#side note: I LOVE Amber - I write her as well. I'm in no way trying to paint her as the villain and Richie as innocent.

[momentsofamber]

The Scream fandom might absolutely jump down my throat for this, but it just occurred to me to tell all the Freaks and Weirdos (/affectionate) who follow me here that Scream has been one of my comfort fandom SpIns since middle school ('05-ish), and one of my more recent gateway ships into the proship community was one of my partners and I shipping Richie and Wes from Scream 5.

Like we had this AU where Wes was a teen sex worker lying about his age online and Richie (already in his 20's) had been following him for a little while and they got to talking one on one and bonding. Wes told Richie how old he really was and Richie was like 👀 HEY THAT'S EVEN BETTER. And then Richie's dad used his Police Power(tm) to help Richie kidnap Wes yandere style so that no one else could ever have him the way Richie does.

I was the one writing Richie for this rp. 😂

[fantasies-fairytales-n-fics]

Thranduil and Josie Pt. 174- Shattered Dreams

Summary: The Manhattan trio head back to the world of dark fairytales. Clover accepts responsibility for her actions. A rescue ensues. Revelations and blood rage come forth. A dream is crushed by a ton of bricks. A journey continues. Something lost is still lost. Thranduil connects. A sweet moment turns to heartbreak for Lola. Legolas leaves the Elvenking reeling....and plotting.

*Chapter Warnings* language, angst

Notes: I have now changed to third person writing. The "you" thing just doesn't fit for the readers with Josie being an original character.

Stories Stories Stories Masterlist

Clover, Jace and Matthew were tossed into a large clearing on the Northern side of middle earth's hidden perimeters. It was too risky to just appear inside of them, for Jace's magic stele that he used to transport them had the habitual pattern of just spitting it's passengers out in a nearby vicinity of the desired location and that would be far too dangerous for them if they were spotted, especially the marked and hunted dhampir with her bewitching fiery strands. Even where the former Raven now stood, out in the open breeze, imperiled her as her cinnamon scent could easily be picked up by Viktor's nefarious death dealers or even by the vicious vampire ruler of infamous superhuman strength himself as Viktor was one of Jareth's resurrected pawns.

"Why does the sky look as if it were dusk? It's only noon. Could it be....Jar...h..him?" Clover asked, guarding herself not to mention the Goblin King's name as her eyes squinted at the familiar eerie hue of glowing amber.

As Matthew's vampire eyes reddened with caution, his sensitive nose subtly inhaled the air. "It is not he himself, but one who is now of him. The same immortal responsible for the great quake of middle earth."

Jace stepped next to his beloved dhampir and clutched her hand as they both whispered the believed identity. "The Elvenking."

Clover's mind briefly drifted. She would never forget what Thranduil had become while she had been a prisoner of his halls and what he had taken from her, but could she truly hold him accountable? Jareth had set it all into motion by torturing the King of Mirkwood and poisoning him with his warlock blood, not to mention, Thranduil now wore Jareth's citrine ring, the glue that sealed his fate. She still struggled with her loss and who was truly to blame, but after all she had taken from Thranduil, she knew damn well that she, along with her sinister mother, were the ones solely responsible for unleashing the wrath of the Elvenking. If she had merely walked away after Caroline's death instead of being the misguided monster she had always been, Thranduil would still be Thranduil, even if that in itself wasn't always a good thing and he would be with his family, living happily within his halls....but now, his heart was at war with his mind against the world and even his own Queen and another war was on the horizon. A war that Clover knew was also her fault. Everything that had happened since Chateau de Lioncourt was her fault.

Jace's squeeze to her hand released her of her torturous thoughts. "Hey...Clover, you're safe with me. I'll never let him or anyone hurt you. I promise."

She smiled sweetly at the golden haired warlock. "I know your heart is in the right place and I love you for it, but you know as well as I do that you cannot promise such a thing with all the enemies I have rightfully earned. I'm wanted Jace...and certainly not alive."

He pulled her against his brawny body and kissed her softly. "Well, they will have one hell of a fight upon their hands. I won't hesitate to kill to keep you safe."

Her loving gaze at him strayed in sadness. "What about my sister? She will never understand."

"I'll do everything in my power to make her see you the way I do."

"Respectfully Jace, your words will mean nothing to her. She will try to kill me and you know it. You shouldn't have to be in such a conflicting position because of me. I know how much you love her and she you."

"And it is that love that will defeat her hatred."

Clover playfully smirked but with a sigh. "You're too good for me and quite frankly, your optimism still makes me nauseous."

The blonde warlock shook his head and smiled. "Just shut up and kiss me."

As the new lovebirds tenderly locked lips, the tall, dark and blue eyed Brit Matthew momentarily watched them with an envious grief, for it would be years before he would unite with his destined soulmate Leeanduil and for a vampire, years felt like an eternity when one walked alone. The recluse vampire Lestat knew that all too well. The loneliness Matthew currently agonized over would only intensify, but for the Princess of Mirkwood...he would endure the internal burning flame that ignited one night with a single shooting star and remain devoutly faithful, for his futuristic visions of their love gave him the strength.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted as he whipped his head in the opposite direction with widened eyes of wariness. In his 1500 years as a blood rage vampire, Matthew had become a very highly skilled tracker, for his nose was extremely sensitive to others of his kind, especially those who carried the gene of temporary insanity and that was when the brisk breeze alerted him to a familiar presence. He could also smell turmoil, for a distressed vampire released a particular chemical. An abhorrent aroma of burning flesh.

Clover took notice of the repulsive stink as well, but unlike Matthew, she wasn't used to it beings she was still in her newborn phase and it turned her stomach. "WHAT is that??" she cringed, swiftly bringing her hand to cover her crinkled up nose. "It smells like...like...."

She paused, finally taking in a whiff of the underlying scent that was also familiar to her. "P...pancakes. Oh my god....G!!!"

Before Matthew or Jace could even blink, Clover was gone. Disappearing into the forest, leaving a whirlwind trail of dead leaves swirling about like a cyclone. Although she knew that Garrett, who had cared for and bonded with her in her childhood, had now come to despise her, especially after their last encounter where she had wickedly tricked him into believing she was his beloved Josephine all to successfully bed him, she still cared for him.

Once the pair caught up, they found Clover at a desolate cabin, gazing in the slightly frosted window with eyes matching the blazing sky.

"Step back girl." Matthew commanded with a snarl as he glowered down at her. "Have you learned nothing of entrapment??"

Jace angrily pulled her aside. "Matthew is right. What were you thinking?? Even if Garrett is in there, others may be also or may be close."

Scoffing, she pursed her rosy lips and reluctantly submitted. "Fine...but do not man handle me warlock. I can give as good as I get."

Jace grinned and winked. "You don't have to remind me of that my firecracker."

The three then circled the small wooden structure until Matthew deemed it and the surrounding area clear of any threats and then they cautiously entered through the back door. All was quiet except for the creaking of the floorboards beneath their feet and the repetitive sound of dripping water also coming from below, ringing like bells in the two vampires' keen ears.

Clover deeply inhaled the potent aroma of molasses as her golden eyes darted about, suddenly fixating on the empty whiskey bottles upon the counter. "He's been here recently or is still here."

"So have others. Merely days ago." Matthew added as he continued into the living room. "Vampires. Two of them. One male, one female. Twice dead for their scent becomes twice as strong."

Clover gasped at an object propped against the couch with no concern over Matthew's validation. "G's guitar!! Garrett???!!" she shouted with excitement and bolted down the hall to the bedrooms only to find them both empty.

"I...I don't understand! He's here. I feel him." she reeled, bursting apart the women's modern day clothing hanging in the closet which offered her another surprising scent. "Oh...my...god. These clothes..." She ripped a dusty shirt from the hanger and shoved it under her nose. "Cherries...it's...it's...these are my sister's! This must be the cabin Josie had been held captive in last year. No wonder G was...or IS here....but where????"

