#on how long it took my real nails to heal

[thesongofthesiren]

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but I just want to say, as someone who used to wear acrylic nails for at least a decade, they are such a fucking sham.

Growing up I was always fed the idea that nails meant you didn’t have to do anything? Which was supposed to be considered a good thing? Like “teehee I don’t have to do anything I’m so spoiled” but they try hiding from you how fucking fun it is to actually do things.

Ever shoot a gun? Fucking phenomenal. Hit your target? Feels fantastic. That aside, being able to take a gun apart, study how it works, and put it back together? Absolutely amazing.

Ever use a fucking power saw? Power tools in general are invigorating. Built a whole work bench in the detached garage. Talk about something being actually empowering.

I had to stop playing piano because of my nails. Who chooses fake nails over literally getting to create art?! Crazy. I can’t believe once upon that time I actively made that choice.

Gardening? Couldn’t imagine trying to do that with nails. Getting dirt stuck in there for days? Would feel horrible. Feeling self conscious when you go to get them fixed because of how dirty they are. I forgot how much I loved playing in the dirt as a child. I love the smell of soil. It makes you feel more connected to the Earth. I talk to my plants, I read to my plants. I love my plants.

Book Nooks! They’re models you get to put together. Super small parts. Glue needed. So far put together a model greenhouse and a model library. Would literally be impossible with fake nails. You feel so accomplished when you’re done. Takes about 6-8 hours to do most of the time. There’s electrical you get to put together. Sometimes you’re twisting wires together trying to get the lights on lol. Love those things.

Getting to work with your hands feels great. It’s freeing. Fake nails completely strips you of that. When I had nails on I had problems simply trying to button a blouse…. that’s depressing to think about.

I know basically all radfems know of this. So this is more for the cryptos. The lurkers. The ones in the shadows who are curious. Who want to learn.

Im telling you. You don’t know what you’re missing.

[nightingale-prompts]

Batboy admits the Truth

First | Previous | Next

(Remember when this was cute and fun)

It was a tense reunion. Batman sensed it and left Nightwing to handle it.

Nightwing was of course not happy. He was downright pissed actually.

"Danny Nightingale-Grayson! Running away again?! After last time?!" Dick was about to go on a long lecture when Danny interrupted.

"I'm sorry."

"You should be sorry! I was so worried!" Dick scowled as he tried to calm down.

"I know. I was just scared. You deserve an answer. A good one. I've never had to explain all of this so please just listen." Danny hoped that this was a good idea.

Dick huffed but this was the start that he wanted.

"I'm dead. Undead at least." Danny began.

"What do you mean? Like a zombie or…like Jason?" Dick asked.

"I don't really know. Jason is like me but I'm not like him. I'm more dead than him I guess." Danny didn't know how to nail that down, revenants are their own things. Several rungs down from where Danny was.

"And how did that happen?" Dick asked gently.

"It was an accident. I was just cleaning my family's lab. The portal wasn't working and I just wanted to take a look. I thought if it finally worked they would spend more time with us. But it turned on with me in it. I didn't learn until recently that a portal to the other side required a sacrifice and that was me. I made for a perfect sacrifice at that, children make for best ones." Danny tried to make a joke but it fell flat.

Dick saw stunned into silence. All this time…Danny you-" Dick was appalled that the same people who hated him for who he was were the same people whose negligence that caused him to be this way.

"Its fine though. They didn't mean for this to happen and I should have known better then to mess with the portal." Danny said defensively.

Despite everything he still cared about his parents at least a little bit.

"That is not fine Danny. You aren't fine Danny. They made you feel like you were not human." Dick said exasperated.

Danny shook his head his face contorted.

"Dick…I'm not human." He said simply. It was plain as day "I thought you understood that. I haven't been just human in a long time. When I had wings did you believe I was human?"

"That is not what I meant. You know that. I just-"Dick didn't know what he was doing. "I'm sorry. Continue."

"I got to play hero for a while. It was exhausting but I liked it. I defended the town from all sorts of ghosts. Then i learned why they were running from their home. All the while a monster like me appeared and he…" Dark Danny's memories flooded his mind. He wasn't a ghost or a human in Danny's mind. Monster was the only thought that came to him.

Dan had haunted him since. He would always be a version of Danny that's possible even if the Nasty Burger incident doesn't happen. All it takes is for Danny to suffer another loss. It almost happened again when his parents caught him.

"I learned a lot from that experience. More then that I earned a title that made me important to the other ghosts. They are actually really cool. But when I got home my parents told me that their real son was dead and I was just a ghost in his body. They called me a murderous monster and then they…cut me open." Danny took a deep breath. His throat felt tight as he held back tears. "I…ran. I escaped and lived with the ghosts."

Danny still remembered sobbing into Clockwork's arms while covered in blood.

"I saw a potential future where this happens but I had hoped it would not come to pass." He said holding Danny in his arms.

The problem with ghosts is while they can heal quickly they are damaged by mental pain far more. Danny healed slowly from his wounds and the scars remained.

Clockwork had taught Danny shifting to help improve the boy's mental flexibility and get heal in a better head space. He knew he had to ask Nocturne to take Danny's mind and spare him from further pain when he was kidnapped. Perhaps it was foolish but the event was going to happen regardless.

Dick took in this information as best as he could but it still made him irate. Danny had been through so much but he never let that mask slip until now. He still chose Dick to be his guardian even while he battled his fears of abandonment. Even after being betrayed by people he only wanted to love him.

Dick put a hand on Danny's cheek. The teen looked at him with the pain of a child left all alone. Danny, touched starved, leaned into Dick's hand.

"Danny, I'm so sorry they did that to you. You deserve so much better. I don't care what you are, you're my son." Dick said softly.

Danny's face twisted.

Son.

He wasn't fond of that word. Bring someone's son never meant much. No, when he had a sister who filled the role of his caretaker. Danny never needed a mom or dad before so the words felt hollow, like placeholders.

But Danny didn't say anything. He just wanted this internal fight to be over.

"Can we just go home?" Danny sighed.

"Yeah, sure kiddo." Dick reassured, "Do you want to go to Batburger on the way?"

"Yeah, can I get jokerized fries?" Danny immediately perked up at the sound of his favorite fast food.

"I think they don't sell those anymore." Dick tried to sound casual because no one had actually told Danny that the Joker was dead just missing.

Well everyone believed that he was missing. It was best not to tell the public that the one of the Bats actually committed murder. Thankfully no one is going to care if Joker doesn't commit another crime spree and won't ask too many questions. Honestly, Duke and Jason are having a fantastic time.

"Really? Why?" Danny asked tilting his head kind of like a puppy.

"….no idea." He shrugged.

(Now back to the regularly scheduled fluff, i swear.)

[smallcloisville]

MY SUPERMAN 2025 TEASER RANT

It took me to process the teaser (believe me I am still processing) but I have so much to say.

First I would like to talk about the ✨colors✨

The colors! Oh My Rao! for so long I was craving the bright colored Superman movie. I wanted colors that would hurt my eyes and capture my heart and Gunn gave us that.

There have been talks that since it was just the teaser they might brush up more, I wouldn't mind that. Just make it more golden tinted.

DAVIDDD!!!

Again the perfect choice! I know it's presumptuous but when I saw him stumbling through the crowd as Clark with his clumsy hands and curly hair with contrast with a brightly colored Superman suit having the lil curl and saving children. I KNEW I KNEW I FOUND MY CLARK/SUPERMAN. HE IS SO GONNA NAIL IT.

RACHEL ♥️💜

We didn't see Rachel much in action but I have had the pleasure of knowing her through other interviews and some other media. She talks so fast and she has that "ENERGY" to play Lois. So I know she is gonna be THE LOIS LANE. MY WIFE. MY LOVE 😭😭

Thanking Gunn again for giving her the purple outfit.

CLOIS!cLoIs!CLOISS!cloisssssssss

I felt the connection between them and they are gonna give me heart attacks (I am already having mini ones through these pics/teaser). The flying together moment! making out in the kitchen! staring deep into each other's souls while the world is ending! Stares while working at the planet! Giving each other hugs and being each other's hope during tough times! GIVE IT TO ME GIVE IT ALL TO ME.

And we already know there is no "2 people love triangle" so we would have other aspects of their relationship.

OUR MOVIE STAR KRYTO

Simply one of the best decisions to include him cuz we never had him on the big screen. That cape🥹 he just warmed my heart. My smile was so big when Superman whistled for him (can't get that whistle out of my head, I feel things) and he came running.

Our hero Krypto 🥰 nothing should happen to him! And that's a warning!

Lex Luthor

He hates Superman so much that we can feel him loathing. We all know Nicholas is gonna be great as Lex given how well he played the psychos before. And that shiny bald head gave me flash blindness🫡

There are also talks that there are gonna be Ultraman and Grodd(I like to think of Mallah)

Other ICONIC heroes

Mr Terrific is looking really terrific.

Hawkgirl can slay me anytime.

Guy Gardener and his bowl cut. That's it!

Debut of Metamorpho.

Fortress and Kelex

We are gonna get the actual crystal like fortress🤧🤧 just like Krypton atmosphere.

Also Kelex!!! he better be alright too.

Other thoughts

We are gonna get the entire daily planet crew!?!!!!

This kid is representing us. How much we need SUPERMAN!

The score

That "Superman superman" I can't get that out of my head. I randomly throughout the day start chanting superman's name...

That John Murphy's theme inspired by John Williams is fire 🔥🔥🔥

I am so happy that Gunn decided to make everything so comic-like/colorful yet feels so real and attractive. I missed these early 2000s vibes of fun movies.

I FELT a strong sense of HOPE while watching the teaser. Don't know what's gonna happen when I watch trailer and movie??

Mark my words : lives are gonna change, history will be created, souls and hearts gonna heal, we will have something to forward to everyday! I am so ready!!!

[gezelligs-world]

Found You

(Bada Lee x Fem!Reader)

"Patient is in Room 76, doctor." The nurse informs Y/n who is writing something on the clipboard.

"Alright, thanks Nurse Choi." Y/n smiled and went to room 72. Her nervousness grew when she saw a familliar face.

"Kim Taeyoung, suffered with an injured left leg, right?" The patient sighed and nodded.

"Please call me Tatter, I don't really like my real name." Y/n smiled and nodded in understanding.

"I understand." Y/n replied and began checking Tatter in order for her to know what kind of treatment is suitable for her.

"Hmm your leg suffered a mild pain. I'm confident to tell you that around 1 week, the injury will heal. If you follow the safety precautions I will tell you, of course." Y/n said jokingly at the last part making Tatter laugh.

"Don't worry doctor, I'm not that stubborn. The leader of my dance crew might scold me for it." Tatter continued.

"Your leader must be responsible." Y/n complimented.

"Yeah, Bada unnie really is responsible. I can't even imagine how much pressure she has on her shoulders." Y/n actions stopped when she heard the name. She looked at Tatter with a mix of shock and confusion.

"Bada, you said?" Y/n asked, continuing what she is doing.

"Yeah, you know her?" Tatter asked, titling her head to get a better view of her doctor's reaction to the question.

"Her name is the same as the one I've known for a long time." Y/n smiled and stood up.

"You are allowed to have visitors here in your room but make sure the maximum number is only 3 persons." Tatter nodded and thanked Doctor Y/n.

"Please don't be it..." Y/n mumbled looking at the screen. She's making sure the person that she has known for years will not come here.

"Your nervousness can be felt at the entrance of the hospital." Y/n looked behind her and saw her fellow doctor, Stacy looking at her with a smile.

"I'm just double checking something." Y/n replied, turning her attention back to the screen.

"I saw at the report that one of your patient's names is similar to the one that is in 'her' dance crew." Stacy said, leaning her lower back at the table.

"That's why I'm checking something." Y/n clicked on a specific website and scrolled down to see if the information she's been looking for is there.

"Oh my..." Y/n said, running her hands through her hair.

"What? Oh..." Stacy said, staring at the screen. Stacy laughed and turned to Y/n.

"Looks like you'll be seeing her after 7 years." Stacy stated, patting Y/n's back.

"Bada unnie, stop worrying about Tatter. Tatter said the one managing her are on of the best doctors there." CheChe said, looking at their leader walking back and forth.

"I can't help it. The performance is around the corner and we have no substitute for Tatter's position." Bada said, biting the nail of her thumb.

"I'm sure Tatter is receiving the best healthcare treatment there. We can visit her tomorrow if you want?" Lusher asked.

"Yeah, let's visit her tomorrow." Bada stated.

"Nurse Choi, please look up this patient for me." The nurse nodded, she stood up and took the clip board from Y/n and sat back down. Y/n began to look around while tapping her fingers. Her blood went cold when she saw a familliar entering the hospital. Y/n couldn't think anymore and went through the reception desk and crouched down to hide there.

"Doctor Y/n-" The nurse said, surprised by the doctor's action but was interrupted by someone.

"Excuse me, where's the room of Kim Taeyoung?" A deep voice flowed through Y/n's ears. The same voice she used to love to hear everyday.

"Room 76, please write your name here as a visitor." It went for a couple of minutes and the person gave the clipboard back to the nurse.

"Let me see." The nurse gave the clipboard with a confused face. Y/n analyzed the names and saw what she was looking for.

"No. 22.) Bada Lee"

Y/n returned the clipboard with a sigh and was about to leave when Nurse Choi stopped her.

"Ms. Lee wished for your appearance today. She said she wants to know about the patient's condition." Y/n gulped but nodded to maintain her professionalism. She gathered her courage and went to the room where patient Kim Taeyoung is.

"Patient Kim Tae- I mean Tatter?" Y/n said as she entered the room.

"Yes, that's me." Tatter said, sitting up. She saw Bada stare at her plainly but you can see the surprised reaction in her eyes.

"I came to check for improvements. If you don't mind?" Tatter nodded and Y/n approached Tatter to analyze her.

"Can you lift your left leg for me?" Tatter lifts her leg but it's a little lower than usual. Y/n can feel two eyes piercing through her back.

"Unnie, you look you wanna eat my doctor up." Tatter said chuckling. Y/n got taken aback at the statement and glanced at Bada who happened to roll her eyes. Both make eye contact and avoid them quickly.

"I'm not, stop spreading false information." Y/n lightly smiled as she stood up straight.

"It looks like it's improving a little. But like I said, your injury will be fully healed after this week." Y/n said.

"Thank you doctor." Y/n nodded and went out of the room. Bada stood up and bowed a little as Y/n passed her.

Y/n sighed heavily as she removed her doctor coat and sat on the bench.

"How's your visit with Bada?" Y/n looked at her left and saw Stacy sitting beside her with two coffee cups on her hands.

"First of all, thank you for the coffee. And second, I visited the patient not the one visiting the patient." Y/n replied making Stacy laugh.

"You didn't answer my question." Y/n glanced at Stacy and back to the front.

"You expect her to talk to me after what I did to her in the past?" Y/n chuckled.

"Look, she probably understands your situation at that time. It's her or your career. Imagine if you chose her at that time, would you be wearing a white coat now?" Y/n covered her face with her hands, feeling overwhelmed with emotions as she remembered that time.

"Are we really just ending the relationship we had? 6 years is nothing?" Bada said with tears in her eyes as she stared at her lover.

