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stuff-from-the-void-matron · 4 years ago

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Laurel Wreaths & Animal Teeth (5)

(c!Technoblade x fem!Reader)

(got a decent amount of interest on chapter 4 so here’s chapter 5! hope you all enjoy! and remember, chapter 6 depends on how well this chapter does! so remember to comment and reblog! thanks y’all! <3)

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You’d rung the bell, the sound alerting the villagers that things were all okay again. Soon they were all outside again and a lot came over to see what was going on. You were standing by two human kids. Villagers were typically pretty neutral to humans, unless they hurt them or broke their stuff. Though they tended to avoid humans (even the small/young ones) because of how dangerous they had the potential to be.

This was sorta reinforced by today’s little drama. But with you there the villagers weren’t worried. They trusted you to keep them safe and protect them and their homes/businesses. Plus a few of them kind of heard you scolding the two human boys and well, villagers are true gossips because word spread through the small population hilariously fast. And yes they may have snickered over the two boys getting lectured like they did. But you’d never know that.

During this Tommy and Tubbo took the time to look around at the village. They noticed there wasn’t a single piece of cobblestone anywhere, much to Tommy’s outrage and Tubbo’s amusement. Tommy made sure to loudly gripe about how the village lost all of it’s ‘cool factor’ because you took the cobblestone away. He even started to say that if cobblestone was like a woman he’d-... but he stopped when he seemed to realize that not only was he standing directly next to an ACTUAL woman but an adult one…

He started sweating nervously and shooting a glare at Tubbo when the brown haired boy snickered at his uncomfortable position, but in the end he sort of mumbled,

“Uh.. you don’t wanna know what I’d… do.. pft.”

Tubbo couldn’t hold it in anymore and broke out into laughter, with Tommy right behind him. While you just shook your head and made a ‘tsk’ing’ noise at the goofy pair. But you didn’t bother to hide your amused smile. Once they’d calmed down you resumed your trek.

As you walked the two boys noted the second thing that stood out to them in the village were all the identical patterned banners that were hung up. The two tone ones with the golden suns on them. Tubbo lightly tugged on your sleeve, causing you to blink and look down at him curiously, and he asked why you hung them up everywhere. Was it to show this was your village or?

“Huh? Oh no, I didn’t hang those up, the villagers did. Though I made the original ones, the ones I hung up on my home. But the villagers liked them so much they made their own,” you explained with a calm smile.

Hearing this made the boys share a confused look before Tommy bluntly said that villagers never made patterned banners, they only hung up the plain ones. He’d never heard of them making banners ever. But you just shrugged and said the day after you’d hung up yours the villagers had all started copying you. You’re not 100% sure why (though you have a suspicion it’s the worship thing… but you didn’t bring that up..), you just assumed it was because they took a liking to them.

“I just wanted some decoration for my house and made the banner to spruce the place up, and it was sweet they liked them so much,” you added with a smile.

Tommy tilted his head before looking around the village and asking which house was yours. He pointed at one that was made of wood, stone, and pink terracotta and asked if that was it because ‘you’re a girl, girls like pink right?’ which just made you laugh and shake your head.

“Some girls like pink, sure. Though I know some boys do as well. But no that’s not my house. Mine is up there on the hill at the other end of the village, see?” You pointed towards your temple home and the two boys followed your gesture and their eyes widened at the sight of the huge white quartz temple.

Almost instantly Tommy started shouting about how that wasn’t a house, it was some kinda mansion or something! You just laughed and asked if he’d even ever seen a mansion before. He paused for a second, mouth open like he was going to say something but nothing came out. But then he caught himself and loudly said he’d seen LOADS of mansions before! So he knew what he was talking about.

You didn’t bother questioning him, you know he didn’t sound too sure, but what harm was there in letting him pretend he knew when he didn’t? Regardless, you and the two boys continued walking through the village, but Tommy and Tubbo (thinking that made you feel crazy still) said they wanted to see your cool house. You raised an eyebrow and asked if ALL they planned to do was look.

“It took exactly two days and two nights to build it, I don’t want two troublemakers wrecking it,” you said with a suspicious tone.

Tommy was first to heave a put upon sigh as he said they weren’t gonna wreck your stuff! But it was Tubbo who cut in and said that no way did you build that huge thing in just a couple days! It would have had to take you a week at best!

You tilted your head and said it didn’t take a ‘couple days’ only, it took two days and two nights straight. But that answer just baffled the two boys more. And Tommy said in a disbelieving voice,

“You built for 48 hours straight?” You nodded and Tommy raised an eyebrow, not seeming to believe you.

“What, did ya just eat along the way?? Fought mobs while building at night??” He asked, sounding amused. And you, entirely without thinking how WEIRD it was going to sound, just replied that you’d sort of forgotten to eat while you were building.

“Yeah I got way too focused on building and after scrapping the first three builds I tried and settled on my temple house I got too into it and forgot to eat or sleep.”

You admitted it with some shame before quickly turning to the two stunned boys and saying they shouldn’t do stuff like that, it was irresponsible and dangerous! Tommy frowned and replied that YOU just admitted to doing those very things! But you countered that you were an adult and allowed to make your own stupid choices, but as kids they should heed smart advice.

“It’s very much a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ type situation,” you said with a wry smile.

The blond was very much going to argue against that but you all finally scaled the path leading up the hill to your temple home and Tubbo saw the chest situated outside your home to the left of the front door. Without thinking he went over and started plundering through the chest, but yelped when you smacked his hand, causing him to pull both hands out of the chest and tuck them close to his stomach.

“Don’t go through my gift chest! The villagers use this to give me thank you gifts!” you scold the brunet boy.

They start bombarding you with questions, like why on earth do the villagers give you gifts? What kind of gifts were they? What’d you do to earn them? Are you blackmailing the villagers? If so, then can you teach them how to do that? You burst out laughing at the way the questions just got more and more absurd.

“No! I do not blackmail anyone! Lord, what is with you two kids? No, I work to protect the village and help the villagers master their crafts. And in return they thank me with gifts they make,” you answered with an amused grin.

But it seemed the blond only focused on one part of your reply, and it was the part where you called him a kid. A split second of dumbfounded stunned silence ensued before he snapped out of it and started raging, much to your and Tubbo’s amusement.

“I ain’t no CHILD! I am a MAN! A tall and powerful man who don’t gotta take crap from nobody! TUBBO STOP LAUGHING! SHE CALLED YOU A CHILD TOO!”

Tubbo didn’t even respond, he was too busy laughing. You were laughing too but managed to calm down enough to say that there was nothing wrong with being a child, it just meant you had more learning to do and experience to gain. Tommy and Tubbo seemed to calm down at hearing this, at least until you reached out and pinches both boys’ cheeks and cooed,

“And besides, you’re both cute widdle babies~!”

Now they were both hollering about ‘not being babies!’ and kicking up a huge fuss, much to your amusement.

-0-

After that you’d gone through the day’s gifts and saw most of them were the usual stuff (but still great). Plenty of bread and fruit, potion stuff, and a fur blanket. You packed away the food in a chest, put up the potion supplies by your brewing station, and threw the nice fur blanket across the end of your bed as decoration. All in all they were lovely gifts.

But one of the gifts really stood out. A red wooden box. And when you opened it you saw it had 6 engraved gold bangles. And they had different engravings. Some were carved to have leafy vines, some had geometric shapes, others had fish scale patterns, and even some with simple swirls and dots. But they all had a hinge to open them and a thin chain to keep them from falling off should they accidentally come open.

You loved all the gifts the villagers got you, how could you not? They were the fruits of their labor and skill! But these bracelets just hit different? You’d always liked gold, it was pretty and just crisp looking. SO without hesitation you’d put the bracelets on, three on each wrist before admiring them in the waning light of the sunset.

You’d even showed the two teen boys after you put them on and they said they looked nice, though you could tell they were only being polite, most likely because they had no interest in jewelry. Though you appreciate them trying to be nice for your sake. But while you were admiring your latest gift Tubbo noticed something simmering in your cauldron by your brewing stand.

He cautiously approached it while you were showing Tommy your enchantment table and library (tommy wanted to enchant his sword). The brown haired boy let the scent from the lightly bubbling cauldron waft across his face and he breathed it in with a pleased sigh. Whatever this was it was clearly food, but damn did it smell like utter heaven! He could see chunks of steak, cuts of potato and carrot, and some other green bits he didn’t recognize. But he did recognize the light golden sheen the stew(?) had. Just like an enchanted golden apple!

All three of you blinked when a sudden growing gurgle sounded through the quartz temple. You and Tommy looked over at Tubbo, whose face was red with embarrassment. He laughed awkwardly and said the food smelled good, and he hadn’t eaten since breakfast as his excuse. But you just gave a laugh and went over to the cauldron, scooting him out of the way so you could check on it.

The two watched you stir the concoction with a wooden spoon before tasting some and letting out a pleased hum. Cooking was similar to potion making so you’d started doing both lately to keep yourself busy. You’d started with the recipes you already knew from the game. Mushroom stew, beetroot soup, rabbit stew, bread, etc. But those got boring fast so you decided.. why not try something new? So you’d started just doing whatever sounded like a good idea.

You learned LOTS of new recipes (and made sure to jot them down in a book so you didn’t forget them/what they did) but you also made some truly vile foodstuff. Lots of your failed concoctions ended up in the trash. But this latest one actually tasted darn good to you. After trying it you even noticed it gave you the same effects as the enchanted golden apple. Which was cool since you’d marinated the steak you’d put in the stew in a bowl of enchanted gapple juice.

Behind you you could hear Tubbo bugging Tommy, asking him to give him some food since he ran out and his hunger was low. But Tommy refused, saying he only had one loaf of bread left and Tubbo should have brought more food! You rolled your eyes at the bickering pair of boys before wordlessly grabbing some wooden bowls and scooping some of the enchanted beef stew into them before calling over your shoulder,

“Y’all two want some stew? It turned out really good this time I think.”

Tubbo gave a thankful, “Oh yes, please!” while Tommy gave a childish, “Yeah! Gimme!” that made you want to laugh at their silliness. But instead you just handed over the two bowls of stew. You turned back around to grab yourself one (because you might not NEED food but it still tastes good) and while your back was turned you heard them greedily slurping and munching on the stew. You’d turned back and came face to face with two boys with empty bowls held out to you to show they’d like more. You barked out a laugh and teasingly asked if it was any good.

Tommy didn’t seem to want to wait and shook his bowl and demanded in a snarky tone to “Hurry it up woman!” which.. made you frown. You were giving him a very unamused look, which he seemed to register and realize he may have misstepped here. He sweat anxiously with a nervous smile while Tubbo’s face dropped and he held his own bowl closer to his chest, not liking the tense silence. For some reason having you upset with him made him not feel so good. Like it was a bone deep feeling that left him hugely on edge. Tubbo glanced over at his best friend and knew the same could be said for him, because Tommy looked vaguely ill. But after a harsh elbow jab from the brunet the blond seemed to snap into the present and stuttered,

“I was-uh, y’see I was only.. kidding. Yeah! Kidding! What I really meant was can I please have some more??”

Your frown twitched before turning into a wry smile. You huffed out a chuckle that made both boys' anxieties fade. Their bodies seemed to deflate from how tense they’d been before as you handed over the full bowl in your hand to him and said while you ruffled his hay colored hair,

“Nice save kiddo, because if you’d have been smarting off for real I’d have been pretty irked. Thankfully it was only a joke~”

Tommy gave a relieved chuckle before he shamelessly gobbled down his new bowl of stew, seemingly back to normal now that you didn’t seem upset at him anymore. You mentally shook your head, he was such a kid it was pretty funny. But then you turned your gaze to Tubbo and held your hand out for his bowl, which he happily handed over with a shy ‘thank you!’ that made you smile. Soon they were both digging in all over again. Only this time you joined them, positively delighted with how this new stew had turned out. After eating you’d even offered them some iced tea you’d made. And this had started a whole Thing with the two British boys.

They’d argued that iced tea was an abomination and hot tea was the only right way to do tea. You’d rolled your eyes and asked if they’d ever even TRIED iced tea before. That got Tubbo to sorta stutter before falling silent but Tommy, ever the hard headed one, just plowed on and said he didn’t NEED to try it to know it wasn’t good. You gave him a Look and shook your head before convincing them to just try it and if they didn’t like it then they could dump it out. After some back and forth they caved and tried it, and lo and behold they both enjoyed it. The crisp drink was perfect for warm weather, unlike hot tea. But even after begrudgingly admitting it wasn’t ‘total shit’ Tommy refused to admit he liked it better than ‘proper tea’. You took this all as a win regardless.

-0-

You’d spent the majority of the day with the two young boys, just showing them around and feeding them and goofing off. You’d forgotten how fun it was to interact with people like this. To have actual conversation that wasn’t just ‘hms’ and ‘hngs’ like with the Villagers. You still loved the villagers, they were good folks but you’d missed talking with people normally. Which is why you were understandably bummed out when you saw the sun was getting dangerously close to the horizon. But you knew being out after dark wasn’t wise for regular people. You even brought it up to the two boys, not wanting them to have to face any hostile mobs on their way home. They reassured you they’d be fine, they’ve got good gear and enchanted weapons, but you still worried.

Though instead of letting it get to you and ruining the rest of the evening you instead packed the two boys some food to go. You put the rest of the stew into bowls and served up a couple more glasses of iced tea before gifting them to them, making sure they each got an equal share. Tubbo tried to politely say you didn’t have to give them anything while Tommy just let out a ‘whoop!’ and shoved his share into his inventory with a wide grin. That helped Tubbo accept his too without any more shyness. Soon they were all packed up and ready to go home, wherever that was.

But before they headed off Tubbo asked if they could come back, with Tommy perking up at the question, clearly wanting to know your answer too. With a smile you said of course they could come back to visit you and your village. You’d be delighted to host them again! Even if your first impression of them wasn’t that nice. You chuckled when Tommy had the decency to at least look somewhat sheepish. But your smile wasn’t upset and let them know you were only teasing, and it was water under the bridge.

“I look forward to you two coming back again! Maybe you can help me out around the village and in return I can pay you or maybe make you both more food-”

Tommy and Tubbo cut you off by almost yelling out in unison, “FOOD!” which made you laugh out loud. You held up a hand in mock surrender and agreed to make them more food the next time they stopped by. The pair looked excited and waved before picking the berries from the bushes surrounding your village (so they wouldn’t take damage from the thorns) and hurried through them. You waved goodbye in return then took some bone meal out to help the bushes grow back before heading back home.

You had a great day, and weren’t lying when you said you couldn’t wait for the two to come back.

-0-

Tommy and Tubbo made it back to L’manburg without too much fuss, only having to kill a few zombies and skeletons along the way. Though by the time they got back it was very much after dark and everyone had settled in for the night to avoid the hostile mobs. So the two boys didn’t bother checking in with anyone since it was already late and they were tired from the journey back. But to their surprise Wilbur was waiting up for them in the kitchen, sipping some tea and working on some papers.

“Oi, you two are back late. Run into trouble or somethin’?” Wilbur asked with a wry grin.

And that released the floodgates of the two teen boys unloading everything that’d happened that day. From finding the village to accidentally fighting an iron golem, to meeting YOU! And everything else after. Wilbur listened with wide eyes, surprised to hear them talk about meeting a new person, a stranger outside of a country/city place that they knew of. One that apparently took over a village? Weird.

But L’manburg could always use more allies.

Maybe he should go pay you a visit too.

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@salinesoot @lady-bee-fechin @kacchasu @putridjoy @lunawritesstories @galaxypankitty3030 @paradigmax @zachariethememerie @killmewithafanfic @trinity-1002107 @hufflepuff-demigod @truthdaze @exorcisms-with-elmo @redbloodtea @heythereimhaylz @olyink @jackalopedoodles @nikkineeky @artsimatsu @hufflepuff-demigod

#technoblade x reader #technoblade #c!techno #dream smp #dsmp #mcyt x reader #c!tommy #c!tubbo #c!wilbur

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forever-rogue · 4 years ago

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In Name Only - Part 14

A/N: Hello friends, I’m so excited to share another chapter of INO with you! I hope you still love it as much as I do! Please note, I did do some research for this chapter, so what you’re reading is pretty much historically accurate! As always, feedback and comments are welcome, and if you’d like to be tagged, let me know. xx

Pairing: Oberyn Martell x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 7.1k

Warnings: mentions of violence and injury

IN NAME ONLY SERIES MASTERLIST

MASTERLIST

»»————-　♡　————-««

The journey back to Sunspear took just shy of a week and was...surprisingly tranquil compared to your brief stay in Starfall. It was such a shame really, because it was a beautiful place and the people were kind, except for the lady of the house herself. She hadn’t been inherently mean, no, you’d be lying if you said she was, but she just rubbed you the wrong way. The very wrong way with her accusations and contrite words against your beloved.

When you had left, your eyes had scanned the wood for any signs of the mysterious woman you had met. You were still questioning your own mental state and really did wonder if you had imagined the whole thing. But surely...you hadn’t made it all up....

That morning at breakfast before your departure, you politely declined the tea that was placed in front of you without so much as a word. Oberyn had glanced in your direction for just a moment but if his suspicions were raised, he didn’t show it. When you had departed, he had briefly asked what happened and you were upfront with him as you had vowed to be. You had nothing to hide from him, and no reason to ever feel the need, so why would you now?

“Moon tea,” you had told him calmly with a shrug of your shoulders as his left eyebrow arch raised in surprise as it was prone to doing. He opened his mouth to say something but you stopped him by gently putting your hand on his chest and giving him a small kiss, “don’t worry...there’s no need. Even if I thought….I could, I would not take it, dear husband.”

“Is that what the hurry to leave is about?” he asked quietly, an arm protectively finding its way around your waist. Stiffening for a moment, you gave him a small nod as he cast a furtive glance back at the castle, “did she do anything to you?”

“No,” you insisted, deciding to leave out the little detail that you had in fact drank the tea yesterday in a moment of confusion and worry, “she just...she drinks it in order to keep from falling pregnant by other men. Apparently she and her husband do not have great relations and she knows she can only have a child when there is no doubt that it is his heir.”

“Oh,” he said softly as you nodded, making sure that no one overheard your private conversations. If something was going to be spilling their secrets, you were going to make sure it was not you, “I see...why would she encourage you to drink it? We are married.”

A small pit formed in your stomach as you looked at him, offering him a soft smile before touching his cheek gently. He keened as into your warmth as he always did, and your heart felt like it broke a little. All the nasty accusations thrown out about him were disgusting and you would never allow anyone to do such a thing again. Next time you would have a more rigid backbone.

“She…” you trailed for a moment as you looked at him, finding his honeyed eyes watching you intently, “I love you, Oberyn. You know that, right?”

“Of course, my sunshine,” he promised, pressing a feather light kiss to the palm of your hand, “and I love you. More and more every passing day.”

“Lady Dayne is not immune to gossip and appears to love stirring up trouble when there is no need,” you decided to leave it at that as you walked over to your horses, pulling Oberyn along behind you. Part of you hoped he would leave it, let it go and be done with it, but you knew your husband better than that. He was silent as he helped you on your mare before mounting his steed. You could practically feel his eyes boring into you, so you turned to him, “Oberyn. People talk and spread rumors of things they know nothing about…”

“About me,” he said meekly, causing you to nod, “about-”

“It does not matter to me,” you cut him short, “I know the truth, you know the truth, and the people that matter do as well. That’s all that matters.”

“What aren’t you telling me?” just as you were growing proficient at reading him, he was the same with you.

“She said you would grow bored of me soon and then toss me to the side,” you finally admitted, “that you would tire of me once I am no longer shiny and new and find another plaything.”

Oberyn’s mouth hung open ever so slightly as his heart seemed to break slightly at your words - the shake to your voice. He reached for your hand and took it in his much larger one, giving it a tight squeeze, “that is not true. None of it. I-I -”

“I know, Oberyn,” you promised gently, almost wishing you hadn’t said anything at all at the upset look on his face, “that is what I meant - she likes to worry about things that do not concern and stir the pot when there is no need. I don’t like the lies or the negativity, which is largely the reason for my request for a sudden departure.”

“You know I would never do that to you,” he said softly, “that is not who I am, and I would not-”

“You have never given me a reason to doubt you, my love,” you insisted. He hadn’t; in fact he proved to you that you were his and he was yours, countless times, starting with when you had worried about a possible reconciliation with Ellaria, “and I do not. I have told you, as you have me, that if there comes a time when you wish to...take another lover you can do so.”

“That won’t happen,” he promised with an air of finality, “no one could take away the shine from my sunshine, not even on the most dreary of days, You have me, heart and soul forever, sweet girl.”

“You are a poet as much as a warrior and diplomat, my Prince,” you could practically feel yourself glowing under his praise as a gentle warmth flushed all over you, “I would be a fool to ever doubt your devotion.”

“Indeed you would,” he agreed with a small smirk, a bit of playfulness returning to his features. He spurred the steed on as he broke away from you, causing you to laugh before you chased after him. You would never have to worry about his love - that much you knew in your heart and soul.

»»————-　♡　————-««

"Oh," the words crashed around your ears like a ton of bricks as you tried your best to keep a neutral expression on your face. The look on his was nothing but apologetic but the words still stung. You had just returned to Sunspear the evening before and here he was, ready to depart again. Although you had spent countless hours together recently, it didn't take this any easier. You'd spend all the hours of all your days with him if you could, “oh.”

"I am terribly sorry, my love," he said as you nodded, "Doran just informed me - apparently this is one of those times when I get no say in anything. But he's too poorly to travel right now, so I must take his place instead as it my duty as both his brother and as the Prince.”

"What about Arianne?" you pouted at him slightly, a last bit of a desperate plea to get him to stay as you tried to keep your lip from trembling too much.

"She is coming with me," he said gently, "she's learning, but she still needs guidance sometimes..."

"And what about me?" you asked as he sighed lightly, not at you, but the situation rather, "its safe, right? Now that the young Stark is King? There's no need to worry-"

"Sunshine," he said gently but with a firm as he reached up and put his hand on the back of your neck, "please, please just listen to me. I know it seems safe, but there are always dangers out there. People will try anything to tear each other down, and in other parts of the kingdom they will not hesitate to do so, with or without the Stark King and Queen in the North. I just want you here...where I know I will come back to you safe and sound."

"What about you?" you were misty eyed by now as you tried to retain whatever little bit of composure you had to begin with, "what if something happens to you? I would never forgive myself-"

"Nothing will happen to me," he promised as he rested his forehead against yours, gently wiping away the few tears that had rolled down your cheeks, "no one would dare tread on the Red Viper. I will always, always, come back to you in one piece."

"Promise?" you asked meekly as you let your lips graze against his ever so slightly. You could feel his tug into a minute smile as he nodded; you never wanted to let him go.

"Always."

"And you'll be careful?"

"Of course."

"And you'll take Jeron and the best of your men with you?"

"Who will that leave you with here?"

"I have Asha," you reminded him of your young handmaiden that you adored beyond measure. You had been glad to reunite with her after almost a month apart, "and besides. I have all of Dorne at my side."

"I'm sorry about leaving so soon," he whispered as his hand started to slowly roam your body, pulling a small gasp from your lips, "I will make my stay as short as possible."

"Please do," you said softly, trying to stifle the moan from spilling last your lips, as he started to place light kisses along your jaw and neck, "I want you back here, in one piece as quickly as possible. I love you..."

"I love you too, sweet girl," he promised, "before I leave, let me show you how much..."

»»————-　♡　————-««

“What’s wrong?” Alistair asked, tugging lightly on your skirts as you turned to look at him. The small boy was watching you with wide, gentle eyes as he held a half eaten cookie in his hand. Your heart melted at the sight, and you quickly bent down to kiss the top of his dark, curly hair. You thought you had been masking your sadness and worry well enough, but apparently your efforts were not enough. It was hard enough to hide anything from a child anyway.

“Nothing, sweet boy,” you promised him, although the lie felt weak on your tongue and out loud, lingering slightly too long in the warm Dornish air, “I suppose I’m just a bit tired.”

“Are you sure?” he asked as you nodded, but before either of you could say anything else, he stretched out his hand to you, the cookie still in it, “do you want this? Cookies always make me feel better.”

“You…” you didn’t have it in your heart to say no, so you took the cookie and bit off a piece before offering him the remainder, which he eagerly accepted. The two of you ate it in silence, and you felt a wave of emotion wash over you, and there was only a moment of hesitation before you scooped him up in your arms and held him tightly to your chest. He quickly snuggled up to you, “you are an absolute sweetheart. Thank you so much.”

“You just looked sad,” he said softly, “my sister always gives me cookies when I’m sad.”

“Well that’s very wise of you,” you said softly, putting him back down, “now, why don’t you go outside and play with the other kids? It’s a beautiful day.”

“Okay,” he agreed, going to the door to start heading out but quickly turned back to you, “if you’re still sad, you can come out and play with us!”

“Thank you,” you shot him a wink as he laughed, giving you a wave before he ran out into the warm, golden sunlight.

“The stress weighs heavy on you,” Asha commented as she came back, causing you to give her a tightlipped smile, “it is best not to worry.”

"How am I not to worry, Asha?" you mused as you started to cut up fresh fruit for a snack for the children, making it a point to avoid the berries that reminded you so much of your husband. Your hands were trembling slightly as you tried to focus on keeping your knife cuts neat and clean, "it has been over a fortnight since I have heard from Oberyn. This isn't like him..."

"Perhaps he's just very preoccupied," she offered, coming over to your side and motioning for you to hand her the knife. Sighing lightly, you gave it to her as doubts swirled your mind, "business can take longer than usual sometimes."

You huffed slightly as you leaned against the counter, "Arianne is home and safe...while couldn't the fool come back with her?"

"It will be okay," she insisted although she too was getting mildly worried. It wasn't like Oberyn to just seemingly drop off the face of the planet like this.

"What if it's not?" you tried not to cry and have a complete breakdown, "what if he's hurt o-or worse? What if he's..."

"Stop," she stated firmly, such an edge to her voice that your head snapped into her direction. The young woman seemed surprised by her own sharpness and she set down the knife and gave you an apologetic look, but you just shook your head, "Oberyn is not...he couldn't be. He's the Red Viper...he wouldn't just die."

Your lower lip started to tremble as you tried not to completely lose it. The idea that Oberyn could possibly be harmed, or even worse...dead was a possibility that you refused to fully accept. Something was causing a delay, you were sure of it. Oberyn wouldn't just...leave. Or unnecessarily delay his return. Right? Right. So then why were you questioning it?

"You're right," you agreed quietly, trying to hide the worry and concern in your voice. She didn't need to worry unnecessarily, and if she saw you worrying, she likely would also. You had to remain strong, for her, for everyone else, and most importantly for yourself. That was your job now, as his wife and one of the heads of the Martell family. You swallowed the lump in your throat before hastily pulling off your apron and tossing it onto the counter, "you're right, Asha. Its Oberyn - he would never let anything happen to him. If his return is delayed, its for a reason. A good one."

"Are you-"

"Stay here," you gave her shoulder a gentle touch, "please finish up my duties for the day. I have to return to the palace...I just remembered that I was to see Doran this afternoon."

»»————-　♡　————-««

Practically sprinting back to the palace, you pulled up your skirts and ignored the curious looks of the people you passed by. You didn’t care, nothing in that moment mattered besides getting back to Doran giving him a little surprise inquisition. He had been calm, terribly calm, the whole Oberyn time had been gone. If he thought something had happened to his young brother, he would have been worried, surely. Doran, you had come to realize, was a lot of things. He was a good man - smart, kind, funny at times, but above all else he was a man that was deeply devoted to his family. Just like all the Martells were; it was a trait that was strong through with all of them. Doran had to know something.

You waved off all the inquisitive shouts of your name and made a beeline for Doran’s study, opening the door without hesitation. You must have startled him greatly because the book that was in his hands fell and tumbled to the desk, and he made a small sound of surprise. Taking a moment to gather himself, he earmarked the page he was on, something that would greatly wound Oberyn if he was there to witness it, before setting it down and softly saying your name before turning to you. You could see that there was just a glint of nerves in his eyes.

“Where is Oberyn?” you asked him before slamming the door shut and striding over to his desk, a look of rage and anger on your face as your chest heaved up and down. Doran’s face paled as he opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to figure out how to answer you. Putting your hands on his desk, you stared the older man down, “where is my husband?!”

“My dear, there is no reason to worry,” he insisted softly, trying to calm you down before you flew into an even bigger fit of rage. It was in that moment that he saw a little of Oberyn in you and he wondered if it was him rubbing off on you or your true self coming out. In reality, you were a calm, composed person, not prone to sudden mood swings, but now, in between your worry and fear, you were beyond yourself, “Oberyn is fine.”

“How can you be so sure?” you asked softly, a dangerous edge to your words, “unless you’ve been speaking with him or you know something I don’t. Now tell me, why wouldn’t my husband tell me where he was or what he was doing?”

“Sometimes the nature of these things is confidential and they can take time and-”

“I’m his wife,” you reminded him firmly, “he has nothing to hide from me - he wouldn’t. If you won’t tell me what is going I’ll just go to King’s Landing myself and find him.”

“You wouldn’t-”

“Try me,” you straightened up and crossed your arms over your chest as you stared him down, “who would dare to stop me? As much as I would hate to resort to this, I will use whatever pull I have, and I don’t think people would argue with Oberyn Martell’s wife.”

“You mustn’t resort to that,” he insisted quietly and you felt relieved and yet...you could see that he was still struggling with something. You signed lightly before softening your expression and coming to the conclusion that you might have gone on too fast and too hard, “I know where he is.”

“Oh,” you said in a surprised tone as you tried to figure out if that was a positive or negative thing, “oh. You knew this whole time? And y-you didn’t think to tell me?”

“It is was nothing to concern yourself over-”

“My husband is gone for weeks longer than he should be, I have been worried day and night and you didn’t think i should be concerned? If you’d at least have told me what was going on I wouldn’t be so upset!” you threw your hands up in exasperation, “I just...I don’t care about anything, but I just want to make sure he’s okay. That’s all that matters.”

“After he and Arianne finished their business in King’s Landing, Oberyn turned his attention to Old Town,” he explained as you almost jumped back in surprise.

“Old Town,” you repeated slowly, almost not able to believe the words he was saying. Your mouth opened and closed a few times as you tried to process the news, “Old Town...that’s the Reach...right by Honeyholt. Why on earth would he go there….without me? That’s my home...he didn’t mention…”

“He did not disclose his business to me either,” Doran admitted with a feeble sound from the back of his throat, “I pressed him to tell me and he refused. I encouraged the fool to tell you and he refused. Oberyn is a stubborn man when he wants to be and will not be forced into doing anything he does not fancy. I am sorry for I too have been a fool. I should have told you sooner - when he first informed me of his extended stay.”

“I just don’t...understand,” you admitted quietly, “what is there for him in Old Town? There’s nothing or there’s....”

Brothels. Plenty of them. Old Town was famous for many things but the most predominant things were by far the Citadel and the brothels that littered the land amply. You couldn’t even bring yourself to say the word out loud.

