#smiles wistfully and looks into the distance. dragons.....

[lordichamo]

Thoughts on the dragon characters in the yakuza games (Kiryu, Ryuji, tbh you decide who counts in this im too tired to give you a list lmao)

RIPS OFF DRAGON THEMED SHIRT TO REVEAL DRAGON TATTOO. DRAGONSWEEP!!!!!! Anyway if it wasn't obvious by . the amount of times I draw him plus the askblog in general I really like Ryuji. he's funny + i love stupid men + i also love tragic sibling whatnot etc. not to mention he's also really fun for me to draw??? and write. whenever I'm doing comics or whatever.

w/regards to Kiryu- he's fun! he's interesting! he does make me mad but i honestly wouldnt have it any other way- it's part of what makes him so intriguing. like yeah all the. stupid decisions do make me mad at him but that's a good thing. characters should be flawed etc etc it adds a nice bit of flavor to him.

uhhh [checks wiki] i guess theres Shibusawa and Tendo but i don't think i really have much to say there. Sorry Ghozt

also as a bonus shoutout to the liiittle tiny dragon in Daigo's tattoo and also the 2 in Lee's. they're cute. always appreciate a dragon cameo.

[peachdues]

ANNOUNCEMENT: Parts IV and V of In the Netherwood are back in progress!

At first, there was only darkness. A sea of black, utterly devoid of any sound or feeling.

Time stretched on without end while you drifted through the endless void. But then, the faint smell of smoke tickled your nose, followed by the distinct scent of cinnamon and firewood.

Though you could not place it, the scent was familiar; the kind that you recognized deep in your bones, even where your memory otherwise failed you.

You hadn’t known whether your eyes had been open or shut as you floated amidst the black, but a faint orange light glowed dimly some indiscernible distance away. You struggled to move toward it, uncertain of how to move your limbs — or whether you had any to move at all. But the orange light grew larger the more you twisted, growing still until you slammed into creaky, wooden planks.

Not an ounce of black remained around you now; rather, you found yourself sitting upon an old, weather-worn floor before a great, crackling fireplace. One whose hearth was intricately painted with a distinct, hanging floral motif; one that you’d spent many nights tracing over with absentminded fingers.

As you sat up, you leaned back against the edge of a rocking chair you knew would be seated behind you, facing the roaring fire. Any residual alarm or uncertainty you had melted easily away as you looked around; for here, you could never be in danger.

Because this was a place where you were warm. Safe. Loved.

Home.

“How long has Grandfather been gone?” You asked, spinning a small wooden top against the cabin floor. Every time the toy threatened to spin too far out of your reach, you slammed a tiny hand over it, before dragging it back to you.

Warm hands, gentle though wrinkled with age, smoothed over your hair. “Six years, my dove.”

The hands urged you to sit back and lean against the legs of the person perched in the great rocking chair. You followed without complaint, your toy falling to its side, forgotten.

You hummed as those fingers began combing through your hair, working through its knots and tangles. “And my parents have been gone longer?”

“Yes,” the voice spoke wistfully. “Trying to help your grandfather.”

“The Netherwood,” you whispered softly, and you shuddered against the ominous chill skirting down your skin.

The fingers in your hair paused, and you frowned. You turned into the legs against which you’d been resting, peering up at the person sitting behind you.

There, you saw the familiar face of a home that was no more.

“Gram,” you murmured pressing your cheek against her knee. “How did you meet grandfather? Was it love at first sight?”

Your grandmother blinked down in surprise at you, taken aback at the girlish excitement shining in your eyes. But then her expression softened, and she smiled ever so gently as she brushed her hand over your cheek.

“It was,” she said simply, eyes swimming with warmth. “This village is not a welcoming place. It looks down upon outsiders. That was true even when I first arrived here. Outsiders were viewed as undesirable; untrustworthy.”

Gram smiled, and suddenly, she seemed miles away from the cabin in which you now sat. “Your grandfather was the first kind face I met when I arrived here.”

“When you first arrived?” You repeated, brow furrowing before your eyes widened. “You came from another village?” You gazed up at Gram in awe. “But that means — that means you traveled through the Netherwood! You made it through!”

Gram chuckled softly. “It is not an impossible feat, my flower.”

“How did you do it?” You sat up eagerly, leaning forward in your grandmother’s lap. “Were there monsters? Shadows? Nymphs?”

Your mind ran wild with images of creatures of various shapes and sizes from the many stories she’d told you about the cursed, ancient Wood. Ones of dragons and pixies. Of shifters that could take on the form of any animal you could imagine. Ones of nymphs, beautiful nymphs, with voices sweeter than any human melody.

“Hush, child,” Gram tapped the tip of your nose, motioning for you to turn back around and resume your place at her feet. “I will tell you the story of your Grandfather, but you must sit still.”

You groaned. You hated being sedentary, always eager to run, to talk, to find Kotoha and orchestrate some elaborate prank on the village’s crankier residents. But you loved your Gram’s stories more than most anything, and so you complied, rolling your shoulders as you positioned yourself at her feet, limbs held perfectly still.

Gram guided your head into her lap, and began sectioning your hair into pieces, to braid. As her old, wisened hands began weaving the strands of your hair together, she opened her mouth to speak.

But when Gram’s mouth started moving, no sound came out. All at once, the light in the cabin grew dimmer, the memory foggier, until it faded away like smoke in the wind.

And there was only darkness once more.

👀👀👀

[astharoshebarvon]

Aemond/Lucerys ABO AU

Where everyone dies except for Aemond & Luke and his uncle and half-sister’s Daemon and Rhaenyra’s youngest children, baby Aegon and Viserys

Aemond is too tired and grief ridden and does his best ensure his youngest nephews/cousins safety and becomes king regent for them.

A lot of people are happy with him on throne since no one liked Aemond’s brother and were pleased he was dead but equal amounts feared the alpha king because alphas are unpredictable(reason why there had been only two alphas on the throne till then) and Aemond was not a drunkard or easy to mould.

Some foolish councilman brought up the topic of heirs and he was found maimed, his arm gone the next day. No one dared say anything again.

Whispers were abound as people across the realm spoke in hushed voices of how their alpha king had murdered his true omega mate, Lucerys Velaryon and thus had almost brought the dragon house to extinction. That he still loved the boy he himself killed in his anger.

Two years after the war Aemond learns something, he takes Vhagar to the remote island where rumors were heard of a boy falling from the sky two years ago.

When Aemond sees his lovely mate, looking at him in confusion and the slightest bit of fear he lets tears slip from his eye for the first time ever. His tears had dried after he’d thought he had killed his omega. After that, it was just an endless cycle of death.

When Aemond brings Luke back, his youngest brothers cry tears of joy at seeing their older brother back. Luke does not remember anything, his memories only consist of the kind old couple who took care of him, taught him how to fish and kept him safe.

Aemond again has to maim another councilman who suggests there might be an heir now for the throne since Aemond’s omega is alive and well.

Luke keeps his distance from Aemond after learning about the death of his mother, father, brothers and everyone. His whole family gone except for the young ones. He feels longing and love when he looks at his alpha mate but that feeling diminishes when he recalls hearing of the death of his family.

Luke does marry Aemond since he fears Aemond might try to hurt his little brothers if he doesn’t. Aemond laugh and laughs until tears slide down his cheek when he hears Luke reassure his brothers that he’ll keep them safe no matter what. He doesn’t understand why Luke thinks he would hurt them now when he didn’t before.

Aemond and Luke remain virgin even on their wedding night. The alpha king just bites his omega’s nape before turning around and falling asleep, leaving Luke wondering if Aemond really is as horrible as the stories he’d heard. He could have taken him if he really wished but he didn’t.

Eventually Luke again falls in love with him again. He tries his best to not but his emotions get the better of him and when his heat hits him after nine moons of their marriage, he urges Aemond to take him to bed.

Aemond and Luke spend weeks in their chambers with only prince consort’s young brothers allowed entry in the rooms.

When Luke is in third moon of his pregnancy his memories return. He hits Aemond, hurls obscenities at him but in the end tearfully confesses he still loves him.

“You will never hurt my only family left! You must promise me that Aemond! My baby brothers will remain safe, you will not take their right from them like your family took from my mother.”

Aemond smiles wistfully as he caresses his beautiful boy’s cheek, “I won’t. Some may argue though you are the second son, so you and I should rule together with our children being our heirs.”

Luke laughs incredulously, “they hated a lady on the throne, they dislike an alpha on it, you think they’ll want an omega on it?” His gaze turns fierce, “I don’t care what they want. I don’t care for the iron throne. I don’t want it anywhere near me. It was my mother’s, then Jace’s. Neither of them are alive. It will be my baby brothers.”

“Then your will be carried out, my darling.” He gently brings Luke closer and brushes his forehead with his, making Luke release pleased pheromones. “Whatever your heart desires, I’ll give you, Luke.”

The alpha king, Aemond Targaryen and prince consort omega Lucerys Velaryon Targaryen welcome twin boys after six moons, both having Targaryen hair and eyes of their alpha father with the beautiful features of their omega bearer.

Aemond once again decrees Aegon III or Viserys II will inherit the throne once they come of age at 18.

He names his sons, Daelon and Rhaegal Targaryen as future heirs of Dragonstone and Driftmark.

“He was kind to us, we didn’t think, you know — he would be.” Viserys says, smiling softly at the infants, Daelon and Rhaegal. “It’s odd he named them after — ” he looks at Luke who smiles at him as he leans down and lays a soft kiss on his head, making his brother smile happily. “Our parents?”

“Yes.”

Luke ruffles Aegon’s hair who was looking at baby Rhaegal with curiosity, “Aemond did bad things,” he smiles sadly as his brothers look solemnly at him, shifting closer so they were leaning on their older brother.

Luke wrapped his arms around them, squeezing them in reassurance, “but he has the courage to admit his wrong doings. There was death on both sides. Aemond knows none of it would have happened if he hadn’t chased me across the skies.” He looks at his children and gently caresses his newborns heads, “ more importantly he loves me like I love him.” His voice is soft as he speaks again, “he won’t hurt me again.”

“My brothers find it hard to believe you let me name our children after my parents.”

Aemond hums as he drops a kiss on his head, “did you tell them the next one will be named Laenor if it’s a boy and Aemma if it’s a girl?” He glances at Luke’s flat abdomen knowing it will be a while before he shows.

Luke shakes his head, “no. but I believe that would make them just as happy.” He lifts his head to meet Aemond’s gaze, “do you regret your part in my mother and father’s death, my brothers? Your family?”

Aemond nods slowly, trying to ignore the pain that goes through him, “I do.”

Heavens, the way Luke had yelled at him when he’d learned how they had taken out his father, by trickery and cowardice. He didn’t want to hear that tone ever again. 

“I am surprised you didn’t steal his sword after he was dead and take it for yourself!” Luke yelled. He should stop, this much anger couldn’t be good for his babies but he couldn’t. His alpha father was a man of few words but he had cared a lot for all of them. Daemon loved them as much as their father Laenor did.

Aemond clenched his hand into a fist, “I did not touch your dear father’s sword. It was placed next to the skull of Balerion as a prized artifact.”

“Really? That doesn’t sound like you, alpha of mine.”

Aemond snapped. He glared at his mate, knowing he shouldn’t say the next words but he couldn’t stop. Luke was the only one who could make him feel like a hopeless fool in love in one moment and a deranged fiend in next.

“You would have loved it if I had died by his hands instead, wouldn’t you my omega!” Aemond spat, not caring how Luke flinched and backed away from him as much as the bed could allow. “You would have been happy if your mother’s beloved husband Daemon, your alpha father would have driven that sword of his through my body. Would that have satisfied you my sweet Luke if I was dead?!”

Next second Aemond cursed himself again as Luke burst into tears, his slender frame shaking as sobs wracked through his body. He tried to touch his husband but Luke hunched in on himself, clearly conveying he did not want his touch.

“How—how— could you—” Luke sobbed. “How? I never — never wished you—” He glared at his alpha husband, his eyes shining with tears, “you almost killed me, your nephew, and your omega mate! Your actions drove my mother and father to grief, my brothers to their demise! You led your whole family to death. Don’t you dare say I wanted you dead ever! You know exactly the circumstances which led to the loss of your eye.”

Aemond looked away as familiar pain washed over him as Luke said what he’d long accepted.

Luke was right, everything he’d said was true. Maybe that’s why it hurt to hear him. He was the reason rest of their family was dead. Luke was right about Daemon too. That was the only way they could ever get rid of the Rogue Prince.

If they hadn’t, Aemond was sure the alpha father of Rhaenyra’s children would have relished in ending his life. Daemon had literally burned the whole storm’s end save for one small child since he saw them as accomplice in his son’s demise. He had ended boros’ line, the child he spared was his cousin’s. boros and his daughters had been fed to Caraxes, that’s how livid he’d been.

Luke goes back to rest his head on Aemond’s chest, making the alpha come out of his thoughts, “then you will be forgiven.”

Aemond laughed bitterly, “they are all gone, Lucerys. The only one’s forgiveness I seek is yours.”

Luke feels his heart clench in pain, “It will hurt, you know that. it will always hurt.” He doesn’t say anything for a while. When he does speak again, his voice is soft and broken, “you have it. We would have never had Daelon and Rhaegal if I didn’t forgive you.”

Aemond tries to hold back tears that threaten to fall from his eye but fails. His anguish only becomes greater when Luke leans in and presses a soft kiss to his scarred cheek, his sapphire in his eye socket, his forehead. “I love you, and I’ll always stay with you, my alpha.”

[mad-raptorzzz]

[ID: A headshot drawing of a grey IceWing dragon named Hvitur from Wings of Fire. He is looking to the left of the image and smiling wistfully into the distance. He has a light grey belly with a medium grey body and darker grey fur on the top of his head down his back. There are bushy light grey eyebrows on his head above his ice blue eyes with dark grey sclera. There are two antler-like horns on his head and two spikes behind his head. His wings are visible in the bottom, with sharp serrated wing claws. The background is a light blue sky with fluffy white clouds. Two large, snow-capped mountains are in the bottom of the image. Snow is flurrying around Hvitur, some of it blurred as if being blown by a strong wind. ./End]

My favorite guardian is Hvitur. I like Asha a lot too, and Dune. But I love the mystery around Hvitur. We really don't know a lot about him besides that he was an IceWing and that he was supposed to be helping take care of the dragonets. Yet, we also know he was brave enough to stand up to Burn and her soldiers. He gave his life to try and protect the SkyWing egg. Some of my favorite AUs involve Asha and Hvitur surviving and helping raise the dragonets. I can't remember if it was true, but I think he was the youngest of them? Or I always imagine him as the youngest.

Aslo, fluffy IceWing supremacy. They have different levels of fur, like SkyWings have different levels of feathering. Also, my headcannon IceWings have different amounts of spikes. Spikier IceWings are considered more attractive. They can also be other colors, like pale blues, greens, oranges, yellows, pinks, and purples. Royal IceWings have historically been very spiky and more muted greys and blues. Outside of the first two circles has historically been more open-minded about spikes and colors.

[monsieur-kazzle-dazzle]

First kiss or ember Island for the prompts

“Momo, don’t eat that!” Katara scolded the lemur as he attempted to eat what appeared to be some sort of crab. The crab snapped at Momo as he stuck out an experimental paw, making all his fur stick up like he’d been electrocuted. Momo hissed at the crab, before flying up to land on Katara’s shoulder. “I did warn you,” she said, laughing gently as he squawked and soared off in the direction of the house, probably to go complain to Appa.

Katara took in a deep breath, taking in the salty air, and feeling the push and pull of the waves around her. A flash of light drew her attention to the training grounds, where Zuko, very shirtless, was ducking, twirling and weaving in the familiar motions of the Dancing Dragon. Not wanting to disturb him, she perched herself on the far wall, admiring his form. He had always been a powerful bender, she recalled, but after he had figured out how to communicate with the dragons, he had reached a whole new level. It had made him both an incredible warrior, and an amazing teacher. She had been zoning out, staring shamelessly as he commanded the fire that she didn’t notice him watching her. She met his eyes, blushing slightly. He raised a teasing eyebrow.

“Enjoying the view?” he called, wiggling his eyebrow suggestively. She smirked, shrugging her shoulders noncommittally, flushing slightly at the way his gaze roamed over her. His dark eyes met hers, and she could see the excitement. “C’mon, I wanna show you something.” He said, flashing her the crooked, toothy grin that she had become so fond of over the past few weeks. The one he saved just for her. She couldn’t help but return it as he slipped on his vest. He reached up to grab her hands, tugging her down from the wall. 

“Where are we going?” Katara asked as she slipped her hand into his. 

“You’ll see.” Zuko smiled, squeezing her hand. “It’s one of my favourite places on the island.” They hiked in silence for a couple minutes, before arriving at a small, seemingly untouched stretch of beach. 

“OH!” Katara gasped, looking out, taking in what had to be one of the most beautiful sunsets she’d ever seen. The sky was a perfect ombre of vivid pinks, oranges and yellows, reflecting into the waves, where the sun was just moments away from slipping below the horizon. “Zuko, it’s beautiful.” she smiled up at him. He grinned awkwardly. 

“Just like you.” he said, flushing a little bit. She chuckled, reaching up to place a hand on his cheek. 

“You’re so cute when you get all red.” She laughed, dropping her hand from his cheek to lean against his shoulder. 