"I'm sorry..." Bada crouched down, covering her face with her hands. Y/n followed and wrapped her arms around Bada.

"I'm sorry...I'm very sorry..." Y/n wiped Bada's tears as well as hers.

"It will only be for a while okay? Imagine, you will be more famous than you are now and I will finally have my doctor's degree." Bada shook her head, tightly wrapping her arms around Y/n.

"I don't want to...I want to share my accomplishments with you..." Bada replied. Y/n broke the hug with Bada's arms still on her waist. She cupped Bada's face as Bada sniffed.

"I know...I know, I also want to share mine. But there's more than just being your girlfriend. Being your girlfriend is a dream but being a doctor is everything." Bada put her head on Y/n's shoulder as she sobs. Y/n caressed and kissed her hair.

"I love you...so much that I'm willing to let you go to be a better woman for you." Y/n mumbled. She can feel Bada's hand tightly clutching on her jacket.

"If I ever found you again..." Bada said while getting out of Y/n's arms as she stared down deeply into Y/n's eyes.

"If I ever found you again, I will not let you go." Bada promised as she kissed Y/n's lips, caressing the necklace she gave her on their 2nd anniversary.

"What if we found a solution that day?" Y/n asked out of nowhere making Stacy look at her.

"You finally speak after 38 minutes." Y/n rolled her eyes playfully.

"Just answer the question."

"Maybe both of you will be sharing your accomplishment today." Y/n groaned, annoyed that her friend said the exact same thing that Bada said that day.

"You just said the words I least wanted to hear." Y/n replied as she threw her cup at the trash can beside her.

"What else are you expecting to hear?" Stacy asked.

"I'm going to the roof top for fresh air." Y/n said and went to the elevator, avoiding Stacy's question.

Y/n went out of the elevator and saw a figure from afar. She already know who it is due to the height and the hair color.

"I hope what I'm thinking is not what you're gonna do." Y/n said loudly causing Bada to look at her as Y/n approached her figure.

"Just admiring the city lights." Y/n chuckled, remembering this is similar to how they first met.

"Tatter will be fine. Her injury will be healed 2 days before your performance." Y/n said.

"Tatter told you?" Bada asked.

"Yeah. Thanks to her, I also got to know you claimed the main dancer position in your competition. Congrats." Bada thanked her as both of them have a comfortable silence.

"So...how's life lately?" Bada asked, turning her head to Y/n who's busy watching the noisy city below her.

"As you can see, I'm already wearing a white coat." Bada smiled proudly.

"You? How's the variety show you're participating in?" Y/n asked.

"A little criticism here, a little criticism there, but overall it's fun." Y/n nodded in understanding. There was a comfortable silence until Bada broke it.

"I'm always wondering...what if both of us choose to fight for each other?" Y/n just stayed silent as Bada continued.

"If we choose to stay, today should be our 10th anniversary." Y/n turned towards Bada who was already staring at her.

"You're still waiting." Y/n concluded as Bada went closer to her. Her arms went under Y/n's collar and pulled the necklace out.

"And you're still wearing it." Y/n gulped.

"I already found you, I'm not letting you again." Bada said, leaning closer to Y/n's face.

"I never said I want to be let go in the first place." Their lips connect as the emotions overwhelm them, making up the years without bearing one's warmth against them. Bada broke the kiss, putting her forehead against Y/n's.

"My place?" Bada whispered.

"You have to wait missy, my shift is not done yet." Y/n pecked her lips as she went to the exit. Bada chuckled and chased over Y/n.

BONUS SCENE:

Y/n woke up due to the sunlight in the curtain and sat up. She analyzed her surroundings and noticed that she is wearing Bada's t-shirt. Y/n looked over at her left and saw Bada sleeping quietly. She smiled and caressed Bada's hair.

"At least we grow individually, right?" Y/n mumbled, staring at Bada. Bada began to stir a little and finally woke up. She looked at Y/n and smiled, with half of her buried in the pillow.

"Good morning, beautiful." Bada whispered, caressing Y/n's hand that is on her hair.

"Good morning to you too." Y/n replied while smiling.

"I was scared..." Bada said making Y/n confused.

"I was scared you will leave again and I will not be able to find you for years." Y/n felt bad because she knows she's the reason why Bada has issues like this now.

"I know what I did to you in the past caused a lot of pain. But like I said in the past, I let you go to become a better woman for you." Y/n stated, Bada sits up and puts her head on Y/n's shoulder.

"You're already enough for me that time." Bada said, intertwining both of their hands.

"Even though it caused me a lot of pain, it taught me a lot of lessons. But I know to myself that somehow we will find each other again." Bada and Y/n smiled at each other.

"Us against the world?" Bada asked, cupping Y/n's cheek.

"Us against the world." Y/n replied, connecting the lips.

[undreaming-fanfiction]

My personal sun

A belated entry for the third day of @steddieangstyaugust, prompt 3 - "The sunset looks lovely, don't you think?"

"The sunset looks lovely, don't you think?"

They hadn't seen one of those in a while. The constant stormy sky of the Upside Down bled over to their world too, and everything turned dark and red.

But not now. El closed the gate and the clouds had dissipated just in time to grant them a gorgeous view of the setting sun. Its gentle embrace made it seem like in the end, everything would be okay.

Well, almost eveything.

Steve took one last wistful look at the setting sun and closed the curtains. No matter how much he wanted to reach out to that newly reclaimed shred of normalcy, Eddie needed him more.

Eddie shook his head. "Steve, don't be stupid. Go outside, enjoy it. It's not like I can go anywhere and disappear on you."

"That "don't be stupid" belongs to you, Munson. How is your face?"

Scowling, Eddie tried to turn away, but Steve was faster. He gently turned Eddie's head towards him and swept away the hair covering the right side of his face. The burn was nasty, full of blisters and peeling skin, but it was starting to heal. At least this part of Eddie's condition was good.

As if he could read Steve's mind, Eddie flinched away. "Yeah, it's still there. Just like the fangs, those fucking sharp nails...let's face it, Steve. I'm going to be this way forever. The Upside Down is gone from everywhere except me. And now that we've won, I can't even go outside." I can't go outside with you.

Steve took a deep breath. "Eddie..."

But as if a dam had burst, Eddie interrupted him and just kept going. "Do you understand what it means, Steve? I'm the only monster that survived the gate closing. It's over for everyone except me. I can't go outside. I can't be in the sun unless I want to boil alive in my skin. I can't eat normal food, I can't...I can't be normal." He spoke fast and through gritted teeth, but even then he couldn't keep in the sob that tore its way from his throat. "How long is it going to take until you understand that I'm holding you back, huh? Things can never go back to what they used to be when I'm around. Why don't we just call it quits now? Because Steve, even though you are an amazing guy, you will regret me. Everyone does in the end. And now? Shit. Even I regret me."

He curled in on himself, refusing to meet Steve's eye. A clean cut would be for the best. A clean cut, a chance to heal, if that was even possible. After all, it was only a few months that they were together. Wayne didn't know Eddie was alive yet. He could just disappear and not cause his loved ones even more pain and disappointment. Yep. A good plan, if he said so himself.

It was quiet for a moment, and then - gentle hands on his clenched ones.

"Well, I don't."

Eddie blinked through his tear filled eyes. "You don't what?"

"Regret you. I never could and I never will." Just like moments ago, Steve's calloused hand made its way to Eddie's cheek and forced him to look up, to have the conversation they so desperately needed.

It was ridiculous. Didn't Steve understand that this was all for him?!

"How do you know?" whispered Eddie. "You can't know that Steve."

But that stubborn man with a heart of gold that had enough room for everyone, even this new twisted  and broken Eddie Munson, just smiled at him. "I know. Because you're wrong on so many levels, Eddie, which is saying something because normally you're so smart. Things will never go to normal. Not like they used to be. We've lost so much. So many. We know things we shouldn't. And as for me being normal..." he laughed, and did Eddie detect a hint of bitterness? "I'm one head injury away from permanent damage to god knows what. I triple check all the locks, blinds, windows, and I still can't get a good night's sleep. I can't even fall asleep without having my bat nearby. My nightmares are so real I'm afraid of hurting someone if I can't recognize I'm not fully awake."

He grasped Eddie's hands tighter, with more urgency. "This is my new normal, Eddie. A life in a destroyed town I'm too stubborn to leave. I want to rebuild. I want to learn how to live in my new reality. And I want you to be a part of it. If you're willing."

Eddie bit his lip, nearly avoiding puncturing it with his fang. "I don't know..."

But Steve wasn't deterred. "Besides. The gremlins are growing up. Dustin is crazy smart, and the government owes us big time. You're not broken, Eddie, but I wouldn't give up on seeing the sun again just yet. After all, we have the rest of our lives to figure it out. But even if you can't ever go back, it won't change anything."

"And the sun?" That way the most important thing. Eddie knew that Steve wasn't repulsed by his new body, but having a partner who could never walk outside with him during daytime? Eddie couldn't do that to him.

"Triggers my migraines, did you forget?" After seeing Eddie's annoyed frown, Steve quickly continued. "It's not everything, Eddie. There are overcast days. Beautiful evenings and nights, with some quiet we both need. The forest has a lot of shade to hide in. And, if I ever miss the sun...I will go, enjoy it for a while, and then come back to you. Just as you will always come back to me. How does that sound?"

Despite his weakening resolve, Eddie could picture it. He could see the days when he'd stay asleep in a well covered room, catch up on the newest books, and Steve would come from outside, curl up next to him, and the sun's warmth would transfer from his skin to Eddie's. Like his own personal sun.

He was still crippled by fear, but if the last months taught him something, it was that he could be brave. It was worth it.

Eddie pulled one of Steve's hands to his mouth and kissed it.

"It sounds wonderful," he said, and when he saw Steve's grin, he thought - huh. Maybe sun is overrated.

[tinietaehyun]

Forsaken [XIII]

[Sorcerer!Taehyun x Royal!Reader] [Series] [Chapter Thirteen]

Pairing: Sorcerer!Taehyun x Royal!Reader [Ft. Sorcerer!Yeonjun]

Genres: royal!au, fantasy, romance, enemies to lovers, supernatural, action.

Contains: profanity, suggestive implications/mature themes, fluff, mentions of poison, implications of blood, injury, death, su*cide.

Links: Forsaken Masterlist || Masterlist

Summary: The tension between the two of you reaches its brinks as it seems he can’t keep his hands off you and well, neither can you. Though, your anxiousness and stubbornness both leave you unable to admit your feelings for one another (despite it being rather abundantly clear).

Meanwhile, your nation seems to spiralling perilously as your tyrant brother seems to facing some rather tumultuous betrayal himself.

With a sigh, you place down the baskets of vegetables you picked with Taehyun’s guidance from his garden. You grimace at the soil and dirt on your hands, particularly under your nails. How grim!

“Toughen up, princess. Getting those hands dirty is where you know you’ve put real work in,” he muses at your rather adorable expression. You huff, “It was fine at first when you helped, but then you made me do all of it.”

Taehyun feigns innocently, “Oh but I cannot bend down, sweetheart? You wouldn’t want my wound to worsen? It’s only been a day since we came, no?” You glare, “I do wonder how long you’re going to keep this up. Surely your mana must have almost recovered? You can heal your wound afterwards right?”

A smirk lines his lips, “Mm, it’s slowly recovering. You’re forgetting how much mana I truly used for our little teleportation trick.” You sigh as he reminds you, “Yes, yes. I am aware. Now, can we sit down? My knees hurt from kneeling down for so long.”

You both sit down on the two dining table chairs. You brush off some patches of dirt on your dress; you had to admit this dress was rather comfy. Cotton was something you did not wear often - this was one of the dresses Taehyun first conjured for you whilst you stayed here initially before heading to Luna.

Taehyun smirks, “You’re quiet, why? Has some digging got your pretty little self exhausted?” You scoff, “Well manual labour is not exactly my strong suit.”

He muses, “You don’t do much work yet you manage to sleep as if you’re a hibernating bear? How fascinating. Yesterday, you slept like a log. Twisting and turning with absolute no regard to your wounded companion; it was rather amusing you know, having you cling on to me-“

“Ah-ah, hush,” you huff with a glare. You do recall you woke up with your arms around Taehyun; but it was not just you- he had his arm around you too, so it’s fair?

“Goodness, I was holding onto you so you wouldn’t fall off the bed, but it seemed like I had to worry about myself not falling off the bed with how much space you took. Practically on top of me,” he teases with a mischievous gaze. You flush embarrassed, “Oh shut it, sorcerer.”

Taehyun had to admit, the sight of you sleeping in his arms was one he relished. Your serene expression, your content smile as you nuzzled against his chest and wrapped your arms around him cherishing his body heat. He really did enjoy it and made no move to fight back.

Taehyun places his hand atop yours with a smirk, “Hm, I didn’t think you were the clingy type in bed.” You scoff, “Don’t phrase it like that. Secondly, I…it’s not like your pitiful little fireplace is enough to warm the entire house. It’s cold at night.”

“Going with that excuse are we?” He grins rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand.

Goodness, he’d be the death of you. His piercing eyes meet yours with a playful gleam. He had been in a rather good mood since you both came back to his cabin. You don’t know why, but it felt as though you two were in your own pocket of time, undisturbed by anyone. It felt nice, private, intimate.

Your gaze falls to his rosy lips briefly; the memories of your kiss with Taehyun flooding your mind. Heat rises up your face at the thought; it felt good. So good, that you wanted more. Not that you’d ever admit that, of course!

This action of yours did not go unnoticed by Taehyun who seemed to keenly observe just as much if not more than you did. His tongue briefly wets his lips as his gaze falls to your lips for a moment.

Clearing your throat, you abruptly stand feeling the tension in the room raise. “I shall wash my hands thoroughly and wash the remaining dishes from breakfast.”

He nods wordlessly as you make your way over to the sink with a racing heart. His stare was captivating, it had your knees buckling and made you feel breathless.

As you wash the dishes haphazardly, you continue to feel his gaze piercing your back. Silence consumes the room except for the noise of rustling forest and birds chirping outside.

Meanwhile, Taehyun watches you with an interested gaze, running his eyes from your soft hair down your back to the way the dress cinches at your waist and flares at your hips. It was an incredibly domestic scene that had him feeling some sort of way.

He wanted to kiss you again. He wanted to touch you, run his fingers across your silky untouched skin. Press his lips to your neck and make his way down to your shoulders, leaving a mark here and there. Taehyun shudders at his own thoughts; he had to calm down.

You begin drying the dishes slowly as you hear the creak of the floorboards. You feel his presence behind you as he suddenly reaches above you with a wince, startling you. Looking up, you see him reach for another dish cloth and hands it to you, “Use this, the one you’re using is pretty dirty.” You wordlessly take it feeling as though your heart may burst out of your ribcage any second.

Taehyun doesn’t move, rather he leans against the counter watching you do the mundane task. You murmur, “What’s for lunch later?”

Taehyun seems to break from his empty gaze as he responds, “Oh, well, I was thinking of some vegetable stir fry. We have the ingredients for that, I’m unable to go hunting at this rate, either.” You nod deep in thought.

“What are you thinking about, princess? Hm?” He muses. You mumble, “I was thinking about the next course of action. Beomgyu was of no use. I have to somehow get back to the palace. I have to see Sehun directly.”

