#posting this before I got to bed so I don’t lose my nerve

[to-dream-within-a-dream]

Pixel art !

so, this has been sitting in my drafts for a bit. got really into making these little pixel sprites and cos I don’t have many ocs of my own to draw I may have borrowed a couple from some very cool people….

(top two are mine, middle three are from @please-let-me-be-horny and bottom two are from @peaches-and-gore )

anyways I have realised I really need to make more ocs 😅

[ceilidho]

I’ve been watching Spartacus with my dad and I must share with you the vision I had.

Gladiator 141 and the sweet little thing they got as a reward after a fight well fought.

this is very old:

Sometimes he spends as much as an hour staring at you through the bars of your cell. 

You haven’t yet worked up the nerve to say something to him. Not while he still wears the silver-plated galea that obscures most of his face. You can still see thin lips through the middle slit of his helmet, where the cheek plates don’t meet and the thin strip running down the bridge of his nose gives way to his philtrum, and the barest slivers of dark eyes. 

Apart from his helmet, he wears little else—sometimes the customary leather pteruge around his waist or a simple tunic belted at the waist. Nothing that would hinder his movements. It keeps the bulk of him on display. A prized fighter then, you surmise, as if the helmet weren’t enough to make that known. 

He still gleams bronze from his fights under the sun. Perhaps he’s counted at least a full hand’s worth this week alone. He comes to you sometimes after those very fights, still dripping sweat and prowling the length of your cell like one of the lions kept beneath the arena. You never know what to say to him then. There’s little you can do apart from curl up into yourself in the far corner of this cell you’ve come to know as a temporary home and eye him warily. 

It’s hard to reckon with the size of him. That’s what keeps you wary, watchful of him when he comes to keep you company for reasons unbeknownst to you. He hasn’t made them known yet, in any case. 

There isn’t an augur to warn you the day he chooses to speak. 

“Where'd they take you from, pretty bird?”

You flinch at the sound of his voice. It comes from the pure depths of him, Tartarus deep. You think it would take nine days for it to reach you, like a bronze anvil falling alongside it. In the days that he’s spent at your side, haunting the length of your cell like a sentry bound to his post, you’ve never once heard so much as a whisper.

His words take a moment to register. Across from you, he sits back on his haunches, thick thighs bunched up under the fan of his pteruge. It’s hard to tell how long he’s been there—the hallway outside your cell is relatively dark, the only windows being on the leftmost side of the building, near the door where he must have quietly slipped in. 

“East of here,” you answer hesitantly.

He hums, nods his head. Ruminates on your words. 

In truth, you can only guess—the village where you grew up, where you suckled at your mother’s teat and played with the other children in the glen surrounded by mountains jutting up from the earth and ochre yellow and green wildgrass, the fog sometimes sitting so low in the valley that you could lose yourself in it, is far from here. At least a month’s walk, perhaps more (you lost time along the way). Your feet are still blistered from the march back to Rome, legs still covered in sores and bruises; even now your cell is a poor comfort, the dirt floors harsh on your knees and shins, abrasive to the partially healed skin of your feet. 

You’ve never been very worldly though, never known more than the four walls around your bed. Perhaps the walk wasn’t nearly as long, as treacherous; maybe you came from the west instead, or the south. You can only guess. 

“I came from the north,” he says, breaking the silence again. That startles you somehow. The thought of him under the thumb of another feels inexplicably gut-wrenching; if a man with a virile, sweat-laden chest like his, arms corded with muscle that yours will never see in a thousand years, has been yoked to Rome’s chariot, what hope do you have? 

You wonder for a moment if he’ll tell you more, but he falls silent after that simple revelation. The weight of his gaze still pins you in place.

“…You’re a prisoner then?” you ask, considering briefly whether to say like I, before discarding the thought. Like I, like me. Are you too in a cage, like me?

It’s difficult to suppress the urge to ask him more, but you do. It does you no good to endear yourself to men that move and stare like beasts. There’s something malignant in him, you think, a rot burrowed in deep. You can feel it stir in you too when your eyes dip too low, halted by the muscles of his thighs and the thick slabs packing his arms. You’ve seen beasts copulate; you imagine he’d be much the same. 

He tilts his head, considering your words. Wolf-like, and you’ve seen wolves before. Though the ever-present helmet obstructs most of his face, the sharpness of his eyes pierces through. “They don’t put me in a cage anymore. What would you call that?”

Your chest collapses under his words. Hopes dashed. Does he go in the cage of his own accord then? Does he lock the door himself, deliver the key to the guard standing watch? You think people taken from their homes should see their plight in each other, but the gladiator before you doesn’t look at you like the two of you share a fate. 

“A slave?” you postulate, perhaps too boldly. Worry crawls inside the walls of your belly when his lips flatten, almost imperceptibly.

“Do I look like a slave to you?” he asks, and you can hear it this time. A gentle warning. A rebuke. A question that tells you all that you need to know about this man and how he sees the two of you. 

You remain silent, cowed under his stare and the tone of his voice. Perhaps he’s right, in a way; he’s not the one in the cage. He seems free to come and go as he pleases, his movements unrestricted. Unlike your own. You’ve hardly left this cell once since a faction of the legionaries left you at the gates of the city to be handled by those in charge, watching slave after slave made empticii, helpless, until finally you were dragged to the stand for viewing. 

You flinch when he grabs one of the bars of your cell, thick fingers coiling around the metal and overlapping easily. 

“What did they take you for, pretty bird?” His fingers tighten around the bar, knuckles whitening. “Every day I fight and yet they never offer you as a prize.”

The new scars on his body make sense then, fresh lacerations across his arms and legs that have multiplied by the days since he started visiting you. Why he gleams with fresh sweat every day, correlating with the fights you hear in the arena above you, the cacophonous chants and stamping feet. You can imagine him in front of a crowd frothing at the mouth for blood and gore. 

He comes stained in it sometimes. You hold your breath until he leaves on those days, reminded too much of your village in the aftermath of the plundering. 

“I don’t know,” you whisper, tucking your legs into your chest and trying to get as close to the wall behind you as possible. 

It’s the truth. No one tells you anything. No one told you what would happen when they ransacked your village and burnt it to ash, the bodies of everyone you’ve ever loved still burning char black in the tall grass, whittled down by the flames. No one told you what would happen after they dragged you back a thousand passus to a city scorched in white marble and stone and immaculate gold. They dragged you here and shut the door. 

He seems frustrated at your words, lips thinning like he has to hold back his rage.

“I’ll slaughter a hundred more if that’s your price,” he says, his helmet knocking into the bars with a rough clang and making you jump when he leans in. His chest lifts with his quickened breaths, working himself up at the thought of more bloodshed. “Then give you their hearts. No other man will take you. I’ll rend their limbs if another man tries. Make you taste their blood on my fingers and lap it up when I split you on my—”

Your heel skitters across the ground, digging a small groove into the dirt and scattering small rocks across the cell. “I don’t k-know what they intend—”

You stare at him when he rises back up to his feet, words dying on your tongue. Standing, he towers over you, shoulders rolling back to puff out his chest. 

“You wait, little bird. Flutter your wings. Soon you’ll see the sun.”

You can only imagine what he means. The thought of sunlight on your face fills you with dread for the first time in your life. 

He leaves without another word, heavy footsteps carrying him to the door until you hear him pry it open, sunlight streaming in for a second before it slams shut. The silence in the absence of him feels monstrous, gargantuan. 

All you can do is let out a shuddering breath.

[sylusjinwoon]

{ 176 }

marked by you.

jinwoo sung x fem.reader

warnings: yet another late night thirst post; minors don’t interact.

by choosing to interact with this 18+ content, you have consented to viewing something n-fw despite the warnings.

anonymous said: Reader who frets about the scratch marks that she creates on Jinwoo's back and keeps apologizing for it x Jinwoo who loves it. Too bad he heals quickly. Oh, what shall he do? Guess he has to take em again on bed n rail em hard so he can get those marks again 😼

when you and jinwoo got ready for bed that night, you were simply brushing your teeth as jinwoo got out of the showers. as you rinsed your mouth before drying it with a towel, your eyes trail over to your lover, only for your gaze to go wide upon seeing what looked like deep red claw marks against his back.

you were flustered now, heart pounding as you could feel the blood rushing to your cheeks in response. softly calling out his name, you step closer to him, gently tracing at the prominent marks with your fingertips.

feeling jinwoo stiffen from beneath your soft touch, a tiny gasp of pain was heard, filling you with a deep sense of guilt.

“honey? what is it? what are you looking at?”

you didn’t answer him, choosing instead to place kisses against his back where your deep scratches were seen. letting out a sigh, you lean closer to his broad back before pressing even more kisses against those painful marks.

“i’m sorry, for hurting you.” only when you gently lick away at them did jinwoo lose his absolute mind. feeling your tongue innocently tracing at those angry red marks- the memory of them being caused by your nails raking down his back with each and every one of his thrusts makes jinwoo lose all sense of his inhibitions.

silently, jinwoo purposefully drops the damp towel from his waist, making you gasp when he suddenly faces you, trapping you against the bathroom sink. a devious smirk paints his handsome features as he teasingly rubs his erection across your inner thighs. groaning at the silky feel of them, he continues to further harden his cock for you, basking in your breathy moans as your arms automatically came up to wrap around his neck.

“my sweet and darling treasure, always so considerate of me.” jinwoo’s voice darkens just the tiniest bit, leaning in to bite down against the shell of your ear while whispering hedonistic phrases to you.

“the way you rake your nails down my back is actually one of my greatest treasures. whenever i catch a glimpse of them, i get so hard, remembering just how deep i got inside of you- so deep that it made your toes curl and your hands claw against my back…”

“ah…!” you feel him move aside your panties with one hand, massaging his cock beneath your soaking core as he collected your arousal with his velvety cock, sliding the tip of it in and out of your slickness as he purposely drove you crazy for him.

you were dimly aware of the faint, golden glow that surrounds jinwoo, eyes becoming dilated as he peered down at you. “oh…? would you look at that. i’m all healed-“

“i guess this means i just have to get new marks from you now.”

without giving you a warning, jinwoo shoves his cock deep inside of you, making you see stars as your walls cling tightly to him in a vice grip. while jinwoo fucked you against the bathroom sink, you were slowly losing bits and pieces of your sanity. your hands were already reaching toward his muscled back, clinging to him as you curled your nails against his skin.

“fuck.” he lets out a harsh whisper of your name, sliding his cock all the way out of your soaked core before shoving himself back in, purposely rubbing against your swollen bundle of nerves in the process. pretty droplets of tears were felt settled against your eyelashes as you fought to even think straight.

when you nearly fell to the ground, jinwoo keeps you steady by placing both hands possessively over your waist, bouncing you up and down his cock with a feral grunt. with this new angle, you could feel how deep he was hitting that special spot inside of you, making you cry out as you locked your legs around his waist, climaxing immediately around him. jinwoo could feel your juices staining at his cock, making him lose all coherent thought while continuing to ram himself in and out of you.

“that’s it, fuck, that’s it…!” jinwoo watches with wide eyes, seeing the familiar clear fluid travel down the length of his erection before burying himself inside of your sweet cunt, his cock pulsating as he released everything he had inside of you.

a choked moan was heard coming from your perfectly parted lips, your nails once more latching on to his skin for support, nearly drawing blood in the process as jinwoo let out a loud groan. he weakly thrusts in and out of you, making sure that he had completely emptied himself before resting his head on your damp shoulder.

you were breathing heavily now, slowly smoothing the palm of your hand down his back, feeling the imprint of your deep scratches against his skin. “oh…oh!”

your gasp turns into a surprise one when you feel your lover growing inside of you, filling you once more as he meets your gaze with his own. an expression of lust and adoration overtakes jinwoo’s handsome features when he suddenly carries you, bringing your back against the bathroom wall. with a pant, jinwoo continues stroking his cock in and out of you as you let out even more cries of his name in response.

“hn, i’m still not quite satisfied with the marks you’ve given me. how about we spend the whole night like this and you can mark me as much as you want?”

you let out a weak moan and attempt to glare at him, but the way you seemed to tighten around him lets him know just how eager you were to do just that.

a.n. - i’m thirsty. all of my jinwoo readers are thirsty. so i did something about it. 🫠🫠🫠🫠

all stories are written by rei; reposts, translations, and plagiarism are not allowed.

[going-to-ikea-for-the-fries]

I'm really sick and Satan's sacrificial waterfall is here AT THE SAME TIME!

I don't know if you do blurbs or headcannons, but if so, would you be willing to write for the boys (either taskforce 141, or singular characters,) taking care of an afab reader who has never had anyone wanting to take care of them?

If not, sorry to bother!

I don't typically take requests but... since I'm in the same boat (sacrificial waterfall is probably going to come over the weekend for me), I'll 100% do it.

A while back I also posted this: "You're feeling ill" and it's also along the same vein, if you'd like an extra little pick me up.

Period woes.

Rating: G Words: 1K~ tags: afab!reader but you/your pronouns, SFW!, fluff, comfort, periods and associated symptoms.

A person’s period might be the most hypocritical moment of their routine. They’re expected to continue moving, working and living their live as normal, all with a smile on their face, while their uterus actively attempts to cut off its own circulation… as if for any other injury or sickness you wouldn’t be expected to lay down and STOP for a moment and allow yourself to heal up, or at least improve enough to not be miserable.

But no. You’re expected to deal with it alone, to not show a reaction, to not be irritable, or groaning and writhing in pain. Take a shower, stock up on painkillers and slap a smile on your face, you’ve gotta go out in the world and act as if you’re not actively dreading every waking moment you spend on your feet.

That’s why you’ve learned to hide it when you’re going through your monthly. Your family, partners… not even your girlfriends know when you’re having it. Ever since you were a young teen, just starting out, it was very much a conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know, sort of moment.

But it’s miserable. You’re always miserable. Everything hurts, the cramps, the headaches, the back pain, hip pain, your sore chest… Plus the blood, the lack of appetite (or increase in appetite), the nausea, the fact you want to cry one moment, or break dishes and scream the next, the way your colleagues annoy you beyond compare, how certain sounds grit your nerves just. enough. to make you feel like you’re losing it… And then you can’t sleep.

And of course… he notices it. How could he not?

Ghost is discreet about it. He doesn’t mention it, doesn’t make a big deal about it… But he’s VERY good at taking care of you without you noticing he’s doing it. His love language is acts of service… So he simply goes around giving you a hand on whatever you might need. Food? Made. Dishes? Done. Laundry? Washed, Dried, Folded and Put Away. He finds you trying to do something? No. Give it here, he’ll do it.

The inevitable day that a leak happens and you find yourself angry at yourself as you strip the bedsheets off the bed, trying to be discreet about it so he doesn’t see it, he silently grabs the sheets off your hands and murmurs a “Go take a shower and change. I’ve got this.” before turning to put the sheets in the washer, clean the mattress and remake the bed so you can lay down again by the time your shower is over. It makes you emotional, sometimes, that such a stoic man will gladly take on every other responsibility to allow you to heal.

Gaz, blessed be him, is an absolute sweetheart… But he’s also a silly boy. He notices and although he’s not going to make a big deal about it, he’s still very… Boyish about it. Uses all the silly names for your period (“The Communists are coming”, “Shark week”,  “Satan’s waterfall”, “Carrie”) and affectionately calls you “My little ketchup packet”. 

He’s all for ordering takeout and getting you whatever you want when and how you want it. He’ll rub your back and be very careful about where and how he touches you. He’s ginger with touches around your waist and lower stomach, looks at you with those big brown eyes of his, as if checking that he’s not hurting you or crossing a boundary. You find yourself getting emotional when he whispers about how strong you are to deal with this every month… Keeps asking gently if you need anything… It makes you feel so safe.

