#revenant x fem reader

[danddymaro]

By Choice | Revenant x Fem reader

How dufuk dat Totem work. Also obv this is before his Rework. Daddy didn't need no fancy shmancy work to be HIM.

Word count: 3528

By Choice

Your first encounter with teh simulacrum was something you hardly forget, and you constantly think of given how different a dynamic you now have.

It leaves you in awe, and he shares the same feeling, unable to understand how a single person can mean so much.

The tanned-skinned woman offers you a stern look, a mix of pity and spite facing you as you look at her with happy eyes that have yet to understand the shift in mood.

She'd just offered you words of encouragement, even if they held playful tease, but now as she looked at you, she seemed rather sour.

-All to your confusion.

"Loba?" you say with uncertainty, your face showing just how concerned you are.

She seemed to have regretted speaking to you in the first place, and the truth was, she'd rather forget who you were now because it wouldn't make sense to remember someone who wouldn't last.

At your address, she tried to force a smile, an unconvincing one that made your earlier valor slack. For whatever reason you felt less confident about your debut.

"It's nothing dear," she said with that same unconvincing curve to her lips.

It took you a moment to understand why, and You didn't have to ask why her expression had changed as you then turned and followed her line of vision, soon looking at the banner next to yours.

'Oh...'

-To think you'd be paired with the synthetic nightmare on your first match as an Apex Legend.

For a prolonged second, you stared at the banners with wide eyes, in disbelief before another contender approached, coincidentally the same who'd be your teammate.

Loba practically sneers as your partner makes his way towards you, sizing you down as you stare back at him with a sternness that wavers the closer he comes.

She doesn't stay long after that, and she doesn't even bother to tell you anything more either, all of which you overlook as you are more concerned with the bot's presence.

You swallow down thickly as your heart speeds and aches in pain, uncertain of what is to come, feeling unfortunate that not only would you have to watch out for potential enemies, but consider your partner a possible hostile too.

To say the least, you were on edge the entire time and were relieved to part ways after. Even if there had been nothing truly eventful about your match other than him shoving you out of the way a couple times.

You clenched your fist each time but bit back saying anything more than a short huff the second time it happened.

You were glad it was over, much more that you came back in one piece. But luck would have it that you'd find yourself working with him more than once, so much that you wondered if it was fate.

You wondered if there was something you couldn't escape waiting for you at the simulacrum's side.

'maybe death,' you mused darkly at first.

-That or the games were somehow rigged.

Though, you pondered if your fate was as horrifying as you had initially thought given how you no longer felt threatened by him.

He was a dick to you, but even his attitude began to ease as time passed, and so did yours.

He went from disliking you, to simply ignoring you....to suddenly being pleasant, earning your favor, something that wouldn't have been too difficult from the beginning.

'Maybe he just takes some warming up,' you mused with relief at your newfound partnership, finding things worked better when he actually considered your plans.

-And from pleasant, he went to confusing.

.

.

.

' Alluring little thing,' he constantly thinks so. 

He regularly observes you, memorizing your every movement, even the most subtle breaths that leave you.

He regularly keeps track of your heartbeat and does so with the same tranquility one would find with the sound of gentle music. 

He's keen on the existing twinkles in your eyes throughout the day, under different lighting, and inspired by different emotions. 

It's all so interesting to him.

You are interesting.

The fixation he has for you digs deep, further than anything else he's ever felt, bypassing the searing wrath that has, until then been his only drive.

Unscathed, he made his way towards you, his long legs reaching you in short strides.

"You came back..." you say with relief, the words leaving you in a low breath. You sure are surprised, he can tell by the way your eyes look at him as though the sight of him is the last thing you'd thought to catch.

-Especially with how he reacted just before he stalked off after your earlier spat about strategies

And you beam as a result, unknowingly letting him know just how much it meant that he turned back.

Before long, slowly his hand fell to your face, the back of his fingers gently drawing down your moistened cheek as you'd just crawled away from the water you'd fallen into during your last scuffle.

Blood gently grazes his affectionate digits, and while he's familiar with the feeling, it's not quite as tantalizing as it's always been.

-And it's been an issue with you lately that he can't seem to understand, or express.

Instead, it's an oddly hollow feeling he feels, even if it's nothing more than a scratch that's marked your face.

Realizing that your pain brings him no pleasure is strange and bothersome, but he doesn't voice his new discovery. Instead, he masks it, pulling back his hand too for being so impulsive.

Why has touching you become such an obsession?

-He burns to know.

"hn...Get up," he demands while helping you up, pulling you by the arm after giving you a quick heal.

Your legs scramble to find ground as he quickly pulls you to him faster than you can gather your thoughts or try getting up on your own.

Though, throughout the trip, you had newfound vigor.

Because If he came back there had to be a reason. He had to find you useful, and you wouldn't disappoint. You'd show the simulacrum that you were just as worthy of a contender, an equal partner that wasn't going to be a commodity like he'd stated before he left you earlier.

As snappy as his words are, you only huff with triumph, nodding, looking at him the entire time with that little twinkle in your eye.

However, as soon as he helped you up, your breath paused and that little spike in courage was forgotten.

You lean close to him as a consequence of his gruff pull, for a second lingering as you look up at him and put on an uncertain face, curious of him as he is of you. 

-At least, that's what he would like to imagine; That you are just as interested in him as he is in you.

It's considered, and For whatever reason he stays there by you, silent.

You lick your lips, subtly, not at all seductive, yet all the same, looking alluring as you offer him eyes that question him for every one of his actions that seem so unlike him.

For instance, his persisting hold that has gone from your arm to your side.

A single hand stays there and he watches as you direct your pretty eyes down to the side it resides after looking away from his own sight.

As of late, he's gotten closer throughout every interaction, and you've noticed.

'What's he doing?' You want to ask him, but you feel embarrassed too, silly too.

'He's a robot....well, Simulacrum,' you think with correction. 'Aren't they... somewhat human? At one point wasn't he?' You don't know what to think, but as you remember that, a part of you feels happy.

Something in you warms at the idea of there existing a part of him that holds the emotional capacity you do...that could somehow understand what it is that you are feeling at that very moment.

And your skin tingles as he takes the tiniest step forward while still gripping your hip.

'It's silly right?' you wonder, 'What should I do?' you wonder without direction.

While lost in thought, your hand rises, instinctually drawn to him, but he stops you midway by breaking the moment with a step driven back.

He has to peel himself away from you, being the first to move as he advises you to heal while turning to face east, and you are grateful he does.

It's not like you wanted him to draw distance, but at least he saves you the embarrassment by looking elsewhere.

'Maybe it's for the best,' You think.

"That's where we're heading," he tells you while marking the map,  and he threatens to leave you behind again while waiting, eyeing you to make sure you're prepared to move, not missing the way you can't meet his gaze.

-Observant to how you seem to smile as you look at anything but him, even if it's not entirely joy-filled. There's a touch of something more but he can hardly catch it as you do your best to hide your face.

Though, occasionally you slip, and it's adorable as you try and peek at him, much more when you pretend it's not what you wanted.

It's not just enchanting how you look, but why you look that way. 

And he's insistent on being the one to cause those reactions, on being the only one you show those precious responses to. 

He feels scorned when anyone else can make you happy.

it's sickening at first how much he craves you. It's humiliating to him how he needs to point you to him instead, though, it's watered down when you seem to need less and less of a pull.

it's satisfying when you seek him, when you stop looking at him with question, and merely act on the same instinct he has when near you.

As his hand falls over your cheek, you stand surprised, your eyes peeled wide as his fingers move in soft caresses.

'It's just like before...' you think back to when he'd first done so, to that moment so many weeks ago. 

You'd thought about it so much, nearly obsessed over it, and just how excited you felt no matter how hard you tried to pretend it didn't happen.

Your eyes flutter close, acceptant to his cold touch.

Soon, you become eased into the act, expectant of it, and he loves the way your eyes flutter close, taking in a long breath to enjoy the moment like it's an otherwordly pleasure.

The more he repeats the act, the closer he feels you, and before long there's less uncertainty. 

Now, he's amused at knowing the touch of his razor-sharp claws can cause you serenity. Furthermore, it's something you need from him as you become bold, taking his kind hand, cradling it in your own as you lead it to your face and offer him sweet eyes and a pout that fills him with the slightest guilt for making you wait.  

Never before would he have thought he'd succumb to a simple look, much less one as bratty as the one you pull.

These were the kinds of things he'd see people do and scoff at... How is it that he's now just one in the mass of these annoying, unbearable skinbags?

Curiosity led to experimentation which, opened the path to a routine that brought forth a side of him he forgot existed. 

It'd been lifetimes ago since he'd felt the insistency to touch anyone so softly, or even be the recipient of such a feeling.

He soon becomes content with his own fill of affection, moving on without any address.

In a sense, it's like a kiss to you, an 'I've missed you' without words, moreso when it's been longer than a few hours apart.

-And that's another thing, he can't stay away.  

It's not long before you pay him back with the same gentle touches, enamored by his every edge and smooth plating, an idea he thought impossible. 

He feels almost naked sometimes, far too much, and while it's overwhelming at times, he doesn't tell you to stop or urge you back.

Knowing that he can also fill you with desire makes him feel alive, existent in a realm he's made of something more than wires and programming.  

And one day he pushes further, coming down to your lips, pressing his own.

There's no movement from his mouth, and yet you press your soft one to his, pretending there is flesh there.

Your unbothered behavior sends him to the moon as you hold his hands, passionate in the lasting kiss.

He can feel it, your lips on his, the warmth and devotion in what you offer.

Somehow...can you?

'Can a machine love?' Noxx has dared to ask, and even if his genuine curiosity holds obnoxious condescension, it's made Revenant wonder. 

-Enough to ask you. 

Your eyes open wide, and you look at him with stupefaction.

"W-why do you..." you can hardly ask without stumbling over your words, and he noted your heart is fighting to jump out of your chest, it's restless as it races.

it stills when his fingers catch your chin, holding it there delicately as you continue to lay beneath him, caged down by his outstretched arm.  

"You're a smart girl," he compliments because he truly does find you fascinating, even if he teases you.

He considered your thoughts worthy of contemplation, even the silly ones.

" What do you think?" he wants to know.

He wants you to speak the possibility into reality, because if you say so, then he's willing to believe. 

He doesn't love himself enough to consider being happy, but if you, as fascinating and wonderful as you are tell him it's possible, then he has no doubt. 

he feels something in him sinking as your eyes hold back tears, and he prepares himself for the worst, nearly certain that somehow this has all been too good. 

"If I can love one... I'd hope he could feel the same for me," you say as you offer him a smile, a soft one he wants to call his and keep safe. 

"If I can say I love you and be sure of it, even when I feel so afraid - could you admit it to me too?" you're begging, because you're at the point of no return, and his question feels like a make it or break it moment. 

'Are you capable of that?' you think with worry.

The uncertainty in the question he asks fills you with worry because you know what you feel for him. You love Revenant and were sure every step you'd taken together was one taken with love from both sides. 

' Or is this when you tell me... when you show me your true self?'

It filled you with dread to think that this was somehow a game of his, that he was truly evil and treacherous.

it's been on your mind for a while,

 

'Silly little Girl... you're nothing more than a game to him.' Revenant's voice echoed in your head, startling you.

You thought it had been your teammate at first, that Revenant had found his way to you already, but that hadn't been the case. You couldn't see him anywhere, and you wondered if you'd imagined the voice at first.

The sound of static occasionally fell in the background and you pressed your lips thinly wondering why your comms were failing.

"Rev... I can't hear you," you try to communicate with your partner, though, getting nothing back but choppy static.

Laughter surrounded you, and you grew weary of it.

It sounded just like Revenant, and the more he spoke, the less you were sure it was just your imagination.

"What's happening?" you thought with uncertainty, feeling sick.

There was only one thing you could think of, but you were unsure because this hadn't happened the last time you'd used his Totem. it was nothing similar.

'Poor little skinsuit...' He murmured.

' - used as just some entertainment in between matches where he can do what he actually loves,' he persists, and you had to bite back.

"That's not true," you start with annoyance that soon deters the longer he repeats the words, the more he continues to taunt you. It feels as though you'd been listening to him for an eternity, wearing down your will.

Ignoring him hadn't worked, but it seemed that arguing back was worse.

Laughter follows as a retort before he speaks again, 

'It's what he was made for, It's ALL he is.' 

The words are spat out, sharp, and sinister.

Just as you find refuge, you look down at your hands, and your breath comes out short and quick, as the air feels sparse. 

"he's not like that, " you say as you look down at your empty palms covered in black smoke. "I thought he was, but he's not." you continue. 

'Revenant, He's gentle... soft.

he's different with me...' You tried to remember that.

"he's different," you voice.

'ooh?' coos the voice, 'different you say?' he asks.

'I see he's got you all worked up with his fingers. You're familiar with them, but have you ever seen them painted red? Don't you know that same hand has sliced through more hearts than your little one could ever bear?'

"I know already, what he's done... what he is," you say.

'Do you? ' He asks with doubt.

'Do you think he's a victim? that he's some poor, trapped soul?' He asked with scrutiny.

'Aren't you sweet... you pity him don't you?' he asked with amusement.

'you want to save him, right?' he persisted with the same sneer.

'Well let me tell you something, he's earned his place in this hell! No one forced him to be the monster he is! he's made killings far before he was trapped in that body.' He informed you, making you bite your lip down harshly.

'Did he tell you that? of course not, he hasn't even told you his real name, has he?' he asked confidently.

"When he's ready he'-" Your voice died when he interrupted you.

'He knows your every secret while giving you nothing but breadcrumbs.

Sweet, sweet (f/n). 

You trusted the wrong person again, didn't you?' he sang as your vision blurred, and you had to admit that stung.

Just the idea...

'That's right...' Revenant's voice starts as your face slowly falls into bleak realization. 

'And you were so easy...' he added with a chuckle, 'All he had to do was offer you a little petting, like a dog. 

he hardly did anything before you leaned in for more, ' and you recall it. 

'Were you that touch starved?' he asked with mock pity.

At that, you closed your eyes tight, and you shook, denying it.

'Love me! love me! Oh please! Look at me! Please, someone love me!

- Pathetic!' The sound of laughter made you shrink. 

' Even in this dimension, you're pathetic,'  he said with a cackle.

His words continued until Familiar hands took a grasp at your shoulders, holding you tight and making you open your eyes in shock, a strangled breath leaving you. 

Revenant, your Revenant in his physical form looked down at you, and as his hands squeezed you, you came to with a start. 

"What the hell did you do?" the question came out irate and nasty as he stared at your shaky form, his voice making you flinch as you continued to stare at him with surprised eyes that soon filled with fright. 

'This is who he is, All he is....' the voice said before it became quieter, leaving you with nothing but doubt. 'Remember that when he touches you...'

You could only shake your head in denial, not knowing what you were trying to wash your hands of exactly. 

Meanwhile, You shook in his hold, and that very expression you couldn't wipe away had him unsettled, 

"What did he tell you?" it was the only question he could ask, and you couldn't answer him. 

Your voice refused to work, nothing but a small sound came out before you took a frantic step back. 

He noticed and pulled you back, his hands refusing to let go. the ends of his digits dug deep into your arms, the grasp becoming aching enough to make you wince. 

"Answer me!" his anxiousness deepened through his words and the desperate way he held you.  

As you looked up at him, truly gazed at him you remembered how scared you'd been when you first met him, and why.

You recalled one thing: that after all, he was meant for killing.

How could you forget?

'He's right, at least about one thing,' you thought with dismay as the step you took back returned, the foot falling back to its earlier place after he restrained you. 

The haunting voice had been right because you can't fight back. even if you had the strength to pry him off, you had no will to draw further.

'it is pathetic...'

Where else could you run to?

there was nowhere else you wanted to go, no other arms you sought for refuge.

-Because you loved him.

And it was the first time you truly admitted it.

Soon, you clung to him, needing to hold him, having a desperation to feel his arms coiling around you. 

You'd wondered what it'd be like, and it was as serene as you'd expected, offering you a comfort no one else could.

'Even if this is a game to you, give me more time, let me enjoy this more.'

"Shut up..." your voice stayed soft as you pressed your cheek close to him, " Please... please shut up," 

His voice was no comfort to you right now, especially not when it melted with the vicious one from earlier and you begged him to stay silent. 

But you wanted him close.

"Just hold me... touch me... don't let me go...Rev, "

"Stupid little skinsuit," he muttered, still annoyed, though complying with a gradual approval. 

He hadn't imagined you'd ever lean on him the way you were now, so desperately.

"I warned you," he really wanted to scold you, because he told you not to touch his totem, that it was only his to enter. 

There was a reason for his forewarning.

The longer he'd been with you, and the more he was starting to feel for you, the more unbearable it became to go through it, and he just knew it'd be a true nightmare for you. 

His lips grazed the crown of your head, gently pressing down, 'How could I resist?' he wondered, his earlier fury settled.

'Especially when you cling to me like this...'

Though, he insisted on knowing what you were told. It would take some digging, but he'd figure it out. But later, because at that moment, you were more important, comforting you was his only objective.

"Do you love me?" you ask him with that soft tone to your voice that has him feeling sparked with something vibrant.

"Because I love you, " you say while you lean close, and he comes down to try and meet you. His hand shifts to hold your cheek, marveling at the delicate skin and how there's a touch of flush to it.

One of your arms is draped over his shoulder, fingers scrunching the red cloth that covers the back of his head whist your other hand is pressed to his chest.

"Revenant? Do you feel something for me? Something similar?Anything?"

He's always been fascinated by your heart, and he wishes you could feel something beneath your palm. He wishes you could feel how much his heart would be speeding at your confessions and the sensual way you peer at him.  

" I feel you mine," is what he first says, marveling at your sight.

"And only you have my mercy," he tells you, as his fingers brush your cheek. Without much thought you turn your head, your lips aimed to brush over his hand.

Successfully, you land a kiss before looking up at him with eyes dimmed with yearning.

"You have what no one else has, or ever will," he says with certain.

"And what's that?" you ask softly.

"- Me." he answers simply.

