#she’s trying so hard to lighten the mood in almost ever circumstance

[sleepy-bear-tm]

One of my favorite shitpost sketches from the summer of 2021

[towriteloveontheirarms]

Take it slow (Gale Dekarios x Reader)

synopsis: Gale and you share a tent for the night. The forced proximity is the perfect circumstance to explore each other more.

warnings: drinking, smut adjacent, reader is the first person to be with Gale after Mystra, heavy petting, dry humping, afab reader

word count: 1.8k

taglist: @hopelesswritergall

(If you want to be tagged for a specific character/fandom or in general let me know in my asks, comments or DMs)

A/N: Thank you to my darling @legitalicat for beta reading and also for listening to my honestly unhealthy Bg3 obsession. I love you💕

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

The whole party sits around the campfire, drinking, celebrating another small victory. Spirits had been down lately, so this was more than needed and a night of light-heartedness feels only appropriate. You sit around in a big group until well into the night, when the first folks start retiring, leaving only a handful of people. Among them Gale, who after wishing everyone a good night, comes back to join you rather quickly. Garnering a few questioning looks.

“It seems like I am out of a tent for the night.” He explains his sudden return, one hand scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

You are about to ask what happened, when from the side Karlach loudly gives her own opinion.

“You should share a tent.” She laughs and wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

The suggestion garners a few drunken snickers around the group, but it also serves well to make your cheeks grow warm at the thought of sharing a space with the wizard for the night. Your nervous demeanour only furthers their giggles.

Gale however quickly lifts his hands in a defensive motion. “It´s quite alright. I don´t mind sleeping with- I mean sharing a tent with you. If you do not mind it either.”

His slip of tongue immediately produces more heat on both of your faces and gives the others a hard time not to burst out into roaring laughter.

“I do not mind it at all.” That secretly you had wished for this moment for a while now goes unsaid, though when he helps you to your feet your eyes linger on each other´s for just a second too long to still be platonic in nature.

Gale leads you away from the amused group by the hand and holds open the tent for you to enter before him.

Now alone with the wizard the tension in the rather confined space grows thick. The two of you lay stiff beside each other on the considerably too small bed roll, desperately trying to find something to say to lighten the mood somehow, to make each other more comfortable. Luckily for you, as you lay there so far away from the campfire, the cold seeps into your bones and makes both of you shiver.

“Would it be alright if I laid closer to you? Just to fight the cold a bit.” you ask in a croaky voice. Your fingertips drumming against the ground with excessive energy.

“Yes, yes naturally.” Gale replies fast, almost all but pulling you into his arms.

 Silence settles yet again as you lay your head on his chest, though it feels a bit less stiff than before. The scent of black tea, parchment paper enters your nostrils, accompanied by an undercurrent of sea salt and something citrusy to all mix for a scent that is so uniquely Gale. You can feel his chin rest against the crown of your head and instinctively bury your nose further into his chest. His hand runs up and down your arm with feather light touches, to warm you some more. The laughter from outside subsides to leave only the singing cicadas behind and the tension inside shifts to something much more than not being used to being so close so suddenly. Until you break under the weight of it.

Your lips tingle as they finally brush against his neck. Your heart is beating on your ears at how exciting it is, leaning in to repeat the motion over and over again. Sucking and nibbling at the skin ever so lightly. Gale’s skin warms up under your ministrations and his adam's apple bobs under a heavy gulp. Right as you pull away, he lets out a shaky breath. However, the two of you can't stay away for long, crashing your lips together. Hands grabbing at the other´s cheeks, necks and hips, anywhere they can reach for purchase. Your lips press together hesitantly at first, yet as they grow surer in what they are doing, stay slow, but crushingly passionate.

“Gods you’re such a good kisser.” You rasp against his lips. “I will never get enough of the way you taste.”

There is not a single trace of your initial bashfulness left as the kiss lingers longer and longer. Your hands wander over Gale´s arms to his chest, feeling his heartbeat drum against his chest to match the rhythm of your own. His fingers hook into your pants as your hands claw into the collar of his shirt pulling you into his lap and each other close until there is no air left between you. Nor is any breath in your lungs. The kiss is the only thing keeping the two of you alive in this moment. Savouring the sweet remnants of wine on his stained lips and the feel of their softness.

A guttural moan falls from his lungs, getting swallowed by you immediately. “Keep tasting me then.”

It's something he doesn't have to tell you twice. While you continue to breathe life into each other, you let your hands wander over the fabric separating each other’s bodies. Roaming the length of it repeatedly before they dip underneath. You gently drag your nails down his sides and back. Not enough to leave a sting but for a shiver to follow along with them. Ending with your hands running over the bulge between his thighs.

“Wait…” The wizard suddenly pulls away to stop you by laying his hands over yours.

You pull back as well at the sound of his voice, eyes fluttering open to gauge his reaction and the cause of the sudden stop.

The sight of his tousled hair, the shiny, swollen lips and the flushed skin. The heavily moving chest, in the dim light it's all so intoxicating.

“What is it?” You ask worriedly, taking hold of his hands and guide them to rest against your chest.

It takes a while for him to collect himself. “Yes, quite alright. I am not used to people touching me like this anymore. I…”

The frustration coming from him is palpable in his aura, but you on the other hand are filled with relief that he isn't shutting you out.

“We can take it slow. There is no harm in that.” You cup Gale's cheek in your hand and nudge his nose with yours.

A shaky sigh escapes his lungs in response to it. “I´m sorry. I must be so boring. You are probably used to more adventurous partners. You must think I don't want you now.”

“Hey, hey listen to me. There is no need to apologize. It is so exciting just to be with you. It is true I want you so much, but more than that I want you to be comfortable. So, if you do not feel ready to go all the way just yet, l am fine with that.“ While you coo at him reassuringly, eyes set on his, your fingers run through his beard.

He leans into your touch, practically purring at the soothing motion. He can´t help but nuzzle further into your palm. “Do you truly mean it?”

You don't mean to chuckle at him while he is being vulnerable, but the way he looks at you with those wide, dark brown eyes, you can't fight back the sound.

“Yes. Of course I mean it. I could never live with myself knowing I forced myself on you.” A chaste peck finds its way from your lips to his temple.

Gale seems taken aback by your understanding, though the confusion in his face doesn´t stay for too long.

“I have an idea. How would you feel about being the one to guide my hands over your body until you feel more comfortable with them wandering on their own?” You purr, biting your lower lip in excitement at the prospect of exploring him more.

His eyes glow up at the proposal and he slowly nods his head. “I think I would like that very much.”

Your hands, still holding his, find Gale´s chest, resting against it without moving. That alone has his heart beating faster an embarrassing amount, but so does yours as his own digits carefully begin to guide them. Shaky breaths mingle, your eyes stay on each other securely, meanwhile you feel the soft indigo fabric and the contrasting rough silver accents under your palms. Roaming over his upper body once more, caressing his neck and running through his hair. Every now and again your lips meet his to share a kiss or to press some chaste affection to his jawline or the column of his throat, which draw soft whimpers from both of your lungs. It gets the warmth in your stomach to swirl hotter than ever before and when you least expect it, Gale leads you underneath the shirt again. The feel of his still heated skin is exhilarating, but he still has a surprise left for you.

Gale lightly lifts one of his legs and flexes the muscles to rub against the bundle of nerves at the apex between your thighs, making you draw in a sharp breath.

“Fuck, Gale…” You breathe out, beginning to tremble just as much as he does. “That feels so good.”

The wizard is only able to hum in agreement, too focused on your fingers carding through his chest hair and teasing his nipples under his guidance. In search of more stimulation, your hips begin to move on their own. Rubbing your pleasure centre against his thigh, ready to stop at any moment. Yet as you do so, Gale groans and meets your stagnant motions. Your lips meet once more and just like this kiss your movement against each other´s bodies grow heavier and more passionate fast.

Before you know it, the wizard has left your hands at his hips to lay his own on yours to guide them instead. A tight winded knot builds in the pit in your stomach quickly, prompting your hips to grow more erratic.

“I am so close.” Gale barely manages to part barely far enough to moan into your mouth and is immediately met with the sentiment being very much reciprocated by you.

“I want to reach my peak along with you.” You whimper right back, desperate for the release that is threatening to take over the two of you.

The confession alone makes Gale´s hips falter and the hardened length in his pants twitch before erupting with his climax. A drawn-out moan fills the space that was otherwise only filled with your heavy breathing and pulls you right over the edge with him, your body weakly collapsing against his chest, while you bathe in the glow of your shared pleasure.

“Perhaps this might not be the perfect moment to confess this, but I think I have been in love with you since the moment I pulled you out of that portal.” You whisper weakly, eyes falling close at regular intervals already.

“On the contrary I believe there is no better time for this confession. I have felt similarly for a long time as well now. Though I have never dreamed of speaking my feelings out loud.” Gale answers in just the same quiet, intimate tone.

[radiokathryn-if]

Double NSFW asks: What are the ROs preferences in bed? And what are their kinks?

🫣🤭👀😏🥴

100% not safe for work, minors dni

PREFERENCES IN BED

Eva──A softer form of being in charge, Eva doesn't need more than words to be dominant. She's not a fan of being particularly physical or physically dominant but she does like setting pace and the... order of events. She's not opposed to getting a bit rough and getting 'manhandled' but just know... she's always got an upper hand in the end!

Nate──Nate is... in a word, rough. He likes going hard and he likes going fast. He's not submissive but he's not exactly dominant either. He's going to do what he wants, when he wants and he's not really up for constructive criticism. That's not to say he won't stop if you say no──he's an ass not an assaulter.

Mica──Pretty laid back when it comes to sex, they don't have a particular preference and are down try try literally anything once! What they like during sex is more of the smaller things not the circumstance in which sex occurs. A bit of a switch if they had to put a name on it but they have no problems with arousal in any... direction.

Detective Han──Inexperience doesn't equal submission but man, Detective Han really enjoys you taking the lead in these endeavours. They're not completely submissive though, they're not one to let go of control 100%!

José──Probably the most 'vanilla' of the ROs (along with Jackson). They're not really into roles during sex, they prefer the sensual nature of intimacy and would prefer the... casualness that comes from just having sex. Now, that doesn't mean that having sex with José is straight forward or 'boring'! They just don't feel the need to set expectations or the like. They're much like Mica in that sense, having a silly time doesn't mean the mood is shot─not for José!

Ji Han──Probably the Most Dominant of the ROs, especially if he's in the right mood for it. More of a service dom than a hard dom but he can be cruel. The biggest fan of overstimulation one ever did see. He's not into hurting you, slaps across the face or hard smacks anywhere will never happen but... light, meaningful taps to your sensitive parts after you've cum at least twice to see your body twitch or the imprint of his hand lightening the skin on your things or ass after being held tightly for a long time inexplicably turn him on. Ji Han doesn't mind you taking the reigns for a little bit, if anything he finds it amusing to see you try to take control of him, he's a patient man──he can wait till you run out of steam, beg for him to take control again... And he will. And your little act if defiance might have let him reset enough to go for at least another five rounds! (stamina beast!!)

Fauve──More dominant than not but she's not A Dominant... she's not a hard dom. She likes being the one in control over how things happen but she's not a brat tamer and she doesn't have rules. She's a confident flirt and instigator and she will tell you if she likes what's happening. Fauve happens to love being on top, she's by no means a 'pillow princess' however, that doesn't mean she's doing all the work! Her favourite... activity is encouraging you to work for your release while she's taking a pause above you... However, she's also a bit of a switch with someone way more dominant (Ji Han wink wink) and can be a total brat and push back to the limits.

Jackson──Not the most sexual of the ROs and has been going through a bit of a sexual lull because of his almost-ex-wife. He prefers when things flow organically, no one person having a 'upper hand' or particular sway over the happenings and activities. That's not to say he doesn't enjoy sex, and he has several ways of 'spicing' things you without the need for Dom/sub dynamics!

???──The Switch of all Switches. 100% submissive but also 100% dominant, can and will switch in the middle of a session if they so choose to──usually gently coaxed into a more submissive role and pushed into a more dominant role. They are the one who's inexperience doesn't translate to submission──seeing as they prefer having at least some control.

(SOME) KINKS

Nate──Katoptronophilia aka mirror sex, he usually keeps a hold on your jaw to keep you looking at what he's doing to you but he's also extremely vain and loves looking at what he's doing too. Public sex, which is linked to a humiliation kink and is quite hypocritical, he likes the thrill of being in public, he likes the possibility of humiliating you but you're not to breathe a word of your exploits. Graphoerotica aka writing words on someone's body, corruption kink, pretty self explanatory

Eva──does she have a mommy kink? hmmm maybe it's more of a ma'am/miss kink. Let her take care of you... Let her tell you how to take care of her. Food play, mainly aphrodisiacs and sweet food over phallic shaped food for insertion. Voyeurism (watching) which might seem... counterintuitive because if her dislike of cheating but watching people you love love each other is much much different. Does it count as a foot fetish if she wants to see you at her feet?

Mica──Odaxelagnia aka biting (both receiving and giving), somnophilia aka sexual acts while asleep, oral leading in to sixty nining, dirty talk, lazy sex, sexting, marking aka hickies, they really love seeing their efforts on your skin.

Detective Han──Clothed sex, , queening/face sitting (recieving), sit on their face please─let them feel the weight of your body on their chest─your thighs around their head... please, mutual masterbation, ...handcuffs (recieving).

José──Melolagnia aka the sexual reaction to music, soundwave vibrations or the actual music─not just lyrics and not just a sex playlist, phone sex or audio leading in to voice kink, and sensual dirty talk, praise kink (receiving).

Ji Han──*ahem* knife play, overstimulation, dacryphilia, mind break, almost choking (the hand and the weight, not the loss of air or the squeezing), giving praise but also really loves hearing praise, shibari (giving), orgasm control (giving), may or may not acquire a breeding kink down the line... also, really in to anal, analingus and cunnilingus!

Fauve──temperature play, ice cubes a wax one after the other... she likes taking the ice more and likes applying the wax more, threesome/orgy/group sex leading to toys, double penetration and voyeurism, she wants to watch and help someone (Ji Han) fuck you wether that be her hands or her toys...

Jackson──cock warming, scent kink, intercrural/interfemoral sex aka thigh kink, shower sex... watching porn together.

???──Quirofilia aka hand kink, impact play (recieving and giving), voyeurism and exhibitionism, ...free use (with consent and in private), amaurophilia aka blindfold sex, breast/nipple worship (both giving and recieving), they get off on both degradation and praise, especially if they're being interjected at the same time!

[girl8890]

R Town | Ch.20

Jungkook x FemOc

word count: 6.6k

POV: Jungkook

Warnings: Confessions, Domestic abuse (implied), Rape/Non-con (implied), Threatening murder, Vaginal sex, Oral sex, Possessiveness.

Index | Ch.21

。・°°・°°・。 。・°°・°°・。 。・°°・°°・。

"Fuck it!" I admit, "Yeah, I love you, M! I have since we were kids. Let me love you better then him. Let me treat you better then that fucker ever has and ever fucking will!"

The shock on M's face says it all. She wasn't expecting me to admit I love her or that I love her in the first place. Hell, I wasn't expecting to admit it either. It just... came out!

"I-I..." Is all M can say, and it gets me a little worried that this is her reaction, but I already said it, so I might as well go all out, right?

"I know it's strange, and weird since we haven't seen each other since we were kids, but I really do. I've always wondered what you were doing, and if you were safe. Then I found out you had a husband." Just thinking about Felix has me clenching my fists in anger at my sides. "I can treat you better, M. Anyone can, but out of all the guys in the world, I want to be that guy for you. Please, let me be that guy for you."

I watch the first tear shed from her eyes, and M shakes her head. "But I'm broken..."

"Your not broken," I say, almost in a defeated voice. "Your lost. Let me help you."

But M just keeps shaking her head. "Y-you can't! I'm stuck in this situation. D-don't you... can you let me explain?"

After a hesitant moment, I nob my head. Truthfully, I'm not sure I want to hear M's explanation for her marriage. Just the mention of the fuck face's name makes me want to go to the club next door and kill him. At first, I knew I was just jealous of the guy for being with the woman I love, but now I have a whole new reason to hate him. And M is about to explain ALL the reasons why, plus more.

We both sit on my couch, and I don't miss the way M shifts uncomfortably on it. Not because of the couches material, but because of the conversation we're about to have.

M turns to face me, and says, "I don't love, Felix." I fricken knew it!  "I didn't love him, and I never did."

I have to stop myself from smiling because this is in no way a smiling matter, but I'm so happy to hear she doesn't love him, and that my intuition from the very beginning was right. But now I have to ask, "Then why are you married? Isn't that, you know, the point?"

M blinks a few times, trying to gather her words before saying them. "It's kinda hard to explain, but I guess the easiest way to explain our marriage is that it's... arranged?"

"Arranged?"

"Yeah, well... more like if I didn't marry him, not only would I suffer, but my brother too."

"What the fuck?"

"Yeah." M rolls her eyes, but more defeated than with attitude. "I'm the youngest, so it would make more sense for Jimin to be put in-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" I throw up my hands and shake my head. Needing to backtrack for a second. "Jimin's you brother?" M nods her head. "Huh. What do you know."

I watch M smile a little, but it doesn't at all reach her ears. "Maybe if you left your game store once in a while, you would have heard the news."

We both smile, and I chuckle at M's attempt to lighten the mood, but it goes south once again when M continues to explain her situation. "I want to be truthfully about everything with you Jungkook, but under no circumstance can Jimin know any of this. He'll just find a way to either make it worse for him, or blame himself."

Although I don't 100% know what M means, I know she's going to probably explain it more as she talks, so I nod my head in understanding.

M takes a big breath in, then continues, "My parents always planned to set one of us up with a big business owner. They originally planned to marry Jimin off, but then they met..." M swallows thickly. "Felix... and set us up without my knowledge. Truthfully, I hated the guy when I first met him. He would always look at me with these... with these eyes that just screamed predator, but my parents only ever paid attention to the money in his wallet. Felix considered me perfect, and my opinion was irrelevant. I-... we got married a month later."

I could name all the reasons why her situation pissed me of - no, more like made me enraged me - but it's way easier to just say every single word M just said made me want to become a fucking mass murderer! To the point, I openly admit, "I want to fucking kill him."

M shuts her eyes. "Jungkook, you can't-"

"No!" I stand up. "No fucking way, M. You married that douche bag. You married him, knowing he was, in fact, a fucking douche bag, and you expect me to just - what? Be okay with it?"

M stands up and holds her hands out. Her clearly seeing and hearing my anger. "I'm not expecting you too, but I'm also not done."

"You got be fucking - there's more?!"

M's lip starts to wobble, indicating she's about to cry, and it breaks my heart to watch her head nod. Meaning, that what she just said isn't even the worst of it.

"H-he..." M tries to control herself from crying, but she looks down at the ground and fails miserably. "Felix has beaten me a-and... other things, so bad for just not following his orders. We had to leave so many towns because of him. He's threatened my life, my families lives... I can never leave him. I can never leave him b-because if I do he will... he might..."

M covers her mouth, not wanting to admit her worst predictions. It gets to the point where I'm coaxing her to the couch, and having to swaddle her in my arms to try and calm her down.

My instincts are telling me to go find Felix, but I also have the love of my life sobbing in my arms. I had a similar dilemma like this last time I was with M. A dilemma where I was battling between caring for M and going to find Felix and kill him. Seeing M now, after admitting everything that's happened to her, I know now she's telling me everything not because she wants me to do something about it. She's not trusting me with this information because she wants me to help her, but instead, she wants me to be there for her.

I hold her close, put my anger aside for the time being, and let her cry on my shoulder. I'm not Felix. I'm not a violent person, and I want to be the one person in this world M can count on no matter what.

It takes a while for M to calm down, but I sit and hold her the entire time. I whisper things to her like "I'm here for you" and "I believe you" to help the calming process. When she eventually does stop crying, I don't let her go. Even when she lifts her head from my shoulder, I keep her tightly wrapped in my arms with her legs clutched to her chest.

M looks at me with red eyes, and I help her clear the tears away with my shirt sleeve. I press my forehead to hers, and we just stay like that for a moment. We sit in silence and just be with each other. There are not many times I'm okay with just being silent with someone. I have constant sound all around me when I'm at my game store, but with M any moment with her, even silent ones like these, are a blessing, and we can both agree it's worth it.

After a few more minutes of us just staring into each other's eyes and holding each other, M eventually breaks the silence with a voice that makes me want to cry too, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, M. You don't deserve anything you've been through with... him."

"I know, but there's still nothing I can do."

I want to tell her that's not true. That I can think about a million ways to take her out of this mess, and I'll support her every step of the way, but at the same time, that's not what she wants to hear. I'm not her, and I could never understand what she's going through, but after hearing everything I can clearly tell she has thought and processed every which way of escaping her husband. Ways that all lead to her and the people she cares about being affected.

This beautiful, sweet, dance dance revolution-loving, caring, passionate girl in my arms is stuck in a relationship that she doesn't want to fight out of because of the consequences. The consequences of failing to leave, and having her life further destroyed in the process.

I squeeze M closer to me when I realize this. Putting my face in her hair, and breathing in her recently washed hair. Smelling the lavender scents and realizing something else... this is the last time I'm ever going to be with her.

She hasn't explained it yet, but something happened to make her come here. I don't want to ask because I don't want to be told the truth. By what her thighs looked like the last time I saw her, I have a feeling she came here because of something specific. Something specific about me.

I've been too caught up in having M back in my life, that I've been selfish. I've been selfish because instead of just trying to keep her around, I've been pushing for my fantasies. My fantasies of M leaving her husband and ending up with me, when I should have just been okay with her being in my life again.

Sadly, M explains my worst nightmares and wildest dreams at the same time, "I wish I could be with you, Jungkook. I wish I had the ability to divorce my husband and... t-tell you I love you back."

I pull my face away from her hair, and I feel tears start to form in my eyes, so I look away from her. Rubbing my tears out of my eyes before me crying makes this situation even more depressing.

"We can't be together, but... we have tonight."

My eyes widen, forgetting the emotional moment I was about to have, and face M again. Did she just suggest, what I think she's suggesting? There's no way. I just told myself not to be selfish with her anymore. She couldn't mean-

M maneuvers herself to be straddling my thighs. She holds the back of my head as she kisses me deeply and it's full of fire. I'm frozen for a moment because my brain can't comprehend that M, the person I've been in love with since I was eight, wants to have sex with me.

Even in my frozen state, I feel every nerve ending go super sensitive. The first nerve ending that's charged all the way up, is my dick when M grinds her ass against it.

Holy shit, she really means it.

My hands start to shake because I don't know what to think. Should I do this? I've always wanted to, but would it be considered taking advantage of her? Luckily M puts me out of my misery and pulls our lips apart, sensing my nervousness.

"Make me forget about everyone else but you, Kookie."

And that was enough to wake me up from my frozen state.

I pull M in by placing my hands on the small of her back. I kiss M passionately, and I'm rewarded with one of M's goddess-like moans. Who am I kidding? I could never deny M anything. Even if it hurts afterward, knowing this could be the only time will ever be intimate in this way, M is asking me this. She's asking to be with me, even if it's just once because she has feelings for me. She wants to be selfish with me just as much as I've been selfish with her.

We're kissing wildly. Her hands are gripping at my hair, while my hands go under her dress and squeeze her ass. Our tongues swirl together, while M moans, and I grunt out how good it feels to be this way with each other. How good it feels to not care about anyone else, but each other for a change.

It's when M starts grinding her core against my dick again, that I speed things up. I pick M up by firmly grabbing onto her ass, and she detaches our lips when she gasps. Unlike before, M isn't trying to grab on me for her dear life, but instead touching our foreheads together and looking into my eyes. Automatically wrapping her arms around my neck, and her ankles locking together behind my back.

There's so much going on in that head of hers, but one things for sure, there's love in those eyes. Not just lust or her want to fuck me but actual unvocalized love.

It's then I realize... this is going to be my first time ever having sex with someone I love. I've never opened my heart up to anyone, but M before. Sure I had girlfriends or flings in the past, but I never thought or told them I loved them. That's why those relationships never lasted.

And onto my next realization...

I kick my bedroom door open and don't stop to contemplate how M is the first person to ever enter this room besides myself. I lay her down in the middle of my black comforter and pull myself away from her. I look down at M on my king-sized bed and think, I've never seen anything more gorgeous.

"Fuck, M... your so beautiful."

M blushes and smiles fully for the first time since she entered my apartment, and I pray that's not the last time I'll ever see that smile again. This is quite literally a dream come true to me - maybe more of a wet dream, but a dream nonetheless. Having M as completely mine in every way tonight, I'm going to make sure she understands just how much I love her and make this the best experience of both our lives.

I start off by taking off my shirt. Just like when I opened my door in a rush before, M's eyes widen and she unknowingly bites the corner of her mouth. And just like before, I feel myself swell with pride that she likes what she sees.

I get onto the bed and slowly crawl up M's form. I kiss each spot of naked skin as I do, and love the bliss-filled sighs she makes each time my lips touch her skin. When I get back to her lips, I'm more gentle than before. Me wanting to take my time, and show M that I love her with every ounce of my being.

I gently bite M's lip, and she whimpers in return. I smirk against her lips, and M wraps her arms around my neck. Her wanting to feel more of me, and me willing to give it all. I lay my body flat against her's and raise her dress to her thighs, so she can feel my want for her. M gasps, and I have to pull our lips apart to moan against her neck when my thin pants-covered boner and her pantie-covered core rub against each other. When I feel M's arms tighten around my neck, I know she wants more. I grind against her again, and this time I'm blessed enough to hear an open mouth moan from her. A new sound I want to hear on repeat.

I hike up M's dress more to grab onto her thigh and start grinding against her a little rougher. M scratches at my back, and it's a breathtaking sight to watch as she becomes overcome in pleasure.

I then pull one of M's dress straps down. M's blush gets significantly more red in embarrassment when her one breast is fully revealed to me, but her face soon turns back to pleasure-filled when I latch my lips onto her nipple. I swirl my tongue around the bud, and I find myself rubbing against her even harder because of it.

For a second I forget where I am, and forget my goals for the night. I rip the other strap of her dress off until her other breast is revealed to me. I twist and flick at her one nipple, while I have her other nipple still getting sucked by my mouth. I switch back and forth with this process between each breath, loving the feeling of her pointed buds in my mouth and her in my hands. All the while my very hard dick is humping against her pantie-covered core.

I'm literally in fucking heaven, but I remember my goals of M's priority pleasure when I hear her say, "Oh my god, Jungkook!"

I actually fucking gasp and squeeze my eyes shut when her now high-pitched voice calls out my name. Me almost cumming in my pants because of it. I realize then that I was actually pinning her arms down as I was fondling her this entire time. I lean away from her, scared that I took it too far, but when I see her face... fuck! I've never seen someone so sexy.

M's lips are plumped from us kissing so passionately before, and her blush has now reached her neck. She's breathing heavily, and her eyes look glossed over and completely fucked out.

I don't even know what to say. I know what I'm feeling, and that is I want to cum so badly and just get inside of her, but I have to wait. I have to make sure M is well taken care of. That's my plan and I need to stick with it. And I was fully prepared to do so much more with her until she said...

"I-I don't knows what's happening to me."

I raise my eyebrow at her, not expecting those words to leave her mouth. "What's wrong?"

"I- nothing - I don't know. I just feel... different. I've never felt this way before. Its-... is it normal to feel like this here." I follow M's hand until it reaches her lower stomach. My brain goes tick, tick, tick... until it full-on explodes when I put two and two together.

"Wait, M... have you never orgasmed before?"

M's eyes widen, and she pulls her shoulders forward in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. Then, to my complete fucking surprise, she says, "N-no."

M... has never orgasmed before.

I don't know why I didn't think this would be a possibility, maybe because I know Felix and M have had sex before, and I push that thought of them together in that way right out of my head because I'm not going to allow anything to ruin this moment for me. My goal was always to pleasure her. It was always to make M orgasm, so many times the only person she could think about is me, and I still have that goal, but it has an added-on meaning to it.

My new goal: Make M's first organum so good, that even if she were to have it again with someone else she will think of me.

Fuck... this is going to be the best sex I've ever had in my life. Granted, I always thought it would be without a doubt, but knowing I'm going to be her first in something has my heart beating a mile a minute.

"Fuck," I chuckle out with a smile. "Your so fucking sexy." M raises her eyebrows in confusion, but before she could question my compliment, I kiss her so hard her head gets pushed into the pillow.

I know it's time to speed up this process. I'm not going to have M's first orgasm happen because I was wildly humping her and fondling her tits. Without taking my lips off of hers, I pull her dress downwards until she's left in nothing, but her panties. Since I can't help myself, I pull away from M again and look at her nearly naked form.

