#our poor boi's got steam coming out his ears he's so lost

[uozlulu]

Once again cackling at Knuckle almost defeating Gon with the power of explaining business math

[cower-before-power]

Naked Attraction

Summary: A typical day in your art class turn into anything but when you’re introduced to your nude model for the week- a devastatingly gorgeous man named Levi.

Pairing: Modern AU Levi Ackerman x F!Reader

TW: Nudity, swearing, suggestive content, age gap (reader is 20, Levi is 30), dick jokes, reader is thirsty and lewds Levi hard, perhaps poorly written stuff about art and drawing because I literally know nothing haha

(minors please do not interact, just to be safe)

Link to A03 here

A/N: Hello all! This is my entry for @ghost-party’s Meet Cute Collab with my darling husband Levi. I’ve never written for him before so I was a little nervous haha, I hope I did him justice! Thank you to everyone who reads, likes, comments, and reblogs- you are all wonderful and I appreciate your support! I hope you enjoy, my sweet potatoes!

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“Morning,” Jean greets you with a crooked smile and a steaming cup of coffee. It’s the good stuff from the café by his apartment, your favourite thing to help your brain shift into creative mode. “You’re later than usual.”

You grab the cup from him, sighing as you feel the warmth bleed into your hands. “Overslept. Barely had time to get dressed and brush my teeth.”

Jean’s eyes rove over you as you sink into your chair, humming to yourself as you sip on your drink. “I can see. Do you know you’re wearing two different shoes? And I think your sweater is on inside out. Why do you still even have that ugly thing anyways?”

“Thank you for your comments,” you roll your eyes. “I know I look like a hot mess and I don’t need any words from you, Mr. I Asked The Nude Model Out And Got Shot Down.”

Jean’s ears turn red, and he shoots you a dirty look before busying himself with arranging his pencils. “Shut up.”

You snicker to yourself as you set up your own area. Last week’s model had been a soft, pretty brunette that had instantly made Jean all starry-eyed, like a teenage boy with his first crush. It was generally considered a bit taboo to ask out the nude models, but he’d thrown that aside and gone for the kill after she’d slid back into her clothes. She’d laughed and patted his cheek like he was a naughty child asking for candy before dinner. Then proceeded to walk out and climb onto the back of her boyfriend’s motorcycle (but not before making out with said boyfriend for a good 5 minutes, minimum).

Jean had been left with red cheeks and no date, and you’d been left with great blackmail material.

“I wonder who will be our victim today,” you decide to take mercy on your poor friend and change the subject. “Most likely a guy, since we had a woman last week.”

“We’ll know in about 5 minutes,” Jean looks up at the clock on the wall. “Old Cueball is never late.”

Sure enough, in exactly 5 minutes your very bald and very punctual professor casually strolls through the door. A short man in a green coat is following him, presumably your newest subject. You crane your neck, trying to get a better look at his face, but all you can see is dark hair falling like a curtain over pale skin.

“Good morning class,” Professor Pyxis greets you, tossing his briefcase down on his desk with his usual nonchalant air. “I see you are all ready, so let’s get right to it.” He gestures to the person beside him. “This is Mr. Levi Ackerman. He’s your model for the week.”

The class murmurs in curiosity as the mentioned Levi Ackerman turns to face the room.

You swear your heart actually skips a beat.

Steel gray eyes observe the room from a face that practically begs to be immortalized through art. Every line is hard and strong, covered in clear skin that looks like it would slide under your fingers like the smoothest silk. Your eyes drink in his features greedily, from the regal bridge of his nose to the proud edge of his jaw. You decide your favorite thing though, is his cheeks. They are utterly cherubic, round and full and dusted ever so lightly with the lightest shade of pink.

He’s possibly the prettiest man you have ever seen.

“Hey, I know him,” Jean whispers, cutting off your entranced thoughts. “That’s Mikasa’s distant cousin, the one I told you she found on Ancestry.com last year. I’ve met him once, he’s got a stick so far up his butt, he’d need surgery to remove it. Never would have pegged him for the type to do this sort of thing.”

You vaguely remember a previous conversation involving Jean’s childhood friend and some long lost relatives.

“He doesn’t look that uptight,” you muse, too busy admiring the way his lips glint temptingly under the fluorescents to really process Jean’s words. “He’s beautiful, like something out of a Renaissance painting.”

Jean opens his mouth to reply, but Pyxis begins to speak.

“As usual, draw whichever side of him is facing you, all angles will be graded equally,” your professor plops himself down in his chair, already scrolling through his phone to find the playlist for the day. “Completed drawings to be submitted to me by the end of class on Friday. Please remember be respectful and courteous to our guest. Mr. Ackerman, whenever you’re ready.”

The man nods to your professor, already slipping out of his coat as he steps up onto the platform in the center of the room. You watch, mesmerized, as he proceeds to shed himself of his clothes. It’s rigid and methodical (he folds his clothes like he’s worked his whole life in a department store), but somehow oddly endearing. Every inch of his body that is revealed is consumed eagerly by your shameless stare, and you sincerely hope you don’t start drooling. By the time he carefully removes his final items, you feel like you are vibrating in your seat.

Holy fucking shit, he’s built like a god. Like Michelangelo himself carved him out of a block of the most pristine marble. You trace your gaze down the column of his throat, over the strong shoulders and sinewy arms, the impressive set of abs, the thighs that look like they could crush your head and you’d be nothing but happy about it. It takes a minute before you’re able to make yourself look between his thighs, and when you finally do, you have to looks away immediately. Good grief, even that is stupidly handsome. You can’t help but wonder if it would feel as nice as it looks.

Your face heats from your lewd thoughts, and you grip your pencil so hard it almost snaps. Beside you, Jean snickers.

“You okay over there? It looks like you’re about to explode.”

“Can it,” you hiss, glad that the ambient music Pyxis chose will probably keep your conversation private. “I can’t help it that I’m looking at the most gorgeous dick attached to the most gorgeous man I think I’ve ever seen.”

“You haven’t seen mine.”

“I don’t own a microscope.”

“Ooooh, see if I buy you coffee tomorrow, bitch.”

You stick your tongue out at him before turning back to your easel. As you move, you catch the gaze of Levi, his expression unreadable. Warmth creeps up the back of you neck, and you duck behind your sketchpad in embarrassment. You seriously hope he didn’t hear you, he’d probably report you to Pyxis for being creepy. You decide to lock all your stupid horny thoughts deep within the recesses of your mind, and take a few deep breaths to clear your head.

It works, and as you touch pencil to paper, the desire to create overflows inside of you.

Unsurprisingly, you become utterly engrossed in your work, your pencil sweeping over the pad with almost a mind of it’s own. Levi is the perfect model; you swear he’s not even breathing as he majestically hold his pose without even a quiver. The contours of his body spring to life on the page, and you can’t stop the joyful smile that blooms on your lips as you work. It’s times like these, when everything is so perfect, that you truly realize just how much you love making art.

Before you know it, Pyxis announces class is over, and you’ll resume with Levi tomorrow. The man of the hour begins to re-dress as your fellow classmates pack up their supplies and file out. You absent mindedly wave to Jean, who is practically sprinting out the door so he can make his next class all the way across campus. You’re still engrossed in your drawing, staring at it with critical eyes. It good, one of the best starts you’ve had all year, but now that the high of creating has worn off, you can see where you need to improve.

“You’re very good.”

You gasp and jump, whirling around to find Levi standing behind you, eyes fixed on your sketch. How did he even get there? You hadn’t seen him or heard him.

“Oh, uh, Mr Ackerman!” You squeak, your heart racing like you’ve just run a marathon.  “T-that’s very nice, I mean, thank- thank you very much!”

“It’s Levi,” your muse says, seemingly unbothered by your stammering. “Yours is going to be the best one here.”

You blink stupidly at his bold statement. “Did you look at all of them?”

“No,” Levi’s voice is firm, a tone that brokers no argument. “But you had the most joy on your face while you worked. That much passion doesn’t churn out stuff that looks like shit.”

“Oh, that’s only because you are such a great model,” you gush, insides turning warm at his praise. “You stayed so still and you looked so damn regal and you’re just so pretty and-” Your eyes go wide as you realize the absolute words vomit leaving your mouth, mortification slithering up your spine.

“I’m pretty?” Levi raises an eyebrow. “You think I’m pretty?”

“No!” You shout, and the man’s other eyebrow joins the first. “No wait, yes! I mean, fuck, I mean you are probably the most handsome man I’ve ever seen!”

Levi’s eyebrows have now practically become one with his hairline. You wring your hands, wishing the floor would just open up and swallow you. “I-well- come on, people must tell you how good looking you are! I can’t be the first.”

“No, but you certainly are the most enthusiastic about it,” Levi deadpans.

Oh, someone just put you out of your misery now.

“I’m sorry,” you offer, cringing internally at your complete ineptitude to hold a conversation with an attractive man. “I....get carried away sometimes.”

“It’s fine,” Levi’s stoic expression softens just a little. “It’s kind of nice to hear, actually. Usually I’m told I’m good looking, but ‘far too short’.”

“That’s bullshit.” you say vehemently, honestly shocked people would deny this man his godhood over something as trivial as height. “Who cares if you’re shorter? It doesn’t detract from you. What’s that phrase again? Good things come in small packages? Well, not that you’re small, I’m not saying that, I just meant-”

“Yes, you did seem to find my package....good,” Levi interrupts, and you swear you see the corners of his lips twitch upwards.

Your eyes widen in horror as your brain replays your hushed conversation with Jean. “You heard that?!”

“I’m told I have exceptionally good hearing.”

“Oh fuck me,” you groan, burying your face in your hands. “I am literally so, so, sorry. That was completely out of line. I have no excuse other than it’s clearly been too long since I’ve gotten some, but that’s no reason to make you uncomfortable. Please, if there’s anything I can do to to make it up to you, I’ll do it!”

“Have tea with me.””

Your head shoots up, surprise coloring your features. “What?”

“Tch, you heard me,” Levi tuts, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out his phone. “I haven’t got free time till Saturday-stupid Shitty Glasses wanting to trade shifts-but if you want to go out, give me your number and we can work out the details.”

You stare at him with your mouth open, unsure if this is really happening or you’re vividly daydreaming again.

“Umm, are you sure?” You ask, wondering if you should pinch yourself to see if you are indeed imagining things. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m wearing two different shoes and my sweater is inside out. Believe me when I say these sorts of fashion statements happen more often than not. Plus, I practically salivated over you like some sort of horny middle aged suburban housewife who hasn’t been laid in years.” You pause to take a breath, once again unable to stop the words from spewing forth like a fountain. “And I’m so awkward! I mean, are you comfortable in this conversation? And I can’t stop talking once I’ve gotten going, and I say the weirdest shit, and, and-”

“I like you,” he says simply, as if he’s just declared something as obvious as 1+1=2. “I couldn’t give a flying fuck about all the stuff you just said, you’re just... you, and I like it. So, do you want to go on a date or not?”

“O-oh,” you suddenly feel shy, your tummy filling with butterflies at the look of sincerity on his handsome face. You’d never met anyone quite like Levi Ackerman before, and you weren’t about to pass up the opportunity to get to know the man behind the drool-worthy muscles.  “Uh, yes, please, I would like that. Very much.”

An almost relieved expression crosses Levi’s face, and he hands you his phone to type in your number. You notice the time as you do so, and sigh sadly as you hand him his device back.

“Well I better go,” you say reluctantly, suddenly fervently wishing it was Saturday already. “I’ve got another class in 15 minutes.”

“I’ll walk you there,” Levi says briskly, slipping his phone back into his coat. “To make sure you get there safely. Someone might murder you on account of their eyes being assaulted by that garish sweater. ” The corners of his lips twitch upwards once again, and you grow warm all over, from both his gentle teasing and the knowledge he isn’t quite ready to say goodbye yet either.

“Excuse me, I thought you said you didn’t give a ‘flying fuck’ about my attire,” you huff, but you’re grinning as you quickly pack up your bag.

“I don’t care it’s inside out, but you have to know that is the ugliest fucking color know to man,” Levi says, holding out his hand. Your brain malfunctions slightly for a moment, until you realize he’s offering to carry your bag for you. The butterflies inside you whip themselves into a frenzy as you pass him your stuff, your hand just grazing over his. Handsome, funny, honest, and sweet? How is this guy even real?

“I’ll have you know, this sweater is an absolute delight. When it’s inside right,” you stick up your nose, but unable to stop he laugh that slips past your lips.

Levi rolls his eyes in an almost playful manner. “Doubtful .”

You’re not sure where it comes from, but a sudden rush of confidence fills you. “If you’re so offended by it, maybe you should just rip it off of me.”

The tips of Levi’s ears turn a delightful shade of pink. You’re sure your own skin is hot enough to cook an egg on.

“Wear it Saturday then,” Levi’s ears may be flushed, but his eyes flash with something that makes your spine tingle. The insinuation of his words has your gut clenching and your mind whispering fervent prayers to please please please make Saturday get here faster, I don’t ask for much, please!

“Only if you wear your modeling outfit,” you manage to say, trying your best to sound coy when you feel like you might combust into a pile of lust and giddiness. “I’ve never seen someone wear it so well, and I want a closer look.”

If possible, Levi’s eyes grow even darker, and you just know Saturday is going to be one of the best damn days of your entire life.

“Deal.”

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Taglist: @clovertitan @millenialfanfictionaddiction @stigandr-the-cat @axoxtxhxh @bowandcurtsey​ @chaotic-nick​ @manjiroarchiviste​

[babylooneytoonz]

the Vessel [ Pt. 14 ]

— pairing: Geralt of Rivia x reader

— summary: You, Geralt and Jaskier are on the road again, and something is on the Witcher's mind. How would you react to it?

— warnings: a lot of fluff🥺

*Please reblog if you like it, do not repost or claim my work as yours.

[My Masterlist] [My Witcher Masterlist - Read the other parts here!]

"I'm still here, you know?" Jaskier deadpanned, kicking a stone that came his way, cradling his long lost lute like a baby.

You chuckled at his words and sunk back into your lover's arms, who was seated on the mare behind you, your head now resting against his sturdy chest as you looked up at him and he looked down at you, smirking slightly.

"Come on Geralt, Jaskier's jealous. He thinks you've stopped focusing on him now that I'm here," you giggled playfully as Geralt shook his head, amused and craned his neck slightly, giving your earlobe a bite.

"Well, I'm not jealous, but I definitely feel like a third wheel, and in dire need of an inn—"

"Or a brothel," you added, and Geralt hummed in agreement with you, his thick, veiny arms locking around your now wide girth making you feel ticklish and squirm, "On a serious note, Geralt. Can we stop? I really need to take a piss. And a bath."

"Gosh, [Y/N]." Jaskier pretended to cover his ears dramatically, "You're the Princess of Cintra!"

"So?" You scowled, taking your foot out of the saddle and jutting out your leg so you could kick your friend's bottom but he dodged it, "Do princesses not take a piss? Besides, I am not a Princess anymore."

"What?" Geralt and Jaskier said out loud, together. And you nodded. Whelp. In all the drama, you had forgotten to actually tell them why you had run away. Or that— you had run away.

"Well, I sort of left it?" You drawled, absentmindedly and Geralt nudged you slightly, looking down at you, concerned.

"Why?" He raised a brow.

"Well, it seems that not only did the Witcher had some things to hide," Jaskier began, and you glared at him, "by the looks of it, you have something to tell us [Y/N]?"

You scowled, running your hand sheepishly through your hair and began clearing your throat, when Jaskier interrupted, "Don't tell me Queen Calanthe decided to name your baby Podrick."

You gave him a look of disbelief at first; but couldn't keep a straight face, as you bursted out laughing.

"What's wrong with the name Podrick for a boy?" You asked, wiggling your brows at him, and Geralt shook his head, faintly, silently amused.

"Well, Princess [Y/N], if you have a boy, you are naming him after me. Jaskier, obviously?" He smiled at you, wiggling his brows in retaliation.

"Or maybe, Dandelion?" You began, and both Jaskier and Geralt muttered, "No." At the same time.

"I won't have my son named after a flower, for fucks sake," he grumbled under his breath, and you pouted, pushing out your lower lip as you felt Geralt's palm ghost over your belly, protectively securing his palm over the bulge of it and you smiled.

"What happened in Cintra?" Geralt suddenly asked, manouvring the conversation back to where it had started from, and you looked down at your hands, rubbing them against the fabric of your dress.

"Mother wanted me to marry Foltest."

Upon hearing your words, the Witcher stiffened, his hand slowly pulling away. Suddenly, he tugged at Roach's reins so hard, the poor mare stopped."Ouch," you cursed under your breath, and then tried to pacify the sudden uncomfortable silence between the three of you by making small talk, "What?"

"I'm sorry but your mother wanted you to marry that sister fucker? Isn't that right Geralt?" Jaskier nudged your foot that was in the saddle and you sighed, your shoulders tensing slightly. Geralt was morosely quiet, and although he was a man of few words, you felt like this revelation was going to stop the progress that he was making with you.

"She thought that's the only way to protect me. And this baby. Because a lot of enemies will want to get their hands on me. Although, it's stupid, right? I mean, I have Geralt to take care of me," you muttered absentmindedly, staring at the flock of birds that flew past your mare.

It was only when Geralt cleared his throat, a little to coursely, that you craned your neck slightly towards him and noticed how his jaw had clenched, and he was fisting the reins in his grip.

"Shall we move on? We should reach a village in an hour or two. We can see if an inn can accomodate us," he bluntly added, and you blinked, looking down at Jaskier and giving him a questioning look.

Lucky for the three of you, the three of you reached a nearby village sooner than you had expected. By that time, you were exhausted; your body sore at all the odd spots that you couldn't even put a name to or say it out loud. Geralt helped you get off Roach, his movements being tender, but he did not even once, try to talk to you.

The three of you entered the tavern, Jaskier leading the way in while you waddled through in the middle, as much as your bump allowed you to move. Geralt was in the extreme end, and you couldn't see much of him, or hear from him, except for a few occasional grunts you received.

Geralt got the three of you the last of the two rooms that were available and Jaskier disappeared into the first one, leaving you and Geralt to settle down in your own shared room.

You sat down by the edge of the bed, the bed creaking when you put your weight on it. Geralt placed his sword by the chair, before his hands came to rest against the fabric of his shirt and he started prying it off.

"Are you going to say something?" You finally asked, pulling both your hands together and rubbing them as though you were cold, "You've been sulking ever since I told you about what happened in Cintra."

Geralt grunted under his breath, and instead of replying to you, he moved past you to where a metal bathing tub, big enough to fit in the two of you, had already been set out, the water warm, and steam arising out of it. Geralt lowered his slacks, letting it fall to the floor as he stepped out of it, practically ignoring you. You could hear the sound of him wading into the water.

Sighing to yourself, you slowly lifted yourself off the edge of the bed, and turned to face the witcher, who was now seated against the tub, his arms holding the sides of the tub as he looked at you. Slowly, you let your tunic drop to the floor as you stepped out of it. It would have been a lie to say that you felt sexy, especially with your baloon belly that didn't let you look down at your feet. But you really needed that warm bath, to cure the soreness you were feeling.

Geralt threw out his palm towards you when he saw you step into the bathtub and you were thankful for it. He helped you get in and finally, you settled yourself in between the Witcher's legs, letting the back of your head rest against his sturdy chest, feeling the rise and the fall of it, "You're angry with me."

"Not with you. I'm just angry in general," Geralt retorted, and you couldn't help but roll your eyes at him.

"I'm not marrying Foltest. You should know that. Not after all that happened between us." You stared at the ceiling, while Geralt scooped some water into his palms and poured them on top of your head, trying to give you a head bath.

"When you said that, it got me thinking," Geralt suddenly began, as his fingers began to lather against your wet hair, his fingers rubbing through your scalp, making all the tension and the knots in your body melt away, but what words followed afterwards, only made the tension once again spiral back, "What happens once you give birth? Will you and the baby travel and be on the roads with a fucking Witcher? Who cannot settle in one place?"

"Geralt, where is all this coming from?" You turned to face him, letting your legs slide behind his body, with your baby bump now between you and his body forming a shield around it.

"Just got me thinking.. what kind of a life am I gonna be able to give you?"

Your fingers were now drawing intrinsic patterns over his chest, but your eyes were looking into his, trying to reach out to the man that hid beneath the facade of a cold, unemotional Witcher, "I don't care Geralt, all I know is that I want you."

"I want you too but I am thinking of your future." He said, stroking the side of your face with his wet thumb.

"I don't care if our love's forbidden, all I care about is that I want to be with you, I want us to raise our baby together," you slowly dropped your hand into the water, your hand finding his as you clasped your fingers with his and pulled out his hand. You brought it up to your baby bump, placing your hand tenderly over his. Geralt's breathing hitched, his huge palm draped protectively over your unborn baby and you smiled at him.

"I'm scared I will disappoint you. We Witchers weren't exactly meant to be domestic," He brought your palm up to his lips and planted a warm, chaste kiss on the inside of your palm, "I'm going to disappoint you and our baby. And you're going to hate me for the life I couldn't give you."

"No you won't. You underestimate yourself. You might be intimidating and cold on the exterior Geralt, but you—" Your smile widened, and Geralt popped his brow up, waiting for you to continue, "You are one big softie secretly."

"No, I'm not," he said, sounding fake serious.

"Oh yes, you are. You're a big bear," you playfully pulled your hand away from his, and splashed him with water. His eyes widened when the splash hit him, his lips pursing together.

"Geralt, I — I'm sorry."

"Oh, no love. This is war."

Geralt used his two hands to scoop as much water as he could and splashed you back and you let out a playful screech, "Geralt!"

"What? You called it. Come on now."

