job is as dangerous as it is.

when a doctor finally appears, it’s hard to read his expression. you’re not a profiler and his stoic look tells you nothing about the news you're about to receive.

“agent prentiss is okay and stable.” there’s a collective sigh throughout the waiting room. “she suffered a gunshot wound to her shoulder. thankfully, it went through clean and only tore some muscle. her surgery ended an hour or so ago and we expect her to wake up shortly. you can see her then.”

the news eases your anxiety immensely. gunshot wounds typically went one way or the other. while emily’s was nowhere near fatal, you were dating emily at the time penelope got shot and knew the severity of that injury.

the doctor stops before he heads back into the primary care areas. “we had to remove this before agent prentiss’ surgery.”

the bag containing the item is quickly passed to you and you look down to inspect what’s inside. 

it’s the locket. 

the same necklace you hadn’t seen in weeks. the same type of thing she has always been against wearing. she was wearing it when she got shot.  

the chain and pendant are both speckled with blood, though the gold seems to shine even brighter. 

you’re about to open the bag to hold the locket close to you when a different nurse is walking in. “agent prentiss is up and awake. one person can come back at a time to see her.”

it’s a unanimous vote that you’re the first one to see emily. penelope squeezes your hand as you pass. a silent reassurance. 

the second emily comes into view, you’re rushing past the nurse to see her. 

“emily,” you cry.

emily lolls her head to the side to smile at you. you wish you could surge forward and hug her, kiss her, anything but you know the limitations of her injury.

she touches you first instead, raising her uninjured arm to cup your face. you lean into her touch and your smile grows when she kisses your wrist.

“i was so worried.”

“i know, i’m sorry.”

“i’m just glad you’re okay.”

you stay in her hold for a few moments before you shift. the crinkle of the plastic bag snaps you out of your focus. you show her the item.

“the doctors had to remove this for your surgery. i thought you didn’t wear necklaces?”

you assumed your question was innocent enough, curiosity not accusatory. emily, however, sits up suddenly to reach out to grab the necklace. 

“em, em!” you place your hand on her abdomen to get her to stop. “you just got shot, stop pushing yourself.”

emily huffs. “i’m fine, really. can you hand it to me then?”

you help her open the bag and hand her the chain. 

“i’m not a jewelry person, you of all people know that. but i started wearing this locket.” she unclasps the pendant and turns it around. a wave of tears well up in your eyes when you see the picture.

it’s a photo she took of you from one of your vacations. you and her had gone to paris. emily showed you where she lived when she was younger and you spent the week exploring the city. when you went out to dinner one of the nights, emily took a picture of you claiming she wanted to keep that memory of you forever. and now it sat in a locket around her neck.

“i wear it on cases. i like to keep you close to my heart.”

the explanation is simple enough but the tears finally spill over. you sit up, holding both of her cheeks as you duck down to kiss her gently. 

“i love you,” you mumble against her lips. 

she smiles, one arm immobilized by her injury and the other clutching the locket. 

“and i love you.”

[helloalycia]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐒 [𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄] // 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐤

summary: after accidentally exposing your vulnerable side to Alicia, you fear you've crossed the line and can't go back on your feelings for her – and you're not sure you want to.

warning/s: mentions of death, blood, injury and weapons.

author's note: i think you’ll like this chapter haha, hope whoever requested this one does at least anyway! ♥️

one / two / four / masterlist / wattpad

When Alicia and I returned to the ranch the next day, I knew there was a shift in dynamic between us. Last night had brought us closer, especially since we fell asleep together, and I didn't hate it. Mostly, I was grateful for her company, but it also scared me a little. Growing closer with her meant my feelings were only intensifying, and that meant I was getting attached. I couldn't take losing someone else I cared for, so this was a dangerous game to play.

And yet I played it just a little longer. It would have been rude of me not to acknowledge what she'd done for me, how she'd been there for me. So, when I had the time, I picked some flowers, making her a bouquet – a little thank you for helping me – and left them in a vase on the doorstep of her family's cabin. As I left them there, hoping to avoid confrontation, footsteps behind me startled me and I spun around, embarassed.

"Er, hey."

It was Nick, Alicia's older brother.

"Erm, hi," I spoke awkwardly, offering a matching smile. We'd only spoken a few times on occasion, so it was still pretty odd between us.

His eyes fell to the vase behind me. "You good? You need something? Alicia's not here."

I cleared my throat uncomfortably. "Yes, I'm aware. Sorry, this was supposed to be– never mind. I was just– the flowers are for Alicia. They're a thanks for her helping me out with something yesterday. That's all."

He nodded slowly, definitely confused. "Nice. Okay, I'll let her know."

Letting out a breath, I smiled. "Great. I'll leave you to it."

As I was about to walk away, he stopped me and asked, "Are you and Alicia, like–? Y'know?"

I quirked a brow. "Like what?"

He studied my expression, confused, before shaking his head. "Never mind... You're friends, right? You hang out a lot."

"I guess so, yeah," I answered, visibly confused. "Why? Did she say something?"

"Say something?"

"Yeah, like did she say something about it?" I asked, wondering why he was asking a question with such an obvious answer.

He glanced at the flowers then shook his head. "No. Why? Did you expect her to say something?"

I tilted my head to the side, baffled by the direction of the conversation. "No... never mind. See you around, Nick."

"See you later," he returned with a nod, before shaking his head and taking the flowers inside.

I walked away, wondering what on earth that encounter was, before thinking about Alicia and hoping she'd like them.

That same evening, I was putting together a tray for dinner when I felt someone standing too close to my left. I looked up and realised it was Alicia, and she was smiling so softly that it made my heart skip a beat.

"Hey," she said, gaze holding mine. "I've been looking for you. I wanted to say thanks for the flowers."

I didn't know what to say, my brain short circuiting at how close she was standing to me.

"You could've just given them to me in person," she added, tilting her head playfully.

"It's no biggie," I said as coolly as I could.

Her smile began to widen with amusement, eyes twinkling. "You're no good at talking about your feelings, are you?"

I pressed my lips together awkwardly as she laughed at my dismay, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks.

"Never mind that," she said, thankfully. "You wanna sit with Ofelia and I?"

I nodded slightly. "Sure. I'll be with you in a minute. Just let me tell my dad."

She chewed on her lip as she nodded, her smile sure to stun me into silence forever, and then she walked away with her dinner tray.

Well, this crush thing didn't seem to be going away anytime soon.

"Hey, dad, d'you know where Ofelia is?" I asked, finding him by the pantry.

He glanced up from a clipboard he was holding, probably taking inventory. "Hm? I think she said something about feeding the horses, dear."

"Thanks!"

I took a leisurely stroll to the stables with a bag of clothes in hand, the ones Ofelia wanted me to patch some holes in. It was nice out today, albeit a little warm, with the sun shining down and giving everyone a reason to be outside.

Eventually, I spotted Ofelia at the stables, though she was holding the reins to a horse outside of them, talking to Alicia. I tried to ignore the way my heart rate increased slightly at the sight of the Clark girl, telling myself it wasn't a big deal that she was there, too. We were friends and I was grateful for her presence in my life, but this crush of mine wasn't going away in the slightest.

Every time I was around her, I tried to play it cool, but it was beginning to get impossible to stop my hands from growing clammy and my brain to stop functioning. At the same time, I couldn't distance myself from her because I liked the way she made me feel. I enjoyed talking to her, and I especially enjoyed the way she would give me all of her attention when she was with me. It made me feel foolishly important to her, and I didn't want to trade it for the world.

It terrified me.

As I approached them, Alicia spotted me first, her green eyes shining bright and matching her smile when she waved at me. I waved back, but my heart was already racing. Ofelia paused from her conversation and did the same when she saw me.

"Hey," I greeted them with a small smile, before holding the bag towards Ofelia. "Patched those holes up for you, Ofelia."

"Yes, thank you!" she said gratefully, accepting the bag and looking inside before pulling me in for a quick hug. "I owe you."

I waved a hand dismissively, knowing she didn't, then glanced at the horse. "What are you guys up to?"

"Ofelia here won't teach me how to ride a horse," Alicia answered, shooting her an unimpressed look. "I'm trying to convince her otherwise."

Ofelia raised her hands in defeat. "I've told you a million times, Alicia, I'm a shit teacher. And I can barely ride one properly myself."

"Ofelia, c'mon!" Alicia tried to convince her lightheartedly.

"Y/N, why don't you teach her?" Ofelia looked to me, making me quirk a brow. "You're more patient than I am. And you kinda taught me, didn't you?"

I blinked. "I– er–"

"You can ride a horse too?!" Alicia asked me with surprise. "Of course you can. Right, now you have to teach me."

I sighed, glancing at my watch. "I don't know. I said I'd help–"

"Please," she begged, hands on my arm as she gave me a pleading look. "I'm a quick learner, swear."

I couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked. It was impossible to deny her. "Fine," I gave in, making her grin.

"Yes!" she muttered, before saying to Ofelia, "Thanks for nothing."

Ofelia rolled her eyes playfully before giving me the reins to the horse. "She's all yours. The horse too."

I laughed as Alicia glared at her when she walked away. Stroking the horse's head, I smiled before looking to the eager Clark girl before me.

"Okay, let's start with the basics, yeah?" I said, holding out my hand. "Give her a stroke, go on."

Alicia stepped forward, placing her hand in mine, and I placed it gently on the horse's head, starting her off. She began to smile as she relaxed, stroking her fur.

"She's cute," Alicia commented, glancing at me. "She got a name?"

"Not that I know," I said, watching her with admiration. "She's one of the ranch's horses, not ours."

Alicia hummed, attention back on the horse, and I forced myself to look away from her before she caught on.

"Okay, we'll start with mounting the horse and then dismounting, sound good?" I said to her after a moment.

"Whatever you say, Miss Y/L/N," she said, purposely teasing me.

"Don't be an ass," I warned her, but a smile was ghosting my lips nonetheless.

We spent the next half an hour together, with me attempting to teach her how to grow comfortable around the presence of a horse. She got as far as riding around the field in circles at a slow trot, but nothing more than that because she didn't trust herself to do more.

"Okay, this is a lot more tiring than I realised," she admitted when I helped her dismount and she jumped off beside me.

I hid my smile as I said, "What did you think would happen? That you'd be galloping around the place in two minutes?"

She quirked a brow. "Er, yeah?"

I laughed, shaking my head. "C'mon, Alicia, it takes practice."

She sighed dramatically, crossing her arms and watching the horse. "I won't give up. But we're definitely done for today."

I shrugged, stroking the horse's mane. "Suit yourself. I think you did pretty good though."

She nudged me in the side. "Thanks. Now, are you gonna take me on a horse ride or do I have to take your word for it that you know how to ride this thing?"

Again, I tried not to laugh as I glanced at her. "You think I'm lying?"

She challenged me with a smile. "Maybe."

"Wow." I rolled my eyes playfully, before mounting the horse and patting her back. "You coming or what?"

Alicia grinned and I held out my hand, helping her up on the horse. Getting comfortable behind me, she suddenly wrapped her arms around my waist and I felt goosebumps all over my skin, even in the heat. Dismissing the feeling of it all, I glanced over my shoulder.

"You secure back there?"

She nodded in my back. "You got one shot to impress me, Y/L/N."

I cracked a small smile, nerves disappearing for a moment, before facing forward and grabbing the reins. With a slight move of my foot and wrist, we were off, initially at a slow walk which then transformed into a gentle gallop. Alicia's arms tightened slightly as we moved a little faster, but she didn't tell me to stop, so I kept at the same pace for a bit.

"Okay, this is really fun," she admitted joyfully, looking around the field. "How don't you do this all the time?"

"As much as I'd love to gallop around a field all day, I have other responsibilities," I joked, before glancing back. "Want me to go faster?"

"You can do that?"

"Obviously," I said knowingly. "Only if you're comfortable."

I could feel her smiling against my back as her hands tightened slightly. "Do it."

With a suppressed smile, I began to ride faster, feeling lightweight as the horse galloped at full speed around the field. Alicia yelped, grip squeezing me more, before she began to laugh, and that was when I knew it was okay. Her laughter filled me with a warmth that I only ever felt around her, and I wouldn't have traded that moment for anything else. It was perfect.

Eventually, I returned to the stables and we slowed down, coming to a halt outside them.

"You okay?" I checked in with her, glancing behind me.

She was grinning. "Are you kidding me? That was awesome!"

I smiled, dismounting the horse before holding my hands out for her to grab. She accepted them and let me help her off, her hair all dishevelled from the ride, only serving to make her look more beautiful.

"I take back what I said," she gushed, "that was insane. You were so good! You've gotta help me get that good."

I chuckled. "I will, I promise. You'll get there eventually, Alicia."

She laughed, licking her lips and glancing from the horse to me. We were both on cloud nine, adrenaline coursing through us from the ride, and I didn't notice how close we were stood to one another until I spotted the ethereal gold flecks in her irises, and the stunning laugh lines around her smile, and the softness of the slope of her nose, and– god, was she always this pretty?

Of course she was. I'd always known it, I just never wanted to admit it. But right here, right now, I was mesmerised, and I couldn't seem to move away. But I didn't need to because she took me by surprise, her eyes flickering between mine, smile fading as she looked to my lips. Eyes meeting mine once more, she closed her own and leaned forward, lips pressing to mine.

They were as soft and delicate as they looked. I closed my eyes, melting into her in seconds, nothing making sense except for the feeling of her against me. It was as if every part of me was weighed down and as soon as she kissed me, my insides shot up into the sky like fireworks. I couldn't stop, intoxicated already, my hand creeping up her neck and hers curling around my waist.

I wanted this, and so did she, but this was insane. What the hell was I doing?

I pulled apart suddenly, flushed and embarrassed and stressed. When she saw my expression, her smile faded.

"Wait–"

"That shouldn't have happened," I cut her off, letting go and taking a step back.

She licked her lips and I cursed inwardly at how easily my eyes followed it. "Y/N–"

"I just realised I said I'd help Ofelia with something," I lied terribly, but needing an excuse to leave. "Sorry."

My head was spinning as I walked away, mortified. How could I give in so easily?

I should have known Alicia would try to talk things out with me after our kiss – she wasn't as emotionally immature as I was, clearly – but I tried to avoid her at every cost. She'd look for me in my cabin, where I'd get my dad to tell her I wasn't there, or if it was in the evening, he'd tell her I was already asleep. Of course, that led to the conversation with him of why I was avoiding her, and I had to lie saying it was a minor thing, but he definitely didn't believe me.

It was easier not to talk about it – ever again, if I had it my way. Liking her was one thing, but the thought of her liking me back? And the possibility of us actually being something more than friends? Absolutely terrifying.

So, I avoided her as much as I could, finding an excuse to leave if she ever approached me whilst doing chores, and then she seemed to get the hint after a few days, giving me some time to cool off.

It was obvious enough to everyone else, the awkwardness between us, since prior to this we'd been glued at the hip. That's why when we were sat in a meeting with my dad, her mum, Jake, Nick and Ofelia, it was brought up.

I was zoning out for the most of the meeting, knowing they were just going over what was going on at the ranch, where we were at with supplies and things like that. But then Madison called my name and I looked up, startled.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" I asked, feeling everyone's eyes on me, including the green ones I didn't want to be.

Madison nodded to me and then Alicia. "You and Alicia are gonna go on a supply run. A gas station not far from here."

I sat up straight, about to protest, but Alicia beat me to it, giving her mum a disapproving look.

"Mum, I don't think–"

"It's already been decided," Madison interrupted her, as my father nodded in agreement.

I gave him a questioning look. "Dad, don't you think–"

"You heard Madison," he cut me off with finality.

"Maybe it'll finally fix this rift between you both as well," Madison added quietly, exchanging looks with Alicia.

I raised my eyebrows with disbelief, both embarrassed to be called out and also nervous because the last thing I needed right now was to go on a supply run alone with Alicia.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" I muttered to my dad as he handed me my backpack. "You and Madison."

"Partially," he admitted. "We do need some more gas if you can find it, but also you and Alicia need to solve whatever this petty fight is. There's no time for it, Y/N."

I rolled my eyes in response before shouldering my backpack and approaching the pickup truck outside the front gate of the ranch. Of course, Alicia happened to be doing the same thing and we both reached for the door handle at the same time, our fingers brushing one another. I instantly pulled away, hating that I was already being reminded of the feeling of those same fingers around my waist the other day.

"Sorry, I–"

"It's fine, you can drive," I told her, clearing my throat.

"You sure?" she asked, eyes trying to find mine, but I avoided hers.

"Uh-huh," I agreed awkwardly, before rounding the truck to get into the passenger's seat.

I reminded myself that this was just another job, before putting my seatbelt on and keeping quiet as she got in the truck too. The air was thick with tension, so much that I was forced to roll down the window as she drove us to the gas station. Get in, get out, that was all we had to do.

She parked the truck out front before we both jumped out and made our way to the back of the gas station to find the generator. It was uncomfortably quiet as we located it and prepared to turn it on with some fuel we'd brought with us.

"I'll head inside and turn on the pumps," she finally spoke. "You okay to turn the generator on first?"

I nodded and she left to do just that. After fiddling about with the generator, the gas station finally had enough power to last long enough for us to fill some gas cans, but we had to be quick. I met Alicia back out front and, in more silence, we began to pump gas into some cans we'd brought.

"So, I was thinking and maybe now would be a good time to talk," she suddenly said, breaking the silence. "Unless you were planning to ignore me forever."

I pursed my lips, focusing on the task at hand. "I'd rather not."

I could feel her eyes burning into my face, unimpressed. "Y/N."

I didn't answer, hoping she would take the hint and leave it at that, but she hung up the pump and faced me properly.

"I don't get it," she said tiredly. "I kissed you, yeah, but you kissed me back! It doesn't have to be complicated. It doesn't have to be–"

"It does!" I interrupted, not meaning to snap. Exhaling slightly, I risked looking up at her, my fear returning. "It is. It is complicated."

Her expression softened as she tried understand. "Why is it? What are you so scared of, Y/N?"

I closed my eyes, looking back down to the gas can in my hand.

"I can't read your mind, although right now I wish I could," she admitted with a sad smile. "Please, tell me."

The struggle in her voice made me feel guilty – she'd only ever been patient with me, but I couldn't have this with her.

"I've lost a lot of people," I spoke reluctantly. "And I'm not putting myself into this situation where I'm gonna lose you, too. It's easier this way, and I shouldn't have kissed you back."

She furrowed her brows. "So your reaction is to push me away and lose me instead anyway?"

"Uh-huh." I put the can down and grabbed the gas pump. "At least it's my choice that way.

She scoffed, sounding completely annoyed and upset for the first time. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

My grip tightened on the pump. "Then I'm dumb. Leave it."

"You can't just–"

"I said leave it!" I exclaimed heatedly. "It was a mistake, okay? It shouldn't have happened!"