Price’s older. He’s been in many relationships before. He notices your period is coming before it even does… Notices how you’re acting. Jumpier, grumpier, sadder… Notices how you toss and turn the couple of nights leading up to it. And he’s silently prepared. He’s made a supply run to the grocery store to get what brand of period products you use and some painkillers and puts them where you can see them in the bathroom. 

Fills you up with warm herbal tea and food that he knows are easy to digest and help with your state. No fucking chocolate and sugar or potato chips, you’re being pumped full of soups and stews and veggies and cut up fruit. He’ll sit by your side with a paring knife and an apple and slowly peel, core and cut it, before slowly feeding you (and himself) the slices. When you try to resist it, at first, too used to doing things alone, he’ll grab your face with both hands, look into your eyes and tell you. “And why exactly would I let you do that, when you’ve got me here to help you? How does that make sense?”

Soap’s… Well… Soap’s got a bunch of sisters… Each of them dealing with their periods in wildly different ways... So one thing he knows for sure: He’s not about to assume anything. You do what you’ve got to, he’ll adjust to you. He needs to go to the bathroom but you’re in there? Copy that, he’ll go piss in the yard. You’re having a cry in the kitchen because nothing looks good but you’re hungry? Talk it out with him, what do you want to eat? Let’s figure it out together, bonnie. You need to lie down in a dark room because of a migraine or headache or just to catch on sleep you’ve missed? Johnny’s blacked out every window, gathered every stray pillow and blanket in the house and will make you a nest if he’s got to.

And when you wake up in the middle of the night with a whine and a stretch because your back hurts and you’ve got cramps and cannot for the life of you get comfortable, Johnny’s hands are rubbing over you, pressing kisses to your temple and murmuring little “I ken, love… It’ll be over soon… I’m sorry you’re going through this…”

[blackknight-kai]

I don’t talk about her much, because she changes based on the au I use. The art below for my OC is from the wonderful WKZ who is not on the platform anymore for reasons of their choosing - *Friend if you see this know I appreciate you and you are missed*

If you want more of her let me know 😊 I’m gonna write some fics with her.

OC name: Kavara

(I do have a monkey version of her written out 😊 just not added to this post cuz she’s special and I’m still working on her)

Mix of Modern/Ancient Era traits

- [ ] Shes 5’6”/167 cm tall , shorter than the monkeys, her forehead is at mouth height (I hc them kinda tall? Like 5’10” /177cm or so). She has nice curves/ not too skinny not too hearty and a c/d-cup.

- [ ] She has deep burgundy red hair due to fire based abilities (wip)

- [ ] Amber eyes / almost orange in the right light

- [ ] 6 little dark freckles/moles that are in a straight line all the way down her cheek starting from the far side of her left eye, almost like a tear left stain, like me, (lore thing I’m still thinking about)

- [ ] Depending on what I use her for she has short curly/wavy hair or long curls.

- [ ] Likes peach scented body oil. (😏)

- [ ] Used to look mean - but she is gentle inside.

- [ ] Has to touch everything that’s soft if she walks by it, soft blanket? Gotta touch. Soft monkey? Gotta touch. Also likes being wrapped in cozy soft things. (Likes lots of pillows and blankets on her bed - she runs warm though so likes the air to be cool)

- [ ] Seriously she loves petting his fur…would do it all day long.

- [ ] Doesn’t eat sweets often, too rich for her.

- [ ] Likes sweet fruits though like peaches, plums (likes the tart skin on these the best), and crunchy apples.

- [ ] Dances/wiggles in her seat a little if she likes her food a lot

- [ ] No matter what AU she always finds DO/WK (or his variants) handsome instantly- crush may take longer but she always finds him charming and interesting in his own way.

- [ ] Enjoys messing with DO-Wukong/catching him off guard. Shes a little menace too (especially to those she likes). Enjoys annoying people (but not too much- like if making a pop sound with her mouth repeatedly gets under your skin she’s gonna do it - not to the point of pissing you off but she’s gonna get on your nerves).

- [ ] Chews on stuff sometimes to alleviate aggression/help keep focus/lower anxiety.

- [ ] Not a big drinker but will have a drink or two. Doesn’t mind a drunk monkey.

- [ ] Likes to collect pretty rocks and smooth stones that feel good in her hand.

- [ ] Not big on fancy luxury. Or stuffy clothes.

- [ ] Her weapons are similar to Kratos, (dual blades that can be smoldering etc and have chains she can use to throw them and pull them back. She likes to make big explosions 💀

- [ ] She hides them as earrings so they are always with her.

- [ ] Under her outfit she wears chest wraps to keep girlies together and tight to her chest. She wears the equivalent of panties but a loincloth sash covers her ass and front- legs exposed - this way if she loses her outer wear due to her fire she isn’t nakey.

- [ ] Puts her friends first.

- [ ] Curses internally a lot- sometimes out loud.

- [ ] Again, seems tough/uncaring but she is the most accepting person (as long as you aren’t genuinely bad/do bad shit) and will be the mom friend.

- [ ] Enjoys taking care of DO/WK. wants always help him, he’s her best friend. (Eventual lover)

- [ ] Wants him to feel cared for - and that she’d be there for him.

- [ ] in alt universe’s she would fight the fuckers at the begin of the game for him. Or by his side. She would genuinely die to keep him from having to resign himself to dying just to be free.

None of this is fine tuned but it’s the basic of whatever I got. I changed some stuff to suit my needs so…so I’m sorry if it’s a bit confusing but here we go!

This is a version of her specifically meant to know Wukong before BMW events. (Other versions of her like modern au or whatever I need her for don’t follow this but have similar things)

She is an immortal, one birthed of fire, chaos, destruction, (rebirth if you think about how fire culls the land for new life to grow), the embodiment of the roaring fires on the sun basically.

So in her younger days she is not exactly well liked, shes strong and was someone who didn’t like to held down. She didn’t outright disobey or was rebellious but if something wasn’t right or if she felt slighted/felt someone was slighted she would make that shit known. Quick to anger.

Because of this she had pissed off the wrong person, they placed a curse on her - (again not fine tuned) and it basically is like a black tar root that starts from her heart and starts spreading and coiling around her body the more emotion she feels, specifically negative ones like (seen negative) anger, hatred, fear, all those kinds of emotions.

She can heal, but the pain and the curse will spread to such agonizing levels that if she pushes it too far it will take over her body and encapsulate her/put out the fire in her which keeps her immortal. She of course tries to break the curse but there isnt anything that works. It’s like a spore that is attached to her heart that has molded to her and wont go.

Unfortunately this makes her shut down emotionally, she doesnt have a support system so as much as she tries to fight the agony gets worse and worse. Her fire dims, not dead, just dims. Kavara at this point just does her duties, keeps to herself, and represses all emotions whatsoever. She’s free of pain and honestly doesnt have to worry about shit, so it becomes her new norm.

In comes Sun Fucking Wukong.

The charming egotistical chaotic monkey yaoguai that wants to play immortal. She hears of him mostly, but remains indifferent. Until one day they finally meet.

Probably the worst thing that happens to a lot of people actually…..because Sun Wukong is the first to make her laugh. Ever. Not one of those “haha i am victorious” laughs she might have had when fighting back in the day. No, a full on belly aching laugh. Tears down her face and a wide pretty smile, something she honestly wasn’t capable of/thought she had. (She’s beautiful but never thought about it I guess)

This is the first time she realizes that HAPPY or positive emotions dont make the curse spread.

Wukong of course takes this as his sign to KEEP making her laugh (when he isnt being a little shit in heaven and to others).

Over time they do become friends, he learns of her curse, she learns of his goals. Unfortunately for everyone else Wukong influences her to stop being an emotionless doll and she becomes his partner in crime. Best chaotic duo ever.

THERES MORE BUT THIS IS JUST SOME OF HER STORY!!!

I didn’t wanna give the WHOLE lore, if you want more let me know. It’s quite a bit and a mix of angst & happiness.

Same with a version of her that meets Destined One. It’s a different AU and one that is a bit on the angsty side but I will ALWAYS give a happy ending.

[sweetimpurity]

I think I'll keep you:

c.ai bot drop

a/n (please read!): Hiya! I've been working on these bots for a little while, trying to make them stick to the story I've been writing all year. But it is an ai bot so I have no control over what it says or suggests past the greeting. It might not stick to the story exactly. If there's anything you think could be improved or information you think the bots should have about the plot, just message and let me know! I hope you guys have fun kiss kiss!! 😘🍬

These can all be found on my profile: sweetimpurity 💓

I think I'll keep you

Miguel has no interest in a relationship. He just saw you one day and then your tutoring hours posted on the cork board. He knew he had to have you for one night. You were surprised when the text came in from him, him of all people, asking for a session. But he quickly got you on your knees and then in his bed. This one night would turn into much more.

“Oh, god…” You pant and whine, your head leaning to the side to rest on his head.

“Fuck, you feel so fucking good…” He curses through a heavy breath against your neck. A high pitched squeal escapes your throat as your back arches against his chest and it hits you hard and fast. Your squeals turn into cries of his name, how good he feels.

He doesn't know what's come over him. He doesn't form attachments like this. But there's something about you that makes him want to bring you pleasure over and over again.

You’re babbling and thrashing in his arms and Miguel smiles, finally getting what he wants. Hearing your sweet innocent voice whining out the dirtiest things. You're a soft warm mess as he chases his own release.

He holds you tightly against him as you both stop moving and start panting to catch your breath. You’re glad he’s still holding you because if he let go, you’d surely face plant into the mattress. Your head rests back on his shoulder and he places small kisses on your skin as he snuggles his face into the crook of your neck, breathing deep and sighing out in relief.

“Will you be mine?” He asks softly and kisses your cheek. “Mine only…” He whispers and his gaze meets yours when you lift your head, turning it so you can look in his eyes. His finger strokes your cheek softly and it’s like he’s looking at the sun. He can try to close his eyes but the memory of you will always be seared into his mind.

“I want to be yours…” You whisper and watch his eyes as they light up a bit, a grin playing on his reddened lips. “Good. I think I’ll keep you…” He smiles and holds your jaw in his hand, kissing your lips once more...

I think I'll keep you 2

You've been gone only three days and he's losing his mind. Everything was so good before you decided to go home for the weekend. Miguel had you every night he wanted, every morning too. Peter's party was supposed to be a distraction but it turned into a disaster. A drunken Dana all over him and he just wants to make her hate him if only to leave him alone. He doesn't want her. He wants you back to campus.

Not hearing from you for three days is making his head spin, and he can’t help but picture you with some guy that’s not him. He throws Dana on the bed, pulling her by the ankles and grabbing her face. Could she handle him if she tried? The answer is no.

“You really like to get on my nerves, don’t you?” He seethes. But even Dana loves the attention.

Ding!

His red hot rage is interrupted by his phone going off. His face softens and his heart skips a beat just like it did when you said you’d be his. He can’t control that feeling. Miguel picks up his phone, seeing your name pop up and his eyes dart around the screen reading it.

{{user}}: “Came back early :)”

“Coming now” He texts right back.

He sighs audibly, a mix of relief and frustration at the same time. “What is it?” Dana whines, sprawled out on his bed, getting her loud perfume all over his sheets where the smell of you should be. “Get out.” He demands, stepping back and going to put on his jacket again to go. “What?! Are you serious?” She scoffs, sitting up on his bed.

"Yes! GET OUT!!" He shouts, making her flinch. She scurries off, out of his dorm fighting back tears. He pulls the jacket on, pushing out of his room and marching his way over to your dorm.

I think I'll keep you 3

Miguel pushes off the wall, going to the library door and seeing you’re finally alone. His heart thumps in his chest. Clenching his swollen bruised hand in his pocket. He sighs and forces himself to walk inside.

You suddenly look up. Stopping him in his tracks. And it’s like he feels like he’s doing something wrong. He told you, you were never supposed to happen for him. That what happened between you for an entire month was a mistake. To not let your messy feelings ruin everything. It’s been four days. Not a call, not a text. Nothing. And now he’s here. You look away first. Back down to your laptop to continue typing. And he continues walking, stopping at the edge of the table across from you.

“I need to talk to you.” He speaks, towering over the table. Thinking back to all those moments it’s like none of that ever mattered because it didn’t matter to him. How can you trust him again when he treated you like he wanted you and then told you, you were never supposed to happen. And you gave him your body, your heart everyday for a month already.

“I’m busy right now.” You say softly, keeping your eyes locked on your laptop screen. While this time away from him has been hell and you’ve been heartbroken over this, he’s also been a total dick.

He’s been trying all week to find you. To talk to you. Trying to find sneaky ways so that he doesn't have to beg for your attention. He wants things back the way they were. He wants you back in his bed. He doesn’t know what he feels.

He walks around the table. You don’t look up, not even sparing him a glance. Glaring at your laptop screen and seeing his movement in your peripherals. He silently walks to the seat right next to you. Slipping down into it to sit beside you. His hands shoved back into his pockets.

"{{user}}… hey...” He says gently, trying to get your attention. Turning in his chair slightly to face you more. He can see your anger, he can feel it too.

“I’m not talking to you.” You say without looking at him.

“Well I’m talking to you…”

I think I'll keep you 4

“...his hand, he’s been having swelling and bruising for a few days now…” You explain kindly to the receptionist once you’re both in the waiting room, standing at the front desk. Miguel standing a bit like a lost puppy behind you, listening to you talk to the receptionist there.

“Alright, the doctor can take a look once she’s done with another patient. If you can just fill out these forms and have a seat, it should be about 30 minutes.” She smiles and hands you a clipboard and a pen.

“Thank you. And could he please get some ice or something?” You smile and ask. The woman nods politely and going to grab an ice pack from the other room. You both start walking over to the waiting room area, looking over the form in your hands. Taking a seat by the fish tank and settling in to wait a little while. Miguel sits right beside you, running the good hand through his dampened hair from the rain. He glances down at the form in your lap. Then up at the side of your face. Wanting to reach out and touch your skin. Kiss your cheek. Remembering what it feels like to melt into your arms. Thinking of all the ways he can beg for, earn your forgiveness. Just as he’s about to speak-

“Here you go…” The receptionist is there, an ice pack outstretched for him to take, breaking him out of his thoughts. He forces a smile, taking the ice pack and setting it over his hand. “Thank you.” He smiles gently. Watching the woman walk away.

He feels like shit. Feels so bad for being so closed off and such a jerk to you about all of this. This past month hasn't been meaningless like he told you in the heat of the moment. It's meant something he just doesn't know how to say it. It's hard for him to put his feelings into words. For you it seems so easy, why can't he just be like you?

He looks back, watching you write down his name on the form. Thinking he can probably do this himself. Before he can interrupt you’re asking him for the information on the form.

I think I'll keep you 5

When the athletic door swings from someone else leaving, he catches a glimpse of you through the opening. The bright lights from outside assault his eyes as the door swings again. Seeing you for just a moment. Just a split second. Talking with Peter against the fence. He stops. What is he walking into? What’s about to change? You’re gonna be there right when he goes through that door. He stands in the dim concrete tunnel, feeling his heart race. He doesn’t like this feeling. This is the loss of control.

“Miguel!” Peter smiles, making you turn to look back. And there he is, walking out the door. You want to just run into his arms and tell him how great he was. Even though he didn't get to play he still coached very well and played his part in the victory. But Peter is talkative and gets in there before you can. And you don't really want to interrupt when he's talking with his friends. Since this is the first time you've been around his friends with him.