Geralt towered over the bathtub, the towel wrapped securely around his waist, covering his manhood, droplets of water rolling down his chest and his calves. He threw out a palm towards you and you whined; the water was too soothing for your exhausted body and you didn't want to get out. But there was no standing against the White Wolf. He slowly helped you up, making you stand, and carefully holding you by your waist so you didn't slip, as the pads of your feet were wet; he waited patiently for you to step out.

"Worried I'll catch a cold? I'm stronger that that." You drawled as you placed your hand into his.

Once you were out, he slowly turned you towards him to face him and wrapped a towel around your frame, using it to tap dry you all over.

"You pamper me, love," you smiled, letting your palm rest against your chest as he now worked to dry your hair.

"This is nothing compared to the happiness you are gifting me with."

You gave him a weak smile as you sat down by the edge of the bed, and slid into your comfortable slip, pulling it over your face and your neck, letting your eyes shut. After a few seconds, you opened your eyes, only to find the Witcher kneeling down between your legs, his eyes on your belly.

"You would never have been possible if it wasn't for your mother," Geralt whispered to your stomach in a tender way, momentarily glancing up into your eyes.

"Mhm, don't listen to the crap this man is feeding you with, Podrick."

"Not with that name again, [Y/N]." Geralt grumbled under his breath, but you could see a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. He let his forehead rest against your bump as he fluttered his eyes shut and inhaled your sweet fragrance, his hands holding you from your hips, "Besides, I have a feeling it's going to be a little girl, with eyes like her mother. She is going to take over on you. Not that I would have it any other way."

"Oh, Witcher, my Witcher ," You pulled him up to sit next to you as you leaned in to kiss him, and he slowly arched forward, his lips melting into yours as he mumbled between the kiss, "You might be a future Queen of Cintra, but you are my queen this day forward."

When you pulled apart, licking your lips, tasting the aftermath of Geralt's lips on you, you suddenly grabbed his wrists, and smiled cheekily, "let me do your braids, love."

"Go to sleep," he grumbled, moving away but you caught his hand again, giving him a sad pout, "Please?"

"Fine," he grumbled as he sat down on the floor in front of you, his back turned towards you, his elbows resting on his knees as he turned his gaze to the side, instead of turning to face you completely, "only this once." He turned back around, a small smile playing on his lips. Who was he kidding, he wanted you to braid his hair every single day. He fluttered his eyes shut, letting out an exhale as your fingers dug through his scalp, pulling his hair back.

Geralt woke up rather abruptly.

He sat up in bed, squirming slightly but when he turned towards you, sleeping peacefully on your side, your arm protectively draped over your beautiful bump, his heart swelled twice the size it was. You looked so innocent, so pure and you were his.

Gently, he pried the covers off, sliding his feet to the edge until the pads of his feet were resting against the cold ground. He stood up, and grabbed his discarded clothes that were strewn all over the floor, sliding into his slacks before he pulled his crumpled tunic over his head.

He turned to look at your sleeping form once before he slowly walked out of the bedroom, ensuring to let the door close as quietly as possible.

He dragged himself downstairs. He was starving after the night, but all he needed was a pitcher of ale to set him up. The tavern was empty, except for one or two men who did not have a steady job, so they had found themselves drinking at the tavern. The usual rush came in the evening.

Holding his pitcher in his left hand, he made his way to a table in the back, that overlooked the window. He sat down, huddling in a corner, bringing the pitcher up to his lips, when someone slammed himself in the chair in front of him.

"Rough night?"

"Speak for yourself, Jaskier, " Geralt smirked, as he brought the pitcher to his lips, eyeing him.

"Why on earth do you think I am hiding in a corner like this?" Jaskier blinked, wiggling his brows.

"Jaskier, don't drag me into the messes you create," Geralt hummed, taking a sip of the ale.

"You look different. You have a glow. Now I am curious. Did [Y/N] give you a beauty treatment?" He said smugly, letting his elbows rest against the table as he grabbed a piece of meat and tossed it into his mouth.

When Geralt didn't reply, Jaskier arched his body even more forward, leaning almost close to Geralt and Geralt scowled.

"I see you let her braid your hair."

"Fuck off," Geralt murmured, tight-lipped. He would have said more, but something in the back caught his attention, and his jaw dropped. Jaskier, following Geralt's gaze, slowly turned towards the direction where Geralt was looking at and that's when he saw what he was staring at— it was you.

You were standing by the counter, in a long, flowy dress, a beautiful white flower fixed to your hair, talking to the owner of the tavern. You slowly looked up from whatever you were talking to the owner about, and as though you had felt his eyes on him, you looked right at Geralt, the corners of your lips tugging into a warm smile. Jaskier looked from you back to Geralt, noting the smile that had formed on his friend's lips as you made your way towards him.

"Morning, husband. What do we have in here for breakfast? Your baby is starving," you gave Jaskier a wink, and Jaskier's jaw dropped, as he spat out the ale that he was drinking, splashing it all over the table, coughing and hitting his chest as though something was lodged into his throat.

You and Geralt looked at each other, and Geralt sat back, patting on his thigh as you sat doen on his lap, and Geralt locked his arm around you. "What did you say?" Jaskier asked, standing up, his hands on his hips, "HUSBAND?! You're married now? What happened in that bedroom last night?"

"Words, words, words and confessions?" Geralt's arm held you steady on his lap and you turned towards him, your nose touching his as you bit your lip, "Well, the Butcher of Blaviken declared he wanted to live his action packed life with me."

Geralt grumbled under his breath; and you kissed the tip of his nose, biting it teasingly, "Now husband? Where's the food?"

Geralt smacked your thigh playfully, and you immediately stood up, before Geralt was up too, "On it, woman."

A/N: okay for those who are wondering if they missed a chapter in between, wherein they got married then no you did not. I didn't write their wedding descriptively. They got married at the inn during the night, which I chose not to write because I had no freaking idea how to😂

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[peachbear88]

Tale as Old as Time

A/N: Yes, it's basically Beauty and the Beast. I LOVE DISNEY MOVIES OKAY?

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

You shiver on the cold stone of the jail cell, wrapping your cloak tighter around you. How did you end up in the jail cell? A series of long, unfortunate events.

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

The door to your shabby home swings close as you prance down the cobble streets, book in hand.

"Little town,"

"It's a quiet village."

"Every day,"

"Like the one before."

"Little town,"

"Full of little people,"

"Waking up to say."

Windows are flung upon as the townspeople peer down at you.

"Bonjour!"

"Bonjour."

"Bonjour!"

"Bonjour!

"Bonjour."

A man with a long white apron proffers a tray of fresh, steaming buns towards you and you snatch one, nodding your thanks.

"There goes the baker with his tray like always,"

"The same old bread and rolls to sell."

He opens his mouth to protest but thinks better of it.

"Every morning just the same,"

"Since the morning that we came,"

"To this poor provincial town."

A man approaches you, tipping his hat.

"Good morning Y/N." You smile at his kind, pudgy face.

"Good morning Monsieur Hogan. Have you lost something?"

"Well, I believe I have. Problem is I can't remember what." He scratches his chin. "Oh well. I'm sure it'll turn up somewhere." His eyes float down to the book clutched in your hand. "Where you off to?"

"To return this book to Monsieur T'Challa. It's about 2 lovers in fair Verona." He snorts.

"Sounds boring."

You shrug and continue down the stone path towards the small town library.

"Look there she goes, that girl is strange no question."

A small band of boys watch you as you walk down the street.

"Dazed and distracted can't you tell?"

"Never part of any crowd,"

"'Cause her head's stuck on some cloud."

"No denying she's a funny girl that Y/N.”

The marketplace is bustling as usual as you slip through the many stalls. The familiar buzz of conversation fills your ears.

"Bonjour, good day, how is your family?"

"Bonjour, good day, how is your wife?"

"I need, 6 eggs."

"That's too expensive."

You sigh, spinning around.

"There must be more than this provincial life!"

You fling the door of the library open to find your second favorite person in the world, T'Challa, dusting the shelves.

"Ah, if it isn't the only bookworm in town! Where did you run off to this week?" He waves the duster at you, making you cough.

"Two cities in Northern Italy. I didn't want to come back. D'you have any new books?" You inquire, leaning over the small collection piled in the corner.

"I'm afraid not," He sighs. "But you may read any of the old ones you'd like."

You pick out your personal favorite.

"Your library makes our small corner of the world feel big." T’Challa smiles.

"Bon voyage!" He shouts as you close the door behind yourself.

"Look there she goes, that girl is so peculiar,"

"I wonder if she's feeling well." A scholar mused as you passed.

"With a dreamy far-off look,"

"And her nose stuck in a book."

"What a puzzle to the rest of us is Y/N."

You hop onto the stone wall of the well, still reading the book, nearly stepping on the hands of the laundresses cleaning on the edge of the well.

"Oh, isn't this amazing?" You twirl around on the stone wall, earning many disgruntled looks from the laundresses. "It's my favorite part because, you'll see." You hop off the stone wall, continuing down the path back to your home. "Here's where she meets Prince Charming, but she won't discover that it's him, till chapter 3."

"Now it's no wonder that her nickname is Beauty,"

"Her looks have got no parallel."

A disgruntled mother says, her fair daughters standing behind her, glaring daggers at you.

"But behind that fair facade,"

"I'm afraid she's rather odd."

"Very different from the rest of us,"

"She's nothing like the rest of us,"

"Yes, different from the rest of is Y/N!"

Peering through his golden telescope at you, Steve Rogers sighs from atop his handsome horse.

"Look at her Sam. My future wife." He hands Sam the telescope who accepts it rather reluctantly. "Belle is the most beautiful girl in the village. Makes her the best." He whispers confidentially, waggling his eyebrows. Sam cringes.

"But she's so... well-read. And you're so..." He looks Steve up and down. "Athletically-inclined." Steve waves him off, setting his horse at a healthy trot towards the town.

"Yes, ever since the war, I felt like I've been missing something. She's the only girl that has ever given me that sense of..."

"Je ne sais quoi?" Sam proffers. Steve scoffs, entering the village.

"I don't know what that means."

"Right from the moment when I met her, saw her,"

"I said she's gorgeous and I fell."

"Here is town there's only she,"

"Who is beautiful as me."

"So I'm making plans to woo and marry Y/N."

The fair girls from before swoon as Steve walks by, who only has eyes for you.

"Look there he goes,"

"Isn't he dreamy?"

"Monsieur Rogers!"

"Oh he's so cute!"

"Be still my heart,"

"I'm hardly breathing,"

"He's such a tall, dark, strong and handsome brute!"

They shriek in disgust as Steve hops off his horse, splattering them with mud. Sam hops off his horse as well.

"It's never going to happen ladies." He whispers as they whimper in distress.

"Bonjour!"

"Pardon!" Steve attempts to push through the crowds to get to you.

"Good day!"

"Mais oui!"

"You call this bacon?"

"What lovely flowers!"

"Some cheese, ten yards, one pound-"

"Please let me through!" He grabs a bouquet of flowers from a nearby stall.

"This bread."

"Those fish!"

"It's stale!"

"They smell."

"Madame's mistaken!"

"Well maybe so-"

You burst through the masses of people, twirling as you reach your home.

"There must be more than this provincial life!"

Steve slicks back his hair, approaching you at a smart pace.

"Just watch, I'm going to make Y/N my wife!"

The town resumes their unashamed staring at you.

"Look there she goes the girl is strange but special,"

"A most peculiar mademoiselle!"

"It's a pity and a sin,"

"She doesn't quite fit in."

"'Cause she really is a funny girl,"

"A beauty but a funny girl,"

"She really is a funny girl,"

"That Y/N."

The townsfolk resume their normal quarrel and haggling as you slip through the flimsy gate and through your cabbage patch. Steve follows.

"Y/N!" You turn to find Steve flashing you what he thinks is a dashing smile. You recoil in disgust, instantly speeding up your pace, hoping to get inside before he can get to you. A flood of hope grips you as your hand wraps around the door handle but a strong arm grips your other wrist and you deflate.

Sighing, you turn to face Steve.

"Yes Monsieur Rogers?" He flashes a greasy smile your way and shoves the flowers into your face.

"For your dinner table! May I join you tonight?"

At least he has the manners to ask, you think.

"Not tonight, no." He deflates slightly.

"Oh. Busy?" You wince, prying his fingers off your wrist.

"Not exactly."

"Oh. Then why not-" You cut him off.

"Listen, I really have to go. Books to read, places to explore, people to ignore." You open the door, sliding in and closing it before he can follow you. "Good bye."

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

You sigh with relief, taking a moment to catch your breath before continuing further into your home. A drawing pinned to the drawing board catches your eye. A charcoal sketch of you. Well, baby you to be exact. A smile graces your lips as you tear your eyes away from the sketch and to your father, Tony Stark. He hums a small tune as he tinkers with an elegant music box.

"How does a moment last forever?"

"How can a story never die?"

"It is love we must hold onto,"

"Never easy, but we try."

"Sometimes our happiness is captured,"

"Somehow our time and place stand still."

"Love lives on inside our hearts,"

"And always will."

You wrap your arms around him and he smiles.

"Hello papa."

"Hello Y/N. D'you think you could pass me the-" You roll your eyes, handing him the tool before he finishes his sentence. "-tweezers- Oh. Thank you." He pulls a broken cog from the music box. "And now, something long and thin-" You pull the hairpin from your hair and hand it to him. He glances at it and a smirk grows on his face. "No, no, not quite-" He glances at the machine again. "Actually, yes, exactly."

With a final prod, the music box comes to life once again. The two of you share a small smile before he shoves it into his leather satchel and hauls it outside. You follow him, watching as he loads it into a rickety wooden cart along with a few other items. Your horse, Elm scuffs the cobbled pathways with his hooves, eager to get a move on.

"Well, I'm off to the market dear. Anything you'd like me to get for you?" You smile, leaning against the horse as Tony swings his leg over the horse to straddle it.

"A rose." He scoffs, tipping his hat down to you.

"You ask for that every year!"

"And you bring it ever year." You retort and he smiles, giving you a quick peck on the forehead.

"Very well. A rose you shall receive. I'll see you in a few days!" With a flick of his wrists, Elm starts off at a trot and Tony waves goodbye one more time.

"Be careful," You whisper as he disappears from your sight. With a sigh, you return to the house.

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

You throw your dirty clothes into a barrel, adding some soap rinds into the mix before carrying it to the town well and rigging it to a horse which marches around the well. You smile proudly at your handy work. Self sufficient laundry machine.

Leaning against the wooden support beam with a sigh, you pull out your book and start reading. A small voice next to you grabs your attention.

"What are you doing?" You smile at her.

"Laundry. Come, come!" You pat the spot next to you encouragingly. Tentatively, she sits next to you and you hand her the book.

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

The pastor storms towards you and the little girl.

"Teaching another girl to read? Isn't one enough?" He sneers. You glare back at him, snapping your book closed indignantly.

"Nothing wrong with wanting to know more."

"We've got to do something about this." His wife mutters.

Before you can comprehend the meaning of her words, a man pulls your barrel of clothes out of the well and throws them to the ground, spilling the contents everywhere. You fall to your knees, scrambling to pick up the clothes as others laugh at you.

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

"Wow. You are so beautiful. No wonder everyone wants to marry you. So dashing." Steve whispers seductively, flexing in front of the mirror. Sam clears his throat causing Steve to jump. "What do you want Sam?"

"A certain damsel in distress awaits you." He quirks an eyebrow, gesturing with his head to where you crouch, gathering your sopping wet garments. He turns back to the mirror, slicking his hair back.

"It's hero time. I'm not done with you yet." He winks at the mirror before rushing to you. Sam leans into the frame of the mirror.

"Me neither."

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

From the corner of your eye, you spot Steve approaching rapidly. Gathering the last of your clothes, you scurry away.

"Ah Y/N!" You groan at your luck. "I heard you got in trouble with the pastor. S'all right. He never liked me anyways."

You groan in frustration.

"I was just teaching a child to read!" He smirks, sliding closer. You step back.

"The only children you should be concerning yourself with are..." He gestures between the two of you. You arch an eyebrow. "Your own!" You scoff, slipping through the gate and into the cabbage patch. He jumps over the flimsy gate and stomps towards you, squashing at least 4 cabbages. You watch him with barely disguised disgust.

"Look, you know what happens to girls when their fathers die? They end up like poor Agatha, forced to beg for scraps!" He points at Agatha, a rather kind but unlucky woman.

"Well, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." You reply coldly.

"Look, let me make it simpler for your tiny female brain." He growls. You arch an eyebrow at his choice of words. "Marry me and you will never have to deal with that." You scoff.

"Marry you? I'd rather marry a rock." You slam the door in his face. He sighs, rubbing his face with a calloused hand. Dejected, he walks back to where Sam stands. You glare at him from where you stand on the balcony.

"Can you imagine, me, the wife of that boorish, brainless..."

"Madame Rogers,"

"Can't you just see it?"

"Madame Rogers,"

"His little wife."

You groan in disgust.

"No sir, not me,"

"I guarantee it,"

"I want much more than this provincial life!"

You sprint towards the green hills a good distance from the walls of the village.

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere,"

"I want it more than I can tell."

"And for once it might be grand,"

"To have someone understand,"

"I want so much more than they've got planned..."

You sigh, running a grime covered hand through your hair before returning to your home.

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

You're pulling the ripe cabbages from the ground when it all comes crashing down.

A panicked whine comes from beside you. Your head shoots up to find Elm, pawing at the gate nervously.

"Elm? Where is papa?" Elm rears back, clearly skittish. "Take me to him!

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

You arrive at a monstrous looking castle, stone gargoyles with vicious fangs guarding the doors. You gulp, brandishing a large stick. The door handle is cool to the touch, sending shivers down your spine. You enter to find a well lit entrance hall, adorned with brilliant paintings and sculptures, although in the dark, they appear much more menacing.

With a gulp, you continue on, bringing the massive stick a little closer.

"Look Doctor Strange! A girl!" A voice whispers from the shadows.

"Yes I know it's a girl! I can see." A second, older voice snaps.

You whirl around but all you see is a flash of misty blue. Squaring your shoulders, you prepare yourself to investigate the blue wisps when a rough cough sounds out from above.

"Papa!" You race up the winding stairs into a much more sinister looking tower. Laying there on the cold stone floor is your father, his face pale and body shaking with each cough. The cold sunlight illuminates his face and he jumps up, grabbing the metal bars of his cell.

"Y/N, what are you doing here?" You shake out of stupor, smacking the iron bars in a futile attempt to free him.

"I'm here to rescue you." Fear floods his features.

"No! You must get out of here! I'm old and my days are numbered. But you, you're young and you have so much to live for. Go, get out of here before she comes back!" You scrunch your face.

"She?" Massive footsteps echo from further up the stairwell. You raise the stick in front of you. A tall shadow appears on the stone walls of the tower. You gulp, inching forward but the figure stays in the shadows.

"You should not have come," A heavily accented voice rings out and your throat dries up.

"I had to. He's my father. Please, let him go." You call back but the figure scoffs.

"Your father is a thief!"

"Liar!" You cry.

"He stole a rose."

"I asked for that rose!"

An idea forms in your head and you slowly lower the stick. "Wait. What if you let him go and I take his place?"

"No! She means forever!" Your eyes widen.

"You monster! A life sentence for a rose?"

The woman laughs humorlessly.

"I was given a life sentence when I was little. Do you think I deserved it? You may call me a monster but trust me, I've been called much worse." You sigh, the gears in your brain whirring.

"Can I at least have a moment to say goodbye to my father?" The voice grunts and the shadow recedes. "Are you so cruel you won't even allow a daughter to kiss her father goodbye?" The figure pauses but slowly comes back down and into the light. Your throat dries up at the sight.

A beautiful girl in a blood red cape with auburn hair that burned in the torchlight, you felt your ears flush bright red. With a flick of her fingers, a red mist surrounds them and the metal gate swings open.

Your eyes grow wide at the display.

Magic.

You don't have time to think about it however as a strong set of arms wrap around you.

"Y/N!"

"Papa!" The two of you embrace as you discreetly waddle around so that his back is to the cell door.

"Y/N, listen to me. You have so much to live for. I lost your mother already and I can not lose you too. Live your life! Forget about me." He whispers into your hair and you feel a tear slip down your cheek.

"I will never forget you Papa. And don't worry. I will find a way out of here." His eyes widen before you push him through the threshold of the cell and slam the door behind him. He stumbles, falling onto his back, betrayal clear in his eyes.

"Y/N!" The woman stares at you for a moment, disbelief glimmering in her eyes before it disappears.

"You fool." She spits. Your father watches you with wide, horrified eyes. The woman grabs him roughly and drags him down the stairwell, his screams echoing off the walls.

"Papa! Don't hurt him!" A sob escapes your throat as you curl into a ball, wrapping your cloak further around yourself to preserve the warmth.

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

You sigh, shivering as a cool gust of wind hits your back.

'Forever damned to freeze in a cell. Some adventurous life this is' You think to yourself as sleep claims you.

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

Taglist: @username23345 @musicinourlips @gingerbreadcookieforlife @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @ima-gi--na-tion @nicole-rayleigh-hot @olsensnpm @peabrain112

[nose-bandaid]

the little flower on your wrist

Wonwoo x (gender neutral) Reader | soulmate AU angst + fluffy ending i promise:) | 4.2k words

sequel to: the moon told me so ☾~ (highly suggest reading it first !!)

synopsis: four years have passed since wonwoo left to study abroad. four years without your soulmate. four years, spent doing all you can to stop your heart from racing every time you thought of him, because he wasn’t ready for love. and yet, suddenly, with a little mistake on your part, you find yourself next to him again, picking at the same flowers in this flower field of life.

a/n: hey thanks so much for loving the first part guys, it made me so happy to hear that people actually wanted it to continue too !! i hope this second part matches what you’re looking for and that you enjoy:)

=====

You spilled everything to everyone eventually. As the years passed and people constantly pestered you about your mark, you didn’t see that much harm in telling them. Especially with the fact that Wonwoo was away.