“Wanna sit?” he asked, gesturing to a large driftwood trunk. She nodded, taking a seat. He wrapped his arm around her as she nestled her head into the crook of his neck. Zuko shifted slightly, rubbing her arm with his thumb. “My mother used to take me here when I was a kid. Before… you know. It was our special place. We would escape my father, Azula, and all the duties and expectations that came with being a part of the royal family for a couple of hours and just be ourselves. She taught me to swim here, and how to skip rocks. We’d make sand castles and she’d always find pretty shells or sea glass to decorate them with.” He said, gazing out across the sand wistfully.

“Thank you for sharing your special place with me.” Katara whispered, turning to face him. “I know she means a lot to you, and I can tell this place does too.” He took a deep breath, steeling himself before turning to meet her eyes fully. 

“You mean a lot to me too, Katara.” he breathed, smiling gently as he reached up to brush a stray curl out of her face. She leaned into his touch, bringing her hand up to rest on his jaw, fingers brushing over his scar. They were closer now than they’d ever been before. She tilted her chin up, leaving him time to pull away. He didn’t, and instead closed the distance between them, finally connecting their lips. After just a moment, they drew apart, gazing at each other with adoration in their eyes. They’d been dancing around this moment for ages now. Katara could feel Zuko’s hand on her lower back, pulling her closer. She smiled as their lips reconnected, this time with more urgency. She let out a low sigh as his teeth grazed her lip, and she wiggled closer and closer to him until she was practically on his lap.After a few minutes, they broke apart, resting their foreheads together. Katara laughed.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time,” Zuko smiled, stealing another kiss. “Longer than I’d care to admit. Katara laughed, reaching up to smooth his hair. 

“Me too. It really made it hard to despise you when you kept giving me those puppy dog eyes.” he chuckled. 

“What, these ones?” he asked, working hard to hide his smile. Katara grinned, kissing his pouting lips and leaning her head against his shoulder. They lapsed into comfortable silence, watching as the waves lapped at the shore, faintly reflecting the pale afterglow.

“I hope I can meet your mother someday.” Katara whispered. “And properly meet your uncle. They seem like wonderful people.”

“I know they’d love you.” He said, squeezing her shoulders and pressing a kiss on the top of her head. “Someday. Once this is all over, and I’ve apologized to my uncle, I’m going to find her. She can finally live the life she deserves. We all can.” Katara squeezed the hand resting on her arm.

“I’m really glad you found your way to us Zuko.” she said, meeting his gaze so earnestly he flushed. 

“Me too,” he whispered back, resting his head on top of hers. “Me too.”

[acelucky]

Kinship - Escaflowne Secret Santa 2023

@esca-ss @riafunnel

Below is my story for the 2023 ESCA SECRET SANTA - apologies it's a day late! I got my dates confused.

Word Count: 5,969 Pairings: Van x Hitomi (implied feelings/lovers tiffs) Allen x Eries

Summary: This short story takes place over a few days and follows the Crusade traveling to Asturia along with the first few days there. Hitomi and Van get to know one another better, whilst also having a few arguments. When Hitomi is unable to sleep she spies Allen and Eries in the Palace gardens, Van takes Hitomi to the market and the two try to find a way to bond and get closer for the sake of Escaflowne and Gaea.

Warnings - None - Writing is SFW.

⚔️🩷🐉

“Van, what was it like…” Hitomi sighed as she wistfully looked over the edge of the Crusade, gazing at the pink tinged clouds below. Never had clouds reminded her more of candy floss. She felt a little stab in her chest, the grief of knowing how far away home was along with the uncertainty of the future. She longed for it whilst being afraid to leave Gaea and what waited for her at home.

“Huh?” Van asked walking over to her.

“What was it like, growing up in Fanelia?”

Van slumped down onto the floor next to her looking thoughtful for a moment. He crossed his legs, tucking his worn brown leather boots underneath himself. “It was…well it was home.”

“And was it happy?”

He nodded, “Mostly yes, at least until Folken went missing, then everything changed.”

“How old were you?”

“I was five, so my memories of the happier days with my family are limited, especially with my father, he died when I was three.”

Hitomi went to respond but Van continued,  “Mostly I remember time spent with Balgus training, there was little time for family warmth or comfort once Folken had died. My brother had failed so I had to be the perfect version of him, no matter what, when there’s that much pressure, there’s little room for love.” “Oh…”

“It’s okay,” Van dismissed, “Not like I remember it any other way, but it’s why I am so close to Merle. She’s been there for me through it all, I could never turn my back on her. She saw me at my worst, I made a promise that I’d never abandon her.”

“I understand that” Hitomi answered looking back at the clouds. “And was your home beautiful?”

“Yes, my mother loved it there.”

“And have your people always fought dragons? What if the dragons weren’t evil, they were just trying to live their life.”

“Do you have to ask so many questions?”

Hitomi pulled her knees up to her chest, leaving Van’s question unanswered. Van huffed, clearly not used to being ignored by others, the indignance he felt was written across his face but he would not be the first one to crack.

Equally Hitomi wouldn’t be responding, if Van wanted to sit in awkward silence that was fine with her, it’s not as if she wasn’t used to this at home with her sister and parents. Sometimes silence could be comforting.

She tilted her head to the side watching the clouds go by below, a flock of birds, that reminded her of geese flew by, calling to one another as they went. She could see other birds in the distance, odd insects would fly past, some of them far larger than anything she’d seen back home in Japan.

Van watched her with interest, at first he had been annoyed at how she hadn’t responded to him but now he was fascinated by how at peace she was despite being so far from home. More than that she had a curious smile, almost like a child discovering things for the first time. Her cheeks were a little flushed, made more intense by the evening light, soft pinks and oranges which danced on her face.

So in the end, it was Van who relented, “I’m sorry I snapped.” Somehow he still managed to make it sound like he was cross even when apologising. Hitomi looked over to him and smiled, “It’s okay, I understand, I’m sorry I was asking so many questions. There’s just not much for me to do right now.”

“Do you have much to do or entertain you where you’re from.”

Hitomi had to laugh, “That depends, I’m not waited on…I’m not like you or the others. My life is very different. I study, a lot… a lot of reading, a lot of track.”

“Like tracking animals?”

Shaking her head Hitomi replied, “Running, we run around a track and try to beat our fastest scores.”

“And you do this for fun? You’re not being chased by a dragon or some enemy?”

“No, we don’t have dragons where I’m from. We listen to music though, I love music.”

“And what else?”

“I like to spend time with my friends mostly, we visited the shrine sometimes, I spend time with my brother and my parents, of course there’s my Tarot cards…” she paused for a moment, “I love my room, my parent’s house, our garden. My life is simple and far less exciting than this but it’s happy and there I am safe.” Her hand traced the gold chain which held her grandmother’s necklace, she rubbed it unconsciously a few times and held onto it tightly.

“Do you miss home?” Even as he asked the question, he knew it was a silly one, he shifted his weight and found his face screwed up a little with embarrassment.

Hitomi took a moment, “Yes.”

“Me too.”

Gaddes walked by then breaking the atmosphere, “I’d suggest getting some sleep now if I were you. We should be in Asturia in 4 hours or so I doubt they’ll be much chance for rest when we get there.”

Van nodded and stood up, “Goodnight,” he spoke without looking back at Hitomi, walking off to his quarters.

Gaddes walked over to Hitomi and reached out to help her up, “I know you don’t need to be treated like a princess,” he sighed as he helped her to her feet.

“Thank you Gaddes I appreciate it.”

“Make sure you get some sleep okay?” He asked, genuine concern not remotely concealed by his tone nor his expression.

Hitomi nodded, “I will, thank you.” She was still holding his hands at this moment and realised just how dwarfed her own hands were in in comparison to his. She let go and turned, walking away and back to her room when she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s Asturia like?”

Gaddes gave a longing sigh, how to answer that question? It was home for him, it was where family were, where the landscape that made him feel happy and alive was. The smell of the sea, the sea birds and markets. There were rolling fields of green and wildflowers. It was also home to the woman he had long since loved and hoped, knowing it was a fool’s hope, that one day they may be able to be together.

“It’s beautiful, really beautiful and peaceful in places. There’s just the right balance of sea, city and countryside for none of it to be too overwhelming or isolating.”

Hitomi hummed, “That sounds so much like my home.”

“And?” Gaddes raised an eyebrow.

Hitomi smiled in response, “Perfect.”

**********

That night Hitomi found it hard to sleep, she was equal parts excited and nervous for the next day. It would involve meeting new people once again and getting used to somewhere completely alien to her. Furthermore, there would be discussions of war and battle once more, it frightened her more than she let on.

The bed she’d been provided with was comfortable and she felt if she didn’t at least try to sleep it would be rude of her considering others had made changes to accommodate her.

Once settled she thought about what Van said, his words ringing in her ear, “Me too.”

She thought about how Gaddes’ face lit up when he talked of home. She thought about her own home and then she thought of Merle and how she had lost hers, everything made sense now with why Merle was so attached to Van, of course she would be and now Hitomi felt selfish to have not seen it before.

She turned over in bed and pulled the blankets closer, higher, wanting to disappear under the weight of it all and further into the darkness. But she caught the glimmer of the stars in the night sky and so focused on them and their brightness instead, that was a comfort to her and with the moon looking over her she finally fell asleep.

When she awoke, the Crusade had landed. The sound of the bustle of the ship that had woken her up, 5 minutes later there was a knock at the door.

“Lady Hitomi,” she recognised Gaddes’ voice, “We’re going to be heading out shortly, come meet us up on deck.”

“Be there in a minute,” she replied sleepily, wishing she’d gone to bed earlier.

“Do you need anything?”

“No,” she lied, she needed something to eat or drink at the very least.

“Okay, well I’ve left something outside.”

Hitomi got up a minute later and head to the door, opening it a jar she found a cold glass of water and a piece of bright, strange looking fruit. She smiled as she picked them up, though a part of her wished it had been Van to have brought the items, to have thought of her. Closing the door and leaning back against it she scolded herself, Van had far more important things to think about which didn’t concern her. Why was she feeling like this, what was wrong with her?

“About time,” Merle teased as she got up on deck, finding everyone else already waiting to disembark. Van seemed annoyed, restless, tense…he was the first to climb down without so much as a nod in her direction.

Hitomi just smiled in reply, there was no need to say anything, and she knew anything she did say was likely to set Van off, his temper was noticeably short.

She focused on something more positive. Gaddes had been right, Asturia was beautiful, she could smell the sea air and heard the gulls as they flew by.

***************************

Later that night…

It was no use; Hitomi could not get to sleep. The bed felt too big to her, as if it would swallow her whole, she, just a child laying in the middle of tangled sheets. She made a point of sleeping on one side of the bed so she could pretend it was small like her bed at home. Funny how she’d always dreamt of having such a large bed, what teenager didn’t? But to sleep in one felt so lonely, too vast to fill with warmth.

It wasn’t just the bed, the room she was in also felt too large, empty in many respects. The space that had been left provided so many places where people could be. She felt uneasy in the Palace, it was nothing like being on the Crusade Ship where she felt at home and where she could be herself. Here she had to act more like Millerna whom she’d met earlier that day, to pretend to be more of a princess and Hitomi was constantly worried that she could do something to cause offense or alarm.

The outfit she’d been given to wear was too pink, too frilly, to completely unlike anything she would usually wear out. That made her uncomfortable, how on earth was she to relax when she didn’t feel like herself?

Then there was the issue of Van, she’d barely seen him at all once they reached Asturia. It bothered her that there was a connection between herself, her pendant and Escaflowne, and yet Van was barely interested in hearing about it. She’d tried to speak to him when they passed one another, but Van had been whisked away and when she spoke, he simply ignored her. If there was one word to sum up Van it would be….infuriating, frustrating, stubborn…. Hitomi sighed.

It was no use after over an hour of trying to get to sleep she decided laying there would achieve nothing, all she would do was worry about the fact she couldn’t get to sleep which in turn would make it harder. Instead, she decided to practise radical acceptance and got out of bed. She wrapped a dressing gown around herself and tightened it, slipped on some house slippers to go for a walk and explore a bit of the castle whilst also trying to locate a kitchen where she might acquire a hot tea to make her feel sleepy or some warm milk. Of course, there would probably be a maid for that sort of thing, though that made her feel incredibly uncomfortable.

Opening the door slightly she poked her head round the corner to check there was no one around who might scold her for being up so late and snooping.

Once she realised the coast was clear she emerged and as she started to walk down the corridor, she marvelled at all the candles, pictures and finery. With every turn she made a mental note so she wouldn’t get lost on her way back to the room, that would be an embarrassing story that Merle would surely find out about and tease her the following day.

She continued along until she reached a staircase, a kitchen would surely be downstairs? Slowly she descended and she was correct, shortly she found a kitchen, there was no one around so she snuck inside and managed to find a glass and some milk. As she left the kitchen, ensuring everything was in its place, she saw candles lit outside. They hadn’t been before, who was out there now? She changed the direction she was walking in and head towards the velvet curtains. Looking through the window she could see nothing, she crept round the door and tried to find a way outside. Perhaps the fresh air would help her get to sleep.

She slipped out into the cool evening air where she found bees buzzing around night scented flowers and lavender, moths danced round the flames of the great lanterns. She heard voices hushed and whispered, Hitomi knew she shouldn’t head in their direction, but curiosity got the better of her. She went round another corner and alongside a tall hedgerow, there she found a topiary of a great bird of prey and another of a fish. As she got closer, she was sure it was Allen’s voice she could hear. The other she wasn’t sure of, it was a woman, but from what she could recall of Millerna, this wasn’t her.

She crept slowly across the gravel path, clutching the dressing gown tightly around her to protect herself from the cool night air.

“Please, just hear me out Princess,” she heard Allen speak.

Princess? It wasn’t Millerna, so that meant.

She peaked through a gap in the bushes and there saw Allen and Princess Eries deep in discussion, Eries had her back to Allen, visibly upset. Allen reached for her, but Eries must have sensed his movement as she tensed, her clothes no longer hanging loose and free, rather now stiff as she took a step away from him.

“How many times Allen,” she spoke softly.

“I…I know this must be confusing.”

Eries spun round, her hands brushing Allen’s away, “Confusing? That isn’t the half off it. You had a secret affair with my oldest sister whilst she was married. And that, that perhaps I can forgive considering Marlene is no longer with us, considering….” Eries paused as her expression softened, “Marlene loved you and I have no doubt your feelings towards her were true, but you had a son with her and now she’s dead, now it’s me whose affections you are after. All this time…all those years wasted when we could…” Eries paused, unable to finish the sentence. There were words here that did not need to be said.

Allen remained silent; Hitomi was frozen to the spot as she watched unable to quite process what she was seeing. What was this about Allen being a father, having an affair? He had seemed such the gentleman and so chivalrous, but he was could also be quite flirtatious, Hitomi couldn’t deny that.

“Tell me Allen, do you know what it is you want? Who is it you want? Do you love me truly, or is this just one of your games, your desperate attempt to cling to something, to make yourself appear less shallow than you really are.”

Hitomi could tell that this question hurt Allen, he looked away from Eries, though he could find nothing to rest his eyes on and focus his attention away from her and the question. What should he say? Was she right, in part yes, but he was confused after-all there were some feelings there, too many feelings if anything.

“Princess…you must know, I did not plan to fall in love again. I loved your sister truly, we were both so young. But my intentions are honest and true.”

Eries took a step back towards Allen, her hand reaching out to touch his cheek, “I love you.” A pause and then, “I am in love with you.”

“Oh Allen.”

As he stepped into the arms of Eries he looked over her shoulder and right in Hitomi’s direction, she took a deep breath and tried to remain as a statue completely still and hoped that in holding her breath and remaining firm that he wouldn’t see her. If he had, well she didn’t like to think of the consequences.

Just then she heard his owl who gave a loud hoot as he swooped above her towards Allen making her jump and clutch at her breast.

She nearly let out a scream but at that moment a large pair of arms grabbed her from behind and put a hand across her mouth to muffle the sound.

“Hitomi, it’s okay it’s me,” Gaddes spoke as he let go of her.

Hitomi turned now they were crouching on the floor beside the hedge, “Gaddes,” she whispered, “What are you doing up?” As she whispered, her gaze travelled from Gaddes to behind him, where Van stood, his expression smug, clearly pleased that he had been a part of catching her spying on others.  

“We could ask you the same question.” Van said.

Her cheeks flushed, “I couldn’t sleep, I just wanted to tire myself out and find something to drink. The doors were open, I thought a nighttime stroll in the garden would be just the thing. I wasn’t intending to spy on anyone.”

Van scoffed, “Of course you weren’t.”

Gaddes elbowed him gently, “We’ve all been there.”

“I think, I think I’ve had enough exercise and excitement for the evening and perhaps should return to my room now.”

“I think that would be best, shall I walk you both back, before you cause trouble?”

Hitomi nodded, Van didn’t but complied, he didn’t wish to make relations with the Asturian’s difficult.

Gaddes walked behind them as they quietly left the garden, he could sense the tension between the two youngsters but dare not say anything for fear of setting them off and drawing attention to them. Both held their arms in tight to their bodies, their line of vision either straight ahead or slightly to the side away from the other.

Eventually Hitomi spoke, “Could you not sleep either Van?”

“Obviously.”

“There’s no need to be like that, I’m just making conversation.”

“Well it was a silly question.”

“Fine, why couldn’t you sleep, what’s keeping you up?”

Van slowed his pace, there was genuine care in Hitomi’s voice and so he softened in response, “I think you already know, how can I sleep peacefully when there is so much weight on my shoulders, when others cannot…when.”