As they all looked at each other with confusion and silence, the dripping from below solved the mystery. "The basement!" Clover shrieked and zipped off once again and this time, Jace was beginning to turn a little green.

There the King of Devil's Island laid, motionless, flat on his back and chained in iron shackles upon a musty old mattress, appearing deader than vampire dead.

With eyes molten as the lava, Clover unleashed her power, freeing his searing wrists from the toxic metal and then climbed onto him, slapping him on the cheek and then shaking him.

"G! Open your eyes."

Moaning, he rubbed his cheek and mumbled. "Why did you do that?"

"I'm going to do it again, much harder, if you don't wake up."

His eyes, black with thirst, complied and moved about the ceiling. "Where am I?"

Clover pulled his weak body up into a sitting position and when he saw her, he groaned as if he were in pain. "Uuuuugh. Well I just answered my own question. I've died and went straight to hell."

Scoffing, she sent him hurling back onto the bed, grunting as he hit the mattress. "Same old G with your bullshit humor. Obviously, you're going to be just fine. You're welcome!"

"Your voice. Make it stop." Garrett grumbled, palms pressed to his forehead. "Punch iron stakes in my ears or kill me. Either will do."

Matthew intervened as he stepped forward, awkwardly gazing at Garrett's chest. "You've been marked with protection."

Garrett snickered and pushed himself back up. "A lot of good that did. Well, except when I tried to end it all. Fucking faeries. Wicked little beasts underneath all that beauty. Especially Amara. Crazy bitch with a thousand razors for teeth. Makes me feel sorry for apples. She did this to me, the mark that is. All because she likes my music talent. and has nominated me for her leisurely concerts."

Jace's brows furrowed. "The seelie Queen? There must be something more she wants."

Garrett lifted his heavy eyes up at the warlock he now recognized. "Speaking of. I remember you. The day Josephine and I left Amara's court and were on our way back to the Dorwinion castle. You came out of nowhere and helped us after her mind warped father attacked us. You're her brother....Jace? That's why you had tracked her down."

His eyes glanced at Clover, then back at Garrett, reluctant to reveal it had all been a lie. "Yeah..so...who did this to you? Amara?"

"No, but she had been here prior to my being ambushed, basically to rub it in my face that I could not kill myself because of this mark she let her Chippendale satanic servant brutally burn into my chest. She had better things to go follow up on such as having Legolas for herself and keeping him away from Josephine. That was her whole end game. Games are her fetish. Wicked sadistic ones at that with her creepy crawling cray cray vines of truth. I probably shouldn't say any more. Her little minion spies are everywhere."

"G! Focus. WHO did this to you??" barked an anxiously frustrated Clover.

"Oh...that would be Craven, your bat shit crazy father, pun intended, and my newly re-headed reeking ex, Kate. Well actually, she put me down here for revenge. Craven later taunted me and left me so I couldn't try to stop him from reclaiming Devil's Island and his title as King. Fucking traitor created me and then left me to die."

Clover turned whiter than a ghost. "M...my...father is... oh my god....Jace...I...I never knew him. Haldir killed him shortly after I was born. What do I do?? I..I mean, I know he was evil but..."

Jace pulled her close and stroked her cheek. "He was still your father. I get it. But just remember who he was Clover and since Jareth brought him back, that means he will be even more deadly."

"Clover??" a confused Garrett asked. "What happened to Raven? Too dark and fitting for you?"

"If you must know..." she sarcastically replied. "I'm not that person anymore. People can change. You did because if I recall, you were no better than me once upon a time Mr. fucking hypocrite."

Garrett weakly wobbled to his feet, standing the tallest of the four and glared down at her. "Yeah well if you also recall, I wasn't born evil. You were. Just what the hell are you doing here anyways??? Especially with your sister's brother whom you seem to be all cozy with. How'd you pull that one off? Did you use your magic to get him into bed like you did to me??"

Clover felt her stomach do a flip as she fearfully glanced up at Jace, for even though he knew most of her sordid past, he didn't know about that.

In his instinct to protect her, the lovesick warlock quickly came to her defense. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

The vexed vampire raised a befuddled brow. "Whatever. It's your funeral, especially when your sister finds out."

Matthew, in his rapidly growing frustration, chimed in. "Enough of this. Maybe you should be a little more grateful that we came to your aid."

Garrett's eyes bolted to Matthew. "Well I'll thank YOU... and even YOU," he exclaimed as he happily gave a single nod to Jace, but his attention swiftly redirected back to Matthew in the midst of a memory flashback. "I've seen you before....at...Lestat's masquerade ball. Drinking alone in the shadows."

Clover's eyes widened. "You were there????"

Matthew had known it could surface about his attendance at some point and he had a prepared answer to avoid revealing his real purpose for being there.

"As were many vampires on the invitation list, who like I, enjoy drinks and entertainment every so often and observing all of the creative costumes. Lestat's balls never disappoint."

"Yeah except THAT particular one did because of the death dealer attack. You knew...didn't you??? You and your visions!! And you did nothing to warn or help???"

"Hold your tongue half breed!" he growled and began to creep towards her, his eyes reddening. "You know nothing of what you spew little girl. After what you and your mother had done that night, you have the audacity to make such accusations against me?? It was you and she that everyone needed warned about but I knew nothing of your plans until long after the fact of that fateful night and to be crystal fucking clear, I had departed before Richard's ambush. Even if I had known about it, one would be a fool to interfere in Viktor's affairs as you and Caroline learned."

Clover's eyes slitted with skepticism as her intuition began to read him. "How...convenient. The timing of your departure. Surely you would have stayed for the concert which was the entertainment you speak of and of course, that's when they attacked. No, I think you were there for something...or someone else. I feel it. Someone very important to you. Someone I know. Someone we all know."

Matthew abruptly halted, perplexed by her accuracy. Simultaneously, she paused, her troubled eyes drifting away, trying to unscramble the pixeled image that taunted her mind...and then, it pieced itself together like a puzzle. "Oh my god...now I know why you told me at the old church that you had business with the elves, but you wouldn't reveal what it was! It's....it's my sister. I see Josie! You were there for her! What on earth do you want with her??? Are you...in love with her too like this fool over here is???"

As her eyes darted to Garrett concerning her last statement, the corner of his lip curled into a smug grin. "Seems you're the only fool right now."

A low emitted growl rolled up Matthew's throat as his threatening steps resumed. "Fool indeed. I do not take kindly to your intrusive perceptions of me."

Jace's eyes cautioned of yellow as he fearlessly stepped into the path of imminent destruction. "Matthew, back off. Now. I do not want to fight you, but I will to protect what I love, just as you would do to protect what you love."

As Garrett mumbled "I think I am going to ralph," Matthew submitted to the warning as he considered Jace's words, knowing that even he too was susceptible to making mistakes during a bout of blood rage and he could not risk his life over something so trivial when all he lived for was Leeanduil and someday...she would desperately need him much more than she did now.

With lightning speed, the humbled vampire zipped up the stairs, leaving an aromatic trail of lavender and vanilla in his wake. Jace spun around to Clover with an exasperated frown. "You and I will talk later."

The waspish warlock picked up a dusty bottle of cheap wine from a cobweb infested shelf and then jogged up the stairs, leaving Clover's eyes stinging of tears, for she knew the talk would be about her defiling of Garrett and not about her idiotic instigation of Matthew's rage.

"You never learn do you...Raven." Garrett reeled.

"And YOU never keep your mouth shut." she snapped and sucker punched his chest so hard, he catapulted through the air and landed in the corner, grimacing and groaning as he helplessly sat at the mercy of her fire happy hands.

The disgruntled dhampir preyed forward with angry amber hues. "I should set your ass on fire and put you out of your misery, you fucking ingrate."