With the fact that you practically had no hope for a relationship at this point.

To put it simply, your friends were all shocked. Shocked that, with everything’s that’s happened, you somehow managed to hide your mark from all of them — save for the few who knew about it. After the initial instinct to chastise you for keeping such a big secret, they resorted to pity and sympathy, though you honestly didn’t need it. You’ve done enough pitying on your own.

In the loneliness of your bedroom, your hand drifted to your ankle where the mark resided, and pulled down your sock to check in on it — a habit you’ve developed recently. You weren’t quite sure when it started, but at some point, the flowers next to your crescent moon began to fade away, as if someone had taken an eraser and decided to wipe off the petals one by one. 

And every time you woke up to see that another petal had disappeared, a part of your love for Wonwoo faded away as well. You took it as a sign that maybe it really was time to try and move on.

Your plan to move on did end up actually working. You busied yourself with work and picking up new hobbies to dwell on so that your thoughts wouldn’t return to him. And in your spare time, the other boys happily took you out on adventures around the city — Chan and Seungkwan especially — and you’ve never been more grateful to have them by your side. You still kept in touch with Wonwoo, sparsely, but once in a while you would contact the other to check in on how they’re doing.

To your surprise (and joy you suppose), it didn’t take too long for you to learn the art of letting go. Perhaps it was because there was only a single flower left on your ankle, or because Jun got you hooked on this amazing game you’re now obsessed with. Or perhaps, your heart had finally lost all hope in being with Wonwoo and was starting to back off. While you were far from being a master of letting go, you were content with where you were, and for the first time in a long while, you felt optimistic about yourself.

=====

“Now, why didn’t you tell me?”

That effort all fell apart when you received the phone call. You really had no clue how you were supposed to prepare yourself for it — if it was even possible for you to prepare for it. 

Wonwoo had just called to inform you that he was going to come home that month because of a job opportunity he managed to score that wasn’t half the world away. That was already a piece of news you were trying to recover from because Wonwoo? Coming back? As in your soulmate is going to return just as you were getting over him? It was some stupidly accurate timing on fate’s part.

Then there was that sudden shift from joy to fear the moment he asked the question out of the blue. If you couldn’t wrap your head around the fact that you were going to see him again, how were you supposed to react to this? You didn’t know why, but you froze in fear when you heard the question, as if he caught you red-handed.

Your lips parted as you stared at the wall in front of you, not a single clue of what Wonwoo was referring to on your mind. “I’m sorry, what?” You managed to whisper back.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He repeated, voice devoid of emotions and you struggled to recall the events of the past few days. You didn’t do anything wrong, did you? The last time you spoke to him was last week, and to be honest, you didn’t even really think of him after that.

A few seconds of silence passed until you sighed in defeat. “Wonwoo you’re going to have to be more detailed than this, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” You didn’t know why he was suddenly being so cryptic with you, it was unlike him to have this hint of bluntness in his tone.

“Chan posted a photo last night.” Was all he gave and he left you to your own thoughts once again. Then it suddenly clicked — no matter how far Wonwoo was, you still managed to slip up.

You had gone to the beach with Chan, Mingyu, and Joshua yesterday, and you so ambitiously didn’t cover up your mark, because why bother? It’s not like Wonwoo was there to see it, and no one else would even care about your mark. They were so common and seen everywhere, letting your guard down once in a while wouldn’t hurt, right? 

Or so you thought.

And of all the days and outfits you wore, and all the times you hung out with your friends, Chan just had to choose a picture where you didn’t have your socks on.

“Ah, well…” You really didn’t know what to say. You weren’t even able to tell him the words that you rehearsed before he left, and now you had to come up with something on the spot?

“How long have you had it for?” He asked quietly, he sounded more betrayed than he did angry.

“I got it before you did.” You replied meekly.

“Then why didn’t you tell me? Was it because of what I said? About not wanting to get in a relationship?”

You didn’t have an answer.

“I—” He let out an exasperated sigh. “I was so worried about meeting my soulmate before I left, and then I spent the what — the last four years? For the last four years I was still waiting and worrying about them, wondering if we were ever going to meet, but you were my soulmate the entire time?”

“I’m sorry…” The mark on your ankle burned as if it was ashamed, and you trembled along with it.

“No, I should be sorry, I didn’t mean to get mad about this.” Another sigh. “I’m just a little overwhelmed, and maybe even a little desperate now that everything’s falling into place. It all makes sense.”

“So what happens now?” You dared to ask the question that’s sat on the tip of your tongue ever since he called you out.

“I’ve — I’ve actually been thinking.” He started, and you heard shuffle around on the other end. “Maybe it’s because for these past 4 years I’ve been a little bit lonelier, living away from you guys, or maybe it’s just because I’ve grown as a person and got to learn more about myself.” There was a short pause.

“But I’m willing to, you know, try for a relationship. A romantic one, I mean. I think I’m willing to try it out, especially if it’s with you. And if it doesn’t go so well, then I was hoping that at least we could go back to being friends again, like the ones we used to be.”

Your head hesitantly nodded at his words until you remembered that he couldn’t see you. This wasn’t supposed to happen — this was hardly part of the plan. Your heart pounded rapidly in your chest as your mind repeated his words over and over again. Wonwoo was ready. 

Wait, Wonwoo was ready?

So what happened to the whole getting over him part? It was thrown out of the window, clearly, seeing that your mouth couldn’t form any kind of disagreement to his suggestion.

“Ah, yeah, I’m willing to give us a chance.” You said.

He let out a small hum and then there was silence on the line. Though the conversation was quiet, your ears burned until he finally spoke up again.

“Also, now that this has been confirmed, I’ve been meaning to ask.” 

“Mhm?”

“Has your mark been disappearing recently? Like the flowers?”

There was an odd sense of relief, hearing that you weren’t the only one experiencing that.

“Oh… yeah they’ve been disappearing.” You confirmed.

“Any idea on why that’s happening?”

You considered your next words before replying. “It could be because things weren’t going so well between us? Not that something wrong happened, but I guess, you know, we’ve been so far apart, and as time goes on, things change, we change. Maybe our marks are trying to tell us something.”

You heard him click his tongue. “That’s reasonable.”

More silence.

“Then,” He spoke up again. “I hope that when I come home, we’ll be able to give each other enough chances so that our marks go back to the way they were.”

Of all the emotions in the world, you never thought that you’d feel hopeful about the thought of Wonwoo coming back, and yet you smiled softly into the receiver.

“I’ll look forward to seeing you then, Wonwoo. Let’s try this all over again.”

=====

Chan called the next day sputtering out an apology about the picture and saying that he took it down despite you insisting that those measures weren’t necessary. What’s been done has been done. You weren’t really sure how the news got to him, but you suspected that Wonwoo must’ve shot him a message earlier. About what exactly? You didn’t know.

It took some time for you to calm the poor boy down, though you ended up having to agree to his persistent plans on buying you something to make up for his mistake.

You settled for a modest cup of coffee — he was still trying to get through school after all, and you didn’t want him to spend his money on something so futile. As a last-minute decision, you also invited Seungkwan to join in on the meeting after you told him about the phone call. 

When you arrived with Chan in tow, he was already sitting there, arms crossed, steaming like the cup of white hot chocolate sitting in front of him. For some reason, during the call he had sounded angrier about the situation than you were, and you shared a wary glance with Chan when you realized that his mood hadn’t changed. He greeted the two of you dismissively as if he didn’t really want to be there.

You pushed it aside at first and spent some time talking about random topics and catching up with each other in an attempt to lighten up the mood. Then you relayed to them the exact details of the call and when you noticed that Seungkwan still hadn’t smiled at all that day, you bit your lip and took in his disheveled appearance.

“Seungkwan… Is everything alright? You seem kind of mad about something.” You tentatively asked.

“That’s because I am kind of mad.” He replied

You didn’t know what you were expecting, but that was not the answer you were hoping for.

“What are you so mad about?” Chan pressed further.

“What am I mad about?” He huffed and took a sip of his drink before continuing. “Everything! This whole situation is just wrong.”

You cocked your head at his words. “Wrong?” You echoed, a little lost.

He dropped his hands to the table in exasperation. “Yes, wrong! I understand that he wasn’t ready for love. That, I totally understand and respect him for, but the whole ‘leaving you to move across the world without even considering your feelings or asking how you felt about it’ just pisses me off in so many ways.” His hand waved around to accentuate his points and continued.

“Y/n, you’re an unbelievably kind person so you probably didn’t even notice, but as a bystander watching this whole situation play out, I just can’t help but feel that Wonwoo is just doing you so wrong. You don’t deserve to suffer like this. I don’t think he deserves another chance so easily.” 

“I’m fine though, really…” You reached out in an attempt to hold his hand and calm him down, but he edged away from you instead.

“You’re not fine though! Don’t lie straight to my face and say that you were fine when he left you at the airport, crying, or when you ignored our messages for a week because you were ‘trying to get over the heartbreak’. I don’t understand how you’re still willing to give him a chance after everything he’s done to you.” He shot back, voice thick with spite.

“Dude you need to chill out. Wonwoo didn’t really do anything wrong, he had no idea they were soulmates.” Chan interjected, voice firm as he stared at his friend in disappointment. Neither of you could believe that Seungkwan, sweet, lovely Seungkwan, was the same man standing in front of you. Sure he had his petty moments, but he’s never lashed out at a friend like this before — his sassiness was all supposed to be saved for jokes.

Said person scoffed at Chan’s words and then turned to look at you.

“All I’m saying is that he doesn’t deserve you! Is it wrong for me to say that?” He defended and stood up from his seat. The chair was pushed back with a noisy screech that made you wince.

In the midst of his wild gestures, he’d accidentally knocked over his cup, spilling some of the leftover contents onto the table. The people sitting at neighbouring tables cast curious glances your way and you frantically gestured for Chan to grab some tissues as you started to clean the mess with the ones you already had.

“Seungkwan please calm down, I’m alright now, seriously.” You tried and looked up at your friend who was still standing, angrily watching you clean up the drink as if it offended him.

“I’m leaving.” That was all he said. It came out quiet, barely a whisper, but you heard it, and you could do nothing but watch him grab his jacket and stride straight out the door, bringing a draft of the cold air into the shop.

Being left to deal with the commotion he created, you and Chan gave a small apology to the people in the shop and tried to ignore the awkward stares and mumbling directed towards you. If only people could mind their own business, the world would’ve been so much better. 

Taking a deep breath as you tossed out the soiled napkin, you tried to calm yourself down. You reasoned that getting yourself worked up about his attitude would only make things worse and decided to leave the shop as well, after Chan suggested you go to the comfort of his house to talk it out instead.

You didn’t know what riled Seungkwan up so much that day. 

=====

“The mall?” You got another impromptu call the following weekend when you were gently washing what was left of your mark. Rumours had it that if you took care of a mark well enough, it’ll flourish. Especially if you use bath salts, they said. The lavender ones. 

Maybe it was silly to believe so, but when the petals started fading away daily, you grew desperate, and you were desperate enough to believe anything that was told to you. Either way, a little self-care didn’t really hurt, right?

“Yeah, I just thought that you know, two friends, we haven’t seen each other for a while… hanging out at the mall sounds nice doesn’t it?” The voice on the other end chirped back.

“Jeonghan, I literally saw you yesterday.”

“So you’re saying no?” You could imagine him childishly pouting right about now and you sighed, shaking your head.

“I’m not declining the invite, but there’s something else going on isn’t there?”

He let out an awkward laugh at your skepticism. “I just wanna see my friend, is it too much to ask for?”

You let out another sigh. “When were you planning on meeting up?”

“How about now? I’m right at your door.”

And sure enough, Yoon Jeonghan was standing right outside your door, all dressed and ready to take you to the mall on a Saturday morning.

=====

You couldn’t place a finger on what made the meeting so suspicious. Jeonghan acted normal the entire time, even offering to buy you a snack when he noticed you eyeing the tempting display. But he didn’t hint at anything he needed to say, and you began to wonder if he really did just want to see you. The man could be a little ambiguous at times.

He did end up having something to talk about. On the bright side, at least your suspicions were correct. On the… not so bright side, that probably meant there was some bad news to share, and you weren’t so sure how much more you could take before you combusted.

You realized his true intentions behind the meetup when he grabbed your hand and led you to one of the benches nearby, nudging you to take a seat as he joined you. He didn’t hesitate to get to the point.

“I heard about what happened the other day.” He had entered therapist Yoon mode.

“What happened?” You played it dumb — you’ve been a fool your entire life, falling for Wonwoo and not doing anything about it, so acting a little oblivious wasn’t too farfetched from your character.

“With Seungkwan, about the little incident.” He spoke to you in a hushed tone, as if there was someone to hide from, but all around you were people milling about, minding their own business. No one was really going to care about what he said to you, nor were they even going to listen in the first place. That idea didn’t seem to occur to him though.

“Oh, that.” There was nothing else to say, and you just nodded your head at his words.

You began to jokingly wonder if there was a secret group chat about you behind your back, and that that was how all these messages were being passed around because you sure as hell didn’t tell anyone about it.

(There was)

“You know… Seungkwan…” He trailed off for a moment and absentmindedly tugged at the hem of your shirt to smoothen out the wrinkles. He was buying time, but there was only so much he had to spend. Taking a deep breath, his hand stopped fussing over you.

“He likes you, yeah?” 

You blanched. “He whats?”

Jeonghan stared straight into your eyes and repeated what he said. “Seungkwan. He likes you. He’s liked you for a while now.”

“I,” You faltered as you searched for ways to respond to that; nothing came to mind. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to that.” You admitted. You didn’t know why your body was defaulting to cry at the news, but it did, just like when you said goodbye to Wonwoo, and Jeonghan soothingly stroked your head in an attempt to calm you down.

“Hey, it’s alright, I’m sorry to tell you so suddenly, and I’m sorry that it’s not him who’s telling you, but honestly, I don’t think he ever would, and you wouldn’t have ever gotten a proper explanation for his actions.”  He comfortingly laced his fingers into yours. “Take some deep breaths first — can I continue?”

“Go ahead.” You whispered as you followed his instructions and inhaled deeply. The faint smell of pretzels from a nearby shop entered your mind and in its own way, grounded you as your mind tried to catch up with everything that was going on.

Seungkwan… likes you? Boo Seungkwan, one of your closest friends, your confidant when you learned about Wonwoo’s mark, had liked you this entire time?

“You know things didn’t go so well with him and his soulmate.” It was hardly an explanation, but it was all Jeonghan offered. If anything, it made you feel guilty. What if you were the reason why they didn’t love each other happily? Seungkwan hadn’t told you the details of what happened, all you knew was that someone came in the way, that they just didn’t feel like they were actually soulmates.

And perhaps, you were that certain someone. Now it made sense why he didn’t tell you anything.

Thinking about it now, you felt so bad for pining for someone who didn’t love you back — or at least someone who didn’t love you back then — while someone else close to you had been loving you without you even knowing. It hurt. It hurt to suddenly learn all of this when it was too late. But what would you do if you were to learn about it when Wonwoo hadn’t left yet? When Seungkwan had just met his soulmate? 

You didn’t have answers, but it explained why Seungkwan got so mad when he heard that Wonwoo decided to give you a chance. It makes sense that he would’ve felt cheated off of. 

You probably would’ve felt the same way.

“So,” Jeonghan hesitated and drummed his fingers on the bench before continuing. “The question now, it’s been four years… do you still love Wonwoo?”

The years prior to his departure were dedicated to pushing your feelings aside, and the past four years had been dedicated to finally picking up the dustpan and throwing them in the trash. But now, the emotions came piling on you once again and you were drowning in it.

“Yeah, I still do.”

=====

Jeonghan had advised that you didn’t let Seungkwan’s feelings get in the way of your potential relationship with Wonwoo. The latter was supposed to come home by the end of this week, and now it felt like there was a time bomb ticking away. Any hour not spent in preparation for his arrival felt wasted. You argued Jeonghan’s statement, saying that it was rude of you to pretend like Seungkwan didn’t exist, that to not acknowledge his feelings was essentially the same as saying he didn’t matter.

But then he said that he needed to let go of those feelings and learn to give his soulmate a chance. Apparently, she was willing to love him, but he was still blinded by his love for you. It’s kind of funny how you were in the exact same situation, except with Wonwoo instead.

Maybe you were all fools.

You listened to Jeonghan and gave Seungkwan the space he needed, only sending him a small message that he has yet to reply to. Your time was instead spent on preparing yourself for Wonwoo’s arrival, which came much too quickly for your own good.

=====

Standing there anxiously at the airport your ears perked when you heard the announcements above your head state the arrival of his flight. That’s when it really hit you that you were actually going to see him again.

You were going to see Jeon Wonwoo again.

You were going to see your soulmate, your soulmate who has finally acknowledged you.

Before you knew it, he was there, standing right in front of you.

In all honesty, he didn’t change much in appearance. He was still the soft boy you remembered him to be, with sweater paws covering the hands that carried the bags trailing behind him and round glasses perched on his face.

His small, polite smile was still the same too.

“Hello, y/n.”

Instead of returning the greeting, you found yourself rushing into his embrace, hugging him tightly as if he was going to disappear again.

“I’ve missed you more than I’d like to admit, stupid.” You muttered into his body and you felt him chuckle at that. Pulling apart, you looked at him in the eyes to make sure that it was actually him holding you. “Welcome back.” You smiled.

“Well, I don’t plan on leaving again anytime soon, so we can have more time together then. That is, unless you get sick of me and shoo me away.” He joked lightly and ruffled your hair.

“Me? Shooing my soulmate away?” You replied dramatically, before clearing your throat and getting serious again. “Any time spent with you — romantic or not— is valuable to me, and I don’t plan on ever getting tired of you.”

The hand resting on your head made its way to your side and he timidly took your hand into his, studying your face to make sure he had permission. It was a little awkward, a little clunky, but you thought his hand fit perfectly into yours and you smiled, leaning into him a little bit. As you made your way out of the airport, you glanced down at your hands intertwined with each other and noticed the familiar navy blue beads on his wrist.

“You’re still wearing the bracelet I gave you.” You pointed out.

“This?” He brought his hand up to inspect it. “Of course I still wear it, it’s a gift from you—”

You halted your steps when he suddenly stopped speaking.

“Hm? What is it?”

Still staring at his wrist, his mouth quirked into a small smile and he chuckled.

“Huh, funny.”

You strained your neck in an attempt to see what he was looking at. “What? What is it?” You asked again.

“There’s a little flower on my wrist now.” He replied softly, tilting his arm for you to see, and sure enough, in the midst of the faded flowers by his moon, was a bright blue forget-me-not.

=====

The next morning when you woke up, there was a little flower on your ankle, next to the crescent moon. Though the mark wasn’t the same flowery sky it used to be, the little flower was a start.

And maybe one day, those flowers will flourish along with your love for each other.

=====

epilogue: kairosclerosis

[wyverian-lady525]

Yo, could I request visiting Lulucion with Alwin? His dialogue there is so cute

It is absolutely adorable...our poor boy and his humor XD

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

Little Wyverian In A Big City

You decide to show Alwin Lulucion. He is shocked at all the humans, the vastness of it, and more importantly, their sense of humor.

Your wyverian may have left Rutoh once or twice, but he has never been to a large city like Lulucion. You didn’t want to overwhelm Alwin, but you wanted him to see more of the world.

More of your world.

I mean, you saw his wyverian lifestyle daily. Surely he could glance into your human one.

“Where are we going again?” Alwin asked you as you clung to him from behind Shaulk.

"Lulucion. It's practically hunter central." You told him. Alwin's whole body tensed up.

"Hunter central? Doesn't sound like my kind of place..." He stated while steering Shaulk in the right direction.

"Come on old man! You'll have fun!" You said with a smile. He scowled at the 'old man' comment. Then you tightened your arms around his waist and added, "We'll also get to spend a lot of time together."

His whole face flushed before he muttered, "Fine."

You cheered and continued to give him directions to the large bustling place.

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

Upon landing outside of the city, you guys stopped and stared at the sight of it.

"It's...really big." Alwin said while fiddling with his gloves. You would have to know the wyverian well to see that he was nervous. You grabbed his hand which caused him to look at you. You could see the hesitation in his hazel eyes.

Smiling, you said, "I'll be with you the whole time."

Instead of brushing off your support, he swallowed his pride and nodded.

Shaulk was fidgeting too. The legiana was definitely not used to this. Alwin allowed his monstie to lay low outside of the city (knowing full well he could take care of himself). Afterwards, you practically pulled the wyverian into Lulucion.

Upon stepping into the interior, you looked to see Alwin's reaction. The look on his face was akin to a child's, glancing around in awe and wonder.

"What do you think?" You asked him. He glanced around and said, "There are so many humans here..."

He then got a serious look on his face: "Do they...you know..."

You tilted your head and inquired him to continue.

"Do they all have a sense of humor?" He asked with shocked look on his face. You giggled and asked him if he thought humor was some innate human ability.

"Well, you certainly have one." He said while crossing his arms. You laughed, thanked him, before grabbing his arm and beginning your tour. You wanted to show Alwin everything before the sun went down and you guys had to find an inn.

The armory was first. The look on Alwin's face showed that he was deeply intrigued by the engineering of this.

"This is incredible." He stated. You nodded in agreement. He obviously looked more relaxed in an area that wasn't too busy at the moment.

However, that changed when you brought him to the market.

That place was always busy, and hard to maneuver without bumping into anyone. You had to hold the poor man's hand as you weaved between families and other people. It was then that Alwin began to look insecure. He was practically the only wyverian in this whole place. People began to stare. Not in a rude way, but in a curious way. They’ve probably not seen too many wyverians. 

However, Alwin did not care.

