#ship: the power to make the whole world stand still

[writermuses]

@marimelwrites

[writermuses]

@marimelwrites

[inseobts]

Katakuri makes me blush fr 😳🫣 he’s such an underrated cutie.

If you could, I’d love a story about reader being selected by big mom to be arranged to marry him. Maybe he’s indifferent at first but falls unexpectedly hard for you.

Thank you thank you as always ❤️❤️

The Arrangement

charlotte katakuri x reader

a/n: here we are, bestie!! this came out longer than I thoughts but I really hope you'll like it ^3^

words count: 8.6k

tags: forced marriage, arranged marriage, fairy reader, slow burn, romance, first meeting, indifference to affection

masterlist || ao3 || ko-fi

You never expected to be here.

The massive, ornate ship sways gently beneath your feet as it cuts through the sea, heading toward the most notorious pirate crew in the world. Big Mom had made her demands clear. She had decided you were going to marry her son, Katakuri. No arguments, no room for negotiation.

A fairy from a distant land, you were nothing more than another creature in her endless collection. When she had set her sights on you, you hadn’t stood a chance. Her powers were not to be underestimated, and her threats were even more so “Refuse, and I will take everything away from you. Your home, your people, everything.” she had said, the coldness in her words making you shiver.

So here you are.

The ship docks at Whole Cake Island, and you are escorted off in silence by Big Mom’s guards. As you step onto the land, you see the grand palace in the distance, an intimidating sight made only more daunting by the knowledge that you would be living here now. You’re led through its massive halls, until you reach a set of grand doors.

Without a word, the guards open them, and you step into a lavish room. Your breath catches. And there, standing by the large dining table, is the one person you’ve been dreading meeting.

Katakuri.

His presence is overwhelming, even from across the room. Tall, broad-shouldered, with a stern, emotionless expression in his eyes, that could freeze anyone in their tracks. He doesn’t move or speak as you enter, his gaze settling on you briefly before returning to the floor. There’s no warmth, no welcome. Just an unfeeling silence.

“Ah, there you are!” Big Mom’s voice booms behind you, making you jump. She’s a force of nature, towering behind you like an ever-present shadow “Katakuri, this is Y/N. Your bride-to-be.”

Katakuri doesn’t react. Not even a flicker of acknowledgment. His gaze remains on the ground as if you were nothing more than another piece of furniture in the room.

You stand there awkwardly, not sure if you should speak, but Big Mom’s attention is fully on her son “Isn’t she lovely?” she asks, her voice dripping with pride “I’ve collected quite the rare one for you, Katakuri. A fairy—one of a kind.”

Katakuri’s eyes flicker up to you, but only for a moment before he returns to his silence. His lips barely twitch. He doesn’t seem to care in the slightest.

“I’ll leave you two to get acquainted” Big Mom announces, walking toward the door “You’ll have plenty of time to bond. I expect this marriage to happen soon, Katakuri.”

The door slams shut behind her, leaving you and Katakuri alone. The silence is deafening.

You clear your throat, trying to steady your nerves “So… I guess we’re supposed to get married.”

Katakuri doesn’t answer, still not looking at you. You can feel your cheeks burn with embarrassment. This is absurd. You don’t want to be here. You certainly don’t want to marry him. You want to leave, to fly far away to your own peaceful island, where your only worry is the breeze.

After what feels like an eternity, Katakuri sighs, finally breaking the silence. His voice is low and monotone “I don’t know why I’m being forced into this.”

His words are strange to you. They don’t sound like they’re directed at you. He’s speaking to no one in particular, but his admission stirs something in you. He doesn’t want this either.

“You don’t?” you ask, surprised by his honesty “Then why don’t you… just refuse?”

He looks at you for the first time since you entered the room. His amber eyes lock onto yours with an intensity that makes you swallow hard “It’s not that simple” he mutters, his voice laced with a cold frustration “My mother is… insistent.”

You nod, understanding all too well. Big Mom doesn’t give anyone a choice, least of all her children.

The tension thickens, and you find yourself staring at your feet. The reality of this situation is too overwhelming. You want to scream, to demand answers, but something tells you that doing so will only make things worse.

Katakuri is still watching you, his gaze unwavering. He sighs again and then, almost imperceptibly shakes his head “I don’t expect anything from you. Just… stay out of my way.”

His words sting, though you know they’re not meant to be cruel. He’s just as trapped in this as you are.

You take a deep breath, standing tall despite the crushing anxiety in your chest “I’ll do my best” you say quietly.

Katakuri doesn’t respond. Instead, he turns, walking to the far side of the room and disappearing behind the heavy curtains. The weight of the silence returns, but now, it feels more suffocating than before.

You let out a shaky breath, wishing you could leave. But there’s no escape. Not now. Not yet.

It’s a quiet morning in the palace, and you’re wandering the halls, lost in thoughts. The previous week have been heavy with tension, both from your forced marriage to Katakuri and the overwhelming silence that surrounds you whenever you’re in his presence.

As you turn a corner, you notice the door to Katakuri’s quarters is slightly ajar, and through the crack, you see him.

He’s standing before a mirror, his back to the door. At first, you think he’s just inspecting himself, but then, you notice something that sends a shock through your system. Katakuri is removing his scarf.

You’ve never seen him without it. It’s something that’s as much a part of him as his personality, something that has always been there, hiding his face from the world. You never questioned it, but you’ve always wondered what he looked like underneath.

Before you can stop yourself, you inch closer, drawn to the moment. You stand there, just outside his room, watching him in a kind of trance as he carefully untangles the fabric, his hands slow and deliberate. Then, for the first time, Katakuri reveals his face completely.

It’s… not what you expected.

He’s just as imposing as before. He’s far more vulnerable without the scarf, but it’s a vulnerability that’s strangely captivating.

Before you can pull yourself together, your breath catches in your throat. You’ve been staring too long, and it’s only when Katakuri turns around and when his eyes locking onto yours, that you realize you’ve been caught.

You freeze, wide-eyed and panicked.

“Why are you here?” Katakuri’s voice is low, almost cold, though you can hear the surprise in his tone. His hand instinctively reaches for the scarf, like he’s trying to shield himself from your gaze.

You stumble over your words, feeling the flush rise to your cheeks “I… I didn’t mean to… I just… I didn’t know you’d...”

But then you stop yourself. You don’t want to make him feel uncomfortable, but you can’t lie either.

“You look good” you blurt out before you can think better of it.

Katakuri blinks at you, and for a split second, you see a flicker of disbelief in his eyes “What?” His voice hardens, though there’s a small quiver in it “You’re making fun of me.”

You shake your head quickly, your heart racing “No! I swear, I’m not. I think you look… different, but it’s not a bad thing.” You hesitate, trying to find the right words “You look… human, not some monster people make you out to be.”

Katakuri seems to recoil slightly, his eyes narrowing, as if he’s trying to gauge whether you’re mocking him or telling the truth. His hand grips the scarf tighter, like he’s about to throw it back over his face to hide.

You take a tentative step forward, speaking more softly this time “I’m serious. You’re… really not what I thought you’d be like without it. I think you look…” You pause, the word just slipping out “Cute.”

Katakuri stiffens, his expression darkening in an instant “Stop it.” His voice is strained, like he’s unsure if he should be angry or confused “You think I’m... cute? Is this a joke?”

You immediately realize how your words might’ve come across, and you rush to correct yourself “No! I’m not laughing at you.” You take a deep breath, trying to calm yourself “I just… you’ve always been so guarded, and I never really got to see you, and now I do, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I just… I think you look nice.”

The words tumble out before you can stop them.

There’s a long, awkward silence, and you feel your stomach twist. You want to disappear. You want to run. But something in Katakuri’s gaze has shifted. There’s still hesitation there, but it’s not the same cold, dismissive look from before. Instead, he’s… uncertain.

He finally lowers the scarf, letting it fall loosely in his hands “You really mean it?” he asks, though his tone is still guarded.

You nod quickly, smiling awkwardly “Yeah. I do.”

He stands there for a long moment, studying you. Finally, his lips twist into something like a small smirk, just the faintest hint of a smile “You’re strange, Y/N.”

Your heart skips a beat “I—what?”

Katakuri shakes his head slightly “I don’t think anyone has ever said anything like that to me.”

You can’t help the smile that tugs at your lips “Well, I’m strange, am I not?”

Katakuri doesn’t respond right away. Instead, he just gives a slight nod, as if acknowledging something he hadn’t considered before. Then, without another word, he walks past you, his gaze still soft, but not as guarded.

The next day, things are… different.

Katakuri starts acknowledging your presence more. When you pass him in the hallways, he doesn’t look away. He doesn’t avoid eye contact like before. There’s a subtle shift, something you can’t quite put into words, but it’s there.

The next time you sit down for a meal, you’re surprised to find a small plate of your favorite fruit sitting in front of you. It’s not the first time he’s given you food, but this time, it feels more personal.

You glance at Katakuri, who’s sitting across the room, his attention seemingly elsewhere. You don’t say anything at first, just quietly eating the fruit. It’s exactly what you like, sweet and juicy, just like you remember.

As the meal progresses, you catch Katakuri looking at you out of the corner of your eye. You meet his gaze, and he raises a brow “I thought you’d like that” he says, his tone casual but with an edge of something else, something that’s not quite indifference.

“I do,” you reply, smiling “It’s perfect. Thank you.”

His lips twitch, but he doesn’t say anything more. He just nods, his usual stoic expression still in place. But this time, there’s something warmer about it, a small but significant change.

From that day on, the dynamic between you and Katakuri shifts. He starts bringing you your favorite food regularly, always with a quiet confidence, like he knows what you need without you having to ask.

He still doesn’t say much, but there’s a new understanding between you two now. Something softer, something more genuine. You don’t know where this will lead, but for the first time, you feel like you’re not just a pawn in a game.

The morning feels calm, and you’re in your usual place, sitting at the grand dining table. Your thoughts are on the small pastry that’s just been placed in front of you. It’s a delicate little thing, a flaky, buttery pastry with a filling you can only describe as perfect, exactly how you like it. Your favorite. The exact flavor you had mentioned once, in passing, a while ago.

You glance up and find Katakuri standing at the entrance, his usual impassive expression in place. In his hands is a small, wrapped plate. He walks toward you, the quiet shuffle of his steps almost drowned out by the clinking of the cutlery on the table. You can’t help the smile that stretches across your face when you see what he’s holding.

“You...” Your voice catches for a second, almost in disbelief “You remembered.”

His eyes briefly meeting yours. His gaze softens, just a fraction, and he nods once.

“Of course.” His tone is as flat as ever, but there’s something… different in it now.

You reach for the pastry, immediately taking a bite. The taste is just as you remember, warm, sweet, and decadent. It’s perfect, and for a moment, you close your eyes, savoring every bite.

“This is...” you murmur with a smile, taking another bite “This is so good, Katakuri. Thank you.”

He watches you for a moment, his gaze thoughtful, and you wonder if he’s waiting for some kind of reaction. You can’t help but notice that, even though he’s quiet, he seems… proud.

As you eat the pastry, your gaze shifts around the room. The guards, as usual, are standing at attention, watching over everything. They’re always here, always watching. It’s suffocating, and for once, you can’t stand it.

You stand up, suddenly feeling the urge to speak “Excuse me” you say, your voice more commanding than usual, “Could you all leave for a moment?”

There’s a pause. The guards exchange confused glances, and you can feel the tension thickening in the air. One of them steps forward, looking at you with a raised brow.

“We don’t take orders from you” the guard replies firmly, his voice cold.

You freeze, taken aback by the response. You’ve never been this forward with them before. But before you can speak again, you feel a shift in the atmosphere. Katakuri, who has been standing silently by the table, turns his gaze toward the guards. His eyes narrow, and without hesitation, he speaks.

“Leave.” he commands, his voice as firm as the weight of his stature.

The guards hesitate, their eyes darting between Katakuri and you. But, to your surprise, they obey. Slowly, they begin to file out of the room, one by one, until the only people left are you and Katakuri.

The silence that follows is thick.

Katakuri looks at you, now sitting at the other side of the table, a flicker of confusion in his eyes “What was that about?” he asks, his voice low.

You smile, a sense of relief washing over you now that it’s just the two of you. You take a moment before answering, then take your chair and your pastry and slowly walk past the giant dining table, toward where he is.

“I just wanted to be alone with you” you say, your voice softer than before. There’s a hint of playful mischief in your tone now, and you can see his eyes narrowing as he watches you approach.

You place the chair next to him and sit down, unceremoniously placing your plate with the pastry between you both.

Katakuri’s eyes widen at your actions, and for a moment, he looks as though he’s unsure whether to back away or stay. But he remains where he is, watching you with a mixture of curiosity and caution.

“What are you doing?” he asks confused.

You glance at him, smiling mischievously “You’re going to eat this with me.”

Katakuri raises an eyebrow “I’m not hungry.”

You shake your head, leaning slightly closer “No, you have to taste it. I want you to see just how delicious this pastry is. You’re not leaving until you try it. You have to.”

He looks at you like you’ve lost your mind, but there’s no mistaking the flicker of amusement in his eyes “You’re being… strange again.”

“And you’re being stubborn” you tease, nudging the pastry toward him “Come on, Katakuri. If I can eat this with you, you can eat it with me. No one else is here to judge.”

For a long moment, he just stares at you. He doesn’t say anything, but his gaze softens just slightly and you watch him give a small sigh.

“Fine” he mutters, his voice barely above a whisper. He reaches out, carefully picking up the pastry with one hand and putting his scarf down with the other hand.

You smile, your heart racing as he takes a bite, his expression unreadable. For a moment, you feel like time stands still as you watch him chew, waiting for a response.

Katakuri doesn’t immediately speak. He looks down at the pastry for a moment before meeting your gaze again “It’s… good” he says, almost as if he’s surprised by how much he’s enjoying it.

You grin, clearly pleased by his reaction “Told you.”

There’s a long pause between you both, a quiet tension hanging in the air. Katakuri shifts uncomfortably, his eyes flicking down to the scarf. It’s a subtle thing, but you catch it, and you see how his fingers twitch like he might be considering removing it again.

“You can take it off, you know?” you say softly, the words light, but sincere.

Katakuri looks at you, his brow furrowing slightly “What?”

“You don’t have to hide behind it,” you say, your tone warm but serious “You’re already exposed enough to me. I think… you can trust me. You don’t have to keep it on all the time.”

His eyes flash with uncertainty. For a long time, he doesn’t move, his gaze dropping down to his scarf. The moment stretches. Then, slowly, he places the scarf down beside him, fully revealing his mouth once more.

You watch him carefully, and for the first time, Katakuri seems to let down his guard, just a little. There’s something almost fragile in the way he exposes himself, like he’s testing the waters.

You smile softly, your voice gentle “See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Katakuri doesn’t respond, but there’s a hint of something more honest in his eyes.

The quiet stretches between you, but it’s no longer filled with tension. There’s no coldness, no distance. There’s just… a soft connection, a shared moment between two people who are, for the first time, truly alone.

And as you sit there, side by side, eating your pastry together, you realize that things have shifted between you two. Something real is beginning to form. Something unexpected.

Maybe, this arranged marriage could turn into something more.

The day of the tea party arrives. Big Mom’s excitement is palpable as she commands the preparations to be just perfect. It’s not a celebration of love or any true emotional connection, though. No, this is just a public display to solidify the future marriage between you and Katakuri, something she believes will benefit her family, her status, and of course, her vast collection of “special creatures”. She doesn’t care whether you get along with Katakuri. The only thing that matters is the power this union will bring.

The grand dining room is filled with chatter and laughter, as well as the elegant clinking of porcelain cups and saucers. The table is set for dozens of guests, some familiar faces, lots of strangers. Everyone is seated, except for you. You glance around, taking in the scene with a mixture of excitement and dread.

You know what this is: a performance.

Big Mom catches sight of you as you enter the room. Her eyes gleam with a kind of satisfaction as she waves you over “Ah, my dear! Come join us!” she booms, and the room goes silent for a moment.

You approach, giving her a polite smile. Your gaze flickers to Katakuri, and you can’t help but feel a little thrill when you spot him. He’s sitting near the far end of the long table, looking as impassive as ever.

You’re assigned a seat at the opposite end of the table, as far from him as possible.

A knot forms in your stomach. You can feel the heavy gaze of the guests on you. You force a smile, but your eyes betray the discomfort you feel.

The seat they’ve chosen for you is almost insulting. The distance between you and Katakuri feels too much for you.

You don’t even think twice before turning to find a solution. You take your assigned chair, a giant, ornate one, and you begin to slide it across the floor. It’s heavy, and the room is quiet enough that everyone can hear the slight screech of the chair as you push it.

You’re determined.

But as you reach the middle of the room, your efforts come to an abrupt halt. The chair is simply too large and cumbersome to maneuver around the other chairs, and you can feel the weight of everyone’s eyes on you as you struggle to get closer to Katakuri.

You glance toward him, half-expecting him to be looking away as usual. But instead, his eyes meet yours, and for a brief moment, there’s a flicker of understanding there. He knows what you’re doing.

Before you can take another step, he stands up from his seat. The sound of his movement draws the attention of the entire room.

You stop, unsure of what’s happening, and watch as Katakuri approaches you. He’s as composed as ever, but there’s a quiet amusement in his expression.

“You really are persistent, aren’t you?” he says, his voice low but carrying in the silence of the room.

You look up at him, surprised by his calm demeanor “I just wanted to sit next to you.”

Without a word, Katakuri reaches down and effortlessly takes the chair from your hands, his large frame towering over you as he positions it right beside his own, and you can’t help but smile. You walk over and sit down, settling comfortably next to him.

The entire room is silent, eyes wide with shock, especially Big Mom. She stares at the scene with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. It’s not something she expected to see, and certainly not something she had planned.

The guests, too, are stunned. The whole room seems to hold its breath as they try to process the unexpected turn of events.

Big Mom, never one to show weakness, clears her throat with an exaggerated cough “Ahem. Well then, it seems my son and my future daughter-in-law are… already making themselves comfortable” she says, her tone forced “Isn’t that lovely?”

Her words do little to hide the surprise in her voice, but she quickly shifts her gaze back to the guests, trying to regain control of the situation.

You can feel the tension in the air as the tea party resumes, but you and Katakuri remain almost entirely removed from the spectacle. You glance at him, and for a brief moment, his eyes meet yours. He doesn’t say anything, but his presence feels somehow different.

You smile, the warmth in your chest spreading. This is more than just an arrangement, it’s a small victory for both of you.

Katakuri, for the first time in front of everyone, allows his walls to come down just a little more. He’s not pulling away from you. He’s not staying distant. He’s with you.

The tea party continues, buzzing with idle gossip and exaggerated politeness. But peace doesn’t last long in this family.

From the far side of the table, one of Katakuri’s older sisters, Smoothie, sharp-eyed and smirking, leans slightly forward, eyeing you like a piece of bruised fruit.

“So,” she starts, swirling her tea “This is the little creature Mama dragged in for Katakuri?”

The room grows still.

Another sibling chuckles under their breath “Mama really is collecting anything these days.”

Big Mom doesn’t stop them. In fact, she laughs loudly “Well, she’s cute enough, I suppose. Couldn't find anything better but that's enough. But delicate things don’t last long in this family, do they?”

There it is. The words land like sharp stones against your chest.

You lower your gaze, hands folding tightly in your lap. You want to speak but your throat tightens. The laughter around the table swells just a bit more. You don’t say anything.

You feel Katakuri shift beside you. When you glance his way, his jaw is clenched ever so slightly, and there’s a flicker of something stormy in his eyes as they scan your face. He notices it immediately, the drop in your posture, the silence where your brightness used to be.

He says nothing at first. Just moves.

From the middle of the table, he silently reaches for the fruit platter, selecting each of your favorites. He adds pastries too, the little chocolate cakes you once said reminded you of home. All of it placed carefully on a plate, which he sets before you.

You blink at the offering. The table still chatters on, but you notice the silence growing around your side of it.

Katakuri leans in slightly, not looking at you, but watching the table as he speaks low and calm “Don’t listen to them.”

Your heart skips.

Then he turns, motioning a guard over. He whispers something, low enough that not even you can hear, and the guard bows and disappears from the room with urgency.

You glance at him, confused.

A few minutes pass in tense silence. You pick at the fruit, more out of habit than hunger, but when you taste the sweetness of it, it brings a small comfort.

Then the guard returns. In his hands a fresh bouquet of wildflowers. Pale yellows, soft blues, and blooms of pink and violet. Carefully picked and not from any of the gaudy arrangements decorating the party.

He hands them directly to Katakuri.

Katakuri doesn’t even glance up. He takes one flower from the bunch, a delicate purple one, and turns toward you.

You go still.

And then, carefully, he tucks it behind your ear, fingers grazing your cheek for the briefest moment. He sets the rest of the bouquet into your hands.

The table falls into stunned silence.

You stare at him, eyes wide, unsure whether to cry or melt “Katakuri…”

He finally meets your gaze fully “They don’t get to decide what you’re worth.”

Your breath catches.

Across the table, Smoothie’s smirk falters. Big Mom eyes the scene with something unreadable in her expression. The rest of the guests shift in their seats, unsure of what just happened.

But you don’t care about any of them.

All you see is the mountain of a man beside you, the one who once avoided your eyes, who now shields you not with threats or violence, but with fruit, flowers, and a quiet understanding.

