#probably the wind tearing down a tree or a fire from the lightning possibly

[stiffyck]

Severe weather warning caught to up us as well. Just prying no one is hurt

[oneshotnewbie]

Could you write a one shot where there is a really bad storm hitting Seattle. Maya and Carina are stuck at the hospital and the fire station, and are trying but unsuccessful at reaching Reader. So they are both worried out of their minds. Then Maya has to go out on a call and find it was R who wrecked their car trying to get home before the storm hit. (Could be severe or non-severe injuries) R goes to the hospital with Maya in the aid car and Carina joins them in the ER.

Authors note: I heard the song "What the water gave me - Florence + The Machine" while writing this story. I would advise you to listen to the song as well while reading through this story to get the feel of a real Station 19 rescue mission like in the series. Of course it's not a must! ♥

ᕚ---ᕘ

The sky over Seattle steadily darkened as pitch-black thunderclouds rolled in like a tidal wave. The wind began to howl as if playing its own somber tune, rushing restlessly through the skyscrapers of the city. Streets were quickly emptied as people rushed home for shelter. The trees bent under the force of the storm as if begging for mercy, but the storm was relentless. It thundered as if Zeus himself wanted to keep the crowds in their place while the rain fell in thick, large drops and threatened to drown Seattle. The sound of the wind, the falling of the rain and the thunder symphoned in a unique melody and conveyed a frightening atmosphere.

The telephones of the active fire brigade beeped in unison, a warning of the approaching storm that came in way too late. The tough captain of the fire department swallowed hard as she could not reach you, who worked just a few minutes away from her. But you did not answer, the connection was already disrupted, appearing to be off. "She wanted to be here fifteen minutes ago, Carina," both her and the brunette's worries grew with every minute through the phone as they imagined the worst possible scenarios without having any sign of life from you.

"Calm down, Bambina. There is probably total chaos on the streets. Fallen trees, flooding. Maybe she is just stuck in a traffic jam or an emergency came in."

The fire station was flooded with red alarm lights, while the walls shook from violent gusts of wind, preventing the young blonde from speaking further. Raindrops pelted against the roller shutter door, which opened more with every second, allowing the lightning strikes to break through their vision. -Fire engines 19 and 23. Ambulance 19 to Cedar Road Lane 6. Car struck by tree, person seriously injured and trapped.-

The firefighters rushed around, donning their suits and gear before grabbing their helmets. Like-minded, they rushed to the waiting vehicles, only Maya stopped briefly. „Please let me know if you hear anything from her. Stai attenta, bambina!" (Be careful, bambina!). She nodded, knowing that Carina could not see the gesture and hung up before hopping into the squad cars and starting the sirens. Pressing the accelerator, they raced through the whirlwind around them, trying to avoid the tree branches as much as possible.

Lightning flashed across the dangerous-looking sky, and thunder rolled at the same time like an angry demon. Maya clung to the steering wheel as she tried to keep her eyes on the wet, blurry road. They made their way through the flooded streets, branches flying through the air and trash cans tipping over and spilling across the sidewalk.

It was as if the world around her was collapsing in a chaotic dance of wind and water. "Listen guys, I know you want to help the person in the car, but first and foremost, think about your health and your life," the storm roared so loudly that it seemed like it wanted to tear the entire city apart and hardly anyone understood what the captain was saying over the radio. "This is one of the worst storms in years, a state of emergency has been declared and normally no one should be on the roads, so it is a mystery to me why anyone would be so dumb to be driving,"

Her team was clearly tense, the radios crackling in their ears, but they nodded to the captain as confirmation that they had understood the message. Maya did not want to lose any man or woman in her group to the storm. "We are approaching the scene of the accident. Be ready for anything, people. We can do this!" she said calmly and encouragingly while the fire engine´s sirens blared through the dark night.

When the team from Station 19 arrived at the scene of the accident, they were confronted with a dark and serious scene. The car is crammed in by a huge tree and is badly deformed, the hood of which is completely smashed and dented while some branches have pierced through the windshield and turned the interior of the vehicle into a field of rubble.

The fire team jumped out of the emergency vehicles and fought through the wind and rain to reach the car. But the captain remains rooted to the spot in front of the stern of the wreck, looking absentmindedly at the license plate, which was hanging askew. "Y/n.. IT IS Y/N!" she shouted unhindered amid the raging and deafening thunder and her team stopped their tasks in shock, Andy and Gibson focusing their gaze from the thick tree over to the woman in the driver's seat, who Warren was already trying to find vital signs on.

Maya lunged forward, her heart pounding with worry. Her helmet was almost blown away by the wind as she stepped closer, the flashlight shaking in her hand as she shone the light through the shattered window. Her heart seemed to skip a beat as she recognized the familiar features amid the devastation. She was confirmed that she did not have a number twist on the license plate, but that it really was you. Seriously injured and trapped in the car. “Y/n!” she cried, her voice filled with a terror she had never known before. Maya knew she had to stay calm now, that she had to be the professional captain, but her heart was screaming with fear and worry.

The other members of the fire department worked quickly and precisely. "Dean, Montgomery. Grab the hydraulic cutters! We need to get her out of here as quickly as possible. Her vital signs are at risk of plummeting!" shouted Warren. They used cutting tools to fight against the metal of the car on the passenger side and the resistance of the tree while Maya knelt next to the wreckage and held your hand, which was probably thrown out of the broken window after the impact and was now lying on the scratched paint of the outer door. "It looks bad in there! Be careful not to hurt her any further, approach carefully!"

Your eyes were dazed with pain and fear, but you were breathing, albeit weakly. Hearing her voice, you seemed to find some peace for a moment, your dull eyes glued to hers. Desperately wanting to say something, you opened your mouth from which blood began to ooze, but your crushed and injured lungs did not even let in air.

"Hold on, darling. Do not say anything, I am here. We will get you out of there, I promise." The blonde whispered, her voice firm to reassure you even as her own thoughts were caught in a chaos of worry and despair. The minutes stretched endlessly as her team struggled to bend the metal and free their captain's fiancée. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the metal gave way. Using their combined strength, Vic and Warren pulled you from the wreckage, carefully, yet as quickly as possible. As soon as they freed you, they carried you to the ambulance. Maya followed them, never taking her eyes off you. Your condition was serious, but you were still clinging to life. "Carina is coming. She is going to be at the hospital, she will be by your side the second you get there. But you have to fight now, okay? Fight for us."

The rain continued to beat down on you, the storm was still raging, but in the midst of this darkness and chaos there was a glimmer of hope- you were saved, and she would do anything now to help you fight through this storm. But it was hard to keep positive thoughts as the storm continued to sing its destructive song. She closed her eyes tightly as she rode in the ambulance and prayed, with your bloodstained hand in hers, that the next morning would bring a certain light to your health.

[snz-eriya]

I’ll be here (k/azuha snzfic, part 2/3)

happy new year snzblr!! I want to get past my writer’s block, and I figured there’s no better way to do that than starting off the new year writing part 2 of my k/azuha fic and therefore cursing myself for 2022 :)))!! letsa go!!!!

tw // violence (but not very described)

also yeah this is a three parter now lol oops

The winds were calling, wailing with fear as the scent of lightning swirled around him. It felt like they were crying alongside him, in some way, even if his tears had dried up days ago.

Kazuha hadn’t set up much in his camp. Mostly due to lack of time and energy. The shogunate was on his trail. He knew he wouldn’t have much time to rest or eat if he wanted to keep himself… and Tomo’s vision alive.

He spent the few minutes he needed gathering up his supplies and brushing dirt over the small fire he’d managed to create. He assumed that rain would be arriving soon… but his senses were off. He had no real way of knowing for sure, in his state. He would let the wind take care of the rest, knowing that the tides of nature would support him how they could. Without a glance back, Kazuha set off once again.

He figured he was likely halfway to Yashiori island, meaning he’d managed to get past a majority of the shogunate camps. Still, he knew better than to let his guard down.

He sighed, staring down at the grass as it faded into the sand, whispering in his ear as if pushing him to press onward. The sound of it was starting to give him a headache. He sniffed, maybe because his body was trying to get him to cry again, though there was nothing left to shed. It was only then that he felt the first drop of rain land on the top of his head.

Glancing upwards, he saw the cloudy, melancholic skies that were beginning to cry in his place. The raindrops were steady for the time being, but they were picking up rather quickly. He frowned. It would be best to find shelter so he could wait it out–

“We sure did get unlucky, didn’t we?”

Kazuha paused his step, his mouth tightening into a firm line.

“I’ll be here when you wake up.”

…

He kept walking. There was no time to take a rest.

—

It was when he saw the glow of the statue of the seven in the distance that fully realized how unwell he was feeling. His head was pounding, his vision was blurry, his body felt light and uncoordinated. Not to mention…

“ihhSH’ueh!”

…That was happening far too frequently to be in perfect health.

He sniffled, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand, not stopping all the while. Miraculously, he had managed not to trip thus far, though each of his steps felt heavier and heavier. His body would probably start giving out pretty soon… unfortunately.

Idly, he glanced in the direction of the ravine, coursing with electro energy. If he were any closer, he could probably feel it trying to zap at his skin. It was already loud enough at his distance.

“This way.”

Kazuha froze, picking his head up with a start. He whipped his head around, trying to find a source of the voice.

“Sightings of him heading to Yashiori Island have been reported. It’s likely he’s trying to escape to Watatsumi.”

Had he managed to walk directly into a shogunate patrol? Dammit…

He quickly scanned his surroundings for any sufficient enough hiding place. It was a fairly open clearing, safe for some trees and bushes that sat next to each other, one against the cliff face behind him. He breathed out a sigh. It was better than nothing, he decided as he placed himself in between the tree and bushes, enough to hide him from anyone’s sight.

He managed to hide just in time, it seemed, as he heard before he saw the marching steps of a group of soldiers. Most were walking along the path, while a select few others were looking around to the sides, looking for him, no doubt.

Kazuha breathed in slowly, trying to calm himself and keep as quiet as possible. If he waited long enough, they would pass him by, and he could carry on–

His breath quickly shifted into a hitch.

The panic before that he was trying to quell came back full force, but for a different reason this time. His breath was stuttering without control, and he quickly held his breath and brought up a hand to pinch his nose tightly. He was not dying to the Raiden Shogun’s lackeys because of a godsdamned sneeze.

He kept his other hand hovered at his side, ready to summon his sword if he needed it. He narrowed his eyes, feeling the dull tickle in the back of his nose building into something harsher, more desperate with his refusal to set it free.

“Are you sure he went this way, and not the other side of the island?” He heard one of the soldiers ask.

“That’s why we have separate patrols,” a gruff voice replied. Likely their general. “You two. Have you spotted any elemental markings?”

Kazuha released his held breath after a moment, before he ended up passed out from a lack of oxygen. Unfortunately, this was the recipe for his breath to start wavering again.

“hhih-heh… ehh…hih!”

Even with his nose pinched tightly shut, the tickle wasn’t dying down at all. Tears started to gather in his eyes from the effort of holding back.

“No, sir. Any traces may have been washed away by the rain.”

“Hmph. I suppose there’s nothing to be done about that. Search the area, then.”

Kazuha swore internally, pressing himself further back against the cliff behind him. If they went in his direction, he’d have no chance of hiding himself, especially in this state. In his rush to back away, he had loosened his hold around his face, just a small bit… but small enough for him to gasp.

“ihh’gnt!” 

He managed to crush his hand back around his face in time to stifle the outburst. But he could already tell by his uneven breaths that he was nowhere near done. But now that one had gotten out, the rest were tumbling out of him with barely a breath in between.

“eh’kxt! ih’kncht! heh… hih’ihkgnt!”

That one had been painful to hold in, and his head pounded in protest. It was in his short reprieve that he heard footsteps heading in his direction. From what he could see behind the tree, there was a soldier heading in the direction of the bushes.

He shifted himself further, trying his damndest to keep his eyes open despite how badly they wanted to be forced shut. He breathed slowly and quietly, knowing the slightest misstep would reveal his location in an instant.

The soldier shifted through the bushes, looking not just for Kazuha, but probably any of his belongings as well. Something that would prove they were on the right track. Kazuha heard a disgruntled mutter, and the footsteps started to back away.

Mercifully, Kazuha felt some semblance of control over his body again. The tickle was dying down, his breath was no longer dancing on the edge of another sneezing fit. Just a few more minutes, and he’d be in the clear.

He heard a raindrop fall of the leaves a split second before he felt it splashing onto the tip of his nose. There was no time to prepare himself for the inevitable.

“hhIH’IKSHiu!”

There was no way they managed to miss that.

He didn’t wait around to get caught. He made quick work of raising himself over the short ledge he was leaning back onto, sprinting across the grass that led to the edge of the ravine.

“There he is! After him!”

The soldiers were only a few feet behind him, at most. The only way out of this situation was…

He used the wind around him to propel him up and forward into the air, letting his glider take him to the other edge of the cliff. Just as he was about to make contact with the rock wall, he summoned his sword and drove it into an area cracked and jagged enough to keep him from falling.

Not to say that holding himself upright was easy, he scrambled to find his footing, sparing a glance back at the soldiers gathered at the edge of the other side. They likely didn’t have visions, and the only way across were the bridges on the other ends of the island.

Kazuha gasped as an arrow landed cracked on the wall, just barely missing his head. This was no time to be waiting around. He used the wind around him to give him an extra edge in his climb upwards, the arrows still firing off in his direction. He had to make swift maneuvers in time with his senses warning him in order to not have an arrow splitting his skull open.

He was inches away from the top, making the final jump that he needed to escape…

And he felt something sharp piercing into his shoulder.

He hardly made a pained noise, using the last of his strength and adrenaline to pull himself completely upwards, running off before he had the chance to be faced with any more injuries.

He ran for a few minutes, the pain in his shoulder starting to flare more and more as the shock wore off, and he slowly came to a stop under the cover of a large, draconic skeleton.

He fell onto his knees in an instant, gasping for air and coughing when he breathed in too fast, or maybe a mixture of that and the illness overtaking his body.

Leaning back on the large bones behind him, he winced in remembrance of the arrow sticking out of his back. With a grunt, he reached his opposite hand over his shoulder, took a deep breath, and pulled it out with a stunted cry of pain. His vision darkened, the sound of rain becoming muffled around him. Suddenly, resting back against the skeleton wasn’t a choice anymore.

His hand loosened its grip on the arrow, and it dropped onto the wet grass. He barely got a look at it before his consciousness gave out.

“Sorry… Tomo…”

—

“General Gorou, sir!”

The ears of the pointy-eared general perked up, and he turned his head from the box he had his focus centered on. The soldier in front of him had an alarmed look on his face.

“We found someone outside camp… a vision wielder.”

[itskatastrophe-x]

Far Off Places (CH 1)

Overview , Chapter 1 , Chapter 2

Word Count : 2,487

^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^

Pain. That was the only thing you knew. The only thing you felt. Not just physically, but emotionally. Your kingdom had been doing so well. You had everything. It was all right there in the palm of your hands for years. All of that had been undone in a matter of minutes as lava poured from the sky and bombs went off under the surface. After fighting for so long, your advisors told you to run. Start fresh in a new place. Find new friends and live a normal life. What even was normal? You had lived in the spotlight for so long, ruling over the same people, the same faces, the same memories. This kingdom was all you knew, and now it was being burned to the ground. 

You kept running, tripping over your own feet and branches as you went, your breath catching in your throat every few seconds, making you feel like you were drowning on land. The smoke from the fires wafted through the trees, burning your lungs and stinging your eyes. Your cheeks were red and puffy from crying for the past couple hours, the bitter wind chilling them. You only stopped once going up a large hill about half a mile outside the city walls, and then again once you reached the top. You collapsed roughly to your knees at the base of a tree, hunching over and putting a hand against said tree to keep your balance. You spluttered and coughed violently from all the smoke you inhaled and doubled over in pain, scrunching your nose and closing your eyes tight. The distant sounds of fire crackling and wooden supports crashing to the ground echoed around you through the valley. You recomposed yourself and slowly brought yourself to stand, still leaning against the tree so you wouldn’t immediately fall over from the burning sensation in your legs. 

You stood there with your back facing the mess for what felt like hours, but was probably only a couple minutes. Part of you wanted to turn around. The other part wanted to keep running. So you stood there. The sounds making you sob harder, but you couldn’t bring yourself to move. Not yet. This was your home. How were you supposed to just let this happen? How did this even happen in the first place. You couldn’t remember making any enemies, so who could have done it? A neighboring country? You highly doubted that. You were hundreds of miles away from anyone else, your kingdom was basically hidden away in a valley between mountains, making it extremely hard to get to. 

Time kept passing and the roar of thunder washed over you slowly, lightning flashing in the far off distance over the mountains. The setting sun finally dipped below the horizon and the fires blazing harshly behind you cast the scenery in a dim red glow. To say the scene before you was beautiful was a sin, and yet you enjoyed looking at all the colors laid out in front of you. You just wished that it wasn’t caused by your home being torn apart. You grieved all the lost, innocent lives that were taken. All the time and memories, now all ash and dust to be forgotten. For all you knew, you were the only one that survived the massacre, though you hoped that wasn’t the case. 

You finally brought yourself to a solid standing position and pushed off the tree, steeling yourself as you turned to face your city in paradise. The sight was horrific, and somehow the smell had gotten worse upon turning to face the blaze. Lava flowed from the city walls and scorched the surrounding bushes and trees, the buildings were undistinguishable, and the castle way off in the distance was missing chunks as it continued to burn. Rustling around you alerted you to animals evacuating their homes as well. You were glad they could at least make it out. The smoke rose into the sky and danced with the clouds, a beautifully terrifying kaleidoscope of red, orange, and grey. The wind was getting harder, sending spirals off the sides to dissipate in seconds. Thunder cracked again and finally the sky started to cry alongside you and your own tears. It started as a drizzle as you turned on your heels and lowered your head to check your bag. Two golden apples, a loaf of bread, a couple fish, a notebook with a quill and ink, and a torch at the bottom. You pulled the hood of your cape up over your head and tore off a piece of the loaf and started to nibble on it as you moved yourself forward into the night, leaving the ruins of your homeland behind you to fall to the ground and be lost to time. Where would you go? You had no other family, knew no other rulers, and didn’t know what laid beyond the mountains. 

Your trek through the thick foliage was slow and grueling. The wind had picked up, sending violent ice-spike-like raindrops to attack your face and arms, soaking through your torn and dirtied clothes. You were thankful it was the middle of summer and overall a warm night, but the wind mixed with the rain had chilled you to the bone, sending shivers to wrack your whole body every couple of minutes. You had a large diamond axe on your hip as well as a bow and a few arrows slung across your back. The only things that remained of your homeland. The light glow from the axe and bow from the enchantments being the only light in the dark jungle. 

You had been running for miles before you decided it was time to sit and rest and possibly try to get some sleep somewhere. Luckily you had the knowledge on how to survive in the wilderness despite being locked behind walls all your life, so you stopped to scout out a safe area to set up a small base. In the dark you made your way to a smaller tree and started chopping, tightening your grip on your axe so the rain wouldn’t make you lose your grip. It took roughly two hours to collect all the necessary materials to build a small tent-looking structure, but it was good enough to sleep on and safe enough from the hostile creatures that lurked. You fought off a couple zombies on your endeavor, but nothing too serious. You took off your torn up cape and laid it on the ground to sleep on and set your axe and bow next to where your head should rest, bringing your book, quill, ink, and torch out and setting up to write.

Journal Entry : New World 1

Today, my empire was lost. I don’t know where to go or what I’m even looking for, but I hope to find someone or something to help me along my way. It’s been raining for hours and the sun should be up soon, but I still haven’t slept, as I have been running all night. I’ve set up a small structure to keep me safe for the time being. I don’t know where I am and the surroundings all look the same to me. I don’t understand what went wrong. Hopefully someday I can go back and investigate when I feel like I’m safe from whatever or whoever set my kingdom ablaze. For now I should rest, but I doubt that will happen with all the thoughts and questions running through my head.

You set the supplies back into your bag and break off another piece of your bread. Soon enough you’ll have to go hunting for more food. You’d rather save the apples for when you truly need them and you still had two fish, but you had half the bread you started with and you had no idea where you were or how close the next village or kingdom was. You sighed and bit into the bread, cringing as it was slightly hardened from being in your open bag for so long. You prayed the fish would last until you needed it as you laid down and put out the torch. You listened to the rain coming to a light drizzle again and chuckled at the timing. Of course it would stop raining only when you were in a shelter to protect you from it. You closed your eyes and drifted into a, thankfully, dreamless sleep. It only lasted about four hours, but it was enough to get you through the day.

The sun glared down on your small shelter, heating you up and making you extremely uncomfortable. The sky had cleared up and it seemed to have just gotten past sunrise, as the sun was just coming over the tops of the mountains. You groaned as you sat up, the pain from running all night finally catching up to you as sweat dripped from your brow. You cursed the summer heat and wished that it was raining again, so that you might get a break from the sun. How did it manage to break through all of the surrounding trees and hit your little home so perfectly? It didn’t make any sense. Within a few minutes, you knew, it would be off the shack and onto the tree behind it, but for now the heat was unbearable. You packed up all your things, rung out your cape and shook it off, and exited the structure, ready to set off again. You looked around to try to get a sense of where you should go, and eyed up a path clearly made by travelling animals. You adjusted the bow and arrows on your back and went to the nearest tree to cut off a good sized branch to use as a walking stick to ease the pain in your legs. 

Hours pass by, and then days. You feel like you’re walking in circles at this point, but the only thing keeping you on your path is the rise and fall of the sun. The jungle had changed into a spruce forest and the weather had cooled down immensely. You had heard of this happening in different regions but had never experienced it for yourself, so the new terrain and chilly air came as a shock. Off in the distance you could see snow capped mountains and lights reflecting off of the white landscape in the dawn. You grabbed some pork from your bag and chomped down on it, stopping to get a good look at your surroundings and supplies. Two and a half days of walking, battles with mobs, hunting pigs for food, and sleeping on the dirt. All of that had finally lead to what looked like a small civilization in the distance. You sighed into your food, taking another bite as you peered into your bag at your book and quill. You decided to get both out and sat down against a tree, pork in your mouth as you set everything down.

Journal Entry : New World 2

Almost three whole days of walking. My kingdom is long behind me. Snow in the distance. The air has gone cold and dry as I get closer to this new, unfamiliar place. I’m worried that I won’t be welcome in this new place, but there’s nothing left to lose so I’ll keep pushing on. I don’t have much to offer aside from my skills and a couple golden apples. I just hope I won’t be attacked or turned away on sight. Maybe there’s no one there, but I doubt that. 

You set the book and quill back in your bag, slinging it back over your shoulder and pushing yourself up, mentally preparing for this last leg of your journey. You had no idea what awaited you, and part of you didn’t want to know, but you knew that talking to locals might be your best option at finding somewhere to stay or maybe a direction you could go to start over. All you knew is that your legs now moved faster in nervous anticipation, the thought of a fireplace and a nice warm bed carrying you faster and faster, almost tripping down the hill in front of you numerous times. 

Soon enough the woods gave way to the snowy expanse and you pulled your destroyed cape as close to you as you shivered. You got out your torch and lit it, keeping it close enough to you to keep you warm, but not close enough to burn or set anything on fire. You set off across the snow, cursing your torn up shoes that were very clearly not made for this kind of weather. You had lived, surrounded by jungles and hot, humid, sticky weather all your life. To say this was a shock was an understatement. Your clothes were not made for cold, and your body was not conditioned for it either. You cursed, wishing you had hunted down some wolves for fur before coming this far. You trip and fall in the foot of snow covering the ground, and you can see clouds in the distance with wisps falling from the undersides. It would snow again, and soon. 

You picked yourself back up and trudged farther and faster, the houses in view now. There was smoke coming from the chimneys and the lights were on. You made out a house poking out of the side of the mountain farther past them, black cats running around in the snow, kicking up snow in the process as they tackled each other. In a matter of minutes, you made it across the large field, your breath coming out in puffs, visible in the sunrise as it peeked over the trees. There were two houses side by side, a shack full of dogs next to the one closest to you, and farther to your right was a pen full of cows. The dogs went up in an uproar as you neared the houses. You mentally cursed yourself for getting so close, seeing as they had obviously alerted the people inside the buildings. The cats now standing nearby, watching you closely as you made your way slowly. 

The curtains in one of the houses shuffled and then a door was heard opening, a loud sound emitting from the hinges as it was thrown open and a man with wings came out in a hurry, blankets spilling over his arms. And that’s the moment exhaustion finally took over, black dots forming at the edges of your eyes before you finally fell into the lush snow, your torch falling from your hand, extinguishing upon impact. The man gasped and rushed himself faster to pick you up and wrap you in blankets before promptly lifting you and taking you into the house, setting you on the loveseat and alerting the other man in the house to help. 

[the-iceni-bitch]

A Warm Fire

Pairing: Valkyrie/Brunnhilde/Fem-Reader

Word Count: 3876

Summary: Val helps you warm up after you get caught in a storm.

Warnings: Fluff, Spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame (erring on the safe side with this one), Explicit language, explicit sexual content (oral sex- f receiving, scissoring, fingering) SMUT, 18+

A/N: I’ve decided for my b-day week I want to bless all you sweet bitches with a brand new smutty fic each day. My holes are worn out from all the rough himbo sex I’ve been throwing at you, so today I wanted to soften things up with something for my WLW ladies. I sub for no man, but Val could spit in my mouth and turn me into a housewife!

“Well, fuck.” You sighed.

You had hoped you’d be able to outrun the storm you saw rolling in off the coast on your weekly trip to New Asgard but hadn’t even been driving for an hour when lightning started streaking across the sky and the clouds let loose a deluge that had your ancient pickup’s wipers maxed out. You couldn’t even see 20 feet in front of you and slammed on the brakes suddenly when you came upon a massive tree blocking the road. The engine stalled out and you had now been trying to turn it over for 10 minutes with no luck.

You had thankfully been able to contact Aud and Sigurd and have them bring your animals in and batten down the barn, but there was no way you were making it back tonight. You resigned yourself to sleeping in your front seat when a pile of rocks reared out of no where and tapped on your window, causing you to let out a shriek.

“Everything ok in there?”

“Jesus Christ, Korg, what are you doing out here?”

The massive Kronan straightened back up and you thought you saw his brow furrow before his face split open in a wide grin.

“Y/N, excellent! Some of us got concerned once the storm rolled in and Val sent out a group to make sure you made it off of the Fjord ok.”

