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i-cant-sing · 8 months ago

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Time Traveller AU part 12

Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here. Part 3 is here. Part 4 is here. Part 5 is here. Part 6 is here. Part 7 is here. Part 8 is here. Part 9 is here. Part 10 is here. Part 11 is here. Time Traveller au masterlist is here. Check out my MASTERLIST for more!

You and Silas stared at each other.

"What do you mean "okay"?"

You nod. "Okay, I'll marry you."

He looked at you suspiciously. "Why?"

"Why not?"

"That is not an answer." He frowned, making you sigh as you turned your body to face him completely. "Look, you're going to pay me anyways right?" He nodded. "So, I need the money, and well... lets just say I have nothing else left to lose. Maybe I'm just bored."

Bored? More like pissed at the universe and I will not let it beat me to the ground anymore. I wont go out without causing chaos and maybe if someone tries to kill me again, I will perhaps consider disrupting the historical timeline to make the universe itself combust and unravel. If I'm suffering, I'm taking the universe along!

Silas gave you an incredulous look, before shrugging in defeat. "Very well, then."

"Wait-" You stop him from getting up. "Why did you choose me? Actually, why do you need a wife?"

He rolled his eyes, standing up, you following along. "Come on, Silas. Tell me. Is it cause I'm pretty? Smart-"

"You dressed as a man."

What?

"What?"

He looked down at you. "What? You didnt think I'd spot you in that poor disguise at the newspaper office that day?"

Silas saw me that day? He recognised me?

"How did you even-" He scoffed. "I'm intelligent. And I have eyes. I notice everyone and everything." He turned around and began walking away.

"Wait!" You ran after him. "That still doesnt answer my question! You're marrying me because I dressed like a man? What- you're attracted by that-"

"Stop talking." Silas cut you off abruptly. "I chose you because you work at the newspaper, not because you're a man."

"Oh. So you need someone to write out articles singing your praises?Cant you just pay someone to do that?"

He rolled his eyes. "No. I dont need someone to sing my praises. I need you to be the mole there. I want you to report everything that happens at the paper, specifically about the murders thats been on going these days."

Murders? Murders-

"The White Chapel murders?" He nodded. "I need the papers to focus on them, not on me or who I am marrying. I need them to put the pressure on the cops to catch that sick bastard! Not idolise him with that stupid alias-"

"Jack the Ripper." You finish for him. He breathes heavily, anger radiating off him. "Yes, that. Because its only causing people to either admire him for killing off those prostitutes or fear him, letting the idea of them terrorise them!"

"I see. But... why do you need to get married to me for that? I mean, if you pay me, I could just report to you everything from there, including his letters."

Silas looked at you in slight annoyance, as if mad that you couldnt figure out his motives.

"The papers are focusing on me and my marriage. If I get married, the news will only run for a week or two before diverting their attention to the papers. And before you ask why I'm marrying you specifically instead of someone much better suited to my tastes-" okay, not gonna take that insult to heart. "- I told you, you work at the paper, which means you'll report everything to me. And if I were to marry someone more influential, the papers will continue to write about us for longer. But you? You're a nobody- believe me, I checked. You have no family, dont come from nobility, so no one will talk about you. "

Great. "Wow, you do know how to flatter a woman."

Silas smirked. "Trust me, "a woman" would be flattered-" You shot him a glare before he could finish off his joke.

Silas and you got married later that night. He arranged an out-of-town priest, some official documents, and two witnesses for the vows, which were his butler Cadbury and his wife, Erin, who acted as the best man and maid-of-honor. It was obvious that Silas wanted to keep this ceremony a secret, and he told you that the time will come to break the news.

When the priest asked him to kiss you, SIias pulled a face and said to skip over that part because you had bad breath. You did not. Jerk.

But you were glad you didnt had to kiss him, so you didnt bother kicking his shin. Maybe nearly dying so many times has made you grow a pair, or maybe its the fact that you dont actually consider this a real marriage because a Nikkah (an Islamic wedding) ceremony did not happen, so technically, you're still single, but you're surprised at how... calmly you've come to terms with everything.

Silas let you go back to you house, because the marriage was the still a secret so there's no use keeping you around at his place. Besides, he needs you to continue working on the murders.

Honestly, you do kind of want to find out who Jack the Ripper is. Any historian worth his salt, dreams of this very opportunity you've been given- to find out the man behind all the horrendous, gut wrenching murders.

Colin watched you get up from your desk and go to the corner office where Will was working on the murders. Poor Will. Colin pitied the lad- he had to deal with the gruesome details of the murders, write out the articles in details that are just pallatable enough for the readers, only to be rejected by the editor who wanted the front page news to be about Silas FitzGeorge.

What were you doing there? Colin didnt think it was best for you to go in there, after the depressing weeks you'd barely pulled yourself through. Grisly details of a killing spree might not be what you need at the moment.

"Hey Will!" You walk in his office, changing your voice to that of a man.

"Holmes." He acknowledged you briefly, his hair a mess as well his desk. If anyone knew how giddy you were everytime someone in the office called you Sherlock Holmes, you'd be labelled a loser for sure.

"Still working on those murders, eh?" You walk closer to his desk. "Any leads on who the mystery man might be?"

"No." He glared at you. "I would, if the coppers were to do their job and the editor published my work, but noooo. God forbid we miss any details on that FitzGeorge fella and his tragic life. Cry me a fucking river-" Ah, a fellow Silas hater. You can work with that.

"Let me help you." You offer him. Will raises his brow, before scoffing. "Unless you can somehow have the editor publish my articles, I dont think you can help me. Besides, I dont need an amateur disturbing me because he's just wants to see a dead body."

Amateur? Pfft, I'll have you know I was a minor celebrity on Wattpad at just age 11 when I wrote Sherlock Holmes fanfics-

"How about this? If I can convince the editor to post your work, will you let me help?"

Will stares at you, studying you for a moment.

"Fine."

You walk out of his office and go to your desk where Colin is already waiting for you.

"Hey, Colin." You greet him, sitting down as you pull a blank sheet of paper from your drawer and start writing on it.

"Hey... Sherlock. What were you doing in-" He leans down to read what you're writing. "Jack The Ripper- why are you writing about him?"

You shrug. "Why not? He's an important figure to talk about and needs to be caught. If the papers bring enough attention to him, it'll put pressure on the authorities to work harder to catch him."

"I get that, but- I mean, you already have the FitzGeorges to write about and what about other douches in high society?" Colin tried to persuade you.

"I'll write about them too, in fact. Dont worry about it. I'm going to bring you some real dirt soon." You tell him before picking up the pen again, but Colin grasps your wrist, stopping you.

"Y/n, I just dont think that you should be working on this right now-"

"Colin." You cut him off, freeing your wrist. "I'm grateful for your concern for my well being, but I assure you- I am not made of glass. I can handle my business. Besides, this is something that has intrigued me. Let me work on it, please." You say before returning to writing down your points on the homicidal maniac.

After work, you changed out of your disguise and went to the antique store on Regent street, or what was left of it.

You knew there was no chance, but something inside you hoped that your time machine had survived.

The store was burnt down, and since the interior was mainly made of wood, most of the antiques had burnt to ashes or at least, damaged beyond repair and could not be sold.

You stood outside the ruins off the store, the property was sealed off and guards stood outside it, not letting you in.

"Please, I just need to-"

"Like I said, miss. We were given specific instructions not to let anyone in." The guard cut you off, annoyed by your insistence.

Before you could argue again, someone walked up behind you.

"Y/n." Henry looked at you. He was dressed well, his hair combed and face shaved, well kept as he usually was but his eyes.... he had bags under his eyes. Like he hadnt slept in days.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, um- I just wanted to see if my stuff is still there."

He nodded at his guards to step aside, leading you inside the shop.

"Look around. See if you can find it." Henry's tone was flat, as if he already knew.

Still, you looked around. You searched the whole place, not even finding the remains off your machine. And how could you? It was made of mostly plastic and very cheap metal, its not like you had funds to make it indestructible.

Or incombustible.

"Satisfied?" He asked you when you finally stopped looking for it.

You huff. "If you'd just given it to me before-"

"Y/n." He cut you off. "I lost my store. I lost my employee who was working in here, who was blasted to pieces. I lost more money than you can ever imagine and you have the nerve to stand there and try to blame it on me? After I'd given you the courtesy to look through my property to put your mind to ease?"

He admonished you, all while barely letting his rage slip through his voice. He was holding back from blowing up on you, but it did not help because you still felt small.

Because he is right. He lost an employee. He lost money. He lost too, and yet you have the audacity to complain to him like he was somehow at fault.

And he wasnt. Its not like he bombed his store.

"Do you know who did it?" You ask, diverting your eyes to avoid his piercing gaze.

"No one "did" it. It was an accident." Henry looked at the floorboard. "Apparently, there was gunpowder in some of the artefacts that came from China that day. The employee probably didnt check it when he put it on the table, next to a candle. Then one got lit up and it set off all the others, blowing up the whole store."

That... sounds like a big coincidence.

"Henry, are you sure someone wasnt behind this-"

"Y/n, I dont have time to entertain your wild theories right now. I have to deal with insurance and other things. Please leave." He cut you off abruptly.

Without giving him another moment to bruise your self esteem, you stormed out of his store. By the time you reached home, it was dark, which wasnt the best idea with a murderer on the loose- as the boys made it clear.

"Do you have any idea what he's capable of?! Have you seen the crime scenes?!" Liam yelled at you.

"No. But its not like I'm a prostitute, so he wont hurt me." You answer from your seat between Benjamin's legs, who insisted on brushing the knots out of your hair and placing some essential oils in your hair.

Liam looked at you like you'd grown two heads. "How would he know that?!"

You leaned forward, frowning. "Okay if you're saying that you cant the difference between a prostitute and me, then thats just insulting to me and to you as a police officer!"

Shepherd suppressed a chuckle as he handed a drink to Liam to calm him down. As they continued to joke around, you mind went to your time machine.

Sure, you could try making it from scratch again. It'll be difficult, and not just because there isnt enough technology to make the whole thing by yourself, but also because the mere idea of building a time machine could have you lobotomised.

So yes, one of the reasons why you agreed to marry Silas was because of his money that would not only let you buy expensive raw materials but also allow you to have a space to make the machine in secret.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Colin left to see who it was, returning moments later with a huge box in his hand.

"Its for you." He set the box down and handed you the letter that came with it. You read the letter while the boys opened the box-

"Tomorrow. 7:30 pm sharp.

Dont be late, missus."

The "missus" part gave away that it was from Silas. What was he planning? Were you supposed to go to his place or was he going to pick you up? What was going to happen tomorrow?

"Woah! Who is this from?" Shepherd asked as he looked at the fancy dress in the box. He pulled it out of the box, the gown flowing down effortlessly. "It looks expensive- this is expensive, right? Its expensive." He stated before repeating his question to you. "Who is it from, Y/n?"

You folded the letter as you saw them all looking at you. "I... I might have a date-"

"With who?" Benjamin asked sharply.

"I-" You sigh. "I'll let you know after the date. Lets see how it goes first."

"Oh, come on! Just tell us!" Liam probed, but you took the dress from him, putting it back in the box and taking it to your room, not noticing how silent Colin had went.

You stood in front of the mirror, looking at your reflection while Ben did your hair. Wearing the black velvet gown that had a white blouse and long skirt underneath, puffy regency era sleeves and a belt at the bust, you looked elegant.

Seeing as you had no jewellery to pair the outfit with, Ben styled your hair down, curling the locks and putting a dainty black silk bow on the back, trimming the front of your hair so that they framed your face.

"There's a carriage waiting for you!" Shepherd informed you before going back to gushing about the rich fella you'd managed to bag.

You turned around for Ben for the finishing touches. He smiled softly at you, taking your hands in his and squeezed them gently.

"Dont force yourself to do anything you're not comfortable with, hm? Just because he gave you this dress doesnt mean he can do anything he wishes." You nodded, returning his smile. "And remember, you have me and the boys to beat anyone who upsets you, Y/n." He winked making you giggle.

Standing outside the carriage, you looked up and waved to the 3 boys standing in the window before getting inside.

"Ah, I hope she knows how to use that knife I gave her." Liam mumbled, making Shepherd yell at him.

"You gave her a knife?!"

"What? She needs to protect herself when there's a murderer on the lose-"

As the two continued to bicker, Benjamin went to his room and packed some scissors and razors in a small bag, before leaving the room.

"Where are you going?" Colin asked, finally speaking for the first time that evening. Sitting on the sofa chair, he'd been nursing on a drink the entire time you were getting ready for your drink. He kept quiet, pretending to be to engrossed with reading the paper to notice you getting dressed for your date night.

"I... have a client." Ben said, putting on his top hat and leather gloves before wearing his coat.

"This late?" Colin raised a brow.

Ben gave a nod.

"He... he needs a haircut urgently."

Colin stared at him before sighing, picking up his drink.

"Alright. Be careful. Its foggy out there."

Sitting inside the carriage alone, you wondered where the buttler was taking you. Since Silas isnt here with you, then its likely that you're being taken to him at the FitzGeorge estate.

You take a deep breath, fiddling with the velvet of your dress. So tonight will be the night he announces his marriage to you. Or maybe not. I mean, if he did plan on doing that then perhaps he'd be giving you some pointers on how to win over his family? To get their approval? It was a big thing for high society, if not for someone who is loosely attached to royalty.

Maybe thats why he called you over tonight. To soft launch you to his family, something like- "hey, this is Y/n, a girl I fancy. I think she might be the one." so that it seems a lot more believable when he does introduce himself as your husband, probably a few weeks or a month from now.

Yes. Silas doesnt seem like the type to just spring up the union on his family out of nowhere. He is English, he is noble, he wouldnt be one to cause a scene.

The carriage stopped after sometime, and you could hear people chattering outside. Your door suddenly opened, but before you could step out, someone stepped in.

It was Silas.

He sat across from you, wearing a formal dress black suit, his hair styled properly. If your dressing didnt give it away, then his did- it was definitely a black-tie event.

He gave you a nod of acknowledgement, looking you up and down.

"Here, wear this." He handed you a velvet lined box. Opening it, you saw a beautiful pearl necklace and matching tear drop earrings.

"Oh, this is... beautiful." You said in awe. "You could've sent this along with the dress, I would've worn my hair differently-"

"No, I didnt want to risk you running off with it." Silas casually insulted you as he began opening the door. "Wear this and dont talk to me or approach me in there."

"Wait, what?" You looked at him confusion.

Silas huffed in irritation. "I'm going to go back inside. You'll walk in after five minutes, and when you do, you will not talk to me, or approach me or do anything that gives away that you know me."

"Silas-" But he left before you could question what he was on about.

So... he wasnt planning on announcing his marriage to you tonight? Wearing the jewellery, you followed his instructions and exited the carriage exactly five minutes later.

But instead of seeing the FitzGeorge house, you were standing in front of a... palace.

A palace you're seen quite a few times.

Buckingham palace.

"What am I...?" You whispered to yourself before composing yourself as other guests began walking past you.

As you ascended the stairs to the entrance where guards stood, you wondered if they'd let you in. Surely, without Silas by your side or an official invitation, they wouldnt let you in. You watched a few guests holding an envelope with a royal seal, an invitation they showed to the guards before being let in.

Heart pounding as you feared the embarrassment you're about to face, you reached the guards who looked at you for a few moments, trying to recognise you before their eyes fell on your necklace and they let you pass.

Ah, so thats why he gave you the jewellery. If you looked like you belonged there, then you probably did.

Why am I here though?

You looked around and saw many people inside, all belonging from high society. This definitely wasnt the place where Silas was going to announce his marriage. So why did he invite you here?

Maybe he wants me to use this as an opportunity to get dirt on high society?

Yes, perhaps, but how would this serve him? Is there a specific person he wants me to get dirt on? Someone I need to write about in the papers?

Silas, what game are you playing?

You spotted him standing in the corner, talking with his cousins and uncles, though you noticed many girls looking at him. Of course, he still is the "most eligible bachelor" to them. If they knew how rude he was, maybe they'd change their opinion.

Walking through the crowd, you began listening on conversations, trying to pick up on interesting bits. It was the usual obnoxious bragging about their wealth, some scandals here and there, disturbing comments about women, etc. Nothing particularly interesting.

Fortunately, you werent bored for long as the royal butler announced the arrival of the hosts. It hadnt truly hit you where you were standing until you heard her name-

"Her Majesty, Queen Victoria-"

Queen Victoria. The Queen Victoria.

You could feel goosebumps raising on your skin, your eyes widening as you realised you're looking at one of the most iconic figures in history. Alive. She's alive and she's walking right in front of you-

She's short. They were right about that. Standing next to her husband, Prince Albert, she looked even shorter. But she looked incredibly happy, full of youth as she stood next to him, unlike all the paintings who depicted her as this angry old widow.

She looked absolutely beautiful.

Her children stood behind her in order, all smiling at their mother. Her daughters, you recognised them all, looked just as beautiful. You recognised her eldest, Edward VII, a 20-something old boy who would end up being hated by his mother and blamed for his father's death. He looked nervous, standing beside her and you could see he was just itching to leave her side and avoid any more scrutiny.

The Queen began speaking.

"Thank you everyone for joining us on this pleasent occasion." She looked around. "Tonight, we are going to welcome a member to our family, even though he has always been a part of us. But now, we will make things official."

"Silas FitzGeorge." She called suddenly. You saw Silas step forward in front of the queen, bowing his head curtly before looking at her confidently.

"You're my cousin Georgie's grandson, and I have no doubt when I say that if he were here tonight, he'd be just as proud of the young man you've become as I am. Our families may have had some issues in the past, but I have always accepted you as a part of me. Over the years, you've only proven me right with how capable you've become on your own, without seeking a helping hand in your adversities. You have made us all immensely proud, as well as your predecessors for being the first man in our family to attend Oxford university. Watching you start businesses and expand your empire, I have no doubt that you will only continue to make the royal family and Britian proud. Therefore, I would like to offer my support and make good on my promise that I made to you when you were a child."

She turned around and a servant handed her a document.

"I hereby make Silas FitzGeorge, the Duke of Westminster."

Oh. Ohhhhh. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh-

This was Silas's dukedom ceremony. Why is this a huge deal? Because his grandfather, Prince George was once estranged from the royal family and stripped off his royal duties and benefits when he married Sarah Fairbrother, which meant their descendents were all illegitimate and not recognised by the crown.