"My devotion, and conscious loyalty," he affirms. "Something no one, not even Hammond will take from me again," he swore to you and himself.

"With you, I'm a puppet by choice," he said while nuzzling his face to your neck, and as strange as it may be those words meant much more than a simple I love you.

From Revenant, their meaning was profound.

There was a knot in your throat, and to save yourself from what would be choked words you pressed your lips to his, finding your own way to translate the Phrase.

'I love you too...'

[ibiggiecheese]

Okay chat i’ve been brainstorming this idea for a while, but since there’s a small amount of revenant fics, i might have to fix it😔🙏

So i have a lil idea, revenant where like yk he’s like with the reader while she’s sleeping and he’s like just holding her and watching her as she sleeps. And so he gets the idea to like try and get some shut eye even tho he knows it never works. But like somehow he ends up dreaming. SOOO and he like realizes that he’s human again and he’s wearing his regular suit and everything yk, and then he notices the reader in his like complex or apartment(im not sure chat😔) and she like walks out of there bedroom wearing his like shirt or something and she’s still sleepy and everything, and revenant it does ALOT of things to revenant which he hasn’t felt in a long time. Reader goes up to revenant whilst rubbing her eyes and she hugs him, kissing him on his cheek and she tells him to have a good day at work. And revenants still stuck on the fact that he could feel everything, he felt your hands on the back of his neck, he could smell the cologne of his shirt you were wearing. And he felt the way your lips touched his cheek. Revenant didn’t realize that he was holding the reader so tight until reader rested her hand on his own. He just looks at her as if she’s an angel that’s ready to take him to heaven and he kisses her out of pure happiness and likeee from then on it gets a lil wild.

Okayokay this was kinda like a lil reminder for me or like to just establish my scenario yk. Bc either way im not sure how to develop the plot bc i just think of one thing and then i immediately jump to like the freakiness

[amourlyns]

⟢ 𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 elliot ❲ mirage ❳ witt

Mirage plans on proposing to you, unfortunately you pass away abruptly before he can. Here’s how he deals with the grief. • GN!READER | ANGST

⟢ 𝐒𝐋𝐎𝐖 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 octavio ❲ octane ❳ silva

It’s been a few months since you’ve seen your boyfriend, you decided to visit him as a surprise at an event. • FEM!READER | SUGGESTIVE

⟢ 𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐘 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 elliot ❲ mirage ❳ witt

Mirage has had a crush on you for the longest time, Fuse decides to help him out through a comedy show. • FEM!CELEBRITY!READER | FLUFF.

⟢ 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐔 octavio ❲ octane ❳ silva 1 2

Octane is your ex boyfriend, and he suddenly shows up doorsteps completely distraught. This was going to be a long night. • FEM!READER | SUGGESTIVE

[nerdygirlramblings]

Meghan Trainor's "Wrap Me Up" has me feeling some kinda way

poly!141 x fem!reader

"We'll be home by Christmas Eve," John sighs. It's been a long mission, made even harder being away from you at the holidays.

"Oh, John," your voice catches. You will not let him know you're about to cry. You take a deep breath and put as much love as you can into your reply. "That's the best gift I could ask for."