He was squeezing your hand like a frightened child. You felt bad because you knew this man was very brave, you’ve seen it. Now you’ve brought him into a situation that terrified him. 

Feeling bad, you dragged him back out into the central area (avoiding any wandering felynes cause this man did NOT need to make this worse for him). You both sat down on the rim of the fountain to allow him to breath again. 

“I’m sorry.” He eventually said while resting his hands in his lap, looking down.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” You told him while rubbing his shoulder.

“I can imagine this is how you felt in Rutoh for so long.” He said with a dry laugh. You were honest, and nodded in agreement.

“It’s no fun to feel like an outcast, but eventually you overcome the stares.” You said with a smile.

“You have nothing to feel insecure about.” You said sweetly. You then gushed about how handsome he was, kissing his cheeks, nose, ears, basically anywhere on his face, ending with a kiss on his lips. Now that the wyverian had something ELSE to be embarrassed about, you left to go and buy things for dinner. 

He’ll be fine for the moment (even though he wanted you to stay...).

You came back with your ingredients to find him right where you left him. He looked like a lost child, glancing all around for their parent. However, he seemed to recover from his initial embarrassment, looking more comfortable. When he finally saw you with all your bags, he rushed over to help. You blushed as he practically took all the bags (which weren’t that many) out of your hands. 

“Thanks.” You said while he smiled, proud to be of help. Deciding he’s had enough for one day, you went to search for an inn.

“You’ve had a long day,” You said while nudging him with a smile, “I’m sure you’re hungry.”

Just as you said this, his stomach growled loudly. All that embarrassment that left returned tenfold. The poor man’s face got even redder when you laughed.

Eventually, you found a nice place to spend the night. Alwin paid for the room (again such a gentleman) and you both turned red when the innkeeper asked if you only wanted one bed. You went even redder when he said it was fine.

Arriving at the room, you had Alwin set your ingredients down on a small table. After setting some other things down, you promised to make him the best dinner ever. Seeming more relaxed in this space, he laughed (have we ever actually heard him laugh...?), and asked if you needed any help. You smiled and shook your head.

“I can handle it.” You said and then told him to just relax. After a while, he complied and sat on the edge of the bed.

After a while, you came back with two steaming bowls of stew. You both ate in silence, him finishing before you. He offered to clean up, and knowing how he likes to be helpful, you allowed him to. 

When he came back, you tackled him into the bed. His face went several shades of red as you nuzzled into the crook of his neck, curling your hands up on his chest. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around you. 

“Calm down.” You laughed slightly when you felt his breathing speed up. He was still nervous to hold you. You both fell asleep like that, safe in each other’s embrace. 

The next morning, you both left bright and early. Once up in the air, he asked, “Anywhere else you’d like to take me before I take us back to Rutoh?”

You quickly shook your head. You didn’t have the heart to tell him you wanted to visit the felyne’s hideout. That might actually kill him, like actually.

“Let’s go home.” You smiled, and he agreed. It was a fun adventure, but you understood that Alwin really felt his best in a place with his own people.

Lucky for you, you were now a part of those people.

[lawyering-and-running]

Chapter 4 - Don't Shoot The Messenger

Series Masterlist

♡ Pretty proud of this one beauties. Don't forget I'm open to suggestions and/or requests xx ♡

Nicole had been sat by the fire for a while, one of the women had passed her a bowl of warm stew and a flask of water. Yet despite feeling more comfortable than she had in months she couldn’t relax. The idea of not knowing what was happening back in Small Heath was nearly too much. That was her town too, why should she not protect it just because she had something different between her legs. She was just as capable as some of the men. Mind made up, she put down her bowl and stretched out her legs. She quickly thanked the women for their kindness before setting off.

Quickly she ran back towards small heath climbing up onto the rooftops until she found her favourite, on top of one of the warehouses with great views of the canals. She raised a flag on top of the building, lighting a fire beside it. A beacon to signal to her people that she needed a meeting. Shelby’s had their family meetings; the runners had their own. She did not have to wait long before the others started the respond. Shadowy figures dropped down on to the roof until all seven of them were gathered.

“We all know what’s happening in those streets below us, and what’s going to happen. This is our home, we know it better than anyone, so we’re going to protect it.” The group was made up of two other girls and four boys, all lean from years of too little food and too much activity. All in dark grey clothing and covered in a fine layer of dirt, they really did look like shadows come alive. When it comes to fight or flight instincts the usual for the group was of course flight. They were used to being ignored, eyes peering into the dark privy to the city’s secrets because nobody realised they were listening in. Nameless, faceless, and voiceless.

But now. As this group stood before her, she realised that maybe they all had an equally strong fight response. Nobody moved to leave, nobody looked scared. “All right then Nik, what’s the plan?” asked Kaz, one of the boys. “I say we use what we’re good at. That we take down Kimber’s men before they even know we’re there. That we keep an eye on things when the other Peakies are unable to do so.” The others nodded their heads in agreement reaching into pockets for hidden switchblades and razors. “Let’s show them what we’ve got” Nina, one of the girls, cheered raising her fist in the air.

Nicole moved towards the edge of the building, looking down at where she could see the men gathering. ”May we die in the shadows as we were born” she said. The group repeated back ”May we die in the shadows as we were born” they wouldn’t quite consider each other family, none of them really knew the concept, but they did have an understanding that they were all one and the same and that they were in this together. With everything said and done the group moved across rooftops, spreading out before slithering down into dark corners, lying in wait.

A hush descended over the group of men as Nicole watched the Shelby brothers from her alleyway, hidden behind a stack of crates. Suddenly Tommy’s voice rang out “It doesn't have to be like this, Kimber.” Kimber’s nasty voice replied “Too late for all that. You've bit off more than you can chew, you little toerag. And now I'm going to take over this shithole.” Nicole quietly fumed, it was no London, but it was their little corner of the world, no way was this outsider going to come in here and disrespect her home. She reigned herself in, it wasn’t her place, wasn’t even her personality really. She stayed hidden watching the conversation take place.

“Now now Kimber, that isn't very polite. I expected something more from a man of your grand standing.” Tommy mocked. “Listen here you little shit, I am going to kill all of you. Every last one of you fuckin Peakies. Then I am going to burn this place to the ground, maybe build myself another racetrack instead. Whilst you lot all rot in hell.” Steam was practically pouring out of Kimber’s ears. His face had gone an odd shade of red, his moustache twitching. It would have probably made for a funny picture if it were not for the seriousness of the situation. Although Nicole swore she could see that glint of amusement in Tommy’s cold blue eyes from where she was perched.

Tommy remained unbothered by the mounting tension in front of him, he shrugged “So that’s how it’s going to be.” Suddenly all hell broke loose. Both sides running for each other, opponents nearly indistinguishable. The loud bangs of gunfire rang through the streets as screams filled the air. Already a hazy mist of blood was settling over them. Nicole saw a Peaky struggling against one of Kimber’s, she crept up behind him and quick as lightning she stabbed him in the neck. She’d rehidden herself by the time the body slumped to the floor, the Peaky looking around for who had saved him.

She continued to dart out where possible to help others in difficult positions, trying as hard as she could to ensure that none of her people lost their lives today. That none of the women of Small Heath would be turned into Widows by the day’s events. She recognised her other runners doing the same, a flash of black, a glint of a blade as they wove through the fighting.

In all of the chaos Nicole had lost track of where the Shelby brothers were. Too focused on what was directly in front of her to think of anything else. She had just unarmed a Kimber for a Peaky to finish off when she saw Kimber raising his gun up to Tommy just a couple of steps away. No one else seemed to have noticed that their fearsome leader was quickly running out of options, his own gun nowhere in sight. Flat cap no match at a distance to a loaded gun. No other thought in mind she jumped for Kimber’s outstretched hand.

Time seemed to slow as she became airborne. As if she were trapped in a bubble, the sounds around her became muffled, tunnel vision focused solely on the weapon. Hands knocking the gun away time sped back up, as noise rushed back in. Angry shouts. She thought she heard a “What the fuck are you doing here?” but that was not important.

She tumbled to the ground with Kimber’s heavy body. The two rolling around trying to gain an upper hand. She lost her blade in the shuffle and had not accounted for Kimber having a backup weapon. Her mistake. Her tired body was no match for his larger frame as he lodged the knife into her shoulder. Yelling obscenities at her. A white-hot numbness spread through her body; she had not felt anything like this before. A pain far more vivid and sharp than a sprained ankle.

Before Kimber could actually finish her off there was a loud bang, the loudest Nicole had heard that day. The weight of a dead body suddenly pressing in on her. Kimber’s unseeing eyes gazing into her own. There was a warm wetness trickling over her, but very little seemed to really be registering in her mind. Her limbs becoming heavy from blood loss and perhaps shock. The heavy body was shoved off of her. The man she had saved appearing above her. “Why would you do something like that, ey?” Tommy asked. His body kneeling next to hers to try and stem the blood flow. All that escaped Nicole was a moan of pain.

A hysterical thought bubbled into her mind, why the hell did she care so much about a gangster. She had only spoken a couple of words to him. Maybe her luck had finally run out, drowned in her own stupidity. Clearly those blue eyes had more of an effect on her than she thought. She laughed out loud, lest she cry out from the pain otherwise. Her eyes shut as the blue-eyed face hovered above her, lips moving but nothing registering in her ringing ears. Then nothing.

Upon seeing Kimber fall the remaining few of his men had quickly tucked tail and run away. The cause no longer worth dying for. The Peakies cheered. “You don’t mess with the PEAKY FUCKIN BLINDERS!” Arthur shouted to even louder cheers. Turning to see Tommy’s crouched form the other two brothers ran over to help. “Is that the girl from before? What’s she doing here?” John questioned. “I don’t bloody know John. She just appeared and saved my life like some fuckin guardian angel. Help me carry her into the Garrison, we need to stitch up the wound.” The men lifted up her limp body as six pairs of eyes watched from the shadows, ready to help but feeling useless all the same. I quite murmur rippled through the group, but a whisper ”May we die in the shadows as we were born” Nicole’s life was in the hands of the Shelby’s now.

They burst through the doors of the pub shoving aside glasses as they laid her body on the table. Tommy ripped her shirt sleeve, heavy and slippery from the blood. Suddenly Polly was by their side as well “Someone get me some whiskey” she commanded whilst taking out a sewing kit. Arthur thrust the bottle at Tommy. He poured half the bottle over the wound grateful that the poor girl was already unconscious for this before pouring the rest of Polly’s waiting hands and needle. His work done he slumped back as Arthur passed him a new bottle of whiskey, this one meant for drinking. He took a couple of gulps as he slowly came down from the adrenaline. The fight, nearly losing his own life, being saved, and then this girl who he for some unexplainable reason cared for nearly dying. Slowly his shaking hands steadied as the alcohol took effect.

Polly had meanwhile sown up the wound and wrapped it in a cloth to stem any further blood flow. Nicole would be alright now. “What a day” she sighed grabbing the bottle from Tommy and taking a swig. Tommy stood up, carrying Nicole to one of the benches and covering her up with his warm black coat. Moving back towards the bar, he turned to face his family “If you check behind the bar Arthur... you will find a bottle of champagne.” Arthur fetched the bottle as Tommy continued “Today was a good day, we only lost a couple of men. All of Kimber's men were busy here, so we managed to take all of the pitches at the Worcester races.” Arthur popped the cork on the bottle “It couldn't have gone better if we'd planned it.” He poured some into the various glasses “Shelby Brothers Limited are now the third largest legal racetrack operation in the country.” Handing them out to the three other family members and keeping one for himself “Cheers! Only the Sabinis and the Solomons are bigger than us. And all my family is here to celebrate. To Shelby Brothers Limited.” “Shelby!” “Brothers!” “Cheers.” Rang out through the room. “There'll be others.” Polly spoke up in warning. Tommy merely raised his glass and toasted her again “To the others. All of them.” His eyes had settled on Nicole’s sleeping form, to new beginnings he thought to himself.

[heliosthegriffin]

Sacred Rites

“Do you swear to honor The Heavenly Champion in all your works, Jaune Arc?”

To be a Paladin, to be servant to the divine and defender of the innocent. That was his dream.

“Yes, I swear, from the day I entered the Victarion to now, I have been the Goddess’s to command and lead.”

“Do you answer to our Goddess, and only our Goddess?”

“To no other, now and forever, never shall I let man, law, or force of nature, interrupt me in my quests and duties, I answer to the Goddess and only the Goddess, or those that she speaks through.”

“Will you uphold the oaths of our order?”

“I will feed the starving, 

I will chastise the foolish, 

I will forgive the repentant, 

I will be generous to the poor,

I will help the needy,

I will act when needed, never just when called upon,

I will protect the young, the weak, the weary, and the innocent, I will fight for the common man! 

I will be honorable in all pursuits,

strong in body, faith, and mind,

Never shall greed or callousness, guide my path! 

For I make my own! 

I will guide the weary, tired, and directionless to the warmth of our hearths, and give them guidance, and I will let them go if they desire to be alone, but never close the door. 

I will live with freedom in my servitude, now and forever.”

He didn’t need to look up to know that tears crested the eyes of Champion Maria, with a crack in her normally stern voice she continued.

“Then as Champion of the Victarion, Maria Calavera, I name you Jaune Arc first Paladin of Pyrrha-Nikos, Heavenly Champion, Savior of the Commons, First Apotheosis, she who cast down the Old Tyrants! Hold your head up,”

Jaune did, looking into the silver eyes of the surprisingly youthful looking Champion. 

“you will carry your head high, as you are the first and only true Paladin of Pyrrha-Nikos! Take pride in position, but never let humility leave you, you will carry the weight of the faith on your shoulders, but with the strength of all those with the faith! Now go forth child, and meet those you would cherish and protect!”

With a tear going down his cheek, he turned and looked out at the full temple. He had finally realized his dream, one that he would live forever more.

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Entering his chambers Jaune collapsed on the humble bed of his.

It had been a heavenly experience after the ceremony, full of friendship, feasting, games, dancing, along with promises and new memories being made. It beginning and ending on a high note, with friends from across the city and continent showing up, and them promising to meet once again as soon as he has leave to go questing. He couldn’t have had a better day if he tried!

It really made the last eight years seem like nothing in comparison. He let out a happy sigh, truly his hardships and sacrifices had paid off. What would the boy that he was at ten years old think of himself now?

Probably that he should have left home sooner. 

Hmm-pf, the thought making him crack up a little.

Laying on his bed looking around his normally bare chamber were full to bursting with the gifts, more than he knew what to do with, but it mattered not, he’d cherish them all.

The masterwork sword that Ruby made him.

The gambeson Coco had made for him.

The tabard Velvet made for him.

The bottle of fine whiskey that Yang made him promise not open till they did quest together.

Emerald had even gotten him back the coin purse that he lost! He enjoyed the embroidery on it that she had gotten done on it.

Brother Ren had come by with Sister Arslan to set up the party, nothing less than what he’d expect from Tenders of Sun Wukong, Second Apotheosis.

Ren had even given him a pair of fine gloves, some potions, and even an alchemy set and basic instructions!

Arslan just promised not to beat him too badly at the next inter temple championship. Also gave him a nice embroidered belt with gold inlays.

Old Port had come by with enough food to feed an army, and left him a nice antler handled skinning knife.

Tukson had brought him some books to read, ranging from philosophy to legend to stories from other continents.

So many gifts. 

A sharp knock on the door took him out of his thoughts.

Jaune quickly moved to answer the door.

On the other side, Champion Maria Calavera. A woman many years his senior looking no older than a decade his senior.

Jaune dropped to his knee, and paid respects. “I’m honored by your presence, my champion.”

“Lift your head and stand boy, we are both equals in Her eyes.”

Jaune rose to his feet, the tall young man towering above the champion, and  he beckoned Maria in.

Maria entered and sat at his desk, and Jaune took a seat on his bed.

“Pardon, my rudeness, My Champion,-”

“As I said we are both equal in Her eyes, so you may address me as Maria, or not at all. There will be no deferential treatment between the two of us, are we clear?” Maria asked sternly.

Jaune’s face blushed, and he scratched the side of his face. “But, My-” Maria raised an eyebrow sharply. “I mean Maria, how can I compare to a legendary figure of the faith such as yourself, when I just became a Paladin today?” Jaune argued weakly.

“Tut-tut, my boy, you sell yourself short, you are the first Paladin of this faith, a faith over a thousand years old and you are the first paladin, the first to actually channel Her power!” Maria jabbed a slender finger into Jaune’s chest. “The first to not be granted her power, but to be a conduit to her greatest, and the first man to join her side!” Maria sly smirked at him. “What makes you think that the Goddess’s chosen is not worthy to refer to her Champion by name?”

A blood-red color over took the poor young man’s face, and he weakly mumbled. “When you put it that way, I suppose I can’t really refute you, can I?”

“Hmm, nope!” Maria answered cheerfully.

“Hah, so onward we move forward, what brings you here at such a late hour, Ma-Maria,” Jaune asked with effort. “I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s getting late, and it has been quite the day.”

Maria smiled at him. “Well, that’s because it has passed Midnight and it is officially time for you to perform your first duties as Paladin, as I have been asked by the Goddess to come gather you to bring you to the sanctum.”

Jaune’s brow furrowed with confusion. “She has? Why has she not called me herself?”

Maria let out a laugh. “Oh, she’s just a bit excited, and didn’t think you could handle her voice right now.”

“Oh!” Jaune said understanding, as the power of Gods control directly related to their emotions. If too excited she might blast him with too much power by speaking to his mind. Conduit of her power he might be, but Maria had decades of time to acclimate herself to the presence of the divinity.

Maria nodded and got up, “Now come along, we shall not keep Her waiting, hmm?

Quickly he jumped to his feet ready to go. “Of course not, that would be folly.”

“Indeed.”

In truth Jaune knew his way to the sanctum, but he did doubt his ability to get in without Maria.

“So, do you know my first duty, Maria.” Jaune asked with any trouble this time.

Maria lightly smiled. “Oh, that between you and Her, Jaune. Hehehe.”

Cocking his head in confusion, Jaune could only wonder what she meant, perhaps it was a test of devotion or strength of character, or possibly his first quest!

Yang would be so proud if he got a quest!

They arrived at the sanctum fairly quick, as said before they both knew the way.

The doors that hid the sanctum were taller than two of Jaunes, and big enough for a dozen men to wall shoulder to shoulder to pass through. Made of a beautiful bronze inlaid with artwork of previous champions.

Maria opened the doors with one hand. “Go on now, try not to have too much fun.”

Jaune looked confused, but went inside anyway.

The door closed behind him leaving him facing a pool of steaming water and the idol of Pyrrha Nikos. 

The idol stared at Jaune down to his soul seeming to strip him down to his most primal components.

Jaune then fell to his knees. “I have come to you, my Goddess.”

A please hum seemed to come from the statue and the entire room.

“Raise my Paladin, it is time to attend to your duties.” The warm voice of his Goddess seemed to echo from behind his ear.

Jaune did as he was told and rose. “What would you have me do, my Goddess.”

Another pleased hum came forth.

A light whisper seemed to dance in his ear. “Oh yes, I like the way you call me that.”

Jaune looked confused. “Why would I call you anything but that?”

“Oh, you little charmer.”

Jaune’s confusion remained. “Ok, but what is my first duty?”

“STRIP!” His Goddess boomed around him, nearly knocking Jaune onto his butt. 

Jaune staggered around drunkenly for a second, a thin stream of blood falling from his ears.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, my little Paladin! I got a little excited for this!” His Goddess echoed again, as a holy glow healed Jaune.

“It’s fine, my Goddess, but, um, may I ask why I must remove my clothing?” Jaune innocently asked, finding his clothing rather comfy despite the humidity of the room.

The idol and the room went silent as though his Goddess was in thought, ha, surely not, she must merely be pondering me a fool. Jaune thought to himself.

The Idol’s cut emerald eyes glowed. “My Paladin, my dear sweet Paladin, how am I to embrace you and acclimate you to my power if there is a boundary between us?” The idol's clothes disappeared leaving only a naked metal idol.

Jaune’s face went blush. “Oh, I guess that makes sense...”

The idol seemed to smile at him, a little scary if he might add. “Now once again, STRIP!” The words seemed to drip out of the idols mouth like honey.

Jaune shivered under the Idols words, but did as he was told pulling up his shirt. “WAIT,” The idol cried out as he did. Jaune looked at the Idol again in confusion. “DO IT SLOWLY~”

Shrugging Jaune pulled his shirt down, only to grab it by the hem and then slowly rolled the fabric up, revealing inch by inch the naked, supple and muscular body of Jaune Arc.

The shirt rising like a curtain to show the sharp, deep cut v of his Adonis belt that led into his pants, hiding a treasure Pyrrha would see soon enough. The shirt continued it’s slow trip up, showing one at a time his flat, smooth, uncontainably powerful abs, and smoothly contoured sides of his waist, showing off his powerful core.

The next destination to be revealed was his broad chest that barely contained his two muscular pecs, each looking like they could crush a steel ingot between them! His arms looking like masterfully crafted pieces of art rather than flesh and muscle. Above them was his wide shoulders corded with powerful muscles under his skin, that held up a veiny neck coiled with even more muscles!

Then he folded the shirt and put it on the floor, turning around showing off a wonderfully sculpted back, one so well made she was going to give Maria even more regards. The idol's eyes trailing down his back to see two cute dimples on his back!

Then he pulled down the pants showing off a well rounded ass! They had dimples too! And-

The Idol’s emerald eyes cracked at the sight between his legs, and then instantly reformed.

“Now what would you ask of me, my Goddess?” Jaune said, feeling a little lost about what was going on.

His Goddess said nothing for a while just staring at him.

After a couple minutes passed, Jaune coughed awkwardly into his hand and pronounced. “If you do not speak, my Goddess, I will assume I have displeased you and leave.”