But tonight, with Silas becoming a duke, its like a welcome back to the family. That too, by the same woman who had in essence- ostracised his family.

And with Dukedom comes other benefits, money, property, influence. Not to mention that Silas has become the duke of Westminster, as in THE WESTMINSTER! One of the wealthiest dukedoms to get, and also where Westminster palace is, the place which is the meeting place for the Parliament of United Kingdom. It'll allows Silas to have a say and play around with politics.

This is a huge gesture by the queen, and if Silas wasnt the most eligible bachelor before, then he definitely is one.

You watched the queen sign the documents first, before giving it to Silas who signed it. Everyone cheered and clapped for the young duke before stopping as Victoria began speaking again.

"Now, I would like to share more good news." She smiled at Silas, who stood beside her now. "I would like to announce the new duke's betrothal to my daughter, Helena."

What?

The guests clapped again as you saw Silas looking ahead, purposely avoiding your gaze. The queen beamed as she looked back at Helena, who was blushing.

So this is why Silas didnt want you to talking to him. He knew he was going to marry Helena, and he didnt want anyone to even doubt that he's associated with you in any way. Is this his way of telling you that the sham marriage between you two has ended?

Victoria encouraged Silas to say a few words.

Silas looked down briefly, a small smile playing on his lips. "Oh, wow. I am grateful that her majesty has awarded me dukedom. I dont have enough words to express how thankful I am to you." He looked up and you saw a mischievous glint in his eyes. "However, I was only informed of this ceremony and not of my betrothal beforehand."

The queen's head snapped in his direction, as did all of the royals, but Silas continued speaking unfazed.

"I wish I had been told about this earlier to avoid this awkward situation uhhh..." he chuckled nervously, but you could see he was anything but nervous. "I am honoured to be even considered for the princess's hand, your majesty, but I'm afraid I am already married." He announced, looking straight at you.

The hall interrupted into gasps and whispers before they parted the way to let Silas make his walk to you.

With a charming smile, a dimple on his left cheek, he approached you, pulling you into his arms as he leaned down to press a kiss to your temple.

"Hi, sweetheart." He whispered loud enough for the onlookers to hear. Your eyes widened, your face flushed at the feeling of everyone's eyes and at his word.

"Si-" The words died down your throat as he placed an arm around your back and pulled you close to his side, showing you off.

"This is Y/n, my darling wife."

With Silas's announcement, the hall went silent once again. Your throat went dry at being put in the spotlight, and your eyes flickered from one guest to another, until finally falling on the queen's, who looked... pissed.

Finally, it was Prince Albert who broke the silence and announced dinner had been served. As the guests began walking out of the hall, Silas lead you out of the palace and to the carriage where his grandmother was waiting for you.

"Go home, now. I'll see you soon." Was all Silas said to you before whispering something to his grandmother, who beamed and nodded, patting his cheek.

"Come on, Y/n. Its getting late, now." Sarah said as she lead you into the carriage, taking her seat next to you, completely unaware of the eyes that had been following you since the moment you'd left home.

Silas returned inside, seeing his uncles smirking with pride at the game he'd just played but instead of going to them to celebrate his victory, he went to Prince Albert and Queen Victoria who seemed to be arguing in a low tone in the corner while the guests were being seated in the dining hall.

Clearing his throat, he got their attention.

"Your majesties, I am so sorry for not informing you about my union with Y/n. Its just my wife is terribly shy and we wanted to keep this marriage a secret. But I understand how this creates an embarrassing situation for the crown, and I would like to humbly turn down my dukedom-"

"No." The queen cut him off, her eyes void of any emotion. "The dukedom was awarded to you for your achievements, not because you were asked to marry my daughter. Helena is not something to pawn off to just anyone."

Silas offered a sympathetic smile. "Of course, your majesty. I'm sure you'll find a better suitor for the princess." He took his bow before turning around to enter the dining hall while Victoria stared at his back.

"Are you really still going to keep him as the duke of Westminster?" Albert asked his wife.

She was fuming. But only Albert could tell.

"What choice did I have?" Victoria asked, still glaring at the young boy who dared to play her. "If I took the dukedom away after announcing it publicly, it would've been a far more embarrassment for the crown. They would call us "cheap"."

"We cant let him get away with it." Albert whispered. "Its Westminster. We may rule it, but the duke will still be able to influence the government."

"You think I'm not aware he wants to play politics?" Victoria snapped, before softening her tone. "I wont let him get away with it, Albert. He's just a boy. I am a queen. I wont let him or anyone humiliate us."

Silas sat down besides his cousins as his uncles raised their glasses to him. He sipped his drink, a satisfied grin resting on his face. He knew exactly what he did. Even though no one actually told him that the dukedom came with marriage to the princess, because how callous would it be to ask him to marry her when no one would give up the opportunity of becoming the queen's son-in-law, Silas knew he was expected to marry Helena.

But no one said it. No one asked him. Its the English, they never say what they mean outright, choosing to read between the lines and do what is expected of them, because its more artful, more honourable this way.

Not that Silas could care about traditions. Why would he, when he planned on exacting his revenge?

The queen only came to offer her support when he became successful enough on his own. Where was she when his parents died and his sister was left to take care of him? Sure, Victoria attended the funeral and "promised" to take care of him. But she also said she'd only do that if he proved himself. His grandmother and his sister, Daisy were the ones who raised him.

And now, years later when he got into Oxford without using his family name, without saying "I am related to the queen", when he used his skills to create a powerful business empire that has the potential to influence the British industries, she wants him?

Sure, Westminster has its benefits, but Silas doesnt need Westminster. Westminster needs Silas. He could topple over the government and even shut down Britain herself with just his influence alone. Being a duke just has given him a public platform, an acknowledgement and most importantly, backing from the crown.

And you? Marrying you wasnt just because you happened to be around. Oh no. Silas has plans for you, plans to use you and further his revenge. This is just the beginning.

Sarah dropped you back at your place after you insisted that you needed to inform your flatmates of your departure. She gave you a disapproving look when she found out you were living with 4 men and was very determined to have you move in with her and Silas at the FitzGeorge estate, but you were able to persuade her to let you stay the night at home one last time.

"There's something I need to tell you guys." You fiddled with your thumbs as they all sat down in front of you.

"I um... I'm married."

"What?" Shepherd asked. "And you still went on a date?"

"I went on a date with my husband-"

"And who is that?"

You took a deep breath.

"Silas FitzGeorge."

Everyone except for Benjamin broke into laughter.

"Yeah, good one. Seriously, who is it?"

You frowned. "Seriously. Its Silas FitzGeorge."

As you began explaining your situation, even showing them the jewellery that you definitely werent wearing before you left, they started to believe you.

"Y/n- you cant- you cant marry Silas. You cant just marry someone you barely know!" Colin argued.

"What? Havent you heard of "love at first sight"?" You ask but he was unamused. Sighing, you shrugged. "Look, its a marriage that will benefit us both mutually. He gets people nagging him to get married off his back and I get to use his money and influence to get dirt on high society! Besides, I can leave him anytime I want."

"Then leave him now, before its too late." Ben said, standing up as he approached you. He took your shoulders and gave them a firm squeeze. "If its money you're worried about, I'll help you. I can provide for you, Y/n. Dont get into bed with these rich bastards, you dont know how selfish they can be. I- I- dont want you to get hurt-"

"I wont, Benny." You grab his arms, assuring him. "Silas and I are working together. If I go down, so will he. He wont hurt me, he cant. Its too risky for him now, you know? He announced our marriage tonight in front of the queen!"

As you began telling him about how you met the queen and all, Colin quietly left the living room to pour himself another drink, something to knock his brain out so he doesnt have to think about you and Silas.

Next day, before the sun even rose, you had packed up a few of your things to go live with the FitzGeorges. All the boys were awake at that time, though Colin's eyes were bloodshot from apparently drinking the wrong liqour, so he sat quietly on the sofa, watching you.

Liam and Shepherd took your bags to put it in the carriage waiting outside, while Ben pulled you in for a hug.

"I'm just moving out, Benny! I'll still see you guys." You laugh, patting his back.

Ben kissed the crown of your head before tucking it under his chin, arms tightening around you. "Just know that you will always have a home here, with us. Dont hesitate to reach out for help. And if Silas or anyone every hurts you, I dont care how rich they are, Y/n. I will take care of them. You just- just come back to us, hm?"

You pulled away from him, wiping a lone tear from your eye. "You're the best, Benny." You whisper before going to Colin, who just stared at you with red eyes.

Leaning down, you poked his cheek. "Kinda wish you werent drunk when I said goodbye, but I guess it makes it easier." Colin continued to stare at you. You grabbed his hand, smiling gratefully at him. "Thank you for everything, Colin. You saved me. Truly." You gave his hand a firm squeeze before leaving, missing him mumble something under his breath.

The carriage took you to the FitzGeorge estate and you were a little disappointed to see only Sarah waiting to welcome you. Its not like you wanted Silas to make a grand gesture to welcome his bride, but you were kinda hoping he was going to ease you into his world while explaining the events of the previous night.

Sarah showed you around the house before leading you to Silas bedroom.

"Cadbury has already placed your bags in there." She turned to you. "This will be your space too, so do make changes to the place as you please."

You smiled shyly at her. Honestly, you dont know whether Sarah knows that Silas only married you for personal agenda, but she wasnt surprised when Silas announced you were his wife.

Sarah looked at you and she placed a hand on her chest, touched.

"Oh, I am so glad you're Silas's girl."

Silas's girl?

"When Silas told me he married you, I was only mad that he did it behind my back! But I suppose it is understandable... these FitzGeorge men always liked to make a statement when it came to love." Sarah said, fondly remembering her late husband.

Sarah continued to gush about you enough for you to know that you dont need to kiss her ass. You have her approval.

When she left, you looked around the large bedroom, Victorian and dark academia was the aesthetic. Wooden panels lined the room, the shelves were stocked with thick books, a study table in one corner, an ottoman chest seat in front of the bed. The entire room was illuminated by the large windows that opened into the balcony, overlooking the large gardens and the cold air of London.

Standing at his balcony, you couldnt help but wonder...

Silas definitely has to HAVE a mega douchebag personality if this was where he was raised.

I mean who wouldnt have an ego trip if they woke up to a view like this, a butler named CADBURY who probably brings him his bland tea and tells him about all the proposals he had, and Silas would just wave a hand in dismissal, telling his butler to reject them all on his behalf.

Silas lived like a king. Or at the very least, lived like the 1% of Britain.

Returning back into the room, you looked at the interior before a grin formed on your face.

Time to snoop around, Y/n. You made your way to his desk.

Lets see what secrets you're hiding, husband.

Silas walked in on you folding your clothes and placing them in his closet.

"What do you think you're doing?" He huffed, loosening his tie. He was still in his clothes from last night, having just returned home after celebrating with his uncles and cousins.

You turned to him, faking enthusiasm. "Hello to you too."

Silas rolled his eyes, sitting on his bed. "Dont touch my things." He began untying his shoes.

"Why? You worried my poverty would taint them?"

He looked you dead in the eyes.

"Yes."

"Haha." You close the closet and turn to him. "We need to talk."

He looked at you miserably. "Cant it wait-" "No."

"Fine, then. Go on, I'm listening." He leaned against the headboard while you took your place on the foot of the bed.

"Why didn't you tell me last night that we were going to the palace? Or that you were going to announce our marriage?"

Tired eyes looked at you. "I didnt want to risk you getting cold feet."

Okay. Fair enough.

You gave him a nod. "Fine. Still would've liked a heads-up." "I'll keep that in mind for next time. Good night-" He began closing his eyes when you spoke again.

"No. We still need to talk about our situation." You looked at your lap, smoothing your dress before looking at him again, only to find his tired eyes studying you.

"Silas, who knows that our marriage is not... real?"

"It is a real marriage. We signed proper documents and all." He told you. "What you mean to ask is who knows our marriage is like mutually beneficial business deal? The answer is- no one, except for my butler and his wife, who wont say a word. And I want it to stay that way."

You raised a brow. "So... what exactly is the image you're trying to sell to the world? That we're a young couple, madly in love?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

"Silas." Your tone turned serious. "If you want people to believe this fairytale you're creating, then you need to get your stories straight. And involve me in it too!"

He tilted his head at you before sighing. "Fine. Lets say... we met two months ago."

"Where?"

He grinned. "Ballet theatre. Near Oxford university."

"Ballet theatre- are you trying to use your grandparents story?"

He shrugged. "So what if I am? Besides, people will love it."

You glared at him, but he continued on with his story. "So we met at the ballet theatre, you fell madly in love with me the first time you saw me. Your exact words were- "Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, have I died and went to heaven to witness the utter beauty of an angel-"

"I have seen rodents looking better than you." You cut him off.

"You're ruining my story." He scolded you. "Fine, we can say that after you were mesmerised by my beauty, you stalked me for a few weeks until I finally said yes out of pity-"

"Silas."

He raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I'll leave the details to you, just remember- we met at the theatre. Thats the most important part of the story."

"Okay, I'll add my version of the events, which you can read in the papers in a day or two." You stood up, walking over to the vanity. "I will be going to work from tomorrow. I'll tell your grandmother I'm going to visit some friends, and you'll drop me off at my old place where I'll change my clothes and then I'll go to the office."

"Very well." He turned his head to look at you. "But after you're done writing about us, continue working on the White Chapel murders."

You hummed, turning around. "Dont worry, I should be able to get access to the letters in a few days. Wait- Silas, didnt you say your friend owned the paper I worked for?" He nodded. "Well, can you ask him if he could let me, I mean- assign Sherlock Holmes to work on the case? You could bribe him with giving an exclusive interview about your marriage for the papers, in return, he has to let me work the murder story."

"Consider it done." Silas said, putting his arm over his eyes.

"Um, Silas?"

"What?" He asked, annoyed.

"Where am I to sleep?" With Sarah in the house, its not like you can occupy another room. It'll raise suspicion.

Silas removed his arm to look at you, before looking at his large bed.

You shake your head. "I am not sleeping in the same bed with you-"

"I wouldnt want that either." He said, grabbing a pillow. Your heart warmed at the gesture. He really was going to leave his bed for you, like the true gentleman-

Thud.

You looked at the pillow he'd thrown on the floor.

"There." He pointed before returning to bed.

"You want me to sleep on the floor?"

With his eyes closed, he replied. "You say that like you expected me to sleep on the floor."

"Well-"

"Its my room, my bed. Why would I sleep on the floor?"

"I dont know, whats the word- chivalry?!" You huffed, grabbing the pillow and walking near the closed balcony window. It was cold but you'd rather sleep with a pretty view than to wake up to Silas feet landing on your face.

Muttering curses under your breath, you soon fell asleep with your back turned to Silas. A few minutes later, he got off the bed and dropped a blanket on your sleeping body.

And they say chivalry is dead. He thought to himself, returning to his bed.

The next day, while dropping you off to work, you brought up the previous day's convo.

"I need something." Silas's gaze flickered from the window of the carriage to you. "What do you know about Henry Blackwood?"

Silas' looked bored again. "He's a fellow businessman, invests in people rather than companies, likes to keep his operations in the dark, which means he has secrets. His shop blew up some time ago, allegedly a "technical failure" but... I think someone did it."

"You think so too?" You asked, hopeful. "Do you know who?"

Silas shook his head. "No. His enemies, like his operations are secret. All I know is someone did it to send a message to him, blew up the shop deliberately while he was out."

A message?

"I want to get dirt on him." You watch Silas raise a brow at you. "Just... get me close to him, or to his people. I saw him talking to your uncles, maybe they know something?"

Silas shakes his head again. "My uncles talk to anyone who has money. Henry wouldnt ever invest in them, they couldnt manage a business for the life of them."

"And you? Would Henry invest in you?"

Silas nodded. "He's tried. I wasnt interested." He cut you off before you could even suggest the idea. "And I'm still not interested. But I'll get you close to him."

"Thank you." You settled back in your seat before remembering another request. "Silas?"

"What now?"

"Can I have some money?"

"Here's a pound-" You glared at him, making him sigh. "How much?"

"Mmhm, oh I dont know... just enough to buy a small house-"

"And why do you need a house?"

You looked at him dumbfounded. "Well, when our marriage goes to the sewers, I would like to have a roof over my head."

"And what if I say I dont intend on ending this marriage?" Your blood ran cold at his words.

"What?"

Silas tilted his head at you before chuckling. "Why have you turned pale? If anyone should be horrified at the prospect of staying married in this mismatch, completely unbalanced relationship, it should be me. Struck down, caught out of the lake in his prime, of both beauty and brain-"

"Oh God, please stop talking before blood starts pouring out of my ears."

"So you agree your voice is irritating enough to do that?" Silas remarked smirking.

"Shut up." You flared your nostrils at him. Why does he have to ruin my mood this early in the day?

He chuckled victoriously, looking out the window. "I'll get you the house. You dont need money for it." He looked at you, already knowing you'd be confused. He grinned, pointing to himself. "Duke of Westminster-" he then points at you. "Duchess of Westminster."

Of course. Now that you're married to the duke, you have a whole lot of land in your hands. You really can have a house anywhere you'd like.

The carriage stopped. "Off you go now, wife."

Entering the office, you were first greeted by Will, the man in charge on working on the White Chapel murders.

"Holmes! How did you do it?" He shook you by the shoulder gleefully. "How did you convince the boss to post my story next?!"

I married his friend. "Oh, I just... promised him an article. Once I give him that, we can work together on the murder story."

He nodded, ushering you to finish off your article first before helping him.

Making your way to your desk, you spotted Colin. "Hey, Colin-" But he walked right past you, as if he didnt hear you.

Maybe he didnt. You shrugged, sitting down at your desk as you began writing down the news about you and Silas.

"Oh, Mr Holmes has definitely written most accurately about you Y/n!" Sarah said as she read the papers at the breakfast table. "He calls you the "fairest maiden in town" and "beauty with brains"- oh, I couldnt agree more!"

You smiled, sipping your tea sheepishly while Silas rolled his eyes. Its been 3 days since you wrote an article announcing your marriage to the world, and the editor decided to post it on Sunday, when you and most of London had off from work, all tuning in to read "how the most eligible bachelor bagged the fairest maiden in town."

