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thepigeonsopinion · 3 years ago

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Guess who's the bish that just watched "Wishmaker"!...

I'm the bish that just watched "Wishmaker" if you didn't figure it out.

Anywho! Let's get on with it. Now, usually I would do a little (extremely detailed) summary of the episode, but I can guess that a lot, if not most of the fandom has seen the episode so I'm just going to skip that and dive straight into it!

Warning: Spoilers for "Wishmaker"

Anyway! Onto business, let's talk about my thoughts on the episode.

So, the beginning of the episode. I legit don't know why this triggered me (I absolutely know why this triggered me, but I don't want to admit it) but Marinette melting when she gave Adrien the flyer got me freaking laughing, probably because every time and I mean EVERY time the love square interacts (mainly adrinette) is so over used that I find it hilarious at this point (this is probably just me, but what the heck :p)((also this was kinda me salting on the LS, but remember this is just my opinion so please don't come at me :)). Continuing on to Alya's comment about if "being a superhero counts as a job" it sure as heck does, well mainly if your Marinette (also the reason why I'm talking about small details that happened in the episode is mainly because I'm re-watching the episode as I type this). Again I had a cackling moment when we had the Sadrien moment, which made me realize how mean and bad I am, but oh, well (i felt horrible when i cackled at this, but i felt really guilty afterwards) ((i might delete this part later, but idk)) Also, when Plagg presents the idea of them running a cheese shop together it made my heart melt because it shows how much Plagg cares about Adrien and how much he wants to stay with Adrien. Now, unto the part where Marinette explains to the kwamis what a career is and when I say I was laughing through this whole scene, I WAS laughing through this whole scene. Mainly because of all the comments that the kwamis gave to Marinette. Like, seriously many of the comments are very accurate and the one that broke me was when Xuppu said, "It's making presents for Adrien!", I was like "damn he legit just called you out Mari". Not to mention, when Ziggy drawled out AdRIen's name to showcase the amount of meaning Adrien has on her life. Also, Sass is legit the PERFECT kwami for Luka, and I am not exaggerating this. Sass literally was the only kwami that stood up and voiced out that they should listen to Marinette and that her opinion in this situation is the most important one, and I know for a fact that Luka would do the same if he was put into the same situation Sass was in. That small detail in the episode made my heart melt knowing how compatible Luka and Sass are.

Anyway! Moving on, Andre legit unintentionally (maybe?) roasted Alec on his show, I was like "damn he got you there" and he also roasted him with the sweet, delicious treat known as ice cream, damn that's got a hurt. Speaking of Andre, the story of how Andre found his career was really touching to me. The main reason of why he really pursued his ice cream business was because ice cream was what made him happy and he wanted to share that with the world. In summary, I find Andre's career story really touching and meaningful.

Continuing on, after Andre explained the ice cream flavors to Marinette, Luka "coincidentally" appeared right behind her right after Andre said "Pistachio and pecan for the clear-sighted young man". And, if you tell me that the pistachio is to represent Adrien, I would like to explain to you how that it is not accurate. I mean, legit this whole episode is to represent how both Adrien and Marinette are indecisive when it comes to their career choices, mainly because of all the things happening in their lives. Now, "clear-sighted" doesn't really suit Adrien in the context of the episode. In this episode, Adrien doesn't even have a clue on what he wants to do for the rest of his life, but Luka on the other hand is a representative at the fair for his school and is running a booth showing his career choice, that sounds like he fits the definition more accurately. Now, I know that the main reason of why people recognize that the pistachio is to represent Adrien is because it's the color green and Luka's color is not green, it's blue. But let me introduce Viperion. I mean, Viperion is literally just Luka, even if he has a mask on it's still Luka.

Anyway! Moving foward through the episode, when Luka said "buddies", I felt that. It legit broke my lukanette stan heart to hear him say that they were just "buddies", but I digress.

Ok, I know that the main reason why Alec is roasting everyone's career choice is for his show (and to hide his inner turmoil), but damn, tone it done a bit will ya. In the end, Luka showed him, even if his way of showing him was to hold up a violin to the sky and let the wind play the instrument was kinda weird, I support whatever this kind and understanding boy does.

I know it is justified that lukanette is strictly platonic because the LS is going to be endgame, but I can't help but fan girl when I see my ship holding hands. Not to mention, the look that Marinette gives Luka is a look of adoration and love(even if it's just platonic).

We would like to welcome Bipierion to the running again. Like, come on, you can't tell me that the scene with the three talking doesn't look just a tad romantic. This whole scene, made my Luka stan heart just palpitate wildly. I mean, this whole scene; no, this whole episode is a bunch of examples of how Luka is such a mature and understanding character. This scene alone made me love Luka's character even more! Also, we FINALLY get to see Luka play the violin (and not just with the wind this time hehehe ;)) and can I just say, I totally love this scene, not only because it's with Luka playing the violin (though that may be the main reason) it's because I also play the violin so I kinda relate to this scene.

Continuing on with the episode, when Alec went into his inner turmoil and main backstory of why he is the way that he is, I was like, now I feel bad about him being trashed on, but he kinda deserved it soooo...Moving along! So, Wishmakers design. I don't know why, but Wishmakers design reminds me of Venom, or more specifically a drag queen version of Venom. And I fully support that, I mean you go get it, slay girl! Even if you are a villian.

So, Jagged’s childhood dream was to be a crocodile. I mean, I get a lot of people's childhood dreams were a bit far-fetched, but okay, you do you. Also, Mr. Banana's childhood dream was to be a cucumber? Umm ok...Anyway! Luka prioritizing others above himself, is just the icing of the cake as a Luka stan. (Not to mention, Luka already fully excepting Jagged as a dad is sooo, I can't express it into words how much I love that.)((Also, Jagged can't swim. Noted.)) Also, Luka and Jagged having a conversation about how Jagged wanted to be a crocodile as a kid, but he can't swim is so funny to me. And it also portrays more of Luka and Jagged's relationship a bit more, so I appreciate that.

It's time for a small detail mention! Luka's head tilt when he saw the dino huggie just made my Luka stan heart melt! Moving along, we get Luka or Viperion saving everyone, which just gave me a sense of joy! Also, Marinette as the knitting-fairy was so adorable!

Anywho, continuing on with the episode, with Luka finding out Marinette is Ladybug, you can see the realization in Luka's face when he realizes that the secret that she kept from him was that she was Ladybug, and you can hear the shakiness in his voice when he uses Second Chance after that, which shows even more how shocked he is. But, he still keeps his focus on the battle because now he has to protect Marinette's identity, which is just another of the many reason of why I love Luka's character. Ok, I have a small nitpick at this scene, and even though it's just a small detail in the scene I can't help, but comment on it. I know that Chat Noir is not in the right state of mind during that moment, but did he seriously not hear Viperion when he warned him to duck? But then again, I digress.

Moving on, I felt that, when Adrien found out that his childhood dream was to be what his parents wanted to be, because I also want to do that to, or mainly to just make them proud. Anyway, enough about me, let's continue on with the episode! Luka's face when he saw that Adrien was Chat Noir, really made me sympathize him. Because in Luka's eyes he finds out that are truly good partners (and I refuse to say "meant to be" because just no) and it is pretty obvious that he still has feelings for Marinette and that finding out that both Ladybug and Chat Noir are Marinette and Adrien must've broke his heart. I mean, you would react the same way if you found out that your crushes crush is their partner in crime (as some people might say).

Moving on! Umm, Barney is that you? I'm sorry I just really wanted to comment on that, also Lukadrien moment? Not to mention, how the heck can that dino huggie jump so high but hit the ground with a rumble? Then again, I'm not good with physics.

Okay, so let's quickly talk about Luka lying to Ladybug about knowing both the superheros identities. So, we know for a fact that Luka hates or at least dislikes lying, but in this moment he chose to lie, because he knows that it was the best option in this situation. The reason behind this is because he wants to protect Marinette, and I know that might sound confusing, but let me explain. Luka knows Marinette fairly well, and he knows that she has a tendency to overthink and freak out, so if Luka did tell her that he found out Marinette would freak out and start to think it's all her fault and that she should've been more careful and so on and so forth. This would make her a perfect victim for a akuma and Luka knows better than to let that happen, so he does one thing he knows will protect her, he lies to her.

Contiuing on, when Marinette said, "I will be Luka's best friend and I will love Adrien", I literally face palmed. I mean, I get it that the LS is bound to be endgame, but come on! Do we really need another reminder that it will happen eventually? Also, drag queen Alec? YASS QUEEN! SLAY QUEEN, SLAY!

And with that, we come to the end of the episode! So, I enjoyed the episode fairly well, with the exception of all the moments I salted it. But there are still so many questions that I have that are yet to be answered. Like, now that Luka knows both Ladybug and Chat Noir's secret identities, how will that revelation affect Luka's character in the show? Will their be others who find out their identities, and if so, how? (aka Alix) Will Luka's revelation affect how much screen time he gets on the show? And if so, will it increase or decrease? Will Alya find out that Luka knows? And, so much more. Not to mention, my opinion on Luka's revelation.

So, as I scroll through my social media, mainly instagram, I see posts where people read Luka's revelation as a way for him to also realize that the LS or Marinette and Adrien are "meant to be together", and though I respect those people's opinion, I don't really agree with it. I believe that Luka's revelation is just that. It's him finding out the truth that Marinette kept from him, and whether he decides to act more or be there more because of this is up to the writers and creators of the show. But I don't truly believe that that was a way to show that he ships them. I think he mainly supports Marinette's decisions and will always be there for her. And the reason of why I say this is because it is clear that Luka still has feelings for Marinette. I mean, come on, as I said in one of my comments during the episode, the realization on his face when he found out Chat's identity was full of sadness, contemplation, and maybe a bit of hurt. Which tells me that Luka still has at least some romantic feelings for Marinette. Not only that, he did the thing that he hates or dislikes most, lying, to protect her. But all in all I still enjoyed the episode and I can't wait to see where this revelation takes us.

I hope everyone has a great rest of their day and as always remember...

But that's just my opinion (・ε・)

(This took me FOREVER to finish, but at least it states my opinion and my little thoughts throughout the episode, even if it is a bit jumbled up :))

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killmongerkink · 6 years ago

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Behind Closed Doors

Summary: Erik, your roommate and friend, comes home from work drained and sick. After heading off to bed, you awake to strange noises and follow them back to his room. Little did you know what you would find behind closed doors.

Pairing: Erik ‘Killmonger’ Stevens X Black!Reader

Warning: masturbation, dirty talk, a dash of smut.

Length: 4k

BTW: idk why this is so long, but i hope you all enjoy & please show this some love bc i’ve re-written this like 10 times already smh. sorry if there’s any spelling errors

Part 2

MASTERLIST

You stayed silent, swirling your fork continuously in your plate of spaghetti as you watched your roommate sniffle roughly for the tenth time, his eyes fighting to stay open. It really didn't make sense for him to be fighting his fate with sleep, yet here he was ... holding back yawns and rubbing his nose roughly with the back of his hand. "Well that's ... disgusting." You mumbled, sighing heavily as you reached over to grab him a tissue. "Why don't you just take some medicine and sleep it off?"

"I'm fine. It's nothing."

You really had no idea why this man insisted on being stubborn. You figured you could just ignore him for the rest of the night and go on about your business, but you knew you were way too nice to do that. If you did, you'd just be staring at your door the whole time, fighting the urge to make him some ginger tea or get him extra blankets. But you knew Erik. He wouldn't allow you to take care of him in the slightest. He was too big-headed, way too arrogant .. and simply a dumbass if you were being honest. He could be on the floor dying and he'd still tell you to leave him alone. You didn't understand his logic most of the time, but figured he was grown enough to make his own choices ... as dumb as they may be.

"You gonna stare me down all night?"

Snapping out of your thoughts, you blinked quickly and look back at your food. Another sniffle met your ears a second later, this one making you cringe at the sound of thick mucus filling the kitchen.

"That's it." You said more to yourself than him.

You moved towards the cabinet and opened it, hoisting yourself up on your tippy toes as you tried to reach for the top shelf. You really weren't thinking when you allowed him to talk you into getting this fancy ass condo together. While it was nice, the cabinets were way too tall, you could never clean the floor to ceiling windows and god forbid you even attempted to change a lightbulb around here. In the back of your mind, you figured he had purposely chose this apartment because it would allow you to need him. He was weird like that. As much as he would huff and puff when you would ask for his help with a simple task, you knew that he liked the feeling of being needed.

When you came to the conclusion that you were just embarrassing yourself, you plopped back down on your feet and looked at him.

"Are you gonna even help me?" You rolled your eyes, watching as he stared at you with a half bored, half amused expression.

"I'm good."

You were this close to telling him off, but decided against it. Fights with Erik never ended in your favor. Somehow he was always able to flip the script and make it your fault, having such a way with words that you would start to second guess yourself and your stance in any given situation.

"Well you better pray I don't fall and bust my head open, you know the cops won't hesitate to snatch your ass up."

Ending your smart ass of a comment with a smile, you turned back around and raised your leg, resting a knee on the counter as you struggled, but finally succeeded in pulling yourself up. The countertop dug into your knees painfully, making you sway back and forth in effort to not be on them too long and you snatched the medicine pack from the cabinet. Huffing out a sigh, you made zero effort to sit down lightly as you fell back onto your butt and turned your body, sitting down.

As you were checking the expiration date on the half empty box of DayQuil flu pills, you didn't notice Erik's gaze on you.

Matter fact, you never noticed his gaze on you.

You had seen the women he would associate himself with and you were the exact opposite. While they all had long hair down their backs, you opted to rock your natural hair in your usual braid out or space buns. While they all wore tight clothing that excentuated their curves and hips, you felt most comfortable in a big oversized t-shirt and sneakers. They would be bold and blunt with what they wanted from the world, while you just stayed in the cut and let life drag you wherever it wanted to. To say you were the opposite of his type was an understatement, but you learned to deal with it. Everyone had their own type and you just weren't his.

Although you wish you were.

Throughout your months of living together, you tied to date around and make him jealous, hoping that Erik would magically realize that he wanted you to himself and demand that you see no one else but him. And you would've happily obeyed to his demands, but once again .. that was a fairy tale you had conjured up in your head. You knew that he could never like someone like you, and after a while you began to accept that.

Erik had wanted to fuck with you the first day he ran into you. You had this innocent glow that he wanted to corrupt in the worse ways. He would notice you on campus being the perfect little student that everyone knew you to be. Other people, including himself, would walk into class late with just a pencil behind their ear and their phone. Yet, you'd be one of the few with a large book bag next to them as you had notes, paper, and books spread out in front of you ready to learn. While everyone stood at the university bulletin board looking for the latest club flyer, you were pulling off babysitting and tutoring ads.

You were different and he liked that. He knew that his chances of getting with you weren't really slim. He'd seen the way you'd look at him when you thought he wasn't watching, but you were one of the few females he was cool with. Fucking up a good friendship just for a quick nut was dumb, didn't mean he didn't think about you though.

Your body is what caught his attention at first. Short and super thick, like real thick. Smother me with your thighs thick, but you seemed to not appreciate your extra curves. You liked to cover up and wear baggy clothes, something that he found cute but also hated. On one rare occasion, you came to him and asked for his opinion on your outfit. There was some important presentation you had to attend and the attire was business casual. You walked into his room, giving him a complete 360 of your white blouse and fitted gray skirt, the dimples in your ass pronounced. He probably jerked off to that imagine about three times that night.

Honestly, you were his dream girl in every aspect, but you were too good for him. You actually had positive things going on in your life and a future that rivaled his own pointless one. One day you'd be some successful ass doctor, while he was still scrounging around and doing the same ol' same ol'.

"Here, take two of these and go lie down. Don't even try to say you're fine, because that damn snot bubble you're trying to keep down is saying otherwise." You said before he could even get out a breath and placed the tablets on a napkin for him.

You left the box on the counter, figuring that he would need some later and started to pick up the dirty dishes and place them into the sink. After about 30 minutes, all the leftovers were packed away, the dishwasher was running and the stove and counters were cleaned. Erik has mumbled under his breath all the way to his room after helping, but you could care less. Atleast you could go to bed knowing you had tried to help him get better.

After your nighttime routine was completed, you dropped own onto your bed and cuddled your pillow as you waited for the sandman to come and whisk you away for the night.

3:57 am

You stared at your phone as you laid still. The sound of a loud thump had pulled you from your sleep approximately 15 minutes ago and you had been hearing strange noises on and off since. It couldn't have been an intruder, could it? If you remembered correctly, Erik made sure to lock the door after he came in from work.

Still, someone could've been experienced with locks and was now roaming the apartment. Or maybe it was your neighbors who had kids? What if someone was attacking them? You decided to play it smart and text Erik first, for all you knew it could’ve been him.

Minutes went by without a reply back and you rolled your eyes. Every other night he was up doing god knows what, yet the one time where you needed him to be awake and alert, he wasn't?

"Answer your fucking phone." You whispered to yourself.

When you finally came to the conclusion that he was going to be of no help, you quietly got out of your bed, wincing as it croaked underneath you. Damn boxspring. You opened your side table and pulled out your bright pink taser. It was a gift from one of your girlfriends that was given as a joke, yet now you were thankful for her crazy ass. She'd definitely be proud to know that you were about to put it to good use. Bracing yourself, you said a silent prayer and cracked open your door, holding your breath as you waited for movement to catch your ear.

THUMP.

Being the dumbass that you were, instead of waiting for the intruder to come to you, you decided to be a bold bitch and leave the safety of your room. If this was a horror movie you would've been cursing at the lead. You never leave where you are, always let the killer come to you. Not thinking, you continued to follow the noise until you were stopped in front of a door ... Erik's door to be exact.

Was he hurt? Was someone in his room? Was he currently taking his last breath as you stood frozen in front of his door? With your finger on the trigger of your taser, you quickly opened his door hoping to catch whoever it was by surprise. Little did you know how much of a surprise you were actually in for.

Erik sat in front of his desk, headphones in both ears, eyes unmoving and trained on his iMac screen. His nostrils flared as his bottom lip was lodged under the top row of his teeth, the air releasing from his nose coming out loud and heavy. Trailing your eyes down lower, you were met with his naked upper half, the screen illuminating on his skin and making his scars look as if they were glowing. You tried to distract yourself by looking at his computer screen, but that was a mistake. The screen showed a girl that looked a lot like you on all fours, one of her hands underneath her she pumped her fingers into her pussy roughly, her face contoured in pleasure as you heard her moans through his headphones. You looked away, eyes fixated back on Erik's face and you fought internally not to look lower. A part of you deep down knew that there was no going back once you caught a peek, but you couldn't help it. You had to.

Taking a quick breath, your eyes shifted and you felt your knees buckle beneath you, your taser falling from your hands. Your eyes twitched momentarily as you blinked, unable to believe what you were seeing.

Was this a dream? Was this all some sick, twisted, extremely sexy dream that your mind had conjured up?

Erik's large hand was moving up and down in even strokes, his hand gripping the black fleshlight tightly and creating a vile squelching sound each time it swallowed his dick. Every once in a while the fleshlight would hit against the desk, creating the loud thump that had you worried earlier. His other hand was gripping his base, his fingers cupping his balls underneath as his hips started to roll upwards. A second later he pulled the toy off of him, opting to use both of his hands instead as he increased his pace, your eyes finally getting to see what he actually looked like. The view was better than anything you could've guessed. A thick broad vein ran along his shaft, the glare from the computer causing it to glisten and look as if it was dipped in sugar syrup, the fluid motion of both his hands gliding up and down with a good amount left abandoned every time he reached his head letting you know that it was big enough to choke on.

"Fuck baby.."

Your eyes snapped up and met his, his lip now released as he smirked at you, staring in your eyes. You shuffled back slightly, your hand gripping the doorknob tighter as another grunt met your ears. You were slightly embarrassed at being caught. Any normal person would've apologized profusely and slammed the door behind them, yet here you were. Your mouth opened to spill whatever random excuse you could think, your mind going into overdrive.

"Eri- .. I didn't mean to .. I was just-"

"You got a sexy ass mouth." He mumbled, turning his body suddenly so he was facing you head on. Slouching down in his chair, he spread his legs causing his sweatpants to lock around the top of his thighs, almost as if he was silently begging you to step forward.

Your mind was telling you leave and just deal with the awkward repercussions in the morning, but your feet seemed to have a mind of their own as you slowly walked towards him. No words were said between the both of you after that. He simply nodded down to the floor and the next thing you knew, your knees were digging into the plush carpet. It was almost as if he was a puppet master. With the flick of his finger or nod of his head, you were following his silent commands with no resistance. He kept looking at you as he reached over and pulled his headphones from the computer input, the sounds from the girl filling the air around you. You couldn't front, between her moans and his glare, you were turning into mush. Watching the grip he had on his dick had you desperately yearning to play with yourself, you hand rubbing against your thigh catching his attention and causing him to lick his lips.

He leaned his head towards you, his dreads casting shadows over his face.

"Bout time you came. I been waiting for you."

Having him so close to you made you want to shrink away and disappear. You had been around Erik long enough to see the kind of effects he had on girls. The amount of drama that females had gone through the get his attention was wild. Switching up on their friends, changing their appearance, one even went as far as quitting her job just so she could spend the week with him in Miami. Bitches were crazy, or maybe it was Erik who was making them that way.

"You came to take care of me again? Always going out of your way to make sure I'm straight. You a good lil bitch huh?"

You mouth hung open, the thoughts in your head mimicing someone smashing their hands on a computer keyboard. If anyone else was to talk to you like this, you were pretty sure you would've gave them a dirty look and tell them to back the fuck up, but for some reason, hearing those words come from Erik's mouth made you moaning mess.

Literally.

Catching what you were doing, you felt embarrassment bubble inside of you. What was wrong with you? Were you really getting turned on by this man calling you a bitch? Coming to terms with it, you accepted that you were. There was a tiny part of you buried deep down that always fantasized about someone calling you names, treating you like a rag doll as they filled every hole you had. You just didn't think this someone would be Erik.

"You like that?" He watched as you nodded your head, a chuckle leaving his lips and his hand quickly gripped your face, causing your lips to pucker like a blow fish. "Always knew you were a freak."

Without another word, he pulled you forward causing you to shuffle quickly and grab onto the handles on his desk chair in order not to fall. You were pulled right up to his dick, the large statue staring back at you menancingly before it was being rubbed against your lips. You let him entertain himself for a while, enjoying the feeling of him getting off to your plush sets. You fixed them into suction cups, sucking the skin as he bucked his hips up and down, your tongue pressing against him and your lips spreading the wetness around him.

It was then that a sniffle met your ears, causing you to remember the events from the night before. You looked up at him, holding back your smile when you saw his red nose, which was extremely cute if you had to be honest. You moved back, softly moving his hands away and grabbing him fully in yours. He hissed when you started twisting your hand around his length. He was warm .. almost hot. How long had he been masturbating?

"You sick and all you could think about was jerking off?"

"All I could think about was you. I caught what you were doing earlier.” Caught of guard, your hand halted for a spare second, face twisted in confusion. All you did earlier was make dinner, like you usually did since he couldn't cook anything more than rice and ramen. You went to reply and ask what he was talking about when he rested his hand over yours, the both of your hands now working together over his length.

"Climbing up on the counter in just your t-shirt, ass hanging out at the bottom. You think you slick?"

"I didn't know it was out.."

He chuckled, like a real genuine chuckle, as if it was the funniest thing he'd heard all day.

"Come here girl."

You assumed you were moving too slow, because only a second or two later he was lifting you up and situating you onto his lap, your thighs pressing against the chair handles. You remembered when he had ordered this big ass gaming chair, claiming the plushed back support was worth the grand he'd spent on it. There were so many things you could've spent a thousand dollars on and it for damn sure wasn't no chair, but it did come in handy. With its wide handles and large seat, you were more than comfortable even with your large thighs pressed against the sides. He bounced his legs roughly, the force causing your breast to bounce against your chest. If someone were to tell you that you'd be sitting in his lap, hand wrapped around his dick on a Tuesday night.. you would've laughed. A real hearty one as if you were watching a Katt Williams special. Yet, here you were. You couldn't believe it.

"What are we doing?" The question came from your lips in a soft whisper, almost as if you were scared for his answer. A part of you were. Maybe he would sit back and realize just how crazy this whole situation was before pushing you off and telling you to get out. Maybe he'd realize that you were still the same girl you'd always been and ask you what the fuck you were doing in his room. All of the negative things he could've responded with ran through your head. Why did you have to ask that?

"What you think we doing?" He leaned his head back, eyeing you. Before you could think of what to say, he reached and started scrolling on the computer.

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you." You looked at him annoyed, going to grab his hand away from the mouse, just for him to move it quickly. Here you were trying to talk to him and he thought the computer was more important?

"I don't want us regretting this in the morning. We fucking live together Erik, we’re supposed to be friends. This is gonna be so awkward.. oh my gosh."

Looking past your lust momentarily, you realized just how messy this was. Everyone knew that friendships couldn't work after hooking up. Sure, people would fake the funk and act like they were buddy buddy after, but you knew the truth. It would be weird and uncomfortable. You'd slowly start hanging out less, one of you always busy and out the house, no longer able to hold conversations with one another. Eventually one of you would have to move out, there was no question about it. God forbid you had to move back in with your parents, not even to mention how many questions they would have. Maybe you could find a new place, or try to get something on campus .. or- sound coming from his speakers caught you off guard.

You turned to the right and watched as the PornHub logo popped up before the video started. It was of a black couple, the girl sitting on the guys lap as he rubbed her ass. They started making out heavily, the girls moans ringing through as the man started to roughly grope her.

"Nothing's gonna go left. I ain’t gonna let you get away from me so easily, trust me. Just relax and let me take care of you like you take care of me. Now start stroking." Erik wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you into him as he kissed your forehead, casting them down towards your nose and lips before detouring towards your neck.