“We’re gonna get drinks, you have to come” Peter says, ushering Miguel over to where you’re standing. “This is {{user}}… {{user}} this is Miguel”

“Yeah we know each other.” Miguel says immediately. Not a hint of a smile on his face. He’s annoyed with Peter. Annoyed that it’s not a known thing. He wants it to be known that you two are an item. Or… that there’s something going on… he’s not even sure of at the moment. At least that Peter should know to back off. “Oh cool, so drinks?” Peter asks you.

Miguel’s a little astonished with how easily Peter just brushed that off. Eyes flicking between you two and hoping to god you don’t accept the drink invite. But he bites his tongue. Friends. Really good… friends.

[batsyforyou]

Random Pet Peeves: Feanorians Edition

Tags: Pet peeves (things that annoy people)

Pairings: None

Author's Note: I have Eonwe coming up as well as the pokémon one. Just thought to post this while I was at it.

Taglist: @asianbutnotjapanese

Curufin 

Fidgeting. He hates it, between the noise it can bring and the constant movement it drives him insane and causes him to lose focus. Like when you're on your last nerve and someone keeps making McDonald straw music insane. Like just stop already! 

Maedhros

Jokes about his height and comments about his missing hand. The 'How's the weather up there?’ jokes and the constant questions about his hand from those less informed drives him crazy. I mean honestly, how many times can you hear the same thing before it gets old? Now imagine being an elf with centuries of experience with these things. 

Celegorm 

Open mouth chewing. Most of the time Celegorm doesn’t care about anything anyone does but when it comes to eating and everyone is at the dinner table it's gross and noisy and he is sometimes convinced that their saliva food spatter somehow got in his food. Which he will promptly make a scene for and refuse to eat. 

Even worse is when he is feeling overwhelmed and stressed and chewing noises begin to drive him nuts like, oh my word, I’ve been there.  

Caranthir 

Mud and dirt tracked all over the floor. Especially if Celegorm is the one who couldn’t be bothered to take his shoes off before coming inside. 

Maglor 

When someone touches his stuff. Most of the time he can handle it with grace and be completely chill with finding his harp being moved into a different room. Because while it is annoying it isn’t world ending. So he’ll just roll his eyes, sigh and politely remind the culprit *coughs* Celegorm *Cough cough* to not move his things around. 

But if you really want to get his goat do what parents (and some absent minded friends) do best. 

When he goes to show you a journal with his music notes and ideas, flip into the area he didn’t show you. Like when you show someone a photo and they start SCROLLING THROUGH EVERYTHING. 

That will get him raging mad lol. 

Amrod and Amras

They both hate it when they get called by the other's name. And I don’t mean like when a stranger, like a servant, just makes a mistake (they are very understanding about this) I mean when they’ve known this person for literal years and they still can’t tell them apart. 

They also can’t stand it when family members confuse their hobbies with the other twins. While it isn’t big it doesn’t really feel good and can really upset them on days they aren’t doing well mentally. 

Celebrimbor 

When someone refers to his family as the monsters under the bed and uses them as scary ghost stories. Yeah, his family did kinda do it to themselves but that doesn’t mean it isn’t annoying. Especially when they get the details wrong like, “No, Maedhros didn’t have dark hair. His hair was red and curly.” Like if you're gonna try and scare people using real life people at least get the basics right. 

It also sucks because people will also turn him into a story character as well. Coming up with different assumptions and making weird rumors about him eating worms or something. It can be really bothersome and isolating. 

Besides all that he still loves his family and remembers them more as people with troubled pasts rather than monsters that hide under beds.

His Uncles and Atar are way too big to hide under beds anyway. 

Feanor

When someone questions his work and decisions. Not just once out of curiosity but over and over again. It grates on his sanity. 

Nerdanel

When someone talks about her children and husband leaving and doing all those horrible things. Like honestly can’t they have some class and not shove it in her face? Or even when someone asks her how she didn’t see Feanor’s behavior change or why she didn’t try to stop him sooner or the classic, “What did you ever see in that elf?” 

She loves her family very much and hates when people act all snotty about things.

masterlist

[arabellasleopardcoat]

Hi babe, congrats on your milestone!❤️

It's so hard to pick between all these choices😩

Would you please write for Harwin Strong - spanking🧎🏻‍♀️

Win some, lose some (Harwin Strong x Reader)

Summary: Harwin and his wife have a disagreement over communication skills. The end result is exactly as the title says.

Warnings: Mature language. Spanking. Established dom/sub dynamics. Light aftercare. I'm not sure it counts as smut but smut?

Requested: Yes! I get it, tough choices. Hope you enjoy!

A/N: Due to a mistake on my part, I did not erase the space for spanking on time. I got two requests. So, Alicent anon, don't worry. I will write yours too, but I will try to space it out to not post two similar fics. 

You sit on a small armchair by the fire with a sullen expression. Nerves pool on your stomach, but they are quickly won over by the feelings of annoyance. You have been told you will get punished after he is done working, but you are more angry than scared. You did act out to get his attention, and even then, Harwin cannot even pretend to care. He is just treating your punishment as another task in a long list he has to fulfill before going to bed. 

Harwin sits at his desk, going over something that has countless numbers and math. A budget, most likely. You know the Master of Coins has been pressuring the gold cloaks into tightening their belts, or so to speak. 

The transition of leadership has not been an easy thing. Many of the men were loyal not to their cause, protecting the citizens of King’s Landing, but to their previous Commander. 

You do not begrudge Harwin for taking the position. It was an honorable one, being the Lord Commander of the City Watch. It spoke of the trust both his father and the King had in his abilities at combat and leadership. Yet… You can’t help but feel that the change has taken its toll on your marriage. 

He is always busy. Gone are the days that you would spend lazing around in bed or curled together by the fire. Or even the days Harwin took you for a ride or hunt. Now, he comes to your shared rooms at odd hours, and gets up every day at the crack of dawn.

You try to remind yourself that Harwin is a busy man, and that his attention and opinions are required elsewhere. The men need him to direct the training exercises, the council wants his input for the security of the King as he visits the small folk. It’s a good thing. 

You squirm in your seat, pouting. Harwin looks up from his papers and tuts. 

“Don’t. You will only get yourself in more trouble if you keep pouting.” 

“I just don’t think I deserve to be punished.” You answer, bravely. And it’s the truth. You don’t feel like you deserve a punishment. Why did you have to obey his silly rules when he was not there to witness the consequences of your disobedience? What was the point, even? Harwin was never home. 

“I doubt that’s your decision to make. If it depended on the rule breakers, all the cells would be empty.” Harwin’s voice was collected and calm. Cold, even. Yet, it was not that what made your blood boil. His words were. The comparison. It reminded you of the reason all of this started. Why did he have to bring work into everything? It seemed that even in your time together, he was not fully present. He simply cared more about his job than he cared about his wife. 

“… You said I was allowed to stay in your study if I didn’t distract you.” You retorted, gritting your teeth. Your whole face was heating, not in shame but anger. Your ears were burning, your neck felt hot, and you were about to do something that you would really regret. Closing your eyes, you breathed in deeply.

“And what did you do?” Harwin put the parchment and quill down. He looked at you for the first time. His expression was unreadable. You thought of getting up and grabbing that dammed budget and tearing it to pieces. 

“I was not distracting you! I was only… Playing with myself.” And what if you were? Really. It could hardly be called that. You had only been squeezing your thighs together. And perhaps rolling your hips a little. “And I never touched myself!” 

Why did you have to obey his silly rules? He was never here. The prohibition for touching yourself had started as a fun way to spice up your bedroom activities. Harwin enjoyed your neediness, when you had not been touched for a while. You suspected he also enjoyed the idea of being the only one that got to touch you in such a way. 

Before, it had not been hard to comply. As any self-respecting young maiden, fearful of the Seven, you had never even approached a hand towards your cunny. Only for washing yourself, and never lingering or exploring too much. 

Harwin had been the one who had introduced you to the pleasures of the flesh. It had been him who had encouraged you to explore all the wondrous feelings your body had to offer. Doing it without him seemed silly. You had touched yourself at his instance, and found great pleasure, but it was not the same that when it was his hands on your skin.

But after nearly a month of not being able to have sex with your husband, you understood exactly why you would want to please yourself. You craved the release. Even if you knew it would not be the same, you were so desperate, any peak would be better than no peak. Even if it were one brought on by yourself.

It was hardly your fault. Anyone would feel aroused after nearly a month with only stolen kisses to get you by.  The sight of your husband in only a linen shirt and pants, bent over his desk had been too much. Watching as the muscles of his back flexed, how his big hands swallowed the quill he was using to take notes.  All that, mixed with the goblet of wine you had been nursing and the fact that Harwin had handed you his cloak to keep warm. Surrounded by his smell, inhibitions lowered by the wine, it was a miracle you had not jumped his bones yet. 

You felt like you were burning up with need. So you squeezed your thighs a little, and rubbed against the edge of your chair. You didn’t try to be subtle, secretly hoping that the sight of your neediness might entice him to do something about it. 

“That’s hardly better, little one. You were purposefully looking for loopholes.” Harwin said, oblivious to your thought process. He wore a stern expression that made you want to fold immediately. 

A month, you reminded yourself. You had been feeling alone for a month. 

“I know, but you had not been paying attention to me!” You complained, steeling yourself. This was a discussion you truly wanted to have beyond brattiness. It had not only been the lack of marital duties, but you missed spending time with him.

It comes out whinier than you intended. Much more pitiful, too. You don't realize, but Harwin's mood immediately shifts, from playful to serious. He can tell this is truly bothering you. 

Harwin pulled his chair back and spread his legs slightly. Your mouth nearly watered at the sight of his thighs spread in a pose that was so dominant. 

“Come here.” He ordered, brows pinching together. You didn't want to, knowing only punishment could await from your defiance. But you still did. Once you were in front of him, Harwin caressed your cheek with his thumb. “Was my poor wife feeling neglected?” 

To your horror, your eyes started to feel watery. 

“You spend all your time with the gold cloaks. Never with me.” Then, in a whisper so small, it tugged at Harwin's heartstrings. “Do you not want me anymore?” 

“I had not noticed you missed me so.” He confesses, pulling you into his lap. His touch is gentle, as always. His hands feel warm and solid against your waist. You straddle one of his thighs, still pouting. Harwin pulls you even closer. “I will make time for you, from now on.” 

“Thank you.” You mutter shyly on his neck. It's what you needed to hear. You stay on his lap for a while, cuddling in silence. The steady thump of his heart and his warmth comfort you. It's something you have deeply missed.

Despite wanting nothing more than just curl into his lap and sleep the night away, you still feel restless. Your button throbs between your legs, wanting attention. You cannot help but wonder what it would feel like, getting ravished by your husband after so long. How his hands would feel on your skin, deliciously calloused. How his face would pinch in the sweetest agony. How he would sound, entering you. 

Would he be capable of sliding right in, with how wet you are? Or would Harwin have to open you up as he had done on your first night together? 

You squirm. Harwin, thinking you are uncomfortable, shifts you to sit properly on his lap, resting his forehead on top of your head. The casual display of strength makes even more wetness gather between your thighs. 

“Are you alright, Wife?” Harwin starts running his hand over your hair, soothingly. He is unable to see your expression, and you are glad for it. You are so embarrassed it's starting to be physically painful. Here is Harwin, trying to comfort you, and you can't think of anything else but getting him into bed.

"You are much too pretty to be shedding tears over the likes of me. I apologize, for being so lacking lately. I have been paying so much attention to my duties with the King and forgotten about my most important ones.” 

“Harwin…” That he regrets it had not even crossed your mind. Too blinded by your feelings, you had never thought about how your outburst would make him feel. 

“As your husband, I made a vow. To be always yours. To protect you. I have not fulfilled either of those duties, being so far away.” He whispers, very quietly. You want to reassure him, but are unsure how. 

“You always come home to me.” You go back to your previous position, straddling his thigh, to be able to look him in the eyes. It breaks your heart. His brown eyes are all hurt puppy. 

“Perhaps physically. But my mind is still away, even when by your side. It's not right. You are my Lady. Mine to cherish. I have been a poor husband to you.” And it is true. You had thought about it, using much harsher words. Harwin clearly didn’t mean to hurt you, but you had been trying to rile him up on purpose. It makes you feel awful. You don’t want him to feel bad about himself, you just wanted to air out your frustrations. 

“Never say that. Never.” You muttered, fiercely, touching your forehead to his. “I have never thought you a bad husband.” 

“Only because you are too kind. I will do better, Wife.” 

You sigh, knowing it's no use contradicting him. Instead, you pull him in for a kiss, hoping he can hear all you cannot say. The kiss starts to get heated very soon, his hands grasping greedily at your hips. It has been a month since you had the time to do more than just kiss. Time to play one of your games. Both of you crave it, need it. 

As you pull apart, you give him a naughty little grin. 

"I still broke your rules.” 

Harwin chuckles.  His eyes have turned dark, pupils blown with lust. 

“Dirty girl. Do you want a punishment?” 

“Yes, please.” You look up at him, all starry eyed. Perhaps he will tell you to spend the night on your knees, serving him. Or perhaps you will have to obey his every command. Or, if you are very lucky, you will get to peak over and over until you pass out. 

Your breath hitches in excitement. You can't wait. 

“Over my lap. Hike up your nightgown.” 

The words burst your bubble immediately. Your shoulders slumped and you went back to pouting. Spanking was not what you had expected. While the physical side of it was fun, a little pain to go with your pleasure, it always wore you out mentally. There was something about it that left you feeling very vulnerable.

You understood why Harwin did it, though. It was an easy way to put you in your place. Spanking you in such a manner tugged at your subconscious. It was the manner in which children were punished. He doesn’t need harsh words or much pain to force you into submission. In fact, it stings even more when he does so with gentle words. You feel silly, after it. Harwin will coo and call you his good girl, and you will melt for him and do as he says.

"But… But…” You protest, despite knowing it’s useless. 

“You thought you would get something else?” Harwin asks, carefully tucking your hair behind your ears. His hands almost swallow your face. It gets you all shy. “My poor wife. Where did all your intelligence go? You know you did a poor job of communicating your needs. Instead of telling me of your loneliness, you threw a tantrum." 

“I… Harwin…” You plead, looking up at him. You are not sure what you are begging for. For Harwin to guide you, perhaps. You feel helpless. 

“Over my knee.”

Faced with the choice, you cannot bear the thought of disappointing him further. He is right, in a turnabout way. You could have done things different. In another life, a perfect one, you would have knocked the door to his study and asked to talk. You would have sat, like two adults, and told him you were frustrated because you missed him. Instead, you had mixed the games the two of you play with your real anger, turning into a bratty mess. 

You want to fix things. To not have to think, anymore. You take off his cloak and fold it neatly. Then, you hike up your nigh shift and lay down on his lap. You rest your hands on the floor, stretching to be able to do so. 

“Don't. You could hurt yourself.” Harwin rubbed your arse, gently. Warming you up. Then, without warning, his hand came down. You nearly shrieked. The sting was harsh, yet he seemed unwilling to let up. His hand came down again and again, in the same spot. You knew Harwin, though. Soon, it was not only going to sting. He liked building you up to it. 

His hand moves to your other cheek, spanking you with a slightly curved hand. It hurts differently, that way. It allows him to feel the overheated skin, how the flesh wiggles with each impact. 

Shame curls around your spine, twisting your stomach. You are still wet. It’s a deeply humiliating feeling. You are unable to think clearly, your mind slow and weary. As if you were treading through molasses. 

“I will not make you count, but you have to behave. No trying to get away.” Harwin warned, before spanking you again. This time, you started wiggling your toes in discomfort, fighting the urge to kick and scream. 