"Let's say that's true," she persisted, despite my protests. "You're saying we aren't friends anymore either?"

I frowned, swallowing the lump in my throat. "No. I don't need you."

She fell quiet and I knew it wasn't very nice, but it had to be said if it meant she'd leave me alone.

"You really mean that?" I nodded, but she said, "At least look at me, Y/N."

I sighed, lifting my head to meet her hurt expression.

"You really mean that?" she repeated, jaw clenched as she waited for an answer.

"Yeah, I do," I said bluntly.

She pressed her lips together, eyes betraying her hurt, and it broke my heart to see her like this, especially because I was the cause. But I couldn't give in – I needed to push her away otherwise I'd gain her, just to lose her to something or the other. And after my mum, I couldn't bear to lose someone else so close to me.

"Whatever," she mumbled, eyes avoiding mine now. "I'm gonna check the store."

She left me alone as she headed inside, and I felt horrible but knew it had to be the right thing to do. I didn't understand how she could be so confident and fear nothing from us – I wished I could be the same to give her what she deserved, but I wasn't.

I tried to hurry up, wanting nothing more than to go back to the ranch and pretend today didn't happen, but as I was filling up more cans with fuel, I heard a gunshot come from the store and froze.

"Alicia?!" I called worriedly, before dropping everything and running inside the store with my gun in hand.

When I went inside, I called out for her again, on high alert, and only when I ran to the till at the back did I see her on the floor, bleeding out from her stomach.

"Oh my God," I got out, running to her side with my heart in my throat. "No, no, no, Alicia."

She was dazed, eyes glazed over and barely able to focus on me. My eyes followed down to her wound, hands pressing to it to stop the blood, but it was everywhere and I couldn't pinpoint the exact spot. I looked up, trying to figure out what happened, and then I saw the staff room door opposite her open, with a shotgun aimed right at her. Someone must have rigged it as a trap to go off when the door opened and Alicia had been caught in it.

"Alicia, talk to me," I pleaded, eyes tearing up as my brain struggled to work out what to do next. "Alicia?"

She let out a groan, hand weakly reaching for mine, but she scrunched her face up in pain and dropped it. The shrapnel from the shotgun shell had made a huge mess of her stomach, blood everywhere and scaring me to death. This was all my fault. She'd gone in here because I'd pissed her off, and now she was hurt.

No, there wasn't time to think like that right now. I needed to get her back to the ranch.

"Okay, I need to get you out of here," I spoke aloud, needing to hear something other than my own daunting thoughts. "Just– think, Y/N."

I let go of her quickly, spotting some t-shirts hung up in the corner of the store – one of the few things left in a place already ransacked – and tore into it, the cheap fabric ripping in no time. I tried my best wrap it around her stomach, needing something to soak up the blood whilst I got her to the truck, but it was already staining a deep red and I couldn't see it holding for long.

"I'm gonna help you up now, Alicia," I warned her, heart aching when I saw the tears in her eyes.

I wrapped my arm behind her shoulders before lifting her up into a sitting position. She let out a scream, falling limp for a moment, but I couldn't afford to stop. I powered through, trying to remind myself that it was for her benefit, despite the screams she was letting out, and carried her weight on my side as much as I could.

With great difficulty and a lot of muttered swearing on her end, I managed to lay her down in the backseat of the truck before jumping into the driver's seat and already starting the route back.

Too much was happening as I radioed the ranch, warning them of Alicia's state and to prepare the medbay for use. The inevitable bumpy ride was causing great pain to Alicia as she continued to lose colour in the backseat; I kept glancing back at her, trying to talk her into staying awake, but it was no use as my voice was long gone to her.

My heart was racing so fast by the time I pulled up to the ranch, so much that I didn't acknowledge anything other than making sure Alicia would be okay. Nick helped me take her out from the truck, lowering her onto a stretcher, and she was rushed straight to the medbay where they could take a look at her. After giving a quick account of what happened, I was ushered out the room, my last sight of her laying unconscious on a bed.

I wanted to throw up as I stood outside, catching my breath. This wasn't supposed to happen. It was only supposed to be a quick in and out supply run, nothing more, nothing less. It was all my fault.

The sound of the medbay doors opening suddenly made me turn around, and out walked Madison, Nick, Ofelia and my dad, the latter of whom embraced me in a tight hug before checking over me once more.

"You're sure you're okay? You didn't get hurt?" he asked the same thing he did when I first pulled up.

"I'm sure," I told him quickly, before my eyes fell to Madison and Nick's, and the guilt very quickly set in. "I– I'm so sorry, Madison, I– Nick, I– we didn't know. It was a trap and she shouldn't have gone in alone. I should've been with her, but we had an argument and I– she was pissed and she went in there to get away, but I– I'm so fucking sorry– I didn't know– I–"

"Hey, hey, hey, it's not your fault!" Madison cut me off, pulling me in for a hug, and I hated that I was crying into her shoulder when she should have been crying. Her daughter was literally on the brink of death because of me!

"It is," I told her between sobs. "She wouldn't have got hurt if I didn't–"

"The trap was there whether you fought or not," Madison told me, holding me at arm's length. "Neither of you knew."

I begged to differ, since Alicia wouldn't have stormed off inside so carelessly if I hadn't upset her like I had.

"The doctor said you brought her back just in time," she continued, eyes red as she had cried earlier, but she was holding up for me. "Thank you. Now, we wait. But you need to get cleaned up."

"I don't–"

"She's right, Y/N," Ofelia stopped me from protesting, already taking my hand. "Come on."

I frowned, glancing back at the medbay and praying to anything and everything that Alicia would make it. I let Ofelia bring me back to her place, but I couldn't stop shaking as I thought about how weak and lifeless Alicia looked before.

"It was my fault," I muttered to Ofelia when we were in her cabin. "I was so horrible to her and now she's dying because of me."

"Y/N, what happened exactly?" she asked worriedly, meeting my eyes.

I shook my head, trying not to cry again as I looked down at my trembling hands. They were still covered in Alicia's blood, dried up but serving as a reminder of what happened.

"Y/N, you need to talk to me," Ofelia encouraged.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I looked up at her. "She kissed me. A few days ago. And I kissed her back, but I shouldn't have. I ran away and hadn't spoken to her since, until today. She wanted to talk to me about it at the gas station, but I told her I didn't need her, as a friend or anything more. I– I was so horrible, Ofelia. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean any of it, I was just scared of losing her. But now I might lose her anyway and she's gonna think– fuck, she's gonna think I hate her and–"

I stopped, shaking even more and realising how foolish I was to do any of what I did in the first place. The irony of it all would have been laughable if it didn't mean Alicia was hurt.

Ofelia pulled me in for a hug, practically holding me together, and she didn't need to say anything for me to know she was sorry. I didn't deserve her pity – this was my fault. But it was comforting nonetheless.

[alyyybrooke]

wake up

anika kayoko x fem!reader

The sound of sirens blared from outside of the apartment complex. Finally. You looked down to the girl in your arms, her breathing shallow. The bleached white streaks of her hair were now tainted with sticky, crimson red. Her eyes were closed, and she was unresponsive. She didn’t have much time. Blood still steadily oozed out of her stomach, even with the pressure from your hands. You tried not to think about it, tried not to think about the fact that she might not survive.

Loud footsteps stormed through the hallways, and paramedics burst through the door. 

“Ma’am you have to let go.” a voice distantly said. But you didn’t want to. You needed to save her, you couldn’t let go, or she would die.

A pair of strong arms wrapped around your waist and yanked you off of her. It was Danny.

“No!” you screamed. “Let me go! I need to- I need to-” tears streaked down your face.

The paramedics formed a wall, effectively barricading you from her. Words of meaningless comfort spewed from their mouths, trying to reassure you that they knew what they were doing. 

“Y/N. It’ll be okay, alright? She’ll be okay, but they need to take her to a hospital,” Sam told you.

She opened her arms for a comforting hug, and you threw yourself in her embrace. The adrenaline was fading away, and the reality that Anika could die was sinking in. You sobbed uncontrollably as they rolled her away on a stretcher. Away from you.

“I need to- I need to go,” you mumbled before tearing yourself away from Sam. You sprinted down the dingy steps of the complex and raced to your car. Your friends tried to stop you, warned you it was too dangerous, that Ghostface could still be out there, but you didn’t care. You needed to make sure Anika was okay. 

The drive to the hospital was thankfully quick. You ran to the front desk, your shoulders heaving as you panted for breath. 

“I need- I need to see Anika,” you told the woman behind the desk.

Her eyes widened as she got a good look at you. Your hands and clothes were covered in Anika’s blood and dozens of bruises adorned your skin.

“My god. What the hell?” she asked incredulously. She stood up a little to get a better look at you.

“I’m fine. Just please- where is Anika? Anika Kayoko? She just got here. She-” Her eyes softened when you started to tear up again. “Please? I need to- need to be with her.”

“Well she was just rushed to the ER, and she’ll be in surgery for a while, so unfortunately you can’t see her until we get her results. You can wait outside her room if you’d like.”

❖  ❖  ❖

The wait was extremely long. You sat there for hours, leg jiggling nervously. Your phone was blowing up, undoubtedly your friends wondering where you were, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was the girl in the room in front of you, hopefully getting better.

The sight of Anika on the ladder flashed in your head over and over again. The pitch black, eyeless sockets of Ghostface’s mask staring at you as they shook the ladder violently. The rattle of it as it banged against the window sill. The sobs of fear and pain from Anika. The blood on her hands smeared all over yours, making it extremely difficult to pull her across. You were just barely able to save her, before the ladder gave and toppled to the concrete below, a second later and Anika would have joined it. The thought of her falling to her death terrified you. It was a pure miracle that Anika made it across.

The door opened, startling you from your thoughts. The doctor who stepped outside looked grim. Your heart instantly sank.

“Are you Miss L/N?” he asked politely, holding up a clipboard. You nodded in fear. His next words would make or break you. Your heart pounded in your ears.

“The surgery went well…” you immediately let out the breath you didn’t know you were holding. “...but we had to put her in a coma, and it is uncertain when she’ll wake up.”

“Can I see her?” you asked softly. He nodded and smiled. “But, she lost a lot of blood. When she wakes up she’ll be very weak.”

He opened the door for you and your heart sank again. There she was, hooked up to dozens of machines. Her eyes were closed peacefully and she was tucked into the covers. The beeping of her heart monitor sounded steadily throughout the room, a pleasant reminder that she was alive. 

You sat in the chair next to her bed and took her hand, squeezing it softly. Your thumb brushed over her knuckles, and you fiddled with the rings on her fingers. Standing up, you pressed a light kiss to her forehead, then scooted your chair closer to her. Exhaustion was inevitably settling in your bones. You rested your head against her thigh, your eyelids growing heavy, and you slowly began to fall asleep. 

“Goodnight, Anika.”

❖  ❖  ❖

Sunlight shining directly in your eyes woke you up. For a moment, you forgot where you were. But the beeping of Anika’s monitor quickly grounded you. She was still asleep. Her breaths were calm and steady. You checked your phone and saw a plethora of missed calls and texts. Sighing, you pressed Tara’s contact info and called her.

She answered after the first ring. 

“Where the fuck have you been, Y/N?! We thought you were dead!” she shouted over the phone. You winced at the volume of her voice.

“Sorry. I’m in the hospital with Anika,” you mumbled, still rubbing exhaustion out of your eyes.

“So she’s okay?”

“Yeah. But she’s in a coma, so I don’t know when she’ll wake up.”

“Okay. Well we have a plan to get Ghostface. Are you gonna come?”

“No. I wanna stay with her.”

“Okay.”

“Be safe, Tar.”

“You too.”

You sighed and put your phone down, looking back at Anika. 

“Please wake up, my love,” you whispered. No response. “Please. Wake up,” you begged. Nothing.

You grabbed her hand and leaned into it, kissing each finger softly. About to press your lips to the back of her hand, you stopped when you felt her index finger twitch. You snapped your gaze to look at her face, desperately searching for any signs of movement. Nothing changed. Her eyes were still closed, the rise and fall of her chest consistent. But it was still a sign. Soon enough she would be awake. Smiling softly, you rubbed your hand along her forearm, and rested against her bed once more.

It was still early. Might as well get a few more hours of much needed sleep.

❖  ❖  ❖

It’s been two weeks since Anika’s finger twitched. Sam and Tara had fought and defeated the trio of Ghostfaces, each revealed identity surprising you more. You never really trusted Ethan, but you really thought that Quinn was dead.

You’ve visited Anika everyday, and every time you walked through the door to her room, your heart was filled with hope, only to be crushed again. Your friends visited her too, but not nearly as much as you. In fact they were more worried about you. Eating and sleeping was last on your list of priorities, and your mental health has all but depleted. The doctors at the hospital have given up on enforcing their visiting hour policy after you practically begged on your knees for them to let you stay. 

You’ve basically moved into the hospital. Every night you sat in that same chair beside her and slept, resting your head against her unmoving body. More often than not, you cried yourself to sleep. You missed Anika so much, it hurt. All you wanted was to curl up in her arms, to hear her soothing soft voice, to feel her skin against yours. Though she was literally right beside you, it seemed miles away and out of reach. 

And as if her being in a coma wasn’t enough, every time you close your eyes and rest, nightmares plague you. You had watched her die. Over and over again. You’d see her fall off the ladder. You’d see her stabbed to death. You’d even see Ghostface attacking you both in the hospital. It wasn’t impossible. It happened to Tara. All because of a stupid black and white mask. It was almost routine for you to startle yourself awake, gasping for air, a thick layer of sweat coating your whole body. And all you had for comfort was Anika’s lifeless body in the dark, empty hospital room, and her constant ringing heart monitor.

You hated the nightmares so much that you tried to avoid sleep entirely. Your diet now consists of one meal a day and two energy drinks. Now, as you sat beside her, your body was shaking with drug induced energy, and your eyelid twitches every few seconds. It’s been two days since you’ve slept. 

Hours went by. Your body began to slowly shut off on its own. You sighed and reached into your bag for another Red Bull. But your hand grasped nothing. 

“Fuck,” you cursed under your breath. You could go out and buy more, but even the idea of driving all the way to the store was exhausting. 

One way or another, you would be sleeping tonight.

❖  ❖  ❖

You slowly woke up to the familiar sensation of your hair being combed. Nails scratched gently against your scalp, soft fingers threading tenderly through your hair. You figured it was Tara or Sam visiting you, trying to offer whatever comfort they could.

You groggily opened your eyes, expecting to see one of your friend’s faces, but instead you were met with someone else. Her.

Breath faltering, you rubbed your eyes to check if you were imagining things. But no, it was really her. Her lips were curled in a perfect smile, her eyes crinkling in joy as she gently stroked her thumb over your cheek.

“Hi,” she croaked weakly.

Tears instantly welled in your eyes, and you jumped out of the chair to get closer to her. You rested your forehead against hers and kissed her nose. 

“You’re finally awake,” you sobbed, tears steadily streaming down your cheeks. She quickly wiped them away.

“Please don’t cry,” she whispered. Her bottom lip came out in a pout, and her eyes saddened as she took in your appearance.

Your eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and dark circles lay beneath them. 

“What do you expect? You've been in a damn coma for two weeks.”

She giggled, then grabbed the back of your neck and pulled you in for a much needed kiss. Both of your lips were severely chapped, and her breath was admittedly unpleasant, but it didn’t matter. The only thing that did was her lips on yours. You’ve craved this desperately. After two weeks of her unresponsiveness, she was finally awake. Finally back to you.

“I’m gonna call a nurse, okay?” you told her after pulling away.

The nurse checked all of her vitals and checked her healing surgery wounds, making sure she was recovering. Before she left she told you Anika could come home in a few days. 

“Do you want me to tell the group?” you asked Anika, approaching her bed. 

“Nah, not right now. Just come lay with me.”

“Are you sure? I don’t wanna hurt you.”

“I’ll be fine. Just come here.”

You smiled and carefully got into the hospital bed beside her. She rested her head on your chest and leaned into your embrace. You kissed her head in pure delight.

“Is it weird that I kinda wanna take a nap right now?”

She turned her head to look at you, waiting for your response, but it never came. You were already asleep. She laughed softly and pressed a kiss to your head. 

“Sweet dreams, my love.”

[garrettandoscargirlsblog]

Never Letting You Go Snipit For ch8

Summary: Okay! needed to write a Wll fic! Has been a long time! here you go Ironhead fans! Here it is! some sadness ,and something ... Have to read to find out!! This is the scene that leads to the last part of chapter 8 Note no minors!

Glad to be home. Looking at his modern farmhouse Will finally can calm himself down. After all of these years, God awful women come back to rain on a good people's parade. Those memories of torment started coming back. Those times he heard the endless yelling. Nights he would come over to comfort Sunshine. Took her out for a bite at the diner , a movie, or even went camping. Sound from Sam's angelic voice fills the air. Cure for what he was thinking about. Opening the truck door she whispers," I know you are worried, my captain . I'm too. Hate what is doing to you right now. How about some dinner. Then a nice movie." Partial smile forms on his lips as he gets out of the truck. Pulls his wife close to him. His lifeline. His perfect lady bug. So glad to have her in his life. Sam felt a tear drop on her bare shoulder," Let it out baby . Let it out. I'm here. Get through this together." 

Once inside his home. Will plops in his comfortable, leather chair. Rubbing his bearded  chin," I never thought those memories would affect me the way it did you know. Torment , the horrible shit she said to her own flesh and blood. I'll tell ya one thing Sam. Gonna go back home to settle a score. Ease the pain my family had to endure. " Sam kneels in front of him. Holding his hands in her small ones," Will, baby. Sure it's a good idea? I mean what if she is a fugitive? Dangerous one. I know you promised Pa that you would help. Sunshine needs her family near her now. I need you. Let me help. Okay? " Rubbing his legs in an up and down motion. Never taking her eyes off of his ocean like blue ones. Hands reached upward to his waist. Sounds of his grunts caused her to smile, " I know what you need. Nice and slow sex to take the edge off. Don't move. Your wife is in the driver seat. " 

Love to hear her say that. Nods as she kisses his clothed bulge. Followed by a nibble near his belly button. Teasing him just a touch. Grunts," Shit women! Enough with the teasing! Need to touch ya so bad! Don't make me do anything I might regret later on!" Sam knows how to play hard ball. Thankfully the door is locked. Curtains closed. No onlookers to see what is going on. Hands reached inside his green Henley shirt tracing patterns near his pecks. Kisses the scar on his left side. Licking it . Saving his hardened cock for later. Got up to take his shirt off. Before straddling him. She starts to undress ever so slowly. Seeing her husband coming unglued. .rubbing her breasts together,"  like what you see? I know you do. Unzip your pants. That's an order! "

Nods as he unzips himself. Waiting for what's going to happen next. Sam straddles him. Grinding against his bulge. Hands on the chair to steady herself," now you can kiss me. No hands just yet. Eagerly kisses her sweet lips. Panting as she continues to grind against him" Darlin, stop with that teasing game. Dying here?! You know I never beg!" Kisses his lips ever so gently,and followed by a touch on his bearded face," Can't have you do that you know. Die without touching me. Like I can't be without you inside me. Come on my captain. Take back the control you desperately need." Took control Will does. Grabbing her hands, placing them behind her. Hungryly nipping on her neck. Not caring about the mark left behind. Ordered her to pull her shorts off. Eyes grew dark as he saw her pantieless," mount up naughty wife! Ride me! I know you want to! First thing first. Touch yourself for me. Then I 'll see if you are wet enough for the ride." 