Half a world away, he smiles at his phone.

~~~

Two weeks later and you receive word from base the boys landed safely, and Johnny textes when they leave so you wouldn't be spooked when they troop through the door. That gives you a 40 minute window to make sure the gift you arranged is wrapped and under the tree.

You'd ordered takeaway from everyone's favorite kebab place. You know they would have preferred home cooking, and if it weren't so close to Christmas, you would have had a whole roast going for them, but you put effort into their gift and want it to be perfect.

You dash to the bathroom, arranging your hair to highlight the big red bow. Your makeup is understated, a barely there, natural glow accentuated with some gold glitter near your eyes.

Finally, you pull on the lingerie set you'd bought just for this. Red and lacy with ribbons holding most of it together. You'd practiced putting it on a few times already, making sure you could secure everything. As you tie the final bow, the one that held your breasts in, you dust more glitter across your collar and cleavage.

You are already wet, and the boys won't be here for another fifteen minutes.

You know how to take care of your boys, and this present was going to be as much for you as for them. You hadn't had a good orgasm the whole time they were gone. Even the toys they'd gifted you, molded from their cocks, weren't enough. Yes, they'd been together and thus not in so much of a dry spell as you, but you also knew quickies on cots and hand-jobs in the field were a far cry from what they wanted. What they craved. What they deserved.

A nice night at home, fucking, cuddling, and reconnecting would make everyone feel better.

You hear gravel crunch in the drive and lay yourself out on the area rug in the living room, white lights twinkling in the spruce behind you and a fire crackling behind the grate. You're grateful the house has a slight entryway with a wall hiding their Christmas surprise from immediate view. As a final touch, you turn on the radio low to some traditional holiday music.

The door opens and you hear bodies shuffle in, thuds as they drop their gear and remove their boots.

"Bonnie!" Johnny calls, tired but you hear the relief in his voice too, "We're home! Where are ye?"

You pitch your voice to carry over the music. "I'm in the living room." You watch their shadows move, and then there's a body in the doorway. It's Simon, his face bare in the safety of your home, searching for you and effectively blocking the others from seeing anything yet. He doesn't think to look at the floor, so you lightly say, "Happy Christmas, Si."

His eyes snap to you, and you watch the change come over him. He goes from weary to energetic in an instant. "Why isn' this a nice present," he says as he stalks to you. Kyle and Johnny follow him in and track his movement, clocking you immediately.

"God, doll," Kyle sighs. "What a sight you are." He too has a spring in his step you're sure was not there a moment ago.

Johnny moves so fast he's on his knees next to you before Simon reaches you. He stretches a hand out to pull the end of the ribbon across your chest, but you smack it away. When he pours, you simply say, "This is a present for everyone. No opening it without John."

"Oi, Cap! Get cher arse in here!" he bellows. Kyle and Simon are fully in the room, kneeling like Johnny, hungry, revenant looks on their faces. They haven't tried untying anything, but their hands twitch. You can tell they'd like nothing better than to pull open the bows and ribbons and lay you bare.

John finally comes in, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Until he finally pulls himself into the moment and sees you on the floor. His back straightens, shoulders unfurling. He stands larger in his frame. There is pure want in how he looks at you.

"Welcome home, Captain. Happy Christmas," you say, smile stretching wide. He starts walking as you continue. "You boys have been so good, I thought we could start with presents first this year."

John shoulders his way past the others, taking a space immediately in front of you. The others shuffle around to give him space and access.

"You said our return was the best gift you could ask for. Well, you're the best gift we could ever get." He leans forward and captures your mouth in a searing kiss, one hand on your head and the other going to the bow Johnny tried to undo.

The others take it as permission to finally unwrap their present.

[pettyprocrastination]

The Revenant Wife

Pairing: Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Mentions of grief and death. 

Summary: Ellie knows very little of Joel and even less of the wife he had before the outbreak. When she finally meets you, its just as much as shock to her as it is to your husband. 

Word count: 1.6k

Note: ficlet is based off of this previous post about Joel getting separated from his wife during the outbreak and assuming you died until you find one another years later. Reader is described to look like Sarah. Title came from the ever lovely @djarin-junk​ <3

Tagging those I think would enjoy: @pedrostories​ @thesadvampire​ @joel-mlller @softanon​ @max--phillips​ @captainsamwlsn​ @hooplahoopla​ @moondirti​ 

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

Ellie didn’t know that Joel had a wife. 

Granted, she didn’t know much about his old life at all. 

She knew he built things. That he had a brother named Tommy and a daughter named Sarah, but didn’t like to talk about the latter that much. In one fleeting conversation, full of mumbles as her eyes began to close while they rested under the night sky she heard him mention you but was far too gone to truly hear what he said. Nothing more than the vague rumble of his voice saying “my wife” before her eyes opened once more. 

“You’re married?”

She asks with such incredulous shock it sounds more like “somebody married you?” but girls at her age hardly ever have filters. 

“I was.” 

There’s the same bristle in his throat and far off look in his eyes as when she first asked about his daughter. An open answer but one that carries enough unsaid to tell Ellie of your fate. To warn her that she should change the subject or simply shut her mouth and go to sleep before plucking his raw nerve one too many times until he snaps- 

“What was she like?” 

But Joel learned early on that Ellie wasn’t one to follow warnings. 

“Kind.” His breath stutters. “But not a pushover- she didn’t take shit from anybody.” He stares up at the sky, feeling his chest grow tight and fingers twitch by his side until there’s a rustling, the girl next to him rolling over to face him and he turns to find Ellie peeking out from her sleeping bag with a smile. 

Damn this girl. 

“Not even from you?” 

Joel scoffs. “Especially from me. The amount of times she gave me and Tommy and earful-” he shakes his head, Ellie watches a smile grow on his face in silence, as if worried she may frighten it away. 

“Did she cook?” 

Ellie thinks of the stories the older kids would tell her. The ones who remembered life before the Outbreak, who told her of freshly baked pies on weekend and fluffy pancakes in the morning. 

Joel remembers the first time you tried to bake him a cake for his birthday back when he was sixteen. How he opened the door to your forlorn face and a store bought sheet cake in your hands because as your mother told him over the phone, you damn near burned the whole house down trying to bake for him as a surprise. 

“From time to time.” 

There was only so much she could get out of him before his voice became clipped and eyes full of an emotion she didn’t quite know the name of that he told her to get some rest. Leaving her with nothing to do but to stare at the sky and wonder about these stories in the shape of a woman who unveiled a little bit more about the mysterious man she traveled with. 

Of all the silence and secrets that made up the man that protected her, she created stories to fill them. Stories of Joel Miller, husband, father, brother and badass contractor that everybody loved.   Of his soldier brother, of his wife and their smiling daughter between them both. 

In Ellie’s mind, you didn’t work. 

But not in a ditzy lame way like some boring housewife. But just because you didn’t have to. 

Joel said that everybody loved contractors so that means he probably got paid like, a ton of money to build stuff for people so you got to stay at home all day. Ellie imagined your house to be ginormous. Maybe Joel made it himself for you when you guys first got married. It was big enough that when Joel came home everyday he’d call out your name and it’d echo through  the hall as you called him into the kitchen, where your daughter sat reading as you set dinner on the table. Sometimes you’d get upset if he came home late but then he’d kiss your cheek and you would roll your eyes but smile before you all sat down and ate as a family. 

Ellie imagines Joel’s daughter, she wonders if Sarah looks more like her mother than her father. 

Ellie wonders as the sleep takes over her body, if they could have been friends. 

When it happens, months later after she’s come to think of Joel as something akin to family and he thinks of her as something he can’t say out loud just yet, she’s shocked. She’s face to face with a woman holding her at gunpoint that looks nothing like the smiling mother she dreamt of during cold nights. 

You don’t match the stories Ellie made up in your head.

You’re mean. 

No. Mean isn’t the right word. 

Cold. Yes. you're very cold. 

Ellie watches in shock as you ask where they're headed, gun focused on the center of her chest while the two boys at your side point their own at Joel, who has yet to speak. 

She waits for him to answer, but he just stares at you in awe. The same man she’s seen kill and threaten to keep her safe day in and day out is rendered speechless until all he can do is utter your name and she realizes that he knows you. More than that, judging by the way he surrenders his gun to you with no fight, something she had never seen him do. 

You lift your head to look at him, the brim of your hat raises just enough to clear the shadow cast over your face and Ellie can finally see your eyes and the snarl on your face. 

You’re also very pretty.

“I won’t ask again.” 

The two boys standing on either side of you have your eyes. Same color and intensity, narrowed into slits like guard dogs waiting for an order and Ellie sees the way Joel stares at them. 

She wonders if Sarah had brothers. 

“Out west.” He manages. “Takin’ her to her family.” 

Your eyes move to her and she holds her hands higher in the air. 

“That true?” “What?” 

“Is he telling the truth?” 

The taller one, Duke, she had heard you call him, had already ripped the bag from her back and emptied its contents onto the ground, she had nothing else to hide from you. 

But then she sees something in your eyes. A concern for her that she hadn’t seen since Tess or Marlene. 

And she understands. 

“He’s telling the truth.” Ellie forces out. 

You watch her for a moment and there’s a moment of panic where she thinks you can see right through her lie. 

But then you lower your gun and jerk your head over your shoulder. 

“C’mon.” is all you say before you begin to walk away. The boys gawk at you for a moment before you give them a look of warning and they follow in your step, occasionally casting glances behind them at Joel and Ellie who follow suit. 

She’s quick to grab onto the sleeve of Joel’s jacket and pull with a harsh whisper as the other’s march forward. 

“You know this psycho?” 

Joel flinches at her voice as it pitches up. If any of you heard her, which he gathered you did because Ellie didn’t have an inside voice to save her fucking life, you didn’t care enough to react. 

Ellie whispers his name again. Insistent and angry for answers but he just keeps looking forward. He can’t take his eyes off of you or the boys ahead and it fills her with worry but she doesn’t know why. 

“She’s my wife.”

You lead them to a cottage. Its paint is chipping and the fence is reinforced with wiring around the perimeter but it looks like a home. She can vaguely hear the soft clucking of chickens nearby and there's a flash of fur behind the fence with a pair of pointed ears that duck away just as fast as she saw them. 

Ellie has seen the remnants of homes before the outbreak. The plates still stacked in the sink and the jacket still hung up on the hook. A story telling a family that once lived within its walls and is now nothing more than memories that ghosts along its foundation. 

But this one is real. It’s yours. 

 There is a rickety wooden table in the dining room. Each chair around it seems to have been brought from a different house and is varying shades of faded brown. You kick the leg of one and nod toward it.“Sit, both of you.”

Ellie looks to Joel before sitting. He follows suit, choosing the chair closest to her. 

“I’m gonna get some bandages for that leg-” 

Joel shifts forward. “I don’t need-” 

“I wasn’t fucking asking, Joel.” 

You’re not stronger than Joel, if she had to guess. You both look the same age, but she’s seen his strength, his violence, all done for her safety and knows if it came down to it, you might not win in a fight against him. 

But at your order, he sits back in his chair. 

You turn and set a shoulder on your son’s shoulder. 

At least. She thinks he’s your son. 

Softly spoken words are exchanged while the other keeps his eyes on Joel and his hand on his holster. The boy says something back in insistence, but you tilt your head and he nods. 

“If either of them try moving or taking anything.” You offer them one final look over your shoulder before slipping out of the room. “Shoot them.” 

They listen to your footsteps slowly retreat until there’s nothing but the subtle creak and groan of the wood floor beneath them. Ellie leans forward to look at Joel, setting her hands firmly on the dinner table in announcement. 

“Dude-” The young girl breathes out. “Your wife is a bitch.”

[outoftheseine]

- JOEL MILLER FIC RECS PART 2 -

forever in love with this grumpy old man <3 | note: please be aware of the authors’ warnings before reading. fics include canon tw’s like: violence, death, grief. most of these fics are age-gap relationship and some have 18+ content so minors please DNI.

part 1 | main masterlist

SERIES - MULTI-CHAPTERS

love in the middle of a fireflight | part 2 | part 3 • joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @babydin

your bear | part 2 • joel miller x daughter!reader

↳ by @rrickgrrimes8 (very angsty, hurt/comfort)

a helping hand • joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @teacupcollector

a lover's pinch • prof!joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @hier--soir (smut, au, angst, secret relationship)

i will be home for christmas • joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @punkshort (no outbreak, fluff, smut, angst but happy ending, hurt/comfort)

lavender • joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @justagalwhowrites

seeing you, seeing me • joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @amywritesthings (slow burn, smut)

fate, after all • joel miller x f!oc!reader

↳ by @honeyedmiller (fluff, smut, no-outbreak)

ambush | part 2 • joel miller x reader

↳ by @huntergarrity (angst, violence, hurt/comfort)

seams • joel miller x reader

↳ by @fuckyeahdindjarin (self-conscious!joel, shy!reader, fluff, slow burn, explicit)

soft!joel collection • joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @cavillscurls (smut, fluff, angst, soft and domestic!joel)

ONE-SHOTS - BLURBS - HC’S

daisy, give me an answer • joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @dilf-din (fluff)

take this moment • joel miller x reader

↳ by @mylostloversbookmarks (post-outbreak, fluff)

ground me • joel miller x reader

↳ by @huntergarrity (fluff, comfort)

clouded judgement/clear mind • joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @bluebeary-jay (violence, angst, hurt/comfort)

keep your eyes on me • joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @mgparker (angst, violence, protective!joel)

daydreams • joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @morning-star-joy (grumpy x sunshine, fluff)

i hope you are happy • joel miller x reader

↳ by @blissfulbarbie (very angsty, no outbreak)

grays • joel miller x reader

↳ by @softlyspector (domestic fluff, insecure!joel)

sweet creature • dad!joel miller x reader

↳ by @rocketrhap3000 (so fluffy)

lacy • joel miller x reader

↳ by @toxic-seduction (angst but happy ending)

bloodshed, crimson clover • joel miller x fem!doctor!reader

↳ by @morning-star-joy (slow burn, angst, violence)

arms tonite • joel miller x reader

↳ by @motherjoel (angst, reader gets hurt, happy ending)

skater • joel miller x platonic!gn!reader

↳ by @rrickgrrimes8 (angst, hurt/comfort, father figure!joel, tw: drowning)

be my daddy • joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @bastardmandennis (no outbreak, smut, fluff, slightly angsty)

how the cookie crumbles • joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @egcdeath (no outbreak, fake dating, slow burn, slight angst, fluff, idiots in love)

day after tomorrow • joel miller x reader

↳ by @familyvideostevie (no outbreak, fluff)

it’s your turn for choosing • joel miller x reader

↳ by @familyvideostevie (modern au, fluff)

i’m a feminist obviously • joel miller x reader

↳ by @toxic-seduction (protective!joel, violence)

softness • post outbreak!joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @joelsgreys (fluff, joel is a dad, tw: premature birth)

as long as i have you • jackson era!joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @beskarandblasters (very fluffy, slight angst)

sweetheart • post-outbreak!joel millet x fem!reader

↳ by @joels-shitty-puns (fluff, light angst)

are you mine? • joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @eupheme (protective and soft!joel, fluff, light angst)

a forever thing • husband!joel miller x pregnant!wife!reader

↳ by @honeyedmiller (fluff)

the revenant wife • joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @pettyprocrastination

butterfly • joel miller x black!latina!reader

↳ by @stargirlfics (angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, slow burn)

unlikely friends • joel miller x reader

↳ by @sweetercalypso (fluff)

mischief nights • joel miller x fem!reader

↳ by @jupiter-soups (fluff, slight angst)

all my casualties of love • joel miller x reader/oc

↳ by @agentmarcuspike (smut, grief)

a matter of timing • joel miller x baker!fem!reader

↳ by @lavenderursa (angst, smut, comfort, neighbours to lovers)

[sihtricfedaraaahvicius]

The Decaying Lands: chapter 1.

Chapter 2.

note: inspired by the current Walking Dead re-watch I'm on. This was supposed to be a modern fic, but I decided to challenge myself in the new year so I made it a slowburn canon fic. I hope you all will love it as much as I loved writing this! I have decided to split this fic in two chapters.

full fic warnings: 18+, angst/fluff/suggestive. A zombie fic comes with zombie things, but nothing massively out of character from TLK. Mention of: blood, several character deaths, child/family death mentioned, animal death (mainly in hunting context, not detailed), loss of home by fire.

pairing: Sihtric x fem!reader (no use of Y/N)

summary: You met the love of your life after you had to flee from your village. But falling in love during a sickness outbreak came with its own struggles..

word count: 11k

Masterlist

Reblogs & comments are immensely appreciated.

In the beginning the sickness was just that; a sickness. A terrible illness that was spread in ways yet unknown. Perhaps it was spread by air, or by touch, or by animals, or maybe even by food. All that was known was that it spread vast and widely, starting with a mere cold which would progress into a horrible infection that made it hard to breathe. Those infected would die slowly and agonizing, suffocating to death while often surrounded by their loved ones, who were tortured equally by having to witness the ill slipping away from them slowly, with no way of stopping it or saving them.

The bodies of those deceased polluted the rivers they were thrown in and, where buried, unfertilized the earth they laid in. Fresh water and successful harvests became scarce as the seasons passed, which was first blamed on witchcraft, but soon the reality had to be faced. Families were dismantled as people died. And soon no one could be trusted anymore, when villages were raided by those still alive, in search of weapons and food, and also hoping to somehow find a cure. Each man fought for their own survival, at least, many did for some time. But soon people began to understand that there were ways to stay clear of the sickness, so people learned to adjust and life had been quite peaceful for a moment, apart from the occasional raids. And in truth, nothing could have prepared anyone for the real horror which eventually followed.

The horror when those who were deceased suddenly began to dig their way out of their graves and crawl out of the rivers they were thrown in, only to return to the homes they used to live in with their families…

You would never forget the sound of people screaming, and how the warmth of the fire had felt as it destroyed your village, only a few weeks ago. The revenants, those who had returned from the dead and were hungry for warm flesh, had overrun your small village which had been kept safe and peaceful for longer than you ever could've hoped for. But when a herd arrived early in the morning, and everyone had been foolish to let their guard down, for it had been so long since merely a single revenant had come along, they breached through the rather feeble wooden fence that had secured the village in a matter of seconds.

One of the villagers had lit a torch in a state of panic, thinking and hoping that by setting the revenants on fire, the village and its people could be saved. But it didn't work, instead it only made everything worse. Burning revenants stumbled into houses and barns, setting those on fire and everyone in it who was not yet rudely awoken by the havoc outside. You managed to flee your home before it caught fire, as it spread from roof to roof faster than the men could fetch water. You ran and left everything behind you still possessed after the first outbreak of the sickness, leaving everything you had held onto after the unspeakable things you had done. And you were one of several who managed to flee the village, unharmed physically, but gravely injured mentally.

Your mind had been scarred months ago already, when your parents and younger brother were amongst those who had risen from their graves just outside the village, and you had to fight off your living dead loved ones in order to stay alive yourself. You weren't sure if you would ever be able to recover from that. But you had to continue fighting to keep breathing back then, and that is what you had to do when your village burned down as well that one morning.

And it's what you had to do when you lost the group you had escaped your burning village with. Because after seeking safety in the forest, all you found was yourself alone.

You were hungry and tired, beyond exhausted and feeling as if you were one of those revenants yourself. For days you had strolled through the seemingly endless forest, occasionally fighting off a revenant while seeking shelter and food. Shelter was fairly easy, you discovered, as you had slept in several abandoned small sheds that were scattered throughout the woods, previously used to hold livestock safely gathered during travels of traders. But food was hard to come by. Most of the edible plants were already plucked or had simply died, and you had never been taught to properly kill an animal or how to make a fire in the wild.

You managed to fight off the revenants with a large tree branch that had been broken off, sharp enough to stab through their rotting flesh and the crumbling base of their skulls. When you first encountered the revenants, your dearly departed family members, you had no idea how they were to be killed. So you had simply stabbed them repeatedly with your seax until they stopped moving. As if facing undead relatives wasn't horrifying enough, it was trial and error at the time too figuring out what stopped them. Not much later you and several fellow villagers learned that decapitating them stopped them from walking, but it was only when their brains were impaled they would truly return to the dead for once and for all.