You smile. Truly smile.

And the flower tucked behind your ear feels warmer than sunlight.

The days blur together after the tea party, but something has changed. The palace is still opulent and overwhelming, but the tension in the air shifts every time Katakuri enters a room.

He still avoids crowds. Still slips away from the chatter and the noise.

But not from you. With you, he’s different now. Softer. Quieter in a way that means he’s listening.

You share food in silence some mornings. He brings you sweets without a word, he always remembers your favorites. He asks you questions now, even if clumsily. Your favorite colors. Your memories. The places you’d go if you weren’t trapped in this gilded palace.

And then one morning, he says it.

“I don’t want you to marry me if you don’t want to.”

You almost drop the spoon in your hand “What?”

He looks away, jaw clenched “You didn’t choose this. Mama thinks she can own people. That you’re just another thing for her collection.”

You study him for a long moment, your heart both aching and fluttering.

“I’m not forcing you to stay,” he continues, quieter now “I won’t be the reason you lose your freedom.”

You want to say something. That maybe, you’re starting not to mind being here because of him. But the words tangle in your throat.

Katakuri stands, the decision already written on his face “I’ll talk to her.”

It takes three days before he does it. Not because he’s afraid but because she is unpredictable. Big Mom doesn’t hear “no” often, and when she does, it usually ends in chaos.

He finds her in the singing hall, surrounded by sweets and chaos and servants. Her eyes widen with interest when she sees him approach.

“Katakuri, my sweet son! Isn’t it a beautiful day for wedding planning?” she cackles “I’ve already chosen the cake layers! And the centerpiece will be a spinning sugar fairy! Just like her!”

He doesn’t sit. Doesn’t smile.

“We need to cancel it.”

The music stops.

Big Mom’s eyes narrow “Cancel what?”

“The wedding.”

Her laugh is sharp and loud “Nonsense. You’re both perfect. And I already sent invitations to half the Underworld.”

“She didn’t choose this,” Katakuri says, voice low “You made the decision for her.”

“And so what? You know I did that for all your sibilings. That's how it works.” Big Mom snaps, rising from her seat “She’s a rare little creature, isn’t she? Sweet. Magical. Exactly the kind of wife a son of mine deserves. You deserve.”

“She’s not a collectible, Mama.”

The air chills.

“You’re starting to sound like you’re in love.” Big Mom growls, stepping down from her throne of frosting and ribbon “Which is cute. But love doesn’t matter. Power does.”

Katakuri doesn’t flinch “You once said family is everything.”

“It is” she snaps.

“Then don’t build it by breaking her.” His voice softens “Let her choose.”

Silence falls. Big Mom stares at him for a long, unsettling moment. The tension in the room coils like a storm, and Katakuri stays still as a statue, waiting. Then, slowly, she laughs. A deep, throaty cackle.

“Ohhh, Katakuri. My most perfect son, and now you’ve gone soft for a fairy girl.”

He doesn’t respond.

Big Mom’s laughter echoes through the hall. She leans back, crossing her arms, as if victorious in some way, her eyes glinting with a certain self-satisfaction.

“You think you can just break the rules of this family, Katakuri?” Big Mom’s voice grows darker “You have a duty, and it’s time for you to understand it.”

Katakuri’s gaze hardens, but he doesn’t back down “I’ve made my decision.”

Big Mom narrows her eyes, her lips curling into a sneer “So be it, then. You want to protect her? Fine. But I’ll have you know, I’ve already made arrangements.” She pauses, letting the words sink in, her expression cold “I’ve already secured a marriage contract for you before the fairy girl. A real lady, from one of the strongest families around. She offered herself as a suitable match, and I’ll bring her here. You’ll marry her instead.”

Katakuri’s face remains stoic, though his fists clench slightly.

Big Mom’s voice turns casual, almost dismissive “A sweet girl, I’m sure. Not quite as ‘magical’ as the little fairy here, but… she’ll do.” She waves her hand dismissively “Don’t worry, it’s an arrangement that benefits us both. She’s young, and she’ll be a great addition to the family.”

Katakuri’s jaw tightens, the muscles in his face flickering. But he doesn’t argue. His eyes flick to the floor for a brief moment before he nods.

“If that’s what you want, Mama.”

Big Mom smiles in satisfaction, her fingers tapping against the armrest of her throne “Good. You’re learning, Katakuri. And when the time comes, you’ll have your own family to worry about. In the meantime, this one’s done. I'll call the girl's family and let her come here before the wedding, which you know it's in two days.” She gestures toward the farthest part of the room, signaling that the conversation is over.

Katakuri stands tall, his expression unreadable, and without another word, he turns and walks away, leaving the hall with the unmistakable weight of his decision hanging over him.

You don’t hear Katakuri approach your room, but when the door opens, you look up, startled to find him standing in the doorway. His usual mask of indifference is gone, replaced with something softer, a trace of uncertainty in his eyes.

He doesn’t say anything at first. He just stands there, his posture tense, as if waiting for you to say something.

You stand, your pulse quickening in your chest “What happened?” Your voice feels tight, though you try to keep it steady “Did you talk to her?”

Katakuri nods, his eyes falling to the floor “I did.” His voice is quiet, but the words hit you hard, and your heart sinks with each syllable “Mama said I have to marry someone else… She’s already found a girl, and the arrangements are set.”

Your stomach twists “Who?”

He hesitates, but only for a moment “I didn’t ask for her name but apparently she offered beforehand.”

This isn’t the future you imagined for the two of you. Not like this. Not like that.

You swallow hard “And you agreed?”

Katakuri looks up, his eyes searching yours “I agreed because… I didn’t want to trap you here with me, Y/N.” His voice softens, and for the first time, it breaks “You deserve your freedom. If you were to marry me, it wouldn’t be your choice. It would be my mother’s choice. This other girl offered, so that would be her choice.”

You don’t respond immediately, the weight of his words settling over you like a storm cloud. It feels like something has slipped away from you, something you were just starting to grasp. The vision of a future with him, the quiet bond that had begun to form, it’s all slipping through your fingers.

Without warning, something snaps inside you, and before you know it, you’re storming toward the door, a mix of frustration and confusion bubbling over. You don’t want him to marry someone else. You don’t want this arrangement to define your life. But you don’t want to lose him.

“I just wanted the freedom to choose” you say, your voice cracking as you finally turn to face him “I wanted the freedom to choose you... but not because someone told me I had to.”

Katakuri’s eyes widen in surprise, but before he can respond, you turn away from him, the hurt threatening to overwhelm you. You make your way to your room. You need to be alone. You need to process everything.

But even as you sit there, the silence settling around you, there’s emptiness. A void where your hope used to be.

The rest of the day passes slowly as you lay in your bed, staring at the ceiling. You can't stop thinking, you're trying so hard to find a solution, but it doesn't seem to be any.

You cry a lot. Out of sadness. Out of madness. You're sad, mad, and tired of this whole situation.

You're free to go away, to go back to you island, to you family and friends.

"Then why am I feeling this way?" you say to no one, as if the ceiling could answer your question.

Night comes and the anger that has been simmering inside you boils over as you storm out your room and through the halls of Big Mom’s palace. The silence of the corridors is deafening as you make your way toward the grand hall where Big Mom typically is at this hour. You feel a surge of resolve in your chest, the weight of your decision pressing you forward despite the fear that’s trying to claw its way up your throat.

You reach the door with determination, and before the guards can stop you, you fling it open, not caring about the consequences anymore. Inside, Big Mom is sitting on her throne, surrounded by a sea of sweets, papers, and half-eaten treats. Her gaze flickers up, and the surprise on her face is unmistakable. She hadn’t expected you to come charging in like this.

“Well, well, well, look who’s come to join me for a chat” she says, her voice dripping with amusement but with an edge of irritation underneath “What is it now, little fairy? Why are you even still here? You should leave before the wedding, I don't want people to see you.”

Your heart races, but you stand tall, your voice sharp and unwavering “Don’t let Katakuri marry that girl” you demand, stepping forward with purpose “I’ll stay here. I’ll stay as long as you need. But do not force him into that marriage.”

Big Mom stares at you for a long moment, her eyes narrowing in surprise, almost as if she’s trying to decipher your words. You can feel the tension in the air, thick and suffocating, as she leans forward ever so slightly.

“You’ll stay here?” she repeats, voice dripping with incredulity “So you want to sit quietly in the corner of my palace while my son marries someone else?”

You don’t back down, even though her words feel like daggers “I’ll stay here” you say again, more firmly “But don’t make him marry someone else. I won’t let you make that choice for him.”

The smile on Big Mom’s face falters for a fraction of a second before she bursts out laughing, the sound echoing through the room, almost as if the entire situation is some grand joke. She leans back in her chair, shaking her head as if trying to regain control of her amusement.

“You really think staying here will solve anything, little fairy?” she asks, her voice cold now “I’ve already planned everything. The wedding, the cake, the guest list. Everything!” She sneers, clearly annoyed at the thought of changing her plans at this point “The wedding is tomorrow. You’ve made your decision. Katakuri made his decision to marry that girl. So, either you accept the reality or stay here as a prisoner for my collection for the rest of your life.”

Her words sting, but you hold your ground. You can feel your heart pounding in your chest, but you’re done running “I’ll marry him.” you snap, your voice trembling but defiant “I’ll marry Katakuri. That other girl can come to the wedding. I invite her to my wedding with Katakuri, okay? I’ll marry your son!”

The words hang in the air like a challenge, and Big Mom’s eyes widen as she takes in the audacity of your declaration. For a long, long moment, she says nothing, her expression unreadable. You can see the wheels turning in her head, but you don’t dare look away. You can’t.

Finally, Big Mom stands up from her throne, her imposing figure looming over you. The room feels colder now, the air thick with tension.

“You… you would marry my son?” she asks, her voice suddenly low, dangerous “After all the things I’ve said, after all I’ve done to force you into this position, I gave you the freedom to leave, and you would still marry him?”

You nod, your heart pounding in your ears “Yes. I would. Because I want to. I want to be with him, not because you told me to, but because I chose him.”

Big Mom stares at you for another long moment, and then, without warning, she bursts into laughter again, though this time it’s more strained, almost bitter.

“Well, it seems I’ve underestimated you” she says, her tone sharp and final “Fine. You want to marry him? You can marry him.” Her eyes flash with a dangerous gleam “But make no mistake, you will not change the plans. This wedding will happen as I say it will.”

You don’t flinch, though every part of you is screaming with tension “I don’t care how it happens” you say, your voice steady “Just let me marry him. You’re right, I didn’t choose this. But I’m choosing him now. That’s what matters.”

Big Mom’s smirk softens into something more calculating “We’ll see, little fairy” she says, her voice laced with dark amusement “We’ll see how this plays out. But don’t forget… family always comes first.”

Without another word, she turns and walks toward the back of the room, leaving you standing in the center, breathing heavily. The room feels oppressive, but you hold onto your resolve. This is your decision now. You’re no longer going to let Big Mom decide your fate. You’ll marry Katakuri, not because of her, but because of what you feel for him.

The tension of the moment settles in your chest as you stand alone in the center of the room, but you can already imagine what’s to come.

You don’t know exactly what you’re hoping for when you knock on Katakuri’s door, but the moment your hand touches the door, you know this is the only thing left to do. You can’t hide anymore. The silence between you two has been stretched too thin, and tonight, before everything happens, you need to see him.

When Katakuri opens the door, his expression flickers with surprise. He’s wearing his usual expression, but there’s a flicker of confusion in his eyes when he sees you standing there, so late at night.

“Y/N?” he says, his voice low, a touch of concern lining it “What’s wrong?”

You take a breath, your words almost caught in your throat. This is it. There’s no going back now “Take me somewhere beautiful out there” you say, your voice steady but soft.

His brow furrows, and for a brief moment, you wonder if he’ll refuse. After all, there’s so much at stake, and who knows what he must be thinking. But then, his eyes soften, and he nods, the quiet trust between you unspoken.

“Alright” he replies, his voice warm but distant, as if he already anticipates what this might be. He thinks this is a goodbye.

Without another word, he leads you through the winding corridors of the palace. The moonlight spills in through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the floor as you walk side by side, the silence enveloping you.

Eventually, he leads you outside, to a small garden at the edge of the palace grounds. It’s quiet here, the only sound the soft rustling of leaves and the distant crash of the ocean against the cliffs. The moonlight filters through the trees, casting a serene glow across the scene. The air smells fresh, calming, a place far from the drama and chaos of the palace.

You sit together on a stone bench, the world feeling vast and quiet around you. For a moment, you don’t speak. Then, you take a deep breath and reach into the bag you’ve been holding.

“Here” you say, offering him a small, carefully wrapped box. His brow furrows in confusion, and then, as he opens it, his eyes widen slightly when he sees the donuts inside.

“These are for you” you say quietly “Your favorite.”

Katakuri looks at the donuts for a long moment, as if he’s trying to read the meaning behind your simple gift. And then, he meets your gaze. His eyes are filled with so many emotions, and you see the weight of it all. He’s not saying it, but you can feel he’s expecting you to say goodbye. This is the moment where everything changes, and it’s too much for him to bear.

But that’s not why you’re here.

You reach for one of the donuts and gently hold it up to him, urging him to eat it. He hesitates for only a moment before taking it from your hand, his fingers brushing against yours as he does. The simple act of sharing this moment with him is everything. It’s your way of telling him that, despite it all, you care. That you didn’t want things to end this way.

“I’m not leaving” you say, your voice barely above a whisper “I’m not leaving you, Katakuri.”

His eyes widen, a slight tremor running through his hand as he sets the donut down “What… what are you saying?”

“I’m marrying you...” you continue, the words tumbling out faster now, your heart pounding in your chest “Not because of Big Mom. Not because I have to. But because I want to. I want to be with you. I’ve already made my choice. I don’t care about the wedding or the plans your mom has. I care about you, Katakuri. And I want to stay with you.”

His expression softens, disbelief and relief battling in his eyes. It’s like he’s searching for something, some kind of confirmation that this is real.

You don’t give him time to respond. Instead, you gently reach for the edge of his scarf, the one that has always been such a mystery between you two, and slowly, carefully, unwrap it. The fabric slides from his neck, revealing his bare skin beneath, and you feel his muscles tense slightly at the touch.

But you don’t stop. You let the scarf fall away entirely, your fingers brushing his skin as you tuck it aside, focusing solely on the moment, the closeness between you.

Katakuri’s breath hitches, his eyes locked onto yours. You move closer, your heart thundering in your chest, and then, without thinking twice, you lean in. Your lips meet his, tentatively at first, like a question asked in the silence. His lips are warm, soft against yours, and for a heartbeat, everything else in the world fades away.

When you pull back, you’re both breathless. You can’t help the smile that tugs at your lips “You’re cute” you whisper, teasing him just a little, the affection in your words unmistakable.

He doesn’t respond at first, still processing the whirlwind of emotions you’ve thrown his way. But then, his hand finds its way to your cheek, and he gently caresses it with a tenderness you’ve never seen from him before “You’re cute too” he murmurs, his voice barely audible.

You lean into his touch, your heart swelling “I’ve always thought you were cute” you add, smiling even more “And I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of saying it.”

Katakuri chuckles softly, a rare and beautiful sound, his gaze softening as he looks at you, the walls around him crumbling just a little more. For the first time, he truly lets himself be vulnerable in front of you, and it’s a gift you’ll cherish forever.

“You don’t have to do this for me,” he says softly “You don’t have to stay just because of me.”

But you shake your head, your smile unwavering “I’m staying because I want to. And because I want to be with you. And... I already talked with Big Mom about it." You continue as you sigh as if all your problems just left your body "I was about to shit myself, you know? She's always so scared, I don't even know how I found the courage to storm in there, even the guards couldn't stop me. Ah... The things you make me do, Katakuri.”

He's surprised to know you did all this for him. His expression is shocked in a way you never saw before, which makes you laugh, even out of relief.

The night is calm, and the world feels right in this moment.

You rest your head on his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his presence envelop you, and for the first time in a long time, you feel at peace. The storm inside you has passed, and all that’s left is the quiet promise of tomorrow, whatever it may bring.

And with that, you close your eyes, savoring the simple joy of being here with him, right where you belong.

The day of the wedding arrives, the atmosphere of the palace tense with anticipation. The air is thick with the scent of flowers, the sound of busy footsteps echoing down the halls as servants prepare for the grand occasion.

You stand before the mirror in your room, taking in your reflection. The wedding gown, simple yet elegant, is draped across your body. It feels like a dream, and yet, this is your reality. The reality you’ve chosen. The reality with him.

You hear a knock at the door, and before you can answer, it opens. Standing there is Katakuri, dressed in his ceremonial attire, his expression calm, but there’s something different about the way he looks at you today. The usual walls are gone, replaced with an openness that you’ve never seen before. His eyes search yours, filled with an emotion you can’t quite name, tenderness, maybe. Vulnerability.

“You look beautiful” he says softly, his deep voice carrying the weight of all the unsaid things between you two.

Your breath catches in your throat, and for a moment, you can’t find the words. You glance at him, feeling the surge of emotions rising up inside of you “You don’t look too bad yourself” you reply, your voice teasing, but full of affection.

Katakuri steps closer, his eyes never leaving yours, as if he’s memorizing every detail of the moment. He reaches for the bouquet and he gently tucks a bloom behind your ear. The same purple flower he had placed there all those days ago.

A soft smile plays at the corners of your lips “You’re not supposed to see me before the wedding… but I’m glad you’re here” you whisper.

“Me too” he responds, his voice hushed, and for the first time in what feels like forever, he steps closer and places a hand over yours, holding it gently but firmly.

You don’t speak anymore. You don’t need to. The words have already been said, the vows you made to each other without ever truly speaking them aloud. This moment, this wedding, isn’t for Big Mom or the world outside. It’s for you and him, and nothing can take that away.

The ceremony starts. Big Mom watches with her eyes narrowed, but she says nothing. She might not have gotten the extravagant show she wanted, but at least you’re marrying her son. That’s enough for her, for now.

As you and Katakuri stand before the priest, the weight of the moment settles on your shoulders. There’s no grand declaration of love, no long speech about fate and destiny. It’s simpler than that. It’s a choice. A decision made in the quiet of a garden, in the soft exchange of donuts and flowers, in the quiet moments where your hearts have learned to understand each other.

“I do” you say, your voice steady and clear.

Katakuri’s gaze doesn’t waver from yours, and he speaks just as simply, just as truthfully, “I do.”

The ceremony ends, the crowd politely clapping, but in your mind, all you hear is the sound of your hearts beating in sync. Katakuri takes your hand, leading you down the aisle. There’s no fanfare, no celebration for show. Just the two of you, finally united in the way that matters most.

The rest of the day passes in a blur, between congratulations, polite smiles, an exchange of vows in front of a grand table, but you don’t notice any of it. All that matters is the hand in yours, the quiet bond you’ve built together. The two of you are no longer bound by the expectations of others. You’ve chosen each other, and that’s all that matters.

As night falls and the festivities settle, Katakuri pulls you aside, away from the prying eyes of the guests, and you find yourself in the garden where everything began. He takes a deep breath, his eyes still searching yours, and you smile softly, knowing that whatever comes next, you’ll face it together.

“This is just the beginning, isn’t it?” you ask, your voice light but full of meaning.

Katakuri nods slowly, his grip on your hand tightening just slightly “Yes,” he replies “It is.”

And for the first time, with all the weight of the world behind you, you feel the promise of a future that’s truly yours. No longer defined by anyone else’s expectations, but by the quiet bond you’ve built with the person who sees you. And with that, you take your first step into the future. With him by your side, you know there’s nothing you can’t face.

The wedding may have been a formality, but what lies ahead is real. And as you walk hand in hand into the night, you realize that you’ve already found what you were looking for... each other.

[dracowars]

of kings and queens | halbrand

pairing: halbrand x númenorean!princess!reader

word count: 6,6k

summary: where halbrand and y/n are forced to marry and he unveils a world she's only ever dreamed of

a/n: how do i manage to make it longer every time you ask?? i have no idea, i just go with the flow & suddenly i'm at 6k~ i have been struggeling with this one but i'm proud of how it ultimately turned out!! feedback is always appreciated and thank you for all the love <3

warnings: angst, forced marriage, panic attack, mentions of sickness, soft sauron

universe: the rings of power

"I won't marry a stranger!", you loudly cry out in anger and slam your fists on the table with all your might, the sheer force of it causing some of the parchments to fall to the marble floor.

"He is no stranger. He is the King of the Southlands", your sister, Queen-Regent Míriel, tells you matter-of-factly.

"Who told you that? The elf?", you spit out, the blood running through your veins seething with anger. "Just a few days have gone by since he was detained in one of our cells, and now he is being hailed as a long-lost king? Do you even listen to yourself?"

"Sister-"

"Don't 'sister' me right now."

Míriel takes a deep breath, resting her weight on the table with both arms, and lowers her head as if she needs a moment to avoid lashing out on you in the same manner you are currently displaying.

"Listen. A marriage like this would rekindle and strengthen the bond between the people of Middle-earth and our kind for generations to come", she explains, her voice calm, but you know her well enough to notice that she has to pull herself together.

"Very well, go ahead and marry him then", you counter and give her a challenging look, the one you have been giving her since you were children. "Why should I be the one to suffer?"