Oh how much she loves to do this for her husband. Before they got married. Sam told Will that she wasn't that experienced in the sexual arena. He was patient with her. Guided her into what she wanted to do. He awoke her naughty side. She loves it. Opening her legs just enough for Will to see what she was doing. Other hand glides over the hard nipple. Pinching it. Moaning looking at Will pumping himself. Licking his lower lip," Oh my lady bug. Look so good like that. Now insert two fingers inside your pussy. Think it's me. I know you do that when I'm not with you." Moaning," I do my captain. Did that when I was on my break in my office." Will sees how wreck she is getting. Motions her to mount him. Sliding ever so slowly onto his long shaft. Close her eyes," mmmm.. you fill me up so good. I'll ride you till I burst." 

Will holds onto her waist. Rubbing her back," like that darlin. Nice and slow. Don't rush it. Good girl. Got you." Leans forward to kiss her shoulder. Down to her breasts. Sam leans back panting again," Oh captain! Feels good! Don't stop!  Later Will finally cums inside her. Staying inside her. Pulls her to his chest," Thank you for that lady bug. Need to take my mind off that ordeal. You know I have to go home to help. Not alone okay?" 

Sam holds him tightly. Try not to think about what could happen. Him in Columbia still haunts her. Can't go through that again. Breathing his musky scent," I know you do. Sunshine isn't gonna like it. We know Santi would want to play the hero. " 

After both of them take a shower. Sam goes to lay down. Cooking dinner isn't in  the cards. Will goes over to the Trio's slowly going upstairs to hear the tail end of the conversation. Right on cue," I'm going with you."

[boarchasers]

Day 7

Prompt: In Bloom or Blood

When he envisioned it, Haaki's escape had involved disappearing into the trees, lying low for a while, and then making his careful way back to Falkreath before sunrise. Now he found himself with mere moments to incorporate Frithjofr into that plan. He darted forwards and gripped Frithjofr's shoulder.

'Trust me.'

'What?'

The door opened. Haaki whipped away from Frithjofr and raised his arms, palms forwards, as Bette and Sjorik emerged. The sight of Haaki apparently surrendering to a trembling, grey-haired man stopped them in their tracks.

'Who's this?' asked Bette. Praying that Frithjofr wouldn't venture to make his own introductions, and that Bette wouldn't take the opportunity to thrust the dagger into his back, Haaki tried to keep himself an equal distance between both parties, arms still up.

'Frithjofr?'

Thankfully, Frithjofr seemed too stunned to interrupt. He was also too stunned to notice Haaki's pointed stare at the sword and to make a better show of this, but Haaki was used to spinning a drama out of limited material. He tried to appear suitably threatened. Bette was not immediately convinced.

'Another victim, then.'

'I wouldn't. He's been hunting me. And doing a better job of it than you.' Haaki risked a glance at her out of the side of his eye. 'You know he killed my sister? And Minnel was a beast with a mace, let me tell you. Just think what he'll do to you.'

'This old fool? We'll see.'

She stepped forwards. Frithjofr flinched backwards. It was odd, though. Much as the Brotherhood had a flair for the dramatic, they wouldn't usually drag out an attack for this long, at least in Haaki's experience. Get in, get it done, and get out, was what he had been taught, with particular stress on not wasting time taunting the mark. He had felt somewhat offended at the time by the insinuation that his style left anything to be desired, but at least his mentor had emphasised the need for efficiency. There was no pleasure in childish games, only in the kill. Slowly, Haaki lowered his hands.

'There are rules, even I know that,' he said. 'Has anyone performed the Black Sacrament for Frithjofr? Have any of the Speakers asked you to kill him?'

'That was the reason you joined! To have your revenge on him, the Speaker said!'

'And I failed, didn't I? So he must be dangerous. Look at his sword.'

'You're laughing at me.'

'Stop me, then. Shut me up.'

Bette turned on her heel to face him, dagger ready, a furious look on her face, and that gave it away entirely. Too much indecision, too much hesitation. Haaki folded his arms, relaxed now.

'Have you even been authorised to kill me, or was this just a test for you?' he asked. Bette advanced further, without actually bringing herself close enough for an attack, and he grinned. 'It is, isn't it? I bet the Speaker sent you out to keep you busy. Let me guess. They said to try and find Boar-Chaser, scare him a bit, keep him in line, but don't spill any blood, keep it tidy, and maybe then you'll be ready for another contract. That's why you were cross with Sjorik about the stag. Am I right?'

At last, she slid the dagger away, breathing deeply to try and regain some composure. Behind her, Sjorik let the summoned magic fall from his hands and began an intense study of a heather clump.

'All right. Yes. That's what they said. But I doubt they'd shed any tears if I did kill you.'

'It'd be much easier, and safer, to go back, tell them I promised to be a good boy and never breathe a word about you, and forget about me. Because I won't say anything, you have my word. I will trust in the Divines to bring you back to the path of righteousness, and when they do I will accept your plea for mercy.'

'Shut up.'

'Stendarr be with you, miss.'

'Hail Sithis.'

And with that, they were gone.

Only once they had slammed the door into the Sanctuary behind them did Haaki turn back to Frithjofr. He was shaking where he stood, still holding the sword in front of him as if the sight of it alone would ward off potential enemies. Gently, Haaki put his hands over Frithjofr's and helped him lower the weapon.

'I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, the stuff about… about Minnel. Not any more. I had to say something to get rid of them.'

'I know.' Frithjofr breathed in deeply, face pale and eerie in the predawn light. Shadows fell in strange places. 'I would've fought 'em, though, to protect you. If I had to.'

'I wouldn't be worth it.'

Without giving him time to comment on that, Haaki pulled him along, eager now to leave the door far behind. It soon slipped into darkness as they trudged through the forest.

Once they were back on a real path, with the torches of Falkreath flickering between the trees, Haaki asked,

'How did you find me?'

'I saw there was blood on the ground 'n I thought, what if it was yours? So I went back and got my sword 'n stuff from the inn, and then I followed it to that cliff thing.' Frithjfor shifted uncomfortably in his armour, which had clearly been buckled in a hurry and weighed him down at the shoulders. Haaki wondered who had fastened it for him, picturing a poor barmaid at the inn being hustled in to help, and bit his lip as Frithjofr continued, 'Then I walked down and found that door, but it started asking me what the blessing of existence was and I guess nothing I said was right, I've never been good at riddles, and anyway I didn't like it, so I thought you must've been nearby and I decided I'd wait for you.'

It showed courage Haaki wouldn't have guessed Frithjofr had. Always a coward, it was hard to picture him picking his way along a trail of blood in the pines, to a door more bloodied than he knew, and even trying to get through it before being forced to admit defeat. He could have run back, or at least clanked back, in the unfamiliar armour. He could have found somewhere safer. He chose to wait.

Haaki kept pace with him for a while. The smell of smoke drifted towards them, the inn stoking up the fires ready for breakfast and another day. Such normal, friendly things. At the gates, Haaki hesitated.

'Do you think I'm just… running away from things?'

'Nothing wrong with running. Always worked for me.'

He looked sideways. Frithjofr was watching a guard patrolling the walls, a distant expression on his face.

'Frithjofr?'

'Aye?'

'When the door asked you what the blessing of existence was, what did you say?'

'Well, first I tried family, 'n friends, 'n chickens, but it didn't like those, so then I tried spoons, 'n not being in prison, 'n some other stuff. What was the right answer s'posed to be?'

The breath caught in Haaki's throat as a curious warmth overwhelmed him, out of nowhere, until his chest hurt and his eyes ached. He nudged Frithjofr's arm.

'I think... I think your answers were right. It must have been broken.'

'Aye, I thought so,' said Frithjofr, contentedly.

A companionable silence fell. Accompanied by the first hush of morning light, they continued their walk into town, back to peace, and to safety, and to red mountain flowers in bloom.

[minniefights]

Update #14: Updates- the good, the bad, the in-between

November 11, 2023

I am writing this as I sneaked myself in her hospital bed. My Mom is home, she is happy and her well-being is doing so much better. Oh what a gift to be alive! Everyday is a gift I relish with her.

There’s both bad and good news. Let’s first address the elephant in the room, so we can end on a high note later!

Bad news

My Mom is experiencing another infection. Pneumonia is here again. And she needs another round of stront IV antibiotics for it. The doctors advise her to re-admitted but she sorely refused. She said she will sign a waver never to be taken back to the hospital ever again. Currently, she is undergoing the necessary medications via home care. As before, a doctor comes to manage her medical situation, while my nurse uncle administers the medicines and a caregiver monitors her situation.

She also experienced another Gastrointestinal Bleeding this week but thankfully, it was easily alleviated thru IV meds. Her blood pressure is also being closely monitored as it could drop to dangerous levels.

For now, her chemo is halted because of her infection and her inability to sit. Chemo is done on an out-patient basis. But we are hoping she could get back at it very soon!

Peace that surpasses all understanding

I can honestly say that she is so much at peace with her predicament. She desires to be healed, she celebrates life that she’s given every single day, and her faith is so strong. But at the same time, she is surrendered to the will of God. She acknowledges that death could come knocking, and she is willing to obey and to submit, when it comes. She also makes the hard conversations easy.

What makes it so is that her eyes are fixed on heaven, on the eternal promise. Because of her faith, I am slowly learning to view death not as a thief but an escort. It comes to help us transition to an eventual reality. As many other transitions, this one is marked with much pain and sorrow. But in faith I say, still it is no sorrow that can ultimately diminish the joy that will come. “You will grieve but your grief will become joy.” (John 16:20)

I know this is taboo for many. But I think it’s just healthy to view things that way, and even find space to articulate our fears and faith surrounding it. Because this really is an eventual reality for ALL OF US, not just her’s. We’re all terminal. Only God knows when. But when we view life as it really is, it also holds power because then we won’t go living our lives wastefully. Moments of crisis makes us realize the brevity of life and live everyday with intention and purpose.

BUT! We are not wallowing in sorrow just yet. We shed a few tears at times and that is welcome too but today, she is still here and have many improvements. And we celebrate that! We will take any time that we have with her, however long or short. We take it and seize it for life is such a precious and fragile gift!

What we could promise, though, is that we will defend life until the last breath. We will give Mom the best medical care in our power and try out best to make her days happy and peaceful.

Good news (yay!)

But here’s a real cause for some celebration! Mom’s doing so so much better here at home. Upon immediately setting foot here, her vibe changed in an instant. She is happy, grateful, and energetic. Her appetite has improved so much. She’s on soft diet, eats 4 times a day and drinks fruity smoothies twice a say. These are things mostly non-quantifiable by science but now, she is living life to the full and exclaims daily “life is good!”

She also has activities she looks forward to like praying, coloring, playing word puzzles and hosting family and a few friends who would visit. She is also continuing her Physical Therapy and is able to make subtle movements on her own now, like side lying or tilting her head.

We’re still extra careful when receiving guests, though, as her immune system is still very very weak. If you recall, she was hospitalized for almost a month and her final diagnosis was Septic Shock (a life-threatening condition that happens when your blood pressure drops to a dangerously low level after an infection). So any sickness, even the slightest cold can be very detrimental to her. So we’re trying our best not to let our guards down.

As I have said, she feels more alive now. If you could see the glow in her eyes and her skin (honestly she has better skin compared to mine!!). I think she’s never been this alive and happy since the past 6 months. And we claim this is a miracle! And you know what else is a miracle? You! Your kindness and love, along with the Holy Spirit, propels us forward. Thank you so so much! Please continue to pray for us.

Moms be moms even when they’re sick. This is her using a mirror to peek and check on me. She also occasionally gives orders to put things on particular places so that’s how you know she’s getting better! :)

[like-rain-or-confetti]

A Little Too Close (Daniela Dimitrescu x Reader)

When Daniela wanted attention, she made life difficult. Everywhere she walked was a path of destruction. All for one reason. You. She knew you were avoiding her. Rather than confront you, she was just going to make it difficult for you. 

Losing patience with her daughter, Lady Dimitrescu ordered you to clean up her mess in the library. Whatever game Daniela was playing, her mother was losing interest. You could hardly say no. You were a maid for them. It was literally your job. So reluctantly, you trudged to the library. 

Books had been thrown, Random pieces of paper scattered. It was concealed to one part of the room, the middle, but that one spot was completely trashed. The library seemed empty, thankfully, that meant you could clean it quickly and quietly and Daniela would have had no clue you were ever there. Many hoped to avoid the three girls just so the didn't end up tormented or a snack. You had different circumstances. Daniela had grown attached, affectionate even. You were her favourite. It had its perks, she didn't torment you in the same way as she and her sisters did the others. She craved your attention, the way you squirmed as she doted her sole attention to you. You feared the day she grew bored but found the strength to try and stay away. Create the distance that Daniela grew to loathe. She treated you like a toy had been taken away from her and you had to protect yourself. Daniela's love could get you killed- if it even was love. Perhaps it was more suitable to consider it a fascination. The truth, you held close to your heart, the attachment wasn't one sided. You fell for the red-head a long time ago but you knew the danger if she ever were to find out. It'd likely mean the end of you. She had to be pretty upset to be so destructive towards the books. You moved quickly, collecting the scattered pages. What would you even do with the pages? You didn't know which book they belonged to and some of the books were goners. 

You froze at the sound of a faint buzzing in the dark corner of the room. Slowly you turned, to look at the source. Her gold eyes were bright, a unneeded reminder that she was far from human. She wasn't fully formed, flies surrounding a not so clear shape of a human body. Regardless, the shadows weren't enough to hide the human covered and surrounded in flies. Daniela smiled and sauntered forward, the flies disappearing, leaving the tall woman completely formed as she stepped into the moonlight. She and her sisters were incredibly tall, not inhumanly tall but definitely taller than most. Well over six foot. Regardless she, like her sisters and mother, towered over you. "So you finally came to see me?" Her eyes gleamed as she grinned. "Miss Daniela," Your voice squeaked slightly, anxiety skyrocketing. "I've told you before, when alone, Daniela is fine. I'll even let you call me 'Dani'!" She winked at you before giggling. "D-Daniela, I was just- I'm sorry- Lady Dimitrescu sent me to clean this!" You uttered. "My mother sent you? Good! I've been wanting a little private time with you." Your stomach sank. That meant little to no chance of escape. "You're mean!" Daniela grinned, nodding at your taken aback expression. "So mean! I thought we were friends. Yet you've been avoiding me!" She tutted, wagging her finger. "So mean, (Y/N)." You scrambled for any excuse. "Nuh-uh! Don't lie to me, (Y/N)." She cut you off. "If you don't want to play anymore then I won't make you." You paused. That was unexpected. Daniela moved to the nearby bookshelf. "I like you, (Y/N). I adore you. So if you don't want to play, I won't make you." Daniela said simply.  She reached up to the shelf above her head and your blood turned to ice. She waved her sickle at you. "Although, you'll forgive a girl for being a little hurt, right?" She giggled.  "D-Daniela-" You begged. "Hey, I'll make it quick." The buzzing grew louder as she swarmed into flies, closing the distance over you and morphing back into her human body once more. 

She grinned, her gold eyes twinkling as she looked down at you. "You won't feel a thing, baby." You staggered back, your foot caught and slid on a bit of paper. You fell to the ground. "B-but you said I was your friend!" You pleaded. "You are my special friend, (Y/N) but you don't want to be. Now you're being mean and avoiding me so...its the best for both of us." She explained, moving her sickle as she explained. She raised it above her head. "It's not that!" You cried out. She froze, her smile faltering with confusion. "Hm?" She asked. "I love you." Your voice cracked as your body wracked violently. "What?" Daniela asked, clearly taken by surprise and caught off guard. "What did you say?" She asked incredulously. "I love you...Daniela." You managed out. She stood over you, a faint buzzing emitting from her. "Promise?" She murmured as her eyes bore into yours. "I promise!" It sounded almost like a plea. She lowered her sickle. "Then why are you avoiding me?" She asked quietly. You trembled, your lip quivering. "Because I shouldn't. It's wrong and it'll get me killed. It could get you into trouble with Lady Dimitrescu. I'm scared!" Your throat felt like it was closing. Daniela stared at you for a long time, her brow furrowed slightly. "Like in the stories..." She mumbled to herself. 

After some more time of scrutinising you, she dropped the sickle in her hand and it clattered to the ground. You jumped. Quietly she held out her hand, an offering to help you stand. You looked between her face and her hand, a small upward turn in the corner of her mouth, a hint of a smile. You slowly took her hand and she pulled you up to your feet. "You'll get rid of these, won't you (Y/N)?" Daniela asked with a smile and you nodded. "Good. I need to speak with mother." You inhaled sharply and she giggled. "Don't worry, I can deal with mothers wrath. Behave and you'll have nothing to worry about. Daniela has this." She sent you a toothy grin and sauntered out of the room.

[dreamwritesimagines]

Burn The Witch 8 - Rookie Mistake [Bucky Barnes x Reader]

A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful support and feedback my loves ! ❤ Here’s the next chapter, I hope you like it as well and please let me know what you think! ❤ Thank you! ❤❤❤

Warnings: Enemies to lovers, fake dating, mentions of blood, sex, violence, death, manipulation, language, guns, knives.

Summary: Every agent makes mistakes.

Series Masterlist

You had no idea what you’d done for karma to hunt you down like this, but it was very clear that at some part in your life, you had messed up.

Maybe it was because you never bought recyclable giftwraps for Christmas even if everyone told you to.

Maybe it was because you still used too much sugar in your coffee.

Maybe it was because of all the targets you had killed.

A mystery, that one.

You groaned, pressing your forehead on the window of the car as you massaged your temples.

“Do I have a tracker on me or something?” you whined, “Is that it? What are the chances I run into my fake boyfriend twice while on a mission? It’s a huge city, it’s not supposed to be possible!”

“I don’t know about you but I’m shaking,” Keith reached out to wave his hand in front of your eyes while Chloe checked you both in the rear mirror, “I’m— my hands are all sweaty look—“

“Don’t touch me with your sweaty hands!” you batted his hands away when he tried to touch your face, “How did this happen? How is this possible? Chloe? Chloe answer me, how is this fucking possible?”