It was never easy to kill for you, yet you had done what you had to in order to survive and make it this far. But you were tired and hungry and weak, so when you found yourself suddenly surrounded by a group of revenants, you knew that trying to fight them off would be a futile attempt. They came at you slowly, but they came from every direction and you felt too dizzy and disoriented to make a move. You fell to your knees when they closed in on you, the stench of their rotting flesh and oozing wounds penetrated your nose and it made you gag, but you had nothing left in your stomach to throw up. You closed your eyes and prayed. You prayed like your parents had taught you, and you prayed for a quick and merciful death. You were a Saxon and supposedly a Christian, but you weren't sure what or who you prayed to anymore. You prayed to whoever would listen, but which God could be so cruel to allow these horrors to happen?

You braced yourself when the rotten stench got closer and the snarling became louder, but their sickening noises were suddenly drowned out by the sound of hooves approaching rapidly. You felt the earth beneath your hands vibrate to the galloping hooves, and when you looked up you saw a beautiful gray and white speckled horse close in as it neighed loudly, carrying a man on its back. The man drew an axe from his leather belt and swung the weapon as the horse crisscrossed in the circle of revenants. You watched how the man slayed the undead swiftly one by one, leaving behind a blood splattered mess as he chopped off the hands and jaws of those who went for his arms and legs. And he didn't stop until he made sure they were all sent back to their graves. And only then the man dismounted his beautiful horse, now painted red just like the man's dark armour, and he cautiously inspected you from a safe distance.

You looked at him and took in his appearance in return. His face was stern and slightly scarred, his facial hair dark and well kept, while his dark hair was braided and shaved on the sides so his neck tattoo was visible. He wore leather armour and carried multiple weapons, and overall he seemed to be in good health.

'Are you bit or scratched?' the man suddenly asked.

'What?' you stared at him, confused and still not sure if any of this was real or a hallucination caused by your lack of energy.

'Are you bit?' he asked again, 'or scratched? Do you have any wounds?'

'I'm,' you paused and looked down at your arms and legs, 'I am not wounded. Why are you asking me such foolish questions?'

'Not foolish, lady,' the man muttered and stepped closer, 'I need to know if you have been infected.'

'Infected? Wait, is that how it spreads?' you asked, shocked, 'through wounds?'

'It spreads through open wounds and blood contact. If you have open wounds that touch the after-walker's blood you get infected,' he explained, 'and if they scratch you, their blood mixes with yours too. And when they bite you, well,' he chuckled, 'that explains itself.'

'After-walkers?' you frowned, 'you mean those revenants?'

The man furrowed his brow as he looked at you.

'Revenants?'

'Yes, those who return from the dead.'

'We call those after-walkers.'

'We?'

'The people I'm with.'

You looked around the forest, seeing nothing but trees and only one man in front of you, the one who had saved you.

'I'm alone out here,' he said, 'my people are somewhere safe. My name is Sihtric, who are you?'

He stepped closer again once he deemed you not fatally injured, but you crawled backwards away from him with what little energy you had left.

'I saw they grabbed your arms and legs!' you half yelled, 'how do I know you are not infected?'

'Chainmail,' Sihtric said, with a smug smile on his face, 'I wear chainmail under my armour. My arms and torso are protected, as are my legs by the mail chausses. It's impossible for the after-walkers to scratch or bite through it. Now, tell me, are you alone out here?'

You hesitated to answer, suddenly feeling threatened when you realised an armed man was towering over you and you had nowhere to go. And clearly Sihtric saw the panic arise in your eyes when you tried to look for a possible escape route.

'I mean no harm,' he said, holding his hands up as a gesture of peace, 'you have my word. It's just been a very long time since I've come across someone still alive.'

You gave Sihtric the benefit of the doubt, knowing that even if he did mean any harm, you had no way out anyway, so it was best to just answer his questions. You then ran him through your story as fast as you could, about how your village had gone up in flames and about the group you lost. You told him you had survived for days on your own and that you were ready to give up, but that he had appeared just in time to save your life.

'What about you?' you asked.

Sihtric looked at you while he was clearly debating something with himself, but he then finally spoke.

'There's a fort nearby,' Sihtric said, his hand resting on his axe after he had attached it back to his leather belt, 'the place is secure and safe. I have a group of people back there. We have been staying there since almost the start of all this. We've lost good people and had our troubles too, don't think we had it easy. But we have been fairly safe. Most of us are warriors, but we have a few women too and a couple of villagers who mostly keep watch and have been taught how to fight and defend against the after-walkers. Every other day myself and others go out hunting for food, we usually don't go alone, but since it had been a while we encountered those,' he cocked his head towards the bodies, 'I've been feeling secure to hunt on my own, but I won't do that again anymore now for a while.'

You looked at Sihtric with only one question on your mind, knowing you had no other options anymore.

'Does your fort have space for one more?' you asked carefully, 'I've… got nowhere to go. I don't even know where I am,' you said and fought your tears, 'I've lost everyone and everything.'

Sihtric took another good look at you, taking in your weakened state and calculating if you were a potential threat, all while he contemplated on what to do with you.

'Listen, it's been a while since we took people in,' he then said, 'you are clearly weak and you won't survive another day out here,' he sighed and walked over to his horse, 'I can't promise anything, but if we leave now we'll reach Bebbanburg before sunset.'

Bebbanburg.

You woke up in bed, with a nauseating headache taunting you while your eyes needed a moment to adjust to the dimly lit room you found yourself in. You looked around without moving, and saw the room had a high ceiling with dark wooden beams, and the walls were made of dark wood too. Multiple torches were mounted on the walls, all lit with fire, and a big chandelier with burning candles hung from the ceiling in the middle. It was warm and, despite how big the room seemed, rather cosy.

'You're safe,' a calm voice sounded, but still startled you, 'hey, no need to be frightened.'

The voice came closer along with slow and heavy footsteps, followed by the appearance of a handsome man with a kind smile on his scarred face.

'My name is Sigtryggr,' he said, 'you are in Bebbanburg. Sihtric brought you in, but you fainted as soon as you set foot inside these walls. You hit your head pretty hard there.'

'That explains the headache,' you groaned as you sat up in bed.

'I'm afraid so,' Sigtryggr chuckled and took a seat next to your bed, 'you shouldn't move too quickly yet. How are you feeling?'

'I'm not sure.'

'Do you remember anything from before you fainted? The arguing?'

'Arguing?'

Sigtryggr looked as if he had run his mouth, then took a deep breath before he spoke again.

'Sihtric and Uhtred,' he began, 'they argued. Uhtred is kind of the leader here. Bebbanburg belongs to him, he used to be a Lord. Myself and the others are just lucky to live and survive here. Uhtred wasn't sure if you should be given a place here, since he was afraid you might have been infected.'

'I was not wounded.'

'We know now,' Sigtryggr said, 'we had the women rinse you of the blood, because you had a lot splattered onto you. They cleaned you up while you were here, in bed, and they looked for wounds too. We had to make sure you were no threat, but because of your weak state we didn't have much time to discuss our options. We had to take you in or leave you outside the walls. Sihtric fought for your place here and convinced Uhtred to let you in, but shortly after that you lost consciousness and we had to put you in one of our empty chambers. Not to imprison you, but to make sure Sihtric is right about you.'

'I understand,' you said softly, 'I'm sorry if I caused any trouble. I will not overstay my welcome-'

'No,' he hushed you politely and took your hand, 'you are more than welcome to stay, don't misunderstand Uhtred's authority for hatred of sorts. He just looks out for us. It has been a long time since we met someone new who wasn't infected, so we were all a little hesitant, but everything is okay now.'

'And Sihtric?' you asked, wondering why he wasn't by your side after he had vouched for you, 'is he okay?'

'He will be. He retreated to his chamber shortly after he had carried you to this bed, he said he needed some rest.'

Sigtryggr got up from the wooden stool and went over to a table where he poured you some water.

'Dinner is being prepared,' he said, 'if you feel well enough, feel free to explore the place. There are some clean clothes on the table here for you that should fit. I'll find you when the food is ready and then I'll introduce you to everyone.'

You roamed through the fortress while the smell of soup and roasted meat lingered in the hallways. You made your way out onto the stronghold's wall, near one of the watchtowers, overlooking the entire fort and its surroundings. You heard the sea behind you while you stared at the darkened lands ahead of you.

The fort was surrounded with big wooden beams, all cut sharp to impale the undead if they came too close. Each watchtower and wall had sentries on duty, who were armed and alert, which gave you a safe and secure feeling, and dared you to explore a little more. You passed a few people on your way down from the wall, all who gave you a welcoming smile and nod, and you just hoped this place wasn't too good to be true.

Before you went down the last stairs you spotted Sihtric, leaning on the wooden railing as he overlooked the quiet courtyard. A thick fur cloak was draped over his shoulders, while his hair was unbraided and messy. Your heart skipped a beat when you saw him, and you made your way over.

'I never got to thank you,' you said softly as you leaned on the railing next to him, 'for everything. For saving me and bringing me here. I was told you convinced Uhtred to let me stay, but I can't remember any of that myself.'

Sihtric only hummed shortly in response, his eyes still fixated on the dark courtyard, while his jaw was clenched and his hand wrapped tightly around a jug of ale.

'So… thank you,' you said again, trying to fill the awkward silence, 'you really saved my life without even knowing me.'

You waited for a response, but Sihtric gave you nothing. And just when you wanted to ask if something was wrong, Sigtryggr came up behind you.

'There you are,' Sigtryggr smiled at you, 'dinner is ready. Come on, everyone is excited to meet you.'

You somewhat reluctantly left your saviour to follow the kind man. And when you looked back over your shoulder as you descended the stairs, Sihtric had already vanished into the darkness.

The group welcomed you during a delicious and well needed dinner. You sat at a large oak table as you ate, and you soaked up all the stories you were told in a short time. 

Uhtred was half Saxon and half Dane, and he had lost his wife many years ago, along with his son. Uhtred told you that he had fought for years to conquer Bebbanburg alongside Finan, Sihtric and Osferth. They had won the final battle just before the sickness broke out.

'First we thought it was just a sickness like we had seen years ago,' Uhtred said, 'when corpses polluted the rivers and it seemed to spread by air. But we soon noticed this was different and we then believed these beings to be Draugr, dead Vikings who came back to life for revenge. But we also understood quickly that we were wrong about that, and so we tried to act accordingly and keep ourselves safe. Unfortunately not everyone made it while we secured the fort on the outside to keep the after-walkers from entering.'

'We have lost some good people,' Sigtryggr added.

Sigtryggr was a Dane and seemed to take a liking to you. He told you how he was married to Uhtred's daughter, Stiorra, but had lost her to the sickness. And since she had a Viking funeral, her body was burned, so she could never return from her grave. Sigtryggr saw it as a bittersweet blessing.

'And at least she never had to see the horrors we face now,' he said with a faint smile, 'I have mourned her. But then we have all mourned.'

You all murmured in agreement, and then a lady named Aelswith broke the peaceful silence by saying you should all pray, to which many rolled their eyes and sighed, apart from her husband, Alfred. You knew Alfred had been King once, but what is a King when there is no land to rule? The hierarchy had died out when the dead came back to live, and now Alfred and Aelswith were just regular people who had to survive like everyone else. Although, it was clear to see that Aelswith still felt superior to everyone else, while Alfred remained quiet as he struggled with clear health issues.

You then got to know Finan and Osferth, an Irishman and a monk, one a loud mouth and the other rather shy, but both friendly and welcoming. Finan had fought alongside Uhtred all these years and had lost his wife before the sickness even broke out, like Uhtred. 

'Osferth is Alfred's bastard child,' Finan whispered while Aelswith rambled something about God again.

You stared at the dark haired warrior with your big eyes, trying to fight the grin that tugged at your lips, but he had seen your amusement already and he gave you a cheeky wink. You knew that must have been a source of entertainment at times.

Beside you and Aelswith, the group consisted of two other women; Hild and Eadith. They were the two who had cleaned you up and made the food, nursing you back to health quicker than you could've hoped for, and you took an instant liking to them. Hild was a survivor in many ways and had been close to Uhtred and his men for a long time. Eadith had also survived several hardships before being taken in by the group, and she told you that most of the men did the hunting while the women nursed them back to health when needed, and that they also took care of chores that needed to be done.

Lastly you were introduced to Father Beocca and Father Pyrlig, two priests, one of them heavily religious and widowed a while ago, and the latter was a hardened warrior. Both of them welcomed you kindly and were happy to be in the presence of a Saxon and, seemingly, Christian lady. You noticed you were all different, but the one thing you all had in common was that you had lost loved ones in one way or another and have gone through terrible things in order to stay alive.

'What about Sihtric?' you asked as you noticed he was missing at the table, 'what's his story?'

'Sihtric is one of my most loyal men,' Uhtred said, 'that's all you need to know for now. The rest will follow in time, I'm sure.'

You weren't sure what that meant, but you also weren't going to pry. And you then finally opened up a little bit about yourself, telling the group where you came from and what you had done in order to survive. You also told them you had been married before, but that your husband had died in battle years ago, something you hadn't been very saddened about as you weren't happily married back then, so you had never even deemed your marriage as something important in your life. But luckily it wasn't all doom and gloom, and the night still had room for laughter too.

And then, after some more chatter and enjoying some more ale, you went to bed feeling rather satisfied for the first time in a while. But after hours of tossing and turning you found yourself still awake, and you decided to leave your chamber for some fresh air. You wrapped a fur around your shoulders, while wearing the clean nightgown you were given earlier, and you welcomed the cool night's air as you wandered across the walls again.

After you cooled off outside you decided to head back in again, and when you strolled past the kitchen you caught a glimpse of Sihtric as the door was ajar. You took a few steps back to peek through the door, and you saw Sihtric was on his own, eating quietly while staring into the burning hearth. An uneasy feeling crept up on you, and your heart felt heavy. 

Because it seemed as if Sihtric did not want to be near you, despite saving you and bringing you back to Bebbanburg by his own choice, and even carrying you to your chamber after you had fainted.

You adjusted to your new home quicker than expected, and you helped alongside the women as the days passed by preparing food, washing and fixing up clothes, and tending to those who had fallen ill with a harmless cold or had a minor injury. Whenever you had a few moments to spare, Hild taught you how to use weapons and how to defend yourself, against the undead and the living, while Eadith taught you about plants and flowers, which ones were safe to eat and which ones you had to stay far away from. You quickly gained knowledge and skill during your first days in Bebbanburg, and you hoped that if you would ever end up lost in the woods again, your chances of survival would be much greater.

You also found that everyone was kind, the group you shared dinner with daily in particular, but the other people who resided in Bebbanburg were friendly too even if they kept more to themselves.

But Sihtric continued to keep his distance, for reasons unbeknownst to you, which you tried to shake it off. And that wouldn't be so hard if you didn't catch him gazing at you ever so often. You wanted to talk to him, just to be near him because something about him attracted you, but you felt it was best to give him his space. If he was interested in getting to know you, he surely would take it upon himself to start a conversation. And after a few more days he began to eat dinner with the group again, often sitting across from you at the large table and staring at you as discreetly as possible.

You got along with everyone and took a liking to Sigtryggr, who tended to be flirty with you but had a way of keeping it comfortable and not overly obvious. The only person who was overly obvious was Aelswith. You could tell her kindness wasn't real, and it would be a matter of time before she'd show her true colours, you were certain of that.

'How many of you escaped the village?' Uhtred asked after a few evenings.

'I'm not sure,' you said, 'a small group. Maybe ten?'

'It's been less than a week, do you think they are still alive?'

Uhtred's question caused the chatter to die down at the table, and everyone looked at you. You said you weren't sure. You did think they were still out in the woods, but as everyone had gotten a little too comfortable by not encountering the living dead for a while, you feared they might have gotten killed already. But you also felt there was a chance they were surviving in the one of the sheds you had come across yourself.

'But I am not sure,' you added, 'maybe they died, maybe they were found. They could be anywhere.'

'But they could be close too,' Uhtred said.

'They could be. Why?'

'I've been thinking,' Uhtred spoke up, addressing the whole table, 'we haven't met survivors in a while, and if those people are still out there we could perhaps find them and take them in. The more people we have, the better we can defend ourselves and this fort.'

As much as you loved seeing some familiar faces of your former home, you couldn't help but worry that a search would be a waste of time and energy.

'I'm not sure if it's worth looking for them,' you said hesitantly, 'it could lead to nothing and it's dangerous out there.'

'My men know how to defend themselves,' Uhtred said.

'You want us to go look for strangers?' Finan asked, clearly unsure about the plan.

'This is a bad idea,' Sihtric finally spoke up, 'this is a search that could get us killed. And for what?'

'What do you mean, for what?' Uhtred asked, 'it's so we can become a stronger group.'

'We don't know those people,' Sihtric argued, 'and she doesn't even know if they are still alive,' he pointed at you, 'you can't ask this from us.'

'You are the one who brought in a complete stranger, Sihtric,' Uhtred scoffed, 'and now you are against it?'

'I am against your decisions that make me go back out there and look for people who are probably dead already.'

You felt a pang at Sihtric's words, but you knew he was right.

'They could be alive too,' Uhtred shrugged.

'I'm sorry,' Finan added, 'but Sihtric is right. We don't know if it's worth it.'

'If it was any of us,' Uhtred stood up and spoke to everyone, 'we'd be thankful that people went out looking for us. This is no debate. Finan, Sihtric, Sigtryggr, you three will start the search tomorrow.'

'I will go with them,' you jumped up.

'I don't think so,' Sihtric snarled.

'You should stay here,' Sigtryggr said calmly, 'you should stay safe.'

'I insist!' you said, 'one way or another, I will go out there. So you can take me with you, or I'll go on my own. I can't let you guys look for my people while I stay here and wait. Hild has been teaching me how to fight and defend. I won't be a liability.'

The three men looked at Uhtred, who threw his hands up, signalling he wasn't going to argue against you joining them.

'Then I will join too,' Osferth said.

The monk attempted to get up, but Finan was quick to pull him down in his seat again.

'You won't,' the Irishman said, to which Osferth silenced.

'Then that's how it is,' Uhtred said, rather proudly, 'you four will look if you can find any survivors. In any case of danger, you turn back. I'm not asking you to risk your lives, okay?'

Sihtric scoffed and stormed off, muttering something inaudible, and you felt your heart sink once again because of him.

You left on horseback at dawn to start the search the next day, alongside the three men. You all wore leather armour, and the men were protected with chainmail underneath, but it was too heavy for you to wear so you'd have to be a little more careful. You did carry a sword and a seax, while Sigtryggr and Finan each carried a sword and a shield, and Sihtric was the owner of an axe, a sword, and a seax.

Sihtric remained distant and rode ahead. But Finan and Sigtryggr enjoyed getting to know you better while you scouted the lands, and you began to think fondly of them as if they were brothers. You searched for hours, occasionally taking a break to rest and eat, but sadly enough you returned to the fort with no news before evening fell. 

You hadn't found real traces and only encountered a handful of undead, which Sihtric was fast to slay with his axe before you and the other men could catch up. Uhtred gave you the order to continue the search the next day, and you would.

The next morning it went the same as the day before, you stuck with Finan and Sigtryggr, while Sihtric rode ahead and remained quiet. The day seemed to turn into another useless and even uneventful search, as once again no traces were found that showed a sign of life. You circled back to the spot where the search had started off, deep in the woods, and you all dismounted the horses to sit and rest back against a couple of trees.

'I hate to say it,' Finan said after a while, 'but I don't think they are alive anymore.'

'I know,' you said softly, 'none of us who lived back in the village were really prepared to survive out here. I barely made it myself, so it's not a shock that the others probably struggled as much as I did. I was just lucky,' you looked up at Sihtric, who sat across from you under a tree, 'I was found in time. I can only hope the others have been as lucky as I was.'

'I'm afraid not,' Sigtryggr said compassionately as he sat next to you, 'there's really not many living people around here. We've been here for a while, we know the lands and roads, and we haven't come across anyone for a long time. Until Sihtric found you.'

'I go into these woods every other day,' Sihtric said, 'and I never met anyone who was not an after-walker, except for when I found you. And before I found you I was out here hunting for a while already that day, and I didn't come across anyone else or find any traces of them back then either. I'm sorry, but I told you all this was a waste of time.'

Sihtric got up and mounted his horse, and the rest of you followed without another word. Deep inside everyone knew the chances of finding any survivors who fled your village were slim, but no one other than Sihtric had said it out loud before the search even started. And now, after you all agreed the search would be over, you could finally accept it and move on. You had tried and gone back looking for them, and that was all you could do.