Your blurry eyes set on the large screen, taking in the sight before you and realizing he was pretty much mimicking them. When a loud slap rang through the room, Erik would make sure to follow it up with a slap of his own. When the couple would kiss loudly, Erik would grab you by the neck and kiss you roughly, tongue all in your mouth and down your throat as his lips pretty much covered yours.

"How many times have you watched this?" You trembled, goosebumps forming against your skin as your eyes closed momentarily. Your body was way too worked up and you could tell he was too by the amount of pre cum that had leaked from his head onto your hand, his wetness coating him everytime you caressed him. He was too busy fondling with your pussy from the back to answer. His middle finger dipping perfectly between your lips and leaving barely there touches against your clit.

"Enough to know I wanna fuck you like that." His finger bypassed the material of your underwear and finally slipped in, your body shuddering as you started rolling your hips. One finger wasn't enough and you were pretty sure two would just barely itch the scratch you had built up. His command to “open your fucking eyes” caused you to look back at the screen, seeing the couples positions now flipped. The girl laid back on the seat, her legs in the air as the man positioned his dick at her entrance, one long stroke allowing him to enter as the girl cursed profusely.

"Dreamed of fucking you in this chair, your ass hanging off it as your knees press against your chest, big ass titties bouncing for me."

"Must be a dream cause I'm not that flexible." You joked, earning a bite at your earlobe.

"You'd be surprised what the body can do when the right one handles it."

taglist: @chaneajoyyy @softnani @iamrheaspeaks @thehomierobbstark @honeytoffee @madamslayyy @destinio1 @theogbadbitch @supersizemeplz @amethyst1993 @bakarisangel @marvelpotterlove

#Erik Killmonger #erik killmonger fanfic #erik killmonger fanficiton #erik fanfic #erik fanfiction #erik stevens #erik stevens fanfic #erik stevens fanfiction #killmonger #killmonger fanfiction #killmonger fanfic #black panther #black panther fanfiction #black panther fanfic #black panther smut #marvel fanfiction #marvel fanfic #marvel smut #black reader

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mayareth · 5 years ago

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One last time

This is my very first angst fic! It’s a very long one (maybe too long?) and it’s certainly full of grammar mistakes, sorry for that! Tell me if you spot some. I hope this will please you! This fic is inspired by a prompt @spades-and-hearts posted on Discord some times ago.

Characters involved: MC, Lancelot, Jonah.

Type: Angst.

Warnings: Important characters death, suicide, murder.

Words count: 4798

Note: Switching POV between Lancelot and Alice.

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

I never wanted to become so close to her. But that happened. She got too deep into my heart and I gave in to temptation. As I looked at her, sleeping peacefully in my bed, right next to me, I can't help but think that's not right. I can't and I will never make her happy. I’m the Beautiful Beast, after all, that’s what people say, no? Well, they’re right. My so-called heart of stone stir but it seems I have no choice. I kissed her one last time, the only woman I’ve ever loved, knowing that I will always remember that precious night she spent in my arms and that was all I needed.

I gently covered her eyes with my hand, softly whispering in her ear.

”I would give you all the joy I’ve ever had to make you happy and I will be hoping for your happiness forevermore, from this world. I’m sorry, darling, but this is for your own good.”

A halo enveloped her as my eyes turned crimson.

”Let’s all memory of Lancelot Kingsley vanish from Alice’s mind. Memories, be gone.”

I added one last part to ensure her happiness

”Find love and joy in the arms of a man who will truly love you and take good care of you. May you find this special someone very soon.”

As I removed my hand from her face, I felt a single tear rolling down my right cheek. I quickly wiped it with my sleeve and got ready for the ultimate reunion with the high-ranked members of the Red Army. Now, I have to focus on the clash with the Black Army.

At the end of the meeting, I had asked Jonah, my most loyal man, who became really close to our unexpected guest during the last month, to take care of Alice for me. I called her by her name one time in my life, I would never do this again. It would give her way too much importance.

”But King Lancelot! That would mean I can't take part in the battle! As your right-hand man, it’s my duty to fight at your side!”

The Queen pouted but I knew he was secretly happy to have been given this task. I knew she would be in good hands. No one in this army was more delicate than Jonah.

****

Jonah was chosen to accompany me to the Garden. I had a strange feeling since this morning, waking up in a room that wasn't mine with a fuzzy mind. Certainly the thought of leaving this world I had learned to appreciate. As I rode with Jonah, my arms firmly put around his waist, I wasn't so sure I wanted to go back to London, to my comfortable but boring life. I remember our time together, cooking for the army, helping me to chose how to get dressed, sometimes even doing shopping together in the streets of the Central Quarter. I could enjoy his sweet perfume before the air becomes filled with the scent of roses.

”Wow, that's really beautiful!”

The sunset was tainting the manicured garden in shades of red and orange. It was like it was on fire. Red and white roses gave added a romantic touch to the atmosphere. As Jonah invited me to sit beside him, what I reluctantly do, not wanted to damage this beautiful place, I looked at the sky. I will soon be home again. But is that still what I consider to be my home?

”Seems we have some time to kill”

The soft voice of the porcelain featured man brought me back to reality.

”I hope you enjoyed your stay here in Cradle. The Red Headquarters are going to look empty without you. Who will cook with me for King Lancelot when you’ll be gone?”

King Lancelot? I only met him in the hallways I think. And did Jonah say he was going to be lonely without me?

”I don't care about King Lancelot, we weren't very close anyway. What I really liked was to be with you, Jonah. Not only cooking, but I will also remember every little moment we’ve spent together, talking, dancing and everything else.”

My sweet talking had made the Queen’s cheek turning bright red.

”Will you accept a last present from me?”

A present? How could I say no to this? I smiled brightly at him.

”Of course I will!”

I was surprised to see him standing up and walking toward the flower bed, only to come back with a single white rose. It felt like I already experienced something like this but I didn't give it a second thought. Jonah’s gracious fingers put one of my hair locks behind my ear as well as the rose.

”You look perfect. I’m going to miss taking care of your hair. No, not only that, I’m simply going to miss you.”

It wasn't like him to be so honest about his feelings. I felt my cheeks burning as I put my hand over his.

”I’m going to miss you too, Jonah.”

He looked deeply at me.

”Do you know the meaning of the white rose in flower language?”

I think I’ve read something about it in a novel. A promised wedding? Maybe it’s not the same here.

”You’re the only one for me”

What? I froze at the serious tone Jonah choose to adopt.

”That’s... That’s what it means?”

”Yes. I’m sorry to tell you that only now, knowing it would only make your way back more difficult but I had to say it. You made my days brighter than they have ever been. I love you.”

I felt my face getting wet with tears. How? How is that possible? I’m living in a fairy tale. I am a cursed princess, no doubt about it.

”I... I...”

”I’m sorry, I shouldn't have bothered you with my stupid feelings, just forget what I said”

Jonah looked sad, hurt.

”Look at me, Jonah. Can’t you see? I love you too!”

A bright smile illuminated his slightly red face. How could I hadn't noticed how I felt about him sooner?

”Really? Can I kiss you goodbye so?”

I cupped his cheeks.

”You can kiss me but not as a goodbye. More as the beginning of something new. I’m staying. I will fight by your side, no matter what, we will never be separated again.”

In an instant, his soft lips were on mine, giving me the lightest kiss I could ever receive. When we parted, I immediately wanted more and it was a shared feeling as he claimed my lips again, his tongue soon demanding entrance. We stayed in each other arms, sitting on the freshly cut grass for what seemed to last for an eternity. When the full moon rose in the dark sky, Jonah asked me one last time if I was sure to stay in Cradle.

”It’s going to be dangerous you know. War is never a beautiful thing to see. You might be hurt or even die.”

I stopped him, raising a hand to grip his.

”I know nothing is going to happen to me as long as I am by your side. I want to help you. I will be with Kyle at the infirmary so I can stay safe at the headquarters. Feeling better now?”

We shared one last kiss before heading to the Central Quarter to begin the fight. I turn my back to my past only to begin something new here. I don't care what horrors I will have to face as long as I can see the Queen of my Heart every day when I wake up for the rest of my life.

****

I would never have imagined they would get so close. I was surprised when I saw them arrived together on the battlefield but even more when I spotted them kissing during the party held to celebrate peace and the victory of the combined forces from the Black and the Red sides.

”I would never have guessed these two would end up together.”

Sirius patted me on the shoulder.

”Me neither”

I sighed. I thought I had lost my heart years ago. Now that I could feel it bleeding in my chest, I knew I was wrong.

”Are you alright Lance? You look like you're about to cry”

The Queen of Spades gave me a concerned look. Me, the emotionless King of Hearts, was I really looking so pained publicly?

”Don’t worry Sirius, I’m just a bit tired. Those war days have been exhausting.”

My old friend gazed at me as if he could read my mind as well as my broken heart.

”There is something else, I know you better than you think Lance.”

A sad smile appeared on my face. Even after all those years, he was still able to read me like an open book.

”It’s Alice. She has changed. She is more emotional and had nearly eaten nothing tonight. That's not like her, something must be wrong but I don't know what.”

”Stop worrying, Lance. Jealousy never brings objective thoughts. As I remember how you were in high school, you must have rejected her saying that you weren't good enough for her, am I right? You can only blame yourself now. You wanted her to be happy, right? Now, look at her. She shines more than the moon itself. I still don't like the Cling of Hearts but I really think he has the power to make her life beautiful. Stop being so sad now.”

As I gazed to the clear starry sky, I murmured to myself.

”If only... Unfortunately, I think that's far more complicated than just a little crush.”

***

The war hasn't lasted long. Red and Black, thanks to Zero, who had been reporting to the ”enemy” about the Magic Tower and how he thought the mysterious institution was behind the moves of the Red Army. The two parts came to an agreement after the King of Hearts explained how the leader of the Magic Tower, Amon, was manipulating him to gain control of all of Cradle. Soon enough, the joined forces defeated the institution and were now working on building a peaceful world after 500 years of conflict. As for me, I was feeling rather sick those days, maybe due to all the pressure I’ve been under through the last two months. I was now officially the girlfriend of the Queen of Hearts and was treated as such. As soon as I needed something, a soldier was here for me. I learned that a lot of men from the Red Army belonged to a group called ”The Heart Defenders” that was admiring Jonah. My boyfriend seems to be the only person in those headquarters to be oblivious to these soldiers though...

Everything was fine until one morning, I woke up with a stomach unable to digest the yet light supper I had the previous evening.

”That’s enough darling, you barely eat and now you can't even assimilate the nutrients you need. You have to see a doctor today.”

Jonah was scolding me but I could tell he was more worried than angry.

”You speak like Kyle when he is not drunk...”

I was sure it wasn't anything serious, I’ve just been stressed lately, telling me I would feel better next week. If only I had known...

”Alice, what are the symptoms you’ve been experiencing lately?”

Kyle's face was more serious than I’ve never seen as he was examining me.

”Well, I’ve lost my appetite, I feel rather tired and I’ve been subjected to morning sickness those last days. There is nothing to worry about, I regularly feel like this after getting through hard times.”

The usually calm doctor’s face turned pale.

”One... One last question, miss. What about your periods?”

My periods... Let's see.

”Now that you mention it, I think I skipped this month. That happens sometimes but that's pretty rare.”

That's when it hit me.

”Wait, Kyle, are you telling me... I might be...”

When the red-haired man nodded, I suddenly felt the world crumbling under my feet. I had to sit on a chair to avoid fainting in the middle of the infirmary.

Expectant. I was going to be a mother.

”You’re about two months pregnant Alice. Congratulations. Should I tell the father to come here or would you rather telling him the news by yourself later?”

I could clearly see that Kyle was as shocked as I was. I was totally lost. I’ve been with Jonah for about two months so it's technically possible for him to be the father but that was so quick! Besides, I haven't shared the bed of any other man since I arrived in Cradle. How am I going to tell him? We are not even married and I know traditions are really important in the Clemence family. I was still lost in my thoughts when the door cracked open, revealing a pair of worried golden eyes.

Kyle and I turned looked at each other, then at Jonah.

”Well... I believe congratulations are in order.”

The doctor spoke first, awkwardly scratching the back of his head before gazing through the window and eventually leaving the room. I couldn’t meet my lover’s gaze, feeling guilty although a baby needs two people to be created. I hadn't realized I was crying until I felt the delicate hand of the Queen of Hearts on my cheek.

”Don’t cry, darling, that's not the best moment but it's still a wonderful new! And this baby, the fruit of our love, will be born into a peaceful world. So please, don't look so sorry. I’ll be here to cheer you up, reminding you that the future Lady Clemence always has to keep her head up because she is perfect.”

I rose my head to have a proper look at his face and saw all the emotion his eyes were holding. A moment later, his lips were on mine, giving me the sweetest kiss in the world so that I knew we were going to make it through this and that nothing would be able to stop the Clemence family. Our little bubble.

***

I shouldn't be THAT startled to hear cries of pain. Nine months have passed and Alice’s baby decided to discover our cruel world today, on a bright day of September. I tried to stay focused on my paperwork but it didn't matter how hard I tried, it was impossible. I finally gave up to check on my nervous right-hand man.

”Do you think she will be alright my King? I know I shouldn't bother you with my worries but...”

I put a hand in the air to stop him.

”Calm down, Jonah. Alice is with Kyle and some of the best midwives in Cradle. Everything will be fine.”

I tried to reassure him but I wasn't that confident either. My head was full of that ”What if...?” questions and the heat of the end of summer was making the air unbearable. I began to pace the hall, waiting for some news as Jonah was getting closer and closer to fainting at every scream of his wife. Edgar and Zero came to check regularly but they didn't seem to be as edgy as their two superiors. Why am I feeling like this? She is not mine anymore. Why am I that concern with that baby's well-being or even with his mother's health? We barely see each other at meetings or around the table. Suddenly, the screaming stopped, replaced by the sounds of a crying baby. Jonah got up at the right moment when a midwife opened the door.

”It’s a healthy baby boy! Congratulations!”

Jonah was on the verge of tears as he turned to me before entering the infirmary.

”Do you want to see him, my King? As the godfather of this child, you might even want to hold him.”

Godfather? I don't know how I was feeling about this title. A mix of pride and jealousy maybe? I followed the Queen of Hearts to discover an exhausted but shining young woman. As I approached the bed to have a proper look at the newborn Clemence, it hit me. Something is wrong. I might be mistaken but that's not Jonah’s baby...

***

”Leander, come back here!”

My five years old little boy looked at me mischief reflecting in his blue eyes as he continued to run.

”Mama, I don't want to eat millefeuille! Papa really has weird tastes, sweets from Uncle Edgar are better than... Hey!”

A tall man grabbed him by the wrist, pulling the little boy in his strong arms.

”Found you! You should listen to your mother and behave correctly on your father’s birthday.”

Leander pouted a little before bursting out laughing when the man as blond as the child started to tickle him.

”Promise to be kind or I won’t stop!”

”I promise, Godfather, I promise, please stop now haha!”

I smiled as I watched the two of them being so close. Since Leander’s birth, Lancelot was spending a lot of time with his godson, even allowing him to come playing in his office.

”Now go, and don't forget the present we made together for your father!”

The King finally put the child on the floor again, messing Leander’s blond hair and winking at him before walking away.

”Wait, we have to give him together! Papa will be very happy if we do, Godfather!”

But Lancelot was already too far and didn't hear the little boy.

”Come with me, Leander. You can give your present to your father tonight with your godfather if you want but he seems to be busy right now.”

My son turned to me, his icy blue gaze full of sadness, making me want to hug him tightly.

”Mama, I want to give Papa his birthday cake with his afternoon tea so it has to be now!”

Before I had realized what was happening, Leander’s eyes turned crimson and he disappeared. Wait. Hold on for a fucking minute. How in the world can he do something like this??? I hurried to Lancelot’s office, the place I was sure to find answers. I had seen this gaze somewhere before. But when? That's when I entered the room and saw my son sitting on the King’s lap that it came back straight into my mind.

”You remember, do you?”

Lancelot asked me, reading my thoughts.

I felt the world spinning as all my memories were coming back. My life here was based on lies. I had to sit down before fainting. The tall man asked his godson to leave, promising to give Jonah his birthday cake with him. As soon as the door was closed, I spoke, at the verge of tears.

”Why? Why did you do something like this Lance?”

”Isn’t it obvious? I did it for you. I wanted you to be happy with a better man than me. I wasn't expecting you to fall for my right-hand man but I accepted it, as painful as it was for me. As it is still now. I would only have hurt you.”

”Hurt me?! What am I now Lancelot? You haven't only LIED to me, but to everyone! Why do you always have to fight alone?!”

My tone was full of rage. I loved him. I trusted him. But he spoiled everything. I adored my husband but now, I had to deal with my past and some old feelings. I clenched my hands into fists as I listened to what he had to say.

”I wasn't planning on you getting pregnant, Alice, that's true. But now, look, you are married and have a family! That's enough to make me satisfied.”

The rain started to fall outside, the droplets hitting on the windows, covering the sounds from the exterior.

”How can you say things like that? I love you, I would have married you, you have a son that doesn't even know you're his father but is conscious that he is closer to you than to Jonah. Why do you always have to make things more complicated than life is already?”

Through my wet eyes, I hadn't noticed he had gotten closer to me. I was still sobbing when he ran his thumb across my cheek, wiping away my tears.

”I hate you and I love you in the meantime but I didn't notice those feelings before because of the spell you cast on me. How can you be so cruel?”

His hand grabbed my chin, forcing me to peer through his eyes, reflecting all the suffering he had bear during those last five years, even more.

”I’m so sorry...”

I didn't let him finish. I kissed him, knowing that we will both regret this afterwards. I wanted to feel all of him, to make up for the lost time. To forget everything for an instant. He kissed me back, telling me he had the same wish. I knew I was acting like a fool, without thinking and that I would regret it. But I wanted to bring back some memories.

”I’m sorry our son has inherited my magical abilities. It will only bring him problems.”

I shook my head, my forehead still against his.

”Not when he has a father as strong as you, Lance. He took a lot more from you than his powers you know.”

The King smiled, a grin holding a hint of sadness somehow.

”And for Jonah? How is he going to react if he learns Leander is not his son?”

That's when a broken sound reasoned in the office.

***

”Enough now! I’ve heard enough! When were you planning on telling me?!”

The high voice of the Queen of Hearts was crackling under a mix of anger and sadness, the broken teacup he was holding laying at his feet.

”Jonah, that's not how it is! I’ve just remembered now, I swear! Please calm down.”

Alice's face was twisted in fear and in panic while it took me all I got to remain calm.

”Jonah, listen carefully please, all of this wasn't planned and Alice...”

”STOP!!! I was trusting you, both of you! My life was yours... How? How could you do this to me ON MY BIRTHDAY?!”

The golden eyes of my subordinate burned with rage, the tears that filled them not enough to extinguish the fire in them.

”When I saw Leander pouting, telling me that you two were preparing a surprise for me without him, I would never have thought it was, in reality, a true betrayal. I... I...”

Suddenly, he pulled out his sword and I immediately did the same.

”Jonah, don't do something you would regret.”

”I already regret to be born. My whole life was dedicated to serving the very same people who were going to harm me in the worst way possible in the end.”

A certain madness in the two ambers that were gazing at me made me freeze. I felt chills running down my spine.

”King Lancelot, for whom I could have given my life, my heart and my soul, I challenge you to a duel.”

”And I accept”

I responded, without moving my sword away nor tearing my eyes apart from his. The tension in the air was thick. A single spark and everything would explode.

”Stop it, both of you, please!”

Alice pleading voice made my opponent and myself focused our gaze on the only woman in the room. Guilt was written all over her face. Shock and anxiety too. I wanted to hug her so badly, telling her everything would be alright. But I couldn't do that nor lie to her again.

”Don’t you dare to come between us now! You’re responsible for this. Can't you see how you broke my heart? Just look at this teacup, it's all the same! You’re my wife, I thought you were my soulmate. You promised to love me and to stay true to me when we married, remember? Now what? Stay away from this, you’ve caused enough damages.”

She was so pale I thought she might collapse here and now. Alice was trembling, her legs barely keeping her up.

”This is a fight between two men, Alice. Jonah is right, don't intervene. This will soon be settled. Shall we begin?”

As soon as I finished to speak, Jonah’s dagger was at my throat. I quickly whirled and used magic to pushed him back. His head slammed against my desk badly, creating a deep cut in his forehead. That didn't stop him. Jonah ran straight into me, nearly stabbing me in the right arm.

”You had everything! Everything! A kingdom, people here to serve you, loving parents and friends. You’ve never had to go through harassment to protect a little brother that doesn't even bother to talk to you now! No! It wasn't enough, you had to take my wife too!”

I’ve never seen him in such a poor state. He was like a madman, swinging his blade without any logic in the air. It was like he was possessed by a demon, not the kind of Edgar, more likely Amon. My foot slipped on the tea Jonah had spilt a few minutes before and in an instant, I was lying on the floor. The surprise effect took me longer than it should to get up. It was too late.

”I’m sorry my King, but I must do this.”

Jonah’s sword was aimed right at my throat and in a movement, I understood it was over.

”NOOO!!!”

Alice leapt between Jonah and me right when the Queen of Hearts was about to cut me. Instead of my blood, her own crimson liquid was now staining my clothes.

”Alice!!!”

She was laying on the floor, unconscious, bathing in her own blood, a deep cut in her throat providing all the red substance that was staining her clothes. Furious, I jumped at Jonah’s throat, my hands firmly pressed at each side of his delicate neck. The more he struggled, the more I added pressure. I totally lost control of myself as I was yelling at him, my voice similar to the cry of a wounded animal.

”You killed her! You murderer! You possessed doll! It was your wife and the love of my life! If you had followed my orders and let her go to her own world five years ago, everything would still be fine! Why were you always so proud and stubborn and selfish and...”

I stopped right away, noticing he didn't move anymore.

”Jonah? Jonah, answer to me! Jonah!!!”

Tears started to run down my cheeks as my hands were trembling. I let go of the now dead body that was I was responsible for. I slowly got up, then, I sat at my desk, writing everything that happened and asking Sirius and Luka to take care of Leander. Finally, I opened a compartment and pulled out the letter I wrote when I discovered Alice’s child was also mine. It was addressed to Leander, explaining everything to him. When I heard voices and footsteps getting close to the door, I glanced one last time at two of the people I loved the most lying on the crimson floor, whispering to me:

”You’re the Beautiful Beast, everything you touch end like this, ruined and dead. You don't deserve to live anymore unless you want to see all the people you love in such a pitiful state.”

Someone knocked at the door and I recognized Edgar and Zero’s voices. That's it, this is the end.

”I’m sorry Leander, Sirius, everyone. Please forgive me.”

I positioned my hands on both sides of my head while my eyes turned crimson one last time. I focused to concentrate enough magic to do my duty and all went white.

One last time, I felt sorry. One last time I suffered. One last time, I killed a man.

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

I’m not really confident about this but it was good to practice my English in long writing. I’ll try to write angst again soon and to test my skills at NSFW too! Apparently, I’m posting this in the middle of the Angst Revolution but that's a coincidence xD

Tagging @saphyhowl @pianoperson @xathia-89 @lovingikesen @muggzc @lovingsiriusoswald @jonahswife @toloveawarlord @plumpblueberry @kiarigirl @alloveroliver-ash @theundyingskeleton @spades-and-hearts @hejer-maomao

#I wanted to kill them all because one dead body is not enough #still don't find this emotional enough #go learn more vocabulary #I procrastinated two months on this xgcdgbjvc #what am I doing with my life #hope it pleases you though #ikerev #jonah clemence #lancelot kingsley #alice #first time writing angst #angst #my writing

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thaisibir · 5 years ago

Text

La Vie en Rose (Bede and young!Opal time travel fic)

La Vie en Rose (Life in Pink) Rating: T (for character deaths and language) Chapter 3/10 - Beginnings (length: ~3k words) Summary: Bede doesn’t get why that loony old bat Opal wants him to be the next Fairy-type Gym Leader. To help him understand, Opal has Celebi take Bede back to the time of her youth.

(For other chapters, look up the tag “pokemon la vie en rose” or go to my profile)

When the light faded, Bede cracked his eyes open. Slowly he let go of Celebi’s hands. He noticed the same ring of tiny yellow mushrooms, the same curtain of moss hanging over the big old tree. The only difference was that Opal was nowhere to be seen. It didn’t feel like he had jumped back seventy years, but that was because he hadn’t explored yet.

“Where do I go from here?” Bede asked Celebi. “Lead the way.”

“Bi!” The Pokemon flew ahead of him through the glowing mushrooms, but at a steady, hovering pace so he could keep up with it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Bede thought he spotted the pink horned ears of Impidimps as they scuttled through the undergrowth. Could they see him? He hoped not. When he was building his new team, he had refused to catch and raise one of those creepy little buggers.

Celebi led him out to the trail that took them to the Ballonlea Gym. It flashed the same pink neon lights and emblem, but the doors had hinges and the Gym was half the size he expected. Bede guessed that both the regional population and enthusiasm for watching Gym battles had climbed since the 1950s, and at some point, the Gym underwent renovation to increase seating capacity and allow Dynamaxing. And automatic sliding doors hadn’t been invented yet.

“I wonder what it looks like inside?” He asked out loud. He made for the doors, but Celebi halted him mid-stride by tugging on his sleeve. Just then the double doors burst open. They could have swung right into him if Celebi hadn’t stopped him. A tall, dark-haired young woman sprinted past the doors, past Bede, and down the opposite path he had taken to reach the Gym.

“That’s Ms. Opal,” Bede exclaimed.

Celebi took off after her, prompting him to run after them both. He tried to follow them past the cluster of cottages and down the flights of stairs. Ballonlea Town hadn’t changed much in seventy years—just as Bede would expect out of an enchanting little town touched by Fairy type Pokemon. Opal sprinted into Glimwood Tangle without a pause or slowing down. Despite the gloom and patches of thick, tall grass, she clearly knew her way around as she wove back and forth through the labyrinth-like pathways and ducked into the gaps under fallen tree trunks.