“Okay, let’s all take a breath and focus on the bright side of the situation,” she managed to say, keeping her eyes on the road, “Your cover wasn’t blown, he still has no idea you’re…well, you. And everyone is alive, yay!”

“I was on the same rooftop as the world’s most dangerous assassin,” Keith let out a breath, “He was right there when I got there, he was just…. That guy could kill us all!”

“Shrike, just give the order and we will—“

“Everyone stay where you are,” you touched your earpiece, “It’s under control.”

“Let me guess,” Bucky said as he took a step towards you, “Another member of HYDRA and you got here before me.”

“Are you following me or something?” you asked and he scoffed.

“Maybe you’re not the only person going after HYDRA.”

“Maybe I should be,” you said, “Don’t get me wrong, I kind of dig the whole vigilante vibe but my superiors have more…planned strategies for things like these.”

“And who do you work for, exactly?”

You let out a small laugh, “Every girl has her secrets,” you stated, “Why are you here?”

“Why are you?”

“Because I’m getting paid for it,” you said, “You’re not. Surely a handsome guy like you could fill his nighttime with different activities rather than doing….this.”

Even in the dark, you could tell that he shifted his weight uncomfortably.

“Aw, not a huge fan of flirting?”

“Not with you.”

You couldn’t help but scoff a laugh at the irony, “Why, you got a girl at home?”

The door slammed open and one of the agents –Keith, you assumed— stepped out, his rifle pointed at Bucky while he heaved a sigh, shaking his head slightly.

“Your friend has a scarf wrapped over his face to keep his identity hidden and you call me a vigilante?”

Keith almost looked like Daredevil with Chloe’s red scarf covering half of his face.

“Mystery is kind of our deal.” you said and motioned at Keith, “Put the gun down, he’s not going to hurt me. In fact, he’s going to let me walk away.”

Bucky tilted his head, “You think so?”

“I know so. I’d hate to mess up that beautiful face during combat.”

“You sound very sure of yourself.”

“I am.” you shrugged your shoulders and walked past him.

“Who are you?” he asked and you turned around to look at him.

“Come on, you know better than that.” You said and saluted him in a mocking manner before walking to the door, “Until next time, soldier.”

“I’m serious, feel my hands—“ you were pulled out of your thoughts when Keith reached out for you and you made a face, slapping his hand away once again.

“He told me he would stay at home tonight!” you exclaimed. “I can’t believe this, how dare—“

“It’s not like he said he was going to bed and ended up going to a club behind your back,” Chloe said, “Just saying, that happens a lot in some relationships.”

“Chloe, it’s not a real relationship!” you reminded her “What, my options were him having a one night stand and him going after the same target I was going to kill? By all means, he can go and get laid then!”

“But that would count as cheating!” Chloe said, “Besides, you know what they say. Targets over...ladies.”

“No one in the whole human history has ever said that honey.” Keith said helpfully and you looked out the window.

“Wait, where are we going?”

“The base.” Chloe said as if she was apologizing, “Dad wants to see you.”

You threw your head back and slipped a little on the leather seat.

“Great,” you muttered, “Tonight is getting better and better.”

                                    ***

Thankfully, General decided to let you go home after an hour of briefing. He had asked you whether you would like to be pulled out of other missions and instead just focus on Bucky but ignoring Keith’s glances, you had said no.

You had to prove yourself if you wanted to be a handler.

Thankfully it was Saturday so you could sleep until late and when you woke up, instead of going over the plans and rushing to the milkshake shop and coming up with strategy after strategy.

For some reason, you felt almost excited for your second date with Bucky. Maybe Chloe had a point, maybe you had to be extra careful not to lose yourself in your own cover. Just because you hadn’t had that problem before didn’t mean you could take it for granted.

You weren’t used to this kind of a mission. Not this long anyway, tricking a target was fine, it was expected but actually forming a relationship with them was much more complicated than a couple of lies here and there.

You clicked your tongue and tilted your head, looking in the mirror. You already knew Bucky would show up on his motorcycle, so you ditched the dresses and instead picked jeans and a nice blouse. When Chloe had first recreated your whole wardrobe for this mission, you whined for days but now you were slowly getting used to it.

Even though you were pretty sure you would never get used to the uniform.

Your phone started vibrating on the nightstand and you checked the caller I.D. before answering it.

“Hi!” you said, “Are you here?”

“Yes ma’am,” You could almost hear Bucky’s grin, “You ready?”

“Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right there,” you said and hung up, then took a last look at your gun and put it beneath your pillow. Pushing your hair behind your ear, you locked the door behind you and made your way downstairs.

“Oh my goodness you were serious!” you said when you saw him leaning against a motorcycle and he looked you up and down, his face lighting up with a smile.

“Hi beautiful.”  

Your stomach did a pleasant flip and you didn’t even have to fake mirroring his smile, “Hi,” you murmured and pointed at the motorcycle, “You were serious about that.”

“I was, but—“ he turned around to grab something from the top case on the motorcycle, then turned to you, holding a bouquet of flowers. You gasped and reached out to take them from him.

“As promised,” he joked as you buried your nose into the bouquet.

“Thank you,” you said, looking up at him before heaving a dramatic sigh. “Well, we had a deal. I’ll have to get on this deathtrap huh?”

“Oh if you’re the type to break deals, you don’t have to,” he taunted and you scrunched up your nose. “But where we’re going is a little away from here, just so you know.”

“Where are we going?”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to explore the city?”

You nodded and stole a look at the motorcycle standing behind him, making him chuckle.

“You laugh now but if you drop me on the way—“

“I’m not going to drop you on the way.”

“Or if I die, I’m haunting you.” You pointed at him, “For the rest of your life.”

He nodded in a very solemn manner, “Deal.”

You placed the bouquet into the top case carefully and turned to him so that he could put the helmet over your head. The fond light in his eyes was impossible to miss as he fixed it and lifted the shield.

“Comfortable?” he asked, his hands still cradling the helmet and you grinned.

“Mm hm.” You said and got on the motorcycle after him, then wrapped your arms around his torso. The scent of his cologne mixed with the faint aftershave filled your nostrils, making you inhale and you adjusted your grip.

“Ready to do this?”

“Nope,” you said, making him laugh, “Let’s do it anyways.”

                                        ***

You had never been so good at dates. You always thought it was awkward and to be frank most of the time you felt like it was an unnecessary step to getting to know this person when you could just look them up or ask Chloe to do it for you.

Besides, the last time you had gone on a date it had ended up in what spies could get as close to a relationship as possible.

But now, much to your surprise you were actually enjoying yourself.

“Brooklyn!” you said, looking around, “Oh my God, I’ve wanted to come here for a while!”

“Have you?”

“Yeah!” you said, “Since I moved to New York. I saw it on um— I saw it on Gossip Girl.”

“Is that a magazine?”

“TV show.”

“Ah.”

“You grew up here right?” you asked and he nodded.

“Yeah! Yeah I grew up very close to this neighborhood actually.”

“Do I get to see it?”

He tilted his head, “Do you want to?”

“Yes!” you said, “It’d be fun, don’t you think?”

He hesitated only for a moment, “Right this way then,” he said and held out his hand. You bit down and smile and took it, then started walking beside him.

“There used to be a movie theatre there,” he motioned at one of the shops, “I was actually— I came around here right before I was shipped off.”

“Really?”

“Mm hm. We went to this Stark Exhibition, me and—“ he stopped talking and you looked up at him before it dawned on you.

Steve Rogers.

Of course. Figures.

You cleared your throat, desperate to pull him out of his own mind.

“I can actually see you growing up here,” you said, “And for some reason you’re wearing short pants and you have a cap? And you’re like running around with a newspaper under your— am I describing a movie? I think I’m describing a movie.”

“Weirdly enough, you’re actually right.”

Your jaw dropped, “Wait, are you serious?”

“Yeah I had short pants and a couple of caps while I was growing up,” he said, making you gasp.

“Aww!”

“No, don’t.”

“That’s such a cute mental image!”

“Stop imagining it.”

“Tiny baby Bucky Barnes with his tiny little hat—“ you started but he pulled you closer to cover your mouth while still walking, making you let out a muffled laugh.

“Hey you should see my baby pictures, they’re a mess,” you said, “I have this picture with strawberry jam covering my face and my hair— oh, I’ve heard about this shop before! They make these famous bagels, do you want to take a look?”

“Sure, why not?” he said and followed you into the shop.

“Oh come on…” he muttered as he took a look at the menu board “Why does everyone put everything in food nowadays?”

You stifled a laugh and turned to the woman behind the counter, “I’ll get a cereal rainbow bagel and he will get something….classic.”

“We have plain bagel with cheese?”

“That sounds good. When exactly did people start eating lavender?” he asked you and you shrugged,

“Pretty recently I think,” you said and reached for your wallet but Bucky shot you a look.

“Don’t even think about it,” he quoted you and paid for the food, then you both grabbed the small paper plates and sat down on the small bar stools. You crossed your legs, turning to look at him better.

“I could let you try mine?” you taunted him and he chuckled.

“No thank you.” He eyed your bagel as if it was going to come alive any time. “I like the smell but…”

You tore a part of your bagel and put it on his plate. “Live a little Bucky Barnes.”

He held up the piece as if toasting you and you held up your bagel to touch his, giggling.

“So,” you said, “Could you rest last night? At least a little?”

His gaze lingered on you for a moment, as if trying to decide what to say.

“Yeah,” he said eventually, “I did.”

Right.

Of course he would lie, it wasn’t as if he could tell you—

“I just had to go outside for an hour but it was fine.”

Your eyes snapped up to his and you blinked a couple of times, taken by surprise at his honesty. It would’ve been so easy for him to flat out tell you a lie, but for some reason he chose against it. You knew he wouldn’t tell you the whole thing but the fact that he hadn’t brushed you off somehow made you feel all warm.

“Oh?” you asked, “Is—is everything okay? You were safe right?”

“Of course.”

You raised your brows, “Bucky.”

“There’s just this…crazy person I keep running into but it’s fine, no worries.”

Crazy person?!

You stared at him but you managed to pull yourself together and sat up straighter, picking at the cereal on top of the bagel.

“As long as you rested just a little, I still take that as a win,” you pointed out, making him smile.

“How about you?” he asked, “How was your night?”

I ran into you right after assassinating another member of HYDRA.

“It wasn’t as exciting as yours,” you took a bite of your bagel, “Surprising isn’t it? Here I thought I was the dangerously adventurous one.”

                                ***

You were one hundred percent sure you were somehow doing this whole mission wrong. In fact scratch the mission, you were doing this date thing wrong.

You weren’t supposed to like it this much.

You had never enjoyed any of your earlier dates with other people this much. By the time you decided to go back, it was the middle of the night and you had spent the whole day together without even realizing it. It didn’t feel like it was a mission you had been put on, it almost—

It almost felt real.

You frowned at yourself, reminding yourself to keep your head in the game and got off the motorcycle when it stopped in front of the building your apartment was in. As soon as you took off your helmet, you started fixing your hair while he watched you with a smile on his face.

“I have a confession to make,” you said as you handed him the helmet for him to put it on the motorcycle.

“What is it?”

“There’s a slight possibility,” you said, bringing your thumb and pointer together close, “Very slight possibility that you may have been right about the motorcycle.”

“Oh was I now?” he asked, feigning surprise and you let out a giggle.

“Maybe,” you said, “I mean I didn’t die, that’s something.”

“That was an expectation?”

“That was a possibility,” you corrected him, “But I got on a motorcycle and you tried a weird bagel. As far as putting ourselves in dangerous situations on a second date, I’d say we’re even.”

“You know, thank you for acknowledging it,” he played along, “It was really intimidating at first, but I’d like to believe I pulled through in the end.”

“You did,” you said, “So proud of you. Maybe the next time you visit me at the shop, you can finally try Unicorn Cotton Candy.”

“We’ll see about that,” he said and shifted your weight, taking a deep breath.

“Thank you for today. I don’t remember the last time I had this much fun.”

“I’m glad,” he said with a smile, “Same here, aside from your quite disgusting taste in bagels, it was—”

“You didn’t like it?” you exclaimed and waved your hands in the air, “You know what, it’s fine. I have this strategy and you’ll—you’ll get there. We’re going to find something that is both completely modern and you like very much.”

“I think we already have,” he stated, his gaze locked in yours and you couldn’t help but smile at that.

“I’d hope so,” you replied, “Really.”

A silence fell upon you and you pushed your hair behind your ear.

“I should probably get going,” you pointed at the building with your thumb, “I have this very curious elderly neighbor, and trust me, she wouldn’t even wait for the morning to ask me about you if she saw us.”

“Oh we can’t have that, can we?” he said and you nodded your head, then gasped.

“Wait—Bucky, my flowers!” you said, “Give me my flowers.”

“Right,” he snapped his fingers and turned around to grab the bouquet from the top case, then paused.

“What?” you asked and he looked at you over his shoulder.

“Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to keep them in a very hot box whole day?” he asked and pulled out the bouquet, making you let out a whine at the sight. The flowers looked nearly withered and you took them from him, pressing your lips together.

“Okay, it’s not so bad,” you said as if trying to convince yourself, “It’s alright, I can fix this.”

“Darling I don’t think—“

“I can!” you insisted, “I’m gonna put them in water tonight or—or find some solution. I’m gonna google something, I’m pretty sure there are ways to save them.”

“Or I can just get you new ones.”

“That’s not how it works,” you pointed out, still holding the bouquet carefully over your chest as you assessed the damage, then looked up to find his eyes fixed on you.

“I’m—I should go now.”

“Okay.”

Neither of you moved for a moment before you took a deep breath, your heart slamming against your chest. You knew what your cover would or wouldn’t do, but somehow you had this urge that told you the situation probably called for your decisions, not your cover’s.

“Oh screw this,” you muttered as you stepped closer to him to stand on your tiptoes and pull him into a kiss.

Well, for you or your cover that felt like the best decision you had ever made on this mission.

He pressed you closer to his body, his hand cradling the back of your head and as if on cue, your stomach did a pleasant flip, giddiness filling your whole system. You rested a hand over his chest, feeling his fast heartbeat under your palm and let yourself get lost in the kiss until he pulled back slowly. A small giggle escaped from you as his arm around you got tighter, a smile lighting up his face.

“Well, you weren’t going to do it,” you commented, making him chuckle.

“I was waiting for the third date actually.”

“Oh how I’m glad the times have changed,” you said and caught the sight of the bouquet currently crushed between you two. You took a step back, tilting your head.

“Gosh, I don’t think I can fix this.”

“Yeah I’m pretty sure we just murdered them,” Bucky stated and you heaved a dramatic sigh.

“Worth it,” you grinned, “You win some you lose some.”

“New flowers next date, got it.”

A look of mischief crossed your face, “Deal. Good night Bucky.”

“Good night darling.”

You bit down a smile and made your way to the building, then hopped on the steps to get to your floor, somehow way too excited to get in the elevator and wait. As soon as you got into your apartment you leaned back to the door, closing your eyes.

Just your cover. You knew you had to act like your cover and that was why your heart was beating this fast, no other reason.

You pushed yourself off the door and stepped into the living room, still holding the flowers tight in your arms. You knew what you were supposed to do, back at the academy when you were being educated on seduction of the enemy, they always told you to draw the line between yourself and your cover. One of the easiest ways to do it was getting rid of every single thing your target would give you as a gift, keeping these gifts posed the danger of making you hesitant when it was time to bring the target in.

You couldn’t keep anything. You knew that.

It would be a rookie mistake.

You lingered on your steps, then approached the dinner table to touch the vase Chloe had put fake flowers in. You grabbed the fake flowers and pulled them out of the vase to throw them into the trashcan, then filled the vase to the brim with water and carefully placed the bouquet into it before putting it on the table again.

You were a professional spy. Keeping something as simple as flowers only for this one instance wouldn’t hurt anyone after all.

You were sure it would be fine.

You stepped back to take a look at the vase and shrugged your shoulders.

“My cover likes flowers,” you muttered to yourself and made your way to your bedroom.

Chapter 9

[kass-storycorner]

An unpleasant surprise

I should definitely do my coursework instead of writing this fic, however the idea just came into my head and I couldn’t focus until I wrote this down. Writing this took waaaay longer than I anticpiated and it was way more spontanious... so it’s not proof read or anything, still hope you’ll enjoy it.

The idea/prompt: character is secretly in love with you, but won’t tell you because you are already in a relationship with someone else. Character however finds out that your partner is cheating on you – this is how they would react/act upon finding it out

Word count: 3637 Words (I’m sorry)

Character: Kaeya x gn!reader (in this it’s still very platonic and one sided love) Genre: Angst (?), Hurt, Comfort, even a bit of humour but maybe not, idk haha

Content warnings: cheating, threats, mention of blood and a major injury, mentioning of Dilucs and Kaeyas past, but nothing to explicit (tried to avoid the major spoilers)

Format: The first part / backstory is written in bullet points, but at the end you’ll find a fic written in the normal text format 

He just wanted to drown his sorrows in peace at the Angel’s Share, but no. He had to be witness to that disgusting display of infidelity of your (hopefully soon to be ex-) boyfriend

Kaeya has known you for several years now, both of you started around the same time in the Knights of Favonius. The early years of your training were some of the most fun times Kaeya had- thinking about it always made him smile. Both of you were known from the beginning as rule benders, mostly breakers, within the Knights and if it weren’t for the influence of Kaeyas adoptive family none of you both would’ve gotten that many chances to stay until each of you proved their own worth without familiar ties.

However, in the last few years you both grew a bit more distant. Kaeya blamed himself entirely for it, after Crepus death he knew he should not have any emotional ties to anyone in Mondstadt, at first he ruined the relationship with his brother by telling him the truth. He then just tried to avoid you more and more, which wasn’t easy, because after Diluc quit his position as a Cavalry Captain Kaeya rose up to his position – only to have you as his subordinate.  

It was not until you were on a mission with Kaeya that went horribly wrong, that Kaeya realised his feelings for you never were platonic, he was in love with you since the early days of training.You are his first love.

That mission was more of a secretive one, a few months after Diluc had left Mond and Crepus died, and one of the first bigger outings Kaeya had to lead as a Cavalry Captain. And the first mission without his brother by his side. The dragon Ursa resurfaced and continued to cause harm to the people of Mond, so Grand Master Varka gave Kaeya the responsibility to find that Dragons lair.

Instead of finding the hiding spot of Ursa, Kaeyas troop stumbled into a hiding spot of the, at that point not known as, Abyss order. That was the last time Kaeya went into a mission without information he himself collected and checked, because looking back it was so obviously a trap. How did he not notice it back then?