"As the Princess of Númenor, it is your duty to prioritize the welfare of your people over your own!", she yells at you now, her nostrils flaring. You'd be lying if you said you didn't flinch a little when she raised her voice. Usually, it takes longer to unsettle her.

Elendil, who is standing at the large doors to the room, also seems a little shocked. As the two exchange a tender look, however, Míriel's features relax again and she straightens up, slipping back into the role of the wise, majestic Queen-Regent of Númenor.

"I won't accept no for an answer", she tells you, all calm and collected again. No trace left of your loving sister whom you loved so much.

"You have held me captive within these castle's walls for longer than I know and now you wish to ship me off like that?", you scoff in disbelief, crossing your arms in front of your chest, trying to mask how much she's hurting you right now.

"You wanted freedom. Here I am granting it to you."

"This is not freedom", you express your words through gritted teeth, your eyes burning with tears as your words have no effect on Míriel. "You think you can still control me like a child. But you no longer hold any power over me. I won't let you dictate the course of my life."

To emphasize your point, you grab the unassuming tiara adorning your head, smaller and thus in stark contrast to your sister's, and forcefully hurl it to her feet. Several small diamonds come loose and the sound of them scattering around the marble floor makes you shiver.

"I don't care who he is", you say angrily, your hands clenched into fists at your sides while Míriel only looks at you in shock, her eyes wide. "I won't marry someone I don't know, let alone love."

With these final words, you turn away and walk towards the door, which Elendil quickly opens for you. On his face, you clearly see that he feels sorry about how this whole situation expired. But you don't need his pity.

You stomp out angrily, holding back your tears, your pulse pounding in your ears. You have never told her what you think before. You have always done what she asked of you, been a good little sister because you can only imagine the burden she is carrying. But today she has crossed a line.

When you turn around in the hallway one last time, catching a glimpse of Míriel through the closing door, you see Elendil carefully approaching her to comfort her. From this perspective, she looks exhausted, hurt even. But all you feel towards her is anger. You can't help but roll your eyes and release a heavy breath of air from your lungs.

Undoubtedly, that is the reason why she wants you to marry Lord Halbrand. Because her heart is already taken.

You think back to times when you would have been overjoyed, when you would have been genuinely happy for her. You two would have lain on soft pillows and talked about everything, every little detail. Now, you can find none of these feelings inside of you.

Completely lost in your thoughts, you walk through the large halls of the castle, your home. A home that feels much more like a prison. With your head low, you turn a corner and suddenly collide with a hard wall. Caught off guard, you stumble back until a hand closes around your wrist and holds you tight.

You forget to breathe for a moment when your gaze meets his.

"Whoa there. Where are you headed, my lady?", Lord Halbrand asks you in surprise, a gentle smile on his face as he holds you close, his touch on your skin burning. As soon as you notice this, you break free from his grip and take your distance, smoothing down your dress, which he only comments on with a frown.

He is the last person you want to talk to right now.

"Are you all right?", he asks you with concern in his voice, making you realize that you haven't given him an answer and just stood there in silence. In fact, you don't really have anything to say to him. You just wish he would go back to Middle-earth where he belongs.

"Yes", you finally answer, coldly and curtly. "Now if you'll excuse me."

You walk past him, your shoulders almost touching, and listen to your own loud footsteps echoing through the halls as you walk down the corridor.

"Your demeanour leads me to believe that the Queen-Regent informed you of our plans", his voice calls after you, suddenly bringing you to an abrupt halt.

Our plans? That means they have been talking about this behind your back for who knows how long. You were deemed to lose from the beginning. As always.

"She did", you say, slowly turning around and towards him. He hasn't moved from the spot where you left him moments ago, but his presence fills the entire hallway anyway.

The way he stands there and looks at you, as if you were fragile and pitiable, makes the anger inside of you boil up once more and you walk towards him. Instead of taking a step back, however, he takes one towards you so that he is now towering over you with all his height.

"Listen to my words: I don't know what exactly you hope to achieve with this.. marriage. But it will never happen. I will not marry you", you tell him clearly, emphasizing the last words by poking your index finger into his chest. You don't give him time to answer, but as you turn around you notice the knowing grin that plays around his lips.

You decide not to respond to this and move away from him entirely. As soon as you turn into the next corridor, you finally feel like you can breathe again. At least as much as is possible for you within these walls.

You haven't been able to breathe properly in here for a long time.

You walk to your room, two guards posted on either side of the massive doors, and let yourself through without a word. Once inside, you find your way directly to the balcony, which overlooks the entire city and the harbour. The wind blows through your hair and creates a sad smile on your lips. From up here, you can hear nothing but the wind, the people frolicking down there nothing more than tiny black dots. A single tear finds its way down your cheek and you don't bother to wipe it away. Rather, you are amazed that you can even cry at all after all the tears you have already shed here.

You don't know if it is at that moment, or before, when you threw your crown at Míriel's feet, but you make a decision.

With a goal in mind, you go back inside, into the huge room you call your own and search through several closets until you find what you are looking for. You swap your beautifully ornamented dress for a more simple one, get rid of all your jewelry and put your hair into a casual updo. On the way to the door, your own reflection briefly looks back at you from the mirror across the room and you pause as you look at yourself.

Nothing is left of the little girl who once had dreams and pursued goals.

Taking another deep breath, you open the door and step out. The guards bow, as they always do when they see you.

"I'm going to pay a visit to my father", you explain to them, which they confirm with a short nod. They are about to follow you, but seem to remember that you are now allowed to walk around without guards constantly at your side, at least within the castle's walls. A change that hasn't been in effect for very long.

Nevertheless, you quicken your pace once you are out of their reach, afraid that they will decide to follow you after all. On your way, you make sure to avoid the maids and other guards, hiding behind corners, holding your breath. When you finally arrive at the stairs to the tower that lead up to your father, you stop hesitantly. But it only takes a moment, remembering your conversation with Míriel and all the other terrible events of the past, for you to regain your strength and turn away. With quick steps, you take the next set of stairs that lead down.

As you arrive in corridors that lead to the kitchen and staff facilities, you pay close attention to every little noise. Your heart is pounding so hard against your chest that you feel like it can be heard echoing throughout the corridors. You put your shaking hands against the spot where your heart is and try to calm yourself down. You've never tried to break out of this prison before, you always thought you were here for your own good. But you know better now. The thought of the outside world, which you have encountered so rarely in your life, scares you beyond belief either way.

Your sister's words still roam around your mind, making you clench your fists, until you gather up all your courage. Finally, you make it out of one of the doors, out into the fresh air that greets you lovingly.

However, you have no time to linger and quickly move forward, with careful steps as not to alert anyone. As you walk, you pull a cloth out of the corset of your dress that you had previously hidden there. In one swift motion, you pull it over your head and hide your face behind the fabric, only your eyes visible now.

With these safety measures in place, you make your way to the harbour, away from the castle. The entrances for the staff are guarded, but because of your disguise they let you pass. Once you slip past them, you are immediately surprised by the number of people walking through the streets. The sun is already setting on the horizon and the warm light of lanterns illuminates the alleyways.

With a gentle smile, you watch as two children whirl around, holding dolls that they chase each other with. You follow the mass of people who probably want to celebrate the end of their day in one of the taverns. The closer you get to the center of the city, the market square, the louder and more crowded it becomes. You hear them talking, laughing with each other, arguments are being settled, some young girls dance in the middle of a crowd of people who happily watch and applaud.

Despite the positive and joyful atmosphere, you are overcome by a feeling of sadness and sorrow all of a sudden. These people are your people - and you never get to see them. They don't get to see you unless they enter the castle, and that is something only a few people are allowed to do, reserved especially for the nobles and those of higher rank. But what makes you even sadder is the fact that very few of them even care for you. You are second in line to the throne. Once your father leaves this world, Míriel will be their Queen. Accordingly, interest in you is quite low. You are not even sure they would recognize you if you took off your disguise.

The sad truth is that they wouldn't, and that hurts more than you thought. And these are the people you are supposed to give your life for.

Suddenly everything becomes too much for you. Your ears are ringing, your heart is pounding, your whole body is shaking. No matter where you look, there are crowds of people everywhere. You feel small, constricted, helpless. You are carelessly pushed to the side, shoved forward. Your feet are stepped on, no one apologizes. You try to break out of the crowd, but your head is spinning and you no longer know which direction to go. Your breathing is getting faster and louder by the second. Nobody notices, nobody shows even the slightest hint of interest in you.

When you feel your legs giving way beneath you, you are suddenly grabbed by the arm and pulled into an alley.

You are terrified when you realize that you cannot defend yourself, your body is completely frozen and does not listen to your commands. Only when you feel a gentle hand on your cheek - the cloth must have come loose in all the chaos - and look up do you let out a breath that you didn't even know you were holding in. Lord Halbrand is standing in front of you, his face painted in concern as he looks you up and down.

"What are you doing out here all alone, Princess?", he asks and quickly grabs a hold of your shoulder as you start to drift away again, your legs no longer able to hold you upright. Exhausted, you lean against the stone wall behind you and close your eyes. You don't like that he sees you like this. On the other hand, he just saved you and prevented you from fainting in the middle of a crowd.

"I.. don't know", you whisper in defeat and it takes all your strength to admit it.

"What were you even thinking?", he says quietly, more to himself than to you. It feels like he doesn't want to scold you, but on the other hand he also does want to.

You look into his eyes, his face bathed in warm light from the soft candlelight of the lanterns around you. The wounds that are covering his skin have slowly healed, but even in this dim light you still notice them. Only now, when staring at him, do you realize that he is distracting you from all the noise and hustle, faded into the background.

"Come. I'll escort you back to the castle", he finally offers, his hands still on your shoulders as if he doesn't dare let go of you, afraid that you'll drift into the darkness at any moment.

Once again, you don't react and only stare at him, making the worry on his face deepen. In the meantime, you just can't wrap your head around how a Southlander like him, a low man, who barely knows you and who you've met with nothing but hatred, is worried about you while the people around you, your kind, are far away from even remotely caring about you.

"Can you walk on your own?", he asks, and when you finally nod in agreement, he lets go of you. But not for long, because after he puts the cloth back in its place to cover your features one of his hands wraps around yours and holds it tightly in his grip as he pulls you behind him, up several steps that lead further away from the cheerful scene.

You are grateful that he doesn't ask any questions, doesn't want to know why you were out here in the first place.

"Thank you."

That makes him pause for a moment and his hand applies a little more pressure on yours. In response, he turns to you with a gentle smile and lowers his head in resignation.

For some inexplicable reason, your heart suddenly skips a beat. He doesn't seem to notice the change in your face, however, and walks on. Together you make your way through the winding streets and you are amazed at how well he already knows his way around. You have to admit that it also hurts. After just a few days he's already more familiar with this city than you are.

You can already see the entrance to the castle when Lord Halbrand halts in his step, forcing you to stop as well. Turning to you, he steps closer and lifts your hand. Then, he gently places his other hand on top of it.

"I don't know what you were doing out there", he starts, looking from your hand between his to your eyes. "But rest assured that I'll keep it to myself."

The relief you feel in that moment is indescribable. If your sister found out you had escaped, she would surely reinforce all safety measure to protect you. This feeling doesn't last long, however, when another emotion suddenly overshadows it once he continues speaking.

"A princess like you doesn't belong out here."

He may not notice it, but these words hurt you deeply and make your eyes burn with tears within seconds. Without hesitation, you snatch your hand from him and put some distance between you by taking a few steps back. Your knees still feel weak, but you don't let it show. Lord Halbrand's face meets yours with incomprehension as you do so.

"I know where I belong", you spit out angrily and straighten up. For a moment you actually thought there might be more hidden beneath his facade. Oh, how wrong you were.

With these last words, you leave him standing there and walk the last few meters to the castle without him. Once again, you sneak through the staff quarters into the castle. Although you don't want to admit it, the walls suddenly give you comfort, making you feel safe and protected.

You quickly blink away a few tears and return to your chambers, where you go straight to bed. Even though you are incredibly exhausted and drained, you don't sleep all night. You toss and turn in the sheets, your mind plagued by nightmares until you hear the birds outside singing.

════════════

Annoyed, you slam the door to your chambers shut behind you and lean against it with a huff. Then you slide down to the cold ground and pull your knees closer to you, hugging them against your body.

Once again you tried to talk to your sister. Once again she dismissed your words as if they were worthless.

And that's exactly how you feel right now: worthless. Born into a life that brings you nothing but suffering and pain.

Ever since you were born, you were the one who would never ascend the throne. Who would never rule. And you never wanted to. You would never want to be your sister. But right now, you wish that you were both just born into a normal family, with no wealth or power. At the end of the day, she is still your big sister, the one who has always watched over you. Your mother dead, your father long bedridden - she is the only family you have left.

You miss the times when everything was peaceful. Happy times long gone when two sisters were inseparable. But the years made you believe that this world is not made for anyone to be happy.

You lower your head and let the sadness wash over you like waves finally bringing down a ship, and tears stream down your cheeks. Your body shakes, but you hold back any sobs, crying in silence.

You don't know how long you sat there, alone with your thoughts, the very last tear leaving your eye, but eventually something catches your attention. Something that reflects the light from across the room, lying on your vanity table that wasn't there when you left in the morning. Slowly, you get up and walk over, only to discover a beautiful brooch on top of a small piece of parchment. The design is that of a sun and the brooch is decorated with white and blue diamonds. It's breathtaking to look at.

You glance at the black ink on the parchment and your heart involuntarily jumps once more. The words read: 'Forgive me'.

When you suddenly hear footsteps behind you, however, you don't have time to think about these words any further. In one quick movement, you take an ornate dagger out of one of the drawers and turn in the direction of the noises. What you don't expect, however, is that Lord Halbrand emerges from the shadows behind your bed.

"H-How did you get in here? Who let you in?", you ask, out of breath, your heart pounding. The dagger in your hand is still raised, even as he approaches you. He doesn't say anything, however, just stands in front of you and slowly grabs your hand, which is tightly gripping the weapon. He lowers your joined hands and carefully removes the dagger from your grip, leaning over you to gently place it on the table.

"I was uncertain if my apology would be deemed acceptable, hence I wanted to see you in person to make sure", his soft voice sounds in your ear and sends a shiver down your spine. He is definitely too close to you right now and even though you'd never admit it, it doesn't feel uncomfortable. You look straight into his shining eyes which are not quite blue and not quite green but something in the middle. You swallow because the intensity in his gaze leaves you speechless.

"Get off me", you manage to croak out, sounding anything but convincing. Lord Halbrand notices this too, a smirk playing around his lips.

"I know you don't mean that, Princess. And that, deep down, you have already forgiven me", he breathes in a deeper voice than before and brushes a strand of hair from your face. In an instant, you grab his wrist and stop him from touching you any further. Because you know exactly what his touch does to you. And you simply cannot and do not want to acknowledge that you like what he does.

So far, every encounter with him was exhilarating, thrilling, like you were finally embarking on a long-awaited adventure. He awakens feelings you have kept locked away for a long time, sealed behind thick iron bars. Brick by brick, he slowly destroys the protective walls you have built around your heart.

It scares you.

"Lord Halbrand", you say more seriously now and stare directly into his beautiful eyes while he does not even try to free himself from your grip. "Get out of this room or I will call the guards and have you removed."

At that threat, Lord Halbrand lets out a quiet chuckle and removes his hand from your tight grip with ease.

"Before long, I will become your husband. It's time for you to get used to my presence, my lady", he states and the fury that rises in your eyes at his words is unmistakable. "I am aware that this.. arrangement may not be something you look forward to, but I suggest that you begin to come to terms with it. I fear you have no choice but to agree."

"Don't do this", you plead, and even though you try your best to hide it, your body trembles and your eyes fill with tears. The realization that he is telling the truth makes you feel sick to your stomach. Not wanting him to see your obvious discomfort, you turn your head away, lowering it in the process.

The next moment, however, you are unexpectedly pulled forward and suddenly feel two strong, muscular arms around you. Lord Halbrand hugs you as if his life depended on it. You can't even remember the last time someone hugged you. Especially not like this.

The slight scent of sea salt and smoke greets you and you have to admit that his embrace makes you feel safe, comfortable even. With his arms pressing you against his firm body tenderly, he manages to stop your body from shaking and your head from spinning. Right now, it's just you and Lord Halbrand. No could-haves, no would-haves.

The fact that you are no longer averse to his proximity scares you an immeasurable amount. That is also the reason why, in the next second, you push him away with all your strength, your hands on his hard chest.

"Please, Lord Halbrand. I need you to leave", you almost beg him and when his hand clasps yours on his chest, you look up at him and suddenly feel seen. The way he looks at you is unlike anyone has ever looked at you before.

"Your wish is my command, Princess", he nods and lifts your hand to his mouth, where he places a feather-light kiss on the back of your hand before he walks back to the large doors to your chamber, not taking his eyes off you. You also watch him and wait for him to finally leave you.

"Leave out the Lord next time", is the last thing he says before he disappears.

As soon as you see the door slam shut behind him, however, you run over with quick steps. Only when you get there and reach for the door handle do you stop yourself. What has gotten into you? Overwhelmed by the emotions flowing through your body all at once, you lean your forehead against the door in defeat.

After staying there for a while and taking several deep breaths to calm your rapidly pounding heart, you walk over to the brooch that is still shining at you from the table. Carefully, you place the fragile thing in the palm of your hand and examine it when you suddenly hear a whistle.

Wondering where it came from, you step out onto your balcony and see a few ships leaving the bay in the distance. But your attention is quickly drawn to the person standing in the courtyard a few meters below, looking up at you. You don't have to look twice to know that it is Halbrand.

"Give us a chance", he calls up to you and even from this distance you can see the bright smile on his face. Then he turns around and disappears under one of the archways.

Holding the brooch tightly to your heart, you can't believe that a soft smile creeps onto your lips.

════════════

"His Lordship Halbrand has requested to see you, my lady", one of the guards announces as you step out of your chambers the next morning. The mention of his name makes your heart skip a beat and you straighten up immediately.

"Then I shouldn't keep him waiting", you reply gracefully and let the guard accompany you to the place where Halbrand wants to meet you. You wouldn't have expected this to be the inner courtyard, though. And even less that he would be waiting for you there with two saddled horses.

"I hope you had a good night's sleep, my lady", Halbrand greets you with a gentle smile and notices that your steps immediately slow down when you see him with the horses. "Rest assured, Princess. I have consulted with the Queen-Regent regarding this matter. With her approval, I am permitted to accompany you on a brief ride. If that is what you wish, of course."

You pause entirely. You can't believe he convinced your sister to let you leave the castle, and with only Halbrand as your company as well. On the other hand, you've gotten a sense of how charming and persuasive he can be in the last few days.

Smiling, he holds out the reins of a white mare that is standing calmly next to him. Still a little unsure about the whole situation, you take the reins and stroke the horse gently, but don't take your eyes off Halbrand.

"H-How?", you ask him in disbelief. You can't help but think back to how often you have begged your sister to finally let you leave the castle. The fact that she is allowing this now makes you a little suspicious, but you certainly won't question her motives if it means that you can experience freedom once more, even if only for a few hours.

"We have to be back by sunset", Halbrand winks at you and comes closer, making you take a step back instinctively. When he reaches out his hand, you realize that he just wants to help you onto the mare, so you put your hand in his. Once you feel his calloused, rough yet soft hand, a pleasant feeling flows through you and when you sit upon the mare's back, you feel like you could conquer the world. He mounts his black horse as well and together you lead the horses out of the gate.

You turn around, your eyes fixed on the castle and the guards who make no move to follow you. A sense of relief flows through your body at once. Side by side, you make it out of the city and as soon as you leave the border of the capital, you are greeted by vast meadows and fields, grass gently swaying in the wind.

It doesn't take long before you get your horses galloping over the fields. Your white mare is a little faster than his horse, but you hardly even notice. You can only concentrate on the wind blowing through your hair, letting your dress float gently behind you. The air feels liberating and you are amazed at the beauty of nature, the beauty of the island you call home but have seen so little of.

A little later you reach a white sandy beach, the waves calm, seagulls squalling in the distance. The sea suddenly smells completely different from what you are used to and you can't help but smile.

If this is what freedom feels like, you won't ever go back.

Finally, you bring your horse to a stop on the shore, scratching her head, and turn to Halbrand, who stops his stallion right in front of you. Your hair is all tousled by the wind, but Halbrand smiles at you so genuinely that your cheeks flush. Without saying a word, you hop off your mare's back and bend down to bury your hands in the sand. As Halbrand dismounts, you quickly take off your shoes, lift up the fabric of your dress a little, and wade into the shallow water, which laps warmly against your skin.

You can't remember the last time you felt the ocean. As a Númenorean, you are connected to the sea on a deeper level and it feels like, right now, it's showing you how much it's missed you, like you're reuniting with an old friend. The sun is high above you, warming your skin as you close your eyes and enjoy the moment. Then you jump around the water playfully and with so much joy you haven't felt since you were a child.

Until you meet Halbrand's gaze. He is still standing where you left him, the reins of both horses in his hand, watching you enjoy yourself with so much affection in his eyes that you want nothing more than to run to him and fall into his arms, chasing the exhilarating feeling he gave you the day before.

Shyly, you slowly walk back to him through the ankle-deep water, your dress a little wet at the bottom.