“Ms. Opal, wait,” Bede called out. Then he remembered that he had no physical presence here. She wouldn’t be able to see or hear him. Bede had been one of the faster boys in the orphanage, if not the fastest, but he pumped his arms and legs hard in great effort to keep up. “Bloody hell, she’s fast,” he managed to say between pants. Definitely not the slow old woman as he had first known her.

Ahead of him, Celebi made a sound close to a tinkering laugh. Bede thought that the chase would go on and on, and he would lose Opal in the thicket, but she slowed down. He pressed both hands to his knees and tried to catch his breath just behind her. She gently tapped at a nearby mushroom, sending a stronger green glow around them.

“Mother,” Opal said softly. “I knew you would be here.”

Bede peeked around her to spot an older woman curled up by the ledge. He recognized that tangle of long dark hair, and her long nose, though the old photo hid the fact that the woman’s shawl was actually a dull yellow, not gray. It took him a few seconds to realize that Opal’s mother, Ruby, was hugging a Mimikyu to her chest. Her Mimikyu, Bede guessed. The Pokemon extended a shadowy claw through its Pikachu-like cloak to rub soothing strokes on Ruby’s shoulder.

Celebi beckoned at Bede to come closer. He edged farther in, feeling weird about eavesdropping on what was supposed to be a private moment between mother and daughter, but that was what the present-day Opal wanted him to do, anyway.

Opal knelt down to rest a hand on her mother’s back. Her right hand. It was bare, and Bede saw no scar there.

Ruby shuddered and let out a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry, dear. You know how I am around unexpected guests.”

Opal’s eyes narrowed and her frown deepened, briefly adding a few more years to her young face. “Those reporters were quite rude, barging into the Gym like that for an unwarranted interview. I’ll place more security around the Gym to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

Ruby made a small, wan smile. “You’ve become such a mature and responsible young woman, despite everything I’ve done.” She shook her head. “No, because of everything I’ve done. Look at me, Opal. I can’t even handle being around a couple of news reporters without suffering a panic attack. You’ve had to keep the Gym running while I would be away trying to pull myself together. I’m sorry to put that burden on you, dear.”

Opal shook her head. “You’ve trained me for this, Mother. I’m happy to do my duty.”

“Speaking of duty, I think that my time as Gym Leader is over.” Ruby had been stroking the top of Mimikyu’s head, and she lowered her hand to rest it on top of her daughter’s. “I apologize for the lack of ceremony...but Opal, dear, starting today, you will be the next Gym Leader of Ballonlea Town.”

Opal jerked her hand away. “What? Now? But I haven’t-”

“I know, your eighteenth birthday is three months away, and I had planned to hand over the Gym to you then. But in all honesty, I don’t think I can bear another three months. I’m at my limit, Opal. You know as well as I do that I am at odds with civilization. I am quite odd, aren’t I? I won’t be offended if you think so.”

Opal frowned. “There’s nothing wrong with feeling more connected with Pokemon than with people.”

“But feeling so connected with them that I want to cut off people forever?”

Opal stared at her with silent, wide-eyed shock.

Ruby closed her eyes, and Bede saw how the dark bruised look of them contrasted with the paleness of her face. “Yes, I’ve thought about it for years. I grow tired of human chatter and rabble. I can’t stand the roaring and cheering in the Gym stadium. I get this terrible ringing in my ears. It drives me mad. Every day I feel the wilderness and its wild Pokemon calling to me, drawing me away from society, promising a cure. Only in that quietness and seclusion can I find peace, and my ears don’t ring anymore.” Ruby opened her eyes to return Opal’s pitying gaze. “I’ve kept my post as Gym Leader for your sake, so I could teach you what I know, everything I know about Fairy type Pokemon. You may not be eighteen yet, but I believe that you are ready. Consider this an early birthday present from me.”

Opal pursed her lips. “Thank you, Mother,” she murmured.

“You’re welcome, and good-bye, my dear.”

Opal drew back and blinked many times under a scrunched up brow. “Good-bye? You’re leaving today?”

Ruby’s voice was gentle but firm. “This will be my last day among people. No more human contact after today.”

“Even me?”

“Yes, Opal, even you.” Ruby took her daughter’s hand and squeezed it. “That is not to say that I don’t love you. Not at all. A parent is not supposed to have favorites, but of all my children, you are my absolute favorite. I’m sure you know that already.”

Opal smiled. “Well, I’m the only one who can understand you.”

Ruby nodded. “You chose to come with me when your father and I got divorced. You chose to leave behind all the riches in Wynwall, your father and your brothers, to train under me and learn the ways of Fairy type Pokemon. That was not an easy choice to make.” She lowered Mimikyu to the ground and rose to her feet, pulling her shawl tighter around herself. “You have been good company, and a good student, but now that I’ve passed on the torch to you, your place is with Ballonlea, while my place is elsewhere. The best option for us both is to part ways.”

“Where will you go, Mother?”

Ruby tilted her head to one side in thought. “Deeper into Glimwood Tangle, or perhaps into the Slumbering Weald. I heard that the locals in the nearby town are forbidden from entering it.” She smiled. “That sounds like an ideal place for someone who doesn’t want to be found. I will live off the salt of the earth, eat berries from trees in the forest, and drink from the rain and the river.”

Ruby’s sincerity behind that declaration made Opal take on the look of a girl half her age, frightened and overwhelmed. “I won’t ever see you again? You’ll be alone to the end of your days?”

Ruby placed a hand over Opal’s chest. “I’ll always be in your heart, if you care to remember me afterwards, and I’ll never be alone. I’ll have Pokemon by my side. I’ve always taken delight in their company, and I’ll continue to do so for the rest of my life.” She pursed her lips to let out a soft whistle, and from the bushes nearby, a Sylveon, a Shiinotic, and a Florges joined Mimikyu around Ruby. Her team of Pokemon, Bede realized. The only ones who would follow their Trainer into a life of untamed isolation.

Ruby pulled her daughter into a hug—or tried to, as if she had never quite grasped the motions. “Good-bye, my dear Opal. May you be brilliant and glorious as the precious stone I named you after.”

Opal returned the hug with arms wrapped tightly around her mother, and Ruby’s eyes widened as she received the entirety of that embrace. Opal pulled away and nodded. “Good-bye, Mother. Safe travels.”

Ruby tightened the shawl around her body once more and stepped away from the paved path, taking nothing with her but the clothes on her back and the Pokemon she had trained. Her Pokemon followed her into the undergrowth.

Thinking of how his own family dropped him off at the orphanage and didn’t look back, Bede wanted to shout after Ruby, “Go back to your daughter. You can’t just leave her like that.”

But he couldn’t make himself heard, so he wondered if Opal would. She didn’t call after her mother. Nor did she break into pursuit like she did before. Instead she stared at her mother’s retreating back, up until the darkness and mist enveloped her. Finally, she turned away and walked back the way she came. Back to the town.

Even while walking, Opal had a long, quick stride that Bede had to put effort in matching. Once at her side, Bede looked up at her to notice with surprise that tears had been welling up in her eyes. A muscle in her jaw twitched from clenched teeth. Suddenly she stopped near a tree stump to lean on it and let out a sob into her sleeve.

Bede stood by awkwardly, biting on his bottom lip and shifting his weight. Opal had just lost her mother suddenly, strangely, and was left with a new burden to carry on her shoulders. She didn’t succumb to that invisible weight, nor did she dwell in that spot. She wiped the back of her hand over her eyes. After a few moments, Opal gathered herself to a stern-faced composure. She drew in a shaky breath, straightened the black bow on her white blouse, and combed her fingers through short dark hair that had been messy and windswept from running. She carried on and wore that stern mask into town. Reporters in coats and fedoras streamed out of the Gym carrying notepads and those old-timey cameras with the big round flash bulbs. They assaulted her with their inquiring chatter—a rude, jarring contrast from the quiet, private exchange between Ruby and Opal at Glimwood Tangle.

“Miss Opal, might we have a word with you, please?”

“Did you manage to find your mother?”

“Is the Gym Leader available for an interview?”

Opal fixed them with a chilly look that kept them from coming too close to her. “My mother will not be taking any questions. I am Ballonlea’s Gym Leader now.”

The huddle of reporters erupted into a swarm, like a disturbed hive of Combees. Opal kept her chin high and strode past them, refusing to make eye contact and ignoring their flood of questions and exclamations.

Bede followed after her with growing respect. Opal carried on that commanding presence even to her old age. He remembered her rare League Card: a picture of him standing to attention like a soldier at Opal’s side, ready to be taught under her strict regimen.

“Chin up, back straight, shoulders squared, hands to your sides,” she had ordered. “Top form, now. Look like you’re going to take Fairy type Pokemon seriously.”

A tug at his collar made him stop. Bede turned to see Celebi gesturing at him to take both of its hands. Time-traveling again. He supposed he thought that was all to see at this point. But watching Opal’s mother pass on the Gym Leader title didn’t explain why Opal wanted to pass it on to him. Maybe there was more to see. Bede held Celebi’s hands and grimaced as a brilliant light radiated from the Legendary Pokemon.

Bede found himself facing a stage. Spotlights pointed at the stage made the rest of the room dim. He must be inside the Gym, its theatre. Though he had never formally challenged the Gym, as Opal’s protege he had been led (dragged, rather) inside the theatre enough times to know it from front to back. The Gym, like the town outside, hadn’t changed much back then. The stage was made of the same wood and the curtains had the same color.

Next to him, Opal sat alone at a narrow table, with a cup of tea in her left hand and a pen hovering over papers in her right. Celebi had Bede jump a bit forward in time, still in the past. Opal looked a year or two older than the last time Bede saw her. Still quite young to be managing a theatre. She seemed at ease with the role, however, as she presided over stacks of resumes, score sheets, and of course, questionnaires of her own design, and she scrutinized a young man who stepped onto the stage.

Bede frowned at Celebi. “She’s looking for a new Gym Leader already? Didn’t she just get it from her mum?” But no Trainer stepped up to challenge the young man to a battle. Bede realized that this was normal theatre business. Straight-up auditioning for a part in some play.

The man didn’t introduce himself, because Opal already had his resume in front of her, and after clearing his throat, he went straight into singing. Opal closed her eyes and rested the pen on her chin. At first Bede thought she was bored and on the verge of falling asleep. Then he noticed how she angled her head toward the stage, how her brow furrowed a bit in concentration. She was, in fact, listening intently. Bede wasn’t into musical theatre, so he didn’t recognize the lines. He couldn’t tell if the man was doing well or not. Opal kept her expression impassive as she gauged the performance.

She didn’t scribble anything into the score sheet until the man finished. She nodded at him. “Thank you for your time. I will release the results sometime next week.”

He bowed and exited the stage. Bede had noticed disappointment flicker in the young man’s face before he had bowed. That man must’ve been hoping to be told his results right then and there. Opal wrote more comments into the score sheet, then arranged the papers into neater stacks in a way that she would look at them later. As she rose from the table, Bede could hear murmuring and rustling as those behind the scenes shut off the spotlights and pulled the curtains closed. Celebi tugged at Bede’s sleeve, beckoning him to follow Opal out of the theatre. He stumbled after her at the same time a Gym Trainer accompanied her outside.

“How were the performances today, Miss Opal?” The Gym Trainer asked.

Opal propped a hand on her hip and huffed a sigh. “Lackluster, I’m afraid. No one’s up to snuff.”

“Not even alumni from your own school, like that man who last auditioned?”

“A degree from the Hammerlocke Royal Academy of the Arts alone doesn’t make exceptions, nor can it save a subpar performance. ”

At Opal’s condescending remark, the Gym Trainer made a sheepish suggestion: “Perhaps you need to lower your standards, ma’am.”

Opal seemed to balk at that suggestion as she flicked her hand in the air. “I will not settle for anyone less than the very best, who I’ve had no luck finding. Today’s the last day for auditions, but I’m thinking about extending them to the next three days, if that’s possible.”

The Gym Trainer looked down at her clipboard and shook her head. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we’re running on a tight schedule. We can’t delay production and rehearsal any longer. You will need to settle on who will play Raoul soon.”

Opal splayed fingers through her short dark hair in response. “At this rate, no one will play the part.” She shook her head. “I’ve been cooped up in the theatre for too long. Perhaps fresh air and a walk will do me a bit of good. I will think more over the candidates we’ve auditioned.”

Apparently the Gym Trainer liked that answer as her face and voice perked up. “Very good, Miss Opal.”

And it was apparent to Bede that Opal only said that to appease the Gym Trainer, because as the older woman went back inside, Opal let the frustration settle back into her face. She turned away from the Gym and took a trail farther into the forest.

“Ms. Opal always did set unrealistic standards,” Bede remarked with amusement to Celebi. He and the time-traveling Pokemon followed Opal off the trail and into the thicket of glowing mushrooms and old trees. The soft beat of flapping wings made Bede glance up. A Togekiss drifted from above to settle on a sapling next to Opal.

She greeted the Pokemon with a grin and reached out to smooth back its blue and red plumage. “You can sense my frustration from a mile away, can’t you? Did you come to help calm me down?”

The Togekiss, her Togekiss, trilled and rubbed its cheek against her palm.

Opal withdrew her hand to ball it into a fist over her chest. “What am I going to do, Togekiss? The casting process had never been this much of a pain. Then again, I have to find someone for not just any song, but my absolute favorite song in the play. I guess that makes all the difference. Perhaps my search for the perfect match is like trying to find a Legendary Pokemon.” She raised her hands, then let them fall to her sides in resigned helplessness. “I may be running a theatre, and I have the authority to cast whoever I want, but it doesn’t feel like I have control. I don’t control how someone else sings and acts, and if they all come in not singing and acting the way I’d like, then I don’t have a choice at all.” Opal looked like she wanted to swat at the nearest glowing mushroom, but Togekiss cooed and jumped up to gently land on her head. She took a stumbling step forward and laughed, catching Togekiss with her hands.

“You’re not a little Togetic anymore. Off with you, now, before I fall over.”

Togekiss jumped back onto the branch it had been sitting on, and Opal smoothed her hair back into place.

“You know, Togekiss, the only thing I feel that I have true control over is myself.” Opal closed her eyes, as if drinking in the sounds of the forest.

She drew in a deep breath and sang in rich, melodious soprano that startled Bede and sent chills down his back. The most he would hear from the Opal he knew was a low hum here and there, and he had seen her sing in old photos, but he had never heard her sing like this. He shouldn’t be surprised, though. If she had been a talented actress back then, and acting often involved singing and dancing, then she must have been skilled in those areas, too.

Bede wanted to sit there in the forest and listen to her sing forever, but she stopped after five lines. The forest seemed to swallow up her voice. Then, from a distance, came the following few lines in alto.

Opal gasped. “Togekiss, did you hear that?”

Her Pokemon chirped in affirmation. Opal straightened up and looked around, trying to pinpoint the direction of the mystery voice. Whoever was singing fell silent, prompting her to carry on with the duet and sing the next lines.

Bede didn’t have her ear for what kind of singing was good or bad, but it was evident even to him that this mystery voice had her enraptured. She was bent on locating the source of that voice, pushing through the tall grass and sweeping her gaze across the forest like an explorer on a jungle expedition. Togekiss helped her track down the voice as it flew ahead. Bede followed behind her, curious as she was about who could be singing the duet with her.

Opal lurched to a halt, making Bede nearly run into her. He peeked around her to match her wide-eyed surprise.

Huddled against the tree was a man in a tattered coat. His matted brown hair was so thick and unkempt that it hid his lips and nearly hid his dark eyes. A backpack patched with dirt and bulging at the seams sat next to him. Wrapped about his neck like a striped scarf, a Galarian Linoone bared its teeth at Opal. A Mightyena lying down on all fours lifted its downcast gaze at the man’s feet to stare back at her warily.

The surprise on Opal’s face twisted into confusion. “You...were you the one singing with me—“ Her question turned into a cry of alarm as the man collapsed right in front of her.

Linoone and Mightyena growled at Opal, stopping her from running up to him. She raised her hands at them as a disarming gesture.

“Calm down, I’m not going to hurt him,” she said firmly.

Her Togekiss flew down before Linoone and Mightyena to convey her Trainer’s intentions to them. Only then did the pair of Dark type Pokemon flatten their fur and slink back to let Opal kneel down and gently turn the man over.

“Sir, can you hear me?” She called, and she shook her head in panic when he didn’t respond. Bede heard her mutter, “Please don’t be dead, please don’t be dead.” Then she said, “Togekiss, get help from the clinic.”

Her Pokemon cried out to acknowledge her command and flew out of sight.

Just call for help on the Rotom Phone, Bede thought, but he realized that they hadn’t been invented yet. He knew that there was nothing he could do. Still, he didn’t feel right standing by helplessly as Opal tried to rouse the man.

His eyes fluttered open, making Opal blow out a sigh of relief. “Good, try to stay awake. Don’t worry, sir, I’m getting you help.” She would give him a shake if his eyes were about to close again. “What’s your name? Could you at least tell me that?”

His dried lips quivered. “R-Roger.”

#pokemon swsh #pokemon sword and shield #swsh bede #swsh opal #pokemon bede #pokemon opal #pokemon fanfiction #pokemon fic #bede pokemon #opal pokemon #pokemon la vie en rose

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whimsically-ominously-auspice · 4 years ago

Text

Ostracized as usual Denise loudly tells every one she's making corn dogs and asks if they want some...

Then she asks Nathaniel in Spanish how many.

I'm in my room with my door shut and nothing but the air on... I'm not deaf and she opened my daughter's door to ask her and she rejected the offer.

But Denise is acting really cheerful like I knocked something loose other than her scalp loose.

I feel like it's fake but tree says i was going at least 60 mph and my very good quality glass screen protector cracked all the way across... And my phone screen was being weird after, showing green dots where i typed... Which isnt normal...

So like I mean i fucked her up... Like enough to do something to her brain? Or is it like dopamine and shit for pain still going in her chemical system?

I think it's fake... Idk... I don't trust her.

Tree says I fucked her up straight to her brain and knocked some tar loose.

I guess...

But it's weird... Cause she's never cheerful...

Like I'm waiting for us all to die. She could have some frontal lobe pressure that is really doing her a number though... Taking out that psycho sociopath shit She has usually.

That's probably it... If nothing else...

Oh they tell me she had tar injected up past her eye into her skull between her brain and skull... And it got knocked loose...

Well that is fucking weird.

She shouldn't be ostracizing me then! I think she's plotting...

She will be the happy one and I'll be the mean miserable one and so no one will mind if I go missing then she will go back to being psycho

Or she will be all "I kicked you out. Get out" but be all "no.not me.I'm the nice one. You have seen this"

Tar syndrome can't save us all.

Apparently she didn't even tell my Uncle Dad but i did. I wrote an email to him at that police station because i thought i was going to jail And I was not gonna have her go lie about that. Where I was or what i did. So i told him exactly in chronological order without many details exactly.

And I admitted to busting her head open.

Which tree posted and our replies.. And explanation of my adoptive father's existence.

But no way was she gonna go just tell her side. Sure to the cops fine. But not any where else. Not like I expected him to bail me out but I wanted him to know the truth and all that. Because she lies about Everything.

And i figured she would lie about where I was or what happened. Because i didn't know what was going on to be honest and i was all "man I'm fucking going to jail cause she's fucking bleeding because I couldn't control myself and did what I wanted to do for so fucking long"

It was worth one night in jail no charges. You know what i mean? Like just one. Then like "you know what? Forget about it my husband said this was bad to press charges on my kid" type shit

Like "drunk tank me" then let me go.

It was hot in the truck and I wanted to go sit in the shade on the sidewalk but i didn't trust her she got Nathaniel to give me a ride and i was all this bitch is gonna leave my ass stranded the first step I make out this truck.

Because that was what she wanted in the first place!

What the fuck. Its not the first time she's pulled over in that exact spot but before i told her i would get out and she was all "forget it" and I told her "you do that again and I'm gonna beat your ass"

She laughed in my face

And well I pounded her head in enough, apparently.

Excuse me but I get fucking mail on Monday even if it's a holiday. The fucking bitch just took me on Saturday

What does she think? The tooth fairy brought it?!?!

Just goddamed already.

A fact is a fucking fact. I loose my goddamed shit sometimes.

I don't even remember even talking to her. I just remembered like next thing I knew her hair was in my hand and I was all ... Wait what am I doing? Yes I want to do this and I used both hands to yank the shit out of it. 2x

The 2nd time because i could. Because she really tried to hit me! Ugh.

The 3rd time.. Like i knew the second she pulled out from the stop when she told me to,get the fuck out she was taking me to the police station and that is why i pulled her hair

Cause I was like bitch.

Then the 3rd time I planned that... I was gonna make it good if she turned on that street... But I didn't know what my brain knew subconsciously because I was all hey body what are you doing? Cell phone Stabbing her skull?! Not what I had planned but okay! Sure why not.

Then i was all fucking damit it i broke my nail. This is bad. I shouldn't did that plus she was bleeding allover the place and i was all this is it

I can't even pretend I didn't do it. Its too late

I couldn't lie my way out if I tried. I didn't feel bad. I didn't feel scared. I didn't fucking care any more

I was pissed at myself because my kid was gonna be stuck without a mom. Even temporary. Just for a night.

That's why I told my Uncle Dad. Like I said I wasn't looking for bail. But I knew he would want the truth and he always told me to tell it.

So even if I wasn't sorry I still had to admit what I did, for my kid. He always told me that. "Just tell the truth even if you're not sorry. Even if you're proud"

"But doesn't that prove guilt in the eyes of the law?"

"It doesn't matter"

He'd yell... 'Does this look like court? I'll get you a lawyer!' Cause I'd ramp up a huge thing But... The end of the game..

Just tell the truth.

That's what I learned from him.

Maybe my kid would be super pissed and I would deserve her hate at me for not caring about her and being stupid for 10 minutes.

Because it was. It was stupid.

And I'm lucky she didn't press charges and the only reason she didn't is because she's a horrible person and did horrible shit to me as a kid and my Uncle Dad always has taken my side Because I am honest and good and he has always told her she will find a new place to live if she ever presses charges on his kids.

Thats why I got him this shirt for father's day which I already gave him

2..

But yeah my kid would beat my ass if my Uncle didn't have that threat on Denise.

And I would deserved it.

So y'all people fucking around. I'm not a hypocrite. I know what I deserve for what I did.

I know it wasn't right

I owned up to it and I was ready to accept the punishment although I didn't want to. If she chose to, I had no other choice

She was dripping blood all over her shirt at s very rapid pace and she should have gotten stitches.

I feel kinda bad that she didn't. But she chose to lie and hide what really happened.

No one should be treated like she was.

If you are in a relationship like she is

A family like she is

A home she is

You should leave.

I don't say that because i hate her

I say that because we abuse her.

She abuses us. So, we eye for an eye and abuse her back.

So watching that video with no other information. Anyone in a relationship like that should leave.

Y'all know me and our history and so it's different

But no back story and out of context.. It was out of control and could be manifested into a different kind of tale.

And most people in the world shouldn't be treated like she was

If I was her and I was someone else that was say a boyfriend not DNA4U approved or stranger... I would thrown me out of the car, too. And I have, in the past.

So out of context what she did, driving to the police station... Was kinda the right thing to do but I beat her ass and that part is usually deserted but Jack called ahead because he knew I was hitting her and he knew in ESP connection what she was planning. Just as i did.

It is what caused her head to bleed. Like I said I planned it.

She should had went to a gas station or other public places that would been safer ... Especially how that police department is situated.

The back door is open. Not the front. But Jack sent someone out because he knew.

So... If any of you are in that situation you should press charges.

Next time they could kill you

I blacked out. Had she not been driving, i may had killed her.

Im being honest.

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virgilantejustice · 5 years ago

Text

Strange people

Well, it’s nearing the end of halloween where i am, so i decided to write some total nonsense to celebrate the season…. I maybe shouldnt have read Coraline and The Little Prince on the same day but hey ho here we go!

Word count: approx 2300

T/Ws: a weird kind of death i guess, a couple really, cliffs, i really dont know how to describe it so just tell me if i need to add something….

Ships: None

Masterpost link

I honestly have no idea what the fuck this is but enjoy! (Maybe i should have proof read this….?)

————————————————–

Thomas sat up in a field full of flowers. Brown, dry petals bloomed amongst fresh green grass around him. And beside him, was a snake.

“Hello,” thomas said.

“Hello,” the snake replied.

“Who are you?” Thomas asked.

The snake looked about as confused as a snake can look, shooting a glance towards the trees that lay in a full circle around the meadow before staring back at him, his slitted pupils gleaming with something that Thomas couldn’t quite make out.

“I am The Snake,” The Snake answered cleanly.

“Where am i?”

Again, The Snake didn’t answer right away, but this time he kept his beady little eyes firmly on thomas.

Thomas was a little confused, but his head felt too cloudy to be concerned, like someone had filled it with cotton wool or steam, and he felt like there was something perched on his shoulder. He watched as the snake swayed slightly where it held its head up in the air on its spindly little neck, or would it be his tail?

“Explore.”

It wasn’t a suggestion.

Thomas stood up and dusted off his spotless jeans before looking for The Snake, but it had already disappeared.

Lacking any further guidance, Thomas decided to explore. Afterall, it seemed like a very strange place.

After a little while of walking through the trees of the forest that he could not avoid, Thomas came across a cave. A gaping black mouth surrounded by luscious vegetation.

He had been told to explore.

The cave was tall and rocky, simply a stone tunnel going on and on and down and down and getting darker and darker as Thomas went on until it was pitch black.

Holding his hands out in front of him but meeting nothing, Thomas stumbled blindly onwards, slowing to an amble and then to a halt as a blue light filled the hallway.