"Yup, super fucking sexy."

M rolls her eyes but smiles brightly this time. "Your such a dork."

I crawl backward and lay my head against her thigh, trying not to look at what's right in front of my face, but instead keep eye contact with her. "But... a sexy dork, right?"

M giggles. "Your so- Ah!"

Before I let M give one of her teasing remarks, I lick up the front of her panties. I couldn't help it. Of course, I ended up looking, and when I saw that she was so wet that some of it was dripping down her thigh, I wanted to taste her so badly. Her pussy, even covered by a thin pair of lace, tastes so sweet. I've never eaten a girl out, never felt the need to when I never gave a shit about the girls I slept with, but one lick of M's pussy and I want to keep my face between her legs forever.

I lift her thighs so there on my shoulders and move her panties over. I lick my lips, then take one tentative lick of her, and her hand moves to my hair and pulls. My eyes widen, but once she is able to grab a hold of a different part of me, my shoulders, she tries - and fails - to pull me up. I start to laugh when I notice her frustrated face.

"Please, Jungkook." I stop laughing. "I really need you."

Well, Fuck. Twist my arm why don't you. I feel kinda disappointed that she didn't want me to eat her out, but with a begging voice like that, coming from M of all people, she doesn't need to ask me twice.

I sit up on my knees, and smile down at M. "Anything for you, baby."

I go to pull down her itty-bitty thong, but then she stops me by placing her foot on my bare chest. I look back at M and see watch her shake her head.

"Your turn," M says. I smirk, but kinda feel embarrassed about taking off my pants. I know it's a repeated reference by now, but I never gave a shit about the women I slept with and that includes if they liked my dick or not. This is M we're talking about, though. She notices my hesitance and smirks. "Don't you wanna know how good I am with a joystick?"

Fuck- fuck- fuck- and fuck. Huhhhhh... YES!

I'm practically ripping off my pants now. Not even caring that M laughs while I struggle to take off these somehow tight sleep pants. She stops laughing though when I'm completely naked in front of her. I feel my face heat up by M's heat-filled gaze, but when sits up on her knees to be face to face with me, I forget any insecurities I just had.

M keeps eye contact with me as she pushes her panties down her legs, somehow being flexible enough to take them off from the back of her, and puts her hands on my chest. I wrap my arms around her waist and place my hands on the small of her back.

There's no more laughter or teasing gestures. M and I are just... being. Together. Two people naked, and know what step comes soon. A step neither of us wants to joke about or ruin.

I feel M's one hand run down my chest and touch me for the first time. I gasp when I feel her small hands wrap around me, but she has my breathing going labored within seconds.

"Fuckkkkk, M." Her name comes out as a moan when I feel her thumb rub at my head. I know I'm stupidly already close when instead of just moaning out a name, I'm moaning against her neck like a fucking whore. I still her wrist, and I glance at her face to see a smirk.

"Told you," Was all she said, but it was in such a small voice. Her not wanting to ruin the moment with any big teases. I never doubted she was good anyway, but also the fact that I've been teasing and preparing her for so long now, M could probably giggle right now and I would be a goner.

I kiss her lips, and we both smile as we do. I slowly lower M back down onto the bed, never taking my lips off of hers. I - painfully - slowly spread her legs apart and move myself in between her legs.

I don't rush anything, but once I'm inside her, bottoming out with a slow thrust into her, I won't admit to the sound I made, but it explains how I feel perfectly. She just feels so perfect. She's super fucking tight but so wet there's no resistance. I understand now why Felix is so possessive over her, and now that I've finally entered her I don't know how I'm ever going to survive not being with her. My face is buried in her neck because I'm so obsessed with the feeling of her. I press my body down flat on top of her, and it increases the feeling of euphoria my entire body is having right now.

M clenches around me while whimpering when I haven't even moved within her yet, and it has me seconds away from cumming. I actually, which I never thought I would ever say, tell her, "Fuck, don't do that."

"Please move then, Kookie. I-... I feel like I'm dying."

I feel like I'm already dead. Died and gone to god damn heaven. I start to thrust in and out of her, and it quickly gains up speed, my own strength of going slow already failing. My own instincts taking over when every move I make inside of her is making me see stars.

M wraps her arms around me, and that somehow gives me the ability to take my face out of her neck and look down at her. Our foreheads touch, and I watch her eyes gloss over as a pleasure-filled vibration course through her. I watch M's face as she goes through the motions of moaning, crying out my name, squirming around, and not knowing how to feel all the while my speed is increasing.

"God - M - fuck! You feel like heaven~"

I've always considered M a goddess, but watching her getting closer and closer to cumming proves she was made by Aphrodite herself! I lift myself up a little further to have a better view. I'm also getting closer as I move faster inside of her, but my eyes and ears are selfish and want to hear and see as much of her pleasurable reactions as possible.

"J-Jungkook I - oh my Jun- god-..." Besides M's stuttering, the tighter clench of her pussy says it all. M's about to cum for the first time, and I have the privilege of witnessing it.

I grab onto her hand and move her head to make sure she looks me in the eyes. "I got you, baby." I kiss her cheek. "Just let go."

Within seconds, M isn't the only one becoming a complete fucking mess. I thought I would be able to last longer. Most of the time guys don't even know if a girl cums, and I thought it would feel that way with M since it was her first time... but I very much felt it.

She fucking squirted. All of a sudden M is flinging her head back, and my dick has never gone through so much wetness at one time. I actually almost collapse on top of her when my own orgasm got ripped out of me because it just felt that fucking good! My hips thrust forward harder on their own accord, going deeper into M than before. I let go of M's hand and grab onto the sheets in an attempt to not hurt her hands with mine. I swear I heard them rip because that's how good what just happened felt.

I cough by the time we're both done moaning loudly and cumming together. I watch M try to catch her breath, and I stare at her in disbelief. I actually feel her cum on my thighs right now. Like... no fucking way M is even perfect when she fucking cums!

"How are you so perfect?" I ask. M's eyes widen, staring up at me. How I'm still able to hold myself above her, I have no god damn clue because that just felt so good I thought I was going to collapse.

M's cheeks heat up, and she turns her head to try and hide her face. "Stop it. I'm not perfect."

I grab her face and move it to face me. "Yeah, you fucking are." I kiss her. "And my addiction to you is proof."

。・°°・°°・。 。・°°・°°・。 。・°°・°°・。

The next morning, I look down to find an angel sleeping on my chest. I have my right arm protectively wrapped around her, and M's arms are squished between us. I don't remember when we fell asleep last night, but I do remember everything we did beforehand.

We didn't stop at one time. We had sex multiple fucking times. Different positions, different paces. I know M's body like the back of my hand now, but no matter which way we did her cumming always had my own orgasm being ripped out of me. Something about the way she clenched like a vice around me, and how every time she came it was like a dam broke loose.

I feel myself get hard just thinking about it. How perfect last night was, and how I reached my goal twice over of making M feel good.

But the morning sun shining down on M's beautiful face through the window is just a reminder of what today is. How last night will never happen again. Both of us will never be happy because of a man that has M controlled by a tight leash. I know I shouldn't be thinking of him while I have a naked M in my arms, but with learning M's body all last night, I also know all her scars.

She didn't let me eat her out no matter how many times I tried last night, but with the number of positions we did, I eventually saw what she was trying to hide from me... the bruises are still there. Smaller, and only surrounding her pussy lips, but they were there regardless. I'm surprised I wasn't hurting her, but I also didn't aim to hurt her. No. All I got was moans, and her crying out my name like a prayer.

Something I know Felix will never get from M.

Speaking about moans, M moans in a daze and stretches her arms out when she wakes up. I quickly put on a fake smile, acting like I wasn't just thinking about her fuck face of a husband, and watch as M blinks her eyes open. Her eyes widen for a second, but then she smiles at me in return, and my fake smile becomes a real one. I can never be angry when M looks at me like that. Content and happy. Two things I always want to see in her.

"Goodmorning, Kookie."

My smile grows bigger. "Goodmorning, baby."

Suddenly, M's eyes widen again, but this time in a panic. She lifts herself off of me and glances around frantically. "Oh my god! What time is it!?"

It takes me a second, but I realize pretty quickly she's worried about Felix finding her not at home. I reach over to my side table and check the time on my phone. "It's 6:15 am."

M sighs, calming down again and clearly okay with the time. "Thank god. Felix doesn't usually get up until after 12-" She stops herself short. She very much knows by now that the mention of his name makes me want to commit murder. "Sorry."

I raise an eyebrow at her but try to play it off as Felix not being the forever bad point in any conversation to me. "It s'kay."

M frowns, but instead of making it a big deal, decides to act like the cutest person on the planet instead. She straddles my stomach, rubs her face on my chest, and smoothes out her hands on my abs. "I'm soway, Kookie. I'll be a good girl. I pomise."

I actually fucking laugh when I watch M act like a child. Her naked body on top of me though not helping my morning wood. "It's okay, M. I'm not mad at you. I could never be mad at you." She turns her face to look at me but doesn't lift her face from my chest. I smile, for real, and say, "I mean it. You can always trust me to tell you the truth."

And to further prove that point, I flip us around until M is on her back, and pin her arms beside her head, then say, "Because I love you." I kiss her, and the sweetest moan that I get in return has my boner jumping to action.

I'm not interested in being inside her though - well, that's a lie. That will always be a lie - but I want to taste a part of her I only got to have two kitten licks from last night.

I slowly kiss down her body, giving her nipples extra attention since I now know how sensitive she is there, but when I get to her stomach M is grabbing onto my shoulder and saying, "Wait, Kookie-"

"M... I already know." Her eyes widen. "You really thought I wouldn't see it last night? Not even when I had your legs in the air while I was-"

"Okay! Enough! Shh!" Even though this conversation is in no way an enjoyable one, the corners of my mouth twitch up when I see M's face heat up. "Just... don't look at me funny."

"Look at you funny? What do you mean?"

M sighs and her little pout lips look so cute that I want to kiss them again. "Like, don't look at me like I'm broken. I don't feel broken when I'm with you anymore, but when you first saw them last time..."

She didn't need to continue after that. I obviously couldn't see my own reaction at the time, but I know it wasn't a happy one. Who would be happy seeing those types of bruises on the person they love?

Although I know this conversation killed the mood a little, I say, "I promise I won't react that way now. I just want to make you feel good."

M smiles, but it's a tiny sweet one. "You made me feel incredible last night."

I bite my lips and feel a surge of pride course through me. Although it was kinda obvious by the number of times she came last night, it's still amazing to hear M say out loud that she loved what I did with her last night. That's why, just for a little more convincing until I stop the pressuring altogether, I admit, "You also taste like the most addictive candy known to man, and my tongue is craving some sugar this morning."

M gasps at my vulgar words. "Oh, my - Jungkook!" I smile and wiggle my eyebrows. It only takes a few more seconds of my award-winning smile, and then M is saying, "Mmm... okay, fine, but only because I honestly want to know how it feels."

And I do just that.

Once again, M taste's like the sweetest thing my tongue has ever tasted. It's actually vibrating and having me moaning with her because she tastes so good. I particularly like when I suck at her clit, and have the pleasure of seeing M arch her back, making her boobs bounce as she cries out my name in ecstasy.

I grab onto her breast and circle my tongue around her hole while I play with her sensitive buds. I feel her pussy get increasingly wetter as my tongue continues to lick her up, and it has my dick ultra-hard underneath me. As much as my dick wants to enter her right fucking now, my time with M like that is gone.

I know that after this session of me finally tasting what's between this goddess's thighs, she has to leave. Leave, and get home before her asshole of a husband wakes up and realizes she wasn't home to begin with when he stumbled in from last night's drinking session.

At one point, during our breaks between fucking each other's brains out sessions, I saw Felix leave the club through my bathroom window. It was around two in the morning, and he was in no shape to get home, so there's no way he noticed if M got home or not.

And she wasn't home, but in my bed instead. As soon as I saw him, that break was over and I fucked M so hard I had her screaming my name, so loudly I thought someone would think I was murdering her. Just like now, thinking about that fuck face that uses and hurts M, I start eating out her pussy like it's the last thing I'll ever do. Me wanting to hear her cry out my name again and again as a reminder that I'm the only person she wants to make her feel this what. I'm the only person M wanted to be with so badly, that she risked her own life to be with for one night.

I spread her thighs further apart, and dive my tongue right inside of her. Licking at her walls, and trying to burrow my tongue as deep as it can possibly go. I'm rewarded with M screaming out, "Oh my - Fuck Jungkook! I'm- I'm..."

Then I'm rewarded again with feeling M's cum all over my tongue and chin. I'll never get over how this perfect being in my bed right now, is a squirter. I'll also never be able to get over how amazing she feels, how beautiful her about to cum face is, how my name sounds on her lips when she moans, or how she actually exists!

God must have made sure to bless M with everything he titled as perfect and shunned me from ever being able to get over her. I never planned or thought I would be able to, move on from loving M. As I lay here between M's thighs, resting my cheek against her soft leg with a face full of her essence, I stare up at M in admiration. Admiration that this girl - all 5 foot 5 inches, red hair, glossy-eyed, and lips so plump all I want to do is kiss them - is the only girl for me.

M Park is my soul mate, and when my soul mate calms down from her high I just gave her, she's going to leave my apartment and pretend everything last night never even happened...

-

-

-

CH 21

[sylvies-chen]

You Make Me Feel So Young

Summary: Tim shows up at Lucy's apartment after struggling with some guilt, and finally gets that dance she'd saved for him.

Warnings: none

Words: 2.6K

A/N: For day 1 of the Chenford Fanfic Week 2021 organized by @therookiebook!! I'm so excited to participate, I hope you guys like this oneshot <3

AO3 link

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He feels guilty.

Lucy knows he does, even before he tells her. After everything at Angela’s wedding went down, after she and Jackson had been taken and nearly died, after the dust had settled from that entire stressful day, Lucy can feel the guilt oozing out of him.

Only Tim Bradford shows up at her door to talk about it, and it’s about the last thing she expects to happen.

Like, ever.

“Hey,” he blurts out as soon as she opens the door.

“Hi.” Lucy doesn’t know what to say but she knows the hand that’s holding onto the edge of her door feels numb all of a sudden and her breath gets caught in her throat.

“Can I come in?” Tim asks, trying to seem nonchalant. Lucy sees right through it, knows that him coming here alone, out of the blue, must mean something’s wrong. But she doesn’t say anything because she knows Tim takes a while sometimes to be able to open up. So instead, she nods.

“Yeah, of course.” Jackson’s out, so she lets Tim in without hesitation. Not that it’d matter if he were here, really, but she sees that broken, guilt-ridden look in Tim’s eyes and knows it’s best that they’re alone.

He plays it cool at first— out of self-preservation, she thinks— and looks around the apartment as she lets him in.

“This place looks a lot nicer than the last time I saw it,” he starts out.

“Yeah, well Cujo’s not around to tear up pillows anymore so I’d say it’s a big improvement,” she jokes meekly.

His hands are shoved in his pockets stiffly as he walks around her living room, glancing over to Jackson’s bedroom.

“Jackson’s not here?”

“No, he went to check up on Angela. I’m surprised you aren’t there too,” she adds.

“Why’s that?”

“Because it’s where you’ve been for the past week,” Lucy explains simply, glancing at him expectantly and waiting for him to talk. Not this kind of talk, not small talk or dancing around what he really needs to get off his chest, but for him to actually, really talk.

All does is stand by her couch, less than ten feet away from her, and avoid her gaze. She swears she can see his fists tensing up in the pockets of his jeans. “I didn’t realize you were keeping track.”

“I wasn’t.” She was . “I just know how worried you were about her when she was taken. I don’t blame you for not wanting to leave her side.”

“Just making up for what I didn’t do the first time, I guess,” he grumbles under his breath.

Lucy sighs, cutting their small talk short and getting to the point. “Why are you really here, Tim?”

Her bluntness surprises him, she thinks, because he blinks at her. “What?”

“Why are you here?” She repeats. “You’ve never shown up at my place randomly while off shift. Hell, I didn’t even think you’d remembered I live here. I know this past week has been intense but clearly you need something or else you wouldn’t have come here. So would you just tell me whatever it is you want to say so that I can help you?”

He exhales quietly, his chest shaking as it falls. “It’s my fault. Angela and Jackson nearly died, she nearly lost her baby, they were put in danger at her own damn wedding, and it’s… it’s my fault.”

“No, no,” she replies sympathetically, shaking her head. “It’s not. What happened to them happened because of La Fiera, not you.”

“I was her man of honour,” he explains with a dry and slightly sarcastic chuckle. “Where’s the honour in failing to protect the bride?”

“If you really felt that, you wouldn’t have come here. You knew,” she tells him, her voice determined and fierce. “You knew I wouldn’t let you sit here and feel sorry for yourself. If you wanted to sit around feeling sorry for yourself you would have gone to a bar, alone. But you came here, which means somewhere deep down you know you couldn’t have done anything to stop it.”

For one of the only times since Lucy’s known him, Tim Bradford is speechless. He looks for words but finds none, huffs, and sits down on her couch, fiddling nervously with his thumbs. Her heart sinks at the sight of it. This guilt of his isn’t going away with anything she says, she knows that now. Healing takes time, so all she can really do is just be there for him.

She sits down next to him on the couch, leaving only an inch of space. “You don’t have to carry the weight of everything, you know,” she continues gently. “You take on so much, you don’t always have to feel so responsible for every bad thing that happens. That’s no way to live.”

“I’m a cop,” he shrugs painfully. “I became a cop because I wanted to keep helping people, protecting them. So sure, it might make me a more serious person, but I do it because it’s supposed to be what I do best.”

“I get that. But no one’s perfect. I’m not perfect, even with all of your Tim tests,” she teases meekly. “That doesn’t mean you did anything wrong. You fought hard to get both of them back and you did. You did that. Angela’s home now, she and the baby are safe and alright. That’s what matters.”

He looks at her, stunned but greatly appreciative. “Thanks,” he offers, slightly begrudgingly, after a moment. “I just... thanks .”

“I think I have something of yours,” she tells him gently, changing the subject to lighten the mood. Because if she can’t assuage his guilt then at the very least, she can make him feel better; feel happy again.

Tim’s brows scrunch up, sending a confused look her way. Lucy wordlessly moves to pull out her phone, connecting it to the small wireless speaker on the coffee table. The buttons crisply click as she turns up the volume, pressing play on the first ballad she finds in her list of varied songs. (But her taste in music isn’t actually as diverse as she’d like and is really just filled with K-pop tracks).

The music streams through the speaker and throughout the apartment, audible but still quiet so as not to disturb the other tenants. Tim stays seated as Lucy stands up, still confused but shifting to the edge of his seat as if being drawn to her by an unnamed force.

Lucy finally extends her open palm, giving him a shy but cheeky grin. “Your dance, Officer Bradford?”

Realization hits and Tim’s shoulders relax a little. “I don’t know, I’m not in the mood for dancing right now.”

“Come on,” she pleads. “It’ll make you feel better, I promise. Or, at the very least, it’ll give you something to tease me about at work.”

Tim gives a hearty chuckle, smiling widely as he accepts her hand. It makes Lucy smile too. Why shouldn’t it? He’s always so surly and serious, making him laugh would make anyone proud and giddy. Right?

“Alright. After you, Officer Chen,” he replies as she pulls him off the couch and onto the rug in her living room. His hand is warm. They’re calloused, and bigger than hers to the point where her fingers get swallowed up in his as he gives her hand a squeeze. But god, they’re so warm and safe . Her mind can’t stop coming back to that observation, no matter how much she knows she shouldn’t.

Tim’s other hand finds her waist, his grip gentle. Her hand flies to his chest, pulling him in until her chin is inches away from resting on his shoulder.

Up until now, space hasn’t really been an issue for them. The only time there’d been this much physical contact between them was last year when Caleb had buried her alive. Even then, the situation had allowed for a special exception. She’d needed all the physical and emotional support she could get at that moment, and Tim had provided it for her.

Now though, there's no exception, no special circumstance, no excuse. They’re dancing while wrapped up in each other solely because they want to be, and that change is enough to terrify Lucy. She doesn’t move though, only keeps swaying to the music and letting out small, shaky breaths.

What can she say? She never was one to back down from something that scared her.

“You’re a good dancer,” Lucy points out quietly.

“You’re not half bad yourself,” he replies, his breath catching onto her neck and sending a delightful shiver down her spine.

“Is it safe to say you’re enjoying yourself? You feel more relaxed, I daresay you’re having fun,” she tries teasing.

“I’m just surprised,” he counters. “I was prepared for my toes to endure some serious stomping.”

“Oh please, like my tiny toes could ever harm you.” Her nose scrunches playfully as she feigns a threatening look, which makes Tim smile again. What is it with that smile of his killing her softly?

“I don’t know, you’re a lot tougher than you look.”

“Was that a compliment?” She asks teasingly.

“Don’t tell Nova, she’ll get jealous,” he jokes back, continuing to sway to the music.

“Yeah but I bet she’d love this,” Lucy remarks. In her head, she adds that the line between herself and Nova is getting blurred but it goes unspoken and, eventually, ignored.

“Nova’s not the only one,” he risks replying. “You’re right. This is… nice .”

Tim leans back a little to meet her eye, the swaying decelerating until they’re standing in her living room. Alone. With an intense and inviting gaze piercing into her eyes.

“It is,” Lucy agrees. Her voice is barely audible and before she can think twice, she blurts out probably the worst thing she could ever think of: the thing she means with every fiber of her being. “I wish we could stay like this forever.”

She really does mean it. She wants to stay there forever, where everything feels good and safe and right . Only she hadn’t meant to say that out loud, per se. To her surprise though, he doesn’t react poorly to it. Instead, he flashes the smallest smile and nods in agreement, swallowing hard. "Me too."

He looks so young like that, something juvenile and exciting radiating off of him like a breath of fresh air. For a second, she almost thinks he’s the same age as her.

And oh fuck , something just clicks after that.

His lips part only slightly, his eyes glimmering with something intense and hopeful. Her skin is on fire, her heart is racing, and every neuron in her brain is telling her to look away but she can’t. She can’t escape his eyes. Lucy doesn’t know what this thing between them is, only that one minute, they’re dancing and the next, they’re… doing something else. The swaying stops and everything comes to a glaring halt as the song starts to come to a gradual end. They’re left with nothing to do but stand there and look at each other. It’s almost like he’s listened to her and that somehow, he’s made them become completely frozen in time so that maybe, just maybe, they really could stay here forever.

Admittedly, terrifyingly, Lucy would have no complaints about that.

They’re holding each other too— god , she almost forgot about his hands on her wait, on her back. They’re strong and massive and yet so gentle. And before she knows it, they’re pulling her in closer and closer.

His face is inches apart from her, their lips so close. She shouldn’t be thinking about his lips, about any of the things she’s feeling right now, but she can feel his breath and it makes it impossible to think of anything else. Her chest is almost pressed against his and she wonders if Tim can feel the shaky rise and fall of her chest against his.

They get closer again, and closer, and closer…

Then, the door clicks and swings open, sending her and Tim jumping apart.

The moment ends before it ever has a chance to start.

“Hey, I’m back,” Jackson calls out as he walks in, checking his phone. “So fire up the next episode of Love Island and put in the popcorn because I am ready to g—”

Jackson stops mid-sentence once he looks up from his phone and finds Lucy, standing next to Tim as they both look away from each other with flushed cheeks and awkward coughs from their throats. The music on her phone has stopped now, thankfully, but the light from the speaker still flashes to indicate it’s on and Jackson soaks in the whole scene. He meets it with confusion though, his brows furrowing.

“Uhh… What’s going on here?”

“I was just about to leave,” Tim announces, looking down at the floor as he makes a beeline for his coat.

“Right, yeah,” Lucy nods. “I’ll see you tomorrow then, I guess?”

“Yeah, of course. Uh, bye,” he replies awkwardly, his eyes meeting Lucy’s one last time with something that she daresay looks like disappointment— like yearning. Jackson’s still there though, and so the moment is short-lived. Tim’s hands fly back into his pockets, just as stiff as they were when he first came over, and he leaves. The door shuts behind him abruptly.

Lucy stares at the door where Tim used to be, her shoulders sagging in a disappointment of her own, but she turns to see Jackson staring at her and knows she has no way to explain… well, to explain whatever the hell just happened.

“You want to tell me why Tim was here?”

“He felt guilty about what happened with you and Angela,” she explains, a little defensively. “I was just talking it out with him.”

“Sure, yeah,” Jackson nods with an unconvinced laugh, “that’s why you two jumped apart like frogs as soon as I came in.”

“We did not jump apart ,” she protests.

“Ok, if you say so,” he concedes, his hands up in surrender. “Besides, whatever you two were doing here, I just—… don’t want to know.” He lets out a small chuckle after that, shaking his head as he moves to grab a pack of unpopped popcorn out of the cupboard and put it in the microwave.

“It was nothing,” she mumbles quietly. “Nothing happened.”

It’s the first real lie she’s told that night. Jackson drops it after that though, and she sighs to herself as she sits back down on the couch.

She closes her eyes as the microwave buzzes and Jackson starts to ramble about his visit with Angela, slowly transporting herself back to that dance with Tim.

Maybe she’s wrong for this, maybe she’s completely insane and unprofessional. But as she plays it over in her head, her own words ring through her head and she realizes that maybe she really did want to stay like that with Tim forever.

Oh, screw it . She knows she did. It’s not a fact she can necessarily scream out to the world, but she did.

To Lucy, there are much worse things to want to be.

[forlornmelody]

Resurrection Day

Rating: M (just a lot of angst, really. Character death, some graphic violence, and an afterglow moment)

Fandom(s): DC Comics

Ship: Jayrose, RedArse, 

Linkage: Ao3

Summary:   The Outlaws have always had a funny relationship with death, but when one of their own dies, they try to rise from their mistakes.

Note:  Idk if this is a fic, or more my headcanons strung together. Enjoy? 

-*-*

“Do you ever regret it?” 

Jason only half-hears her, his eyelids heavy, and his body so relaxed with release that he might never move again. “Mm?” he mumbles, pulling his body through quicksand so he can lay on his side and face her. 

Rose’s skin still glistens in the evening light, her hair mussed, and her face flushed. Her voice still throaty from moaning and screaming that Jason’s too busy reliving those last straining moments he almost doesn’t hear her again. “Do you ever regret...coming back?”

Pushing himself onto his elbows, Jason gazes down at her with a crooked grin. “To Gotham? Only when Bruce breathes down my neck.”

Snorting, Rose stretches one arm above her head, and her chest rises towards him in a way that makes him suck in his breath. Focus. She won’t meet his eyes, and her lips keep forming words she doesn't speak. “No, I mean. Do you regret being brought back?” The warmth in Jason’s belly turns to ice. 

It’s all too easy to remember that god-awful laugh, and the red haze in his vision, and the blood in his eyes. The searing pain of each blow, and the ache every time he tries to breathe. The numbness that settles in when he reaches the door and finds it locked--when he hears the egg timer on Joker’s signature bomb. 

Remembering what came after is harder. Running out of air. So much water, but it’s thicker than water, and he can’t get to the surface fast enough. Screaming. So much screaming. Is he screaming? Everyone’s trying to kill him. He can’t get out. He can’t get out. He can’t.

“Jason?” Rose only says his name when she’s worried. She squeezes his shoulder, digging her nails into his skin until his vision clears. “Shit. Sorry.” Sighing in frustration, she looks away. “Didn’t mean to bring all that back.”

Leaning his forehead against hers, Jason tries to get his breathing under control like his shrink taught him, but it’s easier said than done, and he fears the moment lost by the time he does. He tries to turn it into a joke, to lighten the mood. “That’s like asking if I regret being alive.” Jason huffs a laugh, but it falls flat. 

Rose bites her lip so hard Jason half-expects it to bleed. She looks up at him as if she’s confessing to murder. Sorry, Asshole, I fucked up again. Guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. “I was there, you know.”

Jason’s eyes widen. “At the Lazarus Pit?” And there he is, again. Drowning. 

“Yeah.” She swallows, and the next part comes out thick. “I was the one who told Ra’s Al Ghul where to find your body. He let me watch, as a thank you.”

Nowhere in that haze of memory does Jason recall seeing Rose, and that it is a whole new betrayal. “Where?” He sucks in a breath. “When?”

“Guess you weren’t happy to see me.” She snorts. “You tried to kill me. Well. Everyone, really. But you were fixated on me.” Rose looks at him, finally. “Thaila had to pull you off me before I stopped self-healing altogether.”

“And then you...left?” He’s angry, as if he has any right to be. Jason probably would’ve done the same given the circumstances. 