Still wincing from the blow to his iron enfeebled body, Garrett managed to grunt out succumbing words that Clover related to and empathized with. "Go ahead. I've already tried, believe me. I have nothing to live for."

Her fiery orbs dissipated back to their ultramarine state as her mind witnessed another image of Josie forming from Garrett's emotions.

"God you're so pathetic." she softly murmured. "Yes you do. Get up. You need to hunt or you'll never regain your strength and power and you'll need that if you ever want to see her again."

His weepy yellowed eyes lifted up to hers as the thought of Josephine incited his will to go on and he reluctantly reached his hand out to Clover for assistance. Scoffing, she slapped his hand down and then made her way up the stairs, leaving Garrett to crawl his way up.

Matthew and Jace, who shared years of friendship, had already made their peace by the time she entered the living room where they were both sipping on the mundane vin with abhorrent frowns, for it was an abomination compared to the wickedly wonderful wine of Dorwinion.

"Atrocious." Matthew verbally verified, coughing to clear his tainted throat after swallowing much more than he had cared to of the execrable liquid. He then locked eyes of humility with Clover upon her entrance and sat his full glass down, also swallowing his pride as he shamefully turned to gaze out the window. "I offer my sincere apologies. The blood rage, as you personally know, can be quite difficult to control but even so, being a vampire with 1500 years of learning to manage such a curse, I carelessly let it get the better of me."

Clover empathized once more and felt extreme remorse for antagonizing him. "I do understand. It's a living hell all on it's own. I...I'm the one who is sorry. I provoked you and I wrongfully accused you and I...I was intrusive just as you said. Your actions were justified. Although you owe me no apology, you are forgiven."

Her reply was not what he had expected and he turned back to face her.

"You have come a long way in such a short time Clover. It is time that I am completely honest with both of you, for you were correct on why I had attended the All Hallows' Eve celebration. To observe a very pregnant Josephine, but not for the reason you mentioned. It is not her that I love, not in the way that King Thranduil does anyways and he and the other elves are the reason I departed so quickly. I had a vision of her there but they were not in it. I certainly would have never expected elves to attend a vampire gathering, especially ones of such stature and with the uncanny power of knowledge the Elvenking carries, I did not want to risk being detected, for he would not understand. Josephine did not at first either, nor did her side kick Haldir to say the least."

"Wait...I'm so lost. You...have already spoken with her? And I ask again, respectfully, why would you have visions of her?"

"I'd like to know the answer to that myself." Garrett demanded as he scuffled in, using the wall as a crutch.

"At first, I did not know the reason for the relentless visions, some of solely her and some including her King and even his son, that is why I chose to accept Lestat's invitation to try and understand what was happening, but my answers did not come that night. They came two weeks later, the night of November 2nd. I stood on a bridge in Oxford after learning of the destruction at Chateau de Lioncourt and Thranduil's sudden demise, wondering if I should attempt another visit to his Queen and in that moment, a shooting star offered me the answer with a life altering vision. Josephine and her child, who was born that same night, would need my added protection with the King gone and the war coming and in the ever so distant future as well, for Leeanduil will....become my bride. She is my star. My destiny. My one true love that I have impatiently waited agonizing, lonely centuries for."

All three mouths gaped between Clover, Jace and Garrett and then Garrett spoke, mostly to himself in confusion. "Why would Josephine not have told me about this?"

"Possibly because you were...here?" Matthew guessed. "It was only recently that I tracked Josephine down in Dorwinion city and informed her of all this. Garrett...there is something else you should know. In that particular vision, I saw myself with a fully grown Leanduil and...I saw Thranduil too. That was when I realized he had not perished like all had assumed and it was then confirmed to be true when Jace told me of all the events that partook in the dark realm of the Goblin King right after the elf lord's so called death, for Jace had been held prisoner there just as Thranduil had. The rest of the story is not my responsibility to tell."

Clover lightly gulped as Matthew glanced at her, for she had not been prepared for this. As she let her worried eyes slowly glide over to a flabbergasted Garrett, she was all too glad he was in a debilitated condition because when he learned she was the reason for Josie's unwarranted suffering, she was certain all hell would break loose, but for the time being, he was consumed with trying to wrap his head around the fact that his dreams of a future with his "little one" would now and forever be just that....a dream. In that moment, Clover witnessed the little light he had left in his eyes burn out as he staggered his way out the back door.

"Garrett!" she called out as she ran after him. "You need to know more!"

He abruptly turned around and the way he looked at her terrified her. It was complete emptiness, as if his entire soul that had kept the human side of him still alive, had been ripped out. This time, he truly DID want to die. At least before, he had a glimmer of hope that kept him alive, even through his suicidal tendencies and now... he had none.

His commanding words were flat and lifeless. "I know enough. Let me hunt in peace."

The sun was at it's highest as Thranduil and his company had stopped to briefly rest and refuel their bodies for the first time since their departure from his halls. They were now at the Eastern end of the Old Forest Road where it joined the Celduin. Soon the Elven army would continue their lengthy and tedious journey along the River Running's winding banks where it would eventually mate with the Carnen. There, they would then follow the meandering miles of the Redwater that flowed into the Sea of Rhun, but it would be many days yet before they would cross the Dorwinion borders.

Thranduil dismounted his great elk, who still remained ever so loyal to the clone of his master, and slitted his moonstone eyes at the irradiant sun trespassing through the gaps of the large and densely packed beeches. With Jareth's blood now burning through his veins, he loathed the light now just as the Goblin King did. Even the air of his own realm turned his stomach, but with his newly acquired darkness, he had poisonous plans to spread the sickness of Mirkwood throughout it's entirety. The moonlight he desperately craved. It would aid him in his malevolent quest, for like the werewolves, it transformed his physical and mental state to that of peccable wickedness.

As he now stood alone in the clad of tall trees, the Elvenking sternly snapped, startling the birds out of their nests. "Legolas!"

Deep within the depths of the Dorwinion castle, Legolas, Lola and Josselyn had just exited the password protected room where, according to Josselyn, Ashmole had last been secretly stored by Julian....but the necromantic book was no longer there and they knew this because Lola, being of warlock blood, failed to visually locate it like only witches can do.

The blue eyed beauty with long licorice locks, sighed in frustration. "I am so sorry. Maybe...maybe I cannot see it because I am not a full blooded witch like my fath...Lord Narcisse??"

Her reluctance to admit her parentage did not go unnoticed by Legolas He took her petite hand of delicate youth into his and smiled as he harbored his new feelings of desire that magically strengthened simply by her touch. "I do not know my lady, but know this. It is not your fault. Please do not apologize. Also know that you are nothing like your father."

Her dazed kitten-like eyes flitted at his words as she too was overcome with a magical sensation that she had harbored much longer for the flawless Prince.

The silent moment of connection between the two was then rudely interrupted by Thranduil's thunderous voice inside of Legolas' head. "Legolas!"

Abruptly releasing her hand, Legolas mildly gulped as he realized he had allowed his distractions to permit his father entry into his mind.

Legolas refused to speak and tightly closed his eyes, forcing his father out and resealing the doorway to his thoughts.

"Legolas?" Lola asked, lightly touching his cheek. "Are you alright?"

This time he was displeased by her touch and angry with himself, for she weakened him, something only Josie had been able to do and he couldn't allow his heart and mind to be mangled again. He still was not over the fiery Queen of hearts and was unsure if he ever would be. "Do not touch me. We need to go. I must find Josie."

Lola's eyes welled with pain as she watched her dream lover trail off without a single glance back at her and in that moment, she threw herself into her mother's awaiting arms and sobbed like she had as a child.

It was instant, Thranduil's burning rage at his son's betrayal, but one thing pleased him, for he was now aware of Legolas' newfound feelings for the one named Lola and it was even more pleasing to learn that she was the daughter of his nemesis Narcisse.