Sarah ate some of the dishes you'd prepared today. "These are absolutely delicious, Y/n! Silas, your wife-" A maid came in to inform her that there's someone at the door to meet her. As Sarah excused herself, you got up from your seat to serve Silas the food you'd made on Sarah's request.

Silas picked up his fork and took a bite, a smile forming on his lips.

"Have I ever told you how good of a cook you are?"

You blushed, looking down. "No-"

"Then why do you keep cooking?" He dropped his fork on the plate, pushing it aside. "Stop using my kitchen." He smirked as he drank his tea, watching rage take over your face.

"Listen you twat-"

Sarah came back rushing in, a worried look on her face. Silas immediately sat up. "What is it, nana?"

"The- there was someone here from the palace." She gulped. "They sent flowers and a letter congratulating you two on the marriage. They... they said they'd like to meet Y/n and- and welcome the new couple officially."

Silas understood Sarah's worry. The palace never writes to them. In fact, the last time they did, it was years ago when his parents had died.

Getting up from his seat, Silas wiped his face with a napkin before dropping it on the table. "Then we'll let them. We shall host the Queen."

"Si-" But he took her by the shoulders, easing Sarah's worry.

"Dont worry. This is our home, nana." We have the advantage.

Silas left to start making arrangements for hosting the queen at the estate, while Sarah ran around the house with the staff to prepare for the event that is a week from now. Seeing as you couldnt be of use there and everyone was too busy to give you any pointers on what to say or act when the queen arrives, you left the estate to explore the town. Or more specifically, return to the blown up vintage store.

Yep, you're still hoping your time machine survived.

When you arrived on Regent street, you saw the same men still guarding the store, so they probably still wouldn't have let you in. But you also saw Henry, who was leaving the store and in his carriage.

Deciding to follow him, you sneaked into the back of someone's carriage and rode it before jumping off it when it got near Henry's carriage. Fortunately, you didnt have to follow him for long as he got off on Piccadilly street soon and strolled into a place called "The Gentlemen's Club" and from the looks of the daunting bouncers standing outside, you knew you couldnt just stroll in like Henry.

You watched the people who seemed to walk into the club, mostly men, all dressed formally and looked like they were a part of the high society. You saw some women too, though most of them dressed scandalously, so you assume they were there to provide entertainment.

As the sun began setting, more and more people started entering the club and just when you were about to leave, you saw Henry walk out of the club, a frown settled on his face. You werent expecting him to leave the club so soon, not when more people had started going in there, to rave or whatever. If Henry was here for pleasure, then he came out too early. If he was here for business, then most of the club goers have just begun entering, which means that whoever he wanted to conduct business with was already in there. Someone who works at the club... maybe even owns it?

As you turned to leave, you felt someone bump into you.

"Watch where you're going!" The blonde haired woman shrieked at you before crossing the street to go to the club.

You huffed. Everyone's got a giant stick up their-

You whipped your head around, feeling someone watching you. And thats when you spot it- a shadowy figure of a man, standing in the window of the club, on the second floor. Henry? No, he left. Then...?

The shadow didnt move, staring at you until it creeped you enough to make you leave.

Silas finally sat down after working all day. Cadbury brought him his evening tea.

"How are the preparations coming along?" He asked his butler. Cadbury informed him of the arrangements he's made and the guest list he's written down that needs his approval before he sends out the invitations.

"And the seamstress will come tomorrow to make a gown for Miss Y/n-"

Silas cut him off. "No need. Send the seamstress to me first. I'll let her know what kind of clothes need to be made for the event, then she can take Y/n's measurements."

"As you wish, sir." Cadbury said, but Silas could see something troubling the young butler. They werent that apart in age, and both of them had practically grown together, each reading the other person well.

"What's the matter, Cadbury?" Silas set his teacup down.

Cadbury took a deep breath. "Its just- I dont understand why the palace is suddenly coming to visit you, after what happened at the dukedom ceremony. It was certainly... humiliating for them, so why would they be coming to welcome Miss Y/n into the family?"

Silas grinned. "They're coming to see who I replaced the princess with." He picked up his cup. "They couldnt break me down, so they're going to try their luck with the missus. There's another reason why the queen is coming, but you let me worry about that."

Cadbury looked concerned. "Then we should prepare Miss Y/n to make no mistakes."

"Dont worry, she wont." Silas smiled, making his butler even more confused. "Speaking of, did you observe her when she was cooking in the kitchen today?"

Cadbury nodded. "Yes. And as you'd said, she didnt touch, let alone cook with bacon or wine despite my insistence that its your favourite. She replaced the meats, and didnt use any alcohol at all!"

Silas chuckled, his eyes gleaming with intent. "Perfect. Just as I'd suspected." He looked at Cadbury again. "Are there any leftovers from the food she'd made?"

"Yes. I was about to throw it out-"

"No. Bring them to me. I'll eat them. If Y/n asks, tell her you fed it to the dogs and then they got violently sick." Cadbury was confused as he left to bring him the food. He thought that Silas didnt like your cooking, at least from what he'd heard him say to you.

Oh. Maybe the young duke just doesnt want to acknowledge that he enjoyed your food.

A week passed by quickly and the day of the royal dinner came. You were freaking out because Silas had barely spoken two words to you about how to act or what to say, just telling you to act as yourself and he'll take care of the rest.

"What the hell...?" You muttered, watching your reflection in the mirror. Okay, you're not a conservative, but even you knew that this plunging neckline was a little too much skin for this time period, especially in front of the queen!

You were wearing a white satin and lace gown- wedding gown, if you were being honest. All that was missing was a veil, but you guess that would be a little too much on the nose. The dress was beautiful, no doubt, but it was missing a whole lot of cloth around the neckline, the tight corset making your chest puff out slightly more with a snatched waist. Your collar bones looked prominent, but you would credit that to the bland food served in London. Seriously, why do they act like vampires when it comes to adding garlic?

"Your husband had this dress designed specifically for you, madame!" The seamstress told you as she added her finishing touches. "He must love you a lot!" You resisted the urge to roll your eyes as you wore the jewellery he'd sent for you.

Yes. Thats why I sleep on the floor while he sleeps in his bed. Hope he suffocates under those plush sheets. My backache is the sign of our true love.

"Oh, who did that to your hair?" You heard a voice behind you and you turned around quickly.

"Benny!" You squealed, watching Ben, Liam, Shepherd and Colin enter your room. "Ah, I'm so glad you all came."

"Of course we did. There's free booze-" Shepherd smacked Liam on the back of his head. "We're here because we're happy for you."

"And because they wanted to see the queen." Colin said, rolling his eyes, making the other two bicker with him.

"How's Silas treating you? Are you happy?" Ben asked in a low tone as he fixes your hair.

Oh Ben. He reminds you so much of Qasim. "Yes, Benny. Silas is very good to me. I couldnt be happier."

Ben had a sad smile on his face as he nodded.

Just a few minutes later, Silas entered your room. "Y/n. Gentlemen." He nodded to them, before pulling you aside. "I need to talk to you."

You looked at him surprised. Silas was concerned. He was nervous about something. You've never seen him break a sweat.

"What is it, Silas?"

"The queen is onto us."

"What?"

Silas looked at you exasperated. "She knows about our sham marriage." He casted a look to the boys, who were pretending like they werent trying to hear what he was whispering to you. Silas pulled you close by your elbow to whisper. "I have a source telling me that the queen knows you... you're not a Christian. That you're a Muslim."

You pull back to look at him wide eyed. "How- how did she- how did you-?"

"I suspected, you confirmed it now. But she knows. And she's coming here tonight to expose us. If she tells everyone tonight, then she'll be able to take away my dukedom and she will make our lives hell!"

Your throat went dry. "What- what do we do?"

"There's a way." Silas grip on your arm tightened. "We get married for real."

You tilted your head in confusion before shaking your head at what he was implying. "Silas, no-"

"We get a Nikkah."

A Nikkah? If... if you get a Nikkah with him, an Islamic wedding ceremony, then you'll be married to him for real. No- no, the only reason you'd agreed to his proposal was because you knew it was a fake marriage, it didnt really affect your conscious because it was a sham! But-

"No. Silas-"

"Y/n, please." Silas pleaded. "Dont make me beg. If the queen finds out, everything I've worked so hard for, it'll be for naught. She'll take it all away. Dont you- dont you want to help catch the lunatic behind those murders? Dont you want to make a difference by writing? If you dont do this, if you dont stand by me, we'll both be done for!"

You looked at him conflicted, your resolve starting to break as he continued to talk. "My sister, my parents, my grandfather... my family... they need me, Y/n. They need me to pull this off, for me to reinstate our honour, for me to remove the stain and stigma from my family's name. Please, I'm asking you to do this for me... for my family." He swallowed thickly, his eyes boring into you with intensity. "You once told me you lost everything. I'm telling you now that I'll lose everything if we dont do this. Will you let me lose everything, Y/n?"

Lose everything? Everything?

You shake your head. "No, Silas. I... I wont let you lose everything."

10 minutes later, there was an imam in your room. Silas had somehow managed to find an imam in London to marry you two off. But you suppose when you're so rich and well connected, you can find anyone.

This is happening. This is really happening.

With Ben, Colin, Liam and Shepherd as your witnesses and Cadbury and his wife as Silas's witnesses, the imam began the Nikkah ceremony.

Am I really getting married?

You watched the imam ask Silas some questions, and you tuned them out except for one.

"Are you a Muslim?"

You looked up. A flicker of hope! Yes! If Silas isnt a Muslim, he cant marry you! The Nikkah wont happen, or at the very least wont be real because he's not Muslim! He cant marry you, this will still be a sham marriage, a paper marriage and your conscious will be clear and you wont feel like throwing up-

"Yes. I converted an hour ago." Silas informed the imam. "I took my shahada, in sound mind and state, of my own will without any pressure or coercion."

No. Oh no-

"Do you take Y/n to be your wife?"

"I do."

"Do you take Y/n to be your wife?" The imam repeated.

"I do."

"Do you take Y/n to be your wife?" He asked again.

"I do." And with that, Silas signed the Nikkah contract. The officiant then turned to you.

"With the agreed mahr, do you take Silas to be your husband?"

"Mahr?" You whisper in a daze. The officiant looks confused. "Do you not know what your mahr is?"

Mahr is a gift to the bride given by the groom. It is a symbol of the groom's promise to care and provide for the bride. You're more surprised that Silas even knew what Mahr is.

"It must've slipped my mind to tell you." Silas looked at Cadbury, who handed him a document. "For your Mahr, I give you Westminster palace." You looked at the document, he really had signed it over to you!

"Silas..." You say in disbelief, your hands trembling a bit. He smiled reassuringly at you. "You wanted a house. Here's one."

House? He gave me a palace!

"Do you take Silas to be your husband?" The imam asked you. You stared at Silas, at his content face. He didnt have to sign over a whole palace to you, much less one which he'd just gotten from the queen!

And he looked perfectly content with his decision. Not a shadow of doubt. He... he trusts you? Trusts that you'll maintain this union? Wont run out on him- wont betray him?

"I do."

Does he believe that this marriage will last?

"I do."

Does he trust you?

"I do."

You signed the papers, your eyes still in a daze as Silas smiles charmingly at you before pulling you close to hug you. You hear everyone clap around you as he leans down to whisper in your ear.

"Thank you."

Silas escorted you to the dining room where all the guests were waiting. You were still quiet and in a trance as you walked by him, with your hand around his arm.

He's surprised it didnt make you suspicious with how quickly he'd found an imam. Truthfully speaking, Silas knew you were a Muslim when he first proposed to you. He had his doubts, which were confirmed by his observations especially with your aversion to foods that were forbidden for Muslims. And yes, the queen had also found out about you being a Muslim, but only because he spread the rumour to them.

The Nikkah documents, the ceremony, the Mahr, he had already planned it the moment he found out that the queen was coming over. And the reason why he waited until the last minute to spring this out on you was so that you would be pressured into saying yes. He just couldnt risk you taking time to think this through.

You may still be under the impression that Silas chose you because it was circumstantial or whatever, but he chose you to be his wife precisely because you were a Muslim. Oh he has plans to use you.

You're everything the English monarchy hates, what it stands for. You're not prim and proper, despite your best attempts. You work, that too disguised as a man, and you're far too strong willed and determined to prove yourself unlike the British high society women.

He knows the crown wont be happy to have Muslim bride in the family, much less a Muslim duke who just so happily signed off Westminster palace to his wife.

A Cheshire grin graced his lips, which people mistook for glee for being with his blushing bride. He's going to have fun ruffling the queen's feathers. He's going to tilt the palace upside down.

Curtsying to the queen, Silas immediately noticed and took great pleasure in the queen's displeasure at your dress. Yes, he specifically chose a wedding gown that showed too much skin for the conservative monarch.

"Your majesty, this is Y/n, my sweetheart." Silas introduced you so lovingly, you couldnt help but be flustered as you avert your eyes to the ground.

"Its an honour to meet you, your majesty." You manage to say without throwing up.

Victoria casted one unamused look to you. "Very interesting choice for clothing."

Oh shit. Shit. Shit. She hates it. I knew it-

Silas's hand gently grasped yours. "Thank you, your majesty. I chose it for her after being inspired by a painting my love gifted me. Ah, let me show it to you."

You already knew it was the stupid portrait he was talking about, and you wanted to hide away into a corner as you saw the disapproval on the queen's face- God, she doesnt mask any emotion, does she?

The queen turned to Silas. "I have heard a rumour and I would like you to address it now." She said, glancing at you.

Silas nodded, leaning down to press a kiss to your temple. "Why dont you go and help nana with the guests? I'll be right with you."

Sarah was introducing to the guests, but your head was preoccupied with Silas and the queen. They are definitely talking about me-

"Y/n, this is Mr Blackwood." You stared at the familiar face. "Oh please, Sarah. No need to be formal with me." He smiled charmingly. "Besides, miss Y/n and I have met before."

"Well, thats wonderful! You two talk- I have to find my troublesome grandsons before they embarrass me!" Sarah left you with Henry.

"Congratulations on your wedding." He said with exaggerated joy, though his eyes expressed anything but that. "I'm sure he offered you a lot of money for putting up a show. I just wish you'd told me about it before."

"Excuse me?" You frowned. "I'm not putting up a show."

He raised a brow. "Really? You expect me to believe that a FitzGeorge wants to marry you? Out of the blue?" He throws a look to your gown. "That this wedding dress wasnt him trying to just convince the world that you're his wife?"

Your jaw ticked. "You're right. This dress is Silas's way telling everyone we're married. Because we were married on paper before, but I have an imam, 4 witnesses and a Nikkah document stating that Silas and I are married, both in the eyes of the law and God." You watched Henry's face fall. What use was it lying when he already heard of the rumours. Rolling your eyes, you turned to leave, only for him to reach out and grab your arm.

"Why are you doing this?" Henry asked you, looking for any signs of you lying. He didnt find any. "You know you dont belong with him-"

"Oh? I dont?" You snapped. "Who do I belong with? No, go on. Tell me."

He pulled you close, looking into your eyes. "Me. You belong to me. You know it, you felt it- we have something. We have-" He lowered his voice. "I can give you everything you want. Whatever you'd lost in my shop, I'll find it again. I'll travel the world for it, just- come to me. Leave Silas."

"That is the most pathetic thing I've heard come out of a man's mouth." You yanked your hand out of his grasp, walking away from him. The next time you saw him, he was busy talking with Victoria's heir- Prince Edward VII.

"Sweetheart, there you are!" Silas grabbed you, pulling you along. "I was just telling her majesty about how we met. You remember, love?" He shot you a knowing look.

You nodded, remembering what you two had practised. "Yes. We met at the ballet theatre near Oxford. It was love at first sight-"

"Ballet theatre?" Victoria's voice was sharp. Your heart dropped as you tried to follow up on your lie. See, this is why you two should've discussed this because its hard to lie on the spot!

"She's an amazing ballerina! Ah! I was immediately charmed by her art! She bewitched me!" Silas said cheekily and you wanted to smack him for saying "bewitched" because this is still Victorian era and sure, they dont have witch trials anymore, but why would he risk even the accusation when it is literally the queen's ancestors who had a major part in burning up "witches" in the 1600s!

Look, people back then were dumb and evil, which is a really bad combination.

"Is she now?" Victoria looked at you now, with those piercing eyes. "I would love to attend a show of yours. See what these FitzGeorges fancy so much."

Oh she knows. You can see it, hear it in her monotonous voice that she knows Silas is lying.

And yet this dumbass continues to lie. "Of course! We'll host you for... Christmas eve?"

As Victoria left, you glared at Silas. "Why would you say that?! I'm not a ballerina and you invited her to watch me dance? Do you want to get caught?!"

Silas tutted at you. "You worry too much. Its not that hard, you know. Besides, you have my grandmother to teach you. Ah yes, nana will love it-"

"Silas!" You stopped him. "I cant learn ballet in a month!"

"Not with that attitude-"

"We will get caught. You will be caught, and I will be embarrassed and- and- I wont let anyone make a fool out of me, Silas!" He pulled you into his chest, shushing you.

"I wont let anyone make a fool out of you either, Y/n." He pulled your head back to look at you with those deceptively charming eyes. "You carry my name next to yours now. You're my wife now, and by association, your dignity is my dignity now. I wont let anyone make a mockery of us, Y/n."

You looked up at him and you believed him. How could you not, when lying comes so easily to Silas?

He watched Sarah console you, promising to help you learn. Silas his his smile as he picked up his glass, enjoying his plan falling into place.

Ah, it would be a pity to see your heart break when the entire theatre laughs at you.

Thoughts????

#time traveller au #yandere x darling #yandere #yandere male #male yandere #yandere boyfriend #soft yandere #yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere x y/n #silas my oc

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tayraedoll · 2 months ago

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Old Man- Sound the Alarm

Alastor faces a new enemy...your alarm clock.

TW: Swearing, tooth-rotting fluff because I said I wanted to write fluff

Thanks for the Ask @cryssyd! I will be writing some one-shots for Old Man from time to time <3

The shrill, spine-chilling chimes of your phone's default "Radar" alarm pierced through the tranquil serenity of your bedroom like an atomic bomb detonating. You groan loudly, trying to reach for your phone without opening your eyes to silence the aggravating sound that ripped you from dreamland so crudely. Your brows furrow together as you slap your hand down along your bedside table for the third time, only to come up empty. Hadn't you placed your phone there like you did every night? Did it fall on the floor? Fuck, that stupid alarm tone was annoying!