Rose nods. “And the All-Caste offered to take you in, fix you right up. Guess it worked.” A small smile sneaks onto her lips. But it doesn’t reach her eyes. 

One of Jason’s first clear memories of that time--a lonely night in his cell in The Chamber of All. Wondering what happened to her. If she had died right along with him and hadn’t been brought back. Being so angry when he got back to Gotham and she apparently had a life of her own. His memories of her, after, are a little less clear. But the distant look in her eyes tells him all he needs to know. 

----

“Dude, don’t be so hard on her.” Roy polishes off yet another hot dog, licking his fingers. 

“Yeah? Why’s that?” Jason kicks his heels against the edge of the rooftop. He reaches for one of the polish sausages, but his stomach gurgles in protest. Maybe not, then. 

“You’ve no idea what she went through to get you back.” He turns to look at him, with those hazel eyes lingering on Jason in a way that always leaves him feeling, well, naked. Which shouldn’t be an issue right? Roy’s seen him naked plenty of times after a mission. There’s only one shower, and that apartment has one tiny ass water heater. Showering together only makes sense? At least there’s room for the both of them, just barely. It often turns into a game of Twister mixed with hot yoga. And like, there’s never been any problem, yeah? 

But sometimes the way Jason catches Roy staring at him. Makes him wonder. 

If he wants to stare back.

Just every once in a while. 

“Like what?” They really shouldn’t have bought the entire foodcart’s stock so the Old Man Gerasimos “Jerry” Angelos could head home early. This is way too much food, even with Roy’s bottomless stomach. 

“Maybe you should ask her sometime.” 

“Nah, I’m good.” Jason licks his fingers. “It’s easier to not talk about it at all.”

Roy laughs. “Ah, just like how you don’t talk about stuff with anyone else?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jason gives him a playful look, but the look on Roy’s face stops him short. 

Roy doesn’t answer. He reaches over instead, wiping the mustard that got caught on the side of his mouth. His fingers are so unbelievably warm, like he’s made of fire and not skin. And Jason aches when he pulls away abruptly. 

“I uh, I just remembered that my laundry’s sitting in the washer. Probably stinks already.” Roy rushes off, not even bothering to wipe his fingers on a napkin. 

“It always stinks, Harper!” Jason roars after him, but his friend has already shut the door. 

Roy dies two days later.

------

“Would you be angry if I--we brought Roy back?” They’re on a rooftop, They’ve been waiting here for hours for Valentino’s men to show, and still nothing. Not all the Tuesday tacos in the world can make the night any less stale. Rose is on her fifth one when she gets philosophical.

Jason snorts. “You say that like it’s possible.”

Rose doesn’t say anything, and that’s what scares him.

“It’s not,” he says, louder.

“Why not?” She wipes quac from the corner of her mouth, staring at the rooftop across the street as if Roy’s gonna pop out of the skylight any second. “We brought you back.”

She can’t be serious. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“You don’t know what it’s like, Rose.”

Rose deadpans at him, her lips tight and firm. “I don’t?”

Jason thinks back to the first time he found her. Her right arm bent backward, her left cradling a wound that had bled out next to her. How her eyes stared out at nothing. Someone had pressed the mute button on the universe, except for the thud of his own heart. He should call someone. Bruce, 911, anyone, but his hands won’t move.  “Right, sorry.” 

It’s a terrible idea, they both know that, but the thought keeps eating away at him. Every time Jason lets his mind wander, it wanders to Roy--his crooked smile, his careless lean--the clumsiness that shouldn’t belong to a world-class archer, but it does. The headquarters seems so empty without Roy in it--so cavernous yet so claustrophobic like it’s going to eat Jason alive. 

-----

Three days later Rose is roundhouse kicking a punching bag when Jason finds her. “We can’t use the Lazarus Pit.”

 Rose stumbles, missing the bag completely and tumbling to the floor. “The fuck, Jason!” For someone who sees the future, Rose certainly didn’t hear this coming. 

Jason helps her up. “We can’t use the Lazarus Pit. I don’t want Roy going through what I did.” He meets her eyes. “What we did.” 

Rose nods, still breathless and annoyed in a way that makes him want to smother her with kisses. “You got another idea?” Jason swallows, squeezing the hand he’s still holding. “Jason?”

“You wouldn’t happen to know your HLA markers, would you?”

“My what?”

----

 Rose hates going to the doctor. It’s rarely a problem--her regeneration usually prevents her from getting sick, and her injuries hardly last long enough. But she’s been around enough mad scientists that she practically glares holes into the nurse when he brings out the needle. 

“Don’t kill him and maybe I’ll give you a lollipop afterward.” Jason elbows her other arm.

“A lollipop is not what I want to be sucking right now,” Rose fires back, looking at him instead of the needle. She relaxes slightly, and Jason kisses her, brushing her hair behind her ear.

The nurse coughs. “Alright. Easy in--and done.”

Rose swallows, taking in a deep breath. “Finally.” She closes her eyes, then stands up, rushing for the door.

Jason pauses in the doorframe, looking back at the nurse. “Uh, keep us posted.”

“We’ll call.”

----

It’s a stupid idea. The morgue doesn’t even understand why Jason Todd, adopted son of Billionaire Bruce Wayne wants to keep Roy Harper’s body in their freezer, especially when Oliver Queen seems to want it cremated as soon as possible. Bribing the owner doesn’t even work--not with Queen’s fortune also in play. So, Rose concocts some dumbass story about Harper’s biological family coming in from out of town. It’s so crazy that both Queen and the mortician fall for it. 

Both Jason and Rose hold their breath when his phone rings. And Rose, and her fucking precognition, hugs him tight and fucking squeals before the nurse even says it “It’s a match.”

---

“Nervous?” Jason sits next to her, squeezing her hand as the scientist hooks the catheter tube to a vein in Roy’s chest. Jason has a hard time looking at his body, so he focuses on Rose instead. 

“Fucking terrified.” Rose laughs humorously. 

“Trust me, if they try anything I’ll shoot them myself.”

“You know I can hear you, right?”

-----

Rose isn’t sure what’s more surprising, the gleam in Roy’s eyes like he just woke up from a nap, or the desperate kiss Jason gives him when he takes his first breath. Or maybe it’s not surprising at all. She should have known from the way Roy always seemed to be in Jason’s thoughts--he always had a convincing lie, and maybe Rose wanted to believe him. Maybe she should feel angry--betrayed, even, but all she feels is relief.

Finally, Jason remembers they’re not alone, and he breaks off from sucking Roy’s face, his face as red as Roy’s hair. 

Roy, on other hand, is not surprised at all. “Missed me that much, huh?”

[yoongis-eggslut]

Pairing: Min Yoongi x Reader

Summary: Apparently Min Yoongi hasn’t been doing enough to get your attention on a MV shoot.

Word Count: 6.8K

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Explicit sexual content, oral sex (f. receiving), light nipple play, penetrative sex, unprotected sex (don’t take sex advice from Tumblr smut), slight scratching kink, name calling kink, unnamed noona kink (noona is never used, but reader is a noona), Suga’s not quite himself because he’s trying to impress Reader, Suga also likes the word “fuck” a LOT

A/N: Sweet and protective Yoongi does it for me but so does “grab you and fuck you” Yoongi, so this is like a mild swirl of the two. I tried to be as unspecific about the reader as possible. Also, the smut is in P2 if that’s what you’re here for and it’s like…3K words of sweet smutty goodness.

Part One | Part Two

*******

The heat of the day is subsiding as sunset nears and you’re just wondering if you’ll be able to sneak in a nap anytime soon when the director starts stressing out and the mood of the entire shoot tenses. Clouds are coming in and he’s losing the light faster than he’d anticipated. Everyone scrambles to press forward with the shoot, but before you can get to it everyone’s phones go off. An emergency alert has been issued, a storm is moving in and a flash flood warning has been issued for your area.

“Shit!” the director shouts, glaring at the sky. You bite your lip and wait for his direction, sighing internally as he has everyone pack up the sets as quick as they can to get any vulnerable equipment safely stored.

Talent is whisked away to their trailers and you work alongside the rest of the crew to get everything safe. By the time the first crack of the storm trickles in the crew has pretty much secured everything. You’re straggling behind in one of the tents, double checking the equipment to make sure everything is covered when you hear the distinctive sound of rain begin to ping off the tarp. Mere moments later, it’s a deluge. Your eyes widen as you stand inside the tent, out of reach of the rain but surprised at the force with which the wind is whipping up. You watch for a few minutes more, fascinated, but soon you’re retreating further into the tent to try and find shelter from the wind. You find a large metal case that’s been padded with a moving blanket and hop on top of it. A moment later you’re hopping off to see if you can find something to block the wind. You shift some cases around, trying to create some sort of cubby you can hunker down in until the rain lightens up enough to give you a chance to run to the main crew shelter where everyone else is.

As you’re standing there scratching your head, trying to play Tetris with large cases of equipment, you hear a muted voice through the downpour. Turning, your jaw drops as you see a drenched Suga enter the tent, a frown etched on his face.

“Aigoo, there you are. Everyone’s been looking for you. Come on.” He takes you by the elbow and pulls you out of the tent. You duck your head as the rain starts to pelt you, trusting that Suga can see where he’s leading you as you keep your eyes on your feet, trying to avoid the worst of the rain hitting your face.

Shortly he’s pulling you up to a trailer, yanking open the door as a series of muttered curses fall from his lips and he pushes you in front of him, getting you inside. Your first thought is that it’s blessedly warm and you wrap your arms around yourself, turning to watch him stomp his way up the steps, getting the mud off his boots before stepping inside.

You look down guiltily at your own muddy boots, and then look up at his grumpy face as he shakes water out of his bangs and brushes them out of his eyes.

“Sorry.” You say, standing stock still so you don’t get mud anywhere else.

He doesn’t say anything, distracted as he pulls his phone out of his inner coat pocket and dials someone while simultaneously reaching out to shift you further into the trailer, setting you down at a table just inside the door while he sits on the other side and bends over to remove his boots, phone to his ear.

“Yeah, I found her.” His tone is casual now, and you relax slightly at the absence of any noticeable grumpiness in his tone.

“No, she was in one of the perimeter tents so it was quicker to get to the trailers on our side.”

You blink and look around, noticing for the first time that you’re in one of the private trailers reserved for talent. Behind you is a small kitchen, in front of you is a bed and at the end of the trailer is a bathroom and a tiny closet, maybe? Your eyes return to Suga as you focus back on his call.

“Yeah, we’ll be fine. Is everyone else in?” Suga’s up now, tossing his dirty boots towards the door and sliding into a pair of slippers. Again, you look down at your feet, feeling guilty and sort of like you’re in trouble. You hadn’t realized anyone would come looking for you, but clearly this had been some sort of ordeal.

After a few more words, Suga rings off his call and turns to you, his face gentle now.

“Aish, here…” he kneels down and starts tugging at your boots.

“I’m sorry…” you repeat, “here, I can get that…” you trail off as his hands wave yours away. You watch, embarrassed as he works the knots of your shoelaces loose and tugs your boots open enough for you to slip your feet out. He takes them and tosses them next to his, rising to move to the back of the trailer and root through his luggage.

“Here.” He plops a spare pair of sandals down at your feet and places a fresh hoodie on the table next to you. “Stand up, your clothes are wet.”

“I’ll be fine…” you slip the sandals on and stand in spite of yourself. “Suga, you’re soaked. Get a towel or something first…”

He tuts at you and pulls at the sleeves of your hoodie, indicating you should slip it off. You unzip it and place it carefully over the back of the chair and then turn to accept the hoodie he’s holding out, slipping it over your head. You shiver a little as the extra warmth seeps into your skin and wrap your arms back around yourself before looking up at him.

“Ok, I’m warm. Now you.”

He hums…hums? You think to yourself. He hums, inexplicably, as if he’s cheerful now and then turns towards the back of the trailer again, slipping off his coat as he goes, hanging it in the small closet. Underneath he’s wearing a simple black t-shirt and you have to blink at the favors it’s doing for his arms and shoulders. Your eyes travel down to his tapered waist and you make yourself turn and sit before you look too closely at whether or not his jeans are working for him as well as his shirt seems to be.

Trying to be polite, you stare at your feet and wiggle your toes in his too-large slippers, only looking up when you can see him moving back towards you in your periphery. He’s still in the t-shirt, and you mentally curse because he’s rubbing a small towel through his hair and it’s excellently showing off his bicep. You make a face and look down again, trying to adjust to the fact that you’re stranded with…Suga…in a…trailer…

Your face flushes as your train of thought reminds you of your conversation earlier. How fucking eerie was that? You fight the urge to laugh as you think of the expression on your friends face when you tell her you actually ended up stranded and alone with Yoongi on the very day you said you’d fuck him if it ever happened. She’d think it was so funny.

“What’s funny?” Yoongi asks, tossing the towel on the table next to you and sitting down.

“Hm?” You stall, your eyebrows going up and the smile snapping off your face.

“It looked like you were thinking of something funny.” He says.

“Oh, no, just…funny circumstances, I guess.” You give him a quick closed lipped smile. “Thank you, by the way. How did you find me?”

“I looked.” He says simply.

You scrunch your nose at him, displeased with his glib answer. “Is everyone else ok? Was I the only one still out there?”

“Yep.” Is all he says.

This time you throw a frown in with your scrunched nose, but it doesn’t last because he gives you a brilliant gummy smile. He’s leaning with his elbows on the table, his damp bangs casually tossed to one side of his face and you’re suddenly self-conscious about the intimacy of this entire situation.

Before you know it, you’re standing up and moving past him, crossing your arms across your chest as you bend slightly to look out of the window at the rain. It’s still coming down fairly hard. You rub at the glass with a sweater paw to clear some of the fog and try and make out how muddy the ground is now. It wasn’t looking good for the planned night shoot.

It’s still and quiet in the trailer, the only sound the persistent rain. You glance over at Suga and he’s turned halfway in his seat, one elbow still on the table, the other draped over the chair. He’s looking at you with a level gaze, his deep cat eyes unmoving as a shiver runs down your spine that doesn’t come from the cold.

You straighten up. “What?”

He continues to look at you, observing you almost lazily. You raise your eyebrows, emphasizing the question still lingering in the air.

“You look cute in my hoodie.”

Your face flushes immediately and you look away, back out the foggy window towards the rain.

“Oh.” Is all you can manage, your mind blanking at the compliment. You continue to stare out of the window until you can’t take it anymore, and you look back over at Suga, who is still in the exact same position, his gaze still unnervingly direct.

“Stop it.” You say, trying to hide the shy smile that betrays your face as you look down at your crossed arms.

“Stop what?” Suga asks, and by his tone you can tell that little shit knows exactly what he’s doing.

“Stop looking at me like that.” You’re talking to the window, your breath slightly fogging it even further.

“What am I looking at you like?” he challenges softly.

You don’t want to admit what he’s looking at you like, so you remain silent. You remain silent when you hear him get up from his seat. You remain silent as he walks towards you. You remain silent when he puts his finger under your chin and guides your face towards him.

“Look at me.” He murmurs.

“No.” you answer, stubborn and bashful about what he’s going to be able to see in your face if you look him in the eye.

He murmurs your name and you glance up instinctively. He takes advantage and pulls your chin further up, towards his face, so you can’t look away again.

“I’m going to kiss you now.” He says, and you don’t think it’s possible but the heat on your face intensifies.

“Do you want me to?” he asks, still holding your chin but waiting for your consent.

You bite your lips together trying to suppress a grin but fail, flinching to look down again. His gentle grip persists, and he shakes your chin lightly. “Hmm?” he asks again.

“You’re making me feel shy.” You finally murmur, breaking out into a bashful grin and escaping his grasp as you tuck your chin into your shoulder.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asks, hands at his sides, tone still gentle and matching yours for softness.

You consider for a moment and then shake your head.

“Then what do you want me to do?”

You look up, eyes wide, and can hardly keep your gaze on his at the intensity you find there. His hand goes to the side of your face, his thumb rubbing gentle circles along your jawline.

“Fine.” You sigh, “Please kiss me.”

He moves towards your face slowly. Too slowly, almost as payback for making him wait so long. By the time his lips are within reach it’s you who leans up to meet him, brushing against his mouth softly, reveling in the feel of his plush lips against yours. His grip on your face slides down to your neck and he pulls you slightly towards him, mouth opening against yours to deepen the kiss.

By the time you break apart your breath is coming a little heavier and he’s got a smirk on his face.

“What is that look for?” you ask, voice closer to normal now that the initial tension is broken.

“That took way too fucking long for you to admit.” He grins.

You scrunch your nose again. “Shut up…” you mumble, even as you’re letting him pull your face back to his.

Your hands wrap around his torso as his tongue continues it’s exploration of your mouth. Your fingers tangle slightly in his t-shirt and he pulls you closer to him. His hands work their way down your shoulders, smoothing across you until they settle into the small of your back, gripping the material of his own sweatshirt as he holds you in place close to him.

He breaks the kiss and trails little nips along your jawline before whispering in your ear.

“I want you so fucking much.”

The admission sends a tiny tremor through you, he feels it through his lips as he presses them into the hollow under your ear.

Your hands move up his chest and snake around his neck, one hand burying itself in his hair as the other reaches for his jawline. You guide his face back towards your mouth, eager for more kisses.  

“Yoongi…” there’s a slight moan in the way you say his name, and his instant reaction is to haul you even tighter against his body as he attacks your mouth with his.

“Fuck…” he growls. “Say it again.”

“Yoongi.” You full on moan this time, feeling the full length of his body pressed against you. You’re standing on your toes, pressing against him as much as he’s pulling you to him, arms tight around his shoulders. He’s bunching up the sweatshirt you’re wearing, his warm palms pressing flat against the bare skin of your back, and you feel your entire body begin to prickle with heat.

He’s gripping you tightly and you’re letting out tiny sighs and moans that are beginning to drive him crazy.

“C’mere…” he says, breaking the kiss to spin you around the tiny space and push you against the foot of the bed. You’re laying down before you know it, and he’s crawling on top of you, pulling your sweatshirt up as he goes. You raise your arms and he pulls it all the way over your head, pausing to push your shirt up and over as well before he tosses both items carelessly to the side.

You pull him towards you and wrap your arms around him, gripping through his shirt, feeling the planes of muscle along his back. He grinds against you and you groan, legs instinctively wrapping around his hips.

He buries his face in your neck, his breathing heavy as he kisses his way up to your ear. “Say my name again. I fucking love hearing you say my name.”

You hardly need any coaxing to comply. “Yoongi…” you breathe against his ear as he peppers your neck with kisses, sucking gently.

You both writhe against each other, setting a slow rhythm. In spite of all the heavy breathing his kisses are leisurely, deep and slow. His lips spend every second exploring you, ravishing your mouth and nibbling on you, his hands working their way into your hair as he holds your face to his. Soon you’re tugging at the hem of his shirt, pushing it up and over his wide shoulders before he pulls away and tugs it off entirely. He returns to you and your hands smooth over his back, nails lightly scratching along his spine. You can feel him shudder as you reach the dimples on his lower back, his thrust into you a little sharper. You smile into his kiss and dig your nails a little deeper, dragging them up his back. He lets out the tiniest moan into your mouth, hips jerking into yours again, before pulling himself off of you enough to tug your arms around and pin your wrists above your head.

“You’re gonna make me cum in my pants if you keep doing that.” He rasps into your neck, and you smile again, lifting your hips a little to swirl against his groin.

“Really?” you kiss along his neck, “You like it that much?”

He growls and tackles your neck again, this time moving his mouth lower, sucking lightly on your collarbone, working his way down the center of your chest to bury his face in your cleavage. He licks a line along your breast, tracing the edge of your bra, before gently biting it, tugging with his teeth a little.

“Off.” He raises his eyes to yours and you smirk a little. He releases your wrists as you rise up on your elbows to unclasp your bra, and his eyes go practically feral at the sight of your bare breasts. His large hands splay across your back as he pulls you up and you arch into him as his mouth closes around a hardened nipple. You anchor your hands on his shoulders as he sucks and bites, laving his tongue across your breasts, eyes flicking up to watch your expression through his lashes as he flicks across your sensitive buds.

You’re letting out little tremulous breaths, moaning softly at the stimulation that’s going straight to your core. He lowers you back to the bed and raises himself up just enough to take in the sight of you, your eyes clouded over with lust as they meet his, your lips swollen from his kisses. Licking his bottom lip, he moves one hand to softly pet at your nipple before he levels one last dark look at you and begins kissing further down your body. He nips small bites along your rib cage, down to your bellybutton. He reaches the band of your shorts and makes quick work of undoing them, tugging them impatiently down your hips.

Part of you knows you should stop him, but fuck, you know you’re not going to. Your pussy is throbbing, you feel like you’ve soaked through your shorts, so you wait as you hear his softly whispered “Oh, fuck…” as he pulls both your shorts and underwear down your thighs and off your legs, tossing them into the increasingly large pile of clothes in the corner.

There’s no hesitation as he grabs your thighs and spreads them, pressing them into the bed, his eyes focused on how wet you are. You’re so turned on your hips are already thrusting lightly, searching for relief. You bite back a moan, chewing on your lower lip when you feel his thumbs caress up your thighs and spread you apart, rubbing along the edges of your pussy, sending small pulses to your clit that aren’t nearly enough stimulation.

“Yoongi…” you whine, and you reach a hand down to play with your clit. His eyes widen and he licks his lips as he watches you toy with your little nub, juices gushing out of your hole as your hips writhe in front of him.

“Fuck, keep touching yourself. Put your finger inside.” His voice is low and demanding and it feels so good you have no problem obeying. You slip your middle finger inside your pussy, alternating between pumping it in and rubbing your slick around the sensitive rim. After a few moments, just as you’re starting to focus more on your clit as the pleasure in your core tightens, you feel Yoongi’s hand stop you.

“Let me.” He rasps, and the next moment his mouth is on you, his tongue tracing the same path you’d been tracing, only it was so much better.

“Oh my god…” you breathe, using one hand to grip the sheets and anchor you to the bed while burying the other in his hair. The slick, wet noises he’s coaxing out of your pussy have you arching your back and riding his face as he makes you gush more. He moves to wrap his arms around your thighs, holding you down, holding your legs wide open for him as he licks and sucks harder into your core.

“FUCK! FUCK! YOONGI!” You call out, “Don’t stop!!” His lips seal over you as his tongue moves rapidly over your clit and you feel that familiar pulse begin before your whole body is shaking, riding out the force of your orgasm with gasping breaths and arching your back so hard you feel like it might break.

Your breathing is heavy and your limbs are weak as your orgasm recedes. Your focus is hazy as Yoongi wipes his mouth with the back of his fingers and sits up between your legs, ruffling his hair, his chest heaving.

“You like that?” he asks, and you’re so fucked out you don’t even have it in you to resent how cocky his tone is.

“Mmm…” is all you can slur, eyes closing and trying to focus on your breathing.

You feel him climb his way up your body, gently kissing along your skin before he’s hovering back over you, running a hand through your hair and speaking to you in his low, sexy voice.

“You’re so sexy.” He whispers, kissing the side of your face.

“Hmm, you’re not too bad, yourself.” You smile, feeling your body return to normal bit by bit. You open your eyes and look over at him, looking at you so tenderly, still running his hand through your hair, trying to pretend his raging erection wasn’t still pressing into your thigh through his pants.

“You can kiss me if you want.” You say softly, and he lowers his mouth to yours without hesitation. You can taste yourself on him a little, but mostly you still taste him. His lips have felt amazing every time they connect with yours.

You twist your body a little, wrapping a leg around his thigh and gently pulling him on top of you. He lets you, continuing to kiss you deeply as your hand trails down his body and you tug at his belt. He lifts his hips and you undo the buckle, popping open the button of his pants and sliding your hand down to cup him through his boxers.

He lets out a slight moan as you continue to massage him, wrapping your thighs around his hips and gently scratching along his back again with your free hand.

“Don’t forget what I told you…” he murmurs as his hips buck against your hand.

“Hmm, I have not.” You assert, and then you’re hooking your fingers into his pants and tugging them down his hips. He sits up to help you and you watch him between your legs, biting your bottom lip as he slides his pants and his boxers down and his cock springs free.

You feel the wet between your legs heat up as he rises and pushes his pants all the way down. He climbs back between your legs and sees your bottom lip still caught in your teeth.

He crawls his way back up your body. “You want this, baby?”

The feel of him fully naked against you is exquisite, and you nod as you wrap your arms around him, legs still splayed open under him, hands carding through his hair, caressing their way down his neck. He closes his eyes, pressing his forehead against yours for a few breaths, very gently rutting against you. He covers your mouth with his as his hand moves down to grip his cock, rubbing it against your folds a few times before pushing into you.

You can’t help the moan that comes out of you, but he’s there to swallow it. Once he’s fully in he braces himself above you on both arms and his head goes down as he begins to pump in and out, slowly, the same pace he was going as you were making out earlier.

“Fuck…” you whisper, grabbing his face and pulling it up to look at how perfect he was as he lost himself in you. “Yoongi, you feel so good…” You close your eyes before you can see him open his, his expression hazy and lust filled as he takes in how gorgeous you look with your eyelashes fanned out across your cheeks, face contorted in bliss from how good he was making you feel. He moves his head down to kiss you again, both of your lips full and beginning to feel tender from the way you’ve been hungrily going at each other.

“Faster.” He hears you murmur as he feels your legs wrap around him tighter. “Faster, please, Yoongi.”

Your nails scrape down his back and that’s more than enough to send him bucking into you, almost losing himself from having held back for so long.

“Ah, ah, ah…you feel so fucking good.” He moans, head buried in your neck. And then you hear him quietly breathe, “Harder.”

You grip his shoulders tightly and place a small, quick bite on his shoulder before you’re raking your nails down his spine and he’s throwing his head back, crying out as his hips snap harder into yours, sounds smacking loudly around the trailer.

He’s fucking you hard into the bed, his pace relentless as you keep scratching up and down his back, digging your nails into his ass, crying out as he pistons his hips into you. Suddenly he slows down with a groan, changing the rhythm but he’s going deeper, pressing harder into you, and you’re both making obscene noises that would leave no doubt about what you were doing in the trailer if the pounding rain weren’t drowning out the noise.

He swirls his hips and you see stars for a second. He does it again and you can’t help but buck up into him, seeking more contact with his pelvis as you feel your own release approach again. Fuck, was he going to make you cum twice? Most guys had trouble making you cum even once.

“Ahhhh, fuck…” he’s gasping above you and you’re begging him not to stop, repeatedly calling his name, telling him how good it feels. He reaches down and rubs at your clit and it only takes a minute before you’re coming again, arching up against him and digging your nails into his back.

“Fuck, fuck…” he says, past the point where he’s able to speak coherently as he pulls out of you and gives himself the last few jerks he needs before he’s coming on your stomach, his beautiful face twisted in ecstasy before he collapses beside you, catching his breath.

It’s a few moments of nothing but the two of you breathing heavily, blissed out and in your own worlds as your bodies thrum with the activity you just put them through. With the rain drumming on the roof you honestly feel like you could go to sleep, although compared to the nap you were coveting earlier this was by far the superior option.

Yoongi rolls to his side and kisses you before getting up, walking bare-assed around the bed into the bathroom. You lazily appreciate the view, stretching a little. He emerges with a towel, tenderly leaning over the bed to clean you off.

“That,” he intones in an almost conversational manner, “was fucking amazing.”

You laugh. “It was. I was just thinking all I’d wanted from this afternoon was a nap.”

“This was better?” he grins, getting up to toss the towel back into the bathroom and returning to pull you over to him as he leaned against the pillows. You spooned him, tracing light circles on his chest as you nodded.

“Mmm-hmm.” You kiss his shoulder, “Much better than I’d had planned.”

Yoongi laughs and kisses your forehead, eyes beginning to feel heavy as he stares at the ceiling, listening to the softening pings of the rain begin to lull him to sleep. “Especially because I definitely still remember your name.”

You huff out a laugh too before the reality of what he’d just said hits you.

“Wait, what?” You say, head shooting off his chest.

Yoongi stiffens, and above you his face goes white.

Whoops.  

“Ah…” he pauses.

“Min Yoongi!! You were listening to my conversation??” you scold, your soft caressing of his chest replaced by irate smacks.

“Aish, aggh…” he twists in defense, hands shooting out to restrain your arms before you can do any more damage.

Having properly subdued your physical attack, he pauses for a second as his laughing eyes meet your incredulous ones.

“In my defense…” he begins, raising an eyebrow cheekily, “my dick has been incredibly hard ever since I heard you admit you wanted to fuck me. Speaking of which…” he gives your arms a yank and and you gasp in indignation as you fall on top of him, “I believe I owe you a trip to a cabin?”