"Enjoying yourself?", he asks with a smile, one hand scratching his horse behind the ears as he looks you up and down with sparkling eyes.

"Not exactly princess-like behaviour now, is it?", you shrug, eliciting a chuckle from him that gives you goosebumps and makes your heart beat faster.

"If you want my humble opinion: I think it's exactly how a princess should behave", he replies, the wrinkles around his eyes from smiling making him even more handsome in your eyes. "You shouldn't have to hide from the world."

"I wish I could come here more often", you sigh, ignoring his statement, your mood suddenly burdened by the thought that this moment of freedom will not last long and you will soon find yourself locked up inside the walls of the castle again. Halbrand's expression matches yours, but his gaze lays you bare. Feeling weak, you turn away. You stumble through the sand and finally flop onto the ground on a small dune, neatly placing your shoes next to you. Halbrand leaves the horses in your sight and joins you, sitting just a few meters next to you, your elbows touching.

For a while, neither of you says anything and you just stare out at the waves, which radiate a certain calm.

"As a child, I was very sick. An unidentified illness that was brought over from the continent. Despite having overcome it, I remained in a very weak state, requiring assistance with everything. I was not allowed to go out neither were people allowed to see me for fear of infecting me again. I was always surrounded by guards", you explain, your voice strong, but you have to pull yourself together not to sob. "Míriel was the only one who stood by my side, who made my time a little more bearable. Since our father.. has fallen sick, my sister feels even more responsible for my safety and, just like him, doesn't let me go out. She says it's for my own good and I once believed that, a long time ago. But now I doubt her concern is rooted in anything else than her own fear of losing me."

As soon as the last words leave your lips, you feel free. Free from the burden of not being able to tell anyone. But saying it out loud makes it feel so much more real. Still, pride fills you that you didn't shed a single tear. Halbrand, who was hanging on your every word, looks at you not with pity or sadness, but with a smile.

"Thank you for confiding in me. I can hardly imagine how hard that must have been for you", he tells you, speaking as if all of this is no longer your present. Maybe it's not right now, but it will be once you return.

"I have been wondering why you were locked up inside your whole life", he mutters to himself and takes a handful of sand, letting it trickle through his fingers. "And despite the prospect of freedom, you are against this marriage?"

His words hit you harder than they should, because you have to admit that you haven't given it a thought since yesterday.

"It's about her treating me like I'm a commodity that can be sold for a price", you answer, anger rising inside of you at the thought. "Either she keeps me here and risks a war or she finally lets me leave, with the ulterior motive that I at least bring some added value to Númenor. Besides, no one ever said that I would come with you once we were married."

"You think she would keep you here?", Halbrand asks, astonished. When you nod, something like determination paints his features.

"I won't allow that."

"I fear none of us will have much say in this", you sigh, exhausted and defeated, absentmindedly playing with the sand now as well. "I'm sorry you have to put up with a princess who knows nothing about this world, let alone has seen anything-"

"Don't say that", Halbrand interrupts you firmly, his eyebrows drawn together as if it physically hurts him to hear such words coming from your mouth. "You are perfect in my eyes, Princess."

You are glad he can't see the way your heart has started beating faster. What he can see, however, is the blush rising to your cheeks, which you quickly try to hide by turning your head away, pulling your knees closer to you.

"I feel like no one has ever told you how beautiful you are. In every way", he continues and you are startled when you feel his hand on your chin, gently turning your face back to him. You find it difficult to look at him, his eyes are looking at you so intensely that you no longer know which way is up and which way is down.

"Lord Halb-"

"What did I tell you about the Lord?", he chuckles, shaking his head at your cute behaviour. He loves the colour of pink your cheeks have taken on and how your eyes search his for any sign that he is lying, but you find nothing but the truth in them.

"When I told you that a princess like you doesn't belong here, I meant that a princess like you, who should be a queen, doesn't belong on this island, isolated from the world", Halbrand whispers, his hand moving from your chin to your cheek, where he gently strokes your heated skin with his thumb. "You belong in the very middle of it."

"N-No. I could never be a queen, I was not born for that", you explain, confident in your own words because it's all you have ever heard in your entire life; you would never be queen.

"I will make you a queen", he replies and the conviction with which he says this, the affection that resonates in his words and his features, makes you believe in his words. You desperately want to believe them.

"I promise I will not go without bringing you along", he assures you, holding your face in both of his hands now, his face so close to yours that you only have to lean forward a little to taste his lips. Halbrand notices this too, his gaze wanders to your lips and back to your eyes, which meet his almost pleadingly. As soon as you slightly nod, he connects your lips in a gentle but longing kiss. You gasp, never having been kissed before. Your heart feels like it will jump out of your chest at any moment, the sound of the waves blurs with your heartbeat and your hands get lost in his hair.

The kiss only lasts a few seconds, both of you having to catch your breath, but you don't want to let go of him. You have no idea what this man, this inconspicuous King of the Southlands, is doing to you, but you don't want to think about it because all you know is that you finally feel like yourself again, a feeling that seems so familiar yet unknown.

"I promise I will make you a queen and if it's the last thing I do", Halbrand tells you once more, leaning his forehead against yours before leaving a gentle kiss on the side of your mouth. Smiling up at him, you waste no time to wrap your arms around his neck and connect your lips in another kiss.

You will be his queen. And then you will finally be free.

[bogleech]

ALSO ON STORENVY HERE

ONCE UPON A DARK TIME IN THE TERROR AGES SOME MORON SCARED THE WORLD TO DEATH (GEE THANKS PAL!!!!!!!) BY WRITING A STORY CALLED "THE DAY OF ALL THE BLOOD." THE STORY WAS SO DARK AND GROSS THAT ANYONE WHO READ IT GOT SCARED IN REAL LIFE ALSO.

NOW MANY CENTURIES LATER THE SAME TWISTEFIED AUTHOR IS PUTTING THE STORY IN REAL PAPER YOU CAN TOUCH ALTHOUGH THE STORY IS STILL FAKE (………OR IS IT…………..) ALONG WITH SEVERAL OF THE ORIGINAL RELATED STORIES AND A BUNCH OF BRAND NEW ONES TOO SCARY TO PUT ON THE INTERNET!! ALSo the new stories aren't entirely in caps lock anymore because that got old if they were LOUDER you would get scared so hard you would quite possibly die to death for all time. This small thin paperback prints and ships in time to ruin thanksgiving or maybe christmas!!!!!!!

BRAND NEW STORIES INCLUDE:

THE MOST MURDERED GIRL IN THE WORLD: One day a girl did not listen to her mother, and got murdered by all the murderers in the world at once. The power of almost 100 murders at once transformed her forever…but into what!? The clue is in the title, but you'll never guess. heh heh heh.

THE TRUEST CRIME: one day there was a crime so terrible you will not be able to read what the bad guy did without throwing up your guts at how evil it was. Let's just say it sends 100 MILLION BABIES to prison…and that's only the beginning………

THE BODYLESS DOG: what happens when a dog gets its body cut off and doesn't die!? Well he isn't happy about it I can tell you that much.

VAMPIRE HANDS: this story is about YOU and the time your hands turned into the hands of a vampire. Maybe you think having to keep your hands in tiny coffins all day long doesn't sound so bad but that is only one of the more than one things you have to do when you have vampire hands!!!!!!

THE INVISIBLEST KNIFE: in this story you accidentally kill everyone and everything you care about and even ruin a hot dog completely. Don't worry! There's no such thing as the invisiblest knife! I am looking around right now and I don't see it anywhere. Do you??

WHEN ALL THE STEEL TURNED INTO WORMS (and it was not my fault!!!) this is one of the LONGEST stories (more than two pages!) in the book and is about when one day all the steel in the world became worms that were scared of humans so if you even looked at a car it would fall apart from all the worms running away into the dirt. Again these are descriptions and not the whole stories so this is just one of the things that happens!

THE DAY IT RAINED THE HEADS FROM SPACE: what happens when a really sharp human space probe meets a planet where everyone is the same exact height and always stands in a line on a perfectly flat plane?!?!?!?!?!!?!!?? Well they aren't happy about it I can tell you that much.

THE DOG THAT WAS TOO LONG: you like dogs, do you??? Well sometimes wishes come true but sometimes…sometimes wishes suck and were stupid to make actually. Fool.

THE WEIRD GUY: don't worry, there's no such thing as a weird guy, and if there was, it would not turn out to have been you all along! Pretend you didn't read this massive spoiler.

THE GHOST'S GHOSTS: everyone knows a ghost is twice as scary as a regular person, but what about a ghost's ghost? Obviously that would be twice as scary as a regular ghost. A twisted tale of how the human race is exterminated several hundred times in a row.

DARKNESS MOM: the worst most awful most disgusting scariest monster in the WORLD!! You will TERRIFIED to read about this mom who is TOO TALL and has a GROSS TOO LONG TONGUE and SHARP MONSTER HANDS and if she GETS YOU she will make you be IN TROUBLE all the time for like NO reason!!! NOOOO!!!!!!

THE THINGS THAT DID THE WRONG THINGS: you better not read this secret government list of things that do the wrong stuff!! The secret guys will catch you and you'll have to go to secret jail so you don't go telling everyone about anomanolies such as THE WORST TURTLE (three words, FOOL: spikes on it) or THE CLOCK THAT TELLS TIM (tim is alright though this is not his fault)

THE HALF MURDERER: what if a normal person and a murderer had a baby? It's more likely than you think! Or shall we say…half more likely…mwa ha ha ha

THE REVENGE OF THE DAY OF ALL THE BLOOD: THE LONG FEARED SEQUEL (WARNING: this one is in capitol letters again, it is PULLING NO PUNCHES!)

…………AND MAYBE SOME MORE IF I FEEL LIKE IT! *actually some more are already in it I just might add a couple more than that even

[writermuses]

'I think I wanna marry you' War + Little Dove

From this spontaneous marriage meme here!

Whenever Carina had considered getting married, she had always assumed it would be a big affair. One that would lead to trying her best to keep it secret from the press. She'd envisioned it with someone famous because of her father, brother, and her own career paths which had put her in the way of a lot of people with big names. None of those things were factors that she necessarily wanted, simply things she had assumed for her future. Her life had always seemed streamlined for a very particular path.

As she wrapped her arms around War just then, lifting her chin so that her blue eyes could find his devastatingly handsome face, she realized that she hadn't factored love into the equation. Most people in the entertainment industry ended up in broken marriages, but not her parents. Carina had always had the most impossible example of marriage to follow in her parents. She'd placed their marriage on a pedestal. They were strong together, even in their weakest moments. It was what she'd always wanted for herself. She just didn't assume she would find it in a man who seemingly rarely opened himself up to people. Carina had been different, and somehow that made this all the more special. He chose her, and not for what she did, or her status.

If there was one thing Carina could count on, it was the fact that War could care less about her celebrity status. He wasn't the type of person who would fake his affection either. She'd come to learn that he simply didn't bother. If he hadn't cared about her, she definitely wouldn't be standing here today.

He was everything her father didn't want for her, although she wagered that her father would likely want his perfect daughter to remain far, far away from all men. Still, Carina had learned quickly that you couldn't control what direction your heart went in, and hers was absolutely made for this one man. A small and shy smile played on her face, accompanied by a rosy tinge to her cheeks. How he managed to get her to blush after all this time, she would never know.

All it had taken to get her here were the words "I think I wanna marry you," and she had followed him without a second thought. No regrets. Blind faith in the fact that their future would be one of happiness. Two opposite personalities, and yet they fit so perfectly together, she couldn't believe they had even found each other. Their story felt like something from a movie, not real life. Yet, here they were. They'd made vows to one another, vows she took seriously, a promise she would keep until her last breath.

Now she held him, all things playing in slow motion as they moved to close the gap between them and kiss for the first time as husband and wife. In that moment, she didn't wonder what her parents would think, whether they would be disappointed or angry. She didn't think about anything else other than the fact that being his wife felt completely right, and she was so happy she didn't think there were words to express just how happy she was. It was a feeling she was certain would carry her through days, weeks, months, maybe years it felt so strong. She couldn't help but wonder, as their kiss ended, and her eyes searched for his, if he could feel her happiness.

Before she knew it she jumped into his arms, forcing War to catch her as she wrapped herself around him and held onto him tightly with the happiest, musical laugh that had ever escaped her. She pulled her head back so that she could look him in the eye, nearly nose to nose. "Do you have any regrets?" She asked softly, "Because I don't... but I might want a tattoo to commemorate this moment, and I'll only get it if you promise to be the one to do it. Please."

This wasn't her first tattoo, and wouldn't even be her first by him, but this would be the most important one by far.

[isnt-that-wizardd]

dbda headcanons

hello i'm bored so here are some dead boy detective headcanons for you!! all are gen (no specific ships) though i do also have some payneland specific ones if anyone is ever interested

The boys own so many copies of Clue because they SUCK at keeping track of all the pieces. Inevitably they lose a character piece or accidentally rip one of the cards or do something like throw the board off a roof when they get frustrated and can’t find everything when they try to pick it up. So they just buy a new board. Only three of them still have a full set of things for the game, and one of them has only the pieces and cards but no actual board. A couple of them are mismatched because when they first started they thought to just pull the things they needed out of the new box so they could continue using the old one, but then they just lost track of what was where. 

Charles usually wins when they play games, unless it’s trivia. He still has an edge up on Edwin on pop culture, but only if the game is old enough. They both stopped paying attention to that kind of thing in the late 90s, so half the time if they are playing a trivia game, they’ll just take out that category all together. 

Niko has made it her life’s mission to catch them up on everything, though, so they have a regularly scheduled group movie night - Edwin and Charles get absolutely no input in anything they watch, so they are at the complete mercy of what Crystal and Niko think that they need to watch. Both were surprised at how much Charles ended up LOVING Legally Blonde. 

After he finds out that Crystal got a girlfriend, Charles goes through a whole thing for a while about how he’s the “token straight friend”. Crystal, Niko, and Edwin are all just standing there like “....so who’s gonna tell him.” 

Edwin eventually tries to ban Crystal from eating in the office because he’s sick of hearing Charles complain about how jealous he is. If he hears about how much Charles misses spaghetti one more time then he’s banning Charles next

Edwin and Crystal have a deeply sibling-like relationship where they antagonize, torture, yell, and generally act like they hate each other but at the same time they would both absolutely fight, maim, kill, etc for each other. Charles had given up trying to meditate because he realized that fighting is actually their love language

Edwin also becomes a protective brother type for her where he is constantly making sure she's taking care of herself (eating, sleeping, etc) but acts like it is the biggest hindrance in the world. He berates Crystal endlessly when he realizes she hasn't eaten all day and complains about how much of an annoyance it'll be if she passes out on a case while simultaneously making her tea and a sandwich. He complains about how she relies on her powers too much on cases and tells her she needs to "actually learn to do some real detective work" and then conveniently leaves books around that will be helpful to learn more about the supernatural, casually explains certain things when she just happens to be in earshot, and just generally passive aggressively teaches her so that she'll be better protected and knowledgeable on cases

Both Edwin and Charles are opposed to “getting with the digital age”, as Crystal and Niko put it. They’ll borrow one of the girls’ laptops maybe every once in a blue moon and they will gladly watch movies and shows, and Charles does like the music access that stealing Crystal’s phone gives him, but there is no chance that they are bringing in all this digital tech to the agency. They’ve been working with pen and paper since they started and they are going to stay that way, thank you very much. The internet is too messy with everyone’s different opinions and theories to give them accurate research on what they don’t already know about the supernatural world, and honestly, ghosts and digital technology don’t actually mix super well. The Night Nurse is fully on their side, so any internet needs are kept to a minimum and are entirely the girls’ domain 

Charles is chaotic and ADHD but between the two of them, he's far more orderly about things. He has his magic bag organized to a T and is cleaning up after Edwin all the time when he leaves books lying about. It seems to entirely counteract his personality and for a long time Edwin just brushes it off as a little quirk, but after the Devlin house he finally learns that Charles keeps himself so neat and organized all the time because his dad would punish him when things were out of place

Edwin is surprisingly good with children. Charles never knows what to do with himself when interacting with a kid, but Edwin will crouch down to their level, speak to them normally rather than using any sort of baby talk, listen to them rant about their special interests, etc and just generally treat them like just Another Person in a way that has kids just immediately attaching to him like baby ducks. Edwin does not understand why kids seem to like him at all, and Charles just laughs when he asks, happy to simply sit back and watch the cutest interactions he's ever seen

Edwin and Niko have weekly "date" nights where they just hang out in her bedroom and watch shows (she's determined to get Edwin into at least one anime), chat, play go fish for hours on end, and things like that. It gives both of them a designated time to relax over the week and to catch up/gossip about things they haven't gotten a chance to tell each other yet. Crystal and Charles are absolutely Not Invited to these dates, a fact that both of them pretend to be outraged over

Charles is nearly always perfectly content with just remaining on earth and interacting with the living plane and never ever seeing any of the afterlife-associated locations/offices (Lost & Found, etc) but since finding out it exists, he is Determined to figure out how to get to the Dead Letter Office. He doesn't understand how it works or exists or how the postman always finds them and His Brain Needs To Know. So far he's bothered both the postman and the Night Nurse for information but both are way too cryptic/annoying to be of any help

Charles and Niko rarely end up alone together and are not as close as any of the other dynamics in the friend group, but that isn't to say they don't absolutely ADORE each other. They think that the other is just about the neatest person ever and when they do end up just the two of them, their mutual chaotic energies collide in a way where they either are absolutely brilliant and accidentally uncover something essential to a case or they just completely dissolve into hysterical laughter and can't get a thing done

[the-kr8tor]

Other Side of Paradise

Pairing: Robin Hood! Hobie Brown x Princess! Reader

Word count: 7.3k

Summary: Being a princess is all fine and dandy until you're about to get married off like a brood mare. Will the handsome thief that stole your heart help get you out of a loveless marriage? Or perhaps you'll be the one stealing his heart?

Tags: No use of Y/N, no specific physical description of the reader (except for clothing), robin hood au, royalty au, part 1 of part 2, talks of marriage, reader has unnamed siblings, a bit ooc Hobie at the start but it's for the plot, fluff.

A/N: This oneshot is so long I had to cut it in half lol enjoy! (Part 2 will be up in a few days)

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Octobie 🎸

Part one >>> Part two

Being a princess in one of the largest and most powerful countries in the world, you'd think that your family, the royal family would treat you like the finest jewel in their treasury. But no, they treat you like their doormat, a pretty little thing to put atop their mantle only to be forgotten until it's time to show you off.

You are a princess, draped in the finest silks and chiffon, jewels in your hair, golden rings around each of your fingers. But the one missing, the one that your family truly only cares about is a diamond on your ring finger that has remained empty ever since your debut out into society.

You're the thirteenth child of the thirteenth king and queen, an unlucky number perhaps, but you find it lucky since you're the youngest out of the thirteen, hence your empty ring finger. But after your last elder sister got married, all the attention went to you when you didn't want them in the first place. You went from just co-existing with your family, to you being the center of attention in the span of a few hours after they sent your dear sister off to her husband. From your brothers to your sisters, they've all been wed. Even if they had no say in who they were going to marry, they went with few little tears. Some married kings, princesses, and a few were shipped off to dukes and duchesses. Your parents were determined to fill every noble and royal household with their own blood. And unfortunately, you're not an exception.

With your corset poking you at your side, dress weighing heavy, and crown falling off your head every few minutes; you look like you're about to scream and shout in the middle of the throne room. You might as well when you roam your eyes at the marriage candidates staring at you like you're the last slice of pie at the tavern. Every eligible noble man around the world has come vying for your hand, or more like your dowry for that matter.

For once in your life, they didn't make you sit at the far back where you're free to whip out a book and read without interruption. But now, you sit front and center next to your royal parents, their heads held high, jewels shining in the sunlight that bathes the whole throne room in its kaleidoscope light coming from the colourful stained glass window that depicts your age-old family history. Some of its bits were conveniently taken out by your ancestors when they ‘took over’ the throne from their rightful heir and uncle. Maybe that's why they had to send off most of your siblings to faraway countries to prevent infighting amongst your family when the throne inevitably goes empty. You won't fight for it though, who would want to rule a country standing on the precipice of war and famine every year?

You claw at your wrist, the itchy lace turning your skin bumpy and agitated. Your mother clears her throat, head standing still while her eyes throw daggers at you.

“I think I'm allergic to this fabric, mother.” You whisper, but the vast throne room practically announces your uncomfortable self with an echo of your voice.

Swallowing thickly, you see the crowd of nobles standing to the sides turn their heads at you. Their golden suits and gowns just screams ‘I’m important!’ to everyone in the room. But when everyone thinks they're important, does that mean that everyone outside the room is insignificant? You don't think so, but everyone and their blue blooded self thinks the world revolves around them.

“Hush,” your mother speaks plainly, showing the nobles that you are obedient and raised well. Well, you were technically not raised by her or your father, they barely know you except for the one fact that you're their child. They practically tossed you to your wet nurse and governess the second you were launched out of the queen. “Sit still, we may find you a husband today.”

You inhale, fixing your posture. You miss your library. “But they look…” your eyes glance at the men waiting at the far end of the hall. Finding that none of them would suit you at all. Maybe your governess was right, reading romance novels would give you high and impossible expectations for a romantic partner. Some were too blond, wore too many ruby rings on their fingers, too much perfume that you could smell them from where you sat. Or that the feathers on their hats are too big, or they wear too much green, or their pants are too blue for your taste. Maybe it's not too late to run away and become a nun. “...too much.”