He nods processing your words, “You know sweetheart, I don’t think going down the diplomatic route is cutting it.” You frown, “Yes, I can see that.”

“Force is needed,” he insists. You question with wide eyes, “You want me to kill him?”

Taehyun snorts at the look of horror on your face, “Well no, I don’t think you’d be capable of such a thing. I meant more, physically take him off the throne. Make him give up his crown. Or we can stop the coronation, something along those lines. We have to pry the throne off him.”

Your fists clench and your gaze hardens; your resolve and fervor growing more determined. Yes, he was right. If diplomacy wouldn’t work, then this was the next step. You’d take your throne back the way he took your rightful place.

Taehyun’s eyes twinkle, “You also have me, what more do you need?” A smirk forms on your lips, “As vain as usual. You are definitely recovering.”

He muses, “You believe in me, that’s all I need, sweetheart.” His words oddly touch you and you smile at him, “Of course.” You hum, “As I’ve said before; when I get my crown back, you’ll get your rightful position back.” Taehyun’s gaze softens as he grins; “I…we don’t need to jump so far ahead. Let’s focus on your throne first, alright?”

You scoff, “It’s only fitting, Yeonjun is where you should be. It infuriates me, how dare he be in your position after what he and his father did?” Taehyun shakes his head with an amused smirk, “Well, it is indeed unfair. But we’ll get to that hurdle when it comes, princess.”

Your gaze gleams, “If you see him at the palace, you better teach him a lesson. If not, I will,” you huff. Taehyun peers at you with a genuine expression of amusement and gratitude. Your anger towards Yeonjun and mannerisms were incredibly endearing. “But of course sweetheart,” Taehyun smirks, “It’s only right, he gets his consequence for his actions.”

He continues to watch you dry the remaining dishes. You’re startled as he suddenly moves a strand of hair out of your face and he muses, “Your hair.” You nod, flustered keeping your gaze averted.

You spot him from your peripheral vision gazing at you once more in silence before he walks behind you. “You wouldn’t mind, if I just…” he trails off as he slides his hands across your waist before wrapping his arms around you from behind and resting his chin on your right shoulder. You stiffen, “Taehyun?” He hums amused, “Don’t think too much about it.”

You relax in his grasp feeling his warmth deep through your clothes. His soft breaths brush against your shoulder and the base of your neck. You felt a deep warmth inside you feeling his body against yours; it felt right, you felt safe. His thumbs draw faint circles on your waist; you hear his breaths near your ear. It’s a tender and intimate position that has your knees feeling weak and heart stumbling to maintain rhythm.

Why were you both feeling insatiable? This tension was infuriating between the two of you. You thought it would cease once you had kissed but no, no it had seemed to increase. A small flame if adding more firewood would only grow but larger.

The two of you isolated in one cabin was but a dangerous game, something other nobles of your standing would be appalled to hear about. One thing for sure was, neither of you were going to admit your burning feelings for each other but were not going to push each other away either, for you two were irresistibly drawn to each other. Had he cast a spell on your heart?

“Does it hurt?” You murmur. “Hm?” He questions softly. “Your wound? How does it feel?” His voice is rougher as he answers, “Mm, it’s fine. Really, you don’t need to worry. This evening I’m going to attempt a healing spell.” You nod; the both of you drawn back into a heightened silence.

You finish up and turn to face him; peering up at him through your lashes. His expression is focused on you, his hands still on your waist. “This…this is improper,” you croak out, your self-control waning by the second.

Taehyun’s lips quirk up slightly, “Improper? Oh, I think we were far past that when our lips met.” A shiver runs through you, “We’re being hasty, I-I-“

He playfully mimics, “I-I-,” he muses, “Use your words, princess.” You glare shoving past him, “You are so irritating!” You hear a chuckle before you’re suddenly pulled against him, “Don’t act as you’re above this, don’t act like you don’t want me.”

“I don’t, we’re just- it’s expected if a man and woman are together for a while they-“ You stammer breathlessly peering up his glimmering eyes. “They what?” He voices just above a whisper. “They grow to…” You shakily begin. Oh, how beautiful he was.

Oh how stunning you were with your dazed expression, he thinks. “…grow to?”

“Become attracted to,” your eyes flicker to his lips, “to each other.”

“So you only think this is out of circumstance?” Taehyun muses, intertwining his fingers with yours. “Is it not?” You breathe out shakily as his other hand trails up your other arm.

“Why? Can’t it be anything else? Must you always go behind a prince?” He quips with a dangerously sly smile causing you to scoff, “Anything else?” You say as you peer down at your ring glistening as it hangs off his neck swaying against his tempting collarbones.

Did he truly love you? Was it infatuation? Did you love him? Or were you just enamored with the idea of love? You were scared, you were scared because you had undoubtedly fallen in love with the man in front of you.

For his courage, selflessness, wit and bluntness. For the way he treated you so normally, humbled you but cared for you so tenderly at your weakest. Most importantly he hadn’t tossed you aside, no matter how unbearable you thought you were. He stuck by your through every moment. Under that bitter and snarky exterior lies a man who was hurt, betrayed and wants to love. To trust again.

The words were at the tip of his tongue. He wanted to call you his. You were from a different world, only building up feelings for you to marry off to a higher noble later on, what was the point? Couldn’t he just enjoy the fleeting moment between you two? Did he have to ruin it by admitting that he had well and truly fallen for you?

Fallen for your adamance, the way you put up with his jabs and quips, held your ground, remained so strong in the face of adversity. The way you were not like other high class nobles who were utterly self-centered, rather you were empathetic, selfless and held a true love for your nation and its people. It was only right that someone like you took the throne of Fortuna. He would do anything to make that happen.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he rasps out. “Like what?” You peer at him feeling yourself becoming dazed by his proximity. “Like you want to devour me,” Taehyun murmurs shakily, restraint heavy in his voice. You’re startled; were you gazing at him so lustfully?

“I’m not,” you stammer. “If you could see yourself from my point of view,” he leans closer, “you’d not be able to hold back a second longer,” the bridge of his nose brushes against yours.

Your breaths mingle with each other. Lips brush against each other as his other hand finally cups your jaw. You couldn’t resist no matter how much you tried, how much you supposedly wanted to keep your dignity, your noble pride.

Even at the last second, when he gives you one last chance to back out, you can’t help but move forward and clumsily press your lips against his. It was humiliatingly desperate but you didn’t care. Your hands drift to his shoulders to steady yourself. A grunt and wince escapes him as you accidentally press against his wound and you part breathlessly wide eyed, “Goodness- I’m sor-“

He cuts you off pressing his lips against yours again, this time more fervently. A low groan escapes your lips as your arms are now around his neck trying your best to avoid his wound. Taehyun’s lips move with such ferocity, you find it hard to stand. The both of you stumble back as you find your back against the kitchen counter.

His tongue pushes past your lips taking you by welcome surprise; your fingers slide into the back of his hair as you move your lips just as desperately as his. It felt so right, it felt so good. Your mouths slot together lazily enjoying each other’s presence, warmth, taste. His soft lips move passionately against yours in fervent motions that send shivers down your spine.

Any sense of royal etiquette or self control flew out the window the moment his lips parted from yours and slid down your neck alluringly, a sensation you’d never experienced, making your lips release the most sinful sounds.

“You…you truly are so crude,” you sigh breathless, feeling his teeth tug at your skin. He murmurs smirking against the curve of your neck, “Says the person who kissed me first, how hypocritical, sweetheart. You’re not stopping me?”

“Oh shut it,” you shakily say, closing your eyes, relishing his lips against your neck.

Sudden anxiety fills you thinking of what this will lead up to. You peer up at him with worry, “How far are we going…w-with this I mean?” His gaze melts and he caresses your cheek, “We don’t have to go further, if you don’t want to, princess. I never said anything about going further?” His words take you aback. A gentleman indeed.

Taehyun muses, “Having your lips on mine, is pretty fine by me. Hours on end, even. In each other’s arms.” You scoff with a playful smile, “Of course, you wouldn’t mind.”

Relief floods your senses at his words; feeling more at ease. You didn’t want to be too selfish. You still had a mission. To get your throne back.

Gods above, you were in deep trouble. The sorcerer had you falling into the abyss of love. He leans in again, his lips brushing against yours, “Anyway, practice makes perfect, no?” Rolling your eyes, you lean in, “Mm, I suppose so.”

You’d both enjoy this precious moment of solace for a bit longer before hurling yourselves into the turbulent mess of politics and royalty. For now, you were two lovers in each other’s embrace forgetting about the world around the both of you.

——————

Today was the day.

Sehun sits on his bed in his chambers with a distraught expression. “I don’t understand? What do you mean you cannot find them? This is absurd!,” he bellows.

Yeonjun stands beside him with a calm smile on his face and folded arms. Oh, he knew where they had probably gone off to.

The troops had alerted other nations and the pesky two were not there, that foolish Prince Beomgyu was enraged. Throwing furniture, breaking items and such, like a child throwing a tantrum. Truly, he had to laugh. He had to give the two of you credit, you were both making a mockery of some of the most powerful men. Albeit, powerful but stupid rulers.

He had to guess they were back in Fortuna. Wherever they were hiding, it had to be close. Perhaps in the Woods of Mors, not many regular humans could traverse the place without dying within a day. Magic users, however. That was a different story. They are certainly not in the main kingdom, the knights had searched far and wide these last two days.

“What are you smiling about? Do you not see the disaster this is?” Sehun snarls. His face is pale and his locks damp with sweat. His hands were clammy and nervous; paranoia had caught up to him. The people were growing restless and a small rebel group had formed demanding answers about the consequent deaths of the king and queen alongside the sudden disappearance of the princess. It was so sudden, how could they know?

It had seemed more and more obstacles were appearing in front of Sehun and his beloved coronation. He had become delirious these past few days, it was all so amusing for Yeonjun. His plan was coming to fruition. His hand feels for the blade under his cloak with a twisted smile.

“I just don’t see what you have to worry about your highness? The coronation is right around the corner. The palace is ecstatic. No matter where they are,” Yeonjun’s lips twitch slyly, “in Fortuna, in the palace, they will not stop you.”

Sehun lets out a panicked laugh, “In Fortuna? In the palace? Preposterous. They would not dare be that stupid. Do not utter such nonsense again.” Yeonjun hums, “I merely jest, your highness. Even if they were to arrive at your coronation, our troops would overpower and crush them in seconds.”

Sehun’s eye twitches, “Crush them? Coronation? You cannot be serious. They cannot show up there. The people will be enraged at the princess being slaughtered in front of their eyes.”

Yeonjun feigns surprise, “Oh yes, you had crafted numerous reasons as to her disappearance in your speech a month ago? I suppose it would go against that. My apologies for my ignorance, your highness.”

Sehun snaps angrily, “These last few days you have become more and more infuriating! Useless even. How irritating!” Yeonjun hums, “Oh your highness, do relax. I do not wish to intentionally irritate you.”

Sehun dismissively waves, “Be gone, you have done nothing but waste my time. I wish to be alone. The likes of your kind would not understand the immense weight upon my shoulders. I tire of your games.” Sehun stands and stretches his arms.

Yeonjun lets out a chuckle. It truly was funny. He thought he was the one in control. What a fool! “Did I utter a joke?” Sehun snaps low-toned.

“You truly have no idea, do you?” Yeonjun muses with a dark smile. “What are you blabbering about, you fool?” Sehun questions, infuriated.

Yeonjun runs a hand through his pale blonde locks, a sickening smile forming on his lips. He laughs and laughs causing Sehun to stiffen. “W-What’s wrong with you? Have you gone mad?”

A deranged glint lights up Yeonjun’s eyes, “You killed your own parents, because I gave you the idea to use poison. All the suggestions, all my nudges in the right direction, you followed them like a loyal dog thinking they were products of your own minuscule brain?” A cackle escapes Yeonjun’s mouth.

“Every suggestion, every point I made, you took so literally. Did I ever tell you outrightly to poison your parents? No. You did that yourself, I just gave you a nudge. Did I tell you to imprison your sister? To attempt to execute her? No, that was you! Why because I made a few comparisons?” Yeonjun grins manically. Sehun’s eyes flicker back and forth as a dark feeling forms in the pit of his stomach.

“No- no, I will not stand for such insolence. You did not influence me in any such manner. Stand down, Yeonjun!” Sehun bellows.

Yeonjun’s gaze darkens as he snaps, “No, you stand down. You’ve been nothing but an utter idiot from when you were a child. I’ve had to tolerate your foolishness and self-centered idiocy from when we were children. To think I had to befriend you to fulfill my goals.” A mocking scoff leaves Yeonjun’s lips.

“What?” Sehun’s knees buckle as he sits on the edge of his bed. His world crumbles. “Everything you did, everything you felt good about, everything you thought you knew, was because of me. You’re not fit to rule, your own parents saw that incapacity. You’re nothing but a whining imbecilic toddler even at this age.”

Sehun covers his head, “No, no, no. You are deranged. I refuse to hear this nonsense. Leave! Leave at once! I will have you imprisoned- guards! Guards!-“

Yeonjun sneers walking towards him, “Oh no, no. Hush now. There you go relying on others again.” Yeonjun’s wand appears as he murmurs a few words. Sehun suddenly finds himself unable to speak.

“Do you know how long I’ve been wanting to do that to you, your highness?” Yeonjun grins.

Sehun flails, panicking and reaching for the nearest of the mounted swords on the wall and Yeonjun sighs, “Oh come now, your highness, why must you be this way? A ruler must have more tact.” With another flick of his wand and utterance, Sehun finds himself unable to move as he collapses to the floor.

Fear consumes his gaze as he peers up at Yeonjun. Yeonjun’s eyes flicker to the glimmering crown on Sehun’s eyes. A dark smirk laces his lips, “The rebel group, who claim you’ve killed the king and queen. Who claim you drove your sister out and exiled her. You must be losing your absolute tiny mind over how they could come to that conclusion, hm?”

Yeonjun leans down, “It was me. Sending an anonymous tip to the journalists. Those loyalist peasants ate it right up.” Sehun’s eyes widen as he’s frozen. A horrifying realisation hits him.

“I hate to break the news, your highness, but I’m afraid you will not be making it to your coronation,” Yeonjun mockingly frowns. “What a shame,” he coos.

Sehun silently seethes, unable to speak or move. A cruel spell upon the young prince, indeed. Yeonjun chuckles, taking the crown off his head and placing it on his own. “I’ve dreamt of this crown, wearing this. Doesn’t it suit me, Sehun?”

Yeonjun laughs at the enraged look in Sehun’s eyes. “Oh, I know how possessive you are of your crown. Well, here, take it back. You’re not going to have it for much longer anyway,” Yeonjun muses.

Yeonjun sits down on a nearby chair crossing one leg atop the other with an arrogant expression. Today is the day everything would change, the day he carefully planned for. Countless years of false loyalty.

He unsheathes the blade, tossing it in front of Sehun. Yeonjun flicks his wand allowing him to speak. With a gasp of air, Sehun coughs, his throat intensely dry. He croaks out, “You-you traitor. “

“My, what a hypocrite,” Yeonjun snorts. Sehun brokenly snarls, “You cannot kill me- this is- treason,” he coughs.