You swear if it weren’t for how cocky and pleased with himself his gummy smile broadcasted, you’d seriously consider murdering him.

[magioftheseas]

Sonia & Yasuke

Summary: Sonia Nevermind’s FTEs in the SDR2 Protagonist Matsuda Yasuke AU. FUCK YES. A slightly divergent take on the originals.

Rating: PG

Warnings: Language. Brief discussions of cults and kidnapping.

Notes: Sonia was neck and neck with Tanaka for the poll and I was going to do hers soon anyway, so I just went ahead. Sometimes, life just shakes out that way. I really do love Sonia so much. The bias is strongest for Sonia, so I really hope I did her justice. Only the best for our kween. (Btw, the formatting for this couldn’t fully carry through so some stylistic choices on Ao3 are absent here.)

Read this fic among others HERE

Main story is HERE

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He supposed he had been in an antsier mood than usual. In one hand, he read his manga. In the other, he played with and twirled around a pen. He’s practiced enough that he doesn’t need to look. It’s just something for his other hand to do. Something that would, ideally, work off some jitters.

He had almost been too worked up to read. Unfortunately, he’s still having a hard time trying to get into the book. He can’t tell if it’s because the story is dragging itself or because he’s just not in the right headspace. What a nuisance.

He catches the pen between his knuckles, tapping the end against the table. A surprised gasp. A round of applause. Matsuda glances over his book to meet the beaming face of a certain princess. Even in a hotel this cafeteria this tacky, she shone like a precious jewel.

What a nuisance. Except—

“So impressive, Matsuda-san!” she squealed. “You truly have fury skillz, yo!”

I guess of all the people here, she’s the most tolerable.

“Impressive, huh,” he mused. “I could probably twirl a scalpel, too.”

“Ooh!” Sonia clasped her hands. “Matsuda-san! Will you perform?!”

“No.” He shook his head. “I’m not going to risk cutting my fingers just to show off. I’ll twirl the pen some more.”

“Oh, I understand...” Quieting, Sonia still watched him twirl with intent eyes. It’s like he’s center stage at an opera house. Sonia hums and her fingers even twitch along. “Matsuda-san, such talented fingers... I truly do applaud you.”

Matsuda flipped the pen, catching it before it fell to the ground. Sonia let out another gasp and clapped some more, giggling.

“Bravo, bravo!”

Jeez. She’s so likable that it’s sickening.

It’s almost like he wouldn’t have a choice in the matter should the two of them become friends.

I guess...there are worse relationships to be forced into. Even if I already have a headache.

Still, the mood couldn’t help but be lightened whenever Sonia laughed. Scary.

--

His fingers were a bit aching, and holding a cold drink alleviated some of the stinging. Sonia, ever the prim and proper young lady with her mouth shut, simply sipped tea from across the table. The picture of elegance. Even in a cafeteria this tacky.

But it’s not like any location short of the azure sky and sapphire ocean could do someone like her justice.

“This island truly is sublime,” Sonia hummed. “The weather is always so serene, and the ocean is as blue as it is endless! Truly! It’s a perfect resort, wouldn’t you say, Matsuda-san?”

“I don’t know if I’d go as far as to say perfect,” he replied. “There’s a little too much fucking walking. I’m not big on sweating.”

Even if big hospitals had fancier equipment, I still hated having to rush back and forth.

“To be more contained can have its benefits,” Sonia agreed good-naturedly. “Still, I must say I am quite happy with what we have.”

Matsuda hummed right back.

Happy...

“Situation could be better,” he said. “Would really fucking love if we weren’t being held hostage by a homicidal fucking bear.”

“Indeed,” Sonia agreed solemnly. “Quite regrettable.”

Matsuda waited for her to continue, but she merely took another elegant sip. Still the picture of calm. Sonia’s eyes do flicker open and it’s then that Matsuda takes notice of the color. They’re a clear, soft green. It’s a unique shade. One he thinks he’s only seen in...

“As long as no murders take place, everything will be alright,” Sonia spoke with conviction. “What happens next...will depend on our own inclinations and choices.”

I shouldn’t compare them too much.

“That’s a reductive way of looking at it,” he said. “Even if we have the resolve, I don’t doubt that our hands are going to be forced.”

Sonia slammed her cup onto the table. It cracked just the slightest bit.

“Then, we should cooperate with one another so that we can return home as quickly as we can,” she said sunnily. “Matsuda-san, I trust you to tell me any ideas you may come up with. I shall do what I can.”

“Well...” Matsuda directed his stare towards one of the security cameras. “We’d first have to come up with something to do about those.”

“If we simply shattered them, we would get punished severely,” Sonia recalled, lamenting as she did. “We would have to act... And perhaps...”

She dropped into lower mumbles that Matsuda couldn’t make out. Perhaps out of precaution, in case they were being recorded. Matsuda watches her sink deeper and deeper into thought.

Even she can’t be serene and optimistic all the time. She’s still managing better than anyone else here.

“Do you understand, Matsuda-san?” she asked, tone serious. “Or must I repeat myself?”

“If you did, it’d have to be a little louder, so it’d be better if you could write it down discretely and pass it to me later,” he said, sighing. “It’s a little too risky discussing anything out in the open.”

Sonia clapped with glee.

“A handsome remark! This is why I know I can rely on your intelligence and wit, Matsuda-san.” She gave a few nods of approval. “It might be better for our moral to chat amiably for now.” With a dazzling smile, she then inquired, “Is there anything you’d like to ask of me?”

Matsuda blinked at her.

“Not really.” I am curious about one thing. Given the circumstances, it’s best to hold off on that. “What about you?”

“There is something! That I AM quite curious about!” Sonia exclaimed, suddenly excited. “Who has captured your heart? And who do you plan to settle on?!”

Matsuda stared.

“...?”

His head tilted in confusion, so Sonia went on to explain.

“This situation—it is similar to The Summer Story of Seven Men and Seven Women, wouldn’t you say?! The standard practice, then, is to start wavering and swapping partners!”

“The...J-drama?” he asked, no less confused but Sonia was more incited regardless.

“No just the J-drama, the legendary J-drama! The original trendsetter! Starting with an upbeat tone... Before shifting to surprisingly serious!” she swooned. “I couldn’t believe my eyes, and yet I couldn’t look away! Momoko’s feelings...! Wow, so intense!”

“Uh-huh...” Matsuda’s eyes rolled back. “Well... I’m not sleeping with anyone on this stupid fucking island, so it’s not going to be that similar. That, and there are more guys here than girls to begin with...”

“That is true!” Sonia gasped. “Someone will have to be unlucky! I wonder... Who it will be...?”

Didn’t I just say I wasn’t going to...? Not to mention some of the guys flat-out wouldn’t be interested. Although I don’t think that’ll keep someone from being unlucky, huh...

It looked like he wouldn’t get in another word in edgewise.

This still isn’t going to fix the declining birthrate.

At least Sonia seemed to be having a hella time theorizing. Matsuda just let her...do that.

--

“I managed to find a couple of books on Novoselic,” he said, setting the stack of books on the table before a sparkly-eyed Sonia. “Since we don’t have the internet, this was the best I could scrounge up and even then I don’t know if they’re all that accurate.”

“Oh, Matsuda-san, I would have told you anything you needed to know!” She does take one of the books. “That said, I recognize this author. You can trust them! Oh, but this one...” She takes another, frowning. “If I recall... No. You should not trust this one at all. In fact, I would burn every copy of this book.”

“I could kind of tell from the tone,” Matsuda hummed, setting it apart and pushing it far away. Sonia’s frown was still a deep mar on her face. “So, these books are accurate?”

“As I have said, Matsuda-san, I do not mind telling you about my country,” she said, smiling again. “Or! Is this courting? I’m afraid I will have to sadly decline, much as this feels like something out of a J-drama...”

She says while looking disappointed in herself...

“It’s more that I thought you should know what other people are writing about your country,” he said. He paused. “Ah, I guess that was pretty presumptuous of me.”

“Not at all!” Sonia shook her head. “Awareness and control of the media are essential! Not to mention you have informed me of quite the pressed issue! I will have to take care of it when I return...is what a responsible, attentive ruler would say.” She sighed. “Sadly, I will have to inform others and hope for the best.”

She has said in the past that she’s more of a figurehead than a leader.

“That’s a part of being young,” he remarked. “Don’t let it get you down too much. Just prepare for the future to the best of your ability.”

Sonia does giggle at that.

“Matsuda-san... Sometimes, you remind me of the male lead in a J-drama.”

“No comment.”

She laughs again. “In my humblest opinion, the best J-dramas are the ones aimed at women between the ages of 20 to 34. Just before Japan’s economic bubble burst! You would not believe how many times I have seen I Will Arrest Your Eyes! Why, when I first arrived in Japan, the first thing I did was run across the Spain-zaka!”

As fascinating as that all is, what gets my attention is...

“Hold it. Were you calling me mature or were you suggesting that I speak like an old man?”

“You certainly do have a worldly weariness to you, Matsuda-san,” Sonia went on to sigh. “Broody and broken down by life... While it would be attractive on the screen, it is worrisome and exhausting in person.” She perked right back up. “But have no fear! For a fairly dreamy maniac will someday come into your life! And the two of you can partake in the ritual entrapped within the blizzard!”

“I hate the cold,” is Matsuda’s only reply to whatever the fuck all of that was.

“Then when will you cuddle under a blanket in the nude?!” Sonia gasped, aghast. “Will you do so at a different temperature?! Is the blizzard not necessary after all?!”

“First off, you’re referring to a cliché rather than a ritual,” Matsuda said, waving his hand. “Shouldn’t the fact that it was happening during a damn blizzard tipped you off? Not every couple is going to go to the fucking mountains.”

“So...” Sonia quieted. “It is not like the Makango?”

The Makango? Matsuda remembered. Ah, the Makango.

“We don’t have anything like that as far as I’m aware,” he said. “Mind you, I’m...not aware of much...”

Thinking about this gives me a headache. Actually, it really, really fucking hurts right now.

“I see...” Sonia pursed her lips. “So peculiar. Oh!” She blinked, realizing. “Matsuda-san, you look pale.”

“Sorry,” he mumbles, rubbing his forehead with a wince. “I think... I’m gonna check out.”

“You should check out what’s wrong with you!” she exclaimed. “Do better for yourself, Matsuda-san!”

“...right.”

On that note, there wasn’t anything else to do but stumble out.

--

It’s another calm day at the library. Sonia, however, snaps up immediately when Matsuda walks inside. It’s scary how alert the princess is, but that was probably a good thing considering her situation. Matsuda sighed, waving and taking in how she lit up and eagerly saluted him.

He also takes notice of the book that Sonia had been reading. The cover—looks quite gruesome.

“How are you feeling?” Sonia asked kindly. “You are not in pain, yes? Matsuda-san?”

“I’m doing fine,” he said, stretching as he makes his way over. “I’ve been dealing with headache after headache since I got here, so I’ve gotten used to them.”

“I see,” Sonia murmured, downcast and sympathetic. “I will trust you to your own mechanics.”

“Devices,” Matsuda corrected without thinking as he seated himself. “Anyway, I’ll be reading. Don’t mind me.”

He does pull out a manga he brought with him—the library was just a better environment for reading than the cafeteria hence him making the trip. He cracks it open, but he doesn’t get very long to enjoy it. He gets maybe five minutes before there’s a nudge at his side.

He ignores it, but Sonia elbows him with enough force that he nearly yelps. With a now throbbing side, his gaze drops to see a folded-up piece of paper tucked between Sonia’s delicate fingers. Her nails are perfectly manicured yet polished to give off the illusion of natural beauty.

Hm.

He takes the paper, unfolding it and—

What do you know about the occult?

Sonia is feigning innocence. She’s scarily good at it. If not for the flicker of her intense stare to his, he wouldn’t have suspected a thing. That...and his side still...stings. Seriously the princess had a bony fucking elbow.

“Princess. What the hell is this?”

“Shush!” she ordered and he dutifully shut his mouth without a second thought. Sonia looked around discretely, lowering her voice as she leaned in to whisper into his ear. “Any information you have on cults would also be appreciated, Matsuda-san.”

No, seriously, what the fuck?

He does try to make sense of it. If Sonia felt the need to convey these questions inconspicuously, then, maybe—?

He takes out a pen and writes down his response. He hands it under the table for Sonia to read.

Do you think our kidnappers are part of a cult?

“Oh!” Sonia gasped. “I never thought of that! What a fascinating theory!”

Guuuuuuess not.

“If it just interests you, you don’t have to be so fucking secretive,” he griped. “Just ask me outright like a normal fucking person.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologized quickly. “I truly didn’t think the way I was conducting myself was...regal. They pass notes like so in the dramas. Is that not normal behavior, Matsuda-san?”

Oh.

“I...no, actually...” Matsuda shrugged helplessly. “I...guess that is in fact a way high schoolers communicate sometimes...”

I haven’t gone to a normal high school...or a normal middle school for that matter.

“It is quite—unheard of if not prohibited for a princess to have such interests,” Sonia sighed. “But even if it is forbidden, my heart still longs for more when it comes to the subject of Freemasonry! Oh, but it’s purely academic!” She looks quite serious as she insists, “I could never dream of conspiring against the government.”

“A lot of people do find that stuff interesting,” Matsuda said. Sonia lit up only to deflate when he added, “I don’t think it’s that deep.”

“No?” Her head tilted. “You think it...kiddy?”

“In a way,” he admitted. “Cultism comes about through societal failings and instability. Political turmoil, lack of education, paranoia, peer pressure... People long for a sense of community by nature and they’re drawn to a charismatic figure who knows how to prey on the insecure and vulnerable. People just want someone else to tell them what to do, what to think, like fucking children and obviously, obviously, they get taken advantage of by the worst fucking types...”

Sonia’s eyes were wide.

“Oh! Matsuda-san, have you been in a cult before?!”

Matsuda immediately jolted. For some reason, he broke into a sweat. For another, his head hurt so much that he wanted to shut down then and there.

“...Matsuda-san?”

He needed to grip his hand and will them to stop shaking.

“...I... No.” He shook his head firmly, digging his nails into his arm, would’ve raked them through the flesh if not for the sleeve of his coat. “It’s, uh, just something I read one time.”

“You are looking quite pale,” Sonia remarked worriedly. “I apologize, Matsuda-san. I—think we should drop the subject for now. I do not wish to cause you untoward pain any longer.”

She draws back from him as if he’s too fragile to be near. It’s seriously annoying, especially when not only does Sonia look stricken with guilt, she also looks lonely.

“I...” He swallowed. “While I don’t think much of it, I do think it’s important to understand. It isn’t productive to just...dismiss it wholesale.”

Sonia does perk up.

“I agree,” she says, albeit tentative as she does. “To dismiss a different sense of values due to ignorance is foolish. Such ignorance leads to bloodshed. And—it is important for a member of the royal to expand one’s knowledge.”

He nods.

“I just...” He wants to bite his tongue clean off. “I guess it’s a sore subject for me...”

But w̴̟̹̠͐̿̋ḧ̶̟́y̷̘͓͛?

“I understand.” Sonia nodded back. “I apologize.”

“It’s fine,” he said. “Just...do what you can to guide your people right.”

With that, he gets up.

“Sorry,” he said, acting on autopilot now. “I need to go.”

He doesn’t look back.

--

“Oh, Matsuda-san!”

As usual, Sonia looked delighted to see him.

“What a pleasant surprise!” she exclaimed, every word dripping with sincerity. “Come, come! Sit with me! There is much I wish to discuss with you!”

“Yeah?” The closer he comes, the more she can see her stack of books. Quite a few of them have been shoved away, but the other titles—there actually seemed to be a couple of romance novels and recognizable manga. “What about...?”

Those are titles that have been adapted into TV dramas.

“The friendship between men and women as depicted in Turn On The Heart,” she explained. “If you do not know that title, then will a different J-drama suffice? Perhaps one of these?”

She offers one of the manga. Her intentions are clear, and he truly appreciates the gesture—but he’s read that title. It was one of the worst fucking things he ever skipped through. The love interest in it was just scary. And he was a spoiled rich brat. Urgh.

But the princess really isn’t that bad. She’s really trying to get along with me. Not a lot of people have done that unless they wanted in my pants or something.

He’s not so fucking full of himself that he’d assumed a goddamn princess would be interested. That, and he’s conscientious of that shit to begin with. Sonia was just friendly, not flirty.

“I do mostly read manga,” he said. “I guess I could recommend a title or two that’s been adapted?”

I haven’t watched a lot of dramas actually. I’ve had them going on in the background, but that’s...

His sharp eyes do notice the titles that Sonia had pushed away. They were various studies on cults throughout history. And an anthology on ghost stories.

“Matsuda-san.” When Sonia spoke, her tone was low. She stood up and bowed, making him jump. “I wish to sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart! If I could, I’d throw myself at your feet! Alas, it’s improper for a princess...! I’m so fucking sorry!”

“Wow.” He didn’t even know how to respond. “If this is about what happened last time, it’s fine. It’s water under the bridge. I...”

I actually—don’t remember what happened. I ended up taking a lot more pills than I should’ve.

“Still!” Sonia exclaimed, shaking her head. “I asked you a very inappropriate question! It was quite uncouth! Thus—I wish to make out with you for it!”

“You don’t have to do that,” he said, meaning it figuratively and literally. “It’s fine.”

“Are you sure?!” Sonia’s frown deepened. “I... Despite my status, here I would like to be equals, Matsuda-san. Is that not possible?”

Equals, huh.

“When I came to Japan, I thought I could be considered a normal girl,” she said, and it sounded like a confession. “Perhaps...that had been...immature of me.”

It is immature, Matsuda agreed with as he bit his tongue. It’s beyond fucking immature. Even if you learn the language and go along with trends, you live in a fucking castle, Sonia. That’s not normal at all. Normal people are one bad fucking month away from losing everything they care about. It’ll take more than a damn month for a monarchy to topple. Especially one that’s absolute.

“If you insist so much, can I ask you a question?” He studied the way she perked up. How annoyingly eager she was to hear it. And how he—“It’s not going to be a pleasant one.”

“As long as it is about my personal inclinations or government secrets, I am willing to speak about it,” she told him, smiling sweetly.

She really was so painfully sweet sometimes.

Ä̷̮̖͇́̅̅͝ ̷̬̎̽c̴̨̛̥̳̙̔̈̊ͅo̵͕̤͠ṃ̵̻̒ͅp̸̭͕̽͝l̸͍͈͎̀è̶̛̝̫̒͗͝t̸̗͒̂̐e̴̛̳͔̾͐ ̵̧̼̐ô̸̞͇̖͋̽̀́ͅp̵͉̘͗̅̍͝p̴̖̙͑̊̒̆o̸̧͙̹̘̠͂s̴͈̀̕ị̶͇̅͛͝t̶͉͊e̴̲͈̩̫͠ ̴͔̺͔̙͗́̓̓̋f̶̺͂̚͘r̴̛̘̾͝o̶͍̭̯̖͐̐̓͛m̶̳͑̋—̷̱̘̩͙͓̇͒̏̋̉

“This isn’t your first time being kidnapped.”

It hadn’t been a question, despite himself. But a statement. A statement that drained all that sweetness from Sonia’s face, leaving behind calm stoicism. She looks so at ease and unshakeable that Matsuda could draw several conclusions if he wanted to.

But it seems tacky to make assumptions about what were traumatic experiences, regardless of those involved.

“I’ve read up on your country and there were reports of the royal family being abducted by insurgents,” he said, keeping his voice level. “It hadn’t mentioned those affected by name...but you were among them, weren’t you?”

“Yes,” Sonia spoke as if she were untouchable. “I was.”

“No wonder you’re so damn calm about all this,” Matsuda went to remark. “It’s not your first time. And...quite fucking frankly, this is literally the Bahamas of hostage situations.”

“Haha, I do not think we are in the Bahamas, Matsuda-san,” she replied, casual—but still with that flaring distance. “I believe we are in the middle of the Pacific, rather.”

...hah.

“That’s not important,” he snapped. “What was important was... Clearing the air, so to speak.”

“I see.” Sonia agreed with him like he’d kill her if she didn’t. “Then, have I been to your satisfaction, Matsuda-san?”

Matsuda stared at her. He reached out, and she didn’t even flinch. Not even when he snapped his fingers in front of her. Impressive, honestly.

She’s completely shut down.

“Do you want to talk about dramas? I kind of enjoyed Hana-Kimi.”

Sonia blinked, and it was like nothing happened at all. Especially with how she went back to smiling as she always did, dazzlingly open and amicable.

“I haven’t heard of it! Please tell me all about it!”

“If I remember correctly there were like, four adaptations, the first Taiwanese and the most recent a K-drama, actually, so...”

The two of them chat lightly like this for a while. Like a normal pair of high schoolers.

--

“Greetings, Matsuda-san! I have read the illustrious Hana-Kimi! And! I enjoyed it!”

“Good to hear...”

“There is much I wish to discuss about it!” Sonia exclaimed, but there was something strange. Her smile was so wide it looked strained. She was wearing more makeup than usual, especially on her cheeks and around the eyes. “I would also like to hear more recommendations, so...”

“Rough night?” Matsuda asked, and Sonia shut her mouth.

For a second, Sonia looked lost before she gave a weak laugh.

“Ahaha, I should’ve known that Matsuda-san would not be fooled. You’re quite sharp, after all. It’s one of the reasons I admire you.”

“Did you want me to pretend nothing was wrong?” Matsuda huffed. “I’d rather you not have to force yourself around me. With how shitty my attitude is, I’d be a hypocrite if I expected everyone on their best behavior....especially in this situation.”

“Truth be told, I do not mind it,” Sonia murmured. “In a way... I find it refreshing. Around Matsuda-san, I can just scream at the top of my lungs—Jesus Fucking Christ Bastard Of A Fuckity Fuck Bitch! And you wouldn’t bat a tongue-lash!” She took a deep breath. “That said...if we are to discuss further. I’d prefer we do so in my cottage.”

“Fine by me,” was Matsuda’s immediate response. That was all there was to it.

Without another word, he followed Sonia to her cottage. She led him inside, and the interior was so fancy that he felt like he’d be stoned if he didn’t remove his shoes right away.

Polished floors, elegant rugs, ivory silk sheets, and plush furniture—even a damn chandelier hanging about them... It at least looked like the inside of a high-end hotel suite. Even the way plants were arranged from the ones hanging from the wall to the potted plant in the corner and the vase on the table by a wide-screen television felt so prestigious and artful.

“Would you like a seat?” Sonia asked, indicating a loveseat that definitely costed more than he could get selling his ass on the street for a week. He sits down on it anyway. It’s annoying supple, and he can’t help but relax. Sonia is giggling at him, “I apologize for any messes. I am still getting a handle on cleaning as it were. And the shower.”

The rug had been a little damp under his feet. She must’ve accidentally flooded the floor. He should probably help her wash it so that it didn’t contract mold, but... There were more pressing matters.

Sonia clearly wanted to speak to him, but she was just standing there. Fidgeting and wavering.

“Nightmare?” he guessed. “Homesickness?”

“Both,” Sonia replied, chuckling a little. “As well as—that conversation we had earlier...weighing on my mind...”

Matsuda clicked his tongue but said nothing. Gave Sonia the time to take a deep breath.

“Back then, I was not permitted to show fear for my people’s sakes,” she recounted. “I was, after all, a princess before a person. But here... I do not know what I should do. Must I wait in silence for rescue? Shall I allow myself to scream and cry?” She was fidgeting. No, she was trying to distract herself from how badly her hands were shaking. “Say, Matsuda-san... You are...quite intelligent. And you never—you do not sweet talk. Tell me...what I should do.”

Matsuda stared at her. She kept her head bowed.

“Fuck if I know.” Matsuda sighed loudly. “Like holy shit, why you think I’ll know what to do? That’s illogical as fuck. You’re just being a coward by forcing someone else to make the decisions, princess.”

“I am aware,” she whispered.

“I’m not Togami,” he said. “I’m not going to seize control and tell everyone that it’s going to be fine. I’m...”

...not going to lie about that shit.

“I thought not.” Sonia laughs again. It’s almost an ugly sound. Scratchy and unbalanced, completely unbefitting and yet—perfect in this situation. “Matsuda-san, you may have the signals of a legendary hero... But, in reality, your scowling face is too remarkable.”

...

...

...

...

...

...

What the fuck did that even mean?

“The legendary hero of legend,” Sonia reiterated with the utmost seriousness. “The only fault with that—is your face, Matsuda-san! It’s not just remarkable, it’s beautiful!”

What the FUCK is she talking about?

“I would still like to take you with me to my kingdom, once we escape from here,” Sonia went on. “Even if you are not a destined one, you would make for a wonderful advisor and companion. I wish to continue our conversations—and even if it is cowardly, I also wish to look towards you in times of need.”

What the fuck is going on?!

“I...” He’s confused. He’s so hopelessly confused. And yet... And yet... “I heard the medical practice in your country is nothing to sneeze at...so I can’t deny being interested.”

“Splendid! Then—let us continue working together, Matsuda-san!” Sonia clapped her hands. Another dazzling smile, an even more radiant laugh. Just like that, she was back at peak princess. “Ho, ho, hey!”

“Hey, hey, ho...”

Despite that, there’s a lot unsaid. We haven’t really talked, either. We’re just pushing on with forced optimism, filling our heads with empty reassurances and promises in the hope that it’ll be enough to carry us through.

It could very well be. In a situation like this, keeping ahold of one’s morale was pretty fucking prudent. Even if he and Sonia knew shit all about how to lead, they had no choice but to keep stumbling and scrambling. Hoping for the best.

Sometimes... That’s all we really need.

[henlex]

Astrology pair request by @wrongnanab 💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖

Onlyoneof: Taebin

Skip venus if you want to avoid dating

☆summary at the bottom☆

Sun:

main identity

Yoojung is Gemini: Air. Very flexible, curious, sociable, a bit of a chameleon. Not very quick to let people in completely. A little flighty, restless, and scattered which can make some people uneasy. Classic stereotype of two personalities because they can seem dramatically different depending on the circumstances, because of their adaptability. Enjoy the lighter side of life. Giving me those fairy vibes

Unfortunately that's very different than Kyubin's Taurus Sun. Earth. Very stable. Like comfort, predictability, dependable. Sensual (as in experiences through the senses, touch taste, smell...) They're hard workers, tho sometimes stubborn. They can be slow but they stick with it till the end. Like Kb saying it takes him a lot longer to learn the dances.

Some of them like the finer things (definitely him) Takes pride in their possessions. They need to feel comfortable and feel like things are theirs. This can lead to possessiveness tho. Which they can also by in relationships.

It's hard for them to change; opinions, locations...

So these two are kind of opposites because their signs are right next to each other. But they could really learn a lot from each other to become more balanced.

Moons

Inner emotional self

Yoojung is Pisces: uwu Water sign, so emotional, very compassionate/ empathetic, dreamy. A big softy. Really good a breaking down someone's emotional barriers/ seeing passed them. Which could be good for...

Kyubin is Capricorn: earth. This boy is very stable😂 They like to keep a level head, and tend to keep their emotions hidden to a certain extent. They need to be productive.

Mercury

Thinking/ communication

Yoojung is Taurus: Intelligent, Clever, Sharp, Meticulous, Sure, Confident. But can be slower and more stubborn. Takes a while to make decisions, likes to think everything through. Trustworthy and reliable. Uses all of his senses (like kyubin's sun)

Kyubin is Aries, which is a really interesting combo with his earth placements. So these are face paced, quick thinkers, small attention span, doesnt fully think things through. Like intellectual depth in others. Unique ideas, spontaneous. Can be too blunt. (I feel like a lot of these are calmed down because of the earths. I think this brash spontaneity would mostly show itself in his thoughts and words rather than actions)

Venus

Love/ romance

Yoojung Gemini: back to air. Playful, can be a bit of a tease😂 Very hard to pin down. Don't like to feel tied down in a relationship and will avoid them if they think it will be too boring/ comfortable. Wants lightheartedness in their relationships. You never know what to expect. They try to win people over with their diverse knowledge and interests to try and impress. Very curious and flirty. They crave variety.

Kyubin is Aries: They can be very direct and almost daring when they flirt😳 They can express their love in a "me-centered" way, but the right person will find it charming. They have an innocent aura, almost childlike. They like a chase but only when it's playful. They like to lead. They love spontaneous acts of passion. They almost try to show off by showing how independent and self sufficient they are. They can be impulse buyers (that really ties into the taurus, I feel like that's why he has so many clothes😂)

Mars

Aggression but also expression/ sex

Yoojung Virgo: Practical, goal oriented, have a lot of things going at once so can appear scattered. Very good at getting things done. Not aggressive, can be critical. When they do get mad they can become whiny/ complaining but it doesn't last long. They gain energy from their hobbies and projects, they get restless/ anxious without enough to do. They can be shy when putting themselves out there because they like to know what they're doing. Knowledge is very important to them.