His thick brows planted firm over his glaring, hungry eyes, for both revelations had now handed him the golden opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

@redeemer46

[peach-the-owl]

I don't know when you'll see this but could i get something for Marion and a sick Child reader for Npc month?

I'm currently sick and Marion is one of my favourite NPC's so i just had to.

I love Marion, she’s such a sweet and loving mother 😁 And I hope you’re feeling a lot better!

[Side note: I had a plan, started writing for said plan then diverged from the plan and this was the result]

Under the Weather

Marion Lavorre & Child!Reader

(Also some Jester & Twin Sibling!Reader thrown in too)

Set pre-campaign

You groan as light enters the room, throwing the covers over your head to stop the brightness from bothering you further. This, sadly, doesn’t deter your sister from bounding over to your bed and jumping onto your sheets and, by extension, you.

“Come on sleepy head! Wake up!” She shakes your shoulders, you cringe at the volume of her voice and turn away. See, while you and Jester may be twins, you were far from identical, she had blue skin and violet eyes, most likely from your father, while you had red skin and amber eyes like your mother. She was full of energy and ready to tackle the day, you felt like you were going to cough up a lung.

“Hello my little sapphire and garnet, breakfast is ready and waiting for you.” You hear your mother’s much softer and calmer voice enter.

“(Y/n) won’t get up.” You hear Jester pout, not long after that you feel the bed dip and your mother speaks again.

“Why don’t you get a head start and we’ll join you when we can.” You cover your ears at the loud squee Jester makes before she’s off of you and bounding down the hall. “(Y/n)?” Your mothers voice is so much more calming to listen to, making you partially peek out from your covers before the urge you’ve been holding back to cough and gag takes over and you’re curling in on yourself, even tearing up a bit at the awful feeling. “Oh, my dear. Again?” This wasn’t the first time you’ve fallen ill like this, and based on your track record it won’t be the last time either, something you were slightly jealous of Jester for was that she seemed to rarely get sick, if ever, while you got sick a least twice a month.

“Can you close the curtains, please. The light hurts.” You mumble under your blankets, the weight on your bed disappears for a moment, reappearing soon after with the room significantly darker then before. “Thanks.” You sigh, finally remove the covers over your eyes and relax a little.

“Of course my little garnet. I’ll go fetch one of the staff to deliver your special breakfast while you rest.” She says, giving you a gentle smile.

“Yeah… okay…” You trail off in a dejected manner. Marion’s smile falters slightly, hating how resigned you’ve become to your situation while she was helpless to do anything that could actually help cure it. It wasn’t like you were cursed but either way she couldn’t exactly bring you to a cleric seeing as you and Jester were kept secret from those outside the Chateau, leaving Marion feeling stuck.

“I’ll come check on you again in half an hour, okay?” She tries to sound reassuring, you look at the soft smile she has knowing full well she’s trying to stay strong for you, you offer one back as best you can before having to turn away so you don’t cough on her.

As promised Marion came back to check in on you as well as a few of the staff helping to keep you comfortable and cleaning up any mess that may have been made. When she inevitably needs to step away she’ll have Bluud check in periodically, sometimes bringing some medication to help with the fever and headaches. It was nice to know everyone was trying to help you feel better but you still felt awful for having to take out time in their day because you weren’t well enough to do anything yourself. Evening was approaching, not that it mattered to you since you’ve been in one place all day and the few times you did get out of bed weren’t for very long. You lay in bed, staring up at the canopy above you deep in thought, not bothering to look over when you catch your mother enter the room at the corner of your eye.

“Mama?” You start, still not looking over but you know you’ve caught her attention. “Am I a burden to you?” Already you can feel tears welling up.

“Are you a- no. No, you could never.” She sits down beside you and starts to gently comb a hand through your hair. “Why would you think that of yourself?” You manage to push yourself into a sitting position, Marion’s quick to help stabilize you letting you lean against her as she continues to comb trough your hair.

“I’m always sick and need help from everyone, but even if I’m better I still can’t do much like Jester can. I don’t know, I just feel like it’d be easier if you didn’t have to take care of me all the time.” You admit tearfully, your voice coming out weakly while you try holding back the rising urge to dry-heave.

“Oh my darling,” your mothers grip tightens around you, but in a comforting way, as she holds you closer. “You are no burden to any of us. I like that you let me take care of you, it lets me know you always feel safe with me and it just makes the times you’re better all the more worth cherishing. You know I love you, my little garnet.” She places a soft kiss to the top of your head.

“I love you too, mama.” You reply feeling a little better, both physically and mentally. “Ummm…” You pause a second, hesitant to ask your question. “I know you have a show soon but… can-can you sing a song for me?” You look up at her curiously, she smiles warmly at you.

“But of course.” She starts singing a soft lullaby for you, letting you lay back down and relax as her voice fills the room.

Bonus:

“(Y/n). *psst* (Y/n), you still awake?” You hear Jester ask, you peek an eye over at your sister confused seeing her look intently at you.

“Yeah, I guess so.” You mumble shifting over, Jester helps you into a sitting position before crawling onto your bed to sit next to you.

“Here, I want you to have this.” She beams handing you a folded piece of paper. You already knew it was another of Jester’s get well soon cards since she always made them for you but there was something a little different about this one. When you open the card it had the usual ‘Get Well Soon’ written on it but normally the picture was of you and her smiling and doing some sort of activity indoors, this time it was a picture of you and her outside with a third figure.

“Did you sneak out again?” You question, a small laugh coming from you when Jester shrugs with a mischievous smile.

“But look, look.” She points to the picture again. “See, it’s you, me and the Traveler all playing outside together.”

“Jester you know we shouldn’t leave, or at least I can’t anyways. I wouldn’t make it 3 steps before collapsing.” You sigh turning into a harsh cough, Jester grips your hand in hers and the beaming smile was now a look of determination.

“Then I promise you one day I’m going to become super strong and find a way to help you and we can go on adventures together when we’re older.” She vows.

“Really? You think that can actually happen?” You ask, a small glimmer of hope sparking in you when she nods.

“I swear on the Traveler’s name I will find a way to help you!” She cheers, you cover your ears at the noise.

“Okay, but not so loud please.”

“Oops, sorry.”

[cheelduh]

How to bet your way into someone’s heart. (Highschool AU)

Pairing: Childe x fem!reader

Warnings: Fake weed. Poor Signora smh. Oh yes, lots of swearing. UNEDITED ASF IM LAZY BYE.

Synopsis: Childe is being an infatuated idiot, Lisa has eyes for vending machine chocolate, and Kaeya is desperately in need of a pencil. With all these distractions, there’s no way in hell you’ll be able focus on the task at hand.

This is crack.

I don’t have time.

You think as you race down the hallway, shoes slapping against the floor as you expertly dodge multiple students in your way.

Bullet. You're as fast as a bullet, because everyone around you is a blur and you don't stop, can't stop, not until you meet your target.

It's funny how one can accomplish many challenges and feats they were unable to, merely due to pressure. Pressure is a twisted ugly thing that can gnaw its way into the pit of your stomach and grow like a parasite. Pressure is a parasite that can either bring the best in you, or the worst, but at the cost of one's peace of mind.

"Move it Signora!" You shouted a warning at the senior blocking your way. There wasn't any time for you slow down at that point, and you'd risk bumping into the breakfast club's stall if you swerved to the side, sending juice flying everywhere.

Signora's eyes widened momentarily, getting the gist albeit her anger, and choosing to back up flatly against the locker.

Her lipstick nearly slips from her fingers as you swerve past, a thick gust of wind in your wake.

It messes with the hair she woke up two hours early for.

Signora plots her revenge. You still don't have time.

You nearly kick the door to your home room down, but you can't risk the perfect image your teachers have of you. So you pat down your t-shirt, take five tempting deep breaths, and tentatively knock the door.