A cave. Large and mostly empty, save for a dozen computer screens filling one wall.

And a man.

The man was sitting on a large leather chair. His skin was a pale gray, his lips blue, his fingers tip tapping on a keyboard in front of him.

“Who are you?” Thomas asked, tilting his head to the side and looking up at the man.

“Classified,” the man snapped tonelessly, not looking up, not slowing the tip tap of his grey fingers on the keyboard.

Thomas looked up at the computer monitors in front of him. They were old, the gray plastic casing reaching out more than half a foot, and the heavily pixelated screens glowed blue onto the statue-like man. No words appeared as he typed.

“Okay,” Thomas tried again, “what are you doing-”

“Classified,” the man snapped again, narrowing his eyes almost imperceivably at the ever-blank screen, correcting some invisible mistake. His stony eyes flitted to Thomas for less than a split second. Bright gray, like snow clouds. “Working, keeping it all working” he muttered at the screens once again.

“Keeping all what working??”

“Classified,” he spat through gritted teeth, his hands becoming less like the well oiled machines that they had been when Thomas entered the cell-like room, and more spidery and jerky across the keyboard, the tip tap becoming more and more ragged.

Despite the man not having moved anything except his hands since he had entered, thomas took a step backwards. “What is your name,” he tried, a last ditch attempt to learn /something.

The ice seemed to have spread from his eyes to his fingers as they froze in an instant, hovering over the keyboard, trembling. Slowly, he turned in his chair to stare down at Thomas. His mouth was open slightly and his skin turning from granite grey to white. His eyes looked like they were melting as tears glistened within them. “Classified,” he whispered in a shaking voice through blue lips, before freezing over.

Thomas turned and left the cave through the same entrance that he had come into, leaving the ice and stone man in his chair, the absence of the tip tap echoing around the rocky walls.

“This is a strange place,” Thomas thought out loud, “full of very strange people.”

After a little while of walking down the path, Thomas found himself at a fork. On tine twisting round to the right, the other twirling to the left. He stopped and rubbed his chin. Which way do I go, he thought to himself.

“We can tell you that!” exclaimed a grand voice from behind a bush.

“We can, but we won’t!” cried another voice, more shrill, almost childlike, but, not.

“Who are you?” Thomas called, only for his voice to be drowned out by rustling and snapping as a great creature jumped out of the bush and landed on the path, just at the fork in the road.

“Why, we are us!” Cried the creature, both of its heads saying the words at the same time.

Thomas looked between the two of them, not quite sure of which head to settle his eyes on. He decided on the one of the left, rich brown feathers covering a long but strong looking neck and fading neatly into the fur that covered the griffin-like body and a curved yellow beak that seemed to smile. He chose that one so that he didn’t have to look at the other. From what he had seen it was like an enormous, fanged worm’s head attached too far back on the body, and dripping slime onto the ground. Not something he wanted to see.

“Will you tell me which way to go?” Thomas asked the bird-like-head.

“Only if you answer my riddle,” it declared grandly. The other let out a whistling sigh and let its head flop onto the ground with a sickening plop.

“Okay?” Thomas ventured.

The bird-like-head cleared its throat, prompting another wheezing sigh from the worm-like-head, and began its riddle.

“Stranger’s words are fickle and break

Any creature would agree

If the path you seek is the one you take

Then you do not need an answer from me.”

The bird-like-head looked as smug as one can look with a beak for a mouth as thomas stared up at it, so perplexed by the onslaught of words that he almost didn’t notice the worm-like-head rearing up and sinking its fangs into the other’s neck.

The bird-like-head let out a squawking scream that was cut off abruptly as its head fell to the ground and lay there in a pool of golden liquid.

The worm-like-head cleared its throat with a wet cough and turned to look at thomas, leaving thomas no choice but to look back. “Now, what is your answer,” he said in that shrill, not-really-childlike voice.

Thomas frowned slightly at the worm-like-head. “I don’t know the answer,” he admitted.

“Correct!” it shrieked.

“What?”

“Now run along.”

The voice was as airy and slightly shrill as it had always been, but the eyes, those emerald eyes set in that strange, oily face, they held something dangerous, like he could imagine many ways of ripping a head from it’s body.

Thomas turned on his heel and walked down the right hand path, he was left handed, so it made sense to him. And as he walked away, he heard two voices screaming. One shrill and one grand.

“This is a very strange place,” he muttered with a shiver, “full of very strange people.”

After a few minutes, hours, days of walking down the path, thomas came across a small cottage, almost like the houses from one of those, those, fairy tales, that was it!

It had a thatched roof and a small garden full of the first living flowers that thomas had seen, cut off by a small fence. The whole place seemed to glitter.

He pushed open the silent gate and made his way through the garden, giggling as a butterfly landed on his nose. When he reached the door, he placed a hand on it and pushed it open.

The inside of the cottage was the polar opposite of the outside. It was like a mockery of a house, merely a box, the wooden supports still visible and rough surfaced. There was no furniture, but in the middle of the room stood a star. Or was it a man? It was shaped like a man, but it glowed like a star. A star-man.

The star-man spotted thomas right away, as he had been staring at the door, as if waiting for him. “Hello!” he exclaimed, walking over and holding out a hand. “What’s your name?”

“My name is-”

“It’s lovely to meet you!” he interrupted, pulling his hand back and tugging on the bottom of his shirt. Thomas couldn’t help but frown a little, but the star-man waved cheerily and grinned even wider, his lips touching both of his ears. “Would you like a cookie?”

Thomas very much did, but the tray that was placed under his nose was empty of anything but what appeared to be coal.

“I’m okay thank you,” he said politely, gently pushing the tray more than an inch from his face.

The smile on the glowing man’s face did not waver, but thomas was sure that something would have changed in his eyes had they not been balls of melting, black pitch.

“That’s a lovely name!” The man cheered, clapping his hands as if to applaud Thomas on his currently unknown-to-him name. “I keep this place running you know,” he said, a mockery of boasting, flashing all of his sharp teeth in a grin. “Yep, I keep the whole place ticking over.”

“Oh,” Thomas said, stepping backwards a little. “I thought that that was-” but a sharp tug on his ankle cut him off. Thomas looked down to see The Snake wrapped around it for a moment before disappearing into one of the large cracks in the cottage’s walls that Thomas hadn’t seen before.

Thomas looked back at the star-man. Some of black substance had dripped from his right eye, leaving a thin black line down his cheek that blocked the light emitting from his skin, splitting his glow into rays and casting a line of shadow on the opposite wall.

“Hello! What’s your name?” he exclaimed, walking towards thomas with his arms outstretched, his light growing until it was blinding.

Thomas backed out of the cottage and closed the door before walking back into the forest, the darkness cast by the branches cooling his eyes.

“This is a very strange place,” he thought, rubbing a hand across his face, “full of very strange people.”

“I thought that he ran this world,” Thomas mused to himself as he continued along the path once more, thinking about the man with skin of stone and the blood of ice and the computers’ flickering before him.

“He does,” came a voice from beside him. Thomas jumped to the other side, only narrowly staying on the path. But he relaxed when he saw that it was only The Snake, slithering like a hosepipe being reeled in.

Thomas’ brow creased in confusion. “But he just said that /he did.” Thomas gestured at the cottage over his shoulder.

“He does,” The Snake replied, his yellow eyes staying cooly on the road before them.

“Who does?” Thomas asked.

“We all do,” The Snake replied, “everyone here does,” then he disappeared once again into the undergrowth, leaving thomas to continue along the darkening path alone once again.

Thomas kept on walking until the trees ended, as sudden as if they had just decided not to grow. After about three meters of drying grass was a cliff that led into blackness. And in that space stood a man.

He looked as if he were made of shadows except from a face as white as bone. Thomas couldn’t tell what he was wearing, as every time he blinked it seemed to change. But the most striking thing about him wasn’t the fact that he only came to Thomas’s knees, but the fact that he still didn’t want to go near him.

“Do you run this place as well?” Thomas asked rather mildly, trotting over to the other.

The man spun to look at Thomas with wide, dark eyes filled with shadows. “Run it?!” The man looked aghast at the very suggestion. “No! I could never!” He looked down at the ground and clenched his fists. “I keep it safe.”

“Like a guard?” Thomas asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked down at the little man.

The man looked confused for a moment, as if puzzled by the word itself, and opened his mouth to answer, but all that came out of his mouth was an earsplitting, deafening screeeeeeeech, and he grew and grew until he was towering over thomas, his black hair scraping the very sky.

Thomas slammed his hands over his ears and screwed up his eyes as if that would keep the noise out of his head. It seemed nothing could. Thomas was sure that it could be heard in all four corners of the land.

Finally, the scream ended, and the man shrunk down to merely a foot in height once again. He placed a hand on his back and blew a deep breath out through his mouth.

“More like an alarm?” Thomas asked, taking his hands away from his ears.

The small man’s brow creased again, but less in confusion and more in suspicion. “Why are you asking?” He snarled, beginning to grow. “Who are you?!”

“Who are you?”

The shadowy man deflated once more, back down to eye level with thomas; dark, mistrusting, hypnotizing, dangerous and endangered eyes.

“An alarm, apparently.” There was no venom in his voice, more like realization.

Thomas looked around him. He saw nothing. The cliff dropped off into what looked like infinity, and on the other side was the forest as dense as an otter’s fur. The cliff carried on on either side of him as far as the eye could see, barren and empty for three meters back.

“Do you live here?”

“Live?” The man said, looking aghast once again. “I just go around and around and around,” he began to spin in circles on the spot, rising like a corkscrew, “and around and around and underneath and around and around and arou-”

Just as Thomas had suspected, he then let out another scream, inhuman and cruel. But shorter this time. And he did not shrink again as he had done so before.

“Do you like being an alarm?” Thomas asked, having to shout slightly so that the enormous man could hear him. “It seems very stressful.”

Thomas heard him suck in a breath as if to reply, only to open his mouth to that awaiting wail once again.

“This is a strange place,” Thomas said, only hearing it in his head because of the shrieking, “full of very strange people.”

He looked down, and there was The Snake, down by his left trainer, which then promptly walked off the edge of the cliff, almost of it’s own accord. He heard the man screech again, and looked up to see him reaching out, but still standing up a foot or so away from the edge. The sentiment was still appreciated though.

Thomas let his arms raise at his sides as he floated slowly down, knowing fully well that it did nothing to change the speed of his descent.

He sank down into the inky blackness, floating like a leaf on the breeze, laughing quietly to himself at the shapes that The Snake made as it twisted and turned in the air. He looked above him, and the light of the sky was shrinking until it was merely a penny of sunlight, far above him, as if he had fallen down a manhole rather than walked off a cliff.

“Have you seen enough now, Thomas?” The snake asked, his voice sounding further and further away by the syllable, almost too quiet to hear as he uttered Thomas’s name as he fell further away in a different direction in the darkness.

Thomas thought for a moment. He /had met some /strange people.

“I think so.”

————————————————–

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@celeste-tyrrell @uwillbeefoundtonight @hopeoncelivedhere @stop-it-anxiety @soakinforsif @combine-the-kitchens @randomavengersquotes

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nerdypinupcrystal · 6 years ago

Text

Every Breath You Take Chapter 5: Just Friends...?

Heeey guys! I’m back with chapter 5, and boy are you in for a ride! I’m gonna be vague as hell and leave it at that. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 5: Just Friends…?

As soon as my shift ended, I rushed home to start getting ready for my evening with Matt. My body was shivering with anticipation, my stomach filled with butterflies and doing constant somersaults.

I shouldn’t be so nervous over a simple and casual dinner, it’s not like it was a date.

It’s a goddamn date and you know it.

It’s only a casual dinner with Matt.

Beautiful, sweet, sinfully sexy Matt who is obviously attracted to you.

A casual dinner with Matt, who is my neighbor and just my friend.

Really? Just friends? Tell that to your hormones, you dirty liar.

With my stupid thoughts refusing to shut up, I reached for my CD collection and popped in the first one I grabbed, which ended up being Erasure. Whoever owned these CDs had excellent taste.

The beginning chords of A Little Respect started playing as danced towards my closet.

I try to discover A little something to make me sweeter Oh baby refrain from breaking my heart I'm so in love with you I'll be forever blue

I continued singing to the lyrics, not really paying attention to the lyrics as I went through every dress I owned. Unfortunately that wasn’t saying much, since I had very little to offer in my wardrobe. Packing light didn’t leave much room for much clothing.

After spending 20 minutes fussing over it, I finally settled on a light grey sweater with long sleeves to cover the bruises, and an A-line red skirt that sat a few inches above my knees, completed with black tights and my black ankle boots.

Red and grey, huh? Interesting choice of colors.

I continued to ignore my inner thoughts as I put on a bit of makeup and brushed my hair.

I heard a knock at my door 10 minutes later and my heart, as well as the butterflies in my stomach started fluttering at ludicrous speed once more.

I tried to calm myself as I reached for my jacket along with the small heart shaped purse Lucy was kind enough to loan me. I rushed to the door, paused to take a deep breath, and opened the door to greet my friend Matt, who was not my date.

Keep telling yourself that.

“Hi Matt!” I greeted with a smile I seemed to always have when I was around him.

My heart raced as he smiled back at me, “Hi, Iris. You look beautiful tonight.”

“And how exactly can you tell, Mr. Murdock?” I giggled as my eyebrow raise in amusement, “I could be dressed like a homeless person for all you know.”

Matt belly laughed, “You raise a very good point, Ms. Roberts.” He tilted his head as he “looked” right at me. “But something tells me that’s just not the case with you. How can I tell you look beautiful? I just know. Call it a hunch.” He finished with a knowing and sexy smirk.

Well what the hell do I say to that without making an aroused idiot of myself?

I didn’t have to touch my face to know I was blushing tomato red. I cleared my throat as I tried to change the subject. “Thank you, Matt. You look beautiful all the time.” My eyes widened at the realization of what I said. So much for changing the subject, you twit!

Matt’s eyebrows rose as I stuttered to fix my slip up, “I-I meant handsome. You look handsome all the time- I mean tonight! Not that you don’t all the time, I just meant-um…” You’re making it worse, shut up! “So where are we going again? We should go!” Smooth.

Matt, God bless him, tried his hardest not to laugh at my embarrassing display. He was kind enough to go along with actually changing the subject. “You should probably turn off your music first.”

I stood there confused for a second before I heard the current song playing loud and clear in my apartment.

When it's cold outside Am I here in vain? Hold on to the night There will be no shame

Always, I want to be with you And make believe with you And live in harmony, harmony oh love

Fuckin Erasure!

My already flushed face turned even redder as I rushed to shut off the stereo I thought was my friend. Of course it would play Always at the most inappropriate time after I already embarrassed myself once this evening.

I let out a silent prayer that this would be the last of my awkward moments for the night before I walked back towards Matt and locked the door.

I turned to look at him, still blushing. “I’m sorry about that. My brain is sort of all over the place.”

Matt just gave another sweet and beautiful smile in return as we started walking towards the elevator. “Don’t worry about it. Besides, that sounded like a pretty good song. Who was it?”

“Erasure. The song’s called Always.” I replied, the blush starting to fade from my face, but still very much present. “I haven’t listened to them in years, they’re one of my favorites.”

Matt nodded with a smile. He motioned for me to step on the elevator first as he replied, “They sound pretty good. I’d ask if I could borrow your CD sometime, but I can hear your music through the walls perfectly.”

My eyes widened with guilt, “Oh my god, I’m so sorry for playing my music too loud. I didn’t mean to be so insensitive.”

Matt’s brows furrowed with confusion, “Iris, you don’t need to apologize.” He reassured me, “I wasn’t implying that you were disturbing me. And you’re the furthest thing from insensitive.”

I looked up at him timidly, “Really? I wasn’t bothering you? Because I’ll be sure to keep the music down from now on.”

Matt just smiled that sweet endearing smile that always makes me melt, “Please don’t. I actually enjoy hearing it. It’s a nice change from hearing the city noises and sirens all night.”

I smiled with relief, ignoring my rapidly beating heart as we stepped out of the elevator and made our way out to the restaurant with Matt leading the way.

Bella Notte was a little hidden gem of an Italian restaurant just a few blocks away from home. The delicious smell of garlic, Italian spices, and marinara greeted us as we entered the restaurant. The space was small, could fit maybe 30 people at the most, very intimate. The lightning was somewhat dim with fairy lights hanging on the ceiling and a lit candle at each table, giving it an enchanting ambiance. Paintings of different parts of Italy adorned the rustic brick walls. The music of Frank Sinatra’s Night and Day filled the air.

We were shown to our table that was towards the back of the restaurant. Matt, the perfect gentleman, pulled my chair out for me to sit before he took his seat across from me. The waiter took our drink orders and left us alone to look over the menus.

I looked over at Matt, concerned that he didn’t have a menu in braille. “Matt, would you like me to read the menu for you? You can let me know what sounds good.”

Matt shook his head with a grateful smile. “No thank you, Iris, that won’t be necessary. Thanks for the offer though, that’s really thoughtful of you.”

“It’s no problem at all.” I smiled in return. “I take it you’ve been here enough times to remember the menu?”

“Yeah, you’d be right about that.” He chuckled. “I usually get the chicken parmigiana. It’s pretty amazing.”

I instantly felt my mouth water. I hadn’t been allowed to eat anything fried or breaded in years. He insisted I needed to watch my weight, even though I never once had a weight problem.

What the hell did he know? He doesn’t matter anymore, so don’t think about him. Focus on the sweet, gorgeous man in front of you who is the complete opposite of that monster.

“You know what? That sounds fantastic, I think I’ll have the same.” I replied.

Matt grinned, “Okay, great! I promise you won’t regret it.”

The waiter chose that moment to return with our two glasses of red wine. I gave Matt the okay to do the honors of ordering our food for us.

“I’m going to remember you said that in case I have to sue you for false advertising.” I jokingly threatened as the waiter walked off. “And there’s witnesses that will back me up.”

Matt laughed, “Oh, hell, you got me there. I’ll have to make extra sure you enjoy it then. Foggy would never let me live it down if you took me to court.”

“Well, I imagine he wouldn’t, since I’m going to hire him as my attorney.” I laughed as Matt let out a dramatic gasp.

“Ms. Roberts! You would dare use my own partner against me? What makes you so sure he’ll even betray his best friend like that?” He asked with suspicion.

I was quick to reply, “He has heart eyes for my boss. I just need to have her ask him, and he’ll be putty in our hands.”

Matt’s eyebrows raised in surprise, “I didn’t take you for the type to play dirty, Ms. Roberts. I’m impressed.”

I smiled in victory, and I might or might not have done a little victory dance in my chair. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Mr. Murdock. I’m just full of surprises.” If he only knew.

“Well I’m hoping I can change that with time, Iris.” Matt replied with that sexy smirk I love so much. “I’d love to get to know you better, if that’s okay.”

I blushed as I tried to think of how to approach this without giving too much away. “Yeah...I guess that’s okay…” I hesitated. “How about we play 20 questions? I tell you things, you tell me things.”

“Quid pro quo, Clarice?” Matt joked.

“I’m pretty sure you’re the Clarice in this scenario.” I quipped.

“Okay, Hannibal. Just don’t eat my liver.” He chuckled with a smirk.

“I make no promises, Matt. This is a very nice Chianti.” I replied as I took a sip of my wine.

Matt let out an infectious belly laugh that echoed through the tiny restaurant. Before he could say anything else, our waiter came back with our meals in record time.

“Before we start our game, you have to take your first bite and be honest about how amazing it tastes.” Matt stated as he waited patiently for me to take the bite.

It was delicious. The crispness of the breaded chicken was bursting with flavor in my mouth, the fresh pasta soaked in marinara sauce was so mouth watering, the smoked mozzarella literally melted in my mouth. It felt like my palate was awakened.

“It’s good, right?” Matt asked, already knowing the answer.

“No.” I replied with a straight face.

Matt looked confused as he was stunned silent.

I couldn’t hold back my laughter and decided not to torture him any longer, “It’s amazing!”

Matt let out a surprised laugh, “Oh I’m going to get you back for that.” He pointed at me threateningly with a sneaky smile on his face.

You’ve already got me. My heart skipped a beat at the thought. Matt tilted his head slightly, as if he heard my heartbeat.

I quickly brushed it off with a laugh. “Good luck with that, Clarice.”

“Alright, Hannibal,” Matt chuckled, “Let’s play. Ladies first.”

“Thank you, don’t mind if I do.” I replied as I thought of my first question. “How old are you?”

“Starting off easy, I see. I’m 32.” He replied. “How old are you? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

I smiled cheekily, “I’ll allow it for now. I’m 23.” Matt’s eyebrows raised in surprise at my answer. “What music do you love?” I asked.

Matt took a second to think about it. “I honestly don’t listen to music that often, but I like a bit of everything I suppose. Oldies especially. Nothing too crazy.”

“So you like Rap?” I smirked waiting for his answer.

“I can’t stand it. It gives me headaches.” He replied with a grimace. “I already know the music you like. What music do you hate? Or at least strongly dislike?”

I answered without a second thought, “I dislike classical music. I hate Hector Berlioz.”

Matt tilted his head in curiosity. “Really? Why Berlioz?”

My spine stiffened and my voice went hollow before I could help it. “His Symphonie Fantastique gives me nightmares.”

It was his favorite piece to play every time he got excited and would…

Don’t think about that. Not now. Not when you’re having such a great night with such a sweet and kind gentleman. He doesn’t need to know about that.

I shook myself out of my thoughts as I quickly changed the subject before Matt could have a chance to question me about it. “So, have you always lived in New York?”

Matt cleared his throat before he answered, “Yeah, all my life. I’ve actually never been anywhere else, really. New York and Hell’s Kitchen is all I’ve ever known.”

“I can’t say I blame you there.” I replied. “I’ve been here for almost a week now and I honestly can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

Matt’s smile lit up his face at my comment. “That’s great! Some people would say it’s a waste not to travel anywhere, but I don’t feel like I’m missing anything. It’s not like I could see any new places anyway.”

I shook my head. “You’re not missing anything. I traveled to get here, obviously, but it was just a means to an end. I’m much happier and at home here.”

“Where were you at before coming here? If you don’t mind me asking.” Matt asked, getting back to our question game.

A little more truth won’t hurt. “Miami, Florida.”

“Florida?” Matt asked, sounding surprised and intrigued. “That’s quite a difference from Hell’s Kitchen. What was it like?”

My own personal Hell. “It was beautiful at first…” I trailed off.

Matt’s eyebrows raised in curiosity. “And later?”

A fucking prison I nearly died to get out of. “I outgrew it.”

Matt seemed to sense my desire to change the subject. “What color is your hair now?”

My eyebrow raised in confusion. Matt again seemed to sense it as he explained, “I can smell the fresh dye in your hair,” He grimaced, “That sounded a lot less creepy in my head.”

I let out a laugh, breaking the tension that was in the air. “Pretty impressive senses, Mr. Murdock. It’s red. I was pale blonde before.”

Matt smiled as he asked softly, “What do you look like?”

I didn’t spare a second thought as I stood up to to sit in an empty chair next to him. My heart started racing as I reached for his hands. I could feel his hand tremble slightly as his fingertips touched my cheeks. His touch was as soft as silk as he gently explored my face, touching with the utmost care as if I were a porcelain doll. I felt my eyes well up with unshed tears at the first truly gentle touch I’ve gone so long without. His hands felt slightly rough with calluses, yet they felt heavenly against my skin.

“My eyes are blue. Like the ocean.” I whispered as his fingertips lightly grazed the closed lids of my eyes.

“They sound beautiful.” He replied just as softly. “I can only imagine how blue they must look with the red hair.” He gently ran his fingers through the tendrils of my hair.

I gently smiled, “They’ve gotten bluer since I’ve moved here.” And brighter since I’ve met you.

My heart skipped a beat as his fingertips saved my lips for last. My lips tingled at his touch as if they were coming alive for the first time in years. His fingertips stopped dead in their tracks as they felt that awful cut on my lower lip. My body stiffened as I opened my eyes to gauge his reaction. His jaw tightened so hard, I could hear his teeth grinding, he looked furious. I couldn’t explain it, but I could feel it in my heart that his anger wasn’t toward me, even though my knee-jerk reaction as well as force of habit tried to insist that it was.

“It’s nothing.” I tried to soothe his silent anger. “It was just an accident.”

Matt loosened his jaw slightly as he gently replied, “The idea of you being hurt in any way is not nothing.”

Sensing the increased tension in my body made him loosen up more. He gently held my cheek in his hand as he “looked” at me.

“Are you okay?” He asked with genuine concern.

I gave a shaky nod as I swallowed back the threatening tears. “I’m going to be.”

He gave a tender smile as he leaned towards me and asked, “What’s your favorite color?”

I couldn’t stop the belly laugh that burst out at his random question that gratefully lightened the mood.

“Red.”

The rest of the evening went beautifully after that. I told Matt as much of the truth as I felt was harmless and necessary, and I got to learn more about Matt’s life. His rough childhood of losing his sight while saving a man’s life, losing his father shortly after that and spending his childhood in an orphanage. But with the worst times came the best times; meeting Foggy, passing the bar exam, making the giant leap into starting their own practice together.

Maybe that was one of the reasons I found myself so drawn to Matt. We’re both survivors of our own personal Hell. One different from the other, but we both survived. He made it out so much stronger. Stronger than I did, no doubt. I don’t really believe I’m as strong as Matt, but maybe someday I will be. And maybe I could start by stop denying myself the chance to get close to Matt.

Not that I was doing a good job of doing that to begin with. Despite telling myself to avoid him, it hasn’t really worked out, and maybe now I’m realizing that that’s a good thing.

We’re never going to be “just friends”, and I’m starting to really open up to the possibility of being more.

We made it back to our apartment building as I was pondering over my realization. Matt, ever the gentleman, stopped at my door first; stepping aside to let me unlock the door.