Just as you were about to aggressively wrench yourself out of bed to look for your damn phone, you felt the familiar sensation of static settle along your skin like a blanket. Your eyes fly open to find your lover, Alastor, standing beside your bed looking at your phone in his hand as if it personally offended him. Given his total revulsion to all technology more modern than the radio, perhaps it had.

"Darling, it appears someone is calling your handheld device", he states without looking up from your phone. You were sure he would incinerate it using his voodoo powers if it wouldn't upset you to do so.

Your lips turn slightly into a small smirk, "It's not a call, it's my alarm. Could you be a dear and hit the snooze button for me please?" You lay back onto the bed and fold an arm over your eyes, hoping to catch a few more minutes of rest before you officially started your morning.

"The what now?", Alastor cocked his head at you as he began hitting random buttons on your phone until the incessant hullabaloo finally ceased.

You sigh, resigning yourself to wakefulness knowing full well he would not leave you alone now. "The snooze button, it's a button that you press to stop the alarm for a few minutes before it goes off again to wake you up. I like to hit it a few times before I am awake enough to get out of bed."

You feel the bed beside you dip, alerting you that Alastor had sat on the edge of the mattress. You remove your arm from your face to shoot him a glare for making you conversate before you even had your first cup of coffee. He either did not notice or did not care- probably the latter- as he twirled his cane and smiled down at you with a quirked eyebrow. "Now, why would you set your alarm for an earlier time than you intend to awaken? Seems a bit counter-productive to your intent to sleep a bit longer hmm?"

"Because I need that few extra minutes to gain motivation to physically get up. Not all of us are so chipper in the morning ya know?!" You groan as you climb out of bed and shuffle into the bathroom to begin your morning routine. Meanwhile, still seated in your bed, Alastor was tapping his index finger to his lip in contemplation.

A wailing siren going off jolted you out of bed the next morning. Your large, doe eyes swept the room as your tail fluffed out in alarm, heart beating erratically as your tried to assess what was going on and if you were in any danger. Shit, were the exorcists back?! Did you need to find cover? What the actual FUCK was going on?!

Alastor suddenly appears next to you, nearly causing you to jump out of your skin. "Ah, good morning Sha! My, it's good to see you so awake this early in the day!" The deer demon saunters over to your bedside table, which now holds an antique, silver alarm clock with a single bell at the top instead of your phone. A long, red-tipped finger reaches out to hit the button on top of the bell to silence the dreadful alarm; the only sounds remaining in the room were your wildly-beating heart and Alastor's nonchalant humming.

"Alastor...what the fuck is that?", you clench your teeth as you feel your panic give way to anger.

"My Darling Doe, I have taken it upon myself to improve your rousing routine! You really shouldn't start your day by staring at that dreadful handheld device immediately- it's bad for the eyes you know. Plus you are already bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with no snooze function required!" His sentence was puncuated with a "ta-da" track from his cane.

You sigh, closing your eyes and pinching the bridge of your nose to keep from losing your shit on your dearest heart; the man is an absolute menace, but at least he means well. "My Love, could you please explain to me why you want to change how I wake up in the morning? Please tell me it has nothing to do with me using my phone alarm."

You open your eyes as you finish your sentence, catching the way his shoulders tense and his smile falters almost imperceptibly. A small pop of static coincides with the clearing of his throat, the fearsome Overlord was clearly nervous about his response, you cock your head to the side and raise a brow in question.

"As you know, Sha, our mating has drawn us quite close to one another. I find that I am quite impatient to start our days together each morning, and I get flustered when you "snooze" the alarm. Not to mention that the beeping his highly annoying and you insist on listening to it thrice each morning!" Alastor rolled his crimson eyes in exasperation. "But I do apologize if I have overstepped. I shall endeavor to wait patiently for you to join me for breakfast each day."

Your heart constricts in your chest, here you were getting frustrated with him and all he wanted was to spend a little more time with you each morning. A soft smile graces your face as you make your way over to wrap him in your arms. You nuzzle your face into his chest as he wraps his long arms around your waist, his strong hold keeping you close to him. "I'll tell you what- you get rid of that monstrosity of an alarm clock, and I will strive to get up right away to spend more time with you. Do we have a deal?" You crane your neck to look up at him with a grin.

He chuckles low in his chest, the vibrations tickling your cheek. "You drive a hard bargain My Doe, but I accept your terms. However, I'll have you know that this is an exact replica of my own alarm clock from my time as a radio broadcaster!" His hand clutched his non-existent pearls in mock offense.

You raise a brow and deadpan "Ever wonder if that contributed to your psychopathic tendencies?"

You stir awake the next morning, not to the sound of your alarm as you expected, but to a pleasant scratching of your ears. You would be unnerved by this, if it wasn't for the comforting static and scent of the bayou that immediately put you at ease. "What are you doing?", you ask groggily as you snuggle deeper into the buck's chest.

"I was thinking: why should I allow that awful device to wake you when I know I can do a better job. New deal Sha- you can sleep in so long as I am the one who gets to wake you in the morning." His hand runs down your back, not stopping until he runs his claws through the thick fur of your tail. He cranes his neck to place a gentle kiss on the crown of your head.

You let out a contented sigh, lazily wrapping your arms around his torso as you drift off again in your lover's arms. Mornings would certainly be a little brighter with Alastor sharing them with you.

#i'm back!#hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel #alastor x reader #alastor x you #alastor the radio demon #alastor fluff #fem reader #Alastor is clingy #but we love him #back with an Old Man short

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llumetrii · 2 months ago

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Unexpected Gifts | Miguel x Reader

Pairing: Miguel O'Hara x Spider-Woman!Reader

Summary: Miguel makes you a gift for Valentine's Day.

Warnings: none! Just fluff and flustered Miguel (my favorite hehe)

Word Count: 1800

A/N: I know this is such a late Valentine's post but I find myself losing motivation to post and write things when I put such high expectations on myself considering time and quality, so instead of not posting at all, I'm posting it late and trying not to overthink about whether it's even good enough. I need to stop being a perfectionist lol.

Miguel swiped on his holo screens mindlessly. He kept catching himself zoning out, and it frustrated him immensely. He just couldn't seem to focus.

He glanced down at his desk, seeing the small device sitting there in front of him, the same object his thoughts kept circling back to. It didn't look like much, just a flat, compact rectangle of circuitry. But it was supposed to be a gift. A gift for you.

Thinking about actually giving it to you made his heart pound at the mere thought. That was the one part Miguel was worried about. He could whip up machinery and run analyses like no problem, but giving an actual handmade gift to someone wasn't part of his list of skills. And it didn't help his nerves any more when he considered the fact he was going to give it to you today, on Valentine's Day.

He didn't plan this, originally. He wasn't used to celebrating Valentine's Day the way others did. In fact, he didn't celebrate it at all. He considered it a work day like any other, with the addition of chocolates or other candies Peter B. or a few other Spiders gave him. For the most part, though, Valentine's day wasn't anything special to him.

At least, until this year. He had felt a strange urge to make this device for you, and even more strangely, he gave into it. But now that the day had come to give it to you, he was starting to second-guess his decision.

It wasn't even Valentine-related, and that fact just made Miguel feel more awkward. Should he have added something? A flower, perhaps? No—that would have been too much, right? Especially since you were just a friend.

A friend he...thought about a lot.

But he felt like he needed to spruce up his gift with something. He pulled open one of his drawers at his desk, then another. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, he just needed to find something more—

"Hey, Miguel…"

He jolted at the sound of your familiar, sing-song voice.

Miguel slammed his drawer shut a little too hard and turned quickly, his heart suddenly rocketing toward his throat.

He hadn't expected to see what you were holding.

You had a wide smile on your face, prancing up to his platform and holding out the bundle of gifts in your arms. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

Miguel's eyes widened. You presented him with a single, lively red rose paired with a small box of delicious-looking brownies and a decorative bag filled with coffee packets.

He blinked. It was...a lot. And it was all tied into the Valentine theme in one way or another. The signature red rose, the pink ribbon, and even the little heart sprinkles on the brownies. The sight left him speechless.

"I—Thank you..." His arms felt stiff, and he had to actually force them to move forward to carefully accept the items. He hadn't seen any Valentine's gift like this in years—maybe even a decade. He couldn't even think of anything at all as he stared at the items.

His chest actually hurt from the warmth that was filling to the brim. He swallowed hard. This was so unexpected.

You beamed up at him, unaware that his heart felt like it was going to burst. "I hope you like brownies." You said, glancing at the little box in his hand. "I tried to think of a treat that everyone kind of liked and I thought brownies would be a good idea to share."

Everyone?

His brain was slowly turning gears again. So you made this for everyone?

Maybe it was stupid to think you had put this gift together just for him, that you might have been thinking only about him today. The two of you were only friends at most.

He hated that he felt disappointed.

"You...made this for everyone?" He muttered dumbly, gazing down at the soft, vibrant petals of the rose. When was the last time he even saw a rose?

"Well...all my friends, yeah." You shrugged, the smile still lingering. "Which...turned out to be a lot more than I thought." You chuckled. "My hands were cramping last night tying all the ribbons."

"Thank you." He said again, quietly. He was still awed by the gesture and the effort you put into the gifts. He turned slowly to place the items on his desk with utmost care.

His eyes fell upon the little device he had made for you, and a sudden weight of embarrassment crashed over him. How could he give you his gift now after what effort you had put in for him? He didn't even want to call it a gift at this point. It was something he made on a whim. He didn't wrap it up in a nice bow or even try to buy candy to add.

It was supposed to be a small upgrade to your suit—if you even liked it. Something like that wasn't meant to be a Valentine's gift.

Miguel subtly pushed the little device out of sight. But something in him hesitated, made his fingers linger a bit longer despite his heart pounding at the mere idea of giving it to you.

You sidled up next to him, turning your head up to look at him with that bright smile of yours still stuck to your face "So...have you seen the break room yet? It's been decorated for Valentine's day and lots of Spiders brought treats."

Miguel quickly straightened and cleared his throat, somehow gripping the device in his closed fist. "uh—no. I haven't been down there." He scratched the side of his neck as he glanced at his holo screens.

"Well, you should check it out. There's some good stuff."

"I...have a lot of things to work on. As usual." He gestured loosely to his ongoing work with his closed fist, forgetting, for a brief moment, that he was holding what was supposed to be your gift. He awkwardly lowered his hand to the table and leaned against it, hoping you didn't notice.

You appeared to be oblivious of his struggle, especially since you were turning away with a shrug. "Okay. More for me, I guess."

"You're leaving?" He blurted.

He snapped his mouth shut as soon as the words left his mouth like that. Could he be any more stupid? He wasn't thinking properly at all.

You turned, looking surprised. Then, you jabbed a thumb over your shoulder. "Yeah, I was about to head down and eat the treats you didn't want."

He didn't even acknowledge the attempt to tease—he barely heard it. Miguel crossed over to you in two quick strides. "I was going to give this to you."

He pressed the 'gift' he made toward you, silently urging you to take it before he could change his mind.

You blinked, and your eyes widened as you accepted the small item automatically. "Oh—uh..." You paused for an agonizing moment, studying it in your palm. "What is it?"

Miguel stepped back, feeling like he couldn't breathe too well. "It's a laser component to add onto your webs. You...mentioned a while ago that you liked mine."

Your gasp of excitement almost startled him. "Oh! Really? You made this for me?" You looked up at him with a beautiful, awed smile that made him forget about everything else for a moment.

His lips twitched upward in a smile of their own. "Yeah..."

"How do I put it on?" You stared at your wrists intently.

"I can help you attach it." Miguel said. "It shouldn't take long."

"Okay!"

Miguel stepped back and offered his chair to you. His heart was still skipping beats, making him feel almost dizzy. He had to take a breath to steady himself.

You perched yourself on his seat and looked up at him expectantly. He noticed how far you had to crane your head back because he was towering over you in this position, so he knelt down on one knee and gently took the device from your hand. He handled your wrist just as carefully, turning it up to find the best place to incorporate the new piece onto your suit. It was difficult not to think about how close the two of you were, and it only made the heat he was feeling earlier crawl up to his cheeks. He kept his head down so you wouldn't notice.

It didn't take you long to start talking about some other Valentine's day happenings while he worked. Miguel was glad you could fill the quiet with something other than the racket his heart was making. Hearing you talk about your day, or anything, really, made such tension easier to bear.

Within a couple minutes, two new laser devices had been attached to your suit, one for each wrist. Miguel looked up from your hand to meet your gaze. "What color would you like the laser to be?" He asked.

Your eyes widened, a slow smile spreading on your face. "I can pick the color?"

Once again, Miguel couldn't help but smile in response as he dipped his head. "Mhm."

When he glanced down again, he noticed he was still holding your wrist. He dropped his hand, pushing himself up to stand because your proximity paired with your smile was making his heart all fluttery.

"I wanna do..." You hummed thoughtfully and glanced down at your spider-suit. "Something that matches my suit."

Miguel nodded and turned to face his monitors, swiping his hand through the air to bring up new holo screens. You watched as he worked efficiently, his eyes darting over the lines of code he confronted.

"All right..." He said, finally glancing at you. "Should be good to go."

You grinned and shot a web to the floor, your eyes glittering in amazement at the bright neon color that now lined your own webbing. You immediately turned to him. "Thank you so much, Miguel! I love it!"

Your beaming smile made his heart race and his cheeks warm. "You're welcome." He cleared his throat and glanced away toward his desk, catching sight of the Valentine's gift you gave him earlier. "Happy Valentine's day." He added. It felt like the right thing to say in the moment, despite the fact he probably hadn't said that phrase to anyone in years.

Your smile spread impossibly wider. "Happy Valentine's day, Miguel."

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leeny-leens · 4 months ago

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Cold New Year | bf!T.N. x gf!Reader

Pairing: Theodore Nott x Reader

Summary: New Year just started, and you’re already facing a cold struggle. Luckily, your boyfriend is a walking human heater.

Warnings: None, not edited or proofread

Content: established relationship, cuddling, Reader being cold af,there’s no pronouns or descriptions of the reader but Theo uses fem pet names, Italian pet names because thats my Theo staple atp

WC: 568

AN: started writing this earlier while trying to nap in my freezing room and let me tell you that was no fun

New year usually started out full of motivation and ambition for most people, filled with warmth and determination. For you however, this new year started out as everything but filled with warmth.

“It's been like, what? Two days? And your heater is already broken,” your boyfriend said humourously, a faint smirk on his lips. “That is actually comical bella,” from under your fort of blankets and pillows, you didn't bother dignifying him with an answer, definitely not because you were too cold for that. Instead, you grabbed the nearest item that wouldn't compromise your warm nest -a bunny plush he had gifted you a few months ago- and threw it at him. Theodore, that smug little shit, dodged it gracefully with a chuckle as he turned around from where he sat on the ground by your broken heater.

“See, I told ya to move in with me but noooo, someone has to be stubborn,” he stood up and walked to you, arms crossed as he stared at your shivering form underneath the mountain of blankets. He could barley see your eyes from how far you had the blankets pulled over your face, but he just knew that you were glaring at him. He motioned for you to scoot over, which you obliged more or less happily before hissing at the stream of cold air that hit your face when he lifted the covers.

“Are you fucking insane? It's cold!” you exclaimed, desperately curling tighter to try and keep yourself somewhat warm in the cold of your apartment. Your desperation didn't last long however, salvation came to you in the form of Theo’s warm body molding itself right next to you. The moment he layed down, you immediately clung to his side, face buried in his neck as you exhaled gratefully. He was incredibly warm and smelled of clean linen and musk, the combination of soothing warmth and dizzying scent sending your brain into a blanked out state.

“If I move in with you, do I get to have you as human heater whenever I want?” You mumbled against his neck, pressing light kisses to the soft skin. A breathy chuckle escaped his lips at the question and he hummed, the sound deep and tinged with satisfaction.

“Whenever and wherever you want, dolcezza,” he affirmed amused.

“The board will consider your offer then, Mr.Nott,” the response would have been infinitely more serious had you not been shivering and shaking from the cold, teeth clattering against one another as you tried to press yourself closer to Theo in an attempt to soak up his warmth.

His arms wrapped around you in a protective embrace, drawing you closer to his body as his fingers traced patterns on your back.

“There there amore,” he cooed, planting a kiss on the crown of your head “I'll call someone to come fix the heater later yeah?” His heart melted when you sighed against his neck, nodding lightly before murmuring sweet words of love against his skin.

Silence blanketed the room, and despite the gnawing cold that chilled the entire apartment, you and Theo were surrounded by nothing but warmth in the embrace of one another.

Perhaps the heater breaking down wasn’t so bad after all, you thought to yourself, not when it gave you the opportunity to relish the moment with the love of your life.

#slytherin boys #theodore nott #hp #Theodore nott x reader #theo nott fluff #theo nott blurb #theo nott x reader #theodore nott x y/n #theodore nott drabble #theodore nott x you #slytherin boys drabble #Slytherin boys imagine #slytherin boys x reader #theodore nott imagine #golden trio era

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pseudoartistpostsstuff · 6 months ago

Note

Alright alright- Bear with me here. Could I perhaps ask for a Yandere LU Chain, where Reader is like HUGE adventurer. Kinda like Wild in his game, exploring everywhere and stuff. But one day maybe Reader gets hurt on an adventure by a black-blooded creature, and the Chain is bit too late to save them. So Reader is like Twilight for a bit, although maybe they can also recover due to the Chain likely supporting them as much if not more than with Twilight. How would the Chain react to this afterwards? Would they be relieved, angry, or...? Both? Tbh I think overprotectiveness would just go brrrr after this-

Also, love love LOVE your writing! Seriously, HOW DO YOU DO THIS MAGIC? It's put together so well and istg i get goosebumps sometimes from this stuff.

Thank you!!!

Thank you very much for requesting, and I hope you enjoy this very late reply!

Notes aka author ramblings: Apollo slapped me in the face with random energy and motivation to write this, the inspiration came along the way and faded a bit more towards the end, so please take that into consideration 😭

Basically I wrote this on the span of 2-3 hours

What may look like a few plot holes was some ties I left untied on purpose because I felt like it'd probably sound too much like an info dump in the oneshot

But I have so many thoughts

And yes reader's codename is Stray

I hope I'm not rusty fr

TWs: Light yanderism, blood and wounds (not graphic), mentioned spiders, bullying, childhood trauma and exclusion.