The door opens and you're met with a young man, familiar amber pupils welcoming you.

You try not to huff and puff at the cost of your stamina. Thinking back, there's no way in hell you could have physically been that fast.

"Good morning Y/N," Your homeroom teacher gives you a small smile, moving aside to let you in. "Class is just about to start."

You check your watch, then turn to him with an apologetic tone, trying not to crack under the eyes of your classmates. "I'm so sorry Mr.Zhongli, I slept through my alarm."

Your idiot ass forgot to set one because you studied till four in the morning.

"You're like thirty seconds late, cut the shit." Beidou boos from the back, causing your stance to stiffen.

"I don't wanna hear it Beidou. If anything, you're two periods earlier than usual." Ningguang calls her out for you, but you have a feeling it's more so on behalf of a personal vendetta.

Ignoring the two bickering, Mr.Zhongli gives you the handout. "Take a seat. Do not fret over such minuscule things dear."

Relief washes over you. Your impeccable attendance is not on the line.

Childe tries to flag you down next to him but you send him a pointed glare and sit next to Lisa instead.

"You should give him a chance you know." Lisa doesn't even have to open her eyes to know what's going on.

"Please," You scoff, digging through your bags to collect your notes. "As if I have the time to fool around with a shady kid like him."

Your friend sighs in disapproval, and makes no move to take out her own notes as Mr.Zhongli begins the lecture on the Archon war.

"You should really pay attention." It bothers you that she doesn't, but then again it's not your place to tell her what to do or not to do.

"I don't need to." She yawns, blinking an eye open towards you. "I have you after all."

"I'm tired of saving your ass." You groan and pull a pen out of your pocket to get started on the exercises as Mr.Zhongli talks in the background.

The course outline contained all the topic, and you made sure to teach yourself as much as you could before class to stay ahead.

Immersed in the worksheet, you blinked away your sleep and tried to answer as many questions as you could at the moment. You didn't hear the slight shift next to you, and the change of breathing, or the rate of which time went by.

A familiar scent makes its way into your nostrils.

"Lisa. Why do you smell like mango juul juice." You know the scent from when Signora blew a mango flavoured fog in your face yesterday at lunch when you said you were hungry.

A chuckle erupts and you freeze in place. "That's because I'm not Lisa."

You blink. Once, twice, and then crane your head to the side to meet a pair of teasing cerulean eyes.

Fingers loosening in shock, the pen drops on the desk with a short thud.

You whisk your head towards the front of the classroom, and Mr.Zhongli is nowhere to be seen.

"There's no saving you now." Childe's smirk widens, and he scoots closer to you. "Mr.Zhongli had to get something from the staff room. The staff room is near the cafeteria."

"Which is also near the merch stall." You grumbled, bringing both hands to massage your temples as a headache is beginning it's reign.

"Tsk tsk. Smart girl. I'd like to add that he's forgotten his wallet in his office as well, which is in the south wing."

"Son of a..." You mutter underneath your breath, and opt to scoot further back, but your efforts are futile because your desk is in a corner.

Your next beacon of hope is Lisa, so you scan the room full of chattering students, only to find her pestering her crush, Jean.

Shit...there's nothing getting you out of this one.

"What did it take?" Is your only question, the despair starting to brew. How much did it take for your best friend to betray you?

"A dollar and fifty for vending machine chocolate."

You take a moment to breathe, calming your nerves and burying down the urge to screech. "What will it take?"

"For what?" Childe replies back innocently, and you can't believe how fast he can change masks. You almost give in.

"For you to leave me alone."

"Aww come on girlie," He whines, closing in the distance. "Don't be so cold."

What did your mom tell you that one time? Oh yes. That if you were ever backed against a wall, then just break the damn thing down.

Too bad it's figurative. You're just about ready to sock him in the face if you didn't know he was into that sort of thing.

"I'm serious about you," He says, and it sounds so real, so genuine, nearly makes you sputter. "See? I've even bought school supplies.

He unzips his light backback and spills the contents on the table.

A lone piece of paper flies out, a lighter, and a mechanical pencil with no lead that follows straight after. There's also a pocket knife that you choose to ignore.

You're not the least bit surprised.

"First of all, how the fuck are you passing this class. Second, do you really think I'm into nerds?"

"Well, considering that you are a nerd—"

"You're making things worse."

"My bad, my bad." He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "But on a serious note. I'll do anything."

You cross your arms. "I'm not just another one of your conquests Childe. It's not like I have the time. There are better things to do."

"You need to relax." He says so simply, with complete disregard as to what you are trying to say.

"I am relaxed." You reply, picking up your pen to continue your work. If he's going to annoy you, then you might as well get shit done while he's at it.

You're not wasting any more time.

"When was the last time you got a full eight hours of sleep?" His voice is soft, too soft, and it's not at all like the Childe you know.

Your pen stops momentarily, but you will yourself to continue writing. The words look fumbled, but you don't care. The best thing to do is get your work done and ignore the idiot next to you.

"C'mon, Zhongli won't be back for another half an hour at least. Let's go." He kicks the bottom of your chair to urge you.

The pen shakes in your hand, and you narrow your eyes at the paper, digging holes into poor question eight. "I'm trying to work here. Let me work." You'll say anything to get him off your back.

"Fine fine fine..." He raises both hands in mock surrender. "I'll stop bothering you."

Your ears perk up at that, and you turn to him so fast he has to hold in his laugh. "Really?"

"Yeah," Childe nods along, bringing your hopes up. "If you win a bet, that is." And they're back to ocean level.

You roll your eyes. There's always a catch. That doesn't mean you're any less interested.

"What's the bet?" You ask curiously, all your focus now on him. Just as he longed for from the very start.

He flicks a thumb towards the door, leaning closer to whisper next to your ear. "We bet when Zhongli comes back."

"Are you kidding me?" You aren't bothered at all at the close proximity, mainly because you're too tired and only care about the freedom that will come with your win.

Childe, however, is a completely different story. His heart is beating a thousand times a second, but his face doesn't show it. Not one bit.

Kaeya leans in from the seat behind you two, interested in what's going on. "Ooooh secrets."

"Shut up Kaeya." Childe and you monotonously drone in sync, still having your little staring contest.

The captain of the skating team smiles, about to ask—

"No. We don't have an extra pencil. Even if we did we wouldn't give it to you." Childe finally breaks his gaze to scare off Kaeya.

Kaeya raises a smug brow, and leans back in his chair like the jerkwad he is. "Then don't let me keep you two love birds."

That's all it takes for him to earn Childe's unwavering respect and loyalty for as long as he lives.

After the two are done creating an elaborate handshake as a mark of their newfound friendship, you decide to just forget about the handout. It's not like you're getting anything done anyways.

"Anyways, back to the bet." Childe says, resting his cheek on his fist as he stares at you dreamily. You try not to break under his gaze.

"If I win, you have to go on a date with me."

"No way in hell—"

"Then I'll bother you for the rest of highschool."

Highschool is eternity. You don't want to live through an eternity of this.

"Fine." You answer, and for the first time he sees genuine fear in your face, it makes him waver slightly. Not enough for him to pity you.

"If I win..." You trail, thinking loud and clear as you ignore the excited chatter of your classmates. "I want you to pay attention to class."

"What?" He exclaims incredulously, blinking in disbelief. "I thought you'd get me to stop talking to you altogether."

"If you're paying attention in class, you don't bother me as much and your grades go up." You grin smartly, and oh archons it livens his entire day up, and it's only nine in the morning.

"You care about my grades?" Childe bites back a smile.

"Not at all." You lie, and quickly look away. Woah the floor tile looking trippy.

He decides it's better to get on with the bet without causing you any more distress. After all, you've given him such cute facial expressions today. He's feeling quite generous.