“What, sorry?” His Goddess asked him, must have spoken too quietly.

“I asked if I offended you, my Goddess.”

“Oh, noooo~, I am most pleased, most pleased indeed.” Jaune smiled. If she’s happy, I’m happy, he thought to himself.

“So what would you have me do now?”

“Clean thyself my Paladin, buttttt~, slowly~!” His Goddess asked of him.

Jaune nodded determinedly, as she asked, so it shall it be done!

Jaune slowly walked his way into the languidly steaming water, hissing a little bit at the bite of warmth it shot through his flesh, but endured for his Goddess! Also the hot water started to feel quite nice. Reaching the center of the pool, he was waist deep. He looked around for any soap or oils, a small wooden bowl full of various cleaning agents.

The idol of Pyrrha’s emeralds cracked once again, and then reformed in an instant watching her Paladin bathing.

Jaune eventually emerged from the pool clean as a whistle. “Uuuh, I need to do that more often, I feel brand new. You have my thanks my Goddess.” Jaune said reventently.

His Goddess’s idol did speak, for some reason it’s metal cheeks turning cherry red, why would it do that though?

Finally her voice blessed him again. “And you shall do this sacred rite before me everyday you’re here, my Paladin!”

Jaune then let out a muffled yawn. “Apologize my Goddess, I fear my fatigue has gotten the better of me.”

“It’s fine my Paladin, I have only a few more tasks for you. Anoint yourself with the holy oils, first!”

Jaune did as asked, slowly patting his body with a palm’s worth of holy oil across his body. Smearing a sheen of oil across his sculpted body, all across his body.

A loud crack caught his attention, looking up at his Goddess’s idol to see fragments of emeralds everywhere, but miraculously missing him.

“My Goddess! Are you well, is there an interloper that wishes you harm, please answer me!”

“I’m fine, I’m well! Just a little over excited is all.”

Jaune nodded and returned to finish anointing himself. Finally, his body was ready for whatever his Goddess wished of him.

“I’m finished, my Goddess, what task is next?”

A deep, smile appeared on the idols metal face.

“I require you to cover my idol with various oils to insure that it remain’s form and beauty, this my task for you!”

Jaune nodded. “I will be honored to clean you my Goddess!”

A melodic hum spread throughout the room, giving Jaune a pleasent vibration in his chest.

Jaune knelt before the statue coating his hands in the sacred oils, and put his hands on the feet of the idol, and began working his way up the statue, smearing the oil across the metal of idol, which felt oddly warm, and soft? He didn’t quite understand that, but he was sure that it made sense.

The melodic hum became louder as he worked his way up the legs of the statue making sure to get every inch of it! His duty demanded perfection, and perfection it will have. The grew even louder and louder, practically causing his hands to go numb as he worked in between the legs of the statue, getting each and every surprisingly soft and wet? Inche of the idol till the hum turned into a ringing cry, as he was blasted into the pool, blood leaking out of his eyes and ears.

Jaune would ask his Goddess what he did to offend her when he could see which way was up.

Another holy light descended upon Jaune healing him again.

“My sincerest apology, my Paladin! I merely became over stimulated.”

Jaune gave a shaky thumbs up and got back to work.

Jaune fell from what could only be described as a hole in space into his bed, clearly unconscious, blood leaking from his face before a bronze holy power covered him, cleaning and healing him.

Pyrrha noticed that the power was transfering into him slightly easier than before, her reasoning may have been bullshit, but not complete bullshit, if he was naked he would absorb her power much easier. By the end of the week he might even be able to do small miracles!

That said Pyrrha felt very content with her little Paladin, he even finished caring for her idol! Not even Maria could do that in her first year as her champion, requiring the help of several acolytes each day. Still that was no slight against her Champion, Jaune was just a rare breed that could accept divine power like a sponge absorbing water.

That said she didn’t expect him to make her climax three times, how was that even possible through a statue!

Pyrrha smirked down at her little Paladin, she was very much excited to watch him grow.

Pushing her from the heavens into the earth, Pyrrha put a pair of lips on his, and then whispered, “Oh my little Paladin, you are loved like no other. Now rest, for the world will have need of you soon. Your oaths pusted and pressure, but you’ll endure, and I will support you every step of the way. For you will be my greatest act in this world, this I swear.”

Then she receded back to the heavens. The various gifts in his room briefly shimmering before the light faded.

AN1: This idea came to me as Jaune being a Paladin and Pyrrha being his goddess sugar mama, who constantly feels him up at everychance, but Jaune doesn’t see anything sexual about it so doesn’t mind.

AN2: Unfortunately Jaune is about to learn despite his goddess being good, her mortality is definitely like the Greek gods in terms of consent and free will.

[crystalrose555]

Slap me, I dare you! pt.4

“Marley.”

“...”

“Marley, I’m speaking to you.”

“What do you want, Lucifer? I’m doing homework right now.” Marley snapped back with a growl.

Lucifer just sighed as he held his temples for a moment. Instead of responding, he just placed the D.D.D. on the desk next to her.

“What’s that?” Marley asked, pulling herself away from her books.

“This is your D.D.D. that you were supposed to receive when you first came here.”

Marley raised an eyebrow as she pictured up the device and looked back at the eldest brother.

“And you’re giving me this now? Don’t you think you’re super late on this?” She teased cheekily.

Lucifer, on the other hand, was not amused by her observation.

“Yes, but I didn’t think you were smart enough to figure it out when you first got here.” He sneered back.

“Touché, prick.” She answered flatly.

“Regardless, it’s already programmed with everyone’s numbers along with a number of apps that will be useful. So if there’s any future trouble, you have the means to contact someone.”

Marley looked at her new phone before looking up at the eldest brother with a smirk across her face.

“Contact someone or contact you directly? Because it sounds like the almighty Lucifer is worried about my wellbeing.” She poked verbally.

Lucifer’s eyes just narrowed in annoyance.

“Don’t get cute, I’m only doing this so I don’t have to punish another noble because of you.” He claimed as he headed toward the door.

“Don’t hide your feelings, Lucy!” She called out to him.

Lucifer snapped his fury-laced gaze back at the smiling selkie who cat-grinned in return.

“...I’m gonna put that as your contact name.”

“If you do, I’ll put you in study hall for the foreseeable future.”

“Hey, that’s an abuse of power!” Marley pointed out.

Lucifer just smirked in triumph as he finally left Marley’s room. With a snort, Marley turned back to her desk with a slight pout. She then picked up the phone to inspect and play with it, scroll and tap the different icons. With a final glance over her shoulder, she casually changed the names in contacts, starting with ‘Lucifer’ being turned to ‘Lucy’ with a low snicker.

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“Uuuuh, shut uuuuup...” Marley groaned as she shed her pelt.

She reached out slowly to pull her D.D.D. close as the blinding screen pierced her tired eyes. Skimming the screen, she groaned harshly as the cheery pinging of her text notifications quickly began grinding on her nerves. In less than a week, her phone was at the center of all the texts from and between the brothers of the house. At first, it was relieving since she could be part of the action without having to stop her studies but now it was becoming a pain in her stubby tail. It was late and she didn’t have the brain power to deal with the mass wave of messages, especially considering she barely had any sleep for the past week. Clearly, the boys can figure out their own problems without her input.

“Well, looks like I’m sleeping in the tub tonight.” She grumbled as she peeled herself from the bed and dragged herself to the personal bathroom, leaving her D.D.D. on the bed to vibrate away.

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“Marley, are you in there?” Levi asked softly as he knocked on Marley’s door.

Levi took in a deep breath as he weighed his options. He sent countless messages to Marley since now they could share memes and inside jokes without his brothers butting their heads in their business. However, she suddenly stopped replying to him and has gone silent. Was she finally sick of him, did she finally decide that he wasn’t worth the trouble being friends with? Levi’s envious thoughts and insecurities began to swirl in his mind, forming a dark storm of potential envy. He was so lost in his own thoughts he couldn’t even sense his surroundings and was only brought back to reality when Asmo blew air over the edge of his ear, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.

“What the hell, are you trying to make me summon Lotan!?” He squealed sharply as he turned to his brothers.

“Oi, we were tryin’ to get your attention but you were zonin’ out like a creeper.” Mammon pointed out.

“Who are you calling a creeper, you scumbag!?”

Mammon and Levi argued back and forth while Asmo took the opportunity to let himself into Marley’s room. He took a look around to see that the room was barely customized with any type of decoration, with the only difference being the table filled with papers and a laptop in power saving mode. He pouted to himself, saddened by the lack of personalization, Asmo made his way to the book-filled bed where he sat and picked up the abandoned D.D.D. with peaked curiosity.

“Don’t even think about it, Asmo.” Levi ordered as he finally got the nerve to enter the room.

“What? I was just going to give her a truly beautiful background for her wallpaper.” He chimed.

“Let me guess, a picture of you?” Mammon answered flatly as he snatched the phone from his younger brother’s hand.

“Yep, she hasn’t answered any of our texts. She’s got some nerve.” Mammon pointed out with a grumble.

“Ok but where is she?” Levi asked as he looked around desperately.

Mammon only answered his brother by shushing him as a faint whistling sound caught his ears. Realizing it was coming from the bathroom, he motioned his siblings to follow him as he gently picked the bathroom’s lock. Once inside, the demons surrounded the tub and stared down the source of the whistling. There laid Mochi, floating in the half filled bathtub, whistling with each exhale through her nostrils. Her flippers were folded in and cradling her round, blubbery body as she bobbed up and down in the water.

“Aww, she’s sooo cute~” Asmo managed to squeal at a low volume.

“Shh, are you trying to wake her up?” Levi reacted.

“So she wasn’t answerin’ us because she was sleepin’ in the tub? Guess it would be hard to text with flippers.” Mammon claimed with a shoulder shrug.

Eventually, the demons found themselves on their knees, resting along the edge of the tub as they watched the sleeping seal, whistling and bobbing in the clear water. Occasionally, out of boredom and curiosity, one of them would poke her to watch her sink and rise with the motion of the water while another would take pictures while snickering. As she bobbed back and forth, the boys were so fixated that they failed to realize that their jesting was starting to stir her from her slumber. Her eyes slowly blinked only to snap open upon seeing herself surrounded by noisy demons. In response, she slapped violently and splashed the water of her tub at the intruders. Asmo shrieked as all the surrounding brothers got up as the cold water threatened to drench them.

“Mochi, no, not my hair!” Asmo cried shrilly.

“Oi, what’s with the splashin’, fuzzball!?” Mammon yelled out as he held his hands up to block some of the water.

Mochi didn’t turn back into a human to answer, she just hissed harshly at the intruding brothers which caused all of them to jump.

“I didn’t know she could hiss! I thought she was like a dog!” Levi cracked out as he tried to protect his phone from the oncoming water.

The sounds of hissing and screaming eventually caught the attention of the other brothers who came only to discover Mammon, Levi and Asmo soaked to the bone while bracing against the bathroom door. Lucifer just crossed his arms in disappointment.

“I honestly thought the three of you were old enough to not play in the bathroom.” Satan commented disappointedly.

“We weren’t playin’, Mochi just went nuts and tried to splash us to death!” Mammon yelled back.

“My poor hair, it took me forever to get it just right.” Asmo sobbed as he combed his fingers through his wet locks.

“Move aside.” Lucifer commanded as he made his way to the bathroom door.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Lucifer.” Levi whimpered.

“Nonsense, it’s time for classes and to end this foolishness.” Lucifer harshly claimed as he entered the bathroom.

There he stared at the heavily breathing animal who suddenly looked up at him and growled. Lucifer just stared down with his arms crossed.

“Good morning Marley, I take it that your wake up call was pleasant but it’s time for you to get up.”

Mochi just hissed harshly at the first born while slapping her side.

“I don’t have time for your temper tantrum and I definitely don’t care for your tone.”

“Can he understand her?” Beel whispered to his twin.

“No but he can understand when someone’s sassing him.” Belphie quietly answered.

The younger brothers watched on as the room began to steam from the sheer aggression that was radiating out the bathroom. The sound of Mochi’s hissing and slapping echoed along the bathroom’s walls while Lucifer remained stone faced with an icy glare.

“Enough, you’re going to suffer greatly if you don’t get yourself together right now!” He roared.

And just like that, Mochi’s last nerve snapped as she answered the angered Morningstar. Not with words but with retaliation as she violently splashed him with nearly twice the amount of water that his brothers received, thrashing about violently while hissing, barking and snorting like a feral beast. However, despite the perceived fury from the furry creature in the tub, the remaining brother stood silent, nearly shivering as they watched the water drip down the soaked Lucifer. He remained motionless, his face absent of wrinkles or a frown, instead a gentle smile that was accompanied with a gaze that transcended wrath and anger.

“So you’ve chosen...” He calmly claimed.

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“Right here it says that seals become aggressive when they’re exhausted. They’ve been known to lash out at researchers that try to study them too closely.” Satan exclaimed as he flipped through the pages of his book.

“So that’s why she went crazy. Poor Mochi was completely burnt out~” Asmo cooed as fixed up his hair in the mirror.

“Yeah, that makes sense since she’s been doing school work nonstop since she got here. So why don’t you go easy on her, Lucifer?” Beel pleaded.

Lucifer gently dried his hair with a black towel before resting it upon his broad shoulders.

“What do you think? Should I go easy on you?” Lucifer asked with a smile upon his face.

Mochi hissed and growled as she clawed at the eldest brother who smiled sweetly at her. However, none of it mattered since she couldn’t reach him through the prison sphere that she was stuck in. Bright purple and hollowed, Mochi was trapped in a bubble of solid demonic energy and every movement she made only caused her to roll around chaotically. She tried to freeze her way out only to fog up her sphere.

“I’m sorry, dear, I didn’t quite catch that. You need to speak up.” Lucifer teased.

Mochi barked aggressively as she tried to ram Lucifer with his own sphere. However, the eldest simply stopped her with his foot resting against the surface.

“Uhh, don’t you think you’re being childish?” Levi weakly asked.

Lucifer wasn’t listening to the poor otaku as he began to spin the pissed off selkie with his foot. Skillfully, he spun her hard enough that she circled the room without hitting any furniture or anyone before she returned underneath his shoe, dizzy and disoriented.

“Oh come on, Lucifer, even I’m gettin’ embarrassed watchin’ this!” Mammon called out as he recorded the entire thing in secret.

[beeblebrox-be-damned]

Hotel Happenings, Part 2

Alpha!Stucky x Reader

TW: blood, birth, angst-ish stuff.

AN: Hooooooooooo boy extensive plot chapter. I swear, we’ll get to good stuff soon. Probably. Hopefully. Idk tbh. I start writing and then they kinda take on a life of their own and then we end up with a multi-part fic instea dof the originally intended oneshot. AN Part 2- Electric Boogaloo: I’ll be reblogging this later with the taglist for people who wanted to be tagged. My brain is running on empty at this point, its 4 AM, I need sleep fdjmfdmkdfvmk

Long ago, as the primordial oceans churned and raged, a species that would later rise to dominion over the primitive planet  was in the early stages of formation. It was in these barest of centuries when a great divergence took place among the genetic makeup of the creatures. A rift caused by the shifting of the planet’s crust formed, cleaving the small but steadily growing population in two.

It is in this way that one species may become two separate species, though still inextricably intertwined by common ancestors. And thus, the world beget the Humans and the Designates.

It is possible that the change would have occurred even without the rift, though it would have happened at a much slower rate. As it was, the two species, while alike in almost all ways, were unable to breed when they once more found each other.

Humans, despite lacking the prolificacy of Designates, swarmed the Earth quickly. To do so, they pushed the Designates nearly to the brink of extinction. Even today, Designates make up the minority of the Earth’s sentient inhabitants. A deep rift, this time not literal, formed between the two over the millennia that spanned the development of the modern world.

The separation of species, however, was not complete. Despite being unable to interbreed, which would have led to the eventual “out-breeding” of the Designate traits, it was apparent that one species could, through circumstances not yet understood by modern-day science, bare members of the other. It was possible for a pairing of two Humans to bring forth a Designate child and vice versa, though the anomaly remains incredibly rare.

It is possible that it wasn’t as rare as it seems. Taboo as it is to most civilized creatures, the destruction or abandonment of undesired offspring is not unheard of in the natural world. Take the instance of an albino rabbit born into a litter of normally coloured siblings. It is normal for the mother to shun the out-of-place offspring, resulting in its untimely demise. With the deep hatred between the two species it is not unfathomable that a Human or a Designate may allow offspring born of their counterpart species to die, leading to a skewed statistical error of reported counter-births.

While hatred wanes, some remain that still hold deep, unfounded malice towards the other species, as it was that led to the abandonment of our dear main character…

……………………………

“C’mon, c’mon. It’ll be okay… just a little further and then we can- can-” the man’s words stuttered to a stop with a distressed whine. His Alpha tugged at his hand, urging him to allow her to sit and rest. One of her hands clutched her swollen belly tightly, her face twisted in agony.

“No, ‘Mega. I need to sit. F-uck.” Her words were tight, pained. A gust of wind brushed her hair away from her face as she slid to the ground, letting go of her distressed Omega’s hand. She leaned against a tree as he crouched down beside her. He gave a small whine, fear shining in his wide eyes. 

The moon, covered with piebald clouds, provided very little light in the forest. He couldn’t see the red, but he could smell the blood. His frantic whines grew louder. His panting Alpha reached up and stroked her hand over his cheek. “Hush now, it’ll be alright. We’ll just have to- ah!” Her words cut off in a sharp cry of agony. After a moment, she regained her breath. “Y-your jacket, give me your jacket,” she sputtered, “Can’t wait any longer.”

Her Omega, despite his panic, obeyed promptly. He shrugged the ragged jacket off of his thin shoulders and with the Alpha’s guidance, spread it beneath her. Her hair clung to her forehead as she groaned, her Omega watching by helplessly.

“Alpha, we need to get to a hospital, need to get help-” he cried, hands scrambling feebly to try to assist with the birth. “There’s so much blood- oh god there’s so much blood.” Tears streamed freely down his cheeks, mingling with the rain that spat from the sky.

“Shh, shh, it’s alright,” the Alpha said weakly, taking one of his bloodied hands in her own. Her thumb stroked his skin softly as she locked her gaze on his. It pained her more than the physical pain of birth to see her beloved so distraught. “It will be alright, I promise.��� Her voice was steadily growing weaker, the blood pooling around her. “Just… hold my hand. She’s almost here.”

He held her hand tightly, too afraid to look, too afraid to see how much blood was leaching from her body. She could feel the infant crowing, almost ready. She wished it had been different, wished she could watch her first pup grow up. Gripping her Omega’s hand tightly and using her last reserve of strength, she gave a final harsh push. A wail greeted her ears as she slipped into the velveteen darkness.

The Omega listen to the child wail, frozen in place. He could feel it in his bond when his Alpha’s last breath left her body. He leapt onto her, frantically trying to breathe life back into her limp form. His heart wrenched in his chest as the hopelessness of it hit him. His a loud cry he stood, turning his face away as he screamed curses towards the inky tree-tops.

A whine reminded him of the new life. Swallowing another scream, he turned to gaze upon the pup he had sired. He laughed through his grief as he realized it was indeed a girl, just as his Alpha had thought. They hadn’t been able to go to the doctor to find out for sure, too poor to pay the bills, too poor to even afford proper clothing. But they had each other.

They had each other. No more.

He leaned down, gathering his daughter in the bloodied rag of a jacket he had worn. He sobbed, eyes shut tight as the pain hit him in waves. As he stared at the infant, he realized just how tiny she was. Horror and rage slowly crept over him, and his frown grew into a sneer.

“Y-you,” he growled, “you’re human.” There was venom in his voice, centuries of hatred. Had the light been stronger, he may have seen he was mistaken. But perhaps not. The scent glands of a premature Designated infant are very difficult to locate, nor do they produce any of the scent that differentiates the two species.

He stood, holding the infant far from his body. “A human… a human killed her.” His voice rose in pitch. “A human killed my Alpha. You killed her,” he screamed. “You killed her!”

Part of him wanted to toss the infant to the ground and run, but something kept him from doing so. With an angered sob, he clutched the baby close again. He couldn’t bring himself to do it. Nor did he want to raise this pup, this human, on his own. 

It was then, as he looked up, that he happened to glimpse a small glint of light through the trees. An old woman had just happened to be awake then, unable to sleep though she did not know why. He stumbled forward, eyes fixed on the light. A window came into view, illuminating a trellis-archway above a doorstep.

The scent of wisteria hung heavily in the air as the infant cried.

……………………….

The woman brushed the hair off of her neck, wincing as sweat caused it to cling to her skin. Steam rose from the large pots on the stove and heat poured from the oven. The windows were open as wide as they could go, but it did little to ease the stifling heat of the small kitchen.

Turning on her heel, she walked over to the door, pushing it open and haphazardly fanning it back and forth in an attempt to stir up the air. After a moment she gave up, opting instead to prop it open. She really needed to get a fan or something to put in the kitchen. This old building just wasn’t very well ventilated, and the air conditioning on this side had never worked quite properly after it was installed. She never bothered to have it repaired since it still worked in the guest rooms and the second floor. There just wasn’t the money in the bank account to do it.

Content that the potatoes were far enough away from boiling over and the roast wasn’t going anywhere, she ducked out of the hot room and strolled down the short hall between the dining area, kitchen, and foyer. Ro was still in the office, her usual spot. Before she had lost her sight, she would spend hours looking out the office’s large window to observe the wildlife. It held especially fond memories, she had told the woman once, because that was the first room she ever held her in after she’d been left outside the foyer doorsteps.

The woman knocked on the door, signaling her presence so she wouldn’t startle the elderly lady. Of course, she probably had heard her coming down the hall, but it was better to be safe than sorry. “Yes?” came the reply promptly.