“Yes,” Doran acknowledged as you held out a hand out to steady yourself. You weren’t mad, you weren’t angry…you were just surprised. Surprised that he hadn’t told you of his whereabouts, of his intentions, of anything really. You were sure that you could tell him anything and vice versa. But apparently you had been mistaken, “I am sorry, young one. But I would not worry about his safety or well-being. He should return soon, and I am sure in one piece. The rumors about him...his tendencies...I would not worry about them. They’re just rumors - folly.”

“Of course, Your Highness,” you pulled your trembling lips into a tight smile in order to keep yourself from crying. You felt like a fool - not because you had trusted or loved Oberyn, you still did to both, but for worrying for nothing. It was not your position to be angry for taking solace in the comfort of other beds if that was indeed what he had done. You’d made that clear many, many times. But you wished he would have told you something, anything instead of keeping you waiting around.

“Do not worry-”

“I am not worried,” you insisted meekly, “not anymore. As long as I know he’s safe, that’s all that matters to me.”

“You do not have to worry about his devotion to you-”

“Lady Martell?” the door to Doran’s slowly opened and a young man who recognized from around the palace grounds stuck his head in. You quieted any sniffles that had welled up and quickly dabbed at your wet eyes before turning to him. You offered him the warmest smile you could muster up as he looked between you and the older prince, clearly sensing that something heavy had just been discussed, “I-I’m sorry to interrupt. The Maester asked me to summon you.”

The Maester. Of course. In your haste and worry over your husband, you’d completely forgotten that you’d agreed to go and see the Maester that very afternoon. Sighing lightly, you nodded at him, “let him know I will be there in just a few moments.”

“The Maester?” Doran asked as you refused to meet his eyes, “is everything alright, my dear?”

“Quite,” you answered softly, “I suppose I will see you at dinner then. I-I’m sorry for coming and causing a scene for no reason.”

“There is no need for apologies,” he insisted as you offered a curt nod in response before seeing yourself out of his study. You did want to pity yourself and your foolish heart, but you didn’t have time for that now. That would wait until later, when you were in your chambers by yourself.

Straightening your shoulders, you tried to hold yourself as tall as possible as you crossed the palace grounds in search of the Maester. You’d never met him before, but you were sure that he would be as kind as everyone else in Dorne. You just weren’t so thrilled that you’d have to meet him in this state. It was no matter though, he was the Maester after all, he’d likely seen much worse.

»»————-　♡　————-««

You knocked on the door to the Maester’s chambers and were quickly called in but not by a voice you had been expecting - it was a soft woman’s voice. Stepping inside, you looked around the beautiful sunlight quarters, already feeling at ease. Scanning the rooms you saw all sorts of vials and bottles containing liquids and concoctions of all different colors and consistencies. The soft, delicate scent of warm spices lingered in the air. At the other end of the large room you saw a woman, modestly dressed with a kind face that appeared to be around Oberyn’s age motioning for you to close the door.

“Lady Martell,” she said gently as she came over to you and held out her hand. Still confused, you reached out and shook it, “it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Y-you’re the Maester?” you asked as she slowly nodded. You shouldn’t have been surprised you realized - this was Dorne after all. Women could be anything they wanted here and were not subject to the harsh realities that most other parts subjected them to. In some ways you were relieved that you were here with another instead of a man.

“Selsa,” she introduced herself as you told her your name, although you were unsure if it was really necessary. She had a warm, comforting presence and some of the tension who had been holding in your shoulders seemed to ease up, “and don’t worry, I was trained by a man-”

You laughed lightly at her little quip as she tried to get you to calm down, “it matters not. I trust you more than any man outside of Dorne. I have no reason to doubt your prowess simply because you are a woman, do I? That would be foolish of me.”

“A forward thinking woman from the North,” she said as she offered you a seat in the soft, plush velvet sofa she had near the window. You sat down it and the cushion deflated slightly, almost as if it was sighing along with you, “that must be why the Prince and all of Dorne adores you so.”

“I am but one mere woman,” you played it off, but you would not lie and say you didn’t appreciate the sentiment, “I just happened to get lucky.”

“Either way,” she said as she stood near you, “we are glad to have you here in Dorne. I hear you have fit in very well. Now tell me, what can I possibly assist with?”

You played with a loose thread of fabric for a moment, twisting it in your fingers as you wondered where to begin. You opened and closed your mouth a few times, and waited patiently for you to speak, “umm...children, I-I suppose. It’s just that for the moment. I want to...would like to...know if there was any way to know if I can have children. If there’s any chance of my husband and I...having one of our own.”

“Oh,” she seemed mildly surprised by your request, but her expression didn’t change or do anything to suggest her shock or that she was appalled. You just gave her a light shrug as she came over and sat down next to you, “well, there are some ways we can try and see. However, right now, there’s no definite way to know...I guess unless you are actively trying and it never happens. The things we can do are strong indicators but they're not exact. Does that make sense?”

“Yes,” you agreed quietly, “sure, whatever it is, we can try it. I figure either way I’ve got nothing to lose.”

“I just have a few questions to get my bearings, “ she said as you motioned for her to ask, “do you menstruate regularly and for how long?”

“Yes...if I remember correctly since around my thirteenth year.”

“Have you ever had excessive bleeding or anything to concern you about it?”

“No.”

“Were you with anyone before your husband?” she asked, “sometimes when a couple is newly trying it can take a while for things to pan out…”

“We-we’re not trying,” you admitted almost sheepishly, “I-I just want to know...probably for my own peace of mind. But I was with someone before...he and I…”

“No need to expand,” she took your hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, “it’s okay. Let me guess - you were not careful to try and prevent a pregnancy?”

“No,” you scoffed at yourself lightly before the two of you laughed, “we were young fools in love and it was never something I worried about. But I’m sure if it was a possibility it should have happened…”

“Hmm,” she mused quietly before standing up and walking over to the other end of the room. She rummaged around for a moment, leaving you to wonder what she was up to, before coming back with a large clay pot. She stopped by one of the large cabinets and pulled something out before chucking it into the pot. When she was satisfied with her handiwork, she stood in front of you and held out the pot to you, “I hope you have to urinate.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s an old test,” she explained as you curiously took the pot, “it’s been around for generations, used by Maesters and healers to check for fertility. Like I said. It’s old and far from exact, but it’s the best thing we’ve got to work with for now. “

“Oh...so you want me to pee? In that pot...”

“Yes!” she said as you just raised your eyebrows at her, “I put some bran into the bottom and you just pee on it. Then we leave it alone for about a week and come back and check it. If there’s nothing there and its clear, it means you are fertile, otherwise if things like bugs or worms get into it, it is supposed to suggest infertility.”

“That’s…odd,” you almost laughed at the little test, finding it hard to believe that people still used it. It sounded absolutely loony, but if people had been using it for this long...maybe it was accurate. Either way, you decided, you had nothing to lose and your bladder was pretty full. “I guess it can’t hurt anything.”

“It’s up to you, My Lady,” she promised and you stood up nodding affirmatively.

“I’ll do it,” you decided, “besides if nothing else it will be an interesting experiment, no?”

“Indeed,” she agreed, showing you to the room she used as a bathroom, “take your time and when you’re done you can just leave it in there. I’ll keep it safe for the week and we can take a look once the time has passed.”

“Sure,” you were nervous suddenly, and wondered just how accurate this would all be. Part of you was also scared that it would confirm the long buried doubt and fear you’d always had, “thank you…”

“It is no problem,” she promised, “and nothing to worry or fear over. We know here that some things are what they are and we cannot change them. The ability to conceive and carry a child does not define you, or anyone else. It does not define your heart or your character - remember that.”

“Thank you,” you answered quietly, relieved and comforted by her kind words. She knew what it would have been had you been married to another man in another part of the kingdom.

“Of course, and don’t worry. This will stay strictly between the two of us,” you gave her a thankful look, “and once you’re back, if you don’t mind, I’d like to take a look at everything in more depth. Just to make sure everything appears as it should.”

“Whatever you need to do,” you agreed, “I guess I just want some answers…”

“And we shall get them for you,” she insisted, “as best as we can.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

Pushing the sheer curtains to the side, you immediately felt a wave of calm wash over you at the sunlight streaming into your chambers. There was a gentle, warm breeze, and everything was illuminated. You decided to change your linens, making it a point to keep things fresh and tidy for whenever Oberyn came back. It had been several more days since your conversation with Doran and there was still no word. You weren't worrying but -

"My lady," the door to your chambers practically burst open and Asha tumbled inside in her haste, almost falling to the floor. Rushing over to her, you held out your hand in order to straighten her up.

"What's with the rush?" you asked, taking her face in your hands and looking her over to make sure she was okay. Besides her erratic breathing and wild look in her eyes she appeared to be okay, "Asha?"

"It's the Prince," she managed to get out, "he's returned."

You could tell that something was wrong almost immediately. Dropping your hands from her face you ran past her, the linens already forgotten and discarded on the floor. You almost tripped over your skirts in your haste to run down the stairs, bounding them down two at a time as you rushed to get outside.

Your heart was bouncing around in your chest wildly as you tried to calm the horrible thoughts already racing in your mind. Every awful little thing that you could have happened was screaming as you burst out of the palace and through the throng that had gathered near the returned retinue.

“Oberyn!” you shouted at the top of your lungs as you spied his carriage and the crowd that was closely surrounding him. Jeron spotted you and his face, which was already in a grim expression seemed to fall even more. He tried to come over and grab you, in order to keep you from rushing straight to Oberyn’s side. His long strides made it easy and you were quickly held back in his strong grip. A small sound of frustration left you lips as you tried to pull away from him, clambering for any glimpse at your husband, “Jeron! Let me go! Oberyn-”

“You need to stop,” he said as calmly as he could, his heart breaking at the sight of the tears that were welling up in your eyes, “please, listen to me.”

“No,” you insisted firmly, “you listen to me! He is my husband and I want to see him!”

“Please, please,” he was practically begging you, a shake to his own voice as you gave up on trying to keep the tears that had pearled up from running over. You were a mess of emotion and all you cared about was seeing Oberyn. You stilled lightly and he dropped his voice, “listen for just a moment. H-he’s hurt. Badly.”

“No,” it was a choked out sob as your worst fears came true. This was what you had been worried from the start, from the moment that he first told you he was leaving again. The fact that he had been gone longer, that he had made a stop unbeknownst to you didn’t matter. Nothing mattered, absolutely nothing except making sure he was okay, “y-you’re lying! He’s...he can’t be hurt...”

“He’s in bad shape right now,” he said softly, an incredulous tone in his voice at the thought that the famed warrior ended up hurt, “I don’t know if you want to see him right now.”

“Oberyn,” his name well forth from your lips as you took advantage of his moment of indiscretion and pulled out of his grip and to the carriage. You shoved anyone who was in your way out of it and pushed to see Oberyn. You heard shouts of your name from Jeron, but you didn’t care - you needed to be by his side.

When the crowd seemed to part, already offering you pitying looks of sorrow you found yourself in front of Oberyn. He was sprawled out on a makeshift stretcher, and even if Jeron hadn’t told you that he was in bad shape, it was immediately apparent. His normally bright, bronze skin was paled and his chest was rising slowly, too slowly. No longer dressed in his normal regalia, but a simple pair of trousers and tunic, light in color, just enough so you could see the blood that had gotten on them from his abdomen. His face was covered in a sheen and his hair mused, a few lacerations on his face. He was not in bad shape - he was in horrible shape.

Your knees felt like they were going to buckle at any moment and you couldn’t help the almost hysterical cry that left your lips as lunged towards him. Several of his retinue tried to keep you back, but you were too quick for them. You dropped to your knees as you reached for his face to gently grab it and try to pull him towards, tears flowing freely as you blabbered incomprehensibly at him. He didn’t even open his eyes as you touched his face and leaned down so your forehead was pressed against his. The tears spilled from your eyes to on his cheeks, mixing in with the sweat that was covering his whole body, “O-Oberyn. No, no, no, please, please-”

“You have to get back,” someone insisted as you turned around and glared at him, not even caring that you were making a scene. A small ground had gathered around to see what all the excitement was about, and they were shamelessly staring. How dare someone tell you that you couldn’t be by your husband’s side, “he’s poorly-”

You quickly stood back up to your full height, wiping away the tears and summoning up as much of a commanding presence that you could manage. You are a Martell now, you reminded yourself, you have to be strong. And you would be damned if you allowed someone to tell you what to do when it came to Oberyn. Jeron rushed back over to you and stood by your side as you walked up to the man that had tried to stop you, “exactly. He’s hurt and he needs help! Get him inside and into bed now. Jeron - fetch the Maester immediately and tell her he needs help. We have to help him and quickly! The crowd needs to go and we need to tend him right now. Move!”

Without another word Oberyn’s men listened to your instructions and quickly sprung into action. It was almost like they had been shell shocked at the Prince’s state that they had somehow forgotten what to do. But in your state of panic, your wild thoughts somehow worked themselves out and you experienced a moment of clarity. Gods knew you wanted to fall apart then and there, but you could do that right now. Making sure Oberyn was safe and well was the first priority.

You watched silently as the men carefully brought Oberyn inside and brought him to your bedroom. You trailed after them, wondering what could possibly have happened to cause such injuries to him. You knew he had enemies, hells, everyone in the Seven Kingdoms had at least one enemy, but you never thought someone would be so bold as to openly harm him. If anything happened to Oberyn, it would be enough to incite a war - if not by your hand, then by the people of Dorne.

Time seemed to still in that moment as you tried your best to keep calm and not completely panic. You needed to be strong for yourself, for him, and for the rest of the family. Once he was settled in bed, and you waited for the Maester to come, you kneeled at his side, taking his hand ever so gently in yours, lacing your fingers together. You weren’t alone, several people were still milling about and monitoring him, but you didn’t care.

“Oberyn,” you whispered softly as you pressed a kiss to his palm, “my love, my moon and stars. Please just...just hang on. You will be okay. I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you. And when I find out who did this to you, I will make them pay. They will rue the day they dared to cross the Martells.”

He remained still as ever, and you wondered if he could even hear you. You hoped he could, in your heart of hearts you believed he could. Someone came in and brought some clean rags and water and you quickly set to wiping the sweat from his brow and cleaning the cuts on his face. They didn’t seem very deep and mostly superficial, which gave you the slightest sense of relief. When you were satisfied with that, you moved to pull off his tunic, deciding in your haste to just rip it off instead of trying to slip it over his head and disturbing him more. Your heart felt like it was seized up at the sight of the bandages, bloodied bandages, on his side. It was enough to make your stomach churn in horror as you wondered what was underneath.

But before you could reach for them to inspect the damage, Sesla entered the room and quickly came to your side. You were grateful for her comforting presence and easily let her take over, pulling you to her help before quickly hugging you, “it will be okay, I promise. Nothing will strike down the Red Viper. I will make sure of it.”

“Please,” was all you managed to choke out as she turned to tend to Oberyn. You made a small, almost helpless sound as you watched her get to work. Jeron was standing in the doorway and his presence seemed to calm you down immensely. You strode over to him and he let out a long sigh.

“I have failed you,” he said quietly as you shook your head, otherwise remaining silent. You gave his shoulder a squeeze as you realized that he must have been beating himself up over his. He was one of, if not the most, trust man Oberyn had, and yet...he was the one injured, “I promise you he’d come safe and I promised him that I’d return him safely to you. I have failed you both and now he lies in this state because of me.”

“No one could have known -”

“I am sworn to protect him,” he scoffed at himself, “and I have failed. I should be excused from his service and sent into exile.”

“Jeron,” you insisted firmly, “it was not your fault. I know you would do anything to keep him safe if you could. Right now we both need to be strong for him.”

“Yes.”

“Can you...do you know who did this?” you asked quietly as he seemed to tense up, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“Yes…”

“Who?” you asked quietly and he made a small sound in the back of his throat. You could sense his reluctance to tell you the truth, “Jeron...who did this? Who hurt Oberyn?”

“Your family,” he answered so quietly you almost didn’t hear him. But once you realized what he said you felt like you had been hit in the face with a stone. Your hand went to your chest as you tried to wrap your mind around it, “it was your brother. He attacked him under the cover of night.”

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Your husband was lying in front of you, on death’s doorstep because of your brother.

Your world felt like it was slowly crashing down around you.

»»————-　♡　————-««

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#oberyn x reader #oberyn martell x reader #oberyn martell #pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #in name only

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sp00kworm · 4 years ago

Text

Who needs lights?

Pairing: Durzub (Goth Male Orc) x Gender Neutral Reader

Warning: Suggestive Themes

This wonderful piece is based off a very lovely OC by @of-devils-and-drawings. Durzub belongs to her and I adored him too much not to make this for him. I’m a sucker for anything scary and/or orc.... and/or metal....and/or goth.

---

You’d always found a little bit of comfort being in the alternative scene, even when others stared and watched in the street as you went past, going about your business, bundled in black layers or flares and platforms. It was something unique and different and it was very much a part of your life. The bars were always better places too. You laughed at the bar at your friend as the bar tender tied his platinum, lilac streaked hair back and started to mix the cocktail for the jug. It was easier to order in large pitchers and watch the band playing from the platform the bar was on. You watched the alcohol mix as the Fae grinned at you, revealing incredibly dangerous, sharp teeth and placed two straws into the jug before sliding it closer to the two of you.

You paid for it before laughing and turning a straw to the Faun, “To our health! Well, and my new job!” You cheered.

“Oh, for sure, finally you’re not broke and can pay for drinks!” She jeered as she pursed her lips and leaned down to take a few long sips, “Jesus Christ, Flix!” She coughed, “You trying to get us drunk and make us easy, or something?”

Flix rolled his eyes as he flipped a cocktail shaker over and caught it, “You wish Pip. You two haven’t ever been my type.” He snorted as his lilac, gossamer wings fluttered behind his back in irritation. He laid his burning black eyes on a group in the corner, “Though, I like the look of those troublemakers.” A claw raised to point at the group of Orcs who were gathered in the corner.

Pip’s brown ears flicked before her hooves clicked against the black floor, the sparkly tiles reflecting the strobes from the stage. She grinned and flicked at the ring in her nose, her shaggy black hair flopping back over her dark eyes, “Oh,” She purred, “I didn’t know you were into the rowdy muscle-head sort.”

Flix flipped the cocktail again before giving her the middle finger and moving to serve the cocktail to a woman who had just come out of the crowd watching the band.

“Who are they?” You asked after taking a long drink of the cocktail, “I haven’t seen them here before?” You looked over at the group again before realising how perfectly they fit in here in the bar. All were dressed in a variety of fashion, from heavy leather, to chains, to netting. Others donned fancier items with flowing sleeves and long, tailored skirts and trousers. The majority were green in skin tone, but you looked at a few lighter coloured, grey toned orcs with interest as they were from the mountainous regions of the old country.

Pip clicked her tongue, “Muscle heads and trouble, the lot of them.” She took another few drinks before hopping back onto her bar stool and adjusting her net top over her ripped shirt. Around her waist was a thick leather belt, the studs dripping with thin metal chains that hung around her furry hips, “They come to shows like this and usually start fights.” She commented off-handedly.

With a frown, you looked from her, to the group again, “They just seem to be drinking and watching?” You commented.

Pip snorted a short bleat again, “Yeah, wait until this gig really kicks off, then you’ll see what I mean. Last time I was here with them one of them decided it would be a great idea to upturn tables, and by that, I mean, upturn my drinks over my new dress.” She hissed venomously, “They’re assholes, the lot of them.”

“They don’t look like it…” You uttered as one of the Orcs stood from the group and dragged his friend up with him to get drinks. The rest of them hollered their orders before some of the group split off to join the crowd watching the band.

“Oh great. Here they come!” Pip cheered before moving two seats down and dragging you along with her.

“Jealousy doesn’t suit you, Pip.” Flix commented with a hiss and flutter of his wings, “They’re all lookers, I don’t see why you can’t look past that.” He shrugged his shoulders before smiling at the two male orcs at the bar, “What can I do for you two handsome fellas?” His eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings at them and you snickered at the scent of lilac flowers that drifted from him like a thick perfume.

“Come on, Flix. Lay off it for one night will ya!” One of the orcs laughed before he elbowed his friend, “This guy’s new here. Don’t go scaring him off already. You lot need our custom.” The orc leaned back and scrubbed at his mohawk, adjusting his heavy cargo trousers. Fabric belts hung between the legs and down them and he wore a heavy half tartan kilt over the top. His face was littered with piercings and you could see why he looked like the sort to be causing problems.

“You know I love you all equally, Xurek.” Flix laughed, “But I was more excited for your lady friend over there. She’s new too huh?”

“Jesus, you never give up! Anyway,” Xurek took the other orc around the neck, “This is Durzub. He’s new in town. Just moved in from out from the sticks. He might look like a foul piece of work, but you’ve met Rakuh, so he’s not as scary.” Xurek laughed before he let the darker skinned orc go. The other male reached up to brush his black hair from his eyes. Most of his long black hair was braided in tight long threads, the braids sequenced with small beads along them with the rest straight and hanging over his shoulder beneath the wide brim of a black hat, emblazoned with a silver trim around the base. He turned, dressed in a black long shirt and coat, the end trailing behind him as he ducked out of Xurek’s grasp, brown eyes angry.

Durzub snorted and tossed his head, the braids sliding back out of his way over his shoulder before he reached up to move his tangled chains from the ends of his hair, the necklaces hanging with silver teeth, “Will you stop dragging me around like a child, Xurek!” He snorted as he dragged his arm out of Xurek’s grasp and adjusted his hat again before sighing and taking it off, “Any way I could get you to store this behind the bar for me? Its new and these lot have a habit of throwing beer the later it gets.”

Flix fluttered his eyelashes again, “Sure thing, sweetheart.” He took the hat and turned around to hang it near the aprons, “Just grab me before closing and I’ll get it you.”

“Thank you.” Durzub rumbled before pulling his hair back again, tucking the straight length on his left side behind his ear, revealing rings of silver and studs of obsidian, which matched the rings, linked by a chain, on each of his short tusks.

“Don’t be nice to him, Durzub, he’ll eat you alive given the opportunity.” Xurek snickered behind his hand as he flapped his band shirt, trying to cool himself down, “His family ate children back in the day.”

“That was five hundred years ago!” Flix scoffed as he slammed two, pint glasses down on the bar, “So, was it two ales or two lagers?”

“We were thinking mead actually.” Xurek stuck his pierced tongue out before he played with the bar, “And not that piss water Weldrick buys for the goblins!” Flix ignored him and turned for the taps down the other end of the bar.

Pip scoffed at the exchange, but you found your mouth opening at the sight of the long-haired orc and his scowl. He watched Flix’s wings before he turned away from Xurek’s chattering and pushed his hand over his mouth. You watched the exchange as Xurek stuck his tongue between the other’s fingers and couldn’t help but laugh loudly as Durzub cringed and recoiled.

“You’re fuckin’ disgusting.” Durzub rolled his eye and took a napkin from the holder to wipe the spit from his fingers and the skull rings which sat above his knuckles.

“Mmm, you taste like fresh meat.” Xurek hissed like a comically bad vampire, and you laughed again, but this time louder. It was loud enough that the two orcs looked down the bar to where you and Pip were sat with your cocktail jug.

“Well done! Now we have their attention.” Pip hissed in your ear before she kicked at your chair with one shoed hoof, clanking the metal with a vicious bang.

Xurek’s smile made you regret everything, as you watched his gaze shift from your face to the larger orc stood next to him, “Looks like we have an audience, Durzub.”

The other male turned slightly on one heel, looking at you both with a raised eyebrow, looking over the two of you perched at the end of the bar, “Don’t mind this freak. He’s got a way of making everyone hate him.”

“Oh, that’s fuckin’ cold!” Xurek hissed at him, “After I introduce you to those bands too!”

Durzub rolled his eyes again as Xurek slinked around him to laze across the bar on one arm, his head propped up on his fist, “Bands which have given me nothing but persistent headaches.”

“Headaches but three magazine features!” Xurek wound his middle finger up before he smiled at the two of you again, “Ignore him. He was castrated at birth.” The statement earned him another gruff noise from Durzub.

“We don’t want your attention, Xurek.” Pip gave him a sardonic smirk, “Not unless you’re replacing those drinks from last time.” She leaned on her own open palm and bared her teeth at him, her hoof clicking against the bar stool.

“You’re a cold bitch, Pip. You know that was an accident.” Xurek whined, “Highlander honour.” He crossed his heart, “Anyway, why don’t I introduce you to my new friend here?” He wrapped his arm around Durzub, making the other spill mead down his fingers as he dragged him over to the two of you, “This is Durzub. He’s a music producer, and part time good looker.”

“You’re a music producer?” You asked in awe before you turned and looked at the stage, “Are you here for these guys?” You pointed at the industrial band on stage as the lights went low and they started the intro for their next song. At the back here it wasn’t as loud, and you could readily hear the two orcs.

“Yeah. They’re a new signing.” Durzub rolled his shoulders in a shrug, “I never really sign their sort, but it seems like they have a decent following.”

“Come on, mate, we’re here to chill out, not to talk work.” Xurek groaned and laid against the sticky bar top before recoiling in disgust.

“I know, you great oaf.” Durzub placed Xurek’s drink next to him, “Are you both here to see the show?” He asked, his voice slipping from ‘totally pissed off’ into something that was ‘gruff but polite’. Either way, his soft country accent made you smile before you took a few mouthfuls of cocktail for courage.

Pip answered before you could swallow, “We come on a Friday to wind down. The gigs are always just a bonus.”

She shot a look at you with her dark, goat eyes, warning you from speaking as she steered the conversation, “What about you guys? You here to bother people on their nights off?”

“Well, we know where we ain’t wanted.” Xurek shrugged his shoulders at Pip’s rudeness, “Sorry to harass you, but you don’t have to be a salty asshole about spilt drinks, you know.” He watched Pip’s temper flare and you ducked back as she slammed her hand against the bar top.

“You listen here you little asshole!”

“Little?” Xurek scoffed, “I tower over you, babe.”

Pip gave a bleat of anger before she swept her leg around you and cracked Xurek in the shin, “It was my new dress you ass for brains!” She hissed at him before she stood up to walk around you and face the orc head on.

“What do you want me to say, huh?!” Xurek goaded, “Oh I’m so sorry that my accident ruined something I couldn’t stop. Get over yourself thinking I did it on purpose!” He fumed with anger.

You leaned back before hopping out of your chair, taking the jug of cocktail in one hand and a tall glass in the other before you turned to Durzub, “Hey come on. They’re going to be screeching for a while. Want to go and sit on the balcony and watch?”

Durzub seemed a little taken back by the offer, “Oh, sure.” He uttered as he pulled Xurek’s drink away from him and then took his own in hand and following you towards the stairs, leading to the viewing area above the pit. You found two stools and a table and happily placed your drinks on it before leaning on the railing to look down at the band as they headbanged together on stage.

Durzub sat awkwardly for a moment before he coughed behind his head, “So, what is it that you do?” He asked as he leaned over the table, eyeing the mixture of liquor and fruit juice in your jug.

You turned from the show and smiled, “Oh nothing as interesting as music production. I just got hired at a new modelling agency.”

“Do you model then?” He asked with wide eyes, “Because you’re certainly…”

“Oh, God no. Nothing like that. I work with brands and secure deals and shoots. I work with Skull Crusher and Tombstone mostly.” You smiled and sipped cocktail through your straw.

Durzub tucked his hair back again with a sweep of his hand, “That explains the look then.” He smiled softly, “Do you get some sweet discounts?” He asked.

“Like you wouldn’t believe. It’s never been cheaper to be a goth!” You cheered as you looked down at the rowdy beginnings of a mosh pit, then back to the bar.

You gave a great laugh, “Well, looks like their argument is sorted.” You pointed at Xurek with his bruised cheek. He slammed back his drink before storming away into the pit, rushing through a mosh pit before his eyes caught sight of a human among the others. You grinned at his expression. Dumb struck.

“Jesus. I hope they’re ready to be pestered.” Durzub chugged a few mouthfuls of mead before he scoffed, “Whenever he gets that look, he ends up heartbroken a week later.”

“Well, it might be different this time, you know?” You smiled back at Durzub, “Maybe this is the one!” You cooed.

“You’ve got fairy tales in your head and cotton candy to go with it. He’s going to have a one-night stand then not shut up about her for the next three weeks.” Durzub held up three fingers as he drank some more, “Or he’ll relay every little detail to us on our next outing. He has zero filter.”

“I can tell that much.” You laughed as you shuffled back in your seat, “What about you then, have you met your one?”

“My one?” Durzub scoffed, “Hardly. How old do you think I am?” He leaned on his fist and pointed back at himself, giving you a curious look.

You felt like this was a trap, “Are you doing this so you can get mad when I guess wrong?” You asked as you pushed the ice around in the glass.

“Hardly. I’m not sensitive.” He grumbled as his painted fingers tapped against the side of the pint glass.

“Hmm, if you say so.” You leaned over the table to squint at his face. You’d worked with a few orcs before, but most were young models, sharp featured and tall, broad in the shoulders. Durzub was the same, though his face had wrinkles in places which would suggest he was far over twenty years old, “Thirty-six.” You decided with a smile.

Durzub let out a low laugh, “Not far off actually. I’m thirty-eight.” He pointed to the stage, “And I used to do that. Played in a band until about five years ago. Started as a producer then. Never looked back.”

“Oh wow. Who did you used to play with?” You asked in awe.

“A gothic rock sort of deal.” He replied before he looked into your pleading eyes, and relented, “Zi Gijak.”

“No way.” You rushed to stand from your seat as you recognised the Orcish name, “Black Blood!?”

Durzub ducked his head, reaching for where his hat had sat before he realised, he wasn’t wearing it, “Keep your voice down, please.” He begged quietly, “I don’t need people in this place to recognise me.”

“How could they recognise you now? You look nothing like you did back in the day.” You stated before realising what you said sounded rude, “Not that you look bad now it’s just…”

He laughed at your awkwardness, “I know. I ditched the netting and bones a while ago.”

“You didn’t look half bad in it though, even five years ago.” You winked at him with a sudden rush of confidence, “Though I think this outfit suits you just as much.”

Suddenly, it was as though the intimidating exterior melted, and you watched Durzub’s face go flushed with embarrassment, “Thanks. It has been a change.”

Without making him any more embarrassed you changed the subject a little, “So what bands do you produce for now?” You asked.

“Quite a few. I used to work with SIREN before they got huge, but that sort of metal was never something I could do rather well, I thought.” He shrugged, “They’re with a more focused label now.”

“No way…This keeps getting better and better!” You uttered again.

“Better and better for you. They were a headache and a half for me!” Durzub chuntered into his drink before he swallowed the last bits of it, “I’m glad they’ve moved up. They were good for business.” He smirked over the edge of the pint glass.

“Only thinking of the money.” You tutted playfully, “That’s no way to treat your bands.” You joked.