The fight was brutal and exhausting – somehow it was a miracle that the only Knight dangerously wounded was you. At least that is what the other Knights who were on that mission too would say, thankful that the worst they had to suffer from back then were a few scars at most. Hearing anyone talk about it enraged Kaeya, though he would never show it. It was because you were the most skilled fighter in that troop, even without a Vision Kaeya was sure that at your peak back then you could’ve bested him even now. But because of one of his mistakes, he did not care to watch his own back, maybe because he knew you would protect him, it was you who was injured and not him.

In that moment, seeing you unconscious on the floor laying in your own blood because you protected him, Kaeya understood his feelings for you.

After bringing you back safely to Mondstadt, and you thankfully not dying because of the injuries, Kaeya became even more distant. At first he wished to be able to tell you his true feelings after you’ve woken up, but he just couldn’t. When the healers and doctors gave the news that the injury was so severe that you would never be able to fight again, or even walk down the streets of Mond without being in pain – Kaeya thought the guilt of keeping that secret from Diluc and Crepus for years was unbearable, but the guilt he felt from being responsible for this? It pained him even more.

You stayed in the Knights, taking over administrative tasks and helping every other department of the Knights in the best ways you possibly could.

What surprised Kaeya is that you were never bitter about it. You never said it was Kaeyas fault, even went out of your way to constantly reassure him after you got the news that he shouldn’t blame himself for it (until this day he refuses to listen to you). Your smile and laughter didn’t stop after it, which he never could understand.

How were you able to be so happy and kind when your dream of leading your own troop just – vanished. To travel around Teyvat, see the world. When you weren’t able to do the things, you loved on your own, like going to Windrise to pick some of your favourite flowers.

Somehow, Kaeya thought, it was because of that guy. He never liked your boyfriend to begin with, but Kaeya thought maybe it was his jealousy that clouded his judgement.

He came into your life shortly after the incident and Kaeya remembered the first time he saw you two together – holding hands, you looked so smitten and the way you laughed when he leaned down to whisper something into your ear. After seeing that Kaeya knew he could never have something like this in his life. Not if its not with you.

Kaeya didn’t spend much time with you outside of the Knights anymore, though he would always have a conversation with you when you came up to him or he had to visit your office. Whenever he saw you outside of the Knights, you were always with your boyfriend, sometimes stopping and having a quick chat with Kaeya. Sometimes he wished you would stop being so nice to him.

Now seeing that disgusting piece of shit of a boyfriend sit in the corner of the Angel’s Share, with his hands all over some young thing made Kaeyas blood boil.

How dared he, the man who should be so lucky to have you, have his eyes and hands on another woman.

Also it’s a good thing that Diluc is not at Angel’s Share today, he was also a close friend of you back in the day and even though the friendship with Diluc didn’t survive his three years absence, Diluc would definitely throw that bastard out

Kaeya was astounded by the audacity your boyfriend had. He never had a high opinion of him but seeing that man openly flirt and make out with a woman that was not you, so obvious for everyone to see… in a bar that was frequently visited by your colleagues and friends. If it weren’t for the fact that he was cheating on you Kaeya could maybe muster up some respect for a man who had so clearly a death wish. Eyeing him from the corner of his eye, Kaeya kept observing that situation. How the hands that always held yours in public were touching all over the body of that unknown woman. How the mouth that told you sweet nothings over and over, told you that he loved you, was occupied with kissing the neck of another woman. That whole display just filled Kaeya with disgust. The loud giggles of that woman in his lap filled the Tavern and that was the moment Kaeya decided he had enough. Calmy, he finished his drink, stood up from the bar and made his way over to the table. “You surely don’t mind if I join you two”, Kaeya said in a nonchalant manner, sitting down opposite to the couple. “Oh, Sir Kaeya!”, the young woman giggled, clearly intoxicated, and embarrassed by the way Kaeya eyed the two. Quickly they both shifted, so the woman sat now besides your boyfriend. The way the cheater looked at Kaeya, it was quite amusing. A mix of fear, shock and uneasiness filled the eyes of him. It filled Kaeya with a weird sense of pride, knowing that being caught by him was something that scared him. “Seemed like you two had quite some fun back here”, Kaeya smugly started his interrogation. It was not unusual for Kaeya to use the Angel’s Share as his interrogation room – the casual setting and the alcohol made it so much easier sometimes for people to spill all their secrets. Especially when Kaeya could just be so charming. What Kaeya interested the most was if this was the first offense of the cheater or if that behaviour was a more… regular occurrence. It was at least for him the first time he caught that man red handed. Getting some information out of the girl was quite easy, she was so eager to tell the Cavalry Captain all about the two. Though from what Kaeya gathered the whole thing between her and your boyfriend was quite fresh. “You two really seem like a fitting pair”, Kaeya replied after a long ramble of that woman on how she was just so in love with your boyfriend. His voice sweet and smooth as silk, not showing how the anger inside him grew. It was just not fair, not fair to you. “Hey,” Kaeya began and eyed the empty glasses on the table, looking then back at the woman. “How about another round of drinks, it’s on me. Would you be so kind and go to Charles and order a few?”, again his voice was charming as ever.  “No, no, Sir Kaeya, that’s too kind, but another drink won’t be necessary. It is quite late; don’t you think flower? We should get going”, the cheater chimed in and Kaeya nearly lost his cool when he heard him call the woman ‘flower’. Whenever Kaeya met you and him on his patrols around Mondstadt he always heard him call you ‘flower’. Fucking bastard, is all Kaeya could think before the voice of the woman protested the cheaters concerns. “Nooo, just one more round. How can you turn down Sir Kaeya, love? Just one more, please”, she looked at him with pleading eyes and he just sighted. “Fine”, he said and with that the woman was on her way to the bar. Kaeya now hoped that Charles would keep her occupied long enough so he could find out everything he wants to know from that cheater. His eye shifted from the woman who made her way to the bar to your boyfriend who sat directly across Kaeya. Now completely alone and vulnerable, for his shield left his side. The tension in the air seemed to be unbearable, Kaeya could see how uncomfortable the silence and his curious glance made the cheater. But Kaeya knew – sometimes saying nothing says it all. Helplessly your boyfriend looked over to the bar only to see that the woman he was with was now totally engrossed in a conversation with Charles. After a few minutes, that might have felt like hours to that cheater, he broke the silence. “So,” he tried to start a conversation, clearly not knowing that he fell right into Kaeyas trap. “What gives us the honour to be invited by the Cavalry Captain?”. “Oh, I think you might be smart enough to come up with an answer yourself,” Kaeya replied, keeping up a smile. Though the look in Kaeyas eye was just as cold as the top of Dragonspine, causing the other man to shiver. “As much as it honours me that you think of me this highly, I sadly have no idea what would make the renowned Sir Kaeya sit down at my table tonight.” “Oh, so this is how you want have this conversation”, now his voice was just as cold as his look. “I don’t understand what you mean.” ‘Bullshit’, Kaeya thought. “I’ve been just curious about that woman that just sat so prominently on your lap earlier this evening, she seems to be not the same I saw you hold hands with earlier this day.” “As nice at it is that the Cavalry Captain seems concerned for me, it isn’t one of the Knights duties to pry into the lives of citizens, now, is it?” Oh, how confident the cheater now sounded, thinking he was winning that conversation. Kaeya couldn’t deny that the entire situation made him furious and that he handled it a bit differently than he usually would if he were to talk with drunk treasure hoarders. “Oh, we’re awfully bold now, are we? Believe me the Knights don’t care about your infidelity, though I guess a certain one might find it awfully interesting to know how you spend your nights.” There was a short moment of silences between the two men, the tension just rising. “Well, they wouldn’t believe you. But if you want to go and be a telltale go, I won’t stop you”, the man gave as an answer. His words did not fit his body language – bold words, but his body was tense and Kaeya could see the fear behind the eyes of the man. But it was not fear of losing you, no he seemed to be quite confident that this would not happen. Kaeya said nothing, he just looked at that man, piercing him with his ice cold look. “You see”, he continued, “I wouldn’t be sitting here in Angle’s Share with that lovely company if I thought they might believe the words of any low-rank Knight coming in their office, believing their lies. Quite sad what pranks some people want to play on them, don’t you think?” Slowly, but surely, Kaeya understood that this tonight was definitely not the first offense of that man. And he now understood why most of the Knights here tonight just looked away from the scene, not batting an eye at what was going on. Kaeya could kick himself in the ass, how did he not notice the behaviour of that rodent before him earlier? If he was so open about cheating on you that even most of the other Knights knew, how come that he did not? “And I think its just so sad, that one of the people they hold in such high regards would join in on those baseless accusations, don’t you think Sir Kaeya? I mean it would be so disappointing for them to find out that you tell them such a lie, only because you just don’t like me.” If Kaeya wasn’t a Knight, if he weren’t Kaeya right now, if he hadn’t to uphold a certain image… the floor of the Tavern would be painted with the blood of this absolute bastard. Oh, how Kaeya wished he could lose his cool. “If you say it like that, then I guess I won’t tell them a word,” Kaeya replied. “I’m glad you understand”, the cheater smiled, the fear in his eyes now subsided and he seemed to relax a bit. At that Kaeya just leaned forward, his look cold and his voice even colder. “You are telling them.” The man just scoffed, looking confused at Kaeya. “Why should I?” Kaeya now coming closer, his voice more threatening than before. “Do you really want to find out, if you don’t?”. Kaeya leaned back, smiling and at that moment the woman came back with the drinks. The face of the man was just pale as snow, the fear back in his eyes. “Oh, thank you dear”, Kaeya said when she places his drink before him, and he took a sip. If your boyfriend is smarter than he seemed to be after fooling around with that woman in public, it would do him good to do as Kaeya said.

                                                             -

Dealing with the pain in your leg was something you were used to now for a few years, but the pain in your heart today… you somehow would prefer a broken leg over your shattered heart. Your eyes were fixated on the documents before you, though trough the tears in your eyes you could barley make out what they said. What they were even for. How could you ignore it for so long, that he cheated. That he fooled around with any woman in Mondstadt willing to be with him. This sleezy asshole. The tears fell down on the paper, you couldn’t care right now what important piece of documents you ruined with your tears. How, how, how??? Why were you so stupid to believe him when he always said that all the people that came to you with their concerns must have been mistaken. Why did you believe him over and over again. You couldn’t stop thinking about how the first person coming to you was Outrider Amber, so nervous to even say anything. How you just laughed her worries away, saying she definitely was mistaken. How after Amber again and again told you how sure she was. Had you just listened to her. Then maybe you wouldn’t feel so humiliated. If you just hadn’t listened to that damn liar. In that moment you heard a knock on the door. Quickly you wiped your tears away with your sleeves, clearing your throat. “Come in,” you said, though you were shocked at how hoarse you sounded. Stepping into your office was Kaeya, but when he saw your red eyes and tear stained face, he quickly closed the door behind him. “Are you alright?”, he asked in such a soft and kind voice. Since you woke up in the infirmary all those years ago you hadn’t heard him talk in that voice. You couldn’t help it, it made you immediately tear up again. Throwing your head into your hands you just couldn’t stop the uncontrollably sobs that took over you. You didn’t even notice that Kaeya was kneeling beside your chair until he felt his hand on your back. “Hey,” you heard him say, again in this soft voice. “It’s alright, let it out.” And you did. For a while you just sat there, crying and sobbing until you ran empty. The whole time Kaeya was on your side, saying nothing. He was just there and somehow, even after you two grew apart in the past years, after all that happened – Crepus death, Dilucs disappearance and return, your injury. Even after all it did not feel awkward to just cry and look for comfort at his side. After all, you still were friends. Slowly you calmed down, looking up to him. “I was so stupid, Kaeya. So many people came to me, told me what they saw, who he was and I- I just ignored it. I ignored it all, my feelings and-“, you felt the lump in your throat, making you stop speaking. It was just too much. “You’re not stupid,” he said, taking you in his arms. It felt so good to just melt into the hug. Just trying to forget the pain for a few seconds, slipping back into the familiarity of Kaeya you haven’t felt in such a long time.

Kaeya on the other hand couldn’t stop asking himself if what he’s doing here was alright. Was it okay to comfort you, he asked. If he hadn’t basically threatened your, obviously now, ex-boyfriend last night to tell you the truth, he might have been met with your bright smile today and not that painful expression. But it was the right thing to do, you deserved to know. You deserved for that guy to tell you, although he should have told you the truth out of his own free will. Not because Kaeya got involved. “Thank you”, he heard you mumble into his chest. “For what?” he asked, both of you now parting from the hug. “For just… for being here. And for being a friend”, you answered, again wiping tears away. Kaeya couldn’t help himself and chuckled at that statement. A friend, yeah. That is what he was and what he must be fine with. However, he didn’t really expect you to view him as one, after all that happened and how much he tried to avoid you in the past. “Well, I have been an awful friend the last years, haven’t I?”. Your eyes shot up, looking directly into his eye. “No, what makes you think that?”. You genuinely looked surprised at his statement. “Well,” he gestured towards your leg. Before he could even say anything, he felt your hands cup his face and looking at him sternly. “Kaeya Alberich, how often do I have to tell you this. What happened to my leg is not your fault, please stop taking blame for it. It was my choice to join you on that mission.” For a short while you both just looked into each other’s eyes until Kaeya couldn’t stand it anymore, a sigh leaving him, and he looked away. “How come that I want to comfort you and you just end up telling me something I just can’t seem to learn.” He stood up and then he saw it. You smiled at him. A sad smile, but a smile, nonetheless. “One day you’ll hopefully learn it”, you said. “Now, to make up for this”, pointing at your leg, trying to joke, “and for threatening a Mondstadt citizen, I think you should get me something from Good Hunter.” Kaeya was surprised. How did you know? He couldn’t even ask you, you already gave him the answer to the question that was so clearly written all over his face. “He literally begged me, after telling me the truth and breaking up with me, that I made sure you wouldn’t hurt him.” Now Kaeya gave out a small laugh, partially because he felt a bit embarrassed by you knowing, but also the thought of that arrogant asshole being so afraid of him amused Kaeya. “And, what did you tell him”, he asked, now back with his more playful tone. “Mmmmmh, I told him I’ll think about it.”

[juletheghoul]

Domum (Part 2)

I am dedicating this to you @221bshrlocked, I really hope you enjoy this second instalment of Vamp Boyfriend Max and please know that whenever I return to this world, I'm thinking of you.

There will be a part three.

Max Phillips x F!Reader

Pairing: Max x F!Reader

Word Count: 5.5K

Warnings: **TRIGGER WARNING** Max is a vampire so there will be blood talk, some of it sexual in nature, implied violence (nothing super graphic), language, Smut 18+, PIV sex (wrap it up), slight dirty talk, Oral-female receiving, supernatural themes, descriptions of gore

Reblogs are appreciated

Masterlist Part 1

---------

“And just when did you forsake me hm?” You stared at Ambrose, curled up and purring loudly against Max's chest on your bed. He seemed to choose Max over you half the time and you couldn’t help but be a little jealous. He stared at you with his eyes half closed, blinking slowly and you sighed at the image of your two favourite boys in your bed.

“Fine, let Max feed you then.” You were only half kidding.

“Jealousy doesn’t become you, my love.” His eyes were closed but he smiled, imagining the look on your face.

“You shush, you’re only smug because he favours you.” He laughed at your tone and made a show of kissing Ambrose on his little face and you rolled your eyes. He set him down onto the floor - against Ambrose's wishes- and pulled you into bed. “I have to go to the market-” he cut you off with a kiss. It was so hard to push him away when he kissed you like that. When his hands held your face so tenderly.

“I would like for you to stay, stay in bed with me.” he kissed your neck and you felt the ghost of his fangs caressing your pulse point. Always letting you give consent before piercing your skin. You shivered slightly but you couldn’t give in. Giving in always meant you weren’t getting anything done. It took a great deal of self control to slip out of his grip and you quickly pulled away, leaving him in order to gather the clothing you had mended.

“If I let you carry on I'll waste the day.” you scolded him without any real anger.

“Waste? You call what we do a waste?” he laid on his back, arm over his eyes in mock distress. You could see the little smile at the corner of his mouth.

“You know full well what I meant - I need to bring these things to the market or Mrs. Johnson will have my head. I will be back soon, and then we can do whatever you want.” He perked up at the last bit, like you knew he would.

“Anything…?” He had pure mischief in his eyes and you blushed slightly at the implication.

“Yes - within reason I don’t think I need to clarify.” You approached the bed and he hastily got up to sit at the edge, making space for you between his legs. You stood and stared down at him - he looked up at you like you were the very air he breathed and you wondered for a brief moment how you could be so lucky.

“I’ll be waiting for you my love, like always.” he spoke with pure devotion as he hugged you around the middle. You ran your fingers lovingly through his hair- pulling it back lightly to kiss him on the mouth.

“You better.” You smiled at him, then made your way out.

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

You made it to the market quickly and found Mrs Johnson stomping her foot impatiently and you braced yourself for an onslaught but she cheered up when she caught sight of you. She was one of the nicer villagers and you had a good relationship with her.

“There you are, girl - I was beginning to worry. Let me see.” She took the garments you had carefully folded up out of your arms and inspected your work. A frown of concentration on her face as she inspected a big tear you had mended. “Perfect - as I knew it would be. Thank you sweetling, here - for your trouble.” she handed you a small purse of coins and you took it thankfully.

“My thanks - I am always available for work.” You both said your goodbyes and you stopped to stock up on more thread. You needed new needles as well and you were perusing for more materials when you heard someone calling you. It was the young girl you’d helped almost a year ago, you had learned her name was Sarah and since then she had taken a shine to you. Treating you like an older sister and you regarded her in much the same manner. The little sister you never had.

“What is all the commotion?” You raised your eyebrows at her, she was breathless with excitement.

“I knew you hadn’t heard! There are new people in the village! They came in last night!” The smile on her face was half wild with excitement, times like this you realized how young she was and it always endeared her to you.

“Okay Sarah, take a deep breath and tell me.” You half laughed as you paid for your things and walked through town with her. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet as she grabbed your arm excitedly, telling you about the band of thespians, entertainers traveling the country; putting on shows and plays. “Singers and bards travel through here from time to time-“ she cut you off.

“Yes but never this many! Seems to be a large company - they’ll finally put that playhouse to use. Isn’t it exciting?” She smiled brightly at you but you had a bad feeling. It wasn’t the same as when Max came into town, this was stronger and it left a bad taste in your mouth. “Look! That’s them!” She whispered excitedly into your ear.

There was a group of men making their way into the big tavern in town and it felt like someone had dumped ice water down the back of your dress. There was something wrong.

Max was there in an instant, Sarah didn’t notice him until he spoke.

“Good morning Sarah.” He spoke with a neutral tone but you knew that he was anything but relaxed. He usually stayed inside during the day and his body language gave him away, to you at least.

“Hello Max! Did you hear?” You rolled your eyes, knowing she would explain the whole thing over again. He had a smile on his face as she spoke but it wasn’t filled with the warmth you had become accustomed to.