Your mother, the queen, pats the back of your hand. The most affection she has given you in your entire life. “They all come from respectable families,” in other words, rich. “And most importantly, noble.”

“Can I still take sister Thena’s offer and become a nun instead?” You ask wryly, still trying to whisper your words.

She smiles sweetly, or what you call, her restrained smile that she gives to her courtiers. “If you don't quiet down and find a husband instead, lord Melbourne is looking for a wife.”

You gasp, head turning to look at the said lord who looks like he could be your great grandfather. “No, you wouldn't.” He catches your eyes, winking at you through his wrinkles. You make a face, scrunching up your nose and looking away at the man.

“I would dare,” she raises an eyebrow. “It's either him, or you pick a handsome young man from the line up.”

Your father finally catches on, he leans back on his throne to look at you over your mother. “It's for your own good, darling. We don't want you to die a spinster.”

You've noticed that he has a habit of calling you ‘darling’ these days. Perhaps he finally forgot your name. That's probably it since he named three of your brothers Charles because he forgot he already used that name before. Or maybe the gout has gotten to his brain.

“Would it be so bad to die a spinster?” They both crane their heads at you, brows slightly furrowed and mouths faintly agape in surprise. “I mean, you don't have to send a letter to me every year since I'll be staying here with you.” Their expressions sours further. “or maybe I could find a ship and sail the seas under our banner—” they both shake their heads, even your father's advisor shakes his head at you. So you give up, for now at least. “Or maybe I could just go and be a jester for one of my siblings.” You manage to whisper this time. Your words carried through the wind with no one to hear it but you. Or so you thought.

With the sound of the trumpets, the courting begins. Grasping your chair, you huff in place when the first man struts his stuff on the red carpeted floor.

You notice that he bows perfectly. He wears a dark blue coat over a silver hue tunic, his shoes are shined to perfection, smile even brighter than his leather shoes. “Eugene, Viscount of Van Horn, my princess.”

“A pleasure,” you say, unamused.

“I bring gifts from my land,” his attendants bring out crates full of oysters and crabs still writhing within its metal confines. “There will be more once we are married.” Your parents seemed to like it when they smiled at the slimy crates. “And a portrait of myself to better help you choose a husband.” You raise a brow, and sure enough, his people bring out a large square shaped thing that is hidden behind a white cloth. Eugene clicks his fingers, prompting them to reveal the gaudiest painting of someone ever etched on parchment.

It's not a regular portrait per se, the size is questionable, yes, but the contents of it makes you and everyone in the throne room tilt their heads to the side to see it clearly. The frame is riddled with rubies, and the painting, well, Eugene hangs upside down from a sycamore tree branch, grinning like how he is right now, from ear to ear. He's wearing the same thing as in the portrait too, at least his features are accurate. You know your mother does not look remotely similar to her portrait that hangs in the great hall.

“Uh?” You blink and every time you do, you see more and more questionable details. Like how there's somehow a field of pink roses below him, and how the sun shines to the west even though the shadow doesn't line up accurately. Some paintings have secret meanings weaved into it. Maybe he's trying to say that he can defy the rules of the world?

“You see,” Eugene waves his hand around the portrait, explaining its contents when you still look confused. “This shows my physical prowess,” he points at himself hanging upside down by just his legs. “And the sycamore tree represents—”

“Thank you, Viscount.” Thankfully, your father stops him from further getting into the artistic meanings of his painting. “We shall take your offer into consideration.” He smiles, and with a wave of his hand, his men shoo the viscount away to the side. “Next suitor.”

No one steps forward, instead, you see the waiting men move about, looking like there's someone making their way out the front. You wait for him to come out. And who greets you has you pinching the bridge of your nose.

“Henry, duke of Plainsboro, my princess.” The seemingly six year old lord bows down to you.

“Him?” You gesture towards the child. “He's a baby.”

“Pardon me, princess. But I'm eight and a half.”

“Oh my apologies, my lord.” You clear your throat, head turning towards your parents. “He's a toddler!” Your mother hushes you down, giving you a pointed look of disapproval. “Mother, surely we're not considering him.”

“What is your offer, lord Henry?” The king asks, ignoring your protests.

The young lord grins toothily, you scoff when you see that he's still missing his front tooth. “I guess I'm the invisible princess now.” There's only been two suitors so far and you already feel like your soul is getting sucked right out of your miserable body.

“Two hundred livestock, including my prized stallion. And half a million coins for your royal coffers.” The toddler has money to burn. You gotta hand it to his governess or whoever taught him how to converse, he speaks better than your older brothers combined.

That seemed to get your parents attention. “Oh dear god no, not the baby, surely?”

“Hush,” your father waves you off. “We'll highly consider your generous offer, my lord.” He smiles at the child, and you don't even hide your displeasure anymore.

You fight the urge to groan loudly and throw a fit in front of all the nobles. Instead, you huff and silently cry in your plush golden seat.

The next man with a beard starts to walk towards the front, but another man pushes him away and gets to the front before the other noble could say something.

This one intrigues you, something from his walk, up to his confident smirk doesn't seem to scream ‘I'm important! And you must pay heed to me!’ kind of air around him. He seems genuine when he smiles at you, you find it contagious, bringing a smile to tug at your own lips. His hazel eyes appear to be piercing through you without the familiar uneasiness the rest of the courtiers give you. And there's something from his bow that almost makes you giggle in place. It's like he's mocking the way the previous nobles bowed to you and your parents.

“Hobart, lord of Doverhill.” His voice brings a heavy accent, it's smooth in your ears but weighs heavy on your chest. A comfortable heaviness that brings solace. He flicks his eyes at you, his pupils catch the light perfectly, making his multi-colored eyes glow from the stained glass windows. “My princess.” He acknowledges you, and for some reason, your heart leaps from your chest.

He wears a simple red and white suit with silver inlays stitched at the hem. He has a bird engraved on his cufflinks, and shoes that are scuffed but presentable. You look closely at him to read him better, and you spot that his suit doesn't seem to fit right on him, the length is too short, and his trousers look like it stops right above his ankles. Nonetheless, he looks good in it. *Incredibly good.

“What is your offer lord…” your father knits his brows, briefly looking at his adviser who is equally as confused, mumbling a ‘where in the world is Doverhill?’ “Hobart?”

“Nothin’. I offer you nothin.’” He says confidently, smirk staying on his lips. If you took your eyes off him for a second, you wouldn't have seen his quick wink thrown at you. You think the other suitors should just go home.

“Is this a jape?” Your mother scoffs, manicured nails pointing accusingly at him.

“No, but I do have somethin’ for her.” He glances at you, eyes staying on you. “My love, unconditional love that never wavers. I offer nothin’ but warmth to tide her over durin’ the winter, a full belly so she'll never starve nor hunger for food or affections. And I offer smiles and laughter that will echo around our manor.”

You just noticed that he's now standing in front of you with the light shining behind him, giving him a halo of sunlight. “And time, time to just live and be ourselves beyond our titles.” He reaches for your hand, thumb brushing along your wrist, eyes never leaving your own as he kisses the back of your hand gently. You're glad you hid your gloves from your handmaiden before leaving your apartments.

This is your romantic novel moment.

You're speechless. “I—”

“Ask me whatever you want and I shall grant it.” He whispers to you and only you.

“I choose him!” You say boisterously, heart thrumming in your chest. The crowd yells their various protests, murmurs from the court that you ignore. Without missing a beat, you look over to your bewildered parents. “Can I promenade with Lord Hobart?”

“B–but he offers nothing—”

You don't wait for their approval, instead, you grasp his hand tightly around yours and with a bow to your king and queen, you walk off hand in hand with the lord of Doverhill.

It's safe to say that everyone was left gawking at the door you left in. It was a full minute before anyone got wise and followed you towards the gardens.

—

By the time you make it towards the inner halls of the castle, every guard and noble are prowling for you and your new acquaintance. Gossip thrives at court, and your family's home is not an exception. You lead him side by side, you've let go of him after it quieted down in the throne room. Smiling, there's a pep in your step as you pass by your siblings’ former apartments.

“What are your hobbies, Lord Hobart?” Your hands are tucked behind you, hiding your twiddling thumbs from the handsome lord.

“Call me Hobie.” He glances at you, brilliant pools of hazels catching the sun's rays. “I play the lute.”

“How peculiar,” you grin wider. “It’s definitely interesting though.”

He raises a brow. “The name or the hobby?” Chuckling, he maneuvers around you, hands hidden in his pockets as he appears from behind you. He plays it off nonchalantly, grinning at you as he twirls back into his place next to you. You two now have switched places with him walking next to the rooms and with you right beside the tall windows that faces the glimmering sea outside.

“The latter. I like your nickname.”

“Thank you, love.” Your heart leaps in your chest, you hope he doesn't notice. “Better than hanging upside down on a bloody sycamore tree.”

Your laughter echoes further down the hall, “yes, that was incredibly odd. The portrait had me in stitches.”

“Ironic too,” he smirks, eyes glancing about the hallway. Perhaps he just likes the decor and the ancient oil paintings on the walls.

“How so?”

“Sycamore represents wisdom. I don't think that man had any, based on his taste in art.”

You giggle, and you see him smile softly at you. “I learned something new today.” You nudge his shoulder with your own, surprisingly, he does the same. “Do you read, my lord? I'm partial to it myself.”

“Whenever I can. But ‘m a bit busy these days.”

“Ah yes, a land to tend to and people to take care of.” You clasp your hands together as he leads you down the long hallway. Hobie nods with a gentle smile as if he's reminiscing about his home.

“How ‘bout you, d’you have people you take care of?”

A weird question to ask, but you answer it nonetheless. “I guess I did, my siblings, before they all left to marry. We took care of eachother. Made sure that everyone was heard, made sure to fight for eachother. But when it was time to marry, none of them could fight it even when we all dared to go against it.” You realize what you've said, back tracking. “I must apologize, that was… a lot.”

He shakes his head gently, the simple silver necklace around his neck shines brightly in the sun. “It's not a lot. It's good to have people that care for you, and for you to care for them. That's just family.”

You smile at his words, the pit in your stomach grows as you miss your siblings dearly.

A comfortable silence falls around the two of you, you're taking in his entire presence. He's a lot nicer and sweeter than you thought he would be when you thought he was just playing for your favour. He's so close to you that you can see every line, indent and mole on his chiseled face. And how he smells like freshly cut pine and like dandelions in the spring. You could only hope that he likes you back, he may save you from a lifetime of a loveless and cold marriage.

You two pass by the jewel apartments where your family’s most precious crown jewels are safely kept under lock and key. There's a couple of guards standing by the large metal doorway, but you don't seem to recognize them since you always kept to yourself most of the time and would always watch people during feasts and balls while everyone else were schmoozing. Somehow, their uniforms seem to not fit them well. One even had his shirt inside out.

You hear something jingling, but before you could follow the sound, Hobie tilts his head towards you with a lopsided smile while his hand ghosts over the small of your back. Guiding you away towards the sweet smelling gardens.

Hobie pushes the doors open, and the sun greets the two of you as birds chirp and fly overhead. The white puffy clouds provide shade, and the flowers are in full bloom, from the tulips down to the sunflowers that are as tall as him.

He whistles out, and you watch his awestruck face at the sheer beauty of the renowned garden. “You've got a fountain ‘ere?” he gestures with his head towards the bubbling marble fountain with two cherubs spitting water at the top of its spire.

You smile at his wonderment. “Yes, my great grandfather commissioned it for my great grandmother. It's a bit gaudy but the sentiment behind it is sweet.”

Hobie walks closer to it as leaves crunch underfoot and with the sun kissing his skin. He waves his hand over the falling water, letting the cool water drench his sleeve as it trickles down, not caring about it at all.

“Is this drinkable water?” He asks blatantly.

“I don't know, but it is clean.”

His eyes are downcast, looking like he's in deep thought while the water splashes his hand. “Did you know that down in the streets where your subjects live they survive everyday on dirty water?” His tone changes, brows creased. “And over ‘ere you're using it for a bloody fountain.”

You blink, inhaling deeply. “I–I didn't know. I'll make sure my father knows about this—”

“Don't worry, princess, he knows.” He spits out your title with malice.

“I'm sorry if I offended you,” you grasp tightly at your heavy skirt. “Forgive me.”

Hobie sighs, face softening, and eyes observing your expression as if he's trying to find a lie within your eyes. “You should tell him. He might actually do somethin' this time.”

“I will—”

You hear leaves crunch a few ways away, once you look over at where it came from, you see a bulbous skirt hiding behind a topiary of a rabbit.

“This place has eyes and ears.” He holds out his hand for you, waiting, not taking forcibly. “I know a place where we can hide.”

“You know? It's your first time here, is it not?”

“I heard there's a hedge maze ‘ere. One of the nobles couldn't stop talkin’ about it.”

Your apprehension fades, and you take his hand gingerly. Fingers sliding on his palm, feeling every calluses and scar on his skin. When he cups your hand gently, you swear you felt sparks fly in your vision.

Hobie's chest rises and falls slowly as he takes you in under the soft sunlight. “C’mon, love.”

With his hand upon yours, you let him guide you further and further into the emerald labyrinth. You watch him from behind, eyes trained on him and only him. Perhaps this is what your sisters and governess told you about when you know a person could be that person your heart yearns for. Or maybe this is your own romance novel riddled mind making up a delusion through rose coloured glass. Either way, you find him ethereal, like a sea captain, or perhaps a god walking amongst men.

He expertly dodges the nosey courtiers, twisting and turning around the hedges as if he had been there or have studied the labyrinth.

With you in tow, he stops when you both reach the middle of the maze where a statue of the minotaur lies defeated with Theseus standing above him with his sword embedded in the Minotaur's shoulder blade. The creature's face is contorted into pain and anguish as tears fall down on the grassy ground.

“This one is my favourite,” you say while he stares at the old statue. “It's been here for a long time, and it'll remain here even when I'm gone.” His hand still holds onto you as you turn towards him. “Why exactly did you join the courting?” He's taken aback. “Those men out there wanted my dowry, or my royal blood to be passed down to their children. But I don't see that want in you, Hobie. You're different from them. Like you've lived a thousand lifetimes.”

“‘m not a vampire or immortal if that's what you're askin'”

You grin, tamping down your laughter. “The way you walk, stand, and look at things. There's no sense of urgency nor you give insincere interest, it's all earnest. And you listened to me, no one ever listens to me.” You brush your hand across the scar on the back of his hand. “You seem to enjoy everything like it's your last day, you don't walk with haste like the rest of them. Time goes very quickly here but with you, it's at a snail’s pace. As if you have all the time in the world.” You breathe, eyes watching his unreadable expression. “I think I know who you are, Hobie.”

He laughs, grinning widely, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Our intel did say you're brilliant. The forgotten princess.”

Surprisingly, you grin back, standing toe to toe with him. “You’ve been the thorn on my father's side for years. The blue bloods hate you but the common people adore you. I never thought I'd look at the eyes of the man who wishes for my family's downfall.”

He brushes your cheek with his knuckles. “This the real you, princess?”

“I've been me the entire time, have you?” You lean forward, looking at him through your lashes. “Is this the real you, Hobie? Or shall I call you by your pseudonym?”

He chuckles deeply. Hands raising up in mock surrender. “You got me.”

The bells in the highest tower ring three times, signaling a thief within the walls of the castle. “And here I thought I was wrong.”

Hobie tilts his head, smirk tugging at his lips. “I have to take you with us now.”

“Oh woe is me.” You feign fear a bit too on the nose to be considered genuine. It's better to be taken in by a known generous thief than to marry a stranger who only wants you for your womb.

“Thought you'd be difficult.” He chuckles as he hears thunderous footsteps running towards the center of the maze. “May I?” He gestures for you, and you shrug, putting your hands behind your back. “Why are you cooperatin’?”

“Maybe I've got a proposition for you and your crew.”

He stands behind you, holding your wrists in one hand while he brandishes a dagger at your throat. He doesn't threaten you with it or poke and prod at your skin. He just points the dagger at one of the exits through the hedge maze where you surmise a dozen or so guards race through to get to you.

“What d’you want?” He whispers against the shell of your ear.

“Freedom.” You whisper back.

“What are you offerin’?”

You chortle, feeling his rough hands softly enclose around your wrists. Leaning back, you look at him upside down. “That depends on who shows up in front of us.”

With trepidation, Hobie points his dagger at the exit while he backs himself into the balcony that faces the sea. His back hits the warm stone of the bannister, and he tightens his hold on the dagger.

Footsteps rush in, and out comes the same guards you saw in front of the crown jewel room, together with a few more people dressed as staff and even a chef. They heave and pant, smiling once they see him. Hobie puts his dagger down to his side, mirroring their relieved smiles.

You notice the lack of crowns and jewels in their satchels. “No luck?” You ask nonchalantly.

“Holy shit, you actually got the princess to like you.” A girl who must've been no older than sixteen walks towards you, her blond hair is tied into a neat bun to mimic the look of the staff but her dagger strapped to her side says otherwise. “It's a pleasure, your highness.”

“Likewise—”

“What happened?” Hobie interrupts your friendly greeting.

“Two words, a lot of fucking guards.” The one with the dark hair and blue eyes says while he exhales like he tried to win a race against a horse.

“That's more than two words, moron.” A woman clad in black says, she winks when she meets with your eyes. “I guess we got something more precious.”

“Princess, meet the crew. Crew meet the princess.” Hobie says while he takes a rope from one of them. He tries your hands together, leaving enough wiggle room as to not hurt your wrists.

“No jewels but we got a princess. So plan C then?” A man wearing one of the guard uniforms says. He takes his hat off, revealing a priest’s halo under it.

“You've got a priest in your crew?” You ask, looking at Hobie. There's a lot more racing footsteps heading for the center of the maze, the guards are definitely the one marching towards you now. It's nice to be remembered sometimes.

“He lost a bet.” He just shrugs it off as if that answers your question. Looking at his crew, he addresses them, “there's nothin’ we can do now, we go to plan C.”

“Wait, what's plan C?” You ask, and your eyes widen when one by one, each member jumps off the balcony down to the cold depths. “W–wait, no, absolutely not!”

“This is plan C.” Hobie hobbles towards the edge of the balcony, arm holding you against him while you hear splashes from below.

“Alright, I change my mind! Put me down!” Now that you and Hobie are the only ones left on the balcony, he carries you as he lifts himself over the balcony edge. Standing up with you in his arms, you look down for a second and vertigo shifts your vision into a blurry mess. You don't even notice that you're clutching onto his chest and hiding your face into the fabric of his suit.

“Halt!” A guard yells above the rushing blood in your ears. You hear swords getting unsheathed, and angry words thrown at the man you're currently clutching onto.

With his hands holding you, Hobie laughs, “hold your breath, princess!” He jumps over the balcony backwards despite your screaming.

Your breath is stuck in your throat, soul leaving your body as you fall. Hobie's cackling echoes while the winds rush past your ears, heartbeat thudding, and face hidden on his chest, you fall into the cold depths, chill stinging your skin. And the last thing you see before the darkness envelopes you is his hand reaching for your own in the cold bitter blue of the sea.

—

You wake up with a groan and smell distinctively like fish and seaweed. Your vision sways, seeing the ground rock too, you surmise that you're on the move. It's either that or the carriage you're on smells weirdly like horse dung.

You're placed on a horse with your hands tied behind your back, stomach hurting from the saddle, sun bearing down on you, and dress weighing like a ton from it being drenched in the water. You're uncomfortable to say the least. They didn't have the foresight to bind your feet though, you may have a chance to run if you're lucky enough to have one.

“Is this how you treat a princess?” You groggily say, head turning to see your captor.

Hobie glances down at you with a smirk, he's no longer in his frilly court clothes. Now he's donning a simple green undershirt that he purposely let loose on the collar, showing off his skin as it glimmers in the blazing sun. There's a quiver of arrows at his back, and a bow strapped on the side of his saddle that pokes your leg. His sword is settled at his hip, pommel engraved with a spider, looking like it's crawling right on the scuffed metal.

“Only to the fit ones.” His gloved hands are placed atop your back casually, using you like his personal table while he reigns in his horse. “ain't that right, Roach?” He addresses his blue dappled horse. Roach huffs, nodding as if he actually understood his rider. “See?”

You scoff, “you trained him to say yes to everything you say.” But you can't deny the heat blossoming on your cheeks. There's trotting next to you and you look to your side to see who it is.

“You’re awfully calm about all of this, princess.” The raven haired asks with a lopsided smile.

You shrug the best you can while in your position. “Just a regular day for me I suppose.”

“Have you been kidnapped before?” Someone asks behind you, his voice familiar while dry leaves crunch under the hooves.

“A handful of times, usually I'm with one or two of my siblings so my parents always pay the ransom. I don't know if they'll pay if it's only me now.”

“That's really sad actually.” He says, now you remember him being the one with the priest's hair who supposedly lost a bet.

Hobie chuckles from above, and you look up at him with a glare. He raises a brow and moves your head with his palm atop your head, turning it towards the woman riding next to you. You could only huff at him.

“What's your name, priest?” You ask, voice strained from the position.

“Just call me Ned, princess.”