Before he finished speaking they reached Hitomi’s room, she felt a little perturbed that Van would now know where she was sleeping but said nothing. Van did not finish his sentence, but Hitomi knew where he was going and felt useless. What could she really do to help?

“As hard as it is, I think you’ll both feel better after a good night’s sleep.” Gaddes said, opening the door to Hitomi’s room.

She stepped inside and then turned back, she couldn’t help but ask, “Gaddes, what is it with Allen? I overheard…he has a son and...”

Van looked across to Gaddes, he wouldn’t admit it, but he was curious too.

Gaddes signed and shook his head at her, “Sshhhh,” his voice wasn’t cruel. “Forget you heard about it. Allen’s relationship with the Aston sisters is, to keep it simple…actually the opposite of that, rather complex. Best you don’t think on it or get involved with it, the rest of us know to stay out of it.”

Hitomi nodded, “Understood, goodnight Gaddes and thank you for stopping me,” she looked across at Van, “Stopping us, from embarrassing ourselves”

“Goodnight miss.” Gaddes started to walk away, giving the other two privacy.

“Goodnight Van, try to get some sleep…I know it’s hard.” Hitomi said.

Van nodded, “You too,” he turned to follow Gaddes.

This time when Hitomi got back into bed her head was racing with thoughts, she was tired now and in need of sleep to recover from the excitement and worry of the evening. She worried about Allen, she was rather fond of him and didn’t like to think of him as anything other than the perfect knight. But then no one was perfect she supposed, everyone had secrets. Perhaps Gaddes was right, try to forget about it, stay out of it… it’s what the rest of them do.

She slept soundly, a head full of pretty dreams, hopes and an unexpected appearance from Van standing on a beach waiting for her.

************

The next time she saw Van it was the following afternoon, she’d hoped she would see him at breakfast so they could get to know one another better, so their bond could strengthen especially due to her connection to Escaflowne. She wanted to be able to support him in battle and felt to be able to do this best she wanted to really know him and get through the tough shield he put up.

“Van there you are,” Hitomi ran across the Courtyard to him, her first instinct was to throw her arms around him and pull him into a tight embrace. But the expression on his face and the way Merle glared at him meant she quickly slowed her pace.

“I’ve been looking for you, we could do with…. what would we call it? Training I suppose to get to know Escaflowne better, you better…I think that’s what we need to do in order for me to be the most use during battle.”

Van raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced, “I’m not sure Escaflowne works like that.”

Hitomi was not one to be put off when her mind was set on something, “Maybe not, but do you know for certain that isn’t how it works?” She paused to judge his reaction, “And do you even truly understand Escaflowne yet?”

She knew she had overstepped the mark but was growing frustrated with feeling useless and not being listened to.

“What would you know about that? You think I don’t know Escaflowne? Know something that my blood is linked to as King of Fanelia, that I was born to pilot?” His nostrils flared as he raised his voice. “But no, you know Escaflowne better than me, I see.”

Hitomi shook her head and clutched her pendant, she closed her eyes not wanting to see the indignant little boy any longer, “That isn’t what I said.” She paused to take a breath, not wanting to make things worse, she reached out for him.

Van took a large step backwards and swatted away her hand, “Who do you think you are to give orders to me?”

Merle sat by his side, cleaning her paws. It irritated Hitomi how placid she could be during an argument.

Hitomi sighed, “Please Van, put your pride to the side. That is what a King would do.”

When she opened her eyes, he was stood with an unreadable look on his face, that developed into a smirk. Merle was frozen in place, twitching.

Vans coldness had irritated Hitomi before, but now it actively upset her. Before Van answered Hitomi turned and walked off, careful not to run, although she would have liked nothing more than to escape everyone as quickly as possible, it was important she didn’t appear too dramatic, or at least not as dramatic as Van.

She could feel all eyes on her, mutterings, people wondering if they’d had a lover’s tiff. She had to laugh at the thought, they didn’t spend nearly enough time together for it to be anything as close as that.

Hitomi thought about retreating to the garden, the courtyard, the library but in any of these places she could be interrupted, the one place where she could escape would be her bedroom she’d been assigned.

When she shut the door, she leant against it for a moment and then walked to the other side of the room wanting to get as far away from others as possible. She would not cry. She would not cry.

By the window she sat on the ledge, the curtains blowing in the gentle sea breeze. She pulled her knees up to her chest and took a deep breath, feeling the sadness spread across her body, tears building in her eyes. Hitomi blinked several times trying to disperse the signs of unhappiness, as she tried to fight these feelings she looked out across the gardens and there something caught her eye.

Millerna was sat on a bench next to a man she didn’t recognise, perhaps this was her fiancé, Dryden? She wondered how Allen felt about that, although from last night he was in love with Eries, at least that’s how it came across. But Gaddes had said his relationship with the sisters was complex…

There was nothing quite like other people’s problems or mess to help one forget their own situation. Just then she heard a knock at the door.

She ignored it for the first time, trying to make out more of what Allen and Millerna were talking about, perhaps their body language would give away more. This was far more interesting than worrying about that silly boy, Van, anyway.

Another knock, “Hitomi.”

Ah. Van.

Van was at her door. Hitomi suspected he didn’t care, just didn’t want to look bad so once again his pride was getting the better of him.

Remembering the arguments she had with her brother she replied, “Hitomi isn’t in here.”

Van cleared his throat, “Then why is she talking to me.”

“She isn’t.”

“Name one other person in this country who has an accent as funny as yours.”

Hitomi dropped her knees and swung round to get off the ledge, “Hey you take that back.”

She marched across the room and opened the door, “It worked, didn’t it?” Van asked.

“You should be training,” Hitomi replied.

Van shook his head, “No, I should be listening. A good King listens right?”

Hitomi’s expression softened, “Right.”

“And I think, as much as I don’t like to say it,” Van lowered his voice as several guards walked past. “I think you are right, we should spend some more time together, get to know each other and you need to understand Escaflowne, be a part of her, breathe with her.”

Hitomi nodded; a determined smile played on her face.

“And how do you propose we go about this?”

“Do you like markets?” Van asked.

“Yes, who doesn’t? But Millerna was going to take Merle and I later today.”

Van shook his head, “You can still go with her later, but let’s go together.” As if reading Hitomi’s mind he added, “Just you and I, no Merle for once, she’ll understand.”

“Will she?” Hitomi asked feeling incredibly doubtful of this claim and already feeling the wrath of the cat girl creep up on her.

“Please Hitomi, trust me,” Van held out his hand for hers, “I know, it’s a lot after how I’ve behaved, but give me this one chance.”

“Yes Van, I will.”

The market was busier than Van would have liked, in his mind, perhaps due to his sheltered upbringing, he’d imagined the market here to be quieter, a peaceful place for pottering up and down the stalls and somewhere where they would be able to talk undisturbed. He pictured them laughing over drinks, trying different food and perhaps buying something for Hitomi that would help her feel more at home. Something that was for her alone and wasn’t just borrowed like everything else that had been bestowed upon her thus far.

Instead, what they got was the noise, stall owners shouting over one another, horrific competition for buyers. The smells of the fish market, flowers, spices, all mingled into one assault on the senses.

But when he looked over at Hitomi and saw how happy she was as she looked at each stall and talked to the owners, picking up objects and mulling over the different objects, he found himself smiling properly for the first time in ages. She seemed to fit right in, the locals loved her and her charm.

Although they didn’t speak much whilst browsing the market, apart from to comment what they were looking at, it didn’t matter. Just spending that time alone together meant they bonded better than in any forced situation, making one another laugh naturally and finding they had things in common in terms of their taste buds.

Eventually when they settled on what to drink, some local spiced red wine, and to eat, steak and salad, they went to sit on a bench overlooking the water away from the hustle and bustle.

“What do you think of the market?”

Van took a moment to consider his answer, he was thinking he’d be the one asking questions not the other way round.

“Do you miss home a lot?”

Hitomi gulped, “Every day, I look forward to returning when I can,” as if sensing his discomfort at the idea she added, “Of course I hope it isn’t too soon, I want to be a help to you in this war. I’m not ready to leave yet, not nearly ready. Besides…there is so much I need to learn about this,” she took off her pendant and passed it to Van to study.

Hitomi stared out at the ocean, “In many ways this place, it reminds me of home.”

“Do you live near the sea?”

“Yes, I see it every day on my way to school.”

“From what I saw, it was very beautiful.”

Hitomi had forgotten that Van had seen earth, if only very briefly, the shrine was one of her favourite places to reflect and find peace, she was glad that he had seen it.

“I wish you could have seen more.”

Van placed his hand next to Hitomi’s their fingertips touching, “Maybe one day I will.”

She smiled, it was a nice dream to have, even if it was just that, a dream, a fantasy of something she knew could never be no matter how hard either of them wished for it. But the fact that Van had said it out loud, made it real, was even thinking about it made her happier than she could say.

After eating they continued to browse the market, Hitomi opting for another glass of the delicious red wine. It soothed her throat and warmed her up even though the seaside city was plenty warm, it was still a nice sensation.

It was whilst passing a store selling trinkets that Hitomi spotted a relic from home, she froze on the spot staring at the silver disc spinning in the slight breeze and pointed towards it.

Van, on following her finger asked, “Do you want it?”

Hitomi took a few steps closer and asked the vendor, a fish man, “Where did you get this?”

“Ahh a pretty little trinket isn’t it? Would you like a closer look?” He took the disc down and passed it over to Hitomi, “There you go miss.”

“But where…. where did you find it?”

The seller tapped where his nose would have been had he been human. “I have many mysteries and secrets. Someone brought this to me, asked me if I’d like to buy it, how could I resist something so beautiful?”

Hitomi smiled as she turned the disc over in her hands, yes, how could anyone resist something so beautiful? Van paid for it and the two of them returned to the palace afterwards.

“Are you okay, every time you look at that thing you grow distant, what is it about it that had you so hypnotised?”

“This is from home,” Hitomi said as she lifted the disc up, it gleamed in the sunlight showing off all the colours of the rainbow.

Van took it from Hitomi as she held it out, carefully, lest it should break, he turned it over in his hands, “What is it?”

“I don’t even know how to explain what it does Van, but it plays music.”

“How?” He wrinkled his brows, clearly unsure of what Hitomi meant.

“We, we have a device, more than one…. rather there are many similar devices which you can have and when you put this disc into it there is a button to play the music that is contained.”

Van didn’t seem any surer of the matter, his expression still curious. He passed the disc back to Hitomi for safe keeping, “But you have nothing to play this item on here?”

“Well…actually,” Hitomi had kept the disc man a secret, but the thought of sharing that treasure with Van excited her. “If you don’t be mean to me for the rest of the day then I will show you something later this afternoon.”

Van intrigued nodded, “Deal.”

With that Van purchased the CD for Hitomi, the trip to the market had been in his opinion a great success achieving exactly what he’d intended.

“So Escaflowne, I think it’s time we paid it a visit don’t you? It is possible she is feeling awfully neglected.”

“Let’s go.”

When they arrived in the great hall where Escaflowne was being kept, Hitomi couldn’t help but feel unease at the number of guards all around. They were watching Escaflowne, yes, but to what end? Was it to protect the guymelef and ensure it wasn’t stolen away, or was it because Asturia had their eyes on it instead.

The two of them stood in silence for a moment, admiring it, Van still sometimes couldn’t believe he was Escaflowne’s pilot, so whenever he stood before it he took a moment to be grateful, to stand in awe at the machine which under his fingertips and command came alive. The machine to which he was destined to pilot and with whom he had a fierce connection.

Hitomi turned to face him, “Van?”

Van moved forwards walking towards Escaflowne, aware of everyone watching him, wanting to see what came next. The problem was, even Van wasn’t sure. He was certain with Hitomi they could win, as long as they continued to bond he believed they could not fail. But the pressure of being a King, the pressure of so many eyes in the back of his head caused him to sweat and tremble a little as he reached Escaflowne.

Hitomi’s pendant started to glow as she followed and walked closer to Escaflowne, she placed a hand on the Energist and closed her eyes. There in the solitude she could hear the heartbeat, slow and steady, like it was moving underground, in hibernation and an aware slumber.

Talk to me….she thought. Escaflowne, what is it you need?

She turned to Van, “It’s okay Van, I’m here. The three of us are here together. Join me.” Van followed her lead, placing a hand on top of Escaflownce, fingers overlapping slightly so the three were joined.

“Together, we will work this out.” Hitomi said.

Van smiled, “Together, we can win.” It was the most certain Van had been of anything in a very, very long time.

a/n - I really hope you enjoyed this, it ended up being longer than originally planned and I tried to tie several things you like together. I wasn't 100% on the ending, I wrote a little more and changed it a few times but in the end this felt like the perfect place to stop.

[pansyparkinsonsworld]

WHERE THE NORTH WIND MEETS THE SEA

note: this is originally from ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46195858

CHAPTER ONE: first meet

Princess Valaena Velaryon or Lady Valaena Stark was loved by the people of King's Landing, Dragonstone, and of Winterfell. At the age of six and ten, she was sent to Winterfell for a betrothal to the new Lord of Winterfell, Lord Cregan Stark. Will the Dragon that breathes Fire love the direwolf that is winter?

"Hello, Lord Cregan Stark." Valaena bowed, in front of his Grace. "I am Lady Valaena of House Velaryon. And.. I am your betrothed." She kept her introduction as short as possible, for she did not want to scare Cregan with her advanced knowledge of the Common Tongue. She grew learning the Common Tongue, High Valyrian and Pentoshi.

Cregan bowed before Valaena, looking a bit taken aback. Many would have said that the beauty of Lady Valaena was unmatched, even the beauty of her mother would not go against Valaena's. "My…Lady? It is an honor to finally meet you, my lady. And to see the most beautiful woman in Westeros in person." Cregan blushes slightly. "We…are to be wed, my lady."

"Yes, so it seems. And address me as your Princess, not your Lady. It is impolite to call me Lady." Valaena told him off. Often times, she would use the term Lady for informal event, but for formal events, she would use Princess. This event, however, some may call it informal, she calls it formal.

Cregan looks slightly scared, flushing even more. "I-I am sorry, Princess Valaena. You are right, it is improper. I did not mean to insult you or the position of Princess of the Seven Kingdoms. I simply…I simply wanted to address you with proper terms of respect, Princess. I did not want to overstep, for a second." Cregan looks at Valaena, his gray eyes pleading. "I apologize for offending you, Valaena. Please, forgive me."

"It is alright, my love." She gave a warm smile. "Tell me.. What is Winterfell? How is it? Do you want children?"

"Winterfell is a city of stone and ice, my love. It is old and strong, a place where my people live." Cregan described, a smile on his face. Valaena could recall falling for that smile. "And yes, my love. I would love to have children with you. What is a husband and wife, without sons and daughters, after all? I would love nothing more than to be a father, and a husband to you, Princess Valaena. You are the most beautiful woman in the Seven Kingdoms."

"You flatter me so, Lord Cregan." Valaena let out a giggle. "I cannot wait to have children with you, Lord Cregan.. Will it be alright with you if I call you.. Cregan?" She asked.

Cregan smiled, Lady Valaena was not only beautiful, but kind enough as well! "'Lord Cregan' sounds so formal, my love. Just…Cregan will suffice. I am all yours, my love. We shall marry soon in the godswood at Winterfell. The North will rejoice at our union!"

"That, I am certain of." She laughed. "Come sit with me by the garden, I want to get to know you better and more, Cregan.. Come. Sit."

Cregan walks towards Valaena, looking at her with eyes filled with affection, love, and a hint, a little bit of admiration and awe. "I am yours, Princess. I follow your lead, as you say. I will sit, next to you, by the garden." Cregan sits, and looks at Valaena longingly. "My love, my heart, my future, I am yours entirely."

Valaena laughed. Two ten and six giggling in the gardens.. "What shall you name our first child, my love?" She asked, as she laid her head in his shoulder.

Cregan's smile broadened at Valaena's laughter. "For our first daughter, I was thinking 'Aemma'. A name with Targaryen power and grace. And for our first son, if he is born, I would like to name him 'Jace.' Such a sweet and good name for a good boy." Cregan looked wistfully into the distance, thinking forward into the future. "What do you think my love? Do you approve of these names for our children?"

Valaena closed her eyes, and hummed. "Hmm.. Aemma Stark, Jace Stark.. You pick excellent names, my love." She praised. "I want to name our daughter, if we had, I would pick.. Alarra, Arys, Amara, Aris, and maybe.. Crega? Short for Cregan, of course." She giggled.

"I love your names, Princess. Your children are blessed to be named by you. I will name our children as you command me, my love." Cregan giggled. " What…what do you think life will be like for us, Valaena? I cannot tell you how happy and fortunate I am, to be here with you, my future. This betrothal is truly a marriage made in heaven - the Seven are truly smiling down upon us, my love."

"I.. I do not possibly know, Cregan.. I just hope that it will be one that is full of blessings, joy and bliss." She sighed, closing her eyes. "I am happy that you are my betrothed, the man I will soon marry." She giggled. "The Old Gods and New are looking at us, my love."

Cregan nodded. "You are right, my love. I have great hopes for the future, for us, for our children, for the North and the Seven Kingdoms. The Seven have given us a great and divine gift.. And I will be forever indebted to the Seven for giving me you, my love…for giving me you." Cregan gently kissed her lips, she tasted of blackberries and strawberry pie. "I am yours, and you are mine, Valaena."