This was a mask.

“Newcomers, that’s interesting.” You could see him scanning the outside of the tavern with a critical eye. He sensed whatever you had sensed, and he sensed it all the way from the cottage.

When Sarah left he spoke in hushed tones, you had never seen him like this.

“There is something here. Something hungry.” To everyone who passed by you were a courting couple taking a stroll through the village square but he was unsettled.

“I felt it too, made my hair stand on end.” You pressed yourself up against him, there was a sudden chill in the air and you weren’t exactly sure whether it was his words or the temperature.

“I don’t like this, it seems familiar but I can’t quite place it. I need to find out what it is and either destroy it or get it out of town. I don’t want anyone getting hurt.” You smiled to yourself, remembering his attitude towards the town when he first arrived. Things had changed for you since then, for the most part anyway.

There were still villagers who thought you were the devil incarnate but most of them had embraced you. Sarah had advocated for you and with her being the daughter of prominent members of your community, others had followed. You had a steady stream of customers who came to you as a seamstress, and an even bigger one for your other talents.

The townspeople were wary of Max, everyone except Sarah - she treated him as an extension of you; and she loved you.

He had embraced the villagers, promising you that he would protect this place. That he would protect anything you loved. You both spoke about it as you made your way home and you decided that you would go into town that night to investigate. Go to the tavern and get a drink to see if either of you could find out just what exactly had blown into town.

-

The tavern was unusually full, it seemed everyone wanted to be out amongst the newcomers. You smiled at Jasper, the old barkeep, you had helped his wife with pain in her legs a few months ago. He always had a smile for you now.

“I will find us a table, Jasper favours you.” Max whispered in your ear and you laughed. You asked the grizzled old man for a glass of wine and some cider, he didn’t let you pay.

The two of you sat in a dark little corner of the tavern, keeping an eye on everyone and chatting idly, Max drinking his wine and you nursing your cider. The two of you waited a couple of hours but it was for naught. Nothing happened - although it was pleasant to be out with him, neither of you sensed anything dangerous. Chalking it up to a loss, you made your way home.

The night was pleasant and you walked leisurely through the woods towards the cottage, the two of you arm in arm - enjoying the clear night sky. You were looking at the moon, seeing it’s position - full moon in a few days you thought to yourself when Max pulled you off the path suddenly. You shrieked in surprise but you quickly recovered when he pushed you up against a large tree. You weren't too far off the path, someone walking by would have to know you were there in order to see you.

“And just what do you think you’re doing?” You spoke in mock outrage, he laughed into your skin. He had you caged against the trunk; his face was buried in your neck and he was kissing every inch he could reach.

“I think you know, I believe you told me we could do whatever I wanted this morning.” He lifted your leg, hoisting it high on his hip as he ground into you. You let out a sigh at the feel of him, hard enough to feel through his trousers at your core. The bark of the tree was scratching at the back of your neck, the little bit of pain adding to the pleasure.

“I think I want to hear you say it.” Your voice was breathy, your fingers running through his hair, you guided his face towards yours, you wanted to kiss him. You wanted his tongue in your mouth and his hands on your body. You wanted him closer, always closer. He smiled into the kiss.

“I want to fuck you against this tree my love. I want to feed from you while you cum, I want to taste your pleasure, I want to love you. Will you let me love you?” He watched your mouth as he spoke, his words exciting you so much you ached. So much that you moaned and felt your sex dripping for him. Your heart was pounding, even your blood wanted him.

“Yes, always…” You breathed it out but he swallowed your words. He reached between you to pull your skirts up past your hips, he became impatient with all the fabric and when he reached your undergarments he ripped them roughly. The act excited you, causing another wave of slick to drip out of you and onto your thigh. He knelt in front of, looking up like he was in prayer.

He lifted your leg and draped it over his shoulder and he licked at your core hungrily. You felt his urgency, he sucked the bundle of nerves into his mouth with a passion that had you frantically clutching at his hair, it had you grinding into his mouth and it had you almost screaming. Your climax crashed over you like a tidal wave and he drank it down, refusing to pull away until you pushed him. He started undoing his trousers, pulling himself out as he stood.

His eyes were black with lust, as he roughly lifted you against the tree- wrapping both your legs around his hips; lifting you as if you weighed nothing.

“Undo your blouse for me sweet girl, I’m going to bite you where you like it.” he held you against the tree as you hastily undid your corset enough to pull your blouse down. You held tightly onto him as he reached down to guide himself into your wet heat. Both of you groaned when he was fully seated inside you.

It felt better every time. It was bliss, it was ecstasy.

You moaned as he drove into you, the scratching of the tree behind you sharpening the pleasure of his thrusts. You saw his fangs elongate and felt him getting frantic. He wouldn’t last long. You pushed his head down to your breast and he bit it rougher than usual, you could hear the sound of your joining and it was filthy, it was obscene out in the open like this but you didn’t care. The pleasure building with his bite and your blood in his mouth.

He licked your wound closed and moved to your other breast - you saw the brief anguished look of pleasure on his face as he bit your nipple. It hit you again. It was so intense you seized up almost painfully, screaming at the intensity of it. Your cunt clenched around him and he came with a growl.

He set you down, his grip softening, he was gentle again and he licked your wound closed. This was the roughest he’d ever been with you and you enjoyed it far more than you would have ever thought.

He was pulling your shirt back up and straightening your skirts as you caught your breath, he had a little frown on his face.

“What’s wrong?” You touched his face, bringing his attention to you.

“I’m afraid I got carried away, I’m sorry if I was too rough with you.” He looked chastened, he hissed when he saw the scratches on your shoulders and neck from the tree. You laughed lightly but he didn’t join in.

“Max, I thoroughly enjoyed that. I will heal. I can draw myself a special bath and I will be better in a few hours. Please, put it out of your mind my love.” You hugged him to you and he relented.

-

He was quiet as you made your way home and although he had dropped the subject, you knew he felt guilty. You appreciated the sentiment but you weren’t made of glass.

Once you got home, you had him fill the big kettle as you gathered a few things.

When he returned you had him pull the big tub into the middle of the room, he did so without comment. Once the water was hot enough, he helped you fill the tub and you put a few things into the water; dried herbs and flowers that would help relax you. He watched as you moved about, picking a little bit of this and a pinch of that.

The steam was lovely and it smelled like lavender and wildflowers. You stripped off your clothes and ordered him to do the same but he didn’t right away, you got into the tub and raised your eyebrows at him. He smiled and stripped, joining you in the warm water.

“Here, rub a little of this wherever the skin is irritated.” You handed him a little jar full of a thick oily paste. He obeyed and you felt his big warm hands massaging it into your skin. He was thorough and quiet as he did what you asked, the two of you enjoying the intimacy and the warmth.

He kissed your shoulder when he was done and you laid on his chest between his legs. He washed you gently as you relished his sturdy warmth behind you.

“Max, can I ask you something?” The question popped into your mind and you had to get it out.

“Yes my love?” He was washing your hair, massaging your scalp carefully as you relaxed.

“You told me once that you’ve only ever turned one person, what happened to them?” You asked it casually, you were curious and he never spoke about his past. You felt him tense for a moment before he continued with his actions.

“Do you really wish to know?” His voice sounded a little hesitant, you wanted to know, but only if he wanted to tell you.

“You don’t have to explain if you don’t want to, I was merely curious.” You meant it, whatever happened before either of you met- it didn’t matter. Not now that you had each other.

He carefully poured water on you, washing the soap out of your hair in silence, taking the utmost care to not get any of it in your eyes. You thought the conversation was done but he eventually spoke.

“I’ll tell you one day, not today - allow me to tell you in my own time.” He pressed his face into your neck, kissing your ear and shoulder, his actions soothing the hurt he imagined his response was causing. He was entitled to his silence. You turned to face him, looking up from where your face was pressed against his chest.

“You don’t have to explain, if it hurts too much or if it’s something you don’t like discussing. It’s okay for you to keep things to yourself.” You smiled at him, letting him know there was no double meaning, you meant every word. He pulled you up to kiss you and you felt his devotion to you, felt him saying what you meant to him without words.

You both sat in the bath quietly for a long time.

---

A couple of days went by and nothing, no hide nor hair of whatever the two of you had sensed. You were beginning to think that maybe you’d gotten lucky, something passing by near enough for the both of you to pick up on it but not actually staying.

You should be so lucky.

There had been talk in the market of a beast, a monster ripping through the Robertson farm just outside town. Killing a few of his sheep and almost all of his chickens. The carnage was said to be disturbing and the bad taste returned with a vengeance, rocks settling in your stomach. This is not good.

Once you got back home and explained what happened to Max he made it a point to go to the Robertson farm to see if he could get a sense of what it could be. It wasn’t long before he was back - frowning deeply.

“I cannot get a feel for it, it’s not another of my kind that’s for sure. This feels more primal, more violent. I need to get closer.” You could see his frustration, it was bothering him that he couldn’t fix it.

--

Later on that night, Max got his wish.

You were laying in bed, curled up in each other when something flickered across Max's face. He blurred out of bed with how fast he moved, stopping to hastily put his trousers on. You felt it before you could ask him what was wrong, Ambrose shot out of bed and bounded for the door. He was hissing loudly, his hackles raised higher than you’d ever seen.

“Stay there.” His voice was iron, no room for argument. He stalked over to the door and listened, you heard it all the way from the bed; something massive was outside your cottage. It pressed against the door lightly and you could hear the gouging of the wood, whatever it was - it had claws.

Your heart was in your throat as Ambrose hissed and snarled, you quietly got up to wrap your blanket around you. Max silently moved to your kitchen to look out the window. Ambrose stopped hissing and ran towards your bed.

“It’s gone.” He didn’t move from the window and you tentatively approached him, needing his warmth to reassure you. He instantly rubbed at your arms to calm you. “You’re safe my love, nothing will happen to you. Good news is, I think I figured out what we’re dealing with. It’s a werewolf.”

You knew there had to be other creatures in this world, you yourself were a witch and you were committed to a vampire but you were at a loss for words. You would have laughed, had he not had that look on his face.

“It came straight here, it must sense us in it’s altered state.” He was pacing the room, thinking hard as you sat silent at the table. Shivering even though you had the blanket wrapped around you. You were trying to think about everything you knew about werewolves, you knew there must be something about them in your mothers notes, where were they again? You got up and put on a shift before digging through the big trunk tucked into the corner of the room.

He came over when you yelled in triumph, pulling out your mothers big leatherbound notebook.

He was silently watching you as you flipped through the pages, looking for any insight and then you saw it - she had a whole page on them. Some of the points you already knew, that you needed pure silver to ward them off. They were vicious and their bite was a curse. When they were in their animal state, they were purely primal. They would tear apart their own mothers without a second thought. Aversion to silver & iron, wolfsbane - would make sense as to why it only gauged at the wood of your door. You had fortified your protection once more after Max had come in, leaving out anything that would stop him and him alone.

“Tonight was the last night of the full moon, we have a month to prepare. We have to find out who it is, and destroy them. They cannot be cured, I hope no one gets hurt tonight.” You spoke to him as you put the book on the table. He listened intently and the both of you came up with a plan to go into the market and get as close as you could to the newcomers.

“Hopefully they'll leave before the next full moon, we should be so lucky.” He spoke as he blew out the candles you’d lit, the both of you getting back into bed. You whispered your plans to each other, vowing to warn Sarah. You thought of little trinkets you could make, talismans of protection to the people closest to you. You hoped with everything in you that you wouldn’t wake up to bad news.

---

No such luck.

The two of you decided to head into town together the next day, and there were whispers of a great beast everywhere you went. Several people had seen a huge mass stalking around the woods, luckily no one had been hurt. You did notice a few of the more unfriendly villagers giving you hard glares and scowls as you made your way through, you felt Maxs grip tighten slightly at the open show of hostility.

“We’re trying to protect them.” he spoke as you tried to calm him, putting your hand on his chest. He took it and held it there as you walked through. You caught sight of Sarah and she rushed over to you.

“I wanted to warn you- a couple of townsfolk were saying that this has something to do with you. I said that there was absolutely no way - that you’re a good person but I didn’t like how they spoke.” She was visibly upset, imagining her defending you pulled at your heartstrings.

“Oh sweetling, thank you - we’ll be okay, they’re just scared.” You hugged her tightly, trying your best to reassure her. “I’ve made you something, I brought it with me in case I saw you, put this on and don’t take it off. I’ve made one for each of your parents - this should protect you. Please make sure you don’t go out after dark. Do you understand what I’m telling you?” You spoke to her as you handed her the talismans you made. She smiled shyly and put on the necklace.

“I won’t take it off, please - be careful. Both of you.” She hugged you tightly and left quickly.

----

For the next couple of weeks both you and Max made it a point to get close to the newcomers. Thinking that maybe if you got close enough you would be able to sense it but it was for naught. They kept fastidiously to themselves, the only time you saw them was when they performed. Even then - Max couldn’t get a sense of who the danger was. You had learned from your mother’s book that it would be difficult, that the days before and after a full moon - this person could appear to be perfectly human.

——

The full moon was coming in just a few days and the tension between you and a few townspeople was palpable. Even before Sarah and other people had embraced you, things were never this bad.

You studied the book constantly, using your mothers knowledge to create a weapon that would be able to kill the beast. It would have been better to cure it but it was for naught, there was none to be found. The biggest fear would be that someone else would get bitten, spreading the curse to someone else.

Well, not the biggest fear - the biggest fear would be that someone would get killed.

——

“What do you propose we do? This is the best course of action. You know that.” He was right, as angry and upset as you were, you had to admit he was right.

“I don’t like it Max. I should be out there with you.” Your voice was soft, you were trying to argue but he looked so worried.

“I know. I cannot focus if there’s a chance you might get hurt. If something were to happen to you, I would never forgive myself- you know it makes sense- I can cover more ground without you.” He walked over to you, untangling your arms to wrap them around his neck.

He had a way of making you crack, of burrowing under your skin; into your heart. You couldn’t help but press your ear to his chest.

“I have to know you’re safe, if we both get hurt then we’re useless.” He pressed his lips to your temple.

“Very well, please be careful.” You held him tightly, as tight as you could and he let you.

---

It felt horrible to sit around and worry.

You made tea, you flipped through the book absentmindedly, it was almost a compulsion. Ambrose could sense your anxiety and he plopped down on your lap, purring loudly against your skin.

Max insisted on patrolling every night of the full moon. He was determined to destroy the beast and have your lives return to normal and you couldn’t blame him, but you couldn’t sleep until he walked through your door safe and sound. When he eventually did you would nearly tackle him to the ground.

The relief wasn’t to last though.

He burst through your door on the last night of the full moon. He was covered in blood and he held a body in his arms.

Your heart seized up, Sarah was limp in his arms. You were frantic, you could see her throat had been ripped open and you held the scream in your throat. He was speaking to you as he laid her down on the table.

“My love, I need you to focus. Is there anything in your book on how to save her?” You took a deep breath as he spoke, opening the book to the familiar pages with trembling hands.

There’s so much blood

“There’s no way to undo the curse Max, if she doesn’t die - she’ll be one of them.” The tears were flowing now, she was so young, so full of life. You walked over to her, brushing the hair out of her face. Her skin was like ivory and far too cold. Her breaths were shallow and the blood was flowing slowly. Her heart was pumping her life away.

“Can you save her?” You knew he didn’t like talking about it, but it might be the only chance she had. His eyes were on you and you could see the pain in them; inner turmoil bubbling up.

“My love, it would not be her choice and she might hate me for it. Hate you for making it for her.” His words were knives to your already broken heart.

“Please Max, I cannot lose her.” You were sobbing then, voice paper thin and up to your elbows in her blood. Her ragged breaths must have been an agony. She was bleeding into her lungs.

“Are you prepared to deal with her scorn?” His voice was cloud-soft, he didn’t want to lose her either.

“Yes.” You spoke to him but you kept your eyes on her. “Whatever it takes to save her, please.”

He changed her.

——-

You waited for her to change with baited breath. It took much longer than anticipated and you almost chewed your nails to the bone. Max fared no better, he paced the cottage while the transformation occurred and you could feel his fear. Whatever had happened in his past weighed heavy on his mind while you waited. You asked him what happened to distract him.

Max had destroyed the creature, it was one of the newcomers - he’d been taken with Sarah and they had stepped out together when he changed and in her fear; her talisman had been lost.

When you saw her skin stitching itself back together you breathed a sigh of relief, your body was a tense knot and you felt your muscles loosen slightly as her breathing regulated, as her body repaired itself.

“She will be thirsty when she wakes.” He whispered, sensing her starting to come to.

When she woke she was disoriented and Max stood between the two of you with his arms up, his body a wall between Sarah and you. He held her firmly in his grasp and spoke in clear sentences.

“Sarah sweetling, can you hear me?” He was staring into her wild eyes, for a moment it was as if she didn’t recognize either of you but a few seconds later you saw her soften, saw her take you both in.

“Max? What happened? What happened to me?” She was looking at her hands, her eyes darted around rapidly and you could see the fear.

“Sarah - focus on my voice. I need you to listen.” He came closer to her, very slowly, approaching her like one would a wild animal. He explained what had happened to her and what he’d done. What he was, what she now was as well. She looked at you with fear in her eyes and Max almost broke. This was what he’d been afraid of.

“Am I going to be okay?” She was terrified and you wanted to hug her but Max wouldn’t let you.

“You’re going to be fine - come, I will help you and once you're fed I will bring you back here and we will talk.” He turned to kiss you quickly, his unconscious need to feel you close was as much to reassure him as it was to reassure you. “Draw a bath for her my love, she will want to get clean when we get back.” With that they both left.

----

It took days for her to adjust, Max walking her through the change. His fear that she would hate you both never left him and you could hear the silent apologies in the way he treated her. The way he guided her through everything like a father would a favoured child.

At first she was afraid, terrified of herself and her new abilities but it didn’t last. She took to it well. Her young age, which he thought would be a hindrance - actually worked in her favour.

She had a long way to go until she had the same level of control as Max, but both of you would be there to help her.

To be continued...

---

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[lepusrufus]

Double edged scalpel ch.5

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4

Summary: someone please give Nicole a break for the love of Miranda. And there be smut y'all

---

Seeing Cassandra's softer side made something flutter within Nicole's chest. The brunette was a sadist through and through. Witness to that fact was the array of torture devices that littered the dungeons. Not to mention the prisoners she frequently killed, only to haul them on the autopsy tables in her study to be examined, chopped and sectioned by the both of them.

But there was an uncharacteristic sort of gentleness in the way their lips slid against each other, sharp teeth occasionally biting down on Nicole's lower lip but never enough to draw blood. In the way Cassandra would drag sharp nails against flushed skin, but not go beyond the pleasurable amount of pain. Even the glint in golden eyes when Nicole went over some old notes of hers on more tricky anatomy concepts. Having an exclusive look at this side of Cassandra felt beyond intimate and the thought almost made her miss when the brunette spoke from where she was leaning over a notebook.