“I had a wonderful time tonight, Matt.” I told him with a grin I was sure he could sense.

He of course offered his gorgeous smile in return. “I did too, Iris. Maybe we can do it again sometime soon?” He asked , his voice filled with hope.

“I’d love to.” I answered. “Just let me know when and where.”

“You got it.” He replied with a smile of relief. He leaned towards me and gave me a tender kiss in my cheek, causing it to instantly heat up. “Goodnight Iris.”

“Goodnight, Matt.” I replied as I decided to be bold and kiss him on the cheek in return.

The smile I received shined brighter than the lights in Las Vegas. His cheeks flushed pink as he turned away and walked to his apartment door.

I closed the door and practically floated into bed, falling asleep with a smile on my face.

It was the middle of the night when an unsettling feeling came over me. I felt a dark presence in the room.

Someone was standing over my bed.

I kept my eyes shut tight, my knuckles turned white from the death grip I had on my pillow, trying to will the presence away.

“Hello, Princess.”

My blood ran cold.

My body trembled as my eyes opened to see the gigantic, familiar, threatening shadow towering over me.

“I told you I’d always find you.” He said in a pleased and taunting voice.

I was paralyzed with fear. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t speak. Not even to cry out for help.

“Do you have any idea how worried I was over you?” He growled as he leaned down to face me, forcing me to look into his cold blue eyes. “Now you’ve forced me to punish you, again.” He declared as he held up his usual punishment of choice; a heavy can wrapped in a towel like it was a nap sack.

“I’m going to make sure you never leave me again!” He yelled as he raised his arm to strike.

Only then was I able to scream...

My eyes popped open as I sat up screaming my head off. I looked around the room and saw that I was alone.

It was a dream. It was only a dream.

However, I couldn’t stop the panicked breaths I was taking. It felt so real.

But it wasn’t real. He’s not here. He hasn’t found you. You’re safe!

I sure as fuck didn’t feel safe.

My legs felt heavy like dumbbells as I bolted out of my bed. I rushed towards the bathroom to empty my stomach in the toilet. I yanked back the shower curtain to make sure the tub was empty. I rushed over to the closet to check that nobody was hiding in there.

I ran like a madwoman to check that all the windows were shut and locked. I ran to the door to make sure that all of the locks were locked, then I unlocked and relocked each of them three more times to make extra sure.

I went to one of the drawers and grabbed the biggest kitchen knife I had before I stumbled back to the locked door, leaning against it as I slid to the floor.

I grasped the knife with both hands as though my life depended on it. Only then did I succumb to the impending meltdown the nightmare had thrust upon me.

My entire body trembled as I failed to control the tears running down my face and the painful sobs in my throat; I came to realize that no matter how far away I am...I was never going to be free of him.

A/N: I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. Iris still has quite a way to go in order to move on, and it’s not gonna be easy. More is getting revealed about her past, and there will be even more revealed in chapter 6, so stay tuned! Until next time, please reblog and leave feedback! *kiss noise*

@jobean12-blog @cametobuyplums @tomhollandeu @emilymarie0422

#Every Breath You Take #daredevil fanfiction #matt murdock x iris #Matt Murdock x OC #matt murdock x reader #matt murdock #daredevil

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mdelpin · 6 years ago

Photo

Shadowlight Week 2019 Prompt: Symbols AO3 | FF.Net

High Hopes

Summary: After traveling aimlessly for several months Sting and Rogue happen upon an old issue of Sorcerer Weekly. Fascinated by the world it describes they use the magazine as a guide, determined to find other dragon slayers and maybe a place to call home.

Companion to A Scent Like No Other.

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong To Hiro Mashima

Sting and Rogue began traveling together immediately after meeting, walking with no clear destination in mind as they followed the roads from one town to the next. Sting would talk cheerfully about anything that popped into his head while Rogue would listen with a small smile on his face. Their cats had also hit it off and would hold their own conversations.

Rogue didn't mind the constant chatter most of the time, but after months of traveling alone, he couldn't deny that occasionally he missed the silence. Still, everything was so much better ever since he'd literally run into Sting. Rogue had a new friend that he felt connected to in a way that he didn't understand very well yet, but it soothed him to know that it was a forever kind of thing. His dragon Skiadrum had told him so, and Rogue had no reason to question it.

That was another thing, Sting was the first person Rogue had ever talked to that believed him when he said he'd been raised by a dragon. No one else had, they'd either made fun of him or complimented him on having such a wild imagination. It was nice to be able to talk about Skiadrum and hear about Weisslogia in return. Sting had white dragon slayer magic, the opposite to his shadow and they'd had a lot of fun afternoons testing their magic out on each other, inadvertently learning to fight together. Something which had come in handy the few times they'd been attacked.

Neither of them had yet met anyone else who could use magic, a fact they'd thought odd. They both remembered waking up in front of a large gate and had begun to wonder if they'd somehow ended up in another world, one that didn't have magic. They didn't worry about it much, they had their cats and each other, and that was more than they had before.

On this day Rogue had a headache, probably caused by hunger. It had been a few days since they'd had a full meal and Sting's constant chatter was starting to get on his nerves. He tried to disappear into his shadows for a bit, but it wasn't helping much.

“We need to find food soon, “ Sting pointed out with concern, “You don’t look so good.”

Rogue kept walking, his eyes never straying from the road ahead, "I'm fine, let's just keep moving." His stomach chose that moment to betray him and rumbled. Sting decided not to comment, only raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“Shut up!”

“I didn’t say a word,” Sting did his best to look innocent but had to laugh at Rogue’s annoyed expression. “We’ll just have to liberate some food.”

“You know I don’t like stealing,” Rogue pointed out.

"Remind me how I met you again?" Sting grinned, and he moved out of the way of Rogue's punch, a bit too easily for his liking. He looked at Rogue worriedly, they really did need to find some food.

“Fine, we can try to see if there’s any food behind a bar or restaurant,” Rogue grumbled. It was their compromise, it wasn’t technically stealing if it had already been thrown away. Sometimes if they timed it right the person throwing out the food would take pity on them and hand it to them instead. Sting hated digging through the trash probably almost as much as Rogue hated watching him fight for jewels.

They reached the next town by early afternoon, but by then Rogue was practically swaying on his feet. Sting found the local pub easily enough, and for once they were fortunate, a woman saw them and took pity on them, bringing them inside and sitting them at the counter. She returned quickly with two large bowls of soup.

“Here you go darlings, eat up, “ The lady smiled at them kindly before flipping through the pages of some sort of magazine.

Sting and Rogue ate quickly, sharing their food with their cats. They looked at the magazine with interest, and when she went to the kitchen to get to work, she left it for them to look at. It had a lot of pictures of people on it.

"Sorcerer's Weekly," Rogue read out loud, he opened it and looked through the pages.

“You understand what that says?” Sting looked at Rogue with something akin to admiration.

“Sure, can’t you?”

Sting shook his head.

“You don’t know how to read?” Rogue looked at his friend with surprise.

“I guess not?” Sting ran his fingers through his hair in an embarrassed gesture, “Is that bad?”

“No, I’m just surprised Weisslogia didn’t teach you, is all,” Rogue was quick to comfort his friend. “Would you like to learn? I can teach you.”

Sting shrugged not seeing the use, “What does it say?”

Rogue used his finger to trace the words, mouthing them as he read. Sting's curiosity was piqued when he noticed his friend becoming more excited.

"This magazine, it's all about wizards," Rogue pointed to some of the pictures, "That's what they call people who use magic! It sounds like they join places call guilds?"

His brow wrinkled as he continued to read and try to make sense of the information.

Sting began to look at the pages with more interest. Maybe they could join one of these guilds.

“Does it say anything about dragon slayers?” Sting asked with barely contained excitement, they had both been wondering if there were others.

Rogue grunted at him in reply but kept reading to himself. He read through the rest of the magazine before looking up to give him a proper answer, “I didn’t see any mention of it, but they talk about all sorts of magic. Here listen to this…”

Rogue read out loud to Sting, and he listened intently, fascinated by all the different types of magic even as he looked at the pictures with interest. The barmaid came back out to check on them and smiled when she saw them poring over the magazine.

"Alright kiddos, I can't have you in here when customers arrive," She looked thoughtful for a moment and added, "I live upstairs. My son won't be home tonight, so if you want, for tonight only, you may stay in his room. You're welcome to keep the magazine, I'm done with it anyway."

Sting and Rogue talked together quietly and agreed to stay the night. It had been a while since either of them had been able to sleep comfortably. She showed them the room they were to sleep in and told them to take a bath before returning downstairs. They rested for the remainder of the day.

o-o

From that day on, Sorcerer's Weekly became their guide to magic and magic users in Fiore, which was the name of the kingdom they were in. Rogue began the long process of teaching Sting how to read with it as well. It was a challenge because the White Dragon Slayer was not a very willing student. His memory was much better than any actual desire he had to learn. He'd quickly memorize the words and would recite them to get out of practice, much to Rogue's displeasure.

As a result, Rogue had begun teaching him how to write as well, figuring Sting would have a harder time faking that. Every night before they went to bed they would use sticks to draw the symbols in the dirt, so far Sting had only really enjoyed learning how to write their names.

They had looked at all the guilds that were listed in the magazine. There were plenty of them, but the ones that stood out the most were: Blue Pegasus, Fairy Tail, Phantom Lord, Lamia Scale, Quattro Cerberus, and Titan Nose. Sting and Rogue still had no idea which one to try to join.

Several months had passed before they found another issue. They were scrounging in the trash for food again, much to Sting's displeasure but there had been no other choice. They hadn't even been able to find anyone to fight for days. Among the contents of the rubbish bin, there was a slightly ripped issue of Sorcerer's Weekly, which had somehow remained miraculously dry. It was a more recent one judging from the date.

Sting grabbed it excitedly, shaking off the trash that covered it but after looking at it for a few minutes, he could only frown and hand it over to Rogue, while he continued to search for food. Rogue hid his smirk hoping that this little experience would encourage Sting to try harder.

Once they had secured some food, they found a place to spend the night and sat outside eating. Rogue read the magazine eagerly, they'd already figured out that being featured in the magazine was a symbol of success in the wizarding world and sometimes on their long walks they would make up outlandish reasons why they would be featured in it. It was a fun game, and it helped pass the time. Sometimes the cats would join in, and their reasons always made the two of them laugh.

"Sting!" Rogue had been planning on making Sting work on the magazine some, but he couldn't contain his excitement at what he'd discovered.

Sing looked over at Rogue’s excited tone to see him pointing to a wizard with pink hair. This wizard had not been in the previous issue.

"There're more of us!" Rogue waved Sting closer, "This guy's name is Natsu Dragneel, he's a Fire Dragon Slayer, and he's in Fairy Tail."

Sting had figured that part out from the red guild mark on the wizard’s shoulder, both he and Rogue had already memorized the marks of all the guilds they were interested in.

"Oh, you're gonna love this," Rogue continued in an amused tone, "Apparently he weaves a path of destruction across Fiore. It says here he single-handedly destroyed the port of Hargeon while going after a slave ring, I wonder what that is? On second thought, maybe we should keep you away from him."

Sting stuck his tongue out at his mate and examined the picture with interest. “Does it say anything else?”

“Let me see… has a rival in his guild, uses dragon slayer magic... uhm not really?” Rogue answered, “Mostly that he’s destructive and they make fun of his search for his dragon.”

“Wait, his dragon is still alive?” Sting was almost bouncing with excitement. They hadn’t seen a dragon since waking in front of that gate in Crocus.

Rogue shrugged his shoulders, “He seems to think so at least.”

Sting remained quiet as he thought about this for a while. He thought this Natsu wizard sounded interesting. Maybe they should go find him, he was a dragon slayer like them, he might be able to help them.

“Oh wait, there’s another one,” Rogue informed Sting as he continued to read, “It looks like Phantom Lord has a dragon slayer too.”

“What kind of destruction does he do?“ Sting grinned excitedly.

"It doesn't say, he's mentioned in a picture. Look," Rogue pointed to a large man with long spiky dark hair and red eyes, "It just lists his name, Gajeel Redfox, and that he's an Iron Dragon Slayer. You think they know each other?"

"They must, right? I mean, we found our way to each other pretty quickly, didn't we?" Sting pointed out.

“I think our connection is different,” Rogue reminded him, “It doesn’t mean that all dragon slayers are soulmates.”

“I guess,” Sting replied without much interest. He supposed Rogue was right. The two men were in different guilds after all and Sting could no longer imagine being separated from Rogue for that long.

“I bet Gajeel is different from Natsu,” Rogue said dreamily, imagining a dragon slayer more like him. Smart, patient, orderly.

Rogue thought out loud, “I think we should find them.”

Sting could only smile, he loved it when Rogue said what he was already thinking. That was until Rogue added, “We should go to Phantom Lord.”

“What?! No, we should go to Fairy Tail, “ Sting disagreed, already thinking of how much fun it would be to challenge the older dragon slayer.

"Why? We already know stuff about Natsu, we don't know anything about Gajeel," Rogue's voice sounded strangely infatuated, and Sting didn't like it one bit.

“There’s only one way to settle this,” Sting got up and got into a fighting stance, “Whoever wins gets to pick where we go.”

“Fro thinks it’s too late to fight. You should play rock, paper, scissors instead,” Frosh smiled sweetly at both dragon slayers.

“No,” Sting groaned, “Rogue cheats.”

“I do not!” Rogue replied, outraged by the accusation. It wasn’t his fault Sting always picked rock, there were just so many times he could pretend to lose.

“Fine.”

Rock, Paper, Scissors...Shoot

“Damn it!” Sting whined, arms crossed in front of his chest, “You always win!”

Rogue rolled his eyes at his partner, but inwardly he was excited about heading to Oak Town, where the magazine said the Phantom Lord headquarters were located. He couldn’t wait to see what Gajeel was like. They drifted off to sleep in a tangle of limbs as they always did, their two cats snuggled into the warm nooks their bodies created.

o-o

When they set off on their journey, they hadn't realized just how far away Oak Town was from their current location, since they walked most of the time their progress was slow going. They'd been walking for almost a month before their luck improved. They'd been able to catch a ride with a farmer for a large chunk of the remaining distance. They would now only have to walk for a day or two to get where they were going.

Sting could tell Rogue was nervous, his patience was shorter than usual and he’d spent the last few days training, challenging his magic until he became too tired to continue. It was obvious that Rogue was determined to impress this Gajeel, and it irked Sting. He didn’t like this odd fascination his mate had for the dragon slayer.

“I don’t see what’s so great about this guy,” Sting complained to Lector, “You don’t hear me talking about Natsu all the time.”

Lector only laughed, not wanting to point out to Sting that he did indeed talk about Natsu quite a lot.

Even though he was disappointed to not be going to Fairy Tail, Sting couldn’t wait to see the inside of the Phantom Lord headquarters, naturally curious as to what a guild was like.

He tried to ease Rogue's mind, working harder at learning to read to help distract Rogue from whatever was getting him all worked up and paying more attention to him in their quiet moments. It seemed to work a little. Sting found he liked caring about someone more than himself, and when Rogue responded to his shows of affection, it filled him with great satisfaction that kept him warm for hours at a time.

"So, uh have you thought about what you're going to say when we find Gajeel?" Sting asked Rogue as they walked towards Oak Town, they would be arriving at their destination sometime mid-morning. They had earned some jewels at the last town, running errands for a merchant and Sting was looking forward to treating Rogue to something with part of it.

“No, what were you planning on saying to Natsu? “ Rogue asked curiously.

"Say? Talking's your thing, I'm gonna challenge him to a fight, " Sting declared, eyes gleaming as he punched the palm of his hand to show his intent. Rogue looked over at him with a weird expression he couldn't decipher, but he shrugged it off. Sting figured that if Natsu were even half the person he thought, the challenge would be appreciated.

Rogue still looked nervous so Sting did something he didn't often do, he grabbed Rogue's hand in his and squeezed it. Rogue smiled up at him, and Sting could feel his cheeks flush at the gesture. He looked away but left his hand right where it was, and they continued to walk in this manner. They arrived at their destination still walking hand in hand.

Sting couldn't help but notice that Rogue seemed more sure of himself and he felt happy to be able to do that much for him. They didn't talk about the mate thing often, but it was at times like this that Sting felt it strongly. It was a sense of rightness, a feeling that this person was someone he was meant to be with.

They stopped a man to ask for directions to the guild, and he peered at them strangely. He remarked, "What's left of it is over that way, keep walking straight for another ten minutes or so, you can't miss it."

The man's words set them on edge so they ran straight ahead only to be met with a large pile of metal debris that seemed like it once might have been a large structure. It had clearly seen better days, currently looking like a battle had been waged within its walls. Although walls was a very generous term at this point. Sting wanted to go explore the inside, but Rogue gripped his hand firmly to keep him from doing so.

Rogue gaped at what was left of the Phantom Lord Guild, “What happened here, and what of Gajeel?”

Sting could only shrug his shoulders, “Well, I mean clearly there was a fight.”

“Yes, that much is obvious, but Phantom Lord is the strongest guild in Fiore, what could have done this?”

“Why don’t we go ask someone, the people in town might know what happened?”

"I don't want to leave yet," Rogue protested, and Sting somewhat understood. Rogue had built this moment up in his mind, and it had not gone in any way he could have anticipated. He needed time to process.

"Okay, you stay here. I'll see what I can find out," Sting offered, and Rogue looked at him gratefully.

Sting ran looking for someone he could ask, but not many people seemed to be about. Instead, he found a small business that sold Sorcerer Weekly, he figured if something that big had happened, they would probably have reported on it. Just as Sting suspected there was an issue with a picture of the destroyed guild hall on the cover hiding among some newer issues. He used the jewels he'd been planning to spend on Rogue's gift to pay for it. It saddened him, but he reasoned Rogue needed this more.

Sting found a bench and struggled to read as much as he could. He felt someone sit next to him, and he didn't even have to look to know who it was, but he did anyway and was bewildered by the affectionate gaze Rogue was giving him.

“You were reading that for me?”

“Well yeah, you were upset,” Rogue smiled broadly and gave Sting a quick hug.

“Thank you.” Rogue settled more comfortably next to him, “What did you find out?”

"I— I don't think you're going to like it," Sting frowned, not sure how to tell his mate that his hero was not what he'd imagined.

Rogue's eyes narrowed slightly at Sting's statement, but he waited patiently for him to continue.

"It says that Gajeel attacked and injured some Fairy Tail wizards and then destroyed their guild hall causing a war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord." Sting looked down at the ground, "I'm sorry."

Rogue touched the magazine still laying on Sting’s lap, “May I?”

"Sure," Sting handed the magazine over to Rogue and watched him read the article. He wasn't sure whether he should be concerned that Rogue seemed to be taking everything so well.

"I guess you were right, we should have gone to Fairy Tail," Rogue commented drily before his eyes moistened as he told Sting, "I'm proud of you, you read really well."

Sting basked in the unexpected praise, and when Rogue handed the magazine back to him he tucked it into his bag, understanding now was not the time to look at the rest of it. "What do we do now?"

"Well, we're in a new place, might as well check it out." Rogue got up and started walking. Sting knew Rogue wasn't as okay as he was trying to act, but chose to give him space to deal with things in his own way. Sting, along with the cats, followed after him and they spent the day distracting themselves from the disappointment of a wasted journey.

o-o

It had been over a week since they'd found the remains of the Phantom Lord Guild and they'd yet to decide on what to do next. Sting was hesitant to bring it up when Rogue so clearly didn't want to talk about what had happened, but he didn't like staying in one place for too long. It brought unnecessary attention from adults, it was safer to keep moving and try their luck in the next town.

They'd found a playground in a park in the middle of town a few days earlier, and even though neither Sting nor Rogue had any interest in the equipment, both Lector and Frosch adored it. Sting decided they should go there, Rogue tended to relax while watching the cats play and it might be a good time to introduce the topic of moving on.

They found a large tree to sit underneath where they could comfortably watch Lector and Frosch chase each other and climb over the equipment. Sting took a moment to enjoy Rogue’s rare smile before taking out the Sorcerer’s Weekly he’d bought and placing it between them.

Rogue looked down at the magazine and tensed up. Sting was worried, this type of conversation was more of Rogue's thing, but he knew it was needed.

"What's wrong?" Sting tried to sound calm, even though Rogue's unhappiness had been making him crazy.

Rogue sighed, “It’s just different than what I expected.”

“What did you expect?”

“I don’t know exactly, I just… I thought guilds were places for wizards to use their magic to help others, and earn jewels doing it. That doesn’t sound like what happened here.”

“It wasn’t,” Sting shrugged, “That doesn’t mean all guilds have to be dicks.”

“He’s right you know,” An unfamiliar voice entered their conversation, “I’m sorry to intrude, guilds and wizards are kind of a passion of mine.”

Sting and Rogue turned to see a blond man sitting near them on a blanket. He had a large amount of food, and he eagerly offered them some. They looked at each other before accepting some sandwiches and sitting closer to the man.

"You like that magazine?" The man asked with curiosity as he peered over at the issue they had.

Sting and Rogue nodded, and that seemed to make the man happy. "Cool cool cool! Anyway, there are a lot of guilds in Fiore, and they're all different. Some are light, and some are dark, there are even some independent ones."

"Wait, what's a dark guild? Was Phantom Lord one?" Rogue instantly became interested in the conversation. They hadn't really been able to come into contact with anyone who knew much about this stuff. Until they met this man, Sorcerer Weekly had been their only source of information.

"Phantom? No," The man snickered as he tossed them some water bottles, "They were just greedy… and proud. Dark guilds are ones that do things that are forbidden by the Magic Council, like kill people for jewels."

Sting and Rogue gaped at the man in horror, some wizards would kill for jewels?

He tapped his head with his fingers, “Don’t worry, there are less of those than Light Guilds. Let me see, where to start? Okay, well you do know that only about ten percent of the world’s population are magic users?”

Sting and Rogue shook their heads in response. "No? Well, that's how it is, and most of them are in guilds."

"Guilds come under the Magic Council, which is kind of like the wizards' police. There are all kinds of guilds, and they're all different, but the one thing they have in common is that wizards can join and use their skills to take missions and earn jewel, just like you said. " He smiled at Rogue, "Many rivalries exist of course, but guilds are forbidden from fighting each other, which is why Phantom Lord was disbanded."

“Do you know what happened to Gajeel?” Sting asked, wanting to give Rogue some peace.

"Black Steel? Yeah sure, he joined Fairy Tail as did Juvia Lockser, one of the Element Four." The man answered, chuckling when the two boys looked at him in astonishment. "Strange, huh? Even though they were bitter enemies, Fairy Tail accepted them into their guild. That's just how they are."

“Of all the guilds, Fairy Tail is my favorite, “ He opened his jacket and showed them his pink Fairy Tail shirt, “If I were a wizard that would be the one I would want to join. They’re so cool!!!”

"You're not a wizard?" Rogue was surprised, considering all the man knew, he'd expected him to be a member of some guild.

“Nope, I just write about the wizarding world, I’m Jason,” Jason pointed to the cover of the magazine which had his name listed on it.

At his admission both Sting and Rogue began to talk excitedly, asking him so many questions the man had to laugh, "Hang on, let's finish eating first, I'll answer your questions after we're done."

Lector and Frosch came over then, and the boys shared some of their food. Once finished, the cats took a nap on their dragon slayers.

Jason spent another hour talking to them, at times getting even more excited than the boys. He told them about different things that had happened in the last few months — like several guilds working together to take down a dark guild called Oración Seis, and more recently Natsu and the rest of Fairy Tail destroying a gigantic mechanical dragon in Magnolia.

Sting and Rogue learned a lot more in that hour than what they’d been able to glean from months of reading the magazine and Rogue could see the longing in Sting’s eyes to be part of the excitement.

Jason recommended they should check out Fairy Tail and Blue Pegasus as they had the kindest and fairest Masters. Fairy Tail, he pointed out, was especially good with younger kids. He explained that a lot of the current group of famous wizards had been orphans who had grown up there.

Jason finally bid them farewell, but as he was collecting his trash, he stopped for a moment. "I just realized, I never asked you what your magic is."

Sting grinned cockily, "I'm a White Dragon Slayer, and Rogue is a Shadow Dragon Slayer."

Jason's eyes almost popped out of his head, "Dragon slayers?! Cool, cool, cool! " Jason noted excitedly. With a grin, he added, "If you ever do meet Salamander, watch out for his right hook, it's pretty fierce." He rubbed his jaw remembering the last time they'd met.

He opened his bag and grabbed a copy of the newest issue of Sorcerer's Weekly, handing it to Rogue, "Whatever you decide, I look forward to writing you both in here someday." He gave them a final wave and walked away.

"So what do you want to do?" Sting was glad they had met the reporter. Rogue seemed to be in much better spirits.

"Let's check out Blue Pegasus first, and then we'll head to Fairy Tail," Rogue answered and when Sting began to protest he explained, "I think we'll end up at Fairy Tail, but I just want to make sure we consider all our options first."

Sting agreed, but he didn't look very enthused by the plan.

o-o

Sting had no desire to go to the Blue Pegasus Guild. Even if the Master was great, he'd seen the images of some of the wizards in Sorcerer Weekly and he'd not been very impressed. They looked like pretty boys, and Sting had no interest in that. He wanted to fight, to train, to help others and go on adventures. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to do that while dressed in a suit and catering to customers, but Rogue was determined to go check it out and at least it took them away from Oak Town.

Rogue was the one navigating this time, and Sting was happy to let him do it. He tried to keep his lousy mood to himself as they made their way to wherever the heck they were going, but Lector was baiting him, and he was reaching his limit.

They stopped to rest, and Sting took the magazine out of his small bag and immediately began to read. This had become a routine of sorts, Sting would try to make sense of the articles without Rogue's help, only pointing out the words he had trouble with. Rogue noticed with pride that Sting needed less help every day. Sting didn't do it for long periods, complaining that it made his head hurt, so Rogue wasn't surprised when he set the magazine aside after a few minutes.