“Oh no, but that makes me feel better knowing my weekly migraines are worth the agony.” Durzub chuckled as he watched the band on stage, “These guys ain’t half bad for a show though. I think I picked the best from the bucket.”

“They have an interesting ensemble.” You smirked at the leather clad demoness as she slinked along the stage before she growled from her stomach, a crop landing against the hand of a handsy looking fan in the front.

“Interesting but it’s the sort of thing that gets you recognised.” Durzub noted as he watched, “This place is a refuge for all kinds of people. I’m glad Cal has got this place running with Weldrick.”

“Who’s Cal? I’ve met Weldrick. Giant bright white minotaur, right? Build like a brick shit house with all the piercings?” You recalled.

Durzub nodded, “That’s him. He’s about eight foot tall too. Scariest mother fucker I ever did meet.” He shifted in his seat, “Cal is the co-owner, but he’s not around that often. He’s a vampire, but he’s not people fond.” The orc shrugged before offering you half a smile, “We all used to work together, believe it or not.”

“Wait…” Your mouth dropped open, “I’m actually stupid.”

“Cal was the singer of Black Blood. Weldrick ran our security back in the day.” He laughed at your open mouth before he leaned over to close your mouth with two large fingers. He brushed his fingers over your chin before leaning back and pointing to your drink, “Do you want anything else?”

“I’m okay thanks. I’ll keep your seat warm.” You joked as he stood up with a nod and grumbled about having something better than ‘shitty mead’.

“I’ve never seen Durzub ever sit and talk with someone in a bar.” A deep, gravelly voice rang out from behind you. You turned around in your chair to see a tall, human looking male watching you, his sunglasses perched on the end of his nose as he regarded you with a mild amount of curiosity from over the lenses. He reached out a hand awkwardly, “Cal.”

“As in…” You took his hand, and flinched at the stone coldness of his grip, “Co-owner of the bar, Cal?”

“The very same.” He shook your hand lightly before his hand disappeared quickly back into his pocket, “I just came to say hello. I was curious. He hates attention in these kinds of places…”

“Just like you then, apparently.” You observed as you turned on your seat to face him. He was a giant man, but stony cold, and overly pale, looking almost grey around his reflective, steel-coloured eyes. They shone red as he turned, the bouncing curls of black hair spilling over his shoulders before he reached for a cigarette packet and cursed, seeing it was empty with only his lighter inside.

“Cal?” Durzub returned with a large looking ale in his hand, “Weird time to show yourself. Unless you were planning to steal this one for a snack, hmm? As usual.” He scoffed.

“You know I’ve been off the blood for years…” Cal whispered as he rummaged in his other back pocket, before finding a small, slim packet of chewing gum, “I don’t…”

“Yeah. Save it. That’s what you said last time, Clarence.” Durzub huffed into his drink.

Cal’s back went ridged before he stooped over and unfolded the wrapper of his gum, “You don’t get to call me that.” He whispered again, his gravelly tone rumbling in the back of his throat before he slunk away, back into the shadows, and disappeared in a shadowy wave of his black hair.

“Sorry you had to see that.” Durzub rumbled from across the table, “Its…complicated.”

You span back around and smiled, “Don’t worry about it. I think Pip had more of a fight with Xurek.” You snickered as you turned to spy her sat at the bar, batting her eyelashes at Flix as he served, “Though I think she’s okay now. She’s turned her eyes on a certain someone.”

Durzub looked down at the bar and laughed as well, “Well I guess you know her type now.” He joked as he sipped at his ale.

“Yep. Scary pretty boys, who aren’t part of your friends.” You snickered as you sipped at the last of your cocktail and refreshed the glass.

The band on the stage purred their final song as you took another drink, and you looked at your phone with wide eyes at the time.

“I have to get up tomorrow for errands.” You lamented, looking at the clock. It was almost midnight, and you knew Pip would be here for hours if you left her to her own devices.

“So, this is where the night ends.” Durzub laughed before he finished the last of his own drink, “Here.” He tugged out his phone, “Let me give you my number?”

You nodded and took your phone out to exchange numbers before checking it was working and showing him the message came through okay.

“Thank you for tonight.” You smiled at him, “We should do this again.” You leaned over and carefully placed a kiss on his flushed cheek, “For an grumpy music producer, you’re funny to be around.” You took your bag and looked at Xurek, who was busy pressing a human against the far wall, “And look after Xurek, huh? Looks like he might just get himself into trouble again.” You descended the stairs just as the orcs started cheering for the male and shook your head.

After speaking to Pip, and confirming she had a taxi to get home, you exited the bar and shivered in the cold, before you felt a warm presence behind you, and a hand catch your own.

“Hey!” Durzub grunted as he caught your hand, “Let me walk you home?” He asked, “No way in hell I’m staying to watch those lot gawk at Xurek strip a human down.” He sneered. His sneer softened as you interlinked your fingers together and squeezed his hand before looping an arm through his own, leaning into his body heat.

“Sure. You can walk me home.” You leaned into his arm again and smiled, “I live three blocks away, so it’s a bit of a short walk.”

“Better to spend time with you.” Durzub whispered before he looked at the night sky, “I’m still sorry about what happened with Cal…”

“Honestly, it never happened, okay?” You patted the orc’s large arm, “We all have our differences and reasons.”

“Still. I was rude.” He huffed before he reached for his hat and tugged at the brim, “I’m glad I got to meet you at least tonight.” You tried to ignore the way he tugged at his bottom lip before he adjusted the decorative chain over his lip and smiled, still a little awkward.

“Me too.” You purred back at him.

The messages started off polite between the two of you, but it was quickly a regular thing for you both to message back within a minute or two depending on if Durzub was working in the studio or you were in meetings. You were both enamoured. It didn’t take long for you both to meet again, eating together in a restaurant which was a little bit too expensive for you. It was high end, and suited Durzub as he sat there eating, looking intimidating as he ate couscous and chopped vegetables before smiling and blushing with embarrassment as you complimented him and his outfit. For such a giant orc, with a bigger scowl, he was softened whenever you said something nice. Several nights together on dates lead to this one, finally going to his studio to see what he did, and to listen to something he had been working on. Excitement churned in your gut as you looked at the choker around your neck and touched the spikes around its surface before flicking the dog tag and grinning at yourself before you rushed for the door to meet Durzub.

“Hey!” You shouted at the orc. He was stood out on the pavement, dressed in an old print of a Black Blood shirt with a screaming orc and vampire on the front, blood dripping from both of their mouths. He was dressed in dark jeans, littered with pocket chains and a heavy leather duster to combat the cool breeze. He looked up from beneath his broad rim hat. Instantly, Durzub’s perpetual scowl turned into a small smile, and you took hold of his hand before leaning up to kiss his cheek before placing a soft kiss against his bottom lip. He was always a little slow to catch up, but he returned the kiss with a gentle rub of his tusks to your chin.

“Hey stranger.” He rumbled before he gestured to the building, “My studio is on the sixth floor.”

“This doesn’t look much like a record label building to me.” You hummed as Durzub led you into the reception. A naga waved him on up with you, looking back at her work with a hiss and a grumpy frown.

“Not yet it doesn’t. Wait until we get into the actual building. This is just the polite front for greeting people.” The elevator dinged as he pressed the button and the two of you climbed inside. He pushed the button for the sixth floor and you jittered with anxiety as it moved upwards slowly.

“I’m excited and nervous.” You whispered as the doors opened on floor two and let some more people in.

“Don’t be, baby. You’ll be fine.” Durzub soothed as you continued up.

The sixth floor was littered with records on the walls, gold, red, black and mixed dyes. You looked along the walls before Durzub tugged you down the carpeted hall. You followed a step or so behind, trying to read the framed records as you toddled behind him, little out of your depth. Durzub’s coat trailed behind him and you moved to not step on it as he stopped at his door. He unlocked it with a click of an electronic card and you watched the black door swing open to reveal the sound room.

“Wow.” You stepped inside in front of him and looked at the expensive sound equipment, keeping your hands to yourself to avoid being told off or ruining anything, “This is some expensive gear.” You grinned at him, “And pretty.” You peered past the soundproof glass to see the guitars and drum kit in the recording box and smiled at the pointed-v design one, knowing it was from when he played with Black Blood.

“I knew you’d spot that one.” Durzub said mildly before he threw his coat over a speaker and collapsed into his large office chair, the leather making him shiver with the cold against his arms, “This is where I spend most of my life, making kids realise that riffs are stupid in the wrong places.” He scoffed before tugging you a chair from the other soundboard and patting it, “Come sit. I have some things to show you.”

Carefully, you placed your coat on top of Durzub’s before joining him by the large computers, eyeing the two screens as he logged in, squinting at the screen.

“Fuck. Glasses.” He reached into his desk drawer and pulled free a set of circle frame glasses, putting them on before cringing and looking back at you, “Not as young as I used to be…”

“You look cute in them.” You gushed as you scooted the roller chair forwards and made sure to sit as close to him as possible, “Being able to see is important, even if you don’t look as scary with glasses on.” You teased.

“Yeah…” He let the words drop off as he found what he was looking for and pulled free two sets of expensive headphones. Durzub leaned over and gently tucked them over your ears, holding them and holding up an ‘okay’ sign before he donned his own and pressed play. He leaned back in his chair and you sat impatiently before the noise of a gentle synth graced your ears, opening with a gentle melody before a guitar followed the same rhythm before chugging to life with slow riffs. It was gentle somehow still as the guitar started on a slowly moving rhythm along into the beginnings of a verse, sung by a vocalist you recognised as Durzub. The lyrics lilted about roses on a hill, growing in a graveyard around a forgotten tombstone before you grinned at the references to old vampire movies that the two of you enjoyed. The chorus was met with a litany of soft guitar and synth before a drum solo full of soft cymbal carried on. It was something made for the two of you, and you wondered just how long Durzub had spent making this song. Looking at the poorly hidden bags under his eyes, you figured it had been most nights after work.

In the closing synth of the son, you laid your head against Durzub’s arm, against the tattoo of the roses around the gravestone. You pressed your lips to his skin gently before smiling and tugging the headphones down to around your neck, smiling up at the orc. Durzub copied the motion with another small smile, reaching to stroke at the top of your head

“That was beautiful. It’s hard to believe you made that just for me.” You whispered against his warm skin as the orc flushed with embarrassment, “Did you mean the part about making love on graves?” You teased gently before you slipped from your own chair, and into his lap, your fingers sliding up over the tattoos on his arms, tracing the thorns of the roses down before you traced the edge of the stem curling over his collar bone.

“Maybe not. Stone gives you a bad back.” He rumbled as his pupils went wide, watching your fingers as they slipped under the collar of his t-shirt, “But I would worship you just the same.” His hands moved from the computer to your hips, his fingers pressing into the meat of your backside before he leaned forwards to kiss you. You gladly accepted the advance, kissing the orc back, your tongue licking at his lips before you traced the rings around his tusks and wrapped your arms tighter around his neck.

A soft moan escaped Durzub’s mouth as you pulled away. His lips were puffy and you leaned forwards to bite his lip, enjoying the second croak that escaped him as you leaned back on his thighs.

“What about this desk?” You asked under your breath.

Durzub grumbled, “There’s a lot of…” Your hand meeting his crotch shorted his brain for a moment, “I can make room.” He grumbled before he pushed the keyboard and monitor aside, leaving the desk free for you both. You laid back over the wood and grinned as you tugged on one of his tusks, forcing his face down so you could lay another kiss on his lips. Durzub moaned again as you reached up into his dark hair, tugging the braids at his scalp.

“Maybe you should make good on your song lyrics.” You purred as you kissed his cheeks and then bit at his neck before sucking a mark under his ear.

“Fuck.” Durzub hissed before he leaned over you, his fingers tugging at your clothes before he admired the collar around your neck and gave it a tug, “I hope you didn’t have any other plans.”

Neither of you saw the audio recording button flashing red.

‘Everything was recorded. I’m keeping it. See you at the bar. x’

#orc x reader #male orc x reader #orc x gender neutral reader #orc #orcs #monster x reader #monster bf #monster bf x reader #monster boy x reader #monster boyfriend #my writing #original works #reader insert

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voiceless-terror · 4 years ago

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Smile and Nod (The Magnus Archives)

Whumptober 2020 Day Six: “Stop, please”

Fandom: The Magnus Archives

Characters: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan Sims, Sasha James, Tim Stoker, Elias Bouchard, Original Character

CW: Harassment, Unwanted Advances

Summary:

“He said to let go of him.” The voice startles them both and Jon turns to see Martin, a placid smile on his face. He is tall, so tall- was Martin always this tall?

Jon runs into trouble at the Institute’s annual donor party and has an unlikely rescuer.

The Institute hosted a party for its most illustrious donors every spring. Jon had never been expected to go to it until his promotion to Head Archivist and even then he tried to get it out of it, to no avail.

“I’m afraid it’s part of your duties now as Head Archivist,” Elias had said. “We need to have a face for every department and I’m sure quite a few of our donors are anxious to meet Gertrude’s replacement. You understand, of course.” Jon nodded. “I trust you’ll be on your best behavior.” He hadn’t forgotten his promise to ‘be more lovely’ after the incident with Naomi Herne.

“Yes, yes,” Jon sighed. He wasn’t looking forward to the event- sticking close to Elias’s side didn’t seem very appealing, but being left to the wolves was even worse. Elias seemed to notice his hesitation and paused, waiting for Jon to continue. Perhaps he didn’t have to go alone. It’s worth a try, isn’t it?

“W-Would it,” he began, cursing his stutter. “That is, I would like to- if you don’t mind, I think it would be valuable to have my assistants attend, as well?” He hated the uptick in his voice that made it sound more like a question. “I-I just think it would be a good experience for them to ah, meet the donors as well. Since they do a lot of the research.” Another reminder that he had no idea what he was doing; Elias hadn’t said anything about his methods in the Archives, so he only hoped that indicated a tacit agreement about the way things should be run.

Jon watched several emotions flit across the man’s face, irritation and disappointment giving way to resignation. He tried to ignore the first two and focus on the last. “Alright,” Elias agreed with a sigh. “Please stress the formality of this event, particularly to Mr. Blackwood. You’ll be representing the Institute, and as such you will be expected to interact with our donors. See that you don’t use your assistants as a social crutch.” Damn. There goes his plan. At least I’ll have some support.

So here he was, standing in the hallway with his assistants in an ill-fitting suit he last wore to the funeral of a distant cousin. It didn’t fit then, either. He hoped he didn’t look too much like a child in his father’s clothes, but the snickers from Tim and Sasha dashed any hope of that. They looked wonderful, of course, as they always did. Martin was in the same boat as Jon, fidgeting in a blazer and non-matching pants.

“Well boss, looks like it’s time to schmooze!” Tim clapped a hand on his shoulder and steered him through the door. Elias liked to have his parties in the main library- it was the most beautiful part of the Institute, aside from the entrance hall. The tables and desks that normally populated the center of the room had been cleared away to reveal a rather spacious area for guests to mingle and talk over the sound of a tasteful string quartet. The whole event was incredibly elegant and Jon felt like he very much did not belong.

“Ah, there he is!” He heard Elias call from the right-hand corner of the room, where he was surrounded by several well-to-do donors dressed to the nines. He gestured him over with a magnanimous hand and Jon instantly flushed. Tim squeezed his shoulder and pushed him in their general direction. “This is our new Head Archivist, Jonathan Sims. He’s been doing fine work thus far.”

After a moment Tim’s hand is replaced by Elias’s, firm and weighty on his shoulder. He’s exchanging pleasantries with people whose names he forgets almost instantly- their hands are cold and their voices distant, they talk over him as if he were a child they judged and found wanting. Elias’s hand did not move and he was anchored in place, even as they made no move to include him in their conversation.

He saw Martin give him a look of pity from the corner that he was currently occupying with Sasha and Tim. They had their hands full of hors d'oeuvres and drinks and Jon wished desperately for a glass of water, anything to keep his hands occupied. He turned to realize the conversation had stopped and his companions were staring at him expectantly. “I’m sorry?” he hazarded, wondering if he’d been addressed.

“Our son George,” the woman over-enunciated, her tone condescending. Jon remembered vaguely that she had some connection to the Fairchilds, though her name wasn’t familiar. “-is over by the bar. I think you’ll find his company a bit more interesting, hm?” The group tittered and Jon felt shame rise in his throat as his boss’s hand tightened on his shoulder.

“Yes Jon, why don’t you introduce yourself?” Elias said genially enough, though Jon can tell he had disappointed him once again. Jon nodded, excusing himself to go to the corner to get a much-needed drink and to embarrass himself further. There was a man roughly his age fiddling around on his phone with a bored expression. He was tall and handsome but in the soft way of the rich, cruel and cherubic in equal measure. It unnerved Jon and he summoned up a smile that felt more like a grimace.

“G-George?” he asked, willing his voice to steady. The man looked up, expression unchanged as his eyes bored into Jon’s. “I’m Jonathan Sims, the new Head Archivist-”

“Parents send you over?” he smirked and Jon felt the tension in his shoulders ease just a bit. “Sorry you had to deal with them. This your first time at one of these? Median age here is usually around seventy five, give or take.” He laughed and Jon smiled, the man’s candor a bit charming even to him.

“Y-Yes, I’m not really sure I should be here,” he admitted as George slid a drink into his hand. He took a grateful sip and closed his eyes at it’s smooth burn- this was expensive liquor and Jon was going to savor every last bit.

“That makes two of us,” the man nudged him with his elbow and Jon started to think the night might not be as bad as he thought. He glanced quickly over to the other side of the room- Tim winked and gave him a thumbs-up (which he ignored) and Martin’s face was carefully blank. Jon did not know what to make of that.

George, it seemed, was not all that bad. He listened patiently when Jon went off on a rant about book-binding, nodding and smiling at all the right parts. In return, Jon let him talk about finance for longer than was polite (and God was it boring). They’ve now had two drinks and Jon is feeling much, much looser. The smiles are genuine and unforced. He watches Elias nod in approval out of the corner of his eye and feels his chest warm with pride. Not a complete disappointment, am I?

But George is getting closer. It was fine when they were awkwardly perched on opposite ends of the bar and needed to hear one another, but this was getting too cozy for Jon’s tastes. He tries to take a casual step backwards but stumbles. George’s hand goes to his elbow to help steady him and stays there.

“I-I think I need to-” he starts to mumble an excuse but the man is not having it.

“What do you say we get out of here?” He whispers, coming in closer. Jon’s nerves reach a fever-pitch but he does not want to show it, doesn’t want to make a scene so he keeps the smile pasted on his face. “My apartment’s not that far-”

“O-Oh, I’m f-fine, thanks,” he says, trying to dislodge the man’s arm but it is no use- he is much stronger than he looks and has at least half a foot on him. “I actually have plans-”

“With who?” George asks pityingly as Jon tries desperately to meet anyone’s eyes, even Elias’s. He tries to convey his plea without making it obvious to any other bystanders but his boss’s eyes slide right over him. He knows he saw, he knows-

“That’s why they sent you over, right?” George continues, his mouth dangerously close to Jon’s neck as he leans into whisper in his ear. “Pretty thing like you, get me to open the cheque book-”

“Good Lord no, let me go-” at this Jon scoffs, horrified as he tries to yank his arm away.

“Don’t make a scene,” the man says in a low and calming voice, though the leer on his face is clear to see. Jon feels terribly small. “You don’t want to disappoint the boss, do you?”

“Please,” he begs, all out of words. “Stop, please-”

“He said to let go of him.” The voice startles them both and Jon turns to see Martin, a placid smile on his face. He is tall, so tall- was Martin always this tall?

“I’m sorry?” George replies with a sneer, his voice raising in both pitch and volume and Jon is sure if people weren’t looking before, they’re looking now. “I’ll thank you to stay out of this, we were just leaving-”

“No,” Martin replies in that preternaturally calm voice, still smiling. “You weren’t. Now let him go, and we can forget this all happened, hm?” He puts a hand on the arm that’s holding Jon and there’s real strength behind it. George tries to wrench his arm away but Martin’s got it in a solid grip and he barely manages a wiggle.

“Let go of me now, or I’ll-”

“You’ll what?” Martin sounds bored. It is mystifying and Jon can do nothing but gape at the man. “You don’t want a scene, do you? Not in front of the family. Not again. So smile, and walk away.” There is a moment where Jon thinks they will come to blows but it passes. George manages to turn his scowl into a neutral expression, saving some dignity though he throws one last glare Jon’s way. “Not even worth it,” he mutters as he walks away. Jon leans against the bar, releasing a breath he did not realize he’d been holding.

“A-Are you alright, Jon?” Martin has a hand on his elbow but it’s okay now because it’s Martin and it feels right. His face has that same look he gets when he asks Jon whether he wants a cup of tea, or how he’s feeling or if he’s eaten that day. Worried, gentle.

“W-What was that?” is all Jon manages to get out, his voice in an embarrassingly high-pitch. Tim and Sasha are now making their way over with schooled expressions, though Jon can see the worry in their eyes. “Did you know that man? I-I mean, what the hell?” Jon realizes he’s sputtering and tries to get a handle on his swirling emotions. “N-Not that I’m not grateful, but good lord. ‘Not again?’”

Martin laughs, suddenly bashful. “I just guessed with that one, honestly. He looks like the type that’s thrown a fit or two, doesn’t he?” Tim and Sasha reach them and Martin is himself again, hunched over like he’s taking up too much space. This is the Martin that tiptoes around the archives, that’s always smiling and chattering about his day. Jon has never contemplated the man in much detail, but he is finding it hard to reconcile this new side of him. It’s not necessarily unwelcome.

“Alright there, boss?” Tim inquires, good-natured but anxious. “Was going to come over, pretend to be your boyfriend and all but Martin said that would be ‘demeaning’ or whatever.” Tim rolls his eyes at this.

“I don’t know, Martin seemed to diffuse the situation pretty well,” Sasha eyes him curiously. “What did you say?”

“N-Nothing, really-”

“He asked him to leave,” Jon says, finding his voice and unable to take his eyes off Martin. “And he left.”

“Damn, okay,” Tim gives an appreciative whistle before knocking back the rest of his drink. “Working that Mart-o magic, I guess. This party blows, let’s hit the bars. Night’s still young!”

Sasha cheers and Martin looks at him questioningly- he surprises himself by nodding in agreement. “Yeah, let’s go.” He studiously ignores Elias breaking off from his group of sycophants and heading their way. He watches as Martin straightens himself minutely, blocking Jon with his body as Tim ushers them out the door before they can get stopped by the man. Jon knows he will get a tongue-lashing out of this but he doesn’t care right now. He feels small in Martin’s shadow but it is a safe small, like a blanket wrapped around him on a chilly night.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Martin asks as Tim and Sasha chatter ahead of them, arguing over their destination. “We don’t have to go out if you don’t want to. I can take you home.”

I can take you home.

“I’m fine,” he says though he knows the situation hasn’t quite set in yet. “I’d rather not be alone, I-I think.” Martin nods and gives him a smile. It is almost charming, and Jon returns it. He doesn’t really want another drink but he needs a distraction, any distraction.

The night is cold and Martin is close, big and safe and warm. And if Jon leans into his side when they finally agree on a bar, that’s nobody’s business but his own.

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26856373

#my writing #tma #the magnus archives #jonmartin #jon/martin #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #timothy stoker #elias bouchard #sasha james #whumptober2020 #no.6 #stop please #fic #harassment cw #unwanted advances cw

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cerinefalls · 4 years ago

Text

𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐭

(𝐴 𝐵𝑎𝑘𝑢𝑔𝑜 𝐾𝑎𝑡𝑠𝑢𝑘𝑖 𝑥𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟)

Category: Slice of life/Comedy

Here today we have UA highschool, a source of trauma for some, and a source of-

"Babies!" Ms. Joke exclaimed with a clap. "Today, hero courses from Shiketsu and UA will team up. You will each be put in pairs and assigned a baby to watch over."

Some students clapped and cheered at the announcement. Others... were not as happy. One of such students was Katsuki Bakugo, a fellow first year at UA.

You looked at him, his grumbles rather hard to ignore. He was exuding a tense feeling. A mix of fear and regret it seemed.

You couldn't stare too long, though. He'd noticed you, and of course this meant he'd have to assert himself.

"Hey, extra! Hell are you staring at?" His face appeared visibly annoyed, yet his hands were in his pockets as if this were second nature to him.

'extras'

A word he used often. This time felt more personal than all the others, though. He was singling you out from the crowd, and an unfortunate wave of attention was sent your way.

You didn't get much of a chance to reply, either. Bakugo was loud, and it seemed Aizawa wasn't up for the embarrassment from this problem child.

"You're with them, Bakugo." The tired man sighed, waving a dismissive hand at his explosive student.

Katsuki scowled, and in this situation, it's best to ignore him. Ignore him you did! Turning your attention back to Ms. Joke.

"And that's all you need to know, really!" The cheerful woman beamed. "Any questions?"

Thank the heavens Midoriya kept notes, otherwise no one wouldve asked for the recap of instructions you'd missed due to Bakugo's outburst.

"Partners will work together over the weekend and care for a robotic baby. It needs to eat, drink, be changed, paid attention to, and entertained the whole time." She explained simply. "This will take place in the UA dorms, and you'll be temporarily moved in with your partner."

Start digging now, because it seemed Aizawa had doomed you in his attempt to quiet the human grenade. Katsuki Bakugo was unwillingly your babysitting accomplice.

You turned to see how he felt about it. His face was unreadable. He wore a mild frown, evident of neutrality, but his eyebrows were raised in what looked to be either acceptance or... dread. It was genuinely hard to tell.

__________

Fast-forward to a few hours later and dorms have been set up. By some off chance, Bakugo chose to bunk with you. How fun! Except, there was a level of discomfort that came with it.

That became all the more obvious when the two of you sat in silence. Katsuki's mattress laid on the left side of the room, yours on the right. The robotic baby sat in a bassinet between the two of you, silent for the time be.

"Those bastards went all out with the preparations, didn't they." Bakugo sighed. He broke the silence with that sentence, leaving room for you to reply.

"Yeah, guess they did." You laughed awkwardly. The silence returned.

It seemed he noticed, because he sighed and stood up, walking towards you with an apathetic expression.

"Look," He began, keeping his eyes averted from you while he spoke. "I get that if we're going to practice taking care of this thing we need to get along, so..."

"Y/N." You introduced yourself. Bakugo was being nice, what a shock. Well, perhaps nice was a stretch, but he was showing a mature level of neutrality to reach a common goal. It was a pleasant change.

He began tapping his foot, pondering his next words when a loud cry erupted from the center of the room.

He jumped at the sudden noise, cursing under his breath. Bakugo attempted to play it off and turn around to look down at the bionic siren.

"What's wrong with it?" You asked, unable to see past his shoulders into the crib.

"Hell if I know-" He was going to continue that sentence, but soon you were both holding your breath. A putrid smell filled your dorm room.

"Oh no..." You'd slowly realized what'd happened. It had begun.

__________

After a long, painful journey through parenthood, the deed was done. Who knew a fake child could cause such real problems. At least you walked out unscathed. Bakugo on the other hand, was no so lucky.

"The hell did they feed that thing?" He grumbled to himself as the two of you walked to the washrooms. You kept the freshly changed baby in your arms while he went to wash his hands.

"It's not like there's real germs involved, Bakugo. Just a smell." You heard someone attempt to comfort your unhappy partner when he'd turned the corner.

"Shut up, shitty hair." So it was Kiri who'd attempted to calm him. Nice try.

Once Bakugo finished in the restroom and was no longer a danger to himself or others, you left the baby with him. It was your turn to wash up, and hopefully this time there would be no issues while you weren't paying attention.

You washed from your finger tips to your forearms meticulously. Why? Katsuki Bakugo despised filth, and he would surely know if you hadn't done as you were instructed.

It was getting late. Almost eight at night, and you just realized something. Earlier in the day, everyone was told to get ready. The washrooms were packed, and you'd had no time to shower. This would be no issue if you were teamed with anyone else, but because of who it was, you had no other choice.

"Bakugo?" You crept quietly out of the washroom, poking half of your body out just far enough for him to see you.

"What is it, Y/N?" He called back. Did he sound... sleepy? No, there was no way. No high schooler got tired at eight. Especially no UA student. The idea was too far fetched.

"Is it alright if I leave you with them a while longer? I need to shower." That came out quieter than expected. It was uncertain how Katsuki felt about children, let alone babies, so asking this was nerve wracking.

Bakugo paused, his face indifferent. It was clear he thought a while before choosing an answer to your question.

"It's fine. We're partners, so if you've got to shower... make it quick. I'm going to put this load of crap to bed." And with that, he got up and left. Bakugo headed straight for your room and shut the door behind him.

__________

'Make it quick' he said. Sadly for him, unless you consider half an hour quick, those were the directives that you didn't follow.

After drying off your body and patting through your hair, you slipped on some nightclothes and walked out of the room. The dormitory was pitch black when you came out. Everyone had a baby to put to bed, after all.

Slowly approaching and entering your room, you were shocked to see it was dark and quiet. Silent even, all aside from the snore of your partner. You giggled. They weren't joking when they said Bakugo went to bed at eight thirty.

The creak of the door as you pushed it further open seemed to wake him, though. He yawned and sat up, holding a finger to his lips. Why? In his other arm was the baby, it's bionic brain fast asleep. You tip toed closer to inspect the scene.

"The asshole wouldn't fall asleep until I laid it with me." Bakugo groggily complained, sitting up slowly as to not wake the uncomfortably realistic techno brat.

"Ah... should I take it so you can rest, then?" You asked a genuine question, but the face your co-parent made indicated he'd taken it as a challenge.

Of course. Katsuki 'don't underestimate me' Bakugo was angry with you for questioning whether he could do it or not. At least he had the head on his shoulders tight enough to remember he shouldn't scream at you. If he did, it'd be trouble for everyone on your floor.

"Since you don't think I can do it, you come join me. Watch this thing while I sleep." He retorted in a shockingly calm tone.

"What? With you? Why would I do that when they put your bed in here so we could have space?" You replied, a bit taken aback.

"So you can see I can do it with or without you. Can't move the damn thing, anyway." Bakugo groaned. He was clearly tired. Cranky may even be the word to describe him.

You shook your head, heading towards your own side of the room. You didn't get very far, though.

"Hey, that's not fair." The tired blonde hothead was clearly upset now, but for what reason was still a mystery. "If I've got to sleep with this thing and you're still gonna doubt me, you have to stay with me." Of course.

You stayed silent for a few seconds, lost for words. His logic made sense, but you weren't sure on whether it was a good idea. In theory, it was the perfect chance for him to prove himself, and for you two to act as a real couple would when caring for a child. On the other hand, this was meant to reflect hero work. Not a family scenario, but one where a child was being babysat. It was a hard call.

Bakugo could sense you were unsure about it, and questioned why in his head. After he finished thinking it through, it made sense to him why you'd hesitate. He turned over and laid back down. "Forget I said anything."

His words snapped you from thinking, and you felt as though he may have gotten the wrong idea. "Wait. I'll do it to watch them while you rest." It was past his bedtime after all, and if you admitted to doing it for his pride he would've chewed you out.