"Okay let's just wrap this up, I have plans."

Nicole hummed, dropping the liver she was holding in a freezer bag. Most body parts were already bagged and ready to be picked up by Cynthia and her undercooks, they were just putting into practice some things the brunette was curious about. She dropped the now blood soaked leather gloves in the sink and went to sit by Cassandra, who was scribbling some final notes.

"In that case I'll go enjoy a cup of tea," she sighed. "Tea that I had to skip because someone was eager to start on this early."

Cassandra raised an eyebrow at her, accompanied by her usual smirk. "I meant plans with you."

Oh? That was new. The brunette laughed at Nicole's wide eyed expression and snapped her notebook shut. She took her sweet time putting it on the shelf with the others and checking the time, pretending not to notice the redhead's inquisitive expression. Then, she lifted Nicole’s chin with a thankfully not covered in blood finger.

"Don't get me wrong I love it here but," she grimaced, "it gets stuffy sometimes. Especially in summer."

Well, that much was true. The undergrounds of the castle were oddly warm, although not downright hot, compared to what one would expect from a castle. Pair that with the annoyingly humid atmosphere and having to wear a leather apron and gloves so as to not completely ruin your outfit and you got the perfect recipe for discomfort. She really ought to ask Cassandra about installing some kind of better ventilation down here.

"Meet me in the attic in about… an hour." She leaned down and their mouths were so close that Nicole could feel icy breath on her lips.

The attic? She's never been to the attic, it was not only off limits for most staff but also dangerous if rumors were to be believed. Not that she had the clarity of mind to voice any concerns when Cassandra finally leaned in to kiss her, complete with a nip on her lower lip that made Nicole’s breath hitch.

---

The fact that Nicole had no idea how to get to the attic could be a slight problem. She had asked Anita, but not only did she not know, she also seemed mortified by the idea. Another maid just gave her vague directions to look for a ladder on the top floor. As if that wasn't like trying to find the needle in a haystack. Or the needle in a giant castle.

She was just wandering around the top floor, praying not to stumble upon anyone who would be less than thrilled to see her there. A sigh of relief escaped past her lips when she heard familiar buzzing and steps coming towards her.

"Oh Cas-" she swallowed her words when she noticed red hair spilling from underneath a black hood.

"Nicole! What are you doing here hmm?" Her inquisitive hum was way too exaggerated the same way her fangs seemed too sharp when she grinned.

"I was just looking for Ca- lady Cassandra. She asked me to meet her in the attic."

Daniela's mouth fell open, almost forming an O shape. Then back to her characteristic giggle, almost as if laughing at a joke only she knew.

"What, you don't know how to get there?"

"...Not really," she sheepishly admitted.

And that was a mistake. Nicole would've preferred to wander the hallways until Cassandra eventually got bored enough of waiting and decided to come see where her glorified lab partner was. But her plan was ruined by Daniela wordlessly grabbing her arm and pulling her in the opposite direction she was going in. She even went the extra mile to partially turn into a swarm, which made Nicole's panic skyrocket. She didn't mind bugs. But having hundreds of them fly all around you, accompanied by manic giggling was a whole other thing.

Before she knew it though, Daniela let go of her arm, laughing a little at Nicole's stumbling. She gestured dramatically towards a ladder and said:

"There you go. Say hi to Cassie for me."

"Th- thank you my lady." And with a small bow of the head she grabbed the ladder and started ascending on shaky legs.

"And enjoy your date," she called out, once Nicole was at the top of the stairs.

Blushing, she decided to ignore the comment and start looking for the sister less likely to turn her into fly food.

The attic looked… old. It was obvious that people didn't come here often, although someone probably did clean it regularly as there were no cobwebs nor dirt on any surfaces, aside from some dust. It was full of neatly arranged boxes and crates, their contents as mysterious as the castle's inhabitants. Tentative steps took her across ancient floorboards, navigating old rooms.

"Rah!"

Nicole damn near jumped out of her skin, a string of curses spilling past her lips. "Jesus fucking christ Cassandra!"

The brunette only laughed, hands on her knees and pretending to wipe a tear from her eye.

"That's what you get for making me wait for so long."

"I didn't even know where the attic entrance was! Good thing one of your sisters came to my rescue." Nicole rolled her eyes at the last word.

Cassandra stopped laughing, eyes narrowing slightly. "Which one?"

"Uh- Danie-"

"Did she hurt you?" Cassandra grabbed her arms, golden eyes looking for any visible injuries.

Nicole just laughed softly, taken off guard by the display of concern. "No, no. Just gave me a bit of a fright, that's all."

With an eye roll, Cassandra guided her further into the attic, through more dusty rooms, until they reached a short corridor, light spilling from its other end. The room they entered was relatively small, almost half of it occupied by stacked boxes as if it used to be a storage room like the rest of the attic and nobody bothered to completely clear it out. A few pieces of furniture were also present: a couch with a coffee table in front of it and paintings leaning against a wall to collect dust. This room however had a window, left slightly ajar, that allowed you to see the mountains stretching on the horizon, crowned by the beautiful orange hues of dusk.

Nicole moved to the glass to take in the view, mouth almost hanging open, when an ungodly screech from outside made her backpedal straight into Cassandra.

"What the fuck was that?" She asked, eyes widening at the sight of flying creatures circling the towers.

"Mother's flying guard dogs."

"They sound the same way I'd imagine the souls of the damned do." Nicole didn’t take her eyes off the ghoulish creatures, almost as if keeping eye contact would dissuade them from attacking.

Cassandra just shrugged. "Wouldn't be too far off. Also here." She sat on the couch, gesturing towards a cup.

Nicole went to sit by her side, grabbing the mystery cup. She frowned slightly when the steam reached her nose, bringing with it a pleasant minty and honey aroma.

"Tea?"

"Since you were so disheartened about having to skip it earlier," Cassandra averted her eyes, seemingly finding the curtains very interesting.

After a long sip, she let out a content sigh. The warmth was more than welcomed, despite the weather. She set the cup back on the table and turned her attention on the brunette, now fidgeting with the corner of a pillow.

"Thank you," Nicole said, leaving a small kiss on her cheek.

Cassandra smiled and turned around, locking their lips in a kiss that at first mimicked her gentleness, but soon turned hungry when dainty hands made their way to the brunette's nape, pulling her closer. She shifted them both, pushing Nicole down on the pillows littering the couch, until she was laying on top of her, legs on each side of her waist. Her focus was on leaving a trail of nips and kisses down Nicole's neck when the redhead jumped and barely stifled a yelp at another screech from outside.

"Ugh what the fuck is today, scare me out of my mind day?"

"How are you scared of these but countless dead bodies don't phase you?" Cassandra laughed, sound muffled by her position with her mouth against Nicole's neck.

"I used to work on corpses, not on ugly gargoyles that could chew my face off!" She gestured wildly at the window and the few creatures visible outside.

"You what?"

"You...didn't know?" Nicole couldn't help a giggle at Cassandra's confused expression.

"How was I supposed to know?"

"I thought your mother told you already. Or your sisters," Nicole shrugged.

"They knew?!" And, after something seemed to dawn on her, "Oh I'm gonna kick both their asses."

Nicole couldn’t help letting out a small laugh, placing her hands on Cassandra's cheeks and, with a pout for dramatic effect, "Right now?"

As much as the sight was both funny and endearing, the warmth starting to pool at her core was making her beyond impatient.

The indignation in golden eyes was replaced by an all too familiar glint and black painted lips went back to their work on Nicole's neck. Sharp fangs pierced the skin there, just enough to draw a few drops of blood and a whine. After licking every last bit of it, Cassandra's lips moved to the collarbones and lower, hands slowly starting to undo the buttons of Nicole's pesky uniform that was in the way.

When both the button up and the skirt were discarded on the floor Nicole tangled her fingers through black hair and pulled Cassandra in for a kiss. Her free hand went to the back of the dress, pulling down the zipper and guiding it off of the brunette's shoulders. Once both of them were left only in undergarments, Nicole pulled back to look up at the brunette.

"If I knew I was supposed to dress up I would've asked the chambermaid if there's anything fancy in the uniform stash," she said, taking in the beautifully intricate lace of Cassandra's matching bra and underwear, complete with a giggle at her awful joking.

The brunette only raised an eyebrow. "Mhm I can take care of that. Not like you'll need these for long though." Her hands reached under Nicole's back to unclasp her bra and in mere moments that too was on top of the pile of clothes on the floor.

Then Cassandra bent down to crash their lips together, tongue slipping past Nicole's lips when a wandering hand elicited a gasp from her.

Cassandra was by no means a patient person. Quite the opposite actually. But teasingly dragging her nails across sensitive skin only to feel the girl under her squirm and whine when her hand just won't go where she needed it made waiting all the more sweet. Slender fingers started to toy with the edges of Nicole's underwear. After a groan against her lips and an impatient tug of hair, Cassandra finally gave in, slipping two fingers inside her. She felt Nicole arch into her, a broken moan escaping past her lips when she broke the kiss to let her head fall back into the cushions. Cassandra took that as an opportunity to kiss the length of her neck, occasionally stopping to suck or bite at a spot, enjoying every gasp and moan she drew out of the redhead.

With Cassandra's rough pace it didn't take long before Nicole was clenching her thighs around her hand. Cassandra kissed her, swallowing her moan as she came.

The small room in the attic, Cassandra's drawing room she would later find out, was the perfect secluded spot. They spent the rest of the evening enjoying each other. First evening of many.

[nanagoswife]

Contrition of War

A request for @generousrunawaydonut

Summary: After going against orders from Obi-Wan to leave him behind, he's mad that you risked yourself.

W/C: 3.2k

Warnings: Angst, mention of blood and death and serious injury

- - -

There was a light trickle of something wet dripping down the side of your face. You weren’t surprised as you had just jumped under a bunch of rocks to save many, but more importantly one particular person. This particular person also would’ve been the only one who had no possibility to escape.

Despite his protests and telling you all to leave before it was too late, you jumped in anyways, doing your best to deflect laser bolts while using your other hand to push the force through you to hold off the falling cliffside.

Although you were able to stop a lot of them, you were still unable to contain them all. A couple had come whizzing by you, a couple striking you as you prevented multiple injuries and one definite death.

You were aware the others were safe, but you had to wait for the right window of time so that you could try to guarantee your own safety. That was, until a blaster just grazed your shoulder. Thankfully, not enough for it to actually touch your flesh.

As time went by, it was getting continually harder to hold it all. The window you were hoping wasn’t showing itself. You started to fear that maybe this wouldn’t go as planned and that it may compromise everyones’ safety.

That is what you thought until you saw two other flashes of blue, now deflecting the shots that you had been determinedly fighting off.

“Y/N! Go now!” yelled Anakin over the noise. You looked at Obi-Wan who wasn’t breaking his attention from the droids in front of you.

Slight disappointment filled you when he didn’t spare a glance over at you to send you extra reassurance, but you didn’t let it distract you. There wasn’t enough time.

With the last of your strength, you pushed the rocks towards the droids.

The whole front line of them was crushed under the stone pieces, and awarded everyone enough time to get to the ships before they started firing again. Obi-Wan took the rear as Anakin came over and helped you as your tired frame began to pull you down, not allowing you to get up on your own.

It didn’t take long to get on the ship, and you were surprised you didn’t just collapse from how you just exerted yourself once you were safely up the ramp. There was so much of your force energy that was used for that act alone that you wouldn’t be able to do much else before getting a decent rest. Preferably in Obi-Wan’s arms.

“Why in Corellia’s nine hells did you do that?” Obi-Wan almost yelled. You slightly jumped at the suddenness of it. The doors had only just closed to the outside as the transport had lifted off.

Obi-Wan was nearly drowning in furious worry. He had nearly lost you due to your little stunt in the name of saving him.

You looked down at the floor, unable to meet his gaze as he reprimanded you. Anakin wasn’t far behind you, resting a hand on your shoulder for comfort as you kept your head down. He even slightly pulled you back and away from the man you loved, currently sounding like you had just betrayed him and the Jedi by saving him.

“Obi-Wan, calm down. Why can’t you be grateful at the fact that she just saved your life along with so many others,” Anakin shot back at his former master. “It may have been reckless, but it’s nothing you haven’t seen, or done, before,” Anakin continued sternly.

“Yes, and how does that usually turn out for us, Anakin? This was a brash, undercalculated and dangerous action that could’ve done a lot more harm than good!”

Obi-Wan’s blazing eyes still hadn’t calmed when you caught a glance at him. You were almost afraid that he would soon say something to deepen the pain you felt, and it was leading to that. You thought he would appreciate the help, not be mad about it. On top of the exhaustion, this wasn’t going well for you especially when you wanted his comfort. You wanted to fall into his warm embrace.

All you had wanted to do was help. Sure, you were spurred on by the fact that you wanted to keep someone you cared a lot about alive and unharmed, but there were others that were in danger. If needed, that could be your excuse to everyone else, you mused. It could hide the fact that you acted more out of emotion and previous experiences than The Code permitted.

Still, that didn’t dampen the painful twist in your chest as you were sure you were about to be lectured. Not only that, but it seemed like Obi-Wan was actually mad about you saving him. You thought he’d be happy. Happy that he could spend more days with you and then tend to your wounds in the quiet of one of your rooms, but that wasn’t seeming like a possibility with how this was.

“I’m not your padawan to protect,” he said suddenly, irritation in his tone.

You felt tears well up in your eyes with an extra sting of pain as you couldn’t bring yourself to actually look at Obi-Wan. It was too much to even just hear his tone, and it wouldn’t be helped if you saw the same thing in his eyes. Never, in your relationship or the time you’ve just known him, has he ever spoken to you like this. Never has he used a past failure against you.

When he finally took a moment to evaluate the situation, he saw that tears were forming in your eyes as you still kept your head down. Absolute shock froze Anakin in place at his words. Immediate remorse filled him as he realised what he had just said.

Anakin, your good friend and ever protective of you, even when he was still a padawan, used the hand on your shoulder to pull you into a hug while giving him a hard look.

“I-I’m sorry,” Obi-Wan stuttered out, changing his tone to be gentler. “I just- you could’ve been killed.”

“You think I don’t know that,” you said, shaky and muffled into Anakin’s robes, face turned away. “We’re Jedi. It’s part of our job description. To protect.”

His emotions were clouding every rational thought. So much so that he just brought up a sensitive topic and used it against you. He had no right to, not when he knew how much pain it brought you.

“General Skywalker?” a voice from Anakin’s comm buzzed as you felt your transport land in the star destroyer hanger.

Anakin pulled away carefully with a small groan of annoyance, still making sure you were alright before answering.

“What is it, Rex?”

“You’re needed in the docking bay. R2 seems to have a problem,” the clone captain replied.

With a sigh, Anakin let Rex know he would be there soon before turning his comm off.

“Will you be alright?” He asked you, genuine concern.

You nodded, “I was thinking of heading to my quarters, anyway.” You gave Obi-Wan a small glance as you said that. There was something in you that wanted to know how he was feeling.

At the moment, his fury from only moments ago had died down, now showing remorse for his words. Concern was also etched in, mainly felt through the force rather than seen on his facial expression.

“Alright,” Anakin started, breaking your train of thought, “If you need me, comm me immediately. Maybe get those scratches checked.”

You gave a snort in response which received a playful smirk from Anakin before he walked away, giving Obi-Wan a brief, hard glare before leaving you alone with Obi-Wan. You weren’t sure whether he was about to continue to lecture you on what you had done, or whether he was going to apologize. You could feel the conflict, but nothing on his face gave away what he was going to do.

Either way, you didn’t want to find out. There was too much running through your mind, and you didn’t want any of it to come out. Especially with the fact that he reopened an only just healed wound.

“Darling, I-” Before he could say another word, you dropped your eyes to the floor again and fled the room. He could feel the dejection radiating across your bond before it snapped away. You had completely closed off your side of the bond.

This left Obi-Wan alone. Between what he said to you, no, more like the way he talked to you and how he was chided by his former apprentice and then the way you seemed like you couldn’t bear to be in the same room as him, let alone have your bond open, he was frozen in place. Shock at everything absolutely flooded him, and he didn’t know what he was doing.

Bringing his hands up, he rubbed his face with both palms before running them through his hair, letting out a sigh of disappointment in himself. That was no way to talk to you. Especially when all he wanted was to be closer to you, comfort you, and when he had truly wanted to help you with your injuries.

Now was not the time, though. He knew you would want time alone, and he knew you wouldn’t want him to come knocking on your door. Not after this. Not when, for the first time ever, he had raised his voice at you.

It didn’t help that everything had been so stressful, especially for you. Recently, your padawan, Tylo Dara, had been gravely injured in a previous battle despite how hard you tried to protect him.

You and your padawan along with a squad of clones were answering a call for help on Toydaria. While you had been walking through where the Separatist troops had been sighted, a blast had shattered the walls of the ravine you were walking through. It was an ambush and you, along with any unhurt clones, were barely able to fend them off. Once the firing had ceased, you had frantically searched for Taylo, only to find him pinned under multiple boulders. Relief troops thankfully came soon enough to keep your padawan and a few clones alive.

Though the attack was an ambush, you blamed yourself for everything that had happened. It took so much of Obi-Wan to finally convince you that it wasn’t your fault. Now he had most likely just undid that.

Other than the mass casualties of your clone squad, it looked like Tylo would never be well enough to spend another day training to become a Jedi. Too much in his body was damaged that the bacta tank did next to nothing. Not even the healers could fix him enough to bring him back to usual health.

That’s when it clicked for Obi-Wan. You didn’t want to lose another that you cared about. You didn’t want to lose the one you loved.

Finally breaking out of his frozen position, he went after you. There was so much that he needed to apologize for. You didn’t deserve to be spoken to like that when all you did was protect him and so many others from the falling cliffside that had been blown off. In fact, it was one of the most impressive things he had ever seen.

Although you had injuries that needed to be tended to, Obi-Wan knew that the medbay wasn’t where you would go. No, you always wanted the injured clones to gain the limited medics’ attention along with the droids. That’s why it had been customary for Obi-Wan to patch you up after every mission, even if he wasn’t on it with you. You would be so stubborn that many times you would arrive home at the Temple before letting yourself get any medical aid.

Since there wasn’t anywhere else, he knew he would find you in your room. This would seem normal if you hadn’t spent nearly all of your nights in Obi-Wan’s room.

Standing outside of your door, he took a deep breath before knocking. For a moment, he was afraid you wouldn’t answer until your door slid open.