"I am yours, and you are mine, Cregan." She replied, placing her hand inside of his. She closed her eyes, and enjoyed being with him. "Cregan.. I am sorry if I may not perform my duties as wife and Lady of Winterfell, if we do get married."

Cregan held Valaena's hand, tenderly.

Princess. You do not need to apologize. Your duties as a wife and lady are not as important as just…being yourself. Just…my wife. My love. My Valaena." Cregan reassured her. " I…I am certain you will be a wonderful wife and Lady of Winterfell. What matters most to me, my love, is your happiness. To wake and look up at your face every day, to wake each day beside you. That…is enough for me. I do not expect anything from you other than the love you give me, my love. You are enough, Valaena. You are all I could ever want or need. I do not need you to perform any duties, Valaena. I just need your love."

Cregan kissed Valaena on the lips, and held her in his arms. " I am yours, Princess…and you are mine. You are all I could ever want, Valaena. I am yours, my love. And you are mine."

"You are so kind to me, Cregan." She whispered softly.. "I love you." She said, before kissing Cregan. He tasted of blood oranges, horse meat, and red sweet wine.

Cregan closed his eyes, his arms wrapped around his betrothed. "I am not kind enough, not for you, my love. I will never be able to repay you for how you make me feel." Cregan pulled her close to him, pressing their lips against one another. "I love you, Princess. My love… forever and always…"

"I love you too, Cregan." She whispered softly, and giggled as Cregan hugged her. He smelt of direwolves, and of smoke. She did not mind, it was Cregan. It was expected from the Northerners. "I love you forevermore, my love. My sun-and-stars."

"And you are my forever-star. To think that I will get to wake up to you every morning.. to see your beautiful eyes first thing in the morning.." Cregan muttered softly. "You are my sun, my moon…my stars. You are all I could ever want, Valaena. I am forever and always…yours."

[let-your-chaos-explode]

Hi. Could you please write a clarissa dovey x reader story?

Dear Anon,

Your wish is my command! This was going to be a one-shot, but then I decided I had more of a plot than originally planned and has now turned into a multi-chapter fic. However, for the sake of getting it out to you sooner, the first chapter is a very brief intro. Stay tuned!

Glissando

You stood, trunks at your feet, staring at the majestic School for Evil. The castle was just as you remembered it from your own schooling so many years ago. It stood tall against the blushing pinks and reds of the rising dawn behind it. A breathtaking sight really…one beautiful enough to paint. You decided to do exactly that once you get settled in your new rooms. 

You pulled out your golden time piece from a hidden pocket of your dress. Three minutes gone half past six. It was unlike Professor Dovey to be late. 

You turned, and from the corner of your eye you saw her running toward you from the gardens. It was a slightly comical sight. The fairy godmother hustled across the expansive lawn with her voluminous skirts held aloft and sharp stiletto heels sinking in the grass as she stumbled forward. She lurched forward as her shoe caught on the cobbled path. Quickly, you reached out to catch her and steadied her on her feet. 

“Oh!” She cried, grasping your arms tightly. “Y/N! So good to see you! And good catch!”

Dovey shoots you a blinding smile in clear appreciation. For a moment, you forget yourself and you stand there looking at her dumbly. Her eyes crinkle softly in the corners and you swiftly (awkwardly) release her from your hold, cheeks flushing a violent violet. 

“Yes, erm…it has been a while, hasn’t it?” You said, clearing your throat loudly. 

“Five years is entirely too long! When was the last time we saw each other?” Dovey asked as she hooked her arm through yours and started walking toward the castle. 

As if an afterthought, the golden-haired woman raises a glowing finger and your trunks start floating behind you as you walk. 

“It was Rapunzel’s wedding, wasn’t it? Or was it Queen Anna’s coronation?” You pondered. 

You had your reasons. Perfectly valid, justifiable, not-at-all inappropriate reasons for keeping your distance. 

“That’s right! The wedding! You played the harp.” She sighed wistfully, shaking her head leaning a bit more into your side. 

It wasn’t at all that you were without a doubt, truly, hopelessly, fucked. 

“Truly, you work some magic with your fingers.” Dovey said seriously, causing you to choke a little on your own saliva. 

Because you were in love with Clarissa Dovey, Dean of the School for Good, best Fairy Godmother in the realm, epitome of grace and beauty. 

Dovey halted her steps and turned to check on your well-being. “Are you alright, dear?”

“Yes, Professor Dovey.” You wheezed through the residual coughs. 

Her hand came to rest on your back, rubbing soothing circles as you caught your breath. Her brows pinched tightly and a small frown tugged at her perfectly painted lips. 

“Please call me Clarissa!” She protested. “We’ve known each other quite long enough! And now we get to work together.”

You shrugged casually and allowed a small smile to brighten your face. “Clarissa it is.”

You both attended the School for Good and Evil around the same time. Even then, you had admired her. She has always been a golden beacon of goodness. It was impossible not to notice her. But it wasn’t until you both chose the path of the lonely as fairy godmothers…forever helping others achieve true love and happiness, but never your own. 

The joke was on the Storian, really. You had sworn off princes. You never explicitly stated anything about princesses…or other fairy godmothers. 

The thing about fairy tales, though, was they were essentially all the same. How many times did you hear of a prince finding another prince? Or a maiden slaying a dragon to claim the hand of a princess? To your knowledge, there was yet to be a successful story with those endings. And the realm was rather…sticky about the way things needed to be done. That was why you settled for the life of a fairy godmother. Forget arranged royal marriages and babies, that was never going to be your story. 

Clarissa nodded happily and another perfect smile lit her face. She gestured to the opening doors and led you inside with a gentle hand at your lower back. 

“Well, then…shall we?” She beamed. “Welcome home, Y/N.”

Maybe, just maybe, you might find your happy ending where it all started.

[spoiler1001]

LOS Maria fic Chapter 2

The grand plan that was 500 years in the making worked with very minor hitches. Satan and Zobek had fallen, destroyed. For good. The plan only faced near failure when Alucard was possessed. Truly something he should have accounted for but the past cannot be changed. In his musings, Alucard watched humanity from the shadow he hid from. The mortals traveled with a lightness that could only come from the bliss of ignorance. It inspired envy in the safety it provided. 

The technology that humanity created, inspired by their creativity was limitless. Truly spanned as far as they could push the concept of possibility. Magic was pushed to the side, yet, or because of it life flourished by creating impossibilities. 

The Belmont duo settled in a town a far distance away from the castle and the city within. The town was built on the burned remains of a small village, once consumed by illness, then fire, and nature after that. The city was small to the one on the castle foundations but no less lively. The unnatural lights colored the night sky and hid the stars at night but light meant safety. The lively nature of humanity brought a smile to Alucard’s face. 

As is the case with every day, night soon followed. The moon shone in its full glory. 

Alucard lacked his father’s ability to travel in broad daylight, and necessity made him travel and wonder under the stars and moon. The freedom was all-consuming and worth more than any jewel he might see.

The town, given its historical and woeful history, had statues and memorials of those who helped the ill and pained. All of them were from different times in the town’s history, and the details of what they looked like became distorted. Too many bore the torches in their visages, hinting at the truth about fires. The names and the dates were written on placards next to them, but Alucard paid them no mind. He may have met them in his time of wandering the earth, but it was irrelevant. They were remembered for the fires. The moon’s light made it easier for him to see around him, and the calmness allowed him to sense if an enemy was approaching to ambush him.

Alucard found himself in front of a bronze statue, nearing two centuries old at this point. The dates carved into the statue told of a woman nearing her third decade, dying in 1800, yet the statue had her looking barely old enough to marry. There was a softness in her hair and face, and her hands folded in a prayer stance. Her build was thin, and frail, wearing a dress made of cloth, the bronze molded to be blowing in a wind that only the artist could see, and perfectly curly hair poking out of her hood. Her eyes were serenely closed. 

Alucard placed a hand over the placard, the words on it telling of a sweet person, who saw the best in everyone, staying with the ill and dying. He smiled wistfully. The sound of cooing doves caught his attention. It was rather strange to see a daylight creature singing at night. He looked towards the sound and saw a feminine figure wrapped in white cloth, with doves on either side of her. Blued steel covered her knees and shoulders, as well as the boning in a waspie, which was gold in color, matching a mental face covering, hiding her nose and mouth. Her hood was pulled over her head, her main cloth was white with black trim, and feathers etched into the cloth. She was perched on the roof overlooking the statue, too far away to see her eyes under her hood. The two figures looked at each other for a moment before she stood up and walked out of eyeshot for him. 

“There are many heroes memorialized here, and yet I find you at the feet of a saint.” The dragon, Dracula, Gabriel Belmont, said, breaking the silence. 

“I met her before the statue was built. The statue and sweet words written about her leave out her temper and how headstrong she was.” Alucard took his hand off the placard. “Her kindness could never be overstated.” 

“Then tell me what they won’t” Dracula smiled. “You’ll honor her better than that will.”

[illusionsofdreaming]

the next life;

Notes: It’s here. I did mention that I was inspired by one of my previous reblogs about existential conversations (here) except I took it and decided it’d probably do well with angst LOL

Ft: Cale

Of all possible endings, this had to be the least satisfying one. Away from all the main action, unable to watch the final blow and too damn tired to move into a more comfortable position. The cheers can be heard from where you were so at least you can be assured the war's been won. Finally. You groaned a relieved sigh, I can get some much needed sleep.

A nice warm drink would be pleasant too, you thought as you shivered, it's getting a bit chilly. You blinked at the dirt encrusted on your lashes. A bath. Yes, that would also be very nice. But most of all, you'd really wish you could gather enough strength to turn over just a bit just so you can alleviate the ache in your neck from having one side pressed to the ground for an extended period of time. 

As if the Gods heard your wishes, you heard footsteps towards your side then a pressure against your shoulder as they gently rolled you from your uncomfortable position till you faced the sky, a much more agreeable arrangement than having your face pressed to the dirt. You grimaced as you blinked from the sun shining in your eyes. You were ready to thank the stranger, grateful for the assistance. However, the words died in your mouth when you realised who it was that helped you roll over.

"Shit.." your horror escaped from you in a laugh. "I had hoped you wouldn't be the one…"

His signature red hair was caked with so much dust it almost looked brown, but though his face was covered in dirt and blood, his eyes never shone brighter. He looked like a mess. 

Cale also looked absolutely furious. 

"Idiot." his face was pinched with anger, but his movements were careful as he sat down beside you, hand running down his face in exhaustion. There was a spark in the distance, probably Raon flying off to get help.

You couldn't feel your right arm or leg, not that you had any hopes of either surviving the blast when you had, with all intentions, leapt in front to receive it. You coughed, nearly choking on your blood if not for him turning you to the side to let the fluid out. He wiped the corners of your mouth meticulously. His frown deepened.

You sighed. "That bad huh…?"

Cale didn't say anything, which ironically only confirmed your worst suspicions.

"It's… alright." You breathed slowly, lips twitching into the beginnings of a smile if not for the warning glare he gave you. His eyes were vicious. 

"I thought I told you to survive." he gritted, "That no matter what happens, if it's dangerous, you must run. Nothing's more important than surviving. What's this bullshit?"

You grimaced, accepting his anger. This was why you didn't want him to find you first. Anyone but him. The one who sacrificed so much to get everyone here, the one who told them to 'survive' at all costs. In the end, despite your strengths and skills, you were still human. One misstep, a fraction of a second too late to dodge, and it costed you. That was just how war worked.

"..there was a kid.." It was either you or him. There was barely any time to react, and you had leapt forward to push them aside before your mind could even process your body moving. You managed to dodge the enemy's blades, but it had been too late for you to move away from the demon who masqueraded as a child.

He gently moved you, shifting you so that your back rested against his chest, leaning on him. "Stop talking and conserve your energy. Jack and the dragons are coming."

You kept quiet, groaning in pain when his hand touched your side, squirming when he pressed down against the sluggishly bleeding wound. Deep down, you knew help would arrive too late. You had bled too much and for far too long. Your injury was also touched by demonic energy, even the ancient dragons would find hard it hard to dispel the twisted mana poisoning your blood. He probably knew all this too, but Cale had always been stubborn to a fault. He had always been the one to look for solutions even when things seemed impossible.

"Hmm..." you huffed and reached to grab the wrist of his hand pressed to your side, hoping he would ease up on the pressure, not at all surprised when he wouldn't budge. This bastard. 

You let out a shaky sigh, frowning but let go of his hand. ".. humour me while we wait for help then.." He 'tsked' softly, probably wanting you to stop talking and rest but also knew he had no chance in stopping whatever it was you wanted to say. You took a ragged breath, "..do you think we'll meet each other again in our next lives?"

Immediately he glanced down, a flash of sternness in his eyes. "What nonsense are you going on about-"

"Humour me Cale. It's boring to wait in silence." You could see his frown, knew he wanted to retort and expose your bluff, but he held back. For that, you were grateful. 

He took a deep breath then replied quite bluntly. "No, you're too bothersome."

You laughed, "Really?" you coughed again, blood spilling down your lips. You pretended you didn't see how his hand shook as he wiped away the stains, his grip tightening around you as your body shuddered from shock.

"Don't talk anymore." his voice was soft.

"I think I'll probably find you again.." you mused quietly. 

He scoffed in disbelief at your gall of ignoring him and the idea of it all. "How would you know it's me? I might not even look the same."

"Hmm... I think I'll just know." You looked to the skies, your vision darkening. Someone with his particular brand of charm would be hard to miss. Cale Henituse is the type of person to attract a following no matter where he went. "Ha…this life was fun.. but.. I think I'd like to enjoy a slacker one next time."

"You can enjoy a slacker life this life." he corrected you.

"Mhm...sure.." you acquiesced softly as you lost your vision. "..In my next life.. when I find you again.. no matter what form.. I think... I'll fall in love with you again."

He froze in place.

You smiled wistfully. It was all the little things, the gifts and lingering touches. The long nights spent together to keep each other company, the laughter and the jokes. It was something - never addressed properly because there was war looming ahead. It wasn't time, and you knew better than anyone that it should be the last thing you should be worrying about. But before heading out this morning, you had resolved yourself to finally talk about it after the war's over. After everything's settled. 

"… I'll live a peaceful life.. won't learn any martial arts.. and fall, madly, madly in love.." you coughed, "W-what do you think...?" 

Perhaps if you were a better person, you would've taken it to the grave, never address the what-ifs and could've beens. But upon facing the end, you wanted to be a bit selfish. I.. can do that right?

"Shutup." For the first time ever, you heard his voice waver. But you could've been mistaken. You could no longer see; you wouldn't be surprised if your hearing failed you next.

"Don't talk nonsense. You're not dying." The pressure increased against your side fractionally, but you could no longer feel the pain. 

Thunder rumbled in the sky as the wind picked up. You flexed your hand, searching and was comforted when a larger one gripped yours. ".. I'll definitely find you.. and fall in love with you again..."

"Stop talking."

You smiled, and with this last selfish act of yours, you'll also set him free. ".. don't grieve too long…you should.. live your slacker life...and I'll…" You sighed as the breath left your body and your eyes closed for rest.

…wait for you there, in the next life.

The last thing you felt was rain falling on your face.

(You'd never know that the skies had been the clearest that day with not a single rain cloud in sight.)

[paracosm-writing]

00 | "𝕤𝕒𝕨 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕚𝕟 𝕒 𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞"

𝖎𝖓 𝖛𝖆𝖎𝖓 | Reiner Braun

Link to multi-fic masterpost.

Pairing: Reiner Braun x Reader

Word Count - 1.5K

Song – Saw You In A Dream// The Japanese House

Synopsis: Reiner Braun sees a series of memories as a young boy and falls in love with the girl who stars in them. Upon discovering that this girl is you, an Eldian on an island of devils, Reiner vows to save you from the impending doom his memories foretell. But will his efforts be in vain?

TW: slight Yandere! Reiner, angst, Y/N death, toxic/abusive relationships, canon-divergent

A/N: This is so weird to put online after literally daydreaming/brainstorming this plot since last year. Feedback is welcomed and if you want to be added to a taglist just message me.

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

“I just wanna know that in the end it was all worth it.

The pain, the agony, the death.

That at the end of it all we can say;

‘It was for the best.’

Do you know…

What I mean?”

You sat in the overgrown grass, sprouting up from green to yellow at the tips. Watching the sun dip low to kiss the earth. From orange to a deep pink that illuminated the faint stars in the afternoon sky. Patiently, eyes welling with tears, waiting for an answer.

Reiner started to speak, compelled to assure you, compelled to tell you;

It was worth every bit.

But he was swept away.

Your eyes shifted, the sun rose in the sky, the breeze rustled past the both of you, and several lifetimes seemed to pass too quickly for Reiner to decipher – stopping in the midst of labor to watch seagulls drifting in the morning sky, you squinting beneath the sun’s gaze.

“I wonder what it’s like,” you murmured. “To have wings like that. They have no idea how lucky they are.”

Reiner reached for you. To tell you something so heavy his heart weighed down his chest but thought against it.

Because in this very moment, you were blissfully unaware and freer than the birds you admired so wistfully.

He envied you. Like the poor envied the rich, with malice and adoration. Love and hate, but love won over and he swept you up in his arms, placed you on his shoulders and told you to fly. Your rambunctious laughter echoed for miles.

Never had he wanted to live in someone’s laugh, falling and falling into a bed full of wildflowers.

He flipped the pages of an old, ancient book, the brittle parchment hissing with every turn. Your index finger rested on a drawing of a flower that filled a whole page, dirt and bits of flower petals embedded under your fingernails. And you protested about there not being enough flowers, and pronounced ‘red dahlia’ all wrong, and he started to tell you something.