“It's nice to meet you, Ned. I'm sorry about your hair.”

“It's alright. It's quite breezy actually.” He rubs his hand above his bald spot.

“How about you? What's your name?” You ask the pretty woman.

She smiles, dark eyes shadowed by the canopy above. “It's Yuri for you, gorgeous.”

You smile back genuinely. “You have such a pretty name—”

“Oi, stop makin' friends with ‘em.” Hobie flicks the shell of your ear, earning a gasp from you.

“Ow!” You hear their guffaws echo around the forest. “It's called being nice.”

“It's a tactic to make us bring you back to the palace. And it ain't workin’, princess.” He tilts his head down, mocking you with his stare.

You try to bite him but he's too fast to catch as he moves away before you could. “So that was your brilliant plan then? To charm me and take me as your hostage?” You say while trying to wiggle out of your binds.

“Not originally no, I was just there to distract you and for you to bring me to the hallways leading to the garden so I could toss them the keys I nicked from your shitty guards.” He explains plainly with a teasing smirk.

You chortle, mocking him back. “But you didn't take into account that there would be guards inside, huh? For a mastermind that’s a bit stupid of you.”

“This daft mastermind got somethin' better than jewels.” Hobie bends down, now eye to eye with you, you see every green and grey speck in his hazel eyes that reminds you of a cloudy night sky or a field of wildflowers in the summer. He blinks at your unusual soft gaze, words trapped in his throat as he sees your eyes glance briefly down at his lips. He swallows down his sudden rush of feelings, “I've got you, princess.”

You inhale, and you smell fresh dandelions in the air combined with pine swirling in the wind. “Not to disappoint you but they won't pay that much for me.”

“We don't need that much anyway,” he says, and unbeknownst to him, there's a dozen pairs of eyes watching the two of you interact. “Just enough for us to get by, love. We don't hoard wealth like your greedy father.”

“I—” before you could retort, (one that you're sure would be so clever that it'll blow him away.) A sharp whistle sounds out around the thick mossy forest. It sounds like a bird singing for a second, then when you look at where the sound came from right in front of you, a thick curtain of vines unfurl, revealing a small bustling village hidden behind the undergrowth. “What?”

“Welcome to Doverhill, princess.” He says, tapping the top of your head with his finger.

The horses move towards the large space just passing the vines, and you now see the village in its fullest form. Straw and wooden huts are built around the clearing, its chimneys softly billow out smoke; you guess that they need to lessen the use of their chimneys to stay hidden lest they want to be found in the middle of the dense forest. You look up and you spot a pair of large trees on each side with a crow's nest built atop it where archers guard and watch over the only entrance and exit in the whole village. The place is protected by large looming trees that grow around the area, every tree has lush canopies that protect the village from the intense sun and hide them from above. But the leaves still leave enough sunlight to pass through its greenery, it bathes the whole area with dappled lights that dance in the breeze.

You take note of the complete amenities, there's a stable and a barn further up ahead. Rows and upon rows of farmland where fruits and vegetables grow bountifully. There's also a bigger building on the right where you guess it could be the town hall. There are also a handful of wells placed around so that enough people would get their water without walking too far to grab a bucket. A few of the notable buildings are a blacksmith with its relentless hammer pounding onto a smoldering sword. A bakery with pastries perfectly lined up at the front, and even a tailor and a cobbler sitting next to each other.

As you get closer, you see an even bigger tree sitting in the middle of the village. Its large trunk is thick, bigger than anything you've ever seen. The leaves are viridescent and healthy, it looks like it's centuries old. There, within its branches is a tree house covered in vines with violets growing among its walls. Despite the green and browns that surround it, the lone tree house is painted with a brighter shade of blue and accents of red. The door is even in the same shade, and the ladder leading up to it is painted in alternating colours of the rainbow. It's beautiful and enticing to the eyes.

You see movement in your peripheral, taking your attention away from the tree house, the sound of childish laughter echo and you spot children running around while adults tend to their homes and garden. Once they hear the trotting of horses, they stop by to wave at you, or to Hobie and his crew more like.

“What is this place?”

“I told you, it's Doverhill.” He smiles back at the people, face turning back into a smirk when he returns his attention towards you. “What did you expect us to live? A basement of a tavern? The bloody sewers?”

“No,” you scoff while taking a whiff of a freshly baked bread cooling on a nearby windowsill. “I just didn't expect it to be this lively.” You turn towards him despite the ache in your neck. “How many people live here?”

“Close to two hundred.” He smiles proudly, eyes trained up front. “All these years and none of you royals knew that we've been in ‘ere, instead you all looked under rocks and behind waterfalls for us.”

You blink at the sheer size of the canopy that provides a dome like roof above. “It's beautiful.” With awe and delight in your eyes, Hobie could only look at you with a ghost of a smile.

“Hobart Larry Brown!” A yell interrupts your awestruck gaze, craning your neck to the source, you see an old woman with a cane quickly making her way towards the group. “Who the hell is that?!”

“Auntie!” Hobie abruptly stops his horse, the second he does, his crew disperses subtly, leaving him behind to face the wrath of the old woman. “Oi!” He tries to call them back but they're already gone. Probably hiding behind the houses to save their own skins. “We were out on that heist we were plannin’ remember, aunt Janet?”

“Don't patronize me, boy!” She points at Hobie with the tip of her cane, poking his chest as he raises his hands up in surrender. “Is this how you treat a girl? Get her off of that bloody horse.”

“Alright, alright, calm down, yeah?” He gets off the horse swiftly, and then carries you carefully with his hands on your hips.

You swear you stopped breathing the entire time he had his hands on you. As much as you want to hate him, you can't deny how he makes your heart jump in place.

Once you're back on your feet, you stretch your back, hearing the crack of the corset. Or maybe that's your back making that god awful sound. He chuckles, hiding his amusement on his shoulder with the excuse of wiping his sweat on his tunic.

“So,” Janet steps in front of you, grey eyes soft and genuine. “Who are you? A lady? A duchess?”

“A princess actually.”

“Oh lord have mercy.” She says underneath her breath, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. “You kidnapped *the princess? You fool!” With her cane, she strikes him down like a child being chastised. Hobie shields himself with his arms above his head while you laugh at his misfortune. More and more people come out to watch the spectacle, giggles and chortling echoing around the clearing. “I bet you didn't get any of the royal jewels and you settled for an actual royal jewel!”

“Aww how sweet of you—”

“Hush, you monarchist!” She takes a 180 and jabs you with her cane. You take a step back, aghast at what she called you.

“As for you!” She turns back to Hobie, finding him grinning at what happened. “Stop playing, child! I heard the commotion from over here! What if you and the rest of the little shits got hurt?”

“We have a name, Janet—” he tries to explain, only to be met with her cane on his hip. “Ow.”

Janet puts her cane back down, ending her tirade. “Bringing her here only spells out trouble, Hobie.”

“It wasn't exactly part of the bloody plan, auntie.”

She sighs, “what are we gonna do with her?” She points at you like you're not in the same place as her.

“I'm right here.” You shrug, “and if you asked me, you'll find that I'm useful and not just some dirty monarchist.”

“You are?” Both Hobie and aunt Janet ask simultaneously.

You clench your jaw, sucking in your teeth. “I will explain, but first can we take these ropes off? My wrists hurt.” They narrow their eyes at you. “I'm not gonna run away, promise.”

Hobie takes a step towards you, but he's stopped by aunt Janet putting her cane on his chest. He huffs in place, arms crossed in protest. She walks towards you with her eyes narrowed, rightfully suspicious of you. Taking her cane, she twists the top and out she unsheathes a shiny dagger from her cane. Grabbing your hands, she swiftly cuts off your binds before you could even jump back when she brandished her weapon.

Aunt Janet backs away next to Hobie while everyone in the village has their eyes on you. Glancing around, you spot an opportunity where no one is there. A break within the circle of the crowd. You pretend to roll around the joints in your wrist, opening your mouth like you're about to speak, you suddenly point at the sky.

“What the hell is that?!” They surprisingly look up, and you immediately make a break for it. You don't hear footsteps running after you so you keep running. Just as when you're about to make it towards the vines, you trip, falling face first into the dirt and skidding a few feet away. With a groan, you lift yourself up, nose aching and bleeding, mouth full of grass and soil. You feel like you've been dragged by a horse.

A head of red appears in your blurred vision. She pokes the top of your head, teasing you. “Sorry, I had too.”

“Good on you, Mayday!” Hobie makes his way towards the two of you as you slump down on the ground, hiding your face from sheer embarrassment. “Thwarted by a ten year old.”

“I'm eleven, Hobie!” She says, and you thump your forehead against the grass.

You feel a palm sliding down between your head and the grass, preventing you from bashing. “Careful now, princess, wouldn't want to hurt you now, hm?”

You groan, surrendering yourself and letting your head fall on his palm while he praises the child who tripped you.

Support banner by @/cafekitsune

Custom banners by @the-shroom-garden

[heliads]

I’d like to request a Pietro imagine. Pietro survived and became an Avenger. The female reader doesn’t have powers and isn’t an Avenger. She’s really smart and works with Tony and Bruce in the lab. She was hired after the whole Ultron fiasco. People underestimated her intelligence in high school and college because she’s a girly girl and loves the colour pink, but the Avengers aren’t like that. Pietro likes her and wants to date her.

'waiting around' - pietro maximoff

masterlist

When they tell Pietro he has to go to the labs, his first thought is to run.

He knows it’s silly. These are not the same doctors who made the Maximoff twins strong and fast and utterly alone in this world, these are the scientists with the Avengers. They’re the good guys. Apparently. But Pietro has learned fairly quickly that people calling themselves good aren’t always good in the end.

Pietro has a lot of learning to do since he and Wanda escaped Ultron a few months back. He’s doing his best to be patient and take things ‘one step at a time,’ as the Americans keep telling him. Mainly, he would like their steps to be faster. Pietro has things to do, and they don’t usually involve waiting in line for someone else to decide if he’s worthy of their loyalty or not. The Avengers are trying, he knows that. It’s just hard sometimes.

Especially when Pietro is still trying to shake off the feeling that he should have died back in Sokovia. He came away with his share of narrow escapes, but there was one moment towards the end, when the ships were firing at him, when Clint needed his help, that Pietro thought would be his last. Luckily, he was faster than a few bullets, but there’s still this nagging voice in the back of Pietro’s subconscious that whispers to him late at night:  what if you hadn’t been fast enough?

So he’s been uneasy as of late. What about it? Stress is common in inhumans and Avengers, one glance around this coffee-dependent complex could tell him that. Still, it’s a good thing to get checked out. That’s part of the reason Pietro is being directed to the labs, along with a need for a good annual physical.

It sounds good, too, were it not for the fact that Pietro has had plenty of experience with laboratories in the past few years and none of it was good. The Hydra labs made him strong, in a sense, but they were torturous. He can still remember the pile of corpses ushered out every day, the experiments that failed. He remembers curling up in a corner of his cell, begging his body not to give out, not to make him another body in a bag. He lived, but he remembers.

This is not Hydra. Pietro knows that. He left them behind. Still, there will always be some part of him that shrinks away from every syringe, that distrusts every doctor who comes poking and prodding at the bizarre novelty that is an inhuman. That will never go away, no matter who’s side he’s on.

Still, the lab remains. He has to go in, the others will know if he doesn’t. At first, Pietro hesitates just outside the door, afraid to knock, afraid to listen. There was always a chill in the air throughout the Hydra complex, he remembers the gooseflesh forever on his skin. Signs that nothing good happened within the walls. Or maybe it was just because of the stone buildings in cold climates. Everything has an explanation.

He can’t back out now. Pietro grits his teeth and swings the door open in one broad movement. For a moment, he stands there, waiting to walk back into his old cell, his old life, and then he looks around and realizes with a grin that he’s going to be fine. This isn’t a Hydra ploy to get him back under their thumb. For one thing, Hydra never used this much pink. Just barren walls and gloomy, monstrous skull logos. In retrospect, that should have been a bad sign. Pietro has a problem with ignoring details, though, and it tends to get him in trouble.

These details, however, are quite difficult to be ignored. Everywhere Pietro looks, he sees pinpricks of pink– the handle of a pipette, labels on equipment, notebooks full of scrawled data points, hair ties in a carefully organized container. No, Hydra never had this much fun, and Pietro is starting to think that this is going to be very fun indeed.

Smirking to himself, Pietro weaves further through the lab. He sees a few assistants scurrying around in the back, but they pay him no mind so he does the same. Pietro almost reaches the end of the room when a sudden voice calls out to him:  “Don’t take another step.”

Instantly, Pietro freezes. The owner of the voice walks towards him, a young woman about his age in a lab coat. She must be the owner of the lab, too, because he spots a pink tie in her hair matching the others near the door. The name stitched onto the left breast pocket of her lab coat reads Dr. Y/N L/N, so Pietro knows she’s the one he was supposed to find.

She points to Pietro’s feet, where he notices are just touching a line of caution tape on the ground. “If you went any further, you’d be at risk of getting your eyes blinded by the lasers,” she informs him cheerfully.

Pietro’s face drops. Only now does he notice the hazard signs. “Huh. Guess I wasn’t paying attention.”

Y/N arches a brow. “Do you always wander around lab space without watching where you’re going? Seems like an awfully dangerous habit for me.”

Pietro grins. “Well, I usually rely on my reflexes to get me out of trouble. I’m pretty quick.”

To prove it, he uses his speed to instantly move right behind the woman. She spins around, donning an indignant look that Pietro decides is very cute. “Don’t do that,” she scolds him.

Pietro folds his arms across his chest, grin broadening. “Why not?”

“I’ll tell Steve you’d like to do some weight training with him in the gym, and you think you can outlift him,” she threatens.

Pietro feigns surrender. “Anything but that, please.”

At last, Y/N’s lips twitch up into a smile. “That’s what I thought you’d say. Now, let’s focus. Tony sent you in to get a checkup, right?”

Pietro nods. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Wrong,” she tells him. “Tony actually sent you in here to get on my nerves. He does that a lot. I’m busy and he likes distracting me. We’re going to get through this as quickly as possible, alright?”

Pietro has to fight not to laugh. “And here I thought everyone in the labs gets along.”

Y/N rolls her eyes. “Most of the time, yes. Except when he sticks me with babysitting duty.”

“This isn’t babysitting,” Pietro protests, “I’m getting to know you. I already feel like we’re the best of friends.”

Something that might be a smile flits across Y/N’s face, but she takes great pains to hide it to him. Pietro, who has always cared a little too much about getting people to laugh at his jokes, follows her like a dog as she walks through her lab. “You can laugh, you know. It won’t kill you.”

The smile is gone as quickly as it appeared, and Pietro instantly wishes he hadn’t said a word. “I’m working right now,” she tells him abruptly. “That means I’m focused. Don’t get in my way.”

Surprised and somewhat hurt by her shift in mood, Pietro goes quiet, but he can’t resist asking a second later, “I’m not trying to interfere with your work, I promise. Does that often happen?”

Y/N goes still. Pietro is half expecting her to just ignore him when she finally speaks at last, very quiet and very unlike the fiery personality he’d seen before. “Every time someone new comes in here. And with half the people I’ve already met, anyway. You’d be surprised what a few pink accessories can do to someone’s reputation, and their credibility in a lab.”

Pietro grimaces. “I’m sorry about that, honest. That’s not what I was going for, by the way. I joke with everyone.”

At last, Y/N meets his eyes. There’s a faint tint of humor swimming in her gaze. “I think I got that.”

She’s smiling, though, so he takes that as a good sign. Once that initial barrier was crossed, Y/N opens up a little more, and then Pietro finds himself stopping by her lab almost every day when he’s not off on a mission. He sees her thrilled with success after an experiment worked, and desolate when they don’t. He sees her consumed with stress. He sees her brow knit with careful concern as she patches him up after a mission. Through all of it, Pietro is increasingly risky with his heart, and then one day, he knows he loves her.

It’s a foolish thing to do. Y/N has confided in him many times that she’s afraid people only will see her as a girl first and a researcher second, someone who can be taken out for drinks but never a valid source of knowledge. If he makes his move now, she’ll never forgive him for being just like the others.

So he doesn’t say a thing, and descends further and further into hopelessness. Wanda says he’s ridiculously obvious, but Y/N still doesn’t seem to have noticed a thing, so maybe the only person more oblivious than Pietro is Y/N, and that’s saying something. Pietro doesn’t want to ruin their friendship, but as the days slip by and Pietro only falls more in love with her, he wonders if he hasn’t already ruined it by always wanting more than he can have.

He’s starting to wonder if he is simply going to carry this secret with him forever, until Y/N catches him at it one evening. The night is growing late, and Pietro has retreated to one of his favorite hiding places in the Avengers complex, Y/N’s lab, to watch her conduct her experiments and indulge in some idle chatter. They’ve grown quiet, and Pietro is leaning against a benchtop, doing nothing but watch her. Some of the motion-sensor lights in the corners of the lab have gone off from inactivity, giving the lights above them an extra glow. The light plays upon Y/N’s face and makes her eyes shine.

Pietro is just thinking that he’s never seen someone more beautiful in his entire life when Y/N looks up and catches him in the act. Instantly, Pietro pretends as if he’d simply been watching her pipette some samples into the well plates in front of her, but her brow is already furrowing and she’s asking him what’s wrong.

Pietro shrugs elaborately. “Nothing, nothing. Just thinking.”

“Really?” She asks, grinning slightly. “I didn’t think that was a normal thing to you.”

Pietro rolls his eyes. “Very funny.”

“I thought so,” Y/N hums. “What were you thinking about? You seemed very preoccupied.”

“Nothing,” Pietro repeats, but Y/N doesn’t seem convinced.

“Come on, I didn’t think we were the type to keep secrets from each other. What are you trying to hide?” Y/N asks.

Pietro scratches the back of his head, suddenly awkward. “It’s embarrassing.”

“Even better,” she says, laughing slightly. “What is it?”

Pietro should stay silent, but he can feel the secret rising up his lungs and forcing itself out before he gets the chance. “I’m in love with you,” he blurts out.

Y/N’s eyes widen. Whatever she was expecting him to say, it obviously wasn’t that. “Oh,” she says quietly.

“Yeah,” Pietro says, wanting to stab himself in the eye with a nearby multitool. “Oh.”

He eyes the door, and has just decided that a strategic retreat is the best move when Y/N interjects, “I love you too, you know.”

Pietro turns around so hastily that he almost upsets a nearby rack of micropipettes. “What? You do?”

She’s glancing at her work, but he can tell that she’s embarrassed. “Yeah. Thought you knew.”

“Obviously I didn’t, or I would have done something about it,” Pietro blurts out.

Y/N glances up again, smiling again. “Like what?”

“Like take you out on a date,” Pietro returns. “How about it? This Friday. Seven. I’ll pick you up.”

Y/N laughs. “That sounds good to me.”

It sounds good to Pietro, too. When he leaves Y/N’s lab at the end of the day, he’s practically giddy. All this time, he was afraid of telling her, and now he’s wishing he spilled his guts much earlier. Regardless, he has what he wants. They’ll have their date, and Pietro is going to feel like he’s on top of the world.

requested by @thornyrose463, i hope you enjoy!

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[trinidaddy888]

Fridge Mission

Lucifer needs your help. Beelzebub has been eating everything from the fridge and Lucifer trusts that you can stop him. You try and give Beel something else he can eat. >;)

Rating: Explicit 18+

Characters: Beelzebub, Reader, MC

Ship: Reader x Beelzebub

Genre: Smut

Tags: Smut, gender-neutral reader (but reader wears a bra lol), race-neutral reader, oral sex, vaginal fingering.

A/n:  This idea started as a joke months ago every time I get the Obey Me notification. This is the first smut I've ever written and published, so please be nice. This took months only because I kept getting embarrassed by this and didn't think it was being written well. I decided that I no longer cared if it would be good or not and wanted to have fun writing this and test the deep waters of smut. Check it out on AO3.

Masterlist

“I need your help,” says Lucifer. 

You and he are in his den, one afternoon. Earlier, he texted you and asked you to meet him to discuss something important. He did not clarify and you hoped he would now that he’s right in front of you.

“Help with what?” you ask, curious as to what he could possibly need help with. He is one of the greatest, most powerful demons in Devildom. What could he not handle himself?

“Well,” he starts, “Beelzebub has been eating all the food in the fridge. Every day at 12 pm or 6 pm he is in front of the fridge, eating everything he can get his hands on. It’s taxing on our food budget and some days we are left without dinner.”

You remember the days when Lucifer opted to order take-out meals for you and the brothers rather than welcome a home-cooked meal from whoever was on cooking duty for the day.

“Are you sure, I can convince him to stop?” you ask, “Once he gets to eating, it’s hard to stop him.”

“Beelzebub has grown attached to you and I feel that you can be his voice of reason. He has certainly failed at listening to my requests to stop. I believe that a more trusted friend, one that he has a pact with, can finally stop him. Please prevent Beelzebub from eating everything.”

“Well,” you say with a shrug, “I’ll try my best. I doubt I’ll do anything useful to stop him, but I’ll try my best.

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

You stand by the fridge, checking your watch. It’s 5:57 pm. Beelzebub would be in the kitchen soon and you’ll have to stop him. You have no plan. You figure that the best way to stop him would be to find the cause of the problem. But is there a reason behind him devouring the whole fridge at the times Lucifer mentioned? Beel is the Avatar of Gluttony so there could just be no discernible reason for his cravings.