Kyubin Pisces: this man confuses me so much

Not direct... they're very passive. They go with the flow and let life happen to them. They can seem charming because of their harmless demeanor. They need creative expression or else theyll be lost and aggressive. They may play games but even they might not know what they want😂. Their desires are fluid and ever changing, as well as their energy. Driven by love and compassion. Creatively expressing their emotions is imparative. They can be like chameleons. They prefer non verbal expressions of love. They are attracted to the needy

Bonus: North Node

(purpose in life/ what you're meant to grow and become. Kind of the opposite of your comfort zone)

Yoojung virgo

On the path to help and serve others without expecting reward or recognition in return. To learn to be humble in generosity and helpfulness.

Pisces south node means they are default head in the clouds, dreamers and in touch with spirituality. But this time around they need to learn to keep their feet on the ground. (Which honestly kb is so earthy he could really be great for that)

Kyubin Capricorn wow we really just said earth👏

Becoming self sufficient. Setting goals and achieving them. Finding your path can be hard (he really did get a late start😭) Finding balance between work and home.

His south node in cancer so his comfort is home and family😭💕

☆Summary☆

Sun: Kyubin calming yoojung when he's neverous and yoojung lightening the mood when Kb is overthinking. They could be very good for each other.

Moons. Kb could really benefit from opening up and letting his guard down around yoojung. And kb could keep yoojungs feet on the ground.

Mercury....they're exact opposites but reversed this time... This is very interesting. I feel like they could understand each other very well or not understand each other at all. But they could have very interesting conversations about literally anything.

*venus* ok these two are lowkey perfect. Yoojung doesn't want anything too serious and kb is perfectly that. They're both playful and light hearted in love. While kb is direct yoojung is playful and teasing, this could be a very cute give and take dynamic. Neither of them want to be bogged down and like to keep things interesting. Aries loves a conquest and yoojungs teasing nature could drive him insane but in the best way.

Mars: honestly a really good match, yoojung having many things at once while kb goes with the flow is perfect. Neither one argumentative. They could mesh really well because kb would be non judgemental and could calm yoojungs critical nature. Yoojung lowkey wants to be controlled and kb wants someone needy Bye

Nodes: north in earth, south in water for both. They're both meant to find stability but their comfortable in the emotions and comfort of the water. This is really cute and I think they can really relate to each other on some basic but also very deep levels

Okay that's all!! These two really confused me at first but omg they are so cute I love this relationship sm. I can totally see why they were paired together and where the chemistry comes from!

Thank you so much for reading💕 I am taking requests and will do the rest of onlyoneof next

Also check out @wrongnanab if you want fics because she's getting inspired by these and it makes me so happy

[riversofmars]

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your lovely comments, very happy you all approve of my choice of cast lol! I'm still in the early stages of setting up the story so I'm still mulling over some of the details but I think it's coming together. This chapter actually took a lot of restructuring and rewriting but slowly I'm getting there I hope. I really hope it works for all of you, I've re-read it so many times now that I can't see the wood for trees so I'm just gonna post it now and hope for the best lol :D Enjoy!

Chapter 3: There’s Stories About Us

London, late 19th Century

“Why don’t you have a seat?“ To Vastra, the Doctor’s pacing around the drawing room was becoming increasingly irritating. She was engrossed in the file River had left behind and refused to sit down.

“I think better on my feet.“ The Doctor retorted without looking up. It was the first full sentence she had spoken since picking up the file. Her expression was unreadable.

“Is it still five sugars?“ Jenny questioned, pouring tea for everyone, hoping to lighten the Doctor’s mood.

“You do know her well.“ Yaz commented while the Doctor just took the cup without comment and carried on.

“I take it she doesn’t talk much about her past?“ Vastra easily picked up on the hint of jealousy in the young woman’s voice. The Silurian had seen it many times. The Doctor was very private and by neglecting to speak about their past, they tended to make the person they were travelling with feel all the more special. To them it was like they were the first person to experience all the wonders of the universe with them. Finding out about all those that came before them wasn’t always easy.

“She never… I never expected her to have a family.“ Yaz looked over to the Doctor who was still walking up and down the drawing room, mumbling under her breath as she kept reading. She briefly put her cup down on the mantle of the fireplace so she could turn a page. Her brow was knitted in a deep frown, she was restless though more level-headed than before.

“I don’t think she expected it, either.“ Vastra conceded, taking a sip of her own tea. As she watched Yaz’s reactions to the change of circumstances, she felt reminded of the time the Doctor had regenerated and Clara had struggled to adjust to them changing. This situation wasn’t so different, Yaz was struggling as well. They were all going through a big change, and the Doctor even more so than the rest of them. Vastra could tell the Doctor was different from her last regeneration, even without the added pressure of finding out about having a child. This Doctor reminded her so much more of the one they had accompanied to Demon’s Run, than the one they had last seen. It seemed fitting as again, a child’s life was on the line; just one generation on.

“Why does her wife not travel with her?“ Yaz turned to Vastra with the question that had been bothering her.

“Professor Song travels in time as well. Their timelines are not always synchronised.“ Vastra explained, hoping not to reveal too much. It wasn’t her place.

“So like The Time Traveller’s Wife?“ Yaz asked, but found herself looking into confused faces. “It’s a book, do you not… right 19th Century…“ She waved it away but it gave her cause to think. Being out of sync with the person you loved had to be incredibly hard indeed. She remembered crying over that book and she couldn’t imagine this would turn out to be a more cheerful tale.

Suddenly, the Doctor halted in her tracks, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Is everything alright, Doctor?“ Yaz asked as their friend’s face went very white as she stared at the page in front of her.

——

Darillium, 52nd Century

River stirred slowly, a light breeze tickled her nose though she couldn’t remember leaving a window open. The bed was soft and familiar, she stretched her limbs into the silky sheets and hummed contently after a good night’s sleep. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up slowly when she realised something was off. It should not be as quiet as it was; and she should not have slept through the night. The explanation to her questions perched on the side of the bed. The Doctor was feeding a bottle to his son who quite happily curled into his father’s arm, allowing his mother some well deserved rest.

“You can lie back down if you like, we’ve got this, haven’t we.“ The Doctor gave her a soft smile when he noticed her sitting up.

“How long have you been up?“ She asked, her voice sleepy still. She hadn’t heard either of them waking.

“You know I’m always awake before you.“ The Doctor reminded her. River smiled, her hearts swelled at the sight in front of her. She couldn’t remember ever seeing her husband look so utterly content and happy. She wanted to enjoy the moment but a strange, unsettling feeling was seeping into her subconscious

“Yeah but I didn’t even notice…“ She looked around, wondering what was intruding on this perfect moment.

“Everything okay?“ The Doctor asked with a frown. He lay the empty bottle down on the bed and pulled his son against his chest.

“I just…“ River couldn’t put her finger on it. It was like things weren’t adding up. “When did we come back?“

“What do you mean?“ The Doctor started sounding more concerned. He gently tapped and rubbed the baby’s back.

“Vastra, Jenny, Strax… the Library…“ Slowly River’s memories were returning but they weren’t compatible with where she was.

“What are you talking about? Did you have a particularly vivid dream?“ The Doctor chuckled. “Or nightmare, rather, if Strax featured.“

“The sunrise.“ River looked out of the window to see orange and purple stretching across the sky.

“It’s almost time.“ The Doctor nodded with a soft smile. “First light.“

“But we’ve already seen it.“ River looked back to him, confused.

“I think I’d remember if we’d already watched the sunrise after twenty-four years of waiting for it.“ The Doctor retorted amused. “Are you feeling okay?“

“This isn’t right…“ River shook her head slowly. Her hearts sank at the painful realisation. “I’m not meant to be here…“ She wanted to lean forward, reach for her husband, touch her son, but she didn’t dare.

“River…“ The Doctor said but she shook her head more firmly.

“No, I left before I even… and you didn’t…“ She looked at him with sorrow and the genuine concern in his eyes only made it harder. This was where she wanted to be.

“River.“ He reached out for her but she pulled away.

“This isn’t real, it can’t be, I…“ River turned away and closed her eyes, shaking her head to herself. Her hearts ached. She wanted this to be real so badly but she knew better. Her mind was playing tricks on her.  

“River!“ This time, the voice changed pitch and River woke with a start.

“Anita.“ River looked up to her colleague, blinking against the morning light. She found herself surrounded by piles of books and notes, back in the artificial reality of the Library.  She must have fallen asleep on the sofa while reading last night.

“Considering we probably don’t actually need sleep in here, you were very difficult to wake up.“ Anita pointed out and held out a coffee to her. “Went anywhere nice?“

“You could say that…“ River gave a mournful smile but quickly put her walls back up, projecting confidence and assurance. “Thanks.“ She took the coffee offered to her and sat up properly. “Takes some getting used to, doesn’t it. I didn’t realise we’d dream…“ She gave a wary smile. Though it felt like real life, she couldn’t quite let herself fall for the comforting illusion; not yet anyway. Not while she was still so deeply concerned with what was going on in the universe beyond.

“It feels like real life.“ Anita shrugged and took a sip of her own mug as she perched on the coffee table. “Certainly beats the alternative.“

“Certainly does.“ River admitted.

“So what have you been up to? Everyone was meeting up for breakfast and when you didn’t show up, I thought I’d check on you.“ Anita revealed her reason for being here and River glanced to the clock on the wall.

“Are the kids up, too?“ She found herself asking, almost instinctively.

“Been up ages. CAL said they thought it best to let you sleep, you were in a happy place.“ Anita explained with a smile. She hadn’t taken River Song for the mothering type but she had taken on that role without a second thought. She seemed to be taking comfort in it.

“I suppose I was…“ River thought back to Darillium and the Doctor, the perfect family life they could have had, had she just stayed. She took a deep breath to maintain her composure.

“So what’s all this?“ Anita asked, gesturing at the mess around them.

“Ah, just a bit of light reading…“ River smiled weakly, sipping her coffee. It tasted just like the real deal.  

“You call this light?“ Anita laughed. “What are you researching?“ She picked up a sheet of paper that River had been making notes on.

“I may have… lied to you about why I agreed to lead this expedition… It wasn’t just for the money.“ River answered slowly, realising there was little point in keeping secrets now. They would be spending eternity together and River knew she needed a friend. She’d gotten on well with Anita from the start and she wanted someone to confide in. “The Library is the sum knowledge of the universe, as it were, and I needed access. Looks like I got more than I bargained for, eh?“ River joked but the sorrow behind her eyes was easily spotted.

“I’m not trying to be rude or anything but… what’s the point now?“ Anita asked, contemplating her words. “Technically, to the universe, we’re dead…“ She could tell River wasn’t adjusting all too well.

“Doesn't mean that the universe out there stops, does it?“ River pointed out.

“Are you trying to get out of here?“ Anita raised her eyebrows.

“And go where? None of us have a body to go to.“ River gave a bitter laugh. “No… but eventually, he’ll come…“

“Your Doctor? The one from your time?“ Anita asked and River nodded:

“One day, I’m sure of it.“

“And you need all this for when he does?“ Anita concluded, feeling like she was beginning to make sense of the professor’s actions. “So tell me what this is? Maybe I can help.“ She picked up more notes, skimming them.

“They’re stories, myths, every record, every…“ River started but Anita was quick to pick up on one unifying factor as she picked up more of the articles:

“It’s all about you.“ Anita looked up with amusement. River Song had a reputation of course. She was an accomplished archeologist who had published a lot of research. Who would have thought that there were also plenty of books and articles about her, not just by her.

“Some of it. I always told him there were stories about us… he was modified.“ River smiled as she recalled bringing it up with the Doctor.

“The Doctor?“ Anita asked to confirm. “Is he your husband?“ She exclaimed as she continued reading.

“Afraid so.“ River chuckled.

“So are you going to tell me why you’re doing this? Or will I have to drag it out of you?“ Anita prompted, looking back to her.

“This is just the start… it might look like a lot already but really, I’m just a tiny speck of dust in his life. There is so much more I don’t know, so much more that’s in his future and in his distant past…“ River mused. This was just a tiny fraction of the records she’d found so far.

“You’re not just being nostalgic, are you?“ Anita asked, putting the books down to give her her full attention.

“Before I joined the expedition, I received a message from a friend, someone who deals in information. They came to me with concerns about a prophecy and rumours.“ River said, tightening her grip around her mug. “Now, there are a lot of prophecies out there and I don’t pay much heed to any of them, but there was something about it… stories of a Timeless Child that somehow relates to the Doctor, to me… and as it happened, I just found out I was pregnant at the time.“ She explained and Anita’s eyes widened in shock at the revelation.

“Were you still pregnant when…“ Anita was stunned. She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

“No, thankfully.“ River smiled, touched by her concern. “My son is fine, he’s with some dear friends. He was three weeks old when I set off to the Library…“ She revealed with a sad smile, wondering how the Paternoster Gang was getting on. Surely they were doing an excellent job at looking after her little one… but she regretted her choice nonetheless. She should never have come here.

“I’m so sorry, I had no idea.“ Anita reached out and gave River’s hand a squeeze. Immediately, she saw River’s interest in looking after the children in a completely different light. “Does the Doctor know?“

“I don’t know. They may have told him by now…“ River shrugged taking a deep breath to maintain her composure. “God, he will be furious… Hopefully furious enough to come and shout at me in here…“

“So you think your son is the Timeless Child?“ Anita asked, trying to make sense of what River was telling her.

“Maybe…“ River couldn’t be sure of anything. She had found no clues either way, despite her many inquirers; but it seemed like a funny old coincidence that whispers of a child surfaced just as she’d found out she was pregnant. “I haven’t been able to find out much at all, so I’m hoping I can now.“

——

London, Late 19th Century

The Doctor’s mind started racing, as did her hearts. Where, when and how had River heard about the Timeless Child? And why was it referenced in her file? The Doctor hadn’t told anyone about what the Master had revealed to her and she couldn’t imagine the Master would have shouted it off the rooftops either, seeing as he’d murdered everyone that could have known. Even when the Doctor had briefly spoken to Ryan about learning about the gaps in her past, she had never used this term or gone into detail. She hadn’t even filled Yaz in either. Someone out there knowing that exact term couldn’t be a coincidence.

“Doctor?“ Vastra’s voice was sharp, drawing the Doctor’s attention at last.

“Sorry…“ The Doctor snapped out of her thoughts when she realised everyone was looking at her.

“Does something stand out to you?“ Vastra prompted, gesturing towards the file.

“It’s nothing, never mind, just… it’s not related to this.“ The Doctor shook her head, closing the file disappointed, yet unsettled. This was in no way helpful for finding out where their child was or who could be behind the kidnapping. It did, however, raise some very unsettling questions. How did the secret about the Timeless Child get out? Though River might have drawn some wrong conclusions about who it might be, she couldn’t discount the possibility that there might be a connection between the myth and the kidnapping. Maybe there were Time Lords involved in this after all.

“So what do you think?“ Vastra pressed on. “Time Lords or…?“

“I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t…“ The Doctor shook her head. “First thing’s first. I need to find out where River got her information from.“ The Doctor decided after brief consideration. She rolled up the file and stuffed it into her coat pocket to study more intensely later on. Someone out there - Time Lord or not - knew about the Timeless Child. Maybe, whoever was behind this, already knew it was the Doctor and were trying to get to her by kidnapping her child… There were a lot of possibilities but all seemed as unlikely as each other at this point.

“So can’t we just, like, talk to her?“ Yaz interrupted. “Why don’t we go and find her, your wife, I mean. You must be itching to go. She’ll be able to fill us in far better than…“

“Can’t.“ The Doctor cut in sharply.

“It’s not as easy as all that.“ Jenny gave Yaz an apologetic smile.

“Why not?“ Yaz frowned. “You know where she’s gone, you said earlier: The Library. Let’s go there.“

“River died at the Library.“ The Doctor shot back, anger returning to her voice. Rationally, she knew Yaz couldn’t know all these things, but that didn’t change how she was feeling about it being brought up or having to explain.  

“What?“ Yaz was dumbfounded. She looked around into knowing faces and realised she was far out of her depth. There was a lot she had yet to catch up on.

“Well, Doctor, technically, we could try and…“ Vastra started but the Doctor wouldn’t let her finish:

“For all intents and purposes she died at the Library, she can’t help us now. I was there, remember? I know that she didn’t make any great discoveries about the Time Lords while we were running from the shadows. There was hardly time.“ She stated bitterly.

“There must have been a reason for her visit there and she said she would need your help.“ Vastra was getting frustrated with the Doctor’s refusal to give weight to her wife’s concerns and attempts at research. Just because she hadn’t found anything yet didn’t mean she was wrong to be looking.

“She didn’t get the Doctor she was hoping for.“ The Doctor huffed.

“Obviously not, which is why you visiting her now could prove enlightening.“ Vastra countered.

“Sorry, I’m not following.“ Yaz looked to Jenny for an explanation as she didn’t want to interrupt the increasingly tense conversation the other two women were having.

“Professor Song died but she’s not really gone.“ Jenny explained kindly. “The Doctor saved her.“

“I didn’t save her, I trapped her.“ The Doctor interrupted angrily.

“Her consciousness remains in the Library’s computer.“ Vastra clarified which only seemed to infuriate the Doctor more.

“Yes and she has to exist in the knowledge that she will never hold her child again! If I didn’t think she hated me for putting her there before, I’m damned sure of it now.“ The Doctor snapped.

“She will want to help.“ Jenny interjected.

“I will not be the one to tell her her child is gone!“ The Doctor yelled, her emotions boiling over. She had caused River so much pain. She had thought she’d done a good thing when she had saved River’s consciousness only to learn during their next meeting that she hated the idea of being trapped like that. The Doctor already carried so much guilt, she would not add this to the pile. She refused. How was she to break this news to her? “I won’t do that to her. Put that on her while she can’t do anything to help, having to rely on others, no! I can’t do that to her!“

“Doctor…“ Vastra tried to intervene but to no avail.

“No! Not until I’ve exhausted every other option. She thinks he’s safe with you and I will not tell her otherwise until we’ve found him.“ The Doctor snapped.

“If you’re sure.“ Vastra knew there was no talking to her when she was like this. She would come to her senses eventually but she appreciated the sentiment. If at all possible, they should go about things another way before breaking the news to the Professor who would have to watch from the sidelines, unable to help.

“Someone else might have got their hands on Timelord technology…“ Yaz said changing the subject and breaking the heavy silence. Perhaps her not knowing too much about the Doctor’s wife would be a good thing. Perhaps she could look at things more objectively. Tensions were running high indeed.

“It might be more likely than someone surviving the Master’s destruction.“ The Doctor conceded. “But it’s very little to go on.“

“We have to start somewhere.“ Yaz got to her feet feeling a sense of determination. They had to stop wondering about the ifs and buts and start doing something. A child’s life was on the line.

“River started investigating a myth based on some rumours that someone might be after us, after our family.“ The Doctor explained of Yaz’s benefit. “I have a pretty good idea who would have brought it to River’s attention. Perhaps we can trace these rumours back. It’s as good a place as any to start.“ She decided at last.

“Excellent. We shall carried out our own investigation and torture those we find for information!“ Strax stated in excitement as she returned to the drawing room at just the right time. He was carrying several bags.

“Really, Strax, that is not…“ The Doctor started but Vastra interrupted:

“I hope you don’t think you’re going without us.“

“I have packed three types of grenades and the caustic blaster I have been dying to try.“ Strax announced with great enthusiasm.

“And I will get the swords.“ Jenny nodded, exchanging a quick glance with her wife.

“Please, Doctor, we owe you this.“ Vastra didn’t give the Doctor the opportunity to protest. “Let us help bring your child home. We failed you. We won’t fail you again.“

“Let’s go.“ The Doctor wasn’t so proud that she would refuse help offered. She would do whatever it took to get her child back.

[re-diesirae]

9. Leon

It was getting dark, and with the fading sunlight, Leon and Claire grew more and more restless. So far, they had been lucky. All the foes that had crossed their path had been relatively weak and easy to handle. Things would not be as easy once the shadows fell over them.

Leon was worried. He noticed that Claire's movements were starting to slow down. She was growing tired. The woman would not say it, but it was pretty obvious.

"We should find refuge before the sun goes down completely," Leon said, stopping to look at Claire. "If you are correct, those monsters will come out as soon as the sun goes down."

"Uhm, you are right," Claire sighed.

"Besides, it's been a long day. We need to rest," Leon said, cleaning the sweat from his forehead. "We are both tired, and we need our strength to fight. Pushing ourselves to the limit is a stupid decision."

Claire rubbed her neck and sighed.

"You're right," she said, "The question is where?"

Leon looked at her. Claire was looking pale again, and her cerulean eyes showed what she refused to say.

Leon was not an expert at survival mode; that was probably more Chris's area, or perhaps even Claire's.

After walking around the cliff for a while, they found a small cave, hidden between some bushes. The entrance was small, which Leon thought was an advantage. It was easier to fend off enemies when they had something stopping them.

Leon made sure the cave was clear before they finally settled down inside. He picked up some branches and plants and made a makeshift door to camouflage the entrance. It would be useless to keep enemies out, but at least it would keep them concealed.

"So that's what the government teaches their agents? How to make woodland crafts?" Claire asked playfully.

Leon smirked, putting the "door" in its place.

"Sure," he answered in the same playful tone, "It's rule 4 in How to be an agent 101."

Claire laughed and rested her head against the wall, closing her eyes.

"Chris would kill us if he saw us," she whispered.

"Why?"

"Keep yourself focused. No time for jokes," Claire said in a low voice that tried to mimic Chris's grunt.

Leon laughed at the impression. It was perfect.

"Sounds about right," Leon laughed, "I can't picture Chris joking around in normal circumstances, even less in a mission."

"I keep telling him that sometimes a little humor is what you need to keep yourself going."

"Maybe he needs to learn. You should teach him."

"Uh, I doubt he will be willing to learn from me," Claire chuckled, "but Chris wasn't always like that, you know. He used to be a little more chill."

"Chill?" Leon said incredulously, "Is that even possible?"

Leon had always wondered how Chris and Claire, being siblings, could be so different and yet so alike at the same time. Claire was cheerful and charming; she always found a way to lighten the mood, and her whole personality made her an approachable person. Chris, well, Chris was just intimidating.

"You are one to talk. Each time I see you, you're grumpier than before," Claire said, resting her chin on her knees.

Leon sighed. Claire was right. After so many years of working with DSO, he had become more reserved and shut-in. Things only got worse after all the tragedies that Leon had found himself forced to witness. Then again, he was not the only one that had faced tragedies. Claire had her share of hardships, and yet, she was the same lovely woman he had met in that pit stop in Raccoon City.

"Then, maybe I should ask you to teach me, too," he snorted.

"What are you saying?" Claire said, rolling her eyes. "Sometimes, I feel like I should be more like you two."

Leon shook his head.

"You are perfect the way you are, Claire. It is enough with one Chris Redfield or me in this world. There's no need to add another one into the equation," he said, "and honestly, the world would be a better place with more people like you."

"If there were more people like me, the world would be chaos," Claire snorted bitterly,"I caused a lot of trouble because of my naiveness."

Leon looked at Claire. Her face was getting wrapped by the darkness, so he could not see her expression; however, her voice sounded mortified. Sometimes Leon forgot that Claire had her inner demons, too.

In his mind, Claire was that brave girl, filled with optimism, willpower, and a heart of gold. He sometimes forgot that she was human, too, and like any other human, she could feel doubt, fear, and grief.

"It sounds like you are too hard on yourself, Claire."

"And you, guys, are just too soft on me,"Claire sighed, "When I think back of all the things I've messed up…"

Leon was ready to say more, but a distant roar interrupted their thoughts. Leon reached for his gun, and he heard Claire do the same. The pair exchanged knowing looks and moved, quietly, towards the entrance to peek out through the makeshift door.

The forest was dark, barely lit by the dim light from the waning moon. A group of Plagas infected subjects wandered at some distance from them. None of them seemed aware of their presence, so Leon did not worry much about them, but the owner from the roar was what had him on edge.

They had a poor sight from their position, but Leon tried to scout the area the best he could.

At first, he didn't see anything, but then he felt Claire grab his arm. She was staring blankly at some rustling shrubs behind the group of Plagas.

The creature was the most horrible thing Leon had ever seen. The monster had pale skin, so pale that it almost looked like it glowed under the moonlight. The body looked stretched, and its back made a curve in a nasty deformed hump as it moved through the darkness on its black limbs. Pieces of tissue hung from its body as if it was falling apart. If the monster had eyes, Leon could not tell where they were. The face was a lump of bloodied meat with no distinguishable features aside from the largemouth filled with a row of yellow fangs.

The monster sniffed the air, and without warning, it jumped forward, snatching several Plaga infected and ate them with a roar.

That's new. I've never seen B.O.W.s eating each other.

Leon watched the gory show with a frown. The monster ate every Plaga carrier in the area, and once it had finished, it let out a roar and began to twist and contort on the ground.

"What the..." Leon whispered.

"It's mutating, I think..." Claire said from his side.

"Mutating?"

"Yes, that's how it looks."

Leon grimaced. Mutating monsters were never good news.

"Is it the one you saw yesterday?" he asked.

Claire shook her head.

"No, this one looks different."

The monster howled again, making a painful sound. The body twisted on the ground, and more pieces of tissue fell to the ground, revealing the raw muscle. By now, the creature looked like a giant licker, except for its head.

Leon was not sure of what had just witnessed, but there was something he was sure about that was not a monster he wanted to face if he could help it.

The pair watched the disfigured creature disappear into the darkness again, and both let out the breath they'd unconsciously held. Claire and Leon did not speak until they felt sure that the monster had left.

"I think I understand what you meant by bigger friends," Leon whispered, turning to the woman beside him.

Claire was calm, but Leon could see the horror hiding behind her beautiful aquamarine eyes. She gave him an ironic smile and shrugged.

"We didn't see anything like it during the day, so either we were lucky, or you are right, and they are nocturnal."

"B.O.W.s that come only during the night. Talk about nightmarish monsters..." Claire sighed, "I am just glad they didn't find us, but I've got the feeling that our luck won't be that good for too long."

"Well, we'll face it when it comes. Don't worry about it," Leon sighed.

They returned to the back of the cave and sat down quietly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Me?" she asked, surprised, "I'm peachy."

Leon looked at her skeptically.

"You can't fool me, Claire. You've been struggling since that climb we did," Leon said, "Is it your head? Is it bothering you again?"

Claire let out a vague snort and shook her head.

"I told you I didn't like hiking," she replied, "I am alright. My head bothers me a little when I am tired, but it's not bad. You should know how concussions work."

"Yeah," Leon sighed, "Try resting a little."

"I had my share of sleep yesterday," Claire said, shaking her head, "You must be exhausted, though. You didn't sleep at all. You should be the one taking a nap."

"I work better with less sleep," he half lied.

In reality, Leon knew he worked a lot better with five or six hours of sleep, perhaps even four. His senses seemed more alert under those conditions, but his body still needed the rest.

"Liar," Claire muttered. "You know you don't need to act all cool with me. Get some sleep, idiot. I'll take the first watch."

"Fine, but only if I can use your lap as a pillow," he joked, earning a soft smack on his arm.

"You are such a flirt, Leon. I guess that side of you has not changed," Claire chuckled. "Go to sleep, idiot."

"You know, I think you are the only person who dares to call me an idiot."

"Well, if I can call Chris an idiot, I can definitely call you an idiot."

Leon laughed. Claire had to be the bravest woman in the world if she dared to call the almighty Chris Redfield an idiot, but then again, Claire had a privileged position in Chris's eyes. Leon was sure that Claire was one of the few people, if not the only one, with whom Chris would never be mad at no matter what she did.

"Now, I have to argue about that. No one would dare call Chris an idiot, but you have special treatment."

"Do I get special treatment with you?"

"Maybe..." Leon smirked.

"Do you tell all your partners that?"

"Only those who I like. What? Getting bored with paperwork and considering a career as an agent?"

If Claire had been an agent like himself, he would have considered asking her to become his permanent partner. He worked well with Helena, but Claire had her charm; his mission would be a lot more enjoyable with her by his side, but Claire did not work for the DSO.

"Nah, I am not agent material. You know that, Leon?"

"What are you talking about?" he chuckled, "You were agent material even before I was. Rushing into Raccoon City in search of Chris and saving Sherry, and taking care of all of us..."