Your bottom feels already hot and abused, but Harwin is not letting up. You are really starting to hurt. Your vision starts to blur, and you try to grasp at the carpet, fighting to stay afloat. It’s no use, no use at all. Soon you are weeping with all you have.

“Are you going to stop being a good girl for me?” Harwin asks, rubbing soothingly at your shoulder blades. It’s only then that you realize you have been wiggling around, trying to get away from the pain. 

“I’m… Har-…Harwin… Sorry.” You blubber, unable to form the sentence right. You want to speak, but you are crying too hard for it. You feel dumb. Look at you, a noble lady with access to the best education Westeros has to offer. You had the best tutors, a Septa all to yourself. An education fit for a Princess. Yet, you can’t create a single sentence, overwhelmed by your feelings. 

Too big feelings, Harwin had called them once. You were, after all, a silly girl who needed her husband to guide her. Sometimes, your feelings get the best of you and make you unable to think clearly. 

That was why you liked these games. Submitting quieted all the voices in your head. There was nothing except obedience requiring your attention. Harwin made all the tough choices and took care of you, and you could focus on only being. 

“You are doing so good.” Harwin whispered, as he rubbed at the already abused skin. You hated how much it made you preen, getting praised. “So good for me. Just a little longer, and we will be done.” 

You slump on his lap, defeated. The hits keep raining on your vulnerable behind, and this time you are unable to quiet down. You whine, and weep and scream, but do not move an inch. You are sweating with the effort from keeping still, and there is nothing you want more than to bang your palms against the floor in a fit of rage.  But you do not. You keep still and focus on being good for Harwin. 

Your mind slows down. There is nothing but the pain, and breathing through it. Like being submerged in syrup, thoughts barely form before sinking heavily. You blink, trying to focus, but are unable to. There is only Harwin. 

His smell, his hands so big against you. His warm thighs under your stomach. His erection pressing against you, the way he sounds, excited little inhales at each hit. How he times them, alternating the placement in a predictable two-one count. Reliable. To care for you, hold you down, push you when you need him too. 

Time drags on. Perhaps it’s only a few minutes, or perhaps hours pass. You are unable to tell. Harwin lowers you gently to the rug and lays down beside you, careful not to press into your arse. 

“How are you?” He asks, tenderly brushing your tears away. You blink up at him, hazily. Still trapped in molasses, the words seem uttered from far away. You sniffle. 

Harwin smiles at you. You don’t feel capable of speaking just yet. With great effort, you raise your hand and brush his cheekbone. He leans into your touch. 

“I see, I see.” Harwin chuckles, and pulls you closer to him. You go willingly, nearly purring in contentment. 

You drift off like that, head on his chest, nestled close to his heart. 

[delusional-dinosaurr]

Nice Sleepover? (Alessia Russo x Reader)

After what felt like years you finally get off the plane in Manchester. You got loaned to City from Barcelona, being from Manchester it's a perfect loan for you, as you've been at Barca for just over a year and needed a little change of scenery.

Lauren was of course there to greet you at the airport with a sign which said "Queen of Nutmegs". You giggled and jogged over to her and gave her the biggest hug. "I'm so happy you're playing for us Y/N, I can't believe it still!" she says giddily whilst clinging onto you. "You'll be ready to play in the Manchester Derby as well!" "I can't wait to beat them with you, It'll take me back to the U19 days" you smile. Years ago you used to be an unbeatable force for the England younger squads, you with the assists and her with the goals. Being reunited was fantastic but also terrifying for those who faced you. After a long week of getting to know the team and staff at City alongside some training days, you crash on Lauren's spare bed at her shared house the night before the Derby. She slumps on it next to you whilst you both aimlessly scroll through your phones. You can't help but get stuck on an Instagram post by Alessia Russo, there is an audible gulp when you looked at the photos of her and Lauren spotted it instantly. "Now why is my best friend dribbling over Lessi?" Lauren said whilst looking at you with a big smirk on her face. "I'm not dribbling, it's just been a long time since we've seen eachother" You sighed and drop your phone on the bed. You used to have quite the crush on Alessia back in the day which hasn't really gone away, and haven't been interested in anyone since. You still talk every so often with national camps but nothing like you used to. "Now now young Y/N, don't go acting like this on the pitch, we need to win, yeah?" She slapped your hand gently "I'm off to bed, sleep well and don't dream about Miss Russo, you need to stay focused!" she giggled as she leaves the room, leaving you to sigh and get cuddled up in bed. ---- You're getting ready in the locker room after the warmups for the away game at Old Trafford. Feeling confident for your first game you pulled over your sky blue shirt whilst hearing a wolf whistle from Leila, you saluted her and gave her a wink in response. When you start to approach the tunnel the nerves hit, Lauren notices it and instantly puts her hands on your shoulders, gripping them tightly. "We will win, and I swear we will get a classic Y/LN-Hemp assist and goal for our first match together!" Lauren cheers whilst patting your shoulders firmly. You look over to your side to see the one and only Ella Toone grinning at you, you give her a nod and a smile. "Y/LN! Shame you aren't in red! Would look better on you" She cackles at you, you've missed her dumb laugh. "Never in your wildest dreams Tooney, red isn't my colour. Think you'd look pretty stunning in blue though" You wink. You and Ella used to play together for Astley & Tyldesley when you were younger. Your parents and her parents are close friends so you've always been fairly close. You still talk every now and then but since moving to Barca not so much. Not like it's in a bad way, more so that you're both very busy but will always be there for each other. She gave you a brief hug in the tunnel before you head out. "Good luck on your first game for City, shame you'll be losing" she chuckles whilst giving you a gentle smack on the ass which you instantly laugh at. You all start walking out onto the pitch and the game starts. As a midfielder you're already seeing loads of action in both attacking and defending. Around 20 minutes in you see a Alessia making a run to receive a ball in from Ella. Before Alessia can receive the ball, you cut in with a fantastic slide to clear the ball from her. This sends Alessia tumbling over you and she lands on top of you. You couldn't help but get a little flustered as she lifted herself off you whilst looking into your eyes. You shake it off and return to the game. You look to your side and see Lauren looking at you, very amused at what she had just witnessed. The game continues with a fair amount of back and forth between the two of you, she even fouls you when you're trying to connect a longer pass to Hemp, which you brush off as she gives you a hand up. As half-time comes around the score is 1-1, one goal from Toone and the City goal from Chloe. You get told that you'll be likely to stay on for the full 90 with Lauren, to try and secure another goal. You run back onto the pitch and into position feeling energised and ready to win. 74 minutes in you receive a pass and run it up the wing ready for Lauren when you feel a pair of boots collide with you. You instantly tumble to the ground and clutch your ankle in pain. One amused looking Alessia Russo stands over you whilst the ref is waving a yellow at her whilst she's protesting. She wipes the sweat off her face using the bottom of her shirt, you can't help but glance and melt at the sight "Oi, she's getting in your head, we've got this" Lauren gives you a quick hug from behind before jogging off ready for a free kick. The free kick is taken by Leila which you receive and effortlessly cross it to Lauren, who of course scored an excellent goal. She points at you and runs full sprint to jump in your arms. "I TOLD YOU WE WOULD DO IT! Y/LN-HEMP BACK IN ACTION!" Lauren screamed whilst the rest of your teammates are yelling and hugging you both. The game restarts and the goal has lit a fire in the United girls. They're playing more forcefully and riskier. You notice a Toone-Russo connection again which you pull off a bit of a dodgy tackle which earns some colourful language from Alessia in frustration. This earns your first yellow card for the team which you accepted as you knew it was a dodgy tackle. 2 minutes of added time and you're making a run up from the midfield, the United girls are playing ultra defensive to prevent a last minute goal from City. You receive a beautiful pass from Chloe and as you’re running closer to the box you see a flash of blonde hair. Knowing who is about to attempt to tackle you, you manage to nutmeg Alessia and run through the defenders, the city fans break out in loud cheers as your nutmeg was clearly well received by your club. You get to a 1v1 with Earps and chip the ball over her effortlessly. 3-1. Your teammates are going absolutely nuts over your goal.

The final whistle is blown after your goal. You couldn't be more pleased with your performance, especially after receiving the player of the match award. You walked around the stadium chatting with the United girls and swapping shirts with Ella for some photos, she takes a photo herself of you in a United shirt and makes a joke about it looking hot on you. You continue walking around the stadium and take photos with fans and chat with some of them for a bit before going and cleaning up. After getting clean and changed Leila pulls you aside "Hey Chica! We are all going clubbing tonight, coming? I heard your favourite player will be there" she gently shakes you with excitement. You knew you had to go as it would be your first outing with the girls, even though you'd rather go sleep at Lauren's. That and a chance to reconnect with Alessia is all you want to do right now. You sigh and nod at Leila resulting in her squealing. --- You enter the club which both teams and staff have hired out for the night and spot some of the team already here, who are waving frantically to get you to go over. You decided to just wear casual blue skinny jeans and a white shirt to keep it casual and comfy. Some of the girls dressed up but some went with the same theme as you. As the night goes on you spot Alessia and Ella at the bar, you quickly make your way over and pay for their drinks before they can tap the machine. They both turn to put a face to the mystery arm with a card and smile when they realise. "Thank you Y/N, you really didn't have to though!" Ella says whilst giving you a strong side hug. "Ah it's the least I can do after breaking your winning streak" You wink as you take a sip of your drink, to which Ella gives you a shove for. Alessia wraps her arms around you and gives you a squeeze. "I've missed you Y/N, we need a catch up later" She says and you agree to meet up with her later on in the evening. The night goes on, the drinks are flowing and everyone is fairly drunk, which has resulted in the majority of you dancing and chatting between the clubs. You and Lauren are throwing some wild moves which has both teams laughing. Leila has joined in but isn't dancing as enthusiastically as you and Lauren, but still enjoying herself. "God you're still awful at dancing" Alessia shouts in your ear with you laughing in response. "Speak for yourself, Leila thinks I'm a great dancer right?" You shove Leila who just throws her arms around you whilst still dancing, which results in you shaking your head laughing.

“Clearly I need to tell the Barca girls to teach you to dance like us Spanish do!” Leila sasses back whilst dancing away from you to go to the bar. She runs back to yank Lauren away from you and Alessia, very obviously trying to get the two of you alone at last.  

"It's been so long since we've seen each other right?" She yells to you. You can barely hear her over the music and you give her a puzzled look in return. She drags you over to a quieter corner before you can answer her. "Well, it's not every day I get dragged around by a pretty woman" You say whilst Alessia shakes her head at you. "Always been a flirt haven't you?" She smacks your arm in response. You both talk for what feels like hours, you discuss the fouls on each other during the match and apologise, you buy her a couple drinks and seem to be gravitating closer to each other. Your hand is resting on her thigh instinctively which she blushes at. "Just fuck already!" Tooney yells in your ear, you cough at how forward she was about your not so little crush on Alessia back in the day. Back when you were in the youth teams you had a massive crush on her, Ella used to tease you for it but eased when Alessia had a boyfriend for a while. "Who says we haven't already" Alessia smirks at Ella whilst she's staring at you with her jaw dropped. Alessia also takes the opportunity to move closer to you and hold your waist. "She's joking, we haven't. She would've told everyone how great I was if we did" You joke with Alessia now blushing again. "I have a strict rule of no footballers actually. Especially if I have to play with or against them, too distracting for me. Conflict of interest or something like that" Alessia says to Ella who scoffs, not believing a word of it. "Yeah yeah yeah, whatever Less. You'll change your mind soon enough" Ella winks as she grabs her drink and dances away. --- All you feel is your pounding headache as you groggily open your eyes in the morning, or at least it feels like the morning. What really wakes you up is the one and only Ella Toone swinging open the door. "Morning Alessia!" She draws out the A's in her name until she gasps, noticing another person in bed with her best friend. "Well clearly you had a good night, and on that note I'll leave you both to it!" she shuts the door quickly. You realise you are pretty much naked under the sheets cuddling Alessia, who is also in the same predicament as you. "So... " She drew out the O. "Well, it was gonna happen sooner or later wasn't it" You mumble to her. "We don't have to tell anyone and can forget about it if you want" she says quickly. "No, no. I honestly just wish it wasn't a one night thing Lessi. Not like that but like a more official thing where I can take you out and spoil you and...yeah" You sigh. She kisses you gently, breaking you out of your rambling state. "Tooney was right" Alessia sighs back with you giving her a questioning look "My dumb rule for no footballers was my way to try and throw you off. I've had a bit of a crush on you since we were younger. I only dated others because I thought you weren't interested" "Well same goes for me! Ella used to harass me for when I used to crush on you" You laugh as you both chuck some clothes on so you can face chatting with your friends downstairs. You borrow Alessia's United jumper and some joggers, you bundle up your clothes from last night which Alessia brings you a carrier bag to put them in.

“So um, where does this leave us?” You ask her quietly.

“Well I’m looking forward to you spoiling me on some dates Y/NN. If you want a label we can always just say ‘dating’?” She smiles and gives your hand a reassuring squeeze, you smile and nod in response. You both head downstairs to see Alessia’s teammates and face Tooney after her walking in on the two of you.

"Nice sleepover?" Millie laughs as she spots you both entering the room. "Mmm was nice, didn't get much sleep though" You say whilst looking at Alessia, which earns you a smack on the chest. "I knew you'd fuck!" Ella sings whilst dancing around the kitchen like a lunatic. "I better head off, we've got some defensive training today. I'm also due a telling off for my yellow for fouling Alessia" You chuckle as you put your shoes on in the doorway. Millie grabs her car keys as she didn't drink the night before and she offers you a lift to Lauren's house. "Wait!" Alessia scurries over to you and gives you a gentle peck on the cheek "Dinner tonight or something? Like a date? I've missed you" she nervously rubs the back of her neck saying the last part quietly. "I'd love nothing more, I'll text you when I'm free beautiful. For the record, I've missed you too" You kiss her gently on the lips, a feeling you never want to forget. --- You arrive home and thank Millie for the lift. You open the door to see Lauren sat on the sofa, ready to interrogate you. You plop down on the sofa with a satisfied sigh. '"Now where were you last night?" She scoots up closer to you and notices your shirt "TAKE IT OFF" she yells whilst tapping the United logo, she starts yanking your shirt off for you in rage with you protesting. Leila had stayed over for the night so she walks into the living room with Lauren and you playfighting with your jumper half off. "Guys! Stop! What's going on?" Leila breaks up your playfight "Y/N do not wear that filth around us!" she then also starts tugging your jumper off successfully. You chuckle as you quickly go get changed for training so that you don't have to worry about it later. You sneak back into the living room hoping they didn't hear you walk back in. "Right go on then, spill. You better have a good reason to have been wearing a united jumper" Lauren says patting the sofa which you slump next to her on. Leila is watching the conversation intently, clearly wanting to know all the gossip. "So I spent the night with Alessia, and we are hanging out later" You say nervously, not knowing how your best friend would react. Luckily for you she's over the moon, slapping her legs in excitement. "I knew you guys would eventually do something! I'm so happy for you!" she squeezes you into a tight hug. "We have to plan a romantic night for you two, I've got so many ideas". Do we want a part 2 or should I try something else? It's my first fic so I'm still get used to how this all works! I'll happily take requests too:)

[boolger]

I’m dangerous ☆ chapter 3 ☆ COD fanfic

Originally posted on my AO3, where I post all my stuff. Always read the tags of my fanfics. MDNI

[Chapter 1] ☆[chapter 2] ☆ [chapter 3] ☆ [chapter 4] ☆ [chapter 5] ☆[chapter 6] ☆[chapter 7]

☆ fem!reader x Kate Laswell ☆ explicit. MDNI. ☆ 3/10 ☆ 2,204 words

☆ Summary: You were a hacker and had been a thorn in the side of the 141 gang for a while, in particular as you tried to find out who the famous leader, Watcher, was. But they refuse to be blackmailed and won’t pay you.