The woman pushed open the door and stepped inside, propping it open wide. She sat down in a comfortable chair across from Ro’s rocker, wiping at her sweat-sticky forehead. “It’s awful warm today, isn’t it?”

Ro raised her eyebrow, pursing her lips. “Not particularly, but I can imagine it mus’ be hot in that stuffy little kitchen. How’s the roast comin’ along?” Her gnarled hands rested on her lap, clasping each other lightly.

The woman smiled. “It’s in the oven as we speak. Had to get out the big one we’d saved in the freezer. Got a lot of guests today.” She paused a moment, thinking. “How’d you know we were having roast?”

Ro chuckled. “Silly girl. I can smell it. Smells real nice too. Did ye’ use rosemary?” Her face was turned towards the window, the light from it highlighting each smile-line and wrinkle that the woman loved so dearly. As time she had to spend with her adoptive guardian grew shorter, she spent more time committing each detail about her to memory.

“Yeah, fresh from the garden. I added a little thyme too, but not a whole lot.” She leaned forward and took one of Ro’s hands in her own, smiling as Ro gently squeezed her fingers. “You’ll never guess who our guests are, Mama. I was so shocked I almost passed clean out.”

Ro turned towards her, eyebrow raised. “Yeah? Who is it, baby?” Her wispy hair circled her face loosely where it had slipped out of the confines of her bun.

“You remember a few years back when that mind-controlled man invaded New York with aliens?” the woman asked, remembering the chaos that had been broadcast live on all the major news channels. Ro nodded, pursing her lips as she remembered. 

“Those were nasty lookin’ creatures,” she said, shaking her head. “Nasty, nasty, nasty.”

“Agreed,” said the woman, finding herself nodding even though her companion couldn’t see it. “Anyway, there were those people that defeated them and chased the rest of them off. The Avengers.”

Ro nodded, licking her lips. “Now you aren’t tellin’ me,” she said, “that the Avengers are staying at our hotel, are you?” The quirk of her eyebrow marked her slight disbelief.

“Yup, they are. No- I’m not kidding.” She replied, watching the surprised look on Ro’s face. “And he’s with them, Mama.”

Ro laughed loudly, rocking back in her chair for a moment. “Well I’ll be darned,” she said, chuckling excitedly. “Never in my life did I ever think I’d get to meet the Captain America himself in person, let alone havin’ him an; his whole team stay in the hotel! My, my, this world sure is a funny place.”

Ro had spent many nights tucking her into bed and telling her stories when she was young. Often times, the stories were mostly true, centered around Ro’s favorite hero from World War 2, Captain America. As the woman got older, she figured out that Ro had had a bit of a crush on him, as most women of his time probably had. It had come as a great surprise to both of them when the word got out his body had been found- alive. Ro had clapped her hands and declared that miracles really did happen.

“Dinner will be ready soon, do you want to go ahead down to the dining room?” Ro released the woman’s hand and nodded, allowing her to stand. She walked to the corner of the room and retrieved Ro’s wheelchair, bringing it over to her. She helped her stand and situate herself in the wheelchair.

As they moved past the open kitchen, the woman winced at the heat. Even being in Ro’s cooled office, she still was uncomfortably warm. Ro seemed to sense her discomfort, tilting her head with a quizzical stare as the woman situated her at the dining table.

“What’s wrong, Mama?” the woman asked as she pulled open the chest of drawers where the good silverware was kept. She and Ro wouldn’t usually use it, as most guests opted to dine out in the town, but this was a special occasion to warrant the carefully polished utensils.

Ro hummed thoughtfully. “Nothin’ baby, you just seems a little off today. You sure you ain’t feelin’ unwell?” She couldn’t see her ward, but she could hear there was something unusual just by the change in the pace of the woman’s steps. They were almost sluggish.

The woman carefully spread the tablecloth over the hard oak table, moving on to place dishes at each seat. “To be perfectly honest, I’m a bit tired I suppose. I think the heat has me down,” she admitted, smoothing the tablecloth idly as she examined herself.

Ro frowned, worried. “Baby, it’s not that hot out. C’mere,” she said, beckoning with one hand. The woman came over obediently, knowing Ro wouldn’t take no for an answer. She knelt beside the wheelchair, allowing Ro to place her hand against her forehead. It was cold, pleasantly so. She nearly found herself leaning into the touch. “Child, you are positively burning up! If it weren’t for your tone a’ voice, I’d say you had a fever.”

The woman stood. “Odd. Other than the warmth, I feel fine.” She laid out napkins and the silverware, making sure each place was properly set. Perhaps if they made a good impression on their guests, they’d recommend the place to others. Wistful thinking, honestly, but it was worth a shot.

Ro pursed her lips, her worry clearly written across her face. “If you insist, baby. Just take it easy after dinner. The dishes ‘ll wait until morning just fine.”

The woman smiled. “Alright, Mama, whatever you say.” Satisfied the table was set properly, she returned to the kitchen to finish prepping the meal.

…………………..

“Alright, Mama, ready?” the woman asked, making sure Ro was comfortably seated in the chairlift to their upstairs residency. She pressed the button, briefly pausing to make sure the chair was running properly before turning and folding up the wheelchair so she could carry it with a bit more ease up the stairs. “So,” she asked as she followed Ro up the stairs, “what’d you think of the Avengers?”

Ro gave a hearty laugh, grinning widely. “They are somethin’ else! I tell you what, I’m glad they’re stayin’ for a couple days. They’ve gotta be the liveliest bunch we’ve had here in years.”

The woman smiled as they reached the top of the stairs, unfolding the wheelchair and assisting Ro back into it. The elderly lady could walk short distances with a walker to the bathroom and such, but you both agreed it was far safer for her to use the wheelchair for most things. The woman had made it abundantly clear that she didn’t mind caring for Ro but had agreed at Ro’s stubborn insistence that should the burden ever be too much, she would take her to the local retirement home.

“I’ve got to agree with you there, Mama.” She took Ro to her room, making sure everything was in order for the night. She waited outside the door as Ro readied herself for bed. “So, what’d you think about Captain Rog-, er, Steve?” Steve had insisted on them referring to him by his first name, as did most of the others, including Bucky. He had seemed almost embarrassed to request being called James instead of ‘Mr. Barnes’, but the grin he wore hearing it was certainly a sight to behold.

Ro shuffled out of the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the bed, slipping off her houseshoes. The woman leaned over and carefully undid her bun, setting the pins on the nightstand and grabbing a hairbrush. “He’s such a charmer,” Ro said, “just like he was back in the day. And such a sweetheart! I swear, that man doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. And his friend seems awful nice too. What was his name? James?”

The woman smiled softly as she finished combing Ro’s hair. “They are quite nice, aren’t they. I can’t believe they offered to help clean up after dinner. I guess that’s the sort of kindness people have been loosing, huh?” she sighed. 

Ro smiled and patted her hand. “Baby, sometimes kindness is all we got. I’m proud of you, did you know that? So proud.” She paused, squeezing her hand tightly. “I’m glad you showed up on my doorstep. Who knew such a tiny little thing would grow up to be such a strong lady.”

The woman smiled, eyes misting as she walked towards the bedroom door. “It’s all because of you, Mama Ro. You’ve taught me a lot. Sleep well, call for me if you need anything. Love you.” She shut the door partway and departed to her own room across the hall, opening the window wide to let in the cool night air before she baked in her own skin.

Ro settled back into her pillows. Her face was aimed towards her own window, moonlight highlighting the wise elder’s features. “I don’t know if it’s all ‘cause of me,” she murmured to herself. “Beginin’ to think it may be heritage too.” She chuckled to herself. “My baby ain’t human at all. This is one funny world.”

………………………..

Downstairs, two men were settling into bed, eagerly settling into the crisp, clean-smelling sheets that bore the faint scent of the woman, who they were now sure was an Omega, who’d placed them earlier.

“Jesus, Steve, that was a good meal. She sure can cook,” Buck said, turning over on his side to face his longtime friend and partner. It was a bit odd for two Alphas to be in a relationship, let alone one so long-term, without an Omega to accompany them, but Bucky felt sure that was going to change soon.

Steve smiled, stifling a yawn. “Absolutely. I could get used to that.” He chuckled, resting his arms behind his head, contentment washing over him. It was silent for several minutes, but then Steve spoke up again. “So, we’re gonna talk about what’s going on, right? I could tell by the look on your face soon as we walked into the dining room that you could smell her too.”

Bucky nodded. “Yeah, alright, I did. She’s definitely an Omega. So faint though, kinda strange.” The only Designates he’d ever known who’d been so faint of scent were the ones who’d been on heavy suppressants for much longer than the recommended usage period, but that couldn’t be the case with the hostess seeing as she thought she was human.

“Did it- well, no, maybe it was just my imagination- well, did it maybe smell to you like she’s going into, well, y’know…” Steve glanced over at Bucky with his eyebrows raised, reluctant to say what was on the tip of his tongue.

“Heat?” Bucky snorted at Steve’s coyness. “So strong I thought I was gonna pop a goddamn knot right in the middle of dinner. Super-soldier senses are both a blessing and a curse. Nat and Bruce had it lucky.”

Steve nodded in agreement. “I guess what I’m thinking is… what if she’s never had much contact with other Designates and that delayed… stuff? Maybe our scents or something, I don’t know, triggered her presentation.”

Bucky rolled onto his stomach, wrapping one arm around Steve’s torso as he buried his face in his pillow. “We can look into it tomorrow. For now, get some sleep punk. G’night.”

Steve smiled. “Night.”

[jinterlude]

More Than Enough

↳ Header is made by yours truly, and the photo used can be found here.

—Pairing: Namjoon x Reader (female OC) —Genre(s): Angst, Romance, Fluff, & Slight-Humor —AUs/Tropes: Haikyuu!!Verse, Shiratorizawa Volleyball Captain!Namjoon, Field and Track!Reader, Hyung line are all 3rd years, Taehyung and Jimin are 2nd years, and Jungkook is a 1st year (awe baby) —Warning(s)/Rating: None / G —Word Count: 1,374 —Summary: After blowing their last chance at Nationals before moving on to that University life, Namjoon decides to blow off some steam by running on the track, however, the last person he expected to see showed up and brought a group of friends—and a wheelbarrow?

—A/N: Good morning party people! I am back fulfilling two different drink requests because why not?! Anyway, the first request was made by @jintobean​ who wanted Namjoon + Whiskey & Wine + Wheelbarrow and the second request was made by @ihavetitanium (I can’t tag you uwu so I linked your blog instead) who wanted Namjoon + Hot Chocolate! Talk about a combination of an interesting drabble! I had fun writing this, to be honest! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this! As always, feedback (constructive and/or positive) is always welcome! 

Also, this is written for @bangtan-dreamland‘s Drinks + Drabbles game! Thank you Eris and BHQ for creating this fun net game!

“And that’s the match! Karasuno goes on to Nationals for the third consecutive year!” 

A faint growl emits from Namjoon’s lips as the bitterness from his team’s complete and utter defeat returns. 

His hands ball into a fist. His knuckles practically turn white from the intense pressure. 

Namjoon’s tears well up as he doesn’t want to end his volleyball career on such a sour note. Shiratorizawa’s defeat isn’t how he desires to hand over the team to Taehyung, Jimin, Jungkook, and the rest of the younger players. 

The intelligent captain has planned every detail of their victory until their match against those lowly crows. 

And now? 

No longer will Karasuno be known as the “Flightless Crows.” Now, Shiratorizawa will take that title. The title of being called the “Flightless Eagles.”

Namjoon can’t help but snort at the mere thought of a majestic bird like the eagle becoming flightless. 

“I know that goofy grin, Joonie,” A friendly voice penetrates his entertaining thoughts, “So, what smart joke got you smiling like that?” Asks the voice, who Namjoon registers as his close friend—yours. Well, you’re his non-male close friend. Yoongi will have a heart attack if he hears Namjoon even remotely think that you’ve taken his spot as his number bro. 

Bromances are strange, and a concept that he will never quite grasp. 

Stopping in the middle of his sixth lap around the field, Namjoon stands in the middle of the lane, panting heavily. You quickly jog up to the volleyball captain. 

“___, what brings you out on the field this fine evening?” Namjoon asks, dodging your earlier question. 

You hum in response, grabbing your ankle as you begin stretching your leg muscles. 

“Well,” You pause, gesturing around you, “This is technically my territory since I am a member of the track & field club.” You state proudly, smirking. “So, let me turn that question back to you and ask what brings you out on the field this fine evening?” You ask, smiling sweetly.

Namjoon slowly nods, completely lost for words as that freaking smile of yours causes his heart to skip a beat. Talk about a cliché.  However, the speechless boy swiftly composes himself, clearing his throat as he maintains his usual stoic expression. 

Your quick and witty remarks are one of the many reasons why he harbors romantic feelings for you. 

Well, your witty remarks and the fact that you actually manage to outrank him during exam season. 

For crying out loud, you’re basically his dream girl. Now, if only you’ve chosen to join the girls’ volleyball club. 

Oh, well. 

The track and field club is an excellent second place sports-related club.

Shaking away his inner thoughts, Namjoon rakes his hand through his hair, ignoring the fact that some parts of his hair contain sweat. 

You grimace, “Okay, remind me to ask you to wash your hands before you touch me.” 

Namjoon arches his brow and then looks down at his hand. A short, “ah,” escapes his lips as he quickly wipes his tainted hand against his sweatpants. 

You giggle softly as you playfully shake your head. 

“Well, since you seem kind of jumbled, I’m going to take a wild guess and go with that you sadly lost in the finals against Karasuno. Shiratorizawa will not advance to Nationals.” You say, quickly alarming Namjoon. 

He begins fumbling over his words—a rare sight for the school’s resident Brainiac. Well, one of them. 

Your eyes widen, unsure what to say or even do next. Though, you take a few moments to relish this adorable sight. Unknown to Namjoon, you’ve actually developed a little crush on the scheming captain of Shiratorizawa. You somehow develop this strange infatuation over your high school career. At first, you’ve tried to talk yourself out of this silly little crush. However, that’s proven futile after your track and field announced to the entire club that they’ll be attending one of the volleyball team’s games. 

God, you remember that afternoon so vividly as the game has taken place during yours and Namjoon’s second year. 

To this day, you still recall the intense amount of focus and passion on Namjoon’s face as he relentlessly went after each ball, making sure that it remained in the air. After that day, you finally understand why your classmates say that Namjoon treats each match like a rousing game of chess. 

He is calculating…

He is intelligent…

And he knows how to ensure that Shiratorizawa maintains victory after each match. 

Now, imagine your surprise when word of their defeat reaches your ears. Hence, why you are currently standing next to Namjoon, checking up on him and hopefully cheering him up in the process. 

You don’t need telepathic abilities to know that today’s loss completely crushed Namjoon and the rest of the third years on the volleyball team. 

Not wanting to worsen that mental wound, you suggest a fun race between you and him. 

Namjoon eyes you strangely, “A race? Why?” 

You simply shrug, “Well, I know how competitive you get, and I always wanted to see who was the fastest between us.” You explain with a warm smile. 

Namjoon slowly nods his head, and as he opens his mouth to accept your challenge with a smile so wide that reveals his dimples, you guys hear panic shouts. 

The two of you turn towards the direction of the shouts and see six volleyball club members running down the ramp. It also appears that two of the members are pushing something. 

Wanting to get a better look, you squint, but soon your eyes go wide. 

“Those guys…” Namjoon mutters, suddenly embarrassed to call them teammates. 

You chuckle, “Uh. Do you want to tell me why your friends stole the gardener’s wheelbarrow and are now running as if their lives depend on it?” You question the poor volleyball captain, releasing a few more chuckles that bubble within your chest. 

Namjoon points towards another figure chasing after his good friends, “I’m guessing it has something to do with the fact that said gardener is threatening him as he runs after them,” He slightly shakes his head, “Poor gardener though. He can’t keep up with those six, especially the youngest of our little group.” A long sigh leaves the exhausted captain’s mouth. 

You shift your focus away from the comedic scene, though, you want to keep watching. 

It’s not every day you see a bunch of fellas steal a wheelbarrow. 

“Are you gonna help them?” 

“I mean a good captain would, but since the season is officially over, I’m no longer captain since I passed the title over to Jimin and—” 

“RM! Look, we did what no other team has done and stole the gardener’s prized tool!” One of his friends interrupts Namjoon. You recognize the voice, knowing it belonged to the school’s resident sunshine boy. Jung Hoseok. 

“Oh, wait! Is this girl you like, RM?” questions another friend of his who is exceptionally handsome. Then, you recognize the pretty boy as Kim Seokjin. 

However, his handsomeness doesn’t faze you. What does disturb you is the sole fact that Namjoon may or may not return your feelings? 

Oh, dear lord. 

Crossing your arms, you give the bright-red faced captain a knowing look. 

The shy boy averts his gaze and then narrows his eyes on his close friends. 

“Don’t you guys have to run away from the gardener or something?” 

“We will, but we want to first witness you asking out ___!”

Namjoon growls, but just as he’s about to threaten his buddies, you come to his rescue. 

Lucky for them…

“Tell you what, how about you guys resume your comedy skit and I will tell you what your dear old captain says to me asking him out. Deal?” 

“Say no more! See you later, guys!” The youngest shouts before ordering Jimin and Taehyung to resume pushing the wheelbarrow. 

You and Namjoon stare at their retreating bodies, patiently waiting for the nosy group to be out of earshot. 

Once they are, Namjoon turns to you and asks, ruining your so-called plan, 

“So, how does this Friday night sound?” 

“Sounds perfect. Now, please go save your friends before the gardener hurts them, especially Jungkook. He looks too adorable, and I don’t want him injured.”

“As you wish.”

More Than Enough is copyright 2020 by jinterlude, all rights reserved.

[eleventhdoctorsangel]

Can you hear me screaming please don’t leave me

Summary: Bobby Nash and his niece were always really close. But on one fateful day he and his team were called to her house after her suicide attempt. After saving her his niece decided to go in the same line as work. 

The summer went by fast. Within that time I have passed all of my tests to become an EMT. Only Uncle Bobby and Athena were there the day I passed my test and got my assignment to the 118 of course. Uncle Bobby made sure that I was put with the 118. Still no one beside him and Athena knows. I have also been spending time with Buck, Hen and Chimney. Just like Buck promise he and I went to a concert. We went to see Falling In Reverse (RIP Derek Jones I’m going to miss you.). When the mosh pits started Buck protected me as if life deepened on it. I just laugh my head off and Buck thought I lost my mind. I was used to mosh pits and I guess Buck wasn’t but he face was still priceless. Within all the time that I’ve spent with Buck so far he told me about his family, his sister Maddie, and his girlfriend or ex-girlfriend he wasn’t so sure about that situation. Anyways I’m currently on my way to the station to surprise everyone and tell them the news. I wasn’t the only new member that joining the 118. There’s a new guy named Eddie Diaz. I really only knew his name since that was all that Uncle Bobby told me.

When I got to the station the rest of the team was out on a call so there weren’t many people there. So I went upstairs and sat on one of the couch as I waited for everyone to get back. I texted Uncle Bobby to let me know when they come back so that I could hide if I needed to. I was playing on my phone when I could hear footsteps approaching me. “So you must be the Captain Niece.” A voice say. I look up from phone to see a very hot guy sitting on the table that was in front of the couch. I put my phone in my lap. “I’m guessing you are Eddie Diaz.” I said. “I am.” Eddie said. “Well I’m Y/n it’s nice to meet you.” I said holding out my hand. “Well it’s nice to meet you Y/n.” Eddie said as he shook my hand. “Eddie huh it that short for Eduardo or Edmundo?” I asked. Eddie looked kinda shocked. “How did you know?” Eddie asked. “I’m observant. So which is it?” I asked. “Edmundo.” Eddie said. “You look like an Edmundo.” I said smiling a little. “Why thank you. So Y/n what made you decided to do this? Because no offense you are really small.” Eddie said. “None taken but I can handle my own. As for why I chose to do this is a circumstance I went through I guess you can say.” I said. “Well I would like to hear all about it if you don’t mind telling me.” Eddie said. I shook my head. “No I don’t mind. It was a few months ago. I wasn’t exactly in the best mind space again. I’ve dealt with depression almost my whole life as with self harm. I tried to kill myself for the third time. I tried when I was thirteen and again when I was sixteen. I know that I can’t change what I’ve been through but I want to help people so they don’t have to feel or go through what I did.” I said as showed the scars that were on my wrist. Eddie took ahold of both of my wrist as he ran his thumbs over them then looked up at me. “I’m sorry that you had to go through that.” Eddie said. “Thank you Eddie that means a lot.” I said. “I guess that makes since now. The captain told me about a lot of people here are protective of you.” Eddie said. “Yeah that would make since. So I told you about myself some now why don’t you tell me about yourself.” I said taking my hands out of Eddies grip putting them in my lap.

Eddie told me about his life that he was in the army and that he has an extremely adorable boy name Christopher and that poor Christopher has cerebral palsy. Eddie even told me about the situation that was going on his wife and how didn’t know what he was going to do about it and how he was going to explain it to Christopher when he does. I told him that whatever he decides that Christopher would understand in time and that he might be the one who might take longer to get over it than Christopher. I made sure that Eddie knew that if he or Christopher needed someone to talk to that I will be all ears. Eddie seemed relieved when I said that. Uncle Bobby finally texted me saying that they were on their way. I smiled as I started jumping slightly in my seat. “Well someone seems excited.” Eddie said. “Well I asked my uncle to text me when they were on their way back because I want to surprise everyone.” I said. “So no one besides the captain knows?” Eddie asked. I shook my head. “Well I hope you have fun surprising them.” Eddie said as he got up. “Are you not going to say to see their reaction?” I asked. “I hope I’m still here. I have to get back home to Christopher.” Eddie said. “I understand that. I hope to meet that little cutie soon.” I said. “Christopher would really like that. So I guess I’ll be seeing you around.” Eddie said. “Yeah see you later.” I said giving him a little wave. 