Pulling out his cracked-as-shit latest model phone, he unlocks it and tinkers with it a bit before turning the screen towards you.

"We'll be using this to time both of our predictions at the same time. Whoever has the closer time to when he finally swings by is the winner." The rules are simply put, no room for error.

You tilt your head in confusion. "Why am I seeing a slime review?"

"SHIT!" Childe fumbles with his phone, aggressively tapping on the screen. He lowers his head and voice as if he's been through fifty consecutive hits in the face. "It's uh, Teucer's account."

"Yeah...okay." Is all you can say.

"Ok what do you bet?" He changes the topic to unfuck the situation.

Putting a finger in your chin, you think for a minute, calculating the average of all the times Mr.Zhongli has left the classroom for a considerable amount of time.

"Fifteen minutes." You're sure of it. It's like clockwork every day.

"Hmm..." Childe crosses his arms, seemingly in deep thought. "Five minutes." He places his bet, and both timers start simultaneously.

Five minutes?! Is he serious?

You laugh inwardly. This challenge is in the bag.

The sense of victory you feel dulls when your ears pick up the echo of footsteps nearing the classroom.. Both your heads snap up to the doors.

There's something scary about Childe once his competitive side comes out. "Looks like I've won." He turns to you, eyes darkening evilly.

"What? There's no way in hell a ginger is right." Your palms are clammed up, eyebrows furrowed in panic. You calculated every single variable, how could this be?

You race to the front, Childe right on your tail as the entire class clamps up. The footsteps get louder, causing even whispers to become total silence.

Then it hits you. The shitty music about getting bitches and bars playing on the other side.

The door is swung open by Childe, and you're face to face with an idiot sophomore with a speaker in his pocket.

Childe’s grin is long gone, and you sigh in relief.

The false alarm encourages the class to return back to their idle chatter.

"Scaramouche?" Childe spits, narrowing his eyes at the unamused boy. "I thought it was Signora's shift today."

By "shift" he means being a complete dickwad and scamming fake weed to students in return for their souls. It only really works on the freshmen.

The only reason the club still runs is because Signora threatened the principal with some sus pictures she snapped of him and his assistant.

"Apparently she had an emergency." Scaramouche explains, lowering the volume on his outdated beats pill. "Something about a hair appointment because she got ran into by a, and I quote "lecherous imbecile.""

You steer clear of the conversation, finding the whiteboard far more fascinating and worth your while.

A loud cough is heard from behind the kid, and you're met with a crestfallen look on your beloved teacher's face.

You go through a whiplash of emotions, becoming completely numb towards your loss.

"They were out of slow cooked bamboo shoot soup." He sighs, handing a stack of papers to Childe, who is wearing the fattest smirk on his face at his victory. "Please hand these out to your classmates Childe, and we will begin shortly."

You check down at the timer despite knowing who’s won. Five minutes and twenty five seconds. Somehow, you don't feel as dejected as you thought you'd feel.

Maybe the date will be fun. Maybe Childe isn't so bad. Maybe...you do have time to indulge in these sort of things. If he’s so hell bent on getting your attention, perhaps it’s possible that you can make some room in your heart for him.

However, all those thoughts fly out the window when Childe hands you the new worksheet.

“I hope you're ready for our date tomorrow. We'll be sparring till sundown, and after you’ll be feeding me with chopsticks." He winks, and it makes your heart flip even though all you want right now is to go to the bathroom and barf your guts out.

Feelings are complicated.

You smile back at him nauseously, tight lipped and all, then you pull out your phone, go on maps, and search for the closest cliffs to jump off of.

After he's done, Childe slouches back in his original seat with a different kind of enthusiasm, and opens up his messages. He texts Zhongli a "thank you <3".

[catcze]

Oh, Catte, my beloved... The bracelet is so beautiful. Goodness, did I cry when I took it out of the envelope. It's almost as beautiful as you are, I love it so much! I'm never ever taking this off. Oh starlight I'm so happy, you may as well have just proposed! I love you so so much, thank you💜💜💜

I'm glad Cyno is doing well for himself these days! It's not really that complex of a spell, simple transmutation really, but I'm sure he didn't want to overwhelm you. He may not talk a lot but trust me; he cares. I should write him sometime, if only so the next time an emergency arises he won't think I only remember he exists when I need his help, hehe... I'm joking of course, he's not the kind of person to care. I do still owe him a favor though. Two, now that he's gone out of his way to teach my girlfriend magic, and specifically for helping you make me this wonderful present. Send along my thanks please, but please don't mention that I said I'd write him, just in case I somehow forget to. You know me, heh..

Also I'm a little surprised to hear that name again! Collei was quite the visitor when she was here a few years ago, it's a long story, and one I doubt very much she'd want me to tell. Suffice to say she and Amber are good friends, but I'm sure she already asked you about her as soon as you mentioned Mondstadt. I'm so relieved to hear she's safe, and studying medicine no less! Tell her I'm proud of her. She'll do great things in her life.

I must admit I'm slightly bothered to hear that so many scholars accosted my poor babygirl to ask if I'd return, I'm so sorry darling. If they give you any more trouble, oh I'll come visit alright. To dispense punishment(although I'd definitely grab some food on the way as we left). Speaking of food, that's so sweet of you to offer to learn the local cuisine just for me~ you're so thoughtful, it's one of the many many things I love about you. My reputation around the school is honestly the only accomplishment you'll find though sweetheart. I wasn't really all that social there, aside from talking to the professors and scholars. I couldn't afford to procrastinate if I wanted to learn everything I could. Funny, that sounds completely unlike me, now doesn't it~ Those lectures can be tiresome at first, did they provide you with the appropriate reading materials, or are you only listening? I still have my copy of the first semester alchemy textbook--it's only about 800 pages, but they're packed to the brim with knowledge. I still reference it sometimes.

Like I mentioned though, most of my time in Sumeru was spent at the Academy or at the local restaurants. If you wanted food recommendations, those I can provide, but unfortunately I won't be of much use otherwise. Sorry cutie~

[the next page of the letter is a list of local restaurants, many with recommended dishes written next to them. There's also a fair number of heart shapes and "I love you"s doodled around the edges of the paper]

I hope you'll try at least some of those and tell me what you think. The more you talk about it honestly, the more it's beginning to grow on me. I do want to go back and visit with you, my love. I miss it, even if I don't want to admit that. It would be so much fun to sight see with you, being able to just meander aimlessly through the city, not a care in the world, and with you by my side... That sounds amazing. I'd want nothing more. Perhaps for our honeymoon~? [the last sentence of the paragraph is crossed out with a single streak of ink cutting through it]

Your photos are all amazing, darling. I just wish I had as many to send you in return, but unfortunately I don't own a camera, nor can I afford to leave the library long enough to travel to Liyue and buy one. That being said, Albedo does have one, and he already took that first photo. Darling, I'm curious, and please, *please* say no if it would bother you even slightly. If I... Perhaps wanted to take some... Pictures, just for your enjoyment~ ...would you mind if I had Albedo continue to serve as the photographer? I want my baby to be thinking of me, especially since I'm not there to pleasure you myself~💜 again, PLEASE say no if you'd have any problem with that. Or I could ask Jean if that would be better. I just want to treat my princess to some candy~

That line is going to have me up all night, I swear. I do wish I was there for you in every sense, but goodness does my heart ache for you. I miss the way you taste so much, my precious little munchkin~ you're not going to sleep at all the first night you're back in my arms, I hope you know that. I'm going to edge you so hard you'll cry for me, hehe~ I'm a little peeved you didn't take notice of my comment about punishing you! There will be ropes involved when you return to me. Just the way you always like it, cutie~ tell me, how bad do you miss me? Miss my tongue you love so much~? Don't worry baby--you'll get everything you could ever want for when you come home. I can't wait to taste you~ goodness, excuse me a moment baby... I need to scratch an itch before I finish writing this letter, hehe...~

Okay, I'm back. That was quite the itch, it just kept coming back~ that picture you sent with this letter may have helped with that... Celestia, you're so so beautiful, my rose..~ I love you so much.