Something that weighed on his heart but he could not remember.

Only one thought he could recall; that if he said anything, he would surrender such a precious moment.

Instead, he basked in your smile as warm as the noonday sun as you rode horses out on an open field.

He was a yard ahead of you and your warm, frustrated smile twisted his insides like the sharp end of a bayonet. The pain made him yearn for something, excitement like he had never known searing through his entire body like a hot iron.

“It’s not fair, you’re so good at everything,” you whined but you were still smiling so fondly.

No one had ever smiled at him in such a way and he wanted to – owed it to you – to say something.

Yet before he could speak you lied underneath a night sky and wondered aloud, “If I need you, will you know? Will you always come and find me?” Voice so small, as if even the slightest reprimand would make you shrivel up and disappear.

He had the urge to tell you you could scream for him in your thoughts and he would still hear you.

He would fight like hell to get to you.

And he needed to tell you something.

But your eyes were on his for the last time. Glassy and afraid. Staring up at him as you breathed your last breath, cradled in his arms, the last pleas for your life on your lips. Blood soaked his clothes. Marred your face.

He had not come to get you, and it hadn’t been worth It in the end.

“Protect her,” someone screamed a strangled cry in the distance. “You just had to protect her-“

“I will protect her!” He shouted back, rage and grief pulsing through him. Lifting him up from his surroundings until all he could see was red. The color of your blood. Your tears. In the blood that seeped from his hand as he bit down hard--

And he awoke with a sob, sitting upright so quickly his head spun and black splotches filled his vision. His heart raced in his chest, and his breath ran from him. As if to find where you might lay, hollow and unmoving, and fill you up again.

He desperately tried to untangle himself from his covers, trying to get to you. To protect you so your eyes would always be alive with wonder and your smile would always be warm.

Reiner managed to get free and stumble on to the cold, wooden floor, heart galloping so loudly with fear that he heard it in his ears.

His mother, Karina, found him. Crawling in vain, tears streaming down his face, muttering to himself about a girl he’d saw in a dream.

“There, there, Reiner,” she had cooed, taking her son in her arms. “It was just a bad dream.”

“But-but,” Reiner managed, your dead, lifeless eyes engraved in his mind. “It was, like, I saw her. In a memory.”

Still, Karina ruffled his hair, holding him close. “When you become a warrior, you’ll never have to worry about someone getting hurt ever again. Your father will come back to us, and we’ll finally be a family. And no one will want to hurt us because they will finally understand we are good Eldian people,

You must protect us, Reiner.

From those island devils.

It’ll all be worth it in the end, you’ll see.”

When Reiner enrolled in the Warrior program, he thought of that dream. The one he’d had the night before enrollment and he imagined he was coming to you, the strange girl in the dream, to tell you he was a warrior.

Would that keep you smiling that warm smile that reached your eyes as if your whole body was alight? A smile not even his mother could muster from bearing the weight of his ancestors’ sins?

Would it keep you alive?

Then he felt embarrassed, ashamed even, that he was considering a silly dream.

And ran into the depths of his future.

➳

Meanwhile, across the sea, in a meadow field in Shigashina, you watched your mother close the storybook in her hands as she finished her last sentence.

“Thus, the knight defeated the dragon, rescued the princess, and they lived happily ever after. What a nice fairytale, isn’t it, y/n?”

Usually, you liked hearing your mother read her fairytales but that morning you couldn’t ignore the dark circles under your mother’s eyes and the bruise she hid with the sweep of her hair. With every passing day since your mother had remarried – no, even further than that, since your father had gone on a scouting expedition and never came back, you were reminded more and more that fairytales were not real.

You considered the titans outside the walls, waiting to devour humanity, and your mother waiting for your stepfather to change and wished aloud, “I wish I was a knight and then I could rescue us and we’d live happily ever after.”

Your mother had gasped, stricken-faced and speechless.

Before snatching your hands into hers and holding you steady. “Y/N L/N, you take that back right now. There is nothing wrong with the way we live. We could be in an even worse position without your father, you hear me?”

You started to protest, but she didn’t give you a moment to speak.

“Would you rather us live in the Underground? With no one to protect us? Because that’s what would have happened if he hadn’t shown us kindness. Are you really that ungrateful?”

She clutched your hands so harshly that you were brought to tears, before guiltily loosening her grip and pulling you into her arms. Her sobs reverberated against the small of your back as she buried her face into your eight-year-old frame.

“It’ll all work out in the end, baby,” she whispered as if she were convincing herself. “I promise.”

Laying in bed that night, you selfishly dreamed that there was a knight coming to save you. To tear down the infrastructure of your small little house in Shigashina. He’d run a sword through your enemies. He’d shield you from the titans. He’d reach for your hand, pull you out of the cold rubble of your home and he would take you away.

Somewhere far where no titans roamed the land and you ran free beneath the pretty birds that soared the blue skies.

But then the dream turned into a nightmare, the knight into a monster, who scooped you up in his large hand and swallowed you whole.

You woke up with a start as you were falling into the abyss but did not cry.

Instead, you looked out your window, waiting for the sun to rise high and kiss the sky. And you decided even if your knight was a titan, it would still be worth it all if you could get free.

[ahtsumu]

hc/scenario with akaashi, oikawa, & atsumu slow dancing to the beat of your hearts, in the quiet stillness of the night. ❤

slow dancing hcs with akaashi, oikawa, and atsumu

genre(s): tooth-rotting fluff

warning(s): nope!

a/n: i hope this is what you were picturing in your mind !! thanks for the request :)

[ akaashi ]

it’s almost midnight when you and akaashi finally step out of the local cinema hand-in-hand, the rom-com you just watched still fresh in your minds

it’s been raining all day and the puddles in the road look more like mirrors reflecting the glow of the streetlamps lining the sidewalk

the two of you live in an apartment just 10 minutes away so you decide to enjoy the beauty of the city at night and the cool evening air by walking home

you’re chattering on about how romantic the male lead in the movie was

and although akaashi’s listening and nodding to everything you say, on the inside he’s like… wait but that guy literally slayed a mf dragon for her?? is that the new standard ????!!

akaashi isn’t very loud with affection in public–– he’s always been the kind of boyfriend who keeps things subtle and prefers to simp out in private–– and because he’s aware of that, now he’s wondering if this is your attempt to tell him to be more open with pda

tbh you don’t really mind since he’s so affectionate when you’re alone but at the end of the day you’re still a sucker for grand romantic gestures and nothing can change that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

anyway it’s been a good 10 minutes that you’ve gushed about this fictional man now, and he’s had e n o u g h

he’s not mad, just kinda jealous irritated

something in him is like “I CAN BE ROMANTIC TOO !!!!! >>:((” but since he’s mr. cool calm and collected, he starts scheming and he actually comes up with a pretty solid plan

ngl he stole it from another rom-com you made him watch LMAO

akaashi starts humming the song from the end credits of the movie you just watched and lifts his arm up, suddenly twirling you under it

which shuts you right up because you’re STUNNED that he’s doing something so sweet like this

and when he sees your entire face light up by this one tiny gesture, he’s like wait why have i never done this before

so, still humming the same tune under his breath, akaashi closes the distance between you, placing his free hand on your upper back

he leads the dance, stepping forward and sideways then backwards again, staring into your eyes with the utmost adoration

you get so lost in your own little world that neither of you realise when the humming has stopped and the two of you are just dancing around pools of silver underneath the streetlamps at midnight to the sound of a city at rest and the gentle drumming of your hearts

[ oikawa ]

a knock at the door at 2 am was the last thing you’d expected that night, placing right behind a follow-back from guy fieri on twitter and the live-action avatar movie being wiped from humanity’s collective memory

thankfully, it’s not an axe-murderer waiting outside your door. through your security panel screen you see your boyfriend standing in the dimly lit hallway with his suitcase beside him, home one day earlier than the day he originally told you

without hesitation, you fling the door open with the widest smile your face can sustain, briefly forgetting how tired you are

“tooru!!”

“hi,” is all he breathes out before he encases your body in a bone-crushing hug

when his arms finally loosen around you, he explains that he came straight to you from the airport instead of stopping at his own place because he couldn’t stand the thought of being without you for another day

and when you tease him for being clingy (he knows you love it though) he huffs and says, “i spent one whole week without you–– you can deal with one night with me” AS IF THAT’S A BURDEN LMAO HE KNOWS IT ISN’T

after you let him into your apartment he rolls his suitcase off to the side before plopping down on the sofa with a groan

“c’mere, babe,” he murmurs, stretching his arms out in your direction

you try to pull him off the sofa and make him shower so that the two of you can go tf to bed–– you can tell he’s tired by the bags under his eyes 

but once he’s upright, he snakes his arms around you and pulls you into his chest, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck

“but i missed you so much :( i don’t wanna go to sleep just yet”

“then what do you have in mind bc it’s 2 am tooru i’m not going to make couples’ tiktoks with you like last time”

but his original train of thought vanishes and all of a sudden he’s Vulnerable Oikawa™ because it’s Sad Boi Hours

“i miss you every time we have to leave to play a game”

“i know”

“and even when we’re in the same country i miss you”

“…”

“i’d miss you a lot less if you moved in with me”

you are s p e e c h l e s s

moving in together is something that you guys have always discussed but no one’s ever said it with so much conviction

obviously you want to say yes IMMEDIATELY but also you wanna make him sweat a bit

so you say, “hmmm i don’t see the appeal” with a cheeky cheeky grin

“for starters,” he says with a chuckle, interlacing one hand with yours and pressing the other against the small of your back, “we’d be able to slow dance all night”

just fyi you melt

time flies right by as you two spin in circles slowly around your living room, the only light in the apartment coming from silvery moonlight pouring through the windows, the last sounds heard throughout the apartment being a gentle “yes”, a relieved chuckle, and then a kiss

[ atsumu ]

“sorry i ruined prom for ya”

you remain silent atop the hood of his car with your out-of-focus gaze on the city below, legs swinging back and forth lightly

“y/n?” atsumu leans forward, resting one arm on the opened car door and the other on the roof. “ya there?”

finally, with an uneven voice, you say, “it wasn’t your fault”

atsumu sighs and, although his ego is like don’t you dare do it don’t–– he reluctantly says, “i shouldn’t have shoved him into the punch fountain”

at that, you look over your shoulder, meeting his gaze for the first time since the two of you were thrown out of the neon-lit, streamer-littered gymnasium in a spectacularly mortifying manner

“it wasn’t your fault,” you say again, but this time you actually mean it because you aren’t sad that your prom experience has been ruined by your best friend shoving your prom date into the punch fountain… you’re sad that you even agreed to go with said prom date in the first place

because then, you think wistfully, fighting the urge to look backwards, maybe–– just maybe–– you could’ve gone with someone else

suddenly you hear atsumu rummaging around in his car and seconds later, the faint sound of a guitar strumming pulses gently through the speakers

as he steps out from the driver’s seat, he cups his hands to his mouth and announces in his best impression of your PE teacher and prom chaperone for the night, “ATTENTION STUDENTS! this is the last slow song of the night so don’t miss yer last chance to dance with that special someone”

and then he’s standing just inches away from you with his hand stretched out between you, brown eyes peering hopefully into yours

“well... ya heard the guy”

and you’re like “what?” special someone?

“stop bein’ a blockhead and do me the honour of lettin’ me have this dance,” atsumu teases with a smile on his face but on the inside he’s like omg... am i rlly being rejected rn

your heart is about to COMBUST but you somehow keep it together and slide your hand into his with a completely lovesick grin

he pulls you off the hood of his car, tenderly cradling your head against his chest in one hand and wrapping the other one around your waist

the two of you stay with your bodies intertwined, gently swaying against the backdrop of the city below with your head tucked into his neck, even after the song fades into nothing, even after the nighttime breeze raises goosebumps on your skin, even after the only sound that can be heard in the clearing of the hill is your two heartbeats syncing into one

[inkweaver22-blr]

Welcome to lucky chapter 13!

A few announcements before we begin!

First, we got fan art! Shout out to @ooflifeshard for their art of the Jin/Yin/Tang fusion!

Second, I post extra thoughts on my writing process and the chapter in general on my Tumblr! Look up the tag Fanfiction Live Blogging to read them!

Now let’s get on with the story!

AO3 Link

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Scattered Cicadas - Chapter Thirteen: Aspects of Arachnids

The Spider Clan is made up of some interesting people. That includes MK this time.

----------

“So what did you want to talk about Mr. Tang?”

They were taking a walk through a secluded park. Tang had asked to speak with the young man privately once he had woken in this cycle to address a recent memory he had received.

“I wanted to apologize to you, MK,” Tang said. MK tilted his head in confusion.

“What for?”

“For the way I treated you last week.”

MK tensed.

“I- I don’t know what you mean,” he said.

“MK.” Tang turned and placed his hands on MK’s shoulders, looking him in the eye. “It’s okay. I know.”

“Know what?” MK was trembling now. He avoided Tang’s gaze, wide eyes darting around as if to look for a place to hide.

Tang gave him a reassuring squeeze and kind smile.

“I know you are the spider demon we saw.”

Last week had been before Tang had woken in the cycle. They had all rushed over to where MK had been fighting a demon alone only to find a spider demon they had never seen before wearing MK’s jacket and bandana while holding the Monkey King’s staff.

The group had, predictably, reacted with hostility. They threatened the demon and attacked him. They hadn’t been able to actually harm him before he got away, and MK had shown up perfectly fine the next day.

Physically at least.

When Tang had gone over the memories earlier this morning, it was obvious to him who the demon actually was. It certainly wasn’t the first time MK was something other than human.

He was also able to see the signs of emotional distress MK was showing over the past week. It was clear that their reaction to his true form was devastating to him.

Tang intended to fix that.

“I didn’t figure it out until this morning,” Tang said when it was clear MK had frozen in fear and wasn’t going to say anything. He pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry I didn’t see it right away. You are very important to me and I am ashamed to have made you feel like you were unwanted.”

“You- You don’t mind?” MK clung tightly to the scholar, as if afraid he’d vanish at any moment.

“Of course I don’t. What you are or what you look like isn’t important to me. What matters is who you are and I happen to care about the person you are quite a lot.”

Tang held the young man as he trembled in his embrace. He pulled away after a few minutes, wiping his eyes and giving Tang a watery smile.

“Thank you, Tang.”

“Any time, MK.”

“Do the others know?”

“I haven’t told them anything,” Tang said as they continued their walk. “This is your secret and you should be the one to reveal it when you’re ready.”

“But what if they react like last time?” MK kicked a rock out of his path and seemed to fold into himself. “What if they don’t want to be friends with something like me?”

“First off, that would be pretty hypocritical of them considering both Pigsy and Sandy are technically demons as well and Mei is descended from a dragon. That actually makes me the odd one out in our group as the only human.”

“Huh. Didn’t think of that,” MK said.

“Second, I know they all care about you, MK. I sincerely doubt they wouldn’t be able to look past appearances and see the person we all love.”

“Love?” MK stared wide eyed at Tang.

“I like to think of us as a family,” Tang said. “Even if we aren’t the typical kind, families love each other, and you are a part of that.”

“Family…” MK smiled sadly into the distance. “It would be nice to have more family.”

“There is no ‘would be’ about it.” Tang slung his arm around MK’s shoulders. “We are family and you’re stuck with us no matter what.”

MK gave him a wide grin, leaning into the sideways hug as they continued on their path.

“Aren’t you curious by what I meant by ‘more family’?”

“Of course I am,” Tang said. “But it’s not my place to pry. If you want to talk about that then I’d be more than willing to listen.”

“Oh, well okay,” MK said, perking up a bit. He began to enthusiastically speak about his other family, but never giving any names.

Tang was able to piece together who he was talking about rather easily.

The Spider Queen was his mother. It wasn’t much of a surprise for Tang as she had filled that role for MK in the past, but never quite so literally. From what MK was saying, she seemed to still be that lovingly supportive yet protective type that he had encountered in previous cycles.

The fact that she was a much more active villain in this cycle that MK constantly fought was not addressed.

Huntsman was ‘Uncle H’. He seemed to be the type of person that gave small children lessons on knife wielding just so they could protect themselves. MK had learned all his combat skills in his spider form from him.

Huntsman was certainly a focused and skilled combatant, but, as his many friendships with Sandy across time showed, he also knew how to enjoy the quieter moments in life.

That left Goliath as ‘Uncle G’. The large spider may seem like just a brute who relied on his strength, but Tang had witnessed his soft side a few times. MK spoke fondly of the lullabies Goliath had sang when he was still little as well as his delicious cooking.

Tang wondered how it compared to Pigsy’s creations and mused on how he could try and get a cook off set up.

MK did not speak of Syntax. That made sense as it was still somewhat early in the cycle and the scientist hadn’t really joined up with the spiders until after Demon Bull King’s second invasion.

Tang did his best to recall what he knew about the man. They had been friends and colleagues once in a cycle where they had been professors at the city university.

Syntax could be a bit standoffish to those he didn’t know. Once he warmed up to you though, he loved to go on long tangents about chemistry, biology, and computer engineering. He could also be surprisingly thoughtful, having dropped by several times with an extra cup of coffee on those late nights Tang had been stuck in his office grading papers.

Tang never knew why he started working for the Spider Queen. The scientist had always been a bit ambitious, so he supposed working on something as unique as a serum using bits of the Monkey King’s power was more than enough to sway him.

It was a shame the serum was then used against him and he seemed to lose all memories of his human life.