You dragged a blanket from your bed to his, laying on the other side of the baby. Soon enough, you heard Bakugo snoring again, and you were the only one awake in your dorm. Quiet and peaceful, as it should be.

You watched the baby as you said you would. It was merely eight forty five, and had you gone to sleep, the baby could've easily woken up moments later. You wanted to keep your word to him, so you stayed awake and watched over the baby.

Crickets and wind, a calm mix of sound flood in through the window. A sleepy combination of whistles and cool air. Your comforter sat over you heavily, warm and snug. That means when you felt something reach over and hug you, it startled you a bit due to the unexpectedness.

You remained calm. Waking the baby would be an awful mistake. This was confusing, though. When you checked, Bakugo was still fast asleep. This was an unconscious action.

Consciousness aside, it was cute. Did Katsuki sleep with stuffed animals? It would explain why he'd hugged you in his sleep. Regardless of the reason, this comfortable position lead to you dozing off. Sooner or later, silence was spread across all of the UA dorms. The babies had really tired out these young heroes. Perhaps tomorrow would be more peaceful.

____________________

A/N:

Hiya! Thank you for reading. If you don't mind, could you leave some feedback for me? I'd love to know what you thought.

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ijustwant2write · 4 years ago

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A Little Secret-Alfie Solomons x OC!Reader (Part 1/?)

(GIF credit to @ancoravivo)

Part 2

Summary: Izzy had vague memories of her parents, but the life she lives working for Alfie is all she knows. They have technically known each other since they were children, but they were never friends. She’s the best kept secret in the distillery until Alfie meets with potentially new business partners.

Characters: Alfie Solomons x OC!Reader, Ollie x OC!Reader, Thomas Shelby

Warnings: Swearing, mention of guns/death, arguing

(A/N: This is an idea I had for a new series, I've never written for Alfie either!)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Morning Izzy. How do you always get here before I do?" Ollie asked the young woman, who had been standing at the bakery entrance, clinging to her thin coat and clearly shivering.

"Just like to be on time." she quietly said, though all of her words were quiet.

Ollie kindly smiled, taking out the huge keys, which made an annoying clanging noise as they hit against each other.

Izzy followed him into the warmth, holding back before the lights were turned on. She had always hated the dark. There was nothing nice about it. It was only when she turned twenty one all those years ago that she had stopped sleeping with the light on, an embarrassing thing to admit. Ollie sighed as he walked down the corridor, past all of the barrels, headed to his boss' office. Izzy caught up to him, her steps much smaller and quicker than his.

"When will Mr Solomon be here?" Izzy asked.

"When he wants to be. Why? Something you need from him?"

She shook her head."No. Just wondering."

Izzy looked over the list of deliveries that should be arriving that morning, her head already in work mode. Ollie looked at her for a moment, wondering how someone like her still worked here; not because she slacked or was bad at her job, but because she an honest, hardworking woman who could easily be in a higher position in a much better job. Yet she never left, her loyalties were too strong.

Izzy left Ollie, taking the inventory list (that she always had written up the night before) and a pen with her. She quickly discarded of her coat and bag, walking towards where the deliveries would be. She would have to go outside again, but keeping her coat on never crossed her mind, she always left it behind. Waiting for a knock on the door, Izzy yawned, scolding herself for feeling tired already. It had been a restless night once again, but no one needed to know of that. She was here to work, that was it. No need to indulge into personal matters, not ones that deep anyway.

Once the men arrived, she began ticking off the boxes that passed her, pretending to not realise that her boss was approaching her. She looked up at the last minute, smiling slightly to be polite.

"Izzy, everything in order?" Alfie asked, scratching his beard.

"Yes, Mr Solomons, everything has been delivered." she replied, her eyes glued on her list.

"Course it fucking has." he said, though his tone was neutral."Otherwise they would have you to deal with, eh?"

Izzy hummed. She continued her checks, not phased by Alfie standing beside her. He remained silent, watching as she worked. Not to catch her doing anything wrong, just because that's all there was to do.

"Got a meeting with an important man today, you make yourself scarce like usual, yeah?" he informed her, receiving a nod as a reply. That's all he needed.

Izzy never intruded, never pushed to know who these business men were. They were Mr Solomon's clients and that's all. She remembered one of the workers gossiping about a woman he used to work with, who got herself into some dangerous activity after sticking her nose in it. Izzy wasn’t stupid, she knew how the rich and powerful men in this city earned their keep.

She was pleased as the hour went by, her routine going smoothly like it did almost every day; her stress levels would rise if anything was out of place, and though it may have been over the smallest thing, she couldn't help how panicked and upset she got over it. The men had now arrived for their shifts, some of them giving Izzy a nod as a greeting, knowing she wouldn't speak anyway. No man ever got too close to Izzy here, not after the incident.

Ollie had given Izzy a heads up when Alfie's mentioned guests were arriving. She thanked him, gathering her things before leaving. Alfie had always wanted her to be away from the real bad side of the business, felt that she was too delicate to deal with things such as that, especially after all she had been through as a child. She never minded. Sometimes things became a little more violent, and she really didn’t like witnessing those sort of things. Even a mere shouting match could make her nervous.

Often, Alfie would find errands for her to do when he had meetings, knowing how unfair it was to kick her out. Other times, Izzy had her own errands to run, either collecting food for the week or buying more sewing thread to repair yet another one of her dresses. Izzy sometimes found herself wandering towards the library, being the only place that you didn’t have to spend any money; and it was quiet, nice and peaceful. She wasn’t an avid reader, nor was she very good at it. The smaller books were always best for her, not too many big words, and a short story to keep her mind busy for the next hour or so.

Alfie knew where she went. He had one of his men follow her, he had done from day one. At first, it was to see what she was up to, whether she would do what he asked or use this time as an extended lunch break. But after hearing how honest she was, and after many reports about her dull afternoon, Alfie stopped sending his men after her. Instead, he did something that he wasn’t used to; asking Izzy how her day was.

“Excuse me miss,” a gruff voice called out,“you seem to have dropped some cash.”

Izzy instantly tensed up as the man approached her. She was still in public, there were plenty people around her in the streets. He was holding out money to her, but she definitely didn’t have that on her when she left.

“Oh, that’s not mine.” she mumbled, already turning away from him.

“Nah, I think it is.” he protested.

He grabbed her shoulder and she instantly pushed it off of her.“It really isn’t. I...I’m sorry.”

Izzy tried to scurry away again, but the man grabbed her again.

“Why won’t you take the money?”

“Leave me alone!” she raised her voice, snatching her arm back before running away from him.

Izzy knew scammers lurked in the streets, she wouldn’t fall for their tricks. But this was the first time one of them had confronted her, and even if he wasn’t trying to rob her, he was scary enough on his own. She slowed down as she got closer to work, taking a moment to catch her breath, checking over her shoulder that he was no longer following her. However, she spotted him, he was quickly making his way towards her. Panic had set in. She knew that a scammer wouldn’t be trying this hard, they had to be after Mr Solomons; but she had no where else to run to.

Somehow she had outrun him again, managing to barge into the bakery. Red faced with small beads of sweat on her forehead, she passed many of the workers, all of them staring at her. She had to warn her boss, only realising that he was in a meeting after she burst into the office. Izzy froze, seeing Alfie and Ollie sat down, their business partners and their backup turning around to face her.

“Ollie, sort her out.” Alfie ordered.

Ollie instantly stood, rushing Izzy out of the office. He lead her away from prying ears, looking stressed.

“Izzy, what are you doing?! You knew there was a meeting today.” Ollie exclaimed in a hushed tone.

“There was a man,” she was still trying to catch her breath,“and he was chasing me.”

“Which gave you the right to interrupt the meeting?”

She was offended that he hadn’t asked her if she was alright, though didn’t bring it up.“But he kept following me! Why would he do that? What if he was following me here-”

“Then you’ve led him straight to us. Izzy, he was probably after you cause you’re a woman. You’re safe here. Just...just get on with some work.”

Izzy bit her lips as he walked away, trying not to cry. Now she felt stupid. Perhaps the man was just after her, planning to...do something horrible. Mr Solomons was going to be furious with her when he saw her. She hated being wrong, not because of any pride, because of humiliation, hence why she always kept her head down to avoid anyone watching what she did.

Only half an hour had gone by when the meeting finished. Izzy turned her back to the men, hoping to be ignored. Their footsteps echoed past her as she concentrated on her work, she was desperate to see if they had fully gone, but didn’t want to risk making eye contact. When she thought the coast was clear, she turned around, screaming out when a gunshot went off. Instinctively ducking behind a tower of crates, Izzy curled into a ball, waiting for a shootout to happen.

“Izzy!” Alfie suddenly appeared in front of her, picking her up off the floor.“What man followed you?”

“What?” she squeaked out, scared at how tight he was holding her.

He shook her.“Who followed you here?!”

“I don’t know!”

There was a frenzy in his eyes as he stared at her, his breathing heavy. Realising that he was hurting her, he let go, stroking a hand down his face in annoyance.

“It’s alright miss,” a Birmingham accent reassured her,“it wasn’t any of our men.”

Izzy had no idea who this business partner was or why Mr Solomons was working with someone from Birmingham. But at least he was calming down the situation.

“W-what happened?” she asked.

“Alfie, you going to introduce us?”

Izzy had never seen Mr Solomons’ head snap up so quickly. He took long, slow strides to stand in front of her.

“She’s a worker. None of your concern.” He stated.

The brummie was still looking at the woman.“Looked a bit more than that to me.”

“Right, well, you’ve done enough now, haven’t you?”

Izzy looked elsewhere as the man continued to look at her, his shiny shoes in her peripheral vision. He finally walked away, and Alfie shouted at everyone to get back to work.

Alfie gestured for Izzy to follow him. Once again, Izzy was the centre of attention, and she loathed every second of it. Shutting the office door behind her, Izzy stood on the other side of Mr Solomons' desk, head ducked down as she anticipated the scolding she would receive.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Alfie hissed out, not wanting his other workers to hear.

"Mr Solomons, I didn't know-"

Alfie suddenly leaned forward in his chair."No, you didn't! Why would you lead someone back here?"

"I...I didn't mean to. I-I panicked, he scared me. Where else would I go?"

"I don't fucking know, somewhere that isn't here!"

"He...I'm sorry Mr Solomons it won't happen again."

Alfie's anger towards her was know pinned onto the man."He did what, Izzy?"

"Nothing. Should I get back to work?"

Alfie stood, rounding his desk to stand in front of her. Izzy hated how meek she felt, even if this was a normal conversation, her hands would always shake.

"Has he hurt you? Did he lay a fucking finger on you-"

"No, he just grabbed me a little."

"Ollie will take you home tonight."

"Oh, but it's so far from his home."

"He won't mind."

Alfie had finished that tiny argument with that. Izzy had made herself extremely busy for the rest of the day, pushing aside the events that had occurred. Alfie found that he couldn't concentrate on anything but Izzy, not that it was any different from any other day. As the evening pressed on, Ollie entered the office, seeing how stressed his boss looked.

"Right, you're taking Izzy home tonight. Make sure she gets back safe. I've got three men stationed at her home." Alfie explained.

"Yes Mr Solomons. But, can I ask, why the three men?"

"Because someone out there knows about her. And because of Tommy fucking Shelby."

"What about him?"

"He's seen her, hasn't he?"

Ollie was lost, waiting for a further explanation.

"It don't matter. Just do it."

To Ollie (and basically everyone else), it was clear how worried Alfie was over the woman. She was the only person he ever showed kindness to, in his own way of course. Ollie knew that there was a lot of pressure to drop her home, though it seemed like a simple task, there was a reason that Alfie was paranoid. He thought he hid it well, but the difference in his demeanour showed around her. As he left the office, Ollie checked the rounds in his gun, glancing towards Izzy. That woman was special to Mr Solomons, and if anyone were to touch a hair on her head, they would be a dead man.

#alfie solomons #alfie solomons imagine #alfie solomons imagines #alfie solomons one shot #alfie solomons x reader #peaky blinders #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders imagines #peaky blinders imagine #bbc peaky blinders #peaky blinders fanfic

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specterchasing-a · 4 years ago

Text

Brainberry Picking || Morgan & Eddie

TIMING: Current-ish

LOCATION: Jericho Hill Cemetery

PARTIES: @mor-beck-more-problems & @specterchasing

SUMMARY: A zombie and a medium meet in a graveyard, one of them might have a foot fetish.

CONTENT: Aside from the foot fetish, all is well.

“I just don’t see how you can have a whole existence that relies on human systems and communities--well people systems and communities and not give a crap just because you’ve been doing it for a long time,” Morgan complained, swilling her chopsticks around her brains and rice. “Aren’t we responsible for each other even if we’re three hundred and some baby normie is twenty? How can apathy be a good thing?”

It was her off day from work, and rather than worry her family by spending the day cooped up inside, she opted to spend as much time outside as possible, even if being in hunting range made her nervous. But Jericho Hill was more ghostly than anything else, and the trusted the soldier to signal if he saw anything dangerous looking, even if he did talk a big game about being specater in the game of humanity, and the effects of longevity. He’d saved her and Erin. He had more of a heart than he wanted to admit, even for a centuries-old kid.

The colonial soldier shrugged and said that she should wait and see until she was older.

“Okay, teen grandpa,” Morgan deadpanned.

The colonial soldier changed the subject by way of nodding toward her foot. Did she require assistance or was she really just that bad at noticing grievous injuries?

Morgan looked down at the chunks of broken bottle protruding from her toes. “Fucking--” She hissed and propped up her foot, starting to yank out the pieces one by one and wipe the black blood on her skirt so there wouldn’t be anything for hunters to find when they prowled at night. Her wounds would close up soon enough. As much as she wanted to sport as much extra strength as possible, she hadn’t figured out how to negotiate her fear of being caught off guard by some junior college murderer and the fear of not being herself.

In the distance, stone scattered across the tall grass. Morgan stopped, mid tug, and looked around. “Hello?”

Jericho Hill, one of Eddie’s most beloved places to visit. The other cemeteries in town had their charm, but meandering among the derelict headstones of White Crest’s oldest burial ground came second to none. As per usual, he arrived with a camera—just in case.

Eddie minded the graves as he wandered, making sure not to intrude on anyone’s final resting place. Midway through the graveyard, he spotted two figures with their backs to him in the midst of conversation. Considering Jericho Hill was open to the public, that would’ve been a perfectly ordinary occurrence, except one of the figures happened to be a colonial soldier far beyond his expiration date. Eddie’s heart skipped a beat at the possibility of encountering another medium but, as he grew closer, he noticed the potential medium doing something with her foot.

Raising his camera, Eddie slowed his pace and zoomed in on the woman’s feet for a better look. “Oh, what the fu—” He stumbled over a semi-interred rock, nearly losing his balance and dislodging the rock in one fell swoop.

“Hello?” said the woman.

Eddie froze in place as if staying perfectly still made him invisible. Realizing she likely had very little in common with Spielbergian dinosaurs, he cleared his throat and waved sheepishly. “Beautiful day, huh? Hey—is your foot okay?”

Morgan stiffened at the sound of a voice nearby. She ran a dozen or so scenarios Mina had drilled into her. She was better at defense on account of nine more months of practice, but that didn’t mean she relished the thought of having to throw anyone to the ground or break any bones.

But it was just some kid, looking like a peeping tom who’d been found out.

“Is it a beautiful day?” She challenged. “Because being spied on doesn’t usually fall under my ‘beautiful day’ umbrella.” At the mention of her foot, she put hers back down and yanked as many pieces out under the cover of the grass as she could. “I’m fine. Why are you looking at my feet in the first place?”

“Hold on, don’t do that,” Eddie said with a shake of his head. “Don’t make me sound like some kind of graveyard-foot-pervert. Look at it.” He gestured towards the foot in question. “That’s not natural and neither is talking to ghosts—hey, by the way, nice to see you again, Terry.” The second half of his statement was directed at the colonial soldier and paired with another short wave.

“Hi, Eddie,” the ghost responded.

“Y’know, I was just excited to meet someone else who could see them, but the whole black goo thing kind of threw me off my game.” Eddie’s attention reverted back to the woman currently picking at her foot. “Also, who eats in cemeteries? I’m just saying, let he who is not being super weird in public cast the first stone.”

Morgan didn’t know what to process first, having her injuries spotted by a Gen-Z wunderkind with a camera, the “not natural” thing, him seeing the ghost, or--

“Terry? Really? You tell him your name, but not me?” Morgan reached over and elbowed the soldier through his arm.

“A man has to keep some mystery with a pretty lady,” he replied, smirking through the gash in his face.

“Now you’re just trying to clean it up. Did you see him coming too?” She turned back to the kid, Eddie apparently, and tucked her feet under her skirt. “Whatever you are, you aren’t the only kind of person who can make friends with ghosts,” she said, miffed but starting to deflate. He had said he was excited. Excited people usually didn’t try to lop off your head. “And for your information, cemetery picnics have been a time honored tradition for centuries. The Victorians designed some of their cemeteries to be enjoyed like parks. And there’s a lot less---” Kids. Couples picnicking. Burger wrappers and empty slushie cups. Life. “Crowds, in a cemetery. I like the quiet. And the company. Sometimes.” She side-eyed Terry, who clutched his chest like he was wounded.

The conversation unfolding before Eddie left him feeling like a child seeing their parents get into an argument. He casually averted his gaze in an attempt to give them some semblance of privacy while they worked through their dispute. Before he knew it, the irate woman’s attention was back on him and he found himself wishing their argument would have gone on longer.

“That’s… actually very cool,” Eddie admitted, his brows raising in approval. “But, um, circling back to what you said about seeing ghosts—I’m a medium, I thought we were only ones with that specific privilege.” He couldn’t help feeling inadequate as he confessed his ignorance. Eddie dedicated his life to knowing about the supernatural, but he barely knew anything for certain. “Who else made the cut? Obviously, you don’t have to, like, tell me what you are, or anything. Not unless you want to, which would be stellar, but… I feel like I should know that kind of thing.”

“Medium, huh?” Morgan said, sizing the kid up again. “I’ve met a few of you. Exorcists, mostly, but still. But, since you asked so nicely, all of the undead I’m aware of and some fae can see and hear ghosts. It seems to be a proximity to death sort of thing, but I don’t know how the metaphysics works.” She set her lunch aside and dropped her hand under her foot to finish picking out the glass, away from view. She was mostly sure he didn’t actually have some voyeuristic foot fetish, but that didn’t do much for her self-consciousness. It was one thing to patch herself up at home, or with dead people who didn’t care, but with strangers, she felt the wrongness of her body. It wasn’t neutral, it was batshit. “You must be some kind of death enthusiast too, though. Coming out here by yourself in the middle of the day? It’s not exactly the nicest cemetery in town. I hardly see anyone alive out here on my visits. Shouldn’t you be hustling or studying or having fun somewhere?”

Eddie’s eyes glistened with rabid enthusiasm at the mention of the undead and fae. He’d only recently learned about the existence of zombies, and his fae-knowledge severely lacked depth. And here this woman was, sounding like she knew a great deal about both.

“Hustling?” he repeated the word with bashful incredulity. “I mean, this is fun for me. Not to sound edgy, but I love the dead. The living are cool too, but… they’ve never felt like home, y’know? All my life, I’ve been surrounded by dead people that either needed my help, or who helped me. I like spending as much time with them as I can.” He tried not to watch as she covertly plucked at her foot. Curious as he was, he could do without further insinuation that he harbored some sort of affinity for feet. “Is that how you are?”

With the last of the glass picked out, Morgan went still and regarded Eddie more carefully. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d met a human who spoke so affectionately about the dead, and she wasn’t sure whether to be thrilled or concerned. “You talk about the living like you aren’t one of them,” she said. “I don’t meet too many humans that apathetic about who they are. But your ghosts--they were good to you? You weren’t ever scared?” But one revelation deserved a little something in return, and anyone that fond of the dead probably wouldn’t sell her out. Morgan pursed her lips as she thought her answer over. “I am recently un-humaned, yes,” she said. “A little over a year now. You could say making friends with death saved my un-life, but I had lots of other help too. Living-people-help.”

The stranger had a point—Eddie never felt like he belonged among the living—but never had the dissonance he felt been stated so bluntly. “I guess, yeah. The living are assholes, for the most part.” There were, of course, exceptions to that rule, but they were few and far between. “Most have been good to me, except…” Eddie shook his head gently. “They’re individuals too, can’t expect them to all be winners.” As she admitted to being undead, he looked at her with enraptured awe. “That’s… wow. I mean, first of all, I’m sorry for your loss. You’ve probably got a handle on things by now, but I’m sure that’s a pretty wild transition. And, I’m glad you had people to help you adjust, support systems are so important.” Eddie took a moment to center himself. “What’s the, uh, preferred terminology for your… condition? Also, wow, I should probably ask your name, huh? Like Terry said, I’m Eddie. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He bowed his head slightly to punctuate his sentence.

“The living are individuals too, Eddie,” Morgan said. “And if you didn’t know about undead and fae seeing ghosts, I’m guessing you haven’t met many of the other living species of people out there. It doesn’t seem like a good idea to dismiss all of them out of hand. Or especially kind. Your ghosts were living once too, you know.” But Eddie’s vagueness piqued a troubling sense of familiarity in Morgan. Children didn’t tend to rely on ghosts if they had live people to take good care of them. “Those must have been some pretty shitty assholes to make you give up on everyone alive, human or not. I’m sorry for that, Eddie. Whatever happened to you, whoever was that cruel--I know how it can feel safer to just pull away and not risk yourself again, when you’ve suffered enough in a certain way. And I’m sorry.” She sighed and held out her hand to the kid, smiling sadly for both of them. “I’m Morgan Beck. You can refer to my ‘condition’ as zombie. But that’s classified. I don’t really enjoy having to fight for my existence. Not that a slayer won’t already know what I am on sight, but I’d rather they not get any extra help you know?” Her smile curled bitterly and she turned her eyes to the rest of the cemetery. “Are you really out here because it’s fun, Eddie…?” She asked quietly. “Or is it something else, too?”

When Eddie set out for Jericho Hill earlier in the day, he hadn’t expected a lecture. “Death changes a person,” he said softly after she reminded him that ghosts weren’t always memories. It didn’t take him long to realize the issue with his statement. “Preacher, choir.” He gestured first to himself, then Morgan as he assigned the labels. “You probably have a point.”

Eddie found himself nodding along with her condemnation of ‘shitty assholes’ initially, but he stilled when he heard her apology. His expression fell into unsure neutrality; he didn’t know how to respond. Strangers weren’t usually that kind, and they never read him like a book. It took him a moment to register her outstretched hand before he grasped it with his.

“Pleasure to meet you, Morgan Beck,” Eddie said, mirroring her sad smile. “Your secret’s safe with me. People like you shouldn’t be hunted, anyway.” Her question took some mulling over. Eddie didn’t particularly like being open and honest on that front. “Well, I mean, it is fun, but…” He trailed off with a sigh before shrugging. “Actually, that’s kind of bullshit. I can’t remember the last time I had fun—maybe with Bex or Alfie, but that’s different. Having fun with friends is easy but, when I’m alone…” Eddie shook his head and let out a terse sigh. “Are you, like, a psychiatrist or something? Analyzing brains by day, eating them by night.”

“What? Death changes you? No kidding,” Morgan deadpanned. “You can consider me an expert on both sides of the curtain,” she added more kindly. “Thank you. For your...Human-Plus allyship?” She wasn’t sure what to call it. She confided in so few humans these days. She had enough on her plate with her family as it was.

She kept looking at Eddie, his battered hollowness and his resilient vitality. There was more than one way to be alive and dead, she supposed. “I’m an adjunct professor in the English department at the university,” she said. “But I spent my alive-time on earth literally cursed with suffering, and consequently spent a lot of time desperately wanting to get to know people and being afraid of getting too close, in case they got sucked into my magic bullshit. So I’m good at noticing things and I understand a lot. Like that feeling where you can be mostly okay when you’re with people, especially the ones you care about, but when it’s just you that feeling you’re running from is still there and it settles in. But we don’t have to talk about that, if it makes you uncomfortable. Also, I resent the suggestion that I eat people. I’m actually trying to hurt as few people as possible right now for reasons that have nothing to do with my appetite, which I monitor and manage very carefully. So I’d appreciate it if you didn’t do that again. You can tell me about how you know Bex, if you really want a change of subject.” Beaming at Eddie, she brought up her knees and let her head fall to rest on them and settled in. She’d given him a lot, but if he was friends with Bex, it was probably best he got used to the ride.

Eddie deserved her snark, even he could admit that. Despite his theorizing, fantasizing, and romanticizing—he didn’t know what it meant to be dead. Against better judgement, he envied Morgan and the way she straddled the line between life and death. It sounded ideal, at least on paper. “I strive to be a friend of the dead,” he said with a mild shrug. “Clearly, that doesn’t absolve me of insensitivity though, sorry about that.”

As she caught him up to speed on the source of her empathy, he listened with enraptured fascination. Eddie didn’t know the first thing about curses, but he liked to think he understood the loneliness she alluded to. “Sounds like you got saddled with a spectator role, that sucks. Most people aren’t built for that.” He hoped he wasn’t projecting, but he wouldn’t be surprised if that turned out to be the case.

“Shit��thanks for correcting me. I shouldn’t have made an assumption like that,” he admitted timidly when she kindly scolded him for his comment about brain-eating. His face lit up at the mention of Bex. “You know ‘er?” he asked, taking a seat in front of Morgan. Knowing she was familiar with someone like Bex instantly eased whatever lingering uncertainty he still felt. “We met pretty recently, I guess, but she’s the kind of person I feel like I’ve known a lot longer than I actually have, y’know?”

Eddie wondered how much information was safe to bring-up, ultimately deciding to play it safe. “It was after… well, she’d just gone through something pretty awful, and I think I made things a little harder on her. Not on purpose, of course, I didn’t know, but… she was really kind to me, anyway. I think that goes to show how special she is.” He neglected to mention the magical mishap; maybe Morgan didn’t know that side of Bex. “How do you know her? If that’s alright to ask, I mean.”

“You weren’t built to be a spectator in your life either, Eddie,” Morgan said. “No one is. We are here to learn, to connect, to experience. What’s the point of being stuck in a body if not to feel? What’s the point of being surrounded by so much mess and beauty if not to learn as much as you can from it? It’s cruel to take it for granted. And it’s cruel to hurt someone in a way that they cut themself off from anything good they might find in their tiny little existence.”

She fingered the tall, young grass as she spoke. She could never settle on a memory to give its strange, invisible touch more substance. When she was a child in Houston and her mother would send her into the yard to practice her alchemy, the grass was thick and sharp. It prickled her feet so badly she’d check her heels to see if they had cut her. They never did. So maybe the grass was like dull needles, or like tiptoeing around the rules, since she would often do her exercises slowly or skip steps on purpose so she could do them over again and make her time out last longer. Long enough to see the stars appear, but before the mosquitoes ate her up.

“But yes, I was really bad at keeping my distance,” she went on. “Which made for a lot of good experiences and a lot of hurt. Honestly, I wish I’d taken more risks, made more kinds of alive-memories to hold onto.”

She couldn’t help but beam at hearing the boy talk about Bex. Nothing he said was news to her, but it was nice to see her kindness reflected in someone else’s eyes. “Bex is staying with me right now. Has been for a while. Well, me and my girlfriend. We care for her as if she was ours, as best as we know how, anyway. So I know,” she grinned. “You’re not breaking supernatural club rules if you want to talk about her.”

Eddie wanted to agree with Morgan, to say that life was something precious and cherishable, but he couldn’t bring himself to lie. Death looked a lot more appealing to him whether or not he made a triumphant return as something a little less human. “Cruel or not, people do it anyway,” he said with a shrug. “I’m coping with it the only way I know how.” Granted, his coping looked a lot more like sabotaging.

Eddie didn’t think much of the grass, it was just grass; everywhere and unextraordinary. All it had to offer him were stains, the thought of which made him shift uncomfortably. He felt that way about a lot of everyday life’s mundanities. They didn’t exist unless they caused a problem. Morgan had a point when she warned him against taking things for granted, but Eddie didn’t realize it. How could he?

“I bet that’s weird,” he said. “Everything changing, but also not. I don’t know much about zombies, obviously, but I know coming back is rough for a lot of ghosts. I’d tell you that there’s still time to take those risks, but I get the sense you didn’t come to Jericho Hill looking for silver linings. At least, not ones given to you by some random guy with a foot fetish.” He ended on a joke in the hopes that it might lighten the mood, praying she didn’t think he was serious.

A sigh of relief passed Eddie’s lips. “Beamed a heaping helping of trauma right into my head,” he explained. “She didn’t mean to, of course, and I’m not exactly mad about it, anyway. Knowing her is worth a little muss and fuss. That said, I learned my lesson. No more alleyways for Bex.”

“Eddie, and I mean this kindly, with the kind of empathy that comes from experience--” Morgan prefaced her words softly, giving Eddie a look that pitied and understood too well. “Putting all your attention on other people’s problems so you don’t have to look at your own doesn’t make them go away, or get smaller. A lot of the time it just makes them grow heavier and sink their roots deeper into you.”

She reached out and gently flicked some of his long hair out of his eyes. “Worrying about me isn’t coping. What’s so bad about turning all this nice attention on yourself? I know people haven’t been kind, but whatever they said or did, they weren’t right about you. You deserve kindness. And love. Being here is hard enough without being cruel to yourself too. But--” She grinned wryly. “You didn’t come to Jericho Hill for a pep talk from a walking dead lady.”

She picked up her Pyrex and ate the last bit of lunch and dusted herself off. “I’m going to go home and prep some raccoon bones for my next art project, if you want to come. Bex has some really great pieces she’s made too. But we know each other now, so I hope you won’t try and disappear just because I know what song you’re playing.”

Eddie listened as Morgan spoke. Meanwhile, his stomach twisted into anxious knots. He didn’t want to hear that putting others first wasn’t the answer. Tackling his problems head-on hurt too much, especially considering he rarely had help. “Yeah, so I’ve noticed.” His gaze fell to the ground. Eddie couldn’t bring himself to say more, it might inspire her to confront him with even more difficult truths. It was nice feeling like she cared, he didn’t expect that from someone he just met, but it was also heavy.

Eddie let out a soft huff of laughter when she flicked a strand of his hair. Such a simple gesture, but the familiarity of it inspired a gush of affection. “Maybe not, but I’m glad that didn’t stop her from giving it to me anyway.”

“Are you kidding?” Eddie asked in disbelief, rising to his feet. “You’re a bone-art making, pep talk giving zombie with a weirdly comforting southern accent. Good luck getting rid of me, you’ll need it.”

#c: morgan #wickedswriting #brainberry picking #/// HNNGH I LOVE MORGAN #kat really blessed us with her existence #and this is actually very wholesome #it gets a little heavy conversation-wise #but i don't thiiiink anything mentioned will be particularly triggering?