“Oh? But I won’t be killing you. You will,” Yeonjun smiles wickedly. “What?” Sehun coughs out.

Yeonjun flicks his wand and murmurs a few more words and Sehun’s eyes widen as his hands uncontrollably flail forward clumsily going to grip the small blade.

“You’ll end your own life, how tragic indeed, no?” Yeonjun hums. Sehun’s lips tremble as tears slip down his face, “No- no, this- we can negotiate, please,” he croakily begs unable to control the way his hands grasp the blade as he hovers it over his jugular. Closer and closer.

“The noble prince, under tremendous pressure ends his own life due to soul-eating guilt after killing his own parents, the king and queen for power, after they chose his sister instead. Nice article don’t you think?” Yeonjun asks, pointing his wand upwards delicately. “I’ve already told some of the council, you admitted the truth to me whilst drunk, quite the story, no?”

Sehun’s hand trembles as tears drip down his face. He was but a helpless puppet. “I’m sure upon hearing your death; your sister will rush here anyhow. With that bastard in tow,” Yeonjun mutters.

“Or…I’ll find them first,” Yeonjun hums with a bright gleam. “Any last words, your highness?”Sehun peers at the ever nearing blade gripped by his own hands, mortified.

Is this what it feels like to be betrayed? By someone he saw who valued him above anyone else? Someone who called as a friend, who he could show off to only receive an abundance of praise. Was that not friendship? No; it was deceit.

Sehun’s mind flashes with images of you. An unmistakeable sickness and nausea fills his mouth and chest. Is this how you felt that day? How you felt when he felt the declaration scroll in hand? After having ripped your position away?

“Oh too bad, you’re usually so talkative,” Yeonjun dryly muses before swinging his wand downwards abruptly.

Blood splatters grotesquely as the crown topples onto the floor beside Sehun’s lifeless body. With a final clink it sits in a pool of blood. A tragic scene, indeed.

Yeonjun sighs, getting up and leaving abruptly. He was just this close. There were only two outliers left who could jeopardize his plan to become king. A king that no one could look down upon.

He’d handle those two himself. No, he wanted to handle those two himself. A smirk laces his lips, oh, how the royal court would be in shambles looking for a new figurehead.

It was only natural who’d they pick.

After all, who was a better option than him?

Taglist: [open]

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Dean's Dream P8

Title: Dean's Dream Part 8 Words: 3,688 [Didn't realise how long this chapter was but I hope you enjoy 😁💟] Relations: Dean Winchester X reader. TW: Strong language

Part 7

Y/N's POV:

None of my memory before my coma came back, I learnt to accept that Dean was only a figment of my imagination. Years ago when I had gone looking for Dean I returned home, spoke with my therapist and worked hard to heal. My therapist seemed relieved that I now shared his belief that Dean wasn't real but seemed sad as he recognised that all I had been fighting for was gone. I had a rocky recovery, often mourning the anniversary as it passed me by.

It's been 4 years now. I still think of him, I still think I see him in crowds but it isn't as frequent as it used to be. I isolated myself from the world, even a short walk to the shop was upsetting to me as seeing happy couples or thinking I see Dean shakes me to my core. I haven't had the strength to say his name out loud since I came back from Salt Lake City and doubt I ever will. My soul is empty and no matter how hard I fight, I know there is no one cheering me on or smiling that I'm still here. I'm a shell of a person and doubt I will ever truly be happy because my happiness wasn't real.

I sat in my apartment crying for the billionth time, hugging my pillow tight to my chest. Closing my eyes as I picture Dean hugging and comforting me like I always did. Knowing he'd never truly be here.

Dean's POV:

Life feels like a blur. Once Sam and I left Salt Lake City, I isolated myself a little, finding comfort in being alone and imagining she was real. I would often find myself talking in an empty room, imagining she was with me but as soon as I was distracted, she was gone. The breakdowns it caused only hurt more because like in the dream she felt real.

Even after 4 years, Sam is still worried about me. We barely talked about her and it took me a while to get back to my normal life. I was never fully healed as every time I went back and was alone it reminded me that the perfect woman wasn't waiting for me. She wasn't real and I need to learn to accept it. There was a time, on a hunt, when we saved a girl from a burning building and she said Y/N was still inside. I rushed in, looked everywhere and it messed me up. I was burnt, I inhaled smoke and found that she wasn't my Y/N. It ruined me as it reminded me that my Y/N isn't mine and she isn't real. I'll never find her and she'll never be in my arms.

She made me a better man, I never kissed anyone after her, never even thought anything sexual for anyone but her. Sam thinks it's not good to still miss her but has used it to our advantage at times. His most painful one was when we got caught by a group of demons, we had fought as best as we could but were defeated. I gave up so deeply that I didn't even make sarcastic comments or insults. They had beaten us until we were barely conscious, blood and bruises covering us as we sat tied to the chairs.

"Dean, they threatening her," Sam tried.

"What?" I asked confused thinking it was some code I couldn't decipher. The group of demons looked at Sam confused.

"If they kill you, Y/N dies too. They're going to kill her," I filled with rage. I know he's just trying to get my fight back but he doesn't have to hurt me in the process.

"Y/N, huh?" A demon asked approaching me with a smirk. "Oh, Dean's in love. Don't worry, Sam right. I'm going to find her, I am going to pull her nails, her teeth, her hair out. She'll scream for your help but you'll already be dead." The demon smirked. I clenched my jaw and fists. I blacked out from the rage poisoning my veins.

The darkness cleared as I stood, beneath me were all the demon's bodies. I must have gone crazy with my anger as Sam looked terrified. I didn't know I had the strength to even stand never mind fight the group of them and win. I'd untied Sam, punching him in the stomach for manipulating my emotions.

Y/N's POV:

I sighed putting my headphones on, it was time to leave again and I was taking the necessary steps to allow me the strength to leave the house. I walked to therapy, head low, hood up as I made my way there, I ignored the world around me. Once in his office, he smiled reassuringly.

"How've you been this week?" Noah asked, opening his file to start taking notes. I sighed as I slumped back in my seat.

"Same as always," My tone flat, like usual. Noah nodded as he wrote in the file.

"So, no memories." He spoke to himself as he wrote. We'd given up hope that the memories would come back but always asked on the off chance. "How many times have you thought you'd seen Dean this week?" He asked looking at me deeply. I sighed, my eyes closing from the pain squeezing my heart and throat making it hard to speak.

"4," I admitted, he nodded, watching me. Waiting for me to explain.

We were just wrapping up our 2-hour session when Noah walked me to the door. "Oh, have you decided where you're going on your trip?" He asked nonchalantly. I shrugged. "Do you think Salt Lake City?" He asked, shocking me. We haven't mentioned Salt Lake since I got back. Why bring it up now?

"I hadn't thought of it, why?" I asked but he shrugged.

"Just thought you might have fun. I'll see you in two weeks," He added. I walked out confused. I started walking home wondering why on Earth he had thought that. I put my headphones on as I walked, my eyes staying low.

Dean's POV:

I pulled up to the diner Sam and I were going for lunch as a break from the case. I was in a world of my own as Sam talked about the case. My mind only went to Y/N as I wondered about going back to Salt Lake City. I don't know why but I felt a strong urge to go back and check if she was there on the off chance.

"Are you even listening?" Sam asked grabbing my attention. I looked up at him as he stared expectantly. I rolled my eyes at him but froze. Y/N! Looking out the diner window, and over Sam's shoulder I saw her walking past. I had seen her hundreds of times but this felt different, the sun was reflecting on her face, her hair softly blowing in the wind.

"Do you see her?" I asked Sam quickly, not taking my eyes off her in case she disappeared. Sam turned around and shrugged. She's fake. Just my imagination hurting me again. Sam turned back looking a little confused only confirming that she wasn't real.

"The hot girl?" He asked, I quickly looked at him, eyes wide before rushing up from my seat. "Dean?" Sam called after me as I hurried through the diner, dodging people as I rushed to the door. I swung it open, running after her. She's real. She has to be real.

"Y/N," I shouted, probably louder than I should have but she didn't react. I stopped in my tracks, it mustn't be her. I sighed as I watched the back of her hair, tears filling my eyes as I was once again reminded she wasn't real. She stopped at the edge of the path. She looked to the left, checking there were no cars. I saw she had headphones on and still looked like her. I gasped, resuming to run after her. What do I even say to her? What if she has no idea who I am? I just have to introduce myself, if she doesn't know me that's fine. If she's single I'll just flirt and she might fall in love with me.

Y/N's POV:

I checked the road, I know I don't have anything to live for but jumping in front of a car seems excessive. I waited as cars passed, rolling my eyes as I just wanted to be home. Crying into my pillow and thinking of Dean. I jumped slightly when I felt a hand on my shoulder, I took an earphone out as I turned around. Something must have fallen out of my pocket or something. I turned to see a very hopeful-looking Dean. The air in my lungs left. I was frozen in place.

He smiled, admiring me. Is it Dean or does he just look like him? I was in a coma, there's no way he was in the dream with me.

"Hi," He finally said. From his starstruck expression, It seemed like he knew me. I smiled softly, admiring the green eyes I had forgotten the details of over time. God, they're even better than I remember. I bit my lip as I watched him. Maybe I should say something. What do I say?!

Third-person POV:

Dean admired her, seeing her in front of him was surreal to him. He had imagined, he had dreamed and hallucinated she was real but here she was and he couldn't believe it. Neither could she.

"I don't want to sound crazy so, hi, I'm -"

"Dean?" She questioned, although she hadn't said his name in 3 years it still slipped from her tongue like silk. Her eyes filled as she recognised saying his name healed her heart a little. It was all the confirmation he needed to know she was real, she was in the dream and she loved him. He smiled a wide grin as he looked at her. She smiled brightly, recognising it was really his name and he was there.

He wasn't sure what to do now, he had dreamed of meeting her but now he felt nervous knowing she might be different from her dream. 4 years have passed, maybe she moved on. He wanted to do something, offer to spend time with her but he doesn't know what to do.

"Are you single?" She asked, he looked at her a little confused.

"Yeah," He responded a little confusion showing in his tone.

"Good," She smiled. Her hands moved to him, quickly. Her hands are on the back of his neck as she pulls him in. Their lips connect in a passionate kiss. Dean's hands found her waist, pulling her deeper into him, deepening the kiss. She smiled against his lips, Dean soon doing the same. Finally, in each other's arms, hearts healed. The kiss felt the same as all those years ago, the love still there, the way they kissed the same way but this time was different because they had waited so long and both believed it would never happen again. Dean's hand moved to her cheek, holding her as if she might disappear again. They continued the kiss even as Sam approached them, confusion riddling with his expression.

From Sam's perspective it looked as though Dean had simply wanted the hot girl as she passed the diner, now that he's followed him he expected to see him flirting, trying to get her number. And yet, Dean is making out with a seemingly stranger. He wondered if losing Y/N had finally made him go mad.

"Hello?" Sam exclaimed, unsure of what to say. Dean knew instantly it was Sam and he should probably pull away from the kiss to introduce them but he's waited 4 years for this and didn't want it to ever end. Not after his heart was so broken before. She pulled away, much to Dean's dismay. She smiled at him before turning to Sam. Her mouth dropped open as she rushed to hug him.

"Sammy!" She exclaimed excitedly. Her best friend is finally here. She missed having him to talk to, he always listened without judgment and was great at giving advice. Sam looked at Dean confused as she hugged him, he hugged back to be polite once he noticed Dean's eyes admiring her as he smiled brighter than he'd ever seen him smile before. The wheels in his head turned slowly but once he realised he pulled away to look at her. He cupped her face in his hands, looking her over. His mind was swamped with how she could be real or if she was a deceitful monster. She smiled brightly, chuckling slightly.

"Wow, don't kiss my girlfriend," Dean commented, getting closer to move Sam's hands from her face. Dean and she shared a telling smile at his words. Dean wrapped his arms over her shoulder, keeping her close to him as he kissed the top of her head.

"Hi, I'm Y/N. I assume you don't know me but we were best friends," She introduced holding her hand out to him. Sam smiled, shaking her hand.

"We didn't think you were real, I saved Dean but you weren't there," He explained, confusing her slightly. Her eyebrows furrowed softly as she looked at him. "The Djinn, that's how you were in the dream, how did you get out?" He asked, now convinced she wasn't real just some kind of shapeshifter or demon. She has to be.

"I was in a coma for 3 months, that's how I was dreaming of Dean. What do you mean Gin?" She asked, Dean glared at Sam as he had made the encounter awkward and probably confusing to her.

"Go back to the diner, we'll be there soon," Dean instructed to Sam as if warning him that if he stayed he would hurt him. Sam hesitated. When he didn't move Dean rolled his eyes. "Just get her the same as me, we'll be there soon," Sam thought it was a bad idea. It's probably a monster or demon messing with Dean's emotions.

"We need to do the tests," Sam said quietly to Dean as if she couldn't hear him but she did and was confused. Tests? She thought. Dean groaned, tipping his head back, done with Sam.

"We'll do them in the diner, walk away," Dean instructed warningly. Sam hesitated but made his way back to the diner.

Y/N looked at Dean confused but he smiled and she couldn't stop herself from smiling back. He guided her to a bench where they sat close to each other. Dean faced her as he held her hand in his lap. She waited patiently for him to explain.

"You're understanding and I shouldn't doubt you wouldn't believe me but you just have to let me explain okay?" He asked, she worried slightly but nodded knowing he was the same Dean she would have trusted with her life. He smiled at her movement, squeezing her hand slightly to calm his nerves. Knowing she was real was enough to give him the strength to explain. "Sam and I, in this world. We hunt monsters," He hesitated as she looked at him confused. Waiting patiently for him to explain, he smiled knowing she was willing to listen. "Monsters, demons, angels, they're all real and Sammy and I save people from them. The Djinn, Sam mentioned. They abducted me and they have the power to put you in your dream life, my life with you, but Sam saved me and I woke up. I searched for you but I couldn't find you and I even tried to get abducted again to see you but I couldn't," He explained, holding her hands close as he feared she would pull them away and leave again.

He watched as her eyes wandered around, thinking. She was clearly confused and startled by the information and Dean grew anxious as he waited for her response. She nodded softly, processing it.

"So you were put in your dream life by a monster?" She asked slowly, Dean gulped, eyes filling as he feared she would call him crazy. His breath quickened as he nodded, not able to say a word. His heart preparing to break. "Okay," She added, nodding and smiling softly. He was confused, startled almost at her response. His eyebrows furrowed as he admired her. She chuckled softly. She moved her right hand from his, his disappointment written across his face but her hand moved to his cheek, filling him with hope and love. "Dean, I was in a coma and dreamed of our lives together, I spent 3 years thinking I made you up and thinking I was insane. Knowing you're real and you were in the dream too is also crazy so it only makes sense that crazy things caused it." She explained, rubbing her thumb on his cheek slightly as he instantly felt eased. He sighed, smiling brightly. Leaning in to kiss her. She smiled into the kiss, her hand moving from his cheek to the back of his neck as his hands moved to her hips.

He lifted her from her seat, sitting her on his lap so she was straddling him. She giggled against his lips. "We're in public," She explained leaning back to smile at him but his bright smile never wavered.