Tang forced himself back into the present as MK finished up an anecdote about Huntsman and Goliath nearly panicking after MK had fallen asleep in his hiding spot during a game of hide and seek.

“They all sound wonderful,” Tang said once MK had finished.

“Yeah, they are.” MK sighed wistfully. “I haven’t spoken to them in a while though.”

“Why not?”

“It’s… Complicated.”

Tang could certainly understand that considering how they fought each other on a nearly weekly basis.

“Well whatever the reason, it sounds like they care about you just as much as we do,” Tang said. “I’m sure they’d be more than happy to welcome you back into their lives.”

“I know that,” MK said with a huff. “I’m just not sure they'd approve of me being the Monkey King’s successor.”

“I see.”

Tang did see. He had been a part of demon families before and knew how leaving one’s blood to side with an enemy could tear relationships apart. He hoped that wouldn’t happen here with MK.

“In any case, I just hope you know that you have people that care about you and if you ever need help to just ask, okay?”

“Yeah, I know. Thanks Tang.” MK gave him another smile before frowning in thought. “I’m still not sure if I want to tell the others though.”

“That’s perfectly fine,” Tang said. “If you aren’t ready then you aren’t ready. I won’t say anything to anyone before you do.”

“Really?”

“I promise.”

The rest of the walk was spent discussing lighter subjects such as the latest Monkey Cop movie and which types of noodles were superior.

Tang decided to not bring up his curse this cycle. He knew he could get around the memory seal by simply stating he had a curse but not exactly its effects, but MK already had quite a lot to deal with this time. He didn’t want to add on to that stress with something that couldn’t be fixed.

He hoped that the Spider Clan would come to accept MK as he was, successor to the Monkey King and all. Not just for his sake either, as Tang could already feel four spots slowly opening up in his heart where he kept his love for his family.

It would be hard to bring them into the fold. Much harder than Macaque, the twins, or even the Demon Bull Family.

But Tang was patient.

He would use this cycle to get to know the spiders better. They were already MK’s family this time around.

Perhaps, in time, they could become his as well.

----------

Things went to Hell rather quickly.

New Years went the same as usual, but this time with the added horror of a mutated Macaque.

The shadow demon had been willingly experimented on by Syntax after he had failed to steal the Monkey King’s powers from MK. He now sported an extra set of arms and eyes, had lavender fur, and was in constant pain from the modifications. Wukong had offered him sanctuary, and Macaque had accepted.

MK hadn’t taken it well when he learned that it was his mother who had convinced Macaque to go through with the procedure.

Now something even worse was happening. This was a cycle that not only changed MK’s background, but someone else’s as well.

Lady Bone Demon was much more impulsive this cycle.

She had attacked them all directly this time, before even gathering up the artifacts she needed. They had all been overwhelmed pretty quickly and everyone except MK had been captured. She had then given him an ultimatum.

Give her the Monkey King’s power, or MK’s family would perish.

Lady Bone Demon then ‘graciously’ gave MK twenty four hours to think about it before teleporting away with her captives.

“Hey, where are you taking him?!”

Tang glanced up as he realized that he hadn’t been placed in the same cell as his family. Pigsy and Mei glared at the skeleton guards while Sandy tended to the unconscious Wukong and Macaque.

“Boss only wants five to a cell,” guard one said.

“Hope your friend here isn’t afraid of spiders,” guard two mocked.

Tang blinked at that as the others began to protest loudly. The guards simply laughed and led him away.

Well, he had wanted to get to know the Spider Clan better this cycle, hadn’t he?

After being marched down many winding corridors, Tang was thrown unceremoniously into a different cell.

Tang picked himself up and was confronted with the scowling faces of the Spider Queen and her entourage. They had certainly looked like they had seen better days.

After demanding why he was there, they had dismissed him and went back to trying to come up with a way to escape.

They had mused about eating him for a bit, Huntsman even going as far as to restrain him and brandishing a knife, before Tang had been forced to break his promise to MK. They were skeptical at first, but once Tang began telling the stories he had heard from MK, they believed him.

Spider Queen was emotionally distraught at the thought of harming her baby, but became more resolved than ever to beat Lady Bone Demon once she realized they were being used as hostages against her son.

Huntsman had been a bit more accepting, bragging about how the only reason MK had beaten them so often was from all the training he had given him. Goliath had just asked if he was eating well.

Syntax had been standing off to the side looking uncomfortable before Tang assured him that MK would be more than happy to get to know him.

The Spider Clan had invited Tang into their scheming quickly afterwards. None of their plans were very feasible, but Tang felt his connection to the four grow stronger.

Strange were the bonds you could make when in prison.

Before they could act on any of their plans, the twenty four hours were up and they were whisked away by the magic of their captor.

Tang opened his eyes to find the ten of them suspended in the air by blue ropes as Lady Bone floated in front of them. On the ground was a horrified looking MK.

“Now it is time you choose,” she said. She reached out and grabbed Tang and Spider Queen by their arms, pulling them forwards. “Your powers? Or your family?”

“Don’t listen to her, baby,” Spider Queen called out. “We’ll be fine! Just get out of here!”

“M-mom?!” MK’s mouth had dropped at being recognized.

“Sorry, MK. I broke my promise,” Tang said. “To be fair, your family was planning on eating me before I told them.”

“We said we were sorry about that-”

“ENOUGH!” Lady Bone Demon’s bellow shook the ground. “What is your decision?!”

“I- I can’t-” MK was trembling as he gripped his staff tightly.

“Wrong answer.”

Tang and Spider Queen screamed as they each had one of their arms shattered in her grip. Lady Bone Demon tossed them behind her, the blue ropes re-materializing to bind them as she summoned a large scythe.

“One last chance.” She pulled back the weapon, preparing to strike. “Give me the Monkey King’s power!”

MK roared in rage and seemed to explode into gold, purple, and green light.

Tang gasped in pain as he tried to stay awake. He stared in shock as the light expanded and formed into a giant figure.

Tang had seen the giant form that Wukong would occasionally become to take on much more powerful opponents. Macaque had access to this power as well and so would MK sometimes. It had no official name, but a scroll he had read many cycles ago had described it in a way that Tang couldn’t help but agree with.

Aspects of Destruction.

It resembled MK’s spider form, but with his human half looking more like a monkey’s instead. He had four arms now and each one held a copy of the Monkey King’s staff. The twelve eyes glowed with a burning green malice as they glared at Lady Bone Demon.

Faster than he could blink, Tang watched as MK swung one of his staffs and batted the white demon away from them. MK roared and leapt after her.

The pain from having his bones crushed soon became too much and Tang passed out.

----------

Tang woke up on Sandy’s airship.

He learned it was a few days later. MK hadn’t been able to defeat Lady Bone Demon, but had managed to buy them all the time to escape. They had also managed to pick up Red Son somewhere along the way.

Now, all twelve of them were out of the city looking for a way to defeat her.

The Spider Clan had seemed to integrate easily into their group over the next few weeks.

Spider Queen had already gotten to know Macaque over the course of the experiments, but once Wukong decided to go through the same procedure and gained two extra pairs of arms, she seemed to start flirting with the both of them.

Neither monkey seemed bothered by this and flirted right back.

Huntsman had decided Mei needed proper weapons training with her sword and whenever he wasn’t giving her pointers was drinking tea with Sandy.

Goliath shared cooking duty with Pigsy. The pair gave each other tips and techniques and their meals only became tastier from the collaboration.

Syntax had seemed a bit lost at first, but after completing one of the internet memes MK had quoted, became fast friends with him. He even got to have stimulating scientific discussions with Red Son.

Tang sighed in contentment at dinner one evening as he listened to the conversations around him.

He had never thought he would have longed for a large family, but this just felt right to him.

Tang hoped he would get to experience it more often in future cycles.

----------

The Spider Clan joins the ranks!

I think that leaves only two characters left out of Tang’s family. Considering who they are, I doubt that will happen any time soon.

This chapter takes place in @strange-lace's amazing Spider Monkie AU! It has some great angst and fluff as well as absolutely lovely spider-monkey designs for Macaque and Wukong! Go check it out!

Now technically this AU doesn't have a kaiju form for MK, but I wanted to introduce the concept to the story and it didn't fit anywhere in the coming chapters.

There’s going to be some plot in the next chapter so look forward to it! Until next time!

[rhetoricalrogue]

Jogging the Memory

Fiction Type: Fanfiction Fandom: Dragon Age Prompt: "I need you."

Diving into @fictober-event by putting a spin on some old reliable characters and putting them into the AU @alittlestarling and I have been throwing ideas back and forth to the other for forever.

“I need you to –”

Ravena met Blackwall’s earnest plea with an arched eyebrow. “To keep quiet that I know you from a few years ago?” She tilted her head. “Under a different name than the one you’re using now?”

“You don’t understand, it’s…” he sighed. “That old name is dead now, as is the past that went with it.”

She shrugged and went back to packing her bag. Before he had knocked on the door of the cottage she was sharing with her cousins, Ravena had been preparing to go out into the field and accompany the Herald into the Hinterlands to hopefully acquire horses for the Inquisition. Personal curiosity in the astrariums littering the landscape Roz had mentioned had been the main reason she had requested the to join the outgoing party, but she sincerely hoped that unlocking their secrets would lead to something that would benefit the Inquisition, fledgling organization as it was.

Oh Henri, she thought wistfully, a pang of grief sharp at her chest. If only you were here to see this with me.

“Some pasts we can’t run from, Rainier,” she told him, not looking up as she carefully put a well-worn notebook in with her belongings. She may not have her mentor here with her any longer, but she could still find comfort in the knowledge that his personal effects had been safely stowed away in the inn that he had been staying at before heading to the Conclave. She may never find a body to mourn amid the ashes of the temple she and her dear cousin had once helped restore, but at least she had his familiar book of notes to keep his memory alive. “Especially pasts like yours.”

“My name is Blackwall,” he hissed, tone suddenly sharp, dangerous. Ravena started when his hand shot out and gripped her wrist, her mind flashing to the dagger she kept inside her right boot. It was a gift from her other cousin Rolfe, one that had come with countless lessons on self-defense and how to properly use it. The crushing pressure of the fingers that ground around the slim bones of her wrist was a dangerously silent reminder that those very same fingers could easily wrap around her throat and made her sincerely think that she might have use for all those lessons Rolfe had taken pains to teach her. “And it would benefit us both if you would remember to use it.”

Not breaking eye contact, Ravena wrenched her wrist out of his grasp, eyes narrowing and mouth twisting into a frown. “Is that a threat?”

“That is entirely up to you, my lady.”

Weighing pros and cons had always been one of her stronger suits. It had been years since she had last seen Thom Rainier and the man she had encountered in the woods defending people from bandits was different than the man she had spent a night of passion with while in Orlais supporting her findings from a dig she and Henri had just gotten back from. At the time, she had thought Thom Rainier a handsome, if not arrogant man and the fact that he had thought she was similarly attractive and was willing to partake in a bit of mindless fun that didn’t have any strings attached. They’d spent a mutually pleasant evening together and he was gone before she woke up the next morning. To his credit, he hadn’t robbed her any of her belongings while she had been asleep.

It may be her ego talking, but she would have liked to have made enough of an impression on him that he would have actually remembered her name the next time he saw her. The only thing that soothed that initial sting was the fact that he had recognized her, even if he didn’t remember exactly where he knew her face from.

She licked her suddenly dry lips. The man defending the defenseless and teaching them to fight back was also worlds different than the rumors of murder and betrayal that had circulated after his seemingly mysterious disappearance from Orlais. “Mutually beneficial relationships seem to be a thing for us,” she said, tone careful. Almost instantly, the line of his shoulders relaxed and the flinty edge to his eyes seemed to warm. There was still a cautious way he carried himself, but then again, she had that same manner, her body ready to bolt should he make any sudden moves.

“That would appear so.”

“Even if some of us don’t remember that being the case.”

The laugh that she was met with sounded rusty from disuse, but genuine, nonetheless. “If it makes you feel any better, Ravena, I was a bastard back then. I rarely took the time to process names and commit the faces they belonged with to memory.”

“And that’s different now?” Are you a different person was the silent question that burned at the tip of her tongue, but it wasn’t a question she had any right to ask of him. Not yet anyway.

“It is.” She was not a short woman, but he still had to tilt his head and slightly hunch his shoulders to ensure they were at an equal line of sight. “I…I am trying, at least.”

Ah. So her silent question wasn’t quite as silent as she had thought. “That’s all any of us can do,” Ravena replied. “If it makes you feel any better, I guess I can forgive your lapse in memory. Our past encounter was brief.” She gave him a wicked smile. “Almost disappointingly so. Premature, even.”

He made a face, posture relaxing even further at her teasing. “You wound me.”

“A fitting injury to match the blow to my own ego.”

“You know, I could be persuaded to soothe that injury, should you be so inclined.”

Oh. Well this was an entirely different direction for their conversation to take from where it began. “Is that so?” She went back to packing her bag. “And if I was uninterested?”

“Then this would be the last time I brought it up.” He took a step towards her, his voice pitched lower in a way that sent a pleasant shiver down her back. “I may be an asshole when it comes to remembering names, but I can distinctly remember that night.”

Ravena closed her eyes and swayed towards him, so close that the warmth of his body all but sank into her skin. “Once I jogged your memory, you mean.”

“This is going to be a thing with you, isn’t it?”

“I haven’t decided.” She grinned. “Perhaps.”

“Perhaps on always bringing up my past fuck them and forget them tendencies or perhaps on picking up a…mutually beneficial relationship from where we left it?”

Bag packed, she slung it over her shoulder before pressing close to Blackwall’s side. Not giving him any warning, she reached out and grabbed the collar of his gambeson, rising on the tips of her toes to close the short distance between them. It had been some time since she had kissed anyone, let alone this man, but oh. The initial surprise had been sweet, but the answering kiss was even better. Blackwall didn’t wait for any prompting before wrapping his arms around her and hauling her up return her kiss, the press of his mouth against hers almost intoxicating and bringing back several incredibly detailed moments of that night they’d shared so long ago.

She broke the kiss before they got too carried away. While it was tempting to entertain the thought of Blackwall having his way with her there on the nearby table, she was sharing the cabin with Ada and Rolfe, either of the two well within their rights to innocently walk in without thinking to announce their presence.

Ada would have been mortified and run out of the cabin. Rolfe, on the other hand…Ravena was absolutely positive her dearest cousin would have given them a round of applause and some sort of smartassed remark. Ravena loved him dearly and considered Rolfe to be more of a younger brother than a cousin, but she would have had no other choice but to chase him down and kill him for interrupting, so really, stopping before things got too out of hand was for his own safety.

“I’ll let you figure that one out,” she told Blackwall, winking cheekily as she moved past him and towards the door. She gasped when he reached for her wrist again, pulling her back for another quick yet searing kiss.

“I’m a quick study,” he murmured, breath warm against her lips. He moved back only far enough to bring her wrist that was still in his loose grasp to his lips, his mouth moving over the skin there, a silent apology for his earlier mishandling. “Ravena.”

“So I see.” She exited the cabin and held the door open for him. “Shall we? I wouldn’t want to keep Roz waiting.”

“No, we wouldn’t want that.” He held out his arm for her to take as they walked towards the makeshift stables, but she squared her shoulders and walked past him.

“You’re staring at my ass,” she said, not looking behind to confirm.

“It would be rude not to appreciate the view,” he shot back.

She shook her head and kept walking. “Ass.”

The smile on her face remained as they came up to the stables, Roz checking her saddlebags for gear and Rolfe making small talk beside her. Ravena made note of Roz’s worried expression, and she knew that the Herald had good reason to be worried; reports from the Hinterlands were still coming in of pockets of mage and templar skirmishes. While the Inquisition’s agents had made some headway in stabilizing the area, there were still violent flare ups that hopefully would become less and less as fade rifts were sealed and areas secured.

“Everything all right?” Ravena asked, hoping to break the tense silence that Rolfe’s lighthearted yet one-sided conversation hadn’t been able to.

“I guess we’ll find out once we get there,” Roz answered, chewing on her lip. “Are we ready?”

“Ready whenever you are.” Again, Blackwall offered his arm to her as she stood beside her own horse, and this time, Ravena took it. Her branch of the Trevelyan family tree were excellent equestrians, she herself learned how to ride at a very early age, but when an attractive man offered to help her onto a horse, she would have been a fool to let the opportunity pass without taking advantage of it.

Ravena was many things, but a fool wasn’t one of them. It was something that definitely didn’t escape her cousin’s notice either. He didn’t say anything, but the raised eyebrow and smirk he gave her was enough to know that they would be having a conversation once they had a chance for privacy. She sighed and rolled her eyes at Rolfe. It would be easier to tell him the truth; he was a spy by profession and even before his twenty-year tenure with the Chantry, had an uncanny knack for pulling information out of anyone before they even realized they were telling him everything.

Well, almost everything. Ravena glanced at Blackwall, who had elected to ride ahead of them and match his horse’s pace with Roz’s.

Some secrets weren’t hers to tell.

[nerdypanda3126]

Playing with Fire – Ch. 8

So two things: first, I did write a little interlude between last chapter and this one, and you can find it here.

And second, in the part with Luka's journal, he's in a dark place at that point in his life and there's some suicidal ideation in there. If you'd prefer to skip over it, you can jump over the italicized parts, and as far as I know that's the only time it'll pop up in this story 💖

Read on Ao3 

First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

“You want to find my family?” Luka asked incredulously as he held a branch aside for her to walk past. 