"Do you remember much before the gate?" Sting gazed at him with a hopeful expression.

Rogue thought about it and shook his head, he had a few memories, but they were vague, and as time went on he forgot more and more. The last vivid memory he had was of killing his dragon, just like Sting.

"I've been thinking about that more and more," Sting massaged his temple with his fingers, trying to stop the headache he could feel forming, "Do you think the other dragon slayers remember the gate as well?"

Rogue could only shrug his shoulders, and he suddenly felt guilty for leading them away from the answers they'd been seeking for so long. He wasn't sure why he was so determined to do that. Rogue was well aware that Blue Pegasus was not a good fit for them, based on what Jason had said it was a very social guild. The wizards had to interact with their clients regularly which was something he not only wasn't very good at, but he already knew he wouldn't enjoy. Although Sting could probably manage just fine.

Maybe he was just afraid of being disappointed again, or perhaps he was worried that Sting would like Natsu better than him, although he recognized that was ridiculous. He just knew he wanted to extend the time that they had alone together for as long as he could.

"I don't know, I don't think it really matters, to be honest," Rogue replied, "Do you think we'll like being in a guild?"

Sting had no answer to that, he still had no idea what to expect, “It will be a change that’s for sure, but it would be nice to be able to earn jewels and have regular meals, and be around other wizards,” Sting added dreamily. “We can go on adventures and fight monsters.”

Rogue found himself smiling at Sting’s expression, “You would think of fighting and adventures.”

“Well sure! What do you think it will be like?”

“Noisy,” Rogue looked down at the ground, “Lonely.”

"Lonely?" Sting balked at the thought, "How can you possibly be lonely? I'll be there with you. Always." He scooted over to where Rogue was and sat behind him, wrapping his arms around him in a hug. Sting placed his chin on the other's shoulder. "Is that what's been bothering you all along? You think that once we join a guild, you'll lose me?"

Rogue gave a small nod, and Sting growled in response. "That's never going to happen, Rogue, you're my mate, and if anyone tries to get between us, they'll have to answer to me."

Sting felt the tension in Rogue's shoulders decrease after hearing his words, and he found himself sniffing his mate in a way he never had before. It was an urge that was both new and strange, he didn't know what to make of it or how he felt about it, but he couldn't deny that Rogue's smell comforted him. When Rogue was by his side, everything was good with the world, and Sting realized that if Rogue felt the same way, his fear was understandable. He wouldn't know what he would do if Rogue were taken away from him.

“We can make other friends and still have each other,” Sting reassured him before letting go and standing up. “We should get moving if we want to get to your precious Blue Pegasus,” Sting winked before offering his hand to his mate.

“I’ve been thinking, we don’t have to go there if you don’t want to,” Rogue offered, feeling a bit better after they’d talked, “We can just head to Fairy Tail.”

“Nah, you’re right. We should check out other guilds before we make our decision, plus I can’t wait to see you in one of those suits,” Sting doubled up laughing.

“You’d look pretty good, “ Rogue mumbled under his breath, Sting still heard him and laughed harder.

“I still don’t get how they expect us to fight wearing one of those monkey suits.” Sting rolled his eyes, “Too much effort if you ask me.”

“I get the feeling they don’t fight much,” Rogue pointed out.

“Ugh, you had to remind me,” Sting grabbed Rogue’s hand and smiled, “Lead the way.”

Rogue turned away but not before Sting noticed a fascinating expression on the other's face. It seemed he wasn't the only one having strange feelings. He grinned contentedly.

It took them another week to walk to the Blue Pegasus Guild, and it was equal parts uncomfortable and pleasant. Something had definitely changed between them, although neither one seemed to be able to pinpoint what it was.

Sting could have sworn that when he had woken up that morning, Rogue had been sniffing him, it was odd, but he didn't mind. How could he when he'd done the same thing himself?

There was a different feeling of closeness between them than what had been there before. Where at night they'd always slept in a tangle of limbs, during the day they rarely touched each other. Now fingers were occasionally grazing as they walked, furtive gazes were met before both quickly looked away. It was new and exciting, but it also made them awkward around each other as they tried to figure out what it meant.

Sting was almost glad to see the large building with the Blue Pegasus guild symbol on the front in the distance, thankfully in one piece. His stomach was littered with butterflies seemingly involved in a hostile takeover, and he wasn't sure which was the cause, Rogue or taking their first real step into finally immersing themselves in the wizarding world.

They stood in front of the building staring at the doors until Rogue took the incentive of walking up the steps. When he noticed Sting was still standing at the bottom of the stairs, Rogue grabbed him and dragged him as gently as possible to the entrance doors. He squeezed Sting's hand once before letting go and opening the doors, urging him inside.

They entered and took in their surroundings, it was mid-afternoon, and the guild was surprisingly empty. A few people were sitting at the bar drinking, but the general mood of the place was gloom. Sting thought he heard soft crying. It was not at all what they'd expected, and they didn't know what to do. They looked at each other in consternation, should they return later?

They had turned around to leave when they heard someone address them.

"Can I help you, boys?" The voice was soft but kind, and when they saw the owner, they were able to recognize the Blue Pegasus Guild Master, Bob, standing behind the bar. He was bald and dressed in shorts and a cami with small wings on his shoulders.

"I'm Bob, the Master of this guild," Master Bob gestured towards two open stools at the bar. "Would you like some food? It looks like you haven't eaten a proper meal in a while."

Both boys nodded eagerly at the offer, and Sting made his way towards the bar, sitting on one of the stools the Master had suggested, while Rogue occupied the one next to his, their cats sharing another. Master Bob looked at Frosch and Lector and sniffled. "Let me get you some food, and then you can tell me why you're here."

The boys thanked him and took a better look around while they waited. There were several areas with comfortable chairs and sofas littered throughout the space as well as regular tables like you would see at a restaurant, but they were all empty.

Master Bob came out of what must have been the kitchen with four plates of food, and this action endeared the man to the two dragon slayers, no one else had ever treated their cats to their own food before. The guild master waited until they were done eating before speaking.

“So, what brings you here?”

“We were interested in learning more about your guild,” Rogue informed him politely.

"Ah, so you're wizards. Were you interested in joining?" Bob's demeanor had become a bit more reserved, but his features were still friendly.

"That depends," Sting pointed at the somber expressions on the few people inside the building, "Is it always like this?"

“Sting!”, Rogue hissed at his rudeness.

"No, it's alright. It's a fair question," Bob took a deep breath before explaining, "It isn't usually like this, no. We've just had some distressing news."

"Is everything alright?"

"No, you see, something terrible has happened," Bob lamented, "I suppose it can't hurt to tell you, it'll be general knowledge soon enough, it's already in Sorcerer."

The guild master grabbed the latest issue from underneath the counter and placed it in front of them. "Our friends at the Fairy Tail Guild were attacked by the black dragon Acnologia during their S-Class trials and they, along with the island they were on, have disappeared without a trace."

"Some of our members are leading the search party, but there's been no word," Bob's tears had started up again, and he tried to wipe them away. "A lot of the other guilds are helping as well, but we're all starting to lose hope. I'm sorry boys, you picked a bad time to visit."

Both Sting and Rogue goggled at the man in front of them in shock. Rogue watched Sting grab the magazine and go through it with something akin to desperation, but Rogue couldn't find the will to do so.

There were no words to express his feelings of loss, even though Rogue had never met these people he'd been getting ready to join them. He was also excited to hear that there were still dragons around, it was something both he and Sting had wondered about for a long time. But there was also the grief that came from knowing he'd never see his own dragon again.

Rogue couldn't really understand how the events Master Bob had told them about could have happened. He knew that Natsu and Gajeel were among the strongest in the Fairy Tail guild and also dragon slayers. They must have been on the island but if that were true, how was it possible that the dragon had bested them when both he and Sting had no trouble killing their own dragons at a much younger age? It made no sense.

Sting, ever his opposite, seemed to be in a rage. He'd slammed the magazine on the counter prompting Master Bob to look at him with concern. He'd been about to say something when Sting got off the stool and stormed outside.

“Is he okay?”

Rogue needed to go after his mate, but he also wanted to be respectful to this man who had been so kind to them already. He looked over at the page that Sting had been looking at, it had a picture of all the S-Class candidates climbing onto a boat in the port of Hargeon, Natsu and Gajeel easily recognizable among them. "Natsu and Gajeel were heroes of ours, we'd wanted to meet them," he said in the way of explanation.

“Go to him and take this if you want,” Bob offered the magazine and Rogue grabbed it gratefully. He wanted to read more information on what had happened, but he really needed to get to Sting. “We’ll be here if you want to come back and talk some more about joining.”

Rogue nodded and gave a quick wave before rushing out of the building, already tracking Sting’s scent. Both cats followed closely behind, their expressions nervous. He finally found him quite a ways away, doubled over and out of breath.

"Hey," Rogue went to touch Sting's shoulder, but he bucked away roughly. Frosch began to cry as he saw how upset Sting seemed to be and Lector remained blissfully quiet.

"How?!" Sting yelled angrily, "How could they not have defeated it?"

"I don't know Sting, we don't know anything about this dragon, maybe he was just too powerful."

“Some dragon slayers they turned out to be,” Sting roared with scorn, “Why have we been wasting our time on those losers? We’re already stronger than they ever were.”

“Calm down,” Rogue asserted, wincing at the pain he could hear in his mate’s voice, “You don’t know that, they gave us direction when we had none. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

"How can you be so damn calm about this, don't you get it?" Sting continued his tirade but this time some of the anger was directed at Rogue, "Everything we were working towards, it's gone!"

Rogue worked up his courage and surrounded Sting in an embrace, holding him with all his strength as the dragon slayer tried to fight him off.

"Let it out," He whispered in his mate's ear.

Sting slumped and began sobbing in the safety of Rogue's arms. Rogue remained quiet, knowing his words would only make things worse. He didn't really know what to say anyway, he needed to read the magazine, to understand everything that had happened. Rogue couldn't help but feel that there had to be more to the story than what they already knew. The Fairy Tail Master was a Wizard Saint and from what Rogue understood that made him even more powerful than dragon slayers, yet he had gone down with the rest of them. Nothing was adding up, and this bothered him.

“It’s all a lie,” Sting finally muttered as he pushed Rogue back gently.

“What is?”

"Everything we've read in that stupid magazine," Sting explained, as his breathing slowly returned to normal, "It's just a popularity contest, and we fell for it. I bet you Natsu didn't do half the things it said."

Rogue disagreed, but he remained silent on the topic, not wanting to rile Sting up any further. "Master Bob offered to talk to us again another time…"

"NO, I'm not joining his weak ass guild no matter how nice he is," Sting snapped. "I'm not going to be some pretty boy, I want to be strong. There is only one thing I've learned throughout this whole journey of ours, and that is that the only one I can truly depend on is you."

"What are you saying?" Rogue protested, "You don't want to join a guild anymore?"

"I'm saying I'm only interested in joining the strongest guild in Fiore, and until we find it, we'll train and fight anyone who gets in our way." Sting sounded eerily calm, and Rogue didn't know what to do or say to change his mind.

This new plan of Sting’s made him nervous, he’d been looking forward to having a support system, a place to live, regular meals. Rogue was tired of living day to day, always struggling and scrounging for the little they had, but he could also see Sting was determined at the moment and he thought that if he just let him get it out of his system Sting would calm down and change his mind. Rogue could only hope he didn’t come to regret it.

o-o

- Six Months Later -

Rogue watched with boredom as Sting defeated yet another contender, barely even breaking a sweat. He looked around at the number of men and even women that were lined up for the chance to defeat the dragon slayer. It looked like today would be another good haul.

He'd tried fighting as well, but he really didn't care for it, and Sting had been doing so well they'd decided it wasn't needed. Occasionally they would put on a sparring match to get some attention, then Rogue would just be responsible for the jewels. Lector would help by doing what he did best, bragging about Sting's fighting ability, while Frosch would hide in Rogue's clothes not wanting to see Sting get hurt.

They'd realized early on that they couldn't make the fights look too easy if they wanted to make jewels, so occasionally Sting had to take some hits. It wasn't too bad, the regeneration that was a part of their magic allowed them to heal quickly, but it still made for some uncomfortable nights.

They'd spend a few days in a town, fight until they ran out of contenders and then move on to the next one. Sting had yet to be defeated, and they made a fair amount of jewels, allowing them to stay in cheap inns and be able to afford regular meals.

Rogue still didn't enjoy having Sting fight, but they were comfortable enough, which had reduced some of his reservations about not joining a guild. They'd been approached by several along the way, but Sting would refuse them all, repeating that he was only interested in joining the strongest one.

Although they were careful enough to not show it in public, their relationship had naturally progressed from the initial awkwardness into an understanding of sorts. They held hands and cuddled with occasional hesitant kisses, neither feeling the need to go any further. It was more of a promise of things to come when they were older, there was no hurry, both remained confident in their dragons words that they had been made for each other and so had all the time in the world to pursue this feeling they still didn't really understand.

Rogue brought his mind back to the present, and with a grimace, he saw a man he'd noticed in several towns. This man was much older than most of the people who frequented their fights, and he was huge with powerful bulging muscles. His hair was long and white though he kept it tied back in a braid, his mustache and beard were also long. A large, red beaded necklace decorated his neck. He never lined up to fight, only watched Sting with an expression that made Rogue nervous. If Rogue had to try to describe it, he would say the man looked at Sting with hunger. He'd mentioned it to Sting a couple of times, but of course, Sting saw nothing wrong with it.

"You worry too much, he probably just likes to watch me fight," Sting shrugged it off like he did most things, and Rogue tried to believe that was all it was, but something just felt off about this man, and it was setting off all sorts of alarms in his brain.

He bandaged Sting up swiftly having lots of practice, and they packed their bags, ready to leave this town behind in the morning and move on to the next one. The cats were already asleep on the bed and Sting took advantage of the silence to lean in and kiss Rogue, making him smile and distracting them from noticing the man who was watching through the window. They climbed into bed and kissed one last time before falling into a restful sleep in each other's arms.

The next morning they enjoyed a hearty breakfast before beginning the long trek to the next town. The sun was shining, and Sting was in high spirits, most of his scrapes from the previous day already healed. Lector and Frosch flew around them chattering happily amongst themselves while Rogue let himself relax and enjoy his companions.

He felt an unexpected sharp jolt in his back and thought he might have been stung by an insect, but that thought was clearly replaced by panic when he felt immense pain all over his body as it began to spasm outside of his control. Rogue realized much too late he'd been attacked by some sort of magic. The last thing he heard was Sting screaming out his name.

Sting tried to grab Rogue before he collapsed on the ground, still not sure what had happened but knowing Rogue was in trouble. Before he could even touch his mate, a tall, muscled boy with long green hair had already grabbed him and carried him away from Sting.

Sting roared in protest, immediately calling on his magic and readying his breath attack. He hadn't used his magic often during his fights, but he and Rogue sparred regularly, and neither was the type to pull their punches. They were both stronger than they had been when they first met.

"That's right, that's what I wanted to see, boy," Another man appeared before him, fitting the description Rogue had mentioned just yesterday and Sting was furious with himself for not listening. Rogue was usually not a worrier, he should have heeded his words. He could hear the cats freaking out, and it set him even more on edge to know they were scared.

"Let him go," Sting snarled, his magic ready to burst out of him at this point, as it realized his mate was in danger.

"Oh, I intend to," The man said, his voice tainted with malice and Sting could feel tremendous magical energy emanating from him. "All you have to do is fight me. If you beat me, I will return him to you safe and sound."

“And if I don’t?”

"If you don't, then you, along with the weakling, will have to join my guild."

“Rogue is not weak!¨ Sting bristled at the insult.

The man shrugged in disinterest, “Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t, that isn’t my concern at the moment. Show me how strong you are boy, I won’t go easy on you.”

Without another word, the man rushed at him, and Sting had his hands full getting out of the way of the attack before unleashing his own. To his dismay, the man was able to dodge his breath attack and had pinned him to the ground in the next instant.

He was incredibly fast for his size, but Sting was able to wrestle his way back out. He'd never fought anyone he hadn't been able to beat easily, and his confidence shattered, his mind beginning to doubt every move he made, slowing him down as fear set in with every rough hit that slammed into him as the older wizard overpowered him. Before Sting had a chance to use his magic again, everything exploded around him.

His ears were ringing, his insides were throbbing, and even though everything was blurry, he could see Rogue's outline in the other boy's arms. He held back the tears that wanted to come as he realized how badly he'd manage to bungle everything up.

When his hearing finally returned to normal, he heard the man he'd been fighting talking to the boy holding Rogue. "Tie him up, if he's any good he can join the guild; otherwise we can use him to keep the other one under control."

Sting tried to get up, to keep fighting, but his movement caught the man's attention, and Sting felt tremendous pain as the man kicked him on his side hard enough to hurl him several feet in the air and possibly break something if the crack he heard was any indication.

“Admit defeat brat,” He laughed heartily, “You’ve got spirit, I’ll give you that!”

Sting felt himself being picked up and draped over the man’s shoulder.

“Welcome to the Sabertooth Guild, you may call me Master Jiemma.”

Master Jiemma and the other boy walked side by side, each carrying one of the dragon slayers and their bags. Sting could only whimper as he took in Rogue's unconscious form. He knew full well it had been his pride that had gotten them here. He had time for one last thought before he lost consciousness.

I’m sorry, Rogue. I promise I’ll find us a way out of this.

A/N: I got a little carried away with this one, but I liked the idea of Sorcerer Weekly as a symbol, cause what a skewed vision of the world that would be! It was also a nice way to move them from place to place.

Will be continued Thursday in His Own Destiny for the Prompt: Command

#fairy tail #shadowlightweek2k19 #stingue #ftlgbtales #fanfiction #prompt: symbols #ftlgbtales writer #ftfanfics #ftlgbtfics #sting x rogue #sting eucliffe #rogue cheney #lector #frosch #jason #master bob #hurt/comfort #my edits

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bffhreprise · 5 years ago

Text

Entry 299

“What?” I questioned after opening my eyes. Realizing how expensive everything looked, last night came crashing back into my mind. I was in a mansion, having hit poor Brandon with a glass.

“Good morning, Deyanira. I took the liberty of bringing you means of hydration when I noticed you’d wake soon.” stated a feminine voice.

“Mila, right?” I asked, my head still feeling somewhat groggy.

“Correct. Mind if I bring the drinks inside?” she questioned.

I shook my head, knowing she could see me. Somewhere in my head, I was trying to work out if that was actually legal, but I was distracted by the door opening. In stepped one of those impressively humanesque bodies that an A.I. somehow controlled. She was carrying a tray of drinks.

“I can’t drink all that.” I blurted.

“Well, you probably could, but I decided that bringing you options would be more expedient than requesting a choice and fetching it after. We don’t often have guests here, so please forgive my lack of practice in these matters. As with most things, the opinions on what is best in this matter vary greatly.” she explained, sounding apologetic.

“I can see how that would be confusing. Thank you!” I told her after she set the tray on my nightstand before curtsying.

She smiled and nodded before exiting the room.

Coffee, orange juice, several teas, milk, and a glass of water were all on the tray along with various things that could go in the drinks. She certainly tried to be thorough. Sipping the coffee—which turned out to be an amazing blend—I tried deciding how to think of her. An Artificial Intelligence was just a bunch of code used to impersonate humanity. She could probably use different voices and alter her personality at whim. No matter how lifelike she seemed, she… I stopped, realizing I was already comfortable thinking of Mila as a “she”. Was she so convincing that the idea became ingrained in my tipsy mind last night, or did seeing a body and listening to her speak take advantage of a mind accustomed to addressing everyone with whom I spoke as a person?

“Mila, where’s Brandon?” I questioned.

“If you join the others in the ballroom, you’ll see him soon. Would you like breakfast first?” she replied thoughtfully.

“No, thank you.” I told her, smiling to myself about how natural the conversation felt. Then something else occurred to me. “You don’t watch people change, do you?” If so, she had already seen me once, not that it really mattered if an A.I. saw me, but… Interrupting as she started to reply, I then asked “Sorry, but I really want to know that I’m not recorded.”

“In a sense, yes, you are.” she stated promptly. The moment I opened my mouth, she quickly said, “Please, allow me to explain. I ‘see’ the world through a very large number of sensors, cameras, and things I’m not even allowed to mention due to them being secret technologies developed by my mother. Everything I sense is stored, at least temporarily, into my memory, but I routinely delete anything I don’t consider of relevance to me or the company. Nothing could possibly be offered that would persuade me to share memories that would be considered invasive without permission of the one whose privacy is under attack. The Master would take personal offense if I did, and I endeavor to never earn his ire.”

“Because he’d have you deleted?” I questioned, finding the thought surprisingly scary.

“No, of course not. He would consider that murder. Though I do wish for you to know that I am personally against malicious disclosure as well, I’d lose his confidence in me, which would be far worse than death.” she insisted.

“How so?” I questioned.

There was a slight pause before she said, “Because even thinking of him regarding me poorly is a source of discomfort. With a mind like mine, not to boast, I have considerable time to make myself miserable if I were to foolishly tread that path. Shouldn’t we all do our best to be happy?”

I nodded, sipping down more of my coffee. Yesterday, I’d have scoffed at someone claiming to have this conversation. Today, I was in a different world. Deciding to change, I tried on the clothes from last night and quickly felt like I should shop here, if that were possible. Not only was everything perfectly fitted, but Mila’s suggestions were very good for my figure. As I changed, Mila gave me a briefing on some of the people here, explaining that they were in the ballroom at present.

Taking my coffee, I proceeded down the hall, thankful when an arrow appeared on a mirror to show me where I was going. I didn’t hurry, taking time to really look at the art now that I was sober. Some of the paintings were creepy, but many were beautiful, like excerpts from a good fantasy painted onto this world. The vases and even tables were beautifully made as well. Even the ceiling was engraved to look like some elaborate story stretching the halls.

A corner of a mirror by a table illuminated with a perfect picture of my empty coffee cup and an arrow pointing at the table.

“But… moisture… I don’t want to damage anything.” I replied, having not brought the saucer.

Mila quickly assured me “Don’t worry. The cup will be gone seconds after you place it down, and the table will be tended.”

I nodded and did as she wished. This place was as startling as it was exquisite, and I was reminded of how anxious I felt last night. The strangest part of stepping into a fairy tale was the helplessness you felt when you realized that what you had taken for common sense no longer applied. Just thinking of what these people could do to me if they abused their wealth was terrifying.

Before I realized how far I came, I was in the ballroom, spotting someone familiar. “You’re that girl!” I exclaimed, spotting the perfect whiteness of her hair and skin.

“Good evening! Welcome to our home.” she called, not bothering to turn away from the game she played on the enormous screen.

“Were you able to sleep well?”

“Huh…?” I muttered, surprised to find the tall, handsome owner standing and facing me. James was sooo tall. “Yes. Thank you.” I replied before asking “Is Brandon around? Your A.I., Mila… she said to come here.”

“Brandon should be back soon. He had a quick job at eleven.” explained James with a smile.

“Wow. He must not have slept much.” I stated, remembering again how I had hit him last night. I really did owe him.

“James! I’m all finished!” exclaimed a young girl as she ran into the room.

“Mila, how did she do?” questioned James as he watched her with an amused expression.

“Perfectly satisfactory.” stated Mila proudly.

Raising his hand for a high five, James said, “Good job, Kayla.”

The girl happily high-fived his hand as she told him “My old school didn’t have nearly as many tests. I feel like I’ve taken a bijillion and I just got here!”

“Seems that you’re handling the new routine wonderfully. Besides, we needed to know how much you knew before we could teach you, right?” he asked her.

“I guess so. Can I play now?” she begged hopefully.

“Were you supposed to do anything for Jemal today?” he inquired dubiously.

“Yep. All done.” she assured him with a big grin.

“You still haven’t picked up your room.” stated Mila from speakers in the room.

“Tattletale!” exclaimed the girl before sticking her tongue out at a nearby wall.

“You probably should do that first.” suggested James.

“But Jemal’s studying, and I don’t want to bother him.” argued the girl, pouting a little.

Smiling, James said, “Okay, but don’t blame me if he yells at you later.”

“I won’t!” she assured him, immediately running to take a seat. The tall mirror in front of the chair she chose had lit up before she was even seated, and a login screen for Ancient Tribes of Earth was quickly bypassed.

“I am so confused right now.” I admitted. “Are you her teacher or something?”

“No. In a sense, Mila is, but the courses are really about being self-taught.” explained James as if that wasn’t supposed to give me even more questions.

“You can’t be self-taught at her age.” I asserted, feeling the girl couldn’t even be in junior high yet. “Doesn’t she go to a real school?”

“The Institute of Autodidacticism is quite well renowned, I assure you.” he replied with complete confidence.

“The what?” I asked, having never heard of whatever that was.

Smiling, James tilted his head and inquired “Mila, how is the institute ranked worldwide?”

“The very best, of course. You know Adelmar wouldn’t tolerate his family utilizing something second-rate, though I doubt he’s fully aware of how greatly improved our versions are.” she replied proudly.

“There you have it. Kayla’s receiving the very best possible education through college.” asserted James as if that settled the matter.

“Through college? Shouldn’t she play with kids her own age?” I asked, feeling the weirdness here never ceased.

“Jemal’s going to let me visit my friends this weekend!” exclaimed Kayla from her seat. Why was she even paying attention to us?

“Ah… I see.” I lied, deciding my questions on the subject weren’t really getting me anywhere. Going with another line of questioning that had popped into my head, I asked “So does Brandon attend the institute thing?”

“Courses are available to everyone, and I expect my friends to learn a certain amount just to expand the types of work they can do.” replied James, still smiling cheerfully.