When he looked at you, you were slouched over. Your hair was a mess and he could see the trails on your cheeks where tears had run down your face. To you, you would’ve said that you looked horrible. To him, you looked beautiful. To him, whether you were happy, sad, angry, bloody or sweaty, you always made his heart skip a beat.

Now, he just had to keep himself together so that you may forgive his imprudent words.

“May I come in?” he asked, voice slightly shaky.

You shifted from one foot to the other, “I don’t know if-”

“Y/N, please,” he said, pleading with you. If you rejected him now, he wouldn’t know what to do with himself.

When your eyes met his, you could see how desperate he was. The cerulean pools of his eyes were showing a storm of emotion that begged you to let him in. It was a look that you were never able to say no to.

Relenting, you only nodded and made your way back to the corner of your room atop of your bed. It was the closest thing you could get for comfort, the cool durasteel pressing into your back.

Relief filled Obi-Wan as he cautiously stepped into your room. Closing the door, he took a glance around. Compared to his that had both yours and his things, this room was practically empty. On top of that, it was cold and felt lonely.

When his eyes rested on you, you had your knees brought up to your chest, arms wrapped around them as you sat in the corner. Your stare was blank as your chin rested on top of your knees.

Obi-Wan’s heart twisted in guilt as he experimented through your shared bond. He was only met by your walls still locked shut. Although he couldn’t wrap his force with yours, he could still feel the sadness and grief radiating off of you. There was also remorse that floated around, but not overpowering.

Making his way over, he sat on the edge of your bed, “Y/N, I am so sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”

“But you were right,” you said, your voice small and hollow.

“No,” Obi-Wan said immediately, “No I wasn’t. Thanks to you, so many men are still alive.”

“You were right about one thing. You aren’t my padawan. I no longer have a padawan. I-” fresh tears were filling your eyes as your voice caught in your throat. “I- I no longer have Tylo.”

His heart sunk in his chest just like it had the first time you had told him of your padawan. Just like that night, he wanted to pull you into him and hold you as you cried, but he didn’t know if you would let him. He didn’t know if he crossed a line that he couldn’t come back from.

Testing the waters, he moved a hand to rest gently on an ankle, only now noticing that you hadn’t even removed your battle worn boots. When you didn’t try and move away, a small bit of relief filled him.

“I had no right bringing that up. It wasn’t fair of me, especially when I know how you feel about it.” Desperation to make his intentions truly known was starting to break through into his tone. He so badly wanted you to open up to him so that he could reinforce it all.

For what felt like the first time, you brought your eyes to meet his. There was so much pain that filled them that Obi-Wan almost broke down. The amount of sadness he caused you made him loathe himself. Anger was never the right answer and definitely not against you.

“I just didn’t want it to happen to anyone else,” you started, voice delicate and not letting sound properly make its way out, the silent parts sounding like a breeze trying to talk. “I didn’t want to lose you, Obi,” your tears began to burn down your cheeks once again as you said this.

Obi-Wan moved his hand to place it over one of yours. If this was the only comfort you’d let him give you, then he wouldn’t waste it. Then, you opened, letting him finally wrap your end of the bond to be wrapped in his comfort.

“I don’t care how much love goes against the code. I love Tylo like a son. I love Cody, I love all of the clones. I love Anakin. Obi-Wan, I love you. I love you.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t hold back anymore. He moved so that he was on his knees beside you, pulling you into him and hugging you tight. Although this was to comfort you, it comforted him just as much.

“I love you too, darling,” he said, kissing your head as your tears grew heavier and your heaving breaths grew as desperate as your hands clasping at his robes. “What you did was extraordinary and you saved so many of us. I was just so scared because I almost lost you.”

Carefully, he moved so that he was sitting, you partially on his lap as you buried your face into the crook of his neck. The spot was damp with the combination of your tears and your warm breath, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was comforting you and being there for support like you always were for him. All he cared about was that you still loved him.

“I’m sorry, Obi. I-”

“Shh, you have nothing to apologize for,” he said quickly. “I’m the only one who has to apologize. I made you feel bad for doing the right thing.”

Sniffling, you pulled away to look in his eyes. His smile melted all sadness and worry that you still stored. If that wasn’t it, then it was him wiping your face dry with the soft fabric of his undershirt.

Obi-Wan wasn’t satisfied until you smiled when he cupped your cheek with one hand and, with the other, intertwined his fingers with yours.

“Now, will you allow me to check your injuries?”

You chuckled as you brought your free hand to brush away the hair from his face, “No.”

“No?” The confusion on his face made you laugh.

“Not until I do this.”

With your hand still brushing his hair back, you slid it to the nape of his neck. As he caught on, he finished your thoughts before you were able to act. He closed the distance and pressed his lips to yours, both of you breathing out a contented sigh.

Everything around you melted away. Every doubt, fear, and shred of sadness disappeared. Obi-Wan was here. Your love was here and made you feel the safest you’ve ever been since the start of this war.

- - -

@stardancerluv @where-fantasy-meets-reality @jaydenwoo @madmax2003 @mackycat11 @generousrunawaydonut @imabeautifulbutterfly @animalgirl05

[gamergirl-niffler]

Wife’s Touch Part 2 - Male!Eivor x Reader

PART I

I actually really liked the first part... and I guess some people liked it too... I mean it actually got some notes

So! I sat and even when no one asked wrote part two

BIG AND AMAZING THANKS TO MY ONE AND ONLY @arthurbristow​ FOR CHECKING THIS MESS :3 LOVE YA!

It again pokes the main story SO BE WARNED! Just in case if someone didn’t finish the story yet.

Since Sigurd returned home, things changed. He changed. The good Jarl that loved his people dearly changed into a harsh leader.

It was hard to spot him outside his room like before, most of the time he spent away from everyone.

No one could blame him for this. Everyone heard that happen to him. They heard Eivor's story and the missing arm was a harsh reminder of the hard time Sigurd had been through.

Despite all this, people did their best to live their daily lives.

———————————————————————

You sat right outside the long house, enjoying the warm sun on your skin. This was what you needed, your body started to change and it needed rest.

Suddenly, there was a kiss placed on your forehead. Opening your eyes you saw a familiar person. Person you were bonded with in front of the Gods, many winters back.

"Enjoying the weather, I see. How do you feel my love?," Eivor asked, kneeling in front of you to place a kiss on your now bigger belly.

This was why you loved Eivor. Eivor was a ferocious warrior, strong and dangerous. He could split a man in half with one swing of his axe, he killed the whole army barehanded yet his soul was gentle and poet-like. Your husband was easily changing from warrior into loving man.

Your hand moved into his nicely done hair, of course they were nice. You made those braids yourself this morning. "I do enjoy the weather, love. I cannot spend whole days in our room. As much as I love our bed, staying there for too long can get boring."

"You never were the one to sit in place for too long. I remember when we were young, you were running around like a snow hare. It's even harder to forget what was happening once you started to wield the sword and shield," Eivor chuckled and placed one more kiss on your tummy before getting up to sit next to you.

You giggled as your thoughts returned to the times of childhood and the time when King Styrbjorn brought young Eivor to the settlement, announcing that the boy is now his son.

Your mother explained to you what happened and it became your goal to befriend that boy and make him smile again. You two became friends and then warriors, fighting, hand in hand. Later stuff went in an even better direction.

Your state was the proof of it.

"I know and I don't regret the past nor the present. I am more than happy to be by your side and carry your child."

Your husband gave you a smile and leaned in to place a kiss on your lips, which you gladly accepted.

The sweet moment was interrupted by someone clearing his throat.

It was Sigurd, of course he wanted something from his brother. "As much as I don't want to deprive a wife of her husband, I need to talk with Eivor."

You didn't want to let him go, not yet but there was no other choice.

Sigurd knew you for years, you were friends for years but in his current state you didn't want to unnecessarily get under his skin.

"Very well, I think the little one demands a nap. I'll see you soon,” you kissed Eivor's cheek before going back to the longhouse

———————————————————————

You used to be a warrior or just a useful person that liked to help around but since the pregnancy started you slept a lot. Thankfully now Eivor was in settlement on daily bases which made your sleep much calmer.

Your nap again took a few hours out of your life. You woke up to the pair of yellow eyes, watching you.

Of course the wolf was here. Giggling, you sat up and scratched Chewy behind his ears. "Aren't you a great companion?"

After some cuddles with the wolf you got up from bed and walked out of the room. You noticed Eivor standing over the map and talking to Randvi.

Walking closer you could hear their talk.

"It may be time to return to Norway. Sigurd is eager to see his father and... and beyond that, I do not know," Eivor said as he looked at the map.

"I have heard ill news about Styrbjorn in the past year. If you go, go with care," Randvi said.

You watched him nod and pierce the map with the dagger.

"We will leave now. And return as soon as we're able."

Those words made you freeze.

He wanted to go NOW? Back to Norway?! It was to travel for many days and gods know how long they will be there then they need to come back. You didn't want him to leave, you didn't want to be away from him.

Sigurd was mad and he followed him, what if they won't come back this time?

"Eivor...," Your voice already cracked.

He looked at you with those beautiful blue eyes and sighed.

Eivor didn't expect you to hear the talk, he wanted to go to you and explain it himself but here you were.

Your fragile figure shaking a little from the sudden wave or fear, eyes getting more and more shiny.

"My love...," He said quietly, moving closer to wrap his arms around you.

"I am sorry for leaving in such a rush. I wanted to tell you as soon as I was done talking to Randvi."

You nodded and nuzzled him, whimpering quietly.

"Why do you need to leave? I don't want you to go... Please stay with us,"

Honestly you had no idea where those feelings came from.

"Y/N. Listen to me," Eivor said quietly and pressed his forehead to yours.

"Whatever Sigurd is planning, I need to make sure my brother is safe. We will come back as soon as possible. I promise you that."

You looked at him, biting your lips. Of course he would follow Sigurd just... Why now? He was going mad and Eivor still went after him. You always thought that the bond between them was wonderful but this was too much.

"Eivor... I..."

"I know what you are thinking but you know you can trust me. Whatever he wants to do, I will make sure we are both safe," Eivor whispered, gently touching your cheek with his rough fingers.

Closing your eyes you took a deep breath, simply enjoying the touch and closeness.

After your nerves calmed down you opened your eyes and nodded with a soft smile.

"I trust you, Eivor."

"I swear on my honor. I will return to both of you, alive and well," He promised, touching your belly.

"Try not to... And I will pull you out from Valhalla myself," You muttered and Evior chuckled before pulling you into a slow kiss.

You returned the kiss, grabbing the hem of his cloak.

Soon he pulled away to place another kiss on your forehead. "Randvi will keep an eye on you."

"Of course I will. Everyone will. She will be safe Eivor," Randvi nodded, walking closer to the two of you.

"Travel safe and keep each other safe, Eivor. We will be waiting," She said, wrapping arms around your shoulders.

You smiled at Eivor and nodded.

"I will pray to Gods for a safe return. For both, you and Sigurd."

Eivor and you shared the last good bye and he left.

It still felt wrong, you wanted to have him close but you also couldn't keep him in one place for too long.

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Days had passed. Every day was almost the same.

You woke up with white beast in your bed, you prayed, you helped Randvi or anyone who needed help, you prayed, you waited in the docks and then ate and went to sleep.

Every day was full of unshown fear.

All you wanted was to get your husband back with you.

Your every moment was filled with quiet prayer. No matter what you were doing, the prayer was stuck in your head. "Please bring my husband and his brother back safely."

———————————————————————

One evening you decided to visit dear Valka and help her a little. Whatever could keep you busy was just perfect.

Valka smiled as soon as she saw you walking into her hut. "Y/N, how are you? And the little one?"

You returned the smile and nodded, touching your belly. "Everything is fine so far."

"I can feel you are worried. Scared even," She hummed.

You chuckled. Of course she would know, despite your smiles. It was Valka after all. Suddenly you were hugged.

"You don't need to worry. Eivor will come back to you. The night will be filled with happiness. Now come, I could use another pair of hands."

It was a mystery what she meant. She often liked to speak in riddles and you already got used to it.

The work Valka gave you was really easy. Nothing more than just organizing and preparing some of the herbs she collected during the day.

It was relaxing and the nice smell of plants smoothed your nerves.

"Y/N! Y/N! They are back!" Tove said happily as she walked inside the hut all excited.

You gasped and quickly went to the longhouse when Tove went to inform others.

The building was empty and quiet, illuminated by many torches but he was there.

Eivor stood there with Sigurd, he looked just as proud as always.

You thanked all the gods that both returned home happily.

"Eivor!,” You said happily and your feet immediately carried you to your husband.

"My love,” Eivor smiled and wrapped you in a hug as tight as possible of course without hurting you or the little one.

You nuzzled him and just then heard him hiss and groan. Pulling away you noticed some of the blood coating his tunic.

"It's alright my dear. It's nothing serious, we can take care of this later," he said as if he was hearing your thoughts.

Looking around he frowned. "We missed a great feast, it seems."

Then you realized your husband was right.

All the tables looked as if they were right after the feast or prepared for it to start. This was odd, since you did not recall any feast planned for tonight.

"Eivor..." Sigurd said getting your and Eivor's attention.

The older brother gestured to the throne. "Sit a moment... and rest."

"Sigurd." Eivor was unsure of it all. This wasn't his place, he wasn't much of a ruler.

"Go on, love," you said quietly and gently touched his shoulder, trying to encourage him.

Hesitantly Eivor walked to the throne and slowly took a seat on it, getting comfortable in the seat. He looked at his older brother who gave him an approving nod.

You couldn't stop looking at him.

Eivor looked so proud, perfect in this place. Even if he was always saying that he isn't a leader, you simply knew he was made for this. He will be a great jarl.

Randvi joined the three of you and after a brief talk about men's travel Tove brought everyone in.

"Eivor returned! Inside, at the hearth! Come!"

Sigurd decided to walk away and sit down at one of the tables

Few of the people carried torches, adding more light in the long house.

Giving Eivor a sweet smile you stepped aside to let Randvi speak.

"Eivor? Randvi? What is this? Is everything all right?,” Gudmund asked.

Randvi shook her and looked at Wolf Kissed over her shoulder.

"Our Jarl has returned... to lead us forward into an uncertain future. Will you speak to your people?"

Eivor looked at you for any kind of help. He looked nervous, not sure of it all.

You just gave him a sweet smile, assuring him that he can do it. After all, your husband did harder things than that.

"For love and joy, words can jade. Our souls must sound in a heartful song. And when... no, no," shaking his head he got up from the throne and walked closer to all the people he called friends.

"You are less mine than I am yours. And I ask of you only this, keep me honest in the times to come."

The Long House was quiet.

People looked at Eivor and each other.

The sudden change of Jarl was for sure a big surprise for everyone but it for sure wasn't unwelcomed.

Bragi broke the silien with a song and soon everyone joined, so did you.

In just a few minutes this special moment changed into a big feast.

Feast filled with family, friends, joy and singing.

It was hard to remember the last time that the whole settlement was so full of happiness.

Such moments were rare but they were honest, this was the most important.

———————————————————————

You and Eivor returned to your shared bedroom really late at night. Other people stayed up to have more fun but you needed your sleep and Eivor was happy to follow you.

"You didn't tell me about the wound," You frowned, noticing the wound on his belly.

Eivor looked down on the said wound; the souvenir of the fight with Basim.

He nodded and gave you a little smile.

"I did not because there was no need to worry you. This wound is shallow."

Letting out annoyed sighs, you nodded as he sat down on the bed. You immediately moved to sit right behind him.

Your hands moved into his hair, loosening the braids and combing through Eivor's beautiful blond hair with your fingers.

Your husband hummed and quickly relaxed thanks to your touch. It was nice to feel a familiar touch after weeks of fighting.

You worked until his hair were completely loose and than you placed a gently kiss on the scare on the right side of his nape

"My beloved husband."

Eivor smiled and then turned around to lie down with you right by his side.

Watching you he smiled.

"My beautiful wife who is carrying our child. I can't wait for the little one to be here. I hope your days were calm when I wasn't here."

"Yes, the little one was really calm," You chuckled, touching your belly. "I was the worried one."

He nodded and took the big fur to cover both of you. Once this was done Eivor pressed his forehead to your and closed his eyes, you did the same.

"Rest now. No need to worry any longer. I am here and I will protect both of you."

You smiled a little and nuzzled him. He was back home, this was what you both needed. Soon both of you fell asleep.

———————————————————————

Morning was something you loved the most most. Getting ready for the day was always fun.

"You know. Since you are our Jarl now. I think I will braid your hair differently. Something that speaks; Leader," You hummed, looking at Eivor's hair.

He laughed warmly and nodded. "Very well, I put myself and my hair at your mercy, wife."

"Oh don't worry, you will look beautiful as always. I will make sure of it."

Braiding Eivor's hair took you longer than you expected but you were really proud with your hand work.

He looked more handsome than ever, honestly you were surprised that it's even possible.

The two of you walked out of the room, holding hands.

You noticed Eivor frowning a little more than you noticed what he saw.

His brother stood next to the entrance to a map room, his arms crossed over his chest. Sugurd didn't look happy, he looked concerned.

"Sigurd...," Eivor asked, moving closer to his brother gently pulling you behind himself.

"Eivor. Before you say more, I must tell you something. Randvi and I have... Have ended our marriage," He said slowly.

You gasped quietly a bit shocked but on the other hand you understand it.

Everyone knew their marriage was the complete opposite of yours and Eivor's.

Yours came out of love when there was an arrangement.

"I am sorry to hear that," Eivor said softly.

You wanted to add something but Sigurd was quicker than you.

"Ah, do not be. Both of you. We adore one another dearly, but our marriage was not built on love. We were brought together as an act of peace. I was pledged to her well before I knew her. And though we have tried to settle our differences and find love in our faults..." He shook his head. "It has not worked out. And so we have dissolved our bond. Yet as a clan, we will grew together."

"Then I'm glad for you both. And for the rest of us. This place would not be the same without you two," Eivor agreed, nodding.

You also nodded eagerly. "That is the truth, Sigurd. Our settlement would feel empty without both of you."

Sigurd smiled at you. "Y/N. My dear sister in law, I owe you an apology. I haven't been too kind to you lately, it was all because of my clouded mind," he placed hand on your belly.

"Please, forgive me for this behaviour. I can't tell you how happy and thankful I am for everything you do for my brother. I hope your child will be as strong as he is and as beautiful as you are."

You giggled and nodded. "Thank you Sigurd and really. It was nothing, I understood everything."

Man nodded his head and pointed at Eivor.

"And you, little brother. Keep her safe and close, if you ever let her go or hurt her... I will kick your ass." Eivor laughed loudly and nodded. "I promise on my honor and life and all the gods."

You smiled and squeezed his hand. "Oh I know it all, I don't need to promise anything my love."

After this little talk, Sigurd walked away.

You and Eivor decided to go for a walk, just to enjoy each other. You could already tell that better times were here and you couldn't wait for more.

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