Yandere! LU! Chain x Reader

Stray at heart, collared in body.

The world is big and full of stuff, and to say that you loved to explore it would be an understatement. Sometimes it felt like your biggest love was for adventuring, cause’ of course it was! How could anyone not love to find new places, objects, people— Even animals and magical creatures!

It was the type of subject that got you rambling and all excited.

Of course, you weren't exactly one of those pure born hyruleans, you weren't even from Hyrule, for starters, so you lacked the elegant pointy ears, and, well, the actual magic and luck that came with being one so close to Hylia as the race that descended from the Goddess herself.

That definitely hindered your explorations, leaving you bare handed when it came to healing and all things good and helpful for explorers like you. Still, none of that ever stopped you.

Actually, it was the thing that moved you to start in the first place, back when you were very young.

Back then, in the village you came from yet never considered home, the whole place felt filled to the brim with boredom-inducing stillness — or so you remembered, and so your childish eyes told you — you felt like it wasn't worth staying there.

It was going to be still and empty of fun forever, you could never be happy staying locked down there when so many new and yet ancient things were waiting for you everywhere else!

Needless to say, your head was constantly in the clouds, though, maybe that was a good thing after a while. It certainly shielded you from feeling too lonely when you started to actually notice you were being excluded by the rest of the children.

The stares and quiet giggles weren't easy to bear, but you just learned to deal with them with time, keeping yourself focused on your future instead, the future you wanted to build far away from that place.

Of course, as you are now today, and after learning about and interacting with so many different cultures, learning what you could from their knowledge, some things stuck with you.

Like the knowledge that now you had, that the children weren't ever the ones at fault in the first place.

Their stares and giggles mainly mimicked, almost perfectly, the ones who teached them to act that way, their glares and mockery.

Sometimes you wondered how your own parents managed to cope with being badly spoken about in the mouths of other adults from that village, the ones who insisted in believing your restless adventurous spirit from such a young age could be nothing else but bad parenting or a curse to the family.

You used to believe it, wish it was real and you either were or had a curse. That would mean that you at least had a percentage of magic in your veins, even if it wasn't exactly the best type.

Because it turns out, you didn't fit in with the most of Hyrule, either. Your normalness kept them away just like your strangeness used to keep away those around you during your childhood.

In fact, that acquired you the nickname of “Stray”.

Stray. Stray because at heart, no matter the community you shoved your way into, you didn't truly belong anywhere. You belonged to the world around you, and nothing could force that out of you.

It was deeply etched into your very soul.

Or so they said.

Well, a group of people begged to differ.

You've heard of a “hero” and a “triangle trio” thing more than a few times already when you roamed the remaining villages of Hyrule, but the last thing you were expecting to find was nine heroes traveling together in a group.

However, none of them belonged here anymore, and so that spoke directly to your inner child, the one who was used to being the only one, always related to some synonym of lonely.

You were often called “Stray” by them rather than your own name, but you still wore the name with pride, because now you were in no way the only stray present anymore.

They were also the reason you stopped wishing for a curse of a magic of some kind. Because you were more than aware that then they'd also have to force you into an imprisonment of some kind.

Still, you already felt achieved.

Finally.

What else could you wish for? You were finally able to explore to your heart's content.

Though not without many worried glances and startled yells sent your way every time you got near anything that left you endangered in some way.

And the best part, you weren't shunned anymore.

At least not by them. Villager's still gave you uneasy and passive aggressive glances.

The one you were probably the closest to was the one named “Wild”, or so they called him — calling all of them “Link” wasn't ideal — after all, out of all of them, he was the one who was most in tune with you.

You were both from the same time period, which already differed from the others, but he wasn't able to fit in anymore due to his lack of ties to any community.

Of course, you were more than aware you still weren't the same. If he tried, he'd still be able to settle down anywhere he wanted, but he still had a job to do which rendered him unable to do so, therefore you made yourself believe you were still alike in some way.

It would hurt too much to not do so, your sanity was at sake here.

They made it so easy too. being all friendly and welcoming. You finally felt at home, in peace.

What else could you truly wish for?

Although, maybe singing victory and yapping about happiness wasn't the smartest idea when they were all in a dangerous mission. And you, of course, were involved.

You were all exploring — or rather, just walking through — a forest on the way to some village at the very ends of Hyrule.

The people of that village didn't travel much, but they had something your group wanted, therefore, your group had to go to them instead.

Being the dumbass, air head, you were, instead of walking in the middle of the moving crowd of fully capable heroes, you found yourself roaming the edges, gawking at whatever you could see yet not reach for past the edges of the path you were all following.

Time was keeping his eye on you — the only working one he had — the whole time, making sure you wouldn't wander off. You felt like a kid.

And just like a kid, the very moment he got distracted, killing a Skulltula, you wandered off.

However, turns out there wasn't just one spider.

The forest was infested, which definitely explained why the village folk were so against the idea of wandering too far past the starts of the foliage and the big thick bushes surrounding and protecting the narrow path you traveled by.

Didn't take too long for you to be found by something else rather than your friends, who by now, must have been definitely looking for you.

They never took long to notice your disappearances, the opposite actually, which used to annoy you a lot since Wild never had to face the same overprotectiveness. Not even Wind!

Now, your desire to prove them wrong brought you face to face with one of said spiders.

Maybe they weren't that wrong...?

And, just you luck! The thing undoubtedly had black blood.

Just like a kid, you failed to remember or acknowledge the fact your group just happened to be chased by those types of monsters earlier, some still following you.

It just slipped your mind, completely.

Just like you slipped on the mud on your way out of the trees and back to the narrow path where your friends’ yells and blurry faces were awaiting and rushing towards you worriedly.

When did it start raining enough to create mud?

The mud smelled metallic.

Your memory was blurry, the world itself felt blurry.

Still, you half remembered, like a far away memory, stumbling out of the thick bushes and into many arms, blood equally as thick dripping from a gash in your abdomen like a waterfall in a rainy — stormy, more like — day.

Then, like a blink, a very long blink, your consciousness was gone.

It took an overly long while for you to wake up. It felt like sleeping during a rainy night, you never wanted to wake up the morning after, and even if you felt like waking up was the best idea, your body refused to open it's eyes.

Only difference was that for you it felt like an overly long rainy night, and like you spent the following week still asleep.

At some point sleeping even became boring.

And you had 9 voices in your head telling you to wake up “please”, when they weren't chatting — worriedly, most of the time — amongst each other. Didn't sound like the usual, to be honest.

When you did come to it, it was in a slow, painful way.

Your head felt like someone banged their shield against it multiple times. If bone was able to bleed, your skull would have been bleeding.

Your eyes also felt tired, despite having just woken up from a long, restless and dreamless nap.

However, your throat felt surprisingly fine, and so did the rest of your body, though you felt numb and weak.

Instantly, your senses were crowded by familiar scents a bit too close to you.

Twilight's was the one which overwhelmed the others, and was paired with the feeling of fur and warmth, overwhelming warmth.

Your body definitely felt too hot. that much you could tell. Though the sight of the many blankets, coats and furs — one specific dark gray fur, actually — explained that, and also the weight on top of you.

With some strain and trembling limbs, you sat up. Instantly regretting it when the sleepy feeling which was still clouding your mind and leaving your movements sluggish got torn away from your body by the force of a sharp pain on your abdomen, strong enough to challenge the dull one still hammering inside your head.

You made a groan of pain and pushed the pile of warmth on top of you to the side, making it fall off the cot you were laying in, exposing the reason for your pain.

This triggered a gasp from somewhere near you. You didn't pay attention, too focused on the strange sight of a large bandaged wound on your belly.

“Stray! You're awake! You're finally awake...” The voice came from above, you could recognize the soft yet shaky tone of Hyrule.

Yet the body which wrapped around your shoulders carefully, and clearly as gently as possible, were definitely from Sky.

“We thought we wouldn't be able to…” Sky swallowed some of his shaky words, trying to spare you from listening to his rambling and sobbing at the same time.

Hyrule grabbed your hand on the bed, opposite to Sky's side.

“You're even worse than Twilight in the “no response to potions or enchantments” aspect…” He gave you a weak smile, now you could guess why it took you so long to wake up.

They had to resort to different methods to try and keep you alive.

You made a face and nodded slowly, also leaning a bit more into Sky now that you weren’t that surprised anymore.

It took less than about 2 minutes for the rest of the group to come back to see you, which was quite curious for you, considering there weren't any messages exchanged through anyone — Sky and Hyrule refused to leave your side, and nobody else was around — and they were all the way out of camp and into a village's market.

Guess you'd never know how they found out.

Your recovery took far longer to finish than Twilight's, considering you had no previous strength built against the black stuff, so you just spent your time sitting around or being carried.

The fact you were, in fact, able to walk, was just another reason for that extreme boredom.

And you weren't even carried to many places! Just around camp!

To say you were itching to touch the grass with your actual flesh and feel the thrill of seeing new things again would be an absolute misunderstanding.

And of course you wanted to bound to the first available place you could the very moment you were released from your inability to carry yourself around.

Did you, though? No, not really.

“I'm gonna check out that pond.” You yawned with serotonin coursing through your veins. The same restless feeling you always got when you saw the beach, despite having seen it many times.

It was around the fourth or fifth time you asked to go check out something. The answer was always the same.

This time you felt completely healed though, so you were hopeful!

“And get attacked by that bokoblin?” Legend crossed his arm with a deep frown, he was always frowning, but that frown just seemed more deeper than the others you've seen before.

“What bokoblin?” It confused you, the pond was absolutely empty when it came to any live beings, though maybe not if you counted the greenery and a few fish.

“There could be one. You didn't see the skulltula last time, did you?”

Well that made you frown. It hit you directly where it hurt.

And now you were unsure about venturing that way.

You nodded, slowly.

“I'll get Warriors to go with you, if you want, once he's back from the planning with Time and Twilight. For now, let's just do some crocheting?”

You always tried to convince him you could go alone.

This time, you voiced no opinion.

#yandere x reader #link x reader #tw: yandere #yandere linked universe #linked universe x reader #yandere link x reader #yandere lu hyrule #yandere lu time #yandere lu sky #yandere lu warriors #yandere lu legend #yandere lu wild #yandere lu twilight #yandere chain x reader #lu sky #lu time #lu fic #lu wild #lu hyrule

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kiragecko · 3 months ago

Text

Authour’s Voices

I read fic for voice before anything else. Plot, tropes, canon compliance – they all pale in comparison to the word crafting. But voice is hard to describe, and referencing certain verbal tics is more likely to make an authour self-conscious than it is to flatter. So, here's my best attempt to describe the voices of some of my favourite fanfic authours – focusing on tone, subject matter, and the feelings they provoke, in a hope that I can get across at least a hint of how they sound.

@suzukiblu / suzukiblu / Rin (I read for DCU, Young Justice TV, Avatar)

REALLY intertwines characters thoughts and feelings in compelling ways. Inner monologues are a particular strength. Digs deep into what motivates characters and then lets them be insecure and angry because of those things. Writes REALLY close third person narration – ie. we are entirely in one person’s head, but the narration is using their name instead of saying ‘me.’ And we are ENTWINED in their head. Deeply. Maybe actually more in their chest - the emotions are visceral and immediate. Very cathartic angry/overwhelmed ranting is a feature. People learning that they have inherent value. Romance/sex that is based on strong connections, and goes far deeper than hormones. A strong understanding of canon, used to write alternate universes that are much richer for that knowledge. Stories are cathartic, and leave you washed clean and energized.

@whetstonefires / Kieron_ODuibhir (/ Kieron) (I read for DCU, The Untamed/The Other Versions Of This Story)

Thoughtful, empathic stories that feel like they’ve spent months being refined to perfection. Also incredibly strong understanding of canon, with a much higher chance of showing her work on the page. A gift for searching out the nagging, poorly fitting pieces of canon characterization, and integrating them in her fic in ways that makes rereading the original a better experience. Beautiful, haunting, sentences. Feels like poetry makes me feel. A writing style that ALMOST feels intellectual, but is actually incredibly empathic. The knowledge is the vessel that carries the ... love? Respect? Maybe respect, and care, and dignity, that she has for the characters she’s writing about. Stories leave you quiet and satisfied.

@galaxystew / galaxysoup (I read for Avengers/Thor, Supernatural)

Careful, emotional, deep stories. There is a sense of immenseness, that the story can’t go too fast or it would become unstoppable. DEEPLY moving, gut-wrenching, stories told from just enough emotional distance to avoid overwhelming the audience. But they also about taking time to rest, both for the characters and the audience. Focuses on exploring and healing damaged relationships, (and damaged people), and never goes for the easy/trite solutions. Unassuming language and imagery that grounds the sometimes epic elements of her canons. Stories leave you grateful – grateful that the characters have reached that place, and grateful you got to come along.

@teland / Teland / Te (I read for DCU)

Stories have only the vestigial remains of a narrator. Almost everything is verbal or mental dialogue, usually without tags. (Ie. things like ‘Tim said.’) This would be frustrating with most writers, but Te’s character voices are SO strong and distinct that a story can start with an unnamed person talking and you immediately know who it is. She focuses on aspects of characters that many other authours miss (though some of that could be survivorship bias – perhaps she was part of a zeitgeist that hasn’t been preserved). She gets DEEP into the psyches of the characters she’s writing, dissects them, and then has them dryly comment on their displayed innards. Excels at characters that are very disconnected from their emotions, but also at characters who live immediately IN their emotions. Strong themes of identity and found family, though not in the way ‘found family’ is usually used these days. Symbolic, projected family? Stand-in, or sublimated, or substituted family? Something in that area. A lot of sex, which is also standing in for other things. Electric, transformative stories, with extremely long chapters that are hard to escape from when the world tries to call you back. Stories leave you alive to the possibilities, and maybe knowing more about yourself.

@angel-gidget / angel_gidget / Gidge (I read for DCU)

There’s an optimism and joy to Gidge’s writing. A ... cleanness. Hmm, what do I mean? I ... I’m not actually sure? But it feels refreshing and space-making, to read a Gidge story. It feels like they SHOULD be humorous, with the effects they have, but that’s not actually the focus? It feels like they’re light, even when the topic is heavy and treated seriously. It’s a really special gift, what Gidge has. Maybe the correct term is ‘conversational’? Yeah, there’s a matter-of-fact, conversational tone to everything she creates, and it lifts your spirits every time you read it.

@vmohlere / owlet (I read for Avengers/Captain America)

Absolutely brilliant way of using humour to tackle difficult subjects. Stories are so funny and positive, that it’s hard to realize how dark the things referenced are. It helps that they usually don’t become explicit until the characters have mostly processed them, and they’ve been defanged of a lot of their power. I’ve never seen someone else accomplish this, and it blows me away. Incredible OCs. Deep empathy for character’s specific needs, and focusing on what THEY’RE ready to focus on. Boundaries are not only respected, but taught. And all of this is happening behind a wry, clever sense of humour that invites you in to hang out for a while. One of the most joyful reading experiences I’ve ever had. I’ve used scenes to walk myself through bad mental periods. And I still think about their work every time I make a grilled cheese.

#the way I described things varies between authours #partially because I wrote this over 2 days #and partially because I focus on different things when reading different people #Te and Rin and owlet have REALLY good sentences #but Kieron has really good paragraphs #and I struggle to break Gidge's writing down any smaller than the whole story #also I'm pretty sure galaxy stew/soup's stories have an aura that is outside of the fic itself and affecting me #how am I supposed to describe that?!?

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iratempestatis · 3 months ago

Note

Saw you asking for Xiao requests and thought I could send some!

This might be a little odd one, but... A self-aware Xiao finding out that he has fans like us who love him kinda romantically? It could be fun!

Xiao Waxes Poetic About Fandom

Xiao x gn!reader, 1.5k words. Anon I'm so sorry but I had actually no idea how to write this adgvhfcdcb. I tried my best but I kept giggling about lost 50/50s and and my 80 cr Xiao never critting without Motivation (crit food). I actually considered making hcs instead but I kept writing drabbles instead. Then I tried to write a fic, but kept writing... hcs... Perhaps if inspiration strikes me I'll revisit this idea someday, but! For now, allow me to present you with what feels like a raccoon in a tiara and a feather duster dress-

If Xiao could control player summons, he’d be yours already.

Unfortunately, he cannot- ergo you’ve made a hundred and forty pulls with not a Xiao in sight.

You've never hated Diluc more in your life, he can tell. Poor Diluc.

There are twenty minutes left for his banner to disappear for Devs know how long. He knows your luck is decidedly not his fault, but feels guilty nonetheless. What if he’s treated the same as Ganyu? Or, Devs forbid, Eula?

You really did look forward to getting him, building him. He was so startled by your devotion- seated on that banner, he could see you anxiously open your inventory, check if you had enough primogems. You pre-farmed for him. You made silly little rituals for him(he winced when they failed). It was absurd. He was a high investment hyper carry. Why bother?

But you pulled Furina, and you pulled Faruzan. You don't have Xianyun (yet, he thinks, in both awe and alarm as he sees her ascension and talent materials in your inventory.)

He cannot fathom it.

Perhaps you wanted Xianyun for herself- but then you also have Faruzan with all of her constellations lit up. And you also have Furina- and god, nevermind, you really did want him. The set you intend to put on Xianyun is the Song of Days Past. Four piece. With energy recharge substats.

You’re so close. Seventy. You get Layla. He echoes you when he mutters “but you’re not even on the banner!”

Twenty minutes left. You caress the screen. (That's a bit much.) Your brows are pinched together, lower lip worried by your teeth.

“I might have to break my free to play status,” you whisper.

It's not worth it! He wants to scream. Don't do it!

You bite your lip again as you find a chest. Primogem count: 159.

Oh dear.

“It’s fine,” you whisper. “It’s fine. This is fine.”

Xiao wishes he could make you go to bed somehow. You’ve been awake for hours. It’s fine even if you don’t pull him now, he returns like clockwork every lantern rite- hm? What are you pulling your Tighnari out for?

He knows you never really bothered to build him prior, purely because farming those fungi was a pain. He watches as you make Yelan rush up to the cliffs of the very Chasm before switching to Tighnari. When he realises what you’re doing, he buries his face in his palms. Your party members groan. Xiao wonders if you’re serious- you want to hit a bird in flight? With your aim?