“Ok, well clearly this piece of shit is not cut out for Skagerrak storms.” You told him as you stepped out into the deluge, pulling your parka around you tightly as the wind tried to whip your hood off. “I don’t suppose you drove here in any sort of vehicle?”

“As a matter of fact, Miek drove the Jeep.”

“I’m sorry, Miek drove?” The thought of the Sakaarian larval creature driving a vehicle filled you with equal parts horror and mirth. “Do you mind if I drive us back?”

“Probably for the best. I told him that knife hands are not conducive for steering but you know he doesn’t listen to me.”

You let out a laugh as Korg lumbered into the large trailer hooked to the back of the Jeep, causing it to sink into the mud a bit. Miek scooted into the passenger seat as you turned the vehicle around and started to head back to Tønsberg.

Your cautious driving extended the trip by a good 45 minutes. The thunder had stopped but it was still pouring as you parked the jeep in one of the converted stables. Korg and Miek gave you a wave as they headed back to Thor’s, Korg carrying 3 of the pallets of Aquavit you had brought with you earlier.

You headed towards the town square and saw Brunnhilde leaning against the posts in front of her small brick house, watching the storm that was still raging out at sea before she saw you and broke out in a grin.

“Y/N, I told you not to head out in this! That piece of shit truck of yours give out on you?”

“What do you think, Hilde? I just decided to walk all the back to your house for fun in this?” You shook out your hair as the two of you stepped inside, spraying her with a thin mist of rainwater.

“Ah, you bitch! Get out of those wet clothes, I got a fire started and some dry towels and blankets set out for you. Want a hot toddy?”

You winced at the thought as you started peeling yourself out of your soaked jeans. “I’d like to be able to wake up tomorrow hon. Your hot toddys are literally just a hot mug of Aquavit with a slice of lemon.” You cursed yourself silently for introducing the Asgardians to the spicy Scandinavian liquor that you now had to truck in every week. While it was extremely lucrative, they now put it in everything.

Hilde sauntered back into the main room carrying two steaming mugs as you wrapped yourself in a wool blanket and settled in front of the fire, wearing only your bra and panties.

She rolled her eyes at you and handed you a mug, which you took a wary sniff of and were pleasantly surprised to find it was just peppermint tea.

“You’re just a lightweight.” She said as she curled up in her armchair, wrapping one hand around her mug while the other picked up the worn book that was sitting on the end table.

“How do you like it so far?” You asked her, sipping your tea slowly as you waited for it to cool.

“The writing is lovely, but it’s pretty inaccurate.”

The friendship the two of you had built over the past 3 years was something truly lovely. When she and the rest of the refugees had landed, after the snap, they were all hollow shells of grief. Thor shut himself away almost immediately, and Hilde found herself thrust into a position of leadership she had never wanted. All of them wanted nothing more than to be left alone with their sorrows, doing just enough to keep themselves alive.

The first storm off the Skaggerak had almost devastated their new home though, and when she contacted Banner for help, he called you. You still kept in touch after your years together at university, and he knew you had settled somewhere in Norway and could arrive to lend a hand faster than he could.

Your arrival brought some much needed distraction to their sleepy town. You had managed to round up a group of your Norwegian neighbors, along with some fellow expats, and set about making the necessary changes to assure that New Asgard would be a thriving community. While the rest of your group set to restructuring architecture, and teaching the town’s new inhabitants the necessities of a seaside existence on the windy Fjord, you began the slow process of helping the refugees move on from their sorrow.

Your anthropology doctorate was specialized in Norse culture, after all, and you would often bring small reminders of their lost home with you whenever you came to visit. Whether it was a collection of replicated Talharpas, Skalmejens, and Lurs to give to the children to learn music or a large cache of drinking horns to stock their taverns, every time your truck came lumbering down the hills, Brunnhilde watched the faces of her citizens light up with anticipation for some new pleasant surprise. When you arrived with your first load of Aquavit and spent the night drinking with them and singing the drinking songs they knew well, you were all but confirmed as an honorary Asgardian. Your haunting rendition of Lilja actually brought tears to a few eyes.

Brunnhilde made sure to let you know how grateful she was as much as possible. She would always have some small gift for you when you arrived, but all you asked her for was to sit and talk, discussing the history of Asgard and the nine realms as you scribbled copious notes. She loved watching your face screw up in concentration as you bent over one of your notebooks, one stubborn lock of hair falling into your face.

She laughed to herself softly now as she remembered the visit a few weeks ago when she had first introduced you to her winged steed, Aragorn. Your look of awe had been replaced quickly with uncontrollable laughter when she had told you his name. You refused to tell her what was so funny, but she was determined to get it out of you at some point.

You had brought your original copy of Snorri’s Edda the next week, and she had read it through 3 times already.

She ran her hands softly over the spine of the book before tossing back the rest of her toddy and setting the book and her mug back on the end table before sinking to the floor behind you and nuzzling herself into your hair, sighing as she inhaled the scent of fresh rain.

You leaned back into her slowly, giving a soft hum of contentedness. She slipped the blanket off of your shoulders to pool around your waist as she left a trail of soft kisses down your neck, before softly raising a bruise into your collarbone with her mouth.

The moan you gave her made her grin against your skin, and she slipped one hand into the front of your bra, softly drawing her fingers across your nipple.

“Fuck, Hilde!” you pressed your chest further into her hand as her other moved behind you to unhook your bra and slip it off your shoulders, freeing your breasts. She felt your nipples harden against her fingers as she turned your head and slowly teased your mouth open with her tongue.

“Eyes open, pretty girl.” She whispered as her left hand continued to palm at your breast and roll your nipple between her fingers. You stared at her through your lashes as she brought her right hand up and put her index and middle finger in your mouth. You gave them a soft nip before sucking and swirling your tongue around them slowly.

She grinned at you wickedly as she dragged her soaked fingers down your torso at an agonizing pace, leaving a thin trail of your saliva before she tucked them under the edge of your panties and dragged them over your sopping cunt, separating the soft folds there to tease against your entrance.

“Oh, poor baby, look how much this pussy missed me?” She said as you let out a thin keen, screwing your eyes shut and dropping your head against her neck. She slapped your tit suddenly and tweaked your nipple hard, making you gasp. “You better keep those eyes open if you want me to let you come sweetheart. You want me to stretch this pretty pussy around my fingers and make you feel good?”

“Yes, god” you let out breathlessly, forcing your eyes open as she studied your face.

“Ah, ah, ask nicely.”

“Yes please.” You hissed as her fingers continued to tease at your folds, lightly brushing against your clit.

“Good girl”

She slipped one finger inside of you slowly and you immediately clenched around it as she pressed it against that soft spongy spot.

“Ooh, honey. You’re so fucking tight, I’m gonna stretch you out so good.” She whispered against your lips as she kissed you softly.

Her second finger slipped in easily and she started fucking them into you slowly, pressing her palm against your clit as she did so and your arousal seeped all over her hand. Your breath was hitching in your chest as she increased her pace.

You felt yourself flutter around her and it took all of your willpower to not screw your eyes shut and drop against her shoulder. You ground yourself against her hand as she suddenly slowed down, hungry for more friction.

“You want me to add another finger, sweet girl?” She asked slyly, teasing her promise against your entrance.

You didn’t trust yourself to speak so you nodded at her, your chest heaving as she continued palming your breast and you felt a resounding shiver in your core.

“You’re lucky I’m soft on you sweetie, I should be making you beg for this.” She murmured as she shoved all three of her fingers in suddenly, causing you to let out a small cry as she started fucking them into you at a rough speed. “I’m just finishing you off so I can feel this sweet mouth of yours on my cunt. You want to taste me baby?”

“Shit, Hilde!” The thought of her taste on your tongue sent you over the edge as she drove her palm into your clit one last time and you released around her, fluttering as you soaked her hand. Her strong arms held you still as your orgasm wracked you and every muscle trembled. Once you had ridden it out, she drew her hand out of your ruined panties to suck on her fingers.

“Mmm, you taste so good honey. Don’t you think?” She placed her mouth on yours and pressed her tongue against yours and you moaned as you tasted your own release.

“Help me out of my clothes baby, I need to ride that pretty face.”

She climbed around you and settled into your lap, kissing you deeply and making happy little humming sounds. You drew her sweater up over her head and tossed it aside, and were pleasantly surprised to see she wasn’t wearing a bra. You gave her a wicked grin before lifting her up and pressing her chest to your face, latching your mouth to one of her nipples as your hands cupped her ass through her leggings. She gave a light laugh and tossed her head back as her fingers carded themselves through your hair. You brought one of your hands between the two of you, shoving it down the front of her leggings and drawing your fingers through her slick, making her gasp.

“God, baby, you’re so fucking greedy.” She laughed lightly as you peppered her chest with kisses, occasionally creating some light suction with your tongue to raise a light bruise. “Mmm, you know just what to do, but I want to come all over that beautiful face of yours.”

You smiled against her chest as you gently nuzzled yourself between her breasts before falling back abruptly and making her gasp.

“You are being such a trouble maker, today, Y/N. Fine, I’m going grind your pussy so good before I rub that smirk off your face with my cunt.”

She sat up between your legs a drew your soaked panties off before removing her own leggings. She stretched your right leg off to the side and lightly drew her fingers up the inside of your thigh, removing them right before she reached your quivering pussy and making you whine.

“Don’t be a brat baby. Look at this pretty pussy, just weeping for me.” She stared at your swollen cunt with a grin as she hooked a hand under your left knee and positioned herself so she was straddling you, her soft folds just kissing yours as she hovered there. “You want to feel my pussy on yours, baby? Want me to grind that clit so good? You better fucking beg for it.”

“Oh god, pleasepleaseplease…” you let out in a hiss as she pressed herself down and ground herself into you.

“Mmm, I feel that sweet pussy quivering for me. God, you’re like my own fucking vibrator.” She kept twisting her hips into yours, hitting you at that perfect angle each time and making you mewl and whimper unintelligibly as she edged you closer to your release. She unbent your right leg slowly, running her thumb up your calf before nipping at the pad of your big toe, making you arch into her. “No no, sweetheart, isn’t it so much better when you hold still? You know I’ll take care of you.”

She stretched your right leg out so you were wide open and pinned your thighs down with her hands as she picked up the pace. She bit her lip and gazed down at you through hooded eyes and you felt her core twitch against yours. One more drive of her hips and you came apart at the same time, your releases mixing together to coat the insides of your thighs. You let out a scream while she just gasped, still managing to hold you down as your pleasure wracked through you and you wound your hands into the blanket beside you for some kind of anchor.

“Fuck baby, this pussy is so good to me. I wanna run my tongue over this pretty cunt while I ride your face. You better be good for me.”

She twisted herself around to straddle your face. You softly nipped at her left cheek then gave her ass a slap, making her yelp, and she responded by smacking your pussy twice before grinding into your face.

“Oohh, are you going to be a bad girl?” She scolded you as you wrapped your arms around her thighs and teased her folds with your tongue. “Am I going to have to edge you all nigh… Fuck!!” Your tongue found her entrance and you moaned into her cunt, causing vibrations that made her clench against your face. “God, baby, you’re so good at that. Your miss this pussy so bad, look at the mess you’re making.” She separated your folds and softly blew against your clit before shoving three fingers into you with no preparation. “Mmm, you’re fucking ready for me sweetheart, I’m barely even stretching you now. You want me to add another finger?”

She gave your clit another soft slap and you came suddenly, legs and core trembling as you clenched and released around her fingers. You tried to come up for air, but Hilde just ground her hips into your face.

“Na-ah.” She scolded you. “You wanted to get fresh with me and now you better make me come if you want to breathe. You get to work. I’m going to wring every ounce of pleasure out of this pussy until you give me what I want, I don’t care if you pass out.”

She inserted a fourth finger into your canal and started to fuck them all into you, flicking soft kitten licks against your small bundle of nerves before she latched onto it, sucking hard.

Tears started streaming down your face as another orgasm ripped through you. You were starting to feel light-headed from a mixture of pleasure and oxygen deprivation. She drew her tongue slowly up and down your entrance while her fingers kept moving inside you, doing her best to lap up your release before her tongue went back to massaging your clit.

You barely skimmed your teeth against her clit and she let out a soft cry against you, slapping your pussy in response and making you come again. You shook your head to bury yourself deeper into her folds and fought off the urge to pass out before shoving your tongue into her pussy and bringing your fingers up to rub harsh circles into her tiny apex of pleasure.

She collapsed against you at the sudden change in sensation with a gasp before she rose up to really grind into you.

You started fucking your tongue in and out of her, making sure to press it against her g-spot each time and felt her thighs tense around your face.

“God baby, don’t fucking stop. Fuck, just like that, right there. That tongue of yours is so fucking good. You’re so fucking good. Feels so good.” You knew when she started babbling breathlessly like this she was close. She brought one of her hands up to palm her breast as her other gripped the wrist of the hand you had working her clit, making sure you didn’t move away.

Just as the edges of your vision started to close in, you felt her core vibrate and her cunt clenched around your tongue as her release gushed into your mouth. The only sound she made was a rapid breathless pant and she rolled off of you slowly, finally allowing you to suck in oxygen as stars swam behind your vision. You did your best to catch your breath as you felt her stretch languidly beside you before she sat up to stare at you.

“Fuck, baby. I don’t know why I let you take this pussy away from me. I know you just lay there by yourself every night dreaming of my fingers buried in you.” She slowly drew a hand along your slit and you groaned when she brushed against your overstimulated clit. “Just swollen and crying for me. Whose pussy is this baby?” She asked you, curling her fingers against your mound.

You knew if you didn’t tell her what she wanted to hear, she would wring it out of you, and if you had any more orgasms you were going to pass out. “Yours, baby.” You murmured, staring at her through your eyelashes.

“Good girl.” She patted your cunt twice, making you twitch, before she bent down and kissed you softly.

She stood up and collected your mugs and brought them back into the kitchen, wiggling her ass at you when she felt you watching her, making you laugh.

“Can you throw some more logs on the fire, Y/N? I’ll grab us some clean blankets and pillows and we can sleep out here.”

“Yes ma’am.” You called back to her, breaking the current logs apart with the poker before adding three new ones and stoking it. You gathered your discarded clothes and the soiled blanket in a bundle and headed to the bathroom to put them in the hamper and run a damp towel against your sex to clean up, bringing another out with you as you headed back to the fire, where Hilde had piled a ridiculous amount of blankets and pillows in a massive nest for the two of you.

You sank down next to her and she drew your face to hers for a kiss. You smiled against her lips as you gently drew the soft towel you had brought with you over her cunt and along her thighs to clean her off as she gave a contented sigh.

“Stay.” She said softly, nuzzling softly into your neck as you held her against her chest and slowly sank back against the pile of cushions, giving her hair a soft kiss.

“Hilde, the road is out, I’m not going anywhere until tomorrow.”

“No, Y/N. Stay. Move here with me. I need you.” She looked up at you with genuine pleading in her eyes. You had never seen such open emotion on her face before.

You only had to think about it for a minute. The weeks between your trips were always spent planning your next visit. Thinking over what you wanted to talk to Hilde about. Your bed felt empty without her there.

“I need you too baby. I love you.” You whispered to her, tipping her chin up to look into her eyes as you gave her a gentle smile.

Her face split into a grin. “Is that a yes?”

“Of course, Hilde.”

“Oh god, Y/N, I love you too!” She drew your face down to hers and kissed you deeply, clutching you to her needily before releasing you with a grin. “I miss that pussy almost as much as it misses me.”

You laughed at that and laid back with a sigh. Hilde rested her head between your breasts and brought her hands close around your sides, pulling the thick wool blanket around the two of you tightly.

“Just make sure Miek doesn’t try to fight my sheep again.” You whispered to her, running a hand softly up and down her back.

“That was a misunderstanding.” She smiled against you as her breathing slowed and deepened, and she sunk closer to sleep.

The two of you laid there intertwined for the rest of the night, drifting off as the fire crackled and died. You had never felt so content in your life.

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Rebel King

Dominic hid in the parklike green space that separated the Halls Norton and Amber from the rest of the campus, but he couldn’t stay here long. It was meant to emulate the green spaces of Cambridge where Students could escape the radiant heat and public works could be tastefully concealed by bushes. It was a popular place for art galleries and yoga sessions. It was one of the few places to hide and he could be easily surrounded here. He just needed a moment to catch his breath. Running up the stairs from the ceremony, fighting Tjark, and then fleeing here, all at breakneck speeds stressed even his stamina. This was only the first leg of his journey. He had to save strength. He took slow deep breaths, leaning on a massive oak tree and listened. He could hear distant shouting and the voices were growing louder. He’d shot several people and now was going to be his only chance of escape for a while. This little rest was enough and all he would be getting. It was time to move. He chose to direct himself perpendicular to the voices. With luck, they would run right past him. He kept himself low to the ground and broke into a jog.

His foot suddenly caught and something pulled hard at his shin. It was as though he were lassoed. The noose tightened hard around his ankle and he heard his pants tear. He tried to keep himself from falling but then his other foot was caught and he fell face first into the dirt. He groaned, the wind knocked out of him. Cutting pain burned into his lower legs.  The moonlight reflected off two invisible filaments stretched between two trees. How could she still be alive? Rage filled him. He had shot her pointblank in the chest! She should be dead, bleeding out on the floor of Amber Hall!

He looked up in fury at the woman who stepped out from behind a tree. Her long thin form was like a ninja. She moved in complete silence. He heard she trained in Japan with a family of covert operatives and it certainly showed. She knew he would be here and she just waited. He could see where the bullet had shredded the uniform right over where her heart should be. Sylke. He hated her. She never wanted to hurt him, only stop him or slow him down. She was effective with a monofilament weapon, long invisible threads that she kept hidden on her wrists. The strings themselves weren’t deadly but he had run into them and blood was soaking his socks. At the right tension, she could have severed his legs completely. Still, he climbed to his feet and staggered towards her.

“You can’t run.” She said softly. “So now you're going to fight me? Adrenaline is dulling the pain but those cuts are going to need stitches.”

Where were the other traps? If she had anticipated he would come here, then she had to have set more. He stopped and looked around for them but those ultrafine, ultra strong fibers were nearly impossible to see in the dark without the aid of rain or fog. Like spidersilk, you didn’t see them until they were right in front of you. 

She was looking at him with wide, concerned eyes. “You need to stop, Dominic. You can’t escape here.”

She didn’t have a weapon he could see, but that didn’t mean anything. She was adept at hand to hand combat. Now that she was closer, he could tell that she was wearing a protective vest so he couldn’t shoot her easily. He could try for a headshot but that might miss. Her reflexes were on par with his, lightning quick and without thought. He took a step back. He’d already triggered the trap behind him, so that area was safe.

“Dominic… please. You don’t even know where you are. You know you’re not on the island any more. But you’re not even in Europe. You’re in the United States,” she said, still not moving.

The United States? He fell asleep on the island monastery and woke up in a hotel, then he was told to get dressed and show up at this campus with other people his age. Everywhere he looked he saw luxury and yet he felt threatened. He didn’t know where he was or why he was here, only that the purpose was to slay dragons. This place was Cassell College and he’d been enrolled here for unclear reasons. All he could do was pay as close attention to his surroundings as possible with a view of escaping. He knew there was a train. He could follow the tracks out. Then he could find an embassy and hopefully sanctuary back to the Netherlands. 

She was still talking, but she was smart enough to keep her distance. He always attacked when people got close to him. If he could land a good hit, he could escape. He was still armed with that black alchemy sword. It was at his side and he had demonstrated that he could use it without getting corrupted by its power. “Do you think your father would leave you some place you could escape? The only reason you’re here now is because he couldn’t hold you any more.”

He looked up. A sturdy branch was right above him. It was a little far out of reach, but he could use the adjacent tree to jump off of and reach it.

“Dominic!” She lunged for him.

He jumped towards the adjacent tree, and pushed off from that trunk and hooked his hands around the branch, as nimble as a gymnast. He swung as far as he could, hoping to overshoot any more traps, and then hit the ground and rolled. He got up, hopping on his painfully wounded ankles and broke through the cover of the trees, leaving a trail of blood. He was limping badly and wouldn’t get very far at this rate. He still had his gun but he didn’t know how many bullets he had left.

He ran into an open courtyard. A large building was in front of him with a series of steps in front that lead to a bike rack. There were no lights on in the building, the windows were boarded up. It was open air, but no one was around.

Sylke followed him but didn’t try to touch him as he headed for a motorized scooter that was not secured to the rack. “You’re not listening. Our family is full of people with weak and useless genes. You’re the most powerful person we have in our family. That’s why you’ve been able to completely overpower everyone. But that’s not the case here. People here are your equal, and probably a few are above you. If you keep acting out like this… I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Dominic reached the scooter and leaned on it, no keys, no way to turn it on. His ankles were stinging him badly now and Sylke was being so annoying. She was no better than anyone else. She was part of the system that held him captive and she dared act like she cared about what happened to him? He swung the scooter at her head like a baseball bat and knocked her to the ground. He looked down at her coldly unmoved by her so-called concern. Until now, he wasn’t going to waste another bullet on her. But he’d switched past trying to escape now. He pulled his pistol and fired once. This time striking her in the head. She was still and a stain of red rolled past her temple. But she was still breathing, her skull didn’t break apart. Bullet fragments had shattered instead. The ammunition wasn’t lethal! He smashed the pistol to the ground and it broke apart. She had tricked him, even at the last!

If that was the way it was going to be, then he might as well just use his sword and slit her throat while she was down. He reached for the hilt of the sword to draw it and as soon as he gripped it it felt like holding on to a live wire! It’s power overcame him for a moment and he had to forcibly regain control of his body. He gasped for air for a second.

“Your Royal Highness!” A man was coming towards him, waving jovially.

This guy. Of course he’d be here. The most competent fighter he’d ever come in contact with, over six feet tall and just about as wide. And yet he was still wearing that Cassell Uniform. Was it custom made? Wouldn’t surprise him at all. The man was built like a tank. This living wall of muscles was smiling at him. “You really are something. Let’s go back. I’ll take a look at your legs.”

He hated this man more than he hated Sylke. Even if Dominic was uninjured, this guy was extremely hard to land hits on, and the hits he landed barely phased him. He suddenly regretted smashing the pistol. He could have used it against this guy.

“Look if you want to take it out on me, you know I can take it,” He said, opening his arms. “Go ahead.”

Why would he do that when he could just kill Sylke? He wasn’t going to get out of here anyway, one less guardian would give him a better chance later on. He took a step forward and drew the sword, as though taking him up on his offer, only to spin on the ball of his foot and strike downwards. 

The tip of the black blade clanged off another metal blade.  Dominic only had time to look up into a furious blue gaze before a fist cracked against his eye socket, blinding him and knocking him back. He tilted backwards and staggered, nearly falling down the hard concrete stairs.

“No way to treat a lady,” a voice snarled.

Dominic could only see stars but his body knew how to get his balance. He scrambled to back up, open some distance between him and this new attacker. He raised his arm up to block an attack he knew was coming but it hit hard enough to bruise the bone. 

“Royal Highness huh? What kind of monarch tries to kill their own subjects?” The frigid voice came again.

Still stunned, Dominic danced to one side and the air stirred next to his ear. And he caught the scent of tobacco and alcohol. His vision cleared. A blond haired man with icy blue eyes was fighting him completely shirtless and was still far too close for comfort. Dominic had lost the blade under the assault and was now completely unarmed. The best he could do was cross his arms to take the boneshattering blows that were coming at him. Even though this person looked to be his age, the force of his strikes reminded him of his false father’s silverwood cane.

The six-foot tall body builder came to his aid, grabbing the other man by the shoulder and pushing him away. “Enough! This doesn’t concern you.”

The shirtless man’s gaze was without temperature. “It concerns me when a man tries to kill an unconscious woman.”

“Sylke knows the risks.” The bodybuilder man held out his hand. “The name’s Gerrit! I’m a freshman. We’re from the Netherlands.”

The man’s eyes flicked between Gerrit and Dominic in angry confusion. Dominic figured that if he strayed too far from Gerrit, this man would attack him again and he was frankly, too worn out to fight or run any more. Taking up the sword took more out of him than he expected. 

The man finally relaxed and shook Gerrit’s hand. “Caesar Gattuso.”

“Gattuso! The famous family from Italy.” He chuckled jovially. “Don’t worry about us. We’re used to Dominic’s behavior. I can understand while you’re alarmed though.”

A sudden thunder of footsteps was coming closer and closer. Men with pistols surrounded Caesar and Dominic and Gerrit. “Hands in the air! The use of firearms and alchemy weapons are strictly forbidden! Hands in the air! Now!”

Dominic looked down at his bloody torn pant legs. He could practically feel his eye swelling shut. He was probably bruised up from his fall in the woods as well. He wasn’t getting out of here tonight. Just like little miss Sylke said. But now he was curious. She said these people were his equal and may even surpass him right? This was a place he couldn’t escape from, according to her. What would they even do to him? It couldn’t be worse than the terrible beatings he’d received at the monastery, could it? If they killed him, wouldn’t that be a sort of escape? And then that way, even his parents would be free from threat.

Gerrit raised his hands. “Please calm down, the young master is unarmed you see?”

The barrel of a gun was shoved into Gerrit’s face. “You shut up!”

Dominic turned away from the officers of the disciplinary committee. “Do your worst.”

For a moment, no one moved. The words weren’t said with any bravado or pride. They were soft but everyone heard them in the empty hall. The members of the disciplinary committee were suddenly wondering what their ‘worst’ was. He wasn’t holding up his hands. They had to do something. The leader cleared his throat and raised his gun again. “What is your Student number! If you don’t comply you will face demerits!”

“Hey!” A sharp female voice shouted. “What are you doing? It’s not midnight yet. So it’s still technically Freedom Day right?”

The loud clocktower on the campus suddenly started to toll. A red haired woman had approached the fray in nothing but her bathing suit. The disciplinary students' eyes went wide and filled with the sight of her voluptuous figure in full view. “Nothing he did was against the rules. Things got a little rough but everyone’s injuries are minor. Are you really that quick to go back to work?”

The crowd of Disciplinary committee members suddenly lowered their guns and scratched their heads, red in the face.

Nono approached him and hooked her arm in his. “Come on, the party is still rocking.”

“Freedom day?” Dominic had no idea what she was talking about. But apparently on Freedom Day it was okay to shoot people.

“How hard did you hit him?” The red haired woman looked into his eyes a little closer.

“To be frank, I was trying to knock him unconscious.” Caesar rotated his wrist. “His head was harder than I expected.” His smile had returned but his eyes were still filled with that cold fire. He left Dominic with Nono and went to check on Sylke.