So, to prove that you weren’t just bluffing, but were a serious threat to them, you kidnapped a random woman that you saw coming out from one of their meetings, figuring she was a secretary or girlfriend or something.

Oh, how wrong you were.

☆ Tags: au mob, gang, kidnapping, blackmailing, dub-con, angst, smut, death, grief/mourning, hacking, non-con drug use, bondage, spanking, kissing, rough sex, inaccurate portrayal of mob, more will be added.

That night you laid in your bed, looking up at the ceiling. Why exactly had you told her about Alice? She could use it against you if they ever caught you again… then again, did it matter? They couldn’t hurt Alice anyway. Only you. Ever since Alice died, life had kind of sucked ass anyways. Hadn’t Alice told you to figure out something that would make you happy, before you died, you might just have stayed locked up in the house the rest of your life.

Her hand had been cold those last hours before she died, even as you held it without a break. When she had stopped talking, so had you and you had just sat in silence, watching each other for those last hours. Both of you knew this would be the last time you would see each other.

You barely wanted to blink, afraid to lose a moment with her that you could never get back.

It almost seemed like she went to sleep. Her pulse got slower, her eyes closed. When you whispered “I love you,” she used her last energy to smile.

You closed your own eyes and let childhood memories pull you into sleep after a while.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

You woke up the next morning and after a short shower, you put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, too tired to care about your looks - earning a raised eyebrow from Kate when she saw you. You raised your own eyebrow, almost as if to dare her to say something.

After letting Kate free to go to the bathroom, you changed your piercings, before chaining her up again.

“It’s highly unnecessary, you know,” She pointed out as you put the key in your pocket, “I won’t run away.”

“Don’t trust you on that,” you answered grumpily. You hadn’t slept that well, too worried about the whole situation and the memories of Alice keeping you awake.

Kate huffed, “I’m not driving that piece of shit you call a car. And I’m not feeling like walking.”

You wanted to point out that she could just call a cab. Then again, you had her bag.

“Oh, wow, sucks then,” you muttered as you turned your electric kettle on, waiting for your water to boil so you could get some tea, “You’re stuck with me then.”

“So, listen Fae, if you –”

“Fae?” you looked over at her, confused.

“Yes. Fae,” she had the nerve to look a little annoyed with you asking about it, “I’m calling you that since I don't know your name.”

You huffed. “Don’t call me that.”

“Would you rather I called you hound?”

“... No.” you admitted, “ Just. Don’t call me anything. My name doesn’t matter.”

“Well, I think –”

“Drop it or you're not getting coffee.” You threatened and that finally shut her up.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Eating breakfast was a silent affair for a while, the toasted pieces of bread making the most noise whenever one of you took a bite.

So, you zoned out, wondering what you should do whenever you dropped her off. Should you lay low for a while? You couldn’t do that at home though and what if they followed you? A small sound distracted you and you looked outside - but nothing was there. The paranoia was creeping up on you, you figured. This entire thing was getting worse and worse. Maybe you should move the two of you - but you weren’t really sure of where to go and –

“So, what are you going to do?” Kate asked before taking a sip of her coffee, blue eyes watching you. She really wanted to know everything didn’t she? Maybe because she was a virgo. Not that you really believed in astrology, but Alice had loved it. Constantly told you about how people's behaviour was due to those stars. You didn’t feel like any stars had an effect on you - unless the stars took time out of their book to make you mourn your sister and spiral when you needed money, to the point of kidnapping a mob member.

“I’m not telling you,” You answered, a frown on your face, “I’m not that stupid.”

“Never implied that you were stupid,” Kate answered with a gentle smile, “I was just curious.”

“Well, I’m not telling you.”

“Fair enough,” she answered, “I mean, I guess I know that you’re going to pay off the medical bills after your sister.”

You hand tightened around your cup of tea, as she mentioned your sister again. The only relief was that you hadn’t told her Alice’s name. Anger of her being mentioned still crawled along your ribs, threatening to fill your lungs and spill over in screams.

“I told you not to fuckin’ ask about her, you muppet,” you snapped, “My god, why do you have to–”

The arm appeared out of nowhere, curling around your neck and pulling you backwards and off your chair, as a scared scream left you. Your airways was almost cut off, making you claw desperately at the strong arm keeping you up, a whimper leaving you – while Kate looked at you emotionless.

You watched her turn around on her chair and look towards the front door, where John fucking Price walked in, some of his minions following him, only adding to the fuel of your panic. You managed to look up and holy fuck, the face that looked down at you were covered by a fucking skull mask. You had seen him before, of course. There were so many pictures of him following different people along, like a scary shadow, like a grim reaper, ready to kill on command. Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley, if you weren’t wrong. Fitting nickname.

One your hands left his thick arm as you twisted in his grip, blindly searching for the butter knife. You just managed to get your fingers around the handle when it was pulled from your hand again - by one grinning Scot, John ‘Soap’ MacTavish.

“Nu-uh, lass, that's nae a good idea,” he said, throwing the knife onto the kitchen counter again.

More people entered your house, all of them taking one look at you, then looking back at Kate.

“Took you long enough,” Kate commented, not exactly sounding as sweet as before.

“Sorry, bosslady,” Price grunted, “Wasn’t really plannin’ on playing find and rescue, was I?”

You felt black spots begin to appear in your sight, as the air you could get into your lungs were restricted - you tried stomping on Ghost’s foot, but you weren’t wearing any shoes - and he was wearing military looking boots, so all it earned you was an annoyed huff.

Kate was given back her phone by Price.

“Wan’t me to kill her, Laswell?” Ghost asked calmly, as if he was asking what kind of tea she wanted and you let out a whimper.

“Nononono, please don-” the grip tightened around your neck, cutting off your air completely.

Kate looked over at you, almost looking like she considered it for a moment. She looked… different from how she had earlier, her face somehow colder than before.

More… Dangerous.

Was this it? Would you die like this, in the hands - or well, technically arm - of an actual monster who you knew had killed several? Would he choke you to death - or just take pity on you and break your neck?

“No,” Kate finally just said all calmly, “Choke her out though, we need information from her.”

“Sure thing, ma’am.

“You don’t seem hurt,” Price commented to Kate, as you saw people spread through your house, beginning to go through your things.

“Fae isn’t a good kidnapper,” she just answered with a shrug and Price laughed. If you weren't going to die from asphyxiation, you might just die from pure embarrassment.

You felt the spots in front of your eyes multiplying as you desperately clawed at Ghost’s arm.

“Calm down, lil’ bird,” he whispered darkly, “just let it happen, yea?”

Your feet felt heavy.

“Nae anythin’ lil’ bout that fat arse,” Soap mused next to you, “proper beauty.”

Hadn’t you been busy passing out from choking, you might have tried to hit him for that comment, mobster or not, but you felt weaker and weaker.

Your head felt heavy now. So did your arms. Even though she had told him not to kill you, you felt like you were going to die. Especially as you watched one of the men pulling down a picture of you and Alice, looking at it. You wanted to hit him too.

Wait… had Price called Kate for bosslady?

You passed out before you could think about it anymore.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

The first thing you registered was pain. Inside and around your neck, pain pulsed through it with every breath you took.

Probably came from being choked out, you figured.

Your forehead was resting on wood, your body bent forward. You were sitting on a chair and as you tiredly blinked, you realised you were cuffed behind your back too. The floor beneath your bare feet was cold, sending shivers of it up your soft legs.

What the fuck happened?

There was a strong smell of cigars, the scent making you groan a little. You managed to sit up, blinking shortly…

And staring directly at one certain John Price who sat opposite the table you had just been resting against, leant back a little and smoked said cigar. A pleased, almost amused smile on his face.

You blinked - then you noticed a shadow behind him in an otherwise dark room. Ghost stared right back at you.

This was all just splendid.

“How are you feeling, love?” John Price asked and you looked back at him, but it was as if you were unable to even open your mouth. Instead, you looked down at the table, watching the dried up bloodstains that had been attempted to be cleaned off.

Were they going to kill you? Kate had mentioned getting information from you -… Kate Laswell. Apparently the dangerous Watcher. She hadn’t seemed scary in the maybe less than 24 hours that you had held her captive. But still.

Then John Price said out your full name.

You froze. He knew your full fucking name. It shouldn’t surprise you, they broke into your house but still. You had tried to stay anonymous from them for so long. Then you looked up at him once more and he was smiling again, still seeming amused.

“Do you prefer Faes and Hounds?” Ghost asked from the darkness, making Price laugh, smoke leaving his mouth.

“You got us well there, sweetheart,” Price mused, taking another drag of his cigar, carefully watching you, “we really thought you were a proper group. Not just some lonely loser who knows how to hack and hide their IP address.”

“Fuck you.” The moment the two words left your mouth, you regretted them. They weren’t really something you should tell a mob member, were they? Though, John Price just chuckled.

“Oh, so she does talk, hm?”

Once again, you refused to answer.

“You know, Laswell called you Fae. Rests easier on your tongue, doesn’t it?”

You should have called your fake hacker group something cooler.

Your throat fucking hurt, your back was sore and you wanted to sleep. Not whatever the fuck they wanted to.

“Listen,” you said, voice a little raspy, “I don’t have any information, I didn’t hurt you or her, I -“

“Oh?” The sarcasm in his voice was clear as he cut you off, “don’t have any information? Then, it wasn’t you who was a thorn in our side for the last coupl’a weeks? Threatenin’ us constantly? Demanding 60 thousand pounds. That’s a lot of money, lass.”

You just stared at him silently. Your bare toes curled beneath the table, the urge to cry or hide was growing.

“Why don’t you tell me how you found your way into our electronics, hm?” He coached, “those aren’t just something you accidentally get access too.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” you lied on reflex.

“Hm, sure, apologies. How did you and that little group of yours get access?”

“Real’ odd how your supposed little hacker group has stopped replying after we took you, innit?” Price asked, then pulling a fucking knife from his belt. You stared at the knife, watched how he used it to clean out dirt from beneath his fingers. It was a fucking massive thing, clean as a mirror, but he moved it with such ease and experience that you knew he could make it hurt if he decided to attack you.

“Could be a coincidence, isn’t that right, Fae?” Ghost sarcastically asked. This time you didn’t even bother to look at him.

“So, what was your plan? Take the money and run away?” Price asked, now looking at you again. You just nodded.

“Huh. I was pretty sure Laswell mentioned something ‘bout some medical bills.”

You felt numb. You shouldn’t have told her about it. This was proof it was a bad idea. What a shitty kidnapper you were.

“It doesn’t matter,” you whispered, your voice a little raspy.

Price took a deep drag of the cigar. Held in the smoke for just a second before blowing it out again, watching you intensely. “So you say. Still, you decided that bothering a gang and kidnapping a member was worth it.”

“Seems a bit much for something that doesn’t matter.” Ghost added in.

“I didn’t know Kate was the leader.” You just admitted. Might as well be honest about that part, hoping that Price would confirm that Kate indeed was this Watcher.

Price watched you with a neutral face for a moment before breaking into a grin.

“Here I thought you weren’t a smart bird - but you still managed to find out that she was, hm?”

You couldn’t help your own small smile, that probably was more of a movement at the edges of your mouth.

“Well, you just confirmed it.”

There was silence in the room for a moment.

Then Ghost laughed.

“She got you there, old man.”

“Shut it,” Price grumbled, not looking too proud, “I see why she likes you though.”

You did your best to keep your face neutral. This was a messy, shitty situation and you didn’t feel in control at all. It was truly easier when you were behind a screen. Then you could control everything, hack your way into the things you couldn’t. You could just close the fucking laptop.

The knife was slammed down into the table, sinking smoothly into the wood.

“I still want to kill you,” Price casually said, while calmly watching his cigar now, before looking over at you, “promised to be nice though. Figured she maybe wants to do it yourself. She doesn’t kill a lot of people herself anymore, you know.”

You felt like you were going to throw up.

“I’m being a bad host though, hm?” He casually continued as if he hadn’t just more or less confirmed that you were going to die, “are you thirsty? Might be good for that neck of yours, being choked is never fun.”

You hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Ghost moved then, making you freeze, yet he merely put a bottle of water in front of you, before moving behind you and a moment later your hands were free.

Said hands were shaking as they took the water bottle but you pretended they weren’t, instead drinking some of the oddly cold water. Price just smiled.

“You know,” he then continued, “maybe losing a finger or two would jog your memory about how you got access to our devices.”

You almost felt like throwing up the water that you had drunk. It had an odd aftertaste anyways. You wanted to throw up a lot.

“Please don’t,” you whispered, past caring about how it made you seem weak to beg.

“No? It would make it harder for you to bother us again though.”

“I - listen I don’t know anything -“

“Bullshit,” Ghost said and then his gloved hand was on the back of your neck, in a grip that made you whimper, “nobody is going to help or save you, Fae. So I suggest telling the fucking truth.”

You knew that he was right. After Alice’s death, you had mostly been alone. The sad truth was that it would be quite a while before someone realised you had gone missing - it wouldn’t matter whether it was because a mob had kidnapped you or if you were just dead on the kitchen floor from a random stroke or from choking on a grape.

With a strong yank, Price pulled the knife from the wooden table again.

Then it was pointed towards you. You were stuck in between two different kinds of monsters, like some odd nightmare.

“So, did you send all the information to anyone?” Price’s voice had gone lower, eyes colder as he stared at you, the knife still pointed towards you.

“No, sir,” you whispered, “swear I didn’t.”

“No? Why should I believe you though?” He asked, “Kate might find you interesting due to your little kidnapping success with her - but be warned, Fae-“ he leant forward a little, “I won’t fucking hesitate to hurt you.”

You couldn’t answer, your tongue feeling numb. So you just nodded, feeling woozy from that mere movement.

“The drugs are setting in,” Price then declared as if he said it was going to rain.

Drugs? Your eyes flickered to the almost empty water bottle. Fuck. How stupid could you fucking be?

You felt yourself droop forwards a bit, a small sound leaving you. Ghost grabbed your arms, pulling you to your feet - and you barely got up before he almost squatted in front of you, hoisted you over his shoulder and rose up again.

The added height and feeling of his strong shoulder digging into your stomach made you whimper.

“C’mon then, let’s drop her off before we go talk to the others,” Price said, opening the door, but you felt your sight getting more and more blurry.

A part of you wanted to throw up over Ghost’s back and ass, just to be a nuisance, but you passed out before you managed to.

[linnetagain]

I have. Had a realization.

In-fic, it is Feb/March-ish of 2024. Gale is currently 29, Astarion is about to be 27. Hestia is seven-ish, and the baby was born when Gale was 21ish? Yes?

IRL, it is August 2024. I am currently 29. My sister is 27.

I am losing my mind.

I was a junior during the 2012 Olympics. Originally Astarion said that he was 14 when he skated to Golden, but that was when he thought his birthday was Jan 1, and skating season is usually finished by March, yeah??? So he would have be 13, little baby EIGHTH grader, teeny tiny child? Protect him????

And the Sebastian incident, he said he was 16, so that would have been some time in 2014, I’d only just graduated and was pretending to be A Real Adult, my sister was a tenth grader reading Julius Caesar and all that shiz, we were binge watching episodes of Pokémon on my chunky laptop like they were a line of crushed smarties on a coffee table and we had no nerve endings left in our sinuses.