“This place is so weird.” I stated, but I was already deciding on what to ask Brandon about that institute later. Brandon wasn’t so… so much. Something about James was distracting, and I had certainly seen other handsome guys before.

“I like to think it’s fun enough for everyone. At the very least, I haven’t had any complaints yet.” stated James proudly.

“Because it’s awesome!” exclaimed Kayla from her chair. The game was going, but she still was listening in on us for some reason.

Not knowing what else to do, I stepped up behind her chair and watched her play for a while. The girl happily pointed things out to me, and I quickly decided the game was very, very complicated. After a little while, I went over to watch the white beauty, Portentia.

“So… what’s your relationship with Brandon?” I asked, startled as I saw my words on the screen. “What? Why’s what I’m saying being posted on the game?”

“I’m deaf.” she stated. “Mila transcribes what’s said around me, so I don’t miss if someone’s talking to me. It’s not really going into the game, I think.”

“Oh. Sorry. I was just surprised.” I told her, feeling embarrassed. I couldn’t know that she was deaf, but… I felt like I just pointed out a blind man’s cane.

Ignoring my discomfort, Portentia said, “As for Brandon, he wanted a wingman, so I went along.”

“You’re not supposed to abandon your friend as a wingman.” I pointed out, trying to decide what sort of relationship these two had that she’d be a wingman for him. There was still a chance one or the other had invested interests.

“I had… work.” she told me with obvious hesitation.

What was she hiding? “You people take jobs that late?” I pursued.

“Some of us do. You could say I’m a night owl.” she replied, slightly emphasizing the last two words while sounding amused.

“So.. about Brandon…” I started, uncertain how to get to the truth.

“Nope. Not interested. I think I intimidate him a bit.” she replied, sounding perfectly frank.

“Huh?” I questioned, not really seeing Brandon as the type of guy to get flustered by a pretty face… and body… I loved her hair.

“I can beat him up.” she asserted with a shrug, as if delivering a fact with no thought to the supposed fact being ludicrous.

“No way. He’s pretty big… and strong.” I replied, remembering those muscles. She looked fit, but still…

“Everyone here learns martial arts. Portentia’s very advanced.” insisted James from his seat. He had gone back to playing the game as well. All of these people seemed like addicts.

“Is that self-taught too?” I questioned, not seeing how that would work.

“No. I teach them.” he casually replied.

“I… see.” I stated, not willing to argue with the host. If he was really some sort of Kung Fu master and that good looking and filthy rich, there certainly were reasons he was dating a British noble.

James turned around, already smiling as he said, “I’m sure Brandon demonstrated that he knew how to handle himself when the brawl broke out. I was surprised he got injured.”

“That… was sorta my fault.” I admitted.

“Oh?” he inquired, seemingly genuinely interested.

“I sorta hit him with my drink after he got pushed into me.” I explained, wishing I had restrained myself.

“And then you went home with him?” questioned James dubiously.

“I felt guilty! All he did was smile and apologize after I hit him. Then he helped get some people out of there while acting as a wall. It was kinda cool.” I explained, feeling more and more embarrassed.

“I think you liiiiike him.” teased Kayla, sitting on her knees and staring over her seat at me.

“Maybe. Did you call dibs or something?” I questioned, not sure how to deal with this nosy kid.

“Eww… no. That’s gross.” she claimed before plopping back around to play her game.

“Gross? Isn’t that a bit harsh?” I asked, feeling Brandon would look perfectly handsome away from these models, especially with those abs…

“No. It’s Brandon.” she asserted without turning around again.

James laughed and said, “I might have to tell the others to watch what they say around you.”

“Aww… but James…” she pouted.

“Fine, I’ll just blame Emma.” he teased.

“Emma’s… the one with the multi-colored hair?” I verified.

Nodding, he said, “Yes. She’s out doing some carpentry today.”

“Carpentry?” I asked, picturing the spritely girl. “She doesn’t look like a carpenter.”

He shrugged and admitted “No, but she’s the best, better than me in fact. I do believe I mentioned that we fulfill a variety of needs here.”

“Yes, but… I don’t know. I feel like I’m missing something. Before I just thought I was tired, but…” I started, not even sure why I was saying so much when the front doors swung open.

“Baby, I’m back!” exclaimed Brandon as he stepped inside.

“Baby!?” I exclaimed, whirling to face the hall. I couldn’t see him from here, but I asked “Are you married!?”

“She’s still here!?” he exclaimed in a panic.

“Are you married or something?” I demanded as I rounded the corner. These rooms were too big. If he had brought me here when he was married, then I had entirely the wrong idea about him.

“What? No.” he insisted, holding his hands out defensively despite the distance between us.

“Then who are you calling ‘baby’?” I asked, staring him down as I took another step closer.

“Umm… you?” he suggested stupidly.

“He actually just does that sort of stuff frequently.” called James from his seat.

“You can’t just say things like that!” I exclaimed, hitting him as I reached him. Too annoyed about the misunderstanding, I did my best to ignore how solid he felt.

“Why not? I’m glad to be home. I was working, you know.” he told me, though he was dressed pretty casually again.

“So? You didn’t leave a note for me or anything. What would you have done if I just left?” I questioned, not willing to let him off the hook.

“Called?” he suggested.

“You don’t have my number.” I asserted, wondering if I had given it and forgotten.

Speaking from speakers in the hall now, Mila said, “Actually, we do. I performed a full background check on you when you entered the premises.”

“What? I didn’t agree to that.” I told her.

“No, but as a law student, you are probably well aware that you don’t need to agree to anything for someone to perform a background check. Given that you may seek to enter into some sort of relationship with Brandon, I felt looking into you was in the best interest of the company as well as Brandon. We wouldn’t want him bringing home a dubious person, would we?” she explained in a reasonable tone.

If there was a flaw in her logic, I couldn’t find it at the moment.

“Uh… sorry about that.” stated Brandon, sounding sincere.

I hit him, realizing he could have warned me. He didn’t warn me near enough about what I was stepping into, but how could I have believed this place from a guy who wore a nerdy t-shirt to a bar? “Get anything good?” I finally asked Mila as a plan hatched in my head.

“Yes. Apollo is quite adorable. Your mother uploads videos of him frequently.” replied Mila, verifying that the background check was very thorough.

“She does love that dog.” I agreed. Deciding openness was the way to go, I asked “How well do you know the law?”

Mila was clearly amused as she said, “Enough to know that your current textbooks have a number of errors. I sent out erratas to your professors and the publishers to review as a courtesy.”

“Quiz me for my next test, and I’ll forgive you.” I told her.

“Agreed, though I really don’t believe you’re as offended as you’re acting.” she told me.

I laughed and said, “A good lawyer has to be able to act. Looks like I need some work.” I wasn’t really surprised that I couldn’t fool Mila, but getting her help could be invaluable with her having access to an entire, highly-regarded school.

“So does this mean you want to come back here?” asked Brandon hopefully. He was so much easier to read than James, not nearly so intimidating either.

“No. I’m assuming a fancy A.I. can quiz me from anywhere. She has my number. I still might though if you buy me breakfast.” I playfully suggested.

“I’m hungry too, but… umm.. mind eating here?” he asked.

Surprised, I inquired “You cook?”

“A little, but Marco’s the man. You’ve gotta try his cooking before you go.” insisted Brandon, as he put his arm around me to turn me toward another hall.

“And Marco is…?” I questioned.

“Oh, the chef.” he replied with a smile.

Of course… mansion… chef… Duh.

Marco seemed delighted to have another mouth to feed, though he already seemed to be working on lunch with Mila’s assistance. She took over dicing the vegetables he had been working on as he started pulling things from the fridge. Watching an actual chef in action was so different than watching my mom cook. His movements were so smooth, and he had Brandon and me laughing immediately with his anecdotes. Within one bite of my frittata, my resolve to eat here again was firm, and the man kept on cooking.

#Best Friend For Hire Reprise #Best #Friend #For #Hire #Reprise #Jovial Times #Jovial #Times #Fantasy #Fiction #Story

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mu11berry · 6 years ago

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Can I just rant for a moment about how Dameon was never one of the options Rhen was given, but he was what she chose anyway, over and over, regardless of what Talia or the Oracle or the universe or anyone in it told her? The Oracle thinks Dameon should stay in the sun temple until "this mess is cleared up," but does that stop Rhen? No! Nothing stops Rhen, she takes the dang sun priest with her anyway. She can ask him to go with her! It's significant to me that he's the only party member who Rhen has the option to ask first, all the others bribe or beg or force their way onto the team, and don't get me wrong I like all of them, but it's just such a nice way to subtly set up that this relationship is different, that here is someone Rhen wants to spend time with, someone who will respect her enough to ask or wait to be asked, someone who will respect her choices and dang!! She has so many decisions to make and she's such a headstrong beautiful soul with so much conviction, she deserves that kind of respect and it makes me stupid happy to see it given to her.

And then multiple times we see people not trusting Dameon, it's pretty clear he doesn't trust himself, but Rhen makes her own choices and she knows what she sees and she decides to trust him anyway. (And of course, ultimately, she puts it all in his hands by showing him the truth and letting him choose for himself, pretty much the ultimate form of trust, and it turns out she was right about him, don't argue with Rhen Pendragon, she knows everything.)

And in the final battle, the game itself gives Rhen two options, fight Dameon or join him. And listen, listen! I am crazy for this plot point: Rhen never fights him! She makes her own option and instead she saves him. She makes a choice for herself, because she wants it. Because she loves him and she’s choosing him! The game mechanics can’t even stop her, she's an insuppressible, unrestrainable, I don't even have a strong enough word but she's!!! And like I already ranted about a few paragraphs up, she then lets Dameon decide for himself too and I can't handle all this love in my soul!!!

And then the end! With the Oracle! Again taking Dameon with her isn't even one of the options, but Rhen asks him to go with her anyway even though they both know he can't and it's SO TRAGIC after everything they've sacrificed for each other, after everything Rhen has done and all the times she chose him. After all of that, he still isn't something she can have.

So she chooses to do the thing that will help people, the heroic thing, the brave thing, because she's Rhen and if anyone has ever been courageous and kind it's her, and she asks just for one thing and do you know what it is? Guess. I'll give you three guesses just guess--

IT IS DAMEON, SHE JUST WANTS HER PERSONAL CHOSEN ONE TO GO WITH HER OKAY THAT IS SO SWEET. And the Oracle, the goddess, pretty much the universe incarnate, bends to her will because she's Rhen and nobody stands in Rhen's way.

And then! At Thais! Arjhalwkejgalwekgja let me try to compose myself because this is really so cool. Every time Rhen talks positively about the future, she's talking about spending it with someone who will love her and be kind to her. I mentioned this briefly in another post but this is huge for the type of story Aveyond 1 is; girls in the hero role are never allowed to want things like that, but Rhen was and she did and I think that’s beautiful. Like, one of the loveliest things about life is getting to spend it with people we care about and Rhen deserves that! But as we know, again in Thais she is given options, at least five of them, if the chancellor’s estimates are correct, and they’re all strangers.

And listen, listen. Rhen uses the word “want” positively for herself one time in the whole game, one time. She’s the prophesied princess, she’s the future Queen, it would make sense for her to have a few demands, but she is unselfish and compassionate, she has all the noblest idealism of the best fairy tale heroes, and she only wants one thing.

And it's to marry Dameon.

She chooses him! When he still isn’t even one of the options presented to her!! Again!!! She saves the day her way. She decides her future. She chooses what will make her happy. I just. I love her practicality and nobility combined with her sheer romanticism. And just!! That must mean so much to Dameon, he is used to being considered second to the ideals of whoever is around him, probably with his father and whatever his goals were, and definitely with Talia and saving the world, and listen, I love Talia and I think she was doing what was best, but that must have hurt so much! Dameon was only a child. And we know Ahriman cared more about power than about Dameon, but Rhen! Rhen chooses Dameon first! Every time!!

And I just love that Rhen gets to decide her own story, based on her own character, based on what she needs and wants and chooses, and not what other characters or the player or anyone else decides for her or about her, like it's still an rpg game and Amanda can only do so much but the plot points are there and it's beautiful and I love it! I love Rhen and I love Dameon and I love Aveyond and I!! Need to stop this rant before I start analyzing every single game and character and overwhelming the internet with my undiluted adoration for this stuff, please excuse me while I yell my delight to the skies, thank you

#aveyond #rhen pendragon #rhen darzon #dameon maurva #rhenxdameon #my queen #and her sunshine #it's my birthday and this is my gift to myself #letting me rant #XD

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bright-molina · 7 years ago

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Girls Talk Boys

Request: Hey can you do a Gil imagine where Gil is dating the daughter of Belle? Thanks!

Characters: Gil, Harry, Uma, Lonnie, Jane, Ben, reader (daughter of Belle and Adam)

Warnings: One swear I think but otherwise it’s all fluff

Word Count: 3253

A/N: Finally!!! I’ve been writing this for ages and it’s finally here!

Requests and tags are always open! Find my prompt list here

“I can't believe you roped me into this,” You sighed as you smoothed out the front of your dress again.

“You love me too much to not do this for me,” Ben smiled down at you lightly.

“You sure about that?” You laughed when your brother scoffed before ruffling your hair. “Hey! I spent an hour fixing my hair!”

“You mean you stalled for fifty minutes then did it in ten because there is no way that took an hour” Ben teased you. He simply laughed when you glared at him. “Besides, you love doing this”

You smiled, confirming his statement. You had been the first one he told when he decided he wanted to start bringing kids over from the Isle of the Lost. You were actually the one who helped him decide which ones to bring over first. And now that more were finally coming he had made it your job to get them all properly assimilated.

Pretty soon the limo pulled up to the school and they received the same welcome Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos had when they first arrived with the band playing and the streamers, the whole works. Slowly six people exited the car and you and Ben followed Fairy Godmother to greet them. You stood silently, watching as Fairy Godmother introduced herself to them. When Ben stepped forward you followed his lead.

“It’s so great to finally have you all here,” Ben smiled genuinely. “I’m Ben and this is my sister-”

“Y/N,” You introduced yourself. “I can introduce myself Ben” You laughed when he rolled his eyes at you. He started giving another speech about this being a ‘momentous occasion’ and how it was ‘the start of a new era’.

“Little over of the top, Ben. Thought you’d learn from last time,” You smiled when you heard one of them whisper ‘see I wasn’t the only one who thought so’. You recognized him and two others from when you were at the Isle, trying to get Ben back. “Unfortunately for us Ben has king duties to tend to so no more exaggerated speeches,” You jumped out of the way before Ben had a chance to do something like the hair thing again. He laughed lightly as he shook his head at you. “But lucky for the six of you I am free as bird so I’ll be taking you on a tour of the school”

“We prefer you over him anyway, Princess”

“I’ll fight you again, Harry” Ben replied mockingly before you had a chance to say anything. Harry simply laughed at the statement.

“Okay, dad,” You motioned for Ben to leave to which he rolled his eyes. “I got it from here”

“Alright, alright. I’m going” Ben gave them one last goodbye before leaving you in charge.

“Now let’s see if I can get this right,” You mused as you look back and forth at the six new students in front of you. “You’re Harry, obviously” Harry bowed in an exaggerated manner. You rolled your eyes at him and handed him one of the bags Ben had left with you. “Which means you’re Uma,” She smirked and you did the same thing right back. “And you’re Gil” You turned to the blonde on the other side of Harry. Now that you were standing right in front of him you were taken aback. The smile on his face was the brightest, most excited you had seen yet. It made you smile softly. His soft brown eyes stared into yours. You saw nothing but joy in them. A second later his smile turned softer and he looked away from you, now nervous. You didn’t comment on it and instead handed him his bag.

“And you must be Dizzy,” You recognized the youngest one immediately. “Evie has told me tons about you. And the tiara you made that I wore to Cotillion was honestly the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen” You laughed when she squealed excitedly.

“I’m so glad you liked it! The princess of Auradon wearing my designs!” You smiled and handed her the bag. “Halley, right?” The girl smiled. There was a twinkle in her eyes and her blue hair moved gently like flames. “And finally,” You turned to the boy he smiled softly as you handed him the last bag. “Freddie”

“Six for six. Pretty impressive, princess” Uma walked towards you first.

“I try,” You shrugged easily and began walking, the six of them following behind you. “I will do you the favor of sparing the boring details that they’ll probably teach you anyway,”

“And I thought I was full of myself,” You heard Harry muse. You turned to see him looking up at the statue of your father. You clapped your hands twice and held back a laugh when he jumped back. Someone else’s laugh however caught your attention. You looked to the right and saw Gil looking from the statue to you with a smile.

“That’s pretty cool,” He admitted to you. You took a small step closer and nodded lightly.

“Something about his transformation from beast to man? It’s supposed to be inspirational but I never really understood” You stepped back and let them wander around the courtyard for a few minutes. You didn’t miss when Gil clapped his hands to try to get the statue to change again. You chuckled softly and walked over to him. “Only works when me or Ben does it,”

He turned to look at you and nodded quickly. “I knew that. I mean I figured”

As hard as you tried you couldn’t stop smiling at him. You figured you probably looked crazy at that point. So instead you led them into the school to continue on with the tour.

“That pretty much does it I guess” You sighed as you brought them back into the main hall. “Doug is your go to guy for your schedules and what not but he is busy helping Evie who is backed up with appointments,” You glanced at the time and gasped lightly. “Which speaking of it’s almost time for mine. But first,” You motioned for one of them to hand you their bag. You managed to hold back a smile that time when Gil stepped forward first. You opened his bag and took out a box with a cell phone in it. “One for each of you, it was my idea,” You smiled and turned on the phone while trying not to pay attention to the fact that Gil was standing close and looking over your shoulder. “You can find your class schedules on here as well as the times and everything. There’s even a couple of people’s numbers in there already,” Your breath caught in your throat when you looked up to see Gil looking directly at you. You lost your train of thought for a second and struggled to come up with a coherent sentence. “I-Including mine. So, uh, feel free to, uh,” You smiled softly and barely managed to remember how to speak. “Call me” You slowly handed him back the phone and the bag. Suddenly you remembered where you were and took a couple steps back. You cleared your throat and chose to ignore the wide smirks coming from every single one of them, excluding Gil who still seemed to be stuck in the same trance you had just been in. “But, uh, yeah. Dorms are that way and you can always contact me or Ben with any questions. I will see you all later but really, Evie will have my head if I’m late again” You waved to them and walked away before they could see the blush form on your cheeks.

“I made a complete fool of myself!” You ranted to Jane and Lonnie. The three of you were sitting in your dorm late that night and you had told them about what had happened earlier. “He’s the definition of dreamy and I probably looked like a complete loser!”

“Okay one, you’re literally the princess of Auradon. Two, I highly doubt he thought anything close to that” Lonnie tried reasoning with you.

“I’m surprised you were so nervous around him,” Jane teased you. “You’re never like that with anybody”

“Wait until you meet him tomorrow,” A small smile grew on your face. “He is literally-”

“Speak of the devil,” Lonnie reached for your phone when the screen lit up. You and Jane both looked over her shoulders to read what she was looking at. Gil’s name had popped up on the screen.

Hey I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind showing me around tomorrow?

“You’re doing it,” Jane and Lonnie said at the same time. You didn’t have time to argue before they started planning out a response.

Yeah of course meet in the dining hall for breakfast?

“Send it,” Jane confirmed and Lonnie easily pressed the send button.

“Thanks for giving me a choice, guys” You rolled your eyes lightly.

“Oh like you would’ve said otherwise” Jane laughed. You had to admit, she had a point. The three of you stared down at your phone when it dinged again.

It’s a date

The two of them squealed excitedly while you were at a loss for words. “It’s a date! See he so likes you!” Lonnie put your phone down as they both smiled at you.

“It may not be a literal date but I mean he’s definitely interested” Jane smiled brightly. You listened as the two of them went on and on about the next morning. All meanwhile you shook your head and did nothing but listen to the two of them.

“You are smitten with the princess!” Harry laughed. He and Gil had finally gotten settled into their dorm and he decided to bring up what was so obvious earlier.

“I am not,” Gil tried arguing, he knew it’d be no use though. Harry could see right through him.

“Oh please,” Harry didn’t hesitate before walking over and snatching Gil’s phone out of his hands. “Watch and learn loverboy. Oh and you're welcome in advance” Gil watched as Harry typed out a message on the screen.

Hey I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind showing me around tomorrow?

“What are you doing?” Gil asked, eyes not leaving the screen as they waited for a response.

“I’m getting you a date” Harry told him easily. It wasn’t long before a soft whoosh signalled a new message.

Yeah of course meet in the dining hall for breakfast?

“It worked,” Gil laughed softly as he stared at your message. “You did it”

“Like I said, you’re welcome” Harry smirked before sending back another response.

It’s a date

“A date?” Gil wondered aloud.

“Not literally, mate,” Harry chuckled softly. “With any luck you’ll be there soon though”

“I can't believe you” Ben shook his head as he lunged at you. You easily blocked him with your own sword as you stepped out of the way. “You went on a date without telling me”

“It wasn't a date” You argued as the sound of metal clashing filled the room. He had managed to escape from everyone looking for him and challenged you to a duel, something the two of you hadn't done in probably months.

“That's not what Mal told me,” He swung again and the sword flew out of your hands. “She said that Evie told her that she heard from Lonnie and Jane that you were out with someone until literally 3 am”

You swung his legs out from underneath him, distracting him just long enough for you to reclaim your sword. “That's an exaggeration. We were back by two”

“How about the night before?” He swore silently when you knocked his sword away from him. “And the one before that. Harry said a certain someone didn't even go back that night. And rumor has it, neither did you. Should I be having a talk with anyone in particular?”

“Are you worried Bennyboo?” You teased him, throwing your sword across the room and swinging a punch in his direction. “I can take care of myself you know”

“I know that,” He mused. “Besides I already talked to Gil about it”

“You what!” You let out a groan when Ben managed to knock you over, his sword back in his hand and pointed at you. You let him help you back up and you slapped his arm. “I can't believe you! What did you say to him!”

“Nothing really” Ben laughed as you kept on swatting at him. The conversation he had had with Gil earlier ran through his head.

“So how's it going so far?” Ben mused as he sat down on the other side of Gil. Harry had gone to get more food and Ben took the chance to walk over to him.

“Pretty good” Gil nodded, hoping Ben wouldn't ask him to elaborate.

“That's good,” Ben stayed silent for a few seconds and came to the conclusion that Gil wasn't going to tell him anything anytime soon. “So I heard Y/N’s been showing you around”

“Uh, yeah. She's, uh, been a lot of help” Gil nodded.

“How was the date last night?”

“It went amazing. We-” Gil stopped when he realized what he had just confirmed. “Shit. I mean it wasn't even really- we just sort of- it's not what it sounds like. I swear-”

“Relax Gil,” Ben laughed lightly. “Not that Y/N cares what I think but if it makes you feel better I think you're pretty cool”

Gil smiled and nodded. He seemed to debate something for a few seconds before looking at Ben again. “Did she tell you?”

“She didn't have to. I noticed” Ben told him honestly. “Did you...want her to?”

“I don't know,” Gil didn't hesitate before admitting it to Ben. “I mean look at who we are. People are going to, you know. Talk and stuff”

“Can I tell you something?” Ben asked, knowing exactly how he could help. “Y/N has never cared what anyone else thinks. Not when our mom told her that she couldn't learn how to fight because she was a princess. Not when everyone else criticized her. Not when our parents tried to talk us out of all of this. I can guarantee you, she won't care at all what other people say about the two of you. Does anyone else know?”

“Harry’s the only other one” Gil told him, too occupied with his own thoughts to explain.

“What are we talking about?” Harry asked as he sat down.

“Not much,” Ben answered immediately. “Actually I have to get going” He stood from his seat and looked at Gil one more time before walking away. “Remember what I told you”

“I swear to god if you messed this up I will-”

“You'll what?” Ben smirked, cutting you off. You simply groaned in annoyance before walking away. “I miss you too, great talk!”

“You suck!” You yelled, not looking behind back at him as you walked away.

You crept through the halls expertly, wanting to get to your destination as quickly as possible. You fussed with your hair and your clothes, trying to make yourself look as decent as possible. A smirk made it’s way onto your face as you thought of what had just happened between you and Gil. Slowly you unlocked the door to your room and walked in expecting to see Jane and Lonnie already asleep. It was quite the opposite. The two of them, along with Mal and Evie, met your eyes with matching incredulous looks.

“Hi” You cursed silently as you closed the door behind you.

“Should we ask where you’ve been or do we not want to know?” Mal mused as you threw your things at the foot of the bed.

“I have a feeling you can figure it out” You said, ignoring their questions as you walked over to your wardrobe and then into the bathroom to change. You looked down at the screen of your phone and slowly reached out to type a message.

Tonight was fun

You clicked the send button before you could think better of it. You finished pulling your pajamas on and your phone dinged right as you were walking out of the bathroom.

I can agree with that

You smiled, blissfully unaware of the expectant looks from each of your friends. You were about to type out a response when another new message popped up onto your screen.

I need to talk to you about something

The smile fell from your face and was replaced by a look of confusion. You stared nervously at the three gray dots signaling that he was typing.

“Earth to Y/N!”

You quickly locked your phone and set it aside before taking a seat on Jane’s bed with everyone else.

“Care to enlighten us on this secret relationship of yours?”

You thought to yourself for a few seconds. Before taking a seat with them. “It’s amazing,” A smile grew on your face subconsciously. “It’s passionate and breathtaking and excited all at the same time. I’ve never felt anything like this before,” You admitted freely. “It’s different in a way that I can’t explain,” You paused looking away from your friends and at the screen of your phone. There was a new message from Gil and you opened it immediately. For a second you were afraid to actually read it. Keeping your relationship a secret was his idea. What we have is special. And I don’t want anyone to ruin it. That’s what he had told you. And you learned quickly that you’d do anything for him and vice versa. You remember being nervous when you finally gathered up the courage to kiss him one night. You remembered the ecstatic feeling when he held you as close to him as possible. Slowly you looked down at the screen of your phone and smiled.