“I can get you patched up in Amber Hall…” She whispered with a knowing grin. “You don’t want to be around these guys do you?”

Dominic’s heart suddenly lifted. This was the first time since his father’s stabbing his kidnapper that someone had actually offered to help him escape. They were just turning away from the scene when there was a loud clearing of the throat right next to him. The shadow of Gerrit blocked out the light of the overhead lamps and a heavy hand laid on his shoulder. “I think we’ll be taking care of him.”

“And you are?” Nono looked up at him with innocent eyes.

“Gerrit. We’re long time friends.” That heavy hand tightened on his shoulder. “Right?”

Nono looked him in the eyes. “Do you want to go with them? Say it. Yes or no.”

Gerrit suddenly spoke in Dutch. “You know what could happen if your father calls and you don’t answer. The people who raised you are alive because you cooperated.”

Dominic’s ears were ringing and a cold feeling spread down his spine. He let go of Nono. Gerrit beamed. “There’s a good lad!” he said gently. “We'll take care of his injuries!” 

He froze. Nono looked him right in the eyes with a fiery gaze. Gerrit coughed. “I’m sorry, we’ll join your party another time ya?”

Nono crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. “Ya. Sure you will.”

[merakiaes]

Welcome To The World - Finn Shelby

Pairing: Finn Shelby x reader

Requested: Yes. 

Prompts: None.

Warnings/notes: This is a combination of this and this request, and part two of my one-shot “All Grown Up” that you can find here. This got really messy and long and it’s not proofread so I’m sorry in advance for any possible mistakes. The title also sucks but I hope you like it xx

Wordcount: 4612

Summary: Now living alone with Finn in the countryside, a storm cuts you off from the rest of your family and you go into labor. 

The living room lit up with flashes of lightning, the entire house rocking and shaking from the deafening claps of thunder that followed.

You looked up from the book you were currently reading when a particularly loud bang cut through the air, getting somewhat anxious about the fact that the storm was clearly getting closer.

A protective hand instinctively moved to rest on your swollen stomach, starting to rub soothing circles over the fabric of your dress as you watched the raindrops violently smattering against the window. In the quiet house, the sound was almost deafening accompanied by the howling wind coming in through the cracks of the windows and the crackling of the fire at the other side of the room.

You kept staring out the window for another moment, waiting for another flash of lightning to strike, but when it didn’t come in the next thirty seconds, you wordlessly turned your attention back to your book, let your eyes search the page for the sentence where you had left off all while keeping your hand on your stomach.

Almost nine months had gone by since you found out you were pregnant and Michael had accidentally outed it during the family meeting.

Since then, everyone had slowly came to accept the fact that you and Finn were now adults and starting your own lives.

You had gotten married only two weeks after the big news being revealed, in the back yard of John and Esme’s house. Finn had wanted to wait until after the birth, but you refused, stubborn and slightly panicked about the fact that your body wouldn’t be the same afterward, and you were just too hellbent on fitting into your dream wedding dress that Finn hadn’t gotten a say in it.

Polly had been quick to tell you after the ceremony that marriage was no dance on roses and that you always had to remember that it would never be you versus Finn if you ever got into an argument, but rather the two of you versus the problem, and by following her philosophy, you hadn’t had much trouble at all.

It was just perfect. You couldn’t have asked for a better husband and family-in-law, and any time now, you would become a mother as well.

To give you an opportunity to raise your child in an as peaceful environment as possible, Tommy had bought you a house in the countryside as a wedding gift, away from the violence and the mud in Small Heath.

It wasn’t nearly as big as John’s family estate, but it was just enough for the two – soon to be three - of you, and you had never felt as at home as you did living alone with Finn.

Another clap of thunder hit, causing your head to snap up from your book again. This time, however, you didn’t get much time to inspect the weather, as the sounds of footsteps could be heard approaching the room you were currently in.

You turned your head away from the window to look towards the doorway, watching Finn appearing only a second later, walking inside after having been off trying to get in contact with his brothers who were still in Small Heath, to check in on them.

He brought a hand up to his head as he approached the couch you were sitting on, pulling a hand over his tired face, and you instantly realized he hadn’t had any luck.

A frown instantly settled on your face. You closed the book, scooting over slightly to make room for him on the sofa. Without a word, he slid into the seat next to you, and you wasted no time in moving into his chest, letting him wrap his arms around you.

Bringing his head down to yours, he pressed his lips against your temple, mumbling against your skin. “Are you alright?”

His voice was just as tired as his face, without a doubt exhausted from spending the entire day storm-proofing the house and doing all of the chores you were supposed to do but were too pregnant to.

“Yeah, we’re fine.” You answered softly, the corners of your lips tugging upwards when he inched his hand underneath yours on your stomach. “Still nothing?”

He shook his head, hugging you closer and stroking your stomach. “The power doesn’t look like it’ll be coming back anytime soon.” He mumbled.

You hummed and shivered slightly when the wind from the windows reached you where you sat. Finn instantly picked up on it, straightening up behind you. “Are you cold? Should I put more wood into the fire? Do you want to take a bath?”

“A bath sounds nice.” You agreed, and he was back up on his feet just as quickly as he had sat down.

“I’ll draw you one.” He said, grabbing ahold of the book in your hand, tucking it under his arm and then proceeding to grab your hands.

You smiled, squeezing his hands gently in yours and wordlessly letting him pull you up. He put a hand on the small of your back and carefully started leading you out of the room and towards the stairs, letting you take your time as you had to carry the weight of not only you but also your unborn child.

The storm was still raging on outside, the walls shaking with the thunder and the dark hallways lighting up brightly with the lighting. Storms had never been a problem for you until now because now everything posed as a possible threat for your baby. It made you anxious walking so close to the windows, fearing a tree or something would come crashing through.

It probably wouldn’t have been as stressing and ominous if the house hadn’t been nearly pitch black, but the power had been out for three going on four hours now and Finn hadn’t gotten the chance to light any candles around the house as he had been busy trying to get in contact with his brothers.

But you felt a lot safer with his arm held protectively around your waist, and luckily, the walk to the second floor on which the bathroom was located wasn’t too long and you had reached it within the next minute, taking a bit slower thanks to your waddling.

Upon entering the dark bathroom, Finn led you over to a stool where he helped you sit down, before going over to the tub, turning on the tap and then proceeding to go around the room lighting candles without as much of a word.

You watched him walk around for a bit, taking in the way his features would get illuminated by the small flames as he lit them. The only time he was ever this quiet was when he was tired, and while a small part of you felt guilty for being the cause of his unusually hard work around the house these past few months, you also felt extremely grateful for having landed yourself such an amazing husband.

After just sitting there and watching him for a minute or so, you finally let your gaze tear away from him and turned your attention to your clothes, starting to unbutton your dress.

Once all the buttons were undone, you pushed yourself up from the stool and let the article of clothing fall down your body and pool at your feet. You then placed a careful hand on the wall beside you and lifted one of your feet, starting to pull at your socks.

But you couldn’t quite reach them, your heavy stomach getting in the way like it did every time you tried getting dressed or undressed.

Finn finally finished lighting the last candle and turned around to look at you, a tired smile rising to his lips as he saw you struggle with your socks, walking over to you with a small chuckle.

“Come here.” He mumbled, bending down slightly and taking your foot in his hand, pulling the sock off without any struggle whatsoever.

You scoffed at this, and before you could help yourself, snapped out. ”I’m pregnant, not incapable.”

He looked up at you with a raised eyebrow, not affected in the slightest and instantly moving on to your other foot. ”I know you’re not.” He agreed. “I just wanted to help.”

Guilt instantly filled your body and you sighed, bringing a hand up to rub the bridge of your nose as he set your foot back down on the cold floor. “I know.” You mumbled. “I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with my pregnancy hormones lately.”

Coming back up to his full height, he wasted no time in starting to pull at the bottom hem of your undershirt. “Don’t apologize.” He said, and you slowly lifted your arms so that he could pull the shirt over your head. “You know I’ll stay by your side no matter what.”

You stayed quiet, wordlessly letting him take off the remaining of your clothes. Once he was done, he picked them all up from the floor and put them on the stool you had previously been sitting on before proceeding to lead you over to the bathtub and helping you into the water.

Your body warmed up the instant it was submerged, and you let out a sigh of relief, your eyes fluttering closed for a moment before opening again. As you took in the sight of your own body, you felt yourself growing sour.

Despite the fact that it was your own child growing inside of you, you couldn’t help but feel self-conscious.

“I feel like an elephant with tiger stripes.” You muttered lowly, letting your fingers run over the red and white irregular lines on the surface of your stomach.  

Finn crouched down by the side of the tub, his sleeves now rolled up to his elbows to avoid getting them wet as he leaned his arms on the edge, and leaning his head on his arms. “Elephant or not.” He spoke, bringing one of his hands up to your face to brush away a strand of hair that had fallen out of your bun, watching you closely. “You’re beautiful, stretch mark and all.”

It was truly a wonder to you how he, this far into your relationship, could still make you blush the same way he had at the very beginning of it.

You slid down further into the water so that your face ended up right in front of his where he was still leaning his cheek against his arm on the edge of the tub. “You’ve got a strange way of complimenting your wife, Mr. Shelby.” You mumbled, your lips tugging into a soft smile.

“But you love it.” He answered, his face sporting a lazy, cheeky grin, eyes never leaving yours and his hand still touching around your face gently.

Humming, you let your eyes fall closed. “Yeah, I do.” You agreed, leaning into his touch.

“And I love you.”

“I love you, too.” You mumbled, smiling against his lips when he leaned in and pressed them against yours, your hands moving out of the water to the back of his neck to pull him closer.

Getting lost in the moment, you accidentally managed to pull him half into the water, soaking him from head to toe. He hadn’t been planning on joining you in the bath to a start, just wanting to take care of you, but as he was now already wet, neither of you saw any point of him staying out.

He slid in behind you in the bathtub, washed you off and then proceeded to just hold you until the water started getting cold.

He got out first, drying himself off and getting dressed before helping you out and repeating the process on you, before the two of you headed off to bed, lulling off to sleep to the sounds of your mixed breathing and the storm still going strong outside your window, and the feeling of your unborn child kicking against your hands.

You weren’t sure for how long you were asleep, but it was still dark, still raining and still thundering by the time you woke up again.

But it hadn’t been the storm that woke you up. No, it was the most intense pain you had ever felt in your entire life.

The feeling drew a gasp from your lips and your hand instantly flew to your belly. For a second you feared something was wrong with the baby, but then you felt the uncomfortable feeling in your orifice and you figured out at once what was going on.

“Oh no.” You croaked to yourself, panic instantly filling your body.

You reached behind you and slapped Finn, who was still sleeping soundly beside you. “Finn.” You called for him, only getting a mumble in return. Slapping him harder, you called out again, this time a bit louder. “Finn!”

Finn instantly jerked awake at that, sitting up behind you.

“What is it?” He croaked, his voice thick with sleep and his eyes barely even open. “What’s wrong? Is it the baby?”

“Yeah.” You wasted no time in nodding your head, trying to push yourself up in the bed but having to cut yourself short when an insane shock of pain went through your entire body again.

You fell back on the bed with a loud yell of pain leaving your lips, and at the sound, Finn was suddenly wide awake, crawling closer to your side and putting his hands to your stomach, looking between it and your eyes bewildered.

“What’s wrong?” He asked again, watching with wide eyes as you squeezed your eyes shut and started breathing heavier and heavier for every passing second.

“I think it’s coming.” You barely even managed to get out between gasps.

“What?” He asked, not having heard you and still not having a clue as to what to do.

You opened your mouth to repeat yourself but had to cut yourself short when another intense wave of pain rocked through your body, this time more painful than any of the other times.

"The baby! It’s coming!” You managed to yell out, and Finn instantly shot out of the bed at that.

“It’s not supposed to come for another three weeks!” You continued, now freely crying from both pain and panic. “What if something’s wrong.”

“No, no. It’s alright, love.” Finn shook his head, trying to calm you down. “Polly said this was normal.” He assured you, all while going over to the phone on the bedside table and lifting it to his ear, starting to dial a number.  

But he let go of the phone just as quickly again when he got no tones.

“Still no signal.” He sighed, straightening himself and pulling at his hair as he watched you, taking a moment to collect himself before finally rushing around the room, instantly starting to light it up with every candle he could get his hands on.

“Alright, we’re going to have to manage on our own.” He said, lighting the candles with shaky hands. But you couldn’t hear him, just letting out another loud yell from the bed.

Not until he finished with the candles, sat himself down beneath your feet on the bed and started pulling away your blanket did you come back to your senses, instantly slapping his hands away with panic in your eyes.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?” You yelled with more rage than he had ever seen you use before.

Admittedly, it made him quite scared, but he quickly shook it off. “I need to get your underpants off!” He quickly explained himself, pulling the cover away and moving his hands up to your hips.

But once again, you only slapped his hands away again. “You’re doing no such thing!” You disagreed, violently shaking your head against the pillow. “You’re not delivering our baby, Finn! I don’t want you down there!”

“What difference does it make?” He yelled back, his entire body rigid with panic. “I’ve seen every inch of your body more times than I can count!””

“Yeah, but not while I’ve squeezed another human being out of me!” You kept fighting back through gasps and heavy breaths, managing to keep eye contact through the strands of your still-wet hair. “I’m not doing this without Polly or Esme. I refuse.”

You squeezed your eyes shut, grasping the sheets in your hands and violently shaking your head.

Finn was getting more and more panicked by the second with the way you were refusing his help, knowing you had to get to it if you wanted the baby to be delivered without any differences.

Inside, he was a mess, but he forced himself to stay calm for your sake, knowing he was the only one out of the two of you who could at this moment.

“I don’t think you have a choice.” He shook his head, reaching out and grabbing one of your hands. “You’re going into labor.”

You kept shaking your head but squeezed his hand back. “I can’t do this.” You cried, the pain and panic of having to do this all on your own in the middle of a storm, with no contact with the outside world, becoming too much to handle.

“Of course you can.” Finn disagreed, now standing on his knees below your body, one of his hands on your knee. “Your body was built to do this.”

Another sharp pain shot through your orifice, making you cry out. “This is all your fault!”

“Well, I would hope so!” Finn quickly fired back, intending to lighten the mood a bit, but it did nothing of the sorts, as you only started crying even harder.

But finally, you nodded, and could feel under his touch that you relaxed your legs.

“Fine, fine!” You agreed through your tears. “Just get him out! It hurts, I can’t take it!”

Finn froze for a moment, a smile rising to his lips as he watched you, the situation at hand momentarily forgotten. “Him?” He asked, this being the first time you had actually shared your opinion on whether your thought it was a boy or a girl; while he had told you every day he thought it was a boy.

But he quickly broke free of his trance when you yelled out: “Not now Finn!”, and instantly got to work, rolling up his sleeves and slowly slipping his hands between your legs.

And this time, you let him.

It was only then, when you became exposed to him, that he noticed your water had broken; something that you had managed to miss thanks to the intense pain you had woken up in.

He got lost in his thoughts for a moment, just freezing at the realization of what he was about to do, but quickly came back to reality at the sound of another loud scream leaving your throat, just at the same time as a clap of thunder shook the building.

Regaining his composure, he quickly inched your nightgown up to your waist and pulled your underwear down and off your legs, and had to really concentrate and think back to every time Polly and Esme had talked to him about the process of childbirth to know what he was supposed to do.

In a flurry of motions, he hurriedly put a pillow each under your feet and parted your legs wide, allowing him to see fully what was going on. Although, he wasn’t even sure what he was looking at.

Had he not been your only hope in this exact moment, he probably would have passed out on the spot.

But you needed him, so he pulled himself together and made himself comfortable.

“Okay, love.” He breathed, nodding his head, more to himself so than to you. “I’m going to need you to push, alright? I’m going to need you to push real hard.”

All you could do was grab at your own hair, pulling at it as you cried. “I feel like I’m going to fucking rip in two!”

It was the absolute worst pain you had ever been in. Your entire abdomen was cramping to the point where it felt like you were dying, it felt as if your back and groin was being stabbed repeatedly and your uterus, cervix and sides felt as if they were on literal fire.

“You won’t, I promise you won’t.” Finn assured you, holding his hands on your knees to keep them from closing at the pain. “If you just push, it will all be over soon. I promise.”

“Stop making promises and shut up!” You yelled back, breathing heavily through your teeth.

Just the sound of his voice in this moment was enough to make you want to kick him off the bed, but nonetheless, you did as he instructed and pushed with all of your might, letting out an ear-deafening yell.

Finn instantly perked up as he felt your body tense and nodded his head in encouragement, turning his attention from your face and back to between your legs. “Yes, just like that!” He cheered you on. “Keep going!”

Once again, you followed his instructions and pushed, letting your head fall back into the pillow and your hands moving to hold on to the headboard.

It felt like an eternity that you laid there, just pushing with all your might and yelling at the top of your lungs as it felt as if your insides were being ripped out.

But Finn was with you all the way, and once your cervix had dilated to about ten centimeters, it took approximately another hour and a half of pushing.

At this point, you didn’t have any more energy left in your body to give, but still, you gathered everything in you, all of your remaining energy, all of your pain and rage, and put it all into one last push, and then it felt as if a ten kilogram stone was pulled out of you, causing you to fall limp on the bed with exhaustion and relief.

Finn carefully raised the kicking and screaming baby from the bed into his arms, eyes glazing over with tears the instant they landed on your baby’s red, pruny, scrunched up face.

But you barely even reacted, just breathing heavily and crying to yourself, your ears ringing and black spots dancing in front of your eyes.

It wasn’t until Finn moved around the bed and came up to you with your baby in his arms and you saw the small legs and arms kicking and punching the air that you finally realized that it was all over.

With the last bit of energy left in your body, you managed to scoot yourself up against the pillows, a teary laugh escaping your lips at the sight.

“Is it-“

Finn shook his head, smiling a cheeky smile. “It’s a girl.” He told you, and that only made your smile widen.

Gentler than he had ever been in his life before, he passed the small, crying baby girl to you, placing her in your arms, and when feeling your chest against her cheek, she instantly stopped crying, settling in your arms.

“That wasn’t so hard, now, was it?” Finn joked with a humorous breath, and your eyes instantly snapped to his, another teary laugh leaving your lips and your face pulling into a teasing glare.

“Right now, I can’t decide if I want to kiss you or shove you off a bridge.” You told him, shaking your head and turning your eyes back down to your daughter, bringing your thumb up to her face to wipe a smudge of blood off her cheek.

Finn sat down next to you at the edge of the bed and your head instantly fell to his chest, your eyes falling closed as you lowered your face to press your lips against your daughter’s head.

Finn was sniffling, silently crying as he watched the two of you interact, his arms wrapping around your shoulders and pulling you closer into his chest.

But your sweet moment didn’t last very long, as the front door could soon be heard opening from downstairs, followed by Arthur’s voice calling out.

“Finn? (Y/N)?!”

Your eyes instantly snapped open, turning to the doorway. They must have come to check up on you in the storm.

“We’re up here!” Finn yelled back.

The air grew silent again for a moment, but soon the sound of several sets of footsteps could be heard coming closer and closer to your room. And only a second later, Arthur, Tommy and Polly appeared in the doorway.

Their eyes all widened at the sight they were faced with, and Polly let out a gasp. “Is that…”

You let out a happy laugh and Finn only smiled proudly, nodding his head in confirmation.

He stood up, and Arthur wasted no time in bringing his little brother into an embrace, congratulating him.

Tommy smacked him on the back with a wide smile, but Polly completely ignored her nephew, instead coming over to you and taking Finn’s spot on the edge of the bed.

She gave you a sideways hug, squeezing you tight and long before letting go and turning her attention back to the baby.

"She's gorgeous. Looks just like her mother." She smiled, watching her for a moment, before taking note on the state of the bed and the umbilical cord still being attached.

“Let's get you cleaned up.” She said, squeezing your hand before quickly getting off the bed again and hurrying out of the room, most likely to go to the bathroom to find everything she needed.

Finn took this as the right time to lead Tommy and Arthur over to you, and Arthur wasted no time in starting to gush over the baby, reaching a finger down to her hand and smiling all the way to his eyes when she grabbed a hold of it with her tiny hand in her sleep.

“Think she likes me.” He bragged with a cheeky grin, and you could only laugh and nod.

Tommy stood beside Finn, watching the scene unfold, and asked. “Have you got a name for her?”

You glanced up from her face to meet your brother-in-law’s eyes, shrugging your shoulders lightly. “Well, Finn was certain it was going to be a boy and he wanted to name him Lucas, so I think it’s only fair we name her Lucy.”

If Finn hadn’t already been proud, he for sure was now, his entire face lighting up at the mention of his daughter’s name.

“Welcome to the family, Lucy. You're in for one 'ell of a ride." Arthur said to her in a near ridiculous voice, gently shaking her hand that was still clasped around his finger, bringing a laugh out of all of you.

Polly returned shortly after, keeping her promise of cleaning you and Lucy up as Finn retook his spot at your side, taking you into his arms once again.

Tommy, Arthur and Polly stayed for another hour, despite it being in the middle of the night, just talking to you and taking turns to hold the baby, making sure you had everything you needed and that you would be alright in the storm, them knowing just as well as you that it wouldn’t end for another few hours at least.

When they were about to leave, you let Finn take Lucy with him downstairs to see them off at the door, too tired to even keep your eyes open any longer, and as they watched their little brother and nephew hold his own daughter, really coming to the realization that he had delivered his baby all on his own, they knew that he wasn’t a little boy anymore, and probably hadn’t been for a long time.

[thebibliomancer]

Tides of the Dark Crystal liveblog pt 19

Tides of the Dark Crystal because I want to know if they’ll be able to save a tree! I’m arboreally invested!

Last times on book: Amri and co are on a quest to unite all the Gelfling clans against the Skeksis. They’ve managed with the Sifa and they’re trying with the Dousan at the Wellspring gathering place now. Periss, their guide to the Wellspring, did a hostage situation to get the team educated about the plight of dying giant trees in the area. Amri, Naia, and Tavra dove down down down to the bottom of the lake where the tree once was and found a spark of life. But it needs the Dousan to heal and it’s going to be hard to get them to the bottom of the lake. They’ve only got one Naia to go around.

Chapter 19

Team Naia and the Dousan heal the tree, more plot arrives in a silver bound scroll

Okay. So the solution to how to get all the Dousan underwater is to not do that. Its just not feasible. Amri suggests getting the Dousan to the cave since the water from the Wellspring is going to the cave too and Naia says it’ll have to be good enough.

Their lips met, and she filled his lungs with air, more warmly than before, then thrust him away. He held the feeling in his heart, letting it buoy him toward the surface so far above.

Is giving someone oxygen underwater a ship tease? Because it seems to be leaning that way.

Amri bobs to the surface and is pulled out of the water by good ol’ Periss. The Dousan are all still meditating as their camp is torn to pieces by the wind. Can’t say they’re not determined.

The Grottan guy tells Periss (and Erimon who is still hanging around) that the tree is still alive, just, and that it needs the Dousan’s song for Naia to heal it.

Periss turned on Erimon, eyes wide with hope.

“Our people meditate, send thoughts and dreams into the universe, trusting Thra to send providence. But they won’t take action -- won’t even lift a finger to save the gifts Thra has already provided! If they won’t, then I will.”

Periss runs off to put the nearest Dousan. To put them in a headlock and drag them to the cave, presumably.

“You say you saw it? The tree truly lives?”

“And can save us yet, if you’ll believe in it!”

Like the living spot of the tree in all the dead, a spark of light flickered in Erimon’s countenance. Like a wall breaking, like he was waking from a dream that he had been dreaming too long.

Maybe if the tree had sent dreams to the rest of the Dousan, this would have gotten resolved faster. I do wonder why it only sent dream nightmares to Periss.

Anyway, Erimon pulls a horn from his belt and just holds it up to the wind, which makes me laugh a little at the effort saving a desert storm can provide. The blaaaaat, presumably, of the horn rouses the Dousan and Erimon tells them to get themselves to the cave.

When Erimon, Periss, and Amri get to the cave, Erimon jams the horn into a crevice so it’ll keep blowing and guide the Dousan there.

Inside, Kylan has climbed into a little nook that I guess has great acoustics and is still playing his firca. Amri tells Erimon and Periss to get to singing without waiting for the rest of the Dousan.

A neat touch is that Dousan singing is a sort of humming that reminds Amri a lot of the Mystics but also Aughra’s chant and the song of Thra. Given who the Dousan based their culture on, it makes a lot of sense. And is probably the best possible singing for this situation.

Amri asks Onica how they’ll know this is all working and she says “If it works, the tree will rise and break the storm wall,” Onica said. “And if doesn’t, we may be the only ones that survive this trial.”

No pressure. Except all the pressure. Geez, the weather is pissed off.

Some more Dousan start finding their way into the cave, caked in sand, and confused how things have gotten so bad and whether buried in sand forever is the answer Thra is giving them.

Even entering the cave and seeing Periss and Erimon singing to Kylan’s playing the Dousan just kind of. Silently watch. They need a bit of a nudge.

“Thra has already given you an answer. To the darkening, to the Skeksis, to all the corruption that seeps into our world. Believe in the way Thra has shown us all along, even if it seems hopeless. In the tree. In the Gelfling. In each other!”

Amri held out his hands as the storm threw itself against the mountain, a monster knocking on the door. To his surprise, a Dousan stepped forward and took his hand.

“I will believe,” she said.

Another followed her. Amri didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

I would also like to see this portrayed in puppets. It wouldn’t be as technically impressive as the dive into the forever deep spring but it would make me feel feelings.

The Dousan join hands and hum sing so loudly it drones out the storm.

Amri sees a dreamfast, presumably with all the present Dousan or with the tree?, of the tree in its prime and the Dousan coming and going from the oasis.

He thinks he hears Naia’s voice so looks outside the cave where the darkness has lifted.

Amri stepped outside of the cave and gasped.

Still growing, at an impossible and rapid speed, a tree was unfurling from within the lake. Its spiraled shoot jetted into the sky, thick boughs with huge succulent fronds blooming like a storm of another kind.

The storm wall broke as the tree pierced it, scattering the lightning and wind. The clouds parted in a ripple, dissipating. Behind the black of the storm, the sky was light with morning.

HEYYYY wow. They kept saying that the tree could stop the storm but I thought it was like. Magic. Not that the tree would grow so big that it would explode the storm.

These Great Trees are. Pretty great.

In the center of the still-chanting Dousan, the same rainbow light appears and dream-etches the story of the Sifa and now the Dousan joining the resistance.