"I don't care. I finally found you, they can look all they want," He explained before his hand moved to her cheek, pulling her in and back on his lips. She smiled as she kissed him. They sat making out for a while before Dean pulled away. She looked at him confused but he chuckled, tucking some hair behind her ear as he admired her. "I'm getting too excited," He explained making her giggle as she realised his meaning. She nodded, moving to get off of his lap but his hands anchored her back down. She giggled as she looked at him confused. "Give it a minute," He commented making her laugh as she blushed. He smiled, taking the time to admire her. "Why didn't you believe I was real for only 3 years and not 4?" He asked curiously. She smiled just from hearing his voice.

"I woke up after we kissed and believed you were real. Even when everyone was telling me it was a dream. 1 year after I woke up I went to Salt Lake City to look for you. I waited outside the house we had, Sam's wasn't there anymore and went to a cafe and finally believed you weren't real," She explained sadly. Dean perked up at her words chuckling softly.

"May 3rd?" He asked making her chuckle.

"Yeah, you woke up at the same time?" She asked but he smiled.

"I woke up after the kiss as well. I did the same thing. We must have missed each other," He explained not realising how close they had been to meeting all those years ago. They smiled, sharing another kiss before they stood. They walked hand in hand back to the diner.

"I love you," Dean confessed as he stopped at the door. She smiled brightly.

"I love you too," She admitted with a soft chuckle. He kissed her again feeling like he needed to kiss her enough to make up so much lost time. She smiled against his lips finally feeling that she had her reason to live again.

They walked into the diner, returning to Sam as his spine straightened at their presence. She smiled warmly as she slid into the booth, Dean soon following her and holding a hand on her thigh needing physical contact at all times. He held the top of his hand as she smiled at Sam. Sam looked at them slightly confused.

"We can do the tests if you want?" She questioned, he smiled softly before going into his bag.

"You tell her?" Sam asked, Dean smirked as he looked at her admiringly.

"Yep, just as understanding as before," He commented making her smile as she blushed. He kissed her sweetly but she pulled away quicker than he wanted.

"You won't remember but we had rules about PDA in front of Sam," She commented but Dean groaned, his head tipping back but smile never fading.

"You don't mind do you, Sammy?" He asked, prompting Sam to agree but Sam's face didn't confirm it. She chuckled as she shook her head.

"You've waited 4 years, you can wait till we're alone," She commented but Dean smirked.

"Oh, you want to be alone with me," Dean teased making her laugh. She playfully rolled her eyes as Dean smirked.

Sam did the tests finding she was clean and real. He instantly calmed, wanting to know everything she remembered about the dream as they ate once their food arrived. He admired how Dean watched her, how they seemed to quickly fall into a routine and comfort. He slid his drink to her, and she picked out the lime and placed the pickles from her burger on his plate, both acting as though this was normal even though in reality they had just met. Sam's smile never faded as he watched the scene.

Once they had finished eating Dean draped his arm over her shoulder, holding her close as he admired her telling the story of Sam's birthday, Dean giving input on his perspective as he was present at the time. She smiled brightly as he spoke, admiring him, memorising all she had forgotten.

Neither knew love would be this simple or happy. Both realising the wait was worth it and souls returned as their closeness brought the joy in and sorrow out. Sam couldn't have imagined how Dean would be around her, never seeing his brother in love before made it seem even more surreal to him. Dean often stole short but sweet kisses, his smile never leaving his lips. She held her hand on his thigh as he drew patterns on her shoulder. She rested close to him, happy for the first time since she woke up.

Masterlist

[dexthtoyounglings]

Scum

Crosshair x Reader

Chapter One of Peripheral

Summary: Life isn't getting easier. But, promises open up to those who wait.

Warnings: Violence, Death, Swearing, Reader has a nickname sometimes (still a Y/n story)

•--•

How much farther could your legs take you? The burn seemed to creep up through your muscles like some sort of infection, taking sections of your body one by one till it reached your nose, burning so sharply you felt a drip poke at the top of your lips. You had to have been running for hours. Well, if your body reflected that time, it would have been accurate. Instead, you’d been running for around 15 minutes, a hunter at your tail. Where you started, you can’t remember, and where you’ll stop seemed almost faint to you at this moment. You were mixing runner’s high with something that required all the adrenaline in your body to kickstart. Whatever it was left you almost drowsy.

Lithe. That’s what you’re referred to on the streets. A little runner for some bounty hunters, a girl that has been sought after so many times. Eel. Oil. Slick. No, maybe some weren’t direct nicknames, but Lithe was.

The streets of Coruscant weren’t playgrounds. Not even when you were younger. Maybe some kids were smiling on another planet, legs burning and nose leaking from running, only they weren’t being chased by danger. You would rather be chased by friends. Without money on your head. The adult world. One of the only adult worlds where children had to be adults too. If they weren’t, they were dead. Coruscant youth; Self-educated, filthy, hungry, and picked down to the bone. Apparently you were officially an adult, despite.

A hiss seemed to spring from the left side of your head, forcing you on a turn that took you into a narrow alleyway. That asshole. Some Trandoshan with pockets bigger than he could carry, chasing you for all you had. If he thought you had a penny, he was wrong. Darkness faded in and out of the space you traveled, letting a stray neon light pollute the air occasionally. You huffed a frustrated breath out of your nose and into the air which grew frigid.

Where the hell was he? Where the hell was Pango?

A chuckle echoed from behind you as you ducked closer to the tight walls, trying to hide out of possible sight. You didn’t need to be visible, not when you knew your smell hung with every step. Trandoshans were dangerous that way. They didn’t need to be smart to find you. They didn’t even need to know your name to find you.

You heard a scraping, sending you tight up against the wall till you found the familiar curve. Your body followed its bend and found a plethora of building lights; neon, yellow, white. Name them all.. The more illumination, the worse.

Dropping to the ground, your knee scraped through your pants, opening the cloth and tearing at a healed scab. A cry. Real and fake all at the same time. The littering sound of nails. A moan, one that drifted into a loud grunt. It hurt. The tears started springing, and when you could almost feel the heat of another body behind yours, a metal object swiped at the air, sticking itself into the skin of your Trandoshan “friend.”

A smile spread from cheek to cheek. Pain still throbbed in your knee, but adrenaline served as a personal painkiller.

“It took you long enough.”

Pango, your long-time friend, ran up to you with eyes that said everything. Another successful “hunt.” Maybe if you lived on Naboo, you would’ve become an actor, maybe you would’ve scraped your knee a thousand times less, and cried a thousand times more. For your life, it worked this way – you acted like an overpowered ruffian, and Pango took charge of the maiming.

It worked this way.

“Money takes time, and time is made of gold, my friend,” you retorted.

He helped you up with a steady hand, allowing you to brush off your pants before making your way back. It was all smiles between the both of you. You shared these moments, happy as ever, after every successful mission.

You looked back at the body. Those living as comfortably as they could in the lower levels of Coruscant hated that reptile; he was always chasing, always stealing – has always been a nuisance. Pango looked for every financial opportunity that you could seek. Not only were the credits mouth-wateringly high, but you were sick of his presence too. People can be annoying, and still be bearable. He was far past a point where bearable even made sense.

There was nothing you and Pango couldn’t chase. Well, more like, there was nothing Pango couldn’t chase. Nine times out of ten, they were chasing you.

Maybe it was the thrill some of these men had seeing a woman run from them, or maybe it was the adrenaline they had from the chase in general. It didn’t matter to you, no, because the chase always meant there had to be an end.

And the end was Pango.

“What are you going to do with all this money?”

You looked up at him. He wasn’t desirably tall, maybe he flitted around four to five inches taller than you, but it still shocked you that such a tall vessel could still ask such dumb questions.

You laughed. “Maybe pay off some debt. It’s not that much money, Pan.”

He was silent while you walked, shoulders dictating his path as always.

“Why? What are you gonna do with it?”

The silence continued. You almost felt bad for asking the question, thinking maybe he never even wanted to be asked such a thing at all. A pink and yellow bar sign illuminated his face, deepening the shadows, emphasizing the fraile nature he still carried from his boyhood.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to get away from here?” he asked. “Wouldn’t it be nice to just hop on a ship, and leave? I mean.. don’t you wanna do that? Don’t you just hate it here?”

It was your turn. You traded your gaze, offering it to the dirt lining the laid brick guiding you both. If you turned to look at Pango, you would see a pain that you could never forget. You see it. Every day, you see it. A boy, not a man. A boy that wants more than this galaxy has to offer him. A life, a family, a home.

You felt bad dragging him along. Especially when you couldn’t give him that.

So, you let your lips dry together till you could almost make the excuse they were stuck shut. This was your life. Anything else would be too intense, you told yourself.

–

The money was collected. The body was confirmed. Poison darts kill fast, initial shock taking the body before death creeps in.

So, the money was collected.

Split evenly, you looked at Pango with the same contrast you did every time. In your eyes, you knew there was nothing further than this. You had to dish out your money to sources that kept you alive, save away some for food and housing.

He stared back with the hope you would ask him when the closest flight took off.

Your gaze shifted, breaking the moment. The woman that hired you, a human, aged significantly since you both started taking “side hustles” from her, was gone. Never stayed long after rewards were dished out. Standing up, your calves seemed to yell at you. Pushing off the table and into motion, you made your way to the bar.

No eyes watched you. You were too frequent, too hidden, but too known. When eyes were kept to themselves, peace was held, Coruscant was saved from another incomprehensible interaction.

It worked this way.

Throwing down two silver credits onto the dampened bar, you looked up to the same man every time, nodding to indicate the same as usual.

Mixing your drink at request, he hesitated, head swooping side to side, then back to focus. Poured. Not once, but twice.

“I only paid for one.”

He met your eyes. Greying hair. Cold eyes. He wasn’t mean, but war hardened. Coruscant could be considered a battleground.

“It’s on the house, sweetheart,” he grumbled. “For your friend.”

You touched your tongue to your teeth, searching for a lie in his broad posture. Instead, all you found was a smile, flashing him your teeth, “You’re too kind.”

A nod was his preferred gesture in return, looking back down at his hands as he picked up a rag and continued to clean the sticky surface.

Picking up your drinks, you turned to spot Pango waiting with a slab of metal out in front of him. You sat down, gently pushing his drink to him and settling into the scratched up booth. He looked up with curious eyes, catching the glint of blue liquid without even moving his head.

“How much longer for the datapad? Another five years?” you teased with a snarky grin, watching him set it down in front of him and take a sip of his drink with ease.

He scrunched up his nose at you. “Ha. Ha. You’re so funny, Lithe. No, I’m starting to get the hang of it, I think. Remember when we got lost in that one neighborhood on the upper levels last week? Some guy gave me some tips at a store; suggested parts to repair it.”

Pango’s real baby. A bunch of scraps. He never turned away strays.

“Is it repairable? Like, in general?”

He rolled his eyes, pushing down a smile that still peaked through in the lines of his face.

"You just don’t have faith in me,” he stated, almost monotone as he went back to inspecting the wiring.

“I have the utmost faith in you. Maybe just not that.”

And so in crept the same silence. Pushing it too far. Because jokes were jokes, but lately they weren’t at the same time. You rested the tip of your right boot against the side of his own under the table, knowing the night would fade into quiet.

Sipping slowly, you scanned the room.

–

Waking up might have been your least favorite part of every morning. Especially mornings after “hunts.” You were sore, knowing a few more hours wouldn’t kill you. But, looking at your clock, Pango might as well kill you instead. You had to be by your meeting spot in twenty minutes.

With blurry eyes, and grumpy bones cracking at every step, you stumbled through your dingy apartment. A broken full-body mirror distorted your body as you rushed past it to fumble through your dresser, filled with the same worn clothes. Pulling out whatever feels right, you pass through the broken mirror again. Shuffling everything on is the least of your worries – it’s wrangling down your hair.

Holy marauder, your hair is a mess.

Slipping a hair tie between your teeth, you braided it with the quickness of Naboo’s fastest starship, unruly nails occasionally scratching at your palms. Yeah, it was about time to take care of those too.

Pulling the hair tie and twisting with familiarity, you made your way to the front door that always did a terrible job at keeping the cold out.

The scratched paint on the wall mocked you as you struggled to pull on one boot with failure, loosening the laces, struggling again before aggressively shoving it onto your foot carelessly.

Repeat.

Snatching your day-bag, you run out, locking your door and running down the steps of your apartment building. An old Twi’lek grunts as you slip between her and the bricked wall. Wind ruffles the loose strands of your hair, flyers billowing up from the side of buildings, held by their pins and putty, gravitating towards the trail you leave behind. Easy to ignore.

Except the one that flies at your feet, sticking to the bottom of your stubborn boots.

You flash a look at your shitty watch, forced to add 15 minutes to whatever it read. You’re gonna be late, but you still grunt as you pull the paper off. Black ink is sweating onto the stained white, mixed with water that has been puddled for the past day. You continue on.

Wait.

Wait…

You go to back track, but the flashing of an identical print strikes your eye. Jogging up to it, your hands work faster than your mind. The paper easily rips from its pin, staring right back up at you. The symbol of the Galactic Republic.

It’s easy to read, but not easy enough that it would attract the attention of the unintelligent. The heading spells the simplest ‘Civilian Soldiers Wanted.’ As your eyes drag through the sentences, you realize what this is. And it sparks excitement into your mind.

Oh, Pango. We’re gonna get out of here.

Just like you wanted.

Folding the paper, you shove it into your shoulder bag and continue on your brisk jog.

–

“Are you crazy?”

Pango looks like he’s somewhere between sick, and excited beyond this plane of existence. You feel the same way, only a little more excited.

“Pango, do you not realize what this means?” you stress. “We could get out of these dumps. Sure, it may be a little crowded. And dangerous.”

He eyes you, the green of his eyes pushing you to continue on.

“But… we’ll be fed. We will always be fed, and we’ll always have a warm bed.”

He sits up impatiently, “What about the part of possibly getting stuck on a planet? Taken prisoner of war? Fucking killed?”

Pango never swears.

“Couldn’t that happen any day?” you retort.

Your jaw is set, stiff, angry. He couldn’t have been less of a reflection of your image. Angry, defensive. Scared.

You don’t blame him. We’re dealing with something government; strict, with rules, without freedom sometimes. You thought about it while you were breezing through the streets of Coruscant. The homeless littered the street, some dead, both sides forgotten. Empty beds, still set up for the next night – damp beds. Children starved.

You starved.

Pango knows how you feel. You both barely eat enough, and your form of comfortable living is having at least one meal a day. He knew what this meant to you

"Y/n.”

Pango never uses your name either.

“This is something we can use, Pango. This could be good for us.”

You could feel the thick silence of the air moving between you. Like tar, it stuck to your bodies with a fervent spread. This was inescapable; you knew he felt the same way. If you took the job, you knew that you might both ask about your past life. If you stayed here, you knew you would both ask about the ‘what-if.’

One was more prominent in your mind, tugging at your impulses.

Pango looked down at his lap, arms crossed tightly across his chest. He looked so closed off at this moment. You almost wanted to take it all back and apologize to him for being pushy at all.

He looks up at you, every feature tensed up and solid.

“As long as it’s us.”