"You sure are sentimental today," Claire snorted. "What's up with you today?"

"Well, this brings back memories," Leon sighed, "Can you blame me?"

"It does?" Claire asked.

"Yeah. I think I kind of missed this."

"Sleeping in a cave surrounded by bloodthirsty parasitic entities and mutant monsters? I can't say I share the sentiment, but who am I to judge?"

Leon smirked at the comment. The darkness in the cave would not let the woman see his face, and he was somehow glad that it was like that since he was sure that he looked like a fool.

Leon leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes as tiredness began to engulf him.

"I was talking about you. I missed you, Claire," he muttered in an almost inaudible whisper.

NOTE: if you guys want to come and chat about the fic, or just about CLEON in general. Feel free to drop by the discord and say hi! JOIN SERVER

[twinkleimagines]

✨Check Please (part 2)✨

👉 Part one

Summary: you get in touch with Tom after he has tipped you 2 months worth of income after being fired from your job. You aren’t sure if he’s nice out of sympathy or if he really likes you.

⚠️⭕️ Smut and language included

It had been almost two weeks since you had gotten fired from your job. Job hunting had become incredibly hard because the end of the semester tests were coming up back to back and you really couldn’t afford to fail. Most jobs weren’t interested because you were a fully time student and your availability was really limited. You hadn’t bothered to message Tom , not because you were ungrateful for what he had done, but more so ashamed. He had given you so much money and here you are still jobless- of course any reasonable person would’ve understood why considering your circumstances but you always thought the worst unfortunately.

It was your Saturday thankfully and it was another day going job hunting . You had seen a few ads online for a near by restaurant in need of a dishwasher and the pay was decent. It wasn’t much compared to the previous job but at this point you would take anything. You sighed heavily before opening the door to the restaurant, the sound of the bell dinging above you.

“ hi welcome to the Ledbury , will it just be you dining tonight?” The hostess asked while grabbing out a menu.

“ oh no I came here for a job interview.”

“ oh okay, stay right here “ she insisted before walking towards the back of the store. You stood there patiently waiting until you heard your name being called out.

“ y/n is that you ?” You heard. Could it really be?

‘ shit’ you mumbled under your breath. This guy gives you money and you don’t even text him and now he’s here.

“ Hey stranger” he said jokingly before pulling you in for a hug. “ what have you been up to ? I never heard from you”

“ I know and I am so sorry , I’ve been job hunting and studying for school and - it’s just really been hectic” you exclaimed. You felt bad for not reaching out but you really wanted to wait until you had a job. “ so I’m here waiting to get interviewed for a dish washer position.” You beamed with sarcastic excitement.

“ dish washer?” He questioned, “ that’s horrible they don’t have anything better to offer you?” You shrugged your shoulders.

“ at this point I’ll take whatever I can get”. Tom looked at you with those same puppy eyes he once did when you had gotten fired.

“ that’s unacceptable no” he said crossing his arms.

“ you’re too good for that , I’m sure I can pull a few strings get you a decent job , something that you can do at your dorm”. Great. Another favor for you to feel bad about.

“ no Tom it’s okay” you said waving your hands in front of you. “ you’ve done enough and you don’t even know me “ . He shrugged and nodding agreeing with you.

“ I mean you’re not wrong , but that doesn’t mean I can’t help you”

“ Tom seriously it’s okay “ you exclaimed shaking your head. Tom scoffed before smiling .

“ y/n I’m not taking no for an answer” he stated . “ Now why don’t you come join me and my brother for tea. “. He suggested poingting behind him at his brother. You stood contemplating on whether or not you should take the offer. It would honestly make your life 10x easier if he really did what he said he would , but at the same time you don’t like for everything to be handed to you. After a few quiet seconds you nodded your head yes before following Tom to the table. You had gotten so wrapped up in conversating with the boys you hadn’t even realized how late it had gotten .

“ I really should get goin” you said looking out at the now black sky from the window. “ but if you’re still in town tomorrow we should definitely get together” you said standing up.

“ I’d love that Y/n “ Tom said standing up, giving you a hug.

“ oh how much do I owe” you said reaching in your purse to grab your wallet.

“ no don’t worry bout it “ Tom said placing his hands on yours. You could feel butterflies immediately start fluttering around in your stomach as his skin touched yours . You had become very fond of Tom. Over the night you had realized that he was a genuine kind guy who just wanted to do good for others. Which was shocking because a lot of people with fame and fortune like that almost always let it go to their heads and become complete dicks.

“ nice try” you smirked before tossing down some money on the table. Before they could say anything to you , you were already walking out the door.

*

As you laid in your bed in your dorm, your head couldn’t get off of Tom. He was just so special. His heart and intentions were so pure, and that smile was just perfect. You hated yourself for falling so quick. You barely knew this guy but yet he couldn’t leave your mind . You finally decided to find that receipt paper out of your purse and send Tom a message.

‘ hey are u up? It’s y/n’

‘ hey! I thought you had lost my number lol’

‘ no idk what I was thinking I’m sorry !! ‘

‘ it’s okay, I’m just glad to be hearing from you now’.

You felt those same butterflies start fluttering again . Could he really be happy to be talking to you or is he just overly nice.

‘ the feelings are mutual. I’m so glad we ran into each other . Are we still on for tomorrow ?’

‘ absolutely, just call when you’re ready and I can come get you’ he responded . The conversation quickly ended after that, you both saying your good nights.

****

“ I’ve never seen this part of town up close” you beamed to Tom as you looked at the lighten Christmas trees around the town buildings. Tom decided a walk through the park and town , would do you both justice to get to know each other .

“Really?” He asked with shock. You looked over at him nodding before looking down at your feet as you walked. Tom had done the same , sticking his hands in his pants pockets . “ it’s a lovely place honestly , it’s so relaxing and not overwhelmingly crowded” he stated. You didn’t too much care about the amount of people, you were more enjoying his company. He was so beautiful. Everything about him had you mesmerized and with him having such a kind personality made him even more charming.

“ Tom” you said stopping to turn towards him.

“Hm?” He replied , turning to look at you.

“ I don’t know how to to thank you. You’ve helped me more than anyone has since I moved here.” You stated with sincere. “ I mean Even my own parents don’t even send money. I-I mean it’s not all about the money of course but I’ve really really been struggling and I honestly have felt so alone with it all. “ you chuckled awkwardly before looking back down at your feet, to embarrassing to continue looking at Tom. “ what I’m trying to say is , I was days away from giving up on it all and then you came into my life and I just , I don’t know I feel like everything is going to be okay again” .

“Y/n” Tom said lifting your head back up by your chin. He had on the biggest grin, the sun making his brown eyes turn golden. “ everything will be okay. And i don’t want you to ever feel like I’m just helping you for attention. I have the means to help you and you just seem like such a bright woman who is probably braver than anyone I know” he stated. “ there’s no way I would move far from home on my own, knowing no one , working while going to school, I mean that’s a lot”. You laughed nodding when he said that. He had a way of making you feel better about yourself . He spoke all the positive sides of what you had been doing , when all you did was look at the negatives about it.

“ and if we’re being honest , you’ve been on my mind since the day you catered to me”. This time it was his turn to look down shyly. You furrowed your eyebrows towards him, cocking your head to the side a little in confusion. “ you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on” you couldn’t help but laugh out loud shaking your head.

“Okay Tom what kind of game is this?” You said semi jokingly . It was hard to believe what Tom was saying because you were a hot mess the day he met you. Your hair was in a sloppy bun, frizzy and tangled from lack of proper hygiene, left over make up on. There’s just no way he found that to be so beautiful.

“ I’m serious ! “ he laughed back , his smile going from ear to ear. “ I’ve just been so intrigued by you, and when you didn’t text or call those first two weeks I honestly got a little butt hurt. “ you smiled.

“ I swear I didn’t want to waste your time that’s why I did that” and you were being honest . Tom shook his head while reaching out for your hand.

“ I’ve got all the time in the world . I know that I want you to be apart of my life in some way. And if that means I’ve got to sit and help you get through this college thing then so be it”. Your heart beating started pacing , looking up at him. Before you could second think it , you quickly pressed your lips against his-a simple but perfect peck.

“ s-sorry. I don’t know why I did that it just kinda came out of no where I’m so-“ Tom interrupted you by placing his lips back against yours, this time the moment lasting longer.

****

“ is this what you wanna watch?” Tom asked flopping down on his couch next to you . It had been 3 months since your first day and you could say you both had become inseparable. Almost every day you were together . Whether he came over and helped you study or you were at his place during your free time.

Tonight was your first night staying the night and you were pretty nervous. You and Tom have had plenty of make out sessions and slight groping of private areas but it had never went past that. You were hoping for different tonight though as you were craving his touch. You had thought about it day and night here recently on what it would feel like to have him inside you .

“ it’s so romantic “ you beamed as you pressed play on ‘The notebook’. It was a romantic movie but you also wanted to set the mood in hopes of Tom wanting you in the same way you wanted him. You weren’t a virgin but it had been well over a year since you had had any sexual encounters and with the way things were moving between you and Tom , you were ready.

“ well okay Darling. “ he responded before tossing a piece of popcorn in his mouth. You laid your head partially on his lap, your legs stretched out across the couch while your hand was in Toms popcorn bag. “ now love, don’t fall asleep” he stated before moving some of your hair out of your face . How could you when all you could think about was him and his hands all over you.

“ I’m not baby” you said looking up at him. He grinned before looking back at the tv.

~~

It had come to the love seen where Noah and Allie were arguing in the rain. You knew what was up next but Tom hadn’t seen it yet to know . As the sex scene began , your heart started pounding faster, in between your legs getting warmer as you watched the scene, wishing it was you and Tom. Seconds later though you realized you weren’t the only one wishfully thinking when you felt Toms member jump against the side of your head through his gray sweat pants. You grinned but you didn’t bother moving . You had felt it tap a few times again, each time if felt harder and harder so you lifted your head up, looking down at his crotch. His dock was sitting straight up at this point , no denying what he wanted so you kissed against the tip, causing it to jump again against your mouth. Tom sighed heavily as you reached down in his joggers, grabbing ahold of him, squeezing tightly. Your pumping against him began slow before you leaned your head brown, wrapping your plump lips around the tip, your tongue running up the side of his tip. You felt his cock twitch before you went down further on him. Tom sank himself into the couch before he gently thrusted his hips into your mouth . You could hear the low moans coming from him even with there playing in back ground. At this point you were up on your knees to the side of Tom, your head bouncing up and down while you rotated your hand around his member, your back arched making your ass stick up in the air.

“ god” Tom groaned out, his pacing going a little faster . You reached down to touch yourself with your free hand but was quickly stopped by Tom grabbing it.

“ let me” he breathed out, his voice deep and groggily . You but your bottom lip before sitting up , removing your top. Toms eyes gazed over your body as you laid back on the couch flat on your back, pulling down your shorts and panties. Tom then made his way over you , kissing your lips first before making its way down by your neck . He then when to your left breast first , twirling his tongue around your nipple while his hand massaged the other breast. You moaned loudly , lifting your hips up grinding against him trying to get some sort of friction. Tom had now traveled down your stomach with kisses, his hand pressed against your pussy. You but your lip while you thrusted your hips up and down, grinding against his hands.

“ does that feel good love?” He asked as he watched you move yourself against him. You moaned in response , nodding your head while your eyes remained closed. You gasped loudly when you felt two fingers inserting you slowly. Tom wiggled them some before pumping, his other hand rubbing against your clit . You were in heaven but it still wasn’t enough. You wanted him in you.

“ fuck me Tom” you said reaching down grabbing his hand to stop. Tom sat up removing the rest of his clothing before hovering back over you.

“ you want me?” He asked, the tip of his dick right at the edge of your entrance .

“ please” you pleaded placing your hands on the back of his neck. Tom leaned down kissing you while sliding himself in you, you nothing sharing a moan when he got all the way in . He sat for just a second letting you adjust before he slowly slid back out some, leaving just the tip in. You moaned loudly as he slip himself back in, this time at a faster pace while his tongue glided over yours. Eventually Toms motions had become a steady beat, your head hitting the arm rest with each thrust. The both of you were sweating by this point , his body pressed up against yours as you lifted your leg up , allowing him in deeper.

“ roll over” Tom demanded while pulling out, sitting up off you. You quickly rolled over getting on all fours, arching your back and laying your head down on the head rest. Only seconds later you felt Tom sliding right back in to your soaking wet pussy, his thrusts getting harder than before . At this point his living room was full of moans, the tv playing in the back ground, and your skin slipping against each other as he pounded in you deep. His hands were placed firmly in the curve of your arch, pulling you back towards him everytime he thrusted in you.

You couldn’t even hold back the moans it had all set so good. His body was shimmering with the sweat all over him, veins popping out of his arms and neck and along his v line as his body tightened everytime he hit your g-spot . At this point your legs were so wobbly you laid back down on your stomach, Tom still sliding in and out of you only this time this position made you tighten around Tom.

“ oh god” he moaned out as he laid his forehead against your back , grinding deeply in you . “ you’re so fucking tight” you reached back grabbing a hold of his hair, tugging slightly as he pushed down on to it lower back , grinding deep in you. You started rotations your hips in a circular motion against him, almost sending him over the edge.

“ fuck” he moaned o loudly before pulling out. You grinned as you felt his warm cum landing on your lower back, grunts and moans coming from Tom. He sat for a second before grabbing a wash cloth from the kitchen , helping crank himself and you off. You both had gotten back dressed in silence, smiling while thinking about the time you just had .

“ that’s as.. that was perfect” Tom said running his hand through his hair grinning at you. You placed your head in your hands blushing .

“ it really was “you beamed looking up at him before kissing his lips. By this time the ending credits were rolling and you both were exhausted.

“ wanna restart?��� He suggest referring to the movie.

“ I actually would like to try out your bed” you suggested laughing slightly .

“ oh love I don’t know if I’m ready for round two unless you want on top this time” he said tugging on his shirt tightly signing that he was heated up.

“ no” you laughed shaking your head . “ I mean for sleeping”

“ ohhh” he said his mouth forming in an ‘O’ shape. “ I agree” he stated before standing up, holding his hand out for you to grab . You both had gotten settled in his king sized bed, him being the big spoon of course .

“ tonight really was amazing” you said closing your eyes, pushing yourself back against him.

“ yes darling” he said before kissing your Cheek. “ goodnight love” he said before yawning .

You smiled, falling asleep in his arms.

[petri808]

For the Inuyasha Sins event, Envy day

“Kagome, your tutor is here,” her nursemaid Kaede fetches the young Princess.

“Ugh, must I? What is the point if my place will be in stately silence.”

But the older woman rarely gives in to the young woman’s whining. She’s raised the girl from birth and wished to see Kagome take a proper place in their kingdom. “One day you may be a Queen my dear, and we wouldn’t want a foolish one. I know you’ll do great things when your time comes, which means, you need to study!”

The Princess sighs and continues to stare out of her window, longing for more than what her crown dictates. Her younger brother was the heir not her, so why should she care? She watches the palace staff hustling and bustling about. It was hard work for sure, but at least once their duties were finished, they went home at the end of the day, free to do as they pleased. Everyone believed royals have so little to worry about, that they sit in their fancy rooms and dine on golden plates. But it felt more like a gilded cage to Kagome, full of responsibilities and images to uphold. A woman’s place in this world often meant very little, even with her status. To one day sit beside a King and produce an heir is all her life would amount to. Or so it’s been in her view.

“Fine,” Kagome grumps and pushes away from the windowsill. Her shoulders slumped, communicating her intense displeasure. “But after tutoring I wish to go riding. Anything to get away from the palace.”

“As you wish milady. I shall notify the stable hand to prepare your steed Buyo, as well as your personal guard.”

“No, no, please not Miroku. The stable hand will do. I just want to relax Kaede, and I can’t do that with a palace guard watching my every move.”

“Your mother will not be pleased with that arrangement. Your safety is of the utmost importance.”

“Tch, have you seen the stable hand? He is more capable than Miroku at protecting me.”

“Tis true,” the woman chuckles. “Very well,” Kaede bows then shoo’s Kagome out of her bedroom, “now, off to the study with you.”

Today’s lessons included literature and linguistics. Not terribly boring subjects to the Princess, but also not hated as much as mathematics. And at least such fiction proses provided an escape into a fantasy world. Sometimes Kagome would lose herself in the stories. Of adventures and dragons, Princes saving Princesses from horrible circumstances and living happily ever after. She wanted that fairy tale ending like some of the characters in her books. If she could find a Prince like in these tales, perhaps being a Queen won’t be so bad.

At the end of the session, Kagome bids her tutor Sango farewell after the woman reminds her of their schedule the next day. She liked Sango, they got along like sisters, and sometimes the woman brought her pet cat Kirara to the sessions. Those days were infinitely more pleasing to attend. But deep down, Kagome was mildly jealous of the woman, not that she wished ill will. Sango came from a noble household, but because of her intelligence, her father gave her a lot of freedom to make her own decisions. It wasn’t fair.

Her mood lightens as she steps into the stables and sees the stable hand. The man had started working at the palace just a few months earlier but was quite adept at his position. No one really knew much about his past or where he’d come from. The most he would say was a neighboring kingdom, but what was for certain, is he wasn’t fully human. They were known as half-breeds, hanyo’s or the product of a human and a yokai.

In their world some yokai were evil but not all of them, in fact one of her kingdoms allies was ruled by the Inuyokai. Kagome surmised based on the dog-like ears perched on Inuyasha’s head, that is probably where he was from. Perhaps his family was poor and that’s why he’d set out to make his own way in life.

“Good day Inuyasha,” the woman smiles as she runs her hand over her horses neck, placating the steed. She truly appreciated his care of Buyo. The horse was always groomed impeccably, and his stall mucked and strawed to keep his hooves in perfect condition.

“Good day Princess,” Inuyasha smiles back. “And where did you wish to ride today? I was advised to accompany you in your quest.”

“Hmm, maybe towards the forest. I’ve been told of a lake hidden behind the trees, have you heard of it?”

“I have.”

“Wonderful! You shall lead the way kind sir.”

Inuyasha helps the Princess onto her horse before mounting his own, Kagome blushing from the close contact. His hands were strong, yet gentle despite the claws. Many of the palace women fawned over the man and she was no different. He was handsomely rugged, gruff at times, but very protective and loyal. Kagome would be lying if she didn’t admit to herself the fantasies, she’s had of him. Such a tryst would be highly frowned upon since he wasn’t of the same status, but she couldn’t help it. Nature beckons and such a fine specimen of maledom called to her loins.

“How do you like our kingdom so far Inuyasha?” Kagome asks as they trot past the city gate. Now that they were beyond any eavesdroppers, they could chat more freely.

“It’s quieter than my own. But I like it. I enjoy the sense of freedom I have here.”

“Lucky.” She sighs, “I wish I could say the same.”

“You still hate being a Princess?” He chuckles, “be happy you’re not a Prince, they have much more responsibilities resting on their shoulders.”

“Pfft, how do you know that?”

“It’s not difficult to figure out,” he smiles at her. “Of course, it’s harder to see when your perception is skewed.”

“Excuse me!” Kagome harrumphed. “I understand just fine! You’re not a royal so you don’t really understand how it feels to be stuck behind a wall! Constantly watched and managed, a-and told what to do! It’s not fair!”

“You think us regular citizens have unlimited freedom? There are rules we must follow, customs to respect. We work in the hopes to make money so we can enjoy a few fineries in life. But you, Princess, are given those luxuries without restraint.”

“Tch!” She turns her head away. How dare Inuyasha pretend to know anything about her life! “Let us drop this subject. I came here to relax, not to be reminded of the life I envy.”

“My apologies Princess. Even though you’re being the brat,” he mumbles under his breath.

“Did you say something?”

“Nope.”

Growing bored and annoyed with his banter, Kagome takes off at a sprint towards the tree line. She just wanted to get to the lake quickly. Inuyasha screams at her to slow down, but she ignores him. She’s ridden Buyo many a time to know what she’s doing, and it brought a sense of freedom to gallop as fast as they could. When she reaches the denser forest, she slows the horse back to a trot.

He couldn’t lie that it was alluring to see Kagome show a zest for life beyond her normal duties. Princesses were expected to be demure creatures, but she was nothing like that, and her fire is what drove her frustrations. Inuyasha could understand that. Nobody enjoys feeling hampered or confined. The woman also had a natural beauty and he loved the fact she didn’t wear heavy make up or tout ridiculous hair styles like some ladies of the court do. Like right now, she didn’t care as her raven tresses whipped wildly behind her stately poise.

But it was dangerous for her to take off like that, and if anything happened to her it was his hide on the line. So, he takes off in a full gallop to catch up to his wayward Princess. He knew she wouldn’t know where to go once they reach the forest and needed to make sure she wouldn’t do anything else foolish.

“Do you wish for my execution?” He growls and grabs hold of her horses halter. “If you get hurt, I’m the one who gets in trouble not you.”

“I— you’re right, I’m sorry Inuyasha.”

“Just follow my lead until we get to the lake. There are animals in the forest and even thieves willing to attack anyone. So, stay close to me.”

Suddenly the romance of the unknown died away as she succumbed to the dark, almost foreboding chill that trickled down her spine. With her senses on alert now, the sounds of the forest are heightened. The hooting of an owl, the scurrying of tiny feet over crunchy leaf litter, to the thumping of horses hooves echoing in the dense woods. Kagome keeps Buyo to the side and right behind Inuyasha’s.

“H-How do you know where to go?” There was no path she could discern.

“I can smell the water, it’s not far.”

“Oh... so that’s like one of your abilities?”

“Yeah. Smell, hearing, strength, it’s all better than a humans.”

Guess that makes sense, she muses. Like a canine. Kagome wondered what else made Inuyasha different from a human... she shakes those seedy thoughts away, no sense in taking that path. But the silence between them only left room for the mind to wander.

“Do you have any siblings Inuyasha?”

“One.”

“Any girlfriends?”

The man abruptly stops his horse and turns to Kagome. “No, but why such personal questions all of a sudden?”

“I-I don’t know, bored, and trying to make conversation?”

His eyebrow raises, “uh-huh. So, instead of how’s your day going, or what’s your favorite food, you jump to any girlfriends?” Inuyasha laughs and continues to trot away. “Smooth, Princess, very smooth!”

“Hmph!” She didn’t mean to... okay she did but hey! Kagome presses Buyo to follow him again. “Fine! You want normal? Then what is your favorite color Inuyasha?”

“Red.”

“Favorite food?”

“Noodles.”

“Do you know how to use a weapon?”

“Sword. But I don’t really need one,” he flashes his claws, “I only carry a dagger just in case.”

Oh, right, she’d forgotten again. His claws look sharp, but since he was so gentle with them, she hardly payed attention. Guess who ever is on the other end of an angry Inuyasha was in a lot of trouble.

“You know, with your strengths, why didn’t you try out for a soldier position?”

“I’d rather not fight if I can avoid it.”

“I see...” thankfully, there hasn’t been any major wars or battles in a long time, so the likelihood of a soldier seeing one was slim. Maybe something happened in his past to make him weary of fighting. Whatever it was, it may have also been the reason he left home.

“We’re here.”

Kagome pulls away from her thoughts just as they break through the tree line. “Wow...” The lake was bigger than she’d imagined. “This is beautiful! I wonder why no one really comes here?”

“Citizens will fish here during certain seasons, but right now is not one of them so it’s relatively empty.”

The pair stop at the edge of the water and get off, tying the horses close so they can drink. Inuyasha gestures to an old fallen log, before taking a seat. Kagome hikes up her skirt and ties it above the knee, so it won’t get dirty.

Inuyasha chuckles, “that’s new. I don’t think I’ve ever known a Princess to care about such things.”

“What do you mean?”

“If the dress gets dirty, they don’t care because the servants will wash it, or they just replace it.”

“Oh, well, I don’t really like to cause more work for the servants. I’d make my own meals if they let me.”

“You’re such an odd Princess.” But as Kagome’s mouth opens to retort, he stops her, “in a good way.”

“Um, thank you Inuyasha,” she blushes and averts her eyes.

Inuyasha sighs. “The fact you care about such things makes you a good Princess, not one of those stuck up ones who only care about themselves and money. I know you think commoners have it better, and maybe in some ways they do, but you have an ability to use your status to affect more things. If you treat your subjects well, their gonna love you for it and that’s how you keep your kingdom peaceful.”

“I never... I never thought of it like that before.”

“It’s okay. Sometimes it’s difficult to see beyond our own stories. We have to get it through the eyes of another or live in another’s shoes.”

Kagome smiles brightly. “Thank you, Inuyasha.”

“You’re welcome,” he smiles back.

Things grow into a companionable silence between the two as they take in the still, placid waters of the lake. It wasn’t a very large lake and isn’t fed by any rivers or streams but rather an underground aquifer system. Perhaps this depression in the ground was formed by a long-ago meteor, but how ever this ancient body was created, it provided a nice addition for the areas ecology.

After a long time, Kagome breaks the silence with a wispy sigh. “A cottage on the side of this lake would be perfect.”

Inuyasha notices the dreamy look on her face and smiles. “Agreed.” To raise a family here, teach them to fish and hunt, a little garden farm... Their eyes lock in as he finishes his train of thought. “That would be... really... nice.”

Heat swarms her cheeks and body at the softened gaze he’s leveling at her. Inuyasha looked ethereal as the light absorbs into his white hair, almost creating an aura surrounding his body. Her eyes focus in on the slight part in his lips. How would they feel against hers? She’s never known the pleasure. “C-Could I kiss you?” Kagome questions in a whisper filled with hesitation and trepidation. To be so forward but how could she not take such an opportunity?

He smiles, caressing her cheek lovingly with his thumb, before sweeping in and placing a gentle kiss upon her lips. It was bold, maybe even treasonous, but who was he to rebuke her request. Inuyasha moved to pull away but is thwarted when Kagome weaves her hand behind his neck to hold him in place. She presses in, tilting her head to deepen the mold between them. Oh, he was happy to oblige, running his tongue against her seam to further the kiss along. Back and forth like a waltz with Inuyasha the teacher, coaxing the Princess to learn this lesson well. Suddenly, a bit of jealousy washes over him. Teach her for who? Another guy? His stomach turned at the thought, but he didn’t want to stop.

His decision is made for him when her hands slide up and start to rub his ears. Inuyasha has no choice but to stop things from going any further. “Don’t get too familiar, Princess,” his tone grows gruff. “You know this is already crossing the line.”

“I know— but it just feels so wonderful.”

“I agree,” he groans, “but we should get back to the castle before it starts to get dark.”

Kagome nods disheartened that their day had come to an end and that he’d rebuffed the advances. It didn’t matter if she understood why, because it still hurt. She follows quietly as Inuyasha guides them back to the castle proper, all the while reflecting on everything that had happened. Inuyasha could irritate her at times, while at other times she just felt drawn to him for some reason. He was always willing to listen to her complain or did anything she requested within reason. But anxiety flows in and makes her wonder, had he kissed her because a Princess requested it, or because he actually wanted to? Ugh, if he was just following a pseudo order that... that would hurt, because she really enjoyed her first kiss.

She’s so lost in her thoughts again, that even as they make it all the way to the stables, and he’s helping her to dismount, she doesn’t notice someone else walking in.

“Oh, my goodness! It’s you! Inuyasha, that is you!”

Wait, what?! Kagome whips her head to the sound of a female voice calling Inuyasha’s name. Excuse them, he’s her ma-er, stable boy. So, who the hell is talking to him in such a familiar fashion?!

“Rin?”

“I’m sorry, no one’s allowed back here except place staff or guests.” Kagome’s voice is full of disdain for this pretty newcomer.

“My apologies. I came to meet Princess Kagome and they told me she was in here. Are you she?”

“Yes,” Kagome looks to the woman, to Inuyasha who appears to be motioning for the woman to leave, then back to the woman. “And who are you?”

Rin slaps playfully at Inuyasha’s hands, thinking it was just that, playing. She smiles and giggles. “I’m Princess Rin, Inuyasha’s niece. I never thought I’d find him here too! This so exciting!” She turns back to her uncle. “What are you doing here? Are you courting Kagome?! She’s really pretty! Oooh, tell me you’re courting her uncle Inu!”

If it wasn’t for Inuyasha’s quick instincts and strong hands, Kagome almost slips off the horse in shock. She chokes on her words, “U-uncle Inu?!” If Rin was a Princess, that had to mean?! But Rin’s not much younger than she is. “H-How?! If that’s true,” she turns to the man, “you’re?!”

“A prince...” he cringes, ears flattening against his skull from Kagome’s shrieks. “Rin is the daughter of my much older half-brother, the heir to Kamakura.”