Very helpful to have a ‘quest completed’ indicator. And very cool.

Amri also sees a vision in the fire of Maudra Ethri at Cera-Na receiving a scroll tied with silver twine.

Huh. Plot hook?

And similar to the dream Naia had of her mother receiving a scroll in the swamp.

Huuuuh. Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuh.

Speaking of Naia...

The tree’s bark was made of woody, layered diamonds like the scales of a lizard, pointing upward to capture what meager rain fell in the desert. Cradled in one of the shelves made of the bark, resting in a nest of lake weeds, was the Drenchen girl. Amri splashed through the water and climbed up the tree to where she lay.

“Oof,” she groaned when he reached her.

“You did it. Naia, you did it.”

She gave an exhausted chuckle. “It wasn’t me. When I was down there, I could hear you. Through the water and the river. I heard Kylan’s firca. I heard the Dousan singing the song of life.” She looked at the palms of her hands. “I became one with the tree, in that moment. I felt as if my heart had grown wings. And then this miracle...”

Together, they looked up through the morning suns as they came through the tree’s fronds, sparkling with the water that still dripped in pristine rain from so high above. Naia smiled and put her hand against the tree’s bark.

“Oszah-Staba,” she said. “The Wellspring Tree. Its tears have always filled the lake. But now they can be tears of joy instead of loneliness.”

WOO!

I hope they all feel very accomplished! That’s two whole clans convinced and a tree saved.

Uh, so why is there still 80 some pages left. Are there more tides?

Despite stopping the storm, it managed to destroy pretty much the entire Dousan camp first. The Crystal Skimmers at least dig themselves out of the sand.

Erimon tries to apologize to Periss but Periss just tells him that his sand skiff (the one that Periss stole?) will be a good apology.

Everyone is basically feeling good and accomplished right now, despite 80 some pages left.

Even Tavra spoke kindly into his ear.

“You did very well, Shadowling,” she said.

“And how are you, spiderling?” he replied.

“Tired.”

In the past, her short answers had always seemed aloof, as if she didn’t want to speak to him any more than she had to. But this time he heard something else. Not sadness, not reluctance; just exactly what she’d said. Tiredness.

With a start, he realized maybe this was just the way she was: not cold, but reserved.

Frens.

Also, I have to imagine that being the middlest child had a lot to do with it. Brea and Seladon are a lot more than Tavra is. Just a lot more. And they seem to constantly put her in the middle of it. Where she has to be very diplomatic.

Amri asks if there’s anything he can do for Tavra but she says nothing more than he already has.

Aw.

Maudra Seethi’s Crystal Skimmer arrives in rough shape, deck in ruins and Skimmer covered in wounds from the storm. But there’s no Maudra Seethi aboard.

Wait, that’s it! That’s what’s missing! Surely I get to meet Maudra Seethi in this book where half the plot has been the Dousan! I’ve met all the other Maudra!

Sandmaster Rek’yr is aboard. Hi show character, Rek’yr!

He tells the protagonists that Seethi’s Skimmer was caught by the storm wall on the way to the Wellspring and had to back off hoping for it to break. But while they waited a message came from Ha’rar and Maudra Seethi had to leave immediately.

Rek’yr coughed again and groaned, producing a scroll tied with a piece of silver twine. He passed it to Erimon as proof. Amri waited while he read it, though with a horrible dread, he felt he knew what words would come from the sandmaster’s mouth next.

“The maudra have been summoned to Ha’rar by Princess Seladon,” he said. “All-Maudra Mayrin is dead.”

Oh nerts.

Huh. Three books only takes us up to the equivalent of episode 5 or 6?

Dang, Naia’s team is good at squeezing in a lot of plot in a short amount of time.

[everlarkficexchange]

That Monolithic Thing (Called Love) - Aka: I'll Leave My Window Open - The Prologue

I just want to let everyone know, I took on 7 prompts to make one monolithic story, that I have planned plot, and scenes written, betas lined up, (@katnissdoesnotfollowback @titaniasfics) and people who have given me advice when asked, (@wendywobbles @dandeliononfire @lovely-tothe-bone @rosegardeninwinter @badnovels) I just have fallen short of stringing it all together into the piece it deserves, so I wanted to give just a little snippet as a preview, the rest will come, it will be multichapter, but still probably shorter than most I am unsure whether to post the first part here, or directly to my A03 so it all stays together. Any thoughts? Anyway, thank you again for your patience, and here is a snippet from a document sitting on my devices titled, “That Monolithic Thing (Called Love) - Aka: I’ll Leave My Window Open - The Prologue” for now.

The prompts:

Prompt 7: Katniss Everdeen the daughter of a billionaire tries to antagonise her father. So she decides to date poor, uneducated simple boy Peeta. Her whole family (even Prim) hates him. Too bad his father has already arranged her marriage with his business partner’s son Gale, a smart, handsome and successful man. Will she really fall for Peeta or will she bow to her father’s will? Does Peeta feel himself worthy of Katniss? [submitted by @white-dandelion-seeds] 

Prompt 39: Taylor Swift - Mary’s Song (aka childhood best friends to lovers to husband and wife) [submitted by anonymous] 

Prompt 65: Everlark fluff based on the song Sugar by Maren Morris. [submitted by @lovely-tothe-bone] 

Prompt 69: College boy Peeta helps incoming students move into the dorms. Katniss is his next assignment. Age Gap? Maybe Katniss is an older student going to college later? Grad student? Maybe Peeta is a senior, Katniss a Freshman? The possibilities are endless! [submitted by anonymous] 

Prompt 72: Peeta is off a very abusive, poor home. His school friend Katniss has the exact opposite home: well loved and well off family. What happens when opposite worlds clash? [submitted by anonymous] 

Prompt 91: ​High school. Peeta is the perfect golden boy. Katniss is a rebellious, infamous girl who always skips class and who everyone fears. She is every boys wet dream and every girls nightmare. How will they both fall in love? [submitted by @mysteriouslycraftyreview]

Prompt 95: Everlark meet cute, “Oh wait… you’re NOT my blind date?” We’re they set up with each other or with someone else? How do they figure out the mix up? What happens after? Disgustingly fluffy welcome. [submitted by @katnissdoesnotfollowback]

Along with something @lovely-tothe-bone and @rosegardeninwinter said I should write called, “I’ll Leave My Window Open”.

The synopsis is still not flushed out, it’s my worst strength, but I promise lots of fluff, and comedy, and angst, and a whole helluva lot of chaos, maybe even a little slow burn, and the typical hair pulling aggravation of “JUST KISS ALREADY” thrown in there somewhere. 😉 (Plus, you know me. There’s going to be pondering and lots of self revelations. You know what I do.)

When a door closes, open a window. Stuck in a metaphorical box by her family, Katniss hangs on to one piece of advice that has gotten her this far. But leaving her window open for a certain blonde to find his way up and into her life ends up being more complicated than expected, and yet the best thing she’s ever done. 

Xxx

Running into the abandoned greenhouse, Peeta was quick to shut the door, then began looking for some sort of fire extinguisher. 

Finding an old hose, he picked it up only to have it crumble in his hands, turning to dust with a touch. 

Looking up to Katniss wide eyed, she was glancing around the glass structure absently, her mind a million miles away. Staring fixedly on some old rose bushes, wilted and dried, yet the buds still perfectly shaped on the stems, she reached out to touch one, stopping just short of actual contact. 

“No one’s been out here for years.” Her voice was distant, mumbled. “Dad didn’t see the need to tend to a greenhouse we never got to visit, even in our backyard. Or pay someone to manage it. It was just another cost. A cost he wasn’t willing to take on…. Despite it being the only thing my sister and I fought together for in our lives.” 

Flames grew closer to the glass building, painting her face in wicked shades and shadows as she spoke. A smile ghosted over her lips as she was stuck in a memory of better times. Reaching out to finally trace the ancient flowers, it seemed the ghost of her touch was enough to cause the petals to finally fall, each in quick succession. 

If he had ever doubted miracles, now was not one of those times, because as soon as the first petal hit the table beneath it, thunder boomed outside, shaking the glass structure, and seeming to shake Katniss out of her memories. She looked at him wide eyed, realizing the situation and it’s full gravity crashing down around them. 

Lightning struck somewhere nearby, illuminating her from behind, and he swore he had never seen anything more beautiful. The trees outside seemed to be fighting a mighty battle with sudden winds that howled against their little shelter, but not a breath of it came inside, and it made the image even more breathtaking in his eyes. 

The outside was a raging fire, and wind, and pounding thunder, but there before him stood a woman unmoved, undisturbed, unphased by any of the elements, standing tall with a face of determination against it all. But her eyes…. Her eyes spoke even louder than everything else, and they spoke of fear.

Suddenly, the glass of the building, once crystal clear, now looked like opening your eyes underwater, the glass swirling and curling as sheets of water poured down on all sides. The smell of smoke faintly wafted in from some small crack in the frame, and it mixed with the smell of old, but beautiful, smelling roses. It was almost overbearing, until the smell of rain came quickly after, and wiped away all this old and dying, bringing with it the promise of a clean slate. 

It was a blessing the sheets of rain kept the view outside obscured, keeping them from the truth of what they had run from just at bay outside the glass doors. 

But for now, they were safe, and the realization made Katniss begin to shake. 

Taking two large steps toward her, he cradled her face in his hands, trying to soothe her with calming words and gentle strokes of his thumbs to wipe the tears away, but it didn’t seem to help. Her eyes darting all around, her shaking persistent, finally he said her name, and her gaze locked on his. 

Looking between her eyes, head still held in his hands, his eyes darted down to her lips, before catching her eyes doing the same to him. With a small smile, he began to lean in closer, mumbling, “Remember, we’re madly in love, so it’s alright to kiss me anytime you feel like it.”

[tarithenurse]

Stolen - 16

Pairing: Loki Laufeyson &/x fem!gifted!reader Content: Probably a shitton of proofing slips as I actually didn’t do any proofing this time. A/N: Three days straight of migraine/headache sucks. GIF via google.

16. The Golden Age of Grotesque

...  Reader   ...

He's gone when you wake up – nothing but a slightly crumbled sheet and a dip in the pillow he has used. As your bleary eyes get used to the dim light mocking the non-existent dawn and the sense of abandonment wanes, your hand smooths across the empty space left behind by Loki.

Of all the monsters out there, he is by far the most gentleman-like one you've met even with all the horrors he's brought upon innocents. He's a killer, logic hisses at you. He was under the control of that Thanos-guy, your Heart protests. And Aïsha? You feel ashamed at how quickly an answer presents itself, excusing him by trusting in your skills. It's the usual battle of conscience, one you're losing quicker each time. Perhaps I'm a monster too.

...

"Tell me, little mortal, is space as you had imagined?" Loki purrs from the captain's chair where his legs are dangling over the armrest.

Tearing your eyes from the scattered boulders of the asteroid belt, the stones reflecting the light from the local star in odd bursts of blue and purple, the god reminds you of a cat. "I...guess."

And just like a cat, he pounces at your hesitation. "Guess?" Green eyes bore into you.

"I...never really imagined much 'cause I didn't expect to ever see any'f space." You shrug. "Better than driving myself crazy with something outta reach."

"And now? It's right there, pet! Just reach out, feel the endless freedom!"

Elegantly swinging onto his feet, Loki pulls you up before the bronze navigation console, a projection of the current galaxy swirling lazily before you. It holds countless possibilities, all represented by itsy bitsy tiny dots illuminating everything including Loki's hands on your shoulders. I thought we were running? Fickle as the first flame of a fire, the Asgardian's moments of happiness amaze you – and goodness knows there haven't been many in the time you've known him.

"Where should I start, then?" you encourage him, hoping for the moment to continue.

His face is unreadable, a gleam of mischief the only hint he has come to a decision as he speeds up the ship and navigates away from the dancing stones to find a lifeless, dusty planet to land on.

“Come,” he orders, giving you no choice as he grabs you by the wrist and drags you along to his cabin where he digs out a pair soft cape which he sticks under one arm.

You never tire of Loki’s magic. How he can conjure up things from nothing, like the brightly glowing blue cube. Of course, you’re less than thrilled about the way it drops the two of you into a cloud of eternity and spits you out somewhere completely different – it makes your stomach swoop and your lungs clench.

“I prefer the view during the winter...but perhaps you can imagine it,” Loki explains with the voice of a tour guide.

But it’s already breathtaking? From where you’re standing, high above the surrounding landscape, steep cliffs descent rapidly before you down to the dark waters below that have cut into land from the distant ocean. From across the sea, the setting sun is sending it’s last rays onto your face and behind you, it adds a fiery quality to the red and yellow of the few deciduous trees and shrubs breaking the backdrop of dark spruce and fading grasses. High above, white clouds (painted with peachy colours) chase each other across a perfect sky, spurred on by the same wind that tugs at your clothes and carries the screams of the seagulls from down below.

“That’s a fjord.” The observation sounds lame in your own ears.

“Yes.” Blocking the view momentarily, Loki wraps the cape around your shoulders and secures it with a golden snake-brooch. “Welcome to Norway.”

...  Loki  ...

He finds it difficult to choose what pleases him the most: the sight of [Y/N] dressed in his colours, or the look of disbelief painted on her face. Either way, the Jotun finds no reason to stop a smile from tugging at his lips.

“You brought me...to freaking...NORWAY?!”

He hadn’t noticed his hands were lingering on the cape’s lining until the pretty mortal wraps her fingers around his. Eyes big, mouth drawn into a thin line which Loki knows she’ll break only to worry the lower lip with her teeth.

“Would it have pleased you if I’d claimed it was in another realm?” The woman’s grasp can’t hold him as he pulls away.

“I don’t care what you call it!” By the Norns, her voice grates his nerves. “If they realize you’re here! Won’t that...? Isn’t...? You can’t risk getting caught!”

Pardon me? Reevaluating the pinch of [Y/N]’s brows and the tremble in her hands, it becomes evident the outrage stems from something different than the venue itself.

“What is this? The prisoner cares for the monster?” Loki can’t help the mocking tone of the words.

"I...that's not...!" [Y/N] sputters indignantly. "You tell me I can't got back home and still you're dragging me to Norway. If you get caught, what you think's gonna happen to me, huh? Think the Avengers are just gonna: 'Oh, right, this woman who's been hanging out with Loki’s obviously innocent and we'll just let her go about her life'? NOT!"

He cannot help the ripple of laughter spilling at the sight of this endearing mortal. While he half expects lightning to burst from her as she bristles with near-righteous fury, the God of Chaos and Mischief recognizes [Y/N]'s attempt to circumvent fact. How peculiar. It's tempting to wrap her in an embrace – be the protector rather than the threat (whether indirectly or not).

"Do not fret, my darling." His smile silences her. "Even if they arrive, we'll be gone before they can lay a finger on you."

Gorgeous [Y/E/C] eyes squint at him momentarily. "Fine," she snaps and turns with a huff.

Despite the outburst, it's an amicable silence enveloping them as they watch the last of the sun's disc before it dives beneath the horizon in a final flash of ruby and amber, and it isn’t until the first star appears on the sky above that Loki sighs. Heavy with the knowledge they cannot stay atop this natural outpost, he quietly reaches for the woman’s wrist only to be rewarded with her hand, fingers entwining effortlessly – almost like second nature.

The shining cube already rests in his palm when [Y/N] speaks up. “We’ll have to talk about what’s happening sooner or later, Loki.”

Too late to stop the magic of the Tesseract, the indigo cloud consumes and spits them out. Perhaps the process is less smooth than it should be. Or perhaps an involuntary reaction from the god’s side jerks the human off balance ever so slightly that she stumbles against his chest. Either way, who could blame him from tugging her against him in an effort to steady her?

Seconds the length of hours pass before Loki dare loosen his hold and meet her gaze. “I told you the pitiful Avengers won’t reach you.” Or do you refer to other...developments?

“Not that.” A piece of his heart stays with [Y/N] when she gently frees herself. “I’m talking ‘bout the so-called plan you’ve got.”

[stardust-and-snickerdoodles]

Baby Blue

fandom: Daredevil

pairing: Matt Murdock x Reader

summary: You have chromesthesia, a form of synesthesia in which you experience sounds as colors. Lately, everything has been colorless. That is, until one vigilante comes to your aid.

warnings: depression, self-harm, referenced suicide attempt

word count: 1824

You wrap your arms around your torso tighter as you try to fight away the cold chilling your skin. The rain pelts against you in icy sheets and splashes to the pavement in a cacophonous symphony of droplets. You feel cold.

Not just physically, but emotionally. Your mind has given up on the idea that things would get better.

You don’t know why you are so cold. Physically, it is obvious. No jacket, no umbrella. You’d left your apartment hours ago. That was before it had started raining and before the sun had set in a blaze of red-orange on the horizon. You hadn’t thought of the possibility that you might be out for a while. Now it seemed only logical. Why would you want to go back there? Back where the tear-stained tissues littered the floor of your bedroom like trash on the beach, blue and black. Back where the blade still lay on the counter, orange and black. Back where the sink still carried traces of your self-torture, all red and hurt and pain and black. Everything was black. Everywhere, black. Black. Black.

It used to be all different colors. Mom’s voice was green, but not grass green; no, mama was pine tree green. Dad’s laugh was pink, even when he didn’t like to hear it. The sizzling of bacon each morning was yellow. The wind through the trees on the farm back at your real home, that was all misty grey and foggy white.

You hold your arms a little closer to your chest, as if just the thought of the wind will blow all your broken pieces away. The rain is orange and black. Black. Everything is black now.

You pick up your chin a bit as you pass by a bar, full to nearly capacity with bikers and businessmen alike; hell, probably some murderers too. A few weeks ago, it would have been a rainbow, but everything is black now.

You feel cold again, in your mind. The noise and color of the bar fade and you look up at the rooftops as you pass by them. Each one the exact same, all black. Until…

There’s a figure crouching down on one of the roofs; you can hear how to wind breaks around the silhouette. There’s a little baby blue amid all the black. Just the sight of it makes you feel a little warmer. You pause in your tracks, the rain still hitting your bare arms and bouncing to the sidewalk. The figure, although completely still, seems to freeze even more as you look up. Then, there is the slightest tilt of a head and you can make out the silhouette of a pair of horns.

You’ve barely let out a gasp when the figure disappears. You wonder if you’re hallucinating (wouldn’t doubt it; how long has it been since you last slept?) and continue walking down the sidewalk.

Not two steps later and a firm hand lands on your shoulder. You don’t scream or make any indication that you are scared, lest this stranger be holding a knife to your back.

“I don’t have any money,” you start, keeping your voice steady even with your heart pounding in your ears, “and if you’re looking for a good time, I can promise you, you’re going to want someone else.”

“I don’t want either of those things,” a deep, baby blue voice answers you above the sound of the rain.

You whirl around to face the man, trying to hide the pain you still feel inside with a look of astonishment. “Well I’ll be damned,” you murmur, keeping up with the “omg it’s Daredevil wow omg like woah” act.

The devil stares down at you (curse you, short genes!) and tilts his head as if he’s listening for something. “Are you alright?” he says finally, placing his hand back on your shoulder.

You shrug it off quickly, not wanting to get too attached to the warmth it gives you. The world goes to black again. “Fine,” you respond, your voice even, having grown used to the question.

The devil tips his head again and his lip quivers for just a moment. A drop of rain rolls down to the corner of his mouth. “Do you want to talk about it?” he says quietly.

The baby blue words catch you by surprise.

“Um, no,” you stammer, swallowing thickly. “Thank you though.” You try to tear your shoulder from his grip but he holds fast.

“I just want to help,” the devil murmurs, just loud enough over the rain. “I don’t think you should be alone right now.”

You look up at him, not quite meeting his eyes under the mask, but looking at the raindrops collecting on the fabric on his cheek.

The sound of the bar drifts back to your ears: a glass shattering, a pause in the music, a fist making hard contact with a jaw. You flinch a little. The sounds are all black.

The devil notices your subtle movement and squeezes your shoulder gently. “I know a place we can talk. Away from all this noise.”

His gloved hand slips down your arm to grasp your own hand. He turns and goes to lead you toward the fire escape of the building you saw him on moments before. After a moment’s hesitation, you follow him. His hand is warm, even through the gloves and the rain.

*

The two of you sit on the edge of the rooftop, your legs dangling over the side. The rain has picked up a bit now, accompanied every now and then by a streak of lightning and a crash of thunder. The world is so black.

You don’t say anything. The devil seems to be waiting for you, though, so eventually, you start to speak. “Why do you want to help me?” is all you can think to say. You stare down at the sidewalk as you wait for an answer. You’re not very far from the ground, but there’s something about all of the blackness that makes it seem as though you’re miles away.

“I could sense that you were troubled,” the devil replies, looking past your face and out to the horizon. He chuckles, not baby blue but more ocean-like. “Call it a sixth sense.”

You return with a short laugh. “I have one of those too.”

He tilts his head, intrigued. “Really?”

You nod. “Yeah, I guess you could call it that. It’s called chromesthesia. Basically, whenever I hear something, I see it as a color.”

The devil is silent for a moment. Thunder crashes in the distance. You find yourself staring at the seam where his mask ends and meets his cheek. What color are his eyes? Are they baby blue too?

“What color is the rain?” He whispers suddenly.

The question takes you by surprise. Usually, people want to know what color their voice is. “Different types are different colors. Drizzle is hot orange. Thunderstorms are coral.”

“Sounds like a beautiful world.”

“Not anymore.” The words slip out before you can stop yourself.

The devil tilts his head. “Oh?”

You hesitate. Shit. “Never mind,” you rush as you scramble away from the edge of the building, trying to get a footing on the slick roofing. You stand quickly, turning to climb down the fire escape and run home, away from his baby blue voice and all of the hurt. But at home there’s the tissues and the razor blades and the stained sink and suddenly you don’t fancy going home either. A streak of lightning splits the sky into two darkened halves.

You feel your heart hesitate in your chest. Rain makes steady streams down your cheeks. The thought of jumping from the roof occurs to you.

Your back is turned from the devil and you can’t hear him coming up behind you over all the rain and black. His hand lands gently on your shoulder and you flinch. “Hey,” his baby blue voice is soft, not pushy. “I understand.”

It’s not the first time you’ve heard those words. Usually people don’t really mean it. They just want to make you feel better. But there’s something in the way he says it. How his voice is like baby blankets and the ocean at dawn and the afternoon sky, and for some reason it makes you truly believe him. And a little bit of the black fades away.

Then there’s warm water running down your face and this time it’s not the rain and maybe, just maybe, he does understand. Because why else would he be baby blue amid all the black?

Suddenly you’re falling backwards but it’s not into open air, it’s into open arms. The devil wraps his arms around you, pushing away all the black as he murmurs baby blue words of comfort. And you’re sobbing and you’d be embarrassed but it’s so nice to finally have some color back that you don’t even care. He spins you around so that your cheek is pressed to his chest. The leather is cold and unfeeling but just the thought that there’s a heart beating under there somewhere makes you feel better.

“I understand,” the devil says again, and he runs his gloved hands through your tangled, dripping wet hair. You let out another sob, gasping for breath. “Shh, it’s alright,” he murmurs. “I’m here. You’re safe. Can we breathe together?”

You nod and choke out a small grunt in reply, pressing further into his chest.

“Alright. We’re going to breathe in for 3, hold for 3, and breathe out for 3, 3 times.”

He takes you through the breathing exercise with his soft baby blue voice. With each breath, you feel his chest rising and falling in time with your own. The thunder crashes around you but you ignore it. After 3 cycles, he pulls back from the hug a bit to check on you.

“Better?” he murmurs, one gloved hand coming to rest on your shoulder.

You look up into the red-tinted glass covering his eyes and tilt your head. “Yes,” you whisper.

His lips curve up ever so slightly into a sympathetic smile. “Good. I’m glad I could help.”

You look out onto the city. The black is fading away, being replaced by the coral of the rain, the mustard yellow of the subway trains, the misty grey of the wind through alleyways. You choke down another sob as the colors appear in brilliance.

“Hey now,” the devil says, rubbing your arm. “I thought you were good?”

You nod hurriedly and look back up at him. “It’s not all black anymore.” The words are barely a whisper but the devil seems to hear them anyway.

“I’m glad,” he returns with another small smile. He pulls you back into his embrace again.

You let your eyes slip closed against the rain. A crash of coral thunder invades the darkness. You smile. “Thanks, Blue.”

[captainillogical]

Distant Lands Ch.12

Stranded on a planet with toxic conditions and nothing but the clothes on your back, your only means of survival lies within the gem that got you here in the first place.

Spinel/Reader

collab with my lovely wife @firstofficertightpants​

The next day or so goes by pretty quickly without incident. You guys have to wait until the weather is good before you can go and retrieve the tracker, but you figure it would be best to go back and grab that before you forget about it. It had rained for the last day and a half unfortunately, so the journey is going to be extra annoying. Should only take.. most of your day to do this.

You sigh out loud in aggravation at the thought of having to go back over near the ruins that was your first camp. It's going to be such a long walk. You were going to go for it alone, originally, because you were the one who left it and you'd be fine on your own, but Spinel said she'd join you. You find yourself thankful for the company.

Which is interesting considering when you first came here, she wanted you to go nowhere alone and you absolutely hated her presence.

It's weird how quickly things can change.

You grab the fruit you're gonna eat for the day and toss it into the makeshift bag you had made, tossing it over your shoulder. You pat down your pocket, feeling your knife in there. Good. You don't think anything else is necessary.

Spinel walks over to the Spire doors and opens them, peering at the conditions outside. It's muggy as fuck outside today, but you're gonna have to deal with it.

"Ugh. I don't wanna go out there." She sniffs the air outside, scrunching her face in displeasure. "I feel like I'm breathing in vapor, the air is so thick."

"You don't even need to breathe technically, so I'm going to be the one suffering here. And we've got to just deal with it, we don't know if it's going to keep raining all week, and honestly Spinel? I don't want to walk miles in the rain." You adjust the bag over your shoulder so the hard angles of fruit aren't poking you in the side, and walk over to where she is by the door.

"Walking in the rain would be so much better than this." She sticks her arm outside the door, her arm drooping like a wet noodle dramatically. "This is miserable."

"No, miserable would be my legs chafing because of wet pants. You can deal with this." You take a couple steps outside, and jesus fuck she's right. The air is thick and swampy as hell. It feels like you're moving in molasses.

"Ugh, let's just get this over with." Her face drops in a show of misery, and you can't help rolling your eyes at her antics.