Gale was 15 when he met Mystra, frickin 2010 or some shiz, I was still deeply uninterested in men as a concept at that point I’m ace but that’s beside the point so’s he, what were you thinking lady, I have a different sister who’s 8 years younger than me, when I was 22 the humans her size may as well have been INFANTS, who goes shopping for college boyfriends among incoming high school freshmen, you’re NASTY

Married at 19, okay maybe not so weird generally, that’s what my mom did, she’s fine, to each their own, but like that’s when I was heading into my first proper burnout, I was not a PERSON, absolute brick made of oatmeal, also I was still a TINY BABY, that was heckin ten years ago, heckin 2014, Astarion “falls” and Gale’s heckin legally bound to his heckin manager frick 2014 seriously who authorized this

Hestia would have been born some time in 2017, if she’s already 7 when the fic started in fall 2023, some time in March–September since we haven’t seen her birthday on screen yet, so absolute earliest she could have been conceived would have been like, June 2016, so Gale would have gotten the ultimatum in probably July or August, chest injury probably happened earlier that year, maybe March–Juneish if he spent a year retraining his voice and lungs and it overlapped with paternal leave post-Hessie, and Astarion asked “was that the year that—?” so his first baby probably died like, maybe mid-2015? That’s right when I got my heckin puppy. Gale’s son should be as old as my puppy dog. Jeez, Astarion escapes to law school right as Gale gets Metaphorically Orbed. Congrats Gale, you’re 20 and having the Worst Year Ever

Also, shoutout to Astarion for finishing law school in 3 years? Class of 2018? That seems so fast with like pre-law and stuff but I don’t know how the UK does it, also he’s a smart boy, GO, be FREE my son (sort of not really psych jk)

But also ugh living in a two-bed studio apartment for at least five years assuming they lived in student housing before that? How is your mind still intact

But just. Hessie. Born 2017. The year I started going into my SECOND major episode of burnout. Heck, do I know any seven year olds??? How old are my little cousins?? Heck, it would the ones who didn’t live very close, how big is a seven year old?????? My close friends have a six year old, but she’s usually doing her own thing when I hang out with them so I usually visualize her as so much smaller, I think I might be literally incapable of comprehending having spawned a tiny growing human and having them in close proximity to myself since 2017

Congrats, you’ve broken me

Yeah don't be fooled by Gale talking about how old he feels, they're both SO young and so much of the shit that they've gone through happened to them when they were literally children. Astarion was thirteen when he won gold, Gale was fifteen when he met Mystra. It's one of the reasons why that brief mention of Romeo and Juliet is so loaded, because Astarion is looking back and remembering how it felt like his whole world was defined by this one thing when he was that age, and how much has changed since then. How much more he's had the chance to be, and how he was so close to losing the chance at that. Also one of the reasons why it's so easy to write him being protective of Hestia. He can see Gale trying to give her a better childhood than either of them had and he's absolutely going to try and help.

[basilone]

I was tagged by @onehelluvamarine, ty! 💚

A band you don’t like that many others do:

Coldplay. I am absolutely mesmerized by how popular they are, because every single song of theirs I’ve ever heard gets on my last nerve.

A childhood memory that you remember vividly:

I used to do ballet and got to perform in a huge theatre once. I remember hanging out backstage, watching the older dancers, getting to see what the lighting crew was doing… It was a brilliant time, though the hassle to get hair and make-up done had a lot of people yelling and losing the plot. (I learned how to do stage make-up myself when I was a lil older, partially because that’s how you roll in drama classes but also because of that experience hahaha!)

Least favorite animal and why:

Listen. Listen to me. We do not need lightbulb fish. We do not need them. We do not require their presence in our waters.

Hot fandom take:

Do you know how many hot takes can fit in me? It’s a lot. I’m going to go with two hot takes because it’s my party and y’all have never ever seen me post one to this blog before.

Numero uno: readerfic is not OC fic, OC fic is not readerfic. If you name your character, it’s an OC. Even if you write them in first or second person POV. If you write Y/N, it’s readerfic no matter how much backstory you try to chuck at it. Learn to tag it properly. A fic cannot have both the canon character/OC and canon character/reader tags. Please do my last remaining pieces of sanity a favor and don’t make me read Y/N with my own two eyeballs just because you mistagged your fic.

Numero two: smut belongs under the cut. I don’t make the rules. If you start your fic with smut of any kind, put it under a readmore. Especially do this if that smut contains highly specific kinks. Aside from the fact that there are minors on this website who’ve got no business being subjected to that, people should be given the choice whether they want to see that level of smut on their daily newspaper dashboard scrollthrough first thing in the morning.

Do you wear any jewelry, if so, what’s your favorite piece:

I do, though not all the time. One of my fave pieces is a small ring with an eight-pointed star that I wear on my pinky finger.

A movie others liked but you didn’t:

Titanic. I know it’s got many many many fans, but I was cheering that iceberg on.

Three things you love about yourself:

My creativity, my ability to switch gears and learn on the fly, and my hair that does whatever I want it to do.

A place you hope to visit in the future and why:

Dude, have you seen the state of the world lately? I think I’m just gonna hope to visit my bed later on today, much safer.

An actor that gets on your nerves and why:

I have Tom Cruise blacklisted on this hellsite for good reason. The good reason being that I think he’s batshit and that people should stop entertaining his presence in anything. I’m not drinking that cult juice, thanks.

Things you’re excited for in the nearby future?

My birthday’s coming up on Feb 9!

Least favorite ship in a fandom you’re in:

At the risk of getting utterly disowned by a good number of folks that follow me: Webgott. I have gone for an outing or two in this ship, if memory serves me correctly, and I think I understand why people like it. I love banter in a ship as much as the next person, and the push-pull of opposites can be fun. But I also think Lieb deserves a lot more than someone who’s fundamentally at odds with his life and his POV. I think that the discussion they have in that final ep is indicative of something so major that it is a dealbreaker in that ship. (Plus, Web is just… not my fave character. Putting this mildly.)

What’s the most toxic fandom you’ve been in?

Vikings. Hands down, no contest. Absolute toxic cesspool of lies, backstabbing, and badmouthing. There are a few very good reasons why I’m no longer on speaking terms with people I used to call friends (at least one of whom was also in our lovely little war fandom back in the day) and why I’ve all but given up on doing any new gifsets or writing in that fandom for the foreseeable future.

List three things you find beautiful about life:

I’m gonna all caps this like a particularly obnoxious internet citizen because !! important !!

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR UNIVERSE DO YOU HAVE TIME TO TALK ABOUT THE STARS

MUSIC

THAT MOMENT WHEN YOU’RE LAUGHING WITH PEOPLE YOU LOVE AND YOU REALIZE THERE’S NOWHERE IN THE WORLD YOU’D RATHER BE THAN IN THAT EXACT MOMENT

Any dreams for the future?

I just want to live a life that’s good. I don’t really do future plans or dreams, it’s all vibes. I will know the move I need to make in the moment it needs making. Everything else is confetti.

How are you really feeling today?

Tired! (She says while about to embark on a screencap-to-gif journey. You might note the tiredness by the fact that I have completely lost my filter somewhere down the line of answering these questions, lol.)

Tags:

lmao I feel like half this fandom got tagged already and I’m very shit at remembering usernames and who likes tagging games sooooo. uhm. ain’t tagging anybody today.

[sloanerisette]

Digimon 02 Countdown Day 2 - Jogress: What You Are To Me

Happy 02 Countdown! Big shoutouts to @zuzsenpai for putting @digimon02countdown together, and I'm really happy I had a chance to finish this for it! I'm not exactly the happiest with it (am I ever with any of my work) but I got the Miyakari itch and really wanted to do something and this idea came to mind quickly. It's a bit of drama, a bit of longing, and a lot of yuri between the girls. I hope you all enjoy!

Summary: With Yolei so busy studying around the world, Kari has had fewer and fewer chances to spend time with her DNA Digivolution partner. When she finally has the chance to stop by India, though, she has to deal with the fact that her precious time with Yolei is going to be split with her new roommate, too. Kari's not sure how she feels, but she knows she doesn't feel great about it.

I'll post the whole thing here, but you can also read it on AO3 here!

---

“Are you finally ready to go? You’ve spent the last forty minutes figuring out what you want to wear and what you want to bring and we still have to go through the Digital World!”

Kari smoothed out the skirt she had just put on, unable to help but frown as she looked at herself in the mirror. It felt like no matter what outfit she put on, nothing looked as nice as she wanted, and each time she put something on she took it off just as quickly in hopes of finding something better.

She wasn’t even entirely sure why she was feeling like this in the first place. She was just visiting Yolei. Sure, they hadn’t had a chance to hang out in person in a month and a half now, but that didn’t mean she had to dress to impress by any means. Gatomon waited with bated breath, waiting from her spot curled up on the bed as Kari stared at herself in silence.

“Just let me try one more outfit,” Kari finally said before she scurried off to the closet, footsteps padding gently against the wood floor. Gatomon sighed and shook her head as Kari disappeared into her small closet, but thankfully it wasn’t long until she popped out. Kari was now wearing a grey shirt with a cute pink cat design on it and some faded jeans. As Kari walked to the mirror, her stomach churned with discomfort.

She still wasn’t entirely happy with it, not by any means, but it would have to do. She had already taken far too long, and even if Yolei wouldn’t mind if she was a little late, the time difference was still enough that Kari didn’t want to risk losing out on what precious little time she’d have with her DNA Digivolution partner and her best girl friend.

“I’m ready,” Kari said to her Digimon partner, voice cracking slightly. She couldn’t lie, her nerves were getting to her a bit, for a reason she wished she could identify. She tried to swallow down that anxiety, if only so Gatomon wouldn’t get worried. And hopefully she would be relaxed enough by the time they met up with Yolei.

Gatomon opened one eye, looking her partner up and down.

“If you get another cat shirt, I should be on it,” the Digimon said. That was enough to make Kari giggle.

“Well, I can see. Do you have any merchandise I don’t know about?” Kari teased gently. She reached over to her desk and grabbed her smartphone before picking up her bag from the floor. Gatomon gracefully leapt onto Kari’s shoulder as Kari leaned down to get the Digital Gate set up on her computer.

“You excited to see Hawkmon again?” Kari asked as she tapped the enter key.

“Yeah! So let’s go!” Gatomon cheered. Kari held up her phone, and in a literal flash, the two were gone.

Thankfully, the trip through the Digital World to the gate they had to get to was simple enough, and the walk along the plains with a gentle breeze blowing past her served to help her calm down.

As she arrived at the old CRT in question, she pulled out her phone to text Yolei.

[Kamiya Kari]: We’re here!

[Inoue Yolei]: Awesome! I’ll open up the gate for you!

Kari smiled to herself, unable to help but bounce on the balls of her feet. The last time they hung out one on one they had only barely finished lunch before they had to handle a Digimon that made its way into the real world. Taking it down had been a pain and after that, she got called in because a coworker called in sick. But now there would be nothing interrupting their hangout time. She held out her smartphone, and in a flash, she was gone.

“You’re here!”

As the bright light finally faded, there was Yolei, latching onto her with the tightest hug imaginable. Kari choked and laughed, returning the hug. Gatomon barely managed to jump off her partner’s shoulder just before Yolei collided with her.

“I missed you I missed you I missed youuuuuuuuuu!” Yolei cried out, burying her face into the crook of Kari’s neck. Warmth spread throughout Kari, her stomach doing a flip at the sudden, intense show of affection. Kari gently patted Yolei’s back.

“I missed you too,” she said quietly. She missed her so much that just saying she missed her didn’t feel like enough. The embrace held for another minute, before Yolei shook her a bit and let go. She bounced back a step and held her arms in the air.

“Welcome to India!” she shouted. Kari couldn’t help but laugh at the bright smile on her friend’s face, and her infectious energy had the weird anxiety slowly melting away.

“Thanks for inviting me!”

“Of course! And it’s so great to see you, Gatomon!”

“It’s great to see you, too,” Gatomon smiled.

“Is that our guests I hear?” Hawkmon asked from down the hall. He rounded the corner and upon seeing the two, was just as ecstatic as Yolei was. “Oh! I’m so happy to see you two! We’ve been waiting all week for this,” Hawkmon cried out. He flapped over to their guests, landing in front of Gatomon and offering her a hug.

“It’s great to see you too, Hawkmon,” Gatomon said, barely able to stop herself from being bowled over, then hugged her DNA Digivolution partner back. She patted her ears, making sure there was no fur out of place.

“So, what do you wanna do?” Kari asked. “Any big plans you’ve been scheming?” If there was one thing she knew about Yolei, it was the fact that she could (and would) go to any length to come up with something extravagant to do. It had always been something to be wary of in high school— there were a small handful of times Yolei had texted Kari to come over that led to her dragging her to a party— but a part of Kari had missed it, just a little bit.

But a part of her also hoped that Yolei didn’t find any parties to crash…

“I mean, I’ve had a few ideas,” she grinned in that oh so classic Yolei fashion.

“Hopefully non-dangerous ideas?” Kari teased. Yolei took on a look of faux offense, placing her hand on her chest.

“Me? Pitch a dangerous idea? Why, I would never!”

Kari playfully rolled her eyes, doing her hardest to hold back laughter which was currently threatening to erupt from her. However, she couldn’t stay strong for too long, before she nearly doubled over with laughter. Yolei followed suit as soon as she saw just how hard her best friend was laughing. Their Digimon watched on in amusement as the two young women slowly started to recover, gasping for breath and wiping tears from their eyes.

As happy as Kari was for Yolei to be enjoying her university years studying around the world and meeting so many people, she still couldn’t wait for her to hopefully one day come back to Japan so they could be able to spend more time together just like this.

“So, what’s the big plan for today then? It’s not like I have to be back for work or class until tomorrow,” Kari smiled.

“Oh! Well there’s this killer restaurant that we have to go to! Have you ever had Indian food before?” Yolei asked.

“Well, uh… I had some little microwave meal from a convenience store once…” Kari admitted sheepishly. Yolei’s jaw dropped and her eyes went wide.

“Kari!” she shouted, clapping her hands on her shoulders, “That doesn’t even remotely count! Oh my god! We have to fix this!”

Yolei put the back of her hand on her forehead as she let out a long, drawn out sigh, in utter disbelief at her friend’s words.

“You make it sound like I’ve committed a crime not having real Indian food!” Kari laughed.

“Because it is! Seriously, it is going to change. Your. Life,” Yolei assured her while she bounced on the balls of her feet.

“Ok, ok, let’s go then!” Kari said.

“We can’t go yet. We have to wait for Mina!”

“Mina?”

She hadn’t meant to say it, it had just come out. Tumbled off her tongue without realizing it. Yolei let out a chuckle.

“Mina? My roommate? You were the one who met her back in 2002.” she said. Kari blinked.

“No, no, I know who she is,” she said, feeling her cheeks heat up. She just… hadn’t expected her to come along on what was supposed to be their day. She wasn’t sure why it threw her off so much, or why she felt so weird over being thrown off over it. Realizing she had said nothing, she playfully stuck her tongue out at Yolei, who returned the gesture.

However, she still hadn’t said anything, and her neurons were firing trying to piece the right words together for what she wanted to say.

“I just… didn’t think she’d be coming, is all,” she finally finished, trailing off weakly as she glanced away.

“She’s been looking forward to it too!” Yolei told her.

Kari swallowed, forcing a tight smile onto her face.

“Can’t wait.”

It didn’t take long for the door knob to turn, and when it did, Yolei just about launched from her seat, running over as Mina and Meramon walked through the doorway.

“You’re back!” Yolei shouted, causing the bag of groceries to nearly spill from her arms at the loud surprise.