Where was I... Ah yes. I'm very glad you've been eating and sleeping properly. Such a good girl you always are~💜 and don't worry; I'm taking care of myself as well. I've been becoming more adjusted to the late nights lately, since your letters often arrive around this hour(it's 11:30 right now, although up until a page ago it had been 10:15, hehe...). I don't mind it at all, since you know I love to sleep in anyway. I love reading your letters sweetheart. They truly do carry your love across the distance. I'm so happy that you're my partner. I love you so so much. I reread your letters every day, they put such a smile on my face.

Also, what's this about ideas you're having ever since I mentioned the uniform? Tell me!! Pretty please~? 💜

I'm going to call my letter to a close here, before I end up needing a bigger envelope, hehe~ I love you so much, starlight. Please take care, and I hope you're well rested when you read this. Hopefully I can put a smile on your beautiful face. I just wish I was there to see it. I love you so much, take care and write me back when you can, promise~?

Yours Always,

- Lisa 🌺💜

Milddd nsfw here muaH <33

Hi, love, I’m so happy that you like your gift! I love you very much as well— hopefully it can give you comfort on some particularly hard nights where I cannot be with you, dearest. Sort of like a reminder that although I cannot be there with you in person, you always carry a piece of my heart with you, you know?

I’ll be sure to relay your message to Cyno and Collei! They were rather surprised when they found out I was your girlfriend, haha! In a good way, of course— they’ve been great company so far.

And don’t worry about the other scholars, Lisa dear. I can handle them plenty fine. I’m sure they’ll go running if I even so much as imply that you wouldn’t be pleased with them for their behavior, my love. They wouldn’t want to mess with one of the best sorcerers to ever roam those halls, you know?

Regarding the lectures, they offered to loan me some textbooks actually, but I had to turn them down since, well, I am just an observer, and carrying so many books with me to and fro would weigh me down. Still, although I sometimes get confused while I observe, It’s such a fun and interesting experience! I can’t say I’m remembering every bit of knowledge I hear, but I’ve definitely learned at least a thing or two.

Just yesterday, there was a bit of a lull in lectures that I was attending— something about one of the scholars who had agreed to host me taking their class out to fieldwork, and I was unable to accompany them. So I took the time to check out some of the restaurants you listed for me! I went to just one of them for lunch, since I didn’t want to get too full throughout the day, and I enjoyed it very much!! I included a picture of one of the dishes you noted for me (a best seller of theirs, apparently) and I didn’t regret purchasing it at all. It was so good! In my free time, it’s one of the recipes that I hope to familiarize and bring back home to you— I think you’ll rather like it, especially since there’s no meat. Hopefully I’ll get good enough at making it that you’ll be able to savor the flavor too!

Though, I don’t mind either if you’d rather return with me next time, and we can have a dinner date here? I really like the ambiance of the place— its both romantic and private. And the view from the balcony here is absolutely magical. Or we can maybe visit a couple of the other restaurants you’ve recommended to me? I doubt that I’ll be able to try all of them this time, and being able to experience it with you would make the experience a million times better.

Also, regarding the photos you mentioned— well, I’m fine with it if you are. As long as you’re comfortable with whoever is photographing you love, then it’s perfectly alright with me. Besides, I know that we’re devoted to each other, so there’s no cause for me to be uncomfortable 💞 If you so wish to grant me such photos, I eagerly await them, love! They’re not the same as you being here, of course, but I’m sure they could help me with how much I miss you.

And ah, sending such things only makes me miss you more! Perhaps I should take a good, long rest before I come back to Mondstadt, if you plan to keep me up all night. And who says I didn’t notice your comment? Perhaps I was just teasing you by keeping quiet about it, especially if I know what’s awaiting me back home. And yes, I miss you so so much, I miss your tongue and you lips, your touch on my skin, the way you hold me and make me feel so good each and every time— Love, really, if your intention with that letter was to get me all worked up, then safe to say you’ve succeeded. My, I doubt I’m going to be getting any sleep tonight, thinking of you.

And regarding that bit about the Academy uniform… well, I might have found a local seamstress who was willing to make me a version of it, tailored to my measurements. It’s not ready quite yet, but hopefully I can send you some photographs soon 💞

By the way, love, there’s no need to have to wait up for my letters, not if you’re not getting enough sleep! I don’t mind waiting a bit for your reply as long as I know you’re sleeping on time. I worry about you as much as you worry about me, so for both your sake and mine, promise me you’ll get enough sleep? Either way, though, I’m glad you’re taking care of yourself, dearest. It makes me happy, knowing that you and the others are doing well. I love you very, very much you know? Please continue to stay safe, dearest, and know that I’m always missing you.

And, well, regarding a proper proposal, though I can’t say I haven’t thought of it before (how could I not? I can fully envision spending the rest of my life with you) I would much prefer if I were able to give you the ring and ask you in person, love. That being said, take the bracelet as a promise that I’ll return to you soon— and hopefully with a ring that I think you’ll like and a question that I plan to ask you.

All the best wishes, dearest. I love you very much 💞

—Catte 💞

[inkbun]

hello! i'm rly in love with your writing and i was wondering if you could write for fic for pharah's s/o meeting ana for the first time? tysm!

Yeaaa boiiiiii, although I’m 700% gay for Ana so I had to resist the urge to shift the prompt focus. No pronouns so gender neutral here. Enjoy! ☕️

Pharah

Words: 1,522

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Romance

“You’ll be fine.”

“She’s a sniper, Fareeha,” you said, checking the building rooftops around you. “She can kill me before I even know she’s taken aim! There’s a reason they called her Horus.”

Even so, there were uglier places to get sniped by your girlfriend’s mother. Bordeaux was a lovely city, its Gothic architecture and brick like a fairytale come to life. The air smelled like grass and fresh bread, April sunshine warming the cobbles just enough to be pleasant. 

You and Pharah had been an item for little more than a year.

You met her at a Helix fundraiser, your PR agency assigning you to write about the event for their client. It was boring—a bunch of uptight soldiers extolling their performance in an endless procession of speeches and medals. 

You left once you’d gotten your scoop, hurrying out the back door before anyone could realize there was a tray of choux puffs missing.

Ducking into a nearby cafe, you alternated between jotting a draft and eating pastries from your bag when a 5'11" goddess in Helix blue sat across from you. Her shoulders were studded with medals, eyes rimmed with kohl painted in a Horus pattern. 

Afraid you’d been busted, you held the open bag out to her.

“If you’re here for the cream puffs, I surrender,” you’d said, taking a sip of your tea. Pharah looked between you and the bag, confusion on her face.

“I’m here for you. It seems I’ve found the only other person who hates award ceremonies more than I do.” She took a few puffs, brow raised. You smiled at your new partner in crime. She was imposing and gorgeous—skin deep brown, hair jet black, no-nonsense air evident in the way she moved.  

And here she was, eating cream puffs with you. Realizing this was some sort of oddball, pseudo first date, you smiled. “I’m _______.”

She smiled mischievously, brown eyes glittering under the low cafe lights. “Fareeha.”

Now, you were on your way to meet her mother, renowned sniper and Overwatch legend, Ana Amari. You knew she and Pharah had a falling out some time ago about Ana faking her own death, but it seems they were trying to make amends. 

Ana regularly texted Pharah about her day, though your girlfriend rarely mentioned you. At first, you thought it was out of embarrassment, though you knew better now.

Fareeha didn’t trust her.  A week ago Ana sent you both a text, never explaining how she’d found your number.  

“________, Fareeha—I’m traveling to Bordeaux for a meeting with the Overwatch council. Would you care to join me for tea? You don’t have to stay long, but I’d like to meet the person my daughter loves enough to keep from me.”