You both meander slowly in the direction you know the ruins to be in, and it takes just five minutes for you to be pretty damn irritated with the humidity. You feel like you're just dragging your feet along at an agonizing pace. Many parts of the uneven ground are just sopping wet mud pits, and you nearly walk into several. 

Because of the humidity and moisture levels of the soil, it takes you two far longer to get over to the ruins than you had originally thought. By the time you can see the hill you placed your keychain on, thick clouds have formed overhead in this late afternoon heat, chasing the sun away completely. You didn't think it would rain today, and you curse to yourself.

They look like storm clouds, and you gulp in nervous anticipation. You hope it's just rain this time.

"Looks like a storm is coming." Spinel says next to you, squinting up at the sky. 

"Yeah, let's hope it goes by quickly. We should probably find shelter once we're done and wait for it to pass." You reply as you both breach through the thick of the jungle trees, and you can see the hill with the tree on it. 

"If we wait too long though, we might not make it back before it gets dark.." She trails off, and looks to you in concern.

"We'll be fine." You huff. "I think."

"I don't trust these clouds. We should try to be a little faster."

"Spinel if I walk any faster, I'll slide around in the mud. We're almost there." Your legs feel like lead. All your limbs hurt, actually. You feel like the combination of the humidity and the heavy gravity could be used as some sort of slow torture device.

The walk up the hill is rough. You slip and manage to scuff up your knee, and it takes everything in your willpower to not just yell out in frustration. When you finally get to the base of the tree, you head straight for the trunk to grab the tracker.

It's not in the spot you left it.

Your stomach drops, and you freeze for a moment in panic. Spinel catches on immediately.

"What's wrong?" She asks from beside you, as you're kneeling.

"Uh." You say. "I left it here. And it ain't here." You say with a voice you're trying to keep the panic from reaching. Your heart rate has skyrocketed in the meantime.

"What do you mean it isn't here?" She looks at you, clearly concerned. 

“I-I don't know, but I hid it so nothing would happen to it, and now it's not here." You say, panic creeping into your voice. You pull the grass apart at the trunk of the tree with your hands, desperately trying to see if it somehow had rolled away. You are checking all around the base at this point.

"Where could it have gone? It's not like there are people here to take it!" She says in exasperation.

"I don't know!" You turn your head to look to her, and a flash of light shoots up in the distance behind her.

Fucking. Of course. 

A second and a half later, the crackle of rolling thunder sounds out around you.

"We should probably find shelter, Y/N." Spinel says, and looks up at the horizon.

"No," You reply, and when you stand up, you see another rod of lightning flash, but closer. The thunder booms, and within a few more seconds you're being pelted with chunks of ice. You look around you at the ground frantically, hoping somehow it moved.

“Y/N.” She repeats, and wind starts to pick up, your hair whipping you in the face. You shield your eyes from the incoming hail and rain. 

“Hold on,” You say, eyes roaming everywhere.

Two more flashes erupt in the distance, thunder sounding near immediately. The rain and hail starts to come down harder, and the wind is howling in your ears now. You are nearly in tears at this point, this was not how today was supposed to go at all.

“What’s that over there?” She asks, nearly shouting through the gusts of wind. You turn to see what she’s pointing at, and you see something off to the side, peeking out of some grass.

Stepping over to it quickly and nearly tripping, you can see that it’s your keychain.

“Oh thank god.” You groan in relief, grabbing it off the ground and feeling your heartbeats pounding in your ears.

“Is that it!?” She leans over you, shielding her face with her hands from the rain pelting down on the two of you.

“Yeah.” Your shoulders sag in obvious relief.

“Okay, well, we need to go. This storm is insane and I can barely hear anything.” She says through gritted teeth, squinting at the current state of the weather around you.

“You don’t need to tell me twice.” You reply, and stick the tracker into your front pocket for safekeeping. “Let’s go back to our shelter from before to wait out the storm before heading back to the Spire.”

She gives you a quick nod, and you follow her back down the hill carefully so you don’t slip. The storm gets heavier by the time you both get to the ruins, and you’re utterly soaked when you get inside. You’re both dripping onto the cold floor with the storm raging outside.

It looks the same as you left it. You know it’s only been like, two weeks since you left this area, but it feels so long since you’ve been here. Your leaf pile is still intact, as well as the leftover pile of wood that you couldn’t carry with to the Spire. It’s weirdly quiet, even with the noisy wind outside. You’re torn out of your thoughts when Spinel clears her throat.

“I’m gonna build a fire to wait out the storm.” She says as she walks over to the pile of wood, and grabs a couple pieces to start a small fire.

“What if it passes quickly?” You cross your arms, shivering. Spinel turns her head to look at you purposefully, quirking an eyebrow in judgement.

“I already know you hate being soaked. Do you really want to walk the several miles back like that?” She gestures to you, looking at you from head to toe, dripping and shivering everywhere.

“You have a point, I guess.” You retort, and she turns back to the fire she’s building.

You watch her quickly build the fire. She’s quicker than you, actually, and you’re weirdly kind of proud of her for it. You’re trying to not let your mind focus on the fact that she’s doing this all for you, as you feel weird about it. She doesn’t need to get warm, or dry. She’s concerned about you, specifically.

When she’s done, she turns to you with a ‘well?’ expression, and pats the ground next to her. You comply, and sit down as close to the blazing fire as possible. You bring your legs as close to yourself as you can, shivering violently against your will. She turns to look at you, and considers you for several long moments. You meet her eyes, saying nothing. She blinks, and you feel your heart rate pick up pace for literally no reason. You’re a bit done with it lately, honestly.

“What.” You speak up, nervous as to why she’s just quietly staring at you.

“Are ya’ gonna just sit there in wet clothes..” She blinks, staring at you expectantly.

“..maybe. I think I’ll be okay.” You reply, and another shiver racks your body, betraying you. 

“Y/N. Please don’t be stubborn about this, you’re difficult enough as is. We both know that you aren’t going to get dry like that.” She levels you with an unamused look, and huffs out a sigh.

“Oh? Are you gonna try ripping my clothes off me again if I don’t?” You hold your hands out to the fire, attempting and failing to warm them for the most part. You sort of realized what came out of your mouth seconds after it leaves, and your heart beats wildly underneath your skin.

“I’m not gonna-” She cuts herself short, and you can see a blush rising on her face, and fast. “I only tried that because nothing I said was getting through to you, ya’ know.”

“Yeah, because you were an asshole.” You chuckle, and try your best to not stare at her face that you’re finding rapidly endearing. 

“I know, and I am sorry! But really, Y/N.” She coughs awkwardly into her gloved hand. “You should take off your clothes. I don’t want you getting sick.”

Of course, she’s gotta be all caring about it. She’s basically twisting your arm at this point.

“Fine.” You pull your arms back from the fire in front of you, and grab the hem of your shirt. “But can you maybe like.. look away?”

She rolls her eyes dramatically and turns her face away, and you pull your wet shirt off with some difficulty, slapping it down next to the fire. “If it makes ya’ feel any better, I can take my clothes off too?” 

“Pfft, no.” You snort, and hook your thumbs into the belt loops of your jeans to pull them off. You struggle, but manage to remove them after quite a bit of effort. “That’s a bit ridiculous.”

“You’re the ridiculous one, honestly. I’ve seen ya’ basically naked before.” She reaches over to the other side of the room, and grabs two of the largest leaves to give to you to cover yourself with. The small gesture has you feeling something you aren’t quite grasping yet. Touched? Maybe. “Not understanding why you’re so conscious about it now.”

“I feel like this is one of those things where me being a human factors into the answer.” You reply, grabbing the leaves from her and covering your torso. You’re still cold, but at least you aren’t sopping wet now.

“You’re not so different from me.” She lowers her eyes at you, nearly squinting. 

“I’ve never seen a gem get self conscious in my life.” You huff out, scooting closer to the fire. You want as much warmth as possible. “You can shapeshift your bodies to whatever you want. What’s there to be self conscious about?”

“We can reform and hate what we look like.” She stares at you.

Oh. Sometimes you say things you kind of regret.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t tryi-”

“It’s alright, I know you don’t mean it like that anyway.” You watch her as she realizes that she’s still soaked, looking down at herself. She makes quick work of making herself dry again. “I haven’t looked like this for long, so I’m still getting used to it.”

“Well, I’m still sorry for implying that you don’t get self conscious.” You grab the shirt you laid out in front of you, and squeeze out the water so it could dry a little faster. Spinel grabs your jeans, and does this weird twisty thing with her arms, squeezing quite a bit of the excess water out of them. She lays it back down flat, close to the fire on her side. You spread the shirt down on the hard cement, and a violent shiver erupts down your spine.

Spinel coughs beside you, and you turn to look at her. She’s got her arm up, implication apparent with her raised eyebrows.

“C’mon, you’re freezing. Let me help.” 

You figure, why not. You scoot a little closer to her, and she wraps an arm around you immediately, pressing you flush against her side. You feel warmer instantly, and almost let out a sigh of relief. Sure, your heart won’t calm the fuck down, but who gives a fuck about that thing anyway? You hope she can’t feel it beating since she’s so close. 

The wind howls in the background and the rain pelts against your shelter harshly, yet it seems almost quiet with you two and the fire, almost like you’re surrounded in a bubble. A cold droplet of water falls from your hair and onto your legs folded in front of you, and you watch the bead trail down your thigh in the light of the fire. You are trying to not think about Spinel next to you.

“Warm?” Spinel says.. almost softly, as she looks down at you. The light of the fire flickers across her face, creating strange shadows.

“Yeah, actually. Thanks.” You reply, giving her a half smile. She smiles back at you, and there is either warmth in her gaze, or that’s just the fire flickering in her pupils.  You just realized how close her face is to yours, and you feel your brain and heart both screaming at you at the same time as you feel your face heat up a little.

It would be so easy for you to lean in and kiss her. 

The intrusive thought is so jarring that your face drops visibly and you feel your eyes going wide. Spinel catches on immediately.

“Y/N? You okay?” She leans in a bit closer to your face, enough to feel her breath. “Ya’ look like ya’ just ate somethin’ horrible.” 

With your thoughts running wild, you blink several times to try to clear your head of them.

“Er, yeah.” You shake your head. “Just got some really bad cramps randomly. Ignore it.” You say dismissively. More rain pelts the shelter, and it drowns out some of your thoughts. 

“If you say so.” She replies, but the look on her face says she doesn’t really believe you anyway. As if it’s any more possible, she squeezes you closer to herself.

The light of the fire flickers wildly, and you watch her face as she stretches her arm across the room several feet, grabbing another piece of wood and placing it on the burning pile. Your eyes are drawn to the lines on her cheeks, and the way the light shapes it. You wonder if those were there before she reformed, and what she looked like without them. Without realizing what you’re doing, your palm is placed upon her cheek. It’s.. very warm.

She turns to look at you with wide eyes, and you find yourself unable to breathe as your stomach drops.

“Uh. What are ya’ doin?” She says apprehensively, and you rip your hand away from her face once you come about your senses. 

“Nothing. Sorry. I spaced out for a minute there..” You say, feeling your face heat up. You’re way too much of a disaster today, and you feel like the easiest thing you could do right now would be to get up and flee. Except there’s a storm out there, and you’re nearly naked.

Nearly naked, and pressed up to a gem in a small shelter, on a different planet. You know, when you thought of your life a month ago, you didn’t exactly think this is where you’d be.

“Why’d you touch my face?” She says, curiously, a bit of an edge to her tone of voice. You’re starting to see a flush break out upon her cheeks. She’s.. she’s cute, you’re starting to admit to yourself.

“I was looking at the lines on your face. Not sure why my hand did that.” You admit out loud with a sigh.

“Ya’ kinda weird.” She replies with a chuckle.

“Listen, you aren’t one to talk. You of all people cannot say that to me.”

“Pfft, why? What’d I ever do?”

“Do you not remember the last time we were in this position? You kissed me ‘because I looked cold’, Spinel.” You say, completely deadpan. You watch her face light up like a cherry in mere seconds.

“S-shut up! Ugh, whatever. I'm not gonna talk about that.” She sputters, turning her face from yours to gaze at the fire blazing in front of you. “I’m glad I made this fire, because look, it’s still pouring like crazy out there. It’s also getting late.”

“Yeah. We should probably wait to go back until morning.” You sigh, and grab your shirt. It’s basically dry, you guess. You put it on, since you’re definitely dry yourself now. 

“Ya’ wanna pass out soon?” She asks, looking back to you.

“Do we have anything else to do?”

"Watch the rain?" She replies with a shrug.

"Nah. I'd rather sleep." You grab your pants off the floor, and they're still a bit damp. It's fine enough, you figure, and struggle to put those back on.

When you're done, you walk over to the leaf pile you had left, and flop on it. You immediately regret doing this.

"I miss my tarp pile." You rub at your bottom, feeling sore. 

"It's definitely better than this." Spinel says as she leans down to sit beside you, nothing better to do. "It feels weird to sleep this way now."

"My back is gonna hate me later for this." You lay down on your side, feeling the stretch of your aching muscles. 

You cover yourself with a couple of the large leaves, and have a hard time falling asleep.

-

You have problems staying asleep. You wake up an hour later, and it's still raining outside. You think about cursing the sky briefly, as you feel Spinel breathe softly next to you. She's on her back with her head rolled over closer to you, leaning gently on your shoulder with a bit of drool on her mouth. You think it's cute. You watch her sleeping for a while, the gem on her chest rising and falling with every breath, and she shifts in her sleep slightly.

You feel yourself drifting off again, leaning into her warmth. 

-

You aren't sure if you're conscious or not when you feel a hand slide around your stomach, and an arm pulling you to press into something warm behind you. There is something hard pressing into the middle of your back, and there is a body nearly molded against your form.

Once your eyes open, the only thing you see is darkness. The hand trails down your side, slipping underneath your shirt. You feel a warm palm on the skin of your hip, and it traces some of the skin there, tenderly.

Murmuring. It's kind of fuzzy. You can't make out any distinct voices, but it's familiar.

The hand trails up your middle, the feeling nearly setting your skin on fire in sensation. The hand moves to your breast - cupping it in palm, and your mind can't move fast enough to realize what's happening. You can't move at all.

"Y/N." You hear the voice of someone pretty familiar behind you. A finger grazes slowly over your nipple as you feel hot air against your neck, making you shiver.

The hand slips out from your shirt and all of a sudden you're flipped into your back. You feel someone climb on top of you, sitting on your hips, and there's hands holding your arms above your head. You still cannot move. 

You.. recognize your surroundings. You’re in your bedroom back on Earth. You still have the posters and drawings Steven had put up on the walls last year in the summer. There’s a warm glow coming through the window blinds, and you can make out the person in front of you.

It’s Spinel.

She’s wearing one of your old shirts, and her hair isn’t tied up. She’s smirking at you.

“Said you had time for me earlier, but ya’ fell asleep on me.” She says softly, almost like a whisper, and leans forward until her nose is practically touching yours.  She squeezes her hands, tightening her grip on your wrists as if you even had a chance to break free.

You think words come out of your mouth that she can seem to understand, but you can only hear mumbling and white noise. She nudges her face against yours, kissing you with a fervor you didn’t expect her to possess. 

She lets go of one of your wrists, choosing instead to bring her hand down to cup your jaw, tilting your face so she can slide her lips against yours a little better. You find your own hand in her hair, fingers digging into her scalp as the full weight of her warmth presses into you. Her thighs pin your hips down, and you can feel that the both of you aren’t wearing any pants. Just underwear.

She pulls back from the kiss, lips wet and glistening in the small amount of light from what you can see, and sits back up. She grabs the hem of her shirt and lifts it over her head, pulling it off completely and tossing it to the side of your room. Her gem glows a soft light, illuminating her breasts and some of her face. She’s very attractive, and you’re staring at her without caring what you look like.

She leans back slightly, reaching behind her to rub at your thigh. She squeezes the skin there, each finger digging into the meat of your leg possessively.

“I like touching you.” She says, both of her hands roaming your body as if to memorize it. You say something to her again, and she leans right back into your personal space, rolling her eyes dramatically. “You should be a little more patient, honestly.”

You feel her thighs clench, and with a roll of her hips she grinds down against you. The feeling is nearly overwhelming. She grabs your hands with hers, pressing them down into the mattress on either side of your head. Her gaze, lust-ridden, meets yours - and her lips are parted slightly.

She kisses you and grinds down again, moaning into your mouth. There isn’t much you can do considering you’re pinned, as much as you’d like your hands on her hips. She easily falls into a rhythm, rolling hips stuttering against your own.

She’s desperate as she kisses you - sliding her tongue in, completely flooding your senses. The sounds of her panting in between kisses is really starting to get to affect you. She pulls her lips away momentarily, looking you in the eyes.

“Y/N, I-”

You wake up into a dead silence.

There’s not much you can hear other than Spinel sleeping beside you, and the slight rustling of trees. It has stopped raining, and you have no idea what time it is. You open your eyes to see the dark wall of the ruins.

Your heart is pounding, and you can feel your hands start to shake in anxiety. Spinel has her arm wrapped around you, and you very gently lift it off of your body.

You can barely look at her right now. You’re aroused, confused, and mortified. You don’t want to be here right now, next to her. You’re on the verge of a panic attack, and you need to find somewhere else to breathe.

You get up, careful to not disturb her at all, and leave the ruins with as much quietness as your body lets you.

It’s kind of cold out, but that isn’t something you’re concerned about right now. Your legs move on your own, mind going a thousand miles a second as you’re walking in a random direction to put as much distance between you and Spinel as possible.

Within what feels like a minute or two, you reach the lake you had first found that creature by. The light from the moons illuminate the fog drifting a few feet off the ground, and there are glow bugs flying around, softly blinking all around you. You take a seat on the largest boulder, and stare out at the sky.

Your brain is quickly going through way too many emotions all at once. Your arms clutch around your sides, cold air making goosebumps raise along your skin.

You think at first, about the inevitability of your own denial. You know already, as your brain is processing several things, that you like her. And you know that you want to deny this.

You feel so, so incredibly stupid about this. All of this. 

You’re not.. you’re not used to having feelings for someone. Let alone a gem. Who stranded you here, and was horrible, and now after all this time she isn’t. She’s a decent person who made some really shitty mistakes, but who hasn’t? We all have things we regret. 

So.. what. You have feelings. You aren’t going to act on them, that would be utterly ridiculous. 

You hear movement behind you, and whip your head around to see what made it.

Spinel is standing there with a horribly distraught face. Your heart drops immediately.

“Why’d you leave?” She asks, voice almost.. fragile. She walks closer to you.

“I-I-” Your voice cuts out, and you freeze up. You aren’t ready to face her yet. “I needed some fresh air.”

Her eyebrows furrow, face contorting with hurt. She balls her fists, and you can see them shaking. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You were sleeping and I d-didn’t want to wake you.” You curse yourself internally for your voice coming out shakily.

“I woke up alone, without you anywhere in sight. I thought something maybe happened to you? I-” She seems to be kind of frantic.

“Spinel, I wouldn’t just. Leave you. You know that right?”

“Maybe? I don’t know that..” She crosses her arms, shoulders seemingly stiff.

“You can trust me. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

She looks at you vulnerably, and your heart aches. 

“I’m not Pink.” You state.

“I know. You’re.. so much better than she ever was to me, anyway.” She says with a sigh, and her posture visibly relaxes. “Why’d you really come out all the way here?”

“No reason.” You shrug, and cross your arms. She takes another step closer to you, leaning into your space. You’re not ready for her to be this close right now.

“I can tell when something’s bothering ya’, you know. Spill it.” She leans against the boulder you’re sitting on, arm briefly brushing against yours. Without thinking, you scoot a couple inches further from her.

Her face drops instantly, and there’s.. pain in her eyes. You are full of mistakes today, it seems.

“Sorry. Did I do something to upset you..?” She leans further away from you self consciously. 

“No!” You exclaim, and her eyes widen a bit at your raised voice. “I’m just. I’m sorry, I’m trying to work through something right now and my brain isn’t functioning how I need it to. You’ve done nothing wrong, Spinel.”

“Do ya’ wanna talk about it?” She offers. You scream a resounding ‘UH? NO. IT’S ABOUT YOU, YOU IDIOT.’ in your head.

“Mm, no. I better not.” You cough into your hand.

“I think ya’ should. I felt loads better after I talked to you about my issues, and I bet it would help to talk about it? I’m willing to listen.” Her face is slightly concerned, looking at you.

You’d rather eat your own foot than admit your newfound feelings for her right now.

"I don't have the capability to put words to the problems I'm facing right now, Spinel."

"Is it something we've talked about before? We're friends now, you can tell me." She prys, and you can't even be mad at her for it. She's actually wanting to help you, despite not knowing that honestly, she can't help you with this.

Your heart swells with so much affection that you’re unable to suppress it bubbling up inside you. You feel stupid about this. It feels utterly absurd to have feelings for her, in a matter of weeks, and you’ve only recently stopped hating her, it feels like. She's making this downright difficult for you, unintentionally.

"Listen.." You sigh. "I'm still trying to sort out this shit in my head. It's the entire reason why I needed to get air. Could we discuss this later? When I'm ready."

"I'm sorry for being so pushy about it." She nervously rubs at her arm. "I just wish I could help."

"Eh, you're fine, really. And this isn't exactly something you can help with.." You look at her briefly, and she’s watching you carefully. A glow bug slowly drifts near her head, landing on one of her twintails. “How’d you find me out here, anyway?”

“There’s really only a few places you’d go to nearby, and I didn’t think you’d just walk out into the trees. I just guessed right.” She replies, the glow bug blinking on her head. Another one joins it, landing on the opposite twintail. It’s like she has light up hair accessories, and it’s almost comical.

“Honestly, I kind of just ran here without thinking. It’s like you knew exactly where I’d go.” You shake your head a bit in mild disbelief. “You have some kind of tracker on me or something?”

“No, I just think maybe I know you more than you think.” Part of her face lifts in a kind of wry half-smile. 

The fog floats around you two, thick wafts of mist lingering where you step. With the lake and trees also covered in the fog, and the moons clear up above, it almost seems ethereal here with all of the blinking glow bugs drifting around.

“Yeah?” You side eye her. “What’s my favorite color?”

She stares at you like you’ve grown another head, and then her expression changes into more of a smirk.

“I think I can guess.”

“Try me.” You fold your arms in front of your chest. The chill is getting to you, a little.

“Green.” She says, with the full confidence of someone who thinks they’re spot on.

“Nope.” You reply smugly. Her face is looking comically betrayed.

“Is it blue?” 

“Nope!”

“Red?”

“Spinel, now you’re just guessing the most common colors. It’s purple.” You chuckle, and she crosses her arms with a bit of a pout that she’s hiding. What a brat.

“Well, I would’ve known if you maybe had told me sometime.” She sounds so sulky. You watch another glow bug hover over her gem, and land right next to it on her chest. She’s got three on her now, like she’s attracting them. She doesn’t seem to notice.

“I would’ve told you if you had asked, you know.” You roll your eyes at her. You can’t help smiling, really. It’s like being around her makes your face and heart do incredibly stupid things, somehow.

“So I just have to ask? It’s that easy?”

“Uh, yeah?” You reply, and watch as another glow bug lands on her head. 

“So.. can I ask you something else?” “Go for it.” You shrug.

“What’s your favorite game to play?” She asks with a curious raise to her eyebrow. You feel like the glow bug on her chest is blinking at you in morse code.

“Doom.” You reply. 

“Uh.. what’s that?” She looks absolutely perplexed. “How do you play that?”

“With a controller?” You’re not quite understanding what she’s getting at.

“No, Y/N, I mean like tag.” Her deadpan expression makes you almost laugh. How were you supposed to know that’s what she was really asking?

“Oh, you like kid games? I’m a big fan of Duck Duck Goose myself.” 

“Did you just make that up?” She looks like she doesn’t believe you.

“No!” You chuckle. “It’s real, I promise.”

“Okay, then show me how it’s played.”

“We can’t play it with just two people, first of all. And you’re a bit ridiculous if you think I wanna teach you how to play a child’s game right now, out here, in the middle of the night.” You uncross your arms, and switch the leg you’re leaning on. You think you should head back soon to sleep, because you’re getting tired again and it’s cold.

“Ya’ know, you can be quite irritating sometimes.” She chuckles softly. There are quite a few more glow bugs gravitating around her, another one landing on her shoulder.

“Whatever, you like me.” You reply to that, voice mocking her. You weren’t expecting for her face to turn a bright red, or to make a choking noise.

“Augh! I’m about to take back calling us friends. You’re beyond my help.” She crosses her arms over her gem, disturbing the insect on it enough for it to leave.

“You can’t do that!” You laugh heartily. “What kind of companion gem are you?! Don’t make me demote you to carebear status.”

“I don’t even know what a carebear is!” She cries out in confusion, and you laugh even harder. 

“Don’t worry about it.” You move yourself from leaning on the large rock. “Anyway, I think we should head back and pass out until daybreak.”

“Fiiiine.” She replies, unmoving. You watch her glance around the perimeter of the lake.

“You should uh,” You take a step or two closer to her. “You should probably get these guys off you, first.”

“Excuse me?” She gives you a look.

“The glow bugs seem to like you, I think.” You point at her head and chuckle. A few more had joined their comrades. She looks around at herself, eyes going wide much to your amusement.

“What the fuck!” She exclaims with such surprise and disgust that you double over laughing. You can barely catch your breath as she flails around, swatting them all off her almost like she’s some kind of cartoon character. “Stop laughing, you ass! Why are they all around me!?”

“Maybe because of your gem? Like moths to a light.” You say in between chuckles. It takes a while for you to regain any sense of normalcy in your breathing.

“That makes.. absolutely no sense to me.” The sarcasticness of her tone almost makes you laugh again.

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe they’re just attracted to idiots.” You look to her, smugly, and turn around to walk back to the shelter. You hear her sputter behind you.

“Ya’ wanna say that to my face, Y/N?” She replies, and you hear her stomping quickly behind you. You pick up your walking speed into a brisk pace.

“Nah, I’m alright over here!” You say as you break out into a sprint.

Her fake cries of anger and her running to catch up behind you has you laughing on the way back for far too long. 

Your heart feels a little lighter tonight.

-

The next day is pretty sunny, oddly enough. It’s still humid, but it makes the walk home a little better than the previous day. 

You and Spinel discuss going into the tunnels heavily, to be prepared. You have no idea what’s actually in there, or the conditions it’s in, or how far it goes. You’re nervous, but she reassures you that there can’t be anything super dangerous in there. You think she’s wrong, somehow, but you’re unable to convince her.