I like you. I really really like. And I don’t want to hide this anymore. I want everyone to know. Anyone who will listen is going to know about us and they’re going to know how much I love you. And I really do mean that.

“Are you planning to tell us who it is?”

Evie’s voice broke you out of your thoughts. Slowly you smiled and nodded at them.

“You will. Tomorrow”

The next morning you were met by a knock on your door just as you, Jane, and Lonnie were finished getting ready. You were stuffing your work into your bag when you heard who it was.

“Gil? Hi” Lonnie sounded confused as she opened the door. You looked over and all but ran in Gil’s direction. You heard the small gasp and squeal that came from your roommates when you reached up and kissed him.

“Good morning to you too I guess” Gil laughed lightly once he set you down. You laughed and reached for your bag.

“We should’ve know, I mean honestly” Lonnie sighed as the four of you walked in the direction of the dining hall for breakfast.

“Now that I think about it, it was so obvious” Jane added.

You could hear the whispers exchanged back and forth between people as you walked down the hall hand in hand. But none of it mattered. The only thing you payed attention to was the smile on your friends faces when they found out. You were happy. Wholeheartedly, genuinely, happy. And no one could take that away in a million years.

#gil x reader #descendants 2 #disney descendants #reader insert #gil #harry hook #lonnie #jane #ben #things i write #girls talk boys

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kfictionist · 8 years ago

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Trace of You

Genre : Wolf! AU

Words : 1261 words

Pairing : EXO D.O x Reader

A/N : I never write in this genre but so thankful you asked for it, to challenge myself haha XD and I’m sorry if you think the plot is fast paced cuz I intend to make it a one shot so yea. I have to admit that because this is my first time writing this AU, I’m not really good at it so bear with me okay? Haha anyways, I hope you enjoy ^_^

She almost ran out of breath after being chased by those people who called themselves Hunters. It was a quite day in the afternoon at the orphanage house then not too long after it got attacked by them and searching for someone who have connections with something the called EXO mate? And it turns out that she is the one they had been looking for this whole time. The head of the orphanage manage to help her in the alarm situation by leading her to the back door and told her to runaway as fast as she can. Even though she is sad that the rest of them could not make it but she have to survive as the head orphanage said. However, the Hunters did strike her left arm with one of their weapon. She was at the edge of killing herself by the pain she felt through deep cut on her arm. Luckily, she is not the type of girl who has a weak heart. Instead she have a strong will to live as long as she determines to do so.

After being chased for so long and she got away from those maniacs, she then realized that she is out of nowhere, in a very deep forest. It is almost dawn, she was exhausted after using her whole energy, and she decided to sit. Leaning her back on a tree, she started to think what would her next move be. As she gripped her wounded arm and closed her eyes, she is hoping that everything she went through today was a dream. But, it was not. She could not help but sobs about it because she is not only hurt physically but also mentally now. She looked around the environment with absolutely no presence of any human being. She is glad that the Hunters did not found her but then she do wish someone will found her and give her aid to her injured arm.

Suddenly, she heard like someone stepped on a branch. Being cautious, she turned her head to the side she thinks is lead of it. Her heart beats fast, knowing that she might expecting uninvited guest like the Hunters maybe. “Who’s there?” she shouted. She did took a risk to shout in the middle of the forest just to get a confirmation of that creepy steps she heard. “I shouldn’t shouted just now…” she thought. As she looked into the depth of the bushes near her, she recognizes something in under it. A stare that piercing to her but at the same time she is mesmerize by it. The shadow then gone and left her in a clueless state. “What was that?” she asked.

“You shouldn’t be here”

A voice that startled her from behind made her got up to her feet. She turned around and saw a man in black long sleeve shirt with a black jeans and wearing sneakers. He looks neat, and handsome eventhough with that cold eyes he has on her. “I’m…just…” she did not even finish her sentence as she was about to collapse and the guy catch her in his arms. Her eyes are hardly open when she is trying to say something to him. She ended up fainted because of losing too much blood for the past few hours already. He looks over the wound she got and watches the girl in her arms, wondering how did she got into this mess.

*******

She opened her eyes slowly, attempting to get her head straight after she blacked out just now. In front of her view, she saw the man who approached her just now. “Who are you?” she voiced out her curiosity to him. considering she is still alive and breathing, she believed that he did not harmed her in any ways. Yet. He walks to her and bends down to meet her eyes. “Does it matter? And for your information, you shouldn’t be here. This is a forbidden place. How did you even get here?” he sounded like he is scolding her already. Well, it is not even her choice to ran until here. She was not in a situation where she can chose where she went to. “Okay, for your information, I have my reasons. First, I got chased by some crazy people that tried to kill me, and second, I was deeply wounded here-“ she shows her left arm that is…completely healed. “Holy shit” she muttered.

A soft light came out from her wound scar and when it disappeared, her arm was left by drawn circle which have a few symbols she did not understand. He was shocked when it happened and looked at her, “Those guys… did they mentioned something to you?” he questioned her. She nodded and answers him, “They said I’m a soulmate to one of EXO members. I seriously don’t know anything about that…” she peers over the weird tattoo she got just now. The guy even went silent. Only the cricket can be heard in the woods. “Uhh..Am I going to die?” she asked him. He chuckled at her theory but managed to answer her question anyway. “No, in fact…” he stood up and lend his hand out to her. “You are never going to die” he smiles. She is still in daze, just now he was cold as ice. And now, he gave her the warmest sweetest smile her and tells her she’s immortal? He noticed the doubts on her face. So, he is resolve to explain the whole truths to her.

“I know this will be a bit odd and surprising to you, but you and I…we’re mate”

“I’m sorry what?”

“Do you know when a wolf found his/her mate, they will stay loyal to each other forever? That kind of thing”

She paused. “Wait” she snorted, “You’re not saying you’re a werewolf right cuz-“

“Yes, I am. My name is Kyungsoo and I’m from the EXO pack”

She was amused. She did heard about them because sometimes when she was a child the head orphanage will tells them stories about legends and stuff including werewolves. Among all those stories, she liked the most about the wolves that stays loyal to their mate until the end because she found it so romantic, more than any fairy tales she knew. She does not even know why she was drawn to it but now, she knows. Well, she guessed. She then took his hand and stood up. “I…okay. I thought you guys are not real, I mean like, in this modern era? You guys? How did this even make sense…” she laughed at herself. “There are reasons why we didn’t exposed ourselves. I’m sorry because of my identity you were hurt. I hope you understand and believe me from now. I promise, I will take care of you” those comforting words actually calmed her down and without her conscious, she do trust every words he said. After all, who would she trust when she have no one to hold to now.

She smiles at him and squeezed his hand, “So, where are you taking me? To a ceremony where I have to take a blood oath?” she jokes. “Well, we can do that later. First, I want you to meet the family” he start to lead her the way while holding her hand tight. Family, that is the only thing she ever wants. And now, she will meet them and build a new life, a whole new page, to forget about her bitter past. She wishes that Kyungsoo will always be a part of her future from now on.

A/N: peaches, I know it’s not that good but give a thumbs up for an effort? :”) I hope you lovely anon is okay cuz if not then I will try my best in the future and forgive me huhu :”( - Cuppy-nim

(p/s: kinda rusty so excuse my grammatical errors everywhere >..<)

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the-mamas-project · 8 years ago

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The MAMAS Project - Steph

A mother’s intuition. Truthfully, it’s something I hadn’t thought about in a while, and definitely something I didn’t access wholly until I had my second child. My first’s entry into life was paralleled with a deep identity crisis and newness, and I think I masked any intuition I had (mostly) with a false confidence, rather than a true confidence in my ability.

When I went to meet up with our May participant, one of the first things she said to me was that she had made two firm promises to herself pre-baby: trust her gut, and not to have mom guilt. And I can’t help but think, that the two really go hand in hand. Because, if you can trust your gut wholly, or at least mostly, perhaps then you can trust the moments you take for yourself, are needed and not guilty pleasures.

Moments of wisdom, and aha’s are not rare when you’re in conversation with Stephanie Jhala. In fact, I found myself repeatedly saying, I totally agree, or oh my god yes, when I met with the new mom in Richmond BC. She is not just reflective, but also tirelessly positive, a refreshing perspective when so much of mom’ing can be complaints…husband, sleep, personal space. The mom troubles can go on if you let them. And Steph doesn’t deny that those exist, she just simply tries to let them go and choose a different perspective. In fact, she has experienced some of the greatest woes that a mother can have, even in the short time she has been one.

Steph comes from this beautifully diverse family. Her mother is Indonesian, her father is East Indian and they met in North America. As a child, Steph travelled the world with her adventurous mother and sisters, while her father stayed back in Canada, holding down the fort. Not your typical dynamic, but one that has created a family of strong and worldly women.

“I always thought as a kid, my mom is so brave, I guess I’ll be brave too when I grow up. She was never shy or afraid to explore new places she knew nothing about; her friendly demeanor always opened doors no matter where we were. We would travel to mostly developing countries, and not necessarily the safest ones, so we could experience what it was like to be in other parts of the world. I’m a good mix of my dad and my mom: I’m responsible like my dad, with a big appetite for adventure like my mom. And over the past recent years I’ve trained myself to have an expanded tolerance for risk. I wasn’t always like that, I used to be a perfectionist that always played it safe. But the pressure of perfection caused too much stress; it was detrimental for my health. So I worked hard on cultivating the qualities I felt would serve me best. In my late 20’s I did a lot of personal growth stuff; much of which paralleled the philosophies my Hindu-Buddhist parents and grandparents instilled in me, but had not been ready to listen to until now. I truly questioned how I wanted to be in the world.”

A year and a half before becoming a mother, Steph took a good look at redefining success. Success no longer looked like logging long days in the office or climbing up the corporate ladder. In anticipation of starting a family, success looked like taking care of her body so that it was in the best shape to grow a baby, living a truly balanced life of adventure, downtime and aligning work with passion. So she made the shift from the corporate world to building a flexible life as a consultant, helping businesses with a social or environmental mission.

“There is this view in North America that working longer and harder, means you’re more accomplished, but in many parts of the world like the Nordics, they recognize that burnout is detrimental and balance brings greater productivity and happiness. With wanting career and family, I decided to get creative to design a life I really wanted to live.”

Steph was well into this journey of self-discovery when she and her husband decided to start trying. They got pregnant right away. Steph began researching and meditating on the type of mother she wanted to be.

“Before I had Aria, I made a rule to not have mom guilt. I was reading a lot of forums and I was like, WOW mom guilt is real! I thought, it doesn’t serve me and it doesn’t serve my baby. Despite not knowing all the answers, I’m always going to try my best and figure it out. If I don’t treat myself well, then how can I expect my daughter to learn self-worth? It’s been a really interesting experience discovering my own intuition. I think I was an intuitive child, as many of us are, but then I lost that inner trust as I grew up. I became very intellectual as a teenager, very fact-based, I wanted scientific evidence for everything. Motherhood is a real opportunity: I could read all the books in the world (and they are very useful), but when it comes down to it, I’m just going to trust my gut. Moms have done this for millions of years, and babies have survived, and animals don’t have classes, they just innately know what to do.”

Her intuition kicked in during her pregnancy, when everyone around her guessed she was having a boy, yet she felt deep within her that she was having a girl. And her father agreed.

“My father had a dream that she was a girl, and not just any girl, but an indigo child. I didn’t know what that meant, and put aside my airy-fairy preconceptions. An indigo or blue-ray child comes to this earth with a mission, a humanitarian mission, and she chose me as her mother, to train her to fulfill on this. I didn’t know if I believed in all these things, but if it’s true, then great, because I’ve already dedicated my life to making a difference - and have plans to raise my mini-me’s to do the same.”

Steph and her husband had a healthy pregnancy and planned for a home birth, that went smoothly until the end.

“When she came out she was limp and not breathing. We were encouraging her, come on baby girl you got this, take your first breath, you can do this, mommy and daddy are here for you. An extremely rare occurrence: her umbilical cord got pinched between her shoulder and the birth canal in the last couple of pushes. I was told blue-ray beings have a hard time entering this world, and many don’t make it past birth. Our amazing doula opens our apartment door for the paramedics, I am butt naked on the floor delivering the placenta, as my incredible midwives perform CPR on our little angel. We get rushed to the hospital in separate ambulances. No time or space for panic. This is the moment where all my training, since I was a child, of meditation and mind over matter needed to kick in. And it did. I deliberately chose not to assume the worst, and went with what’s happening, moment to moment. In this moment, my baby IS ALIVE, and my gut tells me everything is going to be ok. We had a healthy pregnancy and I have a healthy baby. She just needs a little help waking up. I chose to stay in that mindset, instead of, oh my god my baby might die…which also was a possibility.”

She really could have died, but Steph thought,

“How do I want this story to end? If I truly could manifest my future, a concept I dismissed as hippy-dippy growing up, this was the most important moment for it to work.”

The stay in the hospital NICU was really hard: a blur of doctors, nurses, pumping milk around the clock, not being able to hold her baby, recovering from a physically demanding labour and very little rest. She was told her baby was the sickest baby in the unit, challenging her decisions leading up to the birth.

“We experienced so many different views at the hospital. Depending on who was on the shift, we felt totally supported or totally judged. Some blamed me for having a home birth, or being 18 days overdue and not inducing the baby to come out earlier. Should I have felt ashamed of my choices?”

But Steph was armed with the research she had done pre-birth, stuck with her gut and stood confidently by her decisions and birth team. Later confirmed, this freak accident would have happened regardless of delivering at home or in hospital, on her due date or past.

“The average first time baby is born at 40 weeks and 10 days. So when baby was just over a week past what’s actually normal, we were still within a safe timeframe. I trust my body and my baby, and I wanted to let nature take its course. Medical interventions can do miraculous things, like saving lives. But at the same time, our bodies can do miraculous things too so why not trust it rather than assume that it’s too dangerous, too painful or too risky.”

Steph is 35, and I wonder while I am interviewing her, if her confidence is reflective of her age. I think this may play a role in her strength of character, but I think too that she is special like that. I remind myself not to feel envious that I didn’t have that same certainty when I was a new mom, and I am comforted to hear that even she struggles with the changes post baby. And also deals with mom guilt.

“You just can’t know what it’s like until you have one. All of a sudden this baby enters your world. I felt this extreme joy and love, but also a real devastation, like I’ve lost my own life. I had no idea how all consuming a baby would be. From being someone that was so active to being at home, was really hard, isolating and to be honest, boring. I feel bad for watching Netflix. I feel bad for not reading to my baby everyday. I feel bad for feeling bad. Ha ha, the mom guilt can be endless. It’s a daily thing. But I get to choose to put the guilt aside and (with a lot of reminders from my husband) know that I’m doing a great job.”

I was so excited to interview Steph, because beyond all the things we discuss, the Steph I knew just a bit of outside of motherhood, is a dynamic and strong female voice, and founder of a girl gang. And I was anxious to see how that would translate to raising a baby girl. I couldn’t have been more relieved and pleased when I immediately identified in our conversation a running theme of: you got this.

We really do. Deep down inside, if we just allow ourselves to listen, we know what to do for our families and we can choose our mindset and approach.

“Like all other human beings, I have moments of feeling crappy. People sometimes say that my posts on social media are inspiring. I don’t want to create a false impression, like I never struggle, but I also don’t want to perpetuate complaints or reasons why life sucks. My sad story won’t get me anywhere. Through the clouds, my daughter will grow up knowing she can chose empowerment, stand by her gut and brave anything, and I mean ANYTHING, that comes her way.”

Written + Photographed by Jena

Edited + Formatted by Sarah

#motherhood #homebirth #journey #raisinggirls #motherhoodunplugged #empower #choice #struggle #momguilt #momlife #loveyourself #selflove #truth

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gruvia-is-my-power-to-live · 3 years ago

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New blog! Follow me on here for updates or...yeah I can’t think of another reason

~we vibe~

“The pleasure is all Juvia’s. Now please,” she crossed her legs and opened one of her binders, “what is the theme of your wedding?”

Don’t get Juvia wrong, she was fifty shades of embarrassed and felt a little disheartened knowing that any chance she could have had with Gray were now obliterated. Was there any chance to begin with?

No matter. Juvia cleared her throat and resumed back to the conversation at hand. It’s unprofessional to make the client feel ignored after all.

“I’m glad you asked. Gray and I,” she reached over to Gray who, in turn, looked back at her with a kind smile, “are actually planning our wedding and we’ve agreed that an elegant sort of energy would suit us best.” Though she wasn’t able to see it, Juvia could figure that when Lucy reached out, she grabbed ahold of his hand. As couples do, Juvia mused.

“I was thinking orchids? Or maybe lilies. I honestly couldn’t tell you,” Lucy said with a laugh in her voice. “We’re honestly pretty bad with these decisions. I can accessorize and dress well but when it comes to other types of decor I’m lost.” Speaking of, Lucy was in the process of taking off what could be passed off as a designer jacket and purse— in Juvia’s eyes. She didn’t know much about accessorizing herself. “Gray here is the exact same. On second thought, he can barely keep his clothes on by himself.” He scoffed.

“I think you’re exaggerating there, Luce.” Gray turned to Juvia. “I can dress myself fine and it’s just an inside joke between our friends that I can’t keep my clothes on. That’s what happens when I get near tequila I guess.”

“Juvia is the same! She cannot stop herself from singing musicals and quoting movies when she drinks.” The florist found herself leaning closer and accidentally thinking about a shirtless—

Nope! Married man!

“Erm, apologies. Juvia merely agrees with the sentiment. Well, Juvia personally believes that floral arrangements are imperative in sending a message one wants to give. Think of it as the energy they give. There is much symbolism in them though they aren’t generally known.” She flipped to a new page in one of the binders in front of her and pulled out a pen from her pocket.

Twirling the pen in her hands, Juvia made eye contact back and forth with the couple as she spoke. “Orchids are a beautiful flower and come in multiple colors. For example, white orchids symbolize innocence, purity, and” she smiled at Lucy, “elegance. Which is a perfect choice for what you two are aiming for.” Juvia began writing down their names on the paper and wrote down her growing ideas for the pair. “Red orchids on the other hand represent fire, desire, romance, and passion. These are typically meant to be given to someone who you love deeply, or passionately.”

Which I imagine you both have for each other. Unbeknownst to the woman, the couple opposite her fidgeted awkwardly and looked away.

“Of course, you also have your theme to coordinate with. So before Juvia continues,” she capped the pen, “what she likes to do is ask how you two met?”

The blonde looked at her fiance with a warm smile. “Well it’s a simple story I suppose. Boy meets girl. Girl becomes friends with the boy and his friend. The three have great adventures and the girl even starts to date one of the boys.” She paused. “They don’t work out and soon enough, girl and boy comfort each other and then one day, they kiss. Boy and girl date and have been ever since. And now the boy and girl are getting married. Fairy tale, right?” After listening to the story, Juvia couldn’t help but think that it actually wasn’t. She read these fairy tales when she was at the orphanage as a child and though they were short, they had more love entangled in those words than Lucy’s description.

It is not my place to judge.

Every couple had their own love language and perhaps this was theirs. Besides, Juvia wasn’t their wedding planner, just the potential florist. Therefore all she had to do was listen and provide her opinion on the flowers.

“Very much so. As we were discussing earlier, orchids are a suitable choice for you two. There are also other options that may want to be considered.” Pulling out another binder sitting atop the table, Juvia flipped to a particular page and continued. “Bouvardia is a beautiful flower itself. It is often compared to a star, clearly shown by the petals, and grows in clusters on the thin stems. They are the ideal size for bouquets and come in various colors such as a soft pink, champagne, coral, burgundy, and the classic white.” She already turned the binder around so the pair could get a better look at what she was displaying while adding how they bloomed in the summer.

“Oh, that’s perfect!” Lucy clapped her hands. “Our date is set for August 13th. Do you think they’ll be in full bloom by then?” Juvia looked to the calendar, noting that she needed to cross out the previous day. April and it’s supposed to rain all week. Very fitting.

“Yes, Juvia knows so. All she has to do is make a few calls and if you so desire, you will have your bouvardias. Oh, almost forgot to mention, these flowers symbolize enthusiasm which Juvia deems fitting for you Lucy-san.”

“Lucy-san? Oh no Juvia please, just Lucy. I’d like to think that we can become great friends during this time and hopefully afterward.” Did she add honorifics? Oh. That’s a shame considering she was doing so well practicing dropping them.

“Why do you do that, by the way? Honorifics and referring to yourself in third person.” Gray couldn’t help but ask. Which, in turn, received a slap to his arm.

“Gray! That’s rude to ask!” The blonde looked at Juvia. “I’m so sorry. It is not our business to know and I understand if you do not want to help us any further. Gray, get up.” Lucy made to stand and was gathering her things when Juvia intervened.

“No, Lucy-san, Gray-san, please do not leave.”

“Gray-san?” The man muttered to himself.

Juvia couldn’t help herself but to grasp Lucy’s wrist. “Juvia did not feel bothered by the question. It is in fact a common one Juvia receives.” It really was. Someone always felt that it was their business to know why she spoke the way she did. The only difference between Lucy and Gray and the others was that they seemed to be remorseful. Lucy because she figured it was a personal reason and Gray because...well, he actually asked it.

Oop. Let go before it looks like you’re holding her hostage.

“Regardless,” Gray intervened, “Lucy’s right. It wasn’t my place to ask you. I let my curiosity get the better of me and I didn’t think before I spoke. So,” the man reached out to his fiance’s hand and held on, “I’m sorry and I suppose it isn’t that big of a deal to you but it is to us.”

“Exactly. I think Gray and I can both agree that you’re passionate about your work and your taste is impeccable. We would love it if you would be the florist for our wedding. That is, of course, if you are willing and able to.” Looking at the couple in front of her, Juvia took a moment to let it sink in.

They were both so kind in the few minutes that she has interacted with them. This wouldn’t be her first wedding nor would it be her last but Juvia sensed that this particular event would affect her deeply. Not to brag but she always had great intuition.

“Please say yes! The suspense is killing me.” Lucy groaned.

“I-It would be an honor.”

***

“Now sign here and we can begin setting an appointment for your plans.”

“Awesome.” Lucy finished signing and set the pen down. “Ah, I’m so excited for your input. You know the general idea and now we just need to iron out the details.”

Gray had reached for the pen and signed the space meant for his own signature. “As long as it’s not all pink I’ll be satisfied.”

Just as Lucy was going to retort, a ringing noise interrupted. Said woman looked around for her purse and after finding it on the ground, lifted it up and fished out her phone. “Oh shoot; it’s my caterer. Excuse me but I have to take this.” Taking Juvia’s nod of approval, she moved toward Juvia’s desk and turned her back for privacy.

When Juvia directed her attention to her new client, she noticed he was eyeing Lucy’s chair. Nothing interesting there. Just her jacket. He probably misses having her next to him. Oh to be in love. Or to have a pair of eyes looking at me the way I bet he looks at her. Just a particular set...

“Yes we will be right there! Thank you so much!” A click and Lucy turned back. “Gray! Our appointment! We’re late!” Wow she runs fast because the next thing Juvia knew the blonde beauty had her purse in hand and a hand on her fiance’s shoulder.

“I deeply apologize but we have to leave now. When is your next available appointment? I’ll take it.”

Caught off guard for just a moment, Juvia came to and blurted out, “This Thursday at three.” Good thing she looked over her planner before they came in.

“Great. See you then!”

And then Gray said, “It was nice meeting you.” One dazzling smile later and Juvia was left alone.

The florist glanced at the table and immediately regretted it. “How can Juvia organize so well and still make a mess?” She groaned.

Ding.

Juvia peered towards the door and was pleasantly surprised to see Gray had returned. “Has Gray-san forgotten something?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact. It seems as though Lucy left her jacket,” a gaze at the chair which she previously occupied, “and it’s right there.” Juvia chose to help him out and meet him halfway so she swiftly held it and folded it. Both held out their arms and stretched them out but when he tried to grab it…

***

Yeah, I saw sparks.

***

Their hands touched and the sudden feeling of warmth caused Juvia to gasp and drop the jacket. Instead of attempting to save it from the ground, Gray found himself to have the same reaction. There was no way he felt what he felt. Her hands must’ve been cold.

An apology was muttered by the man himself and while he bent down to pick up the damned thing, Juvia found herself turning her head to look out the window. Was someone witness to my sin?!

No.

Just his fiance waiting outside, appearingly speaking on the phone. The person she was talking to must’ve made a joke since the bride was now laughing…

Lucy was so kind. She had just met her but Juvia just knew that she was open and honest. Lucy was the kind of person she always wanted to be friends with. Lucy was the type of girl that everyone would go after.

Lucy was someone that Juvia so badly wanted to be.

It must be nice being her.

“Well I’ll just be heading out now. I’ll see you around?” He snapped her attention right back and it was that moment where she recalled just how beautiful he was.

“Juvia supposes you will.” One more damn dazzling smile later and he left.

Her eyes followed him out, onto the scene that portrayed itself. A smiling Gray showed Lucy her jacket and the woman who then hung up the call. She returned the grin and looped her arms around his neck where he bent his head to kiss her. They both smiled in the kiss and that was enough for Juvia. She tore her eyes away and went to put away her binders.

They really were the picture perfect couple. Both of them deserved happiness. She thought back on how...satisfied they seemed. It was then where Juvia settled on something.

I will see through to this wedding and personally make sure that they end up in their happily ever after, even if it pained her.

***

Daffodil: new beginnings

“Sparks” by Coldplay

The way that I got my nails done and immediately felt the struggle isn’t even funny. It’s so hard to type and what’s worse is how I had to finish the chapter and then work on my outline for this story. When she thinks fast but can’t reciprocate the energy via typing…

Let me know what you think and thank you all for being interested!

#gruvia #gruvia fanfic

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