But despite the fact you accepted their probable fate, you still felt a little defeated. And you noticed Finan and Sigtryggr felt the same, as you were all riding the horses while being absent minded. 

And the lack of alertness became a problem when you were surprised by after-walkers out of nowhere. And not just a handful this time, no, it was a whole herd. You quickly lost Finan and Sigtryggr as they got off their horses and fought off those who came too close, while your horse panicked and pranced, causing you to fall off and for the horse to run off as fast as possible. You didn't know that the same had happened to Sihtric, who found you while you fought off the undead with your seax, until he grabbed your arm and pulled you with him.

'There's too many!' Sihtric said as he killed off several after-walkers to move away further from the herd, 'and my horse ran off,' he said out of breath after he killed the last undead that came too close, 'where is your horse? We have to get out of here.'

'I fell off,' you stammered, 'I lost my horse too. I also lost Finan and Sigtryggr. I saw they dismounted and fought on foot, but I lost them when I fought back myself. And then you grabbed me.'

Sihtric stared at you in disbelief, and he then groaned before he pulled you with him again, further away from the undead crowd.

'We have to get away from the after-walkers,' he urged, 'can you run?'

'I think so, yes,' you said.

'Good, because we'll have to make a run for it,' Sihtric said, 'we'll have to find one of the empty sheds. That's our only way to make it out alive here. We're too deep in the forest to walk back, and there's too many to fight off right now.'

You looked at Sihtric, and you wanted to speak but no words came out, and he then grabbed your arms.

'Do you understand me?' Sihtric asked and shook you lightly.

'Y-yes,' you breathed, suddenly overwhelmed with fear.

Sihtric gave you a curt nod and took your hand, and somehow you managed to run with him, past the herd and without gaining too much of their attention. And those who did go after you were beheaded by Sihtric and his axe. Every time you tried to help fight one off, Sihtric grabbed your arm and shoved you behind him. He knew you were not wearing any chainmail, and he wasn't going to risk you getting bitten or scratched. 

You ran until your lungs burned and you almost threw up, but you found one of the empty sheds in time and you fell down to your knees as soon as Sihtric had locked the door behind him. The shed had two broken windows, which allowed some daylight in but also could cause trouble if the after-walkers heard you. So all you could do was pray that they wouldn't find you, and you'd have to keep quiet.

You both caught your breath once you realised you made it safely inside, you sitting back against the wall while Sihtric leaned back against the door. And it took a moment before either of you could speak again.

'Are you hurt?' Sihtric asked, as if he snapped back to reality, 'let me see you.'

He came over and almost frantically searched your body for wounds, which surprised and confused you.

'I'm fine,' you said, 'just a little sore from the fall. But the after-walkers didn't get close enough to get me. And you? Are you hurt?'

'No,' Sihtric said curtly, then walked back to the door.

You buried your face in your hands for a moment, and you bit back your tears. You weren't in pain, but you were startled. You realised it had been a close call, and things could've ended very differently if Sihtric hadn't found you amidst the herd.

'Thank you for saving me… again,' you whispered.

'Let's not make a habit out of that, shall we?' Sihtric said softly as he peeked out through a gap in the wooden door.

'Why do you hate me?' your words came out before you even realised this was the worst moment to discuss that matter.

Sihtric looked back at you over his shoulder for a second, but he didn't respond, and he then returned his gaze to the gap in the door.

'There's too many after-walkers out there,' Sihtric said after a moment, 'we'll have to stay put until the herd passes. We could be here for a while,' he sighed and took off his cloak, which he threw on the floor next to you and sat down on it, 'so you better get comfortable, lady.'

You shuffled closer to Sihtric to share the warmth of his cloak underneath you, and you sat in silence for a long moment.

'We're going to die here, aren't we?' you whispered.

'Well,' Sihtric said with a soft sigh, 'I wasn't planning on. And if you are planning on dying here, then I will ask you kindly to leave me out of your plan.'

You both chuckled softly and then sat in silence again while you listened to the passing herd outside, as they moaned and snarled their way slowly past the shed and further through the woods.

'I don't hate you,' Sihtric said softly after a while, 'I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that I did.'

'It's like you were avoiding and ignoring me the first few days,' you said, 'you didn't even eat dinner with us that first evening.'

'I wasn't hungry.'

'I saw you eat on your own later that night.'

Sihtric shrugged lightly at that.

'You and Sigtryggr?' he suddenly asked.

'What?'

'Do you like him? I've seen you two get close.'

'And I've been well aware that you've been watching me. Yes, I do like him, but not in the way you think. He's been kind to me after I arrived at Bebbanburg and really tries to get to know me. Something you didn't do,' you mumbled.

'And yet I still know all about you,' Sihtric said.

'Oh, really?'

'Men talk too,' he smiled faintly as he looked at the floor, 'Finan told me all about you.'

'And yet no one told me anything about you,' you scoffed, 'why?'

'Because they know I don't share my story with just anyone,' he paused and then shifted to sit more comfortably, 'but if we're going to die here, I might as well tell you my story.'

'You don't have to-'

'I do,' Sihtric cut you off, 'I do have to tell you, so you'll understand why I kept my distance from you. When all of this started, this sickness or whatever it is, I managed to keep my family safe for a while. But my wife got sick eventually, and my children did too. I don't know why I was spared, but I was. My wife and children passed away. And… as with every infected person, they returned from the grave one day. My wife wasn't a Dane, so her body wasn't cremated, nor were my children. They all came back and I,' he stopped talking.

'You had to kill them,' you whispered, feeling terrible for him.

Sihtric nodded and rubbed his hands over his face before he continued.

'I had to kill them. I stabbed them, but as we all learned one way or another, that clearly didn't work. So I… I had to behead them… all of them. They were all I had,' he said softly, 'I was abandoned by my father when I was young and my mother died giving birth to me. I fled Dunholm and served Uhtred, until all of this started to happen. But I had no family when I grew up. And the family I made was taken away from me in the most brutal way.'

'Sihtric, I'm so sorry,' you said and took his hand.

'I have mourned them,' Sihtric said and gave your hand a light squeeze in return, 'and I have healed from that, as far as one can. And I know you more or less understand what I've been through. I heard about your parents and your little brother. And I'm sorry too that you lost them, and I'm sorry for what happened to your village. When I found you, I felt some kind of hope for the first time in a while. Because you proved there are still survivors out there, and not just the after-walkers. But finding you also scared me.'

'Scared you? Why?'

'I got scared because you also made my heart skip a few beats, something that hasn't happened to me in years, if I'm honest. And I am afraid to let people in. I'm afraid to let you in, because I am afraid to again lose all that I care for, or to be abandoned by those I care for. But the truth is that I do want to get to know you.'

'I want to get to know you too,' was all you could respond with, overwhelmed with emotions.

'You will,' Sihtric smiled, 'when we get out of here at least.'

'We will get out of here,' you encouraged both Sihtric and yourself, 'we can stay here safely all night if we have to.'

And so the night began to fall outside, and the temperature dropped along with it. The shed cooled off and it didn't take long before you were both tired and cold. Sihtric picked his cloak up from the floor and draped it over your shoulders. He then pulled you in his arms and held you tightly as you fell asleep, while he stayed up to make sure no after-walker would try to get into the shed.

You and Sihtric returned safely to the fort the next day, late in the morning. The herd had passed and you had not been discovered, but neither of you let your guard down when you walked back by foot. You didn't see Finan or Sigtryggr on your way back, which meant they probably made it back safely before you did. You did find the half eaten and torn apart body of your horse, which caused you to shed a tear, and Sihtric remained hopeful that his horse had made it out alive.

'She knows the way,' he said as you continued the long walk, 'I know that if she wasn't attacked, she could be back home.'

'I hope she is,' you sniffled.

Sihtric took your hand to console you, and you walked hand in hand until you made your way out of the woods and saw the gates of Bebbanburg again. You were both relieved to have made it out alive. And you fell to your knees for a quick prayer to give thanks once you stepped through the massive doors and heard them fall shut behind you.

You were then pleased to see Finan and Sigtryggr, who came over as soon as they saw you and Sihtric. Sigtryggr embraced you for a moment and told you he was glad you both made it back, and as he told you how he and Finan had made it back home, Sihtric quietly left to see if he could find his horse.

'We dismounted and just fought,' Sigtryggr said, 'we managed to fight our way out of the herd and luckily our horses could take us back. We looked for you and Sihtric before we left, but we couldn't search thoroughly as it was too dangerous.'

'I understand,' you said, seeing he was visibly upset he had left you and Sihtric behind in a way, 'you did what you had to do, you and Finan both did. I'm glad you both made it back too. Oh, have you seen Sihtric's horse? He was…' you stopped talking when you suddenly noticed Sihtric had vanished again.

'We found his horse when we fled the woods, we guided her along with us. She is safe too,' Sigtryggr said, 'now, you should get some rest.'

You retreated to your chamber and Eadith came over to hand you a bucket of warm water, so you could rinse yourself and warm up before you would lay down for a moment in your bed. And you woke up hours later, just in time before dinner, where you met Sihtric again after he had run off earlier without a word.

'Where'd you go?' you asked as you sat next to him at the table.

'Went looking for my horse,' Sihtric answered as he gulped down his food.

'I heard she's safe.'

'She is,' he smiled, 'a blessing from the gods, truly.' 

You both finished your food and shared a jug of ale before you departed the gathering together and made way to your chambers. Sihtric walked you to your door, where he told you to rest well. He then kissed your cheek, albeit a little awkwardly it still made you blush and your heart flutter, and he then left for his own room, which was further down the long corridor.

The next morning you went to help Eadith wash clothes, and after the chores you went looking for Sihtric. But Sihtric was nowhere to be found, and neither was his horse. When you returned to Eadith, Hild had joined her to make some soup, and you asked if they knew where Sihtric had gone.

'He's out hunting with Finan,' Hild said.

'Out?' you asked, 'he's out there? When… when did he leave?'

'Before dawn,' Eadith said and looked up at you, 'are you okay?'

'Yes,' you lied and wanted to turn on your heels, but the ladies stopped you.

'What is going on?' Hild ask after she sat you down.

You nervously plucked at your brown dress, but you just couldn't hold it in anymore and you burst into tears as you told them about Sihtric's behaviour ever since you got there. And you told them how you thought you had made progress the day before, in the shed, and that he had kissed your cheek before you went to sleep. So the fact that he had left without a word made you feel all that progress had been lost again. You were confused and hurt, but also worried for his safety and that caused all your tears to fall down at once.

Hild and Eadith reassured you that Sihtric would return safely before nightfall, but they also told you that they couldn't explain his behaviour either. 

'He's a man,' Hild sighed, 'and sometimes they don't think things through.'

'I'm sure he didn't mean to upset you by leaving like that,' Eadith agreed, 'he probably didn't realise it would make you worried.'

'But if you like him,' Hild said, 'you should tell him.'

And with that word of advice you eventually went out into the courtyard, where you met Osferth and helped him take care of the remaining horses while you learned he was a nice guy too. You told him Hild could teach him how to fight, since he lacked experience apparently, but he told you that Uhtred already had started the process of teaching him. 

'I mean meeting with Uhtred once I've finished feeding the horses,' Osferth smiled, 'he will teach me how to use a sword.'

'And I'm sure you will do great,' you encouraged him.

You then told him to go already, and that you would water the horses for him. He thanked you kindly and went to find Uhtred. And when you went to fetch water from a well you walked into Aelswith, who was on her way to Alfred to bring him some broth, as he was feeling unwell. But when she saw you, she immediately came over.

'I am happy you returned safely, girl,' she smiled, 'it must have been a frightening night, to be trapped with a Dane in a shed,' she shivered.

'What?' you asked, confused and offended.

'You never know what those heathens are up to,' she sneered, 'I am happy he didn't touch you. I mean, he didn't, did he?'

'I'm sorry, I don't understand why you think he would-'

'Oh, poor thing,' she pulled you in for a hug, nearly spilling the broth over your dress, 'you must have been so scared. I prayed to God for your safekeeping, and He listened. He listened and brought you back safely!'

You were too stunned to speak and before you were able to collect your thoughts, she had already left and you found yourself alone and confused in the courtyard. You then remembered you were going to water the horses, and just when you finished that task you heard the heavy gates open. You almost dropped the last bucket of water as you made haste to the gates, just in time to see Finan and Sihtric dismount their horses and give one of Uhtred's servants the deer they had caught. Hild came up beside you, and she gave you a nudge when she saw you and Sihtric had locked eyes, both seemingly nailed to the ground.

'Go,' she whispered, 'me and Eadith will take care of the food tonight. You should talk to him.'

It took you a few long seconds to move again, but then you ran over and leaped into his arms, and he gladly caught you so he could hold you tightly.

'Why did you leave without a word?' you asked.

Sihtric looked guilty, knowing he shouldn't have left like that, and he took your hands.

'Come,' he said softly, and he took you to his chamber.

You both sat down on his bed, and you helped him untie the laces of his leather armour.

'Why did you leave like that? Without telling me?' you asked again.

Sihtric looked at you and shrugged lightly, 'Old habit I'm afraid. I'm sorry.'

'I've been worried about you all day, Sihtric.'

'I didn't think you'd worry, I'm sorry I made you worried. I didn't think you'd notice I'd left, I'm sorry.'

You were hurt by his response, and it clearly showed on your face while you stopped working his laces.

'No,' you said, almost embarrassed, 'I'm sorry that I thought there could be something between us.'

You got up from his bed, but Sihtric took your hand and pulled you back to him before you could storm off.

'There is,' he said, 'there… there is something. I'm just,' he hesitated, 'you know what I've lost. And I have healed from that, enough time has passed. But… you,' he sighed softly and took both your hands, 'I can't lose you too, and I'm terrified to lose you eventually.'

'So you'll continue to push me away?' you sniffled.

'No. I don't want that either,' Sihtric said and wiped your tears, 'I'm just not sure how to handle this. I want you close, but it makes me vulnerable too. I am not as focused anymore, I've noticed. I've made small mistakes while hunting, because my mind's wandering off to you. Even Finan noticed it and he wanted to kick my arse,' he chuckled softly, 'he said I'd be a fool if I'd let you slip out of my hands. And he's right, I know he is right. I don't want to push you away. I won't leave like that anymore, I promise. And I want to be around you more, I really do.'

'Well,' you smiled faintly at him and took his hands, 'how about we keep each other company tonight, after dinner?'

'I would like that,' Sihtric said and kissed the back of your hands, 'but first I need to bathe, because I smell like a dead deer.'

'You do,' you laughed.

You then helped him out of his armour and chainmail. And after you had untangled his braids, you left him to bathe in private while you cleaned up his leather armour.

You met Sihtric for dinner and sat side by side while you enjoyed the company of everyone else. You quietly told Hild about your encounter with Aelswith earlier that day, and she told you to not listen to the lady's rambles. And while you listened to Uhtred's amusing stories about teaching Osferth how to defend himself against the after-walkers, Sihtric searched for your hand under the table and held it. He then leaned in and slowly tucked your hair behind your ear as he brought his lips closer.

'Shall we go somewhere quieter?' he whispered in your ear.

You nodded and followed his lead, thanking everyone for the good food and the company before you disappeared out of the great hall.

'Yours or mine?' Sihtric asked.

'Yours,' you smiled as you walked hand in hand, 'my chamber is still quite empty, yours is cosy.'

'Then mine it is,' Sihtric smiled.

He took you to his room and lit several candles, as well as the hearth to light and warm up the place. He then took your hand again and led you to the furs in front of the fire, and you both sat down closely next to each other. 

You gazed up at Sihtric, and your heart filled with warmth and a comforting happiness when he smiled at you. You brought your hand up and gently traced the scars on his face, those he had earned in battles over time, and you admired his rugged yet gentle appearance as the flames danced close beside you. Without any words spoken, Sihtric lightly caressed your cheek with the back of his hand before he took your chin, and he leaned in to press a soft kiss onto your lips. It left you breathless for a moment, but before Sihtric could fully pull away, you moved your hands up to his broad shoulders and gave him a light kiss in return.

Sihtric then pulled you onto his lap with ease, and he placed his hands on your sides while you wrapped your arms around his neck, and you then finally both went in for a longer and firmer kiss. You felt his hands move up to your neck, and he deepened the kiss slowly as he held you close. You mindlessly began to pull at his tunic, and he took it off before he pulled back towards him to continue kissing you. Your hands roamed over his bare torso, feeling the scars underneath your fingertips as you kissed him. Sihtric then took off your dress, leaving you in only your underclothes which covered your private parts. He leaned back in to kiss you again, but stopped when he suddenly noticed the bruises on your shoulder and arm, and he gave you a concerned and questioning look.

'It's from when I fell off the horse yesterday,' you whispered as you raked your fingers through his hair, 'it hurts a little, but it's nothing to be concerned about.'

'Why didn't you tell me you were hurting?' his voice was calm and soothing.

'I didn't think you cared,' you said softly.

'I'm sorry,' Sihtric whispered and kissed your lips, 'I'm sorry you thought I wouldn't care about your injuries,' he kissed your cheek, 'I'm sorry you thought I didn't want to be around you,' he kissed your jaw and down to your neck, 'I'm sorry you thought I hated you,' he carefully kissed your bruised shoulder, 'I'm sorry you thought that I left without a word this morning because I didn't care about you,' he looked at you as he palmed your cheek, 'when the truth is that I care too much about you, and that I want to be by your side all the time.'

'Sihtric,' you whispered and bit down on your lip as you looked at him, then cupped his cheek, 'it's okay.'

'No,' he whispered, 'no, it's not. All I did was push you away,' he breathed and carefully laid you down on the soft furs, 'when all I wanted was to love and protect you.'

'You did protect me, Sihtric,' you said as you pulled him on top of you by the leather cord he wore around his neck, on which a bronze pendant dangled, 'and now I want you to love me.'

The next morning you woke up before dawn in Sihtric's arms, in his bed and snug under the warm furs. You were still half asleep when you felt his lips on your neck and his arms squeeze you lightly as he held you from behind.

'I must leave soon,' he whispered in your ear.

'For what reason?' you mumbled.

'Hunting.'

'Again?'

'That deer we caught yesterday was barely enough to feed everyone,' he whispered, 'you know that too. Finan and Uhtred will be joining me today, as we have to scout the lands further than before. We're running out of animals to hunt here, we need to venture further if we want to stay alive.'

'I understand. Promise me you'll be careful?'

'Always.'

You turned around to face him, and you kissed him longingly for a moment until you were rudely interrupted by a hard knocking on the door.

'Sihtric!' Finan's thick accent sounded, 'hurry up already! We are ready and so are the horses!'

'Give me a moment!' Sihtric yelled back.

'Aye, you arseling,' Finan mumbled loud enough for you both to hear before he walked off.

You looked at Sihtric and giggled as he shook his head lightly with a smile on his face, and he then pulled the furcovers back over the two of you so he could make love to you one more time before he had to make a run for it.

You stepped out into the courtyard together after you helped Sihtric with his armour. Everyone who was present to wish the men a safe hunting figured out soon enough why Sihtric was late that morning, something unusual for him, when they saw you both walk out while Sihtric's hair was wild and unbraided.

'Your hair,' you had said in a haste when you got dressed quickly.

'There is no time,' Sihtric hurried while he had put on his boots.

You adjusted Sihtric's warm cloak so it sat more neatly on his shoulders, while Uhtred and Finan already mounted their horses and Eadith came over to hand them bread wrapped in clean cloth. She also gave her baking to Sihtric, who thanked her kindly and turned to his horse to tuck the bread in one of the leather bags attached to the saddle.

'Me and Hild,' Eadith whispered as she passed you, 'want to hear everything.'

You looked at her with flushed cheeks, and she gave you a wink as she grinned before she skipped off, back inside the great hall. You looked back over your shoulder and found Hild, who laughed and turned to follow Eadith into the kitchen.

'Darling,' Sihtric said, drawing your attention back to him again as he pulled you in by your waist, 'I have to go.'

'Come back to me,' you said, your fingers curled around the neck of his armour.

'If you wait for me,' he whispered and held your face in his hands.

Sihtric leaned in and kissed you briefly multiple times, until Finan cleared his throat in a taunting manner and Uhtred wolf whistled. Sihtric broke the kiss with a sigh, but you both could only laugh at the behaviour of the other men.

'I'm sorry about them,' Sihtric chuckled.

'It's okay,' you said, 'just promise you'll come back safely?'

'I will. You are now my reason to come back safely,' Sihtric whispered and kissed your forehead before he mounted his horse.

He then held his hand out to you, which you took, and he leaned in to kiss your hand before you watched the heavy gates of Bebbanburg open. And then the men left on their horses, to explore new territory in an attempt to find food and maybe even more. And you made your way inside to the kitchen, following Eadith and Hild.