You’re currently outside right now, with Spinel. You’re trying to figure out what tree has the best type of sap for a small torch. You and her had already tested the type that comes from the most common looking tree here, and it burns much too quickly and hotly for you to use for any longer than ten minutes. You’re a little frustrated at it, honestly.

“Spinel, what if we can’t find something that works?” You ask her as you’re walking next to her, you’re both in a familiar area about fifteen minutes from the Spire. 

“We’ll find something. And if we can’t find a sap, I’m sure if we capture a bunch of those bugs from the other night, we’ll have enough light for something.”

“That wouldn’t even work.” You roll your eyes. “We just gotta keep looking, I guess.”

“Would you prefer if we split up to hit a couple of different places? It’ll be a lot faster and we’ll get more done.” She gives you a look, considering you for a moment. “We can meet back up at the Spire to test out what we’ve got so far in a couple hours.”

“It would be a good idea, I think. There’s a grove of trees on the opposite side of the Spire from here that’s different from the rest, and I’d like to check out that one.” You stop walking, and she faces you.

“So, meet me by the Spire when the sun’s about three quarters in the sky?” She raises an eyebrow in question, hand over her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun.

“Sounds good.” You adjust the cloth bag on your shoulder so it sits a bit more comfortably.

“Alright, see ya’ then.” She says with a smile, and you ignore the way it makes your heart flutter. She spins around to keep walking, and you ahead back in the opposite direction.

With the sun beating down on you from high up in the sky, you feel sweat beading on your forehead despite that you’re just walking. It’s so irritating.

It takes you nearly an hour to get where you wanted to go because you got distracted with passing a small body of water. It’s hot, okay. You take a shortcut to the grove up ahead, squeezing through some dense areas of jungle. 

After nearly tripping several times on these large tree roots sticking out of the ground all over in various places, you take a moment to breathe for a second. You notice the air smells.. weird over here. You can’t really describe it. Off to the side, you see this off-color area of dirt in front of two trees that are fairly close together, and walk over to examine it.

It’s looser soil than the rest, and the consistency is a bit off. You pick some up in your hand, sniffing it. It doesn’t smell any different.

You stand back up, and feel the ground shift underneath you. You try to step away quickly, but instead trip on another root, falling to the ground.

There’s several loud noises that sound like the earth shifting and you see the trees shake as the dirt all around you starts to open, sinking into something. You scramble for anything to get a grip on, soil slipping downwards all around you. You manage to grasp a tree root as more of your body gets pulled with the dirt downwards, and try not to panic at what’s happening.

All of a sudden a rock as large as your head flows much too quickly with the soil around you, and it hits you in the shoulder hard enough for you to lose your grip.

You fall into darkness.

[johnsbleu]

Hold My Hand: John Wick x Reader Chapter 73

warnings: a nsfw moment Hold My Hand Masterlist

John kept his promise from the night before, and he’s laying right next to you. His right arm is sprawled across the bed right above your head, and his left hand is resting on his stomach. Scooting closer to him, you scratch your nails lightly over his chest, trying to wake him up as peacefully as possible.

“Jonathan,” you whisper and sling your leg over his waist, “Baby, wake up.”

You move the hair from off his face and smile when he hums a little. He reaches for your hand and presses a kiss to it as he wraps his other arm around you. He snuggles closer to you, exhaling softly and falling back asleep.

“Oh, dear…” you say, struggling a little to get out of his grip, “John, no, you need to wake up. You’re crushing me. John, we need to look at your leg.”

You sit up a little and pull the covers from over John to look at his leg. There’s a little bruising around it, but for the most part, it’s healing really well. John is still out, so you decide to mess with him -- he’s been asleep long enough, and you’re starting to get bored already.

“Oh, my god!” you yell, dramatically.

John opens his eyes and sits up at lightning speed, “What?”

You laugh as you hold your sides, “Oh, man, I just wanted you to wake up. I’m getting bored!”

John shoves your shoulder a little as he looks at you, “You’re mean.”

“I am not! You did the same thing to me before, so really, it’s just payback.” you say, then you look down at John’s leg. You frown and slouch, rubbing your hand over his chest, “You didn’t take your medicine last night.”

Laughing as he lays back down, John rubs the sleep from his eyes and stretches out, “I took it.”

“You did?” you lay down next to him and smile, “Thank you. I know how much you hate it, and I’ve been pestering you all week about it. So, thank you. I’m glad my nagging has paid off.”

John looks down at you and smiles, “I don’t mind your nagging.”

You squint your eyes at John and laugh, “That was where you were supposed to say ‘oh, no, baby, you don’t nag. You’re amazing, I love you so much, and of course I’ll listen to you when you tell me to do something’. You know something along those lines.”

“Ooh.” John nods, smiling, “I’ll remember that for next time.”

__

You and John are walking hand in hand down the path that leads to small secluded pond, and he’s been talking your ear off the whole time. You don’t mind of course, you always love to hear the random stories John tells you, and since you’ve seen the kind of shit he gets into when he’s working, he’s being much more open about it.

“So, you just…lit the church on fire?”

“I had to, yeah.” he nods, then points to the opening in the trees.

“Well, I mean, you didn’t have to. We’re certainly not religious, but…kinda shitty.” you say, glancing over your shoulder at John.

John lets out a loud laugh that stops you in your tracks, and you turn around to look at him.

“It’s a front. Baby, it’s not a…functioning church.” he shakes his head and pushes you a little so you keep walking. “I wouldn’t just start an actual church on fire, I mean, if I had to, I would. But it wasn’t, and they probably put the fire put out right away.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself, Jonathan.” you laugh and stop walking again so he bumps into your backside. You look over your shoulder at him and smile, “I love you all the same. There is nothing you could tell me that would ever make me see you differently.”

John wraps his arms around you as best as he can since he’s carrying a wicker basket full of food. He leans his chin on your shoulder and starts to walk with you through the trees and bushes. When John stops walking, you turn around and look at him as he picks a small white flower from a bush. He looks at it in his hand, then he tucks it behind your ear.

“You look so cute today.” he takes a step back and shakes his head, “So many dresses lately, and the dresses you’ve been wearing when we go out…”

You laugh hard when John shakes his head again and bites his lip. He’s right, the dresses you’ve been wearing here aren’t something you’d usually wear, but you’re in a whole different country, so you’re having fun mixing it up and being a little provocative.

“What did you say to me that night at the club? Oh, ‘it’s nice to mix things up’.”

“Well, maybe you should wear some of this stuff when we get back home.”

“Hmm, maybe.” you smile and back away when John starts to walk closer to you. You hold his gaze for a moment, then immediately turn to run away from him as you giggle.

John catches up to you almost immediately and wraps his arms around you, “Your laugh has been killing me lately. Actually just you, in general. You’re so happy, and it’s making me so happy.”

“I don’t know, I just feel like we’re in a really good place. We both know where we stand in this relationship. We both know what we want, which is the same thing -- marriage and kids. I just feel so fucking happy.” you say, walking with John with your eyes closed; you trust him enough to keep you from falling.

“Are your eyes closed?” he asks, and you nod your head. “I can tell because you haven’t gasped yet.”

You slowly open your eyes and do just that. You gasp loudly and put your hand over your mouth as you look around. “Holy shit.”

There’s a small creek in front of you, and the water will probably only come up mid-calf, but it’ll fun to walk in. There’s wildflowers covering almost every inch of the ground except for a small patch, which is clearly used by most people as a picnic spot. You close your eyes again, listening to the water trickle, and you smile when you feel John’s arms around you.

“How do you do that?”

John leans forward a little and furrows his brow, “What?”

“You just keep…blowing my mind.” you turn around and wrap your arms around his neck. John’s eyes soften, and you feel that any moment he just might burst into tears. “I know you didn’t do this, but…I guess being with you makes it ten times more magical.”

John sets the basket down so he can cup your face in his hands, then he moves your hair off your shoulder and smiles as he leans in to kiss you. He presses another kiss to your lips before he sits down and reaches for your hand so you’ll sit down next to him. You open the basket and pull out the containers of pasta and smack your lips together when you see the bread tucked into the side of the bag.

“Wine or water?”

“Hmm,” you reach out and take the water bottle in John’s left hand, “Water. I have heartburn from all the wine last night.”

John opens the pasta and puts it up to his nose to smell it, “God, this smells good.”

The breeze is just perfect today, and you look up and watch the branches swaying in the wind. When you look back at John, he’s watching you with a smile on his face and he shakes his head, almost like he can’t quite believe that you’re here.

“Come here.” you stretch your legs out and pat your lap, “Lay down.”

John lays his head in your lap and closes his eyes as you run your fingers through his hair, softly massaging his scalp. The smile on his face is growing, and he peeks open one eye to look at you.

“So, if you could change one thing about our trip, what would it be?”

John sighs and opens his eyes to look at you, “You already know what that is.”

“Taking the job?” you ask, and he nods his head. “Well, that was my fault, really. I told you to take it, so the blame can be put on me for that.”

John immediately sits up and shakes his head, “No, I should have just listened to you. I never listen to you. I never give you a chance.”

“Jonathan, stop.” you sigh, shaking your head, “Stop. It’s fine. You trust yourself, you know your job better than I do, and you trusted that you would be fine. I mean, yeah, you got hurt but you were alive, and at the end of the day, that’s what I need to focus on.”

John sighs loudly and looks down at his watch as he fidgets with it, “I'm sorry about that. I truly am.”

“John!” you say with a laugh, “Stop. Can't we just forget about it?”

“I will never forget the look on your face when you saw me, I know I already told you that, but it broke my heart to see you so hurt. I've never seen you so hurt before.”

You look at John and shake your head, “I didn't like seeing you like that.”

John looks down at his watch again and nods his head, “You won't see me like that ever again.”

Reaching over for John's hand, you give him a genuine and sweet smile, then you decide to move the conversation along.

“Can you believe it’s going to be a year since we met in a few months? Feels like just yesterday.” you laugh quietly and look up at John, “I still remember our second date. We went to the park with Bleu, and we had a picnic. It was so sweet and simple, and I loved every minute of it.”

John laughs, “Yeah, and you lied and told me that you had a brother.”

Laughing loudly, you tilt your head back and shake it a little, “I don't know what I was thinking when I told you that. I just didn't want you to break my heart, so I thought that would help.”

“I'm never breaking your heart.” he smiles as he leans over to kiss your cheek.

“We need to plan our wedding. I mean, I know we just got engaged, but like I said at the hotel the other day, I really don’t want a long engagement. I don’t…” you start to smile and look away from John, “I actually don’t think I want to even wait a few months. I want to be married now.”

“Like…right this minute?” John says and smiles wide, “We could elope.”

You laugh and shake your head, “No, baby, I want my family there. But I think when we get home, like our actual home in Mill Neck, maybe we can plan some stuff out. I don’t want a complicated thing, just me, you, and our close friends and family. Then maybe a bigger reception where we can have more of my extended family and stuff.”

John leans over and kisses your cheek, “I think that sounds perfect.”

__

Walking with John back to the house, you spot Shiloh sitting on the bottom step. She sighs heavily and props her head up on her hands as she looks at the ground; she looks sad and bummed, and she’s probably bored out of her mind. You tug John’s hand a little and nod in her direction.

“Oh,” he laughs, “She’s waiting for you.”

“Hi, Shiloh.” you say, and she perks up when she sees you, then she runs over to hug you. “What are you up to?”

Shiloh’s cheeks turn a little pink and she holds up a note, “My mommy wanted me to give you this.”

You look up at John, furrowing your brow, then you look around for Gia or Christina, “Do your parents know you’re down here?”

Shiloh shrugs a little, kicking a rock, “I think so.”

“Oh, god.” you say, under your breath. You take the note from Shiloh and smile, “How about we go inside, maybe John can get you some ice cream?”

“Okay!” she smiles wide and begins her way up the stairs.

You turn to John and grab his arm, “They probably have no idea she’s even down here, we have to call and tell them. They’re probably worried sick.”

John smiles as he watches Shiloh, then he looks at you and laughs, “You’re gonna be such a good mom.”

You jokingly roll your eyes at John and look up to see Shiloh at the top of the stairs, waiting ever so patiently for her ice cream. She’s being a little bashful right now, which you’re sure is because she knows she’s probably going to get in trouble once you tell her parents that she came down unsupervised.

“I’ll get her some ice cream while you call them.” John says as you head inside.

You grab the phone off the table and head for the bedroom as you dial Gia’s number. You close the door a little, but you can still hear John talking to Shiloh to distract her.

Gia answers after the third rings, nearly breathless, “Hello?”

“Hi, Gia, it’s Y/N.”

Gia exhales, “Shiloh is there, isn’t she?”

You let out a laugh and nod, walking back out to the kitchen, “Yup, she’s here. Said she had an important note to give us, but uh, it’s just a grocery list.”

“Oh, Shiloh Grace.” Gia laughs with a sigh, “I told her that I would ask if you and John wanted to barbecue with us tonight, I guess she decided to just invite you herself.”

You sit down on the couch next to John and lean your head against his shoulder, “Yeah, we’re cool with that. Do you want us to bring anything?”

“Just yourselves, oh, and my daughter.” she says, and the two of you start to laugh. “This is totally out of line, but can you maybe keep her for like an hour while I run to the store? I know that’s terrible to ask, you could totally just…get on a plane and kidnap her, but for some reason, I really trust you two.”

“Oh, my god, yeah, we’ll watch her.” you say, and Shiloh perks up with ice cream all over her face. “We’ll head up to the house in about an hour.”

“Can I talk to Shiloh please?”

You hand the phone to Shiloh and she happily takes it. She presses it to her ear and she frowns for a moment, then she smiles wide, “Yes, mommy. I will, mommy. Bye.” she says, then puts the phone on the coffee table. “My mommy told me to not be nosey.”

You and John look at each other as you both start to laugh. He’s kneeling in front of her on the couch, and he gets up to grab a few napkins for her.

“So, Shiloh, how old are you?” you ask, tucking your legs under you on the couch.

Shiloh counts on her fingers, then she holds up one hand, “Five. Five and a half.”

John sits down on the other side of Shiloh and smiles as he hands her the napkins, “You know you’re not supposed to run around by yourself, right? You could get hurt.”

Shiloh nods, “I know.”

“You could fall down and hurt yourself, or you could get stuck somewhere. And sometimes people aren’t as nice as Y/N and I, they might take you.” he says, and he looks up at you as you widen your eyes and shake your head.

“Don’t scare her.” you mouth, but John shakes his head.

John looks at Shiloh, then up at you as he covers her ears, “She needs to hear this.”

What a dad.

“I know I’m not supposed to come down here.” she says, looking up at John, then she pulls out a band-aid from her pocket, “I wanted to give you this for your owie.”

You smile as you look at her, “Well, that was very sweet of you, Shiloh. I’m sure John would love to put that band-aid on.”

Shiloh carefully opens up the purple sparkly band-aid, then she leans over to put it over John’s cut across his cheekbone, “There!”

John smiles as he looks at you, “Well, how does it look?”

“Very good.” you smile as you lean over to kiss John’s cheek.

Shiloh giggles loudly when John kisses your cheek repeatedly, then she looks at you, checking to see if you maybe you need a band-aid. She looks at your legs for any cuts, then she frowns when she doesn’t see any.

“She’s much more careful than me.” John says, and Shiloh smiles as she looks up at you.

Shiloh begins to talk to John non-stop, and you sit back and watch the two of them. She’s talking John’s ear off, but he’s listening attentively. John looks over at you and smiles as he reaches over to touch your shoulder. His eyes are full of love and affection, and you just want to melt into this couch and live in this moment forever.

__

Walking up the dirt path with John and Shiloh, you look over at John and the huge smile on his face. Every moment the two of you spend with a child, John is his best self. He’s unbelievably happy, and it just proves that having kids with him will be the best thing to happen to you.

Shiloh runs in front of you a little and points across the yard at a stable, “My goat is in there. Her name is Nancy.”

“Nancy is a wonderful name.” you smile.

“And I have three cats!” she says, holding up three fingers, “They’re a family! There’s Pickles, Bob, and they have a baby named Baby.”

You chuckle, “Just Baby? That’s her name?”

“Yup!” Shiloh smiles proudly. “Do you have any pets?”

John laughs and kneels down when he sees a small black cat walking toward the three of you, “We have a dog.”

Shiloh perks up and smiles, “You have a dog? Is he here?”

“Nope,” John shakes his head and laughs, “He’s at home.”

You kneel down next to John and pull out your phone, “Do you want to see a picture?”

Shiloh nods her head, and you turn your phone to show her a picture of John and Bleu asleep on the floor. Shiloh covers her mouth as she giggles, and she looks over at John like she can’t believe he’s do something so silly.

“What’s his name?”

John stands back up and laughs, “Bleu.”

“Is that your favorite color?” Shiloh asks, and you watch as she reaches for John’s hand so nonchalantly.

“Nope,” he laughs and points to you, “But it’s hers.”

Shiloh nods, “I like blue and pink, oh, and I like green. And purple!”

Looking up, you see Gia poking her head out the front door, and Shiloh takes off running when she sees her.

“Hey.” you smile and follow behind them into the house.

“I just got back. Thanks for watching her, I hope she wasn’t a handful, or too nosey. She’s at that age.” Gia laughs, then leans down to kiss Shiloh, “Did you have fun?”

Shiloh smiles, then nods, “Yeah, I got ice cream.”

You laugh, “Sorry if we spoiled dinner.”

Gia waves you off and heads for the kitchen, then she turns around and gestures to the living room, “You two can make yourselves at home. The living room is right there.”

Shiloh grabs your hand and pulls you into the living room, and she points at a fish tank. It’s full of bright colored fish, and it’s trickling filter is so relaxing. It makes you want to get a fish tank for home.

“I have fish too!”

You kneel down next to it and look at all of the fish swimming around, “Wow, you must really like animals?”

Shiloh nods, “Yeah, I want to be a vegi…vegetarian.”

“A veterinarian.” you correct her, and she smiles. “You want to work with animals?”

Hopping on the couch next to John, she smiles wide and looks up at you, “What do you do? Do you work with animals?”

You shake your head and sit down next to John, “I don’t work with animals, but I do own a bookstore with John.”

“Wait…” Gia laughs as she walks into the living room, “You two own a bookstore?”

“We do.” John says, looking up at Gia when she walks in, “We actually just bought it a few weeks ago, and we’re fixing it up and changing some stuff.”

Gia smiles as Shiloh crawls into her lap, “That’s so cool. How did you two buying a shop even come about?”

“Well, I worked there before I met John.” you smile as John reaches for your hand, “But my old boss retired, and he was having all of these meetings with people who wanted to buy it, and he didn’t like any of them. One day I got a call from my sister, who also works at the shop, and she said we had another meeting with this guy. I was over it at this point, I just wanted it to be over with. But I got there and the guy…was John.”

Gia is nearly melting and she puts her hand over her heart, “So, is that how you two met then?”

John shakes his head, “Nope, we were neighbors first, though I had come into the shop a few times and seen her. She hadn't noticed me yet until I introduced myself one day while we were both outside.”

“Yeah, so we had been together for months and we were living together, but I had no idea that he snuck behind my back and literally bought a bookstore.” you laugh as you look at John, “It’ll be a year in September that we’ve been together.”

“That is so sweet.” Gia says, smiling wide, “Well, whenever we’re in…”

“Mill Neck, New York.” John smiles, “It’s about an hour from New York City.”

“Well, whenever we happen to be in Mill Neck, we’ll stop by and check out your shop.” she laughs.

Gia is looking at John, almost like she’s trying to read him, and when you look over at her, she looks away quickly. You’re used to it by now, the way people look at John. He’s handsome, so you definitely don’t blame them. The silence in the room is getting awkward, so you shift in your seat and look up to say something to Shiloh, but you see she’s fast asleep in Gia’s lap with her thumb in her mouth.

“I’m sorry.” Gia laughs and carefully gets up from the chair, “I’ll be right back, just gonna put her in her room.”

John looks over at you and whispers, “It wasn’t just me who noticed how awkward it got, was it?”

You shake your head and scoot closer to John, “No, no, I noticed too. She got…weird.”

John leans over to look down the hallway, then leans back over to you, “If I tell you to leave, you need to listen to me, okay? Go back to the house and pack our stuff up.”

“John--”

John shakes his head and shifts in his seat in a little, “No, no putting up a fight and trying to defend me, okay?”

You nod your head and swallow hard, “Okay.”

“I love you.” he whispers, then leans over to kiss you before Gia walks back out.

Gia sits back down on the couch and lets out a small laugh, “I’m sorry. I freaked you two out, I think. Wasn’t my intention. It’s just…I can’t pretend like I don’t know who you are, John.”

John’s grip on your hand tightens and he moves you behind him a little like he's protecting you with his body, and Gia notices. She looks up at John, almost horrified and she shakes her head.

“No, no, no. Don’t worry! You’re fine. Everything is fine.” she laughs nervously, “You’re John Wick. It’s hard not to know who you are.”

“We can leave.” John says quietly, and even though he’s good at hiding it, he’s hurt.

Gia shakes her head and laughs, “Please, that’s unnecessary. And if I was scared of you or wanted to kill you, do you really think I would have left my daughter with you? I knew who you were the moment you reserved the tree house.”

“She has a point.” you laugh, and John looks over at you in shock. “Jonathan, please, if she was scared of you, she would have declined your reservation the moment she saw your name. She left her daughter with us. Would you ever in a million years do that? No. Baby, it’s fine.”

John nods slowly, then looks over at Gia, “I’m sorry.”

Gia shakes her head again and reaches over to tap John’s leg, “Don’t be. I could have went about that differently. Seriously, you have nothing to worry about. It’s fine.”

John pulls you closer to his side and puts his left arm over your lap, “I just…have to protect her. I’m sorry if I’ve scared you, or maybe Christina, she hasn’t been around much. I don’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable. We can pack up and leave tonight if you need us to. We won’t be any trouble.”

You frown a little when Gia looks at you, and you wrap your arms around John’s bicep when you realize how worried he’s getting.

“John, seriously, it’s fine.” she laughs and looks over at you, “The way she looks at you…”

You smile at John and intertwine your fingers with his, “It’s okay.”

John leans over and presses his lips to your forehead, allowing the warmth from his lips soak into your skin, and you close your eyes as a smile spreads across your face.

“The way she looks at you lets me know everything is going to be okay. I don’t know, that’s a weird thing to say, but it’s true. I can see how much you love her by the way she looks at you.” Gia laughs and blushes a little, “She’s obviously in love with you, and someone like her wouldn’t be in love with someone like you if you weren’t a good guy.”

You tilt your head and look at John, “See, even she gets it. She’s a smart one.”

John is so tense, but when he looks over at you and sees you smiling, he finally relaxes. His shoulder droop a little and he laughs quietly as he shakes his head, “I’m sorry, I just have to be careful. And I have her now, so I’m always…on edge.”

Gia nods, “I get it, but trust me, John, everything is fine.”

You furrow your brow a little and look at Gia, “This is really random and weird, but you don’t really…uh, have an accent? Are you American?”

“I am!” she smiles, “Missouri. How did a girl from Missouri end up in Italy? I’m sure you’re wondering.”

You let out a laugh and sit back on the couch, pulling John next to you so he’ll relax a little more. He shifts a little on the couch and places his hand on your thigh, and you wrap your arms around his bicep.

“So, you know how in high school sometimes you get to take trips with your class? Like in your senior year?” she asks, and you nod your head. “Well, I took an Italian class and at the end of the year, several kids were selected to come here. I was one of them. I came here and just fell in love. I was already in love with Italy, my family is Italian, so I was already familiar with a lot of things.”

You nod, “Your name is Gia, so I figured you were Italian.”

“Dead give away.” she laughs, “Anyway after graduation, all of my friends were going off to college, and they knew what they were going to be, but I still had no idea. I just knew I couldn’t get Italy out of my head. I told my family I wanted to move here, and they were all pretty supportive. I worked at a shitty ice cream place for a year straight to try and save as much money as possible, then I moved here.”

“How long ago was that?” John asks.

“Almost ten years ago. I moved here when I was 19. I was so scared, but so excited. I started working at a restaurant, and one day I decided to take the day off and just wander around town. I bumped into this girl – and I’m sure you both know by now, I talk to anyone and everyone. I’m very outgoing.”

You laugh, “Yeah, we’ve noticed. It’s rubbed off on Shiloh as well. It’s a great quality to have though, I’m painfully shy sometimes.”

John laughs quietly and pats your leg, and you look over at him as you laugh. If anyone knows how shy you are, it’s John. You practically hid behind him every time someone tried to talk to you at the hotel.

“I bumped into this girl, and she invited me to a party. No, the girl wasn’t Christina, but I did meet her at the party. She was just sitting by herself, not really talking to anyone, and I couldn’t have that. So, I walked over and sat down next to her, talked her ear off. She told me how her family owns several of these bed and breakfasts all across Italy, and I thought it was the most amazing thing I’d ever heard of.”

You smile, “That’s when you realized what you wanted to do?”

“Yup.” Gia nods, smiling wide, “I asked her if they would hire me as a maid or something. She said that she needed some help at the bed and breakfast that she had just started to fix up, so I started working there. Just planting flowers, mowing the lawn, painting the bedrooms and stuff. Anyway, clearly we fell in love. She couldn’t resist me, what can I say?”

“How did you two end up owning a tree house?” you laugh and look up at John, “He wasn’t so sure about it, but as soon as I saw the pictures, I was in in love with it.”

Gia nods, getting situated in her chair, “Well, Christina and I bought this house and started to fix it up. We have a ton of property here, so we were wandering around one day and we saw that tree and it just clicked for both of us, how perfect it’d be for a tree house. We fixed it up, all while I was pregnant, by the way. That was quite an adventure. If you two plan to have kids, don’t do big renovations while you’re at it.”

“We’ll keep that in mind.” you laugh, looking up at John.

“It was very stressful, but I think Christina are closer because of it.” she smiles, “Anyway, Shiloh was born right before we opened it for the first time. We haven’t had any problems with it, we always introduce ourselves to the people, we always make sure to keep our distance to give them privacy. Until you two go here.”

John laughs, “I think by now we’re pretty used to always having people around.”

“That’s true. Seeing as my sister lives across the street from us.” you laugh and look over as Christina walks in the front door.

“Excuse me.” Gia says and gets off the couch, leaving you and John alone.

John squeezes your thigh to get your attention, and you look over at him and smile. He leans down to kiss you a few times, and you suck on your bottom lip when he pulls away from you.

“Hi.”

“You okay?” John whispers.

You nod your head and shift a little to look at John, “I’m great. Kinda hungry.”

John nods, “Me, too.”