“Why’d you lie to me this whole time!” Kagome beats her fists against his chest in anger. “I-I opened up to you because I thought you weren’t royalty and might sympathize more! But you’re actually a Prince?!”

He grabs her wrists. “Don’t you get it Kagome! I ran away from that life! If anyone knows how you feel it’s me!” When the woman stills at his words, he lets her go. “I’m just a second son in my kingdom, stuck behind rules, yet with no real place in it. So, I wanted freedom, just like you long for.” He sighs, “but now that I’ve been found, I’ll probably have to return home.”

“Wait a minute,” Rin cuts in. “So, you’re not here as a Prince? Then what are you doing here?”

“He’s been our stable hand,” Kagome mumbles. If their ally found out their Prince was working as a stable hand… “T-This is not... I’ll have to inform my parents.” She turns to Inuyasha with tears building in her eyes. It wasn’t the revelation that made her upset, but the thought of losing him before she’d had a chance to get to know the real him. “All those things you told me... about seeing from the outside. Now it makes complete sense.”

“And I meant all of it. Even though I left home feeling the same way as you, and while I enjoy the freedom of being normal, I’ve come to realize we can’t run from it forever. We all have our roles in life. I knew eventually I’d have to go back home, but then the closer we got, it became complicated and today didn’t make it any easier.”

“I don’t want you to leave.”

An awkward pause develops with neither Kagome nor Inuyasha sure of what to do next. She knew her duties and would have to report this. He knew as well, that his rouse was now gone. Today was the first time they’d allowed the feelings they were harboring to break free, but how could they make it work? If only his niece hadn’t shown up, he could have figured out how to handle the situation brewing with Kagome on his own time and terms but now?

“Ehem.” Rin clears her voice. “You know for adults, you’re both really dense in the romance department.”

“Huh?” Kagome and Inuyasha blurt out.

Rin grins at them. “So, new plan. This is what you tell your parents. Inuyasha set out to find a bride who’d love him for him and not a crown. It’s just ironic that said person ended up being a Princess. That’s why he came here and pretended to be a stable hand. When he found said person, you,” she points to Kagome, “he confessed. And I am here to confirm he’s not a crazy person trying to kidnap a Princess. Simple. Sort of,” she giggles. “Uncle Inu, if her parents allow it, you could stay to continue your courtship, as a Prince.”

“But what about afterwards?”

“Like you said uncle, you’re not the heir to Kamakura, so you are free to live outside of the palace or come home. You two can decide when the time comes.”

“Inuyasha, your niece is really smart! Are you sure you two are related?”

“Ha-ha!” He grabs a laughing Kagome around the waist and picks her up. “Who’s the idiot who picked me?”

“Tch, I blame a lack of options.”

“I ought’a drop you.”

“I’m kidding! I’m kidding!”

“You two really are courting,” Rin laughs.

“Actually, we weren’t,” Kagome corrects the woman.

“Again, dense in the romance department. But never mind. I’m glad it all worked out.”

Kagome opens her mouth to retort, but Inuyasha puts her down on her feet and covers her mouth briefly, then tips her head up. “Well, Princess? Do we go with Rin’s plan or not?”

“Mmm. On one condition. You build me a cottage by a lake.”

“Done.”

[voice-of-anarchy]

The Story Behind The Song: Arch Enemy's As The Pages Burn

Arch Enemy’s inspirational anthem certified Alissa White-Gluz as the perfect fit for the melodeath masters

Well established as one of the world’s premier face-ripping metal bands, Arch Enemy had already undergone a major personnel change when original frontman Johan Liiva had made way for the iconic Angela Gossow in 2000. From then on, Michael Amott’s virtuoso crew were unstoppable and, increasingly, a certified big deal. So when the wildly charismatic force of nature that is Angela Gossow announced that she was stepping down from the job of frontwoman and dedicating herself to Arch Enemy’s behind-the-scenes affairs, fans were left to ponder a tricky question: who the fuck could replace her? Fortunately, someone with all the right credentials had been doing their homework.

“I remember buying Wages Of Sin [Arch Enemy’s first with Angela] when I was a teenager and I’d just started to be in a band,” says Alissa White-Gluz, now Arch Enemy’s firmly established figurehead and vocalist. “It was a prog band, kind of Dream Theater-ish. I was doing all sorts of clean vocals, discovering my voice and what I wanted to do. I think it was one of the people in that band who said, ‘If you like guitar stuff, you should check out Arch Enemy’, so I got Wages Of Sin, without really knowing anything about them.”

In the often-unhinged world of heavy metal, some things seem to be written in the stars. Already on a path toward a musician’s life, Alissa heard something in Arch Enemy that instantly struck a chord, and it continued to resonate more and more as she discovered more about them, including the fact that Arch Enemy’s barbarous vocals were being delivered by a woman.

“Obviously I’d heard vocals like that before, but I remember leaving the music store and putting the CD into my Discman because I wanted to listen to it right away,” she recalls. “I was on the bus back home, flipping through the booklet, and I saw Angela’s photo. I was like, ‘Oh, wait a second!’ Ha ha! It was inspiring to hear that kind of voice and see that kind of face. As a teenage girl, it got me excited and thinking that maybe I could do that too.”

Roughly a decade later, Alissa was well on the way to fulfilling her dreams, both as frontwoman with Canadian metalcore mob The Agonist and as a live vocalist for US power metal legends Kamelot. Increasingly renowned as one of the most versatile and powerful female vocalists around, she was (with hindsight!) the perfect replacement for Angela Gossow, not least because the two already had a friendly relationship. One day, everything just fell neatly into place, much to Alissa’s surprise.

“It was all relatively simple, which sounds strange, but I was friends with Angela already and we spoke all the time,” Alissa notes. “I’d met Michael and the rest of the guys a bunch of times, although I didn’t really keep in touch with them. I was on tour with Kamelot at that point, and we were in South Korea when I got an email from Angela that said, ‘Can you jump on the phone with Michael real quick?’”

As you might expect, Alissa was available for a chat with Michael Amott, and within 10 seconds of connecting to the Swedish guitarist, she found herself with an irresistible offer to become the new singer in Arch Enemy, with Angela’s full approval and endorsement as a rather lovely bonus.

“That moment in particular in 2013, it was weird because I was 27 at the time,” she says. “My friends and family were always joking, like ‘Don’t join the 27 Club! You’ve got to get through 27!’ and all that. Then, within one month I met Doyle [burly Misfits alumnus and Alissa’s partner] and got the call from Arch Enemy, and that was right before I turned 28. So it was this weird thing, like, ‘OK, so this is actually the best year of my life!’ It did kind of feel like a cosmic event or something, I guess.”

Another indication that Alissa was destined to be a member of Arch Enemy was that she swiftly developed a winning songwriting partnership with Michael. As a fan of the band she was joining, the task of writing lyrics over Michael’s relentlessly explosive trademark sound was one she relished.

“Oh, it was great. I knew Arch Enemy’s entire catalogue musically, so I was already familiar with the writing style to some degree. As soon as he started to show me the songs for War Eternal that didn’t have any vocals yet, it was just so nice to hear a song and it’s already kickass, you know? There was nothing like, ‘Well, this part’s not so great and I need to rearrange this…’ It was just, ‘This is amazing and I’m so excited to write on it!’”

Having experienced such a life-changing event, it comes as no surprise that Alissa was in a philosophical mood when she penned the lyrics to songs for her first album with Arch Enemy, War Eternal (2014). Now a seemingly permanent fixture in the band’s live sets, As The Pages Burn stands out as the most lyrically incisive among them: an inspirational anthem about discarding the baggage of the past and striding confidently into a new day.

“It was a feeling that if every day in your life is a page in your book, you can lighten the load by burning the past,” Alissa explains. “I liked the idea that you could be present, but look forward. Nothing is written in stone, everything can be burned and changed. In a way, it came down to being 27 and thinking, ‘Am I gonna die this year?’ because that’s what people do when they’re 27, right? But actually no. I was gonna be reborn. I’d just met the love of my life and I’d joined a band that was the opposite of everything I’d experienced before. I didn’t even have to be the same person today I was yesterday.”

As transitions go, Alissa White-Gluz’s assimilation into Arch Enemy was as seamless and slick as it gets. Significantly, the response to War Eternal was almost universally positive, with the band’s new frontwoman receiving a large part of that acclaim for her dynamic and distinctive contributions to the new songs.

“I was excited. I wasn’t so much anticipating the fans’ reactions, because I had been so embraced by Sharlee [D’Angelo, bassist], Michael, Daniel [Erlandsson, drums], Angela and Nick [Cordle, now ex-guitarist], and I just felt really confident that I’d delivered great vocals for a great album. Also, because I was an Arch Enemy fan before and I knew it was a good Arch Enemy album that I’d happily buy and listen to on my Discman! Ha ha!”

With the new material hitting the spot with just about everybody, all that was left for Arch Enemy was to try out their line-up in front of an audience. Having navigated a change of singer with audacious levels of calm and common sense, Alissa and her new bandmates were probably destined to experience a few bumps in the road. Nothing ever goes that smoothly…

“Yeah, we had crazy circumstances for the first shows. We had problems with the bus so we were late for the first show. Then I broke my ribs on the second show because I fell onstage. So it was this crazy trial by fire, which seems appropriate for As The Pages Burn! but the shows were still amazing. I remember the very first show. After the first or second song, I started talking to the crowd and they started chanting my name! At that point, we all felt like, ‘Yeah, this is going to work!’ It was a really good feeling.”

Seven years on from the release of War Eternal and it’s hard to imagine anyone else as Arch Enemy’s singer. The follow-up to War Eternal, 2017’s Will To Power, added many more raging anthems to the band’s illustrious catalogue, and their reputation as one of metal’s most formidable live acts remains unassailable. Clearly, all of this was written in the stars. As Alissa bellows in As The Pages Burn: ‘A second chance carries expectation / The books you’d written no longer exist / The future is in your pen / Ink to paper, now begin…’

“In some ways I don’t feel more attached to my lyrics, as opposed to Angela’s or Michael’s,” Alissa concludes. “Any time the crowd is singing along with me, I get that feeling. We’re all a team and I’m happy to sing the other guys’ lyrics. There are even times when I’m singing one of Angela’s lyrics and I look out and I can see Angela singing them back at me! But As The Pages Burn is a big one. It’s a staple of the setlist and we play it at every show. It’s just amazing to have your words and your music appreciated.”

Published in Metal Hammer #351. Arch Enemy are due to tour Europe with Behemoth, Carcass and Unto Others in autumn 2022. See archenemy.net for more

[vs-redemption]

Crime is Common. Logic is Rare. (Ch 14)

Chapter Fourteen: Moving Day (HawksxGN!Reader)

Plot summary: You thought your hands were full as a regular quirk geneticist, but then you meet Hawks and things get even more exciting!

Warnings:  

⚠️This story contains spoilers from the manga.

⚠️Some events and plot points have been altered from the original manga

Tag List: @ gayforkeigo/ @marshmallow-witch/ @redflannel

Next Chapter : Chapter Guide

Moving was a hassle under normal circumstances, but throw in a mischievous bird and your meddlesome boss and things got a little more interesting. You definitely appreciated their help, but their antics left a bit to be desired. The good news was that the two got along pretty well, you just wished Hawks wouldn’t indulge your boss’ inner fangirl so much. Admittedly, she’d been the one to offer to help, but her enthusiasm had noticeably increased after finding out Hawks would be assisting as well. And the way her jaw had dropped upon seeing him in his casual t-shirt and jeans, well you couldn’t exactly blame her for that. She could’ve been a bit less obvious though.

“Hey!” Hawks calls your name from the doorway of your new apartment as several heavy boxes floated in on his feathers. “Where do you want these?” You turn away from the cupboard you’d been stocking with mugs and notice one of the boxes hovering near the door was labeled as ‘dishes.’

“Please be careful,” you tell him. “Some of that stuff needs to be handled carefully.”

“You really think I’d drop something?” He asks with a confident smirk and casual shrug. “Actually, I think I deserve a reward for bringing in the most boxes.” He was playing the cool pro hero boyfriend role, but you’d been able to tell something was a little off ever since he’d arrived after his morning patrol of the city. He’d been checking his phone a little too frequently, and it was putting you on edge. You wanted to talk to him and find out what had happened, but there hadn’t been a convenient moment.

“I think so too!” Your boss chimes in from the other side of the room where she was unpacking books for your bookshelf. “He’s working so hard.”

“He hasn’t lifted a finger!” You point out with a laugh, “His wings did all the heavy lifting. And anyway, the reward for both of you is being delivered in about half an hour. I hope you both like pizza.” The promise of food seemed to satisfy them both for a moment as you explained to Hawks where his feathers should take each box. The box of dishes flew over to you so you could start organizing them into the cupboards.

“You know, I still think it’s silly you two didn’t just move in together,” your boss comments while pulling the tape off another box of books. “You’re both in the same city now and young couples are cohabitating more and more these days.”

You would’ve felt more embarrassed if she hadn’t been making remarks like that the whole day. Besides, you and Hawks had already agreed that moving in together was very premature. You hadn’t been together long at all, plus it was dangerous with the situation you were both currently in. Your boss was just trying to live vicariously through you.

“I’m only moving here temporarily,” you explain for what felt like the hundredth time. “Just while I’m working on my project with Dr. Garaki so I can stop commuting back and forth.”

“Yes, but the Tokyo area is so expensive!” your boss retorts, “It’d be beneficial for the both of you to split the cost of rent.” You had to give her that one. Even with the generous contract the doctor had offered you for your services, expenses were going to be a little tighter than you were used to.

“I’ll survive,” you promise.

“My place isn’t really big enough for two people anyway,” Hawks confesses. His phone goes off in his pocket and he quickly swipes his thumb over the screen to check. A look of disappointment washes over his features but disappears quickly. He looks at you with a tight-lipped smile while tucking the phone back into his jeans.

“You’re both way too pragmatic,” your boss sighs as she breaks down the two empty boxes she’d been working on. Hawks asks her to hand them over so he can add them to the pile that would have to be taken to be recycled later.

“That’s interesting, coming from a scientist,” He tells her thoughtfully. “Aren’t you all about following protocol and adhering to strict rules and guidelines?” Your boss actually lifts an eyebrow at him and puts her fists on her hips.

“Science is about challenging what we know to be true,” she lectures. “And exploring the unknown in order to broaden our minds and develop a better understanding of the world we live in. Sometimes you need to do something unusual to find something great.”

“I already know I found something great though,” Hawks looks over to you and winks.

“That’s so sweet!” your boss gushes with stars in her eyes. Hawks looked very satisfied with the reaction.

“Don’t encourage her…” you tell the grinning bird while trying to hide that he’d flustered you as well. “Gosh, that was just cheesy.” Hawks lets out a small laugh before announcing he was going out to get the last of the boxes from the moving truck. You hadn’t brought too much to Tokyo with you, so hopefully everything would be unpacked by the end of the day.

“So, when can I finally know what you’re working on with Dr. Garaki?” your boss asks once the pizza had arrived and you were all sitting around the small table you’d brought from your old apartment. “I’m dying to find out. It must be something big if he’s being so secretive about it.”

“I’m honestly not sure,” you answer truthfully. “But I can tell you about my quirk training. I’ve been working on it on my own and in the lab with the doctor, and we finally had a breakthrough.” Your boss looked excited, but Hawks kept munching on his lunch. He’d already heard the news, plus he was checking his phone even more frequently as time passed.

“Almonds,” you reveal, trying to keep the worry out of your voice. “They’re high in Vitamin E and are generally thought to be good for eye health. I learned that eating just a handful of almonds a day increases the time I can use my quirk to seven minutes.”

“That’s great news!” your boss nods in approval.

“Yeah,” you agree. “But I found out the hard way that increasing the amount of almonds I eat doesn’t increase the time. Two extra minutes seems to be my limit.” You frowned, thinking of all the almonds the doctor had asked you to consume while running tests on your quirk. It was almost enough to make you never want to eat almonds again. At least you hadn’t lost consciousness again since the first time.

“Extending the length of time wasn’t really your goal though, right?” Hawks mentions as he grabs a couple more slices of pizza from the box. Even with whatever was going on with him, the guy could eat. “You want to increase the amount of information you can gather. The number of details.”

“That’s right,” you confirm. “Technically I am gathering more information over time, but I want to gather more information in a single moment. I want to know more about what I’m seeing.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” your boss says encouragingly. Hawks’ phone goes off and he checks the message. His golden eyes go wide and he looks to you.

“You said your cable is already set up right? Let’s turn on the TV.”

You jump up from the table to grab the remote and click on the news. A live feed immediately pops up of a helicopter view above a demolished city. The text on the screen claimed it was Deika city, but now it was just a massive crater. The newscaster was describing the situation, saying that a group of criminals had lured the heroes out of the city before launching a large scale attack. Citizens of the city had apparently banded together illegally to defend their city and fight off the villains. It was still unclear who the attackers were, but there were already a handful of confirmed deaths on the civilian side. An investigation was already underway to determine if the League of Villains was involved. Hawks’ phone buzzed again, pulling your attention from the television screen. The look on the winged hero’s face was serious as he read the message.

“I’m sorry,” he says calmly while looking up from his phone. “I’m going to have to take off.” You had the urge to beg him not to go even though you knew he had to. Whoever had contacted him just now, he couldn’t ignore it. It was his job.

“That’s all right,” your boss tries to lighten the mood. “We’ll be able to finish up on our own here. You go do your thing.”

Hawks thanks her kindly while heading to the door to slip on his shoes. You follow him over and grab his hand before he can get away. “Be careful.” You didn’t really know what else to say. Your message reaches him though and he smiles.

“I will,” he promises before sneaking in a quick peck on the cheek. Anything else would probably send your boss into a frenzy. “I’ll text you later.” You nod in understanding before watching him take off at that crazy speed he was famous for. You desperately hoped he would be okay.

[littlemisslol-fic]

Summary: Two years after the events of Barviel Keep, Varian has tried to adapt to the expectations brought by being a King’s Ward, with mixed results. Haunted by ghosts, Varian is forced to face the demons he tried to leave behind in Bayangor when his abdication is forcibly stopped by a third party, out for revenge against the Bayan Royal bloodline. On the run, with few allies left to turn to, Varian finds himself chasing a ghost through a series of tests that only a true heir of Demanitus could ever hope to pass.But the shadows are ever present, looming and dark, and not everything is as simple as it might seem.

Notes: An innocent side trip ends with repercussions. Merrick makes another move.

Today marks the one year birthday of the first story in this series, Like a Rowboat, so what better time to kick it out of hiatus than now? Time to get the ball rolling again.

The road to Pincosta was a lesson in patience.

The group kept off the main roads for the most part, sticking to the backroads just as they had while making their way to Old Corona. They’d been walking for almost two days already, and Varian was starting to get tired. The backroads were quiet, the kinds of roads someone would walk if they didn’t want to be discovered- but that also meant that they weren’t exactly well maintained, nor were they the quickest option available.

Varian scowled as he tripped over a stone that had been half-embedded in the dirt path, grunting and shaking out his foot as he followed Eugene and Rapunzel through the quiet woods. He knew the logic behind not taking the main road- hell if anything it was the obvious choice- but that didn’t make sloughing through endless muddy, messy, footpaths was fun.

Eugene seemed unaffected as he led them along, idly swatting at a few large bugs that were buzzing around his head. With an exaggerated grin he slung an arm over Varian’s shoulder, gently nudging a half-asleep Ruddiger.

“Smell that, kid?” he said, taking a dramatic sniff. Varian rolled his eyes, but played along. It was nice of Eugene to try and distract him, and he was grateful to be distracted.

“What,” Varian asked, “The smell of damp forest and skunk? Cause if so, yeah, I smell it.”

“Not that, my vertically-challenged friend!” Eugene said, shaking Varian a little at the sass. Ruddiger chittered his disagreement with that, but Eugene held strong in the face of the raccoon’s ire. “That, my dear boy, is the smell of adventure!”

“Exhilarating.” Varian deadpanned, catching sight of Rapunzel smothering a laugh with her hand. “I am… just so excited. Truly, my feeble heart can’t take it-”

“I know!” Eugene cut him off, “Think of this as your chance to finally travel! That’s what you wanted, right?”

Varian looked skywards- Sun give him strength- before fixing Eugene with an exasperated look.

“You know,” Varian said, “I think the circumstances kind of changed some things.”

Eugene paused, but shrugged.

“Never happy, these kids!” he said to Rapunzel, who snorted into her hand. Even Varian couldn’t help but snicker, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter as he tried to keep a straight face. Eugene wasn’t done, however. “I’m just saying, give them an inch and they’ll take a mile, no gratefulness at all-”

“I resent that.” Varian finally broke, playfully shoving at Eugene, “Keep going on about the youths and I’ll sick Angry and Red on you-”

“You wouldn’t dare-”

“Try me.”

Eugene’s eyebrow raised, the main appraising Varian to try and find the lie. Unable to find it, he huffed out a put-upon sigh, removing his arm and instead ruffling Varian’s hair. The alchemist scowled, swatting at him, but Eugene merely took the hits with grace.

“You win this round, goggles, but I swear when we get to Pincosta-”

“Which I still don’t think is a good idea-”

“You shush. When we get you to Pincosta, you’ll be grateful for this life experience we’ve given you. Someday, we’re all gunna look back on this and laugh!”

“Like the time with the Saporians?”

“Well, no, okay-”

“Or the time with Cassandra?”

“Now that was extenuating circumstances-”

“And the time with Zhan Tiri?”

Eugene finally gave up, shaking his head with a good-natured sigh. Rapunzel seemed to dislike the direction the conversation was headed, stepping up and putting a hand on both their shoulders.

“How about we break for lunch?” she asked, “I don’t know about you two, but I’m starving!”

Varian sank down into a slouch, backing off. Eugene had just been trying to lighten the mood, it wasn’t fair for Varian to get snippy with him. When they stopped on the side of the road, he nudged Eugene in a quiet apology, which the man returned. Varian shot him a grateful smile, taking the subsequent hair ruffle with grace. All of them were on edge, it was true, but at least Eugene was the forgiving type.

Rapunzel sighed as she flopped down onto the grass on the side of the path, stretching her arms a bit and rustling around the duffle bag. The sun beat down on them, hotter out from under the canopy of the trees, and she seemed to perk up with the brighter light.

“Okay!” she said, “Let’s see what we’ve got.” The clinking of glassware echoed around her, the princess moving empty bottles and supplies around. Varian sighed and sat next to her, leaning into her side with a tired whine. Rapunzel shouldered the motion with grace, taking the brunt of her brother’s weight as he complained.

They’d been walking for days- Varian’s feet felt like they were going to fall off. It wasn’t like this was the longest trip he’d ever been on but with the horrible terrain, combined by the swift pace Rapunzel was leading them on, Varian was ready to drop. Eugene looked a little better, flopping down with a huff onto his own patch of grass. He fell flat on his back, letting out a long breath and closing his eyes. Varian snickered quietly, watching the dramatics. Rapunzel paused for a second, arching a brow.

“Okay,” she said, “Who ate the last of the apples?”

Ruddiger took the opportunity to slide off of Varian’s shoulders- hitting the grass with a thump and frantically scurrying off into the woods. The three humans watched him go, before sighing in tandem.

“You know, I think I might have a theory.” Eugene said, not opening his eyes.

“Right.” Rapunzel sighed, sorting through the bag again. “In that case, I guess it’s good we’re near a city; this is the last of our food.” She pulled out a small jar of pickled eggs, scrunching her nose at the sight of the green liquid. Varian did the same, leaning away as she undid the lid. The strong smell of vinegar and egg wafted from the jar; Varian cringed.

Eugene popped an eye open at the stench, sitting up with a sudden excitement.

“Oh, gimme!” he crowed, “I love these things!”

Rapunzel passed him the jar without question, looking away as Eugene began to shove eggs in his mouth. Varian felt himself almost gag- while healthy, pickled eggs had never really been his go to snack, per se. Eugene didn’t seem to care, shoveling them like it was his final meal. With a small muffled mrph noise he offered the jar to Rapunzel who smiled but shook her head. Eugene shrugged and went back to eating.

The princess turned away, smiling conspiratorially and shifting a little so that Eugene couldn’t see what she had. With a small grin, she held up a small bag of… something. Varian arched a brow, leaning closer as she held out her hand and poured a small cluster of hard candies into it, each wrapped in a golden foil that caught the light and glittered.

Varian’s face lit up, and Rapunzel shushed him quickly. She nudged his hand gently, tipping her own so that half the candy fell into his palm. Varian smiled, leaning against her as they unwrapped the treat. Rapunzel’s smile was warm, leaning her head on his; Varian could feel her smile on the crown of his head. The taste of maple sugar was a welcome one, something sweet and simple that was oddly grounding after the week he’d had. Something about being able to sit and enjoy a small luxury settled Varian, made him feel a little more at ease.

So, of course, that’s when the universe had to intervene.

Eugene suddenly made a noise, something that was distinguishable as distressed, but through the eggs there wasn’t much in the way of words. Varian and Rapunzel both straightened up as the man hastily gestured down the road before screwing the lid onto his jar and shoving it into their bag. The man grabbed the bag’s strap, frantically gesturing for them to move towards the thick treeline. Varian was up first, cautiously getting to his feet and watching as Eugene frantically gestured towards the road. The man finally seemed to get sick of being a mime, huffing and firmly pushing Varian towards the brush, Rapunzel hot on his heels. The three of them skid into the woods, hunkering down among the thick leaves and branches at Eugene’s insistence. The man swallowed thickly, gasping, before sinking lower in his hiding place.

“Horses,” he whispered, “A lot of horses.”

Sure enough, not a minute later, the thundering of hooves was audible over the noises of the forest. The three Coronians huddled closer to the ground, watching with tense anticipation as a large group of men- all of them wearing dark coats and a blood red sash- thundered by on horseback. Varian felt Rapunzel’s hand reach for his wrist, grabbing it tightly. He slipped his wrist up, so they were holding hands, the two siblings cringing into each other as the group of Merrick’s men passed them by.

Varian could hear his own panicked heartbeat thud in time with the horses’ hooves, scrunching his eyes closed in fear. Rapunzel was shaking next to him, her hand gripping tightly onto his. Varian was sure if she gripped any tighter his bones would snap. Eugene was the only one of them who seemed even a little composed, but Varian could feel the tenseness in the man’s shoulders next to him, speaking of experience. It set Varian on edge, to know Eugene was anxious about their situation.

The alchemist shuddered, cringing closer to Rapunzel as one of the men called something to the group in a language he didn’t understand; all three Coronians flinched when the group laughed loudly.

After what seemed like hours the patrol finally passed them, the crew of nearly twenty men finally thundering away as quickly as they’d come. Once they were out of sight Rapunzel made to stand, but stopped when Eugene held up a hand. She sank back down into the dirt, not questioning Eugene’s strange behaviour. There was a tense beat of silence between them all, the forest slowly reawakening around them. The only thing Varian could hear was birdsong and the rustling of leaves, but even he waited for Eugene’s say-so before moving. Rapunzel did the same, both she and Varian watching with interest as the man put his ear to the ground.

He held the position for a tense couple of seconds, ear touching the dirt, before looking to them and nodding, pushing up and onto his feet.

“We’re clear,” he said, “They’ve moved on.”

The three slowly crept back onto the road, still tense after the close call. Varian’s rabbit heartbeat slowly began to calm, the thud-thud in his ears abating now that the danger seemed to have passed. He stared down the trail, towards where the warriors had gone, his face sinking into a frown.

“That isn’t… great.” Varian said, looking with wide eyes down the path where the men had vanished. “If they’re already out here, then-”

“Then we’ll just have to be really careful.” Rapunzel said with her hands on her hips. “They’ll be going for Vardaros, but so long as we don’t draw too much attention to ourselves, it’ll be okay.”

“Sunshine’s right.” Eugene agreed, trying to seem positive in the light of Varian’s concern. “Just gotta make sure to stick to the side roads, and keep an ear to the ground. Like hide-and-seek!”

“We still have to go to Vardaros, though.” Varian said grimly, “Unless we want to eat pickled eggs for the whole trip.”

Eugene’s eyes lit up at that, but Rapunzel looked downright squeamish at the thought.

“Good point,” she said, tapping at her chin with her frying pan. “Maybe Eugene and I will go, Varian, and you can stay behind and-”

“And what, get attacked?” Varian argued, “Splitting up is literally the worst thing we could do right now.”