'Is the broth for my husband ready?' Aelswith asked as she stood in the door of the kitchen.

You, Eadith and Hild looked up, with smiles and cheeky grins still visible on your faces after you had told them about your night and morning with Sihtric. And you could tell by the look on Aelswith's face that she had heard every word too before she interrupted, as she liked to eavesdrop around corners you had found out.

Eadith quietly handed Aelswith a bowl with broth, and Aelswith looked at you for a few long seconds.

'You will be punished for what you did,' Aelswith said with clear disgust on her face, 'you have sinned, and God will punish you for that.'

'Have I not been punished enough already?' you asked, to which she made a face and left the kitchen.

'Don't listen to her,' Eadith said after a moment.

'I know,' you sighed, 'but she should worry about her husband, instead of sticking her nose in my business.'

'You're right,' Hild said as she cleaned the wooden counter, 'Alfred needs more than just broth every day. He needs more nourishing foods, but she won't allow him to eat any meat.'

'Apparently eating meat is a sin too,' Eadith added, 'so she just lets him suffer.'

'What a cruel woman,' you said, to which the others clearly agreed.

'But back to your adventures,' Eadith laughed, then lowered her voice, 'was he really that good?'

'He was,' you laughed, 'you have no idea-'

You were cut off when sudden screaming erupted from the courtyard, and you all dropped what you were doing to run outside. You met Sigtryggr on your way out, who asked what had happened, but you had no answer for him. And while you ran out, several people came running in, terrified as they screamed something about after-walkers. Sigtryggr managed to grab one maid's arm as she ran, and he asked her what was going on.

'They're in the walls!' the maid cried, 'the after-walkers are in the walls!'

She pulled her arm out of Sigtryggr's grip, who then looked at you with great concern.

'Weapons,' Hild said, 'we need to get our weapons!'

You all ran towards the great hall, where all the weapons were stored when not being carried, and you found Osferth and Pyrlig already there.

'We must fight,' Pyrlig said, and he ran back out again.

You gathered a sword and a seax, while Sigtryggr picked up his sword and a spear, and Eadith and Hild both grabbed a longsword each.

'Can you aim?' you asked Osferth, who grabbed a bow.

'Yes, lady,' he said, 'Sigtryggr's wife taught me before she died.'

'Then why are you never out hunting?'

'Alfred won't allow Uhtred to let me out of these walls,' he said softly.

You were stunned, but with no more time to talk, you both ran to join the others.

'Father Beocca!' you yelled as you passed him, 'grab a sword- wait, where are you going?!'

'I- I shall pray!' Beocca replied and hurried inside as you ran out.

You quickly forgot what Beocca said as you saw the horrors that were unfolding in Bebbanburg's courtyard. Several after-walkers had somehow made it inside the walls, while the gates were still shut tightly, and they had killed numerous people in their wake already. Bodies were scattered throughout the place while those still alive were screaming and hiding. 

Each man and woman who were skilled enough fought off the undead to save the fort and its residents from further damage, while everyone also tried to understand where the after-walkers had come from. You beheaded a few yourself and stabbed their skulls, then went along with Sigtryggr and Hild to make sure that the people who had fallen victim to the undead wouldn't become undead themselves, by beheading them and piercing their brains with your seax.

It all happened so fast, but it was also over just as quickly as it had started. Only about a dozen of after-walkers had managed to get in, and they were quickly killed off by everyone who took a stand. When the silence seemed to return to the courtyard, one young maid approached and spoke up as she was in tears.

'It… it was me,' she sobbed, her hand covering a large bleeding wound on her arm, 'I secretly went to fetch flowers in the forest, which I have done so many times before, but I forgot to close the wooden panel I always sneak out of. And now,' she fell to her knees, 'I… I've been bitten.'

Everyone stared in horror at the young maid. You all knew it was a matter of time before she would bleed out and in turn become undead herself. You all felt a certain resentment, for she had endangered everyone and even got people killed, but you all also felt your heart break at her tragic ending. And no one had the heart to stand up and end her misery, except for father Pyrlig.

'I will do it,' he said softly, 'the rest of you go inside, see if none of the after-walkers made it inside the halls. Everyone injured must be brought outside, so Eadith and Hild can tend to them and see if their wounds are fatal.'

'Osferth and I,' Sigtryggr said, 'we will look for the wooden panel and nail it shut. No one,' he raised his voice, 'and I mean no one will leave this place unless it's through those gates!' he pointed his sword to the main gate, 'and nothing will come in here either unless it's through those gates!'

'The former King!' Beocca suddenly cried out as he emerged from one of the halls, 'the former King and his Lady have been killed.'

'I found them like this,' Beocca said sadly as you both stared at the half torn apart bodies of Alfred and Aelswith, 'I came to their chamber to see if they were safe, and to pray with them, but they were already bitten and scratched. They bled out in minutes. I know what needs to be done, but I do not have the heart to… to end it.'

You said nothing as you looked at the corpses, and you stabbed them in the head without hesitation. You then turned to Beocca, who looked pale as a ghost, while you wiped the blood off your seax.

'Did it work, Father?' you asked coldly.

'I'm sorry?'

'Your prayers,' you said, 'did they work?'

And you left before Beocca could even respond, already knowing the answer to your own question. Outside Sigtryggr approached you, and he told you the gap in the wall had been found and fixed. Eadith and Hild had searched the entire fort and only encountered two more after-walkers, who were killed and dragged out to the courtyard. Osferth and Pyrlig were busy stacking all the scattered corpses on a cart, which would be pulled by horse to the centre of the courtyard, where the dead would be burned.

And as you watched the flames devour the bodies, you couldn't help but bite back your tears, as all you wanted was to be with Sihtric and to feel safe again. But you had no idea if he was safe himself, or if he would ever return safely again...

Chapter 2 drops tomorrow.

Taglist: @mrsarnasdelicious @neonhairspray @sihtricsafin @errruvande @penumbrie @lexeirikrleif @diiickbrainn @thatawkwardlittlefangirl @bubblyabs @dixie-elocin @alexagirlie @stupiddarkkside @urmomsgirlfriend1 @gemini-mama @foxyanon @man-i-be-that-pretty-motherfuckr @thenameswinter99 @m-a-s-h-k-a @superblyzanynight @hernakedmuse @ewanmitchellfanatic @lady-targaryens-world @cosmosnkaz @stronger-than-steel

[angel-of-the-moons]

Hear me out this. Hanzo falls in love with a woman who's in the Lin Kuei.

(You can make it as horny as your brain wants)

(Please?)

Oooooooh our resident spicy boy!

Fire & Ice

Hanzo Hasashi x Fem!Lin Kuei!Reader)

TW/CW: NSFW, Smut, Sexual tension, pining, opposites attract, slight spanking (briefly) unprotected sex, bath sex, PiV sex, temperature play(?) wee bit of Kanon fudging

MINORS DNI I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTENT YOU CONSUME

A/N: Hanzo is just MMMMF also Raiden is Light Aligned here for a wee bit of context

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

It all started during one of the first peace talks after the budding brotherhood of your Grandmaster, Kuai Liang (AKA Sub-Zero) and the Grandmaster of the Shirai Ryu.

Once the cease-fire between the clans was initiated, it was met with mixed results. The original Shirai Ryu were annihilated (including Hanzo's wife and child) by the forces of the previous Grandmaster, Bi-Han (whom everyone later discovered was actually the evil sorcerer Quan-Chi in disguise).

However it came to light that the initial fires of hatred that were lit were orchestrated by the Grandmaster before Bi-Han himself; before Bi-Han became the void-creature known as Noob Saibot, before Cyrax and Sektor were "cyberized".

All of course, with Quan-Chi's aid...

But when Kuai Liang and Hanzo Hasashi buried old prejudices and hatreds and pursued an avenue of peace and allyship, they proposed training scenarios between the ninjas.

You were one of Sub-Zero's top members. Your flexibility and cryomancy a deadly and graceful combination.

Naturally, at some point you found yourself pitted against your complete elemental opposite, Scorpion.

Not only was he your elemental opposite, he was vastly more skilled than you. Having spent years as a revenant under the control of Quan-Chi, training others in the way of the Shirai Ryu, working with Lord Raiden... Yeah. You were a child compared to his prowess.

But you however, did get some ideas for your own weaponry from him. Instead of a normal kunai attached to a chain, you settled for a chain with blunt ends, allowing your cryomancy to shape various weapons at the ends. After all, they'd been useful for making things like spears, scythes and various others in the past...

And to say the man was floored when you used his own techniques against him--and mastering them with your own twists while you were at it--was an understatement.

It became rather normal for Hanzo to seek you out for sparring sessions, seeking to experiment with your respective powers you both created various attacks and techniques to better battle one another.

However it was during one of your sessions, where you were to be chased and he the hunter, that the two of you finally figured out that what was between the two of you was more than camaraderie, more than diplomatic friendship.

Hanzo himself realized a lot sooner than you did. The warmth in his heart (and not from his flame) and the increased rate of beats when you were around, how his thoughts would drift back to you when it was quiet, when he would pace the Fire Gardens...

It was a feeling he hasn't felt since Harumi.

He was hesitant to bring it to your attention, for fear of a repeat performance of some cruel twist of fate robbing him of the one he loved once again.

He couldn't dare hope one as vibrant and beautiful as you could feel the same.

Until that night, when he had you pinned to the tree, breathing hard from the chase.

He barely had a moment to realize how close he was to you before masks were torn from faces by your hand and lips met lips in a kiss balanced in his hot and your cold; a kiss so passionate steam wafted as your mouths parted.

It was under the snow-heavy branches of that tree where your hands first explored each other. Not in heated sexual passion, but with the desire to map out every detail you could, so when the two of you parted ways again you would always be able to mentally trace those lines, commit them to memory like a well-read book.

Kuai Liang had suspicions of a budding relationship between the two of you. If anything, you had to wager that he probably knew your true feelings for one another even before the two of you figured it out for yourselves; but he wouldn't bring it forth. He knew you two needed to figure it out at your own pace.

After all, his friend was still nursing a broken heart from the loss of his wife and child. But he knew this was still good for him, for the two of you, for both clans.

Hanzo Hasashi had finally fallen in love again.

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Your first real "intimate" moment with Hanzo was when you showed him to the hot springs in the mountains. Heat, ice and snow all together in a blissful harmonious oasis.

Not unlike your love for one another, a peaceful respite in tumultuous times.

"This is... Beautiful." Hanzo said, his breath coming out of him in a cloud that swirled with the snowflakes. "But won't it still be too cold to bathe?"

You chuckled and pulled off your mask. Shaking your hair free of icy flakes. "Well, Hanzo, that's why the goal is to stay in the water. Where it's warm."

He blew out a chuckle and shook his head. "Obviously." He turned and looked around, the red leaves of the maple trees surrounding you casting a beautiful scattering of color among the white and gray.

"But it--"

His voice died in his throat as he watched you strip your uniform from your body.

You held no shame, clearly, as you stripped bare in front of him, your wonderous body on full display for his longing, hungry eyes.

You took pride in your athletic frame, muscles and soft curves in all the right places, your body a gorgeous shell for the violence you were capable of committing.

His dark eyes met yours, a twinkle dancing in their depths as your smile reached your ears. You beckon him towards you, your fingers curling in a silent request for him to come closer.

It is a silent request his body obeys before he realizes he's even moving, his blood rushing in his ears.

When your fingers wrapped around his tabards you begin undoing each bit of his ornamentation slowly, peeling it off of him like a juicy piece of fruit you couldn't wait to take a bite out of.

Maybe you would... later.

Once he was naked, you gave him enough dignity to spare looking between his legs, knowing he wouldn't be ready for you to look at him there just yet, you felt like he would set the very air ablaze; each snowflake that landed on his body melted with a soft hiss as it came into contact with his skin.

At first you were concerned that maybe he was too hot, that the spring might make him sick with the extra heat added to his body; but as you sank into the water, he didn't seem bothered in the slightest. In fact, his eyes continued to take your form as he thought you weren't looking.

Every scar told a story, and he wanted to hear them all, wanted to hear a symphony of your voices together as you breathed your love into one another s lungs as you shared scorching kisses.

You could have sat next to him. You could have.

But you didn't. As shameless as you were, you sank down in front of him between his parted knees, slowly, a soft noise escaping you as the water crept up your cold body and you pressed your back against his chest.

You pretended not to hear the sharp inhale of breath as his raging erection pressed firmly against your back, the heat from it almost hotter than the water you were reclining in.

You hummed softly as he slipped his arms around you, pressing a hot, damp kiss to your icy shoulder.

You'd swear he could probably leave burns with those lips of his.

"Hmm... How did your meeting with Lord Raiden go, Hanzo?" You ask him, sliding your hands up his thighs and to his knees, feeling the knotted muscles tighten and flex beneath your touch.

"Ah..." He said, his voice tight in an effort to control himself.

"It... Went well. Young Takeda was there, it was good to see him again."

"How is Takeda doing?"

"He's spending more time with his father, and I believe he and Jacqui Briggs are officially a couple." Hanzo chuckled.

"That's good, they're a nice match." You sigh, relaxing into him more, maybe, just slightly intentionally grinding your ass against his cock.

His arms tighten around you and he leans in, his lips at the shell of your ear.

"You're playing a dangerous game, my lotus." He growls.

"You know me... I live for danger." You purr, grinding against him once more.

He groaned in your ear and rolled his hips to meet yours.

"I have to ask..." Hanzo said, one of his rough and calloused hands rising to give your ribs a feathery touch.

"I'm experienced, don't worry." You assure him playfully.

"Good..."

Was that... disappointment you heard in his voice?

"Awww..." You reach back and comb through his ebony locks. "Hanzo... Are you sad you're not my first?"

"No..." He lied. "I'm merely content to know this will be fully enjoyable for you, then."

You gladly take a mental note and stow that information away for a later scenario you wanted to play out with him...

"Hanzo?"

"Hmm?"

You turn your head slightly and capture his mouth in an awkwardly-angled kiss, teeth and tongues grazing, nipping, and twining together in a passionate affair.

You lift your hips enough in the water so the head of his cock is squished between your thighs. You roll yourself against him, letting his cock stroke between your legs as you flex your muscles, gripping him as tight as possible.

"Agh... You truly live for danger, hm?" Hanzo groaned hotly in your ear. His hands kneaded your breasts, his fingers heating up as he pulled and twisted your nipples in time with the lazy rolling of your hips.

"Hanzo..." You keened softly.

"You need to stop." Hanzo said, gripping your hips, effectively stilling you.

You pout in protest, and look at him over your shoulder, waiting for an explanation.

Hanzo's tongue darts out to lick at a bead of water that rolls down your shoulder, and nips at the skin, there.

"When I finish, I want it to be inside you." He growled against your skin.

His voice and the way he was touching you sent a jolt of excitement racing up your spine.

"Yes." You breathe, your heart beginning to flutter in your chest like a flighty bird.

"Do you want me, my lotus?" Hanzo asked you. "Do you want me inside you?"

"By the Elder Gods, yes." You reply, your voice shaky but certain.

Hanzo quickly helped you up, turning you around so your breasts were squished against the rocks below you, your hands balling in the snow, ice creeping out from beneath your fingertips.

You eagerly spread your legs for him, water rolling off your body as his searing grip kneaded and squished the flesh of your ass, spreading your cheeks as his chest heaved while his eyes drank in your swollen and waiting sex and prone form.

"Hanzo, please?" You pant, pushing back into his grip.

His cock twitched at the sight of you, at the feel of your icy skin in his hands. Any normal person would be a shivering mess, being practically face down in the snow. But not you. You were Lin Kuei, a cryomancer.

His little ice lotus.

He gripped the base of his cock and took his time lining up, a small smile crinkling the corners of his eyes as you squirm impatiently.

He wasn't sure why, but something told him to raise his hand and slap your ass in a reprimand.

The squeak you made at first gave him the impression that he'd seriously hurt you, but when he noticed how demure you became, he chuckled softly.

"Behave, lotus. You must learn patience. It is a ninja's greatest asset." He said, his chest tightening as the tip of his cock slipped through your wet folds, the walls of your pussy gripping him in a greedy vice.

"Please, Hanzo..." You cried softly, trying to sink yourself deeper against him to sheathe his cock fully in the waiting velvet of your body.

Hanzo's hands prevented that, and it frustrated you, but your complaint died before it could form as he slowly eased himself inside, inch by torturous inch, until the tip of his cock just barely kissed your cervix.

He certainly had girth and length that was definitely going to make you see stars, tonight... His size complemented the roped muscles all throughout his body.

You make a deep, throaty moan as his weight settles into you, your muscles squeezing him down, trying to pull him deeper.

You feel the short coarse hairs that reached his navel brush the skin of your ass as he brought his hips firmly against yours.

He leaned in, kissing up your back and over your shoulder until his mouth was at your ear.

"How do you want me, love?"

"Fuck me hard. Please?"

He kissed your shoulder, biting down and sucking the skin, marking you as he pulled out and slammed his hips back in.

Your cries shook birds from the trees, the sensation of his balls slapping against your clit sending shivers up your spine, the pressure of his cock pounding you and pressing against that one divine spot within you, each drag of the vein running up his length driving you further and further into madness.

No other man you'd ever been with had been so precise or skilled in the art of sex.

Your previous partners were paltry compared to the sharp, angled thrust of Hanzo's hips, his cock cramming into you at such a harsh and heavy rate that you swore you were going to cum at any second, gushing around him, leaving a nice creamy ring at the base of his dick as he fucks into you like a man possessed.

He grips your shoulders and pulls you up against him, so your back is pressed against his chest.

His hands rise to your breasts, his fingertips almost glowing as he pinches your nipples, the soft mounds bouncing and jiggling in his hands with each upward thrust of his hips into yours.

"Hanzo!" You cried out, tossing your head back with a wail of ecstasy, your vision going cross as he brings one of his searing hands to your clit, rolling vigorously, the heat feeling like it set every nerve in your body alight with fire.

"Come for me." He softly commands.

And just like that, your body obeys him, clamping down, squeezing him, trying to mold yourself around him; commit his shape and size to memory so he and only he could ever fuck and satisfy you ever again.

He hisses out a breath, steam rising in waves off his body as he fucks up into you again, riding out your orgasm as he rapidly approaches his own.

Hanzo eases you back down, his hand sliding up your sweaty, chilly spine as he tips his head back, his lips parting in a moan as he cums, jerky thrusts and loud whimpers from you as his boiling hot load paints your insides a nice, pearly white, threatening to burn a hole right through you.

He lazily fucks you, some of his spend leaking out around him and dripping down your thighs as he rides out the blinding high that took over every range of his senses.

Once the two of you regain your breathing, he keeps you firmly seated on his cock as you both sink back into the water, relaxing as the heat soaks through your chilled core while Hanzo gently pours palm fulls of water on your skin, massaging your shoulders.

"Mmmh..." You sigh, relaxing against him as he kisses the top of your damp head.

"You seem content." He chuckled.

"Hanzo, I'm pretty sure you're going to have to carry me back home." You laugh. "Had I known what kind of weapon you were packing, I would have been just slightly more hesitant..."

"Only slightly, hm?"

"Just a bit." You murmur, kissing the knuckles of one of his hands.

Hanzo grins and plants a kiss over the bruise he'd left on your skin.

"You will get used to it, my lotus."

[blueberrypancakesworld]

Recurring sin under God's protection

Vampire! Frollo x fem!nun reader

warning : +18, smut, blood/violence, using a sword, vampirism, blood play, body worship, biting, knife play, obsession, stalking, faith abuse, religious sin (of Frollo's persuasion), corruption of the faith/a nun, hypnosis, murder/execution

Summary: Punishment and redemption are close to each other. The redemption of the young woman under the protective hand of God, the holy cross around her neck. The devil's punishment out of false belief is a conviction of pride and self-conviction. Leading to the resurrection of the judge to a creature who finally took what was rightfully his….her innocence and soul her whole being.

New chapter every Sunday - 5.Part series

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 1 : Setting of the sun and sins

Chapter 2 : Rising of the moon and the revenant

Chapter 3 : Obscuring clouds of the day and naive certainty

Chapter 4 : Night of he vampire and the blood

Chapter 5 : Rising sun and a taking of the soul

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[alliddewrites]

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Requests closed! :c

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Smut/Spicy -🔥

Angst -⚡

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Reader is Gender Neutral, unless said otherwise.

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Orange Peel Theory - Ghost x Reader 🌺

Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley x Harley Quinn!Reader x König (FEM!READER) 🌺

Neighbor!Simon 'Ghost' Riley x Reader 🔥

The Sweet Sweet Shop - Ghost x Reader 🌺

Leland Coyle - General Romantic Headcanons 🌺

Richard Trager x Timid!Reader Headcanons 🌺🌔

Alastor x Reader x Vox 🌔

[bunnist4rz]

THE MERMAID'S EMBRACE; LEON KENNEDY