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arknights-imagines · 5 years ago

Note

"Oh no! The doctor turned into a child! -for a day only- How will the operators deal with this special situation?" ( A prompt for executor, silverash and hellagur, the idea is how would they individually handle this kind of situation with a kid turned f!doc ? ) Thanks for giving us all this content! Here's to a lot more Exe requests! :D

AAA I LOVE REQUESTS LIKE THESE SBJSHS 🥺😭 they're silly but they're so much fun looll tysm anon 💞💞 and it's my pleasure! I'm glad people like my stuff 🌸 and yes all the Exe requests please loolll 🥺🥺 I know you mention you wanted fem Doctor but since I wrote these in second person I made Doctor gender neutral ✨ I hope that's okay with you anon! Please enjoy~

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Executor, SilverAsh and Hellagur with a Doctor who got turned into a child for the day

Headcanon format; in second person but mostly from the perspective of the Operator

Contains: Executor, SilverAsh, Hellagur, general neutral Doctor who's meant to be the reader, implied established relationships in each hc batch, some background characters and as much softness as I could possibly manage ✨

Word count: 6.7k in total (I went a lil overboard aaa 👉👈)

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

EXECUTOR

･ It truly was a 'you had to see it to believe it' kind of situation.

･ But even everyone that saw it wasn't sure whether what they saw was true or they were just hallucinating.

･ Executor had accompanied you for work around Rhodes Island that day; you wanted his opinions on new recruits for Rhodes Islands' forces. He had no objections, and he did enjoy spending the day with you, regardless of what you two were going to be doing.

･ Among the new recruits, there was one particular one - a Caster. They only stood out to Executor because they kept dropping their wand and tripping over while the drills were run. He silently wondered if they had ever even been on a real battlefield.

･ They were a bit clumsy, but relatively harmless. They were just a trainee, after all. They surely wouldn't cause any issues for you.

･ The Sankta ignored them for a while, more focused on helping you. However, while you were standing in the middle of the training grounds directing the trainees during another short battle drill, that clumsy Caster ran right into you, and you collided with both them and their wand, which lit up with sparks upon poking your face on impact.

･ "Look out-!" "Ow-!!" The collision was loud and both of you were sent tumbling to the ground. ･ Executor was quick to act, rushing to catch you before you fell to the floor, completely ignoring the flashes that had just gone flying from the Casters' Arts wand.

･ Arms wrapped securely around you, the Sankta blinked as the aggressive flashes disappeared, and he looked to make sure you were alright. "Doctor-" Executor stopped in the middle of his sentence when his eyes came to what he had in his hold.

･ Instead of you, there was a little child in his arms.

･ The Sankta went quiet for a moment, staring at the child for a few seconds with wide eyes before he realized that the child was you.

･ Executor knew that didn't make any logical sense, but there was no doubt that the child was you. They were wrapped up in your Rhodes Island coat and were wearing a shrunken outfit identical to the one you had put on that day; not to mention their skin tone and eye colour were the same as yours.

･ He stiffened a bit when you poked his cheek with your small hand, cooing out syllables that sounded like fractions of his name. "Execu?" The Sankta blinked, "Doctor…"

･ Amiya came rushing onto the scene; she had obviously seen what had happened from her place across the room with another trainee group. "Executor? Is the Doctor o-.....kay?" The young woman trailed off when her eyes fell to the child in his arms. Blinking rapidly, she exclaimed out in surprise, "D-Doctor?!"

･ Their attention was brought to the clumsy Caster who had ran right into you when they yelled out in embarrassment, crying out about how they didn't mean to and that it was an honest mistake.

･ Executor was ready to interrogate them, fully convinced this was some sort of attempt on your life, but Amiya was quick to stop anything from getting out of hand.

･ After taking a look at you herself, Amiya mumbled to herself a little before looking up to Executor. "Executor, please take the Doctor to Silence. She'll surely be able to help."

･ Executor was a little hesitant, but he had orders, and he had to abide by them. "Yes, I understand." He wasn't really sure how to carry a child comfortably, but after adjusting his hold on you a little, the Sankta was off, walking with quick strides.

･ Ignoring whatever wide-eyed open-mouth gaping stares he got as he passed through the halls, Executor was finally able to track down Silence. He called her name to get her attention, and yawning a little, she turned to look toward him, obviously rather tired. "Huh? Yeah, what is it-"

･ When she did turn her eyes to him, however, all drowsiness left her face. As soon as she saw the child in his arms, her eyes widened, and seconds after her jaw dropped open when she realized who the child was.

･ "This is the Doctor. Amiya said I should consult you on what to do next." Considering the situation, Executor was unbelievably calm, though this wasn't surprising. He wasn't showing it, but he just wanted assurance that you were alright and unharmed.

･ Silence gaped for a few more seconds, before snapping out of her shock and nodding slowly. "Um, yes. Please follow me, and explain how this happened if you don't mind."

･ Following Silence, the Sankta explained what had happened concisely, getting a little distracted at how you were fussing in his arms.

･ By the time Silence brought him and you to the medical room she had been heading to, she knew enough. "I…I see. So that's what happened. I'll just need to run some tests on them, then I can figure out what we should do." The Medic explained, walking further into the room and preparing some equipment as she passed by, "Bring them over here, please."

･ Nodding, Executor closed the door behind him and carefully placed you on the examination table. You small hands grabbed the air, and you pouted a bit, "Exe! Exe!" The Sankta shushed you gently, bringing one of his hands up for you to grasp. "Doctor, please stay still." Your smaller hands curiously tugged at his fingers, and you quieted down, focusing on his partially gloved hand. He would admit, watching you act so innocently made his chest feel all fuzzy, but he had bigger concerns at that moment.

･ Silence was quick with her examinations and tests, and allowed Executor to sit with you as she conducted them. Once she was all finished, she handed you back to him carefully, turning back to her papers as Executor did his own quick check for injury or anything out of place now that you were in his hold.

･ Amiya had come by as soon as she could, and was now standing with the Sankta, staring and blinking at you, obviously still shocked. Turning to Silence, Amiya spoke up, "And the results, Silence?"

･ Looking at her results, the Medic began, "It looks like whatever Arts effected them caused then to revert back into a child. Thankfully, it's not permanent. They should be back to normal in enough time, maybe a day." Silence explained.

･ Amiya nodded slowly, "I see. Thank goodness it's not permanent." Cutting in, Executor spoke, "Is there no method to revert then back to an adult immediately?"

･ Arts wasn't his speciality; the Sankta wasn't even aware Originium Arts were capable of such bizarre things.

･ Silence shook her head, explaining how it would be dangerous to attempt to try anything. Knowing Arts were involved, she seemed to have wanted to run more experiments on you, but she was acutely aware that Executor wouldn't allow that - not to mention it wasn't the best idea to run any kind of risky experiments on you, especially when you were a child.

･ Thanking Silence, Amiya turned to Executor. "Well, I suppose the Doctor can't carry out their work today. I think it'd be best if they simply had someone to look after them for the time being. Silence did say it would only be a day." The Sankta nodded, his calm gaze turning to you, "I agree. It is not safe for a child to be wandering around freely in an environment like this." With that being said, it wasn't as if there was a babysitter or daycare he could drop you off at, "Who should I entrust them to?"

･ After a few seconds, Amiya hesitantly replied, "Executor, do you think you could look after the Doctor?"

･ The Sankta blinked, "You would like me to?" Amiya nodded, "Yes, if you're not too busy with other accords. I think you can best guarantee their safety, and they already seem comfortable with you as is." She explained, "But if not, I can find someone else."

･ "Hm." Executor looked toward you again, seeing you staring at him with your wide eyes,"I am able to manage that. I have dealt with children on occasion while carrying out wills and testaments." He began, "I may not have the capability to entertain them, but I have no problem looking after a child."

･ Amiya sighed in relief a bit. After thanking him and advising him to look for her or Silence if he was unsure of something, she sent Executor off.

･ For a child, you were well behaved enough. He did have his own things to attend to around the facility, but you didn't create much of a fuss.

･ He hoped you wouldn't attract much attention, but that wasn't exactly possible considering his reputation and that he was walking around carrying a child.

･ Executor didn't quite understand the commotion, however. He could care less whether or not he frustrated people because he wouldn't allow anyone else to hold you.

･ "Awww!! I just wanna squish them!!" "I cannot imagine that would be comfortable for them, so please refrain from doing so."

･ When you were both alone, he very much liked it when you combed your fingers through his hair while he rested his head in your lap, but as a child you seemed much more interested in putting his hair in your mouth than anything else. He had to gently direct your hands away from grabbing his hair or his halo; while it wasn't exactly connected to him, it was just like one of his body parts, so he didn't exactly want you grabbing it as cute as you were while trying.

･ Unfortunately, conversations were a little useless considering both him and whoever he was talking to had their attention on you.

･ "Uhm, should I come talk to you another time, Executor?" "That is not necessary, please continue."

･ You would only be occupied by his hair and halo for so long, and he didn't have much that would entertain a child - in fact most of the things he kept on his person were things you'd want to keep away from children.

･ Fortunately, Amiya had come to find him, informing the Sankta that you and him would be better off staying in your office for the rest of the day. He didn't like not being able to attend to his work, but Amiya assured him she'd send everything he'd need to the office for now.

･ Your office was quiet, and he was used to staying inside it. Fortunately, by the time he got there, you were napping. Your office wasn't exactly childproof either, however, so he kept you in his lap while he did paperwork at your desk.

･ You slept for awhile, but when you awoke, you were fussing up; "Execu, Execu…" The Sankta furrowed his brows together, worried that something had happened. In a soft voice, he answered your small coos, "What is bothering you, love?" Now that you two were alone, he could drop any formalities. He didn't use the nickname too often, much more accustomed to using your own name when he didn't need to call you 'Doctor', but you seemed to respond well to it even as a child.

･ Taking one of your smaller hands in his own in hopes to calm you down, he tilted your chin to see there was anything out of place.

･ Knocking on the door caught his attention, and soon Amiya peeked her head in, holding a small tray. "Executor? Silence sent me, she said the Doctor should eat this." Noticing how you were fussing up in his arms, she hummed, "They must be hungry. Make sure they eat."

･ Ah, yes, that was probably it. You had been sleeping for a while. Nodding, Executor let her place the tray on your desk. "Of course."

･ Feeding you was easy enough, the food was just some fruit slices and a baby-food like mix that was in a jar.

･ He fed you small portions, letting you sit in your office chair while he sat in another chair before you. You were a little messy, however, and by the time you were done eating, your cheeks were covered in crumbs and pieces of food.

･ He caught your attention gently after putting the food away, calling out, "Love?" His eyes softened at how you were innocently clapping your hands together while cooing out "Execu, Execu!", and Executor gently wiped your cheeks clean with a napkin, "You've made a mess on your face."

･ You were well behaved after that, falling asleep not long after. Busy doing work and looking after you, Executor didn't even notice it was night until it was too dark to see what he was writing. Taking a break to stretch and check up on you, he considered taking you to your room so you could sleep properly, but just as he was;

･ "Hm-" He blinked, and suddenly he was holding a full grown, adult you in his lap. You were back to normal, Silence had been right.

･ Shifting, you groaned a little, lifting your head from his shoulder, "Executor…? What's going on?" You didn't seem to remember what had happened, but you were rather disoriented.

･ Softly, the Sankta pressed a kiss to your forehead; light as a feather. "You will hear about it all in the morning. Thank you for behaving well, love, but for now, please take it easy."

･ You were back to snoring in no time. Returning to his work, he figured he'd stay with you for the time being; Executor felt warm and safe with you so close, so he wasn't in any rush to leave.

･ While he knew he was cold and detached, with you, even when the most ridiculous things happened, he felt he grew a little warmer everyday.

SILVERASH

･ You snacked randomly and inconsistently often throughout the day; it was a bit of a bad habit. Half the time, you were so endorsed in your work, you didn't even pay much attention to whatever you ate.

･ SilverAsh would scold you a little everytime he caught you eating incorrectly, advising you to find time to eat a real meal so you didn't lose focus or get ill.

･ "Snacks again? My dear, you'll get sick if you keep your eating habits like that."

･ You always brushed it off though; you'd be fine, it wasn't like you were eating things that weren't edible.

･ Well, it was all fine, until you ate an old candy bar you found in between the cushions of the couch in your office. You were in a rush, and it was the only thing you had to eat. Without SilverAsh or anyone else around to scold you, you wolfed the whole thing down, going about your day afterward.

･ Though, in the middle of a conversation with Amiya just hours after you ate the candy bar, you had excused yourself suddenly, rushing off to the restroom nearby while clutching your stomach. SilverAsh had been across the meeting room, and lifted a brow when he caught a glimpse of you dashing off looking sick.

･ Wanting to make sure you were alright, he excused himself from his own conversation, taking off to go find you.

･ The restroom wasn't far down the hall. The Feline opened the door cautiously, calling out your name. "You took off rather suddenly, are you feeling well?" Concern was in his eyes when he didn't receive an amwser. Eyes narrowing, he headed further into the restrooms, knocking on the closed stall he presumed you were in. Calling you name again, all he heard in reply was small babbles.

･ Now worried, the Feline forced the door open without much warning, prepared to find you hurt or struggling to breathe - considering the sounds he heard.

･ Calling out your name again, he opened the stall door, eyes searching for you immediately. "My-.....dear?"

･ SilverAsh's tone fell quiet when his eyes came to a small lump on the ground made up of your jacket and something wiggling underneath it. He blinked at it for a moment, frozen in shock a bit. Snapping back to reality, he cautiously knelt down, pulling back your jacket, only for his eyes to widen ten fold.

･ Peeking up at him was a small, babbling little child. The Feline gaped a bit, shocked eyes staring into the little childs' curious ones. "How….-" As if he couldn't have had more surprise written on his face, his eyebrows shot up when the child smiled at him, and he immediately realized this little kid was you.

･ When you reached out to him, smiling wide and babbled out "Encio! Encio!", there wasn't any doubt.

･ Carefully, he picked you up, unsure on how to hold or carry a child, he tried his best to cradle you comfortably. Still processing the situation, he only snapped out of his shock when the restroom door opened, and Amiya peeked her head in. "Mr. SilverAsh? Is everything alrigh-" As soon as she laid eyes on him - or more specifically, who he was holding in his arms, her eyes shot open.

･ "D-Doctor?!"

･ In a blur, Amiya, SilverAsh, and little child you were in a medical room, standing before the small medical team that was Hibiscus, Ansel and Myrrh.

･ Hibiscus squealed, clapping excitedly, "Aren't they just adorable? Their eyes are so cute!!" Ansel, on the other hand, seemed interested in the fact that you had completely transformed from an adult back into a child, "Fascinating…." The only one who wasn't distracted entirely was Myrrh, who quickly asked SilverAsh how you turned into a child.

･ The Feline explained as best he could, a little stiff with you in his arms staring at everyone in the room with wide, curious eyes. Presenting the candy bar wrapper he had found on the restroom floor to Myrrh, she hummed a little, reading the packaging before making a small exclamation.

･ "This candy bar…it's long past expiry date." She pointed out. Ansel turned to her, "But that can't possibly be enough to turn someone into a child." Myrrh shook her head a bit, "No, I mean it's long past its expiry date. I'm…not even sure how the Doctor got their hands on it."

･ SilverAsh sighed a little, looking at you with a bit of an exhausted look. "My dear, must I approve everything you eat?" Amiya cut in, "Well, no matter how this happened. Do you think we can revert them back to normal?"

･ Myrrh bit her lip for a second, "We'll….have to run a few tests to determine what we should do. Is that okay with you, Mr. SilverAsh, Amiya?"

･ The Feline nodded slowly, "Be careful with them." With that, he handed you to a beaming Hibiscus, who tapped your nose happily as soon as she had you in her arms. Your eyes turned back to SilverAsh from over her shoulder, and with one last little "Encio?" from you, Hibiscus followed Myrrh and Ansel to the testing rooms, carrying you with her.

･ They didn't take long - no more than an hour later, the trio of Medics came out from the room, Hibiscus carrying you in her arms. Smiling at you one last time, she handed you to SilverAsh, who thanked her quietly, trying to make sure you were comfortable in his arms.

･ Myrrh explained their results as best she could while you occupied yourself with nibbling on the beaded pendant in SilverAsh's hair, "It's a temporary effect, probably caused by the expired snack they ate….but it will go away with some time, it looks like. If they're not back to normal by tomorrow, we'll talk with someone with more experience." In an upbeat tone, Hibiscus added in, "Proper supervision is recommended! Just look after them and they should be alright."

･ Amiya and SilverAsh nodded in understanding. Amiya spoke up, "Mr. SilverAsh, will you be alright with looking after the Doctor today? I would do it myself, but I have another important meeting I have to attend…." The Feline was a little shocked still, but you were just a child, he could definitely manage looking after you. Besides, the rest of his schedule was relatively clear anyways, so he didn't have anywhere urgent to be. "Very well. They will be my responsibility."

･ Thanking the Medics and exchanging a few more words with SilverAsh, Amiya was off, leaving the Feline with you. He turned to you, sighing a little when he found you with his beaded pendant in your mouth. "My dear, you should be more aware of what you putting in your mouth." Moving the pendant away from you, he brushed your cheek ith his thumb gently, smiling just a little when you cooed at him. "Not everything is edible."

･ He could spend his time leisurely while he looked after you, but he had no doubt that he'd run into people that would see you in his arms and immediately make a fuss. Unfortunately, as soon as he began walking down the hallway to go to his room, he turned a corner only to run right into a familiar pair of Felines.

･ Cliffheart and Pramanix; both quieting down when they saw their brother. Cliffheart smiled cheekily, and Pramanix prepared to excuse herself, but they both froze in their tracks when they saw the child in their siblings' arms.

･ Cliffheart gasped loudly, "'Cio, when did you have a kid?! I know you're intent on making sure our bloodline doesn't die out, but whoa, you and the Doctor aren't even married yet!!" Pramanix lifted a brow, leaning down to look at you. "That isn't a random child…that looks like the Doctor." Another loud gasp left her sister, "Did they go back in time?!"

･ Sighing, SilverAsh cut in, "They were being careless, so now they're going to be in the body of a child for some time." The Feline looked at you, lifting a brow when he found you trying to reach for the fluffy ears on his head, "I've been entrusted to look after them until they turn back to normal."

･ A little shocked, Cliffheart patting her brother on the back with a laugh, "Well, I guess now you can figure out if you're good with children or not!" After some more teasing remarks, Pramanix ushered her sister away, leaving SilverAsh to return to his journey to his room.

･ The Feline sighed a bit at his sisters words; you were just a child, of course he'd be able to manage you. He would be able to do his work and make sure you were alright with no problem.

･ Or rather, that's what he was hoping for.

･ Unfortunately, SilverAsh wasn't familiar with how to take care of children. He did have pets, but other people took care of them in his absence.

･ His room had enough space for both him and yourself, but he hadn't anticipated for you to be unbelievably energetic; you were unable to stop yourself from trying to climb up bookcases or tables - SilverAsh almost had a heart attack when you were about to run right into one of the sharp corners of his desk.

･ Checking you to make sure you hadn't gotten hurt, he stopped you from running about any further, "My dear, settle down. Must you be such a handful?" He attempted, scooping you in his arms and placing you in his lap. You made a few babyish noises, pouting. Sighing, the Feline reached around and took his tail in his hand, before offering the fluffy tip to you. "Here we are, pass the time with this, won't you?" Your eyes lit up with stars, and SilverAsh laughed gently when you took the end of fluffy tail in your small hands; all your focus to it. Patting your head carefully, the Feline returned to his work, fully convinced you'd play with his tail until you fell asleep.

･ After only an hour and a half of being in his lap, you squirmed your way off. SilverAsh allowed you; you seemed more calm now, what was the worst that could happen?

･ That was what he thought until he heard the door to his room open, followed by quick, rapid footsteps. His eyes widened, and he turned around only to find you were nowhere in sight. In an instant, he was up from his chair and rushing out of his room, calling your name as he looked up and down the hall. Letting out a sigh, the Feline took a deep breath before setting off to go find you. You were just a child, you couldn't have gone far.

･ He began getting worried when he couldn't find you after minutes of searching and calling your name, but fortunately, he saw a familiar Feline holding you in her arms standing at the door of his room when he had returned after circling around the hallway.

･ It was Pramanix, shushing you and calming you down. She silently returned you to SilverAsh once he was close enough. Nodding, he hid his relief and thanked her a little formally. He expected her to excuse herself right after, but to his surprise, she spoke up hesitantly, "They're probably hungry. Have you gotten them something to eat?"

･ SilverAsh blinked, looking to you to find you pouting a little and cooing out mumbles. He hadn't realized how hard it was to communicate with children, he wasn't sure how to tell if you were hungry or not, but it was likely that you were. Since that cursed candy bar, you hadn't eaten anything.

･ He nodded at his sister, "I will try that. Thank you." She bowed her head, taking her leave after saying a quick, "Good luck".

･ Once she was gone, the Feline looked to you, tilting your chin up and sighing, "My dear, you will owe me for all of this hassle you're causing me."

･ SilverAsh managed to find Myrrh and asked her about what he should feed you. She was able to provide him a small jar of sliced fruit, which would probably satisfy you for now.

･ Taking you back to his room - and making sure to lock the door this time, he sat you down at the small table he had and began feeding you.

･ You were definitely hungry; you ate the fruit eagerly until it was all gone. Afterwards, however, you were fast asleep. SilverAsh sighed in relief, picking you up and cradling you in his arms. "It's about time, my dear."

･ Letting you sleep on his shoulder, he wrote out his paperwork with his free hand. You slept through the afternoon, and before he knew it, the sun was down. Yawning just slightly, he signed his last document, before looking toward you to see you still fast asleep on his shoulder. He smiled softly, standing from his chair and sitting on his bed with you in his arms. He blinked as you stirred awake for a moment, but when he placed the tip of his tail in your hands, you hugged it a little like a plush toy and went back to sleep. SilverAsh patted your head, relaxing, "You've caused us quite a day, my dear."

･ He too fell asleep in no time, leaning against the headboard of his bed, holding you in his arms.

･ When he awoke, it was to you shifting in his arms the next morning. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find that he was holding a fully grown you in his arms. You were back to normal. His tail was still in your hands, and your head still rested on his shoulder.

･ He laughed a bit, relieved you were back to normal. Tilting your chin, he left a kiss on the corner of your lips. "I sincerely hope that whenever we have children, they'll have less energy as you did." You weren't awake, so you didn't pick up anything he said, but at that moment he knew he would look forward to every day he spent with you, even if you were a bit of a hassle.

HELLAGUR

･ Hellagur didn't know much about medicine, but he knew enough to know that it wasn't supposed to explode into smoke, much less turn people into children.

･ So, when he stopped to talk with you in one of the labs, he didn't pay much attention to the beaker you seemed to be mixing odd substances in. Well, that is until it bursted into a poof of oddly coloured mist out of nowhere.

･ Panic was immediate; the others working in the lab jolted or yelled in surprise as your form disappeared in the cloud of smoke your beaker had created.

･ Hellagur called your name, the smoke beginning to thin into the air and disappear. He was prepared to protect you or go after your assailant if this was some sort of assassination attempt, but none of those were the least of his worries when he saw what was left where you had been standing.

･ Bundled on the ground was your trusty Rhodes Island jacket, with a small moving lump under it. The beaker was shattered on the floor nearby, spilling that odd looking liquid on the floor.

･ Before he could advance any further, a panicked lab worker stepped in, "General, just a second please! That smoke just now could've been toxic, you should leave the area right no-"

･ The worker stopped mid sentence when a small coo came from the bundle in the floor, and their eyes shot open wide when a small head peaked out from under the sleeves of your coat. Hellagur's face mimicked their own as he laid eyes on the small figure crawling out from under your coat.

･ 'A….A child?'

･ The lab worker was in pure shock, and so was he when the mystery child turned their head and looked toward them. It was only then that he realized the child was in fact you.

･ Moving past the lab worker, Hellagur knelt to the ground cautiously, catching your attention. The Liberi called your name slowly, blinking when you stared back at him with big, doe eyes, a smile coming to your little face. In a babyish voice, you exclaimed out to him, "Hel-gur!"

･ There was no doubt; it was you. The only difference was you were a child.

･ Admittedly, that was a very, very big difference.

･ Carefully, he picked you up in his arms, wrapping your jacket around your small form like a blanket. You seemed just fine, no injuries and you didn't seem ill.

- in fact, you were alert, and curiously pulled at his hair as soon as you were in his arms.

･ "Huh." His heart swelled a bit at your behaviour, but there was an elephant in the room he had to address.

･ By then, the lab worker had snapped from their shock, and quickly rambled on about how they had to get you to a medical professional immediately.

･ Hellagur compiled, not exactly in any place to disagree, and soon he was following the panicked worker down the halls as they looked for someone who could help.

･ You were calm in his arms, thankfully. Looking this way and that with your wide eyes, you simply rested on his shoulder without any complaining.

･ It didn't take long before they were able to find Warfarin in an office nearby.

･ The lab worker awkwardly waved their arm to catch the Medics attention. "M-Ms. Warfarin?" The Sarkaz spared them a small glace, waving her hand a little dismissively, "Just a minute, the Doctor asked me to get these to them as soon as I-" Warfarin came to a complete stop when her eyes fell to you - well, child you, in Hellagur's arms.

･ Her lips formed into an 'o', and her eyebrows shot up. "Ah."

･ Cutting in, Hellagur explained what had happened as best he could, and once he was done, Warfarin let out a long sigh, blinking a bit. "Geez…I told the Doctor not to mess with medicine, it always bites back."

･ Hellagur cleared this throat a bit, looking back to you gently, "I'm aware this situation is a little outlandish, but we should begin with a course of action." The Liberi couldn't help much, considering his medical knowledge wasn't exactly extensive, but you couldn't possibly stay a child forever.

･ Warfarin snapped from her shock, nodding, "Ah, yes. Come on, let's start with drawing some blood." Dismissing the lab worker - which they seemed very thankful for, the Sarkaz motioned for Hellagur to follow, still staring at you with a lifted brow.

･ The tests were quick and simple; it seemed as long as Hellagur was nearby you wouldn't fuss up.

･ After reviewing the information she had gathered, Warfarin turned to Hellagur, her lips pursed, "Well, good news is this…effect is temporary and harmless. They'll probably return back to being an adult tomorrow." She looked to you, sighing a bit as you stared back with curious eyes, "Bad news is, I can't reverse the effects of whatever they did immediately. So we're just going to have to wait until it wears off. They'll be stuck as a child for a day."

･ Hellagur nodded, "I understand. Whose care would they be best under for the time being?" At his question, Warfarin hummed a bit, looking at you and him, before she shrugged, "Actually, General, could you look after them for today?"

･ Hellagur lifted a brow slowly, "I should look after them?" The Sarkaz shrugged a bit again, "Just look, they're well behaved when you're carrying them like that, and that isn't really surprising. If you're not too busy, I think it would be best if you watched them until they're back to normal." With that, she turned back to her computer screen, waiting for his reply.

･ "Hm. I see." The Liberi made a small hum, his eyes turning to you as he adjusted his arms. You made a small exclamation, grabbing a lock of his hair and occupying yourself with it. A light smile came to his face, and he brushed his fingers on your cheek for a moment, sighing.

･ Catching Warfarin's attention as he stood, Hellagur nodded, "They'll be safe with me, I'll look after them."

･ With that, Warfarin was off to go inform Amiya and get to work to see if she could possibly find some way to get you back to normal quicker.

･ Hellagur didn't mind putting his other duties on hold to look after you. He had a soft spot for children, and he had an even bigger soft spot for you. Carrying you around wasn't a big deal, and quite frankly, he didn't intend on letting you leave his sight.

･ The Liberi kept to quiet places for most of the day, aware that those at Rhodes Island would cause a commotion in no time once they saw the state you were in. He knew you probably had lots of energy, but it wasn't safe for a child to be running around a place like Rhodes Island.

･ Warfarin was definitely right when she said you were calm and well behaved so long as it was him carrying you. During the rest of the morning as he walked around and attended to business around the facility, you didn't cause trouble not even once, too occupied with trying to eat his hair or trying to reach the feathers on his head.

･ Hellagur might have grown a little cold because of war, but he was gentle and good with children nevertheless, and it showed while he took care of you.

･ He'd gently pry his hair from your hands whenever he'd feel you tugging on it, usually smiling softly and speaking a lighthearted remark, "Doctor, you shouldn't put things in your mouth so carelessly."

･ Sometimes you'd exclaim out gibberish like "Hel-gur!" in your babyish voice, which forced a smile out of him.

･ He brought you along with him to the library in the afternoon, letting you stay on his arm as he read his books and went over whatever papers he had to. It was a little hard to focus with you making small noises and gibberish coos now and then, but soon enough, you were fast asleep. Hellagur blinked, laughing just a little at how your face was pressed to his shoulder.

･ "Haha…being alert is important, but aren't you adorable?" He spoke quietly, unable to contain his smile.

･ When you woke up, he took a break between his work to stop and find a nice fairytale that he could read to you. Hellagur wasn't sure if you understood what he was saying, but you seemed to enjoy looking at the pictures in the books and listening to his voice.

･ Of course, the worlds in the fairytale books were just fantasy, but with you, he believed there was a world like that awaiting everyone in the future.

･ Though it seemed impossible, he was able to keep unnecessary attention away. The only one who really knew what had happened besides him, Warfarin, and a few of the lab staff was Amiya, and occasionally she stopped by to make sure he was doing alright.

･ Even she could admit you were quite adorable.

･ "They're so small…" Amiya commented with a small grin, lifting her finger and giggling lightly when you tugged on it. Hellagur grinned a little, nodding in agreement. "Adorable, aren't they?"

･ When you needed to, you were surprisingly good at communicating with Hellagur.

･ "Hel-gur!" He paused his walking and turned to you, "Hm?" Wearing a small pout, you spoke again, "Can-y! Can-y!"

･ It took him a second to figure out what you wanted, but when he did, the Liberi laughed a bit, taking a second to place you down before kneeling in front of you, "You want candy? It's quite late for sweets, but I have a few left." Reaching into one of his pockets, he pulled a single colourful wrapped candy out and presented it to you carefully. Smiling at how your eyes lit up, he placed it in your small palm and patted your head, "Beware of cavities."

･ You had been so well behaved that he barely realized the day had gone by. Soon enough, it was nighttime. After Warfarin's approval, Hellagur brought you to your room, close to midnight while you were fast asleep - or was in the midst of doing so, at least.

･ Halfway down the hall, you shifted in his hold, and in an instant the Liberi felt a bit more weight in his arms. "Huh-?"

･ Calling your name quietly, his eyes widened in shock a bit when he discovered he was now carrying a fully grown you - you had turned back to normal.

･ Mumbling, you rubbed your eyes, peeking up at him. "Hellagur…? What happened?" He shushed you, readjusting his hold on you before placing a gentle kiss on the crown of your head. "There will be time to explain, but your day has been far too eventful as is. Return to sleeping." With that, you were fast asleep again, head resting on his shoulder.