“Hey,” say Beel, interrupting your thoughts.

“Hey,” you say back to him, “How’s it going?”

He towers over you. Most of the brothers do but his height even outmatches Lucifer’s.

“Uh… Fine,” he says, seeming confused by the conversation, “Do you mind moving out of the way?”

“Why?” you ask, feigning innocence, “Do you need something?”

“I’m hungry,” he says. He wasn’t being pushy, he just stated it as if it was a fact. “I just want a snack.”

“A snack or the whole fridge? Lucifer told me what you have been doing.”

“A whole fridge’s worth of food is a snack,” he says with a shrug.

“Don’t you think you should leave some food for me and your brothers?” you ask, raising an eyebrow, “Satan has to cook dinner and needs the ingredients.”

He moves closer, placing his hand against the fridge, arm stretching over you.

“I can make you move,” he says, something dark in his voice.

You realize that he's trying to seem threatening, but you know him well enough and trust that he will not hurt you. Still, there was something sexy about the way he said it.

“Then make me,” you challenge.

He stares you down, quietly and you stare right back up at him, crossing your arms.

He sighs, backing off. You can swear you see him blush but you’re not sure.

“Fine,” he says, defeatedly, “you win.”

You smile.

“Hey, I have snacks in my room,” you offer, “Human world snacks and I’ve been meaning to repaint my nails. Why don’t you join me?”

His face remains neutral but you see something light up in his eyes.

“Okay,” he gives in.

In your room, you sit him down at your desk and bring over a side chair to sit next to him. You already have the tools, nail polish and nail polish remover for the manicure set on the table. You grab his hand and start to remove his nail polish with a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover.

With his hands in yours, you notice how big his hands are. The first time you realized how big they were was on your waist when you and he cuddled once. That was the night you shared your room during a Devil Dish Bake-off binge with some snacks.

That night made you see him less like one of the youngest brothers with a hefty, destructive appetite and more like a soft, tender demon. After you both shared so much over the months since the Belphie incident, you also became closer as friends. Friends. Which is why you can not think of what it would feel like for those large hands to explore you.

“So,” you begin, waving away the intrusion of curious thoughts, “As the Avatar of Gluttony I know you can’t resist eating a lot, but Lucifer told me that your urge to eat everything out of the fridge was fairly recent. Do you know why?”

“I get extra hungry when I’m trying to distract myself from something,” he says, avoiding your gaze.

“What are you trying to distract yourself from?” you ask, switching to filing his nails, “And are you still hungry?”

He’s silent. He gazes at you and then looks down at the hand that you were manicuring.

“I can’t say,” he finally says, “It’s a secret. And, yeah, I’m still hungry.”

“Yeah, and it’s a secret that affects the whole House of Lamentation,” you say pointing the nail file at him, “Now spill it.”

“It’s a secret about someone… I want.”

“Oh, that’s juicy!” you exclaim with delight, “Who? Someone I know? Come on, tell me.”

He looks up at you, eyes smoldering

“It’s you… That I want.”

“Me?” You are perplexed. You stop filing and are now gawking at him. “What about me could possibly drive you to eat an entire fridge’s worth of food.”

“It’s something you would not like the answer to, trust me,” he says looking down at his hand again. And you noticed that his cheeks and ears were red.

You think for a moment. Lucifer’s plea to stop Beel from eating everything swims in your mind. Maybe you don’t want to know but you have a mission.

“Whatever it is,” you say, “I can handle it.”

“Fine. It’s… Well, you’re human and you smell good, so it makes me… Well, this is hard to say out loud…”

“I make you hungry?! I know you all threatened to eat me at first when I got here, but damn! If cleaning out a fridge is what it takes to stop...”

“No,” he cut you off, now looking right at you, “You make me horny.”

Silence fell between the two of you. You were in shock. You?! But you’re human. Surely there are many hot demons out there that he wants to fuck, instead. 

“Are you sure? You feel that way?” you ask slowly, “When did this start?”

He moves closer to you, staring with intensity.

“I think it started when we shared your room that one time,” he says, “We cuddled and the smell of you drove me crazy. I thought I wanted to eat you but...” He trailed off. The rouge shade of his cheeks deepen

“You thought so, but what?” you ask, urging him to continue.

“I got a boner,” he croaks.

“Oh…okay,” you say, voice high pitched, “I guess this is context for why you avoided me for a week after we cuddled. I thought I made you uncomfortable.”

 And it is context for what you felt when you both spooned. You thought it was a candy bar in his pocket.

“No!” he exclaims, “I just didn’t know what I would have said to you if we were left alone. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship with… my needs.”

He looks embarrassed. It’s kind of…cute.

“Nothing you say will ruin our friendship,” you reassure him.

“Really?”

“Yes, I promise. Besides, I can’t say I’ve never thought of you that way, either. I mean, look at you. You’re so ripped.”

“I do work out a lot.”

You laugh. “It shows.”

“I think it’s my turn to file your nails,” he says, grabbing your hand.

He starts filing your nails.

“I wonder about you guys here in the House of Lamentation. Besides Asmo, do you guys get laid? Because if so, I’m not aware of it.

“I can’t speak for everyone else, but for me, it’s been a while. Lucifer made a curfew for us ever since he caught Mammon gambling at casinos late at night.”

“That sucks,” you say, and you really did feel bad for him and his brothers.

“What about you?” he asks, voice lowering a couple of octaves.

“Honestly, not since I left the Human World. And everyone besides the angels and Solomon has been a threat to even consider getting with them. It’s sad because I thought demons would be good at things like that. Maybe I have those expectations because I’ve never had good head from a human before.”

“Want to change that?” he asks. He is staring at you, his gaze longing and lustful.

Your heart thumps. Did you hear that right? His expression is serious and deep with longing.

“W…What?” you sputter.

“I said, do you want me to change that?” he repeats, voice husky and moving even closer.

Shit. You have been dreaming about this since coming to Devildom and the offer comes so easily from one of the hottest demons in Devildom? You can’t possibly pass up the opportunity.

“Yes,” you say breathlessly.

He gazes at you, with deep passion and pulls your hand to his mouth and kisses it. He traces his tongue from your wrist, to your fingers, stopping to lick them. His tongue is gentle but firm. His mouth felt so good. You bite your lower lip and close your eyes, imagining if it would feel just as good if he did the same to your cunt.

He rolls his chair over to you and his mouth is covering yours, tongue brushing over your lips until your mouth falls open. He kisses you, mouth hungry to taste all of you. And you let him, running your fingers through his honey-orange hair. His lips are surprisingly soft for someone as strong as him.

“Can we take this to my bed?” you ask, pulling away.

Wordlessly, he does as he’s asked, promptly lifting you to his chest and carrying you to your bed. He puts you down, your back resting against your bed frame, and climbs over you.

He kisses you again, tongue exploring your mouth even further. His kiss is powerful but gentle. You’ve never been kissed like this by a human or anyone before this. You lean into him, your tongue, following his lead, allowing yourself to taste him. His tongue brushes over your bottom lip before he bites it. It stings a little but in exactly the way you liked. His kisses travel to your neck, tasting the salty-sweet flavour of your sweat, licking, sucking and biting to his heart’s content, enjoying the taste. You can feel your pussy revel at the feel of his touch, wanting and wishing for more.

#

He pulls away for a moment, to undo your button-down shirt which you shrug out of throw onto the floor. His large hands grace your back and unhook your bra band. Your bra slides off to your waist, revealing your bare chest, much to his delight. He takes in the sight, smiling devilishly. You wonder what he was thinking.

He takes one breast to his mouth and fondles the other with a free hand. He fondles them, gently.

“Rougher,” you demand. He grabs them, kneading them with his hand and squeezes your nipples between his index finger and thumb. You whimper at the sensation and push your chest harder into his hands. He squeezes harder, testing which pressure gathers a moan from you.

You moan and with the other breast, he traces his tongue over the edge of your areola before flicking over your nipple. He bites and tugs your nipple and then sucks. His mouth is warm and wet. You haven’t had your tits sucked since being in the Human World and experiencing it now after the long absence of touch was nearly enough to make you unravel. You feel your body shudder from pleasure and you realize that you’re panting.

 Your clit aches to be touched, too. You move your hand to your pussy and start rubbing your clit with your fingers, trying to please the parts of your body that ached for attention.

He notices your attempt to please yourself, says, “Here, let me,” and he frees his hand from your breast.

He licks his fingers and slides his hand under your pants, finding your clit. There was no clumsy fumbling to find its exact position. He just knew. You wonder if it was that your previous partners were just that bad. Or did Beel’s thousands of years being alive give him an edge?

“Oh,” he smirks, “You’re wet, that fast?”

You cover your face, feeling embarrassed.

“Yes,” you say, “It’s been a while. And you’re doing… a good job.”

He grins up at you and moves his face down to your breast again to suck.

He uses his index and middle fingers to play with your clit. His hands are rough and your body invited the texture. It was a simple motion and it did the job, eliciting breathy gasps from you.

His lips move south, kissing your solar plexus, down to your navel. You ravel in his kisses, feeling like your body was born for his mouth.

He stops kissing your body to look up at you and says, “I want to taste more of you. Can I?”

You nod, wordlessly.

He smiles and moves to pull your pants down. You adjust to make it easier for him to do this and watch him throw your pants to the floor. He kisses your tummy and then stops to tug at the waistband of your panties with his teeth and pulls them off.

He kisses your thigh and moves one of his thumbs to your clit and rubs. You gasp and press your body into his touch. His kisses lead up to your upper inner thigh and he pauses to take in the sight of your cunt, captivated by what he sees.

“You’re gorgeous,” he says, desire in his voice.

You blush and say, “Thank you.”

He leans in and puts his mouth on your throbbing clit and starts to flick his tongue on it. His tongue is firm and wet. He starts slow, circling the outside of the apex, teasing you. You breathe deeply.

With being wet, his index and middle fingers slide into you easily. You take them in for a few inches, noticing how large his fingers are.

He passes his tongue over your clit and curls his fingers inside you. You feel the pressure on the front of your vagina, on your g-spot.

He licks and pumps his fingers inside you slowly. You figure that he was testing the motion that you would like

“Faster,” you command.

He does as he asks and starts sucking, too. With that addition, you feel yourself unravel. You grip the sheets, moaning. Uncontrollably, you grind into his fingers and face, yearning for more.

You look down and realize that he’s looking right up at you, eyes lustful. It was as if he was enjoying looking at you respond to him. You’re so lost in his eyes that you don’t realize that you are approaching a climax.

You cum, feeling your body flooded with pleasure. You scream through the pleasure. You feel a dampness on your cunt and see your wetness on his face.

You see him start to remove his face from you.

You put your hand on his head, fingers entangled in honey-orange hair and pull him closer to you.

“No!” you exclaim, voice breathless, “Don’t stop!”

He does as he is told. He licks, sucks, licks, sucks and fingers you until you cum again. You scream, voice starting to feel hoarse. You lay back, panting. He comes up and sits next to you. He stares at you, eyes focused.

“Are you okay?” Beelzebub asks.

You catch your breath and finally are able to speak.

“Yes,” you say grinning, “I’m excellent. Thank you.”

He grins back at you.

He leans in and kisses you. You can taste yourself on his mouth.

 “We should do this again,” he says when he pulls away.

“We should…” you start and then come to a realization. “Wait! I didn’t get you off! I think we can start on your turn.”

“Well,” he says with an amused grin, “We can take a shot at it, if you want.”

You grab him by the collar of his tshirt and pull him closer in for another kiss.

And then suddenly there is a knock at the door.

“Dinner is ready!” you hear Satan shout.

You look down. You realize that you are completely naked and your thighs are covered in your own slick and thank the heavens that Satan is one of the few brothers in the House of Lamentation that actually knocks.

Beelzebub frowns. “Damn.”

“Hold on, Beel,” you say, surprised at his dismay, “Are you actually disappointed that food is ready? Weren’t you very hungry half an hour ago? What about the fridge you wanted to eat all of?”

“Well,” he says smiling, “I found something else to eat.”

[fandom-lover2]

Sacrifices - Pt 4

Word Count - 1615

Part 3

We stood gathered under Ratchet’s shade as Ultra Magnus’ ship came in for a landing.

Fowler had already sent the co-ordinates of where the ship could land once the Autobots had salvaged all they could from the grounded ship.

The wait felt like eternities within those minutes that the ship powered down and the dust settled. Then, the ramp began lowering and the Autobots came into view.

I scanned them, and my heart clenched at the lack of a certain red and blue mech. Then came the roar of engines, and from the same direction as the ship, a figure was making its decent towards us.

It roared like jet engines, and had the same blue afterburner effect as the figure dropped the last hundred feet to the ground with a thud.

My chest felt like it was going to explode as my legs began moving before my mind told them to.

He’d landed about the same distance away as the ship, but a little ways away from it.

When I began sprinting, he began moving towards me as well, strides faster than normal as we rushed towards one another. Once close enough, he dropped to his knees and scooped me up and brought me to cradle me against his chassis.

I stretched my arms wide, trying to give him a hug as best I could.

“I missed you so much.” I tried to say, but I’d started crying somewhere during all this so it came out all broken and weak. “I knew you weren’t dead, and I tried to get the others to believe me.”

“Shh,” he reassured, bringing me up further to be eye-level with me. “I am here now, Little Star.” He moved his helm forward, resting his forehead against my own. “I am here.”

I sighed into the feeling, relaxing into the cool metal of him.

He was here, his feel, his aura, his everything.

Optimus was back, alive, looking a whole lot cooler and holding me again.

He pulled away gently after a while, moving me back as well so he could look at me. Only, he didn’t look at me, he looked down at the ground.

“Y/n, I-”

“It’s ok.” I interrupted, reaching out a hand that didn’t reach anywhere near him.

He looked up at me, brows scrunched in worry despite the shock in his eyes.

“It’s ok.” I said again, smiling.

“You mean so much to me.” he finally spoke, reaching out with a single digit from the servo that wasn’t holding me to gently wipe the tears from my cheeks.

I caught his digit in a hug. “I know Optimus.” I reassured, looking into his optics.

He smiled, then pulled me to his chassis once again and just held me close, wrapping me in both his servos and cradling me.

I leaned into him again, and was content to listen to the steady thrums of his spark.

I don’t know how long we stayed there, it felt like minutes but also felt as though it was hours of just being with one another, healing the weeks of pain we’d been through.

Eventually though, we needed to return to the real world.

Optimus gently moved me away from him, standing slowly as I looked up at him.

“You’ve changed.”

He smiled down at me as he began walking, going to join the others who were busy carting stuff from the downed ship to the military hanger.

Ultra Magnus eyed us as though we were the oddest things in the universe he’d ever seen.

I couldn’t help but laugh internally.

Ratchet spotted us and hurried over, smiling widely. “Welcome back, Optimus.”

“Good to see you, old friend.” he replied, placing a hand on his medic’s shoulder strut.

Everyone had reconnected with the Prime while still at Darkmount, then Optimus had remained behind to ensure all the Decepticons had cleared out while the rest took Ultra Magnus’ ship back to Ratchet and us.

Fowler had arranged for us to be picked up via chopper, while Ratchet and the bots transferred everything still usable from the grounded ship onto Magnus’ one, before heading to the military base closest to Jasper.

Hanger E was now our new home.

Ratchet’s optics jumped around, taking in all the changes to his oldest friend, before looking down at me. “Told ya so.”

He nodded, a flash of guilt covering his face plates for just a moment before he met my eyes again. “You’d think I’d have learned to not question you by now.”

I shrugged, looking up to Optimus. “He’s just too cool to die.”

“Dude! Stop hogging him!”

We all looked down at Miko’s grumbling.

I’d never realized how small us children really were, until Jack, Miko and Raf hurried over to Optimus. Now I understood why the bots always looked so uneasy as they walked near us, almost as if they were tiptoeing on eggshells.

They were tiny, like little ants. But certainly not as silent. They all spoke at once, cheering for my guardian’s return and beginning to fill him in on all that had happened in his absence.

Optimus knelt, smiling down at my peers as he lower edme, offering his servos for us all to be seated in his hold. “It is wonderful to see you all again, little ones.” he greeted them.

“They have been insufferable in your absence.” Ratchet snarked.

I glared over at the medic, but then started laughing. I could his servos actually shaking at the effort it was taking to not start scanning and prodding every inch of Optimus.

I opened my mouth, ready to call him out on it, when Fowler’s voice hailed us from within the hanger. “Bring it in y’all.”

We looked into the hanger, where he stood on one of the catwalks.

The bots began to file in, Optimus keeping us secure as he walked slowly, joining the semi-circle the bots had formed around the agent.

June stood beside the agent.

“On behalf of the President, and the Joint Chiefs, I thank you all for your selfless heroism in defense of this planet. I’m only sorry the world can’t yet know of your undying dedication, because I for one owe you my life, my liberty and my future.”

Then, he straightened out and saluted the group.

I looked up at Optimus, seeing if he would return the gesture. But all he did was nod in reply.

Hard to use one hand while holding four little humans.

“Sir,” Ultra Magnus called out, and Optimus turned slightly to face his lieutenant. “I am honoured to relinquish the command of the Autobots to you.”

“Welcome to Earth, Ultra Magnus.” Optimus officially greeted, and when he saw the lieutenant’s optics drop to us, he added, “And, to team Prime.”

“There is a lot for me to learn of this world.” Ultra Magnus admitted, eyeing us uneasily.

“Ok,” Miko broke the seriousness. “Someone had got to say it, Optimus 2.0 is rad.” she held up her hands in a ‘rock and roll’ gesture before turning. “Imagine what the Forge could do to your body.” She aimed at Ratchet.

My mouth dropped open. “Miko!”

Raf facepalmed while Jack began to chastise her.

Why of all the bots did she have to target Ratchet like that? He hadn’t even done or said anything.

The medic scoffed, having long since learned it wasn’t worth the fight of further conversation.

But then her words sunk in and we all turned, Ratchet and Smokescreen parting to reveal the Forge of Solus resting against the hanger wall.

“Is it true? That the Forge has been drained of it’s power?” The lack of an answer was all the answer we all needed.

I watched, ready to jump to Smokescreen’s defense as Ratchet approached him.

“And any hope of restoring the Omega Lock with it.” The medic added, keeping his gaze on the former guard.

“I… did what I thought was right.”

If Ratchet was about to fight him on choosing Optimus’ life over Cybertron, I would throw a can at the old afthole.

“And your instincts have again proven to be quite sound.”

Well, that was as good a compliment you’d get from him.

Smokescreen turned to Ratchet in surprise, but all the medic did was nod at the younger bot with a small smile.

Someone spoke, I’m not sure who, and the gathered group began to have small discussions amongst themselves. But I didn’t hear any of it.

Bulkhead approached, taking Miko from Optimus. Bee followed after, opting to remain beside Optimus as he spoke with Raf. Jack looked over to the catwalks as his mother and Arcee began to talk.

I looked around the group. It was a miracle any one of us was alive.

Yes, all hopes of restoring their planet was well and truly gone. Cybertron was once again forever lost. But they were not.

 The bots, my friends, my family, were still alive. Still here to fight another day. Still on this planet and ready to face whatever came their way.

I looked up at Optimus, and found him watching the group, his team, his family, with a content smile on his faceplates.

Megatron was still out there, with old and new powerful allies. But we too had grown and improved.

The war was not over, not yet, but he could feel it as well as I could. Something had shifted. The end was nearer than ever before. In who’s favor, and what would be left to rule, no one would know until the dust settled.

But for now, we were all back together. And Primus help Megatron if he tried to go up against Optimus now.

Tags: @nyan-toaster @ameryhn

Commission Information

[writermuses]

@marimelwrites

[beifong-brainrot]

I've honestly always loved the scene between Zuko and Katara in the Crystal Caves during the Crossroads of Destiny, even though it's been kinda diluted by shipping discourse.

I love how this scene showcases how far Zuko's story has come, but that it still has a ways to go. It's also a great moment from Katara, showing off her compassion and kindness, despite her rightful anger at Zuko. And this moment of "reaching across the aisle" between two children who were forced into something much bigger and crueler than they could ever be apways makes me quite emotional.

But I'm kinda tired of seeing this scene in just that vacuum, when looking at it in relation to two other scenes makes it so much more interesting.

The first scene we can compare this interaction to is pretty obvious, since it's basically "the other half" of Katara and Zuko's moment. It's Iroh and Aang's conversation in the tunnel.

I adore this scene it's just such a vibe I too would like to walk through a tunnel with a nice old man who gives me good advice (even if said nice old man is a war criminal)

Of course the first obvious parallel between these two converastions is a member of the Gaang (two members who have been most affected by the fire nations actions btw) having a genuine, deep conversation with a banished member of the Fire Nation royal family.

I also think this conversation contrasts Katara and Zuko's conversation very well. It juxtaposes Iroh and Zuko, showing us how far Iroh has come and how far Zuko still has to go.

I think it's very symbolic that Katara and Zuko connect mainly on their pasts, while Iroh and Aang do about the present and future.

Two quotes in this conversation stand out to me particularly.

Iroh: Perfection and power are overrated. I think you were very wise to choose happiness and love.