synopsis; Captain Leon Kennedy, a pirate in Tortuga, is drawn into an adventure when a young sailor presents him with a map to the legendary Isla de la Máscara. After a storm shipwrecks him, he awakens on a beach and meets a mermaid, you, who helps him heal. As their bond deepens, Leon must choose between his pirate life and the love he has found in the ocean. When his crew returns, driven by greed, Leon must protect the mermaid from his former brothers. Ultimately, he discovers that the greatest treasure lies in love and the freedom of the sea. word count; 2k contents; leon kennedy/reader, fem!reader, pirate!leon, set in a pirate au, fluff, a litte bittersweet(?), pirate/mermaid a/n; I had so much fun writing this!!! I hope you have fun reading it tho 😸😸

In a quaint tavern along the bustling coast of Tortuga, the air had the aroma of spiced rum and the sound of sailors' boisterous laughter. Captain Leon Kennedy sat alone at the bar, his eyes tracing the swirls of amber liquid in his mug, lost in thought. The candlelight danced on the scarred wood, casting deep shadows across his weathered face, etched with lines of a thousand battles and the whispers of a thousand storms.

The tavern door slammed open, letting in a gust of salty air that carried with it the distant rumble of thunder. The chatter fell to a murmur as the newcomer's eyes scanned the room, searching for the man he sought. The stranger was a young sailor, no more than a boy, really, with a wild look in his eyes and a map clutched tightly in his trembling hand. He approached the captain, his voice shaking with excitement. "I've got it, Sir! The map to the Isla de la Máscara!"

Leon's gaze snapped up, the name jolting him out of his reverie. He took the map, his calloused hands carefully unfolding the yellowed parchment. It was said that the island held a treasure so great, it could grant a man the power to rule the seas. The legend had haunted him for years, ever since he'd stumbled upon a tattered journal detailing the adventures of a long-lost pirate who claimed to have found the island's location.

"How did you come by this?" Leon asked, his voice low and gruff.

The boy gulped. "My granddaddy, he was a pirate like you, Captain. He said it was for someone worthy, someone who could handle its... secrets."

Leon studied the map, the lines and symbols etched into it seemingly telling a story of their own. He recognized the layout of the Caribbean, the swirls of the ocean currents, and the carefully drawn islands. But what truly captivated him was the crimson X that marked the spot of the Isla de la Máscara. He knew the price of obsession and had seen men lose their minds in the pursuit of such myths, but something about this map felt... real

"Your grandfather was a wise man," he murmured, tracing the X with his finger. "This treasure could change everything." He folded the map and tucked it into his jacket. "Gather your things, lad. We set sail at dawn."

The storm had come upon them without warning, the kind that seemed to be born of pure malice. The Black Revenant was tossed about like a child's toy, the crew's shouts lost in the howling winds and the relentless pounding of waves against the hull. Leon had fought his share of battles, but the sea was an enemy unlike any other.

In the chaos, he saw a flash of white, a figure in the water, and then nothing. The ship's bow dipped sharply, and a wall of water crashed over the deck, sending him tumbling into the cold abyss. He struggled against the merciless embrace of the ocean, his lungs burning as he plummeted into the inky depths.

When he woke, the storm had abated, the world around him a blur of blue and green. He lay on a sandy beach, the warmth of the sun seeping into his bones. Above him, a face hovered, framed by a cascade of emerald hair. Your eyes were as deep as the sea itself, and you regarded him with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

"You live," you said, your voice a melody that seemed to resonate from the very heart of the ocean.

Leon coughed, tasting saltwater and sand. "What... what are you?"

You offered a gentle smile. "I am... something you've only ever heard in stories. A mermaid."

The revelation hit him like a second storm. He had seen much in his life, but nothing had prepared him for this. Yet, as he stared into your eyes, he felt a strange comfort, as if he had been found by a guardian angel amidst the fury of the sea.

"My name is Leon," he managed to say, his voice hoarse. "What's yours?"

"I am called [name]," you replied, your gaze never leaving his. "I have brought you here to heal."

Leon sat up, his eyes scanning the deserted beach. "What do you mean, 'heal'?"

Your smile grew wider, revealing a set of perfect teeth. "You are a curiosity, Leon. A man with a heavy heart. I wish to know more about you."

Leon felt a weight lift from his chest at your words. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he didn't feel the need to hide his pain. And as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the beach, he began to tell her your story, of the battles he'd fought, the treasures he'd sought, and the ghosts that chased him across the sea.

Their conversations grew longer and more intimate as the days passed. You would come to the shore at dawn and dusk, sharing tales of her underwater world and listening to his stories of adventure. Leon found solace in your company, a peace he hadn't felt since before he'd taken up the life of a pirate.

One evening, as they sat on the beach watching the sunset, You leaned in closer. "Your crew," your said, you voice a whisper, "they come for you. And for me."

Leon's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"They seek the treasure of Isla de la Máscara," you explained. "But they also seek to capture me for their own gain."

The thought of anyone harming you ignited a fire in Leon's chest. He stood, the sand shifting beneath his boots. "They won't find us here," he said, his voice firm. "I'll protect you."

You placed a hand on his arm. "But at what cost, Leon?" Your eyes searched his, the depth of your concern for him palpable. "Your men, they are not like you. They are driven by greed and violence. They would not understand us."

Leon clenched his fists, his jaw set. "They are still my responsibility," he said. "I will not let them harm you."

As the stars twinkled in the night sky, the distant silhouette of a ship emerged on the horizon. Your heart raced as you recognized the unmistakable outline of the Black Revenant. "They have found us," you murmured, a hint of fear in your voice.

Leon's expression grew grim as he surveyed the approaching ship. He knew the dangers it brought and the choice he must make. He turned to you, taking your hand in his. "You must go. Return to the safety of your world."

"No," you protested. "I will not leave you to face them alone."

"You must," he insisted, his grip firm but gentle. "If they capture you, your world will be lost to me forever."

With a heavy heart, you kissed him, feeling the warmth of his skin against your cold, fish-like tail. Then, with one final look that spoke of a love that transcended worlds, you slipped into the waves, disappearing into the night.

Leon watched you go, the sound of the retreating waves echoing his sorrow. He knew he had to act swiftly. Gathering his strength, he stumbled through the jungle, back to where he had hidden his weapons and supplies. As he dressed his wounds and sharpened his blade, he mentally prepared himself for the confrontation that lay ahead.

The following dawn saw the Black Revenant's longboats rowing to shore. Leon stepped out from the foliage, the sun glinting off his sword. His crew, led by the treacherous first mate, Captain Jack Krauser, spotted him and disembarked.

"Leon!" Jack bellowed. "You've cost us our ship and our treasure!"

Leon's eyes narrowed. "The treasure is not worth the price of your freedom," he said, his voice firm.

Jack sneered. "You've been bewitched by some sea siren!"

"They are not a siren," Leon corrected, his voice low and dangerous. "And they are not yours to take."

The tension grew thick as the crew drew their weapons, their eyes reflecting their greed and malice. Leon's crew had once been his brothers, but now they were a pack of wolves, hungry for what they could not comprehend.

The battle was fierce, a dance of steel and sweat on the sandy shore. Leon's blade sang as he fought off the men who had once followed him without question. Each clang of metal against metal echoed through the air, a symphony of his struggle between loyalty and love.

As the tide of the fight turned against him, you emerged from the sea, riding a giant sea turtle. Your eyes were aflame with power, and a pod of dolphins flanked you, ready to do your bidding. The sight of you, a vision of power and beauty, struck fear into the hearts of the pirates.

Leon's crew froze, their eyes wide with terror and awe. Blackbeard took one look at you and realized the folly of their mission. He dropped his sword and retreated, the rest of the crew quickly following.

The beach grew still once again, the only sounds the lapping of the waves and the ragged breaths of the two figures standing on the shore. Leon looked at you, the love in his eyes unmistakable. "I can't lose you," he said, his voice raw with emotion.

You stepped closer, the water of the retreating tide caressing your legs. "Then come with me," you offered. "To my world, where we can live in peace."

The decision weighed heavily on Leon. He thought of the life he knew, the adventures he'd had, the camaraderie of his crew, and the legend he'd built as Captain of the Black Revenant. But as he stared into your eyes, he knew that his heart had already been captured by the mysterious depths of the sea and the mermaid who had saved him.

"Take me to your world," he said finally, the words heavy with resolve.

Your smile was like the dawn breaking over the horizon, lighting up your face. "You must understand," you said, your voice softer than a whisper of the sea breeze. "You will be giving up everything you know. Your life as a human, your ship, your crew."

Leon nodded solemnly, gripping the hilt of his sword. "For you, I would give up the very stars," he replied, his voice steady despite the gravity of his choice.

Together, you ventured into the ocean, the cool water enveloping them as they swam away from the shore. The transformation was agonizing yet exhilarating, Leon's body morphing into that of a merman, his legs fusing into a powerful tail that propelled him through the water. His lungs burned as he took in the briny air, but you were there, guiding him through the pain and into the embrace of the sea.

As they descended into the blue abyss, the world around them changed, becoming a kaleidoscope of color and light. Schools of fish parted before them, and curious sea creatures approached to examine the newest member of their realm. The pressure increased, but so did Leon's excitement, his heart racing with the thrill of discovery.

Finally, they reached your underwater kingdom, a city of coral and pearl that gleamed in the bioluminescent glow of the deep sea. The merfolk of your world greeted you with a mix of curiosity and caution, their voices a symphony of bubbles and whispers. You introduced Leon as your beloved, and despite their initial wariness, they accepted him into their fold.

Leon and you became an inseparable pair, exploring the vast, uncharted waters and sharing their lives with each other. The treasure of Isla de la Máscara remained undiscovered, its legend fading into whispers. The pirates of the captain Jack moved on, seeking new prizes, while Leon found the greatest treasure of all in the love of a mermaid and the freedom of a life beneath the waves.

Their story grew into a legend of its own, a tale of love and sacrifice that echoed through the depths of the ocean. Sailors spoke of a merman and mermaid who guarded the seas, helping those in distress and keeping the balance between the worlds above and below the surface.

Leon's human life was forgotten, replaced by a new existence filled with wonder and purpose. He learned to navigate the currents and tides, to speak the language of the sea, and to command the respect of the creatures that dwelled within it.

But as the years drifted by, Leon's thoughts often returned to the world he had left behind. The faces of his crew, the sound of the ship's bell, the smell of the salty air—these memories grew faint, yet never disappeared entirely. Yet, each time he gazed into your eyes, the pain of his past was washed away by the beauty of your world and the love that bound them together.

In the quiet moments, as they lay on the ocean floor, watching the ebb and flow of the sea, Leon knew that he had made the right choice. For in the embrace of the sea, he had discovered a treasure more precious than gold—a love that had transformed him into something more than he ever could have been on land.

[probablyspooky]

Probably my masterlist

Yautja Fics

Message Received (Predator x Fem!Reader Guardians of The Galaxy)

Traitor (2010 Berserker Predator x Fem!Reader)

Oneshot- Strength (Feral Predator x Fem!Reader)

Oneshot-Sweets (Predator x Reader)

One Of Us (Alien VS Predator Celtic x Fem!Reader)

Royalty (Predator x Fem!Reader)

The Boy

Shadows of Affection (Brahms Heelshire x F!Reader)

Requests

Bad Blood Catches You playing with Yourself

Yautja x Gymnast Reader

Saving Reader From a Bear (Yautja x Reader)

Breastmilk

To the stars

Ranking Of Kings

Arranged Marriage (King Desha x Fem! Reader)

Apex Legends

Season 17 (Revenant x Gen!Reader)

Untitled Revenant Project (Revenant X Fem!Reader)

The Old Ways

Vinny Santorini

Tesoro Atlantis [Vinny x F!Reader]

[pityslash]

— “IN THE WATER.”

SHIP: bakugo x fem reader

DESCRIPTION: one year unexpectedly turned into two, you start to think all hope is lost in the apocalypse. spoiler warning: the real danger in the zombie apocalypse isn't the dead, it's the living.

TW: short series, apocalypse au, rawr rawr zombies & mild gore, descriptions of a panic attack, friends to lovers, main character injury.

　　I. WHO ARE YOU?

“please let there be something other than canned beans.”

you stood watch in front while he was looking around the back aisles. you two were in search of food, but everything else has been wiped out already. you weren’t excited about moving onto the next town.

it was cold out, you bury your face in the scarf around your neck when a shiver runs down your spine. occasionally you would see a few undead stumble towards you, empty eyes and its jaw hanging loose. you always took care of them quickly, you just have to aim for the head. “katsuki.”

it’s been years since everything turned to shit. when the bitten were who you feared and everyone you knew was gone. sacrifice or idiocy, it didn’t matter. but sometimes, you’ll catch a glimpse of the survivors —they always traveled in groups and you wanted to avoid them at all costs.

you had to remind yourself what kind of people would be left over, what morals they have.

the screams met deaf ears when katsuki saved you from this other man, grabbing his neck and throwing his body on the ground, the eyes of horror before getting a shot to the head. you shift slowly, shards of glass dig into your hands as he comes closer.

“you killed them.” you hated the way your voice trembles. blood leaks out of the holes in their heads, your throat tightens and aches like you’re about to cry.

it was like static noise on television, the buzz of city life only a memory in the back of your mind. now all you hear was the groaning of the undead, and the screams of those who weren’t resourceful enough.

your small moment of peace doesn't last long, broken by the slide of the glass door behind you and a pair of footsteps. you don't need to look over your shoulder to know who it is. “there’s nothing but dog food. some fucks must have found our stash.”

you can’t hide the disappointment on your face and it makes katsuki roll his eyes, pushing up the safety lever on the beretta 92 before sliding it back into the band around his waist. “i see more revenants coming this way, let’s go.”

katsuki holds out a hand and you take it.

the man took a glance at your arms and legs and you knew what you’d see from the excruciating agony. “yeah, should i have left you for dead?” he kicks your leg with his shoe, “maybe i’ll shoot you anyway, just in case.”

in case you were bitten? you were bleeding too much for it to be a bite.

“no— of course not!”

you hold your breath, bruised cheeks burning and you felt dizzy when he raised the pistol again, unblinking and focused. “stop yelling, jackass.” you can’t even look at him directly.

you’re shaking and everything hurts, and the blood everywhere makes you so scared, the gun pointed at you makes you so scared. it was the ease with which he saved your life, the complete lack of hesitation.

“keep zoning out and you’ll get lost again.”

“that was one time.” you take a deep breath, the smell of wet grass doing little to calm your nerves about being in the open like this. “how much further?”

“just a few miles.” katsuki says quietly, not a hint of hostility in his voice for the first time, and you nod, fighting to get your breathing under control. you wished, more than anything, that you had your anxiety medication.

“hey, relax. before you make yourself pass out,”

it took a long time to gain his trust, having to pack up the bedding while he took care of the rest before you two made it to the city, in case you made a run for it with days worth of food. the hours and hours on your feet and the whining while this man told you to shut up, struggling through a harsh winter.

but he was true to his word.

“it looks abandoned.” you look up at the house with boarded up windows and a wooden fence, it was too quiet. “wanna do it?” the sky was pretty and clear, finally warming up but that meant the undead would venture out again, too. katsuki sighs, “we can’t be too sure, be careful.”

you duck behind the car halfway up the driveway and creep up the stairs of the front porch.

the slits between the boards give you a limited view inside, seeing only the first room but there was a gate leading to the backyard, though it was chained up. katsuki kept watch while you tried the knob. it was locked, of course.

you share a glance and he held his gun at the ready with a nod. pulling out the crowbar from your backpack, you pry at the door as quietly as possible, the sound of wood splintering. it took a few tries but you finally eased the door open.

you two searched the house, both floors came up empty besides a few dead animals. there were four bedrooms, one belonging to a young girl and you wondered about the kind of family who once lived here.

smudged pencil marks on the door frame, glittery princess stickers peeling off the yellow walls. you find out the girl’s name and it didn’t make you feel any better.

the sun was setting so you two settled in for the night, putting your sleeping bags down in the living room and lighting a small candle. the house was empty and wasn’t completely falling apart. “here, take it.”

he was giving up his share. you offer half of the jerky and he reluctantly takes it, the grumble of his stomach enough to shut his mouth.

“thanks.”

for miles all that could be heard was the sound of running water and kicking a stone on the road, that random tune that got stuck in your head last night.

the sun was high in the sky and it reminded you that you’d have to meet with katsuki at noon. you were the one who suggested the split up to cover more ground even if he was reluctant.

“is it too early for lunch?” you asked no one, digging through your bag for the last of the jam and bread you packed before leaving home. things were getting harder every day, and you two were getting more and more frustrated when you came back empty handed.

you take a bite out of the bread and savor the blueberry jam, rich and sweet. katsuki would always tell you to make it last, maybe you’ll save him half.

you finally made it back to the market. those things always wandered about, and the place was too big to just walk inside hoping for the best.

so you knock your crowbar against the tile floor to call out any more undead but there was only silence. you start to go through the mess. sunflower seeds, some dented cans of tuna and fried apples, it must have been luck.

you were looking at the arrangement of dead flowers and think about taking a magazine with a cover that caught your eye, but then you heard a scream.

there’s gunshots and names thrown around as you rush over to see the commotion. you quickly see more undead thanks to all the noise, hoping katsuki wouldn’t come this way, because you could be stuck here for a while.

two kids were cornered just across the street, it used to be a barber shop, those disgusting things getting closer and closer. leave them or give into the last bit of humanity you had. “hey, this way!”

you call out to them from the other side, it was a little girl standing in front of the boy, who you assume was her brother. she cried in frustration when the gun clicked each time she pulled the trigger. revenants are fast, but they’re clumsy, so you could be faster.

you stab two in the head without breaking a sweat, they fall to the ground with a hollow thump. you make a run for it since more were drawn by the noise. “come on!”

they caught up quickly, the scraping of that girl’s shoes against the cement makes you want to cover your ears. “katsuma!” you hear from behind, turning to see her pick him up from the ground. he tripped.

“hurry!” you might have pushed their backs too hard if the squeak that left the boy’s mouth was any tell, struggling to keep up with their small legs. then you notice the alley, taking a sharp turn and yanking their arms to pick them up.

suddenly you were inside a heavy metal door, it was dark and they whisper as you slide down the handle and there’s a click.

“quiet,” you shush them, using your own body to shield them if worst turns to worst. you feel the boy bury his face in your shirt, grossed out by tears and snot, and the little girl squeezed your hand, so tight it felt like it’d bruise.

you were horribly out of breath, maybe even scared. but the undead finally passed —waiting a few minutes wouldn’t hurt. you listen as the groans and growls get far enough, taking a deep inhale and slowly moving away from the cool surface.

it was alright.

“we’re safe now.“ but you can't even turn back before there is something cold on the back of your head. this time she holds the gun with confidence, fingers on the trigger.

“put your hands up and close your eyes.” you feel your blood boil, the tone of this girl’s voice not sitting right but maybe that was the point. “don’t do anything dumb.. take the bag.”

you noticed the boy, katsuma, had dried the tears from his face and started to walk over while you slowly took off your backpack, which he took with shaky hands. “so i just saved you and now you’re robbing me?”

he must have been surprised it felt so heavy.

the girl snatches it from him. “we were fine, didn’t ask for your help.” sure seemed like it. you turn your head and watch her digging around in your backpack and you know katsuki will kill you.

“we’ll just take this, thanks. keep your eyes closed and count to fifty before you go.” she said, and for some reason you did.

the silence after their small footsteps fade out, even with your keen ear. you finally found katsuki waiting for you anxiously outside of the market.

“i heard the gunshots. what happened?” he was quick to ask and you were never one to hold back from him. too bad he was as upset as you expected. “—but you’re alright?”

the question made your smile get bigger, and you feign a small limp. “mm, i twisted my ankle so bad.” katsuki didn’t look impressed. “anyway.. katsuki, they could have been with a group, don’t you think? maybe they got separated.”

you made it home before dark. when you finally are able to shake off the feeling of being watched, you collapse on a chair in the dining room, the legs scraping against the floor loudly. katsuki drops his bag on the table and you make grabby hands, “so, what’s for dinner?”

“beans. and more beans.”

the look you give him makes katsuki glare back, opening the lid of one can. “don’t complain! next time, don’t let some kid take our shit.”

you snatch a can of beans and katsuki rolls his eyes, spoon flinging a bean at you from across the table. “didn’t your mom ever tell you not to play with your food?” but katsuki only gives a half smile, and it makes dimples dig into his cheeks. you swear you haven’t seen him smile before, or maybe you never noticed.

you two eat in silence and start to get ready for bed, doing one last house check and finally putting out the light. you stayed up a little longer though, wrapped in a small matted blanket as those kids have yet to leave your mind.

glancing out the window, stars bright in the unpolluted sky, you hoped they had a safe place to sleep tonight. you sigh and finally close your eyes, not that it makes a difference in the dark.