“Don’t worry about them, baby.” you whisper, leaning a little closer to him, “I trust them, I think they’re good people.”

John looks over as Gia hugs Christina, and he looks back at you and smiles, “Me, too.”

__

You’re sitting at a table with Shiloh in the middle of you and John, and he’s currently trying to help her cut her burger in half. Gia and Christina are both watching with smiles on their faces, and Shiloh thanks John before she spills ketchup all down her shirt.

“Baby, you’re a mess tonight.” Christina laughs.

“Oh, you should have heard what she did earlier.” Gia says, looking at Christina, “She went down to the tree house and waited for them outside.”

Christina gasps and looks at Shiloh, “You know you’re not allowed to do that. You’re not allowed to walk around without me or mommy. You need at least one parent with you at all times.”

“I know, mama.” Shiloh says, looking down at her hands.

“I already scolded her quite a bit earlier.” Gia laughs, “She knows better.”

John looks over at you and smiles, then he reaches over to touch your shoulder. You hold his gaze for a moment longer, then you look over at Gia.

“You two probably want to head back soon, huh?”

You nod, “I’m a little tired today. We went down to the creek and had a picnic, and it was so relaxing, but I think our time in Rome is starting to catch up with me.”

“How long were you in Rome?”

“Just a week.” John says and starts to clean up his plate, taking yours as well.

“Perfect timing, the festival just started.” Gia says, looking at Shiloh, “We plan on going tomorrow.”

John nods, “Yeah, we plan on going as well. Maybe tomorrow, not sure yet.”

“I wanna go tomorrow.” you smile at John as you get up, “But we can go whenever you want.”

John looks at you and laughs, “Well, I guess we’re going tomorrow then.”

You start to clean up your stuff when both Gia and Christina stop you, “Please, it’s the least I could do.”

Christina shakes her head, “You’re our guests.”

“Thank you for this.” John says, gesturing to the table, “And again, I’m sorry about earlier.”

Gia reaches out and touches John’s arm, “It’s fine.”

Standing up straight, you reach out for John’s hand and move closer to him. You tap Shiloh’s shoulder and smile, “Maybe we’ll see you at the festival tomorrow, and maybe…if it’s okay with your parents, you can come have a pool party with me. John doesn’t swim much, but he might get in if we push him in.”

Shiloh smiles and nods, “Okay!”

You and John both wave to them as you head back down the dirt path to the tree house. The sun has already set, so all of the solar lights are beginning to come on and the garden looks so beautiful all lit up.

John wraps his arm around your shoulder and presses a kiss to the top of your head, “What do you want to do now?”

“I was thinking a nice bath would be a good way to end the night.” you smile and look up at John. “I actually have something really important that we need to talk about, and I know your mind is already going a mile a minute to figure out what it is, but I promise you, it’s something really, really good.”

“You are absolutely right, my mind is already racing.” John laughs, then he moves so you can go up the stairs first.

Heading for the bathroom, you look over your shoulder a little to see John following behind you, so you turn around and reach out for him.

“Stop over thinking it, Jonathan.” you laugh and tilt your head back as John leans down to kiss you, “I was just thinking…”

“Yeah?”

You squint one eye and laugh, “I was thinking we should have some dessert.”

“You’re so full of shit.” John laughs, then throws you over his shoulder as he continues walking in to the bedroom. He plops you on the bed and lays down on top of you to keep you from moving, “You don’t have to tell me what you’re thinking, but I would love to know what it is, you’ve built it up so much.”

You shrug, moving John’s hair out of his face, “I really was thinking that we should have some dessert.”

John’s moves his hands down to your waist and slowly lifts your dress up, “Yeah?”

“Mhm.” you nod, sucking on your bottom lip when John moves lower between your legs. He pulls your panties to the side and immediately buries his face, and you grab a fistful of his hair as you arch your back, “Holy shit!”

“So, you want some dessert, huh?” he asks, kissing your thighs as he stands back up.

You reach out to unbutton John’s pants, then you slide them down just enough for John to pull himself out of his boxers. John carefully moves you back on the bed and pulls your underwear to the side, slowing inserting himself between your legs as you moan loudly. “Fuck, you feel so good!”

“Didn’t even get your clothes off.”

You laugh as you open your eyes, “It’s alright. Kinda hot, honestly. You just have to have me right this minute.”

“I do.”

John hangs his head as he slowly begins to move his hips, then he leans up to kiss you hard on the lips. Wrapping your arms around John’s neck, you pull him down on top of you and smile when your eyes meet.

“This was your idea of dessert?”

John laughs, “Well, I mean...yeah. Wasn’t it yours?”

“No, I meant ice cream.” you laugh loudly as John buries his face in the crook of your neck, then you pull back to look at him, “But this is good too.”

John takes a long look at you before he starts to rock his hips faster, “Good.”

You giggle loudly as John kisses your neck, unintentionally tickling with his beard. He leans up to see your face, then he shakes his head as he leans down to kiss you. As John begins to move his hips faster, your mouth drops as you let out a loud moan, and you grip his biceps tighter in your hands as he hits your hidden spot relentlessly.

“Wait,” you put your hand on John’s chest and stop him, “Hold on.”

John furrows his brow as he moves off of you, and you try to hold in a laugh when you see how bummed he looks. He watches you closely as you pull your underwear off and toss your dress to the floor. You turn around to look at him when you get to the bathroom door, and you cock your eyebrow up.

“Well, are you gonna fuck me in the shower, or what?”

John immediately stands up from the bed to pull off his clothes, and he gets a little frustrated when he realizes he’s still fully dressed. He walks over to you as he kicks off his pants, and you laugh loudly as he grabs you and carries you off the bathroom.

__

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*i tried to tag a few people, but they didn’t pop up, so if you’re not tagged that’s why! if you want to be tagged/untagged, just let me know!

[jincherie]

happy zee day! || ‘a yk predicament’

hello everyone it’s currently zee day in AU so !! we’re hoppin on that celebrating shit!!! happy birthday miss zee of @cinnaminsvga !!! i’m sorry your actual fic isn’t up, and that I have yet to complete fox rain 4, but I’m trying!!! I hope this makes up for it a little bit xxxx I love u, and I hope karma lets ur asshole rest this birth year!!! 

pairing | nymph!jk x reader x dragon!yg genre | not applicable. this is a fucking mess NBJHFBJHGB warnings| none! words | 3.6k (oops) sidenote -->  this is a pile of shit but I hope it makes u smile! ily! also i didnt proofread this im so sorry

“Min Yoongi, I swear to god if you don’t stop growling at the poor boy—"

In response to your reprimand, the scaly little bastard turns around and spits and growls at you, apparently even possessing enough balls in this moment to hack up an ember and pelt it your way. You stand in disbelief for a moment, blinking.

The little bastard did not just—

“U-um, p-please! You d-don’t have to—” You turn your gaze in the direction the sudden voice had come from, the speaker freezing and stuttering as soon as your eyes land on him. The nymph blushes instantly, soft emerald-tinged skin tinting pink across his face to the tips of his ears. Still, he attempts to continue where he left off, although his voice quickly loses strength after a few words, “Y-You don’t have to… to fight….”

The nature spirit shifts in his spot where he is still partially angled behind a tree from when your little bastard of a companion tried to bite his hand off, eyes flicking from the forest floor to your face. “I’m… it is my fault… I shouldn’t have revealed myself in the… in the first place. I am sorry, I did not mean to wet him either. Well, I did, but…”

He gulps, risking a glance at your visibly bristling companion, who looks very menacing despite his current tiny stature. At the sight of the glare he is no doubt receiving, the nymph recoils, and your hand begins to reach on instinct to whomp Yoongi a good one on the back of the head. Before you can manage, the nymph speaks despite looking very much like he’d rather be doing anything but.

“I thought… I thought he was a water dragon…”

There is a moment of silence as his words slip softly into the air, and another as they cross the space between you to brush your ears. The second they register, the sudden, powerful urge to guffaw begins to bubble within you, and you’re powerless to stop the loud, ringing laughter from leaving you. Yoongi, however, doesn’t seem to have taken the nymph’s comment in such light spirits.

“RrrrrrRAAAAH! RRRRAH!!! GGRRRRRRHRHHRHRRRRRAH GGRRRAH!!!”

Yoongi attempts to launch at the poor boy, claws out, from his spot on the ground, and despite your tear-inducing laughter you manage to snatch him mid-air with your arms around his middle with nothing short of practiced ease. You don’t need to be fluent in dragon to know that Yoongi just cussed this boy the hell out. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem that the nymph is fluent in dragon either, and he continues unaware of the names he has been called.

“I’m sorry!” He cries, dark chestnut curls flopping across his forehead and flopping over his wide, doe eyes as he shakes his head fervently. “I was—I was just excited! I-I’m the only nature spirit in this forest, around this lake, and when I realised you could have been another water spirit…”

The nymph seems mortified by his series of mistakes, the flowers interwoven and seemingly bonded with his hair wilting slightly as his face reddens further. What. How is that possible? Are they sprouting from his head? You can’t help but reel for a moment as your thoughts take you down a path they probably shouldn’t when you have a spitting ball of scaly anger absolutely frothing at the mouth in your arms.

Thankfully, the slightest wriggle from Yoongi brings your attention right back to the present and you tighten your hold on him, the small dragon yowling pitifully at his foiled attempt to escape. Were you anyone else, you know he wouldn’t hesitate to tear your arms to ribbons in order to escape your grip, but you’ve come to realise in your brief but seemingly endless time together that he would rather do literally anything but hurt you. Why? You’re not sure. You don’t even know why he’s still here with you. The bugger attached himself to you like a parasite ever since you left that witch’s store and you haven’t been able to get rid of him since, let alone get him to part from your side for more than five minutes at a time. You’ve not known true privacy in almost a month.

NOT to seem like you’re complaining, because you aren’t. Your travels had been quite lonely before you had the (mis)fortune of meeting the fun-sized little dragon-spawn—the witch had informed you that he is actually just a baby, by dragon standards, but he’s not an infant per se. Actually, she’d had a bit of a funny look in her eye when she told you that and you’ve still to figure out exactly what it means. You suspect it probably had to do with the fact Yoongi isn’t a baby, but has to be a fucking toddler with the way he carries on sometimes. You never knew dragons were so prissy!

You’d think if a baby wanted cuddles, or affection, they’d ask for it, right? Not this one. The little bastard will sit next to you, not too close but just slightly within reach, and will not say anything for the entire time—and yet, when you don’t immediately know what he wants (cuddles) and when he wants them (right then and right there), he resorts to snapping his jaws around your hand like an untrained pup and glaring at you until you take the hint. Oh, but he won’t beg, or ask for it. Clearly, that’s below him. Yoongi the dragon toddler says ‘fuck y/n lives’, apparently.

You almost don’t even realise you’ve zoned out again until the nymph whimpers, and you realise your grip on the growling, coal-spitting menace has begun to slacken slightly. Sending him a reassuring if somewhat sheepish look, you decide to put an end to the situation at last and hopefully ease the soft-spoken nature spirit a little. You’re still curious about him, after all, and you don’t even know his name. How are you going to find it out if he goes running for the hills in the next few minutes because you happen to have a little goblin in dragon form for your companion?

Without even batting a lash, you free an arm and pull it back closer to your body. Yoongi tenses, as though he’s going to take the opportunity to take flight and launch at the poor boy that had accidentally offended him so, but seems to quickly realise your plan as he whips his head back and hits you with a look of complete and utter betrayal. Too late—he should have thought of the possible consequences when he decided to spit one of his weak ass embers at you. With lightning-fast speed that rivals even his own, your hand shoots forward and secures your well-utilised, trusty grip on the back of his neck. Instantly, as your fingers dig gently into his pressure points between hard scales, he stiffens and then grows completely slack in your hold.

The nymph watches, absolutely in awe, as you hitch the dragon under your arm and rest his weight against your hip. He’s still a baby, so still vulnerable to those same baby reactions—it’s kind of similar to the way a mother cat grabbing her kitten by the scruff of the neck paralyses them momentarily. He’ll be out of the count for a little while now at least. The witch told you about the little hack, saying you probably wouldn’t need it (a bold faced LIE, evidently) and in the whole time you’ve known Yoongi you’ve been able to make very good use of it. He was going to bite you later for it, but you don’t really care. He’s too much of a softie to really hurt you, anyway.

“You’ll have to forgive Yoongi, he’s a bit… sensitive,” you say, offering the boy a smile. He seems to brighten at it, the flowers in his hair lifting a little and his cheeks flushing once more. He shuffles out from behind the tree just a little. “He doesn’t really have the colouring of a fire dragon, and I think he’s a little bit, you know, sore about it.”

You pretend to whisper that last bit, but the disgruntled and somewhat-offended huff from beneath your arm tells you that the dragon heard you loud and clear. Well, serves him right for being an ass.

The nymph giggles at your words, however, and takes another small step out from behind the tree. It is like coercing a small forest animal out from the underbrush, you can’t help but think, and immediately the thought endears you. He’s so cute, with the little flower chain bracelet and the little blooms in his hair—his big doe eyes are probably his most powerful weapon, though, and you sincerely hope he doesn’t know how to use them and you’re not currently being tricked out of your money or belongings or something, You’ve just paralysed your guard dragon, for crying out loud! All you have left is your wits and they’re not the sharpest tool in your shed even on the best of days.

Worrying about such a thing is ridiculous, though, and you know this immediately because despite the fact he’d almost just lost his hand to Yoongi’s frothing maw, the nymph comes closer and coos, brushing his hand tentatively over Yoongi’s snout to caress the myriad of soft blue and dusk-coloured scales there. Yoongi growls and you smack his behind, effectively ceasing the sound.

The forest is still bright and alive around you, vibrating and singing with the birds and the wind, seeming to respond to the nymph’s glee as he admires the small dragon now that the threat around him has been… neutralised, for lack of better word.

“But he is so very pretty,” the nature spirit says, earnestly. You think you catch sight of a blush beneath Yoongi’s scales, and decide to file the observation away to tease him with later, in the event he decides to test you again. The nymph has been speaking fine up until now, when he accidentally meets your eyes and is thrown into another blushing, stuttering fit.  “A-ah, and h-he’s very… very majestic. D-Does he… d-does….ah, nevermind….”

You tilt your head at the shy boy, admiring the way the sun illuminates the silky strands of his hair in a golden halo around his head. You wait until he meets your eyes to talk, offering him another smile. You’d long since introduced yourself when you first spotted him and began trying to coerce him out from behind the tree, but you’ve yet to get him to return the favour.  “What’s your name, oh guardian spirit of this forest and lake?”

The nymph seems to brighten, flowers perking up once more, and he shoots you a large grin that reveals big bunny teeth. You’re about ready to pack him up and take him home, and are simply thankful you’re an evolved being who has the capacity to control such urges.

“I’m J-Jungkook! I-I’m not actually guardian of this forest, or… or the lake. I’m k-kind of… well… To be honest,” he reaches a hand up, ruffling the fluffy curls at the back of his neck. “This forest and th-the lake are under the jurisdiction of the local mountain deity… I’m not needed here. A-Actually, I don’t think I’m really meant to be here…”

A part of you wishes to ask why immediately, but you barely refrain, wishing to allow him to tell you himself. You can tell that even Yoongi is slightly interested now, the mongrel having calmed down in his time spent close to you and now looking up at the nymph as much as he is able with his momentarily crippled mobility.

“I just woke up here a few months ago, without an explanation and without any m-memory of why, or h-how. I c-can’t even… remember anything about before the day I woke up here, besides my name and some other things like that…” There’s a saddened edge to his tone, but he still offers you a smile so sincere it makes his little sprouting flowers glow and preen. “The forest has been kind enough to let me stay here, but I do not want t-to overstay my welcome. I d-don’t belong here, after all. My flowers do not match the ones that sprout from this earth.”

Come to think of it, you hadn’t even noticed that. You direct your gaze around to see if he is right, and when you confirm his words you feel a certain pain of something stab at your chest. Empathy? Sorrow? It’s sad, what he’s telling you. You’re not surprised his story is awakening the maternal instincts inside you that are buried so deep you were convinced your entire life before now that they didn’t exist. Trust the cute, adorable nymph boy your pet dragon almost bit in the forest to bring them out of you.

Well, you’re not one to let anyone be sad for long. You already have one unplanned companion on this trip, why not add another?

“Would you like to come with us, Jungkook?” you ask, deciding not to beat around the bush. “We’re going to the mountain that touches the moon! I need to meet the witch there, I need her help with something. I’m not sure why Yoongi is going, but I’m sure there is a reason. If you want, you can come with us too? There is always room for one more.”

You make sure to send the boy your warmest smile, but still he’s so shocked he almost stumbles back. Of course, it doesn’t help that Yoongi seems to have regained control of his head and attempted to snap his jaws around Jungkook’s poor fingers. “I promise to protect you from my pet dragon.”

You laugh at your own joke, but it’s broken by the cry of pain that jerks from your throat. “HaHAHYOWCH, YOONGI WHAT THE HELL! Don’t make me pinch you again!”

The dragon hatchling, now able to turn his head fully even if he can’t turn the rest of his body, utilises his newly regained range of motion to release your fingers from his mouth and nail you with a heated glare. You know he hates it when you joke about him being your pet (another sore spot you’ve discovered through painful experience), but you couldn’t help yourself when the opportunity was so readily there. You send him a sour look, and he looks away with a huff. If you’re lucky, he might deign to give you the silent treatment later on, and you’ll be treated to an extra few minutes of privacy.

“Anyway,” you clear your throat, smiling at the blushing nymph once more. “What do you say? Would you like to come on an adventure with us? I promise it will be fun!”

You could tell Jungkook had already been very close to saying yes, but when he sees your hand proffered out for him to take, he blushes madly again and it seems to make up his mind. He smiles so big that it overtakes his face and his eyes end up shutting in cute crescents. “Y-yeah! Okay! I’ll come! I don’t really have any b-belongings, I’m ready to go when y-you are!”

You smile at him, absolutely endeared, and grasp his hand in yours to shake. His skin is cool against yours, but incredibly soft and smooth. At your touch his flowers shoot up straight, pollen falling from their centre at the motion, and to your complete and utter surprise two more little flowers sprout, wrestling between his curly strands, and pop to unravel into an immediate bloom. Jungkook looks mortified.

“Sorry,” he whispers, shoulders pinching up slightly as his body curves inwards on itself. “That… that happens when I’m really happy. I don’t know how to stop it.”

You can’t help but laugh softly, reaching up to pinch his cheek with your free hand after releasing his own. “Don’t worry, it’s cute! Please don’t stop it.”

Yoongi lets out a discontented growl, at what you don’t know, and you decide to ignore it in favour of getting on your way once more. You have a lot of ground to cover before you reach the mountain that touches the moon, after all!

It isn’t long into the silent first ten minutes or so of the trip, that you break and decide to probe Jungkook for an answer to something you’ve been wondering. Yoongi is still under your arm, disgruntled as ever. He’s regained access to his front legs but his behind and wings are still temporarily out of commission. Although, he’s been so oddly quiet this whole time that you can’t help but suspect that even if he did regain his butt, legs and wings, the sneaky bastard might not say anything so he gets his daily does of cuddles. You don’t know how such a prickly creature can be so damn needy.

“Jungkook,” you start, waiting until you have his attention before you continue; the nymph had been gazing with fondness over the beauty of the forest as the sun filters down through the foliage, a soft smile on his face. You think his cheeks warm again as he faces you, but you can’t tell. “What was it that you were going to ask before? About Yoongi? Now is the time to ask, while he still can’t use his wings.”

Apparently Jungkook left his fear of the dragon back in the clearing where he’d met you, because he lets out a happy sound and smiles. “I can ask?”

When you nod, he brightens. “He is such a pretty dragon in this form, I was just wondering if he is also this pretty in his human form.”

“He’d like to think so,” you answer in automatic response, before the nymph’s words catch up with you a moment later and you almost trip over the tree root in front of you. Yoongi has stiffened completely under your arm, and if you hadn’t caught yourself from falling you might have hurt the both of you. “Wait—his what?!”

“H-his human form?” Jungkook repeats, somewhat nervous at your reaction. “Dragons have a-ancient, powerful magic. They possess more than-n one f-form. D-did no one?”

“WHAT?” you burst, your brain flatlining for a moment. No way. This little punk is playing a prank on you. Tricking you with his big ol’ eyes and sweet disposition—what a low blow. “H-he’s?? Yoongi has never changed into another form. He’s… just a dragon baby? He’s baby? Dragon baby. Dragon.”

Jungkook seems to swallow some of his nerves, curiosity about the new situation seeming to outweigh them. “Hold on, I’ll show you. When they are young, they can’t change themselves. Their parents usually have to do it for them.”

There’s a moment of stillness as Jungkook takes a step next to you, and then Yoongi lets out a squawk and throws his whole might into trying to suddenly escape your hold. He’s not quick enough, though, and Jungkook manages to grab one of the horns atop his head and hold him still long enough to place his palm against the sky blue scales of his forehead. A growl rips from the dragon, but it’s short-lived and cuts off as the scales beneath Jungkook’s hand begin to glow. You blink—once, twice, and you almost blink a third time but before you can there’s a blinding pink-tinged light that beats you to it. Yoongi’s weight escapes your arms, but you’re too busy covering your eyes to try and stop him.

In the time you have your eyes closed, however short, there is scuffling, rustling of shrubbery and a heavy thump followed by an incriminating groan. Ignoring the slight burn and residual effects from the bright light, you search for the source—and you nearly scream as it comes into sight.

Jungkook is there, standing still and unaffected and cute as ever, grinning brightly at a figure on the ground, a new figure that you have enough sense to know is exactly where your dragon should be. Inky hair, some parts silken and some parts singed, hangs over a tan face, partially covering the soft gold eyes you know belong to the dragon you’ve spent the most recent big chunk of your journey with.  The figure isn’t naked, thankfully, having spawned with a loose pair of inky pants and a similarly styled shirt, but he is barefoot and looking a little affronted at the fact, in between the dazedness. From the grumpy aura, the long horns and big ‘little bastard’ energy emanating from this figure, you know it’s Yoongi for sure before you even have to try and consider it rationally. Conceiving that your magical companion is capable of magically turning into a human form isn’t hard to wrap your head around, and isn’t why you’re standing there absolutely gobsmacked, either.

No, that’s because as far as you knew and had been told, Yoongi was a baby dragon. But the male regaining his senses and apparently the nerve to glare at you from the ground right before you?

He couldn’t have been anything less than a year or so older than you. The baby dragon that you babied and teased and messed around with and teased and cuddled and made fun of, isn’t actually a baby. He’s an adult, and he’s—oh. He’s really glaring at you. A sense of dread makes itself known in your stomach.

“You,” the dragon seethes, steam beginning to dance from the crown of his head. “You’re in trouble.”

Well, that was certainly a promise! You can’t help but gulp—with any luck, you’ll still get to the mountain witch in one piece.

Uh, hopefully. In a last-ditch effort, you attempt a prayer. Noo Karma, don’t do this to me… I’ve been so good lately... you wouldn’t spank me if I was innocent, right?…. Haha... unless...??

Okay, you’re screwed.

[therainroguefanfiction]

⁂ What You Deserve (Doyoung Kim)

Genre: Dark, Angst, Fluff, Romance ☁

Word Count: 3,421 ☁

Pairing: Reader x Kim Doyoung ☁

World: NCT ☁

WARNING: This fic contains self-harm, attempted suicide and talks about depression. Read at your own risk.

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

You’re not sure when it started, or how or why. It felt like it had been with you for most of your life. Maybe it started in high school where you spent every day being bullied and abused by your fellow students. At that time, your only bit of sanity was with your best friend, Johnny, but he had started to pull away from you.

Not on purpose, you knew. He had a dream that he was working hard towards achieving, but… in doing so, you began to fade away. Since you were children, Johnny had always been the anchor that kept you from floating away while also being the one that kept your head above water.

When he moved to Korea, you started to drown and didn’t know how to save yourself.

You had convinced yourself that everyone hated you and that you were only a burden to those around you. Johnny did his best to keep in touch as much as possible, which kept you going for a while. As bad as you never wanted it to end, you knew that it would.

Johnny had achieved his dream, debuting with a group called NCT 127 and they were quickly climbing the latter of popularity. He started to have less and less time for you until, finally, he stopped contacting you altogether. Four months passed without so much as a text saying, ‘hi’.

It had finally happened. Johnny realized that you were just a broken burden and decided to move on with his life. He forgot all about the needy, depressed little Y/N. That’s what you convinced yourself of.

You couldn’t take it anymore – the pain, the self-hate, the torment. It was all too much for you to face alone. With the weight of the world on your shoulders, you made up your mind.

You were going to kill yourself.

When Friday rolled around, your father left for his business trip, unaware of the plans his child had.

A bad storm had rolled in out of nowhere that night. Thunder shook the building as rain violently pounded the Earth. It was like the gods themselves were angry.

It comforted you in a weird way.

You lit a candle, setting it on the bathroom sink so you could see what you were doing. The power had been knocked out after a rather violent gust of wind knocked a palm tree into the power lines. This set everything into motion as the power line sparked, setting the palm tree on fire.

Unaware of the chaos outside, you slipped into the bathtub, your clothes getting heavy as they absorbed the water. Your eyes scanned your forearms, scanning the scars that littered your skin.

Even in the dull lighting, you could see each one perfectly. The old and the new, mingling together. Your finger traced them, hot tears rolling down your cheeks as you remembered each one. Every single scar held a painful memory and you were cursed with remembering each one as clearly as if it had happened yesterday.

Your hand shook as you picked up the razor blade.

This was it. All of your pain and suffering, all of the blood and suffering… it had all lead you to this moment. It was finally going to end. You were finally going to find peace.

So why were you hesitating? Why did you feel fear?

The metal rested against your wrist, making small cuts in your skin since you couldn’t steady your hand. ‘This is for the best’, you tried to convince yourself. ‘When I die, dad won’t have to work so hard to pay for my medical bills. He won’t stress himself over me. He can move on with his life and find the happiness he deserves. I… I have to do this!’

Lightning lit up the darkness as you screamed out, ripping the blade across your skin harder than you ever had before. Blood started to pour from the wound, dropping into the water and turning it an ugly faded red.

You slid down in the tub as the wound started to sting, your body shaking. Whether it was from your sobbing or from the pain, you didn’t know.

BANG BANG BANG.

Your ears faintly picked up the sound of pounding on the front door. Hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway followed by the cries of children. It sounded hazy to you like you were dreaming.

“Open up, there’s a fire in the building!” The banging continued. “We’re coming in!”