Pango never turned away a stray.

•--•

[missvelvetsstuff]

With Friends Like You, Who Needs Enemies?

Steve Rogers x Reader, Steve Rogers x Natasha, Reader x ????

Reader is a mutant with the ability to turn sound into light who was 'adopted' aka stolen as a child by Baron Von Strucker to use for experimentation. She was given a form of the Super soldier serum so in addition to her mutant abilities she also has super strength, enhanced senses and healing. When he starts experimenting on his volunteers, the Maximoff twins, she tries to convince them to escape with her but they tell the Baron that she's planning to escape so he doubles her cell security. Steve and reader met when the team recovered Loki's scepter from Strucker.

She falls in love with Steve and becomes good friends with Nat but they aren't the friends she thinks they are.

This story is canon adjacent except that Thanos never happened.

Chapter 1

After Y/N had slept for almost 24 hours and eaten enough to fill her up, Nat approached her in the kitchen.

"Tony is having a party tonite, to celebrate finding Loki's scepter. He gave me his credit card so do you want to go get a dress for tonite? And maybe some clothes so you aren't stuck in Avengers sweats all the time? We can have lunch and get our hair and nails done as well." She smirked "We can find a blue dress for you, it's Steve's favorite color."

Y/N felt her face flush "Why would I be worried about what Steve likes?"

Nat grinned "I'm a spy, I know how to read people and both of you are giving off some serious vibes. Trust me, he's into you too."

Y/N shrugged "I don't know what you're talking about but I do need some clothes and I've never had a real haircut. I just chop it off when it gets too long." She thought for a minute "Sure, sounds like fun."

They left the tower in one of Tony's cars that Nat borrowed. Driving around Manhattan Y/N felt overwhelmed but something was familiar as well.

"This is all so much. I haven't even left the facility where you found me in years."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it pretty quickly" Nat told her as they pulled into a parking garage on 5th Ave. "Having access to Starks credit and cars definitely helps." She parked and they got out of the car and walked into Saks.

Nat headed straight for evening wear and started looking through the racks when a sales person approached them.

"Ms Romanoff, it's so good to have you here again. I see you've brought a friend" she looked Y/N up and down, sneering slightly at her attire. "I can see she needs our help. What are you looking for today?"

Nat glared at her "We're looking for someone who won't be a bitch because of how we look. Do you have anyone here like that?"

The sales girl, her tag said her name was Sophia, blanched "I'm so sorry, Ms Romanoff, I was just caught off guard. Of course I'm happy to help you in whatever way you need.

Are you looking for a cocktail dress?"

Nat smirked "Yes, Tony is having a party tonite and my friend needs an appropriate dress. Something blue."

Sophia stuttered "Tony Stark? How exciting. Why don't you and Miss...."

"Y/L/N, I'm Y/N Y/L/N"

"Of course. What size do you usually wear Miss Y/L/N?"

Y/N flushed "I don't know, I haven't gotten myself new clothes in ages"

Sophia pulled out a tape measure "Well lets see..." And quickly took her measurements. "A size 7 should fit nicely. I have some dresses that would be perfect for you. Please have a seat and I'll have them brought over.

Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, water, tea, soda, champagne?"

Nat nodded "Some champagne would be nice. And none of the cheap stuff."

They spent an hour looking at dresses until they narrowed it down to 3. All shades of blue. Y/N tried them all on and was overwhelmed when she saw herself in the mirror, she felt like a princess.

"I can't choose, they're all so pretty. What do you think, Nat?"

"I agree, it's too hard to choose so we'll get all three. Tony loves throwing parties so you can never be too prepared." Nat replied

Y/N shook her head "I couldn't, that's too much"

Nat laughed "too much should be Tony's middle name. Don't worry about it." She turned to Sophia "what about accessories?"

4 hours later they had all 3 dresses and accessories for each one, plus enough everyday and business style clothes to last a year. And shoes and lingerie. Nat gave Sophia a stern order to make sure it was all delivered to the tower before 4pm. Then they went for hair, makeup and mani-pedi's.

Y/N didn't know how to process everything that was happening. Less than 72 hours ago she was in her cell with no inkling that her life would change so drastically.

"Thank you so much, Nat. I just...."

Nat smirked "Don't worry about it. I have a feeling you're going to feel right at home before too long."

They went back to the tower after a late lunch and finished getting ready. At 9pm they took the elevator to the penthouse where the party was already going full swing.

Nat led her to the bar and poured a glass of champagne for both of them.

Y/N just looked around, watching people, unsure of how to interact.

Steve and Sam were playing pool when Sam noticed Steve was staring at something by the bar.

"You checking out Nat again? I thought that was over."

Steve shook his head "It never really was on, just occasional stress relief. Besides she has something going on with Bruce. Look next to her, in the blue dress. That's Y/N, we found her at the base where we found Loki's scepter. She's a mutant, turns sound into light. She was humming the other night and had this glow around her like a mist of colors. It was beautiful" he sighed.

Sam laughed "You sound smitten. Why don't you go talk to her?"

Steve blushed "I wouldn't know what to say."

"How about hey Y/N you look beautiful, wanna have my babies" Sam offered

Steve snorted "Give me a break.

It looks like Nat is busy with Bruce so I should go be a good host. Don't want to leave her alone with all these strangers. She's been a prisoner since she was a kid so might not be good socially."

Sam laughed as Steve walked away.

Y/N was looking out the window when Steve approached her. She turned and looked at him.

"It's a beautiful view"

Steve was staring at her and agreed "Yeah, it's gorgeous"

She saw he was looking at her and felt her face heat up. "So Nat said Tony throws parties like this all the time"

Steve nodded "This is actually pretty tame compared to some. Before he became Iron Man I think partying was his priority. It's still a favorite past time.

You must be overwhelmed with all this if Strucker kept you prisoner since you were 10. You'll get used to it. We are mostly a happy family." He smiled softly at her.

After the party died down the team sat around drinking and chatting. Most of them tried to pick up Thor's hammer and failed. Only Steve moved it at all but he still couldn't pick it up.

Then Ultron showed up and made a mess of everything. Y/N tried to use her powers to help fight him but was thrown against a wall and knocked out. After Ultron was gone, she came to and heard arguing. Steve helped her up and kept his hand on her back to help comfort her. Once the team decided on their course of action he took her to her room.

"I need you to stay here for now, ok? We'll be back as soon as we can" he told her gently.

Y/N shook her head "I can help. I could come with you and-"

"No" he told her firmly "We need to evaluate your abilities and work together before you get into any fights with us. I don't want you to get hurt so please be a good girl and wait here for me"

She felt a funny tingle when he called her a good girl but pushed it back "Ok. I'll wait here. Please come back safely."

"I promise, sweetheart" he kissed her softly on the lips and made sure she was safe in her room before he left.

While the team went to Africa to stop Ultron, Y/N was having dreams about Steve but with her lack of experience couldn't figure them out. The only sex she had was when Strucker forced himself on her and she thought she would never actually enjoy sex but her dreams said otherwise.

In the morning she saw what happened on the news and knew that it was Wanda messing with the Hulk. If she had been there she could have broken Wandas hex and prevented all that destruction and death.

She jumped when Jarvis spoke to her "Miss Y/N? You have a phone call from Captain Rogers."

"Umm ok how do I take the call?"

"I'll put him thru"

Steve's voice came thru the speakers in her room.

"Hey sweetheart, how are you? Did you get some sleep?"

"Hi Steve, I slept a little. I had strange dreams. My life has turned upside down.

Are you ok? I saw the news. Wanda was there wasn't she? If you had let me come I could have prevented-"

Steve cut her off "No. You don't even know if you could have helped Hulk. You aren't going on any missions any time soon.

I just wanted to let you know that we will be gone for awhile. After that mess we have to lay low. Just be a good girl and make sure you eat and sleep. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Y/N felt so helpless as she saw the teams adventures on the news. They went from Africa to Korea. She was frustrated and wanted to help but couldn't so waited for them, for Steve, to return.

When Tony and Bruce returned they barely noticed her and rushed into the lab to work on something.

Steve came to check on her and gave her a sweet kiss before she noticed the twins were with him.

Wanda looked at her "Hello Y/N. Nice to see you again"

Y/N was confused "Steve why are they here? They are nothing but trouble and can't be trusted."

Wanda cringed "I know we have done awful things to you in the past but we didn't realize how bad Strucker was, too caught up in our own rage and grief. I promise we won't hurt you. We want to help stop Ultron."

Y/N looked at Steve "If you are taking them then I should be able to go too. I can help."

Steve chuckled "I know you want to help honey but I don't think a light show will do any good."

She pouted "I can make lasers too. I hate staying here while you risk yourself. Please, Steve." She begged

Her begging did something to Steve but not something that would help in a fight. He was about to tell her no again when Clint walked by

"She's not wrong Cap we could use all the help we can get."

Steve gave in "Promise me you'll be careful. I'd hate to see you hurt."

Y/N didn't do too badly considering the circumstances. She even took out a few robots on her own, including the one that tried to get Pietro and a young boy he was protecting.