I stay sat on the couch until uncle Bobby told me that it was safe to come down. When he finally I got up from my spot and made my way down the stairs. “Okay that is a beautiful man.” I heard chimney say. If I had to guess it was probably Eddie that were talking about. “Where’s the lie and I like girls.” Hen said.  “Who in the hell is that?” Buck said. “It’s Eddie Diaz a new recruit. Graduated top of his class just this week. Guy was working a station six for time and a half but I convinced him to join to join us.” Uncle bobby said. “What do we need him for?” Buck asked. Which made everyone laugh. “He severed multiple tours in Afghanistan and he’s an army medic he’s got a sliver star. It’s not like he’s wet behind the ears. Beside he’s not the only new face that going to be around here.” Uncle Bobby said. Taking that as my que I finished walking down the stairs and over to everyone. “Yeah now you guys are going to have to deal with me a lot more.” I said. “Wait are you serious?” Buck asked. “Yup I passed my test last week.” I said. Buck smiled as he hugged me. “Welcome to the team sweetie.” Hen said. “Thank momma Hen.” I said. “Come on I’ll introduce you to him. He likes to be called 8 pack.” Uncle Bobby said as Hen and Chimney went with him to go say hi to Eddie just leaving Buck and I. “Raw Sliver star.” Hen said. “Better drop some more pounds there butch.” Chimney said. Buck looked back towards the locker room and kinda glared at Eddie. “You know I can see the steam coming for your ears. What to share with the class.” I said. “We don’t need that guy around here.” Buck said. “I’m pretty sure they said the same thing when you came around. Just take some time and get to know him Buck. He’s a nice guy.” I said. “How can you be so sure about that?” Buck asked. “Because before everyone got here we talked. Just talk to him Buck who knows you two could become best friends.” I said. “Yeah but you’re my best friend. A best friends that should have told me about this.” Buck said. “I wanted it to be a surprise. Come on admit it you were surprised Bucky bear.” I said.  “Ok fine I was surprised. But you should have told me I would have been there when you took the final test.” Buck said. “I know but Uncle Bobby was there. I wasn’t alone. I have to go change but I’ll be right back.” I said as I left to go to the ladies locker room so I can quickly get change so I can get ready to start my first shift.

 Luckily I was able to get change before we had to go out in a call. “So what kind of experience is my first call going to be?” I asked. “A guy fell on to an air compression butt first.” Uncle Bobby said. “The million to one shot.” I said. I could hear people trying not to laugh even uncle Bobby was trying not to laugh. “Come on get in the rig.” Uncle Bobby said. I nodded and made my way inside the fire truck. Buck was sitting on one side of me and Chimney was sitting on the other side of me. I out the head set on and we made our way to the call. “So sliver star huh?” Chimney asked. “Yeah.” Eddie said. “Did you save a platoon of something?” Chimney asked. “No no. Nothing like that uh just a convoy.” Eddie said. “Eddie you heard about the hot firefighter calendar?” Hen asked. I look at Buck to see him glaring at Hen. I playfully nudge him. “I’m sorry the what” Eddie asked laughing at little. “For charity.” Hen said. “So is your full name Eduardo?” Buck asked. “No.” Eddie said. “People every call you Diaz?” Buck asked. “Not if they want me to repose.” Eddie said. “Something gotta give we got Cap, Hen, Chimney, Buck. We just can’t call you Eddie.” Buck said. “Can’t tell if he’s being serious or not.” Eddie said. “I like to always operate under the assumption that nothing he says is serious.” Chimney said. “Oh come on Bucky bear you know we love you.” I said nudging him. 

When we arrived at Hector’s Rim and Tire shop Uncle Bobby was the first to go talk with the worker while the rest of us got the Medical stuff that we were going to need. We were lead over to a like who had blew up like a balloon. “Okay Hector can you hear me? Alright hang in there buddy. Alright let’s get him on his side maintain pressure on the wound.” Uncle Bobby said as He, Eddie, Chimney, Buck and I helped with lifting Hector off of the air pressure. “It’s a hundred pounds per square inch pumped through his entire body.” Buck said. Hen started to check his heart rate with a stethoscope. “Breathing shallow. He’s heart is racing. Airs filled his stomach, his chest, even behind his eye lids. I’m more concerned about the space around his heart and lungs.” Hen said. “Ok Eddie start a nasal cannula. Chimney get him some morphine.” Uncle Bobby said. “On it.” Chimney said as he went over to Hector’s side grabbing his hand and tried to stick him. “It’s like trying to inject a needle into stone.” Chimney said. “The pressure is pushing everything out. I can’t even get any air through the nostril.” Eddie said trying to get the nasal cannula on. “Jugular venous distention, tachycardia, hypotension, diminished breath We’re looking at tension pneumothorax.” Hen said. “The air pressure is collapsing his organs. We need to get in there and drain the fluid. Buck I need you to get a 14-gauge angiocath. We need to start decompressing the pleural cavity. Y/n I need you to cut away his shirt.” Uncle Bobby said. I nodded as Chimney handed me a pair of scissors the I cut away at Hector’s shirt so it would be easier for Buck. I stood back up so Buck could have room to work. “Alright. Alright.” Buck said. “You want me to help?” Eddie asked him. “I got it.” Buck said. “Hang in there Hector.” Uncle bobby said. “I’d go lower.” Eddie said. “What? Um no. Second intercostal space. Midclavicular line.” Buck said. “The chest wall is thinner at the fifth intercostal at the anterior axillary line. It’s a decrease chance of injuring any vital organs. I’ve treated guys with collapses lungs in combat.” Eddie said. “Do it.” Uncle bobby said. “Please?” Eddie asked as he held his hand to Buck. Buck handed the syringe to Eddie. “Thank you.” Eddie said as he stuck the syringe parallel to Hector’s under arm then undid part of it as the air started to leave Hector’s body. Hector let out a breath as he opened his eyes. “That’s it Hector breathe. Nice and slow.” Uncle Bobby said. Then we got Hector on a gurney and I help Buck pick stuff up and take it back to the rig. 

A/n: I know that I have another way of watching season two. But I usually watch the stuff I need with subtitles and I can’t with the way I've been watching it. So I might have to be this story on hold until either it get back on Hulu or it comes out to DVD

Overall Taglist: @the-broken-halo-writer​

[kait4073]

As the sun sets around us

Chapter 2

Previously:

HOLY SHIT! YOUR GOING FOR TEA WITH TOM HOLLAND!

**** **** **** **** ****

Tom's POV:

After dropping off Emmi's folder, I started making my way out of the building. I didn't live far off from here and since I had no more meetings till tomorrow, so I started to make my way towards home. The busy streets of Kingston moved around me, but my mind was somewhere else. 'I'm Emmi' the way the dark shadows under her eyes contrasted against her pale skin.  She looked...tired, Like she hasn't slept in ages. Yet at the same time it was like she was a beaming ray of sunshine.

I finally reach my flat and reach in my pocket for my keys. Opening the door I hear little paws rushing towards me.  Then a little blue staffy meets me face to face, and my smile begins to grow. 

" Hey Tess, what are you doing here eh?"

I close the door behind me, bending down to meet her. Petting and kissing her head before moving to the living room. Harry, Haz, Sam, and Tuwaine sitting on the Sofa watching new episodes of Love Island.

" Really Mates! Without me!" Their heads snap towards me In fear and embarresment as if I had caught them wanking or something. Harry was the first to speakthe others not far behind. " SORRY mate we can go back for ya!"

" YEAH!!!" They chimed in.

" thanks mates! So what did I miss!"

I laughed as I made my way to the couch.

Haz looked at me seriously and stated " where do we begin"

Also, what's Tessa down here?" I asked quickly

" ahh right. We're dog sitting for a day or two while mom and day take Paddy to a modeling gig" Harry responds

As the episode is being restarted  I make sure I turned on my notifications, so that if Emmi called I wouldn't miss it. It would be nice to get to know someone new.

" ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION!" Sam cried

Putting my phone down I tuned toward the screen and prepared for what was to come.

" yes, yes. Sorry!" I replied

" Better be, we went back for ya!" Tuwaine responded jokingly.

"Alright, alright. I am paying attention. Now you can press play."

As Sam pressed play I suddenly felt the world outside of the flat sliding away. All that matred was this, me and my mates having a good time.

**** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****

" Bloody hell Haz, you were right about not knowing where to begin." I cried. After the episode we all sat there hurt from who was just sent home.

" I know, he didn't even get a chance. Poor bloke." Harry chimed in solomy,

as you all talked about how badly he was done wrong. Thats when it happend, my phone went off..I know it could have been anyone but I really wanted it to be her. You jumped from you spot on the couch to the wall where it was now charging.

And that's when I read it.

Emmi: Hey Tom, it's Emmi.

Tom: Hey! I was wondering if you were going to message me.  Are we still on for tea?

Emmi: definitely! I need to thank you for today, if you didn't bring that folder I would have lost my roster.

Tom: No need to thank me, lol. Meet you at the school?

Emmi: Out front?

Tom: yup!

Emmi: see ya there

Tom: see ya x

" YES!" I cheered, unable to suppress my excitement,Forgetting I was in a room of people. Their heads turn to me in confusion waiting for an explanation.

" Yes what mate?" Haz ask. My cheeks brighten as I realize they have no idea about anything that happened today.

How am I going to explain this to them with out them forever making fun of me?

" well, you see...I met this girl today."

I stated shyly. I can see smirks making their way onto each of their faces.

" a girl eh. Tommy boy has got himself a girlfriend!" Harry laughs, patting on the back.

" finally mate. It's been ages since you've had a good one." Added Sam with a giggle.

" congrats Tommy boy, you always were a romantic, Love at first sight kinda guy" Haz joked.

" Alright you guys, just because Tommy here got himself a girlfriend, who her just met. Doesn't mean we can go around making fun of him to his face" Tuwaine starts "sternly"

" thank you twaine,but I will have you know that-" I speak before being cut off.

" WE JUST GOTTA DO WHEN HES NOT HERE!" Tuwaine laughs hysterically, the boys followed quickly after.  I knew the boys were joking, that's just how we were with each other. Although I want to actually tell them what's going on, if they can manage to let me speak.  I can feel the anger in me quickly growing.

"WILL YOU LADS SHUT IT! WERE NOT DATING!" I bellowed, red in the face. The room went quiet and the boys all started to stare at me.

" we might be going for tea as a thank you, since I brought her a folder she dropped in the street. I just want to meet someone knew, someone that won't look at me and  think they know because of my name or they watch my movies, and somehow I felt that with her, even if it was only for a few minutes." I ramble.

The boys eyes widening, as they had no idea what to say.

" Tom, we had no idea you felt that way...we're sorry mate!" Haz apologized.

" its alright. Just let me finish what I was saying before you go nuts will ya's?" I laughed. As I made my way off the couch and towards the door, popping my sneakers on. I quickly turned to Tessa who had followed me.

" Hey girl, I'll be back soon. Don't worry "

As I scratched behind her ear and gave her a kiss goodbye.

"I'll see you guys later!" I called out to the lads in the living room, closing the door behind me.

**** **** **** **** **** *** *** *** *** *** ****

The walk back to the school would have been short and sweet, but the argument with the boys made me 20 mins, late.. The brisk London air hitting my face, and making the heat a little more bearable. As I came upon the school tonmy relief I saw still Emmi sitting on the stairs reading a book. Her bag looked less heavy than before and she had no folders with her. I quicked my pace again , and soon I was at the bottom of the stairs.

" Hello again." I said, catching her attention. A smile grew on her face as she saw it was me. " Hey yourself" she laughed. She stated making her way down the stairs while putting her book in her bag, then zipping it.

" Ready?" I asked holding out my hand towards the street.

" Yes sir" she mocked. She followed me to the small Cafe near my flat. It was cozy and quiet inside. You get hit with the warmth from the steam, and the smell from the drinks as soon as you walk in. A smile grew on Emmi's face. 'I knew she would love it here. ' I though to myself

" Oh Tom, this place is wonderful. This is an amazing place to sit and get away from the world and it's chaos, with a book and some tea." Emmi dreamily stated.

I laughed before guiding her to the empty table so she can put her bag down.

" let's order, it's on me since you saved me today!" Emmi laughed.

"What do you want? Before I go go there." Emmi asked

I thought for a second before making my decision.

" Earl Grey, lots of milk, 2 sugar. Please and thank you. " I made sure to thank her since she didn't have to do this and even threw in a smile. I sat at the table while she went to get the drinks. A few moments later she returned with both of our drinks in hand.

" Here you go, Earl Grey with lots of milk and 2 sugar.  You didn't specify size so I got you a medium. I hope that's okay?!" She says shyly. Handing me my drink.

" More than okay, thank you again." I smiled at her.

Taking a sip of her drink, she blushes momentarily.

" So what did you get?" I asked intrigued, leaning closer. She laughed at my actions before sitting back in her chair.

" Vanilla Chai latte, been dying to try on and I thought why not today." She shrugged and I nodded at her answer.

" Okayyy so, how long have you been in Kingston. Your obviously not from here." I asked. I saw all color.drain from her face. But she quickly covored it up. ' Am I missing something?  Did I say something wrong? ' I though beginig to worry I had ruined any chances of being her friend.

" I came here 2 years ago to finish school. I mean if you couldn't tell from this morning I work in a school. I am starting my first year as a full time teacher."  Emmi explains confidentiality.

" Anyways, enough about me. What do you do? Other than acting I mean?" Emmi said changing the subject. ' holy shit, I rarely ever get asked this. '  I thought slightly amazed. A smile grew on my face as I started.

" well I lived with my Mates, and we all have this obsession with Love Island. I know it's dumb but for some reason we just can't get enough. I have a dog named Tessa and she's my baby. I work with my brothers on our Brothers trust stuff. I mean I do a lot now that I think about it. Sorry I am rambling I don't get asked this a lot." I rambled on till I came to my senses. Emmi laughed and shook her head.

" no need to feel embarrassed I find it endearing. And besides I want to know more, Mr. Holland." She smiled

" I like to be able to go out with my Mates and have a drink, with out being followed by paparazzi. Clubs are always fun, and inlove to travel. What about you?" I asked

" well In my free time I love to read and bake. I love to be able to try new things, and go new places. Although with new teacher salary that may take a while." She joked

" Anyways, I am not the most social person, I prefer to keep to myself. Which may explain why in 2 years I still don't have any friends here. " she talked, she began to mumble the last part but I was close enough to still hear her.

" well now that's not exactly all true. You and I ate friends now." I comforted her, holding her hand across the table. She smiled at me. We finished drinking our tea and talked for hours. 

**** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

" which way do you walk home?" I asked  as the night had come to an end.

Emmi turned to me before responding.

" I go left, you?" She asked.

" I got north but I go left till the school. So I can walk you to the school." I offered.

Yeah that's great thanks. As we walked in the dark, we stuck closer together, chatting and laughing some more. Little did I know that the entire time we were being watched and our little hang out was about to bite us in the ass.

[antihero-writings]

The Boy with the Unspeakable Name (Ch8)

Fandom: Harry Potter (and the Chamber or Secrets)

Fic Summary: Tom Riddle may have won his battle with Harry in the Chamber of Secrets, but there were a few unforeseen consequences; loss of Tom’s memory being the most obnoxious of them. Is it possible to stop Tom’s past from becoming his future? Or is the young Tom Riddle doomed to repeat his mistakes?

Notes: Hey! I'm so so sorry there was such a delay with this one! I was having a bit of a block with it. I hope you're still interested in reading! I'm hoping the next one will be a bit faster, as it's one I've been excited for. Cross your fingers everybody!

By the way, I changed that thing I said I would in the Snape chapter! It's towards the end, when Snape's looking into Tom's mind. It's not a big deal if you don't want to check it out, but it is related to this chapter!

I hope you guys like it!! As always, it's your comments, and interest, that keep me writing!! <3

Chapter 8: Only in Dreams 

Tom stared up at the ceiling in the hospital wing, his hand behind his head, thinking about all that had happened…and some of what hadn’t happened.

Sometimes that was very dangerous thing to do indeed.

An annoying woman by the name of ‘Madam Pomfrey’ kept periodically checking on him, and offering him food and medicine. He wouldn’t be surprised if she woke him in the middle of the night just to make sure he was sleeping well.

There was also a boy in the bed beside his. He kept asking him if he wanted to play a game with a strange name. Tom made it clear the only game he was interested in playing was one in which he shut up.

When he had arrived with Snape earlier, a group of students were leaving. Apparently they had been ‘petrified.’ Whatever that meant. That made it sound like they’d been turned to stone, but they clearly were still flesh and blood—(maybe he would have preferred stone).

Snape even pulled aside one of them—a girl with bushy hair. Tom tried to subtly listen, but Snape pulled her into another room, and Madam Pomfrey had deigned that moment as one of her thousand times to ask if he was comfortable.

Which left him here, with the annoying nurse, a boy who probably couldn’t hold in his own pee…and a lot of questions.

So many things about this whole situation weren’t quite right. Waking up in that chamber with the dead girl, the way she died, the way Harry and Snape reacted to his presence, and Dumbledore’s later denial that he had killed her, or that their hatred was all that serious. And though Dumbledore had explained the diary, he wasn’t satisfied there either. Not to mention the fact that everything else in that Chamber still was unaccounted for.

There were things they weren’t telling him.

He highly doubted a teacher would be so vehement against just a bully, not to mention the fact that everyone else he’d met so far hadn’t recognized him…He had to be something more than that.

There was something they weren’t telling him. In fact, he reasoned, there were probably a great lot of things. He wasn’t going to assume they were all on the same side just because they said so.

The idea that this was a magic school, and that he was a student…He wasn’t quite sure how to feel about it yet. They’d done magic in front of him, so he couldn’t deny it—not that he intended to. And the thought did send a certain energy through him…like that word was everything right in the world. And he was indeed excited to learn magic. Well, maybe ‘excited’ was too strong. But that was one of the few things that didn’t give him confusion, question and pause. Rather it create a form of what could only be called hunger within him. He wondered how proficient he had been at magic before he lost his memory. More than anything he wished he could remember the spells.

He was sure he could figure this, them, out—maybe even tonight, if he just stayed awake a little longer. But he was more exhausted than he realized and, in the midst of his pondering, fell into dreams.

“Wait, mom!” His voice sounded strange, high and young…too high, too young. Almost girly.

A plump woman with short red hair turned around at the last word.

“What is it, Dear?!” She sounded a bit put out. “Are you ready to go?”

“I’m missing my Charms book!” Tom’s voice was pained. “Have you seen it?”

She gave a forced exhale. “And you’re sure you checked your room? Didn’t miss any corners?” She inclined her head. “You’re sure it’s not sitting on your nightstand?”

“Yes! That was the first place I checked!”

“You checked under the bed?”

“Yes!”

“The bookshelves and wardrobe?”

“Yes!”

She sighed. “Talk to your father, Fear.”

“Did you say you were missing a Charms book?” A boy about his age with red hair like their mother’s came in front of him, along with an identical copy of him.

“We wouldn’t know anything about it, sure.”

“We’re just a little concerned”

“Of course, for our—” The last word got blurred.

“Boys. You didn’t take”—He was sure she said his name, but for some reason the word became murky, as if she was trying to speak through a veil of water—“Charms book, did you?”

“What?”

“No!”

“Never!

“You know us, Mom, would we ever do something so terrible as steal a poor”—Another blurred word—“—’s charms book?”

“We’re good and virtuous boys.”

Tom looked at the woman who was apparently his mother, who gave him a knowing look. “Check your brothers’ room.”

The dream turned over, and now he was standing on a platform in front of a glimmering red train engine, the words ‘Hogwarts Express’ emblazoned on the front. Steam poured out from its many orifices, and it whistled with the shrillness of a bird being squeezed…though the sound was like music to his ears.

That wasn’t the only loud noise, in fact this place was extremely loud indeed. The whole platform was full to bustling with children, parents, and as many other assorted relatives as it could hold. But the strangest thing was, he wasn’t annoyed by their presence. He was feeling many things: nervousness to leave his parents, and about what house he’d get sorted into, and if the other kids would like him, and excitement, excitement for what the castle would be like, what house he’d get into, what the classes would be like, what friends he’d make…but no annoyance.

Perhaps more than anything there was a pit in his stomach about Harry and Ron. Were they okay? Why didn’t they get through the barrier? He had been so excited to ride the Express with them. His parents tried to assure him they’d be fine, but he could hear the fear lining their voices too. He tried to let the sight of the engine distract him, and the excitement about the coming year overpower him. They’d gotten safely through crazy situations before.

He gave his parents a giant hug, and his mom kissed him many times, and he could tell she was trying very hard not to cry. They told him everything would be fine, and gave him a number of quick quips of advice. He looked towards the engine, about to take his first steps towards it on his own.

The dream crossed over itself, and though he was on the same platform, he was alone.

Well, not alone alone, it was just as loud as before, and there were just as many passersby. Not the same people, still. But this time, the sound was muffled somehow, like he couldn’t completely hear or feel what was going on around him. Just a few loud shouts would break through, and each time they did, annoyance would strike him.

There were no parents to wish him luck, or kiss him goodbye. No brothers to steal his books.

Did he like it better that way?

He looked down at his robes, and felt satisfaction run through him. They were clean and sleek and new. The first clothes he’d had that fit that description in a long time. None of the other kids got those. Well, none of the other kids could do magic either. He was special.

Just satisfaction. Not really excitement or nervousness…Just that hunger. That hunger for magic, for prowess, for a better world. Nothing compared to the bursting geysers of emotion he’d felt moments ago.

He looked up at the engine, a small smile lining his features as he stepped up to enter it.