You heard the door slam open and several pairs of feet rushed into the apartment.

Everything went black.

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

A hoarse groan passed your lips as the insistent beeping disturbed your sleep. Eyes sliding open, you blinked a few times before it focused on the white ceiling above you. ‘Am I… dead?’, you wondered, forcing yourself to sit up.

The room was dark, lit up only by the lights of the heart monitor you were connected to. It was still raining, reduced to a soft pitter-patter against the window. The whiteboard on the wall bore the date, Tuesday.

It was clear that your attempt had failed. You eyed the thick bandage around your wrist. The only thing you could think about was the medical bills your father would have to pay.

‘I can’t even kill myself properly…’

The door creaked open and a woman you didn’t recognize entered the room. Your first instinct was that she was a nurse, but you soon realized that she was wearing a Victorian style dress.

Squinting through the darkness, you noticed something dripping from her hands. It was blood, splattering against the linoleum. All other sounds disappeared except for the dripping.

“Wh-Who are you?” You stuttered out, feeling your body tense. You knew something wasn’t right.

The woman started to laugh, low and vacant of humor. It gradually increased in volume until it filled the room.

You could feel terror taking over you as you scrambled back, your finger repeatedly smashing the nurse call button. The speaker behind the bed beeped as it normally would, but instead of getting a nurse you only heard the laughter coming through the static.

The woman moved closer, her bare feet slapping against the floor. “Selfish child,” she muttered.

You stumbled back off the bed, tripping over the various wires and tubes connected to your body. Hitting the floor hard, you winced as the IV was ripped from your arm. Within seconds, the woman was on top of you, her bloody hands wrapped tight around your throat.

Her eyes were wild and bloodshot. “Selfish child! Selfish child!” She kept repeating the same two words, voice growing louder with each repetition until she was screaming at the top of her lungs. “SELFISH CHILD!”

You couldn’t breathe, struggling to push her off but your hand went through her body like she wasn’t there.

Dots of black started to cloud your vision until you were completely cloaked in darkness.

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You shot up in bed, feeling your body enveloped in a cold sweat. Your hand grabbed your throat as you gasped for breath. Warmth surrounded your body and soft words were spoken into your ear. You couldn’t understand what was being said, but they did their job and slowly you started to calm.

A hand gripped your own and you looked up, meeting eyes with your dad. Almost instantly, you looked away from him, unable to face the tears that clung to his cheeks. You looked to your left, where the warmth was coming from, and you felt your body tense up again.

“J-Johnny?”

Tears welled up in his eyes, but he held them back with a smile, breathing out deeply as he spoke. “Hey… how are you feeling?” His voice was rough, a clear indication that he had been crying.

“Why are you here?” You hadn’t meant for it to sound so rude, but last time you checked, he was in a different country living the life he wanted.

“What a stupid question,” he laughed, ruffling your hair like he always used to do when you were upset. “I came to make sure you were alright.”

You moved your gaze to the white cotton covering your body. There were so many thoughts and emotions rushing through your body that you felt completely overwhelmed. Anger, pain, guilt, confusion… they swirled together in the pit of your stomach.

Johnny knew you were about to start crying, his eyes flicking to the heart monitor as the rate increased. “Are you hungry? The hospital food sucks, and we’re not technically allowed to bring outside food in for patients, but your nurse is a big fan of NCT so I can probably get her to ignore it. There’s a Taco Bell not too far from here, I know it’s your favorite!”

You could only nod, not trusting your voice.

“Stay here, Johnny. I’ll go and get it.” Your dad announced, giving you a soft peck on the cheek before leaving the room. He knew that he couldn’t comfort you, despite how bad he wanted to. That’s why he made the decision that he did. You knew he felt like a failure as a father and you felt overwhelmed by guilt.

Johnny shifted his weight and cleared his throat. “I brought one of the members with me. He’s really smart, reliable and loves white chocolate.” He paused, mentally slapping himself. Surely after attempting suicide, you didn’t care about conversing with someone about chocolate. “He’s right down the hall, I’ll go grab him.”

When he left the room, you lifted your eyes to the whiteboard. It sat in the exact same place as it had in your dream and the date scrawled on was the same – Tuesday.

‘What was that dream?’, you couldn’t help but wonder. Even the rain was the same, gently sliding down the glass. ‘I was trying to make life easier for everyone, but I’m a selfish child?’

Johnny re-entered the room with another boy. The thing that stuck out the most was his rich blue hair. “This is Doyoung, he’s one of our vocalists. Doyoung, this is Y/N, my best friend.”

You winced at the words. Could you even consider yourself still his friend after all this? Must less his best friend. Surely he had found someone more suitable to the title within his new group.

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” Doyoung spoke politely in accented English, bowing slightly in respect. He was uncomfortable, feeling like he was intruding on something extremely personal, but Johnny had requested that he come along for support, and that was a request that he couldn’t deny.

The rest of the day was spent with the three men trying to make you smile, at the very least, but you just weren’t in the mood. It was strange – you wanted to be left alone but… at the same time, you didn’t want to be alone.

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You were stuck in the hospital for observation for the next week. Both Johnny and Doyoung stayed with you, allowing your dad to get some rest and go to work. On the day of your release, you and Doyoung waited near the front of the hospital while Johnny ran over to the parking garage to get his rental.

You still felt a bit uncomfortable being alone with him since you didn’t know him well, so your eyes were scanning the area to give you something to do. You happened to glance at a painting on the wall and you felt a cold chill run down your back.

Feeling you tense next to him, Doyoung looked at you with worry. “Are you okay?”

You slowly stood up, approaching the painting. It was her, the woman from your dream. Her eyes were bloodshot and hollow like she had died a long time ago. There a small tag on the bottom of the frame with a name etched into it.

“Matilda Palmer…”

“She looks terrifying,” Doyoung commented as he came up beside you.

“She was quite a nice woman, once upon a time.”

You both turned around, seeing an elderly man looking at the photo sadly. His eyes met yours and he frowned.

“She spoke to you, didn’t she?”

A shiver ran through your body and you moved closer to Doyoung, trying to ignore the feeling of eyes on the back of your head. It felt like the painting was burning a hole in your skull and you were too afraid to turn and check on it. Doyoung put his arm around your shoulder, looking at the man skeptically.

“Who… Who is she?” You questioned.

The man folded his hands behind his back, eyes sliding closed. “She haunts this hospital.”

“Haunts?” Doyoung’s grip tightened.

You glanced at him, patting his arm to try and calm him down despite the fact that you felt just as worried. “What happened to her?”

“She went insane after her child killed himself.”

Selfish child, selfish child, SELFISH CHILD!

You threw your hands over your ears as her voice echoed in your head. Having had enough, Doyoung excused himself and all but dragged you to the door of the hospital. Johnny pulled up just as you stepped outside and the pair of you hopped into the backseat.

He looked at you with worry. “What’s wrong?”

“Just a weird man talking about the hospital being haunted…” Doyoung shivered. “Let’s just leave, okay?”

Johnny nodded and took off, tapping the steering wheel lightly. “Y/N? There’s something your dad and I didn’t tell you…”

“What would that be?” You questioned, rubbing your temples. You couldn’t stop thinking about that damned dream.

“We talked it over, and we both agreed that this is the best for you.” He paused, wondering what your reaction would be. “You’re coming back to Korea with us.”

“…Wait, what?!”

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Although you were against the idea at first, you were glad that Johnny had forced you to come to Korea with him. It had been about four months since you moved into a small apartment with him and Doyoung. You expected to be left alone when he was working, but Johnny refused to let you be alone for more than a few minutes and forced you to come along with him. His managers were not happy about this, but it was something he refused to back down on. Doyoung and their leader, Taeyong, also backed him up since they both knew about your situation.

During this time, you had gotten increasingly close to Doyoung, who had made it his personal mission to look after you.

“Hey, are you ready to go?” Doyoung questioned, smiling at you as he entered the apartment.

“Are you sure you won’t get into trouble?”

“Positive!” He gently grabbed your hand, tugging you towards the door. “I only had a photo shoot to do today, and I promised we’d go to the park.”

You sighed in defeat, allowing the male to pull you along. Worrying about ruining their careers constantly plagued your mind, but it didn’t seem to bother them. They always made sure to make time for you.

It was midday in Spring, the sun shining in a sea of fluffy white clouds. It was warm, but not uncomfortably so. He led you to a small patch of grass on the outer edge of the park where you both sat comfortably.

He was feeling nervous, despite having been alone with you many times in the past. “Y/N?”

“Hmm?” You were lying back on the grass, staring up at the clouds.

“Are you happy?” He lightly picked at the grass nervously. “Being here with us, with… me.”

“I’m not sure how to answer that. I feel… fortunate having you guys in my life, but I also feel like I don’t deserve it.”

“Why do you feel that way?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve always felt that way.”

He turned to lie down next to you, propping his head up in his hand. “Do you mind if I ask…”

“Why did I try to kill myself?” You finished, locking eyes with him. He nodded. “Truthfully, several reasons. I was tired, mostly, but I thought I was doing everyone a favor. I felt like such a burden to my father…”

Hearing those words broke his heart. His hand slid onto of your own, eyes never leaving yours. He wanted to convey his feelings, but he wasn’t sure how you felt and he didn’t want to make you feel burdened. “Do you still feel that way?”

“Sometimes. More than anything, I feel guilty.” You paused for a moment. “Do you remember that painting at the Hospital?”

“How could I forget? It was so creepy,” he shivered, “And what was with that guy?”

“He was right. I did see her.”

His brow furrowed.

“It was in a dream, but I saw her. She kept repeating ‘selfish child’. I didn’t know what it meant until that man explained what happened to her.” You sighed, lacing your fingers with his. “I looked her up online. She only appears to those that have attempted suicide. Her son was depressed and had been hospitalized many times throughout his life for trying to kill himself. Finally, he succeeded… his mother was a wreck and, eventually, she went insane and stabbed the nurse that was looking after her. She was locked away in a padded cell and passed away three days later.”

“I see… that’s a shame.”

“At first, I thought she was just a vengeful spirit, angry about what her son had done, but… she’s trying to stop others from making the same mistakes that her son had.”

“I think… when you kill yourself, you also kill those around you.” He whispered, moving closer so that he could rest his head on your shoulder. His hand held yours against his chest. “Depression makes you think that others are better off without you, but that’s not the case. I was there when Johnny got the call. It was like his world had shattered. He dropped the phone and fell to his knees in shock. We were about to go on a variety show but he broke down and had to stay backstage.”

You felt tears pricking your eyes as you whispered, “I thought he forgot about me…”

Doyoung shook his head, lifting it so he could smile at you. “Never. He was always telling us stories about things you both did when you were growing up. He felt so guilty when he stopped having time to talk to you, but we were all swamped with our schedules… Even having you here, he’s constantly worrying about you. I do, too…”

“Doyoung…”

“You said you don’t deserve to be happy… I believe everything happens for a reason. Your attempt lead you to me, and I’m determined to show you that you do deserve to be happy. You’re not a burden, you’re a beautiful human being who deserves the world.” He pulled his hand away to rest it on your cheek as he hovered above you. “There’s only one of you in this world, Y/N. And I… I love you.”

Your eyes searched his, looking for any sign of deceit but there was none. You only found sincerity, warmth and, most importantly, love. Your heart was racing in your rib cage.

“You don’t have to feel the same… I wasn’t planning on confessing.” He laughed awkwardly. “Even if you don’t feel the same, I want to remain friends. I know things are probably awkward now but I just felt like I should – ”

“Doyoung,”

“Yes?”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

With a smile, he didn’t hesitate to press his lips against yours. For the first time in your life, you wanted to keep living. You finally found the will to fight against the darkness.

He pulled away and you smiled brightly, feeling tears welling up in your eyes again. He wiped away your tears.

“I… I want to live.”

The smile that overtook Doyoung’s face was as bright as the sun. His eyes watered as he threw his arms around you, holding your body tight to his own. Four simple words, but it was enough for both of you.

You were tired of being a victim, enslaved by the darkness of depression. You were tired of feeling like a burden and wanting to die. You wanted to fight, to overcome it and, for the first time in your life, you felt confident that you could.

With Doyoung by your side, you were free to start again.

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📜 Read more by checking out my masterlist 📜

[definitelynotaminion]

A Study in Survival (Chapter 1/prologue)

It occurs to me that my ao3 is kinda divorced from my tumblr, so let me brag about my favorite fic on my dash! Linking it via ao3 isn’t as fun. Mostly I just want everyone to appreciate shirtless sweaty Sakura in a dragon-ball-Z style fight at the end of the world. It’s a time travel fic, as most of you know. TLDR Sakura is the only human left alive fighting against Kaguya, again and again for months. So, here is the first chapter finally posted on tumblr!!

There is fire. There is light. She is bloody wounds knitting closed as an afterthought, cold, meticulous and precise sacrifices of chakra for each hit, and the jarring impact of her fist shattering against a goddess' face.

The impact destroys the ground around them for miles.

She is rage, and desperation, and there is a yawning chasm of grief in her, as wide as the world is empty, that she refuses to let consume her.

There is a battle that is a war, an endless fight with an enemy that never tires, and she is alone.

Sakura doesn't remember much of what happens. She has been awake and engaged with Kaguya or her forces for days and weeks. Sleep is rare, stolen moments; each scrap and spare bit of chakra is ruthlessly hoarded and used as efficiently as possible.

She feels stripped down to the bones, ragged with all excess parts of her shorn away. Sakura survives. She fights. She bleeds. She survives.

Another cataclysmic exchange of blows. Around them the earth tries to shake apart. Localized earthquakes and tsunamis herald their blows; what's left of the topography of the planet flattens and crumbles in their wake.

Sakura is tired, though she can't afford to be. Every cell screams in her, a razor sharp focus and intellect bent on living. The beat of her heart in her breast is a desperate thing, a furious and urgent thing, the blood in her ears the only sound she can hear.

It is amidst the usual ache of overextended muscles, the mint-burn of healing, and the push and pull of attack and retreat, bestow damage and receive it, that something changes. Sakura has been a thorn in Kaguya's side for countless hours and sunsets, a snarling wolf that disappears just far enough to lick its wounds, gather resources, and slam back into the melee with a reckless abandon.

Sakura has been trying to kill an immortal for so long that it's all her body knows, and she expects this to be no different, though each hit, each jutsu, each glancing touch of her hand or weapon does devastating damage to the world around them because she refuses to give up hope.

It is a wild thing, a snarling thing, behind the breath in her lungs and the constant drought of her chakra system begging for rest, for replenishment. Her hope is more savage than Naruto's was, the constant belief that he could change the world; her hope is more ragged than Sasuke's was, the child's certainty that if he devotes himself to his goal he can fix things.

Her hope is more enduring than Sai's was, a fragile, just-born realization that life can be marvelous, that love can exist, that there is good in the world, and laughter, and beauty.

Sakura's hope is a bonedeep, feral warsong, a thrumming that gets her through the days, and the nights, that moves her body like a puppet on a string, that lets her heal and kill and force her body past its limits. It's a bulldog's jaws clamped tight on her goal, all thoughts set aside for neverending action, deliberation, movement; it's gravity, and the smiles she won't let herself forget, the dreams and ambitions of everyone she can remember wrapped tight but never safe in the core of her, every precious memory burned one at a time to keep it alive.

Sakura's hope is all she's got left.

So while she hasn't lessened her efforts to murder the being responsible for the destruction of all she loves-- if anything, it's the opposite, eclipsing her old limitations with every encounter, every waking moment, inching millimeter by bloody millimeter closer to her goal with each breath in her body-- she is a being of observations, of rationalization, of cool and collected deductions, lightning-fast assessments and reactions half the reason she's still breathing, and nothing in the encounter has led her to believe something has changed.

Sakura jerks back her fist in surprise, not quick enough to pull the punch but able to change the angle so that it slides past her opponent. In a quarter-beat she's a mile away, still high in the sky.

A mile is nothing.

Sakura turns mid-flight, eyes on Kaguya, feeling the change as it lurches through her body. Probably someone else might not have noticed, but no one else is alive; Sakura is aware of every iota of chakra in her body, and Sakura notices the moment it alters.

There's a new pathway where there wasn't before, like a jutsu half-forgotten, and chakra wants to curl out of her tenketsu, twist in just the right way to-- Sakura doesn't know, and has to stop the quicksilver flash of thought as a wave of Kaguya's hand sends black desolation winging toward her.

Sakura dodges, nimbly, tossing a shuriken that expands outward into a swarm, a flock of thousands, uses the moment's distraction to throw herself from a surviving peak to a valley far in the distance.

Her only saving grace is that Kaguya can't sense chakra, not when it's ruthlessly surpressed with Sakura's perfect control-- though the goddess is more than willing to burn the countryside to ash, destroy any cover, and force Sakura out.

She's learned to rest while running, take solace in the comparatively less exhausting labor of crossing ground faster than the winds of a rasenshuriken.

Kaguya can't-- or hasn't, at least-- used genjutsu on her. Perhaps she senses the futility of it; Sakura can sense the intrusion of foreign chakra on her system the instant it occurs, obvious as a drop of ink on a pristine scroll.

This isn't that; this chakra is hers and hers alone.

The sweep of white is her only warning, so fast her eyes can't resolve it into a shape; she doesn't wait for them to, moving back as far as a single leap can take her on instinct. It was a swipe of Kaguya's arm, her senses tell her later, but in the intervening time Sakura has ducked and parried three blows and flipped over a lake, its water rising on on either side of them like a welcoming hug.

Sakura punches the lakebed, lets house-sized boulders rise as asteroids, dances between them for a blink's cover before Kaguya obliterates them with a thought, not even rubble remaining. The skin on Sakura's arms informs her of the heat, even from her new distance. She's behind the goddess now, though-- not that it matters to her sight.

Merely, she's opposite Kaguya's direction of attention for a single moment, and in their battles that's an opening, forcefully torn.

It's a sweeping kick, a dynamic entry that flows into a springboard flip to get away, because any hit that doesn't connect is a liability. Any second of close combat is too long already, Sakura knows, and ruthlessly stifles the frustration in her throat as the move carries her away.

Away, away, away, the endless flight from an enemy too dangerous to engage, and too dangerous not to.

A bright flare of chakra from within her, yin and yang twisting without conscious direction, and it would be terrifying, this loss of control, if it wasn't infuriating. Sakura can't afford any moment of distraction.

She usually engages Kaguya until she only has the energy left for a desperate flight, a retreat to think on what she learned about her enemy during the most recent clash, painstakingly pieced together from the smallest of tells.

She might not have a choice, this time, though each moment of combat is precious, every encounter another chance to learn and capitalize on a weakness, build a strategy up from atoms, and--

Parry, parry, dodge; Sakura slips medical ninjutsu into her enemy's flesh, feels it catch beneath the skin, but where it should absolutely wreck the seemingly human biology, Kaguya shows no reaction.

Sakura keeps her curse contained to gritted teeth, reaches deep and pulls chakra into her hands. She doesn't have the luxury of handsigns, hasn't for longer than she can remember, so each jutsu has to be utterly mastered before she dares use it.

The upside is that she doesn't have any distractions.

It's water molecules slammed into each other, a tsunami raging out, and Sakura uses it to disengage.

She has to figure out what the utter fuck is going on with her chakra before it gets her killed.

The ball of water had been easier than normal, a prison called from the displaced lake, but before she's even ten miles away Kaguya has evaporated it. A rush of seared air, so hot there's not even steam, hits Sakura's back like a shove from a giant.

It spins her and she goes with it, knowing better to have her back to her enemy even as her skin erupts in burns, a line drawn of red drawn over her and erased just as smoothly by her own chakra in a countering wave. Her armor's lost but it did little, anyway.

A blur, and there's nothing to step off of; Sakura replaces herself with a piece of rubble in the distance, replaces again with one of her weapons from before, far enough away that her chakra rips out of her, a sudden void.

The same weird lurch as before occurs, infinitely more disastrous, and Sakura uses precious seconds reaching inward, a step she doesn't have to do ever, trying to isolate the cause.

It's elusive and Sakura would snarl if she wasn't taking to the trees with as little sound as possible, shoving down her chakra with an iron fist.

The hiccuping aberration refuses to be silenced. A frisson of fear lances through her, shock and dismay as a monsoon of wind tears at the forest, ripping trees out of the ground and into pieces. She leaps from trunk to trunk in the sudden tornado, dodging limbs suddenly as fast and dangerous as arrows from Sasuke's Susano'o, really snarling this time when one comes at her at such an angle that she has no choice but to slam her fist through it, giving away her position.

She has to dodge and weave, chakra still suppressed but for that little, disobedient curl directly in the center, and when she multitasks slinging a massive oak opposite the wind-- causing it to crash into its fellows with a sound like ten-thousand exploding tags--

now there's an idea--

and racing to the top of the atmosphere to get over the wall, she pokes at it, a stab of will.

Cooperate!

Instead it comes unraveled, a flower unfurling, and Sakura has just a moment to panic before the winds kick up, slamming her back down to the ground from the seven miles up.

She leaves a crater, leaves the crater barely after it's formed, narrowly dodging the fist dropped into the center of it after her.

The crater is suddenly four times as massive, force delivered with such speed that the landscape is just changed around them, the sound barrier breaking too fast to make noise.

Reinforcing and then still having to heal her spine, in the space between breaths, had taken approximately half of her chakra reserves, but while one part of her mind is cataloging reserves grimly, most of it is still reeling from the golden glow that is sweeping through her, that refuses to be tamped down, that is out of her control.

Fear quickens her breath, and Sakura rips a spear of a stick out of her shoulder, pressing one hand to the place where it impaled her. There's a feeling rising in her that begs to be a sound, a pulsing, a quickening, and she has no idea what it is, has no time to process as she runs for her life, dodging and weaving.

Kaguya has taken the displaced trees in her windstorm and is guiding them at the ground with a single gesture, each huge as only Fire Country trees get-- had they really journeyed so far east, again? The landscapes are mostly unrecognizable, all familiar manmade landmarks destroyed.

Sakura is forced to bob and weave, dart back and channel her dead teammate, be as unpredictable as possible because Kaguya isn't throwing trees at her so much as where she guesses Sakura will be.

Where such strength should shatter the trees upon impact with the earth, they're sticking in the ground like oversized arrows instead, and Sakura has precious thought to spare deducing how-- obviously, reinforced with chakra-- and how she can turn this around, use it as an advantage--

Maybe catch and redirect one?--

Too late, Sakura realizes this too could be a distraction, just as Kaguya puts a knife-hand through her gut and smiles, beautiful and serene.

Of course she hadn't needed to be physically directing the projectiles, huge though they were.

Sakura's muscles are suffused with deadly memory, though, and hadn't required conscious thought to react; nor had the sudden pain caught her off guard. Her arm had whipped around, tan skin brought to bear in a fierce lariat--

No time to remember Bee's smile next to Naruto's, so happy and sure--

-- even as her head whipped forward, one hard-headed jinchuuriki's move against another, back when the bijuu existed, when any village stood at all.

It's unexpected enough that Kaguya takes it, a forehead to the face, and Sakura smiles grimly through blood as she throws herself off the arm through her chest.

Healing it is something she does without a thought-- or really, isn't even something she does. The healing process starts on its own, fueled by her chakra. She could stop it, it's still under her control, but no command had to be given to begin it.

Thanks to the heatwave earlier, there's not even any fabric to get stuck in the wound, or stuck in newly healed flesh.

Sakura would love to capitalize on her enemy's moment of distraction, the sheer unpredictability of the headbutt that actually worked--

Her love for Naruto rears up like a wildfire, burning her inside out, so fierce an ache that it would unmake her if she were any less used to it, if she hadn't cried out all her tears back when the nights had numbers and the days had names--

-- but so big a wound leaves her with near-dregs of chakra left, just a little more than experience has taught she needs to escape.

It grates at her to leave Kaguya injured and as vulnerable as she ever gets, but-- it grated the first dozen times, too.

Sakura pushes on, ignoring the hurts she can't waste chakra to heal, as well as the blurred quality her vision takes, lines and spots erupting. That hasn't happened in a while-- either she's lower on chakra than her body can handle, right now, or--

She's just focused on real, true escape, fleeing with all the strength and speed she has, when the singed hair on the back of her neck bristles.

It's barely a warning, but it's enough.

Pushing off hard against the ground, Sakura hits the clouds again, arrowing through them even as-- yes, Kaguya slams air in the direction, dispersing the moisture in the air to either side of the horizon.

Sakura is already falling back down, using shaky wind manipulation to speed her flight, fist cocked back and slamming hard into the goddess' face.

Too late, she realizes that in the heat of the battle, deep in the familiar motions of retreat, distract, hit and run-- she'd reached for as much chakra as she could spare. She has perfect chakra control, a precise accounting of how much chakra she has within her at any given moment.

Never before has some of her chakra been off limits.

This chakra, burning gold, had come as readily to her pull as any.

The strange mix of yin and yang, erupted into being of its own accord, rushes to her toes and through her throat and up her arm, but it's too late, she has tolive.

Sakura slams her fist forward with a manic yell, has a split second to register the expression of pure shock on Kaguya's face as the punch connects--

And keeps connecting.

Sakura punches a hole in the space-time continuum.

Or at least, that's what she registers later.

In the moment, it's just a tear in reality, a sudden feeling of give to the air itself, which her fist carries her body through.

There's blackness, a kaleidoscope of color-- dizzying, rushing.

Gravity is suddenly different, pulling her every which way and no way at all, nothing and everything turbulent around her.

The golden chakra is singing through her, warm and wild and choking her, destroying all thought.

It threatens to destroy all sense of self, and that's when Sakura gets over her fear to push back. There's a spasm in the air, in the crowded void of creation, and a surge of-- something.

Sakura struggles for breath, only to discover there's no air.

A sense of urgency overcomes her, the mindless and frenzied struggle for survival, as she claws at her throat, forces her heart rate slower to preserve air, as desperation wicks away all thought.

Sakura has been alone for days and weeks and months, the last alive in a world torn asunder, and through it all hope has sustained her.

Endless and enduring, Sakura's hope is a snarling thing, a calculated predator, a living, breathing monster in her breast that demands survival, precision in all things, self-awareness, and burns a vigil of memories of her lost loves to force her into the best version of herself that she could be.

The vortex widens, or tightens, and Sakura refuses to let this kill her when nothing and no one else has managed, when there's still air in her lungs-- even if her vision is closing in, a blackness creeping in from the edges--

Or is that the tunnel?

A lurch, sickening and final, and spinning, dizzying wind.

It stops.

Sakura breathes.