The two of you decided to take her up on the offer, using some ample time off you’d accrued.

“I told you to stay out of her personnel file—it’ll only freak you out,” Pharah said, guiding you through the crowd. 

You rolled your eyes. “Meeting parents is never easy. I always get all…twitchy.”

“Don’t worry—my mother knows better than to try anything with me there,” she said, squeezing your waist. There was such determination in her voice you wondered if you’d have to play intermediary. 

“Besides, you’re not planning on breaking my heart are you,_______?”

“Never,” you said, gently kissing her cheek. 

Up ahead you spotted the bakery, saw the wealth of delicious pastry in the window and the cute tables set up outside. 

You also saw a hawk-like woman poised at one of the tables, long white braid draped over her black blazer and red shirt. She pretended to take a sip, though her amber eye snapped to you, then Pharah as you neared. 

Deciding to head off any awkward greetings, you waved and led the way. 

“You must be Ana,” you said, extending a hand. She glanced at it, then at you, shrewd smile on her face. “I’m _________. Nice to meet you.”

“Bold move, getting the ‘hello’ part out of the way. I see why you like them, Fareeha,” Ana said, shaking your hand with a firm grip.

“Mother—”

“Relax, child, I’m only joking. Now, how about you get your poor lover something to eat? They look hungry.“ 

Pharah looked at you for confirmation you’d be alright. You nodded, then asked her for a latte and a plate of macarons. She left, hair charms and leather jacket buckles jingling all the way. Once she was gone, you turned back to Ana, ready for rapid-fire inquiry. 

It never came. You winced, toying with the paper napkin and waiting for it to hit. 

“You love my daughter.” It wasn’t phrased as a question, and you didn’t have to think about the answer.

Since she’d entered your life, Pharah awakened the care and passion you often hid away for your job. Objectivity went out the window, the two of you finding joy in even the smallest things—mandatory Chinese takeout and 90s shows on her Thursdays off from sentry duty, a funny note scribbled on the fridge whiteboard. 

She was so much more than the protector persona she donned for work. 

You knew her favorite ice cream (chocolate cardamom), the thing she liked least about Helix (their new slushfund for covert ops) and what she hoped for most (a pharaoh hound and an apartment outside the city). 

“Yes, very much.”

“Well, she adores you—trusts me enough to behave, and thinks you’re strong enough to withstand her villainous mother,” Ana snorted, taking another sip of tea. 

If Pharah looked anything like Ana when she got older, you were all too lucky.

Every movement was laced with elegance—from her knowing smirk to the flick of her wrist as she straightened out the bracelets on her hand. She was even effortless while adjusting her eyepatch, shifting it so the tiny scarred portion was instantly covered up. 

“That’s an exaggeration,” you said, glancing inside at Pharah. She was at the counter, picking out what looked like at least 12 macarons and 2 croissants. Your stomach grumbled in anticipation. 

“You lied to her, let her grieve, yes. But she doesn’t see you as a villain, Ana. She just wants to know you’re back for good this time.”

For all her posturing and sly quips, Ana seemed hurt by the rift between herself and her daughter. 

Pharah sat you down and told you everything. What you couldn’t tell from her side of the story was how sincerely regretful she was. 

Sitting across from you, Ana Amari looked hollow. Without warning, she flipped the patch up so you could see the jagged scar tissue where her eye had been. It was sad, but not nearly as gruesome as you’d anticipated.

“I wanted to protect her from this,” she said quietly, watching Pharah inside the bakery. “Talon came after me something fierce, _________. She’s  my girl—there’s no way I could have come out of hiding if I thought she was in danger for a second.”

“You love your daughter,” you said, smiling softly at her.

“Very much.”

There was a bitterness in the way she polished off her drink, swallowing hard like she wished it was liquor. Against all common sense, you reached out to her, if only to assure her you understood. You gave her fingers a quick squeeze, ignoring her surprise.

“She loves you too, Ana—that much hasn’t changed. Sure, she may be a little uneasy, but she still has all your pictures on the walls, even keeps the one in your Overwatch uniform above the fireplace. Give her a little time and I promise she’ll reach out.”

“Fareeha said all that?“ 

You shook your head, watching as Pharah made her way out of the bakery back to your table. 

Turning to Ana, you winked. “She doesn’t have to. I love her, remember?”

The rest of your brunch went well, with you munching on lavender macarons and Pharah chattering about the goings on at Helix. To your delight, the Amaris kept things civil, neither venturing near the hot-button topics. 

Ana kept her eyepatch off and you chimed in with crazy client stories whenever there was a lull. All the while Ana’s gaze switched between you two, tension gone from her shoulders.

She didn’t bother hugging you when it was time to leave, but you didn’t need her to. The gratitude on her face was enough. 

Back at the hotel that night, you and Pharah lounged on the bed, French infomercials droning in the background. She watched you thoughtfully, quiet until you finally asked what was on her mind. 

“My mother likes you,” she said, brow knitted.

You shrugged. “I guess. How can you tell?" 

Pharah kissed your forehead, pulling you tighter against her as you two watched a mustached man try to sell a baguette maker. 

"Last time I brought a date, she kept her sidearm on the table.”

[afterarmageddon]

Keep your helmet, keep your life, son

Just a flesh wound, here's your rifle

Crawling up the beaches now

"Sir, I think he's bleeding out"

And some things you just can't speak about

And time

Is taking its sweet time erasing you

And you've got your demons

And darlin' they all look like me

But I knew you'd linger like a tattoo kiss

I knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs

The smell of smoke would hang around this long

'Cause I knew everything when I was young

I knew I'd curse you for the longest time

Chasin' shadows in the grocery line

I knew you'd miss me once the thrill expired

And you'd be standin' in my front porch light

And I knew you'd come back to me

Sweet tea in the summer

Cross your heart, won't tell no other

And though I can't recall your face

I still got love for you

Your braids like a pattern

Love you to the moon and to Saturn

Passed down like folk songs

The love lasts so long

And maybe we got lost in translation

Maybe I asked for too much

But maybe this thing was a masterpiece 'til you tore it all up

Running scared, I was there

I remember it all too well

And you call me up again just to break me like a promise

So casually cruel in the name of being honest

I'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here

'Cause I remember it all, all, all

Too well

Your eyes whispered, "Have we met?"

'Cross the room your silhouette

Starts to make its way to me

The playful conversation starts

Counter all your quick remarks

Like passing notes in secrecy

So this is me swallowin' my pride

Standin' in front of you sayin' I'm sorry for that night

And I go back to December all the time

It turns out freedom ain't nothin' but missin' you

Wishin' I'd realized what I had when you were mine

I'd go back to December, turn around and change my own mind

I go back to December all the time

I know someday I'm gonna meet her, it's a fever dream

The kind of radiance you only have at 17

She'll know the way, and then she'll say she got the map from me

I'll say I'm happy for her, then I'll cry myself to sleep

You, with your switching sides

And your wildfire lies and your humiliation

You have pointed out my flaws again

As if I don't already see them

I walk with my head down

Trying to block you out, 'cause I'll never impress you

I just wanna feel okay again

I bet you got pushed around

Somebody made you cold

But the cycle ends right now

'Cause you can't lead me down that road

And you don't know what you don't know

The autumn chill that wakes me up

You loved the amber skies so much

Long limbs and frozen swims

You'd always go past where our feet could touch

And I complained the whole way there

The car ride back and up the stairs

I should've asked you questions

I should've asked you how to be

Asked you to write it down for me

Should've kept every grocery store receipt

'Cause every scrap of you would be taken from me

Watched as you signed your name Marjorie

All your closets of backlogged dreams

And how you left them all to me

Also wow you’re misogynistic af

i have genuinely never been more baffled by an ask what does this mean