Sokovia was still destroyed but most of the people were saved. Sometimes you have to accept how things turn out.

~~~~~~~~~~

After a few days rest Y/N, Sam, Wanda and Pietro started training to become official Avengers.

Y/N and Steve started dating, taking things very slow since she was inexperienced and in no rush.

Nat was devastated that Bruce had disappeared and started spending a lot of time with Steve and Y/N. Every night he would walk Y/N to her room, kiss her good night and leave her on her own.

After a few weeks she noticed Steve and Nat seemed really close and she asked him about it.

Steve shook his head "You have nothing to worry about sweetheart. Nat and I are just friends. We've been thru some tough situations together but there's no romantic feelings. She's just lonely because she misses Bruce."

She nodded trusting him.

They went on like this for awhile until General Ross brought up the Sokovia Accords. She took Steve's side but he didn't want her involved in the fight so she made her way to the quinjet and waited for Steve and Bucky. She saw what Zemo did and the fight that came after but couldn't bring herself to hurt Tony so found herself waiting on the jet again.

Y/N went with them to Wakanda and then on the run with Steve and Sam. After months dating, Steve told her he loved her and then told her he had to leave for a couple of days to meet up with Nat for cash and intel. They met up every few weeks and he always came back in a lighter mood.

One time when he returned he asked Y/N for a favor

"I don't want to be separated but Shuri figured out how to remove Bucky's brainwashing and I want you to go help him. Just be a friend. He really likes you and I think it would be good for both of you. You're the only one I can ask, he has bad history with Sam and Nat. I promise I'll come visit when I can."

She looked at him sadly, not wanting to leave the man she had fallen in love with but wanting to make him happy and be his good girl so she went to Wakanda.

Y/N and Bucky became close friends. She didn't mind if he didn't want to talk and they would just be together. If he did want to talk she listened without judgement and she was there for his nightmares. She helped him tend his goats and thought she could have fallen for him if she hadn't met Steve first.

A couple of times a week Steve would call to check up on her but it was always brief because Nat always called him away after a few minutes. He kept promising he would come visit but something always came up.

One day, Shuri showed up at Bucky's hut where Bucky and Y/N were playing chess."I have news, Captain Rogers contacted me and told me to tell you, Thor and Hulk have returned. Asgard was destroyed and all of the Asgardians that survived are here, setting up a home in Norway. New Asgard.

That's not all, the Captain and Tony Stark have worked things out with Gen Ross and Sargeant Barnes is being pardoned. You can go home soon, back to the states but there will be a celebration in New Asgard in a month.

Y/N wondered why Steve didn't call her and went thru Shuri instead but she was trusting and believed he just had too much to do.

Y/N and Bucky spent the next month as they had spent time in the past, strengthening their friendship, enjoying nature and herding goats. They both expected Steve to show up at any time but he never did. He only called once and explained that he was very busy helping Thor and Valkyrie set the new town up. Y/N told him they could help but Steve insisted they stay in Wakanda.

Finally it was time to leave, both of them were excited at being reunited with Steve but also nervous at meeting a whole new group of people.

Steve came in the quinjet to pick them up and after a quick hug and kiss on the cheek he spent the rest of the flight talking to Bucky. Y/N realized they were best friends but she had hoped for a better reunion with her love. She sat alone trying to talk herself down from the anxiety that was building up.

When they arrived in New Asgard the whole team was there to greet them. Nat and Bruce were wrapped around each other while Wanda and Vision were holding hands. Steve was suddenly in a bad mood right after they landed and left saying he just needed to work it off. Nat disappeared shortly after.

Thor gave Y/N a fond greeting and introduced her to Val. They took her and Bucky to a dressmaker to create Asgardian style robes for the celebration the next night. Steve didn't come to see her at all so she figured he was still busy helping and she stayed up talking to Bucky until they were both exhausted and fell asleep in the early hours of the morning.

Chapter 2

[fantasy-anatomy-analyst]

Hello, your blog is amazing. I know this is not realy your weelhouse but you seem like the best blog to ask. I need some help figuring out hove some traits my humanoids have would influence their anatomy and aperance.

So bot of them are heavily based on real life humans when it comes to apperance because i am boring but i wanted to put some subtle changes to indicate that neither of them are humans and to give an oportunity for them to have wow you are not like us shock moments when they interact.

So the first species? is the one with the most oportunity for fun anatomy changes. Their bones and muscles are not thicker but they are denser. So they can have immpresive feats of strenght and endurance. I know this would mainly be noticabel by touch. I am not troubeled by this. What could be some changes to their skeletal structure that would allow stronger muscles to anchor better to bones or some uniqe muscle structures in nature that allows for more tissue to be packed into smaller spaces. Also am i understanding it right that this would mean they need more food and would be more sensitive to a lack of oxigen? My second idea ties into that i wanted to give them different blood for better suply. I originaly wanted to just make it thicker with higher iron content but i realized that having ticker blood means the heart needs to pump harder to achive the same blood floow. I found my second solution while browsing your blog whic is giving them the blood particel that makes blood blue beside standard hemoglobin. But i know very littel about how that would influence their anatomy, would that make their blood purpel or another color? Would that mean that their skin has a light purpelis, or a greyish tint?

The third one is a freeby. So its well known that human anatomy is kind of a mess, especialy the spine. What changes would you, as an anatomy nerd make to make humans more efficent humans? I had the idea to give them more muscles around their ears, harder and sharper nails and hardier teeth in general and slighly pontier canines (yes that one is for the visual) as a kind of vestigal trait from back their hunter gatherer days but other than that I am stuck. Do you have any anatomical traits that could indicate a healing factor. I know its kind of vague but i don't know how to better word it.

The other guys, who i took to call mages for distintction because i am abundant in creativity, are kind of boring because their main trait that separates them from humans is having magic whic doesnt realy translate into anatomy. They channel it through their senses, voice and movements. I had the idea that they could have different voices that are more sing-song, but i think that would be more cultural norm, could there be some anatomical difference that helps it. My other idea was giving them on average more slender limbs, and more flexibel joints to allow for more gracefull and controlled movements. My other two ideas are that since magic produces heat they could develop thicker, darker fire resistent patches on their skin on parts where they frequetly direct their magic. Other than that i have no idea.

Sorry, this is long and rambly I understand if you don't answer it. I am also sorry for the grammar, english isn't my first language. I would be grateful for the smallest help. Thank you for even reading through this monstrum.

okay, so there is a lot to go over here! let's break it down point by point.

1: increased bone and muscle density. what does this mean? bone density refers to the internal structure of the bones. bones must be porous in the center because that's where the marrow is! it acts as a blood factory, basically. having porous bones allows for blood to flow through, and it also allow us to have more durable bones without making them so heavy. too little bone density makes them fragile, but too much bone density makes them heavy and more likely to snap because of poor shock absorption. so there's an important balance to find for the density.

muscle density jut means more muscle packed into a smaller space, and it is correlated to increased strength. I can't find much on what might be considered "too dense" for muscles, but since it's often determined by a ratio of fat to lean muscle, I think it's important to note that fat is important for the body and having less of it tends to create other problems. Intramuscular fat provides energy directly to the muscles, which is why humans are so good at endurance walking. it's one of the reasons we have such nice round butts! So you also need to keep in mind how to balance the muscle density with the body fat here.

Essentially, what is the purpose of the denser bones and muscle? simply increasing the density does not automatically mean these people will be stronger and have greater endurance. Having very dense muscle might make them good at performing short bursts of strength, like quick sprints, fast hard punches, etc. and having dense bones might make them more sturdy, giving a strong brace to their dense muscles. but they may also be more prone to exhaustion if they don't have intramuscular fat, and if their bones are too dense they might break faster and be less useful for blood production and blood flow.

2: blood color. as for changing the material their blood uses to carry oxygen, I have had trouble finding any sources on how efficiently different colors of blood actually carry oxygen. As far as I'm able to determine, haemocyanin, the blue blood component in molluscs, is better suited for low oxygen? Most sources on this are highly academic and I don't understand a lot of the vocabulary.

So, maybe these are smaller people, living in a low oxygen environment. Perhaps it's a warm climate, allowing survival with less fat, and their dense muscles and bones make them very good at quick bursts of strength and speed with lower endurance compared to the average human. they would be very lean, and I imagine their bones would be shorter and a little thicker to minimize the chance of breaks.

If anyone else here is a better expert on the fine points of what exactly dense bones and muscles as blue blood would mean for a humanoid species, please add your thoughts! As I've said, I'm not an expert on biology haha, I only know what I can find through internet research and a lot of it is academic vocabulary that's a little beyond my knowledge. and a lot of it is also niche topics that are difficult to find studies on, like the efficiency of different blood colors. I will note, however, that red blood seems to correlate most with vertebrates, while the other known blood colors correlate to invertebrates! the blood circulation of these groups can be very different!

the blood color might affect the skin tone a little, but it depends a lot on how translucent or pale their skin is, what pigments are coloring their skin, and what color their blood vessels are. humans have red blood, but some of our veins look blue! it does have a stronger color effect for blush though!

3: what traits would make humans more efficient? depends on what we're making more efficient! the spine is wack because we stand upright. our knees are wack because we walk bipedally. our teeth look like this because we are omnivores. we're very very good at all of those things, especially compared to other creatures. sharper teeth and claw-like nails would certainly make us more efficient as hunters, but only if we were hunting with our bodies as our weapon! humans are very very good at making and using tools. personally, as a human who spends most of her time sitting down (because of my creative work) I would appreciate having the butt pads that allow other primates to sit on tree branches for extended periods of time without going numb. and just in general having a body that didn't feel so stiff and sore from sitting in one position for so long.

4: anatomical traits that indicate healing factors: hard to say! the animals in real life that can regrow their limbs don't really have any special outward indicators of it until it's actually happening! like lizards and amphibians that can drop their tails or lose a leg and just cut off the circulation to the open wound and start growing a fresh limb. you might have some luck studying how all of that works, it's a pretty fascinating process!

5: voice anatomy: your mage people might have different vocal cord structure! perhaps theirs has more flexibility than the average human, and maybe they also have better lung capacity. This would allow a broader vocal range, volume range, and increase vocal endurance somewhat.

6: dark thick skin to resist heat: callouses could certainly develop with frequent magic use, just as they develop for physical activities (like the callouses on my hands from holding a pencil or holding yarn and thread over my finger for crochet). Melanin, the pigment that makes skin darker, is not actually for heat resistance. it inhibits UV radiation somewhat. so I don't think darker patches would really occur as a form of resistance to magical heat, though the skin would likely grow tougher in those areas. They may also develop anatomy that's more efficient for regulating body temperature. Large ears full of veins, for example, or maybe they'd have longer fingers and some form of membrane between their fingers that only exists to release heat.

Overall, I think you've got some pretty cool ideas! You're clearly putting a lot of thought into your worldbuilding! I hope this has been helpful and I wish you luck and to have fun on your creative journey!

[elliemarchetti]

Tamlin Week Day 3

An excerpt from ACOTAR's chapter 19 in Tamlin's POV for @tamlinweek

Prompt: Mates

Words: 770

If they had suspected it during the day, at dinner it became perfectly clear that Feyre was in a bad mood. Both Tamlin and Lucien noticed as soon as she sank into her seat, and without needing further agreement, they decided to just chat with each other, sympathetic to what she might be feeling, far from home and seemingly destined never to see it, or her family, again. Of course, this didn’t stop the High Lord from following her into the rose garden at the end of the meal. Just to check on her, he told himself, and not because she was a sight to behold, with her hair of burnished gold kissed by the moonlight that stained the red petals a deep purple and casted a silvery sheen on the white blossoms. He hoped she found her surroundings inspiring, something worth of the art she so deeply loved.

“My father had this planted for my mother,” he said, still a few steps behind, sure he wouldn’t take the huntress by surprise. She didn’t bother to turn to acknowledge him, on the contrary, she dug her nails into her palms as he halted by her side.

“It was a mating present,” he went on, trying to distract her from the guilt she was undoubtedly feeling. Deep down, she probably knew she deserved better than what she had in the mortal lands, but she was unused to have the time and money needed to pursue her vocation, so he didn’t stop her when she stalked to the nearest bush and ripped off a rose, her fingers tearing on the thorns.

“I don’t know why I feel so tremendously ashamed of myself for leaving them. Why it feels so selfish and horrible to paint. I shouldn’t feel that way, should I? I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help it,” she finally rambled, words flowing out of her mouth like a swollen river. “All those years, what I did for them… And they didn’t even try to stop you from taking me.”

There it was, the giant pain that cracked her in two if she thought about it too long. Over time, Tamlin had discovered that everyone had one, no matter how old or young they were. And Feyre… she had grown up too fast not to have already stumbled upon it.

“I don’t know why I expected them to, why I believed that the puca’s illusion was real that night. I don’t know why I bother still thinking about it, or why I still care. Compared to you, to your borders and magic being weakened, I suppose my self-pity is absurd,” she added, so resignated of something so wrong.

“If it grieves you, then I don’t think it’s absurd at all,” he replied, and although he wasn’t as silver tongued as his best friend nor as well versed when emotions were concerned, he spoke with his heart, because she needed to have her feelings validated for once.

“Why?” she asked flatly, chucking the rose into the bushes.

Before the crimson droplets could stain her dress, Tamlin took her hands, his calloused fingers, strong and sturdy, as gentle as possible as he lifted her wound to his mouth and kissed her palm to heal it. She was so thin, so fragile… she shouldn’t waste the blood that flowed in her veins, not even a drop.

“Why do any of this?” she pushed, and he stepped closer, making her tip her head back to meet his eyes, exposing her long neck. He wanted to bite her, leave his mark where anyone could see it, make her his even if he had no right to call her that.

“Because your humanity fascinates me. The way you experience things, in your life span, so wildly and deeply and all at once, is entrancing. I’m drawn to it, even when I know I shouldn’t be, even when I try not to,” he lied, or maybe he just omitted the end of the sentence. He truly was enthralled, and he was probably starting to love her, but she was bound to grow old and die, a concept foreign to him; there was no way for their souls to be two halves of the same, and she couldn’t be the mate he so desperately wished for, the female who was able to understand his wants and desired without the need for an explanation.

“One day there will be answers for everything,” he concluded, anticipating her next question, before brushing his lips against her heartbreakingly warm and soft cheek. “But not until the time is right. Until it’s safe.”

[bellysoupset]

"Oh no," Bella said when Lucas walked in her room, right after the doctor had just left, "whatever happened to you?"

"What?" he frowned, moving closer to where she was sitting on the edge of the bed, in the hospital gown. Bella reached out, grabbing the neckline of his shirt and opening her legs so he could slot himself between them, her hands coming to cup his cheeks.

"You got rid of the beard," she pouted, nails scratching the now smooth surface of his cheeks, "I liked it."

Luke let out a scoff, leaning in to kiss her, hiding a smile against her lips, "so your type is shipwrecked man abandoned at a desert island?"

"You didn't look like that," Bella hummed against his mouth, pressing her forehead to his, "you missed my mom, she just left."

"No, I caught her in the hallway," Lucas turned his head, pressing his lips to her temple, "she made me promise I'd send her updates every day."

"You know you'll have to, I didn't remember to answer her texts before I got a hole in my brain."

"Don't say that," he whispered, kissing her brow, "ready to go home?"

"Fucking finally," Bella pulled back, opening a bright smile.

Her luminous smile had considerably diminished by the time Lucas helped her change into a new set of clothing, a frown taking it's place.

"Is your head hurting?" Luke asked, an arm wrapped firmly around her shoulders, helping her out of the hospital. He knew for a fact that all their friends wanted to be there, it had been only at his request that they were alone.

"Just a little," Bella pressed her forehead to his collarbone, leaning closer, "it's because of the bright light."

"Hold on..." he opened the passenger door of the car for her and reached in the glove box, getting out a pair of ridiculous sunglasses she had bought during one of the many Halloween hauls, "there you go, you look beautiful."

"You keep saying that, I'm starting to worry I look really awful," Bella scoffed, leaning back against her seat with a yawn, "I've been awake for two hours, how's it possible I'm already sleepy?" she groaned as Luke got in the driver' side.

"Your body needs to heal, take all the naps you need, baby..."

"I'm sick of this," she groaned, leaning to rest her head on his shoulder and Lucas stiffened up.

"Are you sure you wanna do that? What about the stitches?"

"Luke, shut up," Bella yawned again, hugging his bicep to her as if he was a teddy bear.

The drive wasn't long, but still she managed to doze off, waking up only when the car came to a stop and immediately reaching for her head. Lucas turned anxiously, cupping her neck.

"Bell?"

"I'm fine," she said quietly and he raised a skeptical eyebrow. She was really pale and shaky as he helped her walk up the three steps that separated their front door from the streets.

"Home sweet home," Lucas said, shutting the door behind them, "couch or bed?"

"Couch," Bella stumbled forward, tripping over the rug and he caught her before she could go crashing against the coffee table.

"It's okay, I got you," Luke maneuvered her around, sitting her down on the couch and his wife let out a groan, leaning forward and resting her forehead on his belly, since he was still standing in front of her.

"This fucking sucks, Luke..."

"I know babe," he carded his fingers gently through her curls, avoiding the stitches, the nylon poking out tickling his fingertips, "maybe you got out too early..."

"I was going to go insane if I stayed there another day," Bella scoffed, straightening up, "I need a real shower, I feel disgusting."

"In a little bit," he ran a hand down her spine, in soothing circles, "are you hungry?"

A groan answered him, which he took as a negative.

"Are you fee-"

"Stop," Bella pulled back just enough so she could glare at him, "stop, I'm fine. Act like my normal boyfriend, Luke."

"Husband."

"Yeah, that," she rolled her eyes, opening a smile, "I'm fine, I just wanna get back to my life..."

Lucas forced down what he really wanted to say — you're not fine, you had brain surgery six days ago —, opting for nodding, "Well, I'm hungry. I'm gonna order from Fredo's."