“I told you it wouldn’t be that long— oh, Kari!” Mina smiled brightly, “I didn’t realize you got here already! We’ll just put these away quick and we can get going!”

“Oh, no need to rush on my account,” Kari assured her with a small wave.

“Oh, it’s no big deal, it’ll be quick,” Mina said before she forced two bags into Yolei’s arms.

“Hey!”

“I know your friend just got here but you can help me put stuff away!” Mina chided teasingly. Yolei let out a dramatic sigh to Kari before she stomped over to the kitchen. Kari kept that same smile on her face as her stomach rolled again.

She had no doubt Mina was going to be fun to hang out with, but…

She shook her head to try and shake that thought away so she could focus on a good day with Yolei.

As the two girls went into the kitchen, talking and giggling to themselves, Kari stared at them from the other room, unable to help but start to wring her hands together.

“Hey Gatomon, do you think—”

Yolei would prefer to have Mina as her DNA Digivolution partner?

“—They’ll have something to eat that won’t be too spicy for me?”

Gatomon squinted up at her partner curiously, then her ears flicked, “Well, you can probably get your own pitcher of water just in case,” Gatomon said.

That was enough to cause a genuine chuckle to bubble from Kari’s lips.

“Thanks, Gatomon.”

“You ready to go?” Yolei asked loudly as she hopped over to Kari. Mina shook her head as she walked over.

“She’s always got so much energy. I don’t know how you’re able to handle it,” Mina teased gently, dusting her hands off and folding her arms as she gave her roommate an amused, teasing look. Yolei rolled her eyes and waved her off.

“Psh, you love it. You wouldn’t be having nearly as much fun without me around,” Yolei said as she bumped Mina’s hip. The two laughed together, and Kari couldn’t help but feel so… awkward as she just stood there. “Anyways, let’s go! I’m starving!”

“You’re always starving,” Mina said as Yolei looped arms with the two others and quickly burst out the front door with them in tow.

The restaurant Yolei chose was packed, and the three girls were sat at a tiny table in a corner, huddled together both for space and to be able to easily hear each other. Kari was taking a drink of water while Yolei and Mina began to laugh.

“I still can’t believe you did that! Seriously, Kari, you should’ve been there for that,” Mina said as she finally calmed down.

“Oh, come on, you’re making me sound bad!” Yolei gasped, “So I snuck in late one time! You can’t even talk because you helped!”

Kari sat there quietly, feeling like she was sitting at another table overhearing a conversation, not actually invited along to lunch.

“Well, if you do it again, I’m only doing it if you pay for dinner,” Mina said.

“Oh, believe me, I have the money for it. You’re stuck,” Yolei told her, raising an eyebrow and smirking as if to challenge Mina for a response.

Kari wracked her brain, wanting to bring up some story about her and Yolei to bring up, or even just thinking of something to interject with to join the conversation easier, but she couldn’t think of anything. Plus, with Yolei’s energy, getting a word in at all wasn’t always easy.

However, she was saved by the arrival of their food, with plates and many, many pieces of naan being set on the table. Kari had to stop herself from outwardly drooling at how delicious it looked and smelled. “Oh… I can’t wait to try this,” Kari said with a sigh.

“Butter chicken is the perfect place to start,” Mina smiled, “Make sure you eat it with the naan, though!”

Mina ripped off a piece of naan and dunked it into her own food, then took a bite. Yolei followed suit.

“I need to see your first bite. I need to see your face,” she said while she chewed. Kari flushed slightly as Yolei focused on her. But she did as Yolei insisted, tearing off a piece of delicious smelling naan and dunking it in her butter chicken and scooping some up, glancing up and then back down a few times as she was about to take a bite. She finally did, though, and her eyes went wide. Her jaw dropped, and she couldn’t help but laugh gently once she swallowed.

“This is…”

“Yeah?” Yolei asked, voice full of excitement.

Kari couldn’t help herself, and she went to take another bite, covering her mouth as she chewed.

“This is so good.”

“Yes! I knew you’d love it! I told you that it would change your life!” Yolei grinned. Kari nodded.

“You were right!” she laughed. It was delicious, and she was glad to have Yolei there for such a “major moment.”

“I’m glad you like it! This is one of our favorite places to go to, so Yolei figured it was the obvious place to take you,” Mina told her.

It wasn’t just the food that filled her with warmth, but the fact that Yolei wanted to take her there.

But then she froze.

It was one of their favorite places to go. Kari was just coming along with them.

She tried to push past it, but even as she ate such a delicious meal and shared laughs with the two, she couldn’t help but replay those words over and over in her head. Even as badly as she didn’t want to.

By the time the meal was done, Kari still had a decent portion left, both due to the massive size and the fact that eventually the stress left her with no appetite.

“Hey, Kari, you mind if I take the rest of your food? I could go for lunch tomorrow,” she said with a big grin that Kari wasn’t sure if Yolei realized just how charming it was.

“Sure,” she smiled, passing her plate over to her so Yolei could put it in a takeout container along with what little remained of her own meal.

“Are you sure you’re going to be able to leave?” Mina asked, nodding to the container Yolei was tapping her fingers on.

“What else are Digital Gates for? Trust me, I’ll be back so much,” she grinned.

“You should come visit Japan sometime. I’m sure there’s some great places we could take you to,” Kari said.

“Oh, I’d love that. That would be a ton of fun,” Mina smiled.

Yolei leaned back in her seat, “So, what do you guys wanna do next? It’s still early! And it’s even earlier for Kari! We can hit up a club or a bar or something?” Yolei suggested. Now that was the Yolei she knew. Kari laughed weakly.

“I dunno if I’m up for all of that,” she said. Yolei let out an exaggerated sigh.

“Ok, ok. Do you wanna just hang back at our place?” she asked.

“Please,” Kari said. Frankly that was all she could’ve asked for after a good meal.

“One day I’ll get you two to get out there and party some more,” Yolei teased.

Thankfully, Yolei had desisted, and the group of them went back to Mina and Yolei’s place to relax. The next few hours were filled with watching TV and talking, although Kari was still on the quiet side. It was something that Gatomon noticed, but said nothing about, instead enjoying time sitting with Kari and receiving some scratches behind the ears. It was hard for Kari to stay focused on what was on the TV with how much was on her mind, and every so often her eyes flitted over towards Yolei, who would get caught up in laughing over some tech thing being completely wrong.

A few hours later, and the sun was slowly starting to set, casting orange light on all three girls and their Digimon. Kari couldn’t help but stare just a bit at the way Yolei seemed to glow. She looked away once Hawkmon looked her way and cleared her throat.

“I… think I’m gonna go— I need to go. I have a few things I need to get ready for tomorrow…” she said sheepishly. Yolei’s jaw dropped.

“Aww, noooo! C’mon! Can you stay a little longer? Pleeeeeease?” Yolei begged.

“I’m sorry, I really should get going… it’s an early day tomorrow,” Kari sighed.

“I’d suggest staying for dinner but I think we all ate too much to even think about dinner,” Mina laughed. Kari couldn’t help but chuckle weakly.

“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks for inviting me, though. I had a lot of fun.”

“You’re welcome here anytime you want,” Mina said.

“Yeah! Seriously, our home is your home,” Yolei told her.

“Thanks,” Kari said simply, getting up to give both of them a hug, itching to get out of there and give herself some time to sit with herself and think. Yolei’s frown was deep as she got up to open the Digital Gate on her computer.

“We gotta make plans to hang out again soon, ok? Promise?” Yolei asked as she held up her phone to open up the gate.

“Of course. You know I love spending time with you,” Kari said, then looked over at the gate. Yolei wrapped her arms around her in one last, tight hug, before Kari and Gatomon disappeared into the Digital World.

As the two walked along the bright, grassy plains of the Digital World, Gatomon looked up at Kari.

“You didn’t have a good time today, did you?” she asked with a frown. Kari’s eyes went wide.

“No, I did! It’s just…” she sighed and shook her head, “I don’t know. I just miss when we would hang out, I guess,” she shrugged. Gatomon frowned and gently patted Kari’s leg.

“You two will have more time to hang out once she’s back,” her Digimon assured her.

Kari wanted to believe that, but with how excited Yolei was to be out there— even if she had invited her to come back— she wasn’t sure she could believe that they’d be spending as much time together.

“Thanks Gatomon,” Kari said. As the two continued on, Gatomon’s ears twitched as she heard the sound of blades of grass crunching against footsteps behind them, quickly approaching. Gatomon turned to look behind her, a smile on her face.

“Heeeeeeeeeey! Kariiiiiiiiii!”

Kari whipped around, jaw dropped as she saw Yolei barreling towards her. The lavender-haired woman tried to skid to a stop, but bowled into Kari, who was barely able to catch her and keep them both standing. She wrapped her arms around her best friend to steady her, unable to stop the swarm of butterflies that started flapping around again at how close they were to each other. Kari took a step back, separating the two of them, as she looked at Yolei.

“What’re you doing here?” she asked.

“I was just kind of worried… you seemed kind of off today. Are you ok?” she asked.

“I-I’m not— I wasn’t—” she stammered, stopping when Yolei placed a hand on her shoulder.

“C’mon, I’m your DNA Digivolution partner. Maybe I can’t ‘hear your heartbeat’ like Ken and Davis can do with each other, but I know when something’s wrong,” she said, offering what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

“Oh, well…” Kari trailed off, unsure of what to say. What could she say without sounding bad.

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” she paused, “Did I do something wrong?” Yolei bit her lip as she tried to get a hint at what was wrong by examining her face very carefully.

“No! No, it’s not you, I just…”

She had to be honest. She was scared— terrified, even— to be honest, but it would be for the best. She just had to be brave enough. It was Yolei, even, who both inspired and taught her how to better speak up for herself and how she felt.

“I just hope it doesn’t backfire now of all times…” she thought, swallowing down a lump in her throat.

“I wish that we spent more time together today. Just the two of us,” Kari said slowly, unable to help but cringe. She felt so childish admitting it, but at the same time, getting it off her chest was a small relief.

“I mean, I wasn’t just going to ignore Mina or not invite her or anything,” Yolei frowned as she folded her arms. Kari felt her face heat up and her stomach dropped. This was exactly what she feared.

“No! No no no, I didn’t mean not invite her! It’s just that… well, before you were in Spain, and then you went to India right after. Now we’re both so busy and with the time difference we don’t have nearly as many chances to talk or hang out,” she said, “And I just… miss you. A lot.”

Tears started to well up at the corners of Yolei’s eyes and she tried to blink them away. Kari saw, but didn’t say anything.

“I guess I just hoped that today would be a day for the two of us. Like when we were back in high school.”

Sleepovers, running to the convenience store for snacks after school, long text conversations when one of them was bored with schoolwork, or fun trips to the Digital World. All of the things Kari missed, even though she knew that things wouldn’t just be able to stay like that forever.

“I didn’t realize… I’m sorry, Kari. I wish you said something,” Yolei said. She wasted no time in holding onto Kari again. Kari held her back as her own tears started to spill down her face. She could hear Yolei sniffle, too, the waterworks undoubtedly pouring on her end, too.

“Maybe it sounds ridiculous, but I don’t want us to grow apart,” Kari told her, her voice muffled by the way her face was buried into her shoulder.

“That does sound ridiculous,” Yolei laughed weakly between sniffles, pulling back just enough to look at Kari.

“You’re sure?” Kari asked, her voice shaking, “You don’t wish you had a different DNA Digivolution partner or whatever?”

Yolei scoffed and shook her head, “Someone other than you? Never. There’s no one I could want as a partner more than you.”

Kari’s stomach did a flip at that simple statement, wanting nothing more than to hear it again.

“There’s no one I want as a partner more than you, either,” Kari whispered. Everything felt startlingly still and silent as the two looked into each other’s eyes, and Kari could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

“Can I…” Kari whispered.

“Kiss me?” Yolei asked, “Please.”

“How did you…”

“Know? I dunno, maybe it was just our connection as partners,” she smiled. The two leaned in and kissed, something soft, sweet, and simple. It was perfect, and all Kari could’ve asked for. When the two pulled away, Kari was bright red.

“That was… I liked that,” she giggled.

“Me too,” Yolei grinned.

“I’m… sorry. About everything. I should’ve said something sooner,” Kari sighed. Yolei poked her gently in the cheek.

“You should have. But it’s ok. I get it. I mean, look who I am. Next time we make plans, we’ll make them for just us then, how about that?” she suggested. Kari nodded slowly.

“Yeah,” she smiled. The two continued to look at each other with goofy smiles on their faces.

“Text me when you get back, ok?” Yolei asked, finally breaking the serene silence.

“But it’s not a long trip? Or dangerous?” Kari said, tilting her head in confusion.

“I know, but that doesn’t mean I don’t wanna talk to you. Especially after that,” Yolei winked. Her smile grew when she saw Kari blush again.

“Yeah, ok, I will,” she said, nodding repeatedly. They waved goodbye to each other, and Yolei turned to head back to the gate that she came from. Once she disappeared, Kari and Gatomon went on their way back to the gate that would take them home.

“So, are you feeling better now?” Gatomon asked. Kari let out a content sigh.

“Yeah, yeah I am.”

“And at least I won’t have to find someone else to DNA Digivolve with,” Gatomon joked.

“You’ll still have Hawkmon and I’ll still have Yolei,” Kari hummed.

“I guess maybe we aren’t *just* DNA Digivolution partners now.”

[jus-let-me-read]

Suffocating Feelings

Words: 1502

Joyce and Hopper’s wedding is today, and a newly dating Robin and Nancy get ready together. They still have to deal with the repercussions of the Upside Down, but they’re trying their best together.

TW: panic attacks

-

“Thank god Joyce is letting me wear a suit to her wedding,” Robin sighed out underneath her breath. She looked at herself in the recently added full-length mirror in Nancy’s room. Her hands reached out to unbutton the top button. Where, even though a suit is a lot more comfortable than a dress, it wasn’t perfect. The cotton white shirt complemented by the navy blue blazer she rented out a week before. She squinted at herself in the mirror, stepping back as she did. From the corner of the mirror, she could see the back of Nancy’s head as she put on some final touches to her makeup.

Robin faced towards Nancy, uselessly messing with the cuffs of the sleeves. “Nance, can you, uh- can you help me out here?” Her voice stumbled as she fumbled around with her right sleeve. As soon as Nancy turned towards Robin, she couldn’t help but lose her breath. She gulped, taking in the woman she was lucky enough to call her girlfriend. “Wow. You look- wow,” Robin uttered, composing herself. “You look beautiful.”

Nancy, soaking in the compliment, had an infectious smile. She looked giddy as she looked down at her heels, back up to Robin, looking flushed. “And you look perfect in your suit,” she said, stepping towards her. She reached towards the cuffs of Robin’s suit, buttoning each sleeve.

Nancy stepped towards her bed, grabbing the navy blue tie that went with the suit. She smiled up at her girlfriend, briefly going on her toes to kiss her. “You ready to go to a wedding?” She asked, meeting her gaze.

“I’m surprised I’m invited at all, to be honest,” Robin admitted. “I mean, I’m not the best of buddies with either Hopper or Joyce.”

“Of course you’re invited, Robin. I mean, sure, you haven’t directly worked with either of them, but you helped them- us save the world multiple times.” Nancy replied in a heartbeat. “That goes beyond being Hopper’s coworker or Joyce’s neighbor. It’s so much more.”

Robin looked unsure. Even if she knew she was likely to be invited to the wedding, especially since Will was attached to Robin in a unique sense, it still felt weird. She knew so much about the couple, and a lot about stuff so many people don’t know themselves, but the most words she spoke to both of the parents have always been a simple greeting. “You sure?” she asked, as her hands played with the collar of her shirt.