Rapunzel paused, thinking it over. Varian picked at his glove, still looking down the road. He knew that logically it wouldn’t be smart to split up, leaving him alone would inevitably end with Varian having to fend off any attacks on his own, which with his track record could only end badly. There was also the niggling feeling of patronization, that Rapunzel thought he was so useless he needed to be left in the woods while she and Eugene did all the work. It made him almost want to take back what he’d said, to be left alone just to show he could, but tactically it was a horrible plan. Rapunzel didn’t seem enthused by the idea either, tapping her chin once more.

“Well, we’ll have to see how it looks when we get there,” she finally said, tugging at her hair nervously. “Maybe they won’t even stop in Vardaros, they could just move on if they think we’re farther ahead.”

“With our luck?” Eugene laughed, shouldering their bag with a grunt. “I bet they’ve already set up shop.”

Rapunzel deflated, her shoulders slumping. Varian looked at her closely, saw the exhaustion in her spine and the despondence in her face. Something sick filtered through his gut, a tense collection of fear and anxiety and stress- but he shoved it down. Rapunzel had been shouldering his bad mood for the last two days, and had tried to be nothing but positive- but even she couldn’t deny the severity of their situation. Varian grit his teeth, standing a little straighter. The sick feeling in his stomach solidified into a determination, and he stepped closer to her, catching her eye.

“We’ll deal with it when we get there,” he said, “But we’ll deal with it like we deal with everything else- together.”

That seemed to do the trick; Rapunzel perked right back up again, nodding.

“And we’ll win together too,” she declared. “Just like we always do.” She smiled, the first real one Varian had seen from her in days. It scrunched her face in the same way it always had, full and bright and open in a way that was just so Rapunzel. For the first time since Corona burned, Varian saw his sister again. She smiled, glorious and full, and it shined lighter than the sun.

“To Vardaros, then,” she said.

Varian smiled, letting her link their arms at the elbow.

“To Vardaros.”

>>><<<

Rapunzel found that something in her refused to relax.

It had been hours since they’d last seen the patrol- nearly half a day, to be exact- but she still felt the same tenseness in her muscles that she had when they’d been right in front of her and her family. The princess shuddered- that had been too close for comfort, even if nothing had come from it. They were looking for Varian; Merrick had probably sent men in each cardinal direction in an attempt to find her brother, like dogs after a downed bird.

The thought made her sick to her stomach.

Rapunzel startled a little as Varian- fast asleep to her left, his head propped up on her leg- snuffled in his sleep, and curled tighter around Ruddiger unconsciously. Rapunzel smiled softly, something frail and affectionate; she lifted a hand up to run it through his messy hair, gently untangling some of the larger knots with the sort of unconscious ease she had from years of practice. Varian leaned into the touch, snuggling closer into her warmth. Eugene snored nearby, flung half over a log as he twitched in his sleep.

Rapunzel snickered at her husband, the man idly kicking a foot into the dirt. Varian shifted a bit at the noise- Rapunzel kept detangling his hair as he settled again. The clearing around them was well off the beaten path- Rapunzel was grateful, as they were finally able to light a fire for the first time in days. It cracked merrily in the middle of their small camp, tucked out of sight in the massive, winding roots of an ancient elm. The forest around them was calm and quiet, relaxed in a way that suggested safety.

But Rapunzel refused to let herself be caught off guard.

She idly thumbed at the handle of her frying pan. She was sitting with her back to one of the large roots, propped up against it in something almost like a slouch. It was late in the evening, the moon full and bright in the cloudless sky. Rapunzel caught herself scanning the forest in the moonlight, unable to trust her surroundings.

Not while she had her family to protect.

Ruddiger purred in his sleep, snuggling close to Varian. The boy hugged his pet close to his chest, curling into a ball around the raccoon. Rapunzel cooed under her breath- for all Varian liked to insist he was an adult, he would always be her little brother. And that was the crux of it all, wasn’t it? It was up to her to protect him from things that would do him harm; she would gladly step between him and danger no matter the cost. Rapunzel sighed, gently taking her hand from his hair. He didn’t register the change, huddling close with a sigh and relaxing a little more into her leg. Rapunzel smiled, idly slipping a hand into her dress pocket to ward off the cold. Despite the fire, it was still early spring; the evening chill was nothing if not persistent.

Rapunzel’s fingers touched parchment, and her heart sank.

She had nearly forgotten about the letter. Varian’s letter, if she were brutally honest with herself, the one she had been hiding from him. Rapunzel bit her lip, slowly drawing the wrinkled envelope out. She’d completely forgotten she’d kept it in her dress, worried that someone would find it and deliver it to its rightful owner- and by the Sun didn’t that train of thought make her feel cruel. Varian had a right to know that Aisha- his mother- was alive, that she was waiting for him to come find her. Her throat felt tight, like it was being squeezed at the thought.

Did the events of the past few days not prove that Varian was better off without any sort of connection to his bloodline? All Bayangor had ever brought him was fire and blood, chaos and death and pain- it broke Rapunzel’s heart to see her brother put through so much in such a brief amount of time. Bayangor had brought them Aldred, it had brought them Merrick, it had brought them yet another attack on Corona. Quirin had died to keep Varian away from these people, away from his history. Bayangor had given them a kidnapped child and a crown made to rip the free will away from its wearer- it had given them nothing but suffering and misery, and Rapunzel wouldn’t stand by and let Varian get sucked back into the absolute hellfire that was that bloodline. Not again.

The note was still folded in its open envelope- Rapunzel had kept it as intact as she could to keep it as inconspicuous as possible. She reached in with dainty fingers and drew the letter from the envelope. In the silence of the forest the soft crinkle of parchment sounded near damning, but she persisted. The words were identical to the last time she’d read it, the same pleas from a woman who only wanted to see her son, word for word. Rapunzel had poured over the note countless times by now, reading and rereading as if it would change the contents the more she willed them to be different. It never changed, though, remaining as damning as ever.

Rapunzel tensed as she read it again, seeing the words your mother scrawled on the bottom like a branding flame, large and obvious and nigh unmissable-

Eugene let out a particularly large snort, shattering the silence and startling Rapunzel. She felt her heart leap in her throat at the sudden loud noise, clutching the letter close and holding it tightly. Varian shifted, rolling over. Rapunzel shoved the letter into her pocket, frantically trying to calm her racing heart as Varian’s eyes groggily blinked open.

“Punzie?” he asked, his voice slurred with sleep, “Wha-happun?”

Rapunzel couldn’t help but smile- with the note safely tucked away in her pocket she had both hands to gently begin to fuss with his hair again. As much as he whined, she knew that he enjoyed the contact. Case and point, Varian leaned into the touch with a smile, his eyes slipping closed a little.

“Nothing happened,” Rapunzel assured him, “Just Eugene snoring.”

“Not again…” Varian whined, pressing his face into her knee. Rapunzel laughed quietly, biting her lip as the boy snuggled a complacent Ruddiger close.

“Go back to sleep,” she prompted him, sighing with relief when he took the advice. Within another minute he’d fallen back asleep, his breaths evening out. Rapunzel kept playing with his hair, looking around the campsite again. The dark was an inky blanket around them, thick and cloying.

Suspicious.

“You’re okay.” she whispered to him. He didn’t respond, of course, but she kept mumbling to him in the quiet of the night. “You’re okay. Nothing’s going to hurt you, not again.”

She felt her teeth grit, thinking of fire and wind and pink tourmaline, of grey stone and a burning library. She looked down to her brother, so young, so innocent, and with a history filled with so much pain. Rapunzel was through sitting on the sidelines, chasing after the evils of the night instead of meeting them head on before they could do any damage. Her gaze hardened, the women shifting to look into the fire with a newfound sense of determination. When she spoke next, her voice echoed with conviction.

“Not while I’m here. I promise.”

>>><<<

Varian had never been to Vardaros before- hell, before this disastrous week he’d never been outside of Corona save for his forced vacation to Bayangor- but from the stories Rapunzel and Eugene had told him he didn’t exactly have high expectations.

And even then, Vardaros still managed to be disappointing.

Varian huffed a little as he pulled the hood of his dad’s cloak a little higher on his head, his hair covered by the large hood. He shrank into the feeling of it, the swatch of blue-grey fabric warm and soft and feeling almost safe as he quietly followed Rapunzel and Eugene through the packed streets. Rapunzel stuck close to him, constantly looking back as if to confirm that Varian was still following them; the alchemist couldn’t help but feel a little put-upon… did she think he was going to wander off like a little kid? Get lost like a toddler in the crowd?

Varian bit the inside of his cheek, trying to push down the indignation. Rapunzel was probably just as stressed, tired, and generally shaken as Varian was. He had to cut her a little slack, right? It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, it was probably that she was just worried.

Right?

The alchemist shook himself; he was being paranoid, and this was not the time for infighting. He sank a little deeper into the cloak, pulling it closer. It was a warmer day today, thankfully, but not so warm that Varian’s cloak looked suspicious; a small stroke of luck that was blissfully received. The market was relatively quiet; Eugene had taken them to one of the shadier market centers in the city in order to keep a lower profile- and thus it was basically abandoned in the light of the midafternoon.

The stone walls that made up the canyon Vardaros sat in reached high into the sky, so high that Varian had to crane his neck to see the top. The market, being crammed into one of the smaller canyon offshoots, had multiple stories of buildings, reaching up by at least three to four stories. The higher levels were connected by a series of wooden footpaths and rope bridges, the complex network nearly blotting out the sun by the time it hit ground level. Varian was rather appreciative of it, sticking to the shadows and generally trying to stay out of the way; it wouldn’t end well if he were recognized, especially considering the search party they’d seen earlier the previous day.

Eugene led them through the market, a series of stalls and small shops manned by the kind of people who, had Quirin been around to see them, Varian would have been told to stay away from. Though Vardaros had been cleaned up in the past few years- at least according to Rapunzel and Eugene- it was obvious that a reputation as a hive of scum and villainy was harder to wash away than most would hope. Here, in the underbelly of the underbelly, it seemed that Vardaros’ use as a crime hub was still going strong.

And now, it was decidedly working to their advantage.

“We’ve almost got everything.” Eugene was saying, “But I want to see if we can get some science stuff for the kid-” Varian perked up at that, “Just in case.”

Rapunzel bit her lip, searching through the pocket of her dress. She pulled out the gold that Frederic had left in their bag, idly counting it. It was a fair handful, at least to Varian, but he’d also been raised smart enough to know how to budget. Rapunzel pursed her lips, tilting her head.

“We could probably swing for some alchemy supplies,” she finally agreed, “So long as we keep it to the essentials.”

The last bit was directed to Varian, who snapped to attention. He nodded quickly, looking between the two of them.

“I don’t need much.” he said, “Just a couple compounds for the goo-bombs, maybe some for higher caliber explosives-”

“Maybe we won’t do the explosives, bud.” Eugene cut him off, “No offence but they’re not exactly… subtle, and we need to be at least a little sneaky if we’re going to get where we need to go in one piece.”

Varian paused, thinking about what Eugene had said, before nodding.

“Fair enough,” the boy said, “I’ll just make extra goo-bombs then.”

“Deal!” Rapunzel chirped. A few people looked at her with odd expressions, seeing someone so peppy in the middle of such an… interesting group of people was probably a little strange. One of the larger men looked from Rapunzel to Varian; the boy shrank back under his gaze, shifting closer to Eugene as he did so. The man’s eyes narrowed, but he moved on, disappearing into the crowd. Varian shuddered- he didn’t look like one of Merrick’s men, but one could never be certain.

Eugene paused when Varian drifted close. The brunette followed the boy’s eyeline, just catching the strange man vanishing into the crowd. Eugene pursed his lips, looping an arm around Varian’s shoulders. Varian felt his nerves settle at the touch, breathing easier. Eugene patted at his back, comforting.

“C’mon kid,” he said, “Sooner we got the alchemy shop, sooner we’re out of here and on the road again, right?”

Varian leaned into Eugene’s side, sinking deeper into the feeble, protective half-hug. He tried to calm his racing thoughts, with limited success.

“Yeah,” the boy said, trying to sound enthused. “Yeah, of course.”

They moved on together, sticking to side streets and alleyways, keeping well out of the public eye. Vardaros had a certain feeling to it- it gave Varian the constant urge to check over his shoulder. Like the city itself might swallow him up if he wasn’t careful. Varian felt guilty by association just by walking around. Something about Vardaros made him nervous- be it the patrons or the looming, constricting walls of the canyon surrounding the city- and Varian couldn’t wait to be back on the road.

The side street they were on opened up into another large courtyard, surrounded on all sides by shoddy looking buildings. In the very center was a large fountain, long since died up and left to crumble. The cracked cobblestones shifted slightly under Varian’s boots, crumbling as he walked. Eugene’s arm was solid on his shoulders, tugging him along and keeping him away from prying eyes. Varian’s gaze drifted along the wall of a nearby building, where a large board was put up. Bounties, he realized, looking at nearly fifty different pictures all tacked up haphazardly. The board was nearly caked with wanted posters, some official from different kingdoms, some very obviously from different gangs and organizations. Varian slipped out from under Eugene’s arm, and looked closer.

He caught sight of some familiar faces, Andrew, the Stabbingtons, a few others he recognized from prison, but one bounty was painted with damning perfection and put right smack in the middle of the board.

Varian’s eyes widened when he saw his own face staring back at him.

He stumbled over a cracked cobblestone, jerking to a halt. Varian heard, more than felt, his breath hitch. How had they already- so quickly-

Shit.

“Uh. Guys?” he called softly. Both adults turned to see what he was looking at. The poster of Varian’s face was blatantly obvious, as was the ludicrously high price of eighteen-hundred gold for a live capture. Varian’s bounty hadn’t even been that high when he’d been accused of attacking the princess- and if the large stamp of bright red ink in the bottom corner was any indication, Merrick wanted Varian very badly.

“Oh. Uh.” Eugene said, shifting closer to the wall. “That is a… very high number.”

Varian nodded, stunned, biting his lip. How long had the poster been up? It couldn’t have been awfully long, the parchment hadn’t even started to degrade from being outside yet. The anxiety began to creep back in, a sick, cloying feeling. Varian bit a little harder into his lip- who had seen the wanted poster yet? He knew they had been careful, but even Eugene had mentioned that they probably had a few more days before a bounty would go out. They thought they’d have more time before word would get out, before they’d have to be overly cautious. Varian looked back to the poster, his heart sinking.

It seems their time had run out.

“What are we looking at- oh.” Rapunzel's voice cut off as she got a look at the poster. Varian’s terrified little face stared back, immortalized in ink and parchment. Varian couldn’t help but feel a little offended, at least his Coronian wanted posters had made him look scary, not like a frightened baby bunny. Eugene patted him on the back, sympathetic, before reaching forward and tearing the poster off the wall.

“Hey, at least they got your nose right,” the man grumbled, looking once at the paper before shoving it into his pocket. Rapunzel looked nervous, scanning the crowd. Varian did the same, not arguing as she reached a hand for him. The boy took her hand without question, following as Rapunzel tugged him away from the board. The three Coronians dipped into the shadow of a stall, huddling in a circle and looking at each other for a plan. Rapunzel dropped her grip once Varian was turned away, grabbing up their bag of supplies, but she shifted so that she was shoulder to shoulder with him, as if assuring herself that he was still there with physical contact.

“Forget the alchemy,” she said quickly, “We’ve got to get out of the city.”

“Agreed,” both Eugene and Varian said at the same time. Rapunzel was already moving back into the street, the boys following her lead-

A rough hand closed around Varian’s wrist.

The alchemist winced as he was forced to stop, looking over to see the man who had been looking at him oddly before. The man held up another copy of the wanted poster, gruffly shoving it in Varian’s face.

“This you?” the man asked, shaking the parchment.

The boy backed up as much as he could, nose wrinkling at the smell of the man’s foul breath.

“Nope!” he said, trying for a peppy smile, “Can’t say it is, sorry sir-”

The man reached a calloused, filthy hand up and tore Varian’s hood down, his eyes immediately going to the stripe in the boy’s hair. His gnarled, pockmarked face split into a wide grin, and the grip on Varian’s wrist got tighter.

“I think it is,” the man said. His greasy, black hair fell forwards into his face as he leaned forward into Varian’s space. “And that means I am about to be very rich.”

The boy tugged a little harder on his wrist, his other hand reaching for one of his bombs on his belt- this was exactly why they shouldn’t have come to the city, they should have just foraged for something to eat. Ruddiger hissed at the man from his place on Varian’s shoulder, growling like a little motor-

A familiar figure loomed up behind Varian, and the alchemist caught sight of a silver knife before Eugene Fitzherbert’s voice drifted between the boy and the man holding him.

“Problem, sir?” Eugene asked, the silver of his knife glinting in the weak sunlight of Vardaros’ underbelly. The man went pale, quickly letting go of Varian’s wrist. The boy clutched his hand close, rubbing at the spot where he knew a bruise was beginning to form and backing into Eugene’s chest. The man scowled, looking at Eugene with a murderous expression.

“No trouble,” he hissed, stormy grey eyes flicking from Eugene to the knife, to Varian, then back to the knife.

“Good.” Eugene said. “If that’s all, my brother and I will be going. You have yourself a nice, quiet day.”

The man’s expression darkened, but he still backed away from the Coronians. Eugene set a hand on Varian’s elbow, pushing the boy back towards Rapunzel and behind him. Varian had seen the expression on Eugene’s face a few times, the grim set of teeth and furrowed brows that only showed up when the man was furious with whatever was in front of him. Even when they’d been enemies, Varian had never seen it directed towards him- but he had seen it directed towards others before… Zhan Tiri, the Stabbingtons, Merrick.

And to Aldred.

The grey eyed thug vanished from sight. Varian saw Eugene’s shoulders slump with relief, the man’s posture sagging.

“Let’s get out of here,” Eugene said, shuffling his family forward nervously. “I don’t think we have a lot of time before nosey over there tries his hand at something else.”

Rapunzel nodded in agreement, and together the three of them hurried to gather their supplies and move on. Varian followed in her shadow, meekly hiding behind her. As they scurried off, leaving the market in the dust, none of the Coronians noticed a set of grey eyes following them, nor the scraggly, malicious smile splitting a pockmarked face.

The man turned, disappearing into the crowds like smoke in the air.

>>><<<

When Arianna met Merrick for the second time, he seemed smug. Something in the way he smiled at her and her husband put the queen on the defensive. It had been days locked away in isolation in the cold, damp, inky depths of the dungeon- and to see her jailer return in such high spirits made Arianna’s hackles raise. Her first thought was for Varian- if Merrick had found her boy, harmed a hair on his head-

“So, I’ve been thinking,” Merrick said, leaning up against the wall across from Arianna’s cell. “We kinda got started on the wrong foot.”

“Is that what we’re calling it?” she asked, crossing her arms. Merrick’s grin only widened.

“It’s what I’m calling it, sure.”

“And that’s the only thing that matters?”

Merrick paused, pretending to think before nodding with a grin.

“Yep,” he said, popping the p. “Now. Okay. So I know it’s been rough, and I do so apologize for the way you’ve been treated- our fight isn’t with Corona, it’s with the crow, after all. But since he’s got the both of you convinced that he’s innocent, or whatever, I’m afraid we’re going to have to resort to… drastic measures.”

His flesh hand waved in a complex motion, and Arianna saw toxic green eyes twitch. Sparks leapt from Merrick’s outstretched hand, flying forwards unnaturally and moving directly into Frederic’s face. The man stumbled back, coughing roughly before suddenly jerking to a stop. Arianna watched in horror as her husband’s eyes glazed over and nearly unfocused- the man almost slumped over from his own weight.

“What did you do?!” she demanded, glaring at the teenager in front of her. Merrick grinned, flexing his natural hand.

“Told her I didn’t screw it up,” the man muttered to himself before turning to Arianna. “And don’t worry, queenie-bee,” his grin went sharp, “I merely… convinced him to see things my way. Freddy, darling?”

Frederic snapped to attention, glazed eyes focusing on Merrick through the bars. Merrick stood a little taller- Arianna tensed at the look of absolute malice on his face.

“Tell me, where would your daughter take the crow?” Merrick asked, crossing his arms and looking expectant.

“I don’t know.” Frederic mumbled- Arianna felt herself slump in relief. They may not have known for sure where Rapunzel would have taken Varian, but they did have a few ideas between the two of them. Merrick’s face darkened, but he still pulled a key from his pocket nonetheless and opened Frederic’s cell.

“So, you were telling the truth then. That… isn’t ideal.” Merrick muttered. “But I guess that’s why we improvise.”

He turned to Arianna, who slowly backed away from the iron bars of her own cell. Fear pulsed through her, but she forced herself into a straight back and a stiff lip. She glared at her jailer, even as he pulled a face at her.

“Ah, well.” Merrick shrugged, shaking out both hands as if the metal one could get as sore as his original. “Guess I’ll be needing both of you. Pain in the ass, but c’est la vie!”

He did the same motion again- Arianna felt a rise of panic as she pressed herself into the stones at her back. The man scoffed as the sparks grew from his hand once more, looking her dead in the eye.

“Don’t worry,” he said, “It’s just like falling asleep… and when you wake up there’ll be one less evil in the world.”

The sparks hit her dead in the face- Arianna coughed roughly as she breathed them in. A sudden urge to sleep overtook her, clouding her thoughts like smoke in a closed room. She clenched her fists against the stone wall at her back, shaking her head. She had to fight it, if not for herself than for her children- Varian and Rapunzel would need all the help they could get…

Arianna grit her teeth, shaking her head once more. The spell pushed at her consciousness once more, the most aggressive attack yet, but then… silence. The smoke in the crevices between her thoughts dissipated- Arianna stood a little straighter as the feeling of drowsy claws trying to drag her under let go. The spell… hadn’t took? Arianna panicked a little, her mind reeling; the spell hadn’t worked, but what to do about that fact?

Thinking quickly, Arianna tried to mimic Frederic’s stance, slumping a little and unfocusing her eyes. If Merrick couldn’t tell the difference, then maybe she could escape? Or find help, at least. Arianna stared blankly at the floor, trying to school her face into a lax expression- she shoved the panic down deep into her chest and waited with hitching breath.

There was the sound of jingling keys, and a lock being flicked.

“See? Easy.” Merrick muttered to himself, “Just gotta force two innocent people into giving me information, like that’s morally justifiable.”

Arianna’s cell popped open just like Frederic’s had, and the Queen let out a small sigh of relief. Merrick grumbled to himself as he turned around, walking from the room. His whole demeanour had changed, the false pep long gone. The act, it seemed, had been dropped. His shoulders slouched, face flipping into a small frown as he waved at them to leave their cells.

“Follow me, then,” he sighed. Frederic began a lumbering gait forwards- if Arianna didn’t know any better, she would think he was sleepwalking. She mimicked his posture, silently following the two men up the stairs. Her thoughts were flying a mile a minute- why hadn’t the spell worked? It hadn’t worked on Varian either… what connected them that didn’t also connect Frederic? The halls of her home, charred but still standing at least, flew by as Arianna’s thoughts grew more and more wild.

She could see ash and burned lumber being cleared away by maids and guards alike, the entirety of Corona brought to their knees by the band led by the man in front of her. Countless members of Merrick’s group kept watch over the castle staff, keeping them in line. She felt her teeth grit, hoping that her people had at least been treated with respect during their time since the takeover… no one seemed worse for wear, but she could see the shock and fear in their eyes as their monarchy went walking past. A large part of her wanted to call out to them, to tell them it was going to be alright, but she couldn’t. She needed to be smart about this- and the opportunity she’d been given was worth too much to pass up.

Merrick led them to one of the council rooms, one that Arianna had never really used in her time as queen. It was a smaller space, only twenty by twenty meters, with a large table set in the very center. Cerise was there as well, slouching in an ornate chair with her boots kicked up on the oak surface. She looked smug, rocking her chair on the back two legs. When Merrick entered the room, she let her chair hit the polished wooden floor with a thunk- and her grin turned into a smile with too many teeth.

“So it worked this time?” she asked, her voice echoing in the chamber. Merrick scowled, shoving at her as he drew close.

“You shut it,” he said, “I don’t know what happened with the crow- but I didn’t screw it up.”

“Sounds like denial to me, but whatever helps you sleep at night.” The younger woman grinned, “And we have news.”

Arianna tensed, but followed Frederic as Merrick gestured for them to sit. She did so, holding her head down so they couldn’t see the fright in her eyes. Had they found Varian?

“Did one of the patrols catch them?” Merrick asked, decidedly more excited than Arianna would think he could sound.

“Not quite.” Cerise grunted. She pulled out a map of the nearby territories, laying it out and setting it on the table. Arianna could see countless notes and lines drawn over its old, brittle surface. Cerise pointed with a thin finger, gesturing to a large city.

“They were spotted in Vardaros,” she said, and Arianna’s heart dropped. Cerise kept going, ignoring how Merrick shoved into her space to stand so they were side by side. “About a day ago.”

“All the way out there?” Merrick mumbled, “Damn, they’ve made good time.”

“They must be walking in basically a straight line.” Cerise agreed, “But I think I know where they’re headed.”

“You just said they were in Vardaros,” Merrick said, confused.

“Yeah, were in Vardaros- they would’ve moved on by now.”

“But why would they do that? The place is perfect to hide the crow.”

“Exactly, it’s too perfect. I’m willing to bet they stopped for supplies and kept going.”

“But where? They could be anywhere by now-”

“Not exactly.” Cerise cut her brother off, gesturing with her finger. “Look, they started in Corona-” Her finger jabbed at the map. “-And made a beeline towards Vardaros, but didn’t stay.” Her hand moved in a perfect line across the map to land on a tiny, painted version of the city. “So, then what?”

“Then they ran to wherever they were actually headed.” Merrick said, scratching at the back of his neck. “C’mon, ‘Rise, I’m not good at this tactical shit.”

Cerise rolled her eyes, but began to elaborate. She moved her hand along the same line that it had been travelling before, moving past Vardaros and off into the outer countryside. Merrick followed her finger with interest, as did Arianna.

“If Vardaros was a stop,” Cerise explained as she did so, “Then they weren’t making a beeline for the city- they were aiming directly at their final destination and Vardaros just happened to be in the way.”

“Oh.” Merrick said, drawing it out. “Duh.”

“Yeah, duh.”

“Shut up.”

Cerise only snorted, her finger trailing to a stop on what looked like a coffee stain on the parchment. She cocked her head, raising a brow. Her eyes focused on the spot, and she leaned forward for a closer look.

“Looks like the only place nearby is a place called… Pincosta,” she mused, and Arianna could hear the confusion in her voice. The queen tried to keep her breath from hitching- Rapunzel had told them about her adventures once the Saporian memory wipe was over, she knew her daughter had been to Pincosta. The panic in her chest came back with a vengeance, loud and screaming-

“Never heard of it.” Merrick grunted, pushing his sister’s hand out of the way to get a better look. Cerise seemed unaffected, slapping him on the shoulder in offense. “What the hell is it?”

“Me neither.” Cerise said, “I think they have a diamond or something that’s important. I dunno.”

“Why the hell would they go there? It’s out in the middle of nowhere, no fortifications. It’s just some shithole-”

“Makes it the perfect place to hide a crow from a pair of foreigners, then, doesn’t it?” Cerise murmured, something toxic entering her voice. Merrick’s confusion slowly morphed into something smug, the two siblings looking at each other with barely contained glee.

“Think you can beat them there?” Merrick’s voice was halfway to a laugh, his teeth flashing in the sunlight.

“Oh, I know I can.” Cerise said, “And if he’s that close to the border, then he’s close to-”

“Yep.”

“How convenient for us.”

“Yep.”

Cerise laughed, something nearly exasperated. “Bless the Highers, finally something goes our way.”

“It’s about time.” Merrick said in the same tone. “What will you need?”

“Just my horse.” Cerise said quickly. “I don’t want to spook them- small and discrete is the name of the game here.”

Merrick turned to Frederic, grinning. “Freddy, darling,” The man said, “If you could order your men to saddle the horse for my dear elder sister, that would be amazing.”

Frederic nodded at the command, standing from his chair and lumbering away.

“Gods, that’s so creepy.” Merrick said, watching the man go. “Like, really creepy.”

“Yeah, but useful.” Cerise shrugged. Merrick pursed his lips but nodded, conceding the point. Cerise smiled, turning to her brother with something feral in her eyes.

“I trust you’ll be able to take care of things while I’m gone?” she asked, and Merrick nodded. He looked down to the map, and then back up to his sister.

“Oh course,” the man assured, “We’ll be waiting for you here.”

Cerise firmly clapped Merrick on the shoulder, passing him and heading for the door. She had nearly made it out of the room when Merrick cleared his throat; she paused, looking back to him with an expectant look. Merrick seemed to want to say something, but he closed his mouth with a click, smiling instead. His next words sent shivers down Arianna’s spine.

“Happy hunting.”