Bella looked visibly relieved at the shift and she sunk back against the couch, nodding, "get me some fries... Where's my ring?" she finally seemed to notice her naked finger, frowning.

"They asked me to take it when you went in to surgery," Lucas crouched down in front of her, taking the ring off a necklace he was wearing and slipping it in place, "there you go."

Bella hand brushed against his and she sighed, noticing the tremor, "hey..." she pushed herself up on the couch, tugging at his wrist, "c'mere."

Luke hated the fact that she was the one sporting several wounds but he was the one who needed comforting. Still, he melted into a hug, falling sit on the couch and squeezing her tightly, finally breathing out for the first time in over a week.

"I'm alright," Bella whispered, climbing on his lap and kissing his cheek, running her fingers through his hair, "I know it must've been scary, but I'm fine now, I promise."

He nodded, hiding his face against her neck, squeezing his arms around her ribcage until she let out a groan and huffed "...can't breathe, Luke."

He loosened up the hug and Bella planted a kiss to his forehead, "so, you were gonna order in?"

"Yes," his voice cracked and he blinked quickly against the stinging in his eyes, unhooking himself from her hug, "I'm gonna order you a burger too."

"I'm not hungry," she groaned, falling back against the cushions and Lucas shrugged.

"I don't care, you have to eat something."

Once the food arrived, they ate together while curled up in the living room. For all her whining about not being hungry, once Bella set her eyes on his burger she devoured half of it before Lucas could say anything.

Not that he would, he was far too happy sharing the burger and being used as seat, refusing to move even when Bell started to get heavy, her bones digging on his thigh. He leaned back, pushing all the wrapers away and snaking an arm around her.

Bella mumbled something that made no sense to him, slumping against him and Luke couldn't even be bothered to look away as he watched her eyes grow heavy once more, her cheek meeting his shoulder.

As if a cat had fallen asleep on him, he couldn't move. Instead he settled for planting his feet on the coffee table, leaning his head so he could count the freckles scattered all over her face.

He woke up around midnight, with a text from his phone. Bella was still peacefully asleep on top of him, so Lucas carefully maneuvered them both, carrying her back to bed and tucking her under the pillows, before changing into something more comfortable and glancing at the text.

Vin: hellooo?? just tell me if u guys are ok, i'm worried.

Lucas let out a chuckle, slipping under the covers and snuggling closer to Bella, before snapping a picture and sending it with a bunch of zzZZZ emojis.

It wasn't long before Vince answered with an eyeroll emoji and Lucas dropped the phone, curling up around Bells.

[ichabodjane]

Hi! May I send you a random ask?

I noticed your recent post about Arondir. The show doesn't tell us very much about his life. Do you have any headcanons about him?

Hope you have a great weekend!

Hello!

Yes, of course you can send me a random ask! Especially if it's about cinnamon roll Arondir.

Some of my headcanons about him, in no particular order:

-He as an only child.

-Even by Sindar standards, he has always been a bit of a loner, perfectly content with his own company and some plants.

-He's seen Galadriel a couple times before the battle in the Southlands. Once during the War of Wrath, rallying troops for a renewed assault, and once after Beleriand was destroyed, organizing and leading refugees to safety. (Side note: I absolutely love that when he tells Theo her name, he uses the Sindarin pronunciation, a soft "dh" (in linguistics, called the "breathy d" yes really) sound rather than the harder dental stop "d". It's such a subtle difference but Ismael nailed it. Real talk, I would watch an entire season of Ismael Cruz Cordova and Morfydd Clark speaking to each other in any of the Elvish languages.)

-He fell for Bronwyn like 2.5 seconds after meeting her (this is also Ismael Cruz Cordova's headcanon). He saw her working in her garden, singing to herself, and it was the first thing he'd seen in years and years that reminded him of his lost home. The next time he saw her, she was treating a patient and was so gentle and kind. And he was just a goner. She was a young newlywed; by the time Arondir came back through, her husband was gone and everyone was gossiping about why.

-Obviously he was hesitant to try having a normal conversation with her, because he's a quiet person in general and also she's a Southlander human. He's not really supposed to make friends with them. So for weeks or maybe months, he would just leave bundles of helpful and/or rare herbs where she'd find them. Like near her house or at the well behind the tavern.

-Eventually he worked up the courage to talk to her. He asked her a question about something she was making. Or maybe Bronwyn was the first to start a conversation, confronting him about why he was leaving things around her house but not talking to her.

-Sometimes they'd run into each other when she was in the fields and the woods, harvesting plants. They would talk about plants and healing and other things while Medhor followed at a distance, occasionally trying to give Arondir significant looks, which Arondir completely ignored.

-Arondir and Medhor are pretty close. I think Medhor would have to care about Arondir more than a little to keep his relationship with Bronywn a secret. I like to think Medhor saw Arondir on his own a lot and took it upon himself to integrate Arondir into the rest of the group stationed at the Ostirith watch tower. Like Medhor just sat next to him at dinner one night and started talking and he's never shut up since. Arondir is generally fine with his chatter. He likes to keep a mental timer of how long it takes before Medhor changes topic. It's usually under a minute.

-He really likes spicy food. He really really likes watching Medhor try and fail to eat food as spicy as Arondir eats it.

-Much like Samwise Gamgee, all Arondir wants is a bit of peace and quiet and good tilled earth to tend with the people he loves. AND HE DESERVES IT. HE DESERVES IT SO MUCH.

[pastelbatfandoms]

Marvel dr memories and a shift!

3/22/24 Had some dr memories from Erik while I was meditating with him. First ones we're kinda all over the place bits and pieces of us fighting other villains then him and I protecting each other with our powers (Magneto was helping me turn my shadow and light into a protective barrier while he made it stronger by overlapping his magnetic shield around it,while he held my hands) Then us sharing drinks together outside while looking over the courtyard of the X mansion. Us meeting for the first time, him actually kissing my hand. Then us making out in his room. Then it turned into a full memory of me coming back after leaving Shield the second time, once they figured out I had powers, Erik wasn't happy seeing as how he thought I had died not knowing I could heal myself, I tried to explain things to him, how I thought it would just complicate things if I hadn't left. He did use his powers on me by pulling me towards him via my necklace, I thought he was going to choke me and he did wrap the chain lightly around my neck but then staring at me, he let me go. And left the mansion, that was when he went to prison for "killing the president" I stayed at the mansion for awhile but as things got worse, especially Xavier and our disagreements I took a page out of Raven and Erik's book and left.

4/2/24 I've been taking a break from my Marvel dr recently but I think I had a dream or minishift idk which I'm sick and not trying to focus on what it was right now. But anyway I was in this bed that was a bit bigger then a full sized had a couple pillows and a plaid blanket on it and the room was medium sized with wood floors, desks and dressers around the room with a bunch of clutter and boxes everywhere. It was messy. I got up and went over to this nightstand that was agaisnt a wall furtherest away from the bed, it had a medium sized mirror on top leaning agaisn't the wall. As well as a bunch of nail polish and makeup all over. I remember looking into the dirty mirror and being taken a back because it didn't look like me in my cr, I looked like Chloe Bennet or Daisy. So I must have been Lili since Daisy is my twin in that dr. I had hazel eyes, shoulder length lighter brown hair and bangs parted to the sides that I kept messing with. That's all I remember before I woke up. I think I might have been in Bucky's room when he wasn't there. It did feel real and I did feel disoriented after I woke up, like I slept too long. My friend Hannah confirmed that it is very likely that was an ungrounded full shift!

5/1/24 I've been taking a break with shifting but I did get a short memory with Bucky as The Winter Soldier, we were in Hydra because I was 15-16 years old and he was holding me in a very protective way. Trying to keep me away from the guards, then Zemo walked up and Strucker walked up behind Bucky. Bucky pointed a gun at Zemo who raised is hands and told Zemo to stay away from me. Then Strucker told them to grab Bucky and Zemo took me. They took control of Bucky and Zemo took control of me which I was not happy with.

5/7/24 Had really intense visions while meditating. They were of Zemo and I. He has been trying to protect me not just from Hydra but himself as well (the reason he said he didn't love me was cause he felt like I deserved better.) We were in the back of a black car with Reinhardt and I didn't want to comply anymore, so I ran off. Zemo stopped Reinhardt before he could get to me. Werner punched him then reminded Zemo what he could do if Zemo betrayed Hydra (though he does later) I kept seeing a theme of Zemo trying to defy their orders and getting beaten down, threatened with the super soldier serum or threatening to torture me instead. Then what I gather is the fall of HYDRA. Everything in rubble, Zemo is fighting at our side. I can't travel since there's no shadows close so Zemo grabs me up sheilding me then throws me to Bucky. Who runs with me in his arms. Then we hide behind a ruined wall as I hear gun shots and Zemo fighting off Hydra agents. I see Magneto hovering in the distance using his metal powers. He gives me a small smile and nods when he sees I'm okay. There's only so much Bucky can do with his metal arm and my shadows are useless here. Just then an artifical sheild appears out of no where with the literal SHIELD logo on it. I look up and see Coulson grinning down at me. "Dad!" "Hey sweetie. Need help? I see Quake lived up to her name here…" I nod a thanks then I jump out from behind the wall along with my widow sisters Nat and Lena as I see arrows fly from Hawkeye (both of them) Us Widow sisters fight back to back as they take out there batons. I take out my glass sword, Zemo sidles up to me still with his mask on and hands me his own sword a mischevious yet loving glint in his eyes as I take it and fight. That's all I got cause like I said it was really intense but at least I know how it ended for now. I also thought I saw Zemo or a form of him in my peripheral vision yesterday which was trippy. Zemo has been trying to get through to me through music (specifically the song 'I'll do better') for a couple days now.

[witchcraft-in-wonderland]

Minecraft Diaries: The Descended (Pt.2)

The trio wasn't quite sure how long they'd been camping in the ruins of Phoenix Drop, only that it was still cold dark and fairly miserable.

"Well. . . At least we have one house built now?" Porter said, shrugging, an uneasy laugh exiting his throat.

"And thank goodness for that- I'd hate to think what would happen if we were caught out in a storm or something- or if that thing came back." Ophelia responded, dusty and yellow-paged books clutched tightly in its arms.

"I wish I could remember what it is. . . Something about it is familiar but I- I don't know how. . ." Cori was situated outside, drawing shapes in the dirt with a stick they'd splintered off from one of the trees.

It was strange- the powers they'd unlocked didn't seem to follow any sort of natural logic- knocking trees down in a single punch- building houses without having to use screws nails or hammers. It felt almost like living in a video game.

"The pages in these books are all to old for me to understand- not to mention the language they use- all these weird. . . Symbols," Ophelia muttered, looking through yet another unearthed tome.

"Not like there's much to get- we're camping out with a goddess who has pissed off what I can only assume is some freaky incarnation of the devil," Porter said, tossing a rock at a nearby group of logs.

"I should get going- if I build up more houses we won't all be in the same space- and maybe we'll be able to attract someone who knows what's going on," Cori said, standing up. Porter and Ophelia followed close behind, each holding what seemed to be makeshift axes made of stones.

Two more houses were constructed with little to no effort on the part of the young goddess, beds were constructed out of wool from passing sheep and wood from leftover logs.

"Ugh- never thought I'd have to butcher my own meat- but I guess at least we have food now huh?" Porter said, turning some raw mutton on a spit over a campfire.

"Yeah. . . This is like some freaky survival game now- you think any of our parents were expecting this?" Ophelia said, currently working on constructing a pickaxe.

"I guess ma probably was- sure would've been nice if she'd at least mildly explained what any of this was supposed to mean," Cori muttered, working on a bow and arrow using some loose string they'd found on the outskirts of the little village.

The abandoned mines that existed within the woodlands of Phoenix Drop were quite frightening to explore, but it was the only way the trio could get material for their village- so if they had to brave spiders of unreasonable size and hordes of varying undead, it would have to be worth it.

Perhaps more frightening than the caves however, was the sounds that would be heard outside at night.

Some were recognizable as the same creatures that lay within the mines, but the howling, screeching, and more animalistic sounds- the trio certainly didn't recognize.

Porter, ever impulsive, had dubbed himself a guard, and as such had positioned himself to watch over the encampment over night. Cori didn't ask him where the scars and bruises came from, if anything they were afraid to. But they had gotten ahold of many of their powers much quicker than they'd anticipated, so healing injuries was little more than an inconvenience for them.

Of course, as the shadow had said, this hadn't come without consequence.

Cori's dreams as of late had been. . . Strange.

The most recent of which detailing the adventures of what they assumed had been Lady Irene's first incarnation Aphmau, specifically, an extensive venture with local werewolf tribes.

"Werewolves. . . I can't believe they're actually real- I thought they made them for all those teen novels. . ." Cori muttered to themselves as they took up the bow, aiming for a chicken that seemed keen on escaping its makeshift pen. The chicken gave a weak cluck as the arrow made contact with its body, collapsing to the ground. Cori approached it, picking it up by the feet and taking out a small knife to begin removing its feathers.

"What? Not a fan of mutton?" Porter asked, laughing.

"It's not for me- I'm going wolf stalking." Cori said determinedly.

"We'll come with you-"

"No, you won't, I don't need you two endangering yourself, you're safer in the village." Cori said, rushing off into the woods before the two could protest.

What seemed like several hours had passed before Cori came across a huddled figure, it had ears and a tail like a wolf, but it'd body was entirely human. It was shaking, whimpering, like it was cold.

Cori dropped the raw chicken next to themself, backing up slightly as the werewolf roused itself from its slumber.

"I-I promise I'm not here to hurt you- I'm- I'm trying to find allies- for my village-" Cori said, trying to sound assertive.

"We haven't had a village in these woods for many centuries. . . I have only heard of your kind in stories. . ." Said the wolf.

"My kind? Mortals? Er- humans?" Cori replied quizzically.

"Lords. . . You smell of royal blood." The wolf replied, now finally making its way over to the chicken carcass. It's eyes were a stark icy blue, contrasting the darkness of its hair and skin, like a full moon within the night sky.

"I. . . I suppose- thats what I am-" Cori responded.

"Briak, son of Sabrione, prince of the Werewolf Pack of Phoenix Drop Woods," Briak said, attention now fully focused on eating the chicken.

"Cori Irenia- Lord of New Phoenix Drop- I suppose-" Cori responded. At this, Briak looked up, his eyes wide.

"You must come with me- now." He said, finishing off the chicken in rather impressive fashion before approaching Cori at an alarmly fast pace.

"I- what?- I just met you!." They managed to squeak out, clearly alarmed.

"You won't be harmed- I swear- but the return of a descendant of Lady Irene after so many years bodes ill omen for you and any who may call you an ally," Briak said. He began to shift, Cori cringed at the sound of creaking bones and stretching muscle before a rather large wolf stood in front of them.

Cori reached a hand out cautiously, digging their fingers into the soft fur.

"Ok, I'll join you, as long as it helps me learn more about what I am,"

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Tag List:

@thelostscholarofmcd

@cryptid-in-your-closet

@twilight-skies

@kistunegdx

[jellumellu]

CW// Abuse, vent poem, graphic descriptions of violence

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This is my first time writing poetry so it may be disorganized, I’ve finally gotten mostly over my abuse, and this was written over the course of a year and a half, edited and updated as I slowly Remembered bits of the abuse my brain blurred

Again, do not read if you are sensitive to the things listed above.

Sometimes I remember being lulled to sleep by your voice, I remember the few good moments that there were. I almost miss the way your corners of your eyes creased when you smiled, almost.

When laid onto the seemingly secure embrace of your love, I’d barely been able to catch at least half my breath, before you knocked me over. Pinning me down onto a bed of nails, you apologized with teary eyes. Fat tears dripped all over me and our wounds, they slicked the nails, sinking us further down.

Through gritted teeth I reassured you, making an attempt to get up, in the process I had to free myself from you. You cried and thrashed telling me “I know better! You have to trust me! Just stay still” and “I promise I will never make us fall all the way. So I did, you were older than me, and smarter, so why wouldn’t I?

So there we stayed, we still sunk regardless. You made yourself comfortable on top of me, praising me for keeping us up, those praises that seemed so genuine….you spoke with such sugary, and sweet words…still knowing that my being could not support us for long.

You did exactly what you said you wouldn’t

I waited patiently for the day you would get off of me, so we could walk away from the bed of nails. Day by day, you only pushed us down further. Venting out your frustrations and thrashing on my when I protested, speaking to me like a insolent child…but an adult at the same time…It was gradual, but obvious to everyone, everyone except me. They could all see the nails got thicker the lower we got. They warned me, so I tried to get up, but you took it as an insult.

“Please! If you don’t let go, we won’t be able to get up!” You went on about how I didn’t love you, and how I was leaving you all on your own. I couldn’t understand half of what you said, it hurt so bad.

I had to push you off of me.

I pushed you off of me, I got up. Feeling tendons and skin ripping and breaking. I cried fat tears that day, finally, I could cry. I could let the salt of my own tears could finally sterilize my wounds as I got up. It still hurt. It burned more than I could imagine.

My family cleaned my wounds, cradling me, disinfecting the holes in my chest with their care. They cried tears of relief as they began stitching up their child they’d created from their own flesh, blood, and love. I promised myself I would never let myself be caught by another snare like that again.

But my biggest mistake was let you come near again.

You slipped your forefinger into a wound next to my ribs, you yanked me back, interrupting me while I carefully sutured my sticky wounds. Giving little tugs “Can we still be friends? I will not force you to stay. You can leave whenever you want.”

But how was supposed to tell you I wanted to leave, although it was only a finger in my side, you still leaned back your entire weight. If I swatted your hand away

You would’ve landed right back on that bed of nails.

Time went on, my wounds healed a little, not completely, as I didn’t have time to tend to them. I had to tend to yours, they were leaking blood and pus, and when you held me close you would rub it all over my own wounds. You only pushed my saline solutions away, letting me watch as your wounds became more infected “Your saline does not work for me. It isn’t enough.” “You have to take of yourself first.” You said

So I did

I swatted your hand away

And I ran

I RAN

Away from you, away from those who said my wound were not real

You screamed and cried as soon as I did, attempting to hurt and cut up everyone who dared show me something that was even a little more than friendship.

Hell, even you began to say “They were the one that wounded ME, I’m the one who was pinned to the bed of nails…poor me”

Ignore the truth if you want, I can still hear you picking away at your infected scabs. Masking the scent with perfumes, menthol, and sugar.

I know you’re mad at me

But I don’t care

I’ve thrown away that floral top, those little purple shorts with the peach bleach stain, and those little bear socks that you loved so much.

Those awful cloth memories

The holes in my chest have since healed up, wind no longer blows through them. I am full again, with me