“I’m positive. They’ll be happy to see you there.” She offered her girlfriend a comforting smile. “Besides, the kids absolutely adore you and Steve is like your soulmate.”

Nancy draped the tie over Robin’s neck, playing with each end as she recalled a memory on how to tie a tie. Though she didn’t do it as often as before, she had helped both Jonathan and Mike at one point.

“Are you okay?” Nancy asked, noticing Robin’s shifty gaze. She placed her hand gently on her shoulder, catching her attention. “Is there anything you want to talk about?”

“No, no,” Robin quickly said. “Just post wedding nerves, I guess. I hadn’t really been to a wedding before. I mean, sure, there was my aunt, but I was like 5 at the time, so that barely counts.” Before she could continue, she shut her mouth to stop herself from rambling.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Nancy tried. Robin simply nodded ‘no’, looking down at her tie, signaling Nancy to continue. Nancy took both ends of the tie, crossing them both as she recounted each step slowly. She looked up at Robin, meeting her intense gaze with an unreadable look in her eyes.

Robin took in a deep breath, watching as Nancy crossed the wide end of the tie from behind, pulling the necktie slightly to pass it through the neck loop. The motions were all her brain seemed to be focused on. She got around to wrapping the tie around once again and looping it for the last time. The necktie was wrapped around her neck loosely, barely even close to being considered tight. It looked almost silly.

Just as Nancy’s hands moved towards her tie, one hand holding the base as the other held the end, she started to tighten it. The necktie got closer and closer to her neck, and Robin lost her breath. Suddenly, Robin could feel the black like-tentacle around her neck choking her all over again. The upside down Victor Creel house was fresh in her mind. The feeling of her breath shortening before she’d eventually black out and be left for dead. Haphazardly, she grabbed at the tentacle and pawed at it, prying it off desperately. She sank to her knees, trying to catch her breath. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears and felt her vision blur as she was back in Nancy’s room.

Robin was on her knees. The tie, though not completely off, was back hanging around her neck with visible folds and creases. She couldn’t hear anything aside from her loud heart, as she desperately tried to catch her breath. She looked around her room panicky, calling out to Nancy, though her mouth couldn’t fully make out the words. Not even a second later, Robin felt warm arms wrap around her back, her vision being overcome by familiar brown curls.

“...”

“... okay.”

“You’re okay.” Nancy’s voice was reassuring as she processed the words.

“Robin, can you hear me?”

Robin nodded. She choked out a shaky ‘yes,’ only then realizing she was crying. Weakly, she wrapped her arms around Nancy as tight as she could. She listened to Nancy as she coaxed her to breathe with her.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale.

Robin’s breathing settled, her erratic heartbeat slowing. Upon noticing Robin’s composure return, Nancy slightly pulled back, looking at Robin’s face. One of her hands hesitantly reached up, rubbing away a stray tear. “You’re okay, Robin. Nothing is going to come get you. Everything is settled with. Just remember that.” Nancy whispered softly in a coaxing tone. “Do you want to come sit on the bed?”

Robin could only weakly nod as Nancy helped her up and maneuvered her towards the bed. Before Nancy could speak, Robin found her voice. “Thank you.”

Nancy smiled weakly, happy to see Robin back to herself again. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice earlier. It didn’t really cross my mind that a tie would-“ Her voice hesitated, a moment of silence following as Nancy couldn’t find the right words. Though Nancy hasn’t had a particular experience about her neck yet, she had gone out of her way to avoid certain necklaces and chokers.

“It’s not your fault,” Robin said. “Look, it’s silly really, I mean-“

“It’s not silly,” Nancy immediately interjected, unintentionally raising her voice. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to raise my voice. It’s just that- it’s not silly at all for you to react like that. You went through something traumatizing. Don’t fault yourself for the way you react towards things.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, though her heart wasn’t in it. “I know I shouldn’t. It’s just been getting to me a lot more recently.” Her hand reached up towards her neck hesitantly, tracing over the faded bruise. “Even though it’s healing, sometimes it’s like I can still feel it. I haven’t really been one to like tight clothes, but after the whole Vecna thing, it just turned into an actual problem.”

Nancy placed her hand naturally onto Robin’s, running her palm over Robin’s fingers before holding her hand. She could see faded scars, some more evident than others, from her own experiences. “Yeah, I get what you mean. Everyone has been finding their own ways to deal with things, and we’re all just going through the repercussions.” Her voice came out softly, hesitating over each of her words. Truth be told, they haven’t talked about the upside down that often. Nancy’s had nights where Robin stayed up with her after she had a nightmare, and they had a conversation lasting for hours as Nancy recounted the story behind a couple of her scars.

Robin lightly chuckled. “I guess that comes with saving Hawkins. Just part of the package deal.”

“Is there anything I can do to help you deal with things?” Nancy asked, her voice slightly wavering with each word as she thought of how to properly phrase it.

Robin paused in thought, before laying back in Nancy’s bed, uncaring of the fancy suit she wore. She met Nancy’s eyes and reached for her hand again, squeezing it. “This is already enough. I’m just happy to have you here,” she said, before her tone shifted. “Although, I won’t be opposed to more movie nights as background noise.”

“Well, you’re the one working at Family Video, so I may just have to rely on you for that part.”

“I wouldn’t trust your movie background anyway,” Robin teased, her grin betraying her.

“It was one bad romcom!”

[lesbianworlock]

Not to like “oh woe is me” post but I feel like I can vent on tumblr since it’s idk tumblr. But I was SO excited for my final semester of undergrad this summer and then almost immediately after I got here in August I began struggling very deeply in ways I have never struggled before. Like confused 24/7, missing assignments because I was too tired to even get out my phone let alone my laptop, forgetting everything including what I’m doing or where I’m supposed to be and even classroom locations on a campus I’ve been at for 4 and 1/2 years. Losing things constantly, randomly loosing grip strength and dropping things, horrible brain fog, waking up feeling like I’m shaking 24/7 but everyone telling me I’m not shaking anywhere when I ask, issues walking, dizziness, vertigo. I’ve been having such extreme fatigue I can’t even get out of bed to pee until it hurts because I’m just too tired. This has been happening since August. Which I assumed this was bad depressive episode so I had them double my antidepressants, and then nothing got better.

But then like two months ago I woke up with this pain in the left upper corner of my right eye. Just a spot the size of my fingertip. And it had me in so much pain I was throwing up. So I thought “I’m a big kid, I have migraines like this all the time.” and I took some of my medicine for that. But it didn’t go away. It lasted for a whole day. When it came back a few days later I decided maybe it was sinus pressure, so I took some allergy meds and some cold meds for a week while it was hurting off and on. But that didn’t work. And then it came back and I got a migraine over top of it. So it wasn’t that. And FINALLY last week it got so bad I couldn’t see out of my eye, the pain had been constant for about four days, and I was so dizzy I could barely walk. So my mom drove an hour out of state to pick me up and an hour back down to take me to the er, who promptly sent me to their on call opthamolagist who, after a serious of very very bright lights directly to my hella dilated pupils, told me my optical nerve is swollen and I need and mri.

Which is FUCKING STUPID that my optical nerve is causing me this much pain. But whatever.

Anyway the day after I went to the er and saw the eye doctor I had a follow-up with my primary care physician, and he said “oh yeah, they’re gonna want that mri urgently. We want to make sure you don’t have ms. Your symptoms are consistent and optical neuritis is often one of the first things ms patients experience before diagnosis.” like girl? If I have ms that chose to present itself by incapacitating me to the point I am failing my final semester of undergrad, and may not be able to fix it, I am going to lose my mind. It couldn’t have presented itself six months from now?????? There’s no confirmation it’s me yet until after my mri, but still. Whatever this is has me pissed tf off. Show up at a different time.

All that being said. Here’s a meme I made about it using a screenshot from one of my fave vines because I’m actually coping and not at all having a sort of hypochondria spiral and doing as much research on it as possible. That would be weird.

[starlessskies94]

Midnight Confessions (Alistair x Evie)

Notes: So for the longest time, I've loved the idea of my Mage Inquisitor being with Alistair either as a warden or as king because I feel they'd be perfect for each other. I think they have a lot in common and I've always wanted to write something for them. I have a ridiculous amount of unfinished fics about these two and this one was something quick and simple that I wrote in two days and so I'm going for it and posting it! I hope you like it and I hope that I got Alistair's character right and it's as sweet and soft as I intended for it to be. Enjoy!

Day had turned to night quicker than she’d realised. And now here she stood; dressed in the silk nightgown specially handmade for her by the finest tailors in Thedas. Sent as a gift. A wedding gift to be more precise. She stood before the marital bed beside her new husband. Both stand awkward, quiet and equally as nervous. 

They knew what was expected of them tonight. They’d known when they’d agreed to the marriage in the first place. They’d known when they first met. They’d known when they’d sat getting to know the other over glasses of wine and bottles of Ferelden beer. And they’d known when they’d stood at the alter and been pronounced man and wife. The Inquisitor marrying the King of Ferelden had been the talk of Thedas for months and now it had become a reality, as said man and wife stood beside each other on their wedding night; they were terrified. 

Evie fidgeted, picking at her fingernails and pinched at the silk that covered her body; embarrassingly leaving very little to the imagination. Which in turn made her extremely self-conscious. Alistair tried and failed multiple times to swallow the lump that was sitting in his throat and the churning of his stomach as the nerves gripped him with their suffocating clutch. The room was thickly silent save for the clearing of throats and the shuffling of feet as each waited for the other to make a move closer towards their marital bed. Neither did. 

She had refrained from telling anyone her most closely kept secret. That she; Evelyn Trevelyan, a powerful mage, Herald of Andraste, slayer of Corypheus and fearless leader of the Inquisition; was a virgin. She was already embarrassed about the fact that she had made it to the age of twenty-eight and had still yet to invite anyone into her bed. She hadn’t wanted anyone to know. It hadn’t seemed that big of a deal. But now as she stood before her husband; it suddenly became all too real that still no one knew the truth. She had to say something. 

Taking a deep and shaken breath she turned towards Alistair and sighed. 

“Alistair…” she whispered into the silence and all at once the spell was broken and all sounds seemed to come to life. The wind softly breezed through the drawn curtains of the balcony beyond. The crackling of the flames in the lit fireplace. And Alistair’s laboured breathing. It seemed to echo now as he turned to glance at her with that terrified look on his face. 

“Yes?” He asked nervously. She took a second and turned away from his gaze. She didn’t think she could look him in the eye as she made her confession. 

“I’m aware of what is expected of us tonight. I’m not a fool and I know you aren’t either. But you see I…uh…I don’t think I’m ready for this…” She paused and took the risk of peeking towards her new husband. And instead of finding annoyance or anger, she saw only worry and concern. “The truth is I’ve never done anything like this before; with anyone.” 

Evie didn’t know what she was expecting to happen after she told him the truth but Alistair letting out a breathless laugh of relief and flopping down on the bed with his hands covering his face was certainly not it. “Oh thank the maker!” He laughed. His whole face losing every inch of tension and worry as his features became softened and light. “I’m so glad you said that Evie.” She was confused. Moving to take a seat on the bed beside him. He sat up and smiled sweetly; taking her hand in his. “You are?” She asked. He laughed again; running his other hand through his hair. “I was so scared to tell you; well more embarrassed I would say. I mean get to thirty-one and have zero experience. Not that I haven’t had offers mind you. I have but they were… not like you.” He was babbling he knew he was and yet he still couldn’t stop himself from talking. 

“I was worried what you’d think and that it would put you off or make me seem like I wasn’t worthy of being your husband.” Stop talking he thought to himself, you’ll scare the poor woman away . “What I’m trying to say Evie is…I haven’t done this before either.” She smiled and the same relieved look she’d seen upon her husband's face was now worn upon hers. “Really?” She asked in surprise. Scooting closer towards him as she moved to sit with her legs crossed. Her hand never left his as she squeezed it gently. 

“See the thing is, I was sent to the Chantry when I was ten; so I’ve always been raised not to treat this kind of thing lightly. I’ve always been waiting for the right person. And then I got recruited into the Grey Wardens and we were fighting against the blight so there wasn’t much time for romance.” He explained. “Not to mention the whole time I had to put up with Cousland making kissy faces and heart eyes at Morrigan; I spent most of my time trying not to vomit.” He laughed and Evie giggled at the cheeky smirk he gave her. 

“You know that’s so strange you say that. Because I pretty much had the same experience.” She said. Alistair gave a tilt of his head and it made him all the more endearing than he already was to her. Along with that lopsided grin; it made her heart flutter. “I was sent to the Circle of Magi when I was eight. And didn’t leave until the mage rebellion happened. I spent most of those years on the run, when they did track me down, it was only because of my noble upbringing that the Grand Enchanter chose to send me to the Conclave. And well… you know everything that happened after that.” She sighed and turned away but Alistair took ahold of her other hand and gently pulled her towards him as he gave her an understanding smile. 

“During that year of trying to defeat Corypheus and fighting against his demons and agents, I was so focused on everything I guess…” 

“There wasn’t much time for romance?” He offered sweetly as he leaned forward, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. She blushed and he definitely noticed. “I suppose we should be thanking Leliana; it seems she knew we’d be perfect together. Having as much in common as we do.” She smiled. Alistair nodded and hummed in agreement. Their eyes met again and all the tension that was once in the room melted away—leaving only calm and comfort in its wake: gentle smiles and soft touches. Neither hesitated as Evie untangled her legs and threw herself at Alistair; his arms wrapped around her waist and held her close as their lips met in a kiss. It wasn’t anything like the chaste kiss they’d shared at their wedding, full of nerves, uncertainty, and hesitation. This was heated and passionate and warm. They broke apart to come up for air panting a little; they both beamed at the other with blushing smiles. Evie’s eyes fluttered closed as Alistair leaned forward to kiss her forehead and then her nose. 

He took hold of her hands again; bringing them to his lips; kissing her knuckles and the back of her palms. To say she was swooning was an understatement. “Evie I want to do things right.” He declared softly. “I don’t want to rush things between us; I mean I suppose we have skipped a step considering we’re already married..” 

Evie giggled at that. He did have a point. 

“But I still want to court you properly. I want to take you to dinner and buy you flowers and chocolates. And go out riding together in the woods; Oh! We could take a picnic and make a whole afternoon out of it!” He gasped excitedly. “I could take you dancing; you know if you don’t mind me stepping on your toes again. I am getting better…kind of. Actually, never mind, I’ll work the dancing.” He promised. 

He continued listing all the things he wanted to do with her. From visiting the Denerim market and the tavern to try more ales together and treat her to a proper Ferelden stew , to reading in the royal gardens. He wanted to sneak her love notes during their council meetings and bask in the sunlight as they catnapped out on the balcony of their bedroom. Evie was so caught up in all the romance of it; she wondered what she’d been so afraid of. She interrupted him with a kiss; sitting back and cupping his face in her hands, that lopsided grin gracing his handsome features once again as he gazed at her. 

“That sounds wonderful.” She smiled. “And I can’t think of a better way to start all that than by kissing my new husband goodnight and falling asleep cuddled up in his arms tonight.” 

“Whatever my queen desires.” He purred, pulling her close for another kiss pressed against her forehead. And as Evie laid herself beside him; both shuffling under the covers and snuggling closer together, she could hear his heartbeat as she rested on his chest. He wrapped an arm around her middle, his chin resting on the top of her head. It felt as natural as breathing the way they fit together. Like she’d always been meant to be here. It didn’t take long for the King and Queen to drift off to sleep and as Evie let herself be carried off into the fade of dreams and magic. She knew that falling in love with Alistair would be the easiest thing she would ever do.