“FOOL!” Faruzan shrieks. “Attack the ruin guard at Stormbearer instead! That achievement is much easier to get- Hat Guy, do something-“

“Too late.” He smacks his forehead with the back of his hand. “It’s started.”

Shing! Nothing Special, Just Practice.

What-?

You whoop, then cough and fall silent, anxiously peeking out of your room. Your fingers shake with trepidation as they land on the screen.

Wish x1.

Xiao feels a familiar tug as he hurtles through the air.

✦—————————————✦

Much to his immense surprise, this is an incredibly familiar story. Every time his banner rolls around there’s people that want him- spend for him, run amok collecting primogems for him. Farming for him. Giving him increasingly prettier and stronger polearms. Thrusting the Staff of Homa in his hands (sorry, Hu Tao).

He’s always a bit baffled, unless the person is someone already inclined to spend. He’s not a good choice for anyone’s account. He’s incredibly unflexible. A bit niche even. He doesn’t even do what his element is meant for.

Yet somehow you seem to enjoy running around with him. Making him special little layouts in the teapot. Insisting he collects your rewards every time. Making him speak to Katheryne every day (it’s so awkward every time, and she keeps laughing when your back is turned).

He remembers doing the Chasm quest with you. When it had begun, you were nothing short of gleeful, which brought him only anguish- he knew in part what had transpired and what was about to- and he knew you’d only be heartbroken by the end of this story.

And you were. You somehow managed to contain yourself till the very end- refusing to move to have even a sip of water until the quest concluded. You were patient- absorbing every every dialogue, every inch of text you could get your hands on.

To be loved is to be known, he thinks amusedly as you sniffle at the conclusion, then immediately open the wiki to confirm some tiny wretched detail. He can’t help but smile to himself a little as you angrily mutter profanities at the advertisements jumping out at you.

✦—————————————✦

“Is she SERIOUS.”

Xiao exhales softly as the Wanderer paces around the teapot. He hasn’t shut up since you logged in- because as soon as you finished your dailies, you occupied yourself straight away with painstakingly modifying the teapot (and crying over changes you accidentally forgot to save), all to welcome home the newest limited anemo five star. He’s been furious since he heard of her and ergo his potentially impending powercreep, much to the amusement of literally everyone besides Barbara, who feels sorry for him and Qiqi, who keeps forgetting who he even is. Xiao wishes he could tell you- he’s sure you’d laugh to no end, but even if he could you probably wouldn’t hear him right now since you’re currently occupied with one of your wretched rituals. This one involves Chongyun and- OH dear, no-

Furina grits her teeth as the glacial greatsword slams into the ground, straight through her neck. Chongyun looks like he really wishes the teapot had a bathroom. Xiao sighs.

Tiny fingers tug on his sleeve. Xiao blinks and turns around to face Sayu, her face puffy, her eyes crusty and glued shut. Eugh. Children really are something sometimes. Xiao considers wiping at her face with his sleeve, but… no. The Wanderer barks a laugh.

“What’s going on?” Sayu yawns. “Who are we pulling for?”

“Chasca,” Xiao says as the Wanderer hisses like a cat. “I wonder if she’ll need Faruzan too?”

They turn to Faruzan, sprawled like a corpse across the grass. You need to touch some too, Xiao thinks. You’ve wasted nearly an hour on the game today, and today has barely begun. He suspects you just like the thrill of gacha and are desperate for a five star. Weren’t you saving up for Xianyun? No matter.

Xiao knows you’ll never stop using him. You love him too dearly and sunk cost fallacy has effectively reeled you in, stored you away in a grimy little box. You’ve invested too much into Xiao to cast him aside now. But the Wanderer…

Barbara trots out the house just as the sky darkens, a cloudy depression opening up in the heavens. The Wanderer finally stops ranting, something about loyalty and actually amusing gameplay. Barbara puts the Tome of Eternal Flow away with a gasp upon noticing the giant HOLE in the sky (how did she just notice? Why is she gasping at the wishing screen when you open it thrice a day?) and gently nudges Faruzan out of her dysania to welcome home the newest anemo dps. Faruzan sniffles. Poor woman. It can’t be easy, dealing with him and the (thankfully, now quiet) ex Fatuus.

You pull. Xiao doesn’t bother holding his breath. It might as well be Bennett pulling, really because recently you’ve been getting exactly nothing of value. Another Faruzan, a Gorou for some godforsaken reason, four rainslashers, and so forth.

“Perhaps you’ll avoid your fourth betrayal,” Xiao muses. The Wanderer shoots him a startled glare, then laughs.

“Perhaps. You’re lucky, twink- NO!”

“Chasca, Flower-Feather Clan. Any disputes you need me to end for you? Depending on the situation, it could cost you a little di-“

✦—————————————✦

All things considered, it’s been a strange few years for Xiao. Since the game’s inception, he’s known he would be consigned to a solitary fate. He’s not a straightforward person, or particularly honest. He’s troublesome to play and troublesome to speak with. His chronicles are drenched in blood and anguish, quietly nestled away in softly murmured dialogue, artifact descriptions and optional adventures. Whatever love he was once showered with had long since washed away by the years that came after. And yet...

People continued to bother reaching past his exterior, reaching about with tender fingers. Wanting to know. Wanting to learn. They spoke of him. They took soft little bunches of their finite time and spun it into stories of him, art of him, words and adoration whispered and passed among one another in the communities they formed- that came together all because of their love for him.

It never failed to astonish him, fill him with gratitude so copious it was difficult to contain at times. It always drove him a bit insane- people loved him enough to painstakingly learn about him, strengthen him. That he was significant enough to sow the seeds of friendship formed by the common love felt for him.

Thinking about it makes him feel a bit silly. He’s just a character. He wonders if the others think about this as well (not Qiqi for sure) but he’s glad to have brought people someone real comfort after his fictional atrocities. Mortals… humans. He snorts a bit. He’ll try a bit harder to crit for you tomorrow.

#xiao x reader #genshin xiao x reader #x reader #xiao #x gn reader #xiao waxes poetic about fandom #i didn't know what i was doing w this one ngl but i knew if i procrastinated any longer #this wasn't getting posted #iratempestatis #sagau #genshin x reader

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sneakyboymerlin · 3 months ago

Text

It appears that a CERTAIN INDIVIDUAL (said with love) has taken Merlin’s immortality into doubt… Once again I find myself burdened with writing beautiful Merlin analysis.

Merlin’s lengthy longevity is, of course, visually confirmed at the end of 5x13 when we see him alive and well in the modern day, making him approximately 1,500 years old now. This is, however, not the sole factor that implies his immortality.

Physically, Merlin has had many “near misses” with death which were likely actual deaths he and others (the audience included) dismissed due to plausible deniability. In 1x04 for example, Merlin stops breathing and his heart stops shortly after Gaius and Gwen administer the potion. Gaius does not attempt to resuscitate him, yet Merlin comes back fully cognizant anyway, with no external influence.

He is also struck directly by the Dorocha, a spirit whose touch no mortal has ever survived. Again, there is plausible deniability here due to Merlin’s powerful magic. However, the writers chose to specify that no mortal has ever survived their touch. There are other ways that the Dorocha’s death-touch could have been communicated, but it was instead made plain that there is no history of mortals specifically surviving the onslaught.

This is not the only instance where human mortality is mentioned only for Merlin to be excepted from the given conditions. Cornelius Sigan is another foe who cannot be overcome easily. However, Gaius chooses to express this in terms of mortality: “Sigan is immortal and you [Merlin] are not.” Miraculously, Merlin survives their standoff. Further, in 1x07, Merlin sees Avalon, which apparently cannot be seen by any mortal until death. Merlin says outright, “I’ve seen it and I’m still here.” In hindsight, it becomes clear that these hints are intentional foreshadowing and teasing hidden in idiomatic language. Lancelot also tells Merlin that his magic “doesn’t make [him] immortal,” which in itself means little in regards to Merlin’s mortality status, but in context brings to light further evidence of authorial intent: Merlin is the only character to be on the receiving end of such lines where his mortality is questioned or otherwise put to the test. No other character is subject to this dialogue full of double meaning.

Aside from these and similar examples, the nearest verbal confirmations we receive actually begin quite early on. In 1x08, Merlin is referred to by the name “Emrys,” which translates directly as “Immortal One,” though Merlin himself does not know it. Again, plausible deniability allows for other interpretations of this description; however, since Merlin happens to carry multiple of the defining traits of immortality (extreme longevity and improbable survival, especially after death has occurred), it is likely that this correlation lends credence to causation.

Most forgotten, and perhaps most importantly, is Balinor’s motivational speech to Merlin in the Crystal Cave. His revelation that Merlin “always will be” is of course another implication of immortality that is soon clouded by Balinor’s comparison to his own spirit’s unending life; however, this is not the key factor in understanding Merlin’s immortality. It is only one half of Balinor’s statement. The full line is: “[That] you have always been… and always will be.” This implies that not only will Merlin live infinitely into the future (as seen in the following episode), but that he has existed since the dawn of time, even prior to his human incarnation. Merlin is magic itself, which cannot be made or unmade, just as energy cannot be created or destroyed — only transferred. His human form is essentially a transference of magic from the cycles of nature to a single rigid life form.

Now, there are other questions on limits and constraints that the show does not touch on. For example, since Merlin was not formerly human and is — essentially — magic that was transformed into a human, could he be transformed back to a prior, unconscious state, returning to nature and therefore fulfilling “death” by human terms? Is he forever trapped in this human form by whatever gods confined him to it, or is his form more fluid than his consciousness? Regardless, these do not negate the fact that he is immortal by human standards.

It can be inferred that the writers had planned this from the start. They had certainly planned for Arthur to find out about Merlin’s magic in the series finale, Arthur’s death, and the sugarcoating that he will rise again when Albion’s need is greatest. The finale implies that Merlin will be reunited with Arthur again someday, even if that day is centuries away — though I do believe fandom often exaggerates his desperation. Merlin is not single-mindedly thinking of nothing but Arthur: in 5x13, he just happens to be walking by and pauses briefly (indicating that he remembers) only to lift his head and move forward with his own life. It serves primarily as a confirmation that he has found peace and is no longer tortured by it. And how could he be after over 1,000 years?

I delve more into specific examples that prove Merlin’s immortality here and here for those interested in further ✨ research ✨

#bbc merlin #merlin emrys #immortal!merlin #merlin meta #my meta

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bots-and-cons · 4 months ago

Note

Can I please have some Cybertronian!Reader comforting Starscream after a nightmare? Possibly after the Predacons Rising ending cause that's gotta be traumaTM

A/N:I’ve been having quite a lot of bad dreams lately, so this fits the theme too I guess lol. I honestly don’t remember much about the movie, so I didn’t base this on it. Screamer isn’t my favorite even though he’s grown on me over the years, and this might be a bit (or a lot) OOC, and Idk if it ended up very good but I don’t care. I’ve been trying to write this for over two weeks so this will have to do

You’d been on a mission, but when you got back to the habsuite you shared with Starscream, he was already recharging. You smiled gently as you looked at him, but as he turned in his sleep you saw he had a pained look on his face. You sat on the berth next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping to wake him up gently.

Starscream sprung up from the berth the second you touched him, and before he even realized what he’d done, he had shot at you. He was just standing there, pointing his blaster at you with a panicked look in his optics.

“Star, it’s me, it’s me” you said calmly as he was still pointing his blaster at you.

You’d dodged his shot, just barely, but you were much more worried about him than you were for your slightly fried audial fin.

“(Name)?” Starscream asked with a wavering voice.

He looked at you, then his blaster and then back to you, before putting his blaster away and sitting back down on the edge of the berth. He was hanging his head, refusing to look at you.

“Another nightmare?” you asked, slowly reaching your hand towards his.

Starscream just nodded as he let you take his hand. Your presence calmed him and your touch even more so.

“Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine” Starscream said a bit dismissively. He would much rather not talk about it.

He’d always had quite frequent nightmares, but it had gotten a lot worse recently. You weren’t really surprised, he had enough trauma for multiple lifetimes. It would have been a miracle if he didn’t have some bad dreams. It wasn’t very often that he had this bad of a reaction to being woken up. You knew he didn’t mean to hurt you, but you were always prepared to dodge a blaster shot or block a hit.

“Star, please be honest with me. I can see you’re rattled by whatever the dream was about”

“Why must you always insist? Why do you always pry into things?” Starscream hissed.

“You know why. It’s because I love you and you need to talk it out. It’s gonna keep bothering you otherwise”

Starscream outwardly disliked your prying, but he loved the fact that you cared so much, he loved that you cared for him. Not that he would have ever said that out loud. Love was something that was certainly not abundant among the decepticons. There might have been a flicker sometimes, but certainly not towards him, nor from him. Starscream hadn’t known much of it in his life in general, not before he met you anyway. You were the first person to ever care about him, for who he was, not for what he could offer. The first person to ever comfort him after a nightmare, to stay by his side until he fell into recharge mode again when he had calmed down. The first one to hold him with love, instead of some ulterior motive or with violent intentions.

“Pry again later. I would like to rest now” Starscream stated tiredly.

“Fine, I will. I’m tired too, so we can just recharge together” you sighed in defeat.

You knew there was no point in trying to argue with him once he’d made up his mind, so you didn’t. You would just have to pry more later.

Starscream might not have shown it or said it, but he did appreciate all you did for him. He loved you, even if he only rarely actually said it to you. Maybe one day, if you were still with him, the nightmares would be a thing of the past. No Megatron, no war, no running or fighting for your lives, just you and him. Perhaps that day would come one day, but for now, it was time to rest, hopefully without more nightmares.

#transformers #tfp #transformers prime #maccadam #decepticons #starscream #tfp scenarios #reader insert #transformers x reader #tfp x reader #comfort

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feroluce · 8 months ago

Note

how do u imagine natasha + sampo’s relationship?

I. Feel a little bad for leaving this in my inbox as long as I did, especially since I said in this post I could write a whole essay on them. But then when I tried to actually answer this, I realized ah shit, I can't really articulate what I think of them at all OTL

(so have a bajillion words of meta analysis of them instead fklajklasjf)

Just! Sampo is very mysterious figure, and we know so little of his background and his motivations! So it's really difficult to get a solid read on some of his relationships with other characters. Regardless, I do think that Natasha is perhaps the one he's closest with, and that she is the one person who knows him the most intimately in all of Belobog.

And a lot of it IS hard to pin down because of Sampo's slippery nature, but also because it's like. If you look at just Natasha's dialogues about Sampo, it doesn't really look like much. It only becomes more meaningful when compared to how everyone else talks about him.

Most other characters just comment on what Sampo does, as in his observable actions that are easy to see on the surface or from a distance.

Natasha is one of the very, very few that actually speaks to Sampo's personality or philosophy. Like she not only is able to describe a certain behavior of his, but she's able to explain the why behind it.

At least part of this is probably that they spend so much time together- Hook even comments on it during her companion quest.

And tbh I don't really think it needs more proof or anything with such a flat out statement like that, but this is actually further supported by the fact that Seele is the only other character in Belobog to sorta-kinda comment on Sampo's personality; if Sampo were hanging around the clinic with Natasha all day, Seele would probably be the person he would see second-most there. Of the dialogues posted further up in this post, Hook obviously sees him all the time, but it's not always in the clinic, and besides she's still very young...she wouldn't have the same read on him an adult would. Luka avoids the clinic whenever he can because he's worried about taking up Natasha's valuable time. And the Landau siblings aren't even present in Boulder Town until after the Stellaron is quieted.

Seele, on the other hand, is extremely loyal and devoted to Natasha, and seems to worry about her a lot. She doesn't have the same reservations as Luka, and it would feel right to see her in the clinic frequently, taking orders and missions and trying to make sure Natasha doesn't run herself in the ground. So it would make sense for her to see a lot of Sampo if he's always in there, too, enough that she would have things to say about his personality, whether she likes that or not haha.

Of course we know from Sampo's lines that it's not that he's sick, he's just reporting back to Natasha. Sampo not only smuggles in supplies across the border like what most people know him for, he's also Natasha's source of intel.

Bringing back intel doesn't necessarily have to involve a lot of conversation though, especially because it would make more sense for Sampo to be turning in written reports. It decreases the chance of Natasha mishearing/misunderstanding something or having to rely on memory alone, neither of which are really things you probably want to be doing when bad intel can mean the difference between life and death in her circumstances. So I do really wonder what it is Sampo does in the clinic all day haha. Given that he's a big believer in the power of small talk bringing in big clients, it's entirely possible Sampo is just in there being chatty, happily making conversation and keeping Natasha company most of the time...which is kinda cute. He also really could just be talking shop, too, of course- Sampo does a lot of work for Natasha, and I don't think it'd be a stretch to assume she's his main client. There's probably a lot to discuss about supply quotas, incoming intel, scheduled drops, etc.

My favorite option, though, is actually based on one of Sampo's options from the main quest, where he says:

Because like! The way he says this, the way he specifies that this is his opinion, but no one seems to care what he thinks? And how he calls them stubborn in particular? It really sounds like Sampo has been trying to get Wildfire to operate in a different direction. And if you look up the exact definition of "artless," you get this

which very much fits Sampo, and how he does things. He has guile and deception down to an art form. Sampo goes on to call Wildfire "do-gooders," but then cautions the trailblazer not to underestimate them because of that- indicating that Sampo sees that type of philosophy as something naive, or at least just ineffective. Something that you would underestimate a person for.

And the person Sampo associates with the most in Wildfire, the one he's always seen with, the one who would hold the most sway to change the modus operandi of the organization is...Natasha.

So I wonder if Sampo has been trying, possibly for years now, to get Natasha to see what he thinks of as reason, and start playing dirty to survive. I wonder if that's what he spends so much time in the clinic for, is because he does care, and he wants her and the rest of them to live, and he has been trying to convince her to go with his way of doing things, but Natasha has been refusing him, refusing to compromise her morals.

Because we know from some readables and from the general Vibe, both up on the surface and down below, that things were getting pretty dire. Rivet Town has fallen. The Silvermane Guards are being whittled down and broken. The Fragmentum was right on everyone's doorstep, and I'm sure that if the Astral Express hadn't arrived- and that if Sampo hadn't set the stage so perfectly, if he hadn't played his part just so- then all of Belobog would have eventually been snuffed out. Sampo had to have known it was happening. He must have known the end was upon them.

He doesn't even have a stake in Belobog- he's not from here. He could, assumingly, call it quits and leave when shit got tough by whatever means got him there in the first place.