[apocalypse-shuffle]

JASON VORHEES (friday the 13th 2009)

—

“Pretty Pastels & Marajuana Leaves” (Jason Vorhees x Fem!Reader)

| Walking with Jason as he gathers up (and adds to) all the dead bodies from the last group of victims unlucky enough to encroach on Crystal Lake.

| SFW, depictions of killing and dead bodies, reader is being held captive, post-movie -callous!reader

| Pic Source: Friday The 13th 2009

| 2k+ words

The trees on the campgrounds always seemed oddly unbothered despite whatever blood had fertilized the soil the night prior. It was as if over all the years of bloodshed the nature around it had adapted to derive nutrients from carnage.

Most days it certainly felt like blood hit the ground more so than it rained.

Today the sun was blazing even at eight in the morning, gearing up to be just as cruel and scorching as the revenant that watched over Crystal Lake every second of every hour.

Weeks ago when you and your friends had first set up camp here, so sure the lake’s protector was nothing but a ghost story, you hadn’t known just how much your life would change.

Beside you Jason, nearly blocking out the light from your left, leads the way. He’d only just dragged you around while he did his usual disposal rounds and picked up all the bodies to burn all at once in a massive pit you’d watched him dig; the usual drill.

You hadn’t been with this group of unlucky visitors this time around but you’d met one of them. Clay, looking for the woman you knew Jason had below the cabin; the guy's sister.

You’d give the girl one thing, she’d been trouble and it’d been a miracle when during her escape attempt none of them had stumbled across where Jason usually kept you. A happenstance you still weren’t sure how to feel about.

Regardless, there was certainly no running away for you now. Not only had Jason kept one survivor this time, he’d kept two, and one of them he’s seemingly still hellbent on keeping. In some way at least. You don’t feel particularly positive about Whitney’s chances, and you know after witnessing the rage Jason was thrown into after coming to retrieve you sopping wet and with a fancy new hockey mask later in the day than usual that Clay was even more doomed.

You sigh. The flowers are a nice view at least. They bloomed in grand hues of pastels with a freedom you’d probably never have again amongst the vibrant green grass. The ground is dewy, you’re wearing some victims boots from months ago as you traverse beside your captor, however unconventional of one he was.

Your steps squelch as you come up on a sea of marijuana. Green and thinly clover shaped as they were, you recognized them instantly.

Fun. You think, almost hysterically. Someone must have died for weed.

You smile. Of all the things.

The tall grasses have collected water during the downpour, as Mother Nature did Jason the favor of washing away all his sins, and droplets lightly dampen your pants as the greenery slashes at your legs.

For at least the fifth time since you started your treck Jason bends over in the grass. Behind his bulk you can’t begin to see what he’s doing but so long as he doesn’t make any sudden movements towards you you’re not gonna worry about it.

You hated when he brought you outside more than anything. The sheer malice of the illusion of freedom hurt too much. For as sweetly as he handles you - about as sweetly as you imagine he can at all - none of it could make you forget how brutally he’d slashed his way through your friends. You had zero idea why he’d spared you specifically, whether for amusement or companionship or what but you did know that you were still alive, and that unlike the other woman he’d taken captive he carted you around with him everywhere so long as visitors weren’t around.

The two of you stop outside the boat shack and the lake air sticks as insistently in the back of your throat as the mint leaves Jason makes you chew.

Jason opens the door for you but not before one huge arm swings into your chest. His touch is relatively gentle, you only jolt from it at all because you’d already been walking forward.

It’s a small bouquet of wildflowers that meets your gaze when you look down. You inhale softly.

“U-uh,” you try, voice scratchy from disuse. You clear your throat, “Tha-nks?”

Shaky hands reach up to accept the gift and with the assortment safely clasped in your hold you try speaking again.

“Thank you, Jason.”

The way you speak is nearly a whisper but Jason clearly hears you anyway if the way he vaguely puffs up and nearly carries you into the shack himself is any indication.

After that the route you take to the dugout is familiar; you don’t have to pay much attention to where you’re going. Jason’s steps are sure and heavy bouncing off the walls of the dugout, your own steps not even registering as you follow closely behind him while using the light from his lantern to more closely examine the “bouquet” he’s given you.

Calling it a bouquet at all was incredibly generous but you wouldn’t deny that an attempt had been made to make it look more impressive. A silk ribbon tied into a crude bow holds all of the stems together and some of the flowers weren’t from the field you’d walked through earlier either and the pastel colors of every flower were a stark contrast to the grungy look of the dirt walls around you. For now you’d take the gesture for what it was, but no matter how much you acted like it you were in no way content here, just biding your time.

The closer y’all get to Jason’s other captives the louder the sounds of struggle and vague whimpers get. Something in you should feel bad for them, you know that, but they’d had their shot and squandered the fuck out of it for everyone else involved including you. From what Jason had done his best to convey to you yesterday and the context clues you’d picked up on by yourself Clay and Whitney had drowned and maybe tried to strangle Jason but had stayed around to reminisce or some shit like a bunch of idiots and now here you all were.

Immediately upon seeing Jason Clay starts up a barrage of yelling. None of which Jason truly reacts to. The killer’s irritated, you can tell as much with how jerky his movements have gotten, but that’s about it. Clay’s wasting his breath.

It takes both of them a while to catch sight of you, hidden behind Jason’s back as you are, until he moves to gather up a bunch of rope he’s collected off to the side. It opens you up to the siblings fully and they stare at you confused.

Clay is still huffing angrily from earlier and even as he turns furrowed brows your way it’s Whitney who finds her voice first.

“What, are you helping him?”

Her voice is tinged with disbelief and your hands clench over your flowers.

Despite everything bleak and unsettling about your current predicament you find yourself laughing. It’s short, a little mean even.

“Does he look like he needs my help?”

No immediate retort. Clay’s eyes narrow.

“Wait, I know you,” he says. He shifts, chains rattling, “You were in the woods. You said you were staying in a ‘neighboring cabin’. I asked you about Whitney and you said you’d never seen her.”

As he talks he gets more and more incensed, pulling against his restraints like a madman. Jason remains unbothered by the commotion though so you make a point to not back away from Clay and his thrashing.

“You’re a monster,” Clay finishes. You don’t bother doing anything more than raising an eyebrow. You weren’t any Mother Teresa, you knew that, but even Mother Teresa didn’t live up to the myth of her own virtue so you’d live. You were surviving, if that made you a monster then so be it.

Jason turns back around, sheathed machete pulling off the impossible and managing to glint under the murky lighting, and Whitney turns wet pleading eyes your way.

‘Help us,’ she mouths, and even accompanied with Clay’s smoldering gaze over her shoulder you’re not swayed.

Help them with what plan? Get yourself killed trying to fight a behemoth of a man so they could get away more likely.

You scoff. Please.

When Jason hands you one end of the bundle of rope you don’t hesitate to shift your little bundle of pastels to one hand to grab it with your now free one. He ties clay up easily, brushing off his thrashing like a mom would to a curious baby getting its diaper changed, and throws the man over his shoulder to haul to the surface.

When Whitney pleads aloud at you for a second time to do something while they’re gone you ask her straight up what her plan is and when she comes up mum you shrug plainly.

“Then no,” you murmur, and she spits in your face.

You sigh, wipe the saliva off from where it landed under your chin, delicately stuff the bouquet flower-side up into the front of your overall pocket, and move to grab the two cinder blocks Jason had indicated before leaving.

If Jason was willing to kill her after going out of his way to kidnap her after she’d tried to escape only once - someone who looked nearly the splitting image of his own mother - you weren’t willing to take any chances and get yourself murdered too. Plus, black as you were, you weren’t passing for this man’s mother worth a damn; appealing to his longing for a long dead maternal figure wasn’t an option for you.

Carrying the blocks make your arms ache and the concrete scratches unpleasantly at your skin but when Jason descends to haul Whitney topside after her brother you soldier on quietly.

When Jason situates brother and sister across from one another on the damp ground near the lake you stay just as silent.

When he ties the the blocks to Clay’s bound body and basically presents him to Whitney like a prized pony your lips stay locked, and when he sets him down in front of her - so close they’re breathing the same air - and poises his machete like an executioner’s sword you don’t let the scream rip from your throat no matter how much you want to match Whitney’s mournful pitch and Clay’s desperate incoherent yelling.

The blade slices clean through Whitney’s neck, cutting off her voice with a sick gurgle. Blood spurts like a fountain from her headless body onto Clay’s face and you don’t do anything but stand stiff like you always do, hell bent on not being next, as he sputters and chokes on the endless gush of her lifeblood.

Her blood hasn’t stopped gushing even as her dead body falls forward into her brother. Tied up as he is Clay can’t begin to catch her and he certainly can’t keep his tentative balance himself either and they both go toppling to the ground.

In contrast Whitney’s head has long since rolled closer to your frozen form and you blink rapidly down at the terrified open mouthed expression forever etched onto her face.

The next breath you take feels like breathing through a straw and that lake air sticks down the column of your throat like dew drops.

Clay’s still yelling, but the blood and wet muddy earth lodged up his throat makes them come out more like low grunts and squeals. A pig to be slaughtered.

The desperate sympathetic gasp you let in barely makes a sound and your hands begin to tremble as Jason stomps over with more rope.

You bite back a whimper as he ties brother and sister together, uncaring of Clay’s begging him not to, then drags them off to the lake.

After that Jason drops Clay in with little fanfare. When next he ambles closer to you, flayed head in hand and large sprays of blood and splashes of water soaking his front, and leans over to press a masked facsimile of a kiss to your forehead you don’t make a peep.

Ever silent, you wipe the tears that have soaked the dark planes of your face away and stumble only slightly as Jason drags you with him to start yet another large bonfire fueled by bones and decomposing flesh.

You didn’t know if in the foreseeable future you’d ever be free, if you’d ever bloom as wildly and as freely as all those pastel pink swamp azaleas in the field or so much marijuana under the shade, but what you did know was that you wouldn’t ever let yourself end up as just another head propped up on that damn mantle in Jason’s cabin.

No matter what.

NOTES: Hope you enjoyed!

Y’all I was supposed to get this out on Friday The 13th, but I fell asleep so now y’all get it on Saturday The 14th🫶🏾. The 2009 Remake is actually one of my favorite horror remakes and my favorite Friday film so it’s a little surprising that it took me this long to post a Jason fic, but whatever, I’m a slow writer anyway.

Also, mind any typos, I’ll get to them later.

btw: if you’d like to leave a comment I’d very much appreciate it! this is a sideblog tho so I won’t respond.

[the-marshals-wife]

Revenant (Baylan Skoll x Reader)

─ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─ 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ─ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─

A/N: I know that not many people have written this character in light of Ray Stevenson's passing, but I want to help keep the legacy of his amazing portrayal alive by continuing to imagine and create stories with Baylan. I truly that hope this one will inspire others to do the same. Fic starts with his perspective, then switches to reader's POV when Y/N appears (marked with a ☀︎).

Description: Baylan Skoll x Fem!Reader, hurt/comfort + fluff | Warnings: none 'cept reunion kisses, hehe | Word count: 1,960

Gif credit: user dustysalmon

Imagine being Baylan's secret love from long ago, brought back by an ancient power

The threads of destiny are difficult to untie. Baylan Skoll knew this all too well, feeling tangled within them for many years. Yet it seemed his arrival on Peridea had finally given him a true line to follow. A great power called out to him, and though it was elusive, he was certain that something more than just hope led him onward. The siren song had taken him far into the wilderness, traversing into the desolate unknown. Having discovered a distant light on the horizon to guide him, the feeling he'd been chasing only strengthened.

However, it was not long after spotting the beacon that he became distracted from his course by a separate, ethereal energy. It was also powerful, but it was distinct from the other entity he sensed. Unable to ignore it for very long, he decided to travel toward it. Having crossed the valley west of his original path, Baylan now stood in the shadow of a vast mountain before the opening of a cave. Above the entrance, there were runes carved into the gray stone, different from the Dathomiri ones he had seen. These appeared to be more ancient, faded from weather and time. Several moments passed as he contemplated whether to enter, staring into the silent darkness.

"The pathway to knowledge is fraught with difficulty," he reminded himself.

The words both assured and haunted him, having been said to him by his master countless times, so very long ago. That time, that world, seemed as ancient as the place he now found himself in.

He heaved a sigh and walked forward. He accomplished only a few steps before the daylight behind him had diminished beyond helpful visibility. Noting the sufficient space remaining between him and the ceiling, he retrieved his lightsaber and ignited it above him, the reddish-orange blade shining enough to let him proceed. Its steady hum was the only sound to be heard as he tread carefully ahead.

The feeling grew stronger with every step he took. It was one of familiarity, and it put him on edge. It could be a trap of some kind, he'd thought, yet he could not sense any immediate threat. Whatever called to him wanted to be found. He resolved to remain alert, and drew deeper into the cave.

Soon after, the walls gradually drew close. Baylan lowered his lightsaber and held it out before him, the space becoming too narrow to keep it overhead. A few minutes later, he finally caught a glimpse of light. The pitch black turned to a blue dimness, and the once uniform stone surrounding him now possessed long, jagged cracks, each and every crevice emanating a pale, sapphire glow. Even the floor beneath him gave the appearance of treading on fractured, shining glass. He cautiously approached the end of the tunnel. Beams of greater intensity radiated toward him like a sun.

The passageway opened into a tall, wide cavern, bathed in blinding light. Baylan attempted to shield his eyes as he stepped towards the source. The power surging around him was stronger than anything he'd ever felt before. The sound of rushing wind filled the space, but all was still. He strained to catch a glimpse of the crystal pillars in the center of the room, encircling the bright glow.

Before he could approach any further, the sound diminished into silence, and the light suddenly began to cease. At its center, a luminous figure emerged. Baylan watched as the remaining light withdrew into the flickering columns and revealed what could only be called an apparition.

"Impossible," he uttered.

He extinguished his lightsaber and replaced it on his belt, never tearing his stare away.

"Y/N," he breathed, "It cannot be,"

Was it the planet playing tricks on him? Witchcraft? A vision sent to punish him for transgressing an arcane power?

It did not matter. You were here.

☀︎

The starlight that had filled your vision just moments ago started to fade, your heart pounding in your chest. You gasp as air returns to your burning lungs. You're unsteady on tingling legs as you try to take in your surroundings through blurred eyes. A pool of blue light recedes around your bare feet until only a shimmering floor of stone remains. The cool, silk sleeves of a white gown adorns your arms as you begin to feel sensation in your limbs once more.

You hear your name spoken from behind, recognizing the voice.

Heart now racing, you try to blink the blurriness away. At last your eyes focus, and as you turn around, you see a face you know as well as your own.

"Baylan?"

"It's not possible," he whispers, stepping nearer, "You...you are one with The Force."

He slowly reaches out to you, and you inch forward to close the distance. His gloved fingers lace through your hair as he gently touches the side of your face. His breath hitches at the contact.

"It is you," he says, his eyes shining with tears, "You're here."

Your own tears blur your sight once again as you lean into his touch. "I'm here."

"But how..." he questions, "You did not-"

Anguish seizes his voice as he's overcome by the memory. You draw closer and clasp his arm, reassuring him of your presence.

He gazes into your eyes, finding the strength to finish. "You did not survive."

"I did not," you agree, "I was in the Netherworld. At peace."

Baylan's composure only weakens further as you speak on.

"I was dreaming of you. I dreamed that you were lost...in a great darkness. The light was not far from you, but you couldn't see it. I kept calling out for you, but you didn't hear me," you recall, the vision already seeming distant, "Then the light came toward me. It was so bright, I couldn't see you anymore. Even when I closed my eyes, all I could see was the light."

You pause, looking to him longingly. "And now, I am here."

He shakes his head, fighting the disbelief. "I don't understand."

"Neither do I," you say, placing your hands on his chest, "But all is as The Force wills it."

He grins at your words. "I've missed you more than I can bear, my love," he confesses, a tear falling from his eye, "If this is a dream, I wish to never wake."

You choke back a sob, trembling with joy. Only his name escapes from your tightened throat. "Baylan."

He pulls you into an embrace, and you melt into his strong, comforting arms. There was nowhere in the universe you felt more safe. You look up and begin to lose yourself in his deep blue eyes, just as you'd done countless times before. The space between you disappears as you surrender to a desperate kiss of equal yearning and passion.

You both smile as you break away, faces lingering close. He gazes upon you, enraptured, holding you tightly. "I have so much to tell you."

In your heart, he was the same man you knew and loved from what felt like a lifetime ago. Yet, as your eyes drifted from his greyed beard to examine the black fabric beneath your fingertips, you sensed much had also changed. You wanted to know everything, but your intuition would not abate, and your thoughts had begun to cloud.

"What is this place?" you ask, surveying the iridescent walls around you.

"It's quite a story. Like the ones we were told as children," he chuckled, "Many things I once thought were myth have been very recently proven otherwise. If the legends about them are true as well, then I believe this is one of the well-springs of the Living Force."

"But that means," you falter, looking back at him wide-eyed, "we must be on..."

"Peridea, yes," he confirms.

"Baylan, you found it! The stories were true, you found the pathway!" you exclaim.

"And so much more. This place is far greater than what the Jedi could have foretold," he says, releasing you to take your hands in his, "Now, we will share in its glory together. There is nothing left to stand between us. No Order, no war, no hiding. Everything we once spoke of, it can come to pass."

You want nothing more than to accept his wonderful words, but there was much you still didn't know. Apart from this day, you had not been granted sight of Baylan while in the Netherworld. Yet even in your rest, you'd had several visions of suffering and conflict enveloping the galaxy as The Dark Side permeated The Force. A great evil had spread throughout the stars, and now a shadow of dread grew in your mind that you could not shake. What if the premonition from before you awoke was meant as a warning? Had that same darkness truly overcome your beloved? Surely, he had not fallen beyond the reach of the light.

You realize the turmoil within you must have shown, for now Baylan looks over you with concern.

"Share your burdens, my love," he says, softly raising your chin up, "The Force has reunited us. Why does your heart ache?"

You hesitate, not entirely sure of the answer yourself. "I don't ever want to be parted from you again." It was not untrue; you did fear losing him above all else.

"I give you my word, you will never be taken from my side again," he vows, gently cradling your face in his hands, "No power can stand against us. We can make this world our own. Everything I have, it will be yours also. There is nothing I won't give to you, and nothing I will not do."

You can't help but smile. Tears return to your eyes as he continues.

"It is our destiny, Y/N. That is why you were brought back to me. There can be no other purpose. Together, henceforth, we will remain united."

He carefully thumbs away the tears from your flushed cheeks, and proceeds to press a kiss to your knuckles, sealing his promise.

There was no power to rival that which he had over you. Your heart indeed ached fiercely, with a devotion unaltered by time or distance.

"I love you. I have never stopped, and now I can say it aloud without fear," you declare with a soft, triumphant laugh, "I love you, Baylan."

"And I you, Y/N, as the sky loves the stars," he replies, wholly sincere, "Much has changed, I cannot deny that. But what I feel for you has never faded, and it never will."

You respond to his confession by wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him into another kiss, which he fervently returns. You pull away many heartbeats later, savoring each second of tender rediscovery.

Baylan's eyes soften as he smiles again. "Would you like to see the sky, my star?"

"More than anything," you answer, "But let us stay in this moment, just a little longer."

He brings his forehead to rest upon yours. "As you wish."

Not everything had changed. Baylan Skoll could still read your mind as if it were his own, put your doubts to rest as quickly as they arise, and remained the love of all of your lives. You didn't need The Force to tell you something in him was darker than before, but you weren't going to rush into uncovering it. You truly seemed to have been given a second chance, and all you wanted was to cling to the man you loved, just as you had those long years ago. This moment was all that you needed, and it was sweeter than any dream, in this galaxy and the next.

[cyber-cry-baby]

I started a slow burn romance (+smut) Revenant x fem reader fic!

Summary:

In the peaceful outskirts of the city, your life follows a straightforward pattern: working at a café during the day and enjoying evenings with your friends. Everything feels calm, except for the ongoing annoyance caused by your unbearable boss and your troublesome ex-boyfriend.

However, your life takes an unexpected turn when you come face to face with a murderous simulacrum. This encounter shatters the monotony of your daily routine and sparks a curiosity within you that you never thought possible.

-> start reading here <-