Tom woke up to the hospital room, and went from teetering to falling off the bed.

And for a brief moment he was dizzy with unsurity; unsurity of where, or even who he was.

After he took a moment to right himself, the questions restarted themselves:

Was that just a dream? Or were those his memories?

They can’t have been, could they? He didn’t wake in a flurry of remembrance of all the memories preceding and following those. Besides, Dumbledore had told him his family was dead.

Although the final dream, or memory, was so different from the first two…Maybe that was from another year, and explained what had happened to his family?

He could tell from context they were his family, at least at some point. Yet he didn’t recognize them, or remember their names, or much of anything else about them.

Yet…

Yet, at the remembrance of their images, waves of emotion crossed over him, mostly comprised of loss, and longing. He didn’t know where those waves could have hailed from, when he didn’t remember or care for these people. But something inside himself wanted all this to stop.

It overwhelmed him. He wanted to brush it off…but stayed on the ground, leaning against the wall, digging his nails into his shirt.

He tried to feel normal…or even remember what normal was. He thought he felt normal most of the day. Right now he didn’t feel like…himself.

A line of light reached its hands out to him, and he looked up to see the door to Madam Pomfrey’s room open slightly. She must have heard him fall off the bed—(did she have owl hearing? The other kid was still snoring like a troll). Meeting her eyes was a mistake, because she gave a small gasp, and ran over to him with the speed of a rocket powered penguin.

As she helped him up, she quickly began bombarding him numerous questions, comforts, and recommendations—

“I’m FINE!” he yelled, pushing her hand away—(the other kid’s snores abruptly stopped, but he didn’t wake)— “Stop pestering me, Woman!”

Her eyes widened, apparently so shocked a student would speak this way to her, that for a moment she couldn’t speak. And at that look, before she could scold him, he muttered.

“I’m…sorry.”

The words just came out, he didn’t really think about it. But as his tongue traced the words he tasted iron.

“My dreams weren’t very pleasant,” he added. “That’s all.”

She still proceeded to berate him heavily for his behavior, and checked more than once that his dreams really were the only problem, but he could barely hear her. He couldn’t stop thinking about how strange it was that, after all the foreignness both the day and the night had to offer, the most foreign experience of all that day, was the feeling of those two words leaving his lips.

[imnotwolverine]

The girl next door - For dummies

The Girl Next Door - Chapter 5 FOR DUMMIES*

<Chap 4 | Chap 6>

Summary: Henry decides to treat Lizz to an evening of home spa, but neither one of the two are clear on what should happen next. Are they still just friends? 

Word count: 2.439

Warnings: strong language, fluff, touch of (dubious consensual) smut, alcohol use

Author’s note: And another! I really don’t think I’ll ever write THIS much in so few days, but once you’re on a roll..you best just keep going, right? So here goes another chapter. Enjoy it while another very sweaty, sweaty night is here to greet us ;) 

(Link to my Masterlist)

Lizz quietly gazed at the woodgrain texture of the garden table, her lips hovering over her cup of tea. She was lost in thought, blowing wistfully over the liquid that sure had gone lukewarm or even cold by now, her big brown eyes seemingly on “stand-by”.  

‘Are you still going to drink that?’ Henry’s question lingered in the air as he studied the pensive red head that sat next to him. As per usual she sat on her chair and he on his - the poor chair holding on for dear life as Henry was anything but a small man. Not so usual was the placement of Henry’s chair, which was seated much more closely to Lizz’s then it had been a few weeks ago. First Henry sat at the far end of the garden table, but now he sat so very close to Lizz’s spot that their knees were close to touching.

A lot had happened in these few weeks and let’s just say that the two of them had broken the Corona protocol so many times by now - be it consciously or unconsciously - that they had simply given up on even trying to keep up good appearances.

Lizz finally woke up from her death stare, looking up to her side and meeting Henry’s eyes, her shoulders shrugging with an indifference. ‘Iced tea is nice too.’

Henry chuckled, shaking his head and leaning over to take the cup from her, putting it back on the table. ‘I have the feeling you could use a well-deserved…break.’ He said, nodding at the house.

The once ruin of a building was now slowly being whipped back into shape by the fearless redhead. The roof and water boiler had finally been fixed, a large part of the front yard was made more presentable and this week she had started sanding down and repairing the woodwork of the doors and windows. Which, honestly, was one hell of a job when it’s hot out and you’re all alone. But that couldn’t stop Lizz from trying, her energy endless as she fought her way through years and years of decay.

The only real breaks she took were her morning runs and tea breaks with Henry. And that wasn’t because she chose to. He simply insisted on it -  one couldn’t possibly resist him when he used his very convincing puppy eyes - and Lizz cracked every single time. And so, once more, they sat here, in Lizz’s front yard. His tea now finished and hers practically gone cold.

‘A break? We literally are just finishing our break, Mr. Cavill.’ She snickered, giving him a teasing poke.

‘No. I mean. Longer than ten minutes of sipping on some tea. A REAL break. How about you come over tonight and I’ll surprise you? Hmm?’

Lizz guessed he just meant this in a friendly manner, but still her heart skipped a beat as Henry offered her one of his million dollar smiles. This man was criminally handsome. Gosh, she just couldn’t ever say “no” to him, could she?

‘Fine.’ She agreed.

‘Be there at 6 o’clock. I’m cooking.’ He said simply, getting up from his chair - the frame wobbling dangerously - and laying his hand on her shoulder. She looked up when he didn’t move his hand. ‘What?’

‘Okay?’

‘Yea yea. I’ll be there. I’m not one for being late..or breaking promises.’

‘Good, because neither am I.’ He winked, brushing his thumb over her cheek and tsk’ing to alarm Kal that they were about to leave.

Even long after Henry left, Lizz felt the slight blush on her cheek where Henry had rubbed his thumb. Was she misreading the signals? Did he like her? Or was he just being friendly? Or ..was there something on her cheek? Quickly she brushed the back of her hand against her cheek, looking at it. No. Nothing there. Hmm.

‘Gods Henry. It smells way too good in here.’

‘Thank my mom for that. She taught me a few tricks.’ He winked, moving around the kitchen while wearing a much too dainty apron. If people said only real men wear pink… Then perhaps they could add; only real men wear kitchen aprons. Gods he looked like a SNACK, Lizz all but drooled, her sundress-clad body leaning against one of the counter tops as she sipped on some red wine.

‘Well you are literally the only man I know who is this comfortable with cooking.’ Lizz smiled, her cheeks slightly flushing as Henry brushed passed her to grab something from the drawer next to her knee.

‘Good.’ He stated simply, rising back up to full height and hovering mere inches away from her face, smiling broadly before moving back to the stove and using a fork to stab some of the vegetables that lay in the oven.

‘Well good lady. Looks like dinner is ready. If you’d please escort your pretty behind to the dining table, we can feast!’ He smiled, gesturing Lizz to move.

‘Can I help?’ Lizz tried, full knowing the answer; “NO”. Or better yet: Please woman, just do as I requested and leave the kitchen.

‘Lizz…please.’ Henry shushed her away, smiling from ear to ear.

Getting into the living room she finally got WHY he had shushed her away. Do friends do…this? Her eyes skid over the neatly laid out table - table cloth, glasses, cutlery, kerchiefs all set - with a few candles burning a soft woodsy scent.

Somewhat unsure of the very intent of this dinner, Lizz sat down on one of the chairs, offering her a good line of vision on the hallway. After a few minutes Henry appeared, proudly carrying two very meticulously made up plates of food.

‘Steamed fish, roast vegetables with a fresh lemon-dill sauce and new potatoes, baked in their skin. Simple, yet delicious.’ He nodded, placing the plates on the table. Lizz applauded, her lips turning in a giddy smile as Henry removed his apron and also sat down. ‘I don’t know why I deserved this, but, I’m glad I did. This looks amazing Hen. Thank you.’ She cooed.

‘Well, it’s just part of the ..surprise. I was actually thinking we could have a little..in-house..spa evening.’ He rose his eyebrows and let the words slowly roll off his tongue, like he were tasting them one by one.

’Spa night? Really?’ Lizz giggled, shaking her head. ‘My..Henry. Who are you? And what are you? I doubt you are even a human male. It just can’t be.’

‘Well, some call me superman. Or Kal. Kal-el.’

At the word “Kal”, the large like-named dog came trodding into the living room - he had been chilling outside on the porch -, his face speaking of slight confusion. Did you call me, human? KAL?

Henry snickered, looking over his shoulder and gesturing Kal to come over for a scratch, to which the Akita gladly obliged. ‘And then there’s of course THIS Kal.’

‘Both good boys.’ Lizz nodded, laughing.

With the end of spring bringing them a particularly gentle night, the two of them had moved to Henry’s patio. Laughing and talking, they had made themselves comfortable on his outdoor lounge sofa, faces fresh after a face mask and their hands plucking at strawberries with whipped cream. For someone who had only brothers, Henry was particularly comfortable with indulging on things that were generally considered “feminine”. He even made a very poor attempt at helping Lizz file her toe nails, which made her roll with laughter - he had many talents but that certainly wasn’t one of them.

‘Luis would have NEVER done that.’ She said, her laughter quick to die down. Even after all this time, Luis held a strong hold on her heart. It seemed like she simply couldn’t will herself to forget about her manipulative, selfish ex. And of course it hadn’t helped that he had shown up out of the blue just two weeks ago. It was back to square one for whatever was happening between Lizz and Henry.

Henry sighed as he let himself sink further into the couch, propping his feet up on the ottoman and humming in satisfaction.

‘It’s not often that British springs are THIS nice.’ He smiled, his voice so deep it made his chest rumble.

‘Yea. Almost a shame to go back inside.’

‘Mhmm..So let’s stay a little while longer.’ He said, looking up at Lizz, her feet pulled up to her chest and a glass of red wine tucked in between. She grinned at him and smiled, a glint of sadness still touching her eyes.

Henry hated it. Seeing that. The sadness. He saw it no matter how she tried to hide it. With the working from dusk till dawn. The sweet smiles. He knew she was still struggling. And he hated it not only because he cared for her, but also because he wished she could care for him too. Seeing that sadness in her eyes he didn’t dare to bring up that touchy subject, instead deciding to stay on the safe side.

Just friends. Good friends, yes. But still. Just friends.

They were quiet again, their eyes looking out over the rural landscape as the last rays of sun glittered over the rolling hills. And, though they were quiet, the world around them sure wasn’t. Birds singing, crickets spinning, insects buzzing. They all savoured every last bit of sunlight until darkness finally came.

‘How about we make a little campfire, hmm? No need to go inside.’ Henry said, groaning softly while sitting up a bit and looking over at Lizz. She chuckled, her cheeks rosy from the glasses of wine she had been nipping on throughout the evening. ‘Sounds good.’ She agreed, smiling at Henry and leaning into him slightly.

Gosh, what a man, she blushed. Cook her dinner, pamper her all night and make a fire to keep her warm? Heck. She probably was the luckiest woman in the northern hemisphere right now.

The campfire was now but a pile of burning embers, the night mild, but definitely not chilly. Henry looked up at the galaxies that stretched far and wide above their heads, Lizz lying but a few inches away from him, their legs brushing, the lush grass tickling their skin.

He had looked at her for a little while as she had been telling him a story she had learned from her mother. A mnemonic to remember the horoscope patterns. With slightly inebriated gestures she pointed out all the ones she could remember - a few seemed to be “on a holiday”. Henry hadn’t really listened all that closely, his eyes instead brushing over her sweet features as the fire cast her in a soft glow. She looked so very beautiful. Over and over again he tried to tell himself; just friends, just friends. You’re just friends.

He bit his lip and turned his gaze back to the sky.

‘Were you looking at me, bear?’ She stopped her blurry story and quirked her head at him.

’Me? What makes you think that?’ Henry teased, looking back at Lizz and seeing her eyes sparkle with cheekiness. Goodness, she was well into her cups.

‘Yes you! Big bear! It’s very impolite to…’ She crawled up to him and hovered just mere inches away from his face, biting her lip playfully as her eyes locked with his.

‘..Stare?’ Henry added, grinning awkwardly, his whole body freezing as Lizz suddenly pressed her lips against his, her body quick to lock him between her thighs as her hands started to tug at his shirt.

Henry was a bit at loss with what to do. What to do with this hot, but totally drunk neighbour, lover, friend…? What to do? Shit.. His mind started going overtime as his body lay there frozen, frozen with the passion Lizz was kissing him. He wanted this. But also not. Not like this. But..he wanted..it all the same.

‘Let’s get big bear out to play.’ She growled, her hands making quick work of his belt.

‘Gods Lizz. No.’ He said, his voice so unconvincing it was closer to a lustful moan. And thus, she continued, her legs now astride him as she started to unzip his pants, his boxers pulled down to free his length.

He felt almost ashamed of how quick he grew hard for her. FUCK. He wanted her. Yes he wanted her. Reaching up he hooked his hand behind her head, pulling her down towards his face and settling for a slower pace. Tongues dancing an ancient duel that could last for many lightyears... were it not for Lizz’s impatience, her hand palming his cock with greediness. ‘Lizz, Lizz..Lizz.’ Henry could all but utter, the feeling just too much.

Her palm was hot, strong and slightly calloused from the manual labour she had been doing in and around her house. It made for perfect friction, his precum making her hand slide up in a smooth, tantalising pace. Henry started to pant, his arousal soon peaking as his eyes met hers. ‘Fuck.’ He growled, clenching his jaw and squeezing his eyes closed.

Breath, breath, breath. FUCK. 

‘Stop.’ He finally said, resolute and final. And thankfully, she stopped at once, her head quirking in confusion.

‘Not like this Lizz. Not like this.’ He choked, his eyes finally opening again.

‘What..? Want to go.. upstairs again? Afraid Mrs Gatter will see us?’ She snickered, poking his chest.

‘No Lizz. Not now. I mean. Yes I want this. But..you’re drunk..and I know you are still thinking of Luis. I…only want you if you really want me. Sober.’ He placed his hand on her cheek, seeing her face contort with more confusion.

‘Don’t you like me?’ She pouted, seemingly uninterested in her partition in Henry’s plea.

‘I do like you Lizz. I like you..a lot. I mean, why else would I be here, laying in the grass with you?’ He smiled, pulling her back to her initial position by his side, his hands quickly rearranging his boxers and pants.

‘Pfft. Not fair.’ She pouted again, laying her head on his chest and wrapping an arm and leg around him.

Henry didn’t know what to say, but also here, thankfully, Lizz made it easier; she fell asleep then and there on his chest.

‘Hmm. I just hope you’ll chose me someday, okay Lizz?’ He whispered softly, pressing a sweet kiss on her forehead. She looked so sweet when she slept, Henry thought, looking at her again like he had done just minutes earlier. He couldn’t help but feel a certain flutter in his heart when she was near. And if only ..if only..

‘I like you too, dummie.’ She muttered, sleep drunk.

Did she mean that? Or was this the wine talking?

| Chap 6 >

[siverwrites]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Cabanela (Ghost Trick), Pigeon Man (Ghost Trick) Additional Tags: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Final Fantasy VI AU, FFVI GT AU Series: Part 9 of Final Fantasy VI/Ghost Trick Summary: Cidgeon returns to Vector to another unpleasant surprise. Regardless of plots this boy is going to be the death of him one of these days.

“Here we are, old girl,” Cidgeon muttered with a pat given to Lovey-Dove as he fumbled with the door in the deepening darkness. Not as dark as Thamasa would be at this hour, no, not with the Vector’s lights scattered about, yet enough to prove the growing lateness. Tomorrow would be another long day in an entirely different way from all the traveling; for now he only looked forward to a bed.

Inside, he lit the lamps and set aside his bag to sort through in the morning while Lovey-Dove fluttered off to the adjoining room. He didn’t have long to linger before an alarmed coo sent him hurrying after her.

She perched on the armchair by the fireplace. Cidgeon’s eyes locked on the figure across the floor in front of the hearth, partially curled in on himself.

“Cabanela.” Cidgeon swiftly crouched next to him. Breath seemed steady. Cidgeon reached out to check his pulse and flinched back, startled at the chill in Cabanela’s skin. Prepared this time, he tried again and found his pulse satisfactory as well, but the man was freezing.

“What have you gotten yourself into this time, boy?” Cidgeon muttered. An ember still smouldered in the hearth—a fire had been burning recently. He prodded it back to life. Cabanela stirred though showed no other signs of awakening. Still, that was a good sign and Cidgeon rose to his feet to frown down at him.

Then he went to Cabanela’s room—pristine and seemingly untouched. So, it didn’t look like he’d made it that far at all today. He pulled away the blanket and pillow from the bed and hauled both back out. This was not how this evening was meant to go. His own bed still called and he didn’t count on seeing Cabanela until sometime tomorrow and that maybe, just maybe, he’d be found asleep in his own bed like a vaguely normal person, ha. No, he knew that evening was a lost cause as he nudged the pillow under Cabanela’s head and threw the blanket over him. He brushed a hand over Cabanela’s face. Even in front of the now-crackling fire his skin still felt icy.

Sighing, he sagged into the armchair. So much for bed; better to keep an eye on things. Lovey-Dove gave a soft coo and took her place back on his head. Nothing to do but settle in, listen to the fire and wait.

Cidgeon snapped awake to the sound of whistling. Kettle, ears supplied and the rest of the evening’s events caught up. The fire was still going, or going again, and the floor was bare and—

“Mooornin’, Prof!”

And Cabanela himself filled his vision, offering a saucer and steaming teacup.

“Decided to stop taking up the floor, did you?” Cidgeon said as he took the tea and eyed him critically. He looked all right.

Cabanela swirled back to the fire and Cidgeon realized there was another cup on the mantle which Cabanela took and cupped close. “You’re back a little earlier than expected,” he said.

“We made good time. Luckily for you,” Cidgeon added pointedly and maybe it wouldn’t have made any difference, but he wasn’t about to let Cabanela slide away this easily. “What happened last night?”

“Sorry I wasn’t up to welcome you baaack. A liiittle nap came on sooner than expected.”

“Nap, right. After coming in from an icebox?”

Cabanela took a sip of tea. “We attempted another infusion.”

Cidgeon jerked. Tea sloshed over onto the saucer. He scowled up at Cabanela. “He was supposed to be done with that. You were supposed to be done.”

“Heeey now.” Cabanela raised a placating hand. “I’m still the only success. The doc wanted to see if more could be dooone. Besides I’m not about to say no to anything that might help here.”

“Yeah? So now what? What’s this new ‘help’ of yours?”

Cabanela gave a loose shrug. “Nothin’. It failed.”

Cidgeon eyed him worriedly. He looked fine, but he also knew many of Asbolus’s other subjects hadn’t fared so well in the past. “Failed? Why?”

Cabanela gave a short laugh. “You think he said anything to me? Not a cluuue I’m afraid. I was out like a light and next thing I kneeew, there was ice everywhere and a few fried machines. He said my magic went out of control, made sure I wasn’t doin’ anything new and sent me on my way. I came back to warm up and there you were!”

Cidgeon ignored the shiny smile. “And what about side-effects? You were freezing last night. How are you feeling?”

“I feel fiiine.” Cabanela danced a few sparks around his fingers. “Magic’s fine. A bit chilled still,” he conceded. “But warmin’ up.”

Cidgeon sighed. “This is a dangerous game you’re playing, boy. Putting yourself into Asbolus’s hands like this; what good will it do you when he goes too far?”

“Who am I to disobey His Majesty’s will?”

Cidgeon snorted.

Cabanela’s expression darkened. “I will get my place back and that means fulfilling my duties.”

“And if they get you killed or worse? What then?”

“I shouldn’t be in this position at all, a ‘near-traitor’ like myself.” Cabanela set his cup aside and spread his arms in a careless display. “But I’m their Magic ‘Knight’. Their ooone and only. The doc may not give twooo whits about me and the Emperor certainly isn’t happy with me. I’m quite certain Beauty would just as soon see me in a prison cell at beeest, but I’m all they’ve got. Not a test subject nor a tool any of ‘em are willin’ to toss aside and that’s to my advantage.”

“Yet.”

“I’d be a fool to pass this up.”

“You’re a fool now,” Cidgeon grumbled. “This ambition of yours had better be worth it.”

Cabanela’s gaze pierced. Back straight, and shoulders set. Even the softness in his voice didn’t cover the fierceness underlying it. “Not a doubt about it.”

No, there wasn’t, was there? Not from that day Cabanela returned, frantic and furious and pleading with him to return to Thamasa to look after a certain princess while he swore he would do everything and anything to rescue a king. He always had been one to hold to his word.

Cidgeon sighed. “Watch your back. You failed Asbolus. He doesn’t take kindly to failures.” What would he try next?

“Of course. But enough about meee. I have to go soon. How did things go?”

And the question in his eyes was clear: how is she?

“Well enough. I’ll be putting my reports together today. Nothing of concern to you.”

Something in Cabanela relaxed and he flashed a smile. “Glaaad to hear it. I should be back for dinner.”

“Then get on with you. Their perfect knight can hardly be late, can he?” And if his tone leaned toward sour, Cabanela gave no notice.

“Now you’re gettin’ it.”

And then he was gone, out the door in a swirl of white. Cidgeon glowered and absently patted Lovey-Dove earning a reassuring coo in return. The worst, well, there were several problems here, but Cabanela wasn’t exactly wrong. They could have simply taken him prisoner, locked him in Asbolus’s labs for the goddesses only knew what else, but he was still useful. Mutual use it seemed—a precarious balance, yet if anyone could walk that fine line it was him.

Cabanela himself had simply traded one Majesty for another and once more Cidgeon found himself wondering at this desert king who fostered such loyalty and devotion. Love. Of course it wouldn’t be right to leave any poor soul in their clutches regardless, but he wondered how long this balance could last. He could only hope Cabanela would tip it in their favour sooner than later.