He was tired, and so was she; they’d been walking all night, but Luka had insisted they needed to put as much distance as they could between them and the tower while they still had the cover of darkness. By the time the sunlight was able to filter down to them through the canopy, she suspected it was closer to mid-afternoon and they’d been up for a full twenty-four hours. He’d been stuck in his mostly-human form for the longest he’d ever had to endure it. Maybe not an ideal time to bring up her plan, but…  

“We’re already running for our lives, we don’t have a home to go back to, at least not for a while, so… While we’re out wandering anyways, I thought…” 

“We’d lead an angry mob straight to my mother and sister?” 

She rolled her eyes at him. Definitely not the best time to bring up her plan. “You’re cranky when you’re tired,” she noted, letting her own irritation slip into her tone. He grunted back, but it was more of a challenge than an assent. 

“Besides,” she pushed on, ignoring the way he bristled, “it might take a while to find them. How long do you think the townspeople will follow us, anyways? My guess is they get to the tower, see it’s empty, and turn around and go home.” 

“I’m not worried about them,” he grumbled. “There’s a certain friend of yours who didn’t seem ready to give up anytime soon.” 

If he had venom, he’d injected it into the word “friend.” She winced at his bitter tone. 

“Okay, so what’s your plan? We wander the wilds aimlessly chasing our tails for the rest of our lives?” 

He faltered and glanced over at her. The way he seemed so unsure made her realize he’d never had a plan. At least not past “stay alive and wait.” This was all new to him; he didn’t know what he was doing or where he was going. They’d traveled in as much of a straight line as was possible away from the tower, but other than that… he was lost. 

She drew closer to him and threaded her arm through his as an apology. He laid a hand over hers as he took her meaning and sighed. 

“Where would we even start?” he asked, his voice small in the quiet of the forest around them. 

“There have to be other towns nearby, and I’m sure someone would remember seeing dragons flying around 18 years ago.” 

“More townspeople…” he grumbled again. “Great.” 

She squeezed his arm in sympathy and they walked in silence for a while. She could feel the weight of the plan starting to fall on his shoulders, the idea of asking around, relying on humans, how long it might take. In truth, she hadn’t realized the enormity of the undertaking until she’d proposed it to him and now she could agree that it sounded impossible. 

“Maybe they’ve been waiting for you, too,” she dared to say. 

He let out a quiet laugh. “Ma wouldn’t, her treasure is the open skies and she wouldn’t wait for anyone.” He paused to think, then sighed. “Juleka might, though.” 

“Your sister?” 

“Mhmm. We were close when we were young. Before…” His eyes slid over to her and he let it drop. “She might’ve followed Ma at first, but I’m sure she wasn’t happy with the decision to leave me behind.” 

“What’s she look like?” Marinette asked, her curiosity overtaking her. He’d never talked about it before, but for once he seemed open to the topic. He smiled wistfully as he tried to remember. 

“A lot like me, I guess. Except, you know…not...” He gestured to himself, to his human form. “Unless she made the same mistake, but I doubt Ma would’ve let that happen again. And she’s taller than me, or at least she was when we were little. Maybe it’s changed a bit, but she was always kind of a lanky thing. Ma’s pride and joy, though, if I’m honest. It’s her fire. Most dragons have some variant of red; it’s rare enough to get blue fire, but Jules…” He shook his head, that wistful smile growing as he remembered. “Jules had violet fire. Unheard of, really. You’ll see when you meet her, she’s—” He caught himself then as he realized what he’d said. “If, I guess,” he amended quietly. 

She squeezed his arm again and smiled over at him. “When,” she agreed. “When I meet her.” 

He half-shrugged, but his smile warmed when he looked over at her. Before she could stop it, she yawned loudly and he laughed as one took him over, too. 

“First things first,” he said when it subsided, looking around at their surroundings. “We need to find a place to camp.” 

***

Later that evening they found a cave. 

Marinette had laughed a little at the prospect. Dragons, caves, towers, curses. Her life was sounding more and more like a fairytale turned inside out. Wasn’t there supposed to be a shining knight that rescued the damsel in distress from the terrible, fire-breathing dragon? 

But she didn’t feel very “in distress” as Luka joined hands with her to remove his stone and sighed with relief when his transformation took hold. She didn’t feel very in distress as he blew a small ring of fire into the floor of the cave, patting it down as he went to create a smooth, warm, bowl-shaped indent for them to curl up in together. And the only distress she felt as she tucked herself into his coils was her racing heart and trembling hands as the kiss they'd shared came back to her. He blinked up at her, sensing her hesitation, and uncurled a bit as if he intended to stand. 

She shook her head and laid her hand on his back, reassuring him, then took a moment to run her fingers over his scales, admiring them in their full splendor. Even though they were pitch black, they caught the bare light of the cave and glinted back at her like he was wearing a solid coat of jewels. They turned softer towards his belly, finer, more like the scales of a snake that she was used to as opposed to the armor he wore on top. 

As she continued to touch him, he let out that noise again, a small satisfied hum, and laid his head over his claws as he closed his eyes. 

His wings fascinated her. There was a solid joint of muscle on each side where they met his shoulders, as thick as both her fists put together, but the wings themselves seemed so fragile—she could see her hand through the delicate skin stretched thin between the bones. And yet they were able to hold not only his weight but hers, too. 

She felt it when she hit that sensitive spot that had made him ticklish before. Something like a chuckle rumbled through him and his wing flinched away from her reflexively, but he didn’t pull it out of her hands. That spot was along the side of the bone she’d been tracing, the longer one that nestled into his side when they were furled. She did it again out of curiosity and a shiver ran through him. 

She tried to remember what she’d read about dragon anatomy. But instead she was imagining how it must feel to him. Maybe something like if she were tracing the ridge of his shoulder blade when he was human. 

When she looked back at him, his eyes were still closed, like he was pretending to be asleep. She knew better, though; his breathing was uneven. As much as he was trying to hide it, he was hyper focused on her every move. 

She let her hand trail down his arm until she found one of his huge, rough hands. She picked it up despite his small grumble as his head shifted, and marveled at the largeness of it. The pad of what would be his palm was as big as her face, and the curved ebony claws reminded her so much of the hawks she’d seen in her life that she knew they were deadly. But his were each as long as her entire hand. 

As she set his hand back down, he opened an eye to look at her. She watched the slit of his pupil as it dilated to capture as much light as it could in the gloom of the cave. And the fiery blue that surrounded it was the same as the tuft of hair along his neck and at the tip of his tail. 

She should be frightened. Luka in this form was danger personified. Everything about him should have made her adrenaline spike. Should have made her want to run away or try to fight for her life. 

But as he blinked at her again, probably trying to understand what she was thinking, all she saw was… Luka. The same soul who had promised her mother he would take care of her, who had offered his life to her, who had saved her when she was too small to even know to be afraid. 

No wonder she’d still had dreams of sleeping curled up next to him. When she looked at him, at all of him, all she saw was safety and home. And as he tucked his wing around her like a blanket, she couldn’t imagine a safer place than right next to him. 

***

She grumbled awake when the light hit her eyes the next morning. She’d have to talk to him about getting curtains or something to cover that damn opening while they slept. She curled away from it, trying to press her face into Luka’s scales, but her nose was hitting something warm, and breathing, and...smoother than she expected. 

Her eyes flew open as she realized her lips had touched skin. 

It was later than normal and they’d already switched. Luka was human beside her. His arm was draped around her waist, she was curled up against his chest, and she had just nuzzled into his neck and brushed her lips against the hollow of his throat. She froze, but he was still solidly out, snoring lightly every so often, his arm a heavy weight around her. 

The night before rushed back to her. Fleeing the tower, their long walk, the cave they’d settled into for the night… and Luka. His dark hair was falling over his eyes, and those dark circles had returned after only one night of missed sleep. His lips were parted slightly as he breathed and he looked so peaceful she almost wanted to reach out and touch him if only to make sure he was real.

But she didn’t want to wake him. So as carefully as she could she extracted herself from his embrace and stood to stretch, realizing that all their walking from the past few days had caught up to her. Before she did anything else, she retrieved his stone from where he’d left it and slipped it around his neck so her flames didn’t attract any attention. Or worse, set anything in their temporary shelter aflame. 

They’d need to find food and water, but exploring their new area would have to wait until Luka woke up. For now she settled on taking inventory of what they’d brought with them, munching on a piece of bread from her parents’ bakery as she did. She froze when his lyre fell out, making an awful twang against the cave floor, but Luka only muttered in his sleep and rolled over. 

When she continued searching through the bags, her fingers caught on the leather of his journal. Another glance at Luka proved that he wouldn’t be awake for a while yet; losing sleep as they traveled had hit him harder than her. She walked as close to the entrance of their cave as she dared and sat in the light to read. 

The first few pages were mostly unintelligible. Scribbles and squiggles as Luka struggled with the quill and ink. Then came pages of the alphabet, unsteady at first, and traced over what must’ve been Jagged’s handwriting. The letters got stronger, more confident, and then on the next page, his first written word. Just his name, but she could almost see the pride he must’ve felt in accomplishing that one word. It stood alone on the page. She imagined a young Luka running out to show Jagged his hard work, beaming with the joy of learning a new skill. 

Then other words started to fill the pages. Jagged Stone, fire, bond, wings, rabbit, trap, tower. Naming things around him, sometimes with little drawings that accompanied the word. 

But then she saw the word “bakery.” Her breath caught. That wasn’t a word that Luka would be familiar with unless… 

Underneath that was a sentence. “My bonded lives in a bakery.” 

And as the pages went, she found more little tidbits about her life interspersed between Luka’s practicing. “My bonded has blue eyes.” “My bonded has black hair.” “My bonded likes the color pink.” “My bonded likes flowers.” 

It seemed he’d tried to learn as much about her as he could, but either Jagged never told him her name or Luka never asked because every one of them started with “my bonded.” She wondered if he did it on purpose. It seemed like something he would do. Waiting not only to meet her but to hear her name. 

He’d filled the next page, and it looked like a letter. Addressed to her. She glanced back at him, but he was turned away from her and she couldn’t see his face. She remembered how he’d stiffened when she asked if she could read it before he’d brushed it off as nothing. But he did say she could read it… 

So she did. 

***

To My Bonded,

You probably won’t ever get the chance to read this. I’m not sure why I’m even writing it other than I guess if the worst happens maybe there will be a small piece left of me that I can hope you would come to know.

From what I know of you, I think you might be someone who would listen.

Firstly, I don’t blame you if you’re angry with me. It probably hasn’t been easy on your end and I don’t know how much you’ve been told about our situation. Which is the worse curse, I wonder, knowing everything and waiting to see how it unfolds or knowing nothing and having to make a decision. Either way, I guess it’s really my fault anyways.

As for the second thing. I don’t know that I’ll have the chance to show you so I want you to know. I do care for you. Deeply. Sometimes that scares me because I don’t even know your name. The only thing I remember is seeing your eyes that day I rescued you. When they opened, when I knew you were okay, I was so relieved that I hardly even noticed your eyes were blue until Jagged reminded me years later. But they are, aren’t they? I wonder if they were like that before, or if maybe that’s another part of me that stayed with you.

I’m both dreading and hoping for the day I get to see those eyes again. Maybe when that day comes I can explain myself and apologize and tell you all this in person. Until then.

Yours, Luka

---

Bonded,

I didn’t think I’d write to you again. But Jagged told me today you had a ‘crush’ on someone in your village. A taylers boy, although I don’t know what that means. He told me about the fire too. He didn’t really have to. I felt it. I felt how your heart hurt and I wanted to go to you. Maybe I should have. I was afraid. 

Jagged said you were fine, that you would be fine. But next time I feel that, I’m coming to you. Scared or not.

Yours, Luka

---

Bonded,

I am sick of this place. I’m sick of this tower and sick of the waiting and sick of feeling like I’ll be stuck like this forever. I thought you’d come for me. Aren’t you curious about me? Don’t you know by now what’s happening, why I’m still here, that I’m waiting for you? Or maybe you’re staying away because you know. Maybe you want it to be this way, maybe this is your choice.

I don’t mean that. If you knew I’m sure you’d be here already. I guess I wish I knew how much longer it’s going to be like this. How much longer I’ll be waiting for you.

Yours, Luka

---

Dear Bonded,

I keep writing to you for some strange reason. It’s a sort of comfort, knowing that you’ll probably kill me before you get to read any of this. I’m sure that’s your answer now because your village has started sending men to kill me instead. They come up from your village anyway.

It’s okay. I get it. You’re probably scared of me. The rest of them have been so I can only assume you think the same. I haven’t let them win yet. For now there’s still a small part of me that hopes you don’t know anything about this. That it has nothing to do with you. For now anyways.

Yours, Luka

---

Bonded,

I hate the taste of blood.

Yours, Luka

---

Dearest Bonded,

This is my last letter to you. I can’t keep doing this. The men keep coming. I’ve tried everything to get them to leave me alone, but nothing seems to work. And I’m tired. I know you’re probably not coming. You won’t come. Even if you did, you’d be here to kill me. And I had every intention of giving you that choice, but I’ve made my decision. The next time those men come I’m not fighting anymore.

If you do find this. If you do come for me. I’m sorry. I’ve loved you with every breath.

Yours, Luka 

---

Dearest Bonded,

I’m a coward. Or a fool in love. Either way, I’m still here. I have to have faith in you.

Yours, Luka

***

She jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder. Luka laughed as he sat down behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist to press his chest against her back and lay his head on top of hers.

“Dramatic, wasn’t I?” he asked, still chuckling. As much as she could she swatted at his hand with the journal. 

“You scared me! You shouldn’t come up behind someone like that!” 

“We’re the only ones here, who else did you think it was?” 

Damn him, she could hear his satisfied smirk in his voice. She swatted him again for good measure, even as he pressed a kiss to her hair, but his last two letters were still sharp in her mind. 

“Why’d you stop writing?” she asked, flipping through the many blank pages that were left. She felt him shrug behind her. 

“I didn’t see much point to it, really. Either you’d come and we’d live happily ever after and I could tell you everything myself or… not. And it wasn’t like I ever expected you to want to read it if things went badly.” 

“How long after this…” she started, but she lost her voice halfway through. She had to swallow hard past the lump that was forming to find it again. “How much longer did you have to wait for me?”

He was quiet for a moment and he rubbed his hands up and down her arms, probably trying to soften the blow. 

“It doesn’t matter,” he said softly. 

“It does to me. Luka, if I’d known any of this—why didn’t you let Jagged tell me?” 

He let out another of those soft laughs behind her and his breath ghosted across her neck. “He wanted to. We fought about it a lot. But I figured that would only make you feel… obligated.” 

She thought about that while she stared at his last entry. Of course it was impossible to think what she might’ve done, or how she might’ve felt because she only knew what had happened. The series of events that led her to him. The nightmares and the flames and thinking she was a curse to her family and her village. And up at the tower Luka was dealing with his own nightmare. He’d almost given up hope and when she did come to the tower she’d almost proved him right. 

His arms tightened around her as if he could sense where her thoughts had gone. As if to prove he was okay and it turned out alright. She pressed back against him and could feel his heartbeat thudding steadily through her own chest. Maybe he was right. Maybe it didn’t matter. They were together now. That’s what she’d told him. To stop blaming himself for what happened. She didn't blame him for anything and at the very least he'd already forgiven her, too. 

She turned in his arms and slid her hand behind his neck to pull his face down to hers. As she pressed her lips to his, it felt like a promise. A promise that he’d never have to be apart from her like that again, bond or not. 

He melted against her and for a moment they were both lost in each other, in the knowledge that in this moment they were safe and together and that was all that mattered. 

[lupinlongbottom]

Practically a Weasley pt. 1.5

Charlie Weasley x Reader

Summary: Writers block gets the better of (Y/N). Her loving boyfriend, Charlie, now on the brink of baking genius, plans to get her out of her funk. With a war looming above the world, it seemed only fitting the path that lay before the couple. This path also happens to rhyme with ‘hoping’. 

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: A few swears, nothing major. 

A/N:  AH! Eloping! Feelings! Charlie! To say I got sappy in this one is an understatement my dudes. I haven’t had this rush of inspiration for a fic in forever. Seemed fitting Dragon Boi once again pulled me from it’s clutches.

Part 1 ... Part 2 ... Part 3 ... Epilogue

__

The sweeping hills and dipping valleys of the reserve went on seemingly for miles. Patches of greenery freckled with the fairest pinks and yellows of the wildflowers surrounded the dragon sanctuary, enveloping the tiny village of wizards and dragons alike. Various cottages were sprinkled along the dirt paths, the gentle sloping of their roofs matched that of the hills in the distance. Upon one of the quaintest cottages, an open window allowed the aroma of a freshly baked pie to escape.

“Cherry?” (Y/N) groaned, stretching her arms above her head. She had been cooped up in the study, feverishly working on her next book.

“Nope,” Charlie hummed, rubbing the light dusting of flour off his apron, watching the white powder sprinkle to the floor. “Apple.”

“Damn. Here I thought coming out of my dungeon would allow me to reap the benefits of my favorite pie,” said (Y/N), wistfully looking at the pie, now sitting on the windowsill. “But I guess not.”

“We were out of cherries, flower,” Charlie laughed. “Maureen’s wife had some extra apples from her tree, brought them into work yesterday. I figured a pie is a step in the right direction to get you out of your creative funk. Besides, you know I love to bake.” 