･ That same warm smile came to his face again, 'Even without the face of a child…you don't cease being adorable.'

･ His heartstrings tugged. Even if you weren't in the form of a small child, you were still the most precious and most adorable thing to him, and he silently promised to protect you no matter what form you took.

#this was so much fun to write I got a little carried away shsjahwjwh #there's probably some typos sorry 😭#arknights #arknights imagines #arknights fanfics #arknights writing #arknights executor #arknights silverash #arknights hellagur #arknights doctor #imagine #fanfic #writing

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arminty7 · 4 years ago

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𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘦

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Mermaid!Jungkook x Reader [Part 1]

Trapped in this life of expensive wine and judgemental eyes Y/N met an unusual lady who offered her a job at an aquarium a few towns away. Despite being hesitant and uncertain for the future she decided to take the offer as it was her only way out, not knowing that many dangers might come her way.

Jungkook swam his way through the small tunnel in wonder. He didn’t realise what he was ‘walking’ into as he took the entire night to explore a tunnel. He thought it might lead to you, how naive. It is only when he heard the piercing sound of drilling from the small tunnel entrance did he know what was happening, he was trapped. With that, his instincts took over.

Chapter: #1 Swimming in Wine

Words: 2719

Warnings: Mild Swearing // Fluff // Eventual Smut? Idk maybe depends // Spelling might be off because I am not from America so the spelling is not Americanised, sorry - I might edit it later so it is.

Characters Mentioned:

Main: Y/N // Julie (Otherwise known as “Lady”

Background: // Trudy (Aunt) // Victor (Old man) // Mother

Key: Y/M/N = Your Mothers Name // P/N = Place Name

This work shall not be copied, reproduced, translated and/or modified in any way without my permission. In a case where this might happen, legal action will be taken as it would be a criminal act under the law and breaching these terms. Upon reading my work you are acknowledging that this work is mine and that you know the consequences if this work is copied, reproduced, translated and/or modified in any way without my permission.

Authors Note:

Hi! So this is my first fanfic. Chapter 1 is pretty boring but I promise more will happen in Chapter 2. I just kinda wanted to get some background of the character a bit more before introducing the story. I hope you guys like it. Also, It is my first time really using Tumblr properly so If you have tips on like little things like how to create a masterlist and anything else you think I might need to know please tell me! I’m a baby at this.

Also this is in first person but the later chapters will be in second person using “You” and “your” instead of “I”

Sorry for the confusion, I’ll fix it up soon. Trust me the chapters after this are much better

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Have you ever been to one of those fancy dinner parties where everyone appears to be over the age of 40 years old, yet you swore your parents told you that there would be people the same age as you? No? Lucky, because that's the life I live nearly every week and it fucking sucks.

"Y/N, just this once come for dinner? We need to celebrate Aunt Trudy's promotion! Come on, she would be heartbroken if you didn't come." I remember her pleading eyes as if it's her dinner party we're going too. Even though she was probably there just to get the new latest gossip on, well, whoever she could really.

"Just this once" I replied with a neutral look on my face.

Man, curse those three words that came out of my mouth, I was ready to ditch this place as soon as I entered the door. The air smelled of lit candles and expensive wine, truly if I'm being honest, it smelled like rich old people and I did not like it one bit. I sat in the corner of the room holding a full wine glass, trying to avoid anyone and everyone, especially that one old rich business man Victor. It's not like he was doing anything to me but in the first hour being here I'd seen him chat up three ladies and drink enough wine classes to know that he was on the verge of being drunk.

"Y/N!" My mother grabbed onto my shoulder, pulling me up from the small seat in the corner of the room.

Damnit.

"Yes? Everything okay?" I spoke sweetly, despite me wanting to show her that I had no interest in what she was saying.

She dragged me out of the dining room and into the lounge. I look over to see my Aunty Trudy and two other ladies who smiled and laughed before looking over to me and my mother.

"Oh hey... Y/M/N daughter, right?" she paused, looking me up and down at my black pants and hoodie. "What was your name again?" I raised my eyebrows, although I can't blame her for not remembering my name.

I look over at my mother, "she would be heartbroken if you didn't come" I remember the words vividly.

She doesn't even know me.

"My name is Y/N. Congratulations on your promotion!" I look over to her, smiling. She smiles brightly, her hand on her chest as If I just told her she's the most beautiful woman I've seen. Which by the way, would be the biggest lie as her appearance reminds me that of a dried shrimp.

"Oh really?! Thank you, you're too kind." I just smile at her, mentally rolling my eyes. Her eyes then lift. "I have an idea... How about I make a toast? This is just such a good memory to not say a few words to, don't you think Y/N?" I looked at her frowning, then quickly changing to a small smile and a nod. If there was anything I've learned over the past years is to not show how you really feel at this type of dinner party, it can cause a lot of trouble.

Ding, ding, ding.

I watch as she taps a small spoon provided by a waiter onto her wine glass. It took a minute before everyone looked over towards her but once they did, she started to speak. By then my mind was wandering aimlessly around the room, eager to distract myself from this tragic dinner party. I come across the television behind me that had the sound all the way down. I become intrigued as it showed blurry clips of what seemed to be something in the distance in the water, resembling a human although it swam away after a quick 2 seconds of filming it. The title on the screen read "MERMAID FOUND! MAN FOUND AND FILMED MERMAID JUST OFF THE COAST OF P/N" I roll my eyes. The media are stupid sometimes. A mermaid? Really? What a load of crap. The video was probably fake.

I feel a nudge on my arm as I look over to my mother who is clapping happily with the rest of the guests. She looks at me warningly as Trudy comes over and laughs. "Did you like my speech Y/N?" she says holding her now a full glass of wine. Probably a wine too many if I'm being honest.

I look over at her and smile, "It was ah... meaningful. I can see you put a lot of thought in it" I stare at her and cocked my head as I see the waiter coming in the corner of my eyes. I give him my drink as I really didn't feel like drinking tonight, especially here.

She cocks her head as well as if to challenge me.

Ah, finally, she realised that I really don't give a shit

She smiles walking off to another group as this one seemed to be too boring, not that I'm complaining though. One of the ladies who was standing with us looks over at me. "So, Y/N, what are you planning to do in the future?" I'm hesitant to speak but was interrupted by my mother, "Oh my dear Y/N, well at the moment you wanted to do something with marine animals am I correct?" she smiles at me, her arm over my shoulder. I look over at her frowning slightly but smile as I look back at the lady as she actually seemed to be interested, or perhaps she was just really good at faking it.

"Ah yes. I have a job at the moment at the aquarium nearby although it's a very small place, I haven't really got to experience anything grand yet" I take a look at my watch. "Uh actually speaking of work I'm gonna have to go soon, don't want to wake up too tired." That was a lie, I don't have work tomorrow.

The lady looked at me as if she knew right through my lie. "Oh, that's a pity, I was going to see if you'd be interested in a job offer. Coincidently, I know someone who was looking to hire a young woman like yourself, interested in working in an aquarium with marine animals." She smiles as if she knew how much I wanted this.

"I'm sorry what? Really?" I say, completely forgetting about how terrible tonight is, maybe it wasn't all for nothing. She smiled, "Yes you heard correctly. My friend is the owner of this brand new huge upcoming aquarium that apparently is opening pretty soon actually. Any interest?"

I look at her smiling, "Oh wow... yes! Definitely." I felt my hands ball into fists as I was a little child accepting a lollypop for the first time in forever. I suddenly stop, looking down coming to a realisation, "But... there's only one Aquarium in P/N". she sighs, then shrugs before saying. "It's a few towns away from here and near the coast but I assure you, you won't find another job like this one." I squint my eyes at her a little, trying to figure out why she'd want to help me. "I'll have to think about it..." I say quietly.

She nods, agreeing. "Well don't take too long, it's opening pretty soon. Get your mother to contact me by Friday with a decision" She then smiles, "I'll let you get home now, we wouldn't want you to miss work, now would we?" she winks.

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I get home, barely making it through the door as I start to go upstairs shoving my jacket and shoes off before I make it to my room. I lay on my bed, somewhat uncomfortable in my jeans and hoodie as I start to think about the job proposal.

"Did she really mean it?"

"Was she just messing with me?"

See, in this world of silverware, wine glasses and private affairs, it's extremely hard to know If someone has your best interests or not. My father left when I was 12 and now I'm 18, as soon as he left I told my mother I didn't want her money or her help anymore as I felt it was cheating and it was the reason dad left. I can't possibly think that I should take this job offer right? It goes against everything I have ever believed in, everything he believed in.

Although... he once said to me, "take every opportunity you can get, you never know what could happen unless you leap forward and see for yourself".

With that thought in mind, I quickly changed into my bunny pyjamas and jumped onto my bed, ready for sleep to drag me away from my problems.

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5 Days Later

The sun rose up shining violently through my window across my bed as I slowly opened my eyes, ready to be blinded. I groaned as I grabbed onto a pillow on my left and shove it onto my face, mentally facepalming for not closing my curtains last night. It was now Friday and I was already thinking about that job offer. I couldn't help it. It has been on my mind for the past few days now and last night I quit my job before officially decided I am going to do it.

I rolled on my right side and slid out of bed facing the wall, making sure the light didn't blind me. I went over to the window and closed the curtains, the room now becoming dark. I looked over to my bed, it looked inviting enough to go back to sleep for another few hours although I knew I had to get up. I couldn't be bothered to turn the light on, so I dragged myself around towards my closet and grabbed some jeans and a hoodie that was two sizes too big. I sighed and slowly walked outside my room towards the bathroom to get ready.

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I walked out of the bathroom, feeling somewhat more refreshed but in desperate need of a coffee. I walked downstairs, hearing my mother in the dining room eating her breakfast. I passed her not saying a word as I went into the kitchen.

"Ah Miss Y/N, good morning! How are you? Did you sleep well? Want some breakfast?" Marina bombarded me with questions like she always did every morning, but I didn't mind. She's the house cook and a good one, in fact. She greets me with a smile every day and tries to protect me when she sees any of mother’s friends trying to harass me when trying to find out mother’s secrets. It just occurred to me now that I haven't told her I'm leaving yet.

"No, I'm okay Marina. I just wanted to grab a piece of fruit or something." I smile at her, a real smile. She playfully smacks me with her tea-towel that was sitting on her shoulder.

"Ah no, you’re not! Here have some sweets I made, fresh out of the oven!" She stuffed a doughy substance in my mouth, only for it to be revealed as a doughnut.

I smiled happily eating the doughnut.

To think just last night, I declared that from today that I was going to eat healthier.

Oh well.

I sat on the kitchen bench and finished my doughnut, looking at Marina. "So... I know you have always been good to me and I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner but-" Marina smiled and cut me off, "you're leaving".

I stumbled with my words a little, a little shocked. "Y/N, I have known you since you were in diapers, don't act so surprised. Also, I'll be fine here, don't you worry." She gave me a heart-warming smile, but I still was shocked she guessed that I was leaving. She turned around to the fridge and grabbed some banana milk, putting it in my hand.

"I heard your mother talking about the possibility of you leaving Y/N, I may be smart but I'm not that smart." She chuckled and then looked over at one of the cooks.

"Come on! Hurry up, stop dawdling" she yells and then looks at me. "And you missy, should go and get things sorted. You have your whole life ahead of you." She smacked me with the towel again as I hopped off the counter, my banana milk in hand.

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"Mother! What was that lady's phone number? The one who offered me the job?" I leaned on the outside door frame as I looked over at her sunbaking.

"Oh, I don't know Y/N. Just call her off my phone." she reached her hand over to mine as she didn't move from her spot. I rolled my eyes and took the phone, heading back towards the lounge room. I sat down and took a long breath as I pressed the call button. It rang for a while and for a second, I didn't think she'd answer.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Uh hi, it's Y/N." My voice sounded smaller than I wanted it to.

"I know. Did you think about my offer?"

"Yes, and I thought about it and figured I should give it a try," I said, feeling more confident about my decision.

"That's good to hear. I talked to the guy who owns the aquarium and he said he'd be happy to take in new workers. Although you need to leave as soon as possible" Her voice sounded somewhat stern.

"Wait, by "as soon as possible" what do you mean?"

"I'll pick you up tomorrow Y/N"

"Wait! Wait-" Oh great, she hung up.

I still had way more questions, but I don't think they'd be answered until tomorrow. I sighed and got up putting the phone onto the coffee table and heading for my room. It was 4pm and I really needed to pack.

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I had to get up early tomorrow as the lady who I just recently found out her name is actually Julie was coming here really early. I was in my room, sitting on my bed with my huge ass suitcase getting my things ready before I heard a knock on my door.

"Miss Y/N" I smiled knowingly. "Yes, Marina?" she popped her head in and looked at me.

"I made some sweets for you, for the drive" she smiled with a couple of containers in her hand.

"Oh Marina, I'm going to miss your cooking. And you of course." I grabbed the containers and put them next to my suitcase.

"Y/N" My mother yelled from downstairs, "Your ride is here. Hurry up". I rolled my eyes before looking at Marina. I sighed as I saw her teary eyes, I could tell she was trying to hide it.

"I'm gonna miss you, you know Y/N" She sniffles and looks over at the containers of food. "Who else is gonna love my cooking more than you?"

I smile softly before reaching over to hug her, "Don't worry, I'll come back to visit". She sniffles and hugs me back, "Your very much like your father you know?" I stood back a little in confusion.

"Because I'm leaving?" I ask. She shakes her head, "no, no, no. Not like that. He was always travelling and going places, always wanted to see if there was another better place... He believed in some absurd things at times, but he was always on the move. Ready for the next adventure..." she tucked your hair behind your ear.

"Y/N!!" Your mother yelled again before Marina smacked you playfully with her tea-towel, "come on girl! Get a move on." I laughed and hugged her again before grabbing my awfully big suitcase and going downstairs. I looked over at my mother, "Don't go falling for some boy while you’re gone Y/N" I looked at her, raising my eyebrows. I guess that's her way of saying 'Be safe".

"I won't," I told her as I walked out of the house heading toward the car. The house that will no longer feel familiar to me in a couple of months. Not that I had a profound connection with it, but it was my only home. Despite this, I felt ready. Ready to explore the rest of this vast ocean and see what mysteries will lie ahead once I leap forward.

Authors Note:

I know it’s short. I’ll update soon! Hope you liked it. You’ll see more of JK next.

#jungkook #jungkook x reader #jungkook fanfic #mermaid jungkook #siren jungkook #jungkook imagine #jungkook scenarios #btsfanfic #bts fanfction #bts #bts scenarios #bts imagine #bts au fanfic #jungkook au #jeongguk #bts x reader #kpop fanfic #bts angst #fanfic

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guigz1-coldwar · 3 years ago

Text

'My greatest creation' : New chapter for "Redemption in a Spirit in a Cold War" is out !

"My greatest creation"

"They took you away from me, Park and they are going to fucking regret it !"

Chapter Summary : Yirina is remembering an moment of her life for the first time before she could go to her old house in Ukraine with Park & Zasha....

To read it on AO3, click here !

Words : +4000

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I don't know if it was an good idea but I think it was an better one than staying in the warehouse for 2 days straight and doing nothing except to look at everyone around working while us, we were going to watch them going out for their mission at our desk and having to face Hudson that surprisely, I didn't see....well, neither Park or Zasha saw him, making me wonder if he was actually there or not as Woods told us before we arrived at this place days ago. At least, we will not see him for an while since we are leaving, me, Park & Zasha to Ukraine.

Of course, we had to tell everybody of our little trip and like when we told them of our plans for the Lubyanka, reactions were an bit mixed and like before, we managed to convince everyone of our good intentions and Woods even say that they will have to lie to Hudson about that and it was good, meaning that we were good to go. We waited after we finish eating in the evening before we decide to finally go away from the safehouse to get to the small abandonned village I lived in my youth near Donetsk, not forgetting to take some necessary things with us like money and our pistols.

Since Zasha remembered exactly where the village was, they were the one to drive the car, Park installing herself in the front passenger seat and me, getting myself on the backseats of the car because in fact, I was never able to have an proper sleep last night so I really need to do it right now. The drive will last approximatively 14 hours to get near of Donetsk but with the night falling and the urge of make an stop, we will principaly arrive at our destination for the next night.

I tried to stay awake for the first 30 minutes of the driving but obviously, I start to feel myself going to sleep slowly on the backseats and to be more comfortable, I decided to lean myself on the seats, looking at Park's direction with an smile before I close my eyes, ready to sleep and to have some peace....

I opened my eyes to find myself sit on an comfortable chair....my old house...an memory of my youth...the first one I'm having since my coma....It was so strange, so calm and weird to see myself back as an child....It was really my old house that was looking great, the fireplace burning down peacefully as I was looking at it with an smile, holding in my arms an brown teddy bear. I was holding it like I wasn't able to get away from it....Yiri....

As I was still looking at the fireplace, my view was suddenly blocked by someone and when I look up, I could see an redhead woman, her hands on her waist and her eyes on me, looking an bit curious to see me there....Mom....mommy ?....

"Yirina !" She said in an low voice as I was having an straight face, grinning an little. "It's been the third time that I'm asking you to go to bed, it's 9 PM." She told me, pointing to the clock that was standing above the fireplace and it was night outside.

"But mom...." I pleaded, redressing myself on the seat, my feets not even touching the ground. "You told me that Dad was going to come to me to say good night." I said, sounding a bit sad about it before she moved to get at my level.

"Hey..." She breathed, sounding very low again. "I did tell you that...but your father need you to go to bed and then, he will come." She affirmed, taking my hands in her own and looking at me with good eyes. "So, please, go to bed and he will come to you, you're gonna miss school if you stay here." She added before landing an kiss on my forehead.

"Thanks, mommy." I smiled at her before she move from me, allowing me to finally move from the seat even if I wasn't willing to do it, walking away with my teddy bear in hand to my bedroom.

I entered it and I quickly got myself into bed but instead of directly going to sleep under the blankets, I stayed sit, looking at the door of my room, awaiting for my dad to come here like he promised, like my mom told me and I awaited. 5 minutes later, I could hear some footsteps coming towards the door until it opened, revealing an man....Dad....my daddy....he was looking an bit tired and exhausted.

"Daddy !" I exclaimed, opening my arms towards him as he entered the room, I wasn't moving at all.

"Hey, my little Yirina." He sounded enthusiatic to see me, forgetting to close the door behind him to embrace me, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Dad." I whispered to myself, happy to see him before we broke the hug, looking at each other.

"Mom said that you wanted to see me so here I am." He expressed, looking outside the room to see Mom, peaking her head to see us. "She said that you were an bad girl to not go to bed." He scoffed, releasing an little laugh.

"No, I just wanted to wait for you." I breathed.

"I know....I had to chase the monsters that was under your bed." He explained, joining his hands together, an smile on his face.

"Oh, did you succeed ?" I asked him, changing position to kneel, my knees under the blanket.

"Well, they're still running around and you know that dad needs to neutralize to make sure that you finally have an good sleep." He replied, grinning an little as he moved his hands towards me, taking my hands in his own like Mom did. "You know, monster hunting is an ugly work and dad has to sometimes get his hands dirty." He added before looking at my hands. "I'm making sure that your hands stay perfectly clean."

"They're well clean, Mom told me that I need to wash them before we go to eat." I admitted, making him laugh an little about it as I wasn't understanding why before I joined him too.

"Yeah, Mom is always giving the good advices." He confirmed as Mom got closer to the room.

"Heard that, James !" She raised her voice in an proud way as Dad look at her.

"Thank you, Anastasia." He smiled at her, still having his hands around mine.

"Get Yirina to bed quickly, okay ?" She ordered and Dad nodded, causing her to leave our sight before he looked back at me and then, I was intrigued by something that was on his shirt at his heart level.

"Dad, what's that ?" I removed my right hand to point at the ensignia : an winged sword.

"Oh that ?" He looked at it, sounding an bit lost. "It's...an winged dagger...it's...well, something that's my line of work." He finally replied.

"Who Dares Wins ?" I repeated the words that was on the ensignia.

"It's my motto, Yirina." He added to his answer. "Listen, this...it's too risky to talk about even with you, you understand ?" I nodded to him. "I don't want the monsters to know about it." He continued, smiling an little & removing his hands from mine. "So, it's time for you to go to sleep, okay ? Mom said that you're going to miss school tomorrow."

"Okay." I whispered as he landed an little kiss on my forehead.

"Good night, Yiri." He then got up from my bed to get back to the door and he waved at me before he finally close the door and leaving me alone in the dark.

It was strange since there were some light in the room from outside thanks to the moon but then....I start to feel my arms and hands getting attached to something like an chair....I wasn't in that memory anymore. I opened my eyes again to find myself in an sort of meeting room, unable to move as I was tied up, ropes wrapped around my legs and my hands, holded. All around the table, there were TV's that were turning on & off....until I saw Russell Adler arriving from the darkness.

"Listen, Bell, your lack of trust towards me is kinda piss me off and you need to talk clearly now." He told me as he was walking towards the table, pointing at me with his hand...I'm not Bell...

"I....I....." I started to said, finding myself lost, alone in that room where only the table was visible but Adler....he was like the devil himself, watching his prey, making me stop.

"The world is in danger and you're not talking...Bell, you need to tell..." He started to clench his fists, shaking an little his head and taking an deep breath before he slammed his fists against the table.....

"Where's Perseus ?"

Seeing myself again as an child with my father and my mother was an shock like if I was discovering them for the first time but....seeing Adler in my head...was more than just that. I remembered that well....an hallucination I had when he injected me with the needles during his 'numerous tests' to make me crack. He wanted to break me further and further until he got his answer and he got it...at what price for me ? I can't trust his man anymore and I will never will....never.

"Yirina." Hearing's Park lovely voice break me out of my sleep, making me open my eyes slowly to discover her above me, wondering about me.

"Hey, Park." I grinned an little, trying to forget about the part of seeing Adler back in my head and just thinking of my child memory.

"You're okay ? You didn't seem right." She asked me as I was redressing myself on the seats, her removing herself to allow me to do it.

"Well, yes." I replied, scratching the back of my head before I look around to see that the car was stopped to an hidden place in an forest, looking like at the beginning of the evening. "Where are we ?" I asked her.

"We're arrived !" She responded enthusiastic but my eyes went wide open at hearing.

"Already ?" I exclaimed, stunned to hear that we did actually arrive at our destination as Park nodded to me. "Does that mean that I slept for the entire trip ?" She nodded again "Oh bloody hell." I said to myself as I could see Zasha standing outside to have maybe some air for them. To say that I did sleep since we left Moscow.....

"You slept for an long time but we preferred to let you like that, I know that you weren't able to have some rest last night." She affirmed, having somehow know that I didn't close my eyes at Portnova's place...damn, she know well...."Yiri...tell me." She demanded, taking my hands in her own too as I was looking an bit sad, thinking of Adler.

"I got an memory back : me...as an child." I sniffed, passing my hand through my face to clean nothing in reality, I was just seeing if I got any tears on me. "My dad saying that he was chasing the monsters below my bed....now, I know the full meaning of it." I affirmed, understanding now that my father was working with the MI6 and the monsters he was chasing, it was Perseus. "Then....I relive an hallucination of Adler...asking me where was Perseus." I looked at Park, snorting.

"Like....like that day ?" I nodded to her question.

"Seeing myself sit and tied up and seeing him coming....unable to do an thing." My hands start to tremble at saying this before Park moved to reinforce her hands on me, trying to stop the shaking.

"Yirina, look at me." She ordered me as I was focused on looking at my hands in gloves before I slowly look at her. "I know it's hard but we will get over this together, okay ?" She reaffirmed, making me nod again as she move her hands to clean an tear that I had on my face, making me grin.

"I....yes, we will." I whispered before I take an deep breath, looking at her proudly. "So...we're at our destination..."

"Yes, we parked the car at an hundred meters from the village in case of trouble." She explained as I looked around me again. "You might need to eat something before we go to the village to find your old house." She moved to get me an half bottle of water and an small cake with it and then I start to eat and drink quickly, finishing the cake very fast. "Hey, easy." She said, astonished to have seen me finish the cake like that.

"I'm good." I exclaimed to her with an smile as I was just finishing to drink the water. "Is Zasha okay ?" I asked, looking outside to see them, hands on their waist and she nodded to me even if it was hard to talk about it.

"They did the most part of the travel and....they're still thinking of Portnova." She fully replied, also looking at them.

"It's hard for them and I really hope that the two can come back together." I expressed, thinking of Zasha's proposal that they weren't able to do years ago. "Well...let's go then." I sniffed, causing the two of us to withdraw from each other to get out of the car and without losing too much time even if I had an little talk with Zasha, we took some flashlights and our pistols before we walk away, leaving the car in an safe place.

Shit....to say that I was going to go back to my old house like that with Park & Zasha, three years after the last time I did go there with only Zasha. It was going to be hard but it was worth the risk to do. As Zasha remember the place well, they were the one to take the lead as we were walking towards the village. When I saw it from upclose, I start to hear cries inside my head : men...women crying, the sounds of flame and gunshots all around me like if I was reliving the day my parents died....for the time time.

With that in my head, I was struggling to stay normal and focused on walking with Park & Zasha, not wanting to pass out so close of my old house. The village....it was so much destroyed, never touched by the authorities after its destruction....feeling back in time, it's seems, it's so weird and strange to be back here as an adult....as an free adult. It took no time until Zasha found my old house : the only one that was still standing up well enough to not have its walls down unlike an large part of the other houses.

When we all entered in my old house as the front door was basically destroyed, I could hear the voice of Mom & Dad....and me too in my child and this time, I was struggling to not cry even if I was on the urge of doing it. First thing that Zasha did was to go to check the bookcase, having remember of the location of what we were looking for here as me....I decide to go check my old bedroom, seeing it in bad state but the bed still there until I decide to install myself right at the same spot Dad did in my memory.

I swear that I could see an vision of myself as an child in that bed, looking at me and offering her hand like I did...like if I was my father right now. I took the vision's hands in mine, looking at it with an smile.

"It's going to be okay, Yirina." Me as an child said to me, dressed in the same clothes in that memory

"I know...I'm the one chasing the monsters, now." I grinned about it, trying to think that my father tried his best to hide his work to me as my eyes were still on me as an child, wondering what she could think of seeing me like that. "I think that you need to go to sleep." I scoffed, taking the words of my mom before I could see the vision vanish into thin air as I could hear footsteps coming in and the sound of something opening.

"Zasha just found the secret door." It was Park that was coming in, causing me to got up from my old bed.

"I'm coming." I whispered, taking my flashlight in hand to leave the bedroom, closing the door behind me slowly before I got back with Park to Zasha. "See that....you remember the place well." I said to them, sounding low

"Yeah...it wasn't so hard." They exclaimed, also low as they put their flashlight inside the secret passage. "Guess that we will have to go down." They added before they let me took the lead.

"Okay, let's go then." I then opened the way, starting to slowly got down the stairs, followed closely by Zasha and Park and honestly, I was breathing more rapidly at each step I was making until I got my feets on the basement ground.

"Well, this place didn't change at all." Zasha told me, their flashlight pointed at the wall where there were still the old pictures of Perseus and then, they walked to it.

"So, this place was used by your father ?" I nodded to Park who was astonished to see an place like this, seeing the materials on the same table we found it as she moved towards it. "Can say that your father did keep his tools from the war." She admitted, looking at the gun on the table. "That's an Sten Mark 2....the favorite gun that the SAS were using during the World War 2." She added, taking an closer look to the rusty gun.

"It might not work anymore." I breathed, seeing the state of the gun as it was like almost a lot of years that it was there until I got my eyes on something that wasn't there. "Zed, there were paperworks in here, right ?" I asked to them.

"Of course...uhm....we hide all of it somewhere in here." They start to look around until they moved to get under the stairs, having guess of the place. "Yeap, it's here : we put everything in an box and hid it in case someone managed to find the place." They then found an box like they said that they took in hands. It was an medium box so Zasha didn't need any help as they put the box next to the table. "Okay, let's see what on them." They added, taking an paper from the box, illuminating the paper with their flashlight as we start to do the same.

"On this, I've got some details about your father." Park was the one to speak, getting my attention on it as she showed me the paper she had in hand.

"He joined the SAS in 1943 and then the MI6 in 1949, one year after he escaped the gulag." I read the paper, finding out more about who was my father. "The other things is focused on his records during the war." I continued seeing the multiples exploits of my father : helping the 'Maquis' in France in 1944 and then captured by the germans at the end of the year. I then put the paper aside back on the table.

"Shit...your father faced the Nova-6 threat."Park exclaimed, handing to me another paper : an report of my father about the Nova-6....the deadly nerve gas that I did hear about and the threat of it. "He's writing that he observed the use of the gas on German prisoners." She continued, showing the lines about it.

"Damnit." I breathed, having finished to look at it, putting my hands on the table. "I don't know much about the Nova-6 threat but....by what he wrote down, he was dead serious."

"Wasn't it something that happened in the 60's ?" Zasha asked to Park, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes but it was mostly the CIA that was dealing with it." She replied, raising her shoulders. "But this file is basically saying that the Nova-6 threat could have been destroyed years prior...." She then looked at me with an very small grin. "Your father could have stopped all of this but...." She stopped herself, looking an bit sad.

"I know..." I tapped her shoulder in an friendly way before I looked at Zasha. "There's nothing else ?"

"No, the other papers are little things : mostly old reports dating from the war and...." They then cut themselves too, their eyes focused on the box. "Oh...I forgot that." They put their hand inside it to remove it....with an tape recorder in hand. "We didn't listen to this at the time but we can now."

"Maybe." I whispered as I look around the basement until I found something on the same table we put the papers back on : an old listening device compatible for the tape recorder. "Well, we can." I grabbed the device to put it close from Zasha, not forgetting to remove the dust on it as there were an lot of it on it.

"That's quite intriguing." Park admitted, having the same thoughts as me with that mysterious tape recorder as Zasha was putting it on the listening device, ready to play it on. We prepared ourselves for this, especially me.

"Yirina." The tape recorder started and....it was my father's voice, sounding an bit low....that tape was something from him to me "It's your father....James Doyle." He said clearly as I was trying to not cry right now. "You maybe wonder why I'm doing this little recording to you but it's very simple....you need to know of things." He added

"Dad." I breathed in an low voice, holding back my tears as Park move to get next to me.

"To be honest, I'm working with the MI6...the british secret services....it's hard to tell this to my own daughter but this is the truth." He affirmed as I could hear, through the tape, him scratching something. "The monster I'm chasing, it's bad people we're calling Perseus.....he did bad things and he doesn't like people like me...that's why I'm chasing him down."

"Daddy." I could feel tears on my face, feeling the sadness of hearing his voice again.

"You will know this only at your 18th birthday but there's something more important for you to know....Yirina...you're my greatest creation !" He confessed, making me smile and cry at the same time. "Having someone like you...with your mother make me feel so happy, I'm proud of you as always...you have the eyes of your mother....you're my greatest creation, you will stay in my heart....I need to go...goodbye." The recording then stopped with me filled with so much tears and happiness at the same time. My father....he saw me as the best thing that happened in his life...it's...meaning an lot.