And I'm sure Sampo wants to save all of Belobog, but I think he's particularly endeared by Natasha. He famously phrases his view of Elation as "true happiness always entails the manifestation of the dignity of mankind." And like. Who else embodies that so much as her?

Maybe it is a little vague and up to interpretation, but I feel like Natasha is FULL of that kind of dignity. She has been doing this since before the blockade. She willingly chose to stay in the Underground where she could do the most good. She has seen so, so much death and you can see how it weighs on her; she's become bitter, and wary, and weary. She has it out for the Guards (understandable), and she openly taunts Gepard and goes right for his throat when he shows up in Boulder Town, ten years too late, trying to help with the Fragmentum.

Natasha even seems to have given up any belief she may have once had. She's completely lost faith in Qlipoth.

All of this, and yet she still chooses to be kind. She still chooses to help people. There is something immensely admirable in all of that.

And I feel like you can see how much Sampo admires her in just how often he thinks of her, especially when someone needs help. Sampo smokebombs everyone and needs to get them somewhere safe in the Underground? He takes them to Natasha. Svarog is about to fucking kill everyone? Go get Natasha. He finds the trailblazer passed out in an alleyway? He carries them to Natasha. The trailblazer is seeing weird shit out in the Fragmentum? Recommend they go get a check up. Specifically from Natasha.

It's a little silly, but I think you can also see some of this when Sampo is being melodramatic about being caught red-handed in the museum event. He echoes a very important sentiment to Natasha and Wildfire;

And the mission where this ideology was displayed strongest was titled, "To Rot or To Burn."

(Hell, in the dream sequence of Penacony- regardless of whether that dream bubble came from Sampo or Sparkle, it had to be informed by Sampo's tales of Belobog. Sparkle has never been there herself. And the kind trashcan that immediately helps you and sets you on the right path, that tries to rally everyone together, the only one with a name so clearly and obviously taken from someone Sampo knew in Belobog? Is Shatana- an anagram of Natasha. Even from a meta perspective, they have the same VA. No other trashcan there gets that treatment. None.)

I think they have the same goals, and even hold some of the same views. Natasha's are much more obvious, but still. Sampo says this about Belobog's circumstances:

And he says this as though it should be obvious common sense. That when things are rough, you share and make sure everyone has enough. I think they both share this belief, it's just that they disagree on how to go about making things even. Natasha believes in rallying people for the cause and giving as much of herself as she can to make up for whatever people lack. Sampo believes that if some dipshit with more money than what they need falls for his bullshit and he gets to spread it around? Well hey, that sounds like a whole lot of their own fault.

Natasha is definitely aware of this, and she has no problem threatening Sampo whenever she thinks he's stepping out of line.

She keeps him on a very short leash, which like. Yeah no that's valid fjkdlsajfdklj

Even so, the way she talks about him, like... Maybe it's just me, and my rose-colored glasses, but she doesn't seem to dislike him nearly as much as she could? She kind of just. Says these things as statements about him, without any real vitriol behind them. This is just kind of how he is. She even seems to have a sense of humor about it.

And again! She has so much more to say about him than almost any other character.

I'd like to think part of her...affection? of sorts? for him is simple camaraderie. Circumstances are dire. Past, present, and future are all bleak. Things like that deepen bonds with your foxhole buddies. Sampo is dependent on Natasha for work and pay and a place to get away from the Guards. Natasha is dependent on Sampo for food and medicine and life-saving supplies. They both heavily rely on each other in this harsh environment, and they have a really nice back-and-forth that I appreciate with how they help each other out by owing favors as payment.

And the other part, I'd like to think actually IS because she knows him very well- maybe not things like his past, but she knows some of his personality and beliefs, and finds them agreeable enough. She even has the audacity to call him a poor liar at one point- Sampo! Of all people! Known by someone well enough to be caught out as a poor liar! He's either intentionally leading her on and letting her think she's caught him, or Natasha just really is that good. Neither would surprise me tbh

I think Natasha is also just uniquely prepared to understand Sampo, and is able to see his better sides without letting her judgement be clouded by his slimy manner. She's able to appreciate that his actions ARE extremely helpful, regardless of how he does them.

Even as she acknowledges that he isn't always trustworthy, she does still choose to rely on him and give him chances. She was pleasantly surprised by him here, but she still chose to trust him with this in the first place. She never treats him harshly, and she never seems to bear any kind of grudge with him.

But my favorite example of Natasha being able to understand Sampo? My favorite is this. This one little throwaway line, that didn't even involve him, wasn't even about him. I feel like Natasha is capable of knowing and understanding Sampo on a deeper level than most people can, solely because of this.

She gets it.

(As a fun bonus: In the current trashcan event, there's a simple mechanic where you get one trial character for the initial battle. Then, for the harder stage, you get that same trial character, plus a couple of extras. This is true for every Proof- except for Sampo's. In his harder stage, you use Asta, Black Swan, and Luocha. But in his initial stage, in an event all about friendship and relationships...)

#honkai star rail #hsr #sampotasha #sampo koski #natasha harrower #hsr sampo #hsr natasha #I don't particularly see them as lovers...but given it's all about their relationship in canon I think it's ok to tag as ship yeah?#if any shippers would like to use this as fuel it would make me so so happy haha #I think their relationship is very difficult to pin down but like. there certainly is. something there.#Maybe...saying I see them as an artist and his muse is most correct?#I'm very sleepy rn and it's past my bedtime. I stayed up late to write this but I don't wanna pick it apart later so let's go!#Off with you! Post now!#I don't think I could articulate in any more if I tried anyway. they make my brain whir but it's like. a wordless whir.#I have a hard time putting words to them fjdkslajfkl #so yeah we'll go with that. an artist and his muse #I hope its. at least somewhat understandable orz #Sorry to the anon that asked this like months ago. I hope you see it somehow.#answer #anon

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k33bsstuff · 3 months ago

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Blue Lock Zombie Apocalypse Au

Hiyaaaa!!! I've never actually wrote a story before or whatever. But years of reading fanfics has kinda motivated me I guess.

I've notice a severe lack of blue lock zombie apocalypse AUs which is kinda sad cus I love ZA au's and theyre just too freaking cool.

I don't think I'll write a proper story with chapters and stuff but instead with different characters and oneshot type things ya know?

There's not gonna be much of a description but who cares. Sorry that it is short too. Just trying test my writing ability. If you have any tips or opinions or anything in general please comment!

Reader

Reo

Nagi

Hope you enjoy my first story 🫶🏾🫶🏾

Apocalypse Buddies!

Ft Nagi Seishiro, Reo Mikage and Gn Reader!

2 years. It has been 2 years since you last abandoned your own home to venture out into this rotting landscape that you now unfortunately find yourself in. Miles for miles of rotten corpses is all you see staggering around the desolate earth. Despite the feelings of exhaustion of evading death every single day, you push them aside as you focus on what is infront of you, or perhaps the treasuring site of your two best friends nagging at each other over the last chocolate granola bar.

In this so called office building, You, Nagi and Reo are camping for the night after a few tiresome days of scavenging for resources and avoiding becoming zombie food. Sitting in the middle of the depressing once called printer room are you three. Nagi crosses his legs and slouches as he sits on a small miserable pile of blankets, while Reo who is next to him also sits in discomfort due to the hard floor, the light of the makeshft lamp flickers, illuminating Reos dirtied skin. While you, sitting infront of them chewing on an bet before 5 month old oat bar. The expired groans of the undead are faint in the background, the thick walls of the office building filtering out some of the sound. The contents of your backpack scattered out in the middle of you 3.

"Is this all you could get (name)?

Nagi asked, in his regular boring, slightly raspy tone. His grey tired eyes flicked up to meet your (eye colour) coloured ones, his expression as careless as ever. For some reason the way Nagi asked you that question ticked you off. Maybe it's because of his judgmental emphasis on 'all'...or maybe it's due to his overall lackadaisical nature which bugs you from time to time despite it not being very convenient for the survival of the living dead.

Reo, slightly tired by Nagis insensitive antics sighs and give him a little nudge.

"Cmon Nagi, it's not that bad. They did a pretty good raid in my opinion, you just gotta look at it with a better perspective!"

Reo grinned with his signature smirk as his eyes darted from your tired state to Nagis slumped form.

"What are you on Nagi. Nothings wrong with a few granola bars and a magazine"

You spat back at Nagi. Not taking his stupid ignorant comment despite your exhausted state. You stretch your arms, small popping noises from the joints in your arms echo through the rather silent room, the only other noise emitting from the crackle of the flame from the d.i.y lamp that you spent all your time making to look appealing in contrast to the wrecked world you've sadly found yourself in.

Nagi rubbed his nose with his long, slender index finger and lazily reaches to his disgusting state of a backpack. He carelessly shook out the contents, dropping a couple of torches, batteries, hooks an already used hammer and a small bottle of antiseptic.

"Nagi careful with that stuff. We're lucky to see such supplies like this without it already being wrecked."

You and Reo scan over the loot that came from Nagis bag. You pick a torch and fiddle with it, flicking the ON/OFF switch playfully.

"Atleast I got something that we can actually use"

"We can eat the granola bars and use the magazine. I think I was being pretty smart about this actually."

"None of us own a gun"

"Shut the Fuck up"

":x"

Nagi just looks at you, in sort of an inspecting manner. You notice his eye contact and stop what you're doing. You slowly but cautiously move the torch into Nagis face, your calloused fingers gripping onto the flash light tightly. Reo, still getting a sense of the valuable items that Nagi brought , mumbles to himself about the efficiency or some shit. Your eyes flick from the white-haired man's piercing gaze to the cylinder- shaped flash light in your grasp then to him again. You flick the switch but nothing seems to be happening. You open the back of the torch and replace the useless batteries with the new ones that Reo was inspecting, earning a small "Hey!" Of annoyance from him. You slap the back right on and point the torch at Nagis face.

"Don't point it in my face"

"it's not like it's gonna work anyway. We dont know if these batteries are dead or not,

Seeee."

A bright white light blinds Nagi as he winces and covers his eyes with his roughed up hands.

"My bad"

You mutter under your breath as you shamefully put away the flash light. You unravel the tough wrapper of the 5 month expired granola bar and take small bite out of it, trying to savour the taste of the bland but somehow comforting bar.

Half and hour later

You Reo and Nagi are feasting on the not so tasty granola bars but, it will make do. Reo, eyeing the last manky granola bar speaks up with pieces of the expired snack still being chewed up in his mouth

"Last bars mine"

With a look of pure disgust you speak up, only to be cut off by the white-haired slouching giant hastily swallowing his bar, replying in a stern tone.

"No it isn't. It's mine"

"Says who?"

"Says me."

The young purple haired man side eyes Nagi then lunges for the granola bar. Nagi, knowing his companion for far too long also lunges for the last granola bar. As the two young adults tackle each other over the small gold worth bar of nuts and all sorts you can't help but smile and watch them in awe.

Maybe leaving home wasn't so bad after all.

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ineedhaikyu · 4 months ago

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Chapter Five

Summary: Day 3 of Nationals was unknown territory for Karasuno as the top 16 teams continue to climb their way to the top. As Karasuno’s ace, Asahi, could feel the weight of everyone’s expectations on his shoulders and while he knows he’s not completely alone to carry the burden, Asahi found comfort in the memories of the person who became his solace.

Word Count: 5.2K

Warnings: Some spoilers from manga series. Major fluff. Slow burn. I don’t own anything. Haikyu belongs to Furudate Haruichi!

A/N: I’m so sorry for not posting a new chapter in these last five months. But it has been a difficult time for me. I’ve been promoted at my job where it requires so much supervision and paperwork. Obviously the pay is okay, but it takes a toll on my mental state. It’s a constant state of anxiety each day, and I feel like no one takes me seriously. Each day I try to write this series but it’s like all my motivation is just gone. Again, I’m so sorry for disappointing you guys.

(Y/N) didn’t realize how cold she actually was until she felt the hotel’s heated air enveloped her like a brand new blanket. But the cold didn’t bother her in the slightest. Not when she had a great time spending with Asahi that made her all warm and fuzzy inside. They talked, laughed, and even made promises for the future.

Azumane Asahi made her feel all sorts of feelings. Excitement, nervousness, flustered and everything in between. He may be over six feet tall and may look intimidating but he was the sweetest guy she has ever met in her life.

If there was ever a time to believe in all the love stories and love songs, it would definitely be now. It was ironic because she always believed it was an exaggeration whenever the female protagonist would talk about her feelings for her love interest. The same thing could be said when she listened to a popular love song. In fact, she thought her friends were crazy whenever a specific song sung by a well-known American singer came on the radio. She didn’t see what the big deal was but she’ll admit it was a catchy song.

(Y/N) chuckled at the irony of it all. Maybe those books and songs about love were on to something…

“Miss? Are you feeling alright?” The hotel concierge asked from behind her desk.

The manager snapped out of her thoughts and managed a convincing smile. “Oh, sorry! Yes, I’m fine.”

The older woman relaxed and smiled in return. “That’s good. If you don’t mind me asking, was that your boyfriend you were speaking to outside?”

(Y/N) felt her cheeks warm up under her scarf at the question. Asahi wasn’t her boyfriend but she wasn’t against the idea. “He’s a friend.”

“Oh, I see.” The lady smiled warmly when she recalled the time she met the love of her life when they were young. She can tell that this young girl is going through the same ocean of emotions she went through at one time. She looked down at the ring around her finger, a symbol of love she shared with her husband of twenty years. “Well, he seems to have a kind soul.”

“He does.” (Y/N) confirmed. “He’s a gentle giant with a glass heart. He’s the ace of his team but he keeps doubting himself a lot. I just wish there was a way I can help him… Help him see that he’s already amazing even with his flaws.” She mumbled the last phrase to herself. “At least to me…”

The hotel concierge mentally cooed at how adorable this high school student was being. If she was her grandchild, she would make her march right back out there and confess her feelings to that boy. Instead, she cleared her throat and gave the young girl what she thought was wise advice, “Dearie, this is just a thought, but perhaps instead of using your words, you should use action. Actions speak louder than words. After all, boys can be oblivious at times, especially high school boys.”

(Y/N) perked up, her eyes seemed to glimmer with hope. “Use action, huh? Hmm. I guess that could work.” She looked back at the older woman and bowed down in respect. “Arigato!”

She turned around and made her way to the elevator. Luckily, there was one still available but it seemed the universe decided she had enough luck for today as the metal door began to slide closed.

Or maybe there was still hope because her eyes caught a person wearing a bright red track jacket inside the elevator.

“Please hold the elevator!” (Y/N) called out to the person as she sprinted her way in. Once inside, she sighed in relief before turning to the person. “Thanks for that. I owe you one.”

“I-It’s n-nothing.” The guy squeaked out a reply. He cleared his throat, hoping it was enough to get rid of the stutter in his voice. Though it only made his voice squeak at a higher octave as he asked, “W-What f-floor?”

“Fifteen- Oh, you too, huh? That’s cool.” She mentally kicked herself for saying that last part but she didn’t show it.

“U-Um, y-yeah, so c-cool.”

They rode the elevator in silence for the first five floors. (Y/N) decided to pass the time by texting Kita and Aran that she was on her way back. She smiled to herself when Aran began to send a barrage of questions, one after another. She shifted from one foot to the other and the simple motion was enough to cause a strand of hair to fall in front of her face. Annoyed, (Y/N) tucked the strand behind her ear and continued on with her texts.

But in the corner of her eye, the guy right next to her kept stealing glances at her. He was fidgety as if he was scared of her. His hands acted like they couldn’t be still for five seconds. They were either fidgeting by his side, squirming inside his track jacket, or running his fingers through his dyed mohawk.

‘Oh well. Maybe he’s just socially awkward. He looks like a high schooler like me, albeit a bit younger than me. Perhaps a second-year?’

Lost in her own thoughts, (Y/N) didn’t realize the effect she was having on Nekoma’s ace.

Yamamoto didn’t know how to act. He felt as if he was breathing funny right next to the very pretty girl. He could feel his heart beating in his ears and it was getting louder and louder with each minute that passed by. The soft glow from her phone illuminated her facial features and he had to swallow the hot ball of nerves in his throat. This was exactly how he felt when he saw Karasuno’s beautiful manager for the first time.

‘Does she realize how beautiful she looks?’ Yamamoto asked himself, stealing another glance at the girl right next to him. ‘I wonder what’s her name? What school does she belong to? She has to be here for the Spring Tournament, right? Or maybe she’s here to cheer on her boyfriend? Because there’s no way a girl as pretty as her could be single. Lucky bastard!’

Apparently the last thought was enough to let out a small gruff escape his lips and the noise caught her attention.

“I’m sorry. Did you say something?” She asked kindly, turning off her phone giving Yamamoto her full attention.

“Er, n-no?”

“Oh, okay then.” (Y/N) gave him a sympathetic smile. “My bad.”

“W-WAIT!” Nekoma’s ace all but shouted at her, causing her to jump. “A-Are you here for the tournament?”

(Y/N) smiled. “I was. I’m the manager for my team. We just lost today’s match though. My name’s (L/N) (Y/N). I’m from Inarizaki.”

“Yamamoto Taketora.” He tried to subtly puff out chest as he pointed to himself and confidently said, “I’m Nekoma’s one-and-only ace.”

He hoped his title of ace would impress her. Maybe give him a compliment or two. Or maybe even admire him for having such an important role.

“Nekoma? Oh! From Tokyo, right?”

Yamamoto felt like he was on cloud nine, ten, heck maybe even twenty because the pretty girl knew about his school which means she must know how much of a powerhouse his school is.

(Y/N) continued. “That means you’re up against Karasuno!”

“Um yeah?” Yamamoto was taken aback at how excited her voice became, especially when Karasuno made its way into the conversation. He had a sinking feeling that she already had a favorite team. “Wait? You said you were from Inarizaki? Didn’t Karasuno- Well, um, beat your team today?”

“Yeah. It was a close match but they won fair and square. Plus, they’re great people. I hope they make it far in this tournament.” (Y/N) then winced and offered an apologetic look. “Not that your team isn’t good, Yamamoto. I’m sure your team is cool too.”

“Thanks but we’ll show you how cool we are tomorrow. Maybe you’ll change your mind on who to cheer for.”

(Y/N) smiled at how confident Yamamoto became in such a short amount of time. He was the complete opposite with his Karasuno counterpart. And while she might sound biased, she thought Asahi was the better ace.