“Creative funk?” laughed (Y/N), weaving through the counters to reside closer to the pie. And perhaps her boyfriend.  

“You said so yourself,” the clatter of dishes hitting the sink rattled throughout the kitchen. “You’ve been trying to write that book of yours for months now.” 

“I never said creative funk!” (Y/N) exclaimed, more laughter trailing the end of her words. “I just can’t figure out where to take the story next. My mind has been preoccupied—”

“I know,” Charlie motioned to his maroon smock, tied just above his hips. “You really can’t get enough of me in this apron, can you?” His brown eyes flickered mischievously.

“Preoccupied with the war, Charlie,” (Y/N) cocked her eyebrow. “I thought that after the move, being closer to the dragons and you, of course would’ve helped my writers block…” 

“My poor princess, locked away in her tower, day in and day out, plagued with a terrible curse,” Charlie sighed, hand clutching his chest. “If only her valiant and ruggedly handsome prince could help… perhaps, with a pie, made with the love of a thousand men!” Now on one knee, Charlie motioned to the pie, resting still on its perch in the window.

“But will a pie slay the dragon along the way? Or will the prince do the dirty work himself?” (Y/N) mused, playing along with Charlie’s fantasy.

“Flower, you know how misrepresented dragons are in the media,” He mumbled. “I could never slay the dragon protecting you, after all,” He rose to his feet, inches away from his girlfriend. “They only protect the finest of treasure,” He leaned in for a kiss, capturing (Y/N)’s lips with his. The crisp taste of apples danced between the two, as Charlie couldn’t resist a mid-baking snack. (Y/N) laced her hands around his neck, feeling his hands do the same to her waist. “Well,” He paused. “That and the eggs.”

“You’re an egg.” She rolled her eyes, continuing their kiss. This was truly the domestic bliss they’d dreamed of.

“I’m sorry that you’re having a rough time with your work,” Charlie whispered. “The Order is doing all they can at a time like this. I’ve been working non-stop, recruiting other members for our cause, protecting the dragons. No one expected it would escalate the way it has.”

“I know you’ve been working hard,” (Y/N) mumbled, releasing herself from Charlie’s grip. “Hell, this is your first day off in about a month,” She motioned to the pie. “And you spent it baking for me, when you could’ve—should’ve been resting.”

“I can rest when I’m dead,” He felt the icy look (Y/N) had shot him in that very instant. “Which I’m not planning on doing anytime soon, don’t worry.”

“All I can do is worry, Charlie. You and your family are apart of something great, something that can help end this war. What am I doing? Writing children’s stories? Living in my own little world and pretending the world isn’t going to shit?” 

“You know how I feel about you joining The Order,” Charlie’s hand moved to the back of his neck, as if holding his head upright, the tension growing. “I want to keep you safe.”

“I’m not going to argue about this again. You know I’m a more than capable witch,” This time, it was (Y/N)’s hand flying to her chest, making a point. “I want to help. I want to support you.” The air in the kitchen was growing thicker, the words lingering around them. 

“I’m not saying you’re not capable, love. Don’t you think I know that more than anyone? I just want to protect you!” Charlie blurted, not intending to raise his voice.

“Then protect me!” She huffed, voice cracking. "Let me be by your side! You can’t protect me if you are hundreds of cities away, can you?!”

Charlie was silent. The gravity of his girlfriend’s words hitting him square in the chest. “You’re right,” He mumbled, voice low. “You always are.” 

“Glad you could come to your senses,” (Y/N) crossed her arms. “I hate fighting you on this, but you need to know how important it is for me to be by your side. Through all of this.”

“You’re right,” His eyes flicked upward, meeting (Y/N)’s. “I want—no—need you standing by my side.”

“I’m very persuasive, I know that I can help recruiting new members! I can pack my bag in two ticks if you can tell me where your next meeting is!” said (Y/N) excitedly, clasping her hands together.

“No, not just that,” He shook his head. “I need you standing by my side forever. Especially after this war.”

“Well of course I will. I’m your girlfriend, Charlie.” (Y/N) giggled airily, slightly confused at her love’s sudden seriousness.

“You need to be more than that,” Charlie shook his head again. “Let’s go to the courthouse, right now! Change our titles.” He laced his fingers through (Y/N)’s, tugging her towards the front door. 

“I’m not following?” She glanced at Charlie, fumbling to put on his brown leather boots.

“You want to stand by my side forever, yeah?” (Y/N) nodded. “Let’s go get bloody married, then.” 

“Married? Right now!?” (Y/N)’s eyes widened, shifting between both of her boyfriend’s own rapidly.

“Right now.” He nodded, only ever so slightly.

“Are you mad? Do you have a fever?” The back of her hand reached Charlie’s forehead. He pushed it away in jest, sitting upon the last few steps of the stairs.

“I’m not mad! What’s stopping us?” Charlie grinned, finally lacing up his boots successfully. 

“For one, a lack of a proposal?” 

“Alright, then,” Charlie moved from the stairs to his knee, grabbing (Y/N)’s hand. “Will you marry me?”

“Well of course, but—”

“Consider yourself proposed!” He laughed, the sound echoing throughout the cottage. “Put on some shoes, let’s go get married!”

“I’m hardly dressed for a wedding,” (Y/N) motioned to her pajamas, a   green top and light pink sleep shorts. “As a matter of fact, neither are you!”

“You look ravishing as always, flower,” He sprang to his feet. “Besides, you love the apron.” 

“I do,” (Y/N) sighed, momentarily distracted. “This is all happening much quicker than I could’ve imagined.” She laughed, a hand running through her hair. 

“But you’ve imagined it before, yeah? Let’s go and do it,” Charlie clasped his hands around hers, looking (Y/N) dead in the eyes. “You mean more to me than anything in this world. I don’t know what I would do if something were to happen to either of us and I didn’t make you an official Weasley.”

“If you died I could’ve married Fred or George,” (Y/N) chuckled, merely teasing. “But you’re right. I suppose tomorrow isn’t promised. Let’s get married.” The two share a kiss. Softer than their kitchen escapade earlier, somehow sweeter than the apples before. “But please give me five minutes to change.”

__

The trip to the courthouse was quick, thanks to their Apparition. Hardly any wait to fill out a marriage license, not many couples were getting married on a Monday afternoon. Charlie rapidly filled out his portion of the license, almost letting the ink flow directly from his heart into the quill. (Y/N) filled it out just as fast, freezing only at the place where she needed to sign. In a beat, she let her name hit the tip of the quill, tracing itself onto the paper.

(Y/N) Weasley

“Alright you two, let’s make this quick,” said the judge. He was a short man, round in every sense of the word. “As much as I love doing these… ‘end-of-the-world’ weddings, I have some chocolate frogs to attend to.”

“Jim, we’ll repay you in plenty of chocolate frogs, I assure you,” Charlie laughed. “Thanks for doing this on such short notice.”

“In my few years of knowing you, Charlie, short notice is the normal amount of notice,” Jim chuckled heartily. “But I’ll take you up on those frogs.”

“As you should,” (Y/N) nodded. “Charlie may need a reminder, though.”

“Well, with a beautiful wife like you, Charlie won’t have much to worry about,” Jim smiled. “Alright. Stand together and listen to me…”

The judge began to speak, reading from a small booklet about the size of a deck of cards. The words flowed into the air, though neither the bride or groom cared to pay attention. Their focus was solely on one another. Charlie granted (Y/N) the five minutes she had requested before, allowing her to change into something more bridal. Close enough to it, anyway. An off-white dress, glittering with small pink roses, growing larger near the hem. She looked ethereal, the very definition of a bride.

Charlie’s bride.

“…and I suppose the two of you have vows?” Jim huffed, glancing up from his book. “Or did you not get that far?”

“Well, I suppose we didn’t have time to write anything down,” Charlie motioned to his apron and chuckled. “But I reckon I could come up with something now.”

“I could too. I’ve drafted mine a few times before,” (Y/N) flushed, glancing down. “Only to help with writers block, of course.”

“I’ll start,” Charlie grinned, gently grabbing (Y/N)’s hands. “(Y/N). My gorgeous, courageous flower. I never thought, nor did I ever dream I could find someone as witty or as tenacious as yourself to love. Blimey, I hardly imagined loving anyone more than dragons if I’m being honest.” (Y/N) chuckled, rubbing her thumb across the back of Charlie’s hand. “Honestly, when I learned that you were best mates with my twin brothers, I thought perhaps you were a bit deranged. But I learned that of the three of you, you’re the one that carries their shared braincell.”

“Hey…” (Y/N) muttered, taken aback slightly.

“I’m only half joking, love,” Charlie beamed. “But, besides your amazing good looks, I love you for your heart and soul. I promise to always take care of you, to prepare your favorite tea when you’re cold. I promise to cuddle you when you’re sick, even when you say you don’t look cute. I’ll even promise to indulge your wildest fantasies, putting this apron on whenever you ask. Even if it’s the only thing I’m wearing,” Another chuckle. “I love you, (Y/N). I can’t wait to spend the rest of my days with you.”

(Y/N) could hardly keep the tears from falling. A gentle droplet rolled down her right cheek, hanging delicately on her chin. How could she ever top the sap that flew from his lips? Surely her drafts of her vows were written in a dream-like state, normally jesting to herself a reality that wouldn’t come to fruition until much later. Hardly could she imagine standing in the quaint shack—the reserve’s excuse of a courthouse—sharing these feelings with Charlie. But, she had to try.

“Charles Septimus Weasley,” (Y/N) croaked, barely able to recite his full name. He flinched at the mention of his title. “No amount of divination could’ve predicted I would end up becoming a Weasley. I admire the little things about you. Your beautiful brown eyes, warm as the morning sun, ready to accept me at any moment. The never ending list of scars and burns that litter your skin in different patterns, stories of your bravery and kindness,” Her thumb stroked against a seemingly simple scar on the edge of his finger, relaying her point. “Your dedication to your family is the strongest sense of truth that comes from you, Charlie. Hell, how many people would willingly break into a school to rescue a dragon, all to help their younger brother?”

“Not many.” Charlie boasted, puffing his chest slightly.

“Your sense of humility is solid too,” (Y/N) quipped, smirking lightly. “I promise to always be your shoulder to cry on, especially when the dragons ignore you more than usual. I promise to never let you fall too deeply asleep on the couch, always welcoming you back to our bed, even if your feet are colder than the Dementor’s breath,” Another chuckle. “But, above all, I promise to love you, Charles Weasley. I’m dedicating my life to stand by you, through this war and beyond. I love you.”

It was Charlie’s turn to weep. How long had he been crying? Surely (Y/N) crying had been the stepping stone to get to his current emotional state. A sniffle was heard between them, causing the couple to whip their heads towards the noise.

“In all my years,” Jim sneezed, filling his handkerchief with snot. “I have never seen more beautiful vows. Normally it’s the same, rushed shtick. But you two,” he sneezed again. “You two are perfectly in love and I just—”

“Jim...” Charlie started.

“Let me do my job, Charlie!” Jim cautioned, holding a single finger up. “Now, the answers seem obvious, but for legality reasons I need you to answer after me,” Charlie’s ears perked up. “Do you, Charles Septimus Weasley take (Y/N) to be your lawfully wedded wife? Through sickness and—”

“I do,” Charlie professed, eyes not leaving (Y/N)’s for a second. “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have said all that sap before, no?”

“Right,” Jim scoffed, a bit annoyed. He turned to (Y/N). “Do you, (Y/N) (Y/M/N) (Y/L/N) take Charlie to be your—”

“I do!” (Y/N) chanted, too eager to allow the judge to continue.

“Where was that sense of urgency when reciting your vows?” Jim mumbled, flipping through his book. “Seriously, the one part I get to do…” He took a deep breath. “Well, by the power vested in me by the Wizarding Council, I now pronounce you man and wife. You can, uh, kiss the bride.”

Charlie wasted no time kissing his blushing bride. It was the moment he had dreamed about since laying eyes on (Y/N) in that coffee shop only a few years prior. The promises of their love were overflowing between the two in their shared moment of pure bliss. Never had a kiss felt like this, like a growing spark begging for release. Neither of the newlyweds wanted to part, remove themselves from this moment.

“Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,” a woman sang, momentarily stunning the couple out of their bliss. “Congratulations.”

“Ah,” Charlie faltered, face surely shining with the brilliance of roses. “Thank you, Maureen, for being a witness on such short notice.”

“It’s not a problem,” She cooed, waving her hand. “I’m honored you thought of me, Weasley. I’m also glad my lunch break lined up for your happy day,” She laughed. “When the two of you have an official ceremony, make sure to keep Lauren and I on your list, yeah?” Maureen clicked, quickly signing the marriage certificate before exiting the small courtroom.

The certificate was handed to the receptionist, who didn’t seem jaded by the quick marriage that had taken place moments prior. She smiled up at the couple. “I’ve seen plenty of weddings here, but you two,” She paused. “You two give me hope in these dark days.”

“Thank you,” (Y/N) stammered, touched by the stranger’s words. “Thank you, to both of you,” She motioned to Jim. “I assure your payment in chocolate frogs will be arranged promptly.”

“A woman of her word,” Jim cackled. “Shame she’s taken.”

“Taken she is.” Charlie responded, placing a gentle kiss to his wife’s knuckles, his fingers still interwoven with hers.

__

The couple decided to take the long way home, enjoying the purple sunset that blanketed the valley. In almost no time at all, before the sun dipped beneath the earth, the newlyweds entered their cottage. The aroma of pie not yet left the quaint building.

“Shoot,” Charlie mumbled. “I was supposed to carry you across the threshold!”

“It’s fine, Charlie,” His wife laughed. “We’ve been going against tradition anyway. What’s one less thing?”

“I just want to make our wedding day memorable, flower,” Charlie stroked (Y/N)’s hair. “But I suppose I could just carry you to our bed?”

“Oh?” She cocked an eyebrow.

“We have to consummate it at some point.” Charlie grinned, eyes slanted down towards his wife.

“I’ll take you up on that, my husband,” The new title rolling off her tongue almost mockingly. “But we should have some of your pie first, no?”

“I suppose so,” He hummed. “We should have a proper dinner, I wouldn’t want to spoil dessert.” Charlie’s hands trailed down to (Y/N)’s sides, quickly grabbing a handful of her backside.

“Charlie!” (Y/N) gasped, watching her husband retrieve the pie from the windowsill, acting as if nothing had happened. Before he could shut the window, an owl flew through the crack, landing on the counter.

“This doesn’t look like a letter from The Order…” said Charlie, grabbing the purple envelope from the owl’s beak. In an instant, the owl flew off, back to where it had come from.

“What does it say?” (Y/N) asked, drawing closer to the counter, curiosity growing stronger.

“It’s a wedding invitation. For my brother, Bill,” Charlie laughed, continuing to read. “Blimey! Set for the first of August!” 

“I guess this war is causing everyone to jump the gun and get married, huh?” (Y/N) smiled.

“At least we did it before Bill,” Charlie mirrored the grin. “That’s something I can hang over his head until the day I die.” He lifted (Y/N) up onto the counter, sealing her lips with his.

“But,” (Y/N) fought the kiss. “The pie?”

“Consider my appetite spoiled,” Charlie mumbled against her lips. He sucked lightly on her bottom lip before continuing. “I’ve decided that I want dessert first.”

“Charlie…” (Y/N) moaned, deepening the kiss, hands pulling at Charlie’s hair tie, letting his unruly locks fall into her fingers. She tugged lightly.

“(Y/N),” Charlie groaned, enjoying the sensation. “We should move this to the bedroom. Have to tire you out for a good night’s rest if we’re to travel to France tomorrow.”

“France?” (Y/N) panted, pulling away slightly.

“For The Order recruitment.”

“But I thought you said—”  

“—and I was stupid for saying anything of the sort,” Charlie agreed, placing hot kisses down her neck. “You had said so yourself, my family is apart of something great,” More kisses. “You’re part of that family now, yeah?”

(Y/N)’s eyes glistened with tears, threatening to fall. She shook her head, determined to not cry any more that evening. She held her breath, a realization struck her. “My stars! Your family!”

“Not exactly a good way to keep the mood going, love…” Charlie continued, working his way across her collar.   

“What are we going to tell your family?” (Y/N) gasped. “My family! They hardly know we’re living together, let alone eloped!”

“That’s the excitement of eloping, isn’t it? Not telling our families?” Charlie paused his ministrations, looking at his wife. “But I suppose our families didn’t know about our relationship until a few months in anyway, what’s the harm in keeping this our little secret for a bit?”

“I suppose…” (Y/N) trailed, recalling the passionate feelings their past secrecy had given them. “I suppose it could be a bit of cheeky fun.”

“Now you’re getting it,” Charlie beamed, planting a wet kiss to (Y/N)’s lips, lingering for a moment longer. “Come on, indulge your husband.”

“I just might,” (Y/N) wrapped her arms around Charlie’s neck, allowing him to pick her up like he had previously lamented about missing out on. Bridal style. “My dear husband…” Her voice fell to a whisper, leaning in to sing sweet nothings only Charlie could hear.

“Keep the apron on.”

__

General Tag List: @maralisa124 , @leighxlover , @hey-its-me-rai , @missihart123 , @biatheintrovert , @luna-xxxxx , @chocolaterumble, @why-am-i-sad-and-sleepy , @missmulti

Charlie Weasley Tag List: @sungoddessra​ , @crescent-ia , @phantom-pheonix​ , @dccomicnerd-world​ , @marveltrash99 , @graymountaingal​, @storiesbycaroline, @mytinybaguette , @garbdump​

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