It not only relates to Aang's current predicament, but it also foreshadows Zuko's dissatisfaction with his life after he returns to the Fire Nation at Azula's side. After Zuko helps "kill" Aang and take over Ba Sing Se, he has acheived what he believed would be his version of perfection, while also getting back the power he was born into. But he is miserable. He's dissatisfied, wracked with guilt and constantly second guessing himself and the world around him. He even says this: During the meeting, I was a perfect prince... the son my father wanted. But I wasn't me.

But Zuko was also unable to fully choose a simple life of peace and happiness in Ba Sing Se, choosing to fight Azula when she attacks him and Iroh. Because he still subconciously was searching for that feeling of power and wasn't ready to allow himself to prioritise things other than his honour. He wanted to fight Azula and prove himself, but he just eneded up allowing himself to be captured by the overwhelming force of the Dai Li.

While Iroh has learnt to see the merit in a simple life and actively rejects the power (for better or for worse) that comes with his status as a member of the royal family.

Iroh: I don't know the answer. Sometimes, life is like this dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving, [Aang earthbends the rocks away one last time. Iroh's fire blows out. He smiles.] you will come to a better place.

Of course, this quote could relate to many things, including just the whole story of the show, but it also obviously relates to Zuko's redemption arc. Zuko's story is the epitome of continuing to slowlu crawl through a dark tunnel until you reach a better place. He stagnates and stumbles occasionally, but he keeps goingm and eventually gets there.

He reaches his better place.

It's interesting to see the contrast between Zuko and Katara's interaction and that of Iroh and Aang.

I think the scene in which Aang and Katara split off from Zuko and Iroh.

Aang and Iroh maintain eye contact, and Aang even gives a respectful bow. While Katara tries to make eye contact with Zuko, but he turns his gaze away, as if ashamed of his moment of weakness. Eye contact is very important is ATLA's visual storytelling, as I've spoken before in my post analysing the mutuality of Kataang's gaze.

I believe this scene foreshadows Zuko siding with Azula and Iroh siding with the Gaang at the end of the episode. Iroh and Aang have reached an understanding, and therefore, they are represented as facing each other and parting on good, respectful terms.

While in Katara and Zuko's case, Katara tries to make a similar connection with Zuko, however he rejects that connection. Ultimately this forces Katara to turn her back on him too, which may foreshadow her rightful anger at him in B3.

Ok, so the first interaction I want to metion gives us a bit of insight to Zuko, but what about Katara?

For that we have to go all the way back to B1, to an episode that I don't really see talked about in relation to Katara's story. Jeong Jeong is only the second friendly firebender Katara has encountered in probably her entire life, the first being Shayu, with whom she had very little interaction. Of course, I think this would at least give her pause.

Jeong Jeong and Katara's conversation is very short, but I think it had a great impact on Katara.

Jeong Jeong : You have healing abilities. The great benders of the Water Tribe sometimes have this ability. I've always wished I were blessed like you - free from this burning curse. Katara: But you're a great master. You have powers that I will never know. Jeong Jeong: Water brings healing and life. But fire brings only destruction and pain. It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor's edge between humanity and savagery. Eventually, we are torn apart.

Jeong Jeong is the polar opposite of the firebender archetype Katara had in her head. He's thoughtful, disciplined and very careful with his firebending. Jeong Jeong's hatred of his own firebending also stands as a contrast to Katara considering her waterbending a vital and beautiful part of who she is as a person.

I always found it interesting that outside of Aang, Jeong Jeong was one of the first people in the series to respect Katara as a waterbender and see her potential, as he even connects her abilities to great waterbenders. It's especially a stark difference to how he treated Aang, the literal Avatar.

The way Jeong Jeong talks about firebending also reflects what Katara has seen herself of it.

Yet she pushes back at his self depreciation, showing that she still sees the value of his abilities. This foreshadows Katara's compassion for the people of the Fire Nation, especially when paired with Sokka's distrust of them.

I also think it's quite interesting that healing is often involved in Katara's attempts to connect with Fire Nation people. Her first connection is with Jeong Jeong, then she offers to heal Iroh, later Zuko's scar, she heals people in the village during the Painted Lady incident. Finally, the crowning jewel of this series of events is her healing Zuko after the Agni Kai.

This is especially poignant in the story of her and Zuko's relationship, with Katara offering her healing services to him twice, but being either rejected or interrupted. And finally she does heal him at the very end of the show, after he took lightning for her, symbolising a "bridging the gap", so to speak.

I think Katara and Zuko's conversation ties back to Katara's interaction with Jeong Jeong for a few reasons. Firstly, there's the obvious of Katara having a moment with a firebender with a facial scar. Also Katara's wording when she offers to heal Zuko's scar: instead of saying that she's a healer, she says "I have healing abilities ", which is exactly how Jeong Jeong described her power.

Ans once again, Jeong Jeong is the one to protect Katara and buy her time to escape, ehile Zuko betrays her. This once again just shows how far Zuko has yet to go before B3.

I've always thought that the way ceratain Avatar scenes intertwine with themes and similarities is very fascinating and fun to pick apart.

The scene between Zuko and Katara is profound, but I think it's often viewed in isolation, be it due to people wearing ship goggles or it just standing our more. But I think one of the reasons it's so wonderful is that it interweaves into so many other events of "reaching across the isle", of our protagonists connacting with firebenders. It's not just a good character moment for Zuko and Katara, it's a mark that connection and peace with the Fire Nation is possible, that it can be acheived, that it slowly is being acheived. Every one of these interactions is unique, but they all form a good foundation for B3, when we really get into humanising the Fire Nation civillians.

The scene between Zuko and Katara is beautiful not only because of what it is, but also because of what it symbolises: the hope of peace.

Ok this was "stating the obvious", once again brought to you by Quill in their pretentious humanistics student hat. I like to vomit words and some of you like to read them! So thank you if you have read them

[theegemini92]

I’m repeating myself again… don’t say you fuvk with Tamlin and don’t fully see or understand him. I have never seen a post where someone would call Rhys a narcissist when he is the perfect example of it.

Narcissism involves self-centered, arrogant thinking and behavior, and a lack of empathy.

This is the definition of Rhysand lint butroller

People’s view of Tamlin is Formed from feyre POV especially when he has people to look after, an army at his border, less equipped people to fight. I have seen a mother of triplets before now imagine 100s and thousands of people relying on you right after a deadly curse.

I’d like to know where Tamlin criticized anyone. He never expresses disapproval of another aka feyre. blamed her, correct her, nitpick, or fix her. As we all recall he didn’t pay close attention to her enough to even do that. Is that not the whole point?

Exploitation? You mean the tithing? Or the part that he gave enough to the archerons to be able to afford three war ships? How do you exploit someone socially when she closes herself off or when the king of hybern wants her? Emotionally yes I can admit that but it went both ways when the other didn’t open up?

What friends did Feyre have to isolate her from? She didn’t express her willingness to visit her family either.

Support networks by the abuser? Boundary violation? Did Feyre set any? Remember when she came back from NC tried to get Lucien by flirting and never once did Tamlin even initiate anything with her…

Blame shifting? Are you fuvking kidding me? So this male had no right to blame Rhysand for his illirate gf leaving? Knowing he has mind controlling powers and hates him?

I’d be in an emotional roller coaster if I have children to look after with no support and a country to run.

I can admit Tamlin has his faults. I will never say he’s innocent. But when you haven’t gotten his side of the story this conclusion will never ever be accurate. Until tam which I know sjm will make him look bad, admit his faults he will never be a narcissist or lack empathy. Because where is the empathy for Tamlin? Why does no one care for his feelings? Why is he suppose to bend and break for others? If he lacked empathy he won’t have gotten blood on his hands for Lucien, taken refugees in. Give alis and her nephews a place in his home.

I can admit that Tamlin is the person that has followed the rules and yet came up short and doesn’t understand why. He is the typical look of the hero, fair upright, just, RULE FOLLOWER and Rhys is the dark bad one. So it goes to show that because Rhys is “bad” everyone is expects his mediocrity while Tamlin is STILL being punished for not holding up the mantle when he after all is still flesh and bone. So as readers, even those who claim to see him are still condemning him.

I can partially agree to this where life isn’t always order and can be chaotic However the world is still full of order and laws. Especially as a leader. There are structures in prythian just because we see the NC look easy going doesn’t mean all the other courts don’t abide by rules. Then the lady of autumn has wasted her life since it was so easy for Feyre. Again Tamlin is the “hero” trope but giving what Spring was going through at that time was not picture perfect.. like what are you saying? 🤣 velaris was untouched had no army knocking at the door how was that perfect?

What about him?

Again how would he when his people needed him when Hubert was there, you don’t even know what he was doing when the twins were over. WE DONT KNOW EVERYTHING…

So why is this even a point if she was also doing it to him?

I will end by saying to me Tamlin did his best. He is no innocent but that is only for his perspective until then he is innocent and I stand by that. If Rapesand girlies can stand 10 toes for a narc like him I will for Tamlin. To me he did what many of us would’ve done in his situation or worse. He and feyre are a typical example of double standards in a relationship. Where she ain’t even held accountable for her actions towards him.

If my country is burning I don’t expect my president to be cuddling his depressed traumatic wife. I know that will sound harsh to people but he is in power for my needs not his and that’s a fact.

After all Rhysand can cause the genocide of the winter court and feyre can commit war crimes to the sc but godforbid Tamlin locks her indoors. He’s labeled a freaking narcissist 🤦🏾‍♀️

He needs no redemption just a family a home warm and filled with love. He deserves that.

[maxislvt]

helloo, first off i love your work ! second, this may or may not be a request but- imagine dark!wanda x spidey!reader, post no way home where r is one of the avengers sent to stop wanda on her rampage. r gets captured by wanda though and turns out wanda remembers r’s identity. she had a crush on r since civil war and now that she has r all to herself…😳

“i’m going to ruin you”

warnings: womb tattoos, coercion, manipulation, spiderperson typical quips in really bad situations, no smut

got a little carried away, whoops!

The last few months of your life have been awful.

Life had been pretty stable for the most part. Trying to balance college, being a superhero duo with your adoptive brother, and the newfound freedom of adulthood was a lot to say the least. Then some big alien freak came along and ruined everything. You and Peter left Aunt May behind for five years.

For better or for worse, you and Peter didn't age. Peter still had his senior year ahead of him and you were only 24. So you both tried to make the most of that.

You were supposed to chaperone your little brother's senior trip through Europe. All you wanted to do was help Peter enjoy the last few months of youth he had before being shipped off to college. Of course, fate had other plans and the trip was interrupted by another cataclysmic event. One unpredictable turn after another. Then suddenly everyone knew your secret identity.

Quentin Beck was a hero and you were half of the duo that killed him.

One edited video and suddenly the whole world was against you and your brother. It was a target on your back you had no way of getting off your back. The magical escape you thought you'd found was nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing. Universes nearly collided. Three versions of your brother. Two other versions of you. Villains the two of you tried and failed to rehabilitate. A moment of complete darkness for your brother A dead aunt. So much fighting. So much pain. All of it for nothing. At the end of it all, everyone was forced to forget about you and Peter. No more full rides to dream colleges and no more "Amazing Spider Kids". It was just the two of you in a shitty Downton apartment at a community college neither of you really wanted to attend, but that didn't stop you two from trying to protect those who couldn't protect themselves.

That need to protect everything and everyone seemed to get you in bigger trouble.

America Chavez. Barely 15 years old, alone in the multiverse, and no one to trust. Her powers and life experience were beyond you — you couldn't even take credit for defeating whatever monster that was chasing her — but you wanted her safe. You foolishly thought that it'd be as simple as finding a hero that could mentor her. Magic wasn't your strong suit. Yet, you still helped America try to escape the claws of the Scarlet Witch along with Doctor Strange.

In the midst of a heated chase, the witch's focus seemed to have shifted. Your mask was ripped by a piece of metal and you could feel the witch's eyes on you. Since you were more focused on protecting America, you decided to send The Scarlet Witch on a goose chase. You and a magical body double of the girl. Unfortunately, you could only run for so long. You didn't bother fighting when you were captured. All you could do was put on a brave face as you were somehow teleported back to your universe. You assumed the witch had gotten a decent portion of America's powers. That worried you, but unfortunately you had to prioritize your personal safety for a moment.

The witch must've known you were too weak to run away because she didn't even bother tying you down. She just stood over you and examined your face. You were nervous and confused to say the least. "So, uh, do you always stand over sacrificial young adults in such a compromising way or am I special?" You quipped. It was a real misfortune your mouth tended to run more when you were nervous. Your heart almost exploded when she reached out for your mask. "Hey, hey! Have some respect for a man's secret identity, will you?" You shouted, trying to push her hands away.

Automatic reflexes were nothing against magic and you were unmasked and it sent your spider senses spiraling.

"You remember me."

"Of course,I remember you. Do you not remember me?"

The airport. Tony had you and Peter flown out for a top secret field mission, that's what he told you at least. You weren't sure what you were fighting for, but you remember the battle clearly. Some guy had grown to a hundred feet tall. You fought some guy with a metal arm. Then someone suddenly started throwing cars. They had all missed you and went straight for Tony, but it was still scary. After the battle, you learned the name of all the people you fought. The weird one, as Tony described her, was named Wanda Maximoff. It's scary how your life had become so eventful that you'd forgotten that whole experience. Well, you couldn't blame yourself for not recognizing her considering the drastic change in her appearance.

"Yeah," You said bitterly, "you threw a car garage at my mentor."

"Your mentor made the bombs that destroyed my home country and had me jailed for powers I didn't ask for."

That was the first time a villain had left you truly speechless. Tony wasn't like that. Was he?It was a lot to process and that wasn't made any easier with the icy cold hand caressing your cheeks. "If you're going to drop an information bomb, can you at least give me a second to —" Your sentence was cut short by her thumb slipping into your mouth. Wanda had managed to slip past your spider senses. It was odd considering you were definitely not calm nor did you trust her.

"I figured he didn't bother telling you the whole truth," Wanda's voice had gotten low and seductive. Her thumb pressed down on your tongue as she continued to monologue. Your squirming didn't phase her at all. "I could hear your thoughts the moment you stepped foot in the airport. So loud and frantic, but nothing but innocence and desire for approval. It's a shame I wasn't able to see you again after that. I was lost in a hex of my own deepest desires and do you know what was there?" A smile spread across her lips as she felt you relax out of curiosity. "The two of us, happily married with two children, and living in New Jersey."

The statement made you jump and start fighting again. Married with kids was definitely not on your list of goals in the next few months, living in New Jersey just sounded dreadful. You managed to get her thumb out of your mouth just long enough to speak. "I'm sorry to hear about your crazy magic thing, I'm not ready to settle down yet. Maybe come back in six years once I've graduated, yeah?"

Wanda binded your wrists with magic. Her hand came down on your cheek with all the strength she had. Despite her frustration, she was happy to see you were still as witty and innocent as the day you two met. "I think I have a plan you'll like." She smirked as she summoned the darkhold. It opened on its own. The book turned towards you and translated itself so you could understand it. "Your innocence," she said before ripping you suit, "and your body in exchange for the girl's safety."

Your eyes nearly popped out of your head. It certainly wasn't a fair deal, even more unfair once you looked over the spell presented to you. A womb tattoo magically etched into your skin that would give Wanda complete control over your libido, orgasms, and a bunch of other depraved things you hadn't even heard of before. Wanda definitely wasn't the woman you imagined would take your virginity, but it wasn't an offer you could refuse. Strange wasn't strong enough to defeat Wanda and letting America die wasn't an option in your mind.

You put on as brave a face as you could before speaking, "If you so much as lay a finger on that girl, the deal is off." Your voice faltered at the feeling of Wanda's lips pressed against your neck. A moan nearly escaped your lips when Wanda's hands began exploring your body. The skin of your lower stomach began to tingle. This was it. This was how you lost your virginity.

Wanda's lips curled into a smile. A real one that showed off her perfectly white bunny teeth. She was no longer concerned with America. You were all she needed now.

"I'm going to ruin you," She whispered, "and you're going to enjoy every moment of it."

You wanted her to be wrong. You wanted so badly to hate the way her hands felt against your bruised skin and the softness of her lips on your neck, but you couldn't. Months without affection left your body desperate for any form of human touch. It is shameful and almost disgusting.

"Shh, I'll treat you right. Just be good for me."

[scarletttries]

What One Piece Characters Are Like In A Relationship...(Part Two)

Request: "Greetings, could I ask for headcanons of what Buggy the Clown and Dracule Mihawk are like in a relationship?"

Pairings: Buggy x Reader, Mihawk x Reader, Shanks x Reader

Part One (The Straw Hats) here / One Piece Masterlist

Buggy the Clown:

- It's impossible to overestimate the sheer vulnerability it took for Captain Buggy to speak genuinely and honestly when he finally confessed his feelings for you. A man who's spent so much of his life hidden behind a painted facade and a wicked smile, he tried to fight his truth for so long, forcing himself to treat you like just another pirate on his ship when there's nothing you could do that wouldn't stand out to him. The sincerity with which you speak to him, the way you don't gawk at his appearance, the fact that you never engage in the mutinous whispers of those around you. It wasn't long until you became his most called upon ally on the ship, through genuine appreciation for your insights but also his intense need to have his eyes on you at all times.

- With his feelings out in the open, Buggy is still conflicted in the way he showers his affections upon you. Behind closed doors the man is your personal jester, cracking jokes and using his gifts to keep you smiling and entertained constantly. Honestly that man would do anything to keep you looking at him, the warmth of your gaze enough to undo decades of cruelty and ridicule.

- Around the crew though, your captain likes to keep his adoration discrete. There are a lot of people out there that would love to have something they could use against him, and he knows deep down he'd surrender everything he's ever worked for if it stopped a single hair on your head being harmed. So despite how Buggy feels like he is bursting at the seams with joy every time he sees you, he insists on keeping things a secret for as long as the two of you can, lasting on longing looks and subtle contact for the price of your safety.

- That does add a certain desperation to the clown's behaviour towards you though, not that you mind. The moment you close a door he'll be on with you in a flash, all hungry lips and pressing his chest flush with yours to bathe in your warmth while he still can. He needs you overwhelming all of his senses, to fill his heart back up before he has to face the day without you again. Sometimes when he knows you'll be apart for a while, he'll tell the crew he's lost a hand somewhere on the ship so he can leave one tucked securely in your pocket, subtly interlacing his fingers with yours whenever the day gets to be too much; the powers he once feared made him a devil, now giving him the chance to stay by an angel's side forevermore.

Dracule Mihawk:

- A life as the world's greatest swordsman can be a lonely one. Going wherever he's paid to go. Never putting down roots. Knowing that one day he might just find someone desperate enough for his title to kill for it. Mihawk had accepted this life with a certain pride, until he found something else he wanted to be the best at.

- Another night in another island bar had his path crossing with yours, the briefest of exchanges leaving an aching hole in his chest like he'd never experienced before. It was like your smile sent a spark his way that had his whole body going up in smoke, a fire lit inside him that he had only felt once before; for his pursuit of swordsmanship. He knew nothing would quell that desire except giving in fully to the devotion.

- Dracule is extremely attentive to your every whim. He's never really been tied down before he enjoys the grounding that comes from having someone else to influence each of his days. Nothing fulfils him like making one of your wishes come true, his dedication to your partnership unwavering no matter what the world throws at you both.

- He would take enormous pride in teaching you a few of his sword-fighting moves, framing the sessions as just a way to share in his two favourite things (swords and you), but in the back of his mind also very conscious that a time may come when you need to defend yourself from his enemies. Naturally he'll find a way throw your practice fights so the two of you end up on the floor together, his sword cast aside as he exclaims that you are the only person in all the seas that has ever disarmed him so. Don't be expecting to leave that floor for a while once he has you in his grips.

Shanks:

- When you work in a popular port town you see a lot of pirates come and go. So it's pretty noticeable when a certain captain seems to do all his supply runs in your specific shop. Shanks is not at all subtle that he's continually coming to town for you, your first conversation enough for him to reveal that you might be the only person he's ever met that could convince him to give up the pirate life and settle down.

- You don't ask him to do that, instead the two of you settle for frequently being apart, but relishing in every second you get to spend together when you can. Every moment that Shanks is in your life is filled with fun, whether he's just dancing with you in your lovely little home, or convincing you to come with him on this next adventure, heading to a beautiful island where for once he's confident there's no risk of danger to you.

- When you have to be apart, Shanks will call you late in the night, narrating the view from his perch on the figurehead of his ship. He'll describe every detail of the stars glistening on the waves until the peachy rays of the sun trickle across the horizon, all while knowing the far superior view is wherever you are. He'll never reveal the true danger of his journeys to you, instead giving you joyful reimaginations of the troubles he's faced that day. You can tell when he's had a hard week from the pain in his voice though, so you take the chance to regale him with the softness of your peaceful day, recounting your every step and listening to his breathing slow as a weight lifts off his chest. He tells you how one day he can't wait to dock his ship one final time and fall in step with the life you've built, never having to hear your voice from so far away again.

- He lets that hope carry him through the most tempestuous nights at sea, through all the near misses at the hands of his enemies, through every day spent hiding from a bounty hunter and aching to hear your voice again. He finds himself picturing the two of you raising a family, a tiny crew of your own that will always unite you, the ultimate adventure Shanks can imagine, and one he never thought he'd long for until he thought about living it hand in hand with you.

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