"I....Park." I said before I crack, finding myself to put my arms around her, trying to look for some recomfort. "Daddy."

"It's okay, Yiri." She reassured me, her voice also sad about me as I just heard an voice from the past right now...my father literally talked to me "We're here for you." She affirmed again as Zasha approached us, looking at me with an big smile even if their eyes were filled with sadness.

"We're going to do this, Yirina." They told me before they move to get back next to the table, at the box. "Do you think we're taking everything ?"

"Yes...everything, we're taking everything." I responded, sure of my words as I was feeling so happy & sad to have heard my father again, finding recomfort in Park's arms as we were back at my old house, trying to find again about who was my father. I couldn't let everything that belonged to him here, it was this legacy and I don't want Perseus to find it or anyone else. "Park....you're the love of my life...Zasha...Portnova, we're family for life." I said proudly to them as I took an deep breath, looking around the room as I was still in Park's arms.....

"I will finish what you have started, Dad...and I have my friends for it !"

#cod bocw #cod cold war #cod black ops cold war #cod cw #call of duty cold war #cod #cod bell #call of duty #black ops cold war #yirina grigoriev #helen park #zasha smirnov #fem!bell

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sadienita · 4 years ago

Text

Maison des cartes - Knight of Swords

Pirate!Sua x Gender Neutral Reader (feat. Jayoung and Iree of Rolling Quartz, and Ateez)

Word Count: 10.9k

Contents: death and dead bodies, gore (pretty much just blood), magic, pirates, sword fights and sword injuries, cannons, a giant snake, mentions of fire

Previous | Next

disregard for consequences

Your hand shook slightly as you felt the scars on your body and sat up. They didn’t hurt at all, and they felt old, like they had healed from years and years ago. But it chilled you to feel them at all. Didn’t Youngeun say you wouldn’t die? Or you couldn’t? Was she lying? Or did she know something you didn’t?

You tried to shake the eerie feeling you were having as you searched the bed, your fingers finding the scraps of paper. More and more of them were between your fingers and you sat there, trying to keep your mind off of the scars, you pieced them together. More of the sheet was there, only a few pieces remained and that made you feel better. You would only be stuck here a little bit longer.

You dragged yourself up off the bed and into the hallway. The moon had moved again in the sky when you looked outside, you didn’t know if that was good or would have happened anyway. A quick glance around the hallway led you to another door that had swung open. It was creepy but some part of you was a little numb to it now. Something about all of these experiences was getting to you, clearly. But you were almost done, only a couple more cards to find and then you would have the whole paper.

You looked into the creepy child’s bedroom. Old dolls were cracked on the floor and a rocking horse sat collecting dust. You moved quietly towards the bed, only barely registering that that was where the card was as you laid down. A sigh left your lips as you looked over at it and put down the music.

“Here we go again,” you muttered, breathing in deeply before grabbing the card.

“Get up!”

You started as someone shook you awake, scrambling to grab at them and stop the bed from shifting underneath you.

“Where am I?!” Your eyes adjusted to the sunny face in front of you. A woman had her hand on your shoulder and was shaking you, a grin on her lips and long red hair cascading down from under her bandana.

“Sleeping quarters, but you’ll be in quite a bit of trouble if anyone else finds you down here.”

“Uh-h” Something about the way everything was swaying was disorienting you. “A-Are we on a boat?”

The woman looked at you like you’d lost it. “I’d bloody well hope so,” she said, tugging at you. “Now get up we need to get up to the deck.”

You followed her, trying to get your bearings as she led you to the ladder and then up onto deck. Sun streamed in from above and then filled your vision before she pushed back the door to reveal the clear blue sky and salty air above. You climbed out after her and gasped at the sea that stretched out to the horizon, kissing the sky and reaching up for the sun in the form of waves.

“C’mon,” the woman hissed. She pulled you towards a gathering of people and you kept your mouth shut as the men looked up at you and one sauntered up to the woman.

“Finally got your charge out of bed,” he smirked. “My boys have been cleaning the deck since dawn.”

“Shut up Hongjoong,” she hissed. “At least my charge has an important job.”

The man, Hongjoong, opened his mouth to speak again but stopped as he saw something over your shoulder. He barked to the men to line up and the woman pulled you in line next with her.

A small, blonde woman came around to the front of the line. No one moved or said a word and you pressed your lips together as she inspected the line. She muttered things to the different men in the line and got closer to you. You felt your heart beating faster but she merely glanced at you before looking at the woman next to you.

“Just make sure they’re dressed properly tomorrow, Iree.” She sighed. Some of the men snickered. “Shut up!” she snapped at them. “You all have work to do, get going!”

The men scrambled off and you looked nervously between Iree beside you and the blonde haired woman.

“Sua needs my help today. I trust you can take care of getting our new friend acquainted with the ship?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Iree replied brightly.

“Good,” she nodded. “I’ll be in her study if you need me.”

Iree nodded as the woman walked off. She turned to you with a bright smile on her face.

"Okay! Let's get you acquainted with the ship shall we," she said happily, grabbing your hand and pulling you along behind her.

"I-I okay-" you mumbled as she dragged you towards the front of the ship.

"This is the Midnight’s Curse. She's a good ship and she's run by Sua, one of the fiercest pirates out there. We run a tight operation around here so I expect you to be ready every day for it. You need to dress properly but I'll give you a uniform and all that."

"Ah, okay, uniform? And what do I do everyday? You said I have a special job."

Iree stopped, leaning against the railing at the bow of the ship. "Sua's been tracking down a magical artifact. I only know a little about it, she's been very secretive. But we… brought you aboard… because of what you know."

"What I know?" You felt some level of panic rising inside of you. "I-I know about this artifact?"

"Yes!" She smiled. "Well that's what Sua said, that you know what it is and how it works. She says you have knowledge beyond the present or something."

You had no clue what that meant and it scared you. What would happen if you didn't have that info? Did they think you were someone that you weren't? You didn't want to think about it too much but you also needed a clear idea of what you were supposed to do. And who to help. There were so many people on this ship so far. How would you figure out who it was?

"That's where the study is, you might go in there in a bit to talk to Sua." Your brain came back to the present and you realized Iree had been telling you more about the ship while you worried.

"Does she see everyone often?" You asked.

"Usually, she's been checking her maps a lot recently and trying to get us to where the artifact is supposed to be. But she might come out later on too."

"What's she like?" You asked as Iree walked you towards the stern of the ship.

"Sua? She's strict at times but she likes to have fun and she takes good care of us. Jayoung is scarier than her," Iree giggled. "She's the one who inspected us this morning. She's the first mate, and quartermaster. Sua does do it a lot but not much recently."

You mulled that over. "And Hongjoong and the others. Are there more?"

“There are, mostly gunners to work the cannons. They have their own inspections but some of the crew are trained on the cannons too. And don't let Hongjoong fool you, I outrank him," she said proudly.

You chuckled. “I’ll remember that. So he’s in charge of the crew?”

“Yep,” she nodded. “He oversees them and does some of the gunner training, though I don’t talk much with the other gunners since they look after other things. I see the crew around. Seonghwa cooks. Most of the rest of them are in charge of the sails and cleaning. They’re more spare gunners than anything but they do all know how to fight well. You might see them sparring if you're lucky.”

“Don’t they get hurt?” You worried.

“Not usually,” she shrugged. “They’re pretty good. You should see San and Wooyoung spar, or Hongjoong and Seonghwa. Perfectly matched partners, it’s something else.”

“Wow,” you hummed, wondering if you’d get to see that. “So, what’s your role?”

“Oh yeah!” She exclaimed. “I almost forgot! I’m Sailing Master. I assist Sua in sailing and I look after you now when she’s busy. You’ll be with me, her and Jayoung most of the time.”

You nodded and followed as she walked. “You might as well meet her.”

“N-Now?” You asked nervously.

“I think it’s a good idea. You’ll like her. And she can tell you more than I can about this artifact.”

You followed Iree nervously, playing with the fabric of your shirt and chewing on your lip as you spared glances as the sea. You still didn’t know what it was you were supposed to know to help them. Or what your task was while you were here. It was exciting but you had a feeling it could get dangerous.

Not that any of these trips had been without mortal peril.

Iree led you across the deck of the ship and through a large wooden door. Inside was a beautiful round room made of warm woods. Tapestries with patterns you’d never seen before hung from the walls. A large globe sat near the centre of the room with a large desk and a table set up with a map. Bookshelves on the walls were lined with large tomes.

But what caught your eye was nothing on the walls or tables.

It was the beautiful woman who had just turned to look at you, hair cascading over her shoulders. Her hand rested on the hilt of the long rapier in her belt and she scuffed her book across the floor as she turned on the spot and gave you a dazzling smile.

“I was wondering when you would show up.”

You couldn’t seem to find any words as she approached you, seeming to look you up and down before extending a hand to you.

“Captain Kim Bora of the Midnight’s Curse, but everyone here just calls me Sua.”

You stumbled through an introduction and Sua chuckled at you before ushering you closer to the map, a spot along the shoreline was stuck with a dagger.

“I trust Iree told you why you’re here?”

“She told me I know something about the artifact that you’re looking for.”

Sua threw a quizzical glance at Iree before focusing her eyes on you. “That’s part of it,” she pointed to the dagger. “The artifact is held here, and getting to it won’t be easy. That’s no ordinary cave.”

“There’s magic there, isn’t there?” you asked.

Sua smiled. “Aren’t you a smart one. Yes, there is magic guarding the way. I don't know much about it but I do know that you might know something.”

You bit on your lip as you thought for a moment. “If you think I have magic…”

“Oh I don’t think that,” she laughed. “No one has seen much magic for a while around here. But I heard you have seen things. And we could use all the help we can get.”

You didn’t like the sound of that, no magic in a long time. What did that mean? Was this the same world, much further on? Or a different one altogether? You didn’t know. You weren’t sure that you wanted the answer.

“I think you may also know about the artifact, but I won’t give away too much.”

You quirked an eyebrow at her. “And how do you know so much about me?”

“I have my sources,” she grinned. “Now, we’re about here.” Sua pointed to a spot on the map. “About a day or so out from the cave. You’re welcome to look through the books here if they help you get acquainted with the ideas, and this one,” She grabbed a book and handed it to you, “is about the legends of this cave. Read up.”

“Yes Ma’am,” you nodded.

“And he shouted ‘En garde’ and drew his sword,” San cried, reagailed you all with a tail.

“You can’t call a baguette a sword, San,” Seonghwa chuckled.

San ignored Seonghwa and the chuckles from his crew mates as Wooyoung jumped to his feet, as if on cue.

“En garde, you mangy scoundrel,” his tone was dramatic as he and San drew their swords in unison. “Today will not be the day you steal from me.”

“I’ve never stolen a day in my life!” San cried, both of them seemed in character now.

“Then empty your pockets you filthy thief,” Wooyoung sneered playfully.

“And I reach into my pocket,” San mimed the action with his free hand. “And pulled out that delectable sweet roll, the one I stole to share with my dear little sister.”

“Your older sister,” Seonghwa corrected.

“Who worked,” Hongjoong added.

“For my dear little sister,” San reiterated. “The fiend charged at me!”

“With a baguette!” Seonghwa, Hongjoong, and Yeosang called out.

“He charged at me with his sword!” San cried, ignoring the snickers.

Wooyoung let out a cry and charged at San and the sound of steel clashing filled the air. Their swords swung quickly, meeting each other every time as their feet moved lithely across the deck in the dark, only light by candlelight.

“They’re good,” Sua leaned over as she sat next to you and you turned your head to look at her but she was quick to grab your chin and turn your head back to look at them.

“No no don’t look at me,” you could hear the smile in her voice. “This is the best part of the story. Their spars are amazing.”

“Perfectly matched,” you hummed.

“Exactly,” she said quietly. “They work so well in tandem. Of course Wooyoung will start to go easy on San so that San can-”

As if on cue, San's sword spun around Wooyoung’s in a smooth manner and it flew from his hand, landing some feet away on the deck. The point of San’s sword was pressed to Wooyoung’s chest as he fell to his knees dramatically.

“You should have let me have the sweet roll,” San said dramatically before miming running through Wooyoung’s chest with his sword. Wooyoung grabbed onto the sword and died the most dramatic fake death you had ever seen.

For all of their jeering and heckling during the story the crew all stood and gave a round of applause, cheering as San helped Wooyoung up and the two bowed and grinned. Sua stood next to you and you followed her to your feet, clapping.

“You see what I mean?” She asked.

“I do, they’re so impressive,” you finally looked at Sua. “Do you do this every night?”

“Ah not every night, but often enough. It makes the nights feel warmer, safer, when we’re way out here. It can feel very alone being out on the sea.”

“I imagine it would,” you hummed thoughtfully.

“Well then!” Sua’s voice was loud now as she clapped you on the back with her hand, making you stumble a bit. “I think our guest might have a few tales to tell.”

“I wh-what?? No?” You stuttered.

“Aww come on,” Sua flashed you a brilliant smile. “You must have come across something interesting.”

“I-” You thought for a moment, feeling shy with all the eyes on you. Your hand came up to your stomach, tracing the scars. “Have you ever heard of shapeshifters?”

One or two of the group nodded but most shook their heads and quickly turned to sit and watch you excitedly.

“Well then, I guess I have a story.” You chuckled.

You slept well that night despite the way the boat rocked under you and moved with the waves. It lulled you and sent you to sleep calmly and you arose with everyone else in the morning, eating breakfast before heading to the captain’s study and immersing yourself in the books. You figured the more you knew about it the better and so far you were recognizing things in the stories, though the way they were talked about like things of the distant past chilled you. How far in time had you traveled in this strange world? How much time had passed?

“Learn anything interesting?” Sua asked as she studied her map closely.

“I’m seeing things I recognize, so that’s good. I may be of some use after all.”

“Good,” she hummed. “I hoped we hadn’t grabbed you for nothing. If all goes well we’ll be able to explore the cave tomorrow.”

“This artifact you’re looking for, why?” You asked.

“It will allow me to… gain some insight into the future shall we say. It’ll make things clearer and that can be of use to me and my crew.”

You nodded as you digested her words. Your lips had just parted to ask another when the door swung open. You both looked up to find Hongjoong standing there, looking very serious and sword on his belt.

“Captain, you should come take a look at this,” she said.

Sua gazed at you. “I’ll be back,” she said before following Hongjoong out the door.

You went back to reading, trying to put the looks on their faces from your mind as you did so. If they were worried it could be over any number of things to do with the ship, and there wasn’t much you could help with anyway. The best option was likely to stay put until the matter was solved.

Footsteps rushed around on the deck and you buried yourself further in the book, hoping to tune it put as much as possible. There were many pages in this book about potions and that much you were familiar with. You had seen some potion making and you knew a few of them on sight. The ones you didn’t… well you hoped you wouldn’t need to test anything out to see if it was safe.

A loud bang from the deck made you jump.

You looked towards the door as you tried to make sense of what sounded very much like a cannon. Smaller bangs started but before another loud on as the ship rocked and your stomach dropped as you realized that the ship was under fire.

As much as it scared you you couldn’t just sit here and hide. You had no fighting skill that would help you in a pirate scuffle but you weren’t sure you wanted to stay here with no clue of what was happening. If you could find anyone or if you needed to escape you didn’t want to get stuck if the ship was sinking.

You walked quietly across the room and opened the door.

You were met with mass chaos and you cowered behind the door as you took in the scene.

Another ship was right next to yours and pirates had poured onto the ship. The sounds of clashing metal and firearms going off filled your ears. The air was filled with smoke and the scent of sulfur stung your nose as you slipped out of the room and hid behind a set of barrels.

Everything you could see was bloody and made your stomach turn. Amid the clashes lay bodies on the deck, pools of blood encircling each one of them. You could barely see with the smoke but the fact that so many faces you had never seen were rushing past was a bad sign. You were outnumbered and there was no way for you to help.

Was this right? Was this supposed to be happening? Everything felt strange, as if shifted off center like your whole world was tilting. Your eyes scanned the bodies you could see and you felt your stomach turn and tears well up in your eyes, your hand coming up to cover your mouth and hold in any screams at San’s lifeless face staring off into nothingness.

How many of them had already died? You tore your eyes away from him and caught sight of Wooyoung not too far away. The fighting was already dying down and the blank expression on his face, the numbness told you that he had already seen.

You could barely bear to look at the faces, feeling a horrible twist of your gut with every face you recognized. The men you had been dancing and singing with just last night were lying dead on the deck. A loud bang so close to you caught your attention and you couldn’t help your scream as Iree’s body slumped to the deck, blood pouring from her abdomen and gaze going glassy and lifeless. You tried to run to her, as if you could save her, only to have someone grab you by the back of your shirt.

“And what might you be?” He sneered.

No words escaped you, only a pitiful sound so your eyes locked onto the smoking gun in his hand. You remembered what Youngeun had said. You knew what she had said. You had nothing to truly fear and yet. You couldn’t shake the question, couldn’t forget the scars.

Could you die?

“Ill prepared,” the loud voice caught your attention and you both stopped, looking towards it.

If you didn’t already feel as if your heart was made of lead, you did now. Sua was on her knees, holding her arm that was bleeding all over her jacket and hiding where her hand should have been, giving you the horrible sense that her hand was gone. She was looking up at a man with contempt, the point of his sword against her throat.

“Ill prepared to take us on. You should have known Sua, you should have known.”

“I’ll pay you back for this,” Sua grunted. “I’ll pay you back ten fold.”

“Oh no,” his grin was cold and unfeeling. “I made that mistake last time.”

You screamed as he plunged his sword into her chest, leaning in while she sputtered up blood. “This time I’m not leaving you alive.”

The man stood up and kicked Sua to the ground where she coughed as blood spilled from her body and her mouth until she stopped moving. Darkness spotted your vision and you felt dizzy as the man looked towards you. Your world tilted sideways before you were engulfed in blackness again.

“Get up!”

You started as someone shook you awake, scrambling to grab at them and stop the bed from shifting underneath you.

“Where am I?!” Your eyes adjusted to the sunny face in front of you. The sunny face of Iree, smiling down at you. Iree, who you had just seen die before your very eyes, was shaking you awake again as if it was yesterday.

“Sleeping quarters, but you’ll be in quite a bit of trouble if anyone else finds you down here.”

“Uh-h,” the words slipped from your mouth as you tried to figure out what had happened. Iree was dead. She was supposed to be dead. How was this happening?

Just like she had before she tugged on you. “Get up, we need to get up to the deck.”

You followed her out on the deck, not so disoriented by the setting but more so by what was happening as you followed her up the ladder and out into the bright sunny day, the smell of salt hitting your nose and sea spray in the air.

“C’mon,” Iree hissed. She pulled you towards the other crew members and you tried to quell your confusion and emotions as you saw their faces, lively and smiling. All eight of the boys you had spent the evening with, that had fought, some had died. And here they were, in front of you, very much alive.

“Finally got your charge out of bed,” Hongjoong smirked. “My boys have been cleaning the deck since dawn.”

“Shut up Hongjoong,” she hissed. “At least my charge has an important job.”

Hongjoong opened his mouth to speak again but stopped as he saw something over your shoulder. He barked to the men to line up and Iree pulled you in line next to her.

Jayoung came around to the front of the line. No one moved or said a word once again and you almost tuned out what she was saying as you tried to make sense of it. Iree was dead. San was dead. You were sure so many of the others were dead. Had you gone back in time? How? You had no clue that was even a possibility.

“Just make sure they’re dressed properly tomorrow, Iree.” Jayoung’s sigh brought you back to reality. Some of the men snickered.

“Shut up!” she snapped at them. “You all have work to do, get going!”

The men scrambled off and you looked between Iree and Jayoung, letting it all sink in.

“Sua needs my help today. I trust you can take care of getting our new friend acquainted with the ship and how we do things?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Iree replied brightly.

“Good,” she nodded. “I’ll be in her study if you need me.”

Iree nodded as Jayoung walked off. She turned to you with a bright smile on her face.

"Okay! Let's get you acquainted with the ship shall we," she said happily, grabbing your hand and pulling you along behind her.

"Sounds good,” you said, a little dazed as she dragged you towards the front of the ship.

You wracked your brain, trying to remember what you had asked her the day before. “And what do I do everyday? You said I have a special job."

“Ah,” you hummed. "So I know about this artifact then?"

"Yes!" She smiled. "Well that's what Sua said, that you know what it is and how it works. She says you have knowledge beyond the present or something."

You were reeling still. So that was wrong, the bad ending. Then there was a good ending? Clearly they were not all meant to die being raided by another pirate ship. Clearly you were all meant to be alive and finding that artifact. Were you in charge of changing fate? Was that what you had been doing this whole time? Altering pathways, altering fate, changing history in some way?

"That's where the study is, you might go in there in a bit to talk to Sua." Your brain came back to the present and Iree telling you about the ship all over again.

"Does she see everyone often?" You asked idly.

"Usually, she's been checking her maps a lot recently and trying to get us to where the artifact is supposed to be. But she might come out later on too."

"Is she nice?" You asked as Iree walked you towards the stern of the ship.

You hummed in response. "Is it just the ones I saw on the ship?"

“There are more, mostly gunners to work the cannons. They have their own inspections but some of the crew are trained on the cannons too. And don't let Hongjoong fool you, I outrank him," she said proudly.

You chuckled a little hollowly. “I’ll remember that. So he’s in charge of the crew?”

“That would be something to see,” you said, “so long as no one gets hurt.”

“They’re pretty good.” She said. “You should see San and Wooyoung spar, or Hongjoong and Seonghwa. Perfectly matched partners, it’s something else.”

“Mmm,” you hummed. “And what about you?”

“Oh yeah!” She exclaimed. “I almost forgot! I’m Sailing Master. I assist Sua in sailing and I look after you now when she’s busy. You’ll be with me, her and Jayoung most of the time.”

You nodded and followed as she walked. “You might as well meet her.”

“Now?” Your mind was elsewhere. It was eerie hearing her say the same things over again.

“I think it’s a good idea. You’ll like her. And she can tell you more than I can about this artifact.”

You followed Iree almost numbly. You thought you ought to be happy but you felt like you were spinning or falling into some strange dream. And yet this felt right again. The strange feeling, the off feeling was gone. So you were back on track then?

Iree led you across the deck of the ship and through a large wooden door. Inside was the study, so familiar to you now. But your eyes only seemed to care about Sua, the way she turned and smiled at you. Seeing her in front of you alive and well with a fire in her eyes again. Everyone was alive again. Everyone.

So you just needed to keep them all from dying this time.

“I was wondering when you would show up.”

Sua approached you, seeming to look you up and down before extending a hand to you.

“Captain Kim Bora of the Midnight’s Curse, but everyone here just calls me Sua.”

You still stumbled through an introduction and Sua chuckled at you before ushering you closer to the map, pointing to a spot along the shoreline with a dagger stuck in it.

“I trust Iree told you why you’re here?”

“She told me I know something about the artifact that you’re looking for.”

“There’s magic there, isn’t there?” you asked.

Sua smiled. “Aren’t you a smart one. Yes, there is magic guarding the way. I don't know much about it but I do know that you might know something.”

“I’m not magical,” you said

“I don’t think you are,” she laughed. “No one has seen much magic in a while around here. But I heard you have seen things. And we could use all the help we can get.”

You still didn’t like the sound of that.

“I think you may also know about the artifact, but I won’t give away too much.”

You quirked an eyebrow at her. “And how do you know so much about me?”

“Yes Ma’am,” you nodded.

The days were so similar it was eerie. But you did see why people loved San’s story so much, it was just as entertaining the second time, just as much fun watching him spar with Wooyoung. It was just as much fun telling them stories again and for a few moments, you forgot the images of them laying dead, lifeless in their own blood. For a moment it gave you peace and you joy and let you sleep well enough.

The morning went by the same way and once again you found yourself pouring over the book about the cave, looking for what might help you out. You were further into the book now, with a few more things that could help. Still, they might be rumours, they might not be real, you wouldn’t know for sure until you were there.

“Learn anything interesting?” Sua asked as she studied her map closely.

“I’m seeing things I recognize, so that’s good. I may be of some use after all.”

“Good,” she hummed. “I hoped we hadn’t grabbed you for nothing. If all goes well we’ll be able to explore the cave tomorrow.”

“Are you sure about this?” You asked.

Sua looked up at you. “What?”

“This cave, by all accounts, looks dangerous. Are you sure this thing is worth it?”

“This thing will let me see beyond the moment,” she said seriously. “This will let me know before something happens, what I can expect. I-”

Sua was cut off by the door being thrown open. Hongjoong stood there, looking very serious and sword on his belt.

“Captain, you should come take a look at this,” he said.

Sua gazed at you. “I’ll be back.”

“No!” You were on your feet before you realized it. This time you had to stop it.

Sua looked surprised. “If you’re sure.”

“I am,” you said seriously.

Sua and Hongjoong rushed from the room and you followed them to the deck, very clearly seeing the problem as he took her to the wheel. The large ship, not too far off in the water. You were just close enough to hear what they were saying.

“They want us to go around, they’ve already fired off a warning shot.”

“No,” said Sua, “I’d know that flag, that ship anywhere. And I know where he’s going.”

“Sua.” As the three of you stopped at the wheel Iree came rushing over. “We need to change course. If we don’t-”

“If we don’t we take out them and their crew.” Sua said darkly. “Or we die trying.”

“Then you’ll die,” your eyes were fixed on the ship ahead of you.

“What?” You heard Sua’s voice as she gripped the wheel.

“If we take them on we’ll die, we’ll all die,” you said bitterly.

“We can take them o-”

“Sua,” your voice was harsh as you turned your head sharply and Sua met your gaze, looking startled. You barely realized you were crying until you felt something wet drip down your cheek. “We are outnumbered. You didn’t plan for this. If we do this, you sentence us to death.”

Sua moved closer to you, her voice dropping to a whisper so only you could hear. “How do you know?”

You just shook your head. “Just trust me when I say I know. We can’t take them. Not like this.”

Sua stared at you, a hard look on her face, nearly unreadable. She pressed her lips together before taking in a sharp breath.

“Iree, change course. Heed their warning shot,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Yes Ma’am,” Iree said, taking the wheel.

“You better be right about this,” Sua growled before turning on her heel and stalking back to her study.

You leafed through the book again, dog earing pages for things you recognized and taking note of the things that seemed to be mentioned more than once. The more substantiated the claim the more likely that it would show up in the cave, that it was true. That’s what you thought at least.

You were holed up in a cozy nook under the deck and you had been all afternoon. You thought Sua might be angry and you wanted her to calm down before you spoke with her, or maybe you were just afraid of the conflict. Either way you were hoping to be left alone while you read and reread sections of the book, looking for what you might find in the cave. Hopefully you hadn’t saved everyone just to get them killed again.

“You’ve been down here a while.”

You started at the sound of Hongjoong’s voice. There was a curious look on his face as he leaned against the nearby wall, just able to see where you were hidden from where he stood.

“You startled me, don’t sneak up on me like that.” You muttered.

“And you didn’t respond to what I said.” He hopped up onto a nearby barrel and sat there watching you. “You’ve been down here a while.”

“Yeah I wanted some peace and quiet,” you muttered.

“The study is peaceful and quiet.” He said. You shot him a look and he smirked. “Afraid of the captain?”

“I’m giving her time to cool down.”

“Do you know who that was?” He asked. “I’m betting you don’t. Those are her oldest rivals. They’ve cheated her, they’ve stolen from her. In her eyes they’re to be killed on sight.” Hongjoong leaned a little closer to you.

“What did you say to change her mind?”

You looked back down at your book. “Just that it was a bad idea, okay?”

“Are you okay?”

Your head snapped up to see him. “What?”

“You were crying earlier. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” you muttered. “Just- Let me read okay?”

“Sure thing,” he said calmly. “Iree is looking for you though, and you ought to talk to the captain. She may have been angry about changing course, but whatever you said to her…” He jumped down from the barrel. “Sua wouldn’t have done that for anything. So for some reason, she trusts your judgement. You ought to talk to her.”

You sighed and slumped against the wall as Hongjoong wandered off.

It was nearing dinner and you were heading back up to the deck when you felt the ship slowing down, lurching. You rushed up the ladder in time to hear Hongjoong yelling and the crew pulling ropes, the sails bundling up towards the masts. The sun was sinking in the sky and painting it a brilliant array of red and orange.

You looked around and found Sua standing at the bow of the ship with her telescope. You were quick to rush closer but stopped a little ways away. She was caught up in looking ahead through her scope, hair whipping around her head in the wind, jacket rustling and blowing, the stunning sky her backdrop as she lowered the telescope and caught sight of you, a curious look on her face as she beckoned you over.

“They’re in the cave,” she pointed to the ship and then to the mouth of the cave that looked rather small from here. “They got here before us.”

“So we need a plan,” you said.

She regarded you for a moment. “Indeed. Jayoung, can you grab the small map for me?”

“Yes Ma’am,” Jayong hurried off and Sua stepped closer to you, now alone with her.

“This was your idea,” she said seriously.

“If we had attacked them we all would be dead right now,” you said.

“I believe you,” she said. “I don’t want to but you’re probably right. So now we need a plan for if they come out of that cave. In your reading did you get a sense for how long it might take to get through there?”

“I- uh-” You thought it over. “A day, maybe a little longer. From the writings it doesn’t seem large but does seem complex. If they rush through though they might not make it.”

She nodded thoughtfully, looking back at the cave. “Then we wait, amush them if they come out.”

“And if they don’t?” you asked.

Sua looked back at the cave. “We wait tomorrow, we watch. If we don’t see anything by the next morning then we go in after them, and assume the worst.”

“By worst y-you mean-”

“I mean they get what’s coming to them,” she said bitterly.

The day had passed uneventfully and the night as well so you spent the early morning gearing up to explore the cave. You tucked the book away in your bag before heading up to the deck where Hongjoong was fighting with Jayoung.

“I don’t like it either but we’re not going,” Jayoung said. “Now pick who to send.”

“I can’t just send them off, you know I can barely keep them alive as it is-”

“Hongjoong,” Jayoung had a warning in her tone. “If they need us, we’ll go in.”

“Fine,” Hongjoong muttered bitterly. “Take San and Wooyoung, they’re the best fighters. Do you need more?”

“Sua said four.”

Hongjoong groaned, crossing his arms. “I hate this.”

“So do I,” said Jayoung. “Now pick.”

“Jongho, he’s strong and…” Hongjoong gazed at his crew preparing the bags. “Mingi. They can take Mingi.”

“You’re not coming?” You questioned.

Hongjoong glanced at you. “Someone has to hold down the fort here, and come in and get you if you all mess up.”

“We’ll be fine,” Iree said brightly, coming up from behind you and slinging an arm around your shoulder. She handed you a pistol and you took it carefully. “No need to be saved.”