Still, she didn’t want to crush this guy’s confidence especially when his match is tomorrow. Luckily, the elevator came to a slow stop on the fifteenth floor.

“Well, good luck tomorrow, Yamamoto. I think you’re going to need it.”

And with that, the Inarizaki manager made her way down the corridor and entered her hotel room. She didn’t realize how her words seemed to cast a spell on the wing spiker. Yamamoto stood there, almost rooted to the spot. Soft elevator music filled the air but the only thing that held his attention was the Inarizaki beauty that wished him luck, minus the part where she was obviously a fan of Karasuno.

Yamamoto sighed, clearly frustrated. “Man! Why does Karasuno get all the cute girls?!”

With a raging fire burning inside of him, he didn’t notice the elevator doors closing on his floor until it was too late.

Asahi sneezed the moment he entered his room and for a split moment he felt his stomach drop. Was he getting sick? He hoped that wasn’t the case. He was just about to brush it off as a simple sneeze when he remembered a common superstition about sneezing and how it meant someone was talking about you.

A shiver of mixed emotions traveled up his spine when he thought of her.

(L/N) (Y/N). The Inarizaki volleyball manager. The girl he fell for since day one. One of the few people who didn’t flinch or run away from him because of the way he looked. Instead, she took the time to get to know him, listened to his worried ramblings, and even gave him meaningful advice that helped him through his anxiety.

It might be wishful thinking but Asahi hoped she was thinking of him just as he was with her. And while it’s only been a few minutes since his conversation with (Y/N), he longed to see her again. A pang of disappointment made its way to his heart. By tomorrow morning, she’ll be gone, returning back home with the rest of her team.

‘At least, I can still text her. (Y/N) did say she would visit Miyagi one day. And I can pay a visit to Hyōgo too.’

The small ray of hope shined a bit brighter on the future as it was enough for Asahi to smile.

“Oh? You’re back, I see.” The familiar voice of the innkeeper brought him back to reality. The woman gave him a brief smile before asking, “The girl you were speaking to must have been your girlfriend, wasn’t it? You two looked adorable together. I must admit, I didn’t peg you to be a romantic when I first saw you but you certainly proved me wrong.”

Asahi’s mind went into a frenzy upon hearing the woman’s words. He couldn’t help but feel uncomfortably warm and stutter out. “W-What?”

The female innkeeper chuckled at how obvious the high school boy was being. If he wasn’t the epitome of a boy in love, then she didn't know what else could be.

“Oh, don’t be so modest!” She told him. “Girls love nothing more when their boyfriends make the effort to be romantic. I say you did well. Dare I say, confident even. Your friends were trying to peek and listen in but I sent them back to their rooms. I’m sure a couple like yourselves wanted privacy.”

Asahi opened his mouth to correct her whole perception of him and (Y/N) but for some reason he didn’t. Instead, he thanked the woman with a bow.

The innkeeper smiled at him. “Keep it up, young man! And good luck on tomorrow’s match! Make your girlfriend proud of you!”

Stuttering out another thank you, Asahi left the small lobby and made his way to his room.

“Hey guys! I’m back-”

“ASAHI’S BACK!”

The volleyball ace could feel the metaphorical spotlight shine on him when he was surrounded by his friends, each of them asking all sorts of questions.

“What did you guys talk about?”

“How was it?”

“Hinata said you guys were holding hands, is that true?”

“Did you kiss her?”

“Asked her to be your girlfriend?”

“When’s the first date?”

Overwhelmed, Asahi was grateful when Suga and Daichi put an end to the interrogation. They led him to the outdoor balcony where they had a good view of several illuminated skyscrapers. His eyes automatically looked at the sky, hoping to see a single constellation or at the very least the North Star. But he was greeted once again by the cloud-filled sky.

The disappointment didn’t stay too long when he let his eyes wander to the exact spot where he and (Y/N) had their conversation. He smiled to himself when he saw the outdoor string lights that helped serve a warm atmosphere; he didn’t blame the innkeeper for thinking they were a couple.

He just wished it was true.

Like clockwork, he felt Daichi and Suga flank on either side of him. He didn’t have to look at them to know they wore identical knowing looks. Instead, he placed his arms against the balcony and waited for the questions to start.

“Sooo?” Suga began, grinning up at his friend.

“How did it go?” Daichi asked.

“It went okay.” Asahi said as he rested his chin on his arms. “We talked about today’s match. I wanted to make sure (Y/N) was actually okay.”

“And was she?” Suga asked, genuinely curious since he knew Asahi was worried about it earlier today.

Asahi nodded. “You were right all along, Suga.”

“See? You had nothing to worry about! That just goes to show you should count on me for relationship advice! What else? I need more details.”

“Calm down, Suga.” Daichi laughed at his friend’s barely contained excitement. “Didn’t you learn anything when the innkeeper scolded us earlier?”

“That was you guys?” Asahi asked them with a chuckle. “I thought Nishinoya and Tanaka would pull that stunt. But you guys?”

“Hey! In our defense, we… Well, we… Daichi, tell him our defense. You’re good at defense.”

Daichi rolled his eyes at Suga’s poor excuse. “We were nosy. There. That’s our defense. But someone just had to be extra extra nosy-” He gave the vice captain a quick glare. “-That the innkeeper caught up on what we were doing and sent us back.”

Asahi laughed at his friends as he could only imagine that moment. He replayed his conversation with (Y/N) once more and a soft smile played on his lips. “She wished us luck for tomorrow.”

“Really? That’s nice of her. Is she coming to watch our match? I bet you would want her to cheer you on from the stands.”

It was a nice thought but Asahi knew better.

With a heavy sigh and an equally heavy heart, he told them how (Y/N) and her team were leaving tomorrow morning. He waited for his friends to say something that would cheer him up but was greeted with silence. Until, Daichi spoke what was on everyone’s mind.

“Well, that sucks.”

“Yeah.” Asahi couldn’t agree more with his situation. “Am I a bad person for not wanting (Y/N) to go back home?”

“Course not!” Suga exclaimed loudly. “I think it’s normal. I mean it’s not like you have no support. You have us, the team, the coaches, and the fans.”

“But it’s different when it comes to (Y/N),” Daichi suggested, catching on to what Suga was doing. “She already means a lot to you, huh?”

Asahi felt his ears turn red and he wished that his hair was in a low bun to hide the obvious giveaway. Still, what they were saying was the truth. He would have liked nothing more for (Y/N) to be there tomorrow, cheering him on. He wanted her to see that their agreement still stands. A promise where he’ll do everything he can to help his team win.

It’s hard to explain it but he always had trouble seeing himself as the team’s ace. Obviously, he can see why he’s the ace as he dealt with persistent blocks, less-than-ideal sets, or nasty serves most of the time. But sometimes, when his anxiety was too much, he had doubts about his abilities. He couldn’t voice this to Daichi and Suga or to anyone on the team, he hated being an inconvenience.

He was- No. He is grateful that he met (Y/N). Someone who understood him and his problems. Someone who sees more than the title of ace on his shoulders. Someone who took the time and effort to get to know him.

“Yeah. She does… More than she actually knows.”

Asahi didn’t notice the way his fellow third-years shared a knowing look behind his back but if he did he wouldn’t care. He was a storm of emotions on the inside. It was almost funny how this new year was treating him and it hasn’t been a full week yet. Whatever the case, he counted his lucky stars to have made it to Nationals.

~ The Next Morning ~

The sun’s morning rays were the first thing that greeted him when Asahi opened his eyes. It took him a moment to realize he wasn’t back in Miyagi, sleeping in his own room and yet it hit him all at once of all the events that happened in the last 48 hours.

Asahi sighed, swinging his arm over his eyes and letting himself smile when he thought about her. (L/N) (Y/N), the third-year manager of the Inarizaki volleyball team. In the few encounters they’ve had, she never failed to bring a new perspective, which he found refreshing compared to his usual anxiety-inducing outlook on life.

His heart began to beat a bit faster when he remembered every little detail from last night. How she tugged her scarf a bit tighter each time a breeze blew by. How the snowflakes danced around her, while a few of them were caught in her hair. In his eyes, the snowflakes looked like mini diamonds in her hair, sparkling each time they caught the light of the outdoor winter illuminations. Or how she would tuck her hair behind her ear whenever she got excited- Wait… Now that he remembered that detail, Asahi recalled (Y/N) did that a lot during their conversation last night. She smiled a lot too… And the hug she gave him, wishing him luck on today’s match…

Feeling the tips of his ears begin to warm up, Asahi sat up on his futon. His hair tickled the back of his neck, a few strands made their way in front of his face. He let out a yawn before running his hand through his long hair. And by that simple action, Asahi was reminded how sore his body actually was. Especially his shoulder. Despite his body begging for more rest, the ace slowly but surely got up and headed to the bathroom.

He was greeted by his own reflection in the mirror. His long brown hair was definitely giving him a wild look. He’ll have to make sure his hair looks decent today. After all, he didn’t want to look savage wild. More like cool wild… If that made any sense…

Asahi let out a quiet groan when he removed his shirt, the very shirt (Y/N) bought him when they first met. After carefully folding his treasured shirt with great care, Asahi looked at himself in the mirror where his eyes immediately found a three-inch bruise on his shoulder, a reminder how intense Ojiro Aran’s spike was. He gently pressed his fingers to the injury and grimaced at how sensitive it was. The ice pack he used yesterday did its job but it looks like he might have to ask Kiyoko for another one. He looked at the rest of his toned body, hoping there weren’t any other major bruises like the one on his shoulder. To his relief, there wasn’t any except for the minor bruises on his forearms and biceps. Bending his arm back and forth a few times, Asahi noticed how large his biceps were. Have they always been this big? They weren’t obscenely large but it was enough to compliment the rest of his body. He looked… Strong.

‘Does (Y/N) think I look good? I mean, she did call me cute last night. So that’s a good thing. But what if she was being nice. What if she likes guys with huge muscles?’ Asahi frowned, before shaking the thought away. ‘Maybe I should work out more...’

Asahi began his morning routine and while his body moved in automatic motion, his mind kept replaying what (Y/N) told him last night.

‘First, you can stop feeling bad. I’m okay, really. And second, if you really want to make me feel better then take the win. Take it and do the same thing tomorrow. Play each set and win some more. I promise if you do that, I’ll be more than okay because I’ll be rooting for you.’

‘Win the next match for us.’

‘Think positive! Remember you’re not alone. You have your friends and the rest of your team that you can rely on. And if it helps, you have me too.’

‘I might not be there in person but I’ll be cheering for you.’

‘You got this Asahi. I know you do.’

Asahi closed his eyes and took a deep breath, replaying (Y/N)’s words on loop while also imagining the warmth of her hug, the sincerity in her eyes, and genuine kindness in her smile. After a minute, the ace opened his eyes. He made eye contact with the mirror’s reflection of himself.

“You can do this, Asahi.”

When he returned to his room, he was surprised to see most of his team already up. Maybe he wasn’t the only one with nerves. It was the third day of the Spring Tournament and if what Coach Ukai told them was true then today was going to be hell because both the third round and the quarterfinals are to be played today.

So if they win against Nekoma, an already great team, then they will have to compete with another powerhouse school who most likely have been to Nationals each year.

“Morning, Asahi.” Suga greeted as he was making his way to the bathroom.

“Morning, Suga. Are you ready for today?”

“Give me half an hour. Nishinoya kept me up with his snoring and I think Tanaka was talking in his sleep. I think he was dreaming of being in a match because he kept saying ‘nice receive’. I still slept okay but I woke up again at around 5 A.M.”

“Why?” Asahi asked.

“So you know how my futon is close to the outlet where we all charge our phones?” Suga asked, a yawn quickly following afterward.

“Yeah.”

“Well, someone’s phone went off, waking me up way too early! And you know how I am, when someone wakes me up before I actually have to.”

“Oh, yeah. You’re not really a morning person.”

“Exactly!” Suga mumbled as he tried to rub away the sleep from his eyes. “I didn’t even care whose phone it was, I just grabbed it and put it on silent mode. No one should be calling anyone that early in the morning.”

‘Well, there goes my plan to call (Y/N) right now.’

Suga made his way to the bathroom, leaving Asahi to wonder what his next should be. Perhaps he could just check his phone for any messages he may have missed… Maybe… Just maybe he might be lucky to find a text from her.

The moment his phone lit up was when he felt like the luckiest guy on the planet because it was there on his phone’s screen that he, in fact, did receive a text from (Y/N). He quickly tapped on the message and waited with a rapidly beating heart and bated breath to see what she had to say.

New Message from (Y/N) (5:20 AM)

Asahi! I’m so sorry for texting you so early in the morning. I tried to call you but I guess you disconnected or something? Again, sorry about that. I probably woke you up and you need all the sleep you can get for today’s matches. I just wanted to talk to you but I guess this message will have to do.

First of all, I really wanted to be there and wish you luck. But I’m sure you and your team will give your opponents a hard time.

Right now, I’m sitting on our team’s bus, getting ready to go back to Hyōgo. The coaches are taking their sweet time though but for some reason I’m okay with that. I don’t want to leave Tokyo… Not yet at least.

Anyways, this message is getting too long even though I have so much more to say to you, but I’m sure you need to focus. Just remember that it’s okay to be nervous. You’re not carrying the burden alone, okay? You have your team.

P.S. Is it weird that I’m still looking at the sky for stars? Obviously, I’m not an expert like yourself but I think little-kid-you would be proud of me. Good luck. I believe in you.

Asahi couldn’t help but smile widely when he read the last part of (Y/N)’s message. He felt like his whole body was glowing with positive energy. Maybe he can do this- No. He will do this. For himself. For the team. And for her.

He checked the time and realized that it had been almost two hours since (Y/N) had sent her message. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Asahi clicked her contact number and waited to hear her voice. He counted each second that passed by as his phone dialed her number. Ten seconds have passed when his phone connected the call. There was a brief shuffle and Asahi wondered if he woke her up.

“Hello?”

This was definitely not (Y/N). In fact, it sounded familiar. Asahi wracked his brain to try to match the voice with a face. It had to be one of the Miya twins. But which one?

“Uh, hi? Um, is… Is (Y/N)-san there?”

“Yeah, she’s here. Who’s askin’?”

“Err. This is Azumane Asahi. I’m trying to return her call-”

“Azumane? Why does that name sound so familiar? Oh! Wait! Karasuno’s samurai, right?”

Asahi let out a nervous chuckle. “Yeah, that’s me. And you’re one of the Miya twins, right?”

“Guess which one, samurai. If you answer right, I’ll wake up sleeping beauty-”

“You’re Osamu.” Asahi wasn’t sure in the beginning but he was absolutely sure that this was the calmer twin. “I think your brother would have ended the call after knowing it was me.”

“Atsumu can be an ass sometimes but he means well. It’s just that… (Y/N) is more than just our manager to us. She’s our friend. We want her to be happy and from what I’ve seen you’ve been doing a good job at that. Especially what she did last night after you guys had your little talk.”

Asahi furrowed his brow. “What do you mean-”

“‘Samu? Who are you talking to with my phone?”

“In my defense-”

“You have no defense.” Asahi smirked at (Y/N)’s quick retort. He can only imagine what kind of expression she was wearing. He wondered if (Y/N) was the kind of person that loved her sleep. Was she an early bird or a night owl? “Hello? Asahi, is that you?”

Her voice sounded soft-spoken yet rushed, as if some cosmic misfortune might happen to prevent them from talking. Which to be fair wasn’t so far-fetched but hearing her voice once more made it all worth it.

“(Y/N)! Hey!” He cleared his throat, trying to sound somewhat calm. “I saw that I missed your call but I was asleep and-”

“That’s completely my bad, Asahi. I should have known better than to call you, especially on a day like today but I couldn’t help it.”

“No, no. It’s okay. I’m actually glad you called and thanks for the message you sent. It helped a lot.”

There was a sigh of relief before she spoke again. “I hoped it did. So how are you feeling?”

“Better than yesterday.” He confessed. “I don’t feel like I need stomach medicine before the match.”

(Y/N) giggled and Asahi swore his heart stirred around his chest. “Well, that’s a good start. How is everyone else? Is everyone ready to play two matches today?”

His brain short-circuited. He couldn’t find the ability to talk till he heard (Y/N) call out his name. “Two matches? Isn’t it just one match?”

There was silence on the other end of the line and Asahi hoped he heard her wrong. He already had a small pit in his stomach going against Nekoma today but if what (Y/N) says is true then…

“I… I thought you already knew.”

“So today…”

“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but that’s why they call day three of Nationals, Hell Day. The third round and the quarterfinals are going to be played today.”

“... I think I’m going to need that stomach medicine.”

“You can do this, Asahi. Believe in yourself.”

Asahi smiled to himself at her words. He hoped when the moment comes, he can share her confidence. He just hoped that moment was soon.

“I wish you were still here.” He admitted, wanting to let her know how he felt (at least somewhat). “You guys must be halfway back to Hyōgo.”

“Well… About that-”

“Everybody! Downstairs! We need to be there early to practice!” Coach Ukai’s authoritative voice filled the room before he left.

“Sounds like your coach is getting antsy.”

Asahi laughed. “Tell me about it. I think he was up all night watching old Nekoma matches.”

“He’s not the only one. Nekoma’s libero is very skilled. So be careful with him even if you spike the ball past the blockers. Oh! Nekoma’s captain is going to be so annoying with his blocks but don’t get discouraged when you get blocked. Try to do some wipes or rebounds if you can. Wait! I have my notes in my other bag. Don’t hang up!”

Asahi had his mouth open the whole time (Y/N) started giving out pointers. Did she do research on Nekoma prior to Nationals? She had to, right? Just in case Inarizaki played against Nekoma, right? Because there was no way she went through the effort of researching-

“She did it for you.” It was Osamu again. “Stayed up late last night. Watching Nekoma’s matches over and over again. Said she wanted to help your team but I think we both know she did it mainly for you.”

“I-I don’t… I swear I didn’t make her do that.” Asahi said earnestly.

“Course not. You’ll see soon enough (Y/N) is the type of person you’d want in your life. Shit, she’s coming back. See you later, samurai.”

“Later?” Asahi didn’t have time to question the twin’s words when he heard the phone being picked up.

“Hey, Asahi, are you still there?” (Y/N) asked.

“Yeah, I’m still here.”

‘With you.’

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