“We need to get going,” You heard Sua’s voice and looked over to where she stood near one of the lifeboats. Iree led you over happily as Hongjoong barked to the four to follow you. They all did as they were told and the crew came over as you got into the boats. Hongjoong’s hands were on the ropes but he stopped when Sua’s hand grabbed his, looking at him and Jayoung.

“If they others come out and we don’t you come in after us,” She said. “But if two days pass and no one comes out you leave, do you understand?”

“Sua, we can-” Jayoung started.

“Do you understand?” Sua growled.

“Yes, Ma’am,” they both mumbled before slowly lowering the boats into the water.

The trip to the cave was quiet. You and Iree rowed your boat as Sua checked her pocket watch and her small map. The four in the other boat chattered happily and teased Mingi for being afraid.

You thought over what you knew about the cave and listened idly to their laughing until you got to shore, all of you getting out of your boats and tying them up before making your way to the mouth of the cave. You finally felt the fear setting in. What if this just got them all killed? But should the other group have come out by now? Why were they taking so long? You figured they didn’t know what you knew though.

Sua stopped the group, speaking to you all. “We only have some idea of what we’ll be facing. Everyone, stay behind me and move slowly and quietly. Don’t touch anything unless I tell you to. We have a goal and we don’t know what happened to the others. We may very well encounter them inside. Stay on your guard at all times.”

You all nodded and followed her in, you staying close by Sua’s side. The initial entrance looked much like a normal cave, rocky and wet being near the shoreline. You were careful as you walked in, figuring the traps would be deeper. The book had mentioned an uneventful beginning.

Maybe it was because you were all a little scared but no one talked too much as you moved through the cave. Into the first few rooms you moved slowly and quickly, hands on swords or pistols just in case. But the cave had a strange feeling. Like the carnival. As if the rocks around you were just a little strange, too cartoonish, as if time was thick and slow as you moved, as if it was ticking closer to a stand still as you got deeper in.

You stopped Sua in one of the small passageways.

“Check your watch,” you whispered.

“What?”

“Just… check your watch.”

Sua pulled out her pocket watch and a look of shock took over her face. “It’s broken.”

You shook your head before turning to the group. “I think we’ve gotten to the magical part of the cave, and it’ll only get thicker the further we go. Be careful.”

The others nodded and you snuck forward, them at your heels as you slipped into the room and held your breath, freezing at the scene in front of you. The floor was littered with bodies and bones. The other crew, you assumed, was lying dead in front of you. There were swords all over the floor and the air reeked of the stench of blood.

“What killed them?” Mingi whimpered.

Your eyes scanned forward. An army was guarding the way, that’s what the book had said. Ahead of you were empty stone chairs and beyond them stone chairs still housing seated skeletons, swords in their hands or laps.

“There,” you motioned with your head. “The skeletons. They’re the guards.”

Sua took a deep breath while Mingi whined. “Alright,” she said. “Slowly now, let’s do this. Expect them to jump to life. Take them out. They others didn’t know, we do.”

You followed behind the group this time, wondering if a pistol would help you out. Sua, Wooyoung, and San led the way, followed by Jongho and Iree, then Mingi, then you. The creaks of old bones filled the air and you watched in horror as the skeletons moved from their seats. Only twelve of them remained but you fell back more as San and Wooyoung jumped to action. Iree rushed forwards with Sua to take on three of them and Mingi clung to your side as Jongho glanced back at the two of you and sighed, staying where he was to defend you.

The skeletons sparred well but they were fragile. It only took one hit to knock them down and San and Wooyoung were whizzes with their swords, ripping through them with what looked like ease. Jongho fought off the two that made their way back towards you while Iree and Sua fought back to back.

The others must have been ambushed, unprepared, and none had made it, or some were somewhere up ahead. Either way as the last skeleton crumpled to the ground Jongho looked back at Mingi wearily.

“Really helpful,” he said.

“Shut up,” Mingi muttered.

You joined Sua at the front again and slipped through a set of winding passageways before a room opened up ahead of you. You were slow as you looked through the mist of the room, listening to a quiet sound that moved over the rocks. Hiding in the shadows you slipped along the wall, signalling for silence from the others and happy that they all complied. Soon enough you were closer and fear struck through your heart as a large serpent lifted its head.

Sua raised her pistol but you grabbed her hand and shook your head. Though it couldn’t see you from where you stood in the darkness you could see in its eyes, the look in its eyes.

This was a shapeshifter.

You motioned for the others to be quiet and follow your lead. You knew that this shifter could hurt you, and might. How long had they been stuck here? Was there anything that would help you turn them back? You didn't know.

The large serpent put their head back down and you snuck slowly along the wall again. As the curve of the cave brought you closer you noticed the bodies littering the floor around the snake's body.

So they would kill you.

Good to know.

Your eyes scanned the room and you noticed a passageway just beyond the snake. Of course. Of course you'd have to go through the snake den.

You stopped the group, looking at the floor. There had to be a way through here. It had to be possible to get past. For those who created the cave, to check on things, to store more deep inside and get things out. Like magical security. There had to be a way past, something to control the creature.

You kneeled down and grabbed a few stones before creeping forwards, toward the light. The serpent stirred in the mist but didn't move too much. The closer you got the more you saw cuts in its skin. Did shapeshifters stay in their form all the time? Did they change when hurt? Wouldn't this one, to hide?

If most of who came in here were wizards they could cast spells to keep the beast still. But this was a person, and if they didn't want them changing form, wanted them to stay a snake. Then…

Even as the stone left your hand you knew it was incredibly stupid. This creature could and would kill you all easily, and here you were trying to draw their attention, not directly to you but still, they might see you.

The serpent stirred, looking up and following the sound. Sua grabbed your arm to pull you back but you stood firm, looking at the snake's body and sure enough.

"There," your voice was barely audible even to you. "Tied on the tail. It needs to come off, that’s the only chance."

Sua nodded before turning to the others. You heard a whimper from Mingi but her voice was too quiet to hear. A hand landed on your shoulder and you looked at Iree who nodded to you with a nervous smile. Beyond her San and Wooyoung were slipping through the shadows. A quick turn of your head told you Mingi and Jongho were going the other way and Sua was still behind you.

She leaned closer and whispered. "When you hear noise, go. We'll distract the serpent, you and Iree get that thing off its tail."

"Yes Ma'am," you whispered.

Your heart pounded as Sua backed away from you. You trained your eyes on the snake's tail while whispering to Iree. "We need to cut that off. If I'm right that'll make it change forms."

"Okay, a-and if it doesn't?"

You gave Iree a dark look and she nodded quickly before creeping into the light with you. The large snake didn't see you at first, seeming to explore where the rock had hit but stopped suddenly and you both froze as it started to slowly turn its head.

"Hey! Slither boy!" Wooyoung's voice bounced off the walls of the room and the snake snapped it’s head in that direction.

"Over here rats-for-brains," San was quick on the uptake, a little ways away. He mimicked Wooyoung's voice, clearly trying to confuse the serpent. You returned your attention to the tail as the other five popped in and out of the shadows, calling to the snake and keeping its attention away from you and Iree.

Iree dashed as quietly as she could around the edge of the room, trying to get to the far side of the tail. You spared a glance at the beast's head before watching its rattled tail raise into the air, shaking. The snake lunged for someone and you dashed closer, diving for the tail.

You managed to grab a hold but only for a few moments before the snake flicked you forcefully off, throwing across the room. You hit the wall with a groan and looked up, dizzy, at the snake rising above your body and hissing. A flash of red hair out of the corner of your vision just made it into your consciousness before the snake lunged and you rolled to the side, just barely missing it and trying to get to your feet.

The snake let out a piercing cry and you froze, looking at it as it's form shrunk, Iree triumphantly holding up the tie that was on its tail in her hand. Sua and Jongho rushed to you, helping you to your feet. You moved forward slowly with their help as you recovered from the hit. A young woman was on the floor, panting and gazing up at you dazed.

"Where- Who?"

You kneeled down. "Do you know where you are?"

Tears welled in her eyes as she shook her head. "I- I don't r-remember?"

"Shh, it's okay," you hushed her before looking around at the group. Your eyes landed on Sua.

"We can't leave her here." You said.

"I know,"Sua looked around seriously. "Do you have any idea how much longer this cave is?"

You shook your head. "Time doesn't work right here. But there were only a couple more accounts that seem probable."

"Okay," she looked around the group. "Mingi, take her back to the ship, update Jayoung on what we've seen and let her know that no ambush is coming."

Mingi seemed relieved as he helped the girl to her feet. He bid you all goodbye before leading her carefully back the way you'd come. You stood again and beckoned for the rest to follow you onward and you made your way forwards through the passageways in the rock.

As you stepped into the next large space a fire pit sprung to life in the center of the room, throwing shadows on the wall. You stopped the group and whispered to them.

"This one was mentioned in a number of accounts. Terrifying illusions thrown on the walls. None of it is real, but it will play on your fears. The room will look bigger. And…"

"And?" Sua's voice came.

"We won't go any further if we go as a group. We have to go one by one. Stick to the shadows, away from the flame no matter how much you want the light."

"What if something's actually there?" Jongho questioned.

"Nothing is," you said. "I've seen these before, they're terrifying but harmless. Just keep moving and don't let it get to you."

"Who's going first?" San asked the real question and you knew what the answer had to be.

"I'll go first. Sua last to make sure everyone makes it in. Everyone else in between. Okay?"

All of the responses sounded scared but there was little you could do. You took a deep breath and stepped forwards. As you walked the darkness swallowed you, so thick you could only see the light and you moved around it. The room was too big and shadows moved too near to you. Whispers in a woman’s voice seemed to sneak up behind them. It made your hair stand on end but you steeled yourself and kept going, walking around the flame.

A low growl caught your attention and you glanced into the shadows just long enough to see the outline of a large leopard. Fear struck through your heart as the shadow beast lunged at you and you couldn’t hold back your scream as your feet hit the ground hard and you flew through the room. You kept the flame in your line of sight, out of the corner of your eye as a wolf howled. Shapes appeared on the ground and you realised with a horrified shriek that the ghostly dead faces of San, Iree, and Sua, were staring up at you, glassy and unfeeling.

You could feel tears on your face and you weren’t sure if the screams you heard were merely your own or the others as well. The beasts behind you were right on your heels and despite the burning in your legs you couldn’t stop, losing sight of the flame behind you now and too busy running through the darkness to care, racing from the beasts, too afraid to look back.

A groan left your lips as you hit a wall. The sounds behind you disappeared in an instant and you noticed light to the left of you, feeling along the wall until you found the passage onwards. You gazed around, panting. You were sure you heard screams but they sounded distant. You hoped the others would make it but you just needed to wait. You leaned next to the passageway.

Iree was the first to come through, hitting the hall near where you did. She had tears in her eyes and was gasping, clambering to you when she saw you and hugging you tight while her body shook.

“Th-That was th-the- the w-w-worst-”

“I know,” you hushed her, hugging her and stroking her hair as she caught her breath. “It’s okay, none of it’s real. It’s just meant to scare you.”

Iree kept her arms around you until Jongho hit the wall not too far away. His breathing was shaky and he kept quiet as he made his way over to you, trying to play it cool but you could see the tear stains on his face and you and Iree pulled him into a hug anyway.

Next was San, who collapsed against the three of you in tears, inconsolable until Wooyoung made it through as well. The two were shaky and teary but no worse for wear and now you were just waiting on Sua.

The feeling of time was off and you knew it, so there was no use wondering how long you had waited for her. Still, it made you antsy that it felt like it was longer than the others. That was probably the way the room worked though, suck you back in, lost in the darkness being chased by your fears forever looking for one another.

“Sh-She’ll be fine, right?” Iree asked.

“She’ll be fine,” you said, more to calm yourself than anyone else. “It’s likely a trick of the room, make you go back looking right when they’re about to make it.”

“Right, b-but what if-”

“Iree, no. We can’t go back, you won’t find her in there.” You said sternly.

“Please I could jus-”

As if on cue Sua hit the wall hard. She was panting as you called her name but she didn’t move right away, seeming to catch her breath first. Finally, she shook out her hair and stood tall, turning to you all, the most stoic exit of any, though she looked incredibly pale.

“Let’s just go,” she said.

You led the way into the passage, praying there was very little left. It didn’t seem to take long before it opened into a much smaller room lit by torch light. At the far side of the room, a glowing passageway and in the center a circular, shallow calderon. A body lay on the floor, on the far side of the cauldron and Sua let out a cold laugh.

“Well, looks like he really did get what was coming to him,” she walked to the pirate captain’s body and rolled him over with her foot. “Serves him right.”

“It looks like we can just go-” Wooyoung started but you cut him off.

“Don’t! That’s what killed him.”

“Yeah Wooyoung, that’s what killed him, keep up,” Jongho teased.

“Geez Wooyoung,” San snickered.

“Quiet,” Sua warned before looking at you. “What do we need to do.”

“Pay,” you said, looking around the calderon. Sure enough there was a dusty old wand hidden in a pocket along the side and you pulled it out. You wondered if you could use it, could you really have come this far for nothing.

“Take what you give,” Iree read off an inscription from the cauldron. “It’s a payment right, so it needs to equal what’s being taken.”

“I’ll do it then,” said Sua. “Since I’m the one taking, just tell me what I need to pay.”

“A memory, knowledge, something like that.” You said.

“Okay,” She thought for a moment. “Okay I think I know what to give. Whenever you’re ready.”

You bit your lip, still unsure. The wand though, seemed enchanted. As soon as you touched it to Sua’s temple she shivered. A long, silvery-grey nearly smoke-like substance was pulled from her head and slowly fell into the caldron. Sua leaned against Iree and you turned to see another entrance open. A smile spread across your face when you saw the riches beyond.

“We did it,” you grinned.

“Good,” Sua’s voice was breathy. “Everyone, look for a mirror, a small hand held mirror. Touch nothing else.”

A chorus of ‘yes ma’ams’ left you all as you spread out into the room. It was stacked high with piles, mountains of gold and jewels. You couldn't see how far it went but could see the light from the fire scones along the walls glinting off the treasure and up to the ceiling of the cave. You wondered if you would have to go back the way you came, not sure you could face the room of darkness all over again.

Beyond the initial piles were pedestals, nestled between the precious jewels.

“Hey, come this way I think it’ll be-” You started to call out but your voice seemed to cut out as you spotted the mirror. The hand mirror, the small, pretty hand mirror with a surface that seemed to move and shimmer like water.

You approached it slowly, picking it up with tears in your eyes. If this was here…

How long had it been? How long had they been gone? Was it possible this was before Siyeon and Yoohyeon’s time? You had a sinking feeling that it wasn’t, that this had been hidden away here for a long time. That your dear friends were gone.

Even though you knew that at some point they wouldn’t be around it still pained you. It felt like losing them in real time, felt like you would never see them again.

Though the thought dawned on you that after tonight, you would likely never see any of them again. You had no clue how to get back here on your own. All of these people, the ones you had spent days with, the ones you knew for weeks, or months, would be lost to you forever once you found all the pieces of that paper.

And you were just worried about getting out of the house.

You heard a voice nearby but ignored it as the surface of the mirror moved and an image formed. You saw fire, a room burning and a woman in the midst of before a hand landed on your shoulder and the image vanished.

“You found it,” Sua smiled. “Everyone, come here!”

Sua took the mirror from you and up ahead a light shone in, the sound of the waves and the view of the shoreline and the ship was in sight. The others gathered round as Sua turned the mirror over in her hands.

“We’ve got it!” She cheered. “And we’ve got a way out!” You couldn’t help the way it made you smile to see them all so happy. They all made their way to the exit and as you got closer you realized it looked more like a portal, like it would jump you back to the outside, and your heart dropped. Just before reaching it you stopped them all.

“When we-” You started, unsure where your words were going. “Going through that portal. I-I might not- I mean I might- uh-”

“What’s wrong?” Asked Iree.

“I-” You sniffed, holding back the lump in your throat. “I think when we go through there it’ll send us back home. But this isn’t my home so I don’t think I’ll be going with you all. Wh-What I’m saying i-is-”

“-that this is goodbye,” Sua finished. You nodded, unable to meet anyone’s eye. They were all quiet for a moment before San stepped forward and hugged you, Wooyoung joining in and then Jongho.

“We’ll miss you,” San mumbled. The other two agreed and you nodded, saying goodbye before watching them walk through the portal. Then Iree stepped closer.

“It feels like it’s been so much longer than a few days,” She sniffed.

“Yeah- yeah it does. Just, take care okay?”

“Of course,” she smiled. “You too.”

“Definitely.”

Iree hugged you tightly before heading through the portal as well. Finally you turned to Sua.

“You kept us alive,” she said. “I have a feeling that was more than just in the cave.”

“I- Yeah, yeah it was. Sometimes it takes a second chance.”

Sua looked at you curiously. “Thank you, for making me see reason. For leading us through this so I can see reason,” she held up the mirror, “on my own.”

“Take care of them all,” you said. “And have some fun for me.”

“We’ll toast to you, we’ll tell your story, no matter how long you’re gone from here you’ll always be here in our hearts. Of that I can assure you.”

You nodded, sucking down you tears before throwing your arms around her. She hugged you tightly and neither of you said a word more, walking towards the portal together. You let her pass through first, with one last smile back at you, before she was gone.

You took one last look at the cave, one last look at this world before taking a deep breath and stepping through, falling into darkness.

action

It felt as if you fell onto the bed, but it was still a bed so at least there was that. You saw the puff of smoke out of the corner of your eye but covered your face instead, not wanting to deal with it. You knew the paper was there, you knew you needed to move on, that something was in this house pushing you through.

“I just-” You mumbled. “I don’t know if you’re listening, but I just need a minute.”

Masterlist

#maison des cartes #sua imagines #bora imagines #kim bora imagines #dreamcatcher imagines

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mxliv-oftheendless · 4 years ago

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Twist of Fate, Chapter 4

You GUUUUUUUYYYSSS!!!! I FINISHED WRITING THE WHOLE THING!!! GO ME!!! I can’t believe I did it, holy shit. I am so proud of myself right now. And it’s great for you guys because that means more frequent updates!!! Starting with this one! Hope you enjoy! Tagging @cosmicrealmofkissteria and @tanookiroxx. Read on!!

In which unpleasant memories are forced to mind, and Starchild makes either a huge mistake… or a huge leap forward.

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The days went on, and soon it had been a full week since the KISSterians arrived on Jendell. Starchild spent most of his time in meetings when his presence was required, and when he wasn’t in meetings he went off by himself to read or draw, or spending time with Ace, Amalthea, his mother, or Tomaziel.

Though with Tomaziel he could never spend as much time with him as he wanted. Being the aide to the King meant Tomaziel was off performing duties and taking care of things when he wasn’t sitting in on the meetings, and so they weren’t able to interact very much. But whenever they did find time to interact, Starchild found he greatly enjoyed it. The Jendellian had a surprisingly good knowledge of politics, which lead to them having often long discussions about the meetings taking place and what they meant for the future of the alliance between KISSteria and Jendell.

Apart from that, Starchild also noted how Tomaziel never minded when he began to passionately ramble about something. Instead, he listened, even contributing when he could. The first time it happened, Starchild stopped in the middle of his spiel when he realized Tomaziel was probably bored and laughed awkwardly. “I’m sorry,” he felt his face flushing, “you probably are bored by what I’m saying…”

But Tomaziel only shook his head. “No, not at all. Keep going; you have me interested.”

The fact that he didn’t mind contributed to the easy feeling Starchild felt when he was with Tomaziel. He just couldn’t help but feel incredibly comfortable around him, and like he could tell him anything. He sincerely hoped Tomaziel felt the same.

Starchild sighed as he realized his thoughts had drifted yet again. He couldn’t do that… especially not now.

He was sitting in the meeting hall and watching with dread as he watched a debate slowly spiral out of control. Senators and Councilmen were firing back at one another, each side growing angrier the longer it was drawn out. Starchild couldn’t even begin to summarize to himself how it had begun, because frankly he wasn’t even sure of that himself—all he knew was that one moment they had all been sitting and listening to Councilwoman Payne present her points for consideration, and suddenly there was a heated debate happening. The Elder was sitting and watching with a fairly neutral look, but he knew it was only a matter of time before she stood to dispel everything.

He sighed and turned to Ace, who was watching the debate with a similar look of dread. “How did this happen, again?” he asked quietly.

Ace shrugged. “I’m not sure,” he muttered back. “I think it was because Councilwoman Payne said something Senator Balem took issue with?” He sighed. “It’s always Senator Balem… I can’t even use the word “outraged” now because he took all the impact out of it.”

Starchild chuckled. “At least they aren’t shouting at each other.” His mind couldn’t help adding on, Yet…

“Yeah, that’s good, at least. Oh, speaking of good things.” Ace leaned over to him, smiling. “You remember how I said Monique wanted to meet you?”

“How could I forget when I’ve been waiting for her to find me all week?” It was true; whenever he had the chance, he made sure he was in obvious places—the Garden Dome, the library, etc—so Monique would have an easier time trying to find him.

“Well, I had a talk with her governesses—turns out she kept trying to sneak away all week but kept getting caught. So we came to a little agreement: if Monique stays on her best behavior all day today, she can join me, Amalthea, you and the Elder for lunch tomorrow.”

Starchild smiled. “That sounds great. I can’t wait to finally meet her.”

“Oh, neither can she,” Ace chuckled. “Just wait; when she sees you, she’ll be starstruck.”

“Pun intended?”

“Pun intended.”

They both laughed… and that was the only little reprieve they got before a sudden shout made them look up. The Senators and Councilmen were now on their feet, and a man with slicked back dark hair and a pale face was shouting at Councilwoman Payne. “Your words are filthy lies and absolute slander!”

Ace sat forward. “Senator Balem, there is no need to accuse Councilwoman Payne of slander,” he said, in a voice that was calm yet stern.

“I am sure Councilwoman Payne did not intend to do so,” Starchild added. He turned to Councilwoman Payne. “Did you, Councilwoman Payne?”

“I promise you, my Prince, I did not,” Councilwoman Payne insisted. She glared at Senator Balem. “It’s him who’s accusing me of such things!”

“That is a lie!” Starchild actually jumped at how loud Senator Balem’s voice became. “This woman slanders the good name of Jendell, and I am outraged she would do so!”

Councilwoman Payne’s glare turned deadly, and Starchild quickly stood up to give Senator Balem a warning look. “Senator, that’s quite enough. I will not have you throw baseless accusations at a member of my Council. If we could all calm ourselves and return to—”

“How dare you call it your Council, boy!” Senator Balem suddenly rounded on him, face blue with rage. “As if you run it! You aren’t fit to run it!”

Ace stood up, frowning. “Senator Balem—”

The Senator ignored him and continued shouting. “All you are is a spoiled, puffed-up prince who cares more about a trivial music group than serving his realm! Your façade has fooled no one from the moment you displayed your ignorance at the simplest of matters! You may be grown, but you are nothing more than a CHILD!”

Starchild had at one point opened his mouth to defend himself, but as Senator Balem continued his raving, he was reduced to staring dumbly at him. But the last few words he screamed at him… he might as well have punched Starchild in the face.

“Enough!”

Everyone froze as the room suddenly went dark. The lights dimmed, and a powerful gust of wind whipped through, even though there were no windows. The Elder had risen to her feet and was holding her staff out in front of her, her markings glowing a dangerous purple.

“This meeting has descended into madness!” Her voice boomed around the room. “Such anger-fueled debates do nothing to strengthen this alliance! We shall reconvene after a twenty-minute recess so that everyone may calm themselves,” here she glared directly at Senator Balem, who to his credit had been shocked speechless, “and after which Senator Balem shall apologize for his childish behavior and insults to the Prince of KISSteria!”

Then she pulled back her staff, and the purple of her markings began to fade. The wind died down, and the lights turned bright again. But before anyone could say anything, the Elder looked around at them all with a look that dared any of them to argue. “Twenty minutes,” she repeated. Then with a sweep of her cloak, she turned on her heel and left out the door.

The Senators and Councilmen quickly dispersed amongst themselves, talking in shock about what had just occurred. Starchild stood frozen, his head bowed and his fists clenched. His mind kept repeating the words Senator Balem had hurled at him.

Ace reached out to nudge his shoulder in concern. “Starchild?”

Without a word, Starchild turned and walked quickly out the door. He couldn’t stay in this room; he had to get out of here.

Unfit. Spoiled. Puffed-up. Ignorant. Child.

You are a child.

-JENDELL-

He finally found a bench far enough away from the meeting hall and sat down heavily. He sat back against the wall and looked down at the floor.

This was ridiculous. He’d come too far to have his confidence shattered by a few simple words. That wasn’t growth or improvement—it felt more like regression. He couldn’t regress, not after so many years of trying.

But not everyone had seen those years of trying. To everyone outside his Inner Circle, Senator Balem was probably right—he probably looked like he had abandoned his realm in favor of going to Earth. No matter how many years he had spent trying to improve himself, everyone probably still saw the impulsive, naïve, idealistic person he’d been before.

Starchild sighed frustratedly. He hadn’t even defended himself. When would he be able to defend himself against people like that?

“Is everything all right?”

Starchild closed his eyes at the voice. He couldn’t… not right now. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, he just… he couldn’t. Not when he had practically fled the meeting hall in embarrassment.

And yet he opened his eyes and turned his head anyway. There was Tomaziel, standing there and looking at him in concern.

“No,” his voice came out quiet. “No, everything is not all right.”

Tomaziel sat down beside him. “I’m so sorry that happened,”

“You don’t have to apologize, Tomaziel,”

“I feel as if I do. Senator Balem has a habit of screaming nonsense when he works himself up into a rage.” If only it was just nonsense. “I’m sorry his words were so hurtful.”

“They’re the truth,”

Tomaziel blinked and frowned at Starchild’s quiet words. “What do you mean?”

Starchild’s eyes turned down to the floor again. “What he said… they’re the truth… partially. What he described is everything I don’t want to be anymore.” His fingers dug into his arms as he hugged himself. “Do you remember how I told you about that one day, when I was a child, and how I drew a picture of the roses in the gardens?”

Tomaziel nodded. “Yes,”

“The whole reason I did it was because…” he suddenly trailed off as he realized what was happening. He was about to tell Tomaziel, a person he had only interacted with for a week, everything. He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t put a burden like that on a friend. Even if he did feel like he could tell him, he didn’t know how Tomaziel would react.

But then Tomaziel leaned closer. “Starchild?”

Starchild had to close his eyes again. Why did he like hearing his own name coming from Tomaziel’s mouth?

There was no going back now. So he swallowed and continued. “It was because I was all alone. No one to talk to, no friends to play with… Sometimes I wished I had a brother, or something, just so I wouldn’t have to be so alone. And then… then I grew up into everything Senator Balem described. I was emotional, and idealistic, and… and so naïve. I made decisions before I thought them through. I never listened to anyone. And I did leave my realm, so I could go to Earth with my friends and form KISS.” Here he briefly looked up at Tomaziel, hoping and praying he would understand. “I’m trying to be better. I’m trying so hard…” Oh Gods, was he going to cry? “I don’t want to be that person anymore. I don’t want to be someone who doesn’t love himself, o-or even respect himself, enough that he knew he wasn’t happy being with the person he was with anymore but stayed anyway. I’m still trying so hard to be better, and where I am now, I’m so much happier than I was before. But to have it all thrown in my face that people still think I’m that person…” He closed his eyes and looked down. He couldn’t cry. Not in front of Tomaziel.

“Starchild…” he glanced up and found Tomaziel looking at him… incredibly gently. “I don’t think you are that person anymore. No one does. Senator Balem, he’s… he’s everything you don’t want to be, but he’s worse. He lives in his own little bubble, where everyone thinks the same way as him. But he’s the only one who thinks the way he does. Everyone else can see you are no longer that person.”

Starchild fully turned his head to look up at him. “You really think so?”

Tomaziel nodded sincerely. “I do. It’s an admirable thing to want to change and grow as an individual. And I’ve heard the acknowledgement of faults starts one on the path to mending them. And really…” Starchild suddenly became aware of how close their hands were on the bench. His heart began to beat a little faster. “I think accepting oneself is incredibly brave.”

For a moment, Starchild couldn’t speak. “… Do you mean that?” Why had his voice gone quiet again?

Tomaziel gave another sincere nod. “I do,”

After another moment, Starchild hesitantly smiled. “Thank you, Tomaziel. Really… That means a lot to me.”

Smiling back, Tomaziel replied, “Of course. I saw you leave the room and… I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

Sitting up, Starchild took a deep breath and blew it out. “I think I will be now.” He gave Tomaziel a grateful look. “Thank you for coming after me.”

“You’re welcome.” They both stood up. “Are you all right to go back? I think the twenty minutes the Elder dictated are almost up.”

“… Yes, I am.” He pushed the thought of As long as it’s with you out of his head and smiled jokingly. “Even if I wasn’t, we should still probably get back. The Elder would be cross with us if we were late. Besides, Senator Balem is supposed to apologize and I would like to see that.”

Tomaziel chuckled as they set off down the hallway. “So do I. Senator Balem has hardly ever apologized unless the King orders him to.”

Starchild gave a laugh. “How is he even a Senator?”

The aide could only give a shrug. “Despite his anger problems, he does have a very good head for inter-realm trade.”

“Such is the way with politics,”

“It seems that way,”

They looked at each other, then smiled and began to laugh again.

-JENDELL-

The meeting reconvened and Senator Balem did indeed apologize for his disrespectful behavior, to both Starchild and Councilwoman Payne. No doubt Ace had reprimanded him as well. Either way, Senator Balem looked properly scolded, and after the two accepted his apology the meeting continued with no other incidents.

That night, when Starchild turned out his lights and got into bed, he let his hand drift down under his blanket. After a whole week of so many meetings and so many people with only chunks of the days to himself, he needed some form of relief.

Starchild threw back his head and moaned in pleasure as he worked himself over. It had been odd and awkward at first to pleasure himself. But he was used to it now, very used to it. And he knew what to do to make it feel good, and how to be good to himself.

“It ain’t a crime to be good to yourself!” flashed in his head and he let out a laugh into the darkness of his room. The words were true.

His pleasure rose higher and his hand moved faster. Closer and closer… And suddenly images flashed in his head—images of a man with dark hair and a white face with silver markings and brown eyes—oh, what beautiful eyes—lit up in a fire of pleasure. His dark hair fell beautifully around his face as he threw back his head in a cry of ecstasy.

And then Starchild tumbled into his climax. He groaned happily and relaxed into the sheets, stretching out in bliss. This was exactly what he needed. And as he floated in his sweet haze his mind just barely caught him moaning out a name.

“Tomaziel…”

#Shandi's KISSteriaverse #twist of fate #no i totally didn't base senator balem off of balem abrasax from jupiter ascending lol #just kidding i totally did #the elder shutting shit down is also totally inspired by gandalf and his ability to do that #because for some reason i love elderly badasses lol #also i don't wanna spoil anything here in the tags but UM #YEAH. THAT HAPPENED.#are you shocked? GOOD.#spacechild #kiss au writing #my writing #hope you enjoyed!#stay tuned for chapter five!

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